text:
Math.floor(Math.random() * 2). This sets
youHitto a random number that's either 0 (which JavaScript reads as
false) or 1 (which JavaScript reads as
Category: Tip
Tips – CSS Selectors and HTML Branches
As i mentioned in a previous post, I'm learning HTML/Javascript at the moment via Codecademy and will post stuff I have learnt, so others who follow/Google can learn. These are just snippets, but the site is a great learning tool.
So CSS Selectors – CSS is a very powerful way of styling and positioning your HTML elements. The syntax is simple, you use the HTML element as the selector! Good example is if you want all your list elements to have a red background color:
Full code can be found here on JSFiddle.
li { background-color: red; }
So the above example will highlight any list (li) element red, What if you want to more selective of what you want as red, say for example just any ordered (ol) list (li) elements red? Easy:
Full code can be found here on JSFiddle.
ol li { background-color: red; }
So the above example will highlight any list (li) element that is child of a parent ordered list (ol) elements. This small example shows branching works within HTML documents and how CSS selectors traverses the tree using the simple parent/sibling relationships. This is very powerful. And as mentioned in a previous post, you can be more specific by giving a more specific branching.
Full code can be found here on JSFiddle.
ol li { background-color: red; } div ol li { background-color: purple; }
Images courtesy of Codecademy.
Related articles
Tips – Javascript Arrays – Refactoring to Filter and Map.
When learning a new language or implementing something new, I tend to "get it working" first which usually doesn't include elegant code, unless I have written Libraries or extension methods previously to fit the solution. One of these was using Arrays in Javascript. Basically i needed to find the Active User, which was for a client side collection of users for an Admin. So my "get it working" code is the legal (but definitely not regal code), which is a simple function that returns a array of usernames, of people who are Active (i.e. login and use the site):
function getActiveUsers(people) { var activeUsers = []; var ii = 0; for (var i = 0; i < people.length; i++) { if (people[i].isActive == true) { activeUsers[ii] = people[i].userName; ii++; } } return activeUsers; }
Anyway, as I'm learning Javascript presently, I have been reading about prototyping in Javascript and especially about some existing functionality that resides with the Array global object (under Array.prototype). Specially I'm talking about:
NB: As those Links note, the Array.prototype property was only introduced within the ECMAScript spec 5.1 (ECMA-262) Edition. This will mean adding some Polyfil code (also provided in the links above) if you wish to use this within old browsers.
Anyway, using these two new methods I was able to go back over my previously "get it working" code above, refactor it and use some of the nicely provided filter and map methods:
function getUserName(user) { return user.userName; } function isActive(user) { return user.isActive; } function notActive(user) { return !isActive(user); } function getActiveUsers(user){ return user.filter(isActive).map(getUserName); } function getNonActiveUsers(user) { return user.filter(notActive).map(getUserName); }
So now I call into this new getActiveUsers which passes the callback function isActive, which basically only gives me back items from the array where the property user.IsActive is true. The chained map function passes the callback function of getUserName to retrieve the userName only. I have also created the opposite functions as well – i.e. Non-Active users. Both JSFiddles show the code in action, but i goes to show that a little reading, research and thought can help improve code readability and re-usability a great deal.
Related articles
To Remember – CSS Specificity Value
From Code Academy:
As we mentioned, certain selectors will "override" others if they have a greater specificity value.
ul li p {is more specific CSS than just
p {, so when CSS sees tags that are both

tags and happen to be inside unordered lists, it will apply the more specific styling (
ul li p {) to the text inside the lists.
Repository and Unit Of Work Design Pattern– ASP.NET MVC
Hello! There are two design patterns that I'm going to speak about today, which have been covered loads online and in various books, but I'm going to cover them quickly here:
Repository Pattern
Quite simply this is a pattern to separate all the data access logic from your application into separate container classes. It is good practise to create Repositories for each Domain area of your application and separate data access concerns, like CRUD operations within these. For e.g. I have the following Domains within my application Accountable (A personal Accounts App):
- LedgerUser – User details
- LedgerPeriod – Date from/to for each Accounting period defined by the LedgerUser
- LedgerTransaction – Ledger Transactions that occur each Ledger Period.
- Many more….
'I'm not going to go into massive detail, but each Repository of each domain would have the following methods which are generally found in data access:
- Create – Create new records
- Update – Update existing records
- Delete – Delete existing records
- Find – Find records
Do design your Data Source correctly then apply the Repository classes to these. So this should make you think "There is a lot of duplicate code here….." What do we do in these cases? We write some generic Interfaces to impose some rules on how our Repositories should behave. Please raise your classes (get it…?!) to IRepository:
public interface IRepository<TEntity> { void Create(TEntity entity); void Update(TEntity entity); void Delete(TEntity entity); IQueryable<TEntity> Find(Expression<Func<TEntity, bool>> predicate); IQueryable<TEntity> FindAll(); TEntity FindById(Guid id); }
See we have used IQueryable so that we can use other awesome chained LINQ methods (like OrderBy).
So this all lovely, but now onto the nitty gritty, taking that interface and applying it to a concrete example. Because I'm using EF a lot at the moment, i have written a EntityFrameworkRepository example using DbContext and Dbset:
public class EntityFrameworkRepository<T> : IRepository<T> where T : class, IRepositoryEntity { internal DbContext context; internal DbSet<T> dbSet; ///  /// Default constructor. ///  /// <param name="context"></param> public EntityFrameworkRepository(DbContext context) { this.context = context; this.dbSet = context.Set<T>(); } public void Create(T entity) { dbSet.Add(entity); } public void Update(T entity) { dbSet.Attach(entity); context.Entry(entity).State = EntityState.Modified; } public void Delete (T entity) { if (context.Entry(entity).State == EntityState.Detached) { dbSet.Attach(entity); } dbSet.Remove(entity); } public IQueryable<T> Find(Expression<Func<T, bool>> predicate) { return dbSet.Where(predicate); } public T FindById(Guid id) { return dbSet.Single(o => o.id == id); } public IQueryable<T> FindAll() { return dbSet; } } }
As you can see this class also implements IRepositoryEntity, which is an idea I stole off the Pluralsight video I watched, whereby in our IRepository interface where have a FindById method. This is presuming that the Entity in question using id within its design, which all my Entities do, so I'm safe to enforce this:
public interface IRepositoryEntity { Guid id { get; } }
Unit of Work
This is all nice and lovely but where is the data persistence? If you look closely and without just copy & pasting these examples, you will see in the Repository interfaces and concrete implementations, there are "commit" or "save" methods. Why? Well we can abstract this further into a Unit Of Work pattern which will:
- Handle persistence
- Share the context within Repositories
This will allow one context to be used without the Repositories having to know about each other or their respective Dbcontext's. Now because we are good programmers we should first design the interface, IUnitOfWork:
public interface IUnitOfWork : IDisposable { void Save(); }
Is that it?! Well yes. What i would like to do in the future is have a GenericCollectionRepository within the Unit Of Work concrete implementations, but i will refactor that in at a later date. So following the pattern of EF, this is the EntityFrameworkUnitOfWork:
public class EntityFrameworkUnitOfWork : IUnitOfWork { private AccountsContext context = new AccountsContext(); internal IRepository<LedgerAccount> account; internal IRepository<LedgerUser> user; internal IRepository<UserType> userType; internal IRepository<Image> image; internal IRepository<SystemReference> systemReference; internal IRepository<LedgerService> ledgerService; public IRepository<LedgerAccount> Account { get { if (account == null) { account = new
EntityFrameworkRepository<LedgerAccount>(context); } return account; } } public IRepository<LedgerUser> User { get { if (user == null) { user = new EntityFrameworkRepository<LedgerUser>(context); } return user; } } public IRepository<UserType> UserType { get { if (userType == null) { userType = new EntityFrameworkRepository<UserType>(context); } return userType; } } public IRepository<Image> Image { get { if (image == null) { image = new EntityFrameworkRepository<Image>(context); } return image; } } public IRepository<SystemReference> SystemReference { get { if (systemReference == null) { systemReference = new
EntityFrameworkRepository<SystemReference>(context); } return systemReference; } } public IRepository<LedgerService> LedgerService { get { if (ledgerService == null) { ledgerService = new
EntityFrameworkRepository<LedgerService>(context); } return ledgerService; } } public void Save() { context.SaveChanges(); } private bool disposed = false; protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing) { if (!this.disposed) { if (disposing) { context.Dispose(); } } this.disposed = true; } public void Dispose() { Dispose(true); GC.SuppressFinalize(this); } }
The beautify of this approach is the reduction in business logic within your Controller of your MVC Application and reducing "controller bloat".
Here is an example of the both patterns working in harmony:
public class LedgerUserController : Controller { private EntityFrameworkUnitOfWork unitOfWork =
new EntityFrameworkUnitOfWork(); // // GET: /LedgerUser/Details/5 public ActionResult Details(Guid id) { LedgerUserViewModel viewModel = new LedgerUserViewModel(); UserType userType = new UserType(); try { viewModel.LedgerUser = unitOfWork.User.FindById(id); viewModel.UserType = unitOfWork.UserType.FindAll() .SingleOrDefault
(u => u.id == viewModel.LedgerUser.UserTypeId) .Description; viewModel.UniqueKey = viewModel.LedgerUser.id.ToString(); return View(viewModel); } catch (ArgumentNullException ex) { Console.WriteLine("ArgumentNullException " + ex.ToString()); } catch (InvalidOperationException ex) { Console.WriteLine("InvalidOperationException " + ex.ToString()); } return RedirectToAction("Index", "Home"); } }
All my controller is doing is what is was designed to, setting up the views data ready for rendering.
I know the code on these sites isnt the best, but i want to create a github repo of it soon. Watch this space!
[AJAX] IE and its stupidity–Part 100255454577 – Ajax Caching
This is a note to anyone who uses Ajax and Http GET requests – turn off cache for each request otherwise IE wont refresh and display the latest response. Good example is in JQuery:
$.ajax({ type: 'get', url: url, cache: false, success: function(result) { $(targetDiv).html(result); }
This nice little method allows you to pass a parameter called cache which you need to set to false.
Another method in JScript is to provide dummy URL parameter to fool the old dog into refreshing:
var url = '/accountstest/SiteAdmin/Dashboard' + "?dummy=" + new Date().getTime();
Chrome and Firefox do not have this problem.
Related articles
- Internet Explorer and JQuery/AJAX $.get() not working (stackoverflow.com)
[MVC3] ViewModel Binding To Controller–POST Methods
Now we should be writing strongly typed Views based on our Models. Now in some cases you may want to use the ViewModel pattern, which allows you to create a View based on:
a) One Model and some additional properties
b) Two or more combined Models
c) Two or more combined Models plus some additional properties.
These ViewModel classes would sit in a folder structure, you guessed it, ViewModels in your Visual Studio Project.An example would be my RegisterViewModel i have created:
public class RegisterViewModel { public RegisterModel RegisterModel { get; set; } public string UniqueKey { get; set; } public bool Thumbnail { get; set; } }
So this is quite straight forward really. I have a RegisterModel which is the MVC default Membership model for handling when a new user Registers. I have a property called UniqueKey which will hold the GUID of a created user, and a Boolean field Thumbnail which will be set to true if he want thumbnail images or false if we don't.
So this is nice a simple then. So what this means that in our GET Action controller for register we can setup the required values. In this instance we only set the Thumbnail property:
// GET: /Account/Register public ActionResult Register() { var viewModel = new RegisterViewModel { Thumbnail = true }; return View(viewModel); }
Then in our Review View, we need to declare our ViewModel instead of our RegisterModel, plus all our Model fields and the additional properties are parsed:
@model MvcImage.ViewModels.RegisterViewModel @using MvcImage.Models @using Bradaz.OpenSource.MVC @using Bradaz.OpenSource.MVC.HTMLHelpers @{ ViewBag.Title = "Register"; } @using (Html.BeginForm("Register", "Account", FormMethod.Post, new { enctype = "multipart/form-data" })) { @Html.ValidationSummary(true, "Account creation was unsuccessful. Please correct the errors and try again.")
 <fieldset> <legend>Account Information</legend>
 @Html.LabelFor(model => model.RegisterModel.UserName)

