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Affected by COVID-19? Call (877) 393-2333 for help or click here to visit our resources page
John Lewis Fellowship
Legal Services Alabama (LSA) launched the John Lewis Legal Services Fellowship program in the Spring of 2019, in preparation for the 55th Anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. We understood that the forefront of this movement was a student leader from Alabama, John Lewis, whose bravery, dedication, and hard work will forever be engraved in the fabric of our country's history. Congressman John Lewis dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he called "The Beloved Community" in America.
SUPPORT THE FELLOWS TODAY
His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress. In the Spring of 2020, in Celebration of the 55th Anniversary of this life-altering event, LSA began a national search for the first John Lewis Fellows, resulting in 6 law students from across the country committed to providing free legal assistance to individuals in underserved and underrepresented communities to ensure Equal and Social Justice for all citizens in Alabama.
The initial goal of the proposal was to provide legal and social justice services to the Blackbelt and the Wiregrass citizens. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the myriad of legal issues surrounding the virus, along with the increasing social justice issues across the country, we opted to use COVID-19 funding to combat these issues, therefore, this first year of fellows will provide services and support throughout the entire state. The goal of the John Lewis Legal Services Fellowship Program remains to train recent law graduates who have an interest in Rural Economic Justice for a career in public interest and social justice law to provide social, economic and legal change; while working on legal issues that will improve the quality of life for low-income individuals. In addition to training the fellows, we are also providing the fellows a glimpse into the life and work of Congressman Lewis, through a speaker's series and tours that travel in the Congressman's footsteps in Alabama. As the country mourns this giant of a man, we are humbled to honor his legacy and work through the LSA John Lewis Legal Services Fellowship Program.
Meet the 2020 Fellows
Ford King
(they, them)
JD, Georgia State University
BA, University of Alabama
Ford King is a former volunteer with LSA who translated their time spent in the Huntsville office into their new position as a John Lewis Fellow. King found their passion for legal aid as a volunteer, describing the experience as the "defining moment" of their career path. They credit the extensive knowledge bestowed to them by Huntsville staff as their motivation to continue working with LSA. King has also worked in their law school's office of admissions and has previous experience in tax law. King is proud to represent their home state's only civil legal aid organization and comes to the position with the desire "to ensure that no one goes hungry when there's plenty to go around."
FREDERICK SPIGHT
(he, him)
Marietta, Georgia
JD, Wake Forest University School of Law
BA, Morehouse College
Frederick Spight comes to the LSA John Lewis Fellowship after several positions in diverse legal aid fields. He has completed a fellowship at Legal Aid of North Carolina where he supported low-income and marginalized people, as well as spent time in Budapest, Hungary as a legal intern with the Chance for Children Foundation. While in Budapest, Spight had the opportunity to work on school desegregation initiatives alongside the historically disenfranchised Roma people living in the area. Spight has also worked as a social studies teacher and mock trial coach at the Carter G. Woodson School in North Carolina. Spight considers himself an idealist who works to see "what could be – and a process for achieving that vision."
Kari Todd
(she, her)
JD, The University of Alabama School of Law
BA, Pitzer College
Kari Todd joins the LSA John Lewis Fellowship after completing law school where she amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience. During her time in law school she completed an internship at Bay Area Legal Aid in Northern California; there, she assisted vulnerable communities with a range of housing law issues. She studied Citizenship Law in Tel Aviv, Israel, and observed firsthand how a citizen's rights impact their ability to participate in society. She also studied abroad at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia and spent a year working with her law school's domestic violence clinic. Her family's strong history of civil rights activism and resistance is what inspires her choice to work with LSA.
Tamara imam
JD, University of Alabama School of Law
BS, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Tamara Imam joins the 2020 John Lewis Fellowship with an already extensive work history in the legal field. Imam has held two summer clerk positions at firms, three intern roles, one of which was served with the LSA Huntsville office, and two externships. Her work experience lies in fields that include municipal law, labor, and civil rights. During law school, she also volunteered with a number of legal aid clinics, but she credits her summer 2018 internship with LSA as the catalyst for her passion in public interest work. From protecting homes to ensuring access to public benefits, Imam hopes to "make a real, tangible difference in the lives of my clients."
Valerie Mims
JD, Mississippi College School of Law
BA, Alabama Agriculture and Mechanical University
Valerie Mims is a civic-minded John Lewis Fellow with a background in sociological research. Mims has held legal intern and law clerk positions in both Mississippi and Alabama, as well as working as an advocate in youth programs. She is particularly proud of her contribution to increased justice while working to identify and remedy false convictions at the MS Post-Conviction Counsel. Her volunteer work includes time spent with the One Voice Election Program, the MS NAACP, and the Boys & Girls Club of North Alabama. Dedicated to being an agent for change, Mims' goal is to "be the role model that I needed as a child growing up in a poverty-stricken community."
Victoria Shoots
JD, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
BS and MS, Alabama A&M University
Victoria Shoots is a recent law school graduate bringing an "optimistic energy and creative approach" into her position as a John Lewis Fellow. Shoots has diverse volunteer experience across the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Free the Captives in Houston, TX, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama. Before joining LSA, she worked for a government relations firm in Washington, D.C., where she was also admitted to the D.C. Bar. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shoots felt her career coming to a standstill – it was then she found the opportunity to become a fellow. Shoots feels that the work of LSA "chose her" as she has always believed, "poverty is an experience, not a destination."
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December Advocate of the Month
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LSA DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF SEX (INCLUDING PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, AND RELATED MEDICAL CONDITIONS) OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RACE, COLOR, RELIGION OR CREED, NATIONAL ORIGIN OR ANCESTRY, AGE (40 AND OLDER), DISABILITY, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, GENETIC INFORMATION, GENDER IDENTITY, VETERAN STATUS OR ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION PROHIBITED BY LAW OR ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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IPS indexed list of files
Portfolio Budget Statements
Previous grant recipients
Reef Guardians Research Grants
Reef Guardians Stewardship and Community Grants
Recreational vessel sewage requirements
Commercial vessels, cruise ships and ships on international voyages
Abbot Point Capital Dredging Project
Guthalungra prawn farm expansion
Responsible Reef practises
Tourism on the Reef
Reef Beat 2013
Reef Beat 2016: threats to the Reef
Naming of reefs and undersea geographic features
Licensing and Copyright Information
The opportunity for the public to comment on a proposal is an important part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's environmental assessment and consultative processes. Interested parties are invited to contact us for more information, or to make a written submission in relation to the proposal.
In accordance with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983, a person whose interests are affected by a decision to grant a permit may ask the Authority to reconsider the decision. A request for reconsideration must:
be in writing; and
set out the reasons why the Authority should reconsider the decision and why you are an affected person; and
be given to the Authority within 21 days after the day notice of the decision is published on the Authority's website.
Permit decisions are published on our 'recent decisions' webpage. Written correspondence can be emailed to assessments@gbrmpa.gov.au
Whitsunday Reef Recovery and Public Art Project Reef Ecologic Pty Ltd has applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for permission for the installation, ongoing operation and maintenance of six underwater artworks in the Bowen and Whitsundays area under the 'Whitsunday Reef Recovery and Public Art Project'. The Whitsunday Reef Recovery and Public Art Project has been developed to support the socio-economic and ecological values of high value tourism destinations that were significantly impact by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March 2017. The Project is funded by the State and Federal Governments through the 'Tourism Recovery Fund' and is led by Reef Ecologic Pty Ltd in partnership with Tourism Whitsundays and Whitsunday Regional Council.
Submission period has closed.
Submissions are now being analysed.
Proposed Nelly Bay Beach Trail Sand Bay Groyne The Department of Transport and Main Roads applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for permission to construct as part of a research project a trial sand bag groyne on the Nelly Bay foreshore. The construction of the trail sand bag groyne is a component of an erosion mitigation strategy and once constructed the research project is proposed to assess the effectiveness of the groyne to prevent erosion under the bridge and prevent erosion further along the Nelly Bay foreshore. The proposed Nelly Bay groyne trial has been approved and is now granted under permit G19/41201.1.
Permit granted
Proposed maintenance dredging the Port of Hay Point
North Queensland Bulk Ports has applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for a permission to undertake maintenance dredging and dredge material disposal for the Port of Hay Point, Mackay. The proposed works to be conducted within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park included maintenance dredging of the departure channel and disposal of all dredge material from the dredging activity. Maintenance dredging and bed levelling are also proposed within the apron, berth pockets of the port and Half Tide Tug Harbour which are located outside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Marine Park permit granted
Statement of reasons for the Marine Park decision
Marine Park assessment report
Attachment D
Sea Dumping Agreement
Sea Dumping permit granted
Statement of reasons for the Sea Dumping decision
Sea Dumping assessment report
Proposed barge ramp at Hamilton Island
Hamilton Island Enterprises Limited has applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for permission for the construction, ongoing operation and maintenance of a concrete barge ramp adjacent to the airport runway on the west side of Hamilton Island. The proposed works will not require dredging or spoil disposal in the Marine Park. The Barge Ramp Project is funded by Hamilton Island Enterprises and is required to support the reconstruction work on Hamilton Island post Cyclone Debbie and reduce heavy vessel traffic within the Hamilton Island Marina.
Jetty construction at Gribble Point, Yarrabah The Department of Transport and Main Roads has applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for permission for the construction, ongoing operation and maintenance of a single piled concrete jetty adjacent to the boat ramp on the south side of Gribble Point, Yarrabah. The proposed works will not require dredging or spoil disposal in the Marine Park. The Yarrabah Jetty Project is a Queensland Government funded infrastructure initiative designed to stimulate economic activity (through cultural tourism, construction, operation) and provide increased opportunity for Yarrabah residents to access employment, education and other public services based in Cairns. Permit granted
Draft Reef Intervention Policy Guidelines
Draft Reef Intervention Policy Supporting Information
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is seeking comment on the draft guidelines that provide guidance when considering an application for permission to conduct intervention activities to improve resilience of coral reef habitats in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Applications will be assessed under Regulation 88Q of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983. The draft guidelines provide more clarity on how the Authority ensures these projects do not have an adverse impact on the biodiversity, heritage, social or economic values of the Marine Park.
Guidelines are finalised
Permit applications for restorations for restoration/adaption projects to improve resilience of habitats in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Upgrade to boating facilities at Clump Point, Mission Beach
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority re-issued this permit on 5 July 2018 due to a small administrative error. The new cut off for requesting reconsideration is now 26 July 2018 (within 21 days of publishing on website).
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has applied to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for permission to undertake works to upgrade the boating facilities at Mission Beach, Clump Point. The proposed works include an additional boat ramp lane, additional floating walkway, upgrading existing breakwater, upgrading existing carpark and turning area, installation of a new detached breakwater that provides sheltered waters to; a jetty, two berthing pontoons, 5-6 pen berths and 5-6 swing moorings.
Statement of reasons for the decision
Assessment report
Attachment A - PIP
Attachment B - SI - PIP with Appendices
Attachment C - EPBC Statement of Reasons
Reconsideration decision statement of reasons
Whitsunday Plan of Management
The Whitsundays Plan of Management (the Plan) outlines the activities that can occur in the region, while protecting the spectacular environment. The Plan is currently being reviewed. The public consultation period has now closed.
After considering public comments, the amending instruments were finalised and provided to the Marine Park Authority Board and Federal Executive Council for approval. The updated Whitsunday Plan of Management is now in effect.
Queensland Shark Control Program
The Queensland Shark Control Program permit was re-issued on 10 July 2018 to accommodate changes requested by the applicant. The applicant removed seven (7) shark species from the target shark species list at Schedule 3.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries applied to continue operating its shark control program in Great Barrier Reef Marine Park waters.
The activities involve a program to take animals that pose a threat to human life or safety using baited drumlines in the Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Capricorn Coast and Gladstone areas and a research program in those same areas.
Re-issued permit
Reconsideration Decision - Statement of Reasons
Woodwark Bay South Location site plan
The purpose of the draft Woodwark Bay South Location site plan is to establish an area suitable for private moorings that minimises impacts on the values of the area and supports sustainable opportunities for users. It will provide guidance when considering an application for permission to install the private moorings within the Woodwark Bay South Location.
Site plan finalised
Site Plan: Woodwark Bay South Location
Reef 2050 Plan draft policies The draft Cumulative Impact Management Policy and the draft Net Benefit Policy complement each other by providing guidance on how to reduce threats and improve the Reef's resilience in the context of continuing climate change pressures. These policies set out principles and steps to guide their practical application.
Policies finalised
Cumulative impact management policy
Net benefit policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » Entertainment » Elizabeth McGovern Discusses the Downton Abbey Film | This Morning
Elizabeth McGovern Discusses the Downton Abbey Film | This Morning
May 23, 2019 by Entertainment Desk
Subscribe now for more! http://bit.ly/1JM41yF
She kept us entertained as the Countess of Grantham and is set to reprise her role in the much anticipated Downton Abbey movie this September, (with an exciting trailer released earlier this week). But before she appears on the silver screen, Elizabeth McGovern has joined forces with Matthew Broderick on the London stage in The Starry Messenger. Elizabeth tells us about her emotional return to the West End after ten years away.
Broadcast on: 23/05/19
Like, follow and subscribe to This Morning!
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This Morning – every weekday on ITV and STV from 10:30am.
Join Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes as we meet the people behind the stories that matter, chat to the hottest celebs and cook up a storm with your favourite chefs!
Dr Zoe and Dr Ranj answer all your health questions, stay stylish with Gok Wan's fabulous fashion, be beautiful with Bryony Blake's top make-up tips, and save money with Martin Lewis.
http://www.itv.com
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In This Story: Dr Zoe
Dr. Zoe Williams is an English television personality, appearing as the resident doctor on This Morning, ITV's weekday morning programme.
Williams graduated from medical school in 2007. She currently practices as an NHS General Practitioner in London
During her second year of working as a full-time doctor in Newcastle, Williams landed the role of "Amazon" in Sky 1's prime-time TV show Gladiators.
Williams had previously played rugby, appearing with the Blaydon Women's Rugby Football Club in the Premiership Division.
3 Recent Items: Dr Zoe
Dr Zoe On Her Bowel Cancer Scare & Getting Her Kit Off to Raise Awareness | This Morning
Dr Zoe Braves The Studio Runway | This Morning
Get Your Glam Back with Gok & Alison Has a Makeover | This Morning
In This Story: Gok Wan
Gok Wan, is a British fashion consultant, author and television presenter.
Initially training in the performing arts at the Central School of Speech and Drama, he then entered the fashion business. In 2006, Channel 4 employed him to present his own television show, How to Look Good Naked, which lasted for seven series.
He also presented Chinese cooking shows entitled Gok Cooks Chinese and Gok's Chinese Takeaway.
Books #Ad
3 Recent Items: Gok Wan
James Martin's Sticky Singapore Crab and Prawn | This Morning
Phillip & Holly Have Their First Hug in Months! | This Morning
In This Story: Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby is an English television presenter, model, and author. She is currently the co-presenter of This Morning (2009–present) and Dancing on Ice (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongside Phillip Schofield.
From 2008 to 2020, Willoughby was a team captain on ITV2's Celebrity Juice alongside Fearne Cotton. From 2012 to 2015, she presented the revived television series Surprise Surprise, replacing original presenter Cilla Black. Other TV work includes BBC's The Voice UK (2012–2013), Play to the Whistle (2015–2017) and The Xtra Factor (2008–2009).
In November 2018, Willoughby co-presented the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! alongside Declan Donnelly.
4 Recent Items: Holly Willoughby
A-Z of Holly Willoughby | This Morning
Holly's Mortifying Mix Up, Eamonn's Misfired Joke & More This Morning Links Gone Wrong | Loose Women
Ruth & Eamonn Lead Emotional ITV Goodbyes To Andrea McLean & Joey Essex Says Good-Pie! | Loose Women
This Morning's Personalised Christmas Gift Guide with Georgina Burnett | This Morning
In This Story: ITV
ITV (LSE: ITV) is a broadcasting company which was formed from a merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004. It holds Channel 3 broadcasting licences in England, Wales, Southern Scotland and the Isle of Man.
2 Recent Items: ITV
Imams use Friday prayers to urge community to get Covid jab | ITV News
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In This Story: London
London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom.
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Unbelievable Final Over Drama! | England v Sri Lanka 2014 & 2016 | England Cricket
In This Story: Phillip Schofield
Phillip Schofield is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is the co-presenter of This Morning (2002–present) and Dancing on Ice (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holly Willoughby.
His other work for ITV includes All Star Mr & Mrs (2008–2016), The Cube (2009–2015, 2020–present), and 5 Gold Rings (2017–present).
Schofield gained national attention working for the BBC, first as a continuity presenter for Children's BBC on weekdays from 1985 to 1987, then as a presenter on the children's Saturday morning magazine show Going Live! between September 1987 and April 1993.
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Categories Entertainment Tags Chefs, Downton Abbey, Dr Zoe, Elizabeth McGovern, Gok Wan, Holly Willoughby, ITV, Lewis, London, Money, Movie, Phillip Schofield, Silver, Storm, This Morning Leave a comment Post navigation
Medical Cannabis: Mum Pleads for Her Son's Life-Saving Cannabis Treatment | This Morning
Terminator: Dark Fate – Official Teaser Trailer (2019) – Paramount Pictures


