text:
Thrashing Thru the Passion is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on August 16, 2019, on Frenchkiss Records. Produced by Josh Kaufman, the album sees the return to the line-up of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who had left the group after 2008's Stay Positive.

Critical reception

Reviews of the album were generally positive, feeling that the album was something of a return to form for the band. Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone stated that the group had abandoned "the self-seriousness that has sometimes bogged down their recent work, and the result is a shockingly fun return-to-form collection of sad-sack storytelling". Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork wrote that "despite coming from a band that seems to be winding down in many ways, Thrashing Thru The Passion is so alive and elated that, if not for Hold Steady's well-documented track record, it could be mistaken for the work of a band just hitting its peak. It's as joyous and rousing as the band's best efforts, but also looser and utterly unforced." Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club said "with an expanded lineup, this new configuration is a looser and less-anthemic iteration of the band, reducing the fist-pumping and giving the songs more room to breathe" and felt that the album "feels liberated from some of the band's usual album architecture... It's a productive scaling-down – the sound of a great rock band getting back to work". Adam Feibel of Exclaim! said "Thrashing Thru the Passion might be the most fun and carefree Hold Steady record". James McMahon of NME stated that the return of Nicolay had improved the band, and that "the Hold Steady achieve their best work when their playing is loose... When they sound like the best bar band in the best bar you didn't know about until you found yourself in it at 3am in the morning."

Track listing

 "Denver Haircut" – 3:01
 "Epaulets" – 2:47
 "You Did Good Kid" – 4:09
 "Traditional Village" – 2:48
 "Blackout Sam" – 4:52
 "Entitlement Crew" – 3:45
 "T-Shirt Tux" – 3:58
 "Star 18" – 3:13
 "The Stove & the Toaster" – 3:33
 "Confusion in the Marketplace" – 3:28

Personnel
The Hold Steady
Bobby Drake
Craig Finn
Tad Kubler
Franz Nicolay
Galen Polivka
Steve Selvidge

Production
Josh Kaufman – producer

Charts

References

2019 albums
The Hold Steady albums
Frenchkiss Records albums


There is no end to popular pilgrimage points in Varanasi.. Here are some of the popular pilgrimage points in Varanasi.
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple has earned the name of Golden Temple due to the gold plating done using one ton of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh on its 15.5-m high spire. Invaders destroyed the original temple and Rani Ahilyabai of Indore rebuilt it only in in 1776. Again, the fanatic Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the Vishvanath temple to replace it with the Gaynvapi Mosque. However, one can still see the remnants of the temple in the intricate and fine artwork of the western wall of the mosque. Today, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi mosque lie adjacent to each other.
Situated in the cantonment area of Varanasi, the architectural peculiarity that distinguishes St. Mary's Church from others are its louvered doors and hooded ventilation. It has a low tower, spire and projecting portico. The church looks beautiful with its plain timber canopy protecting the rectangular fanlight above each doorway and also impresses a major architectural impact.
The 8th century Durga temple is built in Nagara Style and is one of the most important temples of the city. The 'shikhara' of the temple consists of several small spires layered one on top of the other.
Dedicated to Mother India, it is situated in Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. It was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The statue marble of Mother India shows undivided India with mountains, plains and oceans in exact proportions.
Dedicated to Lord Rama, this temple is said to be built on the site where Goswami Tulsidas wrote the epic 'Ramacharitramanas'. It was built in 1964 by a philanthropist family.
Built in Nepali style by the King of Nepal on Lalita Ghat, it is also known as the Kathwala temple because of the magnificent woodwork. Tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world, it is said to be incomparable to any other temple in India. It is said that the workers and the wood was imported from Nepal to build this temple and the its specialty is that termites do not eat the wood used to construct it.


To all those 5th grade teachers and parents interested in student travel, listen up (or read up)! We know you're looking for that perfect field trip idea, something fun and exciting, educational and hands-on, but also not too far away or too expensive. We understand, and we also understand how hard it is to plan these things, especially with a large group of young students. That's why we've compiled a comprehensive list of all of our favorite go-to options for fun 5th grade field trips. Each option is, in our opinion, an excellent mix of information and entertainment, perfectly suited yet customizable to your particular student group!
10. Theater - A field trip to your local theater is a great, immersive, and really entertaining way to get your student group involved in the arts! Seeing a live show, musical, or musical performance will excite your 5th graders creativity and get them thinking about their own talents in the arts, as well as serve as a fun celebratory trip option as well! If you have a class play or concert coming up, send the students to the big(ger) stage and show them what it's all about, you'll have tons of fun watching too! If you opt for a night show take advantage of the opportunity to eat out locally, for a day show pack a picnic and enjoy the local park or green-space! Our Choice? Nothing beats New York Broadway.


text:
package com.github.benmanes.caffeine.cache.simulator.admission.tinycache;

import java.util.Random;

/**
 * This is the TinyCache model that takes advantage of random eviction policy with a ghost cache as
 * admission policy. It offers a very dense memory layout combined with (relative) speed at the
 * expense of limited associativity. s
 *
 * @author gilga1983@gmail.com (Gil Einziger)
 */
public final class TinyCacheWithGhostCache {
  private static final int sampleSize = 10;

  private final HashFunctionParser hashFunc;
  private final TinyCacheSketch ghostCache;
  private final TinySetIndexing indexing;
  private final long[] chainIndex;
  private final long[] lastIndex;
  private final int itemsPerSet;
  private final long[] cache;
  private final Random rnd;

  public TinyCacheWithGhostCache(int nrSets, int itemsPerSet, int randomSeed) {
    this.ghostCache = new TinyCacheSketch(nrSets * sampleSize, itemsPerSet, randomSeed + 1);
    this.hashFunc = new HashFunctionParser(nrSets);
    this.cache = new long[nrSets * itemsPerSet];
    this.indexing = new TinySetIndexing();
    this.chainIndex = new long[nrSets];
    this.lastIndex = new long[nrSets];
    this.rnd = new Random(randomSeed);
    this.itemsPerSet = itemsPerSet;
  }

  public boolean contains(long item) {
    hashFunc.createHash(item);
    if (!indexing.chainExist(chainIndex[hashFunc.fpaux.set], hashFunc.fpaux.chainId)) {
      return false;
    }
    indexing.getChain(hashFunc.fpaux, chainIndex, lastIndex);
    int offset = itemsPerSet * hashFunc.fpaux.set;
    indexing.chainStart += offset;
    indexing.chainEnd += offset;

    // Gil : I think some of these tests are, I till carefully examine this function when I have
    // time. As far as I understand it is working right now.
    while (indexing.chainStart <= indexing.chainEnd) {
      try {
        if (cache[indexing.chainStart % cache.length] == hashFunc.fpaux.value) {
          return true;
        }
        indexing.chainStart++;
      } catch (RuntimeException e) {
        System.out.println("length: " + cache.length + " Access: " + indexing.chainStart);
      }
    }
    return false;
  }

  /**
   * Implementing add and remove together in one function means that fewer items are shifted
   * (reduction of 3 times from the trivial implementation).
   */
  private int replace(HashedItem fpaux, byte victim, int bucketStart, int removedOffset) {
    byte chainId = fpaux.chainId;
    fpaux.chainId = victim;
    cache[bucketStart + removedOffset] = 0;
    indexing.removeItem(fpaux, chainIndex, lastIndex);
    fpaux.chainId = chainId;
    int idxToAdd = indexing.addItem(fpaux, chainIndex, lastIndex);
    int delta = (removedOffset < idxToAdd) ? -1 : 1;
    replaceItems(idxToAdd, fpaux.value, bucketStart, delta);
    return removedOffset;
  }

  public void recordItem(long item) {
    if (ghostCache.countItem(hashFunc.fpaux.value) < sampleSize) {
      ghostCache.addItem(hashFunc.fpaux.value);
    }
  }

  public boolean addItem(long item) {
    hashFunc.createHash(item);
    int bucketStart = itemsPerSet * hashFunc.fpaux.set;
    if (cache[bucketStart + itemsPerSet - 1] != 0) {
      return selectVictim(bucketStart);
    }
    int idxToAdd = indexing.addItem(hashFunc.fpaux, chainIndex, lastIndex);
    replaceItems(idxToAdd, hashFunc.fpaux.value, bucketStart, 1);
    return false;
  }

  private boolean selectVictim(int bucketStart) {
    byte victimOffset = (byte) rnd.nextInt(itemsPerSet);
    int victimChain = indexing.getChainAtOffset(
        hashFunc.fpaux, chainIndex, lastIndex, victimOffset);
    long victim = cache[bucketStart + victimOffset];
    // this if is still for debugging and common sense. Should be eliminated for performance once
    // I am sure of the correctness.
    if (indexing.chainExist(chainIndex[hashFunc.fpaux.set], victimChain)) {
      int victimScore = ghostCache.countItem(victim);
      int currItemScore = ghostCache.countItem(hashFunc.fpaux.value);
      if (currItemScore > victimScore) {
        replace(hashFunc.fpaux, (byte) victimChain, bucketStart, victimOffset);
        return true;
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    } else {
      throw new RuntimeException("Failed to replace");
    }
  }

