text:
Abuse, Oppression and Murder: The PA Does Israel's Dirty Work in the West Bank
March 5, 2020 at 3:43 am | Published in: Article, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine
Palestinians carry posters depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with a red cross during a protest against him in Gaza 22 March 2018 [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]
RamzyBaroud
Merely two weeks after Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, declared that the PA will suspend all 'security coordination' with Israel, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank killed unarmed teenager, Salah Zakareneh.
Zakareneh is not the first and, sadly, will not be the last Palestinian to be killed by the PA security forces, which in recent years have dramatically increased their oppressive tactics against any form of political dissent in Palestine.
The 17-year-old boy died soon after PA security was dispatched to the village of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, in the northern West Bank to allegedly confront a "military-style demonstration" that was being planned.
The official version of the story claimed that as soon as the PA force arrived in Qabatiya, armed men from the village opened fire while others hurled rocks, prompting PA officers to respond with live bullets and teargas canisters, resulting in the death of Zakareneh and the wounding of others. No PA officers were wounded by gunfire.
There is no denying that anti-PA sentiment has grown exponentially throughout the occupied Palestinian territories in recent months. Abbas's Authority is rife with corruption and continues to rule over Palestinians, in whatever limited capacity permitted by Israel, with no democratic mandate whatsoever.
Moreover, the PA consists largely of loyalists to Abbas's Fatah party, which is itself divided between various centres of power.
Read: Amazon will now deliver for free to Palestine
In 2016, the PA set up a joint body of Palestinian intelligence agencies in Jericho with the sole purpose of cracking down on supporters of Abbas's arch-enemy, Mohammed Dahlan, who is currently in exile.
Former Palestinian senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan on 16 September 2015 [STR/AFP/Getty Images]
Since its creation, the new intelligence body, which reports directly to the President, has expanded its mandate and is actively cracking down on any individual, organization or political entity that dares question the policies of Abbas and his party.
Soon after Abbas claimed in a speech before the Arab League in Cairo, on February 1, that the PA will severe all contacts with Israel "including security relations", a senior PA official informed Israeli media that the cooperation between the PA and Israel is still ongoing.
"Until now, the coordination is ongoing, but relations are extremely tense," the official told the Times of Israel.
'Security coordination' is perhaps the only reason why Israel is allowing the PA to exist despite the fact that Israel, with the support of the United States, has completely reneged on all of its commitments to the Oslo accords and all subsequent agreements.
It is quite surreal that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, which once promised Palestinians freedom and liberation in an independent, sovereign state, now exists mostly to ensure the very security of the Israeli army and illegal Jewish settlers in occupied Palestine.
The PA and the Israeli occupation now co-exist in some kind of symbiotic relationship. To ensure the continuation of that mutually beneficial relationship, both entities are invested in suppressing any form of resistance, or even mere protest, in the occupied West Bank.
In truth, whether the protesters in Qabatiya were accompanied by gunmen or not would have made little difference. The only form of protest or mass gathering which is currently allowed in the West Bank is those held by Abbas's own loyalists, chanting his name and chastising his enemies.
Last year, the Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK accused PA security services of using repressive measures against Palestinian activists and employing psychological and physical torture against its critics; in other words, duplicating Israeli policies in dealing with Palestinians.
Those who are often targeted by the PA's Preventive Security Service (PSS) and various other intelligence units include students and previously released prisoners.
In its 2020 report on "Israel and Palestine", Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that hundreds of Palestinians have been detained and tortured by PA security forces for the most insignificant 'offences'.
Read: UN appoints new Commissioner-General for Palestine relief agency
"The PA held 1,134 people in detention as of April 21 (2019)," according to HRW figures.
The rights groups also reported that "between January 2018 and March 2019, (the PA) detained 1,609 persons for insulting 'higher authorities' and creating 'sectarian strife,' charges that in effect criminalize peaceful dissent, and 752 for social media posts."
Palestinian Authority police forces can be seen violently arresting a Palestinian man on 12 March 2017 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]
While many Palestinian prisoners held unlawfully in Israel undergo prolonged hunger strikes demanding their immediate release or better imprisonment conditions, news of Palestinian prisoners on open hunger strikes in PA prisons often go unreported.
Ahmad al-Awartani, 25, was one of the thousands of Palestinians to be arrested based on outrageous charges, as the young man was detained under the so-called Cyber Crimes Law. He was arrested by PA police for a single Facebook post in which he criticized the Palestinian Authority.
In April 2018, al-Awartani entered a hunger strike that went almost completely unnoticed by Palestinian, Arab, and international media.
Arbitrary arrests, torture, and violence are regular occurrences in occupied Palestine. While Israel is responsible for the greater share of the violation of Palestinian human rights, the PA is part and parcel of that same Israeli strategy.
While it is true that Abbas's crackdowns are tailored to serve his personal interests, PA action has ultimately served the interests of Israel which aim at keeping Palestinians divided and is using PA security forces as an extra layer of protection for its soldiers and settlers alike.
That in mind, Zakareneh's death cannot be viewed as a marginal occurrence in the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and apartheid. Indeed, the Palestinian Authority has made it crystal clear that its violence against dissenting Palestinians is no different than Israeli violence targeting any form of resistance, anywhere in Palestine.
ArticleIsraelMiddle EastOpinionPalestine


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Home > News > Ex-Bachelor Contestants Being Investigated for Suspicious Winnings On DraftKings
09 Jan, 2020 by Fantasy Sport
Ex-Bachelor Contestants Being Investigated for Suspicious Winnings On DraftKings January 9, 2020 Fantasy Sport
DraftKings has announced that they will be probing the $1 million win of a former contestant of the reality show "The Bachelor" after allegations of potential cheating emerged. The Bachelor is one of the top reality TV shows and contestants who do well in the show tend to gain a lot of the spotlight immediately after.
Jade Roper-Tolbert, a former Bachelor contestant who was also part of the 2015 "Bachelor in Paradise" series will not be very happy with the media attention she is getting because of this cheating scandal. Jade has been accused along with her husband Tanner Tolbert — also a "Bachelor" alum of colluding with each other to win DraftKing's "Millionaire Maker" event.
Jade's emerged victorious from a field of over 100,000 entries to garner the top prize. While Tolbert has long been an avid fantasy sports player, her fantasy sports betting play became regular only in the current NFL season.
Us Weekly
Jade Roper-Tolbert Beats Field of 100,000
To win, Jade had to create a lineup from four wild-card NFL games last weekend. She ended up submitting an entry that included Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. However, the player who contributed the most to her win was Seattle Seahawks wideout D.K. Metcalf, who turned in a massive performance.
Some fantasy sports players have criticised Jade's win as the product of an unfair advantage. According to reports, the couple submitted the maximum 300 entries in total—150 each—with virtually all entries containing a unique roster of player combinations, ensuring that their accumulated entries would contain most of the NFL's fantasy stars.
Since each of the couple's 150 entries have barely any overlap between all their respective lineups, some vocal members of the fantasy sports community have argued that Jade and her husband must have colluded with each other, which is expressly forbidden under the DraftKings rules. The company has launched an internal review into these allegations.
Couple Denies Cheating Allegations
The couple released a statement to celebrity news website TMZ where they denied any wrongdoing and described Jade's win as "pure luck", a win that they speculated would be less scrutinised if she were not female or a non-celebrity.
James Chisholm, spokesman for DraftKings said the company is following protocol and not singling out Jade. Chisholm confirmed that it is the policy of the firm to conduct an internal review after every major event before paying out, ensuring that all rules and regulations are followed. Currently, no timeline has been offered by Chisholm for the conclusion of the review.
Alabama and Tennessee Declare Paid DFS Contests Illegal
Alabama and Tennessee have declared paid daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests to be illegal joining a list of states that
FanDuel is one of the biggest Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) operators in the United States. The company recently announced that
DraftKings Set To Challenge DFS Operators In Australia
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings has expanded operations into another continent after confirming earlier this week that it has

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Check phpass is correct on my existing login page I'm trying to add Phpass to my website but no matter what I do I can't get the $check boolean to return true to let me actually log in, So far I've managed to encrypt my password with it and store it on the database but checking against it is failing.
<?php

if(isset($_POST['Login'])){

    $EM = $_POST['Email'];

    // Password from form input
    $PW = $_POST["Password"];

    // Passwords should never be longer than 72 characters to prevent DoS attacks
    if (strlen($PW) > 72) { die("Password must be 72 characters or less"); }

    // Just in case the hash isn't found
    $stored_hash = "*";

    // Retrieve the hash that you stored earlier
    $stored_hash = "this is the hash we stored earlier";

    // Check that the password is correct, returns a boolean
    $check = $hasher->CheckPassword($PW, $stored_hash);

    if ($check) {
    // passwords matched! show account dashboard or something

    $result = $con->query("select * from user where Email='$EM' AND Password='$PW'");

    $row = $result->fetch_array(MYSQLI_BOTH);

    session_start();

    $_SESSION["UserID"] = $row['UserID'];

    header('Location: Account.php');

    } else {

     // passwords didn't match, show an error
    header('Location: Fail.php');
    }

}

Because I've been trying to add to an existing login I wonder if I have excess code which is just breaking it? Or maybe I just messed it up all together as no matter what I try when logging in the only thing that will load is
header('Location: Fail.php');:|

Thanks in advance!
Edit: Right, I have a register file that saves the hashed password to the database:
if(isset($_POST['Register'])){

    session_start();
    $FName  = $_POST['First_Name'];
    $LName  = $_POST['Last_Name'];
    $Email  = $_POST['Email'];

    // In this case, the password is retrieved from a form input
    $PW = $_POST["Password"];

    // Passwords should never be longer than 72 characters to prevent DoS attacks
    if (strlen($PW) > 72) { die("Password must be 72 characters or less"); }

