Last night, I attended the strangest concert. Marvelous but unusual.
Jane Birkin is a French icon, the English daughter of a spy and an actress, who came to represent the cool swinging sixties. She landed a lead role in a French film (without speaking French), sang a duet in the film with one of France's most celebrated songwriters, Serge Gainsbourg, and was eventually his partner for many years, and the subject of a number of his songs. She's also the mother of Charlotte Gainsbourgh, also a singer and actress.
Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, her curls of hair flying in different directions over the evening, she sang a tribute to her partner who died in 1991. The style of the French chanson: 'Chanson can be distinguished from the rest of French "pop" music by following the rhythms of French language, rather than those of English' — so the mixture of spoken and sung, I remember hearing a bit of Gainsbourg's gravelly delivery on some of his songs. Translated to Birkin, and Birkin of 65 years old, rather than in her youth, the vocal line would jump between pitch and off-pitch, make little swoops into a higher register, and sound as much like poetry and word-play than singing. Once I got used to it, I thought of it as an instrument until itself.
The highlight of the evening was the band! The orchestrations were clean and simple and melodic. The violinist (who turned out an amazing vocal performance at one point), a trumpet/trombone player, a drummer and an amazing jazz pianist created a beautiful backing to the songs. There was something so emotional about the piano playing, I was close to tears a few times. They are all famous Japanese musicians, apparently taking a year off to do this tour with Birkin (who told a rambly sort of tale about how it all happened in one night and somehow relates to the tsunami).
Oddly, Birkin gave the impression of either not being able to say or not knowing the names of her band members. She kept on thanking various members of her entourage by name, as well as Sydney contacts, but even during the musical number when she introduced the band, she seemed to simply shout the short form of their names just before their solos so it was impossible to get the names. It was clear, from her affection and respect for them, that of course she would know their names, but it did seem quite odd to refer to them so vaguely as her 'Japanese'.
But anyways, back to the strangeness. I think the audience was mostly French. There was definitely a feeling of awe and respect from many quarters, and at the same time, Birkin seemed to deflect it; she seemed quite egoless, eccentric from being famous for so many years, but clearly seeing herself as an instrument for paying tribute to Gainsbourg's songs. During one song, she moved through the aisles of the concert hall, disappeared, and then sang another third of the song from the balconies; her delivery had something both of a grande dame and the young ingenue that she was. I felt some distance from not being able to understand the songs, but there was also an informality that made it feel like a family concert. There was one standing ovation before the encore, another at the end, and a comical but sweet moment when she managed with great effort to tear apart the huge tightly-wrapped bouquet of flowers to give stalks of lilies to the band members.
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Hey Kim. Nice to hear from you. Enjoy the concert, hope you can buy something cool (I didn't notice anything in Sydney but I wasn't looking) and feel free to write another comment saying what you thought of the concert!


Each fall, Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) members vote for the Urban Tree of the Year. In 2019, members are elevating American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), a very tough tree with subtle, often underappreciated beauty. It is a medium-sized tree in the birch family that has an extensive native range east of the Rockies, from Manitoba to Florida.
"Ostrya virginiana has common names that include American hophornbeam, Eastern hophornbeam, hornbeam, ironwood, leverwood…a poster child for why common names can be a problem," said Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute Director Nina Bassuk. Bassuk describes Ostrya as an understory tree that is distinctive for its bark, which looks like thin, evenly spaced stringy strips lightly exfoliating from the trunk.
Although it manages dry periods in the shade of the forest, it is not particularly drought-tolerant on the street. However, Bassuk says that at the Urban Horticulture Institute (UHI), they have found that Ostrya tolerates a wide soil pH range and is pest-free, making it well worth consideration.
Virginia Tech Associate Professor of Urban Forestry Eric Wiseman is a big fan of Ostrya, which ishardy in zones 3 through 9A. "For arborists, the attraction of hophornbeam goes beyond its outward appearance, for it fills a gap in the plant palette where few other native species have similar traits," said Wiseman. "Here in Virginia, it is a fairly slow-growing species that reaches up to 40 feet (12.2 m) at maturity. Because it tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, it's a good candidate for planting in narrow tree lawns, sidewalk cutouts, and parking lot buffers throughout most of the conterminous United States and southern Canada." Wiseman shares that on the Virginia Tech campus, hophornbeam was the tree of choice for an outdoor dining area on the south side of the student center, where both above- and below-ground space were at a premium, yet shade and ambience were for critical to diners' comfort.
Michelle Sutton is editor, City Trees, the magazine of the Society of Municipal Arborists.
The SMA 2019 Urban Tree of the Year designation recognizes the underutilized, attractive, and useful American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) for its service to urban forests and encourages its use when matched appropriately to site and as part of a diverse urban tree inventory. You can see the full list of past Tree of the Year winners on the SMA website.


It is a small touch, but it ups the consumer-friendliness factor.
Many small market hosts want to be huge market hosts, so they're always attempting to play a better recreation. These days every video sport available on the market has many cheat codes which is used that can assist you for developing your video gaming expertise.
These aren't the video games played on arcade machine or video game consoles just like the Playstation or Wii. At the current time the recognition and attractiveness of video games have increased not only to the younger generation, but also to adults. YouTube introduced its long-rumored YouTube Tv service final week, plunging the net video platform into the aggressive world of reside Television streaming.
In 1994, the keep, some yagura watchtowers and walled sections were rebuilt in the normal manner, becoming the first submit-struggle castle to be constructed in wooden. Super Buu: Effectively total the preliminary half of the Majin Buu Saga. Tien: Efficiently full the first half of the Return Of The Saiyans Saga.
Then, return to the distinctive problem quickly after you are executed. Vegeta: Successfully complete the Return Of The Saiyans Saga.


