text:
NICK COHEN - GUARDIAN COLUMNIST
Said aprops of nothing much
Like Stalin, Pol Pot and Slobodan Milosevic, they went for the professors and technicians who could make a democratic Iraq work
Which got a mention on Neil Clark's blog So I sent
If like me, you are curious as to which 'professors and technicians' Slobodan Milosevic 'went for', Cohen can be contacted at nick@nickcohen.net.
Indeed I am. Clearly nobody with the most minute shred of personal integrity, & indeed who was not an out & out obscene Nazi trying to justify genocide, ethnic cleansing & child sex slavey would make such a remark without having some evidence to back it up.
He replied
Dear Neil,
It's in chapter 5 if you've got the book taken from Roy Gutman's account
of the decaptiation of Mulsim civil society in Prejidor -- going for the
judges, teachers etc The Hague hearings backed him up.
All the best,Nick
& I said
A ) Prejodor is in Republika Srpska not Serbia
B ) Gutman has been proven a liar, not having been to the sites such as Omarska where he said he saw atrocities.
So where is your real evidence?
& he
Bye now
So take of that as you will. Perhaps i annoyed him with my reference to obscene Nazis but, since Gutman has acknowledged that he never saw atrocities he said he saw, not having visited Republika Srpska at the time he wrote of seeing atrocities there I submit that his testimony is worthless. If so has Cohen any actual evidence or was my initial assessment spot on? There is no 3rd choice.
There is a difference between having no evidence and being taken in by false evidence. If it was false: if someone recounts an untruth, it doesn't necessarily mean that everything he says is untrue.
# posted by dearieme : February 04, 2007
No that's right, Dearieme, but it does indicate that the individual in question is either excruciatingly LAZY for not engaging in basic fact checking, or just a plain ordinary incorrigible LIAR in the specific particular case he/she is claiming is truthful and accurate whilst not providing any positive PROOF to back up his/her claims (shades of the ITN/Guardian Trnopolje death camp hoax).
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Exposing the incessant LIES of Roy Gutman
===============================================================================================================================================================================
Brock's analysis of the work of Roy Gutman is equally devastating. He shows compellingly that Gutman was not A Witness to Genocide (the title of Gutman 1993 book based on his dispatches from Bosnia), but rather an agent of propaganda provided, directly or indirectly, by parties with an axe to grind. Many of his sources were not witnesses but purveyors of hearsay evidence from alleged witnesses. Gutman treated his sources uncritically; even speaking at one point of "reliable rumors." He rarely demanded--and even more rarely obtained and supplied--any corroboration to allegations of Serb abuse. If the Bosnian Muslims and Croats claimed 100,000 prisoners in Serb prison camps that was enough for Gutman; the fact that the Red Cross estimated that there were only some 10,000 prisoners in the camps of the Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims taken together was of no interest to him; their finding meant that his preferred larger number was "unconfirmed." His business was making the case against the bad guys, and he didn't just cut corners in making that case, with the help of his badly compromised sources he wrote works of fiction that had some "unconfirmed" elements of reality.
Gutman located most of his sources with the help of Croatian, Bosnian Muslim and U.S. Embassy intermediaries, most extensively from the Croatian Information Center (CIC), a government propaganda agency whose work Gutman found to be "more or less scholarly." Gutman claimed to have met a major propaganda agent of the CIC, and Gutman source, Jadranka Cigelj, "by chance," but he admits to having gotten a number of witnesses (or purveyors of witness hearsay) from Croatian "charitable foundations" and the U.S. embassy. As one critical journalist (Joan Phillips) put it, his death camp stories "are based on very few accounts from alleged survivors. They rely on hearsay and double hearsay. They are given the stamp of authority by speculation and surmise from officials."
Gutman was very free in using analogies to Belsen, Auschwitz and references to "death camps" and "concentration camps," "deportations," and estimates of Serb death camp killings running up to 5,000, although his word usage and numbers varied based on probable audience knowledge and receptivity. The lack of scruple here was marked, and misstatements were frequent. "It was like Jews being deported to Auschwitz" was a lie, as there was no evidence whatsoever that Bosnian Muslims moved around by the Serbs were going to gas chambers. Phillips notes that the 350 journalists who rushed into Bosnia looking for death camps "didn't find them, nor did they find any evidence that they existed." There was in fact never any evidence that treatment in the Bosnian Serb camps was any worse than that in the Croatian and Bosnian Muslim camps, that were of no interest to Gutman.
Brock's detailed analysis of Gutman's work (pp. 87-116) is a compelling study in journalistic malpractice that should by read by every student of the media, especially given the fact that the outrageous performance that Brock describes here resulted in a Pulitzer prize, shared by Gutman's rival in disinformation John F. Burns! Gutman didn't relish any analysis by Brock, warning him by e-mail that his Witness to Genocide could "not be quoted under any circumstances." He didn't even relish exposure at the Hague, refusing to testify there, where he would have had to deal with cross-examination.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=HER20051229&articleId=1667
http://www.balkan-archive.org.yu/politics/media_watch/html/novo.html
War Stories, Roy Gutman and Western perceptions of the Balkans War
Thomas Deichmann
Novo, No. 12, September/October 1994.
The following text is a translated extract from a larger review of new books on the conflict in the former Yugoslavia entitled "Augenzeugen oder Propagandisten? Zur Rolle der Medien im Krieg auf dem Balkan", which appeared in Novo, No.12, September/October 1994, pp. 46-50
After his first reports on "death camps" in Omarska, which appeared in Newsday in August 1992, Roy Gutman soon became well known in Germany. From November 15, 1992, onwards anyone dealing with the war in ex-Yugoslavia could not fail to take note of him. On this day Gutman joined the women's programme "Mona Lisa" of the Second German Television (ZDF) presented by Maria von Welser for a discussion of alleged mass rapes in Bosnian prison camps.
