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WHAT THE FUCK IS ASPHALT YACHT CLUB?
September 12, 2013 / Ian Michna / ARTICLES
When I first heard rumors that Riley Hawk, Stevie Williams and Nyjah Huston were on some new skateboard team, I thought it was a joke. It sounded like something you would find on the SLAP message boards, along with a photoshopped fake ad and a bunch of people calling bullshit. Things got even stranger when I went to their launch party in Malibu expecting your usual dirtbag skate bar party but instead was rubbing elbows with the likes of Paris Hilton, John Stamos (Uncle Jesse), French Montana and some random reality TV stars.
While other apparel brands are cutting back on skate, it seems like Asphalt Yacht Club is doubling down: supporting a big team, advertising everywhere and not afraid to flaunt a big budget. Curious to know why, I got in touch with Jesse Fritsch, AYC's Marketing Manager (and former pro skater) along with Stevie Williams to figure out what the hell these guys are doing.
Q & A WITH JESSE FRITSCH (Director of Marketing) & STEVIE WILLIAMS (Owner)
How do you feel about how AYC has been received by skaters so far and did you expect the response you got before you launched the brand?
Jesse Fritsch: Like any new brand it will take time for kids to understand what we are doing with AYC. I've been in skateboarding long enough to know that people were immediately going to look at the team and go, why is Stevie next to Figgy, who's next to Nyjah, who's next to Riley? It makes no fucking sense. So I knew there was going to be a backlash to some extent as Stevie was doing something completely different with this team than he has done in the past…at the very least there would be a ton of questions about who, what, why, and how. That's something I love about skateboarding, you can come in, but you're going to get tested on why you're here and what you're doing here no matter if you're someone random or have been in the game for years like Stevie. So far a lot of the industry and kids have really supported us and we're doing our best to support them as well. On the other side of that, we have caught more than our fair share of hate from kids online following our launch party with celebrity guests.
What's the idea behind starting the brand?
Stevie Williams: It's a lifestyle brand. Skateboarding is a lifestyle just like music and other sports. Our roots are definitely in skateboarding but if other people outside of skateboarding want to support, that's cool. I have a lot of respect for everybody within the industry, and a lot of respect for DGK and Kayo. I didn't steal anybody or wanna start a brand born out of negativity.
Jesse Fritsch: Stevie has a ton of respect for this industry and company owners, so when picking the team, we wanted to do something different but we were restricted by the fact that he didn't wanna take anyone from Kayo, or steal from other skater owned clothing companies. He could easily have thrown money at skaters who were on other teams, but he didn't wanna do that, which I think is really cool. On top of that, he also wanted guys from different walks of life with unique styles. We talked about it and thought it was cool to start with Stevie and Stefan, who are both legends in their own right, but from different walks of life. They skated together in Miami and had fun, so we went from there. I'm the first to admit that the team as a whole seems like a weird mix, but we have eight guys who all kill it on a skateboard in different ways and it's fucking rad to watch! The more kids see these guys skating together, the more it will make sense and they will want to be a part of what we are doing.
"I'd say Stevie is giving back at this point rather than 'selling out'"
Has anyone called Stevie a "sellout" or anything because the brand gives off a bigger budget or more corporate flavor?
Jesse Fritsch: Lots of people have said that in comments. We're simply fortunate enough to have a budget to put a team together, advertise in magazines, go on trips…etc. Does that mean AYC is a huge corporation, and we forced skaters into doing something they don't want to do for a ton of cash? Absolutely not. AYC is supporting skaters to continue doing what they love for a living, as well as supporting our magazines, websites, local events, and more. We are doing all we can for skateboarding during a time when many brands have jumped ship or scaled way back. I'd say Stevie is giving back at this point rather than "selling out"
Stevie Williams: Yeah I hear that from friends, fans, it is what it is – I've heard it all. It's OK. I definitley work hard at what I do and what I believe in, and everybody isn't gonna believe in what I believe in. I'm fine with it. Just work hard and improve, there's always room for improvement.
courtesy of transworld skateboarding
What does AYC have to do with celebrities like John Stamos and Paris Hilton? Why were they at the launch party for the brand?
Jesse Fritsch: Those people have nothing to do with AYC. A friend of ours is simply friends with them and invited them out. First and foremost with the party, everyone that went, yourself included, hopefully had a lot of fun. It wasn't your typical dive bar skate party but I think everyone that was there had a good time and that was the point. It wasn't planned that celebs were gonna be the face of the brand, but when the media came in no matter how many skaters were there, they focused on John Stamos and Paris Hilton. That's the skate media too. But that said, who wouldn't want their fucking photo with Uncle Jesse? [laughs] I think everyone that was there loved it, but when skaters saw the celebs online they thought, "What the fuck is this? This isn't skateboarding." And yes, you are right, that wasn't just skateboarding. That was just a party to have a good time. I guess there are rules? Maybe you aren't allowed to have certain types of people at your party or it's not "cool for skateboarding"? [laughs] We aren't fazed by the hate though. The party was super fun.
"You do something different and you are bound to catch some hate."
Do you think skateboarders can be close minded in terms of if people outside of skating get involved with anything, everyone freaks out?
Jesse Fritsch: Yeah that's one of the funniest things about skateboarding, I mean I've spent my whole life doing it, I love it. But you know, skateboarding is like, be yourself… but don't be too much of yourself or we may hate on you. Be innovative or do whatever tricks you want but don't do these tricks cause they're wack. Same thing with starting a brand. You do something different and you are bound to catch some hate.
