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HomeDating TipsThe Curse Of "The Eternal Seven"
The Curse Of "The Eternal Seven"
The Rochelle Ritichie incident that occurred on Kevin Samuels' Clubhouse chat recently is the perfect time to discuss the "Eternal Seven"
December 28, 2020 Mumia Ali Dating Tips, Game For Men, Sexuality, Social Media 0
Rochelle Ritchie, Christelyn Karazin & Cynthia G: Case in point examples of the Curse of the Eternal Seven!
"You're average at best…"
-Kevin Samuels
Earlier this month, image consultant, social media personality and newly minted "Black Love" expert "Saint Kevin" Samuels hosted one of the first of his Clubhouse chats with a selected number of guests; among them was Chicago-area based news media personality Rochelle Ritchie, who was keen to give Mr. Samuels a piece of her mind in the wake of the "You're Average at Best" controversy that made Samuels a household name. After a heated and contentious exchange between Samuels and Ritchie, with the latter demanding to know why the former didn't apologize to the "average at best" lady at the center of the social media controversy, and reminding Samuels that she worked in the media herself, she was unceremoniously booted out of the chat by Samuels for exhibiting the very same kinds of rude behavior that the "average at best" caller to his show displayed in the first place.
One wonders why Ritchie, an admittedly attractive and successful Black woman, looks completely out of joint in a discussion concerning a Black woman who is clearly not on her level on either account, and why she was going so hard in the paint for her? The answer to these and many other questions, lies in the fact that Ritchie is what Samuels refers to as an "Eternal Seven" – and before I go any further, I want to make it abundantly clear that the concept upon which I write today is Samuels' and his alone; what I am doing is putting down in written form what that is, and then expanding on it a bit to add my own thoughts and observations.
So, with that being said, what, exactly, is an "Eternal Seven" – and why do I call it a curse? Read on!
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BLACK AMERICA'S BEAUTY DEFICIT
Before we answer today's burning question, we have to appreciate the fact that one of the biggest – pardon the pun – problems that bedevils "Black Love" in our time is the unsightly fact that Black women are, as a group, the fattest people in America. The average Black woman stands at 5'4″, weighs upwards of 200 lbs. and wears an average dress size of 18(!). Nor is this something that is relegated to a particular age or social cohort – it's a phenomenon that has been documented from Oprah and Stacey Abrams themselves on down to young Black women in the hood and everywhere in between (Gabby Sibide's "Precious" comes to mind), as numerous news articles over the years easily bears out ("Obesity among Black women outrageously high", The Atlanta Voice, Nov 15, 2019; "80% of black women are overweight" CNN/Chris Lawrence, YouTube, Oct 16, 2013; "Black Women and Fat", New York Times, May 5, 2012; "At Spelman College, a program tackles tough issues of weight, health and self-image", Washington Post, May 2, 2013). According to the venerable online resource BlackDemographics.com, some 55% of Black women aged 20 or over are obese, with Hispanic women not far behind at 51% ("Obesity in Black America" section).
In his work as an image consultant, Samuels observes that more often than not the Black women who come to him for advice and counsel invariably asks for his take on affairs of the heart; and he is often pressed to tell them the truth: That successful Black men are not likely to want to "put a ring" on a seriously heavyset woman. Samuels takes things a step further in noting that over the years, as Black women's dress sizes have grown, Black men's marriage proposals have shrunk. As far as I know, no scientific study has been conducted that specifically examines Samuels' observation in Black America; but we DO have scientific evidence that bears out the generality of the observation – fatter women have fewer marital prospects ("WOMEN PAY PRICE FOR BEING OBESE", New York Times, Sep 30, 1993).
With so many Black women being so heavy across the Black American socioeconomic spectrum, there is a very real beauty deficit at work in contemporary Black America that seems to contribute to an ever-growing divide between Black men and women, and there seems to be enough evidence to support Samuels' contention that the bigger Black women get overall and in the aggregate, the fewer Black men are willing to go down on one knee to propose. This is where the "Eternal Seven" comes in.
But not exactly how you'd think…
PROFILE OF "THE ETERNAL SEVEN"
While the rank and file Black woman across Black America is at best "pleasingly plump", the Eternal Seven is very easy to spot. Although she can be seen everywhere in terms of social class in Black American life, for purposes of today's discussion we will focus on those most likely to be spotted in the lower middle to solidly middle class of Black Americans.
The Eternal Seven is, first and foremost and almost without exception, svelte, trim and physically fit – at least in terms of appearance, and her facial looks often compliment her streamlined figure. Many often do some form of regular exercise and make attempts to varying degrees of eating right and so forth as well. As her moniker suggests, she is "above average" in terms of looks – "cute", maybe even "pretty" – but not outright gorgeous. That's reserved for the 8s, 9s and 10s of the world – and she knows it.
But the Eternal Seven knows that she either edges out or completely annilhilates the rest of the competition among her lower ranked sisters, and she uses this to her full advantage in pretty much all areas of her life, especially when it comes to dealings with most Black men (more on this below) – who, as it has been already discussed, rarely come across a "7" in their day to day lives.
Eternal Sevens have the enviable privilege of being "universal" (or universal enough) looking to appeal to a large swath of American life, both socially, professionally and in some cases, romantically as well; as such, they tend to work in fields that can afford them a degree of social interaction and even advancement that their more "ethnic" looking sisters either do so only with a good degree of difficulty, or not at all.
Therefore, Eternal Sevens almost always tend to attend college and university, and tend to work in fields like communications, media, law, or government, be that local, state or federal. They can be observed working in fields associated with psychology, healthcare and finance as well – often in "face" positions of some kind. Often, they work as glorified "admins", junior partners and middle management at most.
They tend to like the camera (being in front of it, that is) and are often social media butterflies, making prodigious use of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and in some cases YouTube (I put it that way because YouTube in particular has been noted for being a predominantly White, young and male platform in the main) – again, using their "seveness" to give them a oneupsmanship among their sisters out on these internet streets. This is particularly true among those Eternal Sevens who are "creatives" – those who work as photographers, social media professionals, graphic artists, or in one way or another makeup the entertainment business economy – always on the penumbra of the action, but never quite in the thick of it.
And, Eternal Sevens tend to earn well for themselves – far above the national average salary of about $37K USD a year, according to BlackDemographics.com – and also tend to be in the social orbit of the "Masters of the Universe" Black men – the movers, shakers and kingmakers of Black America. In fact, they're so close to such High Value Black Men, that they can reach out and touch them, know many of them on a first name basis, and so on – and yet, they are so very, very far away.