Power management company Eaton has added a host of features to its IntelliConnect suite of connected solutions to help fleet customers reduce truck-down situations and better prepare for preventive maintenance. IntelliConnect gives fleets advanced notice that a vehicle may be having an issue, and the new features are now available on the Geotab Marketplace as an integrated solution to help fleets better manage their assets.
Geotab is a global provider of end-to-end, open platform telematics solutions. Businesses of all sizes can use Geotab's technology to extract actionable data from the vehicle, helping fleets optimize productivity, improve fuel consumption, enhance driver safety through in-vehicle coaching, and better manage compliance with regulatory changes. Today, Geotab has more than 750,000 subscribers worldwide.
Eaton IntelliConnect is a suite of connected solutions designed to improve a fleet's efficiency by providing near real-time monitoring of vehicle fault codes to help increase vehicle uptime and reduce unplanned downtime through faster repair diagnosis.
Designed for Eaton automated and automatic transmissions, IntelliConnect provides users with customized delivery of information through email alerts, the Navistar OnCommand Connection portal, an existing telematics portal, or through Eaton's website. Once monitoring data is received, Eaton's vehicle system experts create comprehensive action plans that extend beyond just reading transmission fault codes. Using a holistic systems approach, Eaton service representatives look at data from other vehicle components to determine potential root causes and solutions.
"IntelliConnect is about seamlessly connecting our customers' data with Eaton's deep vehicle knowledge, and providing solutions that reduce the amount of time a customer will need to diagnose a problem and repair a vehicle," said Gerard Devito, vice president, technology, Eaton. "Offering an integrated solution with Geotab gives us another tool to accomplish this which helps customers access the benefits that only Eaton can provide for our transmissions."
Eaton Commercial Vehicle components and IntelliConnect are backed by Eaton's Roadranger network of more than 180 drivetrain professionals who provide solutions, support, and expertise to fleets and dealers. For more information visit www.eaton.com/roadranger, where the latest product information is available, as well as service, parts and training assistance, 24 hours a day. Experts are available in the Roadranger Call Center by dialing 1-800-826-HELP (4357) in the U.S. and Canada.


