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Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir
The Volcanic Eruption in Mt. Fagradalsfjall and Geldingadalir in SW-Iceland
By Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir
Verified Local
Contact Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir
After 3 weeks of almost constant earthquakes, approximately 40,000 of them to be exact, which were driving us crazy here on the south-west corner of Iceland, we finally got a volcanic eruption at Geldingadalir by Mt. Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanesskagi peninsula.
A crater opened in Geldingadalir which spew out primitive molten lava 17 km from the Earth's mantle, something that is quite out of the ordinary - but then this volcanic eruption is out of the ordinary as there has not been a volcanic eruption in this location for some 6,000 years!
The volcanic eruption
When I say that we finally got a volcanic eruption, then I don't mean that we wanted a volcanic eruption in this location so close to the international airport, but the earthquakes were just so frequent that they were making many of us seasick and scaring the living daylight out of us.
The first earthquake on the 24th of February was 5.7 on the Richter scale and we could feel it all too well in the Great-Reykjavík area, which is 30 km away from the eruption, not to talk about the people living on the Reykjanesskagi peninsula.
Constant smaller earthquakes followed in its track and the nation was glued to the webpage of the Met Office which showed us the size and location of the earthquakes. The webpage crashed more than once as we were constantly checking how big the latest earthquake was that we were feeling.
Hot lava flow beneath the lava
Then the geologists started telling us that we might be facing a volcanic eruption! We didn't know what was going on as we have never experienced volcanic eruptions in this part of Iceland in our lifetime i.e., although we are well aware that there are many volcanos and lava fields on the Reykjanesskagi peninsula.
But to us, that was ancient history with very old lava fields. The last volcanic eruption on the Reykjanesskagi peninsula was some 800 years ago.
I packed a bag with my meds and extra clothes and slept fully dressed for the first days of these earthquakes, just to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. And I know a lot of people on the south-west corner who did the same thing ;)
The volcanic eruption and the new lava field
The geologists told us that magma was trying to find its way out, which would then most likely cause a volcanic eruption, where and when we didn't know. But when the magma would find an outlet then most of the earthquakes caused by it would stop. It was a bit nerve-racking waiting for the eruption and there were many speculations about where and when or if it would erupt.
Then, on a Friday night on the 19th of March, while we were watching telly we saw on the live Icelandic show we were watching that a volcanic eruption had started - some 40 minutes earlier! We jumped from the sofa and panicked a bit - I guess that is just normal behaviour when you live close to a volcano. I cannot even begin to imagine though how the people of close-by Grindavík town felt.
Then there was a news broadcast with breaking news - a volcanic eruption has started by Mt. Fagradalsfjall - in Geldingadalir valleys! I had heard of Mt. Fagradalsfjall but never of Geldingardalir valleys. Now every Icelander knows where Geldingadalir valleys are located.
The new lava field in the making
And we were told that this was the best location for the magma to escape, as it were, for a volcanic eruption to take place, as it was far from inhabited areas - 3 km away from Grindavík town. And in a valley, which would keep the lava flow in check, at least for a while, until the valley would fill up.
There had been so many speculations about where and if there would be a volcanic eruption and if it would flow to the sea or over Suðurstrandarvegur road. Now, at least it was in a good place, so to speak, actually the best possible place.
And it was a small eruption they said, a wretch (ræfill) really (their words). At least compared to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption back in 2010. This one would not stop any air traffic for sure.
And then the nation started flocking to see the small volcanic eruption! The nation went wild and even inexperienced hikers in sneakers and jeans were hiking to see the volcano, as if they were going for a short walk, not hiking for hours over rough terrain to see a volcanic eruption.
It was beautiful watching the people with headlights who were visiting the volcano at night creating a beautiful long lit up line, it looked like a pearl necklace.
There were many helicopters flying over the volcano. Finally, after a long COVID draught, the helicopter companies were having a lot of business, and people were standing in line to visit the scene of the eruption in a helicopter.
And I can tell you that I was tempted to do the same instead of hiking to the volcano. A bit expensive though as helicopter rides go, but it must be a breathtaking experience.
Finally, on the 23rd of May, after 7 weeks of waiting for a helicopter tour, it was my turn. I have told you about it in my next travel-blog: A Helicopter Ride to the Volcanic Eruption in Mt. Fagradalsfjall in SW-Iceland
Here is a video I took on that tour when we landed on Mt. Stóri-Hrútur:
On the first days of the eruption, the hike to the volcano was 3 hours, first on Suðurstrandavegur road which was closed due to cracks in the road caused by the earthquakes, and then over rough terrain.
A 3-hour hike one way in the middle of March in cold weather!
The police and the rescue teams had to rescue several people who were exhausted and had lost their way.
People flocking to see the volcanic eruption
Then the rescue teams opened a track with marker posts making it easier for the herds of people to see the volcanic eruption.
The hike is now approximately 3.5 km which is 1.5 hours one way depending on how fast you walk and how far away from the track you will find a parking space.
When the wind changes the gasses can reach the track and the track is either closed down completely or another track is opened. The rescue teams are volunteers doing their utmost to keep us safe.
My husband got a photo with the rescue team :)
Kudos to them for a job well done, but they cannot be doing this forever and they themselves have families and work to go to and they must be pretty exhausted by now.
Especially after trying to find lost people in bad weather and keeping the track closed when we are having blizzards or when there is too much poisonous gas by the volcano and on the track.
People have tried to sneak into the area when it is closed making it even more difficult for the rescue teams. And then some tourists who were supposed to be in quarantine came straight from the airport to see the volcano, sic.
And now the police and the epidemiologists were starting to worry about COVID being spread by such a large group of visitors hiking to the volcanic eruption. As more than a thousand visitors were flocking to see the volcano every day, and they were all touching the same rope on the track.
So we were asked to stay away from the eruption, but understanding human nature, we were asked to carry a disinfectant with us if we couldn't stay away from the eruption and disinfect our hands before and after touching the rope.
And we were told to remember to keep a 2-metre distance. And to wear masks by the volcano as not to spread the virus. These masks don't help in case of poisonous gasses though.
People by the lava flow
In the first days of the eruption, people were getting way too close to the spewing crater and I was watching in disbelief on telly, where we have a live broadcast from the volcanic area, how some people seemed to be oblivious to the fact that this was a danger zone and not a playground.
I saw that a whole group of people was walking up the slope by the crater, but then I saw them coming down again, as somebody must have warned them of the danger. Only a minute later they were up the hill again and taking selfies right next to the crater!
Were they out of their minds? The crater walls can collapse at any given moment with the 1200 degrees C hot magma flowing from it in a new direction. There is no escape from that and here people were having fun staring right in the face of danger.
The following day the access to the crater had been closed. And sure enough, the walls of the crater collapsed with hot magma spewing out of it in new directions.
More and more people came flocking to see the eruption, some cooking food on the lava and others lying down on the lava which had cooled down. I say, don't ever do that as the new lava breaks easily and there is most likely molten lava beneath it.
And the new lava is very sharp and can cut through clothes and the soles of the shoes causing deep wounds.
People at a safe distance on a hill above the lava flow
One Icelandic tour guide took his clothes off and had his nude photos taken by the volcano.
But most people were behaving normally and most Icelanders at least know the dangers we can face during volcanic eruptions. Like the poisonous gasses which can kill you in an instance.
These gasses gather in depressions and they cannot be seen ... so don't go too close.
Stay at a safe distance and use the zoom to get close up photos.
If you want to visit this volcano do dress warmly and in woollen clothes beneath your parka. Wear a hat, scarf and gloves. Good hiking shoes are necessary and when the path is icy crampons are needed. It is also good to bring walking sticks and suitable protective clothes in your backpack. Wet tissues and a sealable bag is necessary as there is of course no toilet on site.
Bring something to drink and some food. But always take everything with you when you return back and leave nothing behind.
The police and rescue teams are shocked to see how much trash some people leave behind in nature and even alcohol bottles are left behind, meaning that some people are drinking by the lava flow.
Stay at a safe distance from the volcano and zoom in on it. And stay away from the edge of the lava, there is molten lava beneath it and the edge of the lava can break resulting in the lava flooding from under it at a considerable speed, one of our geologists said. We for sure don't want people to get hurt by the volcano.
My husband visited the volcano on the 23rd of March and took the photos in my travel-blog. On the following day, the 24th of March, which is my birthday, he gave me the photos and a new lava rock from the eruption as a birthday present :)
The volcano is forever changing and a new vent has opened up next to the big one - and now there are 9 vents on the same volcanic fissure.
And in the new lava field from time to time you can see beautiful lava lakes. This is quite extraordinary and a thrilling experience. But at the same time very dangerous to stand too close to the lava.
Reykjavík Excursions started driving people in their big buses to the start of the hike. And I was glad that they were finally getting some business as the tourist industry has suffered big time due to COVID.
But the following day there were new COVID restrictions as our kids were all of a sudden getting sick from the British COVID variety - which put a stop to the big buses transferring passengers to this area, but smaller buses were allowed with departure twice a day.
A parking lot was added on the 28th of March, but before that people were leaving their cars by the road. The changes are so quick that I can barely keep up with them. Again, kudos to the police and the rescue teams.
We don't know for how long the volcanic eruption will last or if there will be other volcanic eruptions in this area following this one, which hasn't even got a name yet. This might be the beginning of a new era in the southwest corner of Iceland, or the eruption can fade soon, nobody knows.
Please don't stop in front of the camera, it is extremely annoying and damaging. The recordings are used by scientists and geologists to see the development of the volcanic eruption.
We are recording live history here and having people blocking the camera with stupid dancing and waiving is very frustrating.
Please don't stand in front of the camera, or dance and wave
On the 5th of April, new fissures opened up in Meradalir and the track was moved so the most difficult part of the hike, the hill with the rope, was bypassed.
And a month later the volcano started behaving strangely, only 1 vent of 6 became active, then stayed silent for a while and then erupted high into the air, so it started behaving more like a geyser really.
In May the new lava field got the name Fagradalshraun lava field, which is a pretty name- the Lovely valley lava field :)
Photo taken of the eruption in May 2021
The earth is a living creature and never ceases to amaze us, that is for sure.
Here you can see the location of the volcanic eruption. And a virtual tour of the hike to the volcano.
Before hiking to the volcano always check out the conditions on the eruption site at Safe Travel.
Reykjanesskagi peninsula is a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks and who knows if the volcanic eruption lasts then it might become the biggest tourist attraction on the peninsula, together with the Blue lagoon.
Ref. Náttúruminjasafn Íslands
Have a lovely time in Iceland and be safe :)
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"We do too many projects, with too few that are evidence-based. We should do more of what we know works and less of what we are guessing works. Even those projects that are evidence-based often aren't implemented effectively and if they are implemented effectively it is usually locally rather than nationally. To guide our thinking we should set up a national institute of policy evaluation, answerable to parliament, which would analyse the cost and benefits of each policy and guide government on where to spend its money to have the desired outcome."
He cites the Washington State Institute for Public Policy as a possible model.
The idea of a impartial expert class is deceptively attractive but the recent differences over drugs policy between Professor David Nutt and the Home Secretary illustrate the political dangers of trusting experts.
"Anthony makes the mistake that many very intelligent people make when contemplating public policy; if only expert policy-makers used evidence-based research to ascertain what works, we'd have good public policy. The trouble is, who decides "what works"? Who determines what evidence to apply to the evidence base? Why would experts be any better at deciding public policy than they were once supposed to be at running the economy? …Over the past generation – and under both parties – a vast alphabet sea of national bodies have sprung up, overseeing public policy on the basis of what they tell us is the evidence; the "evidence-based" NICE, MPC, PCTs, both FSAs, the CSA, EA, HA et al. It is they that are responsible for so much of the waste and public policy failure that Anthony rightly recognises."
Douglas Carswell says the people who need to do the evaulation of public policy are the MPs.


