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Muscat : The Research Council (TRC) represented by the Institute of Advanced Technology Integration (IATI), in cooperation with Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, conducted the first test in the Sultanate's waters for the Wave Glider, which is a water probe designed to be used for detecting and collecting samples of groundwater discharged water.
The Wave Glider's first test in Oman was conducted in Qurayat, starting from Qurayat Port. It included a water landing operation for the Wave Glider, using a ship with a hydraulic crane from Blue Waters LLC. The wireless communication systems and sensors installed on the Glider have also been tested in this trial. The conducted tests proved the high efficiency of the device and its ability in coping with the hot climate conditions of the Sultanate during this period of the year.
The Wave Glider is a multi-use device with a range of uses that include environmental studies, data collection on marine environmental data, meteorology, oceanography, and hydrographic surveys. It can be also used to study the marine phenomena, such as red tide.
The Wave Glider is being developed under the project of 'Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) – Adaption of an Autonomous Aquatic Vehicle for Robotic Measurements, Sampling and Monitoring', which is one of the three projects that are carried out by IATI, in cooperation with GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, one of the research centers of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
"One of the main objectives of this project is to find non-traditional sources of water in the sultanate and study how they can be utilized to meet the growing water needs in the country," Dr. Omar added.


Sun Metro won the South West Transit Association Third Place Spotlight Award at the 2009 SWTA Marketing event for the SMART 101 marketing campaign in September 2009.
The Spotlight Award honors outstanding work for total mixed-media marketing campaigns that show a unifying strategy, purpose or theme.
More than 25 transit agencies from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma participated in the annual event to exchange ideas and compete for the Spotlight and other awards recognizing successful marketing campaigns that build awareness or educate their community.
In March 2009, Sun Metro and the City of El Paso introduced SMART 101, a new route giving public transit riders a quicker travel option with dedicated bus lanes and streetlight synchronization. SMART 101 became the city's first step to provide El Paso with a bus rapid transit system.
This new route reduces a 30-minute route to 11 minutes. The route's efficiency is due in part to the special technology featured in each of the buses that allowed for the route's traffic lights to be manipulated to either extend the green light or shorten the red light.
The SMART 101 has been so successful; Sun Metro created and recently implemented the SMART 103. The SMART 103 route provides limited-stop express service from the new Bert Williams Downtown Santa Fe Transfer Center to the intersection of Alameda and Zaragoza, Monday through Saturday.


