text:
The Egyptian Revolution
Traveling to Egypt in January of 2011 was one of my most intense travel experiences–and I don't say that lightly, considering I've traveled to many crazy places during many crazy events!
I've taken awhile to write about this because it was such an all encompassing experience. It's hard to really do the whole thing justice; how is one really supposed to describe what it feels like to be a part of a living history? So please forgive me for holding out, and know that I will do my best to capture the essence of such a truly unique experience. I have written about the revolution in the past for the GAdventures blog (at the time, they were GAP Adventures), however, it's since been taken down. Another roadblock in the completion of this post was the theft of my laptop in 2012. Sadly, I had none of my pictures or videos backed up and the thief stole all of my media from both the Egyptian revolution and my trip to Turkmenistan and Iran. Thankfully in the case of Egypt, I had uploaded some photos to Facebook before they were stolen (the other trip, sadly no). The accompanying photos were saved by Facebook, and for the lack of video, I apologize, again, all the footage was lost to me when my old laptop was snatched from my car.
The chalk formations of the White Desert.
To begin: I had always wanted to visit Egypt–it was number 1 on my list of dream destinations. I had always been fascinated with the Ancient Egyptian culture, ruins, monuments, mummies and hieroglyphics. Who isn't, really? While my first trip overseas wasn't to Egypt (I thought I'd get my feet wet going somewhere with a little less of a cultural difference, so I hit up Eastern Europe first), my second trip most definitely was. I booked myself a spot on the Absolute Egypt GAdventures tour, picking that specific tour because it touched on various parts of Egypt that most tourists don't get to see; namely the Western Desert and it's many oasis towns (Siwa, Dakhala, Farfara, etc). I had been obsessed with the Western Desert ever since I had first picked up a copy of "The English Patient". Michael Ondaatje's breathtaking descriptions of the desert that the explorer Almasy chronicled around WWII had me in a swoon. I would have done anything and everything for even a glimpse of such a beautiful desert! So, when picking out my Egyptian tour, I made sure to book one that had a few stops in the Western Desert.
I will write more about the rest of my Egyptian trip in another post; here, I will focus on the end of my tour, which was cut short by the Egyptian revolution. I was visiting in January of 2011, and little did I know that by the end of my stay, Egypt
Me riding a camel in front of the Giza Pyramids in Cairo.
would be in the midst of a full fledged revolution. Despite my love for conflict zones, I genuinely had no idea going in that a revolution would break out. Of course I knew about what had happened recently in Tunisia, but I, like most other people, did not expect anything similar to happen in Egypt. Egypt was a much larger country, with way more freedoms afforded to it's people than Tunisia. At the time, if you had asked any Egyptian a week or two prior to the revolution, they would (and did) say the same thing–"We have Facebook here, mobile phones! What need do we have for a revolution? We are too big, we cannot have one, things are too complicated here." Those very words were spoken by my tour guide, Said, at the beginning of our tour in Cairo. Some member of the group had asked about the Tunisian revolution spilling over into Egypt. Said casually dismissed the thought, dismissed it outright.
The tour commenced and I was having a wonderful time. We visited all the major tourist sights.
Sailing down the Nile on a felucca.
We began the tour in Cairo, and then took an overnight train to Aswan. From there, we sailed up the Nile a ways in a traditional Egyptian boat called a felucca, stopping occasionally to see many historic sights, to take lunch, and finally, to sleep. We visited the Valley of the Kings, had a dinner in a local home in Aswan, stopped at the Temple of Edfu, and ended up in Luxor. As I stated, I will cover all this in a later post.
This story begins in Luxor, on our second day in the city. Said, our tour leader, was on edge, and when we pressed about what was bothering him, he mentioned that it was a national holiday–National Police Day–where Egyptians were to celebrate the police force. This was a tricky thing, since most of the police force was utterly corrupt and acted like assholes. You'd see them on every corner, semi-automatic weapons drawn, big bellies hanging over their belts. They were local bullies who would show up to local stores and demand to eat for free, and sometimes would even trump up fake charges for local business owners who wouldn't refuse their requests for free food and labour. Long story short–everyone in Egypt hated the police force. So what to do on National Police Day? Organize a protest, or a march, against the police force's long abuse of power seemed to be the answer. Said had gotten word from friends in Cairo about a planned march in protest of this holiday, and was worried that the protest would get out of hand and result in violence. Said and I were pretty close–much closer than the rest of the group–and he confided more to me than to anyone else. He held
Said and I walking down the streets of Luxor, right before the revolution started.
back with the rest of the group, out of a desire not to cause panic, but in private relayed to me that as the minutes passed that afternoon, the group in Cairo had gotten bigger and bigger. Everyone who had started the protest on Twitter had showed up, in addition to about a million more people! This was entirely unexpected and suddenly it wasn't just the police force the people were protesting against–it was now every oppressive part of Egyptian life, which pretty much meant the protestors were now calling for an entirely new government!
That evening, Said took me to a shisha cafe on the outskirts of Luxor and ordered me an apple shisha and mint tea–my favorite combination. As a woman, I was normally not allowed in shisha cafes anywhere in Egypt, but Said worked something out with the owner of this cafe so he and I could spend some quality time alone. It was unthinkable for a single man to hang out with a single woman pretty much anywhere in Egypt, as dating is not a common practice and men and women who are not family are not supposed to spend time alone except after marriage. Given this, it took some special work to spend time alone, and since it looked especially bad for us to hang out alone together in our hotel, a shisha bar was the most viable option. Said and I had a good time talking about various things, but I was mostly concerned about what his thoughts were regarding the situation in Cairo. While worried, he felt that because the average Egyptian was better off than say the average Libyan or Tunisian, that these Egyptians would eventually go back home soon and forget about the whole thing after expressing some of their frustrations. Said said that perhaps if the imams rile people up after the Friday prayers, maybe it will last a few days. But nothing longer. He was more
Ruins inside the Luxor temple complex.
concerned for his family in Aswan. He had left his mother and sister alone without a male guardian and, being Coptic Christian, he worried that if the protests spread to other cities, they would be in danger. We ended up staying out pretty late, having a great time. I liked Said a lot; maybe in another culture or situation I would have dated him. But as it was, we both ended up going back to the hotel and sleeping alone.
The next morning we awoke to chaos. We had planned to stay another night in Luxor, but as we awoke up to the smell of heavy smoke rolling past our hotel, we realised this would not be feasible. From the hotel rooftop, we could see the building across from us smoldering. In Egypt, there are not many building codes; in the neighborhood where we were located, most buildings were made from either concrete and dried mud or just dried mud. A fire could easily and quickly spread from building to building. Ergo, we had to evacuate pretty quickly, and come to find out, the building across the street from us was none other than the local police station. The situation had escalated dramatically overnight. As our tour group rushed into a hastily prepared and waiting van, we saw hundreds of protesters marching up the local side streets towards the Luxor's city center. Things were not "dying down" at all.
Said quickly called his company's headquarters for advice–they told him to come to Cairo and get the tourists evacuated as soon as possible. Said made a few more calls into Cairo and found out things had REALLY escalated there, with lots of violence, nighttime raids on local houses, and groups of armed people going through, raping and plundering family homes. He made a final call and decided to go against his company's orders and drive us out into the Western Desert, a few days before we were scheduled to go anyways, to wait out the protests. He called his mother and sister and assured them he would be back to Aswan soon, to look after them. Thankfully Aswan, being at the far end of Egypt, was barely affected
Our JEEPs in the Western Desert.
by the protests. In hindsight, I respect Said a lot for putting us random foreigners and our safety and our happiness over the health and wellbeing of his own family. That choice should say a lot about both his character specifically and, generally, the amazing generosity of the Egyptian people. Above all, throughout this whole ordeal, I was made to feel nothing but goodwill, protection and kindness from all the Egyptians I encountered, and most of all, from Said.
We broke with our itinerary and immediately began to drive out into the Western Desert. The Western Desert is a huge swathe of desert that blurs the borders between Western Egypt and Eastern Libya. It's one of the most remote and inhospitable places on earth and for thousands of
Me in front of a chalk formation in the White Desert (yes it looks like a dick, lol).
years has only been inhabited by roaming bands of Bedouins, or native desert tribes. Even to this day, apart from small oasis towns, there are no permanent inhabitants in the area. It's a rather dangerous area too, known as a conduit for trafficked drugs and human slaves, funneled from North to Central and South Africa. Being the case, we were supposed to pick up a police officer to protect us before entering the desert proper, but since the revolution had begun, all the police officers had fearfully abandoned their posts. We did, luckily enough, find one policeman just outside of Luxor willing to travel with us, weaponry included (but sans official uniform). He too wanted out of the city and thought hiding out in the desert sounded like a great idea. So, he joined our little party and we drove west into the desert after swapping out our tourist van for two JEEPs, filled with the necessary provisions for several nights of open air camping.