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Current Affairs Today January 17 2018
We are here for you to provide the important current affairs January 17 2018 which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, India Today, Indian Express, Business Standard, all Government official websites. Our complete current affairs helps you to get more marks in Banking, insurance, UPSC, SSC, CLAT, Railway and all other competitive Exams.
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NITI Aayog initiates the first course on Sustainable Urban Planning in Noida
On January 15, 2018, Ratan P. Watal, Principal Adviser of NITI Aayog inaugurated the first Global Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN) course on Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur's outreach centre at Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Information about GIAN course on Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and GIS:
i. This course is being conducted under the GIAN Program of Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and is actively supported by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and NITI Aayog.
ii. Under this course, participants will be given state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS skills which will be useful in managing the rapidly changing urban environment of Indian cities. Special emphasis will be laid on water resource management, strategic emplacements for water treatment facilities and water pollution.
iii. This course will be instrumental in developing trained manpower for Central Government's Smart Cities Mission.
Quick Facts about NITI Aayog:
♦ Formed in – January 2015
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Ex-Officio Chairman – Prime Minister of India
Government ends Haj subsidy
On 16th January 2018, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister for minority affairs, announced that, the government has withdrawn the subsidy given for Haj pilgrims. Government ends Haj subsidy:
i. This move has been made in line with the government's idea to empower miniorities with dignity.
ii. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that for the first time in independent India, 1.75 lakh pilgrims will go to Haj without a subsidy.
iii .He said that, this would save the government Rs 700 crore. This amount would be used for education of minorities, especially girls.
iv. In May 2017, the central government had constituted a six-member committee to analyse the Haj subsidy matter.
v. In 2012, the Supreme Court insisted the central government to gradually reduce and stop the Haj subsidy by 2022.
About Haj Committee of India:
Chairman – Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser
Members – 23
Purpose – organises Islamic pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia
Government lowers additional borrowings to Rs 20,000 crore in FY18
On 17th January 2018, the government lowered the additional borrowing requirement for the current fiscal year to Rs 20,000 crore from the previously estimated Rs 50,000 crore.
Government lowers additional borrowings to Rs 20,000 crore in FY18:
i.The government has lowered additional borrowing requirements considering revenue receipts and expenditure pattern.
ii.The lesser borrowing will enable to constrict fiscal deficit within the target. No change will be seen in net borrowings as mentioned in the Budget for 2017-18.
iii.As per budget, gross and net market borrowings were set at Rs 5.8 lakh crore and Rs 4.23 lakh crore, respectively in 2017-18.
Headquarters of some public-sector banks:
Allahabad Bank – Kolkata
Andhra Bank – Hyderabad
Bank of Baroda – Vadodara
Bank of India – Mumbai
Supreme Court declares Khap Panchayat attacks over Inter-Caste Marriage as "Absolutely Illegal"
On 16th January 2018, the Supreme Court stated that, attacking any adult man or woman opting for inter-caste marriage, by khap panchayats is "absolutely illegal".
Supreme Court declares Khap Panchayat attacks over Inter-Caste Marriage as "Absolutely Illegal":
i. The bench consisted of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.
ii. The Supreme Court also said that, no khap panchayat, individual or the society can interfere with any adult woman and man's decision regarding their marriage.
iii. Khaps are caste or community based associations, mainly in the rural areas of north India that sometimes impose harsh punishments based on age-old traditions.
Chief Justices of some of the High Courts:
Rajasthan High Court – Pradeep Nandrajog
Sikkim High Court – Satish K. Agnihotri
Tripura High Court – Tinlianthang Vaiphei
Coast Guards of India, Japan organised joint naval exercise
8th edition of biennial 'National Maritime Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise' between ships and aircraft from the Indian and Japanese Coast Guards commenced on January 16, 2018 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Highlights of 8th edition of 'National Maritime Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise':
i. During the course of this event, a workshop was held on January 16, 2018 and search and rescue operations was conducted on January 17, 2018 in Bay of Bengal.
ii. Ships and aircraft of Coast Guards from India and Japan, the Indian Navy and Air Force and National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) participated in this event.
iii. Search and rescue operations were jointly reviewed by Indian Coast Guard Director General, Rajendra Singh and Japanese Commandant Admiral Satoshi Nakajima.
Quick Facts about Indian Coast Guard:
♦ Established in – 1978
♦ Current Director General – Rajendra Singh
Centre sanctions Rs.10000 cr for network connectivity projects in North East
Central Government has sanctioned projects worth over Rs. 10000 crore in the North East for better network connectivity.
Information about network connectivity projects in North East:
i. Union Telecommunication Minister Manoj Sinha has stated that most of these projects will be completed during 2018.
ii. He also mentioned that 2 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) have been signed to cover the uncovered areas in the North East including areas in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
iii. Emphasis will be laid on upgrading the network connection in border areas.
iv. Central Government will also send two nodal officers to monitor the progress on these projects.
Karnataka Government to Engage Blockchain for Governance
Karnataka State Government will hold a 'Blockchain Hackathon for Governance' from 19th – 21st January, 2018 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru.
Exploring Blockchain for Governance – Karnataka:
i.The Hackathon will be open to students, startups, and other IT professionals. Cloud-based blockchain technology providers will be invited to provide platforms for use in this hackathon.
ii.Karnataka is the third Indian State (After Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) that has announced plans to adopt blockchain for governance.
iii.If required, Karnataka State Government will bring out a 'Whitepaper on blockchain use in governance' as a prelude to a policy on blockchain.
iv.In order to deliberate on various related issues, a 'Blockchain Conclave' under the aegis of Bengaluru Tech Summit will also be organised at a later stage.
Quick Facts about Karnataka:
♦ Capital – Bengaluru
♦ Current Chief Minister – Siddaramaiah
♦ Current Governor – Vajubhai Vala
♦ Important National Park – Bandipur National Park
Haryana to set up NBFC for efficient management of funds
On January 16, 2018, Haryana State Government took a decision to form a non-banking financial company (NBFC), Haryana State Financial Services Limited. NBFC for Haryana State Government:
i. This NBFC will function as an in-house treasury manager for Haryana State Government and will be responsible for efficient management of surplus funds of State public enterprises and autonomous bodies.
ii. The NBFC will provide better rates on overnight/yearly deposits of State government entities and would enable quick and hassle-free lending.
iii.It will function under the overall control and supervision of State's General Administration Department
iv. It will be established as a limited company under the Companies Act and will be registered as NBFC with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
v. Authorised capital of this NBFC will be Rs.10 crore while the paid up capital will be Rs. 2 crore.
Quick Facts about Haryana:
♦ Capital – Chandigarh
♦ Current Chief Minister – Manohar Lal Khattar
♦ Current Governor – Kaptan Singh Solanki
♦ Important National Park – Sultanpur National Park
Gujarat to get largest accelerator for start-ups – "DevX"
Dev Information Technology Ltd has announced the setting up of "DevX", an Accelerator Center for startups in Gujarat.
DevX:
i. Entrepreneurs can develop, test and commercially release their ideas at DevX. DevX will be Gujarat's largest accelerator.
ii. It will have co-working space of nearly 15,000-18,000 square feet at a single location. The main focus of DevX will be on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) etc.
iii. The first phase of DevX will be completed in May 2018. The full commissioning will be completed by December 2018.
iv. A startup can hire 1 to 100 seats in DevX for a period ranging from one month to one year.
Some National parks of Gujarat:
Gir Forest National Park – Somnath
Blackbuck National Park – Bhavnagar
Marine National Park – DevBhoomi Dwarka
Vansda National Park – Navsari
Defence Acquisition Council clears procurement of assault rifles & carbines
