text:
Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's v. Deol Transport
Posted on November 25, 2019 Author Categories November 2019
2019 WL 5459057
United States District Court, E.D. Virginia,
Alexandria Division.
CERTAIN UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYD'S LONDON SUBSCRIBING TO CERTIFICATE NO. Z178324-004APD, and Amlin Underwriting, Ltd. Plaintiffs,
DEOL TRANSPORT, INC., Defendant.
1:18-cv-1383 (LMB/JFA)
Signed 10/24/2019
Attorneys and Law Firms
Wayne Barry Montgomery, Kalbaugh Pfund & Messersmith PC, Richmond, VA, for Plaintiffs.
Charles E. Gallagher, Jr., DeCaro Doran Siciliano Gallagher & DeBlasis LLP, Fairfax, VA, for Defendant.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Leonie M. Brinkema, United States District Judge
*1 This Memorandum Opinion constitutes the Court's factual findings and conclusions of law following a bench trial of this declaratory judgment action brought by plaintiffs Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London Subscribing to Certificate No. Z178324-004APD and Amlin Underwriting, Ltd. (collectively, "Certain Underwriters" or "plaintiffs") against defendant Deol Transport, Inc. ("Deol Transport" or "defendant"), in which plaintiffs seek a judgment stating that an insurance policy they issued to defendant does not cover defendant's claim for damage to its vehicles because the employee driving the vehicles was not a covered driver under the policy. For the reasons that follow, the Court finds that the policy does not cover defendant's claim.
I. FINDINGS OF FACT
A. Uncontested Facts1
The parties do not dispute the following facts, which the Court finds have been established. Plaintiffs are an insurance syndicate. Complaint ¶ 1, 3 Defendant is an interstate trucking company. Id. ¶ 2. On February 21, 2018, defendant, through its owner Gian Singh Deol ("Deol"), applied for insurance coverage for four of its vehicles and two of its drivers, Deol and Rajesh Kumar ("Kumar"). DTX 3, at 1.2 The application, which was signed by Deol, indicated that he had five years of driving experience and that Kumar had three years of driving experience. Id. As a result of this application, plaintiffs issued an insurance policy for automotive property damage to defendant ("the policy"). DTX 1, at 1. Defendant obtained the policy as a member of Continental Trucking Association ("Continental Trucking"),3 and with the assistance of National Insurance Agency, Inc. ("National Insurance").4 Id.; PTX 2, at 1.
*2 The policy provided, in relevant part, that "[i]n consideration for the premium paid hereon … the Underwriters hereby agree to indemnify the Assured against direct and accidental loss or damage to the Automobiles specified in the schedule herein, during the Period of Insurance specified in the schedule." PTX 4, at 8. Among other automobiles owned by defendant, the policy schedule included a 2017 tractor with the Vehicle Identification Number 3AKJGLDR7HSHD9415 ("the 2017 tractor") and a 2016 trailer with the Vehicle Identification Number 1UYVS2531GU688819 ("the 2016 trailer").5 DTX 1, at 2. The 2017 tractor was insured up to $135,000, and the 2016 trailer was insured up to $55,000. Id. The policy also provided that "strict compliance with the conditions and/or warranties contained in the contract of insurance is required," and that "if [the insured] do[es] not strictly comply with the conditions and/or warranties contained within the contract of insurance, then the insurer, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, may deny or limit coverage for any claim." PTX 4, at 7.
Although not contained within the section labeled "Exclusions," the policy contained a provision entitled "Driver Criteria" ("the Driver Criteria provision"), which stated:
Every driver must have his/her Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) approved by Continental Insurance Agency within 7 days of their employment with the subject trucking firm. They must comply with the following Driver Criteria, and have a Single Valid Full Commercial Driving License, endorsed for the specific type of equipment operated at the time of loss or damage. If any of the Driver Criteria, including the following, is not fully complied with, then the driver is not acceptable or approved and will result in any claim or loss involving such unacceptable or unapproved driver as being not covered for any and all coverage's [sic] that might otherwise have been applicable….
Id. at 14 (emphasis added). Among the specific criteria listed in the Driver Criteria provision was a requirement that a "Driver must have a Minimum of two years [sic] Commercial Truck Driving Experience." Id.
The policy issued to defendant also contained a "Declarations Page" ("the Declarations Page")6 and an endorsement, which repeated the requirement that drivers must satisfy the policy's driver criteria to be eligible for coverage:7
E. Drivers
All drivers must meet minimum policy requirements as set forth by your policy (see attached minimum driver criteria) before they are hired. All qualified drivers must be reported immediately upon hiring. Unreported drivers could cause cancellation of policies or result in an unpaid claim….
DTX 1, at 5 (emphasis added). The policy, including both the Driver Criteria provision and the Declarations Page, was in effect throughout March 2018. PTX 4, at 4.
In addition to these policy documents, Deol signed two documents that he received from his broker, National Insurance. The first document, entitled "Agreement to Report All Drivers and Vehicles to Policies," stated:
This is a guideline of all commercial vehicle insurance carriers and a condition for all insured's [sic] to abide by….
Your commercial insurance policy (Liability, Cargo and Physical Damage) requires:
All drivers must be reported upon date of hire. Failure to report all drivers may Jeopardize Coverage if a claim should occur. Your policy contains an Unreported-Driver endorsement that limits your policy. Please read your policy very carefully…. Unreported drivers or previously Excluded Drivers shall be subject to exclusion from the coverage. Therefore, no coverage will apply. A current and acceptable MVR must be submitted for approval for all drivers. I understand this condition and will report all drivers upon hiring and adding vehicles. Failure to do so may result in denial of claims.
*3 PTX 2, at 2 (emphasis added). The second document, entitled "Driver Guidelines," stated:
All new drivers must be reported when hired. Please send MVR to us and we will provide quick help with acceptability. Accidents involving unreported drivers may be cause for adverse underwriting action.
Id. at 3 (emphasis added).
On March 12, 2018, National Insurance sent an email to plaintiffs entitled "Policy Change Request – Deol Transport, Inc." DTX 4, at 1. This email requested, among other policy changes, that Sukhwinder Singh ("Sukhwinder") be added to the policy as a covered driver, and stated that Sukhwinder had a valid Commercial Driver's License issued in New Jersey in 2015. Id. The email also included the notation "MVR attached."8 Id.
On the same day, defendant hired Tirath Singh ("Singh") as a driver. PTX 15, at 1. Singh's application for employment required that he "[l]ist the nature and extent of [his] experience operating different types of motor vehicles (eg. buses, trucks, & trailers)." Id. Singh listed "5 years" of experience driving a "car." Id. Singh's application also required that he provide an "employment record" in the form of certain information "on all employers during the previous three years" and "for all employers [he] ha[d] driven a commercial vehicle for the last seven years prior 10 [sic] the initial three years (total of ten years employment record)." Id. at 2. Singh provided only "N/A" in response to this question, which the Court interprets as meaning that he had no employment history during the previous three years, and no employment history driving commercial vehicles during the previous ten years. Id. Singh's application was dated March 11, 2018, one day before he was hired. Id. at 3. Singh had a valid Commercial Driver's License issued in New Jersey on February 9, 2018, less than six weeks before he was hired. PTX 6, at 1. In the letter offering Singh a job, Deol wrote: "You will now conduct a road test with an experienced co-driver from our company and once we have been assured that your driving is well we shall have you sign our contracts." PTX 5, at 1.
On March 15, 2018, three days after he was hired, in what the Court presumes was his "road test," Singh was driving the 2017 tractor and towing the 2016 trailer covered by the policy in Amboy, California, when he lost control of the tractor and drove it and the trailer off the road.9 PTX 7, at 9. As a result, both the 2017 tractor and the 2016 trailer were damaged. Id. It is uncontested that, as of March 15, 2018, Deol had not requested that Continental Insurance Agency approve Singh's Motor Vehicle Report ("MVR"), and there is no evidence in the record that Deol had informed either his broker National Insurance, Continental Insurance Agency, or plaintiffs that he had hired Singh. Deol testified that he first contacted National Insurance about Singh on March 16, 2018, the day after the accident. Accordingly, as of the date of the accident, Continental Insurance Agency had not approved Singh's MVR, and plaintiffs had not otherwise advised defendant that Singh had been added to the policy as a covered driver. DTX 22, at 1.
*4 On March 23, 2018, eleven days after defendant hired Singh and eight days after the accident, National Insurance sent an email to plaintiffs entitled "Policy Change Request – Deol Transport, Inc." DTX 8, at 1. Much like the email regarding Sukhwinder, this email contained Singh's name, date of birth, Commercial Driver's License information—including the incorrect statement that Singh had a valid Commercial Driver's License issued in New Jersey in 2017— and the following message:
Hello Underwriters,
Please add the driver listed below to the policy. Copy of the CDL & MVR is enclosed.
[National Insurance]
Id.10 The email sought to add Singh to the policy effective March 14, 2018, the day before the accident. Id.
Two days later, on March 25, 2018, defendant filed a claim under the policy seeking compensation for the damage to the 2017 tractor and the 2016 trailer ("the claim"). DTX 19, at 2. The claim was subsequently assigned to Mike Najafi ("Najafi"), a claims adjuster at Synergy Adjusting Corporation. Id. at 1. As part of his investigation, Najafi asked Continental Insurance Agency whether defendant had submitted Singh's MVR for approval and whether it had been approved. Najafi determined that Singh's MVR had never been submitted to or approved by Continental Insurance Agency, after receiving an email from Continental Insurance Agency on April 10, 2018 stating "Driver [Singh] Not Approved." DTX 22, at 1. This information was repeated in an email sent on September 14, 2018 stating that Singh "was never reported [to] or approved by Continental." DTX 32, at 1.
On or around April 18, 2018, plaintiffs instructed Najafi to issue a denial of the claim. PTX 13, at 1–2. In turn, Najafi sent defendant a "Letter of Denial," which stated:
In reference to the above claim, we wish to advise you that we have been instructed by your Insurance Carrier, Underwriters at Lloyd's, London to issue a Letter of Denial in conjunction with this loss.
Based upon the information thus far obtained, it appears that the driver involved, Tirath Singh was not an approved driver at the time of loss. We would refer to your policy for First Party Physical Damage policy number Z178324-004APD with effective dates April 1, 2017 – April 1, 2018, specifically to the additional clauses and endorsements applicable to this policy. We would refer your attention to the 'Driver Criteria' clause, which states:
'Every driver must have his/her Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) approved by Continental Insurance Agency within 7 days of their employment with the subject trucking firm. They must comply with the following Driver Criteria, and have a Single Valid Full Commercial Driving License, endorsed for the specific type of equipment operated at the time of loss or damage. If any of the Driver Criteria, including the following, is not fully complied with, then the driver is not acceptable or approved and will result in any claim or loss involving such unacceptable or unapproved driver as being not covered for any and all coverage's [sic] that might otherwise have been applicable.'
