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The election for the Hong Kong deputies to the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) was held on 25 January 2008. 36 Hong Kong deputies were elected by an electoral college composed of 1,234 members.

Background
Article 21 of the Hong Kong Basic Law stipulates:

Chinese citizens who are residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be entitled to participate in the management of state affairs according to law.

In accordance with the assigned number of seats and the selection method specified by the National People's Congress, the Chinese citizens among the residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall locally elect deputies of the Region to the National People's Congress to participate in the work of the highest organ of state power.

A 1,234-strong electoral college composed of the following:
 Members of the previous electoral college that had elected the Hong Kong deputies to the 10th National People's Congress;
 Hong Kong delegates of the 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC);
 Members of the Election Committee (which elects the Chief Executive) who are Chinese nationals, except those who opt out; and
 The Chief Executive of the HKSAR.

Overview
The election took place at the second plenary meeting of the 11th National People's Congress election meeting on 25 January. It was attended by National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) vice-chairman Sheng Huaren and presided by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as executive chairman of the 19-member presidium.

9 incumbent delegates decided to step down including Allen Lee Peng-fei, Tsang Tak-sing, Sik Chi-wai and Tsang Hin-chi and member of the NPCSC Ng Hong-mun. It attracted new faces such as Executive Councillors Laura Cha Shih May-lung and Bernard Charnwut Chan, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Ian Fok Chun-wan, former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Michael Tien Puk-sun and former Secretary for Education and Manpower Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun. There were also three pan-democrats, James To Kun-sun and Mak Hoi-wah of the Democratic Party and Frederick Fung Kin-kee of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood.

1,169 of the 1,234 electoral college members cast their votes. Each elector had to choose 36 candidates. The top 36 candidates in the ballot, as long as they receive more than 50 per cent support, would be elected. 36 of the 52 candidates were elected while 7 candidates were elected as supplementary deputies. 2 incumbents, Philip Wong Yu-hong and David Chu Yu-lin failed to retain their seats in surprise.

Election result

Elected members (36)

 Laura Cha Shih May-lung
 Bernard Charnwut Chan
 Cheng Yiu-tong
 Choy So-yuk
 Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai
 Fei Fih
 Ian Fok Chun-wan
 Raymond Ho Chung-tai
 Ip Kwok-him
 Ko Po-ling
 Dennis Lam Shun-chiu
 Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun
 Joseph Lee Chung-tak
 Miriam Lau Kin-yee
 Priscilla Lau Pui-king
 Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun
 Leung Ping-chung
 Martin Liao Cheung-kong
 Lo Shun-on
 Lo Suk-ching
 Tim Lui Tim-leung
 Ma Fung-kwok
 Ma Ho-fai
 Ng Ching-fai
 Ng Leung-sing
 Maria Tam Wai-chu
 Michael Tien Puk-sun
 Tso Wung-wai
 Wang Rudeng
 Carson Wen Ka-shuen
 Wong Kwok-kin
 Peter Wong Man-kong
 Wilfred Wong Ying-wai
 Wong Yuk-shan
 Yeung Yiu-chung
 Yuen Mo

Supplementary members (4)

 David Chu Yu-lin
 Peter Hung Hak-hip
 Leung Fu-wah
 Philip Wong Yu-hong

References

2008 elections in China
2008 in Hong Kong
NPC
January 2008 events in China

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Student analytics are useful tools to inform teachers what to do next. It allows a teacher to customize the support they give each student based on real time predictors and indicators. K12 Smart Reporting Systems can help improve the performance of not just at-risk students, but all students.
Student analytics is the process of understanding the complete performance of all your students. With student analytics, you can identify performance gaps, view grades, and assess scores and attendance records in order to identify underperforming students.
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Zee maintains that Refuse Fascism is committed to nonviolent protest, and scoffs at the ideas floating through the far right of antifa supersoldiers waging war on mainstream society. If anything, the jarring disconnect over Nov. 4 shows how easily facts are eaten alive by social media and regurgitated as conspiracy theory. The possible violence coloring that disconnect illustrates how truly ideologically isolated the two sides are from one another.
Zee's group does have big plans for the weekend — and beyond. He tells The Post the group is organizing demonstrations on Saturday in more than a dozen locations, including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.
Tapping the same kind of energy unleashed in the Occupy Wall Street movement and Women's March, Refuse Fascism hopes to spark regular protests against the administration, daily actions that will snowball until "every day there are tens of thousands of people protesting, creating a political crisis in the country with international repercussions, and where you do get a reaction from those in power that they have to do something about it," Zee said.
Zee is admittedly less clear on what that peaceful regime change would look like in the United States. "Impeachment, the 25th Amendment, they will determine the means and ways when it becomes clear there is a tremendous crisis of confidence," the organizer said. The key is sending the message.
That message, however, so far has largely been lost in translation online. Rumbles about planned Nov. 4 demonstrations began circulating on the internet this summer, according to Will Sommer, The Hill editor who pens Right Richter newsletter. In September, a small group of Refuse Fascism organizers made a splash when they blocked traffic on Highway 101 in Los Angeles and held up signs reading "NOV 4 IT BEGINS," LA Weekly reported.
Video clips of the demonstration accelerated the online panic over what could be planned for Nov. 4. More speculation was fueled by the involvement of the Revolutionary Communist Party, and many began to label the outing as an antifa event.
Refuse Fascism's Zee denies all that speculation.
The organization is engaged with a broad coalition of groups, including the Revolutionary Communist Party, but they have committed to Refuse Fascism's nonviolence stance.
Still, the online hysterics over Nov. 4 have put the demonstrations in the potential the crosshairs of extremists.


text:
Тип «Один» () — серия норвежских малых эсминцев, классифицируемых порой также как миноносцы. Были спроектированы как универсальные корабли, способные также использоваться в роли минных заградителей. Представляют собой развитие класса типа «Слейпнир», однако построены по существенно изменённому проекту.

История службы

"Odin" сдался германским войскам 11.4.1940 в Кристиансанне. Включен в состав Кригсмарине под названиями "Panther".

"Tor" в момент вторжения Германии в Норвегию проходил сдаточные испытания. Затоплен экипажем 9.4.1940 в гавани Фредрикстада. Поднят немцами и после ремонта 13.6.1940 включен в состав Кригсмарине под названием "Tiger".

"Balder" захвачен герм, войсками в недостроенном состоянии в Хортене 9.4.1940. Достроен и введен в состав Кригсмарине 26.6.1940 под названием "Leopard".

В январе 1941 г. переоборудованы в торпедоловы, прежняя артиллерия и ТА сняты, установлены 1 105-мм/45 орудие, 1 37-мм/83 и 2 20-мм/65 автоматы. Зимой 1941/42 г. на "Panther" добавлены еще 2 20-мм/65 автомата. После войны возвращены Норвегии под прежними названиями.

Сданы на слом в 1959 г.

Представители проекта

Литература

Эскадренные миноносцы Норвегии
Эскадренные миноносцы с паротурбинной энергетической установкой
Эскадренные миноносцы Второй мировой войны
Эскадренные миноносцы по типам
Корабли кригсмарине


text:
Federal Bill Introduced to Eliminate E15 Sales and Reduce Ethanol Mandates
By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
SEMA-supported legislation (HR 1315) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to cap the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10% and prohibit the sale of E15.
SEMA-supported legislation (HR 1315) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to cap the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10% and prohibit the sale of E15 (gasoline with 15% ethanol).
The bill would also eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard's (RFS) mandate that 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol be blended into the U.S. fuel supply each year. While the RFS was intended to reduce the nation's dependency on foreign oil, the 2007 law has translated into ever-increasing corn production so that the ethanol byproduct can be blended into gasoline. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has turned to sales of E15 to achieve the law's artificial mandate. Ethanol, especially in higher concentrations, such as E15, can cause metal corrosion and dissolve certain plastics and rubbers in automobiles produced before 2001 that were not constructed with ethanol-resistant materials.
SEMA has joined with more than 50 other organizations from the auto/boat industries to the food, energy and environmental community to support passage of the legislation. Tell your lawmakers to support HR 1315 by sending them a letter.
For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.
Virginia House of Delegates Passes Bill to Repeal Internal Combustion Engine Ban
January 26, 2023 | Vol. 26, No. 04
D.C. Introduces Bill to Use Cameras to Ticket Loud Vehicles
SEMA Urges USTR to Remove Section 301 China Tariffs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Apple iMovie is a video editing software application for Mac and iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPad mini and iPod touch). In iMovie, you can import and edit photos and video clips and add titles, music, and effects, including basic color correction and video enhancement tools and transitions such as fades and slides.
Generally, the iMovie for iPad only allows you to edit video clips shot with iOS devices. If you have some FLV video files (downloaded from the Internet) in your computer and want to edit them with iMovie on the iPad, you will need to convert video first.
The common way is to convert FLV to the right format on your Mac using a video converter and then transfer the converted file to your iPad. However, I do not plan to introduce this way in details in this post. Rather, I'd like to show you a more direct and easier way to convert FLV to work with iMovie for iPad. You do not even need to know about which formats can be accepted by iMovie. Moreover, you will skip the video transfer process.
Following the steps below, you will be able to convert FLV for editing in iMovie right on the iPad itself. The only app you need is Video Converter App.
In order to transfer FLV from computer to the app to convert and play, you need to make sure your computer and your iPad are connected to the same WiFi network first. Then switch to the WiFi Upload tab and input the http URL to your computer (Windows or Mac) web browser. Within the browser, you can browse and choose FLV files from your computer and upload them to the app.
The uploaded FLV files will go to the Video Source tab. There you can select and convert any of them.
The output video files will go to the Converted Video tab. Then you need to choose to copy them to photo library in order to add them to iMovie on iPad.
Now you can launch the iMovie app on your iPad, create a new project and drag and drop the converted video files to the timeline for further editing.
Note: Video Converter App is also available on the Mac App Store (preview link). If you want to convert video files to edit in iMovie for Mac, you can also download it from Mac App Store to help you.