On January 16, 2018, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared procurement of 72400 assault rifles and 93895 carbines to meet their immediate requirement of Defence Forces deployed in border areas.
Details related to Procurement of Assault Rifles and Carbines:
i.This fast track procurement will be done at a cost of Rs 3547 crore.
ii.In a bid to give a boost to 'Make in India' programme and to encourage participation of private sector in defence design and production, DAC has simplified the 'Make II' category of the Defence Procurement Procedure.
iii.As per the revised procedure, Ministry of Defence will now accept suo-motu proposals from the industry. Start-ups have also been allowed to develop equipment for Indian Armed Forces.
iv.Besides, qualification criteria to participate in 'Make II' projects has also been relaxed by reducing minimum financial net worth requirement and removing the conditions related to credit rating.
World Economic Forum (WEF) releases Global Risks Report
As per World Economic Forums's (WEF's) Global Risks Report 2018, published on January 17, 2018, extreme weather events and natural disasters have been identified as the likeliest global risks to occur in 2018. Highlights of Global Risks Report 2018:
i.The report is based on a survey, in which views of 1000 global experts and decision-makers were sought, on the most significant risks that face the world.
ii.In this context, risks pertain to diverse categories of economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological nature. In the survey, the experts were asked to prioritize 30 global risks in terms of two dimensions viz. likelihood and impact
iii.On both the dimensions, five environmental risks viz. extreme weather; major natural disasters; biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; man-made environmental disasters; and failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation were accorded highest weightage.
iv.The top-ranking global risk on dimension of impact was the use of weapons of mass destruction while on dimension of likelihood, extreme weather events ranked top.
Quick Facts about World Economic Forum (WEF):
♦ Formed in – 1971
♦ Headquarters – Cologny, Switzerland
♦ Current Executive Chairman – Klaus Schwab
China builds 'world's biggest air purifier' in Xian
China has set up an experimental air purifying tower, considered the world's biggest air purifier at a height of 100 meters (328 feet), in Xian, Shaanxi province.
China – world's biggest air purifier:
i.The Xian smog tower is being tested by researchers of the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
ii.The tower produces 10 million cubic metres of clean air every day. The tower has reduced smog to moderate levels even when air quality was severe.
iii.Polluted air is sucked into the glasshouses of the Xian smog tower. It is heated by solar energy. The hot air passes through several cleaning filters and this reduces air pollution.
About Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS):
Headquarters – Beijing
President – Bai Chunli
Formed – 1949
All 14 types of Rs 10 coin valid, legal tender: RBI
On January 17, 2018, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that all the 14 designs of Rs 10 coin are valid and legal tender for transactions. Clarification on Rs. 10 coins:
i.RBI had to issue this clarification as it was observed that some traders and members of public were reluctant to accept Rs. 10 coins owing to a doubt about it genuineness.
ii.RBI stated that till date, it has issued Rs 10 coin in 14 designs and these coins are legal tender and can be accepted for transactions.
iii.It further clarified that different designs, introduced from time to time have distinctive features to reflect various themes of economic, social and cultural values.
Microsoft tops Thomson Reuters top 100 global tech leaders list
On January 16, 2018, Thomson Reuters Corp published its debut "Top 100 Global Technology Leaders" list.This list identifies tech industry's top financially successful and organizationally sound organizations……………………………………..Click here to Read more
Rank Company Name Headquarters
1 Microsoft Washington, US
2 Intel Corp California, US
3 Cisco Systems Inc California, US
4 Apple Inc California, US
5 Alphabet Inc California, US
Centre, CII ink MoU for development of logistics sector
On January 16, 2018, Department of Commerce (under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake integrated development of the India's logistics sector.
Details about MoU signed with CII:
i.Central Government believes that improving logistics will not only improve ways of doing business but will also create numerous job opportunities.
ii.The MoU pertains to development of domestic logistics as well as export-import logistics.
iii.Union Commerce Ministry has prepared a roadmap for modernizing India's logistics sector and to bring it at par with the best the world.
iv.The target is to reduce the logistics cost from current 14 percent of GDP to less than 10 percent by 2022.
Quick Facts about CII:
♦ Current President – Shobana Kamineni
TCS signs $690 million deal with M&G Prudential
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a $690 million contract for 10 years with M&G Prudential, to support more than 4 million customer policies. TCS signs $690 million deal with M&G Prudential:
i.This is the second insurance company deal TCS has signed in 2018. Recently TCS signed a deal with Transamerica, a US insurance firm.
ii. M&G Prudential is a UK and European savings and investments business unit of Prudential Plc.
iii. TCS will use its insurance platform BaNCS to process insurance policies. M&G Prudential and Transamerica's existing platforms will be transformed to new digital platform by TCS.
About M&G Investments:
CEO – Anne Richards
Founded – 1931
RCom unveiled "cloud and fiber initiative" to lay 68K-km submarine data cable
On January 16, 2018, Reliance Communications (RCom) unveiled Eagle express submarine cable system to lay a 68000-km undersea cable for carrying data across Europe and Asia.
About RCom's Eagle Express Submarine Cable:
i.Eagle express submarine cable is a "cloud and fiber initiative" which will be laid at a cost of $600 million.
ii.This submarine cable system will connect its base in India with Italy to the west and Hong Kong on the east. It envisages creating a NextGeneration IP and Cloud environment covering Middle East, Europe as well as the large economies of India, China and Indonesia.
iii.RCom officials are forecasting the revenue potential of this system to be $1 billion per year. It is expected to be operational by 2020.
iv.This project will be financed by several partners. Six partners, including Alibaba have already committed $300 million for this system.
Quick Facts about Reliance Communications:
♦ Founded in – 2002
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
♦ Current Chairman – Anil Ambani
APPOINTMENT & RESIGNS
UK appoints Tracey Crouch as 'minister for loneliness'
On 17th January 2018, Tracey Crouch was appointed as UK's first-ever minister in charge to tackle loneliness and combat social isolation. Tracey Crouch – 'minister for loneliness' in UK:
i. Tracey Crouch is at present the minister for sport and civil society in UK. She has been given the additional role of 'minister for loneliness'.
ii. This role has been created in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016. This role will implement recommendations of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.
iii. The minister for loneliness will work with the Jo Cox Commission, businesses and charities to form a strategy to combat loneliness.
About Tracey Crouch:
Nationality – British
Political party – Conservative
S Selvakumar appointed CMD of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL)
On 16th January 2018, S Selvakumar was appointed as the Chairman and Manging Director (CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL).
S Selvakumar – CMD of SPMCIL:
i. S Selvakumar is a senior IAS officer. He is Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance.
ii. He has been given the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) in SPMCIL. He replaces Anurag Agarwal.
iii. SPMCIL produces bank notes, coins, postage stamps, non-judicial stamps, other official documents etc.
Paper Mills of SPMCIL:
Security Paper Mill – Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh
Bank note paper mill India private limited – Mysore, Karnataka
China inducts 26th type 054A Guided-Missile Stealth Frigate into service
On January 12, 2018, Chinese Navy inducted a new 4000-ton Type 054A Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate into service. Details about Chinese Navy's new Guided-Missile Stealth Frigate:
i.This frigate has been christened Rizhao. It was commissioned at a naval shipyard in China's Liaoning Province.
ii.Rizhao, which has been built at the Guangzhou Huangpu Shipyard in Guangdong Province is the 26th ship of the class to enter service.
iii.Estimated cost of each frigate in this series is around $348 million.
iv.Type 054A Jiangkai II-class frigates are multirole warships and can attain top speed of around 27 knots.
v.Frigates of these series have been used by Chinese Navy for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and for conducting patrols in the South China Sea.
Quick Facts about China:
♦ Capital – Beijing
♦ Currency – Renminbi
♦ Current President – Xi Jinping
♦ Important Rivers – Yangtze, Yellow River
World's fifth largest diamond discovered in Lesotho
A 910-carat gem diamond, considered to be the fifth largest gem-quality diamond ever found has been discovered in a Lesotho mine.
Information related to discovery of World's fifth largest diamond:
i.This diamond has been found from Letseng diamond mine, owned by Gem Diamonds Ltd., a UK-based mining company.
ii.Gem Diamonds has stated that, this diamond is the largest one discovered from Letseng mine and belongs to a category that represents less than 1% of all mined diamonds in the world. It is more valuable as it is colourless.
iii.Mining analysts have speculated that this diamond could be worth as much as $40 million.
Quick Facts about Lesotho:
♦ Capital – Maseru
♦ Currency – Lesotho loti
♦ Current Prime Minister – Tom Thabane
♦ Important Rivers – Malibamat'so, Caledon
Brazil legend Ronaldinho retires from football
Ronaldinho, Brazilian World Cup winner has retired from football. Retirement of Ronaldinho:
i. Ronaldinho is 37 years old. He is a winner of the Champions League and Ballon d'Or awards.
ii. He was an attacking midfielder, winger and forward. His first performance was with team Gremio. He joined Barcelona team in 2003.
iii. Ronaldinho faced a downfall during his tenure at Barcelona. He was sold to Milan team. His last professional performance was for Brazil's Fluminense in 2015.
About FC Barcelona:
President – Josep Maria Bartomeu
Coach – Ernesto Valverde
Renowned cinematographer W B Rao passes away
On 16th January 2018, W.B. Rao, Hindi film cinematographer passed away, after he was admitted in a serious condition to a hospital in Juhu, Mumbai. Death of W B Rao:i. W B Rao started his career with Indian cinema in 1960s as an assistant cinematographer. He held a senior position at the Western Indian Cinematographer's Association (WICA).
ii. His important works are 'Hum', 'Khuda Gawah', 'Dhadkan', 'Rangeela', 'Judwaa', 'Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega', 'Afsana Pyar Ka', 'Barsaat Ki Raat', 'Insaaf', and 'Jurrat'.
About Western India Cinematographers Association (WICA):
Members – 3800
Key people – Anil Mehta
Current Affairs Today 2018
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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text:
Cherokee Names
In the economic circumstances of my childhood, I might have envied many things. I suppose I did, but there was nothing I wanted as much as a family. After my grandfather died, I had a conversation with my grandmother in which she warned me that she was unlikely to live to see me graduate high school. I could not break the news that I did not expect to graduate high school, but I took her point.
My elderly grandparents did the best they could with their limited resources and the years they had left, but I lived in the shadow of the cold fact that they would be gone before I was educated and I would be alone, my only inheritance their constant reassurance that I was smart and I could make something of myself.
While that reassurance conflicted with virtually all of the feedback I got elsewhere, it turned out to be an inheritance of such value that I wanted to pass it on. Still do. That's why my recent cancer diagnosis kick started a choice to spend the last months of my life writing about how I managed my material and emotional needs. Both of those accomplishments seem improbable without the legacy from the elders named Russell.
In their honor, the name I wished to pass on when I got a family became Russell. By the end of my Air Force hitch, I had decided I was unlikely to disgrace the name, and my Cherokee father was Cherokee only when convenient. He had taught me little besides the meaning of "useless as the teats on a boar hog." I carried nothing from him but the name Teehee and possibly a gene for schizophrenia.
I was aware that the Teehee family has a distinguished history within the Cherokee Nation. Family legend had it that I was a direct descendant of Houston Benge Teehee, who served in Tahlequah city government, Cherokee County government, Oklahoma state government, and most famously as Register of the U.S. Treasury. In that role, he co-signed the currency and the bonds sold to finance WWI.
My namesake was supposedly Ginatiyun Tihi, Stephen Teehee, who was Houston B's father. Ginatiyun served Cherokee tribal government in a number of capacities. I did not find out the principal role for which he was known until I was a judge poring over old issues of the Cherokee Phoenix. Ginatiyun Tihi — who I had known for serving in legislative and executive positions — -was primarily remembered as a fair and impartial judge. In a time when much tribal business was done in English, Tihi stayed with Cherokee.
While it's an honor to be thought associated with such a man, he was not my namesake. According to my mother, Stephen Teehee was a living friend of the family when I was born, although he certainly might have been named after Ginatiyun Tihi. Houston B. Teehee is a collateral rather than a direct ancestor.
The family story about Houston B. did not hold up, but a look at the Cherokee section of the Dawes Rolls — the master rolls that determine eligibility for Cherokee Nation citizenship — showed more Russells than Teehees. While I am not related to the Cherokee Russells and I am related to the Teehees, being publicly called Russell would not imply I am unlikely to be Cherokee.
My transfer from Headquarters, USAF Security Service, in San Antonio to a tiny listening station north of Da Nang, Vietnam was interrupted by a drunk driver coming north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35. The resulting head-on left me hospitalized for seven months. The drunk was not insured, but I had uninsured motorist coverage and at age 20 I found myself dealing with my own insurance company in one direction and the Air Force in the other because the government wanted to recover the value of my lost services and my medical bills.
The insurance adjuster was a nice young man named Pat Priest, who I learned was a law student at the time when I met him again years later at a judicial conference. I was surprised that he remembered me, but he chuckled and recalled that the two of us — neither lawyers yet, although he was close — had "practiced some law" to settle my case.
The one obstacle I could not dodge was that I was too young to enter a binding contract. Priest was an honest man but I had to get a court order saying I was qualified to do what I had already done — negotiated in both directions and gotten a very favorable settlement. Clearing this last obstacle was called "removing disabilities of minority."
After I got the insurance settlement, I hired the same lawyer who had gotten my disabilities removed to change my name. I never told him why and he never asked, because the only reason a judge could deny a name change is if the purpose is fraud.
(A digression for which no editor would stand but I have no editor and I consider this worth the detour: After I became a lawyer, I was once retained by a dope dealer to insert a reference to his profession in his given name. I was appalled when the uncontested docket in district court that day was being called by one of the two judges who heard criminal cases. I had to admonish my client that he could be appearing before the same guy if he ever got busted, but he instructed me to go ahead and I did.
They never expect to get caught.
This digression is worth the detour because you, my readers, are mostly voters, and I hope this gives you reason to think about politicians who tell you they are solving a problem by increasing the legal penalties. The size of the penalty does not affect behavior in one who does not expect to get caught and very few crimes are committed with that expectation.)
When the name change order was signed, I was required to take it and a copy of the pleadings to my squadron commander so my military discharge would have the correct name on it. After obtaining certified copies from the clerk, I peeked at the petition and found that the lawyer had attributed a reason to me: that the name Teehee had subjected me to ridicule. While that was true, it had nothing to do with why I would give up a fine old Cherokee name.
I first learned of that embellishment while I was waiting to see the officer who had taken over my squadron while I was in the hospital, just before I handed my paperwork to the office manager and stated my business. The manager took my papers into the commander's office and instructed me to sit down while his boss finished up some things.
When my turn came, I approached his desk and saluted. He told me to stand at ease and then proffered his hand, which I shook as I looked down at the nameplate across the front of his desk. I had known we had a new squadron commander but I was innocent of his name until I looked down and read…Major Eugene Tehee. The spelling difference was not significant. He was Cherokee; I was embarrassed. Make that mortified. He was very kind and did not discuss my papers if he had read them before I came in.
I wanted the honorable Air Force discharge I would soon have to say Russell and the degree I hoped to earn to say Russell and the children I hoped to have to carry the name that had come to mean so much more to me than Teehee ever did. The Cherokee Nation — not my surname — carries my identity.
That is what I would have told Major Tehee 49 years ago. He is long gone and my time is coming soon. The need to explain has never faded. Maybe this will help.
I Punched My Dad in the Face
TaylorRuth in Recovery International
My Dad and the Tree
Heather Quinlan
A Difficult Holiday
Danna Reich Colman
Panicking My Way Through The Death of My Partner's Mother
sophia ege
It's Exhausting Having Trump Supporters in Your Immediate Family
Jessica Lynn in An Injustice!
Dear Grandma, You've Been Gone Twenty Years Today
Mary Ellen Quigley
The Only Book You'll Need in Riyadh
Hilal Isler
Replace These Words in Your Mind and Watch What Happens
Anne Peterson


