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Q&A With The Columns Gallery Director, Dong Jo Chang
By Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Contributor
With the fourth edition of S.E.A. Focus, the world's first fair dedicated to Southeast Asian contemporary art, opening next week in Singapore, I speak to Dong Jo Chang, director of The Columns Gallery (with spaces in Seoul and Singapore), about participating in the anchor event of Singapore Art Week since the very beginning.
Shavonne Wong, The Mirror World, NFT 3D-rendered video, unique, 22 seconds, 2021 Photo courtesy of The Columns Gallery
With Art SG having been postponed until 2023, are you excited that S.E.A. Focus is one of the few art fairs still able to take place in Singapore at the beginning of 2022?
The Columns Gallery was invited to participate in Art SG and it's unfortunate to hear of its postponement. We are definitely highly anticipating the fair taking place in 2023 and will be patient, as it is an extremely important one. The pandemic has posed a great challenge to the art market, both locally and globally. We are therefore very excited that things have not come to a standstill with S.E.A. Focus being one of the few art fairs that Singapore is still able to host in early 2022.
Why did you decide to participate again in S.E.A. Focus?
This is the fourth time The Columns Gallery is participating in S.E.A. Focus. Although our gallery is based in Seoul and features South Korean artists in exhibitions such as Dansaekhwa, a Korean monochrome painting group exhibition, as well as Kim Tae-Ho in our upcoming exhibition for Singapore Art Week 2022, we have always shone a spotlight on ASEAN artists such as Indonesian artists Heri Dono and Timoteus Anggawan Kusno. In previous editions of S.E.A. Focus, The Columns Gallery showcased Singaporean artist Yeo Chee Kiong and Filipina 2019 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award winner, Eisa Jocson. We find that S.E.A. Focus is a great platform for Southeast Asian artists to expand their influence, especially emerging Singaporean artists.
Tristan Lim, Resigning Mass, redux, NFT CG animated video, unique, 30 seconds, 2021 Photo courtesy of The Columns Gallery
Which are the most promising artists who have the greatest potential that you will be presenting at S.E.A. Focus and what is their subject matter?
We believe that all of the artists we have with us for S.E.A. Focus are in fact very promising. Some of whom show the greatest potential are Tristan Lim as well as Ernest Wu. Singaporean visual artist Tristan Lim questions the manner in which we perceive and value virtuality and reality in contemporary life. By examining the forms in which visual materials circulate and manifest in culture, he also looks at the relationships between disparate things. Through this, he discovers the uncovered surfacing questions of material and existential significance. Ernest Wu is a Singapore-based artist who explores spatial relationships and visual esthetics to produce artworks through photography and moving images. By questioning traditional photography techniques, his projects use unconventional methods of creating images structured around the limitations of the camera. His most recent explorations into NFTs and digital art explore how we perceive images and digital experiences.
Which categories or themes of contemporary Southeast Asian art are registering the most interest from collectors?
NFTs are currently one of the hottest topics amongst collectors, with the rise of digital art on the blockchain, its exclusivity, unmediated transactions and potential for huge returns in cryptocurrency.
Dong Jo Chang, director of The Columns Gallery Photo courtesy of The Columns Gallery
What is the value of Southeast Asia's contemporary artists and the potential for the development of Southeast Asian contemporary art and its rising stars?
During the early 1990s, Heri Dono, currently a leading Yogyakarta-based contemporary artist, was the first Indonesian to break onto the global art scene. Since his early career, he has traveled around the world to exhibit and respond to workshop invitations from various countries. Timoteus Anggawan Kusno has also found great success and had been commissioned and shown his work internationally at several cultural institutions and biennales, including Mumbai City Museum, India, Center for Fine Art Brussels, Belgium, Biennale Jogja XIV Equator #4: Indonesia-Brazil and 13th Gwangju Biennale, South Korea, among others. Eisa Jocson, a Manila-born artist, dancer and choreographer, has not only established a name for herself within Asia, but has also extended her reach to countries at the other end of the world such as Germany, Spain and Italy. With the rise of NFTs, more ASEAN artists now have the potential to make greater waves on an international scale. These artists who predominantly work in traditional fine art mediums can be catapulted even further into the limelight should they choose to dabble in the world of NFTs.


Rules? You are thinking all wrong.
Your first step would be to open your mind. It is very hard to relearn what we have accepted but objectivity is enlightening.
If you ever have such a desire I'll gladly tutor you. Until this, this is pointless.
Chill Out for we all have been through the trials and struggles of life and sitting on the pity pot is not the answer. When you find yourself at the bottom of a pit there is only one way out, up.
Chill Out for we have been through the trials and struggles of life and sitting on the pity pot is not the answer. When you find yourself at the bottom of a pit there is only one way out, up.
Bingo. There is no one way to do anything, including being a parent.
And maybe Billy won't get to play soccer for a week. Ouch, wow that's really gonna sting.
I am sorry to learn you never had a passion.
How did you spend your your time?
I wish the poster well, I truly do.
I work in advertising for one of the biggest agencies in the world and play hockey three nights a week. You gonna stop me? Nope. Good luck with that. I also used to run track and dance.
Look at what you just posted. That's messed up, man. You're attempting to play mind games and demean my passions and intelligence. You've been doing that all through this thread. That's seriously fucked up. Now you're basically accusing me of not having any values or passions . This is what you do to your kids? Wow. So if someone doesn't agree with you, they just need to be "educated"?
There are methods that prove to have a better outcome than others.
And had access to create fully automatic assault rifles......you forgot that part!
1 Columbine and Parkland no full automatic weapons were used.
in fact MORE PEOPLE are murdered with people using their bare hands (about 3 times as many) than are killed by people using Assault rifles.
~250 people per year are murdered with (All types of rifles not all are assault) but 7-800 are murdered every year where the weapons were empty hands.
I work in advertising for one of the biggest agencies in the world and play hockey three nights a week. You gonna stop me? Nope.
So your passion is hockey? And if I a consequence of your action was a loss of participation it would not motive you to change the action that resulted in this consequence?
Not if I felt what I did was worth it, no, regardless of what your judgement might be. I can deal with a week or away from hockey or anything else. It'll be back soon enough. You're talking trade-offs, not punishment.
"Hey dad, I wanna go smoke pot this weekend." "You better not or I'll take you out of hockey for a month." "Okay, it's a deal. I wanna have the experience. I can go back to hockey later." That's a trade-off.
Regardless, it doesn't matter. I'm and adult and do what I want.


There are two ways to use the SWAMP: the ready-to-use cloud computing platform at mir-swamp.org or the SWAMP-in-a-Box (SiB) open-source distribution that is downloadable from GitHub. Both are available at no-cost to you and include an array of open-source and commercial software security testing tools as well as a comprehensive results viewer to simplify vulnerability remediation. Each also supports an API, allowing you to integrate the SWAMP into existing software development workflows.
MIR-SWAMP supports software assurance with minimal fuss and is a good way to try out the SWAMP either for use as part of a class or regular day-to-day usage. It also offers a library of applications with known vulnerabilities, enabling tool developers to improve the effectiveness of their own static and dynamic testing tools.
SWAMP-in-a-Box can be deployed on your own servers if you have higher security or compliance requirements for your software or, being open-source, when you want to customize the software.
On Friday, May 17 at 3:30pm, SWAMP Chief Scientist Barton Miller will be giving a talk at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Join him in Room 100 (Spanos Auditorium) in Cummings Hall for the Jones Seminar titled "Why Johnny and Janie Can't Code Safely—Bringing Software Assurance to the Masses." Details can be found here.


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Middle-sector house prices tumble 5%
Property Editor
HOUSE prices in the middle segment of the market fell 5% year on year in April, the biggest drop in prices in 11 years, according to the latest Absa House Price Index.
Absa Bank said yesterday that this was a further decline from the 3,4% drop recorded in March. Higher interest rates and inflation, combined with the National Credit Act, were the main drivers for the market weakening.
Jacques du Toit, senior property analyst at Absa Home Loans, said the act made it more difficult for people to acquire credit because they had to "go through various affordability calculations".
"Now with further interest rate hikes in the near future, the affordability of housing will come under pressure, which will push price growth to even lower levels," said Du Toit.
This data comes a day after property veteran Lew Geffen, chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby's International Realty, said prices might fall as much as 40% from last year's highs by the end of this year, especially at the upper end of the market.
Geffen said on Wednesday that this meant the market would drop, with the "prices of two years ago" being the "prices at year end".
Du Toit said Absa was expecting continued decline in house prices in real terms over the next two years.
Samuel Seeff, chairman of Seeff Properties, said there was "literally no house price growth in most areas of SA".
But Seeff said there were a "couple of areas" that were bucking that trend. "Those areas are very much the upper end of the market.
"These include Bantry Bay, Clifton and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (all in Cape Town).
"But for the rest of the market, what we've seen is that in general it is stagnating, and in real terms there is a decline," he said.
Still, Seeff said he did not "believe that we need to go into panic mode".
What the market had seen, and would continue to see, was a big drop in the number of sales taking place, he said.
"And, as a consequence, those sales that are taking place will favour the buyer.
"An astute buyer will get a good price but that doesn't necessarily mean you are going to readjust the whole market.
"In the main, most sellers will prefer not to sell than to take a capital loss."
Where sales were taking place, they would either be at market value, if the sellers had the correct asking price, or 10%- 15% below if the initial asking price was too high, Seeff said.
If sellers were under pressure to sell, they might bring down their prices dramatically, "but that will be the exception rather than the rule", he said.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Fountain is a markdown format which enables an author to write in a plain text editor (like Emacs or Kate, and to render a properly formatted screenplay later.
With no special software required, you can write screenplays anywhere and on anything without worrying about having to re-format it later.
Aside from some simple rules to follow while writing, there's nothing to learn. Write within Fountain's simple style guidelines, and let something else worry about the formatting.
Writing in Fountain makes the writing process about the words, not about character name databases, scene breakdowns, storyboards, or any other process that should happen after the writing has been done. This is one step up from a typewriter.
Writing in plain text without any formatting renders a file that is as open and cross-platform as possible. Never worry about getting locked out of your document again.
Fountain's simplicity means that there is no name or slug database, no management of scene numbers, no auto-complete, no tabbed-completion, and most importantly no indication of how long your screenplay will be once properly formatted.
Since it uses markdown, writing Fountain documents renders completely unstructured documents. This sacrifices, in the name of formatless text, many of the advantages of markup; for instance, there is no easy way to quickly pull all character names or a set listing from a Fountain document without using regular expressions to parse through the text.
Unlike docbook, Fountain is unstructured markdown, so there is no installation process. Instead, you write documents with the fountain style guide in mind, and then use some application that can convert your .fountain to a formatted screenplay.