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Long White Cloud
March 19, 2014 by Matthew Curtis
It's 6.30 in the morning and I've just stepped outside the terminal building at Auckland International Airport after completing the 28 hour journey from the UK to New Zealand. I feel unusual, despite my love of travelling I don't fly well and somehow I need to stay awake for the next 16 hours in a dire effort to adjust my body clock thirteen hours ahead. The beer on the first flight was average, Air Canada offered me the choice of Budweiser, Heineken or Molson Canadian and as I hadn't had it before I plumped for the latter. Think sparkling water, a little bread, a little sweetcorn and not much else, not great, not unpleasant but it helped me get some sleep thanks to it at least being alcoholic. A brief stopover at Vancouver airport provided me with an opportunity to try the locally brewed English Bay Pale Ale from Molson Coors subsidiary Granville Island Brewing. Again, it was ok, sitting at the terminals only bar helped me kill an hour but I couldn't help thinking that what should've been a fairly decent pale ale had become stale and sweet from sitting in its keg for far too long.
On the Air New Zealand flight I switched to wine, I was nearly asleep and I needed something stronger to help me slip off to lala land. I was travelling to New Zealand with my girlfriend Dianne who was born here, we were going to be staying with her folks at their farm about an hours drive north of Auckland but were also going to be doing a bit of travelling around the North Island. This was never going to be a beer holiday but when I made the same trip back in 2011 when I was in the embryonic stages of my beer geekery and this blog was a mere glint in my eye I was pleasantly surprised by a brewery called Epic (not to be confused with the Utah brewery of the same name) and their pale ale which strongly reminded me of Brewdog Punk IPA in its pomp. It's because of this and the extensive research I had been doing for several months that I knew I was in beer country and that there were hoppy pale ales out their awaiting to be demolished by this somewhat over-enthusiastic Pom.
We were collected at the airport by our friend Steph, another Kiwi ex-pat living in London who was also out here visiting friends and family. After a second breakfast in Mount Eden (we had our first on the plane) we made our way north and said our goodbyes to simple pleasures such as Wi-Fi and a phone signal. The day grinded on as we fought our jetlag and eventually we turned to drink.
Mac's Hop Rocker Pilsner was something I drank a lot of on this trip, think Camden USA hells but instead of the smooth, subtle bite of citrus you instead get a prickle of passion fruit and elderflower. With the majority of the beers I would be drinking using mainly New Zealand hop varieties this would become a recurring theme.
Mac's isn't a brewery that beer geeks get excited about which is a shame as their beers although not terribly interesting are really well made and provide an excellent gateway for the less adventurous beer drinker. Like many things in New Zealand Mac's was founded by a former All Black, in this case one Terry McCashin back in 1981 and although their beers are a long way from the flavour bombs being brewed in New Zealand at the moment they might have gone a long way towards kick starting the Kiwi brewing revolution. These days Mac's are owned by Australasian drinks giant Lion Nathan which also own the brewery that brew my next beer, Speight's Gold Medal Ale.
Speight's brewery was founded in the town of Dunedin on the south island way back in 1876. As well as the brewery in Dunedin which was at one point New Zealand's largest they also have a second facility in Auckland to keep up with demand. At the moment Speight's are going through something of a transitional phase with a new 'Craft Range' joining their more familiar line up. When looking at their new beers such as Triple Hop Pilsner and Golden Pale Ale (not to be confused with their Gold Medal Ale) I quickly drew parallels with British breweries such as Brains and Batemans who are also desperately trying to find their footing in a rapidly changing beer landscape. It was a relief to see that this situation is not confined to the UK.
Gold Medal Ale is crisp, refreshing, very dry and incredibly boring. It's cold, brown and wet which to be honest is still the kind of beer that most Kiwi's want but the sales and popularity of modern beer styles are increasing rapidly. Even major supermarkets are now stocking an incredibly large range of beers from smaller New Zealand breweries as well as craft offerings from the USA such as Rogue and Bear Republic.
The great thing about Kiwi beers like Speights, Lion Red and Tui, the latter calling itself an India Pale Ale (it's most definitely not one) is that on a hot day it's really enjoyable to drink a lot of them, they're ideal for the sub-tropical climate. They belong to a family of beers which all taste remarkably similar which I started referring to as 'NZ Common' as they reminded me a little of the easy drinking steam beers of California.
Thankfully after a few beers and a good feed I got a great nights sleep which set me up perfectly for the two weeks that were ahead of me. I barely had time to catch my breath though before we loaded up the car and headed east towards the Coromandel Peninsula for a wedding, some incredible scenery and a very close call with an officer of the law...
March 19, 2014 /Matthew Curtis
Beer & Travel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Gospel of grace teaches us that salvation is a free gift and can in no way be earned through good moral living. Through the teaching of this gospel we are encouraged to leave our backbreaking, substitutionary gods behind and to find our rest and security in the One who can satisfy.
Glorifying God and enjoying Him through worship is man's highest, most significant purpose. Through Gospel-centered worship we experience the joy of responding to God's grace, not only in public worship but in all of life. Doing this in an intelligible and clear way challenges all of us to scrutinise our hearts, seeing how we worship things that can never be worthy of all our praise.
Since sinners are not saved by their background, tradition or world-view, but through Christ their Saviour a gospel-centred community can truly be welcoming and respectful to people from any other background, tradition or world-view. Even the most mature believer has to admit that he or she too was saved through the free gift of grace. This creates an environment where unbelievers feel able to freely explore the claims of Christianity without fear of prejudice, self-righteous arrogance or religious bigotry.
The Gospel is the only sustainable driving force to renew the social fabric of our city. The Gospel promises new hearts and minds to believers, changing them so that they can humbly serve, live with and love their neighbours – no matter how diverse, how needy or how broken they are. Furthermore, this Gospel promises an eventual restored creation – culminating in a beautiful, peaceful and eternal city.


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Tech companies sign cyber accord
Our job is to protect users, not launch cyber attacks, they say.
By Roulla Yiacoumi on Apr 24 2018 11:20 AM
A still from the Cybersecurity Tech Accord video. Source: YouTube
Thirty-four global tech companies have signed a pledge to not help governments launch cyberattacks on "innocent citizens".
The list includes giants Microsoft, Facebook, LinkedIn, Cisco, and Oracle.
The Cybersecurity Tech Accord, spearheaded by Microsoft, was announced last week at leading security conference RSA in San Francisco, which was attended by ACS President Yohan Ramasundara and CEO Andrew Johnson as part of the USA Cyber Security Mission.
Australia's Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security, Angus Taylor (centre) with ACS President Yohan Ramasundara (second from right) and ACS CEO Andrew Johnson (far right) at the RSA Conference in San Francisco. Source: Supplied
Microsoft President Brad Smith said the devastating cyber attacks of the past 12 months prove cyber security is not just about what any one company can do, but what the industry banded together can achieve.
"This tech sector accord will help us take a principled path towards more effective steps to work together and defend customers around the world," he said.
As part of the accord, the signatories commit to protecting their users, opposing cyber attacks on citizens and enterprises, empowering users to strengthen cyber protection, and partnering with each other to enhance cyber security.
"The companies will not help governments launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises, and will protect against tampering or exploitation of their products and services through every stage of technology development, design and distribution," the accord states.
In an accompanying video, the signatories declare, "We won't help anyone use our technology against our customers".
However, not everyone has joined the party.
Notably, absent from the list is Google, Apple, and Amazon.
The complete list of current participating companies is as follows:
ABB, Arm, Avast, Bitdefender, BT, CA Technologies, Carbon Black (joined after the initial 34 companies), Cisco, Cloudflare, DataStax, Dell, DocuSign, Facebook, Fastly, FireEye, F-Secure, GitHub, Guardtime, HPE, HP Inc, Intuit, Juniper Networks, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Nielsen, Nokia, Oracle, RSA, SAP, Stripe, Symantec, Telefonica, Tenable, Trendmicro, and VMware.
More companies are expected to come on board.
In related cyber security news, Australia has joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), based in Tallinn, Estonia.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop, said Australia was keen to deepen engagement with the cyber defence experts at the CCDCOE.
"Now, more than ever, we must engage with the international community to set clear expectations for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace," she said.
"The international rules-based order applies online, just as it does offline."
Bishop said an Australian Defence Force member will be seconded to the CCDCOE for a three-month period each year and that this year Australia will observe Locked Shield, "the world's largest cyber defence exercise."
Roulla Yiacoumi
Roulla Yiacoumi is the Managing Editor of Information Age. She is an award-winning journalist who has been covering business and consumer technology news for more than 20 years. Roulla was awarded Best Editor 2019 at the Consensus IT Writers Awards. She lives in Sydney and loves writing about the IT jobs market, online shopping, and scams.
cyber security cybersecurity tech accord angus taylor ccdcoe
Tech trends to watch in 2022
Truth kept in dark on CS Energy security incident
Log4Shell 'biggest vulnerability in computing history'
80,000 SA govt employees exposed to data breach


