text:
Portugal: Minho & the Douro Valley
When it comes to drinking in the Douro Valley's panoramas, moderation isn't an option.
View This Tour
Portugal: Lisbon & Undiscovered Alentejo
Alentejo's charming villages, boundless landscapes, and sunny coastlines will leave you longing for more on this Self-Guided Walking tour in Portugal.
Portugal: Porto, Minho & Douro Valley
The only thing sweeter than the Douro views is the glass of port waiting at your riverside inn.
Portugal: Sintra, Evora & The Coast
Ashen cliffs, whitewashed villages, and colorful palaces make southern Portugal a nice place to nest.
Ramble Through Vineyards and Villages
View All Portugal Tours Talk to an Expert
Discover Portugal
Thanks to a widespread trail network that features gentle strolls, strenuous mountain hikes, and everything in between, Portugal is revered as one of Europe's premier hiking destinations. Famed medieval trails and seaside cliff paths are a must on Portugal walking tour itineraries, where you can traverse the same routes used by ancient villagers as their sole means of passage. Here you can encounter white-spotted deer or rafts of otters lounging across a rocky shore break, all under the watchful eye of tawny owls, just as ancient travelers did.
In the secluded mountainsides of Minho and lush terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley, Portugal's rich culture and history begins to truly reveal itself. Pair a bottle of locally vinted port with meals like Cozido à Portuguesa—wild boar stew, and fragrant baked goods prepared with local persimmon and tangerines.
Stroll the rustic Soria province, across vast farmlands that point the way to hilltop medieval villages crowned by castles. In the mountainous Minho province, remote stone hamlets filled with friendly faces welcome you at the gigantic Feira de Barcelos open-air market, lined with stalls of fresh fruits and cheeses, artisan handicrafts, and hand-embroidered linens.
View All Portugal Tours
Country Highlights
Trace ancient shepherd trails through breathtaking mountain vistas.
Walk the medieval pathways that have long linked the charming stone villages of Serra de São Mamede Natural Park.
Explore the spectacular Rota Vicentina along high Atlantic cliffs, stopping to explore fishing villages and to soak your feet in refreshing waters.
Savor the rustic farm cuisine and succulent fresh seafood that have made Portugal a global culinary destination.
Listen to the Songs of Fate
Fado—Portugal's mournful musical tradition—evokes nostalgia and longing like few other styles can. Witness performances by solo singers accompanied by classical Portuguese guitar that will offer fascinating insight into the country's sea-faring soul, with songs invoking lost love, longing for the departed, and inspirational triumph.
Raise a Glass Prepared for Decades
Meander the dimly lit caves of the ancient city of Porto, which store rack after rack of Portugal's most famous eponymous drink. Partake in one of numerous tasting sessions while relaxing amid the terraced vineyards of local quintas—winery estates.
Explore the Cork Forests
Stroll through the flowering plains of Alentejo in summer, where sun and shadows fall over vast wine estates, olive groves and centuries-old summer homes. Here, the ancient oak forests have produced cork for millennia—one of the world's oldest renewable, recyclable and biodegradable products.
Our Walking & Hiking Tours in Portugal
Guided Easy to Moderate
Days 7 From $5,098 Tour Only
Self-Guided Moderate
Self-Guided Easy to Moderate
Jose Carrilho
José Carrilho was born, raised, and still lives in Lisbon and worked his way through college as a kayak instructor, eventually receiving a degree in Tourism. When the travel agency he worked at closed in 2011, he took the opportunity to travel around the world spending 10 months surfing and diving with many new friends from many different countries. He also did volunteer work in Peru before returning to Portugal and becoming a guide in 2013. He still loves to kayak, surf, dive, and travel but he is most passionate about guiding because it allows him to show off his beautiful native country, being especially intrigued with its nature and culture.
Luis Soares
Luis Soares was born and raised in Portugal and has travelled extensively throughout South America and Africa, including spending a year working in city planning in Angola, a former Portuguese colony. Luis has a special interest in geography and has worked in various aspects of tourism outside of guiding. When not out in nature showing off his native country, you can find Luis enjoying a good book or running trails near his home.
Joao Tiago Roda Barra
João Tiago Roda Barra was born and raised in Portugal but his passion for other cultures and a love of the outdoors has led to many adventures traveling throughout Europe to such places as Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. He always includes rock climbing as part of these trips, having learned to climb as a teenager. He also enjoys cycling, hiking, and photography and has worked as a biking and walking guide since 2008.
Pedro Rodrigues
Pedro Rodrigues was born in Lisbon and developed a love of travelling from a very young age, leading him to learn multiple languages as well as a degree in Tourism Management. Working with Emirates Airlines, he had a chance to visit more than 90 countries and 145 cities worldwide over the course of just a few years. Now it's Portugal's endless valleys and stunning coastline scenery that keeps Pedro close to home, where he finds joy in sharing with guests from around the world all that his home country has to offer.
Stories from Portugal
Memorable Moments from Flex-Guided Adventures
What makes a Guided Walking Adventure special? It's the best of both worlds: enjoying a group of like-minded traveling companions, and having a few opportunities to explore entirely on your...
Discover Your Portugal
Fresh local foods. A vibrant artistic tradition. Breathtaking mountain trails. Sun-splashed oceanscapes. While not a particularly large country compared to its European neighbors, Portugal offers myriad opportunities for exploration for...
4 Medieval Must-Sees in Evora, Portugal
Evidence of Europe's rich and complex history is everywhere, no matter where you are on the continent. You can hardly walk a block without seeing a centuries-old church, a storybook...
Photos From Our Travelers
Portugal: Sintra, Óbidos & the Coast
Complimentary Catalog
Find your next adventure in a beautiful catalog that features all of our destinations and travel options.
Get Your Catalog
Reserve Instantly
Find your perfect tour and reserve a spot with our easy online booking.
Speak with a Tour Consultant
Have questions? We're here to answer them.
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET


I am Vanessa and I work for Spiceworks on behalf of eMazzanti. I am here to provide you answers to your questions and to keep you up to date on recent developments. Don't hesitate to reach out to me!
About me: I love pickles and coffee, but not together (obviously). I enjoy doing pilates and listening to eclectic music.


text:
Hull High é uma série de televisão, originalmente exibida pela NBC em 1990. A série nos mostrava a história do Cordell Hull High School, uma escola que se localizava no gueto. O programa misturava elementos de telenovelas e musicais, com o rap dos membros do grupo Hull High Devils. A principal trama adulta, era do professor John Deerborn, interpretado por Will Lyman.

Foram exibidos apenas 6 episódios, e após constatada a falta de aceitação por parte do público e da crítica, foi cancelada definitivamente pela NBC.

Uma conexão com o telefilme de sucesso, High School Musical, foi verificada por fãs, o episódio piloto da série foi coreografado e dirigido por Kenny Ortega, que trabalhou nas mesmas funções no telefilme.

Elenco
Nancy Valen como Donna Breedlove
Mark Ballou como Mark Fuller
Marty Belafsky como Louis Plumb
Kristin Dattilo como D.J.
Cheryl Pollak como Camilla
George Martin como Emery Dobosh
Holly Fields como Michelle

Ligações externas

Séries da NBC
Séries de televisão de drama musical dos Estados Unidos
Séries de televisão de drama musical da década de 1990
Séries de televisão de drama adolescente
Programas de televisão dos Estados Unidos que estrearam em 1990
Programas de televisão dos Estados Unidos encerrados em 1990
Programas de televisão em língua inglesa
Programas de televisão produzidos pela ABC Signature

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The cast of guest characters or those who don't appear often.
The series features famous voice actors and actresses such as Koichi Yamadera, Wataru Takagi, Masashi Ebara and Daisuke Kishio. In addition, it also features ordinary actors and actresses especially those who mainly appear on the stage.
The cast of main characters is as below.


