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There are very few Christians who are not intrigued by prophecies. And most Christians want to know for sure when Jesus is coming back. Any teaching on the coming of the "Antichrist" and the "mark of the beast" will draw great crowds, and people are buying books, audio cassettes and videos which deal with the end times.
The reality is that all of the people who have studied the end times prior to 1900 have come to the end of their lives on this planet, and they are now either in heaven or hell, including many who lived during the 20th century. Studies on end time prophecies should result in that person drawing closer to Christ and living a productive Christian life, not just chasing around from one end time seminar to another.
The apostles were people just like us. They wanted to know for sure when Jesus would return and set up his kingdom. You will find this written in Matthew 24. Let us look at the question and then the first response that Jesus gave to this question:
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Matthew 24:1-4.
Deception is the only real weapon that the Devil has, since God has stripped him of his power and authority (Colossians 2:14-15; Revelation 12:7-17). Every politician living in the world today relies on "spin doctors" to change the truth and deceive the people who are electing politicians to public offices. All businesses are constantly consulting "Public Relations Companies" (PR firms) in order to sell more of their products. The PR firms rely on taking polls to determine public opinion. Television producers rely solely on "Ratings" when it comes to selecting programs. Governments have their own PR departments, which have to work overtime to hide the truth from the people in the world. LYING IS AN "HONORABLE" PROFESSION IN THE POLITICAL ARENA, and people are being paid well to produce false reports to deceive people. No wonder Jesus started out with this warning when he was asked about the end times. "Do not be deceived!"
The World Government (WG) is no exception. In the current war against the Palestinian people in the Middle East, there is one thing the WG does not want, pictures of tanks firing into houses, crushing automobiles and dead civilians laying in the streets.
Something has to be sacrificed, and the number one spin program is diversion. Since the WG to a great degree controls the media in Europe and North America, it can easily create diversions.
The current crisis surrounding the Roman Catholic Church is not new, it has been around for a long time. But the WG protected the Catholic Church and the media did not investigate it. With recent events in Israel, the American people had to be distracted. The word was sent out, dig up all the dirt there is and blow up the pedophile crisis on television and in the printed media. Turn people's attention away from the killing of Palestinians and instead let them discuss and be angry over the Roman Catholic Church cover up of the sodomy, rape and sexual immorality of her priests.
This in turn is forcing the Catholic Church to move into "DAMAGE CONTROL" and that is the reason that the Pope had to order all American cardinals to come to Rome for consultations. Rest assured that all the "spin doctors" employed by the Roman Catholic church are now hard at work, and I am sure that the Pope and his lackeys are cursing the WG for doing this to them.
THE JEWISH SPIN DOCTORS
The State of Israel has an official propaganda department. Officially it is called "THE FOREIGN MINISTRY." Gideon Meir is in charge of what is called "Public Relations," in plain English it is the department of "Public Lying." To insure that the Israeli message is clear and unified, only six people are authorized to give foreign media news interviews, Ra'anan Gissing, Dore Gold and Avi Pazner representing the Prime Minister's Office and Gideon Meir, Arieh Mekel and Dani Schek from the Foreign Ministry. In order to make sure that their media performances are being improved, they are being coached by Linda Lovitch, an expert on public speaking. Gideon Meir is gloating and call this group for "a dream team," a phrase coined after O.J. Simpson's attorneys, who saved him from being convicted of murdering his wife a few years ago.
A recent article in a Jewish publication stated the following:
"Israel's sense of unfair treatment by the international media is not new. But the military operation, and the TV coverage it got, highlighted at a very sensitive time some of Israel's operational and PR dilemmas. For example, when Israel goes into Palestinian territories with large forces or uses pinpoint accurate state-of-the-art weaponry, whose effect is precisely to minimize civilian casualties, the image is of a Goliath against the Palestinian David, and the natural tendency is to side with the underdog. Worse, says Meir, when Israel attacks, its PR faces the near impossible task of countering images with words. 'When a tank goes into Ramallah, it does not look good on TV,' he says. 'Sure we can explain why we are there, and it's what we do. But it's words. We have to fight pictures with words."
In today's world it is not enough to win a war on a battle field, it must also be won in the public relation arena. When civilians are massacred, the "spin doctors" must be able to convince the people in the world, that the massacre was just and that the outcome is good, not evil. The German Jew, Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister, stated this:
"Repeat a lie long enough and people will believe it."
In the same article in the Jewish publication from April 22, 2002, we can read the following:
"Clearly, Israeli PR faces an uphill struggle, especially in Europe. Much of the deck is stacked against it: the basic asymmetry in the Israeli-Palestinian equation. What is perceived as diplomatic and media bias, not to speak of signs of anti-Zionism and resurgent anti-Semitism. Still, even the officials directly involved believe Israel should and could do better. And, in recent weeks and months, they have been reshaping the Israeli operation, producing a stream of videos, CDs and pamphlets and hiring PR firms to put the message across more professionally. . . ."
"The NEW PACKAGE is not the only recent refinement of the PR effort. Coordination between the Prime Minister's office, the Foreign Ministry and the army is now much tighter. Immediately after the Israeli move into Ramallah, the government set up an information center at the Jerusalem Convention Center with spoke people from the IDF, Military Intelligence, the Shin Bet security services, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the West Bank and Gaza, the police, the Government Press Office, the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry. The new media kits are on prominent display. . .
"Not everyone would agree. Indeed, there is widespread criticism of their collective competence. Gissing is described privately by one network correspondent as 'an attack dog' who alienates viewers with what is perceived as a loud, overly aggressive tone. Meir himself, a frequent interviewee, is privately criticized even by some of his own colleagues for insisting on taking a leading spokesman's role when he appears stiff and ill at ease on TV.
"The thinking now, therefore is to bring in more PR professionals. A few months ago, Meir was approached by an American Jewish activists who suggested that Israel hire the services of PR experts James Carville and Stanley Greenburg, renowned for their election campaign successes all over the world, including Israel. 'The problem,' claims Meir,' was the money. We just couldn't afford them. They wanted $1.2 million just for opinion polls.' Budget, Meir claims, is one of the main factors holding Israeli PR back. Meir notes that the entire annual Foreign Ministry PR budget,9 million dollars, is less than half what the Bezeq telephone company spends on PR and advertising.
"Still, he has ben able to hire a PR firm in New York, is considering doing the same in some European countries, and has already hired local guru Motti Morel, whose portfolio includes successful campaigns for Binyamin Netanyahu and Nathan Sharansky. 'We are weak on visuals, so we want him to create media events and produce special videos,' says Meir. ' We want him to take our PR message and package them for us. Then the PR firms abroad will hone them further for their target audiences.'
"The key to Israel's long term PR success, Meir believes, is on the campuses of North America and Europe. Wealthy Jews like Howard Schulz, the owner of the Starbucks chain, are helping with student projects, including seminars held in both Israel and North America, in which students hear Israeli presentations on the crisis."
To some people what I have just written might be boring, but if you read it in a prayerful mode, asking God to reveal truth to you, you will find something very frightening. The discussion in government circles in Israel is not over how to stop the killings, but how to cover it up with slick advertising, using the very best in the industry of spin in the world today. Adolf Hitler knew that the opinion of people would either break or make a regime. So have all the Communist rulers understood in the old Soviet Union, Castro in Cuba and the rulers in China. Do you remember the Tiananmen Square massacre June 3-4, 1989, when masses of people were crushed by tanks in front of television cameras? All of us thought that this massive brutal event would not be forgotten and must spell the end of Communist rule in China. But it did not happen. The Chinese Propaganda Ministry swung into action and 13 years later it is forgotten and out of people's minds. If you ask a person living in China today, he will tell you it never happened, it was all a political event created by decadent western democracies.
No wonder that Jesus spoke "be not deceived." Deception today is a big business, in the billions of dollars and getting more sophisticated as time goes on.
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS ARE USED TO SPREAD PROPAGANDA
There are a number of Christian organizations linked to the Foreign Ministry of Israel. The American evangelist, Mike Evans (a converted Jew) is probably one of the most outspoken supporters of the State of Israel and his material is used to influence millions of Christians in the United States. Add to this list Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Hal Lindsey, John Hagee etc.
As I am writing this newsletter, there is a PR battle being fought over the issue of what happened in Jenin, when Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked this town and its refugee center. The United Nations has been trying for about a week to have access to the city and the destroyed refugee center, to investigate if there has been a massacre of Palestinians. The Israeli government has refused them entry, and has been stalling them from having a UN delegation investigate on the ground what really happened. IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO MASSACRE, the Israeli government would have welcomed and insisting on an immediate inspection to let the world know the truth! But what happens at any crime scene? The perpetrators always want to clean up the crime scene before the police arrive.
During the battle for Jenin, someone in Israel filed suit with the Israeli Supreme Court, asking that the IDF would not be allowed to remove the bodies of dead Palestinians, but turn them over for burial to their families. The Israeli Supreme Court took the issue under consideration, and ruled THAT THE IDF NOT BE ALLOWED TO REMOVE BODIES AND BURY THEM IN MASS GRAVES IN OTHER LOCATIONS! The ruling was broadcast for a few hours on CBS radio network in the United States, and then it was pulled with no more mention of it. Who pulled this news off the air waves? Your guess is as good as mine.
On April 25, 2002 a massive email campaign was launched by the Swedish organization "Intercessors Network." Heading up this Christian organization is Lars Widerberg, who lives in the small town of Linkoping, in southern Sweden. The subject of this mailing is "I COULDN'T STAND THE LIES." His message begins by a report of how the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had reported to the Senate Appropriations Foreign Operation subcommittee, that there was no massacre in Jenin by the IDF. This is followed by a written report by Asaf Haim, an Israeli "spin doctor." In a written statement released April 22, 2002, the following was stated: 1
"Dr. David Zangen a senior pediatrician at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, who received his mobilization order for army service in Jenin, did not think that he would also be recruited for Israel's information campaign. Normally, he is a calm person, but the accusations made by the UN Special Envoy to the Middle East, Terje Larsen, regarding a 'massacre' supposedly carried out by Israel in Jenin have infuriated him. Dr. Zangen could not restrain himself, and called the Israel Army Radio service to protest Larsen's charges. Dr. Zangen's comments are particularly significant, because he treated both wounded Israelis and Palestinians with great dedication. In this way, Dr. Zangen became a spokesman for the IDF, for one day. His account sheds a little light on what really happened in the refugee camp."
This is followed by a 2.5 page report how noble the Israeli Army is and how they went to great length to not kill civilians and how they treated even wounded Palestinian fighters and civilians.
Any person trained in counter-intelligence will smell "a rat" in this PR campaign. Since the IDF has total control over Jenin, if there had not been mass killings, IDF would have, a long time ago, invited the UN and any other agencies to investigate for themselves and then report their findings. If there has been a massacre, it will come out during an investigation. Thus the Foreign Ministry must step in, and tell people that "the awful anti-Semites and anti-Zionists" are trying to smear Israel and score a propaganda win for the Palestinians. And since "God is on the side if Israel" it could not have happened. Since most Christians are not well informed, they will believe this release from the Israeli Foreign Ministry and pass it on to other members in the Christian churches, telling how awful the Palestinians are and how nice and sweet the Israelis are.
By April 27, the Israeli government had agreed to let the UN commission arrive Sunday night, April 28th. But one of the stipulations demanded by the Israeli government and reported on CBS radio network in the United States, was that the UN, in advance, would promise not to prosecute any member of the IDF for any possible war crimes. If there had been no massacre, why this stipulation?
THE REAL WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
Hirsh Goodman, a well known Jewish editor living in Israel, wrote a flaming appeal to the Jewish people on April 22, 2002, which is more or less, the thinking of the political leadership in Israel. Here are some excerpts from his article:
"SEDER NIGHT (Passover) 2002 WILL BE REMEMBERED AS ISRAEL'S KRISTALLNACHT - the night the Palestinians went too far, sending a suicide bomber in a Seder at the Park Hotel in Netanhah, killing 22 and injuring dozens more. It was a blatant act of anti-Semitism, not anti-Zionism, it was directed against our Jewish soul, not the Jewish state. . . .
"The 1948 War of Independence was fought against the Arab world trying to nip embryonic Israel in the bud. . . .
"This is different. This is the first war since the War of Independence that Israel is fighting for its survival; this is the first time Israel is facing its real enemy. Not the Arabs fighting on the Palestinian's 'behalf,' but our core enemy, the Palestinians themselves, under the leadership of Arafat. It is not a war in the distant sands of Sinai, but a war on our block, on our doorstep, over our homes. It is Israel's true war of independence. If we lose this one, we lose our country. . ."
"ISRAEL ENTERS THIS WAR WELL PREPARED, it can take care of the threats from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinians and whoever else decides to enter the fray simultaneously. Yes, we have our problems. The settlements are a nightmare, a huge historical mistake, a waste of billions of dollars and a bone in the throat of peace. And there are officers who are refusing to serve in the territories. Sharon is yesterday's man, devoid of vision, and his cabinet is impotent. The economy is hurting and so are we, the people, those who never know where death will next show its face. . . .
"This will probably be Israel's last war. It will end within a year or two or three or four – after Arafat and Sharon have left the state and new leadership brings the conflict to its logical end, with Israel out of the territories and the Palestinians genuinely happy with a two-state solution.
"But until then, this is war. And thank God we have the helicopters and the missiles and the technology and the strength. Their hate knows no limits. Our answer is our military prowess. This needs to be used with prudence. But the Palestinians have to know we have faced annihilation. Never again."
What you have just read by Goodman is the official policy of Israel. The war will continue until the Palestinians are crushed and the temple mount in Jerusalem is cleared of all Islamic buildings. The Israeli Foreign Ministry is accusing Arafat of saying one thing in English to the world and another thing in Arabic to his own people. Israel does the same thing, its propaganda department tells one story, while their own people are told the truth, THE PALESTINIANS WILL BE CRUSHED, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
As a Christian, you must now make a judgment on this matter. Israel is justifying itself by stating, that 2000 years ago they lived in the land and they had a right to return and take it back. The Palestinians state that they have lived in the land for the last 2000 years, they have been born in the land so they feel the land belongs to them. The Jews state that God gave the land to Abraham and thus it belongs to them forever.
Most Christians accept this justification. But if we read the promise given to Israel, it also states that if they sin, God will take them out of the land and scatter them all over the world. In the end times, God will bring some of them back. The Jews are helping themselves and leaving God out of the equation, except for propaganda purposes. Deuteronomy 4:20-28; 30:10-20; Isaiah 10:20-23; Romans 11:25-29
The tragic thing is that, at this time, it is not God who is bringing the Jews back to the land of Palestine, it is the Devil himself who is determined that he is going to take the land with force , set up his temple and give the world the Antichrist. And worst of all, many Christians are helping him by supporting the current state of Israel with finances and propaganda. Talk about deception! II Thessalonians 2:1-13. And anyone resisting the Antichrist and his system is labeled anti-Semitic and treated like the plague.
THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST THE PALESTINIANS
The current American ambassador to Israel, is Daniel Kurtzer, an American Jew. Mr. Kurzer was appointed to hold the office as ambassador to Israel in July, 2001, when Martin Indyk, another American Jew left the post. Just like Senator Joseph Lieberman (running mate with Al Gore in the last presidential race in the US) he is an Orthodox Jew. 2
Daniel Kurtzer, 52 years old, grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey and studied in the local Orthodox day school, the Jewish Educational Center. Its principal was Rabbi Pinchas Teitz, who was well known for his strong opposition and protest against Soviet treatment of Russian Jews. As an undergraduate at Yeshiva University in New York City, he studied Jewish philosophy and Hasidism with Rabbi Norman Lamm. Upon his graduation he served some time at this university as a dean. His junior year was spent at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Daniel Kurtzer and his wife, Sheila, have three sons who are currently studying at American universities, and all three of them graduated from the religious Zionist youth movement "Bnei Akiva." Kurtzer joined the American State Department in the mid 1970s seeking to devote himself to Middle East affairs.
Early in the 1990s the Middle East peace team, headed by Dennis Ross, was composed mostly of American Jews.
However, Kurtzer is not that popular with other Orthodox Jews. They feel that he is too soft on the Palestinians and pushing dovish politics. He is being criticized for placing himself in a position where he must choose American over Israeli interests.
"Jews like Kurtzer chose to ignore the Zionist revolution and the opportunity it offers to serve your people first," says Efraim Zuroff, and Israeli historian of American Orthodoxy. "And one of the tenets of Orthodoxy is that the interest of your people always takes priority."
In an interview with a Jewish publication in April, 2002, Ambassador Kurtzer was asked this question:
"Are you a Zionist?"
Here is his answer:
"Of course. As a person with very strong Jewish feeling and upbringing, it is the absolute right of our people, especially after 2,000 years of exile from our land, to want to have an independent state, and to fight for it, and to do it in a homeland that was always ours. There are probably people at least as happy as I but no one happier that this is now a reality."
The next question should bring a chill to any committed American citizen. Here is the question:
"What would you do if you felt American policy endangered Israel's security? Do you have red lines?"
"The answer is yes. I'm not going to talk about them. Thankfully we're not even in a universe where this issue has ever come up."
According to the American Constitution and the original policies of the United States, any American ambassador to a foreign country should be strictly loyal to the United States, not to any other foreign government. It is obvious that the last American ambassador to Israel and the current one have dual loyalties, and if they have to choose sides, they will choose Israel over the United States. The Palestinian people have as much chance to win this war, as a snowball to exist in hell.
WHAT ARE CHRISTIANS TO DO?
As I have laid out in the last few newsletters, God has told us what is going to happen in the Middle East. Since God has allowed the Devil to build up the antichrist system, there is no force of humans who can stop this. It is going to happen and it is going to be more than nasty and it will affect all people living on the earth. Our lifestyle in the United States will definitely change as matters get worse in the Middle East. Here are some points that I believe we as Christians should look at and try to follow:
All Jews and Palestinians who die without Christ will end up in hell. Therefore, the believers in Christ should intensify their efforts to share Christ with these two groups and soak this in prayer and fasting, that God will open the hearts of these "hardened" people, so they can receive Christ. John 6:44; 65
There are small churches both in Israel and among the Palestinians, whose members have been born again and have received Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
We should support both Jews and Palestinians who are born again, first with our prayers and secondly with financial and material support. If the deceived Evangelical community would stop supporting the ungodly Jewish Zionists, and instead pour out their resources on saved Jews and Palestinians, much would change in the region. We do not know God's time table, but if a revival were to break out in the Middle East, it would bring the power of God into the conflict and hold it back for a season.
Since there are large numbers of Jews and Palestinians and other Arabs living in both Europe and North America, we should target them with the Gospel of love from God. If large numbers of Jews and Arabs are saved in other nations, it will have a bearing on the Middle East. We need to make it clear to both groups, that the Love of God is the only solution to all of the conflicts on the earth, and that trying to accomplish things with weapons and violence only leads to death and destruction, and worst of all, spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
The question is this, WILL THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST WAKE UP BEFORE THE COMING OF THE ANTICHRIST OR WHEN HE TAKES HIS SEAT IN THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM?
1. A personal note: Lars Widerberg is a "Christian Zionist" and when I, in 1982, released my book in Swedish, The Message of the Bible in the Last Days, Widerberg was one of the people who began to smear my name by calling me "Anti-Semitic." He contacted certain people, and warned them to stay away from me. I did not know Widerberg at this time, and it was not until this year that I ran across his name from a website in Sweden and then I wrote a friendly letter to him. He responded with sarcasm and told me that I was such a low level person, that he did not have time to waste on me. He then bragged about the damage he had done to my work in Sweden and that he was tracking my activities. It makes me wonder, to whom he is reporting?
2. Orthodox Judaism is the most strict of the different Jewish "denominations." They adhere most strictly to traditional beliefs and practices. The Torah [the five books of Moses] and the Oral Law, codified in the Mishna and interpreted in the Talmud are to them immutably fixed and remain the sole norm of religious observance. Jews of this belief system observe daily worship, dietary laws, traditional prayers and ceremonies, regular and intensive study of the Torah, separation of men and women in the synagogue, strict observance of the Sabbath and religious festivals and do not permit instrumental music during communal services. A splinter group broke away in the 19th century in the United States under rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh, who sanctioned modern dress, the use of the vernacular [local language, in this case English] in sermons and a more positive view of modern culture. Orthodox synagogues in the United States have formed an organization called "The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America."


