text:
2 New Reasons to Binge-Watch Orson Welles Arrive on Netflix
by Alessandra Codinha
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
In 2002, the famed documentarian Errol Morris interviewed Donald Trump for a prerecorded segment for the Academy Awards. (The segment was about favorite movies; Trump, then merely a celebrity with abhorrent political views, questionable business practices, and a love of any type of press attention, was likely easy to get to participate.) During the interview, Trump talked about Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, but what would later strike the public as if not exactly prophetic, then certainly peculiar, was how he talked about it—namely, expressing his sympathies for its Faustian antihero, Charles Foster Kane, a character who, in pursuit of money, fame, and power, builds a corrupt media company, turns on his friends, drives his miserable second wife to a suicide attempt, ends up losing his soul, and dies alone in the pleasure palace he built for himself. (It's perhaps worth noting that Welles's character does lose his political race, though his papers do scream "FRAUD AT POLLS" as a result.) Welles himself called Kane a man who "abuses the power of the popular press and challenges the authority of the law, contrary to all the liberal traditions of civilizations," a man who "has very little respect for what I consider to be civilization, and tries to become the king of his universe" who embodies, the director said, "the things I most detest." Sound like anyone? (In a gold medal finalist–level missing of the point, Morris reflected later, Trump's advice for Kane was: "Get yourself a different woman.")
Cut to 2018, and Welles came up again, this time in Morris's documentary American Dharma, about former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who was publicly discarded by the administration, forced out of his post at Breitbart, and now seemingly roams the world sowing white nationalist–flavored discord. Bannon unspools the iconic films that shaped his worldview to Morris—he is, he says, a fan of The Fog of War, and says it provoked his own entrée into filmmaking, though that's not exactly a compliment—and claims that in Welles's Chimes at Midnight, the famous rejection scene from Henry IV, Part 2 ("I know thee not, old man: fall to thy prayers") is not, as The New Yorker wrote, and as nearly everyone else who has seen it agrees, about Welles-as-Falstaff's "humiliation by worldly authorities," but is in fact a vision of the beatific acceptance that comes when a man becomes aware of the end of his usefulness. It's an interesting thing to watch; Bannon is attempting to rewrite betrayal as the natural course of things, and a happy ending, to boot. It's almost an obfuscation worthy of a Welles character.
Which brings us to now, and is all to say that 33 years after his death, Orson Welles—bon vivant, blowhard, and something like the platonic ideal of a tortured film talent, both behind the camera and in front of it—has got something new to add to the conversation. Today marks the release of Welles's final, unfinished opus, The Other Side of the Wind, and of Morgan Neville's companion documentary, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, both on Netflix.
Neville's documentary is cheerier than one might expect, given its subject matter, and the fraught nature of its delayed delivery. (The Other Side of the Wind's footage has been locked up for decades in an epic legal battle, during which it was claimed by parties "including [Welles's] surviving loved ones, Showtime, and the Iranian government," The New York Times noted.) During the protracted creation of the movie, which was filmed between 1970 and 1976, and left largely unedited at the time of his death, the director was in something like exile: betrayed by Hollywood (which, despite his various successes, perpetually took and recut his films against his specifications); stymied by the system, which wouldn't pay for his projects as he asked; and overwhelmed by the sensation that the culture was moving somewhere he didn't quite want to go—namely pell-mell toward the postmodern art films that had taken over European cinema (thanks to the likes of Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni), or Hollywood's roguish, handsome, and "out there" Easy Rider, Raging Bull–era new guard.
An image from Morgan Neville's They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix/José María Castellví
Neville interviews Welles's friends and fellow filmmakers (Peter Bogdanovich, who ultimately helped piece together Wind; Henry Jaglom; Welles's devoted DP Gary Graver; Welles's former partner Oja Kodar, among many others), many of whom got swept up in the open-ended project that was The Other Side of the Wind, and who seemingly went along for the ride—out of love for Welles, or his legend, or something in between—unless they bailed out, as in the case of the impressionist Rich Little (who had a key role that was later recast). Welles's film is prescient, something like a mockumentary—"you either hate it or you loathe it," he tells one interviewer—and looser than his previous work. It centers around the 70th birthday party for a once-celebrated film director (played by John Huston, who growls and purrs and bloviates with aplomb), who is finishing his own film, a vague parody of L'Eclisse or L'Avventura that's also called The Other Side of the Wind, and is followed by various documentarians and members of the press. Huston's character dies before it's finished.
It's hard not to watch the behind-the-scenes footage, in what Neville recently described as "a documentary about a documentary about a feature about a filmmaker," and wonder whether some of Welles's fits and starts and delays—the project was self-funded and Welles would occasionally have to cut bait and go act in someone else's movie to gin up funds for his own—and various temperament-driven dramas were less about Welles's love of what he called filmmaking's "divine accidents" and in fact some form of subliminal self-sabotage; whether he simply didn't want the party to end. It's after the party's over, after all, in which he'd have to confront the various indignities of aging in a culture obsessed with youth and the "new." It's ultimately a bit of an odd documentary (and honestly, how could it not be?) but worthwhile for its illumination of Welles and his legend, both of which have come to bear a bit in 2018.
Gore Vidal once wrote that Welles was "literally, a magician, fascinated by legerdemain, tricks of eye, forgeries, labyrinths, mirrors reflecting mirrors . . . a master of finding new ways of seeing things that others saw not at all." He was also, and perhaps more pertinently for our purposes, a creator made hyperaware of the public's ability to get swept away in a narrative, as in the case of the rise of fascism, which Welles claimed took some of its cues from Hollywood. ("In Germany, the decor, the spectacular use of great masses of people—the central myth itself was borrowed from grand opera. In Italy, the public show, the lavish props, the picturesque processions were taken from the movies. Even the famous salute, the stiff arm up-raised, comes not from history, but from Hollywood . . . Surely one of the most amusing footnotes in all the chronicles of recorded time is that Hitler and Mussolini stole their showmanship from Richard Wagner and Cecil B. DeMille!") Or his War of the Worlds, when he used his radio broadcast to accidentally convince large swaths of the public that earth was under attack by alien forces. (Of the radio broadcast, Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker, "Supporters outnumbered critics ten to one; quite a few listeners admitted to being fooled but added that they had enjoyed the fright. One began by addressing Welles as 'You horrible, terrible person' and ended by saying, 'I must say it was marvelous.'") It was an act of media persuasion scholars still look at today for clues about our current predicament, where anonymous bots and suspected foreign-funded Internet trolls seemingly control much of the conversation, and no one seems quite sure who is telling the truth, or whether "the truth" will even survive as a concept for much longer.
So really, who better to sink your teeth into in late 2018, this year of fake news and real fascism, than Welles, even if it's just to think about what he would have done were he around today, and with so much raw meat at his disposal? Or as Welles put it himself in 1973's F for Fake (his excellent movie about hoaxes that also turned out to be one): "What we professional liars hope to serve is truth. I'm afraid the pompous word for that is art. Picasso himself said it. 'Art,' he said, 'is a lie, a lie that makes us realize the truth.'" So why not dive in? You might learn something.


With more than 100 million active users on Pinterest, marketers of vacation rental companies should take full advantage of the social media website's extensive reach to gain new rental leads. The image-driven platform that attracts visitors to share links through enticing images is ideal for vacation rental companies to encourage strangers to visit their website and transform them into leads using attractive photos. Maximize your vacation rental marketing with these tips to generate leads from Pinterest for your company!
Create a board on your vacation rental company's Pinterest page to post your blog posts as individual pins. By pinning your blog posts that contain calls to action (CTAs), you will lead pinners directly to pages on your website and if they choose to follow the CTA, you will nurture them further along in the process of becoming a customer of your vacation rental company. Be sure the pins feature inviting pictures as that is what is seen and shared the most on Pinterest.
Using keywords in your pin descriptions will help people find your content faster. Choose relevant words to your specific area and to the interest of the people who would most likely be visiting there and include them with hashtags to link to other content on Pinterest of the same topic. By picking words that your vacation rental company's potential renters would be entering in the search bar, such as #floridavacation, #blackmountaincabins, or #outerbanksrentals, you will increase your chances of getting found by people who are looking for your specific type of company. By targeting your audience more through keywords and hashtags, you will be more likely to convert strangers on Pinterest into vacation rental leads.
A way to increase awareness of your homes is to pin them individually to a board such as "New 2015 Rentals" or separate the boards by area or type. Use the most attractive, appealing photo of the home as the featured image and link to the listing on your website. Using places pins when pinning your homes will help to visually show location, aiding prospective renters in their search more thoroughly. The more helpful you are to the potential renter, the more likely they are to look at you as a reliable source of information and assistance and choose to rent with your vacation rental company over your competitors.
Finally, by pinning attractive images that link to landing pages on your website, you will be able to entice pinners to click your image, taking them to a page specifically designed with a form to exchange contact information with a content offer. By linking directly to these pages, pinners will have direct access to your content offer and be more likely to offer up their information, giving you one more lead for your vacation rental company.
By carrying out these helpful practices, you will be able to help increase the leads you receive from Pinterest, utilizing the platform's extensive reach and helping to boost bookings for your company. For other helpful information, visit Paveya's Vacation Rental Marketing blog!
This entry was posted in Blog, Inbound Marketing, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Vacation Rental, Vacation Rental Marketing. Bookmark the permalink.


