Helix Sleep hybrids with targeted cushioning conform closely, which makes them perfect for those who sleep on their side. While hybrids that have moderate cushioning do not conform as much and are suitable for pretty much all sleep positions. Lighter individuals may feel more comfy on models with balanced support, while people that weigh 130 pounds or more tend to prefer the variants with extra support.
Helix Sleep also markets 2 models with dual-firmness, the Helix Dual Balanced (with targeted cushioning and balanced support) and the Helix Dual Extra (with extra support and moderate cushioning). Both these mattresses have one 'Soft' side and one 'Firm' side, making them great for couples with different tastes. Lastly, the Helix Nightfall is a hybrid designed for larger, heavier individuals. This variant has an extra layer of memory foam for optimum support.
Cover – Originally, all Helix mattresses come with exactly the same cover, made of 100% polyester. I thought it to be thin and pliable, allowing for some wonderful breathability. However, if you want something more amped up, you can opt to swap out the standard cover for the brand's UltraCool one, which is made up of a phase change material to regulate temperature.
Comfort Layer – Up top, you will discover a heavy layer of memory foam. This type of foam has a slow reaction to pressure, meaning you are probably going to experience some satisfying body contouring. While it might seem strange for a supposedly medium firmness mattress to make use of a memory foam layer, it's crucial to remember that the existence of deep sinkage does not always translate to softness; in actuality, oftentimes it gives quite a firm feel.
Transition Layer – After sinking through the comfort layer, you will uncover a transition layer of poly foam. This layer works to curb the sinkage of the comfort layer and establish a supportive, medium firm feel as you hit the pocketed coils underneath.
Support Layer – The bulk of the mattress is made up of this section of pocketed coils. This system brings a supportive lift to the construction, working to put the sleeper "on top" of the mattress, as opposed to "in it". Because these coils are individually wrapped, they are also going to encourage additional breathability as air flows through the spaces in the coils.
Base Layer – Last, you'll find a thin section of high-density poly foam. This layer doesn't affect the feel of the mattress too much, functioning mostly to give the pocketed coils something off of which to react.
The firmness level of the Helix will differ widely depending on which model you pick out. The Helix Dusk and Midnight, have moderate firmness levels, which tends to be quite versatile and thus best-selling. If you are more particular, however, Helix Sleep is happy to oblige you with additional options.
Lying down on the Midnight, the memory foam comfort layer is soft and produces some quality body shaping, while the other materials within the Midnight work to counteract this and create an overall firmer composition. The individually-wrapped coils and the firmer support foams also assist with re-positioning.
For back sleepers, there's enough good comfort material here to conform to your lower spine while supporting your whole back in a neutral position. For larger sleepers or those who prefer a firmer bed, there are 2 more options for you in the Helix Dawn and Helix Twilight models.
Majority of side sleepers should feel totally comfortable on the Midnight, however, if you're needing less pressure while still going with a versatile medium firmness, you might decide to check out the Helix Dusk, which uses a body-conforming latex-alternative foam that is breathable and provides the surface a little bit of bounce.
Side sleepers typically need to be more mindful of pressure because they sleep with most of their weight on a tinier area. Those who are lighter than average or people in the market for lots of pressure relief might want to stay with the plusher variants.
Stomach sleepers should feel supported in the Midnight, particularly if this isn't their primary position or they tend to switch things up a lot. Firmer mattresses might be preferable for exclusive tummy sleepers so that they can make sure their hips don't dip and over-arch their backbone.
Finally, the manufacturer suggests Helix for sleepers around 350 lbs or couples who weigh up to 250 lbs each. In the event you or your partner are significantly larger than average, the company has also created a mattress called the Nightfall that is made to accommodate a combined weight of 1000 pounds.
Keep in mind that if none of those models seem right, you can always have a look at the four other models in the newest collection: the Sunset (plush, softer compared to the Moonlight), Dusk (moderate feel, a little firmer than the Midnight), Twilight (firm, designed for side sleepers), or Dawn (the firmest mattress of the bunch).
Based on my observation, Helix exceeds expectations for hybrids in this space because of the amount and quality of foam it contains, as well as the pocketed coils that help keep motion at its source. If you are a light sleeper worried that movement from the other side of the bed will wake you, then you should not have much concern with this hybrid. I would say that any of the Helix mattresses are a good option for couples.
When buying a new mattress, the majority of individuals would like to know whether they'll feel as though they're sinking "into" the it or lying "on top" of it.
While you are likely to experience some immediate sinkage in the uppermost foam layers, when you sink through these layers, you'll hit the pocketed coils and find great support. This combination will appeal to a vast range of individuals, but will satisfy stomach and back sleepers the most.
While I do feel the memory foam collapse as I sit near the edge of the bed, the individually-wrapped coils prevent the mattress from compressing too much . I feel very secure seated on the bed.
In my view, Helix mattresses are well above average for edge support compared to other bed-in-a-box brands, and this is because of their freshly updated edges that contain reinforcement in the coil unit. There can be some compression in the comfort foams when you sit with your entire weight on the side, but laying on the side should feel comfortable and safe. Couples who need more space to stretch out typically appreciate stronger edges.
Laying down, I feel like I can get near the edge of the bed without feeling like I will fall over or be pushed off the bed. Overall, I think the Helix mattress has nice edge support.
Among the best features of buying a bed-in-a-box online is the sleep trials they usually come with. Helix Sleep is not any different. You create the mattress that is meant for you, place your order, and in 2 weeks, it is delivered to your door. From the minute you click to order the mattress, you have 100 nights to test it out (minus the time for delivery, so it is more like 90 nights). If it isn't what you wanted, you can return it free, and get a complete refund.
Helix Sleep offers an awesome 10-year guarantee that covers defects, but it comes with a few limitations, exceptions, plus the burden of proof is on the customer (like most warranties). Of course, you should be the first owner of the mattress to make use of the warranty, and you need to be sure you save your receipt as proof of purchase.
As long as you follow all of Helix's expectations for use, your warranty should be valid. That means you will need to use a suitable foundation (no adjustable bed frames or slats more than 4 inches apart) and that you don't use the mattress improperly – no jumping on the bed!
If your mattress starts to show an indentation of 1 inch or longer, which is what typically happens when low-density foams break down, then you could be eligible for a replacement or repair of your Helix.
If you're certain that a Helix mattress is excellent for you, you will find the pricing and size information below. But please be aware that these prices reflect standard pricing, and does not consider my special discount. Click here to receive my special promo and get up to $125 off your Helix now.
For regular cleanup, it's suggested to use cold water along gentle dish detergent to clean any stains or dirt. Make sure to wash using soft circular motions, rather than rubbing.
The attributes of the Helix were thoughtfully constructed to provide choices whether you were searching for a mattress that stays cool all night, in the event that you needed one to cradle your curves with a thick comfort system, or both! The coil unit should provide good edge support and movement transfer is minimal with their individually-wrapped structure.
Hopefully, I've provided you some notion of what the typical sleeper can expect from the Helix, but it truly does provide an impressive assortment of customization with a choice for literally every particular desire or need. Your next best sleep might just be a brief online quiz away.


text:
Q: Headers HttpContent 'System.InvalidOperationException' Let me start by showing code:
    private async Task<bool> session()
    {
        string post = " ";

        HttpContent postContent = new StringContent(
            post,
            Encoding.ASCII,
            "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");

                using (HttpResponseMessage response = await this.httpClient.PostAsync(
                    "CANT_SHARE_URL.com/data", postContent))
                using (HttpContent content = response.Content)
                {

                    this.session =content.Headers.GetValues("session").FirstOrDefault();
                }
        return true;
    }

I can't disclose the url.
The problem is that it does not set the session variable and the content has returned the headers the header is also showing up in fiddler. The exception 'System.InvalidOperationException' I've tried most obvious options it's certainly responding correctly and I somehow got the headers into a string but I can't remember how.

A: Are you sure the session header is on the Content?  Have you tried looking in the request.Headers collection?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Protecting Your Cowherd from Devastating Diseases
There are several diseases cow-calf producers should concentrate on keeping out of their herd by having a good biosecurity program. Kansas State University Veterinarian Dr. Greg Hanzilcek, serves as the director of Production Animal Field Investigations.
Networking in the beef industry
Dr. Bob Larson
Although cattle producers often find that it is necessary to rely on themselves and to develop a wide variety of skills, successful cattle producers also know that it is important to identify others outside their operation who will provide benefit to their ranch.
Young Bulls Become a Safe Bet
Victoria G. Myers
Everyone likes a bargain, but bulls are generally not a good place to pinch pennies. Buy young and you'll probably pay less because he's unproven. But do you really know what sort of calves that bull will produce once he's fully developed?
KU researchers developing salmonella vaccine for livestock
John Maday
The University of Kansas in Lawrence recently established the Kansas Vaccine Institute within the School of Pharmacy. The institute's two leading faculty members, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry William Picking and Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Wendy Picking plan to develop vaccines to fight overlooked pathogens and boost human and animal health.
Indiana and Michigan water use reporting- meeting the requirement.
Lyndon Kelley
Water use reporting and registration are important parts of water resource management in both Indiana and Michigan. Both states signed onto the Great Lakes Compact in which the federal government acknowledged each Great Lakes state's ability to manage the water resource of the basin, including the ability to deny diversions of water to areas outside the Great Lakes watershed.
Correct grass management requires adapted genetics
Jim Elizondo
Beef Producer
Visiting ranches in different environments as a consultant has allowed me to evaluate and observe what is needed to manage the grass in a way that enhances succession and improves the environment.
Global Demand Means Opportunities for Cattle Ranchers, but also Challenges
Nebraska TV
The same forces that are driving global demand for beef could also create new challenges for those in agriculture. The world population is growing, but so is the disconnect with the way animals are raised for food.
The black and white on black-and-white cattle
Burt Rutherford
"One fact is axiomatic in the beef and meat industry—it is in a constant state of change." That sentiment could well have been spoken this morning. In fact, it is likely that somewhere, it was. But that quote was made 35 years ago, by Norval Dvorak with Packerland Packing Company in Green Bay, Wis., in the August, 1979 issue of Meat Processing magazine.
IGENITY®Announces DNA Profile for Cow/Calf Producers
The Brahman Journal
IGENITY®, a division of Merial, announces the introduction of the most cost-effective DNA product on the market — the IGENITY profile for replacement heifers. It is designed specifically for cow/calf producers committed to the long-term success of their herd.
Signs of impending calving in cows or heifers
Glenn Selk
As the spring calving season approaches, the cows will show typical signs that will indicate parturition is imminent. Changes that are gradually seen are udder development, or making bag and the relaxation and swelling of the vulva.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Need help with NSXMLPaser tutorial At the last part of the tutorial I am having an issue with the users variable, its saying users variable is undeclared.
It is being declared in my NSXMLPaser class that I created as a NSMutableArray and I am "#import"ing the header file of NSXMLPaser class...
Here is the link to the tutorial I am working through, any help would be greatly appreciated.
http://wiki.cs.unh.edu/wiki/index.php/Parsing_XML_data_with_NSXMLParser
- (void) doParse:(NSData *)data {