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Corporate Transactions & Finance
Health Care Tax
Tax Audits, Appeals & Litigation
Unclaimed Property/Escheat
Emerging Companies &
Nonprofit & Tax-Exempt Organizations
Securities Fraud & Financial Investigations
Managing Tax
Audits & Appeals
Practices › Tax › Tax Audits, Appeals & Litigation
David B. Blair
David J. Fischer
Harold J. Heltzer
Crowell & Moring has a long history of achieving outstanding results in tax controversy and litigation. We regularly handle significant cases for Fortune 500 clients, as well as bet-the-company and other complex tax matters for businesses large and small.
We offer our clients the benefit of our experience in prior positions with the Department of Justice Tax Division, the Treasury Department Office of Tax Legislative Counsel, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, the Office of Management and Budget, and the United States Tax Court.
Our core proficiencies include the following:
U.S. Tax Court litigation
U.S. Court of Federal Claims tax refund litigation
U.S. district court tax refund litigation
U.S. district court summons litigation
IRS appeals
IRS examination
Fast track, mediation, industry issue resolution, and other ADR programs
Tax mediation and arbitration
Advance pricing agreements
U.S. Competent Authority
We have litigated numerous tax cases before the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. district courts, U.S. bankruptcy courts, U.S. courts of appeals, and various state courts. We also recognize that litigation is a last resort and understand that early, innovative use of alternative dispute resolution techniques often provides the best, most cost-effective result. Some of our greatest successes never appear in reported decisions because we have the experience to resolve tax controversies through advance pricing agreements (APAs), audits, fast track settlements, IRS Appeals, mediation, competent authority, and other litigation alternatives. We have successfully represented clients in hundreds of administrative tax cases without the need for litigation. We literally wrote the book, "Managing Tax Audits and Appeals," and we sponsor the well-attended annual seminar by the same name.
We believe in building long-term strategic partnerships with our clients and have developed close relationships with great companies. We invest in client relationships, making it our business to know our clients' businesses. We are committed to providing creative, long-term solutions to complex tax problems in a cost-effective manner.
Although most of our tax controversy work is confidential, the following is a selection of our lawyers' cases of public record:
BrokerTec Holdings Inc. v. Commissioner, No. 4099-20 (T.C. filed Mar. 2, 2020) (Section 118)
ICAP Global Broking Inc. v. Commissioner, No. 4109-20 (T.C. filed Mar. 2, 2020) (Section 118)
Shiloh Indus., Inc. v. Commissioner, No. 020802-18 (T.C. filed Oct. 22, 2018) (research credits).
AT&T Advertising, L.P. v. United States, No. 1:16-cv-00272- RTH (Fed. Cl. filed Feb. 26, 2016) (section 199 deduction).
BrokerTec Holdings Inc. v. Commissioner, 117 T.C.M. (CCH) 1146,rev'd, No. 19-2603 (3d Cir. July 11, 2019) (treatment of relocation grants as contributions to capital).
Corporate Executive Board Company v. Virginia Department of Taxation, 96 Va. Cir. 287 (Va. Cir. Ct. 2017), aff'd, 822 S.E.2d 918 (Va. 2019) (alternative apportionment for sales factor sourcing).
Vesta Corporation v. Commissioner, Nos. 26847-16, 26503-17 (T.C. Nov. 13, 2018) (section 199 deduction for software).
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. v. United States, 2017-2 U.S.T.C. ¶ 50,359 (S.D.N.Y. 2017), aff'd, 899 F.3d 175 (2d Cir. 2018) (statute of limitations applicable to claim for refund based on change to deduction of foreign taxes paid).
El Paso Corp. v. United States, 2014-1 U.S.T.C. ¶ 50, 219 (S.D. Tex. 2012), aff'd, 748 F.3d 225 (5th Cir. 2014) (improper tax assessment under mitigation rules).
Union Carbide Corp. v. Commissioner, 97 T.C.M. (CCH) 1207 (2009), aff'd, 697 F.3d 104 (2d Cir. 2012) (research credits).
District of Columbia Office of Tax & Revenue v. BAE Systems Enterprise Systems, Inc., 56 A.3d 477 (D.C. 2012) (tax credits and incentives for qualified high technology companies).
Marriott Int'l Resorts, L.P. v. United States,83 Fed. Cl. 291 (2008), aff'd, 586 F.3d 962 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (short sale liability excluded from partnership basis).
Marriott Int'l Resorts, L.P. v. United States, 437 F.3d 1302 (Fed. Cir. 2006) (and related) (procedures for IRS to invoke deliberative process privilege).
Weyerhaeuser Co. v. Commissioner, No. 4712-05 (T.C. Nov. 30, 2005) (qualification of interest on solid waste disposal bonds for tax exemption).
E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. v. United States, No. 1:01-cv-00449-MCW (Fed. Cl. May 19, 2006) (allocation of purchase price for purchased business to supply contract).
Exxon Corp. v. Commissioner, 113 T.C. 338 (1999), acq. in result, 2001-2 C.B. xv (foreign tax credit).
Crowell & Moring Earns 52 Practice Rankings in 2021 "Best Law Firms" Report
Treasury and the IRS Release Final Regulations Regarding Section 45Q Carbon Capture and Sequestration Tax Credit
Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Audit Selection and Litigation
Get Ready For IRS Repatriation Enforcement
Federal Tax Cases To Watch In 2021
"Transition 2021: Tax in 2021 and Beyond," Crowell & Moring Webinar


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I Miss My Portal Gun
Posted on June 22, 2012 by Tyler F.M. Edwards
And my sarcastic potato:
I didn't want to write too much on the Portal games. They're so immensely popular that anything I could say about them has undoubtedly been said before.
But hell, I'm gonna do it anyway.
I finished Portal 2 today, and I'm already starting to miss it. This was one of those truly special games that only comes along once in a very long while.
As with its predecessor, it was an incredibly unique experience. To be clear, I have no issue with the frenetic and violent video games that dominate much of the market, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a game that bucks the trend utterly.
In stark contrast to the caffeinated intensity of games like Starcraft 2, the Portal games are largely slow and methodical, relying almost entirely on thought and careful reasoning instead of twitch reflexes. Armed with nothing but a portal gun, your only weapon is your wits.
Although comedic games are by no means unheard of — Portal 2 in particular greatly reminded me of the style of wry humor found in No One Lives Forever: The Operative — they're not exactly something you see every day, either, so the Portal games were refreshing in that respect, as well.
And make no mistake, they're funny as hell — especially Portal 2. I initially thought there'd be no point to replaying these games once you've solved all the puzzles, but there were just so many gags in Portal 2 that I may have to play through again to catch all the ones I undoubtedly missed.
And then there are the things that would be major selling points in any other games but merely feel like icing on the cake* in this case: the good graphics, the fantastic audio, the addictive level design…
*(See what I did there?)
Portal didn't quite live up to its hype due to its incredibly short length — which I have been informed is the result of its origin as a bonus for the Orange Box, but which I still cannot help but hold against it. But Portal 2 definitely lived up to the hype, and for a game as insanely popular as this, that's saying a lot.
Sure, it still had a fair few problems, and in some ways, the original Portal was better. But it is my belief that the mark of a truly great video game — or book, or movie, or anything — is not that it has no flaws but that its strengths make you willing to forgive its flaws. This is the case with Portal 2.
So I guess all I'm doing here is gushing, and once again, I'm sure it's all been said before. But this is my passion. I often say that video games are an art form, and if you want proof, load up the Portal games. They prove my point better than almost anything else.
Best eight bucks I ever spent.
New article:
My latest WhatMMO article is on personal responsibility in MMO communities. This is another non-list article similar to what you'd read on my blog. Everyone's happy to complain about how awful the communities in games like WoW are, but how much do we really do to make our contributions to the greater game community positive ones?
This entry was posted in Games, My writing, Retro Reviews and tagged Portal, sci-fi, writing by Tyler F.M. Edwards. Bookmark the permalink.


