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The end of the line for the Bullingdon Club
By Phill April 15, 2020 No Comments
You must have seen pictures of the Bullingdon Club? If not, have a look at the picture over there. You know, the clique of elite and wealthy students at Oxford, ex-Etonians and the like, who meet in their tailcoats for grand banquets before trashing the restaurant under the chant of "Buller, Buller, Buller…" Worry not, Pater will pick up the bill.
Well, those days are fast coming to an end as Oxford and Cambridge come under increasing pressure to take on more state school kids, kids whose dad doesn't pick up the bill for the damage, nor the tuition fees. Although Oxford and Cambridge have done a sterling job in increasing the representation of undergraduates from state schools over recent years (see graphic) to around 60% (Cambridge has 62%, Oxford 59%),
this is still disproportionately low compared to the 93% who go to state schools across the UK.
Interestingly though Oxbridge are caught in a trap.
There is a detrimental outcome on these renowned universities as they are slipping down the global league tables because they are distracted by pressure to focus on admissions diversity rather than quality of research. Over the long term this could have an eroding effect on the Oxbridge brand. (http://bit.ly/24rKZL5 ) That sweet city with her 'Dreaming Spires'
is a global brand these days and, like the FTSE 100 constituents and Premier League football clubs, its focus should be on the international playing fields. Consequently, the wealthy Brits are being squeezed out by quest for diversity and the international competition. A by-product of the knock-on effects of all this is that the extremely confident, well-connected private and public schoolies with excellent grades, modern day 'Bullingdon members', are displaced and dispersed to other universities thereby changing the make-up and standards of the recipient establishments. Then there is ripple across the rest of the academic pond. Ironically they are being replaced at Oxbridge by people from similar backgrounds who nowadays go to the top state schools. Not quite the diversity intended.
One of the issues historically is that very bright children from poorer areas do not believe they are worthy of going to the very elite universities and opt for an easier option where they are more likely to fit in…and images of the Bullingdon Club do not help matters. As well as fewer applicants from poorer areas whose school might not be used to dealing with the entrance procedures, compounding this, fewer of those who do apply actually achieve a place. Word gets back about the mauling at interview and no-one ventures forth again.
Some help is on its way however ( http://econ.st/2gk1SzZ ). There are a number of admirable organisations which have been set up to concentrate on helping students from underprivileged or minority backgrounds to enter Oxbridge. Examples include Target Oxbridge, which does what it says on the tin, then there's Into University which has a wider remit than just Oxbridge. There has been an interesting trend for individual colleges, such as Pembroke and University in Oxford, to forge links with local schools and communities around the country.
All this is positive but it's slow-burn, for example, since Target Oxbridge's launch in 2012, 30 people have successfully made the transition. At Kloodle we believe the real problem with getting into Oxbridge for students from underprivileged backgrounds is the admissions procedure. It involves a process misaligned with the norm; early UCAS application, extra exams, a rigorous interview if you're lucky. It is shrouded in mystery and opaque from the outside. It used to favour public and private schools, which have traditional links with colleges and host teachers who went to Oxbridge colleges and understand the process. Since the governmental push for more state school places, public and private school pupils have been replaced by students from an increasing, but small, number of high octane 'elite' selective state sixth forms in wealthy areas, mainly in the South East of England, which have become "feeders" for Oxbridge colleges. ( http://ind.pn/2aWZiNm ) This leaves vast areas of the country, home to some very bright young people, with little or no Oxbridge representation.
The students from poorer backgrounds have access to limited advice, so, for example, they usually aim for a place in core disciplines, such as medicine, but this is incredibly competitive. They also they have little opportunity to practise past exam papers and interviews, unlike their public school peers and they have few role models, pupils a year above them who achieved a place. Then the whole interview process is intimidating; the intensity, expectations and qualifications of the interviewer, the way you are expected to behave and so on. We spoke to a group of unsuccessful candidates from colleges near Manchester
and they complained that the interviewers spoke 'a different language'; they felt it wasn't the place for them. Samina Khan, Head of Admissions at Oxford, says that schools should identify potential Oxbridge candidates in Year 7 and then coach them for years ahead of application. This is much less likely to happen at some state schools and for late developers. Surely it's about potential.
At Kloodle we have set up an 'Aspiring to Oxbridge Group', which is a forum where students from around the country can interact about how best to approach their Oxbridge application. They hail from a diverse range of backgrounds but are very smart and have amazing Kloodle profiles. Mentors who are current undergraduates are invited to communicate with the aspirants to give insight into what is expected and required. This scheme has received great feedback and we intend to expand the mentor population to working graduates.
Oxford and Cambridge still have a lot of work to do if they are going to broaden their appeal. Meanwhile, the prospective Bullingdon Club members will probably decamp to Bristol. Hurrah!
About Phill
Phillip is co-founder of Kloodle.
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Energy and Climate Change Task Force report titled "Turkish Energy Strategy in the 21st Century: Weathering Uncertainties and Discontinuities" was presented to GRF members on September 23, 2013. Following the opening speech delivered by Task Force Co-Chair Prof Gülsün Sağlamer, GRF Vice-Chairman & President Mr. Memduh Karakullukçu, who is also the author of the Task Force report, gave an overview on the main findings and recommendations of the report. Following his presentation, Mr. Karakullukçu received questions from GRF members relating to a wide range of issues covered in the report.


In a super special segment that became its own episode, Jon and Nick spontaneously pick their top four favorite "quotists." They countdown one-by-one and discuss the person behind the quotes, the meaning of the quotes, and the impact each has had on the Rock Stars' lives. This is a "can't miss" edition of RSP!
"The Boss" Jon Ross and the "Doctor of Proctors" Nick Indeglio bring you two cool segments today.
The first focuses on an article from KQED titled, "10 Realities About Bullying at School and Online" by Linda Flanagan Twitter @LindaFlanagan2. Jon and Nick talk about the dangers of labeling everything as bullying as they go through the salient points of the article.
RSP's Pop Culture Segment looks at all the #Batman movies in the modern era from the 1960's until today. It's a fun review of Jon's favorite superhero on the big screen.
RSP is also utilizing Facebook Video for exclusive content. Check it out!


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Joel Franz Rosell. [Cuba] (Cienfuegos, 1954). Escritor, Escritor de literatura infantil de Cuba; crítico e ilustrador de libros para niños y jóvenes.
Autor una treintena de libros publicados en Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, México, Brasil, España y Francia, varios de los cuales han sido traducido en hasta 9 idiomas (incluid
incluidos el inglés, el chino y el japonés), y de numerosos artículos y ensayos sobre literatura infantil y cultura cubana, ha vivido en Brasil, Dinamarca, Argentina y Francia. Desde 2004 reside en París. Desde 2016 comparte residencia en Santa Clara (Cuba). Nacionalizado francés en 1994.

Selección bibliográfica
El secreto del colmillo colgante. La Habana. Editorial Gente Nueva, 1983. Novela detectivesca infantil.
La lechuza me contó. México. Editorial Progreso, 2004. Ilustraciones de Fabiola Graullera (versión original, 1987: Editorial Oriente, Cuba, con ilustraciones de Vicente Rodríguez Bonachea). Traducido al vasco, con ilustraciones del autor, en 2006. Cuentos ecológicos para niños.
Los cuentos del mago y el mago del cuento. Ediciones de la Torre. Madrid, 1994. Ilustraciones de Biblioteca de Lastanosa (Francisco Meléndez y Justo Núñez). Primera versión en lengua portuguesa: Sao Paulo, 1991. Cuentos juveniles.
Aventuras de Rosa de los Vientos y Juan Perico el de los Palotes. Buenos Aires. Alfaguara, 2004. Ilustraciones de Xulián. Primera versión en 1996: Ediciones Capiro (Cuba) y El Arca (España). Traducido al francés en 1998. Distinción The White Ravens (mejores libros infantiles publicados en el mundo) de la Biblioteca Internacional de la Juventud (Alemania). Novela infantil.
Vuela, Ertico, vuela. Ediciones SM. Madrid, 1997. Novela infantil.
La literatura infantil: un oficio de centauros y sirenas. Buenos Aires. Lugar Editorial, 2001. Ensayo.
La Nube. Buenos Aires. Sudamericana, 2001. Libro-álbum.
La tremenda bruja de La Habana Vieja. Barcelona. Edebé, 2001. Novela infantil.
Mi tesoro te espera en Cuba. Zaragoza. Edelvives, 2008. Traducido al francés. Novela juvenil.
El pájaro libro. Madrid. Ediciones SM, 2002. Ilustraciones: Ajubel. Traducido al francés. Cuento. Premio Nacional de Ilustración (España).
Javi y los leones. Madrid. Edelvives, 2003. Ilustraciones: María RoJas. Cuento.
Pájaros en la cabeza. Pontevedra. Kalandraka, 2004. Ilustraciones Marta Torrao. Traducido al gallego y al portugués. Cuento.Premio Nacional de Ilustración (Portugal).
La leyenda de Taita Osongo. México. Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2006. Ediciones en Francia (2004), Brasil (2007), Argentina y Cuba (2010 y 2014) Novela juvenil.
Exploradores en el lago. Madrid. Alfaguara, 2009. Desde 2017 en la colección Loqueleo. Madrid. Santillana. Novela detectivesca ecológica (desde 10 años).
La bruja Pelandruja está malucha. Madrid. Ediciones SM, 2010. Cuento.
Petit chat noir a peur du soir. Paris. Bayard, 2011. Ilustraciones: Beppe Iacobbe. Libro-álbum. Traducciones al inglés y el japonés.
Sopa de sol. Buenos Aires. Tinta Fresca, 2011. Cuentos
El paraguas amarillo. Sevilla. Kalandraka, 2012. Ilustraciones: Giulia Frances. Traducido al gallego, al italiano y al chino. Cuento infantil.
Gatito y el balón. Pontevedra. Kalandraka , 2012. Ilustraciones: Constanze v. Kitzing. Traducido al catalán, gallego, vasco, inglés, italiano, portugués, coreano, chino y francés. Libro-álbum
Gatito y la nieve. Pontevedra. Kalandraka, 2012. Ilustraciones: Constanze v. Kitzing. Traducido al catalán, gallego, vasco, inglés, italiano, portugués, coreano, chino y francés. Libro-álbum
El secreto del colmillo dorado. Bogotá. Libros & Libros, 2013. Novela detectivesca juvenil.
Concierto n°7 para violín y brujas. México. Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2013; Pinar del Río (Cuba). Editorial Cauce, 2014. Traducido al portugués: SESI-SP, Sao Paulo, 2017) Novela juvenil fantástica.
Había una vez un espantapájaros. Bogotá. Libros & Libros, 2014. Ilustraciones del autor. Cuento.
Gatito y las vacaciones. Pontevedra. Kalandraka, 2015. Ilustraciones: Constanze v. Kitzing. Libro-álbum. Traducido al catalán, gallego, vasco, inglés, italiano, portugués, coreano, chino y francés. Libro-álbum
 María es pintora. México. Editorial 3 Abejas, 2015. Ilustraciones: David Nieto. Libro-álbum.
 Tito y su misteriosa abuela. La Habana. Gente Nueva, 2015. Ilustraciones: Valerio. Dos noveletas: "Tito, aprende a volar" y "Tito y el amigo misterioso".
Taita Osongo: el camino del monte.La Habana. Gente Nueva, 2016. Ilustraciones del autor. Cuento.
Tito y el misterioso Amicus. México. Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2017. Ilustraciones: Luis Safa. Novela juvenil realista-fantástica.
La Isla de las Alucinaciones. Sevilla. Editorial Premium, 2017.  Premio Avelino Hernández. Novela juvenil.
Aventuras de Sheila Jólmez, por el docto Juancho. Santa Clara. Editorial Capiro, 2018. Ilustraciones del autor. Novela juvenil.
Los aventureros de la cometa. Panamericana. Bogotá, 2020; ilustraciones: Jaime Troncoso. ISBN: 978-958-30-5954-4. Novela infantil.
El plátano aventurero. Edebé. Barcelona, 2020; ilustraciones: Ignasi Blanch. ISBN: 978-84-683-4744-8. Cuento infantil.