 @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.RegisterModel.UserName) @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.RegisterModel.UserName)

 @Html.LabelFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Email)

 @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Email) @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Email)

 @Html.LabelFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Password)

 @Html.PasswordFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Password) @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.RegisterModel.Password)

 @Html.LabelFor(model => model.RegisterModel.ConfirmPassword)

 @Html.PasswordFor(model => model.RegisterModel.ConfirmPassword) @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.RegisterModel.ConfirmPassword)

 @Html.Label("Avatar")

 @Html.UploadImageFor(model => model.UniqueKey,thumbnail:true)

 @Html.HiddenFor(model => model.Thumbnail)

 <input type="submit" value="Register" />
 </fieldset>
 }
NB: I have changed my UploadImageFor HTML Helper to include Thumbnail support. This will be documented separately and released under my Open Source MvcImage Project.
So this all sounds simple right? Well you may get into a bit of a pickle (like me) when handling the POST Register ActionMethod. This would be peoples first attempts, which are both wrong:
Attempt 1
[HttpPost] public ActionResult Register(RegisterModel registermodel, HttpPostedFileBase imageLoad2) { ///---Code something }
Attempt 2
[HttpPost] public ActionResult Register(RegisterViewModel registerviewmodel, HttpPostedFileBase imageLoad2) { ///---Code something }
These are wrong if you wish to access the additional properties and the ResgiterModel within the RegisterViewModel. Let me explain:
Attempt 1 – You would be able to access the RegisterModel properties but not the Thumbnail property.
Attempt 2 – Your RegisterModel would be null and you wont be able to access the Thumbnail.
After these attempts most people scratch their head, curse, then head over to ASP.NET/FORUMS or stackoverflow for an answer. Well it took me a lot of scratching, googling and forum posting (plus nagging my poor friend Shawson!) to find the answers. The answer lies in how MVC binds the Models. The best place to start is in Fiddler, which is a free application for debugging HTTP and is very useful. Here is a glimpse of the form POST when i hit the Register button on my view:
As you can see our RegisterModel properties are prefixed with "RegisterModel" and our Thumbnail is just Thumbnail. So if you apply the MVC Binding on this, in the two attempts above, in the first attempt, MVC recognises RegisterModel as these have been binded from the HTTP post data, so are available. Thumbnail though isn't available in the RegisterModel declaration in the class so this is ignored. In the 2nd attempt there is no RegisterViewModel in the POST so the binding will fail, thus nothing is available and you will get null fields.
The answer is the following:
[HttpPost] public ActionResult Register(bool Thumbnail, [Bind(Prefix = "RegisterModel")]RegisterModel registermodel, HttpPostedFileBase imageLoad2) { ///-Code something }
So here we declare Thumbnail as its own separate parameter and Bind the RegisterModel with a Prefix "RegisterModel" using the BindAttribute. This allows us toaccess our RegisterViewModel properties AND Models within our controller quite happily.
I hope this helps you when using ViewModels.


text:
Enrollment Information
We are thrilled you are ready to apply! Please do not miss any of the tabs explaining our costs, the student handbook, FAQs, and much more.
Contact the school principal, Mrs. Adams, at email@example.com or by phone at 812-824-2567 to ask your specific questions and arrange a visit to the school. We especially encourage a visit during school hours so that you may observe the staff and students.
Click HERE to view a message from Mrs. Adams.
Complete the Application Form. An Application form is required for each child to be enrolled. Once Principal Adams has received the application form and reviewed it, she will send you further instructions on how to complete the online enrollment requirements. If you prefer, a copy can be mailed to you upon request or picked up at the school during a visit.
Submit your online enrollment along with the enrollment fee to the school in person, online, or by mail.
We cannot wait to have your child as a Clear Creek Christian School Eagle!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The language and spelling curriculum will enable the student to demonstrate the following skills and abilities:
- Read, understand and communicate God's Word through the power of the Holy Spirit
- Read, comprehend, evaluate, and use written materials
- Listen, envision, and respond critically and analytically
- Write standard English in a grammatical, well-organized and coherent manner for a variety of purposes
- Use spoken language effectively in formal and informal situations to communicate ideas and information and to ask and answer questions
- Understand how and why language functions and evolves
Spelling is a specialized language art taught separately and in relation to reading and other subjects.
- Students in grades 1‐8 receive intentional spelling instruction to learn how to spell given words and to apply spelling rules to new words.
- Students are also taught spelling to help develop vocabulary, reading capabilities, proofreading skills, and knowledge of words as they are found in various disciplines and sources of information.
Reading is taught to enable students to read, comprehend, discuss, and use the Bible and other written materials. Reading also engages students to apply higher thinking skills, develop companion writing skills, and understand and appreciate a variety of literary genres.
- Preschool and Pre‐kindergarten children begin learning letters and letter sounds and how written symbols represent verbal and written language.
- Kindergarten and Grade 1 students are trained in Intensive Phonics, a step‐by‐step phonetic method that teaches the names, sounds, and formation of consonants and vowels.
- Reading is introduced as a curricular area in Kindergarten. Big books, read‐along stories, nursery rhymes, songs and finger plays, and worksheets reinforce the skills taught in Intensive Phonics. Alphabet activities and sight words are also taught and supplement the phonics skills that build the reading foundation.
- Grades 1‐5 continue the development of capable readers. The students learn reading skills, expand their vocabulary, and develop comprehension. Chapter books are introduced within these grades, as well.
- The emphasis in Grades 6‐8 is on literature. Literature textbooks and novels provide a good mix of genres, cultures, eras, themes, and ideas for students to explore, discuss, and comprehend.
- Language skills cannot be separated from reading, and age‐appropriate verbal and writing skills are developed at all grade levels.
- The Accelerated Reader independent reading program is introduced in Grade 1, and student participation is required of students through Grade 8.


