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gTar: The First Guitar That Anybody Can Play
Thanks to your overwhelming support, our Kickstarter is now over! Don't worry though, you can still get a gTar. Head over to www.incidentgtar.com for more information or to place an order.
What people are saying about the gTar:
"If you're ever picked up a guitar for the first time and tried to play a favorite song, you know how discouraging it can be. The gTar completely changes that." -Drew Houston, Dropbox founder/CEO
"The gTar by Incident is disruption defined." - TechCrunch
"The proof is in the pudding. The pudding tasted good." - Evolver.FM
"欲しい!(Want!)" - gigazine.net (Japan)
We've also been featured on: CNN, Rolling Stone, Wired, Mashable, PC Mag, Create Digital Music, and out of the six finalists at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC 2012, we were selected as the runner-up.
If you're a fan, please take a second to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or on our blog!
Update #8: Last Call + T-Shirt Designs (!!)
Update #7: New Video Update + Demo
Update #6: New Color/Pick Guard Option at $350k!
Update #5: Shipping
We've added international shipping options - thanks for for patience.
United States: Free
Canada: $10
Rest of the World: $60.
There's nothing like the thrill of playing a real musical instrument. Unfortunately for most, learning can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. That's why we built the gTar.
The gTar is a fully digital guitar that makes it easy for anybody to play music, regardless of experience. All you have to do is dock your iPhone in the body, load up the gTar app, and an array of interactive LEDs along the fretboard will show you how to play.
You may be asking yourself what it means for a guitar to be "digital." While most guitars have pickups to amplify the sound of vibrating strings, the gTar has none - instead, we've designed the gTar with sensors that detect exactly what you're playing in real-time and relay each note to your iPhone, which then produces the actual sound. This makes it possible for us to do all kinds of exciting things, so let's get into it!
Start With Songs You Already Love
The free gTar app comes bundled with a library of songs that you can start playing right away. We're adding more every week and we'd love to hear your suggestions. Also, if you've been itching to play a specific song check out the Song Selection reward tier where we will work with you to get a song of your choosing on to the platform. One of the things that's so exciting about the gTar is the ability to incorporate different sounds outside of the guitar. So if you want to play a song with a big, warm synth or a booming grand piano, it's all possible with the gTar.
Stop Learning, Just Play
We think that everybody should be able to have fun playing music, regardless of how long they've been playing or how much time they have to practice. That's why we built an intuitive feature called SmartPlay, which mutes out incorrect notes as you play and nudges you along as you play through difficult songs.
Most Guitars Only Have One Level of Difficulty. We Have Three.
If you've never played the guitar before, start with Easy, where you only need to play the open strings. This gives you the chance to start playing your favorite songs right away while getting a hands on feel for the strings. SmartPlay is in effect here, so if you accidentally hit the wrong string, you won't hear anything.
When you've graduated from Easy, you can move up to Medium and start playing the frets and strings at the same time. Don't worry though, Smart Play is still in effect, so you can continue to play without the fear of messing up.
When you've mastered a song and want to take it to the next level, try playing in Hard. Here, the gTar will continue to display the correct notes, but allows you to play whatever you want. SmartPlay stops working here, so every note you play will ring out.
Go Further
Since the gTar is powered by the iPhone, it can sound however you want. Try playing around in Free Play, where you can choose from a variety of guitar models, keyboards, synths, or even drums. Free Play also provides an expression pad for tweaking sound effects (chorus, echo, reverb, and distortion) and a panel that gives you full control of the LEDs.
Where Does the Money Go?
Over the last year, we've taken our completed hardware design to China where we've been working with an amazing manufacturing team in Shenzhen that have helped us take the gTar from a schematic to a finished product. The gTars in the photos/video you see are all working, fully functional prototypes.
We've already invested in the tooling and have lined up our supply chain. We now need your help to fund the initial batch of production units. After the campaign ends, we expect it to take 2-3 months to produce, assemble, and ship your finished gTars.
More specifically your contribution will help us fund the following:
- Custom Guitar Body Manufacturing
- Volume Component Ordering (sensors, processors)
- Production Assembly
- Production Quality Assurance and Testing
Here's our team assembling the first pilot units. Due to the complexity of the gTar's assembly, we've had to iterate through more than 10 prototypes - these pilot units were built to ensure that our manufacturing processes would work at scale.
The Story of the gTar
Incident began out of a personal need for a guitar that could plug into the computer to compose music digitally. When the first functional prototypes started coming together, we were inspired by innovative musical instruments like the Monome and decided to try adding LEDs to the fretboard. We started to see how fun and easy it was for someone with no musical background to interact with the bright, colorful lights and we knew we had something worth pursuing.
from L-R: Josh (Marketing/Branding), Marty (Engineering), Franco (Engineering), Maly (Design), Idan (Founder/Engineering)
The gTar grew out of a series of hacks and we're very excited to see what the rest of you do to tweak and customize yours. We plan to offer an SDK in the future, so if you're interested in building apps for the gTar, shoot us an e-mail (email@example.com). The gTar is also USB-MIDI compliant, so if you're interested in hacking the gTar to create/perform music, we'll be releasing some tutorials and hacks soon!
Size: 35"L x 13" W x 1.75" D
Connections: USB, 1/4" Line Out, SmartPick
Power: Internal 5000 mAh Li-Ion Battery, Charging via. USB
App + gTar Compatibility: iPhone 4/4S (app + gTar)
gTar Hardware Compatibility: Any CoreMIDI/USB-MIDI enabled device (includes other devices running iOS 5, Android, and Mac OSX)
In the Box
- Padded Backpack Gig Bag
- Guitar Strap
- USB Charger (1A 5V)
- USB Cable
- Two Sets of Replacement Strings
- Three SmartPicks
- Line-out Headphone Adapter
iPhone not included
Does the gTar need to be tuned?
Since the gTar is entirely digital, it doesn't care whether the strings are in tune or not. Keeping reasonable tension on the strings will improve the performance and sensitivity of the gTar.
Where does the gTar get power from?
The gTar has an internal battery that lasts between 6 to 8 hours on a full charge. To both power and charge the gTar, you can use the included USB charger or plug the gTar into any standard USB dock on a computer or charger of equivalent power.
What phones will be supported? Currently we plan to support the iPhone 4/4S. We hope to support other devices in the future.
How do I get the gTar app? The gTar app will be available for free in the App Store before we ship the gTar. It is already been built and approved.
Will this teach me how to play on a "normal" guitar? The strings and fret layout of the gTar has been designed to be virtually identical to that of a traditional guitar, playing it will teach you the same fundamentals that you would need to play on a traditional guitar.
How do Song Selections work? If you've selected any of the reward tiers that offer you a Song Selection, we will work with you to integrate a song of your choosing into the app. Since some things (like licensing restrictions) are out of our hands, we can't guarantee that we'll be able to include your first choice. However, we'll work with you to find something you like and will enjoy playing on the gTar.
Can I integrate the gTar into an existing guitar?
The gTar is a completely redesigned solution that cannot be retrofitted onto a traditional guitar. If you are a guitar manufacturer that is interested in integrating our technology into your designs, please contact us directly.
What is Little Kids Rock?
Little Kids Rock is an amazing non-profit that brings guitars and music lessons to kids and schools who wouldn't otherwise have access to them. Our special Little Kids Rock reward tier allows you to purchase two gTars - one for you and one to be donated to LKR as part of a pilot program we're launching. To learn more, check out LittleKidsRock.org!
What about international shipping?
Shipping a guitar around the world is no easy task, but we wanted to make the gTar as accessible as possible for international backers. For backers in Canada, shipping is a flat fee of $10. For everywhere else in the world, shipping is $60. You can add this to an existing pledge by selecting "Manage My Pledge" and adjusting it appropriately.
Funding period
- (35 days)


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Online Metrology Tech-Support Center Launched
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Monday, July 1, 2013
Hexagon Metrology, North Kingstown, RI, has launched an online portal to serve as a centralized resource and knowledgebase. North American customers can visit the site to create a free account. They then gain access to video tutorials and multimedia answers to common questions. Visit the support centers at http://support.hexagonmetrology.us.
See also: Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
Related Enterprise Zones: Tool & Die
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subset: commoncrawl


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Images, observations, and stories of this Southern Resident Community member as seen from the eyes of Jeanne Hyde, SRKW enthusiast since 2004. Booklet is made in a way so you can add your images or encounter memories.
Need help? Our customer service staff is happy to assist. Call (360) 378-4710 x30. Please leave a message if after business hours. Thanks!
We periodically send out announcements, action items and updates about issues affecting the Southern Resident Orcas and The Whale Museum.
Cyber Monday – 20% off online merchandise – midnight to midnight
Enter discount code: cybermonday2015
The Whale Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered with the Secretary of State in Olympia, Washington.
Copyright © 2019 The Whale Museum. All right reserved.


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Is there a way to monitor the current status of my sFTP process from my Debian server?
I'm looking from something similar to
top or
netstat that will give me the status/progress of activities (uploads, downloads) to my OpenSSH-based sFTP server.
Other bits that might be of use: I'll be looking at the results using a SSH session on the server. There is only one sFTP enabled user.