Many of Gutman's articles of that period are now reassembled in German translation in his book Augenzeuge des Voelkermords (Witness to Genocide), undoubtedly an impressive publication, based on exceptionally extensive research in ex-Yugoslavia. The Pulitzer Prize winner Gutman interviewed refugees and victims of rape and other atrocities and lets them speak of their experiences in almost 40 separate articles. The book therefore appears highly authentic. It generates empathy and concern, since the gruesome reality of the war is described in great detail.
Nonetheless, the credibility of some of Gutman's reports is open to question. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that elementary principles of rigour and balance were not always observed. For example, it appears doubtful whether the frequent reliance on official pronouncements of one party to the conflict and its political representatives reflected in Augenzeuge des Voelkermords constitutes an acceptable journalistic approach. Every journalist knows that the warring parties in any conflict will always seek to promote their own cause, draw exclusive attention to the suffering of the civilian population on their side of the war and portray their enemy as the sole aggressor. This does not prevent Gutman from citing representatives of the SDA - the Bosnian Muslim party of Izetbegovic - to substantiate Serbian atrocities. Gutman deserves commendation for never failing to cite his sources. But, on the other hand, he never offers any comment as to whether the statements made by such sources might deserve being viewed with a degree of suspicion or not. In general, Gutman lets his sources speak for themselves, without offering the reader any indication of a possible political bias.
One article in Augenzeuge des Voelkermords which is definitely based on questionable sources is "Eine nach der anderen" (One after another) dated February 21, 1993, which deals with the Omarska prison camp in Bosnia and specifically with the suffering of the women imprisoned there.
Gutman tells the story of Jadranka Cigelj, a 45-year old Croatian lawyer from Prijedor who says she spent several months in Omarska and was raped by camp commander Zeljko Mejahic and other Serb men.
In a telephone interview in summer 1994 Roy Gutman affirmed that he still regards his rape witness, Jadranka Cigelj, as a reliable source. In his book he acknowledges that she was a "political activist" and "vice chairperson" of Tudjman's ruling party, the Croatian Democratic Society HDZ, and that she worked for the Croatian Information Centre (CIC). Nonetheless, Gutman maintains that he never saw cause to doubt her credibility. Upon closer inspection, however, Cigelj's political activities raise many questions which shed a different light on her person and on the quality of Gutman's story.
It is not difficult to come across information suggesting that Jadranka Cigelj may well be a paid propagandist of the Croatian government, who therefore deserves as much or as little credulity as Serb camp commander Zeljko Mejahic who - as Gutman acknowledges in the article - repeatedly denied having committed the alleged rape of Cigelj and other women. The Croatian Information Centre (CIC), for which Cigelj works, is a publicity organisation which was formed out of the former Croatian Ministry of Information with exile Croatian funds. The main role of the centre is to provide Western journalists, governments, academics and intellectuals with pro-Croatian information. Its publications are on display in many Croatian book shops, despite the fact that war and economic crisis have severely constrained most other publishing activity. One of the centre's most recent publications, "Genocide - Ethnic Cleansing in North-Western Bosnia" edited by CIC director Ante Beljo appeared in English, German and French. Apart from eyewitness reports of Serb atrocities in the current conflict it also contains reports of Croatian suffering during World War II. The centre's objective evidently is not just to portray present-day Serbs as cruel beasts, but to rewrite Croatian history, which was intimately associated with German fascism, as well.
The CIC is located in the former History Department of Zagreb University in Opaticka 10, in the immediate vicinity of the Croatian government building "Sabor" and other state institutions. Opaticka 8, which used to house the former Croatian Ministry of Information under Branco Salaj, now is the seat of the press office of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Few Western journalists are aware of the fact that all the "Foreign Press Centres" in Croatia - the main ones being located in Zagreb and Split - are also run by the supposedly non-governmental CIC, the successor of the Ministry of Information. This whole publicity machine is a highly professional operation. A large staff is available to deal with the enquiries of visiting Western journalists and to assist them by providing interview contacts. Almost all the staff speak fluent English, since most came from Canada and the USA, where exile information centres bearing the same name are in operation. In addition to the press accreditations of UNPROFOR, the CIC still issues its own press cards bearing the name and photo of visiting journalists.
Before Croatian independence, CIC-director Ante Beljo already formed exile HDZ sections in Canada and the USA. He returned to Croatia after independence, was general secretary of the HDZ under Tudjman in 1990-91, later joined the Ministry of Information under Salaj and then formed the CIC, whose staff includes Jadranka Cigelj. Beljo is also chairman of the Croatian Homeland Foundation which looks after exiles returning to Croatia. The present Croatian Minister of Defence Gojko Susak - also a former Canadian exile - was Croatian Immigration Minister in 1990-91 and already had close contact with Beljo in Canada. In Croatia it is no secret that exile funds were used to finance Tudjman's election campaigns, form a major source of the wealth of the new Croatian elite and help fund its publicity machine and armed forces. The Croatian writer Zvonco Ivankovic Vonta, who repeatedly pointed to this - in his view undemocratic - set-up in recent years, is convinced that Ante Beljo is also involved in illicit arms deals. There are further links between the CIC and the presidential office and emigre groups, some of whom openly co-operate with pro-fascist Ustasha supporters. [1]