Well, the single biggest reason and easiest answer is, while the Eternal Seven is indeed attractive, she's not THAT attractive; while the Eternal Seven is "smarter than the average bear", she's not THAT smart (proofed by the fact that Eternal Sevens rarely attend top-seeded/top-ranked colleges; at best, they're in the mid-tier and in many instances, they're low-seeded schools – if they rank at all); and, perhaps most important of all, she thinks she's ALL THAT, when in truth, she's just "above average".
For when you're in the rarified group of "Masters of the Universe" guys, why settle for "above average" when you can get a metaphysical goddess – right?
THIS, then, is the "Curse of the Eternal Seven" – to know, deep down, that while you're hotter and smarter than most Black women – especially in our bloated time today – you're simply not hot and in some cases, smart/good enough, to snag Mr. Master of the Universe.
And that makes the Eternal Sevens MAD.
WHY "THE ETERNAL SEVEN" IS THE NON-SELECT GUY'S THIRST TRAP
This brings me to why Eternal Sevens are a concern for the Non-Select Guy in our time today – because if the latter isn't careful, he may fall prey to the machinations of the former.
You see, for many Eternal Sevens, they know that they will NEVER get the topmost Black men – not today, not no day – and so they seethe in impotent rage over that fact. And they take it out on "lesser" Black men, real or perceived.
Now, to be sure, "non-select" and "lesser" are two completely different things – OUTSIDE of Black America – as I've recently proven ("Can A Non-Select Guy Be A High-Value Man?", Negromanosphere.com, Sep 14, 2020). But we're dealing with Black women here – and as Black women have repeatedly proven, in their eyes, the "Ideal Black Man" has to be hitting on ALL cylinders – and "the look" is a dealbreaker, even if you're number one with a bullet in everything else, as Christelyn Karazin herself makes plain in her 2012 book, "Swirling: How to Date, Mate & Relate, Mixing Race, Color & Creed":
"The big inkblot on your list might be your desire for an IBM – the Ideal Black Man. Individual preferences may vary, but usually, the "IBM" is more than six feet tall, devilishly handsome, optimally went to an Ivy-Leage school, and makes a kazillion dollars a year. He loves his mama, who raised him alone and sent him to college with all the quarters she saved from the moment he was born. Sound about right? I'll admit it – he does sound good. And if you're an IBW ("Ideal Black Woman"), you surely deserve an IBM. After all, every great man should want an equally great counterpart, right?" (pp. 68-69)
Karazin is fitting for today's discussion, because in many ways, she herself qualifies as an Eternal Seven. She's above average looking for a Black woman in our time today – and certainly much more so than the vast majority of the rank file students in her "Pink Pill" courses; she attended Loyola Marymount University, which according to US News & World Report college rankings, comes in at #66 with a degree in communications. For the past decade, her crusade to get Black women to "open up/expand their dating options" has barely budged; as of the past weekend, she states herself that since the time her book was published – eight years ago – the number of Black women marrying White or otherwise non-Black men has only increased three percentage points(!) – barely statistically significant ("Two, Three Decades Later, Have Black Women Changed Their Minds About Interracial Dating?", YouTube, Dec 27, 2020). And, according to the website SocialBlade, she's been on YouTube for 11 years, has only now crossed the 90K subscriber threshold, and has an overall channel rating of "B-".
Like I said, "above average" – NOT "all that" – and definitely not a contender for an "IBM".
This has certainly been the case for Karazin, who was instantly smitten with Samuels and called into his wildly popular YouTube show to that effect, earlier this summer; but she couldn't close the deal. She's been bitterly crying sour grapes and cursing Samuels' name eversince – who has gone on to garner an order of magnitude more subscribers, has gone viral at least four times this year alone, and makes a ton of ad revenue from YouTube alone over Karazin – only further emphasizing the point. Karazin, and other Eternal Sevens like her, may think whatever they like about themselves; but the cold, hard reality of their lives, says something else.
That brings me to the Non-Select Guys, who are often dumped on by the Eternal Sevens, in part for the reasons enunciated above, but also for another deeply profound reason: Because the NSGs are truly reflective of the level of these ladies – and they are PISSED about it.
As a general rule, the Non-Select Guys of Black America are the "middle men" when it comes to the dating and mating market – and have you noticed that they are completely absent by the Black female-driven, multi-decades discourse on "Black Love" matters? This is not by accident, due precisely to today's topic: Black women like Karazin – the Eternal Sevens – tend to be among "the loudest voices in the room" – and as far as they're concerned, there really only exists two types of Black men: the "IBMs" that Eternal Sevens like Karazin swoon over; and the proverbial "Pookie & Ray-Ray's", which is to say, the out and out losers of Black American men. Non-Select Guys tend to be self-made men, usually in some form of business and commerce; they are the solid middle class of white collar professional workers; and of course, they are the bulwark of the Black male labor market, in the blue collar skilled trades. Despite the fact that the NSGs make a far sight more than the average Black man – and more often than not Eternal Sevens themselves – Eternal Sevens like Karazin honestly believe that they are inherently "better" than the Non-Select Guys – and this accounts for the latter's conspicuous absence from the former's multi-decades harangues.
Non-Select Guys do themselves no favors by attempting to curry favor with Eternal Sevens, who hold you in open contempt. As Abraham Lincoln once famously said: "Better to be alone, than to keep bad company".
Mumia Obsidian Ali is a citizen journalist, podcaster, talk radio show host, newly minted dating coach and soon to be author. You can catch his daily live shows on the global livestreaming radio website Mixlr, as well as the all-new members-only Obsidian Radio Zoomcast, and his podcasts on YouTube and Black Avenger TV, as well as his weekly dating coach column at the Negromanosphere website. He's also a semi-professional pest.
Black America Is Burning
Black female fuckery
Christelyn Karazin
Da Communitah
Ideal Black Man
Non-Select Guys
Pookie & Ray-Ray
Rochelle Ritchie
Stay In Your Lane
The Book Of Obsidian
The Eternal Seven
The Buzz on Electric Cars in 2021 and Beyond
21 Days and a Wake-up
What Do Incels & Tarana Burke Have In Common?
February 24, 2020 Mumia Ali 0
"So whose job is it to help these men? Answer: It's their own job. They are grown men, responsible for their actions and needs. It is no woman's job to give him love or attention […]
Do Black Men Really Want "Self-Improvement"?
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -Sir Winston Churchill In my previous column, "My Tinder Experiment & Its Discontents" (Oct 6, 2020), I explored several popular […]
March 16, 2021 Mumia Ali 0
"Attempting to mack on another person's significant other by talking bad about them behind their back." -Urban Dictionary Although it appears to have (finally?) settled down as spring approaches, the soon to be over winter […]


