Had you asked John Maynard Keynes what the biggest challenge of the 21st century would be, he wouldn’t have had to think twice. Leisure. In fact, Keynes anticipated that, barring “disastrous mistakes” by policymakers (austerity during an economic crisis, for instance), the western standard of living would multiply to at least four times that of 1930 within a century. By his calculations, in 2030 we’d be working just 15 hours a week. In 2000, countries such as the UK and the US were already five times as wealthy as in 1930. Yet as we hurtle through the first decades of the 21st century, our biggest challenges are not too much leisure and boredom, but stress and uncertainty. What does working less actually solve, I was asked recently. I’d rather turn the question around: is there anything that working less does not solve?
Over the last 25 years, the Internet has become a conduit for trillions of dollars in commerce, transforming industries, national economies, and the nature of globalization itself. Today, as global trade in goods and services has plateaued and global financial flows have declined dramatically, cross-border data flows are exploding in volume. Data flows in and out of the United States alone are estimated at 80 terabytes per minute—eight times the size of the entire print content of the Library of Congress. Since 2005, they have increased by a factor of 80, from just 5 terabits per second to an estimated 400 per second. International data flows take many forms. Individuals generate them through e-mails, Skype calls, e-commerce transactions, social media posts, and Internet searches, as well as through the consumption of digital goods from around the world. By 2020, consumers are expected to spend $1 trillion on cross-border e-commerce. But these flows are more than just consumer transactions and social media posts. They are an integral part of the way companies now operate.
Inequality in all its forms is the defining global problem and increasingly the defining political problem of our age. A monumental body of scholarly research seeks to understand the drivers behind the vast and accelerating patterns of socioeconomic inequality in the global political economy. This article, an adapted version of the 2016 Martin Wight Memorial Lecture, contributes to this effort by focusing on a dimension of the picture which has received surprisingly little attention, namely, the implications for socio-economic inequality of the particular form of industrial organization that has come to underpin the contemporary global economy—one organized around global value chains and global production networks. It proposes an approach which sees inequality as arising at the intersections of three dimensions of asymmetry—asymmetries of market power, asymmetries of social power and asymmetries of political power—which underpin and crystallize around global value chains. It explores these dynamics in the particular arena of labour and labour exploitation in global value chains, as a means of shedding a valuable wide-angle beam on the big questions of power and inequality in the contemporary global political economy.


What's Croatia's problem with Luka Modric?
If Harry Kane leads England to World Cup glory, he'll be given a knighthood before the plane home touches down. Should Kylian Mbappe score the winner in Moscow, he'll be France's boy king, feted for life. If Eden Hazard is the man who lifts the trophy on July 15, he'll never again have to pay for another strong Belgian beer.
But if the leader of the winners happens to be Luka Modric, then it might not be quite so straightforward. Modric is, to say the least, not universally popular in Croatia; in fact, he's actively disliked by large swathes of the population.
Why? It's a complicated issue, but it essentially boils down to Modric's relationship with one of Croatian football's most powerful men. When Modric was coming through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, he, like many others, signed a contract with Zdravko Mamic. Mamic has been, at various points, a Dinamo executive and vice-president of the Croatian Football Federation, and for a while at least was essentially Croatian football's Mr. Big.
The trouble came when Mamic was accused of inserting those clauses after the players -- including squad members Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko and Mateo Kovacic, along with Modric-- had been sold. In 2015 he was arrested, accused of embezzlement and tax evasion, and was eventually convicted, along with three other men. In June of this year, he was given a jail sentence of six and a half years. He seemingly has no intention of serving that sentence, after fleeing to Bosnia-Herzegovina before the verdict.
So where does Modric come in? In June 2017 he, along with Lovren, testified in Mamic's trial. Modric said he "couldn't remember" basic details like how much he earned in his early days at Dinamo and when he made his international debut. Crucially though, he claimed that the contract clauses in question were already in place before his sale to Tottenham in 2008.
However, that seemed to contradict earlier statements, which eventually led to him being charged with perjury in March this year. He could face up to five years in jail if found guilty. Lovren is also being investigated, although he has not been charged.
Even before this, Modric's popularity in his homeland was low. Fans, sick of corruption in the Croatian game, saw his relationship with Mamic as part of the problem, and a few disrupted their match against Czech Republic at Euro 2016 by throwing flares on to the pitch in protest.
At this World Cup, the antipathy towards Modric continued, whether that was expressed through apathy at the side's fortunes in Russia or in more specific ways, such as this supporter who had printed on the back of his shirt "Ne sjecam se" -- "I don't remember," in reference to Modric's testimony.
And that's polite compared to some of the graffiti that appeared around Zagreb during the Mamic trial, which included the slightly chilling message: "Luka, you'll remember this one day."
Modric, perhaps predictably, hasn't been keen to discuss his extracurricular concerns. When asked by a reporter from The Guardian before Croatia's game against Nigeria if the case was a distraction for him or the team, Modric didn't take it especially well. "Nothing smarter to ask?" he snapped. "It's a World Cup, it's not about other things. How long did you prepare for asking this kind of question?"
But what's remarkable is just how brilliant Modric has been in Russia with all of this hanging over him. Players are routinely left out of matches because their frame of mind is impacted by pending transfers, and yet Modric has been able to produce incredibly performances knowing a possible prison sentence awaits after the tournament.
Still, the brains of some footballers are simply wired differently to others. From Lee Bowyer enjoying brilliant form with Leeds while on trial for assault, right up to John Obi Mikel appearing at this World Cup knowing that his father had been kidnapped, sometimes footballers have an extraordinary ability to compartmentalise and to concentrate their energy on football no matter what else is happening off the pitch.
In this World Cup, he's been a conductor of subtlety and precision, gently taking teams apart. He was one of only two players left in Croatia's starting XI for their final group game against Iceland, when they'd already qualified, as if coach Zlatko Dalic couldn't trust his team to function without Modric on the pitch.
In a modern football world defined by moments, brief snatches of thrilling action that can be turned into GIFs, Modric is a sprawling, three-hour masterpiece of a movie. Perhaps the wider world doesn't quite have the attention span to fully appreciate him, but at least the wider world doesn't hate him.
If he leads Croatia to victory over England and then in the final on Sunday, will his popularity be affected? Will on-pitch success save his reputation? Probably not. An unscientific survey of those who would know suggested that positions are entrenched. Those who have decided Modric is not a man to be celebrated are firm in their convictions. Others believe the World Cup is only about football, in which case Modric is already a hero. But it's unlikely that minds will be changed.
Luka Modric could be a World Cup winner, admired and loved everywhere, except at home.


This Houston-based teenage female R&B group found instant success with their 1998 debut, but they became far more popular when frontwoman Beyoncé Knowles - and to a lesser extent, the other vocalists - started co-writing and co-producing their material. So far, their output sums up the problems and the promise of modern R&B: their voices are striking, but Knowles embodies the post-Mariah cliché of stretching every syllable into fifteen notes; they use a lot of samples, both cleverly and as crutches; their post-feminist empowerment lyrics are sometimes compelling and sometimes contrived.
If I may digress for a moment: Knowles just turned twenty in late 2001, and even though her music doesn't do much for me, I'm still interested to see how far Knowles can go: will she grow into the Stevie Wonder of her generation? Will she pursue her muse into uncommercial territory and become the new Terence Trent D'Arby? Will she stick with pop trends and gradually fade away, as the new Donna Summer? I guess the question that strikes me is, how hard is it to make the transition from star-maker-machine platinum act to genuine musical artist? Does popularity make it harder to change what's perceived as a winning game, or easier to follow your art because you've made your pile? How many acts have dramatically improved after achieving massive commercial success? The Beatles are the obvious counterexample, but there aren't many others.
Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, Le Toya Luckett, vocals. Roberson and Luckett left early 2000, replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Franklin left, late 2000.