text:
Tackling Poverty And Unemployment In Toronto
March 26, 2015 March 28, 2015 by urbanalliance, posted in News
Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell and Outgoing UARR President Gary Pieters at Poverty in Toronto Forum. Photo Credit/Lincoln Depradine.
By Lincoln Depradine
Pride Contributing Writer
TORONTO, Ontario – A Toronto City councillor has given her commitment to efforts to end poverty, which includes putting more people to work.
Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell told a forum of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) that "poverty is everybody's business''.
"It certainly is a business that has to be resolved,'' she said.
"Poverty in Toronto: What are we doing about it?'' was the title of the forum, which coincided with the annual general meeting of the UARR.
The meeting culminated a three-year term for educator Gary Pieters as UARR president.
"During 2014-2015, the UARR continued to make a positive difference in the areas of race relations, social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights. We appreciate the ongoing support of our funders and donors; collaborating partners; supporters; members and the general public who attended our public events or participated on our social media,'' Pieters said in his report to the meeting. The UARR is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding.
Pieters described the organization's events of the past year as "meaningful, purposeful, relevant, engaging and effective in the public interest of advancing harmonious relations and social cohesion in the GTA and beyond. We are pleased with the outcomes that were achieved, but we have much more to do – and we look forward to your continued support''.
Asked to summarize his tenure as UARR president, Pieters told Pride News Magazine that it was "very busy, very productive, being an agent of social change''.
"I think the most important as president,'' he explained, "was ensuring that we achieve our mission, which is to promote and maintain a harmonious society; to build bridges between cultures; build bridges between the police and community groups; and build bridges between the diverse peoples who live in this city; and looking at the issues that matter most to people, whether it's in employment, whether it's in access, whether it's in terms of jobs''.
Job concerns were a constant theme at the forum, with the revelation of a 20 percent to 30 percent unemployment rate among youth and non-white residents of Toronto.
Panelists and other participants at the forum provided suggestions to Deputy Mayor McConnell, including the need for the City of Toronto to "act as a model employer''; and increasing social assistance subsidies.
"A living wage is terribly important,'' one person offered. "We don't need to study poverty anymore. Let's move forward.''
McConnell, who has been having a series of meetings on Toronto's city-wide poverty reduction strategy, said it will address not just unemployment among the poor, but also how to provide them with greater access to affordable housing, public transit, city services, and to food.
McConnell's current anti-poverty work is back by $25 million in the City of Toronto's budget.
"We have already taken the first step but by the fall we'll have the entire roadmap finished and the funding strategy in place to continue with the work,'' she said in an interview with Pride News Magazine.
"The plan is to put together a very strong safety net so that people don't fall into poverty. And also, to develop a lifeline that pulls people out,'' McConnell added.
"What is also terribly important is that the dialogue we're having, the conversations that we're having around the city, is to have all Torontonians understand that poverty is everybody's business and what we're trying to do is move everybody, so that everyone can enjoy the prosperity of the city together.''
Article Source http://pridenews.ca/2015/03/25/tackling-poverty-and-unemployment-in-toronto/ | Tacking Poverty Article pdf version
Tackling #Poverty And #Unemployment In #Toronto http://t.co/7Pr2OWKAbD @PamMcConnell28 @CitizenBlogger1
— Pride News (@PrideNewsMag) March 25, 2015
.@UARRToronto is tackling poverty and unemployment thru race relations & community building work: http://t.co/79KGj5Q44u via @PrideNewsMag
— Ilaneet Goren (@ilaneetgoren) March 26, 2015
Tackling Poverty And Unemployment In Toronto http://t.co/VWkNVY6BcQ
— Carrol Anne Sceviour (@CAS_OFL) March 26, 2015
RT @CitizenBlogger1 Poverty Unemployment Toronto #PovertyTO #PovertySummit2015 #MakePovertyHistory #TOpoli #ONpoli " http://t.co/NAMRPHU6ss
— Nellie's Shelter (@nelliesshelter) March 25, 2015
Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy | TOProsperity: Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy
Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy Community Survey
Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy
The Hidden Epidemic: A Report on Child and Family Poverty in Toronto
Social Planning Toronto – Poverty Fact Sheet
Understanding the Racialization of Poverty in Ontario
Stats Canada Guide on Low Income
First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education: Overcoming Gaps in Provincially Funded Schools
United Way Reports on Poverty and Inequality in the Greater Toronto Area
Racialization and Health Inequities in Toronto
Toronto Now Canada's Inequality Capital United Way Study
Ontario Common Front Anti-Poverty Assembly 2015
The Poverty Reduction Summit: Every City, Province and Territory Working Together May 6-8, 2015
Previous postUARR AGM and Community Forum on addressing Poverty in Toronto a success!
Next postUARR Deputation on the Community Engagement Draft re: Police Carding

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
COP27, African Bishops: there is no climate justice without land justice
By Cristiano Antonino On Nov 14, 2022
COP27 / The theme raised by the African Bishops, the one that links climate justice to land justice, is in fact global and certainly involves the peoples of Africa, but also many areas of Asia and South America
COP27, the African Bishops' thoughts turn to Sharm el-Sheikh
The bishops of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar said Nov. 8 that land, natural resources and the ecosystem were the main sources of subsistence for the people in Africa, but many did not have access to land due to perverse commercial relations and ownership.
At the same time, as the people struggled against the current global climate crisis, they were victims of land and water grabs, experienced pollution of their water and soil by pesticides, and were losing biodiversity and traditional seeds, according to the bishops.
"Communities share the experience that, as they claim their rights to land, they are being persecuted, which is leading to more violent conflicts, despair and instability," Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of SECAM's Justice, Peace and Development Commission, said in a statement titled, "No climate justice without land justice."
The cardinal said it was clear the communities would be better if their resources were not captured by powerful people and corporations and given away by weak public institutions.
"We are denouncing false solutions that deprive local communities of their livelihoods, their land rights and tenure. We join communities in mobilizing against ill-advised large-scale land acquisition investments and their struggle against land grabs," said Ambongo Besungu, archbishop of Kinshasa.
COP27 / The statement listed multinational companies it said were involved in land grabs in Congo, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania
"We would like to call all those assembling in Sharm el-Sheikh to remember the call made recently by local communities in their struggle against large-scale land acquisition. As discussions on climate crisis intensify, land and climate justice must go hand in hand," the cardinal said in the statement.
While expressing solidarity with communities and territories affected by the "land grabs," armed conflicts and resource wars, the bishops recommended climate actions that prioritize equitable and just changes in agricultural and mining sectors.
They called for the inclusion of Indigenous communities and their leaders as key dialogue partners when large-scale land acquisition projects involve their land.
Church leaders in the Amazon have made similar statements, including at the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon
The SECAM statement said a revision of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change would help tackle the commoditization of land and natural resources and guard against injuring communities' livelihoods.
Article 6 allows countries to voluntarily cooperate with each other to achieve emission reduction targets set out in their nationally determined contributions to carbon credits.
The bishops also urged the Global North to pay its ecological debt and use Indigenous knowledge to design interventions against climate change.
"The culture of integral ecology can counter the culture of irrationality in the face of the climate emergency," said the cardinal's statement.
COP27, Religious Leaders Highlight Correlation Between Climate Change And Humanitarian Crises
World Day Of The Poor, Pope Francis Breaks Bread With 1,300 Homeless People
Assisi, Pope Francis Enlightens The Young People Of The New Economy: "The Earth Is Burning Today, And It Is Today That We Must Act"
Economy Of Francesco, Over 1000 Economists Gathered In Assisi: "Sentinel, How Much Is Left Of The Night?"
World Day Of Prayer For The Care Of Creation, Pope Francis' Appeal For The Earth
Assisi, The Full Speech Of Pope Francis To The Young People Of The Economy Of Francesco
Ethic And Economic, A Cornell University Study On Plant-Based Beef In The US Market In The Lancet
Economy And Finance, Father Alex Zanotelli At The Festival Of The Mission: Rebel Through Boycott
Angelus Of All Saints, Pope Francis: The Everydayness Of Being A Saint
COP27: The World Cannot Afford Another Set Of Vague Promises, Warns IFRC
Sister Alessandra Smerilli On 'Making Space For Courage': Analysing The Existing Economic Model And Hope In Young People
Interreligious Dialogue: 7 Korean Religious Leaders To Meet Pope Francis
AfricaEthical Economy
Saint Of The Day For November 15: Saint Albert The Great
Holy Christmas, between environmental impact and spirituality
Burkina Faso, OCADES conference: more and more women in migration flows
Brazil, urban agriculture and ecological management of organic waste: the…
Pope Francis calls for another economy: 'Development is inclusive or it is not…