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Search for a local Tradesman in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire below or alternatively you can post your job so they find you!Read more
If you are looking for Tradesmen Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire then Book a Builder UK is here to connect you with a local tradesman in your area. Search our pages to find local Tradesmen Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire where you can view profiles, reviews and photographs of previous work before choosing to contact them.
For the best results, post your job to receive competitive quotes from specialist local tradesmen that are looking for your type of work. Book a Builder UK is a proven and highly successful system used by 1000's of customers to find a tradesman every month. Our system ensures that each project is only matched with relevant and suitable suppliers, so post your job with confidence and Find Tradesmen Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire today.
C R Jones Roofing and Building maintenance offer a wide range of services in Crewe, Stoke and the surrounding areas... read more »
Kitchen design and installation Bathroom design and installation Plumbing Tiling Plastering Joinery Garage conversions Gardens Landscaping Fencing All home improvement work... read more »
Welcome to AMD Joinery and Building Limited . We offer a wide range of services in Cheshire and Staffordshire for all your building needs . With a professional and friendly approach your next project... read more »
We at Newplumb Ltd are a family owned and run business, offering an excellent and professional service. We offer an all round service, from Care home and commercial plumbing to domestic bathrooms &... read more »
Pro-Fit undertake all Building works in Sutton Coldfield and the surrounding areas... read more »
T2 Construction covers Stoke, Stafford Newcastle under lyme and the surrounding towns... read more »
Welcome to Deakin Plumbing and Heating Services Ltd. We are Plumbers in Tamworth. We offer a professional and reliable service throughout Tamworth. Call us today... read more »
Here at jb property maintenance we offer a wide range or works Plumbing Tilling Plastering Doors and windows Kitchens and bathrooms Painting and decorating Rendering Carpentry... read more »
A N Jones Environmental & Maintenance services cover the northwest, North Wales and cheshire... read more »
Complete Home Improvements offer a wide range of services in Wirral and the surrounding areas... read more »
Enter your requirements for the job you need undertaken.
Your job is sent out instantly to tradesmen local to you.
You will receive quotes from tradesmen along with thier profiles to review previous works & testimonials.
Choose the tradesman you want to carry out your job!


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DailyDirt: Science Policies For The US
from the urls-we-dig-up deptWe're generally interested in government policies that affect the discovery of information or the creation of new works. Usually this means we focus on copyright issues, but science policies are also important to us -- so here are just a few gov't policies that have been released.
- US research in synthetic biology isn't subject to a lot of new government regulations (yet), but there will be an exhaustive evaluation of current government funding for synthetic biology projects. That exhaustive report should be available to the public in a few more months... [url]
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) is trying to make it a bit easier to be a scientist by allowing for some flexibility for budding scientists -- such as cutting back on the demands to travel to NSF headquarters for renewals/applications. The new rules will also allow grant recipients to defer their projects for up to a year to raise children. [url]
- The US government's policy for isolating scientific research from politics was released last year. The guidelines set "minimum standards" for federal agencies to meet, and didn't really spell out many specifics. [url]
- To discover more interesting science-related stuff, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]
Filed Under: grants, guidelines, policy, regulations, science, synthetic biology
Companies: nsf


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If It's May It's Time For The Press To Parrot Bogus Stats Announcement From The BSA
from the bsa-from-the-bsa deptLike the swallows returning to Capistrano, every May is marked by the release of intentionally misleading and bogus stats from the Business Software Alliance (or, more accurately, the Bogus Stats Alliance) concerning software "piracy." As with every other year, the stats are compiled by IDC, despite the fact that even IDC has admitted in the past that the BSA is purposely misrepresenting their findings. You would think, at some point, that IDC would stop providing numbers that are blatantly misrepresented... but I guess if the money's green, IDC will give you the numbers you want.
We've been covering these bogus stat reports for many years, providing a detailed look at how misleading the stats are, and pointing out how many in the press simply parrot the numbers without question. Two years ago, a VP at the BSA (who's now working at the Justice Department, of course) was kind enough to call me to try to explain the BSA's numbers (along with a PR person and a representative from IDC). When I challenged them on the whole "one copy equals one sale thing" they insisted that their numbers showed such a claim was accurate.
Thankfully, in the past few years, more and more in the press have started to sound skeptical of the BSA's numbers -- but it's still a minority. Last year, the BSA did a neat trick in getting some publications to run stories about the numbers, while then saying don't pay attention to the numbers as a way of fending off anyone who criticizes how incredibly misleading the numbers are.
This year, you would think the press would be extra skeptical, given that just a few weeks ago, the GAO report pointed out that these stats are totally baseless (and yes, the BSA was one of the reports they criticized). But, looking through the press coverage, most seem to be just reporting the ridiculous claims such as "$50 billion" in "losses" due to file sharing. Lots of the reports focus on "local" findings -- with local publications just covering the claims in that local country (for example, coverage in Malaysia, China, the Persian Gulf, the UK, Korea, India, Canada, etc.). Of course, in the past, even those numbers have been called into question. Last year, after people took a more detailed look at how "piracy" stats were counted in Canada, it came out that the findings were based on pure guesses. No one in Canada was surveyed. They just made up the data.
So, really, you would think that the mainstream press would at least put up some semblance of skepticism in seeing these same bogus numbers released yet again, with no serious changes to the methodology. But, for the most part the reports just repeat the BSA's talking points. Looking through the press reports, it's tough to find coverage that expresses any skepticism at all. They just repeat the numbers -- the same numbers the US government just said were bunk -- as if they were pure fact. Just a sampling: the AFP, the BBC, ComputerWeekly, Computerworld, the UK Press Association, Network World, eWeek and many, many others.
Business Week gets credit for being one of the very, very few sources that at least mentions the GAO's findings, though it does so in one sentence at the very bottom of the article. The National Journal also mentions the GAO report -- though neither seemed to ask (or get any responses from the BSA) to this rather crucial point. ITWire, at the very least, points out that the study is basically made up, noting that:
"estimates of piracy rates are based mostly on inferences and the 'gut feeling' of the BSA's research organisation IDC;But that's about all I could find. For the most part, the press -- the one's we're told are supposed to be asking all the "tough" questions, simply reposted the BSA's press release as fact. You would think that, given that this report has come out every year for the past seven years -- and the methodology has been debunked widely time and time again -- this year by the US government -- and that the report itself admits that many of the numbers are based on hunches and guesses, that the press would stop reporting them as fact. Wishful thinking, I guess.


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Global Women's Rights: Violence Against Women
As feminism continues to work for better conditions and opportunities for women, women are still regularly denied the most basic human rights including freedom from violence and control over their own bodies. Though incidents of violence against women occur all too often around the world, in some places dangerous acts are especially prevalent. Honor killings, acid attacks, and child marriage are all practices that threaten women's agency and result in health problems or death. Two practices that are particularly widespread are Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and sex trafficking. FGM is an unnecessary procedure performed on approximately 2 million young girls a year, often causing serious complications. Sex trafficking is a form of slavery that takes away women's control over their own lives, with devastating effects on their health. With the help of international agreements, aid organizations and campaigns to raise awareness of the issues, we can work to stop these violations of human rights.


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India Gang-Rape Case Takes a New Twist
One Defendant Now Says He Was Present at the Scene, Though Not Involved, Upsetting the Defense's Strategy
NEW DELHI—The case against the four men accused of gang-raping and murdering a young woman on an evening bus here is taking a new twist: One of the defendants has reversed his testimony and is now saying he was present for the alleged attack.
The December assault on the young woman, who was returning home from a movie with a friend, has transfixed India and the world with its brutality while throwing new light on violence against women here. The 23-year-old victim was raped with a metal rod, according to police, and thrown...


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Employment Agencies/Employment Counseling Services/Job Listing Services
Personnel service businesses are not regulated by any state agency but are required to have a business license from city or county government and a surety bond on file with the Secretary of State.
Employment agencies, employment counseling services, and job listing services are required to provide the contracting consumer with a written contract. Employment agencies have no statutory provisions regarding cancellation rights. Contractual requirements for employment counseling services allow a consumer to cancel the contract within three business days from the date the contract was entered into by a written notice of cancellation to the business. The same three-day right to cancel applies to job listing services.
Employment Agency: Is a company offering, as a paid-for service, to procure employment for a job seeker.
Job Listing/Computer Matching: Is a company that offers to provide as a paid-for service, lists of employers and job openings, or matches job seekers with employment opportunities.
Employment Counseling: Is a person offering one or more of the following services for a fee: career counseling, vocational guidance and aptitude testing or career management. Employment counselors providing services strictly on an hourly basis, with no other fees assessed, are not subject to provisions of the Civil Code.
Employment Services Agencies Are required to have a local city/county business license and a surety bond filed with the Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State Special Filings provides surety bond application forms. Any further information about surety bonds must be obtained from an issuing surety company.
Secretary of State Special Filings
1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-3984
Mailing Address:
Sacramento, CA 94244-2250
When a business or licensee is required to file a bond with the California Secretary of State's office, the licensee purchases a bond from an insurance company which issues (sells) surety bonds and then files it with the office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State's office does not handle complaints or enforce any rulings; it serves only as a "record keeper" for the filing of the bond. However, should a consumer wish to file a claim against an individual who has purchased bond insurance, the name of the surety company may be obtained from this office. The consumer then may file in Small Claims Court to collect against the "bonded" individual operating the business.
The Employment Development Department (EDD) provides employment services for all California employers and job seekers. It helps those in need to become self-sufficient through job training and employment programs.
Employment Development Department (EDD)
800 Capitol Mall, MIC 83
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-0707
Consumers may file complaints with the Department of Insurance on surety companies and bond issuing.
Department of Insurance
320 Capital Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
Consumers may contact their local district attorney, city attorney, or the Office of the Attorney General if they believe a personnel service has violated the law.


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Stability Test Chamber LSTC-302
Labocon now offers a range of Stability Test Chamber-300 Series, which create temperature & humidity extremes. Regulated with microcomputer fuzzy PID controller for temperature & humidity, makes running the Stability Test Chamber a breeze. Designed with laser processing technology & engineered to give you long lasting performance & reliable testing applications. Cold worked steel exterior & stainless steel interior with powerful insulating material, wide & bright LCD, multi-angle water discharge, circular airflow-air duct with forced convection, a single 45mm wide test cavity on the left & right side are few of its assets.
Its safety system includes PT100 Temperature sensor, capacitive Humidity sensor, temperature-rise alarm, protected Creepage distance, and auto-defrost, etc. We provide you with inbuilt alarm function for power failure, sensor & unclosed door. This equipment causes small carbon foot print with non-CFC refrigerant.
|151 Litres
|Temp. Range
|-40 to 85°C
|Temp. Accuracy
|Humidity Range
|Temp. Display Resolution
|Water Supply Capacity
|Inside: 10 Litres; Outside: 25 litres
|Insulating material
|Overall foaming of polyurethane
|Inner Dimension
|540x400x700 mm
|Overall Dimension
|665x733x1300 mm
|Power Supply
|220V 50/60Hz
|Catalog No.
Stability Test Chamber is developed keeping pharmaceutical industry in mind, to provide evidence of the stability of active substances & pharmaceuticals. Used for the long term storage test of drugs/vaccine & food, water analysis, BOD test, microorganism culture study, etc.