Premios y reconocimientos (selección)
 1979: Premio Nacional de Talleres Literarios (Cienfuegos, Cuba): "La gran rosa blanca". Cuento infantil.1984: Premio Nacional Heredia (Santiago de Cuba): "La leyenda del algarrobo y la orquídea", versión original de La leyenda de Taita Osongo.
 Desde 1995, ocho veces Premio La Rosa Blanca (mejores libros infantiles publicados en un año. Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba): Los cuentos del mago y el mago del cuento (1995), Las aventuras de Rosa de los Vientos y Perico el de los Palotes (1996), Vuela, Ertico, vuela (1997), La Nube (2001), El pájaro libro (2002), Javi y los leones (2003), Pájaros en la cabeza (2004), La leyenda de Taita Osongo (2016).
 1997 y 2006: Distinción The White Ravens (mejores libros infantiles publicados en el mundo. Biblioteca Internacional de la Juventud, Munich, Alemania): Las aventuras de Rosa de los Vientos y Perico el de los Palotes.
 2001: Premio de la Ville de Cherbourg-Octeville : Mi tesoro te espera en Cuba.
 2006: Distinción The White Ravens (mejores libros infantiles publicados en el mundo. Biblioteca Internacional de la Juventud, Munich, Alemania): Pájaros en la cabeza.
2009: 100 mejores libros infantiles y juveniles: Banco del Libro (Venezuela): La leyenda de Taita Osongo.
2017: Premio Avelino Hernández de Novela Juvenil (Ayuntamiento de Soria): La Isla de las Alucinaciones.

Referencias
Guía de autores. Asociación Española de Amigos del Libro Infantil y Juvenil. Madrid, 1998.
"Los que escriben para niños se confiesan". Compilación de entrevistas a cargo de Enrique Pérez Díaz. Editorial Gente Nueva. La Habana, 2013.
Gran diccionario de autores latinoamericanos de literatura infantil y juvenil. Fundación SM. Bogotá, 2009.
Cuba per se. Cincuenta escritores cubanos responden sobre su vida fuera de la Isla. Ediciones Universal. Miami, 2009
Diccionario histórico de autores de la literatura infantil y juvenil contemporánea, Juan José Lage Fernández. Ediciones Mágina-Editorial Octaedro Andalucía. Granada, 2010.
Diccionario de autores de la literatura infantil cubana, Ramón Luis Herrera Rojas y Mirta Estupiñán González. Editorial Gente Nueva y Ediciones Unión. La Habana, 2015, 2 tomos.

Enlaces externos
El pájaro libro
Cuentos del mago cuento
Blog en francés
Leeme un cuento

https://web.archive.org/web/20151230011025/http://papalotero.bnjm.cu/?secc=794&bib=infantil
https://web.archive.org/web/20160114161249/http://minisites-charte.fr/sites/joel-franz-rosell/

http://www.diccionariolij.es/2017/02/03/entrevista-con-joel-franz-rossel/
http://www.cubaencuentro.com/entrevistas/articulos/joel-franz-rosell-paris-274410

Escritores de Cuba
Críticos literarios de Cuba
Traductores de Cuba
Ensayistas de Cuba
Escritores de literatura infantil de Cuba

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Decorated with panels in Kraak style. The form of the ewer originates in France and can be found in Nevers faience of the 17th century.
The same shape can be found as part of an earlier commission from the Metaale Pot in a large service made for Prince Lobkowicz (circa 1685) made while the factory was owned by Lambertus van Eenhoorn's predecessor and cousin, Lambertus Cleffius.
Lambertus van Eenhoorn was also the older brother of Samuel van Eenhorn who, until his death in 1685 owned the Grieksche A factory, and the son of Wouter van Eenhoorn who founded it.


Christopher Wilson studies the use of digital technology for citizen-state interaction, with a focus on assessing the quality of interaction for accountability and responsive governance. His doctoral work explores the influence of international normative mechanisms such as the Open Government Partnership on government decisions to pursue digital citizen engagement, with a focus on open government in advanced democracies.
Christopher co-founded The Engine Room (https://theengineroom.org), where he led applied research on the role of technology in advocacy from 2010-2015, and supported the use of data and evaluation frameworks by international organizations, country-level advocacy initiatives, trainers and technologists. Christopher is currently strategic research advisor to the HIVOS program on transparency and accountability, and advises the Norwegian parliamentary monitoring organization Holder De Ord on organizational development. He has performed as the national researcher in Norway for the Open Data Barometer, evaluation of Norway's Open Government Partnership implementation, and other comparative indices. He blogs on the state of civic technology research and research methods at https://methodicalsnark.org.
Strategies underpinning specific types of citizen-state interaction, including participatory budgeting, citizen complaint platforms and e-petitions.
Capacity of civil society and government actors (methodological, technical, human, financial) to conduct rigorous evaluations and assessments of civic technology and citizen-state interaction, producing data that is both scientifically sound and useful for the adaptive management of such work.
Professionalization and digitization of civil society organizations.
Christopher led the development of NORCAP international humanitarian roster from Oct 2015- to April 2016 (http://norcapweb.no/). Prior to that he worked as the co-director of The Engine Room (https://theengineroom.org), an organization he co-founded in 2010. As research lead at The Engine Room, Christopher led projects documenting processes of technology-driven advocacy in over a dozen countries, provided support to national and international advocates integrating technology into their work, and coordinated a global network of organizations and experts working to understand the ethical implications of data-driven advocacy (see https://responsibledata.io). Christopher also regularly published peer reviewed articles during this time, including work on digital media in the Egyptian protests of 2006, and the processes through which activists and NGOs in sub-saharan Africa choose technological tools. Prior to founding The Engine Room, Christopher worked as Communications Analyst for UNDP,supporting county efforts to generate governance data for policy processes and social accountability, while advocating internationally for a country-led approach to measuring governance.
Christopher holds a Masters Degree in the Theory and Practice of International Human Rights Law from the University of Oslo Law Faculty and a Bachelors of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication, from the University of California Berkeley.
Wilson, Christopher. 2014. "« Do No Harm »: Samtykke Og Personvern I Krise ?" (2):253–62.
Tufekci, Z., & Wilson, C. (2012). Social Media and the Decision to Participate in Political Protest: Observations From Tahrir Square. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 363–379.
Wilson, Christopher Ben & Jumbert, Maria Gabrielsen (2018). The new informatics of pandemic response: humanitarian technology, efficiency, and the subtle retreat of national agency. Journal of International Humanitarian Action. ISSN 2364-3404. 3 . doi: 10.1186/s41018-018-0036-5 Full text in Research Archive.
Wilson, Christopher Ben (2017). Look Who's Talking: Assessing Civic Voice and Interaction in OGP Commitments. eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government. ISSN 2075-9517. 9(1), s 4- 30 Full text in Research Archive.
Wilson, Christopher Ben & Indra, de Lanerolle (2016). Test It and They Might Come: Improving the Uptake of Digital Tools in Transparency and Accountability Initiatives. IDS Bulletin. ISSN 0265-5012. 47(1), s 113- 126 . doi: http://bulletin.ids.ac.uk/idsbo/article/view/40 Full text in Research Archive.
Karlsrud, John & Wilson, Christopher Ben (2008). Changing Roles: China, Africa and the Strategic Power of Dialogue. Vreng. Adbuster Magasin. ISSN 1504-0526.
Hustad, Richard; Andreassen, Bård A. & Wilson, Christopher Ben (2006). Justice and Human Rights Initiative: Report of the Workshop on Developing Justice and Human Rights Indicators.