text:
New attitudes color Iranian society, culture
By kadivarad33	2005/02/28 No Comments
Interviews / New attitudes color Iranian society, culture
TEHRAN, Iran — In a city that only a few years ago was almost monochromatic — full of women draped head to toe in black — women and girls this winter are sporting pink coats, pink sweaters, pink head scarves, shoes and bags.
Many Iranians are expressing their contempt for their government through clothing.
By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY
Iran's Islamic rulers appear to have given up trying to make women observe more than the letter of the hijab, the Koran's admonition that Muslim women outside their homes should cover everything but their faces, hands and feet. The change has been gradual, but this year coats have gotten shorter, brighter and tighter, heels higher and scarves have slipped farther back to reveal most of women's hair.
Iran's "pink revolution" is a silent fashion statement that sends a powerful message. Unable to act overtly against the rigid Islamism that has shaped Iranian political and cultural life since the U.S.-backed shah was overthrown in 1979, many Iranians express their contempt for the government through their clothing.
For women, that means the sexiest, most fashionable attire possible while still covering the requisite body parts. For men, dissatisfaction takes the form of clean shaves — Islam encourages beards — publicly shaking hands with unrelated women and wearing jeans and long hair.
"The more you look at the people in the streets, they don't look like Iranians any more," says Goli Emami, a translator of English books into the Iranian language Farsi.
Hard-liners rule
Of the more than 50 Iranians interviewed here during a two-week visit, most were contemptuous of their government and the direction the country is moving. "This life is like death," says Mohammed Mohammedi, 26, a jeans-clad English teacher in Tehran who works odd jobs to make ends meet
Ever since the 1979 revolution, Iranian hard-liners have retained their grip on political power. A reform movement that began in 1997 with the election of moderate cleric Mohammad Khatami as president was quickly beaten back. Reform-minded journalists and bloggers have been jailed. Hard-liners ejected moderate politicians from the Cabinet and barred them from running in last year's parliamentary elections. The economy, despite record oil prices, is plagued by chronic inflation, corruption, high unemployment and an official unwillingness to allow the private sector to flourish.
Yet, the country has changed in ways that have contradicted the Islamic tenets on which the revolution was based. For every weblog shut down, two more seem to emerge. New, reform-leaning newspapers regularly challenge government policies. Reformist politicians are hoping for a comeback. And in a society where more than half the population is under the age of 30, young Iranians are staging a non-violent but potent counterrevolution not only through fashion, but also with their music and relations between the sexes that defy the strict Islamism dictated by the ruling mullahs.
Iranian attitudes pose a dilemma for the Bush administration, which is wary of taking steps that could bolster the theocratic government.
In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush promised Iranians that the United States would help them achieve freedom. "As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you," he said. In response, many Iranians are asking whether Bush meant what he said, and if so, what is the best way to accelerate a process that is already underway.
A U.S. attack appears unlikely, despite the fact that Bush has pointedly refused to rule out military action against a suspected Iranian nuclear weapons program. The Pentagon is already struggling to keep sufficient troops on hand to battle the insurgency in next-door Iraq.
The challenge of attacking Iran would be formidable: Physically, Iran is nearly four times as large as Iraq, and its population — more than 70 million people — is nearly three times Iraq's 26 million. If the United States did strike Iran, it would almost certainly have no allies besides Israel, a coalition that would enrage the Muslim world, where emotions are already raw over Iraq. And while some Iranians say they want a U.S. attack, they could quickly change their minds once civilian casualties began to mount.
"I hate war," says Sahab Morabi, 25, a student of architecture at Behesti University in Tehran. He says fellow Iranians who say they'd welcome a U.S. strike really just want "some kind of catalyst for change." If war really comes, their attitude will change, he says. "They will express their patriotism."
Meanwhile, Bush administration officials are pursuing a strategy of economic pressure. They have threatened to seek United Nations sanctions against Iran if the country does not permanently give up its efforts to enrich uranium. Iran says the program is only for energy production, but U.S. and European officials see it as a thinly disguised nuclear bomb program.
Companies back out
The sanctions threat and pressure from Capitol Hill, where an anti-Iran movement is gathering strength, has had an impact. European companies, including a subsidiary of Halliburton, the energy company run by Dick Cheney before 2000, have backed out of new contracts with Iran. General Electric has also said it would bar its foreign subsidiaries from new business here.
Iranian officials, including top nuclear negotiator Hossein Moussavian, suggest the United States could win more goodwill and contribute to the well-being of millions of Iranians by selling Iran spare parts for its decrepit fleet of Boeing airliners. Iranian officials also urge the United States to support Iran's application to join the World Trade Organization, which the United States has vetoed 20 times.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told reporters in early February that the United States supports WTO membership for Russia in part because it "can have the effect of promoting democratic development." Asked Monday why the same would not be true for Iran, Rice said that "the WTO can have that effect," but that Bush had not yet decided whether to stop objecting to Iran's application. European leaders who met with Bush last week urged him to do so.
Ahmad Montazeri, a cleric and son of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, says the Bush administration should release several billion dollars in Iranian assets frozen since diplomatic relations were severed in 1980. His father was tapped as successor to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini until he broke with the regime over its dictatorial policies and abuse of human rights.
"The United States can easily take the initiative," Montazeri says. Unfreezing the assets "would be a gesture of goodwill and would deprive the Iranian government of its excuses not to establish ties with the United States. This wall of mistrust would come down."
Many of those interviewed here advise the Bush administration to keep up the tough talk on human rights, but to bombard Iran with visas and visitors, not missiles.
"The support of human rights groups in the United States is very important for me," says Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her human rights advocacy. Working within the system with a small staff and using Islamic law against regime actions, Ebadi has managed to expand rights for women and children and press for an end to abuse of political prisoners.
Avenues for dissent
Despite record prices for its enormous oil output — Iran is the world's fourth-largest producer — the economy is in bad shape, and inflation and youth unemployment both top 15%. A recent poll by Iran's state-run National Youth Organization of 16,000 young people in all 30 provinces of Iran found that 44% would leave the country if they could.
Apart from telling jokes that mock their aging, clerical leaders, many Iranians have distanced themselves from politics: Only 28% of Tehranis turned out in parliamentary elections last year. Few say they will vote in presidential elections in June unless they were required to because of their government jobs.
The Bush administration characterizes Iran as tyrannical. In her Senate confirmation hearings, Rice called Iran an "outpost of tyranny" along with Burma, Zimbabwe, Belarus, North Korea and Cuba.
While some Iranians enjoy the Bush administration's harsh words, reformers within the ruling elite say the insults have backfired.
Mohsen Kadivar, a cleric who recently spent a year as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, says the tough talk — especially Bush's labeling of Iran as a member of an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address — has emboldened the government to crack down on those promoting change.
Last year, the Council of Guardians, an appointed body that vets political candidates, disqualified most reform-minded candidates running for parliament, including many incumbents.
"The supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) used Bush's words against us," Kadivar says. "Democracy cannot be transplanted from the United States without its social and political background. … We should make it ourselves."
Iran's ambassador to France, Sadegh Kharrazi, who has also tried to reach out to Americans, agrees. "We need reform inside Iran, not imposed by the United States or other outsiders," he says. "We have a young experience with democracy and change needs time. Reform is the origin of our Islamic revolution and this process is a continuous one."
The evidence of that change is obvious to anyone walking on Tehran's streets. "Two years ago, we all wore red. This year, we're wearing pink, and next year, who knows?" says Farzaneh Samadian, 21, a computer software engineer whose pink and navy scarf is barely attached to her head. "We love freedom."
Latest important posts
Democracy and ethical values from Islamic perspective
Ayatollah Khomeini's Political Theory & Public Interest
Islamic Political Philosophy after 40 years
Islamic Governance in Theory and Practice
Islam and Democracy: Perspectives from Reformist and Traditional Islam
Theology, Ethics, Politics: Three Challenges for Islamic Reform
Reforming Islamic Thought through Structural Ijtihad
REVISITING WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN ISLAM: 'Egalitarian Justice' in Lieu of 'Deserts-based Justice'
From Traditional Islam to Islam as an End in Itself
Wilayat al-faqih and Democracy
Add your email address here and join our newsletter!
Previous PostThe Rights of Non-Muslims in Contemporary Islam
Next PostIran looks, again, to experienced captain


text:
Your present position:Home >> News >> Industry News
Ultra-thin solar cells can easily bend around a pencil
View:37006/24/2016
The flexible photovoltaics, made by researchers in South Korea, could power wearable electronics.
Scientists in South Korea have made ultra-thin photovoltaics flexible enough to wrap around the average pencil. The bendy solar cells could power wearable electronics like fitness trackers and smart glasses. The researchers report the results in the journal Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing.
Thin materials flex more easily than thick ones -- think a piece of paper versus a cardboard shipping box. The reason for the difference: The stress in a material while it's being bent increases farther out from the central plane. Because thick sheets have more material farther out they are harder to bend.
"Our photovoltaic is about 1 micrometer thick," said Jongho Lee, an engineer at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. One micrometer is much thinner than an average human hair. Standard photovoltaics are usually hundreds of times thicker, and even most other thin photovoltaics are 2 to 4 times thicker.
The researchers made the ultra-thin solar cells from the semiconductor gallium arsenide. They stamped the cells directly onto a flexible substrate without using an adhesive that would add to the material's thickness. The cells were then "cold welded" to the electrode on the substrate by applying pressure at 170 degrees Celcius and melting a top layer of material called photoresist that acted as a temporary adhesive. The photoresist was later peeled away, leaving the direct metal to metal bond.
The metal bottom layer also served as a reflector to direct stray photons back to the solar cells. The researchers tested the efficiency of the device at converting sunlight to electricity and found that it was comparable to similar thicker photovoltaics. They performed bending tests and found the cells could wrap around a radius as small as 1.4 millimeters.
The team also performed numerical analysis of the cells, finding that they experience one-fourth the amount of strain of similar cells that are 3.5 micrometers thick.
"The thinner cells are less fragile under bending, but perform similarly or even slightly better," Lee said.
A few other groups have reported solar cells with thicknesses of around 1 micrometer, but have produced the cells in different ways, for example by removing the whole substract by etching.
By transfer printing instead of etching, the new method developed by Lee and his colleagues may be used to make very flexible photovoltaics with a smaller amount of materials.
The thin cells can be integrated onto glasses frames or fabric and might power the next wave of wearable electronics, Lee said.
Prev: China's PV grid connections hit 22GW in H1 2016
Next: IRENA Report: PV energy could account for up to 13% of global power needs by 2030
View More(Total0)Comment Lists
I want to comment


This color is known as Aqua, Cyan. The hexadecimal #00ffff color RGB value is (0, 255, 255). The complement color is #ff0000. The CMYK color model (used in color printing) for #00ffff is 100% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow and 0% black. The decimal value of this color is 65535. Closest web safe color is: #00ffff.
Below, the color conversion values related to the color Aqua, Cyan / #00ffff are specified in detail.
Below you can see compatible color combinations for #00ffff.
Below you can see lighter and darker shades of #00ffff.
Below you can see alternatives to #00ffff.
Below you can see compatible color blindless simulator for #00ffff.


text:
Q: Azure Newbie - setting up Virtual metal and installing a custom ISO so I am given admin rights on our Azure instance and I want to set something up. A real newbie question. My project is this:
I have a machine spec. that my partner wants (4 CPU, 100GB Disk, 12GB mem and SS(SCSHSE)Network Element for machine 1 and 2 CPU, 40GB Disk 8GB mem for machine 2)
My partner has also given me a custom ISO to install on this "virtual metal".
My question is  - is there a quick start guide to doing this? I get that I could just use a machine image that already exists but the partner obviously wants his custom ISO running on my virtual metal....