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Tag Archives: Sonali Dev
Recipe for Persuasion: A Novel, by Sonali Dev—A Review
Posted in Austenesque, Book Reviews, Contemporary Romance	by Sophia Rose
Jane Austen's Persuasion gets a modern facelift Desi-style in this standalone sequel to Sonali Dev's 2019, Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors, as Indian American chef, Ashna Raje, and Brazilian footballer, Rico Silva, encounter each other once again as acrimonious cooking partners on a reality TV show. I love that the author has cooked up a series of modern retellings of Jane Austen's classic works by giving members of the Raje family their chances at romance.
In Recipe for Persuasion Ashna's family is convinced a reality cooking show is just the jumpstart her dying restaurant needs and she is willing to do anything to preserve this last bit of her father who opened the restaurant.
As a pro footballer at the top of his game, Rico thought he had moved on from Ashna's rejection. That is until he is injured badly and yet another relationship didn't work out. He decides he has to do something about not being over his teenage love so signs onto the show to be Ashna's partner. He vents his long-smoldering anger, but also understands as an adult what his teenage self couldn't when he learns the true state of Ashna's affairs. Understanding her leads to an understanding of the past.
Ashna had a difficult childhood. Her father, a prince, was forced out of India for some trouble he got into and lost the lifestyle he was accustomed to making him a bitter, angry man. Her parents were stuck in a loveless marriage where abuse and alcoholism were rife and Ashna was physically abandoned by her mother while the remaining parent's issues were just as unhealthy for her so that, even after his death, she works to please a father who was never going to be pleased.
It was his dream to go to Paris and become a superb chef which she did for him and she now can't even create her own dishes without bringing on an anxiety attack. She can only keep his restaurant just as he had it and cook only his dishes which is why the restaurant is failing. Others see it and she refuses to heed them because honoring her father is all she has left. Into this situation steps the boy become man from her past and she hasn't gotten over him. Continue reading →
#amreading, 3 Star Book Reviews, Austenesque, Contemporary Romance, Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev	4 Comments
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: A Novel, by Sonali Dev—A Review
Posted in Austenesque, Book Reviews, Contemporary Fiction	by Laurel Ann Nattress
Recently I pulled Pemberley, or Pride and Prejudice Continued, by Emma Tennant off my bookshelf. I was feeling nostalgic after looking at my "to be read" pile of new Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice retellings that have or will hit bookstores this year. It was one of the first P&P inspired novels that I read way back in 2002. Published in 1993, the author was forging virgin territory. At this point, there were very few Austen-inspired books in print and readers did not know what to expect. It received a tepid reception from critics and the public. One recent Amazon reviewer called it "a real nightmare." Ouch! You can read my detailed review of Pemberley from 2013, or read it and decide for yourself.
Since Tennant's Austenesque-trek to boldly go where no author dared to go, there have been hundreds, possibly thousands, of Pride and Prejudice prequels, sequels, continuations, and inspired by books. Recently we are in a retelling cycle—all presented with an ethnic twist. Last year we had Pride, by Ibi Zoboi, a contemporary retelling of Austen's classic hate/love romance set in Brooklyn, NY featuring an all-black cast of characters. This year we have three new novels: Unmarriageable, by Soniah Kamal set in 2000 in Pakistan; Ayesha at Last, by Uzma Jalaluddin in which Darcy and Lizzy are transported to contemporary Canada featuring Muslim characters; and Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, which after this long and winding introduction is the book I will discuss today.
Another contemporary retelling, PPAOF is set in the "bay area" of San Francisco, California. Loosely based on Jane Austen's spikey romance where the roles of the rich, proud Fitzwilliam Darcy and the much-less-rich, prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet are reversed. Meet Dr. Trisha Raje, a brilliant thirty-something neurosurgeon specializing in cutting-edge microsurgery at a prominent hospital, who also happens to be an Indian Princess by default. Her father was the second son of the royal line of an Indian Principality which is no longer in power. When he immigrated to the US, his wealth and royal mien came with him. At the premature death of his older brother, he became HRM in name only. The family live like royalty in their Woodside estate with multiple servants and the exotic air of old-world nobility with all its privileges and baggage. Even though Trisha is a successful and highly prestigious doctor she is a disappointment to her parents, who cannot forgive her for a fifteen-year-old social faux pas against her brother, a rising Politician, and, the fact that she remains unmarried. Continue reading →
Book Reviews, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors, Sonali Dev	7 Comments


