text:
La diocesi di Ahiara (in latino: Dioecesis Ahiarana) è una sede della Chiesa cattolica in Nigeria suffraganea dell'arcidiocesi di Owerri. Nel 2020 contava 443.187 battezzati su 639.542 abitanti. La sede è vacante.

Territorio
La diocesi comprende la regione chiamata Mbaise, che è parte dello stato nigeriano di Imo.

Sede vescovile è la città di Ahiara, dove si trova la cattedrale di Santa Maria Madre della Chiesa.

Il territorio è suddiviso in 79 parrocchie.

Storia
La diocesi è stata eretta il 18 novembre 1987 con la bolla Dominici gregis di papa Giovanni Paolo II, ricavandone il territorio dalla diocesi di Owerri (oggi arcidiocesi).

Originariamente suffraganea dell'arcidiocesi di Onitsha, il 26 marzo 1994 è entrata a far parte della provincia ecclesiastica dell'arcidiocesi di Owerri.

Alla nomina del secondo vescovo, Peter Ebere Okpaleke, avvenuta nel dicembre del 2012, si è scatenata una situazione molto delicata: non essendo originario della diocesi e non appartenendo all'etnia mbaise, maggioritaria nella zona, i fedeli e il clero della diocesi si sono opposti alla successione; la consacrazione di monsignor Okpaleke è comunque avvenuta nella cattedrale di Owerri, ma egli non ha mai potuto prendere possesso della diocesi. Per cercare di dirimere la questione papa Francesco nel luglio del 2013 ha nominato amministratore apostolico ad nutum Sanctae Sedis della diocesi il cardinale John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, arcivescovo di Abuja.

Nel giugno del 2017 papa Francesco è intervenuto nella controversia ancora aperta, obbligando tutti i preti della diocesi a inviargli una lettera per chiedere perdono per il proprio comportamento e per accettare le decisioni del papa e la nomina del nuovo vescovo; per gli inadempienti, è prevista la sospensione a divinis e la perdita del proprio incarico pastorale. Diverse fonti di stampa hanno annunciato che le lettere sono state inviate, ma i disordini sono continuati e rimane una situazione di stallo con fedeli e preti divisi su posizioni contrapposte.

Il 19 febbraio 2018 papa Francesco ha accettato le dimissioni presentate da Peter Ebere Okpaleke.

Cronotassi dei vescovi
Si omettono i periodi di sede vacante non superiori ai 2 anni o non storicamente accertati.
 Victor Adibe Chikwe † (18 novembre 1987 - 16 settembre 2010 deceduto)
 Sede vacante (dal 2010)
 Peter Ebere Okpaleke (7 dicembre 2012 - 19 febbraio 2018 dimesso) (vescovo eletto)
 John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (3 luglio 2013 - 19 febbraio 2018) (amministratore apostolico sede vacante)
 Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, dal 19 febbraio 2018 (amministratore apostolico sede vacante)

Statistiche
La diocesi nel 2020 su una popolazione di 639.542 persone contava 443.187 battezzati, corrispondenti al 69,3% del totale.

|-
| 1990 || 331.443 || 391.430 || 84,7 || 52 || 52 ||  || 6.373 ||  ||  || 24 || 23
|-
| 1999 || 398.522 || 495.772 || 80,4 || 90 || 86 || 4 || 4.428 ||  || 4 || 39 || 46
|-
| 2000 || 407.522 || 508.166 || 80,2 || 94 || 92 || 2 || 4.335 ||  || 4 || 39 || 48
|-
| 2001 || 422.110 || 520.870 || 81,0 || 117 || 115 || 2 || 3.607 ||  || 4 || 39 || 51
|-
| 2002 || 392.968 || 490.288 || 80,2 || 109 || 106 || 3 || 3.605 ||  || 7 || 41 || 52
|-
| 2003 || 395.560 || 502.545 || 78,7 || 116 || 113 || 3 || 3.410 ||  || 3 || 44 || 56
|-
| 2004 || 401.506 || 510.623 || 78,6 || 115 || 112 || 3 || 3.491 ||  || 3 || 51 || 62
|-
| 2006 || 416.000 || 539.000 || 77,2 || 129 || 126 || 3	|| 3.224 ||  || 3 || 57 || 66
|-
| 2012 || 489.000 || 634.000 || 77,1 || 122 || 115 || 7	|| 4.008 ||  || 16 || 112 || 73
|-
| 2015 || 519.000 || 673.000 || 77,1 || 135 || 128 || 7 || 3.844 ||  || 16 || 127 || 73
|-
| 2018 || 450.520 || 669.755 || 67,3 || 113 || 103 || 10 || 3.986 ||  || 10 || 163 || 73
|-
| 2020 || 443.187 || 639.542 || 69,3 || 155 || 147 || 8 || 2.859 ||  || 8 || 158 || 79
|}

Note

Bibliografia

Collegamenti esterni
Annuario pontificio del 2021 e precedenti, in

 Sito ufficiale della diocesi

Ahiara
Ahiara


text:
Q: "Cannot find config.m4." while running phpize in the installation of apd using pecl I'm trying to get access to rename_function in PHP, and for that I need PECL APD.  I'm running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
I'm trying to run sudo pecl install apd, but I'm getting:

downloading apd-1.0.1.tgz ...
Starting to download apd-1.0.1.tgz (36,643 bytes)
..........done: 36,643 bytes
15 source files, building
running: phpize
Cannot find config.m4.
Make sure that you run '/usr/bin/phpize' in the top level source directory of
the module

If the command failed with 'phpize: not found' then you need to install php5-dev package. You can do it by running 'apt-get install php5-dev' as a root userERROR: `phpize' failed

Should I be running this command from a certain directory?
This time I tried it with verbose options turned on, in case there is a clue in the logs:

sudo /usr/bin/pecl -vvvvv install apd

Warning: file_exists(): Unable to find the wrapper "channel" - did you forget to enable it when you configured PHP? in PEAR/Downloader/Package.php on line 1518

Warning: is_file(): Unable to find the wrapper "channel" - did you forget to enable it when you configured PHP? in PEAR/Downloader/Package.php on line 1528

Warning: is_file(): Unable to find the wrapper "channel" - did you forget to enable it when you configured PHP? in PEAR/Downloader/Package.php on line 1528
Downloading "http://pecl.php.net/get/apd-1.0.1.tgz"
downloading apd-1.0.1.tgz ...
Starting to download apd-1.0.1.tgz (36,643 bytes)
..........done: 36,643 bytes
+ cp /tmp/pear/temp/tmpNUpEpz/apd-1.0.1/LICENSE /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpLICENSE
adding to transaction: chmod 664 /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpLICENSE
adding to transaction: rename /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpLICENSE /usr/share/php/doc/apd/LICENSE
adding to transaction: installed_as LICENSE /usr/share/php/doc/apd/LICENSE /usr/share/php/doc /apd
+ cp /tmp/pear/temp/tmpNUpEpz/apd-1.0.1/README /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpREADME
adding to transaction: chmod 664 /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpREADME
adding to transaction: rename /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpREADME /usr/share/php/doc/apd/README
adding to transaction: installed_as README /usr/share/php/doc/apd/README /usr/share/php/doc /apd
+ cp /tmp/pear/temp/tmpNUpEpz/apd-1.0.1/pprofp /usr/bin/.tmppprofp
+ chmod +x /usr/bin/.tmppprofp
adding to transaction: chmod 775 /usr/bin/.tmppprofp
adding to transaction: rename /usr/bin/.tmppprofp /usr/bin/pprofp
adding to transaction: installed_as pprofp /usr/bin/pprofp /usr/bin /
+ cp /tmp/pear/temp/tmpNUpEpz/apd-1.0.1/pprof2calltree /usr/bin/.tmppprof2calltree
+ chmod +x /usr/bin/.tmppprof2calltree
adding to transaction: chmod 775 /usr/bin/.tmppprof2calltree
adding to transaction: rename /usr/bin/.tmppprof2calltree /usr/bin/pprof2calltree
adding to transaction: installed_as pprof2calltree /usr/bin/pprof2calltree /usr/bin /
15 source files, building
building in /tmp/pear/temp/pearf7LGca
running: phpize
Cannot find config.m4.
Make sure that you run '/usr/bin/phpize' in the top level source directory of the module

If the command failed with 'phpize: not found' then you need to install php5-dev packageYou can do it by running 'apt-get install php5-dev' as a root userrolling back 12 file operations
+ rm /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpLICENSE
+ rm /usr/share/php/doc/apd/.tmpREADME
+ rm /usr/bin/.tmppprofp
+ rm /usr/bin/.tmppprof2calltree
ERROR: `phpize' failed

Warning: unlink(/tmp/glibctestRdKE0K): No such file or directory in System.php on line 214

Warning: unlink(/tmp/pear/temp/pearf7LGca): No such file or directory in System.php on line 214

A: This will be a short summary of everything to is a precondition to run APD as a PHP profiler, I hope it will help your needs. This summary applies for PHP 5.6.2 APD 1.0.1 and might be incorrect for other versions.
First of all do not start it if you didn't ensure these two:

*

*Deactivate Zend platform or any other PHP optimizer. In general you need to disable all Zend extensions.

*Install a debugging enabled version of PHP (--enable-debug)

If you have a working PEAR setup you need to setup APD like in this article. Don't forget to try out distribution packages either. Otherwise APD's build as following:

*

*Extract tarball.

*Change directory in tarball.

*Run <apache root>/bin/phpsize

*Run ./configure (Add --with-php-config=<apache root>/bin/php-config if configure fails.)

