In this tutorial, you will learn how to render a solid edge model in Keyshot. First, click the solid edge application button and from the open menu, browse. From the list at the bottom of the dialog, select assembly documents and select the break pedal assembly file from the training folder. Use the quick view cube to orient the view so that it is easy to see most parts of the assembly. Then, from the ribbon bar, start the Keyshot render command. Press the F key to view the Keyshot application full screen. From the tray menu at the bottom, click library to turn its icon blue and make sure the panel is visible and dock to the left side of the Keyshot main window. Take the materials tab and expand the steel group. Then select basic and drag and drop the materials steel on the brackets. Then, use the same process to apply the material polish steel on the spring. Then, apply chrome plating to the pedal and rubber to the break pad. Next, switch to the back plates tab. Expand interior industrial. Drag the industrial 35 image and drop it into the background area. Set the perspective to 20. Note the shadow cast on the ground by the break pedal assembly and the reflection of the surroundings on the pedal surface. Now, from the main toolbar, activate tumble camera and using the left mouse button, align the length of the bracket so that it is parallel to the channels in the concrete bed in the background. Then, rotate the model further so that the bracket edges and the channels in the concrete platform meet at a distance at the perspective vanishing point. From the tray menu, click render options. In the render options dialog, select size 1600 by 1067 from the presets pull down. Then, click render. When the red cross mark changes to a green tick mark, click the save button to save the rendering to a PNG format. Click the tick mark to close the render window. Browse to the output folder and open the rendered image with the default viewer. This completes the tutorial for rendering a solid edge modeling key shot. In this tutorial, you learned how to open the active model in the solid edge in key shot, how to apply materials to various parts in key shot, how to apply a background image to the model, how to tumble the camera to adjust the perspective view, how to set render options, and how to create a rendered image of the model in the desired format and size.


From New York City, where the American stage begins, here is another program with a cast of outstanding players. Public service time has been made available by this station to bring you this story, as proudly we hail the chaplains of the United States Air Force. For hours a day, he works with every rank, from private to general. His responsibility is the moral and spiritual welfare of every man in the United States Air Force. He is the Air Force chaplain. To those in need, whether pilot or mechanic, sergeant or civilian, his is the sympathetic ear, the helping hand, the understanding heart. Our story today is called Operation Mercy, as proudly we hail the chaplains of the United States Air Force all over the world. Our first act curtain will rise in just a moment, but first, young man, an interesting career lies ahead of you, if you can qualify as an aircraft observer in your United States Air Force. As a flying officer, you'll be an important member of the fighting team on one of the great aircraft produced in this era of jet aviation. The United States Air Force needs these technical specialists, officer personnel skilled in navigation, aircraft maintenance, radar interception, and other important skills. There's a future for you as an aircraft observer in your country's Air Force. Can you qualify? Well, if you're single, between 19 and 26 and a half and a high school graduate, visit your nearest Air Force base or your nearest United States Air Force recruiting station and find out. And now your Air Force presents the proudly we hail production, Operation Mercy. Officer, I came to say goodbye. It was nice of you to visit me during your leave, Chaplain Moore. To the contrary, it's been a pleasure just to be able to come to your little church here and talk to you. Besides the view is as beautiful from here as any I've seen. Yeah, yeah, the mountains are truly magnificent. And my little village of Macklin down there looks so peaceful. I've seen nothing more charming in all of Switzerland. Did you enjoy your skiing? This warm spell didn't make for perfect snow conditions, but your gentle slopes were made for a beginner like me. Ah, this warm weather, it frightens me. Why is that? Haven't you noticed, Chaplain, how quiet everything has been around here? No hunting, no loud singing, no horns blowing. I can't honestly say that I have. This morning I did not even ring the church bell. It's the first time it has not rung on Sunday since I've been here. When the villagers came to the services, they thanked me for remembering. Remembering what? Warm weather like this is avalanche weather. When it gets so hot in January, the snow, which has been piling up all winter, begins to melt. And then, all of a sudden, a noise, a gunshot. And it comes tumbling down. Himmel, the train whistle worries you? If we remain silent for a moment, we will both know if there's anything to fear. Chaplain, would you go to the window and look down towards the village? Tell me what you see. What do you see, Chaplain? Snow, nothing but snow. There is no village down there. Destroyed, buried. My village, my home, my people. One train engineer who forgot. And it is gone. Is there anything we can do? For the moment I can think of only one thing, Chaplain. We can pray. We can pray. It's amazing. The avalanche took place only two hours ago and rescue parties are here already. Yeah, yeah, it is a necessity if we are to save any lives. Well, I know the Red Cross will soon be here and I'm sure your government will give aid. And the Air Force will be sending its air rescue service. But I have another idea. I wonder if I'll be able to get back to First and Fellbrook in my car. I imagine a great many roads are blocked. The roads are cleared almost immediately to allow for rescue crews. You may be held up for short periods, but you shouldn't have any trouble. Good. I would like to get back to the Air Force base as soon as possible. We can help. Any help will be welcome, Chaplain. Oh, look, it just dug someone out of the snow. Oh, it is a woman. She is still alive. That is why the rescue parties start immediately. Another hour or two, and who knows? But where will she go? How will she live? We will help each other. We will survive. And we will help too, Reverend Hoffmeister. You have my hand on that. Thank you. Thank you, Chaplain. In our fuel, excuse me. I must see if I can help. The more I do, the more others will be free to do. Of course. You can expect to hear from me soon, Reverend Hoffmeister. I shall not forget. Thank you. Thank you, Chaplain. And goodbye for now. The sight of those men digging desperately in the snow made me feel that we must help. I agree with you, Chaplain. You're my assistant, Airman Touart, as welfare specialist. Do you think we can? I know we can, sir. Maybe a lot of work. One of the work doesn't frighten me. How about you? It means staying at the office late, planning, talking at various meetings. Excuse me, Chaplain, but talking about meetings reminds me. You have one with a CO in 15 minutes. Oh, you're right. I'd almost forgotten. We were going to discuss remodeling the service club. I have your notes on what's needed, and estimated costs right here. Good. And while I'm with him, I think I'll ask him about our plans for the village of Mecklen. You know, we ought to have a name for the drive. It'll give it impact. How about Operation Mecklen? Sounds a little like a bombing effort, don't you think? What about Operation Mercy? How's that sound? It sounds fine. I'm sure Colonel Erlich will cooperate. Well, if I'm going to get there in time, I better hurry. Oh, Chaplain, before you leave. Don't forget your appointment with the reporter from the base newspaper at 1500 hours. Will you be here when he comes? Yes, sir. I may need your moral support to get the lead story in this week's paper for Operation Mercy. I think your remodeling