"Unbox Your Creativity" at the upcoming Johnston County Writers Conference, organized by the Johnston County Writers Group. Local author-speakers will impart their knowledge regarding writing and the publishing process.
Registration opens January 15, 2019 (today) for the Saturday, April 6, 2019, 8:30am-3pm conference. Morning sessions are limited to the first 35 registrants.
The fee to attend is $20 per person, which includes a box lunch from Hula Girl Cafe.
This inaugural conference will be held in the Selma Woman's Club, 203 W Oak Street, Selma, North Carolina.
Conference information is online at www.jcartscouncil.org/community-events.html. To receive a registration form for the Johnston County Writers Conference, or with conference questions, contact Cindy Brookshire at 919.202.5990 or via email.
This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Conference presentations and speaker biographies follow.
Johnston County resident and a member of the North Carolina Writers Network, Dr. Allen will present, The Road to Publication: Professionalism, Publishing, and How to Present your Best Writing Self.
Stephanie Andrea Allen, Ph.D., is a native southerner, writer, scholar, and educator. She works as an English instructor at a local university, co-directs a literary non-profit for Black women writers, and is publisher and editor-in-chief at BLF Press, an independent Black feminist press dedicated to amplifying the work of women of color based in Clayton, North Carolina. Her work can be found in Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction, Sinister Wisdom, and in her debut collection of short stories and essays, A Failure to Communicate. She is also co-editor of Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color, and Black From the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing (Forthcoming 2019). Stephanie holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Purdue University, an M.A. in English from Auburn University, and a B.A. in English from Columbus State University. She is currently working on a second collection of short stories and her first novel.
For more information about Dr. Allen, Visit www.blfpress.com, or follow this Facebook Page www.facebook.com/BLFPress.
Owner and senior editor of Goldsboro-based Dancing Lemur Press LLC, speaker Diane Wolfe, o is dedicated to bringing outstanding and inspiring science fiction and fantasy fiction to the publishing world.
The afternoon session, presented by best-selling author and columnist Celia Rivenbark, is open to the public, with no admission fee. Rivenbark will sign books after her one hour talk (45 minutes with 15 minute Q&A).
Celia Rivenbark, a native of Duplin County, NC, is a New York Times best-selling author of seven books whose weekly political humor column appears in newspapers across the country. Celia is also an award-winning playwright whose original plays are performed every summer on the NC coast. Recognized by the James Thurber Society for her humorous commentary, Celia has contributed to anthologies including "The Carolina Table" and "Southern Fried Farce," and to the popular online magazine "The Bitter Southerner." Her book, We're Just Like You, Only Prettier, was named best non-fiction book of the year by the Southern Independent Booksellers Association.
Ed. Note: The Johnston County Writers Group meets the second Thursday of every month, 6:30-7:30pm, at Selma Public Library, 301 N Pollock Street, Selma NC.