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A fully immersive, hands-on Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training course
This two-day Certified Scrum Master training course is structured around the Scrum values, principles and practices, using a blend of lecture, interactive exercises, and participant dialog. There are no powerpoint slides; the focus is on learning through action, activity, and conversation, allowing the new ideas to take root, and have the potential to grow within each participant's context. Scrum is not a formula to be memorised, but rather a journey to undertake. Plus, each day you will get to enjoy a tasty breakfast, lunch, coffees, teas, and water – included as part of your registration fee.
"The course exceeded my expectations as I had thought it would have been mainly focused around a dull PowerPoint presentation and taking notes. But I was wrong, the course was very lively and interactive which really helped me understand Scrum (and also pass the test!)." - Hameda
What You Will Learn
Each student is taught to assume the responsibilities of a ScrumMaster.
By the end of the workshop participants will understand the Scrum framework well enough to return to work and take up the role of ScrumMaster, or to apply the principles and practices from any other role in the organisation, e.g. developer, tester, manager, director. More specifically, participants will have the following skills:
- Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies: refinement, planning, daily scrum, review and retrospective;
- Be able to recogniseorganisational impediments that break the creative flow of a development team;
- Work with the product owner and/or customer on maximizing ROI and to meet their objectives using Scrum;
- Improve the work of the development team by facilitating creativity and empowerment, and guide the team members to improve their engineering practices so each increment of functionality is potentially shippable;
- Foster a collaborative relationship between the teams and the product owner/customer to meet the needs of the business;
- Work with managers, directors and executives to help them understand how to support the Scrum initiative.
Participants will also have sufficient information to easily pass the CSM test.
Course Agenda
Scrum Framework
Scrum Values
Scrum Principles
When to use Scrum
ScrumMaster as Facilitator
Iterative/Incremental Development
The Sprint
Scrum Roles
The Team
Product Owner
Scrum Master
Scrum Ceremonies
Daily Scrum
Scrum Artifacts
This CSM workshop is taught according to the Agile Manifesto, the Scrum Guide and the CSM Learning Objectives. Participants are expected to familiarise themselves with all three documents prior to attending the workshop.
What People Say:
Exceptional. I absolutely loved the course and learned so much... Tobias was fabulous and a wealth of knowledge, easy to get on with, helpful and good fun as well. Everything you would need from a trainer in any subject. Terasa Campbell.
Tobias is a brilliant trainer who delivers highly engaging training - Karina Marigole - Scrum Master
Tobias is a great educator and facilitator - Ben David - QA Manager
I came skeptical of the usefulness of Scrum but can see that the implementation of this methodology would really help our team - Andy Bush - Head of Development
Tobias is a great teacher. Using immersive exercises helped me understand the course better than previous similar ones. Thumbs up - Vincent Synan - Delivery Manager
"The course was great not only did I learn a lot but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know the set up for other Scrum courses, but the level of engagement and encouragement from the all participants and coach was excellent." - Isher
AWA have solidified my knowledge of Scrum, and I have gone back to work refreshed with a new confidence. - Austin
"The course exceeded my expectations as I had thought it would have been mainly focused around a dull PowerPoint presentation and taking notes. But I was wrong, the course was very lively and interactive which really helped me understand Scrum (and also pass the test!)." - Hameda
I enjoyed the course very much. I had been using Agile for around 5 years but still learned a lot from the course. Having passed the exam, I recently won a contract as a Scrum Master.. so well worth it on that front! - Don
What you will receive:
- Electronic copy of all course materials;
- Certificate upon passing;
- 2 years Membership to the Scrum Alliance;
- Free access to half-day ScrumMaster Clinics, which will support your journey towards excellence, and if required towards the next level of Scrum Alliance certification;
- For PMI PMPs, this course provides 14 Category B PDUs;
- Membership to the Adventures with Agile community and access to the best agile and lean meetups in London to help you on your agile journey for continuous improvement;
- Tasty breakfast, lunch, teas, coffees and water throughout the day.
Your Trainer - Tobias Mayer
Tobias Mayer has been involved in the Scrum world since 2004. He was among the first twenty-five people, worldwide, certified to teach Scrum by Ken Schwaber, its co-founder.
Skilled as a developer, tester and engineering manager, Tobias also has a background in publishing, theatre arts, and community service work. He skilfully blends this unusual mix of experiences when teaching Scrum, creating a lively and engaging experience.
He is the author of the highly acclaimed, and somewhat controversial book, The People's Scrum, blogs regularly on LinkedIn and Medium and is known as the creator and curator of AgileLib.Net, the world's foremost collection of Agile resources.
Who should attend?
The course is suitable for everyone who is about to start using Scrum or has already gathered some experience and wants to deepen their understanding of Scrum. The ScrumMaster role is the focus of the course – however it is suitable for team members or managers who would like an introduction to Scrum.
No specific experience is required but please read the Agile Manifesto, the Scrum Guide and the Scrum Alliance CSM learning Objectives before attending the course. If you'd like to read more, The Elements of Scrum is highly recommended.
Important: be sure to bring a laptop or tablet with you on day two in order to register with the Scrum Alliance and take the online CSM test.
Speak to the training organisers - Adventures with Agile
To speak to the organisers of this course for further details:
- Call: 0203 369 1125
- Email: email@example.com


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Former manager, All-Star Jim Fregosi suffers stroke
MIAMI (AP) — Former major league manager and All-Star Jim Fregosi is hospitalized in Miami after suffering an apparent stroke while on a cruise for baseball fans.
A spokeswoman for MSC Cruises says the 71-year-old Fregosi became ill Tuesday as the MSC Divina was headed from Grand Cayman to Mexico. The ship returned to Grand Cayman and Fregosi was later taken to a hospital in Florida.
Fregosi currently works as an executive for the Atlanta Braves. The team says it hopes to have information on his condition soon.
Fregosi managed the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1993 National League pennant and the 1979 California Angels to their first American League Western Division title.
He played in the majors from 1961 to 1978. His best seasons came with the Angels, where he was six-time All-Star.


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Adobe has prepared a new Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for our European enterprise customers, which includes Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), also referred to as Model Contracts. These SCCs provide a mechanism approved by the European Commission as offering adequate protection for data subjects when transferring personal data from the EU/EEA under the EU Data Protection Directive.
Signing this agreement with Adobe will enable Adobe to transfer data to the U.S. as necessary for Adobe to perform the services you have requested.
To request the new DPA and SCCs, please complete the form below. Once we receive your information, the agreement will be emailed to you within a few business days.
By submitting this form, you agree that the personal information in this form will be processed by and transferred to Adobe Inc. in the United States for the purposes of completing the DPA in accordance with the Adobe Privacy Policy.
For questions or comments, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Join Samantha Testa of Painted Palettes for a night of hand lettering, watercoloring, and good vibes!
In this workshop, you will learn the basics of hand lettering using five unique pens and four different styles to practice. In addition, you will learn basic watercolor wash techniques to create a colorful watercolor background for your favorite quotation. At the end of this class, you will have practiced your new skills and made a piece of original 5x7 quotation/watercolor art to hang in your house or give as a gift!
The workshop fee includes a personalized hand lettering workbook with several styles of lettering, a personalized practice journal, 5 unique pens perfect for hand lettering, watercolor paper, paints, and brushes to make your original art, and light sips and snacks!
We'll go over the basics so if you are a total newbie...don't worry, you've got this. If you have done some hand lettering before but would just like some more guidance, we can make that happen, too!
Check out Instagram (@painted_palettes) to see the watercolor splotch quotations and Painted Palettes' website for everything else!
*Please note: We will NOT be covering traditional, dip pen calligraphy. This is a modern hand lettering class, using pen and watercolor techniques. Also, we limit our workshops to 12 people, so that each person receives one-on-one instruction!
Tickets: $70
About your host, Samantha Testa
Samantha is the artist behind Painted Palettes. She is an artist and educator who specializes in watercolor, hand lettering, and custom art for all occasions. She loves teaming up with local venues and sending creative vibes out into the community!


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A.M. Three Strikes: DNC bystanders could get cash
LEADING OFF: The aggression did not stand, man. The Denver Post's Sara Burnett and Kirk Mitchell dissect Denver's proposed $200,000 settlement over the largest mass arrest of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The defendants – nine people who watched a street protest during the political shindig – were arrested for obstructing a city street. A federal judge will decide whether that's a suitable sum after considering a lotta ins, lotta outs, a lotta what-have-you's. (Should I have gone with an "abides" joke there?)
STRIKE ONE: It's hard out there for a pimp. Especially if that pimp's in Jefferson County. The intrepid Jordan Steffen writes in today's Post about the first jury conviction of a human trafficking case under a five-year-old Colorado statute. Dallas Cardenas, 19, got eight years in jail for forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution. And The Post's Monte Whaley reports that tables continue turning on the police detective authorities say perjured himself to wrongly convict Timothy Masters of murder. A District Court judge advised Fort Collins Lt. Jim Broderick of the charges against him.
STRIKE TWO: Around Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Collegian reports that even with the boys (and girls) of summer gone, Fort Collins crime rates have jumped during the break, and that's unusual. Local authorities told the Colorado State University student paper that rumors linking the crime to gang activity are off the mark. And The Boulder Daily Camera has an update in the alleged murder of Muffin, a cat authorities thought died because Danielle Blankenship blew heroin smoke in its face. Turns out, there was no dope in kitty's system and the charges were dropped. And it looks like Colorado Springs has a runaway drug dealer, according to The Gazette. Maybe Kynan Scott Arnold, who police think is packing, will end up in Florida. Colorado owes that state a few fugitives anyway.
STRIKE THREE: Baseball's most celebrated pitcher and perjury-charge-dodger Roger Clemens is under investigation again, according to The Washington Post. Someone associated with his defense team sent a half dozen signed baseballs – they fetch up to $400 a pop – to security staff at the federal courthouse where his case ended in a mistrial last month. Sort of reminds me of a certain anti-tax crusader ordered to take back much less valuable chocolates given to Denver court staffers. A little farther South, Louisville, Ky. cops are tricking out there rides… er, mounts. The Associated Press reports that mounted patrol officers are getting new computers installed on their horses. Sounds nice and all, but when's Seabiscuit getting spinners?


