text:
Call Us For Free Consultation
Inhouse Lawyer
WOMEN AND CHILDREN TRAFFICKING IN BANGLADESH AND ITS PREVENTION BY GOVERNMENT
Fifty percent of total international migrant populations are women according the study of International Migration Organization (IMO). Amazingly, only five percent of international migrants from Bangladesh are women. International migration from Bangladesh was started officially from 1976; female migration expressed its notable existence only from 1991.
The people and the government of Bangladesh have consistently and steadfastly stood up against all forms of trafficking in persons particularly in women and children. Bangladesh has been striving earnestly to combat this problem, but the efforts have been circumscribed by the demand for trafficked woman and children in recipient countries a problem that is not possible for Bangladesh alone to overcome. It has also been found to fully overcome this menace Bangladesh will have to win its war against poverty, which is one of the factors contributing to the trafficking in women and children. At the same time the countries of final destinations or countries used as transit must cooperate with Bangladesh to find appropriate actions to address this issue. However, due caution is to be exercised against any repressive actions to curb women's mobility for access to income opportunities and not to criminalize trafficked victims .
There were several bans on women migration from Bangladesh on lower level of jobs up to 2001. After withdrawal of major bans on female migration in lower level of occupation, it shows positive trend. According Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) records women workers constituted 0.54 per cent of the total number of Bangladeshi workers who migrated overseas in 2002. In 2012, this percentage was up to 6.14, and by the middle of 2013, the percentage stood at 13 and growing. A total of 276,262 female workers went abroad with jobs from 1991 to 2013. Women migration takes place in 51 countries only. Of them, the maximum number went to Middle Eastern countries as housemaids. The official figure of migrant women workers having emigrated is certainly much lower than actual number of Bangladeshi women who have gone abroad for work. At a recent workshop of experts held in Dhaka, participants estimated that only 40 per cent of migrant women workers migrate through recruitment agencies, while the remaining 60 per cent head abroad with the help of true well wisher(!)- Agent or traffickers. The data suggests that to date, Bangladeshi women have accounted for just a small fraction of labor migration from Bangladesh – just 2.9 per cent of all migrants who emigrated via official channels. Others are relying on way of invisible corridor of illegal migration or channels of trafficking.
In a way to facilitate the illegal migration to overseas, human trafficking reemerged and expanded. Human trafficking is one of the large ongoing illegal global trades. Human trafficking could be considered as postmodern slave trade. The main domain of human trafficking is forced labor and sex trafficking. Women, adolescent girls and children are the primary constituents of sex trafficking. Internationally, women and children from Bangladesh are trafficked to Middle East via India and Pakistan for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. Rohingyan refugees also are subjected to human trafficking in Bangladesh. Illegal migration has been happening for many years, but the number of people attempting this journey is on the rise. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in the first three months of 2015, about 25,000 people illegally migrated. Traffickers are now trying extortion for more profit. "Illegal trafficking to Malaysia has been going on for a long time, but years ago the traffickers were upfront and the families knew that a phone call would come and they would have to pay. Now deception is common," said Stina Ljungdell, the UNHCR representative based in Bangladesh (Aljazeera, 2015). Bangladesh economy grew by 6 percent for last couple of year but youth unemployment remains at 10 percent and domestic salary scale are far lower than what can be obtained abroad. Legal route for Bangladeshi citizens to obtain work in Malaysia available, even though people are, choose risky voyage of boat because there are hurdles of bureaucratic barriers in legal emigration.
Bangladeshi women migrant workers' international migration is increasing because of livelihood crisis, internal displacement due to the natural calamities and demands of workforces in the global labor market. Along with the opportunities of international migration, trafficking of women and children also increased. Women and adolescent girls of Bangladesh are increasingly becoming more and more victim of human trafficking. The main vulnerable characteristic of a 'potential' victim is a strong desire to improve livelihood by travelling away from their home and Climate refugee or internally displaced people searching for shelters. Foremost victim of human trafficking are overwhelmingly women and adolescent girls. Victims are forced into prostitution, or to work in quarries and sweatshops, on farms, as domestics, as militia/hired soldiers, and in many forms of involuntary servitude.
Prostitution is the major impetus in trafficking. A 2006 study on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) found that nearly 27,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been forced into prostitution in India, and around 40,000 children from Bangladesh are involved in prostitution in Pakistan (UNICEF, 2007). According to the study, over 1 million women and children were trafficked out of the country in last 30 years and many of them were forced to become prostitutes, domestic helps, camel jockeys and beggars. A UNICEF report says that approximately 400 women and children in Bangladesh are victims of trafficking each month. Another study reports 300,000 Bangladeshi children and women have been trafficked to India alone in the last 10 years (UNICEF, 2009).The annual report of an organization based in Pakistan called Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid reveals that nearly 200,000 Bangladeshi girls and women were sold in Pakistan (2009). In a report of India's Kerala State Police stated, Bangladeshi adolescent girls are collected by Indian trafficking networks from many rural districts, in exchange of Tk 30,000 to Tk 40,000 to the 'procurer'. These ill-fated adolescent girls are then taken to India and sold off to different brothels and residential hotels, where they are forced into prostitution. Good-Looking adolescent girls and women are trafficked to Pakistan or the Middle East. It is believed that about 4,500 women and children from Bangladesh are trafficked to Pakistan annually. On the other hand, Bangladesh boys in the ages between 4-12 years are trafficked for camel racing in the Gulf; sexual exploitation of these boys by the employers in not uncommon (UNIFEM).
The causes, consequences and types of migration are highly dependent on the social and ecological contexts to and from which people move (Locke et al. 2000). Beddington (2011) describes five categories that drive migration: social, political, economic, environmental and demographic. These five drivers might interact or overlap in different ways in different places. Of these five categories, climate change is primarily influence the 'environmental driver' of migration. It will influence the 'economic driver' by affecting employment opportunities, income, wages and well-being. Environmental push factors for international migration are- natural disaster, inadequate condition of living and consequential internal displacement. Environmental international migration pull factor are gentler Environment in terms of attractive climate and living conditions and opportunities of livelihoods.
One main reason of migration is that, for both men and women, overseas employment can reduce poverty and secure livelihood. The Bangladeshi people have used migration as a poverty-alleviation strategy for many decades (Buchenau, 2008). Bangladeshi women would not migrate if they or their families were in a vulnerable situation. While poverty may drive women to migrate through regular, documented channels, it also leaves potential migrants who do not have ability to pay the high recruitment and migrations cost; or are underage more vulnerable to traffickers and smugglers.
According the Human Trafficking Investigation monograph of Bangladesh Police, The principal causes of trafficking in human beings are described as The "Push and Pull‐
Factors". In the country like Bangladesh there is grinding poverty and little prospect for sustained economic opportunity, especially for women; consequently, a constant supply of victims remains available for exploitation caused as the push factor. On the other side, in the Middle Eastern countries there are growing sex markets and requirement of bondage labor or other forms of exploitative services fuelling an increasing demand for the services of the victims worked as a pull factors. Organized criminal networks using the opportunity of demand-supply of manpower for labor and sex to traffic and exploit the victims in order to generate vast profits for themselves. The sex market outlets hardly checked and challenged by law enforcement agencies and are encouraged by corrupt practices. Whilst it is a fundamental fact that the criminal phenomenon that is human trafficking is based upon a simple economic equation of 'supply and demand', the risks to a country are considerable. If we investigate demand of the seen and unseen global labor market-There are demands for bondage labor, rented soldiers, sex workers. Only women and children are more compatible with these demands. Factually, women and children are easy and highly desired target of human trafficking.
Legal Reforms
Bangladesh has several laws governing children's and women's rights but they are not consolidated in one statute. Instead, they are scattered in various laws and statutes, such as Constitutional provisions, the Penal code, the Children's act 1974 and the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000.
Bangladesh has made significant and noteworthy changes in their legal provisions to address the issue of trafficking, exploitation and violence against women and children .
Legal Framework to Encounter Human Trafficking
Existing laws or acts to encounter human trafficking are-
Overseas Employment and Migration Act 2013.
The Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act 2012.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 2000 (The act amended in 2003).
The Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children 1995 (Special Act).
The Children Act 1994.
The Suppression of Immoral Trafficking Act of 1933.
The Penal Code of 1860.
Prescribed penalties under these acts range from imprisonment for ten years to the death sentence; the most common sentence imposed on convicted sex traffickers is life imprisonment. These penalties are very stern and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as sexual abuse and rape. Article 374 of Bangladesh's penal code contained forced labor, but the prescribed penalties of imprisonment for up to one year or a fine are not sufficiently stringent to deter the offense. The Bangladeshi judicial system's handling of sex trafficking cases continued to be plagued by a large backlog and delays caused by procedural loopholes. Most sex trafficking cases are prosecuted by the 42 special courts for the prosecution of crimes of violence against women and children spread throughout 32 districts of the country, which are generally more efficient than regular trial courts. The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) shut down, cancelled the licenses, suspended registration and fined number of recruiting agencies. The government created a 12-member police anti-trafficking investigative unit that complements an existing police anti-trafficking monitoring cell. National Police Academy provided anti-trafficking training to 2000 – 5000 police personnel every year.
Encountering Trafficking of Women and Children
Human Trafficking is illegal according constitution of India and Nepal. Unfortunately, constitution of Bangladesh does not recognize the issue of human trafficking specifically. Constitutional clauses relating to basic rights can be used as a shield for the victims of human trafficking. The Bangladeshi government made modest efforts to prevent human trafficking over the reporting period. The government's inter-ministerial committee on human trafficking, chaired by the Home Minister, continued to meet monthly, though its work was largely confined to addressing sex trafficking. The government disseminated anti-trafficking messages in various forms, including public service announcements, dramas, public discussions, and songs, on the government-run television channel and radio network. The government failed, however, to take measures to prevent fraudulent recruitment that could lead to debt bondage. The government has allowed Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) to set fees, license individual agencies, and certify workers for overseas labor, while not exercising adequate oversight over this consortium of labor recruiters to ensure that their practices do not facilitate the debt bondage of foreign workers. The Bangladeshi government provided anti-trafficking training to its troops being deployed for peacekeeping missions abroad.
Social and economic vulnerabilities of women and adolescent girls hardly give options to eke out a livelihood. They easily become pray of human trafficking racket. Traffickers can easily procure women and children by alluring with promises and hopes of a better life. Along with comprehensive enforcement of law, we have to prioritize fight against rural poverty and unemployment unless trafficking of women and children will continue to rise. We have to ensure inclusive social securitization for women empowerment and social protection of adolescent girls.
We need to incorporate encountering human trafficking objectives into our national anti-trafficking policies and programs. We have to ensure criminal prosecutions and punishments for all forms of illegal migration and labor trafficking, including those involving fraudulent labor recruitment and forced child labor. Law and enforcement agencies have to ensure in-depth investigation and prosecute government officials who may be suspect of complicity in trafficking. Bangladesh's international recruiting agencies have to ensure they are not promoting practices that contribute to labor trafficking and provide protection services for trafficking victims and victims of forced labor. We have to ensure that we are penalizing only the facilitators and organizer of illegal migration and human trafficking network. Network of illegal migration closely attached with the human trafficking network.
Prevention is better than prosecution and protection. We should have specific legal safe guards and social securitization for women and children. Government and Society have to be focus on livelihood and social security of women and children. Inclusive nationwide awareness program need to be taken to alert the communities and individuals. In the national level, we have to strengthen our border security and cross border relations with border forces of neighboring countries to encounter illegal migration and human trafficking. Internationally and nationally, Government has to be proactive with emigration process and we should have a comprehensive emigration process. We yet to have specific clause on human trafficking in our constitution. Immediately we need to insert specific clauses to the constitution on human trafficking issue and safeguards for women and adolescent girls, enforcing existing laws and raise awareness to put an end to human trafficking of Bangladeshi citizens.
Penal Code, 1860 with Amendments to Section 366A and 366B in 2001
The amendment of section 366 now prohibits inducing a girl under 18 years of age to go from any place or to do any act with the intent that she will forced to or seduced into having illicit intercourse. Section 366B prohibits imposing a girl below 21 years of age with the intent that she will be forced or seduced into having illicit intercourse. These were added to support the international Convention for the Suppression of trafficking in Women and Children and to punish people involved in the export and import of girls for purposes of prostitution .
According to the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act, 1933 no girl under 18 years of age may not be engaged in sex trade. According to section 42 of the Children Act, 1974 no girl under 16 years of age, either willingly or through coercion is permitted to work as a sex worker. However, none of those acts makes any reference to boys engaged in sex trade or forced prostitution.
Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 (Amendment in 2003)
This contains specific penalties for trafficking in women and children with a provision for death sentence or life imprisonment; and Amendment to women and children Repression Prevention Act, 2003: in this revision a child has been defined as a person of the age of 16. At present all offences relating to trafficking in women and children are tried under the Act of 2000, as amended up to 2003.
Special tribunals for Prevention of Repression against women and children
Under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (as amended 2003) 42 special Tribunals have been established in 33 districts of the country and a special judge has been posted to each tribunal for trying cases only relating to violence against women and children including trafficking in women and children. 42 special Public Prosecutors / Public Prosecutors have been designed in 42 tribunals for conducting these cases. A deputy Attorney General has been designated for dealing with cases in trafficking in women and children at national level. This initiate was taken to facilitate the quick disposal of causes related to trafficking in women and children .
Rescue and recovery of Trafficked Persons
Rescue is a thorny issue, and has its limitations and unacceptability, largely due to the attitude and violent behaviour of the law-enforcing agencies. Newspapers often carry items about "many women and children are rescued by the police", but what happens to the rescued persons is largely unknown. These rescue processes are often violent, aggressive, and 'male-dominated'.
Sometimes the minors are sent to the state-run remand homes or an NGO shelter. Most are unable to go back home because of a whole series of problems, and when they are released they are again at risk of being picked up by the traffickers.
Rehabilitation is the most challenging activity that requires a pragmatic programme of action to restore the trafficked women and girls in their social life. Various papers have mentioned the need of rehabilitation programmes with proper employment opportunities. However, the prevailing norms and value systems of our society do not easily accept the returnees in family and social life.
'Repatriation' means voluntary return to the country of origin of the person subjected to trafficking across international frontiers. The minors have no choice, and they have to be taken back to their place of origin, but an adult women has the right to choose to stay in the country if she so wishes. The choice of women is not even considered, because the focus has always been to protect the interest of state over and above the interest of women.
'Reintegration' means social and economic integration acknowledging her right to self-determination. It is a better alternative to rehabilitation and implies a far less judgmental. Most importantly, it incorporates the notion of social acceptance and the reclaiming of dignity for women. However, often the societies become judgmental in re-integrating the victims into the society.
The information contains in this web-site is prepared for educational purpose. This site may be used by the students, faculties, independent learners and the learned advocates of all over the world. Researchers all over the world have the access to upload their writes up in this site. In consideration of the people's participation in the Web Page, the individual, group, organization, business, spectator, or other, does hereby release and forever discharge the Lawyers & Jurists, and its officers, board, and employees, jointly and severally from any and all actions, causes of actions, claims and demands for, upon or by reason of any damage, loss or injury, which hereafter may be sustained by participating their work in the Web Page. This release extends and applies to, and also covers and includes, all unknown, unforeseen, unanticipated and unsuspected injuries, damages, loss and liability and the consequences thereof, as well as those now disclosed and known to exist. The provisions of any state's law providing substance that releases shall not extend to claims, demands, injuries, or damages which are known or unsuspected to exist at this time, to the person executing such release, are hereby expressly waived. However the Lawyers & Jurists makes no warranty expressed or implied or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product process or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favouring by the Lawyers & Jurists. The views and opinions of the authors expressed in the Web site do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Lawyers & Jurists. Above all, if there is any complaint drop by any independent user to the admin for any contents of this site, the Lawyers & Jurists would remove this immediately from its site.
PRESS INSTITUTE BANGLADESH (PIB) ACT, 20
Jan 15, 2020 .
BANGLADESH AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ACT, 20
CLOTHING ACT, 20
SYLHET MEDICAL UNIVERSITY ACT, 20
DOWRY RESTRICTION ACT, 20
NATIONAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY ACT, 20
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT, 20
ROAD TRANSPORT ACT, 20
Conventions & Treaties
Legal Courses
Setup Business
© 2017 All Rights Reserved. | Designed & Developed by SIZRAM SOLUTIONS.