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The Man Behind White Stole's Floral Stoles ....Who is Leonard of Paris?
It was 1958 in Paris when Jacques Leonard asked Daniel Tribouillard to start a new company: Leonard Fashion. A man of artistic temperament, Daniel Tribouillard set out to differentiate the brand in Haute Couture.
In 1960, Tribouillard launched a revolutionary new process for printing English weaves that were very fashionable at the time but said to be "unprintable". In fact, his clients were won over by his much-loved floral prints, and in just a few years, the bold young man was applauded across the globe, Encouraged by his success, Daniel Tribouillard brought the Leonard brand to the world, developing his style by adopting the Orchid as an emblem: a delicate wild flower "without geometric limits."
In 1968, Daniel Tribouillard presented his first collection of printed silk jersey dresses with a slogan emphasizing the lightness of the fabric: "The Leonard Dress: 150g of happiness". In the early 70s, the House diversified its production (perfumes, ties, silk scarves) and created its own distribution network. The years went by, innovations and inventions came one after the other and shaped the brand's reputation. In 1994, the House of Leonard joined the French 'Féderation de la Couture' and performed its first fashion show at the Carrousel du Louvre. 2013 took the Leonard Paris line to new heights in their cutting-edge creative process and production technology as they have continued to research and explore unknown solutions that could be adopted for an individual woman.
Today, Leonard Paris is synonymous across the globe with unparalleled creativity and emotion. Leonard's originality is founded on a unique and recognizable style shared by all of its designs, as well as the fabrics used.
View White Stole's entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls by Leonard, Paris for purchase, or rental, on our website
Hand Silk-Screened Techniques applied to Cutting Edge Design = COMO
During the Roman Empire, Silk was sold for its weight in gold. Today, "Silk" is yet another word for elegance, and silk garments are prized for their versatility, wearability and comfort.
Silk, or "soie" in French, is the strongest natural fiber. A steel filament of the same diameter as silk will break before a filament of silk. Silk absorbs moisture, which makes it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Because of its high absorbency, it is easily dyed in many deep colors. Silk retains its shape, drapes well, caresses the figure, and shimmers with a luster all its own.
The styles and technological innovations made by Como's silk manufacturers may be new and constantly innovating, but the raw materials have remained constant for more than 4,000 years. 300 to 1,600 yards of filament extruded from silkworm cocoons have been the basis of the coveted silk fabrics. It takes 100 cocoons to weave just one tie, and 630 cocoons to make a blouse.
Today, the entire finishing cycle of silk and of other natural fibers are masterfully applied to every new printing and weaving solution. The result merges the distinction between creativity and production as all themes are "creative:" the emergence of a fiber or weave, of a pattern or bold color combination, of an innovative print or a yarn-dyed fabric.
To this day, the end result of cutting-edge CAD design production technology combined with the creative rhythm of masterful creations by individuals dedicated to their craft point to the skill and the unmistakable products that emerge from the luxury textiles industry in Como, Italy.
White Stole offers representation of influential Italian luxury design and heritage production of printed, solid and yarn-dyed luxury women's fabrics in silk, cashmere, cotton and modal using the traditional, custom-manufacturing that has originally been used in the production of Valentino and Leonard Paris Couture Silk.
The Historic City at the Center of Italian Silk Production ~ COMO, Italy
In the 6th century, silkworms were smuggled out of China in bamboo canes and brought to the eastern Mediterranean by two Persian merchants disguised as Priests. From there the labor-intensive business of breeding silkworms is believed to have spread first to Sicily in the 12th century, and then north to the shores of magnificent Lake Como.
The Seduction of Silk on Lake Como's shores is little known to those outside of the fashion industry, but since the turn of the century, Como, a 2,000-year-old Roman town on the southwestern shore of the lake of the same name, has been the center of Italy's silk industry.
Como's picturesque Duomo is the perfect view of the history: Master weavers were already working in Florence in the 13th century. In the 15th century, Venice became a silk processing center. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Milan assumed prominence as both the Italian and European silk capital. By the turn of the 17th century, Como became the country's largest silk producer. Como now produces 85% of all of the silk made in Italy. The silk fibers are still woven, dyed and finished in Italy's finest silk factories, just the way they have always been.
The historic piazza in Como city center tells more of the story: Designers from virtually every fine house - from Valentino, Leonard Paris, Armani, Chanel, Hermes, Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Balenciaga, Herrera, Etro, Pucci, Burberry, Fendi, to Versace, and beyond - rely on silk from Como. A good deal of the credit for a designer's success goes to the silk houses. While the fashion-line's designers may come to the manufacturers with guidelines and inspiration for the types of fabric designs they envison, it is the manufacturers' artists in Como who actually execute the designs.
View White Stole's entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.
Best Idea for a Country Vintage Wedding? Ditch the Cocktail Dress!
Whether the wedding festivities are being held on a ranch, in a vintage barn, or on a vineyard, you'll be grateful for pairing your dainty heels with a colorful or graphic Silk Bridal Wrap over your Vintage Silk Lace Gown that matches your bridal colors and themes...but even better, takes your theme over the rainbow!
For any chic, daytime or country wedding, an ethereal printed Silk Wrap is both relaxed and super sexy for the Bride, especially when paired with this season's It-Bridal heel and hairpiece. If you are the guest, of course you will wish to tie-into the fun of the theme and setting with a graphic or floral Silk Stole Wrap of your own paired with a lightweight dress, bright raffia clutch, sleek gold cuff, and the newest lace-up laser cut stiletto.
Ditch the traditional cocktail dress and opt for a glamorous printed Silk Chiffon look! The bohemian flowing nature of chiffon makes it easy to wear and incredibly fun to dress up for any outdoor or "natural" themed wedding – sky's the limit when it comes to your posh Silk Stole accessory over your shoulders! Add edgy heels, cut-out booties, elegant or oversized jewels and you're ready to dance!
View White Stole's entire collection for size color ranges of Stoles, Stole Wraps, Vintage Stoles, Stole Capes and Shawls for purchase, or rental, on our website.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
https://sportswire.usatoday.com/2014/03/06/adrian-peterson-michael-vick-minnesota-vikings-free-agent/
Would Vick take the Vikings to the playoffs?
Lorenzo Reyes
March 6, 2014 10:58 am ET
Adrian Peterson (left) and Michael Vick (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)
How's this for an endorsement?
@MikeVick would intently make the vikings a playoff team!
— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) March 6, 2014
Adrian Peterson, the All-Pro running back for the Minnesota Vikings, sent a message to the franchise's front office: make a run at free agent quarterback Michael Vick.
The 33-year-old Vick lost his job with the Philadelphia Eagles to Nick Foles and is now looking for a new team. Vick started six games for the Eagles last year, and threw for 1,215 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 306 yards with two rushing scores.
Other options for Vick's services could be the New York Jets, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders and others.
MORE: "Vikings free agent outlook"
The Vikings, perhaps more than any other franchise in the NFL last season, suffered through quarterback woes last season that saw them start three different players at the position — Christian Ponder, Josh Freeman and Matt Cassel. Neither of them appear to be a long-term solution at the position.
Cassel and Freeman are also free agents.
Would adding Vick transform the Vikings into a playoff team?
It's possible, but unlikely. Minnesota finsihed 5-10-1 last season, but had major holes in its secondary. More than just signing Vick, the Vikings need to address several areas before they can become a playoff contender.
The NFC North had a down season last year, but that should change in 2014.
The biggest question, however, is about Vick. He has been injury prone throughout his career, and it's not clear whether he can still withstand an entire season as a starter.
Vick offers an upgrade over the Vikings quarterbacks from last season, but for Minnesota to have any shot at the playoffs, it would need Vick to stay on the field.