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The road ahead for farming is branching out — and that's how consumers like it
Jun 1, 2017 Farm Living
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Public polling shows that millions of Canadian consumers remain hostile to growth hormones and GM foods, despite overwhelming evidence showing the technologies are safe. If explaining and defending ag practices with science isn't feasible, what are the alternatives for Canadian farmers? | Getty Illustration
Public polling shows that millions of Canadian consumers remain hostile to growth hormones and GM foods, despite overwhelming evidence showing the technologies are safe. If explaining and defending ag practices with science isn't feasible, what are the alternatives for Canadian farmers? Western Producer reporters Ed White and Robert Arnason explore this question.
Kevin Folta took more than a decade to understand why science isn't a great way to change people's minds in the debate over genetically modified foods and pesticides.
"It only took me 12 years, of really working hard to share science and give people facts, to realize that it wasn't working," said Folta, professor and chair of the University of Florida horticultural sciences department and a well-known science communicator, who talks about genetically modified foods and modern agriculture.
"I was able to preach to the choir," he said from his office in Gainesville, Fl. "That worked great. The choir was happy… but I wasn't reaching the people who were just concerned. The people in the middle who didn't know, one way or the other."
It's clear to him that the food market is segmented and that some consumers want breakfast cereal that is non-GMO, and cage-free eggs or beef without added hormones.
Conventional farmers should fight fire with fire, Folta said.
"I think what Canada's producers should do is use this as an opportunity to create their own segment. That's what many places are doing.
"When you're not doing something wrong, you lean into it…. It's a place for us to match it with our own label. Our own brand."
Some conventional producers are already in the branding game. Field To Market is an alliance of grower organizations, conservation groups and agricultural corporations in the U.S. that have developed metrics for sustainable production. Its mandate, at least partly, is to demonstrate that conventional farmers are doing things to protect air, soil and water.
Owen Roberts, University of Guelph research communications director and a journalist who writes about agriculture and food, said some farmers loath market segmentation and for good reason.
Labels like "Certified Humane" suggest that conventional producers are doing something wrong.
But Roberts said the "horse has already left the barn" when it comes to segmentation. So conventional producers may need their own identity in the market.
"Why not segment by conventional (agricultural) properties that are already good?" he asked.
"Like safety or price or availability or taste or appearance. Those are legitimate things to segment yourself."
Folta doesn't agree with some of the brands and labels on the market, such as the Non-GMO Project, but he says arguing about the validity of such claims may be a lost cause.
Saying such labels are scientifically "crazy" or "wrong" doesn't accomplish much because few people are swayed by such arguments, he said.
"(Some people) they'll say, well, we are going to avoid pesticides and genetic engineering because what if there's a problem?
"You're not going to win that back by saying: 'Don't worry about it. Trust us. There's no problem'."
One Canadian example is using growth promotants, or hormones, to increase the rate of gain for beef cattle. The practice is scientifically safe, as the amount of hormones added to a hamburger or steak are almost non-existent.
But when producers and scientists share that fact it doesn't move the needle on public perception.
Polling data shows the percentage of Canadians concerned about growth hormones hasn't changed since 2001.
"Telling (people) how many nanograms of hormones (are) in 100 grams of beef, apparently isn't working," said Crystal Mackay, chief executive officer of Farm & Food Care Canada, an organization that talks to the public about farm practices.
"Our 'educating' them with the facts is absolutely not working…. I'm part of this (problem). This has been my whole career, trying to have a conversation with the public."
Getting angry at companies that sell cage-free eggs, hormone-free beef or GMO-free products isn't effective either.
In 2013, A&W began selling beef raised without hormones or antibiotics, as part of a "Better Beef" campaign.
Cattle ranchers in Canada were furious, particularly by the implication that there's something wrong with conventional beef. But their outrage, on social media and in the traditional media, had little impact.
A&W reported that Canadians responded positively to the campaign and its hamburger sales jumped.
Mackay said it's difficult to argue against consumer choice. Canadians can now choose from 10 different types of eggs and the scope of choice may soon include things like glyphosate-free oatmeal.
"That's not going anywhere. If anything (there might be) more micro-segmentation," Mackay said. "Why shouldn't the consumer have choice? I've personally tried to get my head around this whole shift to say, embrace choice and embrace skepticism."
David McInnes, former president of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, has said that consumers, around the world want food that provides health and environmental benefits. Canada is well positioned to deliver on those desires because it's one of a few countries that can produce substantial quantities of food without destroying its natural resources.
In Canada, Farm & Food Care research indicates the public wants healthy and affordable food.
"(It) was the most important issue of concern to Canadians in 2016," Mackay said. "Above health care, energy and economy. That is huge."
Canadian farmers are already producing food that is nutritious and affordable, so building a brand around those attributes seems logical.
"And the third piece is local. So put the Canadian flag on it. So we have healthy, affordable food grown close to home. Boom," Mackay said. "We haven't capitalized on that by branding."
Another branding opportunity is food safety. Mackay regularly takes urban foodies, chefs and social media influencers to Canadian farms, to show them what a farm actually looks like. They are often shocked by the exhaustive safety protocols for things like milk production.
"They cannot believe all the work that goes into making sure that milk is safe," Mackay said. "No idea."
Production standards, positive attributes and a positive brand may help conventional farmers push back on labels like non GMO.
"We're going further than people like Chipotle who say no GMOs. We're saying we're using genetic engineering to cut pesticide applications and using it to decrease labour costs and carbon footprint," Folta said. "We're not just a marketing gimmick. We're deeper than that."
Part of embracing labels and consumer choice is accepting the idea that market segmentation might be good for farmers.
If consumers have an abundance of choice, like free-range, organic and certified humane, it could reduce the risk of a public backlash.
If no-added-hormone beef is widely available, the government or corporations have little reason to impose a mandate or ban the use of growth promotants in beef cattle.
And since consumers want choice, why go to war against that choice?
"It's better to be in front of a trend than behind it," Roberts said.
As well, it's obvious that organic farmers are benefiting from their segment of the market because prices are two or three times higher than conventional products. Having more market niches, in the future, could increase returns for more farmers.
"Ultimately, more choices are a good thing," Folta said. "If people want segments, give them segments."
Ractopamine use as a feed additive is authorized in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Almost two dozen countries have approved ractopamine as safe for use.
Its use in food animals has been banned in more than 160 countries, including Russia, China and the EU.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use in pigs in 1999.
A peer-reviewed study submitted to the Journal of Animal Science says ractopamine promotes deposition of lean tissue at the expense of fat, providing substantial improvements in weight gain and lean tissue growth. That study concluded that ractopamine has been found to affect the behavior, heart rate and catecholamine profile of finishing pigs and making them more difficult to handle and potentially more susceptible to handling and transport stress.
The international reference standard Codex Alimentarius Commission has set a maximum residue limit of 10 parts per billion for muscle cuts of beef and pork.
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Posts Tagged 'Norma Ledezma'
Daughter's murder motivated Norma Ledezma to hunt for Mexico's disappeared
On 4 December 2019 the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported on Norma Ledezma, the Mexican human rights defender who was announced as one of the three finalists for the 2020 Martin Ennals Award [see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2019/11/26/breaking-news-mea-has-3-women-hrds-as-finalists-for-2020/].
When a worried parent calls for help finding a missing child, Norma Ledezma says she often immediately has a sense of whether they are likely to be found alive. Seventeen years after her daughter Paloma disappeared in northern Mexico, Ledezma has helped hundreds of families cope with the psychological and legal aftermath such cases, and experience has taught her how to react. "You have to learn to understand human behavior, the victim's environment, the possible perpetrator's environment," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "We've found a lot dead and unfortunately most are still missing, that's the reality."
The former factory worker, who left school at 11 but has completed a law degree since becoming a campaigner and founded her organization Justice for our Daughters in 2002. She succeeded in getting the government to name a justice center for women was named after Paloma, who was 16 when she went missing. She has also helped locate some victims alive, including several who were being trafficked. Most, however, are never found.
…Collectives of mothers who have lost children have scoured the Mexican countryside armed with shovels following tips of where mass graves might hold their loved ones. About one in four of those listed as missing are women, though the government said earlier this year it was reviewing the data. Ledezma said the government had no strategy to fix the issue. The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this year it said it would allow the United Nations to review reports on cases of disappearances.When her body was found, authorities did not run DNA tests on her, instead relying on clothing samples and the color of her nail polish. Ledezma could not bring herself to go into the room where her body lay. It was on the day of Paloma's funeral that Ledezma decided to help those who seek justice for similar cases and she has pressed on despite threats from organized criminals. "I haven't left the country because I have a debt to my daughter… I'll be here until the last day", she said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-crime-rights/daughters-murder-led-activist-to-hunt-for-mexicos-disappeared-idUSKBN1Y82G6
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: disappearances, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA, MEA finalists 2020, Mexico, Norma Ledezma
BREAKING NEWS: MEA has 3 women HRDs as finalists for 2020
Late on Monday 25 November 2019 the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders announced that its has three exceptional women as the finalists for the 2020 award, a demonstration of the leading position now occupied by women in the defence of human rights. In Yemen, Huda Al-Sarari has exposed and challenged the existence of secret prisons and many cases of torture. In Mexico, Norma Ledezma is fighting against femicides and disappearances. In South Africa, Sizani Ngubane is fighting for access for women to education and to land.
In 2020, for the first time the Jury nominated three women who defend the fundamental rights of their communities in sensitive contexts. 'The Martin Ennals Foundation is proud to recognise the courageous work of three women. For the 2020 edition, our Jury's choice reflects the ever-greater global impetus of individuals – whatever their gender – who are committed to respect for human rights and women's rights in particular', says Isabel de Sola, Director of the Martin Ennals Foundation. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2019/11/19/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence-start-on-25-november-2019/]
The 2020 Finalists are:
In Yemen, where the conflict has been ongoing since 2005, Huda Al-Sarari, a Yemeni lawyer, unveiled the existence of several secret detention centres where the worst violations of human rights were committed: torture, disappearances or even extrajudicial executions.
In South Africa, women face discrimination, the worst expression of which is widespread gender violence. In rural communities, they frequently have their land expropriated and are deprived of access to education and justice. Sizani Ngubane founded an organisation of more than 50,000 women from rural areas in her country and has fought successfully for over 40 years for the recognition of their rights.
In Mexico, the civil population is paying a high price for the weakness of the rule of law which is underpins widespread violence and impunity. Women are the primary victims, with more than 3,500 femicides committed each year. Norma Ledezma, who is the mother of one of the victims, puts all her energy into supporting families seeking access to justice in the state of Chihuahua.
Huda Al-Sarari is a Yemeni lawyer and human rights activist. She graduated in Sharia and Law from Aden University in 2011 and holds a masters in Women's Studies and Development from the Women's Centre at Aden University. She has been working for more than a decade with numerous local Yemeni human rights organisations such as the Yemeni Women's Union, the Adalah Centre for Rights and Freedoms and the National Committee to Investigate Allegations of Human Rights Violations. Over the last years, she investigated, exposed and challenged the network of secret prisons run by foreign governments in Yemen since 2015, where thousands of men and boys suffered arbitrary detention and torture. Huda Al-Sarari collected evidence on more than 250 cases of abuse taking place within the prisons and succeeded in convincing international organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to take up the cause. Despite the threats, defamation campaigns and sacrifices she and her family endured, she continues to stand alongside the families of those who have disappeared and pursue justice. In October 2019, she was honoured as a co-finalist by the Aurora Prize.
'Huda Al Sarari has chosen not to leave Yemen. That is a decision which shows a rare courage, all the more so as she is working in a high-risk context and a source of danger for herself' declared Alice Mogwe of the FIDH
Norma Librada Ledezma began her career as a human rights defender the day her daughter, Paloma, disappeared on her way home from school in Chihuahua, Mexico. Since that moment, Norma has dedicated herself to seeking justice for the families and victims of femicide, disappearance and human trafficking in Mexico. She is one of the founders and Director of Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas, a local organisation that offers legal counsel and support to ongoing cases. She is a member of the Board of the Centre for Justice for Women of Chihuahua, the Consultative Assembly of the Executive Committee for Victim's Redress, and Deputy Coordinator of the Committee for Prevention and Redress of Domestic and Gender-based Violence. Norma has supported over 200 investigations into cases of femicide and disappearances, on behalf of both male and female victims. As a party in the case over her daughter's murder, which was brought before the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights, Norma is responsible for the creation of a Special Prosecutor for Women Victims of Violence in her native state of Chihuahua. In spite of having received numerous death threats, she continues with her human rights work.
'Norma Ledezma has received numerous death threats, but she is not daunted and continues her work seeking not only to obtain justice for the murder of her daughter, but for all the young women who have been murdered,' noted Andrew Anderson of Frontline Defenders.
Sizani Ngubane is a South African activist who has dedicated her life to promoting gender equality, fighting for women's and indigenous people's rights. After her initial career as an activist with the ANC, she became Provincial Coordinator of the SA Women's National Coalition in 1991 and contributed to the development of the Women's Charter for Effective Equality in South Africa. That contribution was instrumental in building the section on rural and indigenous women of the Bill of Rights within the South African Constitution. In 1998, Sizani founded the Rural Women's Movement (RWM), a unique organisation striving against gender-based violence and for women's access to land, education, land rights, property and inheritance rights in courts operating under customary law. Recently, she is focused on fighting against traditional courts legislation, such as the Ingonyama Trust, which could lead to the misappropriation of many families' land in KwaZulu-Natal Province.
'Sizani Ngubane's work has greatly advanced the rights of women and girls in South Africa over more than 40 years,' underlined Guadalupe Marengo of Amnesty International.
The jury of the MEA is made up of ten of the world's leading human rights organisations. They are: Amnesty International, Bread for the World, the International Commission of Jurists, the FIDH, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, HURIDOCS, the World Organisation against Torture and the International Service for Human Rights. In order to reflect the cultural and geographic diversity of the human rights movement, a global network of regional human rights organisations consults with the selection process.
The 2020 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders will be presented to one of them on 19 February during a ceremony hosted by the City of Geneva in the Salle Communale de Plainpalais (Geneva), in the presence of the three finalists. The event, organised by the City of Geneva, is open to the public. In order to make it possible for an international audience to participate, the event is also livestreamed. All the details on the evening's event is available here: www.martinennalsaward.org
For more information on this and other awards, see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/martin-ennals-award-for-human-rights-defenders
For media inquiries contact: Chloé Bitton, Communications Manager, Martin Ennals Foundation media@martinennalsaward.org Mobile: +41.78.734.68.79
Twitter : @martinennals
Facebook : facebook.com/martinennals
Youtube : youtube.com/martinennalsaward
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/martin-ennals-foundation/
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | 2 Comments »
Tags: Chloé Bitton, City of Geneva, digest, Huda Al-Sarari, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Isabel de Sola, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA finalists 2020, Mexico, Norma Ledezma, Sizani Ngubane, South Africa, women human rights defenders, Yemen
Palestinian and Israeli human rights defenders stand together: Mohammed Khatib and Jonathan Pollak


A leisurely walk (coast) in Clwyd, Wales, about 4.60km (2.86 mi) long with an estimated walking time of about 1:45h. It is suitable for families with children, but unsuitable for prams & pushchairs, wheelchairs.
A leisurely, circular walk (countryside) starting in Clwyd, Wales, about 5.00km (3.11 mi) long, duration: ~1:45h.
Take the path at the rear of bowling green, turn left into church grounds, then take the path past the church through the Lych Gate to exit onto a main road.
Cross, then turn right to follow the main road to see a stone gate entrance to Gwrych Castle. Don't go in, but turn left. Follow the road uphill past the golf club to find an entrance on the left to some woods.
Turn left up a forestry track. Follow this round to see an earth mound.
Great views East, West and North over the town, and towards Rhyl, the Clwydian Hills, Gwrych Castle, Llanddulas, the golf club and wind farms. Head back down to the forestry track; look for the wooden steps on the left of the track. Climb these to cross Ffos-y-Bleiddiaid (Wolves' Ditch).
Crosses Ffos-y-Bleiddiaid, a deep narrow gorge, and a potential roost for bats. Follow the path which has steep drops on the left side - PARENTS, WATCH CHILDREN - to Castell Cawr, an Iron Age hill fort.
An Iron Age hill fort and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Take in the great views south over the valley and distant hills. Descend through the forest to see the road to a farm.
Turn left and follow the road to meet a minor road.
Turn right. Look up to your right to see the remains of a quarry, from which stone was taken to build Bryngwenallt Hall which you will see shortly. Look for a public footpath sign on your left.
Enter and look right, over the wall, to see Bryngwenallt Hall. Follow the path over two estate roads to meet the main Llanfair road.
Turn left and follow the road into town to see the pelican crossing from earlier.
Hope you enjoyed it. Should you have time to explore more of Abergele, this is 1 of 5 walks: pick up a walks leaflet from the library, or return to the bowling green where there is a history board detailing all the walks.


