Pompeii 79 CE: Context: Pompeii- on August 24, 79 AD a volcano on Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried two entire Roman resort towns near the coast under thousands of tons of volcanic ash. Poison gas was sprayed into the air and as it went down the heated gas killed all the people. The bodies which were covered with volcanic ash were destroyed but left a type of fossil impression in the dried ash and lava. The result was that the town and some of its people were completely preserved for archeologists and historians to uncover later. From the remains of the city we know how the people looked like, how they lived and how they did business. They had organized business and residential districts and paved streets. They even had hot and cold running water. The houses that were preserved by the ashes have left us with a good idea of what kind of lifestyle these people might have lead.
These plaster forms were made by pouring plaster into the air pockets created by the bodies of Pompeiian who were covered with volcanic ash. The bodies disintegrated or burned and left hollows. Some of the gestures and expressions are so life like that we can almost guess as to what they were thinking and we can actually see some figures protecting other figures.
Form: The city was walled and laid out in a logical grid line plan that was divided into several zoned sections that were defined by the main roads named the upper and lower decumanus and cardo maxiumus. These names were invented by modern archeologists. The sections were zoned as our own cities are today, with a forum (civic areas and shopping centers,) residential quadrants, entertainment areas with theaters and amphitheaters and combined areas.
Iconography: One would think that a city plan would not really be symbolic of anything but on closer inspection there is a lot of symbolism. The city plan is evolved from both Greek and Etruscan culture's plans and in this way indicates that the Romans emulated them and saw themselves as heirs to these cultures.
The triumphal arch (Herculaneum Gate) which served as the entrance to the town was basically a useless arch that was there as a symbol. The use of the arch and the symbolic gate it covered was a way of expressing just how Roman they were.
The city plans also install order on the plan of the city which represents the Roman mission in the world which they saw as civilizing the barbarians and bringing order to the world. It also segregated, the way they spent their time and divided the rich from the poor, the sacred from the profane.
Street in Pompeii with stones for walking across. Form: The cobbled city streets had drainage ditches, sidewalks and were laid out in a standard size because axle lengths were standardized throughout the empire. The standardized sizes allowed the installation of walkways (the three stones across the street) that would allow pedestrians to walk above the street when it was filled with rain and avoid the horse poop and mud. The stones also acted as a kind of "speed bump" because the carts would have to slow down to enable themselves to move through the ruts. Iconography: The cliché "all roads lead to Rome" applies here in the idea that the Romans really believed that a solid civic infrastructure symbolized order and civilization.
Iconography: Walls in both public and private homes were often decorated with frescos during the Roman era and it was a symbol of the person's status to be able to afford such decoration. This fresco is rather like our posters and paintings of sports today and it expresses the importance of such activities in their culture. Usually the gladiators who performed in such games were originally criminals or enemies of the state, however, if they were successful they became heroes of a kind and their careers were followed by fans.
Context: In 59 CE Pompeii hosted a game in which they competed with their neighbors the Nucerians. A brawl erupted and a riot ensued which was similar to the soccer riots of today. The riots and loss of life and property were so severe that the central government issued a decree that Pompeii was forbidden to have gladiatorial games for ten years.
The fresco shows the velarium a cloth awning that protected arenas like this as well as the double set of steps that allowed the quick entrance and departure of the spectators.
plaster with traces of encaustic paint Form: The veristic style of the Roman Patrician above is also expressed in Roman portrait busts. According to Gardner, the Romans, unlike the Greeks, believed that a sculpture of the head alone was enough to fulfill the requirements of creating a portrait of an individual. The Greeks believed that one needed the whole body for an accurate portrait. Nevertheless, in each of these busts, every feature is recorded faithfully, but, the age of the sitter and the verism of the portrait was probably influenced somewhat by the gender of the sitter. This sculpture was originally part of a larger figure that was hurt or destroyed in an earlier earthquake or eruption. The head was preserved and placed on a stand however the nose had been broken off. The broken nose was replaced with a bit of plaster to fill in the broken off portion.
Iconography and Context: Portraiture like this was probably valuable in both an economic as well as in more sentimental and familial context and that would explain why, rather than creating a new sculpture they repaired this one. This sculpture also provides us with a record of one of the catastrophes the people of Pompeii lived with before the final one of 79 CE.
Form: Many of the streets of Pompeii were lined with two story town houses. These homes were made from brick and concrete which was later veneered with stucco, plaster and even marble. The rooves were made from wood and often had awnings which jutted out over the sidewalks. The fronts of these buildings usually contained shops that opened out on to the streets. The more elaborate stores were two level and had windows that opened out above. Located through a short passageway was usually a more elaborate or expensive dwelling that was the home of a wealthier family. (see the floor plan below or Stokstad figure 6-52) Iconography: These home/shop organization was integral to and symbolized the economic health that supported the infrastructure of Rome and its towns. To own such a home in itself demonstrated the wealth and prestige of the landlord. The types of shops fronting the homes was also up to the discretion of the zoning of the town as well as the homeowner who lived behind the shop.
Context: These houses had hot and cold running water and a plumbing system that ran underneath the house. The center of the house had an open skylight above the atrium which caught fresh water and was stored in a cistern usually underneath or at the rear of the house's garden.
Form: The typical atrium style house of Pompeii was fronted by the shops (1). The structure usually housed a main house and sometimes even an additional ones (7) was rented out. The fauces (latin for throat) or vestibulum (2) was a thin passageway that led into the atrium (8) in which the an open skylight above the atrium caught fresh water. A similar open air peristyle courtyard (9) was located further in and the bedrooms, dining room, bathrooms, kitchen and other service areas radiated out from. A vegetable garden in addition to the the flower garden provided delicacies such as fresh fruit and staples such as vegetables. Context: These atrium style houses were really apartment houses and commercial districts combined into one structure. As such, they were an incredible investment for the wealthy owner. Not only were they self sufficient in terms of food, the rental on the shops and additional dwellings often paid for whatever loans and taxes owed on the complex.
Style House. Form: Mosaics were made from small blocks of stone, ceramic tile or glass called tesserae. These blocks were then pushed into either plaster, for walls, or cement, for floors. The blocks, when placed together combined together like the pixels on a computer screen to make an image. When one looks at the the images from a distance the blocks of color one next to the other mix because the eye would blend them together. This is called optical mixing. Depending on the skill of the workman/artisan, the work could be extremely realistic of cartoonish. These were a particularly durable form of decoration as they were impervious to staining and fading. Further up in this photo you can see the impluvium (pool) of the atrium. Iconography/Context: The location and subject of this mosaic makes a lot of sense. The image of the dog in the front hallway is apotropaic and roughly the equivalent of an alarm sticker on a window or "beware of dog sign." In fact some mosaics are accompanied with the latin "cave canum" which means literally translates "beware of dog" and indicates a high degree of literacy if they expected a thief to be able to read the warning.
The lead pipes which moved the water through the houses. The next stop in the house was the atrium. The latin word for heart or chamber is atrium and this room is where the water was gathered from an opening in the ceiling and then collected further back in the house in a cistern. In the center of the atrium was the impluvium or pool that collected the water. In the image on the left you can see a fountain and a sink. This room, as almost every room in the house, had a mosaic floor, and frescoes on all the walls. Depending on the home, some rooms even had special themes and addressed specific stories.
This room is where a guest could stop and wash up before meeting with the occupants. Bathing was an important part of Roman culture and there were even bathrooms with hot and cold running water. The pipes that moved the water were made from a soft lead which in itself is a bit of health hazard and probably caused the early death of some of the wealthier citizens of Pompeii who could afford such luxuries..
Peristyle Court at the house of Vetii Form: These peristyle courtyards had ornate sculpture and flower gardens surrounded by a perimeter of stylos (latin for column). The perimeter columns held up the roof overhang under which furniture was placed. The columns were often made of marble and often there was marble veneer on the concrete and brick wall. The wall of the courtyard were often decorated with mosaics and or fresco. Iconography/Context: The peristyle is almost misnamed because it is truly the atrium (latin for heart) of the house. This is where the family gathered and in essence it was an outside living room. Here air and light flowed through the space but the occupants would not be bothered by the noises and smells of the street.
The baker and his wife Context: The sculpture we have seen already demonstrates the Roman propensity and desire for accurate portraiture. This desire to have a likeness made was not limited to just the wealthy or upper class but also to anyone who might be able to afford such work to be made.
The image on the top is a fresco. Fresco is a term that literally means "fresh." There are two kinds, buon fresco and fresco secco. This painting painting is made by coating a wall with plaster and while the wall is still damp, ground up pigments are mixed with water and lime and painted on the wall. The paint soaks in and literally stains the wall up to a half an inch and becomes permanent. This is called buon fresco (good fresh). Details with more expensive colors (such as blue made from lapis lazuli) are added with tempera paint (egg yolks and glue) when the fresco is dry. This is called secco fresco (dry fresh).