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27 September 2004
Clinton, Michigan - Eden Organic Refried Beans have received the coveted Best Bite rating from Nutrition Action Healthletter in its 'Full of Beans' report September 2004 earning the highest rating for nutrition of all 38 brands with salt, and the 2nd top spot overall among 39 brands studied, one had no added salt.
This is the second time Eden Beans have received the Best Bite award. In a Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) study of canned beans in 1999 as reported in the May Nutrition Action Healthletter, authors awarded their Best Bite distinction to every flavor of Eden beans.
Nutrition Action Healthletter is a publication of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org), a consumer advocacy organization whose missions are to conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well being.
In addition to the Best Bites, Eden Refried Beans also scored as 'Best for Flavor and Nutrition' by Men's Health Magazine June 2004 in their article the '125 Best Foods for Men'. They were also rated as favorite by a panel of children and their parents in a taste test and product comparison sponsored by Child Magazine in their article '50 Healthiest Convenience Foods for Families' February 2004. "Many brands of refried beans go heavy on the fat and sodium," Child explained, "but Eden's dark red kidney beans have just 1g of fat and 180mg of sodium per half cup and plenty of fiber and potassium..." The same parent and child panel also chose Eden Organic Pasta as its favorite.
It is important to choose food wisely. Commercial refried beans have calcium disodium EDTA added to preserve color and calcium chloride to keep the beans firm. They are made with inferior quality salt and the sodium levels are very high, even in most organic brands and they import their 'organic' beans from China. Refried beans are usually high in fat due to the addition of low quality, cheap vegetable oil and/or lard. Compare labels and what's inside, the choice is clear, Eden USA Family Farm Organic Refried Beans.
Eden Refried Beans are skillfully prepared at Eden's certified organic, AIB certified Superior, and kosher cannery. Beans are washed and soaked overnight, blanched, and milled into a puree. Whole beans are mixed into the puree for texture and appearance. This mixture is seasoned and thoroughly cooked in 16 ounce cans. There are six Eden Organic Refried Beans: • Black Beans, • Kidney Beans, • Black Soy and Black Beans, • Pinto Beans, • Spicy Pinto Beans, and • Spicy Black Beans.
All Eden Beans are grown on USA family farms by those committed to building mineral rich, vital soil and producing the world's most delicious and nourishing food. The superior, decades organic soil produces superb rich flavor, high mineral and nutrient content, and strong skins with vibrant color.
Eden Organic Refried Beans are lightly salted with Eden Sea Salt from the pristine waters of Algarve in southern Portugal. They contain less than half the sodium of other brands. Each is low fat, an excellent source of dietary fiber and a good source of potassium, magnesium, and high quality vegetable protein. They also provide iron, calcium, thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), zinc, flavonoids, and antioxidants. Certified organic and kosher parve.
Eden means no irradiation, no preservatives, no chemical additives, no food colorings, no refined sugars, no genetically engineered ingredients; just the safest, most nutritious, certified organically grown food that can be found. More than 260 Eden foods are available at discerning retailers in the U.S.A. and Canada. For more information, or if you would like our email for press releases, please call 800 248-0320, email us at email@example.com or visit www.edenfoods.com. Retailers and Co-ops please go to access.edenfoods.com.


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Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces for Babies
Our Bambeado baltic amber teething necklaces for babies, made from 100% Genuine Baltic Amber, are very popular and are now worn by babies and children throughout the world. We are very proud of our selection of amber bracelets, anklets and necklaces which are designed with safety in mind for our precious 'little people'. And whether it is our standard range, which is unique and available in seven colours, or our more sophisticated premium selection that you especially like, we are confident that you will find something to suit the baby or child you have in mind. An ideal gift to welcome the new arrival. Browse our selection of infant wearables below.
Amber Shape
- Bud
- Bean
- Premium
Amber Colour
- Butterscotch
- Lemon
- Honey
- Cognac
- Dark Cherry
- Green
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Child Amber Bean Necklace (37cm, Rainbow)
MYR RMCountryNZAUUSSGMYIn Stock: 0
This Bambeado amber child Rainbow bean necklace is made from bean shaped amber pieces that have been highly polished to give a stunning finish without any sharp edges
The amber has been highly polished and the final result is quite beautiful. Your Bambeado will come with a natural woven pouch for storage along with a care and safety insert.
They are approximately 37cm in length.
Safety is of the highest priority at Bambeado and we have taken the following measures with all our baby and children's products.- We have submitted our products for testing have successfully passed all relevant safety standards.
- Each piece is fitted with a screw clasp so cannot easily be removed.
- Each piece of amber is hand knotted so in the unlikely event the bracelet break only one piece of amber will come off.
Parental guidance is still advised for the usage of these products for kids under three years.


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Massacre at Tarn Aeluin
This article describes a concept which is mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but was never given a definite name.
This article needs to be rewritten to comply with Tolkien Gateway's higher standards...
The Massacre at Tarn Aeluin was an event during the First Age when Barahir the Bold and his ten outlaws were killed in their hideout by Tarn Aeluin, leaving only his son, Beren of the original band alive. Though this was long sought for by Morgoth and his active servant Sauron, it was not until Gorlim betrayed their hiding place that it occurred. Beren, upon returning to find his father and comrades dead, built a cairn over their bodies and swore an oath of vengeance.
Those who died were: Barahir, Gildor, Belegund, Baragund, Urthel, Dagnir, Radhruin, Dairuin, Arthad, and Hathaldir.


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Qtopia on Neo1973
From Openmoko
English • العربية • Български • Česky • Dansk • Deutsch • Esperanto • Eesti • Español • فارسی • Suomi • Français • עברית • Magyar • Italiano • 한국어 • Nederlands • Norsk (bokmål) • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Svenska • Slovenčina • Українська • 中文(中国大陆) • 中文(台灣) • Euskara • Català
Qtopia is a complete mobile phone and PDA platform which can be built for many devices and is dual-licensed under the GPL and a proprietary license, but since version 3.4.0, everything needed to use Qtopia on the Neo1973 is licensed under the GPL.
Note: The dialer of the 4.3.0 flash image and the 4.3.0-snapshot images do not ask for a PIN on first boot. To make the dialer to ask for the PIN, you have to press the power button, select "Shutdown device" and restart it. Note: You may have to do the restart without USB connected for this to work.
If Qtopia did not ask you not ask you for a PIN and your SIM card needs a PIN to be accessible, you cannot use your SIM to register to a GSM network.
Post-4.3.0 images may fix this issue, but as of 20 November 2007, the post-4.3.0 images seem to never ask for a PIN.
Flashing Qtopia images into Neo's NAND flash
Generic NAND flashing notice: Flash chunks to be flashed must be erased or cleared first (a write to a NAND flash can only set, but not clear bits), you either need to have a recent uboot (most GTA01v4 owner should have that already), or you have to erase or clean the NAND partition using nand erase.
The lasted official Qtopia flash images are found at: http://www.qtopia.net/modules/mydownloads/ (You have to scroll this page down a bit to find them)
The initial preview flash images can be downloaded by clicking the link "Qtopia on Neo Flash Image and kernel" on [1], but it has issues with the audio mixer setup, so especially on receiving calls, one side may not always hear the other.
Newer unofficial Qtopia images can be found in the ScaredyCat and Chooseopen repositories, but they may not ask for a pin at all.
Dual-booting between Qtopia and X
Both examples described here require you to reformat your MicroSD card to ext3, so this is the first step for both:
|WARNING: The following step will reformat your MircoSD card with the ext3 filesystem. We need it because we need support for symbolic or/and static links, which other filesystems like FAT do not support directly. After reformatting, no data on the card will be accessible to you anymore, so create good backups of anything which you need before starting!
Then ssh to your neo and reformat your MicroSD card with:
umount /dev/mmcblk0p1 mkfs.ext3 /dev/mmcblk0p1 mount /dev/mmcblk0p1
Installing Qtopia into an openmoko rootfs
On [2], click "Developer root filesystem". Then extract opt/Qtopia and the qpe init script and copy both to the mmc card of your neo:
tar xzf ficgta01-qtopia-developer-rootfs.tgz opt/Qtopia etc/init.d/qpe mv opt/Qtopia etc/init.d/qpe . && rm -r opt etc tar czf Qtopia.tar.gz Qtopia qpe scp Qtopia.tar.gz email@example.com:/media/card/
Log in to your Neo and unpack the archive and install it:
cd /media/card tar xzf Qtopia.tar.gz mkdir -p /opt ln -s /media/card/Qtopia /opt/Qtopia mv qpe /etc/init.d
Now kill the X server and gsmd and start Qtopia (this can take some time):
/etc/init.d/xserver-nodm stop /etc/init.d/gsmd stop /etc/init.d/qpe start
Now, in theory, it should be possible to could create a new entry in the uboot boot menu which adds a new boot argument to the kernel, say "qtopia=1" and you could could write a script which checks that boot parameter by checking if "$qtopia" is set to "1" or by checking /proc/cmdline and then boot Qtopia instead of X.
Installing Qtopia on the SD card
- format your SD card with ext3 and mount it (see above)
- unpack rootfs from qtopia-4.3.0-preview-neo-flash.tgz to SD card (see above)
- copy the uImage-184.108.40.206-moko11-r2-fic-gta01.bin kernel to the boot/ on SD card and rename it to uImage
- put a 'Boot from SD' menu item in uboot menu as explained here: Booting_from_SD#Step_3:_Add_uboot_boot_entry
Build your own
If you want to build qtopia for yourself you can download the technical preview or snapshots
Most things seem to work out of the box, however you may need to use the following command to get audio:
alsactl -f /etc/gsmhandset.state restore
Or put this command in /etc/init.d/qpe line 64
Do not switch themes. Only the default theme is usable. For example, once you switch themes, the lock feature continues to work, but only if you unlock using the smallest # keypad in the world.
Suspend support is very flaky. The neo often shuts off from a suspend state. It will not wake from suspend for an incoming call or text message (someone try setting an alarm and report results here). To turn suspend off (this will of course use the batteries very quickly), hit the down arrow next to the suspend setting in the power management until it says "Off".
When using the virtual keyboard, do a quick flick up or down over the keyboard to access numbers/symbols/capitals.
In summary, Qtopia on the Neo1973 is much closer to being ready than OpenMoko as of this writing. However, sound and suspend support prevent it from being at all useful as a cell phone (as a landline that doesn't ring but instead vibrates, it works ok).
The biggest issue for using Qtopia on the Neo1973 is currently PIN entry. On the Greenphone it's done thru the numberic keypad, but the Neo193 has none, so Qtopia has to use some other way of entering the PIN. The 3.4.0-preview flash image uses a tiny graphical keypad where you are able to enter the PIN, but none of the newer images have it and so it's not possible to access SIM cards which need a PIN.
The Qtopia forum area on the FIC GTA01 might be helpful, but it is preferred that you update this section with issues and fixes which you find.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW5q8SpY7t4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOG_mtSEMgs
For full size videos, 346 MiB:


