Lipstick Under My Burkha

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under my Burka is a fascinating look at the lives and dreams of four different women living in a community in Bhopal. The film has been successful in a number of film festivals (including a sell-out show here in Melbourne) and has also recently released in India after some initial censorship problems. This is not the usual filmi view of Indian women as perfect mothers, wives or romantic partners, but rather a warts-and-all exposé of the realities of life as a woman in India today with all the restrictions, society taboos and in some cases the violence they face every day. These are real women and the film shows us their real lives. It’s the combination of that reality with powerful performances and a major dash of empathy that make the film a must-see, and one that stays with you long after the end credits roll.

The four main characters all live in the same housing block in Bhopal and although their lives connect only peripherally for most of the film, each is struggling with their own problems that eventually bring them all together by the end.

Usha (Ratna Pathak Shah), commonly known as Buaji is the widowed matriarch of a large family and has been called Aunt for so long she’s almost forgotten her real name. Her family own the building and it’s Usha’s who’s called on to deal with any problems, but despite her control over the family property, Usha has little control over her own life. This leads her to keep secret the few things she does have for herself. She secretly reads romantic novels, hidden from her family behind the pages of a magazine, and one of these books, Lipstick Dreams, becomes the background narration to the film. She also keeps her swimming lessons with the hunky instructor Jaspal (Jagat Singh Solanki) to herself, pretending that she is attending religious meetings instead, and the combination of frustrations, romantic dreams and a handy object of desire eventually leads her to racy phone sex, which she also has to keep hidden.

Rehana Abidi (Plabita Borthakur) is perhaps the most conventional character and is the owner of the burkha mentioned in the title. The film starts with Rehana stealing bright red lipstick by hiding it under her burkha. She applies this as soon as she gets to college, also shedding her traditional dress for jeans and a skimpy top, and changing her behaviour to suit. Rehana struggles to conform to the expectations dictated by her traditional family, leading her to hide her desire to become a singer, her western-style clothes and her pictures of Western popstars from her parents. The burkha is a symbol of more than just her perceived oppression too, as it’s also the shield behind which Rehana hides when she is shop-lifting and it allows her to pass almost unnoticed through the streets at night. Unfortunately, Rehana’s rebellion leads her to some dodgy choices, and she puts herself at risk when she becomes involved with an older man Dhruv (Shashank Arora), but for the most part her attitude is as expected for a young woman trying to escape her conventionally traditional family, and her motivation is relatively easy to discern.

Konkona Sen Sharma plays a more complex character and she does an excellent job with the role. Shireen is ostensibly a stay-at-home mom with three children and a slew of abortions behind her. Her husband Rahim (Sushant Singh) is based in Dubai and when he is home is only interested in asserting his ‘right’ to Shireen’s body, raping her most nights when he is home and refusing to wear a condom, despite the risk to her health. Shireen though also has a secret. She’s a very successful door-to-door saleswoman who is about to be promoted in her company, but she isn’t able to tell her husband as she knows he will not approve. Things become even more complicated when she finds out that her husband is keeping secrets too, but she seems trapped by her three children and society’s rigid belief in a woman’s place.

The final character is Leela (Aahana Kumra) who is Hindu and works as a beautician. Her mother is keen for Leela to marry well and has arranged her marriage with Manoj (Vaibbhav Tatwawdi) but Leela is in love with Arshad (Vikrant Massey) a Muslim photographer and wants to run away to Delhi with him. Leela uses sex as a bargaining tool to ensure that Arshad stays with her, but despite her modern views and her willingness to use her body to get what she wants, she’s still bound by convention and reluctant to run away without a man by her side.

The film follows these four women as they live their lives and dream their dreams, but finally their secrets are revealed with disastrous consequences.

What works well is the matter of fact manner with which Alankrita Shrivastava approaches her subject matter. The woman’s lives are shown authentically without glossing over any of the harsh realities of life in a small community. The women’s dreams and desires are mostly all relatable, as are many of their problems, making it easy to be sympathetic to their circumstances and hope that their situations improve. There are a few sex scenes but these are never voyeuristic, rather they are sensitively shot without any gratuitous nudity. Leela’s quick hurried couplings in various handy rooms and Rehana’s inexperienced fumblings are juxtaposed with Shireen’s attempts to ward off her abusive husband and Usha’s romantic fantasies in the bathroom.

While the women don’t interact much with each other there are a few moments where a couple of the characters come together, which serve to build a gradual sense of unity that becomes more apparent by the end. The actors too are all fabulous in their roles, ensuring the characters remain authentic while generating understanding and empathy. There is some excellent comedy too that stops the film from being simply a litany of abuses against the women.

The only real flaw for me in the film is in its portrayal of the male characters. These are almost uniformly one- dimensional with few redeeming features and, with one or two exceptions, only appear on-screen to abuse or threaten the women.  Rehana’s authoritarian father and Shireen’s abusive husband are the most caricatured, but even Dhruv and Rahim are mostly self-serving with little thought for their female partners. This is in stark contrast to the women who have plenty of light and shade, and it’s a pity that Alankrita Shrivastava didn’t bring this diversity into her male characters too.  The ending is also rather abrupt, and while I have no issue with leaving the final outcome hanging, the final scene had a few elements that didn’t quite fit with the rest of the film.

Regardless of the shortcomings with the male characters, the central theme is one of shame. The shame that the women are afraid of if their secret is revealed and the shame their families keep insisting the women have brought to them. When in reality all the shame here likes in the intolerant society and regressive views of the men. As far as showing the lives of the women involved goes, the film succeeds beautifully and indeed, the points raised are universal and hopefully will start conversations and increase awareness in many communities. This was simply an excellent film and one I highly recommend watching for a novel view of Indian women.

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation)

I’d be having a stern word with whoever came up with this blurb “Forget The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; India’s new must-visit accommodation for the elderly is Hotel Salvation. Take a visit in this award-winning debut.

Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation) is a beautifully made contemplative story of family, guilt, love, and finally death.

Dayanand (Lalit Behl) is from that blissful generation of men who don’t need to think about whether they are interrupting or are they being too demanding. Everything revolves around him. When he decides his time has come, there is no way to rationalise or compromise with him. Dayanand sulks and insists he will go to Varanasi alone because he is ready and therefore it is his time and that is where he will die. His son Rajiv (Adil Hussain) reluctantly commits to going with his father on what might be his last journey. They travel to Varanasi, and check in at the ramshackle Mukti Bhawan where people await their death by the holy Ganges. The efficient owner Mishraji (Anil K Rastogi) tells them he only allows a stay of 15 days and Dayanand is sure that will be enough. As it happens, Mishraji has a loophole whereby residents can change their names every 15 days. But he assures Rajiv the time is indeed close, although he can’t divulge any more details.