As the driver of this vehicle was not an approved driver at the time of loss, we would advise that coverage will not attach itself to this claim.
There may be other reasons why coverage does not apply. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London do not waive any of their rights in not mentioning these here and hereby specifically reserve their rights to any further issues that may arise now or in the future.
*5 Id.
On November 5, 2018, plaintiffs filed this declaratory judgment action against defendant in which they seek a judgment stating that the policy does not cover defendant's claim because (1) Continental Insurance Agency did not approve Singh's MVR within seven days of his employment with defendant, and (2) Singh had less than two years of commercial driving experience at the time of his employment with defendant, both in contravention of the policy's Driver Criteria provision. Complaint ¶¶ 9, 14.
B. Contested Facts
At trial, only two witnesses testified—Najafi and Deol. Based on his demeanor, experience, and consistent testimony, the Court finds that Najafi was a credible witness. He answered questions from both counsel quickly and confidently. He explained that he had worked as an insurance adjuster for 29 years, and adjusted approximately 500 claims per year. He testified as to the relationship among the various insurance entities involved with the policy and the claim, his investigation of the claim, and the reason for plaintiffs' decision to deny it.
Based on his demeanor and inconsistent testimony, the Court finds that Deol—who testified with the assistance of a Punjabi interpreter—was not a credible witness. For example, as to his demeanor, although Deol responded quickly and expansively to questions from his counsel, he responded slowly to questions from plaintiffs' counsel, and often provided unresponsive answers to those questions. As to the substance of his testimony, Deol's testimony was often inconsistent with prior pleadings, his own prior testimony, and his documentary evidence on various matters. For instance, defendant has asserted throughout this action that it was unaware that Singh's lack of commercial driving experience was an alternative basis for plaintiffs' denial of the claim until plaintiffs filed this declaratory judgment action in November 2018. See, e.g., Defendant's Motion for Leave to File First Amended Answer to Plaintiffs' Complaint [Dkt. 26], at 4; Defendant's Proposed Findings for Court [Dkt. 33], at 3. Yet Deol testified that an employee of National Insurance told him as much approximately one month after the claim was denied. Similarly, on direct examination, Deol tearfully testified that plaintiffs' denial of the claim has caused Deol Transport significant financial hardship. Yet on cross-examination, he admitted that the number of drivers and trucks that Deol Transport employs has increased since the claim was submitted, from four drivers and three trucks as of March 2018 to eight drivers and five trucks as of the date of trial in September 2019. Additionally, Deol's testimony concerning Singh's driving experience was not credible. Deol testified that Singh had several years of commercial truck driving experience in India, yet defendant offered no evidence to corroborate that statement, which this Court finds to be highly suspect given that Singh, who was 31 years' old, indicated on his application for employment that his only driving experience was with a car, and that he had not been employed as a commercial driver in the last ten years. PTX 15, at 1–2.
*6 Lastly, Deol testified that on March 16, 2018 he verbally asked an employee of National Insurance to add Singh to the policy, but he offered no corroborating evidence, and the documentary evidence shows that National Insurance did not request that plaintiffs add Singh to the policy until March 23, 2018. DTX 8, at 1. That March 23, 2018 date is significant. First, it is more than eleven days after Deol hired Singh. Second, it strongly suggests that Deol did not have Singh's MVR when he hired Singh. The Court reaches that conclusion based on how quickly National Insurance processed defendant's request that Sukhwinder be added to the policy. The email National Insurance sent to plaintiffs about Sukhwinder was dated March 12, 2018, asked for coverage effective March 12, 2018, and included Sukhwinder's MVR. DTX 4, at 1. If Deol had Singh's MVR and actually asked National Insurance to add Singh to the policy on March.16, 2018, the Court would have expected the email National Insurance sent to plaintiffs about Singh to have been dated March 16, 2018 or March 17, 2018, not March 23, 2018.
In addition to uncorroborated and unreliable testimony, Deol signed documents clearly containing inaccurate information, which further undercuts his credibility. For instance, on defendant's application for insurance coverage, Deol misrepresented Kumar's driver's license and driving experience information by indicating that that Kumar had a valid Commercial Driver's License issued in New York—license number 933313604—and three years of driving experience. That information is inconsistent with his trial evidence, which included one Commercial Driver's License issued to Kumar. That license was issued in California, not New York, had a different license number, Y3791731, and had been issued fewer than three years ago, expiring on November 16, 2016. DTX 3, at 1; DTX 13, at 1.
II. APPLICABLE LAW
Under Virginia law, "[c]ourts interpret insurance contracts, like other contracts, in accordance with the intention of the parties gleaned from the words they have used in the document." Erie Ins. Exch. V. EPC MD 15, LLC, 822 S.E.2d 351, 355 (Va. 2019) (quotation omitted). Accordingly, "a judicial interpretation [of an insurance contract] should conform to the plain meaning that reasonable insurers and insureds likely would have attributed to the words." Id. Yet "[t]he search for plain meaning does not myopically focus on a word here or a phrase there. Instead, it looks at a word in the context of a sentence, a sentence in the context of a paragraph, and a paragraph in the context of the entire agreement." Id. "Consequently, every word, clause, and provision of the policy 'should be considered and construed together and seemingly conflicting provisions harmonized when that can be reasonably done, so as to effectuate the intention of the parties as expressed therein.' " Id. (quotation omitted).
"If the plain meaning is undiscoverable, Virginia courts apply the contra proferentem canon, which construes ambiguities against the drafter of the ambiguous language." Id. "In insurance cases, the disfavored drafter is almost always the insurer," a fact that "alone counsels caution because of the analytical ease with which a court may give up quickly on the search for a plain meaning" by focusing on words or phrases in isolation. Id. Yet "[i]f [courts] took this approach, the contra proferentem thumb-on-the-scale approach would apply to nearly every interpretation of nearly every insurance policy," a "temptation" that the Virginia Supreme Court has consistently "recognized … and resisted." Id. Accordingly, "conflicting interpretations reveal an ambiguity only where they are reasonable." Id. "A 'reasonable' … interpretation is one of two competing interpretations that are 'equally possible' given the text and context of the disputed provision." Id. (quotation omitted).11
*7 Failure to satisfy a condition precedent of an insurance policy is an affirmative defense on which the insured bears the burden of production and the insurer bears the burden of persuasion. Commercial Underwriters Ins. Co. v. Hunt & Calderone, P.C., 540 S.E.2d 491, 494 (Va. 2001); see also Builders Mut. Ins. Co. v. Dragas Management Corp., 709 F. Supp. 2d 441, 449 (E.D. Va. 2010). A condition precedent is "[a]n act or event, other than a lapse of time, that must exist or occur before a duty to perform something promised arises." Condition Precedent, Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).
Waiver of a condition precedent "is the intentional relinquishment of a known right, with both knowledge of its existence and an intention to relinquish it." Creteau v. Phoenix Assur. Co., 119 S.E.2d 336, 339 (Va. 1961); see also Hammond v. Pacific Life Mut. Ins. Co., 159 F. Supp. 2d 249, 256-57 (E.D. Va. 2001). "In the insurance context, therefore, a waiver occurs 'where the [insurer] expressly or impliedly leads the insured to believe it has given up a right under its policy," ' Hammond, 159 F. Supp. 2d at 257 (quotation omitted) (alteration in original); however, "no one can acquiesce in a wrong while ignorant that it has been committed." Id. The insured bears the burden of proving the insurer's waiver of a condition precedent. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Harris, 229 S.E.2d 84, 88 (Va. 1977).
III. ANALYSIS
In seeking coverage of its claim, defendant raises several arguments, none of which is successful. First, defendant argues that it satisfied the MVR approval requirement, but that even if it did not satisfy the MVR approval requirement, the requirement was not a condition precedent to coverage. Second, defendant argues that Singh satisfied the two-year commercial driving experience requirement, but that even if Singh did not satisfy the driving experience requirement, plaintiffs waived the requirement. Each of defendant's arguments will be addressed in turn.
With regard to the MVR approval requirement, defendant first asserts that Deol satisfied it when he verbally asked an employee of National Insurance to add Singh to the policy on March 16, 2018. Defendant maintains that although this request occurred one day after the accident, it occurred four days after Singh was hired, and thus within the seven-day window permitted by the policy. As previously discussed, the only evidence of this request was Deol's testimony, which the Court found not to be credible. Moreover, the uncontested evidence shows that National Insurance did not request that Singh be added to the policy until March 23, 2018, eleven days after Singh was hired, and well outside the seven-day window permitted by the policy, as evidenced by the email National Insurance sent to plaintiffs on that date. See DTX 8, at 1. Even more problematic for defendant is that the policy explicitly required that Continental Insurance Agency approve Singh's MVR within seven days of his employment. PTX 4, at 14. There is no evidence that anyone ever requested that Continental Insurance Agency approve Singh's MVR. In fact, the evidence, consisting of the emails from Continental Insurance Agency to Najafi, affirmatively shows that Singh was neither reported to nor approved by Continental Insurance Agency. DTX 22, at 1; DTX 32, at 1. Accordingly, there is no evidence in this record showing that defendant satisfied the policy's MVR approval requirement with regard to Singh.
*8 Defendant next asserts that, in any event, the MVR approval requirement is not a condition precedent to coverage; rather it is an independent requirement the violation of which the policy does not specifically address. This assertion is belied by the text of the policy. Although not contained within the section labeled "Exclusions," the MVR approval requirement was the first sentence of the Driver Criteria provision, which later clearly stated that "[i]f any of the Driver Criteria … is not fully complied with, then the driver is not acceptable or approved and will result in any claim or loss involving such unacceptable or unapproved driver as being not covered for any and all coverage's [sic] that might otherwise have been applicable." PTX 4, at 14. Similarly, the Declarations Page further provided that "[a]ll qualified drivers must be reported immediately upon hiring," and that "[u]nreported drivers could cause cancellation of policies or result in an unpaid claim." DTX 1, at 5. These provisions are entirely consistent with one another, and read together, they make clear that "the intention of the parties gleaned from the words they have used in the document" was that unreported or unapproved drivers would not be covered under the policy, and that to be covered under the policy a driver's MVR had to be approved by Continental Insurance Agency within seven days of the driver being hired. Erie. Ins., 822 S.E.2d at 355.