plan's very sound, Chaplain. There's no reason why we can't get started almost immediately. Thank you, Colonel. By the way, how was your leave? I had a fine time up until the last day. Well, that's right. You were there when the avalanches hit, weren't you? I was right there, Colonel. If I hadn't been visiting in a little church outside Mecklen, I might not be alive today. It must have been a terrible tragedy. It was. But it's not over for me, Colonel. Seeing all that devastation made me want to do something, something that will require your help. I'd like to organize a drive here on the base. A drive, Chaplain? Yes. They're going to need food, clothing, perhaps even money to help rebuild their village. I thought perhaps we here at First and Fulbright could adopt the village of Mecklen. I'll be more than happy to cooperate, Chaplain. Thank you, Colonel. Operation Mercy thanks you too. Operation Mercy, is that what you're calling it? It's a good name. By the way, Colonel, if it isn't an imposition, could you check with your wife when you get home tonight and see if your family has outgrown anything lately? Clothing will be a major goal in our drive. If they haven't outgrown anything, I'll just make believe they have. You can count on my full support. My philosophy is do unto others as you would be done by. A good thought, Colonel, and thanks for it. You just gave me a title for my sermon for this coming Sunday. You're doing a wonderful job with our choir, too, Art. Thanks, Chaplain. Is that Sunday's sermon you're working on? Yes. Something Colonel Ehrlich said this morning gave me the idea. Pardon me, Chaplain. May I interrupt you for a few minutes? Certainly, Lieutenant. My name is Dawson Chaplain, Lieutenant Francis Dawson. Our friends call me Buck. What can I do for you, Lieutenant? I hear you were at Mecklen on Sunday when the avalanche took place. Yes, I was. So was my wife, Chaplain. She was registering her sister at a school there. She was supposed to be back last night and she hasn't arrived. I'm worried. Do you think she's all right? I don't know, but... I hear the whole town was buried under tons of snow. I'm afraid... I'm afraid she may not have survived. As I remember, the school is outside of the village. The chances are that if she was there, she's safe. Yes, Chaplain, but was she... Have you contacted the Red Cross? I haven't been able to get myself to do anything yet.  Yes, I am. Then go home and try to rest. I'll see what I can do. All telephone or telegraph contact with the village was impossible as recently as an hour ago, but I'll keep trying until I can get some news. Thank you, Chaplain. I thought I'd stay in the church here for a few moments. I'll go to my office and put a call through right now. Thank you again. Please, Lord, I love her so much. Let her be safe. Good morning, Chaplain. Am I late or are you early? I'm early. I've been trying to get some news of Lieutenant Dawson's wife. No luck so far. It was quite a day you had yesterday. There's a lot to be done. Which reminds me, we ought to set up a schedule for making announcements about the drive around the base. Don't forget that notice we planned on tacking up on the bulletin boards. It's written, but we'll need to get it mimeographed. Chaplain, if you'll pardon my asking, when are you going to have time to do all this? I'll make time. Right now, I don't know how, but I will. And if I know you, you will, too. Chaplain knows, office. Why? Oh, yes, he is. Just a moment. For you, Chaplain, Zurich, Switzerland, Colin. Hello, Chaplain Moore speaking. Yes. Yes, I see. Then there's still some hope. I'll look forward to hearing from you. Thanks very much. Goodbye. Good or bad news, Chaplain? A little of both, I'm afraid. That was the Red Cross office in Zurich. Air Rescue Service reports that the school where Lieutenant Dawson's wife was registering her sister is safe but completely isolated. On the other hand, rescue workers report finding a suitcase belonging to a Patricia Dawson buried in the snow outside of the hotel. Air Rescue isn't rushing to the school since it was undamaged and they have plenty of food and an auxiliary power supply of their own. I'm afraid one question is still unanswered. Going out, Chaplain? Half to, son.  I give anything not to have to tell him. But until they report to the contrary from Switzerland, I'm going to believe that Patricia Dawson is still alive. You are listening to the proudly we hail production, Operation Mercy. We'll return to the second act of our story in just a moment, but first... Here is an important announcement for all high school graduates. If you can qualify as an aviation cadet, you can become a commissioned officer in the Air Force earning more than $5,000 a year.  Oh, but it won't be easy. It takes a good man to make the grade. But when you complete your training, you'll receive a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and have a career ahead of you that will take you as far, both in military and commercial aviation, as you want to go. To qualify as an aviation cadet, you must be between 19 and 26 and a half, single in excellent health and a high school graduate. See your local Air Force recruiting officer for complete details. You are listening to Proudly We Hail and now we present the second act of Operation Mercy. While the Air Force's Air Rescue Service flies out the injured and the rescue parties dig frantically into tons of snow, back at First and Feldberg Air Force Base, Chaplain Moore goes ahead with his plans for Operation Mercy. It is only Wednesday morning, but already there are notices posted on every bulletin board. Announcements have been made at the service club, the Flight Line, where ever a group of men is working or relaxing together.  In time of trouble, we look to the more fortunate for aid. And as the fortunate, I know that we will remember to do unto others as we would be done by. Chaplain Moore? Yes, come in. I'm Airman Second Class David Solomon Chaplain. May I speak to you for a moment? Of course, son. Sit down. Oh, thanks. I read about Operation Mercy Chaplain on one of the bulletin boards. I came over because I wanted to help. I'm glad to see you. We can use help. Yes. You see Chaplain, I'm from Pittsburgh, and back in 36 when I was a kid, there was a terrible flood. Our house was ruined. My parents' store was practically swept away. And if we hadn't had help then, well, we might never have come through it. Nature does some pretty terrible things sometimes. And for years afterwards, my parents always talked about how we never could have gotten back on our feet without the aid of those thousands of people who sent contributions of food, clothing, and money. That's just the situation we have here. Chaplain, I feel that nothing I can do for Mecklen can even start to repay the people who helped us when we needed it. I want to do everything possible. Did you have anything specific in mind? Wherever I can be of use, Chaplain. We will need someone to take charge of the storage room. Could you do that? I don't see why not. I'd like to have the clothing separated and packed according to size. Food should be packed according to type. You know, soups all in one case, fruit juices in another, and so on. That should be easy enough. When can I start? Well, the first batches of things are due today. Could you possibly start tonight? Yes, sir. Wonderful. You know, Chaplain, there's well as another reason for my being so happy to help on Operation Mercy. What's that? Well, I've always believed that, regardless of religion, personal differences, or anything else that Americans can work together if they try. An effort like Operation Mercy is proof that what I believe is true. Johnson. Sergeant Ralph A. $5. Jorgans. Lieutenant Charles R. $3. Come in. Good evening, Chaplain. Good evening, Lieutenant Dawson. What are you doing up at this hour? Don't you go on duty early tomorrow morning? Yes, Chaplain, but I just couldn't sleep. I went out for a walk and saw your light. I thought perhaps you'd have a few minutes to talk. Of course. I was just typing out the list of contributors to Operation Mercy. It can wait. I don't know what to do, Chaplain. I don't want to believe that my wife is dead, but ever since you told me about the suitcase, I can't seem to believe anything else. They would have found her, too, don't you think, if she'd been anywhere near the suitcase? I know when I think it through that there is a good chance that she's alive. You love her very much. Yes, Chaplain. I don't think I could get along without her. Then you must believe that she is alive, as I do. I'm trying, Chaplain. I really am. Perhaps if you went into the chapel, you might find strength and faith in her return. Would you come with me, Chaplain? If it would help you. It will. Here we are, Lieutenant. Is there any prayer you particularly like? Yes. The 23rd Psalm. Shall we say it together? Of course. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the school. I am pleased to speak to you while we were all together at the officer's call, gentlemen. I thank you for your expressions of cooperation and will look to you to help make operation mercy the success it deserves to be. And so I thank you for taking your minds off of the exciting basketball game you have been watching and listening to my story of the village of Mecklen and operation mercy. I see that the halftime intermission is almost over, so I will just say thank you for your attention and hope for your health. And I know that all of you here at the NCO mess will give everything you can to those unfortunate people who have been made homeless by the avalanche at Mecklen last Sunday. Thank you. Herman Solomon, Chaplain Moore. I just called to find out how things are going over there. Are you swamped? Good. Well, there's another two baskets of clothing on their way over. Fine. See you later. So long. I'm going to pass the hat. I'm not going to ask you to give anything now. But after you leave the theater and go home, rummage through your closets, check in your basements or attics. Perhaps Junior has outgrown a play suit. Perhaps you bought a few too many cans of something. Anything you care to give to operation mercy will be of real help. This happened to be an avalanche in Switzerland, but make no mistake, it could just as easily have been a flood in the Missouri Valley. I know I can count on you all. Thank you for listening. Yes, Captain Ludden, Colonel Erlich has definitely okayed Hangar 1 for the show. I know that you people over in special services are just as busy as we are over here, and I appreciate your going out of your way to set up this amateur night. Right. So long and thanks again. Nice guy, that Captain Ludden. Always has been happy to work with us. Oh, is it really 0900? It sure is, Chaplain. I'm due at the base hospital at 0930, and there are at least a dozen things I wanted to get done before I went over. I'll get some publicity out on the amateur hour right away. Now, have I got it straight, admission fee will be one piece of clothing or one can of food for operation mercy, right? Roger. It's a terrific idea. Especially if Captain Ludden can get the best talent on the base. I'm sure he'll be able to do that. Anything else you want me to do while you're at the hospital? You might see if you can get a couple of announcements on to the Armed Forces Radio in Munich. The more publicity we can get, the better off we'll be. Don't forget, it's this Saturday night. That's night after tomorrow. Roger. Anything special you're taking with you to the hospital? I've got writing paper, envelopes, and pencils, magazines, and a stack of books in the car. I can't think of anything else. You know, I find these visits to the hospital one of the most rewarding things I do. It's wonderful to see the way their faces light up and how anxious they are to have someone to talk to. Well, being in a hospital is like being on an isolated island with a same bunch of guys for a couple of years. After a while, I guess the most important thing in the world is seeing a new face. Oh, and to it. Will you try the Red Cross in Zurich again? See if you can get any more information about Patricia Dawson. The last time I saw the lieutenant, he looked like he hadn't slept for an hour in the last four days. Hello, chaplain. Come in. Thanks. How are you, Buck? Not very well, chaplain, as you can imagine. I've been trying to get hold of the Red Cross all day, but I couldn't get through to them. I got a message through, Buck. I expect them to call here any minute. Oh, sit down, chaplain, if you have the time. It helps having you here. I'm glad it does. Before I saw your light the other night and came in to talk to you, I was almost ready to do something pretty desperate. I'm glad I was working overtime. It's all my now. But at that moment, the thought of being without Pat... Well, I don't believe you're going to be without her for very long, Buck. I'm sure she's all right. Maybe when the call comes through from Switzerland they'll have some news. I'm sure they will. And it's going to be good. No matter what happens, chaplain, I'd like to start helping you on Operation Mercy. If Pat is all right, it'll be in thanks. If she isn't, it'll be in her... in her memory. We'd like to have you with us, Buck. Would you, chaplain? I don't think I can. All right, Buck, it's up to you. Hello? Yes, from Switzerland? Yes. Yes, I'll wait. This is it, Buck. Hello? Yes. What? No, it isn't. Who is this? It's for you, Buck. It's your wife. Attention, high school graduates. If you're not afraid of hard work, if you can take rigid training six days a week for 52 weeks, then you've got what it takes to be an aviation cadet. And if that's the case, why your future's all set. Aviation cadets graduate as Air Force lieutenants, earn more than $5,000 a year. To qualify, you must be a high school graduate between the ages of 19 and 26 and a half, single and in excellent physical and mental condition. Visit your local Air Force Recruiting Station for complete details. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center for the United States Air Force Recruiting Service, and this is Mark Hamilton speaking, inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.


Dear students, now we are going to study the concept of computer mediated communication. Computer mediated communication which is also referred as CMC, it is an umbrella term that encompasses various forms of human communication through network computers. CMC is any communication that is enabled or added through the use of computer. When through the internet or ICT enabled platforms or through social media platforms, we call it computer mediated communication through communication. So, there are two modes of in computer mediated communication, synchronous and asynchronous. When we talk about synchronous computer mediated communication, email, lists of or bulletin board are the example of computer mediated communication. And when we talk about asynchronous computer mediated communication, instant messaging, chat rooms, video conferencing and social networking services are the example of it.


Lukashenko, World War III with nuclear fires looms on horizon. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that a third world war with nuclear fires is looming on the horizon and negotiations are the sole means of avoiding it. Through the efforts of the US and its satellites, a full-scale war has been unleashed in a neighbouring country to the last Ukrainian. World War III with nuclear fires is looming on the horizon, he said. It can be avoided only by means of negotiations, he added. You all understand and know there is only one way. Through negotiations, talks without preconditions, Lukashenko stressed. He warned that if the West once again tried to use a pause in hostilities to gain a stronger foothold by deception, as it had already happened before, Russia would be obliged to use all the strength of its military-industrial complex and army to prevent an escalation of the Ukrainian conflict. He added that Washington's policies had placed self-sufficient, in some respects, very strong and truly independent states under external administration. According to the Belarusian leader, the American influence penetrated into the political life of this or that country like a virus, either through the incumbent authorities or through the opposition, as a rule through the elites bogged down in rampant corruption, said Lukashenko.


