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Name Musings: May 2017
Having now watched the original BBC 1990 series of House of Cards, I've also recently started watching the modern America reboot version. The original is set in post-Thatcher Britain c.1989, while the new version is transported across the Atlantic into the modern world. But it's the change in names that I have found interesting, even while the characters themselves are, for the most part, very similar in story-arc/personality.
Francis Urquhart has become Francis Underwood; his wife Elizabeth is now Claire, intrepid reporter Mattie Storin has been transformed into Zoe Barnes; right-hand man Tim Stamper is now Doug Stamper, cheeky-Irish chappy Roger O'Neill has become Pennsylvanian Peter Russo and his put-upon girlfriend Penny is now Christina.
For the most part, these name changes work. A 30-something Roger from Pennsylvania living in Washington in 2013 just doesn't work, though I'm perplexed why Elizabeth needed to change. I was a little sad at the change from Mattie to Zoe, as part of the original character's arc was that she was a woman with a man's name (someone even says "I thought Mattie was a man") in a male-dominated world, and this works for her and is commented on. They still allude to Zoe's similar gender struggle, but with no tie to the name. An update like Casey or Andi would have worked better for me.
It was a relief to finally finish my research into the top 200 names in England and Wales in 1850, even though it was a wonderful delve into historical records. I had to cut off somewhere -- 200 might even seem a bit profligate -- but even then, there were so many interesting names that got cut off just below the #200 line: Elvira, Asenath, Euphemia, Virtue, Newton, Silvanus, Orlando, Price... and Foster at #222.
Combining the sounds of top 20 favourites Freddie, Oscar and Oliver, and adding the fusty charm of Chester, Foster is a surname that has great potential as a given name. The surname itself is fascinating and has multiple origins: a shortening of Forester -- a keeper of a forest; a woodworker; or a scissor maker. It currently ranks at #2707 in E&W.
As I started with the top 200 in 1900 and worked backwards, it was also interesting to see which names that ranked in the later decades, weren't "on the map" in 1850. One absence that is particularly noticeable is Hedley, which ranked #150 in 1860, #175 in 1870, #188 in 1880, #172 in 1890 and #157 in 1900, but wasn't registered at all in 1850.
The reason for this is that the name Hedley came into use as an honour-name thanks to one man: Hedley Vicars, a British Army officer who was killed in action during the Crimean War in 1855. The Memorials of Captain Hedley Vicars was published in 1856. It had a large circulation and was even translated into French, German, Swedish and Italian.
Between 1840-1855, only 23 babies were registered with the name in E&W. In 1857, the year after the memorial was published, the name was registered on 30 boys. This usage continued (as we can see from the rankings above), with many boys being given the name "Hedley Vicars" as both a first and middle name. The name saw a revival in popularity during the Boer War (1899-1902) when honour-names and war-hero names became fashionable.
Not only does Hedley have a great surname-style in the vein of popular Harley, Finley and Riley, but it also makes a great throw-back heritage option.
My little sister, Miranda, is getting married next April! So much excitement, including getting to go wedding dress shopping. We went to the the lovely Bea's Bridal Studio in Harbury on Saturday and were assisted by a wonderful and very helpful member of their staff named Cherry.
As soon as she introduced herself, I was immediately struck by how well her name suited her obviously sunny and bubbly personality, and wondering why we don't see more Cherrys around.
Cherry was at #1392 (13 births) in E&W in 1998, and gradually rose to its peak of #583 (69 births) in 2011, which was most likely thanks to the many lighthearted BBC documentaries made by presenter Cherry Healey in 2010-2011 including Cherry Has A Baby, Cherry Goes Drinking, Cherry Gets Married and Cherry's Parenting Dilemmas.
Cherry has since declined to #1362 (24 births) in 2015 but could also be used as a fruit-inspired nickname for names such as Bianca, Stella, Florence, Annabella and Victoria, which are all varieties of peach.
Actor Osric Chau caught my eye this month. Well, not so much the Canadian actor himself (not that he doesn't seem like a perfectly decent chap), but more his fabulously unusual name. According to IMDb, his father is from Hong Kong and his mother from Malaysia, and yet he sports a long-forgotten Old English name (from os "a god" and ric "power, rule, authority") which was once borne by many an Anglo-Saxon king.
Perhaps his parents were inspired by literature, as Osric is used as the name of a courtier in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Lunève
While on one of my regular rabbit-hole-name-searches, I came across this post on a French pregnancy and baby forum and was immediately struck by Lunève -- a combination of fashionable Luna and Eve. It's extremely rare even in France, and the comments on the forum are mixed, but most label it as poetic, mysterious, magical and feminine. I agree!
This month, American website CafeMom posted a list entitled "21 Forgotten but Handsome Baby Boy Names From the Roaring '20s" where they took a sample from this post from Laura Wattenberg at babynamewizard. There are some fabulous names on the list, which I enjoyed skimming through (even though the slideshow format drives me ABSOLUTELY UP THE WALL!!!). To save your frustrated clicking, here are all the names from the post:
Sumner Girls:
Millicent
Margery/Marjorie
(Credit goes to my FB friend Geri who had the patience to click through them all. I gave up clicking after four)
Some of these names are very different to contemporary British choices. Warner, Truman, Regis and Kermit feel charmingly American to British ears.
Harlan is the name that particularly stuck out to me. In the US, it was an honour name -- much like Hedley here -- after Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911). Historically, it has been rare as a given name in Britain, despite its surname origin. The variant Harland was always more common as a given name, and even that was always extremely uncommon.
And yet, Harlan fits perfectly with current British trends. It's a surname; two syllables; has the fashionable 'ar' sound and the trendy -n ending. And, as Harley and Harvey are #52 and #50 respectively, there seems to be definite room for Harlan to rise above its current position in E&W of #656.
Posted at 05:20 PM in Uncommon and Unusual | Permalink | Comments (3)
Video: Rapidly Rising Boys' Names
In this video, I'm taking a look at ten boys' names below the top 100 in England and Wales which are on a steep incline in popularity. Could any of these be future top tens?
Names discussed in the video:
Arlo - #102
Albie – #107
Eli – #119
Ralph – #122
Ezra – #127
Lincoln – #129
Hunter – #133
Parker – #142
Rupert – #143
Grayson – #172
Posted at 07:15 PM in Popularity Ranking, Video / Vlog | Permalink | Comments (0)
Archie Mac
Cillian Thomas
Denny Desmond
George Robert Charles (Thomas Edward)
Hugo Montgomery Benjamin "Monty" (Ophelia Darcey Caroline)
Jake John (Emily Ann)
Joseph Luke
Kit Wilfred Lorimer (Murphie)
Matthew James
Montgomery Aubrey Oliver (Harry Charles George)
Oliver Thomas Arthur (Joshua Richard Brian & Alexander Keith Albert)
Ollie Noah (Harry Oscar)
Oscar Dean
Ralph Christian Curtis (William Ernest Hugh)
Robert Colin James (Maren Rose Joy)
Rory Michael (Zachariah Frankie)
Thorfinn William (Alyssa & Jack)
Ania Mai (Bobi Gwyn)
Charlotte Millie (Annabelle Olivia)
Ella Doreen (Amelia & Zara Janice)
Emily Grace (Mia)
Freya Rose (Phoebe)
Haidee Rose
Isabella Florence Mary (Edward David John)
Jessica Amy (Ethan Theo)
Lara Rose
Mara Kay Elsie
Matilda Poppy
Phoebe Margareta Rose (Abraham & Edward Orlando John)
Sophia Emily (Sienna Grace)
Willow Elizabeth
Jessica Lily Margaret & Annabelle Rose Mira
Name of the Week: Mason
Mason is an English occupational surname, in use since the 12th century, denoting a stoneworker: a person skilled in cutting and shaping stone. The English name derived from from the Old French masson, maçon "stone mason."
In the Middle Ages, masons were highly skilled craftsmen who combined the roles of architect, builder, craftsman, designer and engineer. They are responsible for some of Europe's greatest buildings, frequently used in the building of castles, churches and cathedrals, and their skills were in high demand.
As craftsmen, masons belonged to a guild, but because of their nomadic lifestyle — moving to where the work was — the stonemason's guild was an international one and eventually evolved into the fraternal Society of Freemasonry, now known commonly as "Masons."
Like most surnames, we can find Mason used as a given name in Britain in the 16th century, often used in honour of a godparent or a family member. It wasn't uncommon for children to be given their mother's maiden name as a given name, and sometimes children born outside of marriage (especially in rural areas) were given their father's surname as a first name so that paternity was - quite literally - labelled.
Data from the 1881 census ranks the surname Mason at #74 in Britain. In terms in numbers, the surname was most common in England, but per 100,000 people, we can also see pockets of use in Scotland and Wales. The use of Mason as a given name is broadly in line with the areas where the surname was most common, and particularly notable in the North of England.
Data from the Surname Atlas (click to enlarge)
Mason was used consistently as a given name in the 19th century in England and Wales, but it was never especially common. It became rare in use in the early 20th century, picking up at the end of the century
Mason was a natural successor to Jason — in the top 100 from 1864 until 2002 — and fits in perfectly with the fashion for two-syllable ends in -n names, as well as surnames-turned-first names: a style very much adopted from America.
Abby at Appellation Mountain points out that S.E. Hinton novel Tex (published in 197 and adapted as a movie in 1982) may have been an influence, given the books' success.
In 1997, Mason hit the top 100 in America at #89, while it ranked #131 (295 births) in England and Wales and #226 (10 births) in Scotland.
By 1999, Mason had joined the top 100 in England and Wales at #99 (511 births) and had more than doubled in number by 2005 when it ranked #60 (1087 births). It's rise was steadily but determinedly progressive until it reached its peak in 2013 at #27 (2724 births), falling slightly to #29 (2470) the following year.
Mason didn't reach the top 100 in Scotland until 2007 when it ranked #91 (74 births). It rose quickly, however, and soon eclipsed the success the name had in England and Wales, reaching #17 in 2012 and peaking at #11 in 2013 and 2014.
Across the English-speaking world (Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) Mason has seen a peak from 2011 to 2013 and is now showing signs of decline. Whether this decline will be as steady as its rise, or whether the name will plateau lower down the rankings in consistent sturdy usage, remains to be seen.
In 2015, Mason ranked #31 (2263 births) in England and Wales, #8 in Canada and #6 in New Zealand. In 2016, it was #17 (256 births) in Scotland, #20 (100 births) in Northern Ireland, #4 in the United States and #21 in Australia.
* Mason Chamberlin (1727–1787), English portrait painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy.
* Mason Williams (b. 1938), American classical guitarist, composer, writer and poet.
* Mason Jennings (b. 1975), American pop-folk singer-songwriter.
* Mason Lockwood, character in The Vampire Diaries.
* Mason Evans, main character in film Boyhood.
* Mason Turner, character on Australian soap Neighbours.
* Mason Greyback, character on Wizards of Waverly Place.
Celebrity Babies:
* Mason Gooding (b. 1996), son of actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
* Mason Wilkerson (b. 2006), son of actress Melissa Joan Hart.
* Mason Richardson (b. 2007), son of singer Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys.
* Mason Disick (b. 2009), son of TV personalities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick.
* Mason Evan Smith (b. 2011), son of singer Ne-Yo.
Mayson, Maison
MAY-sən [key]
Paige Scarlett Mila Harper Ava Sienna
Blake Harley Dylan Carter Lennon Ashton
Lively Lads Occupational Surnames
If you like Mason you may also like:
Jenson, Harrison, Layton, Greyson, Jackson, Hunter, Dexter, Brody, Bailey, Fletcher
Thanks to Jenna for requesting this name.
Posted at 12:46 PM in Etymology and Meanings, Name of the Week | Permalink | Comments (1)
Top 200 Most Popular Names in England and Wales in 1850
Below are the compiled rankings for the most popular births in England and Wales in 1850 from the England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915.
Disclaimer: It should be noted that the data is not without its flaws. Births were originally recorded by a registrar (in their own handwriting) which were later written up into the register. Some names are invariably recorded incorrectly and it is impossible to know where the mistake was made. Also, I have been compiling the ranks myself, and while I have endeavored to record the number of names as accurately as possible I am also liable to human error. This, however, should not affect the rankings very much overall.
The Top 200 names in England and Wales in 1850:
Josiah
Jabez
Horatio
Jenkin
Shadrach
Llewellyn
Abram
Watkin
Llewelyn
Catharine
Betsey
Harriot
Phebe
Ellin
Thirza
Letitia
Harriott
Jennet
Bessy
Gwenllian
Rosannah
Keziah
Margaretta
Hellen
Lettice
Tryphena
Drusilla
Levina
Margarett
Cecelia
Cicely
Thomasin
Statistics compiled by Eleanor Nickerson at britishbabynames.com
No unauthorised copying without credit or permission.
These rankings are incredibly "top heavy". Far more so than today. There were over 50,000 boys named William or girls named Mary in 1850. Compare that to the mere 6941 boys named Oliver and 5158 girls named Amelia in 2015 and we can see that the difference is massive -- especially when we take into account the smaller population size back in 1850.
In 1850, 226,944 girls and 260,775 boys were given a name in the top 20.
However, only 57,954 girls and 38,885 boys were given a name that ranked between #21- #200.
So, while it's tempting to imagine a bevy of Victorian children running around with the names Tryphena, Hephzibah, Ursula, Watkin, Hezekiah and Shadrach, these were very much in the minority in a world dominated by William, John, Mary and Elizabeth.
The top six names for both genders remains unchanged from 1850 to 1860. However, what is most notable is how much higher Old Testament names -- Moses, Jabez, Emanuel, Jonas, Solomon, Elisha, Thirza, Deborah, Dinah, Judith -- ranked in 1850 compared with later decades, while the likes of Percy, Harold, Herbert, Ada, Beatrice and Maud, were yet to catch on as they did by the end of the century.
Posted at 08:41 PM in Data Analysis and Statistics, Historic Names, Popularity Ranking, Research | Permalink | Comments (15)
Albie Sean (Max John Mark)
Archie Anthony
Archie Charles Wilbur
Arthur Hector Gilfillan
George Robert (Freya Elizabeth)
Humphrey George Alfred (Arabella Florence Lydia & Henrietta)
Jet Kemsley
Johannes Alfred Mark
Joven Singh
Jude William
Lachlan William
Max George
Oliver James
Percy George
Rex William Charles
Aamiya Louise
Amber Joy "AJ"
Anaïs Clementine Miya
Anya Mae (Ella Ann)
Clementine Jane Constance
Cressida Elizabeth (Wilfred David)
Eliza Mai
Fearne Elizabeth (Eva Siobhan) -- mother's maiden name is Fearns
Georgia Kay (Harry)
Isla Rose
Jessica Rei (Penelope Louise "Penny" & Philippa Helen "Pippa")
Leonora Olympia Rose (Ophelia Grace Scott)
Luna Rose
Matilda Grace (Elliot & William Andrew)
Rachel Anna (Euan Joseph & Kirstin Sarah)
Rebecca Catherine
Sadie Elizabeth (Isobel Florence)
Theo John Moritz & Zara Marie-Louise
Name Help: Bilingual Spanish-Scottish Name
Grace writes:
"I am British (Scottish) but my boyfriend is Spanish. We want a name for our child-to-be (boy or girl) that will work in either language in terms of easy-pronunciation (neither set of grandparents speaks the other language). However, the names we have found are all very common in both countries (e.g. Anna, Emma, Sofia for girls), which we would really rather avoid. We are looking for the usual mythical beast - the unusual, beautiful, but accessible name! Is there anything you could suggest? (I should note that we have considered and dismissed Alba for girls already!)"
I asked Grace what names she would choose if pronunciation/accessibilty wasn't an issue, and she could just pick whatever she personally wanted. Here was her reply:
"You know we have been so focused on trying to find names that might work in either language that we've ended up with the lowest common denominator, rather than thinking initially about what names we just like for themselves! [...] Ideally we would love to find some name suggestions that are really not that common, but would be easily pronounced by friends and relatives in Spain and in the UK.
My boyfriend likes:
- Alfonso (I'm not keen on this as reminds me of The Fonz)
- Fergus
- Marta (my boyfriend has a Spanish friend with this name in London where she tends to be called 'Martyr')
- Elena (we have heard a lot of pronunciation variations)
- Harriet
- Duncan
- Struan
- Rowan (I grew up with this pronounced the Scottish way: Row, rhyming with cow). NB: My boyfriend does not like the more transferable variant Rowena
- Mary "
※ ※ ※ ※
I can see the main dilemma here -- a lot of the names you really love (which are all great choices!) don't fit your ideal of being recognisable/easily pronounced in both English and Spanish. I've given the issue a lot of consideration, and here are four options I think you can go with.
Option 1: Spanish/common-language names which are easily accessible in English.
For this option I have gathered a group of names which are either Spanish, but familiar to English speakers, or names that are pronounced commonly in both languages. There is a wide pool of names that fit this group, but I discounted several, as I felt they were too much of a deviation from the names you both prefer:
Silvia – The Spanish form of Sylvia which is easily adopted into English. For me, Silvia has the exotic elegance of Elena, coupled with the antique charm of Mary and Harriet.
Ines – The Spanish form of Agnes which English-speakers are generally quite familiar with. In Scotland, it could be confused with Innes (though I grant Scots with the intelligence to be aware of both), but, on the other hand, you can also see Ines and a nod to this Scottish counterpart.
Mireia / Mireya – Mireia is the Catalan form of the French Mireille meaning "to admire." Mireya is the Spanish spelling (and easy for English-speakers to pronounce), though the spelling Mireia is more common in Spain at the moment.
Valentina – This beautiful Spanish choice is a classic across Europe, and we Brits are perfectly comfortable with its lilting syllables.
Anabel – This Spanish form of Annabel(le) has absolutely no trouble in English. And the best part -- Anabel may be the Spanish spelling, but Annabel takes its origins from Scotland. [It was used in Scotland from the 12th century as a form of Amabel ("lovable")]. The Spanish spelling/Scottish name would be a nod to both heritages.
Adela – Adela is in the same vein as Elena in terms of sound and style, but it is more comfortable on English tongues.
Clara – Coupling the vintage style of both Marta and Mary is sweet Clara, frequently, but not excessively, used in both Spain and Britain.
Marina – Another marrying of both Marta and Mary can be found in the lovely Marina, which has equal heritage in both English and Spanish. The pared down Mara is also equally known in both languages.
Nora – With the English Eleanor and Spanish Leonor, it is little wonder that Nora is found happily in both languages.
Rafael – Raphael is the preferred English spelling, but Rafael is just as easily understood. More uncommon than Daniel, Samuel and Michael but with just as much heritage.
Ruben – Again, this isn't the most common English spelling, but it isn't unusual here. Ruben is lovely common-language Biblical choice which matches the two syllable -n ending of Struan and Duncan.
Andres / Ander – Andrés is the Spanish form of Andrew, which I don;t think is too hard for English speakers. Alternatively, there is Ander: the Basque form.
Option 2: Embrace the difference.
Next are a group of names which are found in both Spain and Britain, but with slightly different pronunciations in each. I always marvel at bilingual children, and how easily they switch between the pronunciations of cognate words like "hospital" and "regular" with no trouble at all, not worrying that the same spelling can have two different pronunciations. For these, I say, why not embrace the difference and enjoy that one name can have two identities in both Spanish and English:
Miren – Miren is the Basque form of Maria, but can also be found in Scotland as one of the many form of Mirren.
Iris – Sweet Iris is botanical like Rowan and as homely as Mary. Thanks to its origins in Greek mythology as the goddess of the rainbow, it is used in both Spain and Britain with two equally pleasing but distinct pronunciations.
Aurora – Another name from mythology is Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn.
Gerard – This Germanic name is used in both Spain and Britain. Gerard has gained a Scottish flavour thanks to Gerard Butler, but it is also a Catalan name.
Ferran – Ferran is a Spanish name, more specifically the Catalan and Aragonese form of Ferdinand, with roots which go back to the Middle Ages in Spain. But as it is also a British surname (also ultimately from Ferdinand), I can easily see it sitting alongside the likes of Rowan, Struan and Duncan. The Spanish name and British surname are pronounced slightly differently, but that just adds to its appeal for me.
Felix – Like Fergus, Felix is a dapper name which had pan-European appeal.
Hector – This name is both quintessentially Scottish and Spanish at the same time. The history of the name is a great one and has long been linked to valour and virtue.
Saul – Somewhere between Alfonso and Struan sits Biblical Saul, a name which is known and used in both English and Spanish.
Joel – In a similar vein to Saul is gentle Joel.
Gabriel – With all the stately homeliness of Fergus, Gabriel is well known and used in both Spain and Britain.
Bastian – This European short form of Sebastian has a slick sound with a style between Alfonso and Duncan.
Gregor – Gregor is a sturdy Scottish name, but given that Spain has Gregorio, I don't think this form would translate badly into Spanish.
Option 3: Two names for the price of one.
This one is the most controversial of the options, but it is actually my favourite.
One thing I find interesting about Spanish (something I noticed when I studied it at A Level) is that it is quite common for Spanish media to translate English names into Spanish. While British newspapers print "King Felipe VI of Spain" (not King Philip of Spain), Spanish newspapers say "Reina Isabel II del Reino Unido" rather than "Reina Elizabeth".
Type in Jorge Alejandro Luis into Google, and you will go straight to Spanish sites about Prince George of Cambridge.
Personally, if I had Spanish relatives, rather than have them struggle over Eleanor, I would absolutely love it if they called me by the Spanish version – Leonor. Two lovely names instead of one? Absolutely! Yes, please.
So, here's my thought. Why not have an "English" name (presumably the one on the official certificate), but make it clear to the Spanish relatives that you are happy for them to use the Spanish form of the name when you are in Spain. There are lots of lovely English/Spanish translations to choose from:
Mary = Maria, Marisa
Beatrice = Beatriz
Martha = Marta
Helen, Helena, Eleanor = Elena
Constance = Constanza
Arthur = Artur(o)
Ralph = Raul
Roderick = Rodrigo
Francis = Francisco
There are tons more. These are just a few of my favourite,
Option 4: Throw the rule book out!
If Struan, Fergus, Mary or Elena are where your hearts truly lie, I say go for it!
Even without different languages to contend with, many names get mangled. You wouldn't believe how many fellow Brits get befuddled by Eleanor! Sometimes it is unavoidable.
Plus, thanks to the internet and the media, the world is getting smaller, and the pot of names gets deeper. I've met a little blonde-haired blue-eyed Diego without a drop of Spanish blood, while Dylan, Oliver and Chloe all rank in Spain's Top 60.
I hope this has been of use. Best wishes with the name hunting.
Posted at 10:04 PM in Name Help | Permalink | Comments (12)
Video: Rare and Usable "B" Names
A new video for this week. "B" names which are very rare (outside of England and Wales top 1000), but are similar to currently popular names.
Bardan
Betsan
Bethia
Posted at 07:34 PM in Video / Vlog | Permalink | Comments (0)
UK Birth Announcements 8/5/17 - 15/5/17
Alfie James (Reece, Rheanne, Lily Mae & Ruby Ellen)
Brody Bruce
Edward Jeremy "Ted" (Alfred Frank)
Felix Culvinor Musgrove (Hugo)
Frederick James Sam
Harry David Alexander (Charles Hugh Beresford & Iona Elizabeth Treharne)
Hector Robert Melvill (Thomas Peter Wavell & Camilla Mary Bradshaw)
James William (Sophie May)
Kade Willis
Liam John (Noel Robert Iain)
Malek Zakaria Wafic (Farrah Rosemary Antonia, Tarek Wafic & Teymour Wafic Eskandar)
Mason Lee
Maximilian François
Oliver Alastair Eyvind (Harry Michael Eyvind)
Oliver John
Oscar Charles
Ralph Richard (Pippa Dorrie)
Theo Andrew
Wilfred Sonny
Zachary Connor
Adaline Rose
Alexandra Helena Elizabeth Ottilie
Alice Grace (George Albert)
Brennan Mhairi (Margaret)
Charlotte Victoria
Eliza Sahara Rose
Florence Anne
Freda Beatrice
Harriet Grace
Heidi Henrietta (Lola, Bella and Ruby Christi Mae)
Iona Fabregat
Kate Amelia
Louisa Munro (Sophie)
Olivia Francesca (Stanley Jack)
Phoebe May
Robyn Grace (Thomas Stephen)
Name of the Week: Ellen
Ellen started out as the English vernacular form of Helen in the Middle Ages. The name derives from the Greek Ἑλένη (Helene), the meaning of which is much debated by scholars.
Ἑλένη is identical to the Greek ἑλένη (elene) meaning "torch, corposant"* and certainly it has been associated with this word since antiquity and interpreted as meaning "the shining one." Furthermore, Helen's name was closely associated with that of the sun god Helios.
Some scholars believe that Helen's name derives from the European root *svarana "the shining one," (from which ἑλένη (elene) also derives) and that she may once have been an Indo-European sun goddess.** Bettany Hughes points out that Helen is often described as shining or radiant in ancient sources.*
It may be, however, that rather than the sun, Helen's name was a corruption of Selene, the divine personification of the moon. Conversely, the Greek σεληνη (selênê) "moon," perhaps also ultimately derives from the same Indo-European root as ἑλένη (elene) -- "to shine, to beam."**
In the Middle Ages, Helen and Helena were commonly recorded in a Latinised form Elena, and so Elene/Ellen became the standard vernacular rather than Helen itself.
As a surname, Ellen not only derives from the first name Ellen, but, in some cases, from the Old English ellen "elder tree," therefore "dweller by the elders."
The Old English ellen actually had two meanings. Not only did it mean "elder (tree),"** but also "strength, power, vigour, valour, courage and fortitude."**
The Latin Helena was introduced to Britain by the Normans, though its use in Europe is thanks to the Greek-born Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was revered for her Christian piety and influence in the promotion of the Christian Church via her son. She is known now as St Helen of Constantinople. She was popularly venerated in Britain where she was, from the Middle Ages, believed to be the daughter of the mythic King of Britain, Cole of Colchester, thereby giving Britain a link to Constantine the Great and the Roman Empire.
Some of this legend may be thanks to confusion with the 4th century Welsh Saint Elen, who, legend has it, was the Romano-British wife of Macsen Wledig (Magnus Maximus), the 4th-century emperor in Britain, Gaul, and Spain, and had a son named Constantine.
It is interesting that Helen was little used in the Middle Ages, yet Ellen (Elene) was quite popular. George Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81, ranks Ellen at #10 which he categorises as "Popular." This is because Helen was systematically recorded as Elena in Latin records and Ellen became the vernacular.
Ellen was so well used that it formed the surnames Ellen, Ellens, Elleyne, Ellin(s), Ellings, Elen, Elin, Hellen(s) and Hellin, though some of this is due to the Old English habitational surname meaning "dweller by the elder trees" (see Origin, above).
Ellen also gained the diminutive form Ellot/Ellota which still survives in the surname Ellett.
Ellen remained in the top 20 throughout the 16th and 17th century, only dipping slightly towards the end of the latter century, as we can see from Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England:
1538-49: #18; 1550-9: #12; 1560-9: #18; 1570-9: #15; 1580-9: #17; 1590-9: #16; 1600-9: #14; 1610-9: #17; 1620-9: #17; 1630-9: #17; 1640-9: #17; 1650-9: #19; 1660-9: #21; 1670-9: #22; 1680-9: #21; 1690-1700: #20.
By the time of the 16th century, Helen and Ellen were used interchangeably, However, Helen and Helena gradually became used in their own right, and separately from Ellen, over the course of the 16th century.
Smith Bannister, for example, lists Helen separately in his rankings (above). Ellen remained the dominant form while Helen ranked between #22-40 from 1550 to 1670. To add to the confusion, Ellen was often used interchangeably with Eleanor, which also ranked within the top 20.
Through the 18th century Ellen remained very consistent. In Dunkling's top 50 rankings for England and Wales it was #21 in 1700 and still #20 in 1800.
The name was a top 10 favourite in the 19th century -- peaking in 1870 at #5 -- and gradually declined at the end of the century. It remained in the top 100 for the first half of the 20th century, but by this point was on a steep decline, as we can see from its ranks in England and Wales:
1850: #8
1890: #10
1944: *out of top 100*
During the 1990s (perhaps thanks to the four generation rule), Ellen had a gentle re-surge in popularity, peaking at #63 (929 births) in 1996. Its top 100 revival lasted only a decade, however, and, as the name started on its decline, its final year in the top 100 was 2002 when it ranked #98 (481 births -- almost half the number six years before in '96).
By 2011, it was #258 (189 births) and had dropped down to #366 (124 births) by 2013.
It has been much more popular in Northern Ireland, where it is still in the top 100. It peaked in 2002 at #28 (112 births) and has gradually declined since.
In 2015, Ellen ranked #384 (119 births) in England and Wales, #361 (10 births) in Scotland and #90 (28 births) in Northern Ireland.
* Ellen Carter (1762-1815), British artist.
* Ellen Anckarsvärd (1833-1898), Swedish feminist.
* Ellen Terry (1847-1928), British stage actress.
* Ellen Key (1849-1926), Swedish feminist writer and suffragette.
* Ellen Willmott (1858–1934), British horticulturalist.
* Ellen Burstyn (born 1932), American actress.
* Ellen Barkin (born 1954), American actress.
* Ellen DeGeneres (born 1958) American comedian, actress, and talk-show host.
* Ellen Pompeo (born 1969), American actress.
* Ellen Muth (born 1981), American actress.
* Ellen Page (born 1987), Canadian actress.
* Ellen Ripley, main character in Alien (1979).
* Ellen Robillard O'Hara, character in the 1936 novel Gone With the Wind and 1939 film.
Elene, Ellin, Elin, Elen, Elyn, Ellyn (English), Elin, Elen (Welsh), Elaine (Medieval French)
EL-ən [key]
diminutives:
El, Nell, Ellie, Nellie, Nelly
Jane Susannah Mary Catherine Frances Sarah
John Laurence George Michael Patrick Andrew
Medieval Favourites Terrifically Tudor Gorgeously Georgian Victorian Darlings
Tennyson Names River Names
If you like Ellen you may also like:
Annie, Martha, Samantha, Lillian, Ada, Caroline, Alice, Margaret, Esther, Lucy
Thanks to Gwen for requesting this name.


