I seriously thought I wouldn't make it in time for our first ever #TopazReads book club meet because I was sick and then my whole family (husband and three babies!) got sick. I just didn't have the time or the energy to read Sophia Amoruso's bestselling book, #GIRLBOSS. Not to say it was a difficult read. It's actually a really easy, fast read. I just had a tough past few weeks, but I finally finished the book!
Sophia is the young woman who founded the e-commerce site Nasty Gal and built it in a few short years to a fashion empire worth millions of dollars. She wrote #GirlBoss to talk about that fantastic story and to inspire other #GirlBosses and would-be #GirlBosses. I picked up the book because I liked the cover. I'm not a dainty girl, I have a dirty mouth, and I like to stand with my hands on my hips. Sophia looked like a woman I'd get along with and I wanted to know her story. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Anj, who gave me this book for Christmas, I did!
Okay, my thoughts: #GirlBoss feels like a blog. The good thing about that is it's friendly and easy to read. The bad thing about that is the "Yey for girl power!" voice robs Sophia of authority. She grew Nasty Gal in her 20s (she's just 30 years old now) so she sounds very young and very excited. But her voice lacked gravitas. I hate to say that because this is a woman who is a massive success. You can't argue with that fact!
I guess my problem with #GirlBoss is it didn't know what it was supposed to be: an autobiography or a business book. It was both but it was too conversational to be business and too business-like to be a memoir. For example, the book rambles on and on about how she couldn't keep a job and how she never had enough money and then POW! She's making $150,000 a day!
This is how I grew my blogs, too! Well, I didn't respond to EVERY comment (maybe I should!) but many of my friends now are people I met because of my blogs, simply because I had conversations with them. Then they linked me, shared my posts, blogged about me. That's how you succeed in anything really—build good relationships!
So true. I earn a lot less now than when I was employed but I have more savings now because I'm too busy being a mother and any spare time I get, I spend on work!
Translation: Don't buy anything you can't afford.
Again, so true! I spent a lot of time hating people when I was younger. I may not care what they thought of me but I did wish them dead. All that hate and anger just made me ugly and unpleasant! Meanwhile, these people I hated, their lives flourished! When I decided to forgive and focus on the good, my life changed. Don't let the people who hate you, have hurt you, or the people you envy stay in your mind and your heart. Their presence will grow and grow till you can't function anymore! Kick them out!
It's good to have goals, of course. But very specific goals (like, "I'll be head of the department at 25, own my house by 26, married at 27, have kids at 28, and retire at 30!") tend to become a to-do list. You focus too much on ticking things off the list that you forget to slow down, savor the climb to success, build friendships, take a look at the people around you. I did that ("I'll be EIC of a magazine at 32!" I became one at 30.), ticked off boxes, and failed to spend time with my mother. She's dead now so that's one regret I'll always have.
Alexi Wasser of IMBOYCRAZY.com: "I found that by sharing my personal experiences, like through my blog, we're not alone—that the most shameful, personal, specific things you're going through are actually universal. You can laugh about it. I want to make a contribution that matters, and I want to be as vulnerable and raw as possible so other people feel less alone."
That's how blogging is for me!
So! Did anyone else read #GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso? If yes, kindly leave your thoughts on the book in the comments section below. At 11 p.m. tonight, I'll be online for 30 minutes to respond to every comment and if you're also online, we can actually have a conversation! Do come chat with me tonight!
Hi Ms. Frances! We're kinda on the same page about what to make of this book. Medyo nabored ako kpg abt business ung topic. Haha! But I guess that's the whole point of the book. #GIRLBOSS nga db?! Pero it's more than that. It is really inspiring and relatable especially kasi it's from a girl's point of view. Hardwork really pays off. I like how easy it is to read. I highlighted some parts of the book too.
"You create the world, blink by blink. It is entirely yours to discover and yours to create."
It's very inspiring and relatable... Kung pwede lang sana relatable din yung millionare part! Well, that's why we read the book, right? So we can be #GirlBosses, too!
I like this book club, too! Napipilitan din ako magbasa! Even if nobody joins, at least I know I read a book! My goal is one book a month. Thanks for joining me, Joycie!
I LOVED GirlBoss! It was one of several books that I read that inspired me to leave my 8-5 and start my own Virtual Assistant Business!


Revenue mobilization is a key development priority and essential to finance investments in human capital and infrastructure to achieve the World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Countries generate and collect public revenues through taxes and fees, domestically and internationally, to finance activities and services to improve healthcare, education, infrastructure services, public order and other services for their citizens and businesses. Preliminary analyses estimate the financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for developing countries at about US$2.5 trillion (UNCTAD, 2014). Yet, developing countries that are most in need of revenues, including fragile and conflict affected states (FCS), often face the steepest challenges in collecting taxes.
Ensure the predictability of tax policies and their administration, thus reducing corporate risks.
Institute minimum thresholds for paying taxes and progressive personal income tax regimes which contribute to reducing income inequality.
The World Bank is the largest provider of development finance for DRM. As of September 2018, the World Bank was actively supporting 106 countries across the world to improve their domestic resource mobilization through numerous operations. In total, the World Bank has outstanding commitments of US$1.3 billion in loans for strengthening DRM in its client countries. World Bank financing of DRM projects has grown from US$647 million in approved projects in FY15 to US$913 million in FY18 – an increase of 41 percent. The increase has been most significant for the poorest countries, where lending almost doubled in the same period (up from US$278 to US$545 million).
Strengthening monitoring and evaluation of reforms and implementation plans.
The Bank remains engaged in the poorest and most challenging environments. The Bank is currently active in 24 of the 35 countries in fragile situations to help create the foundations of a working tax administration. In middle-income countries with very low tax collections – below 15 percent of GDP – the Bank is on the ground in 41 countries. The Bank is also engaged in 55 of the 75 poorest countries eligible to receive concessional IDA resources. The focus on these high-risk environments is driven by the need to assist these clients in their state building process.
The Global Tax Program supports the strengthening of tax systems in developing countries. The program is funded by the governments of Australia, Japan, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It supports global tax activities and global public goods (Window 1); country level activities (Window 2); and actionable research and data, knowledge and learning (Window 3).
The Platform for Collaboration on Tax brings together partners to support developing countries. The Platform for Collaboration on Tax is a joint initiative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations (UN), and the World Bank Group to strengthen coordination and collaboration on DRM. The Platform fosters collective action for stronger tax systems in developing and emerging countries. The four PCT members support, in their different capacities, country efforts through policy dialogue, technical assistance and capacity building, knowledge creation and dissemination, and input into the design and implementation of standards for international tax matters. The Platform produces guidance and tools on key issues of capacity building and international taxation, and has also developed the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy, which is an approach for coordinated and sustained support to country-led tax reform.
Armenia. The Tax Administration Modernization Project (2012-2018) has trained 35,000 tax inspectors, automated 96 percent of tax services and documents, and significantly reduced the time required for making tax payments (by 187 hours, or 37.5 percent). Since 2012, tax collection has improved from 16.3 to 21.0 percent of GDP.
Kuwait. Through Reimbursable Advisory Services, the Bank supported the government's efforts to modernize its entire system of tax administration by creating an automated database covering more than 95 percent of registered taxpayers.
Peru. Technical assistance under an international tax project is contributing to the collection of more than US$120 million in additional revenue in 2018 due to audits by the tax administration of transfer pricing arrangements of multinational companies.
Philippines. With World Bank support, the government raised tobacco and alcohol taxes over the period 2012-16. The 'sin tax' reform helped reduce the number of smokers from 30 percent of the population in 2011 to 25 percent in 2015, with the largest declines posted by the poor and young. The reform also generated 80 percent of the US$3.9 billion in additional revenues that were recorded over three years and was linked to a threefold increase in the budget of the Department of Health. The additional resources were used to triple the number of families receiving free health insurance, from 5.2 million in 2012 to 15.3 million in 2015.
Tajikistan. A Bank-financed project has helped double the number of active firms and individual taxpayers filing taxes, increased the average tax revenue collected per tax official by 85 percent, and reduced the number of hours spent on complying with tax-related regulations by 36 percent.
Tanzania. The Bank has helped the government increase e-filing of VAT returns from less than 500 in 2009 to over 4,000 in 2011, while some 376,666 taxpayers registered with the newly introduced mobile tax payment for property taxes. The reforms helped triple total tax revenue collection between 2007 and 2011.
Pakistan. The Bank supported revenue authorities at the federal level, as well as in Pakistan's two most populous provinces, Sindh and Punjab, through a comprehensive DRM engagement focusing on tax, customs and administration reforms. The ongoing engagement has already produced tangible results. Pakistan's tax-to-GDP ratio rose steadily to 12.5 percent (FY17), a significant 2.3 percentage points above the 9.5 percent baseline (FY11).
Tax treaties: Boost or bane for development?
How can we build tax capacity in developing countries?


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Huddersfield Town's greatest-ever international starting XI revealed
Sports Writer Tom Stevens has trawled through the Terriers' archives with the help of Sports Editor Mel Booth
Huddersfield town footballer Ray Wilson looks across Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road in June 1964 before his move to Everton.
This week's international break means it will be a fortnight until David Wagner's Huddersfield Town side are next in Premier League action.
However, a quartet of Town players are all expected to make appearances for their respective nations over the course of the next few days.
Danish duo Mathias 'Zanka' Jorgensen and Jonas Lössl have been selected in the Denmark squad to face Panama and Chile in two friendlies as part of preparation for this summer's World Cup in Russia while Philip Billing is in the Dane's Under 21 set-up.
And Aaron Mooy is also expected to be in action for Australia, the Socceroos face Norway on Friday evening before travelling to London to face Colombia at Fulham FC's Craven Cottage the following Tuesday.
But who are Huddersfield Town's greatest international XI? Sports Writer Tom Stevens has trawled through the archives with the help of Sports Editor Mel Booth to find out.
GK: Hugh Turner
Turner played his entire career at Town, making over 350 appearances for the club in the 1920s and 30s. He made two appearances for England in 1931 against France and Belgium.
RB: Roy Goodall
Known as one of the greatest defenders in the world at the time, Goodall captained England and made 25 appearances for the Three Lions. He spent his entire career at Huddersfield, making over 400 appearances.
CB: Joey Jones
The versatile defender moved to Huddersfield Town late in his career and could play anywhere along the back line. In his first season at the club he was named Town's player of the season and represented Wales a massive 72 times overall, six of which whilst in West Yorkshire.
The Terrier Preview: Denis Law recalls making the move to Huddersfield Town
CB: Mick Meagan
An Irishman who played for the Republic 12 times whilst with Town in the 1960s, Meagan went on to be the first Irish manager to have complete control over player selection.
LB: Ray Wilson
The full-back started his career at Town, making 266 appearances for the club before moving to Everton. He played 30 times for England whilst with the Terriers before going on to become part of England's 1966 World Cup winning side.
RM: Alex Jackson
A prolific winger who played for Town 179 times and scoring 70 goals, he represented Scotland 14 times while in West Yorkshire before moving to Chelsea and making a further three appearances for his country.
Jimmy Nicholson in action for Northern Ireland against Scotland back in November 1962.
CM: Jimmy Nicholson
After coming to Town from Manchester United, Nicholson cemented himself as one of Northern Ireland's greatest players and made 31 appearances for the his country during his time with the Terriers.
CM: Aaron Mooy
The only player to make the starting XI from the current Huddersfield Town squad, Mooy has made 18 appearances for the Socceroos while being a key component of David Wagner's side.
Vic Metcalfe - the post-war wing wizard who should have received wider recognition
LM: Vic Metcalfe
A winger who played for Town in the 1940s and 50s, he made two appearances for England whilst at the club in 1951.
Metcalfe was a long servant for Town but didn't get to see as much of the limelight for England due to the competition from a certain Stanley Matthews.
ST: George Brown
Huddersfield's record goalscorer made eight appearances for England during his tenure with the club as well as netting 142 goals in 213 appearance for Huddersfield.
ST: Denis Law
The Scottish striker made six appearances for Scotland while at Town before going onto make another 49 appearances during the rest of his career.
Huddersfield Town legends Denis Law and Less Massie in action.
Ken Willingham: Making 12 appearances for England during his time with Town, a half-back who scored on his debut in an 8-0 win over Finland.
Ron Staniforth: Part of the team that helped gain Huddersfield promotion into the championship earning him a call up to England in 1954 making eight appearances.
Danny Williams: The only other member of the current squad, Williams has represented the USA 23 times during his career and is their current captain.
Alf Young: Started his career at Town in the 1920s playing for over a decade at the club and making nine appearances for England while with the Terriers.
Steve Jenkins: Played for Town in the mid-90s to early 2000s and was capped 15 times for Wales while donning the Blue and White Stripes.
Iwan Roberts: Arrived at the club in 1990, staying in West Yorkshire for three years and making three appearances for the Welsh national side during his stay.
Jordan Rhodes: Made his debut for the Scotland in 2011 whilst playing for Huddersfield Town.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Hdf5 and spatial indexes I have a large dataset, 11 million rows, and I loaded the data into pandas.  I want to then build a spatial index, like rtree or quad tree, but when I push it into memory, it consumes a ton of RAM along with the already reading the large file.
To help reduce the memory footprint, I was thinking of trying to push the index to disk.
Can you store the tree in a table? Or even a dataframe and store it in hdf table?  Is there a better strategy?
Thanks

A: Yes, r-trees can be stored on disk easily. (It's much harder with KD-trees and quad-trees)
That is why the index is block oriented - the block size is meant to be chosen to match hour drive.
I don't use pandas, and will not give a library recommendation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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September 22, 2019 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/decorator-living.jpg 565 929 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2019-09-22 19:21:532019-10-30 10:17:51Interior Design
Southwestern Rugs – Our Latest Obsession
Southwestern style decorations in your home or anyone's home can tell you a lot about that person and somewhat about their lives and how they view the world inside their home and what they feel important in their lives. As I look back on my childhood, in my home and most everyone's home in my community I visited as a child had Southwestern art, artifacts, statues, and dolls on their tables, walls and everywhere. I even had some in my home I where I grew up, they are so interesting to me and still to this day.
Recently, I did my own research on these artifacts I had in my old home as a child growing up, I found out there are from a Native American tribe that carved these artifacts by hand and passed them down through the generations. I have a new understanding about these artifacts because it is a part of me, my culture that my people trying to preserve through art through the years.
Lastly, décor can tell a story about where it comes from, what people that had it and what it represented. From my culture or a family heirloom you had for twenty and plus years, or you got from a yard sale last Saturday. What you find, it's just maybe a piece of History you will discover…
Southwestern home floor decorations are important, not because of its archaeological or societal significance, but rather its personal meaning to each of us. The contents of our homes tell the story of our lives – the story of who we are and how we came to be. Home decor is the external expression of our internal selves.
Southwestern Style Is Increasing In Popularity
When we welcome others into our homes we are not simply asking them to step into a building where we just so happen to reside. We are performing the very intimate act of welcoming them into our internal world. This world is filled with the artifacts of our lives; whether that is the oar from our father's handcrafted canoe hanging on the wall or the perfectly placed Southwestern area rug whose pattern we fell in love with.
Our homes are filled with things we find beautiful and they are reflections of the beautiful parts of ourselves. The components of décor are the elements of our being. Not only do we live in the space, but it is the embodiment of our internal workings. The textures are our emotions and the colors our desires.
Each piece is hand-picked, from the pale washes to deep rich hues, to reflect our personal comfort and beauty. For some that are reflected in a coffee table that was discovered at their favorite thrift store, or one that was handcrafted from beetle-kill pine, or possibly a marble top Chippendale. These pieces, that comprise our homes, reflect our passions and the essence of who we are, whether that is utilitarian, eclectic or intellectual.
Décor matters because these elements in our homes are the signs of life – from a child's handprint artwork hanging from a magnet on the refrigerator to the throw pillow we refuse to lay on. Each piece tells a small fragment of the story of our lives – how we came to this very moment, who we are and who we hope to be.
December 10, 2018 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/padded-sofa-inside-room-2805111-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2018-12-10 01:05:452019-12-10 16:15:23Southwestern Rugs – Our Latest Obsession
Tribal Rugs – Our Go To
"Our customers have the chance to view lots of tribal rugs online. If they like what they see, they can order their rug direct or come to London and see it and any other pieces before making a final decision", says Nasima Begum, co-founder of Moroccan Hanbels.
"In fact, we encourage people to visit our souk in Spitalfields Market before they buy. You can see the rugs in good daylight and visit a very interesting, historic part of London. The covered, Victorian Market is now home to a dozen shops which all offer something different in interior design and the atmosphere of the market – with all its stalls, food outlets, and other events – makes for an enjoyable day out."
"The British market for Moroccan rugs is not as developed as that in the USA. The Americans have long valued the bold modernity of these textiles. We have been slower in this country to feel at home with modern interiors."
"Our rugs have a hard-edge to their geometry and yet are full of expression. Once you have lived with them for a while, you think of them in the same way as a modern artwork. Then you need to remind yourself that they were made by women living very hard lives in isolated parts of Morocco", comments Muhammad Thompson.
"There is no doubt that the work of these anonymous and devout Muslim women played a significant part in the development of modern art in Europe and the USA: Delacroix, Matisse, Gaugin … these painters all valued their textiles and found inspiration in them. Twentieth-century architects and designers (such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Eames, Alto) found their textures and colors to be a vital counterbalance to the modern spaces they were defining.
"And yet, the oriental rug trade has not valued them here in the same way as it prizes work from the East. At this year's Hali Fair the three exhibitors of Moroccan rugs had traveled from as far away as Marrakech, Austria, and Paris.
That's good in one respect for shoppers – prices are much lower here than in the USA and there is every indication that the collectible pieces will prove to be a good investment. The Berbers believe that a good rug is better than money in the bank -and much more enjoyable.
So now, if you want to sample the modern and exotic style of Moroccan flatweaves, a trip to Spitalfields may bring its short and long-term rewards. Prices range from £200 to £900 for room-sized pieces.
Throughout August Moroccan Hanbels are staging an exhibition of their unique collection of Zaiane and Beni M'Gild tribal rugs from the Middle Atlas region.
September 8, 2018 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gray-fabric-padded-sofa-and-glass-top-coffee-table-inside-1571467-scaled.jpg 1709 2560 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2018-09-08 01:02:242019-12-10 16:16:39Tribal Rugs – Our Go To
Our Destination for Persian Rugs
Buy discount Persian, Indian, Iranian, Chinese and Turkish wool rugs online. Whether you require a needlepoint rug, Kathy Ireland rug, hook rug, country rug or home rugs, we have only the best quality rugs at discount prices.
Buckingham Oriental Rugs Inc. is your provider of this world's most wanted oriental rugs and at our website, we now look to provide all of our customers with the exact same high-level service provided to our clients in-store in New York, Philadelphia.
By now visiting us online you can view and purchase the exact same products available in-store, assuring whatever your location we can still provide you our high-quality products throughout the USA and beyond.
Buckingham has Persian rugs made of fine rich Persian silk and special Persian wool, made for any room in the house. We also have imported Turkish rugs from Turkey made only with the very finest Turkish wool.
We stock some of the very best imported Chinese rugs, made with fine Chinese silk and wool as well as selling jewelry and diamonds. Tabriz, Bijar, Shah Abbas, Kayseri, and Kazak rugs are all available along with our specialist rug cleaners, ensuring your rug is always of the highest quality.
We also provide rug pads that are designed to prolong the life of your rug.
Visit us for your very own Persian oriental rug or visit our estate auction service in the gallery at castle auction gallery building.
April 27, 2018 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/woman-lying-on-area-rug-reading-books-2899918-scaled.jpg 2560 1706 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2018-04-27 01:01:062019-12-10 16:10:31Our Destination for Persian Rugs
Tibetan Wool Rugs
A centuries-old rug making technique practiced in the rugged Himalaya Mountains will be demonstrated in Newton Lower Falls, at the showroom of Gregorian Oriental Rugs. A Tibetan Master Weaver will show how her native carpets are made using a weaving rod, a technique, unlike any other rug weaving method.
For centuries, the rugged, breathtaking beauty of Tibet – a land once known as "Shangri-La" – has been woven into the sturdy rugs created by hand in high mountain villages. The rugs are made from prized Tibetan wool, which has longer fibers and higher lanolin content than most wool. After their country was invaded by China, thousands of Tibetans were forced to flee their native land. As a result, these rugs are now woven by Tibetan refugees in nearby Nepal.
Tibetan rugs are known for their bold, simplified designs that have been updated to today's color palette.
Gregorian Oriental Rugs has been serving the decorating needs of New England for more than sixty-nine years. The company was founded by the late Arthur T. Gregorian in 1934, and has been carried on by his son, John, and grandson, Scott. Gregorian Oriental Rugs displays more than 6,000 hand-made Oriental rugs in their showroom on Washington Street (Route 16) in Newton Lower Falls, MA.
February 28, 2018 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/rectangular-white-table-2227855-scaled.jpg 2560 2048 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2018-02-28 00:59:582019-12-10 16:16:29Tibetan Wool Rugs
Rug Design Tips
How does a 1902 Frank Lloyd Wright designed house, operated as a museum, stay in top condition for tours? The Illinois state-owned Dana-Thomas house in Springfield calls upon rug designer Jerry Krull to design Prairie style area rugs for sale by the house's Dana-Thomas House Foundation. Profits from rug sales are used to help fund preservation and educational programs of the Foundation.
"After Jerry donated one of his beautiful area rugs for one of our fundraising auctions, we asked him to design some rugs for exclusive sale through the Foundation's gift shop and our website" stated Regina Albanese Executive Director of the Dana-Thomas House Foundation in Springfield, IL.
Krull, through his business, Aspen Carpet Designs – Mokena, IL has been designing rugs since 1993. "With my love of Prairie School architecture made popular by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries, I created a niche in rug designs that complement the linear and geometric style of Prairie and Craftsman style interiors," Krull said.
"The turn-of-the-century decorating styles are having a resurgence. Prairie, Mission, and the Craftsman Bungalow style of simple clean lines and natural earth-toned colors are a growing interior décor trend," explained Krull. "Being asked to design rugs for a Wright home museum is an honor, and I hope they will help the Foundation continue to raise the funds necessary for preserving the home and continuing its educational programs."
The Dana-Thomas House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana, a socialite living in Springfield, Illinois. The home, the 72nd building designed by Wright, contains the largest collection of site-specific, original Wright art glass, and furniture. The home has 35 rooms in the 12,000 square feet of living space that includes 3 main levels and 16 varying levels in all.
The Dana-Thomas House Foundation was incorporated in 1983 as a not-for-profit corporation to support the Dana-Thomas House Historic Site, operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The Foundation exists to preserve and protect the Dana-Thomas House and to promote citizen awareness of the architectural significance of Frank Lloyd Wright.
"We have over 45,000 people tour the Dana-Thomas house each year, along with hosting several special events. So there is plenty of ongoing restoration for a house of this age. We have a strong need for revenue sources to fund our programs," explained Albanese.
The Dana-Thomas House Foundation makes these exclusive rugs and many other Wright inspired products available through it's "Sumac Gift Shop" at the house site. The rugs may occasionally pop-up on eBay, the online auction website, as well.
February 3, 2018 /0 Comments/by Alicia
http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/bedroom-area-with-no-people-inside-building-2082087-scaled.jpg 1708 2560 Alicia http://www.area-rugs-outlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/oie_transparent-6.png Alicia2018-02-03 00:59:022019-12-10 16:06:06Rug Design Tips


MultiCam has just completed a successful two-day open house event. There was CAD/CAM software training, live demos of our various machines, factory tours, and great food. The images below show our customers learning how the machines are operated, along with a special BBQ pit master! Click on each of the images below to view an enlarged version.


For its space saving versatility, I have a thing for the pouf and coffee table combination. It adds comfort and function to a reading nook, a living room and a bedroom.
Even since I replaced my coffee table with a large storage ottoman with a tray, I want more. I might have found its companion with the Drum Pouf by Softline Design Team from Denmark.
I think that a Drum pouf would make an ideal side table in top of providing additional seating, when needed. As a bonus when living with a young child, two cats or for after a party, the Drum's cover is removable for cleaning. This pouf with a removable tray definitely meets the requirements of my busy lifestyle. It also has the clean yet comfortable look that I want for my interior.
Drum is available in a high version (Height 17.25″ with tray, diameter 17.75″) and a wide version (Height 13.5″ with tray, diameter 23.75″). It's 15 off until tomorrow at Design Within Reach. Would I will be tempted to act now?
Oh my do I ever like this. Do you know if we can buy it in Canada?
Helene, there is a DWR in Toronto.


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Five Computing Trends to Look Out for in 2022
Computing trends move so quickly, that it's important to keep up-to-date. Think back to a decade ago when USB sticks, tiny smartphones and 4G were in fashion!
What are the emerging trends in computing for the year ahead? Let's take a look...
Cloud computing is bigger than ever, and this trend will continue to grow year-on-year.
Cloud computing means businesses can access data from anywhere in the world, meaning they can provide better services to customers and make it easier to scale.
Two out of three businesses have already moved to the cloud, with other businesses considering the advantages in the year ahead.
2. Big data
The rise of the internet means businesses have more and more data at their disposal. Carefully analysing this information can help companies identify target audiences, demand for products and future trends.
Data science will become a huge industry, with skilled people needed to translate the vast amounts of data that comes through.
3. Artificial intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is the development and creation of machines and software that can carry out automated tasks for us.
We already use AI in our daily lives. For example, the chatbots on a website and smart speakers in our home are guided by AI principles. However, the technology will grow and evolve, helping us save valuable time and resources.
Edge computing is a bit like the second cousin once-removed of cloud computing. Where cloud computing processes data far away from the end-user, edge computing processes it as close to the end-user as possible.
This makes edge computing ideal for scenarios where fast response times are needed, like gaming and self-driving vehicles.
5. Voice over internet protocol (VOIP)
VOIP means people can make phone calls using an internet connection rather than a landline. Think WhatsApp, but on a larger scale!
VOIP makes it easier and more cost-effective for businesses to make phone calls, with 35% of organisations using it now.
The technology that powers landline telephones will be switched off in 2025, making it even more critical for businesses to start considering VOIP.
Start your 2022 on the right track with a computing degree at the University of Bolton
If you want to make a move into the world of computing, we have a wide range of computing and computer science degrees – everything from cyber security to data analysis.
At the University of Bolton, you will benefit from interactive learning experiences, as well as small class sizes. Some of our degrees also incorporate the prestigious RedHat Linux certification training or Cisco Certified Network Associate curriculum.
Our Computer Science and Information Systems department is No.1 in the North West for Teaching Satisfaction for the second-year running.*
Contact us today to find out which of our computing degrees is right for you, and how to be a part of our January 2022 intake.
*The Guardian University Guide, North West Region – 2022, 2021
Today is World Computer Literacy Day!
What Are the Best Paid Computer Science Jobs?
How to Be Successful in Computing


A great way to celebrate summer: South Jersey Beach Photography near the ocean at the New Jersey Shore. Vacations spent "down the shore" create family memories that stand the test of time.
Professional portraits taken by an experienced photographer are well worth the money.
Three generation portraits are very valued by grandparents and become precious to the growing generations that follow in the future.
This beach pose has 2 grandparents surrounded by their children and three grandchildren. It is easy to match clothing when you keep the colors simple with denim and white pants and shirts.
Coordination of beach clothing has a big impact on how your final portraits will turn out. White and khaki toned clothing match the tones of a beach location.
Clothing should be solid in color without any distracting stripes or patterns.
This is a great pose for 4 guys and a girl to do. Sometimes it's a great idea to mix it up a little in terms of posing. Like the photo below, in this portrait the subjects are all cousins.
The clothing is their bathing suits; the colors and patterns are appropriate for their ages and their moms did a great job matching the clothing and the white bows in their hair.
Were you looking for some beach photography tips not related to portrait photography? Here is some advice for taking your own beach photos? Here are some Beach Photography Tips you might enjoy.
How about a different exotic location for beach photos? Here are some some spectacular Hawaii Beach Sunset photos that may insprie you to travel to these Pacific islands.


"2003-05-18; Pamphlet; Annual Four Seasons Tea." Pamphlets. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church Collection. Monroe Fordham Regional History Center, Archives & Special Collections Department, E. H. Butler Library, SUNY Buffalo State.


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We have found 16 tours to Swaziland
Popular activities in Swaziland include Walking
Sightseeing (4)
Beach Tours (3)
Active Adventures (8)
Small Group (9)
Walking, Hiking and Trekking (8)
Intrepid Travel (3)
South Africa Lodge Safari
Birdwatching, Foodie and Wine Tours, Seniors, Singles, Adventure Tours, Sightseeing, Walking, Safari Tours, Small Group, Snorkeling, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, 50 plus, Cultural, Active Adventures, Scenic, Wildlife Tours, Couples, Photography,
Visiting: Swaziland, South Africa, Graskop, Kruger National Park, Tembe Elephant Park, ....more Visiting: Swaziland, South Africa, Graskop, Kruger National Park, Tembe Elephant Park, Saint Lucia, Johannesburg, Durban, Mkhaya Game Reserve ....less View Tour
Kruger & Coast
Wildlife Tours, Safari Tours, Small Group, 4WD, Singles, Snorkeling, Camping, Birdwatching, Adventure Tours, Walking, Walking, Hiking and Trekking,
Visiting: Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique, Ponta do Ouro, Durban, Kruger National ....more Visiting: Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique, Ponta do Ouro, Durban, Kruger National Park, Johannesburg, Saint Lucia Estuary, Hlane National Park, eSwatini, Zululand DC ....less View Tour
Family South Africa Safari and Beach Adventure
Adventure Tours, Active Adventures, Scenic, Cultural, Family, Safari Tours, Small Group, Wildlife Tours, Family-Kids, Beach Tours, Whale Watching,
Durban Airport
Visiting: Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Graskop ....more Visiting: Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Graskop ....less View Tour
South Africa Family Safari with Teenagers
Safari Tours, Singles, Small Group, Family, Adventure Tours, Cultural, Walking, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, Canoeing-Kayaking, Family-Kids, Wildlife Tours,
Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Kruger National Park, Hlane National Park, Johannesburg, ....more Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Kruger National Park, Hlane National Park, Johannesburg, Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, Blyde River Canyon, Kosi Bay Lodge ....less View Tour
Kruger, Coast & Cape
Overland, Safari Tours, Small Group, Beach Tours, Cultural, Singles, Youth, Adventure Tours, Scenic, Active Adventures, Family-Kids, Walking, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, Wildlife Tours, Hiking, Sightseeing, Camping,
Visiting: Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Garden Route National Park, St ....more Visiting: Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Garden Route National Park, St Lucia Estuary Post Office, Bontebok National Park, Eswatini, Hermanus, Chintsa, Kruger National Park, Oudtshoorn, Winery Road, Zululand DC, Addo Elephant National Park, Cape Town, Hlane National Park, Beach Camp Bilene, Cape Agulhas, Drakensberg, Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Wild Coast Vet, Durban, Johannesburg, South Cape DC, Tsitsikamma National Park ....less View Tour
South Africa: Walking & Wildlife
Mountains, Multi-country, Safari Tours, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, Adventure Tours, Family-Kids, Trekking, Walking, Multi-Country Walking Holidays, Singles, Family, Active Adventures, Walking & Trekking, Wildlife Tours,
Visiting: Swaziland, Eswatini (Swaziland), South Africa ....more Visiting: Swaziland, Eswatini (Swaziland), South Africa ....less View Tour
Kruger, Swaziland and South Africa's Garden Route
Beach Tours, Adventure Tours, Walking, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, White water rafting, Birdwatching, Canoeing-Kayaking, Foodie and Wine Tours, Photography, Wildlife Tours, 50 plus, Couples, Cultural, Safari Tours, Small Group, Active Adventures, Singles,
Addo Elephant National Park
FullOn
Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Addo Elephant National Park, Knysna, Mlilwane Wildlife ....more Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Addo Elephant National Park, Knysna, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Tsitsikamma National Park, Oudtshoorn, Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, Kruger National Park, Cape Town, Hermanus, Saint Lucia, Stellenbosch, Drakensberg, Plettenberg Bay ....less View Tour
Adventure Tours, Cultural, Safari Tours, Sightseeing, Walking, 4WD, Singles, Whale Watching, Photography, Scenic, Wildlife Tours, Active Adventures, Camping, Small Group, Walking, Hiking and Trekking,
Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Letaba Ranch Other Area, Royal Natal ....more Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Letaba Ranch Other Area, Royal Natal National Park, Tsitsikamma, Cape Peninsula, Cape Vidal, Cape Town, Drakensberg, Eswatini, Karoo, Lesotho, Hlane National Park, Kruger National Park, Tsitsikamma National Park, Hermanus, Saint Lucia, Johannesburg, Mpumalanga, Rorke's Drift ....less View Tour
Zululand and Kruger Wildlife
50 plus, Scenic, Foodie and Wine Tours, Walking, Hiking and Trekking, Walking, Wildlife Tours, Safari Tours, Sightseeing, Active Adventures, Photography, Small Group, Adventure Tours, Couples, Cultural, Singles, Birdwatching,
Full On
Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Drakensberg, Kruger National Park, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, ....more Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Drakensberg, Kruger National Park, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, O.R. Tambo International Airport, St. Lucia Wetlands, Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, Johannesburg ....less View Tour
Cape Town to Johannesburg
Active Adventures, Cultural, Multi-country, Safari Tours, Small Group, Adventure Tours, Wildlife Tours, Winter, Camping, Multi-Country Holidays, Mountains, National Parks, Scenic, Singles,
Visiting: Blyde River Canyon, Drakensberg Mountains, Kruger National Park, Lesotho, The ....more Visiting: Blyde River Canyon, Drakensberg Mountains, Kruger National Park, Lesotho, The Garden Route, Eswatini (Swaziland), South Africa, Swaziland ....less View Tour
Best of South Africa
Africa,
Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Drakensberg, Hluhluwe, Umhlanga, Johannesburg, Tsitsikamma National ....more Visiting: South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Drakensberg, Hluhluwe, Umhlanga, Johannesburg, Tsitsikamma National Park, Hazyview, Himeville, Knysna, Kruger National Park, Mbabane, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Chintsa ....less View Tour
Best of South Africa with Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
Visiting: Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Chobe National Park, Knysna, ....more Visiting: Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Chobe National Park, Knysna, Kruger National Park, Drakensberg, Hluhluwe, Cape Town, Hazyview, Himeville, Johannesburg, Mbabane, Port Elizabeth, Tsitsikamma National Park, Chintsa, Umhlanga, Victoria Falls ....less View Tour


The Bhagavad Gita vs "To be or not to be."
Now lets have a look at Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, scene i, "To be or not to be."
Claudius and Gertrude discuss Hamlet's behavior with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who say they have been unable to learn the cause of his melancholy. They tell the king and queen about Hamlet's enthusiasm for the players. Encouraged, Gertrude and Claudius agree that they will see the play that evening. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave, and Claudius orders Gertrude to leave as well, saying that he and Polonius intend to spy on Hamlet's confrontation with Ophelia. Gertrude exits, and Polonius directs Ophelia to walk around the lobby. Polonius hears Hamlet coming, and he and the king hide.
Hamlet enters, speaking thoughtfully and agonizingly to himself about the question of whether to commit suicide to end the pain of experience: "To be, or not to be: that is the question" (III.i.58). He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, except that they are afraid of "something after death" (III.i.80). Because we do not know what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather "bear those ills we have," Hamlet says, "than fly to others that we know not of" (III.i.83–84). In mid-thought, Hamlet sees Ophelia approaching. Having received her orders from Polonius, she tells him that she wishes to return the tokens of love he has given her. Angrily, Hamlet denies having given her anything; he laments the dishonesty of beauty, and claims both to have loved Ophelia once and never to have loved her at all. Bitterly commenting on the wretchedness of humankind, he urges Ophelia to enter a nunnery rather than become a "breeder of sinners" (III.i.122–123). He criticizes women for making men behave like monsters and for contributing to the world's dishonesty by painting their faces to appear more beautiful than they are. Working himself into a rage, Hamlet denounces Ophelia, women, and humankind in general, saying that he wishes to end all marriages. As he storms out, Ophelia mourns the "noble mind" that has now lapsed into apparent madness (III.i.149).
The king and Polonius emerge from behind the tapestry. Claudius says that Hamlet's strange behavior has clearly not been caused by love for Ophelia and that his speech does not seem like the speech of insanity. He says that he fears that melancholy sits on something dangerous in Hamlet's soul like a bird sits on her egg, and that he fears what will happen when it hatches. He declares that he will send Hamlet to England, in the hope that a change of scenery might help him get over his troubles. Polonius agrees that this is a good idea, but he still believes that Hamlet's agitation comes from loving Ophelia. He asks Claudius to send Hamlet to Gertrude's chamber after the play, where Polonius can hide again and watch unseen; he hopes to learn whether Hamlet is really mad with love. Claudius agrees, saying that "[m]adness in great ones" must be carefully watched (III.i.187).
"To be, or not to be" is the most famous line in English literature. What does it mean? Why are these words and what follows special?
One reason is that they are a stunning example of Shakespeare's ability to make his characters seem three-dimensional. The audience senses that there is more to Hamlet's words than meets the ear—that there is something behind his words that is never spoken. Or, to put it another way, the audience witnesses signs of something within Hamlet's mind that even he isn't aware of. Hamlet is a fictional character who seems to possess a subconscious mind. How does Shakespeare manage to accomplish this?
In the first place, Hamlet doesn't talk directly about what he's really talking about. When he questions whether it is better "to be, or not to be," the obvious implication is, "Should I kill myself?" The entire soliloquy strongly suggests that he is toying with suicide and perhaps trying to work up his courage to do it. But at no point does he say that he is in pain or discuss why he wants to kill himself. In fact, he never says "I" or "me" in the entire speech. He's not trying to "express" himself at all; instead, he poses the question as a matter of philosophical debate. When he claims that everybody would commit suicide if they weren't uncertain about the afterlife, it sounds as if he's making an argument to convince an imaginary listener about an abstract point rather than directly addressing how the question applies to him. Now, it's perfectly ordinary for characters in plays to say something other than what they mean to other characters (this suggests that they are consciously hiding their true motives), but Hamlet does it when he's talking to himself. This creates the general impression that there are things going on in Hamlet's mind that he can't think about directly.
While we're on the subject of what's going on inside Hamlet's mind, consider his encounter with Ophelia. This conversation, closely watched by Claudius and Polonius, is, in fact, a test. It's supposed to establish whether Hamlet's madness stems from his lovesickness over Ophelia. Before we, the audience, see this encounter, we already think we know more than Claudius does: we know that Hamlet is only acting crazy, and that he's doing it to hide the fact that he's plotting against (or at least investigating) his uncle. Therefore, it can't be true that he's acting mad because of his love for Ophelia. But witnessing Hamlet's encounter with her throws everything we think we know into question.
Does Hamlet mean what he says to Ophelia? He says that he did love her once but that he doesn't love her now. There are several problems with concluding that Hamlet says the opposite of what he means in order to appear crazy. For one thing, if he really does love her, this is unnecessarily self-destructive behavior. It's unnecessary because it doesn't accomplish very much; that is, it doesn't make Claudius suspect him less. His professions of former love make him appear fickle, or emotionally withdrawn, rather than crazy.
Is Hamlet really crazy or just pretending? He announced ahead of time that he was going to act crazy, so it's hard to conclude that he (coincidentally) really went mad right after saying so. But his behavior toward Ophelia is both self-destructive and fraught with emotional intensity. It doesn't obviously further his plans. Moreover, his bitterness against Ophelia, and against women in general, resonates with his general discontentedness about the state of the world, the same discontentedness that he expresses when he thinks no one is watching. There is a passionate intensity to his unstable behavior that keeps us from viewing it as fake.
Perhaps it is worthwhile to ask this question: if a person in a rational state of mind decides to act as if he is crazy, to abuse the people around him regardless of whether he loves those people or hates them, and to give free expression to all of his most antisocial thoughts, when he starts to carry those actions out, will it even be possible to say at what point he stops pretending to be crazy and starts actually being crazy?


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Innovative coaching services allow you to access both your right-brained and left-brained wisdom, so you can align your creative self with your decision-making abilities and move your purpose into practice. You can learn more about these services here.
Discover helpful or inspiring resources — answers to questions about hand analysis, a great recipe, some inspirational ideas, a link to some free online images, a pithy quote, or a colleague with a special gift, passion or skill — by exploring my blog, 'Treasures Washed Up on the Shore,' here.
Choose the path that suits you best, and let's take that dive together!


Anonymous hackers hacked the Mashad airport's screens for an hour on Thursday night May 24, 2018. The screen shows image of an anti-hijab protester.
In an act of political protest, hackers took control of airport electronic sign boards at the city of Mashad in Iran Thursday evening May 24.
Social media reports from Mashad posted pictures of defaced arrival and departure monitors at the city's airport showing a statement protesting against Iran's military presence in the Middle East.
Hackers protested to "wasting Iranians lives and financial resources in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)," according to a statement on the boards.
A group introducing itself as Tapandegan (Palpitaters) expressed support for the people of Kazeroon, a city in Fars Province, where people have been demonstrating against the state for months.
Hacked screen in Mashad airport. The text attacks Iran's policies in Syria, Gaza and elsewhere.
The group also hacked the email of Mashad airport civil aviation head, Mohsen Eidizadeh and sent the news of its hack from his account.
Hackers asked passengers to take pictures of the sign boards and post them on social media with the Hashtag "Protests_alloverthecountry" in Persian.
Hundreds of Iranians on Twitter posted pictures of hacked boards. The posts came under pseudonyms such as "Dr Zhivago" and "Godless", as users inside Iran fear heavy-handed clampdown by the government.
Mashad is the city where massive anti-government demonstrations started on December 28 and spread to over 100 other Iranian cities. It is a religious city where the holy shrine of the 8th Shiite Imam is located. Local authorities and clerics in the city are among the staunchest hardliners.


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The United States throws away approximately 30-40 percent of its food supply annually, which contributes to methane gas production, but composting provides an alternative to throwing food in the garbage. Free use photo
Canning the food waste problem
Rachel Willis
@rachelcantweet
rwillis@sanmarcosrecord.com
In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply — which comes out to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Tons of food that could have helped feed people in need or been composted is instead sent to landfills, where it is quickly generated into methane, contributing to landfills being the third largest source of methane in the United States. According to the EPA, organic materials such as paper and paperboard, yard trimmings and food waste are the largest component of municipal solid waste. Paper and paperboard account for over 27 percent and yard trimmings and food waste accounts for another 28 percent.
This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change, according to the USDA. But composting, the process of natural decomposition of organic materials, provides an alternative to tossing food waste in the garbage.
Composting has a variety of benefits. For example, compost enhances rainfall penetration, which reduces water runoff and soil erosion, according to the USDA. This, in turn, reduces sediment, nutrients and pesticide losses to streams by 75-95 percent. Compost also improves the soil and enhances beneficial microbes that help reduce plant diseases and pests.
Robbie Warner is the owner of Pilgrim Light Farm and composting is kind of his forte. According to Warner, composting is happening all around us whether we know it or not.
"Anytime you go into a park and you go down a walking trail and see beautiful plants and trees, it's not there by mistake," Warner said. "You don't see shovels or wheelbarrows and hoses, because no one is tending to it, because composting is a natural process and a way that nature takes care of itself."
Harnessing the beneficial aspects of composting, is where Warner says he comes in and it's a good place to start for anyone that wants to reduce their food waste, greenhouse gas emissions and, in turn, enrich their soil.
Composting has two broad categories, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic composting happens when microorganisms that need air consume and decompose organic matter. Anaerobic composting happens when microorganisms that don't need air to consume and decompose organic matter — it's the smellier of the two. Most folks who compost though rely on aerobic, or above-ground decomposition. It's the simplest method to start with because all it really requires is a pile of organic matter.
Warner says the real goal of composting though is compost tea. Compost tea has bacteria and microbes that produce secretions and enzymes that break down minerals and allow the plant to access those nutrients, according to Warner.
"Compost tea is the final product of compost, its putting compost in a liquid form, which is the only way a plant can take it up," Warner said. "It's full of microbes and bacteria. But what a lot of people don't understand is there are a lot of things in the ground that the plant needs and wants but can't get too, and that's where the compost tea comes in."
Warner will be hosting a free presentation on the basics of composting on May 22 at 6 p.m. at the San Marcos Public Library. He will also talk about vermiculture and vermicomposting, the process of using worms and microorganisms to convert food waste into compost.
Presentation attendees will be provided with a resource list with materials and books and have the opportunity to ask specific questions about composting. For more information on the presentation, call the San Marcos Public Library at 512-393-8200.


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AudienceView had the pleasure of speaking with Jesse Lawrence, a contributing author at Forbes, about the success that colleges and universities are seeing with our solution. Amongst many things, the article highlights how critical it is to have a clear understanding of your customers in order to properly monetize the passion they have for your university.
It's no wonder that forward-thinking universities such as Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, George Washington, Northern Colorado and Cal-Poly continue to grow their usage of AudienceView on campus.


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'The wind chat' – Tony Pulis's sneaky way of dropping players at Stoke City revealed by Danny Higginbotham
Stoke City latest | Former defender Danny Higginbotham recalls Tony Pulis's attempt at subtlety when he picked his starting XI
Peter SmithSports reporter
Tony Pulis had a routine when he was going to drop a player for a Stoke home game. (Image: Sentinel)
Tony Pulis didn't just use the wind whistling in three corners at Stoke City to try to intimidate the opposition.
The club's manager for the best part of a decade, also used it as an attempt to keep players on board when they didn't make his starting XI at home games.
Danny Higginbotham has been recalling Pulis's 'wind chat' during an entertaining – and occasionally filthy – hour-and-a-half chat for the I Had Trials Once podcast.
He said: "When you're playing, you concentrate on yourself and if a manager drops you, you don't like. When you cross over to the other side and start speaking to managers you get an understanding of how hard the job is for them.
"It's not just picking the team. You do get an insight and an understanding of how difficult it is to be a manager.
Stoke City news and transfer rumours LIVE! Club hit by internet outage, Michael O'Neill gets back room together
January options for Stoke City as new era starts in earnest
"You've got to disappoint someone and sometimes they won't want to do it… but when we were at Stoke, Tony Pulis had the best way of doing it ever.
"What people always said about Stoke and the bet365 – or what we'd know as the Brit – was that it was always windy. It didn't matter if it was August or January.
"If he wanted to drop a lad for a home game he'd beckon them over, put an arm around their shoulder and say, 'Come on, take walk with me… I'm thinking about not playing you tomorrow, I'm just going to see what the weather's like. If it's windy, I'm just going to take you out the team.'
"When you went back over to the group the lads would go, 'You've just had the wind chat, haven't you?'
"It's always windy so you knew you were dropped! He was trying to do it subtly…"
Danny Higginbotham and Andy Griffin were roommates at Stoke City. (Image: Neil Hulse)
Questions were thrown at Higginbotham during the episode, including some submitted by his former Stoke teammate Andy Griffin, who asked why or how he had gained the nickname 'Turkish'.
"Andy Griff is the dirtiest man I've ever met in my life," began Higginbotham. "He just looked at me one day and said, 'Turkish.' He thinks I look like someone from Turkey.
"The worst thing about it was that before him and me were mates, I went to Portsmouth with Southampton and it was a big rivalry. We used to beat them at our place but I think we were 3-0 down after 18 minutes at Fratton Park. Our fans hadn't even properly got into the ground.
"After about 75, 80 minutes you know you're not going to win the game so you're just thinking, 'Can I leave a bit on somebody?'
Stoke City made Spurs keeper cry before he punched defender and manager was sacked
"Me and Griff didn't know each other, he was in right-back position, I was left-back… so I've just hit him. I thought at least I'd feel a little bit better… then he got up and started laughing. I thought, 'You little ****!'
"He was a tough lad, tough character and he was one you wanted on your side. He ended up being captain at Stoke and we are good mates.
"He's a good lad but he's horrible. If you were a new lad coming into the club, don't mess with his stuff. He'd **** in your washbag. Not a care in the world. Whatever you did he would magnify it two or three times. He had no boundaries.
"But as a captain he would lead by example – and if there was any trouble he'd be the first one in to stand up and be counted."
Stoke City striker's hilarious chase for transfer deadline day fax machine saw him end up in Barnsley library
Tony Pulis


Whenever I travel – with students, with family, with friends, or alone – I take notes. I scribble quotes on cocktail napkins, scraps of paper, and train tickets. I write key learnings and bookmark restaurants/stores/streets/spots to revisit on future trips or to recommend to friends.
I pull out my journal and list my favorite parts and my not-so-favorite-hope-not-to-repeat-parts.
When I'm with my family, we talk about our highs and lows out loud. It's casual and usually at dinner, what was your favorite part about today? What was the best part? What was the worst part?
In the past, I've transcribed what they liked/didn't like at dinner every few nights and we'd have good laughs reminiscing about the days' events.
This time, our table was long and my soft voice wouldn't project well in the outdoor restaurant adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. This time, I prompted everyone and then passed around a few pieces of paper for everyone to write their Wows and Pows.
Wows: View from the botanicals in Eze, Rome scenery, leisure time in Nice, view of all of the cities, the beer that I am drinking now, experiencing all these new places with everyone, watching our group grow in spirit and support, touring Florence.
Pows: Hurry hurry-pace in Rome, hot bus, small water costing 2 euros, too many churches, all of the walking, nothing, we couldn't go swimming.
No swimming was a big one, mentioned by most of the students. It's a Chicago Public School policy that students are not allowed to be on or in water.) Forget about adding Venice to the itinerary and the Bateaux Mouches in Paris and swimming in the Mediterranean are interdit.
One of the mothers on the trip (let's call her Maria) had her money stolen in a bathroom at O'Hare airport as United Airlines started to board our flight. Maria shouted "help me," the woman in question was stopped, and the airport police were called. Meanwhile, our group stood in line, waiting to board – unaware of the theft.
Maria's daughter started to worry, where's my mom? and simultaneously received a text from her mom with the news. I briefed an airline employee and asked her to watch Maria's children at the gate as the rest of our group boarded. I rushed to Maria's side to help her.
When I reached Maria, there was a crowd around her and the woman in question. The women said she did not take the money, yet it was clear that all of Maria's just-exchanged euros were gone (she had a transaction receipt but no money). There was she said/she said in the middle of the terminal, gawkers stopping and milling around to get the scoop.
There was a what-felt-like-forever-period where the rest of the group had boarded and I raced between Maria and her children, who nervously waited at the gate and wondered should we board/should we wait.
It became quickly clear that the matter wouldn't be resolved in minutes as the police didn't seem to believe either story. either women. The younger child was in tears, the oldest's face looked so stressed my heart was breaking in a million pieces, and I begged United not to close the doors. I offered a hopeful, yet frantic reassurance that Maria would make the flight.
Meanwhile Maria repeated her story to the police and asked "Can you please search the woman for my money? My children are waiting at the gate. My flight is leaving." The police said no to the search and did not want to let Maria board the plane without getting to the bottom of what happened.
She pleaded with the police to forget it and let her board the flight to Rome. They relented, and she boarded the flight sans euros. I felt sick to my stomach; I cannot imagine how she felt.
Witnessing the students bonding: I knew it happened when I overheard the kids at the back of the bus playing the game Would You Rather? and laughing hysterically. They asked and answered questions, such as would you rather have surgically implanted antlers or be pooped on by a flock of seagulls for an hour?
Entering France: I crouched to the back of the bus to inform the students we were leaving Italy and crossing into France. They immediately let out a cheer. Then unprompted, they started singing our kids' version of the Marseillaise (about the beautiful blue, white, and red flag, not men taking up arms). Even better, they shouted out random French words. Their palpable enthusiasm brought tears to my teacher eyes.
I use the participants' Wows and Pows to iron out quirks and highlight the favorite parts to replicate. I keep a file of their thoughts and update my travel must-do's based on what they say. I refer to the Wows and Pows when I'm working with ACIS to create our itineraries.


This is Arkhenatan expressing my thanks, but more importantly utmost respect to all who buy my music!
and that you won't allow anyone to bully us, by dictating what cut of money an artist receives for their own hard work!
being ripped off by companies, with most of the cut going to the distibutors, for artists as myself to receive negligable returns!
'I take this serious so please believe me people, I'm trying to stay legal'.
to the point, you can't even get a bus a few stops for ?1 nowadays.
you' or 'I agree', because you're now part of the solution, you're an activist baby!
In fact I would go so far as to say, that you are a soldier, because this is a revolution, and you are now part of it!


It's time to turn our attention to social determinants of health and take a broader approach in pursuit of optimal health for all employees.
Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. While employers have traditionally focused on healthy lifestyle factors to improve employee well-being, social determinants of health make up as much as 40% of an individual's health status.
This webinar features a deep-dive into a recently published Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine article on the unique role of the workplace as a determinant of employee health and an influencer of social determinants of health outside of the workplace.
What employers can do to address social determinants for their workforce and for the communities where they're located.


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Canadian Coins & Royal Canadian Mint News 25-Cent Speed Skating Coin Launched by Royal Canadian Mint
25-Cent Speed Skating Coin Launched by Royal Canadian Mint
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC – The Royal Canadian Mint is releasing the latest circulation coin in its Vancouver 2010 collection – a 25-cent coin featuring the sport of speed skating. The coin was officially launched today at the Canada Cup #3 speed skating event in Quebec City, which is being held at the Anneau de glace Gaétan Boucher.
"Some of Canada's most memorable Winter Olympic moments involve thrilling victories in speed skating and the Mint is delighted to celebrate this sport in such a unique way," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "As we look forward to the Olympic speed skating competition next February at the Richmond Olympic Oval, we invite all Canadians to keep this special coin as a way to build momentum for the Games."
"We are thrilled to see our sport and athletes depicted on a commemorative coin in the lead up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games," explained Jean R.Dupré, Director General of Speed Skating Canada. "Our athletes and teams have a long history of Olympic achievements, and we are excited to see they will live on forever with this piece of memorabilia."
Up to 22 million 25-cent speed skating coins will enter into circulation on March 12, 2009 and will be available exclusively at RBC branches and participating Petro-Canada locations.
RBC is a Premier National Partner and Petro-Canada is a National Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Canadians can also look for these special coins in their change.
Participating Petro-Canada locations will also sell speed skating sport cards, containing a uniquely painted version of the coin, for $7.95.
Speed skating, which is the fastest human powered, non-mechanical aided sport in the world, has been part of the Olympic Games since the first Winter Games were held in Chamonix in 1924. Originally, only men took part in competition. At the Lake Placid 1932 Olympic Winter Games, women's speed skating was a demonstration event and became a full medal event at the Squaw Valley 1960 Olympic Winter Games.
There will be twelve speed skating competition events at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – six of each men's and women's' disciplines, including the team pursuit, which was first introduced as an Olympic event at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
Designed by Canadian artist Glenn Green of Vancouver, BC, the speed skating circulation coin features a speed skater in the centre, a stylized maple leaf and the words 'Vancouver 2010'. The obverse features the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, rendered by Susanna Blunt.
In addition to the circulation coin, the Mint is offering the following related keepsakes, located at www.mint.ca/2010: the sterling silver speed skating coin, featuring a stunning hologram ($71.95); the first day 25-cent speed skating coin ($15.95); and the 25-cent speed skating circulation coin roll ($16.95). These and other Royal Canadian Mint products are also available for purchase by calling 1-800-267-7000.
Canadians can still look forward to the release of the following Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games themed circulation coins: two 25-cent coins will feature the sports of bobsleigh (June 23, 2009) and ice sledge hockey (March 16, 2010), while the 2010 Lucky Loonie will be launched on February 9, 2010, just prior to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
On February 12th, the Mint and Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium launched the Top 10 Canadian Olympic Winter Moments contest, where Canadians are invited to select the Top 3 moments, which will be featured on 25-cent coins in late 2009. Visit CTVOlympics.ca and RDSOlympiques.ca to enter and for full contest details.
New Vancouver 2010 circulation coin collector card!
Looking for a way to keep and display your Vancouver 2010 circulation coins? The Mint's new Vancouver 2010 circulation coin collector card is designed to hold all 17 circulation coins and will be available starting March 12, 2009 at participating Petro-Canada locations.
No purchase is necessary. The card features a colour palette of bright blues and greens, similar to those of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Until July 31, 2009, Canadians can also use the card to enter the "Get some luck" sweepstakes, which offers a grand prize of a trip for four to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games or one of 600 exciting Royal Canadian Mint prizes.
About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2000 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. The Mint is an Official Supporter of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and has undertaken to produce the most extensive circulation coin program in relation to the Olympic Games ever conceived by any mint worldwide, while also offering limited mintage collector coins and sets. Visit www.mint.ca/2010 for Vancouver 2010 keepsakes and gifts.
Royal Canadian Mint Issues Ice Sledge Hockey 25-Cent Coin
Royal Canadian Mint Launches 25-Cent Bobsleigh Coin
Royal Canadian Mint Launches 25-Cent Figure Skating Coin
Gary Alward
Is anyone aware or have any information on the mechanical die doubling in the 2008 $20 Silver Snowflake Coin with Sapphire Crystallized(TM) Swarovski Elements?


To uninstall android-platform-frameworks-native-headers just follow these instructions.
Are you having problems? You can always add android-platform-frameworks-native-headersagain by following the instructions at this link.
This will remove just the android-platform-frameworks-native-headers package itself.
This will remove the android-platform-frameworks-native-headers package and any other dependant packages which are no longer needed.
If you also want to delete your local/config files for android-platform-frameworks-native-headers then this will work.
android-platform-frameworks-native-headers is not dependent on any other packages.


Located at the Southern edge of San Jose, not far from Morgan Hill. Single story 4 or 3 bedroom, depending on personal need. 4th bedroom currently used as spare room. Two baths. A brand new back patio has just been installed. Surrounding area is open land with hiking trails and views of mountains and meadows. It doesn't feel like you're in the city. Close to transportation hubs and major Hi-Tech companies yet still feels like quiet country living. Inside needs new owners touch and upgrades.
Listing provided courtesy of Fairway Real Estate. Listing information © 2019 MetroList Services, Inc.


Self-taught designer Zida Borcich of Studio Z Mendocino creates letterheads, business cards, and wedding invitations the old-fashioned way, using veteran machinery such as a 1969 German press for foil stamping and a 1924 Chandler & Price hand-fed press. "Look at the difference," she says. "It gives letters a third dimension. You can really see the shadow behind it." Her designs also have such delicacy, flair, and wit that she's a favorite of interior designers nationally. She's a local favorite as well—everyone stays around to visit and gossip while picking up stationery and cards. $1,000 to design a logo; $200-$1,200 for business cards; $5-$10 for a wedding invitation set, more for handmade paper. 711 N. Main St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437; 707-964-9448; fax 707-964-0850; www.studio-z.com.
Since 1977, William Zimmer, of the eponymous gallery, has been collecting the work of local and international artisans and artists, including jewelers and woodcrafters who are a mainstay of the Mendocino coast. Among the standouts: carved curly maple and wenge chairs by local Anthony Kahn ($3,900), a curved walnut desk by Robert Erickson ($9,500), and smooth, Asian-influenced ceramic and bronze sculptures by English artist Peter Hayes, who achieves some of the gradations in his finishes by submerging his pieces for months at a time in the river Avon. Kasten and Ukiah Streets. Box 263, Mendocino, CA 95460; 707-937-5121; fax 707-937-2405; www.WilliamZimmerGallery.com.
Sticks is the one-stop shop for designer cabins. Owner Bob Keller keeps about 20 artisans busy producing everything from handmade rawhide lampshades ($125) to red alder rocking chairs ($450) to bedframes composed of driftwood ($695 for queen-sized beds). "People always call me when they're removing wood from their lots," Keller says, explaining his very creative recycling. Add a variety of handmade baskets, model canoes, fish wall hangings, and rustic, patterned blankets and it's easy to understand why he ships everywhere from the Adirondacks to the Sierras. $ 45085 Albion St., Mendocino, CA 95460; 707-937-2621; fax 707-937-2629.
Diners at Albion River Inn are reluctant to leave. Stephen Smith prepares gutsy dishes with a deft blend of ingredients: a creamy seafood chowder of clams, mussels, shrimp, and seasonings; a salad of organic greens, blue cheese, Fuji apples, and grapes; grilled steak with Cambozola cheese, wild mushrooms, and caramelized pancetta; a rhubarb-and-berry cobbler. Simple, hearty food with just enough of a spin to make it interesting and a huge, impressive wine list. No wonder it's a favorite in town. The inn also has 20 rooms with coastline views and very bare-bones decor. Dinner, $65. Rooms, $180-$280. 3790 N. Highway 1, Albion, CA 95410; 800-479-7944, 707-937-1919; fax 707-937-2604; www.albionriverinn.com.
First of all, there's the view. The Harbor House Inn's redwood house, built for lumber company executives in 1916, sits high on a cliff overlooking the rock formations in isolated Greenwood Cove, one of the most romantic coastal vistas. And since owners Elle and Sam Haynes took over the inn in 1998, created lush gardens, and upped the level of cuisine and decor, The Harbor House Inn has become the most luxurious inn along this seaside stretch.
Spend your mealtimes here. Even nonguests turn up for breakfast: chef Lynn Derrick's gossamer pancakes and eggs benedict on delicate herb biscuits. Then there are Paul Ciardiello's delicious dinner menus. Adding to the overall package: The Haynes are warm, solicitous innkeepers. $205-$400 (includes breakfast and dinner for two). 5600 S. Highway 1, Elk, CA 95432; 800-720-7474, 707-877-1624; fax 707-877-3452; www.theharborhouseinn.com.


Two lost souls in Reading, Pennsylvania converge: Mondo, a Greek immigrant whose eyesight suffers from a grueling divorce, and Dr. Hull, the retina specialist who treats her. Vision Disturbance is the first production in New York City Players' new program dedicated to staging the work of playwrights early in their careers. Under the direction of Artistic Director Richard Maxwell, the award-winning New York City Players have been making theater since 1999 and have toured to over 20 countries.


If you're a regular reader, first you're probably asking "what the heck happened to her?" and second "didn't I just see those pictures?". As to what happened to me - I think the answer is three year old twins - they are just awake longer than ever and just need me, and then my obligations to my twins club are big this time of year. For the rest of the month I'll be busy putting together my first issue of the twins club newsletter. It fun to do some newsletter design, but its hard because the info from all the club members just trickles in - so nothing is "done" until I send it out. We don't have a historian this year so I'm scrapping for the club too. At least with that I'm doing double duty - once I get the page scrapped I'm just going to include it in the newsletter.
And yes, you did just see these pictures, and as much I like the original LO, I decided I wanted to include the 2nd picture and so I went back and rescrapped. Since the background paper is lighter I added a border of glitter to the acrylic letters so they would stand off the page a little more.


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Israel, Palestinians Announce Second Summit in Egypt
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced plans for a summit with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on June 21 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh. A statement from Sharon's office on Wednesday said officials from both sides would hold talks before the summit to discuss an ongoing truce and Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in August. Separately, Israeli police say they have arrested five members of the Islamic Jihad militant group who they said were planning to carry out a bomb attack in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Police Discover Ring of Neo-Nazi Immigrants From Former USSR
Israel's police have uncovered a group of at least 20 neo-Nazis who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union under the Law of Return. Police are not certain how to proceed due to the lack of legal basis for prosecuting Israelis espousing anti-Semitic ideology. The neo-Nazi group was discovered following the arrest of a 20-year-old IDF soldier on drug charges. That resulted in the discovery of neo-Nazi material in his home and a swastika tattooed on his arm.
During the investigation of the arrested neo-Nazi and his mother, who also professed hatred for Jews and Israel, other members of the group were revealed. Police detective Haim Fadlon told Ma'ariv that the suspects are believed to have met each other in anti-Semitic chat rooms on the Internet. They have held meeting and performed ceremonies with swastika banners and other Nazi paraphernalia as well. "We cannot disclose details of the inquiry, but it's chilling," Fadlon said. "It appears these are people living in this country who are talking among themselves about extermination of the Jews."
Under the current 'Law of Return,' anybody with a Jewish grandparent can immigrate to Israel and receive citizenship and benefits. Immigrant groups representing Jews from the former Soviet Union have long called for reform in the law due to immigrants moving to Israel for financial reasons, bringing their enmity for Jews and Israel along with them. Interior Minister Ofir Pines-Paz has asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to interpret the law regarding new immigrants and citizenship to examine the legal procedure under which a new immigrant's status can be revoked.
Israeli Police Uncover Massive, Trojan Horse-Based Industrial Spy Ring
By Techworld.com
Israeli police have uncovered a massive industrial spy ring that allegedly used Trojan horse software to snoop into some of the country's leading companies. The case will have major implications for the business community in Israel--and possibly beyond--as all the companies accused of having used the software are themselves leading companies.
A report in Ha'aretz details how a wide range of businesses--including TV, mobile phone, car import, and utility companies--used a Trojan horse program, believed to have been written by two people living in the United Kingdom, to spy on their immediate business rivals with a high degree of success. The London-based pair, Michael Haephrati, and his wife Ruth Brier-Haephrati, have now been arrested pending extradition procedures on June 3; in Israel, another 21 people have been detained for questioning.
Police believe that the companies started using the software after engaging the services of any one of three private investigation agencies, which were given the task of carrying out the industrial espionage." It is hard to believe that the most senior people at a business [employing one of the agencies] did not know about the spyware," Ha'aretz quoted an Israeli police source as saying. "Even if it was ordered by some head of a security department from a private investigator, it was passed on to the CE--and it is clear to us they must have guessed how the material was gathered."
The program appears to have been extremely effective both at stealing confidential documents from target companies and at monitoring activity on infected machines. Police are said to have gained access to a number of FTP servers based in the United States and Israel and discovered "tens of thousands" of documents pillaged by the malware from target companies.
The fraudsters are believed to have used two quite simple methods of attack, both of which bypassed normal safeguards such as perimeter security or antivirus programs. The first was to send a targeted individual a disc purporting to contain a business proposal; when explored, however, the disc would load the Trojan horse on that person's PC. Alternatively, the same process could be undertaken via e-mail, again catching recipients off guard. Whether antivirus or other security software would have detected this previously unknown software depends on how they were configured and on which other types of security software were present.
The fraud only started to come to light some months ago, after Israeli author Amnon Jacont complained that passages of a book he was writing had appeared on the Internet, despite its never having left his PC. Subsequent investigations led police to believe that the Trojan horse allegedly co-written by Michael Haephrati was responsible, and so the whole scheme started to unravel. Remarkably, the breakthrough came not from company security systems in one of the world's most paranoid business communities, but from the suspicions of an ordinary member of the public. If it weren't for Jacont's complaint, the Trojan horse could still be out there, silently stealing information on a huge scale.
Prophesying the Destruction of Israel
By Ha'aretz (Editorial)
Following a too-lengthy and too-expensive farewell, which also included an aerial salute by F-15 fighter jets over his home on Kibbutz Grofit, Moshe Ya'alon took time out to give a prophetic interview on the destruction of the state to the Ha'aretz weekend magazine. Ya'alon will be remembered as a chief of staff who believed in burning into the consciousness of the Palestinians, by means of force, that terror doesn't pay.
In his farewell interview, he says that this burning was to no avail, and that we are destined to an eternal war. His claim that the Palestinians only understand force was replaced by the argument that no force in the world will overcome their hunger to retake Jaffa and Safed. His prophecy is that the combination of terror and demographics, with question marks as to the justness of the course, is a recipe for the destruction of the Jewish state.
One can treat the former chief of staff's statements as the opinion of security expert No. 1, lose hope, and sit hidden away in bomb shelters in anticipation of the next wave of terror that he predicts. Regrettably, one can also say that it is, in fact, the State of Israel - and first and foremost the former chief of staff - which has proved that it understands only force.
Israel has yet to try the only solution acceptable to the Palestinians, most Israelis and the entire world - the solution of a withdrawal from the occupied territories and the dismantling of the settlements. The Palestinians are not alone in mistakenly dreaming about a return. While they continue to dream of Jaffa, the Israelis not only dreamed of returning to Hebron, but actually settled there. These two untenable dreams have dragged the conflict down to its low point. The promise to evacuate the Gaza Strip settlements has led to a temporary security lull, out of hope for a change in direction. Ya'alon is doing his bit for the renewal of the violence by taking the wind out of the sails of the move, by saying, in fact, that there is no point to it.
It is regrettable to note that Ya'alon sang a different tune a few months ago, when he thought his term in office would be extended by another year. Then, he spoke of the disengagement as a stage on the road to determining a new border for Israel, in an attempt to divide the land in accordance with the dominant nationality in all of its parts. Today he argues that the results of the disengagement depend on whether the Palestinians see it as an "escape" or a "choice."
The disengagement must be perceived as Israel's choice to cut itself off from the ongoing attempt to flee reality. The choice of disengagement is, above all, an internal Israeli matter, and an attempt to prove that Israel is not run by settlers and officers, but by the majority within the Green Line that wants normalization of the relations with the Palestinians, in the hope that most of them want it too.
The question of what will happen the day after the pullout depends less on Mahmoud Abbas and more on whether Ya'alon's pessimistic theories continue to rule the roost and whether the captains of the disengagement see it as the end of the story.
"Israel is ready to give the Palestinians an independent Palestinian state, but the Palestinians are not ready to give us an independent Jewish state," Ya'alon says. But the reality is different: The State of Israel has already been established, and does not require Palestinian approval. On the other hand, Israel doesn't have to give the Palestinians an independent state, but to try, finally, to burn it into its consciousness.
Bad Days in Washington
By Steve Sharon (Commentary)
This past week, America sunk to a new immoral low. A Holocaust-denier, no, worse than that, a man who wrote books which blamed the Jews for purposely creating the Holocaust, and simultaneously claimed it a considerably smaller event than documented, was feted in the White House as a world leader, a president, a man of peace, a friend, an ally, and a worthy recipient of American monetary aid and political support. No American could ever foster these disgusting ideas, much less put them on paper numerous times, and ever come close to setting foot on the White House grounds much less be treated as an honored dignitary. Only an Arab could possibly pull this miracle off, for these are very strange times in America's relationship with the Arab world, thus very tenuous times for Israel.
Much of America's time is spent arguing whether or not its military treats the Koran with proper dignity and reverence. Muslims worldwide protest America's supposed callous treatment of copies of their holy book, meanwhile other Muslims stay busy blowing up fellow Muslims without ever being accused of not treating them with dignity and reverence. Seventeen people, all Muslims, killed by fellow Muslims in riots protesting the possible mishandling of Korans by American military police and the hundreds of other Muslims sent to their death by being told, sometimes forced, to blow themselves up in order to kill others with them are evidently totally unimportant. Many Democrats and most of the major media in America join in Muslim protestations seemingly gleeful in the ability to side with Muslims against the military on the Koran issue because it strikes a blow to Republicans in general, and the President in particular. Worse still, the President, countless generals and other leaders do their best to counter these ridiculous Muslim claims by sympathizing with Muslims who get riled up over the Koran issue. These same Muslims who either endorse or do not care of the murder of their own by their own.
Amidst this climate of pandering to the Arab and Muslim world, Israel is tossed aside like it was, say, Taiwan? Unfortunately for Israel, unlike Taiwan it is not actually an island, just an island of freedom and Western values in a vast ocean of Arab and Muslim hate, but unlike Taiwan, Israel still has one friend in the United States government who would take up for it in the United Nations. That man's name is John Bolton.
Yes, that John Bolton. The one constantly excoriated by Democrats, a few Republicans, and much of the media, so much so that his nomination to the post of ambassador, which should have passed easily weeks ago, is in serious jeopardy. Even in a best case scenario, if he ever wins approval from the Senate, Bolton will enter the UN a weakened man because of this fight, meaning he will end up forced to tow the usual State Department line more than originally hoped...more bad news for Israel, since Israel has as many friends in the State Department as Saudi Arabia has synagogues.
So this past week at the very same moment a fine upstanding American citizen, John Bolton, was raked over the coals in a public character assassination, another man, an Arab of multiple names, Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, or whatever else he wishes to call himself was lauded as a man of outstanding public character. Never mind that just a week earlier while in South America he spent a great portion of his visit ripping the United States and condemning the American people and their leaders for staging a worldwide hate war against Muslims, and of course for invading Iraq, and any number of other supposed offenses.
This past week Mahmoud Abbas, the leader America desires to soon call the president of Palestine was deemed a good man, and John Bolton, the would-be UN ambassador was deemed a bad one. When morality in a society is this out of focus, Jews are always in peril.
(Steve Sharon may be reached at steve@amisall.org)


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JAL to Offer Midair Surfing
By Contributor - June 29, 2012
Above: JAL will begin the service on July 15 before installing Wi-Fi on other long-haul routes.
Japan Airlines has announced that passengers will be able to use Wi-Fi on board some of its aircraft from July.
The carrier will begin installing the facility on the 777-300ER. JAL SKY Wi-Fi will be available on flights between Tokyo Narita and New York JFK on alternate days from July 15 and daily from early August. JAL expects to offer Wi-Fi on flights to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Jakarta by the end of October, and to London, Paris, and Frankfurt by next spring.
The usage fee for JAL SKY Wi-Fi is US$11.95 for the first hour, or US$21.95 for 24 hours.
Contributor 17:40
These Airlines Are Flying Internationally from Jakarta
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