  @SuppressWarnings("PMD.LocalVariableNamingConventions")
  private void replaceItems(int idx, long value, int start, int delta) {
    start += idx;
    long entry;
    do {
      entry = cache[start];
      cache[start] = value;
      value = entry;
      start += delta;
    } while (value != 0);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Review: Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 19th 2019
Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he's a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband's life a misery, and she'll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself…as none other than West Ravenel.
West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire…not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn't bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She's the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.
Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past?
Only the devil's daughter knows…
Is there anything that can rival my love for Devil in Spring? Probably not, but I'll keep on reading more of Lisa Kleypas' wonderful historical romances in the meantime. Devil's Daughter is the latest installment in the incredible Ravenels series, featuring the beloved daughter of Evie and Sebastian, Phoebe.
Phoebe, Lady Clare, lost her childhood friend, love, and husband from an illness too young. She is left in mourning with her two young children when West Ravenel enters her life. She remembers him as the bully who made her late husband's childhood miserable, and she continues with that grudge when she first meets him. But as she gets to know this man, she realizes that he's all grown up and completely different from the jerk he was as a young boy.
When Phoebe asks West to help out with her deteriorating farms, he can't help but say yes. He's drawn to the beautiful widow, though his troubled past makes him believe he's not good enough for her. But since his transformation in book one, we know West is a compassionate, intelligent, and wonderful man who deserves happiness. I loved the fun chemistry and banter that sparks between these two. It was so obvious that Phoebe and West were meant to be together!
One of the many things I love about Lisa Kleypas is how she has her characters defy societal norms, be they in subtle or obvious ways. Phoebe is a widow, which means she has to dress and act a certain way for a certain period of time, but being the headstrong woman that she is, she does what she wants. West is a modern man who can appreciate past traditions while also welcoming future inventions when it comes to running a farm.
Devil's Daughter is another hit from the queen of historical romance. LK has yet to disappoint me, with this series or otherwise. Right now, I'm dying for the next book, which will be about Cassandra!
Reading Order: The Ravenels series
#1 ~ Cold-Hearted Rake: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Marrying Winterborne: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Devil in Spring: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hello Stranger: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Devil's Daughter: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Chasing Cassandra: Goodreads (Feb. 25, 2020)
4 hearts, 4 stars, adult, Avon, book review, Devil's Daughter, historical, Lisa Kleypas, review, romance, The Ravenels, The Ravenels series	Leave a comment
« Release Day Review: Soul in Darkness by Wendy Higgins
Blog Tour // Review + Excerpt: Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ika Mata is a raw fish Polynesian delicacy that tastes better when your fish is 'iki' fresh.
Cut fish into 1cm pieces.
Place fish in lemon juice and toss to combine, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.
Add tomatoes, capsicum, onion, coconut cream and chilli to marinated fish, stir gently to combine add in coriander and spring onion.


text:
Vinod Mehta
The Centre Spread Unevenly
In this excerpt from Lucknow Boy, our former editor recounts how he came to edit Debonair and his juiciest adventures thereafter
| Vinod Mehta
No one has asked the question why the women in the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty make such disastrous marital choices
I am glad the prime minister has taken my advice! Now, before I am stoned to death, let me read that again...
Notes On Cellophobia
The troubled tale of my many frustrations with what everyone loves
Am I the only one who is a bit nauseated by the constant demand from the American side: "What can you do for us?"
Sipping single malt on live TV resulted in @DrunkVinodMehta on Twitter...
Because leftists have allegedly distorted how we interpret the past, it does not mean the PM should give encouragement to beliefs which are laughable.
Justice Katju, who is posing many questions, needs to answer a few himself. Why did he wait nine years before going public?
I don't know about you, but travelling on a bullet train at 320 km per hour is not my top priority...
I am not a diehard Modi supporter yet. Nor am I a fan. What I am presently doing is watching...
The Congress Conundrum
Is there life for the Congress beyond its first family? Can the party avoid splitting into various factions without the glue of the Gandhis?
Which Way Will He Turn?
Even the prime minister's more dogged critics would need to admit that he possesses a rare gift: the ability to surprise. So much so that he keeps the nation perpetually on tenterhooks
Easy Targets
It is open season on Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. No opportunity is lost to demonise and denigrate father and daughter. It's time for a reality check.
The Myth Of Media Hostility
How has the 'most vilified politician in independent India' gained so much currency, since it is manifestly untrue? Pick up a newspaper or listen to current affairs television and you are drowned in gushing prose eulogising every aspect of the PM
Unrequited Love?
Indians love the people of the US, but is the reverse also true?
What's Wrong With Polarisation?
The PM was a polarising figure before the elections, he was a polarising figure during the elections, and he remains a polarising figure after the elections. One must, however, ask if polarisation is such a catastrophe for the health of our nation?
A Curate's Egg
Mr Modi's 100 days contain much that is positive and commendable. And yet the phrase 'control freak' is increasingly being employed to describe the phenomenon.
The Reader's Right
Who looks after the reader's interest? Media people day in and day out affirm their commitment to the reader, and the reader alone. Alas, the commitment doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
The Courtier Turned Critic
Natwar Singh mostly is an honourable man but he protests too much. I am delighted he has written the first rough draft of history. But it requires serious sub-editing.
Time To Play Fast And Loos
The PM had promised 'toilets first, temples later'. He will earn the gratitude of pseudo-secularists like me if he launches such a project.


text:
2nd Amendment, International, Politics
Russia, Biden Threaten "Second Cuban Missile Crisis"
Amid stalled talks between Russia and NATO over what is effectively a novel split of Europe into geopolitical sphere of influence, Russia has decided to take the show on the road and demonstrate to the US what it feels like to be surrounded by military bases along your borders, and on Thursday, after saying talks with the U.S. over the security situation in Ukraine had stalled, Russia's deputy foreign minister suggested that Moscow could dispatch a military deployment to Venezuela and Cuba, as the Kremlin seeks to pressure Washington to respond to its demands to halt Western military activity that it says threatens Russia.
Quoted by the WSJ, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow couldn't exclude dispatching "military infrastructure" to Venezuela or Cuba if tensions with Washington, which have escalated in recent weeks over a huge buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine's border prompting some to suggest that the odds of a war in Europe are now the highest in decades, continue to rise…
Last month, Ryabkov also told reporters that he couldn't exclude the possibility that relations between Russia and the U.S. could end up in a situation similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Read more…
Biden's Latest Press Conference Got Ugly… Real Ugly
Another Texas GOP Censures Abbott for Enabling Biden
AOC Says Climate Change Trumps Procreation
Pelosi Employee Caught in Child Predator Sting
Sen. Sessions: Obama Committed To Escalating Lawlessness At Border
AOC's "Green New Deal" More Laughable


text:
March 2019 – March 2020 Mar 2019 – Mar 2020
Mac Powell & The Family Reunion
Mac Powell grew up in a small town in Alabama. His love for music began at an early age as both of his parents would sing and play guitar around the house. Mac soon began to sing in the local country church by day, and listen to his Dad's record collection by night.
When Mac was a sophomore in high school, he moved to Atlanta, GA, where his passion for music and faith found an outlet in the band THIRD DAY. Over the past 25 years, THIRD DAY has helped transform Christian music and built a devoted fan base while traveling the world many times over, selling 10 million albums, earning 4 Grammy awards, 1 American Music Award, 24 Dove Awards, and by being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Along the way, Mac has been honored to perform in front of millions of fans around the world and play music with some of the best musicians in the industry. Many of these acquaintances both onstage and in the crowd have turned from friends into true family members, and now it's time for a good old fashioned Family Reunion!
MAC POWELL and the FAMILY REUNION officially started in early 2018 as the next chapter of Mac's musical journey. The Family Reunion is a band that has developed over the past several years from the musical "brothers" that have been recording and playing live with Mac in support of his first two independent solo projects.
The Southern roots – American rock collections are foot-stompin', hand clappin' tunes – clearly pay tribute to the early musical inspirations from his childhood. The live show is a blend of classic and sing along Gospel, Country, and American Rock songs, combined with some Mac's favorite THIRD DAY numbers that he has written, and his latest original tunes.
Tags: clayton concert country music events music nc raleigh
Clayton Visual Arts "Meet the Artists" Reception
Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free "meet-the-artists" reception from 6-7:30 PM.
Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.
Tags: art clayton events family nc raleigh
Lee Roy Parnell
Lee Roy Parnell returns, bringing his "soulful vocal delivery and blistering array of guitar chops," to the stage. The multiple Grammy Award nominee is widely recognized as one of the best slide guitar players on the planet. Don't miss this chance to see Lee Roy live as he performs his brand of Texas blues, Memphis soul, and Southern rock. $25
VIEW VIDEO CLIP | PURCHASE
Tags: clayton concert country music nc raleigh
Johnston County Chorus – The Greatest Show – Music from the Movies
The Johnston County Chorus is busy rehearsing for their upcoming spring concert at the Clayton Center. The show will feature more than 60 singers and a live band presenting movie classics through the years. Two shows: a 2 PM matinee and 7 PM.
Tags: clayton concert events music nc raleigh
Clayton at 150: Clayton Piano Festival Gala
Join Johnston County native Jonathan Levin and the Clayton Piano Festival in commemorating and celebrating the Town of Clayton's 150th birthday. CPF presents local history through music and documentary film clips that capture the people and influences of the region.
Tickets to this event are $20, plus sales tax & fees. Note: This is an exclusive engagement of The Clayton Center and is not a part of the Palladian Series. Tickets to this event must be purchased separate from the Palladian Series.
Tags: clayton concert family music nc raleigh
Susan Werner & David Myles
Two recent Palladian Series favorites return to perform in one exciting and entertaining show. Singer-songwriters Susan Werner and David Myles take the stage for an engaging evening of eclectic music.
Celebrated performing songwriter Susan Werner has made a name for herself coast to coast. From her 1995 major label folk/rock debut Last of the Good Straight Girls to her 2007 collection of agnostic gospel hymns The Gospel Truth to her 2017 travelogue An American In Havana, Werner writes ambitious concept albums with subject matter and sounds to match.
Spring 2019 brings a fresh set of songs from Werner, this time a New Orleans inspired piano throwdown titled NOLA. One of the few songwriters to have been featured on legendary Marian McPartland's NPR Piano Jazz, Werner indulges her considerable piano chops with riffs and grooves reminiscent of Dr. John, James Booker, Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint.
Meanwhile, Canadian troubadour David Myles's song and dance mastery keeps getting more and more impressive — 2017's award-winning, vintage rock 'n' roll hip-swiveler Real Love and the spectacular, lush Francophone pop of 2018's Le grand départ stand testament to that. But Myles is compelled to rush forth toward new challenges and accomplishments.
This past year he released Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo, a children's book based on his beloved modern holiday classic, and dove back into the world of public radio, broadcasting his smooth baritone over Alberta's CKUA airwaves on his new show Myles From Home. Not to mention he does it all while adhering to an unrelenting tour schedule that has seen him and comrades Kyle Cunjak (bass) and Alan Jeffries (guitar) grace stages around the world.
Tags: alternative clayton concert events music nc raleigh
"Everybody involved in the Clayton Center made our evening so very enjoyable... you guys are doing a great job; I am very impressed with your special theatre." —music fan


