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The Reports of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of Ceylon: The Court of Vice Admiralty of Ceylon, and His Majesty's Privy Council on Appeals from Ceylon, Volume 1
Ceylon. Supreme Court
Times of Ceylon Press, 1904
The Reports of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of Ceylon: The ..., Volume 3
accused action administration affirmation agent agree allowed amount appeal application appointed Attorney-General authority behalf brought cause Ceylon charge cited Civil Procedure claim Colombo commissioner considered Corporation costs Council Counsel damages deceased decided decree deed defendant defendant's direct District Court District Judge effect English entitled evidence execution facts favour filing fund further give given ground heirs held holding husband individual intention interest issue Jaffna judgment jurisdiction Justice land LAYARD Magistrate matter meaning Municipal offence officer opinion Ordinance party Pereira person plaint plaintiff Police possession present principle Procedure Code proceedings proceeds prove provisions purchase question reason received recover referred regard reported representative respect Respondent Roman Dutch Law Roman-Dutch rule share sold suit summarily Supreme Court taken tion trial trust wife witness
Page 197 - It is perfectly settled that where the contract which the plaintiff seeks to enforce, be it express or implied, is expressly or by implication forbidden by the common or statute law, no court will lend its assistance to give it effect.
Appears in 51 books from 1832-1981
Page 7 - I apprehend there is no distinction whatever between the law of Scotland and the law of England. The law must be the same in all countries where law has been considered as a science. The professional adviser has never been supposed to guarantee the soundness of his advice.
Page 170 - For these reasons their Lordships will humbly advise His Majesty that the appeal ought to be dismissed with costs to the respondents.
Page 7 - Every person who enters into a learned profession undertakes to bring to the exercise of it a reasonable degree of care and skill.
Page 47 - Documents are said to be in proper custody if they are in the place in which, and under the care of the person with whom, they would naturally be ; but no custody is improper if it is proved to have had a legitimate origin, or if the circumstances of the particular case are such as to render such an origin probable.
Page 119 - It is a well-established rule of law that where a contract, not under seal, is made with an agent, in his own name, for an undisclosed principal, either the agent or the principal may sue upon it, the defendant, in the latter case, being entitled to be placed in the same situation, at the time of the disclosure of the real principal, as if the agent had been the contracting party.
Page 118 - On the other hand, if at the time of the sale the seller knows not only that the person who is nominally dealing with him is not principal, but agent, and also knows who the principal really is, and, notwithstanding all that knowledge, chooses to make the agent his debtor, dealing with him, and him alone...
Page 86 - Now, I am very far from thinking that this Court has not power to interfere with public bodies in the exercise of powers which are conferred on them by act of parliament I take it that it would be within the power and the duty of this Court so to interfere in cases where there is not a...
Page 168 - In general when the law is altered during the pendency of an action the rights of the parties are decided according to the law as it existed when the action was begun, unless the new statute shows a clear intention to vary such rights.
Page 118 - East, 62, the seller cannot afterwards, on the failure of the agent, turn round and charge the principal, having once made his election at the time when he had the power of choosing between the one and the other.
Title The Reports of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of Ceylon: The Court of Vice Admiralty of Ceylon, and His Majesty's Privy Council on Appeals from Ceylon, Volume 1
Author Ceylon. Supreme Court
Editor Kadirvalepillai Balasingham
Contributors Ceylon. Court of Vice Admiralty, Great Britain. Privy Council. Judicial Committee
Publisher Times of Ceylon Press, 1904


Then on Saturday I had a chill morning with tea and some studying. In the afternoon I met up with Ruta and we bought some take away coffee and then bought some snacks and stuff we needed to bake brownies. After that we went to my place and had a little photo shoot and then started making the brownies and at the same time making dinner for us and my siblings, because my parents weren't home. We ate dinner and then it was time for earth-hour, so we switched all our lights off and lit some candles instead. All of us played Cluedo, which was so much fun, while eating our delicious artistic brownies.
Art or cake? Cake or art?
After the hour we switched on the lights again and my parents came home, so Ruta and I started to look for flight and hotel for our trip to England this Summer. We found both flight and hotel, but we decided to what until the next day to book everything.
Then came Sunday, which was a beautiful and sunny day. Ruta and I went to church, but right after that I had to hurry because I had promise my friend Elsa to come to this Vintage Festival. She was one of the organisers and had told be a lot about it and I was really exited to see what see and her friends had accomplished , and maybe buy some pretty things. It took a while to go there, because I had to take the train from Stockholm to Uppsala, but it was worth it. There were a lot of people there and there were so many beautiful Vintage dresses, Retro stuff, pretty shoes and bags and everything old and antic you can imagine, I even saw old Vouge magazines from the 50's. I really felt at home and if I could I would have stayed longer then I did, but because it was so far away I could only stay for less then two hours. I did had time to buy a few things though. I fell in love with this really pretty bag, that I immediately decided to buy, I will show you a photo later. I also bought a black scarf and a belt, and I would have bought so much more if I have had more money with me and my more time to look around. When I came home I was really tired, but I still got my dad to help me book both flight and hotel. Everything is now booked Ruta and I have started our countdown until the trip. We are so exited it's almost ridiculous and I really can't wait.


The more that I "draw," the tighter you'll get!
To sculpt your fine tummy – and give it fresh birth!
With elixir from Heaven! I'll do it, I shall!
Manna from Heaven! There's no turning back!
To call his own in this world!
All creatures drink of joy At the nature's breasts.
Joyful, like a hero to victory.
This kiss to all the world!
Above stars must He dwell.
** – This is the popular name of a location in a mountain range located West of Alpine, Texas, U. S. A.
The painting was done in oils by The Cowboy Artist!


Whether you're playing online, at a home game or at the local casino's poker room, one of the top traits of winning poker players is patience. This is true if you play poker or if you play blackjack. Indeed it is true of most strategy games, like chess, backgammon or weiqi. Let your emotions and ego at the door and use your will power to play with more patience.
Patience in poker is fueled by a steely resolve to make the very best decisions and maximize profits. Oddly enough, our patience can be tested at both extremes.
When we have a big stack (lot of chips) we tend to start playing looser, taking too many risks and taking on the role of table bully. This is a good way to piss away chips if done carelessly. Use your big stack wisely instead.
At the other extreme we have the short stack (low amount of chips). One problem is the player's definition of short stack. Some players become desperate after a few losses when they still have a moderate stack size. They underestimate the value of their chips relative to the blind structure and start pushing all in or making risky moves at less than ideal times.
Patient poker players exercise patience, selecting good starting hands, betting to maximize their wins and folding at the first sign their hand is not going to win. One key to their success is having more chips to push into the pot with their monster hands because they haven't squandered it playing a desperate game.
To be patient at online poker is to be a grinder to some extent. If for example you use a PokerStars marketing code to get a 100% bonus, or any bonus code from a top poker room, you need to grind that bonus in order to convert it into real cash. If you rush it in order to convert faster, you will make mistakes, such as playing too loose or playing at too high stakes.
Most people are not patient, especially when it comes to having fun and making money. This is why most people are not profitable at online poker. Some are casual players and they want to have instantaneous fun by making wild gambles. It is fine because if you are their patient opponent you can make money from them simply by being more patient than them and waiting for the good opportunities to take their chips.


Sure, she's an actress, but she's also a mom, which is why Jennifer Garner helped her daughter's Girl Scout troop by lending a hand in selling cookies. So if you're a fan of Samoas and 13 Going On 30, you may have been in luck this weekend.
Garner parked herself outside a grocery store with a sign advertising some of this year's offerings. And the mom of three (with her two girls, Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel) was a total pro.
She also noted that she doesn't get recognized all that often — probably because people don't expect to see her there. So it's a good way to help her girls without taking up too much of the spotlight. "I'm just there with the troop," she said to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.
We're not too sure if the gentleman in the back had just figured out that Jennifer Garner was outside the store, or if he was pointing to something else entirely. It's pretty epic, no matter what.
Apparently Jennifer Garner takes selling Girl Scouts cookies VERY seriously. Haha!
While Garner called herself the "most deadbeat troop leader," she admits that she went through all of the training involved in order to lead. We personally think the troop is lucky to have such a kind, sweet, and business-savvy leader to guide them. By the way, if you don't live near Garner and want to pick up a few boxes (because, 'tis the season) www.girlscoutcookies.org will be your best resource.
Now the big question is, what's Garner's favorite Girl Scout cookie?


Any GP working within a levy paying practice, whatever their contractual basis, may apply to their LMC to be nominated for election.
We are always pleased to receive applications from GPs who wish to become LMC Members and represent their GP colleagues. Elections take place regularly under terms stipulated in the LMC Constitution.
Between elections, where there are vacancies on Committees, it may be possible to be co-opted. To be co-opted, you need to be nominated by an LMC Member. Co-option will be considered by the whole Committee and, if deemed appropriate, ratified.
Please contact the LMC Office for an LMC Member Recruitment Pack.
The LMC has an established scheme to enable local General PRactitioners and Practice Managers to attend, with an honorarium, one meeting of their Local Medical Committee.


How do I post pictures on this BB? Is there a way I can email them to the site?
If you hit the "Contact Us" @ the bottom of the page, it goes to Bill.
I'd like to encourage all of you to send in pics. They're worth 1000 words.
So if I want to post some pictures in the "Photos submitted for discussion" area I have to email them? Is there anyway I can post them directly without having to do that? I tried to cut and paste it into the message but it didnt work. I havent put pictures online before so any help is appreciated. Thanks.