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Ayoku Liadi is new GMD at Sky Capital and Financial Allied.
The Board of Sky Capital and Financial Allied International, the financial subsidiary of SIFAX Group, has appointed Ayoku Liadi as the company's Group Managing Director.
In this new role, Ayoku will oversee all Sky Capital's subsidiaries and affiliates in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Gambia.
Sky Capital Group presently has investments in banking, insurance brokerage and asset management.
Some of its subsidiries and affiliates include Skye Bank Guinea, Skye Bank Sierra Leone and TRM Insurance Brokers.
Ayoku's Profile
Ayoku is an accomplished financial expert with over twenty-five years of progressive experience.
Prior to his appointment at Sky Capital, he was the Deputy Managing Director, UBA Nigeria.
He was in charge of about 500 branches nationwide in this position.
Also, he served as the MD/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank, Sierra Leone between 2011 and 2013 where he recorded outstanding achievements.
He led the bank to become the most profitable bank in 2013.
His exceptional leadership also earned the bank the prestigious KPMG award for the Best Customer Service Bank in 2012.
Ayoku holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
He also has an ACA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Moreover, he is currently pursuing his Master's degree in Marketing from the University of Lagos.
His expertise in business transformation and relationship management has earned him several awards throughout his career.
Furthermore, is an alumnus of Kellogg Business School, USA and Cranfield Business School, UK.
Additionally, he attended IMD Business School, Switzerland and other prestigious institutions.
GEVC's Statement
Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group is positive of the strategic development.
He said the quality of the new helmsman was informed by the Group's vision to drive pan- African expansion of Sky Capital Group.
"We are delighted to appoint Mr. Ayoku Liadi to provide strategic leadership and drive growth at Sky Capital."
Also, he praised Ayoku's vision and leadership.
Category: Communique December 8, 2021
Tags: ayoku liadigmdsifaxSifax groupSky Capital
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Home > Insights > Economic and Market Commentary > King, Keynes and Knight: Insights Into an Uncertain Economy
Macro Perspectives
King, Keynes and Knight: Insights Into an Uncertain Economy
The concept of "radical uncertainty" helps shed light on macro analysis in a world of insecure stability.
By Joachim Fels July 14, 2016
Lord Mervyn King, former governor of the Bank of England, has said recently that is impossible to describe the future in terms of a knowable and exhaustive range of outcomes to which we can attach probabilities – he calls this concept "radical uncertainty." Frank Knight and John Maynard Keynes also discussed uncertainty in the early 20th century, but until 2008 the concept seemed to be largely ignored.
King's radical uncertainty isn't necessarily pervasive: Particularly over shorter time horizons, insights into the way past events unfolded can assist in forecasting the future. However, regime shifts and structural breaks are more frequent than most people believe.
Radical uncertainty may be even more acute today because we seem to be entering an era where politics dominates economics in shaping market outcomes.
One small footnote to the Brexit controversy: It has invigorated my interest in Lord Mervyn King's concept of radical uncertainty. As the former governor of the Bank of England laid out so eloquently at PIMCO's investment forum in May and in his recent book The End of Alchemy, "radical uncertainty" refers to uncertainty so profound that it is impossible to describe the future in terms of a knowable and exhaustive range of outcomes to which we can attach probabilities. I find this concept particularly useful to describe the challenges we all face in a world of rising polarization, populism and politicization.
The King is dead, long live the King!
Lord King argues that radical uncertainty is pervasive and that the inability to conceive of what the future may hold means that the probabilistic models that economists, central banks and investors use for forecasting are doomed to fail. To quote from King's book (p. 304):
"In a world of radical uncertainty there is no way of identifying the probabilities of future events and no set of equations that describes people's attempt to cope with, rather than optimize against, that uncertainty. … In the latter world, the economic relationships between money, income, saving and interest rates are unpredictable, although they are the outcome of attempts by rational people to cope with an uncertain world."
This is truly remarkable stuff from an ex-central banker who pioneered and perfected inflation targeting with its heavy reliance on economic models and forecasts, and who, in a former life, was (to quote from Paul Krugman's recent review of King's book) "a card-carrying mainstream economist." Obviously, the 2008 financial crisis and the unusual New Normal macro environment ever since have made King reconsider and eventually break with the conventional approach and come up with a new one – a rare and laudable occurrence among economists and central bankers!
Re-enter the Knight
Of course, as King notes himself, the concept of radical uncertainty isn't really new. Economists have usually referred to it as "Knightian uncertainty" ever since University of Chicago professor Frank H. Knight in his 1921 book Risk, Uncertainty and Profit distinguished between "risk," which can be quantified by attaching probabilities based on experience and/or statistical analysis, and "uncertainty," which is essentially unmeasurable and represents the unknowable unknowns.
However, even though the concept of Knightian uncertainty has been around in economic thinking and John Maynard Keynes also discussed it (without giving credit to Knight as far as I can tell) in Chapter 12 of his 1936 The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money , it was largely forgotten or ignored by the following generations of economists, who became more interested in formalizing their discipline and building seemingly precise models of the economy based on the idea that we can attach probabilities to future events and outcomes based on observations from the past. And sadly, it took the global financial crisis of 2008 to lead Lord Mervyn King and others to rediscover the idea that many future events are simply impossible to conceive of today and to capture in economic models.
Stuff happens, and more often than you think
Of course, it is debatable whether one should go as far as King and declare radical uncertainty as so pervasive that all forecasting is futile. My hunch is that more often than not, and particularly over shorter time horizons, we can assume that we are in a period of overall stability, where insights into the way past events unfolded can assist in forecasting the future. However, we always have to be aware that the real world is far from stable or stationary and that, to quote King once more, "stuff happens" – think Lehman, Greece, Brexit and Trump, which can or will lead to regime shifts that render the old empirical relationships obsolete.
So what does the presence of radical uncertainty imply for analysts, central bankers and investors? Let me offer three thoughts:
Think the unthinkable, or at least try to
First, economic and market forecasts based on statistical/econometric models still make sense, but keep in mind that they always rest on the often-forgotten assumption of structural stability. Regime shifts and structural breaks ("stuff happens") are more frequent than most people tend to believe. I've been doing applied economics for more than 30 years now and there have been more "structural breaks" than I have fingers on my two hands (yes, I'm a two-handed economist!). That's why, in addition to working with models, it is important to think in terms of scenarios, engage in "what if" analysis and, importantly, force yourself to "think the unthinkable" – the trends or shocks that statistical analysis would tell you are highly unlikely because there is no precedent.
Forget forward guidance
Second, if the future is radically uncertain, then the modern central bank practice of giving markets forward guidance may be, well, misguided. Yes, central bankers always emphasize that guiding doesn't mean promising and that, e.g., the Federal Reserve's dot plot of an appropriate policy rate path is no more than a conditional forecast. Yet, if these forecasts turn out to be wrong most of the time because "stuff happens," what is the value of making them in the first place?
Perhaps, it would be better to acknowledge the existence of radical uncertainty and stop making policy forecasts that will inevitably be proved wrong most of the time. So far, the Fed has only made a small step in this direction by calling itself "data dependent." Yet, by publishing forecasts for economic variables and its own interest rate path, it still creates the illusion that the future is highly predictable. As I see it, true data and regime dependence is not compatible with explicit forward guidance. And, as an aside, doing away with the dot plot and the guessing about how it will evolve and who is who in the dot plot would free up many analysts' time to think more about the unthinkable.
Populism promotes even more radical uncertainty
Third, radical uncertainty may be even more acute today than it has been over the past several decades because we seem to be entering an era where politics again dominates economics in shaping market outcomes. "Political economy" variables usually don't enter economic forecasting models. Yet, as King rightly points out, it has often been big surprises on the political front that drive major developments in the world economy. They represent "not the random shocks of the forecasters' models but the realization of radical uncertainty," as King phrases it. Brexit, Trump and the rise of populism – what are the consequences, and what is next? We can all make educated guesses (see for example my take on how Brexit could lead to a stagflationary outcome). But only time will tell.
Insecure stability
Not so incidentally (as King spoke at our Secular Forum in which we looked out three to five years), the concept of radical uncertainty also played into our forum conclusions, where we characterized the longer-term global outlook as " Stable But Not Secure ." Yes, the global economy and financial markets appear relatively stable, and that stability may well last a while longer, perhaps even beyond our cyclical (six to 12 month) horizon. However, a deceptive, treacherous stability it is, as risks are lurking and building in the background – ever more elevated asset prices relative to historical norms, mounting private and public debt, diminishing returns to monetary policy and the rise of populism. And these are just those risks we are able to identify. All of this, and the uncomfortable but uncanny presence of radical uncertainty, leads to a very simple conclusion for investors: Let capital preservation be thy King!
Joachim Fels
Global Economic Advisor
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Cladonia nitidella är en lavart som beskrevs av S. Hammer. Cladonia nitidella ingår i släktet Cladonia och familjen Cladoniaceae.   Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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Burning Man, It's an experience, a stream of thought, a party that doesn't end, a desert that is uninhabitable. It's underrated and overrated at the same time. That's what Burning Man is to me.
Burning Man is a group of friends that come once a year every year. It's everything you wanted, multiplied by sparkle ponies. It's forgetting reality. Burning Man is letting all of your inhibitions drift away into the dust before anyone notices. It's life thrown into the fire and told: Feel something different! It's the difference between life and death, between real and reality, between the fake and the unfake. It does exist, you just ask " Are you a virgin? " and tell people never ever come back again.
But that's good. It's IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!! Please, don't come because there are too many people already. Burning Man is drinking Bloody Marys in the morning, not 'cause you are an alcoholic but because they are there and you want it and you don't care because you want it. Burning Man is watching the sun come up over the desert and wondering if it really matters, then watching it go down and realizing that it doesn't. It's not caring that it matters. It's not mattering.
You realize that there is another life but this is OUR CITY Black Rock City. WE BUILT THIS MAN!!!! And we take pride in it. You can't take it away, this feeling. Burning Man is how life would be without the MAN. Don't even try to be without the Man after this. His is with you and you will never be without. Burning Man is life. It's everything we never had. Burning Man is US – the man, the woman, the "it doesn't matter". It's everything you hate being released from your body. It's a shard of life in this world.
Burning Man is you. The only stop is that hour after you kill him that he is gone and there is nothing left. But that never lasts and we all have to feel that same pain. You can be sad, but you should pray to the temple that you can take it with you, that you can please, please, please try to take it with you.
I hate going but I love it. I can't stop going. Please don't let me stop and please don't let you stop. The world needs people like us to push the limits and find out where this thing goes. Every year that we pack all of our junk and carry it out to the Playa let's remember to always push it farther. Let's find the edge and jump off, at bottom of the cliff might be better.
Going Home to Black Rock City is so impossible to write about. Life on the playa is so radically different, full of childhood wonder and fantastical ideas that become reality. It reminds us that life is art, that giving is good, and that surprises are around every corner.
We found Java Johnny, our favorite old coffee-slinging nonsense-talking character, right in the same spot he was 3 years ago. ("Attention campers! If you're wondering what time is it, I have the time for you. Get ready to set your clocks! The time is….THURSDAY!") Naked Lady was there too, and so was an awesome couple from Portland who brought a whole box of Voodoo Donuts that stayed fresh enough for the first 2 days.
On the first day it rained, which never happens. The playa turned into thick, cement-like mud, which coated our shoes like glue until everyone had a 4-inch platform of mud. My cheap old boots somehow didn't attract the mud as much, but Zach and others went around barefoot or wrapped their feet in plastic bags and slid around the neighborhood. It was fun.
On Friday there was a dust storm. It got terrible right when we got to the temple. The only quiet place on the playa, people kneeled praying, meditating, honoring loved ones, as the dust swirled. Biking back, you couldn't see 4 feet in front of you. I was terrified of getting lost out there, dusty and dried out like a lizard. We made it back and laughed at how our faces were different colors inside and outside our goggles.
My bike got stolen. It was right outside our camp on the outskirts, and we were only next door at Camp Let It Go. Yesterday we got a comment on our blog from the thief. He must have read the "La Aventura Project" bumper sticker stuck on there. You can read it under the "Maps" section. To whoever you are, I'm not that mad about it. I didn't want to carry that crappy bike back home anyway. I just wish you wouldn't have taken it on Wednesday! Maybe you'll keep reading our blog.
There were more moments, more laughs, more awestuck-staring than I can ever remember properly. New best friends whose names you'll never remember. Swirling stars and subtle realizations that you can't put into words, but they change who you are. It's hard and dirty and difficult and immensely creative. I hope I'm blessed enough to return.


