Summary : Encounter a plethora of flora and fauna in one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Come unimaginably close to an impressive array of creatures—many of them found nowhere else on earth—including the Galapagos giant tortoise and colorful Galapagos land iguanas. After a day of snorkeling and sunbathing with sea lions, return to the unrivaled comforts of a luxury expedition ship on this voyage of a lifetime.
Transfer from your hotel to the Quito airport for your flight to the Galapagos. Embark the vessel, and settle in, meet your Expedition Team and enjoy the first of many memorable meals on board.
View Kicker Rock, one of the most iconic features of the Galapagos Islands. The small landform is formed by two tall towers of lava rock and when viewed from the south, resembles a sleeping lion. This phenomenon is reflected in the Spanish name "Leon Dormido" or literally, Sleeping Lion. As the ship steers around the islands, your Expedition Team will point out seabirds, such as Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies and Frigatebirds.
The ship anchors in sight of the volcanic moonscape of Isla Bartolome, at Sullivan Bay. Zodiacs bring guests ashore to ascend a boardwalk of 388 steps. Passing through the arid volcanic landscape provides a chance to watch for lava lizards, Galapagos Hawks, and Blue-footed Boobies. However, the climber's ultimate reward is one of the most beautiful panoramas in all of the Galapagos Islands – the view towards Pinnacle Rock with black, volcanic cones of Baltra, Daphne Major, and Daphne Minor in the distance.
Playa Espumilla is located on the northwestern side of Santiago Island and is home to a variety of wildlife including nesting green sea turtles, and plentiful birds such as flamingos, White-cheeked Pintails, Yellow Warblers, Galapagos Hawks, Whimbrels, and American Oystercatchers. Zodiacs will land you at the center of the white-sand beach to join a trail that passes by a seasonal lagoon hosting a variety of bird life.
The agile Silver Galapagos can anchor in deep water right up against the cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca on the northwest side of Isabela Island. From anchorage Zodiacs set out to cruise beneath the imposing volcanic coastline. The cliffs support endemic Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos fur seals, Blue-footed Boobies, and marine iguanas. The waters below hold scores of Eastern Pacific green sea turtles swimming all around the Zodiacs.
With the gentle slopes of La Cumbre volcano in the distance, the low, lava-forged coast of Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island is a spectacular sight. Hundreds of marine iguanas rest on the black rock of recent lava flows absorbing heat from the stone and defending their territories against one another. Galapagos sea lions and their pups also take shelter here, resting on the beach and playing in the shallow tide pools sprinkled along the coast.
Tagus Cove is a sheltered area southwest of Volcán Darwin on Isabela Island. The protected waters of this cove are home to sea turtles, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and Galapagos penguins. In addition, the cove has offered safe anchorage to visiting ships through the ages. Here you can choose to kayak, snorkel or head ashore to discover centuries-old names of vessels that were painted or carved onto the rock near the landing site. After landing by Zodiac, you may hike through the forest of Palo Santo trees to access the upper reaches of a volcanic cone.
The tranquil inlets of Elizabeth Bay are the perfect spot for a Zodiac cruise. First pass the "Las Marielas" islets, which are home to Blue-footed Boobies, Flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, sea lions, and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Then journey on into the bay flanked by the massive volcanoes of Sierra Negra and Alcedo and continue past fresh and desolate lava fields heading towards tall green mangrove trees growing out of black lava shores. In the easternmost bay lies a hidden inlet.
Post Office Bay is steeped in history and received its name thanks to a post box that was placed ashore before 1813. Ships that were visiting the Galapagos on multi-year voyages would leave letters here to be collected and delivered by vessels on their way home. Visitors today can keep the tradition alive by leaving their own postcards in the post box (now a barrel) and looking for any they can deliver by hand back at home. Activities at Post Office Bay can include exploring a cave created by lava that runs underground towards the ocean.
Floreana Island's northernmost point is called Punta Cormorant – named after the British naval vessel HMS Cormorant and dating back to the late 19th century. From the landing beach a short track leads to a shallow lagoon that is famous for its flamingos. The brilliantly pink birds skim the salty waters for shrimp and tend to chicks on the nest. The trail then scales a low hillside through scattered Palo Santo trees to reveal an idyllic white-sand beach on the other side of the point.
Cerro Dragón's land iguanas once played an important part in a conservation program headed by the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park. When the reptiles' numbers declined in the 1970s, some animals were taken to breed in captivity and were released back into undeveloped areas. Today, it is an honor to see the success of this program firsthand at Cerro Dragón. Walk inland on a trail past small saltwater lagoons that periodically feature flamingos, to see the reintroduced animals.
On the northern shore of Santa Cruz stretch the Las Bachas beaches. The two beaches together span a full kilometer. A short track leads visitors inland towards a shallow pond with the opportunity to spot flamingos, migratory birds in season, and scavenging shorebirds. The name "Las Bachas" derives from the mispronounced term "barges"—which the American forces had left behind after World War II. On your visit to Las Bachas there will be the chance to swim from one of the two sandy beaches and to look for sea turtles that use Las Bachas as one of their major nesting sites in the islands.
Los Gemelos is Spanish for "the twins" and true to the name, Los Gemelos are twin sinkholes, one on either side of the road running from Puerto Ayora to the north side of the island. The mammoth scale of the landmarks often elicits exclamations of wonder from visitors at first sight. The vertical walls of the sinkholes fall deep into the ground covered in a veil of greenery hiding the bottom of the pit. Walk along the craters' edges before stopping at Rancho El Manzanillo to see giant Santa Cruz tortoises in the wild.
Anchor in front of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, where the prestigious Charles Darwin Research Station is located. The station also houses the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center for giant tortoises and land iguanas where guides interpret the center's captive breeding and reintroduction programs. In addition to these star species, throughout the station there are huge prickly pear cactus trees being fed upon by the pretty Galapagos Cactus Finch. To round out the stay in Puerto Ayora, enjoy free time in town where local artists have created charming art galleries and corner cafés.
Two-night pre-voyage hotel stay with breakfast in Quito; evening tour of Quito's historic city highlights; roundtrip economy class air between Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; transfer from the hotel to the airport in Quito; pre- and post-cruise transfers between the airport and Silver Galapagos in Baltra; a post-cruise hotel day room in Guayaquil (for guests with flights after 10 p.m.); transfer from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the airport in Guayaquil; Galapagos National Park Fee; porterage fees; ship accommodations; all meals onboard ship; Galapagos Transit Card; butler service onboard ship; gratuities (except Spa) onboard ship; kayaking; gear on loan (snorkel gear, wetsuits, binoculars, and raincoats); gear to keep (backpack, water bottle); complimentary beverages onboard ship (including select wines, spirits, soda, water and coffee); Wi-Fi onboard ship. Subject to change without notice.
International airfare; government taxes; laundry or valet services, purchases from the ship boutiques or any item or service of a personal nature; premium sparkling wines and spirits; travel insurance; fuel surcharge may apply.
Members of ExpeditionTrips receive round-trip economy International Airfare from select US/Canada gateways to Ecuador. Offer valid for bookings made at least 60 days prior to departure. Offer for bookings made within 60 days of departure will be on request and pricing may vary. Offer is capacity controlled and no seat selection available upon booking; middle seats are likely. In the event that Economy Class air is not available (determined at the shipping company's sole discretion) or for guests not utilizing the promotional air offer, a non-use Air Credit in the amount of $1,000 per person can be applied. In case of succeeding voyages made by the same customer (combo or multiple bookings) the non-use credit can be only applied once. Round-trip Economy Air offer available from selected air gateways only and pricing may vary depending on departure city. Air deviation fees apply at a rate of $150 per request plus additional air costs. The shipping company reserves the right to select the air carrier, routing and departure airport from each gateway city. Due to flight schedules, some voyages may require an overnight hotel stay pre or post-cruise. This will be available for booking at an additional charge. Offer applies to the first two full-fare guests per booking. Full passport information is required at time of booking. Name changes are not permitted. Limit of 2 promotions on a booking. Offer is based on availability, subject to change at any time, and may only be combined with select offers. Other conditions may apply.
*Fares may fluctuate DAILY by cabin category and fares generally increase as the sailing date approaches.
Members of ExpeditionTrips receive a one-category suite upgrade AND $1,000 onboard credit per suite. Offer is not applicable to group bookings. Guests benefit from a one-category suite upgrade (up to Terrace Suite) and a $1,000 onboard credit per suite. If the one-category upgrade is not available, guests will instead receive a $500 onboard credit per suite. Single supplements will apply and vary by voyage. Guests traveling on combination voyages will be eligible for the upgrade and onboard credit on the qualifying segment, but not on those segments that are not part of this Last-Minute Savings promotion. To reserve a cruise, a 50% deposit of the total booking cost is required within 2 days of booking. Full payment is due no later than 120 days prior to departure. Cancel and re-books do not qualify. Limit of 2 promotions on a booking. Offer is based on availability, subject to change at any time, and may only be combined with select offers. Other restrictions may apply.
