Since 2014, there's been a Mercedes on pole position at every Brazilian Grand Prix. And if Friday's qualifying simulation runs are anything to go by, that trend looks set to continue, after Valtteri Bottas led the time sheets in second practice, heading his newly-crowned team mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.003s around Interlagos while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was just 0.07s further back.
The session had only been running for 10 minutes when Nico Hulkenberg pushed the limits too far coming out of the final turn at Juncao, the German driver getting onto the grass before his Renault slammed into the guard rail, smashing up the right side of his R.S.18 and bringing out a brief red flag. Fortunately, Hulkenberg emerged from the car seemingly unhurt, although he will have been frustrated to lose out on FP2's key track time.
When the teams bolted on the supersoft tyres and headed out for their mid-session qualifying runs, there was little to choose between the Mercedes and Ferrari cars, as Bottas led the session, while Hamilton had looked to be on a faster lap than the Finn before he committed too heavily into Turn 8, locking his front right wheel and settling for second place. Expect to see more pace from the now five-time champ as the weekend progresses.
Vettel may have lost the championship last time out in Mexico, but he was looking plenty quick around Interlagos, ending up within a tenth of the leading time for the second session in a row despite being put off by an unidentified object his footwell. "There's something loose between my legs… apart from the obvious," was Vettel's light-hearted message to the Ferrari pit wall.
Max Verstappen had led Free Practice 1 for Red Bulll, but an oil leak in the Mexico winner's RB14 consigned him to the garage for the first 45 minutes of FP2. When the Dutchman finally emerged, the best he could manage was P5, around half a second off the leading pace after getting baulked by the Williams of Lance Stroll on his quick lap. His team mate Daniel Ricciardo – set to receive a five-second grid penalty for a new turbocharger for Sunday's race – was just ahead in P4, while an agitated Kimi Raikkonen was P6 in the second Ferrari, some half a second back from his team mate's pace.
In what's shaping up to be a good weekend for Romain Grosjean, the French driver was once again best of the rest in seventh place, narrowly shading the ever-impressive Charles Leclerc in the Sauber and his Haas team mate Kevin Magnussen in ninth – the Dane driving the final part of the session with one wing mirror, after it flew off his VF-18.
That pace will be especially good news for Haas as they continue to hunt down Renault's fourth place in the constructors' standings. With Hulkenberg having had an early bath for the Anglo-French team, Carlos Sainz could only manage P14, about six-tenths off Grosjean's pace around the short-but-tricky Interlagos track. Haas and Renault's fight even manifested itself on track at one point, with Sainz and Grosjean going into Turn 1 side-by-side, nearly causing both drivers to come to grief. Save it for the race, eh lads?
At the back of the pack, one place ahead of Hulkenberg, Brendon Hartley will have been disappointed to wind up P19, despite running the upgraded Toro Rosso aero package, especially at a track he knows well from his time in the World Endurance Championship. The New Zealander will be looking forward to bolting Honda's potent-looking Spec 3 engine into the car from Saturday onwards to try and help him climb up the order.
So after a disappointing showing for Mercedes in Mexico, the team look to be back on track in Brazil. And with Ferrari needing to outscore them here by 13 points to prevent them wrapping up the constructors' title with one race to go, they look to be in the best position possible to try and get the job done at the end of Friday's running.


See other panel...the other server was spotless. You'll put me out of a job at this rate!!
Nothing to see here folks, you can all go about your business. Exemplary work gents, a nice clean race on both servers. There were a few scattered small incidents involving little taps, which in the main, GPL treated as little taps that won't be addressed in the interest of good close racing. Just a reminder to all that when capitalising on another's mistake, leave them space to gather it up.....don't crowd.
Also keep your returns to the track after excursions sensible. Causing a carpark on T1 at Nurby is not good form......Especially, when you block the progress of not one, but two moderators!!
Please check the Season 22 pages for details regarding rules and the Porsche Super Cup pages in particular.
Just a note of clarification. The Server 1 password is at the top of the page, the Server 2 password is the second one down.
These Porsche Super Cup Races will be run across 2 Servers, under Pro rules and will be approximately 50 minutes in length.
Lap 1 will be fully moderated to the end of the red zone, under the bridge just after Aremburg, and thereafter will be reported incidents only.
Note: Server assignments for this round were drawn, raffle fashion, by my sons Brett and Adam...for something completely different.
I ask to join team 7Team7 (look subscription thread), where Pedro is alone after defection of Svenvangent and Roberto Vianna.
We can continue this champ (you have deleted this team from entry list) if this is possible.
I see that Team 7Porsche7 has not been added to the list?
Is this because Sven and Roberto quited, and I cant drive Nurburg because of absens?
I found Alex willing to join the "7Porsche7" team as a Pro driver instead of Svenvangent.
So if the organisation is OK with this, Alex could drive February the 3e for the "7Porsche7" team.
Fixed Pedro, just do me a favour and do the Team induction thing with Alex A.S.A.P please? You might want to cast about for a Novice to fill the team out as well mate.
You seem to have omitted SuperCup Pastit Porsche from the list. Can we have a server please?
13 Teams x 3 Pilots each one = 39 Pilots in total while 2 servers can handle at most 38 Pilots (2 x 19 = 38) !
Who can solve this equation ?
There's enough room only if someone will ditch !
Luckily, not everyone turns up.
I would like to have 40 pilots or more on the same grid in GPL (actually any domestic DSL connection could manage 40 and more users and the bandwidth should be not a problem) and...for what I've heard, actually this is already possible for modders.
Obviously this feature could be not the maximum on tracks like Watkins Glenn (laptimes below 65 secs).
I don't know why this feature was not still implemented officially.
LOL, yes Jason but like you said...years ago!
I've a DSL 20 Mb now and when I had a 7 Mb also (5 years ago) I was hosting scenarios on IL-2 with 32 human fighter pilots as well and ...with no warps at all.
BTW on Aces High (and I'm saying about 2003-2004) there was a limit of 64 flighter planes on the screen also if there were much more all around (and all around means 500 and more human fighter pilots all on the same scenario). I made some photos of a ground attack to an airbase with Jugs (P-47D) and P-38. Never seen a sky so crowded all around when we all reached the meeting waypoint, and each squadron with a leader and a TS channel assigned.
I think a few of us can say such a thing like this.
It would be nice if we could get the game modded to show more cars and give us more slots. Anyone listening?
Geoff, there are 6 teams on server 1 and 7 on server 2: because i am the only driver from 7Porsche7 that run this race, i suggest you to move one team from server 2 to 1.
UPDATE: Team Coyote moved from Server 2 to Server 1, should balance the numbers out a bit better.
After much delay, I am finally hooked up and no longer wireless, with thanks to Badblood for mailing me his old Homeplug setup. So I' can step in as a reserve at the Nurb, if there is a driver shortage, without also having to terrorize the neighborhood! I'll sign up, if there's an empty seat.
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Home » eSports News
George Russell Takes Another Win at the Azerbaijan Virtual GP
While he might not have a point in the F1 World Championship, George Russell has won his third title on the Azerbaijan Virtual GP circuit. Russell snuck into pole position during qualifying, narrowly bumping Alex Albon to second. As the race started, Russell and Albon got a clean getaway as the other drivers tried to […]
George Russell Gets Another Win at the Monaco Virtual GP
With a 39-second lead and just one mandatory stop, George Russell nabbed another win on the Monaco Virtual GP. While he's never scored a point in the real race in F1 or F2, Russell is proving to have some serious skill online. Of course, he had to beat Charles Leclerc to the top spot, which […]
Monaco Virtual Grand Prix Line Up – Bottas, Ocon & Aubameyang Join Other Racers
On Sunday, Valterri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will race in the Monaco Virtual Grand Prix. In the race, they'll be joining regular drivers Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Antonio Giovinazzi, and recent winner George Russell. In the simulated race, Russell, Albon, and Leclerc are favourites to win. However, as Russell […]
EveryMatrix Releases Report on Rapid Growth of eSports Gambling
In the uncertainty of this pandemic, many people are turning to eSports gambling, according to EveryMatrix. Through a new report, the statistics show that betting competitive video gaming has increased 40x since this time last year. The report confirms that 85% of the total eSports betting volume is for classic games like League of Legends, […]
Spanish Virtual GP Highlights: George Russell Takes the Win
During the pandemic, Formula 1 is still going with digital races on the popular F1 2019 game. This Sunday's Spanish Virtual GP is the latest instalment in the series, showcasing F1 drivers against other professional sports stars and gamers in the mix. Overall winner George Russell managed to get the win and keep Charles Leclerc […]
Midnite Joins Esports Integrity Commission as Anti-Corruption Supporter
It's no secret that sportsbooks can monitor bets easily and then detect possible match-fixing. So, the fact that Midnite is joining the Esports Integrity Commission as a supporter could help the industry stay fair. Its decision comes easily, according to official statements, because the sportsbook mainly offers eSports markets. In the latest reports from stats […]
Alex Albon wins First Virtual GP Title by Overtaking Charles Leclerc
While the world stays at home, the F1 2019 Virtual GP is bringing racing fans a bit of excitement. In a stunning victory, Alex Albon beat Charles Leclerc to the Interlagos win. In the race, Stoffel Vandoorne tested the real-world mechanics of the game by spinning out from the pole position. This left a gap […]
Valorant Beta Drops Cause Twitch Ban on 24/7 Replay Streams
After millions of views for Valorant streams, a new Twitch ban will hopefully stop those who are gaming the system for free beta keys. According to Twitch's official Twitter account, the decision is because of channels that streamed 24/7, but only showed highlight reels or stolen videos. And why on earth would people do that? […]
Pro Gaming Industry Sets Viewership Records During Global Pandemic
In the wake of COVID-19, the pro gaming industry is taking up the mantle of traditional sports to entertain millions of viewers. According to the latest statistics, two professional competitions have witnessed record-breaking viewership numbers on streams. League of Legends (LoL) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) both set new records for their regional tournaments. Both […]
First-Ever Call of Duty Mobile eSports Tournament Qualifiers Starts on 30 April
Activision has announced the inaugural Call of Duty Mobile eSports tournament, starting on 30 April with qualifier rounds. While there isn't much information about it right now, the $1 million grand prize has been revealed. The move into eSports so soon after the game launched is nothing new these days. To get into the tournament, […]
Valorant eSports Launches on ESPN Twitch Channel
Riot Games has broken convention and launched its first tournament eSports for the new Valorant game. Since the First Person Shooter (FPS) game is still in closed beta, this is an unconventional move from the game developer. But, it's probably a smart technique to introduce Valorant eSports before anyone's played it. After all, the best […]
Video Games Overtake Traditional Sports during COVID-19 Shutdowns
Since nearly a third of the global population is now stuck inside, traditional sports are on hold. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, fans are turning to eSports for distractions. So, what's worth watching now that tournaments are cancelled and how does it work? Let's find out. When eSports first started, traditional sports were […]
Essendon eSports Team Sold to Pentanet.GG After the AFL Club Pulls Out
Despite making it to the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, Essendon eSports was sold off to Pentanet.GG. This week, the team confirmed the move in a statement. They claimed that they wanted to "reprioritise" other "strategic objectives" which sounds weirdly mysterious. Of course, the decision is not so unexpected, since teams won't receive an "operating […]
FPX Win the League of Legends Worlds 2019 Summoners Cup
FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) is the second Chinese eSports team to win the Summoners Cup at League of Legends (LoL) Worlds 2019. For the second year in a row, the trophy will be going home to the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in China. While their Fortnite Battle Royale and Player Unknown's Battlegrounds sides are […]
New Call of Duty League Reveals 12 Franchises for Inaugural eSports Season
The new Call of Duty League is set to begin with 12 franchises and events for eSports fans. Next year, the inaugural season will kick off at the Minneapolis Armory in Minnesota. In an announcement, the league branding and prize pool were revealed, as well as the platform. The league will be played on the […]
CS:GO Money Laundering Shut Down by Valve Corp Game Developers
CS:GO money laundering is a pretty well-known rumour in the gaming community. After all, laundering through video games with micro-transactions is pretty hard to trace. As a result, Valve Corp have pulled the plug on the practice this week. Until this week, certain items in the game could be traded on Valve's steam app. However, […]
Hearthstone Trophy Breaks During Broadcast Yet Again
In an unsurprising twist, a Hearthstone trophy fell to pieces once again during a victory broadcast. If you've ever watched an eSports final, this is as surprising as hitting your toe on a corner. So, why do eSports trophies get so little attention, and possibly glue? Well, it seems the game developer, Blizzard, was a […]
Riot Games Announces All-New Line Up for 2020 Gaming Experience
Riot Games is celebrating 10 years of their successful League of Legends title by adding new projects focused on the game. First and foremost, the League of Legends (LoL) game will be altered and improved across all maps. Then, it'll unveil some new takes on successful spin-offs for mobile, with another hot game incoming. Two […]
Riot Games asks Shout Casters & Players to Keep Personal Views Private
Riot Games has asked all players and "shoutcasters" not to discuss personal views during League of Legends broadcasts. This is after Blizzard Entertainment faced international backlash for punishing a player who spoke about the Hong Kong protests. Reportedly, Riot is catering to China because of financial motivations. In addition, brands like Riot Games prefer to […]
Blizzard to return Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung's Winnings after Political Outburst
Blizzard Entertainment has earned international backlash for mistreating Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung after he made a political statement. Following Blitzchung's exclamation of "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" during an interview, he was disqualified and his winnings were taken. Two casters were also implicated, and would "never work with" Blizzard again. As a result, […]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Similar to how they added in the burning Survivors of Endor and Twilight on Hoth map, they could add in a bunch more maps from the movies that might not be included in the season, like in Starfighter Assault, the Battle of Endor focused around the fighters that didn't go into the Death Star, and the Battle of Starkiller Base like the events of the movies attacking the Oscillator. And for Galactic Assault, once again, the Battle of Endor where the Rebels need to destroy the shield generator.
What are your guys' thoughts? What standalone maps would be a great addition? And by standalone, I mean maps that don't have heroes connected to them, like Coruscant or Utapau, since they can be part of the seasons added with heroes for obvious reasons.
I want an Endor map that's closer to what they did in their last game for GA.
A death star trench run on SFA is also a must.
I think all maps will be in a season. It's not like the major paid ones in the last game.
All good choices for small maps of Death Star, Tatooine and Bespin (when they add it).
Scarif and Coruscant will probably be part of the seasons as their own sets of maps.
And there were free maps just added in. The second Hoth and Endor maps were among them, and the Battle of Jakku was as well.
Malachor and Mandalor. I think they will have Mandalor in a season later on though.