And Fregate Island Private — which can accommodate a maximum of 40 people — charges $3,880 to $5,700 a night for its one- and two-bedroom villas (with private butler service), and $14,400 per night fo.
Townsend, TN, located in Blount County, is surrounded by nature, scenery and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Local arts and crafts, galleries, five star dining establishments and accommodations are just a few reasons to visit the "Quiet Side of the Smokies".
For those who don't ride ATV's or motorcycles, we have local hiking trails and greenways. You can also go mountain biking in Haw Ridge, play some golf, or take in some rowing with Oak Ridge Rowing Association. There are local hotspots for swimming or boating on Watt's Bar Lake. Perhaps you wish for some shopping, there are many places nearby.
Up this month is Rene Nicholson, who studied English at Butler. State's Greatest Hiking Adventures" with author and veteran hiker Mary Reed. Reed, who last updated this series in June 2013, guides.
After two days virtually by ourselves, on horseback up and down rough, rocky mountain trails, we were now deep into Chile. Valley ranch was supposed to be for day-trip explorations, hiking or on ho.
Watauga Lake, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest in northeastern Tennessee, enjoys the most stunningly beautiful lake and mountain views in the 'Volunteer State'. This Insiders' Vacation Guide provides lake vacation information.
Johnson County Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. Welcome to the official website for the Johnson County Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. We are a business organization that represents the economic interests of our members.
Over 40 miles of biking and hiking trails cross the park, making it ideal for both casual. Aiding in that sentiment is Butler Park (formerly known as Town Lake Park), a lush green space adjacent to.
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, named for a former Austin mayor and his wife, is a natural gem in the heart of the Texas capital. The scenic trail forms a loop around Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River, and is sometimes referred.
On the Appalachian Trail, some northbound hikers knew it was going to be cold, "but they didn't know it was going to be this cold," said Bonnie Tatum, a volunteer at the Top of Georgia Hostel and Hiki.
More than 80,000 acres have burned in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. While a stubborn drought and warm winds are being blamed for the underlying conditions, Tenness.
Private, unrestricted acreage in Grainger County Tennessee in the Bean Station community lying between Clinch Mountain and Cherokee Lake with year round creek.
The collective known as 'Dude Perfect' put together an absolutely enthralling American. the two brothers had to adhere to proper snap form – a motion that involves hiking the ball backwards between.
Find over 489 bike trails in Elizabethton. Cycling routes, maps, events, races, & club rides in Elizabethton, TN. Track & analyze your rides with MapMyRIDE!
This latter effort has been very successful in recruiting new maintainers of the Appalachian Trail. The Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club sincerely.
Jun 26, 2018. Doe Mountain ATV Trails located in Mountain City, TN offers 8600 acres of. Located about 20 minutes from DMRA, with hiking trails and access to the. In nearby Butler, TN inside of what amounts to an out building, you will.
A rescue team in Evergreen, Colorado, got a call on Sunday about 120-pound 5-year-old stuck on a hiking trail. It was a big, fluffy dog named Kato, a Great Pyrenees who was hiking with his owners and.
There is nothing like sitting back and relaxing with a view after a day of hiking and exploring the great outdoors. These unique lodges, tents and hotels let you see wildlife, lush forests and pristine beaches from their rooms and restaurants.
and organize recreational activities like the hiking club Tom and Atticus joined. In 2004, the club started a citizen science program called 'Mountain Watch' that harnesses the passion visitors like T.
at an event on the Mississippi River. And he started this year's Elite season with a fourth-place finish on Cherokee Lake in Tennessee. He stumbled at the year's second event, finishing in 87th place.
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – A Tennessee man says he planned to propose to his girlfriend along a North Carolina hiking trail when she was struck and killed by lightning. Thirty-year-old Richard Butler.
I was alone. My family was in Tennessee, and it was a real struggle." He says he also struggled with his own identity as an openly gay chef. "There's a lot of machismo in this field," he says. "You do.
Human remains discovered in rural Tennessee are those of a missing nursing student who disappeared from her home in April 2011, authorities say. The remains of Holly Bobo were found Sunday not far fro.
Park officials said the man was on the Half Dome cables hiking with another person during thunderstorm. said the man and a companion were scaling the steepest part of the trail where rangers recent.


Many women choose versatile things that can be the basis for creating any look, and thousands of women can confirm that women s long exercise pants is the salvation for a good look.
Many women choose versatile things that can be the basis for creating any look, and thousands of women can confirm that womens exercise pants uk is the salvation for a good look.
Many women choose versatile things that can be the basis for creating any look, and thousands of women can confirm that womens exercise pants petite is the salvation for a good look.
Many women choose versatile things that can be the basis for creating any look, and thousands of women can confirm that womens exercise pants with pockets is the salvation for a good look.
Many women choose versatile things that can be the basis for creating any look, and thousands of women can confirm that womens exercise pants is the salvation for a good look.


A group of community colleges in Southern California is working with Amazon Web Services and its education program to develop college credit courses for a cloud computing career pathway that starts in high school, continues through college and leads to industry certifications. The goal of the "CA Cloud Workforce Consortia" is to expand this common curriculum and develop a regional career pathway program and certificate.
The concept has already been tested in one of those schools. Santa Monica College piloted its cloud computing certificate in 2017, incorporating content from AWS and AWS Educate, Amazon's cloud-oriented learning site. The college worked with Roosevelt High School to offer dual enrollment opportunities during last year's school year. Student demand was so high, according to the college, SMC hired additional faculty and expanded the program from two sections to seven.
Students take 15 units to learn about programming, database management, security and compute engines — all focused on AWS. That program was funded by California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office through the state's Strong Workforce Program, which allocated $200 million a year for the state's community colleges to grow and strengthen career technical education programs.
Now 18 additional two-years colleges will join the initiative as soon as they get buy-off from the Chancellor's Office. As part of the effort, each institution will partner with at least one high school in the greater Los Angeles area, to offer concurrent enrollment in the program for secondary students. There will be an emphasis, in particular, on schools in poorer communities. In return, the schools will get professional development for their instructors, including help in curriculum development workshops and other AWS-related training.
Santa Monica College computer science instructor Koda Kol teaches introduction to cloud computing course. Photo credit: Amy Gaskin.
Students in the program will gain access to AWS Educate resources, such as "promotional credits" for use of AWS services on assignments and learning-related jobs; instructional content; microcredentials; and entrée to the AWS Educate Jobs Board.
CA Cloud is also considering expanding the program into a two-year associate's degree dedicated to cloud computing and signing agreements with four-year institutions to provide pathways to bachelor's degrees.
Eventually, the CA Cloud curriculum will be shared globally through AWS Educate as well, helping other schools and instructors to develop their own cloud computing educational programs.
Training in cloud computing technology provides a potent antidote to under-employment. LinkedIn, for example, has named "cloud and distributed computing" among its top "hard" skills around the world for several years. Los Angeles County itself has identified 2,000 cloud-oriented job openings and expects that to continue over the next several years.
"The recently developed 15 credit cloud computing certificate recognizes the importance of regional workforce development partnerships among Los Angeles area universities, community colleges, high schools and businesses," said Bill Scroggins, president of program participant Mt. San Antonio College, in a statement. "This collaborative effort...recognizes the importance of integrating technology skills into the training for today's workforce."
Added LA Mayor, Eric Garcetti, "Los Angeles' economy is strongest when our workers are well-trained, our students have the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century, and our entrepreneurs can tap into a deep, diverse pool of local tech talent... CA Cloud will help us to cultivate the next generation of innovators by opening doors of opportunity to every young person who calls our region home."


text:
Sir John Pakington (1549 – 18 January 1625) of Aylesbury was a courtier in the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. He was a favourite of Elizabeth's who nicknamed him "Lusty Pakington" for his physique and sporting abilities. Away from court he held a number of official positions including Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1595 and in 1607.