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Q: Usage of "could" in "could account for as much as 7.0%"
"College Factual ranks Northwestern U as 46th out of a total 1,059
  colleges and universities for sheer popularity with students from
  China. Chinese students could account for as much as 7.0% of the
  entire student body and as much as 41.1% of the international student
  body at Northwestern U."
From
  https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/international/

This text seems to be generated automatically instead of "written".
I originally asked a related question here. https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/could-account-for-as-much-as.3584373/#post-18238805 We have figured out the intended meaning of this sentence is in 2017, when the survey was taken, Chinese students accounted for 7.0% of the entire student body.  This is a fact.
How to understand "could" here? Is "could" here the past tense of "can"?

A: The word "could" here means the same as 'might" it is not a past-tense form, rather it is expressing that this is possible, but uncertain. Probably in this case the data on which students are from China is incomplete or not fully reliable, so the text says that such students could account for seven percent -- or it might be somewhat less. Phrased this way the stated seven percent is implied to be the maximum plausible value. It could have been written as:

Up to 7% of the student body might be from China.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Just call me Indio
September 1, 2008 Dwight Wayne Coop 2 comments
One of Panajachel's most colorful and asked-about personages, tourists and locals know him as a master craftsman who sells his own handiwork.
Francisco Quiej calls himself "Indio" by DWC
Self-promoter, religious huckster, iconoclast, "loco"—Francisco Quiej has been called all these things; none is anywhere near the truth. "Indio" is what he calls himself, even though his fellow Mayas consider the term an insult.
This renaming took place in 1994 on a mountaintop. Francisco saw no burning bush on the slope, but "in my heart there was a burning conviction that I should wear this name." Indio has since climbed summits throughout Central America, seeking prime meditation venues.
"That name carries 500 years of baggage," he says. "Being pejorative, it's also purifying, because as a bad name it obligates me to better myself, by doing right by others. Then I can wear it as a badge of shame and pride, at the same time." It may be working; Indio is well spoken of by those who actually know him.
He is native to Zunil, a K'iché town near Quetzaltenango, where his parents were members of the "agricultural caste." Even so, his father completed school and became a teacher; Indio and his five siblings therefore grew up in a literate household.
Indio is today one of Panajachel's most colorful and asked-about personages. Tourists and expats know him as a master craftsman who sells his own handiwork: spherical lampshades by the cluster that waft, cloudlike, up and down the Santander Strip, turning heads.
His long hair sets him apart as well, since modern Mayan men rarely let their locks grow. Indio counts no connection with the hippies of nearby San Pedro la Laguna, as some observers think. His hirsuteness instead recalls the Nazarite vow of his first-century heroes such as John the Baptist and Simon the Zealot. Since most scholars believe that Jesus of Nazareth was also a Nazarite, medieval artists and Hollywood alike portray him with a haircut eerily like Indio's.
Since Indio seeks to imitate his messiah in all things, he sees evangelism as his primary calling. This makes him one of among thousands of itinerant preachers in Central America; unlike most, however, he employs handiwork as a vehicle. He does not judge those who preach on buses and then request money, but he says that they need to "discover their trade and enter it as a step of faith." Paul of Tarsus, he recalls, was a tentmaker. Indio sees his own craft as a divine gift along this line, and therefore nothing to boast about, even as he plies it and wins admiration.
He discovered the gift in the same way he discovered the name: on a mountaintop, this time in Costa Rica in 1997 while a member of an artisan commune. "While meditating, I was suddenly aware of the plants growing around where I sat. I began examining them and imagining uses for them." Since he was at a high altitude, many of them were alpine ferns; today, fern fronds are a staple in his designs.
"That night, after coming down from the mountain and turning in, I dreamed of two blonde women. I don't remember any details, but when I awoke, I knew I had a direction to launch a craft."
The dream's significance, he says, was that "foreigners were the door. Guatemalans had no interest in my lampshades, at first." Most still do not, he thinks, because they see them as something non-ladino and, he adds with an ironic smile, "non-indio."
Lamp by Francisco Quiej
Outsiders, consequently, were his first market. No capital was needed, just an eye for materials, plenty of experimentation, and Indio's own abundant charisma, which infects everyone he meets. Most of the materials grow wild but not necessarily at lake-level, meaning he must harvest often in the nearby mountains. This is no inconvenience, since harvesting and meditation mix well in the cold solitude of the rarified, pine-scented heights.
Foreigners remain the bulk of Indio's clientele, so it helps to hang his hat in cosmopolitan Panajachel. Yet Guatemalans are warming up to his work.
Local hardware stores sell tacky porcelain lamps from China, but panajachecos increasingly see Indio's work as authentic and even voguish. Restaurants all over town have become his showroom. Most tourists choose the standard "small" lamp, a 16-centimeter orb that travels well in suitcases. For everyone else, sizes go all the way up to room-gobbling "gigantic" at 63cm. Other shapes can be special-ordered.
One wall of Indio's living room is filled with newsprint stacks, where leaves and petals undergo desiccation. His charming French wife, Luz—called Catherine before her own conversion and rechristening—churns out hospitality an arm's-length away in her tiny kitchen, tottering with herb jars. The couple, who met in Costa Rica, have two polygot daughters with creamy, mixed-blood complexions. Abril, 11, and Michelle, 9, show no inclination to adopt their father's trade. But even they call him Indio.
Indio spends part of every selling day pounding the streets. But he is no in-your-face peddler; his product provides the draw. He often starts his selling day in uptown Panajachel's mercado, where there are people, he says, who need to hear his message, or who need comfort and encouragement. Most itinerant evangelists speak and gesticulate like preachers at all times. But Indio, always the exception, switches at will between "preaching mode" and "normal conversation." Nonreligious people are surprised to find, when they get to know him, that he is capable of both.
"I guess I'm all about light," he says. "I sell lampshapes that soften electricity's glare, so I can share the light of el Señor.
Category: Guatemala, Lake Atitlán	Tags: Francisco Quiej, Indio, Lake Atitlán, Panajachel
Pingback: September 2008 in Revue Magazine | Revue Magazine
Christine Kennedy
Keep it going, Wayne, nice interesting articles.


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COMMERCIAL GRADE FLAGPOLES
PARADE & INDOOR
SPECIAL EVENT & COMMERCIAL
Home › QATAR
2' X 3' - $32.50 USD 3' X 5' - $46.10 USD 4' X 6' - Sold Out 5' X 8' - Sold Out 3' X 5' POLE HEM & FRINGE - $82.50 USD 4' X 6' POLE HEM & FRINGE - $99.30 USD
2x3' - 5x8'
Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. The continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenue through the mid-1990s by Qatari amirs permanently residing in Europe had stunted Qatar's economic growth. Former amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and by 2007 had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. In mid-2013, HAMAD peacefully abdicated, transferring power to his son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad. TAMIM remains popular with the Qatari public, having prioritized improving the domestic welfare of Qataris, including establishing advanced healthcare and education systems and expanding the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Recently, Qatar's relationships with its neighbors have been tense. Following the outbreak of regional unrest in 2011, Doha prided itself on its support for many popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria. This stance was to the detriment of Qatar's relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Doha in March 2014. TAMIM later oversaw a warming of Qatar's relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in November 2014 following Kuwaiti mediation and signing of the Riyadh Agreement. In June 2017, however, the Quartet — Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in response to alleged violations of the agreement. This impasse continues.
Maps and information from The World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/qa.html
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News & Media, Policy
CATF provides EPA with guidance to decarbonize U.S. power sector
June 8, 2022 Work Area: Carbon Capture, Methane, Power Plants, Zero-Carbon Fuels
WASHINGTON — Clean Air Task Force (CATF) harnessed its legal and technical expertise in the Clean Air Act, power sector, and climate pollution abatement to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with detailed comments in response to its Draft White Paper: Available and Emerging Technologies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Combustion Turbine Electric Generating Units, advising the agency to ensure that new and existing gas-fired power plants minimize and ultimately eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from its generation.
Find CATF's full submission to EPA here.
CATF Attorney Jay Duffy said:
"The climate crisis is escalating, and the U.S. power sector is undergoing a necessary and significant transformation toward low- and zero-emitting generation. EPA must expeditiously fulfill its mandate under the Clean Air Act to ensure that new and existing gas-fired power complete that transformation by minimizing and eliminating emissions of dangerous greenhouse gas pollution. Carbon capture and sequestration and hydrogen and ammonia co-firing are available and cost-reasonable in the near term to reduce emissions from gas-fired power plants, and EPA must utilize its authority to provide regulatory certainty to advance these technologies. At the same time, the Agency must take care to ensure that lifecycle emissions and leakage are addressed such that the gas-fired fleet does not exacerbate climate change even if its stack emissions are low or zero."
Troy Shaheen, Communications Director, U.S., Clean Air Task Force, tshaheen@catf.us, +1 845-750-1189
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world.
European Parliament ETS reform collapse is a major setback to industrial decarbonisation efforts
EPA proposes reversing Trump-era finding, reaffirming importance of regulating pollution from coal and oil-fired power plants
EPA released a proposal to reaffirm the finding under Clean Air Act that it is appropriate and necessary to regulate emissions of toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants.
Pens Down on the Clean Power Plan – Now All Eyes Turn to EPA
On Monday at midnight, the comment period for the Administration's Clean Power Plan closed. Over 1 million comments, including CATF's, already have been posted on EPA's ambitious effort to control carbon dioxide (CO2) from the nation's largest industrial source of that pollution– the existing fossil fueled power sector. The stage…
News & Media December 4, 2014