text:
Penas, Maxine
House 2001-2006 (District 1A)
Party when first elected: Republican
Counties Served: Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Roseau
Date of Birth: 10/6/1946
Birth Place: Roseau, Minnesota
Birth County: Roseau
Former Name: Sluka
City of Residence (when first elected): Badger
Occupation (when first elected): Retired Science Teacher, Middle River and Greenbush School Districts/Farmer
Badger High School; Secondary; Graduate, 1964
Corbett College/Mount St. Benedict, Crookston; Attended College;
College of St. Benedict; B.A.; Biology Major, Chemistry Minor, 1968
Spouse: Albert (married on August 1, 1969)
Children: Three children: Mary (daughter); Dan "Danny" and Sam (sons)
She died at LifeCare Roseau Manor a year after suffering from a stroke and brain hemorrhage . Her funeral was held on January 3, 2009 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Badger, Minnesota.
Religion provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council's State Directories 2005 and Politics in Minnesota the Directory, 2005-2006.
District: 01A
Residence: Badger
Counties Represented: Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Roseau
Occupation: Retired Science Teacher, Middle River and Greenbush School Districts/Farmer
Party: Republican
Agriculture and Rural Development Minutes
Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Finance Minutes
Environment and Natural Resources Minutes
Leadership Position: Assistant Majority Leader
Agriculture and Rural Development Finance Minutes
Agriculture Policy Minutes
Environment and Natural Resources Finance Minutes
Environment and Natural Resources Policy Minutes
Leadership Position: Assistant Majority Whip
Counties Represented: Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Roseau
Agriculture and Rural Development Policy
K-12 Education Finance
"Penas, Maxine (Obituary)." St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 2, 2009.
Maeda, David. "Call Her 'Maxine'." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, January 26, 2001, p. 19.