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BLOG| GALLERY| GET INVOLVED| NEWSLETTERS
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"When the unthinkable became the thinkable and the impossible really happened."
~ Arundhati Roy
Mexican Activists Advance Rights Despite Threats
Submitted on: 02/27/2013
Attacks and threats of violence on women human rights defenders and their organizations in Mexico have increased at an alarming rate over the past two years. Many report living under constant threat, simply for defending the rights of others.
Violence against women is being used as a means of social control," said Marusia Lopez Cruz, JASS Mesoamerica's director. "We're seeing an increase not only in the number of incidents, but also in the cruelty and brutality with which it's carried out.
This was the conclusion of 62 women defenders during the 3rd National Meeting of the Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) Network held in Mexico City January 24-25. Over two days, women from throughout the country shared their personal accounts of the intimidation they face in reprisal for their work and the impact this has on their lives and those of their families. Above all, they shared the determination to find ways to continue their work while remaining safe and sane.
"We've had the disappearance of Eva Alarcón, the assassination of Juventina — this is the language of intimidation for all women human rights defenders." - Defender in Guerrero
It's no easy task. The defenders reported that their offices have been ransacked, they have received death threats, and colleagues have been murdered or disappeared. Twenty-five women human rights defenders have been killed in Mexico just in the past three years.
Some - like Bettina Cruz who leads the fight to defend her indigenous community against a huge energy project in Oaxaca, and Blanca Velázquez who led a labor rights organization in Puebla - cannot go back to their homes due to the severity of threats. Despite the fact that many have protective measures granted by the Mexican government or the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, these courageous women activists continue to face attacks and the constant threat of violence as they carry out their justice work. As a response and presented during this meeting by the National Network, the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative has created a regional fund for emergency cases of violence against WHRD and a fund to support the wellbeing of women activists at risk (both documents only available in Spanish).
These are women who defend rights to land and culture against development megaprojects that seek to push their families off the land; women who defend labor rights in offshore factories that use women's labor to produce goods for the global production chain; women who face constant attacks and discrimination in LGBT organizations; women who are opposing militarization, building community defense programs and seeking justice.
In a heavily machista society, many women defenders are breaking with the traditional roles associated with women and as a result, many are isolated and can't even count on support from their families or communities.
"I am alone, in solitude. I experience bitterness, tears and worry. Who can I talk to? The planet? But there's no response. I'm a strong woman (chingona), but if you only knew that I´m dead on the inside."
The meeting ended with a collective statement:
We will continue to work together in the Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Network, building alternatives for protection, security and self-care that contribute to our safety, to continue our work as human rights defenders so that justice and equality can become a reality in our country.
Initiative:
Mesoamerica - Solidarity & Action: Women Defenders
Feminist movement-building
Women human rights defenders
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accents on english | spring-summer 16
Home / News & Events / Newsletter / Accents on English, Spring-Summer 2016 / Alumni Publications
new books & media
accents on english
Newsletter of the Department of English at Arizona State University
Daniel Ari (Fleischmann) (MFA 1992). One Way to Ask. Norfolk Press, 2016.
Michele Speitz and Joey Eschrich (BA 2008), eds. Slow Catastrophes, Uncertain Revivals: Stories Inspired by Project Hieroglyph. Center for Science and the Imagination, 2016.
Daniel L. Bernardi and Michael S. Green (MFA 2008), eds. Race in American Film [3 volumes]: The Complete Resource. Greenwood, 2016.
Julie Hensley (MFA 2002). Landfall: A Ring of Stories. Ohio State Univ. Press, 2016.
If you have a publication to share, please send the information to Kristen.LaRue@asu.edu.
Myrlin Hepworth (BA 2011). Eulogy in Blue. Mixtape. Myrlindo, LLC, 2016.
Allegra Hyde (MFA 2015). Of This New World. Univ. of Iowa Press, 2016.
Robert Dean Johnson (MFA 2003). Californium: A Novel of Punk Rock, Growing up, and Other Dangerous Things. Plume/Penguin, 2016.
Bill Konigsberg (MFA 2005). Apenas Um Garoto. Portugese translation of Openly Straight. Arqueiro, 2016.
Miguel Murphy (BA 1998; MFA 2001). Detainee. Barrow Street Press, 2016.
Patricia Colleen Murphy (MFA 1996). Hemming Flames. Utah State Univ. Press, 2016.
Irena Praitis (PhD 1999; MFA 2001). The Last Stone in the Circle. Red Mountain Press, 2016.
Tanita Saenkhum (PhD 2012). Decisions, Agency, and Advising: Key Issues in the Placement of Multilingual Writers into First-Year Composition Courses. Utah State Univ. Press, 2016.
Lynn Houston, Susan Allspaw Pomeroy, and Jennifer Spiegel (MFA 2003), eds. Dead Inside: Poems and Essays on Zombies. Foiled Crown Books, 2016.