As with any addictive drug, a host of unpleasant symptoms come along with withdrawal from cocaine. Cocaine withdrawal does differ from withdrawal from substances like alcohol or heroin in that there are few physical symptoms. The symptoms primarily affect a person's psychological well-being, placing the individual at increased risk of depression or suicide during the withdrawal process. For this reason, it's essential to go through withdrawal under the guidance of a professional and successful addiction recovery program.
The symptoms of cocaine withdrawal manifest primarily in the mind, often in a severe reversal from the high initially sought through drug use. An individual may feel agitated, depressed, exhausted, generally uncomfortable, or some combination thereof. The addict's appetite will return, and they may have unpleasant dreams. If the individual uses cocaine again, the high itself may bring on the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine, producing feelings of fear and paranoia rather than the emotional high previously experienced. It should be noted that there are a few cocaine withdrawal symptoms that are physical in nature. Tremors, chills, and muscle pain can all appear and can aggravate any existing psychological symptoms. Individuals may find it difficult or impossible to feel arousal or pleasure and may experience unusual fatigue after any kind of physical activity.
What Is the Withdrawal Process?
The good news is that cocaine withdrawal symptoms typically abate within two weeks of sobriety. Users will have already experienced a milder version of cocaine withdrawal at the end of their first high. At the beginning of withdrawal from cocaine, there is the initial "crash," when the artificial high fades and is replaced by feelings of extreme depression, irritability, and lethargy. The second step in the process is to manage cravings over the next three months until the cravings diminish in strength or disappear. Even as the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine fade, the craving for the drug may resurface. It is during this phase when individuals are at the highest risk of relapse, which is manageable under the care and supervision of a professional counselor or addiction recovery program.
Cocaine withdrawal symptoms affect the mind and mood of the individual, creating an environment that can be extremely difficult to navigate alone. Previous users may be tempted to return to the drug to alleviate the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal. This can result in accidental overdoses, which can be fatal. Individuals may also seek to treat the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine with other drugs, such as alcohol or sedatives. The risk with this option is that the individual simply transfers dependence on cocaine to the new drug and a new cycle of addiction begins.
Cocaine withdrawal can be dangerous if you are attempting to deal with these symptoms without support. At BetterAddictionCare, we will work to help find the best program for you through our nationwide recovery network. Withdrawal may not be comfortable, but it can be safe and individualized to meet specific needs. Fill out our contact form and we'll help you find and speak with a counselor near you.


Danny Masterson is an actor best known for his role on That '70s Show .
When did Danny Masterson join Scientology?
Danny is a second-generation Scientologist; his parents, Peter and Carol Masterson, are also Scientologists, as is Danny's brother Chris.
What level has Danny Masterson reached in Scientology?
According to Scientology service completions lists, he has mostly done introductory level services. He has attested to Grade 3 Expanded, done the Scientology Drug Rundown, and completed the Happiness Rundown.
Celebrity 270 , 1993, mentions Danny and his brother Chris working on the film Beethoven II and goes on to say, "Both Chris and Danny have completed the Key to Life and Life Orientation Courses at CC Int, and have been getting steady work since then!"
Celebrity 288 , 1995, also mentions that both of them have done the Key to Life and Life Orientation Course.
Has Danny Masterson received any special recognition in Scientology?
Does Danny Masterson promote Scientology?
As noted in an insert to Celebrity 317 , 1999, he spoke at the Career Success Weekend at Scientology's Celebrity Centre, along with Marissa Ribisi and Nancy Cartwright. (According to Celebrity 338 , the career seminars include booklets on Scientology teachings.) He has also appeared at benefit events at Scientology's Celebrity Centre.
Is Danny Masterson involved with any Scientology front groups?
Yes, he is a supporter of CCHR. According to Scientology press releases, he attended the 36th Anniversary Celebration of CCHR and the opening of the controversial "Psychiatry: Industry of Death" Museum. In addition, according to Celebrity 350 , he "protested the psychiatric drugging of children at 14th Annual MuchMusic Video Awards".


I read somewhere that there's no such thing as middle-size business, which helps explain why a strain of design like the beautiful old Hawaiian shirts couldn't persist. Those fabrics were mostly printed on long tables, a labor-intensive technique that depends on two people stepping a large screen along a piece of fabric. The tables are still used in slow-paced economic settings, but in the industrial west they've evolved into high-speed machines.
The table in the picture is the direct ancestor of the printing apparatus described later. Alternatively, an extremely useful table can be assembled from a sheet of plywood or particleboard with a two-inch steel angle running along one side.
The background in the picture is a fabric repeat I deliberately constructed to function as an overall print, or a stand-alone T-shirt design. I think there's interesting ground between the printed T-shirt and the cut-and-sewn garment that might become more accesible when digital fabric printing comes on line, although that technology is likely to remain the exclusive property of big business for awhile.
Printing T-shirts makes economic sense: build two of the tabletop printers described below and you're in business. The long tables are another matter: preferably a plant should have a hundred yards or so of these surfaces, but that quantity of fabric is still "piece goods". Nevertheless, one reason the old fabric was so beautiful is that the tables had to be long because garments need to be cut from whole cloth, which guaranteed that each color was dry before the next one went on. This made a certain precision of detail available to the designers; however they couldn't design for that level of finish unless they had access to the process, in other words be able to go to the plant and see a strikeoff.
THE HAWAIIAN SHIRT, by H.T. Steele (Abbeville Press).
I think it's a good idea to keep one's methods as independent as possible of anything but the basics, a screen and a squeegee, which is the way it's carried on as a printmaking medium in the arts where the major effort tends to be focused on image preparation, rather than equipment and technique.
Briefly, these consist of:1. A frame stretched with a fabric that will allow viscous liquids to pass where the openings are not blocked with a stencil; 2.a plastic or rubber blade is used to force liquid throughTo get started I'd recommend having on hand one or two 17 x 20in. screens with 110 mesh fabric [160 mesh for photos], plus a 12in.X70 durometer squeegee (durometer refers to hardness) . There's a list of suppliers at the bottom of this page.
I'm going to describe a few strategies for positioning a screen and pulling a good print. Bear in mind that in that solving registration and particularly color printing problems invariably leads to the accumulation of various kinds of apparatus, which while facilitating certain operations invariably limits others. The size of a silkscreen, for instance, is only limited by fabric width--it's the mechanisms used to stabilize it that limit practical working area.
Simply holding a screen down on a T-shirt with a stack of newspapers inside establishes a flat surface to print on by getting the rest of the shirt out of the way. If the print can stand a certain amount of variation it's OK to simply have your friend hold the screen while you pull the squeegee. The famous screenprinter Andy Warhol worked this way--he courted variability. To him a series of prints was like a movie which was an important observation, because it's the control of variation that often weighs down the process with equipment and technique.
Replacing the newspapers with a board (pallet, A.) enables the deployment of an important trade secret: SPRAY GLUE. Now the shirt can be kept in position to apply more than one color (see the section on 2-pin registration below). Multicolor T-shirt printing is nearly always done with ink in all the screens at once, often wet-on-wet, which is possible because of the aforementioned absorbency of cotton.
With the shirt firmly fastened down it's desirable to locate the screen accurately, which can be done by replacing your friend with a pair of hinges or pins. (Excellent item from the suppliers: JIFFY CLAMPS, hinges with wingnut jaws.) The piece B. creates a space for the tail of the shirt to drop into and enables considerable flexibility in locating pieces A. and C. depending on the size of your screen, plus enabling interchangable pallets. The bottom cross-piece D. should be fastened securely, glued preferably, to B. It allows you to position clamps easily. A big C-clamp on one side serves 2 important functions, or three if it has a sliding bar (which always winds up in the right location in space to hold the screen in it's up position). A block of wood as shown serves to locate one side of the screen perpendicular to the hinges, eliminating racking--a major cause of movement in wood screens.
Here we've come to the point where somebody thought of the carousel printer, which is now the standard device for printing shirts. This machine is basically four or more sets of jiffy clamps mounted on a central pivot, with some sort of registration scheme to bring each screen down in sequence on the pallet. Because each screen can only be supported along one side, the system is vulnerable to the aforementioned racking movement.