Mosaics were made from small blocks of stone, ceramic tile or glass called tesserae. These blocks were then pushed into either plaster, for walls, or cement, for floors. The blocks, when placed together combined together like the pixels on a computer screen to make an image. When one looks at the the images from a distance the blocks of color one next to the other mix because the eye would blend them together. This is called optical mixing. Depending on the skill of the workman/artisan, the work could be extremely realistic of cartoonish. These were a particularly durable form of decoration as they were impervious to staining and fading.
Iconography: The image on the left of the Baker and his wife depicts a couple how they would like to be seen. The baker holds a scroll and his wife holds a wax tablet and a stylus that would have been used to scratch out notes and practice writing. In all probability, the baker and his wife were either illiterate or semiliterate, yet they hold symbols of their literacy and therefore intelligence. This is how they wanted to be seen.
In both images the portraits are verist images; however, as in the portrait of Augustus they were probably "prettied up" a bit. Their features are a bit idealized and their hair a bit too styled.
Iconography: Frescoes like this one depicting fruit and glasses or pure water were symbolic of the pleasures of every day life and perhaps of the delicacies one might desire. Fruit was not available all year and it is one of the fleeting pleasures. The depictions of fruit and other delicacies, such as Herakleitos' Unswept Floor (fig 6-58) are references to the wealth of the patron and the skill of the artist. The clear vessel of water is what is referred to as an artist's conceit or concetto (italian for conceit) because painting a transparent vessel is one of the harder things to paint.
Fresco from Pompeii before 79 CE Formal: These two frescos depict idealized human figures, all standing in the classic contrapposto pose, rendered with light and shadow. The use of light and shadow, or value structure, to depict volume is sometimes referred to as chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro literally translates into Italian as light and shadow or dark and light. In the fresco depicting Theseus and the minotaur with the Athenian youths, is fairly complex in how it depicts space. For example, the figures are placed in and around an architectural structure and the body of the Minotaur is depicted in a foreshortened pose. As the head and torso of the Minotaur project into the foreground they begin to look shorter than if the view was a strict profile view.
Iconographic: Both of these images are powerful symbolic statements of the kinds of values the Romans held.
The Three Graces, represent the three most important qualities a Roman could possess beauty, grace, and intellect (which was linked to virtue).
The image of Theseus links him to the Doryphoros and to other images of athletic youths who possess kalos. The Minotaur is a composite creature, that symbolizes antithetical qualities to our human hero. The bull head represents certain negative qualities.
Context: The story of Theseus and the Minotaur at the heart of the maze would have a certain amount of resonance for citizens of the Roman empire because the maze represents the Minoan government lead by the evil King Minos and the Minotaur in its center, is represents the heart of Minos's problems as a ruler.
The term fresco comes from the Italian word for fresh. The paint is applied quickly in fresh patches of plaster that haven't had a chance to dry yet. This allows the paint to sink into the plaster and stain it sometimes up to a quarter of an inch below the surface of the wall.
In buon fresco, which literally means "good fresh," the water color and lime (the mineral not the fruit) are painted directly on damp plaster that has just been applied.


Joseph Arthur is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio, United States. He is apparently best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. I must confess that I knew nothing of Joseph until the album arrived to review. Listening to new artists is one of the joys of being a music reviewer and this singer songwriter was first discovered by Peter Gabriel in the 90's. He knows a thing or two about music so I expect great things from him! Joseph is also a renowned painter and designer so all in all, a very accomplished young man.
This album entitled "The Family" centres on what the title infers, The Family, or at least the commonly held idea of one. A real eclectic mix of music and sounds covering most aspects of family life in general; war, love, murder, despair. Some topics are not natural bed fellows for a song on an album but these do work very well indeed. Both depressing and uplifting in equal measures.
Joseph has, at times, a very sad and gutteral voice which is perfect for "You Keep Hanging On" a love song sung with genuine and real emotion. His voice on some tracks has a mix and feel of Dylan and John Martyn, ideal for the slower numbers on this album. "The Flag" is arguably the best example of this comparison with two other superstars!
This is definitely a slow burner of an album. It took me at least four listens to really get into it and fully understand what Joseph is trying to portray through his excellent music and evocative lyrics. I said at the beginning of this review that I had not heard of Joseph before and I am pretty certain that the same will apply to many other music lovers from this side of The Atlantic, but I am also certain that this will change in the near future if this album is anything to go by.
If you want to know if you are going to like this album, just take a listen to the opening track, "The Family" which sets the scene for the rest of the music to follow. "The Family was always glad you came" is a line in the song that accurately describes my mantra for life.
I read a review somewhere that gave the album a rating of 9/10. I think I need to listen to it a few more times to get to that dizzy height but it is certainly well on the way. Enjoy it!!!


Welcome to the Royal School Dungannon website. I hope that it encourages you to want to find out more about the school.
The best way to do just that is to arrange a visit to RSD, to see our facilities and meet some of our staff and pupils.
Their work together is at the very heart of the school and gives RSD its spirit and character.
RSD has been helping boys and girls to fulfil their potential for over 400 years. Traditions are cherished but we are also a school committed to looking forward and embracing new opportunities. The personal development of young people is our focus and we encourage each boy and girl to learn about their favourite subjects, to find out about the world around them and to learn something about themselves. RSD is a caring community, underpinned by shared values, strong relationships and excellent pastoral care.
We are passionate about helping every girl and boy to enjoy school and to reach their potential. Opportunities to lead, take on responsibility and to operate as part of a team resonate throughout school life outside the classroom and in the wider community. Pupils are encouraged to be the best that they can be with a sense of resilience and integrity.
The values of an RSD education will stay with our pupils for the rest of their lives. I hope that the young girls and boys who first enter RSD go on to feel fulfilled personally and leave us as young adults ready for the next stage in life.
Most of all I want them to believe that RSD is their school and that they have a unique part to play in its great story.


Even with the Monday Night contest of the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys still yet to commence, Week 9 of the NFL season lived up to all the expectations. Here are some of the best matchups from the weekend.
The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams entered the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with one loss combined in 2018. The much-anticipated contest lived up to the expectations with high-flying offenses and great plays all over the field.
The Saints scored a touchdown in every drive but one in the first half. Quarterback Drew Brees once again proved why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league as he led the way in the 45-35 win. He had a rhythm with wide receiver Michael Thomas all game. Thomas ended the game with 12 catches, 211 yards and a 72-yard touchdown to ice the game late in the fourth quarter.
Brees praised his young receiver for his performance after the game.
The highly touted Rams' defense could not keep up as Brees finished the game with 346 yards and four touchdowns, outshining Rams' quarterback Jared Goff's three-touchdown performance.
But one the biggest keys to the Saints' win, however, was their offensive line. Their front five held LA's defensive line, who came into the game with 22 sacks, to zero sacks and just four quarterback hits. They also pushed the line in the run game, allowing the backs to combine for 141 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.
The Rams suffered their first loss of the season and will look to redeem themselves against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Saints' take their seven-game win streak to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.
Sunday Night Football saw arguably the two best quarterbacks meet for possibly the last time in their careers. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots welcomed Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in what was expected to be another shootout. But it was the defense that won the day.
While New England's defense registered just one sack on the elusive Rodgers, it pressured him all day. Six quarterback hits helped allow just six yards a reception for the entire game. This made it easy for Brady and the defense to come out on top 31-17. This was the lowest score that the Packers were held to since Week 3 against the Redskins.
New England's offense did the rest. Brady finished with 294 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Julian Edelman also got in the passing game, throwing a 37-yard screen pass to James White in the fourth quarter to set up a White touchdown on the ground three plays later.
The Patriots travel to Nashville in Week 10 to play the Titans and look to make it seven wins in a row. The Packers will look to avoid a three-game losing streak when it welcomes the Miami Dolphins.
The Kansas City Chiefs continued the string of great offensive performances on Sunday when they traveled to Cleveland to play the Browns on Sunday.
Second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the second player in the NFL to throw for 300 yards in eight consecutive games in a single season. He threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns in the 37-21 win. Tight end Travis Kelce carried a big load, hauling in seven passes for 99 yards and scoring twice. Running back Kareem Hunt also got in the end zone twice on the ground and tallied 91 yards on 17 carries.
The Chiefs seem unstoppable with one of the best offenses in the league. The Browns, on the other hand, continue to slide after a promising start to the season. Interim coach Gregg Williams, who filled in for Hue Jackson who was fired after a loss the week before, could only watch as his defense gave up almost 500 yards of total offense.