Rate Includes: Round-trip economy air between Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; two pre-cruise hotel nights with breakfast in Quito, one post-cruise hotel day room in Guayaquil (for guests with flights after 10 p.m.); transfer from hotel to Quito airport, transfers between the Baltra airport and ship; transfers between Guayaquil airport and hotel day room; evening tour of Quito's historic city highlights; Galapagos National Park Fee; Galapagos Transit Card; shipboard accommodations; kayaking, snorkeling; Wi-Fi onboard ship; gear on loan onboard ship (snorkeling gear, wetsuits, binoculars, raincoats); gear to keep (backpack, water bottle); all meals onboard ship; butler service onboard ship; select wines, spirits, sodas onboard ship; gratuities (except Spa) onboard ship. Subject to change without notice.
Great itinerar, top notch. ExpeditionTrips was very easy to communicate with.
Galapagos: the ship experience was excellent, the most memorable thing was the animals—total lack of fear of people! The intimate interaction with nature this allows. Perfect time of year, everything was mating, nesting or raising their young. Seafood was excellent.
Peru: the people and how they embrace "Mother Earth" (Pacha Mama) and their historical way of life. They don't dress in costume, those are the clothing traditions of the people who live on the land. Produce market - Urubama was an unscheduled visit recommended by our driver! Enigma driver and especially guide were amazing!!! Hotel Sol & Luna in Sacred Valley! All staff and guides were excellent. Naturalist were especially wonderful! Everyone of them was so knowledgeable and so personable. Loved having the photographer on board too.
The whole experience was amazing but swimming with the sea lions was a dream come true! If you are in Quito for the day get a guide....it was well worth it! All of the staff were very professional. The guides had a vast breadth of knowledge and made the whole trip more interesting. Their energy and enthusiasm were contagious.
The ship is outstanding and perfec. The staff were over the top excellent.
ExpeditionTrips always had answers at "your fingertips". You were especially helpful when we had to change the trip from Feb to March.
I had been here before, so I will try to share my grandson's impressions. He was enthused by everything: the birds, deep water snorkeling, tortoises and hikes. The guides were excellent, and because of my grandson's enthusiasm the guides were enthusiastic about answering his questions and helping him with his photography. I might also add that the triple accommodation was very commodious and well laid out for a ship.
The guides were excellent! Above board, even during the evenings if something was spotted and you were close by - you were included in the discovery. The chef made Quito Potato Soup for me personally. Absolutely delicious but not expected!
The level of service was tops. The Peru trip was great. Edgar was a great guide. Chris at ExpeditionTrips was always on top of things.
All of the wildlife that is indigenous to the Galapagos Islands were interesting and surprisingly fearless of human presence. This allowed us to get close to all the species and view them in their natural habitat without disturbing them. In addition, snorkeling was very enjoyable...Naturalist and ship staff were outstanding and the food and drink were high quality. My wife also enjoyed a ceviche cooking class that was provided by the chef.
The advice regarding the nature of the experience, clothing requirements, airline reservations, and amendments to suit us were all well done by Olivia and Amanda at ExpeditionTrips.
The whole expedition provided a mixed collection of experiences from Zodiac based shoreline experiences with various birds, lizards, seals and sea lions, through walks across volcanic rock and mounds of marine iguanas, and further walks to see flamingos and sea turtles and finally the Giant Tortoises. The opportunity to retreat to our ship for a relaxing lunch as well, of course, the late afternoon cocktails, appys and dinners aboard the Silversea Galapagos made a perfect balance every day.
Most Memorable – Accessibility to the wildlife (you could stand next to a bird, iguana or sea lion, and they weren't bothered in any way); uniqueness of the ecosystem—you can't travel anywhere else like the Galapagos in the entire world. Very attentive level of service aboard the Silver Galapagos. I believe a trip to the Galapagos is made by the quality of the guides, and the Silver Galapagos guides were uniformly very high quality. Jennifer at ET was VERY patient with my indecisive family, and she provided us with several options at various service/price levels. She also steered us in the right direction to a larger ship which allowed our Dad to opt for less vigorous excursions on occasion.
The Zodiac expeditions gave us the opportunity to snorkel and observe wildlife closely. The choice of daily expeditions always provided us with something unique. We met wonderful people from all over the world and enjoyed many wonderful meals with local cuisine. The service of the staff was top-notch. The naturalist guides were unbelievably knowledgeable and personable. There was absolutely nothing we would complain about. We were always provided information from ET in a very timely manner.
This trip was amazing, we enjoy every single moment and absolutely all activities and every body on the ship, expedition guides, food, service, entertainment, and all other passengers. What can I say, perfect, way above our expectations. We had a wonderful vacation.
It was easy as you took care of everything :) The guides were wonderful, the food was amazing and the staff were helpful. It's an amazing place to visit and this trip was a great balance of being nurtured on the boat and immersed in this raw, untouched place.
Fantastic - accommodations aboard the ship, food, beverages, and music were outstanding. Cabin attendants could not have been nicer. Naturalist guides and the itinerary within Galapagos were excellent. On a score of 1-10, I'd give them a 15. Outstanding in every way.
Love Silver Galapagos - truly a 5 star experience. The food was great, and the organization and guides were wonderful. Each guide was unique, from very scientific to very humorous. Love them all. The ship staff was outstanding. ExpeditionTrips did a wonderful job. All my questions and concerns were addressed in a timely fashion.
Everything was exceptional from start to finish from the exceptional care and detail and responsiveness of ExpeditionTrips to the Silversea staff and their attentiveness and attention to detail. They always greeted us with cold water on transfers, towels and a refreshing beverage at the hotel. Every step of the way was handled with professionalism, efficiency and smiles. The itinerary was perfect and the amount of time for each island was spot on. The service of the staff was exceptional. Having spent 30 years in the hospitality industry, I am keenly aware and appreciative of exceptional service. Each and every person we encountered was knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and kind both at Quito and Guayaquil and on board. The naturalists were friendly, accessible, mindful and extremely knowledgeable. Safety was always followed. Onboard staff, especially our room attendants and front desk were responsiveness and wonderful. Food service was also wonderful. Chris and Marybeth were responsive, timely and helpful throughout. When we wanted to extend our trip a day and reduce same-day travel, they immediately found affordable alternatives for us. They checked in continually to make sure we had completed all documentation in a timely fashion and helped us with anything we didn't understand. The portal was great and easy to use and the final document package and booklet was lovely and useful. I've already recommended ExpeditionTrips to others.
Trip was great - words do not do justice to Machu Picchu or Sacred Valley - the Wow factor is immeasurable! As we were there when there were no clouds it made it even more spectacular.
Visiting the Galapagos was magical! Seeing all the animals/birds, reptiles and marine life and the fact that they were not scared of humans, truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The guide to passenger ratio was very good. Lots of choices on what one could do each day.
ExpeditionTrips did a great job, always followed through and met or exceeded expectations.
Everything was superb. The experience of being so close to the wildlife was amazing. It was so wonderful not to have a care in the world, staff took care of every detail. The naturalist guides were exceptional, I think we had the best guides in all the world! I was so impressed with their knowledge and their passion for what they do. Just want to say thank you for helping us experience the trip of a lifetime! You are wonderful. I was just in awe that everything was so organized and so well planned. Far exceeded my expectations.
Terrific! A 10! Galapagos flora, fauna and landscape are incredible; made even more fantastic by the National Park guides. Service and knowledge of staff was exceptionally high. Trip exceeded our very high expectations. Probably the most logistically organized trip we have ever taken. Absolutely no concerns about moving from one point to another. All questions addressed and followed up on in very timely manner. Kudos to Beth Mercier [at ET] for her excellent service helping to plan this trip and then assisiting with recovery of my lost phone after.
Excellent trip. Ship service was outstanding. Well planned and coordinated. Outstanding guides who really were passionate about the islands and could not do enough for us.
Beyond our expectations - the best trip we have taken! The guides were well informed and funny. The service was superlative. Jennifer, Abby and Lorraine all delivered over and above expectations. Nice personal touch.
I was extremely busy while I was booking the trip. Chris and the team did a great job of ensuring that everything was taken care of for me and made sure that everything was properly completed and the trip went off without any hitches. While the trip was a little more structured than I would have liked, the interaction with the wildlife was unforgettable. We got very up close and personal with sea lions, boobies, fur seals, tortoises, albatross, iguanas, sharks, and many other varieties of birds and fish. The access to the wildlife and the beauty of the beaches, the water, and the landscape made this an extremely remarkable and memorable trip. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. They helped to create a real learning experience, knew where to go to see things, and were available throughout the cruise to answer questions and provide insight.
Very professional staff, excellent meals and other on board services.The natrualists knew their stuff and shared it very professionally.
The rooms were luxurious, food delicious, service great, and most importantly, lots of wildlife. Excellent service, everyone was very helpful and friendly. Pretty much met my expectations although maybe even a little more luxurious than I had anticipated.
The Galapagos Islands are one of the few sites in the world where the animals are unafraid and allow us to be close to them. The mixture of terrain from sand beaches to lava to rock to volcano is astounding. The naturalists are excellent, very friendly and helpful.