I once found myself inside an old-style silkscreen shop where they'd set up twenty or so pallets with 2- pin registration, around a big table. One worker would put shirts on the pallets down the row, followed by others with a succession of screens, with the last person taking shirts off. The modern version of this is an automatic printing machine costing 100K that can be operated by two persons making six dollars an hour, or in Mexico a tenth of that amount.
Fabric printing is very big business indeed: a favorite industry expression is "vertically integrated", which means that an organization has got the entire process, so to speak, under one roof. The plant is almost certainly located somewhere where labor is cheap, which, if the design work is being done elsewhere, compromises the basic principle that the forms things take should evolve from the process of making them. The printed material in fabric stores (which is generally the tailings of the dressmaking industry) looks like the work of low-paid people under a lot of deadline pressure. A lot of these fabrics are printed in China or India, cultures that have produced wonderful fabrics for millenia, but nearly always by craft-based, labor-intensive methods.
Sometimes in old movies a beautiful print shows up--sometimes it's the drapes. The really interesting fabric prints seem to come from African countries, where women wear uncut yardage on the street. I carry an image from African fabrics around in my mind: it's the look of a repeating crescent draped on the human figure.
The 2-pin system is one you design in the aisle of your hardware store. What's needed is a screw with a length of unthreaded shaft that can protude a half inch or so after it's been driven in, the head cut off with a hacksaw and finished by filing a slight bevel around the squared-off end. The second piece is an angle bracket with screw holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the pin so one can be drilled out for a snug fit. Use the hole closest to the angle so there'll be as little wiggle as possible--it's a good device but there still might be enough side-to-side movement to warrent a wood block, or two.
This apparatus takes a little more to build but will accomodate a lot of techniques including 4-color process. I use it to print on paper, fabrics, even objects like electronic housings. I've deliberately not included dimensions other than nominal lumber sizes in order to encourage customization, using scrap material etc.
McLogan Supply, Los Angeles. (213)749-2262 Squeegees, emulsion etc.
Lambert Co., Boston. (617)628-8150 MANOUKIAN distributor, and etc.


They missed a good chance. Why don't you go play outside? It wasn't the mark that he was expecting. This time, he got results. The place where one learns is a school, and the place where one prays is a church. Sergio says he's tone deaf. Let's go along this street. Thanks for coming so quickly. Dan contacted Linda's sister. Who got murdered?
Our garden produced an abundance of cabbages last year. I think they know us. Cathy isn't going to kill me. I'm happy that it's over. I wonder why Erick left. Learning and cherishing data are not just the domain of Jewish people. Please shut the door quietly. He is not coming, according to her. If you'd been here this wouldn't have happened. What causes this?
Blaine died in Hsuan's arms. He is the Edison of Japan. They all swim very fast. My father is an early riser. I imagine that Ellen will eventually fire Hein. You wouldn't be so casual about it if you were directly involved. He wants to know how he can lose weight safely. They're young, but they have experience. It happened that I knew her by sight. He gave me a half dozen linen handkerchiefs.
Novorolsky wants to have his car painted blue. I didn't hear much. Julian is a prude. Those gave Irwin some good advice about how to write songs. Pontus got in the golf cart. My favourite genre of music is pop. You should apologize to Mrs. Smith for your rude behavior the other night. If you combine them in this way, you get a 14 port USB hub. Could you please summarize the pertinent points? Saify is pretty unhappy, isn't he?
Waiter, may I have the bill please? My throat is a little dry. He is proficient in English. Yoko ignored John completely, and he did the same to her. They believed that the earth was flat. What sports do you go in for? I didn't hire them. I have to say goodnight to him. She wondered what his lips would taste like. Anderson hardly ever walks anywhere.
I really like French cooking. There's no way Mehrdad would've done what you say he did. This has never changed. They told me you're a real expert! I had a great time here in Boston. Tarmi is inconsiderate. He is always joking. I have a part-time job. I eat tofu. These mushrooms have a revulsive effect. If you drink alcohol after having eaten them, you will feel very sick.
Stupid brain! Why is saying "galxe" so very difficult with a sore throat? Let me carry your baggage. You must be tired from the trip and it must be heavy. Malaclypse left on his own. I'm the one who caught her. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Dan apologized to his daughter, Linda, for not letting her go to the party. The wind bit her cheeks. His leg was in critical condition, but fortunately it got better. That's where I live. I saw my friend off at the station.
Agriculture was developed more than 10,000 years ago. I felt utterly out of place among those sophisticated people. Jon tried to help me, but I told him I didn't need his help. Amedeo's not ready yet. Who's your favorite movie star? Are you on the baseball team? I think I want to stay in the house. I hope that won't happen. I regret to say that the product you have asked for is currently out of stock. The ship was ready to sink any time.
I brought a suit against the doctor. I'm still part of this family. Finally, I found the answer to your question. I said such dreadful things to him. I didn't say this was my office. She will take care of everything for us. Nineteenth-century Hebrew had three principal dialects: Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Yemenite. I'm with a client. Donne's enthusiasm for her course deteriorated when her favourite lecturer transferred interstate. There are people who think pineapples grow underground.
You need to move on. How could this be possible? That's not very likely to happen. That she is dead is certain. How'd you do it? I've just gotten home and had dinner. We are bound for Domestic terminal 1. We will not be making any stops at the International terminal, so please take care. Coke has always been the top dog when it comes to soft drinks. Darin switched off the light. One of my dreams is to learn Icelandic.


So what prompted me to have The Tan Family coat of arms created?
Since young I have always been very fascinated with country/family coat of arms. I thought it was incredibly meaningful that each and every component of the coat of arms was a symbol of some bigger or deeper meaning. That even the colour had meaning, and how the coat of arms was sectioned and divided meant something. I was always very intrigued by it and read about it a lot. I often wished that we had our own family coat of arms.
I recall, even back in the late 1990s, I went so far as to search online for coat of arms under the last names of Tan (my dad's surname) and Lee (my mum's surname). A search on Google just done today reveals the above. Only the first one is a Tan (apparently of German ancestry!) and the other four are Lee - from the UK and other parts of Europe. There are online shops (known as "heraldic bucket shops") selling stuff with all these coat of arms emblems too. Certainly, I knew these are not part of my family history, I just searched for the fun of it.
In my teens, when I went a bit crazy on this topic and read whatever I could find on coat of arms and flags etc, I also read that families in medieval times had family coat of arms that would be combined when the families married. I thought it was incredibly romantic and symbolic to marry the man of your dreams and create your own family emblem that symbolised your union and your new family. Thus, it was a childhood dream, a romantic dream, that one day, I would have my own coat of arms for my family.
While googling to get images for this blogpost, guess what I came across? Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton's coat of arms! Apparently, usually only nobles or royalty had coat of arms. Kate Middleton, being a commoner, was not required to have a family coat of arms. But in the lead up to her marriage with Prince William, Kate's father had a heraldic design commissioned as well.
So yeah, that was the tipping point. If Hogwarts had a coat of arms, I want one too. Hah! :p I'm glad I did it though. What started out as a whim on a fancy, turned out into a very meaningful exercise. May this be the start of a meaningful tradition for the Tan Family. When the kids each turn 18 years old, I shall have them all design their own personal coat of arms. And when they get married and have their own family, they can design their own family coat of arms. Yes, I'm having grandmother dreams already! Plan ahead, ya know!
Interesting sharing:), and very meaningful thought of having your own coat of arms. Didn't Steve Job say it, "Dream bigger"? You will success:)!
It's always so nice to have dreams come true, no matter how small it seems - for you, it is the coat of arms for the family. I like the significance that went behind the design of your coat of arms and that makes all the more unique to have it featured on your blog. How about having it printed in b/w in letterheads and envelopes next?


Mention of the two names immediately conjures up an interlocking string of influential figures, alongside whom, for decades, they have been part of a remarkable web of creative flourishing.