Biography
John Pakington was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Pakington (died 2 June 1571) of Hampton Lovett, Worcestershire, and Dorothy (1531–1577), the daughter of Sir Thomas Kitson of Hengrave Hall, Suffolk, by his second wife, Margaret Donnington. John was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, was graduated B.A. on 13 December 1569, and was a student of Lincoln's Inn in 1570.

Pakington attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth in her progress to Worcester in August 1570, when she invited him to court. In London, he lived for a few years in great splendour, and outran his fortune. He was remarkable both for his wit and the beauty of his person. The Queen, who took great pleasure in his athletic achievements, nicknamed him "Lusty Pakington". It is said that he once laid a wager with three other courtiers to swim from the Palace of Westminster to London Bridge, but the Queen forbade the match.

From 1587 to 1601, Pakington was deputy-lieutenant for Worcester. In 1587, he was knighted. In 1593, he was granted by the crown a patent for starch.

The Queen, to help him in his financial difficulties, made him bow-bearer of Malvern Chase, and is said to have given him a valuable estate in Suffolk; but when he went to the place and saw the distress of the widow of the former owner, he begged to have the property transferred to her. Strict economy and a period of retirement enabled him to pay his debts, and a wealthy marriage in 1598 (see below) greatly improved his position. Pakington devoted much attention to building, and to improving his estates in Worcestershire.

The central portion of the house at Westwood, which after the Civil War became the residence of the family, was Pakington's work. He also constructed a lake at Westwood, which unfortunately encroached on the highway. His right to alter the road being questioned, he impetuously had the embankments cut through, and the waters of his lake streamed over the country and coloured the Severn for miles.

Pakington was Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1595 and in 1607. In June 1603, he entertained James I with great magnificence at his house at Aylesbury. In 1607, Pakington, as justice of the peace for Worcestershire, resisted the jurisdiction claimed by the council of Wales over the county.

Pakington died in January 1625, and was buried at Aylesbury.

Family
In November 1598, Pakington married Dorothy (died 1639), daughter of Ambrose Smith (Queen Elizabeth's silkman), and widow of Benedict Barnham. With her he had two daughters and a son.

Of their three children, Anne, their elder daughter, married at Kensington, on 9 February 1619, Sir Humphrey Ferrers, son of Sir John Ferrers of Tamworth Castle, Warwickshire; and, after his decease, Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield. Their second daughter, Mary, married Sir Richard Brooke of Nacton in Suffolk.

The only son, John (1600–1624), was created a baronet in June 1620, and sat in parliament for Aylesbury in 1623–1624. He married Frances, daughter of Sir John Ferrers of Tamworth, with whom he had two children, including his heir Sir John Pakington, 2nd Baronet (1620–1680).

The union between Sir John and Lady Pakington was not a happy one. Early in 1607 Sir John "and his little violent lady … parted upon foul terms". In 1617, she appealed to the law, and Pakington was forced to appear before the court of high commission, and was committed to gaol. It was the unpleasant duty of the Attorney General, Francis Bacon (who had married Lady Pakington's daughter, Alice Barnham), to give an opinion against his mother-in-law. Dorothy outlived her husband and married a further two times.

Notes

Sources

Burke's Peerage, art. 'Hampton'
Stow's Survey, vol. i. bk. iii. p. 29;
Wotton's Baronetage, ed. Edward Kimber and Richard Johnson, i. pp. 180–186;
Bacon's Works, ed. Spedding, Ellis, Heath, vii. 569–85, xi. 13–14;
Lipscomb's Buckinghamshire, iii. 375;
Nash's Worcestershire, vol. i. p. xviii;
Metcalfe's Knights, pp. 113, 221;
Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714;
Nichols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, iv. 76 et seq.;
Strype's Ecclesiastical Memorials, vol. iii. pt. ii. p. 181;
Cal. of State Papers, Dom. Ser. 1603–10 p. 398, 1611–18 p. 475;
Official List of M.P.'s, vol. i. pp. xxix, 456;
Orridge's Citizens of London, pp. 168–70;
Hepworth Dixon's Personal Hist. of Lord Bacon, pp. 139, 145, 146, 154, 243–244;
Lloyd's State Worthies, pp. 616–17 (a glowing character of Pakington);
Gent. Mag. 1828, pt. ii. p. 197;
Bishop of London's Marriage Licences (Harl. Soc. Publ. xxv.), p. 256;
Registers of Kensington (Harl. Soc. Publ. xvi.), p. 67.

Further reading

1549 births
1625 deaths
People from Droitwich Spa
Knights of the Bath
Members of the Privy Council of England
16th-century English people
17th-century English people
High Sheriffs of Worcestershire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


What is it about portraits…?
In spite of the fact that I can't pronounce it, I eagerly look forward to the biennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition with bated breath. The National Portrait Gallery hosts this phenomenal show every two years. Many moons ago, portraiture was once confined by strict rules and rigid parameters. No more. This year's 48 finalists, chosen from thousands of entries, covered the gamut of traditional oil paintings, photographs, video (first prize winner Bo Gehring), animation, rice sculpture, thread portraits and one portrait had no face at all, just an oval canvas revealing the few inches of skin between the artist's breasts.
I just love portraits, and that is probably why I haven't yet burned out on preparing for my upcoming solo portraiture show at Crossroads Gallery this July (details forthcoming but mark your calanders July 13, 2013!) The Outwin Boocher competiton catalogue begins with the sentence: 'A portrait has the power to stop us in our tracks.' I couldn't agree more. I get swallowed into a good portrait, sensing the sitter, feeling the connection between artist and sitter and enjoying the unexpected introduction to a stranger who, by becoming the subject of a portrait no longer feels like a stranger.
I have to borrow from artist Bly Pope's words because I could not have come up with a more beautiful way of expressing the power of a portrait: ' The human face is a lyrical and mysterious landscape.' I strongly suggest that you take yourselves to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC – the show is on till 2014, so no excuses!
I'm also very excited about my new collaboration with the Susan Calloway Fine Art Gallery in Georgetown who will be exhibiting some of my works, including this small Parisian cafe scene, which, since we're on the subject of portratis, could be viewed as a double portrait.


Written by Lauren Epstein, OMERS Ventures associate.
To secure VC funding, a company must be special — not only having significant positives, but also avoiding serious negatives.
These negatives are often uncovered during due diligence, an exploratory process that VC's conduct with a company of interest prior to issuing a term sheet.
2. Uncover any potential problems.
Trust me — VC's hope not to find problems. We only dive into the resource- and time-consuming process of due diligence if we are excited about a company. We're hoping for good news!
However, the reality is that due diligence can reveal problems.
Below is consolidation of some of the main types of red flags and warning signs that can come up during due diligence from the perspective of the team here at OMERS Ventures.
A company's business model is one of the most important components we look at during due diligence. It is also often the source of red flags.
1. Bad Unit Economics: If a company cannot acquire customers at a cost that is materially lower than the revenue it will generate from those customers, the business may have no future.
2. Quality of the Financial Model: A financial model that contains bad, baseless, or improper assumptions is a double red flag: it calls into question both the decision-making of the team and the fundamental premise of the business model.
3. Shaky on KPIs: Not knowing what your KPIs are or not knowing their measure and movement is bad sign.
Key Takeaway: Have a solid business model that tracks your KPIs, with strong unit economics and reasonable assumptions.
As VC's dig into a company, one of the key things we are examining is growth history.
1. Slow, Uneven, or Negative Growth: Anything other than strong growth is a warning sign that will cause us to ask questions.
Key Takeaway: If you have slow, uneven, or negative growth, be upfront and provide an explanation as to why it should not be considered a problem.
A company's market contains both its customers and its competitors — two groups vital to success or failure.
1. Small TAM: Having a small total available market that is not growing is a significant problem. It may be possible to mitigate, but any such explanation must be compelling.
2. Not Knowing or Not Revealing Competitors: Demonstrating ignorance or lack of transparency about competitors is a real no-no. Please never tell a VC that you have no competitors for your customers' business. Trust me; you always do.
Key Takeaway: Find a big and/or growing market, and be upfront and knowledgeable about your competition.
A strong, capable team is one of the most important factors in VC decision-making. Numerous and significant red flags can arise here.
1. High Turnover: Employee retention is key at every level. High turnover among the senior team is particularly concerning as it can show a lack of cohesion.
2. Above Market Compensation: Executive pay that is higher than market average — either now or in forecasts — can call into question the team's priorities.
Key Takeaway: A dedicated and cohesive team with strong decision-making abilities is a must.
For most technology start-ups, rights to intellectual property are fundamental to operations.
1. Unclear IP Rights: A company must be able to show a clear line of ownership or (at minimum) the right to use all key components of their operational technology. Any ambiguity in this area is a huge warning sign.
Key Takeaway: Clean up your IP rights prior to fundraising.
A company's fundraising background and cap table can raise many red flags.
1. Complicated Cap Table: A complicated cap table is often the result of complex earlier fundraising rounds that introduced multiple share classes and/or byzantine rights and liquidation structures.
2. Overly Complex Deal Terms: A complicated cap table can lead to having overly complex deal terms, which arise as a result of earlier rounds with similar characteristics such as ratchets, liquidity preferences, and retraction rights.
3. Imbalanced Cap Table: An imbalanced cap table can create misaligned incentives. This can occur, for example, if a non-management investor holds significant or potentially controlling ownership or if the CEO herself does not have material ownership.
Key Takeaway: A clean, balanced cap table and straight-forward fundraising history are key assets.
The behaviour of the senior team — and particularly the founder(s) — is of critical importance in determining the potential success of an investment and the long-term partnership it creates.
1. Lack of Integrity: Warning signs about a person or team's integrity can take numerous forms but often involve not being forthright about aspects of the business, history, market, competition, or other key factors.
2. Not Being Responsive During Due Diligence: If a founder is not responsive, delays providing information, or obfuscates when asked for specifics, this is a red flag.
Key Takeaway: Be honest, forthright, and responsive.
2. Have a clear, reasonable, and honest explanation.
If the problem can be fixed, work with the VC to do that. If not, help explain why there are ways around it or why it should not be seen as a fatal.
It is very rare that a company will sail through due diligence without raising any warning signs. The key is to manage and minimize them as much as possible.
Questions? Ask Lauren on Twitter!