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Home > News / Info EN > Environmental Reports > Ten worst pollution problems 2008 > 2008 > Untreated Sewage
Untreated Sewage
Sewage refers to liquid wastes containing a mixture of human feces and wastewater from non-industrial human activities such as bathing, washing, and cleaning. In many poor areas of the world, sewage is dumped into local waterways, in the absence of practical alternatives.
Untreated sewage poses a major risk to human health since it contains waterborne pathogens that can cause serious human illness. Untreated sewage also destroys aquatic ecosystems, threatening human livelihoods, when the associated biological oxygen demand and nutrient loading deplete oxygen in the water to levels too low to sustain life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.6 billion people lacked access to improved sanitation facilities in 2008, with the lowest coverage in sub-Saharan Africa (37%), Southern Asia (38%), and Eastern Asia (45%).1 Improved sanitation facilities are those that eliminate human contact with fecal material and include flush or pit toilets/latrines and composting toilets.2 Even where water based toilets are available, the wastes are far too often just discharged into drains and streams, in the absence of (expensive) collection and treatment systems. As a result, surface waters in many urban areas are highly contaminated with human waste. In areas with pit latrines, seepage into local groundwater is often a major problem, since many communities rely on shallow wells for drinking water.
Lack of access to improved sanitation disproportionately affects poor communities in urban and rural areas where resources for investments in collection and treatment infrastructure are scarce, although the challenge of maintaining existing systems to protect humans from waterborne disease outbreaks affects even the world's richest communities.
Sewage can be intentionally discharged to waterways through pipes or open defecation, or unintentionally during rainfall events. When humans use these waterways for drinking, bathing or washing, they are exposed to the associated pathogens, many of which can live for extended periods of time in aquatic environments. Humans then become ill by ingesting contaminated water, by getting it on/in skin, eyes or ears, or even from preparing foods with contaminated water. Sometimes humans can even become ill from inhaling contaminated water droplets.
Life-threatening human pathogens carried by sewage include cholera, typhoid and dysentery. Other diseases resulting from sewage contamination of water include schistosomiasis, hepatitis A, intestinal nematode infections, and numerous others. WHO estimates that 1.5 million preventable deaths per year result from unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or hygiene.3 These deaths are mostly young children. Another 860,000 children less than five years old are estimated to die annually as a direct or indirect result of the underweight or malnutrition associated with repeated diarrheal or intestinal nematode infections .4
Strides are being made on a global scale. The WHO estimated that 3.8 billion people had access to improved sanitation as of 2004, and has set a target of at least 75% global coverage by 2015. Meeting this ambitious target will be a challenge. However, a number of interventions have already proven effective in reducing the diarrheal disease burden resulting from inadequate sanitation.5 These range from hand washing and hygiene education, to toilet/latrine installation and point-of-use water treatment, to approaches comprised of multiple strategies.
World Health Organization (WHO). 2008. "International Year of Sanitation 2008" Last accessedon September 16, 2008. Available at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/iys/about/en/index.html.
WHO and United Nations Children's Fund Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply andSanitation (JMP). 2008. Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation.UNICEF, New York and WHO, Geneva, Last accessed September 16, 2008.Available at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp2008.pdf.
Prüss-Üstün A, Bos R, Gore F, Bartram J. 2008. Safer water, better health: costs, benefitsand sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health. Geneva: World Health Organization[Available: http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/saferwater/en/index.html, accessed 9/15/08].
Fewtrell L, Kaufmann RB, Kay D, Enanoria W, Haller L, Colford JM Jr. 2005. Water, sanitation,and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: a systematic reviewand metaanalysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 5(1):42-52.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


David Kent of Dublin, Calif. lost his long, brave and courageous battle with Crohn's Disease and passed away peacefully at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif. on May 11, 2010.
David Kent of Dublin, Calif. lost his long, brave and courageous battle with Crohn's Disease and passed away peacefully at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif. on May 11, 2010. He was 53.
David was born in Yreka on July 17, 1956. He attended local schools until completion of the eighth grade, and although he started high school in Yreka, he transferred and graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, Calif. and attended De Anza College.
He worked in the electronic distribution industry in various companies until he passed away.
He is survived by his two sons Gregory and Curtis, both of Tracy, Calif. He is also survived by his family members as follows: his mother Phyllis Kent, currently residing in Dublin, Calif.; his sister Theresa Horton, currently residing in Santa Cruz, Calif.; his brother Richard Kent, currently residing in Bangkok, Thailand; his uncle Roderic Barba of Montague; his aunt Eunice Edgington of Rohnert Park, Calif.; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
His father Eldon preceded him in death.
A Mass will be held for David at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 28, followed by a graveside service with a blessing and prayers in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery. Refreshments will follow at St Joseph's Catholic Church Hall, next door to the church.
Girdner Funeral Chapel in Yreka is handling burial arrangements.