    NSString * filePath = [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:@"data" ofType:@"xml"];
    NSData * fileData = [NSData dataWithContentsOfFile:filePath];

    // create and init NSXMLParser object
    NSXMLParser *nsXmlParser = [[NSXMLParser alloc] initWithData:fileData];

    // create and init our delegate
    XMLParser *parser = [[XMLParser alloc] initXMLParser];

    // set delegate
    [nsXmlParser setDelegate:parser];

    // parsing...
    BOOL success = [nsXmlParser parse];

    // test the result
    if (success) {
        NSLog(@"No errors - user count : %i", [parser [users count]]);  // users undeclared error here
        // get array of users here
        //  NSMutableArray *users = [parser users];
    } else {
        NSLog(@"Error parsing document!");
    }

    [parser release];
    [nsXmlParser release];

}

A: use the users variable [parser.user count]

A: Either you use "[parser.users count]" like Babji said or you could use the dot notation for everything, like "parser.users.count".
Also, you could use "[[parser users] count]". This means you first get the collection users of the parser ("[parser users]") and then you call count on that collection ("[[parser users] count]").


text:
Tech Mint
In Depth Analysis & Reviews Of Technologies
Distributed Technologies
Blockchain Explained
C# and .NET
Code Less Think More
Blockchain in plain English
Blockchain Blockchain Explained Distributed Technologies Editor's Pick
Huyen Pham
Blockchain is not only a chain of blocks.
The simplest explication for blockchain is perhaps to imagine pieces of information get bundled into blocks, then these blocks are chained together in a particular way to form a blockchain. However such a simplistic definition of the technology underneath had led to many misconceptions. On the contrary, thoroughly unraveling the anatomy of blockchain might squander too many details and leave people even more confused. That is why this article aims to give you thorough understanding of blockchain's fundamentals in the simplest language possible, without going depth into technical details. It explains what blockchain is and what it is not. It also uncovers building blocks of the technology with only enough hints of technical concepts.
Blockchain is an integral system
Blockchain has a state
Blockchain history consists of chained blocks
Blockchain is where transactions get executed
Blockchain can accommodate smart contracts
Block chain may have built-in cryptocurrency
Blockchain is decentralized
Blockchain is secured
Blockchain is infrastructure to decentralized applications
There are more than one blockchain platforms
Further read
In order to keep a balance sheet you need at least pencils, papers and a calculator. Then you must keep a log of transactions that happened in the year, and you must be informed of log keeping rules. At the end, you must know how to figure out the balance of incomes and expenditures from information you have in hands. The whole mechanism contains not only the balance sheet, or the accounting ledger, but also norms, conventions, contracts, operations, interactions between tiers.
Blockchain, much like above, is the whole infrastructure which supports record keeping, transaction proceeding, operation processing and guarantees the impartial state of the whole system.
Saying blockchain is a record-keeping technology or a public ledger is much like assuming business is the balance sheet, or math is the calculator.
Blockchain' state is a snapshot of the whole system at a moment in time. It contains values of information stored in blockchain such as balance of an account, true or false answer, birth date, wedding day etc. These values cannot be modified, instead they can be transitioned from one state to the other. All of the state transitions are recorded and form a log of history of blockchain.
Blockchain history is the log of the system's states. It is simply a chain of blocks.
Each block can be seen as a Rubik's cube, where each of its cubies contains a complete piece of information related to certain operation that has just happened and that will affect the whole state of our blockchain. The operation might as well be called a transaction.
If we look closely into a miniature cube (cubie), we can see details of the transaction it contains such as what happened, who participated, when, where and how it happened. The way these small cubies are packed into a Rubik's cube is particular to each blockchain structure. For example Bitcoin blockchain limits weight (size) of its rubik (total weight of all cubies) to 1MB, or Ethereum limits cost of its rubik (total cost of all cubies) to 800000 gas.
A Rubik's cube is unique by the way its cubies are bundled together. Each of the small cubies contains a signature which is a string of characters also known as hash. Hashes of upper levels are created from those of lower levels underneath. And hash of the top most level becomes the transaction root of the entire rubik, which is what makes it tamper-proof.
This structure is built upon strong cryptographic algorithms. The most commonly known are Merkle tree and its variations which are used in Bitcoin blockchain, Ethereum and several other blockchain structures.
Once transactions are packed up together within the limit of a block, the rubik will then be formed and digitally signed. The unique signature of a block is called block hash. It is created by combining the block's transaction root, its previous block's hash, a timestamp, and a random number called nonce. The process of creating a hash is also known as hashing. Hashing method can vary from one blockchain to another, which defines the level of security that a blockchain offers. The average time to compute a hash is known as hash rate, and it depends on conditions for a hash to be legitimate, such as its length or specific characters it must contain.
It's worth noting that many people assimilate hashing process to mining process. That is not totally true.
Mining happens when people compete to calculate unique hash of a block, the first person to come up with a legitimate hash will be rewarded with an incentive paid in cryptocurrencies. But mining does not happen on every blockchain. Each blockchain network has a different protocol upon which people agree to delegate next person to produce a new block with a valid hash. It is the consensus of a blockchain. Mining only happens on blockchains of which consensus is Proof of Work (PoW), where hashing is hard because conditions are complex. There exists other system of consensus such as Proof of Stake (proof of ownership, PoS) in Ethereum Casper, or Proof of the Elapsed Time (PoET) in Hyperledger Sawtooth where they do not require mining to get block hashed. Again, the security of blockchain is owed to the consensus used in it.
After being hashed, a block is ready to be strung to existing chain by the person who comes up with the hash. By appending the latest block to the chain, this person modifies the state of his copy of log on his computer or whatever device he uses to produce the hash. He will then have to send the modified copy to everybody in the network. Everybody will have to vote if the block is legitimate in a process called validation. A block with majority of favorable votes will be appended to the chain and the modified state will be broadcasted to everybody for them to apply accordingly. The blockchain is hence transitioned to a new state without losing tracks of its history.
The whole process forms a chain of blocks, which is the log of history of blockchain system. The log is persisted in a file, also called a file-based ledger.
A transaction is an operation that modifies the state of blockchain. It might be money transfer as well as any operations to change values in the log.
In order to execute transactions, we need a small little worker called virtual machine. The device where we store our a copy of blockchain's log and install the virtual machine is called a node. Together all nodes form what we know as peer to peer network. A peer to peer network is a system where a node is connected to several nearest nodes. When there is a change, a peer broadcasts information to its nearest peers, and its peers then continue to propagate changes to the rest of the network.
So the virtual machine works like a tiny little clerk on a node. When it receives a transaction from a peer node, it will execute the transaction locally to verify its legitimacy against current blockchain state. It is similar to running a simulation on your device so that you can tell if the transaction correctly modifies values of the current log. Once the simulation terminates, depending on the result, the virtual machine will label a transaction as valid or rejected. If a transaction is valid, the virtual machine will modify values in its copy of the log accordingly, otherwise it will revert all execution and do not modify the state of blockchain. Invalid transactions therefore do not have any impact on the state of blockchain.
Both valid and rejected transactions will then be included in a block and the virtual machine will start hashing process to sign the block.
Depending on the consensus of the network, a delegated node or a set of nodes or all nodes will carry on the process above to produce a new block.
It is worth noting that it is very inefficient for every one in the network to compete each other to produce the next block in mining process. We don't know who is working on which transactions and what might be included in the next block, many people will carry on the same hard work just to be rejected by the end. This is why people come up with other consensus algorithm (Proof of Stake, Proof of Elapsed Time etc.) where a set of pending transactions are chosen first hand, then the next person to work on them is selected randomly.
Once a block is stuck to the log chain, all transactions included in it will be marked processed and cannot be replayed. Let's say, the same transaction X is included in two different blocks being hashed by two different people. The first people comes up with the hash first and get his block strung to the chain. The transaction X is therefore marked as processed in the latest block. If the second person attempt to include it in a new block it will be rejected. This is what we knew as "double spending attack" or "replay attack".
Smart contract is what defines how a transaction gets executed, such as how cryptocurrencies are transferred from accounts to accounts, how birth date is registered, how I pay my contractors in order to get my services, how people deliver license plates so on a so forth.
Smart contracts reside inside virtual machine and will be executed upon transaction requests. A smart contract defines how a transaction would modify values stored on the contract itself or elsewhere.
Most of blockchain platforms accommodate smart contracts in its execution environment, but not all. Ethereum and all Hyperledger blockchain projects provides this features since their initiation whereas Bitcoin blockchain only starts to do so.
Or it may not.
This is where people get confused the most. Is Bitcoin a blockchain ?
From the title of the white paper written by Satoshi Nakamoto the inventor of Bitcoin:
"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System"
So yes, Bitcoin is a blockchain. Bitcoin has a built-in cryptocurrency named after the system itself.
Ethereum also has a built-in cryptocurrency which is Ether. However not all blockchains support built-in cryptocurrencies. This is due to the difference in objective and mission each platform is designed to accomplish.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are built towards a goal of digitizing financial assets and decentralizing financial system. Ethereum has evolved to enable other business operations with it smart contract feature but the vast majority of transactions on Ethereum still revolve around cryptocurrencies.
Hyperledger projects such as Fabric, Sawtooth and Iroha blockchains are designed to enable manifold day to day business operations and activities which often do not require any payment facility.
Each peer in the network constitutes a blockchain node, and each keeps a copy of transaction chained logs. When a new record (block) is appended to the log, changes will be broadcasted from peer to peer. Data is synced over the network. Nobody has control over the network and in order to make change, anyone must get their operation approved by the majority of nodes. That is what make blockchain decentralized and incorruptible.
Tamper-proof
As explained above, transactions are bundled together to form a block in a structure built upon strong cryptographic algorithms. This structure is tamper-proof because a slightest change to one transaction will result in the change of digital signature (hash) of the block. A block's hash is included in the signature of the next block. If a block's signature is changed, it will no longer matches the signature of its immediate successor, and so the whole structure would become invalid when passing to execution environment.
Decentralized applications are built on top of blockchain. They are tied to one or several smart contracts under the hood to provide services to users.
More than often, people are likely to relate blockchain to either Bitcoin or Ethereum. But there are a handful of other blockchain platforms which have been under active development for years. Some of the most well known open source projects are:
Hyperledger Iroha
Hyperledger SawTooth
Hyperledger Corda
To sum up, blockchain is an integral system supported by 4 pillars :
a peer to peer network
a chain or chains of transaction logs
an execution environment or a virtual machine
a consensus system or a mechanism upon which peers agree to cooperate.
Blockchain provides secure and reliable mediums and infrastructure for people to cooperate, collaborate, exchange safely.
Information registered on blockchain cannot be changed, instead they are transitioned from state to state.
Blockchain is secured because operations are approved by a pool of million people in the network and its log is tamper-proof.
This article's goal is to help you understand the most fundamentals of blockchain without technical details of the system. There are many aspects the article does not cover such as security and resilience, privacy and transparency (aka public vs private), impact of consensus mechanism, efficiency and scalability, usability and practicality etc… These topics will soon be covered in dedicated articles.
Create ASP.NET Core Web API for Ethereum DApps
ASP.NET Core Web API middle-ware for Ethereum – Settings
Create Ethereum DApps with Restful API
Tags: blockchain, simple
Blockchain is not another database
3 thoughts on "Blockchain in plain English"
sherman.vanwagenen says:
Howdy would you mind letting me know which hosting company you're
using? I've loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I must say this
blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a honest price?
Really enjoyed this article post. Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.
If you are going for best contents like I do, only go to see
this web site every day because it presents quality contents, thanks
Code Less Think More Databases SQL Server
Advanced SQL queries via practical examples
C# and .NET Programming languages
Fake Multiple Inheritance in C#
C# and .NET Code Less Think More Programming languages
IEnumerable vs IQueryable: Demystify & Dive deep into how query works
C# and .NET Lab series Programming languages
LAB SERIES #1 : Scaffold entities from database schema in EF Core 3.1
Copyright © 2022 Tech Mint