Do you ever meet a family and instantly fall in love with them? How you can walk in to their home and feel so welcome and know there is so much love inside? Well that is the Barley family. This beautiful family recently welcomed sweet baby Dalton and I got to photograph this new party of five. We hung out, we played and snuggled, and we even snuck in a bath at the end. It's safe to say that these documentary sessions are quickly becoming my favorite. There's just something about capturing the connection between a family and their fresh new baby!
Downtown Louisville Shootout | Louisville, Ky.


Codemasters passed along a new Dirt Rally 2.0 trailer today that seems to focus on rallycross races. Specifically, the video which has been aptly named "World RX in Motion" highlights some of the eight tracks from the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship. New locations will include Mettet, Silverstone, and Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya.
In addition to the new locations, Dirt Rally 2.0 will include four different classes of rallycross cars. These include RX2, RX Super 1600s, RX Crosskarts, and the official FIA Rallycross Championship Supercars.
Dirt Rally 2.0 is slated to be released on February 26 on the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Rallycross will also form as part of DiRT Rally 2.0's online multiplayer offering, giving players the opportunity to race wheel-to-wheel with their peers in eight-player online sessions. A new Rallycross Championship mode has also been added to the game, so players can choose to focus their experience on multi-car racing. Players will have the ability to jump into their favorite driver's car and go through the full heats, semi-final and final structure of an official FIA World Rallycross event in their bid for victory.
DiRT Rally 2.0, including official licensed content of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, will launch on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Windows PC via Steam on Feb. 26, 2019. The retail versions of the DiRT Rally 2.0 Day One Edition includes the stunning Porsche 911 RGT Rally Spec along with early unlocks for the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally and Alpine Renault A110 1600 S. Players who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will have early access to the game from Feb. 22, 2019, also receiving the first two seasons of post-release content once available.


The previous update was targeted for August but due to the difficulties I had in compiling all packages, that release slipped to early September. That is why I can announce a second September release for my KDE 5 packages for Slackware. The KDE 5_15.09_02 update contains all new software: Frameworks 5.14.0, Plasma 5.4.1 and Applications 15.08.1.
I had a couple of complaints bout how my previous package set performed. The most annoying issue was the minute-long delay in displaying the "Leave" menu, and the minute-log delay in showing the Logout dialog when the Logoff widget was clicked. I found the cause. It was the LoginKit package which I had added because I hoped that it could help in keeping systemd out of Slackware. I have now removed LoginKit again, and the problem has disappeared. Anyway, ConsoleKit2 does what I hoped LoginKit would do: provide a useable systemd-logind compatible API. It looks like LoginKit will not be needed.
My other major annoyance has not been solved yet, and I am still in dubio whether this is being caused by the recent updates to slackware-current or by the recent Wayland-related code changes in KWin. The issue? Whenever the power saver kicks in and I am not paying attention, the screen of my Lenovo T400 laptop (Intel graphics) turns black. It looks like the backlight does not get turned back on when I move the mouse or press a key. I have to Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get to my Linux console, press the backlight-brightness button until I can see my screen's content again, and then I can switch back to X using Alt-F7. Another thing: if the screenlocker started during this powersave period, the lock screen that stares me in the eye I switch back to the graphical console, is frozen. I can type my password but no visual feedback is provided, even when I press ENTER. But if I then press Alt-TAB, the screen suddenly refreshes and I see my Plasma 5 desktop in full glory. This looks like a desktop- or window refresh issue, which is why I think it may be related to KWin. I have not filed a bug report yet because I do not yet know against which component to file the bug.
Lastly, the progress bar which shows as part of the Plasma 5 startup splash screen, is not moving. Yet the desktop loads properly in the background and eventually the non-moving progress bar is replaced by the Plasma 5 desktop. Does anyone know if this progress bar is broken somehow? Does anyone know which software component draws that progress bar so that I can file a bug for this as well?
Let's hope this will be addressed and get fixed eventually. Other than that, Plasma 5 is a fine desktop at the moment.
What's new in KDE 5_15.09_02?
As said earlier, I have removed the LoginKit package, it is not needed and did not play nice.
I have removed the KDE 4 entry from "xwmconfig" because there is no more KDE 4 desktop session to start. Likewise, I have removed the "startkde4" script.
Plasma 5.4.1 is a bugfix release, see https://www.kde.org/announcements/plasma-5.4.1.php . Nothing really stands out in the ChangeLog for this release.
Applications 15.08.1 was just released today. It is a bugfix release for the 107 programs which have already been ported to KF5 . Let me know what you think of the KF5 port of the Kontact Suite (KDEPIM) which was also updated… I do not use it myself.
Upgrading to this KDE 5 is not difficult, especially if you already are running KDE 5_15.09. You will have to remove old KDE 4 packages manually. If you do not have KDE 4 installed at all, you will have to install some of Slackware's own KDE 4 packages manually.
Posted: 15 September, 2015 in Slackware, Software.
Just upgraded to 15_09_2. So far it works good and the annoying delay is gone. Thanks Eric!
Yep, delay is also gone for me and everything works fine for me (I don't use energy saving for screen on my desktop).
Thanks a lot for these packages, Eric, and for all the work that goes with them!
Unfortunately kdevelop does not start anymore and it's because of missing libgrantlee_core.so.0 library. It seems that the grantlee library provided by Slackware is still needed and it was a bit premature to replace it with grantlee-qt5. Recompilation of kdevelop fails because of the same reason, so it seems that you'd have to revert to having two versions of the grantlee library.
I may have to compile Kdevelop to work properly on Plasma 5. I will try working around the grantlee requirement but if all else fails I will see if I can add enough of the old grantlee back to make it work.
I got two kwalletd* executable and each depend on different KDE version.
The problem is, owncloud still calling /usr/bin/kwalletd upon start so it fails to open my KDE5 because of the missing libraries.
Please read https://barlog.rusu.info/valentin/blog/?p=395 for the reason why both kwalletd and kwalletd5 exist.
To solve your issue, simply install the "kdepimlibs4" and "akonadi4" packages which I provide as part of KDE 5, to address these compatibility issues.
manciuleas, I have just uploaded two new packages to the 'ktown' repository for Plasma 5: "grantlee-qt4" and "oktetapart4".
Both are meant for KDevelop: grantlee-qt4 fixes the missing libraries issue, and oktetapart4 contains the KPart of okteta (KDE4 version) which is required by KDevelop for integrating a HEX editor.
It works now, thank you. One more thing: there's an overlap in the baloo packages, the 'bin' directories contain almost the same executables. I guess that the intention is to use the ones from baloo-5, so probably you'd have to remove the executables from the baloo-4 package as with akonadi.
I had the similar issue on my Desktop , LXDE, intel hasswell HD graphics , but moving cursor around the screen and open any window revert back black desktop area.
1.I revert intel driver to 2.99.917 before patches was added.
2. In /etc/X I create file Xwraper.config and added "allowed_users=anybody" to revert full compatibility with xorg prior to 1.16. Mainly to autologin to X from runlevel 3 like I have had in xorg 1.15.
After this everything is OK. No black Desktop.
Hello Eric . Really had many problems with kwin with very high consumption of CPU , plasma closing repeatedly to try to change the menu to full screen (application dashboard ) , dolphin freezing to click the right button to open the context menu until initially moved to openbox and then to compiz and then yes everything works perfectly , very fast and stable. Before getting to that I renamed all the folders that had a point before the name on my / home / carlos ( .config , .cache , .kde , etc ) everything was renovated as last attempt to come up this idea of changing the wm, fortunately it turned out great . I stay now with compiz . Thank you and see you soon , I am sorry for not mastering the English language , I'm using google translator.
slackpkgplus refuses to install it, a manual upgradepkg works.
Indeed! I had done a final recompilation of that package but apparently I failed to re-generate its meta-data.
I am rebuilding the repository metadata right now and this should be fixed on the primary mirrors in 30 minutes.
I get a black screen when running "startx". It hangs, too; I cannot kill X with Ctrl+Alt+Del or switch to another tty with Ctrl+Alt+F etc.
I think the black screen + hang after startx may be caused by upgraded Mesa and xf86_intel packages. I remember I had to use Ponce's custom build for my Intel graphics card. I tried downgrading the xf86_intel, but to no avail. Perhaps it's a Mesa issue. Mesa is now v. 11, but I had 10.x before. Does that package still exist somewhere?
I am not sure that the X.Org log shows actual issues. What video card and what video driver are you using by the way?
I have not yet added a "Plasma Fail-safe" session script to my packages, but perhaps it is good to have that again.
The failsafe session will not attempt to use hardware acceleration.
That LQ post has only one person complaining about crashes when copying bitmaps, and judging by the nick that person is you?
The LQ post also shows that you are not using my packages, and are not running Slackware-current.
Since you are the only one with this issue, it may have been caused by your compiling KDE 5 on Slackware 14.1. Perhaps you missed one or more packages in Slackware that should have been upgraded. Perhaps it helps if you recompile/re-install all the KDE 5 packages on top of the already installed KDE 5 packages. Some packages get extra features that way.
OK, so your crashes seem toe appearing in GTK based applications. What theme engine are you using to blend GTK applications in with Plasma 5? Do you have installed QtCurve perhaps? Have you made sure to removepkg the obsolete oxygen-gtk3 package which will cause issues with the GTK3 in Slackware-current?
Also I have a question about the "/builds/slave/m-aurora-l64-ntly-000000000000/" pathnames in your Firefox error messages. Are you using a Firefox binary which is not native to Slackware?
In order: Breeze; No; yes; Yes, i run a self compiled version of Firefox Aurora, but the problem also appears in GIMP, that is native.
Breeze is the theme engine for Qt based applications, but Gimp and Firefox (and Autora) are based on GTK. So which GTK theming engine are you using for blending GTK applications better with the Plasma 5 desktop?
Perhaps you are not theming at all, but the crash messages you showed are commonly reported when using a GTK theming engine in KDE – most notoriously QtCurve.
Eduardo, I think I will keep a close eye on https://github.com/davidedmundson/xembed-sni-proxy then, and add a package in my next update of Plasma 5.
Thanks for pointing me to this, I had not noticed otherwise.
'dbus' to 1.10.0 version,with this new dbus version and with sddm progress bar work, without this new dbus version, no progress bar.
I have posted a message, on linuxquestions slackware on the tread,'desired updates to current' for updated dbus request.
We had already discussed the dbus internally. Robby Workman had not noticed the 1.10.x release and he will look into a newer package as soon as he can.
By now you should know that Slackware is *not* about having all the latest and greatest.
Gérard, the broken progress bar is indeed fixed with the addition of a dbus-launch call.
I have updated my plasma-workspace and sddm-qt5 packages and can confirm that it works now.
I am waiting for the new Applications 15.08.2 release, and once I have built packages for them (I already have Frameworks 5.15.0 and Plasma 5.4.2) I will do a public update.
with your KDE.SlackBuild here, and all work fine here.