text:
Jarvis Haupt — Publications
Copyright Notice: This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
Submitted Manuscripts
X. Li and J. Haupt, "Robust low-complexity randomized methods for locating outliers in large matrices," submitted December 2016. (Arxiv)
X. Li, T. Zhao, R. Arora, H. Liu, and J. Haupt, "Nonconvex sparse learning via stochastic optimization with progressive variance reduction," submitted November 2016. (Arxiv)
A. V. Sambasivan and J. Haupt, "Minimax lower bounds for noisy matrix completion under sparse factor models," submitted September 2015. (Arxiv)
S. Jain, U. Oswal, K. S. Xu, B. Eriksson, and J. Haupt, "A compressed sensing decomposition of electro-dermal activity signals," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2016. (Arxiv)
J. Druce, S. Gonella, M. Kadkhodaie, S. Jain, J.D. Haupt, "Locating material defects via wavefield demixing with morphologically germane dictionaries," Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), 2016.
A. Soni, S. Jain, J. Haupt, and S. Gonella, "Noisy matrix completion under sparse factor models," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 3636-3661, June 2016. (Arxiv)
J. Druce, J. Haupt, and S. Gonella, "Anomaly-sensitive dictionary learning for structural diagnostics from ultrasonic wavefields," IEEE Trans. Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 62, no. 7, pp. 1384-1396, July 2015.
X. Li and J. Haupt, "Identifying outliers in large matrices via randomized adaptive compressive sampling," IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 63, no. 7, pp. 1792-1807, March-April 2015. (Arxiv)
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "On the fundamental limits of recovering tree sparse vectors from noisy linear measurements," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 133-149, January 2014. (Arxiv)
S. Gonella and J. Haupt, "Automated defect localization via low rank plus outlier modeling of propagating wavefield data," IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 60, no. 12, pp. 2553-2565, December 2013. (Arxiv)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Distilled sensing: Adaptive sampling for sparse detection and estimation," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 57, no. 9, pp. 6222-6235, September 2011. (PDF)
J. Haupt, W.U. Bajwa, G. Raz, and R. Nowak, "Toeplitz compressed sensing matrices with applications to sparse channel estimation," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 56, no. 11, pp. 5862-5875, November 2010. (PDF)
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, A.M. Sayeed, and R. Nowak, "Compressed channel sensing: A new approach to estimating sparse multipath channels," Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 98, no. 6, pp. 1058-1076, July 2010. (PDF)
J. Haupt, W.U. Bajwa, M. Rabbat, and R. Nowak, "Compressed sensing for networked data," IEEE Signal Processing Magazine - Special Issue on Compressive Sensing, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 92-101, March 2008. (PDF)
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, A.M. Sayeed, and R. Nowak, "Joint source-channel communication for distributed estimation in sensor networks," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory - Special Issue on Relaying and Cooperation in Communication Networks, vol. 53, no. 10, pp. 3629-3653, October 2007. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Signal reconstruction from noisy random projections," IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 52, no. 9, pp. 4036-4048, September 2006. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Adaptive sensing for sparse recovery," in Compressed Sensing: Theory and Applications, Y. Eldar and G. Kutyniok eds., Cambridge University Press, 2012. (PDF)
M. K. Elyaderani, S. Jain, J. Druce, S. Gonella, and J. Haupt, "Group-level support recovery guarantees for group lasso estimator," IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, 2017 (Accepted, to appear).
S. Jain and J. Haupt, "On convolutional approximations to linear dimensionality reduction operators for large scale data processing," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, 2017 (Accepted, to appear).
S. Rambhatla, X. Li and J. Haupt, "A dictionary based generalization of robust PCA," Proc. IEEE Global Conference on Signal and Information Processing, December 2016.
J. Ren, X. Li and J. Haupt, "Robust PCA via tensor outlier pursuit," Proc. Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, November 2016.
J. Druce, S. Gonella, M. Kadkhodaie, S. Jain, and J. Haupt, "Defect triangulation via demixing algorithms based on dictionaries with different morphological complexity," Proc. 8th European Workshop On Structural Health Monitoring, July 2016.
X. Li, T. Zhao, R. Arora, H. Liu, and J. Haupt, "Stochastic variance reduced pptimization for nonconvex sparse learning,'' JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings, Vol. 48: Proceedings of the 33rd Intl. Conference on Machine Learning, June 2016.
X. Li and J. Haupt, "A refined analysis for the sample complexity of adaptive compressive outlier sensing," IEEE Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing, June 2016.
M. Kadkhodaie, S. Jain, J. Haupt, J. Druce, and S. Gonella, "Locating rare and weak material anomalies by convex demixing of propagating wavefields," Proc. IEEE Workshop on Computational Advances in Multi-Sensor Adaptive Processing, pp. 373-376, December 2015.
X. Li and J. Haupt, "Locating salient group-structured image features via adaptive compressive sensing," Proc. IEEE Global Conference on Signal and Information Processing, December 2015. (** Best Student Paper Award Winner! **)
J. Druce, M. Kadkhodaie, J. Haupt and S. Gonella, "Structural diagnostics via anomaly-driven demixing of wavefield data," International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, pp. 1236-1242, September 2015. (** Student Best Paper Award Winner! **)
A. Weinstein, L. Fortson, T. Brantseg, C. Rulten, R. Lutz, J. Haupt, M. Kadkhodaie Elyaderani, and J. Quinn, "Testing a novel self-assembling data paradigm in the context of IACT data," Proc. Intl. Cosmic Ray Conference, July 2015.
A. Jang, A. Gutierrez, D. Xiao, C. A. Corum, V. Mandic, J. Haupt, and M. Garwood, "Reconstruction Strategies for Pure 2D Spatiotemporal MRI," Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Mtg., June 2015.
I. Bogunovic, V. Cevher, J. Haupt, and J. Scarlett, "Active learning of self- concordant like multi-index functions," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 2189-2193, April 2015.
X. Li and J. Haupt, "Outlier identification via randomized adaptive compressive sampling," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 3302-3306, April 2015.
A. Soni, S. Jain, J. Haupt, and S. Gonella, "Error bounds for maximum likelihood matrix completion under sparse factor models," Proc. IEEE Global Conference on Signal and Information Processing, pp. 399-403, December 2014.
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "Estimation error guarantees for Poisson denoising with sparse and structured dictionary models," Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, pp. 2002-2006, June/July 2014. (PDF)
J. D. Haupt, N. D. Sidiropoulos, and G. B. Giannakis, "Sparse dictionary learning from 1-bit data," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 7664-7668, May 2014. (PDF, Errata)
A. Soni, J. Haupt, and F. Porikli, "Recycled linear classifiers for multiclass classification," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 2957-2961, May 2014. (PDF))
J. Druce, J. D. Haupt, and S. Gonella, "Anomaly detection in heterogenous media via saliency analysis of propagating wavefields," Proc. SPIE Conference on Health Monitoring of Structural and Biological Systems, March 2014.
J. Haupt, "Locating salient items in large data collections with compressive linear measurements," Proc. IEEE International Workshop on Computational Advances in Multi-Sensor Adaptive Processing, pp. 9-12, December 2013. (PDF)
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "Fundamental limits for support recovery of tree-sparse signals from noisy compressive samples," Proc. IEEE Global Workshop on Signal and Information Processing, pp. 961-964, December 2013. (PDF)
S. Rambhatla and J. Haupt, "Semi-blind source separation via sparse representations and online dictionary learning," Proc. Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 1687-1691, November 2013. (Arxiv)
S. Jain, A. Soni, and J. Haupt, "Compressive measurement designs for estimating structured signals in structured clutter: A Bayesian experimental design approach," Proc. Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 163-167, November 2013. (Arxiv))
S. Jain, A. Soni, J. Haupt, N. Rao, and R. Nowak, "Knowledge-enhanced compressive measurement designs for estimating sparse signals in clutter," Signal Processing with Adaptive Structured Sparse Representations (SPARS) Workshop, July 2013. (Abstract, Extended Version)
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "Level set estimation from compressive measurements using box constrained total variation regularization," Proc. IEEE Conference on Image Processing, pp. 2573-2576, September-October 2012. (PDF))
J. Haupt, R. Baraniuk, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Sequentially designed compressed sensing," Proc. IEEE/SP Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing, pp. 401-404, August 2012. (PDF)
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "Learning sparse representations for adaptive compressive sensing," Proc. IEEE Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, pp. 2097-2100, March 2012. (PDF)
A. Soni and J. Haupt, "Efficient adaptive compressive sensing using sparse hierarchical learned dictionaries," Proc. Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 1250-1254, November 2011. (PDF)
L. Applebaum, W.U. Bajwa, A.R. Calderbank, J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Deterministic pilot sequences for sparse channel estimation in OFDM systems," Proc. 17th International Conference on Digital Signal Processing, pp. 1-7, July 2011. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Baraniuk, "Robust support recovery using sparse compressive sensing matrices," Proc. 45th Annual Conf. on Information Sciences and Systems, pp. 1-6, Baltimore, MD, March 2011. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Improved bounds for sparse recovery from adaptive measurements," Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, pp. 1563-1567, Austin, TX, June 2010. (PDF)