News reports from Moscow say that Umar Dzhabrailov, a wealthy businessman and former member of the Russian parliament, could face criminal charges after allegedly firing a pistol in a luxury hotel near the Kremlin.
Russian authorities say three law enforcement officers were killed in two separate incidents in the southern Daghestan region on August 28, including an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group's propaganda agency.
Will Putin Intervene To Save Daghestan's Unique Liana Forest?
Russian officials and politicians say a member of parliament in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya has been shot dead.
A senor official in Russia's Chechnya region has issued an assurance that a prominent singer whom relatives have not seen in 10 days is safe and will "appear soon."


text:
Açumbre är ett äldre spanskt volymmått för vin, motsvarande 2,017 liter. 1 açumbre = 4 cuartillos (0,504 liter) = 16 copas (0,126 liter). 1 cantara eller aroba (16,136 liter) = 8 açumbres.

Källor

Volymenheter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Required Tennessee and federal postings in one package.
Required Tennessee state postings on one poster.
Spanish Tennessee state postings on one poster.
Required Tennessee and federal postings in one package for download.
Electronic poster set of required Tennessee state postings for download.
Electronic poster set of required Tennessee state postings in both English and Spanish.


Chance brought the work of Gertrude Quastler to Pittsburgh. One single print is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, others in the Art Institute, Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and other first-rate museums in America. One work made it to the Tate Gallery in London in a touring show. But most of her work is here in western Pennsylvania, for her estate passed to her sister in law, Johanna Zimmerman, a resident of Pittsburgh. Local institutions were given work from the estate, and after her death in 1998 most of the surviving material was put up for sale at a local auction. That sale included a folder of about 140 drawings made by the artist towards the end of her life. 75 of those drawings make up the present exhibition at Brillobox, with a few other works from that same sale.
In 1983 Dr Paul Chew, director of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, organized an exhibition of Quastler's work, largely drawing on Mrs. Zimmerman's holdings, and the slim illustrated catalog with research notes by Mary A Schmidt is still the best overview of her life and work (Gertrude Quastler, 1909–1963: exhibition cat., The Westmoreland County Museum of Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 1983). Quastler's life was not easy. She was born in Vienna in 1909 and trained as a milliner but a severe attack of tuberculosis in 1932 was to change her life and eventually led to her death thirty one years later. She married her doctor, Henry Quastler, a brilliant radiologist, who continued to care for her throughout her life. They moved to Tirana, Albania, at the behest of King Zog, where Henry worked training radiologists. But by 1939, with the King in exile and an uncertain future in pre-war Europe, they managed to get a passage to America.
In America a brief stint at millinery was abandoned in favour of art classes at Columbia University, but by 1942 Henry Quastler's profession took them to Urbana, Illinois, and a year later she was studying art at the University of Illinois. From 1943 to 1956 in Urbana she moved from painting to a preoccupation with printmaking, notably the woodcut. Summer holidays in Provincetown may explain that. Today she is best known for this medium and her ambitious woodblock print 'Counterpoint' was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She enjoyed a considerable degree of success, exhibiting in New York and elsewhere and represented by the prestigious Weyhe Gallery. In 1952 she and her husband struck up a close friendship with the artist Richard Diebenkorn while he was living in Urbana, which was to prove lifelong.
A certain deterioration of her health caused Henry Quastler to take up a job at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, New York, and the move altered the range and nature of her art. Although she continued to produce woodblock prints, she continued to paint with renewed vigour. And by 1959 she also developed an interest in sculpture, making use of driftwood and found objects to produce realistic and humorous figural work. By the end of her life she was making sculpture out of wire. She also taught.
Some of the works on display are light and witty as ever but others have a darker purpose, tracing out a more menacing and troubled itinerary. Little cartoons of snails have bared teeth, old men fall over drunk, scenes of brutal violence make appearances, nightmares and bad dreams seem to be documented, executions, suicides, and, to my mind most disturbing of all, scenes of cutting into the flesh attest to disorder that call out for analysis.
Quastler is by no means alone among artists in that she and her work slipped from sight with her death. The chance translation of her work to Pittsburgh and its dispersal, partly preserved them but partly concealed them. Certainly these drawings add to the story. Her papers are now lodged with the Library of Congress, and gradually, through the medium of the Internet she is getting rather more understanding and attention.
Daniel Baumann is an art historian, curator, and critic, and is co-curator of the 2013 Carnegie International in Pittsburgh.
Graham Shearing is a writer, critic, and occasional curator living in Pittsburgh.


Located in Lafayette, Indiana, CityBus operates a fixed route transit service to ferry city commuters to and from work, as well as busy students from Purdue University West Lafayette campus and Ivy Tech. Melissa Baldwin is the CAD/AVL Supervisor at CityBus and was part of the team, instrumental in developing a solution for their scheduling and transfer process problems. CityBus operates a "spoke style" service in that a central hub connects riders to their destination. Their newly constructed transfer hub allows 10 buses to meet every half hour in the downtown core. Built to create efficiency and comfort, riders enjoy the climate-controlled waiting and rest areas. From the hub, riders transfer to any number of urban and rural destinations. Obviously, transfer priority is essential for CityBus to deliver exceptional service to their ridership, which is also a priority.
Their ridership is routinely on very tight schedules, whether they are students on their way to campus, or commuters on their way to work. Due to the amount of routes and connections they manage, CityBus has an incredibly diverse and therefore complicated system. Riders were finding the transfer process confusing due to CityBus's interline system, whereby bus numbers change to align with new routes. This confusion, added to the increasing city maintenance was making Melissa's job a great deal harder as she was (and continues to be) on the front lines when driver and rider complaints come in.
destabilize the on-time performance of the route. Radio communication was the only means by which drivers could get vital transfer information from dispatch, but this system rarely ran smoothly.
In 2009, Melissa led the team that implemented TripSpark Streets Fixed Route Software. This enabled CityBus to schedule and dispatch vehicles with more efficiency and develop an overview of operation to determine optimal routes and bus stop locations. As well, they added the Transfer Protection module to accompany the building of their new transfer hub. The software is designed to fully integrate into the existing Streets solution and after careful testing, Melissa describes some of the immediate benefits of having an automated system for data entry, tracking and driver communication.
Requests are now made through their in-vehicle MDT (Ranger Console) and its touchscreen display. Messages are also sent via a cellular UDP interface, connecting buses and their drivers. Once a request is made and an appropriate holding bus is designated, either the system automatically approves the request or a dispatcher can intervene, canceling it. If the schedule is running behind, dispatchers can always override the request to keep the schedule intact. Because Streets can monitor the location of buses on their routes using AVL, it can calculate accurate arrival times. Real-time data is pushed to the in-vehicle consoles of connecting bus drivers so they can make last-second decisions on whether to add 2-3 minutes to their wait times or not.
Radio traffic has been greatly reduced and information is far more accurate than the days when scraps of paper were the only method for tracking and remembering transfer requests. Drivers now have a greater depth of information. They can make better decisions about when it is okay to leave a stop and more importantly, how long they can wait. Riders now also have more assurance that they'll make their connections on time because their transfer requests have been sent digitally.
Future plans for CityBus include an awareness campaign to educate riders on how to use their system more effectively. Access to TripSpark MyRide and MyBus, allow riders to plan their trips by knowing the next three buses that will be departing from their chosen stop. Riders need to be aware that wait time windows are only 3 minutes, so they should be prepared, and having access to accurate passenger information is the first step in being prepared.
CityBus has found operational benefits to both Streets ITS and the addition of Transfer Protection. For better insight and depth of information, automation is the key piece of the puzzle.