1) non clumping cat litter; 2) 12 cans of wet cat food; 3) a bag of dry puppy food.
Our adoption process is the same-- we are still ensuring we adopt to the best possible applicants for our cats, however, we are running very low on specific items we need for the Shelter to run (see above, as well as our wish list on our website) and running high on cats that would each like to be in happy homes of their very own.
If you can't adopt, please feel free to come down regardless and hang out, eat some delicious baking our staff has made, join in our BBQ (from 5pm-7pm), learn about The Saskatoon SPCA, or perhaps even offer to sponsor someone else's adoption fee!


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Choose a venue Corona TheatreDanforth Music Hall
View seating chart
Rebates and news!
Be the first to know about the major shows coming to a city near you!
Chilly Gonzales
Montreal and Ottawa, January 24 to January 29
Sylvain Cossette
Many cities, January 27 to September 10
Alexandre Poulin
Many cities, January 28 to May 5
Jimmy Moore
Montréal and Repentigny, January 29 to April 17
Sunday, April 3 2022 7:00PM
Montreal, Corona Theatre
Monday, April 4 2022 7:00PM
Toronto, Danforth Music Hall
Tate Mcrae will perform at the Corona Theatre in Montreal on Sunday, April 3, 2022.
Born in 2003 in Canada, Tate Mcrae is a young singer and dancer. It was on the American show "So You Think You Can Dance" that she proved her talents by becoming the first Canadian finalist.
In 2017, her song "One Day" goes viral on Youtube and she signs her first EP with RCA Records. In 2020, her latest hit "You Broke Me First" was released and became an international success, propelling her as one of the youngest pop stars of today.
Corona Theatre, Montreal
Delay too short
It is impossible to put your tickets on sale due to the short time frame before the event. A period of 10 days is required to ensure order processing, shipping and receiving tickets in time for the event.
Danforth Music Hall, Toronto


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May 2011--According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, West Nile virus is the leading cause of arbovirus encephalitis in horses and humans in the United States?. Since 1999, more than 24,000 cases of WNV have been reported in U.S. horses, with 1,069 cases reported in 2006?. As of October 2007, 250 equine cases were reported. The decline is said by health experts to reflect both vaccination and naturally acquired immunity?. In 2010, 146 WNV cases were reported across the country, with the greatest number of cases in California and Florida?.
?It is a good sign that the number of cases has declined over the last decade,? says Dr. Rocky Bigbie, senior area veterinarian at Pfizer Animal Health. ?However, horses still represent 96.9 percent of all non-human mammalian cases of WNV disease, which makes vaccinating against WNV important to any preventative health care program.?
What Is West Nile Encephalitis?
West Nile encephalitis is inflammation of the central nervous system, which is caused by an infection with West Nile virus?. Prior to 1999, WNV was found only in Africa, eastern Europe and West Asia?. Today, WNV has been identified in all of the continental United States, as well as in most parts of Canada and Mexico?.
How Is West Nile Virus Transmitted?
West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes to horses, humans and a number of other mammals?. The virus, located in the mosquito?s salivary glands, is transmitted by many different mosquito species and varies geographically. When mosquitoes feed on the horse, the virus is injected into its blood stream?. The virus then replicates and may cause illness. Mosquitoes become infected with WNV when they feed on infected birds or other animals?. Horses and humans are considered dead-end hosts and will not transmit the virus from horse to horse or horse to human?.
Does a West Nile Virus Infection Always Lead to Illness?
Infection with WNV does not always lead to signs of illness. However, horses appear to be a species that is susceptible to infection with this virus?. In horses that become clinically ill, the virus infects the central nervous system and may cause symptoms such as loss of appetite and depression. Other signs may include fever, weakness or paralysis of hind limbs, impaired vision, ataxia, aimless wandering, walking in circles, hyper-excitability or coma?. The case fatality rate for horses exhibiting clinical signs of WNV infection is approximately 33 percent?. Data has supported that 40 percent of horses that survive the acute illness caused by WNV still exhibit residual effects, such as gait and behavior abnormalities, six months post-diagnosis?.
How to Help Protect Horses Against West Nile Virus?
Vaccinations are the most effective way to help protect horses against WNV and other encephalic or mosquito-borne diseases, such as eastern equine encephalitis and western equine encephalitis. According to the AAEP vaccination guidelines, West Nile is considered a core vaccination along with EEE, WEE, tetanus and rabies?. For adult horses previously vaccinated against WNV, an annual booster should be administered in the spring prior to mosquito season. It is best to consult a veterinarian on the horse's vaccination program, as more frequent vaccination may be required to meet the vaccination needs of the individual horse.
Pfizer Animal Health offers the trusted Fort Dodge line of vaccines, including WEST NILE-INNOVATOR? and the Mosquito Shot ? (WEST NILE-INNOVATOR? + EWT), which helps protect against eastern equine encephalitis virus, western equine encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in a single vaccine. The WEST NILE-INNOVATOR vaccines, along with other Pfizer Animal Health equine vaccine combinations, are included in the Equine Immunization Support Guarantee (ISG).
The Pfizer Animal Health Equine Immunization Support Guarantee program provides up to $5,000 for reasonable diagnostic and treatment costs if a horse properly vaccinated by a veterinarian contracts the corresponding equine disease. Disease protection backed by the Equine Immunization Support Guarantee includes infection from West Nile virus, equine influenza virus, tetanus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, western equine encephalitis virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Vaccinations must be performed by a licensed veterinarian with an established client-patient relationship to be eligible.
Is West Nile Virus Still a Threat Today?
West Nile virus is absolutely a threat today. As of April 8, California has already reported two counties with a dead bird and mosquito samples that have tested positive for WNV4. Now is the time to begin working with a veterinarian to get horses vaccinated against West Nile virus. A vaccination program should be used in conjunction with good mosquito reduction/avoidance measures. The most effective method is to destroy any mosquito breeding habitat by removing all potential sources of stagnant water. Water buckets, water troughs, plastic containers or any water holding container should be cleaned or emptied on a weekly basis5. For a complete list of preventative measures, visit www.freshfromflorida.com. Horse owners are encouraged to contact a veterinarian immediately should they notice any signs or symptom of WNV infection in their horses, especially if they are exhibiting neurological signs.
Horse CareAll About HorsesHorse Health
10 Ways To Prevent West Nile Virus In Horses
Since first being recognized in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus has posed a serious threat to horses and humans alike. For the equine population, West Nile virus in horses is transmitted when a mosquito takes a blood meal from a bird infected with West Nile Virus, then feeds on a horse.
Today, vaccines are available for 12 equine diseases. The American Association of Equine Practitioners divides these into ?core? vaccines, which every horse needs to receive, and ?risk-based? vaccines, which are administered if a horse?s health, living situation or lifestyle puts him at risk.
Vaccinations can help protect your horse. From America's Horse Daily.
Help Protect Against Mosquite-Borne Diseases
Protect Your Horse From Travel Stress
Help protect the horses on the road and the herd on the farm from unwanted disease. From America's Horse Journal.
Good Biosecurity for Your Horse Both at Home and On the Road
With the summer show season in full swing, many owners are traveling with their American Quarter Horses to events across the country. Keeping horses healthy when traveling presents some challenges, but careful management and simple biosecurity precautions can help protect horses from exposure to disease. From America's Horse Daily
Time for Spring Shots
Dental Checkups
Keep your horses in top performance shape with regular dental care. From America's Horse Daily.
Identifying Equine Neglect
Everyone has a different mental picture of how a skinny horse looks, acts, and appears. Often the easiest way to determine if a horse needs to be investigated by authorities is to determine his or her body condition score using the Henneke Scale.


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                An extraordinary year and the challenges ahead

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Apple Cider for Dogs! Yes, that's what we are making today. So originally I was just going to make this and not share it. BUT since I am making Cider Donuts for dogs next week, I wanted to show you how we are making the cider for those dog treats! Apples are good for dogs, and this is a great way to get a little extra fruit into their diet. Again, you do not want them to drink massive amounts of this, as it can cause an upset tummy, but a few spoonfuls on their food, or a few sips, is going to be a yummy treat for them!
We are going to make Slow Cooker Apple Cider. This will take in total around 5 - 7 hours. First, you will put the 10 cups of water into your Slow Cooker. Then wash your apples, core them, and slice them into quarters. You do not have to peel them. Add cinnamon sticks, and allspice, and then cook on high for around 3 hours.
Once the apples have become soft, we are going to mash them with a potato masher. Do this while they are still in the slow cooker. Mash everything up, and then cook on low for 1 - 2 hours more. When that is done, use a strainer and separate the liquid from the solids, and then toss the solids.
And that's it! Your Apple Cider for Dogs is now done! Now you can also drink this as is, or you can add a bit of clove, and about 1/2 cup of brown sugar before the last part of the cooking and this will be a great Human Apple Cider recipe as well!
Now it's time for the dogs to taste and enjoy these DIY Apple Cider For Dogs! Again, they don't need much, just a taste. We are going to use this cider in a future Cider Donuts for Dogs recipe!
Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "Apple Cider For Dogs | Homemade Dog Recipes". Here is the website link: http://www.gonetothesnowdogs.com/apple-cider-dogs/. Thank you.


I absolutely love Christmas. Giving gifts, getting gifts, spending time with family, eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast... It's great. But when you live in a small apartment, sometimes a big, fluffy tree just won't cut it. Space is precious in our shared 600 square feet and a giant tree would leave us gasping for air. I decided to fix that problem while also only spending ~$5! Score!
All you'll need is some green post-it notes, some leaf-looking post-it notes, some construction paper, tape and a pair of scissors.
Make a triangle shape with the post-it notes and sprinkle the leaf-shaped notes throughout. I did this on my fridge because, honestly, it's the best place in my apartment, but this would look great on a wall. Easy right?
Now grab the construction paper and the scissors. Cut a star out of one piece and a tree trunk from the other. Tape to the top and bottom and put some gifts under it!
Now all you have to do is wait for Christmas to come!


The best part of Pokémon Go is exploring the real world, making new friends, and discovering cool landmarks as you attempt to catch virtual monsters. Unfortunately, some players have sidestepped the exercise by using programs and third-party tools to trick the game into believing they're walking around the world. Now, those who have cheated will now find their roster of Pokémon severely depleted.
That's right — if you caught a Pokémon using a program to spoof your location, it will now be completely useless. The name and level is still visible for any monsters caught this way, but there will not be an image of the Pokémon.
This is hardly the first time developer Niantic has punished players for using programs that violate the game's terms of service. Earlier this year, Pokémon Go sent warning messages to accounts that it detected were using third-party software, and in some cases it also "shadowbanned" them. This kept them from seeing any valuable Pokémon in their area, though it appeared to be a temporary punishment.
Niantic has plenty of Pokémon Go content planned for the summer, including a Community Day on June 16. The game recently added Alolan Pokémon, which are alternate forms of previously available monsters, and you'll now find Alolan Exeggutor if you explore.
If you're in Chicago, you can also attend the second Pokémon Go Fest this July in Lincoln Park. Trainers will follow a 1.8-mile walking course as they catch new Pokémon and complete challenges. There will even be special lounges.
Pokémon Go will feature connectivity with the Nintendo Switch games Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! when they arrive November 16. In addition to transferring Kanto Pokémon between the Switch and mobile games, you'll be able to send gifts and discover an all-new secret Pokémon.
Nintendo applies for patent on digital card format, but is it for Pokémon?