text:
Fri, 14 Aug, 2020 - 08:28
Iran brands UAE-Israel deal a 'stab in the back' to Muslims
Trump Emirates Israel
Iran has strongly condemned a historic deal establishing full diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, calling it a stab in the back to all Muslims.
A statement from the country's foreign ministry, reported by state TV on Friday, called the normalising of ties between the two countries a dangerous, "shameful" measure and warned the UAE against Israel interfering in the "political equations" of the Persian Gulf region.
"The UAE government and other accompanying governments must accept responsibility for all the consequences of this action," the statement said.
Dagger that was unjustly struck by the UAE in the backs of the Palestinian people and all Muslims
Iran foreign ministry statement
In a deal brokered by the US, the UAE and Israel announced on Thursday that they agreed to establish full diplomatic ties and Israel will halt plans for annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state.
The agreement makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state – and the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan – to have full diplomatic ties with Israel.
They announced it in a joint statement, saying deals between Israel and the UAE were expected in the coming weeks in such areas as tourism, direct flights and embassies.
Iran said in the state TV report that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE revealed the "strategic stupidity" of the two countries and that it "will undoubtedly strengthen the axis of resistance in the region".
The ministry statement called the deal a "dagger that was unjustly struck by the UAE in the backs of the Palestinian people and all Muslims".
The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory for US President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election, and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians.
Donald Trump with (L to R), US special envoy for Iran Brian Hook, special representative for international negotiations Avraham Berkowitz, and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, in the Oval Office at the White House (Andrew Harnik/AP)
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal amounts to "treason", and should be reversed
Hossein Amirabdollahian, adviser to Iran's Parliament speaker, criticised the deal on his Twitter account on Friday.
"UAE's new approach for normalising ties w/fake, criminal #Israel doesn't maintain peace & security, but serves ongoing Zionists' crimes," he said.
Iran's former chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezaei, said in a tweet that the UAE has been making itself "the paradise of Israel" for the last 10 years.
"No Muslim zealous warriors and no Arabs betray Palestine, only nerveless stabs from behind," he said.
Turkey also condemned the deal, saying the people of the region "will never forget and will never forgive this hypocritical behaviour" by the UAE.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the UAE had no authority to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians or "to make concessions on matters vital to Palestine".
Turkey has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.
Turkey and the UAE support rival camps in the conflict in Libya.
middleeastplace: international


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I'd like to request a showing of 835 Peachtree Battle Ave, Atlanta, GA, 30327-1313 (MLS® #8501282). Thank you!


Consistent breeze offered perfect racing conditions at our annual regatta that was held January 18th-20th, 2019. Jesper Stålheim SWE won the last race of the series passing leader Hermann Tomasgaard NOR ranked 11th in the world who finished second before Mickey Beckett GBR who ranked 12th , in a star studded regatta here in Cabarete. PRO was Andres Santana helped by the technical team of the Dominican Sailing Federation.
We will let José María van der Ploeg Finn Gold medallist at the Barcelona 92 Olympic Games and Laser Master Sailor describe Angelo.
"I started sailing the Laser two years ago and I realized immediately what an important asset it is to have coach Angelo Tabernero at my side every step of the way. He is great coach and a great person paying attention to all details.
I really recommend every Laser sailor of any level to experience Angelo's ability to unlock your Laser speed secrets".


Setting your nameservers is something you do through your registrar. Your registrar is the place where you bought your domain, e.g. Network Solutions or GoDaddy. In some cases you may need to contact your registrar or your current hosting provider to get a username and password before you can make the changes.
Every registrar has a different interface for changing nameservers, so it is not possible to provide specific instructions for this. If you need help, contact your hosting provider for assistance.