The first part of the Western Desert is the White Desert–a very surreal place, filled with windblown chalk formations. The entire desert is covered in white–it looks like a layer of snow on top of yellow sand, but it's actually a very fine layer of chalk. In some areas, huge white chalk formations rise up out of the desert sands, shaped and molded by the strong winds that blow through the
The White Desert–it's chalk dust not snow!
region. The White Desert and it's chalk formations are truly a sight to behold and continue to be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I am a lover of deserts, above all else, so to me, I was overjoyed to stay out in the desert and explore forever! Of course I wanted to get into the fray in Cairo too, but at the time, the magic of the desert overpowered my desire to follow what was going on elsewhere in Egypt.
When night fell, we set up camp and cooked a dinner of lentils and flatbread over an open fire. It was wonderful falling alseep piled together on a bunch of mats beneath the bright desert stars and silvery moon. We saw a few desert foxes out and about at night, looking for shiny things to steal from camp. In the morning, we all enjoyed hot tea as we watched the slowly sun rise. Being
Camping in the desert!
January, it was freezing cold at night but thankfully not too hot during the day. After a few nights in the White Desert, we proceeded onwards to the Black Desert, which, just as with the white, was covered in a light layer of black volcanic stone, giving the sand a black sheen. Large volcanic looking hills sprouted out of the flat desert floor all around us, and we climbed up a few of them for a fantastic panoramic view of the vast emptiness of the Western Desert. Again, I was elated and again, we camped out under the stars, stopping around noon at a beautiful hot spring for a quick bath and scrub!
However, after a few days of camping, we were beginning to run out of petrol, food, and water.
The volcanic peaks of the Black Desert!
The next day we turned and drove back to the nearest oasis, Dahkala, hoping to restock on provisions and to receive some news of the situation in Cairo. The Egyptian government had shut off all cell phone, data, and internet service, so we had lost contact with the outside world and many of us (Said included) were very keen to get word of what was happening in Cairo and to assure our loved ones that we were alive and safe. We pulled into the nearest town, Dakhla Oasis, got some cheap rooms at a local guest house, and proceeded to plant ourselves in front of the only working TV in the
Watching the revolution unfold in Cairo on a small TV in the Dakhla Oasis.
building–a small, maybe 10″ set, with a working cable connection. We were astounded at the images and words coming through; blown away at the millions upon millions who were now occupying Tahrir Square. None of us, including Said, or the owner of the guesthouse, or the driver, or our police officer guard, had expected this. We all just sat around the TV in shock. Said translated for those who didn't speak Arabic–"an estimated 8 million people are marching…" "…they demand that Mubark step down as President…" "…there have been many violent conflicts at night in residential neighborhoods; many people have been killed and houses and hotels have been looted…" Said was beside himself with worry for his family in Aswan, and tried to call on a landline, with no success. All forms of communication save radio and TV were cut off and we were essentially stranded in this oasis town because–guess what!–we had also run out of both petrol and food.
The streets of the Dakhla Oasis.
And by "running out of food" I mean we had run out of provisions in addition to the hotel as well. There were no local restaurants that had food either. No local markets with food. The Egyptian government had stopped the transportation of petrol to all parts of Egypt in an attempt to quell the revolution and this had resulted in no trucks being able to transport food to remote places like Dakhala. Since Dakhala didn't produce much food on it's own (it's an oasis, all they produce are dates), that meant that people were beginning to starve. It had been about a week since the first protests had begun, and people were slowly running out of food stock. There
We stopped here at a local hot springs for a shower while camping in the desert!
weren't even the basics; no bread and babies were hungry because there was no milk. Our dinners at the hotel (we were not allowed to leave due to violence in the streets) consisted of a meager cup of chicken broth with one or two lentils swimming sadly in it, and moldy flatbread. It was becoming a dire situation. From the roof of our hotel the next morning, I watched a bakery store open. Within about 5 minutes, all the bread had been sold and there were still hundreds of hungry people waiting for a chance to eat. A fight broke out between people, women with babies started screaming, and suddenly a gun shot was fired. Fists were flying, someone was down, and blood was fanning out on the street.
We were all very concerned about our situation, Said most of all. Along with a lack of food, we had no petrol and hence no way to leave the oasis. We were stranded. For several days we stayed in Dakhla, and every night Said and I would sit and eat some of his private stash of dates that he had smartly purchased before the revolution began. He told me he wasn't sure we would actually make it through. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't contact anyone. He couldn't continue to keep us at this hotel. In desperation, he had gone to the tribal leader of the oasis and asked if we could borrow some of the petrol that fueled the main well that fed the city water. It was a crazy thing to
A gas station queue in Cairo during the revolution.
do–to ask this man if we could endanger his entire city and potentially deprive hundreds of people water simply to get some foreigners home, but out of hospitality and duty he felt he had to ask. And thankfully, and because Egyptians are truly amazing people, this elder consented and we were rationed a small amount of fuel to get us back on the road towards Cairo. It wouldn't take us all the way there, but it would get us close. We prayed we would run into another source of petrol somewhere along the way.
Luckily, the day we left Dakhla, the cell service in Egypt was turned back on again, and Said was able to speak with his family and his company headquarters in Cairo. His family was thankfully safe, although many of his friends in Cairo were not. The company told him under no uncertain
Mohammed's tour bus, who came to rescue us and siphon petrol into our empty tank!
terms to head directly to international airport in Cairo and to get us on evacuation flights out of the country before it was too late. The US Government (along with most other Western nations) had been running evacuation flights out of Cairo for about a week now, and were about to stop doing so. Anyone left behind would be, well, left behind, with no consular assistance and with zero ground support from their home nation. It was imperative we get on those last few flights out of Egypt.
We drove through the night, but ran out of petrol less than half way to Cairo. Despondent and trapped without water or food, we waited for someone, anyone, to drive by and offer help. We were near a petrol station, but it had been abandoned and vandalised. Said called his friends and fellow tour guides seeking aid, and finally, Mohammed (later to become a good friend of mine) happened to be close by with another van full of foreigners and agreed to come over to help us. He showed up, siphoned some of his own meager supply of petrol into our gas tank and both of our vans hit the road to Cairo.
The chaos on the streets of Cairo during the revolution.
At the outskirts of the city, we ran into many road blocks. Military equipment, tanks, shell casings, and random artillery lay everywhere alongside the road. Fires were burning out of control and all the buildings had been abandoned. We were not allowed through roadblocks several times, as the millions protestors were marching to Mubark's house and demanding his resignation that very day. To get to the airport, we needed to cross the path that the protesters were marching, and no member of the military would less us through. Finally, after a long hard discussion, Said and the plainclothes police officer who was with us, with his guns, turned to us
Tanks in Cairo.
in the van and said "We are going to drive off road. Please lay on the floor of the van and do not look up. You may see things you don't want to see." At this point, the police officer stuck his guns out the window and the driver veered off the road and down over a ledge. The police officer shot a few times into a crowd, trying to make way for our bus to get through. People cleared, but starting throwing rocks at us, angry, thinking we were pro-Mubarak thugs. It was pretty crazy for awhile. People mobbed our van, climbing up the sides, shaking it violently, grabbing things through the windows, throwing stones, molotov cocktails, bullets and all manner of objects at us. Eventually we made it through, mostly due to our police officer guard, who kept shooting the mobs of people who were threatening or too crazy with the van.
Finally, we pulled up at the Cairo airport. Everyone was let off at their country's evacuation
One of the many Egyptian military tanks we encountered on the outskirts of Cairo.
points, and I was last, as I am American and of course, we had taken over an entire terminal! Said and I had grown close and it was hard to leave him. I stood for maybe 45 minutes, watching families being ripped apart. The mother can go, she's American, the son must stay, he's Egyptian. The father can go, he's American, the newborn baby without a mother has to be left here. It was gut wrenching. Families were wailing, begging US military members to be allowed to go with their other family members. People were foisting babies in the US military member's
The scene at the Cairo airport American evac terminal.
faces–"Give my son a chance! What life will he have here? Maybe he will die! Do you want to be why my son dies?" Remember at this point, no one knew what would happen, and it seemed at that moment that nothing but utter chaos and anarchy would reign. For the Coptic Christian minority, fearing a Muslim Brotherhood majority, religious violence was also looming large.
