Lights&darkness

practice in Pepe Matute photograpy class

Made with CANON 400D

The oases of the Maghreb region are green islands flourishing in a constraining and harsh environment. They are home to a diversified and highly intensive and productive system, which has been developed over millennia.

Dominated by the date palm, intertwined with trees and crops, these ancient systems produce a surprising variety of fruits and vegetables, cereals and forages, medicinal and aromatic plants. The palm groves offer shade and lower the ambient temperature, making it the best place to live in the Sahara and an important place of recreation.

The systems of production and irrigation and the culture of the oases vary between the different locations in correspondence to their environment. There are oases in continental, mountainous, as well as in littoral areas. With their rich diversity these oases systems constitute an agricultural and cultural heritage.

(c)FAO. Photo credit must be given.

CXBN-2 Integration Team in the Morehead State University Spacecraft Integration and Assembly Facility. Left to right: Kein Dant, Yevgeniy Byleborodov, and Nate Richard. The Cosmic X-Ray Background NanoSat-2 (CXBN-2) CubeSat Mission developed by Morehead State University and its partners the Keldysh Institute (Moscow, Russia), the Maysville Community and Technical College (Morehead, KY) and KYSpace LLC (Lexington, KY) will increase the precision of measurements of the Cosmic X-Ray Background in the 30-50 keV range to a precision of <5%, thereby constraining models that attempt to explain the relative contribution of proposed sources lending insight into the underlying physics of the early universe. The mission addresses a fundamental science question that is central to our understanding of the structure, origin, and evolution of the universe by potentially lending insight into both the high-energy background radiation and into the evolution of primordial galaxies. Launched by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative on the May 24, 2017 ELaNa XVII mission on the seventh Orbital-ATK Cygnus Commercial Resupply Services (OA-7) to the International Space Station and deployed on tbd. Credit: Morehead State University

2nd degree fellowcraft tracing board art

On our way to the Sanctum Sanctorum, the newly made Mason undertakes a passage through what is commonly called the Middle Chamber. The reference into the middle way is through the temple of Solomon, and the pathway to the Holy of Holies, the adytum in which the Holy Ark of the covenant resides at the the Kodesh Hakodashim, or the place in which deity dwells. In that journey through the middle space, the Second degree brother is introduced to some of the more seemingly secular influenced aspects of the fraternity that begin to take on a double, or symbolic, meaning. On their surface, the basic notions of these things are obvious, but not until you start to look at them closely, at their deeper meanings, that we start to see their relationships to other more esoteric ideas. This is similar to religious traditions where withing one religious text there can be multiple layers of meaning, and multiple ways of interpretation which can lead to an allegorical, a moral, or a mystical meaning.

Indeed, as the degree is symbolically in King Solomon’s Temple, so to can it be seen as a symbolic metaphor to our own internal path, what Joseph Campbell calls the hero quest, and where you “leave the world that you you’re in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height.”[1]

This is not to assume that the Masonic degrees have a similar relevancy to sacred or Masonic symbols, tracing board, second degree, 2 degreespiritual texts, though some could argue that their significance is almost as powerful to some observants. It is a system of morality that strives to make good men better, which runs nearly in parallel with the many Volumes of the Sacred Law which seeks similar outcomes to achieve as it outlines and instructs its path to elevation. Whether its salvation or spiritual awakening the holy books seek to instruct its adherents to live better lives through their faith, the same that Freemasonry strives to through its practice – to make those good men better. In that process of making the good man a candidate for the degrees is made an entered apprentice, symbolically as he ascends Jacob’s ladder. Once at the top, he is presented a series of three groups of symbols which are set before him to become a Second Degree mason so as they may observe and contemplate them in their path of progression, their hero’s quest, to the third degree.

The story of the degree, from Duncan’s Masonic Ritual and Monitor*, picks up after the passage between the twin pillars of the degree with the conductor delivering this instruction:

Brother, we will pursue our journey. The next thing that attracts our attention is the winding stairs which lead to the Middle Chamber of King Solomon’s Temple, consisting of three, five, and seven steps.

The first three allude to the three principal stages of human life, namely, youth, manhood, and old age. In youth, as Entered Apprentices, we ought industriously to occupy our minds in the attainment of useful knowledge; in manhood, as Fellow Crafts, we should apply our knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbors, and ourselves; so that in old age, as Master Masons, we may enjoy the happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a glorious immortality.

They also allude to the three principal supports in Masonry, namely, Wisdom, Strength. and Beauty; for it is necessary that there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support, and beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings.

They further allude to the three principal officers of the Lodge, viz.: Master, and Senior and Junior Wardens.

Let’s pause here and consider what some of the deeper meanings of these first steps infer. The first segment is fairly straight forward; with narrative telling us that the three steps allude to the three stages of human life – Youth, Manhood, and Old Age.

Youth is defined as:

Young persons, collectively.

A young person; especially, a young man.

The quality or state of being young; youthfulness; juvenility.

The part of life that succeeds to childhood; the period of existence preceding maturity or age; the whole early part of life, from childhood, or, sometimes, from infancy, to manhood.

from ThinkExist.com

This is a pretty straight forward idea, especially as it says to us that “we ought industriously to occupy our minds in the attainment of useful knowledge”, but how does this apply to an older initiate, someone who is no longer in his youth. Is it a wistful thought to what was achieved when younger and in still in school? Taken on a deeper level, it could allude to the idea of the degree itself, the First degree being synonymous to mean that in the first, the candidate comes to the lodge as a youth (despite his chronological or physical age) with a clean slate of perception and a clean pallet of interpretation. In a sense, he comes as blank slate to its teachings or to the ideas before him. The degree being his introduction from exterior life to interior life which ushers him both into the fraternity and into the concept of the undertaking. Pike, in the first degree lecture in Morals and Dogma, calls this the focusing of the aspirants “unregulated force” – the channel by which they constrain their previously raw, infantile state, into that of a focused and youthful aspirant no matter their age.

Next, the candidate enters into his Manhood, more literally the 2nd degree, of which the ceremony says of it “we should apply our knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbors, and ourselves” which is a really active process to live by. We, in essence, are to achieve much by way of our doing, essentially, the work of our daily life towards our deity in worship and practice, our community in which we live and reside, but more specifically as we apply it to ourselves in continuing to apply what we’ve learned in our youth to this state of existence.

The Free Dictionary defines Manhood as:

1. The state or time of being an adult male human.

2. The composite of qualities, such as courage, determination, and vigor, often thought to be appropriate to a man.

3. Adult males considered as a group; men.

4. The state of being human.

In the third entry, we can take much from it beyond it simply being our middle state of being. It is in fact our ability to BE in the first place, our SELF in daily practice. Interesting as this is, the second degree in which our further education takes place is not only about the practice of our youth but also our ability to learn and apply that education to our life.

Campbell says of the age progression that “As a child, you are brought up in a world of discipline, of obedience, and you are dependant on others. All this has to be transcended when you come to maturity, so that you can live not in dependency but with self-responsible authority.”[2] This is, in essence, the heart of the three degree progression and the fundamental of the three steps – he becoming a man (or woman, respecting your discipline)!

Old age is a bit more of a troubling and complex issue. So often in modern society we look at old age as a point of retirement where work and physical activity dramatically changes or diminishes. In this description, the idea of old age holds true in that the degree says of old age that in it “we may enjoy the happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a glorious immortality”

There are several interesting meanings we can take from this especially that it is in the degrees that these physical changes are metaphorically said to take place which can become a literal interpretation, and that once attained the Master Mason can live through them – literally to reflect on the life well spent. What’s troubling here is that the major portion of the work of the lodge is spent in the third degree and a caution must be considered so as to not see the work of the Master Mason as just one of reflection and of casual rest lest no work, as described in Manhood, be completed.

Old Age is essentially defined as ones age nearing or passing the average life span of human beings, and thus at the end of the human life cycle. In the U.S. this is considered to be 78 years old giving a distinct impression as to when one should then become a True Master. It really is at a twilight of life period, one of great age and maturity where little change and much reflection takes place. This gives us an interesting perspective on the meaning as it implies a near end of physical life period of time which squares with the degrees lesson as the period of reflection of a life well spent. We become the Master of our all, ready to pass our knowledge on to the next generation.

With this vantage, we can take pause to deeply consider that our daily working of the degrees, intrinsically, could (or should) be conducted in the 2nd state, our manhood in which we conversely learn and grow.

Cirlot, in his Dictionary of Symbols, makes an interesting point in that the idea of progression in the stages of age is not unique to Masonry. Besides the stages themselves, the number three (3) is a representation of synthesis and unites the “solution of conflict posed by dualism.” In other words, the third object brings about balance for the first two opposing states. Think of the balance of three dots, one stacked above two.

From this point, the degree breaks off to correlate these first steps with the three principal pillars of the lodge as Wisdom, Strength and Beauty which also has an interesting Kabalistic point of reference in the three pillars that make up the structure of the tree of life. Keep in mind, the orientation assumes the viewer reverse the structure to mirror ones own standing rather than simply reflect the observer.

Wisdom, the left hand pillar of mercy, is an active pillar and representativeof alchemical fire, which is the principal of spirituality, often called the pillar of Jachin. It is a masculine pillar, and relates to our mental energy, our loving kindness, and our creative inspiration as we traverse it up the Kabbalaistic tree through the Sephirot.

Strength is the right hand pillar and takes the form of severity, shaped into the alchemical symbol of water. It can represent darkness, but it is a passive symbol that is feminine in nature and called the pillar of Boaz. Upon it we find the points of our thoughts and ideas, our feelings and emotions, and the physicality of our physical experience, our sensations, each an aspect of its Cabalistic progression.

Beauty, then, takes on the role of synthesis of the two, the pillar of mildness; it is upon this pillar that the novitiate is transformed through his progressive states as he progresses. The central pillar of Beauty is representative of Jehovah, the Tetragrammaton which represents deity itself"mercurial transformation" upon which our crown of being resides balanced through feeling and emotion from our foundation of justice and mercy, all of which springs from our link to the everyday world.