Donna K Olheiser, AAP, is the vice president of Education Services and founder of Dynamic Mastership, LLC, and holds the Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) designation (achieved in 2004). She is an enthusiastic and energetic Certified Master Trainer with over 14 years' training experience. She has designed and facilitated over 100 training sessions each year with her expertise being the rules for companies and financial institutions when processing electronic (specifically ACH) payments, then scheduling the events to facilitate and deliver the material through a variety of venues (webinars, teleseminars, in-person workshops, including regional and national conferences).
Her extensive knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for transferring payment processing knowledge using the adult learning theory is remarkable and has helped many payment professionals perform daily operational tasks including exception processing while remaining compliant with the NACHA Operating Rules. She uses scenarios and examples to bring the learning home, easy to comprehend and apply to real-life day-to-day ACH processing. Ms. Olheiser's ability to engage the learner through the entire training event helps the adult learner apply what they've learned during and after each training session.
Donna has over 24 years of experience in the financial services industry which includes 9 years' experience as the education service director at a Regional Payments Association (RPA), where she managed and facilitated the entire education program for nearly 800 financial institution members. Prior to that, Ms. Olheiser spent 14 years in various departments with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, including the internal educator for FedACH Central Operations.
The NACHA Operating Rules and Guidelines require that all participating depository financial institutions, third-party senders and third-party service providers that provide ACH services conduct an annual ACH audit to be performed by December 31 of each year (ACH Rules, Appendix Eight). By each participant performing the annual ACH audit, this helps to ensure that electronic payments work safely and efficiently for all users. Every financial institution, Third-Party Service Provider and Third-Party Sender that provide any function within the ACH Network is required to complete the annual ACH Audit for Rules Compliance.
This session will outline the Audit process according to Appendix 8 in the NACHA Operating Rules and what elements of your ACH program need to be checked and verified to ensure compliance with these Rules.
This session will cover the General Audit Requirements along with the specifics for the RDFI and ODFI processes and what types of questions to ask and things to look for when completing your annual ACH Rules Compliance Audit.


In this episode, the Libyan writer Hisham Matar talks with Helge Jordheim, Professor of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. The conversation took place on august 24th 2016. Introduction by Sigurd Falkenberg Mikkelsen, Middle East correspondent for The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.


text:
Пипиза () — род двукрылых из семейства журчалок.

Описание
Большинство видов имеет чёрную окраску. Катоэпистерн в коротком, микроскопическом опушении, без длинных волосков.

Экология
Личинки питаются на галлах, образованных тлями.

Систематика
В составе рода:

Примечания

Eristalinae
Роды двукрылых

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Spain, Italy start Euro 2020 qualifying with wins
Spain's Sergio Ramos, right, challenges for the ball with Norway's Bjorn Johnsen during the Euro 2020 group F qualifying soccer match between Spain and Norway at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Saturday, March 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain needed to be bailed out by a veteran. Italy got a boost from some new faces.
The former European champions started their campaigns to qualify for Euro 2020 with wins over Scandinavian visitors on Saturday — but in different fashion.
While a misfiring Spain turned to captain Sergio Ramos to edge Norway 2-1, Italians Nicolo Barella and Moise Kean scored their first international goals to beat Finland 2-0.
The pressure is on Italy to recover from last year's embarrassing failure to not reach the World Cup. Spain likewise wants to use the European qualifying campaign to restore its status as one of the continent's best teams after losing to a less talented Russia in the World Cup last 16.
"When you start from zero there is always excitement," Ramos said. "We have a dream, this goal to do something big. A new quest starts, a new objective, and there is no better way to do so than this."
Spain dominated the first half at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium but only Rodrigo Moreno could convert his scoring chance.
Norway equalized in the 65th minute when forward Joshua King netted a penalty kick after substitute Bjorn Johnsen was fouled by Inigo Martinez in the area.
But Ramos soon got his turn at the spot when Alvaro Morata poached a poor back pass by Harvard Nordtveit and was cut down in the box by goalkeeper Rune Jarstein.
Spain's Sergio Ramos, third from right, celebrates with his teammate Rodrigo after winning the Euro 2020 group F qualifying soccer match between Spain and Norway at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Saturday, March 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Ramos, making his 162nd appearance for Spain, got the winner when he converted a spot kick in the "panenka" style — waiting for the goalie to move before chipping the ball down the middle — in the 71st.
Also in Group F, Sweden beat Romania 2-1 thanks to goals by Robin Quaison and Viktor Claesson. Substitute Claudiu Keseru pulled one back for Romania.
Malta edged the Faroe Islands 2-1 in the matchup of the group's minnows.
Three-time champion Spain is the favorite to win the qualifying group.
Barella, a 22-year-old midfielder with Cagliari, scored seven minutes in for Italy with a long, deflected shot from a rebound following a free kick from Marco Verratti.
Kean, aged 19, then took advantage of an excellent throughball from Ciro Immobile to find the target from the center of the area in the 74th. He became the second youngest scorer for Italy after Bruno Nicole in 1958.
Italy's Moise Kean celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 Group J qualifying soccer match between Italy and Finland at the Friuli-Dacia Arena stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, March 23, 2019. (Alberto Lancia/ANSA via AP)
"He's skillful," Italy coach Roberto Mancini said of Kean. "But he still has a lot of work to do. He's got a huge margin for improvement."
It marked the first time the Azzurri scored more than one goal in a competitive match in nearly two years.
Also in Group J, Greece won at Liechtenstein 2-0 from goals by Kostas Fortounis and Anastasios Donis.
Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Armenia 2-1 as Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko celebrated his 100th appearance.
Switzerland got second-half goals from Steven Zuber and Denis Zakaria to win at Georgia 2-0, ending the hosts' run of seven unbeaten games at home.
Switzerland will play Group D favorite Denmark in Basel on Tuesday.
Ireland's Jeff Hendrick scored to help beat Gibraltar 1-0.
Spain, Italy get comfortable wins in Euro qualifying
WC role reversal as Germany wins, Croatia struggles
France opens Euro 2020 qualifying with 4-1 win at Moldo
Sports World Sports Football Italy Sweden Finland Greece Spain Georgia Armenia Switzerland Malta Romania Euro 2020 Norway