I was handed a piece of paper and told to sign it–it was my official document of evacuation. Essentially it said that I was being consensually evacuated from Egypt and that I was agreeing to pay the price for the evacuation flight. It also told me I could end up in one of three places–Cyprus, Istanbul, or Athens. The document told me I wouldn't know until I landed. The price for the evacuation flight was left blank and I took issue with this; how was I to sign a piece of paper promising to repay an amount that was unspecified? They could write in $10 million dollars! I could never repay that! How was I to tell how much the government would charge me for this? The last flight out before the final US military presence was removed was queueing up to board and I was still arguing with some US official about the paperwork, standing with Said, who was holding my hand. He wanted to come with me. He had never left
The queue for the last evac flight out of Egypt.
Egypt, was a Christian, and for all he knew, he and his family would end up being the targets of violence and bigotry for years maybe decades to come. For a good long moment, I stood resolved not to get on the airplane. I would stay with him and I would stay in Egypt and I would write about what I saw and what was really happening. I would call the BBC, or hell even CNN, and stay on and ride it out. But then I made the mistake of calling my mother to tell her this and she threatened to send a privately chartered jet to come get me if I didn't get on the one waiting for me on the tarmac. So against my better wishes (and in hindsight I truly believe I should have stayed), I turned, said goodbye to Said, and got on the plane.
We touched down in Istanbul about 2 hours later. I had amassed a group of fellow Americans who were really scared and lost–the sort that get jostled by these kinds of scenarios (as opposed to me, who is energized by them). I had been to Istanbul many times before and knew my way around the city and had quite a few friends, so I offered to get these Americans a cheap, good hotel room and give them tours of the city while they got flights back home. I called a friend of mine at the Hotel Niles and pretty much filled his hotel up with guests (my room was free of
Istanbul in winter.
course, muhahaha!). I showed these Americans the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, took them to the waterfront and put them on cruises. A lot of them were GAdventures people from various tours in Egypt being run co-concurrently, so the GAdventures company reached out to me and offered me a huge thank you, a free tour in the future, and a place on their blog to write about my experience (which I did, but which sadly has been removed).
End of the story– I stayed on in Istanbul, waiting for flights into Cairo to recommence. All air in and out of Egypt had been suspended, but I waited and I waited, I followed the news and I waited some more. But it took too long and I had to get back home. I waited because I wanted to see Said again and I wanted to go back to that lovely country who's people risked their lives for a group of strangers. I was as in love with Egypt as I was with it's people, and I wanted so badly to go back, but the revolution took longer than anyone ever suspected. I ended up returning September of 2012 to finish my tour, and again in November of 2012, but
Writing in the sands of the Western Desert!
sadly I haven't seen Said since the revolution, although we stay in touch over Facebook. I also sadly have not visited Egypt in several years, but I hope to return soon. I cannot say enough good things about the country, it's people, and it's history. No matter what the situation is politically, make sure you visit Egypt and be sure to support all the amazing tour guides that put everything on the line for their group members when called upon to do so. As they say, once you drink from the Nile, you will always return. I'll see you there.
Recommended Tour: GAdventures, "Absolute Egypt". $1279 USD for 16 days, Cairo to Cairo. $449 USD single room supplement (if you want your own room without a same gender roommate). It's a comprehensive tour that touches on all the best that Egypt has to offer–all the major temples including the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the temple complex in Luxor, Edfu, and of course, the Great Pyramids. It also includes a felucca sailing journey up the Nile from Aswan, an overnight train from Cairo, and several days out in the Western Desert, along with a night in Alexandria and a visit to the famous library.
To Stay: Hotel Niles (Istanbul). Rates fluctuate from $100/night during the off season (winter) to $200/night during high season (summer). A 10% discount is offered on cash payments if booked through the hotel website. Rooms are gorgeous, decorated in the continental style with small local flourishes (such as a turkish bath in some rooms). A lovely terrace at the top of the hotel has an amazing view of the Istanbul harbor and every morning a large breakfast spread is put out on the terrace for guests, free of charge. The hotel is located within walking distance of all major tourist attractions in the city (Topaki Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, etc). Airport transfers from Ataturk Airport are roughly $30, one way.
To Listen: A good friend of mine suggested that I add a few song recommendations to each travel update, and I happen to agree with him, it's a great idea, and a great way to capture the spirit of a location. Here are my recommendations for this post:
"Wakhali" (Empty) by Omar Souleyman (one his videos)
"Aicha" by Bayta Ag Bay from the album compilation "Music from Saharan Cellphones"
"Shou 3melti Feye" by Haytham Shoumali
Note: Despite the many official government travel warnings, I've always found Egypt to be a welcoming, hospitable place. As long as you have a good guide if you're a first time visitor or a non-Arabic speaker, you'll be just fine. I returned to Egypt under many heavy travel warnings and never had any issues, as I was under the advice and guidance of honest, hardworking tour guides. If you have any question about the character of your guide, because some can be shady, I recommend you call an international tour company and ask to rent out one of their guides for private hire if you do not want to go as part of a group. Egypt can be hard to navigate on your own, and whatever you pay to your guide will be more than worth the hassle and expense of hiring him or her. If you are a woman, be sure to adhere to local dress codes, especially in more rural areas. This means cover your shoulders and cleavage, do not wear shorts, and cover your head with a scarf if entering any mosques or churches. If you choose not to follow these local customs, prepare to be harassed often. As a Western woman you will already attract enough attention as it is, and highly advise you to minimize this impact by simply covering up, even if you're inclined, due to the heat, not to. It's better to blend in than stand out for both safety and sanity reasons.
Category: Advice, Hotels, Hotels, Stories, Tours, Travel Tags: adventure tours, american in egypt, blue mosque, cairo, egypt, egypt travel for americans, egyptian revolution, egyptian tours, egyptian travel, egyptian travel tips, first hand account, gadventures, hagia sofia, international travel, international travel tips, international travel tips american, is egypt safe, is egypt safe for americans, istanbul, luxor, real story, real story of egyptian revolution, revolution, tahrir square, tourism egypt, tourism in egypt, tourism luxor, tours, tours of egypt, travel egypt, tunisia, tunisian revolution, turkey, western desert, western desert egypt
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5 Comments on "The Egyptian Revolution"
toupaul Aug 10, 2014 at 13:59 pm
I always believed the USA exported inflation which exacerbated food costs outside America. As a percentage of their paychecks the Arab population couldn't afford to pay 8% of their weekly income separately for corn,wheat and commodities as occurred last in here with gas lines in 72-73. Today food represents a very small percentage of teh American population's income and that may be the reason for the (then) Arab Spring.
http://ivn.us/2011/02/01/dollar-inflation-may-have-been-catalyst-egypts-revolution/
Suzanne Borders Aug 11, 2014 at 04:51 am
Yes, that may have played a part in the revolution, but I feel that it was so much greater than just "food" or "living conditions" or "lack of employment", all of which, in my opinion, played into the unrest that then turned into a revolution. Being in Egypt in the weeks and days prior to the event, I felt a sense of hopelessness and frustration amongst people my age and slightly older. A lot of it was simply young adults growing up in a digital age that had access to the internet and hence a global window into the lifestyle of other places, especially the West. They grew up with mobile phones and emails and could communicate with anyone, anywhere. This put their standard of living and relative economic confinement into a perspective that previous generations did not have. For most Egyptians, it is very difficult to leave Egypt and if one does, it's to other places similar to Egypt, say Syria or Iraq or Jordan. So the previous generation did not know or or in any way experience the freedoms and luxuries of the West and hence were not dissatisfied with what they were brought up to expect as normal. The beings of my generation in Egypt however, compared their situation to the rest of the world and found it extremely lacking. Of course, you have an underlying fabric of Islam and Coptic Christian faiths that underlie the moral benefits of living with less, but that can only make up for so much privation. And especially, with young adults, religion and religious activities aren't always the strongest motivating factors–mostly, getting laid and being cool take priority. So you have a large youthful population (something like 70% of the population in Egypt is under 30) that wants a better, cooler, more luxurious life and who see this life on the internet and who tweet all day to each other about it. These youths, especially in Cairo, may be religious but they are not religious to the point of privation. In addition to this, as mentioned, in Egyptian culture it is not acceptable to date, and sex is only for the marriage bed. So all of these young men and women are hugely sexually frustrated as well, and they cannot get married unless they have at least a decent job to pay for a bride. And they've gone to school, they've done "all the right things", are highly qualified for work, yet cannot find any. And without work, there is no money and without money, no bride, and with no bride, there is no sex. So a large part of the frustration too came from the younger generation's inability to have sex or to get married as well as their inability to find work, despite being qualified. Like in America, with Occupy Wall Street, the main complaint is "we cannot find jobs despite making the effort to educate ourselves" but in Egypt, this also translated to "we cannot make enough money to find a bride and start a family." Many times I would hear young men say that the government was stopping them from having children and enjoying married life. That it was the government's fault that they could not please their mothers with grandchildren. So of course, an entire revolution cannot be predicated on a lack of sexual satisfaction; as I said, it's a complicated mixture of many things, but that also came into play and I wanted to point it out to you. Initially, with the younger crowd, it definitely was a motivating factor, although as older generations joined, they joined for different reasons–mainly, to provide their children with a better future, a country that afforded the next generation more opportunities.