When discussing something as big and ambitious as a DevOps platform, it is easy to focus on equally big and ambitious goals. And we will, but it is just as important to look at how a platform can help us with the day-to-day fundamentals of work. At its core, DevOps is really about working together. So there's nothing more fundamental than collaboration to DevOps. And that is why I'm so excited for our next speaker. Gediarao will share her story about why collaboration is particularly important in the tech industry, how her company used the GitLab platform to maintain their culture of collaboration as they shifted to remote work during the pandemic and how they did so without sacrificing security or accountability along the way. Let's take a look. Good morning, good afternoon, good night everyone. I understand that we're all tuning in from different parts of the world. So I wouldn't want to miss out on any time of day. So I love tech events, I love conferences and I'm really grateful for such opportunities to come and give content. At times I'm usually the receiver and at times I'm usually just the networker where I get to meet different people, I get to interact. So I love how these conferences and these events bring a kind of cohesiveness when it comes to diversity, when it comes to networking and I'm forever grateful for such events. So thank you so much, GitLab, comment. So I believe introductions are in order. My name is Gediarao. I mostly go by the alias getting or to get through. This is specifically for my Kenyan friends who usually think that my name is a short form for something. So they looked for the something and figured out it should be get through. But who's complaining? I'm born, sorry, and bred in Kenya. I have lived in Kenya my whole life, still living in Kenya, such a beautiful country. I currently work back and forth. Sokowatch is a company based in Nairobi, Kenya that works mostly with green e-commerce to informal retailers. I have two very awesome communities that I'm passionate about. That's called Get Geeky in the Lixar Beam Africa. I should drop you the links once I'm through. You can catch me at GitLab, catch me on Twitter with the handle at Gediarao. So let's just dive right in. So my session title today is the pandemic can stop us innovating and collaborating through disruption. So why is collaboration so important to us? So when I talk about us, I'm generally talking about anyone that identifies as being in the tech industry. Is it an engineer? Is it a product manager? Is it DevOps? So why is the environment that we work in as developers or as product managers demand such a high dose of collaboration? So I'll tell you why. The reason why companies don't have just one person working the entire tech team is because we all believe that collaboration is that ingredient that actually gets things done. So this just means decisions you make, any perspective that you had is somehow influenced by your teammates, which is good because it brings some kind of diversity when it comes to perspectives and ideas. So the social aspect of collaboration is what stands out for all this. We need to grow together. We need to have fun together while working. It doesn't necessarily have to be as serious as working. And that's why collaboration is very, very important for each and every one of us. So whenever we see this icon, I bet that we could all identify with this. Coronavirus or COVID-19 hit us all really bad. When I say hit, we mean that it affected us in very many and various aspects of our lives. It could be that you lost someone to COVID. It could be that you did contract the COVID virus. It could be that you lost your job. It could be that your job shifted from one paradigm to the other. So this is what we're going to be talking about the last point really. So in my company, we had to make this transition. So most, I could say almost all tech companies had to adapt in order to just keep everything moving. We had to make the transition of going from a physical setup to a remote setup. So most of everything we had to do when we were working in person or working physically, we now had to do virtually, we now had to do remotely. So for companies that were remote at first or were remote ever since, I guess the transition was quite smooth because their work cultures weren't affected that much. But take into consideration someone as myself who has worked physically my entire life. And we have to just switch immediately to working remotely or working virtually. It does take a toll on some of us, but merely depends on how sudden the change was. Was the change immediate or did we have time to transition? So the kind of challenges that we faced as a team during the transition is how do we ensure that the information that we have in-house is confidential? We're working on a remote kind of model. So how do we ensure nothing leaks out? Nothing that is internal leaks out. So how do we continue cultivating a collaborative culture? In the office, you would walk to someone and ask about a bug or you would call someone up to help you fix something. So how do we continue collaborating beyond this? How do we continue doing this virtually? Maintaining social interactions through working remotely? Are we still going to be friends? Are we still going to have that bond as friends? And also developing new work routines. This just means I'm working from home. Is there going to be that work and life balance? Is there going to be that kind of discipline that we need when we're working? So a lot of factors did really affect this. So I'm now going to talk about GitLab beyond COVID. How did GitLab come to the rescue? Or how did GitLab come through for us? And the reason why I'm actually giving this talk. So what do we use GitLab for? So for GitLab, it has proven to be a tool, a very, very important and efficient tool. Kindly note, it's not that we didn't use GitLab before the pandemic.  No, we used GitLab before. But when the pandemic hit, this is when we actually started discovering new features and actual features that would work for us in working remotely. So an example of what GitLab offered us was the fashion control part of it. So for fashion control, we were assured of security. Like having a private repository set up on GitLab and allowing only designated maintainers or developers to access it at a time proved as a really, really heartwarming security for us because we were sure that all our environment variables are safe, all our code are safe. The other thing would be the backup and the reference. Anytime that I would lose my code locally, I would just immediately know that I have a place where I could find it. That assurance really works for us, especially when you're working remotely.  The last bit is the accountability part. When I talk about accountability, this is simply I could do something as simple as navigating through the merge requests or the issues either closed or open and identify when exactly the change in the system was made. Who made it? Why was it made? So every team member has a form of accountability for each and everything that they do. And that is very important in a team. So fashion control is amazing for remote working and having embraced it earlier in our, before when I joined my company, I found the using Russian control, which was awesome. So having embraced that earlier, made us vividly view this as an ultimate efficiency within this pandemic. It was just an extension of, hey, this is definitely working for us because we did use it before, right? So the other part that would really play a really big role, that kid lab has played a big role for us is the collaboration part. When I talk about collaboration, there are very many Kanban boards actually that can be used when you talk about issues, right? Although we use this extensively while working in the personal setup. However, when we transitioned into remote working, we found that working with kid lab issues and tickets quite efficient. This is because we have all this issue, issue trackers and our code all in one roof. And we really, really embraced this more while we did than we did in our in-person working culture. I'm not saying that the Kanban boards are bad. I'm just saying we as a company tend to embrace this more as our working culture. Yeah, so a template could assign a ticket to any of the members. Each issue was just created using an issue template. So then an issue template that goes for each issue where we just figured it would be nice for the format if all the issue formats could look the same, right? Yeah, so we categorize all the issues into epics where we can identify what epic it fits into as well as any linked issues that could fit in with the same issue. So that when we're working on the issue and you need to add a couple of sub-issues, that's what some of us call it, sub-issues. You can also link it to that issue. You can place labels if you need to. You can discard, you can block, you can hold. And those are just some of the amazing things, sorry, that we had with kid lab. We also had the magic requests packs. Magic quests were handled in a very, very interesting way. So we create and we merge requests per given issue or tickets that Intel creates a feature branch for us to work with. So magic requests also have a certain template that they should all comply with. They can also contain labels to identify it and can also specify a specific milestone in which our case we call sprints where we give a specific timeline in which this feature or bug is to be completed. Notice that every ticket, every issue that is created needs to have an estimate, yeah, great. So just a brief on our workflow as I finish up, our workflow now isn't as different from when we worked in person. The transition did take a toll on us for a few days, maybe weeks, but once we had the workflow all set up, we were good to go. So once the ticket is set up, we would receive a notification. Once we receive a notification, you know that you can start working on your ticket as long as it is within the milestone on which our case it was within the sprint. Take up an issue, but once you take up an issue, we know that a developer taking up an issue makes you responsible for creating the magic request, developing the feature, could be a bug, seeking reviewer, structurally reviewer code, and approve as well before we merge it in. So our workflow is not as different as it was in the in-person setup, but we did enjoy working remotely because the collaboration was just top notch. We thought we would lose the bond. We thought we would lose everything in all this, but it just continued being very efficient. And I greatly, greatly think it was because we had leads who are able to take that up and actually build environment for us. So a few lessons I learned from this. Collaboration doesn't necessarily have to be physical. As we head out of the COVID phase, we still need to be resilient. We still need to think outside the box. What if we have to work remotely again? Do we have the room to smoothly transition into it? At this point, yes, because we all know that it's possible. We know that we need to make the most of the tools that we already have, for instance, GitLab, in this case. And once we maximize on this, working remotely and in person can be very similar for tech teams. So the lesson I got from this is that we need to ultimately make good use of collaboration tools, regardless of the work culture so we can equip ourselves for future disruptions. Thank you so much. That is the end of my talk, sadly. I have had really so much fun doing this. And I hope some of you have come out with something substantial from this. Thank you so much. Please catch me on Twitter at Gete O'Rourke. I'm very nice. I will answer your DMs. And thank you so much.