Stevie Williams: Yeah I mean it's a gift and a curse. We definitely got some feedback from having celebrities at our parties, and taking pictures. It is what it is. Sometimes it's the kid's opinions that count and sometimes it's the industry's opinion that counts. Our intentions are skateboarding and I think it's cool that other people outside of skateboarding support our parties. It makes it bigger, it makes it louder.
There have been rumors that Lil Wayne or Justin Bieber are involved somehow secretly. Is there any truth to this?
Stevie Williams: No. Lil Wayne is definitely a friend, Bieber is cool too. They support skateboarding, a lot of people might not like it, because they are such megastars, pop, or whatever you want to call them. But at the end of the day, that's how skateboarding got so big. I mean back in the day, rock bands were supporting skateboarding and you had people like Tony Alva and Christian Hosoi. It's the same now, it's just our time.
Skateboarding is dope and people in pop culture want to support it, and it just sucks we would turn our back or talk shit. That's what sucks. That hurts. Skateboarding has come so far, from back in the day, where they knew they used to steal our swag. You know baggy jeans came from us, white T's and blonde hair, and different types of original styles came from skateboarding and our lifestyle. And now that we have a Lil Wayne or Justin Bieber and they decide to support skateboarding, it's like we turn our back on them. And I can admit, I've done that too, with Pharrell. But I lived and learned and at the end of the day, I respect whoever can make skateboarding bigger and louder so we can create opportunities for more skaters and get kids off of the street and not selling drugs. If Lil Wayne or Bieber can get 10,000 or 15,000 more people to skateboard, that's 10,000 or 15,000 thousand more kids that will probably make it somewhere in life, other than jail or getting in trouble. That's how I look at it. And I've skated with Wayne and with Bieber, and they are both pretty dope. I respect them for that and I'm grateful that mega pop stars can actually make what we've been doing our whole life, a little bit bigger.
Some people have said you used the triangle logos because you are a part of the illuminati, is this true?
Stevie Williams: [laughs] No, there's no truth to that. Actually Riley Hawk drew that logo. We put it on a shirt and when it dropped it created its own type of hype around it. Even my mom asked me if I was part of the Illuminati. It's skateboarding, it's triangles, it's circles, it's obstacles, joy, success….
Do you think it's hard for kids to relate to AYC's imagery: Yachts, red carpets, success, fame, money and all that?
Jesse Fritsch: You know, the skate kid in me thinks it's hard to relate to some degree because skateboarding has always been so modest – you know these unwritten rules of skateboarding to not brag about what you got. Which is an awesome part about skateboarding. Now I'm surprised more and more everyday with how many kids do feel comfortable or proud to be ballin' out or successful and they want to flaunt it, which is a huge change. Now obviously you can take that too far, and just be arrogant, but that is not AYC's intention at all. Stevie is simply saying, "I worked my ass off, came from nothing, and now I'm successful. I'm proud to be here and you can do it too." It's a learning thing for all of us everyday. It's tough for me as it's a different world than what I grew up with.
Stevie Williams: Once the kids can support the identity of AYC, the way I put it together, everybody on the team has a set fanbase. Collectively we share a lot of the same fans in a weird way. Like a friend of a Figgy fan, might be a fan of mine or Nyjah or Stefan. We don't all share the same image, but putting together AYC, just makes it like a cool superteam. When we go do things, we're gonna have Figgy fans, Riley Hawk fans, Stevie fans, Nyjah fans, everyone can come support it. You don't feel singled it out. We just have to show how well we work together and represent this brand and how we all have skateboarding in common.
Interview: Ian Michna
Great Viagra deals on our Twitter
Jesse Fritsch
stevie williams
ANDREW REYNOLDS ON "THIS IS SKATEBOARDING"
Our week dedicated to "This Is Skateboarding" wouldn't be complete without having a quick chat with The Boss.
October 11, 2018/Ian Michna/INTERVIEWS
GREG LUTZKA TALKS TEQUILA, NICKY HILTON AND BEING A "CONTEST SKATER"
You know when the most controversial thing about you is your choice of hats, things are going pretty well
August 30, 2012/Pat Maloney/INTERVIEWS
CATCHING UP WITH OTTO ROCKET
We tracked down Otto Rocket to see how he's been holding up 13 years after Rocket Power went off the air.
October 30, 2017/Nic Nootens & Larry Lanza/INTERVIEWS
THE INSIDE PERSPECTIVE WITH PATRICK O'DELL
Patrick O'Dell lives a skate nerd's dream: hosting a show on Vice where he interviews and tours with some of the most notorious skateboarders in the world.
May 31, 2012/Ian Michna/INTERVIEWS
KEITH HUFNAGEL ON THE FUTURE OF HUF
We heard a rumor that HUF was going out of business, so we talked with boss man himself to find out.
April 16, 2019/Ian Michna/INTERVIEWS
INTRODUCING STATE FOOTWEAR, A NEW SKATEBOARD SHOE BRAND
We tried to find out what this new skate shoe brand is all about.
DAVIS TORGERSON ON "NAPTIME"
We asked Davis about his video and the mysterious jizz face logo.
June 22, 2016/Ian Michna/INTERVIEWS
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GUY WHO ONE UPPED JUSTIN BIEBER
We talked to the dude who showed up Justin Bieber at the skatepark. Thug life!
February 18, 2015/James Lee/INTERVIEWS
fuck your face
THIS IS FUCKING STUPID
very interesting point of view
My opinion on this brand is it is just trying to glamorize skateboarding to people outside of the skating industry. Those kids I see everywhere with Diamond snapbacks and Janoskis are probably exactly who AYC's trying to market to. Anyone else agree? disagree? I still have no idea what to think about this company after reading this.