I have wanted to read this book for a very long time and I'm so glad that I finally picked it up and started reading. I was thrown off by the warning and a little nervous about the heavy material. However, the cover just grabbed me. This was just a beautifully written story. The situations and experiences that Nicole goes through are so heartbreaking.
Even though parts of this story were hard to read because of the heavy domestic violence, it was still a story of hope, love, and a happy ending. This story follows Nicole's journey through abuse, her escape, and finding her happy ending. Its ugly, its rough, and it is beautiful.
I highly recommend this book. It is a very touchy subject matter but in the end the story was amazing. It was inspired by true events. "Scars are your body's way of healing, making that damaged part stronger than it ever was before the pain." This is a book that I will never forget.


text:
Fresno lawmakers push back on Dyer budget with "Rebuild Fresno" plan
A trio of Fresno City Council members announced a five-year plan to turn the city's post-pandemic cash infusion into a citywide revitalization effort.
Standing in front of a crew of workers paving a once-badly torn-up southeast Fresno street, a trio of Fresno City Council members announced a five-year plan to turn the city's post-pandemic cash infusion into a citywide revitalization effort.
The plan, dubbed Rebuild Fresno, seeks to target spending over the five-year span at four priorities: revitalizing the city's decaying infrastructure in older neighborhoods, level-off the cost of housing in the nation's hottest housing market, improve the city's transportation options, and fund public safety initiatives that increase community involvement.
Fresno City Council President Luis Chavez and Council members Miguel Arias and Nelson Esparza unveiled the vision for long-term expenditures.
Rebuild Fresno arrived one week after Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer unveiled a $1.4 billion budget plan that the Councilmen delicately described as squandering a unique opportunity after receiving $177 million in Federal American Rescue Plan funds.
"We know that we always talk about "One Fresno'," Chavez said, alluding to Dyer's campaign motto-turned-governing mantra. "But I can tell you that we can't get to 'One Fresno' unless we rebuild Fresno, and it's going to start with rebuilding a lot of these neighborhoods that are over 100 years old."
Chavez said that, in 12 years of city service in various capacities, budget battles were repetitious for south Fresno lawmakers: not enough money to go around to deliver much-needed improvements to various neighborhoods.
"South Fresno is forgotten no more," Chavez said of the budget proposal.
In total, the plan will tap into four major revenue streams: the city's general fund, $177 million in American Rescue Plan funds, tax revenues from Fresno's recently-approved parks tax, and – eventually – local cannabis sales tax.
Arias likened the multi-pronged effort to Fresno's version of the Marshall Plan, the wholesale recovery effort of Europe following World War II.
"This is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza said in remarks.
Noting that the city has amassed more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance on its key infrastructure, Esparza said it would be easy to pass the buck onto past city leadership.
"However, at some point the leaders of today have to begin to turn the tide," he said. "And that time is now."
Dyer flips on Pride flag, will let it fly at Fresno City Hall
It took a single day for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer to change his mind about flying the LGBT Pride flag at Fresno City Hall.
Arias, doubling down on "Rebuild Fresno," pitches road, housing plan
Fresno's sales tax revenue eclipsed $100 million. Now, one Fresno Councilman wants to use funds to install sidewalks promised nearly one century ago.
Asst. City Manager Smith, budget virtuoso, retires
Smith's attitude toward Fresno's economic devastation: "We're not going bankrupt come hell or high water..." said City Manager Bruce Rudd.
Newsom OKs $15mil in spending for San Joaquin River Parkway upkeep
The approval from Newsom for big bucks for the river parkway comes after an eleventh-hour public push from Asm. Joaquin Arambula and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.