The Browns will look to snap a four-game losing streak next Sunday when they take on the Atlanta Falcons at home. Chiefs will play the Arizona Cardinals sporting a three-game win streak.


text:
Modest Fiat 500 once owned by David Cameron selling for £10k at auction
The modest Fiat 500 previously owned by David Cameron which could fetch £10k when sold at auction
A modest Fiat 500 previously owned by David Cameron is expected to fetch around £10,000 when it's sold at auction.
The Prime Minister currently travels around the UK in a top-of-the-range chauffeur-driven Jaguar XJ.
But in 1998 as a humble Tory MP, Cameron bought this 1971 Fiat 500 as a surprise birthday present for wife Samantha.
The couple held onto the pint-sized car for ten years, racking up just 1,000 miles as they used it to pootle around the idyllic Cotswolds in.
Fiat built the 500 between 1957 and 1975 with the humble vehicle one the most iconic and unmistakable cars of the 20th century.
With a tiny 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the Fiat 500 epitomises chic, working class motoring.
This original right-hand drive Fiat 500 L was first registered on 20th August 1971 in Warwickshire and has covered what is believed to be a genuine 13,000 miles from new.
Mr Cameron bought the car as a surprise birthday present for wife Samantha
It is being sold by Silverstones Auctions on November 17 at the Footman James Classic Motor Show at the NEC.
Silverstones is expecting the car to fetch between £8,000 and £12,000 when it goes under the hammer.
Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions, said: "No matter what your political persuasion, this is one cool car and we are delighted to be able to offer it for auction at our sale in November as part of the Footman James Classic Motor Show weekend.
"After all, it's not everyday that you get the chance to bid for a car that was once owned by a global figure."
Will Smith, a specialist at the auction house, added: "It was bought as a birthday present and it really was a thoughtful gift.
"The Fiat 500 is a trendle little car and would have been the perfect car for the Camerons to drive to the shops in.
"It is in pristine condition and has been restored beautifully. Not only is it ideal as a weekend car but it is also perfect as a city runaround."
Caught on camera: Footballer ploughs his Porsche 911 into petrol station causing £200k damage
Thieves cut through wire fence to steal six giant ELKS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Data;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

using Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo;
using SqlServerWebAdmin.Models;

namespace SqlServerWebAdmin
{
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        protected void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
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            FilterTablesButton_Click(null, null);
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        private void FilterTablesButton_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
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                server.Connect();
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            Database database = server.Databases[HttpContext.Current.Server.HtmlDecode(HttpContext.Current.Request["database"])];

            SqlObjectType objectTypeFilter;
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                    throw new Exception("Invalid TableType selected");
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            TableCollection tables = database.Tables;

            // Create DataSet from result
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                // Only add objects that we want (system or user)
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                        Server.HtmlEncode(table.Name),
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                        Server.HtmlEncode(table.IsSystemObject ? "system" : ""),
                        Server.HtmlEncode(table.CreateDate.ToString()),
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            // Show message if there are no tables, otherwise show datagrid
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Departamento de Informática da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa participates in the strategic project "Partnership in Information Security" that has been approved within the program Erasmus+, in the field of strategic partnerships for higher education (Set 2014 – Aug 2017).
The main goal of the project is to establish a Joint Master Degree in Security, by establishing a consortium of higher education and research organisations active in the strategic area of security and dependability in information and infrastructure.
Besides the University of Lisbon, the partnership also includes the University of Luxemburg, the Warsaw University of Technology, and the National Technical University of Ukraine.


text:
PE9 (50) Apply PE9 filter
(-) Remove LS5 (42) filter LS5 (42)
(-) Remove SH2 (92) filter SH2 (92)
Project Architectural design In Dialogue with dis-Ability Theoretical and methodological exploration of a multi-sensorial design approach in architecture
Researcher (PI) Ann Heylighen
Summary This research project is based on the notion that, because of their specific interaction with space, people with particular dis-abilities are able to appreciate spatial qualities or detect misfits in the environment that most architects—or other designers—are not even aware of. This notion holds for sensory dis-abilities such as blindness or visual impairment, but also for mental dis-abilities like autism or Alzheimer's dementia. The experiences and subsequent insights of these dis-abled people, so it is argued, represent a considerable knowledge resource that would complement and enrich the professional expertise of architects and designers in general. This argument forms the basis for a methodological and theoretical exploration of a multi-sensorial design approach in architecture. On the one hand, a series of retrospective case studies will be conducted to identify and describe the motives and elements that trigger or stimulate architects' attention for the multi-sensorial spatial experiences of people with dis-abilities when designing spaces. On the other hand, the research project will investigate experimentally in real time to what extent design processes and products in architecture can be enriched by establishing a dialogue between the multi-sensorial 'knowing-in-action' of people with dis-abilities and the expertise of professional architects/designers. In this way, the research project aims to develop a more profound understanding of how the concept of Design for All can be realised in architectural practice. At least as important, however, is its contribution to innovation in architecture tout court. The research results are expected to give a powerful impulse to quality improvement of the built environment by stimulating and supporting the development of innovative design concepts.
This research project is based on the notion that, because of their specific interaction with space, people with particular dis-abilities are able to appreciate spatial qualities or detect misfits in the environment that most architects—or other designers—are not even aware of. This notion holds for sensory dis-abilities such as blindness or visual impairment, but also for mental dis-abilities like autism or Alzheimer's dementia. The experiences and subsequent insights of these dis-abled people, so it is argued, represent a considerable knowledge resource that would complement and enrich the professional expertise of architects and designers in general. This argument forms the basis for a methodological and theoretical exploration of a multi-sensorial design approach in architecture. On the one hand, a series of retrospective case studies will be conducted to identify and describe the motives and elements that trigger or stimulate architects' attention for the multi-sensorial spatial experiences of people with dis-abilities when designing spaces. On the other hand, the research project will investigate experimentally in real time to what extent design processes and products in architecture can be enriched by establishing a dialogue between the multi-sensorial 'knowing-in-action' of people with dis-abilities and the expertise of professional architects/designers. In this way, the research project aims to develop a more profound understanding of how the concept of Design for All can be realised in architectural practice. At least as important, however, is its contribution to innovation in architecture tout court. The research results are expected to give a powerful impulse to quality improvement of the built environment by stimulating and supporting the development of innovative design concepts.
Project acronym aidsocpro
Project Aiding Social Protection: the political economy of externally financing social policy in developing countries
Researcher (PI) Andrew Martin Fischer
Host Institution (HI) ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary This research proposal explores the political economy of international development assistance (aid) directed towards social expenditures, examined through the lens of a particular financial quandary that has been ignored in the literature despite having important economic and political repercussions. The quandary is that aid cannot be directly spent on expenditures denominated in domestic currency. Instead, aid needs to be first converted into domestic currency whereas the foreign exchange provided is used for other purposes, resulting in a process prone to complex politics regarding domestic monetary policy and spending commitments. The implications require a serious rethink of many of the accepted premises in the political economy of aid and related literatures. It is urgent to engage in this rethinking given tensions between two dynamics in the current global political economy: a tightening financial cycle facing developing countries versus an increasing emphasis in international development agendas of directing aid towards social expenditures. The financial quandary might exacerbate these tensions, restricting recipient government policy space despite donor commitments of respecting national ownership. The proposed research examines these implications through the emerging social protection agenda among donors, which serves as an ideal policy case given that social protection expenditures are almost entirely based on domestic currency. This will be researched through a mixed-method comparative case study of six developing countries, combining quantitative analysis of balance of payments and financing constraints with qualitative process tracing based on elite interviews and documentary research. The objective is to re-orient our thinking on these issues for a deeper appreciation of the systemic political and economic challenges facing global redistribution towards poorer countries, particularly with respect to the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.
This research proposal explores the political economy of international development assistance (aid) directed towards social expenditures, examined through the lens of a particular financial quandary that has been ignored in the literature despite having important economic and political repercussions. The quandary is that aid cannot be directly spent on expenditures denominated in domestic currency. Instead, aid needs to be first converted into domestic currency whereas the foreign exchange provided is used for other purposes, resulting in a process prone to complex politics regarding domestic monetary policy and spending commitments. The implications require a serious rethink of many of the accepted premises in the political economy of aid and related literatures. It is urgent to engage in this rethinking given tensions between two dynamics in the current global political economy: a tightening financial cycle facing developing countries versus an increasing emphasis in international development agendas of directing aid towards social expenditures. The financial quandary might exacerbate these tensions, restricting recipient government policy space despite donor commitments of respecting national ownership. The proposed research examines these implications through the emerging social protection agenda among donors, which serves as an ideal policy case given that social protection expenditures are almost entirely based on domestic currency. This will be researched through a mixed-method comparative case study of six developing countries, combining quantitative analysis of balance of payments and financing constraints with qualitative process tracing based on elite interviews and documentary research. The objective is to re-orient our thinking on these issues for a deeper appreciation of the systemic political and economic challenges facing global redistribution towards poorer countries, particularly with respect to the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.