text:
PAC ignores Docklands conflicts of interests
by Village 6 October, 2013, 1:26 am 0 Comments
PAC doing a Mahon/Dunlop – in Docklands
The Public Accounts Committee ignores dozens of other schemes and the position of Treasury Holding, in its focus on the Glass Bottle debacle
By Michael Smith
As the Public Accounts Committee allegedly gets stuck in to Docklands, I am struck how – in the same way as the Mahon Tribunal was too lazily dependent on evidence from Frank Dunlop, the PAC, like the Comptroller and Auditor General whose report it is considering, is unduly focused on the Glass Bottle Site where it seems the conflicts of interest were much better handled than elsewhere…though the commercial decisions were not. But there was far more afoot in Docklands.
In April 2007 I submitted a complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) based largely on information secured through a Freedom of Information Request from the Dublin Docklands Development Authority ["DDDA"] by the defunct Centre for Public Inquiry and from newspaper articles. The complaint primarily concerned conflicts of interests of then Members of the Board (Directors) of the DDDA. These Directors were Lar Bradshaw, Chairman of the DDDA and Sean FitzPatrick. Bradshaw had been chairman of the DDDA since 1997 and was re-appointed in 2002. FitzPatrick had served as a Director since 1999 and had been Senior Independent Director, with a role in helping with ethical issues, since 2001. FitzPatrick didn't like it. In June 2007 he made a speech to a business lunch hosted by a research company called Experian. He told his compliant audience: "among the most insidious aspects of our current regulatory environment is the apparent presumption of guilt on the part of entrepreneurs and business people generally. The whole structure seems to be geared towards something akin to an annual proof of innocence statement. This is corporate McCarthyism and we shouldn't tolerate it… We should ask ourselves if it is fair or equitable to allow almost any allegations, however wild and unsubstantiated, against any other citizen with seeming impunity". So Matt Cooper invited FitzPatrick on his radio show to find out what on earth he could have been on about. In Who Really Runs Ireland Cooper writes "He wouldn't give examples despite my repeated requests. He wouldn't name any victims of this 'corporate McCarthyism'… Having raised the hare he wouldn't chase it, as angry text messages from listeners stressed". Cooper continues: "At the time I didn't realise what had upset FitzPatrick so much… I learned subsequently that only a month before his speech and interview he had been the subject of a complaint to SIPO. Legitimate questions had been raised by a member of the public about conflicts of interest. He had to explain himself to SIPO or, as he would have put it, to prove to them that he was innocent".
FitzPatrick and Bradshaw served on the DDDA at a time when a great number of schemes in Docklands was being financed by their bank. But they also both took part in discussions on numerous occasions on planning schemes and their certification under section 25 of the Docklands Act 1997, for schemes which the bank of which they were both major shareholders and Directors (Mr FitzPatrick being chairman), was financing. That bank was Anglo-Irish Bank. The future of Docklands seemed to be largely in the hands of under fifteen development companies. It was clear that Anglo-Irish Bank was lending money to a considerable number, perhaps a majority, of them. In itself that was extraordinary and a cause of concern. Mr FitzPatrick and Mr Bradshaw seemed to engender an atmosphere that was conducive to facilitating the interests of the development sector, including those of some clients of theirs. They clearly had conflicts of interest which hung like clouds over the whole operation of the DDDA Board. That much was clear well before Anglo became a coda for dishonesty, incompetence and intrigue. The question was if these conflicts of interest were illegal or are otherwise actionable. I asked the Commission to consider the, necessarily incomplete, evidence presented and to investigate. Another DDDA board member, Donall Curtin, is married to Ms Anne O'Donoghue who was Associate Director, Anglo Irish Bank Private Banking.
The Grand Canal Dock Planning Scheme 2000, and the North Lotts Planning Scheme 2002 gave the DDDA its statutory planning powers and were similar to an outline planning permission for extensive areas on the north and south side respectively. Any development proposal submitted under Section 25 of the DDDA Act which complied with the Planning Scheme was exempted development for the purposes of the Principal Planning Act. I requested that the Commission investigate any decisions to amend or review the planning schemes and the reasons for these amendments or reviews particularly regarding the North Lotts Planning Scheme. I requested the Standards Commission to investigate whether the appropriate declarations had been made and whether Mr Bradshaw and Mr FitzPatrick absented themselves from meetings where required. Review of the planning schemes could obviously significantly benefit Anglo Irish Bank and the developers of schemes it is funding.
Scheme DD167
Minutes concerning one of the most controversial schemes in this category, DD167 (967 apartments, office, retail), were eventually put on its file. They show prolonged and intense debate about social housing and height. While one Director (Donal Curtin) declared an interest, Mr FitzPatrick does not appear to have, though there were four fraught meetings in 2002-3 of which he attended two. In particular at meetings of 13 Nov and 5 Dec 2002 Mr FitzPatrick was present for discussions on these matters which did not lead to a conclusion but which pushed in the socially-segregative direction that Treasury Holdings through its Director, Mr Richard Barrett, were suggesting. Mr FitzPatrick did not absent himself. It is possible that he made declarations in some other manner but this is not clear from the minutes. At a meeting on 9 Jan 2003 (from which Mr FitzPatrick was absent) the developers appeared to get their way: a paper to the board from Peter Coyne (DDDA CEO) indicated that Treasury Holdings proposed to concentrate the social housing in one corner of the site with a small complement scattered throughout the site, even though the DDDA Planning Scheme policy 3.5.3 says, "the Authority will seek to ensure integration in social housing between persons of different social background" [Policy 3.5.3] and Mr Terry Durney, Director of Planning and Technical Services, recognised the scheme would breach this and he effectively recommended refusal. Even before a decision was taken, Treasury Holdings' estate agent, Hooke and McDonald, marketed the scheme off the plans on the basis that this would be the case. This implies some confidence on the part of Treasury Holdings in their ability to sway the decisions of the Board. Section 25 Planning Licence DD167 was issued with effect from 9 Jan 2003, in breach of the Planning Scheme.
A somewhat unsettling sequel to these events was a reply from the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dick Roche TD, to the late Mr Tony Gregory T.D. on 4 Nov 2004, in which the Minister signalled that there has been no breach of the DDDA's Code of Conduct in these affairs: "The code of conduct is published. In so far as I have any information, there is nothing to say it has been breached". Minister Roche said, "On appointment, members are expected to furnish details which has been done. When an item for discussion creates a conflict, that may be discussed". This suggests the Minister investigated to the extent of finding out that details had been furnished. I asked the Commission to find out how the Minister could then justify saying he believed there had been no breach in the face of the facts outlined above. In particular since Mr Gregory was specific about the people and schemes outlined above and Mr Roche, or presumably his officials, investigated the matter, it seemed to constitute a misleading of the Dail or at least a strangely reckless under-investigation for Mr Roche to state that his "information" was that it had not been breached when it was evident that Section 4.3.1 of the Code of Conduct referred to by Mr Roche had indeed been breached. This section says "where [a] conflict or perceived conflict is material (taking into account the circumstances of the Board Member) or it could provide an incentive to a member to act against the best interest of the Authority or there is a risk of negative public perception then the member, in every case, must: (i) in advance of any consideration of the matter, disclose to the meeting the matter and the nature of the interest. (ii) take no part or discussion (sic) in any consideration of the matter. (iii) neither influence nor seek to influence the decision to be made in relation to the matter. (iv) withdraw from the meeting of the Board, so long as the matter is being discussed and decided upon". Clearly there was a risk of such negative public perception and the minutes do not disclose recourse to the required behaviour.
Decision of 2 June 2005
While the above decision pre-dates many of the Ethics requirements, including the application of the DDDA Code of Conduct, a DDDA Board decision of 2 June 2005 on social housing at Spencer Dock did not. I asked the Commission to investigate whether by this stage Mr FitzPatrick and Mr Bradshaw had made the requisite declarations and stepped outside the room during discussions. Minutes of the meeting suggest they were present. While it was possible that they made declarations in some other manner this is not clear from the minutes. In any event there was provision by this time in Section 4.3 of the DDDA Code of Conduct that the declarations should be recorded in the minutes.
Treasury Holdings' Influence
Treasury Holdings' influence on the DDDA was wide-ranging. In addition to their association with board members whose banks handled their banking, it was the case, for example, that a member of the DDDA Board Ms Joan O'Connor, had acted on a number of occasions (including for the Westin Hotel through her company, Interactive Project Managers) for Treasury Holdings. Yet Ms O'Connor met on behalf of the DDDA's Planning Sub-Committee with the developers of Spencer Dock on proposed changes to residential development according to Minutes of 13 Nov 2002. And Grainne Hollywood, Director of Property for the DDDA until August 2005 had worked for Treasury Holdings beforehand including in the negotiations leading to the Spencer Dock planning application to the DDDA. This made for the appearance of a pro-Treasury Holdings bias on the part of the DDDA. I asked SIPO to ask officials of the DDDA if they appreciated, and were concerned by, this.
Other specific schemes
The complaint referred also to the Riverside II scheme at Sir John Rogerson's Quay for Haytonvale Ltd. The complaint also relates to a scheme by Candourity Ltd (Treasury Holdings) at Barrow Street. Both these latter schemes benefited from loans from Anglo-Irish Bank. And the complaint related to a scheme by the Grand Canal Quay Partnership (comprising Woodstamp – Paddy Kelly, and Cursham – a subsidiary of Alanis; both of which received loans from Anglo-Irish Bank for their projects).
Irish Glass Bottle Site
This complaint related to the former Irish Glass Bottle Site in Ringsend, Dublin 4, where the DDDA entered a joint venture – 'Becbay' with a group including Bernard McNamara and Derek Quinlan who were putting up 136m Euro in cash only. The rest of the reported 1.46bn Euro development cost was funded through complex mezzanine finance by Anglo-Irish Bank, making the DDDA an investor in a scheme over which it would have the planning-certification power. I asked the Commission to investigate if Mr Bradshaw and Mr FitzPatrick made all the necessary declarations of interest and stepped out of the room as required on all material occasions relating to the agreement to enter a joint venture and the price agreed. It seems in this instance the members did behave properly. Indeed the treatment of a hurt Lar Bradshaw before the PAC committee was deferential.
The DDDA did not obtain its own independent valuation of the site when it was deciding on the bid Becbay Limited would make for the site. The DDDA obtained Ministerial approval to increase its borrowing capacity to allow its involvement in the purchase but it had informed the Department of the Environment that the value of the site was around €220 million while in fact an outlay of over €400 million was being discussed. Furthermore, the DDDA believed that its financial commitment to the joint venture would be limited to €35 million but its exposure had in fact increased to €81.9 million by end 2010 though it crystallised at €52.1 million following a settlement with NAMA. It was also the case that Mr Bradshaw (and indeed Mr FitzPatrick) was a member of the Tysan Investment consortium that included Mr Paul Coulson of Ardagh Glass (the company that acquired the Irish Glass Bottle site for a nominal sum using a loophole in legislation that had been adverted to by the Law Reform Commission). Moreover, Bradshaw was a client of Quinlan Private, a component of Becbay. Bradshaw did not declare these two conflicts – but was not asked about them by a deferential PAC when he spoke to it.
Riverside II
I also asked the commission to take a look at the behaviour of the Board in 2003 in the attempted purchase of Riverside II at Grand Canal Harbour by Skerry Ltd (a Treasury Holdings' subsidiary) and in particular a decision by the Board to allow a change of the land-use mix after Skerry Ltd was selected as preferred bidder but before the site was actually conveyed to them. Ultimately, the site was sold to another bidder after Shelbourne Development put in a bid higher than Treasury's and because Treasury did not pay the deposit on the site. Shelbourne's boss, Garrett Kelleher has told me that an official in the DDDA was markedly discouraging of his attempt to make a last-moment higher bid, even though it was to the advantage of the public purse. I asked the Commission to investigate why this site was originally made the object of a lower preferred bid when at least two other bidders were interested at higher prices. Separately I asked it to investigate if Mr FitzPatrick absented himself from relevant meetings.
Finally, I ask that the Standards Commission look at ALL planning applications, planning schemes and land disposals which Anglo-Irish Banks were involved in funding. In particular I believe they may funded schemes for Zoe/Daninger/Dunloe Ewart, Liam Carroll, Treasury Holdings, Spencer Dock Development Corporation, Alanis, Paddy Kelly/Redquartz/Kellard/Woodstamp, John Flynn, Bernard McNamara and their various partners, subsidiaries and joint ventures.
In all cases Mr Bradshaw and Mr FitzPatrick – while they held shares and Directorships in Anglo-Irish Bank and at the same time served on the DDDA Board – stood to make gains as shareholders of Anglo-Irish Bank which was part-funding the purchases and developments. They were also in a position to negotiate loans that benefited the bank of which they are directors. So they were twice compromised. In the case of the Glass Bottle site the loan was 1.4bn Euro – yielding presumably tens of millions in Euros of profits to Anglo-Irish Bank. In the case of Spencer Dock it was stated in October 2004 that Anglo Irish Bank was lending over 300m Euro to the Spencer Dock Development Company – led by Treasury Holdings. The decisions of shareholders in Anglo-Irish Bank on the nature of planning schemes in these circumstances yielded conflicts of interests. Decisions on height, density, open space, levies and social housing in particular tend to affect the magnitude of the profitability of schemes and ultimately the profitability of shareholdings. For example, Docklands includes far too many two-bed apartments (c70%) which cater to the short-term letting market and do little to facilitate the long-term social rejuvenation of the area – and ultimately the national quality of life.
I asked that Bradshaw and FitzPatrick be asked to indicate, and account for, their behaviour at all meetings they attended where Anglo-Irish Bank had an interest in the funding of projects that were discussed when either Bradshaw or FitzPatrick were directors and/or shareholders of that bank. I noted that Mr FitzPatrick was famous for deprecating the Irish media for believing that "business is dodgy". Since the conflict of interest issues that I had cited had had a significant airing in the media, it was only fair, I said, that "he should have a chance to prove that Docklands is a concise manifestation of this heinous misconstruction". But even six years on his lawyers are depriving him of this overdue opportunity.
As to my complaint, SIPO's interpretation of complex regulations was that the relationship between a member of a board like the DDDA and a company or person which banks with a bank, like Anglo, of which a DDDA board member was also a board member wasn't susceptible to a complaint to it. Cooper summarises: "SIPO decided not to launch a full investigation on the basis that there was no evidence that either FitzPatrick or Bradshaw had held control of the bank" – as opposed to being directors and shareholders of it. The complaints went uninvestigated. Now PAC is investigating the Glass Bottle Site debacle. But not the many others…
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Poem in Hebrew by Dan Pagis with English translation by Carl Adamshick. Etchings and design by Sarah Horowitz.
In Footprints (עקֲבֵוֹת) the narrator struggles with existence, voice, and memory after the trauma of genocide. Souls and words cannot burn but they can be forgotten in the smoke, fog and hail of the Holocaust. Footprints was inspired by my friend and poet Carl Adamshick's translation of the original by the late Israeli poet Dan Pagis published in his book Transformations (גלִגוּל). Permission to use the original text came from the estate of the author and from ACUM in Israel. The text was printed in Arno and Harel types on Zerkall paper by Art Larson of Horton Tank Graphics. Thirteen etchings were drawn, etched, and printed in graphite ink by Sarah Horowitz. The book was sewn, wrapped in a transparent abaca cover, and boxed by Julia Weese-Young.
"From the sky to the sky of skies, from the sky of skies to fog.
trying to forget. In the distance the distance is retreating.