text:
Wigandia, biljni rod iz porodice boražinovki, dio potporodice Namoideae. Sastoji se od šest vrsta iz Meksika,  Srednje i Južne Amerike i Antila

Vrste
 Wigandia brevistyla Cornejo
 Wigandia crispa (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth
 Wigandia ecuadorensis Cornejo
 Wigandia pruritiva Spreng.
 Wigandia urens (Ruiz & Pav.) Kunth
 Wigandia wurdackiana Ferreyra

Izvori

Namoideae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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With night sailings on our two luxury cruise ferries, you can enjoy great entertainment and delicious food. Get a good night's sleep too, thanks to our comfy ensuite cabins.
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Excellent road access to Northern Europe makes a ferry to Rotterdam an ideal way to explore the many interesting towns, cities and regions of Holland.


Meir David Kahane (Hebrew: מאיר דוד כהנא) (/kəˈhɑːnə/; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was an American-Israeli Orthodox rabbi, ultra-nationalist politician, teacher, and writer, whose work became either the direct or indirect foundation of most modern Jewish militant and far right-wing political groups. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi, and later served as a member of the IsraeliKnesset.
Kahane spent years reaching out to Jews through published works, weekly articles, speeches, and debates on college campuses and in synagogues throughout the United States, and appearances on various televised programs and radio shows. He gained recognition as an extreme advocate for Jewish causes, such as organizing defense squads and patrols in Jewish neighborhoods and demanding the Soviet Union release its oppressed Jews. He later became known in the United States and Israel for supporting violence against enemies of the Jewish people, calls for emergency Jewish mass migration to Israel due to a potential "second Holocaust" in the United States, proposing that Israel's democracy be reserved for its Jewish citizens, and, hopefully, eventually adopt Jewish religious law, and endorsing the annexation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Kahane proposed enforcing Jewish law, as codified by Maimonides, under which non-Jews wishing to dwell in Israel would have three options: remain as "resident strangers" with all rights but national ones; leave Israel and receive compensation for their property; or for those who refused either option, be forcibly removed without compensation. While serving in Israel's Knesset in the mid-1980s, Kahane proposed numerous laws, none of which passed, to emphasize Judaism in public schools, to do away with Israel's bureaucracy, to forbid sexual relations between non-Jews and Jews, and to end cultural meetings between Jewish and Arab students.
Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League (JDL) in the United States, as well as the Israeli political party Kach ("Thus"). In 1971, he was convicted for conspiracy to manufacture explosives. In 1984, he became a member of the Knesset, when Kach gained one seat in parliamentary elections. In 1988, after polls showed Kach gaining popularity, the Israeli government banned Kach for being "racist" and "anti-democratic" under the terms of an ad hoc law.
Kahane was assassinated in a Manhattan hotel by an Arab gunman in November 1990.
Martin David Kahane was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1932 to an Orthodox Jewish family. His father, Yechezkel (Charles) Kahane, author of the "Torah Yesharah", studied at Polish and Czech yeshiva religious schools, was involved in the Revisionist Zionism movement, and was a close friend of Ze'ev Jabotinsky.
As a teenager, Kahane became an ardent admirer of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Peter Bergson, who were frequent guests in his parents' home, and joined the Betar (Brit Trumpeldor) youth wing of Revisionist Zionism. He was active in protests against Ernest Bevin, the British Foreign Secretary who maintained restrictions on immigration of Jews (including Nazi death camp survivors) to Palestine after the end of the Second World War. In 1947, Kahane was arrested for throwing eggs and tomatoes at Bevin, as the latter disembarked at Pier 84 on a visit to New York. A photo of the arrest appeared in the New York Daily News. In 1954, he became the mazkir (director) of Greater New York City's sixteen Bnei Akiva chapters.
Kahane's formal education included elementary school at the Yeshiva of Flatbush, and high school at both Abraham Lincoln H.S. and at the Brooklyn Talmudical Academy. Kahane received his rabbinical ordination from the Mir Yeshiva in Brooklyn, where he was especially admired by the head, Rabbi Abraham Kalmanowitz, and began going by his Hebrew name, Meir. He was fully conversant with the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), Talmud, Midrash, and Jewish law. Subsequently, Kahane earned a B.A. in Political Science from Brooklyn College, a Bachelor of Law – LL.B. from New York Law School, and an M.A. in International Relations from New York University.
In 1956, Kahane married Libby Blum, with whom he had four children: Tzipporah, Tova, Baruch, and Binyamin. In 1958, he became the rabbi of the Howard Beach Jewish Center in Queens, New York City. Although the synagogue was originally Conservative, rather than strictly Orthodox, the board of directors agreed to Kahane's conditions, which included resigning from the Conservative movement's United Synagogue of America, installing a partition separating men and women during prayer, instituting traditional prayers, and maintaining a kosher kitchen. At the Jewish Center, Kahane influenced many of the synagogue's youngsters to adopt a more observant lifestyle, which often troubled parents. He trained Arlo Guthrie for his bar mitzvah. When his contract was not renewed, he soon published an article entitled "End of the Miracle of Howard Beach". This was Kahane's first article in the Jewish Press, an American Orthodox Jewish weekly, for which he continued to write until his assassination in 1990. Kahane also used the pen name David Sinai, and the pseudonyms Michael King, David Borac, and Martin Keene.
In the late 1950s to early 1960s, Kahane's life of secrecy and strong anti-communist views landed him a position as a consultant with the FBI. According to his wife, Libby, his assignment was to infiltrate the anti-communist John Birch Society and report his findings back to the FBI. Later, Michael T. Kaufman published an article claiming that at this point, Kahane confided in him that he had been in a relationship with Gloria Jean D'Argenio.
At some time in the late 1950s, Kahane took on the persona of a Gentile individual, along with the pseudonym Michael King. At this point, Kahane began openly expressing anti-Communist positions. He and Joseph Churba created the July Fourth Movement, which was formed to counteract widespread opposition toward U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Subsequently, they co-authored the text, The Jewish Stake in Vietnam together, which was an attempt to convince American Jews of the "evil of Communism". The book's introduction states that, "all Americans have a stake in this grim war against Communism…. it is vital that Jews realize the threat to their very survival [should Communism succeed]." Churba had a major falling out with Kahane over the use of para-militarism, and they permanently parted ways. Churba went on to pursue his own career, joining the US Air Force, writing many books on the Middle East, and later becoming one of Ronald Reagan's consultants. Kahane chose to fight for Jewish rights, and was willing to use extreme measures. He even attempted to acquire and grow biological weapons to use on a Soviet military installation, but failed. He began using the phrase "Never Again", and conceived the Jewish Star and fist insignia, a symbol resembling that of the Black Panther Party, though Kahane himself opposed the Black Panther party due to anti-Jewish riots they had supported in Massachusetts and leftist leanings, as he saw it.
Love of Jewry: One Jewish people, indivisible and united, from which flows the love for, and the feeling of pain of, all Jews.
Dignity and Pride: Pride in and knowledge of Jewish tradition, faith, culture, land, history, strength, pain, and peoplehood.
Iron: The need to both move to help Jews everywhere and to change the Jewish image through sacrifice and all necessary means – even strength, force, and violence.
Discipline and Unity: The knowledge that he (or she) can and will do whatever must be done, and the unity and strength of willpower to bring this into reality.
Faith in the Indestructability of the Jewish People: Faith in the greatness and indestructibility of the Jewish people, our religion, and our Land of Israel.
The JDL favored civil rights for blacks, while opposing black anti-Semites and racism of any form. In 1971, the JDL formed an alliance with a black rights group in what Kahane termed "a turning point in Black-Jewish relations". Despite the JDL's anti-racist positions and inclusion of individuals of all colors and faiths, the Anti-Defamation League claimed that Kahane "preached a radical form of Jewish nationalism which reflected racism, violence and political extremism" which were replicated by Irv Rubin, the JDL successor to Kahane.
A number of the JDL members and leaders, including Kahane, were convicted in relation to acts of domestic terrorism in the United States. In 1971, Kahane was sentenced to 5 years in prison, suspended, for conspiring to manufacture explosives. In 1975, Kahane was arrested for leading the attack on the Soviet United Nations mission and injuring two officers, but was released after being given summonses for disorderly conduct. Later that same year, Kahane was accused of conspiring to kidnap a Soviet diplomat, bomb the Iraqi embassy in Washington, and ship arms abroad from Israel. He was convicted of violating his probation for the 1971 bomb conviction, and sentenced to one year in prison. However, he served most of it in a hotel, with frequently unsupervised absences, due to a concession over the provision of kosher food. In a 1984 interview with Washington Post correspondent Carla Hall, Kahane admitted that the JDL "bombed the Russian [Soviet] mission in New York, the Russian cultural mission here [Washington] in 1971, the Soviet trade offices".
In 1971, Kahane emigrated to Israel. When he moved to Israel, Kahane declared that he would focus on Jewish education. He later began gathering lists of Arab residents willing to emigrate for compensation, and, eventually, initiating protests advocating the expulsion of Arabs from Israel and the occupied territories. In 1972, Jewish Defense League leaflets were distributed in Hebron, calling for the mayor to stand trial for the 1929 Hebron massacre. Kahane was arrested dozens of times. In 1971, he founded the Kach party. In 1973, the party ran for the Knesset (Israeli parliament) during the general elections under the name "The League List". The party won 12,811 votes (0.82%), just 2,857 (0.18%) short of the electoral threshold at the time (1%) for winning a Knesset seat. The party was even less successful in the 1977 elections, winning 4,836 votes.