Project acronym AIDSRIGHTS
Project "Rights, Responsibilities, and the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Global Impact on Moral and Political Subjectivity"
Researcher (PI) Jarrett Zigon
Summary "This project will undertake a transnational, multi-sited ethnographic study of moral and political subjectivity in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs from the perspective of socio-cultural anthropology. The main research question is: what kinds of politico-moral persons are constituted in institutional contexts that combine human rights and personal responsibility approaches to health, and how these kinds of subjectivities relate to local, national, and global forms of the politico-moral represented in health policies? In particular, this research will be carried out in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali), South Africa (Western Cape), USA (New York City), and various locations throughout Eastern Europe in HIV/AIDS programs and institutions that increasingly combine human rights and personal responsibility approaches to treatment and prevention. This project is the first anthropological research on health governance done on a global scale. Until now most anthropological studies have focused on one health program in one location without simultaneously studying similar processes in comparable contexts in other parts of the world. In contrast, this project will take a global perspective on the relationship between health issues, morality, and governance by doing transnational multi-sited research. This project will significantly contribute to the current anthropological focus on bio-citizenship and push it in new directions, resulting in a new anthropological theory of global bio-political governance and global politico-moral subjectivities. This theory will describe and explain recent transnational processes of shaping particular kinds of politico-moral subjectivities through health initiatives. By doing research in comparable world areas this project will significantly contribute to the development of a theory of politico-moral governance with global reach."
"This project will undertake a transnational, multi-sited ethnographic study of moral and political subjectivity in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs from the perspective of socio-cultural anthropology. The main research question is: what kinds of politico-moral persons are constituted in institutional contexts that combine human rights and personal responsibility approaches to health, and how these kinds of subjectivities relate to local, national, and global forms of the politico-moral represented in health policies? In particular, this research will be carried out in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali), South Africa (Western Cape), USA (New York City), and various locations throughout Eastern Europe in HIV/AIDS programs and institutions that increasingly combine human rights and personal responsibility approaches to treatment and prevention. This project is the first anthropological research on health governance done on a global scale. Until now most anthropological studies have focused on one health program in one location without simultaneously studying similar processes in comparable contexts in other parts of the world. In contrast, this project will take a global perspective on the relationship between health issues, morality, and governance by doing transnational multi-sited research. This project will significantly contribute to the current anthropological focus on bio-citizenship and push it in new directions, resulting in a new anthropological theory of global bio-political governance and global politico-moral subjectivities. This theory will describe and explain recent transnational processes of shaping particular kinds of politico-moral subjectivities through health initiatives. By doing research in comparable world areas this project will significantly contribute to the development of a theory of politico-moral governance with global reach."
Project acronym APOLOGY
Project Political Apologies across Cultures
Researcher (PI) Juliëtte Schaafsma
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT BRABANT
Summary In the past decades, there has been a considerable rise in the number of apologies offered by states for injustices and human rights violations. Among transitional justice scholars, there is significant debate about how useful such apologies are. Whereas some have applauded these gestures as an important step in peacemaking processes, others have argued that they may not fit in all cultures and may even be a risky tool for peacemaking. Unfortunately, theorizing and research in the field of transitional justice is still in its infancy and has not systematically addressed questions of cross-cultural variability yet. So, at present, we do not know whether political apologies are a universally viable way to restore justice and harmony. My project addresses this challenge. Using an innovative, interdisciplinary, and multi-method approach with in-depth interviews, (experimental) surveys, and content analyses of apologies, I analyze whether there are universals in how political apologies are valued, expressed, and interpreted or whether this varies as a function of cross-cultural differences in key values (collectivism and individualism) and norms (face and honor). Based on these findings, I build a theoretical framework that will fundamentally advance our understanding of the potential value and role of apologies in transitional justice processes. This project breaks new ground because it is the first to take the difficult step to collect cross-cultural data to examine whether key assumptions regarding political apologies hold across cultures. It is also the first in this area to use a multi-method approach, which makes it possible to take into account the complex reality of political apologies. Combining insights from transitional justice, cross-cultural psychology and anthropology, this project places theorizing on transitional justice on a much firmer footing and paves the way to more cross-culturally valid models to restore justice and promote reconciliation.
In the past decades, there has been a considerable rise in the number of apologies offered by states for injustices and human rights violations. Among transitional justice scholars, there is significant debate about how useful such apologies are. Whereas some have applauded these gestures as an important step in peacemaking processes, others have argued that they may not fit in all cultures and may even be a risky tool for peacemaking. Unfortunately, theorizing and research in the field of transitional justice is still in its infancy and has not systematically addressed questions of cross-cultural variability yet. So, at present, we do not know whether political apologies are a universally viable way to restore justice and harmony. My project addresses this challenge. Using an innovative, interdisciplinary, and multi-method approach with in-depth interviews, (experimental) surveys, and content analyses of apologies, I analyze whether there are universals in how political apologies are valued, expressed, and interpreted or whether this varies as a function of cross-cultural differences in key values (collectivism and individualism) and norms (face and honor). Based on these findings, I build a theoretical framework that will fundamentally advance our understanding of the potential value and role of apologies in transitional justice processes. This project breaks new ground because it is the first to take the difficult step to collect cross-cultural data to examine whether key assumptions regarding political apologies hold across cultures. It is also the first in this area to use a multi-method approach, which makes it possible to take into account the complex reality of political apologies. Combining insights from transitional justice, cross-cultural psychology and anthropology, this project places theorizing on transitional justice on a much firmer footing and paves the way to more cross-culturally valid models to restore justice and promote reconciliation.
Project acronym AstroFunc
Project Molecular Studies of Astrocyte Function in Health and Disease
Researcher (PI) Matthew Guy Holt
Host Institution (HI) VIB
Summary Brain consists of two basic cell types – neurons and glia. However, the study of glia in brain function has traditionally been neglected in favor of their more "illustrious" counter-parts – neurons that are classed as the computational units of the brain. Glia have usually been classed as "brain glue" - a supportive matrix on which neurons grow and function. However, recent evidence suggests that glia are more than passive "glue" and actually modulate neuronal function. This has lead to the proposal of a "tripartite synapse", which recognizes pre- and postsynaptic neuronal elements and glia as a unit. However, what is still lacking is rudimentary information on how these cells actually function in situ. Here we propose taking a "bottom-up" approach, by identifying the molecules (and interactions) that control glial function in situ. This is complicated by the fact that glia show profound changes when placed into culture. To circumvent this, we will use recently developed cell sorting techniques, to rapidly isolate genetically marked glial cells from brain – which can then be analyzed using advanced biochemical and physiological techniques. The long-term aim is to identify proteins that can be "tagged" using transgenic technologies to allow protein function to be studied in real-time in vivo, using sophisticated imaging techniques. Given the number of proteins that may be identified we envisage developing new methods of generating transgenic animals that provide an attractive alternative to current "state-of-the art" technology. The importance of studying glial function is given by the fact that every major brain pathology shows reactive gliosis. In the time it takes to read this abstract, 5 people in the EU will have suffered a stroke – not to mention those who suffer other forms of neurotrauma. Thus, understanding glial function is not only critical to understanding normal brain function, but also for relieving the burden of severe neurological injury and disease
Brain consists of two basic cell types – neurons and glia. However, the study of glia in brain function has traditionally been neglected in favor of their more "illustrious" counter-parts – neurons that are classed as the computational units of the brain. Glia have usually been classed as "brain glue" - a supportive matrix on which neurons grow and function. However, recent evidence suggests that glia are more than passive "glue" and actually modulate neuronal function. This has lead to the proposal of a "tripartite synapse", which recognizes pre- and postsynaptic neuronal elements and glia as a unit. However, what is still lacking is rudimentary information on how these cells actually function in situ. Here we propose taking a "bottom-up" approach, by identifying the molecules (and interactions) that control glial function in situ. This is complicated by the fact that glia show profound changes when placed into culture. To circumvent this, we will use recently developed cell sorting techniques, to rapidly isolate genetically marked glial cells from brain – which can then be analyzed using advanced biochemical and physiological techniques. The long-term aim is to identify proteins that can be "tagged" using transgenic technologies to allow protein function to be studied in real-time in vivo, using sophisticated imaging techniques. Given the number of proteins that may be identified we envisage developing new methods of generating transgenic animals that provide an attractive alternative to current "state-of-the art" technology. The importance of studying glial function is given by the fact that every major brain pathology shows reactive gliosis. In the time it takes to read this abstract, 5 people in the EU will have suffered a stroke – not to mention those who suffer other forms of neurotrauma. Thus, understanding glial function is not only critical to understanding normal brain function, but also for relieving the burden of severe neurological injury and disease
Project acronym AUTHORITARIANGLOBAL