A: Currently, Azure currently supports only VHD.
According to your scenario, you should covert iso image to VHD. It is easy for you to do it. Please refer to this link.
Notes: Your ISO should then contain an operating system that directly gets an IP address via DHCP and has open ports for remote access. Otherwise you cannot access it.
Then, you could upload the VHD to Azure storage account and use the VHD to create Azure VMs. More steps please refer to this link.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


An organiser and "leader" of planning for the first strike. Kempler spoke to the Los Angeles Times while participating in the November 1, 1961 demonstration to explain that her involvement began with a meeting on October 15 at the home of "Mrs. Gerry Dreyfuss." Kempler informed the press that most of the local organizers belonged to "half a dozen of the usual organizations." She also explained that the suffragettes and recent Civil Rights "sit-in strikers" had been a big influence on WSP.


Long, long ago, before my Pinterest boards were so full, I pinned this beach wrap.
In these bygone days, Pinterest pins did not always link back to the original source so it took me until last week to realize that Victoria's Secret was the source of this fantastic idea.
When I started sewing a few months back, I didn't think I would ever attempt something I would wear in public, but it looked so easy, I was sure I could figure it out.
This was not an easy project for me because I was having a bad brain day, so check out tutorials from Pia, Doranda, Diary of a Mad Crafter, and all the other brilliant crafters in Pinterland.
I bought 2 yards of a stretchy jersey fabric. I only needed a yard and a half. A good rule of thumb I read was to buy enough to wrap around your body 1.5 times, or as long as your arms will stretch out.
As you can see, I way overshot on how much fabric that I needed. My fabric cutter at the store advised that I cut the fabric so that the fabric stretch up and down (the way it would hang) rather that side to side so it hangs better. That also requires more fabric. Bummer.
I ended up cutting a rectangle 60" wide by 30" high. I had a TON of fabric left over!
For the straps, I cut 6 1"x 22" strips.
I braided two straps and secured the ends with tape.
I used a zig zag stitch around the entire rectangle to give a finished looked. Some tutorials skip this step.
Someone woke up from his nap at this point. He was still sleepy so he cuddled against me on my chair.
For the straps, I measured 8 inches from the top of the wide part of the rectangle down. Some tutorials cut out a C-shape for armholes, but I didn't think it was necessary.
To attach the straps, I just used a straight stitch. Then, I cut off the taped part.
Marissa was a lovely mannequin while I worked on this wrap.
...Except the one thing. I need a pocket for my key card when I'm at a hotel. So I made one. I used my park card as a template, and cut around it, leaving about an inch on all sides.
Placement for the pocket will be different on everyone. I put on the wrap, and then pinned the pocket where I wanted it, by my right hip.
I wasn't too concerned about how the pocket was sewn on because it's completely covered up by the front of the wrap.
All ready for the pool!
Wowza...what a fun wrap to wear to the beach. Thanks for your tips (did not know to work with the fabric the direction that it naturally hangs AND did not know that you should buy enough to wrap around 1.5 times). Your tutorial was brilliant, easy to follow with a touch of humor. I adored the picture of your son snuggled against you while you sew. I haven't attempted to make any clothes but you make it look so easy I just might have to try!
I have this same wrap pinned! I totally forgot about it but now I think I definitely have to give your tutorial a try so I'll have something cute to wear out on the boat this summer! Visiting from HOH.
Haha, I pinned that same wrap ages ago! It was maybe the fourth thing I ever pinned right when I started on Pinterest, but I still haven't gotten around to making it. :-p Brilliant idea to make a pocket for your key cards! Thanks so much for sharing this at my link party!
lol...funny how those pins don't make themselves, right?
So cute! I love it! Good job for trying something you've pinned. I hope you share at Pinworthy Projects on Friday!
This is genius! Especially that nifty pocket addition. Way to go, Jen! This is cute AND practical considering the pool time you'll have on your upcoming trip. Orlando, ho!
Thanks! I'm looking forward to putting it to good use!
bad brain day or not you made it look easy :) . .i've seen this on pinterest so i'm glad it's not one of those pin fails (i've had too many of those)great job!
lol...I've had a few of those, too! I'm sure there's a secret to cutting large pieces of material. If I could figure that out, I would have saved myself a LOT of time!
What a fabulous idea! I want one!! =) Thanks for linking up with us!
I bet with your experience, you could whip one out in 20 minutes!
Hi, Jen. Thank you for the link. I'm about to make another one for a friend and i will be adding a pocket. What a brilliant idea...thanks for sharing.
You are welcome! Thanks for making such a great tutorial!


We're simply too polite to say it out loud. Instead of risking hurt feelings, we master the art of making our voices sound normal while breathing completely through our mouths. It's what we do.
Polite avoidance of the truth is all well and good…until it's time to sell your home. Friends aren't going to comment on your curtains that haven't been updated since the first Bush administration or tell you that your cabinet hardware went out of style around the same time as avocado- and mustard-colored appliances.
In my 30 years in the Rochester, NY real estate market, I've pretty much seen it all. And I can assure you that stains on carpets, holes in walls, garish paint colors, chipped trim and loose door handles can and do deter prospective buyers from making an offer on your house.
Research shows that the best buyers are going to come look at your house within the first few days that it's listed. You only get one shot to make a first impression with the buyers that are most inclined to make an attractive offer…and that means that you have to know what things to fix BEFORE you list it. It won't be good enough to wait for feedback until you've had a handful of showings or you run the risk of getting a $140,000 bid on your $200,000 listing.
That's why a great realtor is indispensable in getting the price you want for your house. When I walk into a home, I do so with fresh eyes (and nose!). You may not even remember that Sparky decorated the bathroom door with several dozen claw marks — but I'll notice, which means you can fix it before a buyer questions exactly what's been going on in your master bath.
Maybe you're thinking you could tour your own house and just "fix the stuff that's broken", but it isn't that simple. Nothing ever really is, is it? When selling a home, one of the realtor's primary jobs is to put together a persuasive case for your home — and that requires a level of expertise that can't be attained in a 15-minute search on the Internet.
The truth is that not every pre-listing project is worth tackling. In fact, if you go at it alone, you run a high risk of dumping time and money into something that will yield nothing in return. You need an agent who comes armed with the knowledge of your neighborhood and the overall market of your area.
If for example, I look at a property that is already the most expensive house on the street, I can inform the sellers up front that they should try to avoid upgrades that would drive the price up even higher. I also stress the importance of targeted repairs and recommend the projects that will get the biggest bang for your buck. A weathered deck might not be a big deal on a home in town with a postage stamp-sized yard, but it is a high priority on a house with a beautiful, wooded lot. An updated kitchen is a must for a house with a high asking price but isn't crucial in a starter home.
Use a professional – you'll be glad you did.


text:
Q: AttributeError: module 'tensorrt' has no attribute 'infer' I want use tensorRT to deploy my pytorch model.But I get a problem in import tensorRT.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/fffan/fffan_files/Experiment/pytorch-tensorrt-master/model2trt.py", line 10, in <module>
      import calib as calibrator
  File "/home/fffan/fffan_files/Experiment/pytorch-tensorrt-master/calib.py", line 13, in <module>
      class PythonEntropyCalibrator(trt.infer.EntropyCalibrator):
  AttributeError: module 'tensorrt' has no attribute 'infer'

The code is like this:
    class PythonEntropyCalibrator(trt.infer.EntropyCalibrator):
        def __init__(self, input_layers, stream):
            trt.infer.EntropyCalibrator.__init__(self)
            self.input_layers = input_layers
            self.stream = stream

            self.d_input = cuda.mem_alloc(self.stream.calibration_data.nbytes)
            stream.reset()

my tensorRT is 5.1.5.
Somebody who knows please tell me.Thank you Very much!