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Law School and Law Student Profiles
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Brian E. Berger Wants to Practice Corporate Law in the Lone Star State
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Brian E. Berger graduated from Boston University School of Law in January 2014. Although he has several areas of interest, he plans on practicing Corporate Law in Houston, TX.
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Brian was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He received his B.A. Cum Laude in Political Science and minored in Philosophy while attending the University of Florida, where he graduated with a 3.83 GPA in May 2006. He made the Dean's List and was the recipient of the Florida Academic Scholarship. Brian was also a member of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.
At Boston University School of Law, he was a member of the American Constitution Society and he served as president of the organization in 2012. Brian was also a member of the BU Law Softball Team and he served as a Staff Member for the Review of Banking & Financial Law, which published his work: The Professional Responsibility of Lawyers and the Financial Crisis, 31 REV. BANKING & FIN. L. 3 (2011). He earned the Paul J. Liacos Scholarship, which recognizes students in the top ten percent based on their 2L Grade Point Average.
From June 2011 to August 2011, Brian served as a research assistant for law professor Frank S. Alexander who teaches at Emory University School of Law. He researched state foreclosure laws and origins of subprime mortgage crisis. Brian also edited and made significant revisions to his article, which was featured in the Review of Banking & Financial Law. In addition to working for Professor Alexander, he served as a legal intern for ACCION International, Office of General Counsel based in Boston, MA. Brian drafted international loan agreements and employment contracts. He researched and wrote memoranda on issues of tax exemption, non-profit law, and employment law. Brian also improved the company's hiring and contract review policies.
From September 2012 to December 2012, he served as a legal extern for the Massachusetts Securities Division in Boston, MA. Brian examined consumer complaints alleging securities fraud, reviewed documentary evidence, and participated in depositions. He also formulated a fraud theory based on the Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act.
From June 2013 to August 2013, Brian served as a research assistant for law professor Lillian V. Faulhaber at Boston University School of Law. He researched corporate taxation in the European Union, international controlled foreign corporation laws, and transfer pricing rules. Brian also wrote a memorandum evaluating the European Court of Justice's recent cross-border taxation jurisprudence.
From May 2012 to November 2012 and from July 2013 to December 2013, he served as a law clerk for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Legal Division based in Braintree, MA. Brian researched federal and state banking laws. He drafted advisory opinions on risk management and consumer protection matters. Brian assisted attorneys in developing legal strategies for enforcement actions and he drafted motions. He also organized depositions in preparation for litigation and investigated incidences of bank fraud.
When the University of Florida alumnus isn't studying, he enjoys music, traveling, and is into physical fitness. Brian's favorite book is Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Brian's Academic Law Career and Future Aspirations
Why did Brian go into the law? "I have a very deductive mind, so the study of law and legal practice suits me. The law allows me to use my mental faculties in a way that is both productive and fulfilling. In addition, I hope to contribute to society in some small way by advising the individuals and firms that are vital to our economy. Of course, I also would like to make a good living."
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What are the areas of the law he hopes to practice? "I would like to practice corporate law. I hope to help companies grow and become more productive by advising them on transactions. I also like tax law because I miss math and it involves unique problems in the law."
Brian shared his aims and aspirations. "I would like to work for a firm to which I can make a meaningful contribution. Ultimately, I would like to work in-house, where I will see a variety of issues and help a company to run more smoothly."
Are there any particular achievements that he has been involved in which he would like to share with our readers? "I took a semester off from law school to travel the world, and still graduated with a 3.66 GPA."
When asked about his key accomplishments, Brian stated, "Traveling the world by myself; graduating from law school; and recovering from a lackluster 1L year."
He discussed his key strengths and skills that he would like to use to advance his career goals. Brian noted:
"I have a tremendous work ethic. I understand the value of hard work and recognize that there is no substitute. I believe in doing things right the first time-no short cuts. I also take pride in my work product. Everything I put my name on has to be of the best possible quality, as I am very protective of my reputation as a top-flight worker. I enjoy being a go-to guy. When someone gives me an assignment, they can rest assured that it will be done professionally and on time. I take pride in that."
As for his weakness, he admitted:
"I have difficulty working in groups because I like for everything to be done exactly how I like. Sometimes, it is hard for me to let go and allow other people to do things their way. I've yet to figure out exactly how much work I am capable of doing. Sometimes, I am scared to take on more assignments for fear of not being able to devote my maximum effort to each. Usually, though, I end up feeling like I could have taken on more work."
Since law school can be hectic at times, Brian pointed out how he relieves stress. "When I get overwhelmed, I make a list of everything that I need to do. Then, I methodically complete the tasks on my list, crossing them off as I go."
Many readers are probably wondering how he handles new assignments. "First, I gather all of the information necessary to complete the assignment. Next, I hone in on the exact task or tasks at hand. After that, I make a game plan for everything that has to be done. Lastly, I execute and then review to make sure that everything has been completed correctly."
Where does Brian derive his confidence? "In my life, hard work has always been followed by success. As a result, I know in my heart that so long as I put in the time and effort, I can achieve anything. This has been proven time and again. My confidence is based on experience."
What Brian Expects Out of Life, Top Priority, Most Influential Traveling Experience, Coping with Fear and Major Obstacles
What does Brian want out of life? "I want a meaningful and spiritually fulfilling life."
What is his top priority outside of work? "International travel-so far, I have traveled to Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia, and India."
Does he have a most influential traveling experience? "I have traveled all over the world. The most influencing travel experience was India, which is a total bombardment of the spirit and senses. I met incredible and amazingly generous people, swam in the holy river Ganges, and drank tea at the Taj Mahal."
In regards to handling fear, Brian said, "I confront it."
Has he faced any obstacles in his life? "After becoming accustomed to excelling in school, I did not have a very good 1L year. But I recommitted myself to my studies, and by working hard, I was able to bring my GPA up to a very respectable average."
Legal Role Models, Personal Philosophy, People You Want to Surround Yourself With, Favorite Quote and Final Thoughts
Does Brian have any legal role models? "David Hammer, for his ability to achieve excellence in his work and balance in his life."
What is his personal philosophy? "In the end, everything tends to unfold just as it should."
The future attorney discussed what he believes holds more truth in light of his personal philosophy. Was it fate or choice? "I believe that choice and fate are compatible and that the truth lies somewhere in between. While the choices we make are genuinely free ones, the book is already written, we are only turning the pages."
What kind of situations and people is Brian attracted to? What kind of situations and people does he avoid? "I enjoy hearty and passionate people and any situation that fosters personal or professional growth." As for situations and people to avoid, Brian acknowledged, "I avoid selfish people and bad situations."
His favorite quote is by Junot Diaz: "If these years have taught me anything it is this: You can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in." Brian said the quote resonates with him because it reminds him that no matter what challenges you are facing in life, you shouldn't avoid them. Instead, you should confront your challenges.
Is there anything else you care to share professionally or personally? "After attending law school in Boston, I moved to Houston, Texas, where I hope to practice corporate law. My parents, Deborah and Gary, were integral to my personal and professional development. I am eternally grateful for their support."
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Thinking about and planning for the end of your life can be a daunting task. We procrastinate and think, "It's too soon! I'm still healthy!" until it's too late. But don't panic. Help is all around you, and it begins by exploring some circumstances where you may not be able to speak for yourself. How will you document your wishes? Who do you want to speak for you? How can you assure that these documents and this person will be available when the time comes?
Workshop leader Velda Filzen, RN, is an expert in this area. She has led thousands of people to a greater understanding of end-of-life issues in both Washington and Oregon. As a former palliative care nurse, Velda has witnessed first-hand the real life scenarios where patients and their families were well-prepared, ill-prepared, or seeking advice in advance of declining health.
Whatever stage you are at in your thinking and planning, this workshop will help you take the next steps. We'll walk through the Oregon Advance Directive and the POLST (Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment) form. You'll learn more about hospice and palliative care, how to start the conversation with your family about your wishes, and have your most pressing questions addressed.
Light supper will be provided. This program is free and open to the public; bring a friend! RSVPs required for planning food, beverage, seating, and parking.


We drink to celebrate, socialise, commiserate or deal with stress. But drinking too much, too often, or for too long can cause problems with your health, work and relationships. If you or someone else is worried about how much you're drinking, find out what you can do about it.
The Australian guidelines recommend having no more than two standard drinks per day to reduce the risk of long-term alcohol-related problems. To avoid the risk of short-term injury, the guidelines recommend no more than four standard drinks at any one time.
These amounts come as a shock to most Australians, especially when they learn the definition of a 'standard drink'.
You might be surprised by the size of a standard drink. A 'glass' is not the same as a standard drink. You could be drinking more standard drinks per day than you realise.
To see how much a standard drink contains, try the 'How much is in your glass' tool on The Right Mix website. Choose your usual drink type and 'fill' the glass to the level you usually fill it to.
You can also use the Track tool in the ON TRACK with The Right Mix app to track your drinking in real time.
Alcohol has different effects on different people, and there's no hard and fast rule about when drinking becomes a problem.
What we do know is the more you drink and the longer you've been drinking, the more likely it is your drinking will cause problems.
For example, it might become hard for you to do your work, take care of things at home, spend time on hobbies, or get along with other people.
Listen to your friends and family: have they commented on how much you're drinking? If so, your drinking might have become a problem, even if you don't feel like it has.
Understanding how drinking impacts on your life can help you to decide whether you need to change your drinking habits.
Answer some questions to find out how risky your drinking is.
You can also use the 'Track' tool in the 'ON TRACK with The Right Mix' app to track your drinking over time and then find out your Wellbeing Score Chart.
It can be helpful to think about what you're getting out of your drinking, as well as what you're missing out on.
As with most things, there will be pluses and minuses to your drinking.
For example, a plus might be that you get to have a laugh with your mates, and a minus might be that you don't have enough money for your partner's birthday present. Writing pros and cons down on paper is a really good way to help you see the big picture and make a decision about whether you want to change your drinking habits.
Knowing where you stand will help motivate you to make changes that last.
If you've decided to change your drinking habits, you need to work out whether your goal is to cut back a bit or stop drinking completely. Your goals should be specific, achievable and broken down into manageable steps.
For example, you might say: "My goal is to only drink two beers a day. I'm going to cut back by one beer a day until I reach that goal."
Once you've worked out what you want to do, you can write yourself a contract. This is an important part of starting to change and will help you stay on track.
It's really important to keep an eye on how much and how often you're drinking. Keeping track of your drinking will help you learn more about when, where, and why you drink.
A diary is a good way of tracking your drinking, including the financial cost and a record of any problems it causes. It also helps you check your progress against your goals.
Making changes can be hard, but having fun activities and rewards for yourself can help motivate you to stay on track.
Use the Enjoyable and Rewarding Activities tool to identify activities and plan how you will do them. Choose activities that will be good alternatives to drinking, as well as some activities that you can use to reward yourself when you start to reach your goals.
Use this tool when you are planning to make changes, or once you have already started. You can also use the tool whenever you get stuck for activity ideas.
Sometimes people drink more than they should when they're worried about other aspects of their life. Having more social connections, getting better at problem solving and learning to manage unpleasant feelings are really important ways of changing your drinking behaviour.
AT-Ease provides a range of tools to help you manage your drinking.
If you are finding it hard to deal with your problems you might begin to feel overwhelmed and turn to alcohol to cope.
The Problem Solving tool will guide you through a step-by-step process for tackling day-to-day problems to help you to feel more in control of issues in your life.
When you're starting out, use the tool to solve a problem that is not too difficult. Once you've learned the skills you can start to apply the problem-solving approach to all sorts of situations as they arise in your day-to-day life.
If you are planning to lower your alcohol consumption, it pays to think about who can support you through this process.
Use the Social Connections tool to identify the people in your life who can offer support and the different kinds of support they can provide.
Focus on strengthening relationships with those closest to you.
Also, think about people you can spend time with without drinking and where you spend your time when you do catch up. For example, if you always meet a friend at a pub, it'll be harder to resist a drink. But if you meet at a cafe, it'll reduce the temptation.
When you are overwhelmed by strong emotions, it's difficult to think clearly and stick to your goals for managing your drinking.
When you're starting out, practice using the tool when you are feeling calm. Once you've learned the strategies you can use them whenever you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or feeling like you need to have a drink.
Self-help isn't for everyone. If you've tried self-help strategies and are still having trouble changing your drinking habits, or if you're worried you have a serious alcohol problem and you need additional support, other options are available.
A GP is a good place to start when trying to overcome alcohol problems. Your GP can also manage your general health issues and make referrals for specialists if necessary.
AT-Ease has information on a range of professional care options that are available to current and former serving members.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation provides information, resources and programs to prevent alcohol and other drug harm in Australian communities.