Project Authoritarianism in a Global Age: Controlling Information and Communication, Association and People Movement
Researcher (PI) Marlies Glasius
Summary The overarching research question of this project is: how is authoritarian rule affected by and responding to globalisation of (a) information and communication, (b) association, and (c) people movement? The wholly unpredicted series of revolts that recently spread across the Arab world suggests that the nature and sustainability of contemporary authoritarian rule are not well-understood. Openness to global ICT and media, international NGOs, and inflow and outflow of people have thrown up new challenges for authoritarian rulers in terms of how to control citizens. This project investigates changes in both the nature and the sustainability of authoritarian rule in relation to the erosion of decision-making autonomy at the state level posited by globalisation theorists. In four sub-projects, this project will investigate: 1. Whether, how and to what extent globalisation of information and communication, association, and people movement affect authoritarian persistence (longitudinal quantitative study, 1970-2011) 2. How, i.e. with what policy mechanisms, authoritarian states respond to globalisation of information and communication, association, and people movement (qualitative multi-sited studies relating to Belarus, China, Iran and Zimbabwe) 3. How to understand the phenomenon of subnational authoritarianism in its engagement with the democratic state and the wider world in relation to information and communication, association, and people movement (mixed method subnational studies of states within India and Mexico) 4. What authoritarianism is in a global age: reconsidering authoritarianism's defining characteristics of low accountability and high coercion, and whether these still relate exclusively to statehood (theory study) The project will transcend the theoretical and empirical separation between globalisation studies (which have neglected authoritarian contexts) and authoritarianism studies(which have taken relatively little notice of effects of globalisation)
The overarching research question of this project is: how is authoritarian rule affected by and responding to globalisation of (a) information and communication, (b) association, and (c) people movement? The wholly unpredicted series of revolts that recently spread across the Arab world suggests that the nature and sustainability of contemporary authoritarian rule are not well-understood. Openness to global ICT and media, international NGOs, and inflow and outflow of people have thrown up new challenges for authoritarian rulers in terms of how to control citizens. This project investigates changes in both the nature and the sustainability of authoritarian rule in relation to the erosion of decision-making autonomy at the state level posited by globalisation theorists. In four sub-projects, this project will investigate: 1. Whether, how and to what extent globalisation of information and communication, association, and people movement affect authoritarian persistence (longitudinal quantitative study, 1970-2011) 2. How, i.e. with what policy mechanisms, authoritarian states respond to globalisation of information and communication, association, and people movement (qualitative multi-sited studies relating to Belarus, China, Iran and Zimbabwe) 3. How to understand the phenomenon of subnational authoritarianism in its engagement with the democratic state and the wider world in relation to information and communication, association, and people movement (mixed method subnational studies of states within India and Mexico) 4. What authoritarianism is in a global age: reconsidering authoritarianism's defining characteristics of low accountability and high coercion, and whether these still relate exclusively to statehood (theory study) The project will transcend the theoretical and empirical separation between globalisation studies (which have neglected authoritarian contexts) and authoritarianism studies(which have taken relatively little notice of effects of globalisation)
Project acronym BEAUTY
Project Towards a comparative sociology of beauty The transnational modelling industry and the social shaping of beauty standards in six European countries
Researcher (PI) Giselinde Maniouschka Marije Kuipers
Summary This project studies how beauty standards - perceptions of physical beauty in women and men - are socially shaped. It will focus on the transnational modelling industry, an institution centrally concerned with the production and dissemination of beauty standards. The project aims to develop a comparative sociology of beauty. By comparing beauty standards both within and across nations, it will identify central mechanisms and institutions through which such standards are developed and disseminated. In 4 subprojects this study investigates 1. How standards of female and male beauty are perceived, shaped, and disseminated by professionals in the transnational modelling field; 2. How female and male models perceive, represent and embody beauty standards in their work; 3. How female and male beauty has been portrayed by models in mainstream and high fashion magazines from 1980 till 2010; 4. How people of different backgrounds perceive female and male beauty, and how their beauty standards are related to the images disseminated in modelling. Each project will be done in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the UK. This project is innovative in several ways. It is the first comprehensive study of the social shaping of beauty standards. The 4 subprojects will result in an extensive account of production, products, and reception of a contested cultural industry. Moreover, this project draws together in novel ways theories about media, cultural production and taste formation; gender and the body; and globalization. The project will make a major contribution to the study of globalization: it studies a transnational cultural industry, and its comparative and longitudinal design allows us to gauge the impact of globalization in different contexts. Finally, the project is innovative in its comparative, multi-method research design, in which the subprojects will follow the entire process of production and consumption in a transnational field.
This project studies how beauty standards - perceptions of physical beauty in women and men - are socially shaped. It will focus on the transnational modelling industry, an institution centrally concerned with the production and dissemination of beauty standards. The project aims to develop a comparative sociology of beauty. By comparing beauty standards both within and across nations, it will identify central mechanisms and institutions through which such standards are developed and disseminated. In 4 subprojects this study investigates 1. How standards of female and male beauty are perceived, shaped, and disseminated by professionals in the transnational modelling field; 2. How female and male models perceive, represent and embody beauty standards in their work; 3. How female and male beauty has been portrayed by models in mainstream and high fashion magazines from 1980 till 2010; 4. How people of different backgrounds perceive female and male beauty, and how their beauty standards are related to the images disseminated in modelling. Each project will be done in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the UK. This project is innovative in several ways. It is the first comprehensive study of the social shaping of beauty standards. The 4 subprojects will result in an extensive account of production, products, and reception of a contested cultural industry. Moreover, this project draws together in novel ways theories about media, cultural production and taste formation; gender and the body; and globalization. The project will make a major contribution to the study of globalization: it studies a transnational cultural industry, and its comparative and longitudinal design allows us to gauge the impact of globalization in different contexts. Finally, the project is innovative in its comparative, multi-method research design, in which the subprojects will follow the entire process of production and consumption in a transnational field.
Project acronym Becoming Men
Project Becoming Men: Performing responsible masculinities in contemporary urban Africa
Researcher (PI) Eileen Marie Moyer
Summary This anthropological study examines the reconfiguration of masculinities in urban Africa over the last 30 years. Focusing on how practices and discourses of empowerment and equality shape male subjectivities, this study builds upon a significant body of nuanced research on masculinities in Africa. Since the mid-1980s academic and public discourses have depicted African masculinity as both precarious and predatory. Economic insecurity, urbanization, shifting gender norms, and growing gender parity have accompanied claims that African masculinity is 'in crisis'. More recently, new stories of urban men embracing responsible fatherhood, condemning intimate partner violence, and demanding homosexual rights have emerged as exemplars of progressive possibility. To disentangle these seemingly competing claims about African masculinities and shed light on the scientific, political, and economic projects that shape them, this research theorises that the discourses and practices that pathologise and politicise masculinity are simultaneously performing and producing gendered selves on multiple scales in the name of gender equality. Recently, 'male involvement' has become a rallying cry throughout the vast global development assemblage, around which governments, NGOs, research networks, activists, and local communities fight gender inequality to promote health, economic development, and human rights. In this research, a range of male-involvement initiatives provides a lens through which to study how masculinities are diversely imagined, (re)configured, and performed through men's engagements with this assemblage, in both its local and global manifestations. Multi-sited ethnographic research will focus on six cities where the PI has active research ties: Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya; Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa; and Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, Tanzania.
This anthropological study examines the reconfiguration of masculinities in urban Africa over the last 30 years. Focusing on how practices and discourses of empowerment and equality shape male subjectivities, this study builds upon a significant body of nuanced research on masculinities in Africa. Since the mid-1980s academic and public discourses have depicted African masculinity as both precarious and predatory. Economic insecurity, urbanization, shifting gender norms, and growing gender parity have accompanied claims that African masculinity is 'in crisis'. More recently, new stories of urban men embracing responsible fatherhood, condemning intimate partner violence, and demanding homosexual rights have emerged as exemplars of progressive possibility. To disentangle these seemingly competing claims about African masculinities and shed light on the scientific, political, and economic projects that shape them, this research theorises that the discourses and practices that pathologise and politicise masculinity are simultaneously performing and producing gendered selves on multiple scales in the name of gender equality. Recently, 'male involvement' has become a rallying cry throughout the vast global development assemblage, around which governments, NGOs, research networks, activists, and local communities fight gender inequality to promote health, economic development, and human rights. In this research, a range of male-involvement initiatives provides a lens through which to study how masculinities are diversely imagined, (re)configured, and performed through men's engagements with this assemblage, in both its local and global manifestations. Multi-sited ethnographic research will focus on six cities where the PI has active research ties: Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya; Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa; and Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, Tanzania.
