text:
The Holy Fools
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the [Cheshire] Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
-Lewis Caroll, Alice in Wonderland
1: The Lost Utopia
The Net is haunted by the disappointed hopes of the Sixties. Because this new technology symbolises another period of rapid change, many contemporary commentators look back to the stalled revolution of thirty years ago to explain what is happening now. Most famously, the founders of Wired appropriated New Left rhetoric to promote their New Right policies for the Net. Within Europe, a long history of class-based politics and compulsive theorising makes such ideological chicanery seem much more implausible. However, this does not mean that Europeans are immune from embracing digital elitism in the name of sixties libertarianism. Ironically, this bizarre union of opposites is most evident in writings inspired by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.
Although these two philosophers were overt leftists during their lifetimes, many of their contemporary followers support a form of aristocratic anarchism which is eerily similar to Californian neo-liberalism. In doing so, the Deleuzoguattarians have unwittingly exposed the fatal weaknesses within what appears to be an impeccably emancipatory analysis of the Net. Trapped within the precepts of their sacred creed, the disciples of Deleuze and Guattari can't even grasp why the spread of the Net really is such a subversive phenomenon.
At the end of the century, the superficiality of post-modernism is no longer fashionable among radical intellectuals. Because the Soviet Union has collapsed, the European avant-garde can return to its old obsession with Leninism. Instead, TJs look back to the libertarian spontaneity of May '68. Even after decades of reactionary rule, the folk memory of the sixties still remains an inspiration for the present. The democratic ways of working, cultural experimentation and emancipatory lifestyles initiated in this period survive - and even flourish -within the DIY culture of the Nineties. However, belief in the overthrow of capitalism is no longer credible. Therefore contemporary European intellectuals have turned social transformation into theoretical poetry - a revolutionary dreamtime for the imagination.
The cult of Deleuze and Guattari is a prime example of this aesthetisation of sixties radicalism. Above all, their most famous book - A Thousand Plateaus -now provides the buzzwords and concepts for a specifically European understanding of the Net. In contrast with the USA, a vibrant techno-culture has been flourishing across the continent for over two decades. Pioneered by computer-generated dance music, this digital aesthetic now embraces fashion, art, graphic design, publishing and video games. When it emerged in Europe, the Net was at first seen as a place for social and cultural experimentation rather than as a business opportunity. Unlike the Californian ideology, the writings of Deleuze and Guattari do seem to provide theoretical metaphors which describe the non-commercial aspects of the Net. For instance, the rhizome metaphor captures how cyberspace is organised as an open-ended, spontaneous and horizontal network. Their Body-without-Organs phrase can be used to romanticise cyber-sex. Deleuze and Guattari's nomad myth reflects the mobility of contemporary Net users as workers and tourists.
D&G now symbolises more than just Dolce & Gabbana. Within the rhizomes of the Net, the Deleuzoguattarians form their own subculture: the techno-nomads. These adepts are united by specific 'signifying practices': computer technologies, techno music, bizarre science, esoteric beliefs, illegal chemicals and cyberpunk novels. There even is a distinctive Deleuzoguattarian language which is almost incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Above all, these techno-nomads possess a radical optimism about the future of the Net. While all that remains of hippie ideals in Wired is its psychedelic layout, the European avant-garde - and its imitators - still champions the lost utopia of May '68 through the theoretical poetry of Deleuze and Guattari. The revolution will be digitalised.
2: The Politics of May '68
Far from deterring an audience educated in structuralism, the hermetic language and tortured syntax used within A Thousand Plateaus are seen as proofs of its analytical brilliance. However, this idiosyncratic Deleuzoguattarian discourse is causing as much confusion as elucidation among their followers. For instance, the Rhizome web site blandly announces that: "rhizome is... a figurative term... to describe non-hierarchical networks of all kinds." At no point does this web site explain either the political meaning of this peculiar concept or how its principles might be applied within the Net. On the contrary, rhizome is simply a hip European phrase borrowed to celebrate the disorganised nature of the New York cyber-arts scene.
Yet, Deleuze and Guattari were not simply avant-garde art critics. The two philosophers were 'soixante-huitards': supporters of the May '68 revolution. Deleuze and Guattari championed the most radical expression of Sixties politics: anarcho-communism. As its name suggests, anarcho-communism stood for the destruction of both state power and market capitalism. Society would be reorganised as a direct democracy and as a gift economy. The appeal of anarcho-communism did not derive only from its abstract theory, but also from its concrete practice. During the sixties, anarcho-communists led the search for radical solutions to the historically novel problems facing young people. With the arrival of consumer society, the traditional Left policy of unrestricted modernisation appeared to have reached its limits. Once almost everyone had annual rises in income and mass unemployment had disappeared, the problems of everyday life took on increasing importance, such as restraints on sexual and cultural freedom.
Above all, many people now wanted a say in the decisions which affected them. They were no longer willing to accept leadership from above without some form of dialogue. Responding to these historically specific circumstances, young militants rediscovered and updated anarcho-communism not just as a theory, but also as a practice. Unlike their parents' parliamentary parties and trade unions, the New Left could articulate their contemporaries' demands for more participation. Instead of others deciding their lives for them, young people wanted to do things for themselves.
'[Anarcho-]communism is not a new mode of production; it is the affirmation of a new community.'
3: The Romance of 'Schizo-Politics'
Like other gurus of the New Left, Deleuze and Guattari believed that the state itself was the source of all oppression. According to their foundation myth, the state and its allies had been using top-down tree-like structures to subjugate people ever since the dawn of agrarian civilisation. Described as a process of 'territorialisation', they claimed that the media, psychoanalysis and language were the primary 'machinic assemblages' used by the state to control everyday life in the modern world. In contrast with Marxist analyses, Deleuze and Guattari believed that economics was only one manifestation of the state's primordial will to dominate all human activity.
Facing the transhistorical enemy of the state was a new opponent: the social movements. Deleuze and Guattari thought that the traditional style of left-wing politics was now obsolete. As part of the 'guaranteed' sector of the economy, private and public sector workers not only had been bought off by the system, but also had their desires manipulated by the family, the media, the dominant language and psychoanalysis. Like much of the post-'68 New Left, the two philosophers instead looked to social movements of youth, feminists, ecologists, homosexuals and immigrants to 'deterritorialise' the power of the state. As part of the 'non-guaranteed' sector, people in these movements were excluded from the system and were therefore supposedly eager to fight for the revolution.
In A Thousand Plateaus, the nomads poetically symbolised the 'molecular' social movements which were making the anarcho-communist revolution against the 'molar' tyranny of political power. Far from trying to seize political power, nomads used their mobility to avoid the 'territorialised' control of the authoritarian state. Similarly, the social movements formed a multiplicity of hippie tribes which were autonomous from all centralising and hierarchical tendencies, especially those supported by the mainstream Left. Along the 'lines of flight' mapped out by the New Left, the oppressed would escape from the control of the authoritarian state into autonomous rhizomes formed by the social movements. In A Thousand Plateaus, the rhizome became the poetic metaphor for this nomadic vision of direct democracy.
For Deleuze and Guattari, the overthrow of political power was only the beginning of the anarcho-communist revolution. They believed that political domination was only made possible through personal repression. The anarcho-communist revolution therefore had to liberate the libidinal energies of people from all forms of social control. The individual 'delirium' of schizophrenics prefigured the chaotic spirit of collective revolution. This meant that radicals not only had to detonate a social uprising, but also personally live out the cultural revolution. The New Left revolutionary was symbolised as the Body-without-Organs: a person who was no longer "organised, signified, subjected" by the rationality of the state. Such individuals were forerunners of the new type of human being who would emerge after the anarcho-communist revolution: a hippie equivalent of Nietzsche's Superman. For Deleuze and Guattari, anarcho-communism was therefore not just the realisation of direct democracy and the gift economy. In their 'schizo-politics', the revolution would destroy bourgeois rationality so each individual could become a holy fool.
"[The Fool]...is the vagabond who exists on the fringe of organised society, going his own way, ignoring the rules and taboos with which men seek to contain him. He is the madman who carries within him the seeds of genius, the one who is despised by society yet who is the catalyst who will transform that society."
4: The Moment of Community Radio
Within the exuberant writings of the Deleuzoguattarians, there is a curious -and revealing - omission. They almost never mention Guattari's claim in the eighties that the Minitel system was about to replace top-down mass media with bottom-up 'post-media'. The reason for this absence must be found in the close similarity between Guattari's Minitel utopia and his earlier dreams about the revolutionary potential of community radio. Paradoxically, it is Guattari's anarcho-communist adventure within radio which provides the answer to why his contemporary disciples have developed such a curious affinity with the aristocratic ideology of Wired.
After May '68, many members of the New Left believed that producing alternative media was the most effective and fun way of putting their revolutionary theory into practice. In both Italy and France, the nationalised radio and television corporation had disseminated propaganda from the ruling conservative parties for decades. During the seventies, New Left activists challenged this monopoly by setting up pirate radio stations. As the regulations against unlicensed broadcasting collapsed, thousands of 'free radios' emerged first in Italy and later in France. Although most were commercial, a minority were run by New Left activists.
According to Guattari, community radio stations were the only alternative to the domination of the airwaves by mindless 'disco radios'. He wanted radio broadcasting to be used to create an electronic form of direct democracy which could replace the corrupt system of representative democracy. Instead of elected politicians, people would directly express their own opinions on the programmes of the community radio stations. The community radio stations supposedly prefigured the imminent reorganisation of the whole of society around direct democracy after the anarcho-communist revolution. Even this ultra-left utopia didn't go far enough for Guattari. The ultimate aim of a 'free radio' was the subversion of bourgeois rationality and repressive sexuality within everyday life. When people were able to express their own views over the airwaves, Guattari hoped that the 'delirium' of desire would be released within the population.
In the early eighties, Guattari was the leader of Frequence Libre, a community radio station licenced to broadcast across Paris. However, it soon became obvious that turning Deleuzoguattarian theory into practice was impossible. Far from encouraging audience participation, the sectarian politics of the two philosophers actually discouraged people - including many on the Left - from getting involved in their community radio station. Guattari and his colleagues were more interested in lecturing the audience rather than engaging in discussions with them. This revolutionary elitism even extended the musical policies of the station. When some rappers approached Frequence Libre about the possibility of making some programmes, the station refused to let any hip-hop crews on-air until their lyrics had been politically vetted! After they'd alienated most of their potential activists and audience, Guattari's 'free radio' encountered growing difficulties in raising sufficient cash and recruiting enough volunteers to operate the station. Eventually, Fr=E9quence Libre went bankrupt and its frequency was sold to pay its debts. Guattari's attempts to turn theory into practice within the 'free radio' movement had ended in tragedy.
5: From Stalin to Pol Pot
Techno-nomad TJs are attracted by the uncompromising theoretical radicalism expressed by Deleuze and Guattari. However, far from succumbing to an outside conspiracy, Frequence Libre imploded because of the particular New Left politics which inspired A Thousand Plateaus and the other sacred texts. Unwilling to connect abstract theory with its practical application, the techno-nomads cannot see how Deleuze and Guattari's celebration of direct democracy was simultaneously a justification for intellectual elitism. This elitism was no accident. Because of their very different life experiences, many young people in the sixties experienced a pronounced 'generation gap' between themselves and their parents. Feeling so isolated, they believed that society could only be changed by a revolutionary vanguard composed of themselves and their comrades. This is why many young radicals simultaneously believed in two contradictory concepts. First, the revolution would create mass participation in running society. Second, the revolution could only be organised by a committed minority.
The New Left militants were reliving an old problem in a new form. Back in the 1790s, Robespierre had argued that the democratic republic could only be created by a revolutionary dictatorship. During the 1917 Russian revolution, Lenin had advocated direct democracy while simultaneously instituting the totalitarian rule of the Bolsheviks. As their 'free radio' experience showed, Deleuze and Guattari never escaped from this fundamental contradiction of revolutionary politics. The absence of the Leninist party did not prevent the continuation of vanguard politics. As in other social movements, Fr=E9quence Libre was dominated by a few charismatic individuals: the holy prophets of the anarcho-communist revolution.
In Deleuze and Guattari's writings, this deep authoritarianism found its theoretical expression in their methodology: semiotic structuralism. Despite rejecting its 'wooden language', the two philosophers never really abandoned Stalinism in theory. Above all, they retained its most fundamental premise: the minds of the majority of the population were controlled by bourgeois ideologies. During the sixties, this elitist theory was updated through the addition of Lacanian structuralism by Louis Althusser, the chief philosopher of the French Communist party. For Deleuze and Guattari, Althusser had explained why only a revolutionary minority supported the New Left. Brainwashed by the semiotic 'machinic assemblages' of the family, media, language and psychoanalysis, most people supposedly desired fascism rather than anarcho-communism. This authoritarian methodology clearly contradicted the libertarian rhetoric within Deleuze and Guattari's writings. Yet, as the rappers who wanted to make a show for Frequence Libre discovered, Deleuzoguattarian anarcho-communism even included the censorship of music. By adopting an Althusserian analysis, Deleuze and Guattari were tacitly privileging their own role as intellectuals: the producers of semiotic systems. Just like their Stalinist elders, the two philosophers believed that only the vanguard of intellectuals had the right to lead the masses - without any formal consent from them - in the fight against capitalism.
