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Summary of Findings
Muslims in Europe worry about their future, but their concern is more economic than religious or cultural. And while there are some signs of tension between Europe's majority populations and its Muslim minorities, Muslims there do not generally believe that most Europeans are hostile toward people of their faith. Still, over a third of Muslims in France and one-in-four in Spain say they have had a bad experience as a result of their religion or ethnicity.
However, there is little evidence of a widespread backlash against Muslim immigrants among the general publics in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. Majorities continue to express concerns about rising Islamic identity and extremism, but those worries have not intensified in most of the countries surveyed over the past 12 months; a turbulent period that included the London subway bombings, the French riots, and the Danish cartoon controversy.
Opinions held by Muslims in Europe – as well as opinions about Muslims among Europe's majority populations – vary significantly by country. No clear European point of view emerges with regard to the Muslim experience, either among Muslims or in the majority populations on many issues.
Most notably, France shows no signs of a backlash in response to last year's riots. In fact, a counter trend seems to have emerged with slightly more French people saying that immigration from the Middle East and North Africa is a good thing than did so a year ago. The French public is also more inclined this year to say that Muslims living in France want to adopt French customs – a view held by an overwhelming majority of Muslims in France. Nor do German and British publics express any increase in negative views of immigrants – although, unlike the French, they are not more positive toward immigrants this year. Meanwhile, the Spanish public's view toward immigrants has grown slightly more negative over the last year.
But in Britain worries about Islamic extremism are intense among both the general public and the Muslim minority population as well. Concerns about the problem rose markedly this year among the general public. And worries about extremism within the British Muslim community are greater than in France, Germany, and Spain.
The survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project was conducted in 13 countries, including the United States, from March 31-May 14, 2006.1 It includes special oversamples of Muslim minorities living in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain.
The poll finds that Muslims themselves are generally positive about conditions in their host nation. In fact, they are more positive than the general publics in all four European countries about the way things are going in their countries. However, many Muslims, especially in Britain, worry about the future of Muslims in their country.
The greatest concern among Muslim minorities in all four countries is unemployment. Islamic extremism emerges as the number-two worry generally, a concern shared by Western publics as well as Muslims in Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan.
The decline in the importance of religion, adoption of modern roles by women, and influences of popular culture upon youth are generally lower-ranked concerns. Overall, British Muslims express the greatest level of concern about the issues tested.
The majority of European Muslims do not see many or most Europeans as hostile towards Muslims. But substantial numbers of Muslims do perceive such hostility. This belief is most widespread in Germany, where more than half of both Muslims and the general public see many or most Germans as hostile toward Muslims. At the same time, however, German Muslims are the least likely to report personal experiences with discrimination.
German Muslims are also far more inclined than those elsewhere in Europe to see new immigrants as wanting to be distinct – 52% take this view – and German nationals overwhelmingly (76%) share this view. In contrast, in France, 78% of Muslims say that Muslims there want to adopt French customs, though 53% of the general public feels that French Muslims want to remain distinct.
European Muslims show signs of favoring a moderate version of Islam. With the exception of Spanish Muslims, they tend to see a struggle being waged between moderates and Islamic fundamentalists. Among those who see an ongoing conflict, substantial majorities in all four countries say they generally side with the moderates.
Most French and British Muslims think women are better off in their countries than in most Muslim countries. About half of German and Spanish Muslims agree, and very few think women actually have it better in most Muslim countries. Moreover, most are not concerned about Muslim women in Europe taking on modern roles in society (although substantial minorities worry about this).
Religion is central to the identity of European Muslims. With the exception of Muslims in France, they tend to identify themselves primarily as Muslim rather than as British, Spanish, or German. In France, Muslims are split almost evenly on this question. The level of Muslim identification in Britain, Spain, and Germany is similar to that in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Jordan, and even higher than levels in Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia. By contrast the general populations in Western Europe are far more secular in outlook. Roughly six-in-ten in Spain, Germany, and Britain identify primarily with their country rather than their religion, as do more than eight-in-ten in France.
Americans, however, split about evenly on this question: 42% say they first think of themselves as Christians versus 48% who think of themselves primarily as Americans – a divide close to that found among French Muslims.
Muslims in Europe are most sharply distinguished from the majority populations on opinions about external issues – America, the war on terrorism, Iran, the Middle East.2 European Muslims give the United States lower favorability ratings than do general publics in Europe, and in particular, they give the American people lower ratings. The war on terror is extremely unpopular among minority Muslim populations – German Muslims register the highest level of support, at 31%.
While Iran is viewed unfavorably in Western Europe and the United States, it receives very positive marks from British and Spanish Muslims, while French and German Muslims are divided. European Muslims take a much more positive view of the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections in January than do the majority populations, and perhaps not surprisingly, they are also much more likely to side with Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In general, European Muslim opinions on external issues are quite similar to those expressed in predominantly Muslim countries.
About This Report
The report's detailed findings are presented below. A description of the Pew Global Attitudes Project can be found at the end of the report, along with a summary of the survey's methodology and complete topline results.
Little Anti-Muslim Backlash
Despite concerns about an anti-Muslim backlash in the wake of a string of highly publicized events involving Muslims living in Europe – subway bombings in London, controversy over Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad, rioting by Muslim youth in France – most Muslims living in Europe do not feel that most or even many Europeans are hostile toward people of their faith. Indeed, European Muslims are, in general, more satisfied with national conditions than are the general publics of these countries.
Substantial majorities of Muslims living in the European countries surveyed say that in the last two years they have not had any personally bad experience attributable to their race, ethnicity or religion. In France, however, where riots last fall pitted Muslim youth against French police, 37% of Muslims report a bad encounter, while in Britain 28% report being the target of discrimination.
Muslims in Spain are the least concerned about European anti-Muslim sentiment – fewer than a third (31%) say most or many Europeans have hostile attitudes compared with 64% who see only some or very few as hostile. In Great Britain, 42% of Muslims judge that many or most of their European hosts are unfriendly, while in France, 39% of resident Muslims share that view. Only in Germany does a narrow 51%-majority of resident Muslims view most (22%) or many (29%) Europeans as hostile.
In some of the European host countries surveyed, the general public agrees precisely with these assessments. In Great Britain, 40% of the public sees most or many of their fellow countrymen as hostile to Muslims compared with 42% of British Muslims taking that view; in Germany, 63% of the larger public agrees with the 51% of Muslims who see most or many of their hosts as hostile. But in France a considerably larger number among the public (56%) see substantial hostility toward Muslims than do Muslims themselves (39%). And in Spain, nearly twice as many in the overall population (60%) see most or many Europeans as hostile to Muslims as do Spanish Muslim, only 31% of whom share that view.
One of the biggest perception gaps exists in Nigeria. There 28% of Christians say most or many Europeans are hostile toward Muslims, compared with 50% of Nigerian Muslims who believe this. Muslims in the Mideast and Asia judge European hostility to be considerably more widespread than do European Muslims. As many as 63% in Egypt, 61% in Pakistan, 57% in Turkey and 50% in Jordan say that most or many Europeans are hostile to Muslims.
Immigrants Mostly Still Welcome
The poll finds little evidence of a general rise in anti-immigration sentiment. With the continuing exception of Germany, majorities in the European countries surveyed say it is a "good thing" that people from the Middle East and North Africa came to work in their countries.
These levels of acceptance are essentially unchanged from those recorded a year earlier. However, in France a somewhat greater percentage now call such immigration a good thing, while in Spain a somewhat smaller percentage say it is good.
Germany is the outlier in this regard with only 34% of Germans calling immigration from the Middle East and North Africa a good thing compared with 59% who deem it a bad thing. However, Germans are no more welcoming to those migrating from Eastern Europe; only 36% call such immigration a good thing.
Across the board, immigrants from Eastern Europe are no more and no less welcome than those from predominantly Muslim countries. In Great Britain, Spain, and France, as in Germany, the numbers among the general public calling immigration from Eastern Europe a good thing are virtually identical to those expressing approval of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa.
More European Muslims approve of immigration from the Middle East and North Africa into the country where they now reside than do the general populations of those countries. Among Muslims in Great Britain, fully 75% call such immigration a good thing; in France, 83% and in Spain, 85%. Germany again is the exception, with Muslims there splitting 42%-46% on the good-bad question, although the 42% of Muslim approvers is still significantly higher than the 34% of the general public that agrees with that judgment.
Concerns About the Future
Although most European Muslims are satisfied with the general direction of the countries they live in, large majorities are still concerned about the future of Muslims in their country. British Muslims are the most concerned – eight-in-ten (80%) are at least somewhat concerned including about half (49%) who are very concerned. French Muslims follow closely behind in their anxiety, with 72% saying they are either very (38%) or somewhat (34%) concerned. The numbers of Muslims very concerned about the future are somewhat lower in Germany (28%) and Spain (30%) although substantial majorities in both countries say they are at least somewhat worried as they look ahead.