text:
CUP: B.J. McLeod's superspeedway car makes it just three laps around Atlanta
PHOTO: @StartAndParkCar
B.J. McLeod picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when his #78 Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet fell out with clutch issues after 3 of 325 laps.
The finish, which came in McLeod's 48th series start, was his first since September 1, 2019 at Darlington, 21 races ago. In the Cup Series' last-place rankings, this was the 24th for the #78, the 42nd from clutch issues, and the 783rd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR' s top three series, it was the 35th for the #78, the 66th for clutch issues, and the 1,715th for Chevrolet.
When NASCAR returned from its two-month hiatus in May, B.J. McLeod revealed he would be fielding a Cup Series team for the very first time. McLeod's team B.J. McLeod Motorsports had been fielding cars in the XFINITY Series since 2016, and in their inaugural season he drove the flagship #78. He's since worked his way into the Cup Series driving for Rick Ware Racing and run XFINITY for JD Motorsports, freeing up his now three-car XFINITY program for a series of up-and-coming drivers. Just last week at Bristol, both Vinnie Miller, now the driver of the #78, and McLeod were in position to finish in the Top 10 before taking 11th and 12th.
McLeod's current Cup program came about following the merger between Rick Ware Racing and Premium Motorsports, which also allowed Tommy Baldwin Racing to re-enter the series for the first time in more than a year. At Darlington, McLeod would run his same #78 with sponsorship from Christensen Arms, which backed his run for Ware in this year's Daytona 500. Unfortunately, the car slowed on the backstretch after just 13 laps, leaving him 39th with engine trouble. He then ran all but six laps in Wednesday's 208-lap affair, finishing 36th, and improved further with a 32nd in the Coca-Cola 600. By then, he was running a Ford in place of the Chevrolet from his first two starts.
After a 35th-place run in the second Charlotte race, McLeod was running laps down in the 27th spot, a new season-best, and was just 13 laps from finishing the race under power once more. While running the low line, he was then caught by race leader Denny Hamlin, who was fending off a fast-closing Joey Logano and Chase Elliott. McLeod held his line off the second corner as Logano and Elliott threaded the needle entering Turn 3. But when Logano broke loose, Hamlin lose control and spun down the track. He collected McLeod, putting both cars hard into the inside wall. Unable to return from the damage, McLeod lost one more spot and finished 28th.
McLeod also had serious enough damage to his Ford that he couldn't run it in Sunday's Atlanta race, so the team was forced to run a bright red Chevrolet built for superspeedways. Circle Track Warehouse, which backed some of McLeod's runs as well as Jimmy Means Racing's #52 team in XFINITY, put their logo on the hood. After the random draw, the team would roll off 39th in a field of 40.
Starting last in Sunday's race was Reed Sorenson, who was back in a Cup car for the first time since the midweek Darlington race, where J.J. Yeley was swapped into Spire Motorsports' #77 before the start. It also marked a bookending of the field by Georgia natives as the Peachtree City driver rolled off last while Chase Elliott drew the pole.
Multiple drivers were sent to the rear, headed by 12th-place starter Kurt Busch, whose #1 Monster Energy Chevrolet failed inspection three times, meaning he'd have to serve a pass-through penalty at the start. Joining him were 25th-place Corey LaJoie in the #32 Built Bar Ford and 34th-place Garrett Smithley in the #53 Hero Box Chevrolet, who each failed twice, and 38th-place Timmy Hill in the #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota and 31st-place Cole Custer in the #41 HaasTooling.com Ford, whose teams made unapproved adjustments.
When the race started, Sorenson and Yeley remained in the final two spots before Busch served his pass-through at the end of Lap 1. Busch returned to the track one lap down, but by around Lap 6 had already climbed a spot. That occurred after McLeod pulled into the garage after four laps. On Lap 5, NASCAR Officials reported" 78 to the garage, mechanical." On Lap 13, the #78 crew said "We are for sure done, guys," then "Yeah, B.J. says we're done." Officials then confirmed this on Lap 17, reporting "78 out, clutch."
Long green-flag runs and low attrition meant multiple drivers were several laps down before the end of Stage 1. Taking 39th was Timmy Hill, the day's only other retiree, who fell out in the final laps with electrical issues. Last of the cars running was Joey Gase, a full 16 laps down to the leaders in the #51 Donate Life Ford. Sorenson came home two laps ahead of Gase with Yeley one lap ahead of Sorenson following a late pit stop. Kurt Busch, who briefly held last after his pass-through penalty, recovered to finish a strong 6th.
*This marked the first last-place finish for car #78 in a Cup Series race since September 10, 2018, when Martin Truex, Jr. lost the brakes on his #19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota after 41 laps of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis, just six days after news broke that Furniture Row Racing would close at the end of the season.
*The number hadn't finished last in a Cup race at Atlanta since March 9, 1998, when Gary Bradberry's Pilot Travel Centers Ford fell out with ignition problems after 12 laps of the Primestar 500.
*A Cup Series driver hasn't finished last at Atlanta due to clutch issues since June 13, 1965, when Wayne Smith's #38 1965 Chevrolet fell out after 6 laps of the Dixie 400.
40) #78-B.J. McLeod / 3 laps / clutch
39) #66-Timmy Hill / 259 laps / electrical
38) #51-Joey Gase / 308 laps / running
37) #7-Reed Sorenson / 310 laps / running
36) #77-J.J. Yeley / 311 laps / running
1st) Hendrick Motorsports, JTG-Daugherty Racing, Motorsports Business Management (2)
2nd) B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Leavine Family Racing, Penske Racing, Rick Ware Racing (1)
1st) Chevrolet (6)
ARCA: Expired engine thwarts Thad Moffitt's effort...
CUP: Michael McDowell sets new record for the most...
XFINITY: In mere minutes, Brandon Jones goes from ...
TRUCKS: Pocono crash-fest begins with Matt Crafton...
CUP: Minor wreck leads to bad vibration for Pocono...
PREVIEW: Multiple series regulars return at the Po...
INTERVIEW: Tim Ward on the Clash at the Creek, tra...
ARCA: Radiator cap sidelines legacy-engine entry o...
CUP: Unusual "rear hub" failure leaves Matt Kenset...
XFINITY: John Jackson shows speed before early exi...
PREVIEW: Series veterans return to tackle Talladeg...
CUP: J.J. Yeley's fuel pump leaves him the lone re...
XFINITY: Stephen Leicht's dazzling new paint schem...
XFINITY: For the second straight race, a smoky pac...
TRUCKS: Bryant Barnhill's season debut ends early ...
PREVIEW: Four Truck Series underdogs finally able ...
CUP: Timmy Hill's strong run at Martinsville ends ...
CUP: B.J. McLeod's superspeedway car makes it just...
TRUCKS: Johnny Sauter disqualified at Atlanta for ...
XFINITY: Kody Vanderwal out early after smoking on...
PREVIEW: It's "take two" at Atlanta, where NASCAR ...
XFINITY: Mason Massey "doesn't believe in failure,...