Lalit Behl is by turns childlike, childish, arrogant, demanding, apologetic and affectionate. Dayanand is not used to showing weakness in front of his family, but seems less uptight with his peers at the Hotel Salvation. Daya immediately immerses himself in the daily rituals and starts making friends with the other residents. He is there to actively prepare for his death and welcomes the process. He joins in writing obituaries and practicing yoga, and is addicted to a TV soap they watch every night. He finds community in the house. He is occasionally over the top but only when Daya is in a heightened state, and I thought every note rang true for the grumpy patriarch.

Vimlaji (Navnindra Behl) has genuinely prepared to go but can still enjoy every day she spends on earth. She says she will go when God calls, and has been waiting for 18 years. She is vivacious, the kind of lady you’d have tea and a natter with on a long train trip, but has a calm focus on her task of letting go. I liked her acceptance without finding her passively fatalistic. Vimla’s rapport with Daya is lovely, and I read somewhere the actors are married in real life which may be a factor in the warm familiarity and physical ease around each other.

Rajiv is awkward and appalled by what he sees as squalor and backward thinking, and wants his dad to either come home or go to a hospital. Rajiv is almost like a child again, hanging around on the fringes of adult conversation and not quite being able to participate. He wants to be there to do the right thing, but he doesn’t want to be there at all. He is intimidated by his father, and calls from his wife and demanding boss don’t help matters. Adil Hussain is lugubrious, tetchy, and a little fragile as Rajiv. He is in a rut at work and at home, and his father’s death plans are highly inconvenient. He doesn’t see the value in what Daya is doing, thinking of it as taking him away from work. But he starts to open up and shows that his frustration is driven by love and a maybe a bit of an inferiority complex. His scenes with Lalit Behl are emotionally complex yet very contained. There are few grand gestures or raised voices, and the acting is perfectly aligned.

Rajiv’s wife Lata (Geetanjali Kulkarni) struggles with a demanding old father-in-law and an absentee husband. Rajiv and Lata aren’t wishing for Dayanand to die but they do wish they could get some idea of how long this phase will last. When Dayanand performs the cow donation ritual, it is life and death to him, but to the family it is just an interruption. Lata wants life to be normal, unexceptional, and organised. She seems brusque but when people need her affection it is there. Her scenes with Rajiv run from shockingly direct conversation to wordless empathy and she is the bedrock of the family.

There is often a point in family crises where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Everyone has their idea on what is right and what everyone else should be doing. That tension is drawn out very well, mostly through the character of Sunita (Palomi Ghosh). She is a bright and warm girl, and has a cheeky rapport with her granddad. Daya is less strict and demanding of her and Rajiv quietly absorbs the difference in how his family interact with each other and with him. When Sunita comes to visit, Dayanand and Vimlaji sneak a bhang lassi with her because it’s Varanasi and of course they should. The three of them giggle through the day and each takes comfort in the camaraderie. When Daya hints that she might not be happy with her upcoming engagement Rajiv brushes it off. Later he confronts Dayanand about why he was made to do what was expected rather than follow his passion. Rajiv is more like his dad than he realises.

Tajdar Junaid’s soundtrack complements ambient sound of prayers and TV and kids playing. Bhutiani and his crew largely eschewed the more sensationalised Varanasi cremation clichés and instead dwell on the daily rituals, the bustle of the narrow back streets, the changing light, and the overwhelming feeling that life is a cycle. Mukti Bawan is somewhat similar in content (if not in tone) to Piku, with a dominant patriarch on a journey only he comprehends and a family who don’t quite realise they are being given precious time to say goodbye.

Margarita, With a Straw

Margarita, With a Straw

Margarita, With a Straw


A Beautiful Question

  • von Frank Wilczek
  • Sprecher: Frank Wilczek
  • 13 Std. 44 Min.
  • ungekürztes Hörbuch

Does the universe embody beautiful ideas?
Artists as well as scientists throughout human history have pondered this "beautiful question". With Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek as your guide, embark on a voyage of related discoveries, from Plato and Pythagoras up to the present. Wilczek's groundbreaking work in quantum physics was inspired by his intuition to look for a deeper order of beauty in nature. In fact, every major advance in his career came from this intuition: to assume that the universe embodies beautiful forms, forms whose hallmarks are symmetry - harmony, balance, proportion - and economy. There are other meanings of "beauty", but this is the deep logic of the universe - and it is no accident that it is also at the heart of what we find aesthetically pleasing and inspiring.
Wilczek is hardly alone among great scientists in charting his course using beauty as his compass. As he reveals in A Beautiful Question, this has been the heart of scientific pursuit from Pythagoras, the ancient Greek who was the first to argue that "all things are number", to Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, and into the deep waters of 20th century physics. Though the ancients weren't right about everything, their ardent belief in the music of the spheres has proved true down to the quantum level. Indeed, Wilczek explores just how intertwined our ideas about beauty and art are with our scientific understanding of the cosmos.
Wilczek brings us right to the edge of knowledge today, where the core insights of even the craziest quantum ideas apply principles we all understand. The equations for atoms and light are almost literally the same equations that govern musical instruments and sound; the subatomic particles that are responsible for most of our mass are determined by simple geometric symmetries. The universe itself, suggests Wilczek, seems to want to embody beautiful and elegant forms.

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  • Erscheinungsdatum: 14.07.2015
  • Verlag: Penguin Audio


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The Virtue of Pleasure: Epicurus - Essay Example

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The Virtue of Pleasure: Epicurus

According to the postulates of Epicurus, in the life of any human being, the only chief good in life is the pleasure that individuals attain from various thoughts, actions and experiences. It is thus in the virtue of individual pleasure that Epicurus advises people to ensure that they attain maximum enjoyment in life by achieving the most pleasurable moments and experiences. The living process must therefore be full of activities and thoughts which enable human beings to have a pleasurable living experience. Epicurus justifies this by saying that pleasure is the sole good (Koen 27). Regardless of the postulates that Epicurus gives on the virtue of pleasure, he also considers moderation in his philosophy. In this regard, Epicurus shows that in the pursuit of drawing pleasure out of life experiences, moderation or limits must be considered. It is through having limits or moderation in the derivation of pleasure that undue suffering is avoided. Such suffering is described by Epicurus as that which would emanate if there was overindulgence in the activities which give people pleasurable moments and feelings. It can be exemplified that the things which bring pleasure can also lead to pain if moderation in their consumption is not valued. For example people who overindulge in eating, though pleasurable, would lead to poor health and even medical conditions. ...
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Instructor Date The Virtue of Pleasure: Epicurus The virtue of pleasure is a philosophy which was postulated by Epicurus. In accordance to Epicurus, the need to satisfy one’s desires is the basis of the ethic or virtue of individual pleasure…
Author : boehmosborne