text:
Iraq: 'Do not abandon us' urge Iraqi refugees who served alongside British troops
Agencies Call on British Government to Take Urgent Action on Iraqi Refugees
(London, April 16, 2007) – Three former Iraqi interpreters for the UK Army, who were forced to flee to Syria after receiving death threats, have appealed to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair not to abandon them and thousands of other Iraqi refugees facing an uncertain future in neighbouring countries.
Ahead of tomorrow's crucial United Nations conference on the growing Iraqi refugee crisis, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the British Refugee Council have also written to Blair, calling on his government to take urgent action.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees now estimates there are around 2 million Iraqi refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries, mostly in Syria and Jordan, with 40,000-50,000 more each month fleeing their homes.
Moreover, there is a growing number of Iraqi asylum seekers in Britain who have not been granted leave to stay, but as a result of the continued violence in Iraq are unable to return home. They are left homeless, hungry and without any means of providing for themselves.
In their letter, the three interpreters – Issa Jafer Al-Saed, Loay Mohammed Al-Tahar and Akram Moaiy'd Kalaf – said:
"Like thousands of other Iraqi refugees, we are in an increasingly desperate situation. We have no life here but face death if we return to Iraq.
"We urge the UK government: do not abandon us. We ask you not to betray our belief in your promises, but to do what is in your government's power to help us and other refugees who have fled Iraq in fear for their lives"
In an open letter released today, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the British Refugee Council call on Blair to take three steps to alleviate the increasingly severe humanitarian crisis:
To greatly extend the package of support to countries in the region who are sheltering the vast majority of refugees from Iraq
To offer some of these refugees the chance to resettle to the UK, following the example of the United States
To follow Sweden's example, and suspend forcible removals of Iraqi asylum seekers in the UK, and to offer all Iraqi asylum seekers a status that would allow them to be supported or to work
Find out more about our work on Refugee and Asylum issues
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees International Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons inside Iraq and in Neighbouring Countries takes place April 17-18, 2007, Palais des Nations, Geneva. More information is available at: http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/media?page=home&id=461b63de4 /p>
Both letters follow.
Letter from Issa Jafer Al-Saed, Loay Mohammed Al-Tahar and Akram Moaiy'd Kalaf:
Damascus 12 April 2007
Prime Minister,
We are interpreters who worked for the British forces in Basra, Iraq. Recently we were forced to flee to Damascus in Syria after receiving death threats and after many of our former Iraqi colleagues were kidnapped, tortured and killed.
Now, like thousands of other Iraqi refugees we are in an increasingly desperate situation. We have no life here but face death if we return to Iraq.
In Iraq we were targeted precisely because we served the British authorities. We went out on military patrols with the British soldiers and conducted interrogations of terrorist suspects. We did this dangerous work because we were inspired by your confidence in the early months of the war in Iraq and we decided to help the British and the Americans build a better Iraq. But now it is too dangerous for us anywhere in Iraq, even in other parts of the country.
Since our arrival in Damascus we have been trying to get help from the British consular authorities here. But the guards do not allow any Iraqis like us access to the British Embassy. We have been unable to get interviews to present our cases and our documents and to request assistance or asylum.
The Syrian authorities are allowing us to stay in Syria at present. But we are unable to work. We are running out of money. Several of our colleagues have been forced to return to Iraq because it is hard to survive here. We regularly hear of friends killed back in Iraq. We will soon have to return unless we get help.
We urge the UK government: do not abandon us. We ask you not to betray our belief in your promises, but to do what is in your government's power to help us and other refugees who have fled Iraq in fear for their lives and now find themselves in desperate circumstances.
Issa Jafer Al-Saed, Loay Mohammed Al-Tahar, Akram Moaiy'd Kalaf
Letter from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Refugee Council:
The Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
Dear Prime Minister,
On 17th and 18th April 2007, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, is convening an international conference to highlight the plight of the growing numbers of Iraqi refugees and Internally Displaced People in the Middle East and to call on UN member states to do more to help. We believe that because of the UK's involvement in the Iraq conflict, the UK should be playing a leading role in addressing this humanitarian crisis.
The movement of refugees into neighbouring countries, and the equally serious problem of internal displacement within Iraq, has been growing steadily as sectarian and political violence in Iraq has increased. UNHCR estimates that 40,000-50,000 people a month are now fleeing their homes in Iraq, adding to the estimated two million Iraqi refugees in the region, most of them in Syria and Jordan whose governments are struggling to meet their needs. The situation is so bad that countries in the region are threatening to close their borders and to turn away people fleeing violence and persecution. As well as putting individual lives at risk, this would be a serious threat to the international refugee protection system, as well as the fundamental human right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution.
We urge you to address the humanitarian dimensions of the displacement crisis in and around Iraq and ask you that you take a number of actions.
Firstly, whilst the extra £6m in emergency relief announced by the Department for International Development on March 22nd is welcome, far more is needed. We ask you to put in place a much more substantial package of support to the region, both directly and through UNHCR, which alone has appealed for 60 million dollars of assistance in 2007.
Secondly, the UK has done nothing to allow Iraqi refugees displaced by conflict the chance to resettle in the UK – including people who have shown great loyalty and service to the UK in Iraq. We are aware of a significant number of former employees of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, and the Department for International Development who have fled from Iraq in fear for their lives and who are now stranded in Syria or Jordan.
We attach a letter written to you from three such former employees of your government, Loay Mohammed al-Tahar, Akram Moaiy'd Kalaf and Issa Jafer al-Saed. As these men explain in their letter, they are being turned away from the gates of the British Embassy in Damascus, and have concluded that the British government has washed its hands of any responsibility for their safety and welfare.
To address these issues, we ask that you take a lead in Europe by immediately announcing a programme to resettle in the UK some of the Iraqi refugees currently living in the most difficult conditions in countries neighbouring Iraq. The United States has announced that it will resettle 7,000 refugees and we believe your government should put together its own resettlement programme.
Thirdly, at a time when the international community is calling on Iraq's neighbours to keep their borders open to asylum seekers, we believe it sends a contradictory signal for your government to be deporting Iraqis to their homeland. The forcible removal of Iraqis, even to those parts of Iraq which the UK considers to be safe, is a serious misallocation of resources and priorities in view of the current Iraqi refugee crisis.
Sweden, for example, has suspended forcible returns to Iraq for the time being and we ask you to consider a similar gesture until the security situation improves markedly. It also concerns us that Iraqis who are refused asylum in the UK are left in legal limbo and many live in destitution. We believe that all Iraqis living here should be given some form of status in the UK, allowing them to work or to receive a decent level of state support.
The refugee crisis will not be solved by the UK alone, but your government is well placed to take a lead in Europe and the world. We urge you to use this week's Geneva conference to signal a change of heart in your approach to Iraqi refugees, by announcing a more generous, more principled, more coherent, and more far-sighted set of UK policies.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK
Anna Reisenberger, Acting Chief Executive of the Refugee Council
Tom Porteous, London Director of Human Rights Watch
Action for individuals