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Islamist Adaptation
The Cost of Inclusion: Ennahda and Tunisia's Political Transition
Monica Marks, University of Oxford
*This memo was originally drafted as a part of the Adaptation Strategies of Islamist Parties and Movements workshop held at George Washington University January 27, 2017. POMEPS Studies 26 is a collection of the memos from this workshop, available as an open-access PDF here.
Observers of Tunisian politics were stunned by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali's snap resignation four years ago at the apogee of his party's power in the post-revolutionary transition. Jebali, a leader of the center-right Ennahda party, resigned to defuse tensions after jihadist extremists gunned down Chokri Belaid, a leftist MP and sharp critic of Ennahda, outside his Tunis home.
The murder in broad daylight threw the transition into turmoil barely one year after Tunisia's first democratically elected government had taken office. Despite the country's history of brutal dictatorship – where regime opponents on the left and right were tortured, raped, exiled, and sometimes murdered – most Tunisians were unaccustomed to witnessing acts of political violence. Shock at the brittle young government's inability or refusal to ensure security enraged Tunisians. Hundreds of thousands attended Belaid's funeral, one of the largest outpourings of grief in Tunisian history.
The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the assassination. Yet many Tunisians, including prominent politicians and media moguls, accused Ennahda – a party with roots in the Muslim Brotherhood-inspired school of political Islamism. This accusation made intuitive sense: not only was Belaid a prominent critic of Ennahda, but for more than twenty years ex-dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali had banned the party – the country's largest political formation – and portrayed it as a terrorist movement in state-controlled media.
Reasoning that Ennahda's leadership in government had become a source of conflict in the country, Jebali resigned as prime minister on February 19, 2013 soon after Belaid's assassination. His statesmanlike act of self-sacrifice temporarily cooled tensions but was initially criticized within Ennahda. Ceding such a critical post struck many leaders as unwise, given that the party had, just fourteen months earlier, overcome decades of repression to win victory in Tunisia's first post-revolutionary elections. Handing over its rightfully won reins, they feared, could enable old regime forces intent on Ennahda's destruction to rush in and reverse Tunisia's democratic experiment.
Understanding this background is critical to grasping just how much the tables have turned in Tunisia since 2013. Today, Ennahda's core leadership – comprised of party president Rached Ghannouchi, his advisors, and members of Ennahda's executive and political bureaus – pursues a policy of what we might term unrestrained accommodationism or radical pragmatism. In the current governing coalition, party leadership consciously underplays Ennahda's hand, taking a backseat to its partners, most notably the old-regime derived Nidaa Tunis, elements of which are adamantly anti-Islamist. And, interestingly, today it is Jebali who – more openly than any current or former Ennadha leader – criticizes this consensual approach.
During an interview at his Sousse home this January, Jebali – who said he completely left Ennahda on December 11, 2014 – spoke in no uncertain terms. "Ennahda isn't ruling," he said, "It's being ruled." Jebali's critique echoed sentiments expressed by scores of base-level nahdaouis (Ennahda members) I have interviewed since Ennahda first joined coalition government with Nidaa Tunis in early 2015. Like them, Jebali believes Ennahda is behaving as a sort of self-emasculating giant: vastly underplaying a strong political hand, and thus enabling resurgent old regime forces to cement their grip on power.
Ennahda came in second place to Nidaa Tunis in Tunisia's 2014 elections, but was older and far better organized. Nidaa – a disjointed quilt of political tendencies, knit together by anti-Islamism and fuelled by old regime money and manpower – formed in 2012 with the prime objective of defeating Ennahda in the 2014 elections. It succeeded, but has imploded spectacularly since. This is mainly because Tunisia's president and the founder of Nidaa Tunis, Beji Caid Essebsi, has failed to restrain his son Hafedh – widely described, even within his party, as power-hungry with little of his father's keen political instincts – from seizing power within the party.
Long-simmering tensions around succession in Nidaa boiled over in November 2015 when armed thugs hired by Hafedh physically prevented members of Nidaa's executive committee from meeting at a hotel in Hammamet to discuss the party's future. Soon thereafter, Mohsen Marzouk, who also sought to replace Beji Caid Essebsi as leader of Nidaa, created a new party, Hizb Machroua Tunis (The Tunisia Project Party), taking with him over thirty Nidaa MPs.
Nidaa has since managed to lure back some of its lost MPs, but still holds fewer seats in parliament than Ennahda: 64 seats to Ennahda's 69. Yet, though Ennahda holds more parliamentary seats than any other party, Tunisia's Nidaa-led coalition government granted it just three of twenty-six ministerial posts in a summer 2016 reshuffle. Token representation, Jebali says, for a party that boasts what is likely the largest, most loyal, and best-organized base in Tunisian politics.
Jebali blames Ennahda for under-utilizing its power, speculating that intense awareness of the transition's reversibility – paired with fear of political marginalization – have made party leaders overly eager to embrace a naive consensus with old regime forces. He believes Egypt's summer 2013 coup against democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood member made accommodationism more attractive to party leaders. Cooperating more seriously with President Essebsi and other old regime elements under the supposedly neutral banner of consensus became, Jebali says, a kind of life preserver to Ennahda, shielding it from counter-revolutionary waves sweeping the region.
Jebali's critique reflects the concerns of numerous base-level Ennadha members and pro-revolutionary Tunisians outside the party. Such individuals often struggle to understand why Ghannouchi and other Ennahda leaders have not opposed problematic pieces of Nidaa-supported legislation, such as a proposed economic reconciliation law that would give amnesty to corrupt businessmen. Why, they wonder, would a party so victimized by the cronyism of Ben Ali's police state – a party whose base so strongly craves accountability for old regime abusers – appear to acquiesce and even support policies that entrench impunity?
Ghannouchi, his core circle of advisers, and other prominent voices in Ennahda's leadership bodies are generally aware that perceived kowtowing to the ancien régime incenses the party's base. Indeed, as party leaders will readily acknowledge, concessions on matters of revolutionary principle have created far more tumult within Ennahda than concessions on matters of religious principle.
By far the most controversial issue within Ennahda since the revolution, for instance, was Ghannouchi's insistence that Ennahda MPs reject a lustration law that would have prohibited powerful officials in Ben Ali's old party, the RCD, from contesting Tunisia's 2014 elections. Beji Caid Essebsi owes his very presidency in part to Ghannouchi's rare and dramatic trip to the parliamentary floor, where he urged Ennahda MPs to abstain from the lustration vote. Ultimately it failed by just one vote: that of a nahdaoui MP who, at the last minute, switched his vote in support of the law to a vote of abstention. The law – strongly supported by Ennahda's base, the bulk of its Shura Council members, and many secular pro-revolutionary Tunisians across diverse political parties – generated decidedly more disaffection within Ennahda than nearly any other policy, including its Shura Council's extraordinary decision not to include references to sharia in the new constitution.
Despite this awareness, appeasing their base is not Ennahda leaders' main concern. The stakes for Tunisia's transition as a whole, they claim, are simply far too high, and the country's current transitional phase far too fragile, to prioritize short-term populism over savvy long-termism. Ennadha's core leadership tends to describe the party's self-preservational tactics in sacrificial terms. Whatever normalizes Ennahda, ensures its survival, and integrates it into the fabric of Tunisian political life, they argue, simultaneously helps preserve the continuation of Tunisia's democratic transition itself – a transition that would, they say, evaporate without Ennahda's presence as a stabilizing, responsible anchor. Moreover, Ennahda leaders believe the importance of Tunisia's transition extends well beyond the country's borders. By demonstrating to young people considering violent extremism that a place exists for democratic Islamism in regional politics, they argue, the transition offers huge potential dividends for security across the Middle East and North Africa.
However, Ennahda has paid a huge price for defending "statist logics" rather than "springing for populism," stresses Said Ferjani, a member of Ennahda's political bureau. Ferjani suggests that, like a watchful parent, Ennadha has selflessly guarded Tunisia's fledgling democracy, aware of how vulnerable it truly is. "We've sacrificed a lot," he says. "And we're prepared to sacrifice more." Nourredine Bhiri, an influential top-tier leader in Ennahda, echoes this view. "Maybe we have to sacrifice some votes. This may be the cost of pragmatism. But we'll be prisoners of the past if we don't move forward."
Many leaders of Ennahda, including those well outside Ghannouchi's circle, seem to have made radical pragmatism an article of political faith. Ennahda MP Naoufel El-Jemali, an independent who headed Ennahda's Sidi Bouzid list in the 2014 elections, captured this sentiment: "We [in Ennahda] have learned that you must do politics with your head, not your heart. Do the opposite of what your heart tells you to do." The contrast with cousin-like Islamist movements across the region, especially with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, is stark. Whereas many in the Egyptian Brotherhood attribute its catastrophic failure to allying too closely with the military, thereby not sufficiently embracing revolutionary populism, Ennahda's leadership sees cautious alliance building and suppression of revolutionary populism as keys to the long-term survival of both the party and Tunisia's transition as a whole.
Yet, as Jebali's critique highlights, Ennahda's commitment to radical pragmatism brings serious political risks. Inside and outside Ennahda, Tunisians critique the "marriage of the two sheikhs," i.e. the functional alliance between Rached Ghannouchi and President Beji Caid Essebsi, whom Ennahda persuaded to be the keynote speaker at its historic May 2016 congress. Tunisians increasingly view Ennahda and the RCD-ist core of Nidaa Tunis as linked in a cynical relationship of mutual self-preservation.
Outside Ennahda, many guess greed has motivated the party to hitch its wagon to Nidaa, which they suppose may be enriching Ennahda leaders with lucrative payoffs. Inside Ennahda, many members of the party's base – especially individuals passionate about transitional justice – express disgust at party leadership for entering what they regard as a series of self-denigrating deals with the devil. Some struggle to identify the principles Ennahda now stands for. Although party leaders cast pragmatic accommodation in terms of magnanimous sacrifice, some supporters suspect their leaders' perceived peace with old regime impunity is, at its heart, motivated by fear. "I feel like we're cowering behind Beji," confided Fatma, a 26 year-old Ennahda member. "Politics is tricky, I know that," she said. "But I want my leaders to lead on what's right." Otherwise, she continued, "what's the point of all those years in prison?"
Even those who accept accommodationism and alliance-building as politically necessary often express confusion and dismay that Ennahda leaders have gone so far in their support for Nidaa Tunis and certain Nidaa-led policies. Prominent Ennahda leader Rafik Abdessalem, for example, unapologetically stated on national radio that his father-in-law, Ennahda president Rached Ghannouchi, voted for Beji Caid Essebsi in the 2014 presidential election, striking many nahdaouis as unimaginably distasteful. Likewise, even some nahdaouis who accept the argument that Essebsi's proposed economic reconciliation law would ultimately speed Tunisia's economic recovery are perplexed that party leaders, including Ghannouchi and Bhiri, have publicly voiced their support rather than quietly negotiating behind closed doors.
At its tenth Congress in May 2016, Ennahda leaders compared the party's evolution from Islamism to a "Muslim Democratic party" as natural. They framed Islamism as a situation-contingent liberation theology: a "language of opposition," or political vocabulary that made sense under Ben Ali's dictatorship. Now that Ennadha can compete freely and fairly in Tunisia's nascent democracy, they said, the party must shift from a language of opposition to a language of governance, shaped more by responsible, long-term pragmatism than knee-jerk principle-driven pushback.
Ennahda surmised, probably correctly, that the old regime, grouped temporarily under the organizing shell of Nidaa Tunis, will represent the most powerful political interest group in Tunisia moving forward, with whom it must cooperate to block a potential alliance between the staunchly anti-Islamist UGTT labor union and old regime forces. Ennahda fears such an alliance could leave it dangerously isolated. Regardless of the logic behind it, the gusto with which Ghannouchi and his circle have embraced this cooperation risks leaving portions of the party's base, and potential voters outside the party, disillusioned with the party's perceived cynicism. Instead of using its seat at the political table to fight bravely for democratic reforms, critics imply, Ennahda is warming its seat – prioritizing selfish survival over the battle against old regime impunity.
In clinging to the life preserver of "consensus," which critics see as a euphemistic byword for a relationship of symbiotic opportunism with Tunisia's old regime, the party has – at least in the near future – tied its success to that of Nidaa Tunis and the current prime minister Youssef Chahed's coalition government. Despite Ennahda's tokenistic representation in this government, it is widely perceived as being close to Essebsi and will therefore share ample responsibility for the government's successes or failures in the court of Tunisian public opinion.
Last January's protests in Kasserine and this month's protests in Kef and Tataouine – both driven by the socio-economic marginalization of Tunisia's long-suffering interior – underscore that no post-revolutionary government has managed to substantially mitigate the grievances that provoked Tunisia's 2011 revolution. Tunisia's first local elections, scheduled for this December, will help gauge the real cost of Ennahda's perceived partnership with Essebsi, the Chahed government, and elements of Tunisia's old regime. The stakes are high and the socio-economic conditions are worsening. The ability of Tunisia's government to deliver on revolutionary promises at the national – and, even more importantly, at the local – levels carries with it the fate of the Arab world's best democratic experiment.
Monica Marks is a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford and research fellow with the WAFAW program in Aix-en-Provence, France
Turkey's Constitutional Referendum: A Conversation with Lisel Hintz (S. 5, Ep. 33)
Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Under the Islamic State