    // The $hash variable will contain the hash of the password
    $hash = $hasher->HashPassword($PW);

    if (strlen($hash) >= 20) {

    // Store the hash somewhere such as a database
    // The code for that is up to you as this tutorial only focuses on hashing passwords
    $sql = $con->query("INSERT INTO user (Fname, Lname, Email, Password)Values('{$FName}','{$LName}', '{$Email}', '{$hash}')");

    } else {

     // something went wrong

    }

    echo $hash;

//  $StorePassword = password_hash($PW, PASSWORD_BCRYPT, array('cost' => 10));

    header('Location: Login.php'); //Redirect here when registering

And then I wish to read it from the database, compare it to the password entered etc.
How do I pull that info from the mysqli db to compare it? and hopefully make it work?
This is the tutorial I was following: https://sunnysingh.io/blog/secure-passwords

A:
if(isset($_POST['Login'])){

    $EM = $_POST['Email'];

    // Password from form input
    $PW = $_POST["Password"];

    // Passwords should never be longer than 72 characters to prevent DoS attacks
    if (strlen($PW) > 72) { die("Password must be 72 characters or less"); }

    $result = $con->query("select * from user where Email='$EM'");

    $row = $result->fetch_array(MYSQLI_BOTH);

    if ($row) {

        // Check that the password is correct, returns a boolean
        $check = $hasher->CheckPassword($PW, $row['Password']);

        if ($check) {
            // passwords matched! show account dashboard or something

            session_start();

            $_SESSION["UserID"] = $row['UserID'];

            header('Location: Account.php');
            exit;
        }
    }

     // passwords didn't match, show an error
    header('Location: Fail.php');

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
White Horse Guitar Club
Coughlan's, Douglas St.
The story of The White Horse Guitar club is one based around music & friendship. The bond of those two things has drawn a group of likeminded men together and the shared experience of singing, playing and performing is a long burning fuel that keeps a bright fire lit.
Formed in early 2012, the band evolved from an open club environment into a fully fledged musical touring group of 11 friends in that relatively short space of time. The music they play is deeply rooted in the fine tradition of songwriting that flourishes in the southern states of America, particularly in Kentucky & Tennessee where the Scots/Irish influence was strong. The WHGC proudly sing the songs of John Prine, Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Buddy Miller, Townes Van Zandt, Tim O'Brien, Willie Nelson and more.
The White Horse Guitar Club has performed all over Ireland & beyond in the last 10 years, in concert settings and cosy pub corners, as street musicians and as festival favorites. The group were warmly received in Germany, Holland, France and Italy over the years and have sold out Opera Houses on home soil.
All good stories are shaped by the twists and turns of the road and the adventure of The White Horse Guitar Club is very much still being written. Keep your ears tuned and your heart open.
Supported by Cork City Council, Arts Office and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media


Lava Auto Car Rental - Reader's Choice Destination of the Year 2018?
No surprise to us really (sorry for the brutal arrogance) that Iceland came on top as Destination of the year 2018 in a web survey of a well renowend travel website Travel and Leisure. Earning 14.5 percent to beat Singapore in second place with 10.5 percent. All thou we are not suprised and a litle bit arrogant we are humble and greatful.
With the Island being small with low population we are constantly growing in tourism. Lava Car Rental is no exception in that relation. Our customer Service is very important to us and we thrive to to better today than yesterday.
With tourists at some point of the year being more that citizens it really is an acomplishment for the tourism in whole what has been done in recent years. According to the Icelandic tourist board, visitors have risen from 450.000 in the year 2010 to a staggering 2.2 million in 2017!! Obviously we are thankful for each visitor and welcome you to tour Iceland in an comfortable Lava Car!


Precipitation will begin as snow this evening, then change to ice pellets. Ice pellets will change to freezing rain Friday morning. Freezing rain will continue for several hours before finally changing to rain Friday morning.


If you are reading this, you may be looking for the type of help I offer.
Many people need help when facing a crisis or a personal issue. When situations or emotions are overwhelming, people often need help to understand themselves and their circumstances.
Support helps you to make sense of your situation and to make changes in your life.
Confidentiality is a core principle in counselling and psychotherapy. As a member of the BACP I am bound by its Ethical Framework for Good Practice and subject to its complaints procedure. Visit www.bacp.co.uk.
The number of sessions really depends on you and your issues.
I generally recommend an initial contract of eight sessions. We will discuss this in the initial assessment and any agreement we reach is open - ended and open to negotiation. It is usual to have reviews on a regular basis.


Welcome to the first edition of your monthly cannabis digest that keeps you up-to-date on the most excellent cannabis & where to find it!
Ready to start growing cannabis? We found some of the best places to buy high-quality cannabis clones in Oregon.
Good news! The million-pound cannabis surplus in Oregon has resulted in budget-friendly concentrates & extracts. Try them out this 7/10 holiday!
Down Oregon's Pacific Coast Highway, from Astoria to Humbug Mountain, explore all the best cannabis destinations in the region.
Oregon's adult-use edibles are affordable, frequently low-dose, and offer the special-occasion highs that great travel stories are made of.
Explore some of the very best genetics Oregon has to offer in seed-form. Featuring strains from Archive, Dynasty Genetics, and more, these seed packets promise a bright future for your cannabis garden.
We caught up with actor and musician Jim Belushi about the loss of his brother, John, and his path to the cannabis industry.
Oregon's cannabis oil cartridge options are abundant, but don't get overwhelmed—we've sifted out the best ones for you to try.
Craving flavorful cannabis? Take a look at these great craft cannabis strains grown in Oregon, sorted by their top terpenes.
Looking for cannabis in Newport, Oregon? Whether you're looking for top-shelf flower, glass, or a great deal on products, this guide will get your trip started on a high note.
Looking for cannabis in Coos Bay and North Bend, Oregon? Whether you're looking for top-shelf flower, glass, or a great deal on products, this guide will get your trip started on a high note.
Looking for cannabis in Lincoln City, Oregon? Whether you're looking for top-shelf flower, glass, or a great deal on products, this guide will get your trip started on a high note.
Looking for cannabis in Astoria, Oregon? Whether you're looking for top-shelf flower, glass, or a great deal on products, this guide will get your trip started on a high note.
Looking for cannabis in Seaside, Oregon? Whether you're looking for top-shelf flower, glass, or a great deal on products, this guide will get your trip started on a high note.


text:
<?php

require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../../bootstrap.php';

class Elastica_Filter_AndTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    public function testToArray()
    {
        $and = new Elastica_Filter_And();
        $this->assertEquals(array('and' => array()), $and->toArray());

        $idsFilter = new Elastica_Filter_Ids();
        $idsFilter->setIds(12);

        $and->addFilter($idsFilter);
        $and->addFilter($idsFilter);

        $expectedArray = array(
            'and' => array(
                $idsFilter->toArray(),
                $idsFilter->toArray()
            )
        );

        $this->assertEquals($expectedArray, $and->toArray());
    }

    public function testSetCache()
    {
        $client = new Elastica_Client();
        $index = $client->getIndex('test');
        $index->create(array(), true);
        $type = $index->getType('test');

        $doc = new Elastica_Document(1, array('name' => 'hello world'));
        $type->addDocument($doc);
        $doc = new Elastica_Document(2, array('name' => 'nicolas ruflin'));
        $type->addDocument($doc);
        $doc = new Elastica_Document(3, array('name' => 'ruflin'));
        $type->addDocument($doc);

        $and = new Elastica_Filter_And();

        $idsFilter1 = new Elastica_Filter_Ids();
        $idsFilter1->setIds(1);

        $idsFilter2 = new Elastica_Filter_Ids();
        $idsFilter2->setIds(1);

        $and->addFilter($idsFilter1);
        $and->addFilter($idsFilter2);

        $index->refresh();
        $and->setCached(true);

        $resultSet = $type->search($and);

        $this->assertEquals(1, $resultSet->count());
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Petition Grant the brown hare protection under S5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The brown hare had a Species Action Plan under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan but no action was taken. In parts of the country they are nearly extinct due to farming practices or hunting.
To save this much loved animal becoming yet another species on the verge of extinction. We need to act now!
Hares have minimal legal protection because they are considered a game species and can be shot throughout the year, including through their breeding season.
If Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) or Myxomatosis spreads to non-resistant hares the species could be virtually eradicated in a couple of years.