In 1980, Rea and playwright Brian Friel founded Derry-based Field Day Theatre Company, which stamped an indelible mark on cultural and political life during and in the aftermath of the Troubles. Their aim was to create a cultural space for debate and discourse, where participants could step aside from the dubious normality of crippling political extremes. Its first production was Friel’s Translations. Also on the Field Day Board was Seamus Heaney, who encouraged them to continue with the venture and whose first play The Cure at Troy was produced by the company in 1990, directed by Rea.
Others joined hands around the circle, some through direct association with Field Day, some through a widening web of. collaborations. Among them were film maker and singer Davy Hammond, poet Tom Paulin, writer Seamus Deane, playwright Thomas Kilroy, musican and composer Martin and the American actor/writer Sam Shepard, a close friend of Rea, who chose to premiere his play A Particle of Dread in the Derry Playhouse in 2013, with Martin playing the cello score live on stage. That landmark production, which transferred to Broadway, signalled the company’s return to public performance after several years of being in what Heaney described as '…a slumbrous state'.
Other significant collaborations emerged. In 2003 Heaney joined forces with Liam O’Flynn, the acknowledged master of the uilleann pipes. They were to have great times together, travelling far and wide with their warm-hearted performance piece The Poet and the Piper.
It was in the autumn of 1988 that Rea and Martin began working together.
'It was thirty years ago last year that the two of us first collaborated,' says Martin. 'It was on the Guildhall stage in Derry. It was an evening to promote Field Day, with words and music. Seamus Deane read and Seamus Heaney read and Tom Paulin read and Davy Hammond sang and I played some music with Davy and Stephen read. Brian Friel was on the stage. I remember the evening very clearly because it was like being invited into a very special place. I was such a fan of Field Day and it was really something to get to share a stage with those people.
Nowadays, when they direct their busy individual schedules towards reviving that creative partnership, the ties that bind them shine through, invoking thrilling memories of other performances on other stages. Thoughts of sorrowful occasions bubble up too - Martin and O’Flynn playing at Hammond's, Friel's and Heaney’s funerals; Martin playing at O’Flynn’s last year. And the distinctive, contemplative voice of Rea present at them all.
In 2016, Kilkenny Arts Festival commissioned from Rea an interpretation of Heaney’s translation of Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid. Having been performed in London and New York, it is soon to arrive in Northern Ireland, the home ground of the three protagonists, and will play a single performance in the MAC in Belfast on 7 April.
'Kilkenny came to Stephen in 2016 with the idea for a performance of Book VI,' explains Martin. 'Seamus was very close to the Kilkenny Festival and they were keen to do something special to honour him. Stephen was much taken with the notion and immediately said he thought it should have music in it. So the idea for cello and voice came from him.
'That first outing in August 2016 when we did it, I remember the reaction of the audience. There was a roaring, full house standing ovation. When we were taking our curtain calls on stage Stephen said to me, ‘That is some reaction. This is not normal.’ We knew from the warmth of the audience that we had hit on something. There’s great communication between us, it’s a kind of duet. He reads the text to me and I play the cello to him. Sometimes I listen just to his words, sometimes he listens just to the music and a lot of the time we play together. It’s a dialogue. Every time we do it we hear and feel something something extra, something different, something else because it’s such a deep, fantastic, meaningful translation.
It turned out to be Heaney's last work, its final draft completed just a month before his sudden death in 2013. On the page the piece resounds with the musicality of his familiar voice raised in harmony with that of Virgil, the leading poet of ancient Rome. Do Martin and Rea hear that same voice in performance?
Book VI is generally considered to be the finest of the twelve books that constitute Virgil's great verse epic. Having fled from Troy with his comrades, Aeneas travels into the underworld in search of the shades of his dead father and other pivotal figures in his life.
Heaney started work in earnest on the translation not long after the death of his own father. The finished piece has been described as his farewell to the land of the living. For the family, the decision to publish it posthumously was not an easy one.
While this is not a Field Day production, Martin says that everything he and Rea do together is in parallel with the company, which next year celebrates its 40th birthday. Submerged as we currently are by political turmoil, one wonders whether now, once again, there is a pressing need for the vision of Field Day.
Aeneid: Book VI will show at the MAC on Sunday, April 7. Tickets on sale now at www.themaclive.com or call the box office on 028 90 235 053. The show will be performed in the imitate surroundings of the MAC’s Luminaire Club.


Context: The assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the most important component in prediction and detection of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. LVEF may not be sensitive enough to pick the cardiotoxicity early since drop in LVEF occurs in the last and irreversible stage. A 10%–15% early reduction in global longitudinal strain (GLS) by speckle tracking echocardiography proposed to be the earliest indicator of myocardial dysfunction. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the early detection of cardiotoxicity (at 0 and 3 months) using drop in LVEF with two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE), and GLS techniques. Settings and Design: This was a prospective cohort study of patients attending cardiooncology clinic in a tertiary care institute. Subjects and Methods: Newly diagnosed 75 cases of cancer of various etiologies, for whom cardiotoxic chemotherapy drugs has to be used, were included from January 2016 to June 2016. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed with Pearson's Chi-square test, mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 17 (22.6%) subjects out of 75, had drop in LVEF by GLS (<−18.9%) as compared to 5 (6.6%) in 2DE and 7 (9.3%) in 3DE at 3 months with statistically significant P values (P = 0.0001). In the 17 subjects who had significant fall in GLS at 3 months, the mean GLS was −16.17 ± 1.55% with a significant reduction of 13.48% from baseline. Conclusion: Reduction in GLS preceded decrease in ejection fraction. Early detection allows modification of chemotherapeutic regimens and medical intervention preventing the irreversible cardiac damage.
Context: Drug interactions are more common in cancer patients because they consume several medicines such as hormonal substances, anticancer drugs, and adjuvant drugs to treat comorbidities. Objectives: To assess the pattern of potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) in an oncology unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out for 8 months (August 2016 to March 2017). Data on drugs were collected by reviewing the patients' medical records. The drug interactions fact software version such as Micromedex electronic database system, drugs.com interaction checker, and Medscape multidrug interaction checker tool were used to identify and analyze the pattern of pDDIs. Results: A total of 180 patients were enrolled during the study period. Among them, 152 study patients had 84.44% of pDDIs. Male predominance (64.4%) was noted over female (35.6%). According to the severity of classification of pDDIs, majority of them were moderate (63.1%) followed by major (26.1%) and minor (10.1%) interactions. The interactions that potentially cause QT interval prolongation and irregular heartbeat were the common outcomes of pDDIs. Conclusions: The incidence of pDDIs among cancer patients was 84.44%. The most common interacting drug pair in the study population was found to be dexamethasone + aprepitant [41 (26.9%)] followed by cisplatin + dexamethasone [32 (21.05%)] and other interacting pairs. To avoid harmful effects, screening of pDDIs should take place before administering the therapy.
Objective: To study and compare the national and regional incidences and risk of developing of neoplasms of individual urogenital sites using 2012 – 2014 reports from the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) data. Materials and Methods: A number of incident cases, age-adjusted rates (AARs), and cumulative risk (0 – 64 years) pertaining to urogenital neoplasms, along with the ICD-10 codes, were extracted. Data on indicators, namely number of incident cases, AARs and one in a number of persons develop cancer were summarized for both the sexes in each of the cancer registries and presented region-wise in the form of ranges. Results: The proportion of all urogenital neoplasms in comparison to all cancers was 12.51% in women and 5.93% in men. Risk of development of urogenital cancers for women was maximum (1 in 50) in the North-eastern region, followed by Rural West, South, and North. For men, the risk of developing neoplasms of urogenital sites was highest (1 in 250). For the neoplasms of the renal pelvis and ureter, both the incidence and risk were quite low for all genders across all the regions. Cervical neoplasms had the highest incidence (4.91 – 23.07) among female genital neoplasms, while prostate had the highest incidence (0.82 – 12.39) among male genital neoplasms. Conclusion: Making people aware of urogenital neoplasms and their risk factors are important for the public health awareness point of view. Centers that deal with either management of urogenital cases or/and screening of genital neoplasms could serve as the designated centers for creating such awareness.