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An action-packed day of racing for Boxing Day and, as usual, I'm trying to put together a "Yankee" wager and provide readers of the blog with a profitable Christmas bonus. On busy days like Boxing Day, I'm looking for horses that have been overlooked by the market as at most meetings there will be a lot of punters who are unfamiliar with the form having a wager - and those punters will be focusing on top trainers, well known jockeys and the race favourites. So I'm looking at those "long-distance travellers" and solitary runners from trainers with a good strike-rate at the tracks who horses are not the fav and maybe trading at a point or 2 longer than they should be.
I do not want to be diverted by the feature races at Kempton, so I'm starting my review of the racing with Wetherby's card - and that is where champion jockey Richard Johnson is riding and he could provide us with a few winners. Johnson rides Petticoat Tails for Warren Greatrex in the opener at 12:30pm. Greatrex has a 28% strike-rate at Wetherby (25% in hurdle races) and he travels 198 miles to race here. Johnson also rides the stables Aloomomo in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at 2:10pm, and Bright Tomorrow in the handicap hurdle at 2:45pm. I like the chance of Aloomomo as he won off OR129 at Newbury over almost 2m7f on soft and he races off OR133 in this race. He could be a 140+ chaser based on that Newbury win, and he comes here race-fit from hurdling.
The Rowland Meyrick is a top handicap chase and last years 2nd Wakanda (an old favourite of mine) races off OR144 which is 5lb lower than last year, but his run LTO did not inspire my confidence in him. I think his stablemate Delusionofgrandeur has a better chance, but he's up 8lb to OR142 for his LTO win. This Sue Smith trained pair will likely try and force the pace and this should suit Aloomomo. Richard Johnson also rides Grey Gold for Kerry Lee in the 2m3f chase at 1:40pm, and though he's 12yo (he's 13yo on 1st Jan) this horse is Kerry Lee's only runner here and could go very well.
Market Rasen has the Linconshire National over 3m3f as the feature race, and this race has a few interesting runners. There are 3 trainers with good strike-rates and only one runner entered at the meeting: Saint John Henry (David Pipe 30% in chases), Vinegar Hill (Stuart Edmunds 50% in chases); and Petite Power (Fergal O'Brien 24% in chases) - however, I don't think either of them look the likely winner. For me, BORIC who has been in the form of his life this season looks the most likely winner over this trip as he will stay every yard. So long as the ground does not turn heavy, he has a great chance.
Fontwell looks tricky meeting. There are several that interest me: in the 2m2f handicap chase at 2:00pm Bredon Hill Lad is a C&D winner who won LTO and this could be an easy task for him. Dan Skelton has runners all over the place, yet he sends just one here in It's Afreebee who wears blinkers for the 1st-time in an effort to revive his form. I also like the look of Marienstar in the final race of the meeting who is the only runner here for Neil King.
Wincanton has a good Class 3 chase in the Lord Stalbridge Handicap over 3m1f at 2:05pm. Last years race was a fiasco as a loose horse brought down all but one of the entire field and then the final horse standing pulled-up and refused to race. Kerry Lee (see Wetherby above) sends Krackatoa King for this and it's her only runner here - I think the horse has a great chance in this race as he is a dour stayer in good form.
Sedgefield has a good meeting, and the busy Dan Skelton sends a couple here too. The horse travelling the furthest is Glimpse Of Gold in the 12:25pm sent by Tim Vaughan. Vaughan has a decent strike-rate here and this horse was in good form in the Spring. He ran in a chase LTO on 23rd October, and I think the horse has been aimed at this race. At 2:05pm there is a 2m3f handicap chase which looks like it lacks depth and the consistent Whitsundays could be the answer. He wasn't beaten far over C&D back in March and had his first run after a 6-month break on 2nd December when he ran 2nd at Bangor over 2m1f, and it looks like this has been his target for some time.
Huntingdon is where Venetia Williams sends her only runner of the day: Becauseshesaidso in the 2m7f handicap chase at 3:00pm - however, I'm not convinced that the horse will stay this trip. Even so, the field for this race is so weak it will not take a lot of winning.
At Kempton, the novice chases at 1:20pm and 1:55pm are worth watching but they are too competitive to wager in. The feature race, the King George VI Chase at 3:05pm looks like being a cracker and for me the interesting thing is the entry of Fox Norton. If Fox Norton can find some improvement - and it only needs to be about 5lb - then he's bang in there with a chance of winning this. I'm not yet convinced Might Bite is the world-beater that people think, and at the odds I'm solidly behinf Bristol De Mai who I think should be the fav considering he's won at right-handed Sandown, and was a top-class novice chaser with form on good-to-soft ground. Sure, he's a better chaser on soft ground (or worse), but he's no slouch on good-to-soft either.
So, my Yankee Shortlist is:-
Wetherby 2:10 - ALOOMOMO
Market Rasen 2:15 - BORIC
Fontwell 2:00 - BREDON HILL LAD
Sedgefield 2:05 - WHITSUNDAYS
Huntingdon 3:00 - BECAUSESHESAIDSO
Kempton 3:05 - BRISTOL DE MAI
The final Yankee is:-
Fontwell 2:00 - BREDON HILL LAD @ 3/1 (Stan James) very consistent performer
Sedgefield 2:05 - WHITSUNDAYS @ 3/1 (Stan James) looks like he has been aimes at this race
Wetherby 2:10 - ALOOMOMO @ 3/1 (Stan James) this horse could be 10lb ahead of the handicapper
For the final selection I will be on
Market Rasen 2:15 - BORIC @ 8/1 (Stan James) a dour stayer he will run to his rating but may need a bit of luck.
OR you could have...
Kempton 3:05 - BRISTOL DE MAI @ 9/2 (Stan James) this horse is a proven performer and he should be the fav for this race at 2/1, these odds are an insult.
£2 win yankee and £1.50 eachway yankee = £55 staked
Have courage in your convictions
"Have the courage of your knowledge and experience.
If you have formed a conclusion from the facts and if you know your judgement is sound, act on it - even though others may hesitate or differ.
You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you.
You are right because your data and reasoning are right."
This statement was written in respect of investment on the stock markets, however it resonates very well with the betting markets too. Sometimes you have to wait for the best opportunities to come along and sometimes they are so obvious that you "refuse" to see them! In hindsight, that certainly seemed the case with Blaklion last Saturday as he so dominated the Becher Chase that the returned SP of 7/4 was considered generous by some (for instance, Tom Segal "Pricewise" in the Racing Post). But you always have to take account before the race the potential effect of luck on the eventual outcome and I don't think that was reflected in the odds.
This weekend's 2-day Cheltenham meeting isn't the best of the season although the 3m1f novice chase on Friday has produced some good horses and will be worth taking an interest in. I am also looking forward to the 3m2f Class 1 handicap chase on Friday in which race-fav's don't have a great record. With 4 of the last 5 winners aged 9yo or older, experience has counted in the past, and of the only "older" horses in Friday's race Mysteree - who has won on his seasonal debut for the past 4 seasons (didn't run in 2014-15) - looks very interesting.
Saturday's feature race at Cheltenham looks a tricky event but I'm hoping that STARCHITECT can make-up for his defeat LTO. He ran a cracker that day, always in the van and it was only because the winner (Splash Of Ginge) had the run of the race that he didn't succeed.
So close, but no cigar
We hit the crossbar on Saturday when Sugar Baron came with a storming finish to fail by just a neck to peg back the long-time leader Benbens in the London "National" at Sandown. We were on at the "value" odds of 11/2, as his SP was just 3/1, and I'm sure come the end of this season his rating will be above OR145. Unfortunately, his jumping wasn't the best I've seen and at numerous fences he lost a few yards - and that more than counted come the finish. I expect Nicky Henderson will work on his jumping and we will see a more complete chaser next time out. Fair play to Benbens winning this race as a 12yo - he will be a 13yo in 3 weeks time. Benbens has come into his own in these marathon chases - twice 3rd in the Scottish National, 4th in the Bet365 Chase, 5th in the Welsh National - he really deserved to win a race like this.
At Aintree, Sametegal was given an easy ride out wide and off the pace, he looked to have no chance when going very wide at the "Canal Turn" and I even feared he may be pulled-up then, he was so far off the pace. But no, after jumping the 3rd last, he made up considerable ground on the long run to the 2nd last fence and I thought a horse of his class had it in the bag as they approached that fence. Unfortunately, he received a bump there and that possibly cost him the race as although he got going again - and was briefly in 2nd on the run-in - the effort was too much. Even so, I think had he been ridden closer to the pace he could well have won this or at least pushed the eventual winner very hard.
Earlier in the day at Aintree, we saw Blaklion win the Becher Chase, and it was an emphatic win, he never looked in danger of not winning from about the 4th last fence. However, as I wrote in my blog, Blaklion is a most consistent horse, he was the same as a hurdler, and I didn't see any improvement in today's performance - the others just weren't good enough to beat him. However, the handicapper won't see it like that and if he goes up 5lb or more then he may find winning another handicap this season tricky.
The performance of the day was from novice chaser Sceau Royal in the Henry VIII chase at Sandown - he looked an exceptional chaser and if I have seen the winner of the "Arkle" next March, this is it. So whether to take the 8/1 on offer for that race depends on whether he goes for that race or the JLT Novices Chase over 2m4f for which he's 12/1 - he certainly looked like he would stay that trip no problem today and the JLT is the easier of the two in my opinion.
Jack Frost nipping at your nose....
The frost has descended on the country and (so far) we have 3 meetings going ahead at Aintree, Wetherby and Chepstow. There is an inspection at Sandown at 10am.
Aintree has the best racing going ahead as I write with the feature being the Becher Chase at 1:30pm. There are 16 runners going to post headed by Blaklion on the meagre odds of 5/2 - however, the 8yo who was 4th in the Grand National over this course last April has a favourites chance as he handles the course, handles heavy ground (it will be heavy when the frost burns off) and is consistent enough to be capable of running to his rating of OR153. He also comes here race-fit having chased home Bristol De Mai at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall Chase. So, can he be beaten today?
Of those closest in the market, I think the heavy ground will find out Highland Lodge. He may have a great record in this race, but heavy ground with tax his stamina. Vieux Lion Rouge won this race last year and also handles soft/heavy, and he won't be far away. The Last Samurai will need a career-best run to win this off OR159 carrying 11st 12lb and I don't think he will be capable. While As De Mee won over these fences last season, it was over 2m5f and this trip will likely find him out. The one that I like is Goodtoknow - a prominent runner, who handles these fences, and goes well on soft/heavy. He stays this trip well too and his rating of OR142 puts him in with a good chance. Odds of 12/1 look fair value, especially as Ladbrokes go quarter-odds for 4-places, as it's hard for me to see him not finishing worse than 4th. However, Blaklion should win this race but I cannot bet on him in this race at odds of just 5/2 as he should be at least 9/2 in my opinion.
The other race over the National fences today is the Grand Sefton, a Class 2 chase over 2m5f and I think the class horse in this race is SAMETEGAL who is relatively unexposed and could be a lot better than OR144. He's won on soft ground over 2m4f at Newbury from a rating or OR143 and with this being only his 7th chase race he could have a lot of improvement in his still to come. Gas Line Boy has a favourites chance being a front-runner who handles the ground, but the 11yo may be unable to hold off the younger horse. Odds of 6/1 look good value on Sametegal.
At Sandown, the Henry VIII novices chase at 1:45pm looks a cracker, and while Brain Power could be another Altior for me, the jury is still out. At the odds, I'm looking to take him on and North Hill Harvey could be the horse to upset the odds as he showed his class when winning the Greatwood Hurdle off OR141 with 11st and Modus in 2nd carrying 4lb less. Odds of 6/1 look value to me as he should have too much speed for Finians Oscar and he's a better horse (as far as the form book shows) than Sceau Royal and Capitaine; so it all depends on whether Brain Power is the real-deal or not.
Whatever the result, Henderson has a great chance in the last race on the Sandown card with SUGAR BARON at odds of 11/2. He just lacked a finishing kick in the Bet365 over C&D last April but he is very well handicapped to me on OR135 and I reckon he will be in the mid-140's by the end of the season. The only danger I can see will be coming from top-weight Southfield Theatre who made a big step in th right direction LTO and with a 7lb claimer on, he could be interesting. The fav Doing Fine is a consistent performer but his rating of OR137 is about his ceiling.
Today I will be having a couple of win wagers on SAMETEGAL @ 6/1 and SUGAR BARON @ 11/2, and a place-only wager on Goodtoknow at 3.10 (1st-4 finish) on the exchanges. I will also have a small wager on North Hill Harvey.
When Saturday comes...
Three selections - two winners at SP's of 6/1 and 11/4 and available at 7/1 and 9/2 when I posted the blog. Not only that, but my 3rd selection - Missed Approach - was named midweek for one of the strongest handicap chases of the season at odds of 33/1 and started at 20/1. You won't find me tipping odds-on chances on this blog and shouting "boom!"
I'm really enjoying my racing at the moment. This season has been a breath of fresh air to me and I think it is because I've dropped the subscriptions element and that has reduced the pressure to perform to order. Essentially, I'm going through the same motions to find my wagers:-
- choosing the best races;
- seeking to oppose a weak favourite;
- finding a horse with proven form at the trip and on the ground;
- ensuring that (in my opinion) it should be in the 1st-2 in the betting;
- finding that the odds are a lot longer than I expect.
When you have days like yesterday with 4 meetings at Newbury, Newcastle, Bangor and Doncaster and with top-class racing at a couple of those meetings, finding a "blot" in the market isn't too difficult for me. What I have found difficult in recent years is writing up the reasons behind my selection in enough depth and clarity to provide comfort and confidence to readers behind the selection.
Over the years, I think I've proven my ability to find winners, and so I'm taking a back seat on the blogging and writing a shorter synopsis of which yesterday's blog was a good example.
I do hope readers - 106 read yesterdays blog, and 147 read my Ladbrokes Trophy analysis in midweek - were on the selections. Even the losing wager on Missed Approach was very entertaining - I thought we were on the winner for a long while and was riding the horse along with Richard Johnson!
Keep visiting and reading the blog, especially on a Saturday. And I promise to do my best to ensure the winners keep coming.
Saturday 2nd December
It's a big day for me, as I nailed my colours firmly to the mast of MISSED APPROACH for todays Ladbrokes Trophy (handicap) Chase earlier this week, having place antepost wagers back in September and October - I'm on at 66/1.
I think the preparation for the horse is perfect as he comes here fresh, with the best jockey available in the saddle in Richard Johnson, and he has blinkers on 1st-time to keep his focus on the race.
There is some great racing today, and I will be having some other wagers as there is plenty of sport to choose from. At Bangor in the 1:35pm which is a 3-mile Class 3 handicap chase only 5lb covers this field of 7-runners and I'm taken with BELLS OF AINSWORTH who stays well, has form on soft ground and should improve for his recent run. Odds of 7/1 look very generous to me.
At Newcastle, I think BEWARE THE BEAR has an excellent chance of winning the Rehearsal Chase over 3-mile at 3:20pm. He will love the soft ground and has abundant stamina and odds of 9/2 look fair. The dangers will be Bishops Road, if he can reproduce his run in this race of last season, and Our Kaempfer who at his best form will be in with a great shout.
But the attention will be on Newbury at 3pm, and if you are not on already, the 25/1 offered on MISSED APPROACH could be the best value of the day.