Brighten up your day with a freshly squeezed citrus dessert. This granita sounds fancy, but it's super simple to make. It just takes some oranges, a few minutes of prep time, and some patience while you wait for it to freeze. Add a little twist to your weeknight dinner, or even a more elegant meal, with this easy treat.


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Our customers in Gadshill - from homeowners to property developers - have come to rely on our team of accredited and experienced roofing specialists to provide them with the top quality slate roofing systems that Royal Roofing Gadshill is famous for. We have over a decade of experience giving quality service to Gadshill customers, as well as possessing the required licenses and accreditation from the industry's regulating bodies.
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When the installation is done by roofing specialists, slate roofs perfectly complement a property of any architectural design or style. Slate tiles come in different colours and textures which you can even make combinations of if you feel creative. Full customization is possible because the slate shingles can be hand-shaped into a desired thickness or size. No matter what period your home was built in, slate roofing will not take away from the overall look and feel. In terms of long lasting value, slate is a class of its own compared to other roofing materials. It can last twice as long as other types of roofing materials. This is why slate roofing products come with a guarantee for 100 years. This is a good choice for those who intend to keep their homes within the family.
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Head over to leading trade review website TrustaTrader and learn more how Royal Roofing Gadshill can serve your roofing needs. After over 10 years of providing roofing solutions to property owners in Gadshill, Royal Roofing Gadshill is now established as one of the leading roofing companies in the area when it comes to quality, reliability, and value for money services.
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Following on from our highly successful Annual Conference in Carton House, Co. Kildare we will shortly be uploading some of the key presentations, photos and information from the event.
Coca Cola, Global Business Services, Drogheda employee Gerry Meegan – today received the highly prestigious ICBE 2014 National Business Excellence Award (a sculpture by Patrick Campbell) from the Irish Centre for Business Excellence at a ceremony in Carton House, Leixlip, Co Kildare.
The award which is given out annually for outstanding contribution to a key objective of the Centre – freely sharing knowledge and best practice among the members of the network.
Members of the team have actively contributed to events organised by the Centre over the past number of years. Coca Cola supported members in pursuing 8 Step Scientific Problem Solving with the University of Kentucky and also the Lean Masters Programme at the University of Limerick, they shared their experiences for the benefit of others at a recent Lean Symposium, they are active across all of the core processes of ICBE and have arranged a number of best practice visits to their facility in Drogheda for members to witness at first hand the progress made in implementing Lean Principles in service functions & discipline's.
The ICBE is a non-profit cross sector business excellence/knowledge sharing network of organisations established in 1996. The centre provides a platform for companies to share knowledge and best practice across all business functions. Through participation in the core processes (calls for support, network forums, best practice visits, training, education & development, business conferences, innovation & lean), members are assisted in growing and transforming their organisations helping to ensure their long term success.
This is the first service company to receive this prestigious award.