text:
Before Dawn (Vampire, Fallen--Book 1)
by Morgan Rice (Author)
Fiction Juvenile & young adult Romance Fantasy, magic
"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!"
--Vampirebooksite.com (re Turned)
In BEFORE DAWN (Book #1 of Vampire, Fallen), Kate, 17, hates her life. An outcast in her own family, who doesn't understand her, she is hated by her more popular and beautiful sister, and despised by her controlling mother, who favors her sister over her. Kate's only solace is her friends and her smarts. But even with that, her life seems destined for a dead-end--especially when her mother announces she will have to stay back from college to pay for her sister's tuition.
But one day, all that changes. On her 17th birthday, one of the popular boys falls for her. At the same time, a mysterious new boy, Elijah, arrives at her school, and their connection is undeniable. All seems to be turning her way--when a terrible accident turns her life upside down.
Kate is supposed to die. But on the verge of death, something happens, something which keeps her alive, which transforms her into something she was never meant to be. In the twilight between life and death, Kate becomes something no one has ever been before.
The debut of a spectacular new series rife with love, loss, heartbreak and redemption, BEFORE DAWN offers a fresh take on the vampire genre. With its heart-pounding suspense and characters you will fall in love with, it will keep you reading late into the night and make you fall in love with fantasy all over again.
Also available is Morgan Rice's 12 book series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with TURNED (Book #1), a #1 bestseller with over 900 five star reviews on Amazon--and a FREE download!
"Refreshing and unique, has the classic elements found in many Young Adult paranormal stories....Easy to read but extremely fast-paced....Recommended for anyone who likes to read soft paranormal romances. Rated PG."
--The Romance Reviews (re Turned)
"Grabbed my attention from the beginning and did not let go....This story is an amazing adventure that is fast paced and action packed from the very beginning."
--Paranormal Romance Guild (re Turned)
Lukeman Literary Management Ltd
Vampire, Fallen


Spawn reboot remains in development. Will be uber-dark.
Or so Todd McFarlane is insisting. Not sure if people are still excited about a new Spawn movie. But this could be the movie that Venom sounds like it should had been.
I guess if Venom did well, this can, too.
Oh, I'd like them to take another stab at it but can't be confident.
ehj not a franchise which im at all crazy about as well.


text:
Kawhi Leonard to join USA Basketball mini-camp, Youssou Ndoye signed to camp deal
Leonard is in consideration for the men's basketball team for the Rio Olympics while Ndoye will attend training camp with the Spurs.
By Jesus Gomez Jul 26, 2015, 6:25pm CDT
Share All sharing options for: Kawhi Leonard to join USA Basketball mini-camp, Youssou Ndoye signed to camp deal
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Kawhi Leonard will take part in USA Basketball's mini-camp, according to SAEN's Mike Monroe.
Leonard was part of the select squad -- along with then teammate DeJuan Blair -- that trained with the London Olympics team in 2012. He declined to participate the last two summers but will now have a chance to earn a spot in the 12-man roster that will compete in the Rio Olympics.
The U.S. has already qualified for the competition by virtue of winning the FIBA World Cup, so it won't send a team to the 2015 FIBA Americas. A lot of top level players will still join the camp this year, hoping to make the final cut in 2016. Blake Griffin, James Harden and Carmelo Anthony will reportedly participate while injured players like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving will visit the camp in Las Vegas.
It's unlikely Leonard makes the cut if all the other stars make themselves eligible. The U.S. has LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony at the forward slots and most shooting guards can slide up to small forward in FIBA competition to make room for dual point guard lineups. There's still a chance he is selected to serve as the team's stopper, a role that Andre Iguodala played in the past, but we won't know until next year.
There are two ways to think about this. The first involves freaking out about injuries, despite the fact that Jerry Colangelo characterized the activities as "light workouts, no contact and then play an All-Star game." After Paul George's freak injury, it's understandable to be concerned but the chances that Leonard gets hurt in that environment are likely lower than if he were hooping elsewhere.
The other is to be proud that Kawhi is among the players that are being considered for a roster spot. I'm going with the latter approach but I can understand why some might be nervous.
Youssou Ndoye will attend training camp
In other news, Former St. Bonaventure center and member of San Antonio's Summer League squad Youssou Ndoye has signed a training camp deal with the Spurs, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. He's expected to be one of the last cuts and be allocated to Austin.
Ndoye didn't have eye-popping numbers in the Summer Spurs' championship run, averaging three points and two rebounds on just nine minutes per game off the bench. He did show great touch around the basket in his limited time on the court and was key in providing the defensive energy the team was lacking in the game against the Summer Hawks. He's also seven feet tall and mobile enough to play organized basketball, and that's enough to make him an intriguing prospect.
Ndoye will likely spend a few season in the D-League before he even becomes a viable NBA big man, if it happens at all. It's still a good idea to target young players with good physical profiles and develop them while keeping and eye on them, so the signing makes sense.


Racing can be challenging, rewarding, heartbreaking, and intensely satisfying—all in the same weekend! It has a way of separating the best from the rest in a way everyone can see. It'll make you dig deep and bring your best game to the gate—because you can be sure the other guy is doing just that. And racing is no different for a company, either. Our engineers have to work hard to bring you the best bikes in the class, and it's all on the line when that start gate drops. And that's exactly why you should be on a Honda CRF250R.The CRF250R is a finely-honed racing machine, but since it's a Honda it's also one of the most rider-friendly bikes you can find. Just look at how many privateers roll up to the track with a Honda in the back of their truck. Our 2017 model features a powerful, compact Unicam® engine with a high-lift cam and titanium intake and exhaust valves. The unique twin-muffler exhaust keeps the bike's weight and center of mass symmetrical, so the handling is unmatched. A Showa® air fork makes the CRF250R easy to fine-tune at the track, and the fully adjustable Showa rear suspension likewise lets you dial the bike in fast.
2017 Honda CRF 250R 250R is a 2017 Honda CRF Dirt Bike in Wooster OH. Find other listings by searching for 2017 Honda CRF in Wooster on Oodle Classifieds.


Abstract. On the new curriculum of high school in Japan, geography will be compulsory subject in Japan from 2022. The indexes of new high school geography as compulsory subject will be 1. Using of maps and GIS, 2. Understanding of the world and International collaboration: Life and culture, issues of world, 3. Disaster prevention and ESD: natural environment and disaster, and construction of ideal society. The instruction of the GIS will be one of the issues for social studies teachers in the new curriculum. The aim of this study is to make the utilize map and GIS education content through trial class in junior high school. Trial class was done on Tsurugamine junior high school in Yokohama city with university and Yokohama city school board collaboration. In the trial class, the teacher indicated the old and new topographical maps to students and asked them to consider the characteristics of the area and the land use change. Transparent sheets overlaying is useful this activity. Transparent usage indicated the GIS function of overlay. It is good activity for students to understand the function of GIS. After the considering land use changes, they considered the future of their town. The several unused lands are spread in this area. Students present their opinions how to develop them. The important thing to carry out map and GIS class through neighborhood area is preparation of adequate maps. For this preparation, collaboration with university geography stuffs or undergraduate students are effective.
How to cite: Tabe, T. and Ohnishi, K.: A trial map and GIS class on junior high school with university collaboration in Yokohama, Japan, Proc. Int. Cartogr. Assoc., 1, 109, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-proc-1-109-2018, 2018.


RebH variants capable of chlorinating substituted indoles ortho-, meta-, and para- to the indole nitrogen were evolved by directly screening for altered selectivity on deuterium-substituted probe substrates using mass spectrometry. This systematic approach allowed for rapid accumulation of beneficial mutations using simple adaptive walks and should prove generally useful for altering and optimizing the selectivity of C–H functionalization catalysts. Analysis of the beneficial mutations showed that structure-guided selection of active site residues for targeted mutagenesis can be complicated either by activity/selectivity tradeoffs that reduce the possibility of detecting such mutations or by epistatic effects that actually eliminate the benefits of a mutation in certain contexts. As a corollary to this finding, the precise manner in which the beneficial mutations identified led to the observed changes in RebH selectivity is not clear. Docking simulations suggest that tryptamine binds to these variants as tryptophan does to native halogenases, but structural studies will be required to confirm these models and shed light on how particular mutations impact tryptamine binding. Similar directed evolution efforts on other enzymes or artificial metalloenzymes could enable a wide range of C–H functionalization reactions.


text:
Return to the Borderland: M. John Harrison's Empty Space
Note 4 – Empty Space: A Haunting
It's important to read new M. John Harrison novels while on holiday. No other author is able to describe with such alarming clarity the necessity of escaping yourself.
Harrison's latest novel Empty Space is the conclusion of a trilogy of science fiction novels that started with Light in 2002 and was continued in 2006′s Nova Swing.
Like both of its predecessors, Empty Space presents the reader with a future that dazzles with the romance of a thousand yesterdays: women who've chosen to be rebuilt with the "Mona" package, but who base their look on that of Marilyn Monroe; virtual fantasy lives that play out like an episode of Mad Men drained of all sex and drama (until, of course, that sex and drama forces its way on in there); covert action groups who, with their lattes and general sense of boyish intrigue, can't help but remind you of the sort of spooks you've never quite managed to catch out of the corner of your eye; Harrison manages to make all of these fantasies gleam briefly in the pages of this book.
This is an exhausted vision of the future, but it's still a vision of the future for all that, one that sees past the ever-present apocollapse and on to a possible reality that's like right now stretched out some more. Whether that seems like a hopeful vision or a dystopian nightmare is very much up to you.
Make the future happen, after the jump!
Posted by Illogical Volume
Filed in notcomics, Notes From the Borderland
Tags: Empty Space, ghost stories, hauntological, Hauntology, Kafahuchi Tract, kitsch vs. trash, Light, M. John Harrison, Nostalgia for the Future, Notes from the Borderland, Nova Swing, Space Opera, spooky shit, well haunto, what I did on my holidays
Note 3 – Left 4 Dead
First of all, a confession: I'm not very good at computer games, in the same way that I'm not very good at telly, or at keeping up with my friend Jessica (whose collected editions of Uzumaki I eventually had to get The Boy Fae the Heed to return, due to my shameless ineptitude).
I don't know why, but in my flailing attempts at adulthood, some things have ended up getting pushed to the side and properly playing computer games has been one of those things. For perspective: I don't think I've properly lost myself to a full-length computer game since the original Half-Life, or maybe Deus Ex. I still play the damned things, of course, but it's more of a social occasion or a light distraction – a little bit of Death Tank on the weekends with my pals, a wee bit of Arkham Asylum when I need to feel like Batman and eating Mulligatawny soup just won't cut it.
So sure, I can admire the way Jason Rohrer tries to make the simplest game mechanics into little tests of your capacity for guilt and sentimentality, just as I can giggle when people take pot-shots at his work, but put something like Bioshock down in front of me and I'll have to admit that I just don't have the time for it.
I am a grown man, after all, and like all grown men, I've got comics to read!
So why is it that when I started to think about horror, about what I could possibly contribute to Notes From the Borderland, that I couldn't escape from a pair of zombie computer games that I play for laughs with my friends?
Ah, well, maybe it's the friends that are problem here.
What's worse, after all – to stumble out into the borderlands on your own, or to do so with your friends, knowing that you're going to betray them, or be betrayed by them, or that you're at least going to let each other down when the real nastiness shit starts?
Click here 4 a little taste of that Borderland madness!
Filed in horror, Notes From the Borderland
Tags: fun with tentacles, horror, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead II, Liam Gallagher smells like offal, Notes from the Borderland, state of the art "electronic" games, things that creep in the dark, Uzumaki, worst erotica ever
Note 2 – Uno Moralez
Night. A boy lies slumped on the pavement.
A car pulls up, the door opens and a red woman calls him over.
He gets in.
Uno Moralez's pixel art has an infernal heat.
Filed in Notes From the Borderland
Tags: pixel art, Uno Moralez
The Telly Terror 3: Jam – Casual Parents
We've already had one frankly astounding post on scary parents as part of Notes From the Borderland, but this clip from Chris Morris' Jam depicts a very different sort of parental horror, one in which the child's viewpoint is removed along with the child, and which instead of a tidal wave of bloody emotion you've got the drifting currents of casual alienation:
"He's made a great spaceship… Incidentally, did he come home from school today?"
And yet, from the first few lines onwards, it's obvious that these parents aren't completely disinterested in their missing son. They do eventually realise that he hasn't come home from school, and while they might not want to go to all the bother of identifying his body, they're still annoyed enough to want to "have a word" with his murderer.
In other words, they're dimly proud enough of his existence to be cross that he's gone, but beyond that their level of attention is mimicked by the drifting camera-work, which passes by the parents in a 4am haze, vaguely curious as to what they're doing, but not enough to stop itself from floating off every few seconds to look at something else…
Flashback to 1997: the year in which I bumbled through this clip on Channel 4 while watching TV with my parents.
The gaudy graphics of the transition should probably have clued us all in to what was really going on – after all, it's only in the past decade or so that news shows normalised this level of visual excess, and those OTT musical stings still provide a strong clue that you're staring through the looking glass even today.
Back in 1997 though, we watched on, not really sure what we were watching. Something about the tone was convincing – the opening arm-wrestling competition between Chris Morris' presenter and Mark Heap's guest radiates an artifice that seems too tacky to be fake, but this innocuous beginning only made the sudden lurch into group-hatred seem all the more distressing. You can almost taste the nastiness as Morris chastises Heap for having "bad aids" (i.e. the kind you catch off of your boyfriend), and as the panic in the audience becomes more apparent, you realise that you're watching a demonstration of how much pressure a tall, well-spoken gentleman can apply without seeming to apply much pressure at all. Of course, this technique is more aptly displayed in the scenes in which Chris Morris manipulates real people into doing and saying idiotic things, but I didn't know that at the time.
"Like everyone else in this audience, I'm thinking 'What about us? What about me, now?'"
I'm pretty sure that my parents didn't know what was going on at first either. Oh, sure, by the time we got to the stuff about how everyone in the audience who was yawning could catch aids if someone machine-gunned Heap's "aids guy" to bits, I think we'd all figured it out. But the few moments before that, where I wasn't sure if what I was watching was real or fake, made for properly queasy telly. I think the fact that my parents seemed uncertain too only made it more terrifying – it opened up a little door to the Borderland, right in the middle of our living room…
Flashbackforward to a few paragraphs ago: By the time Chris Morris got round to adapting skits from his Blue Jam radio series to TV, I was pretty confident that he'd never catch me out again, at least not without making a prank phone call directly to my house.
That doesn't mean that his work had lost its power though, far from it. Even without parental confusion factored in, the sketches in Jam still have a sort of terrifying blankness to them, and this blankness makes an unusual amount of sense in this particular scene. While the child in question has already been "buggered quite a lot and then strangled" before the action starts, it's still all-too-easy to put the kid's viewpoint back in there, to imagine the distanced viewpoint of the piece to be the viewpoint of the dead child, realising that what he always suspected was true, that adults only care about their progeny out of a sort of withered sense of duty, and what's worse, that he's unable to pretend that he cares about anything anymore either.
Fuck me, and I thought it was scary when my parents couldn't tell me what was going on for thirty seconds, eh?
Other posts in the Notes From the Borderland series:
The Overlook Hotel – Kubrick's The Shining
Telly Terror: Elephant
Telly Terror: Threads
Tags: Brass Eye, Chris Morris, creepy parents, Jaaaaaaaaaaaam, Jam, Telly Terror, twisted brainwrongs
aka the obvious one…
Like Elephant, I didn't see Threads at the time. It was deliberate this time, another video, borrowed years later on the strength of fearsome reputation. I think – but these memories could well be half invented, half-recounted – I think I can remember the day after Threads was first shown. Shocked and ashen elder sisters, parents bravely pretending everything was just the same as before.
We all knew we had a neighbour not 20 miles distant, forever an unwelcome megatechnological interloper into our innocently bucolic existence, who even if not an obvious first-strike target, still had that doorstep Chernobyl possibilty about it. Parents had explained roughly what it would mean if it went tits up, and I was shocked that there wasn't something they could do about it. There was an apocalyptic timebomb just down the road. How did they go on without panicking? Why weren't they screaming, shaking their neighbours and duly elected representatives by the shoulders, awakening them to the threat, begging for something to be done? How could normal life as I had always known it be so permanently close to the precipice of extinction?
Watching Threads again now, as the hardy among you will, that's still the frightening thing – the destruction of the parental superego, manifested as the pathetically heroic, hopeless efforts of the municipal employees, those clerks and accountants, supervisors and secretaries holding onto the world, to save us all through continuation of a neat and orderly bureaucracy. The accumulated ballast of human society, those cultural codes and social securities, worthy words and high hopes, and all their inevitable extinction in the awful new reality beyond the opening of the atomic portal.
The sickest joke is the collapse of all those habits and symbols would not be instant and total. They'd persist in their broken, poisoned, ineffectual form for a short time after the initial massive surge of human casualties. The words and numbers we use to organise our newly nonexistent world would be walking around undead in the fallout, scorched and sick but stumbling shortly on, for some time after we were sick and starved and gone, prior to the eventual (and as it turns out, unlikely) dominion of the cockroach.
Posted by bobsy
Filed in horror, Notes From the Borderland, Uncategorized
Tags: nuclear paranoia, Telly Terror, Threads
Note 1 – The Overlook Hotel – Kubrick's The Shining
Zom and I have talked many times in many articles about the fact that our mother used to work as a TV producer and how the company she worked for was, like so many production companies in the late seventies, situated in Soho. It was an old, thin building with an editing suite in the basement and her office at the top – a scary environment, full of weird adults. — —— used to hang out, drug addled, in the second floor editing suite where my brother and I were once offered cocaine by his pal and the in-house director/company director's personal rent boy – needless to say, the offices of –TV was no place for children.
It was also haunted.
We were told how, in the old days, the building used to be a brothel, as if our child brains knew what to do with that information. This was a world even more adult than the one currently occupying the tiny, narrow spot in a cranny of central London where the production company had its base. All we knew was it must have been the site of enormous, incomprehensible grown up suffering. Our mother sensed a woman who would not leave, deranged, dressed in red. The presence was particularly strong on the third floor, but above it, in Mum's office, the atmosphere would clear again. She never made herself felt up there. Just a few feet away and you were safe. When we had to stay late and the building emptied, my brother and I would shut the door between Mum's office and the stairwell that led down to where the woman waited and sift through the video cassettes, any stray thoughts of ghostly, bloodied women washed away on the tide of Carry on England's canned laughter or by the boisterous playground jostle of Rhubarb and Custard's theme music.
Speaking to my Mum about it now, she doesn't remember the red woman, and I have to admit it could have all got a bit confused in my pre-teen head. The point is, though, my Mum was always going on about ghosts. There was her first flat where her disbelieving housemates got a terrible, poltergeist style awakening one evening when the lights began flashing on and off of their own accord, doors opened with no one behind them and one girl accidentally sat on whatever it was, its arms furling around her, all of which saw the lot of them barricaded in one of the bedrooms when, one day, Mum, vindicated, returned from work. Then there was her boss's house, the aforementioned director, where plates skidded across tables, books were found strewn over the floor of supposedly tidy rooms and where my mother's bedside received frequent nocturnal visitations from disturbed, hostile entities silently demanding she leave and never return. Finally there was our family home in ——- and the old lady who would come to Mum in times of extreme sadness or stress in order to comfort her. My Mum's always been haunted it seems. It's like the Sixth Sense or something.
And we all know how that turned out.
The elephant in the corner of all these spooky fireside tales is somewhat less thrilling I'm afraid. Astute readers will already realise there's a common element to all of this, the thing quite possibly causing it all, my mother herself. To say my mum had a happy time of it in 80s would be pushing it. She had a good job doing creative, rewarding work, but she was overworked, often stuck in that fucking edit suite for nights on end with no break, only to see her producer credit given to the rent boy. She was in a relationship with the same man who gave him the credit too. A highly abusive relationship. When she finally returned to our East Sussex home, often around midnight or later, sleep deprived, frazzled and terrified for her two boys because her boss/lover had decided, on a whim, to fire her that day, or some such everyday evil shit like that, she was a nightmare. Like her mother before her, my Mum was frequently a volatile mess, and, as much as i love her, and i do, i have to admit I spent a good part of my childhood genuinely frightened of her. It's easy now to see that the ghosts in question were probably just her own pain, or, in the case of the old woman, its antidote, displaced into the places she inhabited.
My mother was the red woman, and, I tell you, there were times when you could practically see the frenzied demon peering out from beneath the mask she wore up to London every day.
Posted by amypoodle
Filed in Film, Notes From the Borderland
Tags: Jack Nicholson, Stanley Kubrick; The Shining
Aggregator Bastardator
OR: MINDLESS LINKBLOGGING, SPECIAL "ALL BASTARDS MUST BE AGGRAVATED!" EDITION!
As you hopefully noticed, we spent a large part of last month bringing you the best in bastardry. We've got some spooky Notes From the Borderland coming up in time for Halloween, so right now seems like as good a time as any to collect all of our bastardly musings together and to celebrate the cruel simplicity of the banner The Beast Must Die created for the event:
Hopefully you'll be able to forgive me for indulging in a little bit of back-patting here while I take you through AN INDEX OF BASTARDS!
DARKSEID IS… looking pretty fucking slick, actually! Click here to experience MAXIMUM BASTARDATION!
Filed in a month of bastards, Links, Notes From the Borderland
Tags: 8-bit madness, A Month of Bastards, adam curtis, Aggregator, All Star challenge, Anti-life, Cybermen, darkseid, Eurobaddies, hairy cyberbaps, Links, Make Mine Mindless, Mark Millar: Cunt, Marlo Stanfield, Mindless Ones, Mindless Self Promotion, Mindless Self-Indulgence, mmmmmmmuppets, muppets, New Recruits, Persona 2, Ponytails, spiffy banners, Strong Conqueror, The Black Lodge, The Wire, Thunderwing, too many tags, Transformers, twin peaks, Warren Ellis porn


text:
A Veteran's Christmas
A Veteran's Christmas 2018 Captain Grace Garland, a decorated U.S. veteran, returns home after two tours of Search and Rescue in Afghanistan. After being separated from her beloved K9 partner, Grace must rediscover the magic of Christmas. When she finds herself stranded in the town of River's Crossing a couple weeks before Christmas, the local judge, Joe Peterson, offers her a place to stay on his property and takes it upon himself to show Grace everything she has been missing; Christmas, family, community, and love.
Director: Mark Jean
Actors: Amanda Lisman, Eloise Mumford, Jacob Blair, Jenna Weir, Miriam McDonald, Richard Waugh, Sean Faris
Extraction 2020 Tyler Rake, a fearless mercenary who offers his services on the black market, embarks on a dangerous mission when he is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of…
Bhoot: Part One – The Haunted Ship 2020
Bhoot: Part One – The Haunted Ship 2020 When an abandoned haunted ship called 'Sea Bird' washes up on the shores of Mumbai, surveying officer Prithvi is assigned to solve…
Love Aaj Kal 2020 Spanning from 1990 to 2020, the movie portrays two love stories from widely different eras facing widely different obstacles. One couple battles society's restrictions while the…
Onward 2020 In a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Set in…
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
Panga 2020 'Panga' follows the triumphs and struggle of a national level Kabbadi player from India who receives the love and support from her family to help achieve her dream….
Street Dancer 3D 2020 Two rival dance groups from India and Pakistan who are always competing against each other, join forces when it comes to competing at an international dance…
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker 2019
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker 2019 The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and…
Kaamyaab 2020
Kaamyaab 2020 The human drama is based on an interesting premise of a seasoned character actor who decides to come out of retirement and begin a quest for a record…
Angrezi Medium 2020
Angrezi Medium 2020 When his daughter decides to further her studies in London, a hardworking Haryanvi businessman does everything in power to make her dreams come true.
Baaghi 3 2020 Ronnie and Vikram are brothers who share an unbreakable bond. Their journey begins when a certain turn in events, leads Vikram to travel. On this trip, he…
Thappad 2020 Taapsee Pannu stars as a woman who files for divorce when her husband slaps her.Thappad is a story of Amrita whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when her…
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan 2020 Partners Karthik and Aman don't have it easy in their road to achieving a happy ending, while Aman's family tries to get him married to…
Sonic the Hedgehog 2020 Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog tells the story of the world's speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home…
Country: Canada, Japan, USA
Genre: Action, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction
Jawaani Jaaneman 2020 The carefree life of a 40-year-old playboy comes to a standstill when he comes to know that he has a 20 something-year-old daughter.
Birds of Prey 2020
Birds of Prey 2020 After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord. It's…
Jumanji: The Next Level 2019 Spencer returns to the world of Jumanji, prompting his friends, his grandfather and his grandfather's friend to enter a different and more dangerous version to…
Heilstätten 2018 Group of Youtubers enter an abandoned surgery ward for 24-hour challenge, hoping to go viral. They will soon learn that they're not welcome.
Jo Koy: Live from Seattle
Jo Koy: Live from Seattle 2017 Between raising a teenage boy and growing up with a Filipino mother, stand-up comic Jo Koy has been through a lot. He's here to…
Birthmarked 2018Two scientists raise 3 children contrarily to their genetic tendencies to prove the ultimate power of nurture over nature.
Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout
Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout 2018 Villains are rampaging through Charter City and the Flex Fighters — Jake, Ricardo and Nathan — need your help to halt the chaos.
She Taxi 2015
She Taxi 2015 Devayani wishes to become a doctor, but ends up becoming a taxi driver when the responsibilities fell on her shoulders after the death of her father. When…
I Am Not a Serial Killer 2016 Fifteen-year old John Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He's obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn't want to become one. Terrible…
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Crazy Famous
Crazy Famous 2017 A fame obsessed average Joe escapes a mental institution with a band of misfits for one last desperate attempt to be famous.
Ne Zha 2020
Ne Zha 2020 The Primus extracts a Mixed Yuan Bead into a Spirit Seed and a Demon Pill. The Spirit Seed can be reincarnated as a human to help King…
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
I Love You Both 2017 Krystal and her twin brother/roommate confront twenty-eight years of their codependency when they start dating the same guy.
The Man Who Stole Banksy
The Man Who Stole Banksy 2018 In 2007, the anonymous graffiti artist Banksy painted a series of political works around Palestine, only to have them cut down and sold off…
Avengers: Endgame 2019
Avengers: Endgame 2019 After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining…
Country: Canada, UK, USA
The Open House 2018 A teenager and his mother find themselves besieged by threatening forces when they move into a new house.
Trailer: A Veteran's Christmas


On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Jennifer Martinez-Thompson, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, discusses diagnosis and treatment options for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Also on the podcast, Dr. Molly Jeffery and Dr. W. Michael Hooten share new Mayo Clinic research on trends in opioid use. Dr. Jeffery is the scientific director of Emergency Medicine Research at Mayo Clinic, and Dr. Hooten is a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist. And Dr. Paul Brown, a Mayo Clinic radiation oncologist, explains a new radiotherapy approach aimed at preserving cognitive function for some brain tumor patients.


text:
Trending Now in Things to Do
Museum Preview: "The Last American Dinosaurs" at the Natural History Museum
The exhibit, opening November 25, shares a glimpse into the past of our own continent.
Written by Hallie Golden
| Published on November 19, 2014
Meet Hatcher the Triceratops in the Natural History Museum's new exhibit. Photograph courtesy of the museum.
While "Stan" the Tyrannosaurus rex and "Hatcher" the Triceratops certainly tower above all the other creatures in the National Museum of Natural History's new exhibition, The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World, they are only the tip of the ecosystem on display. The new exhibit, which opens Tuesday, November 25, seeks to give visitors an in-depth look at not just dinosaurs but all life in that existed in western North America between 66 and 68 million years ago—the years immediately preceding the deadly astroid that wiped out the giant lizards.
"People always think of the dinosaur world as just dinosaurs, but there were lots of other animals," says Hans-Dieter Sues, curator of vertebrate paleontology and lead exhibition curator. The goal of the exhibit was to explore the whole ecosystem, from the smallest to the largest creature: "We wanted to embed people in the landscape," he says.
Stan the T. rex. Photograph by Donald E. Hurlbert/Smithsonian Institution.
The result is an exhibit that showcases organisms as seemingly insignificant as leaves alongside creatures as small as salamanders and as large as the Edmontosaurus annectens, the "cow of the Cretaceous." While this helps illustrate the variety of life millions of years ago, it also serves to show that the world actually wasn't wildly different from present day. The piece of the exhibit that made this most apparent was a detailed mural by scientific illustrator Mary Parrish depicting a forest transforming from 66 million years ago to the modern age.
The animals and plants on display were discovered in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, and will likely remain in this second-floor exhibit for the next few years (the main dinosaur hall is closed until 2019 for a $48 million renovation). Dr. Sues worked with a team of specialists to get the Last American Dinosaurs exhibit up and running, including exhibition curator Kay Behrensmeyer and exhibition project manager Sally Love.
Another great find at this exhibit was a retro video game reminiscent of Pacman, which allows you to "see if you have what it takes to become a fossil." Dr. Sues says it was made in the 1980s and refurbished for use in this exhibit, since the science hasn't changed. The game is a simple yet effective way for the public to understand just how difficult it is for remains of organisms to become fossilized. "Becoming a fossil is kind of like winning the lottery," Dr. Sues says.
Perhaps the most memorable element of the exhibit is the windows in which visitors can peer into a working fossil lab, along with signs explaining what it takes to separate the rock from the fossil. When I visited, there were two women behind the glass, and one was working with a high-tech telescope that reflected its images onto a large screen, so everyone could see exactly what she saw—a glimpse of yet another unfamiliar world.
The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World opens November 25 at the National Museum of Natural History. For more information, visit the museum's website.
More: After HoursMuseums
Hallie Golden
Most Popular in Things to Do
13 Lovely Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day Around DC
Where to Celebrate Valentine's Day With Your Besties
10 Great Things to Do Around DC This February
Best Things to Do in the DC Area 1/30-2/5: Ford's Theatre Festival, Phillips After 5, United Ukrainian Ballet
Black History Month in DC: A Guide to Local Events
Best Things to Do in the DC Area 1/26-1/29: Ne-Yo at the Kennedy Center, "This is Britain" exhibit, and a Hot Drinks, Beer, and Cider Festival
Best Things to Do in the DC Area 1/23-1/29: Alexandria Restaurant Week, Lunar New Year, and Architecture and Design Film Festival
More from Things to Do
PHOTOS: Jill Biden's Inaugural Dresses Added to the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection
Up Your Love Game With These Valentine's Day Hotel Specials


text:
Q: Hover transitions not working when changing relative positioning? Attempting to add a transition time when hovering over an absolutely positioned div that adds 20px to the top. The hover effect is working, but the transition time is not taking effect.
SCSS:
div {
  position: relative;
  margin: 0 auto;
  height: 400px;
  width: 300px;
  background-color: grey;
  transition: all 5s;
  &:hover {
    top: 20px;
  }
}

CodePen: https://codepen.io/KevinM818/pen/YYZqKY

A: Set initial value of top property to 0px.
div {
  position: relative;
  margin: 0 auto;
  height: 400px;
  width: 300px;
  background-color: grey;
  transition: all .5s;
  top: 0px;
  &:hover {
    top: 20px;
  }
}

CodePen: https://codepen.io/anon/pen/opZxzo


text:
Home News Curiosity Rover Finds Signs Of Liquid Water On Mars
Curiosity Rover Finds Signs Of Liquid Water On Mars
Water may be forming in the soil near the Mars' equator at night, though some of the liquid evaporates just after sunrise. Based on data from the Curiosity rover and published in Nature Geoscience this week, an active exchange of water is happening between the atmosphere and the surface of Mars. However, the conditions are too cold for the possibility of microbes.
While traversing Gale Crater near the Mars equator, the Curiosity rover has been taking measurements with its Rover Environmental Monitoring Station. Now, a large international team led by Javier Martín-Torres from Luleå University of Technology has analyzed a full Martian year's worth of data on atmospheric humidity and temperature. While they can't detect the liquid brines directly, "what we see are the conditions for the formation of brines on the surface," Martin-Torres said.
Perchlorate is a type of salt that lowers the freezing temperature of water; it also pulls water molecules from the atmosphere to form a corrosive liquid brine. "These perchlorate salts have a property called deliquescence," Martin-Torres adds. "They take the water vapor from the atmosphere and absorb it to produce the brines." According to these new measurements, liquid brines could be forming in the uppermost soils of the crater during the Martian night, and then they'd evaporate as the ground and air begin to warm up after sunrise. Here's a schematic of this hypothetical day-and-night water cycle:
Relative humidity depends on the temperature of the air and the amount of water vapor in it, and Curiosity's measurements have ranged from 5 percent during summer afternoons to 100 percent in the nighttime during fall and winter. Pores in the soil interact with air just above the ground, and when the relative humidity gets above a certain level, the salts absorb enough water molecules to become dissolved in liquid. The subsurface water content estimated using Curiosity data is consistent with the existence of water molecules absorbed by perchlorates in soils.
However, the researchers found that the ground temperature in Gale Crater is too low to support terrestrial microorganisms and life as we know it.
Previous articleThe Man Who Fell To Earth
Next articleUpgrading our Eyeballs


Yoga Class Etiquette helps us to be respectful of others and ourselves. It removes unnecessary distraction and allows us to focus on the present. We have prepared a list of guidelines to ensure that all of our members will benefit and optimise their practice in an accessible environment.
Call or email us to make a reservation to secure your place in a selected class.
Read through our class description when selecting a yoga class and we are happy to answer any queries regarding your choice of classes.
Arrive at least 15 minutes early to register for the yoga class. Classes will begin as scheduled.
Remove your shoes and place them in the designated area as you enter the studio.
Dress in simple, light-weight attire to be comfortable in class.
Be considerate and keep your voices low in the studio as classes may be in session.
Avoid eating heavy meals 2-3 hours prior to your practice. Drink adequate amounts of water.You are also advised to bring along a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated at all times.
Inform your teacher before class if you are a beginner, are pregnant, or are suffering from a medical condition or an existing injury.
Ensure that your mobile phones are switched off or in silent mode while in the studio.
On your first visit you will be required to fill out a new student registration form. Please be sure to indicate any physical injuries or special health conditions.
Remain silent when the class starts and refrain from talking to others unnecessarily during practice. But do share your smiles and laughter in class.
Avoid strong smelling perfumes or lotions, and be mindful of your personal hygiene.
Remember return props to storage neatly when used during the class.
Clean your own practice mat before you leave. Wipe cloths and spray bottles are available.
Although mats, towels and all other yoga props needed for the practice are provided, we encourage you to use your own yoga towel if possible for hygiene purposes.
Try to stay in class through the entire session. This ensures you get the optimum benefits from your yoga practice.
Practice with awareness and understanding of your own body, avoid overexerting yourself. Yoga is not a competitive sport so rest whenever needed.
If you must leave early, inform the instructor in advance (before the class commences) and take care to leave the room quietly to reduce distraction to your classmates.
We prefer that you stay through the end of class for Shavasana as it helps to integrate the practices done in the class earlier.
Drink plenty of water before and after each class, especially if you are practicing hot yoga.
We all come to practice with tolerance and understanding. We hope to cultivate that mindfulness and tolerance beyond the mat to share the joy that you have cultivated internally. We hope to create a dynamic and pleasant experience for all of you! Namaste.