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Home > July 2012
Prefacing Note on Intellectual Property Tests and Standards (Part 2 of 4)
Posted on July 25, 2012 by Tom Patterson
As mentioned in the previous post, as part of the reasonable likelihood of success prong, Apple must establish that Samsung is not likely to be able to invalidate the patent at trial. A patent can be invalidated on a few grounds. Most relevant for our purposes are the novelty and obviousness grounds for invalidation. Patent law requires that the claimed subject matter be both novel and non-obvious. Correspondingly, a patent claim is invalid if it is either anticipated (not-novel, lacking novelty) or obvious.
Figuring out the burdens for the validity part of the reasonable likelihood of success prong is slightly tricky. The party seeking a preliminary injunction bears the burden of establishing all four prongs of the preliminary injunction analysis, including the reasonable likelihood of success. In patent infringement cases, the reasonable likelihood of success prong involves patent validity. Demonstrating patent invalidity is the defendant's task, since patents are presumptively valid. This presumptive validity is also applicable during the preliminary injunction inquiry. Thus, at the start of the invalidity arguments, it is Samsung's burden to present evidence about the patent's invalidity. After Samsung raises the question of invalidity, Apple takes the burden of rebutting Samsung's invalidity challenge. If the court thinks that Samsung has raised a substantial question about the patent's validity, then Apple has not met its burden in demonstrating reasonable likelihood of success "on the merits of the validity issue." Court Order Denying Motion for Preliminary Injunction at 9. The district court summarized, "[u]ltimately, at the preliminary injunction state, Apple bears the burden of persuading the Court that it is more likely than not that Samsung will be unable to prove invalidity by clear and convincing evidence at trial." Id.
[NOTE: Apple's section on the validity of its design patents is rather sparse, which goes along with the procedural nature of validity challenges. Samsung bears the initial burden to produce the prior art that could challenge the validity of the patent at issue, after which Apple would then respond at length. Samsung's actual opposition brief, which would presumably contain the bulk of its invalidity arguments, appears to have been filed under seal (although there were several declarations and accompanying exhibits that were not). Apple's reply brief in support of its motion, which followed Samsung's opposition brief, also appears to have been filed under seal (although several declarations and exhibits were not). In light of these constraints, we focus on the material available in Apple's brief and the district court's opinion.]
Tags: TRO & Injunction
Before we further analyze Apple's motion and the Court's denial of it, we must first examine some of the tests and standards used in intellectual property law. These tests and standards are key to understanding the reasonable likelihood of success prong. For the reasonable likelihood of success on merits prong, Apple must demonstrate that it would be likely to prove infringement at trial and that Samsung would not be likely to prove invalidity at trial.
With respect to three design patents (D'677, D'087, D'899), the test for infringement asks: "would an ordinary observer perceive the design of the accuse device to be 'substantially the same' as the design of the patent?" This 'substantially the same' (or substantial similarities) standard is met when "'the resemblance [between the accused device's design and design patent] is such to deceive such an observer, inducing him to purchase one supposing it to be the other.'" Court Order Denying Motion for Preliminary Injunction at 24. With respect to software patent '381, Apple must prove likely infringement of at least one the claims of the '381 patent. A patent claim is infringed if the accused device reads on every element of the claim.
Tags: Business, Intellectual property, TRO & Injunction, law, litigation, standards
Apple v. Motorola: Injunction Hearing - General Point of Interest for Practitioners
Another note of interest to IP practitioners also came up during Judge Posner's questioning of Apple's argument about Motorola's infringement causing harm in the form of loss of consumer goodwill. Apple's attorneys had sought to bring in multiple news articles and reviews of the iPhone as evidence. Judge Posner questioned Apple as to the relevance of these articles, because they generally did not relate to the specific features that were the technology of the four patents at issue. He asked for articles that dealt specifically with the features that were being protected in the patents, because such articles could demonstrate how important those specific features were to consumers and their purchasing decisions. For example, one of the patents at issue had to do with a feature for a notification bar. The Judge seemed highly dubious of the value or importance of that feature to consumers, and he indicated that he would have wanted to see some articles about the notification bar feature, which could support Apple's argument that infringement of that feature harmed its goodwill or market share.
One suggestion is that parties should really focus on providing concrete, direct proof of how the infringement is leading to the harms being asserted. Especially with patents that deal with one tiny part of a larger machine and/or device; some direct evidence of the importance of the patented technology to consumers would be helpful. Apple argued that Judge Posner was being too "granular" in his focus. I am not sure that persuaded him.
Tags: Chicago, Illinois, TRO & Injunction, firm, injunction, law
Apple's 1st Motion for a Preliminary Injuction
Posted on July 6, 2012 by Tom Patterson
On July 1, 2011, Apple filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against some of the Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets at issue in the case. Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction was limited to four of the accused Samsung devices (Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Droid Charge smartphones, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1), which allegedly infringed the following four Apple patents: D'677, D'087, D'889, US Patent No. 7,469,381(one of the utility patents in suit, and it covers software).
For two reasons, the motion is interesting for how it starts. First, it explained why it limited the motion to four devices and four patents, claiming that the decision would be easy for the court:
"[i]n order to expedite resolution of this motion, Apple has selected intellectual property rights that lend themselves readily to adjudication without trial…Deciding infringement of these design patents is as simple as comparing Apple's design patents to images of the Samsung products and observing the substantial similarity between the two. The same is true for validity: a visual comparison of prior art designs with Apple's design patents confirms that Apple's patented designs are radically different from the prior art...the claims of the '381 patent are so clear…[a] simple demonstration proves that Samsung's products infringe…For even greater simplicity, Apple is limiting this motion to new products that Samsung recently released in the U.S." Apple's Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, 2011-07-01, Docket No. 86 at 8-9.
Second, Apple's motion, after bragging about the "unique and refined" look of its products, explained that it had tried to convince Samsung to abandon this course of copying to no avail. "[T]hose [Apple's] pleas fell on deaf ears." Attempts to resolve matters outside court are generally welcomed by the courts.
Tags: TRO & Injunction, apple, injunction, preliminary, samsung, vs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Marine Corps Air Station New River is preparing for an historic motorsports event Independence Day weekend when it hosts the Red Bull Global Rallycross.
"Never before in our history has Red Bull Global Rallycross competed on an active United States military installation," said Red Bull GRC CEO Colin Dyne. "We are excited to have the opportunity to bring this unprecedented event in the world of motorsport to New River air station. Red Bull GRC, our drivers and teams are all looking forward to putting on an incredible display for the troops on Independence Day weekend. We can't thank MCAS New River enough for helping us make it happen."
The event will feature cars with 600-horsepower 2.0 liter engines under the hood and skilled veteran drivers behind the wheel, tackling a challenging mixed surface track laden with obstacles.
Friday, Department of Defense identification cardholders got a chance to view practice and qualifying runs.
WITN's Rachael Cardin also got the chance to take one of the cars for a spin as a passenger.
Semifinals and main events for both Supercar and Lites are scheduled to take place on July 5 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday's scheduled event will be free and open to the public.
Among the drivers expected to compete in the event are two-time Red Bull GRC champion and "Top Gear" host Tanner Foust; 2014 Red Bull GRC runner-up, World Rally Championship competitor, and "Gymkhana" star Ken Block; former Formula 1 drivers Scott Speed and Nelson Piquet Jr.; action sports legends Bucky Lasek and Brian Deegan; and defending Red Bull GRC champion Joni Wiman.
For spectator protection, security checkpoints will be at the entrance to the field and bags, including backpacks and purses, will be searched. The event will take place rain or shine.
NBC will also be broadcasting the races Sunday. You can catch the action on WITN beginning at 5:00 p.m.