Defendant maintains that the policy's failure to tie a driver's unreported or unapproved status more clearly to the denial of coverage renders it ambiguous, and that the Court must construe that ambiguity in its favor. As discussed above, "conflicting interpretations reveal an ambiguity only where they are reasonable," meaning that each is "equally possible given the text and context of the disputed provision." Erie. Ins., 822 S.E.2d at 355. On this record, the Court does not find that plaintiffs' and defendant's interpretations of the policy are "equally possible." Accordingly, the MVR approval requirement is a clear condition precedent to coverage, and plaintiffs have met their burden to demonstrate that defendant did not obtain such approval for Singh. As a result, the policy does not cover defendant's claim.12
With regard to the driving experience requirement, defendant first asserts that Singh satisfied it because he had several years of commercial truck driving experience in India. The only evidence of any such experience was Deol's uncorroborated testimony, which the Court did not find credible. Moreover, Singh's application for employment, which showed no commercial driving experience in the previous ten years, strongly suggests that he did not have the required two years of commercial truck driving experience. PTX 15, at 1–2. Deol provided no details whatsoever about Singh's employment history.13 Singh's Commercial Driver's License was issued on February 9, 2018, just six weeks before he was hired by defendant, and there is no persuasive evidence that he had any commercial truck driving experience before that date. Accordingly, defendant also did not satisfy the driving experience requirement, an undisputed condition precedent to coverage, when it hired Singh.14
*9 Defendant next asserts—without any citation to case law—that in any event, plaintiffs waived the driving experience requirement by failing to present it as an alternative basis for denial of coverage until this declaratory action, as well as by approving other drivers—Kumar and Sukhwinder—who did not satisfy the requirement. Neither argument has merit because neither evinces "the intentional relinquishment of a known right, with both knowledge of its existence and an intention to relinquish it." Creteau, 119 S.E.2d at 339.
Contrary to defendant's first waiver argument, and as previously discussed, Deol testified that an employee of National Insurance told him one month after the claim was denied that the driving experience requirement was an alternative basis for the denial of coverage, well before this declaratory action was filed in November 2018. Moreover, the Letter of Denial, sent from Najafi to defendant on April 18, 2018, explicitly referred to the Driver Criteria provision and stated that "[t]here may be other reasons [in addition to the MVR approval requirement] why coverage does not apply," and that plaintiffs "do not waive any of their rights in not mentioning these here." PTX 13, at 1–2. The letter also explicitly "reserve[d] their rights to any further issues that may arise now or in the future." Id. "An insurer can waive its right to deny coverage by failing to reserve its rights, or it may reserve its right to deny coverage" as long as the reservation is "communicated to the insured, … fairly inform[s] him [or her] of the insurer's position, and notice thereof [is] timely given." KitBar Ents., LLC v. Liberty Ins. Underwriters, Inc., 291 F. Supp. 3d 758, 768 (E.D. Va. 2018). On this record, the Court finds that the Letter of Denial sufficiently communicated plaintiffs' position regarding the bases for the denial of coverage to defendant and therefore plaintiffs did not waive the driving experience requirement.
Defendant's second and more substantial waiver argument claims that plaintiffs added other drivers to the policy, specifically Kumar and Sukhwinder, who did not satisfy the two-year commercial driving experience requirement.15 "The insured bears the burden of proving the insurer's waiver of a condition precedent." Aetna, 229 S.E.2d at 88. The evidence defendant submitted undercuts its claim by showing that defendant, either by Deol or his broker National Insurance, represented to plaintiffs that these drivers had the required experience. As previously discussed, Deol signed defendant's application for insurance, which stated that Kumar had three years of commercial truck driving experience. DTX 3, at 1. Similarly, the email sent from National Insurance to plaintiffs requesting the approval of Sukhwinder's MVR stated that his Commercial Driver's License had been issued in 2015, which would have given him more than two years of commercial truck driving experience. DTX 4, at 1. "[N]o one can acquiesce in a wrong [and thereby intentionally waive a right, such as the occurrence of a condition precedent] while ignorant that it has been committed," and this evidence demonstrates that defendant has not shown that plaintiffs were aware of Kumar and Sukhwinder not satisfying the two-year commercial driving experience requirement. Hammond, 159 F. Supp. 2d at 257. Because there is no reliable evidence in this record that plaintiffs "intentional[y] relinquish[ed]… a known right, with both knowledge of its existence and an intention to relinquish it." Creteau, 119 S.E.2d at 339, defendant has failed to meet its burden of showing that plaintiffs waived the driving experience requirement.
*10 Plaintiffs have clearly met their burden to show that defendant failed to satisfy two independent requirements for coverage of the driver involved in the March 15, 2018 accident. Specifically, defendant failed to obtain approval of Singh's MVR from Continental Insurance Agency within seven days of hiring Singh, and Singh did not have the required two years of commercial truck driving experience. The insurance policy criteria for driver coverage were clear and unambiguous and defendant did not produce any credible evidence either that it satisfied these criteria or that plaintiffs waived these criteria.
Accordingly, the Court will enter a judgment in plaintiffs' favor by an Order to be issued with this Memorandum Opinion.
All Citations
Slip Copy, 2019 WL 5459057
The parties do not dispute, and the Court finds, that it has subject matter jurisdiction over this civil action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332—because plaintiffs' principal place of business is in London, England, defendant's principal place of business is in Haymarket, Virginia, and the amount in controversy is approximately $150,000—and pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201—because this is a declaratory judgment action. The Court also finds that it has both personal jurisdiction over defendant, and that venue is proper, because defendant's principal place of business is within this district.
Citations to "PTX" and "DTX" refer to plaintiffs' and defendant's trial exhibits, respectively.
Plaintiffs issued both a master insurance policy to Continental Trucking and an individual insurance policy to Deol Transport. See PTX 11, at 1; PTX 4, at 1. The certificate number of the former was Z178324-004APD, and the certificate number of the latter was Z178324-005APD. Id. There are no relevant differences between the two policies.
Deol received the policy and other documents from National Insurance, and largely communicated with plaintiffs and Continental Trucking through National Insurance. Deol utilized National Insurance as his broker because it employed individuals who were competent in both Punjabi, Deol's native language, and English.
These two vehicles were listed on defendant's initial application for coverage. DTX 3, at 1.
"A declarations page is usually the first page of an insurance policy, exclusive of the cover, and it contains limited information about the policy." Klopman v. Zurich American Ins. Co., 233 F. App'x 256, 257 (4th Cir. 2007).
On its first page, the Declarations Page stated, in bold, "THE ORIGINAL COMPLETE POLICY INCLUDING TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND EXCLUSIONS, IS ISSUED TO YOUR ASSOCIATION WHERE IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. IN THE EVENT OF ANY CONFLICT BETWEEN THIS SUMMARY AND THE ACTUAL POLICY, THE TERMS OF THE ACTUAL POLICY WILL GOVERN." DTX 1, at 1.
Defendant's exhibit did not include the attached MVR. Therefore, the Court cannot determine from the exhibit exactly what additional information was presented to plaintiffs about Sukhwinder's qualifications. Defendant did submit a photocopy of a Commercial Driver's License issued to Sukhwinder; however, this photocopy differs from the information in the policy change request. DTX 14, at 1. The license submitted by defendant indicated that it was issued in California, not New Jersey, and that it was issued on December 14, 2016, not in 2015. Id.
Contrary to Deol's representation that Singh's road test would be with an "experienced co-driver," the driver with Singh was Sukhwinder, who National Insurance had just requested be added to the policy on March 12, 2018, and who reported that he was sleeping during the accident. PTX 5, at 9; DTX 4, at 1.
Once again, defendant's trial exhibit did not include the attached MVR, which deprives the Court of an opportunity to see exactly what additional information was presented to plaintiffs about Singh's qualifications.
Additionally, in the event of an ambiguity on the face of the contract, "[i]f properly admitted extrinsic evidence renders clear and unambiguous what had been ambiguous, it is the duty of the court to construe the contract in light of such evidence." Atkinson Dredging Co. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 836 F. Supp. 341, 344 n.8 (E.D. Va. 1993); see also Commercial Union Ins. Co. v. Charleston Marine Leasing Co., 843 F. Supp. 124, 128 (E.D. Va. 1994).
Even if there were an ambiguity on the face of the policy, extrinsic evidence would in turn "render[ ] clear and unambiguous what had been ambiguous." Atkinson Dredging, 836 F. Supp. at 344 n.8 (E.D. Va. 1993). Deol signed two documents from his broker, National Insurance, each of which unequivocally tied a driver's unreported or unapproved status to denial of coverage. For instance, the "Agreement to Report All Drivers and Vehicles to Policies" stated that "[u]nreported drivers or previously excluded drivers shall be subject to exclusion from coverage. Therefore, no coverage will apply." PTX 2, at 2.
Deol attempted to bolster his testimony by testifying that he investigated Singh's background to confirm his commercial truck driving experience in India. He provided no details about that investigation such as the names of the employers, the dates of employment, or the type of commercial vehicle driven. Given that Singh's application for employment was dated March 11, 2018 and he was offered a job the next day, Deol could not have conducted much investigation in that 24-hour period. PTX 15, at 1; PTX 5, at 1.
Defendant briefly argues that the term "driving experience" is ambiguous, and should be construed in its favor to include any experience Singh gained while training to get his Commercial Driver's License. As previously discussed, "conflicting interpretations reveal an ambiguity only where they are reasonable," meaning that that each is "equally possible given the text and context of the disputed provision." Erie. Ins., 822 S.E.2d at 355. On this record, the Court does not find that defendant's broad interpretation of "driving experience" is "equally possible" as compared to plaintiffs' license-based interpretation of "driving experience." Moreover, defendant failed to produce any evidence concerning Singh's training. Therefore, there is no evidence or even suggestion that his training took two years.
Defendant's failure to include in its exhibits the MVRs for these drivers deprived the Court of an opportunity to determine whether plaintiffs were on notice of any facts that would show that these drivers lacked the required commercial driving experience. Because there is no evidence before the Court that the two commercial driver's licenses, which support defendant's argument, were shown to plaintiffs, defendant's waiver argument fails.
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Die Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle ist eine Kapelle des römisch-katholischen Erzbistums Rhodos in Rhodos-Stadt auf der gleichnamigen griechischen Insel Rhodos.