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Interview Interrogation: Simon Hall (Beholder / Bloodstock Open Air)
"Why support Bloodstock? Well the festival itself is based on the mantra of "by the fans for the fans" so why wouldn't you?"
With Bloodstock Open Air 2016 only four months away, GMA decided it was time to find out what runs in the veins of the personnel behind the scenes. With bands being announced over the last 5-6 months like rapid-fire, it's only a matter of time before the whole festival is locked in with the M2TM winners potentially being the last to be locked in. This year M2TM has venues not only across the UK, but over in Norway and Poland. It seems that every year Bloodstock successfully knocks on the door of a countries metal scene and receives a warm welcome as a result.
One individual who not only pulls the strings of the whole Metal 2 The Masses (M2TM) venture, nor just plays in a brutally savage metal band by the name of Beholder, but without any argument has helped foster numerous careers of up-and-coming bands and help them flourish into what could be considered 'coming-of-age' bands. Such bands include The Furious Horde (who went on to play Metalcamp) and Evile (who signed onto Earache Records), other bands include (but not limited to): Bloodshot Dawn, Eibon La Furies, Splintered Soul, The Infernal Sea, Skreamer, etc.
Whilst heading the New Blood Stage (of which M2TM winners feed into), Simon also looks after the Sophie Lancaster Stage (named after a goth of the same name who was murdered nearly 10 years ago in Lancashire) and has in the past (and future) booked some of the world's most exciting and emerging metal talents. Referring back to the New Blood Stage, M2TM has visited (those in italic are being visited this year) England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Romania, Norway, Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, The Channel Islands, Poland and India (although we're not sure what happened there).
But like most things, everything has a beginning and a story to tell, Simon's story is one of respected work ethic and dedication to the metal scene. Not only in 2007 did his band Beholder play the what-was-then known as the "Lava" stage, but also simultaneously started feeding his input into the festival. Even though it seems that the Gregory family (proprietors) knew about what Simon does, his worth ethic in and around the time of Beholders performance meant that Simon was asked post-performance if he "could supply PA/Lights etc., for the following year", thereby clearly thinking ahead for the future and what Simon could offer, safe to say they made the right choice with Simon adding that "not long after that, I got to have a full sit down with Paul to put the pieces into place for the M2TM. I guess form that point on I've been heading that and building it year on year." As indicated earlier, Simon has placed his finger on 11 countries, with one island group and country (which didn't seem to happen) making up the 13 different areas.
Some might think this is process is slow and that it should pick up the pace, but like most things if it's rushed it could easily crumble, some then might argue Simon is prudent, perhaps he is, but he has straightforward logic supporting that decision:-
"To be honest I've took the approach that if we build the M2TM slowly and with focus of purpose, i.e. not developing too quickly and taking our eye off the ball, then the platform can continue to build slowly year on year. The fact is the M2TM has become something more than simply a competition and has done a great deal to help strengthen the bond in the underground scene, again in part down to its honest nature and the fact it won't welcome P2P, text voting etc., and encourages judging for musicality / performance against any "battle of the fans" scenario."
Like cheese, you need to let it mature in order to get the full-bodied flavour, otherwise the pasteurising process if disturbed, can leave a rotten mess. Naturally if cheese was entered into a country fair where awards are won for the best to the fourth or so best tasting cheese, then of course those who won will be ecstatic and those who lost will be heartbroken. The same goes for bands who enter the M2TM, though some who have not won the finals might be awarded another slot at BOA if it allows. Of course telling someone you have won or lost is never easy, especially when you have that band's fellow musicians in their respective scenes present. Even for Simon, who is a charismatic person to know and watch perform at BOA with Beholder, he admits he can feel the anxiety, terror, happiness and sadness wrap up inside of him and as he explains, it's not always plain-sailing :-
"Honestly it's terrifying and at times can hurt like hell. Why? Cos I care and being a musician myself I can only empathize with bands that don't make it that year, or on the flip-side, I can celebrate when I see what it means to the winning bands. But my first port of call is always to the bands that don't make Bloodstock at this time of trying and I'm quick to ensure them that they have been noticed, that with hard work they will eventually get to where they want to be and definitely not let this be a reason to stop striving – in fact the exact opposite."
Of course playing Bloodstock and indeed the M2TM means you're going to be noticed, but with more and more bands being noticed, invited to play BOA and leave with memories, is there just enough room to allow for the festival to expand indefinitely? Having grown organically from an indoors to an outdoors festival, it would seem that the best is yet to come as each edition passes. Yet Simon hopes to some extent that BOA does not leave Catton Hall as in his words "it feels like a home away from home", after adding that he is:-
"Certainly not worried as the emphasis again is on slow organic growth and keeping the core identity and unique selling point of the festival, which is the community atmosphere. From my perspective I think if we were to chase huge corporate sponsorship in order to build a bigger festival, it would come at a cost and wouldn't necessarily sit with our core demographic. That said I'm not aware of a definitive set figure on where the festival would reach it's peak.. I guess only time will tell on that one and whether Catton Hall will remain the home of BOA".
Speaking of home from home, BOA prides itself in bringing metal bands to the grounds from all over the world, so far the countries that have been tapped include (but not limited to): Brazil, Costa Rica, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Taiwan, India and Australia. So what does the future hold? Well surely with the growth of the festival, more and more international acts will be invited. Of course Africa has only seen one band in the form of Egyptian Death Metal horde Scarab perform at BOA. Africa may be the last frontier for metal music emergence, this however has not deterred Simon from expanding invitations far and wide, and not just to Africa either. Fans will just have to wait and see who is coming to Catton Hall this year as he explains:-
"Still yet to announce (who is coming), but this year we have bands from Austria, Tunisia and beyond and it's part of the plan to bring otherwise unknown bands to the UK that have huge support in their respective countries. When you consider we're the first and only festival to bring over acts such as Jasad (Indonesia), Orphaned Land (Israel), Scarab (Egypt), Burgerkill (Indonesia), Ne Obliviscaris (Australia) & Demonic Resurrection (India) – to name but a few ….. then it's something we're hugely proud of. "
Global Metal Apocalypse prides itself in giving bands from all over the world attention and to hear this news makes us smile. But let's see who else from the further regions of planet metal have graced BOA with their wonderful music (without repeating countries):- Breed 77 (Gibraltar), Sight of Emptiness (Costa Rica), Týr (Faroe Islands), ChthoniC (Taiwan), Infernal Tenebra (Croatia), Brezno (Slovenia), Krepuskul (Romania), Obsidian Kingdom (Spain), Dead Label (Ireland) and Scarred (Luxembourg) among others.
So what about the future of metal festivals? The outlook seems to be positive, so why should fans support Bloodstock? (Aside from supporting bands making history by being firsts to play in the UK / a major UK festival)? Simon has this to say:-
"For me at least the future is strong so long as you can stay true to the core focus of the festival yet be aware of the rapidly changing landscape of musical tastes and music delivery. Since I first stepped out on a M2TM tour I've seen numerous sea changes in the flavours of the underground – at first it was breakdowns and Djent styles, swiftly followed by more traditional melodic bands and certainly now the emphasis is on stripped down Stoner / Doom acts – so being aware of this and not being blinkered to what's actually selling is essential. But like I say, so long as you blend this with those acts that are box office favourites with the core audience then the future should be fine. As for why support Bloodstock? Well the festival itself is based on the mantra of "by the fans for the fans" so why wouldn't you?"
No doubt about it, Simon knows what he is on about as anyone who has been to Bloodstock would testify that the atmosphere is one with the fans, those who make the annual pilgrimage to the leader of British Metal festivals. For those who have never been, don't panic, it's a friendly and family-orientated festival that has garnered a rather special following since it's inception over a decade ago. It certainly feels that BOA is a huge family gathering, one that invites all brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and those in between to four days of metal music, drinking and unforgettable moments (bin jousting anyone?), but more importantly spending time with like-minded people. This is probably where Bloodstock trumps Download time and time again:-
"The aesthetics are definitely a prime focus for Bloodstock, although Download is a completely different festival and in their defence I've seen plenty of families over the years, but they are a much bigger entity I guess. But yep we certainly focus on things such as smaller stages, real ales, non musical entertainment alongside such necessities as seating, quiet camping etc etc. The fact is for many Bloodstock is the one time of the year when they get chance to meet like-minded people and celebrate metal.. so we want to make sure that this is done in relative comfort and make it a festival experience they'll take away with them."
But could festivals be secretly upstaging local shows? The question is, 'is there a slight buckle in the trend whereby fans tend to go to festivals more than they do gigs? What could Simon tell us from your experiences?' Simon certainly has been watching and paying close attention to the trend, the trend of local shows becoming more and more appreciated to a certain extent, in short festivals aren't outdoing local shows but instead indirectly influencing them - prime example? Metal 2 The Masses:-
"If honest this has been the case in recent years, but I do see a slow, gradual change away from the more sedentary and apathetic music fans. I think much of the change has been due to events and promoters doing more to drag people out and make them feel part of the event and in turn making them want to support live music. For years the Xbox and the TV has been responsible, along with things such as the recession, smoking bans, licensing laws, noise abatement etc, for culling numbers…. But these things are now no longer relevant and numbers are starting to build again. Again I would hold the hand up and say that the M2TM is in some part responsible for bucking the trend and I've often used the events to speak openly and encourage people to do the same."
It's essential that metal music fans support their local scene as much as possible by attending shows, supporting the performing bands from the start to the end of every single gig. Not heckling a band, showing some respect, not leaving just because your mates bands have played (unless of course you have to e.g. transport, not because you are apparently an arrogant individual). How did bands like Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth all start out? As local bands, they gained support and are now arguably beacons of light in their respective metal scenes and act as idols for young bands to aspire to. Speaking of young bands, those destined to rock their socks off at BOA for their first time (both NS and SL stages), Simon has this to say (and remember it always):-
"Enjoy it! Make as many friends and contacts as possible and don't go into the press tent drunk... ever!"
Regarding a documentary about Bloodstocks rise to acclaim, Simon acknowledged that he believes that "there was something in the pipeline but unsure as yet", logically it would seem just for them to make one due to their long-standing history but also look at Wacken Open Air, they did one for their 25th anniversary. As Bloodstock prepares to celebrate another year of metal once again, Simon leaves us with this sentimental thanking statement:-
"Quite simply although I work with a great team, both in the inner circle and throughout the extended crew, it's the fans that make this all happen so all I can say on behalf of Bloodstock is thank you so much and keep supporting the most pure and honest"
Bloodstock takes place at Catton Hall in Derbyshire from the 11th-14th August and promises to be an absolute blast. With Thrash legends Slay headlining the Saturday, 'Whale Metal' horde Mastodon headlining Friday and the festival closing with a bid-farewell performance from Twisted Sister on the Sunday, this is an edition you would not want to miss.
With the M2TM finals approaching very fast, more bands due to announce, and of course the preparations for hopefully a breezy, warm summer ahead, the next batch of websites you should visit on your next daily internet browsing are listed below (tickets available on site, Rock Soc completely sold out, follow updates as they happen via their FB page):-
https://www.facebook.com/Bloodstock?fref=ts
http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/