UNIT's in-house Broadcast and Branding division were thrilled to be able to collaborate again with Discovery to deliver the Offline, Grade, Online and Audio Mix on the new Investigation Discovery idents.
Created by Discovery Creative London, the rebrand series of films consists of 7 x 15" and a plethora of 7" and 5" teasers.
The wonderfully sinister campaign cleverly uses a motion control technique to add to the creepy content.
Onlining the films UNIT's Ian Baker adds, "Shot and finished at 4k, these beautifully crafted idents were a pleasure to work on".


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Three African American racial justice leaders respond to Starbucks effort to end bias in its company
Heather McGhee, president, Demos
Sherrilyn Ifill, president/director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Bryan Stevenson, founder/executive director, Equal Justice Initiative
NEW YORK, NY – Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; and Heather McGhee, president of Demos released a statement today regarding their participation on the Starbucks Advisory Committee, which is addressing the company's efforts to prevent discrimination in its stores:
On April 12, two black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested by police at a Starbucks location while merely waiting to meet with a business associate. A Starbucks manager had called the police because she said the men – who had only been in the store for a brief period – had yet to make a purchase.
The racial justice leaders issued the following statement:
"The arrest of the two young men in Starbucks is a stark example of the ongoing struggle of African Americans for full citizenship and dignity in American life. Since last week, a number of other high-profile incidents involving discrimination against African Americans demonstrates the breadth and shameful persistence of this problem.
"We were encouraged by the clear and unequivocal statements by Starbucks' leadership, expressing their desire and intention to deal directly with the issue of racism. This is a rare phenomenon in corporate America. We have pushed and will continue to work to ensure that this highly visible moment – for Starbucks' 175,000 employees, the other major corporations who watch Starbucks, and the country – is done right. We have been clear from the start that the company must build a framework for anti-bias training that extends beyond the planned May 29th training and that becomes part of the company culture. In addition to the need for an anti-discrimination curriculum – which will consist of an ongoing education for all employees, with real measures for evaluation and monitoring – we made clear that a thorough review of the company policies, as well as consultation with local, not just national leaders, is necessary as they move forward.
"Even with these caveats and concerns – and, we imagine, there will be more as this process unfolds – we realize the extraordinary step that Starbucks is taking to do better on an issue that affects every workplace. Starbucks exists in 8,000 communities in our country. We see this effort as an opportunity for Starbucks to demonstrate leadership in advancing a commitment to equal treatment and opportunity in true partnership with the communities they serve. We expect to issue a report to Starbucks, with recommendations about the company's policies, a multi-phase training framework, and the ongoing work they will need to undertake in order to really move the ball.
"We know that the problem of anti-Black bias and other forms of discrimination is not Starbucks' problem alone; it's a deeply American problem, made consequential and often lethal by the compounding force of unaccountable, discriminatory policing. A larger issue here is the mass criminalization of our people, and we each made it clear to Starbucks that they have the privilege and responsibility to influence not just employee practices, but police practices in Philadelphia and across the country. We will continue to advocate on that front, both with Starbucks and with the police, and welcome your thoughts about how we can make the greatest impact."
Filed Under: Latest News, Perspectives Tagged With: bias, Bryan Stevenson, Demos, Equal Justice Initiative, Heather McGhee, naacp, racism, Sherrilyn Ifill, Starbucks
I Say No to a Starbucks Boycott
Jerrol Sanders
By Jerroll Sanders
Starbucks has proven to be one of America's most responsible corporate citizens. In 2014 following the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, by Officer Darren Wilson, then Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz took action when other corporations remained silent.
Starbucks launched its national "Race Together" campaign that encouraged Starbucks' baristas (workers) to write "race together" on customer coffee cups to spur conversations about race within Starbucks locations. Months later in 2015 following the shooting of Walter Scott, Starbucks CEO Howard D. Schultz was again venturing into the arena of race relations while appearing on stage at Spelman College-a historically-black women's institution-as part of a panel discussion on the book titled, "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"
Again and again, Starbucks has been at the forefront of corporate America when it comes to cultivating a society where all people matter.
As President and CEO of ONUS, Inc.-a national organization committed to Resolving Longstanding Problems that Seem Too Big to Fix, I firmly believe in the power of boycotts. Following the killing of Michael Brown, ONUS conducted one of the most effective and long-standing boycotts in Ferguson, MO, against Sam's Club and Walmart.
Both stores routinely called upon Ferguson Police to arrest Black men who verbally challenged managers' decisions. Unlike Starbucks, Walmart, Inc. doubled-down in support of its employees' hateful actions and made no apology for saddling good citizens, who happened to be black men, with unwarranted police records. Walmart then relied upon its deep purse to vigorously defend its deplorable actions.
Starbucks is no Walmart. While I firmly embrace boycotting as an effective tool of free speech, boycotting cannot and should not be Black America's one retort to offensive acts carried out by individual employees representing what has proven to be a good corporate citizen. I do not mean to imply that Starbucks is perfect; I surmise that Starbucks still has internal issues related to race and diversity.
Nonetheless, I appreciate the steps Starbucks' CEO and Board of Directors have and are taking in response to the incident in Philadelphia, such as the swift issuance of a public apology, public rebuke of the offending employees' actions and the planned shutdown of Starbucks outlets nationwide for diversity and customer service training. Starbucks is demonstrating that its promise to do better is far more than a mere gesture designed to quiet a public uprising.
Starbucks has earned what millennials refer to as "street cred." Consequently, the Corporation deserves grace when employees make missteps or engage in discriminatory actions rooted in personal perspectives. While I am confident Starbucks will make right with the young men who were wrongfully arrested in Philadelphia, I urge its leaders to again take the corporate lead by helping to revamp policing in America nationwide.
The Uniform Reporting Law Enforcement Improvement Act (URLEIA) is the solution to America's policing problem and will effectively revamp policing from the ground up. Corporations, like citizens, have a responsibility to ensure policing nationwide is guided not by the whims of individuals and powerful conglomerates but by the constitutional and humane application of law.
Learn more about URLEIA by visiting www.ChangeIsOnUs.org. Learn more about Jerroll Sanders who is a business executive, author of The Physics of Money: If You've Got My Dollar, I Don't, diversity expert, and strategist by visiting www.jerrollsanders.com.
Filed Under: Perspectives Tagged With: Jerrol Sanders, ONUS, Starbucks, Walmart