Die Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle ist die Friedhofskapelle des katholischen Friedhofes der Insel Rhodos und dem Patrozinium der Kreuzerhöhung (Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche) gewidmet.

Die Planung des Katholischen Friedhofes begann 1925. Der italienische Architekt Florestano Di Fausto legte einen Masterplan vor mit drei Bereichen für einen katholischen Friedhof auf der Seite zur Stadt, einem muslimischen Friedhof in der Mitte und einen jüdischen Friedhof an der Außenseite. Der katholische Friedhofsteil wurde ergänzt um einen Bereich für orthodoxe Gräber. Der Katholische Friedhof ist durch zwei Bögen an der Seite der Trauerkapelle, bekannt als "Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle", zugänglich.

Der Friedhof mit der Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle befindet sich an der Straße zu dem Küstenort Kalithea; die Adresse ist Klavdiou Peper 2–4, Rodos 851 00, Griechenland

Weblinks
 "Chapel of the Holy Cross" (englisch)
 Film über die Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle (Associazione pro Terra Sancta) (You Tube; 0:49 min)

Einzelnachweise

Erbaut in den 1920er Jahren
Rhodos
Sakralbau auf Rhodos
Rhodos
Rhodos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


While everyone has heard of places like France, England, and the USA, there are actually 196 countries in the world today and many of those, you probably never even knew existed, let alone ever thought of visiting. Some of these countries are hard to get to and some have virtually no tourist industry at all, but that's what makes visiting the more unusual countries so fascinating. So, if you are bored with packaged tours, run of the mill hotels, and looking at tourist attractions that everyone else has already seen, check out these ten lesser-known countries that would be well worth a visit.
Burkina Faso is a tiny, landlocked country in West Africa and it is one of the hidden jewels of the continent. What you won't find here is thousands of tourists and shopping malls, but you will get to meet some the friendliest people on the planet. Burkina Faso is poor, but a very proud nation and it's also home to some amazing wildlife. If you want to see a piece of Africa that has not been overrun by big corporations and foreign tourists, then Burkina Faso would be the place to find it.
Tuvalu is one of the Polynesian islands that are under the real threat of disappearing entirely because of the rising sea levels caused by global warming. The islands are situated half way between Australia and Hawaii and they are truly beautiful. The highest point on the islands is only sixteen feet above sea level, so don't expect any mountain views!
Liechtenstein may be a name that you've heard of, but did you know that the country is only 62 square miles in size? It's located between Switzerland and Austria and it used to be a member of the German Federation. It left the Federation in 1866 and became an independent neutral country. If you want to get off the beaten track for snowboarding and skiing, then try Liechtenstein in the winter months.
Bolivia is a country that is often overshadowed by its better known and bigger neighbours Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Peru. But Bolivia has much to offer as the larger, well-known, South American countries do. While you're there, you can visit the world's largest salt lake, the world's highest navigable lake, and you take a trip to the amazing Amazon basin.
The one thing that Namibia has that no other country in southern Africa has anymore, is peace and quiet. With a population of just 2.1 million people, Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. If you are feeling adventurous, you can take a drive through the rugged Namibian landscape and probably not see another soul for days.
There are not many places in the world where you can scuba dive shipwrecks and coral reefs, explore unspoilt beaches, and visit active volcanoes, but that's exactly what you get when you visit the country of Vanuatu in the south Pacific. This is one our countries that may not have heard of that does have modern vacation resorts, but that still hasn't spoilt the wonderful charm of the place.
Mayotte is located Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa and it is so unknown, even the Lonely Planet travel guide doesn't have a full guide to the islands yet. White sand beaches, swimming with turtles and feeding the monkeys, are just of the few things that this island paradise has to offer.
Andorra is a mini-country located between Spain and France, in the Pyrenees Mountains, and it is highly recommended for its skiing and its facilities. When the snow has gone, it's also a great place to visit for hiking in the foothills, where you can walk for hours, admire the wonderful scenery, and never see another person.
Brunei's official name is "Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace", and it certainly is a tranquil country. Brunei is a well-ordered society and it's tightly controlled, but the people are extremely warm and welcoming. Located on the North coast of Borneo, Brunei has one of the largest oil fields in Southeast Asia, but don't let that put you off, because all the money they have made from oil means that their rainforests have been left untouched.
Surrounded by Afghanistan, China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan is a destination for the adventurous and the serious hiker. The people are very hospitable, but very little English is spoken and you will probably need to hire your own four wheel drive to get around too, because the local transport is very unreliable. For all that lack of modern tourist comforts, though, you will be rewarded with some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world.


Sending money :: PES - Peněžní expresní service s.r.o.
Bring the amount of money in CZK in any branch of Western Union. Some branches also accept payment in USD (only when sending to Ukraine, China or Vietnam). Submit valid proof of identity and the data necessary for sending the transfer.
You pay the amount, including the outgoing fee. Than you receive a copy of the form where you find the money transfer control number (MTCN).
Inform the recipient that the amount was sent to his name and tell him MTCN.
Within minutes the money will be ready to be paid on any branch in the destination country.


text:
In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from subatomic particles like the electron, to microscopic particles like atoms and molecules, to macroscopic particles like powders and other granular materials. Particles can also be used to create scientific models of even larger objects depending on their density, such as humans moving in a crowd or celestial bodies in motion.

The term particle is rather general in meaning, and is refined as needed by various scientific fields. Anything that is composed of particles may be referred to as being particulate. However, the noun particulate is most frequently used to refer to pollutants in the Earth's atmosphere, which are a suspension of unconnected particles, rather than a connected particle aggregation.

Conceptual properties

The concept of particles is particularly useful when modelling nature, as the full treatment of many phenomena can be complex and also involve difficult computation. It can be used to make simplifying assumptions concerning the processes involved. Francis Sears and Mark Zemansky, in University Physics, give the example of calculating the landing location and speed of a baseball thrown in the air. They gradually strip the baseball of most of its properties, by first idealizing it as a rigid smooth sphere, then by neglecting rotation, buoyancy and  friction, ultimately reducing the problem to the ballistics of a classical point particle. The treatment of large numbers of particles is the realm of statistical physics.

Size

The term "particle" is usually applied differently to three classes of sizes. The term macroscopic particle, usually refers to particles much larger than atoms and molecules. These are usually abstracted as point-like particles, even though they have volumes, shapes, structures, etc. Examples of macroscopic particles would include powder, dust, sand, pieces of debris during a car accident, or even objects as big as the stars of a galaxy.

Another type, microscopic particles usually refers to particles of sizes ranging from atoms to molecules, such as carbon dioxide, nanoparticles, and colloidal particles. These particles are studied in chemistry, as well as atomic and molecular physics. The smallest of particles are the subatomic particles, which refer to particles smaller than atoms. These would include particles such as the constituents of atoms – protons, neutrons, and electrons – as well as other types of particles which can only be produced in particle accelerators or cosmic rays. These particles are studied in particle physics.

Because of their extremely small size, the study of microscopic and subatomic particles fall in the realm of quantum mechanics. They will exhibit phenomena demonstrated in the particle in a box model, including wave–particle duality, and whether particles can be considered distinct or identical is an important question in many situations.

Composition

Particles can also be classified according to composition. Composite particles refer to particles that have composition – that is particles which are made of other particles. For example, a carbon-14 atom is made of six protons, eight neutrons, and six electrons. By contrast, elementary particles (also called fundamental particles) refer to particles that are not made of other particles. According to our current understanding of the world, only a very small number of these exist, such as leptons, quarks, and gluons. However it is possible that some of these  might turn up to be composite particles after all, and merely appear to be elementary for the moment. While composite particles can very often be considered point-like, elementary particles are truly punctual.

State of it
Both elementary (such as muons) and composite particles (such as uranium nuclei), are known to undergo particle decay. Those fail to undergo particle decay are called stable particles, such as the electron or a helium-4 nucleus. The lifetime of stable particles can be either infinite or large enough to hinder attempts to observe such decays. In the latter case, those particles are called "observationally stable". In general, a particle decays from a high-energy state to a lower-energy state by emitting some form of radiation, such as the emission of photons.

N-body simulation

In computational physics, N-body simulations (also called N-particle simulations) are simulations of dynamical systems of particles under the influence of certain conditions, such as being subject to gravity. These simulations are very common in cosmology and computational fluid dynamics.