*Compile and install everything using

make
make install

*Edit php.ini and add at least

zend_extension=/apd.so
apd.statement=1
apd.tracedir=/tmp/apd-traces

*Create the output directory specified in php.ini

Now you'll need to restart Apache but before you do, check that the APD extension works fine. To do simply run PHP

/bin/php

No warning should be given if extension is loaded properly. If you get error message something like the "apd.so" extension couldn't be loaded there is a problem. Check if you compiled against the correct Apache/PHP version and using the same right now.
If PHP doesn't complain about anything enter:
<?php phpinfo(); ?>

and check for some lines about APD. If you find them you are done.
You'll also need some traces so to start tracing you need to your Apache to allow the PHP module to load APD. Next you'll need to identify the script to trace. Add the APD call at the top of the script:
apd_set_pprof_trace();

Then make some requests and remove the statement again to avoid causing further harm.
Now have a look at the trace directory. You should find files with a naming scheme of pprof[0-9]*.[0-9] here. Decode them using the pprofp tool from your APD source tarball. Example:

/bin/php /pprofp -u

Redirect stdout if necessary. Use -t instead of -u (summary output) to get calling trees. When you create traces with -t you get a summary output too, but it doesn't contain the per-call durations. I suggest to always create both a call tree and a summary trace.
Hope that helps, I recommend you hardly to read the link mentioned above.
EDIT:
The phpize command is meant to be run at the top level of an extension source dir (this source dir should contain a file name config.m4). See this for more info.

A: As per error:

If the command failed with phpize: not found then you need to install php5-dev package.
You can do it by running apt-get install php5-dev as a root user

I think you should install module development for PHP via:
sudo apt-get install php5-dev

This should provide you with phpize binary necessary to compile the Pecl extension sources. And make sure it's in your PATH.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Bangkok Charity and Santa Fe Collaborate for the kids
Ayutthaya kids get new underwear, ice-cream and games in September.
Santa Fe give essential new undies
Happy volunteers give Ice Cream
This will be another big day for the kids at the school near Ayutthaya and it marks yet another aid giving project for the rising number of children who are now able to attend the school partly because of the help they have received from Gift if Happiness Foundation since 2005.
Santa Fe Giving to Gift of Happiness Foundation
Event overview.
Date of event: 04/09/14
Location: Wat Sam Makan Primary School, by the Pa Sak River Mea La, Ayutthaya, Thailand.
Sponsor: Santa Fe Relocation Services, Bangkok, Thailand
Attending: Four Santa Fe staff and three Gift of Happiness Foundation volunteers.
Description: In respect of sponsorship for 'New Underwear and Games for Needy Kids Project' given in cooperation with Santa Fe Relocation Services and Gift of Happiness Foundation.
Almost 100 children will receive all this joy and these essential items of clothing from Santa Fe during this one day of fun project. Gift of Happiness Foundation will also be giving them more books for the brand new library that was built by the children and teachers in July 2014. See what we gave them here.
Just one of many visits showing some educational supplies give by Gift of Happiness Foundation. Supporting this school since 2015.
There's still time to support the 'Uniforms for Needy Kids Appeal' before we give 500 new uniforms to children living in Northern Thailand from 15 to 19 September 2014.
Recent stories of interest:
Bangkok Charity providing new uniforms for needy kids
Syria refugees, Notting Hill carnival and the strangest city signs
Bangkok Charity - New Uniform Target Reached!
Gift of Happiness Foundation giving thousands of uniforms since 2009
Uniforms are not just for school.
We believe that the gift of uniforms is a really effective way to give poor children a little dignity and self confidence anywhere they gather together (in or out of school).
Children wearing these hard wearing, easy clean uniforms are more likely to stay free from name calling or bullying and can confidently get-on with their studies and group activities without worrying about looking different.
Gift of Happiness Foundation is delighted to announce
the order for 500 new uniforms for needy kids in Thailand.
We appealed for people to buy 500 new uniforms for some of the children we regularly help at schools close to the Burma border in Northern Thailand. Now we are delighted to announce that the uniforms are ordered from an ethically sound manufacturer located close to our Bangkok warehouse. We are also very happy to give this small local company and their employees an opportunity to supply the children in need with such important clothing. "A Real Win-Win Situation for Everyone!"
Gift of Happiness Foundation Delivering the Goods Every Month in Thailand
September 2014. Aid, Uniforms & Show Giving Project Overview:
The prime aim of this project is to supply 500 new uniforms to children who live in some of the poorest communities in Thailand.
This five day trip departing Bangkok on 15/09/14 will include visits to six migrant schools in communities close to the Thai/Burma border, but within 50 kilometres of Mae Sot. We will also visit a Crisis Centre for women and children with HIV/Aids and the Mae Tao Clinic before we return to Bangkok on 19/09/14.
There are eight of the Gift of Happiness Foundation team attending this project, including the foundation Director, cameraman, project treasurer, translator, two general assistants and two paid drivers. "New volunteers may still apply".
As usual, we will be using a truck sponsored by the GOHF Director to transport donations and some volunteers on this trip. We have also organized two extra vehicles to carry all the uniforms, used clothing, educational equipment and other goods.
Gift of Happiness Foundations is totally committed to "Giving Happiness"!
We will produce "Happy Clown Performances" at each school where we have not already performed in the last year. We estimate 1,000 children will be entertained and enthralled throughout the week of this project and we also aim to give ice-creams and candies on the big days of our 'Happy Tour'. (Donations needed)
"Thank You" to All Sponsors.
Uniforms are sponsored by many friends of the charity from Thailand and all over the world via the 'Uniforms for Needy Kids Appeal'. Orders also came from Bangkok St. Georges Society, Bangkok British Women's Group and even more orders came from companies like; ENJO - foodpandaThailand - Bei Otto, Bangkok & Len Penn Music Academy, Bangkok.
Toys, clothing, educational equipment and some medical supplies were donated by the children of International Schools in Bangkok, Len Penn Music Academy, Park Plaza Sukhumvit Hotel, Harrow International School plus hundreds of items donated by many individuals and families in Bangkok and other cities worldwide.
Volunteers are welcome.
To join us on all or part of this 5 day project to the North of Thailand. You can easily apply here.
Note to volunteers;
All the people we visit are living in very poor or desperately poor situations and volunteers assisting on this project must be prepared to experience some sights that may be uncomfortable. Since 2005, we have learned that dealing with migrant communities and refugee camps, nothing ever goes strictly according to plan, but it usually ends-up OK at the end of the day. Therefore, volunteers must be prepared for last minute changes.
With your help, we can continue our monthly aid giving projects to help the children.
Make a difference by giving used goods and whatever you can afford to help our small charity.
See what's needed here
David Puttnam on Richard Attenborough: an irreplaceable man
Bangkok Charity Collects More Goods for Kids in Thailand
Women's group Supporting Bangkok Charity
Ladies from Bangkok's WP&E - Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Group have organized a great evening of networking for women only on 20/08/14.
The event is raising awareness, goods and funding for new uniforms for the hundreds of children served by Gift of Happiness Foundation.
The Director of GOHF (Eddie Haworth) will be the only man in attendance to give a short presentation and collect all the goodies from this great new support group.
Link to -- WP&E - Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Thailand
Regular Wednesday collection of donations in Bangkok.
Gift of Happiness Foundation Director, Eddie Haworth tries to collect most Wednesdays from donors who may be moving away or just having a good old clear out. This week we also collected a very full truck load of goodies for the kids from three companies and one family who are happy to give all sorts of goods and money to help our effective little charity in Bangkok.
Bei Otto donating money to help the kids again
Long term ex-pat family giving before returning (Same Day) to Switzerland
This weeks collection from Len Penn Music Academy, Bangkok
Last collection of the day from residents and management of Raimon Land, The River Condominium
We managed to squeeze everything into our 'Happy Truck' again this week and now it's all ready for sorting in our little Charity Shop/Warehouse, then giving to the kids on our next aid giving project.
See how you can make a difference by giving used goods and whatever else you can afford.
R.I.P. Robin Williams
R.I.P. Lauren Bacall
Happy Times Near Bangkok and Not Just for Garbage Dump Kids!
Great news for the kids of the dump and hundreds more local kids.
A small team of Gift of Happiness Foundation volunteers visited the massive garbage dump again at Samut Prakan near Bangkok.
The visit followed an aid and show giving project bringing happiness and books to hundreds of children at the local Wat Paek Ka Sar School, with more than 2,000 students in attendance.
Most of the children living on the dump attend the school while their parents are hard at work raking through the garbage for anything that can be recycled.
"While we were at the dump, we were introduced to the latest resident, who was born just a few days before our visit".
Mother of the new baby was keen to thank us for the assistance we gave her and the community while she was heavily pregnant during our last visit in April 2014, following the dump fire disaster.
New Baby on the Garbage Dump Born Aug 2014
"It's amazing how they keep things so clean whilst living right on one of the biggest dumps in S.E.Asia"
Ⓒ All pictures GOHF -Si Balmer
We plan to revisit the site in a few weeks when we hope to have collected more baby clothes and equipment for the new born and other babies on site.
Happy visit to Wat Paek Ka Sar school วัดแพรกกะษา
Not just a show for the kids?
We took a second truck full of educational books to help the children study English and Thai long after the show is over.
With more than 2,000 children attending this school, we arranged with the head teacher to give this show to the infants and junior aged children which still numbered 900 plus. We also arranged another visit to give shows and more goodies to the older students when we re-visit the school later for an end of term party later this year.
GIFT OF HAPPINESS FOUNDATION VOLUNTEERS REPORT
VISIT TO WAT PRAEKSA SCHOOL, SAMUT PRAKARN - 7 AUGUST, 2014
On the south-eastern edge of greater Bangkok, in Samut Prakarn province, lies one of Southeast Asia's largest garbage dumps, Praeksa. Only a few months ago part of this dump spontaneously burst into flames and burned for several days, causing health risks and great inconvenience to people living nearby. The dump is surrounded by shanty communities whose denizens often earn a living on and off the dump.
Wat Praeksa School is a very large school near to this dump and its student body comprises many children from the communities surrounding it. In all, the school has around 2,000 students, from kindergarten to high school level.
On 7 August, the Gift of Happiness Foundation made a visit to the school to put on a show by Clown Eckie for about half the students (the younger half), and to make a donation of Thai and English language books – both text-books, language learning books and those for general reading. The Gift of Happiness delegation comprised founder and director Eddie Haworth (aka Clown Eckie), photographer Simon Balmer, Foundation part-time assistant Khun Amarin, and volunteer Gary White.
We were met by the school head and teachers, some of whom helped us set up (sound system etc), and the show commenced at 12.30 sharp, before an audience of eagerly awaiting young children. The squeals of delight and joy as the show progressed, especially during the giant red balloon segment, astounded us all – not least Clown Eckie, who stood on stage with a grin from ear to ear as the kids strained to propel the giant balloon around the covered school-yard.
After the show the books were handed over to the school and ice cream, provided by an anonymous donor via the Foundation, was provided for the young children. It was eagerly slurped up to the very last cone – I know, because I think I handed out the very last cone (didn't even get to try one myself!).
We then proceeded to the edge of the dump to inspect one community there.
It is planned in the future to return to both the school and the garbage dump community to put on a show for the older students and to provide some donations on goods to the families living there.
Report written by Gary White – 9th August, 2014.
THANK YOU ANONYMOUS DONOR!
We were delighted to receive an anonymous donation into our charity account following the appeal for help to buy ice creams for kids at the school. We made sure they all had the treat after the big show. "But they didn't leave any for us volunteers"!
"We try to give ice creams every month when we visit orphanages,
poor communities and needy kids all over Thailand".
Make a Difference Here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
World > Europe > Ireland
Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland is being implemented with some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began working to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.
Official name: Ireland
Capital: name: Dublin
geographic coordinates: 53 19 N, 6 14 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Government type: republic, parliamentary democracy
Population: 4,109,086 (July 2007 est.)
Languages: English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Official Currency: Euro (EUR)
Current Euro Exchange Rates
Historical Euro Exchange Rates
Chart Euro Exchange Rates
Currency code: EUR
Area: total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Map of Ireland
Facts at a Glance: Geography - People - Government - Economy - Communications - Transportation - Military - Climate - Current Time - Ranking Positions - Euro Exchange Rates
Notes and Commentary: People - Economy - Government and Political Conditions - Foreign Relations - Relations with U.S.
Euro Exchange Rates