text:
Public Integrity Forum
The Tragedy Of Black Education Is New
Walter E. Williams
Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore's school system. What it found was an utter disgrace.
In 19 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, out of 3,804 students, only 14 of them, or less than 1%, were proficient in math.
In 13 of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math.
In five Baltimore City high schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading.
The left is actively working to undermine the integrity of our elections. Read the plan to stop them now. Learn more now >>
Walter E. Williams, Ph.D., a columnist for The Daily Signal, was a professor of economics at George Mason University until his death Dec. 2, 2020.
Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70% of the students graduate and are conferred a high school diploma—a fraudulent high school diploma.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District scored the lowest in the nation compared to 26 other urban districts for reading and mathematics at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels.
A recent video captures some of this miseducation in Milwaukee high schools: In two city high schools, only one student tested proficient in math and none are proficient in English.
Yet, the schools spent a full week learning about "systemic racism" and "Black Lives Matter activism." By the way, a Nov. 19 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article asks: "How many Black teachers did you have? I've only had two." The article concludes, "For future Black students, that number needs to go up."
New York City is one of many school systems in the United States set to roll out Black Lives Matter-themed lesson plans. According to the New York City Department of Education, teachers will delve into "systemic racism," police brutality, and white privilege in their classrooms.
Should we blame this education tragedy on racial discrimination or claim that it is a legacy of slavery? Thomas Sowell's research in "Education: Assumptions Versus History" documents academic excellence at Baltimore's Frederick Douglass High School and others. This academic excellence occurred during the late 1800s to mid-1900s, an era when blacks were much poorer than today and faced gross racial discrimination.
Frederick Douglass High School of yesteryear produced many distinguished alumni, such as Thurgood Marshall and Cab Calloway, and several judges, congressmen, and civil rights leaders. Frederick Douglass High School was second in the nation in black Ph.D.s among its alumni.
Also in Sowell's "Education: Assumptions Versus History" is the story of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, a black public school in Washington, D.C. As early as 1899, its students scored higher on citywide tests than any of the city's white schools. From its founding in 1870 to 1955, most of its graduates went off to college.
Dunbar's distinguished alumni include U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke, physician Charles Drew, and, during World War II, nearly a score of majors, nine colonels and lieutenant colonels, and a brigadier general.
Today's Paul Laurence Dunbar and Frederick Douglass high schools have material resources that would have been unimaginable to their predecessors. However, having those resources have meant absolutely nothing in terms of academic achievement.
If we accept the notion that rotten education is not preordained, then I wonder when the black community will demand an end to an educational environment that condemns so many youngsters to mediocrity. You can bet the rent money that white liberals and high-income blacks would not begin to accept the kind of education for their children that most blacks receive.
The school climate, seldom discussed, plays a very important role in education. During the 2017-18 school year, there were an estimated 962,300 violent incidents and 476,100 nonviolent incidents in U.S. public schools nationwide. Schools with 1,000 or more students had at least one sworn law enforcement officer. About 90% of those law enforcement officers carry firearms.
Aside from violence, there are many instances of outright disrespect for teachers. First- and second-graders telling teachers to "Shut the f— up" and calling teachers "b—h."
Years ago, much of the behavior of young people that we see today would have never been tolerated. There was the vice principal's office where corporal punishment would be administered for gross infractions. If the kid was unwise enough to tell his parents what happened, he might get more punishment at home.
Today, unfortunately, we have replaced practices that worked with practices that sound good and caring. And we are witnessing the results.
Radical New Battery Could Dismantle $75 TRILLION Oil Markets
A Note for our Readers:
Election fraud is already a problem. Soon it could be a crisis. But election fraud is not the only threat to the integrity of our election system.
Progressives are pushing for nine "reforms" that could increase the opportunity for fraud and dissolve the integrity of constitutional elections. To counter these dangerous measures, our friends at The Heritage Foundation are proposing seven measures to protect your right to vote and ensure fair, constitutional elections.
They are offering it to readers of The Daily Signal for free today.
Get the details now when you download your free copy of, "Mandate for Leadership: Ensuring the Integrity of Our Election System."
Get Your Free Copy No
Author: Walter E. Williams
Source: Daily Signal : The Tragedy of Black Education Is New
One Tablespoon of This Keeps Your Blood Sugar Below 100
(Even When You're Eating Sweets)
Media Elites Not Trump Supporters Are Disconnected From Reality
Justice Department Investigating White House Bribery-For-Pardon Scheme
Georgia Prosecutor Increasingly Likely To Open Criminal Investigation Into President Trump
Chris Enloe
'…it tracks the communication you might see in any drug case or organized crime case'
A top Georgia prosecutor is reportedly considering whether to open a criminal investigation into President Donald Trump's alleged "attempts to overturn the results of the state's 2020 election," the New York Times reported. In fact, the Times reported that a criminal probe into Trump has become "increasingly likely."
According to the report, the central concern of a possible investigation would be Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) earlier this month in which Trump allegedly demanded that Georgia officials overturn Joe Biden's victory there.
The controversial phone call was cited in the new article of impeachment against Trump, which House Democrats passed this week.
The new Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, is already weighing whether to proceed, and among the options she is considering is the hiring of a special assistant from outside to oversee the investigation, according to people familiar with her office's deliberations.
At the same time, David Worley, the lone Democrat on Georgia's five-member election board, said this week that he would ask the board to make a referral to the Fulton County district attorney by next month.
Although Trump's supporters have defended his call with Raffensperger, others have claimed the call is evidence that Trump committed a crime.
In fact, Slate claimed that Trump broke federal and state laws, citing one federal law that prohibits one from "knowingly and willfully…attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by…the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held."
Indeed, a former U.S. Attorney in Georgia, Michael J. Moore, told the Times that, in his legal opinion, there was "a clear attempt to influence the conduct of the secretary of state, and to commit election fraud, or to solicit the commission of election fraud" by Trump in his phone conversation with Raffensperger.
"If you took the fact out that he is the president of the United States and look at the conduct of the call, it tracks the communication you might see in any drug case or organized crime case," Moore explained. "It's full of threatening undertone and strong-arm tactics."
What about impeachment?
The House voted to impeach Trump for a second time this week, charging him with "incitement of insurrection."
The impeachment article claims Trump's rhetoric about the election, that it was "stolen" or "rigged," incited the deadly violence on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the same day a joint-session of Congress convened to certify Biden's Electoral College victory.
The impeachment resolution was approved by a vote of 232-197. Every Democrat supported the resolution, and they were joined by 10 Republicans, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-highest ranking House Republican.
Author: Chris Enloe
Source: The Blaze : Report: Georgia prosecutor 'increasingly likely' to open criminal investigation into President Trump
Alan Dershowitz: House Violated Constitution
Eric Mack
President Donald Trump did not commit any impeachable offenses, but the House violated the Constitution to suggest he did and are, ironically, immune from reprisals, according to constitutional law expert Alan Dershowitz on Newsmax TV.
"We all hear that the president is not above the law, but Congress is not above the law: When Congress impeached the president earlier this week, they committed six independent violations of the Constitution," Dershowitz told "Saturday Report."
"They violated the free speech provision. They violated the impeachment criteria. They violated the bill of attainder. They violated due process, on and on and on."
Ironically, lawmakers are protected from legal culpability from their congressional actions, so unlike they are doing with the president, they cannot be sought for the allegations against them.
"But the only sanction is to vote them out of office and to bring them to trial in the court of public opinion," Dershowitz told host Carl Higbie. "Senators and congressmen are immune from lawsuits for what they do or say on the floor of the Senate, so there can't be any personal lawsuits.
"And I wouldn't favor recriminations."
All House Democrats and 10 Republicans impeached the president for the second time this week for inciting the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, but the president's pursuit of an Electoral College challenge is not grounds for impeachment, Dershowitz noted.
"How can you impeach a president for a speech that is constitutionally protected?" he lamented.
Ultimately, impeachment should die in the Senate as it did the last time, according to Dershowitz, a member of the president's first Senate impeachment trial team.
"The Constitution is very clear, the purpose of impeachment is removal," he concluded, adding the president will be out of office by the time a trial can be held, pointing to the precedent of former President Richard Nixon's resignation ending an impeachment trial in the Senate.
"The Senate cannot try an ordinary citizen."
Important: See Newsmax TV now carried in 70 million cable homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, CenturyLink 1209, Mediacom Ch. 277, Frontier 615 or Find More Cable Systems – Click Here.
Author: Eric Mack
Source: News Max : Alan Dershowitz to Newsmax TV: House Violated Constitution
Acosta Thanks Colleagues, Judge After WH Ordered To Return His Pass: Let's Go Back To Work
Virginia Kruta
CNN's Jim Acosta thanked his colleagues and the judge who ordered the White House to — at least temporarily — return his hard pass on Friday and restore his regular access to daily press briefings.
BREAKING: Judge grants CNN's request for a temporary restraining order to restore Jim Acosta's press pass in a limited ruling on Fifth Amendment grounds. https://t.co/9ToenqSZgd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 16, 2018
"I want to thank all of my colleagues in the press who have supported us this week," Acosta told reporters as he left the courtroom. "And I want to thank the judge for the decision he made today. And — let's go back to work!"
CNN also offered a statement on the ruling, saying, "We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press."
Statement from CNN and @Acosta on today's ruling: "We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press."
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 16, 2018
Acosta was allowed to return to the White House immediately following the ruling.
"Reporting for duty," says @acosta at the WH northwest gate to get his press pass back and enter the WH grounds. pic.twitter.com/Dn7XFmwGQt
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) November 16, 2018
.@acosta becomes the news on return to the WH. pic.twitter.com/cJfc1ktF3T
His return may be temporary, however, because in Friday's ruling, the judge also provided a roadmap for the White House to follow in order to revoke any reporter's hard pass without pushback from the court.
NEW: White House responds to order to restore Jim Acosta's press pass as case progresses: "We will temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass. We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future." https://t.co/t3JVuFI560 pic.twitter.com/h5Um0VzvbP
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 16, 2018
The court ruled in Acosta's favor based on the argument that his Fifth Amendment rights were violated — saying that the White House did not allow Acosta due process.
As White House press secretary Sarah Sanders noted in her response, the court also made it clear that no reporter had "an absolute First Amendment Right to access the White House." As such, the court's ruling opened the door for the White House to revoke any reporter's hard pass provided due process was granted.
Author: Virginia Kruta
Source: Daily Caller : Acosta Thanks Colleagues, Judge After WH Ordered To Return His Pass: 'Let's Go Back To Work'
Everyone Should Prepare For A Biden Economy
Rand Paul: We're Becoming Militarized Zone In DC, Have To Resist Rapid Loss Of Civil Liberties In A Crisis
Biden Calls For At Least A $15 Minimum Wage
Trump To Declassify Trove Of Obamagate Documents
Donald Trump Plans Farewell Ceremony Before Joe Biden's Inauguration
Facebook Suspended Trump's Account. Then He Gained Almost 150,000 Likes
DOJ: No Direct Evidence Of Plot To Kidnap, Kill Lawmakers In Capitol Riot
New Poll Should Have Mitch McConnell Rethinking Support For Trump's Removal
Let's Burn This Sh*t Down: BLM Activist Arrested After Attending Capitol Riots
AOC Says She Almost Died During Riot, Declines To Give Details; Suggests Conspiracy Involving Police
Study Shows Transmission Of COVID-19 In Schools Is Extremely Rare, Undercutting Teachers Unions Arguments
Google Experiment Hid Some News Sources From Consumers
Kim Message For Joe Biden: We Will Bring U.S. To Its Knees
Mikhail Gorbachev Says He Knows Who Organized Attack On Capitol
Biden's Toxic Racial Remarks Show He Is Still Not Prepared To Be President
CBS Reporter Forces Nancy Pelosi To Own Obstructing Covid Relief After Blaming Republicans
Pence Uses Pelosi's Own Words Against Her As He Explains Why He Won't Invoke 25th Amendment
Trump Predicts Democrats Will Soon Be Known As The Party Of Crime Because Of Border Security
Twitter Condemns Uganda For Blocking Social Media Apps And Censoring Internet Before Key Election
Video Emerges Showing Violent MAGA Mob Pummeling Police Officer
Copyright © 2020 Public Integrity Forum


Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia is part at post Ikea Chairs Living Room. find about other ideas that exist in Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia. What is there in this post, we always strive to provide the best for you or anyone. if you liked about Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia You can share this post to a friend or your family. This makes us happy if you could share it to anyone. We really hope you get something or interesting idea of post Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia which we have provided to you.
You should know that the post Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia is also related with post Ikea Chairs Living Room. You can find other interesting things or ideas Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia we have provided on the gallery page. Thank you for visiting page Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia. I really hope you happy.
Appealing Ikea Chairs Living Room and Nice Ikea Living Room Table Virginia Informer Virginia Rated 67/100 From 826 user and has 3900 Subscriptions.


Web Appearances: Flattering or Insulting?
Lately my photo appeared on several websites. Some of them seem pretty nice but others not so much. I'm going to post the links in order of how much I like them.
I am going to be on one of their music videos too!
Twitter mania! I am sponsoring a game of Rodent Jeopardy! on Twitter starting Black Friday (November 27th) at 7:00 am Central Time.
To join in the fun, use #RodentJeopardy on twitter. If you haven't already started tweeting, now is the time! Get an account and join the fun.
If you're not already following me on Twitter, you should start! Find out when I'm eating, when I'm sleeping, I even tweet from the pool! @CaplinRous. Most importantly, in order for you to play, I must be following you. Send me a DM (direct message by putting "d " as the first part of your tweet). If it bounces, send me a regular tweet message (@CaplinRous) and ask me to follow you so you can play.
This game of Rodent Jeopardy! will be sponsoring my new favorite charity, Hero Rats! Check them out. They are real land-mine-sniffing, tuberculosis-diagnosing rats! For every player (anyone who answers at least one question), I will donate $1 US. For each point earned by any player, I will donate an additional $0.01. In the last game that would have been $45 for the players PLUS $38 for the points! So play hard and play often to help the Hero Rats clear land mines in Africa.
Response must be in the form of a question DMed to @CaplinRous.
Whoever gives the first correct response chooses the next block to be uncovered.
I will tweet the time the next answer will be revealed after receiving at least one correct response.
This page will be updated with the revealed blocks as the game progresses so check back often!
Each of the first five correct responses earn the block value plus extra points. The first correct response earns the block value plus five. The second earns the block value plus four, etc. All correct responses after 5th are awarded 1/2 block value.
No points are deducted for an incorrect response.
After all the blocks have been revealed, there will be one round of Rodent Final Jeopardy! Only the top 10 players will be scored on this round. For Final Jeopardy, each player will DM me with the amount the intend to "wager" before the round starts.
DM me with amount of wager. Can wager any number of points up to your total points.
Incorrect guess results in loss of 1/2 pts wagered.
1st place: A signed copy of Celeste and the Giant Hamster and a Caplin Rous 2010 Calendar.
2nd place: A signed copy of Celeste and the Giant Hamster.
4th place gets choice of 2 things not chosen by 3rd place winner.
5th place gets whatever is not chosen by 3rd and 4th place winners.
Download Chapter One of Celeste and the Giant Hamster for FREE. Make sure you read it before Rodent Jeopardy! starts!
10: Who is Jeff VanderMeer?
40: Who are Emily & Elizabeth?
10: Where is San Antonio Zoo?
20: What is a mouse?
10: Who is Bill Peet?
30: Who is Terry Stanley?
40: Who is Grace Warrington?
50: Who is Jeff Djayasaputra?
10: What is a prairie dog?
20: What is a porcupine?
30: What is a groundhog?
40: What is a squirrel?
50: What is a Patagonian Cavy or Mara?
Rodent Jeopardy earned $102.14 which owner will donate to Hero Rats!
Congratulations to everyone! Thanks for playing.
As hard as it was to pull myself away from Caplin for a whole day, I spent this past Saturday at a book festival in Georgetown, Texas. It's coming up on the holiday season and it seemed like a good idea to get Celeste and the Giant Hamster out in the public eye. This is the first book festival I've ever attended, either as an author/participant or as library patron, even though I am an avid reader. I paid my twenty bucks and got my own table, shown above.
Celeste, my granddaughter and the impetus for writing the book, came and spent a little time with me. But mostly she went to the other book festival activities like the magic show and story-telling. She and the other kids seemed to have a great time. But the meet-the-authors part of the festival was tucked away in a room upstairs and there were no activities up there. For example, a live capybara activity would have been great. Or they could have just had short book-readings. Or they could have had authors talking to kids about what it is like to write.
But, alas, the meet-the-authors section was not well attended. Nevertheless, I had a great time. I met some interesting people, gave out a lot of cards for this blog, talked about capybaras to everyone, and had interesting discussions with some of my fellow authors.
I also gave away many copies of the capybara coloring pages and some kids even colored them at my table (I colored two myself!). If you colored one of the pages, please send me a scan of it to post here, you can use the Contact tab on the left sidebar. It would be great to see your artistic endeavors.
The Meet-the-Authors room at the book festival.
And I learned that Georgetown, Texas has a totally awesome library. It has wonderful open stacks, great art in the hallways and sculpture outside, an actual café in the library with great food. But the best part is the children's section. It has a South American jungle theme with murals painted on all the walls.
Please notice the capybara peeking out of the grass near the bottom left corner. How great is that? Of course, whoever painted it had no idea how large capybaras are because that one would be a midget. Or maybe the jaguar is a giant. Or maybe nothing is drawn to scale. At any rate, I would love to do a book reading / capybara encounter and have Caplin in front of that mural. I donated a copy of the book to the library and gave them one of Caplin's cards. Hopefully they'll contact me about it.
If you haven't read the first part of my FACute, you can find it here, it's pretty good, if I do say so myself. But I always intended to add more information, it's just hard to get around to it, but here we go!
One thing I get asked a lot is how fast capybaras grow. That's a good question but I don't have a really good answer. The only thing I know is how fast I grew. When I was a baby, my owner was quite conscientious about weighing me. And she made all kinds of fancy charts too. Here's a chart of my weight up until I pretty much leveled off at 100 lbs.
So what did all result in? Beautiful me! The image below shows all of my measurements as of October 2009.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love art. Specifically, I love art featuring capybaras, and especially specifically I love art featuring me. You may have seen the other posts in my Capybara Art category (press the link on the left sidebar). Those are really great pieces of art and I love them all. Actually, I can hardly even begin to give proper thanks to my original stalker Jim Perry, to Terry Stanley, Jeff Djayasaputra and, most recently, Grace Warrington. They are all professional artists with real affinities for animals and capybaras in particular.
What amazes me is how many wonderful ways there are to depict me in art. The four paintings above are all so unique in style and medium and in the feelings that they invoke in the viewer. I couldn't possibly say which I like best. I honestly love them all!
With this in mind, it occured to me (and my owner) that one way to connect with school kids is through art and through their participation in the creation of art. That is why we have started handing out Caplin Coloring Pages when we go to schools. My owner did the drawings and, as she says, she can draw but she is no artist! But the kids can fill in the artist part with the outline on the coloring page just serving as a template. We are hoping that this type of activity will also help the kids understand and appreciate capybaras. Coloring my likeness should help them remember what I look like. That is the theory anyway.
Two of the schools I went to in October sent me images of some of the colorings done by their students. I think they are wonderfully creative. Most of them are based on this drawing of me.
The kids at the San Marcos Montessori saw this picture which helps to explain their color choices.
I think I look pretty cool all colorful like that. The kids did a great job!
We visited a 2nd grade class at Kiker Elemetary School. My owner gave them a greater choice of coloring pages partly because they were older and partly because she created more pages. She put more detail on the original page too. And I think you can see that these students did not see her colorful version. Amazing how that affects the coloring style!
Pretty great work by all the kids, I'd say!
If you'd like coloring pages, please send me an email using the contacts page and I will email you the jpg images.
If you are in Central Texas and would like me to visit your school for a capybara encounter, send us an email using the contacts page.