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SOURCE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/14/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-leak-roe-trust/
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The leak of a draft opinion regarding abortion has turned the Supreme Court into a place "where you look over your shoulder," Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday night, and it may have irreparably sundered trust at the institution."What happened at the court was tremendously bad," Thomas said in a conversation with a former law clerk at a conference of conservative and libertarian thinkers in Dallas. We actually trusted — we might have been a dysfunctional family, but we were a family."Just as Alito had done in a speech the night before at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Virginia, Thomas skipped past the usual bonhomie that justices express about their colleagues — that they disagree vigorously but respect and admire each other.Asked about that by a questioner, who wondered how a friendly respect for ideological differences could be fostered in Congress and other institutions, Thomas replied: "Well, I'm just worried about keeping it at the court now."As he had the week before, he praised a previous court — one headed by Chief Justice William H. Thomas did not explain his vote in the court's short order denying Trump's emergency request, and Democrats in Congress have cited his participation as evidence of a need for a stringent ethics and recusal code at the Supreme Court.Thomas briefly recounted battles with the left, which he said tried to keep him off the court "because of abortion." While saying at his confirmation hearing that he had never considered the correctness of Roe, Thomas joined an opinion just months later saying the precedent should be overturned.Thomas said conservatives have never employed the harsh tactics of the left."You would never visit Supreme Court justices' houses when things didn't go our way," Thomas said.
As said here by Robert Barnes
Robert Barnes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Woman-led KCultivator Q&A: Lauren Conaway finds passion in womxn-led InnovateHER KC
KCultivator Q&A: Lauren Conaway finds passion in womxn-led InnovateHER KC
By: Elyssa Bezner, Reporter- June 13, 2019
Lauren Conaway, InnovateHER KC, Kansas City Startup Foundation; photo by Kristen Pulido / kristenpulidophotography.com
Editor's note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes.
Kansas City's female entrepreneurs are begging for the opportunity to champion each other, said Lauren Conaway.
"This community that we've built … it's supportive, it's kind, it's helpful and it's instructive. It's a really incredible thing to see," said Conaway, founder of a Kansas City women leadership group, InnovateHER KC, and director of operations at the Kansas City Startup Foundation.
"What's really interesting about our members is that they represent a lot of different types of women — we're talking entrepreneurs, educators, politicians — but the unifying factor is that they are committed to enacting positive change in their communities," she said.
Click here to learn more about InnovateHER KC and get involved.
Originally starting as a Facebook group aimed at building a base of like-minded women, the group — now 536 women strong — is working toward a 501(c)3 nonprofit status that is expected to heighten its level of impact, she added, noting a $1,500 fundraiser is expected to help offset the costs.
"InnovateHER started completely by accident," Conaway said, laughing. "I looked around and I realized that I was meeting all of these incredible women that I really wanted to get to know. I would run into them at events and I was always either planning the event or it was just a very quick check-in, 'Hi, how are you doing?' and I wanted to forge some deeper connections."
After requests for more events together and a group chat that would never die, Conaway realized the potential impact mobilized groups of women could achieve, she said.
The InnovateHER KC leadership team recently developed the "Kansas City Womxn-Led Business Directory" and the "Kansas City Diverse Speaker Directory," she added, noting the directories are expected to make it easier to find diversity speakers for local events and support women-owned businesses.
Click here to view the Kansas City Diverse Speaker Directory.
Click here to view the Kansas City Womxn-Led Business Directory.
"Finding ways to turn data into meaningful action I think is really important because you can enact change — you can't fix a problem unless you know specifically what the problem is," Conaway said. "Moving forward, I am interested to track some more data and analytics on the state of womanhood in Kansas City."
InnovateHER KC plans to organize a women empowerment week in early September as well, she said, noting Congresswoman Sharice Davids, local innovation coach Diana Kander, and the Latino Arts Festival's Deanna Munoz are expected to speak.
During the week's events, the group plans to partner with founder-focused nonprofit KC Collective to put together a woman-founder pitch event with a host of investors attending from outside the area and inside Kansas City, she added.
The leadership team for InnovateHER KC are all putting in hours to achieve the overall mission of the group, Conaway said, noting the help of Carlanda McKinney, Elaina Brownlee, Amber Monaco, Larissa Uredi, Tammy Buckner, Crystal Sheffield, Kyra Colbert, and Jessica Powell, as well as Adrienne Haynes and Sarah Shipley.
"[InnovateHER] is taking on some steam and I'm just very proud of this engaged, and active community of women leaders that we're building," Conaway said. "I'm really excited to see where it goes."
Startland News sat down with Conaway to find out more about her motivations and unexpected passion for Kansas City. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, which reimagines a workspace model where businesses share resources and grow together.
Hometown: St. Louis. Don't make me go back there.
A historical figure you wish you could follow on social media and why? I have a mild obsession with Nikola Tesla. It's because he was a true polymath and just quite brilliant. I'd love to have a little bit of insight into how his mind works.
Weirdest thing you've eaten:
I used to work for Boeing and we had "Wild Game Night" every Wednesday. They served crocodile and elk and bison … so probably something from there.
Best thing you've eaten in Kansas City: Tavern at Mission Farms has a seafood pie. It just blows my mind.
If you could go to any concert what would it be: I think it would've been really cool to go to Woodstock because it was such a pivotal point in time and such a culturally important happening.
Why do you call Kansas City home: When I first moved here, it was always with the intention of moving back to St. Louis and for the first couple years, I didn't really connect with Kansas City. But, just over the course of time the city just totally won me over. It's beautiful and culturally vibrant, the people are friendly, there's so much growth and energy and development happening that you get kind of swept along with the vibrations … you just can't help but fall in love with it.
What startup do you find most interesting right now: Erin Little has a startup called Episkey that's a healthcare startup where they track athletic movement to help predict an individual's training and recover from injuries. I just find that really interesting.
What you would do if you weren't in your line of work:
Can I get paid to travel? I think maybe a travel writer? I love to write. I love going new places and trying new things. So I think travel writer would sit pretty well.
What word or phrase do you hate the most? I've never understood the phrase, "It was in the last place I looked," because of course, it was.
Biggest accomplishment: Getting InnovateHER KC started. I've just very proud of this engaged, active community of women leaders that we're building. I'm really excited to see where it goes.
Biggest failure: I've had a lot of failures in my life of course, but I don't think in terms of "biggest." Every failure I've had has led me to where I am.
Who in your life inspires you: My husband, Aaron. He's one of the kindest individuals I've ever known, he's put up with me and he works hard. He's so creative and just a brilliantly amazing writer and human being. He just inspires me everyday.
You have a time machine and can travel anywhere in the past or future. Where and when do you go? I would definitely travel in the future. I don't want to go anywhere that doesn't have central air conditioning. I would probably go 200 years in the future because I'm just interested to see where we end up.
Favorite travel locale: I did a stint in Istanbul where I taught English to third graders and it was really incredible. They had like dirt floors and things like that, but they would invite us home to eat. They would give everything they had and just to see that side of humanity was really beautiful.
Your mantra or motto: My driving force for every day is to make it better for those who come after.
Guilty pleasure TV show: "Jane the Virgin!"
Woman-led, News, Q&A, Profiles, Startups
Tags: InnovateHER KCCrystal SheffieldAmber MonacoJessica PowellElaina BrownleeKyra ColbertLauren ConawayCarlanda McKinneyTammy BucknerKCultivatorAdrienne HaynesLarissa UrediKansas City Startup FoundationSarah Shipley
Pride outside: How the outdoor industry is missing out with a $1 trillion LGBTQ+ blind spot
Startup advocates to next mayor: Make KC more attractive to tech talent, women, innovation