Of the issues tested in the survey, unemployment is the biggest concern of European Muslims, with majorities in the mid-50% range in France, Germany and Spain and a 46%-plurality in Britain saying they are very worried about joblessness. In addition, between a quarter and a third of the remaining Muslim samples express at least some concern on this issue.
Muslims in Britain emerge as the most worried on every other issue tested, with 45% very worried about the decline of the importance of religion among their co-religionists, 44% very concerned about the influence of the secular culture (movies, music and television) on their youth, and, to a lesser but still leading degree, the adoption of modern roles in society by Muslim women (22% very concerned). Elsewhere in Europe these issues – especially the emergence of women – engender intense concern among relatively few Muslims.
In fact, not only is the entry of women into modern roles of little or no concern to most European Muslims, it is apparently welcomed by many. About six-in-ten British and French Muslims, and about half of German and Spanish Muslims, believe the quality of life is better for women in their countries than in most Muslim countries. In all four countries, the share of Muslims saying women in their countries are worse off is less than 20%. Muslim women in Europe are slightly more likely than men to see the quality of life as better for women in their country than in most Muslim countries. However, in Spain Muslim women were considerably more likely than men to believe this.
Extremism among European Muslims is a common source of worry among Muslim minorities in Europe. In particular, Muslims in Great Britain are very concerned. As many express concerns about this (44%) as are very worried about unemployment. Extremism is of somewhat less concern in France (30% very worried), Germany (23%) and Spain (22%), although in all these countries more than four-in-ten Muslims say they are at least somewhat concerned.
Blending In
Most Europeans doubt that Muslims coming into their countries want to adopt their national customs and way of life. Substantial majorities in Germany (76%), Great Britain (64%), Spain (67%) and Russia (69%) say that Muslims in their country want to remain distinct from the larger society.
Fewer French, but still a 53%-majority, agree. However, the percentage of the general public in France that believes newly arrived Muslims want to blend into the French way of life has increased significantly since last year. In the 2005 survey only 36% of the French public said that Muslims want to adopt the French way of life while 59% said they want to remain distinct; now 46% say adopt, 53% say remain distinct.
For their part, Muslims in France, Great Britain, and Spain are substantially more likely than their general publics to say that Muslims want to adopt the customs and way of life of the country into which they immigrate. Indeed, nearly eight-in-ten French Muslims (78%) believe this.
Again, Germany is different: Only 30% of German Muslims think Muslims coming into that country today want to assimilate – most say they want to be separate and most Germans agree.
Islamic Identification
Perceptions of the strength of Islamic identity among Muslims have changed little over the year. Substantial majorities in both Western Europe and the United States continue to believe Muslims in their country have a very or fairly strong sense of Islamic identity.
European Muslims' perceptions largely match those of the general public, with the exception of Germany. While 84% of the German public sees Muslims having a strong Islamic identity, only 46% of Muslims living in Germany agree.
As to whether that sense of Islamic identity is increasing, strong majorities among the general publics in Great Britain (69%), France (68%), and Germany (72% – up from 66% in 2005) say that it is (as do 69% in India and 56% in Russia). In Spain, however, only a 46%-plurality sees an intensifying Islamic identity – a view shared by Muslims in that country.
Muslims in Great Britain, however, are the most likely of all groups sampled to see a strengthening of Islamic identity with fully 77% agreeing.
In France and Germany, by contrast, the proportion of Muslims who see Islamic identity intensifying (58% and 54%, respectively) is smaller than among the general public.
European Muslims who think Islamic identity is growing tend to consider it a good thing. This is especially so in Great Britain, where 86% say the perceived intensifying trend is a good thing, and Spain where 75% agree.
Most Westerners (as well as Indians) strongly disagree. Among those in the French general public who see Islamic identity on the rise, 87% call it a bad thing; in Germany, 83% say so; in Spain (82%); in India, 78%.
For those in the United States, Western Europe, Russia and India who see growing Islamic identity as a bad thing, the primary concern cited is that it may lead to violence. However, many are also worried that it may keep Muslims from integrating into the larger society. For Muslims in Germany who see growing Islamic identity as worrisome, concern about retarding integration is paramount for 58%, while fewer than one-in-five worry about violence. Among French Muslims, concerns are spilt between violence (40%) and integration (45%). In most countries, an attendant loss of freedom tended to be of lesser concern.
For guidance on religious matters, Muslims in Europe, as well as in most of the larger Islamic world, turn to their local Imam, as well as to national and international religious leaders. Local religious leaders are especially consulted in Nigeria, where 64% of Muslims see them as the most trustworthy source of guidance; in Indonesia, where 60% do so; and in Pakistan and Great Britain where more than four-in-ten Muslims do so. The only countries in which large numbers – about one-in-four – turn first to religious leaders on television are the two Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan.
Large percentages of Muslims in Europe say they think of themselves first as a Muslim rather than as a citizen of their country. The tendency is strongest in Great Britain where 81% in the Muslim oversample self-identify as Muslim rather than British, while in Spain 69% do so and in Germany 66%. In sharp contrast, Muslims living in France are far less likely to identify first with their faith rather their nationality. While a 46%-plurality identifies first as a Muslim, a nearly equal 42% see themselves as primarily French, while an additional 10% say both equally.
The levels seen in Britain, Spain, and Germany are comparable to those seen in most of the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. In Pakistan, 87% primarily identify as Muslims; in Jordan, 67% do so. In Nigeria, 71% of Muslims see themselves as Muslims first, whereas a smaller 53%-majority of Christians primarily identify with their faith.
In Turkey a slight 51%-majority now self-identifies as Muslim rather than Turkish, although this is a substantial rise from the 43% who did so in 2005. Among Muslim countries in the survey, only in Indonesia does the public split 39%-36% between primary national and religious identity, with 25% selecting both equally.
By contrast, Christians in European countries overwhelmingly self-identify with their respective nationalities rather than with their faith. And in India, fully 90% of the public self-identifies as Indian rather than Hindu.
Indeed, among non-Muslim nations, the United States is the outlier in terms of religious self-identification with the public closely split on the question of primary identification. Fully 42% of U.S. Christians say they think of themselves as Christians first rather than as Americans, compared with 48% who self-identify primarily as Americans; an additional 7% say both equally.
Concern About Islamic Extremism
The poll found no overall rise in concern about extremism among the general publics of nations with Muslim minorities. The percentage of the general public very worried about Islamic extremism was greater this year in the U.S., Britain, and Germany; however, it was unchanged in France and considerably lower in Spain and Russia.
Germans are the most concerned about rising Islamic extremism in their country with 82% of the general public saying they are very (40%) or somewhat (42%) concerned. However, concern was nearly as high a year ago when 78% of Germans expressed such concern including 35% who then said they were very concerned.
Great Britain, however, has seen an increase in worries about Islamic extremism over the last year, with 77% of the public now saying they are very (42%) or somewhat (35%) concerned. Strikingly, these concerns are largely shared by Muslims living in Britain, among whom 43% say they are very concerned and 26% say they are somewhat concerned.
In France, despite that country's recent experience with riots, worry about Islamic extremism has remained essentially stable over the last year (76% of the public is at least somewhat concerned including 30% very concerned). And in Spain and Russia, such concerns have declined considerably.
As in Great Britain, most Muslims in France and Germany are also worried about extremism. However, Muslims in Spain are divided on this issue, with 46% expressing at least some concern and 49% expressing little or no concern.
By contrast, in the predominantly Muslim countries of Egypt, Pakistan, and Jordan large majorities (68%, 74%, and 69%, respectively) are very or somewhat concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism in those countries. And in India, with its substantial Muslim minority, 85% of the predominately Hindu public expresses such concern, essentially the same number as did so last year.
In Nigeria the level of concern is somewhat lower – a small majority (54%) of the public worries about Islamic extremism there. Muslims in Nigeria are significantly more likely than Christians to be concerned about Islamic extremism.
Consistent with these concerns, majorities or pluralities of Muslims in Britain (58%), France (56%), and Germany (49%) believe there is a struggle in their country between moderates and Islamic fundamentalists. Again, Spanish Muslims differ from their European counterparts, with a majority (65%) saying they do not see such a struggle, a view they share with 60% of Nigerian Muslims.
In all four European countries – and especially in France – those who do see a struggle heavily side with the moderates. In Nigeria, however, Muslims split evenly on this question.
Riots & Protests
Awareness of last year's riots in France is relatively high among both the general publics and Muslim minorities in Western Europe, ranging among the general population from 91% in Germany to 78% in Spain and among Muslims from 86% in Germany to 63% in Britain. In Japan, 89% had heard the news.
Those who had heard about the riots were less numerous in the United States (55%) and in the Muslim world. In Turkey, 61% had heard about the riots, in Jordan 47%. But awareness levels in other Muslim countries ranged downward from 35% in Egypt, to 23% in Nigeria, 18% in Indonesia and 11% in Pakistan.