Kratom, the recently discovered medicinal herb, has taken the world by a storm. People from all fields of life are now investing in this extraordinary plant, hoping to see results that range from analgesia, sedation, mood enhancement, stimulation and what not. This natural herb is also getting famous amongst health enthusiasts and fitness freaks.
Many individuals who've tried Kratom before are claiming that the plant can deliver stimulating effects that are of immense help during strenuous exercises and workouts. The truth behind these claims will be unraveled in this article, by the end of which we'll know whether Kratom really can be used for fitness purposes.
Before starting our quest, we'll first look into what Kratom is and why it's getting all the attention.
Kratom, scientifically called Mitragynaspeciosa, is an evergreen tree indigenous to the forests of Southeast Asia. The tree is famous for its highly beneficial leaves that we are using for over two centuries as a treatment for different health problems.
The use of the tree leaves dates back to a time when they were used traditionally by farmers as an energy booster. The leaves have also been used to treat malaria, to relieve pain, to alleviate anxiety, to control depression, to reduce inflammation and to treat various other mood and sleeping disorders.
Not only this, the plant has recently found recreational uses and is consumed to achieve stimulation, happiness, euphoria and overall mood lift.
When people first started taking Kratom, they realized that the plant came with a pretty decent energy boost. This property of the plant led people into taking it more regularly for daily purposes such as walking, jogging, washing, cleaning and other day-to-day activities.
When this trend grew, many people started questioning the full capabilities of the plant. People made suggestions about how the plant, with its stimulating properties, might help bodybuilders, trainers, athletes, gymnasts, and players to perform better.
The question as to whether Kratom could replace pre-workout drugs became the topic of conversations and debates across the world. So can Kratom act as a pre-workout substance? Let's find out.
Pre-workout nutrition consists of supplements that contain ingredients which deliver a sudden boost of energy. Taking Pre- workout drugs a few hours before training, exercising, or bodybuilding can help you perform better. These supplements are specially designed to give you motivation, confidence, increased energy and the will to work for longer durations.
Looking into the properties of Kratom, we find that the plant is capable of delivering all the effects that are typical of a pre-workout drug. It might also be worthy to note that Kratom is related to the coffee plant, which is the most extensively used pre-workout substance.
When users on various forums are asked about the use of Kratom as a pre-workout, many responses were positive and in favor of the plant.
While sharing his story with the Kratom community, a user stated that he'd been using pre-workout supplements daily before hitting the gym. "At some point, after prolonged use, the supplements don't have the same effect as when you first use It.", Commented the user.
The user expressed that instead of using the supplements, he took a 3g dosage of Maeng Da one morning before going to the gym.
The user commented "I was astonished. It was like the first time you take pre-workout or the feeling when you first cycle onto pre-workout".
These experiences tell us that, Kratom, when taken correctly, can work wonders and can replace pre-workout supplements.
Now that we know Kratom's use as a pre-workout, the next question that arises in one's mind is whether the plant helps 'during' workout sessions. The answer is yes, it does.
Because Kratom is very stimulating, its use can make strenuous exercising less tiresome. The plant is an organic stimulant from the coffee family and is known to sharpen cognitive abilities and to improve overall productivity. Taking the plant helps in cardio, lifting, running and various other aerobic and endurance exercises.
Kratom's pain-killing properties also come to play during strenuous workouts, enabling users to train more often and more intensely without the fear of muscle pains and early fatigues.
Moreover, Kratom also helps build immunity; thus if you're working out in closed compartments with people who're sick, you can continue your training without any worries of catching the flu or other minor infections.
Since we're discussing Kratom's role in maintaining overall fitness, it might be of importance to note that Kratom can improve diet and food choices. Unusual as it may seem, many people have stated that Kratom has enabled them to eat healthier.
While these claims aren't backed up by any scientific studies yet, we are hoping that scientists will look further into this property of the plant sooner than later.
While Kratom can help tremendously in workouts and fitness regimes, it is essential to know that one can only achieve the benefits of the plant at accurate dosages. Kratom can be both, stimulating, and sedating in a dose-dependent manner. If taken at low to medium dosages, the plant is usually energizing and mood lifting.
Higher dosages, however, will defeat the purpose of the plant and will end up making you feel lazy and sedated.
We recommend that users who're looking for the stimulating effects of the plant should take a small amount that can range for 1-4g of the plant. It is also important that the dose is taken around 30 minutes before a workout session.
As much as the amount of Kratom is essential for fitness, the type of Kratom strain used is also a key factor to achieve maximum stimulation.
Because some Kratom strains generally tend to be more sedative, they're not the best choice for workout sessions. These strains include the Red-veined varieties of the plant, including Red vein Bali, Red vein Borneo and Red vein Indo. Red Vein Thai, however, is relatively stimulating and can be used.
The best strains to use though, are the White veined strains, which are famous for their exciting effects. These strains can be mixed with other varieties to get enhanced effects.
We can now easily conclude that Kratom if taken appropriately, could help in fitness and be used as a replacement substance for pre-workout supplements, opiates or other illegal medications used for an energy boost and stimulation.


The Australian native said it's always been her dream to find a way to combine her affinity for children with her love of teaching and art. That dream became My Art Shed studio at 7426 Girard Ave., which Talbot uses to offer a plethora of art instruction to all ages.
"We pretty much do every form of art — sculpture, painting, drawing," she said, noting her emphasis is always on building creativity which she claims can bridge educational gaps by teaching youth to "think creatively or outside the box," as opposed to education centered around testing.
"They (students) get more than just a few painting lessons," she added.
Noting she's "pretty lucky" to have three schools within 500 yards of her front door, Talbot said it makes it "a nice little local spot" to teach art to everyone from toddlers to seniors, during the day, at night, on weekends and in summer camps.
For more information about My Art Shed call (858) 454-4499 or visit www.myartshed.com.


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Photo: Branden Camp/APPhoto: Branden Camp/AP
Politicians Campaign on Free Speech While Voting to Penalize Boycotts of Israel
Lawmakers around the country are demanding free speech with one hand, and passing so-called anti-BDS laws to punish boycotts of Israel with the other.
Lee Fang Zaid Jilani
Lee Fang, Zaid Jilani
Politicians around the country are seizing upon highly publicized episodes of conservatives faced with harassment and heckling on college campuses by responding with a wave of legislation supposedly aimed at preserving free speech rights for campus speakers. But that commitment, while draped in the mantle of a principled defense of the First Amendment, does not always extend to speakers who criticize Israel and its policies.
This renewed concern about free speech comes after a number of high-profile incidents in which students interrupted conservative speakers, and in a few cases, even used violence at protests. At a hearing on campus free speech in October, U.S. senators expressed bipartisan support for the First Amendment on college campuses, but lawmakers around the country are demanding free speech with one hand, and passing laws that punish boycotts of Israel with the other.
One of the most prominent examples comes from Wisconsin, where Republican state Sen. Leah Vukmir has used the issue of campus free speech to launch a campaign for U.S. Senate this year, challenging the incumbent, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Vukmir is the original sponsor of "free speech" legislation that calls for a strict disciplinary system for those who infringe on others' free speech rights on college campuses in her state. "Students, professors, and administrators are using intimidation tactics to silence those they disagree with," Vukmir said, after unveiling her legislation last May.
She went on to launch a campaign with the help of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, for lawmakers in other states to duplicate her campus free speech efforts. "Senator Vukmir is a champion of free speech issues," reads a press release from ALEC, which awarded Vukmir its "Iron Lady Award" for taking tough stands as a legislator.
But Vukmir, a strong supporter of Israel, is apparently selective in her championing of free speech.
Just months after sponsoring the free speech legislation last year, Vukmir sponsored a so-called anti-BDS law in Wisconsin, prohibiting the state from entering into contracts with businesses that choose to express themselves by engaging in a boycott to protest Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Gov. Scott Walker signed an executive order establishing the anti-BDS policy in October.
BDS refers to the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement that advocates for economic pressure to force Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories. BDS campaigns have gained traction across the United States in recent years, particularly on college campuses. Palestine Legal, a nonprofit advocacy group, notes that boycotts have long played a significant role in U.S. history, and that the "Supreme Court has held that boycotts to effect political, social, and economic change are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution."
But pro-Israel advocacy organizations, including the America Israel Public Affairs Committee, known by its acronym AIPAC, have spearheaded an aggressive campaign to encourage lawmakers to stifle BDS activism. Twenty-four states have now passed legislation designed to penalize or prohibit BDS activity.
AIPAC spearheaded an aggressive campaign to encourage lawmakers to stifle BDS activism.
These laws have been used to suppress the speech of a wide range of people and businesses. In Kansas, a star teacher was denied payment to train other teachers because she was following her church's guidance and boycotting Israel. (A federal court struck down the Kansas law following that controversy.) In Texas, a town seeking contractors to rebuild after a devastating hurricane mistakenly used an anti-BDS clause to prevent the hiring of anyone who also boycotted Israel.
Rather than focus on the suppression of pro-Palestinian activism, legislators have almost singularly focused on a string of high-profile attacks on right-wing speakers on college campuses. One example is Milo Yiannopoulos, an "alt-right" provocateur who has collaborated with white supremacist figures. He was a relatively obscure figure until left-wing activists protested violently when he came to the University of California, Berkeley campus, elevating him as a national figure. At the October Senate hearing, Allison Stanger, a Middlebury College professor, testified about her experience moderating a talk with American Enterprise Institute scholar Charles Murray, whose book, "The Bell Curve," on IQ as a determinant of socioeconomic status has been criticized as being racist. The protesters disrupted the speaking engagement, assaulting Stanger and leaving her hospitalized.
Across the country, politicians are hoping to harness the outrage over such incidents into political benefit, supposedly in the name of securing free speech.
Texas Republican state Sen. Van Taylor last week won the GOP nomination to run for Texas's 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Dallas. Last year, Taylor voted in favor of SB1151, a bill designed to discourage campus censorship. The vote occurred within weeks of another Taylor-supported bill, HB89, which prevents the state of Texas from entering into contracts with businesses engaged in BDS activism.
Ohio Republican state Rep. Robert Sprague, running for state treasurer, is the sponsor of bills to both promote campus free speech and to penalize companies that express support for BDS.
In Georgia, Republican state senator Josh McKoon is one of a number of Republicans vying for the office of secretary of state. He was one of the co-sponsors of Senate Bill 339, which, like the Wisconsin bill, takes aim at students who interrupt university speakers. McKoon is also the man behind the failed perennial push for a religious freedom bill, known as RFRA, that critics fear would essentially license businesses to discriminate.
In a 2016 interview, McKoon justified the religious freedom bill by citing the example of a wedding singer who would be asked by a same-sex couple to perform at their ceremony. "If that person is approached by a same-sex couple that says, 'We want to hire you to do this,'"and [the singer] says, 'No, I believe that wedding is a sacramental union that involves God, one man, and one woman, and this is contrary to my belief,' are we going to say, as a matter of policy, the government is going to compel that person to participate in the order of service against their sincerely held religious beliefs? I don't think that anybody would suggest that we shouldn't make room for people who have different beliefs or different ideas," he said.
But McKoon also was a sponsor of SB 327, which, when it passed in 2016, outlawed state contracts with any individual or business who boycotts businesses based in Israel or even in the illegal settlements Israel operates in Palestinian territory. The bill does exactly what McKoon claims to be against: It tries to compel people to take actions against their own beliefs.
The bill does exactly what McKoon claims to be against: It tries to compel people to take actions against their own beliefs.
For example, the Kansas teacher who was barred from a state contract because of her support for BDS was inspired to engage in boycotts because of her membership in the Mennonite Church USA. Last year, the church voted to divest from some U.S. companies that do business in Israel's occupied territories.
In an email to The Intercept, McKoon said he saw no contradiction between supporting RFRA and potentially punishing individuals who would boycott Israel under a religion obligation.
"With respect to your question, if RFRA were to pass, the state law regarding contracts with Israel and a business which does business with Georgia claimed their boycott of Israel had a religious basis, then the balancing test would be applied," he wrote, going on to explain the legal balancing test a court would have to do if the law were to be challenged. "First the Court would have to determine if the interest in preserving our relationship with Israel was a compelling state interest. Then if the Court was satisfied that it was a compelling state interest they would have to determine if some sort of religious accommodation would be warranted to make the policy the least restrictive policy. I don't pretend to know how the Court would resolve a hypothetical lawsuit after RFRA passed, which is the point of the whole RFRA debate. It isn't a religious exemption bill as some have tried to claim, but rather a balancing test under which sometimes the government prevails and sometimes the individual prevails."
He added: "I don't see a conflict between desiring a strict scrutiny standard for free exercise claims against state and local government and public policy to preserve our historic relationship with the State of Israel."
In other words, McKoon argued that the state may have an interest in maintaining a relationship with Israel that supersedes an individual's religious freedom and free speech rights, or it may not, but he wants the courts to settle the debate.
In Iowa, the state legislature in 2016 voted to bar state funds from being invested in companies boycotting Israel. On February 28 of this year, the state Senate passed its own campus free speech bill, with all Republicans in favor, and all Democrats plus the chamber's one independent opposed. All of the Republicans who were serving in 2016 and are still serving backed both the anti-BDS and campus free speech bill.
The hypocrisy, while more pronounced by Republicans on the state level, is shared by both parties.
In Congress, a bipartisan group of lawmakers have sponsored a series of resolutions and hearings to highlight the threat to free speech on college campuses, while many of the same members have sponsored efforts go even further than state-level anti-BDS laws, pushing to impose criminal and civil penalties on organizations that engage in BDS activism.
The Senate legislation criminalizing boycott speech against Israel is championed by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. In the House, the lead co-sponsor is Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., who simultaneously sponsors the bill championing free expression on college campuses.
The anti-BDS laws have the potential to result in censorship of student speakers, the very issue that has supposedly inspired the wave of campus free speech laws.
As a result of Arizona's HB2617, an anti-BDS state law passed in 2016, students at Arizona State University had to change their plans for an upcoming event on Palestine. They invited Hatem Bazian, chair of American Muslims for Palestine, to speak about BDS at the April 3 event, but the university's speaker agreement included a "No Boycott of Israel" clause, based on the state's anti-BDS law. Bazian could not comply with that provision and thus, was effectively barred from speaking at the university, according to a lawsuit filed on March 1 by the CAIR Legal Defense Fund.
Bret Hovell, a spokesperson for the university, told The Intercept that the school does not believe the anti-BDS law should apply in this case, and that student groups are free to use a contract that does not include the clause. "It was a simple mistake that the ASU form containing the certification [of not boycotting Israel] was used," he said. The Arizona Attorney General's Office did not respond to a request for comment on its view of whether the law applies.
Not every politician who champions free speech is a hypocrite. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren attended the October Senate hearing on campus free speech and condemned both censorship and violence as a response to controversial speakers. But she also told a town hall last year that she opposes anti-BDS legislation, arguing that it infringes on free speech.
Top photo: Georgia Sen. Josh McKoon, who is sponsoring the "religious freedom" bill, speaks to the media at the State Capitol on the final day of the 2015 legislative session, Thursday, April 2, 2015, in Atlanta.
Lee Fang[email protected]theintercept.com@lhfang
Zaid Jilani[email protected]theintercept.com@ZaidJilani