In 1980, Kahane was arrested for the 62nd time since his emigration, and jailed for six months following a detention order based on allegations of planning armed attacks against Palestinians in response to the killings of Jewish settlers. Kahane was held in prison in Ramla, where he wrote the book They Must Go. Kahane was banned from entering the United Kingdom in 1981.
In 1981, Kahane's Kach party again ran for the Knesset during the 1981 elections, but did not win a seat, receiving only 5,128 votes. In 1984, the Central Elections Committee banned him from being a candidate on the grounds that Kach was a racist party, but the Supreme Court of Israel overturned the ban on grounds that the committee was not authorized to ban Kahane's candidacy. The Supreme Court suggested that the Knesset pass a law that would authorize the exclusion of racist parties from future elections, and the Anti-Racist Law of 1988 was later passed.
In the 1984 legislative elections, Kahane's Kach party received 25,907 votes, enough to give the party one seat in the Knesset, which was taken by Kahane. Kahane refused to take the standard oath of office, and insisted on adding a Biblical verse from Psalms, to indicate that when national laws and the Torah conflict, Torah (Biblical) law should have supremacy over the laws of the Knesset. Kahane's legislative proposals focused on Jewish education, an open economy, transferring the Arab population out from the Land of Israel, revoking Israeli citizenship from non-Jews, and banning Jewish-Gentile marriages and sexual relations, based on the Code of Jewish Law compiled by Maimonides in the Mishneh Torah.
As his political career progressed, and his popularity in the streets began growing, Kahane became increasingly isolated in the Knesset. His speeches, boycotted by nearly all Knesset members, were often made to an empty parliament, except for the duty chairman and the transcriptionist. Kahane's legislative proposals and motions of no-confidence against the government were ignored or rejected by fellow Knesset members. Kahane often pejoratively called other Knesset members "Hellenists" (a reference to Jews who assimilated into Greek culture after Judea's occupation by Alexander the Great). In 1987, Kahane opened a yeshiva ("HaRaayon HaYehudi") with funding from US supporters, to teach "the Authentic Jewish Idea". Despite the boycott, Kahane's popularity grew among the Israeli public, especially among working-class Sephardi Jews. Polls showed that Kach would have likely received anywhere from four to twelve seats in the coming November 1988 elections.
In 1985, the Knesset passed an amendment to Israel's Basic Law, barring "racist" candidates from election. The Central Elections Committee banned Kahane a second time, and he appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court. This time, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the committee, disqualifying Kach from running in the 1988 elections. Kahane was thus the first candidate in Israel to be barred from election for racism. The move was criticized as being anti-democratic by Alan M. Dershowitz.
In November 1990, Kahane gave a speech to an audience of mostly Orthodox Jews from Brooklyn, warning American Jews to immigrate to Israel before it was "too late". As a crowd gathered around Kahane in the second-floor lecture hall in midtown Manhattan's Marriott East Side Hotel, Kahane was assassinated by El Sayyid Nosair, an Egyptian-born American citizen trained in Pakistan, who was initially charged and acquitted of the murder. Nosair was later convicted of the murder in United States district court incident to the trial for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Prosecutors were able to re-try Nosair for the murder because the federal indictment includes the killing as part of the alleged terrorist conspiracy. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and later made a confession to federal agents.
Some researchers, such as Peter Lance, consider Kahane one of the first, if not the very first, American victims of the then-nascent Al Qaeda, as his killer is believed to have links to Osama bin Laden's network. The cell that Kahane's assassin belonged to had been training in the New York metro since the middle of 1989. Kahane was buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem. Kahane's funeral was one of the largest in Israel's history, where approximately 150,000 participated. He was eulogized by a number of prominent supporters in both the US and Israel, including Rabbi Moshe Tendler and the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Mordechai Eliyahu, who spoke of how little the people understood of Kahane's "true value".
Irving M. Bunim, who was the major lay leader of Orthodox Jewry and trusted assistant to Rabbi Aharon Kotler, was a strong supporter and admirer of Kahane's.
Shlomo Carlebach was known for declaring that the Jewish people owed a great debt to Kahane. Together, Carlebach and Kahane organized one of the first Noahide conferences in the 1980s.
Bob Dylan made positive comments about Kahane. In a 1971 interview for Time magazine, Dylan said, "He's a really sincere guy. He's really put it all together." According to Kahane, Dylan did attend several meetings of the Jewish Defense League in order to find out "what we're all about" and started to have talks with the rabbi. Subsequently, Dylan downplayed the extent of his contact with Kahane.
The former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel (1983–93), Mordechai Eliyahu, was Kahane's personal mentor, and one of Kahane's staunchest supporters. Eliyahu wrote an approbation to Kahane's Tanakh commentary, "Perush Hamacabee", where he refers to Kahane as "HaRav HaGaon" ("the rabbinic genius"), a praiseworthy title attributed to the very saintly. Eliyahu wrote that, "Only the Torah way interested Kahane, which he constantly toiled over and which served as his strength", and, "When one considers the depth and clarity of [Kahane's] works, one is astonished at how he had the time to compile such. The answer is that … all his time and thoughts were invested in Torah while other matters were secondary. Fortunate is the family that publishes his works for others to learn from." At Kahane's funeral, Eliyahu stated that Kahane was a reincarnation of a fearless biblical character.
Kahane was endorsed in his bid for a Knesset seat by Zvi Yehuda Kook, son of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel and the spiritual leader of the Gush Emunim movement. Kook had been a staunch supporter of the National Religious Party, but broke with them in 1974 when they entered the Rabin government over his opposition. In his letter of support to Kahane, Kook stated: "The presence of Rabbi Meir Kahane and his uncompromising words from the Knesset platform will undoubtedly add strength and value to the obligatory struggle on behalf of the entire Land of Israel." The announcement of Kook's support of Kahane and his letter were made available to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Yaakov Yosef, the son of Ovadia Yosef who headed the Hazon Ya'akov Yeshiva and served as rabbi of the Givat Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem, described Kahane as one who "fulfilled his role faithfully", and declared that, "We must learn from [Kahane's] great actions in order that we learn the way of the Torah." While serving in the Knesset as part of the Shas party, Yosef was one of the few who remained for Kahane's addresses.
Following Kahane's death, no leader emerged to replace him in the movement, although the idea of transferring populations, mainly attributed to Kahane, was subsequently incorporated into the political platform of various political parties in Israel, such as Moledet (applying to Arab non-citizen residents of the West Bank) and Yisrael Beiteinu (in the form of population exchange). Two small Kahanist factions later emerged; one under the name of Kach, and the other under the name of Kahane chai (Hebrew: כהנא חי, literally "Kahane lives [on]"), the second one led by his younger son, Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane. Neither one was permitted to participate in the Knesset elections by the Central Elections Committee.
In 1994, following the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre of Palestinian Muslim worshippers in Hebron by Kach supporter Baruch Goldstein, in which 29 Muslim worshipers were killed, the Israeli government declared both parties to be terrorist organizations. The U.S. State Department also added Kach and Kahane Chai to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
In the 2003 Knesset elections, Herut, which split off from the National Union list, ran with Michael Kleiner, and former Kach activist Baruch Marzel taking the top two spots on the list. The joint effort narrowly missed the 1.5% barrier. In the following 2006 elections, the Jewish National Front, led by Baruch Marzel, fared better, but also failed to pass the minimum threshold. A follower of Kahane who was involved with Kach for many years, Michael Ben-Ari, was elected to the Knesset in the 2009 elections on renewed National Union list. He stood again in the 2013 elections as the second candidate on the list of Otzma LeYisrael, but the party failed to pass the minimum threshold.
In 2007, the FBI released over a thousand documents relating to their daily surveillance of Kahane since the early 1960s.
In 2015, Kahane's grandson, Meir Ettinger, was detained by Israeli law enforcement. He was the alleged leader of the radical Jewish group "The Revolt". In an online "manifesto" echoing some of the teachings of his grandfather, Ettinger promotes the "dispossession of gentiles" who live in Israel, and the establishment of a new "kingdom of Israel", a theocracy ruled by Halacha. Ettinger has been writing to condemn Israel's government, mainstream rabbis, and the IDF, as well as denouncing Christian churches as "idolatry".
In 2016, Kahane's widow claimed that modern Jewish extremists in Israel are not following the ideology of her late husband, claiming he had a more mature approach which did not encourage illegal activities.
The prosecution argued that Arab MK Haneen Zoabi should be banned for denying the Jewish People's existence, and was banned by the Central Elections Committee, using the Kahane precedent. A week later, this was unanimously overturned by the Supreme Court. Attempts at banning of Strong Israel and Balad political parties using the Kahane precedent unsuccessfully were overturned as well.
In 2017, The Forward reported that some of Kahane's followers were aligning themselves with white nationalists and the Alt-right. Other followers declared that such moves did not reflect Kahane's teachings, arguing that Kahane worked together with African Americans.


