text:
Chicagoland Theater Reviews
by Dan Zeff
ChicagolandTheaters
American Theater Company (ATC)
A Red Orchid Theater
Black Ensemble Theater (BET)
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Courtyard)
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Yard)
Court Theatre (main stage)
Goodman Theatre (Albert)
GoodmanTheatre(Owen)
Lifeline Theater
Lookingglass Theatre
Lyric Opera (La Boheme)
Lyric Opera (Il Trovatore)
Marriott Theatre
Marriott's (Children's) Theatre
Mercury Theatre
Music Theater Works
Porchlight Musical
Raven Theatre
Remy Bumppo Theatre
Royal George(Cabaret)
Royal George(Mainstage)
Second City e.t.c.
Second City (Main Stage)
Second City UP Comedy Club
Steppenwolf Theatre(Downstairs)
Steppenwolf Theatre(Upstairs)
Teatro ZinZanni
Theater Wit
Theo Ubique
TimeLineTheatre
Venus Cabaret Stage(Mercury Theatre)
Victory Gardens Theater
Victory Gardens (Richard Christensen)
Writers Theatre(Gillian)
WritersTheatre(Nichols)
Broadway in Chicago
Auditorium Theater
Broadway House
Cadillac Palace Theatre
Nederlander Theatre
ChicagoMagicLounge
Jazz at Symphony Center
Joseph Jefferson Awards
Temple Farms Lipizzans
Wow Bao restaurant
American Players
About Dan Zeff
At the Broadway Playhouse
Chicago –"Cruel Intentions" is a jukebox musical playing for two weeks at the Broadway Playhouse. Its immediate ancestor is a 1999 motion picture that was adapted from a famous 18th century French novel. But "Cruel Intentions" really passes itself off as a hip jukebox musical built on a score of pop and rock songs from the 1990's.
The show has played, apparently with some box office success in both in L.A. and New York City since its premiere in 2015. On opening night in Chicago, a claque of predominantly young women in the audience repeatedly screamed their pleasure at what they were seeing and hearing on the stage. I wish I could share even a smidgeon of their approval, but I thought the evening was a misery.
The ancestor of "Cruel Intentions" traces is a 1783 French novel called "Les Liaisons dangereuses" ("Dangerous Liaisons"). The novel deals with a libertine named Valmont and his equally immoral mistress Merteuil, who enjoy sexually corrupting trusting and innocent young women. "Cruel Intentions" is transplanted from licentious 18th century France to a modern New York City prep school. The adult seducers of the novel become the teenager Kathryn Merteuil and her stepbrother Sebastian Valmont. The malicious duo make a wager. If Sebastian deflowers the virgin Annette Hargrove, he wins a night of sex with his stepsister. If he fails, she wins Sebastian's car. Nice kids!
The wager is probably as good a premise as any in a sex comedy but "Cruel Intentions" can't decide whether or not it should be funny or taken seriously. But that's a minor grievance compared to the vulgarity and silliness that surges through the production. The show injects explicitly gross gay humor and a bit of lesbian action, along with some misguided racial contention to further muddy the story. We are also treated to a glimpse of male nudity possibly to rouse the female claque to even greater heights of squealing.
The narrative might have held up with spot-on staging and casting. But the directing, to use a courtly synonym, is delinquent in all matters of taste. The 10-member ensemble is considerably underqualified in the acting realm though there are some strong singing voices that received rapturous approval from the zealot fans in the audience, but the 1990's songs don't contribute much to the forward thrust of the storyline. The show might have been better as a straight concert. It couldn't have been worse. The choreography ranges from elemental to grotesquely over the top. A teenage character named Cecile, undergoing a sudden sexual awakening, is lumbered with grotesque erotic writhing that never should have made it through the first day of rehearsal.
I am not familiar with the songs that populate the show, recorded by performers like PLACEBO, No Doubt, the Cardigans, Garbage, and Marcy Playground. I couldn't understand some of the lyrics, but I will defer to the approval of the young members in the audience. In any case, the songs aren't enough to salvage the show from its insufferable lapses, whether the intent was attempting to be humorous or serious. I can't recall a show cluttered with so much misguided material.
It may be that "Cruel Intentions" was actually entertaining on both the west and east coasts with productions that profited from more professional skill levels in all the key artistic categories. But after enjoying recent accomplished road versions of "Anastasia," "A Bronx Tale," and "Jersey Boys," it was a really downer to witness a musical with so many miscalculations in so many crucial areas. I don't care how much enthusiasm gushed from sections of the opening night audience. This production is a clinker.
The show gets a rating of .
"Cruel Intentions" runs through April 14 at the Broadway Playhouse, 175 East Chestnut Street. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 to $72. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
Contact Dan at: ZeffDaniel@yahoo.com. April 2019
Like Dan on Facebook. Become a Friend!!!
Follow Dan on Twitter
Want to read more reviews? Go to TheaterinChicago
Contact Dan: ZeffDaniel@Yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/ZeffDaniel
Follow Dan on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/zeffdaniel
Want to read more reviews?
Go toTheaterinChicago
© Chicagoland Theater Reviews 2020


The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Cooper Tire & Rubber and its consortium partners a 4-year, $6.9-million grant to support research efforts to develop enhanced manufacturing processes, testing and utilizing of guayule natural rubber as a strategic source of raw material in tires, and evaluating the remaining biomass of the guayule plant as a source of biofuel for the transportation industry.
Cooper Tire will lead a consortium of companies, universities and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the USDA to develop guayule technology for future commercialization opportunities in the tire industry. Yulex Corporation—a leader in guayule crop science and renewable products made from guayule—will be the manufacturer of the material.
Guayule is a perennial shrub native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico, and produces natural rubber in its bark and roots. Natural rubber from Guayule has almost identical qualities compared to natural rubber harvested from Hevea trees—currently the primary source for the natural rubber used in tires.
Interest in guayule as a source for tire rubber reaches back more than a century. A paper on guayule rubber in tires and tubes, written by J.H. Doering at Firestone Tire and Rubber, was published in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry in 1934. In 1977, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that the US initiate an R&D program to commercialize guayule rubber. Some of the challenges have been to increase rubber yield or to develop high-value co-products to make guayule economically competitive.
Other important components of the Cooper-led work include collaborative projects to advance agronomic practices, development of genetic and genomic information, and a life cycle analysis, which will document the impact a bio-material and bio-energy industry will have on the American Southwest.
The grant was a result of a recent joint announcement by the USDA and the US Department of Energy (DOE) for $30 million in funding for research and development of technologies and processes for alternative renewable fuels and bio-based products.
The advanced bio-fuels produced from these projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50% compared to fossil fuels. Each proposed project must integrate science and engineering research in three technical areas: feedstock development, bio-fuel and bio-based products development, and bio-fuels development analysis.
More immediately, Netherlands-based Apollo Vredestein, part of Apollo Tyres Ltd. from India, announced that it had manufactured tires with European natural rubber from both the Russian dandelion and from guayule.
Apollo Vredestein is a partner in the EU-PEARLS project, the objective of which is to find a European alternative to natural rubber from the rubber tree.
Apollo Vredestein is processing the natural rubber from both these alternatives is being processed in various types of the Quatrac Lite tire, size 155/65 R14. Although first impressions look very promising, the tires with the alternative natural rubbers will first undergo extensive testing over the coming months before being taken into production.
The EU-PEARLS project (212827) is financed by the European Commission FP7 KBBE Program. The research results will be presented on 24–25 September 2012 during the closing conference in Wageningen, The Netherlands.


UPM Raflatac will be present at the Gulf Print & Pack event at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 26-29 March.
Under the theme 'Boost Your Brand Performance', UPM Raflatac will be presenting innovation in label films, and solutions for Pharma, Food and Durables labelling.
Films have many advantages over paper label faces.They retain their functionality, stability, and visual appeal when exposed to water, chemicals, oils and UV light. They also support stunning effects like the 'no-label look'. UPM Raflatac's extensive range includes advanced materials like Raflex MDO and Raflex PRO, which bring optimal clarity even to contoured and squeezable containers, without the haze of traditional PE.
UPM Raflatac's pharmaceutical and healthcare labelling solutions cover needs from tamper-verification in the supply chain to cryogenic storage in laboratories. Global availability, comprehensive customer support and long-term stability of supply guarantee solid partnerships.
In food labelling, meticulous regulatory compliance keeps consumers safe. UPM Raflatac food labelling materials are produced in facilities certified to the ISO 22000:2005 food safety management standard. They meet EU food contact regulations such as EU10/2011, and are available with Documents of Conformity as legally required by brand owners.
For Durable goods labelling, UPM Raflatac offers robust solutions for all environments, exposures and surface types. This keeps identification and safety information intact for the lifetime of domestic and industrial appliances, electronics and automotive parts.
Sustainability is a key driver in UPM Raflatac's product development processes, from sourcing, production, delivery and product use to end-of-life. Sustainably designed, resource-efficient label products benefit the entire value chain. Examples include responsibly sourced FSC and PEFC certified papers, and thinner papers and films precisely optimized for their intended applications.