J. Haupt, L. Applebaum, and R. Nowak, "On the restricted isometry of deterministically subsampled Fourier matrices," Proc. 44th Annual Conf. on Information Sciences and Systems, pp. 1-6, Princeton, NJ, March 2010. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Baraniuk, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Compressive distilled sensing: Sparse recovery using adaptivity in compressive measurements," Proc. 43rd Asilomar Conf. on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 1551-1555, Pacific Grove, CA, November 2009. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Distilled sensing: Selective sampling for sparse signal recovery," Proc. 12th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS), pp. 216-223, Clearwater Beach, Florida, April 2009. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Adaptive sensing for sparse signal recovery," Proc. IEEE Digital Signal Processing Workshop and Workshop on Signal Processing Education, pp. 702-707, Marco Island, FL, 2009, January 2009. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, and R. Nowak, "Adaptive discovery of sparse signals in noise," Proc. 42nd Asilomar Conf. on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 1727-1731, Pacific Grove, CA, October 2008. (PDF)
G. Fudge, M. Chivers, S. Ravindran, R. Bland, P. Pace, and J. Haupt, "A Nyquist folding analog-to-information receiver," Proc. 42nd Asilomar Conf. on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 541-545, Pacific Grove, CA, October 2008. (.publicationsasilomar08_nyfr.pdf PDF])
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, G. Raz, and R. Nowak, "Compressed channel sensing," Proc. 42nd Annual Conf. on Information Sciences and Systems, pp. 5-10, Princeton, NJ, March 2008. (PDF)
R. Castro, J. Haupt, R. Nowak, and G. Raz "Finding needles in noisy haystacks," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, pp. 5133-5136, Las Vegas, NV, April 2008. (PDF)
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, G. Raz, S.J. Wright, and R. Nowak, "Toeplitz structured compressed sensing matrices," Proc. IEEE/SP 14th Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing, pp. 294-298, Madison, WI, August 2007. (PDF)
F. Boyle, J. Haupt, G. Fudge, and A. Yeh, "Detecting signal structure from randomly-sampled data," Proc. IEEE/SP 14th Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing, pp. 326-330, Madison, WI, August 2007. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Compressive sampling for signal detection," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, vol. 3, pp. 1509-1512, Honolulu, HI, April 2007. (PDF)
J. Haupt, R. Castro, R. Nowak, G. Fudge, and A. Yeh, "Compressive sampling for signal classification," Proc. 40th Asilomar Conf. on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 1430-1434, Pacific Grove, CA, October-November 2006. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Compressive sampling vs. conventional imaging," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Image Processing, pp. 1269-1272, Atlanta, GA, October 2006. (PDF)
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, A.M. Sayeed, and R. Nowak, "A universal matched source-channel communication scheme for wireless sensor ensembles," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, vol. 5, pp. 1153-1156, Toulouse, France, May 2006. (PDF)
R. Castro, J. Haupt, and R. Nowak, "Compressed sensing vs. active learning," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, vol. 3, pp. 820-823, Toulouse, France, May 2006. (PDF)
W.U. Bajwa, J. Haupt, A.M. Sayeed, and R. Nowak, "Compressive wireless sensing," Proc. 5th Intl. Conf. on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, pp. 134-142, Nashville, TN, April 2006. (PDF)
M. Rabbat, J. Haupt, A. Singh, and R. Nowak, "Decentralized compression and predistribution via randomized gossiping," Proc. 5th Intl. Conf. on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, pp. 51-59, Nashville, TN, April 2006. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "Signal reconstruction from noisy random projections with applications to wireless sensing," Proc. IEEE/SP 13th Workshop on Statistical Signal Processing, pp. 1182-1187, Bordeaux, France, July 2005. (PDF)
"System and method for reconstructing images from spatiotemporally-encoded magnetic resonance imaging data," Albert Jang, Michael Garwood, Vuk Mandic, Jarvis Haupt, Di Xiao, Alexander Gutierrez, Naoharu Kobayashi, and Steen Moeller, May 2015 (provisional).
"Method of adaptive data acquisition," Rui M. Castro, Jarvis D. Haupt, and Robert D. Nowak, US Patent Number 8521473, issued August 27, 2013.
"Determining channel coeffcients in a multipath channel," Waheed U. Bajwa, Akbar M. Sayeed, Robert D. Nowak, and Jarvis Haupt, US Patent Number 8320489, issued November 27, 2012.
"System and method of signal sensing, sampling, and processing through the exploitation of channel mismatch effects," Gil M. Raz, Jerrrey H. Jackson, and Jarvis D. Haupt, US Patent Number 7994959, issued August 9, 2011.
J. Haupt, "New theory and methods in adaptive and compressive sampling for sparse discovery," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Wisconsin – Madison, August 2009. (PDF)
J. Haupt and R. Nowak, "A generalized restricted isometry property," University of Wisconsin - Madison Technical Report ECE-07-1, May 2007. (PDF)
Page generated 2016-12-17 14:31:23 CST, by jemdoc+MathJax.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home » TV & Movies » Breaking Down the 10 Most Important Moments from 'The Mandalorian' Season 2
Breaking Down the 10 Most Important Moments from 'The Mandalorian' Season 2
12/21/2020 Comments Off on Breaking Down the 10 Most Important Moments from 'The Mandalorian' Season 2
Holy smokes, what a season. We're still only a few days from the finale of The Mandalorian season 2 and there are still a lot of strong feelings out there. It's Star Wars, what do you expect?
But a lot more happened this year beyond just the events of last week's episode. It was a big season in other ways as well, which we'll get into below. Before we do, however, just a fair warning that this'll be one of those spoilerly articles. If you haven't seen the latest season yet, we highly recommend you do before reading further. Why you clicked in the first place can go ahead and remain a mystery.
Seriously. Major spoilers begin immediately.
Luke Skywalker Flexes His Jedi Muscles
Let's begin at the end, shall we? In what will undoubtedly go down as The Mandalorian season two's biggest moment, we saw the return of Luke Skywalker. Not just a return, but an action-heavy return that shows Luke wielding the force in a much more kinetic way than we ever saw in the original trilogy. Those unhappy with the Luke found in The Last Jedi should have been pretty satisfied by this display of the Force. Enough so that his overly CG face was worth it.
The Return of Boba Fett
Luke Skywalker wasn't the only old friend we saw return to the Star Wars fold. Fan favorite Boba Fett came back as well. Older, chunkier and somehow more honorable than we would have guessed, Mandalorian's version of Boba Fett is a delightful ally, first just hunting down his old suit, later taking his rightful place as ruler of Jabba the Hutt's old Tatooine turf. Where he goes from here remains one of the future's big secrets (although it will be addressed in a new spin-off series), along with how he survived the Sarlacc Pit (assuming old EU continuity is still out the window on that score).
Ahsoka Tano vs an Old Enemy
And finally, season two gave us the live-action debut of a much beloved Star Wars figure, Clone Wars and Rebels' Ahsoka Tano. Portrayed by Rosario Dawson, this older and wiser Ahsoka is as badass and cool as we hoped she'd be. Her brief crossing with Din Djarin doesn't seem to affect her much on her path toward hunting down the villainous Admiral Thrawn, a conflict we'll likely see come to fruition later on her own newly announced spin-off.
The Death of Krayt Dragon
We've wanted to see a live Krayt Dragon ever since seeing a skeleton of one in A New Hope. The Mandalorian season 2 finally granted that wish and it was worth the wait. Even more given how the dragon played catalyst to a cool Western story of regular townsfolk uniting with Tusken Raiders. And yes, they fetched a pearl from the Krayt Dragon's guts. The people making this show know what they are doing.
A Growing Republic…
Perhaps "growing" puts it too strongly, but The Mandalorian definitely offered a sense of law and order in the form of X-Wings this year. Early in the season, Mando comes across a couple of X-Wing pilots interested in him for his exploits last season. They're like space-cops, basically, which makes one assume the Rebellion has evolved into a leadership role at least in some sectors of the galaxy.
…and a Withering Empire
Meanwhile, the Empire – what's left of it – was all over season 2, headlined by the Dark Saber-wielding Moff Gideon. And yet, even with the new threat of Gideon's Dark Troopers, the Empire felt weaker this season than we've ever seen it. Its generals either commit suicide or get murdered with a fair amount of ease, and even Gideon himself goes down without much effort. His Dark Troopers are scary against Din and his crew, but Luke Skywalker brushes them aside like leaves. The Empire is certainly still present in the Star Wars galaxy, but its strength feels scattered and diminished.
A New Hope for Mandalore?
For those caught up on the Star Wars animated shows, the fate of Mandalore and Bo-Katan is a pretty complicated matter, a question The Mandalorian confronts directly via the Dark Saber. Bo-Katan can't lead without it but also cannot accept it from Din Djarin – its accidental new owner – without a fight. How is this all going to shake out? We'll have to wait until season 3 to find out. But hey! If nothing else, that means more Bo-Katan in our future!
Baby Yoda Gets a Name
It's may seem like a little thing plot-wise, but Ahsoka Tano's discovery of Baby Yoda's actual name was a huge deal. Everyone meet Grogu! It maybe could have been a cooler name, leaving it a little difficult to stop calling him Baby Yoda. In that, he has more in common with Din Djarin, a guy most of us will just keep calling Mando or The Mandalorian. Sometimes nicknames just stick.
Din Djarin Relaxes His Standards
Last season, Djarin only took off his helmet once, and only in the presence of a droid. This year, he showed his face twice. Once because he had to, and once to give his friend Grogu a proper farewell. Djarin's run-ins with Bo-Katan and Boba Fett have both had a diminishing effect on Djarin's strict religious code. Maybe we'll see even more of Pedro Pascal's face next season.
In a Galaxy of War, Love Flourishes
And finally, the show's most important story. A frog lady was able to get across the galaxy to reunite with her frog husband. Together they will raise all the adorable frog babies Grogu did not eat. Star Wars is for youngsters by design, but rarely does it offer such a cut-and-dry happy ending. Good for you, frog couple. We hope your family flourishes.
MoStar WarsThe Mandalorian
Previous Post:M&S Christmas 2020 opening times: When does the store open and close over the holiday?
Next Post:Jamie Oliver net worth: How TV chef made his eye-watering fortune
Spoilers: Nate and Moira in new sex shock in Emmerdale