The Cole's: Sunday afternoon in Caleb's room!
I have found out how addicting Instgram is now but it is so easy to post blogs this way! Who knows I might just keep my blog up to date doing this! Take a pic in instagram, give it a funky vintage look upload to my photos and then to blogger! So easy and I can do it all from my phone!
These are some pics of the kids and I playing in Caleb's room this afternoon. Worship music, signing, dancing, Legos and some lovin!! Good times!
There is a app for the iPhone called Blogger+ and it's awesome and super easy.


text:
Od povodnega moža je slovenska ljudska pripoved, ki je izšla v zbirki Zakladnica slovenskih pripovedi Visoko v gorah, globoko v vodah: velikani, vile in povodni možje. Za besedila v zbirki sta poskrbela Roberto Dapit in Monika Kropej, ilustriral pa jo je Veno Dolenc.

Vsebina
Oče je imel tri hčere, ki bi se rade možile. Nekega dne pride gospod v zeleni obleki in zaprosi oćeta za roko najstarejše hčerke. Oče privoli in najstarjša hči gre s povodnim možem.

Na mostu jo zavije v plašč, skočita v vodo in kmalu prideta do graščine. Da ji ključe vseh sob, vendar ji prepove vstop v samo eno sobo. Ko povodni mož odide na lov, najstarejšo hčerko premami radovednost in gre pogledat v prepovedano sobo. Tam odkrije tri kadi, v katere je bilo nalito čisto zlato. V zlato pomoči prst in, čeprav ga je umivala in drgnila, zlato ni šlo s prsta. V strahu pred možem si je prst obvezala. Ko mož opazi obvezani prst, se mu zlaže, vendar je povodni mož vztrajen in na koncu mu le pove, kaj je naredila. Od jeze jo povodni mož usmrti tako, da jo na špico natakne.

Popolnoma enako se zgodi s srednjo hčerko. Povodni mož se očetu zlaže, da potrbuje tudi drugo in da bosta enkrat obe prišli nazaj domov, oče popusti in srednjo hči doleti enaka usoda kot najstarejšo.

Nato je moral povodni mož zaprositi očeta še za roko najmlajše hčere. Prosil ga je, mu obljubljal, da se bodo nekega dne vsi štirje skupaj vrnili in da bo še oče šel z njimi, na koncu oče le popusti in najmlajša hči gre s povodnim možem. Na mostu jo zavije v plašč, skočita v vodo in prideta do graščine. Tam pa najmlajša hči zagleda svoji sestri na špice nataknjeni. Zelo se ustraši, vendar ji povodni mož zagotovi, da ji ne bo hudega, če mu bo zvesta. Da ji vse kluče in ji prepove vhod v sobo, enako kot starejšima sestrama. Ker je bila tudi najmlajša hči radovedna, je šla pogledat, kaj je v tisti prepovedani sobi, pogledala je v kadi, prsta pa ni pomočila in je sklenila zaroto proti povodnemu možu.

Moža poprosi, če bi smela sneti svoji sestri in ju pokopati, povodni mož ji dovoli. Čez nekaj časa na grobu njenih sestra zraste roža, ona pa sanja, naj zjutraj zgodaj vstane, nalovi roso s tiste rože, z njo pomaže sestri in bosta oživeli. Najmlajša res to stori in prerokba iz sanj se uresniči. Sestri skrije v sobo v graščini, možu pa prepove vstop v to sobo.

Na žegnansko nedeljo napeče štrukljev in potic ter prosi moža, če bi nesel k njim domov koš z dobrotami, ker je takšna njihova navada. Povodni mož privoli, najmlajša hči pa v koš na dno posadi najstarejšo sestro, na vrh naloži potic in štrukljev ter pošlje moža na pot. Naroči mu še, da ne sme nič počivati na poti in se na njenem domu nič ustavljati. Ob božiču najmlajša hči spet napeče pogač in dobrot, prosi moža za pomoč, na dno koša posadi srednjo sestro, na vrh pogače in povodni mož spet nese koš na njen dom. Enako mu naroči kot pri najstarejši sestri. Za veliko noč tudi sebe na enak način spravi domov. Možu že prej naroči, naj samo vzame koš, ko pride z lova, naj je ne moti med peko. Za peč pa je postavila v svojo obleko oblečeno slamnato žensko z burklami v rokah. Mož se je vrnil, žena pa je še vedno tako stala pred pečjo. Iz dneva v dan je bil bolj lačen, čez tri dni pa jo gre le pogledat in spozna ukano. Zgrabila ga je huda jeza in reče: »Baba je hujša kot hudič!« Od takrat je tudi ta pregovor.

Na domu pa so najmlajšo hči položili v kad žegnane vode, dvanajst duhovnikov je molilo okoli nje, na glavo pa so ji dali sveto rešnje telo, ker so vedeli, da on ni človek, temveč hudič. Povodni mož je privihral z viharjem in potresom, odšel pa je praznih rok, kajti dekle je varovalo sveto rešnje telo. Tako je najmlajša hči ukanila samega hudiča.

Analiza
Pripovedovalec:
tretjeosebni (avktorialni)

Književni prostor:
graščina povodnega moža pod vodo

Književni čas:
ni jasno določen (nekoč)

Književno dogajanje:
enodimenzionalno

Književne osebe:
glavne osebe: povodni mož, najmlajša hči
stranske osebe: najstarejša hči, srednja hči, oče

Motiv:
motiv povodnega moža
motiv zvestobe
motiv prepovedi
motivi praznikov
motiv verovanja
motiv hudiča
motiv najmlajše hčerke kot najpametnejše

Tema:
najmlajša hči užene povodnega moža (hudiča)

Slog:
Okrasni pridevki: zelena obleka, sitne ženske, čisto zlato, strašno hud, strašno žalosten, ljubi moj mož, ljuba moja žena
Ljudsko število: tri sestre, tri kadi z zlatom, povodni mož se trikrat poroči, povodni mož trikrat nese domov napečenih dobrot, trije prazniki, tri dni je bi povodni mož lačen, dvanajst duhovnikov

Književna oblika:
krajše prozno delo

Liki
Glavni liki:
povodni mož: hudoben, umori najstrejšo in srednjo hči, neprizanesljiv, hudič
najmlajša hči: pogumna, iznajdljiva, pametna, radovedna

Stranski liki:
najstarejša hči: se prva poroči s povodnim možem, radovedna, kar jo stane življenja
srednja hči: se druga poroči s povodnim možem, radovedna, kar jo stane življenja
oče: nič hudega sluteč mož, ni pomemben lik v pripovedi

Vsi liki so popolnoma brez osebnostnih in značajskih lastnosti. Nimajo imen. Nič niso presenečeni ob prehodu v irealni svet.