text:
President's Message (June 15, 2021)
This Thursday's meeting of the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club on June 17th will be in person at the Cathedral of the Pines at 8:00am. Our guest speaker will be Mary Drew from Reality Check, who will share insights on how the pandemic has impacted addiction, both locally and nationally.
Our Thursday meeting will be the last regular meeting of the 2020-2021 Rotary year before Gavel Night on Thursday, June 24th, at 5:30pm. Gavel Night will be catered by our very own Stephanie Porter. Wine and drinks are BYOB.
As in years past, Peter and Jinnie Russell have graciously agreed to host our annual soiree. Jinnie's flowers will be in full bloom -- a beautiful site for a great party. Be sure to RSVP to Bob Schaumann if you have not done so already so that we have an accurate headcount for victuals.
A Rotarian in Service,
PS. Ben, I'll bring an extra drink for you - what's your pleasure?
Our Most Recent Rotary Meeting, June 10th. Pictures by Bob Schaumann
Secretary of State, Bill Gardner, Our Guest Speaker
Bill Gardner, the longest-serving Secretary of State in New Hampshire and the United States, addressed the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club. In his presentation, Secretary Gardner shared how New Hampshire has maintained a steady course that has resulted in being in the Top 5 states insofar as voter turnout in the Presidential Elections, despite considerable efforts by other states and PACs to "make simpler" the process of voting.
Jaffrey-Rindge Rotarians Listen Intently to Secretary of State Gardner
Along with two dozen Rotarians, we hosted the Town Moderators from Jaffrey (Mark Tieger), Rindge (Charlie Eicher), and Milford (Peter Basiliere), who were invited by SAU47 moderator Bob Schaumann. Rotarian Bernie Hampsey also served as Town Moderator for Jaffrey before becoming a Superior Court Justice.
District Governor-Elect John Bob Siemienowicz Joined Us
District Governor Elect John Bob Siemienowicz joined us at our Thursday meeting. Speaking very briefly, he looks forward to working with President-elect Ben Wheeler in what he sees as a positive year for Rotary in 2021-2022. John Bob is a member of the Milford Rotary Club.
Milford Town Moderator (and Rotarian) Peter Basiliere and Secretary of State Bill Gardner at the Schaumann's
Following the weekly meeting of the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club, Bill met with area town and school district moderators at Bob and Diane Schaumann's home, during which time Bill shared what New Hampshire was doing to preserve our "First in the Nation" Presidential Primary, despite what other states and commonwealths have done in the past (and present) to derail the Granite State's "first" primary election. Secretary Gardner informally met with them over coffee for two hours before heading back to Concord.


Some 116 civil society organisations (CSOs) and allies globally appear concerned over an apparent crackdown by the Polish Government on protests at the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to hold from December 3 to 14, 2018 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland.
In a bid to actualise its intention, the Polish parliament has reportedly passed a Bill that will prevent environmental rights defenders to protest against detrimental climate change policies.
The legislation is "On specific solutions related to the organisation of the session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Republic of Poland".
The bill, says Neha Gupta of the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APFWLD) in a statement, will give power to the Polish government to subject human rights defenders to state-led surveillance including access and storing all personal information.
The APWLD is a network of over 200 organisations and activists working in 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region. It works at the intersection of climate change and women's human rights among other issues.
"I have participated and protested at COP before and never felt threatened. I am deeply concerned that environmental defenders, especially indigenous women, urban poor and rural women human rights defenders from every region of the world who plan to participate in COP24 this year in Poland will face great risks," says Alma Sinumlag, Cordillera Women's Education Action Research Center (CWEARC), Philippines.
According to Gupta, 2017 was the deadliest year for environmental human rights defenders, where at least 197 human rights defenders were killed for protecting their land and resources. "If patriarchal, authoritarian governments make this trend a norm, then 2018 could be an even worse year for human rights defenders and their communities," he adds.
The civil society organisations demand the Polish government to repeal the "harmful" Act, reminding the Government of Poland to uphold their legal and human rights obligations as set out in the European Convention of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"We also urge the United Nations, Fiji Presidency of 2017, Talanoa Dialogue and Constituencies take action to redress this issue urgently," adds Gupta.