Erin Chappell is an Environmental Program Manager in CDFW's Wildlife Branch, overseeing the department's Nongame Wildlife Program. Until recently, she worked for the Fish and Game Commission, where she served as Wildlife Advisor. In her new position with CDFW, which she's held since February, Erin oversees a staff of 13 scientists who work with CDFW's regional offices to help conserve and manage California's nongame and threatened and endangered wildlife species. She is also responsible for managing two critical grant programs: the State Wildlife Grant Program, which directs federal funds to benefit nongame species in California, and the Endangered Species Act Section 6 grant funding for research, recovery and land acquisition for endangered species. Erin is a graduate of Humboldt State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biological oceanography.
I grew up mostly in California but I have also lived in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, and Germany. My dad was my inspiration. He was a high school biology teacher, both in Germany where he taught at an American school that was part of the Department of Defense Dependent Schools system and in California. He was always exposing us to wildlife. What got me hooked was when he took me tide-pooling in Monterey when I was 10. I was fascinated by the variety of animals all using and sharing such a unique habitat. I wanted to learn more about the species and their interaction with the ocean.
Did you originally plan to pursue oceanography, then?
Yes, I originally planned to be a marine biologist specializing in marine invertebrates but ended up getting a scientific aid position with CDFW's Stockton office, identifying freshwater zooplankton and larval fish. I also assisted with two diet analysis studies, one for juvenile striped bass and one for Delta smelt. My job was to identify the zooplankton in their stomachs and intestines.
From there, my career path shifted inland. I spent 10 years tracking juvenile Chinook salmon in the Delta for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), two more years working on a Habitat Expansion Agreement for spring-run Chinook and then six years working for DWR's climate change program, where I focused on climate change adaptation for the water sector. I joined the Fish and Game Commission in 2016.
How did your work experience lead you to your current job?
Starting in 2010, I had opportunities to work on a number of efforts that involved the concept of integrated resource management. A key aspect of my work was integrating environmental stewardship and ecosystem services into cross-sector planning in a meaningful way.
For example, I worked on ways to use green infrastructure, such as wetland restoration, as way to buffer storm surge, improve water quality, provide habitat for species and recreational opportunities, reduce operation and maintenance costs and improve public health and safety. Another example is restoring mountain meadows as a way to not only provide habitat for species, but also to increase water retention, decrease erosion and improve water quality.
While I was able to gain a lot of experience in fisheries and water management, I was missing an integral piece: wildlife management. So, I began looking for opportunities to work more specifically on wildlife. That's what ultimately brought me to the Fish and Game Commission as its Wildlife Advisor.
What exactly does the wildlife advisor do for the commission?
My job was to advise the Commission on wildlife and inland fisheries management issues and potential regulatory changes. I had to consider biological, societal and political factors for almost every issue. The advisor also facilitates the Wildlife Resources Committee as a forum for discussions among the Commission, CDFW and stakeholders on wildlife and inland fisheries issues, as well as other stakeholder forums as necessary.
As the Commission's wildlife advisor, I had the pleasure of working and interacting with staff throughout CDFW. Across the board, I was impressed by their expertise and dedication to the protection and enhancement of California's natural resources. It made me want to become part of the team. My new position will also allow me to expand on the knowledge I gained at the Commission.
What is special about working in the Wildlife Branch's Nongame Program?
Working in the Wildlife Branch allows me to coordinate and collaborate not just with staff within the branch but with staff throughout the entire department. Being able to capitalize on all that knowledge and experience is essential for effectively conserving and managing species and their habitats against sometimes seemingly overwhelming odds. Finding new ways to help species adapt to and thrive in the face of population growth, land conversion, and climate change is a challenge I just can't pass up.
What sort of projects are you working on right now?
Scientific collecting permits are another priority. New regulations were approved earlier this year and will go into effect on Oct. 1. This includes a new online system for applications, so we are working on developing that and preparing guidance documents for permitees to help them make the transition.
And, lastly, we are actively working on a number of conservation strategies – for Mojave ground squirrel, great gray owl and willow flycatcher, and planning for another one on Sierra Nevada red fox. Also in development is the Bat Conservation Plan and an update to the Mammal Species of Special Concern report.
When you look back at your career so far, what project are you the most proud of?
The project I'm most proud of is my work with juvenile Chinook salmon. I was part of an interagency team that designed a decision matrix that could be used in real-time to make operational decisions for the state and federal water projects to protect listed winter-run and spring-run Chinook salmon and improve water supply reliability. The project demonstrated how real-time monitoring data could be used to inform management decisions while balancing multiple needs. In thinking about it, salmon are probably my favorite – their life history diversity is amazing and their resiliency is inspiring.
I'd like to take on a comprehensive, multi-species, statewide monitoring project. Uncertainty abounds in too many of the management decisions we're asked to make every day because we lack the basic species data necessary to answer key questions.
Playing an active role in helping to ensure that current and future generations are able to enjoy all that the natural world has to offer.
Create a broad network of colleagues from as many disciplines as possible – modelers, engineers, social scientists and others can provide valuable perspectives and help you find some of the missing pieces in Mother Nature's elaborate puzzle.
Photos courtesy of Erin Chappell.


text:
US to Help India Develop Three Smart Cities
HomeEconomyUS to Help India Develop Three Smart Cities
EconomyUpdated: October 01, 2014 02:12 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama at a joint press briefing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington (PTI)
Washington: The US will help India in developing three smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam apart from joining coordinated efforts with civil society and local authorities to provide clean water and sewage facilities in 500 cities in the country.
This announcement was made after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday.
The Indian government plans to develop 100 smart cities and in this regard, an allocation of Rs 7,060 crore has been proposed in the Union Budget.
While presenting the Budget for 2014-15, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the Prime Minister has a vision of developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernising the existing mid-sized cities.
"With development reaching an increasingly large number of people, the pace of migration from the rural areas to the cities is increasing," the Finance Minister had said.
WashingtonVisakhapatnamAjmerAllahabadsmart citiesPM Narendra ModiBarack Obama
Wake Up Early Or Study Late? What PM Modi Advised Students
"Let's Talk #WithoutFilter," PM Tells Students At 'Pariksha Pe Charcha'
PM Modi's Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020: Live Update
Government Plans Lottery Scheme For GST Paying Customers: Report
Nearly 1 In Every 4 Graduates Looking For A Job, Says Report

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"...The Reaper is an extremely volatile mercenary, a ruthless and remorseless killer responsible for terrorist attacks across the world. He has fought in many armed conflicts in the last decades, showing no loyalty to any cause or organization..."
"..The few bodies recovered of those he kills are pale, empty husks drained of life, their cells showing signs of intense degradation..."
"..Survivors have described a black shadow ghosting unscathed through the most hellish battlefields..."
"..As the Omnic Crisis inflicted a heavy toll on Egypt, the country's depleted and undermanned security forces relied on elite snipers for support. Among them was Ana Amari, who was widely considered to be the world's best..."
@thevivas@wollfmyth209 What do you think?
Nice work! Are you planning on making anymore Overwatch Respect Threads?
@lubub55: I'll make two more for Widowmaker and Symmetra. We already have two big respect threads for Overwatch characters but these two were left out.
@foxerdes: Could you link the thread, please?
Wow, great job! What other 2 threads did you make? Can you link them maybe?
@foxerdes: Thanks, TheVivas has made some great respect threads before so this should be good.
@the_red_viper: You won't be disappointed.


Welcome to the Ville Lumiére!
More than for its history and its ancient monuments, Paris is a modern city able to charm, surprise and fascinate its visitors. Paris is the city par excellence; with its wonderful and immense boulevard; its museums and timeless masterpieces; its wonderful parks; Paris of the Sacred Heart e Montmartre, city of artists and writers.
Paris, the city of lovers, which in the evening is transformed in the light of its Tower that illuminates the city. Paris that never gets old. Difficult that those who have not yet been there, at least once did not want to go to Paris. So get ready for your trip to the Ville Lumiére.
The plane is the best solution and, of course, the most convenient to reach the capital, considering the distance. Daily depart flights from the main Italian cities to Paris. The city boasts the presence of two major international airports, Charles De Gaulle ed Orly, and a third airport a Beauvais, well 100 kilometers away from the center. Our SPECIAL AIRPORTS contains all the practical info and advice. All companies, direct connections and info to get to the center by public transport.
The French rail system is organized and well-functioning. The city boasts the presence of numerous railway stations, the main lines of the Grand Lines (Grandes lignes). All the Parisian stations are connected to each other by the underground and RER networks.
Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris Saint Lazare, Paris Lyon e Gare du Nord they are the main stations where the greatest passenger flow is recorded. Of these, Gare de Lyon, in the 11th arrondissement, it is probably the best known. It is housed in a historic 1848 building. Enlarged then in the 1927, has preserved the glories of the time that was in his legendary restaurant "Le Train Blue". Its rooms have been declared a national monument!
The medium and long-haul trains pass all the main stations of the city. Gare du Nord pass the TGV Nord towards Lille; the grandes lignes trains to the north of France; the Thalys line to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany; the Eurostar for London. TGV high-speed trains connect Gare de Lyon with Switzerland and Italy. For all the info, you can consult the official SCNF website from this link.
Traveling by car is always a fascinating experience, even more so if you are willing to to reach France by this means; you can cross regions and unique landscapes during your journey. For example, you might try to make a stop in the Limousin, Auvergne, or even take advantage to see cities like Lyon. Or, again, cross the marvelous Burgundy.
From Brussels, you have to travel about 300 kilometers to get to your destination; almost totally on the motorway section. For those coming from Italy, from Milan, are little more than 850, the miles to go.
On the entire French motorway network, always respect the speed limits and bear in mind that checkpoints at toll stations are quite frequent. The motorway is quite expensive.
The coach could be useful if you did not manage to find a favorable air fare or if you prefer this type for the trip. There are several ways to reach Ville Lumiére by bus, we recommend the efficient Eurolines, the company that manages the connections with the most important Capitals. On the official website you can get detailed information. Prices, including a suitcase in tow, start at around € 25.


Idaho Technical Career Academy | Welcome to Idaho Technical Career Academy!
Students, explore your career options and earn college credits and industry-recognized certifications. Learn more.
ITCA is an innovative, individualized high school for college and technical career-minded students.
What does learning look like at Idaho Technical Career Academy?
ITCA offers organized groupings or clusters of (CTE) courses.
Learn more about our public school by joining us at an upcoming event—online or in-person.
Welcome to Idaho Technical Career Academy!
Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA) is the only career-focused virtual school in the state of Idaho designed to give your student an edge for the future.
Our mission is to give students a head start on their career goals and college aspirations. At our innovative online school, students can graduate high school with technical and specialty trade credentials, workplace experiences, skills that will lead to real-world success, and a jump start on college.
Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA), as a public charter school, is open to all students. ITCA does not discriminate against any student on any basis prohibited by federal or state constitutions or any federal, state, or local law. All students, regardless of ability or disability, will receive an equal opportunity to enroll in and participate at ITCA.
Copyright © 2019 Idaho Technical Career Academy. All rights reserved.