Interpretacija dela
Izhodiščna situacija je odhod hčera od doma, in sicer, najprej odide najstarejša, potem srednja in nato še najmlajša. Vsem trem povodni mož prepove obisk ene sobe v graščini, vendar vse hčerke prepoved prekršijo, ker pogledajo v prepovedano sobo, sledi kazen za najstarejšo in srednjo hčer (smrt), ker pomočita prst v zlato in kršitve prepovedi ni mogoče več prikriti. Njmlajša hči skuje zaroto proti povodnemu možu in obe sestri in sebe s pomočjo ukanje vrne nazaj domov. V pripovedi se kot čudežni predmet pojavi roža, ki zraste na grobu pokopanih sester. Z roso s te rože najmlajša hči od mrtvih obudi svoji sestri. Pripoved ima tipičen konec, saj dobro zmaga nad zlim.

Motivno-tematske povezave
Povodni mož: zelen, velik, luskinast ali tudi kosmat mož. Včasih je bil predstavljen tudi z ribjim repom namesto nog, navadno pa v obliki mladeniča. Prebival naj bi v morjih, rekah, jezerih, potokih, v izvirih studencev, mlakužah. V jezi je lahko povodni mož povzročal nevihte in burjo, še posebno nevaren pa je bil otrokom in dekletom, ker bi jih lahko potegnil v vodo. V slovenskem izročilu so povodnega moža različno poimenovali: povodnjak, jezernik, vodeni človek, vodovnik, vodni mož, muk (v tolmunu ob izlivu Pišence v Savo), gestrin (v Dravi), salemsonar (na Goriškem), motovilec (v Kranjski Gori), mital (v jezeru pod Kumom), vancaš (na Štajerskem), mamalić (v Baški v Julijski krajini), zelenjak (na Gorenjskem), brbuč (okolica Novega mesta).
Opisi povodnega moža pogosto spominjajo na Pozejdona v grški mitologiji ali Neptuna v rimski mitologiji boga morja in vode.
Poznamo tudi Nage iz indijske mitologije, ki so imeli človeške glave in kačja telesa.
motiv povodnega moža pa se pojavlja tudi v ostalih svetovnih mitologijah in književnostih: Vodanoj (staroslovanski duh-vodni v Rusiji), Al-Khidri (povodnemu možu podobno bitje v muslimanski književnosti), Jam (kanaanski bog morja).
V slovenski ljudski književnosti so se pojavljali najrazličnejši povodni možje, domišljija ljudi pa je šla tako daleč, da je vsak potok in tolmun imel svojega povodnega moža. Poznamo veliko ljudskih pravljic in pripovedi o povodnih možeh: Povodna moža Bohinjskega in Blejskega jezera, Povodni mož seli svoje jezero, Ujeti povodni mož, Dar za povodnega moža, O povodnem možu, Povodni mož in deklica, Mlinar in povodni mož...
Najbolj znana pa je seveda pesnitev Franceta Prešerna Povodni mož.
kot zelo znan motiv pa ne smemo pozabiti motiv najmlajšega otroka kot najpametnejšega, najbolj iznajdljivega, ki se pojavi v pravljici Hansa Christiana Andersena Bedak Jurček, ta motiv pa se pojavlja tudi v veliko slovenskih ljudskih pravljicah.

Izdaje
Visoko v gorah, globoko v vodah: velikani, vile in povodni možje (1999). Radovljica: Didakta: ZRC SAZU

Viri
Visoko v gorah, globoko v vodah: velikani, vile in povodni možje (1999). Radovljica: Didakta: ZRC SAZU

Literatura
Bettelheim, B. (1999). Rabe čudežnega. O pomenu pravljic. Ljubljana: Studia humanitatis
Kropej, M. (2008). Od ajda do zlatoroga: slovenska bajeslovna bitja. Celovec-Ljubljana-Dunaj: Mohorjeva založba
Propp, V. (2005). Morfologija pravljice. Ljubljana: Studia humanitatis

Glej tudi
Slovenska mladinska književnost

Seznam slovenskih pravljic

Slovenske ljudske pravljice


I hope that this won't take long because I am very busy today and have very little time to spare. I am only doing this because you gave me raki, honey and olive oil.
For 62 minutes and 32 seconds (the capacity of a standard MiniDV tape) British film and video artist John Smith keeps repeating the two sentences of the title in Greek. The man pronounces the 26 words differently each time, involved in the strenuous process of voicing the foreign language the way a native speaker (like me) would do.


text:
Q: Convert text date to date I currently have multiple records which are formatted like so:
      24th April 2014

However, I want it to be formatted like so:
      24/04/2014 or 24/04/14 (either way is fine, does not really matter)

I am using excel 2013 by the way.
Thanks for any feedback.

A: If you are able to remove the "th" from the date, Excel will be able to automatically format it. If you have a lot of data, a simple vba script will do the trick.

A: Select the cells you wish to convert and run macro ReDate
Sub ReDate()
    Dim r As Range
    For Each r In Selection
        ary = Split(r.Value, " ")
        r.Clear
        r.Value = DateSerial(ary(2), Monthh(CStr(ary(1))), Numbrs(CStr(ary(0))))
    Next r
End Sub

Public Function Monthh(s As String) As Long
    Dim mnth(1 To 12) As String
    mnth(1) = "January"
    mnth(2) = "February"
    mnth(3) = "March"
    mnth(4) = "April"
    mnth(5) = "May"
    mnth(6) = "June"
    mnth(7) = "July"
    mnth(8) = "August"
    mnth(9) = "September"
    mnth(10) = "October"
    mnth(11) = "November"
    mnth(12) = "December"
    Monthh = Application.WorksheetFunction.Match(s, mnth, 0)
End Function

Public Function Numbrs(sIn As String) As Long
    Dim L As Long, v As String, i As Long
    Dim CH As String
    L = Len(sIn)
    v = ""
    For i = 1 To L
        CH = Mid(sIn, i, 1)
        If CH Like "[0-9]" Then
            v = v & CH
        End If
    Next i
    Numbrs = CLng(v)
End Function

A: I think a DATEVALUE Function should be good for this problem.
=DATEVALUE(LEFT(A1,FIND(" ",A1)-3)&RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1)+1))

Let's assume the date text is stored in column A. And we know the main problem is about the existence of "st" or "nd" or "th" or "rd". If they are not existed, Excel could automatically recognize this datevalue. So I try to create a text of the date with those "th" using the text function:
LEFT(A1,FIND(" ",A1)-3)&RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1)+1)

and then use the DATEVALUE function to convert them into datevalue, and it's done I think.
Is it right? Hope this could help!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Ryokan seeks to meet all travelers needs and create a luxurious atmosphere influenced by traditional Japanese design yet full of modern amenities. The quite surroundings gives you time to immerse yourself in the Japanese ryokan experience. There are private baths, spas, and views that will leave you in a tranquil setting.
The food incorporates seasonal specialities from the Hakone area and Hokkaido. The meals are French inspired Japanese food that reflect the seasons and are a modern interpretation of the classic kaiseki meal. Each dish is served on e at a time to give you the opportunity to appreciate and savor the food with all your senses. Appreciate the beauty, taste, and care put into each dish.
The rooms give you a private place to unwind, relax, and immerse yourself in traditional Japanese architecture and design. The traditional look incorporates all the modern amenities to make your stay enjoyable and more than comfortable.There are many different rooms to choose from. This is a small ryokan with about 10 rooms with unique design and characteristics. Choose rooms that are designed in Japanese, Wester, or a blend of both styles. Rooms include a private bath to give you an added sense of privacy and luxury during your stay in Hakone.
Hot springs with sourced springs are available for free for 24 hours OK!