text:
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Archive | May, 2015
America at Its Best is Strange
America at Its Best
America even at its best is a strange place, alive with contradictions, a Teflon political culture that has an unshakable faith in its innocent and virtuous national character and its overall impact on the world, impervious to the ghosts of slavery and of ethnic cleansing of native Americans that should be tormenting our sleep and darkening our dreams, comfortable with its robust gun culture, and with its promiscuous reliance on rogue drones engineered to kill on command and on the brutal happenings that take place in black sites immorally situated in countries whose leaders agree to avert their gaze from the dirty work taking place. Looked at from a short distance this is not a pretty picture.
Yet there are still those rare moments when this unsavory national profile seems not to be telling the whole story. For instance, I felt heartened by a recent news item reporting that the conservative Nebraska Legislature voted to abolish capital punishment, and in doing so went so far as to override the governor's veto. That's right, Nebraska!
Unfortunately, the welcome Nebraska move may not survive the backlash in the making. The Republican state governor, Pete Ricketts, vows to overturn the new law: "My words cannot express how appalled I am that we have lost a critical law to protect law enforcement and Nebraska families." He is supported in this lethal passion by a pro-capital punishment legislator who proposes arranging a ballot initiative that supposedly will allow Nebraskans to reinstate the death penalty. It is not yet certain whether this is a legally permissible tactic.
While the abolitionist move stands there is a strong temptation to commend Nebraska for such an unexpected show of humanistic sensitivity, but that would be misleading, overlooking what actually swayed the majority to vote the way they did. Speaking for this majority, Peter Collins put it this way, "We went into it wanting to remain objective. This is purely about costs." And sure enough, it seems that it was primarily conservatives, not liberals, that pushed hardest for abolition on the amoral grounds of fiscal conservatism and a commitment to "philosophical consistency" when it comes to entrusting the government with authority over life and death. As a Republican legislator, Laure Elke, insisted the bill was "a matter of conscience," because if you are not able to trust the government on health care, how can it be trusted on such irrevocable life/death decisions. A few other conservatives were apparently troubled by the seeming contradiction between supporting the right to life for the unborn as a sacred matter while permitting a state government to impose death on a life in being.
The main crusader for the bill was a Democrat, Senator Ernie Chambers who had tried 37 times during his forty years in the Nebraska Legislature to get rid of the death penalty before achieving this notable victory. Even Chambers was forced to acknowledge that it was 'conservative pragmatism' not liberal idealism that made the difference, taking note of a growing Republican trend to oppose capital punishment because it is viewed as costly, inefficient, and for some, un-Christian. On one level, who cares why capital punishment was abolished. It is the outcome that counts. Yet on a second level, it is worth caring, because if the decision reflects cost/benefit assessments rather than a principled ethical stand, it could be quickly reversed when calculations changed.
It is indeed a strange country: rapid public strides in the direction of freedom to shape one's own gender identity giving rise to a series of vindictive pushbacks by those that want to impose their particular life style on those that seek to live differently in ways that do no harm. The opportunistic rants of right wing politicians on such issues as same sex marriage, trans gender identity, and abortion may not be meant to hurt and demean but they do. They hurt and demean those who want to live openly their authentic identities or deeply felt needs, which is what freedom should mean for all of us, not just for ourselves but our neighbors, that is, for every sentient being on the planet. and are so often elsewhere in our world forced to live in locked closets or face harsh criminal punishments. Is not this the deeper meta-religious significance of globalization. For all that is wrong with what the United States is doing to others throughout the world, these explorations on the frontiers of personal freedom might be the start of a better page of national history if this forward momentum can be sustained and exported in relation to personal self-determination.
Perhaps, and only perhaps, what we insist upon for ourselves might finally spill over with respect to what we to do to others. I don't expect the drones to disappear anytime soon or even for capital punishment to become a bad memory, but at least more folks will begin to draw the sort of connection that to align themselves with a conservative repositioning similar to what turned a big majority of legislators against the death penalty in Nebraska. Given the political climate in the country, 'conservative pragmatism' may be the best we can currently hope for at this time for America. Sadly, the 99% have once again left the playing field of political life enabling the 1% to indulge their inexhaustible appetites.
Of course, for me the abolition of capital punishment has never been a matter of cost/benefit analysis whether measured in dollars or bureaucratic efficiency. It is a matter purely situated in the domain of values. I believe that no government should ever be given the authority to kill its own citizens, or that anyone anywhere should be vested with authority to kill without proper submission to the rule of law, whether acting domestically or internationally, and I believe it would benefit prospects for species survival if many of us as possible strive for and advocate a comprehensive ethos of nonviolence or what Glenn Paige has dubbed 'a non-killing politics.' For now, this is a utopian wish, but this goal has long struck me as being a time sensitive ethical and biopolitical imperative. In the domain of social practice, I feel the same way about same-sex marriage, gender self-determination, and the reproductive rights of women. Capital punishment is about wrongful death, same-sex marriage is an emotional component of the right to life, and reproductive rights recognize the sacred endowments and personal responsibility of women in relation to their own bodies.
America is not alone in being strange. All countries are strange reflecting the particularities of tradition and experience. Strangeness is bound up with originality and contradiction, and is not necessarily negative. We can be inspired by what is strange and wonderful, and appalled by what is strange and abusive. It is this negative strangeness that we must struggle to mitigate, whether it be capital punishment, human trafficking, or the subjugation that accompanies deep poverty and all forms of forcible dispossession.
Tags: America, capital punishment, conservative pragmatism, death penalty, human dignity, Nebraska
Categories capital punishment, Commentary, Crimes of State, Human Rights, Nebraska, Reflections
Parodies of Parity: Israel & Palestine
As long ago as 1998 Edward Said reminded the world that acting as if Palestinians were equally responsible with Israelis for the persisting struggle of the two peoples was not only misleading, but exhibited a fundamental in misunderstanding of the true reality facing the two peoples: "The major task of the American or Palestinian intellectual of the left is to reveal the disparity between the so-called two sides, which appears to be in perfect balance, but are not in fact. To reveal that this is an oppressed and an oppressor, a victim and a victimizer, and unless we recognize that, we're nowhere." [interview with Bruce Robbins published in Social Text (1998)] I would rephrase Said's statement by substituting 'any engaged citizen and morally sensitive intellectual' for 'the American or Palestinian intellectual of the left.' We do not need to be on the left to expose the cruel hypocrisy of suppressing gross disparities of circumstances, or more to the point, blocking out the multiple diplomatic, military, material, and psychological advantages enjoyed by Israel as compared to the Palestine. "It is elementary, my dear Watson!" as Sherlock Holmes so often exclaimed, or at least it should be.
Unfortunately, a principal instrument of the mind numbing diplomacy of the United States is precisely aimed at avoiding any acknowledgement of the disparity that at the core of the encounter. As a result, the American public is confused as to what it is reasonable to expect from the two sides and how to interpret the failure of negotiations to get anywhere time and again. This failure is far from neutral. It is rather the disparity that has done the most damage to peace prospects ever since 1967: This pattern of delay has kept the Palestinians in bondage while allowing the Israelis build and create armed communities on occupied Palestinian land that was supposedly put aside for the future Palestinian state.
Beyond this appeal to intellectuals, Said's message should be understood by everyone everywhere, and not just by Americans and Israelis, although these are the two populations most responsible for the prolonged failure to produce a peace based on justice. Elsewhere, except possibly in parts of Western Europe, such a discourse as to shared responsibility for the ongoing struggle is not so relevant because the ugly forms of Israeli exploitation of the Palestinian ordeal have become increasingly transparent in recent years. Only in America and Canada has the combined manipulations of hasbara and the Israel Lobby kept the public from sensing the extremities of Palestinian suffering. For decades Europeans gave Israel the benefit of the doubt, partly reflecting a sense of empathy for the Jewish people as victims of the Holocaust without giving much attention to the attendant displacement of the indigenous Arab population. Such an outlook, although still influential at the governmental level, loses its tenability with each passing year.
Beyond this, there are increasing expressions of grassroots solidarity with the Palestinian struggle by most peoples in the world. It is a misfortune of the Palestinians that most political leaders in the world are rarely moved to act to overcome injustice, and are far more responsive to hegemonic structures that control world politics and their perception of narrowly conceived national interests. This pattern has become most vividly apparent in the Arab world where the people scream when Israel periodically launches its attacks on Gazan civilian society while their governments smile quietly or avert their eyes as the bombs drop and the hospitals fill up.
In Israel, the argument as to balance also has little resonance as Israelis, if they pause to wonder at all, tend to blame the Palestinians for failing to accept past Israeli conflict-resolving proposals initiatives made over the years. Israelis mostly believe that the Barak proposals at Camp David in 2000 and the Sharon 'disengagement' from Gaza in 2005 demonstrated Tel Aviv's good faith. Even Netanyahu, at least when he is not seeking reelection, and is speaking for the benefit of an American audience disingenuously claims Israel's continuing dedication to a peace process based on seeking a two-state solution while he explains diplomatic gridlock by contending that lacks a Palestinian partner in the search for peace, and never deigns to mention the settlement archipelago as an obstacle.
Looked at objectively, by assessing behavior and apparent motivation, it is the Palestinians that have no partner for genuine peace negotiations, and should have stopped long ago acting as if Israel was such a partner. That is, Israel inverts the Said disparity, contending that the public should point its finger of blame at Palestine, not Israel. Of course, this is hasbara in its impurest form. Israel never made a peace proposal that offered Palestinians a solution based on national and sovereign equality and sensitive to Palestinian rights under international law. And as for Sharon's purported disengagement from Gaza, it was justified at the time in Israel as a way to deflect international pressures building to pursue a diplomatic solution and it was managed as a withdrawal that didn't loosen the grip of effective control, leaving Gaza as occupied and more vulnerable than it was when the IDF soldiers patrolled the streets. Since 2005 the people of Gaza have suffered far more from Israel's military domination than in all the years following 1967 when occupation commenced, and it should be clear, this outcome was not a reaction to Hamas and rockets. Hamas has repeated sought and upheld ceasefires that Israel has consistently violated, and offered long-term arrangements for peaceful coexistence that Israel and the United States have refused to even acknowledge.
Where the equivalence argument is so influential is with the Obama administration and among liberal Zionists, including such NGOs as J Street and Peace Now that are critical of Israel for blocking progress toward a two-state solution. It is a blindfold that obscures the structural reality of the relationship between the two sides, and believes that if Israel would make some small adjustments in their occupation policy, especially in relation to settlements, and if the Palestinians would do the same with respect to refugees and accepting Israel as a Jewish state, then a negotiated peace would follow as naturally as day follows night. In effect, Israel is expected to curtail unlawful settlement activity in exchange for Palestine suspending its rights under international law affecting the situation of several million Palestinian refugees. As is widely known, Jews from anywhere in the world have an unconditional right to immigrate to Israel, whereas Palestinian living abroad with deep residence roots in the country are almost totally banished from Israel including if their purpose is to resume residence so as to live with close family members.
In Ramallah back in March 2013, and speaking to a Palestinian gathering, President Obama did forcefully say that "The Palestinians deserve an end to occupation and the daily indignities that come with it," and this will require "a state of their own." Obama even then acknowledged "that the status quo isn't really a status quo, because the situation on the ground continues to evolve in a direction that makes it harder to reach a two-state solution." Such a display of circumlocution ("..continues to evolve in a direction") so as to avoid clearing mentioning Israel's continuous encroachment on the land set aside by the international consensus, is for a discerning reader all that one needs to know. The unwillingness to challenge frontally Israel's unlawful and obstructive behavior is underscored by Obama's reassurances given to a separate Israeli audience in Jerusalem on the same day that he spoke guardedly to the Palestinian, with such phrases as "America's unwavering commitment," 'unbreakable bonds," "our alliance is eternal, it is forever," "unshakeable support," and "your greatest friend." No such language of reassurance was offered the Palestinians. His two speeches left no doubt that Israel retained its upper hand, and could continue to rest easy with this status quo of simmering conflict that had worked so long in its favor.
The Secretary of State, John Kerry, ploughs the same field, calling on both sides to make "painful concessions." Obama in his Jerusalem speech illustrated what this concretely might mean, assuming that the two sides were equally called upon to act if peace were to be achieved. The Palestinians were called upon to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, while Israel was politely reminded in language so vague as to be irrelevant, "Israelis must recognize that settlement activity is counterproductive." To ask Palestinians to recognize Israel is to affirm as legitimate the discriminatory regime under which the 20% Palestinian minority lives, while asking the Israelis to recognize that the counterproductive character of settlement expansion is to misunderstand Israeli intentions. If their goal is to avoid the establishment of a Palestinian state then being 'counterproductive' is exactly the result being sought. Besides asking the Palestinians to abridge their rights while requesting Israel to admit that their settlement activity is not helping the diplomatic process is to appeal to their self-interest, and avoid a demand to cease and reverse an unlawful, likely criminal, activity. The false equivalence is a metaphor for the deformed framework of diplomacy that has unfolded largely as a result of the United States being accepted as the presiding intermediary, a role for which it is totally unsuited to play. This lack of qualification is admitted by its own frequent declarations of a high profile strategic and ideological partnership with Israel, not to mention the interference of a domestic Israeli lobby that controls Congress and shapes the media allocation of blame and praise in relation to the conflict.
Kerry expresses the same kind of one-sidedness in the guise of fairness when he calls on the parties to make compromises: "..we seek reasonable compromises on tough complicated, emotional, and symbolic issues. I think reasonable compromises has to be a keystone of all of this effort." What kind of compromises are the Palestinians supposed to make, given that they are already confined to less and less of the 22% of the British Mandatory territory of Palestine, and since 1988 have sought no greater proportion of the land. Kerry's approach overlooks, as well, the defiant refusal of Israel to act in good faith in relation to the 1967 Security Council Resolution 242 that called upon Israel to withdraw without claiming territory through its use of force or by taking advantage of being the occupying power. In the interim, while being unwilling to do anything concrete to implement its view of decades that Israeli settlement activity is 'counterproductive' the United States proclaims and proves its readiness to oppose any Palestinian attempt to gain access to the UN to express its grievances, an effort which Obama denigrated as "unilateral attempts to bypass negotiations through the UN." The Palestinian Authority has repeatedly made clear that it favors a resumption of direct negotiations with Israel, despite being at a great disadvantage within such a framework, and insists persuasively that there is no inconsistency between its seeking greater participation in international institutions and its continued readiness to work toward a diplomatic solution of the conflict. If Israel and the United States were sincerely dedicated to a sustainable peace, they would encourage this Palestinian turn away from violent resistance, and their increased effort to push their cause by persuasion rather than missiles, to advance their cause by gaining respectability through joining institutions and adhering to lawmaking treaties instead of being confined in a prolonged rightless lockdown euphemistically disguised as 'occupation.'
In the end, we cannot see the situation for what it is without reverting to theSaid insistence that the relation between oppressor and oppressed is a paramount precondition for sustainable peace. Unless the structural distortion and illegitimacy is acknowledged, no viable political arrangement will be forthcoming. From this perspective the Kerry emphasis on 'reasonable compromise' is as mind numbingly irrelevant as it would have been in seeking a peaceful end to racial struggle in apartheid South Africa by demanding that ANC and Nelson Mandela become amenable to compromise with their racist overlords. Peace will come to Israel and Palestine, and be sustained, if and only if the oppressor becomes ready to dismantle its oppressive regime by withdrawing, not merely by disengaging Gaza style. At present, such a readiness is not to be found on the Israeli side, and so long as this is so, direct negotiations and these periodic calls issued by Washington to resume direct talks have one main effect–to free Israel to realize its ambition to establish 'Greater Israel' while keeping the Palestinians in chains. This ambition has not yet been explicitly embraced by the Israeli leadership, although only those who refuse to notice what is happening on the ground can fail to notice this expansionist pattern. Israel's new coalition government even more rightest and pro-settler than its predecessor makes Israel's ambition to end the conflict by self-serving unilateral action less and less a well kept state secret.
Tags: diplomacy, disparities, Gaza, Israel-Palestine, John Kerry, Obama, occupation, oppression, peace process
Categories Commentary, Israel/Palestine, John Kerry, Obama, occupation, oppression, sustainable peace, World Politics
The Semantics of Struggle
Words Against the Grain
While reporting to the UN on Israel's violation of basic Palestinian rights I became keenly aware of how official language is used to hide inconvenient truths. Language is a tool used by the powerful to keep unpleasant realities confined to shadow lands of incomprehension.
Determined to use the rather modest flashlight at my disposal to illuminate the realities of the Palestinian ordeal as best I could, meant replacing words that obscure ugly realities with words that expose as awkward truths often as possible. My best opportunity to do this was in my annual reports to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and the General Assembly in New York. My courageous predecessor as Special Rapporteur, John Dugard, deserves credit for setting the stage, effectively challenging UN complacency with language that looked at the realities lurking below the oily euphemisms that diplomat seem so fond of.
Of course, I paid a price for such a posture as did Dugard before me. Your name is added to various black lists, and doors once open are quietly closed, if not slammed shut. If the words used touched enough raw nerves, you become a target of invective and epithets. In my case, my temporary visibility as UN Special Rapporteur meant being called 'an anti-Semite,' even 'a notorious anti-Semite,' and on occasion 'a self-hating Jew.' Strong Zionist pressures are now seeking to induce legislative bodies in the United States to brand advocacy of BDS or harsh criticism of Israel as prohibited forms of 'hate speech.' In April of this year pressures by the British Jewish Board of Deputies led the University of Southampton to cancel a major academic conference on the Israel/Palestine conflict.
In relation to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, the clarifying/some of the offending words are 'apartheid,' 'ethnic cleansing,' 'settler colonialism,' 'annexation,' 'crimes against humanity,' and 'genocide.' The UN evades such invasions of light by speaking of Israeli 'occupation' (as if a static reality without history) and without challenging certain strong normative tendencies, including the criminalization of apartheid and ethnic cleansing, the delegitimation of colonialism, and the unlawfulness of annexation (as in Jerusalem by legal diktat and the West Bank by the de facto settlement phenomenon).
It was my experience that using words that connect the realities with the norms changes the discourse that is used by some of those at the UN and in the media, especially among those who seek genuinely to understand the significance of what is actually happening. Right language encourages right action. What is right language follows from how convincingly the word links to the reality being pointed to, and whether ideological obstacles can be overcome. The weakness of Israel's position from the perspective of controversy is being expressed by their avoidance of substantive debate, for instance, challenging the labeling of occupation as apartheid, and recourse instead to character assassination of those who dared to connect these dots.
I feel that Israel is losing this struggle to obscure the true nature of their activities, and its devastating effects on Palestinian lives and rights. Whether this will mean that Israel will alter its policies is far less clear, and certainly not assured, and the outcome of the 2015 Israeli elections and formation of the new coalition government would suggest that the most extremist Israeli government ever has been installed under the leadership of Netanyahu and the Likud Party.
Nothing should be more shocking to Western liberal sensibilities than the appointment of Ayelet Shaked of the Jewish Home Party as the Minister of Justice in Netanyahu's newly formed coalition government. Ms. Shaked, while being a member of the Knesset, became globally notorious as a result of her post sent around during the Israeli attack on Gaza in the summer of 2014 in which she called the entire Palestinian population the "enemy" that "should be destroyed." Leaving no room doubt she went on to say that even that even "its elderly and and its women" should not be spared, and that the killing of Palestinian mothers is justified because they give birth "to little snakes." Ali Abunimah asks rhetorically, "If Shaked's post does not meet the legal definition of genocide then nothing does." What is as shocking as these sentiments of Shaked is the silence of the Western media and leaders in the face of such an appointment in the only democracy in the region. Imagine the self-righteous angry posturing from liberals in the West if Hamas dared to select such a personality from their ranks to serve as the Minister of Justice. As it is the Hamas Covenant is invoked to confirm genocidal sentiments although subsequent behavior and political initiatives have moved in a far more accommodating direction. What is at stake is the discriminatory manner of either noticing or not noticing the elevation of adherents of 'genocide' to the pinnacles of state power. This two-way approach to language is fully displayed in the political discourse surrounding the Israel/Palestine conflict. And closer to home, compare Ayelet's selection as Minister of Justice after her offensive tweet with the University of Illinois' breach of Steven Salaita's contract to become a tenured professor in reaction to his tweets expressing his outrage about Israel's 51 day criminal assault on Gaza last summer. It conveys a lively sense of the extremity to which double standards are carried when it comes to Israeli behavior.
There is another set of intense struggles around language that arise when a single word is insisted upon because of its emotive value, and possibly its legal ramifications. I am referring to the unconditional insistence of the Armenian diaspora that the catastrophic events that climaxed in the 1915 massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenians should be acknowledged as 'genocide' by Turkey in the form of an official apology by the government and its leaders. The Armenian insistence stems from several motivations, it seems. Above all, the fact that once 'genocide' is admitted, then the link to ultimate evil is established beyond controversy, the Armenian narrative is validated beyond controversy, descendants of victims are granted a kind of clisure, and what happened to the Armenians is implicitly equated with what later happened to the Jews as a result of Naziism. It is psychologically important to prevail with respect to how these events are described so as to alleviate the pain endured over the years by the Armenian people because of what they have experienced as 'genocide denial' on the part of Turkey.
Turkey's response to the Armenian allegations has evolved over the years, but it remains somewhat edgy. The 2014 statement of Erdogan seemed to accept the Armenian narrative to the extent of acknowledging the massacres and wrongdoings of 1915, while stopping well short of using the G-word. A few weeks ago, Prior to the centenary of April 24, Pope Francis brought his moral authority to bear by describing in a solemn mass as 'genocide' what happened to the Armenian people, and called upon Turkey to recognize these events for what they were. In reaction, Erdogan and other Turkish leaders stepped back, declaring that the issue of what happened in 1915 has not yet been sufficiently resolved by historians to justify attaching the word 'genocide' to this horrific set of events, that wrongdoing was not as one-sided as Armenians claim, and that the pope stepped out of line by issuing such an ill-informed and partisan statement concerning historical events that are complex and contested.
Taking a different tack than that of Pope Francis, Barack Obama angered Armenians (even more than the pope angered Turks) by refusing to include the word 'genocide' in his centenary message to the Armenian people, instead using the Armenian descriptive Meds Yegham (the great calamity). Obama added that the 1915 events constituted a 'massacre,' produced 'a terrible carnage,' and were 'a dark chapter of history.' It seemed meant to be a strong statement of solidarity with the Armenian campaign, omitting only the word 'genocide,' but this omission was all that was needed to turn this expression of solidarity with the Armenian call for redress of grievances into an anti-Armenian statement that was unwelcome because it refused to show its support for all that now mattered to the Armenians, namely, that their victimization be regarded as 'genocide' beyond any doubt. For this goal to be reached, the endorsement by the U.S. Government is deemed to be necessary, and hence the Obama formulation fell decisively short. No denunciation of the 1915 events that did not adopt the descriptive label of genocide was acceptable for the aggrieved and mobilized Armenian diaspora. This semantic hard line shows how much meaning can be invested in whether or not a particular word is used.
In response to Obama, representatives of the organized Armenian diaspora expressed their disappointment in harsh language, going so far as to say it would have been better if Obama had said nothing at all. They called 'disgraceful' his refusal to live up to a 2008 campaign pledge that if elected president he would identify the events of 1915 as genocide. Obama's apparent justification for this semantic retreat is that as the head of state his primary obligation is to care for the strategic interests of the country, and Turkey as a NATO ally was too important to antagonize over such an issue. But my point here is to take account of the power of the word, as well as to notice that the language functions differently in private and public domains. To refer to 1915 as Meds Yegham is a strong affirmation of the Armenian narrative. By comparison, if Obama were to describe the dispossession of the Palestinians in 1948 as the nakba, there would be dancing in the streets of Ramallah and Gaza City. Such a designation, if ever used by an American president, would be correctly viewed as a mighty slap in Israel's face and a great symbolic victory for the Palestinians. The point here is that the Armenians have been able to raise the threshold of semantic redress to the very highest level by this insistence on genocide, and accompanying sentiment that nothing else will be acceptable, while the Palestinians have yet to receive even a formal acknowledgement that they were victims of a calamity in the less incendiary terminology of Arabic, much less that of genocide or ethnic cleansing.
What are we to make of this bitter fight about the words used to describe a series of events that happened 100 years ago? First, and most obviously, words matter, and are made to matter deeply by political actors, especially when the purpose is to challenge conventional wisdom. Some words achieve a charismatic stature, and none more than genocide. [As an aside, I was never more attacked by Zionist activists and the mainstream media than when in 2007 I referred in a newspaper article to Israel's policies of punitive siege imposed on the entire civilian population of Gaza as 'genocidal' (not 'genocide') in its intent and effect, a contention given governmental endorsement by Shaked's appointment, but still manages to slip under the radar of Western moral and political sensibilities.
Secondly, the alleged Turkish reason for its objection to genocide is based on the factual contention that historical realities of 1915 remain contested, and can only be resolved by an international commission composed of historians enjoying unrestricted archival access. The Armenians summarily reject such an approach as proof of Turkish bad faith, insisting that there already exists an authoritative international consensus supportive of their claim of genocide due to the establishment of systematic, one-sided, deliberate massive slaughter designed to eliminate the Armenian presence in Turkey. Thirdly, the American position is aligned with the Armenians on the facts, but with the Turks on the appropriate language at governmental levels, which seems the weakest of all rationalizations for evading the charge of genocide. Fourthly, if the search is for a way to resolve the conflict, the Armenian tactic of invoking foreign governments and moral authority figures such as the pope, is dysfunctional although it does provide strong moral support for the campaign. If, on the contrary, the mobilization of support is primarily intended to generate a heightened collective memory of victimization among Armenians, then soliciting these external expressions of solidarity from leading moral authority figures is of great value.
I find my own view trapped midway between the positions put forward by Pope Francis and President Erdogan. On the facts, although as Turkey argues the events occurred in wartime with the Armenians acting as adversaries and sometimes engaged in violence against Turks, still the basic character of the events certainly seemed to be genocidal in character, with entire Armenian communities being forced to make death marches. As a lawyer, however, I would refrain from using the label genocide as there was no crime of genocide in 1915, and criminal law can never properly have a retroactive application. As I have pointed out before, even the London Agreement of 1945 setting up the Nuremberg Tribunal to assess Nazi crimes did not include 'genocide' among the international crimes that could be charged even though the word genocide had been coined by Rafael Lemkin in 1944, or before.
Yet is it not appropriate in view of the consensus on the facts, to recognize the links to catastrophes that have been definitively called genocide by affixing the term to the onslaught against Armenians planned and executed by 'the young Turks' acting under Ottoman authority? Surely no sane person objects to categorizing the Holocaust as 'genocide' even though the death camps were established and the final solution occurred before the Genocide Convention of 1950, and was long underway before Raphael Lemkin had invented the word. Thinking along this line, and acknowledging that the crime of genocide had yet to be established, it would seem that it is politically, morally, and therapeutically correct to describe the 1915 tragic ordeal of the Armenian people as genocide, but legally irresponsible to do. In this gap between semantic contexts there seems room for a conflict resolving compromise. Yet the distinction drawn may seem obscure, and somewhat academic, unlikely in the end to be attractive for either side in the controversy.
How, then, can such an encounter over the word be resolved? It seems doubtful that Turkey will back down without some face saving ritual, and it is virtually certain that the Armenian diaspora having raised the temperature surrounding this single word to such a fever pitch will be content with anything less than a full fledged Turkish capitulation. The Armenian campaign will certainly continue to refuse to risk an ambiguous outcome arising from convening the sort of historical inquiry that Turkey proposes as the necessary next step in resolving the controversy. It doesn't require much sophistication to conclude that the parties are stuck and likely to remain so for a long time.
This is a pity. Both sides would have much to gain by finding a way forward. It is quite likely that if the word issue was finessed, Turkey would be relieved, and go out of its way to preserve a vibrant memory of the events through such initiatives as a national museum, agreeing to a commemorative day, and hosting a variety of Armenian cultural events. If the Turkish leadership could persuade itself that the historical issue is substantially settled, and what matters is the present relationship, maybe then it could issue the kind of statement the Armenian people so fervently seek, and a mutually beneficial future could likely unfold. Both sides need to look in the mirror sufficiently to realize that more is at stake then fidelity to their fixed position for and against the use of the word genocide. Yet, the way in which psycho-political works, it is likely that the wait for such a sensible breakthrough to happen will be long. The burden of magnanimity is on the Turkish side, the stronger party and with less at stake concerning national identity.
Before concluding, I would mention another word that is obstructing reason and decency in the national and global political realm. It is 'terrorism,' used to demonize the grievances and the tactics of the adversary, and in mainstream discourse preempted by governments and their media apologists to create an unbridgeable moral distance between themselves and a political challenge.
"We refuse to negotiate with terrorists" is the rationale for keeping a hot war going. We should also notice that the language of terrorism is racialized. If the incident involves a white American, there is a tacit turn toward focusing on his mental condition and sociopathic sensibility, but if the suspect is Islamic a frantic search is undertaken to link the acts of violence with either jihadist groups or to trace its source to the Koran.
There are efforts to offset equalize word play. For instance, critics of hegemonic semantics introduce the phrase 'state terror,' to designate violence by state entities against their non-state enemies. This rejects the attempt by governments to immunize their own violence from censure, while branding the violence of their adversary as morally and legally prohibited because it is terror
We know that the accusatory language of terrorism is in the toolkit of governmental policymaking, and can be dropped when convenient. When a political actor is ready to negotiate, adherents of the former enemy are no longer described as 'terrorists.' Think how effortlessly the former leaders of the IRA, ANC, or even the PLO were seated at diplomatic dinner tables when the right moment arrived! Yet until the appointed hour, relying on the terminology of terrorism is the equivalent of a hunting license that can be used as a rationale for torture, disproportionate force, civilian casualties, extraordinary rendition, drone strikes, and special ops wherever, whenever without regard to constraints of law or morality.
Public reason in democratic society would greatly benefit from a renunciation of terrorism as a respectable term of art. Instead, the focus could be placed on what to do in effective and humane ways to sustain security and safeguard just political orders. In effect, to forego the temptation to call the enemy 'a terrorist' the path would be clear to talk as well as fight, and to resist the absurd dichotomy that we are totally 'good' and the adversary is totally 'evil.'
But what if the insurgent challenge is demonizing the established order by contending that it is decadent, corrupt, and oppressive? Is it not reasonable if such a critique jumps the barriers of law, and mobilizes for violent struggle, to respond? Of course it is not only reasonable, but morally and politically imperative to respond as persuasively as possible, and to uphold the security of what is deemed legitimate societal arrangements. What is not helpful, actually diversionary, is to respond as if the struggle was between good and evil, and that is what happens as soon as the insurgent challenger is labeled
'a terrorist.' Such language exempts the defenders of the status quo from self-criticism and considering accommodationist tactics, proscribing negotiation and assessment of grievances. The response to 'terrorists' is war talk, rendering peace talk as irrelevant of worse.
Shall we also abandon the label of 'state terror' for crimes of the state associated with violence directed toward the innocent? Yes, as part of a wider semantic contract to banish 'terrorism' from the lexicon of political discourse. Yet, not unilaterally, as under existing conditions 'state terror' at least creates some understanding that it is the manner of deploying violence that should be repudiated rather than the blackening of insurgent reputation. As terrorism is used on behalf of the state, even violence carefully directed at state structures and their human instrumentalities are called 'terrorists.' In any event, state terror calls attention to policies and practices, and does not purport to demonize the state itself, leaving open possibilities of diplomacy and reconciliation.
At the very least, it would be a salutary move to call for a moratorium on the use of the word 'terrorist' from this day forward. And as with the fierce ideological struggles over 'genocide' it is best to know when to be provocative so as to expose suppressed realities and when to be pacifying so as to calm the atmosphere raising hopes for compromise and a shift of energies in the direction of nonviolent struggle.
Tags: apartheid, Armenia Campaign, Armenian Calamity 1915, Ayalat Shaked, Erdogan, genocide, Israel, Obama Centenary Statement, Pope Francis, semantics, Terrorism, terrorist
Categories 1915 Genocide, apartheid, Commentary, Erdogan, genocide, Israel/Palestine, Obama, Pope Francis, racialized language, semantics, terrorism, terrorist