text:
Review: Crossfire Hurricane (2012)
Dir: Brett Morgan
Duration: 118 mins
Can you sometimes get exactly what you want? The Rolling Stones turn the clock back on 50 years and open up the vaults. With mixed results.
In recent years, the artists of rock n' roll's golden period have begun to open up and look back, becoming less precious about exposure and mystique. Dylan has stepped out of the shadows and written his own book, Chronicles, and even allowed Martin Scorcese to interview him for his documentary, No Direction Home. Led Zeppelin have just wrapped up and readied for release footage of their celebratory one-off 2007 reunion show filmed at London's O2, Neil Young has penned his memoirs, as has Pete Townshend. Long mocked because of their advancing age (grey hair and wisdom is anathema to the rock music crowd), the Rolling Stones plough on. Interestingly, if blues or jazz were their trade, age would not be an issue. However, it is not, and it is. Undeterred, these baby boomers are still rocking out and, if latest single 'Doom and Gloom' is anything to go by, still capable of producing the goods. It's quite possibly their strongest single in years.
It is high time therefore for a look back on an illustrious career that has famously had more than its fair share of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. However, those looking for a Beatles Anthology-esque examination will be disappointed. This is more ramshackle than that, much like the band themselves. This is a concise one-off film of only 118 minutes. Considering it took director, Brett Morgan, four months to wade through the archive footage (with assistance from co-producer, Mick Jagger), it is a shame that he hasn't been minded to create a more sprawling work, befitting of the Stones' lengthy career. In fact, the documentary ends abruptly at around 1977, and offers nothing after this date, save for closing credit live footage of Exile On Main Street track 'All Down The Line' lifted from the 2008 film, Shine A Light.
Opening with colour backstage footage and a live rendition of 'Street Fighting Man', attention soon turns to the early days, and the maelstrom that consisted of live performance in the early and mid-60s for the Rolling Stones, with the incessant screaming and stage invasions. Emphasis is firmly placed on what it must have been like within this vortex, having to deal with a rapid ascent and devotional teenage girls (England) and boys (the rest of the world).
Whilst discussing the early period, coverage is given in a frank manner as to the band's feeling about the demise of original band member, Brian Jones. Whilst acknowledging his talent, it turns out that the band felt a degree of inevitability over his eventual death. Even though an element of mystery hangs over the drowning, Jones' relationship with drugs is well-known (Godard's film, Sympathy for the Devil, shows an induced and distracted Jones in the studio). As matters arose, the death came only two days before a free Hyde Park gig in front of 500,000 people – a gig that would mark a baptism of fire for new guitarist, Mick Taylor, and also act as a remembrance for Jones. Drummer Charlie Watts recalls Mick crying in the corner of the dressing room on the day of the performance. By contrast, Keith states that his reason for not going to the funeral is because he didn't want to make it 'a circus', and that he didn't even go to the funeral of his own mother and father.
The Stones performing on television in 1965
Arriving at the late 60s, there are compelling scenes offered up by the Altamont stabbing of Meredith Hunter, but these are taken from the previously released feature, Gimme Shelter. This time around, however, it is enhanced by comments from the band looking back, which is illuminating seeing as it has since been perceived as the incident that killed the hippie dream and the anti-Woodstock.
Although the archive footage is interesting, there is not necessarily a dearth of unseen live material. The narrative itself is loosely played with, especially at the start, diverging down different avenues whilst vaguely seeking a chronological path (of sorts).
There are some interesting revelations contained within this documentary that will interest fans. For example, Mick Taylor finally provides the reason as to why he left the Stones. Jagger himself concedes that he did not know or understand why, and Taylor goes on to explain that during the early 70s, he was falling into heroin addiction.
Bill Wyman also distills what he believes is the sound of the Rolling Stones. Bearing a theory to Richards oft-quoted opinion that many bands can rock but not many can roll, he points towards the sound as being a consequence of Charlie's decision to follow Keith's lead, which means that the drums come in slightly behind the guitar, which is unusual in itself, whilst Bill's bass would be slightly ahead. Wyman describes this as leading to 'a wobble' effect, where things could fall apart at any given moment.
There is some interesting black and white footage of Mick and Keith writing material together in what is either backstage or in some sort of hotel room. Having an insight into how they worked together on the verge of what would be a particularly prolific part of their career is fascinating. Keith later voices opinion that of all the songs they wrote, 'Midnight Rambler' would be the essence of the Jagger/Richards writing partnership. He states a belief that anyone else could have written any of the other tunes, but only he and Mick would have thought about making an opera out of the blues.
Coincidentally, much like that tune, this is certainly a film that goes on a ramble of its own. Starting in slightly messy fashion, like a band tuning up after a short time apart, and taking a while to lock into the groove. What is perhaps most surprising in this film, is that Mick Jagger possibly comes out as the most human and grounded of all the others, save for Charlie Watts (of course), as he takes the wind and glamour out of the sails of some of Richard's more wild testaments. He is also the most openly candid in his reflections.
This has a lot common with Scorsese's aforementioned, No Direction Home; a film which covered Dylan in his 60s phase up to his conversion from acoustic guitar to electric, and the reaction that he encountered. In that film, Dylan spoke looking back on the events in talking heads. This film is much like that in spirit. Brett Morgan has ensured that the new interviews remain offscreen, however, so that old footage can take up the screen time. It must be said that the strongest live footage remains those procured from the previously released, 'Ladies & Gentleman'.
As far as flaws go, no reference is made at all to Ian Stewart, which seems a glaring omission considering this is an overview of the Rolling Stones' career and all the significant players. His distinctive piano work enhanced songs such as 'Brown Sugar', amongst many others, and his lack of appearance in this documentary feels unfair and a missed opportunity. Also, there is no real detail on the relationship the Stones had with manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Introducing the film, Jagger congratulated Brett Morgan for managing to cover 50 years of the Stones in a couple of hours. Well, he hasn't managed that. He has covered 25 years pretty well, but with some gaping holes. Whether this is down to the Stones' reticence in opening up, or a lack of probing is anyones' guess. The sudden conclusion to the film stuns, and makes for a dismissive hand waving to the output of the Stones in their later years. Although it is arguable that no sane person would equate this latter-day output as being near those of the first 20-or-so years of their existence, there have been a few interesting diversions in the subsequent post-Tattoo You era. Scant time is offered for Ronnie Wood and his involvement, which is a pity.
All of this begs a question, is there a director's cut? Much like Cameron Crowe's film on Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam Twenty, is there a chunkier cut filling out and colouring in the parts omitted here?
At the premiere, Jagger gave a warning to the audience in preparation for the film saying that not all of the clothes stand the test of time. This may be true. However, even though the clothes may seem dated and out of time, the music and story feels timeless.
I know it's only a rock n roll film, and you might not necessarily love it, but you'll probably like it.
If you like this, try this: No Direction Home (2005)
You can see the trailer for Crossfire Hurricane here:
This entry was posted on 18/10/2012 by toomuchnoiseblog in Reviews and tagged billwyman, charliewatts, crossfire, crossfirehurricane, Documentary, Film, hurricane, keithrichards, mickjagger, movie, music, premiere, Review, rock, ronniewood, thebeatles, therollingstones.
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With the recent deaths of Chuck Berry and Robert Pirsig, and the growing reality of self-driving cars, there is a sense that one chapter of American life is coming to an end, and another is beginning.
To a young Englishman growing up in suburban London in the 1970's America (and particularly American rock and roll) was the focus of all my dreams and imaginings. Driving to the London Gateway service station on the M1 late at night was really a trip down Route 66 or the Ventura Highway (in my mind) with a soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen, or Neil Young, or Chuck blasting away on the tiny car radio. My pals and I may have been in a clapped-out Renault 5, but in our imaginations we were in a souped-up cherry red 53 or driving down to the levy in a Chevy, even though we didn't know what a levy was! Driving meant music, and the best music had the G-force of a tight corner at 80 mph.
The wide open vistas of the American west was the perfect backdrop to ponder the metaphorical road ahead and think deep thoughts; or least about how to get the attractive fellow back-packer sitting in front of me to realize that I was the solution to all the problems she was running away from.
The open road is at the heart of the American dream. Getting behind the wheel or gripping the handle bars runs through the DNA of America in deep and profound ways. Though the French may have invented much of the underlying technology of the early automobile, the Italians and English the art of racing, and the Germans the industrialization of the ultimate driving machine, it is America with which the car will always be most closely associated in the global hive mind. A $1 trillion industry (the size of the current US auto market) isn't built on utility or functionality or MPG alone; it is built on dreams and fantasies and sneaky feelings best not discussed in polite society. It is built on looks and curves. On freedom and on mastery. On torques and pistons. On (horse) power - the machines, and yours.
At its most elemental it is built on the human need for autonomy.
The autonomy a 17 year wants from his parents.
The autonomy a 27 year wants from his starter job.
The autonomy a 50 year wants from an underwhelming career and a life not quite as advertised.
Behind the wheel of a car, perfecting the turn, leaving the jerk to eat your dust, beating the lights, you are in control. You're a master. A winner. You're a boss. You have power. You are the master of your fate, the captain of your soul.
When I was a cub consultant in the late 1980's I worked for a short time on a project that went really badly. The project was rubbish but more mortifyingly I was rubbish. I didn't really have the skills the client needed and on a daily basis became more and more exposed as an idiot totally out of my depth. My colleagues avoided me as a bad smell and the client team glanced alternatingly angrily or pityingly at me as I sat at my lonely desk trying to look like I was a thrusting young master of the universe.
Every day at clocking off time I got in my car and sat there for a few minutes not sure if I wanted to scream or cry. Most times I did both. But every evening a strange thing happened. As I started driving, my confidence slowly came back. As I started accelerating and weaving through the motorway traffic I felt my spirits begin to buoy again. As I floored it I morphed from an over-priced, under-performing stiff-in-a-suit into the under-paid, yet-to-be discovered, newest member of the McLaren Formula One racing team. At the wheel of my baby beamer I bounced back into the person I thought I really was, not the person who I had been all day.
The control I had in the car, the mastery of the machine and the road, the autonomy I felt – after a day of feeling powerless and emasculated – brought me back to life. Over the course of the three months of the project my commute became shorter and shorter. What took an hour to begin with took no more than 40 minutes on the sweet day that the project finished.
The autonomy I had in my car was a life saver. Looking back on that period (which in retrospect was a very significant time in my life, one learning more from one's failures than one's successes etc.) I've often felt that if I had had to commute on public transport I don't think I would have been able to stick it out. I would have probably quit the job in frustration and shame, and in doing so, changed the trajectory of the life that I then went on to lead. Truly a sliding doors moment.
The autonomy of my daily commute (traffic congestion and all) kept me going, kept me sane, at a time when I hardly had any autonomy in my overall life.
This, writ large, is central, I would content, to the story of the automobile. The car has offered autonomy to generation after generation of people who have little autonomy at all in their lives. People who have bosses telling them what to do. Who have wives or husbands telling them what to do. Who have kids telling them what to do, and/or where to go. Parents still telling them what to do. Who have law enforcement officers telling them what to do. Tax collectors telling them what to do. Journalists telling them what to do.
Very few people have much autonomy at all. Even the most powerful CEO has a board and activist investors telling him or her what to do.
Cars fill the vacuum of our powerlessness. A car does what we tell it. A high performance car can do amazing things if you're really skilled at telling it what to do. What else responds like that? Maybe a dog (if you're lucky). No wonder dogs are popular too.
Autonomy. Power. A huge industry. A huge part of the modern world. With its poets (Mr. Berry) and its philosophers (Mr. Pirsig).
But now a new chapter has begun. A chapter entirely antithetical to the chapter that precedes it. With an entirely new vision of what autonomy is and what it means, and with an entirely new version of the American dream on offer.
Autonomously driven vehicles challenge the tenets of everything I've written above. They stem from a completely different point of view. Elon Musk and the other proponents of self-driving cars may not even recognize the psychological dimensions of the tale I've told. Though Mr. Musk has had his setbacks and challenges along the way he likely has never felt powerless or not in control. He may have never have sought or found autonomy behind the wheel of a car.
Now the autonomy on offer is more time to do email or play Candy Crush or watch the Westeros and the Targaryen's fight to the bitter death for power – for autonomy.
The dream and crusade of self-driving stems starts in two very different places, both of which in their own right are elemental; firstly, from the technical challenge, and secondly, from the impulse for safety.
Fast forward to 2017 and autonomously driven vehicles are on the cusp of becoming reality; Tesla's can already sort of drive themselves. (Nobody seems quite sure whether this is really true, or really legal or not, it appears https://www.tesla.com/autopilot versus http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-no-way-drive-car-itself-2017-6), but the debate notwithstanding, it's a pretty safe bet that in the next few months, and certainly years, self-driving cars will be entirely real and legal.
Self-driving cars will find a ready audience. Every single notable auto-manufacturer believes this to be the case. All of them are working on introducing autonomous vehicles into their fleets. Some will offer cars with full autonomy - Level 4 in the jargon, i.e. no driver attention needed -, some with higher and higher levels of "driver-assist", but stopping short of Level 4.
Moms, the elderly, the handicapped, the too-busy-to-drive, the early adopters, the tech-geeks, the show-offs, the curious, the I-hate-driving, the I'm-no-good-at-driving, will all no doubt be in the line at the auto-dealer (which might just be your local Macy's https://www.ft.com/content/23e4ddf0-6837-11e7-8526-7b38dcaef614?mhq5j=e1) to get a car that can literally drive itself off the lot when they become generally available.
But I wonder how large this audience will be? Specifically, how many men aged 17-50 want to take their hands off the wheel? [Please note; I say "men" with some trepidation. There are obviously many women that like driving, and like the autonomy driving provides, but I would – in an entirely non-scientific way suggest – there are less women than men in the cohort profile I am writing about. I may be entirely wrong, and if that is the case, I beg for your forgiveness].
If I was a betting man I would put my money on there being far fewer 17-50 year old men wanting a self-driving car than Mr. Musk and others believe. Far fewer. For all the reasons I've outlined above. The automation of driving will run headlong into the autonomy that driving, in its current form, provides. The sales pitch of safety will be emotive and powerful; some manufactures will try and shame people out of driving. Many drivers will feel that shame and like the parents badgered by their kids into quitting smoking a generation ago will take their hands off the (disappearing) wheel.
But again, I iterate, fewer than imagined.
Currently, the narrative tide is running with the self-driving crowd. Some of the manufacturers and their advocates in the chattering classes see the battle as won. Automation is a done deal. Some believe that the last car to be made with a steering wheel is just around the corner. Some, like Audi, have teams of people working on early-stage ad campaigns to help people think of what to do in a autonomous car and deal with the boredom of the experience https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/13/audi-millenials-self-driving-boredom/. Privately, some manufacturers admit they're not entirely convinced that people will want to stop driving, but they have to develop the technology in case they do; not participating at this crucial stage of market development could leave them far behind if the market did take off.
The narrative though is being pushed by disrupters; new market entrants like Tesla and those within the major established manufacturers who fear (quite rightly) making the mistakes media and music and entertainment businesses did when faced with new technologies and new business models. At the moment few people are putting the case for the defense; for the status quo, for the power of an idea that has driven America and the world for over 100 years, and which I believe has a long way to go – the idea of autonomy.
Both Chuck Berry and Robert Persig spoke to the power of autonomy. Both of them hit a nerve in the general consciousness because they expressed what humans like to do; to drive, to be in control, to master their surroundings, to drive around with no particular place to go, to be at one with their machine. Automation is a powerful force with antecedents that stretch into antiquity and a road ahead that stretches into infinity. But autonomy – "one who gives oneself one's own law" – predates automation and will still drive man forward until the last man expires. Perhaps in a car crash.