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De-Toxify the Federal Beast by Cutting Taxes / Politics / Government Spending
By: Gary_North
Have you ever heard this phrase? "Starve the beast!" It refers to starving the Federal government. It argues that if Congress cuts taxes, spending cuts will necessarily follow.
The problem with this metaphor is that it conjures up a mental image of an overweight person who cannot bring himself to stop eating. He has no inner Richard Simmons, longing to get out.
Wikileaks Puts Politically Weak Pakistan Under Pressure, Nuclear, Zadari Assassination, Coup Risk / Politics / Pakistan
WikiLeaks latest U.S. embassy cable releases on war torn Pakistan, that is currently subject to a similar level of terrorism against its civilian population than that which is taking place in either Afghanistan or Iraq, it's politically weak government that is hit by a 7/7 terror event virtually every second day, could be pushed over the edge by the most recent wikileaks into a state of political chaos and uncertainty.
WikiLeaks, Major U.S. Bank Flagrant Violations, Gold and Silver / Politics / US Politics
By: Midas_Letter
I've always occupied the emotional frequencies ranging between disgusted and outraged when it comes to WikiLeaks. Regardless of your stance on governments and sovereign interference, putting the lives of human beings at risk by exposing their participation in intelligence programs is aiding and abetting in murder. The psychotic fundamentalists that perpetuate the bulk of the violent crimes on its own and foreign citizens need not be encouraged by the provision of a list of fresh targets by idealistic or simply amoral grandstanders desperate for attention.
Wikileaks: Will the Truth Make Us Free? / Politics / US Politics
Ron Holland writes: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" ~ John 8:32
Although these leaks are a first step toward controlling Washington foreign policy, they do show how incremental actions providing open information can counter the Anglo-American foreign and domestic policies which have brought the world right to the edge of another Middle East war.
Don't Raise the U.S. Debt Ceiling! / Politics / US Debt
As of November 7th, the total U.S. public debt outstanding reached an astonishing $13.7 trillion. This means that although Congress just raised the debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion back in February, the new Congress will face another debt ceiling vote almost immediately next year. Otherwise, the Treasury will not be able to continue issuing debt to fund government operations.
U.S. Foreign Policy Conspiracies Exposed by Wikileaks / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
David Walsh writes: The batch of 250,000 US classified documents released by WikiLeaks to several news outlets, some of whose content was made public Sunday, sheds new light on the sordid nature of American imperialist intrigue and conspiracy around the globe.
The WSWS will analyze the documents more thoroughly in a subsequent article, but "highlights" published by the Guardian and the New York Timesare revealing.
Wikileaks: Secret US Embassy Cables / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Submissions
Wikileaks began on Sunday November 28th publishing 251,287 leaked United States embassy cables, the largest set of confidential documents ever to be released into the public domain. The documents will give people around the world an unprecedented insight into US Government foreign activities.
U.S. Empire Built on a Foundation of Lies / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
"Every single empire, in its official discourse, has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort." – Edward Said
The Stench of US Economic Decay Grows Stronger / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
On Thanksgiving eve the English language China Daily and People's Daily Online reported that Russia and China have concluded an agreement to abandon the use of the US dollar in their bilateral trade and to use their own currencies in its place. The Russians and Chinese said that they had taken this step in order to insulate their economies from the risks that have undermined their confidence in the US dollar as world reserve currency.
Wikileaks Revelations Show U.S. and its Allies Covertly Discussing Military Attacks and Actions Against Iran / Politics / US Politics
The latest massive Wikileaks revelations released Sunday show how the US and its allies have been covertly discussing military attacks and covert actions against Iran. If history is any judge, this doesn't always work out the way Washington wants as Danny Schechter recounts in this report on a recent visit to the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, known locally then as a "spy nest."
Wikileaks Secrets Revealed, Attack Iran Now, Pakistan Nuclear fears, Royal Family Member Inappropriate Behaviour / Politics / GeoPolitics
Wikileaks aims to publish 250,000 secret diplomatic cables between the U.S. State Department and its Embassies, in advance of the full release on its website, Wikileaks has made available the cables to the mainstream press which has been publishing select extracts that represent the tip of the iceberg to emerge over the coming weeks:
Ukraine Falls Into IMF's Trap / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: Pravda
Small businessmen protest against the new Tax Code in Ukraine. There are many flaws in the document indeed, but it was passed in a rush because Ukraine had to meet the requirements of the IMF. At present moment, the IMF is a savior for Ukraine - economic catastrophe is inevitable otherwise.
The Irish "get it" / Politics / Economic Austerity
The people of Ireland "get it". The people of Greece, Spain, and Portugal "get it". It's the American who doesn't. What do they "get"? They realize the austerities imposed upon them are to shield, protect and defend the profits of the bankers, the traders, the market speculators, hedge funds, bond holders and entire investment class who will suffer little if at all from their market loses - the people will bear their loses.
Can U.S. Afford Political Gridlock Already? / Politics / US Politics
By: Sy_Harding
With the near collapse of the financial system in 2008, the Bush Administration, with the Republican party in control of both houses of Congress, took aggressive, unprecedented action. The government was not grid-locked. Decisive action was possible and was taken.
While North And South Korea Exchange Artillery, China and Russia Fire A Warning Shot Against The Bernanke Bow / Politics / US Dollar
By: Jeb_Handwerger
When time permits I like to relax with a good mystery story. One of my favorite masters of the genre is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Shirlock Holmes. A few days ago a story appeared on the front page of China Daily on 11-23-10, that is worthy in emulating the masters great classic: "The Dog That Did Not Bark."
Euro Fatally Wounded by Serial Sovereign Debt Bailouts / Politics / Euro
I have been warning since 2007 that European banks were in at least as bad a shape as US banks. Recent events in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain should make it clear to even the Euro bulls just how severe the stress on the Euro is.
One would think this would have caused the dollar-centric hyperinflationists and those who thought the Euro would be the world's next reserve currency to go into hiding, but instead several hyperinflation proponents have attracted followings by calling for hyperinflation in the US by the end 2011. One even offered seminars on how to deal with it.
Ellen Brown endorses Bernanke and QE2 / Politics / Quantitative Easing
In my November 22 article announcing Ellen Brown's defection to the Federal Reserve, I wrote this:
If she tries to defend herself by saying, "This is consistent with what I have always said," then she is dumber than dirt, or else she thinks her followers are dumber than dirt.
Thanksgiving, A Tale of Two Colonies / Politics / US Politics
Gary M. Galles writes: At Thanksgiving, Americans recall their blessings around bountiful meals, with imagery going back to the Pilgrims, especially Plymouth Colony's 1623 Thanksgiving. But little attention is paid to what allows that bounty to be created — capitalism — though Jamestown and Plymouth both illustrate that lesson.
The TSA's False Tradeoff / Politics / Gold and Silver 2010
By: Robert_Murphy
The national furor over the TSA's new procedures — culminating in yesterday's "Opt Out Day" — has elicited the typical response from the bureaucracy and its apologists. Why, these invasive scans and "enhanced pat-downs" are only for your good, in order to ensure safe flying. You don't want another attack, do you?
Memo to Ireland: "Tell the EU and the IMF to 'Shove It'" / Politics / Economic Austerity
Imagine that Yasser Arafat had succeeded in ending Israeli occupation and establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Now imagine that 10 or 15 years later, new Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, agreed to hand over control of his country's budget to the IMF so his people's future would be controlled by outsiders. Do you think Palestinians would praise Abbas as a patriot or denounce him as a traitor?


I've been busy, so busy that I've been neglecting to blog. Luckily, some of what I've been up to is worth blogging about, so it works out.
At work, I've started a new position as a Senior Technical Environment Artist. If that seems like a long title, its because it is. I'm straddling a strange gap between grumbling about crappy tools and actually writing better ones. It's a great place to be, because I get to save myself tonnes of time and pat myself on the back about it at the same time.
Outside of work it was my birthday and something strange and computer-ey fell into my lap in the shape of a Raspberry Pi. We quickly became friends and I decided to make it a home.
Its my first attempt at industrial design! I created the case in Maya, based off of a CAD model of the Pi itself. I'm pretty surprised happy that the Raspberry Pi actually fits inside the case! Not only that, but it fits pretty damn well! I paid careful attention to how the case would open/close (its a two part slide) and how to access the GPIO pins.
-I need to slightly adjust the positioning of the HDMI access point, and the Ethernet port which line up well enough to work, but could look better.
- The most disappointing part of the prototype is the complete failure of my light transmitting rods in the bottom right of the case... due to inaccuracies in printing these were not only very difficult to install, but also constantly mis-aligned due to the inherit flexibility of the transparent material used. These will be redesigned. Lame.
- Additional room will be added for the composite video output's metal sleeve. Not that anyone really uses them, but yeah. Its there. Why not make it work?
- Structural support will be given to the GPIO access point. Its kinda floppy at the moment, which makes the case feel unstable.
- The USB outputs will be flush with the case in the next version. This will increase the price of the model a little, but it will look waaay cooler, and also allow more air circulation inside the case.
- Also... the next version will have bevels on the micro USB power port. Bevels are in right? Trendy.
The original design, soon to be updated!
I've been continuing with writing tools in both CSharp and Python, and I've found as I learn and write more CSharp it's been making my Python code, for want of a better word, better. I'm a big fan of structure and readability, and while I've always been a fan of Python's flexibility, I feel it is a language that really gives you enough rope to hang yourself with.
Working with a language like CSharp that forces you to define the return type as part of the inherit properties of a method (even if its just void...) has really forced me to think about the way I approach my classes and methods in Python, and has resulted in my newer tools being leaner, with more modular logic and much more robust structure than my earlier ones. Yeah, I still love writing in Python, but now I feel a bit more confident that I'm not placing as many traps for myself in the future!
Finally, my first color print!
A speedy speed sculpt. With color!