These aspects of the Kabbalah are not specific attributes of the study in the blue lodge, rather elements of deeper esoteric study, found more specifically in the degrees of the Scottish Rite. Because of the pillars, and their deeper symbolic meaning, it does, however, necessitate looking at them deeper to see the relationship between them as the blue lodge degrees seem to have parallels in the study of the Kabbalah – a happy accident at some time past or with purpose to link the ideas together. Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty are specific aspects of the lower three degrees and emphasized here in the first three steps into the middle chamber, necessitating their deeper esoteric study to fully grasp their broader importance.

As the degree instructs – Wisdom is to contrive, Strength is to support, and Beauty is to adorn all great and important undertakings – which are the fundamentals of the three pillars in the Kabbalaistic study.

Conversely, as the degree states, these three pillars “allude to the three principal officers of the Lodge, viz.: Master, and Senior and Junior Wardens.” and can be interpreted as such in both a micro (in lodge) fashion and in a broader macro tradition of Masonry itself – in this Kabbalaistic formulation. When the alchemical aspects of wisdom and strength are combined we can see the 6 pointed star appears, the symbol of transformation, often depicted in the conjoining of the square and compass in which Masons are instructed to square their actions and circumscribe their passions, which also corresponds to the link between the Saints Johns – the Baptist as the principal of alchemical water, and the Evangelist as the symbol of alchemical fire, both of whom have much deeper esoteric connections in Masonry. Also, the figures of the lodge leadership have a deeper connection as you begin to look at their alchemical connections too, when you look at their relationship to the Sun and moon, and the aspirant candidate as the solution of conflict, as Cirlot described, and as defined in the first degree – the three sphere aspect to balance the two of conflict.

From these short first few tentative steps, we can see that there is a wealth of Masonic symbols at hand, but we are only one third into our progression. Our next step takes us deeper into the middle chamber to its central position where we encounter an interesting juxtaposition of the physical world to our very human aspect of being through our senses.

For now, reflect a time on these first three steps and consider what comes next upon the path.

Javanese dance is the dances and art forms that were created and influenced by Javanese culture. Javanese dance is usually associated with courtly, refined and sophisticated culture of the Javanese kratons, such as the Bedhaya and Srimpi dance. However, in a wider sense, Javanese dance also includes the dances of Javanese commoners and villagers such as Ronggeng, Tayub, Reog, and Kuda Lumping.

Javanese dance is usually associated with Wayang wong, and the palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta due to the nature of dance being a pusaka or sacred heirloom from ancestors of the palace rulers. These expressive dances are more than just dances, they are also used for moral education, emotional expression, and spreading of the Javanese culture.

Types of Javanese Dance

Javanese dance reflects the stratified hierarchy of Javanese society, and roughly can be identified within two mainstream of traditions:

1.Tari kraton (palace dances)

2.Tari kawulo (commoner dances)

Tari Kraton

The courtly Javanese palace dance is the type of dances that developed, nurtured and fostered by Javanese Kratons, mainly Yogyakarta Sultanate and Surakarta Sunanate, the patrons of Javanese Mataram culture. Javanese sultans are known as the patron and the creator of Javanese court dances.

Kraton dances employs sets of rules about certain dance movements, body and hand gestures that requires discipline to learn. Gamelan orchestra is the prerequisite for Javanese court dance performances as well as for other Javanese art forms such as Wayang performances. The serene elegance, slow pace and constrains of its movements gave Javanese dance a meditative traits. Javanese court dances were heavily influenced by Javanese Hindu-Buddhist legacy. As the result the costumes, jewelry and story, often reflects or based on Hindu epic tales of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

There are three basic types of courtly Javanese kraton dance:[citation needed]

1.Beksan putra – These are the dances for men, which serve two purposes: a military close-order drill and highlighting martial skills. Dancers may learn beksan putra dances to familiarize themselves with the movements for narrative dances.

2.Beksan putri – Putri is the Javanese word for female, and these dances include courtly dances designed for royal events with very precise movements and distinct staging with subtle layers of meaning. Such dances were often used for entertainment or courtship.

3.Beksan wayang – These are narrative dances from epic poems, and usually are named after the characters in them, usually an alus-style hero and a gagah-style villain.

Tari Kawulo

Also known as "Tari Rakyat", is the popular dances of the commoner. This is the type of Javanese dances that developed in villages or cities that located relatively quite far from Javanese kratons as the center of Javanese palace culture. Kawulo dances is lack in Javanese courtly dance discipline, constraints, and refinements. This type of dance relatively more open and adaptive to foreign influences.

Several dance is functioned as courtship or social dance, such as Ronggeng, Gandrung and Tayub, while others as celebratory dances such as Reog and Kuda Lumping. The movement of social dances, such as ronggeng and tayub are somewhat more vigorous and erotic, closely related to Sundanese Jaipongan. Because of this erotic nuances, this type of dance often gained shady reputation as the dance of the prostitutes.

Any assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia depends on what is considered to be their aim.

If the aim of sanctions was to constrain Russia’s actions in Ukraine, they were effective, says Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz of PISM. If not for the sanctions, Moscow would have been even more rapacious and aggressive in Ukraine. As it stands, Russia’s dire economic situation means it cannot afford to support the Donbas financially. All it can really do now is promote the region’s autonomy in order to prevent the situation in Ukraine from stabilising.

The sanctions were also successful in term of demonstrating to Russia and the world that the West can unite when it needs to. Vladimir Putin did not expect the European Union to come together and agree a set of sanctions in July 2014, and was very surprised when that happened. Since then, the official rhetoric in Russia has changed dramatically. While the narrative used to be that sanctions would not have any impact on the country, now all of Russia’s economic woes are blamed on them. Although – as Marek Menkiszak from the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) notes – much of Russia’s current inflation is in fact caused by its own embargoes.

However, Ivan Rassokhin of the Centre for Polish-Russian Business Cooperation argues that sanctions have hit the Russian people much more than the Russian elites, and in that sense they have not been successful. But not everyone agrees. Some point to Putin’s counter-crisis strategy, which is to rely on the private sector (read: oligarchs) to foot the bill, as a sign that the elites are already feeling and will continue to feel the pinch of sanctions.

The debate: Sanctions and Russia was held at PISM on 14 January 2015 at PISM, to promote the publication of the report of the same name. It was moderated by TVP Moscow correspondent Arleta Bojke.

By Maya Rostowska, Piotr Kościński

Photos by Jadwiga Winiarska

For more info go to: www.pism.pl/evnets/Were-sanctions-against-Russia-effective

The day starts at 7:30 am with a 40-minute drive to the Punta Bandera dock to take a boat on Lago Argentino to Upsala Glacier, a large valley glacier on the eastern side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Its higher portion lies in a disputed territory between Chile and Argentina. The glacier terminus is at Upsala channel of Lago Argentino. The Upsala Glacier is well known for its rapid retreat that has been ongoing since the glacier was first documented in 1810. The glacier showed almost continual recession up until 1999. The acceleration in ice motion during the two decades preceding 1999 may have been augmented by the release of backstress when the glacier retreated beyond the islands in Brazo Upsala. Another period of even faster retreat started in 2008. As of 2018 Upsala Glacier has retreated to such degree that it no longer constrains its tributary Bertacchi Glacier. The boat then drops us off at the Estancia Cristina, an Argentine cattle and sheep ranch located inside Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz Province. It is here that we take a 4x4 for 45 minutes up a mountain, stop and continue up for another 20 minutes, reaching the summit around 12:30 pm. The ranch was founded in 1914 by Joseph Percival Masters, an Englishman who came to Patagonia with his wife in 1900; Estancia Cristina is named for Masters' daughter Cristina. Located on the coast of Brazo Cristina, a northern channel of Lago Argentino, Estancia Cristina still keeps the history of the Masters family alive. Its lodge has 20 rooms distributed over 5 buildings and it his here that we had lunch followed by a presentation of the traditional Mate, an Argentinean tea and a tour of the ranch. We then take the boat back to Punta Bandera and arrive back at the hotel at 8:00 pm.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Kevin Shea speaks at the panel on Protecting U.S. Animal and Plant Health from Invasive Pests at the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 in Arlington, VA. The panel discussed how USDA is protecting U.S. agricultural health from invasive pests in times of diverging stakeholder interests and constraining resources. The session focused on USDA’s collaborative work with States, industries, and international trade. USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum brings together the agricultural community to discuss policy, trade, science, rural development, and the economic outlook for the coming year. The Forum also focuses on forestry, health and nutrition issues, and the changing dynamics and face of rural America. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

The oases of the Maghreb region are green islands flourishing in a constraining and harsh environment. They are home to a diversified and highly intensive and productive system, which has been developed over millennia.

Dominated by the date palm, intertwined with trees and crops, these ancient systems produce a surprising variety of fruits and vegetables, cereals and forages, medicinal and aromatic plants. The palm groves offer shade and lower the ambient temperature, making it the best place to live in the Sahara and an important place of recreation.

The systems of production and irrigation and the culture of the oases vary between the different locations in correspondence to their environment. There are oases in continental, mountainous, as well as in littoral areas. With their rich diversity these oases systems constitute an agricultural and cultural heritage.

Photo credit must be given: Photo courtesy of GIAHS Algeria - Ghout System. Editorial use only.

More information:

GIAHS - Ghout Oasis system El Oued, Algeria

MOUNT EGERTON

Aubrite-anomalous

(Metal-rich, light-REE-enriched)

The first fragments of this unusually metal-rich, unbrecciated enstatite achondrite were found by an Australian prospector, with subsequent recoveries bringing the total combined weight to ~22 kg. Mount Egerton is a very weathered meteorite containing minor amounts of Si-bearing metal both as a host phase and as inclusions within a predominant brown-stained enstatite phase. The meteorite is composed primarily of cm-sized enstatite crystals with inhomogeneously distributed FeNi-metal composing ~21 wt%—a large abundance for any aubrite. Minor abundances of diopside and various sulfides are present (Cr-bearing troilite, brezinaite, alabandite); notably, Mount Egerton contains no feldspar (Watters and Prinz, 1980).