text:
Archive for the 'cuba-usa' Category
Subversion Against Cuba Continues Uninterrupted Amidst Normalization
By Matt Peppe
U.S. and Cuban delegations met in Havana Friday to "focus on setting priorities for the next steps in the normalization process," according to the Miami Herald. They set up a "steering committee in the rapprochement process" expected to hold regular meetings. The process was laid out last month after the American flag was raised at the newly-opened U.S. embassy in Havana. Secretary of State John Kerry noted on the occasion that "the road of mutual isolation that the United States and Cuba have been travelling is not the right one, and that the time has come for us to move in a more promising direction." The Obama administration has since announced loosening of restrictions that would permit American citizens to travel to Cuba on both commercial flights and cruise ships.
Superficially, it would seem that U.S. policy has moved away from a half-century of economic warfare, terrorism, subversion, and interference in the internal affairs of the nation American politicians have long considered a "natural appendage" of the United States, which would fall into the U.S. orbit like an apple from a tree, as John Quincy Adams once said.
If U.S. policy makers had indeed abandoned this attitude and actually moved in a more promising direction, it would mean they finally decided to engage their counterpart as Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez stated his government was willing to with the United States itself: "through a dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, to a civilized coexistence, even despite the differences that exist between both governments, which makes it possible to solve bilateral problems and promote cooperation and development of mutually beneficial relations, just as both peoples desire and deserve."
But despite extending formal diplomatic courtesies and speaking in a more conciliatory tone, the Obama administration has demonstrated behind the scenes that it does not intend to demonstrate mutual respect or recognize sovereign equality.
As the delegations met on Friday, Obama quietly renewed Cuba's status as an "enemy" under the Trading With the Enemy Act (TWEA) of 1917. Under this Act, utilized against Cuba by every President since John F. Kennedy in 1962, the government issues the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to set the terms of the embargo (more accurately described by Cuba and the United Nations as a blockade).
By extending this enemy designation, the Obama administration is reserving the right to dictate the terms of the embargo, rather than allowing Congress to do so under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. While Obama has shown himself more willing than Congress to relax some punitive and illegal aspects of the embargo than the current Congress, by continuing to define Cuba as an enemy he is both sending an hostile signal to Cuba and employing a transparent legal fiction.
An "enemy" in the TWEA is specified as a government with which the U.S. is at war, as declared by Congress. Congress has never declared war on Cuba. They have not declared war on any country since Japan in 1941.
While it may be true that renewing the TWEA against Cuba may be more beneficial to Cuba by granting the executive branch greater flexibility, the fraudulent nature of the continued imposition of legal sanctions against Cuba should be emphasized. Though Obama has said U.S. policy against Cuba "has been rooted in the best of intentions," it has in reality been rooted in vindictiveness and shrouded in legal distortions that continue to this day.
At the same time, the flood of U.S. taxpayer dollars earmarked with the express purpose of regime change in Havana continues unabated. The fiscal year 2016 budget contains $30 million for this purpose.
One use of these funds is for a US propaganda agency to hire mercenaries to denigrate Cuban civil and political personalities. As Tracey Eaton notes in his blog Along the Malecón: "The U.S. government wants to hire entertainers who would produce 'uniquely funny, ironic, satirical and entertaining' comedy shows targeting Cuban officials, politicians and others on the island. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio & TV Martí, is looking for a team that would produce 10 30-minute comedy sketch shows."
The infamous Radio Martí has been broadcasting John Birch Society type propaganda from Miami into Cuba since the 1980s. The U.S. has continued to fund the station, despite its being declared illegal by the Cuban government. One wonders how the U.S. government itself would react if the Russian or Chinese government financed a program lambasting Obama, Kerry, and other Americans for political gain while disguising it as organically developed entertainment? It is not likely they would view a strategic attack created and financed abroad, rather than being a homegrown political expression of dissent, as protected free speech.
USAID, after being exposed for its subversive Cuban Twitter program "ZunZuneo", which sought to sow discontent and stir unrest among the Cuban population, and its effort to co-opt Cuban hip hop artists, announced last week that it is seeking three program managers to be awarded six-figure salaries.
Eaton writes that the job description calls for "experience in the areas of democracy promotion, human rights, civil society development" and that candidates must obtain a "secret" security clearance. It is not hard to imagine that these highly compensated program managers would likely be implementing similar covert programs to destabilize Cuban society and attempt to turn its citizens away from the Revolution.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) – an arm of US foreign policy that overtly carries out programs that previously were undertaken covertly by the CIA – is also hiring a Program Officer to work on NED's "Cuba grants program" and "developing the Endowment's strategy for Cuba." Unlike the USAID positions, which are indicated to be in Washington, this position would require "regular field visits."
Cuban blogger and former State Security Agent Percy Francisco Alvarado Godoy writes that the position is for "someone in charge of mounting all types of subversion against the Cuban government on behalf of the NED… completely illegal, meddlesome, and violative of our sovereignty and, therefore, will not admit any of his activity in our territory."
It is clear that the U.S. continues to act towards Cuba with utter disregard for mutual respect and sovereign equality despite the formalities uncritically accepted by mainstream media as true normalization. By looking beyond the face value of the words of American officials, one can't help but recognize that relations are anything but normal. Until the U.S. government recognizes that normal cannot include sanctioning, illegally occupying, and spending tens of millions of dollars on subversion and interference in another country's internal affairs, "normalization" remains nothing more than a vacuous abstraction.
URL to article: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/15/subversion-against-cuba-continues-uninterrupted-amidst-normalization/
Tags:antiterrorism, changes in Cuba, cuban five, Cuban Revolution
Posted in americalatina, changes in cuba, cuba-usa, history, human rights, medialies, terrorism, The Cuban Five | Leave a Comment »
Book Review: The incredible case of the CUBAN FIVE
Review by: Leo Juvier
On December 17, 2014 presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the beginning of a new chapter in U.S.-Cuba relations. Also, on this day President Obama released the last three of the five Cuban men imprisoned unjustly by the American government with charges of conspiracy to commit espionage, and conspiracy to commit murder. Those three prisoners were Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, and Antonio Guerrero.
The case of the Cuban Five is truly like no other legal case in the history of the United States and Cuba. Their case was particularly plagued by misinformation and concealment of evidence which made their saga a nightmare. During their trial the U.S. government paid millions of dollars to journalists to write stories with lies and incendiary commentary against the Cuban Five, resulting in a biased jury.
The injustices of the case caused international indignation and it mobilized thousands of people across the globe in a show of solidarity. Since their arrest in 1998, the Cuban Five and their families have endured innumerable injustices by the U.S. government, from the denial of visas to family members who wished to visit them in prison, to keeping them in solitary confinement without a reason for long periods of time.
The Book "The incredible case of the Cuban Five" chronicles the nightmare these five cuban men endured for over 16 years in prison. The book is a compilation of testimonies and opinions gathered at the International Commission of Inquiry into the case of the Cuban Five held in London on March 7th and 8th, 2014. The commission counted with over 300 people from 27 different countries, among them distinguished members of the international legal community.
While reading the book it is difficult to ignore the cry for justice.
The relationship between U.S. and Cuba has been characterized by aggressive foreign policies, blockade, and acts of terrorism to destabilize the Cuban nation. Since 1959 Cuba has been the victim of 703 acts of terrorism against its civilian population by the U.S. government and Cuban-American organizations operating from Miami. These attacks have resulted in the death of more than 3478 people, and 3000 people being disabled. One of the attacks that will always remain a scar in the memory of the country was the explosion of a Cuban airplane in mid-air in 1976. During this terrorist attack masterminded by Luis Posada Carriles, (a terrorist who enjoys freedom in Miami) 73 people died, 53 of them were Cubans including the youth fencing team who were returning home from Barbados after winning all the medals in their last competition.
During the 1990's while Cuba was trying to develop the tourism sector in the wake of the Special Period, organizations like the Cuban American National Foundation was financing terrorists to plant bombs in hotels and resort areas. Those activities resulted in the death of a young Italian tourist named Fabio and many others injured.
In response to the terrorist attacks the Cuban government sent the Five with the mission to infiltrate the organizations who were plotting the attacks and to end the terrorist campaign that was punishing Cuban civilians. Their mission was to protect the Cuban people from the wrath and hatred of the extremist exiles which continues to cause damage and prevent full normalization between both nations.
Today it is still very difficult to hear the other side, and the true story of the Cuban Five from American soil. Unfortunately the biggest enemies for the normalization of relations with Cuba is no longer the American people, but the Cuban-American right wing exiles in Miami. They control (or at least try) the public opinion with lies and intimidation.
This book offers an unbiased inquiry into the case the Cuban Five. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding for the case as well as for Cuban-American relations.
For more on the Cuban Five visit: http://voicesforthefive.com/
Official Film report on the Commission of Inquiry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP7Jw4NJ-Fg&feature=youtu.be&list=PLVRfY1xg2QAwDXfybvuhnBUotFKgs5iF5
Tags:amnesty international, antiterrorism, barack obama, changes in Cuba, Commission of Inquiry, cuban five, Cuban Revolution, democracy
Posted in americalatina, changes in cuba, cuba-usa, human rights, medialies, solidarity, terrorism, The Cuban Five | Leave a Comment »
The Cuban Adjustment Act: the Other Immigration Mess
by Robert Sandels – Nelson P. Valdés
Not so long ago the fictional Cuba of the US myth-making machine was a Caribbean gulag, a dictatorship that sponsored terrorism and trafficked in human beings – that is when it wasn't torturing them. Today we are left wondering what that was all about now that Sec. of State John Kerry has gone to Cuba for a flag-raising speech in front of the newly christened US Embassy and a brief walkabout in Old Havana.
The gist of Kerry's remarks is that Cuba should improve its behavior according to Kerry's prescriptions. Apparently, he hasn't been listening to the Cubans, who want the United States to get rid of the thick accumulation of obnoxious and warlike behaviors, starting with the blockade (embargo) and not forgetting to abandon the US gulag at Guantánamo.
So far the United States has offered no rational justifications for these behaviors as it seeks "normalization," but we should at least look at how they originated. As terrifying as history is to leaders in Washington, we will take one of the key bright ideas — the (ongoing) manipulation of Cuban immigration as an example of how far it is from here to "normal."
Creating the exile pool
Normalization has so far not included an end to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which encourages Cubans to become undocumented aliens. Mexicans are told to stay home or "get in line" for a green card, but Cubans who reach US shores can be fast-tracked to citizenship.
The approach to Cuban immigration after 1959 oscillated between a desire to encourage it for propaganda advantage and a concern that Fidel Castro might oblige by releasing an unmanageable torrent. A manageable number could give propagandists the chance to picture every Cuban who left by whatever means, including rafts, as a political refugee from communist tyranny. Too many could strain public services wherever the Cubans landed, create social friction and cost the taxpayers a lot of money. Jesús Arboleya Cervera has written that
…immigration was intimately related to the policies conducted by the United States against the island, conceived to drain Cuba of its human capital, dismantle the social structure, and create abroad the social bases for a counter-revolutionary movement that had no cohesion inside the island. [1]
The just-right balance of regulations could achieve all this. To make it work, Cubans immigrating illegally were placed in a newly invented category exempt from the normal rules. They were initially welcomed under a special resettlement program and helped through the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962. However, President John F. Kennedy ruined the just-right balance by suspending regular flights between Cuba and the United States later that year increasing internal pressures in Cuba. This situation created an incentive for illegal emigration, which reached its highest levels when upwards of 30,000 people emigrated that way between 1962 and 1965. In February 1963, the US government announced that any Cubans who managed to get to the United States would be granted refugee status.
Kennedy's action was an early example of how one immigration policy decision forced the invention of another to deal with the consequences of the first. By blocking safe exit from Cuba, Kennedy provoked the first of the great immigration crises.
1965: Camarioca
Reacting to the immigration pressure built up by suspending the flights, Castro opened the port of Camarioca in September 1965, inviting Cubans in Miami to go there and pick up their relatives.
President Lyndon Johnson at first welcomed the immigrants and framed the Camarioca exodus as a public relations gain for the United States. But as the numbers threatened to overwhelm Florida's ability to absorb them, Johnson sought an accommodation with Cuba through a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed on December 6, 1965. This new fix allowed a specific number of Cubans to emigrate on renewed flights to the United States. The Johnson administration called them Freedom Flights and presented them as a victory for the United States. It could just as well be considered a victory for Castro as Johnson was forced to reverse Kennedy's actions in stopping the flights and to re-think how the immigration weapon was to be used. Castro reset the balance for Johnson. The flights continued until 1973.
But what to do with the Cuban immigrants? Before 1966, they were admitted on a temporary humanitarian basis because it was assumed in Washington, DC that the revolutionaries would soon be overthrown obviating the need for a permanent solution. There was no special legislation to regularize Cubans illegally arriving under the ad hoc systems then in place. Congress attempted to rectify that with passage of the Cuban Adjustment Act on November 2, 1966.
The legislation was supposed to bring order to the process. It applied only to Cubans who had lived in the United States for a least one year and who met the requirements for legal residency. New arrivals would be admitted if they could show they were in danger of persecution if they were repatriated — the standard UN criterion for granting political asylum. Cubans so admitted were granted resident status after one year in the United States regardless of how they got here; all that was necessary was to touch US soil. Most politicized Cubans in the United States were not pleased by the change, for it implied that there would be no roll back of the revolution and that the US government wanted the Cuban immigrants to become Americanized. In fact, the intention was to resettle them away from south Florida.
Thus, the Cuban Adjustment act encouraged limitless immigration, which the immigration system was ill equipped to handle. The process of determining who qualified as a refugee quickly collapsed into a policy of wholesale admission, the issuance of work permits, financial assistance and other benefits plus a fast track to permanent residency. To avoid the time-consuming process of case-by-case determination of refugee status, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (since 2003, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, USCIS) issued paroles, by which new arrivals were released (paroled) to friends or relatives.
The parole, which figured in the infamous Elian Gonzalez case some years later, short-circuited the process of administratively determining eligibility, serving a policy function for which it was not intended. Parole was not supposed to be used for groups of individuals. It was designed to insure that an alien experiencing an emergency could tend to that emergency while remaining free from detention. Eventually, parole was used to facilitate the processing of an entire population of otherwise excludable aliens who were considered by the government to be desirable immigrants.
In short, the special legal protections given indiscriminately to Cuban immigrants is not based solely on the Cuban Adjustment Act but also on the blanket designation of "political refugee" granted to any person who came from Cuba.