Project acronym BEHAVE
Project New discrete choice theory for understanding moral decision making behaviour
Researcher (PI) Caspar Gerard CHORUS
Summary Discrete choice theory provides a mathematically rigorous framework to analyse and predict choice behaviour. While many of the theory's key developments originate from the domain of transportation (mobility, travel behaviour), it is now widely used throughout the social sciences. The theory has a blind spot for moral choice behaviour. It was designed to analyse situations where people make choices that are optimal given their consumer preferences, rather than situations where people attempt to make choices that are right, given their moral preferences. This neglect of the morality of choice is striking, in light of the fact that many of the most important choices people make, have a moral dimension. This research program extends discrete choice theory to the domain of moral decision making. It will produce a suite of new mathematical representations of choice behaviour (i.e., choice models), which are designed to capture the decision rules and decision weights that determine how individuals behave in moral choice situations. In these models, particular emphasis is given to heterogeneity in moral decision rules and to the role of social influences. Models will be estimated and validated using data obtained through a series of interviews, surveys and choice experiments. Empirical analyses will take place in the context of moral choice situations concerning i) co-operative road using and ii) unsafe driving practices. Estimation results will be used as input for agent based models, to identify how social interaction processes lead to the emergence, persistence or dissolution of moral (traffic) equilibria at larger spatio-temporal scales. Together, these proposed research efforts promise to generate a major breakthrough in discrete choice theory. In addition, the program will result in important methodological contributions to the empirical study of moral decision making behaviour in general; and to new insights into the moral aspects of (travel) behaviour.
Discrete choice theory provides a mathematically rigorous framework to analyse and predict choice behaviour. While many of the theory's key developments originate from the domain of transportation (mobility, travel behaviour), it is now widely used throughout the social sciences. The theory has a blind spot for moral choice behaviour. It was designed to analyse situations where people make choices that are optimal given their consumer preferences, rather than situations where people attempt to make choices that are right, given their moral preferences. This neglect of the morality of choice is striking, in light of the fact that many of the most important choices people make, have a moral dimension. This research program extends discrete choice theory to the domain of moral decision making. It will produce a suite of new mathematical representations of choice behaviour (i.e., choice models), which are designed to capture the decision rules and decision weights that determine how individuals behave in moral choice situations. In these models, particular emphasis is given to heterogeneity in moral decision rules and to the role of social influences. Models will be estimated and validated using data obtained through a series of interviews, surveys and choice experiments. Empirical analyses will take place in the context of moral choice situations concerning i) co-operative road using and ii) unsafe driving practices. Estimation results will be used as input for agent based models, to identify how social interaction processes lead to the emergence, persistence or dissolution of moral (traffic) equilibria at larger spatio-temporal scales. Together, these proposed research efforts promise to generate a major breakthrough in discrete choice theory. In addition, the program will result in important methodological contributions to the empirical study of moral decision making behaviour in general; and to new insights into the moral aspects of (travel) behaviour.
Project acronym BIOSPACE
Project Monitoring Biodiversity from Space
Researcher (PI) Andrew Kerr Skidmore
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT TWENTE
Summary Life, with all its diversity, is in crisis. As humans increasingly encroach on biologically complex semi- natural landscapes, no organism, place or ecological function remains unaffected. While all 196 parties (195 countries plus the European Union) to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) have agreed to monitor the state of biodiversity, the currently available methods to do so leave much to be desired. Traditional monitoring involves the field observation of species by trained specialists, aided by skilled volunteers, whose expertise is restricted to specific biotic groupings. In a process that is both time consuming and inconsistent across time and space, botanists identify and record the presence of plant species and ornithologists the bird biota, resulting in 'unpopular' biotic groups such as fungi, bacteria and insects being under-observed or escaping identification altogether. In this project, a fundamentally different approach to terrestrial biodiversity monitoring couples next generation satellite remote sensing with environmental DNA (eDNA) profiling, complemented where available by legacy human-observed datasets. Satellite remote sensing is able to survey the environment as a single, continuous, fine-resolution map, while eDNA profiling can rapidly quantify much greater taxonomical and functional breadth and depth than human field observation. This project combines, for the first time, these two powerful, cutting-edge techniques for monitoring biodiversity at the global level in a consistent manner. Following from this, another key innovation will be the deepening of our scientific understanding of how biodiversity is impacted by anthropogenic pressure as well as by natural environmental gradients. In concert, these scientific developments will enable the accurate and fine grain monitoring of biodiversity from space – a ground-breaking contribution to the quest to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and CBD Aichi targets.
Life, with all its diversity, is in crisis. As humans increasingly encroach on biologically complex semi- natural landscapes, no organism, place or ecological function remains unaffected. While all 196 parties (195 countries plus the European Union) to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) have agreed to monitor the state of biodiversity, the currently available methods to do so leave much to be desired. Traditional monitoring involves the field observation of species by trained specialists, aided by skilled volunteers, whose expertise is restricted to specific biotic groupings. In a process that is both time consuming and inconsistent across time and space, botanists identify and record the presence of plant species and ornithologists the bird biota, resulting in 'unpopular' biotic groups such as fungi, bacteria and insects being under-observed or escaping identification altogether. In this project, a fundamentally different approach to terrestrial biodiversity monitoring couples next generation satellite remote sensing with environmental DNA (eDNA) profiling, complemented where available by legacy human-observed datasets. Satellite remote sensing is able to survey the environment as a single, continuous, fine-resolution map, while eDNA profiling can rapidly quantify much greater taxonomical and functional breadth and depth than human field observation. This project combines, for the first time, these two powerful, cutting-edge techniques for monitoring biodiversity at the global level in a consistent manner. Following from this, another key innovation will be the deepening of our scientific understanding of how biodiversity is impacted by anthropogenic pressure as well as by natural environmental gradients. In concert, these scientific developments will enable the accurate and fine grain monitoring of biodiversity from space – a ground-breaking contribution to the quest to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and CBD Aichi targets.


The film opened during a dinner performance in the Medieval Times Theatre, where Prince Charming (voice of Rupert Everett) was enacting on stage his rescue of Princess Fiona from the dragon-guarded castle tower on his valiant steed Chauncey. Many Fairytale characters were seated at a table in the audience. A man dressed in a bad ogre costume, to appear like Shrek, came on the stage. Things weren't going well (the audience was distracted by a waiter singing Happy Birthday, and part of the stage collapsed), and the spectators began laughing, upsetting Prince Charming - and he threatened them with his twisted sword: "Someday, you'll be sorry." He left the stage in a huff. In his alleyway dressing room before a broken vanity mirror, he sobbed: "Mommy!" A picture of his mother, Fairy Godmother was attached to the frame, with the words: "Don't Stop Believing! Mommy's little Angel." He suddenly became determined, claiming that he wouldn't be displaced from ascending to the throne: "I can't let this happen. I am the rightful King of Far, Far Away." A newspaper blew into his face, with the headlines: "King Royally Sick - Shrek and Fiona Fill In For Ailing King.
Lazy ogre son-in-law Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) and daughter Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) were filling in for the ailing King Harold (voice of John Cleese), and residing in the Far, Far Away kingdom's royal castle. They were assisted by Puss In Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas) and faithful companion Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy), and reminded that they had to attend various functions that day. "Royal Pain" by the Eels played as Shrek acted disastrously as King -- he accidentally stabbed a knight during a knight ceremony, and at the dock during a boat christening, he sank the ship with a heaved bottle of champagne. Shrek and Fiona were taken to a dressing room, where make-up specialist Raul primped them to look like royal figures, and they were awkwardly dressed in uncomfortable Renaissance outfits. Fiona asked: "Is this really necessary?" A frustrated Shrek replied: "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Fiona." Their introduction to a ballroom full of guests was a disaster - a series of mishaps caused the curtains to be set on fire, and the stage collapsed. Afterwards, Shrek told Fiona: "That's it. We're leaving...I am an ogre. I'm not cut out for this, Fiona, and I never will be." She replied: "A couple more days, and we'll be back home in our vermin-filled shack strewn with fungus and filled with the rotting stench of mud and neglect." She hinted that she might want a family, but he was reluctant about having babies: "They just eat and poop, and they cry...", especially an ogre baby: "They extra-cry and they extra-poop."