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At a recent career workshop, one attendee asked if her poor job search results to date were a reflection of the market or her own skills and qualifications. It's a valid question because this is a particularly tough market. You don't want to beat yourself up unnecessarily. Perhaps, you are doing everything right and it's just bad luck from the market. However, as a career coach and former recruiter who has coached, recruited and/or managed thousands of careers, I see more of the opposite behavior: jobseekers who prematurely blame the market when their own job search efforts are shallow or subpar.
How much time are you spending on your search? How many resumes have you sent out? How many networking meetings have you lined up? I see many jobseekers exasperated because their first 5-10 attempts haven't worked out. Even in a good market, you have to expect to speak to 50-60 people in your target sector over the course of your search.
Are you spending time on activities that bring you results? Many jobseekers rely on responding to ads and contacting recruiters, even as they hear that most jobs are accessible by networking and talking directly to companies. Be honest about how productive your job search activities are. By all means, try many different routes including ads and recruiters, but if those haven't been working for you, be willing to change and do something else.
Are you talking to the right people? Attending a cocktail party and telling everyone who will listen that you need a job doesn't count as networking. Networking in general is about building relationships for the long-term. Networking in the job search context is about identifying and nurturing relationships with people who can hire you or refer you. These need to be people one, two or three levels above you.
We have all heard the line "It's not personal, it's business." In the case of your job search, it's both. Yes, keep your business hat on because you need to be professional and analytical and focused on your target companies' business concerns. But your job search is also very personal. Your ability to find the best job for you impacts your emotional health, financial wellbeing, day-to-day living and future prospects. Is it the market or is it you? It's your search, your career, and your willingness and ability to be better than the jobseekers out there regardless of the market. It's all you.