text:
At Jacksonville Endodontic Associates, we are pleased to be your resource for quality endodontic care, such as root canals, in Jacksonville, Florida. Our team works hard to help each of our patients have a positive experience at our office. Dr. Andrew Calhoun is pleased to offer the following treatments at our office:
Please click on the links above to learn more about each service. We encourage you to contact our team today to learn more and to schedule your next appointment with our endodontist. We look forward to meeting you!


text:
Chest pain causes more visits to the ER each year than any other symptom. While in some cases, chest pain can be the signal of a potentially life-threatening cardiac event, in others this symptom is caused by a more minute issue.
Here are four common causes of chest pain in adults:
Heart-Related Chest Pain
When many people think of heart-related chest pain, they think of a heart attack—an event that occurs as a result of a blood clot that blocks the flow of blood to your heart muscle. Other causes for heart-related chest pain include:
- Angina: The build-up of plague around the inner walls of the arteries that narrow and restrict the heart's blood supply.
- Aortic dissection: A life-threatening condition in which the inner layers of the aorta separate, forcing blood between the layers, causing the artery to rupture.
- Pericarditis: The inflammation of the heart sac which is often related to a viral infection.
Digestive-Related Chest Pain
Chest pain can also be a result of digestive issues such as:
- Heartburn: The reflux of stomach acid that runs from the stomach up into the esophagus, creating a burning sensation behind the breastbone.
- Esophageal disorders: A classification of disorders that make swallowing difficult and painful.
- Gallbladder or pancreas issues: Inflammation in the pancreas or gallbladder, as well as gallbladder stones can cause abdominal pain that extends into the chest.
Lung-Related Chest Pain
When people think of chest pain, they don't always think that the problem could stem from their lungs; however, there are a number of lung-related issues that can cause chest pain, including:
- Pleurisy: Inflammation of the membrane that covers your lungs, which is made worse when you inhale or cough.
- Pulmonary hypertension: Pain related to high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs.
- Pulmonary embolism: A blood clot in the pulmonary artery that blocks the flow of blood to the lungs.
Physically-Related Chest Pain
Injuries and strains to the bones or muscles in the chest, as well as stress can also contribute to the development of chest pain, such as:
- Sore muscles: Chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia can cause pain in the chest muscles.
- Rib injuries: Bruised or broken ribs due to an injury can contribute to chest pain.
- Costochondritis: A condition in which the cartilage that joins the ribs and the breastbone becomes inflamed.
- Panic attacks: Severe panic attacks can cause rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, profuse sweating and chest pain.
All chest pain should be taken seriously and evaluated by a physician, who can properly evaluate the cause. The right doctor can also help determine your risk for certain heart, lung or digestive related issues that could contribute to chest pain now or in the future. Find a Top Doctor near you today.


text:
Director and cast to take part in panel discussion following screening.
Top brass at the 16th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival announced on Wednesday the Closing Night, Galas and Special Screenings, as well as the titles premiering under the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival banner.
The festival, which runs from April 19-30, will close on April 29 with a back-to-back screening of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II to celebrate the film's 45th anniversary, followed by a panel discussion with director Francis Ford Coppola and actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire and Robert De Niro.
This year's Galas section includes the world premiere of James Ponsoldt's thriller The Circle starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson.
World premiere Galas selections include Daniel Kaufman's portrait of Sean 'Diddy' Combs in Can't Stop, Won't Stop: The Bad Boy Story, a documentary celebrating the first 20 years of Bad Boy Entertainment record label.
Mike And The Mad Dog receives its world premiere and kicks off The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.
Among the Special Screenings world premieres are Joe Berlinger's Intent To Destroy; Tabbert Fiiller's The Public Image Is Rotten with a scheduled post-screening Q&A with the director and John Lydon AKA former Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd frontman Johnny Rotten; and Ellen Goldfarb's Dare To Be Different with a post-screening performance by 1980s British New Wave band A Flock Of Seagulls and The Alarm.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of the documentary Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives at Radio City Music Hall, followed by a special concert featuring performances by Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Earth, Wind & Fire, among others.
Tribeca will also screen a series of retrospectives, including the 25th anniversary of Aladdin with a special sing-along, the 15th anniversary of Bowling For Columbine followed by a conversation with Michael Moore, and the 25th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino and members of the cast will participate in a conversation following the film.
"From Clive Davis, to Sean Combs, to Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival is brimming with exciting and can't-miss special screenings and events," Tribeca's Paula Weinstein said.
"With the line-up of film, music, and sports legends who are coming together to entertain and inform, this could be the most memorable year of Tribeca yet."
Click here for the complete line-up.


text:
Free shipping to the contiguous U.S.
Eligible for Free Shipping. Est. delivery in 5-8 business days
The lightweight TravelTek™ outsole only available from Propet and ready for your active lifestyle. This flexible slip-on shoe is a great travel companion, easy to pack, wear and accessorize with its engineered mesh upper and lining and cushioned EVA insole.
And stay in-the-know about all the
latest specials and deals.
© 2016 - The Shoe House, Inc. All rights reserved. | Ecommerce website design


text:
Christmas and New Years Eve
Holiday magic in the winter village Schmilka
Spend the holidays in the unique ambience of wintry Saxon Switzerland. In Schmilka you can leave the stress of everyday life behind you and in a special way welcome the new year 2020.
During the year-end holiday we pamper you with organic vitality cuisine and soothing offers, such as sauna, natural healing and bathing. Add to that a pinch of cultural program and a lot of cosiness in the winter village Schmilka. Christmas and New Year's Eve in Saxon Switzerland are always something very special.


text:
Stay in control of your money
How not to let your assets slip away and be considered abandoned property.
- Fidelity Viewpoints
- – 03/07/2019
Key takeaways
- Don't let your assets be declared abandoned.
- Make checking your accounts a habit.
- Make sure you name the right heirs.
- Consider consolidating accounts.
Many of us have financial accounts that we don't check regularly—maybe a forgotten retirement account from a past employer, or a college savings account opened when a first child was born. Not checking in on these accounts may seem harmless, but that neglect may have a cost, sometimes a big one. In Massachusetts alone, it is estimated that 1 out of every 10 people has unclaimed property.*
Consider the real-life case of a client whose forgotten IRA helped to save her home. The woman was facing foreclosure when she received a letter advising her to update her IRA account information to avoid having it deemed unclaimed property and turned over to the state, a process known as escheatment. When she called the number listed in the letter, she discovered that she had an IRA she didn't recall. Updating her email address, phone number, and street address was enough to prevent the account from being turned over to the state—and her renewed access to these funds made it possible for her to keep her house.
Other less extreme examples may be a refund from an airline ticket that you were never able to use. Perhaps you had a flight delayed by a day due to mechanical issues and received a voucher, but it slipped your mind. Or, you opened an online bank account to receive some cash incentive, but failed to close the account. Both of these instances may also lead to a state's unclaimed property office holding the asset.
Failing to regularly update your account information may lead to a wide range of problems:
Avoiding those costly mistakes doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming, however. Consider the 4 strategies below to make sure you stay in control of your money.
1. Don't let your assets be declared abandoned
Financial institutions typically will try to contact you if your accounts are at risk of escheatment, so they can alert you to the steps you need to follow to prevent your assets from becoming officially abandoned. The assets may be considered abandoned property if the asset owner has not contacted the financial institution within a 3- to 5-year period, depending on state law. In that case the assets go to the state's office of unclaimed property. Property may also be considered abandoned if US Mail sent to your address is returned as undeliverable, if distribution checks issued from the account haven't been cashed, or if the account is inactive for many years.
If you believe that you may have assets that have been declared abandoned property, contact your state's Treasury department to learn the specific procedures you need to follow. You also can visit the website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
2. Make checking your accounts a habit
There are many reasons to keep your financial accounts current. In many cases, simply logging in to an account can be enough for a financial firm to identify it as current. Make a habit of checking accounts regularly—perhaps by logging in to each of your financial accounts on a routine basis, such as the last Sunday of every month. While you're logged in, make sure all your information is up to date, including your contact information. That simple act can prevent major headaches, and may make it easier for you to achieve your financial goals.
3. Make sure you name the right heirs
When you set up an account, you often have the opportunity to select a beneficiary who would inherit the assets in the event of your death. Many people never think about their account beneficiaries after that initial decision. That's a mistake: Your personal circumstances may shift considerably over time in ways that call for changes to your beneficiary designations. For example, you may want to put a new person or people in line to inherit your account if you marry, have children, divorce, or remarry. Not periodically reviewing your accounts and updating as necessary may put you at risk that you'll leave some of your hard-earned money to unintended beneficiaries. To help protect against that kind of scenario, check your account beneficiaries at least once a year.
If you don't name a beneficiary, your heir may be determined by federal or state law, or in certain cases by a retirement plan's governing rules. For example, rules may dictate that the plan account automatically will be left to a surviving spouse, or to an unmarried person's general estate. To avoid confusion, make sure your beneficiary designations are clear. In general, the assets in any retirement account, life insurance policy, or annuity will pass to the beneficiary named on that asset, regardless of the terms of a will.
Similarly, having a well thought out and up-to-date estate plan, including a will, helps ensure that your assets will go to the right place. State probate laws may dictate who receives the assets if a person dies without a will, called intestacy. Designating a will's beneficiaries and keeping them current will help prevent the possibility that the state will find no beneficiary and designate your assets as unclaimed property. Like retirement accounts, wills and estate plans should also be updated after major life events.
Tip: Customers can add trusted contacts (and alternate contacts) to their accounts.
Read Viewpoints on Fidelity.com: An all-in-one wealth transfer checklist
4. Consider consolidating accounts
Diversifying investments generally is a good idea. The same isn't necessarily true about accounts. Having many accounts spread between multiple financial institutions can make it too easy to lose track of your investments. (Consider the case of the woman with the forgotten IRA.)
If you find that it's a hassle to keep tabs on all your investment accounts, consider consolidating them with one firm. Consolidation can make it simple and quick to keep track of your accounts. What's more, having your assets with a single firm makes it easier for you to manage.
Read Viewpoints on Fidelity.com: 4 reasons to consolidate accounts