Team Olaf
Totally agree with you.
#AYCFOLYFE
guys, you didn't know? it's about triangles. it's about circles. it's all about the geometric shapes now! those shapes define joy and success!
Stevie isn't just trying to justify this because it's bad. It's GOOD to have investors that have no clue or idea what skateboarding is about funneling money into your hobby because it can show you how much money Stevie has now! He came from nothing and now look at what he gets to do!
he's preventing kids from dealing drugs because of showing how much money he has. upwards 20,000 to 15,000 kids alone, just with those outside investment partners! there's no doubt that he is doing this only for the good intention of helping skateboarding by flaunting an image so that other people can attempt to emulate it.
I'm totally turned on to the idea now that I read this thought provoking and interesting interview with a man who's intellectual capacity is immeasurable!
Triangle circle
You're being sarcastic right? Atleast I hope you are.


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Where to go for honeymoon in Sri Lanka?
Recommended locations for romantic retreats
With a growing collection of one-of-a-kind boutique hotels championing personalised service, authenticity and exceptional locations, it's no surprise that Sri Lanka is a popular destination for extra-special honeymoons. Here are a few of Sri Lanka's most luxurious honeymoon experiences.
Unusual ideas for luxurious Sri Lanka honeymoons
Travel by rail along one of the world's most scenic lines
Sri Lanka's Main Line Railway travels through some terrific mountain scenery. Built by the British colonists to transport their crops of Ceylon tea to the capital, the line's 46 tunnels, nine arched viaduct and Damodara's 360-degree substation loop were painstakingly carved out of mountains over a period of 60 years. These days the line's old-fashioned carriages and spectacular views make for a nostalgic trip, perfect for couples on a romantic honeymoon. It takes around a day to travel from Kandy to Badulla, the line's eastern terminus, so if you're short on time, opt for the most spectacular stretch between Nanu Oya and Damodara (2.5 hours).
Book into the Owner's Cottage at Ceylon Tea Trails
Honeymooners will be drawn to the evocative collection of former tea planters' bungalows in the Hatton hills known as Ceylon Tea Trails. Sensitively upgraded for the discerning traveller, each sits in idyllic mature gardens fringed by tea estates in and around the Castlereagh Lake Valley. Although any of the master or garden suites at the bungalows will suffice, for the ultimate luxury, book yourselves into the Owner's Cottage, a one-bedroom freestanding hideaway located up and behind Dunkeld Bungalow. It comes with a private butler, lounge, terrace and a hot tub, and shares Dunkeld's far-reaching valley views and pool. Once here, you can relax or get active – options include white water rafting and tea estate trails.
Ceylon Tea Trails: purpose made for luxurious honeymoons
Seek out stylish souvenirs in Colombo
Pick up chic souvenirs in Sri Lanka's up-and-coming capital Colombo and base yourself at Paradise Road Tintagel, a boutique hotel carved out of the former home of the Bandaranaike family, a dynasty of political rulers. From here, it's just a 10-minute walk to the Saskia Fernando Gallery, the capital's go-to place for contemporary art, and PR, a chic concept boutique selling ladies and men's' fashion by new and emerging regional designers (look out for in-house brand Maus), as well as candles, toiletries and jewellery. Hop in a tuk tuk bound for Barefoot (a Sri Lanka icon, known for its multi-coloured handloom wares), Paradise Road (for chic designer home items) and Spa Ceylon to stock up on delicately scented massage oils.
Safari in style at Yala National Park
Sri Lanka's wildlife is excellent and Yala National Park is the best reserve for spying its biggest game – leopards, sloth bears and elephants. For all its merits, Yala can get very busy. Most visitors enter the park from the south so the location of Leopard Trails' campsite, to the north of the reserve, near the quieter Katagamuwa Entrance, puts you at a distinct advantage. Some of their guides trained in South Africa and each has his own specific interest. The camp's honeymoon appeal comes in the form of roomy air-conditioned tents with king-sized beds, air conditioning, ensuite bathrooms with hot water showers, and private starlit dining.
Seek out whales from secluded Jungle Beach
If you're honeymooning over the summer months, Sri Lanka's eastern beaches promise fine weather and calm seas. Kuchchaveli, a 3km long bay, 30-minutes' drive north of Trincomalee, is a remote and romantic spot where just one hotel – Uga Jungle Beach – hides amidst its scrubby shoreline. The freestanding beach chalets, with outdoor showers, immersed in greenery, make the most of this seclusion. There are daily trips out to sea to spy whales and dolphins, and Trincomalee is a much less congested place to see these giants than south coast Mirissa, which has become oversubscribed and haphazardly regulated in recent years. You could also nip out by boat to Pigeon Island, Sri Lanka's top snorkelling spot.
Switch off at Santani
Many hotels promise a 'digital detox' but few actually deliver. Santani, up in Kandy's northeastern hills, vows to change this. Everything about this hilltop wellness resort is designed to let the mind be at peace. The rooms – many cantilevered sharply out from the hillside – and the main buildings all follow a minimal design aesthetic, and while Wi-Fi is there, you must request it. The resort's spa is world class and promises luxurious treatments as well as traditional Ayurveda, hydrotherapy facilities, yoga and packages – if this is what you want. There is no obligation to sign up to anything – absorb these pristine natural surroundings from your room balcony or get active, trekking to pristine rivers and off-the-beaten-track temples.