The growth factor formulation to rejuvenate lashes and brows that really works!
Strong eyebrows have been in fashion during the past few years. Although this hasn't always been the case. Back in the 1970s, a thin delicate arch was in fashion, and many women like me, plucked their eyebrows to achieve the desired effect.
Fast forward 40 years and we are now regretting taking such drastic action. Our brows have never fully recovered. Combine this with the effects of ageing, where hair becomes sparse in the areas you want it, head, lashes and brows, and appears in places you don't, like your chin.
Over the past few years I have tried several products to increase the length of lashes and thicken eyebrows - and they haven't worked. I suspect that I give up too quickly and really you need to use then for many months to see good results. There lies the problem, dedication and cost. When you've spent a lot of money and don't see any results you are reluctant to carry on. Now, I am pleased to tell you that I have found a game changer, a product that really works quickly and efficiently.
This subtle looking and modestly named product, consists of a tiny bottle of powerful serum and a pack of 30 disposable applicators. The simple container hides years of research and biotechnology that has gone into creating a formula to regenerate hair. Not only will this easy to use product restore lashes and brows, it will do so within a month. Too good to be true you might be thinking, and so did I. That was until I tried Lash from AQ Skin Solutions.
When the sample arrived, and I took out the tiny bottle and individual applicators, I honestly wondered if I would really see a difference in my eyebrows. I was more concerned about my brows than lashes, a quick curl and a sweep of mascara can improve my lashes which are already a reasonable length. My brows on the other hand, were patchier and thinner than they used to be.
What is the effect of using Lash from AQ Skin Solutions?
I started using Lash, gently stroking the solution along the lash line, and across each eyebrow every evening before going to bed. It's a simple procedure and the cleverly shaped applicator means you never contaminate the product. Although I wasn't expecting to see a difference quickly, I had been told I would see a noticeable difference in a month. By the second week my eyelashes looked slightly darker and more noticeable without mascara. My eyebrows looked a little more obvious than usual and with less gaps in them.
By the third week I forgot to put on mascara one day which is completely unheard of, my lashes looked strong and healthy. My eyebrows continued to look thicker and a little darker and you could hardly see any gaps. I was starting to be seriously impressed.
After using Lash from AQ Skin Solutions for a month, my lashes looked noticeably longer, stronger and darker. It was my eyebrows where I saw the most difference, the gaps had filled in, the hair had grown over them, and they were thicker and a more even, darker colour. I was kicking myself that I didn't take any photographs beforehand – I should have had more faith! I was so surprised at the result, it was definitely worth consistently using the product every night. In view of the results, I would be happy to spend this much on Lash once a year to keep my lashes and brows looking more abundant.
Lash is created using growth factors which naturally stimulate the rejuvenation of the hair matrix. It's like giving a kick start to get hair to grow as it did when you were younger. Growth factors are safe to use, we have them naturally occurring in our bodies and skin.
Growth factors are found in many different types of cell within the human body. They are a multifunction group of specialised proteins, one of the most important functions is the activation of cellular proliferation and differentiation. Essential cellular activities are switched on and off by growth factors, and they play a role in increasing cell production, cell division, blood vessel production and collagen and elastin production. Growth factors are vital when it comes to keeping a youthful appearance. Natural cellular renewal and damage repair processes are made by growth factors within the skin and scalp.
Can anyone use Lash from AQ Skin Solutions?
Yes, the product has been specifically formulated for the lash area and can even be used whilst wearing false lashes.
How long will the Lash effect last?
Once you have used Lash for a month, the cellular connection has been re-established, so the effect is permanent. The normal ageing process or overuse of false lashes and plucking brows, will reduce the effects. It's suggested that you use Lash yearly for maintenance or more often if you wish to improve the general health and feel of your lashes.
Who are AQ Skin Solutions?
AQ Skin Solutions was created by Dr Ahmed Al-Qahtani who has pioneered research into growth factors in medical applications, for wound healing and creating artificial skin grafts. Through his experience of growth factor biotechnology, Dr Ahmed has developed a process for producing the highest quality and effective growth factors for improving the appearance of skin and the look of hair.
How much is Lash and where can I buy it?


text:
EA Gothenburg (anteriormente Ghost Games) es un desarrollador de videojuegos sueco propiedad de Electronic Arts (EA). También hay dos estudios además del estudio principal en Suecia; Uno en el Reino Unido y otro en Rumania. El estudio se centraba en desarrollar videojuegos de la franquicia Need for Speed con el motor de juego Frostbite 3. Un 80% del personal del desarrollador británico Criterion Games (que han producido títulos previos de Need for Speed y ayudado a Ghost en el desarrollo de  Need for Speed Rivals) se trasladaron a EA Gothenburg para ayudar a mejorar el estudio.

Historia
EA ya había formado el estudio en 2011, EA Gothenburg. Con sede en Gothenburg, Suecia, se informó de que el estudio se centraría en el desarrollo de juegos con el motor de juego Frostbite. También se informó de que el estudio estaba desarrollando un juego  "en la franquicia Need For Speed ". De acuerdo con los currículos de los empleados, gran parte del personal del estudio había trabajado anteriormente en los principales títulos de carreras, incluyendo Forza Horizon, Need for Speed: The Run, Project Gotham Racing y Race Pro.

En 22 de octubre de 2012, el desarrollador principal de la serie, Criterion Games, confirmó que EA Gothenburg estaba trabajando en un título de la franquicia Need for Speed, pero no reveló el nivel de participación o cuando el título sería lanzado.

El 15 de noviembre de 2012, EA Gothenburg fue renombrado como Ghost Games. El sitio web de Ghost se puso en marcha al mismo tiempo y pidió personal  para solicitar una serie de posiciones abiertas. Ghost está dirigido por el exproductor ejecutivo de DICE, Marcus Nilsson, quien anteriormente lideró el desarrollo de juegos como Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Battlefield 2142 y Shift 2: Unleashed.

El 23 de mayo de 2013, EA confirmó el próximo juego de Need for Speed, Rivals, con un teaser trailer, después de que el material de marketing se mostrase días antes. También se confirmó que  Rivals estaba en las obras del desarrollador de juegos suecos de EA, Ghost Games, en colaboración con Criterion Games. Además, Ghost Games será el desarrollador principal de todas las entregas futuras en la franquicia Need for Speed a partir de 2013.

El 1 de febrero de 2014, varias fuentes confirmaron que se habían producido despidos en el estudio Ghost Games UK  (ex-Criterion Games) - la rama británica de Ghost Games . Las mismas fuentes también confirmaron que un título sin anunciar de Need for Speed había sido puesto en espera. Los desarrolladores que trabajaban con el estudio bajo contrato se dejaron ir inmediatamente, mientras que a los empleados a tiempo completo se les dijo que tomaran el pago de la separación y dejaran la compañía, o se unieran al equipo que trabajaba en Battlefield Hardline de Visceral Games, que sería lanzado el año siguiente. En 2014, Andrew Wilson, CEO de Electronic Arts, anunció que no habría un nuevo juego de Need for Speed ese año, lo que lo convierte en el primer año desde 2001 en que un juego de Need for Speed no fue lanzado. El siguiente Need for Speed desarrollado por Ghost es un reboot de la franquicia, que recibió revisiones mixtas tras el lanzamiento.

En enero de 2016, Ghost Games comenzó el desarrollo de un nuevo juego de la saga Need for Speed. Electronic Arts confirmó posteriormente en su convocatoria de beneficios de enero de 2017 que este nuevo juego sería lanzado durante el próximo año fiscal de EA, comprendido desde abril de 2017 hasta marzo de 2018. Finalmente, el 2 de junio de 2017 EA y Ghost Games anunciaron Need for Speed Payback con una fecha de lanzamiento para noviembre de ese año.

El 14 de agosto de 2019, se anunció un nuevo título para la franquicia de carreras callejeras llamado Need for Speed Heat, con una fecha de salida para el 8 noviembre del mismo año.

El 12 de febrero de 2020, EA anunció que Ghost Games dejara de desarrollar Need For Speed y que pasara a manos de Criterion Games.

Juegos desarrollados

Referencias

Empresas fundadas en 2011
Electronic Arts
Empresas de videojuegos de Suecia
Desarrolladoras de videojuegos


Periodically, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets new standards for diesel engine manufacturers which impacts the need for updating lubricant specifications so that engines can meet these regulations. The last change was in 2006 met by API CJ-4 in reference to meeting PC-10 specifications. Effective January 2017, the EPA has set new diesel engine specifications that will now need API PC-11 approved lubricants meeting CK-4 or FA-4 standards.
• CK-4 has backward compatibility for older engine technology offering enhancements in oxidation resistance, shear stability and aeration control.
• CK-4 oils will be designed as a direct replacement to current CJ-4 oils.
• FA-4 is aimed to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) in newly designed diesel engines.
Benz is poised to meet PC-11 standards. Stay tuned for more information on this important topic here at Benz.com.