The mystery is over and we are happy to announce the launch of Science and Sustainability Month at Southern Fried Science! While we usually reserve a few posts for Earth Day on this topic, we've decided that one day is not enough. Throughout April, we'll explore several aspects of Science and Sustainability, including the academic field of Sustainability Science, human interactions and personal choice, the philosophy behind sustainability, and the forces that influence sustainable living.
Our weekly State of the Field posts will focus on Sustainability Science, what it is as an academic endeavor, and what we can learn from thinking critically about sustainability.
Biodiversity Wednesday will switch gears for a month and focus on human-generated ecosystems, including those we build intentionally and those we create by accident.
Each week will begin with a prompted Open Thread where our readers can discuss various aspects of sustainability. Each week will close with either myself, Amy, or David highlighting a Comment of the Week of exceptional quality, insight, or humor to be elevated to its own post.
We'll also be featuring videos from the Beneath the Waves Film Festival that tie in to the sustainability theme.
As many people correctly guessed, the logo is Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. It's there to remind us that this little mote of dust suspended on a sunbeam is all we have.
So pull up a chair, grab your favorite keyboard, and stick around. April is going to be one hell of a month.
[email protected] i'm really looking forward to the news on 'sustainability'. it's amazing to see all those innovations taking place at the moment. siemens for example have just launched a new campaign as well: Siemens USA: Sustainable Cities the website is quite resourceful and includes a link to the 'green city index' that i found extremely interesting.


text:
Adele cried over Grammy's disaster
19th Feb 2016 9:00 AM
ADELE cried "all day" after her problem-plagued Grammy Awards performance.
The British star's rendition of 'All I Ask' at Monday's ceremony was beset with sound issues caused by a piano microphone falling onto the instrument's strings, which made an audible crash and knocked the piano out of tune, while there was also an issue with the volume levels fluctuating, and she admits she was very "embarrassed" afterwards.
She said: "I was embarrassed. I woke up the next morning to people in England being like, 'We still love you, don't worry,' and I was like, 'I didn't ask you if you still loved me, but thanks.'
"I was so embarrassed. I cried pretty much all day yesterday.
"I kept like spontaneously bursting into tears yesterday. But it was alright. I was fine."
But the 'Hello' singer insists she wasn't concerned about not hitting all the notes on the song as that is normal for her.
She told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in an interview: "I'm always a bit pitchy anyways - it's emotion.
"When I'm flat and I'm sharp I'm just emotional."
And Adele thinks the disaster has probably cured her of any future nerves because she doesn't think things could be any worse.
She said: "I don't feel like it could go that much worse than the Grammy's, so I feel like I'm alright now. Anything that happens, dust it off!
"If it wasn't live TV I would have busted a joke, but because it was, I couldn't make the disaster my own.
"Next time I will. Next time I have any sound issues I am gonna stop I'll be like, 'Sorry that's not working for me.' If we have time to do it again, let's do it, otherwise, bye!"
BAFTA trophy to go on display in Millennium Falcon
Cuba Gooding Jr in tears over OJ Simpson role
David Schwimmer: Fame is 'painful'
Kim and Kanye keep their finances "basically separate"
First viewer of Deadpool was youngster battling cancer
Big Ang has died
Taylor Swift praises Ed Sheeran on his birthday
Kendall and Kylie Jenner celebrate app success
Chrissy Teigen had IVF during Sports Illustrated shoot
Olivia Wilde: Sexism is 'institutional'
Penelope Cruz suffers from anxiety
adele bang showbiz grammy awards

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Twenty-six years ago, His Eminence had the vision of building a camp where Greek Orthodox Youth from across the New England area could gather, share and enhance their faith and cultural experience, strengthen their relationship with God and establish lifelong friendships. Thanks to his tireless efforts, and his visionary leadership the Metropolis of Boston Camp and the Saint Methodios Faith and Heritage Center have flourished.
Fr. Dionysios was born and raised in New York City but now resides in the great city of Boston, MA. Although he now calls Boston home, he still wears his New York sports teams on his sleeve! Camping and youth ministries are near and dear to Fr. Dionysios's heart - his camping experience started at Camp Saint Paul of the Direct Archdiocesan District where he served as a Counselor and later as Director of Liturgical Hour for six years. Fr. Dionysios also served as the Director of the Faith and Culture Camp of the Kimisis parish in Southampton, NY for a number of years. Fr. Dionysios holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Hellenic College and a M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Fr. Dionysios is the Director of the Office of the Metropolitan and Metropolis Ministries for the Metropolis of Boston. Fr. Dionysios is always eager to welcome back campers and staff to MBC for an awesome experience– with Christ at the center of it all!
Katherine has been a member of the MBC community since 2002 and has been a staff member for the past 11 summers. She graduated from Boston College in 2013 and then earned her master's from Framingham State in 2016. She currently teaches middle school Spanish. As a staff member for 6 years, program director for 2 years, and office administrator for 2 years, she is excited to fill yet another new role at MBC! Katherine enjoys coffee, tea, siestas, penguins, snacks, arts and crafts, and all that is cheese based, especially pizza. She cannot wait to reunite with old campers and meet new ones!
Among the likes of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and George H.W. Bush right down the road in Milton, Stephan was born and raised in the City of Presidents- Quincy, MA. He has served as a staff member for both MBC and St. Methodios since 2014. As a student of environmental science, Stephan brings to the table a unique understanding of the beautiful 300 acre paradise that the camp is built upon. Just as Stephan's favorite animal, the beaver, builds its lodge and dam with the materials it finds in the floodplain, Stephan looks to build and enhance youth ministry with the humor and creativity of the campers and staff of MBC.
Even though he has been a member of the camp community for 13 years, Pano is more excited than ever to be back at MBC! As a recent graduate of Northeastern University's College of Engineering and a second year student in Holy Cross's Master's of Divinity program, Pano brings a great deal of outside knowledge and experiences to the table coupled with zeal for youth and young adult ministry.
Christiana Stamas is a rising senior studying nursing at Rivier University. She hopes to be an ER nurse after graduation (and of course come back as a camp nurse!) Christiana joined the MBC community at the age of 7 as a JOY camper and hasn't missed a year since then. Christiana enjoys swimming, traveling, dance parties, long naps, Dunkin' Donuts French vanilla ice coffee, talking loudly, and giving big hugs. Christiana is so excited spend her summer living her best JOY life at her favorite place on earth!
Elaina is a student at Bentley University studying managerial economics (which is just as exciting as it sounds). She has been part of the MBC community for 12 years and can't wait to be back again. She also chants for her home parish of St. George in Springfield out in Western Mass (affectionately known as cow country). Her favorite things include country music, tall strawberry acai refreshers from Starbucks with no ice, dinosaurs, and sandwiches. Elaina is so excited for a summer full of youth ministry and seeing campers new and old!
MBC has always been a home away from home for Jackie and she can't wait to return for her seventh summer on staff! She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2017 and just finished her M.S. in Medical Sciences at Boston University's School of Medicine. She hopes to attend medical school and become a patriotic specialist. Jackie never goes anywhere with out her backpack and has a special place in her heart for elephants, the outdoors, cheese and quality colored pens. She's full of mediocre sports ability, gimp skills to be reckoned with, and energy levels surprisingly large for someone her size. Jackie is excited for for her new role this summer, and can wait to see everyone on the waterfront!