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Reality check: Are We Living In An Immaterial World?
By Steve Wright , 23 November 2005
0 Comments 31361 Reads Print
Featured in Mute Vol 2, No. 1 − Underneath The Knowledge Commons
Image: Anja Kirschner
Immaterial Labour is seen by (post)Marxists and capitalists alike as the motor of the new economy. Steve Wright recovers Marx's theory of value from critics such as Antonio Negri to ask whether it is as 'immeasurably' productive as is claimed?
A priest once came across a Zen master and, seeking to embarrass him, challenged him as follows: 'Using neither sound nor silence, can you show me what is reality?' The Zen master punched him in the face.1 Continued assertions that, today, we live in a knowledge economy or society raise many questions for reflection. In the next few pages, I want to discuss some aspects of these assertions, especially as they relate to the notion of immaterial labour. This term has developed within the camp of thought that is commonly labelled 'postworkerist', of which the best known exponent is undoubtedly Antonio Negri. While its roots lie in that branch of postwar Italian Marxism known as operaismo (workerism), this milieu has rethought and reworked many of the precepts developed during the Italian New Left's heyday of 1968-78. If anything, it was the very defeat of the social subjects with which operaismo had identified – first and foremost, the so-called 'mass worker' engaged in the production of consumer durables through repetitive, 'semi-skilled labour' – that led Negri and others to insist that we are embarked upon a new age beyond modernity.2
According to this view of the world, a quite different kind of labour is currently either hegemonic amongst those with nothing to sell but their ability to work – or, at the very least, is well on the way towards acquiring such hegemony. Secondly, capital's growing dependence upon this different – immaterial – labour has serious implications for the process of self-expanding abstract labour (value) that defines capital as a social relation. While Marx had held that the 'socially-necessary labour-time' associated with their production provided the means by which capital could measure the value of commodities (and so the mass of surplus value that it hoped to realise with their sale), Negri, on the other hand, is of the opinion that in a time of increasingly complex and skilled labour, and of a working day that more and more blurs the boundaries with (and ultimately colonises) the rest of our waking hours, value can no longer be calculated. As he put it a decade ago, in such circumstances the exploitation of labour still continues, but 'outside any economic measure: its economic reality is fixed exclusively in political terms.'3
This is pretty esoteric stuff, particularly the arguments over the measurability (or otherwise) of value. Should we care one way or the other? What I hope to show below is that for all their apparent obscurity, these debates matter. That is because they raise questions as to how we understand our immediate context, including how we interpret the possibilities latent within contemporary class composition. Is one sector of class composition likely to set the pace and tone in struggles against capital, or should we look instead towards the emergence of 'strange loops … odd circuits and strange connections between and among various class sectors' (as Midnight Notes once suggested) as a necessary condition for moving beyond 'the present state of things'?
Unpacking immaterial labour
Maurizio Lazzarato's discussion of 'Immaterial Labour' was perhaps the first extended treatment of the topic to appear in English. Part of an important anthology of Italian texts published in the mid '90s, Lazzarato's work defined the term immaterial labour as 'labour that produces the informational and cultural content of the commodity.'4 If the 'classic' forms of this labour were represented in fields like 'audiovisual production, advertising, fashion, the production of software, photography, cultural activities, and so forth', those who perform such work commonly found themselves in highly casualised, precarious and exploited circumstances, as part of what, more recently and in certain Western European radical circles, has come to be called the 'precariat'.5
The Taylorist approach to production that confronted the mass worker had decreed that 'you are not paid to think'. With immaterial labour, Lazzarato argued, management's project was different. In fact, it was even more totalitarian than the earlier rigid division between mental and manual labour (ideas and execution), because capitalism seeks to involve even the worker's personality within the production of value.6
At the same time this managerial approach carried real risks for capital, Lazzarato believed, since capital's very existence was placed in the hands of a labour force called upon to exercise its creativity through collective endeavours. And unlike a century ago, when a layer of skilled workers likewise stood at the centre of key industries, yet largely cut off from the unorganised 'masses', today 'immaterial labour' could not be understood as the distinctive attribute of one stratum within the workforce. Instead, skilled labour is present (even if only in latent form) amongst broad sectors of the labour market, starting with the young.
Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's Empire – a book that has come to stand (rightly or wrongly) as the centrepiece of postworkerist thought – built upon and modified Lazzarato's work. Accepting the premise that immaterial labour was now central to capital's survival (and by extension, to projects that aimed at its extinction), Hardt and Negri identified three segments of immaterial labour:
a) the reshaped instances of industrial production which had embraced communication as their lifeblood; b) the 'symbolic analysis and problem solving' undertaken by knowledge workers; c) the affective labour found above all within the service sector.7
These experiences, it was conceded, could be quite disparate: knowledge workers, for example, were divided between high-end practitioners with considerable control over their working conditions, while others engaged in 'low-value and low-skill jobs of routine symbol manipulation'.8 Nonetheless a common thread did exist between the three elements. As instances of service work, none of them produced a 'material or durable good'. Moreover, since the output was physically intangible as a discrete object, so the labour that produced it could be designated as 'immaterial'.9
How can we make sense of such arguments? Doug Henwood, who praised Empire for the verve and optimism of its vision, was nonetheless moved to add:
Hardt and Negri are often uncritical and credulous in the face of orthodox propaganda about globalization and immateriality … They assert that immaterial labour – service work, basically – now prevails over the old-fashioned material kind, but they don't cite any statistics: you'd never expect that far more Americans are truck drivers than are computer professionals. Nor would you have much of an inkling that three billion of us, half the earth's population, live in the rural Third World, where the major occupation remains tilling the soil.10
Nick Dyer-Witheford has likewise registered a number of concerns with Hardt and Negri's account of class composition.11 To his mind, Empire glosses over the tensions between the three class fragments it identifies, while ultimately reading immaterial labour only through the lenses of its high-end manifestations. And was all of this really as new as Hardt and Negri intimated? It's not as if 'affective labour', for instance, was anything but fundamental to social reproduction in the past, even if it did go unnoticed – because of its largely gendered composition perhaps – in many social analyses.
Another issue concerns Empire's insistence that 'the cooperative aspect of immaterial labour is not imposed or organised from the outside'.12 Again, perhaps this is true for some work at the high-end. But does the obligation to ask 'Do you want fries with that?' really represent a break with Fordist work regimes? Or might many of the McJobs that are prevalent in the lower depths of so-called immaterial production be better characterised as 'the Taylorised, deskilled descendants of earlier forms of office' and other service work?13
More recently, Hardt and Negri have attempted to address some of their critics in Multitude, the 2004 sequel to Empire. The first thing to note here is that while immaterial labour remains a central pivot within the book's arguments, it is presented in a rather more cautious and qualified form than before. Indeed, Hardt and Negri are at pains to state that:
a) 'When we claim that immaterial labour is tending towards the hegemonic position we are not saying that most of the workers in the world today are producing primarily immaterial goods'; b) 'The labour involved in all immaterial production, we should emphasise, remains material – it involves our bodies and brains as all labour does. What is immaterial is its product.'14
Therefore, much like the ascendance of the multitude itself, here the hegemony of immaterial labour as the reference point, or even vanguard, for 'most of the workers in the world today' is flagged as a tendency, albeit one that is inexorable. Towards the end of Multitude's discussion of immaterial labour, Hardt and Negri insist upon what they call a 'reality check' – 'what evidence do we have to substantiate our claim of a hegemony of immaterial labour?'15 It's the moment we've all been waiting for, and unfortunately the half a page of discussion they proffer is something of a damp squib: an allusion to US Bureau of Statistics figures which indicate that service work is on the rise; the relocation of industrial production 'to subordinate parts of the world', said to signal the privileging of immaterial production at the heart of the Empire; the rising importance of 'immaterial forms of property'; and, finally, the spread of network forms of organisation particular to immaterial labour.16 Call me old-fashioned, but something more than this is needed in a book of 400 plus pages dedicated to understanding their claims regarding latest manifestation of the proletariat as a revolutionary subject…
Their reference to the growth in service sector activity is interesting for a number of reasons. Huws argues that the unrelenting rise in service work within the West might be cast in a different light if the domestic employment so common 100 years ago was factored into the equation.17 Writing a decade earlier, Sergio Bologna suggested that certain forms of work only came to be designated as 'services' within national statistics after they had been outsourced; previously, when they had been performed 'in house', they had counted as 'manufacturing'.18 Neither author is seeking to deny that important shifts have occurred within the global economy, starting with countries like Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States. Yet they urge caution in how we interpret the changes, and care in the categories used to explain them. Bologna – a one-time collaborator with Negri in a variety of political projects back in the '60s and '70s – is particularly caustic about the notion of immaterial labour, labelling it a 'myth' that more than anything else obscures the lengthening of the working day.19
Goodbye to value as measure?
As stated earlier, one of the distinguishing features of postworkerism is the rejection of Marx's so-called 'law of value'. George Caffentzis reminds us that Marx himself rarely spoke of such a law, but there is also no doubt of his opinion that, under the rule of capital, the amount of labour time socially necessary to produce commodities ultimately determined their value.20 In breaking with Marx in this regard, postworkerists draw some of their inspiration instead from a passage in the Grundrisse known as the 'Fragment on Machines'. This envisages a situation, in line with capital's perennial attempt to free itself from dependence upon labour, where knowledge has become the lifeblood of fixed capital, and the direct input of labour to production is merely incidental. In these circumstances, Marx argues, capital effectively cuts the ground from under its own feet, for 'As soon as labour in the direct form has ceased to be the great well-spring of wealth, labour time ceases and must cease to be its measure, and hence exchange value [must cease to be the measure] of use value'.21
Negri, among others, has insisted for many years, and in a variety of ways, that capital has now reached this stage. Therefore, nothing but sheer domination keeps its rule in place: 'the logic of capital is no longer functional to development, but is simply command for its own reproduction'.22 In fact a range of social commentators have evoked the 'Fragment on Machines' in recent times – apart from anything else, it has held a certain popularity amongst those (like reactionary futurologist Jeremy Rifkin) who tell us that we live in an increasingly work-free society. It's a pity, then, that few of these writers follow the logic of Marx's argument in the Grundrisse to its conclusions. For while he indicates that capital does indeed seek 'to reduce labour time to a minimum', Marx also reminds us that capital is itself nothing other than accumulated labour time (abstract labour as value).23 In other words, capital is obliged by its very nature, and for as long as we are stuck with it, to pose 'labour time … as sole measure and source of wealth.'
In its efforts to escape from labour, capital attempts a number of things that, each in their own way, fuel arguments that make labour time appear as irrelevant as the measure of capital's development. Looked at more carefully, however, each can be seen in a somewhat different light. To begin with, capital tries as much as possible to externalise its labour costs: to take a banal example (although not so banal if you are a former bank employee), by encouraging online and teller machine banking and discouraging over-the-counter customer service. As for our own work regimes, many of us find ourselves bringing more and more work home (or on the train, or in the car). More and more of us also seem to be on stand-by, accessible through the net or by phone. Added together, such strategies (which, to add to the messiness of it all, may well intersect with our own individual aspirations for greater flexibility) go a long way to help explain that blurring of the line between the 'work' and 'non work' components of our day that Negri decries. On the other hand, they also cast that boundary in light other than that of the collapse of labour time as the measure of value, one in which – precisely because the quantity of labour time is crucial to capital's existence – as much labour as possible comes to be performed in its unpaid form.
Secondly, in seeking to decrease labour costs within individual organisations, capital also reshapes the process through which profits are distributed on a sectoral and global scale. In a number of essays over the past 15 years, George Caffentzis has outlined the idea, first elaborated at some length in the third volume of Marx's Capital, that average rates of profit suck surplus value from labour-intensive sectors towards those with much greater investment in fixed capital:
In order for there to be an average rate of profit throughout the capitalist system, branches of industry that employ very little labour but a lot of machinery must be able to have the right to call on the pool of value that high-labour, low-tech branches create. If there were no such branches or no such right, then the average rate of profit would be so low in the high-tech, low-labour industries that all investment would stop and the system would terminate. Consequently, 'new enclosures' in the countryside must accompany the rise of 'automatic processes' in industry, the computer requires the sweat shop, and the cyborg's existence is premised on the slave.24
In this instance, if there appears to be no immediate correlation between the value of an individual commodity and the profit that it returns in the market, the answer may well be that there is none: the puzzle can only be solved by examining the sector as a whole, in a sweep that reaches far beyond the horizons of immaterial labour. Here too, it's a matter of which parameters we choose to frame our enquiry.
Thirdly, and following on from above, the division of labour in many organisations, industries and firms has reached the point where it is difficult – and probably pointless – to determine the contribution of an individual employee to the mass of commodities that they help to produce.25 Again, this can foster the sense that the labour time involved in producing such commodities (whether tangible or not) is irrelevant to the value they contain. Marx, for his part, argued that the central question in making sense of all this was one of perspective:
If we consider the aggregate worker, i.e. if we take all the members comprising the workshop together, then we see that their combined activity results materially in an aggregate product which is at the same time a quantity of goods. And here it is quite immaterial whether the job of a particular worker, who is merely a limb of this aggregate worker, is at a greater or smaller distance from the actual manual labour.26
In this regard, Ursula Huws' critique of notions of 'the weightless economy' deserves careful attention. Like Doug Henwood in his fierce deconstruction of the 'new economy',27 Huws draws our attention back not only to the massive infrastructure that underpins 'the knowledge economy', but also to 'the fact that real people with real bodies have contributed real time to the development of these "weightless" commodities.'28 As for determining the contribution of human labour within the production of immaterial products, Huws argues, that while this might 'be difficult to model, that 'does not render the task impossible'. Or, in David Harvie's words, 'every day the personifications of capital – whether private or state – make judgements regarding value and its measure' in their efforts 'to reinforc[e] the connection between value and work'; He adds:
Hardt and Negri may believe in the 'impossibility of power's calculating and ordering production at a global level', but 'power' hasn't stopped trying and the 'impossibility' of its project derives directly from our own struggles against the reduction of life to measure.29
Other leads?
Not long ago, Dr Woo pointed me to a presentation by Brian Holmes entitled 'Continental Drift Or, The Other Side of Neoliberal Globalisation'.30 In large part, his talk is a reflection upon the arguments in Hardt and Negri's Empire, taking advantage of the hindsight provided by five years of events since the book's publication. For Holmes, many of the arguments advanced in Empire were important for challenging commonplace assumptions about how to make sense of the 'big picture' of global power relations, forcing a reconsideration of terms such as globalisation and imperialism. But if the book helped in clearing away certain misconceptions, it has not been nearly so successful in supplanting them with more adequate ways of seeing.
'Continental Drift' addresses a host of issues, but Holmes makes three points which have great relevance for our current discussion. First, a privileged focus upon 'immaterial labour' is increasingly unsatisfactory for efforts to understand what is happening within contemporary class composition. Second, global events since the publication of Empire cast doubt upon the usefulness of seeing capital's domination as a smooth space that lacks centre(s). And third, more attention has to be paid to the reasons why the world of finance has become such a crucial aspect of capital's rule in our time. Regarding the first point, Holmes offers some similar criticisms to those made by Dyer-Witheford. If the concept of immaterial labour is important for analysing certain kinds of work 'in the so-called tertiary or service sectors of the developed economies', talk of its hegemony can obscure not only 'the global division of labour' and thus 'the precise conditions under which people work and reproduce themselves', but also how 'they conceive their subordination and their possible agency, or their desires for change.' As for the second point, Holmes argues that global capitalism is better understood through the analysis of 'regional blocs' such as the European Union or the increasing engagement between China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Finally, he believes that a far better understanding is needed of the role of money – and of finance above all – in capital's efforts to maintain its control at both the international and individual level (on this score, see also Loren Goldner's writings on fictitious capital).31
The richest explorations of regional blocs that I have encountered are those developed by 'world systems' analysts such as Immanuel Wallerstein, Giovanni Arrighi and Beverly Silver. Interestingly enough, their efforts to explain the emergence of a new cycle of global accumulation with its epicentre in Asia is intimately bound up with their attempt to understand why the expansion of money as capital has come so much to the fore over the past thirty years or so. For them, the predominance of financial expansion is symptomatic of a necessary phase in the cycle of accumulation when, as doubts mount concerning the profitability to be found within production, industries are relocated, unemployed capital and labour pile up, and 'a sharp acceleration of economic polarisation [occurs] both globally and within states'.32 In recent times, Arrighi (who also penned one of the more considered reviews of Empire) has devoted much of his efforts to understanding the waning fortunes of the US state and capital within this process,33 while Silver has concentrated upon the prospects facing contemporary labour in an age of capital flight.34 The work of these authors (much of which is on the net) is well worth a look: in part for the challenges they offer to a number of radical orthodoxies, but also for the depth of analysis that they bring to their account of the conflicts between and within the forces of labour and capital today.
There is still a great deal to unravel in the issues touched upon here. All the same, there are some useful leads as to where to go next. For example, the current centrality of money as capital, with all the peculiarities that it entails, may offer another reason why it might appear that socially necessary labour time no longer has any bearing upon capital's existence as value in search of greater value. Speculative ventures – of which the past decade has been rife – seem to make money out of thin air. But in actuality, they do nothing to increase the total pool of value generated by capital. At best, they redistribute what already exists. More uncertainly, they seek to sidestep the sphere of production and instead make money 'from betting on the future exploitation of labour'.35 In the meantime, debt continues to balloon, from the micro scale of individual and family credit cards, to the macro level of public sector budgets and current account deficits. Whatever the ingenious ways through which the burden of such debt is redistributed, the terms of the wager cannot be forestalled forever. When it is finally called in, things will become very interesting indeed. If nothing else, we may then find out at last whether, as Madonna sang:
The boy with the cold hard cash Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are Living in a material world.
1 Thanks to Hobo for telling me this story. Thanks too to Angela Mitropoulos and Nate Holdren for their helpful suggestions with this piece. All mistakes my own, etc.
2 For the best introduction to postworkerism see the Generation Online website http://www.generation-online.org
3 Negri, A. (1994) 'Oltre la legge di valore', DeriveApprodi 5-6, Winter
4 Lazzarato, M. (1996) 'Immaterial Labour', in P. Virno & M. Hardt (eds.) Radical Thought in Italy: A Potential Politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, p.133
5 Ibid, p.137
7 Hardt, M. & Negri, A. (2000) Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p.30
10 Henwood, D. (2003) After the New Economy. New York: New Press, pp.184-5
11 Dyer-Witheford, N. (2005) 'Cyber-Negri: General Intellect and Immaterial Labour', in Murphy, T. & Mustapha, A. (eds.) Resistance in Practice: The Philosophy of Antonio Negri. London: Pluto Press, pp.151-55
12 Hardt & Negri (2000), op. cit., p294
13 Huws, U. (2003) The Making of a Cybertariat. New York: Monthly Review Press, p.138
14 Hardt, M. & Negri, A. (2004) Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire. New York: Penguin, p.109
15 Ibid, p.114
17 Huws, op. cit, p.130
18 Bologna, S. (1992) 'Problematiche del lavoro autonomo in Italia (I)', Altreragioni 1, June, pp.20-1
19 Ibid, pp.22-4
20 Caffentzis, G. (2005) 'Immeasurable Value?: An Essay on Marx's Legacy', The Commoner 10, Spring/Summer
21 Marx, K. (1973) Grundrisse. Hardmondsworth: Penguin, p.705
22 Negri, (1994), op. cit., 28
23 Marx, op. cit., 706
24 Caffentzis, G. (1997) 'Why Machines Cannot Create Value or, Marx's Theory of Machines', in J. Davis, T. Hirschl & M. Stack (eds.) Cutting Edge: Technology, Information, Capitalism and Social Revolution. London: Verso
25 Harvie, D. (2005) 'All Labour is Productive and Unproductive', The Commoner 10, Spring/Summer
26 Marx, K. (1976) 'Results of the Immediate Process of Production', now in Capital Vol. I. Hardmondsworth: Penguin, quoted in H. Cleaver, H. Cleaver (2001) Reading Capital Politically. Second Edition. Antithesis
27 Henwood, op. cit.
28 Huws, op. cit., pp.142-3
29 Harvie, op. cit., pp.151-154
30 Holmes, B. (2005) 'Continental Drift Or, The Other Side of Neoliberal Globalization', http://info.interactivist.net/article.pl?sid=05/09/27/131214&mode=nocomment&tid=90
31 Goldner, L. (2005) 'China In the Contemporary World Dynamic of Accumulation and Class Struggle', http://home.earthlink.net/~lrgoldner/china.html, and L. Goldner (2005) 'Fictitious Capital and the Transition out of Capitalism', http://home.earthlink.net/%7Elrgoldner/program.html
32 Wallerstein, I. (2003) The Decline of American Power. New York: The New Press, p.275
33 Arrighi, G. (2005a) 'Hegemony Unravelling – 1', New Left Review 32, March-April, and, Arrighi, G. (2005b) 'Hegemony Unravelling – 2', New Left Review 33, May-June
34 Silver, B. (2002) Forces of Labour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
35 Bonefeld, W. & Holloway, J. (1995) 'Conclusion: Money and Class Struggle', in Bonefeld, W. & Holloway, J. (eds.) Global Capital, National State, and the Politics of Money. New York: St. Martin's Press, pp.213-4 Steve Wright <pmargin@optusnet.com.au> works at Monash University and is the author of Storming Heaven: Class Composition and Struggle in Italian Autonomist Marxism, London: Pluto Press
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By mute 28 March 2017
Authors: Group for Conceptual Politics (GCP), Danny Hayward, Anthony Iles, Lisa Jeschke, Benjamin Noys, Eirik Steinhoff and Marina Vishmidt Paperba...
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No Room To Move: Radical Art and the Regenerate City
By mute 9 September 2010
By Josephine Berry Slater and Anthony Iles As the Creative City model for urban regeneration founders on the rocks of the recession, and the New La...
Proud to be Flesh - a Mute Magazine Anthology
By mute 4 November 2009
A 500 page book, containing over 100 articles, with colour illustrations. Buy on Amazon US $55 | UK £35 | DE €50 a...
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Proud to be Flesh: A Mute Magazine Anthology of Cultural Politics after the Net
By ed. Josephine Berry Slater, Pauline Van Mourik Broekman, Michael Corris 11 April 2009
Buy on Amazon UK £35 and other regions, Super Saving free shipping In late 1994, back in the days of dial-up modems and Netscape Navigat...
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Are we too late in saying that everyone is on Facebook now? We mean everyone. Your kids, your neighbors, your co-workers, and your high school teachers can all "friend" you. Most of these connections are fun and nostalgic… until someone from your romantic past comes along.
There's no way around it: life gets stressful sometimes. Certainly, any American with a TV or a Facebook account has experienced some heightened tension and stress coming from the constant arguments and debates about our current political situation.
We're in the full swing of winter: the days are short, our heating bills are high, and we're spending even more time indoors avoiding the cold.
At first, the idea of having relationship goals may sound strange. Life and love are not always easy to put down in a 2- or 3-step plan.
It's not easy to admit that your marriage is in a rut. We often face a lot of pressure to put on a happy face and pretend that our relationship is always amazing, but the truth is that all couples find themselves stuck at one point or another.


text:
Can Sexless Couple Jumpstart Their Love Life?
Sex & Relationships on 3:00 AM PST, January 6, 2020
Playing Can This Couple Revive Their Sexless Marriage?
The following material contains mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.
Couple Branden and Angie are in the midst of a serious sex dry spell and have come to The Doctors in hopes of saving their sex life and their relationship.
Branden tells us his wife is never interested in having sex, or even touching or kissing him. Angie reveals, "Sexually, I just don't want to be there," explaining problems started during their wedding ceremony and says when they kissed during the ceremony it made her feel nauseous and even "repulsed." Branden believed after their baby was born their sex life might improve, but it has not, and he calls it "frustrating and heartbreaking."
Watch: How to Bring the Sexy Back to Your Marriage
Angie says they have tried a slew of different tactics to ignite their sex life including gels, herbs, and sex toys, but none have been successful. She says they will cuddle and hold hands, but when she feels he wants more, she draws a line in the sexual sand. This has caused Branden to question if they are meant to be together and he feels at times like Angie is more like his roommate and not his wife. Angie tells us she does not want to have sex with anyone, including her husband.
"There's something wrong, and I just don't know what it is. If I could fix it, I would," an emotional Angie tells us.
Psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Douglas Weiss, who coined the term "intimacy anorexia" -- the act of withholding spiritual, emotional, or sexual intimacy from your spouse -- says the young couple is experiencing this. Despite their sexual issues, Dr. Weiss says it is fixable and there is hope for this couple in sexual crisis.
Watch: How Often Do We Think about Sex?
So how should Branden and Angie proceed?
Dr. Weiss says they need to determine how they got to this point. He suggests they find out what lies at the core of their lack of intimacy, work on their intimacy skills (including the sharing of their feelings, sexual praise techniques, and to be more nurturing with each other), along with working on their sex techniques. He urges them to "connect being to being" in order to have better and possibly "mind-blowing sex."
The sex therapist also suggest that any couple dealing with a lack connection in their relationship or sex life should share 2 feelings with each other every day, becasue being vulernabale and open can lead to more intimate moments. He says too often, married couples focus on function (like the tasks of daily life) and less on their feelings and emotions. He says of couples can connect and share more of their feelings that is should lead to better sex and more connecting.
Angie says they are hopeful for the future of their sex life and excited to begin to heal. To help them heal and grow, Heart to Heart Counseling Center gifts the couple three months of counseling and a 5-day marriage workshop to help their jumpstart their sex life and improve their relationship.
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Many of our top albums are now available on iTunes, including our contemporary worship album 'Hope.Glory', our Christmas album 'We Have Heard on High' and high-energy music from Summer Carnival. This albums are valuable resources for you're church services, kids' programs, small groups and your personal journey with God.
On this page you'll find links to the iTunes pages for each release.
Featuring music by the Nathan and Daniel Casey, Davis Bode, Hannah Pho and Benni Knop, this album features the energetic and rocking music of Summer Carnival 2018.
Featuring music by the Nathan and Daniel Casey, Davis Bode, Hannah Pho and Benni Knop, this album features the energetic and rocking music of Summer Carnival 2017.
Featuring music by the Nathan and Daniel Casey, Hannah Pho and Benni Knop, this EP features the energetic and rocking music of Summer Carnival 2016.
Featuring music by the Nathan and Daniel Casey, Hannah Pho and Benni Knop, this EP features the energetic and rocking music of Summer Carnival 2015.
Join with the youth of Australia, New Zealand, Figi and Tonga for 'Summer Carnival'. This album combines worship, hard rock, dance and rap to create a exciting and engaging worship experience. Featuring performances from Nathan and Daniel Casey, Hannah Pho and Robosaurus! Music by the Casey brothers and Benni Knop.
You can also join the experience with the live worship video, also available on iTunes.
We believe that learning Scripture can be fun. That's what this project is about: getting the nourishing Word of God into the mouths and hearts of kids in an enjoyable way that'll keep them coming back every day. Nourishing, every-day goodness—just like toast.
Quiet.Spaces is a collection of reflection music for people to use in their personal communion with God and in church settings. we are familiar with the biblical analogy of the shepherd and his flock - but what does it mean? Left to our own devices, we are like sheep, wandering through life aimlessly and without a purpose, seeking meaning in empty places and sustenance in things that could never satisfy us. If we listen, however, we can hear the voice of a Good Shepherd. Calling us aside. Inviting us into fellowship with Him. He alone knows us inside and out. He alone is able to completely and aboundantly provide for our every need.


Day 1: You will be transformed by car from Barskoon Villages Arabel Pass (3800 m) in Kyrgyzstan, which was installed on one of the branches of the Silk Route. It takes 2-3 hours, which you will cover 55 km. Break for lunch. Upon arrival you will get acquainted with horses and riding fine for 2-3 hours on Suyek Pass (4028 m) in Kyrgyzstan. Overnight of tour is organized in tents.
Day 2: Breakfast at 8:00 am. Hike tour and travel FOM Suyek Traverse Taragay River Cholok-Tor valley. Distance of tour: 25-30km. Time of tour: 5-6 hours. Overnight of tour is organized in tents.
Day 3: After a delicious breakfast we start our biking tour to Cholok-Tor valley of Kara-Sai River - Yshtyk Canyion in Kyrgyzstan. Lunch is organized on the tour road. Distance of tour: 25-30km. Time of tour: 4-5 hours. Overnight of tour on the banks of the river in tents.
Day 4: Walking Tour to Yshtyk Canyon at the beginning of the Ak-Shyyrak Canyon. Distance of tour: 40 km.
Day 5: After a delicious breakfast we start our biking tour and travel Baralbas river through a beautiful canyon. After lunch, biking tour back to the same camp site.
Day 6: Hike tour and travel through the Ak-Shyyrak Canyon crossing the river many times. Lunch with the family shepherd. Riding up Kyrtash and Kara-Sai valley. Break for lunch. Overnight of tour in tents.
Day 7: Breakfast at 8:00 am. Hiking tour to the Kara-Sai bridge, and Ak-Bel (3833 m) - Kumtor Valley. Overnight of tour at Taragay river. Lunch is organized on the tour road. Distance of tour: 40 km. Time of tour: 6-7 hours. Overnight of tour is organized in tents.
Day 8: After a delicious breakfast we start our biking tour from Taragay Rive to Maitor Valley. Distance of tour: You will be transferred by car to the village of Barskoon, which means that you will cover 15-20 miles and take you 2-3 hours. After this, you will have a great opportunity to swim in the local thermal waters and enjoy a delicious dinner and sleep in a comfortable private guest house.


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Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, China
Consideration of proposed entry of Chinese troops into Indochina to combat Japanese forces in that colony
[647] Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Atherton)
[Washington,] January 8, 1942.
740.0011 Pacific War/1957
[648] The Assistant Secretary of War (McCloy) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Acheson)
Washington, January 10, 1942.
[649] Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)
[Washington,] January 20, 1942.
[650] The Chinese Embassy to the Department of State
793.94/17067
[653] Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck)
[Washington,] February 4, 1942.
[654] The Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Stimson)
Washington, February 6, 1942.
General wartime relations between the United States and China, with emphasis on China's military position and United States efforts to give military assistance to China (Documents 1-163)
Political conditions in China; Sino-Soviet relations; attitude of the United States toward threatened Kuomintang-Communist conflict (Documents 164-208)
Negotiations for relinquishment by the United States of extraterritorial rights in China (Documents 209-314)
Financial relations between the United States and China: (Documents 315-456)
Lend-Lease Agreement between the United States and China, signed June 2, 1942 (Documents 457-462)
Aid to China under the Lend-Lease program (Documents 463-483)
Efforts to establish a supply route to China via Iran, the Soviet Union, and Sinkiang (Documents 484-521)
Efforts to establish a supply route to China through Tibet; attitude of the United States toward status of Tibet (Documents 522-530)
Arrangements to obtain strategic materials for the United States from China (Documents 531-586)
Support by the Department of State of Chinese requests for planes for internal transport in China (Documents 587-594)
Interest of the United States in maintenance of administrative integrity of Chinese Maritime Customs (Documents 595-597)
Opening of new American diplomatic and consular posts in China (Documents 598-607)
Cultural relations program of the Department of State to provide technical assistance to China and to facilitate greater cultural cooperation between the United States and China (Documents 608-628)
Unwillingness of the United States to grant Chinese request for the formation of Chinese volunteer corps in Hawaii (Documents 629-631)
Interest of the United States concerning Chinese postwar planning (Documents 632-646)
Consideration of proposed entry of Chinese troops into Indochina to combat Japanese forces in that colony (Documents 647-654)
Exchange of views between Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and President Roosevelt regarding situation in India
Exchange of views between the United States and China regarding the future status of Korea and the question of recognizing a provisional Korean government


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The Calais Conference took place in the French city of Calais on 6 July 1915.  It was intended to improve communication between the British and French governments on strategy for the First World War.  It was the first face-to-face meeting between the British and French prime ministers H. H. Asquith and René Viviani.  The meeting was poorly organised and no formal record was made of the decisions.  The French thought that the British had committed to a major offensive on the Western Front while the British thought they had persuaded the French that the main British effort that year should be in the Gallipoli campaign.  A meeting between military leaders at the conference led to a target of 70 divisions being set for the British Expeditionary Force, which would require the imposition of conscription.

Background
The conference was held on 6 July 1915 and was the first face-to-face meeting between the British prime minister H. H. Asquith and his French equivalent René Viviani.  The parties had called the conference as both acknowledged that war strategy could not be effectively planned through the slow pre-war diplomatic channels.  The conference marked a commitment to more rapid decision making on the course of the war.

Conference

On the morning of the conference the British Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener met with the French commander-in-chief Joseph Joffre in the railway carriage that brought the French delegation to Calais.  Kitchener agreed to provide Joffre with a timetable for the deployment of fresh British divisions (the so-called Kitchener's Army) to the Western Front, which Joffre had been requesting for months.  The timetable would allow Joffre to plan new offensives, knowing that the line could be reinforced with British troops if losses occurred.  The conference opened later that morning.  Viviani permitted Asquith to open the event, which he did with a speech made in his halting French; the speech had been hastily translated from English by diplomat George Clerk .  Maurice Hankey, the British Secretary of the War Council, described the conference as "chaos" with the proceedings being "stone age" in nature as all discussion was permitted to take place only in French.  French general Ferdinand Foch, responsible for liaison between the British and French forces in the field, was not even invited to the conference as the French felt they were more properly represented by Joffre alone.

During proceedings Asquith confirmed the British position was that the Western Front was to be the main focus but that he retained freedom to act elsewhere as the situation arose.  The British also attempted to persuade the French to delay the resumption of offensive operations on the Western Front.  In the course of proceedings Kitchener agreed to a French proposal that the British Expeditionary Force should reach 70 divisions in strength, a target which proved impossible to meet without the introduction of conscription (which followed in 1916).  Owing to poor organisation no secretaries were present to record the outcome of discussions.  This led to a misunderstanding in that the French believed the British had committed to a major offensive on the Western Front later that summer whilst the British thought they had persuaded the French that the main British effort that year should be in the Gallipoli campaign.