Debt Burdens: Where Do We Stand?
/ between years (e.g., 1992/93) to indicate a crop or fiscal (financial) year.
This paper was prepared in the Policy Development and Review Department of the International Monetary Fund, under the direction of Michael G. Kuhn, Chief of the Official Financing Operations Division. Its authors are Przemyslaw Gajdeczka, Christopher J. Jarvis, Toshiyuki Kosugi, Keon Hyok Lee, and Pichit Patrawimolpon, economists in the division. Helpful contributions were also made by Anthony Boote and Matthew Fisher. The paper provides information on official financing for developing countries with a particular focus on the low- and lower middle-income rescheduling countries. It updates information contained in Official Multilateral Debt Rescheduling: Recent Experience, World Economic and Financial Surveys (Washington: IMF, November 1990) and also reviews recent developments in direct financing by official and multilateral sources.
The work benefited from comments by staff in other departments of the IMF and by members of the Executive Board. Opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF or its Executive Directors. The study was completed in November 1993 and reflects developments to that time.
The authors are grateful to Hassanin A. Ismeail for research, and Ann-Barbara Hyde for secretarial assistance, and are particularly indebted to Sulochana Kamaldinni for coordinating the processing of the document. Juanita Roushdy of the External Relations Department edited the manuscript and coordinated production.


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By housing ancient Near Eastern exhibitions, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East explores the rich history of cultures connected by the family of Semitic languages.
The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East is home to Harvard University's collections of Near Eastern archaeological artifacts. These artifacts comprise over 40,000 items, including pottery, cylinder seals, sculpture, coins and cuneiform tablets. Many are from museum-sponsored excavations in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Cyprus, and Tunisia. The Museum remains dedicated to the use of these collections for the teaching, research, and publication of Near Eastern archaeology, history, and culture.
The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East on Google Arts & Culture
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI)
Historical Photographs of the Middle East (including Bonfils Photographs) (PDF)
Harvard Expedition to Samaria, 1908–1910