Background: Globally, India has a high burden (20%) of oral cancer with 1% prevalence of premalignant lesions. Most cases are attributed to modifiable risk factors such as substance abuse (tobacco and alcohol), dietary deficiencies, and environmental exposures (solar radiation and air pollution) aggravated by delayed detection and care especially in rural areas. Objective: The objective of the study was to study the risk factors of oral cancer pathogenesis among the rural residents of Jodhpur, India, through opportunistic oral screening approach at primary care facilities. Methodology: An unmatched case–control study was done at two randomly chosen rural health centres in Jodhpur, India. A total of 84 cases and 168 controls were included during 6 months study period (2016). Randomly selected outpatient department attendees were interviewed and screened for oral cancer and premalignant lesions. A structured questionnaire interview along with comprehensive oral, head and neck examination was conducted. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression, and confidentiality of data was maintained. Results: The majority of the study participants were rural residents (82.9%) with poor socioeconomic status. Opportunistic oral screening revealed a variety of cancerous and precancerous lesions. Most common case pathologies were submucosal fibrosis (40.5%), inadequate mouth opening (35.7%), cheek bites (28.6%), leukoplakia (23.8%) etc. Multivariate analysis suggested that tobacco intake (adjusted odds ratio = 13.6, P ≤ 0.01) dietary deficiency (7.4, <0.01), oral sepsis (7.0, <0.01), oral lesions (6.8, <0.01), and sun radiation exposure (9.5, <0.01) were significantly associated with oral cancer pathology. Conclusion: The study provides strong evidence that tobacco, dietary deficiency, oral sepsis and lesions, and sun radiation exposure are independent risk factors for oral cancer. It also reiterates the importance and application of opportunistic oral cancer screening at primary care level.
Context: Head-and-neck cancers (HNCs) are most common cancer in Indian cancer registries. However, there is a huge variation and heterogeneity in use of different types of smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption across India. Aims: The aims and objectives of this study were to investigate how different types of SLT use are distributed across Indian states and examined its association with different subsites of HNC incidence rates. Settings and Design: Ecological analysis of correlation between SLT prevalence and incidence rates from population-based cancer registries. Methods: Incidence data was extracted from population-based cancer registries report from the National Cancer Registry Programme database 2012–2014. The current SLT uses the prevalence of all Indian States and Union territories from Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2009–2010. Statistical Analysis Used: Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to estimate an ecological correlation between the prevalence of types of SLT uses in different region of India and age-adjusted incidence rate of different subsites of HNC. Results: In our brief analysis, we found a significant correlation between certain types of SLT use and subsite of HNC. Betel quid and tobacco use are correlated (r = 0.53) with oropharynx cancer incidence. Khaini use is correlated with hypopharynx cancer incidence (r = 0.48). Gutka use is correlated with mouth cancer incidence (r = 0.54). Oral tobacco is correlated with mouth cancer incidence (r = 0.46). Other SLT use is correlated for hypopharynx cancer incidence (r = 0.47). Conclusions: The variations in SLT use across Indian states account for differences in incidence rates of HNC subsites across the states. The inferences from this brief analysis can be used as a base to modify and design observational epidemiological studies in the future.
Background: Tobacco has been the arch criminal of most head-and-neck cancers in the world. Many laws have been implemented to control this menace, but still this slow poison persists. Effectiveness of these laws has always been a matter of concern to the authorities. The present study was conducted to observe the compliance of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) among public places, educational institutions, and tobacco vendors in Bengaluru city. Methodology: A cross-sectional, observational study was done to assess the violations at public places, educational institutions, and tobacco vendors. Violations for Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 of COTPA were assessed from 25 each of these places in the eight zones of Bengaluru city. The study areas were chosen by convenience sampling method, and using a questionnaire, the violations were recorded. Data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel to find out the percentage of violations. Results: The COTPA Sections 4 and 5 violation was 134 (67%) and 94 (47%), respectively. A total of 124 (62%) of the educational institutions had tobacco vendors within 100 yards, and only 30 (15%) had signboard for the prohibition of tobacco use. Around 14 tobacco vendors had beedis without proper pictorial warning with them which violated Section 7 of COTPA. Conclusion: For proper implementation of COTPA laws, we should create awareness about the laws, what amounts to violations and also the health hazards to tobacco use among general population. The law enforcing personnel should act on those who violate the law. There is a need for a sensitization workshop and advocacy for all the stakeholders.
Context: Different schedules of concurrent chemotherapy with definitive radiotherapy in locally advanced carcinoma cervix. Aims: The aim is to evaluate toxicity, compliance, and response of weekly versus tri-weekly cisplatin given concurrently with radiotherapy in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma cervix. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and ten newly diagnosed histopathologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma cervix patients with International Federation of Gynecologists and Oncologists stage IIB to IVA were randomly distributed among study group receiving 75 mg/m2 of cisplatin every 3 weeks for three cycles and control group receiving 40 mg/m2 of weekly cisplatin for six cycles. Results: Patients in both the arms tolerated treatment well. At the time of completion of chemoradiotherapy, 83.63% of patients of the study group and 80% of the control group had a complete response whereas 16.37% of study and 20% of the control group had a partial response, both statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Compliance was similar in both the groups. The average time to complete radiotherapy was 54.63 days in the study group and 51.34 days in the control group. In the study group, 87.27% of patients completed all cycles of tri-weekly chemotherapy, whereas, in control group, 80% completed all 6 cycles of weekly chemotherapy. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.30). Toxicity in terms of vomiting, grade 3–4 leukopenia and neutropenia were more in the study group which was statistically significant (P < 0.001, P = 0.04, and P = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Although the 3-weekly cisplatin schedule has longer intervals and sounds convenient, the weekly cisplatin regime shows lower hematologic toxicity with similar disease response and compliance.
Aim: This study was planned to research the relationship between doxorubicin cardiomyopathy and the soluble Fas (sFas) level. Materials and Methods: Two groups of rats were included in the study. The control group was given physiological saline, while the study group was given doxorubicin. The rats, whose blood samples were taken weekly, were sacrificed and their myocardial tissues were removed. The tissues were examined in terms of morphological changes and surface Fas expression, while the blood samples were examined in terms of sFas level. Results: In the study group, the sFas levels at 2nd–9th weeks were higher than those found at 1st week before administrating the drug, and the increase at 2nd–7th weeks was meaningful. In addition, sFas levels were gradually increased each week during 1st–5th weeks when compared to the values of a previous week, and the increase during the first 4 weeks was meaningful. After the 5th week, the values gradually decreased each week. The mean values of the study group at 1st–8th weeks were higher than those of the control group, and the increases at 2nd–8th weeks were meaningful. The severe forms of interfibrillar hemorrhage, vascular dilatation, myocardial necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and splitting of muscle fibers occurred with 15, 15, 17.5, 20, and 22.5 mg/kg dose of medicine, respectively. Conclusions: As the tissue injury increased, the increasing cell-surface Fas expression and sFas plasma level at the acute phase of doxorubicin-related cardiotoxicity decreased. The sFas level determined at acute phase may be helpful in predicting the existing injuries and possible late-term problems.
Background: Pediatric gliomas comprise a clinically, histologically, and molecularly heterogeneous group of central nervous system tumors. The survival of children with gliomas influenced by histologic subtype, age, and extent of resection. Tumor grade emerged as the most determinant of survival except in the young age groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of multidisciplinary therapeutic approach including surgery and chemotherapy, and their impact on the outcome in pediatric patients with low-grade glioma (LGG). Procedure: Study patients were prospectively enrolled onto the study. All patients were below 18-year-old, diagnosed as LGG between July 2007 and June 2012. Upfront surgical resection was attempted in all tumors other than optic pathway sites. Systemic chemotherapy was given according to CCG-A9952 protocol. Results: Total/near-total resection in 105/227 (46.3%) without adjuvant treatment, while 49/227 patients (21.5%) underwent subtotal tumor resection followed by chemotherapy for big residual (n = 26). Follow-up only was indicated for asymptomatic/small residual (n = 23). The radiological diagnosis was set in 18/227 (7.9%) patients; 13/18 had optic pathway glioma. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 87.3% versus 65.5% event free survival (EFS) for the whole study patients with a follow-up period of 1–5 years. The OS and EFS for patients who did surgery with no adjuvant treatment (n = 128) were, respectively, 95.2% and 77.3% versus 87.4% and 65.1% for adjuvant chemotherapy group (n = 99); (P = 0.015 and P = 0.016 for OS and EFS, respectively). Conclusion: Pediatric LGGs comprise a wide spectrum of pathological and anatomical entities that carry a high rate of prolonged survival among children and adolescents. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment in most of tumors. Combined chemotherapy can be an acceptable alternative when surgery is not safely feasible.