text:
Ken Liu and The Grace of Kings: a Dive into Worldbuilding hangout summary with VIDEO
I was thrilled to have our special author guest Ken Liu on the show! He joined us to talk about his novel, The Grace of Kings, which is out now - and you should go read it. Thank you so much for being with us, Ken!
Ken describes the book as taking on epic fantasy with a "different aesthetic and sensibility." Just as many of the stories in the epic fantasy canon take European traditional tales as their basis, Ken wanted to make a story that was based on "foundational narratives" from China, such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The book also is inspired by events of the founding of the Han dynasty, specifically a document called Records of the Grand Historian, which Ken read in the original (and we were all terribly impressed!).
The historical events paralleled in the book are when a tyrannical dynasty caused rebellions and broke into kingdoms, and two powers emerged to struggle for dominance. In The Grace of Kings, two men become friends and rebel against the emperor, but their contrasting ideologies make them rivals later.
One of Ken's critical early decisions was making this "not a magical China story." Western readers are familiar with a lot of these, and they set up a lot of really problematic expectations and deep misunderstandings. It's incredibly hard to get away from the taint of Orientalism. For example, even using the words "Chinese dragon" to describe the Chinese mythological creature lóng makes it seem derivative, when it's entirely unrelated. The lóng is a creature of water, benevolent, associated with ancient tribal totems and Buddhist Naga deities. It becomes very hard to view things with out the colonial gaze.
Ken particularly wanted to write about change, rather than about the restoration of a golden age.
The world of The Grace of Kings is thus clearly inspired by East Asia, but designed to defeat expectations. He wants people to feel, "I don't know what this is." Dara is an archipelago, deliberately distinct from any vision of Chinese geography. The aesthetic of the work he sometimes terms "silkpunk." The "punk" part of the word is about rebellion, bout creating revolution.
Ken uses a theory of technology that comes from the economist Brian Arthur, who treats technology not as pieces of machinery, but of part of a language of expression in which inventions are utterances. Components like transistors become part of the vocabulary, and understandings of how things go together are like grammars. Together they come together into a larger discourse of technology. The languages are the driving forces, like steam, magnetism, etc. He described his "nouns" as bamboo, paper, silk, and seashells; his "verbs" are muscle, wind, and water, and his "grammatical rules" are the rules of biomechanics.
There is a fascinating parallel he mentioned between technology and moral attitudes. Steampunk is associated with brass, and corsets, with inflexibility and constriction. He wanted to focus on silk, nature, and flexibility. His airships have components that act like the swim bladders of fish, and they have feathered oars. They pulse like jellyfish. Artificial limbs have ox sinew in them. Everything has an organic, life-like feel, while magic deepens and adds to the existing silkpunk aesthetic.
I asked Ken how long it took him to write the book. He said he'd written it in many drafts, and that the first ones were spare; the work needed time to mature. He said the stories authors tell about their writing processes are often "too good to be true," since the process of creation is messy.
I then asked him to describe his research. He said he felt that about half of the work was in his head, and about half was new research. He was deeply inspired by (and has dedicated the book to) his grandmother in China, with whom he'd listen to storytellers on the radio during lunch. This was a special childhood memory and his first encounter with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Thus, the echoes of this and other foundational narratives were already in his head. He read the Records of the Grand Historian and did lots of research on airships and their workings, herbal lore, and all the technical knowledge that appears in the book. There was a lot of science research.
He described wanting to take a new narrative approach. It's an unusual structure, and a non-standard approach to point of view, deliberately designed to hark back to oral tradition and wuxia fantasies. It also uses techniques and tropes from western narratives such as the Iliad, Beowulf, and western oral narratives. If you're going in cold, he says, it can take some getting used to because there is less of a tight focus and a lot of omniscient epic voice. He said his beta readers told him they were reminded of War and Peace. He tries to capture a great sweep by pulling back, then zoom in to the eyes of the point of view character. There is lots of zooming! His aim was for the narrative to feel new and yet also classical.
There are some powerful flower-based metaphors in the book, which I then asked him about. He said that he had originally titled the book The Chrysanthemum and the Dandelion, though the title was later changed to better reflect the genre of the book. Chrysanthemums are noble, austere, dominant, and suggest honor and courage without doubt. Dandelions are practical, appear at the roadside, and are resourceful, resilient survivors. These flowers suggest the different ideas about justice in the story. There is a scene when characters play a drinking game in which they compare themselves to flowers. The metaphors get a chance to play into characterizations, personalities, and foibles. They also evoke emotions. One of the inspirations for this was an instance in real life where a poet composed a rebellious poem praising chrysanthemums - rebellious, because the official court flower at the time was the peony. The writing of this poem about a flower thus had political consequences.
Birds also feature remarkably in the story, so I asked him about them. He said they were important in part because he was working with an archipelago, and had to figure out how things worked there. Getting from island to island was very important, so inventing vehicles was critical. The fact that he was working with islands also affected his use of metaphors, meaning that a lot of them are sea and sky-related. As he writes, he grows to think like the characters. The invention and maintenance of air power was important because the Dara kingdoms were in a stalemate, and it was air power, aerial warfare that broke this trend. Thus, he spent a lot of time observing birds and many scenes are related to the observation of flight. As a result of this and other factors, Ken has been told that his story "reads like science fiction." He describes himself as a technologist and geek.
I asked him about the issue of gender, which had come up in some of the reviews I had read. Ken said it would be easy to be trapped by the source material, such as Beowulf and the Aenead, which was very male-centric and featured few women with agency. In re-imagining those narratives, he had to make a deliberate departure from that trap. As to the idea of "accuracy," he notes that women were present when these narratives were created - they just weren't recorded. He felt if he was going to add airships, that "accuracy" as such was not a good excuse. He mentioned Kate Elliott and Kameron Hurley as important people who have changed how we view women in epic fantasy. As we reimagine, we question and critique at the same time.
Ken's own choice was to start in a place where it reads like an epic - but his novel is about change, so things change! He asks questions like "What is a more ideal world?" and "As a ruler, where do you find your strength?" Even at the end of the first book, he notes, this is not a utopia. There is a multi-book arc planned.
Glenda asked Ken whether there was a better word to use than dragon, and Ken spoke to us a bit about translation, which is one of his specialties. Translation, he says, is not just a linguistic act. When missionaries to China discovered this new creature, they didn't know what to call it and could have borrowed the word lóng. Instead they chose to describe it using existing concepts. It was reptilian, big, awe-inspiring... and thus they went with "dragon." Ken also mentioned the concept which is generally translated as "filial piety." The phrase invokes religious awe, but it's a bad translation. The concept of piety is very different in East vs. West. There are no religious or worshipful implications in the Chinese concept. Reverence for ancestors is not equal to worshipping them as gods. This is something he calls translation "slippage," and it leads to layers of misunderstanding. The translation "Mandate of heaven" is also misleading. The ideas and expectations evoked by words are hard to put away once they have been activated. Even a single reference to an existing structure can become a trap that leads to prejudice.
Thank you so much to Ken Liu for joining us and giving us these great insights into The Grace of Kings!
Here's the video if you would like more detail:
Posted by Juliette Wade at 11:30 AM
Ken Liu and The Grace of Kings: a Dive into Worldb...
Gestures: a Dive into Worldbuilding hangout summar...
A post about Loud Voices which is not about Civili...