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Recent News
April 26, 2013
LifeScan, Inc., OneTouch Verio IQ Blood Glucose Meter
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received information regarding a recall of OneTouch Verio IQ Blood Glucose Meters distributed from December 14, 2011 through March 7, 2013.
The One-Touch Verio IQ meters are being recalled because of the failure to provide a warning at extremely high blood glucose levels. The One-Touch Verio IQ meter will shut off and revert to "set up mode" at glucose values above 1023 mg/dL instead of displaying EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE.
At extremely high blood glucose levels of 1024 mg/dL and above, the OneTouch Verio IQ Meter will turn off instead of displaying the message "EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE above 600 mg/dL" as intended. When turned back on, the meter enters the "Set-Up" mode and requires the user to confirm the date and time settings before being able to test again. However, if the glucose level is still measuring 1024 mg/dL or above when testing, the meter will shut down again.
Because diagnosis and treatment of extreme hyperglycemia may be delayed or incorrect treatment may be given, serious adverse health consequences, including death may occur.
The full recall can be found at www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ListofRecalls/ucm349127.htm.


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Actor John Belushi fought through the pain while shooting the last few scenes of movie classic The Blues Brothers after suffering a devastating skateboarding accident.
The cast and crew of the musical comedy were wrapping up the project in late November, 1979, when Belushi, high on cocaine, borrowed a passerby's skateboard.
The tragic star crashed, severely injuring his knee, prompting studio executive Lew Wasserman to call in California's best orthopaedic doctor after-hours to treat his leading man.
In a new Vanity Fair expose about the making of the movie, editor Ned Zeman writes, "(Co-star) Daniel (Aykroyd) gets a call from (producer Bob) Weiss. 'You better get down here,' Weiss says. When Daniel arrives, Weiss explains. A kid had ridden past Belushi on a skateboard. Belushi asked to ride the board. Belushi fell off the board.
"Daniel finds the star clutching his knee and in serious pain. 'This was bad,' Daniel recalls. 'We had to deal with it in the most effective and emergency-like way.'
"Wasserman calls the top orthopaedist in town. 'It's Thanksgiving weekend,' the doctor points out. 'I'm on my way to Palm Springs.' 'Not yet,' Wasserman replies.
"Thirty minutes later, the orthopaedist wraps and injects Belushi, who then grits his way through the finale."
In the 1970s came the most controversial and accessible comedy ever seen. The National Lampoon...


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Celebrities often find refuge in modest and isolated spots. This time we have the privilege to sneak into the lovely mansion of one of the most popular actresses of our times, Charlize Theron. The beautiful actress decided to purchase this house on a private beach of La Costa in the mesmerizing Malibu. This magical location is one of the favorite travel destinations of celebs who are fond of taking a walk in the sand and having a romantic experience with their partner. The house has 3 bedrooms and no less than 3.5 bathrooms. It is undoubtedl... Read More


text:
Cholesterol is a waxy substance necessary for all living tissue. The
body manufactures most of the cholesterol it needs. Additional cholesterol is
taken in from certain foods we eat.
Too much cholesterol in the blood is not healthy, because it can build
up in the walls of arteries, causing the blood vessels to narrow
(atherosclerosis). Narrowed blood vessels carry less blood and may increase a
person's risk for a stroke or
heart attack.
Lowering cholesterol levels in the blood makes good sense, especially
for people who are at risk for a
transient ischemic attack (TIA) or
stroke. Diet changes and, if needed, drugs can be
used to keep blood cholesterol at an acceptable level.
Treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can slow the
development of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries for some people and may
reduce the chance of having a TIA or stroke, especially for people who have a
history of
coronary artery disease. For more information, see the
topic High Cholesterol.
If you have already had a TIA or a stroke, your doctor will likely recommend a statin to help prevent another stroke.
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Last Revised:
January 3, 2013
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Karin M. Lindholm, DO - Neurology
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Foppa and Sundin together again
But just on the golf course. Here are a couple of pics taken today by my good buddy Rickard "Frisco" Andersson, of Peter Forsberg lining up a putt and of Mats Sundin with Frisco himself. It was at a charity golf tourney in Sweden.
I don't know, what do you think? Is Mats' body language giving anything away here, as to where/if he'll play this year?


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Gästehaus PROCK your place at Stubaital valley
in winter and summer alike!!!
skiing in LA THUILE? hotel BB LE THOVEX is your place!
skiing in Monterosa ski area? Piccolo Residence in GRESSONEY is the center of the wild life
SANNA pension my place in mayrhofen
looking for a great place to stay while sking at SKI AMADE
Pension Thialblick my place in Landeck
Castle SAALHOF my place in Maishofen – Austira
IBIS Hotel my hotel at Geneve-Airport
Going to ski in Austria!? Need a place to sleep near Munich airport?
Mövenpick Hotel München-Airport
Best accommodation at WOLFGANGSEE!!!
Our favorite place at lake LEMAN - GENEVA
Hotel MIRAVIDI my hotel in CERVINIA
IBIS Wien