Chase waterfalls in the south-eastern hills
Sri Lanka's south-eastern hill country is blessed with some of the island's most spectacular waterfalls, and many of these are hidden well away from public roads and therefore deserted. Stay at Living Heritage Koslanda, a six-bedroom boutique hotel amidst 60 acres of forested grounds, and you can escape to their private, secluded waterfall. You won't see anyone else around, and between May and September, the forest – part of a network of woodland that snakes up through the hills, is a migratory route for elephants. Sleep in one of the cantilevered, open-sided forest chalets for a close-to-nature feel, and swim in their remote hilltop infinity pool. There are also walking trails of 10km or more, taking you through tea and rubber plantations, and to the top pools of Diyaluma Falls, Sri Lanka's third highest waterfall.
Book a villa-for-two
For the ultimate private stay, skip the hotels and book yourself into a private villa for some quiet time amidst the buzz of the southern Galle coastline. One-bedroom Kikili Beach House, in Dalawella, casts a magical spell over every guest that steps foot inside its granite walls, which combines multi-hued tropical chic with the feel of a British beach house. It's also close to one of the region's best beaches and the colonial-era Galle Fort for historic walks and shopping. Kikili comes with an always-smiling butler to cook and keep the villa shipshape, leaving you two to chill on the veranda, cosy up in the lounge or dip into the plunge pool.
Specialist advice from Sri Lanka experts
We connect you with a top Sri Lanka tour company
Explore Sri Lanka
When to go to Sri Lanka
What to eat in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka travel FAQs
Sri Lanka culture and history
Sri Lanka's quietest beaches
We'll send your details to one of our Sri Lanka specialists who will be happy to offer expert advice.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Category Comments
Volume is a quantity that indicates the space occupied by a certain amount of matter. In the international system (SI), the unit that measures volume is the cubic meter (m 3). It is also common to use the liter or milliliter (mL) in volume measurement. Milk, soda and many other liquids can be measured using the liter as a unit of measure.
Yellow fever is an infectious disease caused by a flavivirus (the yellow fever virus) for which a highly effective vaccine is available. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and occurs exclusively in Central America, South America and Africa. In Brazil, yellow fever is usually acquired when an unvaccinated person enters wild transmission areas (cerrado regions, forests).
The lack of clean drinking water and treated sewage facilitates the transmission of diseases that are estimated to cause around 30,000 deaths daily worldwide. Most of these occur among children, especially those from the poorest classes, who die dehydrated from diarrhea caused by microbes. In Brazil, unfortunately, more than 3 million families do not receive treated water and two and a half times more homes have no sewage.
The female condom
It consists of a polyurethane tube with one end closed and the other open, coupled to two flexible rings also polyurethane in the uterine cervix, vaginal walls and vulva. The product is already lubricated and should be used only once, highlighting that polyurethane, being more resistant than latex, can be used with various types of lubricants.
Soft cancer
It may also be called venereal cancer. It is popularly known as horse. It manifests through painful soft-based wounds. The first symptoms appear two to five days after unprotected intercourse with the person with the disease, a period that can extend up to two weeks. At first, one or more small pus wounds appear.
The term AIDS comes from the English acronym cquired immuno d efficiencies syndrome, which means acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Although AIDS is commonly identified as a disease, it is actually a syndrome. The word syndrome characterizes a set of signs and symptoms that can be produced by more than one cause.
Human life, like that of all living beings, depends on water. But our dependence on water goes beyond biological needs: we need it to clean our homes, wash our clothes and our bodies. What's more, to clean machines and equipment, irrigate crops, dissolve chemicals, create new substances, generate energy.
Originally from Asia, more precisely from India and Bangladesh, cholera spread to other continents from 1817. It arrived in Brazil in 1885, invading the states of Amazonas, Bahia, Pará and Rio de Janeiro. In 1893 the disease reached São Paulo, spreading both in the capital and in the interior of the state.
Water, mosquitoes and diseases
Many mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. From eggs come out larvae, which then become adult mosquitoes. One way to combat mosquito-borne diseases is to prevent the accumulation of standing water in potted plants, empty cans, old tires, bottles, etc. Water tanks, tanks and other reservoirs should always be capped.
Birth control patch
The contraceptive patch should be glued to the skin at various locations on the body, remaining in position for one week. The biggest advantage is that women will not have to take the pill every day nor will they forget. Another advantage is that hormones will be absorbed directly into the circulation, avoiding some unpleasant side effects of the oral pill.
Atmospheric pressure and altitude
The French mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) took a barometer up a mountain. After many observations, measurements and notes, he found that air pressure decreases with height. The air becomes thinner (decreases the number of molecules present in it), gradually, as the altitude increases.
Thermal inversion
An interesting phenomenon in the atmosphere is that of thermal inversion, when the action of air pollutants can be greatly aggravated. It works like this: Normally, the air near the ground surface is in constant vertical movement due to the convective process (convection currents). Solar radiation heats the surface of the ground, which in turn heats the air that bathes it; This hot air is less dense than cold air, so hot air rises (upward vertical movement) and denser cold air goes down (vertical downward movement).
The air temperature is measured by thermometers. Weather reports usually indicate the maximum and minimum temperatures expected for a given period. Water vapor in the air helps retain heat. Thus we find that in drier places there is less heat retention in the atmosphere and the difference between maximum and minimum temperature is greater.