N refers to the number of particles considered. As simulations with higher N are more computationally intensive, systems with large numbers of actual particles will often be approximated to a smaller number of particles, and simulation algorithms need to be optimized through various methods.

Distribution of particles

Colloidal particles are the components of a colloid. A colloid is a substance microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance. Such colloidal system can be solid, liquid, or gaseous; as well as continuous or dispersed. The dispersed-phase particles have a diameter of between approximately 5 and 200 nanometers. Soluble particles smaller than this will form a solution as opposed to a colloid. Colloidal systems (also called colloidal solutions or colloidal suspensions) are the subject of interface and colloid science.  Suspended solids may be held in a liquid, while solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas together form an aerosol. Particles  may also be suspended in the form of atmospheric particulate matter, which may constitute air pollution. Larger particles can similarly form marine debris or space debris. A conglomeration of discrete solid, macroscopic particles may be described as a granular material.

See also

References

Further reading

Broad-concept articles
Matter

scn:Particedda


Chinajoiner-Purchaser of happiness and prominence.
We pursue—Felicity for individuals and families--Respect for our company.
We firmly believe that diligence will change your fate, work will create a better life.


text:
EDUCATIONAL RELIEF IN THE SYRIAN CONFLICT ZONE
conflict, education, humitarian relief, Refugees, Syria
"It was wonderful to hear from the diverse range of humanitarian players who, being deeply connected to their countries of heritage, continue to participate in vital humanitarian work through their important perspectives. Their experiences are key to any successful future humanitarian agenda."
— Dr. Abed Ayoub, President and CEO of United Muslim Relief
PASS participated in the recent U.S. Diaspora Consultation in Washington, D.C., where we took a lead role in convening nonprofits and leaders to propose solutions to the changing humanitarian landscape and identify at-scaled educational responses in the Syrian conflict zone.
On April 20, 2015, United Muslim Relief and Relief International came together to host the U.S. Diaspora Consultation in Washington, D.C. The consultation was part of the lead-up to the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and provided a forum for diaspora communities in the U.S. to contribute shared successes and potential solutions to the changing humanitarian landscape.
Looming massive in that landscape is the humanitarian crisis in Syria. By now we are all too familiar with the nightmarish figures: 3.9 million displaced Syrians, with thousands more fleeing every day, are in exile in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, where they see no prospects for returning home in the near future; have few opportunities to restart their lives; and in many cases, struggle to survive. A further 6.5 million people are displaced within Syria, where a quarter of schools and half of the hospitals are destroyed or inoperative.
Of the nearly 4 million population displaced from Syria, over half of those uprooted by the conflict are children under the age of 18. Most of them have been out of school for months or years, and some have never been enrolled. Already observers are warning of a "lost generation" [pdf] of Syrian youth, wounded by the psychological and physical traumas of war and lacking for hope or a future. Yet not a single local, regional, or international actor has offered an at-scale, sustainable response for the wide educational gap facing displaced Syrian children and youth.
To this end, in a separate meeting one day after the U.N. consultation event, PASS took a lead role in convening a group of individuals within two of our partner organizations, United Muslim Relief (UMR) and Relief International (RI), to look specifically at models and pilot programs within and outside of the Syrian crisis zone. Our goal is to identify or design an effective, at-scale educational response for displaced Syrian children and youth. PASS believes our partners have the capacity to make a difference in this conflict. Relief International is one of the only organizations that still operates clinics on the ground in rebel-controlled areas of Syria, while United Muslim Relief effectively connects grassroots communities and mobilizes youth to take action on urgent humanitarian initiatives abroad.
One of the educational response models that emerged at the UMR/RI meeting was the 'Ayn Jaloot Project, which operates much-needed schools within Syria. The Project shared a video describing the activities of one of their school sites in Aleppo; unfortunately, the video also graphically illustrates the types of threats and tragedies that millions of Syrian people face every day living in a war zone.
Note: Please also be advised that the video contains graphic imagery and viewer discretion is advised.
Video provided by the 'Ayn Jaloot Project
The fate of the 'Ayn Jaloot School and its students is just one facet of the desperate and urgent situation on the ground in Syria for children, youth, and the brave adults who care for them. The video also, however, illustrates the will and resilience of war-torn communities to sustain hope, rebuild, and move forward, if only they have the means and opportunity.
PASS and our partners are still seeking ways to scale up and make the most immediate response in the Syrian conflict zone to provide children the means and the opportunities to rebuild their educations and their hope. If you have ideas or thoughts, would like to be part of this effort, or have a case study or model you would like the convening group to consider, please contact us at info@pass-usa.net.
Attitudes expressed in the above 'Ayn Jaloot Project video are the speakers' own and do not represent PASS or its partners. PASS adheres to humanitarian principles and believes people should all be helped regardless of political or religious affiliations.
Above photos provided by United Muslim Relief. More photos of the consultation are available at United Muslim Relief's Facebook page.
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Posted in: Culture, Education, Global+Trends, Humanitarian Relief, Organizations, Vantage Points and
tagged with conflict, education, humitarian relief, Refugees, Syria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Lo Snežinka (in russo: Снежинка, "Fiocco di neve") è un trampolino situato a Čajkovskij, in Russia.

Storia

Aperto nel 2012 in sostituzione dei trampolini costruiti a partire dal 1980 (il maggiore era una K90), l'impianto ha ospitato alcune tappe della Coppa del Mondo di combinata nordica e della Coppa del Mondo di salto con gli sci a partire dal 2013.

Caratteristiche

Il trampolino lungo ha il punto K a 125 m; il primato di distanza appartiene al russo Evgenij Klimov (139 m nel 2014). Il trampolino normale ha il punto K a 95 m; il primato maschile di distanza appartiene nuovamente a Evgenij Klimov (106,5 m nel 2014), quello femminile alla sua connazionale Irina Avvakumova e alla giapponese Sara Takanashi (103 m nel 2014 per entrambe). Il complesso è attrezzato anche con salti minori HS72, K40 e K20.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Trampolini della Russia
Territorio di Perm'


If you can't find the ideal home for your family, stop looking and talk to the expert home extensions Perth. K-craft have been house renovations in Perth, for many years. Our team of dedicated builders live and breath quality with every build we do, and we firmly believe it's the little details that make all the difference. This is why we work hard to deliver you a custom building experience and luxurious finish on your dream home, like no other local building company.


text:
@interface PCRegistVC ()
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *nameTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *passwordTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *confirmPasswordTextField;

@end

@implementation PCRegistVC

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];

}
- (IBAction)regist:(UIBarButtonItem *)sender {
    if ([self validInput]) {
        NSString *name = self.nameTextField.text;
        NSString *password = self.passwordTextField.text;
        [PCCloudUser registerUserWithUserName:name Password:password andOtherOptions:nil];
        BOOL success = YES;
        if (success) {
            [self performSegueWithIdentifier:@"toCreateDatabaseView" sender:self];
        }
    }
}

- (IBAction)cancel:(UIBarButtonItem *)sender {
    [self dismissViewControllerAnimated:YES completion:nil];

}

- (BOOL)validInput{
    if ([self.nameTextField.text length] == 0
        || [self.passwordTextField.text length] == 0
        || [self.confirmPasswordTextField.text length] == 0) {

        UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"注册新用户"
                                                        message:@"该项不能为空"
                                                       delegate:nil
                                              cancelButtonTitle:@"好"
                                              otherButtonTitles:nil];
        [alert show];

        return NO;
    }
    if (![self.passwordTextField.text isEqualToString:self.confirmPasswordTextField.text]) {
        UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"注册新用户"
                                                        message:@"密码不一致"
                                                       delegate:nil
                                              cancelButtonTitle:@"好"
                                              otherButtonTitles:nil];
        [alert show];

        return NO;
    }
    return YES;
}

- (IBAction)registCommit:(UIButton *)sender {
//    AFHTTPRequestOperationManager *manager = [AFHTTPRequestOperationManager manager];
//
//    NSDictionary *parameters = @{@"username":@"aaaaaaaa",@"challengekey":@"12345",@"userid":@"2009"};
//
//    AFJSONRequestSerializer *serializer = [AFJSONRequestSerializer serializer];
//    [serializer setValue:@"application/json" forHTTPHeaderField:@"Content-Type"];
//    //    [serializer setValue:@"application/json" forHTTPHeaderField:@"Accept"];
//    manager.requestSerializer = serializer;
//    manager.responseSerializer.acceptableContentTypes = [NSSet setWithObject:@"text/html"];
//
//    //    NSLog(@"%@",parameters);
//    [manager POST:@"http://10.16.23.25:5555/useradd" parameters:parameters success:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, id responseObject) {
//
//        NSLog(@"JSON:%@",responseObject);
//    } failure:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, NSError *error) {
//                NSLog(@"ERROR: %@",error);
//    }];

}

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Spontaneous Painting invites us to step outside of everything we think we know and move with courage into the unknown of the blank canvas. The magic of life is not in what we know but in the unconditioned unknown places of exploration and possibility. We begin to access the innocence and wonder of a child. We give ourselves permission not hold back, to trust our intuition, to trust the goodness of creativity (life) to lead us where we need to go. When moving from this bigger place every image, dot, line, gesture of color is a gift leading us to a greater intimacy and freedom within.


TEASY CARE - Machine washable on cold wash. NO FADING. Wrinkle resistant. No ironing needed. Easy to clean, and dries very quickly.
Designer Tip: Recommended uploaded image size in pixels: 2850 x 2100 or Higher / 150 dpi.


London 1 Pint Mug Boxed is rated 5.0 out of 5 by 6.
A wonderful keepsake for friends whove visited from overseas; send them home with a great memento of our capital.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Zoe Girl from Lovely scene of London I was very happy to see that more mugs are coming in the pint size which I want. I bought this one for a gift but am considering keeping it myself!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Queen of Avalon from Great gift I bought this as a gift for my brother who lives abroad. He really loves it and it reminds him of home as well as being a useful item.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Joanne27 from Lovely mug I bought this mug for my husband to take to work and he loves it! I have a pint personalised pink hearts mug and he kept saying he wanted a big one too! Saw the London mug and thought it was ideal. It's got a lovely box too!
Rated 5 out of 5 by BarbaraS from Lovely Mug I bought this mug for my husband's birthday as he is from London. I'm sure he will love it.