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One day last March, on the stage of a theatre in central Paris, a light-skinned black man named Dieudonné M'Bala M'Bala sat with his hands clasped over his knees. Next to him, smiling into the lights, was Jany Le Pen, the wife of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right and xenophobic party, the National Front. Dieudonné (he is known only by his first name) is one of France's most successful comedians—once viewed as something of a cross between Lenny Bruce and Sacha Baron Cohen. In recent years, though, his political career has overshadowed his comedy, and he has won a reputation as a committed and vocal anti-Semite. In October, 2006, he dropped out of the 2007 Presidential campaign, after running on an anti-Zionist, "utopian-anarchist" ticket.
The event with Madame Le Pen had been announced on Les Ogres, the Web site that publishes his news and airs videos on him. (The name is an acronym for "geographic, religious, ethnic, and social overtures.") The son of a Cameroonese father and a white French mother, Dieudonné had just returned from Cameroon, where he had filmed with Madame Le Pen their encounters with that country's suffering Baka Pygmy population. The room was filled with journalists from France's main newspapers and television stations.
In the film, Dieudonné and Madame Le Pen, who is in her seventies, are shown trekking through the jungle and holding malnourished Pygmy children in their arms; in one segment they pay for medical treatment for twin girls. After the film, Dieudonné spoke about the plight of the Pygmies—the "little elves of the forest"—who, he said, were victims of a "genocide" being carried out by the logging industry. In addition to the logging trucks, "there is a crossbreeding that amounts to a rape of the Pygmies, the most ancient civilization in the world," he said, apparently referring to intermarriage between Pygmies and other Cameroonians. (Pygmies number nearly forty thousand in Cameroon, or about a quarter of one per cent of its population.) "I propose to bring seven Pygmies here to France to meet the different Presidential candidates and ask them some questions." He looked sternly at the crowd.
Dieudonné is not known for his stance on this indigenous people and their troubles. Rather, he is known for turning the most unlikely cause into a vehicle for attacking Jews. Some of his references to the deforestation of the Pygmies' lands were apparently allusions to Bernard-Henri Lévy, the Jewish writer and commentator known as BHL, who is the heir to France's second-largest lumber fortune and who has become one of Dieudonné's fiercest critics. Two years ago, before the comic publicly associated with members of the National Front but well into his anti-Semitic phase, Lévy wrote, in his weekly column in Le Point, "Le Pen only had daughters. . . . Well, this has been rectified. Time, that benevolent mother, is giving him sons—finally one, in any case, Dieudonné."
Dressed in black jeans and stylish hiking boots, Dieudonné paced back and forth across the stage, hunching his shoulders with a caged, muscular energy. Journalists shouted questions across the political spectrum, and Dieudonné replied calmly, "Each person has his own political criterion. For some, it is unemployment; for others, security. For me, it will be Pygmies."
In February, Dieudonné had spent a "resistance weekend" (resistance to the Zionist conspiracy, that is) in Tehran, where he was interviewed on two television channels and expressed support for Iran's nuclear program and for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's opposition to American hegemony. His political career is a source of consternation to many in France—among them former friends and colleagues. "I knew Dieudonné a few years ago, and he was a gentleman—very funny, very witty, ironic, very wise," Ariel Wizman, a popular French d.j. who also hosts "Idées Fortes," a current-events talk show, told me. "Lots of things would come out of his mouth that were intellectually and morally challenging, as well as hilarious. I can't explain what happened to Dieudo except for deep psychological problems combined with the fact that once he came out this way, went down this road, it was impossible to go back."
By the late nineteen-nineties, Dieudonné had made enough money from show business to buy the Théâtre de la Main d'Or. For six years, until 1997, his stage and television partner was Elie Semoun, a Jewish comic and a childhood friend; their act parodied bigotry of all sorts. Wizman recalled that when he first knew Dieudonné he would "make fun of racism from both sides—to develop a really sophisticated, witty position."
Dieudonné signalled his "conversion" in early 2002, in two separate magazine interviews, in which he remarked that he preferred "the charisma of bin Laden to that of George Bush" and that Judaism is "a scam. It's one of the worst, because it's the first." His comments were initially taken as bizarre satire, absurdist politics à la Stephen Colbert, but it gradually became clear that Dieudonné meant what he said. No one knows why he developed this obsession. Many of his critics speculate that he used anti-Semitism as a way to increase his wealth and fame, but this seems unlikely, since he was at the peak of his career before his political "coming out," and his extreme positions seem to have cost him many mainstream film and television roles.
Pierre-André Taguieff, a French specialist on racism, told me that Dieudonné in some ways reminds him of Céline, who, in 1937, "sensed something in the air, coming partly from abroad, from Germany and other parts of Europe, and partly from France—a feeling that anti-Semitism was becoming a strong cause, with a broad resonance, across the political spectrum. I think Dieudonné sensed a similar thing in 2001 to 2002, after the second intifada." He went on, "I think our Dieudonné has quite a keen intuition for the movements of public opinion, and he immediately sought to instrumentalize this creeping anti-Semitism in public opinion by bringing it into his sketches, as a popular provocation, as a means of connecting with people on a visceral level. Dieudonné is a provocateur; he exists through provocation." Whatever the motivation, the charges of anti-Semitism moved him from the entertainment section to the front pages.
Dieudonné's new stance coincided with the greatest increase in anti-Semitic violence in France since the Second World War. Since 2002, there has been a wave of attacks against Jewish "persons or property" in France, a great many of them committed by young men living outside Paris, in the vast ghettos called les banlieues. Dieudonné is a folk hero in these neighborhoods, which are populated largely by black and Arab immigrants—places where anti-Semitism is fed by secondhand Palestinian politics, Islamism, and alienation from French society. How much Dieudonné has done to ride (or to create) this wave has been a popular topic in France.
France, with a population of about sixty million, has the world's third-largest Jewish population—about half a million. Nowhere else except the United States and Israel (which have a combined Jewish population of more than ten million) do Jews play as prominent a role in cultural, business, and political affairs. France has had Jewish Prime Ministers, like Léon Blum and Pierre Mendès-France, and the current top ranks of French politics include Jewish politicians such as Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former finance minister; Laurent Fabius, the former Prime Minister; and Nicolas Sarkozy, France's President, whose grandfather was Jewish. Until 2005, France had the only senior Catholic prelate in modern times who was born Jewish and still considered himself culturally Jewish, Cardinal Lustiger. The Jewish exodus from North Africa, in the late nineteen-fifties and the nineteen-sixties, brought hundreds of thousands of Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian Jews to France.
France had long been seen as a promised land for Jews, even as it was also a center of world anti-Semitism. The Action Française, the right-wing movement that emerged from the Dreyfus Affair, in which a Jewish Army captain was falsely accused of spying, and its descendant, the National Front, are seen as the natural home of French anti-Semitism. But the left has its own problematic history, going back to the French Revolution, when Jews provoked hostility for keeping their religious identity while accepting full citizenship in accord with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. Dieudonné's anti-Semitism draws more from the left tradition: his attacks on Jewish capitalism mimic the worst tics of French socialism (even the revered socialist leader Jean Jaurès once wrote that the Jewish race "is consumed by a sort of fever for profit when it is not by the fever for prophesy"). And though Dieudonné attacks all "religious superstition" in his shows, he echoes Voltaire in singling out Jewish rituals and beliefs.
"Dieudonné is the spokesman, the godfather, the icon of a new kind of anti-Semitism," Alain Finkielkraut, the philosopher and memoirist of Jewish identity, told me. "It is an explicitly anti-racist anti-Semitism, which inverts traditional anti-Semitism by asserting that the Nazis today are in fact the Jews. The idiom of anti-Semitism is no longer racism; it is now anti-racism. Dieudonné's followers say that they don't hate Jews, they hate Jewish racism. They say that Israel is like Nazism, like apartheid. "
For fifty years, debates about French anti-Semitism mainly revolved around France's record during the Second World War, when the Vichy government collaborated with the Germans. (Roughly seventy-five per cent of France's Jewish population survived the Holocaust.) Marcel Ophuls's 1969 film, "The Sorrow and the Pity," and the trials of high-ranking French officials brought about a public recognition of France's role; in 1995, President Jacques Chirac ended a half century of official silence by acknowledging French responsibility in the roundup of nearly thirteen thousand Jews—more than four thousand of them children—for deportation to Auschwitz in July, 1942. This gesture was seen as an important step, but some now believe that it helped launch a new generation of racial discord—a competition of historical grievances against the state.
Yet Dieudonné's humor is rooted in an intense, anthropological examination of French society that goes far beyond mocking Jews. A brilliant mimic, he manages to transform himself, in a few deft gestures, into dozens of characters. His shows, which are usually sold out, aren't primarily attended by young minority men or skinhead rabble-rousers but by hip middle-class white Parisians; many seem to be couples.
In his current show, Dieudonné satirizes human-rights organizations like S.O.S. Racisme—a French group that he once supported but now dismisses as "S.O.S. Zionism." He plays a bored operator for an "S.O.S. Endangered Species" hot line taking calls from a panda, a butterfly, and a harpooned whale: "I know that it hurts to be harpooned; you don't need to scream! They have no right to do so, you're a protected species . . . they're reeling you in? Well, refuse, ma'am! Refuse!" Another routine portrays a high-school parent-teacher conference about the controversial 2004 law banning religious garb, including Muslim head scarves, in French public schools. The ethnic impersonations are all intended to offend, but as Monsieur Blumenthal, a Jewish student's father, Dieudonné is pure malevolence: "When this young girl, obviously from Hezbollah, dons her cheap fabric, this veil of bin Laden, what is her objective? Nothing less than the extermination of an entire population! And that will never happen again, do you hear me?" Fingering a gold chain on his wrist, Monsieur Blumenthal proposes a "big campaign to combat anti-Semitism" that would include blinking anti-Auschwitz pins and "a DVD that will be given to every student, for free, which only lasts nine hours, so the kids will be able to look at it on Saturdays, on national holidays, and during their vacations." ("Shoah," the 1985 Holocaust documentary by the French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, is nine hours long, though the DVD version that he distributes in the French public- school system contains only excerpts.)
When I met with Dieudonné for the first time, in March, at a Starbucks, he explained his longtime fascination with the Code Noir, an edict issued by Louis XIV, in 1685, outlining the rules of slavery in the French colonial empire. "Fortunes were made in the slave trade that are taboo subjects today," he said. He noted that the King had, in the first article of the code, banned Jews from participating. Why would he do so, Dieudonné asked, "if it were not because they were very involved in the trade?" I asked him if he had a problem with Jews. He replied that he had no problem with individual Jews, but "if you are French and attached to the philosophy of the Enlightenment—the universal—you do not recognize this border" between groups.
Dieudonné was born in Fontenay-aux-Roses, outside Paris, in 1966, and grew up in the city's middle-class southern suburbs. His father, an accountant, lived in Cameroon, and Dieudonné was brought up by his mother (his parents divorced when he was one); she made instructional videos on safety in the workplace. He attended Catholic school, though his mother was a New Age Buddhist. As a teen-ager, he was adept at judo and played the piano and the jazz saxophone in the style of Parker and Coltrane. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be a comedian, and after getting his baccalaureate (in computer science) he began writing and practicing routines with his childhood pal Semoun. They performed in local cafés and bars, while Dieudonné worked as a salesman—cars, telephones, photocopy machines. In 1992, a Paris comedian spotted them and helped them stage their first professional show.
By 1994, Elie and Dieudo—"the crazed little Jew and the big mysterious black man," as the newspaper Le Parisien described them—were famous. Their act, a multicultural, banlieue version of Laurel and Hardy, was a satire of the life of the French underclass, in which they played a pair of gun-and-knife-wielding delinquents, as well as the local cops, the two-faced journalists, and the intellectuals in black-framed glasses called in to comment on moral decline and social alienation. Elie and Dieudo also parodied Scientologists, neo-Nazis, and the Foreign Legion. After a six-month, sold-out run at the Palais des Glaces and an international tour, in 1996, the pair split—one source suggested that the cause was a financial dispute—but a year later they worked together in a film called "Le Clone."
During the first years of his solo career, Dieudonné continued to parody racism, performing all over France. He also appeared in several movies, with actresses such as Emmanuelle Béart; his favorite role, he told me, was playing a gay proctologist who was the lover of Claude Rich in the cross-dressing 1999 comedy "Le Derrière." Dieudonné entered politics in 1997, when he ran for the National Assembly in the Dreux district. He declared that his main purpose was to fight the racist influence of the National Front, whose first electoral victory took place in Dreux in 1983, when it won control of the city council. Dieudonné won only eight per cent of the vote, but that showing contributed to the defeat of the National Front candidate. In 1997, he and Catherine Deneuve sponsored a proposal for a youth project in Dreux, and in 2000 he was designated an honorary Ambassador of Good Will in the Fight Against Racism by the United Nations.
The beginning of l'affaire Dieudonné came in December, 2003, when he appeared on "You Can't Please Everyone," a popular political talk show, in which celebrities discussed issues in a civil roundtable atmosphere. To the surprise of everyone there, he arrived on the set wearing a camo jacket, a black ski mask, and an Orthodox Jewish hat with fake sidelocks. He launched into a speech that called on the audience to join "the Americano-Zionist Axis—the only one . . . that offers you happiness, and the only one to give you a chance of living a little bit longer." While the panel of comedians invited for the show (it included Jamel Debbouze, France's most popular Muslim comic) laughed, the show's host, Marc-Olivier Fogiel, looked on nervously. Dieudonné finished his polemic by raising his arm and crying, "Isra-heil." He then took off his mask and joined the panel, to a standing ovation.
In France, civil-rights laws focus more on hate speech than on discrimination; the French government and Jewish groups sued Dieudonné for "defamation of a racial nature." Dieudonné countered with a suit against his host, Fogiel, contending that a text message that appeared onscreen on the show the following week—it read, "Dieudo, will you find sketches on the smell of blacks funny?"—was itself racist, and won. The affair escalated. On February 5th, firemen in Lyon evacuated a thousand people from a Dieudonné performance after a smoke bomb was thrown; the event caused theatres in several other cities to cancel performances. Thousands of fans marched in protest.
Dieudonné's former partner, Elie Semoun, published an open letter to Dieudonné in the newspaper Libération, in February, 2004: "Hi Buffoon!" it began, and continued, "It's the little Jew . . . writing to you to tell you that I like you and that you are hurting me . . . you are no longer the person whom I knew and with whom I laughed like I never could with anyone else. . . . You and me, we made fun of everyone, people loved it . . . but that's why I feel so betrayed, you are not the same Dieudo." Dieudonné's mother followed this with an open letter to Semoun: "I don't imagine for a second that you didn't understand the universal and humanistic vision that Dieudonné is expressing by ridiculing—in his own caustic way!—all the extreme identifications people hold to religions, races and politics."