Special:EditWatchlist displays last modified timestamps inline, which can often be very different from the last edited timestamp we show at the top of the page (in stable). We should show the last edited timestamp on Special:EditWatchlist for consistency.
Watchlist entries on mobile do not show "modified" and the modified date.
Watchlist entries on mobile show "last edited" and the last edit date as we do on the page last edit bar (see screenshot).
The last modified time given under each article on the mobile version of watchlist are often (always) wrong. Not even close. They're not even wrong by the same amount. For example, it will show "modified 2 hours ago" when the actual edit was 10 months earlier.
I've attached an screenshot of my watchlist with a couple article pages. While I've only included the first two articles, every last-modified time given in the watchlist does not match the one given on the page.
Bp0 raised the priority of this task from to Needs Triage.
Bp0 added a subscriber: Bp0.
bmansurov moved this task from To Do to Doing on the Mobile-Web-Sprint-48-Voyage-of-the-Damned board.
Aside from editing this includes permission changes, creation or deletion of linked pages, and alteration of contained templates.
The screenshots also confirm this - the last edited timestamp is earlier than the last modified timestamp in both cases.
If we decide to change this behavior, I'd like to know to what. Pinging Design and @JKatzWMF to see if they have anything to say.
It appears that you are right, as a null edit will change the time on the watchlist but not on the page. What is the value of that?
@kaldari, what do you think about ^?
@KHammerstein: Arguably, this is UX debt. What do you think about this?
phuedx moved this task from Old Unorganized Resolved Tasks to To Triage on the Readers-Web-Backlog board.
phuedx added a project: Mobile-Web-Sprint-49-Wayne's-World.
phuedx reassigned this task from bmansurov to • KHammerstein.
@phuedx This looks to me like a bug on an existing feature. I think we should fix it but I'll leave it up to how you guys prioritize bugs.
UX debt would address new features or iterations on existing features, not technical bugs.
@bmansurov Oh I see what you're saying. Lets make them consistent. Should we go with last edited or last modified on both?
@KHammerstein, I think we should go with 'last edited'. I don't think many people care about the time when a permission changes for example.
KLans_WMF moved this task from Old Unorganized Resolved Tasks to 2016-17 Q2 on the Readers-Web-Backlog board.
Hmm, I think, that a protection of a page should be visible in the Watchlist, too (btw. it's visible in the desktop watchlist). It's an important information for the editing community, just as an edit to a page.
Another kindof absurd example: if one is watching the page [[Chinese calendar]] the last modified time in the mobile watchlist is whenever someone last clicked the "refresh" link in the little box on the left, or the "purge" link in the Structure -> Day, hour, and week section. That doesn't really seem useful in any way.
Let's make it consistent with the date shown in the page, thanks for the input to everyone. Moving to next sprint.
Thanks for the report @Bp0.
Jhernandez edited projects, added Reading-Web-Sprint-54-28-Days-Later, MobileFrontend; removed Readers-Web-Backlog.
Jhernandez added subscribers: • Jaredzimmerman-WMF, ori, • Qgil and 5 others.
Bp0 added a subscriber: RicoRico.