text:
A three-day big build at Seathwaite Community Centre in Mirehouse, Whitehaven, has successfully concluded.
Morgan Sindall, Sellafield Ltd, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria Constabulary joined together for the project to build a shed and allotment area at the Community Centre, with the Men in Sheds group helping with the final stages to get the project over the line.
The project was co-ordinated from the Copeland Hub in Whitehaven.
Louise Coid, from the Copeland Hub, said: "We're grateful to all of the different organisations for coming together for this unique community project."
Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: "I'm delighted to hear that the project has been completed – a real achievement for all involved. It is a great example of the community working together to make a difference."
Find out more about the project, with photographs of the different stages here www.facebook.com/Men-in-Sheds-Mirehouse-124101614928615


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It's February, and love is in the air. Whether you're celebrating the Hallmark holiday coming up or not, there's no better time to focus on love than now—whether it's loving those close to us or taking the time to put some much-needed attention on ourselves. All to say, you might want to get your hands on some rose quartz right about now.
The rose quartz is the stone of unconditional love. It supposedly allows love to flow into your very being, bringing your consciousness to a higher level and flushing out negativity. It carries the healing energies of compassion, peace, tenderness, and comfort. It reawakens the heart—connecting directly to the heart chakra—and helps dispel fear and emotional wounds. Sure, the love of your life probably won't magically appear on your doorstep, but it opens you up to the possibilities of finding that special someone—or strengthening what relationships you already have.
Not all of us are into crystals, though—or, not all of us want others to know we're into crystals. So, how can we reap the benefits of this gorgeous, blush pink stone without having to become a crystal-wielding, New Age-y type?
For those of us who aren't looking to have a giant hunk of pink rock on our nightstand or carry a piece in our pocket wherever we go, we rounded up the best rose quartz products—from jewelry and housewares to beauty products and smoking accouterments—so you can still get your fix. And even if you don't give a damn about what metaphysical properties the rose quartz—or any crystal, for that matter—is believed to hold, each piece is undeniably pretty as hell.
Check out 14 ways to incorporate rose quartz into your life, below.
Lucky Air Plant, Rose Quartz Crystal and Air Plant, $13 to $25, available at Lucky Air Plant.


text:
Contact Matthew D. Lane, Jr.
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text:
I have been thinking about new ways to title these posts to make them easier to find and use. How do you use these posts? Are they informational, aspirational, or something altogether different? Are you a subscriber to Fifth Crow or another CSA, wondering how to use your vegetable box this week? Would love to hear your stories!
In our Fifth Crow Farms box this week, we found Raspberries and Blackberries, Roma tomatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Purple beans, Mesclun salad mix, and Tiger Eye dry beans.
Here is my menu plan for the week of October 1:
Sunday: Grilled steaks, steamed purple beans, steamed potatoes
Monday: Beef and bean chili in the slow cooker (I will cook the Tiger Eye dry beans in the pressure cooker the night before)
Tuesday: Roasted chicken and tomatoes, sautéed broccoli, rice
Wednesday: Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and spinach (from Small Victories cookbook)
Taco Thursday Roasted salmon, summer squash with pesto and bread crumbs
Friday: TGIF!