By and large, European Muslims – irrespective of their views about the riots per se – say they are sympathetic to the youths from immigrant and working class suburbs in France who felt frustrated by their place in French society. Muslims in Great Britain are most sympathetic (75% so indicate) followed by those in France and Spain (63% of Muslims in both countries).
In Germany, however, more among the general public (64%) express sympathy than among the predominantly Turkish Muslims in that country, 53% of whom say they sympathize with the frustrations of French youth.
In general, Western publics are divided on this issue – only 37% of the Spanish public sympathizes with the French youth.
And despite more positive French views on many related issues this year, only 46% of the French general public takes the side of the country's alienated young.
Regarding publication of cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper, the most common way in which people heard about the controversy that ensued was through television, although in Nigeria people were more likely to hear of it via radio or through family and friends.
Few in any country mentioned a church or mosque or the internet as the source of their awareness.


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Isaiah Chapters
1 For behold the sovereign the Lord of hosts shall take away from Jerusalem, and from Juda the valiant and the strong, the whole strength of bread, and the whole strength of water.
2 The strong man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the cunning man, and the ancient.
3 The captain over fifty, and the honourable in countenance, and the counsellor, and the architect, and the skillful in eloquent speech.
4 And I will give children to be their princes, and the effeminate shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall rush one upon another, and every man against his neighbour: the child shall make it tumult against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6 For a man shall take hold or his brother, one of the house of his father, saying: Thou hast a garment, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand.
7 In that day he shall answer, saying: I am no healer, and in my house there is no bread, nor clothing: make me not ruler of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Juda is fallen: because their tongue, and their devices are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his majesty.
9 The shew of their countenance hath answered them: and they have proclaimed abroad their sin as Sodom, and they have not hid it: woe to their souls, for evils are rendered to them.
10 Say to the just man that it is well, for he shall eat the fruit of his doings.
11 Woe to the wicked unto evil: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As for my people, their oppressors have stripped them, and women have ruled over them. O my people, they that call thee blessed, the same deceive thee, and destroy the way of thy steps.
13 The Lord standeth up to judge, and he standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and its princes: for you have devoured the vineyard, and the spoil of the poor is in your house.
15 Why do you consume my people, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord the God of hosts.
16 And the Lord said: Because the daughters of Sion are haughty, and have walked with stretched out necks, and wanton glances of their eyes, and made a noise as they walked with their feet and moved in a set pace:
17 The Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of Sion, and the Lord will discover their hair.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the ornaments of shoes, and little moons,
19 And chains and necklaces, and bracelets, and bonnets,
20 And bodkins, and ornaments of the legs, and tablets, and sweet balls, and earrings,
21 And rings, and jewels hanging on the forehead,
22 And changes of apparel, and short cloaks, and fine linen, and crisping pins,
23 And looking-glasses, and lawns, and headbands, and fine veils.
24 And instead of a sweet smell there shall be stench, and instead of a girdle, a cord, and instead of curled hair, baldness, and instead of a stomacher, haircloth.
25 Thy fairest men also shall fall by the sword, and thy valiant ones in battle.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she shall sit desolate on the ground.

subset: commoncrawl


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Yu Shen, Ph.D.
Chair ad interim
- Departments, Labs and Institutes
- Departments and Divisions
- Biostatistics
Join us! Click here to view open faculty positions with the Biostatistics department.
The Biostatistics department at MD Anderson:
- Enhances the scientific excellence of MD Anderson research through outstanding statistical designs and methods, including the proper and efficient use of standard and cutting-edge methods, as well as the development of novel innovative methods
- Provides biostatistical collaboration, consultation and quantitative research resources to clinical, diagnostic, laboratory, population, and prevention scientists, and engages in the planning, conduct, analysis, quality assurance, and interpretation of research studies
- Trains and mentors the next generation of biostatisticians through an innovative and relevant curriculum and through exposure to unique data sets, the latest research methodology and findings, and state-of-the-art computing technology
- To provide biostatistical leadership in the institution and the larger cancer research community regarding the proper and innovative design and analysis of clinical, diagnostic, laboratory, population, and prevention studies
- To develop innovative clinical trial designs that most efficiently utilize the available information from a trial, protect patients within the trial from excessive toxicity or ineffective treatments, and provide patients with the best possible treatment within a particular trial. These include Bayesian monitoring strategies, improved dose-finding strategies, adaptive randomization, and improved screening designs.
- To develop innovative methods for analyzing data resulting from collaborative cancer research studies, including standard outcomes such as survival, response, symptoms, and quality of life measures, as well as complex data from emerging technologies, including high-dimensional genomics data and imaging data. Methods for data mining, adaptive learning, and integrating information across multiple platforms in the context of personalized medicine are currently being developed.
- To ensure that MD Anderson studies are properly designed to reach their intended goals, that they are sufficiently powered, and that the design and analyses appropriately control and adjust for confounding factors
- To provide biostatistical collaborative support for clinical trials, including diagnostic, therapeutic, translational, and prevention studies. This support includes the design, interim monitoring, final analysis, report, and proper interpretation of study results in collaboration with the principal investigator and co-investigators.
- To provide outstanding statistical analyses for MD Anderson research studies, including the proper use of standard and cutting-edge methods in an efficient fashion to maximize power for discoveries while appropriately controlling type I errors and false discoveries
- To develop and participate in inter-institutional graduate academic programs in biostatistics
- To provide educational programs in biostatistical literacy and principles for non-quantitative research scientists and clinicians
Educational Programs
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As technology continues to disrupt the business world, more and more companies are reinventing themselves to stay ahead of the trend. This often involves delving into the world of mergers & acquisitions.
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READ MOREAccording to The Ocean Cleanup foundation, there are five offshore plastic 'zones' in our world's oceans. The largest, known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, was first discovered in 1997 by Charles Moore and is located between Hawaii and California.
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To see just how challenging the event was, we have visualised how many calories he would have burned during his swim in this fun interactive.
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Earlier this year, it was reported that Britain has 'the worst diet in Europe' and that our consumption of highly-processed junk food is four times greater than countries such as Greece, Italy and France.
2017 was the year of big brand bust-ups. Do you remember all these brand mistakes shaking the stock market?
This was the first ever purchase in cryptocurrency history. May 22nd is now 'Bitcoin Pizza Day' in celebration of the event, and is used as a milestone to track Bitcoin's growth. So, how many pizzas could you buy with 10,000 Bitcoin today?
How well do you know these entrepreneurial families? Here at FXTM we have researched all of the businesses these entrepreneurial families have either founded, invested in, or served on the board of and mapped them out in this fun infographic.
A comparison of MetaTrader 4 vs 5, understanding the difference each platform has. Time Frames, Pending Orders, MQL4 & MQL5 and more.
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Trump and Brexit have sent their respective nations, and the world, into widespread uncertainty of what the future holds, and this infographic details the initial and reactive short-term impact, as well as delving into what is expected in the long-term.
At the tail end of 2016, we were incredibly proud to see Valery Rozov break yet another BASE jumping world record, jumping from the highest exit point of Cho Oyu in China, at over 25,000 feet. We share similar dedication and focus in what we do at FXTM, and gladly sponsored the extreme sporting legend throughout his #FXTMbasejump journey.
There are more than just language barriers to overcome when conducting business or dealing with colleagues or suppliers internationally however, and business etiquette is of the utmost importance. We've detailed exactly what you need to know around the world in our infographic below – from presenting your pristine business cards with two hands in China and Japan, and passing documents with your right hand in the United Arab Emirates.
Many of us rely on a coffee to get us going in the morning. There's certainly a demand for it, and millions of people seem more than happy to pay for the convenience, but buying a coffee from your local coffee shop every morning can seriously add up. This infographic shows how much are we spending on luxury items and services every year, and how much could we potentially save if we didn't.


text: Messer has developed the DuoCondex process for waste gas cleaning. This involves the flow of waste gas being conducted through special condensers that are cooled with liquid nitrogen. The extremely cold temperatures of the liquid nitrogen (minus 196 degrees Celsius) cause the harmful substances to be frozen out in the condensers, allowing them to be separated from the waste gas flow. When the condensers are frozen over, they are heated, causing the harmful substances to melt and flow into a container in liquid form. They are then disposed of. The liquid nitrogen that is used to cool a DuoCondex unit's condensers vaporises in the apparatus and exits the unit in a gaseous state. The gas can then be easily conducted into the shredder, where it acts as a protective gas, virtually eliminating the risk of fire or explosion. This is necessary because an increasing number of refrigerators using pentane-foamed insulation are also being processed. Pentane-foamed insulating materials are environmentally friendly and are now being used in place of CFC materials. These refrigerators therefore account for a constantly increasing percentage of appliances being recycled. However, pentane is flammable and requires effective protection against fire and explosion.