Buyers will be able to pay with a bankwire or a traditional recharge towards your Postepay Evolution card.
• All the module's information are compiled and corrected to clarity about the proposed payment: you can choose to receive a bankwire or a recharge as a payment, posting only the preferred data.
• E-mail prefilled with instructions and data, sent once the order is registered.
Thanks to the proposed additional material , you'll have the ability to customize the template of the confirmation email that you will receive upon completion of the order.
• In the order confirmation page is already provided a thorough explanation of the ways in which you can make a Postepay payment, in addition to the data and notes you entered.
• You can show or not you: card number, IBAN, taxcode, depending on the payment you prefer to receveie.
• indispensable solution for the largest proportion of users who do not have a virtual payment account .
• Give an alternative to those who are wary of using automated online payment methods and prefer the most well-known and usual payment through post offices, services or their own bank.
The installation is simple and automatic, made with the classic button "Add new module - Install" in your Prestashop Module section.
The module is updated to the last release of Prestashop.
You can also find the correct module version for previous realeses.
If your store has an older and obsolete installed version, we can provide the module with the exact configuration for your version.


text:
0 0 Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Edit this post
How often in your life have you been exposed to motion pictures and documentaries wherein tribal elders pass down the lore, the "wisdom" of generations to their young? Their wisdom is lauded and becomes sacred in ancient tales and rich rituals. Along with survival techniques, food and medicinal plants are pointed out, gathered and described. Oftentimes, sacred purification ceremonies are held, as in sweat lodges. Ah, traditions!
As sacred places, explanations, and observances are mixed in with the practical, they all tend to have tacit acceptance as equally valid. But, if you stop to think about these things, you come to the conclusion that much of this traditional "knowledge" is pure crap. Take this one step further, and you realize that established major religions may be more elaborate, but in essence they're just tribal superstitions with different incantations, and they are still taught right here in the U.S.A, still passed down to the young from the tribal elders, the shamans of the church.
The Christian Right, forcefully, and many others to a lesser degree, wants a "Christian nation." This is an old-fashioned appeal to authority. They proclaim themselves the most patriotic of Americans. But think about this: every church is like a Soviet Union, censoring differences of opinion and thought and only allowing its own propaganda, preaching its party line, damning dissidents, allowing zilch criticism and correction, or even investigation. THIS is the system churchgoers support; the self perpetuating repression of free speech, the authoritative dictatorship of "my church right or wrong."
One might ask if believers are serving two masters, an authoritarian system and a country, with the country in second place, even as they attempt to misuse the laws of the country to suit their purposes and to replace the laws of man with their "laws of God," completely ignoring that the U.S. Constitution specifically states that all laws are man-made. So much for patriotism.
And please, any Christian reading this, if you're going to turn my country into a bible-based Christian nation, please let me know whose version. Despite my service in the U.S. Army, at my advanced age I am unprepared at present for the religious wars this will bring about.
I recently asked a churchgoer, "How did Noah get all those animals back to where they came from?" His answer was, "Someday we'll know." Bullshit is the answer to a reasonable question? Does that sound familiar? And he drives a car to church, not an oxcart. Whenever believers don't have an answer, they invoke "mystery." Practically everything they believe is "mystery;" they lie around in it and get drunk on it, sometimes very arrogantly. "Nah nah! We're going to know it all... after we're dead!" Believers love mysteries, and fear them. Scientists solve them.
Here is a country where politicians, radio and TV talking heads, and tabloids make outrageous claims, and commit destructive character assassinations, without a shred of evidence to back those claims, and are believed. After all, this is just tradition, as practiced and accepted by the clergy. Why, if you don't need evidence, you can invade a country and kill its inhabitants on any premise at all! Without evidence, any fool can claim that human life begins at birth or that a fetus is a baby, and if enough people believe in that fool, women can be denied the right to choose what is done, or not allowed to be done, to their own bodies, and be denied birth control or the morning-after pill. Without evidence, I guess the next thing would be to forbid the removal of a tumor from a woman's body. After all, it grows there and becomes part of her anatomy. (Or have you already forgotten the decision made by a Catholic bishop, that even if the woman will die as a consequence of giving birth, the baby must be delivered.)
Without evidence, everything is possible, even supremely ridiculous and contradictory claims. But this is dangerous. Consider the bible story of the three youths in the fiery furnace as taught to children. The three were saved from the flames by "praising the Lord." And yet, millions of the Chosen People, while "praising the Lord," perished in gas chambers and crematoriums. (Well, St. Paul did say they weren't the chosen people anymore; the Christians inherited that mantle.) Why were three boys saved while millions perished? "It's a mystery and God moves in mysterious ways."
Are they listening to themselves? You can bet not. And here in 2lst century America, believers take silly crap seriously, and dismiss serious things, like truth and reality; silly things like a talking snake, a talking ass (god talking out of his ass?), 9OO year- old men (with Alzheimer's for 825 of them?), and ignore the millions of deaths religions have caused, and the children raped while the religion hides their rapes to save the faith. They prefer the popcorn-enhanced matinees and sweet stories. That sign one sometimes sees in the workplace should be posted in churches, too: "They treat us like mushrooms - keeping us in the dark and feeding us bullshit.
So here we have one explanation for how this country has become so screwed up. It involves the continuous, traditional propagation of that same old tribal bullshit. It's a bit scary to realize the similarities to the witchdoctor, spirit-infected darkest parts of Africa we have right here in the U.S.A.
Articles Carl S
ExChristian.Net: Tribal Lore in the USA
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFN5bknYRNU/TZNpBlN5grI/AAAAAAAADoc/OTdqUxOF2Ok/s320/tribal1.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFN5bknYRNU/TZNpBlN5grI/AAAAAAAADoc/OTdqUxOF2Ok/s72-c/tribal1.jpg
https://new.exchristian.net/2011/03/tribal-lore-in-usa.html


text:
package com.lostcode.javalib.entities.systems.render;

import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Map.Entry;

import com.badlogic.gdx.Application.ApplicationType;
import com.badlogic.gdx.Gdx;
import com.badlogic.gdx.Input.Keys;
import com.badlogic.gdx.InputMultiplexer;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.Camera;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.g2d.BitmapFont;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.g2d.SpriteBatch;
import com.badlogic.gdx.math.Matrix4;
import com.badlogic.gdx.math.Vector2;
import com.badlogic.gdx.physics.box2d.Box2DDebugRenderer;
import com.badlogic.gdx.physics.box2d.World;
import com.lostcode.javalib.entities.Entity;
import com.lostcode.javalib.entities.SystemManager;
import com.lostcode.javalib.entities.systems.InputSystem;
import com.lostcode.javalib.utils.Convert;

/**
 * System for rendering debug information.
 *
 * @author Natman64
 *
 */
public final class DebugRenderSystem extends InputSystem {