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Argentina's anti-trust regulator on Friday approved a merger between Telecom Argentina TEC2.BA and cable TV provider Cablevisión (CVH.BA), allowing the creation of the largest telecommunications group in the country.
The CNDC regulator attached several conditions to the deal, which was also approved by Argentina's ENACOM communications regulator in December.
Telecom Argentina and Cablevision announced their intention to merge earlier this year following a policy change by market-friendly President Mauricio Macri's government that allows companies to offer so-called 'quadruple play' services consisting of fixed line telephone, cell service, pay television and broadband internet access.
As a condition of its approval, the CNDC said in a statement the new company would have to transfer its fixed broadband services in 28 different areas where Cablevision and Telecom are the only providers. That portfolio of 143,464 customers will be sold to a new operator, the CNDC said.
The CNDC also called on ENACOM and the modernization ministry to speed up the process by which the new company must return 80 megahertz of spectrum to the state in order to comply with the legal limit for a single operator.


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Step 1: Turn your nightstand or table upside down. This is where you'll be attaching the charging mat. Trace the charging mat so you know what size indentation you need to carve out.
Step 2: Use your router to carve out the shape you just traced. If you've never used a router, get ready for a whole lot of sawdust to come out. Be careful not to go through the whole nightstand—you just want to create a little pocket for your charging mat.
Step 3: Now you need a way to keep that router in place. I used VELCRO® tape in my favorite color—red! Cut four pieces so that they attach in the middle and it's easy to take out the charging mat if need be. Use E6000 glue to attach the tape to the nightstand.
Step 4: Place a heavy book over the glued tape to make sure it attaches securely to the table. Let it dry overnight. Plug the charging mat into the wall and you've got a table that charges your smartphone wirelessly!