This baked pasta dish is the quintessential way to serve a crowd.
Celebrate National Lasagna Day with these 11 creative versions.
Forget purists, with their béchamel sauce. For nostalgic lasagna, make it with ricotta and tomato sauce.
Whether made with classic pork (above) or fancier lamb, sausage can only make your lasagna better.
For an over-the-top cheesy lasagna, skip the tomato sauce in favor of one made with heavy cream. Wash it down with plenty of wine.
For a sort of lasagna-meets-bread-pudding, use store-bought flatbread instead of noodles.
For a healthier take on tomato-less lasagna, make a sauce with canned pumpkin puree.
Whether white or red, use mushrooms to make "meaty" vegetarian lasagna.
Who says Italian cheeses are required? Add any cheese that melts well, from smoked Gouda (above) to cheddar.
Want to boost your lasagna's nutrient quotient? Add zucchini, sweet peppers (above) or even kale.
Instead of the usual marinara or Bolognese, layer other popular tomato sauces in lasagna, like the olive-studded puttanesca.
Want truly healthy lasagna? Don't make it. Instead, use the noodles in a salad with antioxidant–rich walnut pesto.
Узнайте про важный блог с информацией про www.cleansale.kiev.ua.


Jozef Kollár Art Gallery offers a permanent exhibition of visual art from 13th to 20th centuries from the region of Banská Štiavnica, along with other seasonal exhibitions. The quality of the art displayed goes beyond the regional framework. The gallery is situated at Holy Trinity Square (Námestie svätej Trojice).
Open Air Mining Museum (mining outdoor museum) is an exhibition on the surface and underground. Exhibition on the surface presents mining buildings and equipment moved here from various regions of Slovakia, educational geological exhibition and exhibition of quarrying and mining machines.


The Mars rover, Spirit, snapped a photo of this strange object on Mars back in 2008. It became famously known as The Woman On Mars. (What do you think?) It could be just a strange rock formation, it could actually be a living creature, but I strongly think it looks like an ancient alien statue! Something like the Morlocks had in the 1960 Time Machine movie. Of course that was a movie.
BUT in REAL LIFE, Mars Curiosity discovered something pretty exciting. Here is a quote from JPL : "The mission already has found an ancient riverbed on the Red Planet, and there is every expectation for remarkable discoveries still to come," JPL officials wrote. !!!


text:
Germany wilfully ignores Afghanistan not being a safe country
Home Topics Other topics Germany wilfully ignores Afghanistan not being a safe country
By C W Other topics Press Releases 20 February 2018
Despite the large number of civilian casualties in conflict ravaged Afghanistan, Germany and other European countries continue forcibly returning Afghan refugees to Kabul and putting their lives at risk.
In the news report 'Escape Again', PRO ASYL and Refugee Support Aegean researchers spoke to four Afghan refugees deported from Germany. All four interviewees said that they had no choice but to flee again as their lives were at risk in Afghanistan. During their second journey to Europe, they faced further dangers and they are now stranded and live under degrading conditions in Greece.
'What the stories of these young refugees highlight is that Germany is prepared to ignore the harsh reality of Afghanistan not being a safe country for the shake of controlling migration. Continuing with the policy of deportation flights, the Germany authorities put more lives of vulnerable refugees at risk", said Karl Kopp, PRO ASYL Director of European Affairs.
Since the adoption of the EU-Afghanistan "Joint Way Forward" agreement in October 2016, a total of 174 Afghan nationals have been deported from Germany to Kabul.
The four men escaped Afghanistan when they were very young and applied for asylum in Germany, but never got a secure status. They were well integrated, worked or went to school. Still, they were apprehended at dawn, put in a deportation flight and forcibly returned to Afghanistan. The deportation experience was hugely traumatic for them. Upon their return to Kabul, they found only temporary shelter, were threatened and witnessed bomb explosions near them.
"During 2017, there were more than 10,000, civilian casualties in Afghanistan and in recent weeks there have been more deadly attacks. How much more needs to be said and how many more lives have to be ruined before returns to Afghanistan are stopped?" said Karl Kopp
Ali Mohammad*, 27 years-old, described the distressing nightmare of his deportation: "At dawn, the police was suddenly standing in my room. It was maybe 4 o'clock. They only gave me 10 minutes to prepare. I took just the clothes that I was wearing. I forgot to take my school certificate because of the shock. Then I was in Kabul, after six years in Germany. What I saw there was very difficult for me. The first days I was too afraid to even go out of the door."
Mostafa*, 24 year-old, spoke about the dangers he experienced following his deportation to Kabul: "While I was back in Afghanistan, a bomb exploded three times near me…"
The four men were forced to flee Afghanistan once more. During their journey to Europe, they faced more dangers such as detention and push-backs. Hassan Jan*, 29 years-old, described to our researchers a collective expulsion from Greece in June 2017: "…They (Greek authorities) put us in a windowless van and transferred me (and) other refugees including families to the shores of river Evros where they forced us to board a boat. They left us on a small island in the middle of the river. We were forced to walk through the river to reach the (Turkish) shore ….."
All of them are now in limbo in Greece. Hassan Jan* is trying to survive in Athens while the three others are trapped in an island refugee camp as a result of the migration deal concluded between Turkey and the EU. They still hope of reaching what they consider home – Germany.
Jafar*, is only 25 years-old but the experiences of deportation, risks in Afghanistan and living conditions in a Greek refugee camp have taken their toll on his mental health. He says: "… People are so tired from the conditions and the uncertainty of their future that nearly every day a fight breaks out. In December 2017, our tents got destroyed once more during such chaos. All our things got lost, stolen or destroyed. We have nothing, but the little things we keep like treasures are lost every time and we start from zero again."
'These young men are the victims of two migration deals, the EU-Turkey deal and the EU-Afghanistan deal. First, they were returned to a country where they were at risk of persecution or death and now their lives are on hold because European countries choose to ignore that Afghanistan and Turkey are not safe countries to return refugees" said Natassa Strahini, RSA lawyer.
*All names are changed to keep anonymity.
PRO ASYL is an independent voice raised for human rights and refugee protection in Germany and Europe. Its work is financed solely by membership fees, donations and grants from its foundation / from foundations. For information on this report. For press contact: phone: +49 (0) 69 24 23 14 30 and email: [email protected]
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) is a non-profit organization focusing on strategic litigations in support of refugees, monitoring human rights violations as well as the provision of legal, social and humanitarian support in individual cases. Members of the organization are based on the islands and in the mainland and are visiting different parts of Greece in order to document the situation there. RSA s the implementing partner of the foundation Pro Asyl project RSPA (Refugee Support Program Aegean). For press contact: phone: +30 22711 03721 and email: [email protected]
2018featured
STRUCTURAL FAILURE: Why Greece's reception system failed to provide sustainable solutions
AGATHONISI TRAGEDY: INVESTIGATION MUST SHED LIGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE DEATHS OF REFUGEES LAST MARCH
PRO-ASYL and Refugee Support Aegean wish to express once more their profound concerns over the loss of sixteen lives following the capsizing of…
#AgathonisiShipwreck: The case file
On 16 March 2018, a refugee boat sank near the Greek island of Agathonisi. Sixteen persons perished including seven children…
#StopTheToxicDeal TURKEY AS A "SAFE THIRD COUNTRY"
In the framework of their campaign #StopTheToxicDeal RSA and PRO ASYL publish today the final topic that concerns Turkey as…
Voices of the refugees stuck in "Moria" hotspot
Violence and tensions currently tend to become routine at the Reception and Identification Center (RIC) – the so-called hotspot in…
Greece, EU: Move Asylum Seekers to Safety. End Containment Policy, Organize Transfers Now
(Athens, December 6, 2018) – The Greek government and its European Union partners should urgently ensure that all asylum seekers…
Rejection of 28 asylum seekers from African countries due to the lack of interpreters
Legal aid organizations express concerns regarding the unprecedented administrative practice of the Regional Asylum Office of Lesvos, which goes against…
EUROPE'S 'SUCCESS STORY'
On 9 August, the Aegean became once more a graveyard for seven refugee children after a boat carrying around 13…
No more separations of families! 1st part
Foto: Salinia Stroux Refugees in Greece are waiting for indefinite periods for their family reunification to Germany. PRO ASYL and…
Refugees trapped on Samos: A humanitarian crisis with no end in sight
Fighting to reach loved ones: One week of refugees' hunger strike in Athens over delays in reunifying with their families
"We want to put our heads on our pillows at night and sleep in peace all together." Foaz M, 40…
"Neither here, nor there" | Refugees transferred to Corinth transit camp are left in precarious limbo
Refugees trapped on Kos: An unspeakable crisis in reception conditions