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Kingdom Hearts III Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Baymax
By Antonio Miles
Fans can now relive classic Kingdom Hearts moments as a fully immersive experience. But as Kingdom Hearts 3 hits the home stretch, PlayStation VR owners will have a special something to help tide them over before that January release date.
Square Enix has given us a better look at the Big Hero 6 world in its upcoming Kingdom Hearts III and it certainly is a feast for the eyes. The latest preview debuted at the PlayStation Lineup Tour, which serves as a pre-Tokyo Game Show event. This holiday, gather your friends and family to enjoy a free 10-minute interactive video featuring the series' iconic, breathtaking music. They also revealed Kingdom Hearts VR Experience. A brief scene of the Monsters Inc. world was shown as well with Randall Boggs, one of the movie's main antagonists, slithering up behind the team that's accompanied by Mike and Sully. Alongside this news came a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3, adding to its already sizable collection of other trailers. Fans can also unlock new content by playing through KINGDOM HEARTS: VR Experience, although what this content is has yet to be announced.
With all of the worlds and characters included, Kingdom Hearts III promises to be the biggest game of the series, much to the delight of the KH/Disney fanbase. One is a cooking game with Remy from Ratatouille. You can view the new KH3 trailer below, but keep in mind it's only available in Japanese for now. Or, in this case, the promise of a VR experience.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released a "mesmerising loop" showing Hurricane Florence from space. One woman told MSNBC she would be staying at home in Wilmington, NC with her two children despite the storm.
Aussie artist's cartoon of Serena condemned as racist
However, that show of support reportedly was too slow in the making to mollify the umpires' colleagues. During a subsequent changeover, Murray said: "I didn't say "stupid umpire", I said "stupid umpiring".
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Cavill ultimately starred as Superman in three films: Man of Steel , Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , and Justice League . The latest report also claims that WB is concentrating on the planned Supegirl movie, at the expense of Superman himself.
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PROPAGATING DARK AND DEVASTATING TONES SINCE 2009
NW METAL CALENDAR
LISTMANIA 2018: A TOP 10 LIST FROM JACOBO CÓRDOVA (MAJESTIC DOWNFALL, ZOMBIEFICATION) AN NCS PREMIERE: BEATEN TO DEATH — "HAVREGUBBENS DOLK"
AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): WAN — "GAMMAL ÄR ÄLDST"
Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET Add comments
If you are new to the sound of the Swedish black metal band WAN, you could make some good inferences about the nature of their music from the titles of their first three albums — Wolves of the North (2010), Enjoy the Filth (2013), and Wan Way To Hell (2017) — not to mention their 2015 split, Necroholic. And if those clues aren't convincing enough, a list of influences that includes Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Nifelheim, Old, and Bestial Mockery should provide further guidance.
But there's no need to engage in guessing games today, because we have new music from WAN to share with you that emblazons their brand like hot iron on the flesh, in a way that will appeal to the lust of their existing fans and provide a compelling introduction to new ones. What you're about to hear is WAN's new EP, Gammal är äldst ("Old is the oldest" in English), which is set for release by Carnal Records on December 21st.
The five compact songs on this new EP are bursting with feral, carnal energy — as vicious as a wolf pack on the hunt, but channeling violence and chaos in a way that exerts a nasty, primitive appeal. Compact the songs may be, but WAN pack a lot of dynamic momentum into the tracks, along with an array of insidiously addictive riffs and compulsive rhythms that are red meat for the reptile brain.
The music is produced with an organic but dirty sound that suits the animal magnetism of the songs, which is further enhanced by the savage fury of vocalist Tsjud's wild growling snarls and shrieks.
The title track launches the EP with an adrenaline-triggering torrent of blasting and bounding drums and high-toned riffs that swarm, writhe, and slash, punctuated by rhythmic beatings. There's almost as much rock and punk in the music as there is assaulting savagery, and the song is emblematic of WAN's taste for switching things up in their songcraft without letting go of the listener's throat.
Further dimensions of WAN's music come to light in "Out of Your League", which interweaves a more mid-paced tempo accented by anthemic chords with a heavy, chugging, head-moving riff. An eruption of galloping drumwork and a feverish, darting lead prove that the song is just as murderous as the opener, but in a further display of dynamism the track also includes an even slower, lurching rhythm with a punchy bass line, and dismal chords over a tumbling drum pattern.
"Fistful of Metal" is a well-chosen title for the follow-on track, given the presence of hammering percussion and a blaring, brazen, heavy metal riff, which segues into booming, jolting, ominous chords that remind you of WAN's attraction to darkness as well as bonfires of sound.
"Strong as a Bear" is also well-named. It does seem to capture the approach of a lumbering beast which then attacks without warning. The band greet you with a head-wrecking stomp whose bruising riff has a cold-blooded infernal sound — and then the bass and drums go crazy and the guitars begin a fiery, ravaging attack over inflamed shrieking vocals.
A fast, galloping drum rhythm and riffing that surges like a freight train propels the closer, "Till maskarna slängd", but as usual, WAN switch gears — with a rush of furious percussive blasting and incendiary fretwork followed by a martial drum pattern and fanfare-like chords, which provide a bridge to a lurching movement in which the guitars continue to ring out a grim melody before a final surge into the red zone.
You'll find pre-order info via the links below. And look for WAN on the road next year: To celebrate their tenth year as a band, they'll be embarking on a European tour in May 2019 together with Nekrokraft and The Generations Army.
PRE-ORDER:
WEB: https://wansweden.bandcamp.com/album/gammal-r-ldst
E-MAIL: carnalrecords@hotmail.com
WAN:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheUnholyWAN
Gammal är äldst by WAN
Posted by Islander at 8:00 am	Tagged with: WAN
2 Responses to "AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): WAN — "GAMMAL ÄR ÄLDST""
dork says:
Bonehunter have ruined bears for me! Still, great little album—Theyve taken the Rust (Swe) way, i.e. rather (too?) close to Darkthrone….
Islander says:
HA! I thought about Bonehunter too, but as tracks go that summon bears, the one here has climbed high up on my list.
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Pimp: The Story Of My Life: The Story of My Life
Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh / Jan 20, 2020
Pimp The Story Of My Life The Story of My Life The ultimate anti hero Iceberg Slim takes you into the secret inner world of the pimp and the smells the sounds the fears and petty triumphs of his world A legendary figure of the Chicago underwo
Title: Pimp: The Story Of My Life: The Story of My Life
Author: Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
The ultimate anti hero, Iceberg Slim, takes you into the secret inner world of the pimp, and the smells, the sounds, the fears and petty triumphs of his world A legendary figure of the Chicago underworld, this is his story from defending his mother against the evil men she brought into their lives, to becoming a giant of the streets A seething tale of brutality, cunningThe ultimate anti hero, Iceberg Slim, takes you into the secret inner world of the pimp, and the smells, the sounds, the fears and petty triumphs of his world A legendary figure of the Chicago underworld, this is his story from defending his mother against the evil men she brought into their lives, to becoming a giant of the streets A seething tale of brutality, cunning and greed, Pimp is a harrowing portrait of life on the wrong side of the tracks, and a rich warning from a true survivor.
Pimp The Story of My Life Iceberg Slim Pimp The Story of My Life Iceberg Slim on FREE shipping on qualifying offers In Pimp , Iceberg Slim breaks down some of the coldest, capitalist concepts I ve ever heard in my life Dave Chappelle Pimp The Story of My Life Kindle edition by Iceberg Pimp The Story of My Life Kindle edition by Iceberg Slim Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Pimp The Story of My Life. Pimpme Name generators Pimpme is a name generating site, where you can generate funny and unique names, there are a bunch of naming generators you can make pimp names, hacker names, pornstar, pirate, Lee Daniels Boards Lesbian Love Story Pimp as Producer The indie pic marks the first movie that Daniels the director producer behind such TV and film hits as Empire, Star, Precious and The Butler has executive produced. Running Blind IMPD arrests first suspected pimp in months Author s Note This story contains explicit language and descriptions of real prostitution cases Reader discretion is advised INDIANAPOLIS The man on the stoop told her she could keep of Meet Classic Hollywood s Favorite Pimp Vanity Fair Back in the late s, one of Los Angeles s naughtiest and best kept secrets was a gas station on the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. Pimptubed best porn videos. All models were years of age or older at the time of depiction Pimptubed has a zero tolerance policy against illegal pornography. Self proclaimed pimp wins Nevada primary CNN Video Jun , Star of HBO s Cathouse and self proclaimed pimp Dennis Hof is now the Republican nominee for Nevada State Assembly District He is one Stagger Lee The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, a black pimp living in St Louis, Missouri in the late th century He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given he was given the nickname because he went stag, meaning he was without friends he took the nickname from a well known riverboat captain called Stack Lee or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he The Cathouse Pimp Running for Office Says He s the New There s an old hotel across the street from the Nevada state legislature, in Carson City Before it closed, the ten story building and, naturally, adjoining casino was the heart of the small
☆ Pimp: The Story Of My Life: The Story of My Life || ↠ PDF Read by ↠ Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh 118 Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
Title: ☆ Pimp: The Story Of My Life: The Story of My Life || ↠ PDF Read by ↠ Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
Posted by:Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh
About "Iceberg Slim Irvine Welsh"
Iceberg Slim, also known as Robert Beck, was born as Robert Lee Maupin Novelist and poet whose most famous novel, Pimp, is semi autobiographical.
I bought this as an impulse purchase because it was displayed right next to the cash register at Shakespeare & Co. I'd seen it in the AK Press catalog before, and that is probably what made me pick it up. Pimp is entertaining in a kind of trashy way. It's a biography about a part of life that many middle class suburban folks like me don't know anything about. I have no idea how truthful the book is, or if it is sensationalism, or maybe even utter bullshit like those 'confessional' books writ [...]
Iceberg Slim didn't invent the great American pimp archetype in 1969 but he codified it, he exposed it to mass culture, so he's an influential writer. Everything from Slick Rick to blaxploitation to the pathetic "pickup artist" scene owes a debt to him. So when Robin Kelley writes for the New Yorker, "I'm always amazed when I encounter well-read people unfamiliar with Iceberg Slim," I kinda get it. But then, does influence equal value? I mean, is this a good book? Are you going to like it?It's n [...]
The thing about Robert "Iceberg Slim" Beck, the reason he is so magnetic, is that he is actually not the "Iceberg" he pretended to be. In this memoir of his life on the streets, he revels in his successes but also agonizes over his failures. He seems to tell us straight: this worked, that didn't. He concludes it is necessary to hide one's feelings behind an icy exterior, hiding his fear and doubt and empathy from his stable of whores and from other con men on the street who would dou [...]