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3.1% pay raise for service members to go before Senate for approval
National & World News | Sept 13, 2019
By Ann Smajstrla, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
A bill that would give U.S. military men and women a 3.1% pay raise -- the largest since 2010 -- is headed to the Senate for approval.
Explore>> Read more trending news
The Department of Defense appropriations bill also provides funding to research and develop advanced technologies for the military, according to a statement from Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. It was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and now heads to the full Senate for a final vote.
"Governing is about setting priorities, and this bill shows our priority is the men and women who serve in our armed forces," Alexander said. "This funding bill provides a total of $694.9 billion for our national defense, a $20.5 billion increase over fiscal year 2019. The bill also includes a 3.1% pay raise for the men and women who defend our freedoms."
The bill also reduced funding for a new middle school in Fort Campbell, Tennessee, The Clarkston Leaf-Chronicle reported. The project was delayed to reallocate money for President Donald Trump's border wall, according to the newspaper.
In addition to the pay raise, the statement said the bill approves:
Funding to continue modernization of our nuclear arsenal;
$105.1 billion for Department of Defense research, development, testing and evaluation programs, including hypersonics research, technological research and medical research -- a record level of funding for defense research and development;
$70.6 billion in overseas contingency operations funding to help ensure our military men and women are properly trained and equipped when deployed to places like Afghanistan;
Funding for 1,339,500 active duty troops and 800,800 reserve troops;
$33.9 billion for defense health programs and $1.04 billion for medical research at the Department of Defense;
Over $850 million for equipment for the National Guard and Reserves to modernize our reserve forces and ensure that they have the equipment they need;
$4 million to fund a pilot program that was included in the Senate defense authorization bill, which will help states work together and reduce barriers that prevent military spouses from finding employment;
$1.7 billion in emergency spending to support disaster recovery for those affected by hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes earlier this year.


18:2 How long will ye hunt for words? Be intelligent, and then we will speak.
18:3 Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed stupid in your sight?
18:4 Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger, shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of its place?
18:5 Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the flame of his fire shall not shine.
18:6 The light shall become dark in his tent, and his lamp over him shall be put out.
18:10 A cord is hidden for him in the ground, and his trap in the way.
18:11 Terrors make him afraid on every side, and chase him at his footsteps.
18:12 His strength is hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready at his side.
18:13 The firstborn of death devoureth the members of his body; it will devour his members.
18:17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name on the pasture-grounds.
18:18 He is driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.
18:19 He hath neither son nor grandson among his people, nor any remaining in the places of his sojourn.
18:20 They that come after shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before [them] were affrighted.
18:21 Surely, such are the dwellings of the unrighteous man, and such the place of him that knoweth not ùGod.


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Japan builds lavatory encrusted with diamonds
First, Japan gave the world hi-tech lavatories. Now, a crystal lavatory – studded with more than 72,000 pieces of Swarovski cut crystal and valued at over $100,000 (£64,000).
12:35AM GMT 20 Dec 2011
Lavatory manufacturer INAX teamed up with the Austrian jeweller to create the ornate fixture, which is on display in a showroom in the posh Ginza shopping district, an effort to draw more customers in a year fraught with economic gloom and natural disaster.
In a nod to traditional belief, the sparkling lavatory was created to please the "god of lavatories," said Kazuo Sumimiya, director of the showroom for the Lixil interior fixture company of which INAX is a part.
"In Japan, we believe a deity exists in the lavatory. That's why keeping lavatories clean and taking good care of it have been a Japanese custom since long ago," he added.
"If we were to sell it, it would probably be worth around 10 million yen ($130,000)."
Visitors admired the dazzling fixture, with one woman saying she'd like to invite her friends and hold a party around it.
Japanese women flush divorce desires down temple toilet
Is this the best office gadget? A lavatory paper machine
Japanese use mobiles to find lavatory
But others said it might be a bit too exalted to be useful.
"It'd be hard. I don't think I'd feel comfortable enough to use it even if I had this at home," said 22-year-old Chikako Kawanami, an art museum receptionist.
The lavatory will be on display until the end of December.
Japan »
In How about that?
Great bolts of lightning
Animal photos of the week
Art in abandoned factory
Animals that look like celebrities
Kim Jong-un: His bizarre photoshoots


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La Sociedad Patriótica  fue una asociación política formada en Buenos Aires, que se reunió en el Café de Marco a partir de marzo de 1811, creada por Manuel Moreno —hermano de Mariano Moreno—, que surgió como consecuencia de la separación de este como secretario de la Primera Junta, convertida en la Junta Grande, agrupando a los patriotas revolucionarios afines a su ideario cuyo fin primordial era declarar la independencia y establecer un triunvirato sobre el antiguo Virreinato del Río de la Plata.

Evolución

La Junta Grande, organismo que sustituyó a la Primera Junta, surgió por la incorporación de los diputados del interior el 18 de enero de 1811.  Fue combatida por los partidarios de los ideales que sustentara su secretario Mariano Moreno.

Moreno, vencido por el voto de la mayoría, presentó su renuncia, que fue rechazada por la Junta revolucionaria. De modo que solicitó y obtuvo una misión ante las cortes del Brasil y Gran Bretaña para gestionar el apoyo de Inglaterra, adonde fue enviado sin éxito ya que falleció en alta mar el 4 de marzo de 1811,

Es contradictorio lo que sostienen los morenistas del siglo XX y XXI en el sentido de que la Sociedad  Patriótica continuó con el pensamiento de Moreno que defendía la Revolución de Mayo y sus principios democráticos. Mariano Moreno representaba los intereses de la liga de comerciantes londinenses que presidía el inglés Alex Mackinnon. En efecto, Moreno era el abogado de esa liga y en su condición de tal, había pedido al virrey Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, en 1809 «el libre comercio entre los Hacendados y la Nación Inglesa», conocida como La Representación de los Hacendados.

Entre los miembros de la Sociedad Patriótica figuraron: Manuel Moreno, Julián Álvarez, Agustín José Donado, Francisco Planes, Hipólito Vieytes, Nicolás Rodríguez Peña, Juan Larrea, Ignacio Núñez, Salvador Cornet, entre otros, sin embargo, tanto Nicolás Rodríguez Peña como Hipólito Vieytes y Agustín Donado, fueron compañeros de Manuel Belgrano. Si bien tanto Belgrano como Moreno participaron activamente en la Revolución de Mayo que el 25 de mayo de 1810 impuso el primer gobierno patrio de Hispanoamérica, Moreno jamás integró el grupo revolucionario, llegando a ser secretario de la Junta por necesitar los revolucionarios una vinculación con los ingleses, pero jamás aceptaron la propuesta de Moreno de entregarles la isla Martín García a cambio de armas y dinero.

Un importante sector de la Sociedad Patriótica, basaba su ideario en el accionar de la Revolución Francesa, y como aquella, decidió que la institución del triunvirato sería la más apropiada para el ejercicio del poder ejecutivo en el país. Este gobierno se alejaba así, del sistema juntista aplicado por las autoridades patrias que depusieron al virrey Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, y que era similar al que se aplicaba en España a consecuencia de la Guerra de Independencia de España, que había caído en poder de los ejércitos del francés Napoleón Bonaparte.