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The concept of categorical imperative is deservingly considered to be the dominant in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. It states that a person should do something not because he wants to do this, but following the rule that is common for everybody and should be strictly followed. “All imperatives are expressed with an ‘ought’, which indicates how an objective law of reason relates to a will that isn’t constituted so as to be necessarily determined by it—namely, relating to it as a constraint. An imperative says that it would be good to do or to refrain from doing something, but it addresses this to a will that doesn’t always do x just because x is represented to it as good to do”(Kant 18) Kant states that if a person allows himself/herself to set the principle that will be followed only by him/her and not by the rest of the people, this person can be called immoral. Kant provides different examples to demonstrate how categorical imperative was derived. The most widespread example is a person’s request for money that he/she is not going to give back, notwithstanding that the promise is given by him/her. Kant states that if all the people break promises, they [promises] would not exist any more as people would stop believing them. ...
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Tung Sing Carrickfergus

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Cuisines: Chinese
Opening hours: No opening hours available.
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Phone number: (028) 9335 1516
Address:   Tung Sing, 79 Irish Quarter West,
Carrickfergus, County Antrim,
BT38 8AT, (028) 9335 1516
Tung Sing is a Takeaway in Carrickfergus which serves mainly Chinese food. They can be found at 79 Irish Quarter West, and their phone number is (028) 9335 1516.
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why do you fall away
to somewhere
not on earth or sky
no chance of being found
or seen or heard
only dreamt of

or shown
in the space within
my mind with eyes unfocused

and yet
you’re always there
a cloud around my senses
and this vagueness
here and nowhere
never lifting
neither here nor in the other realms
dreams mixed with no real clarity.


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ECOOP 2015
Sun 5 - Fri 10 July 2015 Prague 1, Czech Republic
Mon 6 Jul 2015 16:30 - 16:50 at Moravia III - Gradual Typing

Siek and Taha (2006) introduce gradual typing as a theory for integrating static and dynamic typing in programming languages. Siek et al. (2015) expand on the goals of gradual typing. The goals are:

  1. support both fully static and fully dynamic typing,
  2. enable gradual migration between static and dynamic regions,
  3. provide sound interoperability between such regions, and
  4. static regions of code are as efficient as they would be in a statically typed language.

In addition to these goals, we add that dynamic regions should perform within a constant factor of the time in dynamically typed languages.

However, there is a tension between enabling interoperability between static and dynamic regions and achieving efficiency, especially in static regions of code. The purpose of our present work is to study the essential efficiency of gradual typing by constructing a prototype compiler in which we can implement approaches to minimizing overheads and carefully evaluate their impact on efficiency through empirical studies. Towards this goal, we give a status report on Schml, a compiler that translates the Gradually Typed Lambda Calculus to C.

Towards Absolutely Efficient Gradually Typed Languages (abstract.pdf)93KiB


Home Blog Meet The Ten Greatest African-American Female Athletes Of All Time!

There was a time that if little brown girls tried out for sports the odds were against them making the team. And if she made the team, no one was looking for her to make a big name for herself in the sport. However, those times have changed dramatically and now they are becoming some of the greatest athletes of all times.

Now, when a little brown girl tries out for a sports team the question that goes through everyone’s mind is “will she be the next greatest player of the sport?” Here are 10 of the greatest African-American women who have either paved the way or are still paving the way for Black women athletes.

1. Serena Williams

serena-williams 1

Serena Williams is one of the most loved athletes of this time. Her work and talent does not go unnoticed on the court. In 2014 she was named America’s Greatest Athlete by The New Yorker and the media often refers to her as the “Queen of the Court.” She also holds the title of being a “fly girl” and most “uniquely dressed” woman to ever hold a tennis racket during a game. She was raised in Compton, CA, and is the winner of 6 U.S. Opens and 5 Wimbledon. She has also been ranked in the World as No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions.

2. Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson paved the way for Serena. She was the first black athlete to break the color line in international tennis. She won the French Open in 1956, which was followed by the Wimbledon, and the U.S Open in 1957. She was named the Female of the Year by Associated Press in both 1957 and 1958. She also played golf professionally.

3. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Jacqueline “Jackie” Joyner-Kersee is an American retired track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women’s heptathlon as well as in the women’s long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in those two events at four different Olympic Games.
Laila Ali

4. Laila Ali

Most people know Laila Ali as being the daughter of Muhammad Ali. He passed down his legacy of the boxing sport to his daughter. With an undefeated record of 24 of 24 matches including 21 knockouts Laila Ali turned the insult of “fight like a girl” into a high honor. Ali has since retired after her 24th win and continues to make TV appearances. Her plan include being committed to giving back to her community.

5. Alice Coachman

Alice Coachman

Alice Coachman was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Coachman became a well-known phenomenon with her AAU high school and college records. Coachman specialized in the high jump. She definitely leaped over all the racism that was thrown her way. She won a championship award every year between 1939 and 1948. She was the first Black woman to endorse an international product, Coca-Cola.
Microsoft Word – Wilma at the Tape.doc

6. Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph

By the early 1960s Wilma Rudolph was considered the fastest woman on earth. She was born as a premature baby who later contracted polio as a child. She was forced to wear a leg brace for many years; she definitely beat those odds of overcoming her condition. Rudolph was the first Black woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic game. In 2004, the United States Postal Service honored her with a “Distinguished American stamp.”

7. Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes is one of the greatest basketball players to grace the court. Swoopes was often called the “female Michael Jordan” on the court. She was the first Black player to sign to the WNBA, she won three Olympic gold medals, and she is a 3 times WNBA MVP. She remains on top every WNBA player list ever made. Swoopes is currently the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Loyola University Chicago.

8. Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas

Gabrielle Christina Victoria “Gabby” Douglas is an American artistic gymnast. As a member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions. Douglas is the first African-American woman in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics.
Florence Griffith-Joyner

9. Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence-Griffith Joyner was the “fly girl” speeding right past other runners on the track. She was most known for wearing long, painted fingernails and bright red lipstick. Even today no one has been able to break the record that was set by “Flo Jo”. In 1985, she won the 100m at the IAAF Grand Prix Final with the time of 11.00 seconds. Her records set back in 1988 in the 100m and 200m have yet to be broken. Unfortunately, Flo Jo passed away in 1998 from complications of an epileptic seizure.

10. Fredia Gibbs

Fredia Gibbs

Fredia “The Cheetah” Gibbs nicknamed “The Most Dangerous Woman in the World”, is a sports icon and Muay Thai kickboxing legend. Gibbs is a 3 Time World Champion in Kickboxing and the first African-American female to hold the world kickboxing championship for the International Sport Karate Association. She is known for having a very balanced attack as a kick-boxer that includes a ferocious overhand right, a mighty left, and lighting quick feet.