	// region Fields

	private World physicsWorld;
	private Camera camera;
	private SystemManager systems;

	private SpriteBatch spriteBatch;
	private BitmapFont font;
	private Box2DDebugRenderer physicsDebugRenderer;
	private Vector2 mousePosition;

	public boolean enabled = false;
	public boolean visible = false;

	// endregion

	// region Initialization/Disposal

	/**
	 * Constructs a DebugRenderSystem.
	 *
	 * @param input
	 *            The game's current InputMultiplexer.
	 * @param physicsWorld
	 *            The EntityWorld that is being debugged.
	 * @param camera
	 *            The EntityWorld's main camera.
	 * @param systems
	 *            The physicsWorld's SystemManager.
	 */
	public DebugRenderSystem(InputMultiplexer input, World world,
			Camera camera, SystemManager systems) {

		super(input);

		this.physicsWorld = world;
		this.camera = camera;

		this.systems = systems;

		spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch();
		font = new BitmapFont();
		font.setColor(1f, 1f, 1f, 0.5f);

		if (Gdx.app.getType() == ApplicationType.Android) {
			font.scale(3); // draw bigger text for the tiny screen :)
		}

		physicsDebugRenderer = new Box2DDebugRenderer();

		mousePosition = new Vector2();

	}

	@Override
	public void dispose() {
		spriteBatch.dispose();
		font.dispose();
		physicsDebugRenderer.dispose();
		super.dispose();
	}

	// endregion

	// region Processing

	@Override
	public boolean canProcess(Entity e) {
		return false;
	}

	/**
	 * Renders the physics debug view.
	 */
	@Override
	public void processEntities() {

		super.processEntities();

		if (enabled) {

			if (visible) {

				Matrix4 renderMatrix = camera.combined.cpy();
				renderMatrix.scl(Convert.getPixelMeterRatio());

				physicsDebugRenderer.render(physicsWorld, renderMatrix);

				Map<String, Float> performance = systems.systemPerformance();

				spriteBatch.begin();

				int i = 1;

				if (Gdx.app.getType() == ApplicationType.Android) {
					i = 7; // Start drawing text further up to avoid being
							// covered by UI elements.
				} else { // don't draw system performance on android.

					String systemName = "";
					Float systemPerformance = 0f;

					Entry<String, Float> next;
					Iterator<Entry<String, Float>> iter = performance
							.entrySet().iterator();

					while (iter.hasNext()) {

						next = iter.next();
						systemName = next.getKey();
						systemPerformance = next.getValue();

						font.draw(spriteBatch, systemName + ": "
								+ systemPerformance.toString(), 0,
								i * font.getLineHeight());

						i++;
					}
				}

				font.draw(spriteBatch,
						"FPS: " + Gdx.graphics.getFramesPerSecond(), 0, i++
								* font.getLineHeight());
				font.draw(spriteBatch,
						"Entities: " + this.world.getEntityCount(), 0, i++
								* font.getLineHeight());
				font.draw(spriteBatch,
						"Camera pos: " + camera.position.toString(), 0, i++
								* font.getLineHeight());
				font.draw(spriteBatch,
						"Mouse pos: " + mousePosition.toString(), 0,
						i++ * font.getLineHeight());

				// real mouse position
				font.draw(
						spriteBatch,
						"World mouse pos: "
								+ world.toWorldCoordinates(mousePosition), 0,
						i++ * font.getLineHeight());

				spriteBatch.end();

			}
		}
	}

	@Override
	protected void process(Entity e) {
	}

	// endregion

	// region Input

	@Override
	public boolean keyDown(int keycode) {
		if (keycode == Keys.F1) {
			visible = !visible;
			return true;
		}

		return false;
	}

	@Override
	public boolean mouseMoved(int x, int y) {
		mousePosition.x = x;
		mousePosition.y = y;
		return false;
	}

	// endregion

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Check if API object exists before usage I'm fetching rss data from a news API. However, sometimes the entries have certain fields such as image or summary, and sometimes they do not. How can I check if the object is empty before calling it?
url = "http://rss.cnn.com/rss/cnn_topstories.rss"
feed = Feedjira::Feed.fetch_and_parse url
api_json = JSON.parse(feed.to_json)
data_array = []

feed.entries.each_with_index do |entry,index|
  data_array << { title: entry.title, link: entry.url, image_url: entry.image, summary: entry.summary }.as_json
end

In the above code, sometimes entry.image and entry.summary are empty and it returns an error such as:
undefined method `image' for #<Feedjira::Parser::ITunesRSSItem:0x007fb25c452688>

Current Attempt:
One obvious way is to check every object before saving it as a variable. But is this the best approach?
if entry.image.exists?
    image = entry.image
else
    image = ""
end
if entry.summary.exists?
    summary = entry.summary
else
    summary = ""
end

A: Use try(), it will return nil if the associated property is missing
entry.try(:image)

In your code, you can do like this
data_array << { title: entry.try(:title), link: entry.try(:url), image_url: entry.try(:image), summary: entry.try(:summary) }.as_json

Hope this helps!

A: If you are using Ruby 2.3.0 or higher you can make use of the brand new Safe Navigation Operator:
entry&.image # same thing as entry.try(:image) but shorter

You can even navigate as deep as you want, e.g.:
entry&.image&.urls&.small # Works as a charm even if "urls" is not present

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Welcome » Azerbaijan
AzerbaijanVictor Schelkens2018-11-30T10:52:09+01:00
Visa and Embassies
A few words about Azerbaijan
Located in the South Caucasus, at the crossroads of the Russian, Turkish and Persian empires, Azerbaijan is an ancient land where East and West meet.
Islamized in the 7th century by the Arabs, it came under Persian domination in the 16th century. The current territory has been part of the Russian empire for more than a hundred years. The country enjoyed a brief period of independence between 1918 and 1921 before it became part of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the communist bloc led Azerbaijan to proclaim its independence on the 30th of August of 1991, when the country was in the midst of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The name "Azerbaijan" is reported to come from "azer" (fire). Azerbaijan is then the "country of fire" because of the abundance of oil and gas. Since its independence, Azerbaijan has made a comeback on the international scene, partly due to its large hydrocarbon reserves. However, despite its promising economic indicators, the country still has to face a lot of challenges.
Azerbaijan has a wide climatic variety with nine different areas, ranging from a high mountain climate in the north and west, to a humid subtropical climate in the south, temperate zones, wet steppe areas, semi-arid steppes. The country is thus characterized by a big variety of landscapes.
Thanks to favorable climatic conditions and fertile land, Azerbaijan enjoys a very favourable agricultural potential. These natural conditions have made it possible to develop fruit and cotton production for export, particularly to the Russian market and those of other neighbouring countries.
Back in soviet times already, agriculture mainly consisted of cotton, tobacco, fruit and vegetable production, but also cereals and legumes production. The dissolution of USSR led not only to an economic deterioration, but also to the fragmentation of production units and thus a radical fall in agriculture.
Life in Azerbaijan is cheaper than in France (living expenses, gasoline, transport…). Here are some price examples:
Basic products Price in Euros / Manats
0,33L of water (bottle) 0,15 € / 0,27 AZN
1 simple meal 4 € / 7 AZN
1 bus ticket 0,12 € / 0,2 AZN
Azerbaijan is the most populated country of the South Caucasus. It is also one of the youngest countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, with 33% of people aged under 15 and only 9% aged more than 60. Azerbaijan has been for a long time a multinational state. Since the fall of the USSR, and because of numerous population displacements due to conflicts and socio-economic difficulties, the country has experienced an ethnic homogenization. However, it still counts a lot of minorities who has been living in Azerbaijan for centuries. Baku, the capital, is the most important city of the country, and counts approximately 2 million people. The economic downturn, the civil unrest that followed the independence and the development of the oil industry have led to a rural exodus to the large cities of the country.
Like the ethnic mixes and the different influences that have shaped the country, Azeri cuisine combines flavor and aromas from different origins.
The national dish is the same as in Central Asia: the plov, or fried rice with sheep meat. Depending on the region, you will find variants in the recipe (vegetables or dried fruits will be added, depending on the local specialities).
Vaccines and specific advice:
Find out about the vaccines you should make before going to this country and about the preventive and/or treatment measures for local diseases.
Vaccine updates, specific vaccines: 1-3 months before departure
Visit your doctor for any health problem, prescription renewal, contraception, etc. In addition, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well suited to take part in an international volunteering project.
Dentist: a dental check-up can be useful before going!
We advise you to visit the website of your country's Foreign Affairs Ministry to consult the advice for every country.
Advice for American travellers: https://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/aj/
Advice for Canadian travellers: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/azerbaijan
Advice for English travellers: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/azerbaijan/safety-and-security
Azerbaijan travel advice
Latest update: Summary – if you're travelling to or from Azerbaijan via Istanbul, please note that a new Istanbul airport is due to open on 29 October 2018; a gradual transfer of flights from Ataturk Airport will take place through to the end of December 2018; in the meantime, many flights will continue to operate into/out of Ataturk Airport; this may affect UK-Baku flight transfers
For more info, read the full article Azerbaijan travel advice
We don't have any partner in Azerbaijan at the moment.
Canadians, British nationals and Americans must be in possession of a visa to visit Azerbaijan. Specific conditions apply, see the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for further details.
Embassy of Azerbaijan in the UK :
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
4, Kensington Court
Embassy of Azerbaijan in the USA :
Embassy of Azerbaijan in Canada :
275 Slater Street, Suite 1203
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5H9
General E-Mail: [email protected]
Consular Services: [email protected]
Press Attache: [email protected]
List of projects available in Azerbaidjan