1980: Mariel
On March 17, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Refugee Act, which was supposed to rationalize the immigration process eliminating the parole shortcut and requiring a specific determination of eligibility for political asylum by applying the criterion of a "well-founded fear of persecution" if repatriated. The act was not specifically intended for Cubans, but a new mass exodus erupted that again demonstrated the inadequacy of legislative tinkering to solve problems created by the counterrevolutionary policies against Cuba.
The 1980 mass exodus from Cuba took place after the Carter administration and Cuba had agreed to allow Cubans in the United States to visit the island and take gifts with them for friends and relatives. Massive amounts of consumer goods entered the island for the first time since the early years of the revolution. Since these visitors were mostly urban white Cubans, the gifts went to their urban white friends and relatives in Cuba. Non-white Cubans did not benefit because at that time very few exiles were non-white. Poor urban Cubans, consequently, will become economic immigrants, using the 1966 US policy of easy entry into the United States to gain access to the consumer market.
The Mariel crisis of 1980 was precipitated when a busload of Cubans wishing to emigrate crashed through the gate of the Peruvian Embassy in Havana on April 1. They, and later thousands of others, sought political asylum at the embassy. On April 20, Castro announced that anyone wishing to leave could depart Cuba from the port of Mariel. His decision would later be interpreted in the United States as "unleashing" a mass exodus. But Castro later said he allowed the exodus to deprive Carter's right-wing opposition with an election-year issue. [2]
Trapped by a system that could encourage but not control Cuban immigration, Carter announced that he welcomed the immigrants — a decision that ran counter to the attempt just days earlier to put some order into processing them through the Refugee Act. However, this was election time and, like Johnson before him, Carter saw an opportunity to portray the new immigrant wave as proof of Castro's failures; he welcomed the marielitos "with open arms."
By announcing that private vessels from Florida could go to Mariel and pick up the self-defined refugees, Carter insured that he would lose control. A massive, disorderly boatlift followed, overloading the cumbersome interview system necessary to determine well-founded fear of persecution. Consequently, once landed in Florida, the Mariel Cubans were shunted past the Refugee Act and placed in a newly invented status of "entrant."
By early September, Castro moved to rescue Carter and help his re-election by controlling the boatlift crisis and detaining airplane hijackers landing in Cuba from the United States. He also announced that from September 25 to November 4 — Election Day in the United States — all Mariel traffic would be suspended. [3]
In October, with south Florida's social services overwhelmed, Carter reversed his refugee policy a second time by ordering a halt to the boatlift that recently had seemed like such a good idea. He now threatened with fines anyone setting out from Florida for Mariel — the same people he had encouraged to go there. He experimented with various methods to gain control of the inflow and the problem of holding thousands of Cubans in detention centers.
The mess took years to clean up. Indefinite detention of large numbers of marielitos settled in as an addendum to the old policy. Undesirables were kept locked up indefinitely without criminal charges. Riots in detention centers and federal prisons became a regular occurrence. Twenty-five years later there were still 750 Mariel-era Cubans living in detentions centers with entrant status. The Supreme Court finally ruled against open-ended detention in 2005.
1984: Reagan avoids a crisis
In December 1984, the Reagan administration reached an agreement with Cuba that allowed the United States to send back 2,700 marielitos deemed ineligible for residency due to mental health problems, previous criminal records in Cuba or crimes committed while in the United States. As late as 2009, Cubans on a 1984 secret list of undesirables considered excludable were being deported to Cuba after spending decades in the United States. Cuba was the final destination for many "refugees" and "entrants" once welcomed "with open arms."
Under a 1984 pact, the United States agreed to resume issuing up to 20,000 visas per year, which it had suspended because of Cuba's earlier refusal to take back any marielitos – the people welcomed "with open arms." Castro always maintained that the United States never consistently complied with the agreement.
Until the current Obama opening, the United States has always refused to negotiate a return to normal relations unless Cuba first makes concessions. Helping Reagan get off the hook for Jimmy Carter's Mariel folly is never counted as a concession from Castro.
1994: The Clinton Immigration Crisis
For Clinton, the lesson of Mariel was not to review a flawed policy but to avoid falling into an immigration trap as Carter had and ending up with thousands of unwanted Cubans stuffed away in detention centers with the bogus migratory status of "entrant." While Clinton was governor of Arkansas, he struggled with Carter over troubles at the Ft. Chaffee detention center in 1980. On two occasions, Cubans stormed out of the army base unhindered. The base commander told Clinton that because of the posse comitatus law, the military could not perform police functions. Clinton later complained in his memoirs that Carter told the commander he couldn't keep them at the fort against their will. [4]
In the second breakout, a thousand Cubans left the base on June 1 and headed to a nearby town where locals were in a panic and ready with their shotguns to repel them. Unable to get help from the White House or the Pentagon, Clinton ordered state police to block the advancing Cubans by firing shots in the air. Sixty-two people were injured and three buildings at Ft. Chaffee were destroyed. This might be considered the only known hostile incursion by Cubans on American soil. In his memoires, Clinton blamed Castro for his re-election defeat. [5]
Clinton's turn came in the summer of 1994 during a rash of hijackings to the United States — some of them violent. US officials were unwilling to acknowledge the link between incentives to immigrate and Cuban hijacking, but the practice became institutionalized as part of the undergrowth of an unofficial policy apparatus.
For a considerable period, at least in the state of Florida, air piracy ceased to be an actionable offense. In 1992, for example, Cuban airline pilot Carlos Cancio Porcel and several other people with their families diverted his Aero Caribbean plane to Miami, chloroforming a security guard and tying up the co-pilot. "No crime has been committed here," his lawyer said. Cancio was detained but released when the Justice Department ruled that his actions did not constitute a hijacking. Cancio was issued an immigration parole and released into the community.
On August 5, a Radio Martí broadcast from the United States announced the imminent arrival of a ship from Miami that supposedly would take on people who wished to leave Cuba. When the vessel did not arrive, a crowd began rioting in Old Havana. Castro portrayed the riot as the result of a US policy to prevent legal immigration by issuing too few visas and simultaneously encouraging illegal immigration with such tactics as the Radio Martí broadcast. Castro warned that Cuba would not act as an auxiliary to the US Coast Guard. "We can no longer carry this burden or assume this responsibility, while they do nothing."[6]
In a television address August 24 Castro said, "If the United States does not take rapid and efficient measures to stop the incitement of illegal exits from the country, we will feel obliged to tell the Border Guard not to stop any vessel that wishes to leave Cuba."[7] Clinton's answer was that there would be no change in US immigration policy. His chief of staff Leon Panetta said Cuba could not tell the United States what to do — implying that it would continue to encourage illegal immigration — and that the United States would not tolerate a repeat of the Mariel mass exodus. Panetta said Clinton might declare a naval blockade of Cuba if Castro did not control illegal emigration from the island." [7]
While the White House was rededicating itself to the continued encouragement of immigration with the implied promise of immunity from prosecution for hijackers, Castro issued orders on August 12 that the Border Guard should be flexible with those wishing to leave except in cases of hijacking. Clinton was now sliding toward another migration crisis and another Carteresque disaster. But the White House had a plan. Operation Distant Shore involved actually arresting rafters trying to enter the country, detaining them on military bases outside of Florida and possibly declaring a naval blockade of Cuba.
When Clinton saw that the plan included the incarceration of rafters on military bases, he "went ballistic." "Are you nuts? Do you think I am going to do [that] again?" he yelled. [9] He opted instead for scrapping enforcement of some elements of the Cuban Adjustment Act, the most important change in Cuban immigration policy in 28 years.
On August 19, Clinton ordered the Navy and Coast Guard to pick up rafters heading north and transfer them to camps at the Guantánamo Naval Base where thousands of Haitians similarly intercepted were being kept. (There never was a Haitian Adjustment Act.) Speaking at a White House news conference that day, Clinton said Castro caused the problem by encouraging Cubans "to take to the sea in unsafe vessels to escape their nation's internal problems." He called this an "attempt to dictate American immigration policy." [10]
Clinton's welcome was not with open arms.
"Today, I have ordered that illegal refugees from Cuba will not be allowed to enter the United States. Refugees rescued at sea will be taken to our naval base at Guantánamo, while we explore the possibility of other safe havens within the region….The United States will detain, investigate, and, if necessary, prosecute Americans who take to the sea to pick up Cubans. Vessels used in such activities will be seized." [11]
Castro thought the order as insufficient to stop the continuing flow of rafters and asked again for negotiations on all outstanding issues. Clinton refused to do it openly but instead decided to coax Castro into secret negotiations by asking Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari what he could do to move Castro to negotiate — to "check around." [10]
In the subsequent agreement brokered by Salinas, Cuba was expected to limit illegal emigration — another example of depending on Cuba's good offices to slow the immigration that the Cuban Adjustment Act was designed to encourage. For its part, the United States agreed to issue up to 20,000 visas per year and to send any Cubans picked up at sea to the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.
While this was supposed to be a disincentive to rafters, it was also a solution leading to a new problem. As the Guantánamo camps filled up with disgruntled would-be immigrants, something had to be done about rioting and overtaxed facilities. Furthermore, the camps represented a potential public relations disaster: the internees, who formerly were portrayed as refugees from Castro's oppression, might now be seen as victims of US oppression.
A second set of migratory talks had to be called in May 1995 to mend some holes. The resulting agreement required the United States to take in 21,000 Cubans held at Guantánamo and to send future rafters back to Cuba, not to Guantánamo. The United States also agreed to prosecute or extradite hijackers.
This second migratory accord had its own problems. The United States now had to tone down its traditional claims that anyone sent back to Cuba would face prison, torture or death. After all, it was the United States sending them back, so the "well-founded fear of persecution" route to asylum was closed for mass migrations although it remained open in special cases.
Wet foot dry foot
Some way had to be found simultaneously to accept a manageable number of immigrants to satisfy the needs of domestic politics while turning away the unwanted surplus. The solution was another immigration policy shift known as the wet-foot/dry-foot policy.
Not a part of the agreements, the formula enabled immigration officials to placate Miami exiles by continuing to admit Cubans who arrived onshore while living up to the agreement with Cuba to repatriate those picked up at sea. The accords marked an abrupt change in US immigration policy, ending the open immigration practices under the Cuban Adjustment Act, while leaving it battered but still in force.
Even after the Clinton administration formally ended open immigration, the new formula for admitting Cubans contributed to ambiguous and even capricious interpretations of how to receive Cubans arriving by hijack. Were hijackers who landed in Florida to be admitted as dry-foot immigrants or as air pirates?
One of the more bizarre examples of the tortuous interpretations of what constituted a safe, dry-foot arrival occurred in February 2003, when the armed crew of a Cuban Border Guard patrol boat went ashore in Key West after tying up at the Marriott resort marina. After some drinks and a phone call to local police, the crew was taken into custody and swiftly given asylum.
Two facts stand out about the incident: it happened while the Department of Homeland Security had put the United States on a heightened terror alert; and the armed men arrived on a boat — technically a war vessel — belonging to a government on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
In the end, the Clinton administration managed to mollify the exile community for the sin of repatriating wet-foots by applying more sanctions against Cuba, stepping up propaganda broadcasts and occasionally threatening a naval blockade against any future mass exodus. He had avoided the dreaded Carter syndrome, but by inventing the wet foot/dry foot rule, the administration kept intact the incitement to illegal and life-threatening immigration.
Clinton had solved the wrong problem. The Mariel catastrophe was a foretold outcome of bad policy from another era. Encouraging illegal immigration was always a risky way to undermine a foreign government.
Like Dracula, bad policies can live almost forever. This one was tethered to Eisenhower's original belief that welcoming Cubans would undermine the revolutionary government. Conceptually weak, the policy was subject to every kind of current from Miami, Havana and Washington. No one in the Eisenhower administration apparently considered the distorting effect that a rapid buildup of Cuban exiles in Florida would have on domestic politics or that the original bright idea could take on a life of its own that none of Ike's successors could kill.
Today, if normal relation means that the war against Cuba is over, then the United States will have to decide if it wants to jeopardize future negotiations by defending its Draculan policies.
Notes.
1. Jesús Arboleya Cervera, Havana Miami. The US-Cuba Migration Conflict, Melbourne: Ocean Press, 1996.
2. Ignacio Ramonet, Fidel Castro, biografía a dos voces, Editorial Debate: México, DF, 2006, p. 302.
3. Ibid., p. 303.
4. Bill Clinton, My Life, New York, New York: Knopf, 2004, p. 276.
5. Ramonet, p. 614.615.
6. Speeches, LANIC. http://lanic.utexas.edu/info /la/cb/cuba/castro.html
7. The Los Angeles Times, 08/22/94.
8. Kelly M. Greenhill, Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion, and Foreign Policy, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010 p.112.
9. News Conference, 08/19/94, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/WCPD-1994-08-22/pdf/WCPD-1994-08-22.pdf.
11. Carlos Salinas de Gortari, México: un paso difícil a la modernidad, Barcelona: Plaza & James Editores, 2000, p. 247-265.
Robert Sandels writes on Cuba and Mexico. Nelson P. Valdés is Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of New Mexico.
Tags:antistateterror, changes in Cuba, Cuban Revolution
Posted in americalatina, changes in cuba, cuba-usa, history, human rights, medialies | Leave a Comment »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Jewelry made using paua, a type of abolone shell as the main medium.
Kiwi Earrings - Gold with Paua Inlay Kiwi Earrings - Gold with Paua Inlay. Each earring measures 10mm wide and 10mm long.
Sterling Silver & Paua Flower Earrings Sterling Silver Flower Earrings with a featured paua inset. Each earring is 11mm high. The paua is from Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand.
Sterling Silver & Paua Teardrop Earrings Sterling Silver Teardrop Earrings with a featured paua inset. Each earring is 12mm high. The paua is from Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand.
Circle Paua Shell Earrings Paua Shell Circle Earrings Each earring measures: 17mm wide, 17mm long.
Koru Paua Shell Earrings Paua Shell Koru Earrings. Each earring measures 20mm wide (approx) and 20mm long (approx). The earrings are in the shape of the koru which is inspired by the uncurling fern fond which is commonly found in New Zealand. It represents peace, tranquility, personal growth, positive change and awakening. It has been traditionally used to signify New life, new beginnings and harmony.
Heart Shaped Paua Shell Earrings Heart shaped earrings the perfect gift for you loved one. Each heart measures 17mm wide (approx) and 16mm long (approx).
Fishhook Hei matau Paua Shell Earrings A great gift for the one you love, a travelling friend or someone special. The fishhook is said to protect those whom are travelling. Each fishhook measures 12mm wide (approx) and 20mm long (approx).
Teardrop Paua Shell Earrings Paua Shell Teardrop Earrings Each earring measures: 13mm wide, 20mm long.
Paua Shell Dolphin Earrings Paua Shell Dolphin Earrings Each earring measures: 15mm wide, 10mm long.
Rectangle Paua Shell Earrings Paua Shell Rectangle Earrings Each earring measures: 12mm wide, 17mm long.
Paua Shell Creole Earrings Paua Shell Creole Earrings Each earring measures: 20mm wide, 20mm long.
Heart Shaped Sterling Silver & Paua Earrings Sterling Silver Heart Earrings with a featured paua inset. Each earring is 7mm high. The paua is from Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand.
Sterling Silver & Paua Earrings Sterling Silver Earrings with a featured paua inset. Each earring is 20mm high. The paua is from Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand.
Sterling Silver & Paua Cross Earrings Sterling Silver Cross Earrings with a featured paua inset. Each earring is 13mm high. The paua is from Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand.