text:
Media Relations Basics: Six Tips…
How to Create an Employee Training…
How to Incorporate Social Media Into Your Business Plan
(Note: This is reposted from the Industry Word blog on the SBA Community site. I first posted it there and I'm reposting here for convenience of our readers here)
Online buzz about social media for business owners seems to be moving from "Should I" to "How do I?" I've been working on this a lot lately as part of my work on planning, and I've developed this process for a specific social media plan for small business:
Start with strategy
Define how your social media serves your business. Usually that's in the marketing area of the business related to branding and awareness at the top of the marketing funnel, but it can also be focused on other business functions. For example, airlines are using Twitter for customer service, food trucks are using it for delivery by tweeting locations, and consultants use follower and like counts to validate their expertise.
Strategy is focus, so you need to sort through the different social media options. Community management expert Megan Berry of LiftFive in New York says, "Facebook tends to be more personal, so if a product is fun and consumer oriented, then Facebook is really good. Twitter has the advantages of public searches, and business searches, so you can see how much a given topic matters. Google+ is mostly techies, photography, and people who work at Google." I think of LinkedIn as more about careers than specific businesses, and Pinterest as great for photo collections. You can't do it all and the fastest road to failure is trying to please everybody, or do anything.
For purposes of illustration, my examples in the rest of this post focus on Twitter and use the terminology of Twitter. That's just to make the narrative easier to follow.
Add specific tactics
The strategy means nothing without specific tactics. In social media that means making some practical decisions. For sake of illustration, imagine a manufacturer of environmentally better construction materials selling to a local market looking at Twitter. Here are some tactics to work through:
What accounts to follow: In our example, of course we'd follow people tweeting about homes, green construction, construction materials, architecture, and the building industry. Maybe also small business, small business management, and local business. Gardening, landscape architecture? We should also follow people representing the old-fashioned methods our green construction replaces, and yes, all of our competitors. And we'd definitely want to follow industry leaders, the best blogs, and media people for our industry.
What content to tweet and retweet: In our example we'd tweet about green building, construction, architecture, and homes for sure, to build a content stream that would attract like-minded people. We'd probably also tweet about local events, local businesses, and local people to attract local connections. But we would never offer content promoting the old-fashioned ways or our competition. We would set up programmed searches for hashtags like #green and #greenbuilding, #homes, and #greenhomes. (Hashtags are a Twitter feature people use to aid searching for topics. People offering content include them in their tweets, so people searching can find them).
What to watch out for: We should set up searches to catch any mention of us especially, of course. Also, mentions of our competitors, substitutes or competing products, and (as much as possible) local building issues.
When to reach out: We'd want to watch for media people and issues that could create media opportunities for us, like interviews with the founder, or reviews in blogs or trade magazines. Reaching out in Twitter means either tweets mentioning specific handles or direct messages to specific people.
How to reach out: We'd want to reach out correctly and respectfully, only for specific cases and specific people. Direct messages should ever look or feel or act like spam.
Add Specific Metrics, Milestones, and Tracking
Your strategy and tactics are of no use without concrete specific steps, measurements, and tracking.
In our Twitter-oriented green construction materials example, we'd want set objective and trackable numeric targets for how many:
new follows to add each month
tweets per day, week, and month
retweets to send
retweets we want to receive
followers we expect to add per month
leads we should get
web visits tracking from our tweets, retweets, and Twitter profile
And for our review meetings, we'd want to start with actual numbers for each of these measurements. Then we'd review these results and discuss changes to the metrics, tactics, and strategy.
And that, all together, is a plan.
The Secret to Successful Social Media
Cidnee Stephen
Conducting a Social Media Inventory for Your Business
Shashi Bellamkonda
What Obama Taught Me About Social Media
Lena West


text:
January 15, 2021 rocky@andersonlawoffices.org
American Association of Justice Award
Who's Who Lifetime Achievement
New Documentary Series
Community Activism
To Members of the Media
Views on 2016 Presidential
TYT Online Network
2012 President Media
High Road For Human Rights
2003 Mayor
Produced by Rocky
Rocky's Activism
ARTICLES & EDITORIALS
HRHR
ABOUT HIGH ROAD
WINDING DOWN HIGH ROAD
HIGH ROADS TRAVELED
HISTORY OF HIGH ROAD
HIGH ROAD PROGRESS
HIGH ROAD IN THE NEWS
TORTURE AND THE RULE OF LAW
Vision, Mission, Core Values & Solutions
Press Packet
MISC ARCHIVES
A Long History of Tenacious, Successful Advocacy
Brewvies vs. DABC
Legislature's Disregard of Public Desire for Medical Cannabis Access
Evans vs. Unified Police Dept.
Homicide Cases
Kendall vs. Salt Lake City
Mitchell vs. Roberts
Ostler vs. Salt Lake County
Rule of Law Letter to Elected Officials
Home / High Road Actions: Torture / Rule of Law Letter to Elected Officials
By Rocky Anderson
In High Road Actions: Torture, High Roads Traveled
Rule of Law Letter to Elected Officials2016-04-222016-04-27http://rockyanderson.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rocky-name2.jpgRocky Andersonhttps://rockyanderson.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/article-page.jpg200px200px
Originally posted on February 18, 2009
Letter to Every Member of Congress and President Obama:
Calling for a Permanent End to Torture and a
Permanent Restoration of the Rule of Law
When someone asks "What did you do?," you can look back with pride at having taken a stand. You added your name to the call for an end to torture and restoration of the rule of law and today, February 18, 2009, we sent letters to every member of Congress and to President Obama, adding your name with the over 7,100 others who have demanded change.
Dear President Obama and Members of Congress:
I am among millions of Americans concerned about the undermining of the rule of law, violations of our Constitution, domestic laws, and treaty obligations, and the damage inflicted these past several years on our nation's system of checks and balances.
Please make it a priority, within the first six months of the Obama Administration, to:
1. Limit the application of the "state secrets" doctrine in order that the courts will once again provide a meaningful check on abuses of power and violations of law by members of the Executive Branch.
2. Make clear what process must be followed before any US treaty obligations are violated or terminated by any member of the Executive branch or by Congress. Congress should also reaffirm its commitment to treaty obligations forbidding aggressive war and torture and repeal the Military Commissions Act.
3. Limit the effect of "signing statements" by enacting legislation that (1) instructs the courts they are not to consider signing statements when determining legislative history; (2) prohibits the President from issuing any statement that purports to limit any part of the legislation as being advisory or that purports to assert any authority by the President to determine the scope or applicability of the legislation; and (3) provides that no one can rely upon signing statements as a defense for a violation of the law.
4. Authorize, designate, and assign special prosecutors to investigate and prosecute violations of the law for involvement in felonious warrantless wiretapping, torture, and kidnappings of people in the so-called "extraordinary rendition " program.
5. Reassert Congress's vital constitutional role and forbid, by a criminal statute with severe penalties, any attack against another nation, except in cases of actual or imminent attack of the US by that nation or as permitted under the United Nations Charter and the Constitution, absent explicit authorization by Congress.
6. Appoint a select committee, similar to the Church and Ervin Committees, or a non-partisan Truth Commission, charged with investigating illegal conduct or other abuses of power by the Bush Administration, disclosing such misconduct to the American people, and making recommendations concerning reforms that will prevent or deter similar misconduct in the future.
7. Repeal the Military Commissions Act.
Taking these steps will be a vital contribution to the restoration of the rule of law, our constitutional democracy, and the system of checks and balances essential to protect against abuses of Executive power.
[The names of over 7,100 signatories were included in the letter sent to every member of Congress and President Obama.]
Rocky Anderson
Categories Select Category 2012 President (56) High Road Actions: Climate Crisis (11) High Road Actions: Death Penalty (4) High Road Actions: Genocide (4) High Road Actions: Slavery (3) High Road Actions: Torture (11) High Road in the News (3) High Roads Traveled (49) Rocky Writings (1) Uncategorized (1)
Law Offices of Rocky Anderson
The Judge Building
Eight East Broadway, Suite 450
Copyright All Rights Reserved ©2019
I consent to Rocky Anderson collecting my details through this form.
Powershift 2009High Road Actions: Climate Crisis, High Roads Traveled
High Road Welcomes Pulitzer Prize-Winning AuthorHigh Road Actions: Genocide, High Roads Traveled


"Social Comparisons and Pro-social Behavior - Testing 'Conditional Cooperation' in a Field Experiment"
"People behave pro-socially in a wide variety of situations that standard economic theory is unable to explain. Social comparison is one explanation for such pro-social behavior: people contribute if others contribute or cooperate as well. This paper tests social comparison in a field experiment at the University of Zurich. Each semester every single student has to decide whether he or shenwants to contribute to two Social Funds. We provided 2500 randomly selected students with information about the average behavior of the student population. Some received the information that a high percentage of the student population contributed, while others received the information that a relatively low percentage contributed. The results show that people behave pro-socially, conditional on others. The more others cooperate, the more one is inclined to do so as well. The type of person is important. We are able to fix the 'types' by looking at revealed past behavior. Some persons seem to care more about the pro-social behavior of others, while other 'types' are not affected by the average behavior of the reference group."


Xtreme Lighting 3 Zone Radio Frequency Controlled Waterproof LED Strip Kit has flexible ribbon for curving around bends. Each Strip Capable of Several Colors and comes with Remote Control.
(1) RF Controller w/ Remote (1) 15 Amp Power Supply (3) LED Strips (6) 90 Degree Splices (3) Male 4 Pin Tail (3) Female 4 Pin Tail (1) 15' Extension (3) Straight Splices (3) Splice Tails (15') 4 Wire Cable.