While the reports are early, and my knowledge of French national politics and internal dealings is limited, it seems that the Left has taken control of the French Upper House, the Senate, for the first time since 1958 and the birth of the Fifth Republic.
The recent results show that the Socialist Party and their allies, the Communists and the Greens, have formed an absolute majority against the Union for a Popular Movement/Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) dominated right. Early results show the left taking 23 seats from the right in an embarassing showing for Sarkozy, just seven months before the Presidential election.
"The 25th of September, 2011, will go down in history", claimed Jean-Pierre Bel, head of the Socialist group in the French Senate.
But why is this? Surely, it was long-established fact that Sarkozy would lose out to Marine Le Pen, the enigmatic and attractive leader of the far-right Front National, a party consistently polling higher than Sarkozy's UMP since its move to normalisation?
Perhaps France isnt turning as hardline rightist, isolationist, xenophobic, eurosceptic and nationalist as we imagined? Perhaps this is the French people drawing a line in the sand and disassociating themselves from the Right? Perhaps it IS a form of nationalism, a turning disapproving vote of euroscepticism against a bail-out-backing, federalist UMP? Perhaps it shows support for Dominique Strauss-Kahn? Perhaps it shows the FN are unable to motivate their supports to actually get out and vote? Or perhaps that they didn't bother for mere Senate elections? Or perhaps it is more of a protest against the apparently endemic corruption in Sarkozy's inner circle? Perhaps this is the nail in Sarkozy's political coffin.
Over the past 24 hours, the Libyan opposition has made major gains against Gaddafi's forces – under the cover of the no-fly zone. The cities of Ajdabiya and Brega, crucial outposts on the main highway along the coast, have been retaken. This makes a full attack on Benghazi difficult. There are also reports emerging that the rebels have retaken the city of Ras Lanuf, a crucial oil-supplying town. Hurting Gaddafi's economy can only help in his (hopeful) eventual overthrow.
What has changed? We changed. Thanks to the Western (and now Qatari) imposed no-fly zone over Libya, the rebels are benefitting from a huge boost in morale, knowing that the international community supports them, and from the no-fly zone grounding Gaddafi's deadly air force.
Apparently, Ajdabiya was taken mostly because of the RAF. A devastating bombardment of the city by RAF Tornadoes led to Gaddafi's forces melting away.
The French air force has also been suppressing Gaddafi's air force around Misurata, a city besieged. It took down, reportedly, three planes and two helicopters last night.
So, that's the latest updates on Libya. A clear change of fortunes for the rebel forces, that we can only hope will continue.
BBC News – Gaddafi loyalists standing firm in Libya.
Fascinating new video from the BBC.
Who gave us the right to intervene? The rebels, the international community and morality.
The rebels invited us to help them in their struggle for freedom. The international community came together, realised the need for intervention, and passed a legal mandate. They realise that instability in Libya, the region and the world, not only harms the people of Libya but us all, as we are all interconnected. Morality is out basis – it is wrong to stand by and allow crimes to take place when we could prevent them. If a man is being mugged in the street, you call the police, and if you're strong, you help him against his assailant. It is right to attack his assailant, if it saves the innocent man. All we are doing, is defending the innocent from a thug.
It is strange to still see so much support for Gaddafi but it's understandable. If this sways you, wondering why we are invading, just look at the pictures of French flags being flown in Benghazi. They are all Libyans, and most know that Gaddafi must leave.
Also: The United States has joined the conflict, firing Cruise missiles into Libya from a warship in the region. The war has come to Tripoli.
Correction: The plane shot down over Benghazi was, as a minority of reports claimed earlier, flown by a rebel pilot, not Gaddafi loyalists.