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3D paving in the land of fire, ice
Chapter 1: Introduction
Author: Karina Lumholt, December 2016
Otherworldly. Raw. Awe-inspiring.
These are the words tourists use to describe Iceland's unique landscapes. Visitors in unprecedented numbers flock to the "Land of Fire and Ice" called so because of the country's location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create some of the world's most active volcanos and the largest glaciers left in Europe.
After the economic meltdown in 2008, the blossoming tourism industry has played a pivotal role in the country's gradual economic recovery. Tourism has overtaken fishing in economic value and accounts for 45 per cent of all new jobs created since 2010.
Inspired by Nature is indeed the slogan that greets visitors arriving at Keflavík Airport (KEF).
The number of tourists visiting Iceland has increased by more than 30 per cent from 2015 to 2016. As the country's economy gains in strength, Icelanders, too, are once again travelling. Airlines are continuing to introduce new routes to Keflavík Airport, and there is no sign of slowing down.
Story: 3D paving in the land of fire, ice
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Renewing a busy airport
Chapter 3: Taking on the great outdoors


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Born on July 20, 1829 in Aix-la-Chapelle, Joseph Jansen spent most of his early years as a student at the Academy of Dusseldorf. Jansen is known for his extensive landscapes depicting views of the Alps and of the scenery and towns along the Rhine and the Moselle.
His important canvases are often of a grand scale and combine many elements that are typically focal points for other, less important, works by the artist. It was his ability to combine all the elements so convincingly, that made him one of the better landscape artists of the period.
Jansen continued to capture the beautiful landscapes of his homeland on canvas throughout his lifetime.


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Soy Free Nut Free Gluten Free
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On June 28, 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were murdered by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. The assassination set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of the First World War. Below is a discussion of those events by the great libertarian historian Ralph Raico. The below originally appeared in his important book, Great Wars and Great Leaders: A Libertarian Rebuttal. - RW
And the War Came
By Ralph Raico
The immediate origins of the 1914 war lie in the twisted politics of t.he Kingdom of Serbia.[1] In June, 1903, Serbian army officers murdered their king and queen in the palace and threw their bodies out a window, at the same time massacring various royal relations, cabinet ministers, and members of the palace guards. It was an act that horrified and disgusted many in the civilized world. The military clique replaced the pro-Austrian Obrenović dynasty with the anti-Austrian Karageorgevices. The new government pursued a pro-Russian, Pan-Slavist policy, and a network of secret societies sprang up, closely linked to
the government, whose goal was the "liberation" of the Serb subjects of Austria (and Turkey), and perhaps the other South Slavs as well.
The man who became prime minister, Nicolas Pašiƒá, aimed at the creation of a Greater Serbia, necessarily at the expense of Austria-Hungary. The Austrians felt, correctly, that the cession of their Serb-inhabited lands, and maybe even the lands inhabited by the other South Slavs, would set off the unraveling of the great multinational Empire. For Austria-Hungary, Serbian designs posed a mortal danger.
The Russian ambassador Hartwig worked closely with Pašiƒá and cultivated connections with some of the secret societies. The upshot of the two Balkan Wars which he promoted was that Serbia more than doubled in size and threatened Austria-Hungary not only politically but militarily as well. Sazonov, the Russian Foreign Minister, wrote to Hartwig, "Serbia has only gone through the first stage of her historic road and for the attainment of her goal must still endure a terrible struggle in which her whole existence may be at stake." Sazonov went on, as indicated above, to direct Serbian expansion to the lands of Austria-Hungary, for which Serbia would have to wage "the future inevitable struggle."[2]
The nationalist societies stepped up their activities, not only within Serbia, but also in the Austrian provinces of Bosnia and Hercegovina. The most radical of these groups was Union or Death, popularly known as the Black Hand. It was led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrieviƒá, called Apis, who also happened to be the head of Royal Serbian Military Intelligence. Apis was a veteran of the slaughter of his own king and queen in 1903, as well as of a number of other political murder plots. "He was quite possibly the foremost European expert in regicide of his time."[3] One of his close contacts was Colonel Artamonov, the Russian military attaché in Belgrade.
The venerable emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, Franz Josef, who had come to the throne in 1848, clearly had not much longer to live. His nephew and heir, Franz Ferdinand, was profoundly concerned by the wrenching ethnic problems of the Empire and sought their solution in some great structural reform, either in the direction of federalism for the various national groups, or else "trialism," the creation of a third, Slavic component of the Empire, alongside the Germans and the Magyars. Since such a concession would mean the ruin of any program for a Greater Serbia, Franz Ferdinand was a natural target for assassination by the Black Hand.[4]
In the spring of 1914, Serbian nationals who were agents of the Black Hand recruited a team of young Bosnian fanatics for the job. The youths were trained in Belgrade and provided with guns, bombs, guides (also Serbian nationals) to help them cross the border, and cyanide for after their mission was accomplished. Prime Minister Pašiƒá learned of the plot, informed his cabinet, and made ineffectual attempts to halt it, including conveying a veiled, virtually meaningless warning to an Austrian official in Vienna. (It is also likely that the Russian attaché Artamonov knew of the plot.[5]) No clear message of the sort that might have prevented the assassination was forwarded to the Austrians. On June 28, 1914, the plot proved a brilliant success, as 19 year old Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in the streets of Sarajevo.
In Serbia, Princip was instantly hailed as a hero, as he was also in post-World War I Yugoslavia, where the anniversary of the murders was celebrated as a national and religious holiday. A marble tablet was dedicated at the house in front of which the killings took place. It was inscribed: "On this historic spot, on 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip proclaimed freedom."[6] In his history of the First World War, Winston Churchill wrote of Princip that "he died in prison, and a monument erected in recent years by his fellow-countrymen records his infamy, and their own."[7]
In Vienna, in that summer of 1914, the prevalent mood was much less Belgrade's celebration of the deed than Churchill's angry contempt. This atrocity was the sixth in less than four years and strong evidence of the worsening Serbian danger, leading the Austrians to conclude that the continued existence of an expansionist Serbia posed an unacceptable threat to the Habsburg monarchy. An ultimatum would be drawn up containing demands that Serbia would be compelled to reject, giving Austria an excuse to attack. In the end, Serbia would be destroyed, probably divided up among its neighbors (Austria, which did not care to have more disaffected South Slavs as subjects, would most likely abstain from the partition). Obviously, Russia might choose to intervene. However, this was a risk the Austrians were prepared to take, especially after they received a "blank check" from Kaiser Wilhelm to proceed with whatever measures they thought necessary. In the past, German support of Austria had forced the Russians to back down.
Scholars have now available to them the diary of Kurt Riezler, private secretary to the German Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg. From this and other documents it becomes clear that Bethmann Hollweg's position in the July crisis was a complex one. If Austria were to vanish as a power, Germany would be threatened by rampant Pan-Slavism supported by growing Russian power in the east and by French revanchism in the west. By prompting the Austrians to attack Serbia immediately, he hoped that the conflict would be localized and the Serbian menace nullified. The Chancellor, too, understood that the Central Powers were risking a continental war. But he believed that if Austria acted swiftly presenting Europe with "a rapid fait accompli," the war could be confined to the Balkans, and "the intervention of third parties [avoided] as much as possible." In this way, the German-Austrian alliance could emerge with a stunning political victory that might split the Entente and crack Germany's "encirclement."[8]
But the Austrians procrastinated, and the ultimatum was delivered to Serbia only on July 23. When Sazonov, in St. Petersburg, read it, he burst out: "C'est la guerre européenne!" — "It is the European war!" The Russians felt they could not leave Serbia once again in the lurch, after having failed to prevent the Austrian annexation of Bosnia-Hercegovina or to obtain a seaport for Serbia after the Second Balkan War. Sazonov told a cabinet meeting on July 24 that abandoning Serbia would mean betraying Russia's "historic mission" as the protector of the South Slavs, and also reduce Russia to the rank of a second-rate power.[9]
On July 25, the Russian leaders decided to institute what was known in their plans as "The period preparatory to war," the prelude to all-out mobilization. Directed against both of the Central Powers, this "set in train a whole succession of military measures along the Austrian and German frontiers."[10] Back in the 1920s, Sidney Fay had already cited the testimony of a Serbian military officer, who, in traveling from Germany to Russia on July 28, found no military measures underway on the German side of the border, while in Russian Poland "mobilization steps [were] being taken on a grand scale." "These secret 'preparatory measures,'" commented Fay, "enabled Russia, when war came, to surprise the world by the rapidity with which she poured her troops into East Prussia and Galicia."[11] In Paris, too, the military chiefs began taking preliminary steps to general mobilization as early as July 25.[12]
On July 28, Austria declared war on Serbia. The French ambassador in St. Petersburg, Maurice Paléologue, most likely with the support of Poincaré, urged the Russians on to intransigence and general mobilization. In any case, Poincaré had given the Russians their own "blank check" in 1912, when he assured them that "if Germany supported Austria [in the Balkans], France would march."[13]Following the (rather ineffectual) Austrian bombardment of Belgrade, the Tsar was finally persuaded on July 30 to authorize general mobilization, to the delight of the Russian generals (the decree was momentarily reversed, but then confirmed, finally). Nicholas II had no doubt as to what that meant: "Think of what awful responsibility you are advising me to take! Think of the thousands and thousands of men who will be sent to their deaths!"[14] In a very few years the Tsar himself, his family, and his servants would be shot to death by the Bolsheviks.