text:
Jason Jackson '14 Named New Chief Human Resources Officer for the State of Nebraska
Not everyone who goes to law school has the intention on entering the legal profession. Jason Jackson '14 was one of them.
"I started my studies at Thomas Jefferson School of Law without any intention of going into legal practice and I may never do so, yet I still use the analytical skills that I acquired during my legal education daily. The successful application of the science of legal reasoning to arrive at just results is why I hold the legal profession in such high esteem and I try to role model it whenever I can," says Jason Jackson.
Jackson was among several students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law who were already balancing between full-time work as a human resources professional and family.
"I was already well into my HR career in the software industry when I started law school," recalls Jackson. "I feel fortunate that Thomas Jefferson School of Law was flexible enough that I was able to pursue my legal education while managing my career and family."
Jason Jackson appreciated Thomas Jefferson School of Law's commitment to its students and their success.
"During my time at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, I was managing a full-time career and a family, and yet the faculty and staff were always supportive of helping me achieve the right balance between my professional, personal, and academic life," says Jackson. "I'll always be grateful for their genuine investment in my success. I'm not sure I would have found that elsewhere."
After graduating from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, he continued working as a HR professional in private sector but what he desired was to make a difference by working in public service.
"When the opportunity with the Nebraska Governor's Officers came, it was the fit I was looking for to apply my HR and legal experience in a public service capacity," says Jackson. "It's rewarding to be working on things that matter. The private sector was fun and innovative, but when you're working for a large global company it's tough to feel like you're making an impact. Now I'm getting to apply my private sector experience to help Governor Ricketts achieve his vision of having government run more like a business. That will have a direct payoff to constituent service and taxpayer savings. "
If there is any advice Jason Jackson would offer to Thomas Jefferson School of Law students and recent graduates, it would be to venture out, even if it is beyond your comfort zone.
"Be willing to leave California," concluded Jackson. "I'm a California native and spent 14 years of my professional life living and working and San Diego. It was tough to leave that behind. But there are a lot of wonderful communities out there with lower cost of living and higher odds of early career attainment. Places you can go and feel like you're making a real difference in your community. Don't resign yourself to being a small fish in a big pond, find your own pond."


text:
Writing to Najib on three proposals: Defer GST, Double up RM500 million to RM1 billion allocation with interest-free loans to all victims to re-start business and declare state of emergency to deal worsening floods in Pahang and to enable flood victims to start life anew
Yesterday DAP sent multiple flood relief teams to flood-stricken areas in Kelantan and Pahang, comprising:
Three containers of essential supplies to flood victims, two from Penang and one from Johore for Kuala Krai as part of the "Save Kuala Krai Convoy Mission".
Some 250 "great Malaysian sons and daughters" from Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan and Johor who took part in the multiple flood relief mission of New Year's Day 2015, comprising:
over 20 FWDs from Penang (flagged off by Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng in Penang on New Year's Day at 1.30 a.m.) driving 15 hours from Penang to Kuala Krai ferrying over 2,000 cartons of essential supplies from two containers and over 20 FWDs.
Over 20 FWDs of supplies from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan to Kuala Krai (this is the third relief mission to Kuala Krai led DAP National Organising Secretary Anthony Loke in five days).
Three containers (one for Kuala Krai, one for Kota Bharu and another for Mentakab) together with 11 FWDs of emergency supplies from Johor DAP, led by 2MPs and 7 SAs.
My visit to Kuala Krai yesterday, accompanied by the Kuala Krai MP Dr. Mohamed Hatta Ramli, is my second visit to Kelantan in five days to provide help and support to flood victims of the worst floods in decades.
Following my observations from two visits, the first one on Dec. 28 to Kota Bahru when the Kelantan capital was under water, I am writing to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak making three specific proposals. They are:
Firstly, the catastrophic flood disaster had undermined the confidence of businesses. Many, not only in the flood-stricken areas, are already talking of winding up business operations when faced with the burden of additional expenses, responsibilities and work with the looming implementation of GST next April 1, especially when their children are outstation or overseas and have no intention to continue their parents' business.
The catrastrophic flood disaster is a second cruel blow, where almost every person in Kuala Krai became a flood victim – registered or unregistered – giving additional reasons for businesses to wind up.
For this reason, the Prime Minister should defer indefinitely the implementation of GST on April 1 as this will only add to the hardships and sufferings of the flood victims, which number over a million people as not all flood victims are housed at the various floods relief centres.
Secondly, double the RM500 million flood relief allocation to RM1 billion, including providing interest-free loans to every flood victim to allow business and ordinary life to start anew immediately, in the shortest possible of timEvery flood victim whose business, whether from hawker stalls to shop business, should be entitled to interest free loan, ranging from RM1,000 to RM250,000 to restart business.
Thirdly, declare state of emergency arising from the severity, scale and scope of the floods catastrophe, not only to deal with the worsening floods situation in Pahang but also to help flood victims in all flood-stricken states to start life anew in the shortest possible time possible.
The reason given by Najib that a declaration of state of emergency would absolve insurance companies from paying insurance claims has proven to be a dud excuse, as the insurance regulator, the General Insurance Assocation of Malaysia (PIAM) has confirmed that insurance companies will not be absolved of liability in paying out compensation for flood claims even if a state of emergency had been declared.
A state of emergency arising from natural disaster is not to invoke martial law, nor does it mean the imposition of curfew, and most serious of all, it will not usher in "permanent emergency" as happened previouisly, like the four Proclamations of Emergency from Indonesian Confrontation 1965, Sarawak Political Crisis in 1967, May 13 riots in 1969 and the Kelantan Political Crisis in 1977 which existed for decades before they were annulled two years ago.
This is because a state of emergency arising from a floods catastrophe will lapse automatically once the natural disaster is over, and flood victims can start their life anew.
In a state of emergency, the military could be mobilized not only to help the police to maintain security, but also help the flood victims to start a new life in the shortest possible time, as in building temporary housing shelter to the flood victims who have been rendered homeless by the floods.
Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, 2nd January 2015


The Investment Board Nepal (IBN), a government body responsible for dealing with large-scale investment, has approved an investment proposal of South Korea's Motrex to establish a car manufacturing and assembly plant in Nepal.
A board meeting of the IBN, chaired by Nepali Prime Minister Sharma Oli on Friday approved the proposed investment of 10.54 billion Nepali rupees (95 million U.S. dollars), the IBN said in a statement.
Officials at the IBN said on Saturday that the South Korean company had submitted its proposal three months ago and it was approved on Friday.
Motrex Co., Ltd operates in the car infotainment and connected technology development field in South Korea and internationally. The company offers in vehicle infotainment products, such as audio visual navigation and video, around view monitor, head up display, and rear seat entertainment products. It also provides remote vehicle controls, fleet management systems, driver state monitoring product, and automotive intelligent docking adaptors; DashCam, a device that records events outside the vehicle; and display wireless transmission and interactive flat panel display solutions for remote meetings and training. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Seongnam, South Korea.
"Following the approval from IBN board, the South Korean company can invest in Nepal by signing project investment agreement (PIA) with IBN," Balaram Rijyal, spokesperson of the IBN told Xinhua. The PIA is a document that defines terms of investment between Nepali government and the investor.
IBN officials said that the South Korean company has proposed producing four wheelers, particularly passenger cars and electric vehicles. Nepal does not have any vehicle assembly plant currently and the country imports all the vehicles with both four wheelers and two wheelers.
As per the proposal of Motrex, the company will start producing vehicles from 2021, first by producing around 2,000 vehicles in a year.
"The company will produce 20,000 vehicles by 2027," an IBN official added.


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GainesvilleGainesville
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Aircraft Mechanic Schools in Gainesville, FL
How to get your A&P Aircraft Mechanic certification in Gainesville, FL; training requirements, eligibility, and more. To earn your A&P Aircraft Mechanic Training Certificate in Gainesville, FL (A&P License in Gainesville, FL), you must attend a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified Aircraft Mechanic School in Gainesville, FL OR have at least 30 months of relevant civilian or military work experience (supervised by a certified aviation mechanic from Gainesville, FL).
The FAA issues the A&P certificates (airframe and powerplant certificates), and A&P mechanics from Gainesville, FL can get either an airframe rating or a power plant rating or both--most aviation mechanics from Gainesville, FL get both. Those who want a certificate with just a single rating and who base their application on practical experience must demonstrate 18 months of work experience applicable to the chosen rating. Learn more about the training and experience requirements to become an A&P mechanic near Gainesville, FL.
When you pass, you will have earned your FAA A&P mechanic license with airframe and/or powerplant certificates (A&P license in Gainesville, FL), and you'll be on your way to a successful career in aviation maintenance! Learn more about aviation maintenance A&P technician schools near Gainesville, FL.
A&P Mechanic Schools in Gainesville, FL
Although your certificates earned from A&P mechanic schools in Gainesville, FL don't expire, aviation mechanics from Gainesville, FL must remain "current" by meeting several criteria, including completing a minimum of 1,000 hours of hands-on work experience during the previous 24 months (or completing a refresher course) and completing at least 16 hours of additional training every 24 months.
As an A&P mechanic in Gainesville, FL, if you have the training, qualifications, and tools, the FAA will allow you to work on avionics as well. Avionics technicians are not specifically required to have FAA certification if they received their avionics training in the military or from working for an avionics manufacturer.
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Aircraft Mechanic Trade Schools in Gainesville, FL
Aviation maintenance technicians keep aircraft in the air by inspecting, replacing, and fixing nearly every part of an airplane or helicopter. The term aviation maintenance technician (or A&P Mechanic) is very broad and applies to nearly anyone who works on aircraft in Gainesville, FL.
However, as an aspiring Aviation Mechanic in training, you'll quickly learn that there are several different types of aviation mechanics out there in Gainesville, FL.
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As an A&P mechanic in Gainesville, FL, you are eligible to work in a huge variety of settings. You can work as a freelance mechanic at your local airfield in Gainesville, FL, get a job working for a local airport near Gainesville, FL, work for a corporate aviation department maintaining one or a fleet of aircraft in Gainesville, FL, or end up at a major airline working on passenger jets and turboprops.
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Aircraft Mechanic Trade Schools in Gainesville, FL must be detail-oriented. Aircraft mechanics perform a variety of complex tasks where mistakes can be costly in terms of money and human life. When the tools are put away, the job is not complete; aircraft mechanics must also be excellent record keepers.
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Maintenance of an aircraft is of the utmost importance for safe flight. Certificated technicians are committed to perform timely maintenance functions in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). At no time is an act of aircraft maintenance taken lightly or improvised. The consequences of such action could be fatal, and the technician could lose his or her certificate and face criminal charges.
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Susanna Halonen returns to the podcast with this conversation which is a meandering happiness buffet with lots of different bits to choose from.
What can poetry and philosophy contribute to a good life?
The happiest country in the world is where Susanna is from. She'll give us some insight into why that may be.