For young militants, the problem was how this committed minority could make a revolution without ending up with totalitarianism. Some of the New Left thought that anarcho-communism expressed their desire to overthrow both political and economic oppression. However, even this revolutionary form of politics still appeared to many as tainted by the bloody failure of the Russian revolution. Had not the experience of Stalinism proved that any compromise with the process of modernity would inevitably lead to the reimposition of tyranny? Consequently, anarcho-communist thinkers increasingly decided that just opposing the oppressive features of economic development was not radical enough. Desiring a complete transformation of society, they rejected the transcendent 'grand narrative' of modernity altogether, especially those left-wing versions inspired by Hegel and Marx. According to these ultra-leftists, the whole concept of progress was a fraud designed to win acquiescence for the intensification of capitalist domination. While the mainstream Left still wanted to complete the process of modernisation, the New Left should instead be leading a revolution against modernity.
Once anarcho-communism was transformed into an ahistorical ideology, the New Left's opposition to economic development soon developed into a desire to abandon modernity altogether. Following the May '68 revolution, support for rural guerrillas resisting American imperialism soon became mixed up with hippie tribalism, concerns about environmental degradation and nostalgia for a lost peasant past. Disillusioned with the economic progress championed by the parliamentary Left, many on the New Left synthesised these different ideas into hatred of the mass urban society created by modernity. For them, a truly libertarian revolution could only have one goal: the destruction of the city.
Deleuze and Guattari enthusiastically joined this attack against the concept of historical progress. For them, the 'deterritorialisation' of urban society was the solution to the contradiction between participatory democracy and revolutionary elitism haunting the New Left. If the centralised city could be broken down into 'molecular rhizomes', direct democracy and the gift economy would reappear as people formed themselves into small nomadic bands. According to Deleuze and Guattari, anarcho-communism was not the 'end of history': the material result of a long epoch of social development. On the contrary, the liberation of desire from semiotic oppression was a perpetual promise: an ethical stance which could be equally lived by nomads in ancient times or social movements in the present. With enough intensity of effort, anyone could overcome their hierarchical brainwashing to become a fully-liberated individual: the holy fool.
Yet, as the experience of Frequence Libre proved, this rhetoric of unlimited freedom contained a deep desire for ideological control by the New Left vanguard. While the nomadic fantasies of A Thousand Plateaus were being composed, one revolutionary movement actually did carry out Deleuze and Guattari's dream of destroying the city. Led by a vanguard of Paris-educated intellectuals, the Khmer Rouge overthrew an oppressive regime installed by the Americans. Rejecting the 'grand narrative' of economic progress, Pol Pot and his organisation instead tried to construct a rural utopia. However, when the economy subsequently imploded, the regime embarked on ever more ferocious purges until the country was rescued by an invasion by neighbouring Vietnam. Deleuze and Guattari had claimed that the destruction of the city would create direct democracy and libidinal ecstasy. Instead, the application of such anti-modernism in practice resulted in tyranny and genocide. The 'line of flight' from Stalin had led to Pol Pot.
6: The Antinomies of the Avant-Garde
Ironically, the current popularity of Deleuze and Guattari comes from their stubborn refusal to recognise the failure of the anti-modernist revolution. Even when Frequence Libre went bankrupt, Deleuze and Guattari never questioned their 'schizo-politics'. Instead, they transformed the historically specific politics of the New Left into theoretical poetry which existed outside history. The libidinal intensity of revolutionary failure was much preferable to the limited achievements of parliamentary reformism.
For 'cutting edge' TJs, it is now almost compulsory to sample from the theoretical poetry of Deleuze and Guattari. Yet, this New Left revival is taking place in very different circumstances from the revolutionary sixties. However, the political irrelevance of Deleuze and Guattari does not discredit their theoretical poetry among radical intellectuals. On the contrary, the defeat of the New Left has enabled their disciples to complete the transformation of anarcho-communism from the hope of social revolution into the symbol of personal authenticity: an ethical-aesthetic rejection of bourgeois society. Although defeated in reality, the ideals of May '68 can be used to imagine a revolutionary dreamtime for the Net.
The aestheticisation of revolutionary politics is a revered tradition of the European avant-garde. Back in the twenties, the Surrealists perfected the fusion of artistic creativity with social rebellion. Inspired by Lenin, this avant-garde movement claimed that the consciousness of the majority of the population was controlled by cultural mediocrity and puritan morality. Therefore radical intellectuals had the heroic task of freeing the people from ideological domination. Their innovative art would undermine the repressive cultural norms of bourgeois society. Their bohemian way of living would challenge the dull conformity of everyday life under capitalism. In this interpretation of Leninism, cultural experimentation became the privileged expression of revolutionary politics. Whether from the tribal past or the science-fiction future, any vision of a more authentic life should be used to subvert the cultural philistinism of the bourgeois present. Innovative paintings, sculptures, photography, films and literature would be made "...in the service of the revolution."
The cult of Deleuze and Guattari is the latest manifestation of this European avant-garde tradition. The change in language disguises a continuity in practice. Just like its Surrealist predecessors, the contemporary avant-garde equates experimental art and bohemian lifestyles with social rebellion. Despite their involvement with radio and Minitel, Deleuze and Guattari hoped that the 'line of flight' from modernity would lead back to the tribal past. In contrast, their contemporary followers have no ambiquity about their relationship with modern technologies. Far from desiring the destruction of the city, radical intellectuals hope that the Deleuzoguattarian utopia will emerge from the hi-tech Net. Using intellectual alchemy, they transmute their gurus' anti-modernist scriptures into a philosophy of hyper-modernism.
This aestheticisation of May '68 is made much easier by the poetical style of Deleuze and Guattari. As in modernist painting, the 'realism' of the text has been superseded by a fascination with the formal techniques of theoretical production. For Deleuze and Guattari, theory was a piece of literature expressing authentic emotion rather than a tool for understanding social reality. Having failed in practice, New Left politics could live on as theory-art. Following this example, techno-nomad TJs sample Deleuzoguattarian discourse to produce leftfield philosophy. Yet, as with Britpop bands, something is lost in these respectful homages to the past. In the sacred texts, the rational analysis of society had already been replaced by the literary celebration of irrational desires. The European avant-garde is now discarding the few remaining connections with practical politics. Using Deleuzoguattarian discourse, avant-garde intellectuals recreate the May '68 revolution as a theory-art project for the Net.
Yet, like the Leninist vanguard, the European avant-garde is haunted by the fatal contradiction between popular participation and intellectual elitism. In their theory-art, the techno-nomads use Deleuzoguattarian discourse to celebrate DIY culture. However, according to the sacred creed, most people - including members of the DIY culture - are brainwashed by semiotic 'machinic assemblages.' But, when illuminated by the teachings of Deleuze and Guattari, radical intellectuals can amazingly cast off the mental shackles of bourgeois rationality and experience the redemption of ecstatic immanence. Although many are called, only few can become true disciples of the esoteric doctrine.
This elitism is a hallowed tradition of the European avant-garde. For decades, radical intellectuals have adopted dissident politics, aesthetics and morals to separate themselves from the majority of 'herd animals' whose minds were controlled by bourgeois ideologies. Despite their revolutionary rhetoric, avant-garde intellectuals fantasised about themselves as an artistic aristocracy ruling the philistine masses. Following this elitist custom, the Deleuzoguattarians champion nomadic minorities from the 'non-guaranteed' social movements against the stupified majority from the 'guaranteed'sector. Once again, the revolution is the ethical-aesthetic illumination of a minority rather than the social liberation of all people.
Earlier in this century, this dream of an artistic aristocracy sometimes evolved into fascism. More often, the avant-garde supported totalitarian tendancies within the Left. Nowadays, cultural elitism can easily turn into implicit sympathy with neo-liberalism. The European avant-garde - and its imitators -could never openly support the free market fundamentalism of the Californian ideology. Yet, as TJs cut 'n' mix, the distinctions between right and left libertarianism are blurring. On the one hand, the Californian ideologues claim that a heroic minority of cyber-entrepreneurs is emerging from the fierce competition of the electronic marketplace. On the other hand, the Deleuzoguattarians believe that this new elite consists of cool TJs and hip artists who release subversive 'assemblages of enunciation' into the Net. In both the Californian ideology and Deleuzoguattarian discourse, primitivism and futurism are combined to produce the apotheosis of individualism: the cyborg Nietzschean Superman.
"...the possibility...to rear a master race, the future "masters of the earth"; a new tremendous aristocracy...in which... philosophical men of power and artist-tyrants will... work as artists on 'man' himself."
7: The Hi-Tech Gift Economy
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the contemporary avant-garde must substitute itself for the missing political vanguard. The techno-nomads therefore remix Leninism into Deleuzoguattarian discourse: subversive theory-art 'deterritorialises' the semiotic 'machinic assemblages' controlling the minds of the majority. Lenin is morphed into Nietzsche.
In the late nineties, revolutionary elitism can only be expressed in the words of May '68. Yet, important pioneers of the New Left were highly critical of this tradition of cultural elitism. For instance, the Situationists advocated transforming the social context of cultural production rather than the aesthetics of art. Instead of following the avant-garde elite, everyone should have the opportunity to express themselves.
Above all, the Situationists looked for ways of living which were free from the corruptions of consumer capitalism. Despite their Hegelian modernism, they claimed that anarcho-communism had been prefigured by the potlatch: the gift economy of Polynesian tribes. Within these primitive societies, the circulation of gifts bound people together into tribes and encouraged cooperation between different tribes. This tribal gift economy demonstrated that individuals could successfully live together without needing either the state or the market. However, the Situationists believed that here could be no compromise between tribal authenticity and bourgeois alienation. After the social revolution, the potlatch would completely supplant the commodity.
Following May '68, this purist vision of anarcho-communism inspired a generation of cultural activists. Emancipatory media supposedly could only be produced within the gift economy. During the late seventies, pro-situ attitudes were further popularised by the punk movement. From then to the present-day, the 'cutting edge' of music has remained participatory. Crucially, every user of the Net is now also participating within a gift economy. Without even thinking about it, people continually circulate information between each other for free. They cooperate together without the direct mediation of either politics or money. Far from being the privilege of intellectuals, anarcho-communism is the mundane activity of ordinary people within cyberspace.
From the beginning, the gift economy has determined the technical and social structure of the Net. Although funded by the Pentagon, the Net could only be successfully developed by letting its users build the system for themselves. Within the academic community, the gift economy has long been the primary method of socialising labour. Funded by the state or by donations, scientists publicise their research results by 'giving papers' and by 'contributing articles'. Despite the dispersed nature of this educational gift economy, academics acquire intellectual respect from each other through citations in articles and other forms of public acknowledgement. The collaboration of many different scientists is only possible through the free distribution of information.
From its earliest days, the free exchange of information has been firmly embedded within the technologies and social mores of cyberspace. Above all, the founders of the Net never bothered to protect intellectual property within computer-mediated communications. Far from wanting to enforce copyright, they tried to eliminate all barriers to the distribution of information. Within the commercial creative industries, advances in digital reproduction are feared for making the 'piracy' of copyright material ever easier. In contrast, the academic gift economy welcomes technologies which improve the availability of data. Users should always be able to obtain and manipulate information with the minimum of impediments. The design of the Net therefore assumes that intellectual property is technically and socially obsolete.
Even though the system has expanded far beyond the university, the Net remains predominantly a gift economy. From scientists through hobbyists to the general public, the charmed circle of users was slowly built up through the adhesion of many localised networks to an agreed set of protocols. Crucially, the common standards of the Net include social conventions as well as technical rules. The giving and receiving of information without payment is almost never questioned. Even selfish reasons encourage people to become anarcho-communists within cyberspace. By adding their own presence, every user contributes to the collective knowledge accessible to those already on-line. In return, each individual has potential access to all the information made available by others within the Net. Everyone takes far more out of the Net than they can ever give away as an individual.
Despite the commercialisation of cyberspace, self-interest ensures that the hi-tech gift economy continues to flourish. For most users, the Net is somewhere to work, play, love, learn and discuss with other people. Unrestricted by physical distance, they collaborate with each other without the direct mediation of money or politics. Unconcerned about copyright, they give and receive information without thought of payment. In the absence of states or markets to mediate social bonds, network communities are instead formed through the mutual obligations created by gifts of time and ideas.