What had gone wrong? James Joll wrote, "The Austrians had believed that vigorous action against Serbia and a promise of German support would deter Russia; the Russians had believed that a show of strength against Austria would both check the Austrians and deter Germany. In both cases, the bluff had been called."[15] Russia — and, through its support of Russia, France — as well as Austria and Germany, was quite willing to risk war in July, 1914.
As the conflict appeared more and more inevitable, in all the capitals the generals clamored for their contingency plans to be put into play. The best-known was the Schlieffen Plan, drawn up some years before, which governed German strategy in case of a two-front war. It called for concentrating forces against France for a quick victory in the west, and then transporting the bulk of the army to the eastern front via the excellent German railway system, to meet and vanquish the slow-moving (it was assumed) Russians. Faced with Russian mobilization and the evident intention of attacking Austria, the Germans activated the Schlieffen Plan. It was, as Sazonov had cried out, the European War.[16]
On July 31, the French cabinet, acceding to the demand of the head of the army, General Joffre, authorized general mobilization. The next day, the German ambassador to St. Petersburg, Portalès, called on the Russian Foreign Minister. After asking him four times whether Russia would cancel mobilization and receiving each time a negative reply, Portalès presented Sazonov with Germany's declaration of war. The German ultimatum to France was a formality. On August 3, Germany declared war on France as well.[17]
The question of "war-guilt" has been endlessly agitated.[18] It can be stated with assurance that Fischer and his followers have in no way proven their case. That, for instance, Helmut Moltke, head of the German Army, like Conrad, his counterpart in Vienna, pressed for a preventive war has long been known. But both military chieftains were kept in check by their superiors. In any case, there is no evidence whatsoever that Germany in 1914 deliberately unleashed a European war which it had been preparing for years — no evidence in the diplomatic and internal political documents, in the military planning, in the activities of the intelligence agencies, or in the relations between the German and Austrian General Staffs.[19]
Karl Dietrich Erdmann, put the issue well:
Peace could have been preserved in 1914, had Berchtold, Sazonov, Bethmann-Hollweg, Poincaré, [British Foreign Secretary] Grey, or one of the governments concerned, so sincerely wanted it that they were willing to sacrifice certain political ideas, traditions, and conceptions, which were not their own personal ones, but those of their peoples and their times.[20]
This sober judgment throws light on the faulty assumptions of sympathizers with the Fischer approach. John W. Langdon, for instance, concedes that any Russian mobilization "would have required an escalatory response from Germany." He adds, however, that to expect Russia not to mobilize "when faced with an apparent Austrian determination to undermine Serbian sovereignty and alter the Balkan power balance was to expect the impossible." Thus, Langdon exculpates Russia because Austria "seemed bent on a course of action clearly opposed to Russian interests in eastern Europe."[21] True enough — but Russia "seemed bent" on using Serbia to oppose Austrian interests (the Austrian interest in survival), and France "seemed bent" on giving full support to Russia, and so on. This is what historians meant when they spoke of shared responsibility for the onset of the First World War.
Britain still has to be accounted for. With the climax of the crisis, Prime Minister Asquith and Foreign Secretary Edward Grey were in a quandary. While the Entente cordiale was not a formal alliance, secret military conversations between the general staffs of the two nations had created certain expectations and even definite obligations. Yet, aside from high military circles and, of course, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, no one in Britain was rabid for war. Luckily for the British leaders, the Germans came to their rescue. The success of the attack on France that was the linchpin of the Schlieffen Plan depended above all on speed. This could only be achieved, it was thought, by infringing the neutrality of Belgium. "The obligation to defend Belgian neutrality was incumbent on all the signatories to the 1839 treaty acting collectively, and this had been the view adopted by the [British] cabinet only a few days previously. But now Britain presented itself as Belgium's sole guarantor" (emphasis added).[22] Ignoring (or perhaps ignorant of) the crucial precondition of collective action among the guarantors, and with the felicity of expression customary among German statesmen of his time, Bethmann Hollweg labeled the Belgian neutrality treaty "a scrap of paper."[23] Grey, addressing the House of Commons, referred to the invasion of Belgium as "the direst crime that ever stained the pages of history."[24]
The violation of non-belligerent Belgium's territory, though deplorable, was scarcely unprecedented in the annals of great powers. In 1807, units of the British navy entered Copenhagen harbor, bombarded the city, and seized the Danish fleet. At the time, Britain was at peace with Denmark, which was a neutral in the Napoleonic wars. The British claimed that Napoleon was about to invade Denmark and seize the fleet himself. As they explained in a manifesto to the people of Copenhagen, Britain was acting not only for its own survival but for the freedom of all peoples.
As the German navy grew in strength, calls were heard in Britain "to Copenhagen" the German fleet, from Sir John Fischer, First Sea Lord, and even from Arthur Lee, First Lord of the Admiralty. They were rejected, and England took the path of outbuilding the Germans in the naval arms race. But the willingness of high British authorities to act without scruple on behalf of perceived vital national interests did not go unnoticed in Germany.[25] When the time came, the Germans acted harshly towards neutral Belgium, though sparing the Belgians lectures on the freedom of mankind. Ironically, by 1916, the king of Greece was protesting the seizure of Greek territories by the Allies; like Belgium, the neutrality of Corfu had been guaranteed by the powers. His protests went unheeded.[26]
The invasion of Belgium was merely a pretext for London.[27] This was clear to John Morley, as he witnessed the machinations of Grey and the war party in the cabinet. In the last act of authentic English liberalism, Lord Morley, biographer of Cobden and Gladstone and author of the tract, On Compromise, upholding moral principles in politics, handed in his resignation.[28]
Britain's entry into the war was crucial. In more ways than one, it sealed the fate of the Central Powers. Without Britain in the war, the United States would never have gone in.
[1] For this discussion, see especially Albertini, Origins, vol. 2, pp. 1–119 and Joachim Remak, Sarajevo: The Story of a Political Murder (New York: Criterion, 1959), pp. 43–78 and passim.
[2] Albertini, Origins, vol. 1, p. 486.
[3] Remak, Sarajevo, p. 50.
[4] Albertini, Origins, vol. 2, p. 17: "among Serb nationalists and the Southern Slavs who drew their inspiration from Belgrade he was regarded as their worst enemy."
[5] Ibid., vol. 2, p. 86.
[6] Ibid., vol. 2, p. 47 n. 2. A Yugoslav historian of the crime, Vladimir Dedijer, strongly sympathized with the assassins, who in his view committed an act of "tyrannicide," "for the common good, on the basis of the teachings of natural law." See his The Road to Sarajevo (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1966), p. 446.
[7] Winston S. Churchill, The World Crisis, vol. 6 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932), p. 54.
[8] Konrad H. Jarausch, "The Illusion of Limited War: Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg's Calculated Risk, July 1914," Central European History, vol. 2, no. 1 (March 1969), pp. 60–61; Turner, Origins, p. 98; also Lafore, The Long Fuse, p. 217: "it was hoped and expected that no general European complications would follow, but if they did, Germany was prepared to face them."
[9] Remak, Origins, p. 135.
[10] L. C. F. Turner, "The Russian Mobilization in 1914," Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 3, no. 1 (January 1968), pp. 75–76.
[11] Fay, Origins, vol. 2, p. 321 n. 98.
[12] Turner, "Russian Mobilization," p. 82. By 1914 the French general staff had grown optimistic sbout the outcome of a war with Germany. With the French army strengthened and Russian support guaranteed, in French military circles, as in German, "there was a sense that if war was to come to Europe, better now … than later." Strachan, The First World War. To Arms, p. 93.
[13] Albertini, Origins, vol. 2, pp. 587–89, vol. 3, pp. 80–85; Turner, Origins, p. 41.
[14] Turner, "Russian Mobilization," pp. 85–86, Turner described this as "perhaps the most important decision taken in the history of Imperial Russia."
[15] Joll, Origins, p. 23, also pp. 125–26.
[16] L. C. F. Turner, "The Significance of the Schlieffen Plan," in Paul M. Kennedy, ed., The War Plans of the Great Powers, 1880–1914 (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1979), pp. 199–221.
[17] S. L. A. Marshall, World War I (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964), pp. 39–42
[18] See Remak, Origins, pp. 132–41 for a fairly persuasive allocation of "national responsibility."