Gutman's key witness, Jadranka Cigelj, forms part of this circuit. Since December 10, 1993 she has been the vice-chair of the Croatian section of the international Society for Human Rights (ISHR), whose headquarters are situated in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The ISHR, whose historic links with the Nazi authorities in World War II and later with the CIA and German secret service BND are well documented, already developed close contact with exiled Croatian nationalists in the 1980s - e.g. with Dobroslav Paraga. Former "human rights" activist Paraga returned from the USA to Croatia after independence and became chairman of the Croatian Party of Law (HSP). Together with a further associate of the ISHR, Ante Paradjik, Paraga organised the formation, arming and paramilitary activities of the notorious neofascist HOS-troops, who perpetrated anti-Serb violence in Croatia in the wake of Croatian independence and were later integrated into the Croatian army. The HSP, which claims adherence to the tradition of Ustasha-leader and Hitler- collaborator Ante Pavelic, still sits in the Croatian parliament. The ISHR Zagreb office and personnel double as the CIC. In Opaticka 10 one of Cigelj's colleagues, Albert Bing, variously operates as chairman of the ISHR or as a member of Ante Beljo's CIC.
These articles made Jadranka Cigelj known among Western journalists. Cigelj not only figures in Gutman's war coverage, but in numerous publications of the ISHR - as Jadranka C., Jadranka Cigelj, Jadranka Cigev, Jadranka Cigay or simply Mrs. Jadranka. She is sometimes described as a 46 year old Croatian from Prijedor, sometimes as a Croatian in her early 40s from Vukovar.
When asked about how he came into contact with Cigelj, Gutman recently stated that he first met her by chance in Zagreb in January 1993 and verified that she was a credible witness. Since the Serb authorities had refused to permit him to visit Omarska he had asked the publicity officer of the Bosnian Serb army in Banja Luka to procure a response of Omarska prison camp commander, Zeljko Mejahic, to the accusation that he had raped Jadranka. Mejahic's arrogant, albeit negative response had confirmed his impression that Jadranka could be trusted. Gutman resolutely affirms that he procured sufficient information about the identity of his witness. He regards the fact that he referred to Jadranka "Siget" in his letter to Banja Luka and to "Cigelj" in his article written only 10 days later as a mere oversight.
The ISHR-brochure "God's Forgotten Children" includes an eyewitness account of a Jadranka C. [2] Without doubt the witness in question is Jadranka Cigelj, since her statements about the length of her imprisonment in Omarska and other details are identical with those in Gutman's story. But there are also some perplexing contradictions. For example, in Gutman's report she says that she was "released" on August 3, 1992 when the prison camp in Omarska was closed down. In the brochure of the ISHR we learn that she still had to spend four days in the "concentration camp Trnopolje" after leaving Omarska. But perhaps the fact that this episode of her suffering was not mentioned in Gutman's extensive interview is of no particular significance.
What is rather more puzzling is that Cigelj accuses different Serbs of having raped her in her two accounts. In the ISHR-story she only charged the reserve officer Nedeljko Grabovac with this crime: "Grabovac not only insulted me on account of my nationality, but also threatened me. Suddenly the lights went out, he took my hand and pushed me in the hall. Then he forced me into the bathroom... Then he raped me." She also reported that "the same happened" in the following nights, but mentioned no other names. At the end of this eyewitness account she underlines the impression that she was raped by only one person in Omarska: She states that the camp commander - Zeljko Mejahic, whose name she never mentions in the lSHR-brochure - had asked her five days after these incidents whether she had received any maltreatment. She expressed her outrage at this question, since he had been present in the first night when Grabovac had grabbed her hand and then raped her. She supplemented her account of the commander's role, stating: "He acted as if he had not been present during that night. But he was the one who had brought this man in. I later found out that the man (the rapist, Note of the ISHR-editor) was a member of the Serb territorial defence forces". In this account Zeljko Mejahic appears merely as the camp commander - not as a rapist. He is not even mentioned by name. In Gutman's article, however, Jadranka Cigelj claims that she was raped by commander Zeljko Mejahic, the guards Mladen Radic and Kos Milojica, in addition to Nedeljlro Grabovac. Maybe there is an explanation for this divergence too. Jadranka Cigelj may have forgotten the names, or there may have been sloppy editing on the part of the ISHR editors. Roy Gutman says the explanation may be that Cigelj only overcame her trauma in stages, until she was finally able to articulate al the details of her horrific experience. This seems unlikely since the ISHR-brochure was published in the same month as Gutman's article, in February 1993. An earlier ISHR publication sheds some light on Jadranka Cigelj's links with the former Croatian Ministry of Information[3]. It reports that a human rights activist of the ISHR in Frankfurt, had been introduced to "Mrs. Jadranka" by Marika Riser, a member of the ministry staff. A photograph in this brochure shows Jadranka Cigelj in a fur coat and hat, smoking a cigarette and looking rather untraumatised and well. In the brochure "Gods Forgotten Children" Marika Riser is listed as Maritza Risek alongside Jadranka Cigey, not Cigelj, in the information section "Contact addresses in Zagreb" as contacts in Opaticka 10. The same page also features the "Centre for the Investigation of War Crimes" in Zenica, which co-operates with the German anti-Serbian activist and leader of the Society for Threatened People (Gesellschaft fur Bedrohte Voelker) Tilman Zulch, as a contact address for concerned readers[4]. In other ISHR publications Jadranka Cigelj figures in other functions, for example as chairperson of the "Women's Group Omarska"[5].
Cigelj is better known abroad than in Croatia. Rarely has a single war victim become so famous. This appears to be due to the fact that she was introduced to Western journalists by Croatian publicity-makers, sent abroad and invited to participate in meetings in other countries. For example, she appeared at the annual conference of the ISHR in Koenigstein near Frankfurt in March 1993 as Jadranka Cigev[6]. But Cigelj had already visited Germany on several occasions before then. She spoke at the public hearing of the German parliament about "systematic rape in Bosnia-Hercegovina" in December 1992. The hearing was held in response to the revelations about mass rape in Bosnia in the "Mona Lisa" programme mentioned above. Amelija Janovic of the Croatian CulturaI Association Rhein-Main acted as Cigelj's translator.
In January 1993 Jadranka Cigelj twice featured as a studio guest on the Programme "Einspruch" of the Berlin TV station SAT3. Later she worked on a documentary about her home town Prijedor with a TV team of the SWF Baden Baden, which was broadcast in two parts in October 1993. The CIC has also confirmed that Cigelj assisted another SWF team in research which resulted not just in a TV feature, but in the arrest of the alleged war criminal Dusan Tadic in Munich on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the German Federal Prosecutor. Tadic has repeatedly been discussed as a potential key defendant in the prospective International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Cigelj has also been a studio guest of the Bayerischer Rundfunk and has appeared on French, British and US television.
Due to her influential connections, Cigelj recently also won official recognition in the US and France. She was honoured by the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights (MAHR) in Minneapolis "For outstanding contributions to international women's rights" in June 1993, alongside Dr. Shana Swiss of the organisation Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Boston, who herself in fact nominated Cigelj. The US paper Star Tribune of June 3, 1993 featured an article on the ceremony along with a photograph of Swiss and Cigelj, in which Cigelj was however referred to not as a Croatian, but as a "Bosnian Muslim victim".
The French non-governmental barristers' association Institut des Droits de I'Homme du Barreau de Bordeax awarded Cigelj the "Ludovic Trarieux Prize" with FF 30.000. The Institut is said to be associated with French intellectuals around Bernard Henry Levy, a forceful proponent of Western military action against the Serbs. Amelija Janovic of the Croatian Cultural Association Rhein-Main explained to the author that this and other "humanitarian" organisations want to act as prosecutors in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Jadranka Cigelj, of course, is already billed as a major witness at the Tribunal. She is to put forward her charges against the Omarska camp commander and extend the lawsuit to Karadzic and Milosevic. According to Amelija Janovic, representatives of the French banisters' association accompanied by Austrian colleagues even visited Zagreb in August 1994 to discuss the proceedings with Cigelj.
[Neil, Here below we can see Thomas Deichmann trying to be apologetic and pulling his punches as regards the credibility of Jadranka Cigelj by saying she was "probably" really raped "by the Omarska commander and his guards"- just like Deichmann pulled his punches and was apologetic in his stated reasons for the ITN-LM case being won by ITN and not LM.]
The uninitiated reader will perceive Jadranka Cigelj in Gutman's Augenzeuge des Voelkermords as an ordinary victim of terrible crimes. Cigelj was probably really raped by the Omarska commander and his guards. Maybe she can offer some explanation for all the murky links and relationships detailed here or has been an innocent object of political instrumentalisation by the Zagreb authorities. But grave doubt as to her credibility as an unbiased source appears at least advisable.
Amelija Janovic, wife of the president of the Croatian World Congress in Germany and leading member of the Croatian Cultural Association Rhein-Main, presently acts as Jadranka Cigelj's contact in Germany. In a telephone interview she claimed that Cigelj and Gutman had remained in close contact ever since their first meeting and that she herself had arranged several meetings between them in Bonn. The fact that Gutman introduced the Croatian edition of Augenzeuge des Voelkermords to the Croatian public in the Zagreb Culture and Information Centre together with Cigelj in June 1994 also suggests that the author and his witness have not lost contact. The CIC has also stated that Cigelj had helped Gutman with his research in Bosnia and that it had always passed all "valuable information" to him.
Gutman himself recently stated that, apart from a very brief and insignificant contact this summer, he had never heard of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) and that he did not know that Jadranka Cigelj has been the vice-chair of its Croatian section in Zagreb since December 1993. This appears incomprehensible in view of Gutman's long experience as a journalist and the fact that the ISHR is an international organisation which is well known to the press.
When he wrote his article about Jadranka Cigelj in February 1993, Gutman was aware of her connections with the governing Croatian party and the CIC. It seems perplexing that, until this day, he has never had doubts about the credibility of this institution. Gutman certainly does not lie in Augenzeuge des Voelkermords. But his sources, particularly Jadranka Cigelj, appear suspect. In June 1994 Gutman, who had run the Bonn office of Newsday since 1990, returned to the United States. His next war assignment and a further book on the Balkans are keenly anticipated.
Notes and references:
1 Thomas Deichmann: "IGFM - Menschenrechte im Visier", in: Novo, No.12, Sept./Oct. 1994.
2 Internationale Gesellschaf fur Menschenrechte e.V.: Bosnien-Herzegowina: Gottes vergessene Kinder. Das Drama der vergewaltigen Frauen und deren Kinder - Dokumentation, Feb. 1993, FranMurt/Main
3 Menrchenrechte, 1/1993.
4 The "Centre for the Investigation of War Crimes" in Zenica, Bosnia, is a state sponsored publicity institution as well. See Thomas Fischer: "Frontenwechsel in Bosnien", in: Novo, No.11, July/Aug. 1994.
5 Fiir die Memschenrechte, 4/1993 & 6/1993.
6 Fiir die Menschenrechte, 3/1993; Menschenrechte, 23/1993.
# posted by Anonymous : February 05, 2007
The more I read about the destruction of Yugoslavia, the more I feel that I was right all along. It was no business of the British government and we should have steered well clear of it.
I am quite certain that, without our intervention both Croatia & Bosnia could have had their independence on ethnic lines (there was no problem with Macedonia & no problem of principle with Slovenia). However I am pretty sure there would have been no majority in Bosnia, or even in the Moslem majority areas, for such a truncated separation, & possibly not on the Dalmation coast or even Croatia as a whole.
# posted by neil craig : February 07, 2007
May I invite you to give us a brief summary of your views on the MOTIVES of the Western actors in this drama, separating what you know from what you have to guess at?