"The myRA Program will be phased out and your account will be affected.
We're writing to inform you that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has decided to phase out the myRA retirement savings program and the program is no longer accepting new enrollments. Please read the important information below to learn what this means for your account.
Your account remains open and you can continue to manage your account until further notice. The funds in your account remain in an investment issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. We'll be in touch over the coming weeks with next steps and relevant deadlines regarding the transfer or closure of your account. In the meantime, we want you to know that any myRA with a zero ($0) balance as of September 15, 2017 or later, will be subject to possible automatic closure beginning on September 18, 2017.
We recommend you log in to your account to make sure your contact information is complete and up to date. You can also update your information by contacting customer service.
Your myRA is a Roth IRA. You have the option to transfer your myRA into another Roth IRA that you select. To do so, you will first want to identify or open an account at the new Roth IRA provider where you will continue to save and invest. Then, by working with a new Roth IRA provider you select, you can transfer your myRA balance to your new Roth IRA. This will allow you to continue saving without paying current income taxes on earnings, maintain the preferential tax treatment of a Roth IRA, avoid tax withholding that may apply to a distribution, and avoid penalties.
If you choose not to transfer your balance to another Roth IRA, you can make a withdrawal for the amount of your myRA balance by calling customer service. You can also withdraw funds online by signing into your account. To maintain all of the benefits of a Roth IRA, you must deposit funds paid to you (as well as any tax withholding) into another Roth IRA within 60 days of the distribution. Failure to do so may result in tax liability and penalties related to withdrawn earnings that would have been avoided by working with your new Roth IRA provider to transfer your account balance.
Visit irs.gov/rollovers for more information regarding Roth IRA transfers or rollovers, or visit myRA.gov to learn more about withdrawing funds from myRA.
Upon transfer of your myRA balance to another Roth IRA or distribution to you of your myRA balance, Comerica1 will no longer be custodian to your myRA.
For more information about this announcement or if you have additional questions, visit myRA.gov.
I verified this on the myRA website.
It is sad that this program is being killed. At this point I do not know if it is because of lack of sufficient participation or idiot Donald T Rump's continual policy of undoing any good done by his predecessor out of spite.
I will report on future developments with this issue here as they arise.
STUPIDITY IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN MALICE!
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one's prejudgement simply need not be believed–in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical–and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack."
STUPIDITY IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN MALICE.
In the cover article of the Summer 2017 issue of the National Association of Tax Professionals' quarterly TAXPRO JOURNAL I discuss in detail "The Tax Aspects of Divorce".
"The Tax Aspects of Divorce was very informative. I do have a question, however. In NATP's Taxpro Journal it's Page 13, first column, first paragraph. The US Tax Code will trump a divorce agreement has been the way I was educated, but I'm a little confused about the last sentence in that paragraph which says 'A local judge cannot overturn federal tax law.' My understanding has been that the noncustodial parent who has been awarded the dependency exemption of the child can file a civil lawsuit against the now custodial parent to regain the dependency exemption. That was verified by NATP & attorneys in my office.
"Glad you found my article informative.
A non-custodial parent cannot claim a dependency deduction for a child unless the custodial parent provides a signed Form 8332. The IRS will no longer accept the appropriate pages of a signed divorce agreement or decree with the exact same language as the Form 8332 as an alternative to a signed Form 8332.
It is my understanding that no divorce agreement or decree, and no local court judge's decision or instructions, can force the IRS to allow the non-custodial parent to be able to claim a dependency exemption without a signed Form 8332. A civil lawsuit award cannot in itself grant a non-custodial parent the dependency exemption. Only a signed Form 8332 can grant a non-custodial parent the dependency exemption.
It is again my understanding that if a divorce agreement or decree says the non-custodial parent is entitled to the exemption, but the custodial parent does not provide a signed Form 8332, the "injured" parent can turn to a local court for relief and the court can require the custodial parent to provide a signed Form 8332 and penalize the custodial parent financially or legally for not doing so, or require the custodial parent to pay to the non-custodial parent the equivalent of the tax savings – but the local court cannot instruct the IRS to allow the non-custodial parent to claim the dependency exemption without a signed Form 8332.
However, despite my protest, this paragraph was deleted from the final published article.
So fellow tax pros – am I right? Any thoughts and comments?
". . . clients are shocked and offended that I can't just magically make the taxes go away.
I'm the bad guy because they are unhappy with how the tax return turned out.
* Attention tax pros - check out this week's THE TAX PROFESSIONAL post "Triple Check All Returns". And please share it with fellow tax preparers.
* From Tina M. Kleckner EA's new blog - "A Good Reminder of Business vs. Hobby Activities".
* Kay Bell reports "Colorado has collected more than half a billion in pot taxes" at DON'T MESS WITH TAXES.
You can bet other state politicians are taking note of this news.
* Michael Cohn tells us "States gear up for sales tax holidays this summer" at ACCOUNTING TODAY.
* Here's an interesting resource for anyone interested in the history of the 1040 – "U.S. 1040 Tax Forms, 1913 to 2006".
* From Robert W Wood at FORBES.COM – "IRS Warns That Pay On Disability Is Often Taxable: Here's How To Tell".
OOPS THEY DID IT AGAIN, AGAIN!
The first wave of refund checks for the New Jersey Property Tax Reimbursement (aka "Senior Freeze") program have been sent out.
New Jersey is consistently at the top of the list of highest real estate taxes in the country, so this reimbursement is a very important and needed benefit for many senior and disabled homeowners.
But, once again, as we expected, the DFBs (clean version is "Damned Fool Bureaucrats") in Trenton have screwed NJ seniors and the disabled to balance the budget and continue to provide pork and entitlements for politicians.
Unfortunately, as happens every year, the income base for the PTR program has been reduced to $70,000, causing many seniors and disabled residents to lose out on this benefit.
$5.00 in income can cost qualified NJ homeowners several thousands of dollars in reimbursements.
In mid-July, the Division of Taxation began mailing checks for the 2016 Senior Freeze to qualified senior and disabled homeowners who filed applications by the original filing deadline of June 1, 2017. We will issue checks as quickly as possible to homeowners who file their applications between the original June 1 deadline and the extended deadline of October 18, 2017.
The State Budget has set the following qualifications for Senior Freeze payments: Applicants are eligible if their income did not exceed $87,007 for 2015 and $70,000 for 2016, as long as they meet all other requirements.
As the item suggests, qualified homeowners whose 2016 income is between $70,000 and $87,007 should still submit a PTR-1 or PTR-2 application to create or maintain a "base year" for potential future reimbursements. If you have not already submitted a PTR application you have until October 18th to do so.
FYI, the income used for the PTR program includes gross Social Security benefits (before Medicare deductions) and otherwise tax-exempt municipal bond and US Government Obligation income. However the amount of pension income to claim is the same as the taxable pension income that was, or would have been, reported on the NJ-1040.
* Kay Bell, the yellow rose of taxes, tells us "IRS to seek stay in PTIN fee collection court ruling while it ponders its additional legal options" at DON'T MESS WITH TAXES.
While Kay says the IRS and Department of Justice have not officially decided to appeal the decision that shut down the collection of a fee to apply for or renew a tax preparer's "PTIN" (Preparer Tax Identification Number), IRS Commissioner Koskinen "said his agency is likely to appeal the PTIN ruling".
The Court affirmed the IRS authority to require a PTIN for all individuals who prepare tax returns for a fee and to maintain a PTIN registry. But there is no need to add an excessive fee, partially going to an outside agency, for the PTIN.
Koshinen continues to want Congress to allow the IRS to regulate paid preparers. The last thing I want is for Congress to create a tax preparer regulation regime. The Commissioner said in his recent address "But there are enough [preparers] out there who either don't know a lot about what they're doing or consciously are trying to take advantage of taxpayers." I say there are enough Congresspersons out there who either don't know a lot about what they're doing or consciously are trying to take advantage of voters.
I see the need for a universally accepted tax return preparer credential to protect the public – but not mandatory and not administered by the IRS or the government. It should be administered by an independent industry-based organization.