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Chris Cillizza wrote a piece suggesting that Obama can do anything he really wants to because the Left base really has no where to go.
I disagree. I gave a lot of money to the Obama campaign and more broadly to the Democrats over the last 12 years. That has ended.
I will not give money to Obama or Pelosi or others in the 2012 election. I may give money to MoveOn or another organization that more clearly represents my values, but not to weak-spined "compromisers" who do more harm than good.
But, you say, "We'll just wind up with a Republican controlled government again."
Second, if the Republicans are not trying to destroy the President by destroying the country, at least the country won't get destroyed. Remember, Bush called for and get a $150B stimulus package in 2007. It wasn't enough to head off the real problem, but at the time, the Republicans were actually pandering to the general voters rather than trying to destroy the credibility of the administration.
Until there's a set Democratic candidates who have the spine to stand up to the Republicans that I'll vote Democrat again. I'd rather have a functioning government than disfunction and failure which is continuous characteristic of the Obama administration.


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The Spielman Q&A: 'Human judgment is not something with crystalline boundaries'
See discussion
Ofqual to research impact of advance information to inform 'future years'
DfE restructure delays advisory board election results
As Ofsted reveals more of its proposed new inspection framework – before its official public unveiling early next year – editor John Dickens asks chief inspector Amanda Spielman the questions our readers want answering.
We know schools in leafy suburbs are more likely to be outstanding, and those in deprived areas are less likely to be so. Will the new inspection framework change that?
We want to make sure the new framework rewards schools for doing the right things for children. We've acknowledged we've been too heavily focused on the data. We need to look at what's being done and how, not just what comes out at the end of the machine relative to national standards.
It will help us recognise some of the great work schools do that isn't recognisable already. Conversely, it may also help bring to the surface schools that are getting an easy ride without having to do anything much for it.
Schools have an obligation to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. So what will change with Ofsted's curriculum plans?
In practice, not much attention has been applied to that requirement in recent years. Curriculum has got squeezed down, and separated from teaching and learning and assessment.
It's putting curriculum back where it belongs, with the rest of the education core, and putting outcomes into that context.
What will inspectors do if results in a school are good but the curriculum does not make the grade?
Let's say it's a primary school that is essentially teaching nothing but English and maths pretty reductively in year 5 and 6 – I don't think any inspector would be interested in that.
Notwithstanding you're squeezing some pretty good numbers out, it is not the kind of education any sensible parent would want for their child.
And if results are bad but a school has a good curriculum?
We're moving to a quality of education judgment, so that outcomes are looked at only in the context of what the school is doing and how it's doing it.
I can think of situations where the outcomes might still not be spectacular, [and] you could have a great curriculum. One is where a school is moving upwards… where someone has come in and is doing improvement in the right way, not trying to put in the quick fix for year 6 or year 11.
You wouldn't expect to see anything like as quick an [improvement] trajectory, but if you were an inspector who could see that, and that the school was going for "let's make sure it's a really good education", then you would want to be able to reward that and say: "This is a school doing it the right way."
Heads are worried about the emergence of a "preferred Ofsted curriculum" when your proposals get translated to inspectors on the ground. How will you guard against that?
One way is by making sure what's in the framework is justified by research and evidence, and we don't go beyond that. This isn't about mine or anyone else's thinking on "this is what makes a good curriculum".
We started putting inspector training in for this 18 months ago. We've developed phenomenally good training that is very much grounded in research evidence and cognitive science research.
At the end of the day it is a process of human judgment. The right question is not whether it's perfect in isolation, but whether it gives a better handle than the performance-table data alone.
We should always be working to make the consistency as high as we can between inspectors, but it's really important to understand if you want the human judgment, and you don't want it reduced to a mechanistic tick box that destroys the value and that constructive discussion, then you've got to accept human judgment is not something with crystalline boundaries.
You believe the curriculum changes will help lessen workload. But if you're introducing new requirements, won't that increase workload?
We've been signalling pretty clearly the direction, so any school that gets to next September and goes "oh", I'd be a bit surprised.
The consultation is out in January, with the new framework introduced in September. Is that enough turnaround time for schools?
Absolutely. It's not as if we're talking about something that has never existed before; [curriculum] is something that only stopped being a big part of inspection about a decade ago.
We will have done a great deal to iterate and make sure that what's published in January and the draft handbooks that go out with it – I think the first time they've ever been published at that stage – gives people really early notice of essentially the list of things, the taxonomy of questions, that inspectors will have on their minds. We're giving more time than ever before, not less.
We understand education secretary Damian Hinds isn't keen on the new framework changes because of concerns over increased workload. What's the relationship like?
Any new framework gets a lot of discussion. Damian Hinds has told me he completely agrees with our analysis of the present situation in schools, and the framework is very much designed to address the issues we see at the moment.
Will you inspect outstanding schools more regularly?
Ultimately, it's something that comes down to parliament. I've said very clearly and publicly I think it's something that needs to change, but I can't of my own volition do it in this framework.
You've said you want "more teeth" to inspect multi-academy trusts, but how equipped is Ofsted to inspect corporate governance in trusts?
We've got plenty of people now who have academy trust experience. We've certainly got the capacity, and we would bring in more as and when we needed it.
Can't you test the effectiveness of a MAT by looking at the support it provides schools through batch inspections?
That's like saying you can find out whether Waitrose has good control on food safety and hygiene just by looking at how many Waitrose customers get food poisoning, or by asking staff in the store how food quality is controlled through the supply chain.
You can't have the right conversation with a person who is in school if they aren't making decisions, and don't understand the considerations that have been weighed up over why it's being done as it is. Yes, the outcomes look OK, but what you can't say is this is a robust system that will stand up to the wear and tear over the next few years until we come back again.
It has been well reported how regional schools commissioners stepped on Ofsted inspectors' toes – for instance, in "shadow inspections". Would MAT inspection be Ofsted stepping on RSCs' toes?
Absolutely not. What we provide is the objectivity, and we provide that objective assessment of performance that justifies the actions that RSCs take. The last thing I want to do, having got to a much better place, is to muddy that.
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Apr 27, 2020, 06:29AM
The No Politics of Quarantine
Nicky Smith
Bret Stephens says nationwide lockdowns are "playing by New York rules," as if the virus itself is a cultural elite.
Reliably, Bret Stephens has laundered the most moronic coronavirus commentary into The New York Times. He was less silly at The Wall Street Journal, but ever since starting at the Times in April 2017, he's been a total nut. Minced oaths on Bill Maher, emailing the dean and provost at George Washington University to complain about a tweet one of their faculty made referencing him, and just four months ago, promoting eugenics and race science in a column that contended that Ashkenazi Jews are intellectually superior by dint of genetics.