I was pretty tired on Monday evening and all i wanted to do was curl up in front of a movie with a big creamy bowl of pasta. Sadly, this was not to be. After an extended and heavenly break from the gym whilst we were in Boston and then over the weekend, me and Hayls were finally dragging ourselves back to the gym. As we always get back just before dinner, i needed something that i could prep mostly in advance and then just get Alex to finish off. Quiche is what popped into my mind, namely a roasted vegetable and goats cheese quiche. It's something that feels indulgent and comforting but when you pack it full of veggies and have it with salad it's actually not too bad. And it tastes good, which is what we're really after.It's also light enough for spring, as much as I love hearty, rich dishes that make you dream of curling up by the fire, it's no longer so appealing once it's hitting 90 degrees so we have to go for something that still gives you the comfort level, just minus the stodge. The other great thing about a quiche is that you can really put absolutely anything in it. It's a good way to use up scraps of whatever's knocking around your fridge looking lonely and a bit neglected, you just swathe it in a coat of cream, egg and cheese, and there you go, you've made something pretty damn luxurious.
Having said that, you do still have to think of what will taste good together, i wouldn't recommend hurling in absolutely everything that's hanging around the veg drawer and hoping for the best as you might just end up ruining it.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like wet sand. Add enough water so that the dough forms a ball, then flatten out into a disc, cling film and put in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes (or longer if you need to). Everyone usually says to put it into the fridge in a ball but it chills much faster and more evenly if you flatten it.
When it's ready, preheat the oven to 180C/350F. then roll out the pastry and line your tart case. Prick the base all over with a fork and then put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Once it's chilled out in the fridge again, line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice, anything that will weight it down basically. I am aware that i've used tin foil here but we'd run out of parchment so i had to make do with this. The point of pricking the base and then weighting it down is to stop the pastry shrinking down the sides of the tin, which it just loves to do. This is called blind baking and if you skip this step you'll just end up with a sad, heavy lump of pastry in the bottom of the tart tin and there'll be nowhere for the filling to go. That doesn't sound so tempting does it?
Then pop it back in for 5-10 minutes until the bottom isn't looking doughy anymore. And that's the pastry done, not so difficult. Shortcrust pastry is the easiest one to make as it's the most forgiving. If your pastry tears as you're rolling it out or filling the tart tin, it doesn't matter. Simply rip a bit off from somewhere else and patch it, it'll forgive you and, once the filling is in, no one will even be able to tell. Alex had to do it on this tart when he rolled the pastry out for me as the dough had been in the fridge for quite a while and was really cold when it came out. Although the crust is all uneven, as you can see, it doesn't matter, it'll still taste delicious and it proves that it's homemade. Throw the word rustic around a little bit and no one can say a word about what it looks like. Anyway, on to the filling….
Ok, first things first, preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Snap the ends off the asparagus- grab hold of each end and bend, the asparagus will snap naturally where the sugars have built up and therefore just leave you with the good bit. Then chuck the tomato, pepper, leek, onion and asparagus into a roasting tin, add a glug of olive, some salt and pepper and give it all a good shake about. Bung it in the oven for about 30 minutes until everything is just beginning to caramelise.
Next up, deseed your chillis and slice them, and, whilst you're at it, slice the garlic too, then fry it all in a pan until the garlic is very lightly golden.
Next, whisk together the egg and double cream, and now, i think we're ready to put this bad boy together.
Put the roasted veg mix, the chilli, garlic and broccoli into the tart case. Make sure you get a spatula and scrape out the roasting tin as there's lots of yumminess to be had in there. Pour over the egg/cream mix and give the whole lot a little stir around so everything's nicely coated. Press it all down so you have a fairly even layer and then dot over the goats cheese so it ends up looking like this.
Pop it in your still hot oven for about 30-40 minutes until the filling is set and the top is golden, if it starts to colour too much on the top, whack a bit of tin foil over it. Hopefully, it'll end up looking something like this.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins and then transfer onto a board or plate to serve.I like to just plonk this down on the table with a big green salad and a bottle of wine and just let everyone help themselves. This isn't supposed to be anything snazzy, just relaxed and tasty, which is just how it ended up. It's also such a nice way to eat if you're just with a group of friends, there's nothing worse than having to have a big formal meal when you're just feeling tired and lazy and it also gets everyone talking. In short, it's a bit of midweek perfection. So if you fancy a change one night then give it a whirl.