How did Loving Vincent originate creatively?
Dorota came up with the idea ten years ago when she was having a bit of a creative crisis in her life. She trained as a painter and then worked for many years in the film industry…so she decided she was going to combine those two things and do a painted film. In looking around for inspiration she re-read Van Gogh's letters and it hit her very powerfully that Vincent was 29 when he started painting. She just thought it was an amazing powerful story and she wanted to bring his paintings alive to tell his story.
How did the production get started?
One of our first steps was in 2012 – we did a concept trailer. We wanted to see if the style would work. The main thing was to actually see if you could bring out the performances of the actors. Because Vincent…his whole philosophy in portraits was that he wanted to feel the soul of the sitter; to experience the character through his non-photographic technique using impasto and his color manifesto. In the same way we wanted to see the performance of the actor and bring it out even more intensely with the colour technique and also the impasto. So we did this test. One of the key issues was: Can you feel the painting and can you feel the actor at the same time?
What were some of the other steps?
It's based upon a lot of elements from other areas. It's not that radically different from what I was doing in puppet animation…In puppet animation you are moving puppets frame-by-frame across the set. In painting animation you are moving oil paintings across the set. The big difference is the work force, and also it's a lot slower. It's basically a stop-frame animation technique, just a lot slower. We do everything on canvas, so there is no compositing at all. Everything you see is paint moving across the canvas.
The painters are looking at the live action footage, and then they have to redo it in Vincent's style because the [live action] footage in front of them is just in photographic style. I could not have made this film in Britain, and I doubt I could have made it in America or France. That's because in Poland they have this art education system where people can actually specialise in oil paintings for five or six years. You don't have that level of skills in such a wide group elsewhere.
I read that new research during production which claimed that Van Gogh cut his entire ear, rather than just a part of it, forced you to redo roughly 3,000 frames.
Yes. Maybe I didn't need to do that, but we'd done such meticulous research. I was worried that people would say in press conference: "oh but didn't you know he'd cut off all of his year!" So we went back in and painted that different. I wanted it to be truthful.
The film launched from Annecy in June and started rolling out theatrically in September. It shot up to number one in Italy. What's the distribution plan going forward?
Yes Annecy is a very supportive environment for feature film animation. We got an 11-and-a-half minute standing ovation and won the Audience Award. Then we had our Asian premiere in Shanghai which was good because we won best animation there and it also gave us some indication of the strength of feeling that there is for Van Gogh in China. Then we had the North American Premiere in Telluride, which is an amazing festival. A couple of weeks after that we released in cinemas in the U.S. Our strategy was very much a build out from one cinema to about 130 over the last four weeks. That's still building. Then after that we had our releases in Europe and definitely the most spectacular was in Italy where they made it an event release. In three days it made $1.4 million which is just incredible! We went in straight at number one.
It's just been nominated at the European Film Awards in the best animated feature category. Will you be campaigning for Golden Globes and Oscars?
Yes. We will campaign for all the major awards including also the Spirit Awards, the Emmy Awards…Also we just released an exhibition of the paintings done for the film. It's difficult for people to get their head around the fact that everything [in the film] is actually a painting and nothing is done on a computer. Everything you see in the film is digital photographs of paintings. You are seeing 130,000 photographs of 65,000 frames, because we do it at 12 frames per second. So in the exhibition we have 124 of our favourite paintings from the film and we also explain in detail how we made it. We have three exhibitions: a big one in the Noordbrabants Museum in Holland, and I'd like to send that to America next.


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Bereneiland (Noors: Bjørnøya) is een eiland dat ongeveer halverwege Spitsbergen en de Noordkaap ligt. Bestuurlijk maakt het deel uit van Spitsbergen. Het mag niet verward worden met de Russische Bereneilanden.

Geografie

De oudste delen van het eiland, gelegen in het zuiden, zijn 600-1000 miljoen jaar oud. De jongste delen dateren uit het Trias, 210-245 miljoen jaar geleden. De bodem bestaat uit sedimentair gesteente. Veel rotsen bevatten fossielen. Op de hogere delen aan de zuidzijde bevindt zich een turflaag van enkele meters dik, van 9000 jaar oud.

Het eiland heeft de vorm van een driehoek, met de punt naar het zuiden. De afstand noord-zuid bedraagt ongeveer 20 km, de grootste breedte oost-west bedraagt ongeveer 15 km, de oppervlakte is 178 km², dat is net iets groter dan het eiland Texel. Vrijwel het gehele eiland, met de aangrenzende zee is een natuurreservaat (sinds 2002). Alleen een klein gedeelte rond het weerstation in Herwighamna aan de noordkust valt daarbuiten.

Het zuidelijke gedeelte van Bereneiland is bergachtig. De hoogste top Miseryfjellet is 536 meter hoog. Het noordelijke gedeelte, ongeveer twee derde van het eiland, is vlak en kaal laagland, gelegen op 30-40 meter boven zeeniveau. In dit deel bevinden zich ongeveer 740, doorgaans erg ondiepe meren en meertjes. Anders dan op de eilanden van Spitsbergen komen op het Bereneiland geen gletsjers voor.

De kust is over het algemeen vrij steil met hoge kliffen. Op een paar plaatsen zijn zandstranden. In het zuiden zijn diverse grotten en onderaardse riviertjes.

Bij Herwighamna is een kleine haven.

Klimaat
Het eiland heeft een gematigd poolklimaat met een relatief gematigde temperatuur in de winter. Januari is de koudste maand, met een gemiddelde temperatuur van -7,9°C. Juli en augustus zijn de warmste maanden, met een gemiddelde temperatuur van 4,4 en 4,5°C. Met een gemiddelde neerslag van 350 mm per jaar mag Bereneiland een droog gebied genoemd worden. Er is veel wind en mist.

De poolnacht begint op 8 november en duurt tot 3 februari. De middernachtzon schijnt van 2 mei tot 11 augustus.

Flora en fauna
Bereneiland heeft een vrij kaal landschap. Er is nauwelijks plantengroei. Er groeien 150 soorten mossen en 54 hogere plantensoorten, maar geen bomen of struiken.

De ijsbeer heeft het eiland weliswaar zijn naam gegeven, maar het roofdier is geen permanente bewoner. In de winter steken wel veel ijsberen over van de noordelijkere eilanden van Spitsbergen. Het enige andere landzoogdier op het eiland is de poolvos. In de wateren rond het eiland zwemmen meerdere soorten zeehonden. De walrus is tegenwoordig zeer zeldzaam, omdat deze hier in het verleden zo intensief bejaagd is geweest dat hij nagenoeg uitgestorven is.

De zee rondom Bereneiland is ondiep en visrijk. Het is een ideale voedselgrond voor de miljoenen zeevogels die vooral op de kliffen aan de zuidkust nestelen. Vogelsoorten die er voorkomen zijn onder andere de zeekoet, alken, kortbekzeekoet, ijsduiker, drieteenmeeuw, noordse stormvogel en de grote burgemeester. In totaal zijn er 126 vogelsoorten waargenomen, waarvan er 33 broeden.

Geschiedenis
Vermoed wordt dat het eiland in de Vikingentijd al bezocht is, maar daarvan bestaan geen bronnen. De eerste beschrijving is gemaakt door Willem Barentsz tijdens zijn derde expeditie in 1596, dit is de beroemde tocht die eindigde met de overwintering op Nova Zembla. In het dagboek geschreven door Gerrit de Veer staat:

In de volgende eeuwen werd het eiland wel gebruikt als station voor de walrusjacht en de walvisvaart.

Net als op Spitsbergen zijn ook hier pogingen ondernomen tot mijnbouw. De Duitser Theodor Lerner deed in 1898 een vergeefse poging om steenkool te delven bij de Kvalrossbukta. Later volgden nog diverse pogingen, voor het winnen van steenkool en galeniet (looderts). Van 1916-1925 was er een kolenmijn genaamd 'Tunheim'. In 1923 kreeg die plek ook de functie van weerstation. Tunheim is in de Tweede Wereldoorlog geëvacueerd en vernietigd door de geallieerden. Een aantal resten van huizen en een mijnspoorlijntje zijn een stille herinnering aan die tijd.

In het Spitsbergenverdrag (1920) werd Bereneiland genoemd als onderdeel van Spitsbergen en kwam daarmee onder bestuur van Noorwegen. De enige huidige bewoners op tijdelijke basis zijn de 9 personeelsleden van het Noorse weerstation in Herwighamna die halfjaarlijks worden afgelost. Het weerstation bestaat uit 20 gebouwen en er is een landingsplaats voor helikopters.