On behalf of Murfree & Goodman, PLLC posted in real estate on Friday, November 16, 2018.
Taking on a mortgage is a big commitment in the life of a Tennessee resident. Unlike paying rent, a person who secures a mortgage for the purchase of a home is often committed into a long-term, sometimes multiple decades-long contract to pay off their loan. When circumstances arise and the person cannot make their mortgage payments they may face challenges from their mortgage holder and threats of foreclosure on their loan.
On behalf of Murfree & Goodman, PLLC posted in real estate on Friday, September 21, 2018.
When negotiating a residential lease, it is important to know what to consider and what to include. Because a lease agreement outlines the relationship between a landlord and the tenant, it is helpful to be familiar with the residential leasing process and what should be included in a lease.
On behalf of Murfree & Goodman, PLLC posted in real estate on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.
In real estate, an easement gives an individual or company the right to use some of your land for designated purposes. It's important outline an easement in the property deed. However, disagreements about easements are not uncommon. This can result in inconvenient disputes and lengthy lawsuits.
On behalf of Murfree & Goodman, PLLC posted in real estate on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.
Congratulations! You are ready to take a big step into the world of adulthood and independence by purchasing your own home. This step can feel exhilarating as you imagine all the ways that you will make your house a reflection of you and your comforts. You may scour websites, speak with real estate agents or drive around your local neighborhoods looking for that perfect home waiting to be yours.
On behalf of Murfree & Goodman, PLLC posted in real estate on Friday, June 23, 2017.
The process of buying or selling a house in Tennessee is an exciting time, but it can also be one fraught with complications and unexpected pitfalls. Most people see the benefit of securing the assistance of an agent when walking through this process, but it can also be beneficial to have an attorney represent your interests as well, particularly in the closing.


Professionals from all industries are creating profiles on LinkedIn to network with others. In turn, auto dealers need to take advantage of LinkedIn to build relationships on a more professional level than through Facebook.
Car buyers may check out your dealership and employees' profiles before purchasing a car, and so the more content they can find, the better. You may be able to network with potential buyers yourself, and LinkedIn offers one more opportunity to sell cars through social media.
Make sure you enter all possible information into your profile. Let people see all the experience and knowledge you have.
Join groups and participate actively in discussions. Countless groups exist for the automotive industry, in which you can discuss sales strategy and promote your auto dealership's presence in the process. Also join groups related to your hobbies—let people see a personal side of you.
LinkedIn gives auto dealers a platform for networking with other dealers as well as potential customers. For more information on using LinkedIn or other social media to promote your car dealership, please feel free to contact us.
Great points, Paul. Many in the business often neglect LinkedIn as a great resource.
This month they rolled out improvements to company pages that may turn into something even more important.


I'm a mad coffee nut, so when I got the chance to spend a few days in Istanbul last year my thoughts immediately turned to coffee. Turkey has a rich an interesting history (just look at the gorgeous Hagia Sophia I visited just above) and its coffee culture is so unlike what we're used.
It refers to a method of making coffee popular in Turkey and some surrounding countries where fine coffee grounds are boiled in a pot (called a Cezfe or Ibrik) over a flame. No filter is used which results in a thick, full-bodied coffee that has a large amount of grounds left in the cup you drink it from.
Now the Turkish have been making this style of coffee for way longer than the rest of us, Turkish coffee is centuries older than Italian style espresso for instance.
So in some ways it's like taking a trip to the past with all its idiosyncracies and I have to say, some of the most beautiful coffee making devices you'll ever see. I hope the photos in this article do it justice.
Turkish coffee refers to a way of making coffee rather than a brand or type of coffee bean. It uses a gorgeous pot with a handle which is a called a cezve which you hold over a flame and let the coffee grounds and water bubble and brew inside.
This way of making coffee is centuries old, perhaps (or even probably) the oldest method that is still around. Once the brewing is done, you simply pour the entire contents, grounds and all, into the cup.
The method of making Turkish coffee will seem strange to those used to hyper modern creations like a Clever Dripper or an Aeropress. There is no filter and no straining of the coffee. The coffee grounds go into the cup along with the coffee! This results in a unique and polarizing taste.
There is actually no Turkish coffee beans in the sense that they were grown there. The country is a little too northern to be suitable for growing coffee. You can use any coffee beans to make Turkish coffee, it seems like darker roasts seem to be preferred with its fuller-bodied taste.
First we have our Turkish coffee grinder. Here's a picture of a really nice ornate-looking one. These are often used because of Turkish coffee's unusually large grind size (more on that later), which many modern coffee grinders cannot product.
Next is our cezfe This is the little pot – usually made from copper – where we brew our coffee. You add the coffee and water then place your cezve over a flame.
This is also sometimes called an ibrik. This is a slight mistranslation which has caught on, leading to Ibrik World Championships which may as well be called the Turkish Coffee World Championships. Here, take a look.
Lastly, you're going to need a flame, too. You can use a gas burner or have a separate device, both work.
You can use any coffee. The most popular coffee beans in Turkey are Brazilian. I'm not super experienced and I don't have my own setup, but if I was going to experiment I'd look at combining the method with some sweet and fruity African single origins and seeing if I could make that work.
Here's my attempt at the main steps for making an authentic Turkish coffee. I recommend following along with the video below to see what's going on in real time.
1. Grind your coffee – super fine.
2. Add the coffee and room temperature water to your cezve.
3. Place your cezve on the flame (medium-high heat).
4. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to low..
5. Let the coffee foam up.
6. Pour the coffee slowly into your cup – grounds and all.
7. Serve in an ornate cup with soda water and lokum.
The general idea is to let the coffee and water foam up in the cezfe. You want to let it rise up and foam 2-4 times before it's finished. The art of making good Turkish coffee in creating the foam. A good cup contains 50% foam or even more! Try doing it yourself and you'll realize what a skill this is!
Important: Don't let the coffee boil. It should be brought to a mild simmer and nothing more. If you go into full boiling then your coffee is probably dead. The ideal temperature is about 160F (or 71C) which is way below boiling point at 212F (or 100C).
The water served with the coffee is not optional. The Turkish use to it clean their palate before they enjoy their coffee. You can use plain cold water but a seltzer seems to be preferred and more effective.
Also, I mentioned lokum above. This is a tasty candy that is sold under the name 'Turkish Delight' abroad. I really like it and it's a great accompaniment to Turkish coffee. Get some if you can.
What Kind Of A Grind Is Used?
The most remarkable feature of Turkish coffee – in my opinion – is the grind. The grind needed to make Turkish coffee is usually the finest most people know – even finer than espresso, it's almost a powder.
It's so fine that many grinders do not have a setting that can produce a grind fine enough. If you'd like to try making it yourself you'll need to check whether yours can achieve this grind.
The traditional method is to use a Turkish hand grinder. These are often beautifully ornate little things that are great to look at but awful to use. Grinding enough coffee at that fine a grind takes a long, long time.
Update: I decided to try out making a grind fine enough myself. A touch of internet sleuthing revealed that a setting of 0+10 on my trusty Feldgrind is about right, photo below.
As you can see, it's very fine, similar to espresso. I suppose that's to be expected as it's only a couple of dials down from it. By the way, if it doesn't look that fine it's because it's so powdery that it's clumping together in bigger lots.
Anyway, it took about twice as long as it usually does so not sure if I wanna make a regular thing of it!
Do Turkish People Actually Drink It?
It's 500 years old, lots of newer and better methods exist and are popular in Turkey as they are anywhere else. Walk aruond the streets of Istanbul and you'll see cool coffee houses everywhere. The third wave of coffee did not escape the place where East meets West.
Despite this, Turkish coffee is still in full evidence. Most of the newer and hipper establishments will serve Turkish coffee. And many restaurants, bars and hotels will offer Turkish coffee as a matter of habit.
This was in the modern capital city of Istanbul, to be fair. If I had trekked to deepest Anatolia I would've seen something quite different. My guess would be modern coffee culture would not be quite as prevalent and the old ways of Turkish coffee still very much in evidence.
In fact, Turkey is not the only place this method of making coffee is popular, you can find it in many countries in the vicinity including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greeze, Iran and the Czech Republic.
How Does Turkish Coffee Taste?
Turkish coffee uses an immersion method with no filter. This means all the rich coffee oils and micro-particles as well as the finer coffee grounds will make it into your cup.
This produces a coffee that is naturally full bodied and silty and will highlight the heavier, earthy flavors.
Turkish coffee's trademark is the full-bodied taste that comes from not using a filter. The body of a coffee, and its opposite, the clarity, are two huge features of the taste of coffee that seems to be very poorly understood. If you'd like to learn more, check out the article I wrote about this here.
You will see many recommendations to drink darker coffees using the Turkish method – it will magnify the earthy and herbal notes of Asian coffee beans and the burnt taste of dark roasts.
It seemed like this was the preferred option for the places I bought Turkish Coffee. I would personally be interested in pairing it with a fruity and juicy African single origin. I think the contrast could turn out quite pleasing.
The coffee will be silty, the lack of a filter means that the whole slurry of coffee and grounds gets poured into your cup. For me, the last dregs are nigh on undrinkable.
You can gulp those grounds straight down if you like. I've come across a nutcase or two in my time who would treasure the last sediment-filled sip of their French Press coffee.
What Is The History Of Turkish Coffee?
Turkey's an interesting place. If you asked the average Joe about the country he might say it's known for kebabs, furniture and a tenuous hold on democracy. Oh, and these hilariously infuriating ice cream sellers.
The centrepoint of the Ottoman empire and the Byzantine before that, Turkey has a rich culture and a turbulent history. A small but notable part of its culture is its coffee.
Turkey was making coffee a long time ago. The plant was originally discovered in Ethiopia in the 11th century before slowly making its way across the globe.
It found its way to Yemen a few centuries later and then to nearby Istanbul where a distinct coffee culture emerged. One which is still unique across all modern methods of making coffee.
So we're talking about a custom that has been going several hundred years! That's an ancient tradition compared to the 21st century Aeropress.
Firstly, let me qualify my thoughts by saying I'm not an expert. I have been to Turkey but only for a few days. I tried Turkish coffee a few times in a few places and I have played around with a few devices away from the country. But again, I am no expert.
I enjoy Turkish coffee but I am certainly not the number one fan. It has always tasted overly bitter for me.
I'm also not a fan of the silty texture either, if you've tried finished the last gulp of a French Press you'll know what I'm talking about. As such, I've never invested in my own equipment.
I do like the process, it's much more of an art form that chucking your coffee into a french press and it's an entracing joy to watch someone do it. A part of me wants to spend the time to master it. One day, perhaps. One for the bucket list, if you like.
How Can I Make Some Myself?
The minimum equipment you need is a cezve (or ibrik) and a flame to heat with. While I am no expert, it seems like substituting something else for the cezve would be inadvisable given what a tricky process it already is. Luckily we live in world of abundance and there are some stunning cezve's that you can check out on Amazon here.
In addition, you need to be able to grind your coffee extremely fine, we're talking like powder. It's the most fine of any method of brewing coffee, even more so espresso.
Unfortunately, many (cheaper) grinders will either make a poor attempt at grinder that size or will simply not even have a setting. A quick Google search should give you the information you require.
You do have the option of buying a Turkish coffee grinder although I can't seem to find one with good reviews that are easily available, you'll have to do your own research on this I'm afraid.
P.S. I'm going to make another shameless plug for this beautiful country. The political climate there is tense at the moment of writing (2018) and most Turks I spoke to were quite despondent, sadly. They really appreciated visitors and were among the friendliest folks of any country I've been to.
The coffee culture there is amazing, whether western/Italian style or Turkish coffee. There were many Third Wave-esque coffee shops around, I didn't have to look hard to run into them, and they all offered espresso coffee and Turkish coffee and whichever you chose it was fantastic.
There was one place (I forget the name of it but it was near Galata tower) which also offered Aeropress and V60 brews if you wanted, I thought that's a lot of training they must have to do for new baristas!
Anyway, here's my favorite photo from the trip.
Lastly… if Turkish coffee takes your fancy, then you might be interested in 7 other countries that have some of the most interesting coffee cultures. We've got the awesome third wave-ness of Australia and the hilariously accidental Greek coffee culture. Take a look at the article here if you like.