News Israel today

latest news from Israel in english

Master class from Leigh Griffiths. The Slovaks upset the goalkeeper of «Bnei Judah»

In a dramatic match, the Scots played a draw with the British 2:2. Slovenia beat Malta 2:0. Slovaks visiting defeated the Lithuanians 2:1.

The position of teams. England 14 points, 12 Slovakia, Slovenia 11, Scotland 8, Lithuania 5 Malta 0.

Group F

Scotland — England 2:2

All the goals were scored in the last 20 minutes of the match, the British bounced back in the third minute of stoppage time.

In the 29th minute, the British almost opened the scoring. A long ball forward. The goalkeeper came outside the penalty area to head a ball. Kane shot from 35 metres into the empty net. Tierney’s head knocked the ball. Ranford shoots from the penalty line. The goalkeeper parried the ball.

In the 51st minute Livermore struck. After deflection, the ball hit the post. In the 70th minute, Alex oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) flank sent the ball into the penalty area, made a solo RAID to the penalty area, who shot 0:1.

The Scots staged a «our answer to Chamberlain» in the last minute of normal time. Lee Griffiths (Celtic) scored two goals. In the 87th minute he scored a free kick 1:1. In the 90th minute Griffiths free kick was amazing, vkolotil the ball to the other corner 2:1.

In the third minute of injury time Dyer powerfully struck free-kick. The goalkeeper parried the ball. The Scots rushed to the counter. The British in midfield intercepted the ball. Sterling makes a long pass into the penalty area. Harry Kane (Tottenham) evened the score 2:2.

Slovenia — Malta 2:0

Lithuania — Slovakia 1:2

The gate of the hosts was defending goalkeeper of the tel Aviv «Bnei Judah» Emilius Zubas.

In the 32nd minute zenitovets Robert Mak makes a pass into the penalty area. Marek Hamsik turned around and brought Vladimir Weiss (al-Gharafa) one-on-one. Former forward of «Manchester city» and «Glasgow Rangers» shot into the far corner 0:1. On 58 minutes Marek Hamsik (Napoli) perfectly executed free kick 0:2.

On the 3rd minute of injury time Novikovas free-kick. The ball hit the crossbar. The Gaziantepspor Signatory (Zalgiris) head flicked the ball into the net 1:2.

Master class from Leigh Griffiths. The Slovaks upset the goalkeeper of «Bnei Judah» 11.06.2017

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Q. Does deep-freezing fish kill harmful parasites?

There are many species of , and only cymothoid isopods are known to consume and replace the host's organs. Other species of isopod known to parasitise fish in this way include and .

Target Tissue: provides the location on/in the fish where the parasite is most commonly found.

The health risk from parasites is far less than the risk from “unseen” illness causing bacteria which are present in almost all foods.
Roundworms called nematodes are the most common parasite found in marine fishes. Some people call these nematodes herring worms or cod worms. Actually, several different species exist and it is hard to distinguish between them. All are in the family Anisakidae and are anisakid nematodes (see information below).

Common Freshwater Fish Parasites Pictorial Guide: Sessile Ciliates

UF/IFAS Fact Sheet FA-107 Common Freshwater Fish Parasites Pictorial Guide: Sessile Ciliates. It's called , described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a parasitic disease caused by worms that attach to the wall of the esophagus, stomach, or intestine. The best ways prevent it is to avoid eating raw or undercooked fish or squid.

Common Freshwater Fish Parasites Pictorial Guide: Motile Ciliates

The branchiurans, often called lice, have flattened bodies adapted for rapid movement over the skin surface. By means of hooks and suckers, they periodically attach for feeding by inserting the piercing mouth part (stylet) into the skin. Sea lice () are a significant disease problem of pen-reared salmonids. Consultation with a salmonid health specialist is suggested if these parasites are encountered, because treatment options are limited and environmental concerns are significant. spp are commonly found on aquarium, pond-reared, and wild freshwater fish.

Common Freshwater Fish Parasites Pictorial Guide: Flagellates

Just like any other creature, your fish can suffer from disease and parasites. When fish have parasites they are very contagious. If a fish actually has parasites, it's highly recommended to separate the fish in question from all the other aquatic life in your fish tank. Taking the fish out of the aquarium into a portable container is probably the best way to do so. Otherwise the parasites will most likely spread through the whole fish tank until all fish are infected. Below is a list of seven parasites that are common among tropical fish: Anchor worms – these parasites are females and have an anchor shaped head, which they use to burrow its way into the flesh of its prey. Once they bury themselves into the fish there may be a little bit of bleeding on the fish where the head has attached itself. You may also be able to see a little worm or tentacle that is white protruding out from the spot where the parasite is attached. Because this parasite’s head is anchor shaped it is difficult to remove, and if pulled out by force may cause the fish to suffer a bleeding wound. Fish lice -- this parasite is tricky because it is so hard to spot. This parasite will hide itself by taking on the same color as its host. The host fish will try to get rid of the lice by rubbing its body against stones, plants or along the side of the tank in an effort to try and remove them. Ichthyophthirius – The so-called 'ich' or 'white spot' is the most common tropical fish disease, caused by probably the most common freshwater parasite. The typical behavior of an infected fish includes loss of appetite, rubbing itself against objects, flashing and hiding abnormally. Once a fish in your fish tank is infected, quarantine is necessary to prevent the fish from spreading the tropical fish disease to the other tank inhabitants.


Effective advocacy shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Caryma believes that the legal system ought to provide justice to the people it is meant to serve. She offers focused and results-oriented legal services at affordable rates.

Low-cost consultation helps you identify your options.

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Various payment options to meet your needs.

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Reading at home

Please read with your child every night for at least 10 minutes. Within this time, discuss the story together and ask questions to develop a good understanding of the story. If they have finished their book then please read a different book from home or visit the library. It is also really important that children regularly hear adults read stories to them to encourage a love of storytelling.

If you are stuck for books to read with your child then here is a list of books that we recommend.

Also to help foster a love of reading and to develop your child's skills you can visit this website.

Year 2 End of Year Expectations - Literacy

I am able to ask questions to get more information and clarify meaning.

I am able to explain ideas and concepts, showing understanding and comprehension.

I am able to decide when I need to use specific vocabulary.

I am able to retell a story using narrative language and linking words and phrases.

I am able to hold the attention of people I am speaking to by adapting the way I talk.

I am able to understand how to speak for different purposes and audiences (beginning).

I am able to perform a simple poem from memory.

I am able to decode automatically and fluently.