text:
Snobbery 101
Technically speaking, most people are snobs
The snob was a cobbler?
The word 'snob' in the English language has undergone various changes in meaning over time. It originally signified a shoemaker or cobbler, but all this changed around the eighteenth century. By this time, certain posh English schools had so many children from aristocratic families, that the pupils with parents without titles had "s.nob" written behind their name. This is short for the Latin sine nobilitate, which literally means "not noble".
As this abbreviation came to be used commonly during the nineteenth century, the word "snob" had come to mean "a person not belonging to the upper classes". The word's common usage and meaning thereafter underwent two more drastic changes. By the end of the nineteenth century the word was used to refer to someone who blatantly imitates and seeks to associate with those they regard as their superiors.
By the 20th century, however, it had also come to mean someone who is inclined to social exclusiveness and who tends to rebuff the advances of those they regard as their inferiors, i.e. a person who strongly believes in the correlation between social status and human worth. Consequently, the snob is someone who becomes obsessed with trying and attain worth by associating with those higher up the social ladder and shunning those lower down.
Snobbery, as it is known today, or some form of it would of course have been present in human society for most of our history. Writing in the first century of our calendar, the Roman philosopher Seneca, for example, compared snobbery to someone who buys a horse but only admires the saddle and bridle, not the animal itself. Thereby Seneca, himself actually one of the richest men in Rome at the time, argued that snobs were so consumed with status and wealth, that they remained oblivious to the true value and beauty of human life.
St. Paul, one of the first apostles of the early Christian church wrote in one of his Biblical letters that Christians are to avoid showing partiality against the poor, and the Greek phrase he used is nowadays often translated into English as "avoid snobbery".
Nonetheless, this social attitude as we've come to know it in modern society has its origins in the transition period from medieval to modern society around the 17th century, when the traditional social structure of Western society radically changed. For centuries medieval society was characterized by unequal relationships between superiors and inferiors.
The modern era brought with it the democratization of social life, and consequently the middle class (or bourgeoisie) now gained the possibility to imitate and associate with the aristocracy. People from social backgrounds that would traditionally be considered part of the middle or even lower classes, often consciously started to adopt the customs, dress codes, manners, speech and lifestyle of the upper class in an attempt to climb the social ladder by virtue of this association.
A central part of their aspirations usually included strongly disassociating with anyone from the lower classes. Hence a snob has come to mean someone who on the one hand insists on displaying their status and wealth – whether it be real or apparent – while on the other hand strongly disassociating with and looking down on those the snob considers to be belonging to the lower classes.
This strong disassociation with the lower classes was historically not normally considered necessary by the aristocracy who were well-established in their social position, however. In this regard snobbery can be considered to be an expression of social insecurity by people who believe the value of human life is based on social status.
The snob is not naturally at home in the upper class, however, and feels insecure in their social status. Consequently, they seek to establish and flaunt their social status on the back of those they regard to be from the higher classes and at the cost of those they perceive to be part of the lower classes.
Paul russell
Paul Russell is co-founder of Luxury Academy London, a multi-national training company with offices in London, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. Luxury Academy London specialise exclusively in the luxury industry and deliver training in leadership, communication and business etiquette training for companies and private clients across the globe.
Prior to founding Luxury Academy London, Paul worked in senior leadership roles within luxury hospitality. A dynamic trainer and seminar leader, Paul has designed and taught courses, workshops and seminars worldwide on a wide variety of soft skills.


WHEREAS, the Report of Examination (Report) issued pursuant to the Division's examination of Custom Financial alleged substantial non-compliance with applicable state and federal statutes, rules, and regulations governing the conduct of those engaged in the business of a mortgage broker in Massachusetts.
Custom Financial must establish, implement and maintain procedures to ensure that the Corporation maintains and uses all loan documents in the Corporation's books and records in a manner sufficient to evidence compliance with applicable state and federal statutes and regulations, in accordance with the record keeping requirements set forth in Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 255E, section 8, and the Division's regulations 209 CMR 42.09 and 209 CMR 48.00 et seq.
Custom Financial must establish and implement procedures to ensure that all loan files are properly maintained and that all loan documentation, including required disclosures, are retained for all loan applications received by Custom Financial, including applications which are withdrawn, denied, or funded by the lender, as required by the Division's regulation 209 CMR 42.09.
Custom Financial agrees to submit a payment in the amount of four thousand dollars ($4,000) in satisfaction of an administrative penalty collected in consideration of the Corporation's failure to properly retain files as required pursuant to General Laws chapter 255E and the Division's regulations 209 CMR 42.09 and 209 CMR 48.00 et seq. Custom Financial must remit payment in full of the amount indicated above, payable to the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts," with the executed copy of the Consent Agreement, to the Division of Banks, Attn: Mortgage Broker Examination Unit, 1000 Washington Street, 10th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02118.
Custom Financial must establish, implement, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure that the Corporation does not accept any portion or percentage of fees charged for the rendering of a settlement service when no or nominal services were performed by the Corporation, in compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act regulation (Regulation X) 12 CFR 1024.14(c).
Custom Financial must address all matters requiring attention set forth in the Report within the time frames contained therein. Custom Financial must also implement all corrective actions described in the Report that are not specifically addressed by this Consent Order.
Custom Financial must establish, implement, and maintain procedures and policies to ensure that all applicable personnel persons receive adequate instruction and ongoing, periodic training to ensure proper implementation and execution of the revised practices and procedures implemented pursuant to this Consent Order.
Written findings prepared by Custom Financial detailing a review of management's and staff members' adherence to the policies, programs, and procedures adopted pursuant to this Consent Order and to applicable statutes, regulations, and rules, as well as a description of any operational changes implemented during such quarter which are intended to improve Custom Financial's compliance condition in Massachusetts and the results thereof.
Nothing in this Consent Order shall be construed as permitting Custom Financial to violate any law, rule, regulation, or regulatory bulletin to which the Corporation is subject.
In consideration of the foregoing Consent Order, the Division agrees not to pursue formal measures, relative to this matter, to suspend or revoke Custom Financial's mortgage broker license under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 255E, section 6, while this Consent Order is in effect, but subject to the provisions of Section 8.
Custom Financial agrees that, in the event that the Corporation fails to submit the payment set forth in this Consent Order in the amount specified herein and in accordance with the applicable deadlines, the Division shall be authorized to submit a claim for such amount against the mortgage broker Massachusetts surety bond maintained by Custom Financial pursuant to the Division's regulations 209 CMR 42.06(2)(a).
This Consent Order and the Consent Agreement are the complete documents representing the resolution of this matter. There are no other agreements between the Division and Custom Financial.
THIS CONSENT ORDER WAS TERMINATED ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2017.


The main focus of this article is the term "unnatural" in a narratological analysis of Sam Shepard's Mad Dog Blues (1971) in the light of 'possible worlds' theory. The term is recently coined and, in Jan Alber's definition, designates those physically, logically, and even humanly impossible scenarios and events—according to the cognitive model of possible worlds—that challenge our real world knowledge. Mad Dog Blues is deemed to be one of the most complicated, fast-moving, and vividly imaginative but also obscure and puzzling of Shepard's plays. The play in postmodernist fashion teems with a simultaneous collage-like collection of different types of unnatural narratives and storyworlds. It starts with a self-reflexive postmodern list; confronts us with unnatural characters; deconstructs our real-world knowledge about time and temporal progress; and presents us with impossible spaces. The analysis of the play in this essay is based on Jan Alber's reading strategies which are meant to naturalize the play's unnatural narratives.