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On View: 'Renaissance: Noir' Curated by Myrtis Bedolla at UTA Artist Space
by Victoria L. Valentine on Jun 10, 2020 • 12:58 pm No Comments
While museums and galleries are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus, On View will continue to showcase images from noteworthy exhibitions
UTA ARTIST SPACE in Los Angeles is presenting a virtual exhibition curated by Myrtis Bedolla, founder of Galerie Myrtis, a black-owned art gallery in Baltimore. A selection of largely figurative works in a variety of mediums by 12 artists is on view in "Renaissance: Noir." Grouped in four related categories, the works explore black body politics, the physiognomy of the black male and its perceived threat to white society, the social and political construct of society, and the power of black subjectivity.
Bedolla's curatorial statement says in part: "In claiming agency over 'otherness' and cultural emancipation from a Eurocentric lens, exuberant thought-provoking paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, and conceptual works serve as chronological annals that delineate the social, political, and historical journey of the Black experience through intergenerational narratives that span over 40 years of artistic production."
Works by Tawny Chatmon, Wesley Clark, Alfred Conteh, Larry Cook, Morel Doucet, Monica Ikegwu, Ronald Jackson, M. Scott Johnson, Delita Martin, Arvie Smith, AfriCOBRA artist Nelson Stevens, and Felandus Thames are featured. The artists are based in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Miami, Texas, Atlanta, and New York. The group includes many emerging artists. Several artists are represented by Galerie Myrtis. The showcase is UTA's first online only exhibition. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Artist Relief. CT
Curated by Myrtis Bedolla, "Renaissance: Noir" is on view at UTA Artist Space in Los Angeles, online only from June 9-July 3, 2020. The gallery space is temporarily closed due to COVID-19. Check directly with UTA Artist Space for an updated opening schedule and visiting hours.
READ MORE about the exhibition in Myrtis Bedolla's curatorial statement
TOP IMAGE: MONICA IKEGWU, "Sister's Keeper," 2020 (oil on canvas, 30 x 48 inches). | Courtesy Monica Ikegwu and Galerie Myrtis
ALFRED CONTEH, "Aston and Ethan," 2020 (acrylic and urethane plastic on canvas, 84 x 47.5 x 3 inches). | Courtesy Alfred Conteh and Galerie Myrtis
"The paintings in the Two Fronts series are visual explorations of how African diaspora societies in the south are fighting social, economic, educational and psychological wars from within and without to survive. The honest and false narratives of history embodied in this series are primarily personified in patinated colossuses that symbolize the culture and realities of the populations they tower over, and the battles we've fought and continue to fight. We are at war on two fronts." — Alfred Conteh
RONALD JACKSON, "A Dwelling Down Roads Unpaved," 2020 (oil on canvas, 72 x 84 inches). | Courtesy Ronald Jackson and Galerie Myrtis
ARVIE SMITH, "2Up and 2Back," 2019 (oil on canvas, 72 x 60 inches). | Courtesy Arvie Smith and Galerie Myrtis
"With humor, seduction, and emotion I create narratives about the Black experience and throw them out to the audience and ask members to wrestle with any discomfort it might create. I want my work to be a catalyst for change by depicting the strength, bravery, heroics, and endurance of African Americans. As an artist who spent my early formative years in the Jim Crow south and who lived under the separate and unequal apartheid system of Los Angeles in the 50s, 60s, and 70s I feel qualified to critique the social impact of racism on America culture through my paintings."
— Arvie Smith
TAWNY CHATMON, "The Boy That Changed My Life Honored: The Redemption Series," 2019 (24k gold leaf and acrylic paint on archival pigment print, 30 x 24 inches). | Courtesy Tawny Chatmon and Galerie Myrtis
"The primary theme that drives my art practice is celebrating the beauty of black childhood. I am devoted to creating portraits that are loosely inspired by works painted during the 15th-19th centuries with the specific intent of bringing to the forefront faces that were often under-celebrated in this style of work." — Tawny Chatmon
FELANDUS THAMES, "Portrait of the First Post-Black," 2019 (hair beads on coated wire and aluminum rod, 39 x 24 x inches). | Courtesy Felandus Thames and Galerie Myrtis
"I am interested in our relationship to the ready-made and how they can become surrogates for their user's ethnology and gender. My work attempts to transcend didacticisms that are typically associated with anachronistic understandings of representation and instead aligns itself with ideas around the taxonomy of human difference. I am also interested in the interplay between the personal narrative and the imagined. And I use humor, increasingly important to the work, as it allows the viewer to ease into disconcerting motifs." — Felandus Thames
FELANDUS THAMES, "Reframe (Mike Tyson)," 2020 (hairbeads on coated wire, 89 x 48 inches). | Courtesy Felandus Thames and Galerie Myrtis
DELITA MARTIN, "I See God in Us/ Claiming What Has Risen," 2020 (relief printing, charcoal, fabric, decorative papers, hand stitching, acrylic, 72 x 51 x 1/2 inches). | Courtesy Delita Martin and Galerie Myrtis
"Works in the I See God in Us series are not only layered in textures and techniques but also symbolism. The color blue is used throughout in varying shades. The color is a symbol of the night and representative of a magical and spiritual place; a place that is deeply grounded in cultural and oral histories that allow for the acceptance of magic in an otherwise rational world. The women in the works are magical beings that possess the power to transcend their black skin and existence in a spiritual form. Through the weaving of history and storytelling, they offer a new narrative on the power of women." — Delita Martin
DELITA MARTIN, "I See God in Us/ Trinity," 2020 (acrylic, charcoal, decorative papers, hand stitching, liquid gold leaf, relief printing, 72 x 102 inches). | Courtesy Delita Martin and Galerie Myrtis
FIND MORE about Galerie Myrtis on the Baltimore gallery's website
From co-founder Wadsworth Jarrell, "AFRICOBRA: Experimental Art toward a School of Thought," explores the origins, impact, and legacy of AfriCOBRA. Nelson Stevens, who is featured in the "Renaissance: Noir" exhibition, is among the artists associated with the artist collective first established in Chicago in 1968.
United Talent Agency Taps Arthur Lewis to Lead UTA Fine Arts and UTA Artist Space On View: 'Tricknology: Ektor Garcia and Allison Janae Hamilton,' Curated by Sanford Biggers at Marianne Boesky in Aspen, Colo. Curated by Painter Nina Chanel Abney, 'Punch' at Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles Gathers More Than 30 of Her Artist Friends Artist Deborah Roberts Joined Vielmetter Los Angeles and Has an Exhibition at Gallery's New Downtown Space
Tags: Alfred Conteh, Arvie Smith, Delita Martin, Felandus Thames, Galerie Myrtis, Larry Cook, M. Scott Johnson, Monica Ikegwu, Morel Doucet, Myrtis Bedolla, Nelson Stevens, Ronald Jackson, Tawny Chatmon, UTA Artist Space, Wesley Clark
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Ajit Menon
Print edition : August 17, 2018 T+ T-
Water extracted from a ditch dug in a waterhole in Gajdinapur village in Patan district in Gujarat. The book argues for a change of mindset where water is seen as a sustainer of ecosystems and harvested and governed locally as a common resource. Photo: AFP
Soliga Adivasis and NGOs discussing the conservation plan for the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple sanctuary in Karnataka. A file photograph.
A collection of essays mapping out viable sustainable alternatives to capitalist modernity.
I WAS skeptical when I started reading Alternative Futures: India Unshackled edited by Ashish Kothari and K.J. Joy. In the early 1990s when I worked at the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, the Centre actively publicised and promoted the "alternative" decentralised community-based natural resource management model practised in places such as Sukhomajri, Haryana, and Ralegaon Siddhi, Maharashtra as being ecologically sustainable and socially equitable.
Unfortunately, as years went by, there was no sign that such experiments were on the rise. Moreover, while critiques of capitalist modernity and neoliberal development were a dime a dozen, there were few, if any, detailed macro visions of a different path to sustainable and equitable development and also rigorous critiques of these micro-level "success" stories.
Despondency set in as neoliberal development gained pace and spread far and wide, making India an even more polarised society than it had always been.
The book under review is, however, different. Kothari and Joy, both being actively involved in sociopolitical and environmental movements for the past few decades, have assembled a group of activist scholars and scholar activists to imagine a future that offers a viable sustainable alternative to capitalist modernity.
What ties together an apparently disparate set of 32 essays covering a breadth of topics on ecological, political, economic and sociocultural themes is a critique of India's current development path and a vision for a future grounded in real-life examples of sustainable alternatives emerging from state policies and/or civil society initiatives.
The writers have followed the brief given by the editors who say in their introduction: "Our brief to the exciting galaxy of authors in this volume was to indulge in some such vision-setting, for a moment letting the imagination run riot, and not get caught in the shackles of what is 'realistic' and 'feasible'. But since we did not want this to be an exercise only in imagination, we also requested authors to build on the current context, and to provide actual examples and instances from the past or present that point to the real possibility of such visions coming true" (page 3).
The first couple of essays in the book deal with the building blocks of such a vision—namely a sustainable and equitable ecological future, a theme that in fact runs through most of the essays in the volume. Kartik Shanker, Nitin Rai and Meera Anna Oommen set the stage by arguing for a reconciliation ecology that emphasises diverse, multi-use landscapes where humans and non-humans can coexist. The importance of this cannot be overemphasised, given the current conservation paradigm that imagines largely a network of wildlife protected areas and reserved forests free of humans and human use without caring much for what happens outside them.
Conservation and social justice are inextricably linked in a densely populated country like India, and hence alternatives to fortress conservation must be explored along with local communities who depend on natural resources.
Sharachchandra Lele and Geetanjoy Sahu build on this call for a more equitable ecological future by arguing that environmental governance must embrace environmentalism as a way of life through a reworked institutional framework that emphasises social justice and democracy. They argue that translating such principles into practice will require much more decentralised nodes of environmental decision-making and more downward accountability and inclusiveness within the bureaucracy charged with administering environmental laws. They further contend that more public awareness will be required to ensure that such a decentralised system is held accountable and works.
Water as a common resource
The other two chapters in the section on "Ecological Futures" are sector specific, focussing on water and energy. The water sector is perhaps the most emblematic of post-Independence India's tryst with development. Jawaharlal Nehru's temples of modernity, that is, large dams, were the focus of water policy. As Shripad Dharmadhikary and Himanshu Thakkar highlight in their essays, the aim of the policy was to store and use water and to deem the water not stored as waste. The result is there for us to see—dried up rivers and overexploited groundwater. To make things worse, many rivers have been polluted with no end in sight. Dharmadikhary and Thakkar argue for a change of mindset where water is seen as a sustainer of ecosystems and harvested and governed locally as commons. They point to the locally revived traditional water-harvesting systems such as johads and the larger systems such as the River Parliament to manage the Arvari, both in Rajasthan.
Ensuring these water systems are sustainable will, of course, depend on switching to less water-intensive crops. Here, one can think of the village of Hivre Bazaar in Maharashtra where water-intensive crops such as sugar cane have been banned by the village panchayat. The system of rice intensification (SRI), "the new and evolving alternative to conventional methods of rice cultivation", is another option.
Similarly, energy, too, will have to become more decentralised, as Harish Hande, Vivek Shastry and Rachita Mishra suggest. While they recognise the importance of modern energy sources in meeting the aspirations of over 200 million people in rural areas who still do not have regular electricity, they argue that the centralised grid is already strained. Moreover, the costs of expanding it in terms of more coal-fired power plants and large hydro systems would not only be financially costly but environmentally and socially destructive. Development, lest the reader has forgotten, continues to destroy ecologically fragile landscapes and human lives through displacement. Again there are real-life examples of decentralissed energy systems, which cater to local livelihoods. These should be promoted, as the authors argue, through financing such pathways and upgrading local capacity through service networks.
Radical social democracy
Power structure holds the key to these imagined ecologically sustainable futures and, therefore, not surprisingly receives attention in the second section, "Political Futures". A number of chapters in the section call for a more radical social democracy, as Aditya Nigam calls it in his essay titled "For a radical social democracy: Imagining possible Indian future/s". Nigam argues that such a democracy would be a far cry from "the present form of party-based parliamentary democracy" which "reduces all politics and contestation to mass manipulation…" (page 155). Such an imagined democracy, Nigam adds, will build on the ideas of B.R. Ambedkar and M.N. Roy, while taking the positive elements from Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. We can add a host of other visionaries to that list such as Jyotiba Phule and 'Periyar' E.V. Ramasamy.
In the essay titlted "Allowing people to shape our democratic future", Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Praavita Kashyap talk about how such a democracy might unfold and what a vision of such a democracy might look like. They highlight the importance of a rainbow coalition of social movements that help foster direct democracy that prioritises economic, social, ecological and political rights and show how such a coalition led to the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
Questions no doubt remain as to whether such alliances can be maintained and even expanded given the plurality of India's actors and its large size. One also wonders how such rainbow alliances will translate into grass-roots democracy. True, examples such as the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 1996, already exist. They require development projects in particular geographical areas to get the approval of the gram sabha concerned. However, in the gram sabhas often rules are not only not framed but their implementation also remains half-hearted.
Arpita Kodiveri, in the chapter titled "Legal futures for India", proposes a third House of Parliament comprising village representatives who could debate and discuss Bills and whose two-thirds approval would be required to pass a Bill. This leaves us with the vexing question of social inequality in villages that Ambedkar warned about. Will radical social democracy overturn such inequalities? Presumably, direct democracy with adequate affirmative action safeguards will make it more likely than at present, but it remains a daunting challenge.
For a sustainable economy
The chapters under the section "Economic Futures" collectively chart out a vision for a more equitable and sustainable economy that is cognisant and appreciative of local knowledge systems and resources. Capitalist modernity has not only degraded, depleted and polluted nature but also killed vast reservoirs of biodiversity and marginalised knowledge systems associated with them. Bharat Mansata, Kavitha Kuruganti, Vijay Jardhari and Vasant Futane make a case for food sovereignty and security based on traditional knowledge systems as an alternative to the Green Revolution. They give the example of the Deccan Development Society in Telangana and its work with women's sangams in repopularising traditional agriculture and millet cultivation. Ilse Kohler-Rollefsen and Hanwant Singh Rathore argue for an integrated pastoral production system that once again is cognisant of the traditional as opposed to mimicking the "efficient" but energy-intensive livestock production systems" (page 218) of the West.
In his chapter titled "Biomass-based rural revitalisation in future India", Joy details the importance of a biomass-based economy that can be locally self-sufficient. These three chapters illustrate the possibility of an integrated approach to agriculture and allied activities. The rest of the chapters in this section speak of the other dimensions of the village as well as the urban economy. In "Crafts show the way for Indian industrialisation", Uzramma argues that craft industries not only require minimal financial investment and infrastructure but embody cultural traits that have a significant market. Craft melas, which are fairly common in urban centres, are an example of this.
M.P. Parameswaran dreams of a village economy that is not only self-sufficient, but also minimalist and sustainable. Dunu Roy's vision is equally big, namely cooperative-based industrialisation that moves away from competition and profit and ensures the dignity of labour. Rakesh Kapoor makes the case for a more dispersed urbanisation process while Sujit Patwardhan argues for a transport policy that is less car-centric and focusses on non-motorised transport nodes, which is possible if residential areas in urban centres are much more compact, reducing the need for travel. Dinesh Abrol talks about technological alternatives that are not driven by neoliberal logic but by people's needs.
Diversity & tolerance
The final section of the book, "Socio-Cultural Futures", contains a wide range of subjects, including language, education, arts, health, caste, religion and knowledge. What binds these chapters together is a broad call for embracing diversity and tolerance that builds upon the past but is cognisant of the need for change as well. Ganesh Devy points out that India, according to the People's Linguistic Survey, has more than 700 living languages, each embedded in rich cultures. Sudha Gopalakrishnan speaks about art traditions such as Theyyam in Kerala that cross religious boundaries and illustrate ways towards a multicultural society.
Similarly, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta talks about the growth of alternative non-profit initiatives within the media and Rajeshwari Raina about more decentralised initiatives such as the one by the Timbuktu Foundation for knowledge production for agriculture. All these authors are, of course, aware that much more needs to be done to mainstream such initiatives and roll back the increasing corporatisation of our lives. This is perhaps most important in the education and health sectors, which continue to be driven mostly by profit motives.
As Rajesh Khindri and Tultul Biswas illustrate, while the Right to Education Act, 2009, aimed to make education more equitable, it has hardly made a dent in our stratified educational system. Similarly, despite Abhay Shukla and Rakhal Gaitonde's call for a universal health care model that is publicly funded, it is private health care that continues to flourish and private hospitals that mushroom. We must, therefore, continue to push forward these alternative visions across sectors and also make the case for a future that grapples with and addresses social inequalities, especially those of caste and gender as Anand Teltumbde and Arvind Narrain respectively argue. "Imagining Utopia", as Narrain puts it, is well worth it.
In their "Concluding Perspectives", under "Looking back into the future: India, South Asia, and the world in 2100", the editors suggest that we acknowledge the daunting task ahead in translating the collective imagined future dilineated in this volume into reality. History tells us that capitalism invariably responds to the crises it finds itself in. Today is no different. Many alternatives set out in this book, be it non-renewable energy or organic agriculture, have an increasing number of corporate actors involved. First, sustainable futures are being neoliberalised, and capital sees in such futures opportunities for further accumulation. The current political disposition depends significantly on keeping corporate India happy. Secondly, capitalism is successful in creating new subjects enticed by the market and consumption. How do we fight back against this, given that much of India aspires for a better life? The case for an alternative future needs to have a material foundation that people buy into.
Thirdly, these alternative futures based on real-life examples have not derailed the juggernaut of economic growth in India and its scant regard for the environmental laws on statute books, which are increasingly being watered down in the name of development. While there are victories to be celebrated such as the Supreme Court's judgment in favour of the Dongria Kondh people's right to reject the United Kingdom-based mining company Vedanta Resources' bauxite mining in Niyamgiri Hills, these are few and far between. The recent closure of the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, is a stark reminder of how far governments are willing to go when "development" is at stake.
Fourthly, we are now living in times when diversity appears to have lost value. The bogey of majoritarian nationalism is increasingly deployed to undermine alternative visions for the future and anything that comes in the way of nationalism and development as the government knows it. It remains to be seen, therefore, what space will exist in the near future for a more decentralised vision of development and democracy that is sustainable, equitable and inclusive.
Finally, even if such space exists for more decentralised development, it is worth keeping in mind that decentralisation can be socially exclusive and economically unjust. Trade-offs might exist between sustainable ecologies and egalitarian societies. We need to grapple with these complexities, much more than, perhaps, the authors of this volume were able to do, and chart out a vision that is cognisant of the shortcomings of "traditional" societies. Let us not forget that Indian society is hugely polarised on the lines of class, caste, gender and other identities. Feudal caste-based patriarchies are as much a threat as capitalist modernity. It is perhaps this sobering reminder of the challenges ahead that makes this book and the message it puts forth all the more valuable and a must read, however utopian it might appear.
Ajit Menon is professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies.
Reflections on Kashmir
Coexistence and strife
Fabulous nature
Impact of Red October
Twilight narrative
Remembering Partition
Unveiling answers
Safdar, a life extraordinary
Asia in focus
Last thoughts of a revolutionary
Bronze bonanza
Rule of the majority
Secrets held in archives
The untold story of Sikkim
Revisiting Vaishnavism
Mother earth tales
The birth of a State
Princely states of Pakistan
Magic of Rafi
Political adventurer
HistoryLabour history of Madras
The BJP and Nathuram Godse