Guzmán Ariza lawyers have intimate knowledge of the Constitution of the Dominican Republic. A partner of the firm, Aura Celeste Fernández, is a recognized constitutional scholar and was a member of the committee that drafted the present-day Constitution. Another partner of the firm, Fabio J. Guzmán Ariza, is an expert on the language of the Constitution and has published the only existing English translation of the Dominican Constitution. Guzmán Ariza attorneys have worked extensively, on behalf of individuals and corporate clients, to ensure their constitutionally-protected rights in the Dominican Republic.
For more information, go to our publications on Constitutional Law.


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The BBC used to have a fifth network... what was its name?
Tomorrow is the tenth birthday of Radio Five Live, the BBC's News and Sport network. Which makes today the tenth anniversary of the closure of Radio Five, the station which went to make room for it, and which, for the short period in which it existed, was the most exciting music outlet in the country.
It started, as did so many things back then, with Thatcher. She'd decided that simulcasting the same radio programmes on FM and AM was a waste of a scarce national resource - in other words, saw the opportunity to flog something and make a few bob. So, the commercial broadcasters were warned to make better use of their frequencies, or lose them (resulting in the sudden creation of the Gold channels on medium wave up and down the country) and the BBC lost control of the old Radios One and Three medium wave frequencies which went off to become Talk and Virgin. Afraid of losing any more ground, the Beeb resolved to make better use of its radio real estate, forcing Radio Two to finalise its move to FM only and to do something else with what had always been 433 and 330, but had become converted to 693 and 909.
The plan was to scoop up a lot of programming which had never had a proper home - Schools Radio, the Open University stuff that had long been chucked out on Radio Four Long Wave at weekends under the odd "Options" banner, and to build on some experiments which had been taking place to do radio for teenagers, like Steve Blacknell's Pirate Radio Four, which had also opted out the speech network to offer a talky alternative to Radio One for the young people of the nation. Topped up with the first new kids programmes since David Ryder's Playground had been dug up off Radio One, the station had an undeniable air of mish-mash, but in amongst the acres of space filling (The "Citizen's Advice Bureau of the air", the weather forecast which attempted to namecheck every town in Britain, and, of course, lots of sport) there were some wonderful programmes.
Best of the lot were the regional yoof shows in the evening - originally ninety minutes at 9.30, they quickly moved them up to ten to give them a full two hours. Except when the sport overran. Highlights included The Mix, from London, Scotland's Earshot and Hit The North.
Named after a Fall song, presented by the then-unknown-nationally Mark Radcliffe from the BBC's Oxford Road studios in Manchester (already, of course, a legendary name in the music pantheon thanks to the Duran-heavy midweek Whistle Test light of BBC Two's Oxford Road Show), Hit The North provided an outlet for a range of comedy items of varying quality - Frank Sidebottom would often pop up and usually wear out a welcome, some sort of reportage that would sit well on Lamacq Live these days, the world's worst jingle ("Hit... hit... hit the north") and classic music which never paid very much attention to the supposed rule of representing the region. A vital element was missing, however, but a few months in a former member of The Creepers turned up to do a gossip slot ("I'm not one to gossip... but pull up a chair") and one of the great radio double acts was born. Ironically, Mark and Lard lasted right up until yesterday, when their Radio One adventure ended.
But besides two northerners who said "knackers" a lot, Hit the North had another gift for the nation: the five song live session. Probably the greatest of these was The Verve - back when they were still Verve - who were doing so well Radcliffe encouraged them to extend a track by an extra few minutes, leading to Richard Ashcroft and Mark extemporising the legendary 'Who's on the news?' right up until Nick Mullins had to do the eleven o'clock bulletin.
Hit the North nearly disappeared when, in a further spot of Thatcher-inspired fiddling, the BBC decided it should try and outsource a quarter of its radio production to independent producers, targetting the regional shows as an easy way of doing this. A clearly pissed-off Radcliffe made tart reference to the sell-off on air, but in the end the show survived through a management buy-out. It remained the same, with the sole exception that there was an "M and TV" production credit at the end.
The Mix wasn't so lucky, though, and got replaced by Fabulous, allowing Mark Lamarr to spread his wings further than he was able to on The Word. This wasn't so bad, though, as Lamarr's quick wit and handy catchphrase - "thank god you're here" - proved a fitting replacement.
At the other end of the day, Breakfast had been given over to Morning Edition, which struggled a bit to find its feet. The first format had been current affairs based, but with such a soft agenda that you needed wellingtons to get past some of the features. Andy Kershaw would pop in once a week to talk about World Music releases - Baba Maal with your Rice Krispies not being everyone's taste - and there'd be horse racing tips and, quick, let's review the newspapers until the schools programmes start. However, someone, somewhere, was struck with inspiration and the programme was passed to the bloke who'd originally turned up to do the football phone-in on saturday nights. Morning Edish on Radio Fish was born, and Danny Baker did the show of his life. With a management who was just happy to have someone turn up and fill the airtime, Baker was given the freedom and trust to follow his instincts and lines of thought, creating some great moments. Despite the need to keep stopping for Claire Balding to give the racing tips. Turning news reader Allis Moss into a sidekick, and treating the audience as a resource, it remains one of the high-water marks in British radio.
There were other good things about Five, too: The shouty soap opera of The Mall, featuring a guest appearance by Saint Etienne; Normski's terribly named Vibe; the return of Johnnie Walker to national radio hosting a daily show; the original version of Room 101, which was always a much better radio format than a TV show. And, uniquely for a British radio service, there was never a single musical format on the station. You'd hear Fry and Laurie doing stuff from the Jeeves and Wooster album when you woke up, move through country and western and go to be with bhangra or the BMX Bandits. Even Six doesn't come close in the sheer range of music that would find its way onto the air.
It lasted four years, until it was deemed to be in the way. The last part of the BBC's great plan had been to create a 24 hour news service - Radio Six, based in a loose fashion on the Gulf War rolling news service, known as Scud FM. Oddly, the BBC's own reports on the launch of Five Live seems convinced that Scud FM had been carried on Radio Five, even although its very name shows that it was actually an opt-out on Radio 4 FM. During the first Gulf war, Today had rolled on until the World At One kicked off, which had then expanded round until PM, and so on. And this was to have been the basis of Radio Six, which had its eye on 198 Long Wave. The only problem was, after contracts had been exchanged and the work begun, expats suddenly realised if they took Radio Four off long wave to make room for news, they would no longer be able to hear the station in France and Spain. They mustered, marched on Broadcasting House and, oddly, won. Quite why the management at the BBC made the decision to listen to a few hundred people who didn't pay a penny in licence fees isn't totally clear - the fact they all voted and all tended to be Tory voters may have been a factor - but listen they did, backing down and saving 198 for Radio Four. And Test Match Special. But BBC News wasn't going to give up quite so easily, and so started looking for a new home. And they settled on Radio Five. The young network hadn't got a very large audience - because it was mostly aimed at children and the odd specialist taste - and it was unlikely the few thousands who enjoyed Northern Ireland's Across The Line would be voting Tory ("marching on the BBC headquarters") in quite the same way. In addition, a lot of the talent the station had nurtured had already moved on - Hit the North had lost Mark and Lard to Radio One, Danny Baker had also gone there for his short-lived show in the old DLT slot, and so on, and the sports elements of the old Five were going to find a new home on what was possibly going to be called UK Live - so there wasn't much of a fight put up by anyone to save Radio Five.
The big switch off came March 27th, 1994. The last week of the old Radio Five showcased all that was best about it - anarchic, unexpected, funny, and going far from quietly. Seven days in which everyone was pissed off; even the kid's story Wiggly Park stuck two fingers up at management, with a final tale which saw the park levelled to make way for "newspaper offices and a sports centre." Not until digital radio made more space on the airwaves would a station with such a wide-ranging musical remit be given the space to just get on with it and the chance to try out so many unexpected presenters. We tend to think that 6Music is basically the old Radio Five, but without the sports. Or the schools programmes. Or the phone-ins about neighbourhood disputes. And it was the launch of 6Music which finally made us able to forgive the BBC for killing off our Radio Five.
More from No Rock on bbc, danny baker, mark radcliffe, radio 1, radio 5
It wasn't just a few expats who scuppered the plan to put news on long wave, but a bunch of UK-based luddites (the campaign to save radio 4 long wave) who seemed incapable of tuning to FM when listeners to just about every other station had done so. Couple this with a BBC which seemed unwilling to make any effort to defend its perfectly reasonable plans, and the result is the loss of Radio 5, the unsatisfactory fudge of combined news and sport, and the continued wastefulness of simulcasting Radio 4.
It is worth noting that Scud FM did not carry any normal BBC Radio 4 news programming.