Just wondering if anyone else has noticed interesting things like this?
I find interesting -- and wonder if it is something I can use to select my numbers?
Yes, this interesting. I would like to know if there is a way to use that information as well. I will be curious to see what you find out.
I've noticed that 8 and 22 coming up frequently but I didn't take the time to pay that much attention. That is rather interesting.
Nice find. gotta use 8 and 22 more offen.
sounds as if you have leg up on the rest of us... well, me, anyway. Thanks for sharing ! I think, given this info, it could be a good way to choose a number if you notice a trend of it happening.


How to book a hotel room for the festival?
Read the regulations of Sangate Hotel – HERE.
Air-conditioned room of high standard, with two beds. Decorated cozily and elegantly with spacious bathroom. You can enjoy free internet access and the option to have breakfast in your room.
BUSINESS APARTAMENT (APN) SOLD OUT !!!
Elegantly decorated living room, cozy bedroom with large king size bed, and spacious bathroom with large bathtub. The apartments are located on the top floors of the hotel. Free internet access. Suitable for 2-3 persons*.
Comfortably furnished room with two separate beds and spacious bathroom.
Comfortably furnished room with double bed and spacious bathroom.
Elegantly decorated living room, cozy bedroom with large king size bed, and spacious bathroom with large bathtub. Free internet access. Suitable for 2 persons ONLY.
Comfortably furnished room with two separate beds and spacious bathroom with shower. Free internet acces.
Elegantly decorated living room, cozy bedroom with large king size bed, and spacious bathroom with large bathtub. The apartments are located on the top floors of the Hotel.
Airport Hotel Okęcie puts at your disposal 264 comfortable and modern guestrooms and suites. Rooms, similarly to hotel lobbies and seating areas, are decorated with stylized elements inspired by the history of aviation which gives them the air of originality and style. 24-27m, till 2 people.
Rooms in Hotel Mercure Warsaw Airport are waiting for you.
Mercure Warszawa Airport is located 3.1 mi (5 km) from the center of Warsaw and 1.9 mi (3 km) from Warsaw Chopin Airport, which can be reached via the free shuttle bus (fixed schedule). The hotel has 117 comfortable rooms as well as a restaurant and bar. There is also a private car park and an underground parking garage.
Mercure Warsaw Airport is ONLY 15 minutes from the main venue, has special offer just for you !
Cozy room with a large bed or two separate beds for a comfortable night's sleep. Free WIFI, air-conditioning, coffee/tea set, mineral water, safe, SAT TV and hairdryer. Rollaway bed is unavailable for this room.
Comfortable air-conditioning room with a large bed. Relaxation and work space, free WIFI, teapot and coffee machine, mineral water, toiletries, bathrobe & slippers, safe, SAT TV, hairdryer. Some of the rooms are equipped with fold-out sofa.
The price is valid for the period: 7-10 November 2019 until the rooms are sold out.
!!! DON'T FORGET TO USE SPECIAL CODE: SALSA !!!
In HOTEL section we suggest you accommodation options in SANGATE HOTEL (main Festival venue) and other hotels close to the venue. Some of them you book via our website, others are book directly in each hotel.
Hotel room reservation and festival pass reservation is done SEPARATELY.
Booking a room in SANGATE HOTEL (main venue) and in HOTEL AIRPORT OKĘCIE is possible via the registration form on our website, HERE.
The system request registration data and then transfers you to DotPay payment operator, where immediate payment is required by one of the available channels, like bank transfer or credit card. You should proceed exactly according to indications received. In case of some banks the system requests a bank transfer with a very specific title which should not be altered.
If your registration and payment process is interrupted or paused at any stage, you'll have to repeat it to complete it.
Please pay attention if the email you register is spelled correctly. If not, the system will have no possibility to send you the email confirmation of your reservation.
Hotel reservations are not subject to group discounts.
You can purchase festival passes via a separate registration form HERE.
You can cancel your reservation done via our registration system within 14 days from the purchase. After that time no returns will be possible.
The refund will be sent to the buyers account within 14 days from the refund request, in amount and currency of the purchase transaction according to the confirmation received from Dotpay Settlement Center after the purchase.
The organizer does not participate in financial settlements between the guests in case of changing names on the reservation.
Terms & conditions of returns or changes of these reservations are set separately by each hotel and you should contact them directly to proceed in such cases.
Festival passes are available via a separate registration form HERE.