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You can choose from the courses listed above.


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[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts)
[![codecov.io](https://codecov.io/github/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts/coverage.svg?branch=master)](https://codecov.io/github/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts?branch=master)

# marathon-alerts

Marathon Alerts is a tool for monitoring the apps running on marathon. Inspired from [kubernetes-alerts](https://github.com/AcalephStorage/kubernetes-alerts) and [consul-alerts](https://github.com/AcalephStorage/consul-alerts).

This was initially built for Marathon 0.8.0, hence we don't use the event bus.

## Usage
```
$ marathon-alerts --help
Usage of marathon-alerts:
      --alerts-suppress-duration duration              Suppress alerts for this duration once notified (default 30m0s)
      --check-interval duration                        Check runs periodically on this interval (default 30s)
      --check-min-healthy-critical-threshold value     Min Healthy instances check fail threshold (default 0.5)
      --check-min-healthy-warn-threshold value         Min Healthy instances check warning threshold (default 0.75)
      --check-min-instances-critical-threshold value   Min Instances check fail threshold (default 0.5)
      --check-min-instances-warn-threshold value       Min Instances check warning threshold (default 0.75)
      --debug                                          Enable debug mode. More counters for now.
      --pid string                                     File to write PID file (default "PID")
      --slack-channel string                           #Channel / @User to post the alert (defaults to webhook configuration)
      --slack-owner string                             Comma list of owners who should be alerted on the post
      --slack-webhook string                           Comma list of Slack webhooks to post the alert
      --uri string                                     Marathon URI to connect
```

Example invocation would be like the following
```
$ marathon-alerts --uri http://marathon1:8080,marathon2:8080 \
                  --slack-webhook https://hooks.slack.com/services/..../ \
                  --slack-owner ashwanthkumar,slackbot
```

## App Labels
Apart from the flags that are used while starting up, the functionality can be controlled at an app level using labels in the app specification. The following table explains the properties and it's usage.

| Property  | Description  |  Example  |
|  ---    |   ---      |  ---    |
| alerts.enabled  | Controls if the alerts for the app should be enabled or disabled. Defaults - true | false |
| alerts.checks.subscribe  | Comma separated list of checks that needs to be run. Defaults - all | all |
| alerts.routes  | Ability to route different checks to different notifiers based on their level. See the section below on Routes to understand how you can add routes to your apps. Defaults - `*/resolved/*;*/warning/*;*/critical/*` | min-healthy/critical/pagerduty;min-healthy/warning/slack |
| alerts.min-healthy.critical.threshold  | Failure threshold for min-healthy check. Defaults - `--check-min-healthy-critical-threshold` | 0.5 |
| alerts.min-healthy.warn.threshold  | Warning threshold for min-healthy check. Defaults - `--check-min-healthy-warn-threshold` | 0.4 |
| alerts.min-instances.critical.threshold  | Failure threshold for min-instances check. Defaults - `--check-min-instances-critical-threshold` | 0.5 |
| alerts.min-instances.warn.threshold  | Warning threshold for min-instances check. Defaults - `--check-min-instances-warn-threshold` | 0.4 |
| alerts.slack.webhook  | Comma separated list of Slack webhooks to send slack notifications. Overrides - `--slack-webhook` | http://hooks.slack.com/.../ |
| alerts.slack.channel  | #Channel / @User to post the alert into. Overrides - `--slack-channel`  | z_development |
| alerts.slack.owners  | Comma separated list of users who should be tagged in the alert. Overrides - `--slack-owner`  | ashwanthkumar,slackbot |

## Metrics
We collect some metrics internally in marathon-alerts. They're dumped periodically to STDERR. You can find the list of metrics and it's usage in the following table

| Metric | Description |
| :------------- | :------------- |
| alerts-suppressed-cleaned | Number of alerts we cleaned up because they got expired from suppress duration. |
| marathon-all-apps-response-time | Response time of marathon's /v2/apps API call |
| notifications-total | Total number of notifications we sent from AlertManager to NotificationManager |
| notifications-warning | Number of Warning check notifications we sent from AlertManager to NotificationManager |
| notifications-critical | Number of Critical check notifications we sent from AlertManager to NotificationManager |
| notifications-resolved | Number of Pass (aka Resolved) check notifications we sent from AlertManager to NotificationManager |
| notifications-rate | Meter metric that denotes the rate at which notifications are being sent |