The metal in Mount Egerton exhibits a very fine pseudo-octahedrite pattern upon etching due to the presence of the Fe–Ni–P-silicide perryite. Perryite only occurs in highly reduced meteorites in which pure magnesian silicates are incorporated in a low-Ni metal host. Small realms of schreibersite are present in the metal phase. In contrast to the metal in the main-group aubrites, the metal in Mount Egerton exhibits a mostly chondritic highly siderophile element (HSE) pattern similar to that of enstatite chondrites, particularly that of EL chondrite metal (van Acken et al., 2010; Humayun, 2010; van Acken et al., 2012). Although it has been suggested that Mt. Egerton might represent a sampling of the core–mantle boundary of the aubrite parent body (Watters and Prinz, 1980), the unfractionated composition of the metal nodules are inconsistent with an origin from a differentiated core (Barrat et al., 2016). Conversely, the siderophile element pattern (enriched in compatible siderophiles) of Mount Egerton metal suggests that it could represent a residue formed from crystallization of a high degree partial melt (van Acken et al., 2010; Humayun, 2010).

The metal in Mount Egerton and the anomalous iron meteorite Horse Creek (as well as the anomalous irons LEW 85369, LEW 88055, and LEW 88631) has been described as being compositionally similar (i.e., having complementary HSE patterns in metal) to metal in the anomalous enstatite achondrite NWA 2526, a partial melt residue (after ~20% partial melt extraction) containing ~10–15% metal (Keil and Bischoff, 2008; Humayun et al., 2009; M. Humayun, 2010). Along with the similar partial melt residue Itqiy, these meteorites might share a common origin on an E chondrite-like parent body unique from the Shallowater, EH, EL, and main-group aubrite parent bodies (Keil and Bischoff, 2008). Horse Creek is composed of Si-bearing (2.5 wt%) metal with a perryite component; this is similar to the Si content in host metal in Mount Egerton of 2.03 wt% which also contains perryite. Mount Egerton and Horse Creek also have similar W-isotopic compositions which is unlike that of other aubrites (Barrat et al., 2016). The close similarities shown by Mount Egerton and Horse Creek (and some other aubrites) in trace element abundances, compatible siderophile element enrichments, and Si content of metal, have led some to conclude that Horse Creek is genetically related to aubrites.

Precise trace element and isotopic analyses of a broad sampling of aubrites was conducted by Barrat et al. (2016). They ascertained that all aubrites in the study have identical O-isotopic compositions (considering a degree of contamination in Cumberland Falls and Larned) with a high level of Δ17O homogeneity, consistent with an early stage of extensive melting on the aubrite parent body(ies), possibly involving a magma ocean. However, both Mount Egerton and Larned exhibit significant light-REE enrichments compared to the other aubrites, which have light-REE depletions. In addition, the negative Eu anomalies in pyroxenes from Mount Egerton and Larned are less extreme than in the other aubrites. A further difference between main-group aubrites and the Mount Egerton and Larned aubrites can be seen in the siderophile element contents of metal; as described above, these two meteorites contain metal that is much less fractionated than that in other aubrites. In consideration of these differences, Barrat et al. (2016) concluded that Mount Egerton, Horse Creek, Larned, and possibly NWA 2526, likely represent a separate parent body from that of the main-group of aubrites.

In their study of iron meteorite exposure histories, Welten et al. (2008) found that Horse Creek exhibits a complex exposure history consisting of two stages. During the first stage of irradiation, which involved high shielding at a depth of ~60 cm in an object >2 m in diameter, cosmogenic noble gas data indicate a CRE age of 100 (+40/–30) m.y., placing it at the high end of the aubrite range. A second stage irradiation lasting ~1 m.y. occurred at a depth of 5–10 cm on a 30–50 cm diameter body. The investigators argue that the cosmogenic radionuclide and noble gas data for Horse Creek are consistent with that of debris ejected by a minor impact on a km-sized near-Earth object (NEO), which was followed by its rapid delivery to Earth. A possible source object for the Horse Creek meteorite is the Earth-crossing asteroid 3103 Eger, itself possibly derived from a larger main belt object.

Current spectral studies link the aubrites to a few near-Earth Apollo asteroids, specifically 3103 Eger and 434 Hungaria (Kelley and Gaffey, 2002). These two high-albedo, iron-free asteroids are composed of an enstatite-like silicate, and are of the appropriate size to make them primary candidates for the aubrite source body. Further evidence has been compiled that is consistent with 3103 Eger being the aubrite source body. For example, the time of day in which aubrites have fallen constrains the orbit to one similar to that of Eger. In addition, the long cosmic-ray exposure age of aubrites is consistent with a stable residence on a near-Earth asteroid that has a long-lived orbit, similar to that of Eger. Moreover, the orbital parameters derived for Norton County match those of Eger better than all other orbits. Asteroid 3103 Eger was probably once a member of the Hungaria family of asteroids located in the innermost asteroid belt at 1.9 AU. It was subsequently ejected into an Earth-crossing orbit. Notably, the asteroid 2867 Steins has recently been studied by the Rosetta spacecraft. It was found to have an albedo and spectral properties consistent with those of an aubrite in having an abundance of CaS or oldhamite (Abell et al., 2008).

Mount Egerton has a cosmic-ray exposure age of 28 (±4) m.y., which is among the lowest of all the aubrites. Cosmogenic production rates indicate that it also had a small pre-atmospheric diameter of ~60 cm. Continued searches of the area have resulted in the recovery of thousands of additional small fragments of this aubrite for researchers and collectors alike. The specimens shown above are a cm-sized 2.7 g metallic fragment similar in composition to the iron meteorite Horse Creek, and a 1.2 g fragment of enstatite silicate devoid of all metal.

IV + HOO color composite of NGC 4861, a very odd looking galaxy in Canes Venatici.

Filters used:

SII: WFC3 - F673N

Ha: WFC3 - F656N

OIII: WFC3 - F502N

R - ACS/WFC - F814W (Near IR)

G: synthetic

B: ACS/WFC - F606W (Visible/red)

Data sourced from HST proposals 13442 and 12497.

"The Geometry and Kinematics of the Local Volume"

archive.stsci.edu/proposal_search.php?id=13442&missio...

"Constraining Stellar Feedback : A Census of Shock-ionized Gas in Nearby Starbursts Galaxies."

archive.stsci.edu/proposal_search.php?id=12497&missio...

Notes: North is 69.1 degrees CW from up

Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/Hypatia Alexandria

Any assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia depends on what is considered to be their aim.

If the aim of sanctions was to constrain Russia’s actions in Ukraine, they were effective, says Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz of PISM. If not for the sanctions, Moscow would have been even more rapacious and aggressive in Ukraine. As it stands, Russia’s dire economic situation means it cannot afford to support the Donbas financially. All it can really do now is promote the region’s autonomy in order to prevent the situation in Ukraine from stabilising.

The sanctions were also successful in term of demonstrating to Russia and the world that the West can unite when it needs to. Vladimir Putin did not expect the European Union to come together and agree a set of sanctions in July 2014, and was very surprised when that happened. Since then, the official rhetoric in Russia has changed dramatically. While the narrative used to be that sanctions would not have any impact on the country, now all of Russia’s economic woes are blamed on them. Although – as Marek Menkiszak from the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) notes – much of Russia’s current inflation is in fact caused by its own embargoes.

However, Ivan Rassokhin of the Centre for Polish-Russian Business Cooperation argues that sanctions have hit the Russian people much more than the Russian elites, and in that sense they have not been successful. But not everyone agrees. Some point to Putin’s counter-crisis strategy, which is to rely on the private sector (read: oligarchs) to foot the bill, as a sign that the elites are already feeling and will continue to feel the pinch of sanctions.

The debate: Sanctions and Russia was held at PISM on 14 January 2015 at PISM, to promote the publication of the report of the same name. It was moderated by TVP Moscow correspondent Arleta Bojke.

By Maya Rostowska, Piotr Kościński

Photos by Jadwiga Winiarska

For more info go to: www.pism.pl/evnets/Were-sanctions-against-Russia-effective

Looking down on a backlit BNSF Z train as it heads towards St Paul Yard. This was the only train we were able to catch due to time constrains. Warner Rd was closed due to the mighty Mississippi overflowing its banks.

Trituration traditionnelle des olives.

The oases of the Maghreb region are green islands flourishing in a constraining and harsh environment. They are home to a diversified and highly intensive and productive system, which has been developed over millennia.

Photo credit must be given: ©ASM Gafsa

More information:

Gafsa Oases, Tunisia

Javanese dance is the dances and art forms that were created and influenced by Javanese culture. Javanese dance is usually associated with courtly, refined and sophisticated culture of the Javanese kratons, such as the Bedhaya and Srimpi dance. However, in a wider sense, Javanese dance also includes the dances of Javanese commoners and villagers such as Ronggeng, Tayub, Reog, and Kuda Lumping.

Javanese dance is usually associated with Wayang wong, and the palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta due to the nature of dance being a pusaka or sacred heirloom from ancestors of the palace rulers. These expressive dances are more than just dances, they are also used for moral education, emotional expression, and spreading of the Javanese culture.

Types of Javanese Dance

Javanese dance reflects the stratified hierarchy of Javanese society, and roughly can be identified within two mainstream of traditions:

1.Tari kraton (palace dances)

2.Tari kawulo (commoner dances)

Tari Kraton

The courtly Javanese palace dance is the type of dances that developed, nurtured and fostered by Javanese Kratons, mainly Yogyakarta Sultanate and Surakarta Sunanate, the patrons of Javanese Mataram culture. Javanese sultans are known as the patron and the creator of Javanese court dances.

Kraton dances employs sets of rules about certain dance movements, body and hand gestures that requires discipline to learn. Gamelan orchestra is the prerequisite for Javanese court dance performances as well as for other Javanese art forms such as Wayang performances. The serene elegance, slow pace and constrains of its movements gave Javanese dance a meditative traits. Javanese court dances were heavily influenced by Javanese Hindu-Buddhist legacy. As the result the costumes, jewelry and story, often reflects or based on Hindu epic tales of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

There are three basic types of courtly Javanese kraton dance:[citation needed]

1.Beksan putra – These are the dances for men, which serve two purposes: a military close-order drill and highlighting martial skills. Dancers may learn beksan putra dances to familiarize themselves with the movements for narrative dances.

2.Beksan putri – Putri is the Javanese word for female, and these dances include courtly dances designed for royal events with very precise movements and distinct staging with subtle layers of meaning. Such dances were often used for entertainment or courtship.

3.Beksan wayang – These are narrative dances from epic poems, and usually are named after the characters in them, usually an alus-style hero and a gagah-style villain.