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Wow! Out on the golf course. Good for you. Thank for including Gardening Nirvana in your line up. I'm honored. Congratulations on so many recent publications. You keep so busy!
Thank you very much! I so loved that post of yours – such great humour!
Those photos are so fun!
I really am delighted that you included my little springtime etheree in your collection of links. I hope that full spring arrives on time for you, and that you have an abundance of beauty all around!
I was delighted to share your beautiful poem and photograph! This time of year is always a changeable delight – I love it!
A great collection of links! Congratulations on getting so many items and stories published, Sheryl.
Thanks a million, much appreciated!


I believe you have to have a passion for what you do. Other than my family, real estate is my passion. My clients' wants and needs are my top priority. Whether it is assisting in the search for a new home or selling an existing one, I will work side-by-side with my clients to realize their ultimate goals. I believe in building lifelong relationships and enjoy nothing more than working with my clients for years to come.
Maren was born in Charlotte, NC and raised in Weddington, NC. She left to attend college in Columbia, SC at the University of South Carolina. Upon her return she worked in marketing until receiving her real estate license in 2003 and embarking on her real estate career. Maren quickly achieved top producer status and has remained one of the top producers at her firm since 2006. Real estate has always been her primary passion as evidenced in her leadership roles within the local, state, and national organizations. She served as a two term president for the Charlotte Regional Realtor®s Association in 2015 and 2016 and has been elected to serve as the president of the NC Realtor®s in 2020. She is a passionate public speaker and is always giving back to her industry. She is deeply involved in Charlotte's philanthropic community as well. She has served as chair and champion for many non-profit organizations in the Queen City. She has also always been extremely involved in the school community at Charlotte Preparatory School where her children attend. She believes that a great Realtor® doesn't just provide excellent service to their clients. Rather they continue those efforts by dedicating their talents in other ways to be able to encourage economic, and personal growth in our community by supporting the residents throughout various philanthropic organizations.
Because of her many contributions to the industry and the Charlotte community, Maren has been the recipient of several awards. She was named the Charlotte Regional Realtor®s' Realtor® of the Year in 2016 for outstanding contributions to her industry and the community; which is the organizations highest honor. She has been recognized by the NC Realtor®s Association with an Outstanding Service Award and won the Chairman's Award three years in a row (2015-2017) for outstanding fundraising and advocacy efforts. She received the Hall Of Fame award in 2018 from the National Association of Realtor®s for her extraordinary commitment to the Realtor®s Political Action Committee. She has also been recognized by the Charlotte business community as one of the Charlotte Business Journals "40 under 40" in 2016 and one of the "Top 25 Women in Business" in 2017.
In 2018 Maren joined Valerie and HM Properties in a brand new leadership role for the company. All of her brokerage and leadership experience over the years culminated in this new relationship with one of the area's most preeminent broker owners. Together they look forward to continuing and improving the exemplary service they have provided their clients for over 15 years. She resides in the Barclay Downs neighborhood with her sons Reid (12) and Dillon (8); and their two dogs Callie and Charlie, and Cole their cat.
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text:
Public suffering
Hadi Khurram
Are the medical facilities in our hospitals any good?
— Photo by Rahat Dar
edicine is one of the most popular professions pursued by the young in Pakistan. It is also one of the few sectors that are believed to be operating on a par with international standards. The country has produced some world class doctors. But does that translate into world class medical help at our hospitals, chiefly those in public sector? I doubt.
My nana, a 79-year-old man, has had issues with prostrate since 2007 — he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although he recovered, he needs consistent treatment in order to check the formation of strictures and other illnesses. Recently, he was told that his heart could not take the burden of general anesthesia, so a separate procedure would be sought out — that is, via a suprapubic catheter. The biggest problem in all this was nana's anxiety, which surfaces every time before and during medical procedures.
Anyway, we booked the procedure for him at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Lahore, where he had been seeing a doctor for his issues. We were told that the procedure was entirely possible without anesthesia and without error. On the day of the procedure, my nana was prepared for surgery and sent to the pre-op only for his family to be informed that the hospital did not have the kit to do the procedure.
For a good three hours, my nana was kept in the pre-operative room without his family (because they weren't allowed in), while we were told to find the suprapubic kit ourselves. We rushed to other pharmacies in Lahore, as the hospital's own pharmacy did not have the kit. The one place we found the kit at was half an hour's drive away, but they only supplied the thing on hospital's orders.
Our public hospitals must own their patients. It is understandable that they may sometimes run out of the required tools, but a simple system of storage management could have stopped the pain my grandfather and his family went through.
The procedure was time-sensitive, as more patients were in the queue, waiting because the kit (which the hospital had promised to get) was not in the supplies.
It is hard to think that the procedure had been booked days in advance, and was confirmed, and they only told the family that they did not have the necessary tools 10 minutes before the procedure was scheduled to start.
It is even more puzzling to think how they asked the family to get the tool themselves, and expected them to run around the city with little or no medical knowledge whatsoever.
This kind of experience with the hospital community isn't unique to our family. I'm sure the common people have to go through such travails routinely. It is indeed harrowing to see such apathy. This must cease to be. Our hospitals must own their patients. It is understandable that they may sometimes run out of the required tools, but a simple system of storage management could have stopped the pain my grandfather and his family — us — went through.
The writer is a student based in Lahore
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text:
Bankbook crime falls as scammers turn to bitcoin
Criminals have had to get inventive in their attempts to scam people into giving them money, including using virtual currencies like bitcoin, following a government crackdown on financial fraud.
Traditionally, financial scams have mostly been through fake bankbooks or voice phishing from telephone calls.
According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service on Sunday, 3,497 incidents of fake bankbooks have been reported per month during the first half of this year. The number of reported cases has been on a gradual decline since 2015 as banks have been fighting against possible scams by tightening the rules when issuing new bankbooks.
The monthly average number of fake bankbooks spotted from commercial banks declined by 12.7 percent and mutual finance banks like National Credit Union Federation of Korea by 13.1 percent thanks to tightened assessment guidelines for issuing new bankbooks and suspicious transaction monitoring schemes.
As it became difficult for scammers to secure fake bankbooks, they started taking money through virtual currencies like bitcoin. The scammers demand victims purchase bitcoin prepaid cards, explaining that the victim needs to use the bitcoins to pay the commission on a loan.
Prepaid bitcoin cards are available at some convenient stores so people can more easily use the currency.
When the victims purchase the prepaid cards, the scammers say they need to verify whether the victim actually bought the card and ask them to send a photo of the receipt. The victims do as they are told because they hold the physical prepaid card and assume that a photo of the receipt is harmless.
However, the pin number visible on the receipt is actually the password to use the bitcoins. Scammers use the pin number to withdraw the bitcoins and then disappear.
"In the past there were scammers exchanging vouchers into cash but as that method became widely known, scammers are coming up with relatively unfamiliar ways, such as bitcoin, to get cash," said Kim Bum-soo, leader of the financial fraud response team at the Financial Supervisory Service.
The number of voice phishing cases during the first half of this year declined by 8.1 percent compared to last year. This was largely thanks to a government campaign to raise awareness about voice phishing scams that impersonated government officials.
However, voice phishing scams that claim to offer favorable loan options are on the rise. The scammers tricked people by telling them that they will turn the loan into a low interest-rate loan offered by a government-supported fund. Last year the number of reported cases rose to an average 112 per month, but in the first half of this year that has increased to 123 cases.
For this type of voice phishing, scammers use an automated call system that allows them to call thousands of numbers at once to increase their chances of finding a potential victim. Since the scheme appears to be similar to the sales method frequently used by real loan service operators, many victims cannot tell that the call is a trick.
While young women in their 20s and 30s were major targets for voice phishing that impersonated government officials, men and women in their 40s and 50s accounted for over 60 percent of the victims of the loan scams.
The loan-related scams have also become more expensive. While in the past scammers would ask victims to pay commission on an existing loan or to pay off the interest, they are now asking victims to transfer a lump sum payment for the loan to enable it to be moved to a fictional government-backed program that supposedly has a lower interest rate.
To further reduce financial fraud, the financial watchdog is planning to add a question for customers transferring money online or at an automated teller machine next month. The question asks customers whether they were asked to withdraw or transfer money by a government official or if they are doing so for a loan.
BY KO RAN [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]


text:
Q: CASE or IF in AND statement I've got a query with a bunch of AND statements. Now when a variable is set, I want to use a specific AND statement. But when it's empty or NULL I don't want that statement. I've found some things with IF and CASE but I can't get it done :(
I Want something like this
SELECT *
FROM table
WHERE [Statement1]

IF @Location IS NOT NULL OR <> ''
BEGIN
    AND [SBC Live 2$Sales Shipment Line].[Location _ Sector No_] = @Location
END

Maybe someone can help me?
Thnanks in advance!

A: This should work for you:
SELECT *
FROM table
WHERE [Statement1] AND (ISNULL(@Location,'') = '' OR [SBC Live 2$Sales Shipment Line].[Location _ Sector No_] = @Location)

So in the end, either @Location is null/blank, or it matches the [SBC Live 2$Sales Shipment Line].[Location _ Sector No_]
Note:  In your pseudo-code, you have OR in the IF check, but based off what you wrote previously, I assume you're looking for AND there.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
La Mare de Déu de la Vilavella de Basturs és una església romànica del poble de Basturs, dins l'antic terme d'Orcau, i actualment en el municipi d'Isona i Conca Dellà.

Les ruïnes d'aquesta església es veuen des del poble de Basturs, dalt d'un serrat al nord de la població, accessible un tros per una pista i la resta, la pujada dalt del serrat, a peu.

La denominació del lloc, Vilavella de Basturs porta a considerar que podria ser el primer emplaçament del poble de Basturs, a partir del qual es generà l'actual, al peu del serrat; ara bé, la manca de documentació que ens doni referències ho deixa tot en hipòtesis. Tanmateix, a prop de les restes de l'església hi ha algunes restes d'habitatges primitius, datables entre els segles  i .

De l'església, se'n conserva només la meitat nord, sense la volta, però el que roman dempeus permet veure que es tractava d'una església d'una sola nau, amb volta de canó semicircular assentada sobre arcs torals i suportada per uns arcs formers que donen més consistència al mur conservat.

L'absis, com a quasi totes les esglésies romàniques, és a llevant, i es comunicava amb la nau per un arc presbiteral molt ample. Al centre d'aquest absis (se'n conserva just la meitat, també), es veu una finestra de doble esqueixada, també només mig conservada. El tros d'absis que queda mostra una ornamentació d'arcades llombardes, en grups de tres, amb lesenes.

L'aparell és de carreus més aviat petits, només escairats, sense poliment, per la qual cosa cal datar aquest temple en el . Al mur oest conserva algunes filades d'opus spicatum, que ens podria remetre a una obra, almenys en part, del .

Referències

Bibliografia

 ADELL I GISBERT, Joan-Albert. "Mare de Déu de la Vilavella de Basturs", a Catalunya romànica. XV. El Pallars. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 1993.
 BURON, Vicenç. Esglésies i castells romànics del Pirineu català i Andorra: Guia. Tremp: Garsineu Edicions, 1994 (Biblioteca pirinenca; 10).
 GAVÍN, Josep M. Pallars Jussà. Barcelona: Arxiu Gavín, 1981 (Inventari d'esglésies, 8).
 ROIG I DELUOFEU, Albert. "Despoblat de Vilavella", a El Pallars. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 1993 (Catalunya romànica, XV). .

Esglésies romàniques de l'antic municipi d'Orcau