Elegant yet inviting, luxuriously appointed Colonial sited on over an acre of lush park like property in Chappaqua's sought after Lawrence Farms Crossway neighborhood. From the gourmet kitchen w/upscale stainless steel appliances to the master bedroom suite w/two large walk-in closets & two baths, this house is perfection. Hardwood floors, custom millwork, built-ins, three fireplaces, walls of windows, handsome library w/adjoining movie room, 4 large bedrooms all w/en-suite baths, lower level guest/nanny room, two large family rooms, and mudroom, are among this homes special features and spaces. Exquisite level property w/mature plantings, pool site and expansive stone patio allow for outside entertaining. Wired for generator, security system, 3-car garage & more. Estimated 2019 taxes approximately $50K. 2018 Assessment was successfully grieved (2018 taxes based on current assessment would have been $49, 595).


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Every Olympics attempts to have a theme that the organizers want to highlight and the Pyeongchang games are no different.
Except this time the theme means a little more especially to the region that is hosting the games.
This year the Olympics are aiming to be the most peaceful games ever and for Korea that is an extremely important theme.
The Republic of Korea has been one of the most unstable places in the world right now as they are right next to a country that has threatened nuclear war multiple times.
North Korea has been the centre of attention on the political front for years as they continue to test their missile capabilities directly off of the coast of South Korea and Japan.
Things have only gotten worse with President Donald Trump looking to antagonize Kim Jong Un leading to a lot of fear in the region.
That has been a serious issue in Asia and it is a major reason why the organizing committee in Pyeongchang are looking to use the power of sport to help.
Sports are often looked at as not being too important in the grand scheme of things and in reality, they aren't that important.
Winning an Olympic medal can change everything for an athlete but it doesn't really change much when it comes to the bigger world.
For that reason, many people believe that sports are just a leisure activity that can't have much power other than being happy or annoyed that your team or favourite athlete wins or loses.
That isn't always the case though as there is power in sports that can change things and although it won't solve the problems the Pyeongchang committee is hoping to make some progress.
That is why the committee looked to make some progress on the issues between North and South Korea by allowing North Korea to participate.
The North Koreans didn't necessarily have a number of athletes to bring to the Olympics but they did have a pairs figure skating team that qualified.
The North Korean officials failed to provide the proper documentation to allow their athletes to participate though and so they were not allowed into the Olympics.
That was until the committee lobbied to allow them in despite their issues in submitting the proper documentation.
With the support of the IOC, the figure skaters were allowed into the Olympics and they would cross the demilitarized zone into South Korea to participate.
That crossing would be a big moment for both countries as it would be one of the rare times that North Koreans were allowed to freely enter South Korea.
It was going to be a big moment for the Olympics when they crossed that zone and it was seen as a step by some.
A bigger step might have been the fact that members of the North Korean women's hockey team were allowed to participate as well.
Although the North Korean hockey team didn't qualify for the Olympics a few members were welcomed into the South Korean team.
They would play as a unified Korean team in one of the biggest symbolic gestures of the games.
For the first time members of both countries would be competing together with a common goal and spending time together.
They are a part of a team and they will suspend more time with each other than any North or South Koreans have in years.
Of course, this is not going to be the solution to the issues between the two countries and the freedom is not entirely there.
Every North Korean athlete is under strict condition and surveillance as they are unable to go anywhere without their security.
That might not make things as great as the North Koreans are not going to be exposed to the freedom held by South Koreans.
Still, this is more of a gesture from South Korea to North Korea in hopes that it can be the start of something.
It is an attempt to use one of the biggest stages in the world of sports to try to prove that these two sides can work together.
It might not amount to anything and there are plenty of people who believe it is a false warmth from North Korea and some that don't want to see them in the Olympics at all.
Still, this is a step and for many including the organizing committee of the Olympics as they try to use sports as a way to open the door.
The Comeback Completed
The Canadians had a great day in Day 2 as they got their first medals but none was more satisfying than the bronze medal of Mark McMorris. He earned his second Olympic medal but this time was only a year removed from an accident that threatened his career and his life. That devastating crash had his entire career in doubt but just a year later he was back winning medals.
Another Freestyle Medal
Freestyle events have been good to the Canadians in the last few Olympics and that is continuing this time around. The Women's mogul event featured a number of Canadians all looking to get a medal but only one was able to find the podium. Justine Dufour-Lapointe earned a silver medal, her second Olympic medal after winning gold in 2014.
Back on the Podium
Speed Skating was always a favourite sport for Canadians with many Winter Olympic legends coming from the track. Lately, though the Canadians have struggled to find the podium while the Netherlands have taken over entirely. This year the Canadians have a number of athletes that could win and Ted-Jan Bloemen made good on his promise taking a silver medal.
Leading the Pack
After five programs team Canada is looking good in the Team Figure Skating competition sitting in first place and only having three more events to go. In Day 2 Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took home first in the ice dance while the pair of Meghan Duhamel and Eric Radford took first in their free program helping the team to a good lead over the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
Filed under Olympics · Tagged with 2018 Olympics, 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea, Olympics, Pyeongchang, South Korea, unified Korea team, Winter Olympics
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Facebook says photo of Veteran's headstone is "offensive"
Faye Higbee
When Cristie Landis got up one morning, she started to sign in to Facebook and got the "We've removed something you posted" complaint. After the admonishment to "review the Community Standards," she learned that she was banned for three days because of her post. What horrific, offensive nastiness did she sear people's sensitive minds with? Her veteran husband's headstone.
It's Memorial Day weekend
Cristie was viewing a picture of a soldier holding his infant daughter just before leaving on deployment. A person named Ian made a nasty comment totally out of the sentiments being expressed by others who viewed it. Cristie responded to him, and then left a photo of her husband's headstone in the comment stream. Someone reported that photo as "offensive."
This original article is posted at Unclesamsmisguidedchildren
That apparently didn't sit well with Ian:
The thread of the comments are positive except for his, so Cristie made a comment:
After this, she posted a picture of her husband's headstone in the comments
Someone reported her posting as "offensive" (one guess). If Facebook refuses to honor a veteran, and wishes to stand with those who are hostile to the very core of American values…we can:
Spc Robert Everett Landis
Cristie's husband, Spc. Robert E. Landis, was a US Army veteran (1992-1997). He was an ARCOM (Army Commendation) medal recipient, who served in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the 1991 war. Later, he was stationed at Headquarters 6th ASG Stuttgart, Germany. He received an Honorable Discharge as a Specialist in Personal Administration.
He died at 38 years old in a tragic accident in 2008 when a vehicle he was working on for a family member fell on him. He was beloved husband to Cristie, and loving father to Mariah, Caitlyn (herself an Army veteran), Logan and Erin Lee. One other child, Collin, passed on of SIDS.
Robert with his US Army veteran daughter
Cristie says the Facebook's action "disrespected " her husband's memory by calling his headstone "offensive." Banning her for 3 days on top of the obnoxious remark was the icing on the Facebook cake.
Cristie and Robert met on a blind date in 1987. Both of them were still in high school – a "love at first sight" story. They were married in 1988 after a judge "issued an order to get married" when he saw that they loved each other in spite of their young age. After the family began to grow and Robert struggled to find a job, he went to the Army recruiter and signed up. He served for 5 years before his family's needs sent him home on a 5-8.
Robert was a patriotic American who loved his country and his family. He never failed to work hard, both for his family and his country.
"…He was a faithful husband a wonderful father and above all loved this country and would have died to protect it. I was the luckiest woman to have known the love of this man." Cristie Landis