[19] Egmont Zechlin, "July 1914: Reply to a Polemic," pp. 371–85. Geiss, for instance, in German Foreign Policy,pp. 142–45, wildly misinterpreted the meaning of the German "war council" of December 8, 1912, when he painted it as the initiation of the "plan" that was finally realized with Germany's "unleashing" of war in 1914. See Erwin Hölzle, Die Entmachtung Europas: Das Experiment des Friedens vor und im Ersten Weltkrieg(Göttingen: Musterschmidt, 1975), pp. 178–83; also Koch, "Introduction," pp. 12–13; and Turner, Origins, p. 49. See also the important article by Ulrich Trumpener, "War Premeditated? German Intelligence Operations in July 1914," Central European History, vol. 9, no. 1 (March 1976), pp. 58–85. Among Trumpener's findings are that there is no evidence of "any significant changes in the sleepy routine" of the German General Staff even after the German "blank check" to Austria, and that the actions of the German military chiefs until the last week of July suggest that, though war with Russia was considered a possibility, it was regarded as "not really all that likely" (Moltke, as well as the head of military intelligence, did not return to Berlin from their vacations until July 25).
[20] Karl Dietrich Erdmann, "War Guilt 1914 Reconsidered," p. 369.
[21] Langdon, July 1914, p. 181, emphasis in original.
[22] Strachan, The First World War. To Arms, p. 97.
[23] What Bethmann Hollweg actually told the British ambassador was somewhat less shocking: "Can this neutrality which we violate only out of necessity, fighting for our very existence … really provide the reason for a world war? Compared to the disaster of such a holocaust does not the significance of this neutrality dwindle into a scrap of paper?" Jarausch, "The Illusion of Limited War," p. 71.
[24] Marshall, World War I, p. 52.
[25] Jonathan Steinberg, "The Copenhagen Complex," Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 1, no. 3 (July 1966), pp. 23–46.
[26] H. C. Peterson, Propaganda for War: The Campaign against American Neutrality, 1914–1917 (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1939), pp. 45–46.
[27] Joll, Origins, p. 115, attributed Grey's lying to the public and to Parliament to the British democratic system, which "forces ministers to be devious and disingenuous." Joll added that more recent examples were Franklin Roosevelt in 1939–41 and Lyndon Johnson in the Vietnam War. A democratic leader "who is himself convinced that circumstances demand entry into a war, often has to conceal what he is doing from those who have elected him."
[28] John Morley, Memorandum on Resignation (New York: Macmillan, 1928). In the discussions before the fateful decision was taken, Lord Morley challenged the cabinet: "Have you ever thought what will happen if Russia wins?" Tsarist Russia "will emerge pre-eminent in Europe." Lloyd George admitted that he had never thought of that.


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Friday, September 6, 2013
Sharon Olds
I have heard about the civilized,
the marriages run on talk, elegant and honest, rational. But you and I are
savages. You come in with a bag,
hold it out to me in silence.
I know Moo Shu Pork when I smell it
and understand the message: I have
pleased you greatly last night. We sit
quietly, side by side, to eat,
the long pancakes dangling and spilling,
fragrant sauce dripping out,
and glance at each other askance, wordless,
the corners of our eyes clear as spear points
laid along the sill to show
a friend sits with a friend here.
Sharon Olds
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A stunning performance from Claudio Pizarro was merely the highlight of an exceptional Bayern Munich, who recorded their 10th Bundesliga victory in style with an 9-2 destruction of sorry Hamburg. The Peruvian notched his first four goals of the season in the Allianz Arena as HSV folded without fight, while Xerdan Shaqiri, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben's double added to the humiliation for the hapless visitors who had a late shout thanks to Jeffrey Bruma and Heike Westermann.
While Borussia Dortmund's last-gasp victory meant that Bayern could not be crowned champions in March, Jupp Heynckes' men nevertheless knew that another win would leave the claiming of the Bundesliga title as little more than a formality in coming weeks. With that in mind, and despite resting several first-team players, Die Roten gave an exhibition of football as they destroyed HSV from the first whistle.
With just six minutes on the clock, and after a slightly nervous start, Bayern were on the board. Hamburg's defence were complicit in the strike as they stood off first the advancing Toni Kroos, and then Xerdan Shaqiri; the Switzerland international made them pay with a brilliant left-foot shot that flew low past Rene Adler and inside the post. The visitors briefly raised hopes of coming back with a wicked effort from Heung-Min Son that was saved by Manuel Neuer – but there was no slowing down the rampant hosts.
The Hamburg backline did well to deny Robben, who was waiting to convert Pizarro's low cross, but later let themselves down. A quick corner was nodded in by Bastian Schweinsteiger, criminally unmarked. The floodgates were now well and truly open; Claudio Pizarro was the next man to make the scoresheet, again from a quickly-taken corner, converting Javi Martinez's flick on to record his first goal of the season.
The Peruvian had been used only sporadically for Bayern throughout 2012-13, but he was enjoying immensely a rare start in the Allianz Arena. A perfectly-timed backheel completed an exchange with Robben, and the Netherlands star did not let his side down as he fired the return into the corner of the net, giving Adler no chance to save. Hamburg were reeling, four down within little more than 30 minutes, but Bayern were in no mood to let up.
A clinical move from the Bundesliga leaders left Shaqiri free in the box and, although the forward could not add his second with an effort off the post, Pizarro was on hand to tap in and put Die Roten 5-0 ahead, entering the dressing room to rapturous applause at half-time.
Bayern could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the accelerator after such an electric half, but there was no sign Hamburg would be spared further humiliation as they continued to rain in goals. A brilliant burst from Robben down the right left Heiko Westermann standing, and his cross was turned in with a cheeky backheel from Pizarro as 'El Conquistador' celebrated his hat-trick. The Peruvian turned provider just seconds later; chasing down Bruma deep in the Hamburg half, Claudio took the ball cleanly and unselfishly laid off to Robben, who chipped over Adler for the seventh of the evening.
Substitutes Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller were determined to join in the festivities, and combined perfectly to tee up Pizarro for a fourth and continue the rout; although Jeffrey Bruma at least hit a consolation late on, the goal only spurred a furious Bayern to restart their offensive and hit again through Ribery. Heike Westermann hit for a second HSV strike, but it did little to dull the party for Die Roten as they completed a sensational win.
With seven games left in the season, Bayern need just two points to ensure their crowning as Bundesliga champions, wresting the title of Dortmund after two consecutive runner-up finishes.


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We've heard from Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that the technical aspect of building a Windows Azure application is sometimes the easier part. Coming up with the business strategy and transitioning a traditional company to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is often more challenging. My team, part of the Developer and Platform Evangelist (DPE) organization, works with ISVs who are building on Windows Azure. We've been talking to our early adopter ISVs to see what they're doing and how they're mitigating the risks. We've found some interesting trends, which I highlighted in a session at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) last month. Here's a recap.
The first trend involves organizational structure. Rather than change from within, many partners create entirely new entities to pursue SaaS, whether to isolate and reduce conflict between the new and established business, or to hire new for the right skill set. We're seeing this all over the world from all types of ISVs, and even systems integrators (SIs) who are becoming ISVs. For example one of our global ISVs, MetraTech, who is a leader in on-premises billing software, recently launched Metanga, a dedicated multi-tenant, cloud-based billing service on Windows Azure. There are many other examples; here are just a few:
- UK: eTVMedia creates Enteraction, which enables businesses to "gamify" their applications
- Brazil: Connectt creates Zubit, which enables online brand managers to monitor social sites
- Mexico: Netmark creates WhooGoo, an online content and game platform for tweens.
The second trend focuses on packaging and pricing. Many ISVs evolve their businesses from within and restructure, retrain and hire new employees to succeed with SaaS. But because per-user, per-month subscription pricing can have a dramatic impact on traditional sales, billing, accounting and more, ISVs sometimes package and price their SaaS apps to mirror traditional on-premise pricing as closely as possible. For example, Xterprise built a new SaaS version of their RFID inventory solution. However, pricing for the SaaS app still uses an upfront license fee. There's also an annual fee for support and maintenance – billed upfront. The main value for customer is not cost reduction, though there is some. Rather it's a light footprint, ease of delivery and no need for IT on site. For Xterprise it's essentially just a new SKU, with billing that is largely consistent with their on premise solution. Win, win.
My WPC panel session focused on three ISVs using the approaches above. David MacLaren, CEO of VRX Studios and MediaValet, had an existing business focused exclusively on the hospitality industry. When their new Windows Azure-based digital asset management solution began getting interest from diverse customers, his existing sales force didn't have the expertise to effectively field requests that weren't coming from hotels. He created a spinoff for MediaValet and hired new sales people. The spinoff now has the right sales and marketing personnel to serve a much more diverse customer base than the parent company, but it can still tap into VRX Studios for important resources. such as C-level executives, who split their time between the two companies. The spinoff also benefits by receiving free cash flow from the parent company, and sharing office space.