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Donald Trump · Entertainment · Misogyny · Partisan Politics and Policy · Politics · Press/Media · Resist · Trump hatred · Trump lies · Videos
Furious Mika Brzezinski GOES OFF On Trump After His Vile Sexist Tweet About Kirsten Gillibrand -VIDEO
December 12, 2017 by Mindy Fischer	No Comments
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski is livid about Trump's vile sexist attack on Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. And she didn't pull any punches when she went after him Tuesday morning. Bravo Mika!
On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump tweeted out a disgusting attack on Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), suggesting that she gave him sexual favors in return for campaign donations.
Trump said,
"Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!"
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office "begging" for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!
After reading his tweet, MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski absolutely went off on Trump. She put into words what many women across the country were thinking after reading this gross tweet.
Mika said it was "reprehensible" that Trump said something so "derogatory and disgusting" about a woman. The Morning Joe co-host was furious.
"Let's just say it," Mika began.
"He's suggesting that Kirsten Gillibrand would have sex with him in order to get campaign contributions. The president actually tweeted that this morning."
But she admitted that she wasn't surprised by Trump's tweet.
She said directly to Trump,
"You do it all the time. You treat women terribly. And you treat the women around you even worse. You treat women like punching bags because it's fun for you, because you are intimidated by women. That's your problem."
She continued,
"But for the people who work for you? You need to act. Sarah Huckabee Sanders good luck today in the briefing. Don't lie. And do not defend the President of the United States for what he did. If you do, you have no credibility."
Mika and the other women on the Morning Joe panel really laid into Trump. Bravo ladies. Thank you for speaking truth about our disgusting president.
Kirsten Gillibrand responded to Trump's tweet on Tuesday saying, "You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office."


Attend the final meeting of the 2015 Sangamon County Multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Task Force will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 5:30 p.m., Sangamon County Board Chamber, 200 S. 9th Street, Springfield, IL.
The meeting is a public hearing to take comments on the 2015 Sangamon County Multi-jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. All interested citizens are encouraged to attend.
2015 Plan Update: The Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission (SSCRPC) has been awarded a Natural Hazard Mitigation Planning Grant in the amount of $46,211 from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). This grant will be used to update a plan developed by the SSCRPC in 2008 which made participating local communities eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding through 2013. The purpose of this plan is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters by identifying mitigation measures that can be implemented prior to a disaster. Public participation is strongly encouraged.
The Plan addresses several natural hazards: tornados, floods, winter storms, thunderstorms/lightning, earthquakes, extreme heat, dam failure, drought, and mine subsidence. For each community, the history and likelihood of future occurrence of each hazard have been examined and compared against each community's vulnerabilities—the overall built environment and future development areas, paying particular attention to critical facilities in each community.
Communities look to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens. Related to natural hazard events this has traditionally meant responding to the needs of the community after an event occurs. Mitigation looks to reduce the need for response by permanently removing people and structures from harms' way when a known area of impact can be identified (such as a floodplain) or significantly reducing the impact from a known risk (such as a tornado). This Plan provides an assessment of the risks to Sangamon County from natural hazard events and a comprehensive range of mitigation projects to lessen the impact of these hazards on our communities. With the availability of mitigation grant funding from the Federal Government, communities have the opportunity to implement mitigation projects that would not otherwise be financially possible. The preparation of this plan follows the guidelines to make participating communities eligible to apply for mitigation grant funding.
* Communities that participated are listed in bold type.


Have a pad of Post-It Notes that your just not sure what to do with? Besides writing your "To Do" lists on them, they can be used for a variety of learning activities!! Who knew you could use them to explore reading, math, art, and much more!!
Enjoy fourteen fun and creative ways to learn using Post-It Notes!


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Meet Amy Kan | Executive & Leadership Coach
October 19, 2020 October 19, 2020 Leave a reply
We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Kan and we've shared our conversation below.
Hi Amy, how do you think about risk?
The way I think about risk has changed significantly over time. I used to be afraid of it. Probably like many people, I use to think about everything that could go wrong and doing that would stop me from taking any sort of action. Now, I think less in terms of risk, and more about the challenge of stepping out of my comfort zone, of being fearless. When I do something that feels uncomfortable, I know I am growing. Of course, sometimes you have to weigh up your options and I'm not suggesting that I ignore risks. Instead, I ask myself, "what is the worst case scenario?" But then, I also ask, "what is the best case?" and "what is it worth to me to take action?" That approach has worked well for me — especially on some of my bigger decisions. In 2002, I moved to Los Angeles from London with my husband and 11-month old daughter. We had no family here (he is from the UK and I am from NY) no friends, and we had no jobs. We just did it. A risk? Sure. But again, we asked ourselves, what's the worst that can happen? And our answer really wasn't that bad compared to the adventure of trying. In 2015, I gave up a corporate career in marketing after more than 20-years, and pivoted to executive/leadership coaching. Not only was this the start of a new career, but also my first time as an entrepreneur. It's not easy but it's more rewarding than anything I've ever done in my career so far. I've learned that what we think of as risk is mostly just fear. It is a reason we give ourselves not to move forward. The thing is that we can't tell the future. So, if you don't take that step, you will never know what could have been.
I help companies achieve gender equity on their leadership teams through the leadership development and coaching of women in their executive pipeline. My work centers around the idea of authentic leadership. I want people, women especially, to get over the idea of "following the leader" and "faking it until they make it", and instead see, trust, and be who they naturally are, embrace and hone their strengths so that we/companies can reap the benefits of real diversity of thought. In my corporate life, I was often the only woman at the table and it was a disadvantage. Whether it was the dual role I played as primary caregiver for my children, or being excluded from bonding activities with the CEO who loved a game of basketball when he came to town, there were opportunities I missed out on, that were available to my male colleagues. Luckily, I had some terrific bosses and mentors in my career who advocated for me and gave me opportunities to shine. This is why I am so passionate about the work I do as a coach for women. It has an amplifying affect. If I help one woman advance as an authentic leader, she then becomes an advocate, sponsor, coach and leader to others. I am excited to see gender equity and diversity become a priority for many companies right now and, aside from being the right thing to do, the data backs up the fact that companies with diverse leadership teams and boards, perform better. Unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic is predicted set back gender equity significantly. According to a recent study from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey, 25% of women leaders is considering downshifting or leaving the workforce altogether. My hope is that companies are recognizing this and acting quickly to find ways of supporting and retaining their female employees before it's too late.
I'll take my imagination to a pre-pandemic world… For eating and drinking, we'd definitely head downtown. I am a native New Yorker, and the food scene in DTLA reminds me of the best of NY. Sadly one of my favorites has closed – that was Baco Mercat. Other great spots are Factory Kitchen and Bestia. When it comes to downtown, there is always a new place to try so likely, we'd go somewhere we haven't been. Closer to home (the eastside), Union in Pasadena is the best restaurant in the area. I've never been disappointed. Highland Park has some great eating and drinking spots as well. Joy for casual Tawaiinese (yum!), Cafe Birdie and while I haven't eaten at Otono, the gin and tonics are out of this world! Our daytime itinerary would include the Huntington Library and Gardens, an amazing place whether you like to be outdoors or are more of a museum goer, there is something for everyone. We'd hit up the Pasadena Farmer's Market on Saturdays which always impresses out-of-towners with the amazing variety of fresh produce we get here. Of course, we'd go to the beach, Zuma probably, to show off to our out-of-towners, why we live here, we might head to the Getty for the building and the views, or if there are teenagers involved, Third Street promenade in Santa Monica. Of course, if we have visitors around the first of the year, there are the Tournament of Roses events, and if that includes a Michigan game, we will be there. (Go Blue!)
So many deserve credit for helping me get to this place. First, my husband, Chris Kan who was the first to say that I didn't have to do what I'd always done in my career, that I could do something completely different. (Of course, I didn't believe him at the time.) Also, my coach training program, iPEC, which completely opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and continues to do so, and finally, my tribe of fellow coaches — the most supportive, open and generous group of professionals I've ever met.
Website: www.amykancoaching.com
Instagram: @amykancoach
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amykan
Twitter: @amykancoaching
Facebook: @amykanpage
Robin Foley
Meet Calla Donofrio: Artist & Painter
Meet Henry Kellem: Entrepreneur and self-help educator
Meet Matt Dorado | Creator
Meet Racquel Honore: Jewelry designer and vintage collector
Meet Alessandra Levy | Voice Actor & Musician
Meet Darcio Fao | Hair stylist
Pivot or Persevere?
Meet Marco Pelusi | Celebrity Hairstylist, Salon Owner & Product Developer


Summer Global Equities fund performance summary as at 28 February 2019.
For more information on the Summer Global Equities fund, read the latest quarterly fund update or the product disclosure statement.
See the Global Equities page for the Summary of investment objective and strategy.
We actively manage the fund's foreign currency exposures. As at 28 February 2019, the fund's foreign currency exposures represented 93.90% of the value of the fund; the remainder of the fund was invested as New Zealand dollar cash. After allowing for foreign currency hedges in place, approximately 80.14% of the value of the fund was unhedged and exposed to foreign currency risk.


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Adams é uma cidade localizada no estado norte-americano de Oregon, no Condado de Umatilla.

Demografia
Segundo o censo norte-americano de 2000, a sua população era de 297 habitantes. Em 2006, foi estimada uma população de 295, um decréscimo de 2 (-0.7%).

Geografia
De acordo com o United States Census Bureau, a cidade tem uma área de 0,9 km², dos quais 0,9 km² cobertos por terra e 0,0 km² cobertos por água. Adams localiza-se a aproximadamente 462 m acima do nível do mar.

Localidades na vizinhança
O diagrama seguinte representa as localidades num raio de 12 km ao redor de Adams.

Ligações externas

Cidades do Oregon
Condado de Umatilla


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Acrobasis vaccinii, the cranberry fruitworm, is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Charles Valentine Riley in 1884. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia to Florida and from Wisconsin to Texas, it is introduced in the state of Washington.

The wingspan is 16–18 mm.

The larvae feed on Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Vaccinium stamineum. Larvae feed inside a berry until most of its contents have been consumed. Larvae are mostly green, with some brownish-red pigmentation on the dorsal surface, and grow to about half an inch before pupation. Full-grown larvae over winter in a cocoon, and emerge as adults after full bloom and fruit set. Female moths lay their eggs on the fruit, usually on or within the calyx cup of unripe berries. One generation emerges each year, with each larvae feeding on as many as eight berries to complete its development.