Kansas law requires that to file a divorce, either the husband or the wife must be a resident of Kansas for at least 60 days (2 months) before filing a petition for divorce. This limitation applies only to divorce – not to any other filing (e.g. separate maintenance or annulment).
A Petition for Separate Maintenance ("legal separation") can be filed on the same day a person becomes a "bona fide" resident of Kansas. However, if the other spouse does not live in Kansas, a Kansas court may not have power to do anything other than grant the decree affecting the marital relationship.
A Petition for Annulment of marriage can also be filed on the same day one of the spouses becomes a "bona fide" resident of Kansas. However, if the other spouse does not live in Kansas, the court may not have power to do anything other than grant the annulment.
A domestic relations action is usually filed in the county in which either you or your spouse resides. Your attorney will discuss the exceptions to this procedure if you wish to file in a different county.
Kansas law does not require that either party continue to live in the State after the filing date of the petition – although it may be advisable to remain in the state, depending on the circumstances of your particular case.


This write-up is brought to you by Taiwan's Cheng Yi-Shan with a little editing from me (Jared). It sounds like it was a great, competitive tournament and looks to be a great addition to the Asian tourney schedule.
The first Run to Taiwan was held on September 3rd and 4th, 2016. 18 teams participated including some powerful teams from different countries, such like Sid Vicious from the Philippines, and Somei-Yoshino and Chaos from Japan. Most of Team Somei-Yoshino came from Japan national teams, including Ayumi Fujiok, member the player of their 2009 World Games team and Maiko Hara, member of their 2016 WUGC women's masters team.
There were strong teams hailing from Taiwan as well including Whisby Nation, Ultimaholix-MIT, Arctic Stars Zone and Super Nova. Whisby nation is well-known in Asia, but the other three not as much so. Most of MIT's players have played for the Chinese Taipei national team, so it is a well-established team with a stable roster. Arctic Stars Zone and Super Nova, who are comprised of newer and younger Chinese Taipei players, also had strong tournaments.
An important aspect of the tournament was the live-streaming. It showed a lot of people in Asia how Taiwan players play ultimate. The finals was being watched by 300 ppl at the same time!
Hopefully there will more teams want come to Taiwan to join for Run to Taiwan next year.


Happy Holidays from Earworm Entertainment! Are you ready for some deals!?! We will have special deals going on from December 19th until December 24th across our entire shop! Just our way of saving thank you to all of our Earworm Family for the support you continue to show us day in and day out. Happy Holidays from all of us at Earworm Entertainment and happy shopping!