Los miembros de la Sociedad Patriótica criticaban el desconcierto que notaban en la Junta Grande. Tras la Revolución del 5 y 6 de abril de 1811 -un golpe institucional que separó y confinó a varios revolucionarios- se quitó a Belgrano su grado militar además de separarlo de la Junta, sometiéndolo a un proceso y juicio militar del que salió airoso, ya que su actuación fue altamente elogiada por la unanimidad de sus oficiales. De modo contradictorio, los elementos supuestamente democráticos de la Sociedad Patriótica  (al igual que Moreno el año anterior), se oponían a la participación en el gobierno de los diputados del resto de las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata, por su tendencia conservadora.

Existe una extraña afirmación de sectores masónicos que adjudican un liderazgo inexistente de Moreno, quien solo contaba con el apoyo de los comerciantes ingleses. Por su parte, el movimiento de abril de 1811, que apoyó en un primer momento a Cornelio Saavedra, lo terminó vaciando de poder, permitiendo el avance nuevamente de los ingleses, cuyos agentes lograron desalojarlo del gobierno, desterrándolo a San Juan. La Sociedad Patriótica fue disuelta.

En 1812, no obstante, luego del estratégico triunfo de Belgrano contra los realistas en la Batalla de Tucumán, se organizó nuevamente el movimiento revolucionario por parte de Rodríguez Peña, quien retornado a Buenos Aires, entabló además una importante relación con el jefe del Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo, José de San Martín, quien a instancias de aquel y con el apoyo del pueblo liderado por el mismo Rodríguez Peña, condujo a sus Granaderos a la Plaza de la Victoria, la actual Plaza de Mayo y produjo la revolución del 8 de octubre de 1812, golpe de Estado contra el Primer Triunvirato cuyo secretario, Bernardino Rivadavia había negado sistemáticamente todo tipo de apoyo al Ejército Auxiliar del Perú. Así sobrevino el Segundo Triunvirato, integrado por Nicolás Rodríguez Peña, Juan José Paso y Antonio Álvarez Jonte.
Esta fue creada para hacer una revolución contra Elío (Javier Francisco de Elío), que en aquel entonces era el virrey del virreinato del Río de la Plata.

Véase también

 Virreinato del Río de la Plata
 Mariano Moreno
 Segundo Triunvirato (Argentina)

Organizaciones políticas
Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Logback.groovy LogstashEncoder altering field names I have a logback.groovy that sends data to a logstash on the network with some custom fields:
appender("LOGSTASH", LogstashTcpSocketAppender) {
  encoder(LogstashEncoder) {
    customFields = """{ "token": "xxxxx", "environment":"dev", "some_property":"foobar" }"""
  }
  remoteHost = "logstashlistener.host.name"
  port = 5000
}

So far so good. However, I need to cleanup some field names that are not valid for elasticsearch downstream.
Based on the LogstashEncoder documentation, this can be achieved like this:
<encoder class="net.logstash.logback.encoder.LogstashEncoder">
  <fieldNames>
    <timestamp>time</timestamp>
    <message>msg</message>
    ...
  </fieldNames>
</encoder>

This seems great but I have to fit this into the logback.groovy notation.
I tried as a hashmap, string and more but always end up with Cannot cast object 'xxxx' with class 'xxxx' to class 'net.logstash.logback.fieldnames.LogstashFieldNames'

A: Try the following. You might also need to add some import for FieldNames and LifeCycle
appender("LOGSTASH", LogstashTcpSocketAppender) {
  encoder(LogstashEncoder) {
    customFields = """{ "token": "xxxxx", "environment":"dev", "some_property":"foobar" }"""

    FieldNames... aFieldNames = new FieldNames()
    aFieldNames.timestamp = "time"
    aFieldNames.message = "msg"
    if(aFieldNames instanceof LifeCycle)
      aFieldNames.start()
    fieldNames = aFieldNames
  }
  remoteHost = "logstashlistener.host.name"
  port = 5000
}

You can use the following helper page on the Logback website to transform your XML configuration into Groovy.
http://logback.qos.ch/translator/asGroovy.html

A: I had to do something similar, though I was using the LoggingEventCompositeJsonEncoder encoder.
The approach I've had to use is to dig through the logstash-logback-encoder code to work out the real classes involved.  Thankfully IntelliJ's decompiler makes this not too painful.
If you look at LogstashEncoder it has a method public void setFieldNames(LogstashFieldNames fieldNames) - so what you need is an instance of LogstashFieldNames
LogstashFieldNames in turn has setters for setTimestamp and the rest, so in groovy your syntax should be:
    encoder(LogstashEncoder) {
        fieldNames(LogstashFieldNames) {
            timestamp = "time"
            message = "msg"
        }
    }

A: This works fine for me. This example rename attribute "logger_name" to "loggerName"
import net.logstash.logback.fieldnames.LogstashFieldNames

appender('STDOUT', ConsoleAppender) {
     encoder(net.logstash.logback.encoder.LogstashEncoder) {