text:
<?php

namespace FileUpload;

class File extends \SplFileInfo
{
    /**
     * Preset no errors
     * @var mixed
     */
    public $error = 0;

    /**
     * Preset no errors
     * @var mixed
     */
    public $errorCode = 0;

    /**
     * Preset unknown mime type
     * @var string
     */
    protected $mimeType = 'application/octet-stream';

    /**
     * @var string
     */
    protected $clientFileName;

    /**
     * Is the file completely downloaded
     * @var boolean
     */
    public $completed = false;

    public function __construct($fileName, $clientFileName = '')
    {
        $this->setMimeType($fileName);
        $this->clientFileName = $clientFileName;
        parent::__construct($fileName);
    }

    protected function setMimeType($fileName)
    {
        if (file_exists($fileName)) {
            $this->mimeType = finfo_file(finfo_open(FILEINFO_MIME_TYPE), $fileName);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Returns the "original" name of the file
     * @return string
     */
    public function getClientFileName()
    {
        return $this->clientFileName;
    }

    public function getMimeType()
    {
        if ($this->getType() !== 'file') {
            throw new \Exception('You cannot get the mimetype for a ' . $this->getType());
        }

        return $this->mimeType;
    }

    /**
     * Does this file have an image mime type?
     * @return boolean
     */
    public function isImage()
    {
        return in_array(
            $this->mimeType,
            ['image/gif', 'image/jpeg', 'image/pjpeg', 'image/png']
        );
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Updates to Arbitron Radio Diary Planned
'Project Leapfrog' plans web/mobile-based diary platform
While Arbitron's intentions to update its Portable People Meter get a lot of play, the audience research firm also has plans to go beyond paper and pencil diaries.
"Project Leapfrog" is a week-long web/mobile-based survey with which Arbitron is experimenting.
Some history: The company tested an e-diary in the mid-2000s, giving instructions to survey participants that stated they could either fill out the paper diary or go online and fill out a form. That effort confused some diary-keepers, according to Arbitron SVP Marketing Bill Rose, who says many participants chose to do nothing. With response rates less than hoped for, Arbitron quickly pulled the e-diary.
The name "Leapfrog" is meant to convey that the company's latest web/mobile approach is an "entirely new" effort. This time, said Rose, web/mobile participation would be the first choice offered to survey participants, not an option. The audience research firm recently updated its Radio Advisory Council on the progress of the experimental project.
Council rep Tom Skinner said the group has encouraged Arbitron to share more about the project with radio clients when possible. "We don't want to overhype it. We've got a lot of questions," he told reporters, but said the council remains cautiously optimistic about Leapfrog. "We think they're onto something."
The council also discussed progress of Arbitron's new-generation Portable People Meter, PPM360.
Rose said Arbitron plans to implement the new device sometime this year. The smaller and more slim device doesn't need to be physically docked each night to send data back to Arbitron; the device will be able to send that data wirelessly. Rose said the company is eager to get PPM360 into the field and plans to release more details publicly later.
— Leslie Stimson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Siren Song of History: Originalism and the Religion Clauses
Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 27, p. 101, 2011
Georgetown Public Law Research Paper No. 11-130
16 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2011 Last revised: 29 Oct 2011
See all articles by Jeffrey Shulman
Jeffrey Shulman
It is hard to foresee much happiness in the lot of those seeking the original meaning of the Religion Clauses. We may acknowledge the opacity of the historical record, the variety of viewpoints held by founders forgotten and non-forgotten, the humanness of the founders who did not always practice what they preached, even the basic indeterminancy of language; still, we are seduced by the siren song of interpretive certainty. But the search for greater clarity is not without its payoff. As the three books under review here illustrate, the more we look for answers in the historical record, the more we are likely to find ambiguity -- and with each step we take away from the promised land of historical clarity, we move a step closer to the richer, if less certain, terrain of historical truth.
This essay reviews the following works:
The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life. Edited by Daniel L. Dreisbach, Mark David Hall and Jeffrey H. Morrison. Foreword by Mark A. Noll. University of Notre Dame Press 2009. Pp. 316. ISBN: 0-268-02602-5;
Church, State, and Original Intent. By Donald L. Drakeman. Cambridge University Press 2010. Pp. 371. ISBN: 0-521-11918-9; and
God and the Founders: Madison, Washington, and Jefferson. By Vincent Phillip Muñoz. Cambridge University Press 2009. Pp. 242. ISBN: 0-521-51515-7.
Keywords: constitutional interpretation, religion, religion clauses, originalism, church and state
JEL Classification: K19, K00, K39
Shulman, Jeffrey, The Siren Song of History: Originalism and the Religion Clauses (2011). Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 27, p. 101, 2011, Georgetown Public Law Research Paper No. 11-130, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1947033
Jeffrey Shulman (Contact Author)
Georgetown University Law Center ( email )


This analysis shows the town of Abyei in South Sudan. The analyzed World View 2 image was acquired on the 19th of December 2010 and compared against GeoEye imagery recorded on the 22nd of June 2008. Returnee areas and infrastructure development can be identified and are marked with annotations. New buildings and road works are the main changes.


Redemption prizes from Hazel Electronics for all your arcade redemption needs or redemption machine parts - prizes, tickets, ticket dispensers and so much more!
Convert your arcade to Tickets & see the profits!
Plug-in solution, supplied with harness which fits Happ, Deltronic, or Entropy Ticket Dispenser.


Cameron's Reserves: The Answer is Yes - Avalon Wine Inc.
As we've written a couple times, we've gone gaga over Cameron's 2014 Pinot noirs and judging by the requests for more, so have you. We've asked ourselves if the single vineyard wines can really outpace the previous offerings.
The answer, unconditionally, is yes.


Many people see lubricants and grease as an afterthought.
A nice-to-have to prevent squeaking and rust.
Lubrication is as important to mechanical engineering design as screws, welding, bearings, gears, clutches, brakes, couplings, flywheels, shafts and axles.
In my university Mechanical Engineering Design textbook, lubrication has its own chapter – taking up 6% of the 958-page Seventh Edition. It comes after rolling-contact bearings and before gears.
How big do you think the lubrication industry is?
…With this amount of consumer spending, massive lubricant and grease company marketing spending follows. The marketing competition is fierce and gives you mixed messages, is confusing and creates too many choices of lubricating grease.
So when it comes to the niche lubricant category of o-rings, pressure washer hoses, pumps and the pressure washing industry in general, which are the lubricants and greases you need in your toolbox?
Let's dive right in to find out.
Why Lubricate Your Rubber O-rings?
Is there a difference between calling a lubricant: lube, lubricant, grease or oil?
People tend to use all interchangeably. For this article we consider lube, lubricant and grease the same and oil as different.
Grease has high viscosity (like peanut butter).
Oil has lower viscosity (like vegetable oil).
Grease lubricant is used on parts that will operate at low speed and normal temperature.
Oil lubricant is used on parts that operate at high speed and temp.
You put grease on the mower wheel axles. You put oil in your Honda mower small engine.
What is the point of lubrication?
All types of lubrication – including oils, greases, and sometimes water or air – are used to reduce wear by reducing friction and heating of parts that move. Any substance that achieves this can be called a lubricant.
Stability. You want a lubricant to maintain its consistency when performing its role of reducing friction and heating between moving parts. If it tends to get harder or softer when working, it is said to be unstable.
Temperature effects. What happens to the lubricant (grease or oil) at different temperature? Grease doesn't perform well at high temps because it can't get rid of the heat like oil can. At low temperature grease hardens and can clog up parts and prevent them from moving.
Water resistance. Depending on the use, you will want lubricant to have a certain amount of water resistance to continue working normally even if water is there.
Pumping ability. Most plants that operate machinery will have some form of automated grease dispensing system. These systems pump grease through lines and nozzles to the parts that need grease. This method saves money. Some lubricant won't move through lines under pressure so its pumpability is important.
Consistency. Ranging from fluid (canola oil) to normal grease (peanut butter) all the way to solid (cheese), the National Lubrication Grease Institute (NLGI) has a classification charts for grease consistency. Getting the lubrication to where it is needed and having it not leak out is critical – so a greases consistency is important during selection.
What is a lubricant made of?
In the above chart you can see that a lubricant is made of mostly base oil (mineral or synthetic) with a thickener (fatty acid plus a soap alkali) to hold the base oil and additive package (usually graphite/molybdenum to improve temperature stability, performance under extreme pressure etc.) together.
What is each type best used for?
This is a loaded question because it is impossible to answer without knowing the exact conditions the lubricant will be used in. A conveyor belt pulley's bearings operating in extreme heat in Australia will require different lubrication than if it was in extreme cold in Northern Canada.
Mineral oil lubricants are used when there is a constant running temperature. Synthetic base oils are better over a wide range of conditions.
Lithium is most common and used for bearings.
Calcium for low temp bearings and bearings with water nearby (pumps).
Sodium best for high temp bearings.
Aluminium best oxidation resistance and best for back-and-forth moving parts like elevator drives and vibrating screens.
Additives are added to increase or suppress positive or negative properties of the base oil. Graphite or Molybdenum might be added to increase stability under high temp and pressure. Others are used to suppress oxidative qualities and increase corrosion resistance. Anti-foaming additives are added to most engine oils.
Most O-rings are made from synthetic rubbers. Namely: nitrile, EPDM and Neoprene. It is true that petroleum products will degrade natural rubber. But if an o-ring is made from, nitrile, for example (a material used in car fuel and oil lines) then there is no problem using petroleum grease to lubricate the o-ring.
The problem is: How do you know if the o-ring is made from synthetic rubber or ordinary natural rubber? It is impossible to tell just by touching it, looking at it. And most User Manual's will not tell you the material of the o-rings and seals. It might tell you it's rubber – but synthetic or natural rubber?
The solution is: Use silicone lubricant for o-rings and seals to be safe. Silicone lubricant is waterproofing and lubricating. It costs $10 for a small tube and is available at all auto parts stores. Be safe, use silicone grease on your o-rings and rubber seals in pressure washer wands, hoses and pumps.
Divers use silicone grease to seal and protect dry suit gaskets. Spear-fisherman use it to protect their speargun rubbers and keep them supple. Snorkelers and swimmers use it in their underwater flashlights seals and to keep their underwater camera case seals from drying out.
When watchmakers or tinkerers are putting together the watch, silicone grease is used on the gaskets to aid reassembly and help prevent them tearing.
Fountain and other pen enthusiasts and repair professionals love to take apart and tinker with their often expensive pens. In the process they come into contact with latex sacs, rubber seals & o-rings and ebonite (hard rubber) pistons/feeds/barrels. Upon reassembly 100% silicone lube is used to seal and protect everything and make it easier to put together.
Professional power wash contractors use lube on hose connections and o-rings to make installation easier and to protect the o-ring from damage. It is also used during pump repair and assembly to help install the unloader valve.
There are two types of silicone grease: safe and food grade safe.
Food grade silicone lubricants are approved for safe use in equipment and parts that may have contact with food in production, processing, packaging, transportation, and even the manufacturing equipment that makes the food packaging and does the bottling and canning should be using food grade silicone lubricant.
First Aid – If swallowed, in eyes or on skin seek medical attention after immediately washing of area (mouth, eyes, skin).
Fire Fighting – Non-flammable but will burn. Use water spray on fire.
Accidental Release – Causes slippery surfaces that can become hazards.
Safe Handling – No specific conditions.
Exposure – Nil. Use safety goggles and gloves as directed by workplace.
Ecological – No specific conditions.
Disposal – No special precautions. Follow local regulations.
4. Why you should even bother to lubricate your pressure washer hose and wand o-rings?
It will make the o-ring last longer.
Acts a surface surface film sealing the o-ring and metal surface as one.
Protects the o-ring against cracking, pinching, cutting.
5. If you should use a spray can or silicone gel grease for application to rubber connections?
…But why not use the gel? If the o-ring is in a tough spot, put the silicone gel on the tip of a long thin screwdriver to get it where you need.
There are 14,039 results when you search "silicone grease" on Amazon.com. There are 5,559 results for "silicone lubricant".
How are you supposed to know which one to buy?
I'm glad you asked because we're going to take a look right now. Since we established the spray can is not ideal, we have two options: do you want the grease or the oil?
For all your silicone greasing needs, this tube by Danco will do the trick.
It is of course, as we have learned in the article, water resilient and great for use on rubber o-rings and seals.
On the packaging, you'll notice it says 'Keep Out of Reach of Children' but don't be alarmed this is just precautions so it not directly eaten or used as lip balm (or something similiar). You can see the MSDS here.
What's the point of the drip oil silicone lubricant?
The silicone drip oil is an option if you want to lube up a bunch of o-rings at once, and fast.
Put them all in a bag and dump some of the oil and shake the bag. Drip oil can also be used with an applicator brush or you can dip the part in a cup of the oil.
7. How often should you re-apply to pressure washer rubber o-rings (and proper technique)?
Adding silicone grease before each use is overkill, in my opinion. However, I often leave my hose connected to wand and pump and reel it up for storage until next use. If I were to disconnect the hose each use exposing it to dust and shed environment, I would likely grease it before reconnecting.
You can also see the difference between the grease and oil varieties of the lubricant.
OVERVIEW: Lubricants Why are there so many choices? www.JonEakes.com, November 21, 2015 .
PDF: "What is the difference between Parafinic, Naphthenic, Hydrotreated and Synthetic oils?" www.lubegard.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
Wright, Jeremy. "Grease Basics." Machinery Lubrication May 2008.
Understanding the Differences in Base Oil Groups. MachineryLubrication.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
Choosing the Right Grease Thickening System. www.NyeLubricants.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
Global Automative Lubricants Market: Snapshot. www.TransparencyMarketResearch.com.