Discussion in 'Buying Tips and Advice' started by Dark Void, Jun 28, 2011.
Would anyone happen to have any recommendations for a quality Surge Protector? It doesn't have to be a specific item, but for what it's worth I need about 6-8 outlets.
Any reputable or preferred brands?
I use surge protectors and UPS from APC.
In twelve years I've never had a problem or needed to use their equipment protection program.
hm, those are from $50 at my local retail. i guess you get what you pay for?
are belkin any good? got some nice 12 outlet models for about $18.
I have a pretty old Belkin Isolator that's served me well for a long time. I've also been using one of the 8-outlet models that's a bit flatter than most and has a cord wrap loop near the top. It sells for somewhere around $20. I've had mine for about a year, and it's also caused no problems.
thanks for the input. i'll probably look at what local retail has and then go from there, and i will look out for Belkin.
Another vote for APC. Only brand I have that I trust. Yes, they may be pricey at regular stores but check out Costco. I always see them there for just under $20.
I use APC as my UPS and surge protection for my two desktop computers but I also use Belkin for other equipment with good results.
so APC and Belkin, got it.
Many people, including me, use APC for their dependability at home and in the enterprise environment. I have a couple of their UPS's that are about 10+ years old that I need to recycle, but they lasted at least 5 or so years before I had problems with the batteries, which is the normal life cycle of a lead acid battery. I have some Belkin power saver units at home that have a remote switch for turning off most of the outlets via switch or timer on my less critical stuff, but most of the surge protects are APC. All of the UPS's at home are APC.
Read what they did not say. Invisible protectors on the furnace, air conditioner, dishwasher, every dimmer switch, bathroom GFCI, and door bell also did same protection for so much less money.
Best protection adjacent to any appliance is already inside the appliance. Often a surge too tiny to overwhelm that protection easily destroys the ineffective protector. Design that way. Failure gets the majority to recommend a grossly undersized protector that costs tens or 100 times more money per appliance.
In any facility that can never suffer damage, those protectors (that also have a rare history of creating building fires) are not used. Any facility that must never have surge damage uses one 'whole house' protector connected short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to the only item that does surge protection. Single point earth ground. Rated to even earth direct lightning strikes without failure. And yes, costs about $1 per protected appliance.
Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Therefore neither APC nor Belkin will discuss energy dissipation or what is always required for protection - earth ground. Destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does that APC or Belkin claim to absorb?
Best solutions are many invisible protectors or one 'whole house' protector. Invisible protectors will not protect that Belkin or APC. A 'whole house' protector does protect ineffective protectors. Then superior protection already inside every appliance is not overwhelmed.
Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Where is any APC or Belkin spec number that defines protection from each type of surge? Does not exist. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
lol, thanks for the info, but i'm simply looking for something that provides multiple outlets, as i'd rather use that then plugging my stuff into a wall.
the reason i am looking for brands is because i want a quality build as opposed to specs in dealing with surge protection.
Best power strip is one without any protector parts inside that have a history of creating house fires. Essential on any power strip is one item - its circuit breaker.
Best power strip does not contain grossly undersized protector parts. Grossly undersized to fail even on surges too small to harm appliances. That failure gets many to recommend that undersized protector. Sometimes protector parts do not disconnect fast enough; fire can result.
i think what i will do is just go down to the retail store and see what i can find for a decent price.
I am looking for a surge protection for my new imac!
The question is which is the best type for mac?
i'll just be going for a regular old surge protector. you can find them anywhere.
I highly recommend a Brickwall Filter. It's the best surge protection out there. It's not cheap at about $235 (they do on sale often) for the least expensive model, but it's well worth the price as far as I'm concerned. I own 6 of the audio grade models and couldn't be happier. Check out this website and read why MOV surge protection is worthless and a possible fire hazard..
thanks a lot for the suggestions but that is way out of my price range. i'm looking for something quite affordable (about $20 or so) that has good build quality.
probably just going to go down to a retail store like i said, and keep my eyes out for belkin mainly. seems like that is what a lot of people use & recommend and is the most affordable of everything mentioned here. thanks everyone.
The cheapo parts are called MOVs, metal oxide varisters. They are very cheap and all they are is voltage switches, that wear out over time, and when have high current through them, become light bulbs and can start fires. Now the reason why they aren't very good is that they don't block and or absorb the surge energy, all they do is shunt it to the ground in most cases. Now this isn't necessarily good because when the surge goes to ground, it makes your electronic devices "grounded" case have a high potential voltage, so you can get arcs between the case and internal components. I have enough friends who had major surges that the protectors did nothing. SO, that forced me to research the heck out of the topic and I found, what I think are the best surge suppressors made that can be acquired here http://www.sellcom.com/brickwall.html I do not work for the company but I am a believer based on my experience with them. They use a different method of surge suppression which uses large high quality components in comparison to the crap that APC, Belkin, Monster and many others use to keep costs down. The site has more explanation on why and how they work, but the bottom line is that they STOP surges, by using a combination of capacitors and a large toroidal "surge reactor" that converts any slip through current into heat, but its big enough to absorb a lot of that energy. Now the best benefit is this also acts as a line filter...how much does monster and many other companies charge for stand alone line filters? Well with this you get true surge stopping and excellent filtering. I am a professional videographer and I have high quality audio monitoring (Apogee Rosetta, and Blue Sky monitors, for those in the know), and I procured one of the 8 plug audiophile (each outlet is isolated from the others) units to plug my speakers and a/d converter into and what a difference! I almost fell out of my chair it sounded so much better. For my computer equipment, I bought special request, 2-plug 20A units with standard plugs to connect my APC 1500 RS battery backups into, thus feeding clean surge free power to those units...which should make them last longer too. They aren't cheap, if you buy 5 or more you get a nice discount, but they range from about $160 to $250 each. If this makes you go hmmm, remember how much you invested in your TV, stereo, computer, etc and its insurance that once paid for will remove worry for many years to come that power issues are messing up your electronics. Heck get a few folks to buy in with you so you can get the bulk discount... Best investment I have made. Good luck!
Ah, I just saw someone else recommended Brickwall too...amen! They are worth every cent! You can even have your home wired with their OEM units.
should be going to the store sometime next week, hopefully they have some nice affordable belkin models in stock. i think that is what i will be going for.
Brickwall and its competitors are superb noise filters. But noise and transients are two completely different anomalies.
Nothing stops what three miles of sky could not. Especially not a Brickwall for so many reasons. For example, the Brickwall (and Belkin) must have a wire that connects the surge directly to electronics. Bypassing best protection in that appliance's superior protection circuits.
Neither the Brickwall nor Belkin even claim surge protection in manufacturer specifications.
One can buy a Monster for as much as $150, a Belkin for $60, or the equivalent circuit in a supermarket for $7. Why so many prices for what are equivalent? Each makes same claims in numeric spec sheets. Monster has a long history of identifying scams. Then selling an equivalent product for even higher profits. And all have a history of sometimes making appliance damage easier.
The only solution used in any facility that cannot have damage is the '$1 per protected appliance' solution. Provided by more responsible companies including General Electric, ABB, Siemens, Leviton, Square D, and Intermatic. The Cutler-Hammer solution sells in both Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Is the only solution when even direct lightning strikes cause no damage ... including rocket launching facilities and munitions dumps.
A least expensive solution is also the most effective. Unfortunately, it requires a homeowner to learn completely new concepts that also happen to be well proven for over 100 years.
i understand where you are coming from (or probably not), but i'm just looking for something to provide some outlets. it's not really about specs claims or the reality of the surge protection. currently i have a cheap one that doesn't have enough outlets. i'm just looking for something that has 8-12 well spaced outlets with a good, well built design. that's all.
currently i have a cheap one that doesn't have enough outlets. i'm just looking for something that has 8-12 well spaced outlets with a good, well built design. that's all.
Then look at power strips for $4, $8, or even a high priced $12. Not a power strip that sells for $30 or $80 with a potential human safety problem.
One feature that must be part of a power strip is a 15 amp circuit breaker. Important for human safety.
I bought a monster green power surge protector for 27 bucks on the walmart website. Its $44 if you go to a walmart store. There one in best buy that looks almost identical for $70.
I went with this because it was kind of cheap 23 for the one with less outletts and $27 with a couple more. Monster is also a brand name I have heard of and was only a couple more than the belkin. It also tells you if the thing is on its last legs.
will do, thank you for all of the information.
@crzdcolombian: nice deal you caught there it seems, i will keep an eye out for those as well. thanks for the reply.


14th May 2018 will mark the launch of the EcoSport Titanium S in India. Bookings for the car have already begun. It has also been noticed that the shipping of the Titanium S throughout the country has already started.
Along with the EcoSport S Titanium, the 1.0 liter turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine will also return mated with a 6 speed manual gearbox. The engine will generate power upto 125 PS and torque upto 170 Nm. Stiffer suspension for spirited driving and quicker steering will also be featured in the car. The engine option won't be limited as the 100 hp 1.5 liter diesel and petrol variants will be present too. The diesel one will produce 100 Ps power and 205 Nm torque whereas the petrol one will produce 123 Ps power and 150 Nm torque. The highest spec of the car will also have a sunroof, new 17 inch alloy wheels resembling the designs of the earlier BMW SUVs. Titanium S will also have HID headlamps, tweaked instrument cluster with 4.2 inch infotainment system. A tyre pressure monitoring system will also come along. Contrast roofs, black inserts for the grille, headlamps and fog lamps will definitely give the car a complete look. Bi-xenon headlights are also expected in the Titanium S. The hill start assist and electronic stability control will fall under the safety features. Six airbags will be the new standard for the Titanium S.
The SYNC 3 will integrate the smartphone with the car. Voice activated technology and connectivity to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or AppLink 3.0 is also available. There is also an automatics rear view camera which will start working when the car is reversed. The keyfob will be enough to unlock the car and drive it ,once you are nearby, thanks to the keyless ignition feature for that. The climate control feature is also just a voice command away. The car has a ground clearance of 202 mm.
The satin orange shade is also introduced for the car and the option to have colour coordinated interiors will be available too. The price of the car is expected to be Rs. 11.5 lakhs. The Maruti Vitara Brezza and Tata Nexon are the rivals the car is going to face in the market, along with Creta/Catpur ones.


The Yun Bonan Mask's star ingredient is ginseng extract. It's supposed to brighten and soften the skin. The mask is made of bamboo fiber material that adheres well to the skin. There was plenty of rich essence in the pack. I was expecting the worst scent because there are a lot of ginseng products that don't smell nice, but I am honestly surprised with this one! There's a fresh, sweet but light ginseng scent which I LOVE. This gave me even-toned, bright and energized skin. My blemishes looked calmer and my skin was definitely moisturized.