It is the most present gas in the air. This substance is fundamental to life on Earth, as it is part of the composition of proteins, which are molecules present in all living organisms. Nitrogen is a gas that can hardly be combined with other elements or substances. Thus, it enters and leaves our body during breathing (and also the body of other animals and plants) without changes.
The deserts have a very varied location and are characterized by very sparse vegetation. The soil is very arid and the rainfall is low and irregular, below 250 mm of annual water. During the day the temperature is high, but at night there is rapid heat loss that radiates into the atmosphere and the temperature becomes excessively low.
Atlantic forest
It was once the great Brazilian coastal forest. It went from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande do Sul. In some places it entered the continent, such as Paraná, where it occupied 98% of Paranaense territory. It was also the richest Brazilian biome in biodiversity. It is still in terms of km². Today is the most devastated of our biomes.
Populations have their own measurable characteristics. Each member of a population can be born, grow, and die, but only one population as a whole has specific birth and growth rates, and a pattern of dispersion in time and space. The size of a population can be assessed by its density. Population density may change.
It is the association in which only one species (tenant) benefits by seeking shelter or support in the body of another species (host) without harming it. It is an association similar to commensalism, not involving food. Examples: Garfish and Holoturia - Garfish have a thin, elongated body and protect themselves against the action of predators by sheltering themselves inside the holoturias (sea cucumbers) without harming them.
The Pantanal suggests animals, rivers, fish, woods, and anything like Paradise. It is a geologically new biome. The Paraguay riverbed is still in formation. "The Pantanal is the largest floodplain in the world and has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on earth. Situated in the heart of South America, the Pantanal extends across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay with a total area of 210,000 km2.
The Biogeochemical Cycles
The path of substances from the abiotic environment to the world of living beings and their return to the abiotic world complete what we call the biogeochemical cycle. The term is derived from the fact that there is a cyclic movement of elements that form living organisms ("bio") and the geological environment ("geo"), where chemical changes intervene.
Community Dynamics
In an ecosystem, there are many types of interactions between the components of the various species. We can classify relationships between living beings initially into two groups: intraspecific, which occur between beings of the same species, and interspecific, between beings of different species. It is common to differentiate relations into harmonic or positive and inharmonious or negative.
Cell Types
2.11: Rules of Protein Structure - Biology
Mutations, Death and the theory of Evolution
Can the innate immune system defeat a pathogen by itself? Fast enough that we don't develop antibodies, etc.?
Factor causing Methicilin-resistance in MRSA?
How do metal ions acting as enzyme cofactors "find" their respective enzymes?
Predatism
How can I produce milligram quantities of an isotope-labeled DNA oligomer?
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Christine Lindsay and "Sofi's Bridge"
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father's death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
Just after the reunion with my birthdaughter Sarah in 1999 I started writing. Meeting Sarah whom I had relinquished to adoption in 1979 when she was 3 days old, and finding her again when she was 20 was the most emotional experience of my life.
My husband caught me crying one day about the original loss of my child, and he gave me a brand new journal and pen, and said, "Here honey, write it."
That was the start. A few years later I felt the Lord encourage me to put the emotional and spiritual healing I had received into Christian fiction to encourage others. It's been a long journey, but I this year I am seeing my 7th book published.
My life verse is Isaiah 49:15, 16a, "Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See...I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
The whole aspect of God taking our broken hearts and healing them, giving us joy that is centered on Him, is the theme of all my novels. I believe in happy endings. It's also the theme of the non-fiction book of mine that is coming out this August 2016, Finding Sarah--Finding Me: A Birthmother's Story. More to come on that book in August.
I recently read and loved the Language of Sparrows by Rachel Phifer, and highly recommend it.
Sofi raised her gaze. "But what about you, Neil? With all this talk about life's purposes and the toil of one's brow, what are you doing with your life?" The sun nestled between two peaks as she tensed her weight against the sun-warmed granite.
Her natural perfume intoxicated him—not the overpowering colognes of society, but the scent of soap, apples she been paring earlier—stirring the desire to touch her cheek, her hands, her arms. What if he closed the gap between them? How would the softness of her cheek feel against the roughness of his? What would her lips taste like?
He couldn't tear his gaze from her softly parting mouth. A muscle tapped at the base of her throat.
Had one of them moved closer?
He pulled in a breath. When a man and a woman cared for each other, they should speak the truth. He wanted to tell her about the thrift clinic he'd partnered in for the poor back home. Tell her of the work he'd done in the hospital. If he shared his pride in those accomplishments, he knew her eyes would shine in understanding.
Aye, right, ye fool. Then tell her you left the clinic and your position in Belfast City Hospital, as well as all your patients, to run to Washington State to be a gardener. How could he possibly tell her about the night that stole his life from him, and all with one slash of a knife? He rubbed the pressure between his brows.
Christine Lindsay is the author of multi-award-winning Christian fiction. Tales of her Irish ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in Colonial India inspired her multi-award-winning series Twilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.
Christine's Irish wit and her use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi's Bridge also features a dashing Irish hero.
Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine and her husband live on the west coast of Canada. Coming August 2016 is the release of Christine's non-fiction book Finding Sarah—Finding Me: A Birthmother's Story.
Christine is generously giving away an E-BOOK copy of "Sofi's Bridge" to one of my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/10. Thanks for participating and God bless!


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The Deciders
The Agenda: The Future of Prosperity
Live Home
Reading Now:
How Congress made tax reform impossible
The tax code became a shadow budget for lawmakers to hide spending — and now dozens of programs need to be slashed.