text:
Liz Phair Goes Pop, Setting Off Debate
DAVID BAUDER
Associated Press Writer
The first time Liz Phair pooled her allowance money to buy a record, years before she became an indie rock queen, she bought "Saturday Night" by the bubblegum band Bay City Rollers.
That's worth remembering now that the 36-year-old singer has set off an extraordinary debate in the rock world simply by making a disc designed to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Some fans feel betrayed, others intrigued. All can judge for themselves when the disc, her first in five years, is released Tuesday.
Titled "Liz Phair," the cover features the star with teased blonde hair and a semi-dressed pose covered up by a strategically placed guitar. Among the 14 glossy pop-rock songs are four co-written with the Matrix, the hitmaking songwriting team behind Avril Lavigne's smash, "Complicated."
Her debut a decade ago, on the other hand, was decidedly lo-fi. Complete with frank sexual talk, "Exile in Guyville" was a brash, feminine response to a classic Rolling Stones album. Critics and hipsters loved it, saying it captured the mood of many women in their 20s.
Will the real Liz Phair please stand up?
"I'm the same person I always was," Phair told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I just lost the whole `cool school' thing."
By courting pop success, some critics have essentially called her a sellout. In a lengthy essay in The New York Times on Sunday, writer Meghan O'Rourke said Phair "has committed an embarrassing form of career suicide."
"Ms. Phair often sounds desperate or clueless," O'Rourke wrote. "The album has some of the same weird self-oblivion of a middle-aged man in a mid-life crisis and a new Corvette."
Others differ. Jim Farber in the New York Daily News said the disc's slickness covers up Phair's weaknesses as a singer and player. "The added elements have made her songs catchier and her vocals more compelling," he wrote.
Phair recorded and shelved three different albums in the past five years, as she got divorced and moved with her 6-year-old son from her native Chicago area to Los Angeles, the cradle of stardom.
The last try was a somewhat depressing disc produced by Michael Penn, husband of mopey songwriter Aimee Mann. Phair took it to the president of Capitol Records, Andy Slater, who said it was a good album critics would like.
Phair knew a lukewarm record company usually dooms an album to failure. "I really wanted you to be a little more excited than, `It'll be fine,'" she told Slater.
As a single mom living in an expensive new area, Phair was eager to take a big swing at success and agreed to work with the Matrix. "Exile in Guyville" and its 1994 followup, "Whip Smart," both sold just under 400,000 copies, and 1998's "whitechocolatespaceegg" sold 266,000 copies _ respectable if you're a struggling artist-type, but not on the level of a major star.
Phair believes working with others has amplified, not concealed, her personality. She said she's not turning her back on the woman who wrote "Exile in Guyville."
"What did you do in your 20s?" she said. "Oh, I wrote one of the most influential albums of the '90s. It's awesome. But it shouldn't stop you" from trying different things, she said.
Worrying about critics can be as much of a trap as overthinking the pop marketplace. Phair said she occasionally felt paralyzed as a writer in the mid-1990s worrying whether her songs were hip enough.
Still, she doesn't dismiss fans who don't like what she's doing.
"Of course, I care," she said. "I like them and I'd like them to like me. If they don't, that's fine. I don't like every record. I hope they don't reject me as a lifelong artist. I think that's a little bit spastic."
Phair talked just hours before attending a concert by Radiohead, the ultimate critic's band. But she's still in touch with the little girl who sang along to "Saturday Night."
"I would never want to give up my `indie-ness,'" she said. "I just don't understand why you have to be one or the other. I like highbrow and lowbrow."
Phair is less eager to talk about the provocative photos being used to sell her disc, saying they weren't her idea. She's never been shy about using her sexuality; on `Exile,' she doctored her vocals to sound as girlish as possible when talking dirty.
The new album has one song explicit enough to make Mick Jagger blush. She also sings about picking up a guy nine years younger for sex and about the allure of infidelity.
Yet a song with nothing to do about sex packs the biggest emotional wallop. "Little Digger" describes the wrenching confusion of a young boy seeing his divorced mom with another man for the first time.
"My goal, if I have one as an artist, has always been to expand the acceptable rules for women and girls," Phair said.
"One of the things that was hard for me growing up was older women who did not talk about things that they felt outside of an accepted way of talking," she said. "I think it's important to allow yourself to say things that are not OK."


With backing from the World Bank's International Finance Corporation and the United States Agency for International Development President Armando Guebuza's government is trying to raise nearly US$3 billion for several massive new tourist developments. The IFC and the government are looking for over $1 bn. to build four integrated resorts in Nampula, Zambezia, Inhambane and Maputo Provinces.


text:
Local support organization speaks on the struggles of human trafficking victims following rescues
By: JuYeon Kim
KANSAS CITY, Mo — The Missouri Attorney General's office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol successfully completed an anti-human trafficking operation Thursday night into Friday morning.
Operation United Front was a simultaneous effort across 12 states and its law enforcement agencies, which led to 102 arrests and the rescue of 47 victims, including two minors.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt says Missouri played a vital role in training other states during months of planning.
"We generally relied upon undercover officers arranging dates or meet up with potential human trafficking victims," Schmitt said. "Or posed as victims themselves and arrested buyers of traffickers."
Victims across all participating states were United States citizens ranging from minors to adult women. In Missouri specifically, officers conducted a victim-centric operation at a Kansas City commercial business. It led to two arrests, four rescue victims and the treatment of 11 others.
"What does a victim-centric approach mean? It means that we work together to get them the help that they need including healthcare, drug treatment, to help their children. All of this to break the cycle," Schmitt said.
Locally in Kansas City, Veronica's Voice is one of many organizations that help victims of human trafficking. It is their focus to provide a new way forward as victims of human trafficking find healing.
"It is a nearly impossible process without the intervention of a program that will come alongside and support them in their recovery," said Executive Director Lucy Bloom. "It's very difficult for them to identify themselves as a victim — for them to blame anybody other than themselves."
Bloom says "sting" operations like this are crucial tactics that can help free victims from long-term abuse. State and federal assistance are crucial in continuing their mission at the local level.
"The elected officials are the ones that are in those positions to be able to create the effective laws that, when implemented, will allow us to surface and address demand and reduce the demand," Bloom said.
Bloom says traffickers look for points of vulnerability in their victims. They build trust and convince their victims they can fill their needs.
"Sometimes they are posing as, 'I have a job opportunity for you. I see your need to get a job and make money quickly — I can help you do that,'" Bloom said.
According to the U.S. State Department, there are 24.9 million human trafficking victims worldwide at any given time. But Bloom says due to the secretive nature of the industry, such statistics are actually just the tip of the iceberg.
She says this is why community policing is a must along with state and federal assistance. In fact, volunteers at Veronica's Voice will be canvassing local businesses with booklets of missing persons from the area and ask people if they recognize them.
"We see a lot of family members, and even friends … They'll look back and see all those signs were there, that this individual was slipping, and sometimes we feel helpless to know how to intervene," Bloom said.
Bloom says some indicators of illicit activity may be peculiar hours of operation, covered-up windows, workers being transported together to and from the business, and streams of customers going in together.
Some signs of victims being manipulated by traffickers may include no explanation for where they have been, when they are tied to their phone and seem to be reporting back to one specific person, and sudden access to expensive gifts.
Attorney General Schmitt says falling into human trafficking often starts with financial vulnerability.
If someone is showing signs of unhealthy dependency or reliance on someone, recognize the signs and reach out for help.


Opening a can of worms!!!
Thread: Opening a can of worms!!!
Yesterday I heard on the radio that there is a driver shortage in the long-haul secter of our industry. You and I know this isn't true.
I was once a OTR driver. I left because illness on my wifes side of the family required me to be home. I was also sick of bad dispatches and ignorant border guards.
I know there are a lot of CDL holders out there who no longer drive.
My question is this.... What would it take to get a former long haul driver back in the saddle again???
Tough question, I work days only, daycab tractor, home everynite, no weekends, made over 60 thou last year. Ex OTR driver 28 years cost to coast. What could they offer me???
Not much at all Drifter!!
If I am going to have to drive a truck it would be pretty hard to pry me out of this brown Mack I drive for UPS.
but I dont see UPS doin that for us any time soon!!
Well since the industry now is recognized as a trade by the government,how about trade like wages to start comparable or close to other trades.Home every weekend for at least 48 hrs off minimum before going out again.Full benefits company paid.These are just a few that would entice me back to start.
I am gonna go try longhaul for a bit one of these days. I don't see why anyone would stay at longhaul forever tho, unless they really like it.
I have had no problem getting local home everyday jobs.
Alot of times OTR pays a little better tho, and usually the trucks and trailers are alot newer.
I would love it if there was a company that let drivers switch back and forth between long haul and local whenever they wanted, like even every other week! I would love that! Like right now i would go run long haul for awhile then switch back local for awhile.
And all OTR trucking should be paid by the hour, anytime the truck is moving it should be by the hour, and anytime the driver is doing something required of the job, like loading and unloading and fueling should be by the hour too.
Maybe just flat rate salary would be better. All companies should guarentee $250 per day gross for OTR. And then just fire lazy drivers who won't work!
Re: Opening a can of worms!!!
It's amazeing that in the "Help Wanted" section of The Sun they list AZ drivers under "General Help Wanted" and forklift drivers under "Skilled Trades"!! Figure that one out please??