text:
Erewhon (1872) by Samuel Butler is a fictional novel that descripts the state of life in the fictional utopian settlement that was found by the lone explorer in New Zealand. In it, Erewhon was using many satirized aspects of Victorian society - religion, anthropocentrism (tendency for human beings to regard themselves as the central and most significant entities in the universe) and criminal punishment. This Butlers novel was often compared to the satirical work of Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), and was influenced by the Charles Darwin's evolution theory.
Bacon left this work unfinished, and it is impossible to say how he planned to treat other aspects of life in New Atlantis. He did not discuss the social and governmental systems of the islanders; hence, we do not know what his attitude toward communism was. Marriage was held sacred. His Atlantians exhibited a love of finery in costumes and jewelry that sets them apart from the typical utopians.
The text of Utopia is in two books. Book 1 was written after Book 2. It is in Book 2 that the society of the place named `Utopia' is described by a traveler, Raphael Hythloday, who through his travels had lived there for a time and has returned to England to report on what he learned. Book 1 is a lead-in to Book 2 and was probably intended to establish interest in the subject of Book 2. The narrative form of Book 1 is a conversation of Hythloday with Thomas More and Peter Giles, and of Book 2 the form is a monologue by Hythloday.
The multiplayer component of Journey was designed to facilitate cooperation between players without forcing it, and without allowing competition.[13] It is intended to allow the players to feel a connection to other people through exploring with them, rather than talking to them or fighting them.[11] The plan was "to create a game where people felt they are connected with each other, to show the positive side of humanity in them".[13] The developers felt the focus on caring about the other player would be diluted by too many game elements, such as additional goals or tasks, as players would focus on those and "ignore" the other player.[13] They also felt having text or voice communication between players or showing usernames would allow players' biases and preconceptions to come between them and the other player.[17]
Hi, I'm Sandy from Salt Lake I purchased my Toyota Rav4 from James at Sunburst auto, I was treated like family from the first step in the door, these guys are the best at customer service so helpful and friendly. I would absolutely recommend my friends and family shop for cars at sunburst, the best car buying experience I've ever had. I will be back in the future, Love these guys!!
The first lesson West learns is that all industry and all institutions are under the control of the national government, a system which, he is informed, has proved to be far more effective than the earlier one of free, private enterprise because of the elimination of wasteful competition. These enormous nationwide political and industrial institutions are structured on the plan of a military organization.
AS someone who has brought almost 50 cars over the years I must day that Sands Ford has been my best experience ever.I went to look at a specific explorer that I saw on the internet, told the salesman Paul Boyer what my price range was and a deal was worked out in no time at all,my total tome at the dealership was about 2 hours and that was mostly waiting for the car to be serviced and after the sale Paul spent probably 30 minutes explaining everything about the car to my girlfriend and myself he even set up our phones for us and didn't leave is go until we we're comfortable knowing everything about the car we purchased.I would recommend seeing Paul and Sands Ford as the prices are very good. I also want to point out the finance manager Don, usually by the time you get to that part they try to tack on all kinds of additional expenses but Don wasn't pushy and explained everything to me and worked with me and I for what I needed found him to be a nice friendly man and talked about motorcycles and Ford pickups.I also would like to let it be known about his honesty , while at his office I left my wallets on his desk with not only my credit cards,drivers license but several hundred dollars in cash but Don tracked me down and returned it. Kudos to him .I will be going back to Sands Ford next year to purchase my King Ranch truck as I believe they are a reasonably price dealership with good honest employees.
Journey is a wordless story told through gameplay and visual-only cutscenes. The player's character begins on a sand dune in a vast desert. In the far distance looms a large, mysterious mountain with a glowing crevice that splits its peak. As the character approaches the mountain, they find remnants of a once-thriving civilization, eroded by sand over time. Scattered throughout the ruins at the end of each area are stones where the traveler rests and has visions of meeting a large, white-robed figure in a circular room. Art adorns the walls, describing the rise and fall of the player character's civilization, which also mirrors the player's journey. The player must also contend with roaming, ancient automatons left over from a war that ended the civilization.
Gattaca is a science fiction film directed by Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law. It depicts the life in the futuristic dystopian Earth society, in which quality genetic makeup controls the destiny of every person. The main protagonist Vincent was born in an old-fashioned way. He is seen as genetically inferior and is doomed to a life of servitude. He tries to change his destiny by buying identity of Jerome Eugene Morrow, a potential swimming star whose career ended in a car accident.
For students wishing to understand fully the extent of interest in the creation of imaginary commonwealths and fascination over accounts by mariners of remote regions, certain other works of fiction not precisely utopian ought to be examined. Examples are: Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Voltaire's Candide (especially the Eldorado episode), Samuel Johnson's Rasselas, Henry David Thoreau's Walden, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, and Herman Melville's Typee.
There is a kind of state religion in Utopia which includes high priests and public worship. "They invoke God by no other name than Mythras, a name they all apply to the one divine nature, whatever it may be. No prayers are devised which everyone cannot say without offending his own denomination." (126) "When the priest [...] comes out of the sacristy, everyone immediately prostrates himself on the ground out of reverence; on all sides the silence is so profound that the spectacle itself inspires a certain fear, as if in the presence of some divinity." (128) Priests are held in such high esteem that "even if they commit a crime they are not subject to a public tribunal but are left to God and their own consciences. [...] For it is unlikely that someone who is the cream of the crop and is elevated to a position of such dignity only because of his virtue should degenerate into corruption and vice." (124)
The one major work preceding More's in the field was Plato's Republic. Its influence on Utopia is extensive and unmistakable. To begin with, the central theme of both works is the search for justice. In the Republic, the rulers are to be a group of intelligent, unselfish men called the guardians or philosopher-kings, who conduct public affairs for the good of the whole nation. The principle of community of property is in effect: "No man calls anything his own." Gold and silver coinage is outlawed, and there is a rigid proscription against luxury and ostentation. Throughout the society, life is directed by a highly moral code of conduct. An educational system for the intelligentsia is elaborately and idealistically designed. Equality of men and women is proposed in both works, though with certain qualifications. There is allowance made in Plato's scheme for the practice of slavery, as there is in More's. There are, on the other hand, departures from Plato in Utopia, some quite radical. The Republic establishes sharply defined class distinctions — the ruling intelligentsia; the warrior class; commoners, consisting of merchants, artisans, and laborers; and finally, at the lowest level, the slaves. Utopians recognize no such gradations among their citizens. The religious beliefs and practices in the two books are, of course, quite different. There is also a sharp difference in the treatment of families. In the Republic, women and children are held in common — "there is no marrying nor giving in marriage" — and mating is regulated to serve eugenic ends; whereas in Utopia, the family unit is the core of the entire social structure.
In August 2012, Alderman joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee after serving as a professor of geography at East Carolina University since 2000. He recently completed service on the Council of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) as Regional Councillor and Chair of the Association's Publications Committee. Alderman is the former President of the Southeastern Division of the AAG and a former co-editor of the peer-reviewed journal Southeastern Geographer.
Forbidden Planet (1950) is a movie directed by Fred M. Wilcox, which is today regarded as one of the most influential science fiction movies of all time. Its story revolved around Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) in his quest across the stars to find an expedition colony that disappeared 20 years ago. By the end of the movie, he discovered those colonists were killed by the technology created by the long extinct race of aliens, called Krell. They managed to create a machine, which was able to materialize their every dream and help them in establishing perfect utopia. However, same technology led to their extinction when their subconscious fears and monsters also became real.
Augustine's work set out to defend Christianity against the criticism of proponents of traditional pagan worship. It launches an attack on the pattern of immorality in Roman life under the worship of the pagan gods and offers, in contrast, the way of life taught by Christianity. His arguments are based on his interpretation of history, both Old Testament history and Roman. There is not a specific practical plan for the government of his imaginary ideal state but rather a distinction drawn on philosophical lines between two guiding principles. In the "City of Earth," the love of self holds precedence over love of God; in the "City of God," the love of God holds precedence over the love of self.
Our goal is to provide you with years of carefree and enjoyable ownership of your motorhome, towable or boat. If you own a Winnebago Industries product and have a question about it, we encourage you to contact us by phone, email or using the form below. For inquiries related to your current vehicle, service or dealer inquiries, please have the serial number, date of purchase and selling dealer's name available.
What happens to those slaves (bondsmen) who helped feed the citizens of Utopia by butchering animals for food and thus suffering the apparent moral consequence of diminished compassion is not stated. Perhaps Utopia uses only slaves gotten from outside the citizenry of Utopia for their necessary killing. Utopia has slaves captured in wars they fought and other "foreigners who have been condemned to death" which the Utopians "acquire [...] sometimes cheaply, more often gratis and take them away." Foreign slaves are kept "constantly at work" and in chains. (95) Utopia also has slaves who entered into slavery by choice. These are "poor, overworked drudges from other nations [...] who chose to be slaves among the Utopians." Such slaves can relinquish their slavery whenever they choose, but in doing so they leave Utopia, although they are not "sent away empty-handed." (96)
His most recent book, a New York Times bestseller, is "Manhunt: The Ten Year Search for bin Laden, from 9/11 to Abbottabad." The book is being translated into nine languages and HBO has produced a theatrical release documentary based upon it. The film, for which Bergen is the executive producer, was in the Sundance Film 2013 competition and won the Emmy award for Best Documentary. The Washington Post named "Manhunt" one of the best non-fiction books of 2012 and The Guardian named it one of the key books on Islamist extremism. The Sunday Times (UK) named it the best current affairs book of 2012 and The Times (UK) named it one of the best non-fiction books of 2012. The book was awarded the Overseas Press Club Cornelius Ryan award for best non-fiction book of 2012 on international affairs.
The game was released on March 13, 2012, for download on the PlayStation Network.[18] A PlayStation Home Game Space, or themed area, based on Journey was released on March 14, 2012, and is similar in appearance to the game.[19] A retail "Collector's Edition" of the game was released on August 28, 2012. In addition to Journey, the disc-based title includes Flow and Flower; creator commentaries, art, galleries, and soundtracks for all three games; non-related minigames; and additional content for the PlayStation 3.[20] In September 2012, Sony and Thatgamecompany released a hardcover book entitled "The Art of Journey", by the game's art director Matt Nava, containing pieces of art from the game ranging from concept art to final game graphics.[21]
Another complication comes from the Greek meanings of the names of people and places in the work. Apart from Utopia, meaning "Noplace," several other lands are mentioned: Achora meaning "Nolandia", Polyleritae meaning "Muchnonsense", Macarenses meaning "Happiland," and the river Anydrus meaning "Nowater". Raphael's last name, Hythlodaeus means "dispenser of nonsense" surely implying that the whole of the Utopian text is 'nonsense'. Additionally the Latin rendering of More's name, Morus, is similar to the word for a fool in Greek (μωρός). It is unclear whether More is simply being ironic, an in-joke for those who know Greek, seeing as the place he is talking about does not actually exist or whether there is actually a sense of distancing of Hythlodaeus' and the More's ("Morus") views in the text from his own.
Still further afield from sailors' tales of island kingdoms but nevertheless enlightening in the broad study of man's aspirations toward a better world, one may consider some of the more sober expository documents such as: Rousseau's Discourse on the Origins of Inequality and his Social Contract, De Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Carlyle's Past and Present, Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto, and Engel's "On Authority" from Socialism: Utopian and Scientific.
Utopia (1516) by Thomas More represents one of the most important books in the European humanism. Through his book, he described fictional pagan, communist city-state that was governed by reason, and addressed the issues of religious pluralism, women's rights, state-sponsored education, colonialism, and justified warfare. Book greatly popularized the concept of "utopias", and was one of the biggest influences in the works of many philosophers, novelists and movements.
Utopians are ambivalent, in fact illogical if not morally arrogant, about killing for food or defense. They eat animals but "they do not allow their citizens to be accustomed to butchering animals" but rather have "bondsmen" do this because they believe that butchering animals for food "gradually eliminates compassion, the finest feeling of human nature." (68) Bondsmen are apparently immune to such a descent into moral corruption, or else they are bondsmen exactly because they are already morally degraded and so either immune to further corruption or they are beyond moral rectification, and therefore the moral consequences of killing for food cannot matter for their moral selves. So bondsmen who butcher animals either have no compassion, it having been gradually eliminated through butchering, or because their moral precondition, their qualification of moral impurity, includes diminished compassion from which their moral descent continues, or else they have compassion and, being bondsmen, they are somehow immune from the moral consequences of killing for food, either because of their moral deficiency or because bondsmen have a moral strength that the citizens of Utopia lack.
I have had this vehicle since Brand New in September 2001, I took the 100,000 extended warranty, No absolute need to take for i had no reason to use it. How many times can you say that !! I now in 09/28/2009 have a odometer reading of 206,000 miles it has paid for itself many times,Ride, speed, and repair, is excellent,even after a front end collision, which i repaired myself, the vehicle preforms well. After the initial breakin i have run synthetic oil.breaks preform well downshifting on large hills,the two and only problem i have to constantly fix is the wipers, they've actually crossed each other when slightly out of adjustment. and the heater relay, for which i've changed a few times. This is "BY FAR" the best vehicle i have ever owned, If there was a 6 star rating this vehicle it deserves it.... :)