By DANNY VINIK
In 1977, with the economy struggling and unemployment above 7 percent, Congress launched a new job-creation program. It was done through the tax code, offering employers up to a $2,100 credit for each new hire. Over the past 40 years, the program has cost tens of billions of dollars and been reformed dozens of times. Today, it's small and targeted: Employers receive the subsidy only for hiring specific individuals, including food-stamp recipients, disabled veterans and, as of 2015, the long-term unemployed.
Helping the most disadvantaged Americans find work is the kind of thing that Democrats and Republicans agree on, even in today's politically charged atmosphere. But as part of their once-in-a-generation tax overhaul, House Republicans want to eliminate the decades-old program. If their plan passes, employers will stop receiving a tax credit for hiring disabled vets and long-term unemployed people—a change that experts believe would make it harder for people in some of the toughest situations to find work.
"It would be a significant barrier to us trying to encourage people to hire people with autism," said Tammy Morris, chief program officer for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, which opposes the provision.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is one of dozens of small programs on the chopping block in the GOP tax plan—and whose upset beneficiaries are making tax reform a political minefield. The plan would also cut tax breaks for teachers who buy supplies for their classrooms, for investments in impoverished areas and for workers who move for a new job. As more analysts read through the 429 pages of the bill, released last week, it has become clearer that "tax reform" entails an en-masse rollback of such small-scale benefits—programs that go unnoticed by the vast majority of Americans, but are crucially important to their beneficiaries.
The large number of impacted groups are already causing significant friction for the reform, and it's likely just beginning. Disability-rights groups, like the Autism Alliance for Michigan, and veterans' groups, including Veterans for Foreign Wars and the American Legion, are speaking out against the removal of the WOTC, which "definitely incentivizes employers to hire veterans," said Ariel DeJesus, an assistant director at the American Legion. Housing groups and state and local governments are fighting to keep a tax break that supports the development of low-income housing. Pro-life groups already convinced House Republicans to restore a $3.8 billion tax break for adoptive parents, which was repealed in the original bill.
And these calls are only likely to grow louder and more numerous now that the Senate GOP has released its own tax plan, which is expected to repeal or limit many similar tax breaks.
If the sheer number of interest groups might seem to make ambitious tax reform impossible, there's a very simple reason, and the blame lies with Congress: As the 1977 law suggests, Congress for decades has been using the tax code to stash subsidies that could never get in through the front door of the budget process. Thanks to both Democrats and Republicans worried about being tagged as spendthrifts, the U.S. tax code has grown into a vast shadow budget, a massive law stacked with social programs, incentives for economic growth, and even special subsidies for sports stadiums and rum manufacturers.
Since the early 1990s, such shadow spending – known to budget wonks as "tax expenditures"— have grown from around $600 billion to $1.2 trillion, after adjusting for inflation. Much of this growth has come from large, well-known tax breaks, like the exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance and the mortgage interest deduction, which would be limited under the GOP bill. But the sheer number of tax expenditures has also grown by more than half during that period as well.
Since these social programs are buried in the tax code and don't look like spending, they are politically popular and make tax reform devilishly difficult, said Michael Strain, director of economic studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "It shows up as a decrease in their tax bill rather than an increase in the amount of government spending they receive," he said. "But it is government spending." He added about the huge number of tax expenditures, "It's so big and comprehensive. How do you get arms around it?"
The result is that the GOP's tax plan is running afoul of dozens of groups—including numerous small but sympathetic constituencies who benefit from the nearly $1 trillion worth of breaks in the existing tax code. Morris described a small cleaning company that her organization works with that relies on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to offset the costs of recruiting and training people with disabilities. "They would have to stop that practice, which means that those individuals will go back on state-funded support," she said.
It's popular on both sides of the aisle to portray the tax code as filled with special interest giveaways, and the GOP plan does eliminate some tax breaks that accrue almost entirely to the rich, like a subsidy for sports stadiums. But many of the tax breaks targeted by the House Republican bill have clear social purposes, encouraging certain behaviors that are widely seen as beneficial for American society. That includes a deduction for employer-provided dependent care, which helps workers afford care for their children or spouses with disabilities, as well as a tax exclusion on interest on private activity bonds, which state and local governments use to fund low-income housing and has helped attract billions of dollars in private financing. The plan also eliminates two deductions for work-related moving expenses; economists believe such labor market churn is crucial to a strong labor market. Other tax breaks targeted for repeal include a deduction for employer-provided transportation benefits, a credit for the rehabilitation of historic buildings and a credit for small businesses to improve accessibility for disabled individuals.
Christopher Howard, a political scientist at the College of William and Mary and author of "The Hidden Welfare State" about social policies buried in the tax code, described this process as "how we build a welfare state when we don't really trust government that much." He added, "Often Republicans and Democrats meet in the middle, where Democrats would like to expand government directly and Republicans don't want to expand it. And so they agree to expand it indirectly."
The House GOP plan is guided by the philosophy that eliminating tax breaks and cutting tax rates will unleash economic growth, creating better economic outcomes for everyone. They want to reduce the size of the tax code by wiping away special interest giveaways and limit even broadly popular tax breaks, like the mortgage interest deduction, to partially pay for their tax overhaul. But within that broad framework, there are plenty of inconsistencies.
For instance, the GOP plan eliminates the New Markets Tax Credit, which encourages businesses to invest in economically downtrodden areas, but doesn't affect a very similar tax credit for investing in so-called "empowerment zones," which are poor urban and rural areas. (Empowerment zones were championed by House Speaker Paul Ryan's mentor, former Rep. Jack Kemp.) Originally, it eliminated a deduction for adoption expenses—but it leaves untouched a tax exclusion for payments to foster parents.