Care Services, LLC has some exciting things in the works for 2019. We talked to CEO Joe Boures and recently promoted President of Backup Pharmacy Services Jay Palin to get the inside scoop on Care Services' recent accomplishments and what they're looking forward to this year.
New Capital Partners: Care Services held their first annual Client Advisory Council (CAC) meeting in 2018. Can you tell me more about this meeting and what was accomplished there?
Joe Boures: The CAC meeting held in late 2018 was for our Backup Pharmacy Services (BPS) business unit. We will have a CAC meeting with our Hospice Clients in early 2019. The main objective of this meeting was to get a dozen or so clients to help us strategically think about our business. Having these annual meetings, along with quarterly conference calls, allows our customers to weigh in on all of our strategic initiatives. Having the voice of the customer in this process is critical to the success of our organization.
Jay Palin: The BPS Advisory Council has several objectives, including building stronger relationships with our top clients and gaining client feedback on our services, market intelligence, and how we can mutually improve each other's businesses. For this first meeting, we wanted to let our clients know that we have heard their concerns, as well as provide them with our road map to success. To help set the tone of open and honest discussion, we explained how we perceived ourselves, discussing both our strengths and our weakness.
NCP: Care Services has some new and exciting strategic initiatives coming in 2019. Could you tell me more about these programs and solutions and what they'll bring to Care Services' customers?
JB: Care Services has three different business units within its umbrella: a hospice PBM, a backup PBM and a delivery service network. Each business has its own exciting strategic initiatives.
JB: Our focus in 2018 had been almost entirely one of automation. We have made connections to electronic medical records companies to help build efficiencies of managing data on both the hospice and our internal workflow. In addition, we have completed an e-prescribing system to help the doctors and nurses get medication needs to pharmacies without having to fax or call. Finally, we spent time revamping our internal platform to make it much more effective for our customer service representative and clinical professional to manage their day-to-day activities. In 2019, we will be focusing on how we get organized around our customers. We will be rolling out to our CAC a complete new service model that will allow us to help drive better results and interactions with our clients. The goal is to be a true partner in the business of the customers we serve. That means all of our customer-facing organizations (account management, clinical and CSRs) will be working very differently than how they are today. We are very excited about the possibilities that this new model will bring for our business.
JB: Our backup PBM uses its retail networks to help long-term care pharmacies and correctional pharmacies get medications that are needed on a STAT basis to the facilities they service. This service is 24/7/365, and our clients cover all of the United States. 2018 was focused on bringing all the separate brands together from an operations perspective and refocusing our efforts from a client-facing perspective. This focus is similar to what we are now invoking in HPS. 2019 will be all about technology. This group is building a platform called TracRx that will be integrated with our customer's platform to allow their pharmacist to send scripts to the backup PBM with a couple clicks in their main business application. The result will be a significant increase in their productivity based on how the process works today. We made a presentation to our CAC late in 2018 to rave reviews. They liked it so much that they volunteered to be our beta clients and have all taken an active interest in helping us develop the 2.0 version of the product. We currently have this platform in beta and things are going well.
JP: We want to be a trusted business partner to our clients. And this begins with the selling process and continues with our new and improved account management program.Our clients were particularly excited when they heard about our TracRx portal, which will provide transparency into the fulfillment and delivery of their emergency medication needs. Think Domino's Pizza Tracker; if they can do it for pizza, why can't we do it for medications?! This new technology brings Care Services backup pharmacy services division into the 21st century and makes using our services easier for our clients.
We're also excited about expanding our presence in the correctional market space. After landing a few correctional pharmacy clients, we realized we had to develop a solution for them that was bigger than just backup pharmacy services. We developed our release and re-entry programs during 2018, which allowed released inmates to assimilate back into their communities by facilitating their building a relationship with their local pharmacy. This helps our clients reduce recidivism rates when an inmate/patient assimilates into the community, and it saves our clients money, as they only pay for the predications that are picked up.
JB: CDS is a network of delivery companies located across the United States. They have over 3,000 couriers covering 94 percent of the United States. This business unit was started from scratch to fill a need with our backup PBM customers – getting the drugs filled in our retail pharmacy to the customer's client facilities. This company was formed over six years ago and built the network one customer at a time. Now that it is a fully developed network, there is an opportunity to broaden this business to service other industries. They have spent a fair amount of time in 2018 looking at what needs to get done from an operations perspective to attract other market needs. In 2018 we built a strategic roadmap, and in 2019 we will be executing against our plan. We have had some early successes that have given us positive momentum.
NCP: What was the highlight of 2018 for you at Care Services? What are most looking forward to in 2019 for the Company?
JB: The theme since I joined Care Services in May of 2017 has been getting our house in order. In 2018, we made a big step forward in that direction. We have improved our businesses from a process standpoint across the board. In 2019, I am looking forward to more customer focus and growing each one of our businesses.
JP: 2018 was a foundation-building year for BPS, which included the evolution of our account management team. This required a complete overhaul of our account management program, including getting the right team players on board and trained. In 2018 we completed over 150 quarterly business reviews with our top 75 clients as compared to 25 in 2017. In 2019 we look forward to building on this success and extending our account management reach from our top 75 to our top 150 clients. We also look forward to the continuation of the advisory council to include 15 of our top 25 clients and the implementation of our Executive Sponsorship Program.
NCP: What do you love most about your work at Care Service and the company as a whole?
JB: No question – it is the people I work with and for at Care Services. We have a great group of professionals and a great client base. For the company as a whole, all of our businesses are services-related, and the companies we work with service individuals that are in need. Whether it is the elderly in long-term care facilities or individuals in hospice care, I like the fact that we play such a critical role in our clients' value proposition.
It maybe a little cliché, but I love working with people at Care Services. Not just the executive team, which is great, but also the BPS leadership team. We are making a positive change in our culture, and I like being part of the change.
Secondly, the new market opportunity. Our core service is backup pharmacy services for long-term care pharmacies where we have +60% of the market, and if you remove OmniCare, we have closer to 90% of the market. The corrections market is new and exciting for us, and we are still learning the total potential it has.
Finally, the ability to provide an important service for our clients and their patients. The patients that our clients serve (especially on the long-term care side of the business) are in need of the medication STAT, and we are able to provide that for our clients in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
NCP: Describe the partnership between Care Services and New Capital Partners?
JB: We have a great partnership with Jim Little and Ryan Berg at New Capital Partners. I have worked with a few private equity firms during my career, and New Capital Partners is a very different relationship. First, they come with many years of operating experience, so they can help you work through problems or help in developing strategy like none I have worked with in the past. In addition, they are there when we need them, but give us the latitude to operate when things are heading in the right direction. Finally, they want what is best for the company, and that is refreshing.
JP: As I was recently promoted to president of BPS, my interactions with NCP have been more limited than Joe's, but these interactions have been nothing but positive during this time. I can tell they want to build great companies and do what is right for the clients and their patients. Having worked in healthcare all of my career, I can tell you that not all companies take the approach of doing what is right for the client and patient vs. the bottom line.
NCP: What has been the most beneficial part of the relationship with New Capital Partners?
JB: Having an operator I can bounce ideas off of has been a great help to me, especially in my early days. These guys understand the industries that we operate in and bring value to the table every time we get together.


text:
Iran, Hamas Relish Muslim Brotherhood Win in Egypt
Islamist factions come together over shared dreams of destroying Israel.
June 25, 2012 by P. David Hornik Leave a Comment
[](/sites/default/files/uploads/2012/06/photo_1329083912576-1-0.gif)In comments posted by Iran's Fars News Agency that are ominous but not surprising, Egypt's newly elected Muslim Brotherhood president Muhamed Morsi said Egypt's peace treaty with Israel will be "revise[d]," blasted Egypt's military leaders for dissolving its Islamist-dominated parliament, and asserted that forging relations with Iran is "part of my agenda" and would "create a strategic balance in the region."
The Iranian Armed Forces, for their part, lauded Morsi's victory as "the first stage of Egypt's revolution in the era of Islamic Awakening." They also called on the Egyptian military—the main opposition to the Egyptian Islamists—to "welcome this divine blessing with open arms" and share in the building of Egypt "based on Islamic foundations…."
Under former president Hosni Mubarak, Sunni-Arab Egypt led the regional bloc that opposed Shiite-Persian Iran. In one case in 2009, Egypt rounded up an Iranian-backed Hizbullah espionage ring in the country that aimed to bring down Mubarak's regime.
It is, of course, always notable how easily Sunni and Shiite radicals—who in other contexts, like Iraq in recent years, fight each other savagely—will sometimes emerge as the best of friends. In this case, visions of jointly destroying Israel and subjugating the whole Middle East have evoked an orgy of smiles between Tehran and the Islamist faction in Cairo.
Hamas, too—formerly an Iranian client and recently moving back into the Brotherhood's embrace—celebrated Morsi's win in Gaza along with the population. Hamas head of government Ismail Haniyeh told Reuters TV that "We will look to Egypt to play a big, leading role…in helping the Palestinian nation get freedom [and] return home…."
Another Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, said, "We are ready to sacrifice our blood to protect Egyptian soldiers" as sweets were handed out to Egyptian-flag-waving civilians in the streets.
Naturally, Israel's reaction to Morsi's triumph is quite different.
Israelis are aware that Egypt's Supreme Military Council (SCAF) made a major move last week—in addition to earlier dissolving the parliament—to curtail the Islamists' powers, including the president's power to declare war. Eyal Zisser, a Middle East specialist at Tel Aviv University, noted that "The military is hoping that Morsi loses his momentum quickly"—and also "hope[s] to get rid of him in the same manner that they dispersed the parliament.
But Zisser added: "We can only hope that…it won't be the Islamists who have the last laugh. In Turkey, after all, the generals who anticipated Erdogan's political demise after he won the premiership are now sitting behind bars."
Veteran military commentator Ron Ben Yishai was also somber, writing that "for the first time in Egypt's history, the country's government adheres to blatant religious-Islamist ideology… regardless of the ongoing power struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the generals of the Supreme Military Council."
Such a regime, says Ben Yishai, "will be hostile to Israel based on its very nature and worldview…. This is what happened in Iran in the 1970s and more recently in Turkey, Gaza and Tunisia."
And, further:
Should the Arab domino effect continue to favor political Islam, the chance of securing a peace agreement with the Palestinians is nil. Moreover, under this state of affairs, the peace treaty with Jordan faces a significant threat, and we may also find various terror groups associated with the Brotherhood, the Salafists and Global Jihad on our borders with Syria and Jordan.
Another commentator, Dan Margalit, stated morosely that "The flag of peace between Israel and Egypt, which was always at half-mast, has dropped to the quarter mark following the Arab Spring."
And another one, Boaz Bismuth, sounded a note of bitterness, writing that
[Muslim Brotherhood founder] Hassan al-Banna had a vision: He and those who inherited his legacy were supposed to topple the existing regimes in Arab countries one after another and unite them under a singular international Islamic regime with the slogan "The Quran is our constitution." That was his dream, which was blocked by a dam, until U.S. President Barack Obama came and breached the dam.
Egypt's own Ahram Online reports that Egypt's secular and liberal parties share the perception that the U.S. backed the Brotherhood candidate and helped him win, with Osama Ghazali Harb of the Democratic Front Party "claim[ing] the US was pressuring SCAF to hand over power to the Muslim Brotherhood."
Notably, except for right-of-center Bismuth, none of the above-quoted Israeli commentators is a right-winger. But the hope that Egypt's Islamist tide can still be contained, without a deterioration into intensified terror if not war, is hardly a divisive right-left issue.
It was, however, Israel's trade three decades ago of the entire Sinai Peninsula for a peace treaty with Egypt—albeit carried out by Likud prime minister Menachem Begin—that launched the land-for-peace paradigm. And it was left-wingers who latched onto it with gusto, seeking to apply it hastily and enthusiastically to the Syrian and Palestinian fronts—with dire effects of drastically increased terror in the latter domain.
Today Israel is a country still undergoing a maturation process, which involves more realistically assessing the roiling, unstable surrounding entities instead of projecting dreams and hopes onto them. Obsessive talk about just which concessions would finally convert the Palestinians into paragons of peace has been replaced by worried, nonpartisan speculations about the future of Gaza, Sinai, and Egypt itself.
Israel is also a country that is mostly hoping for a new U.S. administration that would be more inclined to back the right instead of the wrong side in Middle Eastern disputes. Of course, from now till the end of this year—with the Iranian, Syrian, Egyptian, and other situations remaining very much unresolved—anything could happen.
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Mongillo: Christine Albert looking forward to the Grammy Awards, and much more, as new chair of Recording Academy trustees
The Recording Academy — the organization of music professionals behind the Grammy Awards — announced last week that it had elected Austin-based musician Christine Albert as the chair of its board of trustees. Albert's election puts her in the top position of a group that oversees, in conjunction with the academy's president and staff, the direction of the Grammys (including the addition and subtraction of categories) as well as the many other advocacy and educational efforts of the group.
Over the phone from Austin last week, Albert, who has lived in Austin since the early 1980s, said she was excited about the election, which took place during a May meeting, and was already at work. Her election comes after several years of work with the academy; before her election six years ago as a trustee, she had been involved with the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy since its inception in 1994.
With "Austin City Limits" producer Terry Lickona serving as chair from 2005 to 2007, Albert's election is the second time in the past decade that the group has chosen an Austin resident. Albert said that Lickona, who said there needed to be more diversity on the Recording Academy board, served as a mentor and encouraged her to run.
Albert is a musician who's released several albums, including her well-received "Texafrance" series and six more as part of a duo with husband Chris Gage. She's also the owner of the Austin-based MoonHouse Studio and said she is looking forward to promoting the Grammy organization as bigger than just the popular awards show.
"We can do better in really letting other people know about the great work the organization does," Albert said. "It's really so much more than one Sunday night in February."
That work includes supporting the efforts of the Grammy Foundation, an educational organization, as well as MusiCares, which helps musicians in need of personal, medical or financial assistance. Albert said it was those types of programs that drew her to the organization, as opposed to the actual awards. "When I became a member, I felt very disconnected from the process," she said. "The Grammy Awards were just sort of over here, and then here was my life and my working world."
The Recording Academy also acts as an advocate for musicians on a business level, including the recent "Give Fans the Credit" program, which encourages digital music providers to give production credits when streaming or selling music. Online music provider Rhapsody has already voiced support for the program and stated that it will invest in adding credits to its site. "When fans are listening to music that is streaming, or buying it online, they can find out who the producer is, who the drummer was, who mixed it, who engineered it," Albert said. "I used to just pore over album covers, and you can't find that information now; you listen to something and you see the artist."
Having members vote and voice their opinions on the Grammy Awards is still important, she said. "I think there's a misperception sometimes that everything is decided by a handful of label executives in L.A.. I wouldn't have put so much time and effort into it if that was the case."
Fun Fun Fun preps lineup. Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin's growing gathering of not-all-mainstream indie rock/rap/metal/punk/etc., takes place Nov. 8-10 at Auditorium Shores and launches its "Guess the Fest" contest this week. The full lineup will be released some time in the beginning of July.
The location for next year's Fun Fun Fun Fest, which has been held at Auditorium Shores for the past three years, is uncertain, as the City Council voted Thursday to approve a plan to renovate Auditorium Shores with a $3.5 million donation from Austin events company C3 Presents, who organize both the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Austin Food and Wine Fest. The renovation could close the park for a year, forcing FFF and several other events, including Reggae Fest, to find a new home.
Fun Fun Fun Fest organizer James Moody said after the decision that the vote, which approved the renovation but required that a final plan for the park be developed with input from stakeholders, added a needed level of transparency to the process and would help ensure that the new design allows for a broad spectrum of uses for the space. "We want to see the park improved," Moody said. "Now that more stakeholders are involved, we can get a more balanced view of what dog owners want, what festival holders want, what the community and neighborhood folks want."
Fun Fun Fun Fest is in talks with the parks department to find a temporary home for next year's festival if needed.
In brief: Earl Poole Ball, who has played with Johnny Cash, the Byrds, Wanda Jackson, Gram Parsons and many others, will release a new album, "Pianography," on July 9. Ball currently plays a Saturday night residency at Strange Brew at 6 p.m. … Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bently will play the Austin360 Amphitheater on Sept. 27 … KLRU is auctioning signed "Austin City Limits" posters from Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr., Jack White and more. All proceeds benefit KLRU. … New York-based band Swans, which includes Austin drummer Thor Harris, is prepping two new albums.


