These conditions of sale apply to our website. By accessing this website and / or placing an order, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth below. Before ordering, if you have any questions regarding these terms and conditions please send a info@funkin.co.uk email or call our office at +44 (0) 207 328 4440 with your request.
References to "we", "us" and "our" refer to funkin Limited. References to "you" and "your" refer to those placing an order via this website.
Your placement of an order on our site is an offer by you to purchase the products selected in your order.
We can accept your order at our discretion. This means that if the products are presented on the site, but are sold improperly, poorly described or not available, we will not be forced to sell these products.
Once you have placed an order we will send you confirmation that your order has been received, but it is not a confirmation that your offer to buy the products was accepted. A contract between you and funkin Limited for the sale of our products will exist once the order has been accepted, processed and shipped to you.
We reserve the right to change these general conditions of sale time to time without notice.
We take every precaution to ensure that the description and characteristics of our products are correct. However, specifications and product descriptions are only intended to give a general description of products and are not intended to be binding.
Payment can be made by one of the options advertised on our website. Once we have received your order we conduct a standard pre-authorise on your credit card to ensure there is sufficient funds to fulfill the order transaction. Your card will be debited once the order was approved. Items will not be sent until this pre-authorisation is completed.
The cards are subject to validation checks and authorisation by your card issuer. If we do not receive the required authorisation, we will not be responsible for any delay or non-delivery if the payment is not received, your order will be cancelled.
We do not store credit card details and we do not share customer details with third parties.
We require a signature upon delivery, so please ensure that someone is present to accept the delivery, or leave instructions during the ordering process to know who else could sign for your delivery (i.e. a trusted neighbour). Your order will be re-delivered two more times, at which point, if your order has not been successfully delivered, it will be returned to funkin.
If delivery cannot be made to your address, you will be notified as soon as possible.
Orders placed before the specified time limit will be processed and delivered according to your request, provide security controls are not necessary and all products are available.
Every effort will be made to deliver the goods as soon as possible after your order has been accepted. However, we will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by you through reasonable or unavoidable delay in delivery. Please check your order in advance of the scheduled date to avoid disappointment. In this case, we will inform you of any delays as soon as possible.
Upon receipt of your order, you will be prompted to sign for the goods received. If the package does not seem to be in good condition then please refuse the delivery. If you are unable to check the contents of your delivery then please sign for the parcel as "UNCHECKED". Not doing so can affect any claim you make thereafter.
Property of an item will not pass to you until we have delivered the item to you (either directly or by leaving it in a safe place or with a neighbour). Once confirmed as delivered the risk of damage or loss of the object is passed to you.
You have the right to cancel your order with us at any time up to 12pm on the day of purchase. For orders placed after 12pm, you may cancel your order up to 12pm on the next business day. To cancel your order at this time, you must notify us by calling our office at +44 (0) 207 328 4440.
If you want to cancel your order after the products have been delivered to you, you will be responsible to return the goods to us at your own expense, unless the goods are defective. Please follow our return process. You will be credited for the products within 30 days of receipt by us provided that the goods are returned complete, in perfect condition, unused and with original packaging.
If you are not completely happy with the products you have chosen, you can return them within 10 days of receipt. We will be more than happy to offer you an exchange or, if you prefer, a refund provided that the products are returned complete, in perfect condition, unused and with original packaging. You will be responsible to return the goods to us at your own expense, unless the goods are defective.
For all returns unless the item is defective or we shipped the wrong item, you will be required to pay for the return of products to us.
Before returning any product, please call us at +44 (0) 207 328 4440 or email info@funkin.co.uk make us aware of your wish to return the product.
Attn: Customer Service funkin, 122 Arlington Road, Camden, London NW17HP.
When returning items please confirm if you want a refund or replacement. We strongly recommend that you get a proof of shipment, we can not accept responsibility for parcels lost in transit.
- Provide a refund using the same payment method used for purchase in line with our refund policy.
If the goods you have returned are not found faulty goods they will be returned at your expense.
Our products are packed with care and consideration. In the unlikely event that a funkin product arrives damaged, we recommend you refuse delivery and contact our office at +44 (0) 207 328 4440 to explain the default. We will then arrange a replacement delivery as soon as possible.
Online repayment with our refund policy.
If, by mistake, we provide you with additional elements that you must inform us immediately. Goods must be returned in accordance with the return procedure, if you do not follow this procedure and are found in possession of property that you have not paid, you may be charged for the goods.
If you are eligible for a refund, we will refund the card used to pay for your initial order. Please note that it is your responsibility to inform us of any changes to your card i.e. Changes to billing address. We aim to share all eligible refunds within 7 business days of receipt of returned goods, although repayment may take up to 30 days in the busiest times.
Coupons, discounts and promotional codes discounts offered by www.funkincocktails.co.uk are only valid for use in connection with a purchase via www.funkincocktails.co.uk unless otherwise stated. These promotional discounts are not valid for use on other websites. One coupon can be used per order. Coupons can not be returned for cash or its equivalent.
Discounts awarded for registration are limited to one per customer (the email address and postal address must be unique). Any redemption found to in breach of these requirements will result in the discount being removed from any secondary orders.
3. any loss that has not been brought to the attention of us at the time the contract was made or loss that would be an unpredictable consequence of a breach of contract by us; in any case, whether or not such losses were within the contemplation of either of us at the date on which the event giving rise to the loss occurred, was suffered or incurred by any of us arising from or in connection with the provisions of any matter under these conditions.
Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury resulting from our negligence or that of our employees, agents or employees.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the provisions above, we will not be liable to you by reason of a representation, or any implied warranty, condition or other term, or any duty at common law, or under the express terms of the contract, or neglect (either from funkin Limited or one of its members, officers, directors, employees or otherwise) for any loss or consequential or incidental damages (including but not limited loss of profit or loss of savings), costs, expenses or other claims for compensation whatsoever arising out of or in connection with use of this site, the provision of goods or their use or resale by you.
The limitations of liability in these conditions also apply for the benefit of us and any other associated company.
While we use reasonable efforts to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and current, it gives no guarantee as to their accuracy or completeness and we will not be responsible for errors or omissions or results from the use of this information.
Although we take all reasonable measures to ensure a fast and reliable service, we do not guarantee that your use of this Site will be uninterrupted or error free and will not be liable for any disruption, loss or corruption of all data in transit .
We will not be responsible nor liable for your use of other sites that you can access via links within this site. We do not control such websites and disclaims any responsibility for their contents. These links are provided solely as a service to users of this website and their inclusion in this website does not constitute an endorsement or affiliation with us.
The entire liability of us under or in connection with any contract for products to which these conditions apply shall not exceed the price of the products, except as expressly provided in these conditions.
We will not be liable to you or be deemed in breach of these terms and conditions or any other contract with you because of a delay in performing, or any failure to perform its obligations with respect to products ordered by you if the delay or failure was due to any cause beyond its control.
We may assign or transfer its rights or sub contract any of its obligations under these terms and conditions to any third party. You can not assign or transfer any of your rights or subcontract any of your obligations under these terms and conditions, except with the prior written permission of funkin Limited.
No person who is not a party to these terms and conditions has the right to enforce any term in the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. Nothing in these Conditions is intended or shall affect any of your statutory rights which can not be legally excluded.
You can access this site if you wish without our permission, you must create a link to the home page and not deep link into the site. You can also use any information contained in this website as long as you have our permission and also acknowledge our ownership.
However, if you put a link to our site, you agree that you will indemnify us in full if action is taken against us by a third party or even by you, under the link you have created. If you create a link to this website, any use is subject to these Terms and Conditions.
You acknowledge and agree that all copyright, trademarks and all other intellectual property rights in all material or content supplied as part of the website shall remain at all times our property. You are permitted to use this material only as expressly authorized by us.
You acknowledge and agree that the material and content on the site is provided for your personal, noncommercial use only and you can download such material and content onto only one computer hard drive for such purpose. Any other use of the material and content is strictly prohibited. You agree not to (and agree not to assist or facilitate any third party to) copy, reproduce, transmit, publish, display, distribute, commercially exploit or create derivative works of such material and content.
Title on the site (both legal and equitable) is and shall at all times remain with limited funkin and keeps you free website for all costs, expenses and privileges and protect it from legal proceedings.
Title for the content and / or materials (both legal and equitable) is and shall at all times remain with limited funkin and keeps you content and / or materials free of all fees, charges and privileges and protect any judicial process.
Write or develop software or other derivative programs based, in whole or in part on the site, content and / or materials owned funkin Limited.
To ensure that your credit, debit or charge are not used without your consent, we will validate name, address and other personal information that you provided during the ordering process appropriate third party databases. By accepting these terms and conditions you consent to such checks being made. In performing these checks personal information provided by you may be disclosed to a registered Credit Reference Agency which may keep a record of this information. You can be assured that this is done only to confirm your identity, that a credit check is not performed and that your credit rating will not be affected.
During security checks, we may request information or documents to help support the data you have provided.
All information provided by you will be treated securely and strictly in accordance with the Privacy Act 1998 data.
The Law on Data Protection is designed to protect individuals about whom he entered and stored on other computer systems. Accordingly, it sets strict standards of accuracy, relevance and care of such data including how it can be disclosed.
Funkin limited use personal information for the purposes for which it was given to Funkin Limited and as part of the company or authorized by law. Funkin Limited gather the information you provide. By giving Funkin limited this information, you consent to the use of it in order to process your order to process your order and inform you about its progress.
Funkin Limited may use the information you provide to inform you about the Funkin limited services that may be of interest to you and to keep you informed about upcoming events. For your safety, Funkin Limited reserves the right at any time to communicate with people if evidence of tampering or incorrect account Account activity is discovered.
Limited Funkin ensure it has the appropriate technical and organizational measures in place against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of or damage to personal data held or processed by it and that it has taken measures reasonable to ensure the reliability of one of its employees who have access to personal data processed in the framework of the site.
Each provision of these Conditions of Sale shall be construed as separately applying and surviving even if for any reason one or other of those provisions is held inapplicable or unenforceable in any circumstances.
These conditions of sale and supply of goods shall be governed by English law and the English courts shall have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from the contract.
The Funkin Loyalty Scheme ("the Scheme") is promoted and operated by Funkin Limited ("we"). These are the terms and conditions which apply to your membership of the Scheme and the allocation and use of loyalty points we may provide to you as a reward for purchasing products from us.
The Scheme is available to all persons who submit a trade loyalty account application which is accepted by us ("Trade Loyalty Account").
One individual per IFT customer.
Proof that you own or work for an IFT retail outlet (i) that sells alcoholic drinks such as a bar, pub, nightclub or restaurant; and (ii) that has a valid VAT number.
We will, from time to time and subject to availability, provide you with loyalty points for purchasing selected products from us. When we decide to offer loyalty points, we will include a voucher within our product packaging that confirms how many loyalty points we have allocated to the product purchase. The voucher will include a code which allows you to redeem the loyalty points through the Trade/Loyalty section of our website at www.funkincocktails.co.uk ("the Loyalty Page"). The voucher has an expiry date – after this date you will not be able to redeem the loyalty points and no replacement points or compensation will be given. We may also, from time to time, decide to credit your Trade Loyalty Account with loyalty points at our sole discretion.
We will, from time to time and subject to availability, provide you with the option to redeem your loyalty points on the Loyalty Page. We will confirm which of our Funkin branded products and any non-Funkin branded products ("Third Party Products") you can redeem your loyalty points against. We may, at our discretion, from time to time allow you to pay for purchases on the Loyalty Page partly by cash and partly by your loyalty points. You will be required to pay postage fees when you make purchases through the Loyalty Page.
substitute or remove product ranges/services/offers available for redemption using loyalty points.
Loyalty points cannot be exchanged for cash. However, we may from time to time provide you with the option to use loyalty points as an alternative to making cash payments on the Loyalty Page. We will notify you if this option becomes available. The cash equivalent rate for each loyalty point will be entirely at our discretion and may be varied at any time.
Loyalty points and vouchers cannot be transferred from one person or Trade Loyalty Account to another.
You will not be able to redeem any loyalty points whilst you are in breach of the terms of your Trade Loyalty Account or any other agreement you have with us. Where we believe that there has been a breach of the terms of your Trade Loyalty Account or any other agreement you have with us, we may withdraw your loyalty points and/or remove you from the Scheme without notice or compensation.
We cannot be responsible for your loss of any loyalty vouchers you have received with your product purchases.
Products provided to you under the Scheme may only be used in connection with the IFT outlet in respect of which your Trade Loyalty Account was opened (the "IFT Outlet"). You may not use the products for your own personal benefit or for the commercial benefit of any other business.
You provide us with the right to inspect the products and remove samples for examination.
Credit you with a refund of the loyalty points you had redeemed against the product.
We do not provide any warranties or guarantees about the quality or specification of any Third Party Products we provide to you through the Scheme. We do not accept returns or exchanges for any defective Third Party Products.
Your membership of the Scheme starts when your Trade Loyalty Account is opened. It ends when your Trade Loyalty Account is closed or when we determine that the Scheme is no longer in operation.
As soon as your employment for, or ownership of the IFT Outlet ends, your Trade Loyalty Account will be closed and any unredeemed loyalty vouchers and loyalty points will be for forfeited automatically.
We reserve the right to withdraw or cancel the Scheme at any time.
We reserve the right to close your Trade Loyalty Account at our sole discretion at any time.
We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions of the Scheme at any time. We will notify you of any changes by e-mail.
All products featured in our marketing e-mails, on the Loyalty Page and any promotional materials we provide to you are subject to availability.
We reserve the right to take any appropriate action where the Trade Loyalty Account holder has breached the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme.
In the case of dispute, our decision shall be final.
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
TERMS OF GOODS OF funkin Ltd.
2.1 These General Conditions apply to all contracts for the sale of goods by the seller to the buyer to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions specified, offered or relied on by the buyer or by negotiation or at any stage in relations between the parties, including standard or printed terms presented by the purchaser, unless the purchaser expressly states in writing, separately of these terms, he wants the procedures to be applied and this has been recognized by the Seller in writing.
2.2 Any variation of these terms and conditions (including the terms and conditions agreed between the special parts) will be inapplicable unless agreed in writing by the Seller.
3.1 The prize must be on the current list price of the seller, or such other price as the parties may agree in writing. Price is excluding VAT or other applicable costs. Transportation must be paid by the seller, unless otherwise agreed separately.
3.2 Payment of the price and VAT and all other applicable fees shall be paid within 30 days of the date of receipt of the invoice provided by the seller.
3.3 The seller is entitled to charge interest on overdue invoices from the date the payment is due from day to day until the date of payment at a rate of 8% per annum above the rate of the Bank Basic England.
3.5 The Seller will charge the customer the day of dispatch and any price change works on dispatch, not the date of the orders were placed.
Any description given or applied to the goods is given for identification purposes only and the use of such a description does not constitute a sale by description. To avoid any doubt, the Buyer hereby confirms that it does not in any way rely on any description in the contract.
If a sample of the goods is shown and inspected by the Purchaser, the parties agree that such a sample is thus indicated and inspected the sole purpose of allowing the purchaser to judge for themselves the quality of essential , not so as to constitute a sample sale.
6.1 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, delivery of the goods to take place at the address indicated by the Purchaser on the date indicated by the Seller.