Monitoring and control
Monitoring the flight of the moths using pheromone traps is essential for optimizing pesticide treatments. One particular pheromone lure, ISCAlure-Vaccinii, developed and manufactured by ISCA Technologies in Riverside, California, has been shown to be a highly effective tool for monitoring this pest.  Alternatively, calyx ends of the berries can be inspected for eggs by experienced scouts. The eggs are flat, white, scale-like, and quite small, so this will probably require a hand lens. One method of control is to pick off infested berries. In larger fields, where such measures are impractical, treatments with broad-spectrum insecticides, such as Danitol, Asana, Mustang Max, or Imidan, may be required.

Due to the increasingly negative public perception of these insecticides, a number of "softer" materials have been introduced in recent years, including Assail, Altacor, Avaunt, or Delegate.[4]

References

External links
 Species info
 Fruitworm factsheet

Moths described in 1884
Acrobasis
Moths of North America


text:
from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function
__metaclass__ = type

ANSIBLE_METADATA = {
    'metadata_version': '1.1',
    'status': ['preview'],
    'supported_by': 'community'
}

DOCUMENTATION = '''
---
module: vca_vapp
short_description: Manages vCloud Air vApp instances.
description:
  - This module will actively managed vCloud Air vApp instances.  Instances
    can be created and deleted as well as both deployed and undeployed.
version_added: "2.0"
author:
- Peter Sprygada (@privateip)
notes:
- VMware sold their vCloud Air service in Q2 2017.
- VMware made significant changes to the pyvcloud interface around this time.  The C(vca_vapp) module relies on now deprecated code.
- Mileage with C(vca_vapp) may vary as vCloud Director APIs advance.
- A viable alternative maybe U(https://github.com/vmware/ansible-module-vcloud-director)
requirements:
- pyvcloud <= 18.2.2
options:
  vapp_name:
    description:
      - The name of the vCloud Air vApp instance
    required: yes
  template_name:
    description:
      - The name of the vApp template to use to create the vApp instance.  If
        the I(state) is not `absent` then the I(template_name) value must be
        provided.  The I(template_name) must be previously uploaded to the
        catalog specified by I(catalog_name)
  network_name:
    description:
      - The name of the network that should be attached to the virtual machine
        in the vApp.  The virtual network specified must already be created in
        the vCloud Air VDC.  If the I(state) is not 'absent' then the
        I(network_name) argument must be provided.
  network_mode:
    description:
      - Configures the mode of the network connection.
    default: pool
    choices: ['pool', 'dhcp', 'static']
  vm_name:
    description:
      - The name of the virtual machine instance in the vApp to manage.
  vm_cpus:
    description:
      - The number of vCPUs to configure for the VM in the vApp.   If the
        I(vm_name) argument is provided, then this becomes a per VM setting
        otherwise it is applied to all VMs in the vApp.
  vm_memory:
    description:
      - The amount of memory in MB to allocate to VMs in the vApp.  If the
        I(vm_name) argument is provided, then this becomes a per VM setting
        otherise it is applied to all VMs in the vApp.
  operation:
    description:
      - Specifies an operation to be performed on the vApp.
    default: noop
    choices: ['noop', 'poweron', 'poweroff', 'suspend', 'shutdown', 'reboot', 'reset']
  state:
    description:
      - Configures the state of the vApp.
    default: present
    choices: ['present', 'absent', 'deployed', 'undeployed']
  username:
    description:
      - The vCloud Air username to use during authentication
  password:
    description:
      - The vCloud Air password to use during authentication
  org:
    description:
      - The org to login to for creating vapp, mostly set when the service_type is vdc.
  instance_id:
    description:
      - The instance id in a vchs environment to be used for creating the vapp
  host:
    description:
      - The authentication host to be used when service type  is vcd.
  api_version:
    description:
      - The api version to be used with the vca
    default: "5.7"
  service_type:
    description:
      - The type of service we are authenticating against
    default: vca
    choices: [ "vca", "vchs", "vcd" ]
  vdc_name:
    description:
      - The name of the virtual data center (VDC) where the vm should be created or contains the vAPP.
extends_documentation_fragment: vca
'''

EXAMPLES = '''
- name: Creates a new vApp in a VCA instance
  vca_vapp:
    vapp_name: tower
    state: present
    template_name: 'Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS (amd64 20150127)'
    vdc_name: VDC1
    instance_id: '<your instance id here>'
    username: '<your username here>'
    password: '<your password here>'
  delegate_to: localhost
'''

from ansible.module_utils.vca import VcaAnsibleModule, VcaError

DEFAULT_VAPP_OPERATION = 'noop'

VAPP_STATUS = {
    'Powered off': 'poweroff',
    'Powered on': 'poweron',
    'Suspended': 'suspend'
}

VAPP_STATES = ['present', 'absent', 'deployed', 'undeployed']
VAPP_OPERATIONS = ['poweron', 'poweroff', 'suspend', 'shutdown',
                   'reboot', 'reset', 'noop']

def get_instance(module):
    vapp_name = module.params['vapp_name']
    inst = dict(vapp_name=vapp_name, state='absent')
    try:
        vapp = module.get_vapp(vapp_name)
        if vapp:
            status = module.vca.get_status(vapp.me.get_status())
            inst['status'] = VAPP_STATUS.get(status, 'unknown')
            inst['state'] = 'deployed' if vapp.me.deployed else 'undeployed'
        return inst
    except VcaError:
        return inst

def create(module):
    vdc_name = module.params['vdc_name']
    vapp_name = module.params['vapp_name']
    template_name = module.params['template_name']
    catalog_name = module.params['catalog_name']
    network_name = module.params['network_name']
    network_mode = module.params['network_mode']
    vm_name = module.params['vm_name']
    vm_cpus = module.params['vm_cpus']
    vm_memory = module.params['vm_memory']
    deploy = module.params['state'] == 'deploy'
    poweron = module.params['operation'] == 'poweron'

    task = module.vca.create_vapp(vdc_name, vapp_name, template_name,
                                  catalog_name, network_name, 'bridged',
                                  vm_name, vm_cpus, vm_memory, deploy, poweron)

    if task is False:
        module.fail('Failed to create vapp: %s' % vapp_name)

    module.vca.block_until_completed(task)

    # Connect the network to the Vapp/VM and return asigned IP
    if network_name is not None:
        vm_ip = connect_to_network(module, vdc_name, vapp_name, network_name, network_mode)
        return vm_ip

def delete(module):
    vdc_name = module.params['vdc_name']
    vapp_name = module.params['vapp_name']
    module.vca.delete_vapp(vdc_name, vapp_name)

def do_operation(module):
    vapp_name = module.params['vapp_name']
    operation = module.params['operation']

    vm_name = module.params.get('vm_name')
    vm = None
    if vm_name:
        vm = module.get_vm(vapp_name, vm_name)

    if operation == 'poweron':
        operation = 'powerOn'
    elif operation == 'poweroff':
        operation = 'powerOff'

    cmd = 'power:%s' % operation
    module.get_vapp(vapp_name).execute(cmd, 'post', targetVM=vm)

def set_state(module):
    state = module.params['state']
    vapp = module.get_vapp(module.params['vapp_name'])
    if state == 'deployed':
        action = module.params['operation'] == 'poweron'
        if not vapp.deploy(action):
            module.fail('unable to deploy vapp')
    elif state == 'undeployed':
        action = module.params['operation']
        if action == 'poweroff':
            action = 'powerOff'
        elif action != 'suspend':
            action = None
        if not vapp.undeploy(action):
            module.fail('unable to undeploy vapp')

def connect_to_network(module, vdc_name, vapp_name, network_name, network_mode):
    nets = filter(lambda n: n.name == network_name, module.vca.get_networks(vdc_name))
    if len(nets) != 1:
        module.fail_json("Unable to find network %s " % network_name)

    the_vdc = module.vca.get_vdc(vdc_name)
    the_vapp = module.vca.get_vapp(the_vdc, vapp_name)

    if the_vapp and the_vapp.name != vapp_name:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to find vapp named %s" % the_vapp.name)

    # Connect vApp
    task = the_vapp.connect_to_network(nets[0].name, nets[0].href)
    result = module.vca.block_until_completed(task)

    if result is None:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to complete task")

    # Connect VM
    ip_allocation_mode = None
    if network_mode == 'pool':
        ip_allocation_mode = 'POOL'
    elif network_mode == 'dhcp':
        ip_allocation_mode = 'DHCP'

    task = the_vapp.connect_vms(nets[0].name, connection_index=0, ip_allocation_mode=ip_allocation_mode)
    if result is None:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to complete task")

    result = module.vca.block_until_completed(task)
    if result is None:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to complete task")