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package no.ftl.abakaffe;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.graphics.Typeface;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.FrameLayout;
import android.widget.LinearLayout;
import android.widget.TextView;

/**
 * Created by fredrik on 29.11.13. Updated by Khrall on 1.12.13.
 */

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

	@Override
	protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

		LinearLayout header = (LinearLayout) findViewById(R.id.header);
		FrameLayout footer = (FrameLayout) findViewById(R.id.footer);

		header.measure(View.MeasureSpec.UNSPECIFIED, View.MeasureSpec.UNSPECIFIED);
		footer.measure(View.MeasureSpec.UNSPECIFIED, View.MeasureSpec.UNSPECIFIED);

		float headerHeight = header.getMeasuredHeight();
		float footerHeight = footer.getMeasuredHeight();

		header.setTranslationY(-headerHeight);
		footer.setTranslationY(footerHeight);

		header.animate().translationY(0).setDuration(700);
		footer.animate().translationY(0).setDuration(700);

		TextView headerText = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.header_text);
		TextView footerText = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.footer_text);

		Typeface openSans = Typeface.createFromAsset(getAssets(), "fonts/OpenSans-Bold.ttf");
		headerText.setTypeface(openSans);
		footerText.setTypeface(openSans);

		if (savedInstanceState == null) {
			getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().add(R.id.content, new AbakaffeFragment(getApplicationContext())).commit();
		}
	}
}


YUMMY WRAPS! This week, try our tasty and healthy Avocado Wrap/Bowl! Includes: roasted red pepper couscous, with red onion, avocado, and cucumber rolled with crunchy romaine. Less than 350 cals/serving and served fresh and tasty!. Less than 350 cals/serving and served fresh and tasty! Less than 350 cals/serving and served fresh and tasty!!
Cindy Green Salad! Our BIG green salads are fresh, seasonal, and diversified with a variety of veggies, protein, fiber and flavor! This week's salad includes: tomato, raisins, carrots, red onion, green peas, toasted walnuts, and a slice of avocado, with a creamy Ranch dressing. (less than 250 calories/container). You can ADD 64 grams of fresh roasted chicken to your salad for only $1.50!
Seasonal Kale Salad – NEW!!! Just a few seasonal additions. Let's add some apple, fennel, dried cranberries, and olives to a rubbed raw kale salad! About 150 cals per serving.
White Bean Dip Simply delicious! Lemony-garikly white beans with fresh parsley, all blended into a smooth dip! Served with a stack of celery, it makes for a flavorful and healthy snack filled with fiber, protein and joy.
Garden Green Salad! Our BIG green salads are fresh, seasonal, and diversified with a variety of veggies, protein, fiber and flavor! This week's salad includes: tomato, blueberries, celery, carrots, red onion w/ basil, and pecans, with our home-made balsamic vinaigrette. (less than 250 calories/container). You can ADD 64 grams of fresh roasted chicken to your salad for only $1.50!
Natural Power Bars! Handy, tasty, healthy, and chemical/ preservative-free (so much better than the commercial ones that stay on the grocery shelf for a year!). Each bar contains 15 grams of protein and only 180 calories. This is a great snack/breakfast solution for busy day. This week flavors, as available: Banana-Berry, or Pumpkin Spice.
Brazilian Black Bean Soup! Brazil (w/o the mosquitoes): warm but mild with a bit of exotic latin flavor in a hearty, healthy soup. And, I'm told it freezes well. This is a semi-pureed soup with a bit of garlic, cumin, carrots, coriander and laced with sherry and orange juice, and a bit of bacon crumbles! Calories are 200 per serving.
Tomato n Basil Bisque! We use fresh tomatoes to blend an incredible chunky tomato bisque, complete with onion, carrot, garlic basil and a bit of cream. Good warm or cold. Let me know what you think!.
Jicama Salad! Refreshing and low-cal! Nice and crunchy with jicama and red cabbage, and refreshing flavors of lime, scallions, cracked pepper, and mint! About 80 cals/serving.


Local Back on the Map?
When the going gets tough, the tough (or smart) get out and buy some lists.
Local search site and advertising network Local.com today announced the acquisition of approximately 14,000 local business advertisers from LiveDeal, Inc. for up to $3.1 million in cash. Details were quite sparse on how advertisers and Local.com would be connected, and how these advertisers will be integrated into the Local.com network - or if they even want to.
This acquisition moves the company closer to its stated goal of 50,000 small business customers by the end of 2009. The total of small business customers currently using the platform is 30,000 - including the 14,000 just acquired - and expanding it increases the potential to more quickly monetize the Local.com site and its broader network. You have to wonder about the quality of those advertisers and their interest in participating in the Local.com network.
The acquired customers will pay approximately $33 per month (that's $396/year for the mathematically challenged) for a Local Promote™ listing (the company's entry-level advertising product) on Local.com and select sites.
How about hundreds on SEO, SEM, Design & Development?