text:
HomeAnalysisNFL AnalysisWho is the legal U.S. sports bettor? Pickswise's first annual survey of American sports bettors reveals common habits
Who is the legal U.S. sports bettor? Pickswise's first annual survey of American sports bettors reveals common habits
Andrew Wilsher
Managing Editor of Pickswise. Born and raised in jolly old London, England, with an undying love for the NFL, NBA, soccer and horse racing. A big-time sports bettor who loves futures markets and backing underdogs. Long-suffering New York Jets fan.
@aWilsher94
Updated: 5:37 AM ET September 08, 2021
Not surprisingly, sports bettors in the U.S., predominantly men in their 30s and 40s, love to watch and wager on football, according to a new, comprehensive survey of U.S. sports bettors conducted by Beacon Research for Pickswise. The inaugural Pickswise.com Annual Sports Bettor Survey included 1,500 self-identified U.S. sports bettors of legal betting age residing in states with legal sports betting.
Football (both professional and college) ranked as the most frequent choice for wagering for most bettors (73%) with basketball as a close second (62%), and baseball, boxing, soccer, and horse racing rounding out the second tier. Nearly one-quarter of respondents said they bet daily. Most say their average stake is between $50-$99. The sports bettors also indicate they are avid sports consumers, spending significant time on research and analysis, on pre- and post-game sports news, and watching games themselves.
Bettors' behaviors
This unique look into the burgeoning U.S. legal sports bettor revealed a number of behaviors reflecting a high level of investment and participation: most wager weekly, have more than one mobile sportsbook account, bet on several different sports, make use of many bet types, and say they are more likely to watch the games they've bet on. And, 97% of those surveyed said they are interested in research and analysis before they wager, with 80% trusting content from outlets that are not directly affiliated with a sportsbook.
Compared to the general U.S. adult population, U.S. sports bettors primarily skew male, white, and affluent. And the survey reveals a new population of sports bettors who are younger and more diverse — both by race and by gender. People of color represent one-third of those who began wagering in the past year, compared to just a quarter of longer-term bettors. Similarly, three-in-ten new bettors are female, compared to 23% of longer-term bettors.
"As legal sports betting continues to expand here, a profile is emerging of highly engaged fans with an appetite for information, analysis, and insights to inform their picks," said Dan Pozner, Spotlight Sports Group's VP of Content. "Based on the results of this first Pickswise.com survey, three-quarters say they spend at least an hour each week on research before placing bets. We believe that as the legal betting market continues to grow, so too will the market for quality content that helps bettors, especially new ones, navigate their way through it smartly."
Breaking down sports bettor habits
Among the specific findings, U.S. sports bettors:
Wager frequently
70% say they bet at least weekly, and one-quarter bet daily
61% place at least three bets per week, with nearly one-quarter placing five or more
74% have multiple mobile sportsbook accounts; though, just 31% say they shop for the best odds before betting
Do their homework
97% are interested in research and analysis
Nearly three-quarters spend at least an hour on research each week with 30% spending more than two hours
81% conduct research before betting
More than half trust their own research over tips from friends
Watch a lot of games
73% say they are more likely to stream or watch a game that they have bet on
50% say they are more likely to watch additional sports news
55% say they are more engaged with fantasy sports
Are motivated by the challenge
71% cite "winning money" as a major reason for betting
61% say "for the thrill"
51% cited the "challenge of picking winners"
"Legalized betting is offering fans new opportunities to engage with the sports they enjoy, both before and after kickoff," said Andrew Schwartz, Director at Beacon Research. "Eight-in-ten spend time researching most of their bets, three-quarters are more likely to watch games they've bet on, and half place live bets. As with the fantasy sports boom, we're seeing the emergence of a more participatory way for fans to consume live sports."
Respondents said they enjoy most types of bets. Spreads, over-unders, money line, and parlays were all cited by more than 75% of those surveyed. The survey found that most bettors played fantasy sports, too, and, not surprisingly, DraftKings and FanDuel are the dominant betting platforms with 57% of respondents saying they have used DraftKings and 50% saying they have used FanDuel. BetMGM, Bet365, and FoxBet round out the top five most-used sportsbooks. Respondents said trust and ease of use, especially for financial transactions, were their top factors in choosing a sportsbook.
The legal sports betting market in the U.S. has boomed since the Supreme Court decision to repeal its prohibition in May 2018. Per the American Gaming Association, sports betting is now legal in 32 U.S. states. Operators are processing wagers in 22 states, with 10 others set to launch in the next few months and there is legislation pending in several others.
Pickswise is the home of free expert football picks. Our expert football handicappers are on hand season-long to provide you with the best NFL Picks and NFL Predictions along with College Football Picks, including our College Football Best Bets each week.


text:
Q: Association many-to-many My project has two entities Projects and Words.
So a Project has many Wordsand a Word can be used in multiple Projects.
The Words table should only contain unique words, so that means if a project will add, a word which is already in the Words table, in the join table will be added the word_id against the project_id. Or if the word does not exist it should be added in the table in the association should be added into the join table.
So far I am able to add into tables, a project name which is stored into Projects table and a keyword name which is added into the Keyword table.
I am not convinced if my approach in solving this problem is good, also I don't know how to deal with the has_and_belongs_to_many(I don't thing that I need a has_many  through association, because I don't do anything with the model at this point).

A: Firstly, you should absolutely use has_many_through over has_and_belong_to_many where possible.  You can use find_or_create_by to ensure you only create keywords where not already found:
class Project < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_many :project_keywords
  has_many :keywords, :through => :project_keywords

  def add_keyword(name)
    keywords << Keyword.find_or_create_by(name: name)
  end
end

class Keyword < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_many :project_keywords
  has_many :projects, :through => :project_keywords

  validates :name, presence: true, uniqueness: true
end

class ProjectKeyword < ActiveRecord::Base
  belongs_to :project
  belongs_to :keyword
end

Now you can easily add keywords using the helper method add_keyword:
project = Project.create(name: 'My Project')
project.add_keyword('foo')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Wireless Home Weather Station
Regular price $ 200.00 USD Sale price $ 44.97 USD
Wireless Home Weather Station !!!
INSTANTLY UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT AND FUTURE WEATHER CONDITIONS WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL HOME WEATHER STATION! WITH ONE GLANCE YOU WILL KNOW EVERY DETAIL ABOUT THE WEATHER!
Then this is the one for you, the home weather station is made to provide you with a reliable Weather Forecast Station to provide you with real-time indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity monitoring making this a must-have for any home or office. It can be used as a standard alarm clock.
The precise and accurate result, using the indoor and outdoor sensors, our wireless home weather stations provide accurate and precise maximum and minimum values of temperature and humidity of your home and the outdoors. It also displays the weather forecast using 6 vivid forecast icons: Sunny, Partly Sunny, Cloudy, Rainy, Stormy, and Snowy.
Easy to read screen,Home weather station features a large, bright and readable screen that is divided into 6 blocks to allow you to easily identify and understand all the data being displayed without being overwhelmed. With big digits, digitally labelled blocks and user-friendly designs, this digital color thermometer is perfect for use by all ages.
User-friendly design,our electronic wireless weather thermometer offers 3 levels of brightness allowing you to select the one that's right for you! It can easily be hanged on a wall to act as a functional yet stylish piece of décor or simply be placed on a table using the back support. It also makes a great gift for friends, family and even the elderly to provide them with an easy way to stay informed of the weather.
Incredibly Versatile & Convenient, Use the remote sensors offer a transmission range up to 100 feet which means you can put them inside your bedroom, meeting room or even hang it outside on a tree! Besides being the most reliable weather forecast station you'll ever own, it can be used as an Alarm Clock for day to day use.
Color animated forecast icons with color LCD digits
Indoor & wireless outdoor temperature (f/c) & humidity (%RH) with trends & min/max values
24-hour barometric pressure history graph
Atomic self-setting time & date with automatic daylight saving time resets
Low battery indicator for both display & sensor
At SK Fashion , we strive to offer top and high-quality products in the world.
Your Satisfaction is our Top Priority.
We will provide outstanding customer service to assist you as we highly value our customer satisfaction with absolutely Zero Risk.
If you have any questions about your order, please contact us by emailing us at Support@skfashionhub.com
Just click the "Add To Cart" Button Below! There's very limited stock, and they will go soon!
3. Safe Payments.
5. Real humans on our support help-desk!
7. We use encrypted SSL certificates for 100% security.
Enjoy these fun weather facts for kids. Check out amazing snowfall, rainfall, temperature and wind speed records while learning more about lightning, tornadoes and cyclones. Read on for a range of interesting facts about weather and climate.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 14.6 °C (59 °F), recorded on January 5, 1974. More temperature facts.
The most rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours is 182.5 centimetres (71.9 inches) in Foc-Foc, La Réunion, during tropical cyclone Denise on January 8, 1966.
The most rainfall ever recorded in one year is 25.4 meters (1000 inches) in Cherrapunji, India. More rain facts.
The highest snowfall ever recorded in a one year period was 31.1 meters (1224 inches) in Mount Rainier, Washington State, United States, between February 19, 1971 and February 18, 1972. More snow facts.
The fastest wind speed ever recorded is 484±32 km/h (301±20 mph). This was a 3 second gust recorded by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar unit in Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999. More wind facts.
The heaviest hailstone ever recorded weighed 1.0 kg (2.25 lb) and landed in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh on April 14, 1986.
Clouds can be categorized into a number of different types; these include cumulus, stratus and cirrus. More cloud facts.
The Earth experiences millions of lightning storms every year, they are incredible discharges of electricity from the atmosphere that can reach temperatures close to 54,000 °F (30,000 °C) and speeds of 60,000 m/s (130,000 mph). More lightning facts.
The USA has more tornadoes than any other country in the world, averaging around 1200 a year. This is due largely to its unique geography which forms an area in central USA called "Tornado Alley" which is frequently hit by tornadoes. More tornado facts.
Tropical cyclones (often referred to as hurricanes or typhoons) feature strong winds, driving rain, rough seas and areas of low atmospheric pressure. They frequently form in tropical areas of the globe and can do considerable damage to populated areas. Examples of this include the 1970 Bhola cyclone, Typhoon Nina which hit China in 1975 and more recently in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina which caused great devastation and loss of life when it hit southern parts of the USA. More hurricane facts.