Two months later, Dieudonné opened a show at the Main d'Or called "Mes Excuses," but those who thought he was going to apologize were mistaken. The curtain rose on a dark, smoky landscape more reminiscent of Beckett than of standup comedy. A choir could be heard, chanting dolefully, and then Dieudonné staggered onto the stage. He was dressed in black and was almost invisible. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he wailed. "I'm sorry, O Chosen People. Forgive the beast that I am, the offenses that I have caused, but I have no soul." He laughed and snarled. "My words are but meaningless grunts. They make no sense, no sense. I submit to your greatness, O Chosen People! Thank you for having spared me, master." He then suddenly snapped upright, one fist raised. "Fuck you up the ass, O master!" he shouted.
As Dieudonné proceeded to his multi-character sketches, the sound crew appeared onstage, surrounded by prison bars. The men, who were wearing the blue helmets of U.N. soldiers, pretended to monitor Dieudonné's jokes for unacceptable content. When he said the word "Palestinian," they shut off his microphone and explained their rules: the first time he pronounced that word, they would shut off the sound; the second time, they would turn out the lights; and the third time they would evacuate the theatre. Dieudonné declared that he'd been put under supervision and deemed unfit to express himself. It's Bernard Henri-Lévy and Alain Finkielkraut "who speak for me," he said.
Dieudonné gave two performances of "Mes Excuses" in Algeria in early 2005, and held a press conference at which he told his Algerian audience that those in power in France—here he specifically mentioned Jean-Pierre Rafarrin, the French Prime Minister—are forced to "lick the ass" of the C.R.I.F., France's main Jewish organization, and called the group "a Mafia that controls the republic." He also said that "the Zionist lobby cultivates the idea of their unique suffering," adding that "a war has been declared on blacks." A news report on the now defunct site, ProcheOrient.info, which quoted Dieudonné as referring to the Shoah as "memorial pornography," caused an uproar.
The French minister of justice, Dominique Perben, demanded an inquiry into Dieudonné's "contestation of crimes against humanity," and the Paris public prosecutor's office began an investigation. Upon his return to France, Dieudonné insisted that he had been misquoted and showed an excerpt of the conference to prove it. "I never made that statement, which is insulting to the memory of the Shoah and is against the law," he said, explaining that he was referring to the commemoration of the Holocaust rather than to the Holocaust itself. (On September 11th of this year, a Paris court found him guilty of complicity in slandering "a group of persons on the grounds of race, religion, or origin" and fined him nine thousand seven hundred dollars; neither Dieudonné nor his lawyer attended the proceeding.) There were more clashes with protesters, and when Dieudonné travelled to Martinique that spring he was assaulted at the airport by a small group of demonstrators, who he alleged were Israeli agents. His shows continued to sell out, and more performances were added to his tour.
From the stage of the Main d'Or, Dieudonné mocked his attackers. "Every time Bernard Lévy writes about me, it's 'Dieudonné, bastard!' 'Anti-Semite!' 'Anti-Semite!' As soon as anything annoys him—'Anti-Semite!' It's a great system, really." Dieudonné swatted an imaginary mosquito on his cheek, shouting, "Anti-Semite!"
Bernard-Henri Lévy's apartment on the Boulevard St. Germain reflects why, to the modern French anti-Semite, the initials "BHL" represent what the name Rothschild once did: the ultimate international Jew, running a global plot from the finest address in Paris.
"In France, being an anti-Semite in the old way does not work," Lévy said when I asked him about Dieudonné. "You will not raise a mass movement by saying the Jews killed Christ—nobody cares. Accuse them of having invented Christ, like Voltaire did in the eighteenth century, still nobody cares. As far as being a special race, nobody believes that anymore. But anti-racist anti-Semitism—saying that for the sake of the blacks, for the sake of the Arabs, we must make the Jews shut up—this works. If the Jews practiced 'memorial pornography'—thus exaggerating their own suffering—they became responsible for why the world didn't care enough about the history of slavery and the suffering of blacks. Dieudonné and his followers suppose that the capacity for empathy and the capacity for indignation is limited. But the brain doesn't work like this—you can care about the Holocaust and slavery. The more you are concerned by one, the more you are likely to be concerned by the other."
Philippe Val, an idiosyncratic hero of the French left and the editor of the biting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, says that Dieudonné "pushes us to transgress the very basis of our culture and politics—the knowledge that we have constructed on the ruins of Auschwitz. We are constructed upon that. Modern European democracy started from there. If you want to tear it all apart, the ultimate destructive anarchist gesture, there is no better place to start."
As Dieudonné was ostracized by the mainstream media and the political establishment, he made new friends—people like Thierry Meyssan, the author of the much translated 2002 book "L'Effroyable Imposture" ("The Big Lie"), which suggests that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were a plot hatched by elements of the U.S. military-industrial complex; Ginette Skandrani, a staunch Palestinian activist and a co-founder of France's Green Party; and Alain Soral, a writer for and adviser to Le Pen. Soral thought that by recruiting Dieudonné, a black celebrity, he could help break the National Front's image as a "whites only" party and appeal to a new constituency: Africans and Arabs from the banlieue.
"Dieudonné and I follow in the Voltairean French tradition of freethinking," Soral said when I met with him at the Café de la Mairie, on the Place Saint-Sulpice. Soral is an amateur boxer, and as we spoke he poked me in the chest to make his points. He furiously rubbed the Formica tabletop and cursed the state of France, the café, slobs—so much filth. "When a Jew tells you, 'We dominate the world,' you have to pretend that you didn't hear right, because if you say, 'Look, he told me over coffee that he dominated the world,' you go to prison." Soral went on, "Dieudonné and I fight for French independence, democracy, freedom. People can speak about these things only in private, but so many people think like I do."
As if on cue, a man who had been sitting in a booth nearby got up and said, "Gentlemen, I just want to say that for the last hour you have been saying what so many of us feel in our bones but are afraid to say. There is a secret force occupying this land—it's why I left for Quebec." The man had long, graying hair and was carrying an expensive-looking briefcase. When I asked him his name and profession, he said, "No, no, there are hidden cameras everywhere! They get it on tape and they can sue me, sue you, the new laws." As we left the café, Soral said, "Well, who knows who he was. Anyway, he's gone to Canada—I know a lot of people who are leaving."
On February 13, 2006, Ilan Halimi, a twenty-three-year-old cell-phone salesman, was found—naked, gagged, and handcuffed—near a train station south of Paris. He had burns and traces of torture on eighty per cent of his body, and died on the way to the hospital. Halimi had been kidnapped and held for three weeks in a cellar in the suburb of Bagneux. The police traced the crime to a group that became known as "the gang of Barbarians," allegedly led by Youssouf Fofana, the twenty-five-year-old son of African immigrants, and determined that Halimi had been abducted because he was Jewish. Eighteen people were arrested in France, and after a manhunt that led to the Ivory Coast, Fofana was taken into custody. Fofana denied killing Halimi, and that his actions were motivated by race, but other detainees told the police that "Jews have money," and that they believed that Halimi's parents, a working-class couple, or "the rabbi" would pay half a million dollars for Halimi's release.
Sammy Ghozlan, the head of a French group that monitors anti-Semitism, said that the words of an "alleged comedian" influenced the killers, and Julien Dray, the spokesman for the Socialist Party and a founder of S.O.S. Racisme, declared that Halimi's death was a result of "the Dieudonné effect." Dieudonné denounced Dray for throwing around murder accusations lightly. In a statement he released at the time, Dieudonné attributed the torture-abduction to the neo-liberalism that "has established the cult of profit as the central value of society" and to the "American drift in French society." On February 26, 2006, pamphlets depicting Dieudonné and Fofana above the words "Thinker. Murderer" were distributed during a March in Paris to protest Halimi's murder.While French politicians were holding vigils for Halimi, Dieudonné invited to his theatre the family of another victim of a kidnap-murder and called for an end to the "discrimination among victims" that allegedly favored Jews. A few days later, Dieudonné held a rally on the theme of "Republican equality against discrimination among victims," adding an Algerian and an Armenian to the list of those whose killings had gotten scant notice. At about this time, Dieudonné added to his show impersonations of Hitler ("You'll see, the future will present me as a moderate!") and the French Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson.
In Bagneux, the suburb where Halimi was murdered, Jean-Claude Tchicaya, a government social worker, organizes workshops and field trips to foster understanding among blacks, Arabs, and Jews. "Halimi was tortured in the town where I live, in the neighborhood where I live, in the building where my mother lives," Tchicaya told me. "I even knew personally some of the young people who were part of the murder gang. To believe that all Jews are rich is an anti-Semitic prejudice that didn't exist in the neighborhood twenty years ago." He added, "Dieudonné is cunning, insinuating. He touches parts of people's minds that are vulnerable."
In May, 2006, a group calling itself the Tribu Ka marched down the Rue des Rosiers, the main street of the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Le Marais, chanting anti-Semitic slogans. The Tribu Ka's leader, Kémi Séba, a French-born man of Ivory Coast and Haitian parentage, reportedly issued a "warning" to France's Jewish community: "If by any chance the French Jews brush even a single hair of Brother Fofana's head, we will take care of the curls of your rabbi." In July, Sarkozy, who was then the interior minister, had the Tribu Ka banned. All of this meant further embarrassment for Dieudonné, who, it was revealed, allowed Séba to use the Théâtre de la Main d'Or for meetings in which he reportedly praised Hitler's ideas on race. Dieudonné's office issued a statement emphasizing the gulf between Séba and himself, and pointing out that Séba's "ethnically based organization"—the Tribu Ka excludes non-blacks from its meetings—was the opposite of the "republican project defended by Dieudonné." (Two months ago, the Théâtre de la Main d'Or announced Séba's stage début, a "street politic" production called "Sarkophobie.")
In August, 2006, Dieudonné left town on an "anti-Zionist solidarity mission," and arrived in Beirut in the wake of Israel's war with Hezbollah. He was accompanied by his Presidential campaign manager, Marc Robert; the September 11th conspiracy theorist Thierry Meyssan; and Ahmed Moualek, the leader of the youth organization La Banlieue S'Exprime! (The Suburbs Speak!). Dieudonné met with the chief of Hezbollah's television network, Al Manar, and was photographed shaking hands with Jesse Jackson, who looked befuddled. By his side during all these encounters was his new friend from the National Front, Alain Soral.
I saw Soral again this past May, two weeks after the French Presidential elections. Le Pen had won only ten per cent of the vote—his worst showing in years—and failed to qualify for a second round. Though the victorious Sarkozy campaign managed to win National Front supporters by promising a tough new immigration policy, N.F. insiders blamed the outcome on Soral's "banlieue" strategy and the alliance with Dieudonné, who, they believed, had alienated white voters as well as moderates. "We have passed into the Republic of Show Business, a schmatte monarchy," Soral said glumly. "There was almost nobody on the Champs-Élysées for Sarkozy's victory, but on TV it looked like crowds. It was just like in Baghdad, with the tearing down of Saddam Hussein's statue. It was all staged television, recycled crowds, Jews. The French people don't care—they're like cows watching a train go by."
On May 10th, a memorial to the victims of France's slave trade was dedicated in the Luxembourg Gardens. The memorial is a red-and-green metal rendering of the links of a chain, with the words "violence," "prison," "liberty," "rape," and "independence" running in relief along them. Until the late nineteen-nineties, France had not formally acknowledged its involvement in the slave trade. Yet in the eighteenth century, when sugar fuelled global power and conflict, the French colony of Saint-Domingue, run with extraordinary cruelty, was one of the world's largest single markets for slaves.
In 2001, the National Assembly declared that the Atlantic slave trade was a "crime against humanity," and since then the French have been "discovering" their history as a slave empire. (The government began accelerating the process after the banlieue riots in the fall of 2005.) The ceremony dedicating the memorial was Sarkozy's first as President-elect, and he stood awkwardly, surrounded by France's leading black activists and sports stars, as the sins of the nation were read out. Dieudonné clasped his hands behind his back as he walked around the monument, which resembled a truncated piece of kids' climbing equipment. "Pas mal, pas mal," he said.
He was in a jovial mood. As we walked through the park, he speculated that, with the pro-Israel, center-right Sarkozy in power, demand for his alternative voice would grow. A young man in a dark business suit approached Dieudonné and said, "Sir, I really respect you. I want to say you're great." Two high-school students asked him for autographs. Joggers, both white and black, waved enthusiastically as they ran by. After a while, we sat on a park bench. He talked about the evolution of his performance style, and his conviction that comedy can never be too serious. "I understand that my laughter can scare people," he said, as two boys, one white, the other Asian, approached to ask for autographs. A group of black teen-agers wearing white T-shirts, baseball caps, and gold chains appeared. "We love you, we love you," chanted the teen-agers, who said they were from Martinique. "You're too cool, too funny." We then made our way down the Boulevard Saint-Michel, to a bistro near the Panthéon. Dieudonné asked for a table in the back. He eyed the plates passing from the kitchen, asking the waiters to identify each dish. "We'll trust you to pick us a good red to drink," he said to one. He began to tell me about a DVD he was planning to make with the Pygmies.
He said that his family (he has four children with a white French woman with whom he has been living for fourteen years) often visited New York—"Broadway is marvellous!" His conversation veered from Broadway to Big Oil, the World Bank, and why he favored nuclear proliferation in states like North Korea and Iran: "It will bring more peace, not less—balance is always good."
I asked about the show he was writing for the 2008 season. "It will be called 'Love and Daisies,' " he said. "I can't tell you details, but I guarantee one thing: there will be Pygmies, real live Pygmies, from the jungles of Cameroon. It's going to be very light." Really? "Well, maybe it's going to get violent," he replied with a grin. "But love is violent sometimes. We start with love and flowers, and we see where it takes us."
Dieudonné sometimes speaks as if he were baffled that he could ever give offense—almost as if his words were uttered by someone else. His dream, he said, was to put on a big show in the Middle East—a comedy with the Jews and the Arabs. "Last summer, I met with Muslim comics in these countries," he told me. "They are hostile to the politics of the Israeli state, of course, but I don't think they will be hostile to Jewish humor necessarily. And I don't know Shiite humor—but they must laugh as much in Iran as anywhere." He went on, "Maybe the Jew would have to play the Palestinian, the Palestinian would play the American, the American would play the Iranian—it could be funny. Enriching. Fun for each side. It's not the unknown that scares me; it's the known that makes me scared. I will continue to clown around, whatever happens. I have nothing to lose. I am like a Pygmy in his forest who sees the big trees falling and says, 'Let's go, let's go!' The French Revolution is my tradition. It's a mind-set of the French, that you need a revolution. I am deeply French." ♦