After conquering the western hemisphere, Chinese conglomerate Tencent is bringing Fortnite to China.
During a live presentation hosted by Tencent on April 23, a company representative said it would invest $15 million into promoting the game to its domestic audience, according to Chinese news site Donews.
Included among this promotional blitz is an official Chinese Fortnite website, where players will be able to download the game once it's released. Tencent is also offering unique in-game items to users that sign-up and pre-order their spots on the Chinese server before the game's impending release. The company will also allow Chinese players that have been playing on servers outside of China to transfer their data to a Chinese account to ensure that player progress isn't lost.
The $15 million will be split between establishing both domestic and global esports events for Fortnite in the country, as well as enlist popular content creators on social media to produce video material of the game.
Released on July 25, Epic Games' battle royale-game has quickly cemented itself as one of the most popular games in the world with a playerbase of more than 45 million unique players. Tencent, which owns a 48.4 percent share of Epic Games, has previously attempted to develop its own battle royale games to capitalize on the genre's popularity. But with Fortnite's success the company now appears to be putting all its efforts into making it a success in the domestic market.
The announcement came only one day following the conclusion of the first live Fortnite esports event. Twitch superstar Tyler "Ninja" Blevins was able to amass an audience of 680,000 unique live viewers, shattering the site's overall record for simultaneous live viewers of 628,000—a record set by Ninja on March 15.
Tencent, which also owns League of Legends developer Riot Games as well as the exclusive publishing rights to Fortnite competitor Playerunknown's Battlegrounds in China, is undoubtedly attracted by the popularity of Fortnite in the west. But when a product generates roughly $126 million per month, jumping on the bandwagon would appear to be the only reasonable course of action.


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Being Your Personal Best: Are You the Best "You" That You Can Be?
The good news is that YOU can control the outcome – you have the power to create the definition. I delineate steps using real-life experiences to help each person achieve their own individual potential. The final message is to motivate and encourage each member of the audience to make a commitment to live better – know your "why" – visualize your goal, then set out to achieve it. After all, you only have one life, make it worth living.
Life happens. Experiences occur. How are you going to respond? When a hurdle is thrown your way, it's easy to throw in the towel, but there is no productivity in that response. Every experience is purposeful and, if so, every experience is manageable. Change is not automatic or instantaneous. It is a process. It is a course of introspection and a practice of habits. A framework for constructive responses and reactions is summarized. The message is that the feeling of triumph that positive change promotes is unparalleled.
Ari is an ideal speaker for corporations, conferences, religious and interfaith groups, humanitarian organizations, nonprofits, and other platforms that advocate teamwork, unity, harmony, and change.


Home » commercials , g.i. joe the rise of cobra , land of the lost , movies , star trek , super bowl , transformers revenge of the fallen , up , youtube » The Super Bowl spots for UP, STAR TREK, LAND OF THE LOST, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, and TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN!
The Super Bowl spots for UP, STAR TREK, LAND OF THE LOST, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, and TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN!
Today is the Super Bowl, which means that big entertainment studios (among many other companies) will be dropping unconscionable amounts of coin on measly 30-second spots to shill for movies, some of which won't even be coming out 'til August. And thanks to the glorious wonder of the Internet, we can take a gander at them several hours before they air.
And finally, here's the Super Bowl ad for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A movie that I am extremely looking forward to but until now I have somehow remained blissfully unaware of what it's going to be about. And if this spot is any indication, the sequel to 2007's Transformers is going to completely pour on the crazy!
That is an absolutely powerful ad and I'm gonna make a post about it right now. Thanks Geoff!
Is that Devastator/combined Constructicons in the Transformers:ROTF commercial at the end rolling on one wheel?
I just checked with Seibertron.com, an AWESOME Transformers-dedicated website, and according to them that is NOT the Constructicons combiner (whatever its name is going to be). That is however ONE Constructicon, and he transforms into a steam shovel. In robot mode his treads turn into that giant wheel that he rolls about on.
See that little thing swinging into his face? That looks like Optimus.
And as big as this guy is, he still combines with several others to form an even BIGGER being!
on that site they have the toy version of Soundwave who is a triple changer.