Francis Bacon's New Atlantis was probably written in 1624, but was not published until 1627, a year after the author's death. Like the work of his contemporaries, Campanella and Andreae, Bacon's book shows the influence of More in certain broad aspects. It purports to relate the discovery by an exploring expedition in the Pacific Ocean of an island where the natives have developed a society offering much to admire. The goal of the common good is sought through learning and justice. The principal attention of the account is focused on an elaborate academy of science. Bacon has incorporated in this society the basic ideas that he developed more elaborately in his longer philosophical and scholarly treatises; namely, that the advancement of human welfare can best be achieved through the systematic exploration of nature. His famous "scientific method" is founded on painstaking observation of natural phenomena and constructing, through inductive reasoning, a body of knowledge based on those observations. He urges experimentation to improve general knowledge and to develop inventions for human comfort and pleasure. The central institute in the capital of New Atlantis, called Solomon's House, is a huge academy which foreshadows the later creation of scientific laboratories and academies, such as the English Royal Society.
The eponymous title Utopia has since eclipsed More's original story and the term is now commonly used to describe an idyllic, imaginary society. Although he may not have directly founded the contemporary notion of what has since become known as Utopian and dystopian fiction, More certainly popularised the idea of imagined parallel realities, and some of the early works which owe a debt to Utopia must include The City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella, Description of the Republic of Christianopolis by Johannes Valentinus Andreae, New Atlantis by Francis Bacon and Candide by Voltaire.
In time is a utopian movie directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. In the mid 22nd-century, people turn off the aging gene at their 25th birthday. To avoid overpopulation, when people stop aging, their clock begins to count down from 1 year. When their clock reaches 0, that person dies. However, this remaining time can be transferred from person to person. Classes of people form, with "time rich" who has centuries on their clock, to individuals who are trying to make ends meet, by just having a next day to live.
Fourierism exerted a wide influence in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s. The author of the doctrines was Charles Fourier, who wrote Traite' de I' Association Domestique Agricole (1822) and Le Nouveau Monde Industriel (1829). The leader of the movement in America was Albert Brisbane. An influential convert was Horace Greeley. Of the numerous communities, or phalanxes, the most famous was Brook Farm, which attracted the attention of Hawthorne, Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and members of the Alcott family. An interesting plan for such a community was discussed quite seriously by Coleridge and Robert Southey to be called "Pantisocracy," but it did not materialize. A more practical group established a settlement at New Harmony, Indiana, under the leadership of a Scottish industrialist named Robert Owen. A second French utopist, Etienne Cabet, after writing a utopian novel entitled Le Voyage en Icarie (1840), established his own community, first in Texas, then later in Nauvoo, Illinois. Other successful communities deserving special mention are the Oneida (N.Y.) Community; the Shakers, with villages in eight states about 1840; the Amana Community, still thriving in Iowa; and the Hutterites, with communities from the Dakotas through western Canada. In modern Israel the communal settlements called Kibbutzes operate on principles and under regulations closely resembling those described in More's Utopia.
Voyage centres on a young psychiatrist (played by Ryo van Kooten) who leaves Hong Kong to embark on a long lone voyage from Hong Kong along the coast of South-East Asia to try to overcome the emotional turmoil he has experienced in his relationships with former clients. While travelling, he tries to come to terms with his experiences by making a detailed record of their stories, and decides to visit those places himself.
Gorman is President of the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Governor's Board. The Ceremonial is an annual event held in New Mexico featuring Native music, dance, arts and culture. She is President of Extol Charitable Foundation, an organization dedicated to prevention education on fetal alcohol syndrome. She is also Vice Chair of the Gallup Economic Development and Tourism Commission, as well as a board member of Think First Navajo, a chapter of the national organization Think First, a head and spinal injury prevention program. She is also an advisory board member for College Horizons, a pre-college workshop for Native American students preparing for undergraduate and graduate school.
Recognized historian of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II, Zonnie Gorman is an expert in her field and a dedicated teacher. She has served as a consultant to numerous documentaries, museum exhibitions and authors. Gorman is currently the Project Coordinator for the Circle of Light Navajo Educational Project (CLNEP), a nonprofit organization founded in May 2001 and located in Gallup, New Mexico. CLNEP offers a variety of Navajo role models to youth and fosters cultural pride and self-worth, while educating them along with non-Navajos about the rich history, culture, language and contributions of the Navajo people.
Bergen is on the editorial board of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, a leading scholarly journal in the field, and has testified before multiple congressional committees about Afghanistan, Pakistan and terrorism issues. He is a member of the Homeland Security Project, a successor to the 9/11 Commission, and also of the Aspen Homeland Security Group. He is the editor of the AfPak Channel, a joint publication of Foreign Policy magazine and the New America Foundation that can be found at www.foreignpolicy.com/afpak. The AfPak Channel was nominated in 2011 for a National Magazine Award for Best Online Department.
Very basic van. No fancy features, but it's got the basics and it gets the job done. Very comfortable seats. Way more comfortable than a much more expensive minivan I used to own. Cargo room could be better. Reliability hasn't been too bad since purchasing it used. Had a sensor go which caused erratic shifting but after the fix ($97), it's been running fine. Got me and the family to Florida and back from Pennsylvania with no problems. For a basic vehicle, the sound system sounds great (again, better than the more expensive van I used to own) and the heater works like a charm better than any vehicle I've owned before. Even on the coldest morning in the 20s, I'm warm and toasty within minutes. Overall nothing fancy, but a great value for the money. Not sure why some websites give this van such a horrible rating.
Yet, the puzzle is that some of the practices and institutions of the Utopians, such as the ease of divorce, euthanasia and both married priests and female priests, seem to be polar opposites of More's beliefs and the teachings of the Catholic Church of which he was a devout member. Another often cited apparent contradiction is that of the religious tolerance of Utopia contrasted with his persecution of Protestants as Lord Chancellor. Similarly, the criticism of lawyers comes from a writer who, as Lord Chancellor, was arguably the most influential lawyer in England. It can be answered, however, that as a pagan society Utopians had the best ethics that could be reached through reason alone, or that More changed from his early life to his later when he was Lord Chancellor.[8]
Utopia was the book that invented a new genre of fiction. It was the first book to use a made up world, a "Utopia" in its framing. This spawned books and stories that have continued to dominate the industry of storytelling to this day. Books like "The Hunger Games," and "Divergent" can all trace their origins back to Thomas More's most famous work (Getty 321). More wrote this story to make a point about collectivism, whether in defense or as a criticism of. It could be argued, however, that Utopia's greatest impact could be in its world creation. More was the first to create his idealistic world, and the framework he created has stuck around for hundreds of years (Getty 321).
H. G. Wells devotes much of his attention to previews of possible future developments of civilization that are predominantly optimistic. Among the better known of his publications in that field are: The Time Machine (1895), The War of the Worlds (1898), When the Sleeper Awakes (1899), A Modern Utopia (1905), Men Like Gods (1923), and The Shape of Things to Come (1933).
The great society of the future, he believes, will have a worldwide structure, a World State. Nationalities will no longer have significance. The entire human race will become one commonwealth with uniform customs and mores and with a common language. Money will still be used for exchange, and individuals will still hold the right to ownership of personal property, though all of the earth's land and all sources of power will belong to the State — that is, to everyone. He does not subscribe to the idea that all work can be made pleasurable; consequently, he declares that every member of society shall be required to perform work up to a minimum which earns him enough to discharge his obligations. Beyond that, he may choose to work more to earn more or he is free to enjoy his leisure.
Wives are subject to their husbands and husbands are subject to their wives although women are restricted to conducting household tasks for the most part. Only few widowed women become priests. While all are trained in military arts, women confess their sins to their husbands once a month. Gambling, hunting, makeup and astrology are all discouraged in Utopia. The role allocated to women in Utopia might, however, have been seen as being more liberal from a contemporary point of view.
In Journey, the player takes the role of a robed figure in a desert. After an introductory sequence, the player is shown the robed figure sitting in the sand, with a large mountain in the distance.[1] The path towards this mountain, the ultimate destination of the game, is subdivided into several sections traveled through linearly. The player can walk in the levels, as well as control the camera, which typically follows behind the figure, either with the analog stick or by tilting the motion-sensitive controller.[2] The player can jump with one button, or emit a wordless shout or musical note with another; the length and volume of the shout depends on how the button is pressed, and the note stays in tune with the background music.[3] These controls are presented pictorially at the beginning of the game; at no point outside of the credits and title screen are any words shown or spoken.[1]
Equality for all mankind is not a realistic goal in Wells's view. That, he believes, would mean a loss of individuality, and individuality is an inherent requirement of human nature. Similarly, competition is necessary to a thriving society. Taking what he considers a practical position, he sees the new society as divided into four classes of persons which he calls poietic, kinetic, dull, and base. There is a leader caste, called Samurai, which is drawn primarily from the poietic group, though some from the kinetic class may qualify. Persons who volunteer for Samurai membership must meet stringent requirements, both physical and mental; and they must pledge to conform to the rules of the caste, which forbid eating meat, smoking, drinking, gambling, and participation in public sports or entertainments. The Samurai furnish the World State with its administrators, legislators, lawyers, doctors, and other leaders. Furthermore, they are the only voters in the commonwealth. The male members of the Samurai are encouraged to marry women of comparable qualifications, and they are encouraged to produce children with the aim of improving the quality of the population. The lower classes of citizens, the dull witted, the criminals, and the deformed are exiled from society and prevented from childbearing.
Equity is exercised in the field of labor. Everyone shares in work of a community nature — harvesting, building houses and roads — but on a short-term schedule. The chief occupation of each individual is in a trade for which he displays an aptitude. There is a strong emphasis throughout the book on the development of industries and more talk about trades and group organizations than any other single element except religion, which receives constantly recurring attention throughout.
Thomas More's Utopia has spurred debate, reflection, and critical thinking since its original publication in the 16th Century. More's fictional island of Utopia provides an exploration of issues that shook him and his contemporaries and continue to be problematic in the modern day; the details of More's utopian society, such as the permissibility of euthanasia and comments on chastity in the priesthood, combine with proposals of coexisting varied religions to put forth a work that incorporates the totality of More's religious, sociological, and philosophical talents.
Plato, Republic. In a sense, the utopian genre might be said to begin with Plato's Republic, in which he sets out his ideal society (famously, no poets were allowed). The Republic sees Socrates debating with a number of other people about the nature of justice and the ideal city-state. The book also discusses various possible forms of government, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The idea behind the references to the "Golden Age" in the literature of the ancients represents a nostalgic yearning for a kind of life which they imagined was free from the stresses of their more competitive, more commercial civilization. Similarly, the poetic creations of imaginary gardens, the earthly paradises described by Medieval writers, often reflect yearnings growing out of dissatisfaction with things as they are. Another familiar manifestation that took literary form was the pastoral, an idealized representation of simple, happy shepherds. Examples can be found ranging from the eclogues of Theocritus and Virgil to Tasso and Spencer in the Renaissance. In several of Shakespeare's comedies the escape from the city and the court into "the green world" is described in appealing terms. The Duke Senior in As You Like It contrasts his life of exile in the Forest of Arden with the ways of the court in these terms:
The name Britannia was announced on 24 September 2013 and has historical importance for P&O, as there have been two previous ships named Britannia connected with the company. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, which went on to become the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. The second, which entered service in 1887, was one of four ships ordered by the company to mark the golden jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself.
The only ancient authors other than Plato who have been mentioned as possibly influencing or suggesting comparison with More are Lycurgus, Cicero, and St. Augustine. Lycurgus is reputed to have dictated a body of laws for ancient Sparta, the best account of which is found in Plutarch. It declared equal possession among the "citizens" — that is, the upper-class members of the community. The "helots," who were in the vast majority, were virtually on the level of slaves. Instead of gold and silver for coins, iron was used. All luxuries were banned, and both men and women were disciplined to endure hardships and were motivated to sacrifice everything for the welfare of the state.
In an essay "Of Cannibals," Montaigne gives an account of a primitive tribe of South American Indians; while treating their life style in toto, he pays special attention to their choice of leaders, their mode of warfare, and their treatment of captives. This work is a notable contribution to the vogue of fictionalized travel literature, which includes, in addition to More's Utopia, such works as Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels and a host of major and minor later documents. Montaigne's philosophical approach to his subject is revealed in his repeated pointing of contrasts between those simple Indians and "civilized" Europeans with their mechanical progress, their gunpowder, and their Christianity. In almost every instance, civilization comes off second best in matters of rational behavior and especially where man's humanity to man is concerned.
In English, Utopia is pronounced exactly as Eutopia (the latter word, in Greek Εὐτοπία [Eutopiā], meaning "good place," contains the prefix εὐ- [eu-], "good", with which the οὐ of Utopia has come to be confused in the English pronunciation).[4] This is something that More himself addresses in an addendum to his book Wherfore not Utopie, but rather rightely my name is Eutopie, a place of felicitie.[5]
The City of the Sun (1623) by Calabrian monk Tommaso Campanella, today represents one of the most important utopian philosophical works. In it, Campanella described the fictional theocratic utopian society that was governed by equality of all its citizens, shared work toward common good, and choosing the wisest for the governing roles.This vision of the perfect world even today represents one of the purest examples of the early literary utopian works.
There is, of course, nothing new in all of this program, nothing fantastic such as Huxley's "Hatchery and Conditioning Centre." The reader, while he cringes at the horror, keeps repeating to himself, "It can't happen here." Nevertheless, Orwell compels us to recognize not only Nazi devices but also certain telltale symptoms in our own social and political practices that cannot help but undermine our complacency.