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'Model student' 17, Googled how to end his life, inquest hears
Home » World News » Royal College of Art students show off clothes made from slime mould
Royal College of Art students show off clothes made from slime mould
Royal College of Art students show off clothes made from slime mould, ice cubes and tupperware in annual fashion show to appeal to environmentally conscious customers
The Royal College of Art held its yearly fashion show in London where students show off designs and ideas
This year, the show looked at the fashion industry's impact on the environment and its green credentials
Students in womenswear, menswear, knitwear, footwear, accessories and millinery unveiled their creations
One grew clothes from slime mould, while others used items like tupperware, ice cubes and water bottles
The Royal College of Art held its annual fashion show on Friday with clothes grown from slime mould and tupperware handbags among the environmentally-friendly designs and ideas presented by fashion graduates.
Held in London, the event sees students in womenswear, menswear, knitwear, footwear, accessories and millinery unveil their creations.
This year, the show looked at the fashion industry's impact on the environment at a time when many designer houses are seeking to improve their green credentials to appeal to increasingly environmentally conscious consumers.
This year's event saw the show looking at the fashion industry's impact on the environment at a time when many designer houses are seeking to improve their green credentials to appeal to increasingly environmentally conscious consumers
Held in London, the event sees students in womenswear, menswear, knitwear, footwear, accessories and millinery unveil their creations
Student Andrew Bell said: 'Fashion and sustainability have to now be one. You have to be thinking in different ways.
'Fashion has been doing the same thing for so long, we've created the same black top and the same black jeans and we're constantly calling them new…there'a actually nothing new about these items.'
Mr Bell used ultrasonic welding to make clothes that fold completely flat, like coats with non-fray linings. His garments are 'mono-material', meaning they can be recycled more easily.
Speaking about the importance of being green, student Andrew Bell said: 'Fashion and sustainability have to now be one. You have to be thinking in different ways'
Several students came up with clever ways of making their designs environmentally friendly. Mr Bell used ultrasonic welding to make clothes that fold completely flat, like coats with non-fray linings
Margot Vaaderpass also looked at recycling when making tops, coats, trousers and skirts using pineapple leather, biodegradable buttons and knitted tailoring
Meanwhile, in perhaps the most bizarre design, Piero D'Angelo hopes fashionistas can one day grow their own garments with slime mould
Margot Vaaderpass also looked at recycling when making tops, coats, trousers and skirts using pineapple leather, biodegradable buttons and knitted tailoring.
'That's one of things that I have taken up as a challenge – how can we create a suit that's knitted,' Vaaderpass said. 'The advantage of that is that we can shape the garment, that means that we can produce less waste.'
Piero D'Angelo hopes fashionistas can one day grow their own garments with slime mould. The living organism is applied on pre-designed patterns, and can grow up to one centimetre (0.39 inch) per hour.
'We designed a 3D printed prototype … Once we apply the slime mould it will just grow, spread all over, connecting each of those holes,' he said.
'I am fascinated by the idea of growing garments and working with different materials, like living materials but also pushing further the idea of fashion.'
Speaking about his idea, he said: 'We designed a 3D printed prototype … Once we apply the slime mould it will just grow, spread all over, connecting each of those holes'
At a time of growing public awareness of waste and its impact on the planet, Anna Sophie Goschin is studying digital design and 3D manufacturing
The students believes that the annual show could have a 'huge potential' in making the fashion industry more sustainable
Politics was high on the agenda, with this model showing off a design that appeared to be criticising US president Donald Trump
Clara Chu has turned her attention to kitchenware as accessories. One of her handbags is made from ice cube trays, while another has a water-bottle lock as a clasp.
'Each handbag consists of recognisable everyday mundane objects that we find in the house, in the kitchen,' Chu said. 'People don't necessarily associate these kind of items with fashion.'
At a time of growing public awareness of waste and its impact on the planet, Anna Sophie Goschin is studying digital design and 3D manufacturing, which she says could have 'huge potential' in making fashion more sustainable.
She said: 'We make a lot of garments with a categorised sizing system.
'But with planning and designing digitally, we can simulate the garment before production in the 3D manner, working directly with the shape of the body.'
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Calling a Jframe object from a closing JDialog object I am creating a basic Swing application. In which I have a JFrame (which has a JTable). This window has add record button, where I open a JDialog window which has few data field. Once the use enter the value for those fields. I need to add those information as a record in the JTable with in the JFrame.
To do this, I open the JFrame window. Once the user press 'Add' button. The JDialogbox window opens (While the JFrame is still open in the background). Then user enters some information and it needs to be pass back to the JFrame.
How can I do this without having to create a new JFrame object. Is there any way to use the parent element in the JDialog box constructor?
(javax.swing.JFrame parent, boolean modal)