Since this interview, negotiations to create a new opposition front in Malaysia have been in full swing. Party leaders have spent the last three weeks issuing statements on policy issues that will determine their chances of success at the next election, slated for 2018.
In a country where cash is king, soon nothing will happen without bribery, alleges former PM. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad looked on Thursday like a man with important calculations to make. Even as he smiled and laughed, he seemed quiet and reflective as he discussed Malaysia's dramatic political realignment.


text:
How does tracking and adding changes make developers' lives easier?
  It make is easy by tracking and going back to where things should or need to make changes at.  You can compare changes if 2 people or more is doing the change.

What is a commit?
  Commit is when you are commiting to make the change.

What are the best practices for commit messages?
  Best practice is leave good notes to beable to go back later and be able to understand it.

What does the HEAD^ argument mean?
  HEAD^ means the last thing you are working on.

What are the 3 stages of a git change and how do you move a file from one stage to the other?
  The 3 stages of git is; The working directory, Staging area, and Git Directory.

Write a handy cheatsheet of the commands you need to commit your changes?
  git commit -m "put it in here"
  git commit -v (i have too much to say)

What is a pull request and how do you create and merge one?
  "git pull" is the command to request a pull request. "git merge" of course is just what it is, it merge the branch with the master.

Why are pull requests preferred when working with teams?
  Pull request should be done all the time if working on a team.  Changes are always happening all the time.  You want to make sure you have the latest version of master before beginning you work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Could you explain The Chankley Bore?
Where did the inspiration for this collection come from?
From anything actually. Furniture always has kind of the same shape. I mean, a chair almost always has four legs. It always looks more or less the same. But if you look in nature, for instance, and if you look at an underwater documentary or something, for example, the fish which are there, they have really bright colors, and then something sticks out of it, and there's something blinking… And then there's science fiction, or comics about outer space in which things happen that you cannot imagine. Many things.


text:
Home Life HRW: Judge ignores large bruises on detainee's body, rules for arrest
topheadline
HRW: Judge ignores large bruises on detainee's body, rules for arrest
A high-ranking officer suspected of involvement in a failed coup in Turkey told a judge that he was severely beaten while in custody at Ankara police headquarters and showed him a large bruise on his body; yet, the court transcript of his testimony omitted the details of the ill-treatment, a lawyer told Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a 43-page report, "A Blank Check: Turkey's Post-Coup Suspension of Safeguards Against Torture," published on Tuesday, HRW documented 13 specific abuse incidents concerning Turkey's post-coup detainees. The alleged abuse cases ranged from use of stress positions and sleep deprivation to severe beatings, sexual abuse and the threat of rape.
HRW said it had interviewed more than 40 lawyers, human rights activists, former detainees, medical personnel and forensic specialists before preparing the report.
The watchdog said Turkey's post-coup emergency decrees facilitated torture as they removed safeguards against ill-treatment.
What follows is the full text of the fourth abusive incident in the series published by HRW on Tuesday.
"A high-ranking officer suspected of involvement in the failed coup told a judge during a court-hearing that resulted in him being placed in pretrial detention that police had beaten him during his detention at the Ankara Security Directorate, according to a legal aid lawyer who attended the hearing. The lawyer said that her client showed the judge a large bruise on his upper shoulder and said that he had other bruises on his body.
"The lawyer said that she had seen her client in the Ankara Security Directorate a few days earlier during his interrogation. She was only allowed to speak with him for three minutes behind a curtain in a corridor full of police and other detainees, she said, so she had only been able to explain his rights to him. She doesn't know whether he had the bruises at the time of their meeting.
"The judge sanctioned the arrest. The lawyer said that the court transcript of her client's testimony says that he complained about ill-treatment, but leaves out details of the ill- treatment, including him showing the bruises to the judge." (Turkey Purge)
torture in Turkey
turkish prisons
Previous articleHRW: Police dismiss torture allegations, claim detainee injured on coup night
Next articleTurkey arrests 4 for attending local protests against gov't media crackdown in 2014
Kurdish politician faces investigation for wearing jersey with word 'Kurdistan'
Turkey's budget deficit rose 70 percent year-on-year in first half of...
State of emergency measures still haunt Turkey on 3rd anniversary of failed coup


text:
ALL AT SEA > Caribbean > Eastern Caribbean > St. Maarten / St. Martin > Saved! Hobie Cat Couple Saved by Russian Oil Tanker
LifeSt. Maarten / St. Martin
Saved! Hobie Cat Couple Saved by Russian Oil Tanker
Posted by Nick_Marshall November 18, 2020 Life St. Maarten / St. Martin Tags: Hobie Cat Kick 'em Jenny Kim Sha Beach Sail Barbados Tsunami
Blue Haven Marina Awarded 5 Gold Anchors
What should have been an afternoon's sailing trip turned into a four-day survival ordeal for two crewmembers based in St Maarten.
On Saturday 15 January, Timmy Attard (30) and Juliet Savage (28), both crew aboard Zingaro, took out their 16ft Hobie Cat to sail up the coast. Four days later, on Tuesday 18 January, the two were picked up some 90 miles away, off the coast of St. Croix, by a Russian Oil Tanker undergoing repairs.
Back on board Zingaro, Timmy told All At Sea that the Hobie Cat, which he keeps on Kim Sha beach, had probably been hit by a car, cracking a hull which then filled with water. With the boat increasingly losing balance, the two were unable to return to shore and eventually capsized. By nightfall, and with just a bottle of water and two chocolate bars between them, they had drifted to Saba.
"We went into survival mode straight away," said Timmy. "All sorts of thoughts go through your head. We had one cap of water in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening." The two ate seaweed, huddled from the cold beneath a sail, and even made a harpoon from bungee and wire with which they snagged a Mahi Mahi. As the stricken Cat drifted westwards in heavy seas, sharks began circling them, while passing planes and ships failed to spot them.
Friends and rescue services in St Maarten and beyond put together a 7,000 sq mile search from Anegada down, including the south coast of Puerto Rico.
"There's no traffic out there. The chances of being spotted are so slim," said Timmy. The odds of the Russian Tanker spotting them were also extraordinary. Having finished maintenance, the Captain was about to fire up the engines and head off when he spotted the capsized couple. The two were hauled aboard and flown to St Croix, where ambulances were waiting. "The welcome in St Croix was fantastic," says Timmy, who was granted a humanitarian visa since neither of the two had passports. Timmy has asked All At Sea to thank 'Marion' in St Croix and Special Agent Levering with a special thank you to Lucille Frye in St Maarten.
Puerto Rico opts for PHRF
The Club Nautico de Puerto Rico has voted to adopt a Performance-based rating system similar to that used by Yacht Clubs in SE Florida and the Bahamas, in favour of the Caribbean Sailing Association's measurement-based system, used for the majority of existing regattas in the region. According to Carlos Camacho, CNPR Vice President, running regatta results through both handicap and measurement ratings produced results that were, "with just few exceptions, the same or very close".
Whether or not the decision affects the number of Caribbean boats racing in PR will be given a test in this month's Bared Puerto Rico International Regatta, to be held March 11 to 13. Boats wishing to compete in CNPR events can obtain PHRF rating information by logging onto www.clubnauticopr.com
BVI to supersize?
Moves to actively embrace the megayacht market in the BVI were recently given a boost by a special Mega Yacht conference, held January 13.
Chief Minister Orlando Smith and Minister Paul Wattley announced the Government's commitment to improve facilities that are currently limited at best. Projects include a breakwater peninsula west of Road Town harbour to hamper swell, the rebuilding of Anegada dock, and assessments of port facilities on Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Tortola.
Enthusiasm for growth in this sector was tempered with concerns about the possible damage to the BVI's unique undersea reefs and ecosystem from larger yachts.
T&T fishing celebrations
St Maarten is not the only island hosting Silver Jubilee celebrations this month. Down south, the Trinidad & Tobago Fishing Association (TTGFA) will be holding its 25th International Game Fishing Tournament in Tobago from April 18 to 23.
Teams from Grenada, Martinique, St Lucia and Barbados will join anglers from the US, Canada and Europe. Tournament headquarters will be Tobago's Crown Point Beach Hotel, with weigh in at the Conrado Beach Resort at Pigeon Point. For more info, call (868) 624 5304 or email [email protected]
Guadeloupe recently provided the finishing line for a world-record sailing attempt, when two Italian sailors finished a 2,700 mile crossing from Dakar in Senegal aboard a 20ft open catamaran. Andrea Gancia and Matteo Miceli sailed their Abaco cat across the Atlantic in just 13 days, 15 hours and 26 minutes, smashing the record of 15 days, 2hrs, 26 mins set by Hans Bouscholte and Gerard Navarin in 1999.
Kick 'em Jenny – no cause for concern
Following December's tragic Tsunami in Asia, The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Unit has moved to reassure those who fear a similar disaster in the Caribbean. Fears that Kick 'em Jenny, the underwater volcano 8km north of Grenada, could trigger a regional tsunami are a low probability, according to scientists, and the alert level remains at yellow. The 1.5 km exclusion zone around the volcano is still in effect, since gases emitted from below could cause boats to sink in water that becomes insufficiently dense. Kick 'em Jenny last erupted in December 2001 and is the only active underwater volcano in the region.
Sail Barbados Record
Barbados' annual Sail Barbados, held on January 21st, provided the opportunity for 30′ catamaran Silver Bullet to beat her 1997 round the island record. The catamaran, owned by Robert Povey, whipped round Barbados in four hours and forty minutes, 15 minutes faster than her previous best. Silver Bullet was awarded 11 cases of Mount Gay Extra Old Rum for her trouble.
Organised by the Barbados Sailing Association, Sail Barbados saw tough racing in Catamaran Class, Racing, Big Boat, Cruising and Dinghy.
The first monohull round the island was 135′ Destination Fox Horbor in five hours 25 minutes, while Bill Tempro's Rapajam won the Racing Class, Ron Hunt's Jaystar took Cruising and local champ Charlie Gloumeau won the Laser discipline.
Next year's event will again be held on January 21, 2006. More information is available on www.sailbarbados.com
Missing windsurfer
Meanwhile, the Barbados Coast Guard has announced it has suspended the search for a French windsurfer who went missing at sea. 62-year-old Jean-Marie Leglas was last seen windsurfing off the south coast at Silver Sands. After 10 days of searching, the Coast Guard announced that the search could no longer be continued.
A 78-year-old British man is looking for three over-65's to join him on an Atlantic crossing later this year. Applicants should be aware that the trip will be aboard a 45′ float made from gas pipes, leaving the Canary Islands for the Bahamas.
Anthony Smith, from London, was inspired by the 2,500-mile liferaft journey of two wartime seaman aged just 21 and 19 whose ship was sunk just off the Canary islands in 1940.
Smith may not be at his physical peak, but has already proved his mental mettle by rafting the length of the Amazon and ballooning across the Alps.
Tags: Hobie Cat Kick 'em Jenny Kim Sha Beach Sail Barbados Tsunami
Nick_Marshall March 1, 2005
Previous Article Anchoring in the Caribbean – How Do I Know Where to Anchor?
Next Article NEWS – Rodney Bay Marina Didier Urges Insurance Review
North Sound Boxing Day Regatta
February 5, 2021 - February 7, 2021
Antilles Power Depot – Supplier of the Year 2020-2021 for San Juan Marriott Resort
We have relied on Antilles Power for our new equipment, service and maintenance of our backup emergency power systems, and their 24 hours availability
Sailing with Charlie: Santa's Caribbean Christmas
This year is the most challenging ever. All the igloos where you reindeer sleep are melting, the elves' dormitory is collapsing because the ice is turning to slush.
Phil Braithwaite, the Spirit of Christmas
Every island has a Father Christmas, spreading pure joy and cheer, and in Antigua's Falmouth Harbour, that title goes to Phil Braithwaite
Don't Miss the Caribbean November 2020 Events. Thankful to see action again.