Markus Eilers, CEO of runtime and pulsd, is another example of creating a spinoff to market and sell a Windows Azure-based app. The parent company offers CRM and business processsolutions for medium sized businesses. pulsd was designed to reach the smallest SMBs. As a result, the direct sales approach they had been using was no longer tenable. They had to switch to marketing driven demand generation. By creating a spinoff, Markus was able to hire the right talent, including a new brand agency that helped create a good looking, easily navigable web site for effective digital marketing. Another important factor leading to the spinoff was the rapid update cycle of their SaaS apps. The requirements for rapid almost continuous updates had profound effects on developers, engineering and marketing. It required a very different approach from the parent company. Quite simply, it was easier to start anew than to change from within.
On the other hand, DMTI Spatial is changing their company from within. They provide digital mapping data and Geographic Information System (GIS) software to large enterprises in Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance and the Public Sector. They have already moved their flagship address recognition application, LocationHub, to Windows Azure, and they intend to move several more. Arthur Berrill, VP Technology explained that it hasn't been easy. The sales force was very concerned with LocationHub moving to the cloud. Used to very large deals with very large commissions, they wondered how they could make money on the SaaS version. Additionally, accounting and billing asked how they could possibly bill for each transaction. So the company decided to price primarily through large blocks of transactions, billed up front. Think of it as a massive prepaid phone card. The result mirrors the billing size and frequency from the previous LocationHub and minimizes the needed internal change.
For those of you embarking on building SaaS apps on Windows Azure or advising ISVs that do so, here are some business strategy questions to consider:
- What customers will the SaaS applications serve? The same? New?
- What are the goals with the existing traditional on premise business? Keep it going? Retire it?
- How will the new applications be priced? Different or similar to the existing business?
DMTI Spatial serves the same customer base with the new version of LocationHub. They want to migrate each and every existing customer to this new version and retire the existing non-SaaS version within 2 years. And they're currently pricing in a very similar manner to traditional software licensing. As a result, they didn't need to create a separate entity, but rather re-organized the company to align to the new goals and focused on internal change management to be successful.
With their new internal tool, MediaValet evolved to a product when they discovered external interest. It then logically evolved into a separate entity because it was focusing on a much broader customer base. Their existing team at VRX Studios, focused squarely on hospitality customers, couldn't meet the needs of the new customers. With pulsd, they went from serving medium enterprises to very small businesses, which required marketing led demand generation instead of direct sales. Additionally, their pricing is dramatically different, using a freemium model – free entry-level apps, with fee-based versions after a certain threshold. As a result, the "learn, try, buy" experience is entirely self-serve. Lastly, their rapid product iterations had internal ripple effects but especially for engineering and marketing. Both VRX Studios and runtime created new entities in order to successfully pursue the opportunities created by their Windows Azure applications.
I think what our ISV's are doing with Windows Azure is very interesting. and demonstrates that the cloud is definitely not just a technical decision. Stay tuned; I'll continue to share things we learn and trends we're seeing with ISVs using Windows Azure to grow their business. Also check out case studies on these panelists: VRX Studios, runtime, DMTI Spatial.
Yvonne Muench, Group Manager, Azure ISV Market Insights
Azure ISV Incubation Team, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group
Yvonne's team provides business and technical readiness and co-marketing support to ISVs building on the Windows Azure platform; the team also provides research and insights about those ISVs.


text:
ExtraBITS for 26 November 2012
A pair of articles from Macworld seek to remove the confusion from Apple's Fusion Drive.
Macworld Investigates the Fusion Drive — Apple's new Fusion Drive — a combination of a standard solid-state drive and a normal hard drive — is an interesting beast, promising most of the performance improvements of an SSD along with the capacious size of a hard drive at a reasonable price. James Galbraith of Macworld extracts the Fusion Drive from a new Mac mini to discover exactly what Apple has done. Be sure to read the comments (from the bottom up), where readers are sharing useful information.
Make Your Own Fusion Drive — Macworld has posted an article by Albert Filice explaining how to create your own Fusion Drive from a normal hard drive and an SSD. It's not difficult if you're comfortable working in Terminal, but be sure you have full backups before you start, because the process will erase both drives.


text:
Isaiah 13
Isaiah 13:1-22 . THE THIRTEENTH THROUGH TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTERS CONTAIN PROPHECIES AS TO FOREIGN NATIONS.--THE THIRTEENTH, FOURTEENTH, AND TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTERS AS TO BABYLON AND ASSYRIA.
The predictions as to foreign nations are for the sake of the covenant people, to preserve them from despair, or reliance on human confederacies, and to strengthen their faith in God: also in order to extirpate narrow-minded nationality: God is Jehovah to Israel, not for Israel's sake alone, but that He may be thereby Elohim to the nations. These prophecies are in their right chronological place, in the beginning of Hezekiah's reign; then the nations of Western Asia, on the Tigris and Euphrates, first assumed a most menacing aspect.
1. burden--weighty or mournful prophecy [GROTIUS]. Otherwise, simply, the prophetical declaration, from a Hebrew root to put forth with the voice anything, as in Numbers 23:7 [MAURER].
of Babylon--concerning Babylon.
2. Lift . . . banner--( Isaiah 5:26 , 11:10 ).
the high mountain--rather, "a bare (literally, "bald," that is, without trees) mountain"; from it the banner could be seen afar off, so as to rally together the peoples against Babylon.
unto them--unto the Medes ( Isaiah 13:17 ), the assailants of Babylon. It is remarkable that Isaiah does not foretell here the Jews' captivity in Babylon, but presupposes that event, and throws himself beyond, predicting another event still more future, the overthrow of the city of Israel's oppressors. It was now one hundred seventy-four years before the event.
shake . . . hand--beckon with the hand--wave the hand to direct the nations to march against Babylon.
nobles--Babylonian. Rather, in a bad sense, tyrants; as in Isaiah 14:5 , "rulers" in parallelism to "the wicked"; and Job 21:28 [MAURER].
3. sanctified ones--the Median and Persian soldiers solemnly set apart by Me for the destruction of Babylon, not inwardly "sanctified," but designated to fulfil God's holy purpose ( Jeremiah 51:27 Jeremiah 51:28 , Joel 3:9 Joel 3:11 ; where the Hebrew for prepare war is "sanctify" war).
for mine anger--to execute it.
rejoice in my highness--"Those who are made to triumph for My honor" [HORSLEY]. The heathen Medes could not be said to "rejoice in God's highness" MAURER translates, "My haughtily exulting ones" ( Zephaniah 3:11 ); a special characteristic of the Persians [HERODOTUS,1.88]. They rejoiced in their own highness, but it was His that they were unconsciously glorifying.
4. the mountains--namely, which separate Media and Assyria, and on one of which the banner to rally the hosts is supposed to be reared.
tumultuous noise--The Babylonians are vividly depicted as hearing some unwonted sound like the din of a host; they try to distinguish the sounds, but can only perceive a tumultuous noise.
nations--Medes, Persians, and Armenians composed Cyrus' army.
5. They--namely, "Jehovah," and the armies which are "the weapons of His indignation."
far country--Media and Persia, stretching to the far north and east.
end of heaven--the far east ( Psalms 19:6 ).
destroy--rather, "to seize" [HORSLEY].
6. day of the Lord--day of His vengeance on Babylon ( Isaiah 2:12 ). Type of the future "day of wrath" ( Revelation 6:17 ).
destruction--literally, "a devastating tempest."
from the Almighty--not from mere man; therefore irresistible. "Almighty," Hebrew, Shaddai.
7. faint . . . melt--So Jeremiah 50:43 ; compare Joshua 7:5 . Babylon was taken by surprise on the night of Belshazzar's impious feast ( Daniel 5:30 ). Hence the sudden fainting and melting of hearts.
8. pangs--The Hebrew means also a "messenger." HORSLEY, therefore, with the Septuagint translates, "The heralds (who bring word of the unexpected invasion) are terrified." MAURER agrees with English Version, literally, "they shall take hold of pangs and sorrows."
woman . . . travaileth--( 1 Thessalonians 5:3 ).
amazed--the stupid, bewildered gaze of consternation.
faces . . . flames--"their visages have the livid hue of flame" [HORSLEY]; with anguish and indignation.