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Tuesday, 4 September 2007
China in the Newspaper
1 China produces dangerous articles of low quality
The most important stories were about toys containing poison and the responsible owner who committed suicide. The quality of exports must be improved, says the government.
2 Basic Human Rights are still not guaranteed in China
Anomymous blogging is forbidden. One of the scarce opportunities of free speech is now blocked. Protest movements are repressed in the wake of the Olympic games. Slave labour exists in China. The Communist Party accepts no open criticism.
3 Corruption is a serious problem in China
Death penalty me be an effective answer to this problem, according to the government.
4 Chinese must learn to behave in a civilised way
Spitting is forbidden in Beijjing now.
5 Environmental pollution is a major problem
This problem is attracting attention because of the Olympics.
6 China's infrastructure has major weaknesses
Bridges are collapsing. Even during the building process (Fenghuang).
Nice selection! What does it show? The news seems to be a strange combination of the official news in the Chinese press - for example the stories about corruption, about civilised behaviour - and the themes that the West wishes to see, like human rights. In combination it gives a strange picture...
Culture or Economic Development?
I also began to doubt my own explanation, when people pointed at our own past. Not long - say 40 or 50 years - ago spitting on the streets, fighting for a place in public transport and other forms of 'rude' behaviour were quite normal in the Netherlands, some older people told me. A person from China, who now lives in the the United States, agreed with my analysis but emphasised the economic dimension that was lacking in my analysis. Many things are simply scarce in China and that is the cause of the competition. Underground trains in Beijing and Shanghai are full most of the time and getting a seat is not easy. The same is true for a place at a university or a house. So objectively, there is more reason for competitive behaviour in these contexts.
So I may have 'over-culturalised' my explanation, a danger inherent in all cultural explanations of human behaviour. On the other hand I may have underestimated the effects of cultural change. Talking about the cultural value of modesty, which used to be expressed in standard reactions to praise in the Chinese language, like 'not at all' (哪里), 'you praise me too much' (过奖呢) and so on. This pattern seems to be disappearing quickly among young urban people. As my Chinese teacher told me, the standard reaction to praise tends to become 'yes I am the best' or at least 'thank you'. Self-denial is no longer the norm. This may of course lead to problems of anti-social behaviour if not balanced by a new (individualist) ethics.
Conclusion: the phenomenon is complex and there are more sides to it than a simple cultural explanation can possibly cover.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Why do many Chinese behave so badly?
Seventeen days in China, travelling with my family as a tourist, have shown a lot of 'Chinese culture', not only in the sense of beautiful Taoist and Buddhist temples, impressive buildings and statues from the imperial past and the subtle beauty if Chinese calligraphy, but also in the form of the behaviour of the Chinese in public places. This behaviour often shows us the less attractive side of Chinese culture, which to the Western eye seems to be based on a lack of respect for other people and a total neglect of rules of civilised conduct. It is difficult to understand, since it contrasts with the high degree of self-control, respect and subtle ritual that foreigners observe in their contacts with Chinese business people and public officials. Saving and giving face, making the other person feel comfortable, modesty and avoidance of confrontational behaviour and rude language seem to be the rule in this sort of situations.
However, once you have met Chinese people in public places, you are confronted with a completely different pattern. Take the behaviour of people in railway and underground (metro, subway) stations. There seems to be only one rule: try to get on the train before someone else gets a chance. It is based on a more general rule: you must defend your own interest by blocking others. You also see this in traffic, where everybody tries to move on at the expense of others. But it seems to go further: in schools and universities, students act on the premise that fellow students are always a potential threat, because they are only trying to get the position that your are fighting for. As a result, there is not much solidarity in the classroom; competition prevails.
This behaviour seems to be situation specific rather than a personal characteristic. I experienced this as a professor at a Chinese university. The students who invited me to ritualistic dinners with their subtle rules of etiquette, who did everything to make me feel comfortable, were the same people who in the context of the course showed a high degree of fraudulent behaviour to serve their own individual interests, like plagiarism. In fact, it was the same pattern as in the underground station: getting on the train at the expense of others.
This egoistic tendency in Chinese culture is difficult to understand for people from the West, who are educated in norms of civilised behaviour that stress 'being nice' to other people in situations like getting on trains and buses, studying in universities, buying things in shops. In vertical, hierarchical relationships, being nice to the subordinate seems to be an exception in China. You do not hear 'thank you' a lot from the powerful people. Being thankful seems to be reserved for the subordinate who must thank the boss... This may be a stereotype, but is was confirmed by one of our guides. She preferred Western tourists to the Chinese, because the former usually treated her as a human being, were friendly and open, whereas the latter saw her just as personnel. They had paid, and she had to do what they wanted. Chinese tourists did not easily open up, would not show their feelings.
Why do many Chinese show these behaviour patterns which in a Western eye often seem rude and uncivilised? You might interpret them as the consequence of 'anomic' social change: people are losing their old values under the influence of the market and Western individualism. Although, this may contain some truth, I believe that what seems to be rude and uncivilised conduct is in fact a consequence of ancient Chinese culture, rather than the effects of its degradation. The combination of high power distances and loyalty to the own in-group (family and friends) in Chinese culture explains a lot. This pattern, which can be summarised as 'vertical collectivism', excludes the idea of solidarity outside the family and it excludes relationships based on equality. First of all, this seems to imply that you distrust outsiders, and the norms of behaviour that apply to what you do inside your group do not apply to your dealings with the outside world. Other people are not really 'fellow men', they are a potential threat, or, at best, you may use them. We, as foreigners, are at the extreme end of the scale: Chinese people may not consider us as fellow men with whom you may build up solidarity. I often experienced this when Chinese people asked us to be photographed together with them: we are an interesting phenomenon, almost outside the world of (normal) humans... On the other hand, we are rich and generally taller than they are: this gives us some power, and power brings respect in China - it does not seem to work the other way around. Powerful strangers, that is what we are.
Inside the group - in the family, in the network of friends and business contacts - the Chinese seem to have strong ethical rules, often based on Confucian concepts of good relationships and authority. The powerful should not abuse his power, but must exercise his authority in accordance with the norms if respectful conduct. This difference between in-group and out-group exists everywhere of course, but is seems to be much more important in China than elsewhere. In public places you may observe what happens between people who are not in the same group, who do feel they should follow the rules of respectful behaviour inside the group. I observed conflicts on the street, and although my Chinese is not good enough to understand the - probably obscene and certainly offending - language that is being used, it is clear that conflict gets easily out of hand between strangers.
An important element in all this is the perception held by many Chinese that overpopulation is their major problem. There are just too many Chinese, and these 'too many' are of course not your own family or your own friends. It is all those anonymous people that you see on the street, in the railway station, on the labour market. These people want your house, your job, your income. This idea seems to be reinforced mechanisms of competition which are very old: in imperial times, the competitive system of examinations created the illusion that everyone could in principle become a public servant, but in reality only a very small group - with sufficient leisure time to invest in learning all the classical texts by heart - could really reach this level in society. Becoming successful meant being better than many others. You must work hard to get rid of them. This idea of competition is still reality, and has become increasingly important as China has been moving towards a market economy in which the egalitarian ideas of socialism cease to have a real meaning.
So, in this admittedly somewhat stereotyped view of Chinese culture, the causes of 'bad behaviour' lie in high power-distances, solidarity with the in-group and a high level of competition in society, reinforced by the idea of overpopulation. An interesting question is, of course, if this pattern will hold, if it will survive the changes taking place in Chinese society.
Change seems to be in the air. The Chinese government seem to be concerned about the public behaviour in the Chinese (see for example http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-10/09/content_704315.htm ) Traffic assistants have been appointed to teach the population the traffic rules, customs personnel learn to be friendly towards foreigners. The Olympic games stimulate a culture offensive, ranging from improving English translations in public buildings to discouraging spitting on the street. But more profound changes may be the consequence of pressures from the international economy. A number of problems with quality, including scandals over poisoned food and dangerous materials in toys, have uncovered a central problem in Chinese industry: a lack of consistent quality control along the value chain. Lack of trust and coordination among the various actors seems to be related to the specific combination of hierarchy an in-group mentality in Chinese business. For China to become a fully respected partner in the international business community, this pattern of group-centrism and irresponsible behaviour must change. In my view, it will happen, however, not because some foreigners like me think the Chinese are often behaving badly, but because the Chinese themselves develop a culture that is suited to deal with the complexities of modern life. Being nice to others, even if you don't know them, will probably be part of this culture.
Monday, 30 July 2007
Reflections on Yemeni culture
- high power distance
- low individualism
- high uncertainty avoiding
- rather masculin.
These easy labels do not tell too much about the culture though. China, for example, has comparable scores. Yet, teaching in Yemen was much easier for me than in China. Why?
There are at least two reasons. First, Chinese culture and Arab culture differ on dimensions not accounted for in the Hofstede model. Second, the same dimension means different things in different cultures, so similarity of scores does not tell us the whole story.
Let us begin with a dimension that we do not see in Hofstede's model, expressive versus reserved, also called neutral versus emotional or affective versus neutral. Looking at the data of Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, we see Muslim countries like Kuwait and Egypt at the extreme end: people show their emotions quite easily, or one could also say: find it hard to conceal them. China is at the other extreme. Holland is somewhere in the middle, but on the reserved side. I think the affective dimension of Yemeni culture made life easy for me: I could easily see how people felt and my experience in Italy in the past provided me with a model of how to deal with this affective culture. A complication in Yemen is the strict role division between men and women. I could only show my emotions directly to men, even touch them in conversations if needed.
Let's now come to the dimensions of Hofstede. High power distance, high uncertainty avoidance and low individualism lead to patterns of behaviour that are generally difficult for someone from an egalitarian, democratic, individualist country with somewhat more tolerance for uncertainty like the Netherlands. Also in the classroom you must expect the effect of these dimensions. Students will ask a lot of clarity and certainty from the teacher, depend on his guidance and show respect, at least in public. They will find it difficult to take responsibility for their own work, take initiative, criticise the teacher or even ask questions. That is the pattern I was quite used to by teaching in China. In Yemen it was different. The uncertainty avoidance was the same as in China: people need a lot of clear instructions to feel comfortable with the task. However, asking questions was much less of a problem here. Maybe this had to do with the quality of the students - these Yemeni students were quite good, certainly better than the MBA students I had taught in China - , but I suspect there is a different cultural attitude towards discussion and dialogue behind these differences. Knowledge has high authority in the Muslim world. This authority seems to be less personal than in China, where the teacher has a very high status. In the end, authority is derived from the authority of the text. The Qur'an (Koran) is the model. The text itself, directly communicated by God to the Prophet, has the authority, and not those who read the text. This emphasis on 'the word' which the Islam shares with the Jews and the Christians (especially Protestants), makes discussion on the correct interpretation of the word important. What I witnessed in class, seems to support this interpretation. The knowledge, not the teacher is at the center of the learning process and this makes it easier for me to teach in such an environment.
Nevertheless, high power distances are a reality in Yemeni society. In the family and clan based social structures of the Arab world, power relations seem to be relatively unstable, however, and constantly shifting. The idea of changing coalitions is central to the Arab view of power, which is quite different from the Confucian ideal of harmony in society by vertically structured roles and stable relationships. This well-known quote, often used in the Arab world expresses this idea of shifting alliances very well:
"I against my brother
I and my brother against our cousin
I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors
All of us against the foreigner. "
The last sentence could be Confucian, but the first three sentences gives this its specific Arab flavour. In the Arab world, we do not find this emphasis on long hierarchies we find in China, but also in the Roman Catholic world. Instead the unstable nature of power struggles gets much attention. My experiences in Yemen confirm this image, although as an outsider I have not really experienced this aspect of society very directly.
Anyway, power distance as abstract variable refers to different realities. The same is true for uncertainty avoidance. We had interesting discussions about this concept in class. Yemeni people seem to accept a lot of risk and uncertainty in areas where we would panic. Take the traffic, where people do not drive according to the formal rules, but engage in an interactive game, in which the strongest often win, but everyone seems to accept the chaos as given. Likewise, the frequent black-outs in the electricity supply is accepted without much complaining. The typical word here is of course 'inshallah': if God permits. Some students saw this as uncertainty acceptance. I tend to see it as another dimension, which Hofstede does not mention: fatalism. Fatalism often goes together with a high degree of conservatism, a conviction that society will not change, whatever we do. The Islamic world seems to be high on this kind of conservatism, which is perfectly compatible with high uncertainty avoidance. I saw this uncertainty avoidance in class, in combination with the high power distance: students want to have unambiguous instructions, so that there wil be no surprises in the exam.
What the abstract dimensions do not catch is, of course, the content of the culture. Even if we are very different in terms of the Hofstede dimensions, the Protestant culture of Northern Europe and the Muslim culture of Yemen share many elements. First of all, we share the emphasis on the word, on text. Second, our religions have many concepts, stories and prophets in common. Based on the texts we share, we have a comparable monotheistc view of reality, allowing for only one set of values, quite differently from East Asian cultures in which multiple realities are accepted, like Yin-Yang thinking or different Gods in Hinduism. Of course, our histories have since long grown very far apart. Nevertheless, the commom roots make cross-cultural communication easy for whom takes the effort to see them.
Friday, 16 February 2007
Global Management: a Clash of Cultures?
It was in the late 1980s, when I heard the old sociologist Norbert Elias (1897-1990) present a lecture about global civilisation and national identities. He explained that the growing nationalism and tribalism in parts of the world like Africa was an expression of a global civilisation process, in which nation states were increasingly becoming obsolete as cultural and political units. So the growing emphasis on regional, national and tribal cultures should be seen as a rearguard action of groups who try to cling to a cultural past in their quest for identity in an increasingly global world.
This idea came to my mind when I was reading about the globalisation of management. There is a tension between ideas of 'globalisation' and 'localisation'. On the one hand management is becoming uniform across the globe, and on the other we see how management practices continue to be rooted in local cultures. Managers are told to learn about other cultures and to adapt their management tools and management styles to the exigencies of the culture in which they operate. Culture is mostly understood as national culture or regional culture. The applied management literature likes generalisations: Asian culture, European culture, American culture. It also likes simple concepts and a limited number of dimensions, preferably in the form of dichotomies: 'shame cultures' versus 'guilt cultures', 'uncertainty avoiding' versus 'uncertainty accepting' cultures, 'high-context' versus 'low-context' cultures. Management researchers, consultants and trainers provide the international manager with an easy to use and simple frame of concepts to understand national differences.
Why so much attention given to national differences? Elias may have given the answer: national identities are increasingly becoming obsolete and this creates a situation in which people cling to their national identities, and emphasise cultural differences to create the cultural identities which are in fact becoming less clear every day. Managers who operate in this 'global village' increasingly find themselves in the company of people who were brought up in other parts of the world, were educated in different educational systems, maybe also look different in terms of physical appearance and clothing. However, they share many things, from organisational principles to accounting standards. This may be a confusing situation in which people may be tempted to create new cultural identities. Unintentionally, management consultants and business schools contribute to this process by offering crude generalisations of national cultural differences. Managers are given explanations for the difficulties they may experience in their contacts with 'other cultures', and they are provided with words to describe their own culture. So the confusing world of cross-cultural global management is reconstructed in familiar terms of the 19th century nation-state, where recognisable cultures belonged to 'nations' that coincide with the political unit of the state.
So what happens in management is comparable to what Elias saw in Africa: people use anachronistic images to interpret what is happening to them in this rapidly globalising world. Managers even get help here from management consultants and researchers who are working within this obsolete paradigm. This paradigm will not be very useful, however, to deal with a reality that cannot adequately be viewed in terms of a clash between national cultures. An alternative is needed.
For such an alternative, it may be useful for management to pay attention to the work of those sociologists who deal with the emerging 'multicultural societies', where, as a result of migration, people with diverse cultural roots (must) live together. The cultural problems of the multicultural society cannot be understood as a clash between static (national) cultures, like conflicts between Turkish and Dutch culture in Holland. To understand what happens between groups with various cultural backgrounds, we must understand the processes in which identities are constructed, how cultures change in this process, how the dynamics of processes of intercultural communication determines their outcomes. In an interesting chapter on cross-cultural communication, Shadid (1998) shows that current concepts of culture cannot deal adequately with cross-cultural communication in multicultural society, because cultures are defined in terms of national and regional differences and communication processes are completely explained by culture, without paying attention to the context and the persons involved. His alternative is an approach that focuses on how people construct culture in communication processes, in which unique persons are involved in a specific context, could be very useful for management. Managers in the global village are not fundamentally different from the multicultural population of Western Europe: they too are creating culture in communication processes with people with various cultural roots. If this becomes a 'clash of cultures' or something more creative, depends on how they define that situation! Consultants and researchers in international, cross-cultural management have the responsibility to contribute to a situation in which the construction of defensive and nostalgic identities can be avoided.
R. Shadid (1998), 'Interculturele Communicatie', in: Rinus Penninx, Henk Münstermann en Han Entzinger, Etnische minderheden en de multiculturele samenleving. Groningen: Wolters-Noordhoff, 1998.
Saturday, 27 January 2007
Is Culture a Dangerous Concept?
The problem of this popular use of the term 'culture' is its highly defensive nature. By blaming the culture, we do not have to take the responsibilty for the conflicts we engage in, the mistakes we make in negotiations and our inability to merge two companies into a new organisation. Culture is to blame.
But what is culture? Is it some solid thing that obstructs our path? Can it be seen? Can it be destroyed or changed? There are no simple answers to such questions, but it is evident that culture - in the form of concepts, rules, recipes, ideas - does shape what people (are able to) do, whereas what people do with these elements in practical situations is not determined by them. People do have the freedom to interpret and change the rules of the game, but they cannot play without rules that are shared to a considerable extent. Culture is an indispensable resource to shape social interactions, which then also becomes a constraint or even a barrier to innovation. To paraphrase the social psychologist Karl Weick: people are like spiders who get stuck in webs of their own making.
So, culture is not just something in our heads that can be changed by thinking differently. It is a social phenomenon: in order to participate in a society you must use rules, concepts, language and so on in a way that others will understand. Culturally competent people know how to do this. This does not mean, however, they are culturally programmed, like a computer that passively uses the instructions of its software. The shared software of the human mind is constantly being rewritten by those who use it.
This brings us back to the 'reified', defensive idea of culture that is now so popular. This denies these processes of interpretation and redefinition in which people change the culture while they are using it to shape their interactions. It denies the degrees of freedom that people have in filling and expanding their cultural space. This can lead to destructive, even dangerous interpretations, including the inevitability of conflict and the impossibility of dialogue. Stereotypical interactions deny the role that people play in creating the cultural conflicts of which they are part and a view of 'culture as a solid thing' does not help to restore the responsibility of the actors for the situation in which they find themselves.
The failure of the 'multi-cultural society' of countries like the Netherlands seems to be related to this theme. The idea of a society consisting of neatly distinguishable 'cultures' with separate ethnic roots creates an illusion of solidity and permanence and reduces cross-cultural communication to communicating across solid walls which themselves are not debatable. While such a strategy of cultural apartheid could be a useful stage in development, it can lead to a dangerous reification of cultural identities. The same would apply to developing managers in global business: if each culture is seen as solid, unchangeable and distinct, cultural development is excluded.
So, we may conclude that culture can indeed be a dangerous concept, if it is coupled to a reifying view of social reality. Viewed differently, however, culture is a creative concept that can help people to find new productive human relationships and build new organisational forms. People from different cultural backgrounds have access to different bodies of 'cultural knowledge', including different sources of 'wisdom'. These resources can be used to create innovative rules of the game in cooperation in business and society. The focus of this cross-cultural cooperation should not be on cultural differences, but on solving problems of cooperation. Maybe the best way to transcend cultural differences is to stop talking about culture.
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Chinezen kijken (Chinese-watching)
Bespreking van
Bettine Vriesekoop, Bij de Chinees: Gewoonten en Gebruiken in China, Amsterdam: Thomas Rap, 2006.
Toen Bettine Vriesekoop in 1981 voor het eerst in China kwam om daar van de Chinezen nog beter te leren tafeltennissen dan zij al deed, viel ze van de ene verbazing in de andere. Vaak voelde zij zich er niet op haar gemak en volledig op zichzelf teruggeworpen. Zij had ontdekt dat China een moeilijk land was voor een Hollander, Europeaan, Westerling. Het land bleef haar echter fascineren. Zij ging Chinees studeren, ging er later als correspondent van NRC-Handelsblad zelfs wonen.
In 'Bij de Chinees' laat ze de lezer delen in het inzicht dat zij inmiddels in het gedrag van de Chinezen heeft ontwikkeld. Daarbij combineert ze haar eigen ervaringen van meer dan twintig jaar geleden met haar recente ervaringen, interviews met Nederlandse zakenlieden en inzichten uit de Chinese filosofie. Deze combinatie, luchtig gestructureerd rondom acht thema's - acht omdat dit in China een geluksgetal is - van de Chinese cultuur en acht hoofdstukken van 'De Kunst van het Oorlogvoeren' van Sunzi, biedt de Nederlandse lezer een speelse introductie in de de Chinese cultuur en maatschappij. Daarbij komt heel veel aan de orde van waar iedere Nederlander vroeg of laat tegenaan loopt: de indirecte stijl van communiceren, het belang van ritueel en gezicht, de schijnbare tegenstrijdigheden in het handelen van de mensen en de eigenaardigheden van de taal.
In die zin is het boekje zeker geslaagd: het geeft de lezer alvast de ervaring die hij zelf ook zal krijgen als hij eenmaal met 'de Chinezen' te maken krijgt: de ergernis, de verwarring, de verwondering en heel soms ook de bewondering voor de vreemde cultuur. Daar ligt dan ook meteen de beperking. Het blijft in de meeste passages van het boek de typisch Hollandse waarneming van het vreemde, het exotische dat 'de Chinees' biedt. De Chinees is daarbij de afwijking van de norm en de (Hollandse) norm blijft een vanzelfsprekendheid. Het leuke van interculturele ontmoetingen is echter dat die ook kunnen aanzetten tot verwondering over de eigen cultuur: wat zijn wij Hollanders toch vreemde mensen! Een stap verder is dat je de stereotypen van 'de Hollander' of 'de Chinees' loslaat en toch weer mensen ziet, in plaats van vertegenwoordigers van een cultuur. Dat punt bereikt Bettine in haar boekje helaas bijna nergens. De pagina's staan vol met uitspraken over 'de Chinezen', en dan overwegend met de bijklank van 'die vreemde Chinezen'. De schaarse passages waar Bettine Vriesekoop over die grens heengaat en over concrete Chinezen schrijft met wie zij een relatie heeft opgebouwd, zijn daardoor meteen een stuk interessanter, zoals waar ze over haar trainster Liu schrijft. Dan gaat het boek over mensen in China, niet over 'de Chinees'.
De interviews met de Nederlandse zakenlieden in China zijn leuk om te lezen, zij het tamelijk oppervlakkig. Waar de auteur de wereld beschrijft die zij zelf bij uitstek kent, de sport, worden beschrijvingen levendiger en interessanter. Vooral de combinatie tussen de behendigheid in het spel, de beheersing van de eigen emoties en de manipulatie van de tegenstander worden overtuigend beschreven. Aan de lezer het oordeel of de toepassing van deze inzichten op andere gebieden, zoals zakelijke onderhandelingen, hout snijdt.
Monday, 1 January 2007
Chinese Culture
Is China a Collectivist Country?
One of the standard images of the difference between 'Western' culture and 'Chinese' culture is in terms of the dimension collectivism-individualism. The Netherlands would be highly individualistic in these terms and China would be collectivistic. On the basis of this difference it has often been predicted that Chinese will be better team players and cooperate in groups more easily than the Dutch, the Swedes, the Americans. From my own observation, this is not true. (See also http://www.cbiz.cn/NEWS/showarticle.asp?id=2227)
What we often see in Chinese groups - in school, in business - is a very high level of competition between individuals. We also see a a lot of opportunism and low trust. It seems as if each individual person wants to become number one, a process that blocks open communication and cooperation. This very individualistic behaviour seems to be linked to the special type of collectivism in China, sometimes labeled 'vertical collectivism'. In school, in business, in sports, each individual represents his or her own family or group of friends. Loyalty is not primarily to the school, the business or the sports club, but to the own social circle. This pattern is very old: in Imperial China, the impersonal selection system for government jobs created a high degree of competition between families and individuals for the small amount of open positions. In principle, the system was always achievement-based: anyone, poor or rich, could become a civil servant. In practice only those with time to invest in study would have a real chance.
So, is China collectivist? Yes, in a special sense it is, but it combines loyalty to the ingroup with fierce competition and low trust vis-a-vis outsiders, resulting in something Westerners would rather see as individualist, opportunistic behaviour.
So, as Tony Fang from Stockholm university suggests, there are really two contrasting sides of Chinese culture, which are expressed in different contexts, and whose mutual relationship shows a yin-yang logic. On the one hand, there is the Confucian ethic, focusing on harmonious relationships inside the family, inside social groups. On the other hand there are ideas and principles which emphasise personal skill, energy, tactics to deal with opponents, like the Daoist (Taoist) tradition in martial arts, character writing and traditional health practices. Much of the Western literature about China seems to focus on the harmonious, collectivist and 'light' (yang), side of the culture. However, to understand the culture, we must pay attention to the 'dark' (yin) and hidden side of the culture, in personal manoeuvring, tactics and tricks.
A 'monocular' view of China as a collectivist country does not do justice to its 'binocular' culture, where everything can be seen from two points of view.