            // Rename standard fields
            fieldNames = new LogstashFieldNames(logger:"loggerName")
     }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Robot Operating System and its Fame in 10 Robotic Companies
By Hemant Kumar on Jan 13, 2020
The Robot Operating System (ROS) is turning out to be the new SI unit that determines the robotics standards. The fame of the ROS is as a result of the robotics taking over the industrial sector. The helping hand of the robotic arm, if you categorically check by the link, has a massive contribution to robotic companies and their research. Thus the article pours a summary of the top 10 robotics companies running the world with ROS-based robotic products as of 2019.
Winners Criteria
The compilation of the top 10 companies under the ROS criterion followed a rule of thumb. It is so that other unmentioned robotic companies with ROS in their product recipes do not file letters of complaint about being absent in this minor Oscar Awards Ceremony. Let us consider the rule guidelines:
The company has a reputation for building robots. It is not enough to just develop the ROS software; the company should have a resume of developing and implementing both the hardware and software parts of the robot. The ROS-based robots should also be shipped and have a portfolio of user experience. Consultation and solution-generating companies are a no-go zone.
The company is not a robotic product reseller or distributor and has done the dirty work of creating and assembling the end product of robotics.
The robotic product has to be ROS-defined. ROS should be its native software architecture. For example, switching on the robotic product should boot it from ROS. It should not trigger notifications that support ROS as a third party during packages installation. The ROS should be the default language of each robotic product.
The provided robotic solution by the company should be programmable. A company with a closed-based robotic solution is a red flag.
To summarize the above nerdy-like paragraphs, it should be possible to make a direct purchase of the robotic product from the company, ROS is the default OS, and the robotic product is programmable.
With the criterion aspect out of the way, one last mileage to handle before presenting the companies is the listing orders. How they appear on the top 10 companies board is based on personal perception and their transformative impact on the ROS universe. That said, it is safe to present the top 10 ROS-based companies from the 2019 calendar.
Clearpath Robotics
The 2009-founded Canadian company has ROS-based robotic products applicable in third-party applications created for material handling, agriculture, inspection, survey, and mining. Its best-known robots like Heron USV, Husky UGV, and Jackal UGV are easily programmable. Its recent release to the industrial environments is the Otto robot series. It takes the top spot due to its ROS robots' different series and its excellent customer support for the PR2 robots.
Fetch Robotics
Melonee Wise founded this 2014 robotic company. Its launch came after the close of Unbounded Robotics, a pioneer company. It is characteristic of two business lines. The first one is in Mobile Manipulators applicable in robotics research. The second one is in the sale of Warehouse-Deployable Fleets that assist in material transportation. However, direct ROS programming is applicable in the first line of business. Fetch takes the second position due to its pioneer role in creating affordable mobile manipulators through its robotics. The launch of Fetch found a robotic market with zero ROS-based mobile manipulators and produced a fix.
Pal Robotics
The 2004 created company has its base in Barcelona. Its nomination for the third position is due to its impressive streak as the only worldwide company that builds and distributes the human-sized humanoid robots. It produces three siblings of the humanoid robotics family. They are the new TALOS robot, Reem-C robot, and Reem robot. It is also in the business of mobile manipulators called Tiago that is a functional copy of the Fetch's company.
The 2002-founded Spanish robotic company has a base in Castellon. Its buildup list of ROS robots matches the one for the first company on this award list. Under logistics and industrial applications, it offers the creation and design of numerous varieties of mobile robots, different modes of unmanned ground vehicles, and mobile manipulators. The company's expertise is in robotic personalization through the third party integration of robotic parts with a finalized ROS-based robot product. The sold ROS components for integrating with your robot has a support team that leads to great customer experience and thus securing the fourth position for Robotnik.
Yujin Robots
The Korean-based company has a specialty in vacuum cleaning robots. However, it does not mean that it cleaned itself up to the top five as the vacuums are not ROS-based. Thus its fifth appearance on the list is due to its profile that regards it as the Kobuki robot's official seller. The Turtlebot 2 robot relies on the Kobuki robot as its base system. On a worldwide scale, it is the most famed ROS robot. Its low cost allows robotic nerds to access it through simulation or reality. Yujin also has a logistics ROS robot up its sleeves called GoCart but not applicable in warehousing. So different building locations can receive sent packages with the inclusion of the path elevators.
The ROS world welcomes it as another giant Korean company. Its fame for the Dynamixel servos propelled its ambition to dominate the ROS world with Open Manipulator and the Turtlebot 3 robot. They are both presently recognized as Turtlebot series' next-generation innovation. Moreover, Robotis presents the design of these two robots as an open-source venture, making it possible to create your robotic adventure. With affordability and easy entry to the ROS world, this position is well reserved.
Shadow Robotics
The London-based company pioneered the creation of hands used in humanoid robots. This statistic makes it the only viable worldwide company that offers the sale of humanoid robotic hands. The ROS-programmable rule is an infused design and creation of the hands. Shadow Robot is also in the production of numerous gripper types. The complete the gripping aspect of a robotic arm if mounted as a third-party module. The release of a Smart Grasping System in 2016 embraced its combination with third-party robots. A solution example is a UR5 robot fused with a three-fingered gripper. The Tactile Telerobot, Cyberglobe, and Shadow Hand are some of the few mentioned products.
The 2003-founded Polish company sells ROSbots. They are a series of autonomous mobile robots that are simple and compact. The medium-sized four-wheeled robots' architecture embraces a point cloud device, camera, and a lidar. It's a perfect learning platform of the ROS world through a real robot. Through research, more learning mileage is achievable through robots more compact than Turtlebot 2. The research and learning objective of Husarion led it to produce a more environmentally-oriented Panther robot. Remote control and cloud connection of the robots through Husarnet network differentiates Husarion from the other companies.
Neobotix
It generally manufactures robot systems and mobile robots. The industrial applications receive a wide range of manipulators and robots from their provision. It includes the material transportation sector. It famed the creation of Care-O-Bot applicable numerously in Robocup@Home competitions. The Care-O-Bot executed its functionality immediately after its unpacking. It presently focuses on the sale of mobile bases. They are flexibly customizable with robotic arms making it possible to create a custom mobile manipulator. The sale of the manipulator and mobile bases is separate. The products the company provides can also function as components and thus facilitate the creation of more complex robots. Time is of essence in the creation of such components; hence the ninth position is well deserved.
Gaitech
The Chinese-based company primarily focuses on the distribution of ROS products and ROS robots with its suppliers being the third-party companies like Robotnik, pal, and Fetch. It, however, also has its robotic lined products like the Gapter Drone that currently considers ROS as its default operational module. Thus Gaitech manages to hack its way into the top ten due to its innovation as a first-ever and only company in the world creating ROS-based drones. The lack of a strong competitor to dispute it encourages it to hold its ground.
The code of innovation states that we should make an honorable mention of companies that failed to grip the top ten position but are working their way up. They include Sony, Ubiquity Robotics, and Acutronic Robotics. The ROS world is growing through such companies, and very soon, it will not just be mention but a lifestyle.
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text:
The Reading Response to Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking
lesleygreytear 评论 The Year of Magical Thinking 5 2009-12-05 15:56:53
* Note: This is an assignment essay for the course of 'British and American Essays', edited by the course instructor.
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach reading the dedication page of The Year of Magical Thinking: "This book is for John and for Quintana". Quickly I turned to the first article anthologized in my intensive reading textbook last semester and leafed it through to where I had put a heart mark:
"We told her that we went to the hospital and were given our choice of any baby in the nursery. 'No, not that baby,' we had said, 'not that baby, not that baby…' And this with full gestures of inspection, until finally: 'That baby!' Her face would always light up and she would say: 'Quintana.'"
The article, titled Quintana, is written by John Gregory Dunne, and this is my favourite scene. I had always, in John Gregory Dunne's point of view, visualized Quintana as a chubby little angel, who, with a casual aplomb, took pride in the fact that she was an adoptada. And John's voice-over was floating around, full of fatherly affection. It had seemed that this first impression could have lasted, probably forever, in the way that the fictional figure would neither age nor die. But there it was, the sad tidings that they both had passed away, a shock that was absorbed in such quiescence. Then I realized that Quintana was like a preparatory reading that to some degree squared me in emotion with Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne's wife, Quintana's mother. "John was talking, then he wasn't." It was exactly the case for me, even with a dual sadness: Quintana was talking, and soon she would not be. Thereby I spontaneously followed Didion through her year of magical thinking, which, with incredible candor and sensibility, touches upon the communality of the grief and weakness yet on the sheer basis of personal experience.
Death as a subject matter is not rare in contemporary American non-fictional literature. Insofar I can recall there are Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie" and Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture". Albom relates his last visits to the moribund professor, Morrie Schwartz and the latter is an autobiographical account by the tumor-plagued Carnegie Mellon professor. Both books are poised between heartfelt desolation and subtle sweetness in retrospection, and both are very touching. But as I see it now, Morrie Schwartz and Randy Pausch were perhaps the lucky among the unlucky, because they were at least allowed the time to get prepared for the moment, to kiss the beloved goodbye and to fare the world well.
After all, there was no finale for John Gregory Dunne.
"Life changes fast.
Life changes in the instant.
You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.
The question of self-pity. "
These lines that Didion jotted down after John's death recur in the book like a refrain, stressing the keynote of the reading. Without melodramatic flourishes, her language is plain and brassy as much as the abruptness of death strikes down an individual. The strong-willed writer needs neither delusion, nor euphemism over the issue, as she exposes herself bare to the shock and lies fully engulfed in the grief of bereavement.
Nevertheless, I never felt detached while reading. The clinical tone of the book is but brittle. Surges of emotion continue to pound under the surface, whose stiffness only foregrounds her sparks of derangement. One notable signal in writing is the use of repetition:
"I had entered at the moment it happened a kind of shock in which the only thought I allowed myself was that there must be certain things I needed to do. There had been certain things I had needed to do while the ambulance crew was in the living room. I had needed for example to get the copy of John's medical summary, so I could take it with me to the hospital. I had needed for example to bank the fire, because I would be leaving it. There had been certain things I had needed to do at the hospital. I had needed for example to stand in the line. I had needed for example to focus on the bed with telemetry he would need for the transfer to Columbia-Presbyterian."
As the New York Times critic Tony Costa notes, the cadence endowed by the repetition of the meaningless "for example" and "had needed" and "certain things" makes the writing poetic, even operatic in its own way. I find it, however, a different type of drama, for it is no more "operatic" than a murmur from a benumbed heart, a vain attempt to retain sense and break out of numbness. Sometimes she mumbles like a headstrong teenager, who believes that by recollecting every detail and examining every possibility of that day, the reel of time would have been wound back.
And sometimes, she plays hide-and-seek with memory. In the bulk of Chapter 10 Didion recounts her writing "Play It As It Lays". She wants to follow a line of thinking that will get her away from "the vortex effect". She digs up the issue of female stars' abortion and cites excerpts from her book. "This seemed to be working," she comments, "I had avoided thinking for at least two minutes about why I was at Beth Israel North." So she ventures further, into the house where she wrote the book. Then in a flash the three-year-old Quintana enters the scene, taking off Didion's defense immediately. "There it was, the vortex."
I love it. I love the way she says it, as if she knows it from the beginning. She wanders astray[at large], only to prove it is irresistible to be dragged back to the center of the whirl; and the best part is, she is willing to do so. She wades the dangerous water to drown herself. There seems no turning back. She wants no turning back. Because she knows it is leading her to the past, when John and Quintana were live and kicking. Going back is such a sweet sorrow.
It seems to be the point Didion wants to make that there is nothing to be ashamed of to admit our weakness, or to "dwell on the grief", as some advocates of "the new ethical duty to enjoy oneself" may put it. Her honest, blow-by-blow record of the moments of vortex effect testifies to the attitude. And although it is completely personal, it is yet resonating.
Reading the first half of the book I could not help relating my own experience to Didion's. Five years ago my grandmother was paralyzed due to cerebral infarction. And half a year later, when she was being transferred from the health center where she had been staying to a local hospital (because the medical insurance didn't allow too long a stay at one place), she stopped breathing outside the ward. For a long time afterwards I had been immersed in my own magical thinking. Didion keeps John's shoes with the subliminal belief that he would need them when he came back. I thought I would have seen my grandmother planting herself in the dim light of the streetlamp awaiting me to come home from the night tutorial session. Didion orders the autopsy report of John to be reassured that he is gone. In the emergency room I had thrust in my pocket the last roll of grandma's electrocardiogram that had a straight line on it; but I could not find it back home. So for quite some time, I thought it had just been a dream and grandma had been just away on a trip or out for grocery shopping. If Didion solicited the ideas of "magical thinking" of the public, I would report mine: I thought of finding a "spirit medium" who can make me see grandma again -- the only problem is that as an agnostic, she might not take it seriously. Anyway, Didion deserves credit for honestly articulating the feelings and doing the beautiful job of stitching the fragments of thoughts together. It is heartbreaking to see the most privileged and intelligent among us become vulnerable to the loss of the beloved, and still heartening to think that she stays true to herself all the way and by doing so, urges us to act at the dictates of humanity.
In this sense, the book is definitely typical of the intellectual Joan Didion, consistent with her style and philosophy. As always, she stresses being "personal", which I interpret as being "human". It is reflected in her skepticism towards the presumptuous technological argot as well as in her preference for the literary reflection[s] on death; she often quotes poetry in the book, "the spontaneous overflow of emotion". She refuses to be labeled and detests any action of labeling that imposes a superstructure on one's true being. What Didion concerns [about] is the human nature, which is irresistibly defenseless in its greatest sorrow. Any try to turn the table is useless. It is because of this message conveyed by her one year of poignant thinking that I cannot identify myself with her more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/books/review/09pinsky.html?_r=1
http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/memoir/fr/yearMagical_2.htm
> The Year of Magical Thinking
作者: Joan Didion
出版: Knopf
定价: GBP 13.29
装帧: Hardcover