The study on liver cancer has been performed in clinical medicine and medical science for a long time. Within the few recent years, there are many new emerging biomedical technologies that help better assess on the liver cancer. Of several new technologies, the advanced cell technologies for the assessment of liver cancer, organoids technology is very interesting. In fact, the organoids is an advanced cell research technique that can be useful for studying of many medical disorders. Organoids can be applied for study on the pathophysiology of many cancers. The application for studying on liver cancer is very interesting issue in hepatology. In this short article, the author summarizes and discusses on applied organoids technology for studying on various kinds of liver cancers. The application can be seen on primary hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatoblastoma, as well as other rare liver cancers.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal disorders, derived from abnormal hematopoietic stem cells and result in an excessive production of blood cells. This MPN group of conditions encompasses different diseases with overlapping clinical and biologic similarities. The majority of the conventional therapies of MPN are palliative in nature. However, with the discovery of Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) mutation and development of targeted JAK1/2 inhibition therapy, the therapeutic options in treatment landscape have changed dramatically. This article presents the revised Indian MPNs Working Group consensus recommendations. It highlights and brings into attention about the recent findings that have defined the state of the art of the diagnosis and therapy in the MPN area, including identification of the new driver and prognostic mutations, treatment goals in the management of myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera (PV), role of the recently approved, targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor ruxolitinib in PV, and special issues such MPN consideration in patients with splenic vein thrombosis and the management of the disease in pregnancy.
Tablet Pazopanib known to cause Hypo pigmentation and Hyperpigmentation as per various literature reports. We report here a case of reversible hypopigmentation with Pazopanib in a patient treated for spindle cell sarcoma. Patient did not have any clinical symptoms except for cosmetic significance.
Prostate carcinoma is the second most common cancer among men worldwide. Although prostate carcinoma is common, its presentation resembling retroperitoneal fibrosis is uncommon. We report a patient with prostate carcinoma mimicking retroperitoneal fibrosis. An elderly male presenting in a volume overload state with features of obstructive uropathy was diagnosed as a case of prostate carcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of retroperitoneal fibrosis. The presentation of prostate carcinoma as retroperitoneal fibrosis is rare.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, axilla, and chest do not commonly occur after neoadjuvant cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy, and adjuvant cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy in patients with olfactory neuroblastoma. There are few case reports of pneumomediastinum induced by and occurring during bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin chemotherapy in testicular cancer. The present case differs from the previous cases in that our patient developed spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, axilla, and chest approximately 2 months after completion of chemoradiotherapy for olfactory neuroblastoma. These conditions may have been treatment induced or caused by breath-holding after forceful inspiration. The latter would have created a massive pressure gradient between the alveoli and surrounding structures, causing alveolar rupture, and subsequent passage of air into the mediastinum and subcutaneous tissue of the neck, axilla, and chest.
Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) first described by Enzinger in 1970, is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma typically presenting as a subcutaneous or deep dermal mass in distal portions of the extremities of adolescents and young adults. They are frequently mistaken for ulcers, abscesses, or infected warts that fail medical management. Patients often develop multiple local recurrences of long duration, with subsequent metastases in 30%–50% of cases. We here report a case of left thumb ES that presented as an ulcer and subsequently metastasized to the forearm, arm, axillary lymph nodes, and lungs.
A 12-year-old girl presented with intra-abdominal mass and cushingoid features. On investigation, she was diagnosed as a case of functioning adrenocortical carcinoma. Two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by excision of mass with right nephrectomy was performed. On 6-month follow-up, recurrence and metastasis were identified which were managed with surgery and chemotherapy.
Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the uterine cervix is an uncommon aggressive tumor, comprises <5% of the cervical malignancies. Undifferentiated carcinoma of the cervix, described by the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors as a distinct entity, is extremely rare with no histologic evidence of differentiation. Immunohistochemistry with p63 and neuroendocrine markers helps in delineating the type as undifferentiated squamous cell carcinoma or NEC. NEC of the uterine cervix behaves biologically like any other cervical malignancy, has an association with human papillomavirus, and is similar to NEC of any possible site with early metastasis and poorer survival. We present a case of 45-year-old premenopausal female with undifferentiated carcinoma of the uterine cervix originating from small-cell NEC proven by the presence of differentiated component in the proximity of undifferentiated tumor and by the immunohistochemistry.
Small cell carcinoma of prostate is a neuroendocrine tumor of prostate seen in 0.5%–2% of men with carcinoma prostate. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a common tumor marker which is often raised in prostatic carcinoma. However, prostatic carcinoma can progress with normal or low serum PSA levels at the time of diagnosis. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker of different carcinomas. Small cell carcinoma prostate is a highly aggressive tumor which can progress with normal or low serum PSA levels and raised CEA levels. We report a case of 65-year-old male with enlarged prostate with extra-prostatic spread, hepatic metastases, metastatic retroperitoneal and pelvic lymph nodes, osteoblastic metastasis in lumbar spine with normal serum PSA, and raised CEA levels. Prostatic biopsy was suggestive of small cell carcinoma.
An elderly male patient presented with cholestatic jaundice and weight loss. On evaluation, he was found to have left renal mass and hepatomegaly. Diagnosis of Stauffer's syndrome was confirmed based on his clinical history, biochemical evaluation, and liver biopsy. Resolution of jaundice was noted after removal of the renal mass.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is usually diagnosed in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. It produces a characteristic necrotizing retinitis which is a sight-threatening condition in these patients. CMV retinitis occurs rarely in patients undergoing only chemotherapy, and very few cases have been reported during the maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. We report two patients, one with ALL and the other with Burkitt's lymphoma on HyperCVAD chemotherapy developing CMV retinitis during the course of treatment. Both patients were treated with intravenous ganciclovir, oral valganciclovir and intravitreal ganciclovir. Both patients are alive in remission at 60 and 40 months, respectively, with preservation of normal vision.


Now those rumours have been given new life by fired White House staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman, who is currently stirring up as much drama as possible in an effort to publicise her tell-all book from her time as a senior adviser to the President.
"She wore that jacket to hurt Trump, setting off a controversy that he would have to fix, prolonging the conversation about the administration's insensitivity, ruining the trip itself, and trying to make sure that no one asked her to do something like that again". "There have been some pretty, in my opinion, significant integrity issues related to you", he is heard telling her, referencing her use of government vehicles and "money issues".
President Donald Trump had a tough TV morning.
She also declined to discuss details of her interview with special counsel Robert Mueller's office, which she confirmed earlier yesterday.
Assuming that all campaign employees signed the same NDA, its terms allowed the Trump campaign to either file for arbitration or bring a lawsuit in court against Marigault Newman.
She writes that Trump and his campaign were "eager for my help" and she wanted to experience working on a campaign at a "high level". She said I don't know, I can't guarantee that, even though - just as a side note - you can guarantee things.
But on Tuesday, he ratcheted up the war of words - to a level of nastiness rarely seen, even from a president who has shown he does not pull punches when insulting his critics. "She claims to have heard from someone who heard from me that I heard Trump use the N-word".
Manigault-Newman - the former director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison - was sacked previous year by Chief of Staff John Kelly.
"And they're all changing their stories - Omarosa, Katrina Pierson, the President, they're all changing their stories and we don't know what to believe".
'Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!' John Kelly is the White House chief of staff.