text:
OMI interviews
Wilhelm Steckling, OMI
Interview with Fr. Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Superior General
How is the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate preparing for the next General Chapter?
Every six years, at the General Chapter, our Congregation reserves for itself a time of discernment. Wisdom, not only planning, is called for. We intend to capture the missionary needs of today, and then ask ourselves: how can we respond as Oblates? Also, the larger Oblate family is involved in this exercise; for example, representatives of Lay Associates will be present on some days.
The preparation of such an endeavor calls for prayer above all. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to judge the situation with charity and justice, we need the Spirit's fire of mutual love in order to be united for the common task. Our Chapter prayer, which we recite often, sometimes daily, expresses our need for divine assistance.
Good thinking and discussion are also needed. This process began last year in community meetings and through the writing of reports about our work in each country and continent. In more recent months, it has continued through gatherings of the elected and the ex-officio members of the Chapter. A Chapter and its preparation are very democratic exercises. The Oblates can make proposals to be discussed. A governance committee studies possible changes in our Constitutions and Rules which must be submitted to a vote later at the Chapter. As for myself, I have to write a report about the state of the Congregation; this report is, to a large extent, done in a team effort.
Since there are so many activities going on, a special commission has been named to organize the Chapter in all its details. There will be, for the first time, an outside facilitator to make the discussions in September move smoothly. Worldwide, we try to keep in touch through our website, which recently has been complemented with a "blog."
The theme of the 35th Chapter will be: "Conversion: A new heart, a new spirit, a new mission." Can you explain the reason for this theme? Where did this slogan come from?
This slogan is, above all, about conversion: conversion through renewal of our hearts, conversion in our spirit, conversion in the way we are missionaries. Our logo expresses this idea quite well: a circular dynamic of conversion is created which surrounds the OMI symbol and the whole world.
How did this theme come up? It appeared all of a sudden during a meeting of all the provincial superiors of the Congregation in 2007, in South Africa. We call this type of gathering an "Inter-Chapter meeting." There, when we examined where we are as a Congregation, we saw many positive things. In recent years we had reached much agreement about more internationality, about a better community life, about a more solid formation of our candidates. Much of this was happening already but we had also the distinct impression that some resistance remained. "What else do we need then?" we asked ourselves. We do not need more and better background papers and mission statements, nor more and better directives or rules; we felt that the one thing missing was a change of heart so as to really do what we had agreed to do. Or rather, the issue was not to do more or better things but to be different in our attitudes, in our way of life. The biblical word for such a change is conversion! "Conversion" was discovered to be one thing missing.
I must admit, our theme is not a very original one. We might appear as people who are trying to reinvent the wheel. The challenge of conversion does not lie in conversation or scientific studies about a very new idea. Above all, it must touch my person and my community. We must not just discuss it but do it! The strength of this theme will come out if we make it real in our lives, if we really change our heart, our spirit, our mission.
How has the Oblate Congregation come along in recent years? How is the 'health' of the Congregation on the eve of the General Chapter?
Six years ago, at the last Chapter, we used a metaphor to describe the Congregation: it is like a garden where one part experiences spring time, and another part, autumn. This comparison rings true even today.
Parts of the Congregation have been declining, for instance in important sectors of the Western world, and this decline is now accelerating. Other provinces, delegations and missions are growing steadily and sometimes quickly. In some cases, numbers have almost doubled within six years! While globally there is a yearly decrease in total numbers, in terms of Oblates vocations, we have remained stable over the last decade: we count 600 to 700 Oblates in temporary vows depending on the year. The total number of Oblates amounts to 4.138 right now!
These figures indicate a healthy Congregation, but the numbers are not everything. What counts more is the spirit and faithfulness to our vocation. For instance, among the very old Oblates, there are many who express happiness about their vocation when they write me as an answer to a letter of congratulations. There are younger and middle aged Oblates who live up to their call, even risking their lives in dangerous areas, and some of them did lose their lives in recent years. We continue being blessed with our own martyrs and saints. In general, I think we have grown in clarity about our charism of evangelizing the poor and in community spirit. The canonization of Eugene de Mazenod and the beatifications of Joseph Gerard and of Joseph Cebula helped this to happen and have been great blessings; blessings which extend not only to us Oblates but also to all friends of Saint Eugene's work and to the entire Church.
Basic health does not mean that we are allowed to become careless. Perhaps today we realize more than in earlier days how vulnerable we are; what was formerly a stronghold of the Oblates can become very modest. We realize how everything depends on God's grace, and that every single vocation is a gift. Let us be grateful for every single vocation! Such gratefulness also implies that more efforts must be made in formation, especially of the young, and for vocation ministry.
What are the Oblate missionary challenges which seem more urgent at the beginning of the third millennium?
A question I am asked very often is: what is happening to the Church and to the Congregation in the western countries? Why isn't there the same exuberant growth as in some sectors of Asia, Africa, Latin America? I try to explain: the West has smaller families, offers more distractions, etc. But I realize that the challenge is larger than that. Beneath the surface, in the West we are dealing with the ideology of secularism. I believe that secularism is one of the toughest challenges the mission of the church has to face, and that we are still looking for answers to most of the questions it poses. How do we react to a world which is organizes itself without reference to its Maker? Are we ourselves already infected by secularism and becoming forgetful of God? To help find answers, one direction we could take is increasing cooperation between Oblates and Lay Associates and in particular, doing much of our mission together with the youth of today.
As a consequence of the spiritual weakening of the West, the strength of the Church, and of our Congregation, is moving to the south. This constitutes another challenge in itself, especially for us who are dealing with a world-wide mission. Missionaries are no longer going from "Christian countries" to the "mission countries" as in the past, they are crisscrossing everywhere. This is a wonderful development, but we must still get used to it and organize ourselves accordingly.
Special activities in the Congregation over the last years indicate the new challenges and inroads of mission as we Oblates perceive them; there have been symposia on Interreligious Dialogue, on Indigenous People, on Mission with Youth and on Migration; there have been meetings on Lay Associates and on the vocation to Brotherhood, and we have been strengthening Justice and Peace ministry.
A final question about the tragedy caused by the earthquake in Haiti. How are the Haitian Oblates living this catastrophe? How is the reconstruction of the Oblate works proceeding (provincial house, scholasticate, etc.)?
The more I hear about the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath, the more I realize that it is such an enormous tragedy. 170,000 bodies have been found; others are still under the rubble, and most of this has happened in just one city which is the capital itself. It is said that three quarters of the buildings in Port au Prince are destroyed!
We Oblates have been spared the worst; only one of us died, Brother Weedy Alexis. We lost the provincial house and the theologate. On the other hand, places in the interior are inundated with people leaving the Capital and we are trying to assist them as best we can through our parishes and other structures. Our orphanage in Les Cayes is accommodating many additional orphans -- there are more than 600 by now -- and helping the wounded and the hungry. We do not have much news from our parish in the Capital where communications are more difficult.
The provincial administration for our 120 Oblates is displaced. It will be very difficult to organize studies for our scholastics this year; maybe a group of them will try. There has been some thought about whether our young Oblates in initial formation, about 35, should not go abroad, but the Provincial, who himself is a professor of theology, says that together with the other Congregations, they would rather stay and study their theology in the context of their country. Such a tragedy makes us question our faith, our moral life and the way we are missionaries, and these questions are better studied on the spot, even if it means the loss of a semester or two due to the circumstances. Full reconstruction of the facilities will take time and has to follow the rhythm of the city.
Interview for the magazine Missioni OMI
Issue of April 2010
Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun,IVD
Bishop Mark Edwards OMI
Fr. Guillermo Siles, OMI
Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo OMI
Gilberto Piñón, OMI
Vincenzo Bordo, OMI
Claudio Bertuccio, OMI
Pierre-Antoine Paulo, OMI
Pavlo Vyshkovskyy, OMI
Gerald Wiesner, OMI
Jean-Claude Bouchard, OMI
Pippo Mammana, OMI
Achiel Peelman, OMI
Joseph Baril, OMI
Andrzej Madej, OMI
Reynald Rouleau, OMI
Robert Layson, OMI


text:
Q: How to highlight custom bottomappbar icon and change appbar(top) title text flutter Hello I am a complete noob but have been trying to work out a problem for a couple of days. I would like for these icons to be highlighted when they are clicked and for the AppBar title to change with the different page. The following code is just the skeleton I have, each button changes pages to other pages, but to keep this simple I used basic pages. In my actual code, each page returns a scaffold with a body and the content in the body. Should I just add an AppBar to each page and change the title there? Seems like a lot of work for the app. I truly appreciate any help you can offer.
    import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() => runApp(MyApp());

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: DemoPage(),
    );
  }
}

class DemoPage extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _DemoPageState createState() => _DemoPageState();
}

class _DemoPageState extends State<DemoPage> {
  PageController _myPage = PageController(initialPage: 0);
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: Text(
          'Title'
        ),
      ),
      floatingActionButtonLocation: FloatingActionButtonLocation.centerDocked,
      bottomNavigationBar: BottomAppBar(
        shape: CircularNotchedRectangle(),
        child: Container(
          height: 75,
          child: Row(
            mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.max,
            mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceBetween,
            children: <Widget>[
              Spacer(),
              IconButton(
                iconSize: 30.0,
                icon: Icon(Icons.home),
                onPressed: () {
                  setState(() {
                    _myPage.jumpToPage(0);
                  });
                },
              ),
              Spacer(),
              IconButton(
                iconSize: 30.0,
                icon: Icon(Icons.search),
                onPressed: () {
                  setState(() {
                    _myPage.jumpToPage(1);
                  });
                },
              ),
              Spacer(flex: 5,),
              IconButton(
                iconSize: 30.0,
                icon: Icon(Icons.notifications),
                onPressed: () {
                  setState(() {
                    _myPage.jumpToPage(2);
                  });
                },
              ),
              Spacer(),
              IconButton(
                iconSize: 30.0,
                icon: Icon(Icons.list),
                onPressed: () {
                  setState(() {
                    _myPage.jumpToPage(3);
                  });
                },
              ),
              Spacer(),
            ],
          ),
        ),
      ),
      body: PageView(
        controller: _myPage,
        onPageChanged: (int) {
          print('Page Changes to index $int');
        },
        children: <Widget>[
          Center(
            child: Container(
              child: Text('Page 0'),
            ),
          ),
          Center(
            child: Container(
              child: Text('Page 1'),
            ),
          ),
          Center(
            child: Container(
              child: Text('Page 2'),
            ),
          ),
          Center(
            child: Container(
              child: Text('Page 3'),
            ),
          )
        ],
      ),
      floatingActionButton: Container(
        height: 65.0,
        width: 65.0,
        child: FittedBox(
          child: FloatingActionButton(
            onPressed: () {},
            child: Icon(
              Icons.add,
              color: Colors.white,
            ),
            // elevation: 5.0,
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