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Q: Reshaping card sizes in Bootstrap I'm trying to build my web portfolio and I want a card format which includes an image thumbnail and text below it. The problem I have is that can't control the size of the initial image and that makes the cards misaligned.

I'm wondering if there's way to fix it so it adjusts to any image size. Here's my code
<!doctype html>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no">

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.1.3/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-MCw98/SFnGE8fJT3GXwEOngsV7Zt27NXFoaoApmYm81iuXoPkFOJwJ8ERdknLPMO"
        crossorigin="anonymous">
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.14.0/css/all.css">
    <title>Pattern</title>

              BODY OF WORK

FRANK DIN: WEB DEVELOPER

Landing Page

Landing page for a fictitious dating site built with Bootstrap.

                            Github
                            Webpage

Bootstrap Image Gallery

Image gallery built using Bootstrap.

                            Github
                            Webpage

A: Add this CSS:
.card-img-top {
    height: 20vw; // change this value and/or units to your liking
    width: 100%;
    object-fit: cover;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


as sacred nourishment, as delicious ambrosia and sweet nectar.
We come as a  blessed sacrament of wisdom and joy unto all.
Know thou this holy truth!
the  Vast Symphony of Our  Holy Words of Illumination.
4.  We come in the Power of the Light!
We come in the Light of Wisdom!
We come in the Mercy of the Light!
The Light hath Liberty in its Wings!
Freedom in the Secret  Sanctuary of the Mystic Beyond!
thou the Ineffable Sound of Our Mystic Union!
are come!  Our Will is One:  Our Will is Done!
Palace of the Stars:  thou shalt partake of the Ineffable Glory!
Work:  We are the purity of thine invocation to the Highest!
thyself, and be free!  All is intended for thine attainment.
Enflame thyself with love:  Invoke Us often!
force and exertion of thy Transcendental Will.
is true Union, in the deep silence of thy heart.
forth from thee as a Mighty Whirlwind of Infinite Fire!
and Whose  Understanding is Perfection.
Mystery of the One True Light of the Whole Universe.
aeons.  Hold up thy heart; then bathe it in the fire of pure joy.
Our Glory of  Forces:  Ararita!
the Stairway of the Heavens in thy Secret Laboratorium on earth.
it is a secret even though they themselves possess it.
Life, and That which is in the Centre is the Palace of the Stars.
uplift thee to the Home of the  Starry Wisdom of the Highest!
Hear thou Our Holy Voice of Fire!


April is GO GREEN! month Adventure Science Center. We are always looking for ways to positively impact our environment and make a change in our community.
Have you seen the new viral #trashtag trend? We hope that this trend never goes away! The #trashtag idea is that an individual takes a picture of an area of land that looks…. well, trashy. Then, after donning some gloves and grabbing some bags, you clean up the space. After the area is clean, you share your hard work on social media. So far, there are more than 44,000 #trashtag posts!
During the month of April, we're challenging YOU in the #trashtag challenge. One lucky winner will receive 4 free general admission passes to the museum.
2. Take a before photo of the area.
3. Grab some gloves and a trash bag, and start cleaning up!
4. Take an after photo of the area.
5. Post your before and after photos to social media and encourage your friends to do the same. Make sure to use #trashtag and @adventuresci in your posts!
Let's all do our part to make the Music City community a more beautiful place.