Republican leaders argue that, broadly speaking, increased economic growth from lower and simpler taxes will offset any other the losers. Asked at a POLITICO Playbook event last week about the proposed repeal of the tax break for adoptive parents, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, who is the father of two adopted sons, called it a "tough choice." He added, "These are tough calls and the call is this, do we want a tax code that has special provisions you may use once in your life, or do we want a tax code that lowers rates and you get help every year of your life?" On Thursday, facing pressure from pro-life groups, Brady introduced an amendment to retain the adoption credit.
Many experts believe that for the people affected, no amount of additional growth will make up for the loss of these targeted tax breaks. It's near impossible for economists to tally the costs of the veteran who doesn't get a job because the WOTC was repealed or the fast food worker who can't afford to move to a better paying job. But for individuals, those costs are real, even if they are just a small piece of a $1.5 trillion tax cut that would reshape the U.S. economy.
This problem isn't unique to the GOP tax plan. All politicians talk about cleaning up the tax code and eliminating special interest loopholes. But any plan that wants to significantly reduce the number of tax breaks is inherently going to face tough choices about deductions and credits that serve real social purposes and for which the government doesn't have ready replacements.
There's a way to address these programs, of course, but it wouldn't help Republicans hold their plan to $1.5 trillion in revenue losses, which is required by their budget. Instead of simply wiping away these tax breaks to pay for other tax cuts, they could be converted into government spending programs, funded each year by Congress through the annual budget process. For instance, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit could become a subsidized employment program; funded at the same level as the tax credit, it would cost around $400 million a year. Congress could do the same with other tax breaks, from the deduction for adoption expenses to the subsidy for workers who move for a new job. Such a plan could be deficit-neutral and more transparent, while giving lawmakers a chance to fix the flaws that many of these programs have built up over the years. And it would simplify the tax code. But there's a reason Congress is unlikely to take that route anytime soon: It would give the spending nowhere to hide.
When reform hits real life
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NASA chief: We could be on Mars in the 2030s
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Wrongometer
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Great food. Just remember to bring all items requested. Thanks.
Delicious! I've added it to my "go-to" list.
Food was great and the online ordering worked like a champ!
Very good and very fast. Surprisingly, the spinach was my favorite. I like the food and I like being able to order on line and pay when I get there. Great place!
Just moved to the neighborhood and tried this for the first time late about 9pm. Order was delivered just before 10pm. The food was decent, chicken was a bit dry and the naan was too crispy almost like a cracker, portion was pretty small too. We'll try it again at an earlier time to see if that makes a difference but comes through in a clutch, definitely no Food Corner!
Quick Service and easy pickup. The portion was small for the price but the Kabobs were very good.


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package com.cadalys.heroku.exception;

public class DatabaseException {}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Ethics Is Inseparable from Accounting Practices
Darlene Nzorubara | December 17, 2020
Available Languages: English | French
Across the world, economies face the unprecedented impact of major simultaneous public health and economic crises. These circumstances require professional accountants and auditors to adjust their operations to virtual/remote settings and realign their services to address the needs of their clients. In the public sector, professional accountants have the responsibility to uphold accountability, transparency, and ensure ethical decision-making in the managing and disbursement of public funding. Professional accountants in business and in public practice are facing similar challenges and are expected to support fair and reliable financial reporting and disclosures in support of the public interest.
Further, IFAC's International Standards Report: Global Status Report (2019) identified that over 120 member organizations operate in jurisdictions where English is not an official or a business language. In these jurisdictions, access to local language translations is essential to successful implementation of the international standards. In this context, the International Ethics Standards Boards for Accountants (IESBA), the Fédération International des experts-comptables et commissaires aux comptes francophones (FIDEF) and, the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) organized two webinars to discuss the practical ethics and independence challenges that are impacting the accountancy profession in Francophone and Anglophone countries due to COVID-19. More than 200 participants joined from over 20 countries across Africa including Algeria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The webinars featured presentations from:
Ms. Noemi Robert an IESBA CAG member, and a panel discussion with Ms. Fatoumata Cisse Sidibe, FIDEF President, Mr. Leonard Ambassa, PAFA President, and Mr. Arnaud Debray, FIDEF Secretary General.
Ms. Saadiya Adam, an IESBA member, and a panel discussion with Ms. Alta Prinsloo, PAFA CEO, and Ms. Lebogang Senne, PAFA Technical Director.
The conversations provided an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on professional accountants' work and reiterated the importance of adhering to the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, (including International Independence Standards) to maintain professional judgement and maintain compliance with the professional ethical standards.
Additionally, FIDEF featured some of the IESBA resources that have been translated into French to facilitate the implementation of the IESBA Code. The discussion also highlighted the guidance produced by the IESBA on applying the Code's conceptual framework during certain circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the IESBA Staff guidance on the ethics and independence considerations.
IFAC, IESBA, FIDEF, and PAFA will continue to collaborate during the pandemic to share guidance and advice. Readers can regularly refer to the IESBA support and resources web page and register and subscribe to the IESBA for updates.
View in English below:
View in French below:
Click here for full presentation slides in English and here for presentation slides in French.