Tari Kawulo

Also known as "Tari Rakyat", is the popular dances of the commoner. This is the type of Javanese dances that developed in villages or cities that located relatively quite far from Javanese kratons as the center of Javanese palace culture. Kawulo dances is lack in Javanese courtly dance discipline, constraints, and refinements. This type of dance relatively more open and adaptive to foreign influences.

Several dance is functioned as courtship or social dance, such as Ronggeng, Gandrung and Tayub, while others as celebratory dances such as Reog and Kuda Lumping. The movement of social dances, such as ronggeng and tayub are somewhat more vigorous and erotic, closely related to Sundanese Jaipongan. Because of this erotic nuances, this type of dance often gained shady reputation as the dance of the prostitutes.

The making and unmaking of various kinds of borders affects everyone (C. Fox 1999)

In the fall of 2011, During "Thanks Giving" or “thanks taking” the editors of the New Yorker published an image of five pilgrims crossing the US/Mexico border. The images of five pilgrims running across the border fence, this was perceived as the US/Mexican border in Arizona. The direction that the pilgrims were running, I presumed was from Mexico to the norte, the US Southwest. The image of pilgrims helps moves the image of the border beyond the constraining effects of Western epistemology’s categories of knowledge and the explanatory macronarratives that have structured both the emergence of state power and the resistance to it (Mignolo 2000). The New Yorker image can open the door for a “Western” critique of the west.

The frontal image of pilgrims crossing the southern border demonstrates to me how borders have become naturalized and at the same time popularized in the US public discourses, but also sets the stage to question citizenship regimes, nation state as a modern colonial project, thus placing the border as a space to renew questions of citizenship and sovereignty. The political context of the New Yorker image is timely; it was published during a difficult year for all immigrants, especially for Mexican undocumented migrants. Even thou the image represents only the US liberal leftist elite magazine opinions, the political significance and massage cannot be taken for granted. The New Yorker’s image exposes the border as par of a historical hypocrisy. It shows the connection between ethnicity, racialization, and immigration to empire building (Paredes 1958, Gutierrez-Jones 1995; Saldivar 1997), the US continues to suffer from an economic recession, and historically these moments of frustration and distress help create anti-immigrant legislation that end up becoming racial laws (Alabama to Arizona), discrimination of people based on the color of their skin or ethnicity. The New Yorker’s image points out that it is noting new for people to cross borders and its part of the history of the US as a country. The image of the pilgrims crossing the border also speaks to a place of encounters and of critical thinking. The “illegal” is whitened by the image of the “pilgrims,” the pilgrim is at the root of the US racial state mythology. The image of pilgrims crossing the border in the 21th century forces us to rethink and question, not just the history of the US, but also question why it was ok in the 17th century to cross an ocean, but not ok now to cross a fence or a river in the 21th century.

The New Yorkers’ image points at the hypocrisy and paradox of the contemporary discourse on “illegal” versus legal immigrants.“ The border entails a shift in perspectives, to thinking beyond borders (Norma Alarcon 1996). The historical production of the US as a “nation of migrant” or settler colonialism, and Native American people that did not crossed borders (Gloria Anzaldua & Moraga 1981), but rather crossed epistemologies, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where, lower, middle, and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals shrinks.

The term “border” and the idea of “border thinking” grow in popularity among mainstream media (New Yorker 2011). What does this mean? This does not signify the end of the nation racial state or the border it self. But rather the opposite; in the KEYWORDS book by Hendler & Burgett the author demonstrates how “The ongoing violence of national borders around the world, particularly in regions immediately affected by the break up of the Soviet Union, the Palestinian Israeli conflict, the continuing impact of anticolonial struggles, and regional economic recessions. The U.S. government has prepared to militarize its border with Mexico. (Mary Pat Brady, 2011 p. 29), this has come to represent in the contemporary what a border signifies. The metaphors of borders, border-crossings, and borderlands (Guillermo Gomez-Peña 1990; Nestor Garcia Canclini 1995; and Homi K. Bhabha 1994), a place where hybridizing intercepts with homogeneous interest. This is what The New Yorker attempts to stimulate a type of questioning of the US elite right wing hegemony of power--they are “Border thinking” from the perspective of the left and being innovative.

Do you sometimes feel a little insecure and maybe find it difficult to pinpoint the reason for your insecurity. The following 13 insights might help.

Freedom to constrain ourselves: No one likes to be confined, but we do love containment as much as a dog loves his kennel or as any of us prefer...

howdoidate.com/personal-development/causes-insecurity-con...

"Minal 'Aidin Wal-Faizin' is a saying/prayer that will be outspoken amongst Moslims when celebrating the 'Idul Fitri' at the end of the fasting. Translated it means "I pray that we will be amongst those who got back to their clean (without sins) selfs and succeeded in constraining ourselves" (free translation, if anyone has a better one please let me know)

In Indonesia the traditional food for Idul Fitri is the 'ketupat'. Rice cooked in coconut leaves in the shape above.

Minal 'Aidin wal-Faizin. Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Bathin.

Taqobbalallahu minna waminkum

THIS SHORE LIGHTHOUSE GUARDS THE EAST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE TO LOCH RYAN FROM A POINT JUST SOUTH EAST OF IT. IT STANDS ON CAIRN POINT WHICH PROJECTS INTO LOCH RYAN FROM A NARROW SHELF IN FRONT OF THE MAIN (A77) ROAD; A SOLID PORTION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LANTERN CONSTRAINS THE LIGHT TO SEAWARD. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS BUILT BY ALAN STEVENSON AND FIRST LIT IN 1847. IT WAS CONVERTED TO OIL BURNING IN 1847, AND AUTOMATED (ELECTRIFIED AND MADE 'UNATTENDED') IN 1964.

Session 1: Engaging the Private Sector

Understanding how companies and markets can create more economic opportunities, and the barriers that constrain the creation of additional jobs and self-employment opportunities is essential to addressing the current challenges of youth underemployment and unemployment.

This session discussed how three private sector organizations are putting youth at the centre of agricultural transformation.

L-R: Panelists Eric Kaduru – Co-founder, KadAfrica; Farouk Jiwa – Co-founder, Farm Shop; Julie Greene – Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Manager, Olam International; Moderator - Dr. Eleni Gabre-Madhin – CEO and Founder, blueMoon

MasterCard Foundation YAW2017 - Day Two 17/02/2017

Kigali, Rwanda

Humans are communal individuals who want the association of other individuals. We need to both equally give and receive, specifically in our far more private connections. We need to share our pleasures and sorrows, to have fun alongside one another, to undertake important things jointly, to be cuddled , caressed and taken care of. Why do so many romantic relationships sometimes go so drastically wrong and then we get ourselves beginning to feel depressed and cut off?

How come we end up needing marriage therapy to bring back our fulfilment from remaining with our dearest friend? There isn't any straightforward answers to these issues.

Each And Every partnership differs from the others with diverse thoughts about how precisely we survive alongside one another. A renowned writer at one time suggested that all those completely happy families are identical but each and every miserable family is miserable in its very own way! There is enormous quantities of factors that play a role in the marriage chemistry. To understand what is failing and short -circuiting it is crucial to see each case independently by way of marriage counselling. It requires examining what is happening for any individual husband or wife. What makes us tick? What constraining thinking and unhelpful role models could we have handed down from mothers and fathers? In addition, it requires requesting what love and caring means for us. Exactly what are our requirements from family life and from a spouse especially?

The place where we spent your childhood years and the place where we are living now also play a part in affecting our romantic relationships. Should you be looking for therapy to aid with your own personal troubles it is vital that the partnership counsellor knows the the specifics of the place where you might be dwelling. As an example, Cambridge is actually a location of large ethnic diversity, with a lot of global pairs. Fixing ethnic distinctions may well not possibly be effortless. These distinctions may be fascinating at the start ofa relationship, nevertheless in the longer run could become a cause of frustration and annoyance.

At Times both partners get together in other places and come to Cambridge for work. At Times one of the lovers could be local while the other has transferred there originating from a totally different community or region. Cambridge is actually a place of hi- technical, science and Higher Educatoin Institutions, with lots of competitiveness and strain to perform. Every one of these components add further strain on individuals and so on a couple.

Kids are typically also suffering from the worries their mothers and fathers are receiving, so marriage therapy and couple therapy isn't only about two people, but concerns the health and happiness of all the family.

One of many repeated concerns I come across during my marriage work in Cambridge happens each time a female partner sees her male partner on an emotional level inaccessible. He would seem to generally be pre-occupied on his personal computer and concerned a lot more about his good results at the workplace than about being with the family unit. Mental disappointment is normally conveyed as cynicism, which will not help out, but only will cause the male to distance themself further into his cave. Sex life grinds to a halt and living alongside one another gets to be a bind.

It is possible to solution to escape the vicious circle of passing the buck to, pain and drawback? Exactly what is the approach to discover the fresh methods and bring back the experience of pleasure and sexual relations? Relationship and couple therapy enables you to far better have an understanding of yourself and your spouse; recognize how people experience and express themselves in a partnership. You need to discover how we can easily express one's self, so that we are listened to as well as have our real needs satisfied.

Despite The Fact That a whole lot may be accomplished by means of better connection together, it really is incredibly important to help you acknowledge if a partnership has run its course. If that's the case discharging the pain, removing animosity and developing a person's self-assurance can assist you through the whole process of separating and equip you for making a new joyful partnership down the road. www.soultap.co.uk/relationship-counselling-cambridge/

Seen at a vintage store . . .

This colored fashion plate comes from The Standard Designer oif December 1896, one of the many late-19th-century fashion periodicals that translated Paris and New York style into forms middle-class American women could actually reproduce.

Before photography displaced illustration, magazines like this relied on engraved or lithographed fashion plates — often printed in black and then colored by hand or through layered chromolithography — to convey texture, silhouette, fabric, and social aspiration.

These were not merely illustrations but consumer tools: they communicated what was fashionable, what fabrics to buy, and what sort of woman one might become through dress.

The publication itself occupied the world between haute couture and home sewing. Companies such as Standard Fashion Co. sold paper patterns, much like Butterick or McCall’s later would, allowing women or dressmakers to recreate current fashions at home.

The audience was overwhelmingly middle- and upper-middle-class women with access either to sewing skills, servants, or local dressmakers. The plate functioned partly as advertisement, partly as instruction, and partly as fantasy.