* My THE TAX PROFESSIONAL blog is back! Check out this week's post "Another Practice Tip and Some TAXPRO BUZZ".
* A warning from Tony Nitti of FORBES.COM – "Failure To Substantiate Charitable Contributions Costs Family $142,000 In Deductions".
* The CCH daily headline newsletter reports "White House Committed to Tax Reform This Year, Mnuchin Says".
My reaction. The occupant of the White House should be committed (to a mental institution).
I won't be holding my breath for Congress to pass substantive tax reform this year. The Republicans can't seem to get anything done, thanks mostly to the idiot in the White House.
* My editor at the NJ TAXING TIMES told me, and other NJ tax preparers, about a great resource for tax pros and taxpayers – a "Glossary of Tax Terms" from the NJ Division of Taxation. It is indeed comprehensive and the individual definitions include links to appropriate pages on the NJDOT website.
"Event moderator, billionaire David Rubenstein, asked the two at the scholastic leadership event in Dallas about what they viewed as the most important quality for someone who wants to be President. Both stressed the virtue of humility.
'I think it's really important to know what you don't know and listen to people who do know what you don't know,' Bush said.
Clinton -- who, like Bush, didn't mention President Donald Trump -- agreed that officeholders need to be humble, and warned that those 'who are real arrogant in office' have forgotten that history will be their judge.
'If you want to be President, realize it's about the people, not about you,' Clinton said. 'You want to be able to say, 'People were better off when I quit.' ... You don't want to say 'God, look at all the people I beat.'"
Humility is an impossible quality for Trump to understand, let alone express. And, in Trump's deluded and unstable mind, everything is always about Trump, and never anyone else.
One of the most important pieces of advice I have seen, and have given, over the years is "Don't let the tax tail wag the investment dog".
Do not make investment or financial decisions based solely on tax considerations. For years now I have been saying that the first criteria for evaluating any transaction, strategy, or technique you are considering should always be financial. Taxes are second.
Obviously you should be aware of, and take into consideration, the tax consequences of any planned transaction, and try to structure the transaction so that it results in the minimum federal and state tax cost.
But remember - taxes are only pennies on the dollar.
Many decades ago, when I was still an "apprentice" tax preparer, one of my mentor's clients came in and proudly announced that his employer had offered to reimburse him for job-related mileage, but he turned it down because then he would not be able to deduct business travel on his Form 1040 (back then employee business expenses were deductible in full "above-the-line" as an Adjustment to Income).
My mentor avoided the temptation to tell the client that he was a complete idiot, and attempted to explain, with great patience and tact, that it is much "more better" for someone to give you $1.00 tax free than it is to be able to save 30 cents by claiming a tax deduction.
Similarly, there is no benefit in spending $1.00 needlessly to save 30 cents in taxes. You have not saved 30 cents – you have actually lost 70 cents! It doesn't make sense to incur an expense solely because it is deductible.
* My THE TAX PROFESSIONAL blog is back! Check out this week's post "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".
* A good lesson to those looking for a tax pro in "Truth In Advertising Isn't Always a Good Idea" from Russ Fox at TAXABLE TALK.
When shopping for a tax pro totally disregard advertising claims about refunds like ""The Largest Refund…Guaranteed!!!". Concentrate on the experience, quality and competence of the preparer. An experienced and competent, and honest, tax preparer will work to make sure you pay the absolute least amount of federal and state tax possible – but will do it legally.
Start your search for a tax pro at FIND A TAX PROFESSIONAL.
* I prove reality is truly stranger than fiction and tell you about the proposed SWAMP Act in the July "issue" of THE LIBERTY TIMES. Check it out.
* Jean Murray provides a detailed lesson in "How to Pay Yourself from Your Business" at THE BALANCE.
* Kay Bell celebrated the 4th of July by reminding us of the "Cohan Rule" in "America's Yankee Doodle Boy gives us a tax deduction rule" at DON'T MESS WITH TAXES.
Kay quotes from an archival post I had written about George M in her piece.
* The NEW YORK TIMES reports "Congress Moves to Stop I.R.S. From Enforcing Health Law Mandate".
I do not oppose this move. While I do not support the current Republican healthcare legislation, the mandate – i.e. the "shared responsibility penalty" - is one of the "bad" things about Obamacare (see my THE TAX PROFESSIONAL post referenced above).
What needs to be done is not Republican "repeal and replace" but Republicans and Democrats working together to fix what is wrong with Obamacare while keeping what is right. But the words "working together" and "Congress" have not gone together for decades now.
Perhaps what we need to "repeal and replace" are the idiots in Congress.
* Elle Martinez deals with a timely topic with "Volunteering This Summer? Find Out if Your Work is Tax Deductible" at the TURBO TAX BLOG.
* The TAX FOUNDATION takes a look at "State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2017".
"Five states do not have statewide sales taxes: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Of these, Alaska and Montana allow localities to charge local sales taxes.
New Jersey is #26 and Pennsylvania is #33. New York is #9 and California is #10.
How many times do we need to say this – using private collection agencies is truly a stupid and inappropriate idea. Just further proof that the members of Congress are idiots. This program must be stopped!
* Jason Dinesen answers the question "How Does Business Bad Debt Work?" at DINESEN TAX TIMES.
The bad debt deduction is highly misunderstood, and JD sets us straight.
Truer words were never said – "The greatest threat facing the United States is its own president".
"That is where we are now. The president's tweeting hysterically at the media is just an element of this. So too is his malignant and ever-visible narcissism. The president has demonstrated himself to have zero impulse control and a tendency to damage vital international relationships with ill-considered outbursts, to trust very few of the people in his own government, and to reportedly rant and shout at staff and even at the television sets he obsessively watches.
Whether he is actually clinically ill is a matter for psychiatric professionals to consider. But when you take the above behaviors and combine them with his resistance to doing the work needed to be president, to sitting down for briefings, to reading background materials, to familiarizing himself with details enough to manage his staff, there is clearly a problem. Compound it with his deliberate reluctance to fill key positions in government and his wild flip-flopping on critical issues from relations with China to trade, and you come to a conclusion that it may be that Trump's fitness to serve as president is our nation's core national security issue.
EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF AVOIDING NJ TAXES!
My book THE JOY OF AVOIDING NEW JERSEY TAXES has gone to press!
You are paying too much New Jersey state income tax – and it's nobody's fault but your own!
Most NJ taxpayers concentrate on their federal tax return and spend minimal time on their NJ return, simply taking numbers from the 1040 and putting them on the NJ-1040. As a result they are paying more NJ state tax than necessary, often paying tax on income that is not even taxed by NJ. By becoming informed on NJ state tax law and using proper tax planning you can make sure that you pay the absolute least amount of NJ Gross Income Tax possible for your particular situation.
Whether or not you use a professional tax preparer, the more you know about NJ taxes the more you will be able to properly structure your financial transactions during the year to minimize taxes and the better prepared you will be when giving your "stuff" to your preparer at tax time.
I have been preparing NJ-1040s for as long as there has been a NJ-1040, and federal income tax returns for even longer. I share my knowledge and experience from over 40 years as a professional tax preparer in my new book THE JOY OF AVOIDING NEW JERSEY TAXES to help you to learn how to pay the absolute least amount of NJ Gross Income Tax possible.
It also contains several valuable worksheets and schedules.
As far as I am aware, this is the only book in existence that deals exclusively with tax planning for and preparation of NJ state income taxes.
The cost of this valuable resource for NJ taxpayers will be only $9.95 delivered as a pdf email attachment. A print version sent via postal mail is available for only $15.45. If you take away just one tax saving idea from this book it will pay for itself many times over.
BTW - I have also just "gone to press" with the July issue of ROBERT D FLACH'S 1040 INSIGHTS. In it I discuss in detail medical deductions and talk about keeping track of investment cost basis, forming an LLC and some tax-related "nevers". Click here to learn more about this newsletter.
Despite the fact that the most ignorant and mentally unstable President in our history is currently in the White House - let us remember on this day of celebration that America is still the greatest county in the world.
We must celebrate what is good about America – not what is bad. And remember and honor the heroes of America – putting out of our minds for a moment its greatest villain.
to remove this dangerous and despicable idiot from the White House so American can remain the greatest country in the world.