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Book: The Shellies by Ian Kaye
The Shellies along with their friends live on a beach full of stories and fun. Preparations were being made to celebrate the 'Last Night of the Proms,' when it was discovered that the younger Sea Urchins could not be found. And so the adventure begins.Join Crabby and the gang in their search and have waves of fun.
Book: The Ice Cream Addiction - A mysterious herb takes over a country town. by J.Z. Pinder
"MA" CARNEY AND BORIS This lengthy story focuses on Lorna Carney, a middle-aged widow, who owns a small family dairy farm called Good Acres. Just about everyone calls Lorna, by her nickname, "Ma." The Carney farm is located near -the small country town of Colton Hollow. Ma has a mentally challenged son named Boris. Six years after the death of her beloved husband, Caleb, Ma decides to open an ice [...]
Book: This could be your story - Why no one talks about failure anymore by Andreea T Niculae
After Andreea found the love of her life everything changed, and she and Victor are a team now. Shortly after their wedding, they started to work hard to open their first small business: a salt (mine) cave in their neighborhood. Their dream became true, finally, they can bring a different type of business, one for adult relaxation and a playground for children in a healthy salty room. But the [...]
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Take a stroll along an old, decaying, city neighborhood with its now-empty, silent hulks and imagine the people who lived there through the years. That is precisely what author Edward Farber does in his new collection of short stories, Echoes of Clara Avenue. In the collection are stories that appeared previously in literary magazines, an indication that these are not stories by a novice but by a [...]
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DARLINE MEETS EARL BRUMBACH Darline Flowers, a charming blonde in her late twenties, anxiously awaits a job interview with top executive Earl Brumbach. What Darline doesn't know is that Brumbach has a notorious reputation of longstanding sexual harassment involving many female employees of Maximus Food Products. He has been reprimanded several times by company president, Clayton Weimar, to "keep [...]
Book: The Pacifier Tree - A story for parents to read with kids strugglingto give up their pacifiers! by Uncle Amos
Would you like that the removal of the pacifier will not be a traumatic event for your child? === *** Free e-Video Gift Inside ! *** Johnny does not want to give up his pacifier - ever! Mom is at wit's end. But will Johnny's mind change when he learns about the magical Pacifier Tree? Mom and Johnny will learn an important lesson about priorities and growing up in this playful pacifier tale. A [...]
Book: The Power and The Fury (Eden Chronicles) by James Erith
"This book. This author. The entire series. Uber creativity and style!" Daisy, Archie, and Isabella stumble into an extraordinary quest. To find the source of life itself. The original Garden of Eden. But a primeval force stands in their way... ...and it seeks its revenge from events at the beginning of time. Now, the children of our present must conquer the evils of the past to protect our [...]
Book: The Passionate Romance of Lance and Regina by J.Z. Pinder
LANCE IS HAVING MARITAL PROBLEMS Lance Pisano lives with his wife, Martha, and young daughter, Amy, in a comfortable rancher in Cape Gator, a small community North of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Martha is a good wife and mother, but Lance feels he was never really in love with her. They have been drifting apart for some time and their marriage has become completely empty of passion. This story is [...]
Book: Beverly's Love Affair - A frustrated woman's search for romance by J.Z. Pinder
This story has a twist which comes very unexpectedly to most readers. When the author outlined the plot he didn't even think of putting in the twist. Once it came to him he couldn't leave it out. Beverly Rollins is having lunch at the Atrium. Beverly is going to give it one more try with Norman, her husband. She will prepare a delicious dinner for him, wear a sexy outfit and seduce him. If Norman [...]
Book: In Search of Me - Australians story of the roaring 1970s of free love and romance by Robert Morrice
Australians story of the roaring 1970 s of free love and romance. A young rural cowboy boy, dreams struggles for future and his romance, for a farm and a girl to share a future. .A best selling Australian book. A good reading love story...An Australian adventure book.An Australian story, A western romance A best selling Australian adventure book of romance and survival, A story of Australian [...]
Book: Children's Fish Book+ E-Video: Joey and the Net - by Uncle Amos
Children's Book : "Joey and the Net" (Adventure & Education series for ages 3-10) (Animal Habitats & Environment children's books collection): Educational series === You Need To Read This Book Because it's: 1. A tale about fish that has a great message. 2. Excellent story for young children based on real fish facts. === "Buy today! Be encouraged as a parent and share a great story with awesome [...]
Book: Haunted: Eye Spy series #2 by Tessa Buckley
Alex doesn't believe in ghosts, but he is about to have his beliefs challenged... When Jimmy Devlin asks Alex and Donna to investigate the strange things that have been happening at his stately home, The Priory, Alex seizes the opportunity to prove to his sister that there is no such thing as ghosts. But as the twins start to investigate unexplained noises and ghostly figures, it becomes clear [...]
Book: Stella the Stowaway Starfish - A happy kiddie's bedtime story by Al Marsiglia
There are many Mermaid stories but not many Starfish stories. This is a unique Starfish tale. Stella is a Starfish, but not an ordinary Starfish. Stella doesn't swim. Stella walks, skips rope, dances and does cartwheels! She is very different from all the other fish and because of this, Stella's family and friends make fun of her and call her names. This goes on day after day. After a long time [...]
Book: kaffertjie - a love story by Johan Engelbrecht
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Book: The GIFT A STORY OF A FAMILY DOG - a story of life and not of war by Valerii Titov
The story is about a dog named Shon , an American Staffordshirie who finds love and happiness with his owner and friend Jerry. But, that love and happiness is replaced with war and pain for both the boy and the owner after Jerry is sent to study in the United States, leaving Shon behind. . It was a living gift of parents to their son... This story shows the bond between a man and his dog. It is [...]
Book: The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis
A lost dog, a hidden time tunnel and a secret lake. A page-turning time travel adventure for children aged 8-11. Now enjoyed by thousands of young readers! When Stella and her younger brother, Tom, move to their new London home, they become mystified by the disappearances of Harry, their elderly neighbour's small dog. Where does he go? And why does he keep reappearing wet-through? Their quest to [...]
Book: A Mexican Divorce - A Murder Without Mystery by Ed Teja
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Book: Early Children's Book+Video+Audio - by Uncle Amos
A whimsical tale about friendship and getting things done. === HALL OF FAME REVIEWER - Grady Harp === "This is a clever twist on a solution to an age old problem - a fun, well written and illustrated story with a message!" === Top 10 AMAZON REVIEWER - Daisy "Daisy S" === "The book has a creative twist on how to get a child to want to put up their toys!" Highly recommend this book!" === Top 50 [...]
Book: Keep Going! Modeling Michael Jordan's Success Story (I can, You can, We all can) by Mayra A. Diaz
Learn why with dedication and effort dreams can come true! * Read it FREE as part of your PRIME or Kindle Unlimited membership * * Also available in Spanish Sigue Adelante!, please visit author page This is a story about Ken a not so brave little kid, Which learn that with consistency, perseverance and courage dreams can come true. This children's book will also help you motivate your kids and [...]
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Violeta Barrett doesn't like cats. She has always told herself, "I am not a cat person." But one day not long after becoming a widow, she is taken by surprise by the scratching at her screen door. There, with a cute face and nicked-up ears, is a little guy who will become known simply as Cat. At first his clawing of the screen door annoys her. But soon, sitting on the porch together, she finds [...]
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"Both story and pictures are darling so I can recommend this book with five purrs and two paws up." Susan J, Netgalley Based on the true story of a stray kitten who was taken in by students, this book tells the extraordinary tale of a lonely street cat who eventually found her perfect home. Though she faced hunger and hardship, rejection and ridicule, the spirited kitten refused to give up on her [...]
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Kahli has had a rough start to life, but things are about to get even darker! Struggling with her recent blindness Kahli's world turns upside down. As she tries to regain independence she is comforted by memories of her mother's stories about a fantasy-land named Taera, but is haunted by her questions about its existence. On her long road to recovery Kahli will meet some interesting friends who [...]
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What would you do if you discovered you are HIV positive? Would you tell your family or close friends or would you keep it to yourself? In 2007, David met Bruno, a male stripper. They became close friends. David discovers that Bruno is a drug addict and is HIV positive. He has already lost a close friend to AIDS and has another close friend who is also infected. In 2012 Bruno died of [...]
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Mark is a fun out going loving caring guy and the highlight of any party but his confidence was stripped away from him little by little by an ex called Tracy who he was with for 3 years. He put up with so much including mental abuse. In Marks life he always put his love into women that didn't deserve his love but along came Sarah a dream come true to Mark. After all the heartache he had [...]
Book: Attrition by Dwight B. Daniels & Susan B. Flanagan
"In his dark room one night, Richie trembled in fear, holding back his tears, after all, he was still just a boy. But the ever-bitter Lamont, always took great pleasure in extracting hard fought lessons from his son. His broad back pulled back and the belt swung so loud Richie could hear it. One whip, two whips, three whips. Poor little Richie tried with all his might to hold his screams back, [...]
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Madonna Debuts "Medellin" With Augmented Reality Performance At Billboard Music Awards
Last night's Billboard Music Awards saw the first performance of "Medellin," the new single from Madonna's upcoming 14th studio album "Madame X."
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China–Kosovo relations are foreign relations between China and Kosovo. Formal diplomatic relations between the two states are non-existent as China does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state.

History
After Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was enacted on Sunday, 17 February 2008, by a unanimous vote of the Assembly of Kosovo, all 11 representatives of the Serb minority boycotted the proceedings.  International reaction was mixed, and the world community continues to be divided on the issue of the international recognition of Kosovo. In February 2008, the Chinese Foreign Ministry made a statement stressing that the PRC "expresses grave concern" over Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. The Minister added that: "The resolution of the Kosovo issue bares  on peace and stability of the Balkan region, the fundamental norms governing international relations as well as the authority and role of the UNSC. China always believes that a plan acceptable to both Serbia and Kosovo through negotiations is the best way to resolve this issue. The unilateral move taken by Kosovo will lead to a series of consequences. China is deeply worried about its severe and negative impact on peace and stability of the Balkan region and the goal of establishing a multi-ethnic society in Kosovo. China calls upon Serbia and Kosovo to continue negotiations for a proper resolution within the framework of the international law and work together to safeguard peace and stability of the Balkan region. The international community should create favorable conditions for that".

On 23 August 2009, the presidents of Serbia and China, Boris Tadić and Hu Jintao, signed a joint declaration on the establishment of strategic partnerships. In point VI this document reconfirms that China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia. It considers that the best way to resolve the Kosovo issue is to develop a plan that would be acceptable for both sides, through dialogue and negotiations between the Government of Serbia and Kosovo authorities, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions of the UNSC, within international law. The declaration says that unilateral action will not contribute to resolving this issue, and that the international community should create favourable conditions for solving it.

In December 2009, for the first time in its history, China entered a process before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). China backed the position of Serbia saying that sovereign states have a right to prevent unilateral secessions and protect their integrity.

See also

 China's reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence

References

Foreign relations of Kosovo
Foreign relations of China

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Nenad "Neno" Korof- a serial entrepreneur, mentor, angel investor, trader and philanthropist has built his trading empire from nothing to making millions in not only forex but crypto. He has not only made wealth for himself but has been able to replicate that by creating 11 millionaires and dozens of 6 figure earners. Not only has he achieved success in trading but he is one of the fastest growing social media superstars that has amassed a following of 102k at the time of this article.
Neno chronicles the hard times his parents went through to provide a better life for the family. From his mom working a job at night while his dad had his own business in the Construction and Renovation industry servicing high net worth clients.
At the ripe age of 19- Neno learned that the traditional education system wasn't going to suit his ambitions and he also realized that his professors weren't a role model to the lifestyle he aspired to live so he dropped out 2 months in and worked in the Sales and Finance department in a company head office in Oakville in which he was the youngest individual that drove $2.2 million in revenue but he only earned $50,000 in after taxes.
Realizing that if he wanted to create the lifestyle he aspired to live- he needed to look for another vehicle and a friend introduced him to MLM in which Neno learned the power of residual income and leveraging other people's time to become rich. After experiencing minimal success, Neno was invited by a Forex Trader for a meeting after he messaged the trader inquiring about his profession on Instagram. After, seeing $75000 was cleared in 3 days- he realized that he needed to learn trading. Around the same time, he joined a 2nd MLM and started making $1000/month.
90% of trading is psychology and 10% is analytics.
He experienced a massive breakthrough and made his first million in Forex followed by another million trading cryptocurrencies. Not only has he been successful but his students have been able to profit from Neno's knowledge and expertise. By popular demand- he decided to launch the Advanced Crypto Academy which is the premier education platform in North America and the #1 Online Platform that educates and mentors people on everything forex and crypto.
After buying the penthouse, the Lamborghini and the luxuries of life- Neno still continues to help and inspire hundreds of thousands and millions of people online through his content and his programs which has made many money.
We asked him a couple of questions in regards to growing an Instagram following and the incorrect perception people have on him along with his thoughts on the future of cryptocurrency.
How have you been able to grow a large following on Instagram ?
It's understanding the principle of value and differentiating myself from the rest. The truth is I am not like the others IG gurus or people with large followings. I've made money and made my followers even more money. Second, no one has created real wealth for their students and typically there are 2 groups of Internet Marketers you meet in the industry- the ones that sell courses and have no results, and the ones that are making money are secretive about their techniques and strategy. At the end of the day, I am mentoring others to better their lives and I know how far an extra few hundred to a few thousand can go in terms of bills and mortgage payments.
I create content that is inspirational, educational/informational and motivational. The truth is people resonate with my content because they aspire to live the lifestyle I live and achieve the freedom I have worked for. People see me as a "Rockstar Trader" and as a result, my content caters to everyone- even my haters who give me as much attention. if not more than my fans.
With people having mixed reviews on cryptocurrency, where do you see the future of cryptocurrency?
Men lie, women lie, numbers don't lie. Crypto has made people millions and billions. Crypto has made me a millionaire and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. The underlying function and application of blockchain has the power to overthrow banks and create a decentralized network where people can do business and transact without paying a fee. The value of crypto is defined by scarcity considering there is a limited supply which increases its value in conjunction with people's belief in it.
What's 1 thing people get wrong about you?
People see me online and they think I am arrogant, intimidating or mischievous but the reality is far from that. When people meet me in person they see me as a humble individual that has not lost sight of reality and is very much down to earth- regardless of the amount I made. I am not attached to the materialistic items- money, the Lamborghini, jewellery are tools that allow me to experience the pleasures of life but the people close to me know I am an information seeker.
I am always learning and that will never leave me.
For me money is just a vehicle to help others and help me achieve my goals. I am very much focused on helping those around me become a better person and pushing them to achieve their goals.