The fashions shown here belong to the high tide of the 1890s silhouette — dramatic, architectural, and intensely constructed.

The woman at right wears the quintessential look of the mid-1890s: the enormous “leg-of-mutton” sleeves, swollen above the shoulder and tapering tightly at the forearm, create a broad upper silhouette balanced against the bell-shaped skirt below.

The bodice is tightly fitted and heavily boned, emphasizing the corseted hourglass shape fashionable at the time.

The plaid fabric appears to be wool or wool-and-silk suiting, suitable for winter wear, while the contrasting trim and vertical decorative bands emphasize the narrow waist and rigid torso.

The woman at left wears a richly trimmed winter jacket with fur or astrakhan-like embellishment, paired with a satin or silk skirt. Her enormous hat — piled with feathers, ribbons, and ornament — reflects the late Victorian appetite for verticality and display. Entire bird populations were devastated during this era to supply the millinery trade; aigrettes, exotic feathers, and even whole stuffed birds adorned women’s hats until conservation movements began pushing back in the early 20th century.

Both garments would have been built over extensive understructures. Corsets shaped the torso; petticoats and carefully cut linings supported the skirts; sleeve heads and interior stiffening maintained the dramatic shoulder line. These were not casual clothes. Even ordinary respectable dress in the 1890s required engineering, tailoring, and a significant investment of labor.

What preceded this look was the bustle era of roughly the 1870s and 1880s, when emphasis fell behind the body rather than above it. Earlier Victorian fashion created elaborate rear projections through bustles and drapery. By the early 1890s, the bustle collapsed and attention migrated upward into the sleeves and shoulders, producing the striking X-shaped silhouette seen here.

What followed was almost a complete reversal. By the first years of the 20th century, sleeves deflated, skirts narrowed somewhat, and the so-called “Gibson Girl” look emerged: still corseted, but smoother, taller, and more fluid. By the 1910s, fashion would become visibly lighter and more modern under the influence of designers such as Paul Poiret. Within twenty years, the heavily armored femininity of these 1896 fashions would appear impossibly old-fashioned.

Yet there is something compellingly modern about these plates even now. The exaggerated sleeves and tiny waists anticipate later cycles of fashion extremity.

The garments announce status, taste, discipline, and money as clearly as luxury branding does today. And because the image was drawn rather than photographed, it possesses a strange idealized serenity: not real women exactly, but social dreams rendered in ink, pigment, and line.

Wearing the Clothes

To modern people accustomed to knit fabrics, stretch fibers, and informal dress, clothing like this would have felt highly structured, heavy, and physically directive. Nothing simply “hung” from the body. The corset controlled posture and breathing; the bodice constrained the torso; the sleeve construction limited arm movement; the layered petticoats and lined wool skirts added substantial weight. Sitting, bending, reaching, and even walking required adaptation and practice.

Yet many women of the period probably experienced these garments less as torture than as normal bodily discipline — much as modern people tolerate neckties, high heels, shapewear, or restrictive business clothing because culture teaches us what feels “proper.”

Seen at a vintage store.

Contemporary women often described the sensation of being corseted not only as constraining but as supportive. Clothing literally shaped comportment: one stood straighter, moved more deliberately, occupied space differently.

Winter clothing of the 1890s also had a tactile richness largely absent from modern mass fashion. Heavy woolens, silk linings, velvet trim, fur collars, tightly woven suiting fabrics, glove leather, jet beading, and elaborate millinery created a dense sensory world of texture and weight. One can almost imagine the rustle of skirts, the faint smell of wool dampened by snow, the pressure of the corset busk, and the extraordinary heat generated indoors by layers of fabric and inadequate ventilation.

The large sleeves shown here were especially impractical. Their dramatic volume made movement through doorways, crowded parlors, carriages, and theater seating awkward. They also required interior supports and careful pressing to maintain their shape. But fashion has often prized spectacle over convenience. The sleeves communicated leisure: a woman dressed like this was not expected to scrub floors, lift crates, or work with her hands.

And that may be one reason these images remain fascinating. They depict not merely clothes, but an entire vanished understanding of the body — disciplined, ornamented, socially coded, and constrained into beauty through labor, tailoring, and endurance.

Algunas veces nos limitan otros, el resto del tiempo, nosotros mismos.

Sometimes some others constrain us, but most of the time we do to ourselves.

Better Brothers Los Angeles teamed up with the Diva Foundation at the historic Wilshire Ebel Theater in Los Angeles.

The event is sponsored by Gilead, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the generous support of businessman and activist Gerard McCallum.

The Truth Awards will benefit the DIVA Foundation and its partnership with Better Brothers LA with several initiatives aimed at affirming and strengthening the African American LGBTQ community educationally, financially, physically and socially. Proceeds will also benefit the Better Brothers LA Book Scholarship and other programming needs of the organization. For more information about the organization and its scholarship program

ABOUT BETTER BROTHERS LOS ANGELES

Better Brothers Los Angeles was created to provide spaces for Black gay men to network, socialize and be BETTER – at life, love and community. Developing a sense of community has been a challenge for some Black gay men, given the cultural and religious opposition to their sexual orientation. As those challenges have receded in mainstream society, they still present significant difficulties and constrain a sense of well-being for Black gay men within the Black community. Better Brothers Los Angeles has sponsored cultural, recreational, and social/networking events, and continues to create a community where Black gay men and women can walk with a greater sense of confidence and pride. Visit www.BetterBrothersLA.com

ABOUT THE DIVA FOUNDATION

The DIVA Foundation -- founded in 1990 by Tony-nominated actress and HIV/AIDS advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph -- is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, created as a living memorial to the many friends she lost to HIV/AIDS as an original cast member of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” and because of her concern for the threat HIV/AIDS posed to women and children. Over the years, the DIVA Foundation has worked to break the silence and erase the stigma still connected to HIV/AIDS and encourage people to get tested in order to know their HIV status.

Global Passport

Global Passport = No Passport?

With the growing number of international travelers along with the granting of the modern passport to those travelers, the concept of “global citizen” is gradually been informed as the way as it grows. The definition is as uncertain and incomplete as the process itself. By studying, researching and raising questions during the process of understanding the passport system and its history, I reflected how the passport is not a free object and at the same time it is constraining other disciplines which is the origin of the freedom of human travel in the first place.

“Passport is fixing someone to a location, with the global passport everyone belongs to the globe.” Essentially, it starts from a broader sense, where the movement starts. Theoretically and ideally, beyond the reality of mankind’s world as well as in nature, our bodies have the freedom to travel and explore, the nature to be as free as we could possibly be. With more and more ‘bodies’ and ‘minds’ travel across the borders, the concept of ‘global citizen’ is gradually informed as the way as it grows. The definition itself is as uncertain and incomplete as the process it is. At the same time that is exactly where we have all the choices in the world to design a free, safe, fair, convenient migration regulation system.

Global Passport take a look at the future - Global Passport - Where there may be no existing of passport; at the same time looking back to the origin or nature of the Passport intention - the movement of people, is passport helping our freedom of move or restraining? Other associational questions could also be raised from here, in the context migration, border, global citizen, etc.

sybilbai@foxmail.com

www.sybilbai.net

There is another major attraction in Agra: the Red Fort. To get there we had to drive some 20 minutes through the town's crowded streets. On the way, we witnessed some pretty miserable living conditions which I tried to capture the best I could from the moving car. Unfortunately, under these conditions, I was not able to get the perfect picture. However, this and the following two shots, should give you an idea.

I love to photograph street scenes. I find that it is the best way to capture the social character and the pulse of a place. But street scenes are not the easiest subjects to photograph because it involves photographing people not always at their best and almost never with their consent. So, one has to be discreet which often means foregoing the perfect shot and settling for the next best. I want to show several street scene in this set, but I hope that my Flickr friends will understand those constraining factors.

Better Brothers Los Angeles teamed up with the Diva Foundation at the historic Wilshire Ebel Theater in Los Angeles.

The event is sponsored by Gilead, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the generous support of businessman and activist Gerard McCallum.

The Truth Awards will benefit the DIVA Foundation and its partnership with Better Brothers LA with several initiatives aimed at affirming and strengthening the African American LGBTQ community educationally, financially, physically and socially. Proceeds will also benefit the Better Brothers LA Book Scholarship and other programming needs of the organization. For more information about the organization and its scholarship program

ABOUT BETTER BROTHERS LOS ANGELES

Better Brothers Los Angeles was created to provide spaces for Black gay men to network, socialize and be BETTER – at life, love and community. Developing a sense of community has been a challenge for some Black gay men, given the cultural and religious opposition to their sexual orientation. As those challenges have receded in mainstream society, they still present significant difficulties and constrain a sense of well-being for Black gay men within the Black community. Better Brothers Los Angeles has sponsored cultural, recreational, and social/networking events, and continues to create a community where Black gay men and women can walk with a greater sense of confidence and pride. Visit www.BetterBrothersLA.com

ABOUT THE DIVA FOUNDATION

The DIVA Foundation -- founded in 1990 by Tony-nominated actress and HIV/AIDS advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph -- is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, created as a living memorial to the many friends she lost to HIV/AIDS as an original cast member of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” and because of her concern for the threat HIV/AIDS posed to women and children. Over the years, the DIVA Foundation has worked to break the silence and erase the stigma still connected to HIV/AIDS and encourage people to get tested in order to know their HIV status.

Another idea that I have had around for a while. This was the second try and I didn't constrain the action well enough. The support rod was too flexible. I have one more motor but no more plastic slinkies.

Cheers.

Adobe Systems today announced their free Photoshop IPhone App. The app is available free of charge at the iPhone store and allows users the ability to edit and add simple effects on photos with their iPhone.

"As the digital imaging leader, Adobe is excited to bring Photoshop.com Mobile to iPhone users," said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. "Now, with access to powerful editing and sharing tools, iPhone users are armed with the resources to document all of life's unexpected moments, make them look their best and then re-live those memories with friends and family."

I played around with the app a little bit this morning and have to say that I think it's very cool -- especially for a free app. The app allows you to do some of the most basic edits with your iPhone photos including cropping, adjusting exposure and contrast, converting an image to black and white, rotating an image etc. It also has a very basic set of effects that you can apply and filters that you can add to create effects (like an image border, sketching or blurring effects, and the effect that I liked the most, an effect called "warm vintage").