Well, what can I say? Thermalright designed a truly magical cooler. Although two-array heatsinks are currently extremely popular, Archon turned out just as efficient as Silver Arrow, and with two fans attached to it, it proved even more efficient. In our opinion, there are several factors behind this impressive victory. Firstly, it is very smart heatpipe layout inside the heatsink that allows distributing the heat over the heatsink more evenly. Secondly, we shouldn't forget about thick 0.5 mm heatsink plates soldered to the heatpipes. Thirdly, it is the use of an extremely effective Thermalright TY-140 fan. And the fourth factor is cooler's reliable retention providing very secure hold and impeccably polished contact surface of the base plate. All these factors combined allowed Thermalright Archon to become the today's most effective cooling product. Of course, we shouldn't also forget that the bent base of the cooler could have turned out to be an ideal fit for the non-lapped heat-spreader of our test CPU. However, this is highly unlikely.


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NEWS HOME » WORLD
Bomb attacks target headquarters of 2 Sunni parliamentary parties in Baghdad
Baghdad | Saturday, 2022 9:15:07 AM IST
Two bomb attacks targeted headquarters of two major Sunni parties in the Iraqi capital Baghdad without causing casualties, a source with the Interior Ministry said.
The attacks took place on Friday morning when unidentified gunmen threw hand grenades at the headquarters of Taqaddum Alliance, headed by the re-elected Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, in the Adhamiyah neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Another attack with hand grenades targeted headquarters of Azem Alliance, headed by businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, in the Yarmouk neighbourhood in western part of the capital, the source said.
Earlier, the two Sunni groups allied to form a larger Sunni parliamentary group, including 65 Sunni lawmakers, who later managed to ally themselves with the Sadrist Movement and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). They all later voted to re-elect al-Halbousi as Parliament Speaker on January 9, when the Iraqi Parliament held its first session, which witnessed a heated debate between the parliamentary blocs, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held on October 10, 2021, in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance, and a lack of public services.
--IANS int/khz/
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Illegal sand mining: ED conducts mu...
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While you can find free Plugins to do the first component, the second component, plus the fact that you can reserve CNAMEs for particular file types provides you more flexibility than many of these free choices.
If you are using Cloudflare, WP Rocket also comprises a committed Cloudflare add-on that could help you to get set up using Cloudflare and control certain aspects of this Cloudflare service directly from the WP Rocket interface.
What's More, should you get stuck, the FAQ and service tabs make it exceptionally easy to get into the online instruction, and even open a support ticket from within your WordPress dash — a beautiful touch!
In General, WP Rocket aims to be everything to all people. On one hand, it's quite simple to prepare and begin using on your website with default settings that actually produce good outcomes, yet, on the other hand, there's also a much large selection of settings and options to appeal to more advanced users with specific needs, or people who demand more control over how caching functions on their site.
Should You have to refresh everything from the cache, though (not just recently updated or modified content), it is possible to induce WP Rocket to regenerate it from scratch. Going a step further, you'll also find choices to have unrelated components of your website automatically regenerated when a new article, page, merchandise, comment, or a different kind of content has added.
While Utilizing WP Rocket from the box is very simple, should you get stuck or wish to know more of the ins and outs of how it functions, there is quite a bit of high-quality documentation supplied — such as a getting started section, different tutorials, helpful FAQs and a handy troubleshooting section.
As Mentioned at the top of this guide, I had great results from using WP Rocket to cache my WordPress site. By analyzing the speed of my website with GTmetrix — using the default settings of WP Rocket and simply uploading and activating the plugin prior to generating the cache and running the tests — that the ordinary page loading times dropped from 2.2 seconds to 0.9.
The site I tested the plugin was a WordPress blog using the free Twenty Twelve motif, with about 80 posts and 37 plugins. The website is hosted on a entry level shared hosting program from HostGator, and has no CDN in play.
No two WordPress sites are the same, though, so these results might not be common for all websites. They do, however, show that a very fundamental WordPress blog on the cheapest hosting will almost surely have the ability to achieve significantly improved load times using the plugin.
Whether You decide to use WP Rocket on your website or not, there are a number of other means to accelerate your WordPress site that is worth mentioning, such as.
With Prices starting at only $39 for use on a single WordPress website, WP Rocket is an inexpensive alternative for many. There are also some other powerful free selections available — for example WP Super Cache, also, for the technically minded, W3 Total Cache (to name but 2 of many. If you're looking for something which's exceptionally easy to set up and use, however, and also provides access to an extremely helpful premium support desk, WP Rocket is a strong contender.
All Options include a year's access to plugin upgrades and support. Following this period of time, you can continue using the plugin or renew your licence to keep access. There is also a 30-day refund available in case you are not completely satisfied with the plugin later purchase.
Most of The activities you can carry out to optimise the rate of your website take substantial time and effort — if that is optimising media files, reviewing and consolidating your plugins, then migrating to a different web host or altering themes. WP Rocket, on the other hand, can be applied to your website in only a couple clicks.
What's? More, if you're a WordPress freelancer, whether helping customers with their present sites or creating websites from scratch, then having something like WP Rocket in your toolkit could be of enormous benefit. In just a couple of minutes, you'll have the ability to accelerate a customer's website and provide them concrete outcomes (in the form of'before and after' online speeds evaluations ), and, when the best way to distinguish yourself from your competition would be to offer more value to the client, things like this will definitely help.


This advent calendar just wouldn't be complete without a gift basket stuffed with delicious, locally-sourced goodies from the Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts Kitchen. CRMR Kitchen offers the ability to recreate its interesting flavours in your own kitchen. Made in small batches by their chefs, this Alberta-made line of all-natural and locally-made sauces, jams, condiments, glazes and more make dinner at home easier and tastier. It's a win-win, if you ask us.
To win a big basket of CRMR Kitchen products and a $75 gift certificate to be used at any CRMR property, tell us below which preserve you love adding to a cheese board when you're entertaining for the holidays.
For a second entry, head to our Instagram (@eatnorth), follow us as well as @crmrkitchen and tag a friend.


SCA Cleaner Concentrate is a 5 Litre industrial strength liquid cleaner which penetrates and dissolves the toughest grime, grease, oil and other contaminants from your concrete surface. It can be applied directly to the surface if desired.
It's suitable for use on concrete areas to penetrate and lift heavy grime and dissolves grease and oil stains. Always read the safety label for instructions before using.


Our Le Bella Donna bride for today, Kristen, tied the knot with Anthony on July 14th at the beautiful Blue Bell Country Club, looking resplendent in an Essense of Australia sheath gown.
Kristen and Anthony met in high school, though they never dated despite a little bit of an unrequited crush on Kristen's part. Fate brought the two of them back together after college when they ran into each other at a bar, and the rest is history! Our two lovebirds dated for five years afterwards, and during a romantic trip to Long Beach Island Anthony asked the big question! During one last walk on the beach before they left, he surprised her with a ring and just one little question. Kirsten says she was "completely shocked", and loved getting to spend the rest of the weekend celebrating the exciting news with friends and family.
When it came to finding the perfect gown, Kristen says she actually didn't have a specific dress in mind, and just wanted to focus most on being "comfortable and pretty." While she didn't particularly care for it when she first saw her gown on the rack, Kristen says after working with Debbie and trying other gowns she ended up being "totally obsessed with it!" With it's beautiful train, subtle sparkle beading and allover lace, it's easy to see why it's such a stunning gown! We always love working with open-minded brides who get to explore all kinds of styles before finding the one that fits them the best!
Kirsten says of dress shopping in general that it was "one of the best days of her life", and that every dress was prettier than the last. She especially loved getting to see her mother's reaction each time she came out of the dressing room in a new gown, and getting to spend that special time with family new and old.
Kristen describes her engagement as being perfect, even with a few small hiccups like the trolley she and Anthony had hired bailing on them one week before the big day. In terms of advice for future brides, she says to make sure to do everything you want in your wedding, go big since it's a once in a lifetime event, and to make sure to enjoy every second of it! Her personal favorite moments were when her husband saw her in her dress for the first time, and getting to dance all night with friends, family, and loved ones.
Congratulations Kristen and Anthony! We wish you many years of love and happiness!