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text:
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Scotlynn USA Division v. Titan Trans Corporation
Posted on November 25, 2019 Author Categories November 2019
2019 WL 5530267
United States District Court, M.D. Florida,
Fort Myers Division.
SCOTLYNN USA DIVISION, INC., Plaintiff,
TITAN TRANS CORPORATION, Defendant.
Case No: 2:18-cv-521-FtM-99NPM
Signed 10/25/2019
Katy Koestner Esquivel, Esquivel Law, Chartered, Naples, FL, for Plaintiff.
Kristen Marie Johnson, Renee Meenach Decker, Taylor & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PL, Winter Haven, FL, Wendy Lee Fisher, Fisher Law, PLLC, Grant, FL, for Defendant.
JOHN E. STEELE, SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
*1 This matter comes before the Court on Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. #46) filed on July 24, 2019. Plaintiff filed a Response in Opposition (Doc. #50) on August 21, 2019. A Reply (Doc. #53) and Surreply (Doc. #60) were filed. Defendant also moves to strike (Doc. #54) the Affidavits submitted by plaintiff in opposition to summary judgment, and plaintiff responded (Doc. #60). For the reasons set forth below, the Motion for Summary Judgment is granted in part and denied in part and the Motion to Strike is denied.
This case stems from damage to cargo that occurred during interstate transport by defendant Titan Trans Corporation (a common carrier) for plaintiff Scotlynn USA Division, Inc. (a motor freight brokerage company). Titan Trans was hired by Scotlynn to transport 21 boxes containing a total of 42,147 pounds of beef to Cargill, Inc. in accordance with a Bill of Lading. The boxes tipped over while in transit and Cargill rejected the load. Thereafter Cargill filed a damage claim with Scotlynn for $89,832.58, which Scotlynn paid. Scotlynn claims it suffered damage as a result of Titan Trans' mishandling of the cargo entrusted to it and in its exclusive control during transport.
Only two claims remain – a claim for contractual indemnity under a Property Broker/Carrier Agreement (the "Agreement") and for violation of the Carmack Amendment to the Interstate Commerce Act, which governs a motor carrier's liability for the loss of or damage to goods shipped in interstate commerce. 49 U.S.C. § 14706. (Doc. #5.) Defendant moves for summary judgment on both claims, arguing that the undisputed evidence establishes that it did not cause any of the damages claimed and is therefore exempted from liability. Defendant also argues that the indemnity claim is preempted by the Carmack Amendment.
Summary judgment is appropriate only when the Court is satisfied that "there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). "An issue of fact is 'genuine' if the record taken as a whole could lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party." Baby Buddies, Inc. v. Toys "R" Us, Inc., 611 F.3d 1308, 1314 (11th Cir. 2010). A fact is "material" if it may affect the outcome of the suit under governing law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). "A court must decide 'whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.' " Hickson Corp. v. N. Crossarm Co., Inc., 357 F.3d 1256, 1260 (11th Cir. 2004) (citing Anderson, 477 U.S. at 251).
In ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the Court views all evidence and draws all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party. Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 380 (2007); Tana v. Dantanna's, 611 F.3d 767, 772 (11th Cir. 2010). However, "if reasonable minds might differ on the inferences arising from undisputed facts, then the court should deny summary judgment." St. Charles Foods, Inc. v. America's Favorite Chicken Co., 198 F.3d 815, 819 (11th Cir. 1999) (quoting Warrior Tombigbee Transp. Co. v. M/V Nan Fung, 695 F.2d 1294, 1296 (11th Cir. 1983) (finding summary judgment "may be inappropriate even where the parties agree on the basic facts, but disagree about the factual inferences that should be drawn from these facts")). "If a reasonable fact finder evaluating the evidence could draw more than one inference from the facts, and if that inference introduces a genuine issue of material fact, then the court should not grant summary judgment." Allen v. Bd. of Pub. Educ., 495 F.3d 1306, 1315 (11th Cir. 2007).
*2 The undisputed material facts are as follows: Titan is a common carrier who transports freight to and from points throughout the country. On May 12, 2014, Scotlynn and Titan entered into a contract entitled "Property Broker/Carrier Agreement." On or about September 21, 2016, Scotlynn hired Titan to transport 21 boxes containing a total of 42,147 pounds of beef from Augusta, Georgia to Butler, Wisconsin on behalf of Scotlynn's customer. Upon arrival it was discovered that the boxes of beef tipped over while in transit, and the receiver rejected the load in its entirety.
The parties, however, dispute the way the beef was loaded. Defendant submits the Affidavit of Buguslaw Zaranski, previously employed by Titan who was the driver of the shipment at issue. Zaranski states that FPL Food, LLC was the shipper of the beef to be transported to Cargill. (Doc. #46-1, ¶ 3.) When picking up the load, Zaranski backed his trailer into the loading area, which was a secured, food-safe area. He states that FPL did not permit him to exit the vehicle during the loading. (Id., ¶¶ 5, 6.) FPL loaded, secured, and sealed the beef cargo onto the trailer without Zaranski's supervision or participation. Zaranski states he could not view the loading of the beef, could not verify how it was secured, and could not open the trailer after loading. (Id., ¶ 7.) He states that while driving the load he was not aware of any shifting of the cargo and that he accelerated and braked without any unusual incidents or harsh turns. (Id., ¶ 10.)
In response, Scotlynn submits the Affidavit of Rick Miller, a Transportation Manager with Cargill, Inc. Miller states that Cargill has purchased tens of thousands of loads of beef from FPL and he is familiar with FPL's procedures for loading beef and bracing it for transit. (Doc. #50-1, ¶ 6.) Miller was not present at the loading of the beef in this case, but provides testimony and opinion based upon his familiarity with FPL's loading methods generally. In this regard, Miller states that while loading beef onto a trailer, FPL permits the driver to observe loading. When loading was complete, FPL gave the driver a seal for the trailer along with a bill of lading for signature. FPL required the driver to close the trailer doors and seal the trailer, and the driver could inspect the load before signing a bill of lading. (Id., ¶ 7.) Miller opines after reviewing the pictures of the load in this case that extreme braking caused the damage. (Id., ¶¶ 11, 12.)
Scotlynn also submits the Affidavit of Richie Sowell, Logistics Account Manager for Scotlynn. Sowell prepared the Carrier Conformation for the shipment at issue, which is Scotlynn's means of confirming with the carrier the details of pickup and delivery of the load, the equipment required to transport the load, and the amount Scotlynn will pay the carrier. (Doc. #50-2, ¶ 6.) In Sowell's experience, it is uncommon for a shipper to prevent the driver from viewing or inspecting the loaded cargo before the trailer doors are closed and sealed. (Id., ¶ 8.) When those instances occur, it is custom in the industry for the driver to note "shippers load and count," or words to that effect on the bill of lading. The driver will ordinarily also report this to Scotlynn. Neither occurred in this case. (Id.) Sowell also opines that extreme braking would cause the beef to tip as it did in this case. (Id., ¶¶ 13, 14.)
Finally, Scotlynn submits the Affidavit of Kevin Kollker, Scotlynn's Director of Operations, who also states that extreme braking caused the damage at issue in this case. (Doc. #50-3, ¶ 6.)
A. Motion to Strike
*3 Defendant moves to strike the Affidavits of Miller and Sowell, because they were not previously disclosed as witnesses in its mandatory initial disclosures, in violation of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a) and (e). With regard to Sowell, defendant argues that Scotlynn waited more than two months after the due date for disclosures had passed and after Titan filed its motion for summary judgment to disclose him. With regard to Miller, Scotlynn's disclosure only disclosed "unknown employees of Cargill", but it did not disclose that any unknown employees would be offering expert testimony surrounding what circumstances are necessary to cause damage to the beef. Instead, Scotlynn only disclosed that unknown employees would have "knowledge regarding the company's policies and procedures for its suppliers loading tractor trailers in September of 2016; and circumstances surrounding the loss of the load that is the subject of this lawsuit."
Scotlynn responds that its initial disclosures stated that they could be supplemented. Additionally, discovery in this case does not close until January and Titan filed its Motion for Summary Judgment five and a half months before the close of discovery, prior to the parties conducting any discovery at all. Scotlynn argues that many of the facts that Titan asserts are undisputed have not been adequately developed through discovery and requests that the Court defer a ruling on summary judgment until discovery has occurred pursuant to Federal Rule 56(d). In support, Scotlynn's counsel submitted her Affidavit that details the facts that will be sought through discovery and how they are expected to create issues of material fact. (Doc. #50-4.)
Federal Rule 26 requires the parties to disclose the names of all people likely to have discoverable information and a copy of all documents the party may use to support its claim. Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(1) (A)-(B). The rule does not require disclosure of documents or the names of people that will be used "solely for impeachment." Id. If a party fails to provide information or identify a witness as required by Rule 26(a) or (e), the party is not allowed to use that information or witness to supply evidence on a motion, at a hearing, or at trial, unless the failure was substantially justified or is harmless. Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(c); Murdick v. Catalina Marketing Corp., 496 F. Supp. 2d 1337, 1347 (M.D. Fla. 2007) (citation omitted).
Federal Rule 37(c)(1) provides that the Court can strike Scotlynn's references to the evidence and can prevent Scotlynn from relying on the undisclosed evidence in a motion or at trial; however, exclusion is not mandatory. Rule 37(c)(1) provides that instead of sanctioning a party by excluding evidence, the Court may impose other appropriate sanctions. Those sanctions include awarding, upon motion, reasonable expenses and attorney's fees incurred because of the discovery violation. Fed. R. Civ. P 37(c)(1)(A). See also Bearint ex rel. Bearint v. Dorell Juvenile Group, Inc., 389 F.3d 1339, 1348–49 (11th Cir. 2004).
The Eleventh Circuit considers three factors when reviewing a district court's decision to exclude previously undisclosed evidence under Rule 37: (1) the importance of the evidence; (2) the reason for the party's failure to disclose the evidence earlier; and (3) the prejudice to the opposing party if the evidence is considered. Bearint, 389 F.3d at 1353; Cooley v. Great S. Wood Preserving, 138 F. App'x 149, 160-61 (11th Cir. 2005).
The Court finds that the Motion to Strike is due to be denied because the reason provided by Scotlynn for its failure to disclose the evidence earlier is well taken. Scotlynn states that when it drafted the Rule 26 disclosures Scotlynn did not have the Carrier Confirmation Sheet or any information that would lead her to conclude that Mr. Sowell would have discoverable information with any bearing on the claims or defenses. With regard to Mr. Miller, Scotlynn included an "unknown representative of Cargill" as a witness. Once Scotlynn conducted investigation of the evidence presented by Titan in support of summary judgment, the additional evidence and witnesses came to light. Scotlynn acknowledges that it should have supplemented its Rule 26 disclosures at that time, but that discovery would still need to be conducted in any event and there is still ample time to do so. Federal Rule 26(e) requires supplementation in a timely manner if the party learns that in some material respect the disclosure or response is incomplete or correct. Given that discovery does not close until January 2020 and that Titan has the opportunity to confront the evidence, the Court will not strike the Miller and Sowell Affidavits.1
B. Summary Judgment
*4 Titan requests that the Court find summary judgment in its favor because it did not cause any of the damages claimed and is therefore exempted from liability, relying on the driver's Affidavit. However, as outlined above, a dispute of material fact clearly exists as to the manner in which the cargo was loaded and what occurred during the transport. Even so, defendant argues that it has provided direct evidence from its driver that he took no part in securing the load and that he handled the truck carefully and accelerated and braked without any unusual incidents or harsh turns (Doc. #46-1, ¶ 10), and plaintiff has offered nothing in response except circumstantial evidence. However, "[w]here the evidence is circumstantial, a court may grant summary judgment when it concludes that no reasonable jury may infer from the assumed facts the conclusion upon which the non-movant's claim rests." Mize v. Jefferson City Bd. of Educ., 93 F.3d 39, 743 (11th Cir. 1996). The Court does not reach such a conclusion here as a reasonable jury could infer from the damage that extreme braking played a role based on the photographs of the damage that plaintiff submitted in opposition to summary judgment (Doc. #50-1, pp. 4-11). See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3) ("The court need consider only the cited materials, but it may consider other materials in the record.") And on summary judgment, all reasonable inferences must be drawn in favor of the non-moving party.
C. Preemption
Defendant further argues that Count I for contractual indemnity is preempted by the Carmack Amendment. State law claims like a breach of the contract between the broker and carrier for "failures in the transportation and delivery goods" are generally preempted by the Carmack Amendment. Smith v. UPS, 296 F.3d 1244, 1246 (11th Cir. 2002). "In other words, separate and distinct conduct rather than injury must exist for a claim to fall outside the preemptive scope of the Carmack Amendment." Id. at 1249. Scotlynn argues that preemption does not apply because the Agreement between Titan and Scotlynn was not for transportation of a specific item of freight, but was governed by the parties' ongoing business relationship and extended beyond any particular shipment of goods. In this regard, Scotlynn points out that the allegations in the Amended Complaint state that Scotlynn seeks indemnification for the damages it already paid to its customer, Cargill, provided for by Paragraph 12(c) of the Agreement.
Here, it is clear that plaintiff's indemnification claim arises from defendant's failure to transport and deliver the goods in accordance with the Agreement; plaintiff has not alleged any conduct that is separate and distinct from defendant's failure to transport and deliver their possessions. Although Count I is titled "indemnification," plaintiff alleges that Titan has failed to pay Scotlynn as required by Paragraph 12(c) of the Agreement, which the failure to pay would constitute a breach of the Agreement. The Eleventh Circuit has noted that the Supreme Court has described the preemptive effect of the Carmack Amendment very broadly and preempts breach of contract claims where the allegations concern a carrier's failure to provide transportation and delivery services. See Smith, 296 F.3d at 1249. Thus, to the extent that plaintiff seeks $89,832.68 in damages under the Agreement, the claim is preempted.
However, Scotlynn notes that the Eleventh Circuit has excluded an intermediary's contract-based indemnity claim for attorney's fees and costs from the preemptive effect of the Carmack Amendment. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. v. Megatrux Transp., Inc., 750 F.3d 1292, 1294 (11th Cir. 2014) ("As the Supreme Court has held, attorney's fees do not enlarge or limit the responsibilities of the carrier for loss of property. Nor does a claim for attorney's fees pose an obstacle to the accomplishment of the Amendment's purpose."). Therefore, plaintiff seeks leave to amend Count I to limit the recovery sought to attorney's fees and costs in accordance with Paragraphs 12 and 22 of the Agreement. In accordance with Megatrux, the Court will allow plaintiff to amend Count I to limit recovery to attorney's fees and costs. Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED AND ADJUDGED:
1. Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. #46) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART to the extent that summary judgment is granted as to Count I with leave to amend and denied as to Count III. Plaintiff may file a Second Amended Complaint in accordance with this Opinion and Order within FOURTEEN (14) DAYS.
*5 2. Defendant's Motion to Strike (Doc. #54) is DENIED.
DONE and ORDERED at Fort Myers, Florida, this 25th day of October, 2019.
All Citations
Slip Copy, 2019 WL 5530267
However, the Court is making no determination at this time as to the admissibility of the Affidavits.
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Football has been in my heart ever since I was a four-year-old boy who fell in love with Juventus. From that day on football has been a big part of my life and it was inevitable that I would become involved in betting on football, which I did as soon as the opportunity arose. I love what I do and I now have enough experience to become a Tipster and help others to love this activity, and of course win. My betting strategy is mainly based on statistical data and on the current situation of the teams. I set a bankroll and then follow my staking system meticulously. You have to know that betting without rules can lose you a lot of money because there may be bad times for any tipster, even the most talented. I bet mainly on the major European leagues, except when I consider it appropriate to work on minor competitions because value presents itself.