Colt sat in the rolling chair in front of Vince's large screen display monitor. He wasn't scanning for criminals, he wasn't researching super-villains, heck, he wasn't even researching guns. No, Colt wasn't sick, he was writing his new year's resolutions. Currently , the screen showed only a small list of things, but the list was growing as Colt plugged away at the keyboard one key at a time.
1.	Learn to type better.
Reckon I seen Razorwing's fingers fly across the surface a this thing. I ain't that good at this whole typin' thing yet, but I mean ta learn. Sure would make writin' this list easier.
2.	Win a shooting contest in Freedom City.
Hard ta believe that I been here bout three whole months already, an' I ain't won a dang trophy yet! Either I been busy or I been slackin'. Either way, I gotta free up some time an' practice up.
3.	Start a trophy shelf.
Left most'a ma own trophies at home. But I reckon there's plenty'a time ta start another trophy shelf. I certainly think I'm gonna be here fer a while. Might as well start decoratin' that there room I got upstairs.
4.	Learn to fight without guns.
Well, I reckon that charity event we all held a while back showed me somethin'. Now I reckon I'm the best there is when it comes ta shootin' but there ain't no way I'll be any good in'a fight if'n I get ma guns taken away. Maybe I c'n ask ol' Jack ta show me a few things 'bout usin' swords're somethin'.
Grim's given me a hearty stack'a books 'bout as tall's a horse. Reckon I better get crackin' on them. I ain't been much'a reader back home so I bet I c'n set a good ol' goal fer maself. Ten books by the end'a the year sounds mighty nice.
6.	See how bad "Tex-Mex†truly is.
Colt continued to plug away at the keyboard. Every time he added a new item to the list, he saved, as Vince had advised him. Suddenly the alarm went off, and a news feed showed up the screen.
"What in blazes?†Colt exclaimed, "Who in their right mind robs a bank on New Year's Day? Y'all should be sleepin' off last night if'n ya ask me. Oh well, duty calls!†and with that, the Interstellar Cowboy ran off towards the garage to get his motorcycle and get into the action!