The couple was summoned to the King's chambers, where the Frog Prince/King Harold was dying on a lily pad, although he had a "matter of business to attend to." He told Shrek about the need for a new king: "You and Fiona are next in line for the throne," but Shrek replied that he didn't think it was "a good idea" for an ogre to be king. There was only one other remaining heir for the job -- and as he gasped and died, the King specified the heir to be his nephew, Arthur. A funeral was held at the castle's pond where a frog chorus sang the Wings' song "Live and Let Die", as the King in a shoebox (labeled 'Ye Olde Foot Locker') was placed on a lily pad and floated onto the pond.
Meanwhile, vengeful Prince Charming rode to the Poison Apple Tavern, where during the Unhappy Hour, a Singing Witch entertained the patrons with "I've Never Been to Me" (performed by Nancy Wilson). Mabel the Ugly Stepsister (voice of Regis Philbin) served him at the bar, where he bought a round of drinks (Fuzzy Navels) for various Fairytale Villains, knights, pirates, witches, and more wronged characters, including: Captain Hook (voice of Ian McShane), the Evil Queen (voice of Susanne Blakeslee), Stromboli the Puppet Master (voice of Chris Miller), and a Cyclops (Mark Valley). Charming persuasively convinced them to join his cause, since they were all losers: "There are two sides to every story, and our side has not been told. So who will join me? Who wants to come out on top for once? Who wants their 'happily ever after'?" The rowdy crowd began a brawl as they cheered his words about stealing back their 'happily ever after'.
At the dock, the Queen, Fiona and a number of Fairytale Creatures (the Three Blind Mice, Dragon and the six Dragon-hybrid baby Dronkeys, and Puss' many admiring felines) assembled to wish Shrek, Donkey, and Puss In Boots a bon voyage as they set sail on the boat of Puss's cousin. Their mission was to retrieve Fiona's cousin Arthur - the "perfect choice" to run the kingdom. As the boat left, Fiona shouted that she was pregnant and that Shrek was going to be a father soon. On the journey, Shrek experienced a nightmare that he was at home in his swamp abode, where a baby ogre in a carriage vomited directly into his face, and then when he looked around, he saw that his home was filled with crawling babies. The creatures were destroying the furniture, putting themselves continually in lethal danger (falling or catapulting, releasing sharp knives, lighting matches, etc.) - and then suddenly, a flood of ogre babies filled his home. As he fled, he found himself naked on stage at his high school graduation ceremony, in front of dozens of baby ogres laughing at him. He thought he awoke from a bad dream, but saw that both Donkey and Puss had baby-ogre faces. Then, at the sound of a fog horn, Shrek really woke up and bolted upright, breathing heavily -- "I can't believe I'm gonna be a father." Donkey sang "Cat's in the Cradle" (by the Chapins), to supposedly make Shrek feel better. Donkey advised: "Having a baby isn't going to ruin your life...Nobody said it was gonna be easy. But at least you got us to help you out."
The group arrived at Worcestershire Academy, a majestic castle on a bluff overlooking the shore. It was an elite boarding school, where cheerleaders were practicing inside the compound, students were instructed in carriage-driving education, a few stoners emerged from a medieval style VW-van, and two females were speaking "totally" like Valley Girls. They located Arthur Pendragon (nicknamed "Artie") (voice of Justin Timberlake) in the arena's Jousting Range, but he wasn't the expected strong and handsome Bold Knight (named Lancelot) (voice of John Krasinski), but a skinny teenaged "dork" who was running away to the school yard. In the school's gymnasium, Principal Pynchley (voice of Walt Dohrn) was about to announce the winner of the new Mascot Contest - when Shrek arrived and declared himself the school's mascot. When he asked the location of Arthur Pendragon, the boy was found hanging helplessly from a basketball hoop - the object of a student prank who was laughed at by the entire student body. Shrek told Arthur: "You're the new king of Far, Far Away," as the other students reacted with disbelief, while Lancelot joked: "More like the Mayor of Loserville." Shrek reaffirmed the fact that Artie was the king's only heir: "You've got a kingdom to run....The one and only." Before leaving, Artie lectured his fellow students about the lesson to be learned: "Maybe the next time you're about to dunk a kid's head in a chamber pot, you'll stop and think: 'Hey, maybe this guy has feelings. Maybe I should cut him some slack. 'Cause maybe, just maybe, this guy's gonna turn out to be, I don't know, a king? And maybe his first royal decree will be to banish everyone who ever picked on him.' That's right, I'm looking at you, jousting team...Enjoy your stay here in prison while I rule the free world, baby!"
In the castle's library, a baby shower was held for Princess Fiona by Queen Lillian, attended by various Fairytale creatures, including Pinocchio (voice of Cody Cameron), Snow White (voice of Amy Poehler), Cinderella (voice of Amy Sedaris), Sleeping Beauty (voice of Cheri Oteri), Rapunzel (voice of Maya Rudolph), the Gingerbread Man (voice of Conrad Vernon), and Dragon, etc., and presented her with gifts, mostly for burping and cleaning up her future baby. Meanwhile, Charming and the other Fairytale villains on flying broomsticks approached in the sky above Far, Far Away. The talking Evil Trees were dropped like parachuting bombs, and landed with others in the Rodeo Drive area of the kingdom to pillage the area. They then proceeded to the castle, where the female princesses and Fiona cleverly escaped through a secret passageway. The villains captured Dragon, and forced one of the Three Little Pigs (voice of Cody Cameron), one of the few remaining Fairytale creatures that were pretending to have a tea party - to reveal that Shrek had left to bring back the next heir to the kingship. Charming ordered Captain Hook to "get rid of this new king," but to bring Shrek alive to him.
On board the ship as they sailed home, Artie was disbelieving that he was to be a king, but also excited: "This is gonna be huge. Parties, princesses, castles. Princesses." Donkey added: "You'll be living in the lap of luxury." But Puss and Donkey also scared him with talk about the king's official food tasters to make sure it wasn't poisoned, about bodyguards, and about his major responsibilities (to avoid famine and plague). Shrek was worried: "We don't want Artie here getting the wrong idea," but the boy had already panicked, taken control of the ship's wheel, and vowed to go back. The ship crashed on jagged rocks, and they found themselves on a nearby beach, where Artie hiked away from them, and Puss speculated: "Maybe it's for the best. He's not exactly king material." The group followed Artie up a trail to the abode of Artie's retired, bearded and elderly magic teacher Merlin (voice of Eric Idle). Merlin promised to lead them back to Far, Far Away, if the quarreling group would take a journey into their soul. As a fire blazed at Merlin's camp, he had everyone look into the "Fire of Truth" to interpret its billowing smoke as Rorschach images. Artie saw a father bird deserting a little baby bird in a nest -- as the little bird struggled to fly. Shrek attempted a "heart-to-heart" chat with Artie, interpreting that the young boy had been abandoned by his father, and therefore felt unready and scared to be king, as Artie confirmed: "I'm not cut out for it, and I never will be." But Shrek convinced him by encouraging him "to trust who you are."
In the sewer catacombs below the castle, the princesses and Fiona made their way to an exterior exit, and emerged in the main castle courtyard, where the construction of a large outdoor theatre (the Far Far Away Theatre at the Charming Pavilion) was underway. Rapunzel betrayed the group to Prince Charming and the princesses were captured. Rapunzel and Charming shared a long kiss together, revealing that they were in love with each other, and that he was planning on having Rapunzel as his new Queen of Far, Far Away. He also predicted that once Shrek set foot in the kingdom, he was doomed. The group of ladies were locked away in a prison cell.
Shrek and his pals were tracked to the woods at Merlin's camp by Captain Hook and his pirates (and some Evil Trees), and then attacked. Hook had threatened that Charming was making himself King of Far, Far Away. Fighting back, Shrek was able to force the defeated villains to retreat, but he was very worried about the safety of Princess Fiona. He told Artie, for his own safety: "Get yourself back to Worcestershire, kid," but Artie had a better idea. He pretended to be distraught and convinced Merlin to provide a magic spell to get everyone back to Far Far Away, where they could defeat the "really bad man" doing "mean things to good people." The magician's spell worked and they were transported to the forest near Far, Far Away, but one of the side-effects was that Puss and Donkey had switched bodies. Donkey's voice came out of Puss, and vice versa. They saw that Rodeo Drive had been trashed, with graffiti visible everywhere. There was also an out-of-control carriage driven by witches, and rampant crime was visible (a pick-pocketing Little Red Riding Hood). Pinocchio was locked up in a street-side marionette theatre, where they learned that Charming had also locked Fiona away, and that he was preparing a one-night threatrical show that evening, entitled "It's a Happily Ever After After All" -- supposedly it would be "Shrek's Final Performance." A group of Charming's armored royal knights surrounded them, but Artie convinced them to back off by calling Shrek the star of the scheduled performance.