Hurry! Only 1 left in size 6.
Add a little boho chic to your wardrobe with this adorable tunic in a black print which can be worn as a dress, or as a top over leggings or straight leg jeans. Just add tan accessories or pair with metallic flats to complete a stylish casual look. The tie shoulder straps also give you flexibility to adjust the length. You can also adjust the straps to create a cross-back feature. Also available in blue and white boho print fabric.


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 1 Feb) – The provincial government of Sarangani has forged a partnership with the state-run Mindanao State University (MSU) here and two non-government organizations for the implementation of a P103-million watershed rehabilitation project in Maitum town.
The local government signed memorandums of agreement earlier this week with MSU, Mahintana Foundation, Inc. and Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (CLAFI) to facilitate its proper rollout.
Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon said the three entities will mainly provide technical assistance to the provincial government in terms of research and formulation of a watershed management plan for the critical Saub River in Maitum.
"They will also help us in the monitoring and evaluation of the project's implementation," he said in a statement.
The governor said the signing of the agreements was part of the ongoing preparatory processes for the expected release by next month of the P93.5-million grant from the national government, through the flagship finance climate program People's Survival Fund (PSF).
He said he is set to meet this month with Finance Secretary and PSF board chair Carlos Dominguez III for a grant negotiation to facilitate the release of the funding.
"We're hoping to start the project's first phase implementation within the first quarter," Solon said.
PSF approved the grant for the project on July 6, 2018 following a series of engagements with the local government.
The project, dubbed "Watershed Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Flood Risk Reduction for Increased Resilience," costs a total of P103 million.
PSF will shoulder P93.59 million of the funding requirement while the provincial government will provide a counterpart fund of P9.32 million.
The provincial government of Sarangani will manage the overall implementation of the project and will be working closely with the municipal government of Maitum.
Maitum will provide technical, administrative and other support in all stages of the project implementation.
In the next three years, the project will focus on the creation of a watershed governance system; build the capacity of the municipal government, development partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders to adapt to flood risks and other impacts of climate change variability; establish river bank protection mechanisms; and help alleviate poverty in the area through agro-forestry development.
Cornelio Ramirez, executive director of the Sarangani Environmental Conservation and Protection Center (ECPC), said the project is aimed to improve the resilience of Saub watershed ecosystem to floods and other associated risks caused by the impact of climate change.
A report released by ECPC cited flooding as the most common hazard experienced in areas traversed by the Saub River.
Some 10,001 hectares of its immediate environs are considered as highly prone to flooding, 5,881.65 hectares are facing moderate risk and 2,604.26 hectares with low risk.
The Saub watershed covers nine barangays with a total of 1,747 households living along its 100-meter riparian zone.