Executive Dean Baquet or then-publisher Arthur Sulzberger must've taken him aside three years ago, weeks after Donald Trump was inaugurated, and given him the business. Be provocative, be contrarian, be the conservative we miss, a harmless foil. Stephens' interpretation of that advice sometimes yields interesting results—he plays the jester. Bari Weiss, a generation younger, understands how to deliver what Stephens never can convincingly: Gawker-lite provocation.
Stephens' latest column is one of his dumbest, claiming that Democrats and #NeverTrumpers are going too far with nationwide lockdowns. Unfortunately, the sentiment isn't that uncommon. "America Shouldn't Have to Play by New York Rules." What an astonishing headline (and Stephens is an unabashed #NeverTrumper). How stupid do you have to be to look at the public health catastrophe of COVID-19 and come to the conclusion that quarantine is just more nanny state coastal elitism? Does Stephens have the virus?
"New Yorkers think they're the center of the universe" is one of the most hack angles a columnist can take. It is a cliché older than all of us, and while coastal elitism is obviously abundant, this isn't the same. In another hell where Michael Bloomberg is President, he's making Coca-Cola illegal and smoking cigarettes punishable by death—that's "coastal elitism." Taxing junk food and making fun of "white trash" as if it's any different than making fun of Chinese or black people is coastal elitism. Perhaps I should cut Stephens and the rest of the syndicated hacks a break (like Mark Shields, who said on PBS the other day that, "[Trump] is not Will Rogers, he's not Jerry Seinfeld, he's not known for his sense of humor." Are you kidding me? That's the only thing Trump has going for him).
The Times published a much better piece on reopening the country yesterday by Shan Soe-Lin and Robert Hecht, arguing what's been obvious for over a month: "To suppress COVID-19, we need to test those with no symptoms." No significant area of the country can be reopened until there is sufficient testing for the entire population. Stephens mentions this, and throws his hands in the air, and continues on with the plan. There is no other plan. Mass testing is a necessity to return to work safely. The large amount of asymptomatic carriers makes this obvious. There isn't any other way around it pre-vaccine, unless you want to offer yourself as a "control group" like the cuckoo cuckoo Mayor of Las Vegas.
I completely understand the desire to reopen and "get back to normal," whatever that means at the moment. Normal wasn't that great. Things were not going well. Our President is a megalomaniacal moron, everyone hates each other, society is more stratified than ever, and for those who oppose the death cult of the GOP, we are flogged and gaslit by the DNC, who offers us a man that could not recite the alphabet if asked on a dime. Joe Biden has brain problems, this is obvious. He is being kept away from the public, when another candidate could be countering Trump's bizarre daily briefings (likely no more).
Quarantine sucks. I want it to disappear in the summer like Trump and dimestore psychics insist. I understand. But the situation is grim, and this is magical thinking. Stephens admits he isn't a scientist, but goes on to speculate about mortality rates, case numbers, and death counts across the country compared to New York City. Stephens asks us to "Consider a thought experiment" about New York State being its own country, and how that separation would affect the rest of America's coronavirus toll. Do you follow? He cites low deaths and caseloads across much of the country, and then leaps to this: "No wonder so much of America has dwindling sympathy with the idea of prolonging lockdown conditions much further. The curves are flattening; hospital systems haven't come close to being overwhelmed; Americans have adapted to new etiquettes of social distancing."
He goes on: "Right now, there's a lot of commentary coming from talking heads (many of them in New York) about the danger of lifting lockdowns in places like Tennessee. Perhaps the commentary needs to move in the opposite direction. Tennesseans are within their rights to return to a semblance of normal life while demanding longer restrictions on New Yorkers." Who knew people in Tennessee were immune from COVID-19?
He writes: "I write this from New York, so it's an argument against my personal interest. But I don't see why people living in a Nashville suburb should not be allowed to return to their jobs because people like me choose to live, travel and work in urban sardine cans." What? How do these two thoughts connect at all? New York is driving the virus? New York is setting policy for the virus? What do the living conditions of New Yorkers have to do with the spread of COVID-19 across the country? What does Stephens have to say about New Orleans, a city closer to Nashville and severely impacted by the disease? What about Florida? Georgia? His thoughts don't track in this column at all. He is saying nothing that a Times Square t-shirt doesn't cover. DA BIG APPLE, BABY! CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS!
Remember: Ratso Rizzo died of consumption.
Stephens sticks the landing with some genuine bigotry: "Gina Raimondo, the Rhode Island governor, was on to something when, a few weeks ago, she wanted to quarantine drivers arriving from New York." Another moronic suggestion: this is a request for authoritarian power in a country that can't coordinate between its federal, state, and local leadership. The American government couldn't institute a nationwide quarantine right now even if it wanted to: without fascistic enforcement, people will break quarantine.
Stephens concludes: "The rest of America needs to get back to life. We New Yorkers prefer our own company, anyway." Says the guy who grew up in Mexico City and went to boarding school in Massachusetts. Don't speak for New Yorkers. Who prefers their own company? People living in Chinatown tenements? South American and West African immigrants biking and bustling up empty avenues to deliver $75 orders of chicken parm to their feudal overlords? Those that can't telecommute to their job at Whole Foods and still take the subway every day? I'm sure they're thrilled to be a New Yorker right now.
Stephens doesn't have a Trump-sized bullhorn, and most Times readers are suspicious of reopening the country so early. This isn't a dangerous column; it's just stupid.
—Follow Nicky Smith on Twitter: @nickyotissmith
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childe_harold
commented Apr 28, 2020, 08:36PM
Florida isn't being hit real bad, despite the beaches opening up, so perhaps NYC policies should not apply to the entire nation. Places without a subway system have a different environment for disease transmission
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The Oakland Raiders have experienced specialist woes all season especially in the kicking department. Heading into Week 8 the Raiders are already on their fourth kicker. After the departure of 17-year veteran Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland has had problems finding a replacement.
In three games, rookie Matt McCrane missed four field goals. That led to Oakland brass deciding to move on from McCrane and going with fellow rookie Daniel Carlson, who was released by the Vikings earlier this year.
The mental side is a huge aspect of kicking so going with Carlson who has struggled already this season with missing field goals is an interesting decision for the Raiders. There were other options of veteran kickers out there that could have been a better route.
On the opposite hand, the ceiling for Carlson is still high as a rookie in spite of his previous hiccup in Minnesota. Standing at 6-foot-5, Carlson has a big leg to attempt longer field goals and the ability for more touchbacks on kickoffs. The home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday will show Raiders fans if Carlson has been able to put his early-season struggles behind him.
Going deeper into the problems on special teams for the Raiders, the rest of the field goal unit has to adjust as well. With its fourth kicker, the long snapper and holder have to get in sync with Carlson's preferences and tendencies. Practice for this unit has been grueling going through all of its kicker changes.
Week 8 will be telling not only for the entire Raiders team but also Carlson. Going against a Colts team that has quietly put up 189 points on offense this year will be a challenge. However, where Indy could be vulnerable is its young lackluster defense and special teams that can play a factor in this game.
If Carlson struggles it would not be it out of the realm of possibilities that the silver and black move on to the fifth option at kicker. Looking toward the long-term run of the Raiders, the coaching staff may have to continue to find an answer in the kicking game into the offseason.