## Debug Metrics
Apart from the standard metrics above, we also collect quite a few other metrics, mostly for debugging purposes. You can enable these metrics if run `marathon-alerts` with a `--debug` flag.

| Metric | Description |
| :------------- | :------------- |
| alerts-suppressed-called | Number of times we called AlertManager.cleanUpSupressedAlerts() |
| alerts-process-check-called | Number of times we called AlertManager.processCheck() |
| alerts-manager-stopped | Number of times we called AlertManager.Stop() |
| apps-checker-stopped | Number of times we called AppChecker.Stop() |
| apps-checker-marathon-all-apps-api | Number of times we called Marathon's /v2/apps API |
| apps-checker-alerts-sent | Number of checks we sent to AlertManager from AppChecker |
| apps-checker-check-<name> | Number of checks identified by <name> we sent to AlertManager |
| apps-checker-app-<id> | Number of checks for an app identified by <id> we sent to AlertManager |
| apps-checker-<id>-<name> | Number of checks identified by <name> for an app identified by <id> we sent to AlertManager |
| notifications-warning-rate | Meter metric that denotes the rate at which warning notifications are being sent |
| notifications-critical-rate | Meter metric that denotes the rate at which critical notifications are being sent |
| notifications-resolved-rate | Meter metric that denotes the rate at which resolved notifications are being sent |

## Routes
From v0.3.0-RC7 onwards we've an ability to route different check alerts to different notifiers. On a per-app basis you can control the routes using `alerts.routes` label. The format of the value should be as following -
```
<check-name>/<check-level>/<notifier-name>;[<check-name>/<check-level>/<notifier-name>]
```

### Rules
1. Check name and Notifier names can be glob patterns. No complicated regex allowed as of now.
2. Check level has to be one of warning / pass / critical / resolved.
3. Multiple routes can be defined by separating them using `;`.

Default routes if none specified is -  `"*/warning/*;*/critical/*;*/resolved/*"`. It means we'll route all check's warning / critical / resolved notifications to all available notifiers.

## Releases
Binaries are available [here](https://github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts/releases).

## Deployment
We've a sample `marathon.json.conf` that we use in our organization along with [`marathonctl deploy`](https://github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathonctl).

## Building
To build from source, you need [`glide`](http://glide.sh/) tool in `$PATH`.

```
$ cd $GOPATH/src
$ mkdir -p github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts
$ git clone https://github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts.git github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts
$ cd github.com/ashwanthkumar/marathon-alerts
$ make setup  # Downloads the required dependencies
$ make test   # Runs the test
$ make build  # Builds the distribution specific binary
```

## Available Checks
- [x] `min-healthy` - Minimum % of Task instances that should be healthy else this check is fired.
- [x] `min-instances` - Minimum % of Task instances that should be healthy or staged, else this check is fired.
- [ ] `max-instances` - If the number of instances goes beyond some % of the pre-defined max limit
- [x] `suspended` - If the service was suspended by mistake or unintentionally. `min-healthy` doesn't catch suspended services today.

## Notifiers
- [x] Slack
- [ ] Influx
- [ ] Pager Duty
- [ ] Email

## Contribute
If you've any feature requests or issues, please open a Github issue. We accept PRs. Fork away!

## License
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The late superstar Oliver Mtukudzi's family has trashed all memorial events and gigs that were held in his honour saying the first official event will be the Cape Town Jazz Festival, with Tuku's band performing.
Several memorial concerts have been staged in the name of the late music icon, with his daughters Sandra and Selmor participating at one of the events in South Africa recently.
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation ministry in partnership with National Arts Council of Zimbabwe had organised another concert which was scheduled for last Saturday in the capital but failed to materialise under unclear circumstances.
In a press statement posted on Tuku's official social media pages, the family trashed such events saying they did not have the backing of the family.
The statement drew widespread criticism with the widow Daisy being subject of attacks for allegedly shutting out the likes of Selmor.
"We are still trying to come to terms with the loss of our pillar of strength and as such we have not engaged any organisation or individual to organise and plan any events on behalf and for the Mtukudzi family here in Zimbabwe or elsewhere.
"We would like to distance ourselves from any events or gatherings that are being held in the name of the Mtukudzi family as we are still grieving," reads the statement.
This was viewed by many as an attack on Tuku's daughters who have performed at such platforms.
People online said they supported Tuku and not the brand which is being positioned to take over the legacy.
"Having said this we would like to appeal to everyone to respect our wishes to have time to adjust as a family," the statement further reads.


text:
The Crown Season 2: Everything We Know So Far
Here's everything you need to know before you tune in.
By Caroline Hallemann
After months of waiting, second season of The Crown, the Netflix series about Queen Elizabeth II's reign is finally here!
Watch one of the trailers, which previews Prince Philip's journey this season, below then read on for everything you need to know before you tune in.
Season two will focus on Prince Philip and Prince Charles.
The show will still center around Queen Elizabeth II, but expect to see more of the men in her life in the second season. "We start to focus on Charles as a young boy and his education, and on Philip and his back story," creator Peter Morgan told People.
He expanded on this news at the Royal Television Society's event "The Crown: Deconstructing the Coronation" in London last night. "Its soul is about Prince Philip's complexity," Morgan said of the second season. "I find him extraordinarily interesting–his childhood, again, you couldn't make it up. The soul of season two is about his complexity."
"It wasn't easy, he didn't have an easy life."
As for whether Prince Philip's alleged affair will be a plot point, Morgan's lips are sealed, at least for now, "This is a spoiler-free chat! We're still in the cutting-room and making all sorts of changes..."
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Smith, the actor who plays Philip, also revealed, "We learn a lot more about Prince Philip [in the second season]...A lot about his past. He had a very interesting past, Philip. Quite a mad past. And we go into that in a lot of detail."
"What is interesting on the Philip front this year is that we sort of get to glimpse back into his past and see what happened to him as a child, which is actually quite traumatic," he expanded in an interview on NPR. "And I think it gives us an idea of why and how he is the way he is today.
Foy told The Hollywood Reporter: "This is a story of a marriage very much in the second series, and how they navigate that. They've been together for ten years, they've had two children and it's about going and assessing the situation. It's not going to be a rose tinted view of marriage."
"I think [Queen Elizabeth] starts to realize she needs to pay more attention to her personal life now that the other part of her life is going all right," she said.
"The world's changing faster than anyone can catch up with. There is no letup. She just keeps having to go from one crisis to another to another, and at some point, it's about five crises at the same time and you have no idea how she manages to get up in the morning."
But Princess Margaret will still get plenty of screen time.
The latest trailer for The Crown centers around Princess Margaret's story. In the minute-long clip above, the Queen tells her sister, "You're drinking far more than you used to." To which Margaret retorts, "Why do you think that is? Because I'm unhappier than I used to be. And why is that? Because I'm still unmarried. And why is that? Oh, because you denied me my perfect match."
The teaser takes Margaret from her heartache over Peter Townsend into her new relationship with Antony Armstrong-Jones, the photographer she would eventually marry.
Foy also shared, in an interview with W magazine, that the series will delve into Princess Margaret's marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones, as well as her "naughty" behavior. "She's naughty. Very minxy. She gets even naughtier even though she gets married. The naughtiness just continues," Foy said.
Morgan, too, revealed bits of Margaret's storyline in a recent interview with Vanity Fair.
Courtesy of Netflix
"Vanessa [Kirby, who plays Princess Margaret] explodes this season," Morgan said. "We always knew she was a great actress, but she explodes. It's a very identifiable tragedy, to have someone in the family with more apparent charisma and yet no use for it . . . I love writing her."
He continued, "She finds love and pain. I promise you, it's properly painful," Morgan he continued, also sharing that he had met Margaret's husband, the Earl of Snowdon, nearly 30 years after the couple had gotten divorced.
Matthew Goode will play Margaret's husband, Lord Snowdon.
Fans of Downton Abbey will recognize Princess Margaret's love interest as none other than Lady Mary's second husband. Matthew Goode, perhaps best known for playing Henry Talbot on the long-running Masterpiece series, would take on the role of Armstrong-Jones, a royal photographer who became Lord Snowdon after he married the Queen's sister. (If you want to read up on the tempestuous relationship between Princess Margaret and her husband before the second season drops, dive into the true story of their love affair, here.)
Jack and Jackie Kennedy will visit.
British royalty will meet the American kind—Michael C. Hall will play JFK and Jodi Balfour has been cast as Jackie. Many actors have portrayed the iconic couple, but Deadline reports that the show's creators describe Balfour's Jackie as "a seemingly natural First Lady, but whose charming exterior of confidence and glamour hides a shy woman who loathes public life."
Hall's JFK, on the other hand, "is most at home in front of a crowd—a natural leader and excellent public speaker who does not take kindly to being upstaged by anyone, especially his wife."
Kennedy's entire presidency falls within the timeline of season two and according to the Telegraph, the First Couple's dinner at Buckingham Palace in June of 1961 will play a role in the plot. Kennedy's assassination could, as well.
Of the dinner scene, the Telegraph reveals it will portray the Queen as jealous of Jackie and unnerved by her flirting with Prince Philip. The series will reportedly also show the Queen hearing how Jackie "badmouthed" her at a later party. In the show, Elizabeth's equerry hears the first lady describing the Queen as "a middle-aged woman so incurious, unintelligent and unremarkable that Britain's new reduced place in the world was not a surprise but an inevitability."
"Mrs Kennedy's comments are not drawn from historical record - rather, they have been imagined by Peter Morgan," describes the Telegraph. To read about what really happened when the Kennedys met the Queen, click here.
"I absolutely fell in love with Jodi Balfour [who plays Jackie Kennedy]," Foy revealed in an interview with EW following her Emmy nod. "She's just brilliant, and Michael C. Hall [who plays Jack Kennedy] is just incredible."
The Kennedy's aren't the only iconic part of the '60s that will impact the season. The decade has a strong impact on the Royal family. "In this new world of the 1960s with sex and drugs and rock n' roll, and that's not what you really associate with 'the royal family,'" Foy said.
Smith explained that the monarch and Duke had to adapt to the changes in private. "There's an edge to the dynamic between them. We're entering the '60s and the world is changing around them in quite significant ways. Like always with the royal family, they're having to adapt but they're having to do it away from the public."
Don't expect to see more of Winston Churchill.
John Lithgow's steady (Emmy-award winning) performance as the Prime Minister was essential to the show's first season, but he likely won't be back. Following Churchill's retirement at the end of season one, season two's timeline will bring viewers into an era where the position was something of a revolving door. Over the course of just ten years, three men (Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, and Alec Douglas) will cycle through.
In a recent interview, Claire Foy seemed to confirm the news that Lithgow won't be back. When asked "Winston Churchill is gone?" in an interview with Nylon. The actress responded, "Winston's gone and it breaks my heart."
This is Foy and Smith's last season as Elizabeth and Philip.
"After two seasons, that's it, I'm gone," Claire Foy told Vulture following her Golden Globes nomination last year, when asked about the rumors that Netflix wants six seasons of the show. "They're getting rid of all of us," she said, revealing that rather than dealing with prosthetics and age makeup, new actors would be in the play the same characters. "I don't [know] how they're planning on doing it, but they're such an incredible bunch of directors and producers that it's gonna be different and exciting."
Peter Morgan, the creator of the show, further clarified, "I feel that when we reach 1963-64 we've gone as far as we can go with Claire Foy without having to do silly things in terms of makeup to make her look older. She can't help the fact she's as young as she is."
Season three is in the works.
The third and fourth chapters of Elizabeth II's reign were just confirmed, though with a very different Queen. Netflix recently announced that 43-year-old Broadchurch star Olivia Coleman will play the monarch.
Caroline Hallemann Senior Digital News Editor As the senior digital news editor for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown.
More From The Crown
The Cast of The Crown Arrived at the Golden Globes
How to Watch The Crown
Queen Nods to 'The Crown' in Her Christmas Address
'The Crown' Season 3 Sidelined Princess Anne
What Olivia Colman Stole from The Crown's Set
Snowdon Didn't Just Photograph Princess Margaret
How Princess Margaret Met Roddy Llewellyn
Behind the Scenes of 'The Crown'
Who Was Prime Minister Edward Heath?
Inside the Queen's Final Visit with Edward VIII
Everything We Know About Victoria Season 2
Watch the The Crown Season 2 Trailers Here!
Watch the Cast of The Crown Prove That Everything Sounds Better With a British Accent
Why The Crown Creator Peter Morgan Hopes the Queen Doesn't Watch His Show
Take a Look at Behind the Scenes of Netflix's 'The Crown'
The Queen Is a Fan of The Crown & Has Watched the First Season in Full