I am able to blend sounds in words that contain the graphemes we have learnt.

I am able to read most suitable books accurately, showing fluency and confidence.

I am able to read aloud with expression and intonation.

I am able to talk about and give an opinion on a range of texts.

I am able to discuss the sequence of events in books and how they relate to each other.

I am able to locate information about a given topic.

I am able to use prior knowledge, including context and vocabulary, to understand texts.

I am able to retell stories, including fairy stories and traditional tales.

I am able to interpret non-fiction books which might be structured in different ways.

I am able to read for meaning and check that the text makes sense.

I am able to form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another.

I am able to use capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters.

I am able to use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters.

I am able to use subordination and co-ordination.

I am able to use expanded noun phrases.

I am able to write different kinds of sentences: statement, question, exclamation and command.

I consistently use the present tense and past tense correctly.

I am able to use the progressive forms of verbs in the present and past tense.

I am able to use capital letters for names of people, places, day of the week and the personal pronoun ‘I’.

I am able to use commas to separate items in a list.

I am able to use apostrophes to show where letters are missing and to mark singular possession in nouns.


Kinetic Art and the Age of Robotics - What Can We Expect?

Bob Lansroth

  • kinetic international artist created museum 2015 2013 mobile
  • international artist created museum 2015 2013 mobile
  • mobile sculpture mobiles space
  • mobile sculpture space

Derived from the Greek word kinesis, representing motion or change in Aristotelian philosophy, Kinetic art refers to works that feature real or apparent movement. In its widest definition, it includes a number of different art forms, media types and styles. Since the early twentieth century, artists strived to introduce movement into their work, partly to explore the possibilities of motion, partly to explore the element of time, and partly to reflect the importance of the machine and technology in the modern world. Embracing a huge array of different forms, ranging from cinematic and animation art, to performance art, land art and stroboscopic or light-related artwork (Lumino Kinetic art), this vast movement explored and further developed our nature of vision. With today’s kinetic artists pushing the envelope with the latest technological achievements, solar power, sound waves and fiber optics are just some of the elements incorporated in the modern version of this artistic expression. Robotic art is another extension which falls under the broad umbrella of kinetic art, representing the ultimate connection between art and machine, between creativity and automated technology. So, how far has this art form come? What is the history behind it and what is the future vision we can expect to see? Let us examine the origins, development and influence of this ground-breaking, dynamism-based visual experience that is called Kinetic Art.

Jean Tinguely - Metamechanics steel

Jean Tinguely – Metamechanics

History and Origins

Although the idea of Kinetic Art wasn’t established as a major artistic movement until the 1950s, its origins date back to the early 1920s. The conceptual introduction of movement into art goes back to Futurism, where the actual word “kinetic” was first used in the visual arts in the Realistic Manifesto (1920). Kinetic Sculpture (Standing Wave), created by Naum Gabo in 1919-20, was an electrically powered strip of wire which oscillated rapidly from side to side, creating a motion-like illusion of solid matter. This work represented one of the first attempts to show how mass could dissolve into subtle effects of movement and light in order to create a completely fresh visual experience. Soon after, Alexander Rodchenko, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Marcel Duchamp and others started involving mechanical movement into their artwork. Vibrating wires, suspended plywood and junk art were the first pieces of art focusing on motion as the core of the aesthetics. The theoretical foresight of the Futurists influenced many creators, among them, Alexander Calder stood out with his Mobiles and Stabiles. Weightless linear sculptures which could move, turn and dance in the air were named mobiles and stabiles. Calder quickly became one of the leading names behind the notion of moving sculpture.

To go even further back in history, interest in Kinetic art could be traced back to 1913, in the Dada and Constructivist movements. Jean Tinguely, a Swiss painter and sculptor, and several other artists were fascinated by the possibilities of movement in art and wanted to explore the potential to create interactive relationships which would encompass a visual experience beyond the boundaries of traditional, static objects. The Swiss author was one of the first people to create sculptures that had an active presence which would provide a different experience for the viewer both in the gallery and outside. Anthropomorphic assemblages of motors and light, fused with brightly colored metal wheels were the first signature pieces of this innovative art form. Optical illusions and mechanical movement were combined to produce the sensation of movability. However, after a decade, Op art movement became increasingly more popular and many artists lost interest in kinetics. It was not until 1955 that Kinetic Art actually became an international success, pursued by artists like Takis, Soto, Agam and Schoffer, when it was officially recognized as a movement in the 1955 exhibition Le mouvement at Galerie Denise René in Paris.

Bob Potts - Cosmographic Voyager

Bob Potts – Cosmographic Voyager

The Rise and Fall of the Kinetic Art Movement

Early works of kinetic art included experimentation with both actual and virtual movement. Through mechanized motion in artworks, artists embraced the technology and tried to spread it to other areas of everyday life. However, not all of the practitioners shared the same perception of machines and modern technology. Those who borrowed much from Dada also picked up the anarchic strain, satirical attitude and a somewhat skeptical view of the potential of technology to improve human life. One of the pioneering artists in Kinetic Art, Jean Tinguely, strived to convey a more anarchic, satirical viewpoint of machines and movement, suggesting that rather than serving the humanity, the machine might become the master. Either way, the geometric abstraction as a traditional style was in decline in the post-war period, but the Kinetic art movement brought a revitalization of that tradition. Utilization of mechanical or natural motion represented a newly-formed relationship between art and technology. Kineticism was spread across several forms of art, painting, drawing, and sculpture were just some of the mediums used to convey the art of movement. 1960s rolled in, and the decade saw a considerable success for the movement and its practitioners. The artists were garnering international recognition and started winning various prestigious awards for painting, sculpture and other areas in their work. The entire notion of a radical art movement began to lose its strength as it got more and more accepted by the art world. The avant-garde spirit faded, anti-establishment ethos was getting further and further lost in the general trend which followed Kineticism. Ironically, reaching worldwide success and acceptance was actually what caused the downfall of the movement. As it became just another successful art style, the following generations lost interest and Kinetic art spiraled down to its decline, giving way to the rise of the Op artists.

Giles Walker - Peepshow steel

Giles Walker – Peepshow

Robotic Art

With mechanical elements such as motors, machines and electrically powered systems brought to focus in Kinetic Art, the automated technology developed with time and Robotic art became a style of its own under the umbrella of Kinetic art. As electronic media and technology bloomed, robotics became a popular medium of experimentation. The first hydraulic sculptures were the genesis of contemporary robotic art, and their origins can be traced back to the 1960s. Nam June Paik, Shuya Abe and Tom Shannon were the pioneering names of this futuristic art style. The cybernetic interaction between the viewer and the artwork was a fresh way of conveying social messages. Automated installations and computer-aided performance art quickly became integral parts of several other art forms. Robotic art continued to develop as the technology blossomed through the decades. Nowadays, a great number of kinetic sculptors, scrap artists and creators incorporate robotic creations in their artwork. With the ever-expanding influence of technology, Robotic artists continue to develop a complex and fascinating body of work, pushing the creative expression of the digital age into different directions. As the tech discoveries grow, so will the artists find never-before used ways to incorporate it into their work.