text:
Why We Fight for Tax Justice
Tax Takes
Ultra-Wealthy Dodge Billions in Taxes Using "GRAT" Loophole
Posted on December 20, 2013 by tarek
By Richard Phillips, Senior Policy Analyst at ITEP | Permalink |
A new Bloomberg report describes how billionaires have dodged an estimated $100 billion in gift and estate taxes since 2000, according to the lawyer who perfected the practice.
The trick involves temporarily putting corporate stocks (or similar assets) into a "Grantor Retained Annuity Trust" (GRAT), where the grantor gets the stocks back after two years, plus a small amount of interest, while any appreciation of the stock goes to the grantor's heirs tax-free.
Because the initial gift has no inherent value (it's essentially a gift to oneself), there is no gift tax at the time the GRAT is set up. The loophole is that the appreciation of the stock that goes to the heirs is not subject to gift tax either. As a result, extremely wealthy individuals avoid billions of dollars in gift and estate tax.
This is what Sheldon Adelson did (to take just one example) when he put much of his Las Vegas Sands stock in GRATs when the stock had plummeted during the recession. Adelson knew that the stock was likely to rise significantly from that low point. If Adelson had simply given his heirs the stock, the gift tax would have applied to the value of the stock at the time it was given. Or if he bequeathed the stock upon his death, the estate tax would apply.
But by using GRATS, neither the value of the stock at the time it was temporarily put into the GRAT nor the subsequent appreciation was subject to gift or estate tax. See the graphic below from Bloomberg for how the shelter works in practice.
Many well-known figures, such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and fashion designer Ralph Lauren, have set up GRATs to shelter their assets from gift and estate tax. Bloomberg estimates that Adelson, whose net worth is more than $30 billion, has already avoided at least $2.8 billion in US gift taxes using at least 25 different GRATs over time.
For his part, Adelson has not just sought to follow (or exploit) whatever law is on the books, but has actually taken an active role in trying to shape the law and the government that enacts it. In 2012, Adelson spent an astonishing $150 million to support conservative candidates and has said that he's ready to "double" his donations to candidates going forward. Considering the billions that Adelson has at stake, this exuberant campaign spending may actually be a prudent investment if it works to preserve the GRAT loophole and the plethora of other massive tax breaks for the wealthy individuals embedded in the tax code.
To their credit, the Obama Administration has proposed to curb (PDF) the use of GRATs by requiring that a GRAT have a minimum term of 10 years. As the Treasury explains (PDF, pg. 142), this would create some downside risk to using a GRAT because it increases the likelihood that the grantor will die before the GRATs paid out the appreciation to the heirs, at which point that appreciation would be subject to the estate tax. Unfortunately, this proposal has been brushed aside by Republicans who seek to eliminate the estate tax entirely and by some Democrats who are not enthusiastic about taking on a tax break used by the large campaign donor class.
Federal Tax Issues
Posted in TaxJusticeBlogTagged TaxJusticeBlog
State News Quick Hits in Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky and Oklahoma
By Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy Staff | Permalink |
The LaCrosse Tribune gets it right in this editorial titled, "Don't Conduct Tax Talks in Private." As we told you last week , Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker asked Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Revenue Department Secretary Rick Chandler to host a series of roundtable discussions about the state's tax structure. Unfortunately, the first invitation-only discussion happened behind closed doors. We couldn't agree more with the Tribune that, "true tax reform deserves feedback and input from all Wisconsin citizens because while we may not all contribute to political candidates or align ourselves with political parties, we all pay taxes." Now we hear that the Governor is interested in income tax repeal. Let's hope this debate doesn't happen behind closed doors.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has come out in favor of reviewing tax breaks given to businesses over the last several years in order to see if they really had a positive impact on the state's economy. We've been critical of the Governor for offering such tax incentives to specific companies. Reviewing those giveaways for effectiveness is long overdue.
In more good news for those of us concerned with the "race to the bottom" in which states are doling out massive tax incentives to businesses with little oversight, Archer Daniels Midland is set to announce that they will move their headquarters to Chicago without receiving any state or city incentives in return.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is (again) committing himself to tax reform. He recently said in
an interview, "Tax reform remains a top priority of mine, and I am hopeful that we can address it in some way in the upcoming session."
The Oklahoma Supreme Court recently struck down a regressive and unpopular cut to the state's top income tax rate that Governor Mary Fallin signed into law earlier this year. According to the court, the bill containing the tax cut violated a provision in the Oklahoma constitution requiring each bill to be focused on a "single subject." In addition to cutting the state's income tax, the bill would have also provided funding to repair the state's Capitol building.
Corporate Income Taxes
State Tax Issues
Tax Issues by State
Murray-Ryan Budget Deal Avoids Government Shutdown but Does Not Close a Single Tax Loophole, Leaves Many Problems in Place
By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink |
The latest budget deal in Congress seems to indicate that anti-government, anti-tax lawmakers will not force a costly shutdown of the federal government in 2014 as they did in 2013, although they still threaten to cause the U.S. to default on its debt obligations if some yet-undefined demands are not met. In today's dysfunctional Congress, that's considered a great achievement. Congress could have replaced all of the harmful sequestration of federal spending for next year and the year after by closing the tax loopholes used by corporations to shift jobs and profits offshore, as recently proposed by Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Rosa DeLauro. Sadly, the deal negotiated by Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan does none of that.
Deal Replaces Some Sequestration, Further Reduces the Deficit
On Wednesday the U.S. Senate approved the Murray-Ryan budget deal, which was negotiated by Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan and approved last week by the House. It would undo $63 billion of the $219 billion sequestration cuts scheduled to occur in 2014 and 2015 under the Budget Control Act of 2011 (the deal President Obama and Congressional Republicans came to in one of the previous hostage-taking episodes).
Most mainstream economists believe that governments should not cut spending when their economies are still climbing out of recessions, but that's pretty much exactly what Congress did by approving the 2011 law resulting in sequestration of about $109 billion each year for a decade.
The Murray-Ryan deal would reduce that by $45 billion next year and by $18 billion in the following year. While the deal replaces $63 billion of sequestration, the total savings in the deal add up to $85 billion, which means the deal technically reduces the deficit compared to doing nothing. But about $28 billion of the savings come from simply extending some of the sequestration cuts longer than they were originally intended to be in effect (extending them into 2022 and 2023). This enables Rep. Ryan to claim that the deal further reduces the deficit. But this has no real policy rationale except for those who believe that shrinking government is good in itself, regardless of the impacts.
Any major budget deal approved during a recession ought to provide an increase in unemployment insurance, which is the sort of government spending that puts money in the hands of the people most likely to spend it right away, thus enabling local businesses to retain or create jobs. But under the Murray-Ryan deal, the extended unemployment benefits that were enacted to address the recession would run out (at the end of this month for many people). As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains, in the past Congress has not allowed these benefits to run out until the rate of long-term unemployment was much lower than it is today.
Tax Loopholes Left Untouched, but Revenue Raised through Fees
The Murray-Ryan deal does not close a single tax loophole for corporations or individuals. A bill recently introduced by Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Rosa DeLauro demonstrates exactly how this could be done. The DeLauro-Doggett bill basically borrows the loophole-closing provisions from Senator Carl Levin's Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act and uses the revenue savings to replace sequestration for two years.
To take just one of many examples of how it would work, the DeLauro-Doggett bill would close the loophole allowing corporations to take deductions each year for interest payments related to the costs of offshore business even though the profits from that offshore business will not be taxable until the corporation brings them to the U.S. years or even decades later. This reform is estimated to raise around $50 billion over a decade. Another provision would reform the "check-the-box" rules that allow corporations to tell different governments different things about the nature of their subsidiaries and whether or not their profits have been taxed in one country or another, resulting in profits that are taxed nowhere. This reform is estimated to raise $80 billion over a decade.
These two reform options appear on a list of potential loophole-closing measures released by Senator Murray's committee (as well as in the DeLauro-Doggett legislation). The committee's list also included others that Citizens for Tax Justice has championed, like closing the carried interest loophole to raise $17 billion over a decade, closing the John Edwards/Newt Gingrich loophole (for S corporations) to raise $12 billion, closing the Facebook stock option loophole to raise as much as $50 billion, and several others. (Many of the reforms on the budget committee list are explained in this CTJ report.)
Instead of closing tax loopholes, the Murray-Ryan deal raises revenue through fee increases that are not technically tax increases but would probably feel like tax increases to the people experiencing them. For example, fees on airline tickets that pay for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would increase to $5.60 per ticket, raising $12.6 billion over a decade. The premiums paid by companies for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (to guarantee employee's pension benefits) would increase, raising $7.9 billion over a decade. Another provision would increase federal employee pension contributions, raising $6 billion over a decade. These are just a few examples.
These measures do raise revenue, but it would seem more straightforward to remove the loopholes that complicate the main taxes we rely on to fund public investments and that eat away significantly at the amounts of revenue they can raise. Members of Congress can only run for so long before facing the need for tax reform.
Budget & Deficits
Offshore Tax Abuses
Tax Enforcement & Tax Evasion
Income Tax Deductions for Sales Taxes: A Step Away from Tax Fairness
By Matt Gardner, Senior Fellow at ITEP | Permalink |
Sales taxes are the biggest tax fairness problem facing state and local governments: they inexorably fall hardest on the low-income families who are least able to pay them, while asking far less, as a share of income, from the very best-off taxpayers. So if the federal government enacts a tax break designed to offset the impact of sales taxes, that can't be a bad thing, right? As it turns out, it IS a bad thing, as explained in a recent report from Citizens for Tax Justice.
A deduction for sales taxes existed in the past but was repealed as part of the loophole-closing Tax Reform Act of 1986. In 2004 Congress brought the concept back as the itemized deduction that federal income taxpayers can claim for state and local sales taxes they pay each year.
Spearheaded by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the provision, enacted as part of the "American Jobs Creation Act of 2004," gave itemizers the choice of deducting either their state and local income taxes or their sales taxes. The provision was set to expire two years later–and that's how it joined the big happy family of "tax extenders," the motley crew of temporary tax giveaways Congress now extends every couple of years.
Almost a decade later, the sales tax deduction is once again set to expire at the end of 2013. However, the deduction has a vocal fan base among politicians in the nine states that have no broad-based income taxes and rely more on sales taxes to fund public services. Since these states include large states like Florida and Texas, it's a constituency that is difficult to ignore. Their Congressional delegations argue that it's unfair for the federal government to allow a deduction for state income taxes, but not for sales taxes, but this misses the larger point. The underlying problem with sales taxes is their impact on low-income families, and itemized deductions don't help low-income people, who mostly take the standard deduction rather than itemizing. Also, the higher your income, the more the deduction is worth, since the tax benefit depends on your income tax bracket.
The table above includes taxpayer data from the IRS for 2011, the most recent year available, along with data generated from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) tax model to determine how different income groups would be affected by the deduction for sales taxes in the context of the federal income tax laws in effect today.