Hello, I'm Cynthia Zerze. I'm honored to be speaking as the gold medallist from the English Department of Phenomenon University 2021. For my achievement, I give all thanks to our almighty for his countless blessings. I thank the principal, director, professors, all the non-teaching Sabateso, my friends and classmates for their constant encouragement and guidance. Life at That So has been an unimaginably fun ride and this past three years was quite a journey for me, especially with the pandemic over us and I know we've all faced a lot of hurdles along the way. But just as the saying goes, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, so also I believe that in life you have to sail through the high tides and the rough seas in order to reach your destination. That So has always been a step ahead in terms of technology, so even with online classes, we managed quite fine and we're provided with all the necessary resources and they ensured that learning never stops for us here. My success has been the result of my consistent spirit and efforts right from the beginning. I also thank our teachers for always motivating us to do our best and That So has provided us with such an environment that it enabled us to develop our skills and identify our true potential. I will always be grateful to That So for whatever they have offered me with and I will look back to the memories made here with deep fondness.


Griffith Review has always had a commitment to really interesting, high quality, long form writing. We're a diverse society.  It's an ethos that's egalitarian and excellent at the same time. A space for Australian writers to write not just inward looking but Australian looking out to explore those big issues that are at the heart of what's going on in the world today.


One year ago, our country was forced to fight a pandemic, a new virus that was all uncertain. Our government implemented this pandemic plan and it created the interagency task force for emerging infectious diseases to manage this global problem. Almost a year ago now, we are experiencing our second surge and again we are struggling as we fight this particular pandemic and all the uncertainty that goes with it. Today, in health issues, we will tackle the two most important balancing acts that our government, the IATF and our officials have been trying to do since last year. The balance between health and economics. Our guest for today is Professor Emeritus of the U.P. School of Economics, Professor Ernesto Perna, former Director General and Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority. Good morning, Secretary Perna and thank you for joining us in health issues. Good morning, EVP Ted Derbosa, highly respected and famous. Thank you very much, Secretary Perna. Last year, around this time, you decided to go back to the akadim and the private sector after the several hours of debates probably in the IATF, I can imagine. And the first question I would ask you as an economist, as a famous economist, sir, I read your papers when I was Under Secretary of Health. I read a lot of papers on health and development and economics and it was also our papers for basis for implementing universal health coverage. Sir, have you ever experienced anything like the effects of this pandemic to our Philippine economy in the past? Well, not in my memory. I think this pandemic is without precedent or precedent. And I think it's, no, most Filipinos would not have had any other experience that is worse than this pandemic. I mean, many Filipinos, those born or the baby boomers or those born during the war would not have experienced this kind of thing. That's correct. Actually, experiences of economic troubles. I just heard stories in the dining table from my parents who lived through World War II. Yes. Correct. So when we were discussing before, I asked you before why you decided to walk back to the university. I said, what are the reasons? And you mentioned to me that it was about philosophical and developmental differences with the strategy that was going. I think a year on now, I think you'll be more than willing because I think you were proven when I. Sure, sure. So can you explain and define what that philosophical economic development differences were? To be happy in government work, you have to be in a friendly, convivial and smooth rapport with other members of the economic team. Because that was where I had to do most of my work. I had to work with the members of the economic team. And in the economic team, other people are finance people or budget people like Avisado. And Dominguez is more a finance person. And I was the economist.  Because an economist looks at the big picture and whereas the finance person looks at just the financial aspects of a project or any undertaking. And for example, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, my preference and what I was trying to push was we should have started. Big bang in terms of spending so that we could ramp up or really rapidly enhance our health system capacity in terms of social infrastructure, hospitals, testing centers and so on. As well as our human capital, our healthcare workers. This is what our Asya neighbors did. They had a big bang approach, meaning they tried to nip the bud at the very beginning of the pandemic. And that is why they came out much better in a much better situation now than we are. Many people in this second surge or second wave of the pandemic, they say that these surges are also happening in other parts of the world. No, we should not compare ourselves with other parts of the world, especially the European and Western countries. Because they're different. We should be comparing ourselves with our Asya neighbors. And if we look around in our Asya neighborhood, there are no problems they're encountering now, like what we are encountering. And that is because they really addressed, they came to grips with the pandemic very early. And that is why if you look at the spending pattern for a COVID response among Asya countries, we have the lowest numbers. In terms of total COVID spending, COVID response spending in proportion to as a fraction of GDP, we have the lowest. And also in terms of per capita spending, meaning this spending per person. So that is why we have been really hobbled by this pandemic. And in the case of the other countries, what they did was they ramp up health system capacity right away. For example, Vietnam had very few hospitals. But in a matter of a month, they were able to generate so many hospitals. Not first class hospitals, but hospitals that are makeshift hospitals or modular hospitals to be able to handle the cases that came up. And the same thing with the other countries. And that is why how many deaths was there Vietnam? I think only two deaths in Vietnam, five deaths in Thailand and maybe Malaysia, single digit, not even double digit. And Indonesia is a little bit closer to our problem, but also Indonesia has handled, given a huge population and a huge territory, Indonesia has also done quite well compared to us. So the thing is we have a large population, the highest poverty incidence among Asian countries, the highest inequality. So the more reason we should really have done a big bang approach to the COVID as early as February. Or maybe even March because we really started March already, but they started February is other countries. And as I said, big bang approach. At then we were spending in dribs and rubs over time. And that is why you can see there are data on this which have been monitored by the ADB over time. And they show that the Philippines really has been rather conservative in approaching the COVID pandemic in terms of spending. Spending to enhance the health system capacity, improve the remuneration of our healthcare workers so that they don't leave. Many would have stayed behind if their remuneration were more decent. So then instead of too much lockdown, we should have done testing, tracing, isolation and treatment. And then do selective targeted lockdowns. That is what the other Asian countries did, not kind of umbrella lockdown, which really cripples the economy. Health is economy because health and economy are inextricably linked. There is no trade off between health and the economy. Whatever you spend for health is going to benefit the economy. Why? Because you spend on testing and tracing and all that and improving your social infrastructure, hospitals and other health centers. Then that also provides a stimulus to the economy. At the same time, when the health system capacity is improved, then workers are more healthy, they are more productive. So it's better for the economy. It's a symbiotic relationship between health and the economy. I cannot argue with that. In fact, when I listen to you, that's exactly how I feel when I talk to a financial person who looks at healthcare as a cost and a budget person who looks at healthcare as an expenditure. But when you're talking to me, you're