Frustrated by leaks, Trump was insistent that White House aides also be bound by a similar arrangement.
Brian Kilmeade likened it to when Trump last fell for that strategy, back when former flatterer Michael Wolff was plugging his salacious White House intrigue book Fire And Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
More recently, Mr Trump has repeatedly referred to Democrat Maxine Waters as "low IQ" and called CNN anchor Don Lemon "the dumbest man on television".
In a joint statement after Manigault Newman's appearance on CBS, Pierson and Patton said that "no one ever denied the existence of conversations about a reported "Apprentice" tape" and that they occurred because "Omarosa was obsessed with it".
CBS said that it had not confirmed the authenticity of the tape.
Erdogan says Turkey to boycott iPhone, other US electronics In Sexist & Racist Attack, Trump Calls Omarosa "Crazed" and a "Dog"


Gove reforms: will pupils face fewer tests?
The beginning of the school terms has seen two separate groups of academics writing to national papers to voice opposition to the government's education policy. In the first case, a group of campaigners wrote to the Telegraph calling for a postponement of formal schooling to age six or seven. This week a group of nearly 200 writers and academics has written to the Times calling for an end to "incessant testing" of school pupils. In response, the Times has written an editorial making the case that Michael Gove is in fact a proponent of less testing.
Michael Gove outlined his view of how pupils should be assessed in a speech last year at the Independent Academies Association. Crucially, he called for "regular, demanding, rigorous examinations." So how can the Times claim that pupils will be subject to fewer tests?
The first thing to note is that pupils are tested in two ways: via externally marked assessments - for which the Standards and Testing Agency is responsible up to Key Stage 3 - and via teacher assessments.
According to Michael Gove, "external tests are integral to balanced assessment", whereas according to Mr. Gove teacher assessments are influenced by teachers' low expectations of their pupils. In the speech, Mr Gove set out that he favoured a system that relied less on modular assessment and coursework as this can "take time away from teaching and learning".
The department is of the view that "all children in their final year of a key stage must be assessed." How the government's new reforms affect the national testing system will depend on the age of pupils.
The Government is currently running a consultation on primary assessment and on how to best measure pupils' progress through primary school. This includes the possibility of introducing a test in reception year. The consultation will run until 11 October 2013. Until then, and until the government's response is published, we have no way of knowing whether the DfE will opt for more testing.
During Year 1, academies and maintained and free schools assess whether their pupils are able to correctly pronounce written words through a compulsory phonics screening. Starting from this year, pupils who did not meet the required standard in Year 1 are then subject to a further check in Year 2.
We contacted Michael Bassey, one of the signatories of the letter, who told us teachers are particularly worried about the intensity of these procedures and the pressure placed on pupils as a result of the phonics testing.
All primary school children have further tests at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Year 6). Year 2 children are tested in maths, reading, writing, and internally assessed (via classroom tests) in speaking, listening and science; Year 6 are tested in spelling, punctuation and grammar, reading and maths.
KS2 assessments are administered by state schools but tests are externally marked by the Standards and Testing Agency. Independent schools and pupil referral units can opt to carry out these assessments if they wish to do so.
In 2011 the government commissioned the cross-bench peer Lord Bew to review Key Stage 2 assessments. In his report, Lord Bew recommended "replacing the composition test [in English] with teacher assessment to ensure pupils can be more creative and to overcome the dangers of teaching to the test". This was taken on board by the Department for Education, which subsequently decided that from 2013 there won't be an externally marked test of English writing. Pupils' ability in the composition element of writing will be subject to teacher assessment only.
On the other hand, the National Curriculum reforms introduce grammar, punctuation and spelling tests from 2013 for all pupils at the end of KS2.
National tests for Key Stage 3 were abolished in 2008 and replaced by teacher assessments. This is not set to change.
"Certain aspects of assessment, such as the assessment of practical science or speaking ability in languages, lend themselves less easily to externally marked examinations. We do not want the assessment of those areas to become less effective, and we expect Ofqual and the AOs [Awarding Organisations] to decide where controlled assessment is absolutely required or where alternative, more innovative approaches to assessing candidates' abilities may be possible."
Proposed changes to GCSEs mean that internal assessment will only be used "where exams cannot validly assess the skills and knowledge required", while examinations will only take place in the summer. This will be introduced as a way to tackle "resit culture", after an Ofqual report on English GCSEs found that January exams were graded too generously.
Internal assessments will also be reduced for A-levels students. Last year Ofqual announced that January exams for AS and A levels will also be abolished from September 2013. Students will only be able to sit AS and A-level exams in the summer.
"Modular GCSEs have already been phased out. The new rule that only pupils' first marks in their GCSEs will count towards their schools' league table rankings should limit the number of resits they take, and the move to end AS?levels as a stepping stone to A levels should mean fewer pupils sit them. The result: for most pupils, fewer years will be dominated by testing."
While changes to GCSE and A- and A-level exams might mean that this is true for older pupils, the same conclusions don't necessarily hold for pupils in other age groups. In some cases, such as Key Stage 1 and 2, more tests are being introduced.
Do 40% of new teachers in England leave within a year?
Factcheck: Can white teachers be discriminated against?
How 'good' are new primary school places?
Will To Kill a Mockingbird be banned in schools?
School places: more money and better results?
Violence in schools: what's the evidence?
Are England's pupils the world's worst behaved?
Do children who start school later perform better?
Are teaching assistants doing more harm than good?
What's behind the shortfall of school places?
Are England's teachers under attack in the classroom?
Are record numbers of teachers leaving the profession?


Does the sound of music in Salzburg change the outlook for Brexit?
Theresa May has been in Salzburg this week trying to sell her Chequers proposal directly to European leaders. In recent weeks, Michel Barnier had said that there were some good elements in it but rejected the overall proposal. There have been many headlines recently relating to the possibility of an "unprecedented deal" being possible, but a consensus on decisions around certain issues like the Irish border remain sticking points. Each time there is a positive statement, the pound rallies. However, the message from Salzburg was far from encouraging, with a clear rejection of the Chequers proposal. It appears that the October deadline is slipping to November and possibly beyond. French President Emmanuel Macron in particular seems to be taking a hard line, to discourage others from doing the same. Despite the tough talking I expect a deal of some sort will be agreed between now and the 29th of March. This may just postpone many of the difficult negotiations to be agreed upon in the transition period. Even if this happens it is unlikely all the requirements of any faction will be met and it will be hard to sell to the UK parliament. Theresa May has adamantly refused to countenance a second referendum but it may still be the only way to break a parliamentary deadlock.
The Prime Minister has said we should be prepared for a Brexit with no deal. This may be a negotiating position but we have to consider the potential impact on portfolios. With supply chains crisscrossing Europe in and out of the UK, a hard Brexit is not good for manufacturing here or on the continent. In this event, we would expect sterling to fall, which would be positive for UK companies with overseas earnings. There could be a negative impact on European equity markets, but this could be offset in sterling denominated portfolios by the currency move. There would be little impact on equities elsewhere in the world and all other things being equal, these would rise in sterling terms. The picture for interest rates is more difficult. Post the Brexit vote, the Bank of England cut rates but has since raised rates again. At present they are expected to raise rates again next year. While the Bank of England could be expected to cut rates to boost the economy on a hard Brexit, if the currency falls too much, interest rates may have to move higher. Overall, a hard Brexit would not necessarily be bad for sterling based investors.
The counter to this is the possibility of a deal being done that will be seen as a good Brexit with continued free trade. In this scenario, the pound would strengthen and UK equities with overseas earnings that make up the majority of the London market, would be adversely effected. The initial reaction would not be good for the majority of portfolios but investors have shied away from investing in the UK and could return boosting prices. With these complex factors at play, we can look at some basic valuation measures for the UK equity market. The prospective price earnings ratio for the FTSE 100 index is just 12.5x (an earnings yield of 8%) and the dividend yield is 4.3%. With the ten year gilt yield at just 1.6% the equity market is already pricing in a lot of bad news.