During that afternoon, Prince Charming was rehearsing his lines for the play. He practiced killing Shrek, in order to give the Kingdom the 'happily ever after' that it deserved. Shrek (and his pals) confronted and menaced Charming in his dressing room, but Charming pressed an alarm button inside a statue of his Fairy Godmother to alert his guards, and the group was taken captive. Charming laughed in the face of young Arthur who was "supposed to be the new king of Far Far Away." As Charming held a sword to Artie's throat, Shrek decided to save Artie - confessing that Artie wasn't really the next in line to the throne: "I wasn't right for the job, so I needed some fool to replace me. And you fit the bill." As a result, Charming released Artie, who replied to Shrek: "You were playing me the whole time," and then stormed off. Shrek's two identity-switched pals were taken to the prison holding Fiona and the princesses, where they told Fiona and the others about Charming's conspiratorial plot to kill Shrek during the play. Fiona was aggravated by the passivity of the other princesses, but Queen Lillian proved herself by head-butting the wall and creating an escape route. Fiona vowed to lead them to rescue Shrek and "take care of business."
Just outside the castle in some gardens where two Evil Trees stood guard, Snow White summoned forest creatures to herself, and then ordered them to attack, as Princess Fiona and the others followed and burst through the gates and climbed the castle wall to its rooftop. At the same time at the Far Far Away Zoo, Donkey and Puss freed the Dronkeys, then went to Rodeo Drive to help Pinocchio escape from his marionette theatre and the Gingerbread Man from a bakery store window display. They also freed the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs to assist. They came upon Artie, who felt used by Shrek. They explained how Shrek had only lied to protect and save his life: "It's not like it seems..."
The stage play commenced, with the dashing and brave Charming riding to the rescue of a trapped Rapunzel in a tower. A shackled Shrek was lifted to the stage, where he was about to be killed by Charming's sword - but he caused the audience to laugh when he contemptuously ridiculed Charming's acting and singing: "Well, it can't be any more painful than the lousy performance you're giving...Could you kill me and then sing?" All of a sudden, Dragon and the Fairytale characters, and then Puss and Donkey, and Princess Fiona and the other princesses, landed onstage to disrupt the show. Charming ordered his villain accomplices to surround the heroes, and the outnumbered forces were quickly subdued. As Charming ordered Shrek to be killed, Artie jumped down onto the stage, ordering: "Everybody, stop!" He asked: "Who really thinks we need to settle things this way?" He persuasively convinced the villains to wish to be something else with their lives: "Just because people treat you like a villain, or an ogre, or just some loser, it doesn't mean you are one. The thing that matters most is what you think of yourself. If there's something you really want, or someone you really want to be, then the only person standing in your way is you."
Charming was furious with the change of events when the villains threw down their weapons, and he lunged at Artie with his sword. Shrek broke free from his chains, blocked the sword's blow with one of the chains, and prevented any harm to Artie. But then Charming charged at Shrek and stabbed him, apparently in the stomach. Although Charming announced: "A new era finally begins," and ordered his subjects to bow to him, Shrek stood behind him smiling, informing him that his aim had missed -- and that he needed to keep looking for another 'happily ever after.' Dragon's tail knocked over Rapunzel's tower, trapping Charming (perfectly framed in its upper window) when it crashed down on top of him, as he uttered his last word: "Mommy." Shrek told Artie that the King's crown was his if he wanted it: "This time, it's your choice." Artie decided to don the crown and become King, in front of the cheering audience. He was carried off on the shoulders of two villains. Merlin appeared in a puff of smoke and restored the rightful bodies to Puss and Donkey, but their tails were still switched.
Shrek assured Princess Fiona: "I think the kid's gonna be a great king." He kissed Fiona, telling her that even though he could have been a good king himself, he had "something much more important in mind" - he touched her pregnant belly. The proud-to-be parents retired to their swamp abode, where they were soon the parents of ogre triplets, to the tune of "Losing Streak" performed by the Eels. The film ended with the exhausted parents asking: "Well, what shall we do now?", but falling soundly asleep after caring and bedding down their new brood. But they were awakened in the night by the crying on one ogre baby (Shrek: "I got it").
With a production budget of $160 million, and box-office gross receipts of $323 million (domestic) and $799 million (worldwide).
In 2011, it was the 5th highest-grossing animated film of all time.
It was the second highest-grossing film in the four-film Shrek series.
In 2007, it was the second highest-grossing film of the year, behind Spider-Man 3 (2007) at $336.5 million.


text:
Conservative History Journal
"Murder goes on forever"
Posted by Helen Tuesday, June 16, 2015 detective fiction, English history, English literature
Really, I should not spend so much time on detective stories and matters related but Martin Edwards's recent book on the Detection Club and its denizens is good enough and important enough to merit a long posting on the secondary blog.
The last lines of Mr Edwards's book are:
The last word belongs to Christie. In 1940, at the height of the Blitz, when she could not know if she or her family and friends would survive for long, she inscribed a copy of Sad Cypress: "Wars may come and wars may go, but MURDER goes on forever!"
How right she was. Furthermore, despite all predictions to the contrary, traditional murder and detective fiction go on forever. Nothing could prove that more clearly than the popularity of the British Library series of reprints, first of Victorian but more recently of various half-forgotten Golden Age detective novels and collections of short stories, all of which have been immensely popular.
Martin Edwards's role in publishing and publicizing the series cannot be overestimated. He has chosen the books, provided highly knowledgeable introductions to a number of them and edited collections of short stories. While doing all that he has been writing his own books and running a blog about detective fiction that is to be recommended to anyone who is even half-way interested in the subject. His greatest achievement to date, however, is this massive volume, a history of the Detection Club in the thirties and forties, a collection of biographies of the extraordinary people who were its members and, incidentally, a history of the genre in the period. That is what I call a useful book.
The rest of this posting is here and the details of the book are:
Martin Edwards: The Golden Age of Murder
The Mystery of the Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story
HarperCollinsPublishers
And here is Dorothy L. Sayers with Eric the Skull:
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Zarco 'doesn't seem to care' about rider safety - Aleix Espargaro
By Lewis Duncan
Published on Wednesday November 25th 2020
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Aleix Espargaro says he is "furious" by Johann Zarco's apparent lack of "responsibility" for the safety of other MotoGP riders following an incident in Portuguese Grand Prix practice.
Zarco's Avintia Ducati developed an engine issue at the end of the FP4 session at the Algarve Circuit, with the Frenchman deciding to cut across the final corner despite smoke pouring from his bike.
He later said he did this as he knew full well what the issue was and knew there was no fluid leaking from his bike.
But his actions were widely criticised by MotoGP riders, with Aprilia's Espargaro angry at Zarco's "stupid answer" for justifying what he did.
"How can he know there was not oil coming out? That's a stupid answer from him," Espargaro said last Sunday.
"When the bike is smoking you don't know what it is. But the problem is Johann Zarco is always the same, he never learns.
"In the race he hit two guys in front of me, it was unbelievable.
"It's not that I have anything against him, but when you see smoke from your bike, you cannot cross the track at a fourth gear corner, full throttle at close to 200km/h because if somebody came behind and there was a little bit of oil or ever water, this guy can die.
"It's about responsibility, but it looks like this guy doesn't care anything about nobody or his mates. And this is what makes me furious."
Zarco has been on the receiving end of criticism at several points this season, most notably for his part in the horror collision with Franco Morbidelli at the Austrian GP in August.
The Avintia rider once again defended his action from Saturday in Portugal when Espargaro's response was relayed to him, and says it's "typical" of the Spaniard to say these things to the press but not to him directly.
"I know the contact with [Joan] Mir, I remember this contact. Then the other contact I don't remember," Zarco said.
"I tried my best anyway. When they were all angry against me [in Austria], I went to the safety commission and nobody was speaking.
"So, they can say a lot of things but when you are in front of them, they don't say anything.
"So, this I think typical from Aleix and if he has a problem with me he should come to me and we can speak well.
"I did it with Pol after Czech Republic (when the pair collided, for which Zarco was penalised), and from that moment we were not in agreement, but at least we could speak.
"So, what I did yesterday to cut the track with my technical problem I knew which problem it was and I knew I was not losing oil.
"So, there are some other riders who don't know about mechanics, so they don't know what's happening.
"Me, I totally knew what was going on, so I knew I was not losing oil. That's why I made that decision.
"They all think I'm doing things without thinking, but I'm thinking more than what they think. So, it's not a problem."
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