text:
package net.npg.abattle.client.commands;

import com.google.common.base.Objects;
import java.util.Collection;
import net.npg.abattle.client.ClientConstants;
import net.npg.abattle.common.component.ComponentLookup;
import net.npg.abattle.common.error.ErrorComponent;
import net.npg.abattle.common.i18n.I18N;
import net.npg.abattle.common.model.client.ClientGame;
import net.npg.abattle.common.model.client.ClientPlayer;
import net.npg.abattle.common.model.client.impl.ClientPlayerImpl;
import net.npg.abattle.common.model.impl.ColorImpl;
import net.npg.abattle.common.utils.Validate;
import net.npg.abattle.communication.command.data.PlayerData;
import org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.Conversions;
import org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.Exceptions;
import org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.Functions.Function1;
import org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.IterableExtensions;
import org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.Procedures.Procedure1;

@SuppressWarnings("all")
public class UpdatePlayerList {
  protected static void update(final PlayerData[] players, final ClientGame game) {
    try {
      Validate.notNull(players);
      int _length = players.length;
      String _plus = ("Players joined:" + Integer.valueOf(_length));
      ClientConstants.LOG.info(_plus);
      for (final PlayerData player : players) {
        {
          ColorImpl color = new ColorImpl(player.r, player.g, player.b);
          Collection<ClientPlayer> _players = game.getPlayers();
          final Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean> _function = new Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean>() {
            @Override
            public Boolean apply(final ClientPlayer it) {
              int _id = it.getId();
              return Boolean.valueOf((_id == player.playerId));
            }
          };
          ClientPlayer exisitingPlayer = IterableExtensions.<ClientPlayer>findFirst(_players, _function);
          boolean _equals = Objects.equal(exisitingPlayer, null);
          if (_equals) {
            final ClientPlayerImpl newPlayer = new ClientPlayerImpl(player.playerName, player.playerId, color);
            game.addPlayer(newPlayer);
          } else {
            exisitingPlayer.setColor(color);
          }
        }
      }
      Collection<ClientPlayer> _players = game.getPlayers();
      final Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean> _function = new Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean>() {
        @Override
        public Boolean apply(final ClientPlayer existingPlayer) {
          final Function1<PlayerData, Boolean> _function = new Function1<PlayerData, Boolean>() {
            @Override
            public Boolean apply(final PlayerData it) {
              int _id = existingPlayer.getId();
              return Boolean.valueOf((it.playerId == _id));
            }
          };
          PlayerData _findFirst = IterableExtensions.<PlayerData>findFirst(((Iterable<PlayerData>)Conversions.doWrapArray(players)), _function);
          return Boolean.valueOf(Objects.equal(_findFirst, null));
        }
      };
      Iterable<ClientPlayer> _filter = IterableExtensions.<ClientPlayer>filter(_players, _function);
      final Procedure1<ClientPlayer> _function_1 = new Procedure1<ClientPlayer>() {
        @Override
        public void apply(final ClientPlayer it) {
          UpdatePlayerList.removePlayer(game, it);
        }
      };
      IterableExtensions.<ClientPlayer>forEach(_filter, _function_1);
    } catch (Throwable _e) {
      throw Exceptions.sneakyThrow(_e);
    }
  }

  public static void removePlayer(final ClientGame game, final ClientPlayer player) {
    game.removePlayer(player);
    ComponentLookup _instance = ComponentLookup.getInstance();
    ErrorComponent _component = _instance.<ErrorComponent>getComponent(ErrorComponent.class);
    String _name = player.getName();
    String _format = I18N.format("player_left", _name);
    _component.addError(_format, false);
  }

  public static void remove(final PlayerData data, final ClientGame game) {
    Collection<ClientPlayer> _players = game.getPlayers();
    final Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean> _function = new Function1<ClientPlayer, Boolean>() {
      @Override
      public Boolean apply(final ClientPlayer it) {
        int _id = it.getId();
        return Boolean.valueOf((_id == data.playerId));
      }
    };
    final ClientPlayer player = IterableExtensions.<ClientPlayer>findFirst(_players, _function);
    ComponentLookup _instance = ComponentLookup.getInstance();
    ErrorComponent _component = _instance.<ErrorComponent>getComponent(ErrorComponent.class);
    String _name = player.getName();
    String _format = I18N.format("player_left", _name);
    _component.addError(_format, false);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Max Azulay has been writing, performing and making films for as long as he can remember. His work has been featured at the LA Comedy Festival, on The Onion, Channel 101, Splitsider.com, Funny or Die, The Nerdist, and at the Upright Citizens Brigade. He graduated from Occidental College in 2011. His first feature, '5 Doctors,' which he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in, alongside Bobby Moynihan, Jeremy Shamos, Eddie Pepitone, Peter Friedman and more, comes out in late 2015. He has several allergies, which he would be OK telling you about in person.
Writer. Director. Actor. Guy Trying To Figure Out How To Use Squarespace.
Max Azulay is a writer/director based in New York City. He co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the feature film, '5 Doctors,' which also stars Bobby Moynihan (SNL), Jeremy Shamos (Birdman), Eddie Pepitone (Conan) and many others. '5 Doctors' was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and released on VOD and On Demand in 2018. In addition. his work has been featured at the LA Comedy Festival, on The Onion, Channel 101, Splitsider.com, Funny or Die, The Huffington Post, The Nerdist, and at the Upright Citizens Brigade. In addition, he has written and directed content for Go90, Mashable and IBM. He has several allergies which he would comfortable telling you about in person.