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Maharashtra: South Mumbai fish vendors oppose BMC plan to relocate them to Airoli July 12,2019 | Source: The Times of India
For several decades they plied their trade in South Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mandai located near Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market or Crawford Market. Now, the nearly 1,000 fish vendors feel like fish out of water themselves. On July 3, the BMC issued a notice asking them to vacate the building, which has been declared dilapidated, in a month. What has come as a bigger blow is the alternative location offered.
The civic body wants to shift them to Airoli Naka in Navi Mumbai. The move has met with stiff resistance and the community has shot off a letter to the BMC's market department, stating displacing them in such a manner is "unacceptable". Damodar Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti, said their business will take a major hit if they are shifted. "We have sought an appointment with the BMC commissioner. Vendors from across the city come here to buy at wholesale rates. Asking us to move to such a far flung location will affect business as we may not get buyers." He said they were also opposed to the BMC's decision to not relocate them back into the market.
The fish market, operational since Independence, is the only retail and wholesale market in the city. It receives over 150 trucks of fish and has 600 licenced fisher women and 400 wholesalers. Civic officials defended the decision saying as a lot of fish being sold in the market also comes via the Navi Mumbai route, creating a space for the vendors near the entry to the city will be advantageous. The BMC plans to demolish the existing structure and construct a 14-storey highrise with a parking lot. It is likely to take three years to reconstruct the structure. On plans for the building, Sangeeta Hasnale, assistant municipal commissioner, markets, told TOI, "Several BMC offices will be moved to the reconstructed building. New parking spaces will also be created


My name is Sabrina Beretta, I'm a french artist born in 1989. I worked as a graphic designer, after Multimedia and Digital Arts studies. In the same time and in self-taught, that I refined my creativity and my technique by privileging a physical contact with the support, through drawing and painting.
Since I was little, I am attracted by the beautiful pictures and the desire to create. This need for expression appeared to me as an evidence and a way of being. ART ET BE is the anagram of my surname BERETTA, and literally means "Art and Being". In a way, it is my philosophy of life: the Art of being and being art.
My works are witnesses of my state of mind and my emotions. My style is characterized by geometric shapes evoking the stained glass art. I like to represent the complexity of a scene or a personality, through the association of basic forms. I also like to mix figurative and abstract art, highlighting the paradox, the fragility, the desire to escape or the metamorphose.


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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/JessieRoyceLandis
Creator / Jessie Royce Landis
Edit Locked
Create New - Create New - Analysis Characters FanficRecs FanWorks Fridge Haiku Headscratchers ImageLinks Laconic PlayingWith Quotes Recap ReferencedBy Synopsis Timeline Trivia WMG YMMV
Jessie Royce Landis (born Jessie Medbury; November 25, 1896 – February 2, 1972) was an American actress. She became known in the 1950s for appearing in movies as a character actress, most notably in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955) and North By Northwest (1959), both starring Cary Grant; in To Catch a Thief as the mother of Grace Kelly's character, and in North by Northwest as the mother of Grant's character. The latter in particular earned her publicity for portraying Grant's mother despite only being eight years older than him.
Filmography on TV Tropes:
open/close all folders
Film roles
To Catch a Thief (1955) as Jessie Stevens
The Swan (1956) as Princess Beatrix
My Man Godfrey (1957 remake) as Angelica Bullock
North By Northwest (1959) as Clara Thornhill
Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) as Albertina Blythe
Airport (1970) as Harriet DuBarry Mossman
Television roles
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1 episode, 1960) as Claire Crane
Thriller (1 episode, 1960) as Mrs. Killburn
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1 episode, 1965) as Madame Olga Nemirovitch
Ironside (2 episodes, 1969-71) as Victoria Ironside / Margaret Brainard
Columbo (1 episode, 1971) as Mrs. Chadwick
UsefulNotes/Notable Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age
Forrest Landis
Actors/H to L
Joe Lando
AmericanActors/H to L


Of course, the highlight of this tour would be the one of the must-see attractions sacred lake Namtso.The heavenly lake is the second largest alpine saline lake in Tibet with an altitude of 4,718 meters above sea level. Its surrealistic beauty will take your breath away in no time. Just as a tourist noted: "It is one of those rare places on Earth where you feel the beauty of Nature as something material.
In the afternoon we will visit Sera Monastery, situated at the foot of Tatipu Hill, in the north of Lhasa City. One of the highlight of visiting Sera Monastery is watching the monks debating in a courtyard here (available between 15:00-17:00 from Mon-Sat). As part of their study, the monks hold debates to improve their understanding of Buddhism. It's a sight of fascination even though you don't understand a word of what they are debating about.
Drive from Lhasa to holy Namtso Lake, which is about 240km northwest of Lhasa. Enroute pass by endless grasslands with yaks and sheep, Damxung county, and Kyang-la Pass (5240m). Holy Namtso Lake is the 2nd largest saltwater lake in China and one of the most beautiful natural site in Tibet, with a miraculous shade of turquoise and the magnificent Nyenchen Tanglha Range (7000m and above) to the south. Trek around the nearby Tashi Do Island at the shore of Namtso Lake and watch the beautiful stars here at night.
Get up earlier to watch sunrise at Namtso Lake and take a light trekking at Tashi Do Island to explore its meditation caves. Afterwards, head back to Lhasa. En route, stop by at Dumxung for lunch. In the afternoon, we may stop by at Yangpachen Hot Springs (optional). There are outdoor & indoor swimming pools filled with hot springs.
Your Tibet tour ends today. We will pick you up to transfer to Lhasa Airport/Railway at designated time.


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Kluwgant quits Adass
Joshua Levi
17 August 2017
Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant.
RABBI Meir Shlomo Kluwgant has resigned as principal and CEO of Melbourne's Adass Israel School.
The AJN can reveal that Rabbi Kluwgant tendered his resignation because of concerns raised by child sexual abuse survivor Dassi Erlich, who met with the board last month.
Erlich was sexually abused by former Adass principal Malka Leifer, who was spirited out of the country by members of the Adass community in 2008 after allegations of her abuse became public.
Welcoming news of Rabbi Kluwgant's resignation, Erlich told The AJN, "I feel heartened that I was able to speak out for the students past and present of the school and the school board heard my concerns and acted. It really gives me hope that the school is moving in the right direction and positive change is happening."
In June the Adass board announced that Rabbi Kluwgant had been appointed as the principal and CEO, but the news was immediately met with outrage by victims of child sexual abuse and others in the community.
While there has never been any claim or implication that Rabbi Kluwgant acted inappropriately with children himself, concerns were raised over how he had previously handled issues related to child sexual abuse.
As a result of those issues, The AJN can also reveal that The Association of Principals of Jewish Day Schools (Victoria) wrote to Adass last month and said that they would not be willing to meet with Rabbi Kluwgant.
"We have informed Adass that six of the principals insisted that Adass send a representative other than Rabbi Kluwgant to the meetings of the Principals' Association," one principal said.
The AJN can exclusively reveal that the six principals were Bialik's Jeremy Stowe-Lindner, King David's Marc Light, Leibler Yavneh's Cherylyn Skewes, Mount Scopus's James Kennard, Shalom Aleichem's Helen Greenberg and Yesodei HaTorah's Hilton Rubin and Rabbi Yochanan Goldblatt.
The only principal who did not respond, and therefore was not a signatory to the letter to Adass, was Yeshivah Beth-Rivkah's Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler.
Child sexual abuse victims' advocate Manny Waks welcomed the news of Kluwgant's resignation on behalf of several victims.
"Both Adass and Kluwgant have horrific histories when it comes to mishandling matters relating to child sexual abuse," Waks said.
"Kluwgant's appointment was a slap in the face to the Yeshivah victims who worked so hard to expose his true character and to the Adass victims who continue to suffer terribly as a result of the lack of education and poor decision-making of the Adass School Board."
Originally published at The Australian Jewish News.


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US ditches 'road warrior' tag after Davis Cup loss
GIJON, Spain – The United States has reached the end of the road in its Davis Cup run.
The Americans couldn't overcome Spain's superiority on clay, falling when David Ferrer beat John Isner 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Sunday to secure the defending champions an insurmountable 3-1 lead in their semifinal.
The U.S. is now quite happy to ditch its road warrior tag following the loss.
The Americans' strong 2012 run included away victories over both Roger Federer-led Switzerland and France on clay. But even those impressive victories couldn't propel it past the world's top clay-court nation, with Ferrer remaining unbeaten on the surface for his 16th victory.
Three straight road series took a toll on a U.S. team missing the retired Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish because of health issues, but captain Jim Courier expects his young team to remain positive heading into 2013.
He was also hoping Wednesday's draw would be a little more helpful, too.
"There is a lot for this team to be proud of and what we have achieved this year — the way we have approached it, attacked it and the draw, the obstacles we have had," Courier said Sunday. "We have been given the most difficult draw that you can have in this era to play the teams we have on the road. We had some great wins and we had some competitive losses."
Wednesday's draw for next season's World Group play will determine the 32-time champions' first opponent, with the Americans having about a 50-percent chance of hosting to open.
"We'll be ready for whatever happens, (but) it would be really nice to have a home tie, we didn't have one this year," Courier said. "The schedule is terrible for the players after the Australian Open."
Isner had been 4-0 on clay this season, including singles wins over Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but the 10th-ranked American couldn't maintain his strong start on Sunday. Isner was undone by 74 unforced errors and his own frustrations as the match against the fifth-ranked Ferrer slipped away.
"It is disappointing; the Spanish team in my opinion is just too good. They won the important points and it is a bit discouraging for me," said Isner, who lost in five sets to Nicolas Almagro on Friday.
The victory over Federer in Fribourg was probably the season's highlight.
"You live and you learn," Isner said after failing to keep the tie alive following the Bryan brothers' doubles victory on Saturday.
Courier's second season ended the same as his first — with a loss to Spain, which goes on to play the Czech Republic in November's final.
He's had to juggle his singles lineup around Isner due to Fish's absence. Ryan Harrison played against France and Sam Querrey played Spain, with the pair going 0-3. Still, Courier is certain the experience of this season will bear fruit.
"We take some solace in (how close we were), but a win is a win and a loss is a loss. There is some silver lining in what this team has achieved this season," Courier said. "The Spaniards knew how to win key points in the matches they won.
"They have individual players, great depth and great passion for Davis Cup. It's not rocket science, if you have great ingredients and you have to blend them together and they do a great job."
Follow Paul Logothetis at http://twitter.com/PaulLogoAP


When temperatures really begin to plummet, you need protection you can count on. The North Face Jackets are insulated and are designed to battle brutally cold winter endeavors. With the jackets resistant construction, you will be provided with a core warming barrier between you and the elements. While the Polar was designed to withstand the harsh environment of the Himalaya, it has enough urban appeal to stroll down the streets of New York City in style.