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The Department of Veterans Affairs wants to connects health care personnel across the entire VA service network in an effort to reduce duplication and promote forward-thinking learning interventions.
VA Pulse would be an online social site that would serve "as the foundation for facilitating sharing and promotion of evidence-based best practices, centralized and streamlined information and innovative methods to achieve the needs of Veterans Health Administration," according to the agency's presolicitation.
The VA's Office of Strategic Integration has a goal of reaching upwards of 300,000 users of VA Pulse by the end of the third contract year. It anticipates awarding a 5-year single-award firm fixed price indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for services. The software-as-a-service solution will be tested on Jive Software at three sites with a total of 2,000 users, followed by a national rollout.
VA Pulse is intended to "support change management surrounding transformation of VHA person-to-person communication.…The solution must connect the VHA community in a business social network that strengthens relationships, improves access to information, and delivers tailored solutions to practitioners that integrates seamlessly into their workflow."
Users would be able to access VA Pulse via standard VHA computers as well as from other remote devices including smart phones, BlackBerrys, tablets and laptops. Some capabilities that OSI seeking with VA Pulse include tools and intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces for the following capabilities:
Social collaboration sites are used in various agencies. The State Department launched a collaborative site, Corridor, three years ago for its 70,000 workers. Today, the site has about 17,000 members and more than 800 professional and personal user groups behind State's sensitive but unclassified network called OpenNet. OpenNet lets employees from far-flung places search for individuals with specific experience or skills, ask questions, do polling and seek advice, among other things. The eDiplomacy office, which oversees Corridor's development, will be adding new functionality as well as a mobile version later this year.
According to a survey on government collaborative initiatives by the 1105 Public Sector Media Group, parent company of GCN, collaboration initiatives are expected to expand during the next two years, both in terms of the number of users involved and the range of tasks supported. Today, on average, collaboration tools are being used by 56 percent of an agency's employees, up from 36 percent two years ago. Two years from now, that number is expected to reach 71 percent.
About the Author
Kathleen Hickey is a freelance writer for GCN.
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AnchorFree enables millions of users with security, privacy, and freedom. AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield is the world's most popular consumer VPN (virtual private network). It has taken off through a grass roots movement of Internet users interested in a free and simply way to stay secure and private online. AnchorFree provides free privacy protection and secure encrypted browsing for the masses. Addressing a market of 1.6 billion Internet users, Hotspot Shield has been downloaded over 60 million times on desktop and mobile platforms. It is the most popular security product on Apple's iOS platform. In addition to using Hotspot Shield for secure and private browsing, in the western world, millions, of users in emerging regions use AnchorFree as an enabler to get to Google, Facebook, YouTube, Skype and many other sites/services that are otherwise unavailable, thus proliferating freedom of information. Hotspot Shield also protects users from over 3.5 million malware threats and compresses data to enable users to speed up their mobile browsing and save money on their data plans.
AnchorFree enables users with secure and private browsing across computers, laptops, phones and tablets.
In addition to driving positive revenue and user growth, AnchorFree is making a major impact on the world by enabling access to all information online, breaking down borders, and proliferating user privacy. The AnchorFree founders won the INC Magazine 30 Under 30 Award in 2011.


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I guess I will start the day with one of my favorite lessons that I made today, and it is also a drawing that I started in Live stream earlier. Let's get right to it shall we then? We will begin by tackling the task to learn "how to draw ninja Pikachu", step by step. I didn't think I was going to have as much fun as I did when I started this lesson. The end result of Pikachu in ninja form is absolutley adorable, and he is also very easy to replicate. Well That is about it, I think that this figure of Pikachu speaks for itself. All you have to do to make your own version is follow the steps and instrcutions, and you will be on your way to drawing ninja Pikachu too. I hope you enjoy this tutorial, and I also hope you leave a comment and rating to let me, and others know what you think.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Teaching for Understanding
What Did You Learn?In this session, you learned how the Teaching for Understanding framework can be used to develop and connect social studies units.
Review your initial concept chart, answers to the reading questions, and the unit you developed. Now write a Summary (PDF) of what you've learned. Be sure to include:
Save your written work to submit as an assignment.
Refer to the Assignments page to be sure you've completed all assignments for this session.
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