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Buying Lottery Tickets Online
Buying live draw hk tercepat lottery tickets online is an easy and convenient way to play the lottery. However, before buying a ticket you need to make sure that the state in which you live is authorized to sell lottery tickets on the Internet. Several states have approved the sale of online tickets. In some cases, you may be required to visit a local lottery claim center to claim your prize. Depending on the size of your winnings, you may need to provide proof of identification and/or a certified mail service.
Most states operate their own lottery system. However, there are exceptions. In many countries, the government has taken steps to ensure that only state lotteries are allowed to conduct lottery sales. This is because it is believed that state lottery revenues have helped fund educational programs, towns, and colleges. In some countries, it is illegal to buy tickets from non-state lotteries.
The California State Lottery was founded in 1984. It is one of the oldest lottery organizations in the United States. The lottery offers a wide variety of games, including Powerball, Keno, and Mega Millions. It also includes local draw games. The Lottery has an affiliation with the Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates games in 25 states. The lottery has several local and multi-state draw games.
In addition to the state-run lottery, there are many other lotteries in the United States. The Montana Lottery, for example, has a variety of games that can be played by residents of the state. Some of the games are in-house titles while others are member games of the Multi-State Lottery Association. These include Cash4Life and Lucky for Life.
North Dakota, on the other hand, has a lottery that has been in operation since 2004. In this lottery, two-thirds of the profits go to the general fund, while the remaining money goes to schools and other state programs. It also provides for an annual lottery draw that features two million dollar prizes. The New Mexico Lottery features games such as scratchers and instant win games. In 2013, Wyoming launched its own lottery, WyoLotto. The Illinois Lottery offers four draw games, including Mega Millions. In 2012, the Georgia Lottery began offering major drawings for online ticket purchases. In Pennsylvania, the PA iLottery reported that it had sold $4 billion in game tickets in the year before it started selling on the Internet.
If you want to play the lottery in Washington DC, you can purchase your tickets online. However, you must be 18 years old and physically present in the district. You can play a number of draw games, scratchers, and keno. If you win a prize of $50,000 or more, you will need to visit a lottery claim center to claim your prize.
Connecticut, in contrast, has a state-run lottery that offers several local and multi-state draw games. In fact, the state's lottery has the oldest operating lottery in the country. The proceeds from the lottery are used to fund education and to support public employee pension systems.


LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- It was a very light week in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference outdoor track and field last week as teams prepared for the 2019 conference championship set for Friday and Saturday, April 26-27, in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by Trinity University at the TU Track and Field Stadium.
SHERMAN, Texas -- The 19th-ranked Trinity University women's tennis team won its eighth consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship with a 5-2 victory over 21st-ranked Southwestern University on Sunday.
DENISON, Texas -- Battling in the third-place match for the third consecutive year, Austin College defeated Schreiner, 5-1, at the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championship Sunday morning at Smith Tennis Center.
Congratulations to the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Champions, the Tigers of Trinity University. Celebrate this year's title with your own piece of championship merchandise.
SHERMAN, Texas – The top-seeded Trinity University women defeated fourth-seeded Schreiner University, 5-0, in Saturday's first semifinal of the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championship.
SHERMAN, Texas – The second-seeded Southwestern University women advanced to the conference title match for the fourth consecutive year with Saturday's 5-0 defeat of third-seeded Austin College.
DENISON, Texas – Sixth-seeded Texas Lutheran knocked off seventh-seeded Centenary, 5-0, in match No. 6 of the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championships Saturday morning at the Smith Tennis Center.
DENISON, Texas – Texas Lutheran and Colorado College squared off for the third consecutive year in the SCAC Women's Tennis Championship and for the first time the Bulldogs emerged victorious Saturday afternoon, 6-3, at the Smith Tennis Center to claim fifth-place.
SHERMAN, Texas -- The fourth-seeded Schreiner University women fought off a determined fifth-seeded Colorado College squad, 5-3, in opening round action of the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championship.
SHERMAN, Texas -- The third-seeded Austin College women swept sixth-seeded Texas Lutheran University, 5-0, in opening round action of the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championship.
DENISON, Texas – The seconded-seeded Southwestern University women defeated seventh-seeded Centenary College, 5-0, in opening round action of the 2019 SCAC Women's Tennis Championship.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The SCAC office today announced the bracket for the 2019 women's tennis tournament, which begins Friday, April 19 in Sherman, Texas.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Each of the seven Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis squads concluded their regular seasons over the weekend as several teams took part in intra-conference play.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis season enters its final week of action following a week where Austin College, Colorado College, Southwestern, and Texas Lutheran all took the court against conference opponents.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Week eight of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis season featured a national top-40 matchup between conference rivals No. 19 Trinity and No. 21 Southwestern.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Six of the seven Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis squads hit the court in week seven of the season.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - It was the busiest week to date for Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis which featured Southwestern taking down three nationally ranked opponents.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - It was a busy week for Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis as five of the seven squads hit the court for nine contests.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Inclement weather forced many cancellations this week as Southwestern was the lone Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis team to take the court.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The final Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis squad made its 2019 debut last week as Austin College took the court for the first time this season.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Three conference women's teams combined to go 7-1 last week in the second full week of 2019 spring tennis action.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference office will conduct spring media days for the sports of men's and women's golf and men's and women's track & field beginning Monday, February 18.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Four conference women's tennis teams were on the court this past week for the beginning of the spring portion of the 2018-19 season.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Trinity juniors Mary Kaffen and Zoe Kaffen captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest "A" Doubles Championship Sunday at the Butch Newman Tennis Center.
SHREVEPORT, La. – Centenary College Director of Athletics and Recreation Bob Bunnell is pleased to announce the hiring of Matt Coomer as the next head coach of Ladies and Gents Tennis.