    # Update VApp info and get VM IP
    the_vapp = module.vca.get_vapp(the_vdc, vapp_name)
    if the_vapp is None:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to get vapp named %s" % vapp_name)

    return get_vm_details(module)

def get_vm_details(module):
    vdc_name = module.params['vdc_name']
    vapp_name = module.params['vapp_name']
    vm_name = module.params['vm_name']
    the_vdc = module.vca.get_vdc(vdc_name)
    the_vapp = module.vca.get_vapp(the_vdc, vapp_name)
    if the_vapp and the_vapp.name != vapp_name:
        module.fail_json(msg="Failed to find vapp named %s" % the_vapp.name)
    the_vm_details = dict()

    for vm in the_vapp.me.Children.Vm:
        sections = vm.get_Section()

        customization_section = (
            filter(lambda section:
                   section.__class__.__name__ ==
                   "GuestCustomizationSectionType",
                   sections)[0])
        if customization_section.get_AdminPasswordEnabled():
            the_vm_details["vm_admin_password"] = customization_section.get_AdminPassword()

        virtual_hardware_section = (
            filter(lambda section:
                   section.__class__.__name__ ==
                   "VirtualHardwareSection_Type",
                   sections)[0])
        items = virtual_hardware_section.get_Item()
        ips = []
        _url = '{http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5}ipAddress'
        for item in items:
            if item.Connection:
                for c in item.Connection:
                    if c.anyAttributes_.get(
                            _url):
                        ips.append(c.anyAttributes_.get(
                            _url))
    if len(ips) > 0:
        the_vm_details["vm_ip"] = ips[0]

    return the_vm_details

def main():
    argument_spec = dict(
        vapp_name=dict(required=True),
        vdc_name=dict(required=True),
        template_name=dict(),
        catalog_name=dict(default='Public Catalog'),
        network_name=dict(),
        network_mode=dict(default='pool', choices=['dhcp', 'static', 'pool']),
        vm_name=dict(),
        vm_cpus=dict(),
        vm_memory=dict(),
        operation=dict(default=DEFAULT_VAPP_OPERATION, choices=VAPP_OPERATIONS),
        state=dict(default='present', choices=VAPP_STATES)
    )

    module = VcaAnsibleModule(argument_spec=argument_spec,
                              supports_check_mode=True)

    state = module.params['state']
    operation = module.params['operation']

    instance = get_instance(module)

    result = dict(changed=False)

    if instance and state == 'absent':
        if not module.check_mode:
            delete(module)
        result['changed'] = True

    elif state != 'absent':
        if instance['state'] == 'absent':
            if not module.check_mode:
                result['ansible_facts'] = create(module)
            result['changed'] = True

        elif instance['state'] != state and state != 'present':
            if not module.check_mode:
                set_state(module)
            result['changed'] = True

        if operation != instance.get('status') and operation != 'noop':
            if not module.check_mode:
                do_operation(module)
            result['changed'] = True
        result['ansible_facts'] = get_vm_details(module)

    return module.exit(**result)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The sons of two of Major League Baseball's greatest players, Koby Clemens and Dustin Smith will be participating in the California Winter League (CWL). Koby Clemens has minor league experience with the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays and was featured on ESPN last year in a game in which he was behind the plate while his father Roger pitched. Dustin Smith is a veteran of independent professional baseball, having played in the Atlantic League, United League, and the Can-Am League. Long time MLB right handed pitcher Roger Clemens is a seven-time Cy Young award winner, eleven-time All-Star, and is one of the best pitchers in Major League history. He won two World Series with the New York Yankees in 1999 and 2000. Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is widely considered the greatest defensive shortstop of all time. Ozzie was recognized for his defensive prowess with 13 Gold Glove awards during his career, the most for any shortstop in Major League history. The fifteen-time All-Star won the World Series in 1982 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Clemens and Smith will be two of the marquee players taking part in the winter showcase league in Palm Springs Jan. 16th – Feb. 12th. The CWL is intended for players that are looking to advance their careers in professional baseball. Fans are welcomed to catch all the action. Games begin January 19th and are played daily, with the exception of Super Bowl Sunday.
Headed into its fourth year, the CWL will bring together players looking to get signed to professional baseball contracts. Past players have signed with the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, as well as Independent and Japanese pro teams.


text:
Brunner Island glitch leads to about 1,200 fish deaths
David Weissman
505-5431/@DispatchDavid
Officials say about 1,200 fish are dead after an operational glitch at Brunner Island Steam Electric Station caused surrounding water temperatures to drop suddenly in its discharge canal on the Susquehanna River.
Operators at the York Haven coal-powered plant were in the process of powering down one of the units at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday when the unit's automatic shutdown feature engaged, according to Todd Martin, a spokesman for Talen Energy, the owner of the plant.
The automatic shutdown caused a 13 degree drop in the surrounding water's temperature over a one-hour period, according to Martin.
The water in the plant's discharge canal is significantly warmer than the natural temperature of the Susquehanna River during the winter, and the fish are attracted to the area as a result, he said.
"We do what we can to try to prevent (the fish) from coming into the canal, but there's not much we can do since it's connected to the river," Martin said.
He said he's aware that Brunner Island has had some impact on fish in the past, but he did not know specific details.
The plant was previously owned and operated by Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) before Talen Energy, which broke off from PPL, took over last June.
Martin said the plant contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission about the incident.
The DEP sent an investigator to the plant Saturday morning, and a notification of violation has been issued to the operators, according to department spokesman John Repetz.
Carp and catfish were among the dead fish noted by the investigator, Repetz said.
Repetz said fish kills happen from time to time due to plant malfunctions, but they occur infrequently. The last incident reported at Brunner Island occurred in Dec. 2013, according to DEP records, when 83 fish died after a pump shutdown reduced the amount of cooling water to the plant and resulted in a suddenincrease in temperature in the discharge channel.
Talen Energy is conducting an internal investigation to determine why the unit automatically shut down and how to prevent it from happening in the future, Martin said.
He added that no clean up of the dead fish is required, as "nature will take its course."
— Reach David Weissman at dweissman@yorkdispatch.com.


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text:
Best New Car Lease Deals: February 2023
Latest New Car Chip Shortage Updates
Best New Car Deals: February 2023
Cheapest Car Lease Deals: January 2023
Subaru Interest Rates, Lease Payments Are Going Up Nov. 1st
Alex Bernstein
As CarsDirect's resident pricing expert, Alex offers must-know analyses of pricing & incentives to those looking to buy or lease a car. His consumer-oriented coverage of the latest trends and breaking news has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Motor Trend, Automobile Magazine, and more.
, Managing Editor - October 28, 2022
Subaru is planning to raise interest rates and lease payments early next week. According to a letter sent to dealers, Subaru's interest rate changes will take effect on November 1st in response to rising costs. However, a closer look finds some key details and a possible way to lock in current interest rates before they go up.
Starting next Tuesday, 2023 Subaru interest rates will rise to 3.9% APR for 48 months, 4.9% for 63 months, and 5.9% for 72 months. This represents a 1% rate hike, which essentially translates to a $1,300 price increase on the cost of a 6-year loan for a $40,000 car, or a monthly payment that's $19 more than before.
Lease prices will also increase by $10 a month. In its letter to dealers, Subaru stated: "Inflation pressures and aggressive Fed actions have resulted in a significant spike in interest rates and SMF's cost of funds over the past two months." The acronym SMF stands for Subaru Motor Finance, the brand's captive lending arm.
While this may not be surprising, the fact is that Subaru rates have actually remained unchanged for months. Still, a chip shortage is continuing to wreak havoc on new car inventory and prices. In some cases, competitors like Volkswagen and Kia have virtually eliminated promotional financing deals on popular models.
If you're in the market to buy or lease a Subaru, now may be a good time to do so before rates go up. If you're willing to wait, it's also worth noting that Subaru has a rate protection offer on sold orders. The program has been quite popular, with Subaru stating that the brand has seen nearly 25,000 sold orders per month.
Other major car companies have been offering new car price protection programs, some of which even offer to reimburse buyers in the event that rebates go down. While Subaru doesn't offer normal cash incentives like most of its competitors, high residual values can often make the company's vehicles quite good to lease.
For example, the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek is among the cheapest SUVs you can lease at $275 for 36 months with $2,575 due at signing in many parts of the country. If you're looking to buy rather than lease, the lowest Subaru interest rates start at 2.9% APR for 48 months on a number of popular models like the 2023 Outback.
Explore Top 0% Financing Deals
Insight on rebates, financing, and lease deals in your area.
Alex Bernstein, Managing Editor
2023 Honda Pilot Lease Costs Nearly $700/month
2023 Toyota Prius May Have A Hidden Deal
Best Year-End Car Deals For 2022
2023 Nissan Ariya Has Lower Interest Rates Than LEAF
GM Keeping Tax Credit On Chevy Bolt Leases
Deals - February 8, 2023
Best 0% APR Car Deals: February 2023
Tesla Offering $3,000 Trade-In Discount