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Home I Latest News I Betting Preview Premier League Season 2016/2017
Betting Preview Premier League Season 2016/2017
Christian Mäder | 2016-06-05 |
The Premier League Season 2015/2016 has come to an absolutely sensational end with a huge underdog winning the league. Or would you have expected Leicester City to win the whole thing?
Many big teams are going to switch things up in the offseason to pursue their ultimate goal of winning the league title.
Even though it is very early we will try to predict the Premier League Season 2016/2017 champion already by comparing the notorious title candidates.
1. Leicester City
Was Leicester the best team in the past season or did all other teams just massively fail to live up to their expectations?
The team from central England does not care about questions like this, as they made history and shocked the football world by running over the competition and finishing the league in first place.
Their whole team has an estimated net worth of 127 million euro. Teams like Chelsea (€495.75 million) or Manchester City (€501.75 million) are worth four times more than Leicester, but still failed to beat them over the long run of 38 Premier League matches.
Leicester's key to success was brilliant counter football, implemented by Claudio Ranieri, and the perfectly selected players on their respective positions. Their most expensive player is Riyad Mahrez, valued at €20 million.
Time will tell if Leicester City will be able to keep up with the teams competing for the championship. It will be very important for them to keep the majority of their players in order to be able to play their successful system.
Even then it will be hard for them to stand a chance against football giants like Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea London, who have a much higher budget. In addition to that, other teams will now be more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Leicester squad and adapt accordingly.
Our prediction: Leicester City will finish in the top 7 in 2016/2017.
2. Manchester City
Manchester City finished the season at a disappointing fourth place. The club has spent over €136 million in players and was only able to win the League Cup.
The team troubled against allegedly weaker clubs, especially on the road. They lost 7 games away from home and collected just 27 points.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel: Highly-rated coach Pep Guardiola is moving from Munich to Manchester. The club is going to switch to Guardiola's famous system, which is focused on dominating other teams by keeping possession of the ball at all times.
We are going to see massive changes in the team with several big names possibly leaving the club, such as Yaya Toure.
Manchester City will continue to invest heavily in their team by buying high-quality players, who suit Pep's player profile. Money is not an issue for the billionaire owner and deputy minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Our prediction: Manchester City is the top favorite to win this year's Premier League.
3. Manchester United
2015/2016 was another disappointing season for Manchester United. The team failed to qualify for the Champions League this year and will play in the Euro League instead.
Manchester still has not found its new identity under Louis van Gaal, whose results have been just a slight upgrade from his predecessor, David Moyes. The team is lacking creativity in the offense and their whole game seems very static.
Players like Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata have huge potential, but they hadn't shown it enough last season.
It is still uncertain if Louis van Gaal is staying or leaving the club to make space for Jose Mourinho. There have been rumors for months now- time and money will tell.
Our prediction: Depending on who is going to be United's next coach, the team is going to finish in the top four.
4. Arsenal London
It has been more than a decade without a Premier League title for Arsene Wenger and his squad. At least, they have managed to qualify for the Champions League once again.
Even though all the other allegedly bigger teams were struggling last season, Arsenal was not able to capitalize on that. Instead, an underdog became Premier League champion.
The team had quite a good run during the season, but was not able to keep up their hot streak when it really mattered. It might be an internal team issue that they're lacking the absolute will to win.
Wenger will need to buy a striker during the off-season who can score on a regular basis. Olivier Giroud is above average in terms of skill, but he is not anywhere near world-class strikers like Louis Suarez or Karim Benzema.
If Arsenal picks up the missing puzzle pieces during the off-season they will be in good shape to compete for the title.
5. Chelsea London
What a horrible season it has been for Chelsea. After winning the title last year, they were playing absolutely awfully.
It seemed that player's weren't happy with coach Jose Mourinho anymore and just decided to play against him. Therefore, Chelsea was one of the worst teams in the Premier League in the first half of the season.
After Mourinho was fired, a familiar face returned with Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman led the team out of the second half and finished the season in the middle of the huddle.
This means the team will not be playing internationally next year, so there will be more time to regenerate and focus on the Premier League.
The previously announced new coach is Antonio Conte, who has worked very successfully with Juventus Turin, and will definitely improve the defensive stability and their offensive strategy.
There will probably be a lot of new, high-quality players joining the club. The Chelsea management won't let this happen again.
Our prediction: We expect Chelsea to improve heavily and end up at least in the top 3.
6. Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham performed very well during the past season and managed to qualify for the Champions League. The team has scored the second most goals in the league, falling short only to Manchester City.
Their coach Mauricio Pochettino has assembled a great and young squad with an average age of 23.6 years, which is the youngest in the Premier League.
We can expect great things if they manage to hold their team together. Players like Harry Kane, who has become the league's top scorer, and Dele Alli have already awakened interests from top European clubs.
The main focus in the off-season should be to eliminate their weak spots in the lineup. They will need to buy new players to be able to rest some of their stars during the season, in order to prevent injuries and exhaustion.
The young, talented British players are a sign of a bright future for the club and Pochettino has shown that he is able to work with them and more importantly, make them better.
Our prediction: If Tottenham keeps their rhythm and their most important players, they will be able to reach the Champions League for the second time in a row.
7. FC Liverpool
It was a pretty ambivalent season for Liverpool. Even though they have been investing large amounts of money during the last summer, the team did not live up to the expectations and will be playing international only if they manage to win the Europa League final against FC Sevilla.
Their new coach, Jürgen Klopp, didn't have the effect the club was hoping for. So he will have to do a lot in the off-season to work on his fast-paced, pressuring counter football and improve the team's defense, which has been lacking stability.
The team already has a fantastic offense with fast, technically capable player like Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and Christian Benteke, who can decide a game on their own.
Liverpool's biggest weaknesses are its defense and the inconsistency during the season. When they lost a game, more defeats were likely to follow.
The management around Jürgen Klopp has to find a way to enlarge the depth of the player pool available, so he can switch his team's lineup depending on the next opponent.
If this goal can be achieve in the off-season, we can expect Liverpool to improve further and at least finish better than last year.
Our prediction: Liverpool is going to finish in the top 6 next season, qualifying for the Europa League.


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Brighton General Cemetery
Historic Interments
Crime & Tragedy
(William) Donovan Joynt (1889-1986)
Published on July 28, 2019 August 4, 2019 by bgc_admin
Victoria Cross Recipient, Soldier & Company Director
Location: Lawn*P*126
Joynt was born at Elsternwick, Melbourne on 19 March 1889 and educated at The Grange Preparatory School and later Melbourne Boys' Grammar School; he spent a period studying accountancy before trying his hand in growing cotton in Queensland, as a pastoralist in Western Australia, wheat farming in Victoria and finally at Flinders Island.
Joining the Victorian Rifles in 1911, he enlisted in May 1915 whilst at Flinders Island and after attending Officer's Training School arrived in Egypt as a reinforcement with the 8th Battalion with the rank of 2nd lieutenant. His first major battle was at Polygon Wood during the Third Battle of Ypres in September 1917, and the following year during the German advances of April 1918 came to the fore as a leader of men during the stirring defence at Hazebrouck that saw the 1st Division play a large part in saving the channel ports of northern France. It was during an assault at Herleville Wood near Chuignes on 23 August 1918 that saw Joynt receive the Victoria Cross. His citation read in part;
"For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty…his company commander having been killed…he immediately took charge of the company, which he led with courage and skill…Dashing out in front of his men, he inspired and led a magnificent frontal bayonet attack on the Wood…and a very critical situation was saved".
Wounded three days later, Joynt did not see further action again, his commission ending in June 1920 with the rank of captain. A foundation and life long member of Legacy, Joynt was instrumental in 1926-27 in lobbying for the support of the Shrine of Remembrance concept along with William Blackett (q.v.) and also for putting forward the motion in December 1925 that Legacy broaden its charter that the welfare of the dependants of departed comrades be the principal task which was overwhelmingly accepted and subsequently adopted nationally. In civilian life, he established "Colarts Studios Pty Ltd" initially undertaking advertising work, later expanded in 1929 until the depression enabled an opportunity to purchase a printing press. In 1923 a parent company of "WD Joynt & Company Pty Ltd" was formed, and by the 1980s was employing over 150 people with a substantial premises at Blackburn North.
After serving on the home front during the Second World War, Joynt was placed on the retired list on 10 October 1944 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and at the time of his death on 5 May 1986 was the last surviving Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross from the Great War. On 10 March 1932 he married Edith née Garrett; they had no children.
Joynt, W., "Breaking the road for the rest" (1979).
AWM "Biographical Cards for the Official History 1914-18", AWM140.
Grant, I., "A Dictionary of Australian Military History" (1992).
Wigmore, L. (ed), "They Dared Mightily" (1986).
"Melbourne Legacy Bulletin", No. VAW 1209 (15 May 1986 & 29 May 1986).
(Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, P02939.034)
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The campaign in Vancouver against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP) continues. We will meet in front of Murray and Cantwell's office, 1313 Officer's Row on Thursday March 3rd @ 2 PM. AT 3 PM we will move over to the Evergreen I-5 overpass for banner waving. Hope to see you there.