saying health is actually an investment. We should invest in the health system because it will be good for the economy. And I cannot argue with that. That to me as a health systems person, I can understand that very clearly. So there were difficulties with this. They eventually implemented everything you said, but they were not nimble and fast about it. Because they ramped up hospitals, they ramped up. They spent for PPEs, equipment to renumeration for doctors and nurses. They also ramped up testing. But I think we were very slow. How could we have speeded this up? Is it our bureaucracy? Is it problems in procurement? Is it the way we respond to emergency? What are your views on the speed which we eventually implemented the response? I have noticed that from budgeting and then disbursement and then spending, there are too many lags. Notice that the spending at the Ayuda for the first week of the lockdown had not been distributed. It's only in the second week. So there is a one-week lag for an Ayuda. That is really a matter of life and death for many. The one given is the guidance only. I think it's going to be delivered today only. So budgeting, obligating, disbursement and then spending. May mga lags, I don't know why it is that like that. I know you are familiar with the IATF, Dr. Ten. I was also part of that before I stepped down. I really think the IATF should have been a combination of government and the private sector. Because there are many experts in the private sector. Not only medical doctors but also scientists should have been or should be in the IATF. Instead of too many, too many from government and most of them military. So that is another thing that we could have now. We could have modified over time. Because it's clear that we need expertise in science, in medicine, not in terms of lockdowns. That's absolutely correct. I'm an emergent, my field is disaster medicine and emergency medicine. And I study these things and I say, you know, it's not about whether you did the response or not. It's the one who did an early or late response. Yes. So clearly stated, we were not very nimble in the way we responded compared to our neighbors like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam event and Malaysia. So they responded quickly and we responded. We also did the same things that they did but we didn't do it as fast as they did. I think that's really the way you have to be ahead of the pandemic of the virus rather than be following it. Anticipatory and foresight planning is what's needed. And also virtuous impatience, sense of urgency. Sense of urgency is very important. That's emergency and sometimes in emergency we take risks. Because of our impatience, I will not go check the book on what to do on a person who is crashing in front of me in the emergency room. I'll have to do what I can immediately, given the medicine I know to treat him to save his life. So my concept of a pandemic is the same. A pandemic is just a population and you're treating it with an infection. You need to respond fast or else you'll be left behind. So what solutions or what were the things that you think should change after this? We will review this whole pandemic thing. I've learned so many things being part of the national task force which the IATF formed. But I have so many ideas on how pandemic response of a government should happen. And you mentioned one of them, the partnership with the private sector. That's very important. Any other ideas? I remember that the private sector, they were quite nimble and very quick in responding at the start of the pandemic. They provided a lot of consumables as well as necessities like PTEs. And they also provided even quarantine facilities. They're willing to cooperate. Kailangan lang na yung government should have a friendly relationship with the private sector. May paga a bit of an adversarial relationship between the government. I noticed that. For example, the way ABSCBN was shut down was really, I thought that was counterproductive. And also the way Manila Water and Manila were... Life their contract. Lasted. Oh, yeah. Hindi naman fault ng private sector proponents. They happened in two previous administrations. At that time, it was necessary, the kind of very liberal concession agreement to these private sector proponents for water was needed because we were really in dire straits. So, you know, every time that happened in cabinet meetings, this is just between us. I was really feeling very uneasy. I kind of thought that instead of encouraging the private sector, we are dissuading them. We are ostracizing the private sector, which is wrong because if you break down GDP, 75% is accounted for by the private sector. Businesses and the households. Only 20% to 25% is contributed by the government in terms of GDP. So, the engine of economic growth is the private sector. And the government is supposed to be providing the enabling policy environment. Yun ang mindset ng economist. Professor, you mentioned two things. No, the private sector. And you mentioned in the private sector, one very important thing that we in the disaster world look to in times of a pandemic. I've been taught that the way to fight a pandemic is through a command structure collaboration, which is the partnership with the private sector. And the third part, they tell me the third C is communication. Yes. To knock down a major mainstream media outlet in the middle of a pandemic that communicates with the people. They have been too much, right? And it affects the way we communicate to people. Is that correct? Yeah, it's really bad timing. I mean, this was the sole source of news and information for the poorer segments of the population in the outlying areas, in the provinces. So, talaga parang it was anti-poor rather than pro-poor decision. There was another thing that I noticed during the pandemic is that the countries that actually responded very well had a head start. Because if you remember in 2012 or even earlier in 2009 when we had the SARS, countries around us like Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore were all severely affected by SARS. Yes. And then they were followed with this avian influenza. So, they actually had a lot of systems development that we didn't see. And because our country didn't get the avian influenza early on, we only had one case of SARS. We never invested in the health systems that these guys started to kick in. That's why they responded nimbly because they had a head start. What do you think of this? Yes, I agree. That is related to what I said about the Big Bang approach at the start of the pandemic. As early as February, they already decided to spend Big Bang rather than little bits and pieces over time, which is what we did. So, it's a repetition. And we have severely under-invested in our health system capacity, in our health infrastructure. And we have about the data across Asian countries. We have about nine beds per 10,000 population. Vietnam has 17. Correct. Malaysia has even much higher hospital beds per 10,000 population. So, talagang na iwanan tayo dito. And instead of, I agree with the build-build-build physical infrastructure projects, but then we have neglected the social infrastructure projects which cover hospitals. And that is why we're having this. Now, I noticed that with this second wave, we are now putting up modular hospitals, makeshift hospitals. We should have done that before. Beginning. China built a 1,000 bed hospital. That's right. Secretary Burnett, do you know that I wrote Secretary Duque as Executive Vice President of UP in March? And I have that letter. I was asking him to already build PGH Dileman. Which I'll remember for a 700 bed. I told him in the letter, I said in the letter, it is time to build this facility. If we cannot build it, let's get our Chinese counterparts to help us build a 700 bed facility in two weeks. But I never got a reply. The other thing you explained is about the economic effects of the pandemic. And we did the lockdown approach which was good in saving lives because our mortality was low. I just discovered after implementing this, that's why our economy went down. People told me that the whole GDP of the Philippines was actually, I think 25% of it is NCR. Another large percentage was Calabar Zone and Region 3. And then Sibu and Davao contributed a little more. So the place where we implemented the lockdown, ground zero of this pandemic is really the economic hub and we stopped economic growth at that time. No, actually NCR, Dr. Ted, accounts for 35% of GDP. Even higher. And then Calabar Zone, around 19% of GDP. 50% already of our GDP. And then Central Luzon, around 15%. So NCR, Calabar Zone and Central Luzon, they account for 2 thirds of GDP. 63% to be exact of GDP. So malaki, malaki talaga. Stopped economic activities in an area. This was never realized by even my colleague doctors. Who says life first before we can rebuild the economics doesn't realize the major