Looking for Tile Removal in Yarraville? Then you've come to the right place.
Following a time, the tiles from one's ground will start cracking, particularly supposing it has been decades as you have mounted them. Never forget to inquire into the condition of one's flooring before you can substitute them since this will help you in figuring out the real reason behind the issue.
When you take away the tiles, then you will need to be sure the fresh tiles are supplied such a coating that will help them in lasting for a very long moment. For that removal and installing those tiles, it's smart to employ a professional that can deal with the job at the most efficient method.
Before you choose tile removal, then it is very important to have some tips about the approach. All of us understand it is a rather cluttered endeavor which makes a great deal of debris and dust. However, there's some other lesser understood entities regarding the procedure also.
The screed can be a combination of sand and cement and it is quite famous because of the rewards it delivers. It's usually utilised in baths and laundries and helps in delivering the necessary height or maybe to create a level on the surface. It's used to generate slopes as effectively therefore that the water can easily get its way towards the drain. When compared to surfaces such as timber, sheeting, or concrete, so getting rid of the tiles from screed can be a tedious job. Thus, just an expert can help in removing tiles out of this a face.
If they have been stuck straight to your surface or glued to it, then it can be immensely challenging to remove them. Enough period required for tile removal is contingent on the sort of tile, timber, and also glue. One needs to be somewhat careful when this since there are large probability of damage into the beneath ground.
When you eliminate the tiles out of a cement sheet, then there's an underlay between the sheeting and the tiles. If the sub floor is tender, considerable injury can occur to it during the tile removal approach. It is a good idea simply to make a professional perform the job so that the tiles and the underlay remain undamaged.
A great deal of time and hard work is called for while inside the tile removal method because there isn't any easy way to do it. It is dependent upon the under floor whether you would want to work harder to get the job done. Generally, the old flooring with adhesive adhesive are somewhat more straightforward than the ones that are put with a Thinset mortar.
Wearing the safety gear is important since the procedure can bring about a few wellness hazards. The basic safety glasses and mask will save you away from the debris and dust. The glasses and kneepads will shield against all sorts of injury which is often done from the the tiles.
Despite most of the efforts, the contaminants of dust and debris can likely spread across during the tile removal approach. This will not only cause increased labor but can also end up being toxic for the . Although there is no guarantee to own a 100% Nominal encounter because of the small particles, but there is a possibility of dispersing minimum debris through the dust-free tile removal procedure.
These are the new and ground-breaking ways of getting rid of the tiles from the ground and can simply be executed by expert companies. High end floor cleaners are traditionally used which consume the dirt particles the moment they've been produced. This method will not enable the particles to be dispersed and provides immense ease and calmness of mind to your homeowners.
While you are able to execute the challenging tile removal procedure themself, it is a good idea to hire professional services. That is only because they have the hottest equipment to apply the dust-free plastic removal course of action that's economical, secure and not as time-consuming. The majority of the companies in Melbourne's western suburbs permit a complimentary quote before the employing process takes place.


Yesterday , work started on our village for this year .. This was last years and it was amazing! It is one of my most popular blog posts ! I aquired a "bunch" of new houses this year at the GoodWill.. so this years village will be bigger and better !I can't wait for it to be finished so I can show you !
Click here to see the 2014 Christmas Village that is twice as big !!
Hi Priscilla! Oh, I love your lovely display of your little village houses! You have a city! :) Your tree is truly gorgeous too. Thanks so much for popping in to see me and your sweet comment.
Oh my. I love your village. I had a large one, but gave it to my Daughter when she bought her home. I do have a small one right now.
Oh your village and tree are stunning. I have villages also, but I am not putting them up this year. I live alone and it's just to much work to do. I like how you have the tree elevated and the village under it. Great job!
I think the village looks just perfect under the tree. A wonderful winter scene!
Your village is just wonderful!!!!
You will never want to pack it away!!!
Its amazing, well done to you both.
Priscilla, your tree and village are beautiful. You and your husband did a fantastic display.
Your home will truly be a wonderland when you are finished.
I'm not surprised that Jo Ann Fabrics wants to share your creativity and talent.
Your decorations are beautiful..looks amazing!
Oh that is fabulous!! What a stunning display all lit up! Thanks for joining Home Sweet Home!
Priscilla, it really is an amazing sight! Your hubby did a fabulous job. If I waited for my hubby to do our village it wouldn't get done. lol! I have a small collection, about 21 houses of Dept. 56. Haven't put it out since we moved to this home. Thought I might this year, but we'll see. They are a lot of work. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
Priscilla, I love the new way you've set up your beautiful village! I collect houses too (most of them were passed to me after my mom passed away). They are special to me and I always enjoy them!


After going on sale, Apple's new lightweight MacBook has created quite some stir in the market. People all around have been sharing in their views on the different models and have also voted for their favorite ones based on what their budgets and wallets can handle. Unfortunately, those who have their hearts sold out on the gold model will have to wait a bit longer as these were instantly sold out and those purchasing from now on will need to wait three to four weeks for their Macbook.
On the other hand, there seems to be no obvious delay or problems related to the silver and gray models since both will be shipping within one to three business days. The Apple stores will also be stocked up but there is no guarantee these units will last long because we have got no information on the number of units Apple has in store for the excited fans.
The $1,299 Apple Macbook has gained plenty of attention considering it has been coming alongside the Apple Watch which has been under the spotlight for quite some time now. The watch was up for pre orders starting from yesterday and the initial stock has already been sold off online. If you haven't placed your order yet and plan on getting the device then you are in for a long wait up till July.


Other fencing options include aluminum fencing, vinyl fencing, and chain link fencing, for Homeowners Throughout the Area in Northern Virginia & Maryland.
Here is the definitive list of Fairfax's fence contractors as rated by the Fairfax, VA community. Want to see who How much does it cost to install a wood fence?
80 reviews of DJ Fence "We contacted DJ Fence after seeing the beautiful work they had done for a Wooden Fence Services Tammy C. Fairfax Station, VA.
Jun 21, 2018 Average labor costs to install fences in Alexandria, Virginia. Average will be able to offer you a number of options, including wood fences, PVC, chain link, wrought iron and many others. Northern Virginia Deck and Fence.
The fencing contractors at All American Fences in Woodbridge, VA, can build a privacy and aesthetic appeal to your home or business in Woodbridge, VA?


CO 150 is CSU's all-university requirement in writing. This course has a long history at CSU, as it was first offered in the Fall of 1979, and has always incorporated a research paper as one of its major assignments. CO 150 prepares writers for the types of writing situations they are likely to encounter in college: academic writing (including narrative, summary, response, synthesis, analysis, and argument), source evaluation, and source-based writing.
A digital reference text will be required and explained once the course begins.
This course meets the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) requirements for Intermediate Writing (Category 1A) and is approved under gtPathways in the content area of Intermediate Writing (GT-CO2).
Must have taken CO 130 (Academic Writing) or Composition Challenge Essay (score of 3, 4, or 5) or SAT Verbal/Critical reading score of minimum 570 or SAT Evidence Based Reading/Writing score of minimum 620 or ACT COMPOSITE score of minimum 26 or Directed Self-Placement Survey code of 15.
Compliance for meeting the course prerequisite will be checked.
See textbook information for your section at the end of the course description above.
Nancy Wright received a B.A. in French from the University of Vermont, an M.F.A. in creative writing from Eastern Washington University, and an M.A. in teaching from Marquette University. She teaches composition courses at CSU, and has been teaching writing for nearly 20 years. She enjoys working with young writers at all levels and, when she has a spare moment, writing her own poetry and fiction.
B.A., English Education, Fort Lewis College; M.A., English Rhetoric & Composition, Colorado State University.
Professor Hickey teaches college writing courses - CO150, CO300, and CO150 online. She has been teaching writing at CSU since 2009.