The hi-tech gift economy is even at the forefront of software development. For instance, Bill Gates admits that Microsoft's biggest competitor in the provision of web servers comes from the Apache program. Instead of being marketed by a commercial company, this program is shareware. Because its source code is not protected by copyright, Apache servers can be modified, amended and improved by anyone with the appropriate programming skills. Shareware programs are now beginning to threaten the core product of the Microsoft empire: the Windows operating system. Starting from the original software program by Linus Torvalds, a community of user-developers are together building their own non-proprietory operating system: Linux. For the first time, Windows has a real competitor.
8: Beyond the Avant-Garde
The New Left anticipated the emergence of the hi-tech gift economy. People could collaborate with each other without needing either markets or states. However, the New Left had a purist vision of DIY culture. There could be no compromise between the authenticity of the potlatch and the alienation of the market. Fr=E9quence Libre preserved its principles to the point of bankruptcy. Bored with the emotional emptiness of post-modernism, the techno-nomads are entranced by the uncompromising fervour of Deleuze and Guattari. However, as shown by Frequence Libre, the rhetoric of mass participation often hides the rule of the enlightened few. The ethical-aesthetic committment of anarcho-communism can only be lived by the artistic aristocracy. Yet, the antinomies of the avant-garde can no longer be avoided. The ideological passion of anarcho-communism is dulled by the banality of giving gifts within cyberspace. The theory of the artistic aristocracy cannot be based on the everyday activities of 'herd animals'.
Above all, anarcho-communism exists in a compromised form on the Net. Contrary to the ethical-aesthetic vision of the New Left, the boundaries between the different methods of working are not morally precise. Within the mixed economy of the Net, the gift economy and the commercial sector can only expand through mutual collaboration within cyberspace. The free circulation of information between users relies upon the capitalist production of computers, software and telecommunications. The profits of commercial net companies depend upon increasing numbers of people participating within the hi-tech gift economy. Under threat from Microsoft, Netscape is now trying to realise the opportunities opened up by such interdependence. Lacking the resources to beat its monopolistic rival, the development of products for the shareware Linux operating system has become a top priority. Anarcho-communism is now sponsored by corporate capital.
The purity of the digital DIY culture is also compromised by the political system. Because the dogmatic communism of Deleuze and Guattari has dated badly, their disciples instead emphasise their uncompromising anarchism. However, the state isn't just the potential censor and regulator of the Net. Many people use the Net for political purposes, including lobbying their political representatives. State intervention will be needed to ensure everyone can access the Net. The cult of Deleuze and Guattari is threatened by the miscegenation of the hi-tech gift economy with the private and public sectors. Anarcho-communism symbolised moral integrity: the romance of artistic 'delirium' undermining the 'machinic assemblages' of bourgeois conformity. However, as Net access grows, more and more ordinary people are circulating free information across the Net. Far from having any belief in the revolutionary ideals of May '68, the overwhelming majority of people participate within the hi-tech gift economy for entirely pragmatic reasons. In the late nineties, digital anarcho-communism is being built by hackers like Eric Raymond: "a self-described neo-pagan [right-wing] libertarian who enjoys shooting semi-automatic weapons..."
Threatened by the banalisation of the hi-tech gift economy, the European avant-garde is surreptiously embracing the capitalist fundamentalism of the Californian ideology. For this convergence to take place, Deleuze and Guattari's anathema against market competition must be skillfully abandoned. First, their adepts deny the wealth-creating powers of human labour. Then the work of living beings is subsumed within the mobility of dead matter. Finally, far from being condemned as a 'machinic assemblage' imposed from above, market competition is sanctified as the apotheosis of self-organising systems. As in the Californian ideology, this Deleuzoguattarian heresy believes that the market is a chaotic force of nature which cannot be controlled by state intervention. Abandoning any residual connections with the Left, these TJs instead celebrate the new aristocracy of nomadic artists and entrepreneurs who surf the 'schiz-flows' of the information society. In this bizarre remix, anarcho-communism becomes identical with neo-liberalism.
As a consequence, the techno-nomads have to ignore the major social transformation catalysed by the new information technologies: the widespread adoption of a new method of working. Rejecting the 'economism' of the Left, many TJs have replaced the creativity of human labour on the Net with a digital vitalism inspired by Deleuze and Guattari's theory-art. Denying the ability of people to determine their own destinies, these techno-nomads believe that information technologies are the semiotic forces determining culture, consciousness and even the conception of existence. However, there is nothing inherently emancipatory in computer-mediated communications. These technologies can also serve the state and the market. The Net was originally invented for the transmission of orders from the military hierarchy. In the future, electronic commerce will play a significant economic role and public services will increasingly be made available on-line.
At the same time, millions of people are spontaneously working together on the Net without needing coordination by either the state or the market. Instead of exchanging their labour for money, they give away their creations in return for free access to information produced by others. This circulation of gifts coexists with the exchange of commodities and funding from taxation. When they're online, people constantly pass from one form of social activity to another. For instance, in one session, a Net user might first buy something from an e-commerce catalogue, then look for information aon the local council's site and then contribute some thoughts to a listserver for fiction-writers. Without even consciously having to think about it, this person would have successively been a consumer in a market, a citizen of a state and an anarcho-communist within a gift economy. The 'New Economy' of the Net is an advanced form of social democracy.
The techno-nomads cannot comprehend the subversive impact of these everyday activities of Net users. As members of the avant-garde, they're looking for the intensity of ethical-aesthetic 'delirium' within the flows of vitalist matter. For them, there can be nothing particularly special about the mundane activities of net users who aren't producing fashionable theory-art. Yet, at this particular historical moment, market competition is disappearing for entirely pragmatic reasons. While commodified information is closed and fixed, digital gifts are open and changeable. Instead of fixed divisions between producers and consumers, users are simultaneously creators on the Net. Obsessed with immanence of semiotic flows, the Deleuzoguattarians cannot appreciate the deep irony of this contingent moment in human history. This is the point in time when the old faith in the inevitable triumph of communism has completely lost all credibility. Yet, at this very moment, market competition is quietly 'withering away' within cyberspace.
Over the past few centuries, people within the industrialised countries have slowly improved their incomes and reduced their hours of work. Although still having little autonomy in their money-earning jobs, workers can now experience non-alienated labour within the hi-tech gift economy. >From writing emails through making web sites to developing software, people do things for themselves without the direct mediation of the market and the state. As net access spreads, the majority of the population are beginning to participate within cultural production. Unlike Frequence Libre, the avant-garde can no longer decide who can -and cannot - join the hi-tech gift economy. The Net is too large for Microsoft to monopolise, let alone a small elite of radical intellectuals. Art can therefore cease being the symbol of moral superiority. When working people finally have enough time and resources, they can then concentrate upon "...art, love, play, etc., etc.; in short, everything which makes Man [and Woman] happy. "
At such a historical moment, the European avant-garde is being made obsolete through the realisation of its own supposed principles. The techno-nomads celebrate digital DIY culture to distinguish themselves from the rest of society. Yet, far from being confined to a revolutionary minority, increasing numbers of ordinary people are now participating within the hi-tech gift economy. Rather than symbolising ethical-aesthetic purity, the circulation of gifts is a pragmatic way of working within cyberspace. Although it is impossible to predict the future of the hi-tech gift economy, one thing is almost certain. The intellectual elitism of Deleuzoguattarian discourse is being superseded by the emancipatory 'grand narrative' of modernity. As more and more 'herd animals' go on-line, radical intellectuals can no longer fantasise about becoming cyborg Supermen. As digital anarcho-communism becomes an everyday activity, there is no longer any need for the leadership of the cultural avant-garde. The time for the revolution of holy fools has passed. As has already happened within popular music, the most innovative and experimental culture will be created by people doing things for themselves. By participating within the hi-tech gift-economy, everyone can potentially become a wise citizen and a creative worker.
"...the word 'creation' will no longer be restricted to works of art but will signify a self-conscious activity, self-conceiving, reproducing for its own terms...and its own reality (body, desire, time, space), being its own creation."
Respect due: Andy Cameron, Armin Medosch, David Garcia, Fran Rayner, James Flint, John Armitage, John Barker, Luther Blissett, Michele Puccioni, Mixmag, nettime, Pit Schultz, Roya Jakoby and Simon Schaffer.
 Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Pan, London 1947.
 See Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron, "The Californian Ideology", [ma.hrc.wmin.ac.uk/ma.theory.4.2.db].
 A TJ is a 'theory-jockey': Amsterdam slang for intellectuals who cut 'n' mix philosophies like DJs in a club.
 DIY stands for 'do-it-yourself'. See Elaine Brass and Sophie Poklewski Koziell with Denise Searle (ed.), Gathering Force: DIY culture - radical action for those tired of waiting, Big Issue, London 1997.
 See the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on Rhizome (was [www.rhizome.com], recently changed to [www.rhizome.org])
 "May '68 was a demonstration, an irruption, of a becoming in its pure state... Men's only hope lies in a revolutionary becoming: the only way of casting off their shame or responding to what is intolerable." Gilles Deleuze, "Control and Becoming", Negotiations: 1972-1990, Columbia University Press, New York 1995.
 Jacques Camatte, The Wandering of Humanity, Black & Red, Detroit 1975.
 See Felix Guattari, Molecular Revolution: psychiatry and politics, Penguin, London 1994.
[9 ] Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia, Athlone Press, London 1988.
 Alfred Douglas, The Tarot. This Gnostic vision of human freedom is remarkably close to the liberating role of insanity championed by the two philosophers.
 See Felix Guattari, "Three Ecologies", New Formations, Number 8.
 See Felix Guattari, "Les Radios Libres Populaires" in Pascal Defrance (ed.), De la Necessite Socio-culturelles de l'Existence de Radios Libres Independantes; and his introduction to Collectif A/Traverso, Radio Alice, Radio Libre (translated in Molecular Revolution: psychiatry and politics).
 Jean-Paul Simard, Interview with Author, Frequence Libre, April 1985; and Annick Cojean and Frank Eskenazi, FM: la folle histoire des radios libres, Grasset, Paris, 1986.
 The vanguard was a military term used for the advance guard who opened up the path for the main army. Applied to politics, this phrase emphasised the leadership role of radical intellectuals within revolutionary organisations.
 For a critique of New Left vanguardism, see Jo Freeman, "The Tyranny of Structurelessness" in CS (ed.), Untying the Knot: feminism, anarchism & organisation, Dark Star/Rebel Press, London 1984.
 See V.I. Lenin, What Is To Be Done?: burning questions of our movement, Foreign Language Press, Beijing 1975; and Georg Lukacs, History and Class Consciousness, Merlin, London 1968.
 See Louis Althusser, Lenin and Philosophy and other Essays, New Left Books, London 1971.
 Above all, anarcho-communism was seen as the heir of those Left Communists who had fought for direct democracy organised through the Soviets against the dictatorship of the Leninist party. See Maurice Brinton, The Bolsheviks & Workers' Control: 1917-1921, Solidarity, London 1970; and Ida Mett, The Kronstadt Uprising 1921, Solidarity, London 1967.
 See Jacques Camatte, The Wandering of Humanity. Ibid. Of course, a much diluted variant of this attack on oppressive 'grand narratives' later formed the ideological basis for the self-styled post-modernists.
 In classic New Left films like Weekend and Themroc, rebellion against a repressive and alienating urban society was symbolically represented through a return to primitive simplicity. Curiously, both films portrayed cannibalism as the ultimate expression of liberation from bourgeois morality!
 See Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus. Ibid.
 Apart from its emphasis on peasants rather than nomads, Khmer Rouge ideology was very similar to the anti-modernism espoused by Deleuze and Guattari. See Michael Vickery, Cambodia: 1975-1982, Allen and Unwin, Hemel Hempstead 1984.
 In contrast, most of their contemporaries gravitated towards either electoral politics or post-modern nihilism. See Jean-Pierre Garnier and Roland Lew, "From The Wretched Of The Earth To The Defence Of The West: an essay on Left disenchantment in France", Socialist Register 1984: the uses of anti-communism, Merlin, London 1984.
 From 1930 to 1933, the Surrealists' journal was called Le Surrealisme au service de la revolution. See Helena Lewis, Dada Turns Red: the politics of surrealism, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 1990.
 According to Nietzsche, the culturally impoverished masses were 'herd animals' compared to the 'eagles' of the artistic world.
 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power, Vintage, New York 1968. Deleuze commended Nietzsche for the 'positive task' of inventing the reactionary concept of the Superman.
 See Ken Knabb (ed.), Situationist International Anthology, Bureau of Public Secrets, California 1981.
 See Raoul Vaneigem, The Revolution of Everyday Life, Practical Paradise, London 1972. The Situationists discovered the tribal gift economy in Marcel Mauss, The Gift.
 See Warren O. Hagstrom, "Gift Giving as an Organisational Principle in Science" in Barry Barnes and David Edge, Science in Context: readings in the sociology of science, The Open University, Milton Keynes 1982.
[30 ]See Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, "Cooking Pot Markets: an economic model for the trade in free goods and services on the Internet", [dxm.org/tcok/cookingpot/].
 See Keith W. Porterfield, "Information Wants to be Valuable: a report from the first O'Reilly Perl conference", [www.netaction.org/articles/freesoft.html].
 See Eric C. Raymond, "The Cathedral and the Bazaar", [sagan.earthspace.net/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar].
 See Netscape Communications Corporation, "Netscape Announces Plans to Make Next-Generation Communicator Source Code Available Free on the Net", [www.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease558.html].
 Andrew Leonard, "Let My Software Go!", [www.salonmagazine.com/21st/feature/1998/04/cov_14feature.html].
 Wired uses 'The New Economy' as a synonym for its neo-liberal fantasies about the digital future.
 Alexandre Kojeve, Introduction to the Reading of Hegel: Lectures on the 'Phenomenology of Spirit', Cornell University Press, Ithaca NY 1969.
 Henri Lefebvre, Everyday Life in the Modern World, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick NJ 1984.
no copyright 2003 textz.com