impact of a strict community quarantine or a lockdown policy to fight a pandemic. We had this more agile and modern testing, tracing, isolation, treatment. Like Korea, for example, and the other Asian countries. Parang they were using technology. So with that kind of approach to testing, tracing, etc. There's no need to have a big lockdown. Because parang, you are able to isolate the problem instead of getting everybody to be under a lockdown. And then the economy workers are not able to work and get their life support in terms of their incomes. There's another thing in what you've been discussing with me this morning. It's the fact that the hub of economic activity seems to have concentrated on a very small land area in the Philippines. Which is the national capital region. And I'm actually surprised to see that we're now considered one of the highest population densities for land space. I heard we have overtaken DACA in terms of the number of people. So it seems that all economic activity of people from the province will all go to Manila. You want to start a business, you started at NCR. So would you as an economic planner think that one of the things we need to do to fight a future pandemic is to decongest mega cities like NCR? Oh yes, I think we should have done that a long time ago. We should have really, you know, we should really have animated our regional centers like Kasibu, Ilo Ilo. So that the congestion is distributed across the country. And it's also better for, you know, for rich management and also for reducing inequality. Okay, okay. Kasibashadong concentrated sa Manila. So the rest are really lagging behind too much. Yes, I think our problem is that our initial what we call initial conditions is that we have a large population. We have a very dense, you know, national capital region and other Sibu is also quite dense. And therefore, with a large population that is densely settled in a limited territory like Manila and Sibu and maybe Davao and other congested cities, you have a high poverty incidence, high inequality. So it's very difficult for you to, it's very difficult for people living in informal settlements to be physical distancing. How can you, how can you have physical distancing when, you know, there are 10 people in a small room? And also the other thing is You have to work to ride a bus that is full. That's right. And also how can you do a frequent hand washing? There's no water. They have to save water na parang they can brush their teeth. So hindi talagang mahirap yung physical distancing and then hand washing. And maybe even ang mga masks, they have to be washed every day to be usable the following day. But that cannot be done for many, you know, for many in the informal settlements. Professor Perna, you're going to another part of economics, which is your expertise, which is demographics. You know, we're going into where people, I mean, the politicians let this happen. They will not remove the informal settlers. They will not resettle them and use them as power voting blocks during times of elections. And we're having elections again next year. So I'm very sure in the next few months, no informal settler will be removed out of their location. Yes, yes. It's incentive compatible for politicians. I love your paradox. Incentive compatible for politicians. There's no incentive for them to encourage their population to practice family planning. Because the more people there are in their district, the better for them in terms of dynasty. I've had mayors that fought with our reproductive health law. That's right. Alamo, you know, if we had followed, well, we started ahead of Thailand by one year in terms of family planning. But we did not sustain it. Thailand sustained it. Thailand is only 70 million now. 70 million, 68 million net or 70 million. Thai 110 million. So it makes a lot of difference. And we have more mouths to feed. We have more mouths to course, more graduates to fill in for jobs that we don't have, et cetera. And the problem also is too many, you know, this large population, many of them are born from poor families, teenage pregnancies ngayon, which results in stunting, stunted children. Stunted growth, yes, yes. So talagang, you know, it's really, I think. And I will add one more. These areas of informal settlers were also the petri dishes for a pandemic. All you have to do is introduce one virus and everybody gets contaminated. Yes, yes, that's right. Sir, but there's another thing that was happening prior to the entry of the pandemic. We were struggling with another epidemic and it was the African swine fever. We had ASF that was decimating our hog and farming industry, which affected our food security. So today, we're paying the high price of a very expensive pork in our markets. So we're like a double whammy. What can you say about this? Yeah, I don't know why it took so long for them, for our authorities to address the African swine fever. That started long before the pandemic. Correct. So, you know, well, there are just too many puzzles that we have to sort out why we are in this. Why we are where we are. Yeah, it's been a very, very interesting discussion. You educated me.  You educated me about economics as a health person. And I'd like to hear from you what you would suggest in terms of, for example, there's a new president, a new administration in May in this coming June. What would you advise this particular incoming administration, whether it's still a Duterte administration or some other one? What would you advise them in terms of what to plan, what to do with the second search? We're still raging with the second search. What would you do? What are the things you would invest in? And what will be your recommendations to the incoming leaders of this country? I would strongly suggest that we really invest more in our health system capacity. Pulang talaga. And we have to be fair to our healthcare workers. Our healthcare workers are really lagging behind our Asha neighbors. So, I mean, we are being unfair. That's why we cannot blame them. They have to go overseas for greener pastures to feed their families. So, why can't we do that? We were able to raise the salaries of the military and also teachers. But how about healthcare workers? These are vital cogs in our system, healthcare workers. Can we reduce them with the brain drain? Yeah, and to minimize the brain drain. And then, as I've said, the health system capacity, we have to have more hospitals. Not only in Metro Manila, but also in the provinces. And also hospitals that are well provided for, not only with human capital, healthcare workers, but also with equipment and other materials needed for healthcare. So, that's very important. So, this has been something neglected. You know, health system capacity nothing. Secondly, I think we really have to modernize our testing, tracing, isolation, and then treatment. I mean, it's not rocket science. We just follow what the other asian countries have done in terms of more modern approach to testing, tracing, and so on. And then, of course, I think the next administration or whoever comes next, kailangan talagang anticipatory and foresight planning. Plus, sense of urgency. Important talagang sense of urgency. Hindi, pwede kasi ang bukas na sa kanayon, ganoon. Para yun ang ano natin na. That has been our ethos, yung lack of sense of urgency. And that is what I call in my, the title of my book is Virtuous Impatience. Virtuous Impatience is the other name of sense of urgency. So ito lang naman. I mean, the things we have to do is not, as I've said, not really rocket science or going to the moon or going to Mars, ganoon. It's done, you know, it's done. It's a very common, it's a very common practices in other countries. So why can't we do it? Filipinos are bright people too. So naka kahia naman we are lagging behind these other countries for many things that are common sense. Yung ano, that is my, my, my, my, you know.  And we really have to, yeah. And we have, we have too many, too many lessons to learn already from last year. Why can't we, you know, apply the lessons we have learned from last year to the current wave that is raging in our country? Thank you, Secretary Perna, Professor Perna. You've given us a lot of information. This deserves another episode. I think we will get you back sometime soon. Now we need to talk about this in terms of how health and development are truly married to each other as a quote from Secretary Perna. And also the importance of sense of urgency for virtuous impatience. Not ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to thank our guest for today, Professor Ernesto Perna for giving all his wisdom, insights, what I call droplets of wisdom to the, to the economics and the health issues of today. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us here in health issues. Have a good day, everyone. Thank you for having me, Dr. Ted. Dr. Ted, PVP of UP system, of the UP system. Thank you, sir.