Externe links
 Geologie van Bereneiland
 Beschrijving van Bereneiland door het Noors Poolinstituut

Spitsbergs eiland
Barentszzee

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
ISSP School tutors
Iveta Gabalina (Vaivode)
Iveta Vaivode (1979) - practicing photographer and photography teacher, programme manager of the ISSP School. Has taught photography since 2008. Works professionally with Latvia's leading fashion and lifestyle magazines, and has created advertising campaigns for several Latvian brands - Madara Zofa, Stender, etc. Has studied photography at Andrejs Grants' studio and the Bournemouth Arts Institute; currently studying for a Master's in Photography at Aalto University in Helsinki. Iveta has received several awards in international photography competitions - the Nikon Discovery Award (UK) and Fresh Faced and Wild Eyed. Photographers Gallery (UK) in 2008. In 20012, her series "Somewhere on a Disappearing Path" won the C / O Berlin Talents contest, and was nominated for the Sony World Photography Awards 2014 and Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2014.
www.ivetavaivode.com
Reinis Hofmanis
Reinis Hofmanis (1985) is an artist and a practicing photographer. He studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany and obtained a Master's degree in Visual Communication from the Latvian Academy of Arts. Since 2003 Reinis has participated in various group exhibitions and solo shows in Latvia and abroad. Hofmanis work can be described as a socio-anthropological view, where he tries to express his interest in different groups of society, by trying to categorize them, in relation to behavioral patterns and the environment created or influenced by these groups. Reinis won the Archifoto Prize in 2012 and was awarded 2nd place at the Sony World Photography Awards in Architecture in 2013. His works have been published in the New York Times, Financial Times, Spiegel, Esquire, Bloomberg, Le Monde, The Globe and Mail, The British Journal of Photography.
www.reinishofmanis.com
Arnis Balčus
Arnis Balčus (1978) is a practicing photographer. Since 2011 - editor in chief of FK Magazine. From 2004 - 2009 was living and working in London, received a master's degree in photography at the University of Westminster in 2005. Participating in exhibitions since 1994, has exhibited in Riga, London, Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, etc., as well as being published in magazines such as Achtung Mode (DE), Dazed & Confused (UK), Photo & Video (RU), Foto Kvartāls (LV), Black and White Magazine (USA), etc. Also working as a journalist since 1997, writing about photography and culture for Latvian publications. Has participated as an expert at portfolio reviews in Kaunas, Derby, Madrid and Landskrona photo festivals, as well as nominating and evaluating entries for photo contests such as Prix Pictet and Google Photography Prize.
www.balcus.lv
Vika Eksta
Vika Eksta (1987) is an artist and an educator. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Film Theory from the Latvian Academy of Culture, as well as a Master's degree from the Visual Communication Department of the Latvian Academy of Arts. She has also studied photography with Andrejs Grants at the "2 Annas" photo studio and studied at the EFTI photography school in Madrid. Vika creates conceptual art projects using photography, moving image, performance and working with research of audiovisual archives. Since 2014 she has participated in exhibitions in Latvia as well as abroad. She has won the ADC Young Guns Award, the FK Magazine Portfolio Award and the Award for Young Photographers at the Riga Photography Biennial. Over the past two years, Vika has had two solo shows - "Velnezers" at the ISSP gallery and "P" at Alma gallery, and she has participated in various group shows, for example, "MELOS" at the Exhibition Hall "Arsenals", Latvian National Museum of Art, "The Poetry and Works of Eižens Bergs" at Kim? Contemporary Art Center and more.
www.vikaeksta.com
Laine Kristberga
Laine Kristberga (1980) is a media and art researcher and publicist, PhD candidate at the Latvian Academy of Arts. Her doctoral dissertation is devoted to the topic of media hybridization, focusing on performance art and its documentation in Latvia in the 20th century. 70s. Laine graduated with honors from Birkbeck, University of London and currently works as a lecturer at several universities in Latvia. She is the author of many research articles in both Latvian and English. Her work has been published by such publishers as Cambridge Scholars Publishing and Taylor & Francis Group. Laine is the leader and coordinator of an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Nordic Summer University.
Andrejs Strokins
Andrejs Strokins (1984) is a photographer who works both in the field of documentary photography as well as with vernacular images and archives. Strokin holds a Bachelor's degree from the Latvian Academy of Arts, has participated in several ISSP summer schools and in the Sputnik mentoring program (2013-2014), and took part in the Joop Swart masterclass (2014). Strokins has had many solo shows, including "People in the Dunes" at the Latvian Museum of Photography (2015) and "Disorders and Obstacles" at the Latvian Center for Contemporary Art (2015). He has participated in several group exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, including exhibiting at the Baltic Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2016) and the group show "Retina" at kim? Contemporary Art Center, Riga (2017). His work has received multiple awards, including the 2016 Foam Talent competition. Strokins works not only on personal projects but also as a freelance photographer, shooting portraits and reportage.
strokins.info
Evita Goze
Evita Goze (1984) is an artist, curator and writer, based in Riga, Latvia. She is currently a curator and a project manager at the ISSP Gallery and of the photobook festival Self Publish Riga. She received a BA in Photography from University of Brighton, UK, and an MA in Visual Communication at the Art Academy of Latvia. In 2012 she received a grant for exchange studies at the Nagoya University of Arts, Japan. Her most recently curated exhibitions include "It Could Just Swallow You Up" by Ieva Raudsepa (ISSP Gallery, Riga) and "ENTER. Photobooks from the Baltics" as part of Belgrade Photomonth. She has worked on the juries of several photography competitions, including Grand Prix Fotofestiwal Lodz, Art Fair Foto Tallinn, Belgrade Photo Month's New Talents, Kassel Dummy Award and Self Publish Riga photobook dummy competition. She is also a contributing writer for Latvian weekly publications "IR" and "Kultūras Diena", websites FK Magazine, Arterritory, and The British Journal of Photography and Tjej Land, focusing on photography and contemporary art.
www.evitagoze.net
Solvita Krese
Solvita Krese - art project curator and art critic. Graduated from the the Art Theory department of the Art Academy of Latvia, studied cultural management at Institute Marcel Hicter. Is currently working on a doctoral thesis on the interaction between art and its context. From 2000, director of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art. Curator of several large-scale international art projects, including the contemporary art festival "Survival Kit" (since 2009). Professional areas of interest - art and the urban environment, art and its socio-political context, gender issues. Has written many academic articles on art as well as texts for exhibitions and artist catalogues.
Liana Ivete Benke - Visual anthropology and photography
Liana Ivete Beņķe (1985) read media and cultural studies at the University of Sussex in the UK and Malmo University in Sweden, as well as social and cultural anthropology at the University of Latvia. Studied photography at Andrejs Grants' studio in Riga. Wrote her Master's thesis in the field of visual anthropology, researching shifts in the perception and use of photographs in the digital era. Since 20012, teaches visual anthropology and ethnographic film courses at the University of Latvia. Published articles on photography for FK Magazine and Arterritory. Works at ISSP as project manager of the community art project "Riga self/portraits"
Maija Rudovska - Exhibition Analysis
Maija Rudovska is an independent curator, researcher and art critic. She holds a Master's degree in Art History from the Art Academy of Latvia. Maija improved her curatorial skills at CuratorLab (2009/2010) at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. Rudovska has curated and produced several exhibitions and projects both in Latvia and abroad, most recently: the "Active Art" book (2019), "Pagans in Paris" exhibition for Ricard Foundation, Paris (2018), "Trauma and Rebirth" exhibition for the Bozar Arts Center in Brussels, in collaboration with Kim? Contemporary Art Center and more (2017/2018) etc. Since 2011, she has been the leader of the Blind Carbon Copy platform, that creates opportunities for cooperation and networking between the Baltic and Nordic countries. Maija has been a member and a contributor at several international residencies and she regularly publishes articles and reviews on art in various Baltic and international art media.
Ieva Balode - Analog Experiments
Ieva Balode (1987) is an artist working with the analogue image. She is a graduate of the Latvian Academy of Arts and studied film at Yrkeshögskolan Novia in Finland. Ieva's artistic practice deals with questions of human identity, that she explores through the language and philosophy of moving and still images. Inspired by texts, archives and nature, Ieva strives to define the boundary between human consciousness and transcendence. Her work has been exhibited at Villa Vassilieff, Paris, RIBOCA, the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Center, the Latvian Museum of Photography, the Latvian Contemporary Art Center, Bükü Leipzig, as well as international film festivals in Latvia, Canada, Indonesia, Serbia, Poland, Norway and elsewhere. Ieva is also a co-founder of the Baltic Analog Lab artist group and the director and curator of the experimental film festival "Process".
ievabalode.com
Dainis Juraga - Basic of Video for Photographers
Dainis Juraga (1986) is a cinematographer, working in the documentary and feature film genres. He has acquired a bachelor's and a master's degree from the Latvian Academy of Culture. Dainis is a member of the Latvian Guild of Cinematographers. Since 2016. he teaches Contemporary Cinematography at the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Latvian Academy of Arts.
Māris Ločmelis - Introduction to Photography
Māris Ločmelis (1978) is a photographer with 20 years of experience. He acquired professional education in Photography in Riga and in 2011 he acquired a Master's degree in fashion photography at the London College of Fashion, University of Arts London. In 2003 he founded his own studio "SunsStudio", that has become one of the biggest photo studios in Riga. Māris now works mainly with commercial photography. In addition to this, Māris together with Raimo Lielbriedis, are the first photographers in Latvia to revive the historic 19th century wet plate photography. Several of these wet plate photos have been purchased by the Latvian Museum of Photography and have gained a lot of popularity among private clients. Māris has organized several solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland and Russia.
www.marislocmelis.com
Raimo Lielbriedis - Introduction to Photography
Raimo Lielbriedis (1962) is a self-taught photographer, working since 1978. He's a co-founder of the Ločmeļa and Lielbrieža Ambrotype Laboratory (Wet Plate). He has organized six solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows. His works can be found in collections not only in Latvia, but also in Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria and Finland. Raimo has been teaching photography since 1999.
www.raimolielbriedis.com
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