A: Here is a skeleton of code that shows a way to achieve what you want using a callback method on your frame.
public class DataBean{
     // keep all variables that needs to be transferred
}

public class MyFrame extends JFrame {
      // Frame code here

     public void openDialog() {
          new MyDialog(this,true).setVisible(true);
     }

    public void addRowToTable(DataBean data) {
       // add row to table from data
    }
}

public class MyDialog extends JDialog {
    // Dialog display code

    DataBean data = new DataBean();
    // populate DataBean object from dialog fields
    // dispose dialog
    // call method to pass
    ((MyFrame)getOwner()).addRowToTable(data);
}

Hope this helps.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The iconic futuristic Nike Air Mags that are worn by Michael J Fox, is character Marty McFly in the 1980s classic "Back To The Future Part Two", an exact replica of the crazy shoes shown in the film complete with an electroluminescent sole, a 30,000 hour rechargeable battery and the iconic self-tying laces. The Air Mags were released in a batch of only 1500 pairs. The first pair of the batch were auctioned off on behalf of Michael J Fox as Parkinson's disease charity. They were purchased for $37,500 by British rapper Tinie Tempah.
Sneakers that were made specially for American Big Boi of Outkast Fame, if you aren't familiar with Big Boi as an artist all you need to know is that when it comes to fashion and bling the Big Boi never holds back and this was certainly the case when he became the recipient of a pair of special Nike Air Force Ones.
It has small matter of 11 carats worth of diamonds and a healthy helping of gold as well the inclusion of the precious metals and gemstones; took the value of the Air Force Ones to a whopping $50,000.
The first mention of one of the most recent widely successful superstar sneaker collaborations in recent years Yeezy otherwise known as Kanye West, this particular pair are the same shoes the rapper wore at the 2008 Grammy Awards which were coincidentally the same that were also used to announce the now iconic partnership with Nike. Different varieties of our Yeezys have gained huge popularity in recent years to become some of the most valuable shoes on the planet and though these Grammy prototypes were originally listed for $75,000 you can now pick them up for $50,000.
It's safe to say that hundreds of different Nike Air Jordans are worth thousands of dollars simply due to the name of the iconic basketball legend that they carry, but when you take in the consideration of the presence of an actual autograph by the culture unifying superstar you can sit back and watch the value shoot into the sky. This particular pair just so happened to be personally scribbled on by the great man himself taking their value from a couple hundred dollars to an eye-watering sixty thousand dollars; they imagine having a name and identity that commands that much of a jump in rarity and worth.
Canadian rapper Drake is one of the most fashion-forward figures in today's hip-hop industry and when he signed on with the Air Jordan brand he was presented with a special pair of Air Jordan 12s, that in an act of random kindness he ended up gifting to a woman at a Toronto Raptors game. The women put her sneakers from Drake on sale and made an amazing $77,000 now that's what we call getting bang for your buck. Interestingly at the same game Drake also gifted a pair of Air Jordan 10s, which only made $15,000 when sold.
this pair of Air Jordan 12s that were born by Michael Jordan himself during his infamous flu game this game was the 1997 Finals against Utah Jazz, when despite suffering from a severe flu Jordan managed to score 38 points and secured his beloved Chicago Bulls a historic victory. Clearly ailing during the game Jordan was fed some applesauce by a young ball boy in an attempt to make him feel better and as a thank you, the NBA star gifted him his match sneakers. Almost two decades after that fateful day the now adult ball boy sold those special shoes for a staggering $104,765, that's not bad at all for a small bowl of applesauce.
These shoes were sold June of 2017 again these were worn by Michael Jordan. This time in the game against Spain in the playoffs for the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, unlike the other Jordan sneakers that appear on this list, this pair are actually converse and are the last pair of Converse sneakers Jordan wore in an official game which was also Jordan's final game. As an amateur following the 96 to 65 win by the USA in which Jordan scored 20 points; he turned professional and signed the now-famous deal with Nike the converse shoes are autographed by Jordan.
We've already seen a pair of Nike Air Mags as seen in "Back to The Future" earlier on this list but that price of $37,500 was easily beaten by the price paid in three special options in 2016. The production run was 489 pairs only and were to raise money for the Michael J Fox foundation, most pairs were raffled off with a ticket price of $10 but the three pairs that went to auction raised amazing sums. The first pair reached $140,267 in Hong Kong, the second pair went under the hammer in London for $56,000 but the final pair beat them all reaching $200,000 in New York's auction.
Named "The Fire Monkey" in celebration of the Chinese New Year these sneakers for a 2016 collaboration between designer Dan Gamache of mash custom kicks and New York lifestyle label. They were designed specifically to raise funds at auction for soles for Souls an organization that aims to combat poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing. The sneakers are a custom riff on a leaning way of weight for silhouette and has a solid gold souvenir tag embossed with the logos of the two companies hanging from the laces, which have Aglets dipped in diamonds. The upper of the sneaker bares a blue white and gold Daisy pattern studded with chips of diamonds and sapphires set in 18-karat white gold.
The story goes that when Kanye West was promoting his latest record, he wanted the perfect pair of sneakers thus the Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers were developed with Nike and as you might expect when the shoes were released they sold out almost immediately, however one historic pair did find their way onto eBay in the sell out aftermath and in record-breaking fashion. The bidding war escalated to a final price of 17 million dollars, due to the nature of eBay there's no way to confirm whether whoever bid the gargantuan amount for the sneakers actually came through with the cash but nevertheless officially that pair of Air Yeezy 2 red Octobers go down in history as the most expensive sneakers ever.


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Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947) is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge. He had previously held a personal chair in Greek History at Cambridge.

Early life
Cartledge was educated at St Paul's School and New College, Oxford, where, with his contemporaries Robin Lane Fox and Terence Irwin, he was a student of G. E. M. de Ste. Croix. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, later promoted to MA (Oxon) by seniority, in 1969. He remained at the University of Oxford to undertake postgraduate studies, completing a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) under the supervision of Professor Sir John Boardman. His thesis focused on Spartan archaeology.

Academic career
Cartledge lectured at the New University of Ulster in 1972–73, at Trinity College, Dublin, from 1973 to 1978, and at the University of Warwick in 1978–79. In October 1979 he moved to Cambridge University where he is a fellow of Clare College.

In 2008, Cartledge was elected to the newly established A. G. Leventis Professorship of Greek Culture at Cambridge University, a position from which he retired at the end of September 2014.