On Proxenetism and Pandering as Metaphors for Book-ReviewingFrom a feminist/post-colonial viewpoint, the activities of book-reviewing and pimping have much in common. Operating within a patriarchal structure, the reviewer-pimp claims power over the essentially female text (recall Derrida's useful concept of "invagination"), and offers it to the reader-john as part of a quasi-commercial transaction where he is paid with "likes" or "comments". Just as the pimp symbolizes dominance over his girls u [...]
"Pimp" is fantastic. For about a decade now this has been one of my favorite books, and I don't see that changing any time soon. Granted, I should immediately admit that I probably like this book for all the wrong reasons; I'm sure that the 'correct' grounds for appreciating "Pimp" (if such standards have been established) are to ponder the struggles of the black man fighting to rise up in American society and to look at the infelicitous lot he's been subjected to and to carefu [...]
You can try to sanitize this book, as Ervine Welsh has done in the introduction, and treat it as report on the social conditions of the racist America of the 1940's and 50's and one Black man's attempt to break out of the cycle through the only way he found possible, blah blah blah. I couldn't be bothered with any of this. I picked up this book to read some cool pimp talk. Pimp daddies and their bitches going about their binniz. Mindless degenerate entertainment. Like watching rap videos [...]
This is not a book you can "like." It is a repulsive book you can learn something from and hope desperately that conditions have changed since its publication. You'll find cultural commentary and insights into the psyche, but you'll also find vile, unimaginable misogyny and disregard for humanity in general. I suppose I learned something, but the urge to vomit accompanied that awful education. Why the four stars, you say? Old Iceberg Slim's tale, in the most (for lack of any other way to say it) [...]
What does it mean to be a hero in an antagonistic universe?This book is a thoughtful and brutal examination of the choices one is forced to make in a world turned against the individual. In prose reminiscent of a street-wise Dostoyevsky, the author recounts the story of his life through various moralistic phases. These tend to impress upon the reader a recurring theme, not of the universe's intense silence to human cries, but of openly ambivalent laughter and playfulness that voices itself most [...]
Gary Foss
Think of the worst crimes a person can commit: murder, rape, child molestation, pandering drugs, torture, slavery. It doesn't matter which of those you think might be worse than any other. Take your pick. And then consider:The pimp engages in all those things. They are, in fact, his routine.I picked this book up after having stumbled across the documentary Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp produced by Ice-T. Here's the trailer:youtube/watch?v=bCbLhThat film was interesting enough to get me to see [...]
Paula W
Name the most influential writer of the 20th century. Chances are, none of you said Iceberg Slim. You could be wrong. Perhaps not, but he was way more influential than you think. Now you're asking, "Who is Iceberg Slim, Paula, you idiot?"You might not know who he is, but I bet he influenced even you. He certainly influenced Ice-T and Ice Cube, who named themselves after him. He found his way into some songs by Jay Z, Biggie, and Nas. Jay Z actually called himself Iceberg Slim when he got h [...]
Sarah Etter
where to start with this book? some of the most gruesome scenes i've ever read, but i couldn't resist it. about three pages in, i had to put it down and take a deep breath. anyway - gut-wrenching account of life as a pimp before it became gangster rap fodder. i know there's a big debate - at least at the academic level - about whether slim wrote this book or it was ghostwritten. i'm not sure that matters to me - the story still needs to be told. it's interesting that despite the fact that slim e [...]
Entertaining to the core, but that doesn't mean Iceberg brushes over the nuance and complexity surrounding his situation. "The Skull Book on Pimping" concisely covers issues that sociologists have prattled about in dense and meaningless jargon for decades. Slim is among the few honest autobiographers in his embrace of his contradictions. The book is neither self-glorifying nor moralizing. Nor is it, and it does not pretend to be, simply the facts. Like the hip-hop music it would influence severa [...]
Scott Rhee
"[A] pimp is really a whore who has reversed the game on whores. So be as sweet as the scratch, no sweeter, and always stick a whore for a bundle before you sex her. A whore ain't nothing but a trick to a pimp. Don't let 'em Georgia you. Always get your money in front just like a whore." ---Iceberg Slim, "Pimp: The Story of My Life"Robert Beck, a.k.a. Iceberg Slim, was born in 1918 to a single mother. He never knew his father, who left town before he was born. His mother worked sev [...]
Crowei
I wonder how many people will end up here because of Dave Chappelle's Netflix special.Interesting book, the language is coarse and rather offensive to women, but that was the times they lived in.I wonder if the pimp game today is still as complex as it was back then. I'd recommend it to everyone to read, especially if you enjoy the show Boondocks and the character A Pimp named Slickback.
Rebecca McNutt
From the films and modern music videos often pushed out in the media, many people often see life on the streets, surrounded by girls, money and drugs, to be glamorous, but Pimp is one of few books that gives readers a view of the ugly side of things, as told from the perspective of a former pimp himself. Beneath the gold and lights and fast music and fun, there is crime, a false sense of materialism, prostitution, junkies and winos, hobos and crooks, corrupt cops and danger at every turn. It's a [...]
Que toda autobiografía contiene un porcentaje de novelización es algo imposible de negar. Pero a poco que la vida de Robert Beck, más conocido como Iceberg Slim, se haya parecido a lo que aquí cuenta uno no sabe si sentir más pena o más repulsión por el personaje. Pimp no es un libro para gente que se impresiona con facilidad. Desde el relato de maltrato a la mujer a la vida en prisión para un negro en unos Estados Unidos abiertamente más racistas que su encarnación actual, Pimp es cas [...]
Samwise Griffin
A powerful story of underground America.
Smooth. Slick. Poetic, slithered in pimpology.I think it is clear pimps are not nice people. They are cunning, abusive, emotionless creatures and liars. And their street walkers are lost souls, foolish and not too bright. That's why I loved this book. It's blunt, gritty, and organic. Some might read Pimp and believe it's teaching tool how to pimp and to whore. Granted, while some might read this book and take it that way, I look at it as to why one shouldn't get into the life at all. Like what I [...]
Samsquatch Samsquatch
I learned everything i know from this book. I was practically raised by it, as well as sports highlights commentary reels. I currently am a pastor at the Skokie Baptist revival church in Skokieville, NY, and I make all my flock read this book. I've actually taped the pages into my bible (after Deuteronomy), so I can quote easily from it. Sure, some of the older members don't like the dirty language and risque situations (the scene where all the ho's air their battered pussies out of the side of [...]
Slim writes with poetic ease of the streets, he was born with storytellers talent. He lived a hard life and was a real pimp sometimes he doesn't fully describe his pimp ways, but I'm sure he wasn't as soft as he sometimes portrays. I love all Slims books and suggest them to any one interested in the world of prostitution and big city's back in the good old days, when gangsters were truly gangsters and hustling was an exciting way of life. Similar style to my idol Herbert Huncke, pure, natural &a [...]
"I tried hard to make up for all those years. I had neglected her. It's hard to square an emotional debt. That last sad day she looked up into my eyes from the hospital bed. In a voice I could scarcely hear through her parched lips, she whispered, 'Forgive me, Son, forgive me. Mama didn't know. I'm sorry.'I stood there watching her last tears rolling down her dead cheeks from the blank eyes. I crushed her to me. I tried to get my final plea past death's grim shield, 'Oh Mama, nothing has been yo [...]
Khalidalbanna
A dark and fascinating insight on the life of iceberg slim.
Marsha Altman
I tried this on a recommendation from Dave Chapelle's comedy special. It's probably an important piece of American culture, from a sociology perspective. That said, I just couldn't make it through it. I almost never give up on a book for cursing or sex, so I think it's just how much the character hates women and how dirty I felt reading it that made me put it down. Not that Iceberg Slim would be offended.
Wynne Kontos
I began a "borrowing library" in my office, where I work as a social worker in the Bronx. Reading has always been a passion of mine, especially books about the city I now call home and human suffering that has always informed my work. Many of my clients don't enjoy reading, and I have few people utilizing my books, but one client in particular is a frequent borrower and when I told him I was reading this memoir, he shared with me several books that were important to him growing up, this being on [...]
AJ Conroy
"A pimp is happy when his whores giggle. He knows they are still asleep." Chilling. This was a loan from Dan. The narrator is such a bastard. If it wasn't an autobiography, it would be decried as misogynistic, which it is. But that would be the point, right? I mean, he is a pimp. He beats his women, hooks them on drugs and sucks the life out of them until they run away. Hustle & Flow owes a great debt to Pimp and its sympathetic portrayal of that world.Putting morality aside, if one can, the [...]
Lex Alexander
The one thing that I did learn from this book, and it's a lesson that will stay ingrained in my head for the rest of my life is that even the freakiest bitch don't like to be hit with a wire coat hanger that's been twisted into a metal whip. Even if the woman likes being smacked around, being beaten with the coat hanger will set her straight (straight meaning here spread her legs willingly for you, and then spread them for money which she will then give to you without cheating you of any of it). [...]
You've heard of Ice Tea and Ice Cube. of whom took the name as an homage to Iceberg Slim, author of Pimp. Prompted to read this after watching the movie "Straight out of Compton", it's an autobiography of the rise and fall of a real life pimp in mid century America. The story unfolds across Rockford, Milwaukee, and Chicago, which peaked my intrigue. I was told if you were a black man in the 1970s, you read this book, along with those by Malcom X. It gives a dark insight into the misogyny that is [...]
Tariq Mahmood
The book was a waste of my valuable time. So Ice had a pretty horrible time as a kid so he decided to avenge against all the vulnerable women of the world by living off them as they slaved into the cold dark nights? I found it quite impossible to empathize the author's methods of kicking and abusing vulnerable women in order to maintain his Pimping principles. I did find ironic that 'principles' are required for success in pimping seems similar to banking?
Danny Kroha
When I first bought this book I just assumed that it took place in the '60s and '70s but it actually takes place in the '20s,'30s, and 40's and yeah, it's amazing. Told in a very straight forward matter of fact style, cold and hard and filled with old school street slang. Just like you'd expect from a guy named Iceberg Slim.
Thom Behrens
This book was deeply humbling. It is deeply touching, and I found myself emotional at several points throughout.The structure of the narrative is also brilliant and gripping. Scenes are vividly set and immaculately described. I listened to it on audiobook, and I recommend this to anyone who wants to understand the lexicon through the context of inflection & conversation instead of constantly flipping back to the Glossary of Terms.
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text:
Q: Upload an Image using springboot in linux I try to upload an image using spring-boot. The app should be capable for Linux and windows. The below codes are working only in windows, not in Linux. I tried in different ways. getDefaultFolderPath() is creating folder in both OS if not exists. But Files.write(path, bytes); is working only in windows.
String imageWindowsPath = "C:\\myapp\\";
String imageLinuxPath = "user.home";