I especially liked the cropping tool of the app and found it reasonably robust (for a free mobile app) allowing you to do things like constrain crops to certain aspect ratios (a square crop for example).

You can also use the app to offload your iPhone photos to a free photoshop.com (2GB storage limit) account freeing up storage space on your iPhone. You can also easily access your photoshop.com account via the app to share show people photos from that account via the app later.

The app also allows you to email people albums of photos vs. just sending a single photo with Apple's own email this photo feature. This feature seems helpful to me as well.

I'm not sure that this product is as comprehensive in terms of cool artistic effects as Chase Jarvis' new iPhone app (although I still haven't tried that app which costs $2.99 yet) but for a free app I was pretty damn impressed with Adobe's initial iPhone product and the price is definitely right. I suspect that Adobe continues to improve it over time as well.

You can find out more info about the app here. If you have an iPhone, just go to app store and search for Photoshop and the app should pull up as a free download.

View On Black

Featured in print and online by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

dallassymphony.com/Seating_Chart.aspx

Seating 2,062 people on four levels, the concert hall focuses on the performance platform and on the grand concert organ. Suspended above the orchestra is a back-lit acoustical canopy which, together with three smaller flanking canopies, can be mechanically raised or lowered for perfected symphonic sound. Notwithstanding technical constrains, the hall was designed to possess a quality of ambience that gives pleasure to the making of, and the listening to, music.

I.M. Pei

Architect

This mysterious chair is nothing more than a very complex old prank.

A banquet is held at the castle. Prior to the arrival of the guests a container in the back of the chair is filled with water. One of the guests is offered a seat and sits down in the chair. As he sits, a fart imitating trumpet sounds from the seat. At the same time a pair of restrains emerges from under the armrests and constrains the guest by locking them in front of the lower abdomen. As soon as the guest is restrained an accomplice pulls a ring on the side of the back of the chair. This opens a valve, which allows water to run into a pipe from the tank and further into the armrests, where it sprays from several spouts onto the seat. This then wets the rear of the victim. The water is transported from the same pipe simultaneously to a small nozzle where it sprinkles on a brass tray to imitate the sound of a person weeing in a potty. Subsequently the accomplice pulls another ring on the back, which in turn opens a valve leading the water through a tube under the seats to the front. The water then covers the socks and leaves a pool on the floor as if the seated could not hold it in. When the victim is released, hoping the humiliations are over, the bellow gives a final toot for additional amusement among the spectators.

Session 1: Engaging the Private Sector

Understanding how companies and markets can create more economic opportunities, and the barriers that constrain the creation of additional jobs and self-employment opportunities is essential to addressing the current challenges of youth underemployment and unemployment.

This session discussed how three private sector organizations are putting youth at the centre of agricultural transformation.

Pictured: Farouk Jiwa – Co-founder, Farm Shop and Dr. Eleni Gabre-Madhin – CEO and Founder, blueMoon

MasterCard Foundation YAW2017 - Day Two 17/02/2017

Kigali, Rwanda

The famous 'Nationale 7' synonymous with the way to sunny vacations along the Mediterranean shores for generations of French families following the establishment of statutory summer holidays in 1936.

Long, warm days, no more time or job constrains; let's party.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_nationale_7_(France_métropolitaine)

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villeneuve-Loubet

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_nationale_7

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villeneuve-Loubet

The monument is based on a French milestone (borne routière) with a cutout representing the shape of an old car with luggages on the roof and two silhouettes wawing hands out the windows.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borne_routière

Photo taken looking North-East.

View from above:

wikimapia.org/#lang=fr&lat=43.642073&lon=7.133244...

Another point of view:

www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/43.64210/7.13318

They are all just differing methods of Mind-Control and Hypnosis and Slavery..

Impose:

(Enforce), verb bid, bind, burden, charge, command, compel, conscript, constrain, decree, dictate, direct, drive, enact, encumber, enjoin, exact, execute, extort, force upon, impel, imponere, iniungere, innist upon, lay upon, leave no option, make, make obligaaory, necessitate, oblige, obtain by force, ordain, order, press, put in force, require, require compliance, tax

Associated concepts: Impose by law

They are ALL ideologies of de-humanization! Read history and see what these faiths have done to humans in society, and how they have rounded up people and compelled them to submit to their rituals and wear paraphernalia and even be branded and brain-washed of common sense and human nature and be like robots obeying the dictators and abide by the rigid code of conduct conjured-up by the conjurers for the benefit of the dictators at the expense of the subjects.

U.S. Climate Envoy and former Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Todd Stern spoke at CAP yesterday, emphasizing that “the [current] status quo is unsustainable.” He plans to take that message when he travels to China later this week to discuss bilateral global warming agreements between the U.S. and Chinese governments.

“This is a moment to reevaluate our conceptions about what is possible,” CAP President and CEO John D. Podesta said as he introduced Stern. It’s a crucial opportunity for the United States and China to move forward together on climate issues because, as Stern pointed out, any U.S. action on climate change will not be enough without China.

He hopes to “deepen the dialogue” with China and “drill down deeper” on climate issues. A bilateral agreement with China is part of the long-term goal, but he said that does not expect a “big agreement” to come out of this trip. His goal is to lay a foundation for future agreements.

Stern shied away from discussing specifics of potential agreements between the United States and China, but he did mention some key issues that will have to be on the table. For example, “I don’t think there is any question that the developed countries are going to have to provide resources to many countries in the developing world,” he said.

Emissions limits, which are currently being debated in the United States as part of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, will be another key issue for China. Many in China fear that, “putting limits on emissions would constrain economic growth, job creation, and the country’s capacity to continue its impressive rise,” Stern said. But he argued that China “must do what many in the Chinese leadership recognize, and is not to stop growing, but to grow smarter.”

China has already begun to “grow smarter” in many ways, and Stern urged listeners not to forget that. “We need to acknowledge the impressive steps the Chinese have already taken to promote low-carbon development and the new ones that will be coming off drawing boards soon,” he said.

Stern also cautioned against urging the Chinese to move forward if others remain complacent. “We need to recognize that if we aren’t careful, we may spend the next few years pushing China to do more, but will then spend all the years after that chasing them, as they hurtle profitably down the road to the low-carbon transformation,” he warned.

International climate change agreements are not as easy choice for the Chinese, according to Stern. “China can take a new path recognizing the need to make significant international commitments against the background of a robust collaboration with the United States,” he said. “While I think, in my view, the right choice is clear, you shouldn’t underestimate the dilemma for China.”

Stern is hopeful and told attendees that he does not think the two sides are that far apart on what must be done. “In terms of the overall dynamics of where we need to go, I don’t think it is a dramatically different assessment,” he said. He also said that the United States needs to “listen, not just lecture” during this week’s talks.

He expects conversations with the Chinese to be more science oriented than past talks because he is travelling with John Holden, the White House’s chief science adviser. He also said that he believes the Chinese are “in a different place with respect to where the science is,” although he did express concern about the Chinese government’s domestic emissions estimates, which show lower emissions levels than what many independent assessments have found.

Those discrepancies would need to be resolved as part of an international emissions treaty in the future, but this week’s trip will focus on setting the stage for future agreements, which have become increasingly important as Kyoto nears expiration in 2012. The United States must play a major part in reducing emissions, but global climate change is a problem too large for one country to resolve alone. As Stern told attendees, “While the critical first step must be for us to put our own house in order, the problem can only be solved globally.”

The morning sun had barely begun to filter through the lace curtains of Clara’s dormitory room at St. Genevieve’s Academy for Young Ladies, yet she was already awake. The knowledge that she would be photographed today for the school’s promotional materials had filled her with a restless energy, a quiet mixture of excitement and resignation. Today, she would be the embodiment of poise and refinement—a task that required meticulous preparation.

Slipping out of bed, Clara wrapped herself in a silk robe and made her way to the en-suite bathroom. The tiles were cool against her bare feet, a fleeting relief in the already stifling August humidity. She turned on the shower, waiting until the water reached a temperature warm enough to soothe but not so hot as to make the sticky summer air feel worse. As she stepped under the cascade, she tilted her head back, letting the water soak her blonde tresses, feeling the weight of them become heavier against her back.

She reached for the delicate glass bottle of lavender-scented shampoo, working the luxurious lather through her hair. She massaged her scalp with slow, deliberate strokes, knowing that the way her hair fell around her face today would be just as important as the clothes she wore. After rinsing, she applied a fragrant conditioner, running her fingers through the damp strands until they felt impossibly smooth. The thought of the effort required to pin her hair into place later made her sigh, but she pushed the feeling aside. Elegance came at a price.

Her next task was shaving—a tedious ritual but an essential one. She lathered her legs with a creamy foam and drew the razor carefully along her skin, ensuring that not a single stray hair remained. The same care was applied to her underarms, though she found herself rolling her eyes at the necessity of it. If she were not expected to embody grace and perfection, perhaps she could have let such minor details slip. But that was not the world she lived in.

After stepping out of the shower, she patted herself dry with a plush towel before wrapping it around her body. Standing before the mirror, she examined her eyebrows with a critical eye. A few stray hairs disrupted the clean arch she aimed for, and so she took her tweezers and began plucking, wincing slightly at each sharp tug. Pain, like discomfort, was simply another tax on beauty.

Her hair, now towel-dried, needed to be arranged properly. She sectioned it meticulously, first drying it with a round brush, then using heated curlers to add just the right amount of volume. The final touch was an elegant chignon, twisted and pinned at the nape of her neck, leaving not a strand out of place. It was a refined, restrained style—feminine, yet controlled.

Now, onto her makeup. Even in the humidity, she could not afford a single smudge or imperfection. She began with a light foundation, blending it into her skin until it was smooth and even. A dusting of powder ensured that no unwelcome shine would appear in the midday heat. Her cheeks received just the slightest flush of pink, a touch of highlighter accentuating the delicate lines of her face. Her eyes—bright, inquisitive—were framed with a subtle stroke of liner, a careful curl of her lashes, and a whisper of neutral eyeshadow. Lastly, her lips. A muted rose, understated yet sophisticated, was pressed onto them. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment, knowing she had achieved the look expected of her. Flawless. Polished. Immaculate.