text:
The Royal Forums > Reigning Houses > Imperial Family of Japan
Imperial Family of Japan: Current Events July 2005 - May 2008
mandyy
Few more photos from the garden party.
#1-3: Newscom
#4-5: Kunaicho website
#6-8: Yomiuri news
Prince Tomohito raises question over move to allow women on throne
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/nation...na013000c.html
Cousin of emperor questions plan to allow female monarchs
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051103/kyodo/d8dkur700.html
Japan female succession queried
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/4403366.stm
#1: NNN news
#2: FNN news
#3: File photo shows Prince Tomohito Mikasa (L) of Japan and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel attending the opening ceremony of a cultural centre in Ankara May 3 1998. Photo by STR/REUTERS
#4-5: TBS news
The Emperor, Empress and Prince Mikasa meeting Order of Cultural Merit recipients in the Imperial Palace on Nov. 4, 2005.
#1: FNN news video- http://www.bcast.co.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo...1&media=wm300k
#2: JIJI press
#3: (Newscom) Former Yomiuri Giants' player Shigeru Nagashima (C, front and back to photographer), who suffered a stroke in 2004, greets Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko (both in center at back) at a tea party hosted by the imperial couple Nov. 4 for this year's recipients of the Order of Culture and other decorations at the Imperial Palace. He wears sneakers with his uniform number of 3 attached. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)
Location: -, United States
Is this Prince Tomohito for real? The IHA has too much power and is entrenched in far too much tradition. Japan has to move to the future. I really feel for Princess Masako. It must be he!! to live in that constrained and sterile world.
Linda 856
Prince Tomohito released from hospital
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content...at=1&id=354770
Prince Tomohito hospitalized for suspected heart ailment
Prince enters hospital over chest pains
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20051108a9.htm
kei893265
Location: , Japan
Originally Posted by mandyy
The Emperor, Empress and Princess Sayako visited Kannonzaki Park in Yokosuka city on Oct. 11, 2005.
photo of the same event, the Emperor, Empress and Princess Sayako pay homage to victims of the world war II at the crew war memorial.
Family ties: The Tojo legacy
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GK12Dh04.html
Exhibits at the Emperor Showa's Memorial Museum
Emperor Showa Memorial Hall to open at Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa on Nov. 27, 2005.
#1: Yomiuri news
#3: JIJI press-the museum
A diamond tiara crown on loan from the Japanese Imperial Palace is displayed during an exhibition in Sofia November 22, 2005. The crown, along with other jewellery art masterpieces from the Mikimoto museum in Japan, are on display for the first time outside of Japan for the 'Days of the Japanese Culture' exhibition in the Balkan country.
#1: AFP
#2-3: Reuters
#4: (Newscom)
#5-6: Getty images
Police dogs to be introduced at Imperial Palace
LEAD: Police dogs to be introduced at Imperial Palace
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051125/kyodo/d8e389to0.html
merampo
Whose tiara is it?
Princess Sayako??
ropura
Newly-wed Yoshiki and Sayako Kuroda (former Princess Nori) attend a tea party given by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on Nov.27 in
celebration of their marriage.
Crown Prince Naruhito,Crown Princess Masako and Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino also attended at the tea party.
From Kyodo news.
Originally Posted by ropura
Newly-wed Yoshiki and Sayako Kuroda (former Princess Nori) attend a tea party given by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on Nov.27 in celebration of their marriage.
Crown Prince Naruhito,Crown Princess Masako and Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino also attended at the tea party. From Kyodo news.
#2: TBS news video- http://www.bcast.co.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo...1&media=wm300k
#3: NNN news video- http://www.bcast.co.jp/cgi-bin/yahoo...0&media=wm300k
#4-5: TVBS news
The newest winter edition of the "Our Imperial Family" magazine released on Nov. 30, 2005 featuring the former Princess Nori and her wedding to Mr. Kuroda.
There is a English table of contents if you scroll down the page on the link below
http://www.fusosha.co.jp/imperial/
Location: ....., United States
Thank you for the photos, Mandy! I have wondered about Nori walking behind her husband and it looks as though it may only be on formal occasions since they were walking side by side in the photos taken at the park. It is lovely to see them again.
December 5: Thai National Day
.....our deepest respects to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and the Imperial Family........
.....It has also always been marked by close ties with the Imperial Family of Japan. This year, the people of Thailand were again honoured by a visit in August by His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino. We were also honoured by the gracious visits of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi and Prince and Princess Akishino to the Thai Pavilion at the Aichi World Exposition 2005 in July and August 2005 respectively. Last month, the people of Thailand joined the people of Japan in rejoicing at the news of the wedding of Her Imperial Highness Princess Sayako.
We hope that in 2006, the Imperial Family, Government and people of Japan could join the people of Thailand in celebrating the auspicious 60th Anniversary of His Majesty's Ascension.....
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/specia...dm007000c.html
Imperial family members arriving for a memorial service for Princess Takamatsu who passed away one year ago.
Does Japan Needs Its Imperial Family
"Nothing attests more dramatically to the psychological sway of its lingering shadow than the very reluctance of today's Japanese to debate in public the pros and cons of retaining the imperial family," says Ivan Hall, a former Gakushuin University professor and author of Cartels of the Mind.
Few people -- let alone a gaijin (foreigner) -- get to speak to the son of a living god. So on April 25 this year, I was very nervously standing in front of the Emperor and Empress in the Imperial place, hoping I wouldn't fluff any of my carefully rehearsed keigo. The imperial couple was about to travel to Ireland and Norway and as an Irish journalist I had been granted the privilege of asking two questions.
I wanted to quiz the emperor on his opinion about the compulsory singing of the national anthem at school ceremonies. As I rose to speak, an Imperial Household Agency (IHA) official signaled to the phalanx of TV cameras at the back of the room and they stopped filming and left. "They are worried that as a foreigner you might ask something that might embarrass his majesty," said the Japanese journalist beside me.
Was this precaution necessary? Everything, from my query, submitted weeks in advance, to his majesty's written reply had been carefully scripted and vetted by IHA bureaucrats. The whole episode capped to us foreign observers a slightly farcical 60 minutes: journalists asking mostly anodyne questions about their majesties health and their impressions of Ireland and Norway before wishing them a safe trip; the sight of 40 heads leaning forward to catch the Empresses' whispered replies, which could hardly be heard by anyone in the room.
But my colleague's point was important. The presence of somebody from outside the system threatens to disrupt the carefully rehearsed dance between the Imperial Palace and the press that covers it. The problem was the IHA had no leverage over people like me: a local journalist could be kicked out of the press club or fired for asking an unscripted question in front of the cameras.
The IHA's control over their charges is legendary and, sometimes comical. Photographer Toshiaki Nakayama was banned from the imperial household after snapping Prince Akishino's new bride brushing hair out of his eyes before a formal portrait. One former Imperial House correspondent says he was once told off by bureaucrats for asking the emperor if he had recovered from a cold. "That's how much they control things: even a boring [kudaranai] question like that," says the journalist. "At least if you're a foreign journalist the Imperial Household Agency cannot harass you."
The IHA naturally denies they are all controlling. Spokesman Moriyama Yasuo claims the presence of cameras in press conferences makes their majesties 'nervous' and claims there was no question of the cameras leaving the room just because I was a foreigner. "There is a set time for camera coverage of their majesties' replies and this time simply ran out," he says, which raises the question: why was I left until last?
This rigid control and the strange institutional taboos that surround Japan's first family (see sidebar) helps explain why the emperor is the elephant in the room of Japanese politics. It is almost impossible in the mainstream media to openly debate the institution's past, its current role or most importantly its future.
So while a government-appointed panel of experts recently recommended, after months of closed-session discussion, to save the Chrysanthemum Throne from extinction by allowing a female emperor, they avoided the fundamental question: should the institution continue at all?
How much do the imperials cost? What benefits do they bring Japan? What percentage of the population supports them? These basic questions hover around the supposedly 2,600-year-old institution but are seldom openly aired in the big media or in the political arena, despite the unique opportunity offered by the succession debate..............
http://english.ohmynews.com/articlev...at_code=299674
Some sort of religious ceremony going on at Princess Takamatsu's residence on Nov. 20, 2005.
#1: Mainichi news
Request for new limousines for royal family granted in budget draft
A request for replacements of the limousines used by Emperor Akihito and state guests, last updated between 1967 and 1972 -- was approved in the Finance Ministry's drafting of Japan's fiscal 2006 budget Tuesday.......
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=Em...d8ejvr4g0.html
japanese imperial family, japanese royal family
« Multimedia from The Imperial Household Agency | Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall: Visit to Japan - October 27-31, 2008 »
Royal Family of Brunei Current Events 1: July 2005-August 2006 Mandy Royal Family of Brunei 181 08-23-2006 07:14 PM
Japan Imperial Family Warren Royal Genealogy 3 08-20-2006 01:10 PM
Imperial Family of Japan: New and Photos II Ennyllorac Imperial Family of Japan 165 05-27-2005 12:22 AM


Specially formulated for meters and monitors. HANNA Electrode Cleaning Solution (HI 7061) will ensure accurate test measurements by eliminating impurities and residues that are left on the sensor's surface.
Easy to use, just immerse the probe tip for 15-20 minutes to dissolve mineral deposits or other coatings.
A proper cleaning will ensure that your meter is calibrated correctly and providing accurate readings.


"PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH PROFESSIONAL SERVICE"
Welcome to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office. Our vision at the LCSO is to be committed to excellence in being a trusted, respected, and professional public safety agency. Being a committed community partner, providing professional service to enhance the safety, security, and quality of life in Lewis County is our mission.