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Well, nobody saw that coming. The Liar from The Shire is back in office for another three long years — but at least we know he's not welcome down here in Victoria.
Bucking the national trend, there was a swing of almost 2 per cent towards Labor in Victoria. And three CFMEU-backed candidates did particularly well.
In the northern suburbs, voters in Cooper gave Ged Kearney a massive thumbs up. Ged was the president of the ACTU for most of this decade, and won her seat in a by-election last year. This time around, she thumped the Greens with a swing of around 14 per cent. The biggest swing towards Labor in the country, from a seat which was considered ultra-marginal this time last year.
In the Frankston area, Peta Murphy appears to have won back Dunkley. It's a seat that Labor hasn't held since Paul Keating was prime minister, and she did it with a swing of around 3 per cent in the first preferences.
And in Geelong and to the west, Libby Coker looks set to be the new member for Corangamite. The seat was the most marginal in the state, but a swing of around 2 per cent means the Liberals' Sarah Henderson is likely now looking for other work.
We didn't get a prime minister from Victoria, but the state held its own in this election. And the CFMEU is proud of the part we played to make that happen.
Congratulations and well done to all who participated! The fight continues.
WEST MELBOURNE WORKPLACE ACCIDENT


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Platinum is an exotic mineral and a very expensive metal. Well-formed crystals of platinum are quite rare as platinum is usually found as a nugget or grain. Pure platinum is unknown in nature and is usually alloyed with other metals like iron, copper, nickel, gold, palladium, iridium, and others. It is a silver-white metal that is malleable and lustrous. It is very resistant to corrosion which makes it useful in both industrial applications and in fine jewelry.
Where to Find the Platinum Mineral
The element platinum is incredibly scarce in most crustal rock. Concentrated areas of platinum can be found in the Earth's crust. Platinum was first discovered in South Africa in 1906. Currently, the largest known reserves (95%) of platinum are in the Bushveld complex in South Africa. Other areas with some platinum reserves can be found in Russia, Canada, as well as in the United States. High quantities of platinum also exist on the Moon and are also found in meteorites. Native platinum is the primary ore of platinum, but deposits containing the rare platinum arsenide, sperrylite of the pyrite group, have made a big contribution to the world's limited supply.
History of Platinum
The earliest traces of platinum have been found in gold used in ancient Egyptian tombs and hieroglyphics. Early Egyptian's knowledge of the metal remains unclear, researchers believe they did not recognize the platinum in their gold.
Platinum was first referred to by Italian humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger that described it as an unknown noble metal found between Panama and Mexico in 1557. At the time, the Spanish thought of it as an impurity they often found in gold and would throw it away. From then until the 18th century, platinum would be studied by various European metallurgists and chemists, including Henrik Sheffer that published one of the first detailed scientific descriptions of the metal calling it "white gold."
Platinum's Value
While platinum's reputation is that of prestige and wealth, often perceived higher than gold, the actual price of platinum is unlike gold, it is quite volatile. In 2008, the price of platinum dropped from $2,252 to $774 per ounce and it is currently less than gold at $1,099 per ounce to gold's $1,339.
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Howard Fensterman Minerals > Minerals > The Quest for Platinum


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Q: Determine probability of an event $A$ with a PMF Suppose the sequence $(\frac{1 - q}{1 + q}q^{|n|})_{n \in \mathbb{Z}}$ with $|q| < 1$ is a probability mass function.
Proof that it is a valid probability mass function:
$$\sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} \frac{1 - q}{1 + q}q^{|n|} = \frac{1 - q}{1 + q}\big(1 + 2\frac{q}{1 - q}\big) = 1$$
Now, how can I determine the probability of the event $A = \{2k; k \in \mathbb{N} \} = \{2,4,6,...\}$?
Would this be determined with $\frac{1 - q}{1 + q}\sum_{n=-\infty}^\infty q^{2|n|}$ ?

A: No, the probability
$$\frac{1 - q}{1 + q}\sum_{n=-\infty}^\infty q^{2|n|} = \frac{(1 - q)(1 + q^2)}{(1 + q)(1-q^2)} = \frac{(1 + q^2)}{(1 + q)^2}$$
is the probability of the event $B = \{2k| k \in \mathbb{Z}\}$.
The probability of the event $A = \{2k| k \in \mathbb{N}\}$ is computed as
$$\frac{1 - q}{1 + q}\sum_{n=1}^\infty q^{2|n|} = \frac{(1 - q)q^2}{(1 + q)(1 - q^2)} = \frac{q^2}{(1 + q)^2}$$