text:
How Riyadh Possesses the Key to Tehran's Survival?
Mohammad S. Alzou'bi, MA candidate in International Policy and Diplomacy at UK Staffordshire University, a Researcher on Middle Eastern Affairs and Fellow at Rasanah.
MohammadAlzo3by
Keywords:Adel al-JubeirAdel JubeirForeign Minister Mohammad Javad ZarifIran's Foreign Minister Javad ZarifIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir (left) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (right). © Image: Created by Hakim Khatib/MPC Journal – the left original photo is accredited to Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press and the right original photo is accredited to Behrouz Mehdi/AFP photo
It has been almost 100 years of difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran, when first signed Saudi-Iranian Friendship Treaty in 1929, but inactive due to dispute over religious practices or Pahlavi's recognition of Israel, until the late King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz visited Iran in 1966 to strengthen relationships between neighboring countries. The two countries enjoyed several corporations in many fields and established multinational Islamic institutions, including the Muslim World League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Organization of the Islamic World Congress. The rapprochement in the Saudi-Iranian relations that time emerged maybe because of Iran's approach of secularism. The state of difference, then, has been diminished due to the decrease of religious rivalry between the two countries and opened new prospects for corporation as they both have waterfronts on the Arabian Gulf, in addition to common regional interests.
The Rolling Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Ideological Factor
After the Iranian revolution in 1979, the new leadership in Tehran brought new doctrine to the region based on the so-called Velayat-e Faqih [Supreme Leadership], which, according to the international relations, disabled any key attempts for democratization in the country, and faded then the concepts of the Republic and to some degree, the Islamic one.
As the extremist ideological nature has overshadowed Iran since clerics took the throne, conflicts rose again in the region between the newly leading Shiite country against Saudi Arabia, the major Sunni country to ignite a state of rivalry that seemed always to be religious and ideological since then. Iran considered itself as a guardian for all Shiites in the world, which make it develop outlaw mechanisms and illegitimate justifications in order to increase its influence among the countries of the region and the world.
Almost all regional countries have a Shiite key component in them, especially the Gulf States, a matter that made these states concern about their national security and inner stability against the inter-state Iranian project. Therefore, the ideological rivalry become a reason among others for conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, including national security concerns, economic competition, and regional and international primacy.
Whomever looks at the situation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, will say that impossible to solve the mutual conflict. However, there are many signs indicate a possible future rapprochement between the two rival countries:
There are two presidential eras in 1990s have witnessed mutual and various corporations, where the diplomatic index was exceeding the ordinary levels for any neighboring conflicted countries.
The time-to-time continues gestures between the two countries for the desire to rapprochement including the –partial- acceptance to the efforts of mediation, such as the recent ones by Iraq and Pakistan.
The state of consensus among academics, intellectuals and specialists on certain issues such as normalization and, somehow, secularization of relations. In addition, the readiness for open dialogue to reach the point of building initial confidence, which can open higher level of discussion upon recommendations.
History mentions that Saudi Arabia had always open hands for peace and stability and still. On the other hand, Iran has the intention to fix the regional situation; the clue lies with the recent Hope Initiative that President Rouhani suggested in the United Nations.
Both Saudis and Iranians realizes that security in the Arabian Gulf must include all parties. No peace process can be achieved without either Saudi Arabia or Iran, so they believe dialogue and consensus is major way to reach the state of regional stability.
The Iranian government understands that it became embroiled with massive regional criminal files in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, where the Iranian projects of influence became clues for further international isolation.
How to Resolve the Iranian Current Dilemma?
Nowadays, Iran is in an uncomfortable situation, while it passes through the era, where JCPOA is collapsing, new sanctions rolled down, Trump Administration's maximum pressure, and the international and regional isolation is shredding what remained of the Iranian economy amid the COVID-19 crisis, which has worsened the situation inside the country.
Perhaps Iran has used its revolutionary diplomacy in a perfect way to win the JCPOA with p5+1, but has definitely failed to use diplomacy in the region especially Saudi Arabia and this maybe returns to:
The dual-process of decision making inside the Iranian political system that makes the sense of dealing with two governments, one is internationally official and practice the desired etiquette and show the innocent face. The other is a brutal extremist entity, which engage with the IRGC to control the country and decide the final word the domestic and foreign policy, in addition to radiating military and political threats that foster any diplomatic official effort with world.
The inner desire within the political system to further ignite the sectarian factor in the Gulf States according to national security allegations, which makes always any efforts of building confidence with Iran impossible.
Excluding the public opinion and desire to live in a stable Iran with a stable surrounding. Any public engagement on any level can give new hopes for higher level of engagement.
Iran needs now to recalculate its strategic regional perspective, change the principles, and transform the inner atmosphere of conflict towards secularizing relations with the neighboring countries, especially the GCC countries, to rebalance the nature of treatment in line with international relations and regional common interests, not the ideological ones. A matter that will bring the country to an infinity aggravated conflict, not just with Saudi Arabia, but also with international community.
Riyadh as a Last Resort amid Severe Crises
As Saudi Arabia is passing through a significant era of development and openness towards the international community, Iran has the opportunity to get out of the grim situation through dialogue and consensus with its neighbors in Riyadh.
The Iranian government has the diplomatic ability to engage with Saudis in high-level discussions to initially break the isolation and pursue building of confidence with Riyadh through disabling needless policies, which will reduce its massive expenditures abroad and satisfy its people and benefit a positive regional environment.
Reconciliation in the Arabian Gulf, especially with Saudi Arabia, will facilitate Iran's return to interact normally with international community. Riyadh can offer all regional parties a path of peaceful coexistence through:
As Iran's isolation further tightened, Saudi Arabia passes through multiple channels of openness to the world at all fields. Riyadh can took the hand of Tehran to the new global era of opportunities to achieve sustainable development and welfare of people in the region.
The successive crises that hit the Iranian economy starting from US withdrawal from the JCPOA, to re-imposing new sanctions, the Trump's Maximum Pressure and recently COVID-19 pandemic, have worsened the situation inside the country and raise the possibility of another wave of massive demonstrations against the political system. The cooperation with Riyadh can save the Iranian economy and perhaps make the Middle East a major hotspot for business for the two neighbors.
Opening channels of dialogue with Tehran's major rival in Riyadh will make many countries restore the state of confidence and rethink about investing again in the country.
Iran can leave the regional files, return to its borders, and care more about its people to avoid more financial and material causalities. The monarchy in Riyadh has the experience to deal with the regional countries, fix the damage and lead the process of reconstruction.
Many initiatives have been put on the table of the two countries, but the only one that can be achieved is the one contains open dialogue on both sides of the Arabian Gulf, insures the security of the Gulf, preserve the full sovereignty of regional countries, in other words, a stability-for-stability diplomatic initiative. Iran should exploit any efforts for mediation with Saudi Arabia and fix the regional status to adopt and achieve such initiative.
Iran says that it will take forever to make nuclear weapons
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Rouhani leaves Tehran for Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan
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"Not what we experience, but how we perceive what we experience, determines our fate."
There are surely some ups and downs in our lives even though we always want to keep inspired and be productive every day. Sometimes we just can't help ourselves to get out of the dispirited zone so there is a saying goes like "I'm willing, yet unable". By stopping being like such a loser and thinking negatively, I always wanted to watch some inspirational movies. Watch other's story in the inspirational movie, see how they changed their fates, which are even 10 times worth than mine. Here is a top 20 inspirational movie list and inspirational movie download tutorial, hope it could help you somehow just like it helped me.
5KPlayer is a great help in Inspirational movies downloads and any other inspirational dramas, series downloads. This inspirational movie downloader supports to download full-length inspirational movies in HD from YouTube and 300+ movie sites. Furthermore, it plays inspirational movies in MP4, MKV, 3GP as well on your Mac and PC.
Almost half of the 20 classic inspirational movies list below are based on true stories. The main characters in the inspirational movies were also weak or got lost, but they insist on their dreams, keep pushing forward, overcome the suffering that the ordinary people is hard to imagine and make the impossible possible, and in the end, they succeed.
Compared to them, maybe we are in a better conditions and higher starting point. If they can do it, we can! If you also temporarily lost yourselves, you might as well take a look at these inspirational movies.
This inspirational movie is an American film to alert people. It about a girl Liz who grew up in New York. For getting the chance to study in the best school in the world, Liz experienced the hardship and bitterness of life and totally rely on her own efforts, and finally she got what she want. This inspirational movie expressed that a poor girl can change her life with persistent belief and indomitable willpower. Homeless to Harvard is also voted as the most inspirational movie.
What we learn: When there was nothing to believe in, she believed in herself.
This inspirational movie is a true story happened during the great depression in the United States. Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) used to be a bicycle repairman, he got rich over night because he brought automobile to the western United States. On the recommendation of the horse trainer Tom Smith, Howard bought a pony, called "Seabiscuit", with the wish to train Seabiscuit to become the strongest racing horse by a professional jockey Ed Pollard. Seabiscuit with his three members group has begun the travel of legend and they created a miracle with their toughness, passion and perseverance.
This motivational movie is about the story in the great depression, the type of this inspirational movie is biopic which is the favorite type of Oscar, plus boxing film is also one of the subjects that most favored by Oscar awards. This inspirational movie adapts such star-studded Academy director and cast, and considering nearly two and half of running time, this is indeed an inspirational film that made for the Academy judges. This is another inspirational movie that based on a true story. The story is happened in 1930s, during the great depression, in order to get the prize, a man fought to live and eventually won the title.
Red Like The Sky in based on the true experience of The Mirco Mencacci who is the famous blind film sound wizard. Mirco lost his eyesight due to an accident at the age of eight, instead of giving up on himself, he tried to find his special talent upon sounds, and it gradually led him to be a professional sound master and musician in the film industry which is famous for beautiful visual art. Besides true story, the director Christie Bolton has put this inspirational movie into the background of 70s' social status: the upsurge of ideology and the rise of social movement. Students and workers are on the streets to protest the unreasonable policies, just like what Micor was objecting for the existing system in in the school for the blind. This inspirational film conveys a common philosophy: no matter in what state, everyone has the right to pursue the dream bravely.
Rocky is a 1976 inspirational film, written and starred by Stallone, directed by John Evson. This inspirational movie tells a story about an unknown boxer Rocky Papua gets the chance to fight for the boxing champion against the heavyweight champion Apollo Kerry, a typical American dream. Stallone became a famous Hollywood movie star because of his interpretation of the role of Rocky Balboa, and Rocky therefore become a household fictional character. Six Rocky series of inspirational movies have been taken since 1976. This kind of inspirational movie is low cost production and only 28 days shooting, but there were more than $ 117.2 million in box office receipts. This inspirational movie has won the 1976 Oscar for the best picture award.
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Coach Cater is another sports inspirational movie based on a true story, it tells the story of a high school basketball coach leading his school team. This basketball team became an undefeated team from a defeat team because of Carter's coaching. Coach Cater proved with his action, it is the school's education to lead the players to the right life road, not just a simple basketball game.
This inspirational movie is a 20th century Fox Film and DreamWorks film, premiered in 2000. The story of this fantastic inspirational movie is about a FedEx employee who experienced an airplane crash in the South Pacific Ocean and then end up in a remote island. The story is very similar to Robinson Crusoe. The slogan of this inspirational movie is "At the edge of the world, his journey begins." Cast Away can make propel develop deep and infinite thoughts and inspiration, this inspirational movie gives people the great spiritual strength when you are in the lowest statue of your life.
This is another true story inspirational movie. The protagonist of the story is today's African-American invest experts Chris Gardner. This inspirational movie successful interprets the inspirational story of how an abysmal salesman and a single father struggling to become a stock market trader from a brink of bankruptcy and abandoned by his wife. And in the end become a well-known financial investor.
A Triumph is also an inspirational film adapted from the real story. It describes a single mother without any legal background, experienced hardships and with the courage and perseverance of never compromise to win the largest ever civil compensation case in the United States. The starring actress Julia Roberts won the 2001 Oscar for the best actress award because of her wonderful performance in this inspirational movie. A Triumph is a very sincere inspirational movie.
Dancer in the Dark is a big successful inspirational movie in Europe, this inspirational movie tells the story of a Czech immigrant and a single mother Selma. She was working in a village factory and struggling to survive with her little son Jean on a meager wage. In order to gather enough money for his son's surgery, she keeps working overtime and she disperse the gloom with dancing. But when she found her money got stolen by the landlord Bill, and she killed Bill by listening to his words. Before she got hanged and heard that her son survived from his surgery, she sings.
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