As illustrated in the table, people making less than $60,000 a year who take the sales-tax deduction receive an average tax break of just $100, and receive less than a fifth of the total tax benefit. Those with incomes between $100,000 and $200,000 enjoy a break of almost $500 and receive a third of the deduction, while those with incomes exceeding $200,000 save $1,130 and receive just over a fourth of the total tax benefit.
So the sales tax deduction is both complicated and regressive, not to mention an added burden on the vast majority who don't use it but have to pay for it (in the form of higher tax rates or skimpier public services). Yet too many of our politicians seem to think "other than those flaws, what's not to like?"
The good news is that all Congress has to do in order to make this bad dream end is… nothing. Since the tax break is set to expire on New Year's Day, Congressional tax writers can achieve a small, but meaningful, victory for tax fairness and simplification by simply sitting on their hands.
Tax Reform Options
Who Pays How Much
Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Tax Simplicity Has Got to Go, says Iowa Governor
By Kelly Davis, Assistant Director of Communications | Permalink |
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is reportedly interested in implementing an alternative income tax structure for the Hawkeye State's wealthiest taxpayers.
The state's income tax rate structure is a bit deceptive because Iowa is one of just six states offering a deduction for federal income taxes paid. ITEP has written a whole report on this costly and regressive loophole available here (PDF). The ability of Iowans to write off all of their federal income taxes on their state income tax forms means that the state needs higher income tax rates in order to raise necessary revenue. The state's top personal income tax rate is 8.98 percent—and some elected officials believe this makes it difficult to attract businesses to the state. But, Iowans pay an effective tax rate far lower than 8.98 percent because of the generous deduction for federal income taxes paid.
In order to combat this public relations problem, Governor Branstad is considering proposing an alternative income tax that has lower rates and no deduction for federal income taxes paid. Iowans would be allowed to file their taxes either way, but of course, most taxpayers would compute their income tax bills twice to determine which results in lower tax liability. In other words, the proposal completely disregards the tax policy principle of simplicity. It's also likely that offering this "optional" income tax would cost the state in terms of revenue, since most people will choose it only if it saves them money.
The Governor's proposal has come under scrutiny from some in the legislature and from various advocacy groups. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement released a statement saying, "Iowa's wealthiest citizens need to pay their fair share in taxes. They don't need more options for how to pay less."
The track record for proposals of this type isn't very good. One need only look to the 2008 presidential campaign and Senator John McCain's tax proposal. During the campaign Citizens for Tax Justice analyzed the Senator's alternative "simplified" tax and found that in 2012 alone, the alternate tax "would cost $98 billion, and 58 percent of this would go to the richest five percent of taxpayers." Let's hope Governor Branstad's proposal falls the way of McCain's.
Rental Housing and the Tax Code
More than sixty years after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made "freedom from want" one of the "four freedoms" he sought to guarantee to families worldwide, one important component of Roosevelt's vision—affordable housing—is further and further away for many low-income families. It's well-known that the gradually unfolding foreclosure crisis of the past half-decade put homeownership out of reach for millions of American families. But as a new study from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) shows, many of these families have found that shifting from homeownership to renting has hardly eased the burden of housing costs. The study, America's Rental Housing: Evolving Markets and Needs, finds that half of all renters nationwide are now paying more than 30 percent of their incomes on rent.
This is significant because housing experts have traditionally viewed the 30-percent-of-income threshold as the upper limit on affordable housing costs—and because the share of American renters paying burdensomely high rents, by this measure, grew faster over the past decade than at any time in the past half century. In 1960, JCHS finds, the share of renter households paying more than 30 percent of their income was 22 percent. In 2000, that share had risen to 38 percent, and in the decade that followed it jumped to 50 percent.
The JCHS measure breaks out families whose rental costs are "moderate burdens" (30 to 50 percent of income) and "severe burdens" (more than 50 percent of income). Disturbingly, the last decade's jump in unaffordable rents was driven primarily by those with "severe" rental costs. An astonishing 27 percent of American rental households now spend more than half their income on rent alone, up sharply from 19 percent at the turn of the century.
But as a September 2013 ITEP report notes, an increasing number of state tax systems have a straightforward mechanism in place, the property tax "circuit breaker" credit, that can be tailored to reduce the burden of rental housing cost for families. Circuit breakers are designed to prevent housing costs from exceeding some "excessive" share of income, and nearly half of the states now offer renters at least a small tax credit to keep their rental costs below these excessive levels. Recent expansions in renter tax breaks in Minnesota and the District of Columbia, described in our September report, show that even in a fiscally challenging environment these relatively inexpensive tax credits can be achievable for states.
In fact, circuit breakers administered by state governments may be the most attainable policy solution going forward for mitigating the excessive rental housing costs that millions of low-income families currently face. This is because, as the JCHS report shows, direct rental subsidies have actually been provided to fewer and fewer rent-challenged families even as rental costs have soared. The share of eligible households receiving rental subsidies fell from 27 to 23.8 percent during the past five years alone. In other words, state circuit breakers may be the last backstop for near-poverty families facing severe housing costs.
Education, Health and Housing
New CTJ Report: Congress Should Offset the Cost of the "Tax Extenders," or Not Enact Them At All
Congress should end its practice of passing, every couple of years, a so-called "tax extenders" bill that reenacts a laundry list of tax breaks that are officially temporary and that mostly benefit corporations, without offsetting the cost. A new report from Citizens for Tax Justice explains that none of the tax extenders can be said to help Americans so much that they should be enacted regardless of their impact on the budget deficit and other, more worthwhile programs. It is entirely inappropriate that lawmakers refuse to fund infrastructure repairs or Head Start slots for children unless the costs are offset, while routinely extending these tax breaks without paying for them.
The tax breaks usually considered part of the "tax extenders" were last enacted as part of the deal addressing the "fiscal cliff" in January of 2013. At that time most of the provisions were extended one year retroactively and one year going forward, through 2013. As these tax breaks approach their scheduled expiration date at the end of this year, they are again in the news.
Read the report.
Congress Should Offset the Cost of the "Tax Extenders," or Not Enact Them At All
Posted on December 12, 2013 by dawn
December 12, 2013 04:56 PM | Permalink |
Congress should end its practice of passing, every couple of years, a so-called "tax extenders" bill that reenacts a laundry list of tax breaks that are officially temporary and that mostly benefit corporations, without offsetting the cost. This report explains that none of the tax extenders can be said to help Americans so much that they should be enacted regardless of their impact on the budget deficit and other, more worthwhile programs.
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Posted in ArchiveTagged Archive
State News Quick Hits: Wisconsin Tax Policy Round Tables, Unpopular Tax Cuts in Kansas, and More
Governor Scott Walker says that one of his goals is to lower taxes for all Wisconsinites. He's asked Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Revenue Department Secretary Rick Chandler to host a series of roundtable discussions about the state's tax structure. Regrettably, transparency clearly isn't another one of the Governor's goals as the first roundtable discussion was closed to the public (and press) and only business leaders were invited.
In "race to the bottom" news, Missouri lawmakers approved a 23-year, $1.7 billion package of tax cuts for Boeing in an attempt to lure the manufacturer to the state. Missouri is one of twelve states vying for the opportunity to make the new 777X passenger jets. As we have explained, Missouri seems eager to repeat the mistakes of of Washington State, which recently provided Boeing with the largest state tax cut in history, at $8.7 billion.
It turns out that Kansas' recent tax cuts aren't just bad policy. They're also unpopular. The income tax cuts, sales tax hikes, education cuts, and social service cuts that resulted from Governor Brownback's tax plan are all opposed by a majority of Kansans, according to polling highlighted in The Wichita Eagle.
Due to the extensive changes to North Carolina's personal income tax starting in 2014, the state's Department of Revenue has asked all employers to distribute new state income tax withholding forms to their employees. The need for a new form has unfortunately led to a lot of confusion and some really inaccurate press coverage on the regressive and costly tax "reform" package enacted this year. Some articles mistakenly reported that everyone will get an income tax cut (and thus a little more money in their paychecks next year), but we know this is not the case. The loss of the state's Earned Income Tax Credit, personal exemptions (despite a higher standard deduction), and numerous other deductions and credits will negatively impact many working North Carolina families and seniors living on fixed incomes. And, these stories all failed to point out that while income taxes may be going down for some, sales tax on items including movie tickets, service contracts and electricity will be going up in 2014.
Oregon Governor has Bad Intel on Corporate Tax Breaks
State tax giveaways for business are reaching a fever pitch in the Pacific Northwest. Washington lawmakers last month enacted an $8.7 billion "mega-deal" package of state and local tax breaks designed to keep the state's aerospace industry, dominated by Boeing, in the state. The sheer scale of the package, which is designed to last until 2040, has prompted some to wonder whether the time has finally come to end the tax-incentive arms race between the states.
But across the Columbia River in Oregon, Governor John Kitzhaber is having none of this talk. Computer chipmaker Intel has just inked a new package of guaranteed tax breaks, not through legislative action but through direct negotiation with Governor Kitzhaber. In brief, Intel gets a guarantee that it will be able to use the coveted "single sales factor" manufacturing tax break for 30 years– even if the legislature repeals it for everyone else doing business in the state.
In return for a tax break that will outlive many current Oregon voters, Intel agrees to do…nothing they weren't already doing. As the Oregon Center on Public Policy points out, the company has already begun construction of a new research facility in the state, and the result of this agreement is simply that they will continue building the facility. Intel senior leaders admit that Intel's current investments on this site are "nothing new…just continued expansion of the site."
Why does Governor Kitzhaber have the power to unilaterally negotiate tax deals with Fortune 500 companies? Because the legislature gave him that power. In a special legislative session last year, the legislature enacted a bill (PDF) initially designed to authorize a similar tax break package for the Nike corporation, but ultimately crafted to allow any large company to negotiate directly with the governor on tax incentive packages, as long as those negotiations took place before the end of 2013. (Reminder to mom-and-pop businesses in Oregon: you've got just two short weeks left to set up your personal meeting with Kitzhaber if you want to secure similar tax breaks– better get with the program!)
The good news is that in the limited time Kitzhaber has had access to his "magic wand" for granting tax breaks, he's only done it for Intel and Nike. So when Kitzhaber turns over a new leaf and starts pushing for comprehensive tax reform after the next gubernatorial election, he'll have to spend a bit less time undoing the damage he's wrought in 2013.
What makes this all the more astonishing is that Kitzhaber and the legislature have no idea whether these companies are paying a meaningful amount of income tax to Oregon to begin with—and there's anecdotal evidence that they don't. A 2011 report from Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that Intel was one of over a dozen Fortune 500 companies that, despite being hugely profitable between 2008 and 2010, managed to pay not even a dime of state corporate tax nationwide during this three-year period.
Public disclosure of corporate tax payments (PDF) remains a terrific, if largely unfulfilled, step toward reform, and it's worth asking: if Kitzhaber, to say nothing of Oregon taxpayers, knew just how little income tax Intel is paying right now to Oregon, would this horrific deal have ever seen the light of day?
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Yes, General Borschevsky, "The Leafs Are the Best" was pretty bad. But just in case anyone was...
posted by Down Goes Brown on May 27, 2008
Yes, General Borschevsky, "The Leafs Are the Best" was pretty bad. But just in case anyone was wondering, it still has a long way to go to top the worst hockey video of all time. Take it away, Calgary.