text:
Tag Archives: Robin Tauck
Westport Steps Up For Afghan Refugees
Posted on September 15, 2021 | Comments Off on Westport Steps Up For Afghan Refugees
Six years ago the Syrian crisis moved longtime Westporter John McGeehan to help lead a coalition of churches, synagogues and mosques to help resettle a family in Norwalk.
They pioneered, with Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, a model for community co-sponsorship. Local residents provide broad shoulders and deep pockets. The model has been replicated in more than 50 Connecticut towns and cities.
The swift Taliban conquest of Afghanistan sparked a national conversation about American efforts to resettle Afghan citizens who aided American forces, during our 20-year conflict.
An Afghan father and daughter, resettled in Connecticut.
Once again, as Connecticut prepares to welcome up to 700 refugees, McGeehan is hard at work. So is the Westport Rotary Club, and individuals like Robin Tauck.
For the past 3 years Robin — a Westporter, member of the worldwide tour company family, and sponsor of Greens Farms Academy's World Perspectives program — and her daughter Colleen Leth have, through their non-profit foundation, worked with IRIS to sponsor refugees.
As the Afghan crisis unfolded, she thought of the Rotary Club. They're busy with Saturday's Lobsterfest fundraiser. But — true to their mission of worldwide service — they've taken on the added task of co-sponsoring a donation drive.
Next Tuesday (September 21) and from 12 to 3 p.m. on the weekends of September 25-26, October 2-3, 9-10 and 15-16, Greens Farms Congregational Church will accept drop-offs of winter coats, raincoats, and boots for adults, teenagers and children; school supplies and backpacks; new toiletries; cleaning and household supplies, and small appliances. "Boxed and labeled" is appreciated. Furniture and other clothing is not needed.
The donation drive is important. But it's just the start.
Resettling refugees comes at a time when non-profits have been hit hard by the pandemic. Meanwhile, affordable rental stock is hard to find.
Each family of 2 to 4 needs an apartment near public transportation, language training, cultural assistance, women's help, school assimilation, and $20,000 for the first year. Click here to donate.
Westport-Weston Interfaith Refugee Settlement is doing its part. The coalition — the United Methodist Church, Temple Israel, Greens Farms Congregational church, the Religious Society of friends, Saugatuck Congregational Church, and 15 Westport families identifying as a Muslim community — are working with IRIS to house and assist a family in East Norwalk.
Email jmcgeehan1956@gmail.com for more inforrmation.
Comments Off on Westport Steps Up For Afghan Refugees
Tagged Afghan refugees, Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services, Robin Tauck, Westport Rotary Club
"06880" Podcast: Robin Tauck
Robin Tauck is a 40-year Westporter. Her grandfather helped develop the modern tour business — and his Tauck Tours company was headquartered in Westport for decades.
Robin is the 3rd generation to lead Tauck, and has helped make it a global brand. She's been particularly involved in cultural heritage, sustainable tourism and philanthropy.
In Westport — where she lives on Old Mill Beach — she has been a leading voice for environmental protection.
Robin joined me the other day at the Westport Library, for "06880: The Podcast." We talked about Tauck's history, the travel industry today, and of course, what it all means for Westport.
Click here to watch our wide-ranging conversation.
Robin Tauck
Posted in Local business, Media
Tagged "06880: The Podcast", Robin Tauck, Tauck
From Blight House To Bright Spot: Green Honors For Hillspoint Home
Posted on October 3, 2019 | 23 comments
For years, only one thing marred the view from Old Mill Road and Elvira Mae's, down Hillspoint Road. There — sandwiched between handsome beach homes and the beach itself — sat a blight house.
Unkempt and untended, it looked out of place. And dangerous.
When Robin Tauck bought the property, and an adjacent lot, she wanted to maintain the traditional beach community vibe. But she's also an ardent environmentalist.
Her vision for the blight house was to maintain the same footprint for minimal impact, while creating a model for future homes.
Working with architect Michael Greenberg and TecKnow, the Bedford Square-based company that combines automation technology with green energy products, she built an innovative "guest cottage." (Her own, similarly designed home, is next door.)
The new Hillspoint Road home.
227 Hillspoint Road uses sustainable building practices and innovative technology. Solar and battery storage is optimized, so the house is run almost entirely off the grid.
It meets many of the standards for a Green Building Award: rehabilitation, energy efficiency, innovation, conservation, sustainability, and modeling for the future.
So the other day — around the same time the United Nations hosted its Climate Action Summit — Governor Ned Lamont and Congressman Jim Himes were in town. So was Albert Gore III, from Tesla (one of the companies TecKnow works with), environmental leaders from groups like Sustainable Westport and Save the Sound, and all 3 selectmen.
Robin Tauck and Governor Ned Lamont, on the steps of 227 Hillspoint Road.
They presented Tauck, Greenberg and TecKnow with a Green Building Award. It recognizes this project, for its contribution to sustainability.
The honor signifies one more step on Westport's path to being a net zero community, by 2050.
And it also shows that a small, blighted house need not be replaced by a bigger, more energy-sapping one.
Especially at such a well-known, beloved and lovely spot by the shore.
Phil Levieff of TecKnow, Albert Gore III of Tesla, and Robin Tauck. (Photos/JC Martin)
Posted in Beach, Environment, Local business, People, Real estate
Tagged Gov. Ned Lamont, Mike Greenberg, Rep. Jim Himes, Robin Tauck, TecKnow
Broad Horizons At Wakeman Town Farm
Posted on August 6, 2019 | Comments Off on Broad Horizons At Wakeman Town Farm
It always feels good to attend a fundraiser for a local organization. (And there are many fundraisers and groups in Westport.)
You eat and drink well. You're entertained, and can win cool auction and raffle items. Plus, you're contributing to a worthy cause.
However, you don't always know exactly where your money goes.
If you attended last fall's Harvest Fest at Wakeman Town Farm though, read on. (Keep reading if you didn't go too, of course.)
Some of those funds went to support Horizons at Sacred Heart University. The tuition-free academic enrichment program serves low-income Bridgeport students in kindergarten through 8th grade. It's one of 60 national chapters.
Thanks to Harvest Fest, more than 170 youngsters came to WTF last week. They learned about life on a farm, and got hands-on experiences with animals and plants.
Learning about life at Wakeman Town Farm.
On Friday, they had a huge pizza party. Volunteers fired up the new wood oven, donated by Robin Tauck (with stone from the Gault Family, and a gas grill by the Wormser family). Transportation was underwritten by Bankwell Westport.
But none of it would have been possible without help from Harvest Fest.
Remember that the next time you head to a fundraiser. The catered food and fancy wine is wonderful. Tickets to a Yankees Stadium suite, or a vacation at someone's Caribbean home, is nice.
But the true joy comes when your money is put to good, real, important use.
Every kid loves pizza. Every counselor worries about the time. (Photos/Robert Osgood)
Comments Off on Broad Horizons At Wakeman Town Farm
Posted in Children, Environment, Local business, Organizations, People
Tagged Bankwell, Gault Energy, Horizons at SHU, Robin Tauck, Wakeman Town Farm, Wormser family
Robin Tauck Reports On Syrian Refugees
The Tauck family is known for many things. Their eponymous company — now in its 4th generation — pioneered high-end group travel, heli-skiing and small-boat river cruises. In Westport — where many family members live — they've been quite generous, from renovating National Hall to helping preserve Long Island Sound. A foundation is deeply involved in aiding Bridgeport.
Robin Tauck is a travel industry leader. Her interests range from eco-tourism to helping nations and regions use travel as an economic engine.
She's nearing the end of a 50-day odyssey in Italy and Greece. With her proximity to Turkey, Syria and the Middle East, she got a first-hand look at the mass migration of refugees seeking asylum in Europe.
Two of the many children in a Lesbos Island refugee camp.
On Lesbos Island, Robin — an outgoing woman who loves to learn — talked to as many people as she could: refugees, Save the Children workers, and the Lesbos mayor who, she says, "deserves a peace prize."
Greece has already moved almost a million people from that tiny island just 6 miles off Turkey, through Athens, and on into Europe. Only 4,000 refugees remain.
Little cafes did their best to feed and warm the new arrivals. The island is lovely, Robin says, "but the people are even more beautiful. You cannot imagine how much they did."
At the height of the smuggling operation, nearly 10,000 people a day arrived in crammed Zodiacs. (By contrast, Ellis Island — set up as an immigration center — handled 11,000 a day at its peak.) Save the Children — which moved its headquarters recently from Westport to Fairfield — now has 10 small offices in the area.
A hand-made sign thanks the many volunteers.
Hundreds of unaccompanied minor children were separated from parents. The kids are traumatized — and not allowed to leave the island yet.
Save the Children is focusing on them. Robin's new friend Vasili Sofiadellis is teaching computer and coding skills. Youngsters learn English and Greek too.
"It's not bad. But it's not pretty," Robin says.
A pregnant mother survived the trip to Greece. Robin Tauck holds her 7-month-old — who weighs only as much as a normal 2-month-old.
The island is in the midst of cleanup. Broken boats, and enormous piles of hundreds and thousands of life jackets — "each one a life story," she notes — are being moved from the beaches.
Robin Tauck (right) surveys some of the hundreds of thousands of abandoned life jackets.
Robin also reports that Westporter Barbara Innamorati brought toys from Westport to Italy. They were delivered to a refugee camp on Lesbos, housing 880 people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Robin explains that Lesbos is ready to move from the "R" word (refugees) to the "T" word (tourism). Hotels are vacant; charter aircraft have stopped arriving. Holland America docked one cruise line during the crisis.
Robin told the mayor the Tauck story — including how her family emigrated to the US through Ellis Island. He said, "maybe one day some of our 800,000 refugees that made it to Europe will start a new family and new story, like yours did."
"God bless the Greeks," Robin says. Lesbos, and the entire country — one of the world's top 10 tourist destinations, with dozens of World Heritage Sites, beautiful island and warm hospitality — is "waiting for us to return."
(Yesterday's New York Times Travel section also covered the tourist scene on Lesbos, and the rest of Greece. Click here to read that story.)
Posted in Economy, Local business, Organizations, People, Politics
Tagged Barbara Innamorati, European refugee crisis, Lesbos island, Robin Tauck, Save the Children, Tauck, Tauck Family Foundation
New Pearl Splashes Into Longshore
Posted on February 21, 2016 | 16 comments
A pearl is a beautiful jewel.
Longshore is one of Westport's crown jewels.
So it's particularly fitting that Pearl is the name of Longshore's new restaurant. And that oysters and clams figure prominently on the menu.
Pearl at Longshore — the full name — opens officially tomorrow (Monday, February 22). But a soft opening last night showed that — more than a year after Splash closed — Westport's dining and social scene have taken an impressive step forward.
A new entrance for a new restaurant.
Last night — in the beautiful new dining room, next to the handsome bar, as the wait staff bustled around — lead owner Marc Backon and his wife Lois described the long journey that transformed rundown Splash into a gorgeous Pearl.
It was Halloween, 2014. Dining at Tarantino, they learned from then-general manager Antonio Ninivaggi that after 18 years, Splash had shut its doors (and the adjacent, once-quite-popular Patio Bar). They were saddened. They'd eaten there often, and both daughters' 1st jobs were at Splash.
It was not an immediate "let's do it!" moment. Yet gradually the Backons decided to give Westport back its waterfront gem.
They had no background in restaurants. But Marc has a long career in business, Lois is in banking — and they are smart, committed Westporters.
Slowly, they put together a group of 25 or so investors, mostly from here. The list also included Ninivaggi (who had moved on to Osianna in Fairfield). They hired a crack design team, led by Bilal Barakat, and renowned executive chef Michael Hazen (Bartaco, Barcelona).
The stunning bar is made from recycled glass. Behind it is recycled wood.
The journey was tough. The building — including the kitchen and food storage areas — had deteriorated significantly. A couple of deadlines were missed.
But the wait was worth it. With seating for 55 inside, 70 outside and 18 at the bar; chic, contemporary decor that includes paintings by local artists and a display with Robin Tauck's Sherwood Mill Pond books, plus a menu that ranges from locally raised oysters to boar, it's bound to create Westport's newest buzz.
Locally harvested Hummock Island oysters are a special treat.
The patio is not yet finished. That's okay. It will be ready this summer.
Hey, it takes 3 to 7 years for an oyster to produce a perfect pearl.
This one is ready after just 1.
The town of Westport owns the Pearl at Longshore property, and rents it to operators. Among the diners at last night's soft opening were 3 town officials who helped oversee the renovation from Splash to Pearl: (far left) Parks and Recreation chair Charlie Haberstroh, (near left) Parks and Rec director Jennifer Fava, and (right) 1st Selectman Jim Marpe.
(Pearl at Longshore will be open 7 days a week starting tomorrow [Monday, February 22] for dinner only. Lunch — and a golfers' menu — will be added later.)
In summer, the view of Long Island Sound will be spectacular. Last night, the Longshore Skating Rink shimmered in the background.
Posted in Longshore, People, Restaurants
Tagged Antonio Ninivaggi, Lois Backon, Marc Backon, Pearl at Longshore, Robin Tauck, Splash restaurant
Happy 90th, Tauck!
Exactly 90 years ago this month, Arthur Tauck Sr. rented a Studebaker. He brought 6 strangers on a 1,100-mile sales trip through the Berkshires, Adirondacks and Catskills. (He was selling his invention: a coin tray for banks that's still used today. That's a whole other story.)
It was the 1st "escorted motor tour" in history. That month, a new industry was born.
The first-ever Tauck tour.
"Tauck Tours" soon expanded. Arthur Sr. ran motor coach trips to the Poconos, Nova Scotia, Virginia, Niagara Falls and Ontario.
The young company used guts and creativity to weather the Depression. They launched a special tour to the 1933 Chicago Exposition, then added a Florida cruise and Gaspé Peninsula trip.
Big ads for new tours ran in East Coast newspapers on a fateful Sunday: December 7, 1941. World War II ended those plans, but in 1947 Tauck Tours roared back.
Arthur Tauck Jr.
Arthur Tauck Jr. took the helm in 1958. Soon, the company won a key legal battle in the Supreme Court. The coast was clear for private air charter services — and once again, Tauck Tours led the way.
In the 1960s, Tauck expanded westward. They won the right to host guests at National Parks hotels; linked the Canadian Rockies to the West Coast by motor coach; added Hawaii itineraries, and introduced helicopter sightseeing.
The Wilton Road headquarters.
In the 1970s, the company moved its headquarters from New York City to Westport. The first tiny office on Wilton Road, across from Save the Children, grew several times. They added space at the Vigilant Firehouse (now Neat) across the street; the Mews office complex across from Compo Shopping Center, then consolidated everyone on Post Road West.
During the '80s, when the classic "Fall Foliage" tours were done, tour directors came to Arthur Jr.'s and other family members' Westport houses to unwind and debrief. For 5 straight weeks, this town was Tauck Tours' home away from home.
As the 3rd generation — Peter, Robin and Chuck — emerged as leaders, Tauck Tours went global. There were "Yellow Roads of Europe" tours; small ship and European riverboat cruises, and land tours in the South Pacific, Central America, China and Southeast Asia.
The Tauck family also spearheaded the restoration of the Inn at National Hall — and donated the old-fashioned streetlights lining the nearby Post Road bridge.
The 2nd and 3rd Tauck generations (from left): Peter, Chuck, Robin, Ronnie and her husband Arthur Jr., Liz. Most live (or have lived) in Westport. Missing: Kiki.
Moving just across the Norwalk border to the Norden complex, Tauck continued to grow and innovate. Trips with a service component; one-of-a-kind special events; intergenerational tours; tie-ins with Ken Burns and BBC Earth, plus new itineraries in Africa, India, South America, Antarctica (soon: Cuba) — all beckon younger, adventure-oriented travelers.
Tauck has done it without losing the personal touch of that first Studebaker tour. The number of repeat guests is the envy of the industry. Recently, the company was named one of the best places in Connecticut to work.
Tauck celebrates 90 years today, with a company-wide party.
They've also flown in 20 former tour directors — folks who remember the New England touring days, and parties here — for a gala get-together tomorrow. It's at Arthur Jr.'s house, of course — not far from where Robin and Chuck live.
Tauck hosts hundreds of thousands of guests, and boasts 500 employees. But it's still a family business.
And its heart is still in Westport.
BONUS FEATURE: Click below to see Arthur Tauck Jr. talk about the founding of the company:
Posted in Local business, Looking back, People
Tagged Arthur Tauck Jr., Robin Tauck, Tauck
Gentlemen (And Ladies): Start Your (Very Quiet) Engines!
Westport celebrated "Greenday" — actually "Greenweekend" — with festivities at Wakeman Town Farm, WeGreen awards, Earthplace nature walks and much more.
Including the 3rd annual Electric Vehicle Rally.
A hybrid BMW i8 drew many admiring glances.
Several dozen EVs — and their drivers, navigators and admirers — assembled at the train station. They compared EV notes, munched on free food from Steam (quaint imagery there, no?), then embarked on a silent ride to Wilton.
Robin Tauck (center) lent selectmen Jim Marpe and Avi Kaner (left) her 2 electric vehicles last year. Kaner liked driving it so much, he bought this Tesla S P85D. It goes from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds (not that anyone does that on local roads). On the right is Westport Electric Car Club president Leo Cirino.
PS: The weather was perfect all weekend long. Despite all we've done to her, Mother Nature threw us a bone.
Two of the clever license plates seen at the Electric Vehicle Rally today.
Posted in Environment, Organizations, People, Transportation
Tagged Avi Kaner, BMW i8, electric vehicles, hybrid cars, Leo Cirino, Robin Tauck, Tesla, Westport Electric Car Club
Tooling Around The Farm
Posted on October 25, 2014 | 1 comment
Today was fantastic for anything outdoors related. If a realtor couldn't sell a house with today's spectacular weather and fall foliage, she should find another line of work.
Meanwhile, down on the (Wakeman Town) Farm, volunteers were out in force. They helped harvest fall vegetables, and prepare for the arrival of sheep and alpacas (!).
The crew was helped by the Tauck family's "Trip'n trailer." It hauls tools to national, state and local parks, to help with events like this.
In the spirit of volunteerism, Robin Tauck says that if you've got a group project and need shovels, rakes, trowels and wheelbarrows, just call 203-227-0677.
The tools are free. The experience is priceless.
Posted in Environment, Organizations, People
Tagged Robin Tauck, Wakeman Town Farm
For over a century, Westporters have enjoyed Old Mill Beach.
But wildlife has been here longer than that. And — after decades away — it seems at least one species is back.
Robin Tauck owns a quintessential, weather-beaten home on Compo Cove. Yesterday, while enjoying perfect late-September weather, she spotted a large, seemingly wounded red fox.
The fox on Old Mill Beach. (Photo/Robin Tauck)
He spent much of the afternoon "cruising the beach."
As Robin noted, he was "cute, fast, limping and watchful." He may also be rabid.
Some beachgoers were worried. Others, Robin said, thought it wonderful "to see and be mindful of our still-natural setting, and the species with whom we share our special environment."
Be warned. Be careful.
But remember: The foxes were here first.
Posted in Beach, Environment, People
Tagged Old Mill Beach, Red fox, Robin Tauck