Cartledge holds a visiting Global Distinguished Professorship at New York University, funded by the Greek Parliament, and sits on the European Advisory Board of Princeton University Press.

Cartledge is also a holder of the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour of Greece and an Honorary Citizen of (modern) Sparta.

Field of study
Cartledge's field of study is Athens and Sparta in the Classical Age; he has been described as a Laconophile.

He was chief historical consultant for the BBC TV series The Greeks and the Channel 4 series The Spartans, presented by Bettany Hughes.

Personal life
Cartledge is married to Judith Portrait, a solicitor who acts as trustee of part of the Sainsbury family shareholding in Sainsbury's in blind trust.

In August 2014, Cartledge was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.

Publications
 Aristophanes and His Theatre of the Absurd (1989), Duckworth.
 Nomos : Essays in Athenian Law, Politics and Society (1991), Cambridge University Press.
 Spartan Reflections, a collection of essays new and revised (Duckworth, 2001),
 Sparta and Lakonia (2nd edn. 2002).
 Hellenistic and Roman Sparta (rev. edns 2002), (with A. Spawforth).
 The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Others (2nd edn, 2002), the product of research into Greek self-definition.
 Kosmos: essays in Order, Conflict and Community in Classical Athens  (coauthor Paul Millett; (2002), Cambridge University Press.
 The Spartans: An Epic History (2nd edn, 2003).
 Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past (2004).
 Helots and Their Masters in Laconia and Messenia: Histories, Ideologies, Structures (2004), Center for Hellenic Studies.
 Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World (2006), The Overlook Press.
 Ancient Greek Political Thought in Practice (2009), Cambridge University Press.
 Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities, (2009), Oxford University Press.
 Democracy: A Life (2016), Oxford University Press.
 Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece (2020), Picador.

References

External links
  Interview with Paul Cartledge.
 'Forever Young: why Cambridge has a Professorship of Greek Culture'  An inaugural lecture by Professor Paul Cartledge to mark the establishment of the A G Leventis Professorship of Greek Culture, Monday 16 February 2009 at Mill Lane Lecture Theatre, Cambridge
 The myths of 'ancient Greece' dispelled, as explained by Paul Cartledge

 Forward To The Past! Hello To Democracy, Sparta, And All That  A valedictory lecture by The AG Leventis Professor Of Greek Culture, Professor Paul Cartledge, Thursday 20 February 2014 at Mill Lane Lecture Theatre, Cambridge

1947 births
People educated at St Paul's School, London
Alumni of New College, Oxford
Fellows of Clare College, Cambridge
Scholars of ancient Greek history
English historians
Living people
Academics of Ulster University
Classical scholars of Trinity College Dublin
Academics of the University of Warwick
Gold Crosses of the Order of Honour (Greece)
Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of classics
English male non-fiction writers
English classical scholars
Professors of the University of Cambridge
Contributors to the Oxford Classical Dictionary

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


For anyone who played a role in the Apartheid Regime – whether for it or against it - Molly Blackburn was a figure to be reckoned with. While she was based in Port Elizabeth, as part of Nelson Mandela Bay was once known, her name and her good deeds were known throughout the Eastern Cape and in Cape Town as she committed her life to the development and upliftment of non-whites.
Molly Blackburn was born on 12 November 1930, and was raised by liberal parents, who made their children aware of the social and political injustices that blacks, Indians and coloureds faced at this stage of South African history. It was not long before Blackburn could no longer take a back seat to the violence and poverty that pervaded the lives of non-whites. It was at this time that Blackburn started taking an interest in the activities of the Black Sash – an organisation of women who worked to build bridges between South Africa's various races. This caused a lot of anger within the white community, and Blackburn felt the effects of this disapproval. This society was not yet in Port Elizabeth.
In 1982, Blackburn won the provincial seat for the Progressive Federal Party (PFP) to represent Port Elizabeth in the Cape Provincial Council. However, this party was only focused on issues faced by whites and Molly was unable to agree with its ideals. By 1982, Black Sash had opened in Port Elizabeth, and Blackburn again became a member, only to leave it shortly afterwards due to its inactivity. From here, she began to campaign for justice and the general upliftment of the South African black community.
Through such campaigns, she gained a reputation of being caring, compassionate and willing to help. She did not approach people, as her reputation of being a troublemaker would imply. Rather, she would allow those needing her assistance to approach her, and then she would dive in to the cause whole-heartedly.
In 1982, Matthew Goniwe approached Blackburn to make an official enquiry regarding the rent restructuring that was going on in the Cradock township of Lingelihle. Goniwe and three other freedom fighters – Sicelo Mhlawuli, Sparrow Mkhonto and Fort Calata – became known as the Cradock Four. Blackburn advised them to set up a Civic Association, which could represent them in all official matters. They heeded her advice and the final constitution of the Cradock Resident Association was established in Blackburn's Summerstrand home. This association became a key player in the fight against injustice and racism in the Eastern Cape. The Cradock Four would join Molly Blackburn in addressing social and political issues in rural towns such as De Aar, Hofmeyer, Bedford and Somerset East. In June 1985, the Cradock Four were in PE on business when they were abducted. Blackburn became involved in the search for these missing men, and the badly burnt bodies of Mhlawuli and Mkhonto were found at the township police station of New Brighton. Later, Goniwe's body was also recovered. Blackburn insisted that the police disclose the facts about the deaths of these men, and it was revealed that they were killed as a result of the Security Police's policy that "all enemies of the state should be eliminated".
It was also during June of 1985 that a little boy was killed in the crossfire during a Security Police attack in New Brighton. Molly Blackburn retrieved the child's blood-soaked t-shirt, torn apart by bullets and took it to Louis Le Grange, the Minister of Safety and Security at the time. This brazen act caused a huge outcry amongst those in the Cape Provincial Council.
Di Bishop and Molly Blackburn were also instrumental in getting the National Party to make an enquiry into the Langa shootings that took place on 21 March 1985. This became one of South Africa's most significant investigations since the Soweto Revolt of 1976.
It was these brave acts of unabashed courage that earned Molly Blackburn notoriety along with death threats. She was even arrested for her efforts on several occasions. Then, on 28 December 1985, Blackburn was travelling from PE to Oudtshoorn with Judy Chalmers (her sister and the chairperson of Black Sash), Di and her husband Brian Bishop. A collision left Molly Blackburn and Brian Bishop dead.
The love and respect that Molly had earned during her short call to duty was evident by the 20 000 people who attended her funeral on 2 January 1986. Non-whites from all over the country had nicknames her Nosizwe, meaning "mother of the world", a task she whole-heartedly embraced. In fact, she was perfectly described by a friend who would prefer to remain anonymous as being one to plunge "head first – and heart full".