9. cruel--not strictly, but unsparingly just; opposed to mercy. Also answering to the cruelty (in the strict sense) of Babylon towards others ( Isaiah 14:17 ) now about to be visited on itself.
the land--"the earth" [HORSLEY]. The language of Isaiah 13:9-13 can only primarily and partially apply to Babylon; fully and exhaustively, the judgments to come, hereafter, on the whole earth. Compare Isaiah 13:10 with Matthew 24:29 , Revelation 8:12 . The sins of Babylon, arrogancy ( Isaiah 13:11 , Isaiah 14:11 , Isaiah 47:7 Isaiah 47:8 ), cruelty, false worship ( Jeremiah 50:38 ), persecution of the people of God ( Isaiah 47:6 ), are peculiarly characteristic of the Antichristian world of the latter days ( Daniel 11:32-37 , Revelation 17:3 Revelation 17:6 , Revelation 18:6 Revelation 18:7 Revelation 18:9-14 Revelation 18:24 ).
10. stars, &c.--figuratively for anarchy, distress, and revolutions of kingdoms ( Isaiah 34:4 , Joel 2:10 , Ezekiel 32:7 Ezekiel 32:8 , Amos 8:9 , Revelation 6:12-14 ). There may be a literal fulfilment finally, shadowed forth under this imagery ( Revelation 21:1 ).
constellations--Hebrew, "a fool," or "impious one"; applied to the constellation Orion, which was represented as an impious giant (Nimrod deified, the founder of Babylon) chained to the sky.
11. world--the impious of the world (compare Isaiah 11:4 ).
arrogancy--Babylon's besetting sin ( Daniel 4:22 Daniel 4:30 ).
the terrible--rather, tyrants [HORSLEY].
12. man . . . precious--I will so cut off Babylon's defenders, that a single man shall be as rare and precious as the finest gold.
13. Image for mighty revolutions ( Isaiah 24:19 , 34:4 , Habakkuk 3:6 Habakkuk 3:10 , Haggai 2:6 Haggai 2:7 , Revelation 20:11 ).
14. it--Babylon.
roe--gazelle; the most timid and easily startled.
no man taketh up--sheep defenseless, without a shepherd ( Zechariah 13:7 ).
every man . . . to his own people--The "mingled peoples" of foreign lands shall flee out of her ( Jeremiah 50:16 Jeremiah 50:28 Jeremiah 50:37 , 51:9 ).
15. found--in the city.
joined--"intercepted" [MAURER]. "Every one that has withdrawn himself," namely, to hide in the houses [GESENIUS].
16. ( Psalms 137:8 Psalms 137:9 ).
17. Medes--( Isaiah 21:2 , Jeremiah 51:11 Jeremiah 51:28 ). At that time they were subject to Assyria; subsequently Arbaces, satrap of Media, revolted against the effeminate Sardanapalus, king of Assyria, destroyed Nineveh, and became king of Media, in the ninth century B.C.
not regard silver--In vain will one try to buy his life from them for a ransom. The heathen XENOPHON (Cyropædia, 5,1,10) represents Cyrus as attributing this characteristic to the Medes, disregard of riches. A curious confirmation of this prophecy.
18. bows--in the use of which the Persians were particularly skilled.
19. glory of kingdoms--( Isaiah 14:4 , 47:5 , Jeremiah 51:41 ).
beauty of . . . excellency--Hebrew, "the glory of the pride" of the Chaldees; it was their glory and boast.
as . . . Gomorrah--as utterly ( Jeremiah 49:18 , 50:40 , Amos 4:11 ). Taken by Cyrus, by clearing out the canal made for emptying the superfluous waters of the Euphrates, and directing the river into this new channel, so that he was able to enter the city by the old bed in the night.
20. Literally fulfilled.
neither . . . Arabian pitch tent--Not only shall it not be a permanent residence, but not even a temporary resting-place. The Arabs, through dread of evil spirits, and believing the ghost of Nimrod to haunt it, will not pass the night there (compare Isaiah 13:21 ).
neither . . . shepherds--The region was once most fertile; but owing to the Euphrates being now no longer kept within its former channels, it has become a stagnant marsh, unfit for flocks; and on the wastes of its ruins (bricks and cement) no grass grows.
21. wild beasts--Hebrew, tsiyim, animals dwelling in arid wastes. Wild cats, remarkable for their howl [BOCHART].
doleful creatures--"howling beasts," literally, "howlings" [MAURER].
owls--rather, "ostriches"; a timorous creature, delighting in solitary deserts and making a hideous noise [BOCHART].
satyrs--sylvan demi-gods--half man, half goat--believed by the Arabs to haunt these ruins; probably animals of the goat-ape species [VITRINGA]. Devil-worshippers, who dance amid the ruins on a certain night [J. WOLFF].
22. wild beasts of the islands--rather, "jackals"; called by the Arabs "sons of howling"; an animal midway between a fox and a wolf [BOCHART and MAURER].
cry--rather, "answer," "respond" to each other, as wolves do at night, producing a most dismal effect.
dragons--serpents of various species, which hiss and utter dolorous sounds. Fable gave them wings, because they stand with much of the body elevated and then dart swiftly. MAURER understands here another species of jackal.
her time . . . near--though one hundred seventy-four years distant, yet "near" to Isaiah, who is supposed to be speaking to the Jews as if now captives in Babylon ( Isaiah 14:1 Isaiah 14:2 ).


text:
Title: Untrainable
Author: Jamie Schlosser
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: December 13, 2018
It doesn't take much to become the laughing stock of reality
television. Just ask Theodore "Theo-Dog" Legend. Once you've pissed on a fire
hydrant in front of the paparazzi, no one ever lets you forget it.
Hadley Holiday is on her way to being America's sweetheart, thanks to
her dog training routine on a national talent show. Although she didn't win
first prize, she snagged Theo's attention and he'll do just about anything to
make her his—even if it means being the butt of everyone's joke once again.
Hadley wants a career in showbiz. Theo needs to get rid of that doggone
nickname—pun intended. Pairing the two together on a new show sounds like a
disaster waiting to happen... or it could be the best thing that's ever
happened to them.
Purchase Links
Free in Kindle Unlimited
"Okay. Change of plans—pie first,
cleaning later. I get weepy when I'm hanky."
"Hanky?" Theo
followed me to the kitchen.
"It's a
portmanteau." Walking over to the table, I removed the foil from the dish.
Steam billowed up, carrying the heavenly scent of apples and cinnamon with it.
"I'm sorry, a
what?" Sounding utterly confused, Theo went over to a small white coffee maker
next to the sink and punched a button. It sputtered for a few seconds before
the aroma filled the room.
He grabbed two
mismatching mugs from the cabinet. Setting them down, he leaned back against
the counter while he waited for me to explain.
"Blending two words
to make one," I said. "Hungry and cranky equals hanky."
"Isn't the term
"No, I don't think
that fits. I don't get mad," I clarified. "Just irritable."
"It's kinda like my
nickname, huh? Putting Theodore and dog together."
"Yeah, kind of like
that." I grimaced because he obviously wasn't a fan of the combination. "I'm
sure whoever came up with that thought they were being very clever."
"They probably got
"Well, I'm feeling
mighty humpy myself." When he said the word 'humpy', I could've sworn I saw his
pelvis do a slight thrust.
I almost fell over.
"Excuse me?"
He sent me a grin
that did funny things to my stomach. "Portmanteau. Hungry and grumpy. Humpy."
That was
inappropriate but also correct. I couldn't knock him for coming up with his own
word, even if it did draw my attention to his groin.
I tried to force
myself to look away from his lower half, but it was really difficult.
Because now that I
wasn't scrutinizing his living quarters, my thoughts went elsewhere: straight
to the gutter.
The gray fabric of
his pants stretched over his crotch, and he probably wasn't wearing underwear
because I could see a very distinct outline of his dick.
I didn't mean to
stare at it, but it was just right there.
Out in the open. And alarmingly large. It was like spotting
a rare animal in the wild. The thing practically needed its own Australian
accented voiceover.
Inexperienced as I
was when it came to actual sex, I wasn't completely innocent. I knew what a
semi-erect penis looked like. The length of it rested against his thigh and the
definition of the thick head was impressive.
I swallowed hard.
"Hey." Theo's voice
startled me, and my eyes snapped up to his.
My cheeks were on
fire. I'd been caught, and I wanted nothing more than to sink under the table
and hide.
"Hi," I squeaked,
lowering myself into the chair.
"Let's just blame
the rough start to the day on low blood sugar. Deal?"
Well, that wasn't
what I'd expected him to say, but it was a lot better than him calling me out
for eye-balling his junk.
"Deal," I
responded. Then for my own benefit, I added the reminder, "I'm looking forward
to being coworkers and friends."
His left eyebrow
arched on the word 'friends.'
Dang it. Maybe he
did see me checking him out after all.
For the sake of my
sanity, I really hoped he was planning to wear jeans for the show. And maybe
some underwear with crotch-confining support. Like a girdle, but for penises.
Author Bio
Jamie Schlosser grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by
cornfields. Although she no longer lives in the country, her dream is to return
to rural living someday. As a stay-at-home mom, she spends most of her days
running back and forth between her two wonderful kids and her laptop. She loves
her family, iced coffee, and happily-ever-afters.
Author Links