A: Create a list _appbartitle with the list of title you need for each tab
Set a global integer to denote which page you are viewing
int page=0;

page==0 means Home, page==1 means Settings
_appbarTitle=['Home','Settings',];

AppBar(title:Text(_appbarTitle[page]))

Now rewrite each IconButton with this
 IconButton(
                iconSize: 30.0,
                icon: Icon(Icons.home,color:(page==0)?Colors.Blue:Colors.Black  ),
                onPressed: () {
                  setState(() {
                     page=1;
                    _myPage.jumpToPage(0);
                  });
                },
              )

What happens here is when I click an IconButton in BottomAppBar, it sets the page variable accordingly and rebuilds the state, this leads to change in title of the Appbar according to the list _appbarTitle and I t sets the color of the selected IconButton to Blue.


text:
2019 December Newsletter
Posted on December 3, 2019 December 3, 2019 by liz
To all our wonderful guests, friends, colleagues and suppliers – another year-end rushes towards us breakneck speed. Although 2019 has been a very tough year for most South Africans, there's also a lot to be grateful for.
Weir in Delta Park
The summer rains have finally come to Jozi. Nearby Delta Park has transformed overnight and the garden here at Liz at Lancaster is green and lush. Guests continue to get endless pleasure from our little verdant oasis.
South Africa won the World Cup Rugby (I think there are going to be quite a few little Jack Russell puppies called "Faf" in the upcoming year!)
The guesthouse continues to have loads of repeat guests and we hear an appreciative sigh of "we are home" from many a guest checking-in.
Liz at Lancaster beautiful back garden
All at Liz at Lancaster continue to work together as an amazing team – each contributing in invaluable ways to the caring, helpful service and wonderful eye for detail. Thandie manages her home and work commitments with amazing tenacity. Her daughter won the class end of year prizes for Spelling and Visual Arts. Alick has unfortunately STILL not had his hip operation but continues to remain his positive generous kind self with lots of teasing from his wife Joyce when we visit. Catherine sadly lost her 84 year old father to cancer and Tagala had a very grief-filled year losing his 4 year old son and his sister. The grace and strength with which he has faced these traumas is remarkable. Liz continues to research Joburg and its history, heritage, arts, culture and entertainment, while also working on several community projects and fitting in as much "Nana time" as she can.
Many of you will remember Zac Gumbo, who had to leave us in 2014 as the Department of Home Affairs would not replace his lost ID. It has been a long slow haul with Wits Legal Aid having taken up his case against the Department and it is now in the hands of an advocate and we await a court date. At least things are moving forward, albeit slowly.
On a national scale the Department of Home Affairs has at last withdrawn the unabridged birth certificate requirement for minors which so worked against easy access to South African travel for families.
Sacha Baron Cohen giving the Keynote Address at ADL's 2019 Never Is Now Summit
But as I said, 2019 has also been a very tough year for most people in South Africa and, dare I say it, for many countries. We have all faced our differing political challenges. And social media has continued to develop from a mode of positive connection to the "most powerful tool of propaganda in history" (with thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen – his speech is well worth listening to or reading.
Small businesses (taxis, retail shops, accommodation, travel agents) continue to be put under increasing pressure from large conglomerates and tech companies using big data and the science of the dreaded algorithm.
Tripadvisor now controls all aspects of the traveler experience
TripAdvisor has changed its default search setting from Traveller Ranked to Best Value. In an interesting 2016 article, Delgado notes how large internet travel companies have now moved to what he calls: "occupying the whole life cycle of the client." (Sounds like an invasive parasite and for small business owners it's beginning to have the same effect!) Previously travelers wrote reviews (the share part of the cycle) and potential travelers searched for accommodation based on these reviews. However, the infographic above shows how TripAdvisor has morphed from a "share and search" site based solely on traveler reviews, to a booking site whose default search is one of price comparison. And even this is misleading as it is clear that the search has been randomized as the order of the establishments that comes up, is different with every search (within minutes of each search). With its Instant booking function, Tripadvisor has now become a full blown OTA [On-line Travel Agent] where any meaningful establishment-guest relationship is denied until a booking is made. This makes it difficult for small personalized businesses like Liz at Lancaster.
Freshly cooked breakfasts are always a win at Liz at Lancaster
1. ""I don't like AirBnB as I'm never sure exactly what I am getting and particularly in a place like Joburg I want to have the service and security levels of a guesthouse and know that there is always staff and management on site". Yes … we like this response! For more see "When a picture doesn't speak a thousand words"
2. "We often use AirBnB for overseas travel". I have to agree with this having stayed in an AirBnB in Moscow and in St Petersburg (where yes… we battled to gain access to the apartment for an hour or so because of a breakdown in communications.)
3. "I looked for you on AirBnB but you are not there". The answer is we are … but if the room is booked for the period you enter in your search (even if you are simply entering a hypothetical date to get a price indication), the establishment does not appear. And this is further complicated as AirBnB require that each room be entered individually as its own "establishment" – no general overview of the 7 units at Liz at Lancaster.
Guesthouses follow a completely different business model from the average AirBnB. Guesthouses offer more in terms of service levels; staffing; added extras like daily cleaning, on-site laundry; on-site transport; option of daily breakfasts cooked to order; airport collection; 24 hours staff/management on site; local advice as to what to see and do including itineraries designed for individual needs, and so much more.
On the political front
The shocking news is the continuing uncovering of the ruinous effects of State Capture. The fall-out has been devastating and the financial costs impossible to measure.
The good news is that the unspeakable corruption and looting exposed by our brave investigative journalists working for the likes of The Daily Maverick and Amabughane Investigative Journalism Unit, is now being further investigated in public commissions of inquiry. And some heads have already rolled. Ramaphosa won the ANC presidency in December 2017 by a very narrow margin and only because of some horse-trading. While many take the view that there is too little action and it's taking too long (which it is), I take the view that Ramaphosa treads a delicate line between a major clean-up of corruption and getting ousted himself.
After becoming president, Ramaphosa set up four commissions of enquiry to investigate corruption and the 'capture' of state resources. These hearings have all been conducted with full live public access – either through live streaming or on a dedicated television channel. In addition there are transcripts available on the various web sites:
• SARS
• the Public Investment Corporation
• the National Prosecuting Authority and State Capture
Retired Judge Robert Nugent completed the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the SA Revenue Service in December 2018. The Commission found that former commissioner Tom Moyane "seized control of SARS" and "dismantled the elements of governance one by one". A damning finding if ever there was one. Moyane was fired by Ramaphosa in November and former SARS deputy commissioner Edward Kieswetter was appointed as the new tax agency boss. Things are thankfully moving forward.
In August 2019 a Commission wrapped up its findings into allegations of impropriety regarding the Public Investment Corporation, the Government's asset manager which invests 2 trillion in public funds on behalf of the Government Employee Pension Fund. The CEO of PIC resigned early in the proceeding and loans to various companies have come under close scrutiny. Ramaphosa still needs to release the findings of the report.
Yvonne Mokgoro, a retired Constitutional Court judge chaired a board of inquiry into the fitness to hold positions of two advocates, both in top positions in the National Prosecuting Authority. The two were suspended at the outset of the inquiry and, based on the inquiry findings, were fired by Ramaphosa in April 2019.
And the names of many mentioned in testimonies in all the above inquiries, weave through the submissions to the largest investigation of them all: the Commission on State Capture chaired by Judge Zondo (with 194 days of hearings to date). Called to testify have been representatives of SOEs such as Eskom (power); SAA (National Air Carrier); Denel (armaments); Transnet (Rail); and SABC (Broadcasting and communications); along with governmental financial agencies, departments and institutions such as the Treasury; SARS (Revenue Service); and the Reserve Bank.
We wish you all a very happy safe and restful festive season and may 2020 be a year where protest movements against "fake news", populism, climate change denialists and rampant capitalist greed, gather even further momentum.
From us all at Liz at Lancaster: Liz, Tagala (aka Mr T), Catherine, Thandie, Elliott and from Diepsloot informal settlement: Alick and Joyce
Posted in Liz at Lancaster News and ViewsTagged AirBnB Johannesburg, Liz at Lancaster no 2 on TripAdvisor, Looking back on 2019, News from Liz at Lancaster, no 2 TripAdvisor Guesthouse Johannesburg, Sacha Baron Cohen, SARS Commission of Inquiry, state capture johannesburg, TripAdvisor Awards, Tripadvisor Reviews Guesthouses Johannesburg, Withdrawal Unabridged-Birth-Certificate Requirement
« Dialogue, education and memory: the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre
Reality Check an exhibition including a virtual reality film on Walter Sisulu Accused no 2 in the Rivonia Trial »