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Maimed for the Masses [EP] (2013)
Reviewer John Gentile
Perhaps more so in punk rock than any other genre, punk rock is infamous for its flash in the pan bands. To this day, a-many bands will release a killer demo and a very promising full length, only to shatter apart before a second full release, or to just not have the goods for a second banger. The cliché is that you have a lifetime to write your first album and nine months to write your second, and that particular adage has snipped its fair share of bands. Sometimes egos get the best of people, sometimes the pressure to follow up a modern classic is too much, and sometimes, people just aren't ready to be punk rock darlings.
When Mained for the Masses was released in 2013, exactly halfway through Night Birds existence (to date), it didn't seem like that big of a deal. Yeah, the band had some buzz. And cool, Fat was putting out the record (the band's first for the label), which would mean some extra juice, but Fat puts out cool little EPs here and there and it often doesn't mean more than that.
But with half a decade's perspective, it's clear what Maimed for the Masses really was- it was Night Birds standing their ground and staring the devil down. Having already released an excellent, if a bit uneven LP, the band refined their core strengths and washed away the rest. The EP was strikingly Spartan. One guitar, one bass, one drums, and one singer- and lots of space between them to boot. Even its cover, designed by Marissa Paternoster, was provocatively simple- blood and thumbtacks. That's about the best way to symbolize the band there is, really.
"Maimed for the Masses" set the tone. Rolling, thrashing surf guitar unabashedly influenced by East Bay Ray- particularly Plastic Surgery Disasters- as contributed by new guitarist PJ Russo. Russo worked particularly well off founding member Joe Keller's bass. Keller knew how to give a guitarist a springboard and provided the necessary rumbling back drop. It might sound easy, but it's not. One has to have an ear not only for what is needed in a song, but what is also not needed.
Singer Brian Goresegner had worked to embrace the pop structure. Yes, he's kind of screaming- but not too much- and yes he barks and hisses- but at the root, he's following the '50s bopper pattern. There's a reason why certain styles of singing have remained for decades and even centuries. It's because they speak to the soul.
Perhaps in salute to Nervous Breakdown, the band put the extended jam on side A and closed out side B with three quick smashers. But, whereas "Maimed" was a mini epic, the b-sides found the band doubling down on pure punk attack. "Barred Out" blasted apart in the end in a firework of punk destruction. "Last Gasp" ruled back on the reins with Russo stabbing guitar that gave the band a bit more muscle and menace. "Boat Trash," in lieu of just being "another" song, was a Ventures style instrumental- the point being each song was bold and had it own character. When they could have questioned themselves, when they could have fallen apart, Night Birds doubled down on their assets here without flinching, and in believing in their initial blueprint, the rose above the flash and buzz, and cemented themselves as modern punk classics. Not bad for a 7-inch.
Night Birds: Demo
Night Birds: Roll Credits


CBRE Vice President, Rocky Binswanger, is a real estate professional specializing in office and landlord representation. From compound transactions to multi-market portfolio optimization, Ms. Binswanger is an expert in leveraging her experience and real estate knowledge to benefit mid-market firms to Fortune 500 companies in both the public and private sector. For over a decade, she has invested her time into strategizing with top executives from these firms and garnered the skills and expertise to advise on curated leasing solutions. Ms. Binswanger has strengths in strategic planning, in-depth market analysis, real-time client needs' assessments, competitive lease negotiations and portfolio management. Pulling from the deep infrastructure that CBRE offers, the tools, technology and diverse specialties, Ms. Binswanger is equipped to help tenants and landlords maximize the value of their real estate.
Partnering with determined and forward-thinking teams worldwide, Ms. Binswanger provides innovative and strategic advisory services tailored to each unique client and requirement anywhere in the world.
Prior to joining CBRE, Ms. Binswanger was a professional real estate advisor with Cushman and Wakefield and with a Dallas-based development firm, Lincoln Property Company.
Ms. Binswanger is a licensed real estate professional and graduate of California State University of San Bernardino, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.


Darrell Eugene Cowsert, 54, Kokomo, passed away at 7:08 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at his home. He was born December 23, 1963, in Kokomo, to Gerald and Dora Anna Ruth (Scott) Cowsert.
Darrell had worked at Applebee's and Chi Chi's. He was a huge Dallas Cowboys and University of Kentucky fan. He was a collector of many things, enjoyed playing fantasy baseball and was a pro-wrestling fan.
He is survived by his half-sister, Nancy (Kenneth) Clem, Pathfork, Kentucky; aunt, Sandy Cowsert, Kokomo; niece and nephew, Kendyl Clem, Pathfork, Kentucky, and Kendra (Eric) Partin, Middlesboro, Kentucky; great-nephew, Landon Partin, Middlesboro, Kentucky; best friend, Duane Buckner, Russiaville; and several cousins.
A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., Kokomo. Burial will take place at a later date in Albright Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com.


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European footballFootballSport
PSG hire former captain Pochettino as new manager
By Reuters News Service January 2, 2021 January 3, 2021 0348
FILE PHOTO: Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino celebrates after the Ajax match that sent his former team Tottenham to the final of the Champions League
French champions Paris St Germain have named former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach after sacking Thomas Tuchel, with the Argentine signing a deal until June 2022, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday.
Pochettino, who played for PSG as a defender in the early 2000s and also captained the side, has been out of a job since being dismissed by Spurs in November 2019, a few months after guiding the north London club to the Champions League final.
The 48-year-old Argentine said he was honoured to take on the role and that the Parisian club "has always held a special place in my heart".
"I return to the club today with a lot of ambition and humility, and am eager to work with some of the world's most talented players," Pochettino, who has an option for a one-year extension in his contract, said in a statement .
"This team has fantastic potential and my staff and I will do everything we can to get the best for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions.
"We will also do our utmost to give our team the combative and attacking playing identity that Parisian fans have always loved."
Pochettino's first game in charge will be a trip to St Etienne on Jan. 6 when the league resumes following the winter break.
PSG have 35 points from 17 games, one point behind league leaders Olympique Lyonnais and Lille, and are through to the last 16 of the Champions League where they face Spanish side Barcelona.
"The return of Mauricio fits perfectly with our ambitions and it will be another exciting chapter for the club and one I am positive the fans will enjoy," PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.
"With the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, Paris Saint-Germain is committed to continue to build and move the club forward over the coming years."
"In this club it's always been about excellence, the players have to deserve to wear the jersey," Pochettino, who played for PSG as a defender in the early 2000s and also captained the side, told the club's website. "I think that it's a fantastic squad and I think that we can accomplish what this club and the players want because they are competitors and they want to lift trophies."
Pochettino will take his first training session on Sunday.
FACTBOX: MAURICIO POCHETTINO
Born: March 2, 1972 in Murphy, Santa Fe, Argentina.
PLAYING CAREER
* The centre back began his playing career with Newell's Old Boys in 1988, making his debut at the age of 16.
* Claimed his first piece of silverware in 1991 when Newell's were crowned champions of the Argentine Primera Division.
* Signed for Spanish side Espanyol in 1994, making more than 200 appearances and winning the King's Cup before joining Paris St Germain in 2000.
* Made his Argentina debut in 1999 and went on to earn 20 caps, playing in the 2002 World Cup, where he conceded a penalty that David Beckham scored in England's 1-0 group stage victory.
* Left PSG for Girondins Bordeaux in 2003, but struggled to settle in the south of France and rejoined Espanyol on loan during the second half of the season.
* Dubbed the 'Sheriff of Murphy' because of where he grew up, Pochettino joined Espanyol permanently after the 2003 season and won a second King's Cup in 2006 before retiring at 34.
COACHING CAREER
* Following his retirement from playing, Pochettino took his coaching qualifications and had a stint as assistant manager of Espanyol's successful women's side.
* In January 2009 at the age of 36, he took charge of third-bottom Espanyol and took them to a 10th-place finish in La Liga.
* Espanyol ended in mid-table in each of the following two seasons, just missing out on qualifying for the Europa League in 2011 after spending much of the campaign in the top five.
* Although they slipped to 14th the next season, Pochettino developed a reputation for bringing young players through the academy.
* At the start of the 2012-13 season, Pochettino expressed concerns about the club's financial situation, and with the team bottom of La Liga, he left by mutual consent in November 2012.
* Pochettino replaced Nigel Adkins as manager of Premier League Southampton in January 2013 as the south-coast club looked to stay up after promotion the previous season.
* Despite being relatively unknown in England, Pochettino guided the club to a 14th-place finish after adopting a high-pressing, attacking style of play.
* The Argentine continued his philosophy of developing home-grown talent with England's 18-year-old left back Luke Shaw bursting on to the scene, while the likes of Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez also flourished under him.
* After a solid start to the 2013-14 season, Pochettino led them to eighth, their highest ever finish in the Premier League at the time.
* With a year left on his contract and uncertainty surrounding the future of key players, such as England internationals Shaw and Lallana, Pochettino decided to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he became the second Argentine to manage the club after Osvaldo Ardiles.
* Pochettino was appointed Spurs head coach on a five-year deal for the 2014-15 season to replace Tim Sherwood. He became Tottenham's 10th manager since 2001 under chairman Daniel Levy.
* Spurs finished fifth in his first season and reached the final of the League Cup. They then battled 5,000-1 outsiders Leicester City for the title in 2015-16 but the Foxes won the race while the London club finished third to claim a Champions League spot for the first time since 2010-11.
* Pochettino continued to foster young players and the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier and Harry Winks all blossomed at the club and with England.
* The Argentine penned a new five-year deal in May 2016 and Tottenham maintained their upward trajectory, finishing second and then third again over the following two campaigns as well as reaching the Champions League last-16 in 2017-18.
* Fan-favourite Pochettino, dubbed 'Magic' by the Tottenham faithful, signed another five-year contract in May 2018 as Levy put his faith in the manager's ability to bring success.
* Despite operating with a much lower transfer budget than other top European clubs and having to play at Wembley while their new one billion pound ($1.36 billion) stadium was built, Spurs reached their first Champions League final after recovering from 3-0 down on aggregate away against Ajax Amsterdam in the semi-finals.
* However, Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 in the final in Madrid and a poor start to the 2019-20 campaign — with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and having been thrashed 7-2 at home by Bayern Munich in the Champions League — led to the 47-year-old Pochettino being sacked in November.
* Ligue 1 champions sacked Thomas Tuchel a day after the league's winter break began and signed Pochettino on a deal until June 2022, with an option of a further year.
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Colorado Gives Day is December 6, but you can preschedule your gift now!
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Poovattoor is a village located in Kottarakara taluk in the northern part of the Kollam District, Kerala state, India. It is best known as the site of an ancient Bhagavathy temple, Poovattoor Devi Temple, sister of Pattazhy Devi Temple and Mannadi Devi temple.
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Etymology
The name Poovattoor is derived from Poo attoor (The place where flower fell). Legend says that the goddess of Poovattoor was the sister of goddess of Pattazhi and Mannadi. The younger sister wanted a new place. So the elder gave her a handful of flowers, and told her to reside where the flowers were falling. Poovattoor was the place where the flower fell.