text:
wtf, subconscious?
Dreams, drawings and psychoanalytic fun
Tag Archives: dreams about food
April 15, 2017 by wtfsubconsciousblog
Do you sometimes get that thing where the content of the dream is sketchy, but the feeling of it perfectly memorable? This one was definitely about sexual rejection, possibly with me cooked an extensive feast that no-one wanted.
dreams about foodrejectionsex	Leave a comment
which is worse – disappointing sex or disappointing breakfast?
March 22, 2017 by wtfsubconsciousblog
Two boys of about eighteen or nineteen, who shared a bedroom as students. One saw his various sexual conquests as a sign of his machismo and boldness. The other considered lust to be shameful and weak, and regularly told his room-mate that his behaviour was sinful. In reality, their sex lives differed very little, and each one was writing a confessional memoir. Both books featured the same sex object, a girl who both young men were regularly sleeping with, and whose name had one letter different from mine.
A would-be erotic dream where I'm in bed, possibly in a hotel, with an unidentified casual who (according to the dream) I've seen a few times before. But he's unattractively sweaty and I'm considering telling him I don't want to meet again after today. He climaxes (I think?) and sort of half-heartedly suggests starting again after he's had a rest, but he sounds grumpy at the idea of having to attend to my pleasure, and I'm not sure I can stomach it anyway.
Staying the night a hotel with my mum and Sibling. We met in the restaurant for breakfast, but since I don't do well at mornings, the other two were there before me. I arrived just after 10am to find that the restaurant, which was Portugese-influenced, had stopped serving its breakfast menu. Apparently, the Portugese don't really have specially designated breakfast foods, so fry-ups and cereal were only served as a concession to unadvanturous guests before 10am. After that, you picked from the standard restaurant menu that was available all day. I had some kind of lightly spiced pork and rice concoction, which was delicious but not the eggs royale I'd had in mind. Next to our table, another family (middle-aged parents, teenage or young adult children) were kicking up a stink about the restaurants total disregard to its customers' needs. Coming over here, taking away our food-based traditions…
angercustomer servicedisappointmentdisgust in dreamsdream about writingdreams about foodhotelhypothetical lovermumrestaurantsexsharing bedroomsiblingstudent life	Leave a comment
The King's autograph on a plate
At a wedding reception with a particularly fine standard of catering. I mean, everything we ate was the bomb. The waiters just kept bringing out trays of food, multiple options for each course, for you to have as much of whatever you wanted. By dessert, most of the other guests were full to the point of shirts bursting open, but I'd paced myself. I knew there were going to be five, maybe six different desserts all brought out one after another and who knew which would be the best without being prepared to try them all?
I was still labouring contentedly, with my defeated fellow-diners splayed out on their chairs like exploded slugs, when the waiters brought out the sixth dessert. There were long white trays holding an individual glass, like a large shot glass, for each guest. What I tasted a teaspoonful of can't be described in terms of mere banoffee cheescake.
Now, I happened to know that this particular dessert was somehow associated with Elvis Presley, and that although I'd never seen this myself, some restaurants / hotels that served it would use chocolate sauce to drizzle a copy of the King's signature on the serving tray. I asked our waiter if I could have Elvis' autograph in chocolate sauce, but the waiter's first language was from a different European country, and he didn't understand my request. I said it was cool; if he could just leave the full tray on the empty table next to ours, I'd get round to my share and probably then some, after I'd finished what was already on my plate. But such was the other guests' opposition towards eating any more, almost no sooner had the waiters and waitresses brought out these desserts than they were coming back to take them away. I shooed two black-and-white clad members of staff away, but when the third came round – and my mouth was still full – I found I didn't have the energy to explain again that I was getting round to it…
When I woke up I had Black and Gold by Sam Sparro stuck in my head, a song I haven't (knowingly) heard in years but which told me that a YouTube video I'd recently watched was probably the trigger for the dream. I love listening to ASMR videos because they help me sleep, which is of course essential for my research. This was the first video I'd seen by cutebunny992, and in it she described her recent "dream" wedding. Marianne's repetition of the word dream (at 0:48 and 2:33) acted as a direct suggestion for my literal dream. Her chosen colour scheme – white, gold and black – was reflected in my subconscious choice of music.
ASMRcustomer servicedream of weddingsdreams about foodElvis Presleyfrustrationrestaurant	Leave a comment
More fragments – a selection of anxieties
Writing a novel; I can't remember what it was about, but I sure remember the self-doubt, wondering if what I was putting out there was at all interesting or just self-indulgent.
Carelessly splashed some water on the bathroom floor (while brushing my teeth?) and one of my housemates pointedly remarked – in front of the whole household – on how he'd had to dry it up.
A different male friend (not the one in previous fragments) was hoping for a relationship with me. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, wondering with guilt if I'd led him on.
In reality, I was staying at Sibling and C's house. In dream, we were all staying at C's mother M's house (this being the first time I'd met M; in reality, I've never met her). Based on strange goings on, Sibling, C and I reached the conclusion that M had murdered someone. Not for the first time, said Sibling and C. We tried to excuse ourselves by going for a curry, to discuss how to turn M in or at least avoid being murdered ourselves. But the curry house was full of people we knew, and because we didn't know how to explain wanting to sit separately from them, we ended up at a table with three or four others. As we were eating, a helicopter descended and M arrived with an entourage of security staff. Back in the downstairs hallway, we got into a brawl and she threatened me with some kind of weapon (not a gun… a knife? a club?).
… possibly woken up by one of the cats, in reality, jumping on the bed. When I told Sibling about the dream over breakfast, he said that nothing of the sort would ever happen; apparently M loves curry so we'd never have made it to the nearest balti house without her.
bathroombeing attackedCcatsdream about writingdreams about fooddreams about love with friendfeeling criticisedfeeling threatenedguilthousematesknivesmurderrestaurantself-doubtsiblingweapon	Leave a comment
First day at university
February 22, 2017 by wtfsubconsciousblog
Induction day for my MSc course, although the building it was in was a cross between the sixth form block at my school, and an NHS outpatients' centre I once worked at as a secretary. My Dad drove me there although it was only a few miles down the road. It was in an uninspiring suburb of the city, surrounded by a large car park. The main road there was congested. I was the last to arrive and the other students were already settled at long trestle tables and were eating from a buffet.
Surrounded by 18-20 year olds who first assumed I was a similar age and reacted with unflattering surprise to finding out how old I actually am, I felt embarassed that my career isn't further along. I felt they were looking at me thinking they would be mortified to be in my position at my age.
We were directed to play ice-breaking / team-building games outdoors on the back lawn. It was a sunny day, and I loitered by the outer edges, feeling out-of-place and looked down upon. I felt I may have made the wrong decision in coming back to university, not only because I was out-youthed, but that the course was too basic and not covering my real interests. I couldn't show those around me my strengths, and the experiences I had – which my coursemates didn't – were not recognised.
Well, this one doesn't need much interpretation. The insecurities that crop up here are real and self-explanatory, albeit not as prominent in my conscious mind as in this dream.
My dad would drive me to university if I had to move away for it – although in the dream, the campus was only a short bus ride away, and in reality, though it will involve a bit of a commute, I've no intentions of moving out of my current house. I see the being-driven as a metaphor for the help that my dad – a lecturer at another university – is helping me in getting back to academia.
The symbol of being on a busy, congested or slow journey is a common one in people's dreams. Easy enough to see the analogy. In this case, I also had a sense of guilt that my dad was putting himself out, when I could have made my own way to campus and in fact probably would have got there more easily.
It's only as I'm writing these dreams up that I'm seeing the links that my subconscious mind makes between different times of my life, and how they affect me now. The locations – sixth form, and my former workplace – tell me that I'm still feeling sore about being underestimated, undermined or unrecognised in those places.
As for the buffet, we could explore the symbolic meaning of food – nourishment and all that – but I dunno, I'm happy enough to say that I just fricking love food.
anxietybeing late in dreamsdaddream about workplacedreams about foodfear of making bad choicesfeeling inadequateinsecuritynot fitting inself-doubtshamesixth formuniversity	Leave a comment
the one about the yoghurt
February 8, 2017 by wtfsubconsciousblog
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and this epic blog began with a dream about yoghurt.
It was set at my maternal grandmother's home, in a part of the bungalow known as the… well, did anyone else's grandma have a Back Passage? (I know, right? So far as I could tell she never, in all her eighty six years, figured out why people were sniggering.)
There was a small fridge in there – barely bigger than the portable ones you might take camping – and I was trying to get a jumbo tub of Natural Greek-Style to fit on the bottom shelf, but no amount of manoeuvring could get the fridge door to close. I had to leave the tub of yoghurt on the floor directly next to the fridge, but I wasn't at all happy with this compromise.
Upon waking, I was so delighted with this dream that I told pretty much everyone I came into contact with for the next few days, and it was at this point that one of my housemates suggested I start a blog.
Another dream-interpretation site tells me that "to see or eat yogurt in your dream, suggests that you need to learn to behave appropriately for the different situations and circumstances you find yourself in." Others suggest an improvement in health and finances; an attempt to live healthily; or an immature way of seeking spiritual nourishment. (It seems dream dictionaries are kind of reluctant about reaching a common consensus.)
To put this dream in its mundane context, another member of my household recently did have a giant quantity of natural strained, extra-thick, Greek yoghurt in a blue and white pot so large it actually had a handle.
The less obvious background to the dream was that I'd recently started having group therapy through the NHS. I'd wanted one-to-one sessions and to share my therapy time with seven other people felt like an enormous compromise. I was a newcomer to an existing group, which struck me as being pretty set in its ways, and I'd waited a long time for therapy, during which there were a lot of reasons I could have done with the support. A long-term relationship had ended and I'd moved house; work was stressful and disatisfying; a relative had died unexpectedly, so on and so forth, on top of longer term issues that I had hoped to address.
I felt there was so much in me that it was impossible – impossible – to store it. It simply couldn't fit into its constraints. It was no good me putting my emotional yoghurt (if you will) to one side, because the longer it was left, the more rancid it would turn.
As for the setting, I often find my dream-self back at my parents' house, or my grandma's, despite her having vacated it over ten years ago.
Whether my subconscious was trying to say something witty about the back passage, I'll have to keep pondering.
…no, on second thoughts I don't want to know.
dream analysisdream dictionariesdreams about foodgrandparent's housepuns in dreamspyschotherapy	Leave a comment
Let's start with a pre-cognitive dream.
My friend Helen and I were in the bathroom at my parents' house, supposedly getting ready to go out. But she had a stomach ache and felt sick. She curled up in the bathroom cabinet, clutching her stomach; I could see she was really in intense pain.
She asked for a bucket to puke in, but I didn't want to go round the house looking for one. I tried not to show that I really just wanted to hurry out for an evening of fun, and didn't want to have to look after a vomiting person. I offered her a measuring jug, cringing inwardly at the thought that it might not hold as many chunks as were about to come out.
To my relief, what came out of Helen's mouth was a perfect, lightly fried egg. I emptied the egg into the bath and it plopped slimily into the tub like a fish.
Each time I held the jug to Helen's chin, she produced another egg, which slid into the bath with the others.
What stands out to me about this dream is my reluctance to help my friend beyond what was strictly convenient for me. I felt impatient and at least a little bit disgusted at her predicament. (Sorry mate!) I think it's suggesting that I feel over-burdened or compromised by looking after other people's needs. I'm torn between not wanting to be selfish, and resenting those who do encroach on what I hoped was going to be fun-time for me.
Dreaming of our parents' / childhood homes (which I do a lot) generally suggests some unresolved issues from our upbringing. The feelings of not wanting to let other people's needs compromise my own – but not wanting to let on that I feel that way – are ones that I recognise. And presumably they stem from childhood.
Helen and I actually were going out together the following evening. But why eggs, I had no idea.
We were going to a comedy gig (Bianca Del Rio's Not Today, Satan, if you're curious), and before that we went for dim sum. I ordered a daring selection of seafood, and Helen went for vegetarian delicacies, including some caramel buns, which came nestled in a bamboo steamer like eggs in a basket.
She couldn't finish the last one, so we cut it in half. And this is what I saw:
So when I came to write this blog, I searched the internet to show you caramel buns looking like cooked eggs…
But Google went one step further.
What. The actual. Fuck.
…I hope you've enjoyed this, my first ever post on wtfsubconscious? You can use the contact page to send me any comments, questions, suggestions on how to make this blog more awesome, or dreams of your own that you'd like to share.
Catch you again soon!
bathroomdisgust in dreamsdream about someone being sickdreams about foodeggsparents' houseprecognitive dreamresentment	Leave a comment
anger anxiety bathroom BDSM being attacked being late in dreams birds of prey bollywood books cats celebrities in dreams celebrity portraits cheese dreams city clothing in dreams customer service dad dance disappointment disgust in dreams dream about being lost dream about birds dream about fire dream about snakes dream about workplace dream about writing dream analysis dreaming it's raining outside dream of watching a film dreams about food dreams about love with friend dreams about your ex dreams about your lover Dumbledore effects of food on dreams fear of illness fear of making bad choices feeling criticised feeling threatened Harry Potter hearing songs in dreams housemates imposter syndrome insecurity looking for toilet in dreams love dreams makeup media mum murder nick cave nightmare not wanting to leave the house old buildings parents' house performing precognitive dream reading a book in dream real-life updates real places looking different in dreams recurrent dreams restaurant rosencrantz and guildenstern secrecy self-doubt semi-lucid dream sex shame sharing bedroom sibling student life theatre things falling apart uncle university