I only had my cellphone camera then. I wish I had a camera back then so the shots would have been clearer.
a toy or a goodie...Roel loved toy dinosaurs while Cis loved anything edible!
"Treasure each second, each little smile, each little giggle, each frown and tear of a kid....not very long after those will be terribly missed...and yes do capture so many photos....so many to fill your heart's desire...because each child no matter what we do, will grow up and leave our homes but not our hearts..."
gee, i could imagine your smile from ear to ear looking at the old photos Zen, they are so heartwarming. actually, my computer table here at home has the old photos of my nieces and nephew, tatay and nanay and looking at the pics always bring me smile. love yah!!
sarap balik balikan ng "tinyhood" nila ano? haaay, when i look at K now, i keep wondering how did she become so big suddenly. hehehehe. time flies... now is G's turn.
I am missing the children's younger years..My two oldest ones are far away now, and I only have JoJo left at home...Soon, he will leave home too..I love looking at old photos!
You are right, those are the times we truly miss the most, cause when they start growing their ain't stopping too.
You have two boys, any plans on having a girl?
Kids do grow fast. Enjoy every minute you share with them. Time will never come back.
Haayy...I agree! Time flies so fast talaga. :( That's why I make it a point to have their picture taken as much as possible.
Kids grow so fast and we need to cherish each passing moments with them. You have 2 boys like my younger sister. You're blessed to have them. Children are heritage from the Lord.
Isn't it amazing how we misses those babyhood days of our kids? Good thing is we have photos to look back too.
Even I'm not a mother I know how difficult it is how to raise toddlers.