Since the brand's inception in 1959, Grace wine has seen great success, winning awards at international competitions, being featured in global publications like the Financial Times, the World Atlas of Wine, and Nikkei, and cultivating Japan's unique grape variety, Koshu. Today, Grace wine is served by airlines ANA and JAL in first and business class.
This Cabernet Franc is truly gorgeous. Blackberries and strawberries meet thyme, black pepper, and fresh tobacco leaves atop a gorgeously smooth and silky mouth feel. Dark, deep, and greatly balanced, this is a must by one of Japan's most exciting wineries.


text:
Q: Share ant macros Can I share ant macros between projects in repository (maven repository)?
I use ivy to manage dependecies and share jars between projects, and I would like to share ant macros in the same way. But I need to import ant file after resolve and it is not possible.
So how to share ant macros between many similar projects?

A: Package the macros as an ANTlib. These are jars that can be downloaded by Ivy just like any other ANT task depedency
See:

*

*How to manage a common ant build script across multiple project build jobs on jenkins?


text:
MATCH PREVIEW: Harlow Town vs Ashford
by Alan Constable
After the excitement of the Cup last Saturday it's back to the League for the Tangerines tomorrow. In the shape of a visit to Harlow Town. The address of the ground is: Harlow Arena, Elizabeth Way Harlow Essex CM19 5BE. It is a journey of some 56 miles, round the north path of the M25 where you have several choices of exit. The most direct being from Junction 25. Harlow have a 3G surface.
Our hosts made a good start to the season, beating both Enfield and Sporting Bengal in the FA Cup and then winning 2-0 at home to FC Romania in the League. Since that match though, they have lost six games in a row in all competitions. However, all but one of them have been by the odd goal, and their web site shows that six new players have been signed very recently. Including two on loan from Leyton Orient. It maybe, therefore, that we encounter a very different Harlow side to that which started the season.
Our two clubs have met in the past although not all that frequently. Apart from last season when we drew one apiece at Harlow, our goal courtesy of Sam Humphreys, and lost 1-2 at home where our scorer was Dan Brown. All the other clashes were before 2010. The very first being a pre-season friendly at Short Lane on 8 August 2006 which resulted in a 0-0 draw. It doesn't sound as if it was very exciting and the writer has no recollection other than recalling it was a very late arrangement after we had been let down by someone else. We then went on to meet our opponents over two seasons when we were both in the Premier Division of the Isthmian (then Ryman) League. By far the most satisfying from our point of view was the 5-2 win at Harlow on 17 March 2009, our goals coming from Warren Harris (2), Luke Pigden, who was on loan to us, Anthony Joseph, and Byron Harrison. Should any Harlow supporters be reading this, their scorer was Chris Ellerbeck with both their goals. And the home keeper James Hassell saved a late penalty from Ricky Wellard to keep the score at 2-5. The report at the time hints that the final scoreline did not accurately reflect the overall pattern of the game. Looking back at our team that night it contained three players who went on to play in the Football League. (I've named two but can anyone guess the other one, still playing and quite local to us). Another player on loan with us then was Michael Peacock, who played for Chertsey in the FA Vase Final two seasons ago.
On to today. And as a result of all the solitary goal defeats, Harlow currently sit in 18th place, although we suspect that is a very false position. Were we to win, it is conceivable that we could be right at the top of the table on Saturday evening: equally defeat could send us tumbling four or five places.
Two more "big" games come up next week, starting on Tuesday evening at home to Chertsey Town. They found themselves on the wrong end of a 0-3 defeat at home to Marlow last Tuesday evening and it was no fluke with Marlow looking strong throughout. Next Saturday we have our reward for beating Hullbridge in the FA Trophy, which is another lengthy trip. This time down to Sussex to meet Hastings United, who are in good form at present. More to come on those matches in due course.
The Ladies went out of the Women's FA Cup last Sunday, losing on penalties 4-5 to Kent Ladies. The visitors deserved their two goal lead at half-time but a fight back saw Ashford equalising with some 15 minutes left but they just couldn't quite clinch the match with another goal and their higher opponents went on to win the shoot out, scoring taking five impressive penalties, to our four, and indulging in some fairly unladylike behaviour at the end, clearly not happy with one or two of our supporters, one in particular. We wish them well though in the next round in which they will meet AFC Wimbledon.
Other news is that we have been drawn at home to Croydon in the Surrey Senior Cup and have a bye in the opening round of the Middlesex Senior Cup. The Under-18's maintained their improvement in the Combined Counties Youth Division, although only able to draw one apiece against Godalming last Monday.
FULL MATCH INFO & TICKETS – CLICK HERE
FirstTeam,Match Preview,Pitching In Isthmian League


Do not let costs keep you from applying. Give us the opportunity to make the University of Hartford affordable for you.
The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford offers a unique combination of educational benefits to its students. The advantages of a large university are combined with the personal attention typical of a small college. We are sensitive to the current economic situation and have a number of financial assistance programs to help make our outstanding private education affordable for families of all incomes.
Each year, the University awards scholarships and grants up to full tuition on the basis of academic merit, athletics, artistic talent (Hartford Art School), and performance (The Hartt School). These scholarships are available to all students regardless of financial need and applicants are automatically considered for these awards when they are reviewed for admission to the University. The Office of Admission and Student Financial Assistance notifies prospective students of offers of admission.
Students applying for need-based financial assistance must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We recommend filing the FAFSA prior to Feb. 15 in order to receive first consideration for available need-based funds. Our Federal School Code is 001422. The forms are available at www.fafsa.gov.
The Hartford Art School and the University of Hartford offer government-sponsored, need-based financial aid, including Pell and SEOG grants, work study, state independent college grants, and student loans. To be considered for any of these programs, you must complete the appropriate financial aid form and mail it, generally no later than Feb. 15. Contact the University of Hartford Student Financial Assistance Office at 800.947.4303 or 860.768.4296 for more information. You can also access the financial aid website here.


I met John McRae at one of his favorite cafes in Wanaka (the Federal Diner), for a classic breakfast of eggs Benedict. Federal's owner and chef Brona Parsons uses John's eggs to create beautifully poached orbs over salmon and ciabatta covered with her perfect hollandaise. The yolks were brightly coloured and the overall flavour was exceptional. I wanted to know why Wanaka Organic's eggs tasted so good and spent the rest of the day out at Glendhu Station to see for myself.
John grew up on a traditional farm burning off scrub and spraying gorse with pesticides. When he was a teenager, the growing exposure to harmful chemicals put him in crutches and his family struggled to find a cure. John finally found a doctor in Christchurch who diagnosed the toxic exposure and gave him a blood transfusion, as well as put him on a strict cleansing diet. In a matter of weeks, John was back on his feet only now, with some very big questions as a third-generation farmer. John knew that if the way he was treating the environment had an adverse effect on him, then it must be doing the same for the animals they were raising on the same land. He decided to re-invent his farming strategy.
• instead of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, John uses an optimal animal rotation using mobile chicken coups to keep the soil productive, and, a huge array of worm baths to create organic fertilizers.
• instead of a grain only diet, John's chickens feast on a mix of over 12 grasses, weeds and wild flowers which provides a naturally rich input of Omega 3's and other nutrients. It these same grasses and wildflowers that create those stunningly bright orange yolks.
• instead of squeezing as much profit as possible out of each acre, John focuses on raising chickens within their natural habitat, which happens to create a very healthy environment for other farming uses.
• instead of focusing on large machinery and massive cage systems, John encourages international woofers and local designers to contribute to the organic systems his farms operates under - including permaculture gardens that use chicken manure, mobile hen houses designed and built by Heslips Hatcheries and even regional marketing of the eggs by interns.
It's this last point that got John's eggs into the Mediterranean Market. John had been visiting local restaurants and cafe's encouraging them to switch to organic eggs and was met with a lot of skepticism. Many owners balked at the price and John had to show up with a lot of samples to show chefs that his eggs had a better poaching rate than many local cooks were experiencing. Anyway, John also sent a box of eggs with one of his English interns who was living in Queenstown, who then took them to show Angela and Nathan at the Market. They loved the quality and understood the price structure as the Market deals with organic producers all the time. The Mediterranean Market is now one of John's biggest customers. Having the best quality product possible is a mainstay of both parties.
There's a lot more to John McRae's story, and his future. The man has ample hectares of amazing land around Lake Wanaka to range his 1000 chickens upon as well as fulfill a few other organic dreams. His extended family has allocated land to the Department of Conservation creating both the Mount Roy and the stunning Diamond Lake walking tracks and John intends to extend this legacy further enhancing access to the regions natural beauty. He lives in a hundred year old homestead that used to be the Glendhu Post Office surrounded by a home gardeners dream - a lovely English garden in the front and a flourishing permaculture garden out back. And, he works with a crew of designers and entrepreneurs daily, constantly innovating farm practice and other fields of endeavor. Keep your eye out for these eggs at the Mediterranean Market, because they're fabulous, but I also suggest keeping your eyes out for Wanaka Organics if you want to have a good look into the future of Kiwi farming.
This is the last wool bail Glendhu Station may ever produce. John's vision for the farm is stretching past traditional land use into new horizons.
Awesome read….I love what John is doing out there and have been out a number of times to the farm. We should all do our best to support this type of farming and I wish him all the best luck in future projects!
I work at The Federal Diner as a Chef and I can personally say they are the best eggs I've ever tasted, so yummy, its amazing the difference it makes having happy hens, keep up the good work!


From now through December 18, 2017, our office will be collecting new unwrapped toys to contribute to the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign. To add to the support from our community, the Tom & Cindy team will match the value of total donated toys, up to $2,000!
To learn more about Toys for Tots program and their mission, visit https://www.toysfortots.org.


text:
Mandátní území Tichomořské ostrovy (,  Nanjó guntó nebo  Nanjó šotó, dobově též  Učinanjó) bylo mandátní území, které bylo svěřeno Japonskému císařství Společností národů po ukončení 1. světové války.

Jako důsledek první světové války přišlo Německé císařství o všechny své kolonie, včetně té v Pacifiku. Německá Nová Guinea byla na základě Versailleské smlouvy rozdělena na mandátní území Nová Guinea, Nauru a Tichomořské ostrovy. Japonsko spravovalo ostrovy až do let 1944/45, kdy část z nich obsadilo americké námořnictvo. Následně v roce 1947 bylo území přetransformováno do poručenského území OSN pod správou Spojených států amerických, které existovalo až do roku 1994.

Mandátní území zahrnovalo současné nezávislé státy Palau, Marshallovy ostrovy a Federativní státy Mikronésie, které jsou volně přidružené k USA a Severní Mariany - nezačleněné území USA.

Externí odkazy

Dějiny Mikronésie
Palau
Marshallovy ostrovy
Dějiny Federativních států Mikronésie
Severní Mariany

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia