I'm not sure what it is, but ever since my boys have been helping out in the vineyard, they are craving all sorts of foods in different combinations. It must be all the fresh air and hard work!
When my older son saw this on the cover of a magazine, he insisted I make it for him. He does love tacos and burgers and was intrigued with what this combination would taste like. He loved it and it was exactly what he expected.
I would also agree this was very good and definitely puts a twist on grilling night. I especially liked the crunchy chips and sour cream with the salsa.
Try this out let me know what you think.
Start by making your favorite burger, I use ground chuck and some salt to make my patties. Sprinkle each patty with some cumin, oregano and chile power before grilling.
Place guacamole on the bottom half of a hamburger bun.
Place grilled burgers on top of the guacamole and top with salsa, lettuce, cheddar, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Place guacamole on the bottom half of a hamburger bun. Place grilled burgers on top of the guacamole and top with salsa, lettuce, cheddar, sour cream and tortilla chips.
That looks delicious and I think the combination sounds yummy! VERY YUMMY!!!! I'm going to have to try this out once we finally move the rest of our stuff over from Maine…which includes the grill!
Wow. Now that looks delicious!
Wow. That burger stands tall! Looks delicious. I think I would like it also. The avocado seems to be a very unique twist and will add plenty of flavor to the already flavorful meat pattie! Thanks. I will try this one soon.
Guacamole on a burger? Now you're talkin'!
A taco burger is just genius!
Did you ever put potato chips on your sandwich as a kid? The nachos totally remind me of that! Brilliant!
I'd go for this much more than the baloney with mustard, lettuce, tomato and potato chips my friend and I used to eat in junior high. Excellent idea!
This will definitely be a hit here at our house. I also used to eat potato chip or Frito sandwiches as a kid, so this does strike a chord with me too. Another gorgeous, finger-licking delicacy.
This looks awesome! The picture is mouth watering, thanks!
I think you've raised your son right and he has tremendously good taste and an eye for the scrummy!
I've made a burger sort of like this but never thought to add the chips. Grand idea! The guacamole looks so delicious and your photos are gorgeous as usual!
This looks like a seriously good burger. I have just found your blog and have spent some time here. Your vineyard is wonderful and so is your food.
Have mercy! I could eat that for breakfast!
That burger looks really good, Cathy. Love the avacado on it!
I love Food Network magazine-and I really love the looks of that burger….that is some serious eating right there, for sure.
Wow, who wouldn't love this! Great idea to pile some chips on there too.
that looks so freakin good. Unfortunately i am severely allergic to avocados. quite possibly the worst food allergy ever.
I love this idea Cathy. It fits right in with my Tex-Mex cravings lately.
This looks so good! I can totally relate to your son's strange cravings! I get that way too with all the lovely fresh air and garden work!
Looks so wonderful and messy. Where's my taco burger eating shirt?
This looks fabulous and I will certainly be trying it out! I think my daughter will love it as well!
Hello crunchy chips on a burger. I'm there!
Love the idea! I even made this and used fried flour tortillas as the "bun" – so good. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yeah! Not only would my 16 year old son love one of these, but this would be worth the calories for me too! I have a feeling that I'll be making these soon! We make your White Castle Burger recipe all the time!
I was totally thinking this would be a good one for my Culinary Covers blog. I should have had you do it for me!! Looks like a good one for a family-friendly meal. I'm all about guacamole so it looks good to me too!
What a great spin on a burger. My family will love this.
Whoaaaa, that looks awesome! I love the guacamole layer, and those chips would add a fun surprise crunch. This one's a keeper! YUM!
We just made this burger this evening, we used avocado slices, instead of doing a guacamole, but we followed everything else, and it turned out fantastic! I definitely will be making this again!


"df demystifies" was TechNews's singular advice column, peering through the cracks of questions unasked into the pulsating mass of answers you never knew you needed. df is here for you and will remain present even when politely asked to leave. Advice permeated directly into your forms, physical and spiritual.


text:
info@waddicar-electrical.co.uk
Domestic Electrical Services
Eco friendly, energy efficient electrical services
Ethical electrical services across north west England
Are you looking for an eco-friendly electrical services company?
We specialise in energy efficient electrical solutions for homeowners and commercial clients. Many people are now interested in green energy and we will work with you to find solutions to meet your needs.
Green, friendly and carbon free
Waddicar Electrical (WE) Limited is an ethical electrical services company expanding in north west England. We are experienced in all types of domestic, commercial, and retail work including electrical installation, inspection, maintenance, testing, and fault finding. For home owners, private landlords, and businesses we provide Electrical Installation Certificates, Minor Works, Periodic Inspection and Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs).
After completing his apprenticeship, Aaron worked as a freelance electrician on major projects including housing developments, a university campus, a hospital, and a school, with major contractors such as Interserve, Balfour Beatty, and McGough & Vickers. As a sole trader for six years Aaron worked extensively in shopfitting for the retail sector alongside his other domestic and commercial projects. Based in Liverpool, WE cover the whole north west region.
A personal service
Waddicar Electrical is named after the company's original base in Liverpool. Owner, Aaron, was inspired by his grandfather's work as a local council electrician, overseeing the city's street lighting and the Christmas decorations and switch-on events. He has always been interested in electrical equipment, installations, and engineering. Aaron completed his apprenticeship with a local company and family friend. He says, "He was one of the best electricians I have ever worked with and had a nice combination of domestic, commercial, and industrial work".
For new-build properties, complete rewiring projects, home security systems, and energy efficient lighting, WE cover all your domestic electrical needs.
Interior and exterior warehouse, office, and retail lighting, alarms, access control and emergency lighting systems; WE provide energy efficient solutions for them all.
While your electric vehicles (EVs) are parked overnight they can be safely and reliably charged via your own professionally installed EV charging points.
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Aaron is City & Guilds qualified and holds Level 3 national vocational qualifications (NVQs). He is an ECS gold card Installation Electrician and a member of the Electrotechnical Joint industry Board. He has completed training to instal electric vehicle charging points and will soon hold the necessary qualifications to instal complementary photovoltaic (PV) cells for solar powered charging and green energy storage solutions. Contact us to find out how WE can meet your electrical needs.
Fill in the form below and a member of the team will contact you back shortly...
Waddicar Electrical Limited
Suite 4102 Charlotte House, Queens Dock Business Centre, Liverpool, L1 0BG
Email: info@waddicar-electrical.co.uk
Website design Bristol — by it'seeze

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CAN BE PURCHASED AS A SET WITH BLOUSE & SKIRT, OR AS SEPARATES.
This day to evening blouse and skirt have your wardrobe covered, no matter whether you need something dressy or casual.
The short sleeve blouse and short peplum looks cute in cotton prints. Great for novelty fabrics! The long sleeve tunic is elegant for formal dinner occasions or cocktail wear. Includes period illustrated instructions with added tips.
This pattern includes long or short gathered sleeves, a short or long peplum, and fastens at center front with a zipper, buttons, or snap closures. Ribbon bow accent, ribbon bow belt, fabric belt, or girdle sash are optional.
This skirt looks as lovely in satin as it does in wool, and will be your go-to wardrobe basic for skirts for your pretty blouses! Make it casual, make it dressy. It even looks cute in plaids!
The evening skirt does NOT contain a hem allowance. You may need to add length, depending on your height. This pattern was originally cut full, but to conserve paper and cut down on pattern price, it is printed with half of each pattern piece, which will be cut on bias fold. Or you can trace the half of the skirt onto your own paper if you desire to cut full.
This pattern is based on vintage WOMENS sizing. Women's sizing was for a more mature figure- often better for women with lower bust points. Juniors, Misses, and Plus sizes may require alterations to get the pattern to fit correctly.
Cutting charts and yardage are not included for sizes 44" and 46" Bust, as the pattern was not originally made in these sizes.
This blouse pattern is very cute and is easy to work with. The pieces all came together well and the instructions were clear, particularly the drawings. I made this up in a stable cotton and am planning a silk version for summer.


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */
package com.facebook.presto.testing;

import com.facebook.drift.annotations.ThriftConstructor;
import com.facebook.drift.annotations.ThriftField;
import com.facebook.drift.annotations.ThriftStruct;
import com.facebook.presto.spi.ConnectorMetadataUpdateHandle;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;

@ThriftStruct
public class TestingMetadataUpdateHandle
        implements ConnectorMetadataUpdateHandle
{
    private final int value;

    @ThriftConstructor
    @JsonCreator
    public TestingMetadataUpdateHandle(@JsonProperty("value") int value)
    {
        this.value = value;
    }

    @ThriftField(1)
    @JsonProperty
    public int getValue()
    {
        return value;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Posted on June 7, 2021 by Sheryl Raodcap
City record
-9:22 a.m.: contempt. Aichata Louzolo, 36, of Sidney, was arrested on a contempt warrant.
-12:19 a.m.: domestic violence. Lovina L. Wolaver, 31, of Sidney, was arrested on domestic violence charges.
-11:32 p.m.: driving under the influence. Aaron C. Swaney, 31, of Sidney, was arrested for OVI.
-7:42 p.m.: theft. The theft of four packs of pork chops, valued at $20, a package of hamburger, valued at $7, two Frisch's Big Boy dolls, valued at $275, and miscellaneous jewelry, valued at $5, were reported stolen in the 300 block of North Walnut Avenue.
-7:25 p.m.: criminal trespass. Police responded to a trespassing report at Buffalo Wild Wings on Michigan Street.
-1:32 p.m.: probation violation. Misty King, 39, of Sidney, was arrested on three warrants from Sidney Municipal Court and Miami and Champaign Counties.
-12:50 a.m.: contempt. Shelly Swiger, 43, of Sidney, was arrested on a contempt warrant.
-8:06 a.m.: contempt. Kenneth Virgil Wilson, 55, of Sidney, was arrested on a contempt warrant.
-7:20 p.m.: criminal trespass. Police responded to a trespassing report in the 1100 block of Hazelnut Lane.
-5:11 p.m.: theft — without consent. The theft of a gray iPad was reported stolen in the 700 block of North Main Avenue.
-1:42 p.m.: theft — motor vehicle. The theft of an orange 1995 GMC heavy construction dump truck, valued at $5,000, and also a 30-foot trailer, $13,000, were reported stolen in the 2000 block of Fair Road.
-12:06 p.m.: theft. The theft of a cellphone, valued at $1200, a cell watch, valued at $380, and a computer tablet, valued at $900, were reported stolen in the 2300 block of Apache Drive.
-4:39 p.m.: theft. The theft of a blue phone, valued at $120, was reported stolen in the 400 block of West Russell Road.
April R. Harrington, 57, of Sidney, was cited with driving within lanes after a two-vehicle crash on Sunday at 8:07 p.m.
Harrington was traveling northbound state Route 29 in the right lane when she attempted to change into the left lane and hit the northbound vehicle in the left lane on state Route 29 that was driven by Keith A. Bey, 54, of Sidney.
• Clyde V. Jenkins, 68, of Piqua, was cited with failure to control after a single-vehicle crash on Saturday at 11:18 p.m.
Jenkins was traveling northbound on North Highland Avenue when he went off the roadway and struck the retaining wall and sign for the Town Center apartment complex. The crash remains under investigation.
• Orin E. Reames, 23, of Sidney, was cited with failure to control after a two-vehicle crash on Saturday at 2:09 p.m.
Reames was traveling southbound on McKinley Avenue when he failed to negotiate the narrow roadway and his passenger's side mirror hit the parked vehicle on McKinley Avenue that owned by Chris S. Whalen, of Sidney.
• Brad Alan Rickey, 48, of Sidney, was cited with right of way when turning left after a two-vehicle crash on Friday at 5:20 p.m.
Rickey was traveling westbound on state Route 47 when he attempted to turn left into an alley he turned in front of the eastbound vehicle on state Route 47 that was driven by Karen S. Rosser, 61, of Sidney, causing a collision.
• Amy K. Burks, 36, of Sidney, was cited with operation without reasonable control after a single-vehicle crash on Friday before noon.
Burks was traveling westbound on state Route 47 and was attempting to turn right into the Kroger parking lot when she hit a street sign, breaking the sign off at the base and causing damage to her vehicle.
She then left the area and became involved in another crash down the road with Timothy Wayne Schutte, 49, of Urbana, where she was again cited with operation without reasonable control at 11:47 a.m.
Burks was traveling northbound on North Vandemark Road in the left lane at the intersection with West Russell Road. She made a right turn from the left lane and hit the driver's side of Schutte's stopped vehicle on West Russell Road that was facing the west.
Fire, rescue
-12:03 to 7:13 a.m.: medical. Firefighters responded to five calls.
-8:07 p.m.: crash. Medics responded to an automobile crash.
-12:02 a.m. to 1:16 p.m.: medical. Medics responded to six calls.
-3:50 a.m. to 11:18 p.m.: medical. Medics responded to eight calls; nothing was found upon arrival of one call.
-3:05 a.m.: fire alarm. Firefighters responded to a fire alarm.
-2:41 p.m.: fire call. Firefighters responded to five calls.
-1:19 a.m. to 8:28 p.m.: medical. Medics responded to 13 calls.
-10:33 a.m.: crash. Medics responded to an automobile crash.
Compiled by Sheryl Roadcap.
Hi! A visitor to our site felt the following article might be of interest to you: City record. Here is a link to that story: https://www.sidneydailynews.com/news/crime/201479/city-record-1425


text:
Q: Unable to Render ContentControl inside Window I think I am missing something simple here.
This is what I want:
I want to create a MainWindowViewModel instance mwVM.
I want to associate this instance to the MainWindow.
I want to associate the view instance to the viewModel1 member of mwVM.
Thus, I actually want to pass a hierarchy of instances from viewModel in the View. So far, I am unable to see just view.
I am trying to render a custom ContentControl inside a WPF Window.
When I put MainWindow.xaml as entry point of the application, I don't see anything. But when I put view1.xaml as the entry point (in App.xaml), then I can see the text "Hello". What is it that I am missing here?
MainWindow.xaml
<Window x:Class="MimicView.MainWindow"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MimicView"
    mc:Ignorable="d"
    d:DataContext="{d:DesignInstance local:MainWindowViewModel}"
    Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">

<Window.Resources>
    <DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:ViewModel1}">
        <local:View1/>
    </DataTemplate>
</Window.Resources>

<Grid>
    <ContentControl Content="{Binding viewModel1}"></ContentControl>
</Grid>

MainWindowViewModel.cs
namespace MimicView {
class MainWindowViewModel {

    public MainWindowViewModel() {
        this.viewModel1 = new ViewModel1();
    }

    public ViewModel1 viewModel1 { get; set; }
}
}

View1.xaml
<UserControl x:Class="MimicView.View1"
         xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
         xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
         xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
         xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MimicView"
         mc:Ignorable="d"
         d:DesignHeight="300" d:DesignWidth="300"
         d:DataContext="{d:DesignInstance local:ViewModel1}">

<TextBox Text="Hello"/>

App.xaml
<Application x:Class="MimicView.App"
         xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
         xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MimicView"
         StartupUri="MainWindow.xaml">
<Application.Resources>

</Application.Resources>

A: Set the DataContext property of the window:
<Window x:Class="MimicView.MainWindow"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MimicView"
    mc:Ignorable="d"
    d:DataContext="{d:DesignInstance local:MainWindowViewModel}"
    Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">

    <Window.Resources>
        <DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type local:ViewModel1}">
            <local:View1/>
        </DataTemplate>
    </Window.Resources>

    <Window.DataContext>
        <local:MainWindowViewModel />
    </Window.DataContext>

    <Grid>
        <ContentControl Content="{Binding viewModel1}"></ContentControl>
    </Grid>
</Window>

This only sets the design time DataContext:
d:DataContext="{d:DesignInstance local:MainWindowViewModel}"

You should also set the actual DataContext property:
<Window.DataContext>
    <local:MainWindowViewModel />
</Window.DataContext>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Volledige site
REPORT: Manchester United seal deal with highly-rated German coach
According to reports by various sources, it seems that Manchester United have finalized their search for a permanent boss for the remainder of the season. But looking at the bigger picture,it seems that the Red Devils have hit the jackpot with the alleged appointment.
An article published by The Athletic earlier today hints that the Red Devils have reached an agreement in terms with Ralf Rangnick, the current sporting director for Lokomotiv Moscow. While his name may not be as known as some of the other options mentioned by the media, the man was behind the creation of the whole structure that included teams such as RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and more. Added to that, he has been mentioned as a major influence for coaches such as Julian Nagelsmann, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, and even Ralph Hassenhuttl.
Rangnick's appointment would see him leaving his position as sporting director for Lokomotiv Moscow to embark on a six-month stint as boss for the Red Devils. If things go as the team's board wants, the coach would be offered an extension to continue as the team's manager. But the English side seems to be thinking on a larger scale, as they are considering to keep Rangnick around as the team's new sporting director for the next two years once his six-month spell as coach comes to an end.
The former RB Leipzig boss has earned quite a few trophies during his spell as coach, but his most impressive accolade will surely have to be leading SSV Ulm from the Regionalliga Süd all the way to the Bundesliga for the first time in club history. Added to that, Rangnick also won a UEFA Intertoto title with Stuttgart and a DFL-Supercup with Schalke 04, all of these while creating the style of play known as Gegenpressen, which reached new heights with Klopp, Tuchel, and Nagelsmann.
Manchester United are expected to make the official announcement once the coach's permit to work in the Premier League is liberated. Added to that, the coach will have to end his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow to take this new gig, although sources close to the negotiation believe that it will not be a problem.
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Arteta addresses anger from North London Derby postponement, throws dig at rivals Tottenham


text:
Home, Sweet Shipping Container: NYC's Secret Plans for the Perfect Disaster Apartments
It turns out that Hurricane Sandy, the very occasion when these units could have best been put to the test,
By Matt Chaban • 11/19/12 8:14pm
The Sea Box prototype, hoping for the city's approval. (Sea Box)
It turns out that Hurricane Sandy, the very occasion when these units could have best been put to the test, actually interrupted their development. OEM, having secured $1 million in seed money from City Hall last year, was in the middle of drafting a public request for firms to build a prototype when the superstorm popped up on the radar. All resources have been dedicated to Sandy ever since. Even so, the administration still plans to have a prototype deployed by the second half of next year—and if anything, Sandy has made that goal more urgent, not less.
"It's not the whole solution to a housing recovery program, but it's a piece of it," said OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno. "It's a good piece, too, one of the options that allows you to rebuild in a community that was devastated. You keep people in their neighborhood, and you don't worry about losing them from your city."
The ability to stack the units creates a level of density that is inherently, and necessarily, New York. In Galveston, Fort Lauderdale or Wilmington, FEMA would just roll its trailers into front yards and driveways. In New York, how many people do you know with a front yard?
"We're not just restoring somebody's apartment, we're restoring somebody's street," Thaddeus Pawlowski, an urban planner at the Department of City Planning, said during a recent lecture about the city's disaster housing program at the Center for Architecture. "New Yorkers love their streets. They love their neighborhoods. So it's very important people feel connected again to their neighborhood."
Mr. Pawlowski was actually delivering his remarks exactly one week before Hurricane Sandy hit the city. It was the night of Sunday, Oct. 21, and he, along with some colleagues from OEM and the group Architecture for Humanity, had come to debate the all-too-prescient topic "After Disaster: How Does NYC Plan to Recover?" Less than a week later, Mayor Bloomberg would be standing inside OEM headquarters, imploring nearly 300,000 New Yorkers to evacuate low-lying areas.
"The idea is that by providing temporary long-term housing, we can provide a pathway to the recovery of the neighborhood," Mr. Pawlowski explained to the audience. "Probably the most important thing for a neighborhood to come back is that the people are there to rebuild it."
Six years ago, Mr. Pawlowski helped launch an initiative to find an alternative to FEMA trailers, which weren't built with New York City's density in mind. At the time, he was working as a designer at OEM, updating the city's disaster response plans, and Hurricane Katrina served as a wakeup call.
The following year, the city held a contest—called What If NYC—for long-term disaster housing ideas, with an emphasis on 10 criteria. The units must be able to house a high number of people, be rapidly deployable across a range of geographies, and have numerous configurations for different family sizes. They had to be reusable, comfortable, ADA-compliant, secure, and both cost- and energy-efficient. And the city wanted something recognizable, to "maximize the ability of New Yorkers to feel a sense of identity and even pride in where they live," as the competition brief put it. All this from what is basically a glorified mobile home.
"If a storm were to hit, our immediate need for shelter would be met," Mayor Bloomberg said at the time. "The greater challenge is to provide longer-term provisional housing for what could be thousands of displaced families while their communities are rebuilt."
Filed Under: Real Estate, DDC, What If NYC, Sea Box, Disaster Relief, Army Corps of Engineers, OEM, recovery mode, FEMA, Bloomberg administration, Joseph Bruno, Hurricane Sandy


Find more results for Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C.
About Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C.
Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C. Is An Established Personal Injury Law Firm With More Than 100 Years Of Combined Experience.
Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C. in Philadelphia is a company that specializes in Attorneys Personal Injury Law. Our records show it was established in Pennsylvania.


text:
Q: Add download progress RestTemplate in Java Spring so I am downloading some files using Spring Rest template. I have a requirement to log the progress of the download in backend itself.
So can the download progress be logged in some way ?
Here is my implementation :
File file = restTemplate.execute(FILE_URL, HttpMethod.GET, null, clientHttpResponse -> {
    File ret = File.createTempFile("download", "tmp");
    StreamUtils.copy(clientHttpResponse.getBody(), new FileOutputStream(ret));
    return ret;
});

PS: I was thinking if there is a way to intercept how much of the response body is transferred.


text:
Kermit Kendrick
Melissa Azallion Kenny
Corky Klett
Zack Lawson
Ellen Mathews
Elizabeth Shirley
India Vincent
Brooke Watson
NCAA Student Athlete Checklist
alex.little@burr.com
Alex Little has a passion for sports and entertainment law. In addition to his work on behalf of college athletes under name, image and likeness regulations, he is an NFLPA certified contract advisor, allowing him to negotiate contracts on behalf of NFL players. He also represents entertainers in various industries with transactional matters, including recording contracts, publishing agreements, and film and television deals.
Alex also focuses his practice on criminal defense, litigation, government investigations, appeals and victim's rights.
As a former Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Department of Justice, Alex has extensive trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts. He draws on this experience to represent clients facing investigations or defend against criminal charges. Alex also has substantial experience representing individuals facing government false claims, both civil and criminal.
Alex regularly serves as a legal analyst and commentator for national and international news networks, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, and SkyNews in the UK.
Alex has served as a law clerk and consultant to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as a law clerk for Judge Marsha Berzon of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, CA, and as an advisor to former President Jimmy Carter in the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center. In these roles, Alex has drafted intelligence briefings for senior U.S. policymakers, facilitated negotiations between governments and rebel groups in Africa as well as assisted in the development of the first indictments issued by the ICC for war crimes in Uganda.
Executive Committee Member, Criminal Justice Section (2012 – Present), Tennessee Bar Association
Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Member, Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Fellow, Truman National Security Project (2007 – Present)
Board Member, American Constitution Society, Nashville Chapter (2011 – Present)
Best Lawyers in America Criminal Defense: General Practice (2021)
Mid-South Super Lawyers, Criminal Defense: White Collar (2019-2020)
Nashville Business Journal, "40 Under 40" (2018)
Mid-South Super Lawyers, Rising Star
Adjunct Professor of Law, Vanderbilt Law School
Chairman, Tennessee Historical Justice Coalition
Chairman of a support coalition, Special Joint Committee of the Tennessee General Assembly on Unsolved Crimes from the Civil Rights Era
Co-Founder, New Leaders Council, Nashville Chapter
Executive Committee and Advisory Board Member, Nurses for Newborns Foundation
Advisory Board Member, Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
Founding Board Member and Board Secretary, International Peace and Security Institute
J.D., Public Interest Law Scholar, Global Teaching Fellow, Senior Articles Editor, Georgetown Journal of International Law, Georgetown
University Law Center (2006)
B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Golden Fleece, University of North Carolina (2001)
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sportslaw@burr.com
© Copyright 2022 Burr Forman Law
A Law Firm Essentials


text:
NSA unlawfully surveiled Kim Dotcom in New Zealand: report
By John Bowden - 08/01/17 10:42 AM EDT
The National Security Agency (NSA) illegally used technology to spy on Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, according to new documents from New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
The New Zealand Herald first reported that the GCSB told the nation's high court that it ceased all surveillance of Dotcom in early 2012, but that "limited" amounts of communications from Dotcom were later intercepted by its technology without the bureau's knowledge.
Dotcom was surveilled by the NSA and the GCSB in a joint intelligence operation named Operation Debut. According to the Herald, that surveillance was scheduled to end in January 2012, but the United States continued to use New Zealand's technology.
According to court documents obtained by the Herald, "Limited interception of some communications continued beyond the detasking date without the knowledge of GCSB staff."
The court papers don't explain how the NSA was able to use the GCSB's spying technology without the bureau's knowledge. According to the Herald, "The GCSB documents do contain an admission of NSA involvement, although it was not made outright."
Dotcom is facing charges of copyright infringement and money laundering related to Megaupload, a file-sharing website shut down in 2012. He is currently fighting U.S. attempts to extradite him from New Zealand.
In an interview with the Herald, he blasted the NSA for illegally using the GCSB's spying infrastructure and warned New Zealanders about the power the U.S. wields over their data.
"New Zealanders must know how much power a foreign state holds over their private information," Dotcom said.
"The NSA has unrestricted access to GCSB surveillance systems. In fact, most of the technology the GCSB uses was supplied by the NSA."
Dotcom said his legal team would take further action based on the news.
"If the GCSB was aiding and abetting the NSA to spy directly on New Zealanders then the seriousness of the situation has changed dramatically and a truly independent inquiry and a new criminal investigation will be unavoidable."


Our sports and wellness hotel in the Salzburger Land creates something that many others can not achieve. The perfect symbiosis of activity and relaxation. After all, what could be better than relaxing after an impressive hike in the mountains, a sporting day on a mountain bike, snowy day on skis or a session on the climbing wall! Thanks to our two wellness worlds IM FÜNFTEN and IM GARTEN, the Salzburg Hof Leogang offers for both, relaxation-seeking adults and families, a pleasant respite.
"Mens sana in corpore sano" – a healthy mind in a healthy body. Our wellness areas help to achieve great things – or recover from them. That's why both wellness areas offer enough space for relaxation and recreation. On top, you can take a break from your daily life in our massage and beauty facilities and get a soothing treatment from our wellness team.
The wellness area IM GARTEN offers a great place to relax for the whole family.
For adults only: Our top floor wellness area IM FÜNFTEN has three saunas, an incredible relaxation room and different beauty and treatment rooms for perfect regeneration. Enjoy great views even in the outdoor panoramic sauna.That fifth floor wellness area is located next to our modern FIT-LEO, a fully equipped gym room which convinces additionally due to its architecture. Convince yourself!
The athlete massages which we offer are perfectly adapted to the needs of athletes. Each sport requires very specific muscle groups. Relaxing these areas are our goal for the sports treatments.
For massages, body scrubs or detox wraps simply switch off and treat yourself to a personal break. Get a deeper insight into our wide range!
For our facials, we only use the best products. These help to refine the skin and to supply the sensitive facial skin with oxygen and nutrients. Find out more about our variety of facial treatments.
The wellness area IM GARTEN is connected to the garden with a huge sunbathing lawn with a great view on the mountains. Here, the whole family can relax in various saunas, the steam bath and the indoor whirlpool. The highlight of this wellness area is the year-round heated outdoor pool.
The wellness area IM FÜNFTEN is a real oasis for your soul. Due to its location on the fifth floor it offers a great panoramic view on the mountain scenery. Here, you can enjoy a relaxing massage or a beauty treatment by our wellness specialists. For adults only, this wellness area guarantees relaxation. In different saunas and relaxation rooms you can escape your every day life. Active rejuvenation or simply everyday well-being, our treatments are tailor-made for athletes and take them into a world of pleasure. Sit back, enjoy a take-out and let the professionals do what they can do best: beauty treatments and massages. Whether classic full-body massages, body wraps, special sports massages, hot stone or facials – in our wellness area IM FÜNFTEN, you can treat yourself to your own personal break, recharge your batteries and, on the way, find yourself.
Regeneration is as important as the actual exercise. Training, relaxation and nutrition directly influence each other. In accordance with the sporty philosophy of the Salzburger Hof Leogang, we support our athletic guests in all areas, not just when it comes to exercise . We are always at your side.
That's why our wellness wings IM GARTEN and IM FÜNFTEN are the perfect finish to an active day in nature. Regeneration after exercise is just as important as warming up before the sport. Your sports and wellness vacation in the Salzburger Land offers you the perfect mix of activities and relaxation. We put your recovery and your soul's health first.
Did you know that you can give someone this same relaxing experience at the Salzburger Hof Leogang? Give vouchers as presents and enable memorable experiences!


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A Short Analysis of Amy Clampitt's 'The Cormorant in Its Element'
Amy Clampitt's poetry, like the poetry of earlier twentieth-century poets such as the modernist H. D., is nature poetry, often with an oceanic setting. 'The Cormorant in Its Element' is a great way in if you haven't read Clampitt's work before: it's a sonnet, albeit a technically innovative and interesting one. You can read 'The Cormorant in Its Element' here.
In summary, this is a poem describing the sea bird the cormorant in its 'element' or natural habitat. Unlike many earlier Romantic poems about birds, from Shelley's 'To a Skylark' to Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale', Clampitt chooses a decidedly non-majestic and 'unpoetical' subject for her bird-poem. The cormorant, she tells us, is 'pot-bellied', dogged ('with a ramrod's rigid adherence'), but with hidden talents. (And 'discloses talents' is a masterstroke: one can almost hear the bird unsheathing or, indeed, disclosing its talons or claws.) It has 'big black feet'. But its movements, at the same time, are graceful, delicate, precise, with it dancing with almost balletic finesse ('involuted arabesque'), like a coin spinning ('turn on a dime'). Clampitt concludes that the bird's movements are as deft as that of an escapologist like Harry Houdini – only without the desire to show off, which mars stage performers like 'Homo Houdini' (and perhaps, by extension, all human behaviour).
In terms of the poem's form, it follows the rhyme scheme for an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet, rhyming abba abba ccd dcd – although, in keeping with many modern and contemporary poems, the 'rhymes' throughout are frequently closer to pararhyme or consonance (and 'vermilion-' 'rhymes' with 'glance' only if we heed that hyphen and read the poem's run-on line in such a way so that the 's' from 'striped' runs straight out from the 'ion-' of 'vermilion-', i.e. 'vermilions').
Clearly the poem is describing the movement of the cormorant, but does it contain a more self-referential meaning too? An interesting aspect of 'The Cormorant in Its Element', and a difficult one to analyse, is where the 'turn' in Clampitt's poem comes: most sonnets have a volta or 'turn', when the argument changes direction, and in a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, this usually takes place around line 9. Is Clampitt self-consciously referring to the tradition of a sonnet having a 'turn' when describing the cormorant's movements in lines 8-10? Note how she even begins line 10 with the very word, 'turn' – and, to expand on this, she uses the enjambment of 'vertical turn' to make a double pun: the word 'vertical' is ultimately from the Latin for 'turn'. Clampitt has already referred to the bird 'turning and turning' in line 6.
Clampitt's use of the very word 'turn' in a sonnet raises interesting questions about the self-referential quality to her poem. There are also some allusions to other poems here, notably Hopkins's 'The Windhover', another innovative Petrarchan sonnet about a bird, characterised by numerous run-on lines (and which even features the unusual word 'vermilion': Clampitt's use of this specific word here is her way of signalling her debt to Hopkins).
If Clampitt is using the cormorant as a symbol for the poet, it may be interesting that 'Homo Houdini' (a reference to not only the Latin for 'man' but a specific male performer, the escapologist) implies that Clampitt associates the cormorant with female artists who, unlike male ones, are free from 'ego' and 'ambition'. The female poet, like the cormorant, is not a performer, even if she does endeavour to perform an elegant 'arabesque' (a term from ballet, which, once again, is likely to take us to female dancers rather than male performers). In this analysis, then, Clampitt's poem is about poetry, and about the figure of the poet: specifically, the female poet.
Image: via Wikimedia Commons.
Tags: Amy Clampitt, Analysis, Literature, Poetry, Summary, The Cormorant In Its Element
isabellacatolica
January 7, 2020 at 11:21 am · Reply
Your contrast with The Windhover is most instructive. Not for Clampitt the awe and majesty of the natural world. Instead of an "impressionistic" account, she gives a more precise, accurate, "representational" account. Not a riding of the rolling underneath him steady air, but a ramrod's rigid adherence, airborne, to the horizontal. She does permit herself a brief rumination on the bird's motives, or the meaning behind it all, but ego, guilt etc are rejected. Just a hint that the thing in itself might be enough. And no mention of Christ our Lord.
This is the Windhover, but for materialists!


text:
'use strict';

var _           = require("lodash"),
    Type        = require("../Type"),
    Coerce      = require("../Coerce"),
    Exception   = require("../Exception/Exception");

/**
 * @module Divhide/Assert/Regex
 */

/**
 *
 * Assertion method that tests if the given value matches the regular expression.
 * An exception is thrown is the assertion fails!
 *
 * @function Regex
 * @memberOf module:Divhide/Assert/Regex
 *
 * @ignore
 *
 * @throws {Exception}
 *
 * @param {Any} val
 * @param {String|Regex} regex The Regex object or a string thar contains a regular expression pattern.
 * @return {Any}
 *
 */
var Regex = function Divhide_Assert_Regex(val, regex){

    regex = Coerce.regexp(regex);

    var isValid = !!regex.exec(val);

    if(!isValid){
        throw new Exception("REGEXP", { value: val });
    }

    return val;

};

module.exports = Regex;


text:
The Very Best of Deep Purple [Rhino]
Album: The Very Best of Deep Purple [Rhino]
1) Hush - (single version)
2) Kentucky Woman - (single version)
3) Black Night
4) Speed King - (U.S. album version)
5) Child in Time
6) Strange Kind of Woman
7) Fireball
8) Demon's Eye
9) Highway Star
10) Smoke on the Water
11) Space Truckin'
12) Woman from Tokyo
13) Burn
14) Stormbringer
15) Knocking at Your Back Door
Performer Notes
Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica, congas); Tommy Bolin (vocals, guitar); Jon Lord (vocals, keyboards); Glen Hughes, Nick Simper (vocals, bass); David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Joe Lynn Turner (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse (guitar); Roger Glover (synthesizer, bass); Ian Paice (drums).
Producers: Deep Purple, Derek Lawrence, Martin Birch, Roger Glover.
Compilation producers: David McLees, Simon Robinson.
Includes liner notes by Greg Burke.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot (DigiPrep).
Composers: David Coverdale; Ian Gillan; Jon Lord ; Ritchie Blackmore; Roger Glover.
Personnel: Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica, congas); Jon Lord (vocals, keyboards); David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes , Rod Evans, Nick Simper (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Morse (guitar); Roger Glover (synthesizer); Ian Paice (drums).
Audio Remasterers: Daniel Hersch; Bill Inglot.
Rhino Records first attracted notice for its ability to assemble good, well-thought-out, best-of and greatest-hits compilations of acts who had enjoyed a chart placement (or two) without ever getting a proper hits package from their own labels; a little later Rhino started their "Very Best Of" series, which managed to be medium-weight but pretty thorough overviews of a lot of major acts (especially in R&B) from the past that needed a fresh look. But in 2000, when they released The Very Best of Deep Purple -- a band that needed no helping hand in the exposure area -- in conjunction with Warner Archives, that was something new for the company. And damned if Deep Purple and their fans, casual or serious, didn't benefit stunningly from Rhino's usual excellence on this CD. For one thing -- and this is pretty amazing -- this disc, with nearly 80-minutes of music, was the most thorough and thoughtful overview of the band's work ever released in the United States; EMI may have come close in England with Singles A's & B's but the sound here is better, to put it mildly. It's not just that Bill Inglot's tape research and engineering are very good -- it's that the sound here is so rich and resonant (as well as -- natch -- loud), that even original lead singer Rod Evans is finally shown at his best, doing what amounted to heavy metal "crooning" next to Ian Gillan's rock-god shrieks. What's more, with the sound as clear and crisp as it is here, one even gets to hear the action on Jon Lord's savage organ cadenzas, which are in-your-face along with Ritchie Blackmore's early but ever-bolder guitar attacks, and one gets some idea of what that version of the band at its best could do. Ian Gillan's arrival and the single "Black Knight" switch the balance away from Lord's classically based experiments in favor of loud, crunchy hard rock, and it's only a step from there to "Speed King," where this band really showed what it was capable of. Even with the volume turned low, you can hear the action on Lord's organ keyboard on "Child in Time," everything else -- including Gillan's falsetto cry -- is close enough to jolt even the most jaded listener -- even 30 years after its release. Mostly it's that classic 1969-73 lineup that's featured, with a two-song acknowledgement of the David Coverdale lineup, and the CD closes with the classic lineup on "Knocking at Your Back Door" from their 1980s reunion. Designed to complement, not compete with, the four-disc box set Shades (1968-1998) that Rhino released the prior year, this is one compilation that will impress hardcore, longtime fans, even as it whets the appetite of new listeners. ~ Bruce Eder & Heather Phares
Home » Music » Hard Rock & Metal » Hard Rock
Home » Music » Pop » Hard Rock
Deep Purple Metal
Deep Purple Music
Best Of Deep Purple Music


text:
9/11 hero fighting deportation is pardoned for 1990 drug offence
Carlos Humberto Cardona played a key role in the recovery operation after 9/11
A hero of the 9/11 rescue effort who was fighting deportation has received a huge boost after being pardoned for a drug offence from 27 years ago.
Carlos Humberto Cardona told an undercover police officer that he had sold a small amount of cocaine in 1990.
He has now been pardoned by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, after his lawyer said he had already served jail time for the offence and has committed no further crimes, US News reported.
Cardona moved to the US from Colombia in 1986 to escape gangs who were threatening his family, and got into America through Mexico illegally.
He played a crucial role as a recovery worker in the days after 9/11, after volunteering to help with the rescue operation. This challenging work later gave him respiratory problems.
Federal programs to provide medical care for those who suffered health problems after 9/11 allowed Cardona to stay in the US, as long as he regularly checked in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
However, he was detained again this year as Donald Trump made the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal records a priority.
Cardona then applied to New York's clemency program and Cuomo pardoned him on Wednesday (June 21).
The governor said: "In the more than 30 years since Carlos Cardona has lived in this country, he has built a family and given back to his community, including in the aftermath of 9/11 when he assisted with ground zero recovery efforts at the expense of his own health.
"It is my hope this action will not only reunite Mr Cardona with his wife and daughter, but also send a message about the values of fairness and equality that New York was founded upon."
Cuomo's decision does not mean Cardona can avoid deportation indefinitely. That decision will be made by immigration authorities.
However, Cardona and his family hope his attorney can now prove the grounds for his deportation are invalid.
Carlos Humberto Cardona
Government loses vote over suspending Parliament


A major question in evolutionary biology, one posed in the mid-1970s by Allan Wilson, is whether genic or regulatory evolution underlies the diversity of phenotypes observed in nature. An additional question that Allan Wilson asked was whether convergent phenotypes are driven by convergence at the level of the genome. We have approached these questions by using comparative genomics to understand the genomic basis of flightlessness in palaeognathous birds, which include the flightless ratites (emu, ostrich, kiwi, etc) and the volant tinamous of the New World. In contrast to the early trees produced by Allan Wilson and others, recent phylogenetic work suggests that tinamous are embedded within the ratite radiation and that flight was likely lost multiple times within the group. We have produced 10 new high-quality palaoengath genomes and aligned these to 32 additional genomes from birds and non-avian reptiles in an easily searchable genome browser. We called ~1.5 million conserved non-exonic elements (CNEEs) in these genomes, of which ~284,000 were greater than 50 bp, and identified those that have undergone relaxation or acceleration in individual ratite lineages or convergently in multiple ratite lineages. We identified ~15,000 CNEEs undergoing acceleration at least one ratite lineage, a CNEE subset that is enriched for elements that have arisen since the avian ancestor, as well as significant numbers of CNEEs and coding regions that have undergone acceleration or adaptive evolution in multiple ratite lineages. We find that the genes nearest to convergently accelerating CNEEs are enriched for roles in development and that many of these show intriguing patterns of expression in developing chickens. Current work is focused on functionally examining the role of specific CNEEs in driving gene expression in chickens, emus and rheas. Overall our results suggest a strong role for non-coding regulatory evolution in the origin of flightlessness in palaeognathous birds.


Not that we're exactly stranded on a doomed ship in the middle of an ocean, but this Ancient Mariner quote does seem relatable. With our expanding digital universe, it can feel like we're surrounded by data but very few insights.
'Some charities are collecting vast amounts of data but struggling to turn it into insights. Others are gleaning insights from data but failing to act on them.' So said my fellow NPCer Katie Boswell at our recent seminar on the topic.
She's not wrong, and charities know it: leaders we interviewed for NPC's State of the Sector research said they feel that the ability to use data to improve is a current challenge for the sector.
They're right to be concerned. When charities collect data it takes some level of effort. This is wasted if this data isn't harnessed. Instead it must be turned into information, then into knowledge, then wisdom, then into the holy grail of informed decisions. But how can charities get there?
To get charities to wisdom and therefore to informed action, the whole organisation needs to be on board. So good leadership is needed to build a culture that sees data as a means to an end, rather than the end itself.
From their data, Place2Be found that a small number of children were not benefiting from their one-to-one counselling service. So field workers were asked to collect additional contextual information to determine the reasons for this change. They found that there were a range of external factors such as family life and bereavement that could account for the deterioration in behaviour, and the staff adapted their services accordingly.
Place2Be now proactively reviews and records all these cases and works to identify other sources of support within the school or external agencies for these children. Cross-organisational buy-in was instrumental to making these improvements.
For Mencap, too, having staff feel part of the mission and responsible for the impact was crucial to getting their buy-in for the charity's strategy. When it developed its measurement framework, people across the organisation and service users were consulted throughout the development of the impact framework.
As the Economist recently proclaimed 'The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.' But like oil, data is not valuable in itself, but for what it can do. Both of these charities clearly recognise the value of data when it is used. There are more examples like this, as well as a step-by-step guide to how charities can use their data to get to wisdom and informed decisions, in our new publication Data with destiny. Download it for free and get started.


text:
Mikko Sumusalo (Porvoo, 12 de março de 1990) é um futebolista finlandês que atua no Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Joga como lateral-esquerdo.

Em seu país, defendeu Klubi-04 e HJK, e desde 2014 joga no futebol alemão, defendendo RB Leipzig, Hansa Rostock e Rot-Weiß Erfurt, onde chegou em junho de 2016.

Pela Seleção Finlandesa, Sumusalo estreou em 2012, contra Trinidad e Tobago.

Links

Futebolistas da Finlândia
Futebolistas do Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi
Futebolistas do RasenBallsport Leipzig
Futebolistas do FC Hansa Rostock
Futebolistas do FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
Jogadores da Seleção Finlandesa de Futebol

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: ITextSharp PDF is not being printed correctly I have a a pdf Which I created using ITextSharp. I set the PageSize to A6 and when rendered with acrobat it's being shown correctly. However when I print It's only taking about 1/10 of the page. the printer is Zebra TLP 2844
Thanks in advance for your help.

A: Acrobat's printing arguments should be: /P /H


text:
Chrome update paused after other apps' data goes missing
Alan Martin Contact via Twitter | December 16, 2019 8:32 am GMT
Google has been forced to pause the rollout of Chrome 79 to Android devices after it began to mess with stored data on other apps.
That may sound implausible, but it all makes sense when you understand how Android WebView works. Basically, apps that don't have their own rendering engine for websites fall back on Google Chrome as their renderer, and the update changed the place where web data is stored on the handset.
Related: Best Android apps
People discovered that their favourite app had seemingly lost all their data – and subsequently left a lot of angry one-star reviews in response. That's a harsh, but understandable reaction. After all, if an app stops working, you blame that app not another one.
The good news is that the data isn't gone – Chrome didn't delete data during the migration – but currently there isn't a way to access it. Google is now looking into a fix after developers arrived on the Chromium bugs board en masse to complain.
"We are currently discussing the correct strategy for resolving this issue," wrote a Google representative. It'll either involve moving missing files to the new locations, or by reverting the change and moving files back.
"We will let you know which of these two options have been chosen soon," the post continued. "In the meantime it would be good to collect a list of affected packages, and details of whether any mitigations have been released to users, and in what versions so that we can test that the respin doesn't interact badly with the mitigation."
As this is a bug that'll only appear if an app is built in a certain way, there's no complete list of affected software. But if your favourite app seems to have forgotten everything, it looks like all isn't lost just yet, so sit tight.
Contact via Twitter
Alan was Deputy Editor of Alphr.com, senior Editor at Mediablaze and a Producer at Mousebreaker, and has freelanced widely for The New Statesman, CNET and Pocket Gamer. Alan currently writes news for …


text:
Crossing Australia with Michael Portillo
Travelling coast to coast on the Indian Pacific railway
Hannah Shaddock - 21 October 2019
Follow Michael Portillo's tracks in Australia, travelling coast to coast on the Indian Pacific railway
In his six-part series, Great Australian Railway Journeys, Michael Portillo tackles one of his longest train trips yet – on the Indian Pacific, which covers 2,704 miles from Perth, on the west coast of Australia, to Sydney, on the east (or vice versa). The journey takes four days and three nights, including several stops, and involves, at nearly 300 miles, the longest stretch of straight track anywhere in the world. But as Portillo discovers, just because there are few twists and turns doesn't mean it's boring.
For railway buffs, of course, the appeal is obvious: four days of eating, drinking and sleeping aboard an iconic train, as the vastness of a continent slides by. But there's plenty of interest beyond the train tracks: few trips cover so much ground, and not just geographically – you also get the chance to go off-road, or rather off-track, to learn about Australia, too, from the mining boom that built its wealth to contemporary art.
There's a whistle-stop tour of Kalgoorlie, the town reminiscent of the Wild West at the heart of the late-19th-century gold rush, and an outback breakfast at Rawlinna, as the sun rises; there's time to wander "ghost town" Cook, in the heart of the Nullarbor, before a longer stop in Adelaide, while the train's crew is changed. You can choose between exploring this southern coastal city – also a terminal for the Pacific's north-south equivalent, the Ghan – by coach or by foot, sampling the wares at the celebrated food market, or going behind the scenes at a true cricket crucible, the Adelaide Oval.
In between these off-train forays, there's plenty of downtime, which is easily spent in the surprisingly cosy cabins. Watching the landscape pass by proves unexpectedly fascinating, as salt flats morph into the rusty earth of the plains, which, later, burst into greenery – and there's the tantalising chance of spotting the wildlife, from emus to kangaroos to camels; more than a million roam the outback. The closest I got, however, was in the dining carriage, where "camel tagine" was on the menu.
It's an insight into the calibre of the meals available on the Indian Pacific. In the elegant dining car, you're served inventive dishes (though this vegetarian can't attest to the camel), with proper cutlery and plates on pristine white tablecloths – only occasionally marred by the splash of wine during bouncy stretches of track. The menu reflects the route, whether it's blue-fin tuna from Port Lincoln on the south coast, a twice-baked soufflé made with cheddar cheese from Adelaide Hills, or even grilled crocodile tail or kangaroo loin.
After dinner, retire to the lounge car and chat to your fellow travellers, listen to live music from the train's resident troubadour, or crack open one of the board games. The car's retro decor – a 70s palette of tans and oranges – belies the up-to-date offerings at the bar, where the staff are happy to whip up bespoke cocktails. Post nightcap, there's a real thrill in returning to your transformed cabin – complete with a chocolate on your pillow – to be lulled to sleep (eventually) by the sway of the train.
After Adelaide, on the Perth to Sydney route's second leg, there's a pause at frontier mining town Broken Hill, where you can take in a drag show at the Palace Hotel, which was a stopover in the 1994 road movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Or you can enjoy a more serene evening perusing Aboriginal art at the local gallery, a glass of wine in hand.
But the undisputed highlight is the Pacific's newest excursion, only offered on the Perth to Sydney route, and which serves as an apt climax: the Blue Mountains, a lush, rolling landscape a couple of hours north-west of Sydney. Wander on foot to get the full effect: clear pathways and lookout spots offer spectacular views across the valley – often carpeted by the thick blue mist that gives the area its name – and its famous rock formation, known as the Three Sisters. Or you can hop on the steepest passenger railway in the world, which descends through a cliff tunnel on a 52-degree incline for a unique view of the rainforest through its glass roof.
Make sure you relish your last moments on the Indian Pacific – for the final, Blue Mountains to Sydney leg, you return to earth with a bump, on an ordinary (though specially chartered) passenger train, which will have you longing for the luxury of the lounge car and the comfort of your cabin. Because just as I had relaxed into the pace of life on the Pacific, it was time to disembark – this time for good.
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text:
B-2, GF, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi 110 013
contact@nordiccentreindia.com
Mon to Fri 09:00 - 18:00
Nordic Secretariat
Study in Nordic Region
Study In Iceland
Nordic India Higher Education Virtual Fair 2021
Summer Programmes
Gender and Society in Contemporary India
Hindi Language Studies
NCI Teaching Practice Placement Programme 2023
Semester Program at University of Hyderabad
Semester at TISS Mumbai
Semester at Sri Venkateswara College Delhi
NCI Internship (Nordic Students)
NCI Internship (Indian Students)
Language Programmes
Winter School 2020 on Indigeneity
How to Become Member
NCI Academic Activity/Collaboration Grant
Nordic Research on India
Granting Insitutions
GINTL India
NCI's India Presence
Since 2004, NCI has an India Liaison office in Delhi, approved by the Indian Government (see History), through which scholars, students and delegations from the member universities can get assistance when preparing for research studies in India and establishing contacts and cooperation with Indian universities and governmental bodies.
Liaison Office and Director's Residence
Researchers, scholars, students and representatives from the member universities of NCI are welcome to visit the NCI India Liaison office. The office is located in the southern part of Delhi, in Nizamuddin East. It is possible for NCI members to use the facilities of the office and director's residence, e.g. organize official meetings and smaller academic events.
The Residence has also three guest rooms available for members for short-term stays. All guests will have access to practical assistance from the staff at the residence.
Directors Residence Guidelines 2023
Welcome to the NCI Residence! We wish you a pleasant stay with us at the Nordic Centre in India. We aim to provide you the best possible assistance while you stay with us and for your larger objectives for visiting India, so please do not hesitate to approach us with any requests, queries, concerns and suggestions.
Below you will find some guidelines and practical information with regard to your stay at the residence.
All the best for your stay in India!
NCI team
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The Nordic Centre in India (NCI) is a consortium of leading universities and research institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Established in 2001 with the objective to facilitate cooperation in research and higher education between the Nordic countries and India, NCI facilitates and supports a wide range of study and research activities in India and in the Nordic countries.
Copyright © 2023 Nordic Centre in India. All rights reserved.


text:
YA book review – "The Hurting" by Lucy van Smit
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of literature for children and young people and that I review such books on here from time to time, not just because I think it's good for 'grown-ups' to delve into these genres (you're missing out if you don't), but also because I know many of you often want recommendations for the youngsters you live with.
I picked up The Hurting from my local library recently (most now have online catalogues with a 'What's New' section so you can browse new titles) and libraries are great for young readers because, unlike me, they often make a quick decision about whether they like something or not and if a book is worth their time, so it can be frustrating when they toss something aside after half an hour that you've paid £6 plus for!
Lucy van Smit is a first-time author and the publisher, Chicken House Books, has a good reputation for quality fiction for young people. It's a YA book, for 15+ I'd say, as there are sexual references, some swearing, quite a bit of peril, and some challenging themes – cancer, alcoholism, death of a parent – all high-grade emotional stuff that teens seem to love! For me, it's not the best YA book I've read this year, but then I'm judging it against The Disappearances, which I think is a phenomenal book, and Just Fly Away, which had a more concise and coherent plot and was for me more enjoyable. There is a lot going on in this book, perhaps too much.
Nell is in her late teens and lives with her father, a very religious alcoholic, and her sister, Harper, who has cancer. They are from Manchester but moved to Norway, ostensibly for Harper's medical treatment. The girls' mother, we learn, left when they were young and they have had no contact since. Nell is a confused young woman; she is the primary carer for her sister, their father either working or incapable most of the time, and she wants to be a singer-songwriter back in Britain, but finds herself cut off from any possibility of making a career in that field. She attends a local school where she experiences bullying and isolation. She decides to go back to the UK, without her family's knowledge, for an audition, but gets into a spot of bother en route and meets Lukas, a handsome but mysterious boy. At first it appears he rescues her but we learn later that he in fact engineered the whole episode in order to entrap her.
There is an instant attraction between Nell and Lukas and Nell quickly falls in love with him. Lukas pursues Nell (and yes, that is the right word), and she is drawn into what can only be described as an edgy relationship with him. It turns out that Lukas is the son of the late Harry Svad, a Norwegian minerals entrepreneur (and Nell's father's employer who, mysteriously, her Dad seems to hate). Svad, along with his wife Rosa, has recently been killed in a helicopter crash. Lukas was not his biological son, however; he was discovered as a very young child living in a wolf pack in an area of forest Svad wanted to mine. Svad 'rescued' and adopted him, but Lukas cannot forgive him for killing the wolves he loved, and says he was also treated cruelly. This draws Nell further into a web of sympathy. Lukas has a baby brother, Pup, who, now an orphan, is in the care of social services. Lukas wants to adopt him when he turns 18 (very soon) but feels he needs to get Pup back now before events spiral out of control, and he says that by the time they catch up with him, he'll be 18 so he'll be able to adopt without a problem. By this stage he is well able to coerce Nell into kidnapping Pup from the foster carer.
Still with me? Yes, I struggled to suspend my disbelief too, but I suspect some young people would not! Nell goes along with Lukas's plan, they kidnap the baby and then run away, back to the grand, extraordinary but isolated Svad home, via stolen car and light aircraft. They are pursued of course, though Lukas is careful to shield Nell from too much contact with the outside world where CCTV images of her are being splashed across news screens.
Spoiler alert: once at the Svad home, Nell begins to realise that Lukas has tricked her, that he actually wants to kill Pup, and frame her, and yet she cannot reconcile these facts with her intense passion for Lukas, the only person who appears to have shown her any love. His behaviour frightens her sufficiently, however, that she decides to escape with Pup (who it turns out is her half-brother, his dead mother, Rosa Svad, having also been Nell's estranged Mum) but this involves a perilous trek through dangerous wolf-inhabited forest. With a baby.
Yes, there is a lot going on here; rather too many events, strands and themes for my liking, and I felt a bit overwhelmed. It rather lost me in the last third of the book, I'm afraid. However, for teens who need a lot of stimulation to keep their interest, this may suit. As I said, I found it hard to believe in the events, but, again, teens who like a touch of fantasy may be able to lose themselves in it and be more forgiving about the lapses in credibility. There were, in my view, some editorial oversights which annoyed me (including a frustrating number of typographical errors, grrr!), but most teens will overlook these. I loved the evocation of place – Norway provides a great setting for the book – and the author does well to convey the sense of threat as well as beauty in the natural world. Nell is a great character and her vulnerability and confusion, her difficult life, and her thwarted dreams may have a resonance for young people. Also, her journey, her survival against the odds and her ability ultimately to overcome her fears, some seemingly insurmountable obstacles and the effects of her first-love blindness, make her a positive role-model.
Recommended for the young people in your life, even if it wasn't quite for me.
Have you read any good YA titles recently?
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Author Julia's booksPosted on November 28, 2018 November 28, 2018 Categories Book Reviews, YA booksTags Blog, blogging, bookblogging, books, first love, libraries, library books, Literature, Lucy van Smit, Norway, survival, The Hurting, wolves, YA fiction, young adult, young peopleLeave a comment on YA book review – "The Hurting" by Lucy van Smit
Listening versus reading
I loved listening to Matt Haig read his wonderful book Notes on a Nervous Planet. I downloaded the audiobook in the Summer and blogged about it here in October. I decided that it was definitely a book I wanted to have on my bookshelves, to dip into occasionally, to read certain chapters at specific times, and to be able to jot notes down. I also decided that it would make a great gift for a few people I know.
I set it as the November book for my Facebook Reading Challenge and so far the feedback seems to be positive. Apart from a handful of my very favourite books (eg Wuthering Heights) I seldom re-read books. I always feel I should; my husband is a great re-reader and says he gets different things out of a book each time he returns to it, and he is right of course. For me, though, there seem to be just too many books to read first time around!
I have made an exception and decided to read Notes on a Nervous Planet again. I'm surprised at how different the reading experience is versus listening. Firstly, the author has a wonderful reading voice and I suppose because it is non-fiction and is very much about his experiences of anxiety and depression, you can sense that it comes straight from the heart. I really think that the narrator of an audiobook plays such an important role in the experience. For example, I loved Hilary Huber's narration of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels, but I struggled with the reading of 1984 by Andrew Wincott…who is Adam in The Archers. I just couldn't get Adam out of my head!
The second interesting difference is the speed. I read quite fast, and I am aware that this means I don't always take in every detail. With listening, however, I listen at the natural pace (I dislike the 1.25 and 1.5 speeds). It does mean that you absorb a lot more of the text. I was surprised reading Notes on a Nervous Planet how many passages I remembered virtually word for word.
The third difference for me may be a very subjective one, but it's about the way the content of the book organises itself in my head. Here, my preference is for the tangible book. Listening to this book I found it more of a continuous narrative, but reading it is more useful to me in terms of taking forward some of the 'recommended' actions – I use the term loosely as it's not a smug, instructional just do as I say and your life will be perfect, sort of book! For others who are more aurally oriented the experience may be different.
Audiobooks are great, especially for long car journeys (if you have the appropriate technology), or, my particular preference, walks into town. I have found with this book, though, that reading again has brought me some extra insight, and that can't be bad.
Are you a fan of audiobooks? Have you ever both read and listened to a particular title?
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Author Julia's booksPosted on November 26, 2018 November 26, 2018 Categories ReadingTags anxiety, audiobooks, blogging, bookblogging, books, Canongate books, depression, Matt Haig, Notes on a Nervous Planet, Reading, reading challenge4 Comments on Listening versus reading
Book Review – "The Music Shop" by Rachel Joyce
I posted on here last week about my brain needing to have a little break from the Man Booker shortlist (especially as I have not found all the books particularly engaging so far). It is a rather bleak shortlist. I have also been unwell for a couple of weeks with sinus problems, and none of these books are exactly a 'pick me up'! So, on a day when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself I lay down on the sofa with The Music Shop, my book club's reading choice for November, and read the whole thing in one sitting. I loved it!
This book caught my eye last year, so it has been on my mental TBR list for some time. In September I attended a one-day conference run by the group that publishes the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook on how to get your book published (almost finished my novel), at which Rachel Joyce was a speaker. Rachel came to novel-writing relatively late in life, coming to prominence only in her late 40s (encouraging!) when her first novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2012) was widely acclaimed, and in fact found its way onto the Man Booker Longlist. Rachel came across as a lovely, down to earth human being, but with her own fascinating story to tell, and a warm and inspiring approach to all the novice writers in the room. I bought The Music Shop at that event.
The books open in 1988 when the central character Frank opens a music shop in a rundown area (Unity Street) of an unnamed city. Frank is passionate about music, something that was instilled in him by his late mother, the eccentric Peg. It is probably the only the good thing that Frank got from her, and as the book goes on, we learn much about the lack of love and security in his childhood. This is important as it helps us to understand Frank's actions later on. The other thing that Frank is passionate about is vinyl; he refuses to sell either cassette tapes or the new-fangled CDs in his shop, much to the chagrin of the salesmen who tell him he is a dinosaur and will have to change with the times. They gradually abandon him.
Unity Street is run-down and regularly vandalised. There are only a handful of businesses, all of them marginal and barely surviving, such as the small shop selling religious souvenirs, run by a former priest, the tattoo parlour run by the indomitable punky Maud, and the two brothers running the funeral parlour. It is a street of misfits and Frank, with his assistant Kit – clumsy, loveable, naïve – slots right in. It is the '80s, however, and Britain is changing. Property developers are anxious to get into Unity Street, for the residents in their run-down houses and the shop-owners barely making ends meet to leave and to bulldoze the whole area to make way for shiny new apartments.
One day, Frank meets Ilse Brauchmann. First, she faints outside his shop. The traders all rally round to help her. Frank is immediately attracted to her, which throws him into a tailspin as this is something he has never felt before. Frank has no self-esteem and does not believe she could possibly feel the same way about him. Ilse, however, leaves her handbag behind in the shop. Kit and the others make great efforts to track Ilse down, fascinated by her mysterious presence, though Frank is nonchalant. They find Ilse and draw her into their community.
Eventually, after some false starts, Ilse, on hearing how Frank has changed the lives of so many of his customers by bringing music to them, asks him to teach her about music. They begin to meet weekly in a café where Frank's confidence gradually builds as he talks about the one subject he knows, that he feels confident about and which enables him to be his true self.
Their burgeoning relationship is destined to fail, however, as they stumble from one misunderstanding to another, because of Frank's fear, but also because there seems to be something about Ilse that she is not revealing.
This book is a love story, but it is a roller-coaster of one, that will take you on twists and turns you cannot anticipate. It kept me absolutely gripped – I was at times so frustrated with both of them, but also deeply moved by their respective stories and the things I as the reader knew were getting in the way. The ending is not what I was expecting at all.
It is also a story about something softer and gentler which we lost when certain powerful commercial forces came and took over our towns. To that extent this book is much more than a love story, it succeeds on so many other levels too. The Unity Street traders are all lonely people who have had their troubles in life. They are all 'the left-behind' but they have each other and they are rich, nuanced, powerful characters in their own right and mostly have the last laugh.
I recommend this book highly. A great story which is truly uplifting. It will make you laugh at times and it may also make you cry.
Have you read The Music Shop? If so, what did you think?
Author Julia's booksPosted on November 21, 2018 November 21, 2018 Categories Book ReviewsTags Black Swan, Blog, blogging, book review, bookblogging, books, community, fiction, love and friendship, music, Rachel Joyce, The Music Shop, vinyl records2 Comments on Book Review – "The Music Shop" by Rachel Joyce
Man Booker shortlist review #5 – "The Mars Room" by Rachel Kushner
I have finally finished The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, my penultimate read on this year's Man Booker shortlist. I blogged last week that had been finding it quite hard-going. I wouldn't say it's a 'difficult' book, like Everything Under, where it helps to be aware of the Oedipus myth in order to be able to enjoy it. No, I just found the pace of the book very slow and, I'm afraid, uneventful.
The story concerns Romy Hall, a young woman whom we first meet in a prison van en route to Stanville Women's Correctional Facility, somewhere in California. Romy was convicted of a brutal murder and has been given two life sentences plus six years. Romy worked as a lap dancer at The Mars Room nightclub in San Francisco and it was a former customer at the nightclub that she killed. Romy is at once similar but different to her fellow convicts. For one thing she has a seven year old child, Jackson, whose welfare she becomes increasingly concerned about during her incarceration, and she also completed high school, so she is considerably more educated than many of those around her.
Romy quickly finds her way in the prison and most of the book is about prison life, the community, the social norms and the formal and informal rules that dictate life inside. There is also the cast of characters, the gender non-binary, the ambiguous sexualities, the weak and the strong, the hierarchy. The women appear to have two things in common, one implicit, they are mostly racial minorities, the other explicit, they are nearly all poor and of low educational attainment.
To that extent the book is, in my view, largely a political one. The author has insisted this is not the case, preferring to think of it as showing the humanity, the variety of life and the personalities in prisons in America, where society is normally inclined to dehumanise and to view homogeneously, the prison population. However, I think the political message is inescapable – that prison is a dumping ground for the poor and under-educated that society does not know what to do with. Kushner is also exposing the twisted logic of differing sentences for similar crimes. I found the comparison of the crimes committed by Stanville's residents to the killings of civilians by the American state in Iraq, and the notion of double standards, a little clumsy, but she has a point.
The book is not just about Romy and prison life, there are the back stories too: the unsavoury characters both Romy and some of the other women knew before they ended up in prison, many of them no better than the convicted women, and the events and circumstances of their lives, which most of us will never experience. This is the world of an American underclass. An underclass which usually ends up in the corrupt and failing (in Kushner's view) penal system. There is also the character of Hauser, the prison teacher who Romy hopes might help her find out what has happened to Jackson. It is strictly against the rules for Hauser to do this, but there is something about Romy which appeals to him, and he breaks with procedure when he finds himself inexplicably attracted to her. (Spoiler alert: I was hoping this storyline might go further but it doesn't). Hauser represents grey, upstanding, dutiful middle America which wants to do the right thing, recognising that some of those in jail have some good qualities, but which is clueless and naïve, and which cannot deal with the brutal realities of prisoners and prison life.
This is an exposing book and Kushner spent a lot of time inside jails in America, talking to women prisoners, trying to understand their lives and their perspectives, and for that she is to be commended. Whilst I appreciated what the author is trying to do here, and certainly it was an eye opener, for me the book didn't go anywhere. Some have described the ending, where Romy is driven to extreme action on account of her son, as intense and thrilling. For me it wasn't. I found it anti-climactic.
The book reminded me of those Louis Theroux documentaries, where he went into American jails, and talked to prisoners. The people he met were a complex mix of terrifying, troubled, under-educated and deeply in need. And mostly black and Hispanic. The book is a bit like that, but, for me, with not quite enough of a story going on.
Recommended if you like Louis Theroux documentaries about American jails.
Have you read The Mars Room or any other of the books on this year's Man Booker shortlist? If so, I'd love to hear how you're getting on.
Author Julia's booksPosted on November 19, 2018 November 19, 2018 Categories Book ReviewsTags Book Reviews, bookblogging, books, education, fiction, injustice, Jonathan Cape, literary fiction, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker shortlist 2018, poverty, prison, Rachel Kushner, The Mars Room, underclass, USA, USA penal system1 Comment on Man Booker shortlist review #5 – "The Mars Room" by Rachel Kushner
Time for a little light reading
Regular followers of this blog will know that I have recently been reviewing each of the Man Booker shortlisted books. It's a month since the winner, Anna Burns's Milkman, was announced, and I still haven't finished all six books – I don't know how on earth I thought I'd get them all read before the gala dinner! I've found them all pretty heavy going, to be honest, which is perhaps why it has taken me so long. And, I have to say, it's been a bit bleak too!
So much so that I had to have a break from all the heaviness to read something a little more uplifting and which didn't tax my brain quite so much. I wasn't very well last week and simply couldn't face into The Mars Room (next on my Man Booker list) – if you have heard it is bleak, well it is! So far (not quite finished it yet). So, with my blanket, hot water bottle and cups of tea to hand I settled onto the sofa and read Rachel Joyce's The Music Shop cover to cover in one day. I simply could not put it down.
This book came to my attention last year. I really liked the sound of it and recommended it in one of my 'what to look our for this season' blogs, so it was on my TBR list. Then I saw Rachel speak at a Writers & Artists Conference I was at in September. She was such a wonderful speaker, really warm, authentic and engaging, that I had to get a copy of this book and have been eager to start it. It was a joy and just what I needed, when I was feeling unwell and when my brain was starting to hurt from the Man Booker. Look out for my review of The Music Shop next week.
The Mars Room is quite good, but, for me, just unremittingly bleak. Yes, good fiction should challenge us, but sometimes you just need something that makes you feel up rather than down. I've found it quite a dark shortlist this year and I haven't even started The Overstory yet which, since it is meant to be about climate change, I am fully expecting to be a sobering if not depressing read. Maybe that reflects the times we find ourselves in. It's not just the subject matter though; some of the books, though I have admired them, have, at times, felt like wading through treacle. I felt like that about Everything Under, and I'm rather getting that feeling about The Mars Room. It is only the colourful prose style, with its American prison vernacular, that is keeping my attention at the moment, because it has little story to speak of, it seems to me.
The Music Shop on the other hand, was all story, all character, all cliffhanger, all page-turner. This high-brow literature, which, don't get me wrong, I dearly love and support, is all very well, but sometimes you just need a jolly good read. Especially when your sinuses are blocked and your head hurts!
So it's more Rachel Joyce on the TBR list for me, and a second wind to finish The Mars Room and complete that shortlist.
Happy reading everyone!
Are you drawn to literature that is dark or do you feel reading should always be about pleasure?
Author Julia's booksPosted on November 16, 2018 Categories UncategorizedTags blogging, bookblogging, books, fiction, light reading, literary fiction, Literature, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker shortlist 2018, Rachel Joyce, Rachel Kushner, The Mars Room, The Music Shop1 Comment on Time for a little light reading
Theatre Review: "Hamilton", London
I first became aware of the Broadway show Hamilton when we visited family in the US in 2016. I was told that if (when!) this came to London I should beg, steal or borrow tickets because it was sensational. Yes, I said, politely, thinking that a show about the Founding Fathers of America probably would not do as well in the UK. It has. And it is. Sensational.
My youngest daughter, a keen singer, started getting into the show a year or so ago. She has been listening to and singing along to the soundtrack almost continuously ever since. When it was her birthday earlier this year I decided to get her tickets. I was astonished to discover how difficult these were to obtain (and how expensive!), so she has been waiting patiently for almost six months to enjoy her birthday gift. Last week, during half term, we travelled to London to see the show. It was worth the wait and she promptly declared that it was the best experience of her life. For me, seeing her enjoying something so much and how she has engaged so wholeheartedly with the story, the music and the ethos of the production, has the been the greatest pleasure.
I've seen a few musicals over the years, and many of the biggest ones, but they would not normally be my first choice for theatre. I prefer drama. Also, I find that some of these productions, when they have had very long runs, can become tired. Hamilton has been at the Victoria Palace for over a year now and it certainly has not run out of steam. The show was a tour de force from the opening bars to the final curtain. I must also say that, knowing the songs as well as I do (they've been in my background for months!) added to my enjoyment.
I knew next to nothing about Alexander Hamilton the man. He was the brains behind the United States financial system, the first Treasury Secretary, influential in George Washington's presidency and founder of the national bank. As an orphan who climbed his way to the top of politics, he embodies the American dream of self-made success. He was killed in a duel by his long-time rival Aaron Burr in his late forties. Quite a life.
As you may know, Hamilton has won many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, mostly for its originality. The music of the show incorporates rap, hip-hop, R&B and soul, unusual for this type of production, and it is both refreshing and memorable. It is also well-known for its colour-conscious casting of non-white actors. Whilst none of the main protagonists in the story were actually people of colour, the aim was to draw attention to how black and non-white history is so often under-acknowledged and under-discussed. It seemed appropriate that we went to see the show during black history month which aims to redress that balance.
So, a stunning show that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. I now consider myself a fan and would definitely see it again. The energy of the show left both my daughter and I on a real high.
Have you seen Hamilton? If so, what did you think?
Author Julia's booksPosted on November 10, 2018 November 9, 2018 Categories Theatre reivewsTags Alexander Hamilton, Black history month, Blog, blogging, Founding fathers, Hamilton, London, musical theatre, theatre, USA, Victoria Palace TheatreLeave a comment on Theatre Review: "Hamilton", London
Man Booker Review #4 – "Washington Black" by Esi Edugyan
This was my fourth read from this year's Man Booker shortlist and the most conventional I have read so far. The novel begins in Barbados in 1832 on a plantation owned by Erasmus Wilde, an Englishman who inherited the estate from an uncle on his mother's side. He has been forced to manage the business as his father, a famous explorer who has spent most of his life away from home and family, shows no interest. As you might expect, Erasmus runs the plantation with cruelty and treats the slaves he has inherited (and now owns) as inhuman; they represent nothing more to him than units of work who must be managed and mistreated in order to keep them functioning. George Washington Black ('Wash') is a young boy at this time who has known nothing in his life apart from slavery. He lives on the plantation mainly in the care of Big Kit, a fellow slave who protects but also, at times, treats him cruelly, for what she sees as his own good, to harden him up for the life he will lead.
Washington Black's life is turned around, however, when Erasmus's younger brother, Christopher, or 'Titch', arrives at the plantation. He is an inventor, a man of science like his father, who does not share his brother's views on slavery. Titch has come to Barbados in order to work on a flying machine he has designed and asks his brother for a helper. Erasmus loans him Washington Black and the boy goes to live in Titch's quarters, helping him with drawings and experiments as well as practical household tasks. Titch discovers that Washington has considerable artistic talent as well as abilities which will be useful in his science projects and he teaches him to read. This change in Wash's circumstances means he can probably never go back to being with the other slaves and the question is posed whether Titch has served his protégé well.
A cousin of the Wilde brothers, Philip, arrives at Faith plantation to convey the news that the men's father is missing presumed dead. Titch is devastated, but for Erasmus this represents yet more administrative burden as it means he must now run all the family's business. Philip remains at Faith plantation for many weeks, staying in Titch's quarters, so Wash gets to know him well. He is a malign presence; on one occasion, while out with Titch observing the preparations for the flying machine he shouts an instruction to Wash that causes him to stand too close to a device that explodes. Wash suffers disfiguring facial burns and it is as if Philip knew it would happen.
One day, Philip takes Wash, to help him on a shooting trip, during which the troubled Philip turns the gun on himself and commits suicide. It is immediately clear to 12 year old Wash that, as the only witness, he will be blamed and most likely executed. Wash returns to Faith to tell Titch, who is also quick to realise the implications. Titch decides they must leave immediately and he decides to launch the flying machine he has been working on. The night is a stormy one, however, and not ideal conditions for the launch of the 'Cloud-cutter', a bizarre contraption that seems to be a cross between a hot-air balloon and a rowing boat. Though it travels for a short distance, they have to finally crash land it on a boat in the ocean. Fortunately, the ship's captain is sympathetic and allows the pair to sail with them to America.
Wash is now an escaped slave, and one instantly recognisable by his scarred face. Titch takes Wash with him on a search for his missing father (he does not believe that he died), but it becomes apparent that he wishes to separate from him. The two eventually find Titch's father in the frozen north of Canada, and it is clear that the relationship between the two men is a difficult one that leaves Titch troubled. During a blizzard, Titch leaves their camp, and Wash finds himself alone and having to fend for himself, even more so when the old man eventually does die.
The rest of the novel is about how Wash makes his way in the world, evades capture by a slave-hunter and eventually finds himself in England, pursuing his passion for biology. Always, however, he is preoccupied by Titch's abandonment of him and by the mystery of his own early life when he was transported from Africa. He finds some success and a settled life, but he becomes frustrated with the fact that his achievements will never be fully recognised, even in abolitionist England, because he is a black former slave.
This is an interesting and fascinating novel and I found the story deeply engaging. The characters are well-drawn and authentic and the issue of black slavery, the horrors of it and how it dehumanised all its victims, is vividly explored. The novel is broad in scope and beautifully written and I enjoyed it very much. Like most of the books I have read so far from the shortlist (The Long Take excepted) there is a drop in pace about half to two thirds of the way through, and I do think this is an editing issue. There are parts that could have been slimmed down in my view.
That issue aside, it remains a great story, and I recommend it.
How did you rate this Man Booker shortlisted book?
Author Julia's booksPosted on November 7, 2018 November 7, 2018 Categories Book ReviewsTags Blog, book review, bookblogging, books, Esi Edugyan, fiction, literary fiction, Literature, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker shortlist 2018, Serpent's Tail, slavery, Washington Black1 Comment on Man Booker Review #4 – "Washington Black" by Esi Edugyan


The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has granted its consent to Eni Norge for use of the Eirik Raude to drill three wells near the well 7722/7-1 Goliat in the Barents Sea.
The three wells are 7122/7-3, 7122/7-4 and 7122/7-5 in production license 229.
Eni Norge AS is operator, with an ownership interest of 65 percent. The other licensees are Statoil (20 percent) and Det norske Oljeselskap (15 percent).
The three wells are located northwest of Hammerfest, and the shortest distance to land is 48 km. The plan is to drill the wells using the semi-submersible drilling facility "Eirik Raude".
The exploration drilling activity is expected to last for about 130 days, and the earliest possible start-up date is 19 August 2005. Drilling in oil-bearing strata is permitted during the period from 1 September 2005 to 15 January 2006.
Our decision is based on the application submitted by Eni Norge AS, with supplementary documentation showing that the planned operations can be carried out in accordance with applicable regulations.
The consent is granted under conditions set forth in the Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) for the Eirik Raude, issued on 15 September 2004, with the obligations this entails for the rig owner and the operator.


The 2018 Rugby Championship starts in Sydney on 18 August and ends in Japan on 27 October. The referee to blow the whistle to start the championship is Jaco Peyper.
The teams taking part are Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The referees appointed are Wayne Barnes (England), Angus Gardner, (Australia), Jérôme Garcès (France), Pascal Gaüzère (France), Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand), Nigel Owens (Wales), Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Romain Poite (France), Mathieu Raynal (France).
There are four from France, two from New Zealand, and one each from Australia, England, South Africa and Wales. They could possibly be regarded as the 10 top referees in the world with possible tickets to the 2919 Rugby World Cup.