Aviation experts under the aegis of the Concerned Aviation Professionals (CAP) have sent a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan over what they described as the worrisome spate of plundering the nation's resources by an unnamed Minister.
They accused the minister of spending not less than N10 billion of public fund on maintaining a private aircraft in the past two years.
The aviation professionals in a recent letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, titled "Re:Mindless waste of Nigeria's resources: Who owns this Challenger 850 Aircraft marked OE-ILA?" signed by Chairman, Abdul Malik Masaya, and Secretary , John Obande Anihinru, asked the presidency to immediately institute a probe into the ownership, maintenance and usage of the aircraft marked OE-ILA, domiciled at one of the private hangers in a Nigerian airport in the last two years.
They accused the said minister of committing 500,000 Euros, about N130 million, monthly to maintaining the aircraft since it surfaced under mysterious circumstances at the airport in 2012.
The group revealed that a subtle crisis is currently brewing in a notable government agency following the recent discovery of the several billions allegedly spent on the mystery jet by some directors of the parastatal. The professionals urged the federal government to establish the real owner of the mystery aircraft and demand explanation on why government fund is spent on maintaining it.
They observed, "We are aware of a war that is now brewing in the lucrative government agency when some directors got wind of the huge funds being channeled into maintaining the Minister's private jet. We want you to investigate sir, who entered into the contract for maintaining the Challenger Jet on behalf of Nigeria. Is it a formal or informal contract? Why is Nigeria paying for the jet?