Left: Marcel Duchamp - Bicycle Wheel, 1913 - sold for 1.6 million dollars at an auction in 2002 / Arc of Petal

Left: Marcel Duchamp – Bicycle Wheel, 1913 – sold for 1.6 million dollars at an auction in 2002 / Right: Alexander Calder – Arc of Petal

Kinetic Art Today

Today, Kinetic Art doesn’t exist according to critics. However, its influence can be found in many modern works, and creators keep drawing inspiration from the movement, some staying true to its basic principles, some simply adopting the concept and completely reinventing the outcome. The MIT Museum displayed an exhibition in 2013, entitled 5000 Moving Parts, which showcased the works of Takis, Arthur Ganson, Anne Lilly, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and John Douglas Powers. The show was presented as an inaugural “year of kinetic art” at the Museum, including special programming related to the artform. Authors from all over the world include principles of kinetic art in their work even today. Illusion, space and perception are explored through the works which mimic forms and movements found in nature. Recently, Kinetic Art saw a considerable rise according to The price index of kinetic artists rose by 128 percent in the past ten years. For instance, in 2007, artwork by Naum Gabo, one of the fathers of kinetic art, sold for astounding 1.1 million pounds ($2.1 million). Marcel Duchamp’s famous Bicycle Wheel from 1913, was sold for 1.6 million dollars back in 2002. Motorized sculptures of Jean Tinguely are high on the art market, so are the artworks of Alexander Calder. So, even though the art style is no longer active in its original form, Kinetic art still shows signs of life in today’s scene and market. Dynamism remains a unique fascination of today’s artists and Kinetic Art serves as a well of inspiration for the future generations. The perpetual motion of kineticism keeps on going.

All images used for illustrative purposes only
Featured images: Rosaline de Thélin, TIME SMILES, Homos Luminosos, 2008 – 2010 ; Jean Tinguely – Homage to NY, 1960 ; Dwight Eschliman – Hand of Man


Animal Responses

HideShow resource information

Why do animals respond to their environment

Animals need to respond to their environment to stay alive. This is done using nerves and hormones to control responses ranging from muscle actions to run away from a predator, to fine control of balance, posture and temperature regulation.

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Organisation of the nervous system

The nervous system is split into the Central Nervous System (CNS), which consists of the brain and the spinal cord, and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) which is made up of nerves from sense organs, to muscles and to glands. It is made of sensory and motor neurones and has a role in sending stimuli and controlling effectors. It conducts impulses to and from the CNS.

The Peripheral Nervous System is further divided into the Somatic and Autonomic nervous systems. The Somatic nervous system controls concious activities, while the Autonomic nervous system controls unconsious activities.

The Autonomic nervous system is itself subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

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Roles of the autonomic nervous system

Sympathetic nervous system: most active in times of stress. The neurones of a pathway are linked at a ganglion just outside of the spinal cord. The pre-ganglion neurones are very short. The post-ganglion neurones secrete noradrenaline at the synapse between the neurone and the effector. The effects of action of the sympathetic nervous system include increased heart rate, pupil dilation, increased ventilation rate.

Parasympathetic nervous system: most active in sleep and relaxation. The neurones of a pathway are linked at a ganglion within the target tissue, so pre-ganglion neurones vary in length. Post-ganglion neurones secrete acetylcholine as the neurotransmitter at the synapse between neurone and effector. The effects of action include decreased heart rate and decreased ventilation rate.

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Structure and function of human brain

Cerebrum: Control of all higher order processes such as memory, language, emotions, thinking and planning (e.g. clapping hands)

Cerebellum: Control and coordination of movement and posture (e.g. automatically correcting balance when riding a bicycle)

Medulla oblongata: Control of breathing, heart rate (rate of contraction of cardiac muscle) and smooth muscle of the gut

Hypothalamus: Control of the autonomic nervous system and some endocrine glands (pituitary gland), regulation of body temperature

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Role of the brain and nervous system in movement

The conscious decision to move voluntarilty is initated in the cerebellum. Neurones from the cerebellum carry impulses to the motor areas so that motor output to the effectors can be adjusted appropriately in these requirements.

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Skeletal muscles and coordinated movement

Coordinated and appropriate movement requires the controlled action of skeletal muscles about joints. This can be seen in the movement of the elblow joint, the bicep contracts and the tricep relaxes, causing the lower arm to bend upwards at the elbow. The bicep relaxes and the tricep contracts, lowering the arm back down from the elbow.

1. Impulses arriving at the neuromuscular junction cause vesicles to fuse with the presynaptic membrane and to release acetylcholine into the gap by exocytosis.

2. Acetylcholine binds to receptors on the muscle fibre membrane (sarcolemma) causing depolarisation.

3. Waves of depolarisation travel down tubules (T system, T tubules).

4. Depolarisation of the T tubules leads to the release of Ca2+ ions from stores in the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

5. Ca2+ binds to proteins in the muscle, which leads to contraction.

6. Acetylcholinesterase in the gap rapidly breaks down acetylcholine so that contraction only occurs when impulses arrive continuously

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The sliding filament model of muscle contraction

1. The Ca2+ ions bind to troponin molecules, causing them to move, moving the tropomyosin out of the gap in the actin filament, allowing the myosin head groups to attach.

2. Myosin head groups attach to the surrounding actin filaments forming a cross-bridge.

3. The head group then bends, causing the thin filament (actin) to be pulled along and so overlap more with the thick filament (myosin). This is the power stroke. ADP and Pi are released.

4. The cross bridge is broken as new ATP attaches to the myosin head.

5. The head group moves backwards as ATP is hydrolysed to ADP and Pi. It can form a cross bridge with the thin filament and bend again.

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Role of ATP in muscular contractions

Energy from ATP is required to break the cross bridge connection and re-set the myosin head forwards.

It is maintained by aerobic respiration in mitochondria, anaerobic respiration in the sarcoplasm, and the transfer for a phosphate group from creatine phosphate to ADP in the sarcoplasm.

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Synapses and neuromuscular junctions

Structure - similarity: Both have mitochondria, vesicles and postsynaptic receptors.

Structure - difference: Neuromuscular junction membrane is wavy, the receptors are different shapes, the enzymes are in different plances.