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Q: Approximation of Conditional Expectation with Respect to "Y" Using Simple Approximation of "Y" Background.
(TL:DR you can skip to Question. below.)
This is a followup question to one of my previous questions (linked here) on this website.
In short,
the other question was about how to express the conditional expectation with respect to a simple random variable $Y$ in terms of a polynomial in $Y$.
More specifically,
suppose that $Y$ can be written as
\begin{align}\tag{1}
Y=\sum_{i=1}^na_i\chi_{A_i},
\end{align}
where the $A_i$ partition the sample space into sets of positive measure.
Then,
given any random variable $X$,
one has
\begin{align}\tag{2}\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y\big]=\sum_{i=1}^n\left(\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y=a_i\big]\prod_{j\neq i}\frac{(Y-a_j)}{(a_i-a_j)}\right).\end{align}
After providing an answer to my question,
angryavian questioned the usefulness of writing the conditional expectation in those terms.
After thinking about it for some time,
I had an idea:
Given that,
in any $L^p$ space,
a random variable $Y$ may be approximated in the $\|\cdot\|_{p}$ by simple random variables (i.e., random variables that can be written as a sum like equation $(1)$),
maybe one could approximate the random variable $\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \,  Y\big]$ using the polynomials
$$\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y_n\big]=\sum_{i=1}^n\left(\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y_n=a_i\big]\prod_{j\neq i}\frac{(Y_n-a_j)}{(a_i-a_j)}\right),$$
where $\{Y_n\}_n$ is a sequence of simple random variables that converges to $Y$ in a suitably chosen $L^p$-norm.
This then leads me to the following question:

Question. If $Y_n$ converges to $Y$ in distribution, in probability, almost surely,
or with respect to some $L^p$ norm,
then does $\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y_n\big]$ also converge to $\mathbb E\big[X \, \big| \, Y\big]$ in distribution, in probability, almost surely,
or with respect to some $L^p$ norm?
Every convergence result I have seen with conditional expectation is about $\mathbb E[X_n \mid Y]\to\mathbb E[X_n \mid Y]$ where $X_n\to X$,
not the other way around.
Furthermore,
given that $\mathbb E[X \mid Y]$ is actually defined as $\mathbb E[X \mid \mathcal A]$,
where $\mathcal A$ is the $\sigma$-algebra generated by $Y$,
I'm having trouble imagining what a statement like

$\mathbb E[X \mid \mathcal A_n]\to\mathbb E[X \mid \mathcal A]$ when $\mathcal A_n\to\mathcal A$

should mean,
given that I'm not aware of any convergence concepts for $\sigma$-algebras.

A: $\mathcal{A}:=\sigma\left(\bigcup_{n\in\mathbb{N}} \mathcal{A}_n\right)$ is the $\sigma$-algebra that contains all the $\sigma$-algebras: $\mathcal{A}_1,\mathcal{A}_2,\dots$ so there is really no general "convergence" of $\sigma$-algebras.


text:
PlayStation Meets Smartphone With The Unique Sony Ericsson Play
The Sony Ericsson Play has not long ago hit the cabinets, and delivers a good remedy for all those who are into their gaming. With console like graphics and controls, it qualified prospects the area in this area, but the handset also has the requirements to match and in fact outdo numerous competing smartphones in other areas.
In this post I will get a closer seem at the important attributes of the Sony Ericsson Engage in, and try to locate out if this is a gimmick, or the true offer.
Gaming Attributes
Naturally a person of the important draws of this handset is its qualifications as a gaming product. On the surface, the machine appears to be like any other handset in the Sony Ericsson Xperia array, but one particular you slide out the PlayStation licensed management pad from beneath the display screen you start to get a photo of what this cellular phone is produced for. The controls are laid out in a identical style to people of the primary console controller, with the vintage buttons and path keys, and even contact delicate analogue controls changing the L3 and R3 keys which thousands and thousands of PlayStation buyers will be familiar with. The 4 inch LED-backlit Liquid crystal display capacitive touchscreen is surely up to the career, with exceptional graphics offered by the 1 GHz processor, and the means to show up to 16 million colours in its higher resolution. There are a number of classic video game titles integrated as normal, and there are of training course many extra obtainable for obtain from the Android Marketplace, lots of of which are optimised for this particular product.
The gaming characteristics of this cellular phone are surely remarkable, and you could be forgiven for pondering that the handset would lack is other regions. This is far from the real truth however, as the spec checklist reads mainly the exact same as its Xperia stablemates the Arc and Neo. Android OS (v2.3) is the functioning method of choice, and there is a 5 megapixel digicam with flash and High definition movie seize, as very well as numerous choices for connection to the online dependent on locale and available community connectivity. There is a great deal of onboard storage many thanks to a pre-set up 8 GB memory card, and this can be replaced with a card o up to 32 GB, delivering enough space for game titles, downloaded applications, photographs, video clip and audio tracks.
As you can see, the Sony Ericsson Enjoy offers everything you would assume from a fashionable smartphone, but with the extra bonus of some terrific gaming functions. Hence, this handset would prove ideal for those people who are into their gaming but don't want to have a individual gadget these types of as a PSP. You may well not be an avid gamer, but even now take pleasure in the options of this phone. Potentially you have a extensive, boring commute, or need to have one thing to liven up your lunch crack at perform, and will need a product to hold you entertained. The splendor of this gadget is that once you are done playing games, you can merely slide the regulate pad back again into position, and you have a totally operating Android smartphone. For that reason, the enchantment of a system like this may possibly be extra common than initial meets the eye.


Keswick lies at the heart of the Lake District National Park and is one of Cumbria's most visited destinations year on year.
This is an exciting opportunity for a national retailer or local business, seeking a presence in Keswick to rent an attractive property close to the pedestrianised section of the town.
Nearby occupiers include; Costa, WH Smith, Greggs, Joules and Mountain Warehouse, as well as a range of established estate agencies and café / restaurants.
The premises provide an open plan ground floor sales area benefiting from an extensive glazed frontage. Storage / office / kitchen areas are provided to the upper floors.
Subject to planning, the building is suitable for a variety of; A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and B1 uses.


Canyon Ridge takes you back to nature with its subtle ribbed pattern, bringing to mind elements of the forest. Choose from 18 earth inspired color ways featuring 6 colors that utilize a fleck accent yarn that creates an added dimension to the carpet.
Pattern Match 3/4" x 1"


text:
Valpara albitarsis, unique représentant du genre Valpara, est une espèce d'opilions laniatores de la famille des Assamiidae.

Distribution
Cette espèce est endémique du Tamil Nadu en Inde. Elle se rencontre dans les Anaimalai Hills dans le district de Coimbatore vers Valparai.

Description
Le mâle holotype mesure .

Publication originale
 Roewer, 1929 : « Süd-indische Skorpione, Chelonethi und Opilioniden. » Revue suisse de zoologie, , ,  (texte intégral).

Liens externes
 genre Valpara :

 espèce Valpara albitarsis :

Notes et références

Assamiidae
Espèce d'opilions (nom scientifique)
Faune endémique du Tamil Nadu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


So beautiful. I wish we had some more trees! All of ours are babies.
Thank you. We don't have many larger trees inside our property either. Can't wait till I have a full established garden. Hurry up plants!
I really love this idea! I think my children would really enjoy it. I wonder if it would be a great way to remember family moments and special people by collecting items that represent different memories?
Thanks Bethany. I think that would be a lovely idea! Perhaps a new one each birthday, Christmas etc as well? :D They don't have to be large. Sometimes the smaller the better. I was thinking it would also be fun to put ones on without the kids there and play eye-spy.
this is just precious! wish we had a little tree that we could do this with.
hi deb! just wanted to let you know that this will be featured tomorrow at tip-toe thru tuesday!
Beautiful idea! Thanks for linking it up to the All Around the Year Carnival.
i love this idea! we only have baby trees in our garden as well, but i'm definitely bookmarking this for when they are older!


When a gwyllion wind engulfs 13-year-old Apple Standish outside of her Irish middle school, the veil between her everyday reality and an unseen world is momentarily torn away.
Apple catches a glimpse into another ether-world, where she locks eyes with Tak, the feline leader of a clandestine order of numinous nine-lived cats, known by tree folk and fey alike as Magnificats.
The effect of this unseasonable sheegee sweeps Apple out of her attachment to bitterness over her parents' divorce and into a massive struggle to save the world from a powerful demon wind she accidentally releases.
and ultimately bring them to a new understanding of courage, purpose, loyalty, and family.
and into the lives of children and teens under conditions of poverty, abuse, and neglect.
Gwyn writes periodically for her local newspaper on military history and American armed services heroes. This experience has taught her what forms a hero.
Magnificat Tak and other characters in this debut novel exhibit those values.
Having traveled to Ireland, the magic that colors the Erin land attuned her to ancient lore.
Why dare to move a tree for a road when it may house a thousand Faerie families (especially since Faeries retaliate in the most uncomfortable ways)?
Why not read the language of trees when a leaf lands at one's feet? Or listen to a changing wind for direction?
The primary setting for Magnificats could be nowhere other than the enchanted Emerald Isle.