text:
Decade after deadly RI fire, lessons for Brazil
By 7 News WHDH
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Fire officials and survivors of a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people in Rhode Island say there are lessons for Brazil and elsewhere from sweeping changes made after the fire.
A fire code enacted after the blaze means movie theaters, nightclubs and concert halls now must announce the location of emergency exits before each show.
Many venues were forced to install sprinkler systems and make other renovations. One theater that shut down six years ago because it couldn't afford the changes reopened on Saturday after raising about $200,000 to install new fireproof seat upholstery and other upgrades.
Fire survivors say bouncers are more attentive to safety problems, as are concertgoers.
One fire chief says other states and countries would save lives if they adopted Rhode Island's rules.


Kanye West has had plenty of nice things to say about President Donald Trump in recent years, but that doesn't mean he's a Republican, according to wife Kim Kardashian West.
She said she's had to learn how to move past it all.
In recent months Kim has become one of the country's most visible lobbyists for criminal justice reform, personally interceding in the case of Alice Marie Johnson, a nonviolent drug offender imprisoned in Alabama. Kim joined other activists in pushing Trump to grant her clemency, which he did last year.
Husband Kanye, 41, has not been as political — in terms of policy — but has been happy to spend time with the historically divisive Trump.
"Trump is on his hero's journey right now," Kanye said during an Oval Office visit in October, in a rambling visit watched rapt by reporters.
Kanye said then that he "looks up" to Trump as one of the "American industry guys" who helped remind him of his masculinity.
Days earlier Kanye had hosted Saturday Night Live, where he wore a MAGA hat that he said he'd been advised not to keep on.
"They bullied me backstage," he claimed.
Kanye previously visited with Trump at Trump Tower in New York after the 2016 election.
"We've been friends for a long time," Trump said at the time.


text:
Intelligenesis Named #1 Top Workplace by Baltimore Sun
Written by Jared Schultz on March 17, 2019 . Posted in Blog.
Angie Lienert set out to establish the kind of company that, as she puts it, "I would want to work for."
Along the way she became the kind of business leader that others want to work for.
Lienert began her career as an Arabic linguist with the Air Force. After six years' military service, she joined Booz Allen Hamilton for four years. After switching to BAE Systems in 2004, she struck out on her own in 2007, founding IntelliGenesis.
She succeeded in building a firm that initially served defense and intelligence clients in the federal government with intelligence analysis, language analysis, machine learning/data science, software development and computer network operations. It has since branched out into the commercial sector.
Lienert has developed a reputation for hiring and helping former military personnel and their spouses, the kind of people who appreciate and respect the company's mission.
She has been recognized for her success with other leadership honors and most recently was named 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year for Maryland by Ernst & Young.
Source: https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/topworkplaces/bs-bz-top-workplaces-small-leader-20181024-story.html


Post em up y cause we mini truckers and we have badass ink!
Done 2.5 hours and not AS much pain as i though haha didnt feel good though. I really like the baby foot print with name under it when i have kids.
My inner demons and where I like them too stay. I drew the skull and my artist and I collaborated on the rest. I have about 12 hours into this.
Outside of left left leg it stands for "Nothing to Lose Everything to Gain"
Not as bad as everyone makes it out too be. It wasn't the cage that hurt it was actually right on the hip bone that was the mf'r of it all. Second was close to the armpit. Other than that I napped when he did the purple in the coat. Lol. Thanks btw!
My not finished tat of my old blazer.
jesus evan your a hair beast LOL and didnt know you had a big ol' rib tat looks awesome.


In 2006 when I helped lead the campaign to pass AB 32, California's landmark global warming law, I used a Blackberry for the first time. It was a brick. A lot has changed since then, technologically and climate-wise: With California's world class climate program in place, air is cleaner, energy bills are lower, and there are many thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector.
With some of the most ambitious climate policies in the world, California has grown from the world's 8th largest economy to the 6th largest—surpassing France—while reducing its carbon intensity, divorcing economic growth from carbon pollution.
The threat from Washington, D.C., these days makes it all the more important that California get it right as we look to the next generation of climate action post-2020. We've learned a lot in the last 10 years, including that we need to: keep bringing other states and nations together to fight climate disruption; cutting emissions while growing the economy; making buildings and vehicles more efficient; and building more climate-friendly communities.
Maintain the backstop: Last year's SB 32 enacted ambitious emissions reductions targets, but they are only as effective as the tools we have to meet them. Preserving a cap on emissions that is enforceable against polluters is an indispensable tool in our climate arsenal.
Improve local air quality: Despite great progress, too many Californians still breathe unhealthy air. As California sets an example for the world on climate action, we need to protect public health in our most vulnerable communities.
Protect consumers: California's climate policies are expanding options and lowering energy costs for consumers thanks to improved efficiency, reduced congestion, and smart policies like the Climate Credits that direct the proceeds from pricing carbon back to households on their utility bills. As the price of fossil fuels goes up, lawmakers should expand on these ideas to protect Californians, especially low-income households.
Grow the clean energy economy: California's clean energy economy has grown faster than any other state, but needs certainty to grow and expand. As the federal government retreats from its climate commitment, California must continue to provide a business environment where clean energy can thrive.
Invest in hard-hit communities: California law directs proceeds from pricing carbon pollution to fund solutions and drive change in California's disadvantaged communities. To date, those investments have attracted over $4.5 billion in matching private capital, resulting in over $5 leveraged for every dollar invested.
Continue building climate action beyond California's borders: The markings of California climate policy can be seen around the world. Through linkages and international agreements, California must continue to work with partners, leveraging our experience to export best practices and drive progress in the global fight against climate change.
Senate leader Kevin De León just introduced a bill to accelerate the timetable for California to achieve 100 percent clean electricity. SB 100 moves up the deadline, as well as interim targets, for utilities to get 100 percent of their electricity from renewable energy by 2045. The good news is that California utilities are well ahead of schedule and can get more clean electricity onto the grid faster and we expect that to continue. To take advantage of all this renewable capacity, integrating the currently fragmented Western electricity grid makes good sense. Clean energy now competes favorably with dirty fossil fuels, on price, when it's available. Integrating the grid would make clean energy more readily available throughout the West.
Given the growth of renewable clean energy in the electricity and transportation sectors, there's no need to require utility customers to pay for more gas pipelines and natural gas fueling infrastructure, which would happen under SB 100. Private capital is already flowing on natural gas fueling stations so utility customer dollars shouldn't be used in an already competitive landscape. California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard is resulting in contracts for biomethane now. Continuing that fuel standard, together with stricter emission standards on trucks, are much more effective and practical tools to deploy clean fuel and vehicle technologies to reduce transportation pollution. When it comes to buildings, biomethane and clean electricity (on top of reducing energy waste through efficiency) can meet the bill's goal of reducing natural gas use.
In addition to climate-focused proposals, three strong bills also deserve prompt attention, as they could be key in defending California from the pro-polluter agenda of the Trump Administration. California's SB 49, the California Environmental and Worker Defense Act, makes current federal clean air, clean water, worker safety, and endangered species standards enforceable under state law if the federal government rolls back and weakens them.
The Public Lands Protection Act, SB 50, is designed to protect California from threats to sell off federal land to private parties for mining or oil drilling. And SB 51, the Whistleblower and Public Data Protection Act, shields the thousands of engineers and scientists working for federal agencies here in California from retaliation if they expose violations of law, unethical actions, or dangers to public health and safety committed by their agencies or others. It also prohibits censorship of information by the federal government.
An analysis by the nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) found that California's clean energy policies have helped inject $48 billion into California's economy and created more than 500,000 jobs—benefits that have touched every corner of the state. That's just one reason why Californians strongly support climate action.
Eleven years after the passage of AB 32, I've got a new phone, improved with experience. And as California's climate policies look to the coming decades, we should take what we've learned and build on our success for even more effective programs that protect the planet and the people who call California home.


Over time, your headlights may become cloudy, foggy, or have a yellowed appearance. Replacing your headlights can be expensive, and at-home kits or buffing only temporarily fix the problem. When you want lasting results without spending a fortune, turn to our professionals for headlight restoration. Your lights will be restored to look like new again, making your car look more attractive while helping you see clearly at night.
Buffing and polishing only lasts for a few months, so why waste your time and money? Replacement lenses can cost you hundreds of dollars per lens. Your headlights will be restored for 3 to 5 years with our restoration services that are affordably priced.
Your headlight restoration will be completed quickly for your convenience. These services are available for nearly all acrylic headlights on any type of vehicle.
Contact us today for more information about the restoration process, pricing, or to schedule your appointment.