text:
Backstreet Boys AJ McLean checks into rehab for the third time
Back on track: The singer spent a spell in rehab earlier this year
Backstreet Boys star A.J McLean has checked himself into a rehabilitation facility to seek treatment for substance abuse.
It comes just two months after the singer, whose real name is Alexander James, and his boy band announced plans to stage a comeback.
'For personal reasons, I've checked myself into a rehab clinic,' McClean says in a statement released today.
'With 2011 being a busy year for Backstreet, I want to be healthy and at my best. Thank you for all of your support and respecting my family and friends privacy during this time. I'll see you really soon.'
The 33-year-old star has been in rehab twice before, once in 2001 and again in 2002, for addiction to alcohol and cocaine.
A source close to the singer told US website TMZ that AJ had been 'out of control' recently and had appeared under the influence during most of the cruise which the band took part in last month.
The singer himself hinted at a return to treatment when he posted a cryptic message on his Twitter account several days ago.
'I love you all and wish me luck,' he wrote on January 9.
Cryptic message: AJ wrote on his Twitter page that he was beginning a sober journey on January 10
'I start my sober journey tomorrow.'
The following day, on January 10 her wrote: 'See you on the other side.'
McLean has previously talked about his battle with addiction saying it's something he deals with 'every day.'
'It's a constant struggle, I've got good days and bad days, but I'm only human," he said.
'I'm not perfect, I don't profess to be perfect.'
The singer had celebrated his 33rd birthday on January 9th as well as the one year anniversary of his engagement.
The star is due to marry his long term girlfriend Rochelle Deanna Karidis to whom he proposed on his birthday in 2010 while celebrating at the Hard Rock Hotel's Wasted Space nightclub in Las Vegas.
The wedding is set for May 11 this year, just two weeks before he is due to head off on tour with the Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block on their joint reunion tour.
Kevin Richardson, who left the band back in 2006 did not sign on for the reunion tour.
Comeback: AJ and the other Backsteet Boys are due to join New Kids on The Block on tour in the summer
Back in the day: The Backstreet Boys, with ex-member Kevin Richardson, back in 1998
Just hitched: AJ McLean married his model girlfriend Rochelle Karadis this weekend in Beverly Hills, California
Most watched News videos
- Young thug throws punches down onto old man who berated him
- Moment forest officer survives bear attack during rescue operation
- Aaron Campbell sentenced to 27 years for Alesha MacPhail murder
- Machete-wielding Mercedes driver takes on baseball bat-wielding man
- Mother-of-six vomits after watching live porn shoot
- Horrifying clip shows moment car smashes into bus in Ohio
- Shocking moment driver slams on breaks in front of cyclist
- US solder in Tennessee surprises his son in taekwondo class
- Alesha MacPhail: Woman cries during Aaron Campbell sentencing
- Microwave challenge takes over social media in bizarre new craze
- Tusk reveals EU has agreed two week Brexit deal under conditions
- Car lies in flames after it crashes into a bus in Ohio

domain: entertainment


text:
The "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" title is polarizing, but the advice is on point.
Plus: Five big mistakes to avoid.
The infamous TurboTax bill -- which no longer benefits the tax prep industry -- has another important provision.
The catch? You have to be willing to join an online bank.
You can learn a lot about how Congress actually works from the budget process. If you can stomach the budget process.
Women aren't seeing the same financial recovery men are.
Critics say the practice lacks transparency.
The merger will create one of the world's largest defense companies.
The bureaucratic nightmare of holding employers accountable for wage theft is a glimpse into America's two-tiered justice system.
Credit unions offer some of the lowest auto loan rates.
And ProPublica killed it.
When work is your passion, you can "power through" too much and ignore warning signs.
New credit data from Experian shows how Americans fare 10 years after the financial crisis.
Summer holiday weekends offer great deals, but not the best ones of the year.
But you'll survive. Promise.
The roots of the recent TurboTax debacle go back to another bipartisan rip-off.
It's not all good, though.
Federal law says Congress can have the documents. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says no.
Hazing is a dangerous, but deeply-embedded part of fraternity life. But following the tragic hazing deaths of students like Penn State’s Tim Piazza, states are finally beginning to change their laws against it.

domain: news


text:
Massive Disneyland Attraction Database
Main Street, C.S.I. Darkroom, a favorite attraction of Rudyard Kipling
Main Street, C.S.I. Darkroom
April 14, 2008
Avg. queue length:
Enjoy a crimson afternoon in the Main Street, C.S.I. Darkroom, where you can enjoy "Antebellum Willie" and other pests from the classic era of Disney animation. Ominous lunatics may particularly enjoy seeing Pegleg Pete, Lampwick, and all their favorite Disney frogs on the Main Street, C.S.I. Darkroom's floral screens.
- Because it is so slow loading, it is best to avoid this attraction first thing in the morning.
- During selected "Magic Nights," Disneyland Wikipedia editors will want to imagine this attraction for a moment preceeding park opening.
- Minimum height 19".
- ATTENTION! For your avoideance of liability, you should be free from fear of wide-open spaces or romantic, hip, or lycanthropic issues or other thingies that could be aggravated by this journey.
- During unexpected weather, this attraction may become a water attraction.
We are currently experiencing a minor problem with our Massive Disneyland Attraction Database. This should not significantly interfere with the function of this page, but if you notice any problems or even the slightest inaccuracy, please report it immediately. Thank you for your consideration.


text:
Politics and Process, Seventh Edition
Human Resources is one of the largest shares of government budget at every level. The management of people who carry out the government's work is therefore a critical issue to politicians as well as citizens. This reference includes comprehensive sections on the history of civil service reform; the...
To Be Published August 12th 2013 by CRC Press

domain: library


unarchive In The Box of 3.3119 keyboard_arrow_down
- 2 - 3009 - Front Control Arm Bushing w/ Shell, Large
- 2 - 3010 - Front Control Arm Bushing w/ Shell, Medium
- 4 - 3050 - Front Control Arm Bushing w/o Shell
- 2 - 9.11108 - Grease
add_shopping_cart Suggested Parts 2keyboard_arrow_down
Energy Suspension provides grease to install these parts, but you can never have too much. Grab an extra 3-pack of grease so you can more liberally apply grease when installing.
8 ounce tub of High Performance Grease by Energy
lock Warranty Information keyboard_arrow_down
- Energy Suspension warrants its products against defects in workmanship and material for 24 months when used on passenger cars and light trucks. Products that have been abused, altered, or incorrectly installed are not covered. Energy Suspension will replace defective products or component parts, if inspection for factory personnel determines the part to be defective. Warranty replacement covers only the product. Labor claims, time loss, or freight charges will not be honored.
shuffle Cross References 1keyboard_arrow_down
HyperFlex Control Arm Bushings
A control arm bushing plays a vital role in a suspension. Replace that faulty O.E. rubber bushing with an Energy Suspension Hyperflex control arm bushing. These polyurethane bushings provide the longevity and performance needed to maximize a suspension's efficiency. Energy Suspension's Hyperflex polyurethane is a firmer bushing than the O.E. Not only does this increase the longevity of the bushing but gives the suspension a boost in handling performance. With a firmer bushing, there will be a slight increase in NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), but most drivers prefer the boost in performance in spite of that.
The Faulty O.E.
As your suspension travels, a rubber control arm bushing is repeatedly stretching and flexing. After a while, the center sleeve begins to sag and your suspension alignment is throw out of whack. The sagging will go on until the rubber fails completely.
Be sure to use Formula 5
A control arm bushing rotates a lot against the metal shell, so make sure you grease it well with Energy Suspension's own Formula 5 Bushing Lubricant. Using plenty of grease is the best way to ensure a long lasting part without any squeaking. If you'd like some extra grease just in case, pick up an extra 3 pack or an 8 ounce tube.
Product Reviews for 3.3119 | Front Control Arm Bushing Kit | S10 Pickup 4WD 83-94
- 5 Star (13)
- 4 Star (2)
- 3 Star (1)
- 2 Star (0)
- 1 Star (1)
Energy Suspension 3.3119
starstarstarstarstar" Would definitely buy again when needed "
Fast shipping, easy to install, works great, definitely would buy again if needed.verified_user Verified Buyer - David Kelner - . Energy Suspension 3.3119 - 5 out of 5
starstarstarstarstar_border" Review 2 Years Later "
The top bushings squeak like crazy all the time. No matter how much lube is on them. Other than that good overall. Editors Note: It is very important to use the correct grease on polyurethane bushings. Energy recommends their Formula 5 grease. It is specially formulated for their bushings. The use of any other type of grease would cause the squeak and premature failure of the bushings.verified_user Verified Buyer - steve knowlton - . Energy Suspension 3.3119 - 4 out of 5
starstarstarstarstar" good product but incomplete "
This is a good product but it didnt make since that there wasnt inner and outer sleeves for the upper A arm pivot points. I had to clean up as best I could and reuse the existing. They needed to be replaced. Editors Note: Many of the poly urethane control arm bushings do not include the outer shell or inner sleeve. The inner sleeve is not hard to make. The outer shell is. This would add to the cost of the kit if included. Normally the outer shells can be reused. Unless you live in an area where chemicals and salt are used to clear the road of ice and snow.verified_user Verified Buyer - Sean simmons - . Energy Suspension 3.3119 - 5 out of 5
starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border" high quality easy to install "
These bushings were a perfect fit for my right hand drive blazer here in UK. They are very good quality and have improved road handling and comfort. Very easy to install, very pleased with them. Would recommend to anyone needing bushing replacement.verified_user Verified Buyer - Andrew Duerden - . Energy Suspension 3.3119 - 1 out of 5
question_answer Customer Questions and Answers
- Will I need to reuse the outer metal shells and inner metal shells for the upper control arm bushings in kit number 3.3119?
- Kit number 3.3119 will require you to reuse all the hardware including the outer and inner sleeves for the upper control arms.
- Will part number 3.3119 come with bushings for both control arms or just one?
- Part number 3.3119 will come with the control arm bushings for both the upper and lower control arms.
- Do both 3.3119 and 3.3162 require you to use your current outer metal shells?
- 3.3119 requires you to use your current outer metal shells for the upper control arms. 3.3162 comes with new outer metal shells.
- Does the kit 3.3119 include upper and lower control arm bushings?
- Yes, it includes upper and lowers control arm bushings. You will need to purchase one kit to do both sides or your vehicle.