Motley Fool Australia » Share Market News » The Alumina share price is up 16% this year – Is now the time to buy?
The Alumina share price is up 16% this year – Is now the time to buy?
Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) is currently the highest yielding stock on the ASX with a juicy 12%, fully-franked dividend yield for investors.
Alumina's share price is currently $2.57 and is up 15.8% this year alone – so is this share one of the best buys on the market?
Alumina has been on the charge in the early part of the year despite missing estimates in its February half-year earnings release. The world's largest alumina refinery, Alunorte in Brazil, remains out of action which has restricted global supply and pushed alumina prices to record highs to start the year.
Alumina reported an 87% increase on prior corresponding period (pcp) in statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) to $635.4 million in the full-year, missing estimates of ~$690 million by a significant margin.
On an adjusted basis, the company's $689.9 million NPAT was more in line with expectations as management cited the tight Western alumina market following "severe disruptions in 2018".
The company's net receipts from its joint venture Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals (AWAC) rose 158% on pcp to US$678.2 million for the year.
Management also cemented Alumina's place as the top dividend stock on the ASX as it increased the interim dividend to 8.6 cents per share, franked to 100%.
Alumina remains subject to global alumina prices and the recommencement of operations at Alunorte would push prices lower and place pressure on the company's profitability. Alumina is effectively a holding company which derives its income from its 40% stake in the Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC) joint venture with Alcoa Corporation.
The other big risk facing not just Alumina but many of the top dividend stocks which are franked to 100% like National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) and IOOF Holdings Ltd (ASX: IFL) is the likely changes to the imputation tax system under a Federal Labor government.
With the May Federal Election now looming, and Labor looking very likely to be leading a government in one shape or another, investors should be wary of diving into fully-franked shares like Alumina just for the dividend and/or tax benefits.
For those who are looking for more income than growth, these buy-rated growth shares are worth a look to fuel further growth in your portfolio.
Motley Fool contributor Lachlan Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of National Australia Bank Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.


On the 7th December 2016, The Lancet launched in South Africa a new series on Advancing Early Childhood Development: From Science to Scale, at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.
This launch was managed by Mrs Noreen Huni, CEO of REPSSI, one of RIATT-ESA's key partners and champions for children's rights specifically in the care and support of vulnerable children through the lifecycle.
The research also highlighted the importance of linking ECD interventions with already available services. This is of key importance for children living with HIV. Children affected by, and those living with HIV, are at risk of stunting, and without key interventions, they will be destined to continue in the cycle of poverty.
In eastern and southern Africa we have the highest rates of children living with HIV, most of whom do not have the support they need to access and adhere to ARV treatment. In order to move Africa forward, and reach the Target 4.2 on the SDG of "Ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development," we need targeted ECD interventions for children living with HIV, interventions that are not just focused on access to treatment, but also on the crucial nurturing and care that is essential for children's optimal development.


In addition to understanding our clients' priorities and needs we will look to thoroughly understand our client's business operations, business environment, the economic effects of a loss, as well as client's priorities and needs. In identifying our client's risk exposures, clients can rely on Ark to design and implement tailored insurance protection to safeguard any business operations in any industry sector.
It is important that our clients understand that insurance solutions are not the only means of managing risks. We will make recommendations on alternative ways how risks can be managed.


text:
A difficult summer for Britain's Teresa May
UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans may be crumbling under the weight of their own contradictions,
Manal Lotfy , Thursday 19 Jul 2018
British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomes US President Donald Trump ahead of a black-tie dinner at Blenheim Palace (Photos: AP)
It seems the UK parliament's summer recess cannot come early enough for British Prime Minister Theresa May, as her government has tabled a motion to bring forward the summer break to begin five days earlier than planned.
May, who does not have a majority in the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK parliament, has been under pressure from MPs on both sides of the debate over the UK's exiting the European Union, the so-called Brexit, and her plans may be collapsing under the weight of their own contradictions.
She is not only facing a rebellion from the Eurosceptics in her own Conservative Party, but also a rebellion from supporters of a "soft Brexit" and pro-EU MPs. In short, May's complicated Brexit plans, which have led to several resignations from the government including of former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis, have ended up pleasing no one.
Amid the continued divisions over the Brexit plans, the government has also accepted changes to legislation on customs arrangements after the UK leaves the EU to avoid a rebellion by MPs backing a "hard Brexit" from the EU.
The customs bill, or taxation (cross-border trade) bill, and the trade bill seek to lay the regulatory framework for post-Brexit trade by setting out powers to collect tariffs and other customs charges and implement international trade deals.
However, May's concessions to the Brexiteers in the bills have dismayed pro-EU MPs in parliament. Former attorney-general Dominic Grieve said that by accepting the amendments May had put herself in "a position of considerable weakness."
Jacob Rees-Mogg, an influential Eurosceptic MP and the man behind the customs bill changes, said the amendments were "broadly in line" with government policy, which was why the government had accepted them.
It narrowly avoided defeat on the bill, with 305 to 302 MPs backing the amendments that seek to make it illegal for the UK to collect duties for the EU without reciprocal arrangements, thus scuppering May's proposed customs plans.
Applying EU tariffs on products destined for the EU is part of May's plan to avoid friction at UK borders after Brexit. Another amendment to ensure the UK leaves the EU's value-added tax regime (VAT), was backed by 303 to 300 MPs, with a Conservative rebellion of 11.
The government insisted the amendments to the customs bill were "consistent" with the blueprint agreed by the cabinet. But the amendments will almost certainly make it very difficult for the EU to accept the UK's latest Brexit plans.
Critics say the amendments will undermine the UK's recently announced negotiating position, accusing the prime minister of "caving in" to the Conservative Party's Eurosceptic MPs.
Conservative MP Anna Soubry opened a debate on the bill by asking "who runs the country – Theresa May or Jacob Rees-Mogg?"
Soubry, who is pro-EU, said hundreds of thousands of jobs could go in the UK after Brexit "if we do not deliver frictionless trade." She said that "nobody voted to be poorer" in the referendum on leaving the EU. "Nobody voted leave on the basis that somebody with a gold-plated pension and inherited wealth would take their job away from them," she said, referring to Rees-Mogg.
Tory MP Heidi Allen told the BBC's Radio 4 news station that "what was agreed… wasn't perfect to us, wasn't perfect to Leavers either, but I think the prime minister had worked exceptionally hard to find a decent first pitch to put to the EU and move forward from that. We were all set [on the Remain side] to drop all our amendments and back it, [and] then suddenly we had these rather extreme last-minute manoeuvres, which seem to us to deviate the prime minister from her plan and we weren't prepared to do that."
With May's plans losing support from both EU Leavers and Remainers, the chances of a no-deal Brexit appear to be rising. In order to avoid a cliff-edge Brexit, former education secretary Justine Greening argued that the decision on the deal should be "given back to the people" and taken out of the hands of "deadlocked politicians."
Speaking on the BBC, Greening said the government's proposals were a "genuine clever attempt at a compromise that could work," but that "suits no-one." "The reality is parliament is now stalemated. Whatever the proposal on the table, there will be MPs who vote it down. But Britain needs to find a route forward," she said.
She called for three options to put in a new referendum: May's plans, staying in the EU, or a clean break from Europe with no deal. She said the referendum should offer a first and second preference vote so that a consensus could be reached.
In an article in the UK newspaper the Times, Greening criticised May's Brexit blueprint, saying that "we'll be dragging Remain voters out of the EU for a deal that means still complying with many EU rules, but now with no say on shaping them."
"It's not what they want, and on top of that when they hear that Leave voters are unhappy, they ask, 'what's the point?' For Leavers, this deal simply does not deliver the proper break from the European Union that they wanted."
May has rejected calls for a second referendum on UK membership of the EU, saying it will not happen "in any circumstances". However, increasing numbers of British MPs support a second referendum in both the Leave and the Remain camps.
Former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage said another referendum was "heading much closer" but could be avoided if the Conservatives changed leader.
May has weathered many storms, but the summer revolt is not finished yet, and the autumn may be even harder with an EU summit to discuss the Brexit plans, more bills to pass in parliament and the Conservative Party conference in October.
The customs bill has passed, but only just and at a heavy price. There is now open conflict in the Conservative Party, and May will ultimately bear the costs of that.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: A difficult summer for May
Dominic Grieve
Anna Soubry
Justine Greening
19:53 Barcelona looking for a replacement for injured Suarez, says Setien
19:51 France, US agree to extend talks over digital tax