Aftermath
The day after the conference a purely military conference was held between British and French officers at the Grand Quartier Général in Chantilly.  In the aftermath of the conference the British government established the War Resources Committee to determine what size of army could be fielded by conscription in 1916.  With French urging the British resumed the offensive on the Western Front from 25 September, in the Battle of Loos.  A further Anglo-French conference was held in December 1915 in which the British argued for the evacuation of the Salonika Front.

References

1915 in France
World War I conferences
1915 conferences
July 1915 events
Diplomatic conferences in France
1915 in international relations
European theatre of World War I
Politics of World War I
History of Calais
H. H. Asquith

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


When I think about my life and what being married to a college football coach entails....it strikes me that there are quite a few ups and downs in this business. There are moves (9 times in 15 years for us to be exact), which lead to plenty of packing and unpacking. There is the experience of seeing beautiful new places for the first time, as well as time spent living in towns and cities that leave much to be desired. There is the excitement of seeing your husband's hard work pay off in the form of a promotion or new job at a higher level.....and the disappointment of losing a job after a season gone wrong. Even within the same season there are glorious Saturday evenings after a W, and miserable Saturday nights after a tough loss. Despite this craziness, I love being married to a football coach. One of my favorite parts of this business is meeting new people.....my #footballfamily.
My football family encompasses more than just my sons, husband, and I. In fact, I've gathered new members every place we have lived. Through good times and bad, my football family has always stepped up and been there for me.
While we were at the University of Idaho, I had my second baby, and a coach's wife (and dear friend to this day) came in the middle of the night to be with my 2 year old son while we went to the hospital. She was there for me when I was in the middle of contractions—now that's a football family at its best.
When my husband has been on a staff that got fired, countless coaches' wives reached out to me. Although it's part of the profession, it's never easy no matter how many times you've gone through it. Those wives continuously checked in just see how I was and to keep me in their thoughts and prayers. Those little moments when a fellow coach's wife reaches out can mean the most.
Even after my husband found a new coaching job, we were spending months apart, and that's tough on a family. When I have been packing up homes with little kids running around, my #footballfamily has come to my rescue with packing paper or an extra moving box they had lying around. In all honesty...some of us coaches' wives are truly afraid to get rid of those things. 📦 📦🚛🚚 Seems like as soon as you get rid of them, you need them again!
My football family is always up for a long drive to to an away game. It is always wonderful to see old friends from past stops on the coaching carousel. Even if we are now rooting for different teams, it does not matter, we are part of the same football family.
Many coaches' wives like myself don't have the luxury of having family close by to help watch our children. I've had coaches' wives help out at a moments notice when a babysitter canceled. They just get it.
But it's not just coaches' wives in our football family. We've become close with families of players over the years. One of my favorite traditions was when we were at Minnesota State University and we would have the "5th Quarter" after our home games. It was great way to meet and get to know the families and friends of our players. To this day, we are still close with some of those families.
The players.....let's not forget about those boys. They're almost like having more sons of our own......what can I say......4 just isn't enough👦🏼👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼😂. I hate when they get hurt, and I love seeing them succeed on and off the field. I know boys well....I feed them treats during game week....or an occasional meal at the house. It has always been an exciting day for our sons when the offensive line comes over to the house for dinner. When one of them is successful enough to play football after college....you better believe one of my sons will be asking for that jersey for Christmas that year.
So I am forever loyal to my football family. The ones who have been dear friends even though our zip codes and team colors might not be the same. The ones who cheer your team on....well unless you're playing them that week of course😉! The ones who have been like an extended part of our own family. I am forever greatful for football....because it gave me my #footballfamily.


(ISC)² is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, (ISC)² offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, programmatic approach to security. Our membership, over 125,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry.


The Kennedy Center is the nation's performing arts center and living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Located on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the Center presents more than 2,000 performances each year across all genres, and is also home to artistic affiliates Washington National Opera and National Symphony Orchestra. The Center reaches millions of students, teachers, and families each year through its local and national school and community partnerships, as well as performances and experiences for young audiences. In 2019, The REACH-the first expansion in the Center's nearly 50-year history-will open, creating a 21st century arts campus which promotes both formal and informal artistic interactions, and ensures all visitors to the Center can have meaningful artistic interactions, whether on stage or behind the scenes.
The Individual Giving team seeks a passionate and creative fundraiser ready to grow overall mid-level giving to the Kennedy Center. The Manager, Individual Giving primarily oversees the planning, coordination, and execution of the Kennedy Center Circles Campaign (raising $3.7M+ annually). With a broader focus on increasing overall mid-level involvement, loyalty, and level of support, this position also fundraises for other mid-level giving campaigns, including National Patrons, special events, and capital/special projects. The incumbent manages his/her time, resources, and work load to maximize productivity and financial results; exercises discretion; evaluates complex internal and external relationships; and regularly takes initiative to advance campaign objectives and goals. This position oversees and generates work for one Assistant Manager, one Assistant, and one shared intern.
Oversee the planning and execution of all Circles Membership benefits, as well as donor requisite and cultivation events such as Cast Parties, Insider Events, the President's Annual Meeting, Prelude Plus Ballet lectures, New Circles Welcome Receptions, and more.
Oversee the planning and execution of stewardship and cultivation events such as receptions, tours, dinners, and more.
Minimum of four years development or related experience required.
Careful attention to detail and knowledge of standard accounting procedures.
A clear understanding of the Kennedy Center mission, and a nuanced understanding of the ways in which a fundraising operation works within a large and complex institution.
Ability to foresee development needs, generate work for this position and for others supportive of this position, anticipate the needs of superiors, and multitask efficiently.


Analysis: Despite today's phone call, the 'elephant in the room' continues to loom large.
ON 10 MARCH, Enda Kenny secured 57 Dáil votes in his failed bid to be re-elected Taoiseach. On the same day, Micheál Martin secured 43 votes as he failed to succeed Kenny.
In the three weeks since then, Kenny has lost Labour's seven votes (although he may yet win them back) and quietly – without needing to ask – gained independent TD Michael Lowry's support (he wasn't there on 10 March). Meanwhile, Martin is still on 43 votes.
In that period, both parties have courted the support of the Social Democrats, the Green Party and over a dozen independent TDs without either, so far, securing any extra votes.
The Greens and the SocDems have since withdrawn from talks, while the independents remain in the room, handily gaining daily publicity from their engagements with both parties.
The talks have been lengthy, slow-moving but (Fine Gael argues) productive and have led to various public comments from all sides about how they will continue to engage.
But still the stark reality facing both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is that, as it stands, neither of their leaders will elected Taoiseach next Wednesday, 6 April.
The next battle will be to see if either can at least secure more votes than the other.
"We're trying to win on Wednesday. We want more votes than Enda Kenny on Wednesday. If we do that, we are then in a position to form a minority government," said a senior Fianna Fáil source today.
The prospect of a Fianna Fáil minority government seemed to be off the table last week, but the party has attempted to restart the process by setting up a series of roundtable meetings with independents next Monday and Tuesday.
In addition, Micheál Martin sought to take the initiative by making contact with the Taoiseach today and the pair had a cordial telephone conversation.
That was followed by an almighty and unedifying dispute about what was actually said.
No one on either side can agree on whether they agreed to meet next Wednesday, didn't agree that or that Kenny offered to meet tomorrow, which Martin doesn't want to do in advance of his party's talks with independents next week.
There now does seem to be a consensus that they will meet to talk next week.
But if they can't even agree on the contents of a conversation between their two leaders, what hope is there that the parties can agree to govern with each other, or to at least support the other in governing?
In his call with Kenny earlier, Martin said he took issue with Richard Bruton's remarks on Morning Ireland yesterday when he said Fine Gael would not support a Fianna Fáil-led minority government.
But Fine Gael is not rowing back from this stance. As far as it's concerned, Fianna Fáil just doesn't have the numbers to be in a position to govern.
"It won't happen, the numbers don't work, we all know that, even he knows that," said one senior Fine Gael source of Martin earlier.
But does Fine Gael have the numbers? It initially and ambitiously set a target of winning 71 votes when the Dáil tries to elect a Taoiseach next week.
That is now mathematically impossible with the withdrawal of the Greens and it seems unlikely that all of the 15 independents the party continues to court will end up backing Fine Gael.
Waterford TD John Halligan is publicly wavering while others are privately frustrated at the torturous pace of the talks and believe, like most others, that Fine Gael needs to start talking with Fianna Fáil now.
There's also another problem: Enda Kenny. Some independents, like Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath, cannot countenance voting for him to be reelected as Taoiseach, describing him yesterday as "the elephant in the room".
But the real elephant in the room is that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil need to start talking to each other. That process began tentatively today, but if the disputed phone call is anything to go by, discussions on the formation of a government will be fraught and drawn-out.
Even Micheál Martin was acknowledging today that while people are "anxious to know when a government is formed" it is still "some few weeks away from that yet".
There could yet be another 33 days of this.
Email "After 33 days, is there any sign of a new government?".
Feedback on "After 33 days, is there any sign of a new government?".