A new study from the University of Liverpool found that the average female mannequin used to display clothing at British fast fashion stores closely mirrors the body type of a severely underweight woman, which can have serious implications on public perceptions of "ideal" body types.
Their findings, which were published in the Journal Of Eating Disorders, indicated that a higher proportion of the female-bodied mannequins reviewed were "underweight," according to these standards; the male-bodied mannequins were significantly larger than the average counterparts. This probably won't surprise you, but the extent of the difference is both shocking and dispiriting: Every single one of the 32 female-bodied mannequins assessed throughout the data collection was underweight, compared to only 8% of the 26 male-bodied ones that researchers looked at.
Not only was there a lack of diversity of body size among the female-bodied mannequins, but researchers concluded that the figures' frames would be considered "medically unhealthy" on a real person. "Our survey of these two high streets in the UK produced consistent result: The body size of female mannequins represented that of extremely underweight human women," Dr. Eric Robinson, who led the study by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health, and Society, told Science Daily.
Changing the size of the mannequins wouldn't "solve young people's body image problems, he admitted, but underweight-seeming figures likely perpetuate society's existing body ideals — and should therefore be curbed."Because ultra-thin ideals encourage the development of body image problems in young people, we need to change the environment to reduce emphasis on the value of extreme thinness," Robinson remarked to Science Daily.
The "presentation of ultra-thin female bodies" in the form of mannequins, the researcher added, "is likely to reinforce inappropriate and unobtainable body ideals, so as a society we should be taking measures to stop this type of reinforcement."
The study's findings are agreeable with a string of complaints that have come out of the U.K. in regards to the ultra-thin look of mannequins used in stores: Various British retailers have received criticism, especially on social media, in recent years for the unrealistic body types put forth with their displays. In response to this conversation, Long Tall Sally, a clothing brand that specializes in garments for women 5' 8" and above, used 3-D printing technology to create a custom figure modeled after one of its customers last year, Today reported.


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Home Current events in Ninotsminda Boarding School require the immediate intervention of the state
Current events in Ninotsminda Boarding School require the immediate intervention of the state
The member organizations of the Coalition for Equality believe that the current events related to the Ninotsminda Boarding School are alarming and require an immediate and drastic response from the state.
According to the Public Defender of Georgia, based on the information requested on the alleged criminal facts at the Ninotsminda Boarding School, in 2016-2021, four criminal cases were launched in response to allegations of violence against minors. In addition, the prosecutor's office is investigating a rape case at the Children's Boarding School run by Bishop of Skhalta – Spiridon Abuladze.
According to Bishop Spiridon, there are currently about 150 children in the Ninotsminda Boarding School, which is under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church. This figure is much higher than previously reported. Unfortunately, despite numerous requests and appeals, the Public Defender has not been given the opportunity to exercise its authority to monitor the boarding school. A social worker was also not allowed to observe the conditions of the children. After allegations were reported, a social worker was permitted to enter the institution, but the extent to which s/he was allowed to observe the current situation of the children is not yet known to the public.
Given the existing background, the news spread a few days ago that Alt Info, the pro-Russian media outlet promoting pro-violence narratives, and representatives of other violent groups, including Alexander and Guram Palavandishvili and Dimitri Lortkipanidze, the director of the Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center, were admitted to the Ninotsminda Boarding School. Bishop Seraphim Jojua, who was dismissed from the Eparchy of Borjomi and Bakuriani for suspected sexual abuse of a minor, joined them to conduct a service.
Up to now, no state agency has expressed a clear position on the continuing allegations of violence against minors and the violation of children's rights in the boarding school. At the same time, the state has not established a democratic work process in order to allow the Public Defender to monitor the situation of children's rights in the boarding school.
Moreover, as of yet, no statement has been made by the public authorities on the deinstitutionalization of large boarding houses or the implementation of the reforms needed to create a dignified and proper living environment and to protect the rights of children living in these institutions.
In the monitoring reports of 2015 and 2019, the Public Defender indicated that the restrictions in boarding schools, the strict rule of upbringing, and the large number of minors prevent the creation of an inclusive family-type environment. According to the staff, it is especially problematic that the responsible agencies still do not possess information on the exact number of religious boarding schools or the number of children enrolled in them and the mechanism of state control and monitoring is very weak in already identified institutions. LEPL Social Service Agency barely participates in the process of enrollment and exclusion of children in/from the institution and does not control the educational conditions and environment in boarding schools. Accordingly, the process of entering and leaving the institution takes place beyond the responsible agency of the state. All this puts the beneficiaries of these institutions in a completely vulnerable position (2019 Monitoring Report).
The information released by the Public Defender about the increased risks of violence is especially worrisome. According to the Ombudsman, based on the results of the monitoring of the Public Defender of Georgia, the following types of punishment can be used on children: pulling on ears, pulling hair, putting children in a corner, temporarily restricting participation in religious rituals, and kneeling. At the same time, children often do not have the opportunity to protest against such treatment and instead grow accustomed to the existing environment. In the Ninotsminda Boarding School, minors are almost completely isolated from society. Children do not have detailed information about whom they can address for the protection of their rights. The Public Defender also points out that there is a lack of qualified staff in the boarding schools, the personal documentation of the children is often out of order, children are not provided with personal space, and they do not have access to adequate psychological assistance if necessary.
With respect to above mentioned, we appeal
To the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia
To immediately inform the public about the results of the investigation of alleged crimes committed at the Ninotsminda Boarding School and immediately pursue prosecution of all persons who participated in the alleged crimes committed against children.
To the Government of Georgia
To ensure full access of the Public Defender in order to provide transparent and effective monitoring of the Ninotsminda Boarding School and effectively implement the process of deinstitutionalization of all large orphanages.
Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)
Rights Georgia (RG)
Social Justice Center (SJC)
The Women's Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG)
Human Rights Center (HRC)
Union "Sapari" (HRHT)
Equality Movement
Civic platform "No to Phobia!", "Coalition for Equality" and other civic organizations condemn homophobic statements made by members of the Georgian Dream
The Coalition for Equality Responds to Continued Violation of the Rights of the Child at Ninotsminda Children's Boarding School
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