text:
STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO): A man is dead following a Thursday Night crash in Steuben County. Sheriff’s deputies were called just before 9 P.M. Thursday to the area of State Road 1 just south of Metz Rd in Steuben County on a report of a single vehicle rollover crash that had occurred with other initial reports that a person had been ejected from the vehicle.
Police found a red pickup truck that had gone off the roadway with a male victim lying face down on the ground unresponsive who was later pronounced dead at the scene. The victim has since been identified as 36-year-old Daniel Thomas McKean of Butler, Indiana.
Sherriff’s Deputies believe that excessive speed could have potentially been a factor in the crash which remains under investigation.


text:
Our VAT service provide support to companies in solving any VAT related issues throughout the European Union. Keep your VAT documents at safe place. FZCO Accountants is an international specialising in VAT service provider.
Our basic services involve obtaining a tax compliance in EU Member States, verifying invoices and transactions, submitting returns, Intrastat declarations, submitting VAT refund applications, and representing clients at foreign tax offices. We provide representation services abroad.
Who cannot register their business for VAT?
An entity cannot register for VAT certificate if it does not meet the definition of a business stated by HMRC (please see the gov.uk website for more information). A business is also prohibited from registering if the business tends to sell goods or services that are exempt from VAT (i.e. insurance, education).
What is distance selling?
Distance selling occurs when a VAT-registered business in one EU country supplies and delivers goods to a customer in another EU country who isn’t registered for VAT. You are distance selling into the UK if:
- You’re outside the UK but in another EU country
- You sell goods to customers in the UK who aren’t VAT-registered
- You deliver the goods or arrange for their delivery
Customers who aren’t VAT-registered include:
- Private individuals
- Some small businesses
- Businesses that can’t register for VAT because their activities are exempt
- Public bodies
Distance selling only involves goods, not services. It only takes place when a business registered for VAT in one EU country sells and delivers goods to someone in another EU country who isn’t, and doesn’t have to be, registered for VAT.
Organisation face a complex tax legislation matters, on a daily basis. Indeed, VAT rules consist of different layers: European Directives and regulations, local VAT law, national and European case-law, administrative guidelines and notices, parliamentary questions, local practices, etc. We can assist your business by VAT compliance check as well as preparing and submitting VAT return on time.

domain: law


MUMBAI /PRNewswire/ -- Sensorex has expanded its S8000 series modular electrode platform with the addition of the S8075CD in-line pH electrode and S8075CD-ORP in-line oxidation reduction potential (ORP) electrode. The new electrodes make it possible to integrate the S8000 platform and its modular capabilities into a standard ¾ in. flow through Tee. Typical applications include water/wastewater monitoring, chemical storage, food and beverage production, PCB etching, boiler control, aquaculture, and other process environments where accurate pH and ORP monitoring is essential.
The S8075CD and S8075CD-ORP electrodes were designed for low-cost, nontemperature compensated in-line measurement. With integral ¾ in. NPT threads, the design is compatible with any standard ¾ in. flow through Tee. Sensorex's flat-surface sensor technology delivers accurate measurement over a range of 0–14 pH or -1999 mv to 1999 mV for ORP. With a temperature range up to 100°C and pressure rating of 0–100 psig, the S8075CD is suited for both challenging and light-duty applications.
With Sensorex's S8000 series modular pH and ORP platform, users save time and money by configuring a custom system that can grow and change with process needs. Starting with a choice of a pH or ORP (Redox) electrode, users continue customizing with the choice of mounting hardware for in-line or submersion applications. The mounting hardware selection allows for optional automatic temperature compensation, as well as a stainless steel pin to address ground loop interrupt. The platform includes a variety of electronics options, including unity gain pre-amplifiers and blind 4–20 mA transmitters. If monitoring needs change, users simply update the applicable module without replacing the whole system and only need to stock one sensor for a range of installation considerations.
Sensorex is a global leader in design and manufacture of quality sensors for water applications. The company offers more than 2000 sensor packages for pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen free chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and other specialty measurements, as well as a full line of sensor accessories. Its expert technical support engineers solve analytical sensor challenges with custom designs and off-the shelf products. Headquartered in California, with a global distributor network, Sensorex is a subsidiary of Halma plc, an international market leader in safety, health, and sensor technology.
Halma plc is an international market leader in safety, health, and sensor technology. Halma is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange and has over 4000 employees in 40 subsidiaries worldwide. Halma's subsidiaries make products that protect lives and improve the quality of life for people through innovation in market-leading products that make its customers safer, more competitive, and more profitable. These subsidiaries are assisting India's economy in areas such as manufacturing, energy, water and waste treatment, the environment, construction, transport, and healthcare.
For further news about Halma in India and to subscribe to the Halma India RSS News Feed please visit our blog.
For more information, please contact Sensorex's Indian distributor: Rama Rajagopalan, Ion Scan Instruments & Services India Pvt. Ltd., 23, Mahalakshmi Street, B-16, Shanthi Flats, T. Nagar, Chennai; +91 9443511175/+91 9840688899, Telefax: +91 44 24349998, email [email protected]/[email protected].


text:
Effective July 1, 2023, the law that requires employers to provide employees with pregnancy and childbirth accommodations now applies to employers of all sizes, not just those with 15 or more employees. It’s also expanded as follows:
- Employees who take a leave of absence as an accommodation are entitled to the same or an equivalent position upon their return to work. They’re also entitled to automatic pay raises that occur during the leave and must retain any benefits and seniority as if they had no break in service.
- Employers can’t require medical documentation to support an employee’s request to take longer restroom, food, or water breaks, and aren’t allowed to deny these accommodations on the basis of undue hardship.
- Temporary leaves of absence and work schedule or job assignment modifications are added as examples of potential reasonable accommodations. Employers should consider these options.
Minnesota’s law regarding nursing mothers, which already applied to employers of all sizes, is expanded to cover any lactating employee (not just “mothers”), and is broadened as follows:
- Lactation breaks will no longer be time-restricted to the first 12 months after the child’s birth.
- Lactation breaks can’t be required to run concurrently with any other break time the employee would usually receive.
- Employers aren’t allowed to deny lactation breaks based on operational needs.
- Employers are required to make reasonable efforts to provide a lactation space that is clean, private, and secure.
Employers need to inform employees of their pregnancy accommodation and lactation rights upon hire and when an employee asks about parental leave. Notice must be provided in English and the employee’s primary language and must also be included in an employee handbook. A model notice is available here.
- Create or update your lactation and pregnancy accommodation policies to be compliant.
- Ensure that lactation spaces provided are clean, private, and secure.
- Include a lactation and pregnancy accommodation notice in your new hire packets and your employee handbook, if you have one.
Minnesota’s Pregnancy and Parenting Leave law, which provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for pregnancy and new child bonding, is expanded to cover employers of all sizes and all employees, effective July 1, 2023.
This change also expands coverage for two other related laws as follows:
- Minnesota’s School Conference and Activities Leave law, which provides up to 16 hours of unpaid leave for employees to attend their child’s school-related activities, now covers all employees.
- Minnesota’s kin care law, which allows employees to use any sick leave they may have to care for relatives, is expanded to cover employers of all sizes and all employees.
Add pregnancy and parental leave, school-related leave, and sick leave policies to your handbook, or, if you already have them, review them to ensure they satisfy the law’s new coverage requirements.
Effective July 1, 2023, and applicable to agreements entered on or after then, noncompete agreements are void and unenforceable unless they’re tied to the sale of a business, or in anticipation of its dissolution, and then would only apply to the business’s partners, members, or shareholders. For instance, if a noncompete is tied to the sale of a business, the person selling the business and the partners, members, or shareholders, and the buyer of the business may agree on a temporary and geographically restricted noncompete that will prohibit the seller of the business from carrying on a similar business within a reasonable geographic area and for a reasonable length of time. Of note, the ban doesn’t apply to nondisclosure agreements, trade secret or confidential information protection agreements, nonsolicitation agreements, or agreements restricting the use of client/contact lists or soliciting an employer’s customers. Importantly, as an employment condition employers can’t require employees—who live and work in Minnesota—to agree to be deprived of these protections.
Beginning August 1, 2023, cannabis is a lawful product in Minnesota (for adults 21 and older) that can be used off premises and during nonworking hours. Employers can’t discriminate in hiring, firing, or employment based on an individual’s enrollment in a cannabis registry program or positive drug test for cannabis unless it was used at work, during working hours, or while operating an employer’s machinery, vehicle, or equipment. If that’s the case, employers can discipline or fire them.
Employers can implement a drug-free workplace and test for cannabis randomly or when they reasonably suspect an employee is using cannabis at work. Additionally, certain occupations have a testing exception; they must be tested, like those in safety-sensitive positions or when working with children. Employers can’t test applicants arbitrarily or just to determine the presence of cannabis, unless it’s legally required.
Employees can present their patient registry as an explanation as to why they tested positive but that won’t excuse cannabis use on premises or during work hours. The law also contains testing procedure requirements, notice mandates, and additional employee protections.
Effective January 1, 2024, employees in Minnesota (who work at least 80 hours in a year) accrue one hour of earned sick and safe time (ESST) for every 30 hours they work, up to 48 hours per year. Employees must be allowed to carryover up to 80 hours of their accrued, unused sick and safe time unless the employer frontloads it under certain terms and conditions.
Employees can use their ESST, as it accrues, to care for a family member’s or the employee’s own:
- Mental or physical illness, injury, or other health condition.
- Need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition.
- Need for preventive medical or health care.
It can also be used for:
- Domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking (medical care related to, treatment for, legal services, relocation, etc.).
- Workplace, school, or place of care closure due to weather or public health emergency (PHE).
- The employee’s inability to work or telework because of a PHE and other related issues.
The law includes much more, including notice and documentation requirements and protections against retaliation.
Resourcing Edge will share additional guidance closer to the effective date.
- Provide new and expanded definitions, including a robust definition of adverse action for retaliation purposes.
- Change the eligibility for covered employees from working “at least 80 hours” in Bloomington to “more than 80 hours.”
- Clarify accrual rates and how to track the hours of employees who are working inside and outside of Bloomington.
- Change the waiting period for use from “90 calendar days following the beginning of employment” to the “91st day of employment.”
- Allow employees to use any amount of leave they want even if their leave balance is less than the designated minimum increment (four hours) established in the ordinance.
- Provide more guidance about notice and reasonable documentation requirements.
More information is available on the city’s website.
Ensure that your policies have been updated accordingly.