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Useful Illusions
The Bible and Philosophy
Posted by J Paetkau in Uncategorized
Works Reviewed: Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012, 379 pages.
"Philosophy is useless, theology is worse." There are times when this warning from the Dire Straits resounds, not prophetically, but with the banal levity of a jingle. Stuck in within the mess of neurons we once called our minds tirelessly forbidding thought or belief. It isn't a heavy nihilism though, more of a cliche than anything else. And, no doubt because there is no one else to do it, the theologians and philosophers continue to pursue their subtle movements, never quite sure whether it is a dance or a boxing match. This is done, often enough, with an eye to utility that translates philosophy into political philosophy and theology into political theology.
Politics names only one of the possible connecting points for theology and philosophy. To another we might well give the name religion, and by this we are to understand the questions that arise when approaching questions of ethics, epistemology, and being from a particular confessional tradition. Religion generally conveys the conception of deeply ingrained set of beliefs and mental practices that traverses the psyche of the individual to a much deeper level than that typically associated with politics. From a certain perspective these beliefs and practices are viewed as errant and illegitimate methods of knowing. Religion, then, becomes something opposed to the exercise of human reason and the texts associated with religion are rendered suspect. Particularly when the texts in question are portrayed as originating in a supernatural or revelatory manner.
Or so the story goes. In The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture Yoram Hazony makes the case that the reason/revelation dichotomy has been used to marginalize the Hebrew Bible and render it obscure to the modern reader. He identifies a typology that divides literature into the camps of reason and revelation, where reason is generally associated with philosophical texts written by people like Plato or Thomas Hobbes, while the Bible is firmly counted in the revelation camp as an example of a miraculous knowledge that is to be believed on faith alone. Hazony argues against this reading, arguing that it is a view of the Hebrew Bible forged by the early Christian readings of the texts as well as by anti-Semitic tendencies in the German Enlightenment that celebrated the advent of Greek thought and sought to exclude all things Jewish from the halls of learning. Noting that even Parmenides and Plato make appeals to gods and goddesses in their philosophies, he argues that the texts of the Hebrew Bible should not be banned as examples of the pursuit of human reason simply because they use phrases like "the Lord said." Hazony then goes on to outline how one might approach the Hebrew Bible as a work of reason, and draws out an ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology from its texts.
The result is an intriguing and at times insightful book. Hazony provides a good overview of the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible into the History of Israel, the Orations of the Prophets, and Writings. This is a fairly standard way of dividing the works of the Hebrew Scriptures according to major genre or literary traditions. Hazony`s main novelty is to place the central focus on the History, rather than the Torah, as a continuous narrative which opens up "a space in which a certain discourse arises, and a search for truth that is, in effect, unending."(65) This certain discourse, which is then understood to be written across the face of the Hebrew Bible, is essentially philosophy; Hazony argues that the biblical authors are "concerned to advance arguments of a universal or general significance.t(23)
Hazony adeptly traverses the biblical narrative, drawing on its typologies and parallels to produce a cohesive and close-knit reading of the text. The ethics of the bible is the ethics of the shepherd, a freedom-loving and at time rebellious figure, who stands in opposition to the pious farmer. This typology is cast first with the story of Cain and Abel, where Cain is supposed to represent the piety of the grain-keeping nations like Babylonia and Abel is the figure of dissent whose echo can be read across the History in the stories of Abraham, Jacob, and all the stories of "dissent and disobedience that give use the courage to wrestle with man and with God where we must."(139)
There is certainly something intriguing about this reading, which recaptures a sense of the heroic, of tempering obedience to the law with reason and courage. Hazony's attention to the literary cohesion of the biblical corpus is exquisite, his attention to the historical context in which it arose less so. The simple dichotomy between shepherd and farmer does not provide an accurate picture of the socio-economic realities of the Ancient Near East, and reading too much into this typology may be to cast the concerns of the modern imagination back into the text. Hazony, who is quite skeptical of most of the efforts of historical criticism, intends to read the Bible as a completed literary work. In this case, one could well imagine, that the mythic past of simpler economic times already informed the contemporary imagination, thus providing the biblical philosopher with a framework within which to advance his arguments.
Taken in isolation the distaste for historical criticism would be excusable. It is, indeed, a growing trend within the field of biblical interpretation to pay more attention to the literary qualities of the works themselves. Hazony's insistence on reading the Hebrew Bible strictly as a work of philosophy, however, leads him to dismiss many of the developments in biblical studies as irrelevant or misled. This comes out most strongly in his analysis of the New Testament. Hazony begins the book by castigating the reason/revelation dichotomy for the way in which it obscures the meaning and purpose of the Hebrew Bible. This dichotomy, he maintains, is largely the result of early Christian distortions. The New Testament, it appears, was composed principally to bear witness to certain events and establish their reliability. The New Testament, essentially juridic in its character, perpetuates a secretive esoteric knowledge that is anathema to the philosophic pursuits of the Hebrew texts. This is Hazony's take on the New Testament and, while it certainly points to one of the ways those texts have been read, it is not a reading well-informed by scholarship in the field of biblical studies. The New Testament is a work of diasporic thought whose authors are struggling to make sense of their ancestral culture and the promises of God in light of a new cultural, political, and religious context. True the format of the narrative is different, the individual witness and the juridical metaphor do take a more central role. A form of collective identity other than the national or ethnic also emerges. Does this mean that the New Testament is a work devoid of reason?
Hazony, in a reading shaped almost exclusively by Tertullian, suggests that the answer is yes. In doing so he is forced to repeat the reason/revelation dichotomy which he had earlier decried. He is also bound to a philosophy that is bound to a national character, a philosophy that has no room for the concerns of individual, no resilience or resistance for times when the prevailing wisdom is bound up with the violent unjust excesses of state. It is unfortunate that Hazony cannot find in the diasporic some resonance with the post-exilic. Unfortunate too that, despite protestations to the contrary, Hazony ultimately reads both scripture and philosophy as closed books, everything has been written there is no room for the new in political configurations, ethical views of the self, or understandings of truth.
Yet, at its strongest moments, Hazony does point to these possibilities. The task of the reader is perhaps to take him seriously in his suggestion to read the biblical texts as works that are not entirely foreign to human reason and to expand this reading in ways that are historically consistent and engage more fully with the breadth of human experience and imagination, allowing for the divine spark of creativity and the revelatory character which accompanies not only religion but all forms of true knowledge. Perhaps, then, we could shake off the persistent commercial jingles that stifle thought and erode conviction.
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Embark on a historical and cultural journey around the Aegean coastline and islands of Greece. Visit archaeological and geographical wonders from the opulent luxury of the newly rebuilt Mega Yacht, Harmony V. Experience the perfect harmony between conventional cruising and private yachting as you are escorted around the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea.
The 55 metre / 25-cabin Harmony V was launched in 2003 and was completely rebuilt from the hull up in 2009. This sleek, high-tech, modern looking yacht complies with the most stringent SOLAS safety regulations and is very similar to the private yachts to be found in the famous ports of the world. She is equipped with powerful engines and state of the art twin stabilisers which provide safe and comfortable cruising.
This Greek Mega Yacht Cruise can carry up to 49 guests in stylish comfort, with a spacious lounge and American bar connected to the dining area. The 200 square metre sun deck is perfect for sunbathing or simply enjoying a cool drink surrounded by peaceful scenery. Service on board is provided by your Captain and his experienced marine and hotel crew members. It will be attentive or unobtrusive according to your requirements as priority is always given to the safety and comfort of passengers.
2:00-3:00 pm embarkation in Marina Zea. Depart via Cape Sounio to Kea. Leisure time to explore Kea's small port of Korrisia after dinner. Departure in the early hours for Delos. Overnight at sea.
Delos (anchorage) – Mykonos - Optional morning tour to the unique archaeological site of Delos, antiquity's most sacred island. On to the port of Tourlos in Mykonos, with a swim stop on the way. Free afternoon and evening to enjoy the island's cosmopolitan lifestyle. Overnight in Mykonos.
Santorini - Noon arrival in Santorini (anchorage at Fira]. Experience the stunning natural drama of the volcanic caldera. Optional tour to archaeological sites and typical villages with unique views over the Aegean Sea. Overnight sailing to Crete.
Rethymnon – Crete – Morning arrival at Crete's famous and lively port of Rethymnon. Optional tour to the ancient city of Knossos near Heraklion. Late departure for Kithira. Overnight at sea.
Kithira – Late morning swim stop and afternoon arrival to Kithira, a less known island gem now fast becoming a favourite among visitors to Greece. Evening at leisure to visit the picturesque main town of Chora and experience the subdued charms of this peaceful island. Overnight in Kithira.
Monemvasia & Nafplion - Early morning sailing to Monemvassia. Discover a remarkable medieval fortified town, with time at leisure to explore the uniquely preserved Byzantine and Venetian architecture and experience the beauty of the natural setting. Depart for Nafplion in the early afternoon, with a swim stop on the way. Evening arrival at Nafplion. The old quarter is charming, with narrow streets and characteristic period architecture. Impressive medieval fortifications can be seen in the port and crowning the hills above. Overnight in Nafplion.
Spetses – Hydra – Optional tour to Mycenae, the powerful walled palace of Agamemnon, the Homeric Achaean king. Early afternoon departure for the island of Hydra. Time at leisure to explore this picturesque port town. Overnight in port.
Marina Zea, Athens - Depart Hydra in the early hours for Marina Zea. Disembark and transfer to the airport for your return flight or to your hotel if you are extending your stay.
*Swim stops and barbeques are weather permitting / Itinerary is subject to weather conditions and sailing might not be permitted in force 7 Beaufort winds / The Company reserves the right to substitute the vessel.
Upper Deck – 2 Lower beds or 1 Double bed.
Each cabin has a large window providing fantastic views of all cruise destinations. With twin or double beds, flat screen television, DVD player, music channels, mini bar/ refrigerator, direct dial telephone, safe deposit boxes, hair dryer and en suite bathroom with shower and elegant Corian finishing on walls and floors.
Main Deck – 2 Lower beds or 1 Double bed.
Main Deck – 1 Double bed.
The Category P cabins are located on the Upper Deck offering a sofa, large windows, an en suite bathroom with shower and elegant Corian finishing on walls and floors. The cabins are equipped with flat screen TV sets, DVD players, mini fridges, hairdryers, individually controlled A/C and safe deposit boxes.
The spacious Sun deck offers a shaded outdoor area for all day dining and a bar, as well as sun chairs and loungers.
This deck houses the category A cabins. All cabins offer large windows providing for the most beautiful views of all destinations the ship cruises to.


By Tracy Trieu, current Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) student at the University of Sydney Business School.
As a Year 12 student and one of the first from my family to go to university, I really didn't know anything about tertiary education. What degree do I want to do? What university should I pick? Will I make friends? What's the difference between a tutorial and a lecture?
There were so many unanswered questions and I had no idea what the next year had in store for me. But like other high school students, I attended as many Open Days as I could and it really helped clarify a lot of things for me. Open Day is essentially a day where you are able to get a taste of the university experience – there are club and society stalls, information booths, presentations, helpful lectures and workshops and, of course, freebies! The day opened my eyes to all the things the University of Sydney had to offer, and it gave me opportunities to further discover the courses I was interested in.
Plan your day! Take a look at all the activities and events available and map out where you want to go and the times (the University also offers an Open Day app you can download).
Do a bit of research beforehand – Get an overview of the university and the courses available so you're able to ask more informative questions on the day.
Write down a list of questions you have (e.g. about courses, scholarships, programs) – This is really simple and can help you find all the answers you need without forgetting what you came for (since there's a lot happening during Open Day and you might get distracted).
Talk to the student ambassadors – They're there to talk to you so don't be afraid to ask about the student experience, which you might not hear a lot about. They've been in your position before and can offer really great advice.
Dress comfortably and pack light! I'm not going to lie, there's most likely going to be a lot of walking involved during the day. You may also be handed a lot of freebies (including food) so try not to weigh yourself down.
With that being said, be curious, ask questions, take lots of photos (#usydbusiness and #usydopenday on Instagram) and just enjoy the day! And, it's okay to not have a clue what you want to do in university – you'll work it out.
Find out more about this years Open Day.