The next stage of her preparation was dressing, a process as intricate as her grooming. She reached for her underthings first—a white lace bra, delicate but structured, offering just the right amount of lift. Then came the girdle, snug as she pulled it over her waist and hips, its firm embrace dictating her posture, shaping her into the picture of refinement. The garter belt followed, each strap carefully clipped to the tops of sheer nude stockings. She smoothed them over her legs, checking for any imperfections, any wrinkles. They were nearly invisible, but she knew their presence was crucial, the silk whispering against her skin as she moved.

Next was the slip, its satin fabric gliding over her body, an intermediary layer between her skin and the structured clothing that would follow. The entire process felt like an act of transformation, one that required patience, one that made her acutely aware of the discipline required to maintain this poised exterior.

Finally, she reached for her outfit—the crisp white button-down shirt and the navy pleated skirt. The blouse was stiff with starch, its collar pristine, the buttons small and pearl-like under her fingertips. She smoothed the sleeves down to her wrists, making sure the fabric lay perfectly against her frame. The skirt followed, its pleats requiring careful arrangement so that they fanned out just so when she moved. It was restrictive in its own way, but the weight of it was reassuring. It signaled control, composure, a presence that commanded attention.

Slipping her feet into navy pumps, she stood at her full height, adjusting her posture. They were just high enough to elongate her legs, to give her that graceful poise that others would admire. They pinched slightly, a discomfort she had long since learned to ignore. Beauty, after all, was not always kind.

As she walked towards the garden where the photographs would be taken, she felt the weight of her attire, the constraint of the girdle, the careful precision of her hair and makeup. It was, in some ways, a burden—but it was also a form of power. She knew the effect she had, the admiration her appearance would command. It was a game, one she played with skill.

She sat at the wrought-iron table, arranging herself in a poised but effortless manner, the photographer’s camera clicking in rapid succession. The cake before her, the sun glinting against the pond in the background—it was a carefully curated vision of refinement, a picture of disciplined elegance.

After the last shot was taken, Clara decided she needed a moment of solitude. The library seemed like the perfect retreat. As she moved through the grand halls of St. Genevieve’s, she remained constantly aware of her own form, the gentle pressure of the girdle, the subtle squeeze of her shoes.

The heavy oak doors of St. Genevieve’s library creaked softly as Clara stepped inside, momentarily welcoming a breath of humid air before they shut behind her with a resolute thud. The transition from the sweltering gardens to the cool, cavernous library was almost shocking—her skin, still flushed from the heat, prickled under the sudden change in temperature. A moment of relief washed over her, but it was quickly tempered by the lingering constraints of her attire. Though the oppressive warmth of the August afternoon had been left behind, the restrictions imposed by her clothing were inescapable.

She moved carefully between the towering bookshelves, her navy pleated skirt swaying with each measured step, the stiff collar of her blouse grazing the delicate skin of her neck with every turn of her head. The girdle around her waist pressed relentlessly into her stomach, making each breath feel consciously controlled rather than effortless. The stockings encasing her legs felt almost suffocating in the residual humidity, and the subtle pinch of her pumps was an ever-present reminder that elegance came at a cost.

Finding the section on historical fashion, Clara pulled out a heavy tome titled The Evolution of Feminine Attire. She carried it to one of the polished mahogany desks near the window, lowering herself onto the chair with the practiced grace expected of a young lady. As she did, the taut fabric of her skirt resisted, forcing her to smooth it carefully before sitting. The girdle, already merciless, pressed further against her abdomen, making her keenly aware of its hold. She drew in a slow, measured breath, trying to ignore the discomfort as she adjusted her posture, crossing her ankles neatly beneath the chair.

She flipped through the pages, her fingers tracing the elaborate engravings of Victorian corsets, voluminous crinolines, and tightly laced bodices. The descriptions detailed how women of the era were expected to endure hours of preparation each morning, just as she had today—but their sacrifices were far greater. The corset, an unyielding prison of whalebone and laced fabric, constricted their waists to impossibly small proportions, restricting their ability to breathe freely, to move with ease. The layered petticoats and heavy skirts burdened them further, making even the simplest tasks a feat of endurance.

Clara’s gaze lingered on an illustration of a woman being laced into a corset, her arms raised as a maid pulled the ribbons tighter and tighter. She could almost feel the phantom pressure against her own ribs, as if the rigid embrace of her own girdle was tightening in solidarity with the image before her. Absently, she pressed a hand to her midsection, feeling the firm resistance beneath her fingertips. Was she truly so far removed from these women? Her girdle was less severe, her stockings more breathable than thick petticoats, but the fundamental expectation remained unchanged—grace before comfort, poise above ease.

She shifted slightly in her chair, attempting to alleviate the growing ache in her lower back from maintaining such an upright posture. The starched fabric of her blouse chafed ever so slightly against her arms as she moved, the high collar a subtle but constant presence against her throat. Looking down at her hands, she noticed the faint indentations left by her grip on the book, her fingers having unknowingly curled tightly around the edges. The thought unsettled her. Was she merely a modern echo of these women, bound not by corsets and bustles, but by an unspoken expectation of refinement?

The thought both intrigued and frustrated her. She had always taken pride in her appearance, in the admiration her poised demeanor garnered. There was power in beauty, in control. And yet, the very things that granted her that power also restrained her. She wondered if the Victorian women she studied had felt the same contradiction—the simultaneous allure and oppression of their attire. Had they, too, been aware of the fine line between being admired and being confined?

Clara sighed, shifting her gaze toward the grand arched windows of the library. Beyond the glass, the afternoon sun bathed the academy’s gardens in a golden glow. A breeze rustled the leaves, free and untethered. She envied that freedom, even as she remained seated in quiet elegance, a paragon of the very ideals she questioned.

After a moment, she turned back to the book, determined to read on. If she was to endure the demands of her own carefully curated appearance, then at the very least, she would understand the legacy she upheld. And perhaps, in understanding it, she could decide whether to embrace it—or one day, to break free from it.

As Clara delved further into the book, a thought began to take root in her mind—how much worse could it be? If her modern attire already burdened her, how much more restrictive, suffocating, and severe could her outfit become? Her imagination began to weave a darker, more constraining version of her own ensemble, layering new elements of discomfort upon her already encumbered form.

She pictured herself bound in a true Victorian corset, its laces drawn mercilessly by an unseen force, pulling her waist to an unnatural, impossibly narrow shape. She imagined the pressure on her ribs intensifying, each breath reduced to shallow gasps, her spine forced into an unyielding rigidity. The idea sent a shiver down her back, her own girdle feeling suddenly merciful in comparison.

She envisioned herself swathed in even heavier fabrics—an additional petticoat beneath her pleated skirt, thick and stifling against her legs, adding layers of weight that hampered her every step. A cardigan, buttoned up to her throat, further constricting her movements. A structured blazer, tailored to perfection but stiff and unyielding, weighing upon her shoulders like an unspoken command to remain composed. And over it all, a long coat, fastened all the way to her chin, enclosing her in a fortress of fabric.

She imagined a tight hat perched atop her carefully styled hair, its weight pressing upon her scalp, secured by a stifling ribbon tied beneath her chin. A fine veil, sheer but suffocating, draped over her face, limiting her vision and wrapping her in a hazy enclosure. Gloves—silk, long and fitted—encasing her hands in a second skin, making even the simplest gestures a studied effort.

Her mind reeled at the thought. Would she be able to bear it? Was there a point at which fashion transformed from a tool of empowerment into a form of submission? And yet, a small part of her was fascinated. There was an undeniable allure in the thought of such careful presentation, such an extreme devotion to beauty and grace. Would it be worth it?

Clara exhaled, pressing a hand gently to her abdomen, feeling the pressure of her own garments. Her attire was already a lesson in patience and endurance. And yet, compared to the past, she was still free—free to move, to breathe, to cast off these layers if she so chose.

Or was she?

I might have a perfection problem. I've been working on these for way too long. It's supposed to be a series of four stickers that I had the idea for a few years ago. Notice how I still don't have any stickers? I give up. I have to let things go or they never get done. So that's it - this first design in the series is going to be printed. And then the next ones, and the next ones. And if they could have been better, well at least I have some god damned stickers. I designed them purposefully to be tiled. In the end, each one in the series can be tiled, and I'm playing with the idea of having all four separate designs tileable. I'm just not sure if I want to constrain the future designs to these edges.

Javanese dance is the dances and art forms that were created and influenced by Javanese culture. Javanese dance is usually associated with courtly, refined and sophisticated culture of the Javanese kratons, such as the Bedhaya and Srimpi dance. However, in a wider sense, Javanese dance also includes the dances of Javanese commoners and villagers such as Ronggeng, Tayub, Reog, and Kuda Lumping.

Javanese dance is usually associated with Wayang wong, and the palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta due to the nature of dance being a pusaka or sacred heirloom from ancestors of the palace rulers. These expressive dances are more than just dances, they are also used for moral education, emotional expression, and spreading of the Javanese culture.

Types of Javanese Dance

Javanese dance reflects the stratified hierarchy of Javanese society, and roughly can be identified within two mainstream of traditions:

1.Tari kraton (palace dances)

2.Tari kawulo (commoner dances)

Tari Kraton

The courtly Javanese palace dance is the type of dances that developed, nurtured and fostered by Javanese Kratons, mainly Yogyakarta Sultanate and Surakarta Sunanate, the patrons of Javanese Mataram culture. Javanese sultans are known as the patron and the creator of Javanese court dances.

Kraton dances employs sets of rules about certain dance movements, body and hand gestures that requires discipline to learn. Gamelan orchestra is the prerequisite for Javanese court dance performances as well as for other Javanese art forms such as Wayang performances. The serene elegance, slow pace and constrains of its movements gave Javanese dance a meditative traits. Javanese court dances were heavily influenced by Javanese Hindu-Buddhist legacy. As the result the costumes, jewelry and story, often reflects or based on Hindu epic tales of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

There are three basic types of courtly Javanese kraton dance:[citation needed]

1.Beksan putra – These are the dances for men, which serve two purposes: a military close-order drill and highlighting martial skills. Dancers may learn beksan putra dances to familiarize themselves with the movements for narrative dances.

2.Beksan putri – Putri is the Javanese word for female, and these dances include courtly dances designed for royal events with very precise movements and distinct staging with subtle layers of meaning. Such dances were often used for entertainment or courtship.