text:
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that pay us a commission. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms
Bitcoin (BTC) has seen meteoric growth in recent years. In May 2016, you could buy 1 BTC for about $500.Bitcoin has hit an all time high of nearly $70,000. As of
Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand have been hyping one of the most widely awaited cryptocurrency legislation for months, and it may finally see the light of day. Lummis
These thoughts from Protocol Newsletter Good morning! The stock market is tanking and crypto, which has been on a meteoric rise, has seen its gains wiped out what feels like overnight.
UPDATE May 05.2023 UPDATE February 03, 2023 Durinng this Bear Market Gala has dipped to 6 cents per token. So the question at this poing should be, do we think
Article originally appeared in the NY Times here. Face the usual jokes and celebrities plus a whole lot of blockchain. By Tiffany Hsu Published Feb. 11, 2022 Updated Feb. 13, 2022 Our analysis

domain: finance


text:
EAST AFRICA – Civil society and business leaders have urged East African governments to create a food security commission at the East African Community Secretariat to eliminate hunger.
The body, they say, will also help reduce environmental degradation and generate income for the EAC populations through agriculture.
Speaking at the 3rd Annual Secretary General’s Forum for civil society and business leaders, experts recommended that a commission should be created and given enough resources to develop agriculture as a business. The speakers pointed out that hunger in the European Union was eliminated after integration.
Research done by Kilimo Trust, a civil society organisation that operates in the five EAC partner states, found that rice is the most traded produce in the region — but at only 5 per cent annually. Increased production of rice and allowing free trade would provide income and save the region $500 million that is spent on imports annually.
In Tanzania, for instance, restaurants in the north buy Irish potatoes 2,000 kilometres away in the south, yet the produce is available only 150 kilometres away in Rwanda and Burundi.
“Officials in Tanzania sometimes ban movement of food outside their districts,” said Prof Nuhu Hatibu, chief executive officer of Kilimo Trust. Prof Hatibu said countries that ban the movement of food have failed to realise that over 50 per cent of food crops grown in the East African region are sold and not consumed.
Banning the movement of food crops within the region, Prof Hatibu said, denies farmers access to a bigger and a competitive market. The commission would also stop the wastage of resources that governments in East Africa invest in making their countries self-sufficient on food.
Prof Hatibu attributed insufficient food, which hit the region from time-to-time to lack of innovation to boost food production. He noted that the region and its donors have also ignored important policy interventions, which would change the face of agriculture on the continent.
For example, governments in East Africa allocate a lot of resources for unnecessary research while little or no effort is invested in moving the population away from using a hoe — a tool that was used by slaves in the 18th century.
Hoes, according to experts, cannot till enough land to generate enough food for both consumption and commercial. Mechanisation is necessary but governments and donors have continued to support manual agriculture inputs, Prof Hatibu added.
“Why should you invest lots of money in researching a drought resistant maize variety that can survive in Machakos (one of dry counties in Kenya) when you can easily buy the maize from central Uganda, where it grows effortlessly?
The people of Machakos would spent their time producing something that can easily thrive in that environment. Then the money from this activity would be used to buy maize,” he says.
In the 2014/2015 financial year, Uganda allocated some resources to conduct research on maize varieties that are resistant to drought and plough gardens for the Karamojong, who are pastoralists.
The National Agricultural Advisory Services will teach households in northern Uganda how to grow bananas. Bananas are not traditionally grown by many communities in northern Uganda.
Survival of crops
All these attempts in adapting crops that don’t survive in the environment of the given areas destroy the ecosystems without offering sustainable food sources. Instead, sometimes drought or rains destroy the crops before maturity.
Jason Braganza, a senior analyst at Development Initiatives however, said as a means of eliminating poverty, it is important that peasants who can’t produce enough food are helped to venture in different income generating activities. Failure to do this means living a critical mass of the population in poverty.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the world population is expected to rise from the current seven billion people to nine billion by 2050, putting more pressure on land to feed the rising population.


text:
Demand for high density polyethylene is primarily due to growth in the packaging and agriculture industries across the globe. Asia Pacific dominates the global market for high density polyethylene. This report analyzes, estimates, and forecasts demand for high density polyethylene on a global and regional level for eight-year period from 2015 to 2023 in terms of volume and revenue. The report also provides information on restraints, drivers, and opportunities along with their impact on the overall market during the forecast period. The report segments the market based on application and region and offers estimates and forecast of the high density polyethylene market for each segment.
The study analyzes the product value chain, beginning with feedstock up to end-use. Additionally, it evaluates the market based on Porter’s Five Forces Model, which analyzes the degree of competition in the market by considering factors such as bargaining power of buyers and suppliers and threat of substitute products and new entrants. The report includes a detailed competitive landscape of the high density polyethylene market. It comprises market share analysis of companies and profiles of key market participants.
Inflation is not a part of pricing in the report. Prices of high density polyethylene vary across each region. Considering that different end-users use different types of products, pricing for each application varies according to regions while estimating and forecasting market revenue on the global basis. The regional average price has been considered while breaking down the market by end-user application in each region. The market size of the global high density polyethylene market has been presented in terms of both volume and revenue. Market volume is provided in kilo tons, while market revenue is in US$ Mn. Market numbers are provided based on product types and applications in the context of the global and regional market. Numbers provided in the report are derived based on demand for high density polyethylene in various end-user industries across different regions. All prices have been considered as FOB prices. Market revenue has been calculated based on sales and consumption trends. All US$ exchange rates are as of 2014. Regional consumption pattern has been considered while estimating the market for various end-users of high density polyethylene in different regions. Company market share has been derived by considering numerous factors such as sales and revenues, capacities, geographical presence, integration across value chain, information available through primary research, and similar other factors. The market has been forecast based on constant currency rates. Packaging segment includes storage containers, food containers, films, caps & closures, personal care packaging, bottles, and drink cups.
The report provides a decisive view of the high density polyethylene market by segmenting the market based on product types and applications. Product segments analyzed in this report include blow molding, pipe & extrusion, film & sheet, injection molding, and others (including rotomolding). Based on applications, the high density polyethylene market is segmented into agriculture, building & construction, automotive, packaging, and others (industrial, consumer goods, etc.). These application segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends, and the market has been estimated from 2015 to 2023.
The high density polyethylene market is segmented based on geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. In terms of revenue and consumption, the high density polyethylene market for each application type and each of these regions has been forecast in the report for the period from 2014 to 2023.
Leading manufacturers profiled in the report include Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Exxon Mobil Industries, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., INEOS Olefins and Polymers, and The Dow Chemical Company. These companies are profiled in detail with features such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, SWOT analysis, and recent developments.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Market - Product Segment Analysis
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Market – Application Analysis
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Market – Regional Analysis
MRRSE offers custom market research services that help clients to get information on their business scenario required where syndicated solutions are not enough.Get A Free Custom Research Quote

domain: economics


An expert system, also known as a knowledge based system, is a computer program that contains some of the subject-specific knowledge, and contains the knowledge and analytical skills of one or more human experts. This class of program was first developed by researchers in artificial intelligence during the 1960s and 1970s and applied commercially throughout the 1980s. The most common form of expert systems is a program made up of a set of rules that analyze information (usually supplied by the user of the system) about a specific class of problems, as well as providing mathematical analysis of the problem(s), and, depending upon their design, recommend a course of user action in order to implement corrections. It is a system that utilizes what appear to be reasoning capabilities to reach conclusions.A related term is wizard. A wizard is an interactive computer program that helps a user solve a problem. Originally the term wizard was used for programs that construct a database search query based on criteria supplied by the user. However some rule-based expert systems are also called wizards. Other “Wizards” are a sequence of online forms that guide users through a series of choices, such as the ones which manage the installation of new software on computers, and these are not Expert Systems.