When a person votes using these voting machines, it dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which he or she has voted, the voter can thus verify his vote and then drop the slip in a box that is provided to them. VVPAT units enable the voter to see a paper trail of vote cast by him for 7 seconds after he presses the EVM button.
The Union Cabinet today gave its nod to the EC proposal to buy Electronic Voting Machines with paper trail, informed sources said, as per IANS.
The demand for VVPAT had been vociferously made by opposition parties after the recently held assembly polls, alleging that the EVMs were tampered.
Aam Aadmi Party, however, claimed that the EC was moving EVMs from Rajasthan and would be using old, first generation machines prone to malfunctioning.
In Iraq , door-to-door fight between government forces and Islamic State militants continues in old city of Mosul . However, a military spokesperson of government forces has claimed that they have gained some fresh ground.
The latest one, sent on March 22, stated that procurement of EVMs with Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) can not be delayed any longer given the prevailing environment.
The idea of an additional layer of transparency for the satisfaction of voters in the form of a paper trail was suggested by parties in a meeting with the EC back in October 2010. Accordingly, introduction of the VVPAT was facilitated by amending the Conduct of Election Rules in August, 2013.
Last week, a delgation of Opposition parties led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi even submitted a memorandum to President Pranav Mukherjee on the issue.
Jaitley said the move would bring more transparency in the voting process. Thereafter, 20,300 VVPAT Units were purchased by the ECI in 2013.
Trump added to the growing war of words with a tweet on Tuesday that said the North is "looking for trouble". New satellite images suggest North Korea might soon conduct another underground detonation.
This also comes days after the Election Commission offered a public challenge to critics to find snags in EVMs.
In March 22, Zaidi sent a letter to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and asked that the money be disbursed immediately as the machines need to be bought by September 2018 in order for them to be used for Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Since then, these units are being deployed in elections in select Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies.
"Commission will ensure total compliance of orders of SC and its commitment to use VVPATs with every EVM at all poll stations in 2019 polls", the EC was quoted as saying by ANI.
According to Kelly, Alex Jones really is as maniacal as he seems in his many public outbursts. "I will not let you down". Millions of people watch Alex Jones , and certainly seem to believe him.
Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino: Will anyone over 13 drink this?
Unfortunately for Pippa, the bulk of the media scrutiny surrounding her wedding has had more to do with who won't be attending. The "Suits" actress is also a fan of Aquazzura shoes, so to spot her in these bridal pumps isn't all that unlikely.
The Jazz played without center Rudy Gobert , who was ruled out of the game and questionable for Game 3 with a left knee sprain. Wade, who engaged in memorable playoff battles with Rondo when they played for the Heat and Celtics, knows this dynamic well.
Thursday brings a chance of showers in the morning, before become warm and a tad bit muggy in the afternoon and evening. Once the fog clears we'll have mostly sunny skies and the chance to hit 70 degrees.
He didn't play a single minute on Saturday, and he sure played like he doesn't want that to happen again this postseason. For the first time in franchise history the Cavs had 3 players score 25 or more points in a playoff game Monday night.
Members of the group are scheduled to meet on 25 May to discuss the possible extension to the output cut deal beyond June. On the demand front, OPEC expects the world to need about 96.32 million barrels daily, a growth rate of 1.27 million bpd.
The IMF said the expected growth improvements for this year and the next are broadly based, although growth remains tepid in many advanced economies, while the export industry continues to struggle.
He noted some instances, such as new hires coming from the military, who may have already been subjected to the tests. Beyond that, however, its use and possession is against federal law and until the law is changed by the U.S.
It also deployed its nuclear-powered Carl Vinson Strike Group, which had been en route to Australia, toward the Korean Peninsula. A Kremlin spokesman is distancing Moscow from an incendiary commentary on Russian state TV that alleged U.S.
Kylie Jenner was spotted hanging out with Travis Scott at Coachella 2017, sparking rumours that they might be more than friends. However, according to sources, getting up close and personal with Scott might just be Jenner's way of making Tyga jealous.
India has already rejected any role for the United States in mediating between New Delhi and Islamabad . General McMaster was assisted in the meeting by David Hale, US Ambassador, Laurel Miller, Acting U.S.


text:
Jury gives man paralyzed in SI ferry crash $22.9M
A jury says New York City should pay $22.9 million to a man paralyzed in a 2003 ferry crash.
The jurors reached the finding Tuesday for James McMillan Jr. in federal court in Brooklyn, where he had sued for medical costs and pain and suffering.
Mr. McMillan says he suffered a severe spinal cord injury in the Oct. 15, 2003, crash of the Staten Island ferry.
The boat had about 1,500 people aboard when it slammed into a pier at full speed, killing 11 people. Its pilot was on painkillers and suffering from extreme fatigue.
If approved, the payout would be the largest to any victim.
City officials say they hope the judge will reduce it. It's unclear when the judge will rule.
Governors Island eyes big entertainers
City to pay $2M to settle with antiwar activists
Settlement reached in NYC ferry crash
Judge lowers ferry crash victim's award
Sponsored Content: You Don't Need a CIO or an IT Guy!


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Preview: Ghana v Algeria pre-Afcon tie in Doha, Qatar
by FSL News | Jan 5, 2022 | African News, Football Africa, Sport News | 0 comments
In their final warm-up friendly ahead of the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria and Ghana go head to head at Qatar's Education City Stadium in Doha Qatar on Wednesday.
The Greens head into the continental tournament as the reigning champions after seeing off Senegal 1-0 in 2019 final and will be looking to pick up their third title.
Seeking to become just the fourth nation to pick up successive Africa Cup of Nations titles, Algeria head into Cameroon, where the highly-anticipated continental tournament is scheduled to take place from January 9 through to February 6.
The North Africans, who first tasted glory in 1990, picked up their second AFCON title in 2019, where they cruised through the group stages, scoring six goals and conceding none, before seeing off Ivory Coast and Nigeria to set up a final showdown with Senegal, whom they narrowly defeated 1-0.
Djamel Belmadi's men also head into Cameroon as the reigning Arab Cup champions after securing a 2-0 win over fellow North African Tunisia in the finals courtesy of extra-time goals from Amir Saayoud and Yacine Brahimi at the Al Bayt Stadium on December 18.
Meanwhile, Ghana are pitted in Group C, where they kick off their campaign with a mouth-watering clash against Morocco on January 10 before squaring off against Gabon and Comoros, who are making their first-ever appearance at the tournament.
The Black Stars, who are one of the most successful sides in Africa, winning the Africa Cup of Nations title on four different occasions, head into this year's edition aiming to end a 40-year title wait, dating back to their 1982 triumph, where they saw off host nation Libya on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Since then, Ghana have made it to three different finals, losing on each occasion — twice on penalties — with the most recent coming back in 2015 when they were beaten on penalties following an uneventful 0-0 draw after 120 minutes.
Aiming to end this dry spell, the Ghana Football Association have appointed former manager and Serbian tactician Milovan Rajevac, who guided the nation to the Africa Nations Championship final in 2009, the AFCON final in 2010 and the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
The West African side are currently unbeaten in each of their last four games, claiming three wins and one draw in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers, where they sit at the summit of the table with 13 points from six games.
Belmadi has named a star-studded 28-man list for the Africa Cup of Nations, including Manchester City ace Riyad Mahrez, West Ham United's Said Benrahma and AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer.
A number of players who lifted the 2021 Arab Cup title back in December have also been called up by the former Qatar national team manager, Yacine Brahimi, who scored three goals and created one in six games, and Al-Fateh midfielder Sofiane Bendebka.
Meanwhile, Ghana head to Cameroon with a promising 30-man squad, including the Premier League trio of Thomas Partey, Daniel Amartey and Jordan Ayew.
Five home-based players have also been rewarded with a place in the team following an impressive season in the Ghana Premier League, including David Abagna and Maxwell Abbey Quaye, who have been handed their debut call-up by Rajevac.
Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus is currently recuperating from a rib injury he sustained back in November's 1-0 win over South Africa in Group E of the World Cup qualifiers.
Algeria possible starting lineup:
Medjadel; Chetti, Mandy, Jean-Tahrat, Halaimia; Zorgane, Bendebka, Belkebla; Boulaya, Brahimi, Amoura
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Atta; Djiku, Mumin, Baffuor, Mensah; Abagna, Wakaso, Addo; Issahaku, Quaye, Yiadom
By Joshua Ojele African Football News – Follow us on Twitter @football_sierra On Facebook & Instagram: Football Sierra Leone.
Algeria beat Côte d'Ivoire to reach CHAN semi-finals
Hosts Algeria defeated Ivory Coast 1-0 to clinch the first semi-final spot at Stade de Nelson Mandela on Friday. The North African nation squeezed into the seventh edition of the African Nations Championship semis through Ayem Mahious's spot-kick. A late Aimen Mahious...
Conde speaks ahead of Mozambique, Madagascar cracker
Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde is optimistic ahead of their Total Energies African Nations Championship quarter-final match against Madagascar on Saturday. Kick-off at the Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium will be at 17H00 local time. Chiquinho Conde, 57, who was appointed a...
Mauritania, Niger seal CHAN quarter-final spots
Mauritania and Niger booked their places in the quarterfinals at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria on Tuesday. Mamadou Sy's early second-half strike proved pivotal as Mauritania secured a historical last-eight spot after defeating Mali...
Ghana, Uganda through to Total Afcon Under-20 semis
Algeria to face hosts Qatar, Egypt to battle Tunisia in semis
VAR to be used in all 52 Cup of Nations matches for the first time
Nigeria kick-off friendlies for S/Leone, Mauritius Afcon qualifiers


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Fight against the denizens of the deep as well as menaces from the surface with the Deathknell Expansion for D&D Miniatures!The figures in this set will be chosen directly from key D&D titles, including Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead, Monster Manual III, Complete Adventurer, the Eberron Campaign Setting, and the classic D&D adventure, The Temple of Elemental Evil. Plenty of "must haves" from this set including the Beholder, Death Knight, Griffon, Large Blue Dragon, Aspect of Nerull, Couatl, Gold Dragon, Ettin Skirmisher, and more!


Equicenta is a quick and easy way to find equestrian events and services. We helped this entrepreneur take a concept and develop an outstanding subscription based product, which can evolve.
This was an exciting project for Newicon! We worked closely with our client right from the start, from initial architecture workshops through to user experience design and then the graphical user interface (GUI) creation. From the outset we all shared the same vision for the product – to create an intuitive search engine application for equine events and related services, accessible from any device. With it's clean design and intuitive user interface, along with geo-location technology to present relevant events and services to users automatically, the application provides a fantastic user experience. Like all great products, this was a simple idea, well executed.
We have now launched phase 2; MyEquicenta, and the application has so much more to offer. For event organisers the site provides another avenue to promote events and now allows them to manage enrolment and payments online. Whilst the application may look simple on the surface, this app has plenty of advanced technology and integration going on under the hood. There's still plenty of hard work to be done to grow the user base and improve the application, but we feel our client has a solid foundation for a successful product. Watch this space!
Newicon are a Digital Agency and Software House hybrid. They have a unique combination of skills in creative design and technical development, which enables them to provide true end-to-end service and solutions for web applications.
When working with Newicon I have had great experience of the end product and the journey. They have an excellent combination of 'small team' flexibility and innovation with 'big company' robust technical solutions.