Darlene Nzorubara
Darlene Nzorubara is a senior technical manager on IFAC's Quality and Development team, having joined IFAC in April 2011. In her time at IFAC, she has managed compliance and membership activities and currently supports the PAO Capacity Building Program and MOSAIC (Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Accountancy and Improve Collaboration) Steering Committee. These roles have helped her gain insights into development challenges experienced by PAOs in low-income nations. Before joining IFAC, Darlene was a governance research assistant at Baruch College in New York and a legal assistant for a law firm in Paris, France. Darlene has post-graduate degrees in international economic law and business and exportation law from Université René Descartes – Paris V along with a Master in International Financial Affairs from EHEI and a Master in Public Administration from Baruch College. See more by Darlene Nzorubara
Global Engagement Against Corruption: IFAC at the UNCAC CoSP9
December 20, 2021 | Scott Hanson, Director, Public Policy & Regulation, IFAC
Ethical Leadership in the Digital Age
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July 19, 2021 | Kristy Illuzzi, Naofumi Higuchi
Uniting for a Stronger Accountancy Profession: National PAOs Introduce a Joint Code of Ethics for Indonesian Accountants
July 13, 2021 | IAI, IAPI, and IAMI


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SDC Midlands Region – Wonderful World of Colour
Date: October 23, 2014 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: The Horse & Groom, 462 Radford Road, New Basford, Nottingham NG7 7EA
Contact: pamstarmer10@btinternet.com
SDC Midlands Region warmly invite you to their first lecture of the new season, Wonderful World of Colour presented by SDC President Richard Straughan of STP Ltd. This is a joint event with the Nottingham Society of Technical Dyers (NSTD).
Richard started his career in textiles with the Coats Patons Group at their factory Jeremiah Amblers Ltd as a trainee dyer and went on to work for Elton Cop Dyeing, LB Holliday & Co Ltd and Dykem North.
In 1981 he started LJ Specialities and in 2003 he became part of Speciality Textile Products Ltd (STP), the European agent for Kyung In Synthetic Corp and also acting as their European office for all sales and service. STP also specialise in other areas such as the supply of micro-encapsulated thermochromics, photochromics, fragrances and cosmetics for textile and non textile end uses.
Textile coloration has been and still is the major part of Richard's business life. However over the last few years Richard has been very interested in the many and very varied uses of dyes and pigments outside of textiles and the way these colours are adapted for use. His lecture will be broken into four areas:
1 Textiles – a brief summary of the dyeing and printing of cellulose (cotton) with Reactive dyes.
2 OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) – used in TV Screens and monitors
3 Security pigments
4 Molecular imaging – a new technology which has a growing impact on our lives
To read more about Richard's presentation go to the SDC Colour Blog.


The rebuilding of St.Paul's Cathedral in the late 17th century under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren.
There were numerous complications in planning a new city on the ashes of the old, in particular the property rights of freeholders. Laws were required to make changes and a body of Commissioners was created by the King and City of London, including Wren and Hooke, to consider the details. An early decision was that former streets should be widened and that property-owners would be compensated for any loss of land. During the winter of 1666-1667 committees met to discuss and determine many points, including the width of new streets and building regulations, which were to be laid down in the Rebuilding Acts. Individual streets were graded and types and size of houses prescribed according to those streets. The Bill ordered that all exterior walls of each building should be made of brick or stone. To prevent flooding and to reduce the steep descent of streets that ran down to the river Thames Street and the ground to its south was to be raised by three feet. No buildings were to be constructed within forty feet of the waterside alongside the entire length of the City, thus creating a wide Thames-side quay.
Fire insurance did not yet exist, so property-owners, including the City of London and parish churches, had lost their properties. How could the cost of rebuilding be paid? Parliament found part of the answer by introducing a London coal tax in January 1667. It was used to pay for the road-widening compensation, to buy the land for the new quay along the north bank of the Thames and either side of the Fleet, as well as for new prisons.
Property-owners had lost their buildings but lease-holders had lost their homes. According to lease agreements tenants were normally responsible for making good any damage and liable to continue paying rent, even though the household had been destroyed. It was a difficult legal conundrum and Parliament created the Fire Court to arbitrate in each dispute between landlord and tenant. The first case was heard in February 1667, with judges sitting from eight o'clock each morning. By December 1668 fourteen judges heard over eight hundred cases and the powers of the court were extended until 1676.
Parliament anticipated that there would be an unprecedented demand for construction workers and prices could spiral out of control, which would not only disadvantage Londoners but would slow down the rebuilding. To limit the problem the Rebuilding Act set aside for seven years the need for builders to be a member of a Livery Company and ensured that all tradesmen were prohibited from charging exorbitant amounts for labour or materials.
Before any work could begin a survey was required in order to establish the boundaries of those former properties, which was not an easy task when almost everything had been obliterated and buried under piles of debris. It was decided that surveyors were to be appointed to stake out the new streets and ensure that each new building was erected in accordance with the law. That task was given to Robert Hooke and Peter Mills. Between them they marked out eleven miles of roads. The first building survey was carried out in May 1667 and the last at the end of 1671, by which time almost eight thousand four hundred had been dealt with.


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Q: Is there a natural way to determine a threshold for required number of data points? Often you want to compute a statistic, but only for entities that meet criteria for having a meaningful sample size. For instance, in baseball you often see a footnote like "among batters with at least 100 at bats". A player might have one at bat, get a hit, and have a perfect batting average, but we don't want to include these hitters because the number of data points makes this hitter non-representative.
But that choice of 100 at bats for the threshold often seems arbitrary. Is there a way to let the data yield its own optimal threshold value? This would be a procedure that naturally fits the data set with a line separating the players with enough data points from the ones without, based on the relevant metric (e.g. batting average) in the data set itself.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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