text: On Tue, 2005-05-17 at 10:26 +0300, regatta wrote: > Hi Hey, > 1- Is there any public plan about what the major thing that will be > in the evolution future and new releases and also any new functions ? > (something like in http://www.gnome.org/start/2.9/ or even more like > what in KDE plan ) Check out http://www.go-evolution.org > 2- Is there any hacked version of evolution (one that some hackers > patch it with many unreleased patches so users can test it and use it > also) The version in the HEAD branch on cvs.gnome.org More information: http://www.go-evolution.org/Compiling_Evolution_from_CVS > 3- With the new eplugin, any plan to make something similar to > addons.mozilla.org for evolution ? Not yet, not as far as I know -- Philip Van Hoof, Software Developer @ Cronos home: me at pvanhoof dot be gnome: pvanhoof at gnome dot org work: philip dot vanhoof at cronos dot be junk: philip dot vanhoof at gmail dot com http://www.pvanhoof.be/ _______________________________________________ evolution maillist - evolution lists ximian com http://lists.ximian.com/mailman/listinfo/evolution


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Previously in the pages of Savage Dragon from Image Comics, Malcolm, Maxine and their three kids all had to flee to Canada after Donald Trump ordered all aliens to be arrested & expelled from the United States. Malcolm and his family settled down in Toronto, and began the difficult process of building new lives for themselves. That brings us to the latest two issues of Erik Larsen's long-running series.
Of course, you could be forgiven if you had perhaps forgotten some of this given the, um, adult content presented within Savage Dragon #228 and #229.
I actually didn't have an opportunity to pick up these two issues until this week, although I've been damned curious about what was in them, given the message I received on Facebook on November 29 from Atomic Junk Shop columnist Greg Burgas…
"You're a big Erik Larsen fan, right? Have you been reading Savage Dragon? What's up with the really weird porn in the latest issue?"
I can tell you up front that Burgas' description of what goes on in Savage Dragon #228 is pretty damn accurate. The sex scenes in this issue, and in the next, were just a little too explicit for my taste, at least for this specific series.
I have been following Savage Dragon since the very beginning, so I am well aware that Larsen has often done very risqué material. Some of the sequences with Dragon and Rapture from early on immediately leap to mind. However, I felt that the scenes in these two issues sort of crossed a line. All the previous sex scenes in Savage Dragon were, at most, a "hard R." These two issues, however, definitely leaped head-first into "X-Rated" territory.
Credit where credit is due, my girlfriend found the sex scenes in these two issues to be "creative." She was nevertheless surprised to see material this damn pornographic in Savage Dragon.
And no, really, I don't think I can share examples of Malcolm & Maxine's bedroom Olympics here on this blog, because I would rather not risk getting booted off WordPress!
Okay, fine, I suppose I can post this one panel, which is, believe it or not, the least explicit from the entire sequence…
Roger, the owner of the comic book shop where I bought these issues, was a bit upset because he was worried that someone under 21 might see these issues and he could then possibly get in trouble. Roger pointed out that the only indication that the series is for an adult audience is the "Rated M / Mature" notice which is in tiny letters under the UPC code on the back cover.
I can sympathize with his view. Considering how reactionary and intolerant people in this country have the potential to be, especially nowadays, I can sadly envision a situation where some 14 year old buys these issues, the kid's parents discover exactly what is inside, and next thing you know they are on Fox News screaming that comic books are corrupting the children of America, and then poor Roger's comic shop is being inundated with protestors.
I think that the possibility of such a nightmare scenario could be greatly lessened from occurring if that "Rated M / Mature" notice, or something like it, appeared on the front cover at a significantly larger font size, so it is immediately obvious that the book is for 18 and over, or 21 and over, or whatever. I really do not want to lecture Larsen about acting responsibly, but I believe that it would be a prudent decision for him to do what is necessary to protect not just himself but the stores that carry his product from possible negative consequences.
But, to coin a phrase… Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? 😛
All of the sexual shenanigans aside, I did like these two issues. The best aspects of them for me were how Larsen wrote Malcolm and Maxine's marriage, and their misadventures raising the three kids, and how Malcolm's half-brother Kevin has also now moved to Canada, and he's pursuing a relationship with Maxine's widowed mother, and the weirdness that is "milk in a bag." As I have mentioned in previous reviews of this series, I love all this interpersonal comedy & drama that Larsen dishes out, and at this point actually find it much more interesting than most of the action sequences.
As for those fight scenes, I did think the battle between Malcolm and Seeker was a bit pointless (why was Seeker going after Dragon again?) but it did serve the purpose of causing Maxine to realize that Malcolm could actually die, leaving her alone with the kids, so it did play into their ever-developing relationship in a major way. I also chuckled at Malcolm practically breaking the fourth wall to inform the old guy that the Seeker had last appeared in issue #106.
The fight with the "Sludge" guy in the next issue did feel somewhat more relevant. It did feel very open-ended, with Sludge abruptly deciding to run away, but Larsen will probably be bringing the character back at some point. I was rather amused that Sludge was apparently going after Billy Batson's old boss from WHIZ Radio.
On a final note, I enjoyed the pin-up by Paul Hoppe that appeared in #228. Hoppe is a good artist, and he lives in the area, in Brooklyn. His cool, wacky self-published comic books Journey Into Misery and Tales To Behold are often for sale at the comic book shop that I go to, Mysterious Time Machine at 418 6th Avenue by West 9th Street in Manhattan. To bring things full circle, that's where I buy Savage Dragon. I guess it really is a small world after all.
May 28, 2018 Update: Oh, lord, this blog post actually received 4,717 views today!!! Somehow this post is the number one result that comes up when you type "savage dragon porn" into Google! Wow, there are a lot of sick people out there! I wish all of you rabid Savage Dragon porn aficionados would go out and actually buy the Savage Dragon comic book series! Erik Larsen could sure use the support!
3 thoughts on "Savage Dragon #228-229: Erik Larsen goes for the money shot"
Rated M/Mature does mean that anything goes. I think Saga has the same rating and as far as I know they have also shown some sex. It's up to the store owner to decide where to place those comics. I agree the sex is very explicit and a larger disclaimer on the cover would make it easier to categorize the book but I guess Erik doesn't want that – for whatever reason. It might actually help sales if he would promote it more, like those CDs back in the day with those "explicit lyrics" stickers…
Anyway, first time I've found/read your blog, I'll add your review to the review collection for issue #228 over at savagedragon.com
FYI your view spike is from the youtube channel Game Grumps mentioning Savage Dragon. Specifically Savage Dragon being pornographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J5ctKrFmME