text:
Arran Creamery Wins World's Best Cheddar Award
Isle of Arran Creamery and First Milk Ltd
Arran Creamery wins world's best cheddar award (PRNewsFoto/Isle of Arran Creamery)
GLASGOW, Scotland, February 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
First Milk, owners of the Isle of Arran Creamery, are celebrating as their Extra Mature variety was rated best cheddar at the World Cheese Awards 2013.
The creamery won a 'Super Gold' title which is awarded by the judges from their selection of Gold medal winning cheddars. With just one Super Gold awarded for the whole cheddar category, recipients of this title are classed as one of the 'World's Best Cheeses'.
Paul Murray, Head Cheesemaker at Isle of Arran Creamery commented: "It is a huge honour to receive the top cheddar award from the judges. Our employees and local supplying farmers take great pride in the cheese we produce and it's fantastic to get this recognition."
The World Cheese Awards took place on 27th November in Birmingham, as part of the annual BBC Good Food Show, where 2,700 entries were received from over 30 countries. The awards bring together buyers and sellers from the global food industry and this year celebrated their 25th anniversary.
The judges included expert cheese graders, producers, buyers, chefs and food writers. Every entry is judged on taste, aroma and texture.
This award comes at a busy time for creamery owners First Milk as they focus more on marketing their brands, including Isle of Arran, into expanding international markets.
About Isle of Arran Cheddar
Isle of Arran cheddar is handcrafted at the Isle of Arran Creamery on the southern tip of the island. A small team of dedicated cheese makers follow traditional methods, using only milk from cows that graze the island's pastures, to create this classic cheddar.
For further details visit: http://www.isleofarrancheese.co.uk
About Isle of Arran Creamery and First Milk
Isle of Arran Creamery is owned and operated by First Milk - the UK's only major dairy company which is 100% owned by British farmers. It supplies a wide range of dairy products and dairy ingredients to customers in both national and international markets including block cheeses, soft cheeses, raw milk, butter, skimmed milk powder, whey proteins and sports nutrition brands.
The company generates annual revenues of £530 million (2012/13 figures) and is headquartered in Glasgow with eight manufacturing sites across England, Scotland and Wales employing a total of 667 people.
First Milk's aspiration is to provide consumers with great-tasting nutritious food, while delivering value for every part of its farmers' milk. As a business with a passion for innovation and sustainability, it is constantly seeking fresh ways of working with partners across the supply chain to drive pioneering solutions to industry challenges.
For further information on First Milk, please visit http://www.firstmilk.co.uk or follow the company on Twitter @first_milk and YouTube http://www.youtube.co.uk/firstmilk1
A copy of First Milk's sustainability report is also available to download via its website, http://www.firstmilk.co.uk/sustainability
For sales enquiries, please contact the First Milk Export team:
Communications Executive
First Milk Limited
E: export@firstmilk.co.uk
T: +44-(0)141-887-6111
SOURCE Isle of Arran Creamery and First Milk Ltd


Khan as a Red Lantern is the scariest thing in ST history.
I feel as though both properties are diminished by this.
Unfortunately, Kirk and Hal Jordan is not the same body. He is now a retired officer on Earth.


While the famous Alaska Iditarod and Yukon Quest attract much publicity, there is another dog sled race to take place in March - Ivakkak in northernmost Quebec.
The race is scheduled to start on March 10th , 2014. The race will depart from the Hudson coast community of Kuujjuaraapik to Umiujaq and Inukjuak, finishing in Puvirnituq in time for the Snow Festival. The mushers will travel approximately 600 kilometres during the race. The number of dog teams is yet to be confirmed. Mushers have until February 11th, 2013 to register. Eleven teams of 2 ranging from the communities of Kuujjuaq, Tasiujaq, Quaqtaq, Puvirnituq and Kangiqsujuaq will compete for the championship 13th edition Ivakkak cup. The number of dogs varies from 10 to 12 per team. The participants are all Inuit.
The race is very exciting event for the communities because the Inuit tradition of husky dogs keeps history alive. The race is sponsored by Maivik Corporation.
Makivik, which in Inuktitut means "To Rise Up," is a fitting name for an organization mandated to protect the rights, interests and financial compensation provided by the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the first comprehensive Inuit land claim in Canada, and the more recent offshore Nunavik Inuit Land Claim Agreement that came into effect in 2008. The Corporation's distinct mandates ranges from owning and operating large profitable business enterprises and generating jobs; to social economic development, improved housing conditions, to protection of the Inuit language and culture and the natural environment.
While the race is a popular event and focal point for the communities, a bigger concern for the Inuit is housing. According to Statistics Canada, in 2011, the population of Nunavik was 12,090 persons, of which 89% were Inuit and 34% were less than 15 years old. Nunavik has the highest level of overcrowding in all of Canada, 68% of the families live in overcrowded housing. As part of the 2010-2015 Housing Agreement, 337 housing units will be built. The government of Quebec has undertaken to finance the construction and operating cost of an additional 300 units to be constructed between 2012-2016.
Unlike the Iditarod and Quest, the Ivakkak, attracts little outside attention or tourists. Yet is an important race for the Inuit as it celebrates an ancient tradition.
The Inuit in northernmost Quebec face an acute housing shortage.


If you've been hurt in a traffic collision, promptly contacting Greenman Goldberg Raby Martinez, the auto accident lawyers in Las Vegas who have helped thousands of clients since 1970, is critically important.
Victims often are more concerned with recovering from their injuries than legal issues in the days after an automobile, truck or motorcycle collision. But putting off the call to hire auto accident lawyers in Las Vegas can cost you financially and in terms of your physical recovery.
Don't delay in calling GGRM at 702-388-GGRM (4476). A consultation with us is free. The sooner we can begin helping you after your accident, the sooner your life can return to normal.
Dealing with insurance companies. Insurance disputes can take months, even years, to settle. Skillful auto accident lawyers are accustomed to negotiating with insurance companies and can expedite payouts for medical bills, property damage, or car repairs or replacement. Statistics also show that accident victims who are represented by a lawyer receive greater monetary compensation from insurance companies.
Protecting your rights. An attorney can ensure that an accident victim makes no statements or signs documents that could be used in an attempt to deny compensation.
Gathering evidence. Over time, an accident scene may change, video or photos may become more difficult to locate, and the memories of eyewitnesses may deteriorate. An experienced personal injury law firm such as Greenman Goldberg Raby Martinez has the resources to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding your accident promptly. We know what to look for at an accident scene and what questions to ask the police and eyewitnesses.
Greenman, Goldberg, Raby, Martinez law firm has more than 40 years of experience as auto accident lawyers in Las Vegas. Don't jeopardize your chances to receive the financial compensation you deserve after you've been hurt in a traffic collision. Call 702-388-GGRM (4476) to discuss your options.


Enigm4 brings you to unknown dimensions where you will have to use your logical sense in order to survive in hostiles worlds.
Use your common sense to resolve mysteries. You've seen these objects before... where, why and what are they for?
Use hints discovered around the island to open this box and read this important message!
What is this device for and how do you use it?
Will you be able to find your way in this maze?
This world was abandonned long ago. Why has this advanced civilization disappeared?
You finally reached the tower! How will you get in it? Did you find all the hints that will help you to open the door?
In this world, there are 4 islands where you need to solve different mysteries in order to get back home. The adventure is just starting!
Are you brave enough to risk the journey?


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death.
For example, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 may have caused PTSD in some people who were involved, in people who saw the disaster, and in people who lost relatives or friends.
Veterans returning home from a war often have PTSD.
The cause of PTSD is unknown. Psychological, genetic, physical, and social factors are involved. PTSD changes the body's response to stress. It affects the stress hormones and chemicals that carry information between the nerves (neurotransmitters).
It is not known why traumatic events cause PTSD in some people and not in others. Having a history of trauma may increase your risk for getting PTSD after a recent traumatic event.
1. Reliving the event, which disturbs day to day activity.
There are no tests that can be done to diagnose PTSD. The diagnoses is made based on certain symptoms.
Your health care provider may ask for how long you have had symptoms. This will help your health care provider know if you have PTSD or a similar condition called Acute Stress Disorder (ASD).
In PTSD, symptoms are present for at least 30 days.
In ASD, symptoms will be present for a shorter period of time.
Your health care provider may also do mental health exams, and blood tests to look for other illnesses that are similar to PTSD.
Treatment can help prevent PTSD from developing after a trauma. A good social support system may also help protect against PTSD.
If PTSD does occur, a form of "desensitization" may be used.
This treatment helps reduce symptoms by encouraging you to remember the traumatic event and express your feelings about it.
Over time memories of the event should become less frightening.
Support groups, where people who have had similar experiences share their feelings, may also be helpful.
Although traumatic events can cause distress, not all feelings of distress are symptoms of PTSD. Talk about your feelings with friends and relatives. If your symptoms do not improve soon or are making you very upset, contact your health care provider.
You can also contact your health care provider for help with problems such as repeated or upsetting thoughts, irritability, and problems with sleep.
Our Soldiers -n- Saddles program is funded on a donation basis. Our ability to keep this program free of charge to our veterans is by the support we receive from caring people like you. No amount is too small to show that you care. Thank you!
Using horses in therapy is a recognized method of treating many mental, physical and psychological issues. Interaction with horses such as grooming and riding is used to treat these conditions without it feeling like therapy. Horses are versatile, giving a program the ability to custom tailor to the needs of the individual and/or group. Horses are also intuitive, they have the ability to mirror human emotion which can provide a starting point for discussion or help the individual become more aware of how they are feeling.
They fought for us, now we are fighting for them.
Wise Way Training Stables is proud to offer an Equine Assisted Therapy program for our veterans and their families. One of the leading diagnoses of returning troops is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering with PTSD. Our goal is to help any emotionally, physically, mentally challenged or disabled veterans and their families to transition into stable family and societal relationships and achieve an improved quality of life through the application of natural and classical horsemanship methods.