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Home › T19 Categories › * International News & Commentary › Archive for America/U.S.A.
Category : America/U.S.A.
(FT) Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson–Financial fatalism fuels a gambling gold rush
But why are so many prepared to place high-risk bets when the odds are stacked against them? Pandemic stimulus packages certainly handed many Americans some extra cash, but they could have parked that in a mutual fund account instead.
The explanation may be the fatalistic view many have of markets and the economy. Polls since the global financial crisis have shown a growing cynicism about capitalism, particularly among younger Americans, many of whom doubt that they will be better off than their parents, or that their employer will provide a fair wage and decent pension.
That is fuelling a form of financial nihilism which the investor and former ecommerce executive Mike Effle has christened "finihilism". In an economy too many see as rigged against them, and with markets showing little connection to underlying value, perhaps a bet on the playoffs or a sociable sally against AMC's short sellers seems as good a use of your money as any.
It is easy to moralise about the upsurge in speculation. But it is hard to fault people for wanting to get rich quick if they have lost faith in their ability to get rich slow.
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson: People have been shocked at how much gambling is going on since before Captain Renault walked into Rick's Café. But there is something different about this new golden age of gaming https://t.co/hO9s8QQqEY
— FT Opinion (@ftopinion) January 14, 2022
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Gambling
(NYT front page) No Shots, No Day Care: Parents of Kids Under 5 Stuck in Grueling Limbo
Twice last year, Margaret Schulte and her husband, Jason Abercrombie, traveled 11 hours round-trip to Louisiana from their home in Tulsa, Okla., in the hopes of vaccinating their children, who were 2 and 4, against the coronavirus.
The only way they could get shots for their children — among the more than 19 million Americans under 5 years old who are not yet eligible for vaccinations — was to take part in a clinical trial. So they signed up, hoping a successful vaccine would mean that by now, or at least sometime very soon, a semblance of prepandemic life would be on the horizon.
It has not worked out that way.
The Pfizer trial that their children participated in did not produce promising results, the company said last month. Nor have vaccines emerged from other corners. Moderna has yet to release results of its pediatric trials.
Now Ms. Schulte and Mr. Abercrombie are among the millions of parents stuck in an excruciating limbo during a surge of Omicron cases, forced to wrestle with day care closures and child care crises as the rest of the world appears eager to move on.
Millions of parents of unvaccinated children under 5 are stuck in limbo during a rise of Omicron cases in the U.S., forced to wrestle with day care closures and child care crises as the rest of the world appears eager to move on.https://t.co/MO0kCtq2rE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 14, 2022
Posted in America/U.S.A., Children, Drugs/Drug Addiction, Health & Medicine, Marriage & Family, Psychology, Stress, Travel
(Gallup) U.S. Charitable Donations Rebound; Volunteering Still Down
Eighty-one percent of Americans say they donated money to a religious or other charitable organization in the past year, and 56% volunteered time to such an organization. After dipping in April 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic, charitable donations have rebounded and are essentially back to the level measured in 2013 and 2017 surveys.
Volunteer activity also dropped in 2020 but, in contrast to charitable giving, remains lower than it was in pre-pandemic surveys. While lower today than in recent years, the rate of volunteering has been at its current level in the past, most notably during the Great Recession.
The decline in donations was seen among all income groups in 2020, but more so among those in lower- and middle-income households. Charitable donations are back up among those in all income brackets, with upper-income Americans now returning to pre-pandemic rates. Giving rates among lower- and middle-income Americans are only slightly below where they were in 2017.
Volunteer activity is also lower now among all income groups than before the pandemic.
Volunteering with religious organizations fell in 2020—then again in 2021, according to @GallupNewshttps://t.co/aMSowER6PY pic.twitter.com/iR1wRUEmvO
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Anthropology, Charities/Non-Profit Organizations, Religion & Culture, Sociology
(NYT Op-ed) America Is Falling Apart at the Seams
In June a statistic floated across my desk that startled me. In 2020, the number of miles Americans drove fell 13 percent because of the pandemic, but the number of traffic deaths rose 7 percent.
I couldn't figure it out. Why would Americans be driving so much more recklessly during the pandemic? But then in the first half of 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle deaths were up 18.4 percent even over 2020. Contributing factors, according to the agency, included driving under the influence, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt.
Why are so many Americans driving irresponsibly?
While gloomy numbers like these were rattling around in my brain, a Substack article from Matthew Yglesias hit my inbox this week. It was titled, "All Kinds of Bad Behavior Is on the Rise." Not only is reckless driving on the rise, Yglesias pointed out, but the number of altercations on airplanes has exploded, the murder rate is surging in cities, drug overdoses are increasing, Americans are drinking more, nurses say patients are getting more abusive, and so on and so on.
Yglesias is right.
Agree 100% with @nytdavidbrooks
The year I was born JFK asked Americans what they could do for their country. It would be bizarre for a statesman/woman to ask that now.
https://t.co/RHgsDfKi8X
— Caitlin Flanagan (@CaitlinPacific) January 14, 2022
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A.
(Economist) As violent crime leaps, liberal cities rethink cutting police budgets
In the days after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, protesters took to the streets across America. They urged cities to "defund the police", and politicians listened. Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, called for his department's budget to be cut by up to $150m. London Breed, San Francisco's mayor, announced that she would "redirect funding from the sfpd to support the African-American community". City councils in Oakland and Portland, Oregon, among other cities across America, approved budgets that cut police funding.
That trend has reversed. Portland and Oakland increased police funding to hire more officers. The Los Angeles Police Department's budget will get a 12% boost. Last month Ms Breed vowed to "take steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement" and "less tolerant of all the bullshit that has destroyed our city". Why such a stark reversal, and what does it mean for the future of criminal-justice reform?
The first question is easy to answer. Though crime overall did not rise during the pandemic, the type people fear most—murders and shootings—did, and the surge has not abated. Over three decades from 1990, America's homicide rate fell steeply (see chart). From 2019 to 2020, however, the rate had its highest-ever year-on-year rise, of nearly 30%, followed by a further rise in 2021. More than three-quarters of the murders were committed with guns. In Oakland, 133 people were murdered in 2021, more than in any year since 2006, and almost 600 more were shot but not killed. Portland was one of at least 16 American cities that set all-time homicide records last year.
"No evidence suggests a relationship between the size of a police force and the number of people its officers kill; ample evidence suggests that bigger and better-funded forces tend to reduce violent crime."https://t.co/EtOB9qb5rC
— Dave Morris (@MirabilisDave) January 13, 2022
Posted in America/U.S.A., City Government, Law & Legal Issues, Police/Fire, Politics in General, Urban/City Life and Issues, Violence
(CT) Russell Moore–Why Christians should support our government staying out of religious affairs.
We believe in religious freedom not because we believe in freedom on its own terms, but because we believe in the exclusivity of Christ and in the power of the gospel. We believe there is one name under heaven whereby we must be saved—and that name is not "Caesar" or "Ayatollah" or "assistant secretary for civic affairs."
We believe in religious freedom because we know what Jesus has given us to fight against the kingdom of darkness—the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We believe in religious freedom because there's no civil substitute for the gospel of Christ.
We believe in religious freedom because we want to persuade our neighbors to be reconciled to God—not so they won't be fined by the earthly government, but so they will find eternal life in the heavenly kingdom. So that they won't end up in hell.
"We believe in religious freedom because we want to persuade our neighbors to be reconciled to God—not so they won't be fined by the earthly government, but so they will find eternal life in the heavenly kingdom.
So that they won't end up in hell." https://t.co/CRatpK89z5
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Law & Legal Issues, Religion & Culture, Religious Freedom / Persecution
(Gallup) Americans are Reading Fewer Books Than in Past
Americans say they read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, a smaller number than Gallup has measured in any prior survey dating back to 1990. U.S. adults are reading roughly two or three fewer books per year than they did between 2001 and 2016.
The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 Gallup poll, which updated a trend question on book reading. The question asks Americans to say how many books they "read, either all or part of the way through" in the past year. Interviewers are instructed to include all forms of books, including printed books but also electronic books and audiobooks, when entering the respondent's answer.
The decline in book reading is mostly a function of how many books readers are reading, as opposed to fewer Americans reading any books. The 17% of U.S. adults who say they did not read any books in the past year is similar to the 16% to 18% measured in 2002 to 2016 surveys, though it is higher than in the 1999 to 2001 polls.
The drop is fueled by a decline in the percentage of Americans reading more than 10 books in the past year. Currently, 27% report that they read more than 10 books, down eight percentage points since 2016 and lower than every prior measure by at least four points.
"The drop is fueled by a decline in the percentage of Americans reading more than 10 books in the past year. Currently, 27% report that they read more than 10 books, down eight percentage points since 2016." https://t.co/y2a2sGjY0W
— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) January 11, 2022
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Books
George Washington's January 1 1795 Proclamation
Deeply penetrated with this sentiment I George Washington President of the United States do recommend to all Religious Societies and Denominations and to all persons whomsoever within the United States to set apart and observe thursday the nineteenth day of February next as a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer; and on that day to meet together and render their sincere and hearty thanks to the great ruler of Nations for the manifold and signal mercies, which distinguish our lot as a Nation; particularly for the possession of Constitutions of Government which unite and by their union establish liberty with order, for the preservation of our peace foreign and domestic, for the seasonable controul which has been given to a spirit of disorder in the suppression of the late insurrection, and generally for the prosperous course of our affairs public and private…
1 Jan 1622: The #Papal Chancery adopts January 1st as the beginning of the new year. It had been March 25. #OTD #HappyNewYear #history #Vatican #pope #NewYear #ad https://t.co/PRuD3HZBEz https://t.co/EsutcbQsyY pic.twitter.com/35BaU8iQo3
— Today In History (@URDailyHistory) January 1, 2022
Posted in America/U.S.A., History, Office of the President
(PRC) About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated
The secularizing shifts evident in American society so far in the 21st century show no signs of slowing. The latest Pew Research Center survey of the religious composition of the United States finds the religiously unaffiliated share of the public is 6 percentage points higher than it was five years ago and 10 points higher than a decade ago.
Christians continue to make up a majority of the U.S. populace, but their share of the adult population is 12 points lower in 2021 than it was in 2011. In addition, the share of U.S. adults who say they pray on a daily basis has been trending downward, as has the share who say religion is "very important" in their lives.
Currently, about three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) are religious "nones" – people who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or "nothing in particular" when asked about their religious identity. Self-identified Christians of all varieties (including Protestants, Catholics, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Orthodox Christians) make up 63% of the adult population. Christians now outnumber religious "nones" by a ratio of a little more than two-to-one. In 2007, when the Center began asking its current question about religious identity, Christians outnumbered "nones" by almost five-to-one (78% vs. 16%).
The share of U.S. adults who say religion is "very important" in their lives is trending downward. Today, 41% say religion is "very important" in their lives, while 33% say it is "not too important" or "not at all important" to them. https://t.co/G1CHSL3tjn pic.twitter.com/BL1QnnsWU6
— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) December 14, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Religion & Culture, Sociology
(NYT) Why 1,320 Therapists Are Worried About Mental Health in America Right Now
As Americans head into a third year of pandemic living, therapists around the country are finding themselves on the front lines of a mental health crisis. Social workers, psychologists and counselors from every state say they can't keep up with an unrelenting demand for their services, and many must turn away patients — including children — who are desperate for support.
"All the therapists I know have experienced a demand for therapy that is like nothing they have experienced before," said Tom Lachiusa, a licensed clinical social worker in Longmeadow, Mass. "Every available time slot I can offer is filled."
The New York Times asked 1,320 mental health professionals to tell us how their patients were coping as pandemic restrictions eased. General anxiety and depression are the most common reasons patients seek support, but family and relationship issues also dominate therapy conversations. One in four providers said suicidal thoughts were among the top reasons clients were seeking therapy.
"I regularly wished aloud for a mental health version of Dr. Fauci to give daily briefings," said Lakeasha Sullivan, a clinical psychologist in Atlanta. "I tried to normalize the wide range of intense emotions people felt; some thought they were truly going crazy."
"I believe I will be helping people navigate the effects of the pandemic for the rest of my career." Leah Seeger, marriage and family therapist, Minneapolis https://t.co/c92hHlHzMx
— Rachel Hatzipanagos (@rachelbianca) December 16, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Health & Medicine, Psychology
(AP) US faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances
The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.
The White House on Wednesday insisted there is no need for a lockdown because vaccines are widely available and appear to offer protection against the worst consequences of the virus. But even if omicron proves milder on the whole than delta, it may disarm some of the life-saving tools available and put immune-compromised and elderly people at particular risk as it begins a rapid assault on the United States.
"Our delta surge is ongoing and, in fact, accelerating. And on top of that, we're going to add an omicron surge," said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School.
"That's alarming, because our hospitals are already filling up. Staff are fatigued," leaving limited capacity for a potential crush of COVID-19 cases "from an omicron wave superimposed on a delta surge."