This week we would like to highlight Wally Scholl! Wally has been with our program for 7 years and has had a few mentees. He recently had his mentee move away and quickly made the decision to be repaired and stay in the . . .
January is Mentor appreciation month! TeamMates would like to introduce you to some of our Mentors who have really made an impact on our program. I wish we could highlight all of our Mentors because they are truly super but we have . . .
Upcoming Events January 7th - Creighton Basketball Game February 8th - Norfolk Arts Center and Dinner April 14th - Red and White Husker Football Game April 29th . . .


It is a great pleasure to revisit the creative contribution of a known wobbler of ideas and narratives. B. S. Ramulu is known to every Telugu person in the world through his short stories depicting the agonizing life of working class particularly the weavers in Telangana. Telugu literature would not be considered full and wholesome without of the stories of Ramulu as he has provided both the unique conditions of Telangana and specific problems of weavers, beedi workers and other social proletariat.
B. S. Ramulu, the social philosopher and the weaver of stories, like a painter working on wide canvas, depicts the lives of the people, the simple colors providing a stupendous 3D effect, deep and poignant, each stroke throbbing with life.
B. S. Ramulu is a writer with a mission. He has a message to convey. He is deeply concerned with life, particularly with life of the people of Telangana and the language they speak.
Stories that help in understanding the social and cultural aspects of the writer's period which inspire people to reconstruct the society, according to critics, make commendable literature.


text:
3 ways ABInBev is marketing beer in a tech-led world
Global brewery giant ABInBev's global director reveals how the company shifted its marketing strategy to meet the ever-changing demands of digital
Azadeh Williams (CMO)
16 March, 2017 07:31
The proliferation of disruptive and on-demand alcohol delivery methods is placing increasing pressure on traditional brewery companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev to rethink the ways they engage customers with their global beer brands.
"We had to rethink our selling and distribution channels as we have always been predominantly selling wholesale to retailers, we never had that direct connection with the consumer," ABInBev's global director, Tina Wung, said at ad:tech Sydney 2017. "So we had to completely rethink our engagement strategy."
A fridge that orders you beer
One of the ways the company decided to engage with consumers was by partnering with online delivery app startup, MiniBar, and launching a new digitally-enabled refrigerator that told customers how many beers they have. It then sends notifications to the app, which automatically re-orders for the customer to have the beer delivered to in 30 minutes.
"In our pilot launch in the States, we sold out of our refrigerators really quickly in only a couple of months," she said. "As we did a little more research as to who was buying them, we found out a lot of offices were buying them as an easy way to keep their premises stocked with our beers. So the next phase of our pilot test was to launch larger office refrigerators which we leased out to these companies.
"This way, not only were we making revenue on the actual beer delivery, we also basically stumbled along a new business model that was to make money out of these refrigerators."
But the reward Wung said ABInBev really gained from this pilot example was gaining the powerful data the technology provided.
"We hadn't sold directly to consumers before, so we had no visibility as to the point of purchase," she explained. "We didn't have first-hand data as to what people were buying or how many for what occasions. But when we partnered with MiniBar, we gained the data right down to the minute and to the geographic areas in which the consumers were buying our products.
"This was a huge goldmine for us, not just from a tech standpoint, but from a data insights perspective."
Read more Why Danone Nutricia's Aptamil brand tapped into creative crowdsourcing
Immersive VR brewery experiences
Another innovative project ABInBev rolled out was an immersive reality experience with one of its flagship brands, Budweiser, in order to reinvigorate its appeal to millennials.
"Budweiser is one of our older, heritage brands and we needed millennials to give it a second look," Wung said. "The way we engaged with immersive reality was to be able to show them all the heritage cues, the quality, taste and freshness that would come to life in a way that millennials could be excited about – which we felt would be VR and a multi-sensory experience."
The virtual reality experience debuted at South by South West in Austin Texas in 2016, and gave consumers a chance to virtually experience the Budweiser brewery in St Louis in 4D.
Read more eHarmony CMO: Marketers are getting misled by data attribution
"You not only get to experience the entire tour, as though you're actually there, but you're also able to smell the hops, feel the beechwood chips and hear the sounds, plus everyone had a sample in the end" Wung said. "I love this example because it's such a great way for the brand essence to really shine through and bring that brand story to life in such a competitive market such as beer.
"We're now extending this experience to sports and music, and are continuing to innovate in this space."
Beer retail gamification
To further increase customer engagement in the retail space, ABInBev partnered with app startup company, Ibotta, in 2016, offering beer shoppers cash-back rebates on the company's products through Ibotta's gamification app.
Read more How AccorHotels is building emotional connections with customers
The partnership, which runs through February 2018, provides Ibotta shoppers over the age of 21 with special offers on the sale of beer at convenience, grocery and liquor stores, as well as bars and restaurants where legally permitted across the country.
"For us, a big part of transforming our culture from within is to educate our partners, and this partnership really lends itself to this accomplishment," Wung claimed.
ABInBev's global director, Tina Wung discusses how to embrace innovation at ad:tech Sydney 2017
Read more Myer CEO: Omni-channel and close customer connection keys to competing with Amazon
Rethinking what innovation really means
Moving forward, Wung suggested more and more companies like ABInBev are starting to successfully rethink innovation.
"Culturally, you need to really be able to embrace innovation from the ground up and from an infrastructure perspective – and have a clear focus as far as what it will really accomplish," she said. "You need to have the resources in place to enable that."
Read more How this retailer is tackling price competitiveness in a digital era
To successfully innovate and embrace a transformative culture, Wung identified several critical factors:
Define what innovation means: Innovation is a term that has been diluted, because everyone is throwing it around, but what does it really mean specifically for your company's vision? There are different definitions for different functions.
Get top down buy-in and alignment: This will make it so much easier when you decide to execute.
Institutionalise innovation: Allow free flowing ideas to bubble to the top, encourage employees to play and innovate and take away the fear factor.
"Finally, allow some room for projects that fail," Wung said. "We actually made one of our targets fail 10 times, because it encouraged us to just get out there and try. Obviously you have to be smart about it, but you'll be able to jump that much higher and stretch the boundaries of what your team can do."
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+:google.com/+CmoAu
Read more CMO interview: Spearheading the global rebranding of OFX
Delivering UnitingCare Queensland COVID-19 screening app on Sitecore & Azure in 72 hours
More from Triggerfish MarTech
Tags: digital marketingdata analyticsvirtual reality