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Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding
www.ccun.org
www.aljazeerah.info
News, January 2022
Mission & Name
US Foreign Policy (Dr. El-Najjar's Articles)
Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.
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2 Palestinians Killed, Scores Injured and Abducted, Homes Demolished by Israeli Occupation Soldiers
While brutal force has been used to create Zionist Israel and sustain it thus far, Zionist claims to Palestine are false. Actually, from the five thousand years of known written history, there has been a continuous Palestinian-Canaanite presence in the Holy Land. Despite the Zionist false claims, the ancient Israelites ruled part of the land for only 85 years (during the reign of David, Solomon, and Solomon's son).
After that, the Egyptians conquered Palestine-Canaan in 925 BC, followed by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arab Muslim rule, starting from 636 AD.
By the Time Jesus started his mission, the three population groups of Canaanites, Palestinians, and Israelites were melted together in religion and language. Most of them became Christians when Constantine converted in 313 AD. Then, most of them became Muslims in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.
So, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jews are the ones who have the right to claim descent from ancient Israelites, Palestinians, and Canaanites, not Zionists from other continents.
The following news stories are just examples of the Israeli occupation government abuse, mistreatment, and violations of Palestinian human rights, on daily basis.
More detailed news stories can be found at the following sources:
http://english.wafa.ps/, https://english.palinfo.com/, https://imemc.org/, https://paltoday.ps/ar/
Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, was killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in Balata, near Nablus, January 6, 2022 imemc Mustafa Yassin Falna, 25, was killed by
illegal Israeli settlers who ran over him,
in Safa village, west of Ramallah,
January 6, 2022 imemc
Israeli Occupation Army Abducts Four Palestinians In Ramallah And Jenin
IMEMC, JAN 10, 2022
Israeli occupation soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, three Palestinians from their homes, near Ramallah, in the central part of the occupied West Bank, and one in Jenin, in the northern part.
Media sources in Ramallah said several army jeeps invaded the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of the city, before abducting a former political prisoner, identified as Awab Ahmad Mubarak, in addition to Ala' Saleh Abu Sharifa.
The sources added that the soldiers also invaded the al-Am'ari refugee camp, south of Ramallah, and abducted Mahmoud Abu 'Aita, from his home.
The soldiers also invaded Anza village, southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, searched several homes, and abducted a young man, identified as Abdul-Rahman Mohannad Sadaqa.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded Be'er al-Basha village, south of Jenin, before storming and ransacked the family homes of a political prisoner, identified as Yacoub Qadri, and former political prisoner, Sami Mohammad Ghawadra, in addition to the home of Sami's brother, Marwan.
It is worth mentioning that Yacoub was among the six detainees who managed to escape from the high-security Gilboa prison in September of 2021 before they were recaptured a week later.
The soldiers also invaded the villages of Arranah and al-Jalama, while many military jeeps were extensively deployed in various areas south of Jenin.
Also at dawn, soldiers abducted eight young Palestinian men in Bethlehem city in addition to the towns of Beit Fajjar and al-Khader, south, and west of the city, in the occupied West Bank, after the army broke into and searched several homes.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Abduct Eight Palestinians In Bethlehem
Israeli occupation soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, eight young Palestinian men in Bethlehem city in addition to the towns of Beit Fajjar and al-Khader, south, and west of the city, in the occupied West Bank, after the army broke into and searched several homes.
Local sources said several army jeeps invaded the Saff Street, in the center of Bethlehem city, before abducting Nasser Mohammad al-Wahsh, 25, from his home.
They added that the soldiers also invaded the al-Khader town, west of Bethlehem, and abducted Hazem Jom'a Salah, 46, from his home.
In Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem, the soldiers invaded and ransacked many homes, before abducting Mohammad Ja'far Taqatqa, 23, Ibrahim Khaled Taqatqa, 17, Mohammad Mahmoud Taqatqa, 20, Ma'moun Akram Taqatqa, 19, Rabea' Ala' Taqatqa, 21, and Noureddin Jamal Taqatqa.
On Sunday evening, the soldiers shot a young man with a live round in the chest while walking near the bridge area of Kharbatha al-Misbah village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Another Palestinian Family Forced To Demolish Its Home In Occupied Jerusalem
The Israeli occupation apartheid regime soldiers in Jerusalem forced, on Sunday evening, a Palestinian family to demolish its home in Sur Baher village, southeast of the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
Media sources said Palestinians from Abu Kaf local family in Sur Baher village was forced to demolish its home after the City Council threatened to force it to pay 150.000 Shekels in fines and fees if the city carries the demolition out using its workers and equipment.
The home's owner, Ibrahim Abu Kaf, said that he and his family of seven have been living in their home after constructing it more than eleven years ago.
"Our home was only 120 square/meters, and we have been paying fines that have already cost us at least 65.000 Shekels, we paid the fines in monthly installments and tried to get our paperwork to license our home, but the city kept denying our applications and appeals," Ibrahim Abu Kaf said.
"A few days ago, the soldiers invaded our neighborhood and handed us a final demolition order, although we have been paying the fines and trying to conduct all needed procedures; we tried all legal means available to us" he added, "All in all, these applications and procedures have cost us more than 30.000 Shekels, yet the city said we had to demolish it before 4 at dawn, Monday.
"This is the tax we pay for living in our city, in occupied Jerusalem," Ibrahim added.
Israeli Occupation Forces Detain Six Palestinians From Jerusalem and Bethlehem
IMEMC, JAN 9, 2022
Israeli occupation forces detained, on Saturday night, and at dawn on Sunday, a number of Palestinian young men from various towns in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center (Silwanic).
Silwanic reported that Israeli police detained three young Palestinian men, identified as; Ahmad Al-Haj Mahmoud, Moataz Al-Haj Mahmoud, and Muhammad Hussain Mutwar from Sheikh Jarrah.
On Saturday night, Israeli forces detained a young man, identified as; Amer Zidani, in the Bab al-Maghariba area of Jerusalem on his way home from work. He was released on the condition that he return today for further interrogation.
Local sources in Bethlehem reported the detention of Amer Taqateqa, 17, and Mohamed Taqateqa, 22, at dawn Sunday, from their homes in Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.
Illegal Israeli Settlers, Soldiers, Attack Village Near Hebron, Injure Two, Including A Child
Illegal Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked Friday, many Palestinians in Susiya village, south of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, and injured two Palestinians, including one child.
The colonizers were shouting insults at the residents in the village and tried to break into their homes, causing damage.
They also hurled stones at the Palestinians wounding one man, identified as Mahmoud Salem al-Haddar, who suffered a moderate head injury.
The wounded man was rushed to Yatta governmental hospital where he received the needed treatment.
During the attack, the colonizers also assaulted a child, causing mild wounds.
In addition, the colonizers attacked many Palestinians while they were planting their lands in the Wad ar-Rakhim area in Susiya village and fired many live rounds at Palestinian homes and structures.
The lands are located between the Susiya village and the illegal Susya colony which was built on stolen Palestinian lands in Yatta city.
The illegal colonizers attacked the Palestinians in front of Israeli soldiers who stood and watched, allowing them to continue the assault.
The Palestinians remain on high alert in the village and surrounding areas as large groups of illegal colonizers remain gathered there.
Susiya, inhabited by more than five hundred Palestinians, has been subject to constant violations by the soldiers and the colonizers, for many years, especially after the illegal Susya colony was established on large areas of its stolen lands.
In the year 1986, most of the residents were displaced and their lands were illegally annexed after Israel established what it dubbed as "National Garden and a Park" for the illegal colonizers, and completely off-limits to the indigenous Palestinians.
In related news, a large group of illegal Israeli colonists attacked, Friday, the town of Teqoua', east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank before the soldiers invaded the town and abducted one Palestinian.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Attack Fishermen And Shepherds In Gaza
Israeli occupation soldiers attacked, Friday, Palestinian fishermen and shepherds near Gaza city and Deir al-Balah, in the besieged coastal region.
Media sources said Israeli navy ships fired many live rounds at Palestinian fishing boats in the Sudaniyya Sea area, northwest of Gaza city,
They added that the attacks caused damage and forced the fishermen back to the shore without being able to fish to provide for their families.
In addition, the soldiers fired many gas bombs at Palestinian shepherds east of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, forcing them to leave.
The army frequently attacks farmers, shepherds, workers, and fishermen across the eastern parts of the coastal region and in Palestinian territorial waters, leading to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, in addition to preventing the Palestinians from tending to their lands and from fishing to provide for their families.
In March of this last year 2021, the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza said Israeli mines were responsible for an explosion that led to the death of three fishermen.
Israeli Occupation Army Injures Dozens Of Palestinians In Beita
Israeli occupation soldiers injured, Friday, dozens of Palestinians in Sbeih Mountain in Beita town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Ahmad Jibril, the head of the Emergency Unit at the Nablus office of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the soldiers shot ten Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets, including two who suffered head injuries.
Jibril added that 44 Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and five others sustained cuts and bruises to various parts of their bodies.
He also denounced the ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian medical teams and said that the soldiers closed the roads leading to the area of protests, preventing the ambulance from crossing.
The Palestinians have been holding weekly processions in Sbeih Mountain since May of 2021 after illegal Israeli colonizers occupied its top and installed an outpost. The Israeli attacks against them have led to hundreds of casualties, including many fatalities.
The Mountain, owned by the Palestinians, has significant strategic importance, especially since if it is occupied by the colonizers the colony would lead to the annexation of 20 Dunams of Palestinian lands, and would also lead to the isolation of a large area of Palestinian lands.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Injure Many Palestinians In Hebron, Abduct Two In Jerusalem
Israeli occupation soldiers injured, Friday, several Palestinians during protests that took place in the Bab az-Zawiya area, in the center of Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. The soldiers also invaded Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem, and abducted two Palestinians.
Media sources said the soldiers, stationed at the permanent military roadblock at the entrance of the Shuhada neighborhood in Hebron, attacked dozens of Palestinians who marched in the area, protesting the constant Israeli violations and the ongoing occupation.
They added that the soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades, shooting two in the arm and leg, and causing many to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In related news, the soldiers invaded the town, northwest of Jerusalem, and abducted two Palestinians who were among the dozens of residents marching in solidarity with Nasser Abu Hmeid, 49, a Palestinian detainee who is in a serious condition in Israeli prison.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) stated that Nasser has been in a coma since Tuesday at the Israeli Barzilai hospital, where he has been for five days following a serious fever. Abu Hmeid has been found to have a severe lung infection and is currently on artificial respiration, in critical condition.
In Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem, the soldiers abducted two young men, identified as Fuad Mansour and Ali Eid, during a procession in solidarity with Abu Hmeid, after the army invaded the town.
The soldiers also installed a military roadblock on the road between Beit Doqqo and Beit Ijza near villages.
Israeli Occupation Army Abducts Three Palestinians, Injure Many, Near Jenin
Israeli occupation soldiers abducted, Friday, three Palestinians in Ya'bad town, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and injured several residents in the al-'Arqa village, west of the city.
Media sources said several army jeeps invaded Ya'bad, before abducting three young men, identified as Ahmad Yousef Abu Bakr, Samih Nasr Abu Bakr, and Roshdi Jawad Jarrah, all in their twenties.
They added that the three Palestinians were taken to the nearby Dotan military base, which was built on stolen Palestinian lands near Jenin.
In related news, the soldiers invaded the al-'Arqa village, leading to protests, before firing live rounds and gas bombs, causing many residents to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Many army jeeps were also deployed around Ya'bad and the al-Jalama village and the army closed many roads.