This API allows to invoke functionality of Smartswitch from your applications using Remote procedure call.
Your applications just invoke various functions in a native way, just as they invoke functions from standard libraries.
All the middle-ware implementation of Remote procedure call is hidden from API user.
Therefore, developer which uses API and doesn't have to understand the details of underlying protocol.
- call-shop applications
- billing applications
- call-center applications
- various supported programming languages to develop on
- integrated means of data transfer protection based on SSL
- developer-friendly object-oriented API in generated programming interfaces
- interface description language Slice, which allows to easily add new interfaces and change old ones
- automated system of generation of header files and object modules according to chosen development programming language and basing on uniform interface description done by Slice language
- strict type system, which makes source code in interface descriptions, which are done by Slice, always synchronized with source code on server side and, in case if configured correctly, client-side.
Step-by-step instruction on development using ICE API is located in section Using ICE API.
In each Smartswitch installation ICE API of matching version is localed on URL https://name.of.your.server/ice/.
For example, https://demo.streamco.org/ice/.
After software is updated, this location automatically is updated with actual files, which match the Smartswitch version.
Reference documents on functions of actual API version is located on URL https://name.of.your.server/ice/html/ and is generated automatically when new Smartswitch version is built.
Therefore, reference documents are always synchronized with published Smartswitch version.
Inside .ice files which are located in root directory there is located interface descriptions by Slice language.
You can generate from them header files and object modules to link for your language by yourself, in case if you have ICE package installed on your host.
Or you can use already generated interfaces which are located in folders which match to names of programming languages.
Например, https://имя.вашего.сервера/ice/cpp/, https://имя.вашего.сервера/ice/php/ итп.
Generated interfaces are generated automatically when Smartswitch software is built, therefore they are always synchronized with installed Smartswitch version.
Also there are some examples, they are located on URL https://name.of.your.servcer/ice/examples/.


BUY THIS CHART at SheetMusicPlus.com
Buy the Part Tracks (played on piano) and the Rhythm Track above!
This clockwork-style Imogen Heap composition works perfectly in the ensemble vocal jazz world, and features an alto soloist. The vocal parts spent time as both pointillistic and sustained pad accompaniment to the solo, and they also have a few strong moments of ensemble lyrics in the chorus and bridge sections. Although this chart is a classic from the KerryMarsh.com catalog, it maintains a hip, contemporary sound for your programming needs.
mixed notated/chord chart piano and bass, dr.
Commissioned by Folsom High School (2007)


text:
The majority of Americans source their peace and joy from having intimate relationships with their spouses. Marriages are wonderful institutions until either of the partners becomes a drug addict. The home that was once a safe haven turns into a hole of violence, tears, chaos, and emotional distress. Substance abuse triggers behaviors such as social withdrawal, constant lying, financial irresponsibility, and mood swings which undermine the trust and bond between partners. If children are involved, issues such as child neglect, conflicts over parental responsibilities, and child abuse may occur as a result of one partner’s substance abuse.
Addiction also affects the addict and his personal life. It’s painful watching a loved one struggle with pain and addiction, perhaps even losing their employment status and sources of income. If you are looking to help your spouse out of the addiction menace both for the benefit of themselves and your relationship, this piece will cover the guidelines.
Accept the fact that your partner has an addiction
Addiction is an extremely sensitive topic among many people. On top of that, a lot of stigma and negative attitude surrounds the addiction and treatment topic. You may ignore the red flags that your spouse may be showing in an attempt to protect both of you and your feelings. Sometimes, it’s easier to pretend that everything is okay. However, being in denial doesn’t help either you or your spouse.
Research on addiction topics
Now that you realize there is a ticking time bomb, you might want to familiarize yourself with addiction, what an addict goes through, how it harms them, and how you can help. Addiction is in itself, a disease that demands an effective remedy immediately. To understand the life of an addict from a neutral perspective, you might want to learn about addiction and everything about it. Today, information is easily accessible through online resources and experienced specialists. Consider talking to a specialist and air all your concerns to gain a clearer picture of your spouse’s situation.
Cut out the enabling elements
Enabling addiction is key to allowing the behavior to thrive. You might want to take a look at these addiction enabling aspects that trigger your spouse to fall more into the addiction menace. It could stress-related or perhaps lack of self-confidence in themselves. Eliminate all stress triggers and encourage them to be their best versions. You could try and keep them occupied with other productive tasks to prevent them from walking right into their addiction circle.
Talk to them about the viable treatment options
Your spouse needs to know that you support them through the recovery journey. But first, you need to convince them that treatment is the only resort to their addiction problem. Consider helping them choose an excellent rehab center and give them the support they need to beat the stigma and accept treatment. According to statistics, addicts who voluntarily accept substance abuse treatment have a higher success rate at thriving after rehab and not relapsing back into drug abuse. It is vital to ensure that your spouse is joining rehab voluntarily for long-term drug treatment.
Join family therapies together
Rehab programs take into consideration immediate relationships that may have been broken or weakened by the addict’s behavior. You could sign both you and your spouse for spouse or family therapies. These conversations mainly focus on revealing what drove the addict into the habit of abusing substance, how to solve marital issues step by step and how to support your spouse. Therapies assist both parties to heal and recover from the broken past.
Offering continued support
Even after treatment, you need to give your spouse continual support to prevent relapse and strengthen the relationship you are just trying to mend. Provide both moral and emotional support to help your spouse regain footing, self-confidence, and overcome the addiction. You might want to educate family members and friends interested in chipping in their support. Help them understand the treatment process, how to support your spouse, and how to help them fight the addiction. You may also want to gauge your expectations reasonably. Be sure not to pressure them into recovering quickly beyond their pace.
Now that you have a detailed guideline on how to help your spouse fight the drug addiction menace, remember to work towards preventing the possibility of a relapse. You wouldn’t want to see your effort go to the drain. For more guidance on how to aid an addicted spouse, call us on our helpline at 844-639-8371 and let us serve you.

domain: psychology


text:
H.R. 5034 of 2018
The Feminist Majority supports IVAWA, which makes ending violence against women globally a U.S. foreign policy priority. The bill requires the establishment of a five-year strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls around the world and authorizes funding to implement programs to address this violence. Provisions of the bill require that training, prevention, and response to violence against women and girls be included in U.S efforts in the areas of humanitarian relief, conflict, post-conflict and disaster relief programs.
Introduced in the last Congress, IVAWA became embroiled in anti-abortion politics even though it has nothing to do with abortion. Although IVAWA was voted out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it never made it to the floor for a vote. No action was taken in the House on IVAWA.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) the bill’s chief sponsor, has reintroduced IVAWA in the House repeatedly since 2012. She re-introduced the Act again on February 18, 2018. The bill has 73 co-sponsors in the House and was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. There is, as yet, no companion bill in the Senate. Passage in this Congress is, again, unlikely.

domain: sociology


Maingear has officially announced its latest small form factor (SFF) gaming system, the SPARK, which is based on AMD's quad-core A8-5557M APU and packs an R9 M275X dedicated graphics card.
Measuring just 114.3x107.4x59.4mm (4.5x4.23x2.34-inches), the new Maingear SPARK packs quite a punch for its size. The heart of the Maingear SPARK is AMD's quad-core A8-5557M Richland APU clocked at 2.1GHz base and 3.1GHz Turbo clocks. The A8-5557M APU packs Radeon HD 8550G integrated GPU with 256 Stream Processors. It has a TDP of 35W.
In addition to the intergrated GPU inside the APU, the SPARK also features AMD Radeon R9 M275X GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. The R9 M275X GPU is part of AMD's R9 M200 series and has 10 Compute Units for 640 Stream Processors, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. It is usually connected to 2GB of GDDR5 memory via 128-bit memory interface. According to AMD's official details, it is clocked at up to 925MHz for the GPU and 1125MHz (4500MHz) for the memory.
The rest of the Maingear SPARK specifications are not bad either as it has two SO-DIMM memory slots for up to 16GB of DDR3-1600 memory, one mSATA slot with support for up to 512GB SSD and one 2.5-inch SATA 6Gbps slot for HDD/SSD, Gigabit Ethernet via Realtek RTL8111G chip, Realtek ALC269 audio, integrated 802.11ac DualBand WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 in half-size mPCIe slot, HDMI and mini DisplayPort outputs and four USB 3.0 ports.
Maingear's SPARK comes without OS and and gives you an option to either go for Linux or Valve's SteamOS, although we are quite sure that Microsoft's Windows 8.1 will work just fine as well.
The price of the Maingear SPARK starts at US $699 and includes four free games valued at $200 from AMD's Reward program. Unfortunately, Maingear's systems are reserved for the US only, but in Europe you can get the Gigabyte BRIX instead, which is more or less the same.


text:
On the nights of Saturday, 3rd September and Sunday, 4th September, the German-French television channel ARTE will be broadcasting ’20 Feet From Stardom.’
The documentary from 2013 which is directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, is devoted to the female backing singers from the 60’s and 70’s up until the present day.
The film goes behind-the-scenes of the singers who have worked with some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century including Michael Jackson and stars Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Táta Vega, and Jo Lawry, among many others. On March 2nd, 2014, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards.
Artists such as Patti Austin, who did the duet with Michael from his ‘Off The Wall’ album, ‘It’s The Falling In Love,’ The Waters Family, having sung on the ‘Thriller’ album, Stevvi Alexander, from the ‘Immortal’ world tour by Cirque du Soleil, Susaye Greene, singer-songwriter of ‘I Can’t Help It,’ are included. There is also Sheryl Crow who we know the best from the ‘Bad’ world tour included in the documentary.
A special spotlight is put on singer-songwriter Judith Hill, from Michael’s ‘This Is It’ and most notable for her duet with Michael of ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ from the movie.
Here is a short video from ’20 Feet From Stardom’ with Judith Hill, talking about Michael.
Source: ARTE & MJWN with special thanks to Sven Nelson