text:
News > Nation/World
Ted Cruz's delegates fight on nationally
Sat., May 21, 2016, 4:15 p.m.
In this Tuesday, May 3, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
By Seema Mehta and Melanie Mason Los Angeles Times
After Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race, his campaign staffers boxed up their mementos and souvenirs as they prepared to shutter the Houston headquarters, and the Texan announced that he would seek re-election to the U.S. Senate.
Yet Cruz's team didn't abandon the race for the White House entirely. It still filed a slate of potential presidential delegates for California's June 7 primary, and continues to monitor delegate selection in states that already voted in the GOP nominating process.
Cruz will have more than 550 loyalists attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July – a ground force that helps him establish himself as the national leader of the conservative movement, protect the party's conservative platform from what the senator has called Donald Trump's "New York values," and lay the foundation for a potential 2020 presidential bid.
"Anything the Cruz delegates are planning is to keep the engine warm for 2020," said Rick Tyler, a former Cruz aide.
It's not unusual for candidates who failed to win the nomination to try to make a strong impression in front of top elected leaders, deep-pocketed donors and committed activists at their party's nominating convention.
"They seek, first of all, to make sure their campaign wasn't in vain," said Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution.
What is remarkable this year is the sheer number of Cruz supporters who will be in Cleveland: 566 pledged delegates, as of last week, as well as many more sympathetic to his cause.
The campaign's meticulous delegate-gathering strategy paid off earlier this month in California, where the vast majority of the state's 172 delegates are awarded by congressional district. Six days after Cruz dropped out, his campaign submitted a nearly full slate of delegates in each of the state's 53 congressional districts, even though it's unlikely he will win even one district.
The move was a public recognition of his most ardent supporters in California, who began working on his behalf last summer, said Ron Nehring, the former state GOP chairman who was a top aide in Cruz's presidential bid.
California is an outlier in asking Republican candidates to select delegates before its election. In most states, candidates are awarded a set number of delegates after voters participate in primaries or caucuses, and those delegates are later elected at party conventions.
The Cruz campaign worked these arcane party gatherings to make sure delegates sympathetic to its cause were elected, even in states where Trump trounced Cruz. Campaign officials continue to do so, monitoring recent state party conventions in Nevada, Oklahoma, Montana and Texas.
The goal, said Robert Uithoven, Cruz's western states regional political director, is not just to gather Cruz supporters as delegates, but to win the "contest within the contest" – securing spots for their supporters on four key committees at the convention: those that govern the rules, the platform, credentials and permanent organization.
All of these could aid a potential Cruz 2020 run. On rules, conservatives would like to see Republican primaries restricted to registered GOP voters. Trump, whose success has been boosted by independent voters, has lashed out against such restrictions.
The platform committee is getting the most attention because of concerns about Trump's shifting views on issues such as abortion. Trump once supported abortion rights and opposed a ban on partial-birth abortions, but is now anti-abortion. In April, he said he would revise the GOP's platform to allow for exceptions for rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at stake.
"I would like my party's platform to reflect conservative views," said Libby Szabo, a Colorado delegate for Cruz. As for the presumptive nominee, "I don't know that he's proven that. He's kind of been all over the board. That concerns me. Who is the real Donald Trump?"
She still plans to go to Cleveland. "We're taking our vacation time to go to the convention. We're spending our own money – and it's not cheap – to go to participate," Szabo said. "It's part of our civic duty."
In past elections, runners-up have also tried to extract concessions, land high-profile speaking slots, negotiate deals to pay down campaign debts or enhance their standing in the party.
At the contested 1976 Republican convention, Ronald Reagan's gracious withdrawal built goodwill among the party faithful that helped his successful 1980 bid. In 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, feeling he was shortchanged by the delegate allocation process, was able to wrangle a pledge from the Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, to change the rules so all states would award their delegates proportionally.
This year, after it became clear that Cruz did not have a chance at winning the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination through primaries and caucuses, his delegates planned to attend in hopes that Trump would not be able to get to the number either.
That dream was shattered after the Indiana primary, causing Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to drop out of the race and leaving Trump as the likely nominee. Few Cruz backers would remark publicly on the unlikely notion that Trump's nomination could still be derailed in Cleveland.
"Knowing Trump, there's always a possibility" for mayhem, said Saul Anuzis, a senior Cruz adviser. "If he blows up, then he blows up."
Cruz's supporters said he would end up with more resources compared with when he launched his White House bid 14 months ago.
"Sen. Cruz has built the largest political organization within the Republican Party, as measured by volunteers, donors and activists," Nehring said. "Sen. Cruz's focus going forward is winning re-election to the Senate in 2018. What comes afterward will depend on the choices Sen. Cruz makes in the future. But he has 7 million more friends behind him now than he had before he ran for president."
Published: May 21, 2016, 4:15 p.m.
Tags: 2016 presidential election, Convention, Donald Trump, Election, GOP, politics, Republicans, Ted Cruz, Voting
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