I'm so proud of myself right now. I can't help it, just look at the pie, my very first pumpkin pie. Oh, did I mention the filling is made from scratch too?
Despite the idea of making things from scratch is impressive in my book, I'm convinced that I'll need a shortcut for the filling next time. Some of you will agree that peeling through the stubborn exterior of a pumpkin (actually about a quarter of a Japanese pumpkin) and cutting it into pieces are no piece of cake, especially when you're relying on an old and blunt generic knife to do the job for you. I should have used pre-made pumpkin puree instead. I should have. At the end of the day, I don't think it'll make much difference, am I correct? Even if there is any difference, there's nothing nutmeg and cinnamon can't fix right?
Note: I've doubled the peanut butter and honey as the portions provided in the original recipe don't seem to create a mixture sticky enough to form a pie shell. I would start with 2 tbsps each for peanut butter and honey. Add more until you achieve the desire consistency. For me, it took me up to 4 tbsps for both ingredients.
1. Roast diced pumpkin in a preheated oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 392 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool. Reset the oven temperature to 165 degrees Celsius / 330 degrees Fahrenheit to continue preheating the oven for baking the pie later on.
2. To prepare the crust: Combine the cornflakes, coconut, pecan nuts, peanut butter and honey in a food processor. Blend until the mixture sticks together when squeezed.
3. Press the cornflakes mixture down on a pie dish to form a base and bring a little way up the sides. If you're using a cake tin, make sure to line the cake tin with parchment paper.
4. To make the filling: Put the pumpkin, maple syrup, orange zest and juice, vanilla, spices and egg whites in a food processor. Process until well combined.
5. Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the base of the pie shell (picture below) and spoon over the pumpkin mixture.
6. Top with the pecan nuts and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the filling is firm. Cool. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Emily – as always, wonderful wonderful photos. I agree, peeling/cutting pumpkin is so hard! I always feel like I'm going to chop off a finger. I'll admit, the only times I've used actual squash is when it isn't pureed in a recipe. Otherwise I'll just use canned. It's funny because I get all excited when fall rolls around so I can make pumpkin recipes since they are in season… but then reach for a can.
Your pie looks absolutely delicious and I love the addition of cranberries for the extra tang!
cornflakes + peanut butter for a pie crust? OHMYGAWD that is freaking brilliant!!! i loooveeee cornflakes! i can't even begin to imagine how awesome this is gonna taste eeee i need to go home and bake!
I was asking about the gluten-free because my boyfriends father has Celiacs and we're going there for Turkey Day this year.. I actually think this might be- because corn flakes are gluten free and everything else seems to be as well.. something to think about 🙂 thanks!
I have celiac and had the exact same thought. Be careful though. Make sure the cornflakes and all other ingredients are truly gluten free. Call your boyfriend's father, if you can, and ask him if there is a particular brand of cornflakes he eats. Go through the rest of the list too. Trust me. He will really appreciate the gesture. I tear up nearly every time someone just tries or asks.
I love the cornflakes idea!
Do you use the pumpkin raw or do you actually cook it before using it in this pie mixture?
I already had the pumpkin so yesterday I prepared the puree. Next on my list is preparing this pie!
If I choose to use the pumpkin puree, what amount should I use?
About 2 cups (or 500ml) of pumpkin puree shoud be enough. Happy Thanksgiving !
What a creative pumpkin pie! I love the use of peanut butter in the crust and dried cranberries under the filling. Delicious combination of ingredients!
Sounds really lovely, but I think it would be much better to make the filing from scratch – you can control the ingredients better,and the flavour will be much nicer as well.
To make the pumpkin preparation easier, you could roast larger pieces of it with the skin on, and then just peel or cut it off once it has cooled down after roasting.
Your pie looks very nice and think it taste lovely too. I am going to try it next time we go to Armier.


text:
Adult pillow
Leg pillow
GoldBones
Publish Time: 2017-03-28
GoldBone is the United States bone health products manufacturer! Formerly known as the George Brown laboratory, in 1962 officially changed its name GoldBone, Chinese translation of the bone gold. The company is located in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the product covers bone products, skeletal correction series, bone maintenance products, calcium supplement products, the company's slogan "Core Technology Leaders" products with leading technology is known, has been occupying an important position in the whole ball of products of the same category in the high-end market.
Goldbone is a well-known American medical device brand. Committed to bone health products research and development and marketing. Goldbone has been developed for bone inflammation, deformation, proliferation and other bone diseases and clinical treatment. The first prosecution in 1951 the United States of Philadelphia (Philadelphia) Schuylkill River (Schuylkill) a private laboratory, next to the George Brown Laboratory (George Brown). The main person in charge: George. (George), his research team at the time of cervical spondylosis (after cervical spondylosis) as the subject for research and development and experiment of Brown. In 1953 George Brown's traction combined with drugs for the treatment of cervical spondylosis became the only effective treatment of cervical osteoarthritis, 1962 Goldbone company was born, the people familiar with the green eyed little sign.
Goldbone products related to medical devices, pharmaceuticals, health care and other health care products related to bone, then swept the country, in January 2000 to enter China, registered in Beijing, the bones of gold Biological Technology Co., ltd.. 2011 science and technology continues to update, bone Goldbone (gold) ushered in a new era, advanced production technology, the perfect service team and make the bone Goldbone. Today, Goldbone has become one of the most popular medical devices and health care providers in china.
 PreviousNext 
0086-572-8285266, 8285298
jiayi@jiayizt.com, memory@jiayizt.com
No. 400, Xijiao Road, Qianyuan Town, Deqing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China (Mainland)
Copyright © Zhejiang Deqing Jiayi Health Science&Technology Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Link: -- Link --
 Contact Us
Contact Us How can we help you?
 Send


There are a number of excellent homestays in the backwaters around Kumarakom and Allepey. Accommodation standard ranges from very simple and really quite upmarket (somewhere like Philip Kutty's for instance, is perhaps closer to a small boutique guesthouse) but the welcome is always extremely friendly and your stay will be highly personalised. All homestays will offer a range of activities, including walks and tours of surrounding villages, farms, and markets. The local area can be ably tackled on foot or by bike, and your hosts will be more than happy to help map out a day with you. A demonstration of toddy tapping - the process of drawing palm wine from surrounding trees - can also be demonstrated and, should you wish, sampled! We would also strongly recommend joining your hosts for a cooking demonstration if they are available - a fine way to learn more about local cuisine, and take some skills home with you!


Product Liability Attorneys Orlando | Harrell & Harrell, P.A.
Product liability attorneys in Orlando represent victims of personal injury caused by a defective product. The manufacturer, distributor and seller assume a level of responsibility for ensuring the safety of the goods and services that they provide to the consumer. Although it is not the duty of the product manufacturer to produce accident-free products, today's product liability laws are designed to protect the consumer from unreasonably dangerous products especially where the danger may be hidden or concealed from the user. A manufacturer is responsible for methodical testing and inspecting of its products. In addition, the seller can also have the duty to make reasonable inspections for latent or hidden product defects as well.
With dozens of grey areas, it is easy to see why product liability law is so complex. In general, product liability is based on a duty of care. That means the manufacturer of the product has a duty to design and produce a reasonably safe product. Moreover, when the distributor of an inherently dangerous product places the product in the channels of commerce, the distributor has an inherent duty. It becomes the distributor's responsibility to adequately warn others of the danger, e.g. prescription medicines. Additionally, the distributor and/or the seller may inherit a duty such as to instruct others as to the proper use of the product, e.g. a flammable or explosive product. If a person is injured or killed due to a defective product, any claim or lawsuit falls under product liability laws.
A good example of how a hidden or concealed product defect can pass responsibility for that product would be a recent problem that Mattel faced. The products were manufactured in China but the danger of lead paint used in producing the toys was concealed from the buyer. Product liability for any personal injury or death would fall on the manufacturer in China who would be almost impossible to sue. In this case, the distributor of the product was also Chinese and equally difficult to sue. Since Mattel is a U.S. company and the seller of the product, the company had a duty to test the product and notify the buyer that chewing on the toys could cause serious brain damage in children who, by the way, naturally chew on toys. Because of the difficulty in suing either Chinese company, Mattel could be solely liable for damages as a consequence of its failure to inspect, test and identify the product as an unsafe toy.
NOTE: Our Product Alerts page has several examples of prescription medicines that were either not fully tested or the pharmaceutical manufacturer of the drug did not give reasonable notice to the doctors or the general public who consumed the medications.
Product liability lawyers deal with a very specialized area of law that requires a great deal of experience and specialized knowledge. Unique legal issues such as "strict liability", "warranty" and "maintenance" all fall within the area of product liability law. For example, a product is properly manufactured, but the design is faulty because the product does not have the appropriate safety devices or guards to protect the user against obvious dangers. At Harrell & Harrell, our product liability lawyers have litigated personal injury cases involving poorly designed protective guards to include: power equipment, machinery, chain saws, printing presses and lawnmowers.
Another area of product liability law that our accident attorneys have represented are personal injuries caused by the failure to warn of potential dangers that the consumer would not recognize but that the manufacturer knew about or should have known about. This area product liability law includes products that present a danger even when used correctly. For example, users may have handled household products that emitted dangerous fumes which were odorless but may not have received a proper warning that the danger even existed.
If you or a loved one have been injured (directly or indirectly) by a product of any kind, it is a good idea to speak directly with a product liability lawyer. Our attorneys have the legal skills to analyze any product liability accident and advise you as to your best course of legal actions. Call the Orlando, FL office of Harrell & Harrell toll-free at 1-800-251-1111 for your no costs, no obligations consultation. You will be glad that you did.


In July 2017, you won the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete. You are the second gymnast to win this award after Nastia Liukin won it in 2009. With a long list of achievements at such a young age, you are out to make a history. How are you able to manage the pressure of balancing college and competing for artistic gymnastics?
It can be overwhelming at times, but my incredible support system and the flexibility provided by taking classes at University of the People make it all possible. University of the People allows me to work on my degree at my own pace and complete work when it's convenient with my training schedule. My family and friends are always there to help me get through the tough days, and I work with my coaches to make sure I'm maintaining a healthy life balance, which in return allows me to give my all in the gym.
'Courage to Soar' talks about your journey from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team. Share with our viewers how in the oddest of circumstances one can rise to shine like a star?
It's about working hard and believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can overcome any circumstance.
You were a part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Being a part of a team calls for a temperament where the target should be of utmost significance, how can one go about to give their best?
When we come together to compete as a team we excel to new levels. We encourage each other to be the best we can be; it gives us additional motivation knowing we are competing for each other. You no longer want to win just for yourself, you want to win as a team.