The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row. https://t.co/j31tS6buLJ
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 15, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Health & Medicine, Science & Technology
(FA) Sue Gordon and Eric Rosenbach–America's Cyber-Reckoning: How to Fix a Failing Strategy
A decade ago, the conventional wisdom held that the world was on the cusp of a new era of cyberconflict in which catastrophic computer-based attacks would wreak havoc on the physical world. News media warned of doomsday scenarios; officials in Washington publicly fretted about a "cyber–Pearl Harbor" that would take lives and destroy critical infrastructure. The most dire predictions, however, did not come to pass. The United States has not been struck by devastating cyberattacks with physical effects; it seems that even if U.S. adversaries wanted to carry out such assaults, traditional forms of deterrence would prevent them from acting.
Behind those mistaken warnings lay an assumption that the only alternative to cyberpeace must be cyberwar. But in the years since, it has become clear that like all realms of conflict, the domain of cyberspace is shaped not by a binary between war and peace but by a spectrum between those two poles—and most cyberattacks fall somewhere in that murky space. The obvious upside of this outcome is that the worst fears of death and destruction have not been realized. There is a downside, however: the complex nature of cyberconflict has made it more difficult for the United States to craft an effective cyberstrategy. And even if lives have not been lost and infrastructure has mostly been spared, it is hardly the case that cyberattacks have been harmless. U.S. adversaries have honed their cyber-skills to inflict damage on U.S. national security, the American economy, and, most worrisome of all, American democracy. Meanwhile, Washington has struggled to move past its initial perception of the problem, clinging to outmoded ideas that have limited its responses. The United States has also demonstrated an unwillingness to consistently confront its adversaries in the cyber-realm and has suffered from serious self-inflicted wounds that have left it in a poor position to advance its national interests in cyberspace.
To do better, the United States must focus on the most pernicious threats of all: cyberattacks aimed at weakening societal trust, the underpinnings of democracy, and the functioning of a globalized economy. The Biden administration seems to recognize the need for a new approach. But to make significant progress, it will need to reform the country's cyberstrategy, starting with its most fundamental aspect: the way Washington understands the problem.
In the cyber-realm, Washington must focus on countering the increasingly pernicious attacks aimed at weakening societal trust, democracy, and the functioning of a globalized economy, argue Sue Gordon and @ERosenbach.https://t.co/FpPXUkIsf1
— Foreign Affairs (@ForeignAffairs) December 14, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Blogging & the Internet, Defense, National Security, Military, Ethics / Moral Theology, Foreign Relations, Military / Armed Forces, Politics in General, Science & Technology, The U.S. Government
(Economist Leader) What would America fight for?
Unfortunately, America is tiring of its role as guarantor of the liberal order. The giant has not exactly fallen asleep again, but its resolve is faltering and its enemies are testing it. Vladimir Putin is massing troops on the border with Ukraine and could soon invade. China is buzzing Taiwan's airspace with fighter jets, using mock-ups of American aircraft-carriers for target practice and trying out hypersonic weapons. Iran has taken such a maximalist stance at nuclear talks that many observers expect them to collapse. Thus, two autocratic powers threaten to seize land currently under democratic control, and a third threatens to violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty by building a nuclear bomb. How far would America go to prevent such reckless acts?
Joe Biden can sound forceful, at times. On December 7th he warned Mr Putin of severe consequences if Russia were to launch another attack on Ukraine. He has maintained sanctions on Iran. And in October he said that America had a "commitment" to defend Taiwan, though aides insisted policy has not changed. (America has long refused to say whether it would send forces to repel a Chinese invasion, so as not to encourage any Taiwanese action that might provoke one.) China was left wondering whether Mr Biden misspoke or was craftily hinting at a more robust stance. On December 7th America's House of Representatives passed a big boost to the defence budget. Also this week Mr Biden was to hold a "Summit for Democracy", to encourage countries that respect the rules to club together.
And yet, as our Briefing explains, America has become reluctant to use hard power across much of the world.
What would America fight for?@TheEconomist pic.twitter.com/FqoaibxLaz
— rubeneus (@rubenanguiano) December 11, 2021
Posted in * Economics, Politics, America/U.S.A., Defense, National Security, Military, Ethics / Moral Theology, Foreign Relations, Globalization, History, Politics in General
A voice always worth listening to: (NPR)–The NIH director on why Americans aren't getting healthier, despite medical advances
Selena Simmons-Duffin: After you announced you'd be stepping down from the director role, you told the New York Times that one of your "chief regrets" was the persistence of vaccine hesitancy during the pandemic. How are you thinking about the role NIH could play in understanding this problem?
Francis Collins: I do think we need to understand better how — in the current climate — people make decisions. I don't think I anticipated the degree to which the tribalism of our current society would actually interfere with abilities to size up medical information and make the kinds of decisions that were going to help people.
To have now 60 million people still holding off of taking advantage of life saving vaccines is pretty unexpected. It does make me, at least, realize, boy, there are things about human behavior that I don't think we had invested enough into understanding. We basically have seen accurate medical information overtaken, all too often, by the inaccurate conspiracies and false information on social media. It's a whole other world out there. We used to think that if knowledge was made available from credible sources, it would win the day. That's not happening now.
We spoke with Dr. Francis Collins as he prepares to leave his NIH post after 12 years. He reflects on biomedical advances, the dangers of polarizing medicine and the huge health gaps that still exist in the U.S.https://t.co/EM70yEg2jn
Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Health & Medicine, Science & Technology
(Unherd) Mary Harrington–The key is Anthropology, why Public order has been sacrificed on the altar of empathy in America
Are humans naturally good given the right circumstances? Or are we flawed and in need of threats and guidelines to keep us on the straight and narrow? The split is a legacy of radical ideas stretching back to the revolutionary 18th century.
Perhaps the most famous proponent of intrinsic human goodness is Rousseau, who claimed in Emile (1762) that children are born virtuous. As Rousseau sees it, we only need freedom, love and the right environment to spontaneously come to an understanding of what's right.
When Emile was first published, it stood in stark challenge to the then-dominant view, emerging from the Christian tradition, that humans are tainted by 'original sin'. From this vantage point, we're naturally flawed, and must always struggle against our less virtuous instincts. Rousseau's claim so appalled adherents of this then-dominant view that copies of his book were burned in the street.
Today, though, the boot is on the other foot. The high-status view among contemporary elites is unmistakeably Team Rousseau.
Why anarchy has come to America @UnHerd https://t.co/JU4H1Ncxip Public order has been sacrificed on the altar of empathy pic.twitter.com/FhuvyN7Zjx
— Faenerator (@Faenerator) November 24, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Anthropology, History, Philosophy
Thursday Morning Encouragement–An unforgettable story about the tremendous impact of one teacher
Listen to it all (just under 6 minutes).
Morning encouragement–the 'My Unsung Hero' podcast on the lasting impact one #teacher can make https://t.co/ilqarIxzht #heroes #education #impact #perspective #children #school only 5 minutes it is well worth your time #arkansas #history
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 2, 2021
(Hat tip: EH)
Posted in America/U.S.A., Children, Education, History, Poetry & Literature
(PRC) Latest Pew Survey Includes American's Views of the Afterlife
The new survey also asked about views of the afterlife, finding that many Americans believe in an afterlife where suffering either ends entirely or continues in perpetuity.
Nearly three-quarters of all U.S. adults (73%) say they believe in heaven, while a smaller share – but still a majority (62%) – believe in hell. Both figures are similar to what the Center found when it last asked these questions, in 2017. Among Christians, overwhelming majorities of all major subgroups express belief in heaven, but Protestants who belong to the evangelical and historically Black Protestant traditions are more likely than mainline Protestants and Catholics to express belief in hell. Meanwhile, roughly a quarter of U.S. adults say they believe in neither heaven nor hell, including 7% who believe in some other kind of afterlife and 17% who do not believe in any afterlife at all.
Americans who expressed belief in heaven and hell were asked several questions about what they think those places are like. The vast majority of those who believe in heaven – which is most U.S. adults – say they believe heaven is "definitely" or "probably" a place where people are free from suffering, are reunited with loved ones who died previously, can meet God, and have perfectly healthy bodies. And about half of all Americans (i.e., most of those who believe in hell) view hell as a place where people experience psychological and physical suffering and become aware of the suffering they created in the world. A similar share says that people in hell cannot have a relationship with God.
According to the latest @PewResearch survey, 1 in 4 Americans don't believe in heaven or hellhttps://t.co/IgcaEHRtca
— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) November 28, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Eschatology, Religion & Culture
(NYT) Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91
Stephen Sondheim, one of Broadway history's songwriting titans, whose music and lyrics raised and reset the artistic standard for the American stage musical, died early Friday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 91.
His lawyer and friend, F. Richard Pappas, announced the death, which he described as sudden. The day before, Mr. Sondheim had celebrated Thanksgiving with a dinner with friends in Roxbury, Mr. Pappas said.
An intellectually rigorous artist who perpetually sought new creative paths, Mr. Sondheim was the theater's most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century, if not its most popular.
His work melded words and music in a way that enhanced them both. From his earliest successes in the late 1950s, when he wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," through the 1990s, when he wrote the music and lyrics for two audacious musicals, "Assassins," giving voice to the men and women who killed or tried to kill American presidents, and "Passion," an operatic probe into the nature of true love, he was a relentlessly innovative theatrical force.
Breaking News: Stephen Sondheim is dead at 91. One of Broadway's most revered songwriters, he set the standard for the American musical. https://t.co/U6f5QeP5H9
Posted in America/U.S.A., Death / Burial / Funerals, History, Music, Theatre/Drama/Plays
A Thankgiving Menu from 1899
Thanksgiving menu at Plaza Hotel NYC, 1899: pic.twitter.com/OknmzTaqVm
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 25, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Dieting/Food/Nutrition, History
(WSJ) Melanie Kirkpatrick–Thanksgiving, 1789
It is hard to imagine America's favorite holiday as a source of political controversy. But that was the case in 1789, the year of our first Thanksgiving as a nation.
The controversy began on Sept. 25 in New York City, then the seat of government. The inaugural session of the first Congress was about to recess when Rep. Elias Boudinot of New Jersey rose to introduce a resolution. He asked the House to create a joint committee with the Senate to "wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God…."
It fell to a New Englander to stand up in support of Thanksgiving. Connecticut's Roger Sherman praised Boudinot's resolution as "a laudable one in itself." It also was "warranted by a number of precedents" in the Bible, he said, "for instance the solemn thanksgivings and rejoicings which took place in the time of Solomon, after the building of the temple."
In the end, the Thanksgiving resolution passed—the precise vote is not recorded—and the House appointed a committee. The resolution moved to the Senate, which passed it and added its own members to the committee.
The committee took the resolution to the president, and on Oct. 3 George Washington issued his now-famous Thanksgiving Proclamation. In it, he designated Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789 as "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer." He asked Americans to render their "sincere and humble thanks" to God for "his kind care and protection of the People of this Country."
Wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Stay safe and blessed. pic.twitter.com/eNylsznRiw
— Asad M. Khan (@asadmk17) November 25, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., History
Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Embassy Dublin to everyone celebrating in Ireland and across the Atlantic! 🦃🍂 pic.twitter.com/2dlx1Qwo5I
— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) November 25, 2021
(Local Paper Editorial) Editorial: On this day, we give thanks for our many blessings
Giving thanks is a central part of most religions. Indeed, the American celebration of Thanksgiving that we trace (accurately or not) to 1621, that was first officially declared by George Washington and made permanent by Abraham Lincoln and later enshrined in law by the Congress was conceived as a religious holiday — although with a far different meaning than the traditional period of prayerful fasting that defined the thanksgiving that the Pilgrims brought with them from England.
But thanksgiving is not exclusively religious. The Mayo Clinic (and pretty much any public health expert) tells us that regularly recognizing our blessings increases our happiness, along with our physical health: "In addition to helping you get more sleep, practicing gratitude can boost your immunity and decrease your risk of disease."
So today, whether we're religious or secular or somewhere in between, whether we're able to be with family or friends or not, we give thanks for blessings that we cannot begin to count.
We give thanks that we are living in a time of tremendous prosperity, when our poorest neighbors live lives that are inconceivably luxurious compared to those lived by the overwhelming majority of people down through the millennia.https://t.co/hOpTpY9HCr
— Cindi Ross Scoppe (@CindiScoppe) November 25, 2021
Posted in * South Carolina, America/U.S.A., History
The 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
[New York, 3 October 1789]
By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be — That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks — for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation — for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war — for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed — for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions — to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually — to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed — to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord — To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us — and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go: Washington
"It is the duty of all nations, to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,&humbly to implore his protection&favor." We owe God "our sincere&humble thanks for…the favorable interpositions of his Providence." GWashington 1789 pic.twitter.com/CN6LFlcec2
— Daniel Dreisbach (@d3bach) November 23, 2017
Happy American Thanksgiving to all Blog Readers!
#HappyThanksgiving everyone! pic.twitter.com/XHn8BTRevN
— U.S. Embassy London (@USAinUK) November 25, 2021
Posted in America/U.S.A., Blogging & the Internet, History


The Stonehenge neighborhood is a subdivision in the middle of Fort Collins with a wide range of home styles built between 1976-1994. Stonehenge's central location makes it accessible to all the attractions around town.
Stonehenge is near Parkwood and includes easy access to the spacious Edora Park, Edora Pool Ice Center (also known as EPIC), and the Spring Creek Trail. It is also close to the Scotch Pines Shopping Center, which has a Sunflower Martket, Great Harvest Bread, Starbucks, Runza and many more! Because of it's central location, Stonehenge also boasts easy access to the ever-growing Harmony Corridor and Front Range Village.


Black leather jacket w/removable hood, black fingerless gloves, black pants with two white belts wrapped around the left leg and a series of star crystals on the right leg. His top is a white t-shirt with a tribal black skull. His mask is actually a white bike helmet with a black star on the top. He wears black and white Jordans, running shoes, or cleats; it changes each day.
Powers: Danny absorbs the solar radiation of suns and big stars. This is so great that his powers are best during the day. Offworld, his powers depend on the kind of solar rays warming a planet. His powers allow him to manipulate his energy to either fire blasts, form constructs, fly, and apply slight inhuman strength.
Personality: Danny is highly upbeat, often times seen as a prankster, and is quick to be brave in a situation. All the same, Danny can be hurt just as badly during painful situations, even if he's good at hiding it behind a smile. Danny is loyal to friends and open to greeting a friendly hand to strangers. He also tries not to go the deadly route of battle, even against extremely dangerous villains.
Physical Description: 6'1", 275lbs, Toned/Slim, raven black hair when not using his powers, however the tips of his hair change to a rainbow glow when using his powers, Danny's eyes clear blue and glow in a bright rainbow when using his powers.
History: Danny spent most of his life thinking he was always just another human. However, as he matured, Danny began to become aware of his powers. Danny's father was an alien of the race Creedo and his mother was a human. The details of how they met are sketchy at best, but his father explained much of things when he realized the boy wouldn't be able to control himself without guidance. With the help of his loving family, he was able to successfully lead a life hiding as a normal human.
Danny however, has a good heart. He just seems to attract trouble where ever he goes, it was only natural that he eventually witnessed criminal activities and wished to help. Danny made many tries at being vigilante until he got some of it down. Though he still struggles from time to time, their is one thing he keeps constant; declaring that he is a meta-human rather than an alien. He truly is unaware of his alien heritage back to the planets and feels to much word of Creedos could be dangerous for both his homes.
As of now, Danny prowls the streets in a heroic hunt. He wishes to lock up bad guys and stop crime. Its a trial in itself without pay. Danny also just so happens to be looking to hook up with the big super hero team that everyone talks about; The Society of Crusaders. Even if he might go as more of a fan than a hero, Danny wishes all the same, to fight the good fight.
Misc. Notes: During the night, Danny's powers are weaker. Creedomite is a rare metal that nullifies his power and keeps them under control unless skin contact is broken. He heals better than the normal human, but not incredibly fast, especially at night. Darkness related abilities also harm him for some reason.


There are very few risks which I have taken in life, and very few among them have been successful. This time around, when I took an unique risk of signing up for a hike, that too with two peaks of 11.5K feet, and 15.1K feet each, I was hoping I would be able to summit atleast one of them, fortunately I was able to summit both. This hike was more mentally demanding then physically, I had to motivate myself beyond my capabilities to be able to climb these mountains. During the trek that spawned 4 days, my mind had some interesting thoughts, of which I could recollect a few.
Human ego is insignificant, when it comes face to face with nature.
You can put all the nature's beauty in front of a struggler, and all he worries about, will be his struggle.
There are times when you wonder, why do we inflict upon ourselves hardships, which were unnecessary, and then when you accomplish them you realise the reason. It is to enjoy the conquest, and in a way boost your own ego.
When you are full of physical and mental exhaustion, your mind forgets to wander. At this point, when you take a break and rest, you get to experience inner-peace of the purest form.


He and younger brother Moustafa 'Michael' Ibrahim were arrested in Dubai in 2017 as part of a police operation that involved officers raiding dozens of homes across Sydney, including John Ibrahim's property in Dover Heights.
District Court Chief Judge Derek Price said an email from the bail surety approving the bail change was "not good enough" and the court would require the paper form signed by the surety.
Moustafa, who remains in custody, had his case adjourned until February 22 to allow time for a co-accused's case to be dealt with by the Local Court.


Since we arrived in Lesotho at the end of July we have learned a few basic greetings in Sesotho. We have noticed that the limited sayings we know almost always elicit a smile and often times polite claims that we are fluent, which we patently deny. We both really want to learn more of the language in order to communicate better with staff at the embassy, our guards and Basotho in general. To this aim we went to Morjia for a Sesotho Language and Culture Weekend at the Morjia Guest House.
Morija was the first missionary station in Lesotho, founded in 1833 by two of the three French missionaries that arrived at the request of the then Basotho leader Moshoeshoe [pronounced Moshwayshway]. Moshoeshoe noticed that areas near missionaries usually had fewer violent confrontations and so he decided to 'buy' some missionaries for his territory. He then installed two of them in Morija, which was directly between his stronghold on top of Thaba Bosiu and a group of his enemies to the southwest, thus creating a buffer.
Morija has continued to be an important cultural location to this day and hosts a number of events including an annual Arts and Cultural Festival that sees dancers, musicians and artists arrive from all over Lesotho. It is also home to the oldest church, printing press and English school in Lesotho.
Perched above the hamlet is Morija Guest House, a beautiful homestead which combines Basotho tradition with modern ammenities. Morija Guest House was the vision of David Hall who was born in Morjia to South African missionaries. His birth in Lesotho gave him rights to a plot of land so he selected a large barren rock overlooking the valley. Most thought that his selection of a plot with no road access, flat land for farming and difficult rock terrain was unwise but his vision was extraordinarily prescient.
Now in their eighth year and run by David's wife Brigitte, the Guest House hosts a weekend a few times a year dedicated to helping expats to understand Basotho culture and the basics of Sesotho. 'Me Mamokola, responsible for training US PeaceCorps teachers and volunteers, joined us on this weekend and gave us several short lessons of key Sesotho greetings, verbs and vocabulary. We all followed along at varying paces but eventually we were able to use the common greetings, introduce ourselves, talk about our work and put together some short sentences.
In between our Sesotho lessons we had a whole suite of other activities that made for a very interesting weekend. Aside from learning some foundations of the language, we also had the opportunity to discuss different aspects of Basotho culture. Understanding some of the key Basotho traditions and customs around weddings, funerals and home life was really interesting. Even more interesting was talking about different attitudes, behaviors, gender roles and the work ethic in Lesotho (more on all of that to come).
In addition to our cultural chat, we also had a lovely demonstration of some of the traditional Basotho dances by the children who live in the village below. Although the dances are traditionally danced by older women, the girls did a fabulous job in their respective dances.
The first dance is known as litolobonya and was performed by a group of young girls. Wearing skirts made out of shredded maize bags with bottle caps underneath banging together to sound like bells, they danced a special dance which is normally only done in private by women with other women. I asked our guard to tell me a bit more and he mentioned it was quite secret and men will never see this dance performed by women. Our Sesotho teacher explained that at times the dance was used to see if women who had just had a baby were ready to go back to work at the end of three months.
The second dance was done by a slightly older group of girls on their knees and involved an impressive display of shoulder movement and rhythm. A very old traditional dance passed down through the generations, the mokhibo dance is traditionally a celebratory dance which you will often see performed on Independence Day, the King's birthday or other festive occasions. For those of you in the UK who may have seen photos earlier this year of Prince Harry's visit to Lesotho, this was one of the dances he was photographed attempting.
After the girls finished a group of young boys who came in and did several gumboot dances. Originally created by the miners in South Africa, the dance has made its way into Lesotho through the many men who have gone to work there. In the mines they were restricted from using drums and so instead they discovered the sounds and rhythms they could make on their gumboots, aka wellies. This dance has now spread across the continent, particularly through mining areas, and has certainly had an influence on modern forms of urban dance.
When we were not spending time inside learning about the fascinating language and culture of Lesotho, we were enjoying good meals, getting to know the others in the group and exploring the nearby landscape. After learning more about Moshoeshoe and his legacy on Lesotho, we were treated to a hike to the top of the country's great national monument Thaba Bosiu, the 'mountain of night'.
Once the settlement of the first Basotho people, this sandstone plateau takes it name after the belief that the mountain would grow at night and so anyone trying to scale it to attack them would then be left stranded by the time day came. Now the mountain is a sacred place where Moshoeshoe and others are buried, home only to a few wild horses and the occasional tourist.
Another excursion led us up the mountain behind the Morija Guest Houses to a very large fallen rock with a surprising set of dinosaur footprints embedded into the rock's face. The rock had at one time been part of the plateau above but now sits on an angle perfectly displaying a set of fossil prints. Lesotho is known to have the largest concentration of dinosaur footprints in the world, so it was amazing to be able to experience seeing even just a few in this part of the country.
With everything that was organised for us, the weekend flew by and before we knew it we were on our way back to Maseru. Our heads were swimming with Sesotho expressions and images of the dancers and Moshoeshoe's legacy. Now the challenge is to take what we have learned, make sure we really learn and practice it, and continue learning even more!
U phela joang [pronounced oh peela joaang] = How are you?
Seemed like a fascinating weekend. Great intro to Lesotho.


Lower back pain caused by muscle spasms is a common condition in adults. The causes of the spasms are unknown, but can be triggered by mental stress, improperly carrying a heavy object, or stretching too much. People with sedentary lifestyles are more prone to back spasms.
The typical symptoms of this kind of lower back pain are inability to bend in certain directions, and sharp shooting pains. If you experience back muscle spasms, here's how you can get relief and get moving again.
Talk to your doctor if the spasms occur frequently, such as more than once a month, and if they occur with no reason. There may be a more serious underlying condition that causes your muscles to seize.
You should also ask for prescription muscle relaxer to help you cope with emergencies. Prescription medicines are faster and more potent than over-the-counter treatments, but you may be advised not to drive while you take them.
As soon as you feel a lower back muscle spasm coming on, the first thing to do is take either your prescribed muscle relaxer, or a double dose of ibuprofen. Any back pain reliever containing magnesium salicylate or aspirin will also do.
Next, maintain an up-right position. It may be tempting to lie on your back, but lying still actually makes the pain intensify, and makes the spasm last longer. If you are on your back when a spasm hits, roll on your side, and use your arms to prop yourself up to get off the floor. Getting up will hurt at first.
Gentle movement is the key to making a spasm subside. Once your are standing up, walk around slowly. If twisting or bending causes a sharp pain in your lower back, then walk straight and don't turn too much.
Many people find relief from this type of lower back pain when they lift their knees up. Walk around taking high steps, as if you were in a marching band. Keep your back straight. See image.
Another thing that may relieve the muscle spasm is raising your arms in the air above your head. This gently stretches the back muscles vertically. See image.
If you have sit while you work, sit on a chair or stability ball with your legs spread. This will help relax the lower back as well.
When the pain medicine has kicked in, you can try hot and cool compresses, or gentle massages to ease away the rest of your back pain.
To reduce the intensity of back muscle spasms in the future, do back strengthening exercises daily. The stronger your back muscles are, the faster they will go back to normal after a spasm.