The Salzburg summit changed nothing, this is not good news for the UK economy and uncertainty remains high. For UK investors however, there are more positive signs. So as we say "so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight" to the EU leaders in Salzburg; it is not all bad news for UK investors.


SDL AppStore Applications How do I make a suggestion to the Studio development team about a new feature/functionality I would really appreciate in a future upgrade of Studio?
How do I make a suggestion to the Studio development team about a new feature/functionality I would really appreciate in a future upgrade of Studio?
I would like to make a suggestion to the Studio development about a new feature I would really appreciate in a future upgrade.
What is the email address or the web page address to make such a suggestion?
I do spend quite a bit of time going back through our SDLXLIFF files to expand our numerous TBs.
Our situation here at our firm (medical field) is such that I have created various TBs according to specialties and types of documents we translate.
Typically, those documents always have a mix of general medical terms and specialized medical terms.
Right now with Studio, as I select a matching pair of words or a groups of words in a given source and target segment, I can only add them to one or more TBs (via the project settings dialog box). That way, I end up adding, for example, a general expression like "bras droit"-"right arm" to many of our specialized medical TBs. More often than not, our documents have more general medical terms than specialized ones.
I do not not find this process to be efficient; too many duplicates across our TBs and increased file size for every TB concerned.
By default, all my TBs are included in the project settings for every project I create.
Then, as I go through an SDLXLIFF file, I'm quickly able to select/deselect (maybe via check boxes or radio buttons or a right-click contextual menu on the selected pair) the TB or TBs where I want to add a given matching pair without having to constantly go to Project settings dialog box to change the TB(s) I want to use, as it is the case now.
Ideally, I would like to be able to have a TB that would contain our GENERAL medical terms or expressions plus other SPECIALIZED medical TBsfor each specialty we deal with.
That way, as I go through an SDLXLIFF file, when I encounter "main gauche"-"left hand", I could select to add the pair to my GENERAL medical terms TB and when I encounter "bursite"-"bursitis", I could deselect the GENERAL MED. TB and select to add the pair to our SPECIALIZED ORTHOPEDIC TB.
I would then avoid having to add a single matching pair to multiple TBs. Again, it would do away with duplicates across multiple TBs; file size of TBs would be smaller and it would be faster to build our TBs.
f my text lacks clarity in some places, do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Perhaps you could create your Termbase and use field values instead of separate Termbases. This was you would only have one termbase for everything, could filter on the specialisms if needed, and you would not get duplicates.
I don't think this is a development request... perhaps more something around learning how the product could be used. MultiTerm is quite flexible.
Thank you Paul for your reply.
Indeed I have a lot to learn about the software.
I've read your suggestion many times, yet I really don't know how to go about it.
I just haven't been able to find and use the right key words in my Google searches to find relevant material to help me do what you suggest me to do.
Have you written an article or posted a video tutorial about this topic?
Thank you for your reply. You are just so helpful and reliable.
I read the article and watched the tutorial, but it doesn't go along the workflow I use. I don't use MultiTerm to add new entries to my TBs.
Instead, I use the "Quick add new term" functionality in Studio when I systematically go over my SDLXLIFF files. I should have specified this when in my original post.
I don't use MultiTerm to add new entries to my TBs.
Instead, I use the "Quick add new term" functionality in Studio when I systematically go over my SDLXLIFF files.
That's fine. But to create the termbase definition you use MultiTerm. After that you use Studio and quick add term with the termbase you created.


What would be the interest of a foreign bank in taking over an existing Mozambican bank, or even of setting up a local bank? Mozambique is a tiny market compared to Portugal, South Africa or Malaysia, so there are few obvious short term profits to be made from normal banking operations.
There are three legal ways to profit from owning a bank in Mozambique. First is by the parent bank selling "technical assistance" to the Mozambican subsidiary. Second is by holding the foreign deposits of the Mozambican subsidiary, and paying less than the market interest rates. This makes a bank like BCM somewhat more interesting than it might otherwise be.
Closely linked to foreign exchange operations is transfers of illegal money, known as "money laundering", and this is an important aspect of Mozambican bank corruption, according to all of the former bank officials we talked with.
"Laundering" is converting "dirty" or illegal money - bribes and kickbacks, money skimmed from aid contracts, income not declared for tax purposes, profits from drug dealing, and money stolen from the banks - into "clean" or legal money, eventually depositing it in a bank account, preferably abroad, where the money can actually be used. The millions of dollars from the Mt 144 bn fraud allegedly deposited in London had been "laundered", because it could be drawn from an account in a major British bank.
Money laundering is a major international issue, and banks are supposed to know that the source of large deposits and large transfers is legitimate before they are accepted. But a former bank official told us: "If you want to make a deposit, no one in Maputo will ask you where the money comes from."
Some of the money is initially in cash and so passes through the exchange bureaus, which are an important focus of bank corruption. Indeed, Mozambique imports $10 mn per week in banknotes, and some of it is exported in cash, literally carried out in suitcases. Diamantino dos Santos, the corrupt Maputo city prosecutor, alleged that Alberto Calú was selling "substantial quantities of forex to individuals in violation of exchange control laws." Calú was responsible for foreign exchange in BCM before privatisation and in the Simões era.
Money laundering and illegal transfers of money abroad have been an issue since the mid-1980s. One common form of money laundering, according to a senior bank official, is for a company to present an import document for, say, $2 mn. Money is legitimately authorised to be transferred abroad to pay the charges. But for a commission, the bank declines to stamp the original of the import document, so the importer can then go to another bank and make the same payment again, and then to a third bank. One bank actually questioned such a transaction by a well known trading company seen as being close to Frelimo, and the office of President Chissano intervened to resolve the problem, the banker said.
Writing in Savana (7 Apr 2000), an un-named ex-director of BCM claimed that in the early 1990s, BCM was involved in illegal transfers of funds abroad and in money laundering. Bankers also point to Banco Austral. Its main computer was the SBB computer in Malaysia; having the main computer outside the control of the Mozambican authorities would facilitate money laundering.
But it was violence in 1997 linked to Mozambique's first new private bank, Banco Internacional de Moçambique (BIM), that brought home the importance of the issue. BIM, which opened in 1995, is owned 50% by Banco Comercial Português (BCP), 25% by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, 22.5% by the Mozambican state (Estado Moçambicano 8.75%, INSS - Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social 7.5%, EMOSE - Empresa Moçambicana de Seguros 6.25%), and 2.5% by Graça Machel's Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC). BIM's President (PCA) is former Prime Minister Mário Fernandes da Graça Machungo and its Managing Director was from BCP, José Alberto de Lima Félix. Banking sources say that although Machungo is in overall control, most key day-to-day decisions are taken by Portuguese staff named by BCP.
"Private banking" is a branch of banking in which wealthy customers receive personal treatment and are helped to use offshore tax havens and other devices. Experts consider private banking one of the financial services most vulnerable to money laundering. Jorge Correia Rijo was director of private banking for BCP in Portugal, but he was dismissed in March 1997 and charged with fraud in August 1997. He is said to have diverted hundreds of millions of dollars, particularly from Angolans but also Mozambicans. He issued what looked like BCP receipts, but in fact kept the money for himself. The head of one Mozambican trading company is said to have lost $5 mn. Surprisingly, Rijo fled to Mozambique, where he seemed to be protected. In October 1997 he was involved in a suspicious accident when his car overturned near Xinavane. The ambulance that was moving him to a Maputo hospital was itself then involved in an accident.
The newly established BIM had quickly attracted substantial foreign currency deposits, in part because it was the first bank to allow withdrawals from non-metical accounts without advance notice. But the Rijo case raised questions about possible money laundering at BCP and BIM. The BCP-appointed Managing Director of BIM, José Alberto de Lima Félix, began looking more closely at this issue, and at the beginning of December found things which worried him. He was shot and killed in front of a friend's house on Av. Armando Tivane at 20.20 on 2 December 1997 - before he was able to tell anyone else what he had found. Three people were convicted of the killing, which was blamed on a botched car hijacking. Friends of Lima Félix and senior banking officials reject this and say he was killed because he had discovered something about money laundering.