Geography
Poovattoor can be divided into three sub parts. Poovattoor west, Poovattoor east and Poovattoor. MC road is the major road going through the village. The village is located on the banks of kallada river.

Culture
The annual festival at Poovattoor Devi Temple is one of the largest temple festivals in Kulakkada Panchayat. The festival is known for Kettukazcha, Kambam (fire works), Aalp Ezhunnallathu (Procession of small structure made out of plantain kernel and germinating leaves of coconut tree with numerous lamps on it) and Ponnin Thirumudi (Devi's idol carved out of pure gold and rare precious stones).

Places of worship
The temples in the area include Poovattoor Bahagavathy temple, Mahavishnu temple of Poovattoor East, Vilarithala sri mahadevar temple, Alumkunnil mahadevar temple(Poovattoor west) and Mavady mahavishnu temple.

Schools
Poovattoor has 3 educational institutions; two of them are under Nair Service Society and the other one is a Govt. L.P School.

H.S.S Poovattoor
N.S.S L.P School
Govt L.P.S Poovattoor

Hospital

There is a Primary Health center in Poovattoor.

See also
Temples of Kerala
Kottarakkara
Kollam

References

External links
http://www.southdreamz.com/tourisum/kerala-cities/poovattoor

Villages in Kollam district

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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I. Main Body
1. Introduction: Life On A Ship-Grave
2. In The Beginning Was God
3. Math Review #1
4. The Beginnings of Time and Space
6. Guessing Only Leaves You Guessing
7. Perimeter Fractions of the Ark
9. The Secret Science of Numbers
10. The Ages of the Fathers
11. A New Calendar of 480 Days
12. Code Crackers
13. A New Cycle
14. Adding the 500 Years After the Flood
15. The New Age in the Sign of the Fish
16. Adding A Third Dimension
17. The Millenial Span
18. Afterword: Signposts of an Infinite Expansion
APPENDIX A: A First Century Genesis?
APPENDIX B: 480 Days Calendar Prototype (Word doc file)
deadletters
APPENDIX C: 1440 DAYS CALENDAR (with LUNA and SOL days) [Excel Spreadsheet]
APPENDIX D: The Great Houdini Caper (3D Time)
APPENDIX E: 3D Stars
Appendix F: The Great Year of the Ancients
One Hell of a Flood!: Exploring 3D Math through Genesis Numberology
15 The New Age in the Sign of the Fish
In 2 AD Ptolemy revised the Egyptian calendar. This was a 4 year one with an extra day in one of the years, similar to our own calendars. It was not very popular as it turns out, regardless of the greater accuracy that it contained.
A few years later, another Biblical personage did much the same thing. This is reflected in the New Testament story of the feeding of the multitudes. In this story the God-man Jesus feeds 5000 with only five loaves of bread. Symbolically, the 5000 represents the same number of historical years. 4000 of these years precede the current age, which is projected to last for another 1000 years, to bring the total number of years to 5000.
The previous 2155 years were under the sign of Aries the Ram. This would stretch to some time prior to the Exodus of Moses, and was prophesized in the Genesis story numbers. As you recall there were 1056 years from Creation to Noah, and a further 1100 years from Noah to Lot.
1845 years preceded this cosmic sign, and at the end of the 2155 years a new age of Pisces the fish began, according to the numberology of the man who was a miracle worker in the story.
To change the Sadduciac calendar based on the Babylonian luni-solar calendar of eight years would be considered a revolutionary act, and therefore the wisdom had to be concealed in the symbols of bread and fish.
The problem with the existing calendar was that feast days did not fall on the same days each year, but had to be recalculated yearly, because some years in the cycle had a significant addition of days, i.e. 30.
Jesus was promoting a 4 season year of seasons of 91 days each, based on a 28 days per month and 13 months per year model. This is called the New Moon calendar, because the months start with the new moon, or sidereal model, instead of the lunations of alternating 29 and 30 days of the terrestial model resulting in a shortened year of 354 days, that was increased to 384 days in 3 years out of 8 due to the addition of a 13th month of 30 days.
Can you see where the confusion came from? The festival of Passover was meant to occur during harvest season, but could this be achieved in a Sadduciac calendar?
What were the signs that this is what Jesus was speaking of?
The text uses 'companies of 50' but the actual number of a company in Old Testament scriptures were only 30. If we change the wording, as some translators do, the word company is deleted and the significance of it is lost.
If companies of 50 is stated, then where is the 30 in a company being mentioned. I guess that in being hidden only the initiated will see the true meaning to the calendar. Otherwise charges of insurrection were going to be made.
Jesus is saying that previously the calendar for 4000 years was based on 30 days per month, as the Egyptian year of 360 days with 5 seasons of 72 days each, and 5 additional days at the end based on solar considerations, but now the new calendar for a thousand years or more would be based instead on 28 days.
Somehow we realize that this purpose was defeated. Our calendars do not have 28 days in them, now or in the immediate past. Jesus evidently was not successful in the change he was endorsing for the sabbatical calendar of 52 weeks with one extra day added at the end. But as a solution to the festival crisis, it made perfect sense, and survives in the feeding of the multitudes story.
Now the age of the fish is set to expire, and the coming age of Aquarius the water bearer is nearing. What changes will we see in the coming 2155 years? Will our calendars undergo some changes? If so, what will these alterations be based on?
Previous: Adding the 500 Years After the Flood
Next: Adding A Third Dimension
One Hell of a Flood!: Exploring 3D Math through Genesis Numberology Copyright © by deadletters. All Rights Reserved.


It's the total size of the debt that makes it expensive . . .
The shocker is that while the UK has a lower interest rate than Euroland and can borrow at lower rates than every other major European country other than Germany, we are only just behind most of the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland Greece and Spain) when measured by the total cost to GDP of interest payments on borrowing at 3.1% while Spain is some way down at 2.2%.
I still think the story that the UK was facing bankruptcy etc. was way overblown and at times, silly. As I have argued here and here.
But who wants to spend 3.1% of GDP on interest payments while simultaneously trying to enshrine in law a commitment to Foreign Aid of 0.7%?


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Have 15 minutes at lunchtime? Tune in next Wednesday, Jan. 30th for the first in a series of patient-focused seminars, hosted by Antidote.
I am definitely guilty of tuning out conversations when they turn to the subject of medical research. We just want results, right?
But new treatments that aid in better disease management can only come via research, and specifically clinical trials. This webinar is sure to demystify the topic, cast a refreshing new light on clinical trials, and break down what really happens in the process of bringing new treatments to the patients that need them!
Be sure to register using the link above.


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