Gary, thank you so much for making time and it's a pleasure to meet you here in New York. Now to introduce your next lecture that you will give on the 21st of March. I have some questions. You chose the topic, timeless values in a shifting world. Why this topic? I think this topic is important at any time because we're talking about timeless values. But the issue of values becomes even more important at a time when the human race is at the nexus, where you have to choose the path for the future. And if you miss it, if you make a wrong term, the cost for rectifying this mistake could be too high. And I think that after the end of the Cold War, the victory made the free world complacent. And nearly 25 years have been wasted without having proper comprehensive discussions about the future. The future built on our values. The values that made the free world successful, the values that helped the free world win the Cold War. And pretending that these values can change with the changing world, it's doing a great disservice for the core foundation of our civilization. So I want to talk about geopolitical picture, but always refer to the values that made the success of free world possible. What is it that drives you? Where is your political commitment coming from? I always believe that my duty as a duty of any decent human being is to contribute time, energy and resources to make a difference. And I felt that I could make the difference first in chess, and now I think I could take, though maybe not as huge contribution as in the game of chess, but still significant contribution for this world to understand the nature of the challenges we're facing and rational ways of dealing with these problems and looking in the future. Because somehow it correlates with what I did at the chess board by analyzing the games, looking for mistakes and preparing for future battles. Yeah. In 1972, Alexander Solzhenitsyn had his Nobel speech, and I would like to quote him. He says, I would go so far as to say that the spirit of Munich is the dominant one in the 20th century. The spirit of Munich is an illness of the will power of the well-to-do. It is the usual state of those who have surrendered to the lust for comfort at any price. They have surrendered to materialism as the main aim of our life on earth. End of quote. I think you agree with this, right? Absolutely. The situation in 1972 was different, but these words can be easily applied to the current situation in the form of a union and actually to other challenges that the free world is facing. Yes. You agree with him, right? So then the question is, how come? He says this in 1972. You say equal things nowadays. How come that in the 20th century and the 21st century, the West is still under the spell of the spirit of Munich? Yeah. Let's be very clear. This is not a linear progression. Yes, there was a Munich. Yes, there was Chamberlain, who followed by Woodson Churchill. And then there was the Yalta Conference, where under pressure from Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, agreed to give up part of Europe because it was probably very hard to resist the pressure from the dominant Soviet army in the continent. But then there was Harry Truman, who defended the free world, who saved Western Europe, who saved Taiwan, who saved South Korea. And it was always black and white. I'm not saying black and white. It's just different periods. 1972 was not a good period. It was a period where the free world was on retreat. But eight years later, Ronald Reagan and it was the counterattack that ended up with a triumphant victory, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and eventually fall of communism and collapse of the Soviet Union. Naturally, after big victory, complacency, joy, let's celebrate. And we forgot that the disappearance of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union did not mean the end of our fight against evil. Evil survives. Evil could change its forms. But the challenges are always there. History cannot end, as was predicted by Francis Fukuyama. There's no end of history. History is seasonal. That's why I'm coming. I was a book. Winter is coming. Because it's seasonal. It repeats itself, as Munich in 1938 was somehow repeated in the early 70s, reflected by Solzhenitsyn, reflected now. But I've no doubt that the strengths of our civilization that helped us to reach the position where we are now and whether the first time in the history of human race, the free world is much more powerful than all the enemies combined. There is the total domination militarily, politically, financially. But it also creates a psychological challenge because people who are so comfortable with their lives, they have no appetite. They have no stomach to go for wars and conflicts. And they tend to resist any calls to their duties. But again, at one point they recognize that the challenge is imminent and it doesn't go away. And the combination of factors will mobilize the free world once and again to defeat its enemies. But do you already see new Truman's or Reagan's or people standing up? No, I don't see new Truman's or Reagan's in this country, neither in Europe. But I believe there is a huge potential that will be revealed very quickly because the cycle of replacing politicians today is much quicker. You have so many means of communication that could build and ruin reputations and information travels fast. So the moment the public realizes, the public in the United States and the United Kingdom and France and Germany and Holland, the moment probably believes that the free world must present a very strong sufficient response to the threats coming from Putin, from Al Qaeda, from ISIS, from all sorts of facts who are threatening to destroy the values of our civilization. I'm sure democracy always provides its pelagins. There will be warriors that will be called by the public and I think it will take almost no time. Will your lecture be a call to the public to take up arms and fight? My lecture will be an attempt to explain why this threat that we're facing today is existential. And we don't have to waste time as we did in the 30s or in the 60s or 70s to wait for the day of doom to wait for this threat to become real existential. You don't have to prove it to everybody who has no interest in politics. You don't want German bombs dropped to London so you don't want Soviet troops in Afghanistan and the world at the edge of nuclear apocalypses. You'd better deal with the problem when the cost of solving this problem is still not extremely high. And I will be communicating this message to people in the audience and way beyond this audience that this is not a simple response to militarist threats or political maneuver to sort of outsmart Putin's on this well. This is a very important moment for us to lay down the vision for the future. The future that will be built upon the values that made us successful. You know this famous quote of this French conservative philosopher Joseph de Maetre. He said, he must have said every nation gets the government the leaders it deserves. Now the Russians with its gigantic cultural heritage the Tolstoy's all the dancers the musicians the poets we have science, we have space race space race What does Russia deserve Putin? What about German heritage? Philosophy, science music I mean you name it and Hitler burning books it seems to me that almost every nation goes through the period of madness and what we are facing today in Russia is the ultimate power of this propaganda machine that could turn millions of people into zombies even despite alternative sources of information available it's hard to resist such pressure with 24-7 propaganda machine that has been working on the oral principles the war is peace slavery is freedom it's a complete lie and many people simply couldn't believe that such lie can become sort of a permanent a permanent a guest or just it's not a guest, it's totally occupied Russian media space I think it's it's temporary I think it will go away again, it happened before history it will happen this time in Russia the problem is not what will happen with Putin with the rat in the bunker that's no doubt about it that's what happens with guys like him the problem is what price Russia Ukraine and the entire world will pay for Putin's madness because unlike Hitler he has his finger on the nuclear button and that's why I'm calling for decisive actions today I called yesterday or day before yesterday because from history I know that one simple things, a lesson that we can learn even if the price of confronting dictator today a dangerous dictator might look high and even the consequences may be very potentially dangerous tomorrow the price goes up tomorrow the price will go even higher so sooner we confront this dictator and to confront him today we must recognize it's inevitable because his algorithm of staying in power includes conflict within Russia outside of Russia and in neighboring countries and also with the rest of the world because that's the only way to prove his sensibility for Russian public to keep up millions tens of millions of people in the zombie status you have to sort of raise the stakes all the time you have to keep bluffing with very weak hand in poker but keep bluffing threatening even with nuclear Armageddon to scare off your opponents so we have no choice and again this is not a simple fight between us and them this is a fight between civilization that is responsible for most of great things happening on this planet and we must protect it and we must do it remembering about these great timeless values that made the success of this civilization possible my final question your lecture is very political philosophical these are not particularly things young students nowadays are very much interested in why would you urge especially young students to come to the lecture I think I will tell them a few interesting things I was always curious to hear people that have something to say I think that I can present in a concentrated forum very important ideas for them to think of I'm not sort of laying down my vision for the future or telling them this is the only road that they have to choose but I want people to think I want them to become active again I think it's very important to revitalize democracy by bringing people in democracy is not for people in Washington Berlin, Paris big London democracy is for everybody to be active and we have unique opportunities now with all these communications techniques with new technologies to get our message straight to the desks of those who are making decisions and I will begin also addressing the audience especially young audience asking them to become active not to wait before crisis comes to you think use the technology use the experience accumulated from reading the books and also again collecting this data from internet predict this crisis, see the problem before it becomes too too big and address it democracy is a very vibrant thing it survives and it flourishes when people are actively engaged it's about using the power and wisdom of the crowd and that's one of my messages because it's also part of the time of this values Gary, thank you so much for this interview and all of us are very much looking forward to your lecture on 21st of March see you very soon


Good morning, here we are on the penultimate day of 2015 bash, we're here at Green Park School for a beautiful breakfast, we've got some sounds playing from fish pots, all good. Lovely dinner last night, put on by Mark and his team, the lost souls dinner. I'd like to make mention if I could though, of the raffle, the raffle was an incredible prize, beautiful tool, a water blaster. Who would you think in this room could do with a little tool like that? Maybe, maybe by cheating. No, Coxy. But Coxy in his imitable way generously donated it back as an auction item, and it raised no less than $250, so thank you Coxy and to our purchases, well done considering giving it for 180 bucks on the bunnies, that's what we want to be. Anyway, today we're off to Madicana Island, just west of Mount Manganui, we're over there to fix up a school, pretty much painting the town red.