Function - similarity: Both release neurotransmitter which crosses the gap, both changes the potential difference (depolarise) the post-synaptic membrane, both have enzymes which break down the neurotransmitter.

Function - difference: Neurotransmitters may be different (acetylcholine in neuromuscular junction, dopamine in brain), neuromuscular junctions cause muscle contractions, synpases cause nerve impulses, enzymes may be difference (acetylcholinesterase in neuromuscular junction, monoamine oxidase in the brain).

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Voluntary, involuntary and cardiac muscles

Voluntary (skeletal) muscle: Striated (bands of actin and myosin), cylindrical cells, multinucleate. To move bones/skeleton/joints/limbs.

Involuntary (smooth) muscle: Unstriated, spindle-shaped cells, uninucleate. Control diameter of arteries/arterioles/bronchi/bronchioles, peristalsis, contractions of uterus, control pupil size.

Cardiac muscle: Striated, branched cells, uninucleate, intercalated (connected with other cells). To pump blood

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How responses to stimuli are coordinated

Responses to environmental stimuli in mammals are coordinated by nervous and endocrine systems.

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'Fight or flight' response

  • Sensory neurones from the somatic nervous system carry impulses from receptors to the sensory areas of the cerebrum of the brain, giving information about the danger in the environment
  • Sympathetic (motor neurones) nervous system is stimulated causing the neurotransmitter noradrenaline to be released at neuromuscular junctions
  • Adrenaline is secreted and released into the blood from the adrenal medulla
  • Adrenaline and noradrenaline bind to receptors on the target tissue
  • Sinoatrial node increases rate of firing
  • The heart beats faster and more forcefully
  • Bloog flow to the gut and skin is reduced, thus reducing gut secretions and making the skin pale, blood pressure increases
  • Smooth muscle in the gut relaxes and peristalsis slows down
  • Smooth muscle in airways relaxes and widens
  • Pupils dilate
  • Intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract faster, increasing rate and depth of ventilation
  • Bloog flow to the skeletal muscle increases, so they are primed for action

Fight or flight in a dog would cause ears to be laid back and pupils dilated. It would adopt a tensed and lower posture with the hair on its neck standing up. its mouth would be open, showing its teeth and its tail standing up.

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Third Quarter 2017 Monthly Wellness Topics

July: Brain Health (101 brain boosters)
According to Dr. Terry Eckmann, brain-boosting activities, along with key lifestyle choices and effective learning principles, play a major role in maximizing brain health and boosting memory throughout an individual's lifetime. Materials will provide actual brain boosters and attribution to Dr. Eckmann's book, 101 Brain Boosters.

August: Immunization Awareness
The best defense? In some cases, it's defense, as in immunizations that protect us throughout our lives. Materials will provide guidance on which recommended immunizations for every stage of life, with an emphasis on the importance of primary care providers.

September: National Yoga Month
As summer eases to fall, it's an ideal time to try or enhance a yoga practice. Materials will share the health benefits of yoga, including physical and emotional, and offer guidance and resources on how to get involved and even how to incorporate yoga at work.


Susan Rumfitt Jewelry Appraiser Antiques Roadshow

2015-06-26 10:00:22

Susan Rumfitt is a Yorkshire based independent Jewelry consultant and lecturer. She has worked for Phillips Auctioneers as Head of the Jewelry and Silver Department, regularly lectures on the history of jewelry for the National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, and joined the jewelry team at Antiques Roadshow in 2006.
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Goblins are magical beings that often find themselves in illegal transactions and are largely responsible for the magical black market.

Goblins exist as far as two million years ago and were responsible for imprisoning a Djinni in a mythic cup. They, however, were forced into hiding along with the rest of the magical community because of the human fear of magic.

Goblins seem to be the worst scum of the magical world, often finding themselves in illicit deals, even with the Huntsclan, a organization bent on rid the Earth of all magical creatures. Though the Leprechauns also make deals with them, they possess some code of ethic on what exactly they sell, especially if the goods could destroy all magical creatures. Goblins, on the other hand, possess no such code.

Physical appearance

Goblins have green skin, very little hair and lizard-like tails. Some goblins can have blue skin and don't possess tails.

Later on, goblins were seen to be purple, with long and pointy noses. They wore short sleeve shirts and pants, no shoes, have sharp teeth, big eye brows, and their lizard tails look like iguana tails.

Powers ad abilities

Goblins have a keen sense of smell to sniff out where the Oracled are, smell and running when danger is approaching, and sniff out a creature that is captured.

v - e - d
Television: American Dragon: Jake Long

Books: The Dragon HunterThe Gnome Eater

Guest Characters: Monty HallIngrid Third

Mark of the HuntsclanThe 13 Aztec SkullsHuntstaffMagical journalsBrockium
The Chosen OneThe Hubba Hubba Hula


Mathematicians write a formula to describe waves

man surfing

A new paper builds on centuries of work to use math to describe waves—both of light and of water.

The work by Biondini and postdoctoral researcher Dionyssios Mantzavinos explores what happens when a regular wave pattern has small irregularities, a question that scientists have been trying to answer for the last 50 years.

“It appears that we have captured the essence of the phenomenon.”

Researchers have long known that in many cases such minor imperfections grow and eventually completely distort the original wave as it travels over long distances, a phenomenon known as “modulational instability.”

“Ever since Isaac Newton used math to describe gravity, applied mathematicians have been inventing new mathematics or using existing forms to describe natural phenomena,” says Biondini, a professor of mathematics. “Our research is, in a way, an extension of all the work that’s come before.”

The first ‘wave equation’

He says the first great success in using math to represent waves came in the 1700s. The so-called wave equation, used to describe the propagation of waves such as light, sound and water waves, was discovered by Jean le Rond d’Alembert in the middle of that century. But the model has limitations.

“The wave equation is a great first approximation, but it breaks down when the waves are very large—or, in technical parlance—’nonlinear,’” Biondini says. “So, for example, in optical fibers, the wave equation is great for moderate distances, but if you send a laser pulse (which is an electromagnetic wave) through an optical fiber across the ocean or the continental US, the wave equation is not a good approximation anymore.

[Engineers use fractals to mimic ‘metallic’ fish skin]

This is the topic of Biondini and Mantzavinos’ new paper in Physical Review Letters.

“Modulational instability has been known since the 1960s. When you have small perturbations at the input, you’ll have big changes at the output. But is there a way to describe precisely what happens?” Biondini says. “After laying out the foundations in two earlier papers, it took us a year of work to obtain a mathematical description of the solutions.

“We then used computers to test whether our math was correct, and the simulation results were pretty good—it appears that we have captured the essence of the phenomenon.”

Source: University at Buffalo

The post Mathematicians write a formula to describe waves appeared first on Futurity.

Source: Futurity


Lower Body Strength Endurance

bottom-to-bottom tabata air squats x 5
(20 seconds squat, 10 seconds hold at the active bottom of the squat)
5 sets, no regripping, only resting in the hands or on the front rack:
10 deadlifts
8 hang power cleans
6 front squats
4 cleans
rest 3-4 minutes between each set
5 sets, no regripping, etc.:
10 snatch grip deadlifts
8 hang power snatches
6 overhead squats
4 snatches
8 minutes @ a very very hard effort;
550m row
max reps burpee box jump overs in the time remaining


Monday, August 10, 2009

Danish Energy Minister Has Gone Gulag Over Climate Change!

The Danish minister for Climate and Energy and her misguided views on humankind

By Simon Espersen

8. august 2009

The Danish minister for Climate and Energy and her misguided views on humankind Connie Hedegaard is the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy. Along with her fellow Danish colleagues she is hosting the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen. Being a member of the Danish conservative party for decades you would not expect the minister to hold radical or extreme viewpoints regarding the relationship between man and nature. However in February 2007 the Minister said the following:"We cannot act like an enormous swarm of locusts, settling, feeding and leaving nothing to our descendants. We are obliged to act and the [UN] reports tells us to act now."

The likening of people with locusts is not a new one. Thomas Malthus considered people similar in some respects to a pack of animals - expecting people to consume blindly enough to ensure starvation and leading finally to a decreasing population more suitable for any given amount of stock. Industrialization, trade and prosperity however proved Malthus wrong in the developed part of the world.

It is also a sad fact that targeted people in Europe and elsewhere have been treated like beasts of burden by people in power – in the shape of slavery or repression - culminating in the horrors of Nazi-Germany - who also used analogies with animals in trying to eradicate particular creeds or races of humankind. - And along with the environmentalists the Nazis also did not consider production, innovation, creativity or industriousness a significant let alone defining human trait.

[See also: Eureka!! British Media Finally Realizes Seriousness of Threat Posed to Freedom by Green Socialists and Green Fascists, ITSSD Journal on Economic Freedom (7/31/09) at: ; How Close Is Euro-Environmentalism to German Neo Eco-Fascism? VERY! But is Virulent Socialist Eco-Pacifism Any Better?, ITSSD Journal on Economic Freedom (April 5, 2008) at: ].

However the ability to change the environment and shape it so that it becomes a life-promoting value to the creators are exactly what sets man apart from consuming animals. Humans do not consume as animals do. They transform what exists using their comparatively powerful minds to ensure a more viable result. The earth may be considered a gigantic ball of “resources” or an almost infinite combination of chemicals - that nevertheless have no value in it self – but does become valuable because the human mind is able to see a potential usefulness in that matter (live or inanimate) and furthermore because they are able to realize that potential through productive action. Thus it is people who assess value to what surrounds us, and makes the potential value into something of genuine value.

Capitalist society (or industrialization) is in this respect the societal pinnacle of this creative human trait that sets us apart from the brutes of nature including swarms of locusts which Mrs. Hedegaard likens us with, killer bees or a marching army of ants. Thanks to capitalism production is now more complex, sophisticated and yielding higher results than ever before. The pace within which human life has been extended and improved is staggering.

Growth is therefore all about production and transformation and not about consumption. Growth is the same as an improved rearrangement of inanimate or animate matter. More growth is similarly not the equivalent of more consumption, – it is a further rearrangement of what is given in nature. And because humans have common needs, a very sizeable amount of what is made by every productive generation in capitalist society is left over to the next generation, who are thus free to move onwards with new challenges and a fuller and richer life.

The opposite of what Mrs. Hedegaard claims is happening is in fact happening: We leave more and more of value to the next generation! By improving our own life through trade and production, we also liberate the next generation as may be seen in the ability to reduce work hours, hard work, time of transportation, obstacles to communication etc. etc., that may be identified during the last two hundred years.
The bells are therefore tolling for Mrs. Hedegaard whose viewpoints are entirely misguided (if not wilfully chosen by sheer malice regarding the producers to whom she does not belong). There are of course people who simply consume what others produce [i.e., they are parastic] - apart from taxpayer salaried politicians: Some get handouts from the welfare state. Others in the third world are victims of rulers who will not allow their respective countries to become members of the group of productive (westernised) nation-states. In the last category we find real plundering and little viable production or transformation. Here Mrs. Hedegaards sinister words would be in place. (Sadly however, she would recommend anything but free trade and genuine industrialization.)

The Danish Minister of Climate and Energy has confused the pinnacle of civilisation that productive society is with a society of raw consumption. If she and her fellow regulators succeeds in halting the human ability to transform the environment to serve a variety of human needs, future generations will find that the horrendous comparison of people with locusts may suddenly have become true.

Thanks to the no-growth policies of our political leadership we may in time return to the brutal state of nature that capitalism and industrialization relieved us from: "At first we wanted to call the agreement [the environmentalist Kyoto-protocol] a kind of international GOSPLAN," [former advisor to Russian President Putin, Andrei Illiaronov] added, referring to the agency that repeatedly created disastrous results in its efforts to run the old Soviet economy. "But then we realized that GOSPLAN was much more humane and so we ought to call the Kyoto Protocol an international gulag. "In the gulag, though, you got the same ration daily and it didn't get smaller by the day," said Illiaronov. "In the end we had to call the Kyoto Protocol an international Auschwitz."

[See James M. Taylor, Europe to Russia: Ratify Kyoto or Else, Heartland Institute (June 1, 2004) at: ].

["Under party guidance, the State Planning Committee (Gosudarstvennyi planovyi komitet - Gosplan) was primarily responsible for creating and monitoring five-year plans and annual plans. The name was changed from State Planning Commission in 1948, but the acronym was retained. The Five-Year Plan was a comprehensive plan that set the economic goals for a five- year period. Once the Soviet regime stipulated the plan figures, all levels of the economy, from individual enterprises to the national level, were obligated to meet those goals...Economic planning, according to Marxist-Leninist doctrine, was a form of economic management by the state, indispensable both during the transition from capitalism to socialism and in a socialist society. Soviet economic theorists maintained that planning was based on a profound knowledge and application of objective socialist economic laws and that it was independent of the personal will and desires of individuals. The most general of these laws, commonly referred to as the basic law of socialism, defined the aim of economic production as the fullest satisfaction of the constantly rising material and cultural requirements of the population, using advanced technology to achieve continued growth and improvement of production. Centralized planning was presented by its proponents as the conscious application of economic laws to benefit the people through effective use of all natural resources and productive forces. The regime established production targets and prices and allocated resources, codifying these decisions in a comprehensive plan or set of plans." See Gosplan, Federation of American Scientists website at: ].