private String uploadImage(MultipartFile file, HttpServletRequest request) {
    String fileName = "blur.png";

    if (!file.isEmpty()) {
        byte[] bytes = file.getBytes();
        Path path = Paths.get(getDefaultFolderPath() + fileName);
        Files.write(path, bytes);
    }

    //few other codes
    retrun "";
}

//Creating folder if not exists... This is working for both OS
public String getDefaultFolderPath() {

    String path = "";
    try {
        String os = System.getProperty("os.name");
        if (os.toUpperCase().indexOf("WINDOWS") != -1) {
            File file = new File(imageWindowsPath+"slider");
            if (!file.exists())
                file.mkdirs();

            path = imageWindowsPath+"/slider/";
        }
        else if (os.toUpperCase().indexOf("LINUX") != -1) {
            String userHome = System.getProperty(imageLinuxPath);
            String appName = "slider";

            Path linuxpath = Paths.get(userHome, appName);
                Files.createDirectories(linuxpath);

            path = imageLinuxPath+"/slider/";
        }
    } catch (Exception e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }

    //few codes

    return path;
}

Please suggest me a solution if anyone knows. Thanks in advance.

A: String imageLinuxPath = "user.home";

        String userHome = System.getProperty(imageLinuxPath);
        String appName = "slider";

        Path linuxpath = Paths.get(userHome, appName);
            Files.createDirectories(linuxpath);

creates a directory based on the environment variable "user.home"
        path = imageLinuxPath+"slider/";
return path;

returns "user.homeslider/"
Since the content of the environment variable user.home is probably not "user.home", the path will not be the directory that was created.
This means that you are trying to write to a directory that does not exist.
I would like to add that the difference between Windows and Linux is entirely your own creation. Java can treat them exactly the same way if you have a Windows property with the home path.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Coffee Farm : Baysider features a host of Coffee Farm listings from around the world. The best things in life happen on a Bayside, so what better place to explore our Coffee Farm directory.
Bold Coast Coffee in Machias, Maine, USA brings you true, rare single origin coffees which they source from the Americas including rugged Central and South American farms as well as their own farm in Costa Rica called Estate La Patricia. They small batch roast these exceptional beans just for you, and are proudly the only specialty coffee roasted on the rugged Bold Coast of Downeast Maine. Bold Coast Coffee offers single-origin, organic, fair-trade, decaf, limited edition, and blended varieties, available in full and half pound packages and there's a wonderful selection available, they can be found in retail shops, cafes and restaurants countrywide, or you can order your heaven in cup on-line, they even sell branded coffee mugs.
Hope Town Coffee House offers perfectly brewed coffee blend complemented with unique tempting treats from the bakery that are both wholesome and delicious and made from fine, quality ingredients. Purchase your favourite blend of coffee from the store or order on-line, and apparel is available as well including mugs and tees. Home baked delicacies are available for catering at home including wholesome breakfast items and delicious desserts for you - order today and don't forget to purchase your pepper jelly, sure to intensify the flavors of any dish.
Bathurst is situated on the fringes of both the Sunshine Coast and Frontier Country, a tranquil little village, offering pineapple farming , self catering accommodation on farms, local pubs and crafts and a bird sanctuary.The village is very close to Port Alfred's glorious beaches, restaurants, shops, Golf Course, water sport orientated activities, close by is the Fish River Sun, Golf Course designed by Gary Player and malaria free game parks.
The Old Hawaiian Coffee farm in Hawaii, United States is where the whole process of coffee making is done. Each coffee bean is handled approximately forty times by the time it leaves the Big Island of Hawaii.