WAFA: "17 Palestinians injured by occupation forces in Beit Dajan, Kufur Qaddoum"
NABLUS, Friday, January 07, 2022 (WAFA) –
At least 17 Palestinians were injured today by the Israeli occupation army during the weekly protests against colonial Israeli settlement activities in the village of Kufur Qaddoum and Beit Dajan in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
In Beit Dajan village, in Nablus province, Israeli occupation soldiers fired rubber-coated rounds and stun grenades at the anti-colonization protesters, injuring at least twelve of them and causing many cases of suffocation from teargas inhalation. All the wounded were treated at the scene by local medics.
In the village of Kafr Qaddoum, in Qalqilia province, five Palestinians were injured from Israeli rubber-coated rounds during clashes with the Israeli occupation army in the village. Other cases of suffocation from tear gas inhalation were also reported.
Meantime in Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, two Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation soldiers and others sustained suffocation from teargas during clashes in the neighborhood of Bab al-Zawiya in the city. The two wounded were moved to the hospital for medical treatment.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Abduct Three Palestinians Near Nablus
Israeli occupation soldiers invaded, on Friday at dawn, Beita village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and abducted three Palestinians from their homes.
Media sources said more than ten military vehicles invaded the town before the soldiers stormed and ransacked homes in the ar-Ras area where they abducted one Palestinian and two others of the western neighborhood.
They added that the abducted Palestinians have been identified as Jihad Hilan Bani Shamsa, 50, Daoud Bani Shamsa, 44, and Monir Mahmoud Abu Thiab, 38.
The soldiers cuffed and blindfolded the abducted Palestinians, before taking them to the Huwwara military base, south of Nablus.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Abduct Three Palestinians, Including One Woman, In Jericho
Israeli occupation soldiers invaded, Thursday, the Palestinian city of Jericho, in northeastern West Bank, before storming a hotel, and abducted three Palestinians, including one woman.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers invaded a hotel in the city, before abducting a husband, his wife, and another young man.
The soldiers surrounded the area of the hotel before invading it and prevented the Palestinians from entering or leaving.
The army then took the abducted Palestinians to a military base outside of Jericho city.
It is worth mentioning that, on Thursday at dawn, the soldiers abducted at least twenty-three Palestinians, and injured two, in several parts of the West Bank.
Also at dawn, the soldiers killed a young man, identified as Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 23, near Balata refugee camp, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
On Thursday morning, a Palestinian man, Mustafa Yassin Falna, 25, from Safa village, west of Ramallah, in the central part of the West Bank, was killed after being rammed by a car driver by an illegal Israeli colonist, while heading to his work in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Kill A Palestinian In Nablus
Israeli occupation soldiers killed, on Thursday at dawn, a young Palestinian man near Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that the slain young man is Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, and added that he was shot with live fire.
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Media sources said protests took place after many Israeli army vehicles invaded the area and added that Palestinian resistance fighters also exchanged fire with the invading soldiers.
During the invasion, the soldiers invaded and searched several homes and abducted a young man, identified as Mohammad Salama from Balata al-Balad adjacent town.
After his death, hundreds of Palestinians marched in Nablus calling for ongoing resistance against the Israeli occupation.
His cousin, Mohammad Hashash, said Bakeer recently opened fire at the soldiers during an invasion into Nablus city, and since then, the soldiers have been trying to abduct him.
He added that, approximately at 2:30 at dawn, the soldiers invaded the eastern area of Balata refugee camp, Balata town, and the al-Quds Street, and said that Mohammad exchanged fire with the soldiers for nearly twenty minutes before he was shot and killed.
Palestinian Killed After Being Rammed By A Colonist's Car
A Palestinian young man was killed, on Thursday morning, after being rammed by a car driver by an illegal Israeli settler, while heading to his work in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
The victim, Mustafa Yassin Falna, 25, was from Safa village, west of Ramallah, in the central part of the occupied West Bank.
Mustafa, a married father of an 18-month-old baby, was crossing the street while on his way to work when he was killed, his family said.
The incident took place approximately at six in the morning, on Road #443 near Maccabim roadblock, about thirty kilometers west of Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that "This situation confirms not only the racism of the occupying state in dealing with the Palestinians but also the absolute disregard for their lives as if they have no value."
It added, "We consider such incidents, which have become a phenomenon that is repeatedly occurring without any real investigation of follow-up by the occupation police or the army, as crimes, whether intentional and deliberate or by negligence and indifference shown by the occupying police, even if they are ordinary traffic accidents involving a Palestinian."
On Thursday at dawn, the soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man, identified as, Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, with live rounds near the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank.
Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, shot dead by Israeli soldiers near the Balata refugee camp
"This situation confirms not only the racist nature of the occupying state in dealing with the Palestinians but also the outrageous disregard for Palestinian lives, as if they have no value," The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement.
"We consider such incidents, which have become a dangerous phenomenon that is repeatedly occurring without any real investigation of follow-up by the occupation police or the army, as crimes and grave violations, whether intentional and deliberate or by negligence and indifference shown by the occupying police, even if they are ordinary traffic accidents involving a Palestinian", the Ministry concluded
On Wednesday, Sheikh Suleiman al-Hathalin, 75, was critically injured after being run over by an Israeli military truck during protests in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, in the southern West Bank.
The elderly Palestinian man suffered a very serious skull fracture and is in hospital in critical condition.
On December 24, 2021, a Palestinian woman, Ghadir Anis Masalma, 63, was killed by an Israeli colonialist settler who rammed her with his car and fled the scene, near the entrance of the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Abduct 23 Palestinians, Injure Two, In West Bank
Updated: Israeli occupation soldiers abducted, on Thursday at dawn, at least twenty-three Palestinians and injured two, in several parts of the occupied West Bank.
Media sources in Ramallah, in the central part of occupied West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Sameh Ahmad Amin Tamimi, Moath Ahmad Hussin Tamimi, Amin Ahmad Amin Tamimi, Baker Abdul-Khaleq Tamimi, Jihad Mohammad Hussin Tamimi, Mohammad Younis Tamimi, Hussin Abdul-Halim Tamimi, Hussein Abdul-Halim Tamimi, and Rami Yahia Tamimi, after invading their homes and ransacking them, in Deir Nitham village, northwest of Ramallah city.
They added that the soldiers detonated the front doors of the invaded homes, before breaking into them and ransacking them, and confiscated more than twenty mobile phones.
Furthermore, the soldiers invaded several towns in the southern West Bank governorate of Hebron, searched many homes, and abducted Nour Hatem Qfeisha, 25, Soheib Fares Za'aqeeq, 21, from Beit Ummar town, in addition to former political prisoner Walid al-Mizyin, 39, from the al-'Arroub refugee camp, and Jihad Mahmoud Obeid, 41, along with his son, Mahmoud, 22, from Yatta town.
In Tubas, in the northeastern West Bank, the soldiers invaded the al-Far'a refugee camp, south of the city, leading to protests, before shooting a young man with live rounds in the lower extremities.
The soldiers also abducted a young man in the refugee camp, identified as Obai Nabil al-Amir, 21, after invading his home and ransacking it.
Also at dawn, the soldiers invaded an area near Balata refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and killed a young man, identified as Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 23.
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Open Fire At Shepherds In Central Gaza
Israeli occupation soldiers fired, Thursday, several live rounds at Palestinian shepherds east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers, stationed across the perimeter fence, fired several live rounds at the shepherds, on Palestinian lands near the fence, forcing them to leave.
Also, the Israeli Air Force carried out several mock raids, using sonic booms low altitude flights over several parts of the Gaza Strip.
In March of 2021, the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza said Israeli mines were responsible for an explosion that led to the death of three fishermen.
Weekly Report on Israeli Occupation Regime's Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR): Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (30 December 2021 – 05 January 2022)
Summary for December 30, 2021 – January 5, 2022
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to commit crimes and multi-layered violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, abuse, and arrests against civilians. This week's events witnessed an escalation in Israeli demolitions and demolition notices against Palestinian properties. Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip has entered its 15th year under occupation and closure, as Israel has continued to exercise the worst known collective punishment in human history, exacerbating humanitarian hardships across the territory.
IOF shooting and violation of right to life and bodily integrity:
During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian with mental health issues and wounded 16 civilians, including 5 children, as they continue to exercise excessive use of force in the West Bank. On the 31st of December 2021, IOF killed Amir Atef Khader Rayan, a 36-year-old male with mental health issues. Rayan was killed near Haris intersection in northern Salfit, allegedly for attempting a stab attack. Filed investigations indicate that the victim was several meters away from where the Israeli soldiers stood, meaning he did not pose any form of threat to them. This crime reflects the unjustifiable leniency in IOF shooting standards and a disregard for Palestinians' lives.
Additionally, PCHR documented the following incidents:
3 Palestinians wounded, including one in critical condition in Jerusalem; 2, including 1 child, wounded in Nablus; 11, including 4 children, wounded in Qalqilya.
In the Gaza Strip, PCHR documented 8 instances of IOF opening fire, and 4 shootings on fishing boats.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 103 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids of civilian houses and shootings. During this week's incursions, 78 Palestinians were arrested, including 7 children.
Demolitions:
PCHR documented 13 incidents:
Occupied East Jerusalem: 5 houses demolished, including 2 self-demolished, in Sur Baher, Silwan and Beit Hanina. A commercial facility was self-demolished in the old city. Wide-scale distribution of demolition notices against houses, commercial and agricultural establishments. Also, IOF disbursed summonses against Palestinians, issued a cease-construction order of a mosque, and confiscated a tin-plated greenhouse in Isawiya. A commercial barracks demolished, and a container confiscated in al-Za'im. A health center used as a Covid-19 vaccination hub was also demolished in Jabel Mukaber, as well as 2 barracks used for cattle in Anata.
Bethlehem: demolition notices served against 8 houses, a mosque, and a civilian facility in Nahalin.
Tubas: 2 residential tents removed, as well as 6 others used for cattle, along with 80 steel barriers, and 15 cattle feeders in the northern Jordan valleys.
Settler-attacks:
PCHR documented the following attacks by settlers in the West Bank:
Nablus: Palestinian lands in Burin attacked; 46 olive trees cut; a vehicle struck, and its windshield shattered; civilian homes attacked in Burqa.
Hebron: a house attacked in Tel Rumeida.
Israeli closure policy and restrictions on freedom of movement:
The Israeli occupation authorities continued its collective punishment measures against the Gaza Strip as the 15-year Israeli closure imposed on the territory deepened the population's humanitarian and living crises. Unemployment has skyrocketed at 45% of the population, 63% of whom are youth.
More than half of the Gaza Strip's population suffer from poverty, as the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics data shows that 53% of the Gaza Strip population is impoverished and more than 62.2% are food insecure, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Additionally, IOF continued to divide the West Bank into separate cantons with key roads blocked by the Israeli occupation since the Second Intifada in 2000, restricting civilian movement with temporary and permanent checkpoints, where civilian are also subjected to arrests, especially at al-Karama border crossing located alongside the Palestinian-Jordanian border.
PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – – IMEMC News
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A month to celebrate hobbyists and their many interests is a tribute to creativity at its finest.
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About the author: AnneMarie Campbell is the business development manager at Lightning Labels.