3.Beksan wayang – These are narrative dances from epic poems, and usually are named after the characters in them, usually an alus-style hero and a gagah-style villain.

Tari Kawulo

Also known as "Tari Rakyat", is the popular dances of the commoner. This is the type of Javanese dances that developed in villages or cities that located relatively quite far from Javanese kratons as the center of Javanese palace culture. Kawulo dances is lack in Javanese courtly dance discipline, constraints, and refinements. This type of dance relatively more open and adaptive to foreign influences.

Several dance is functioned as courtship or social dance, such as Ronggeng, Gandrung and Tayub, while others as celebratory dances such as Reog and Kuda Lumping. The movement of social dances, such as ronggeng and tayub are somewhat more vigorous and erotic, closely related to Sundanese Jaipongan. Because of this erotic nuances, this type of dance often gained shady reputation as the dance of the prostitutes.

Photo Taken By: Bev Vycital, Personal Collection

This picture illustrates how the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is very real. The photograph is of a single tree with a sign nailed to it that reads, “HIV/AIDS Is Real, Protect Yourself.” With over sixty percent of the African population living with HIV/AIDS, Africa is considered to be the leading continent in the world with outbreaks of this deadly disease. “AIDS imposes its heaviest toll on developing countries. Of the 42 million people who are infected today, the overwhelming majority are in the poorest nations of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region that has been hardest hit. The overwhelming majority of the thirteen million children who have been orphaned by AIDS live in that region.” Africa has had two major HIV/AIDS epidemics. “The first took place in the 1980’s and remained largely restricted to homosexual men; the second, much larger one took off in the 1990’s and spread rapidly among heterosexuals.” There are various reasons why HIV/AIDS is so common in many African communities, some of these reasons include not using protection, and the belief that the AIDS virus is caused by poverty rather than HIV, the belief that social status is the cause of the disease. “Socioeconomic conditions are also known to be important determinants of the spread of HIV infection.” Although this deadly disease is literally affecting hundreds of thousands of people every year in Africa there has been no real cause for concern until recent years. HIV/AIDS has severe affects on the people of Africa. It significantly lowers life expectancy, the disease is being passed down from generation to generation and there are not enough resources in the country to try to maintain the spread of the disease. As noted in The Children of Africa Confronts Aids there are many consequences to be faced by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “AIDS influences political actions because it constrains state resources, changes the nature of political communities and reconfigures how individuals view their rights and responsibilities with those communities.” Children are also expected to face the ramifications caused by the disease affecting their family members and/or communities. Often children are left to care for themselves and their siblings when the parents die because of complications of the virus. Children are subjected to watching their parents slowly die and are both mentally and physically affected by this. “Children may live with long periods of uncertainty and periods of crisis as they watch parents slowly become sicker and more incapacitated.” There is no doubt that Africa as a whole is affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It has an effect on everything from politics, education, children, health issues and the socio-economic status of the citizens of Africa. Perhaps if there was more concern about this growing health issue in Africa then the spread of this terrible disease could be significantly decreased in the next generation. Often it takes the help of other countries like the United States to help fight the battle against this deadly disease. It’s the responsibility of countries like our own to provide the necessary resources to these under-priviledged countries to make them aware of what needs to be done to keep this crisis under control. If the people of Africa would take the advice and help of other countries then their fight against AIDS/HIV could be managed. However, if everyone would take the advice nailed to this single tree, then life that many citizens of Africa are leading could be significantly changed over the next hundred years.

Arvind Singhal and W. Stephen Howard, _The Children of Africa Confront AIDS_ (Ohio: Center for International Studies Ohio University, 2003), 14.

Brian G. Williams and Eleanor Gouws, _The Epidemiology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in South Africa,_ The Royal Society (2001): 1077.

Joe Cohen, _South Africa’s New Enemy,_ Science (2000): 2168.

"Solutions to the Problem of Heath Care Transmission of HIV/AIDS in Africa,"_Hearing Before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, United States Senate,_ Anne Peterson, Doctor, (Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004), 15

Bev Vycital,_Unknown,_ HIV/AIDS is Real - Protect Yourself, 2007, Bev Vycital Personal Collection, Clarkesville, Georgia.

For More Information:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_in_Africa

Historic Oasis of Gafsa.

The oases of the Maghreb region are green islands flourishing in a constraining and harsh environment. They are home to a diversified and highly intensive and productive system, which has been developed over millennia.

Photo credit must be given: ©ASM Gafsa

More information:

Gafsa Oases, Tunisia

Any assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia depends on what is considered to be their aim.

If the aim of sanctions was to constrain Russia’s actions in Ukraine, they were effective, says Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz of PISM. If not for the sanctions, Moscow would have been even more rapacious and aggressive in Ukraine. As it stands, Russia’s dire economic situation means it cannot afford to support the Donbas financially. All it can really do now is promote the region’s autonomy in order to prevent the situation in Ukraine from stabilising.

The sanctions were also successful in term of demonstrating to Russia and the world that the West can unite when it needs to. Vladimir Putin did not expect the European Union to come together and agree a set of sanctions in July 2014, and was very surprised when that happened. Since then, the official rhetoric in Russia has changed dramatically. While the narrative used to be that sanctions would not have any impact on the country, now all of Russia’s economic woes are blamed on them. Although – as Marek Menkiszak from the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) notes – much of Russia’s current inflation is in fact caused by its own embargoes.

However, Ivan Rassokhin of the Centre for Polish-Russian Business Cooperation argues that sanctions have hit the Russian people much more than the Russian elites, and in that sense they have not been successful. But not everyone agrees. Some point to Putin’s counter-crisis strategy, which is to rely on the private sector (read: oligarchs) to foot the bill, as a sign that the elites are already feeling and will continue to feel the pinch of sanctions.

The debate: Sanctions and Russia was held at PISM on 14 January 2015 at PISM, to promote the publication of the report of the same name. It was moderated by TVP Moscow correspondent Arleta Bojke.

By Maya Rostowska, Piotr Kościński

Photos by Jadwiga Winiarska

For more info go to: www.pism.pl/evnets/Were-sanctions-against-Russia-effective

Flat stones projecting from Incan terraces in Peru were my first encounter with these simplest of stiles. I love them and I love the way that human ingenuity came to the same notion in the wonderful parallel evolution of ideas.

This stuff bothers some people. They can't see how the limits of physics and the properties of materials constrain outcomes. In their minds we need fanciful migrations, divine direction or visiting aliens to carry ideas which logically evolve with no influence beyond the human mind and Nature's laws.

Applying reductio ad absurdum logic, ask what would have happened if the builders of ziggurats, Egyptian, Mesoamerican or Nubian pyramids, even the Borobudur of Central Java began adding stones to a structure that pointed downwards. Doesn't work; not even for the most artistic mind. Quite logically, all around the place, if you pile stuff up and you don't want it to fall down, the pointy bit is at the top.

If there is a need, an available material and a mind to put those things together this is what you get: stile style. Not only that, it works better than imported notions. Today I took a wander over to the dilapidated bird hide on Loch Gretchen. This entailed negotiating a vertical ladder up one side of the sheep dyke, rotating 180⁰ on a tiny wooden platform then descending another vertical ladder on the other side. It was terrifying! A few stones like this, old school, and there's none of that perilous centre of gravity hanging out in space business. Here you ascend, straddle, then descend without risk. That's style!

Title Translation: To Lier along the River Nete

Although you can't see the river itself, you can see the dykes that constrain the river meandering towards the dominating tower of the Sint-Gummaruskerk in Lier.

After a suggestion from Paula Banks I rendered this shot as a subtle sepia tone.

Better Brothers Los Angeles teamed up with the Diva Foundation at the historic Wilshire Ebel Theater in Los Angeles.

The event is sponsored by Gilead, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the generous support of businessman and activist Gerard McCallum.

The Truth Awards will benefit the DIVA Foundation and its partnership with Better Brothers LA with several initiatives aimed at affirming and strengthening the African American LGBTQ community educationally, financially, physically and socially. Proceeds will also benefit the Better Brothers LA Book Scholarship and other programming needs of the organization. For more information about the organization and its scholarship program

ABOUT BETTER BROTHERS LOS ANGELES

Better Brothers Los Angeles was created to provide spaces for Black gay men to network, socialize and be BETTER – at life, love and community. Developing a sense of community has been a challenge for some Black gay men, given the cultural and religious opposition to their sexual orientation. As those challenges have receded in mainstream society, they still present significant difficulties and constrain a sense of well-being for Black gay men within the Black community. Better Brothers Los Angeles has sponsored cultural, recreational, and social/networking events, and continues to create a community where Black gay men and women can walk with a greater sense of confidence and pride. Visit www.BetterBrothersLA.com

ABOUT THE DIVA FOUNDATION

The DIVA Foundation -- founded in 1990 by Tony-nominated actress and HIV/AIDS advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph -- is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, created as a living memorial to the many friends she lost to HIV/AIDS as an original cast member of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” and because of her concern for the threat HIV/AIDS posed to women and children. Over the years, the DIVA Foundation has worked to break the silence and erase the stigma still connected to HIV/AIDS and encourage people to get tested in order to know their HIV status.

Historical monument: mosaic fresco of athletic games in Gafsa.

The oases of the Maghreb region are green islands flourishing in a constraining and harsh environment. They are home to a diversified and highly intensive and productive system, which has been developed over millennia.

Photo credit must be given: ©ASM Gafsa

More information:

Gafsa Oases, Tunisia

“I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.”

~ Baruch Spinoza

‘The Righteous Mind,’ by Jonathan Haidt

By WILLIAM SALETAN

Published: March 23, 2012

In “The ­Righteous Mind,” Haidt seeks to enrich liberalism, and political discourse generally, with a deeper awareness of human nature. Like other psychologists who have ventured into political coaching, such as George Lakoff and Drew Westen, Haidt argues that people are fundamentally intuitive, not rational. If you want to persuade others, you have to appeal to their sentiments. But Haidt is looking for more than victory. He’s looking for wisdom. That’s what makes “The Righteous Mind” well worth reading. Politics isn’t just about ­manipulating people who disagree with you. It’s about learning from them.

Our taste for sanctity or authority, like our taste for sugar, could turn out to be a dangerous relic. But Haidt is right that we must learn what we have been, even if our nature is to transcend it.