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Hacienda Cusin
In the 18th and 19th centuries, when guests from Quito visited the Hacienda Cusin, they often ended up spending the night, since the trip back to Ecuador's capital was a two-day affair. This meant that, as a de facto hotel, the hacienda early on developed a tradition of hospitality, a tradition that continues to flourish in the stone fireplaces and cozy décor of the lodge of today.
The Hacienda Cusin is located 20 minutes south of Ecuador's Otavalo Market, near the Imbabura volcano. Established as part of a land grant from Spain's King Philip III in 1602, it has been part of its country's history for 400 years—most recently, when a new Constitution was signed there in 2001. This means you'll feel the magic of the past in its mix of colonial and modern features.
The Hacienda Cusin features an eclectic design in which no two rooms are alike. Family suites, individual salons, small cottages: part of the charm of this lodging is discovering the nooks and crannies of its extensive estate. But whether you come to rest after an outing to Otavalo market, or to take in the sweeping landscapes of the Ecuadorian Andes, you'll find a second home in this storied mountain inn.
Choose from cottages, suites, and salons
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Flixist Awards 2012: Best Film
The best film of the year... period
By Matthew Razak February 20, 2020
We've gone through a lot of awards over the past week honoring some of the best films in pretty much every way we can, but now we come to it. No more genres or categories, simply put, what follows is the best movie of the year.
What's great about giving out awards each year is it gives us a chance to honor films that might have flown past other awards' radar. We've got a diverse staff who love all sorts of movies, and it makes our awards far more varied. Of course, much like last year's winner, this year's was an underdog for best film everywhere else, but it won here.
There's something special about a movie that can create controversy, stir discussion and still be frickin awesome to watch. Django Unchained did all that and it did it really, incredibly well. From our introduction to to Christoph Walt'z Dr. King Schultz to the glorious, bloody shootout at the conclusion of the film Django is both a love letter to westerns, a pastiche of that same genre and one of the best written film of the year. But it's not really all that that made it the best movie of the year. It's the fact that Quentin Tarantino is so obviously a movie nerd in everything he does with his films. Yes, this is a great movie, but the reason we really love it is because it was made by someone who is pretty much exactly like us.
Then again we love this year's other nominees as well, and we're all pretty sure that Amour was made by someone nothing like us. Still, a powerful story like that so masterfully handled on screen can't be ignored. Neither can the likes of The Master, which delivered not only the best performance of the year, but one of the most stunningly crafted character pieces ever put to film. Of course we'd be remiss if we didn't include Argo on the list, and though we found it flawed, it's thrilling story and impeccable pacing make it a movie worthy of being noted in the top lists of every film lover. Finally, we have Skyfall, which you wouldn't believe was a Bond film if I described it to you simply by its qualifications: well written, crisply directed, brilliantly acted and stunningly shot.
Truly, 2012 was a good year to watch movies.
Flixist Awards
Flixist Awards 2012
Matthew Razak
Matthew Razak is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Flixist. He has worked as a critic for more than a decade, reviewing and talking about movies, TV shows, and videogames. He will talk your ear off about James Bond movies, Doctor Who, Zelda, and Star Trek.
Godzilla vs. Kong will hit the ring in March, two months early
Nicolas Cage wails on killer mascots in Willy's Wonderland trailer
Last of Us series gets a Cannes winner to direct
Moon Knight is about to get a whole lot of Ethan Hawke


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Sep 15, 2017 · News
Mowing the lawn on a luxury cruise ship
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There isn't much call for a lawnkeeper on the open seas. Or for that matter someone who can dive from 60 feet at a moving target and hit the pool instead of what's around it. Or tune up a skydiving simulator. Or rig an all-new stage show.
There's more need for aerialists and actors and singers and hoofers, but the best have to be sought out, interviewed, wooed and signed to a job at sea.
Royal Caribbean's brands employ thousands of people from around the globe, and many – perhaps most – of them are "typically not talent that you will find off the shelf," says Capt. Hernan Zini, vice president of talent management for the cruiseline.
Wooing talent, once located, isn't usually the biggest challenge. "We have a very international employee mix, which makes the environment very rich," Zini explains. "That's an important part of who we are and how we can attract the talent, being able to tell the story of the company. All the history of innovation – we are rarely following in somebody's steps."
That lawnkeeper's job, for example. In 2008, Celebrity Cruises unveiled a new concept on five ships: the Lawn Club, giving guests the rare seaborne opportunity to pass the time, play some games, even picnic on live, green grass.
People were needed to tend the 2,400-square-yard lawn – a particular challenge in salt air – and the lawnkeeper's job was born.
"When we have a new product, we build new capabilities," Zini says. "So back with Voyager class when we started building the ice-skating rinks, the talent team suddenly had to become proficient in finding ice skaters."
Zini estimates, and underscores, that 80 percent of RCL's talent comes from internal promotions, the remainder from outside.
But those sources are no less important, so Royal Caribbean partners with nautical colleges around the world, among them schools in Croatia, Sweden, Canada, Argentina and the United Kingdom. For the first time, a female bridge officer was recently hired from a school in Ghana.
Other talent, including high divers, comedy stunt divers, ice dancers, acrobats, broadcast techs, musicians, riggers, costumers, lighting specialists and many others are sourced by the cruiseline's entertainment team.
"They go around the world and do auditions," Zini says. "We also have, of course, good word-of-mouth from people who have a great time and recommend it to friends."
As onboard technology changes, so do job requirements. So traditional electricians advance to electronics technicians. New propulsion systems, new information software, the constant evolution to new this and new that, require more specialized sourcing if the jobs can't all be filled from within.
And every new ship presents new sourcing challenges.
"At some point we start to have a clear sense of what is incremental and what is radical," Zini says of innovations. "For whatever is radical, typically we have early notice so we can start the sourcing strategy."
Whatever is radical – whatever it takes. The job, however new or unique, gets done.
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This sew goodie bags tutorial adds a touch of fun to a birthday party. Not only can kids go home with a unique bag filled with party favors, they can reuse the bag over and over. It is a simple bag such as our tote bag instructions but a smaller size. We'll go through the directions below.
For each bag, two pieces of fabric cut 9x7 inches.
Place right sides together on two bag pieces. Sew along three edges leaving the top open. Set aside and sew straps.
If using a strip of fabric, 10x3 inches, Fold your long edges into the middle one overlapping slightly the other. Pin in place down the middle. Sew zigzag or straight stitch down the middle enclosing the edges in your seams. Repeat with second strap. If using ribbon you can skip to step 3.
Taking your bag, turn right sides out and fold top edge down 1/4 inch. Add strap or ribbon end to your folded edge and fold down again enclosing strap within the fold. Pin in place. Making sure strap is pointing up. Sew top edge taking out pins as you go.
That's it! Continue process until you have a bag for each party guest and perhaps a few extras.
Goodie Bags for a space party.
~Try sewing your own goodie bags and customize your fabric to match the theme of your party.
Do you need some ideas on what to stuff inside these fun little bags? You can really have fun with these and a lot of the ideas can come from the children's ages and party theme. Here are some ideas we like to do that doesn't involve candy!
plastic toys such as soldiers, dinosaurs, dogs, etc.


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Bailey must rule out power bill increases for Queenslanders
9 Sep 2016 8:43 AMMichael Hart
Mark Bailey and Annastacia Palaszczuk take credit for Federal LNP supported solar generation projects, despite Labor making no financial contribution to the fund that's delivering them
Labor must assure Queenslanders their renewable energy target won't lead to higher power prices, taxpayer funded subsidies and taxes on other forms of power generation
Mark Bailey is on the record criticising ARENA – the very fund delivering these projects for Queenslanders
Energy Minister Mark Bailey must assure Queenslanders they will not be slapped with higher power bills after he stood alongside Annastacia Palaszczuk taking credit for six new federally funded solar generation projects.
Shadow Energy Minister Michael Hart said while the six new solar generation projects announced today where a positive step forward for the State, Queenslanders needed assurance from the Government that it won't be hitting their hip pocket.
"Moving towards renewable energy sources makes sense but not if all Queenslanders end up paying higher power bills to subsidise green energy," Mr Hart said.
"The Palaszczuk Government's commitment to 50% renewable energy sources by 2030 has the potential to cost Queensland taxpayers $10.8 billion in subsidies and increase power bills to all householders.
"Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to guarantee Queenslanders that their power bills won't rise as a result of her policies.
"Since May, Labor has refused to release the final report from the Queensland Productivity Commission on the impacts of their renewable energy target, which begs the question – what do they have to hide?"
Mr Hart said it was rich of Mr Bailey to stand up and take credit for these regional energy projects when just a few months ago he was publically criticising the ARENA fund.
"Just a few months ago the Minister was doom and gloom, claiming Queensland projects were "under threat" due to changes in the fund," Mr Hart said.
"Flash forward a few months, and here he is trying to gain political capital from these very projects.
"It's just another example of this asleep at the wheel Labor Government putting their own interests ahead of everyday Queenslanders.
"Unlike Labor, the Federal Coalition Government has backed renewals in Queensland, supporting almost $640 million in investment across these six projects in the State's regions, which have the potential to create up to 1500 jobs.
"We support the National Renewal Energy Target and welcome the Turnbull Government's investment in job-creating projects for Queensland."
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