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The address of the Berki Porta Guesthouse:H-7683 Dinnyeberki, Fõ street 57.By car- From the direction of Pécs or Szigetvár from route 6: Pécs (Szigetvár) - Szentlõrinc - Helesfa - Dinnyeberki- From the direction of Sásd: leave the route 66 at Oroszló - Hetvehelyen - Helesfa - DinnyeberkiUse Google route planner, available from the map below.By train or busBy train or bus to Pécs, and then continue by bus to Dinnyeberkibe, via Szentlõrinc.Timetables available hereGPS coordinate: 46.098613 N, 17.95534 SEOV coordinate: 565776, 84373
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03 July 2015
Michael Loney
IP practitioners squaring off in a Battle of the Bands, the US Supreme Court denying three IP petitions, The Irish Times taking a stand against Taylor Swift, the latest data on Section 101 motions, and Eli Lilly being fined in Brazil for "sham" patent litigation were in the IP headlines in the past week
London was the scene for IP rockers this week, in a Battle of the Bands event organised by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA). The battle included some inspired band names: squaring off were IP Freely and the Incontinents (pictured top), The Black IPs (pictured bottom), The Non-Practicing Entities and The Groundless Frets.
IP Freely and the Incontinents won the contest this year. The winners were from Collyer Bristow.
The judges were: Simone Ferrara, CIPA council member and patent attorney at Vodafone; David Musker, CIPA member and partner at Jenkins; Victoria Oladele, project manager at charity Generating Genius; and Gideon Woldeslassie, project Manager at charity Generating Genius.
Previous winners are The Groundless Frets (Boult Wade Tennant) in 2013 and The Black IPs (Kilburn & Strode) in 2012. There was no event in 2014.
The Supreme Court was eagerly watched by IP practitioners this week to see if it would take up any IP petitions for certiorari. Instead, it denied three: Google v Oracle, Google v Vederi, and Ultramercial v WildTangent.
Observers speculated that the Supreme Court may be taking a break after being extremely active on IP cases by historical standards. "Apart from leaving-stand the particular holdings, these outcomes may collectively signal a time of out-breath for Supreme Court patent law jurisprudence," noted Professor Dennis Crouch on the Patently-O blog. "By my count, there are no patent decisions pending before the Court (with certiorari granted) and none of the petitions on file carry a substantial chance of being granted."
Patent holders may cheers this news if the criticism at the recent BIO conference about the damage that the Supreme Court has given to Section 101 to is anything to go by. In the Ultramercial case the Federal Circuit had held that a patented method of distributing media content with advertising was a patent ineligible abstract idea.
The refusal to hear the Google v Oracle case drew criticism from some quarters, however. The Federal Circuit last year held that the Java API naming scheme was copyrightable and not an ineligible "system or method of operation".
Vox labelled the Federal Circuit's ruling last year "a disaster for the software industry", saying it would lead to more compatibility problems and less innovation. Google argued that it only copied the aspects of the Java system that were needed to allow Android to run Java software, and that this was legal because copyright law does not protect functional characteristics.
The Obama administration had also been torn on the matter but eventually advised the court to turn down the petition, finding it flawed and meritless.
The FOSS Patents blog had a good, detailed post this week on the Supreme Court turning down the petition.
"Google brought its cert petition at a stage at which it could also have awaited the outcome in district court before asking the top U.S. court to revive the non-copyrightability defense," wrote Florian Mueller. "But Google presumably knows that its "fair use" defense, which is the only liability-related question left to address on remand, is not really strong. While the Federal Circuit declined to resolve this question in its entirety and deferred to the district court for factual findings, it still provided some guidance that helps Oracle."
He noted that the denial shows why Orrick attorney Joshua Rosenkranz is dubbed the "Defibrillator", for bringing cases back to life from the dead.
Mueller said: "…the sizable litigation caravan that had gone from California to Washington DC for the appellate proceedings – where an amazing reversal of fortunes occurred, with Oracle now having the upper hand – can finally head back all the way to the West. There, "fair use" will be the topic du jour. And, provided that Oracle wins (which I've always believed it will), remedies. This means injunctive relief more than anything else. The strategic implications are not described accurately by portraying this as a billion-dollar case."
Pop star Taylor has been dominating IP headlines this year. She received much attention for keeping her music off Spotify as well as her proactive approach to acquiring gTLDs. More recently, she received attention for demanding Apple pay performers during the free trial period of its new streaming service.
This week she was back in the news, but this time for more negative reasons. The Irish Times revealed that it was not running a photo of Taylor Swift's concert in Dublin this week because the terms of the photographic contract were "too restrictive".
The newspaper said Swift's photograph authorization contract includes restrictions such as a "one-time-only" use limit on publishing the photo that elapses at the end of the year. Any other use of the photo would require written consent with Swift reserving the right to use the photographs for publicity and promotion.
The Irish Times deputy picture editor Brenda Fitzsimons said: "The terms and conditions of the contract are exceedingly restrictive and just not feasible for a working newspaper and website."
British freelance photographer Jason Sheldon wrote an open letter this week in which he said: "Photographers don't ask for your music for free. Please don't ask us to provide you with your marketing material for free."
Docket Navigator this week revealed the success rates of Section 101 summary judgment motions in district courts in the first half of 2015. In a blog post, Docket Navigator said district courts ruled on 22 motions for summary judgment of invalidity based on Section 101 in the first six months of the year.
"That is only one fewer decision than all of 2014," said the post.
Fourteen – or 63.6% – of the 2015 motions were granted, five (22.7%) were denied, and three (13.6%) were partially granted and partially denied.
Docket Navigator subscribers can view a motion Success report showing the success rates of these motions since 2008 here.
Brazilian authorities have fined Eli Lilly about $11 million for "sham" patent litigation, reports The Wall Street Journal. The litigation was intended to extend exclusivity for the Gemzar cancer treatment, said the Administrative Counsel for Economic Defense, known as CADE.
The drug maker was accused of filing "contradictory and misleading" lawsuits in 2007 and 2008 that created an unfair monopoly for the treatment. The agency said that Eli Lilly omitted relevant information from its patent request referring to a change in scope of the patent from being related exclusively to the production process for the drug's active ingredient. The agency also said that Eli Lilly omitted relevant information from an administrative process overseen by another agency.
"The respondent practiced sham litigation by filing a lawsuit against [the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency] in order to obtain the exclusive rights over the sales of Gemzar," said Ana Frazao, CADE reporting commissioner, in a statement.
The Wall Street Journal quoted an Eli Lilly as saying the company strongly disagrees with the ruling. The newspaper said the ruling comes at a time of increasing scrutiny in various countries of pharmaceutical practices seen as limiting the availability of generic drugs.
Also on the blog this week:
IP Stars listings and analysis now fully available
Sponsored statement: Prepare for post-AIA filings this fall
In our news and analysis this week:
Alibaba-Kugou dispute may signal China digital shift
Automotive industry tries to put the brakes on NPEs
Biotech companies consider trade secrets as alternative to patents
California Northern District: ITC ruling does not preclude lawsuit
Lessons in advocacy from Judge Alex Kozinski
An obscure rule gets time in spotlight
Unitary Patent renewal fees agreed
1709 Copyright Blog
AIA blog
Art and Artifice
China IPR
Class 99
Domain Incite
FOSS Patents
Green Patent Blog
IP CloseUp
IP Dragon
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IP Kat
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IP tango
IP Watchdog
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