Samantha and Kyle pose in her breast cancer awareness shirt.
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 13, 2012) -- Toyota Racing today announced that Samantha Busch is the winner of the 'Racing for Awareness' T-shirt design contest. Busch's winning design -- which earned the most votes from fans -- was unveiled at the Toyota PitPass display, and she will see her design come to life this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In celebration of breast cancer awareness month, Busch's design will be featured on the hood of on one of the Toyota Camry parade vehicles that will take part in the pre-race festivities before Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition, the T-shirt created by Busch is available for purchase at the Toyota PitPass display through the remainder of the season and also on www.ToyotaRacing.com. All proceeds from the sale of the T-shirt will donated to Carolina Breast Friends in the name of Kyle and Samantha Busch.
During today's event, Toyota presented Carolina Breast Friends with a donation of $5,000 in the name of all the participants. The Charlotte-based organization is dedicated to serving those with breast cancer and who have survived the disease.
The Racing for Awareness T-shirt design contest began in August and has been a friendly competition among nine women affiliated with the Toyota NASCAR program -- including wives, girlfriends, mothers and sisters, as well as one racer. Each participant created a unique design that incorporated the symbol of breast cancer awareness -- a pink ribbon. The participants were given artistic freedom and were able to include other racing symbols on their choice on a pink, hotpink, white or black T-shirt.
Fans were able to vote for their favorite design at ToyotaRacing.com and at the Toyota PitPass display at select NASCAR races.
Participants in the contest included Mackena Bell (Rev Racing driver), Janet Bodine (wife of Todd Bodine), Samantha Busch (wife of Kyle Busch), Jordan Fish/Mary Lou Hamlin (girlfriend/mother of Denny Hamlin), Danielle Logano (sister of Joey Logano), Sara Peters (wife of Timothy Peters), Lorra Podsiadlo (girlfriend of Clint Bowyer), Sherry Pollex (girlfriend of Martin Truex Jr.) and Cortney Sauter (wife of Johnny Sauter).
I guess sometimes nothing beats keeping things simple. Actually, that's the very reason I keep some cheap money clothing in the closet. You never know when you need to dress down.
I've been planning to buy cars online and choose Toyota. I like that they have active outreaches and the customer support is also outstanding.
I've seen the luxury line of toyota in auto auctions sydney showroom. I must say, it's really money for value. Their community help and outreach are also icing on the cake.


An interview with the artist behind the upcoming label Art meets Fashion.
Pigflower: The T-Shirt is back!
An article featuring the work of Pigflower, a kitsch tee-shirt design house based in Bangalore, India.
Posted byShradha Rao January 22, 2011 Posted inDesign HousesTags: Design Houses, Pigflower, products, T-shirts5 Comments on Pigflower: The T-Shirt is back!
What makes our revenue sharing program unique is that ONLY your Adsense content unit will be shown on your posts.
The idea to provide exposure to both, irregular bloggers and niche bloggers.
soumitra dasgupta on Pigflower: The T-Shirt is back!
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Shell and SABIC have signed an agreement whereby SABIC will acquire Shell's 50% share in the petrochemicals SADAF joint venture, located in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for USD 820 million. The SADAF joint venture encompasses six world-scale petrochemical plants with a total output of more than 4 million metric tons per year. This announcement marks an early termination of the joint venture agreement which was due to expire in 2020.
This acquisition will enable SABIC to further optimise operations at SADAF and further invest in the facilities, integrating them with SABICs other affiliates. This step will allow Shell to focus its downstream activities and make selective investments to support the growth of its global chemicals business.


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3 Mar, 2017 10:41
Bitcoin value tops price of gold ounce for first time
© Jim Urquhart © Reuters
The price of bitcoin rallied to all-time highs on Friday, climbing above the price of one ounce of gold for the first time. The cryptocurrency was trading at $1,294, while a troy ounce of gold stood at $1,234.
Bitcoin's rally was attributed to high demand in China despite the country's central bank restricting bitcoin exchange operations. It was the best-performing 'currency' in 2016, more than doubling in value on the year.
Defining moment in monetary history? Price of #Bitcoin has crossed Gold price for first time ever. pic.twitter.com/ozkkFSmR4t
— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) March 2, 2017
In a move to curb capital outflow, Chinese authorities warned domestic bitcoin exchanges last month they risk being closed if found violating currency regulations. The authorities claim bitcoin is being used to channel money out of the country.
Beijing threatens to shut down bitcoin exchanges https://t.co/G1e1g97FpVpic.twitter.com/1YfNsPdXdl
— RT (@RT_com) February 9, 2017
Some experts say as bitcoin is becoming more valuable than gold it may edge out the precious metal as an alternative asset. Gold has been traditionally the safe haven for investors fleeing uncertain financial markets.
Bitcoin price hits 3-year record, striving to beat 2013 high
"Gold has been going up, but it hasn't been rising as rapidly as bitcoin," digital currency trader Brian Kelly told NBC News.
The CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, Peter Schiff is more skeptical of the digital currency's future, calling bitcoin a "digital fool's gold."
He argues that despite bitcoin reaching an all-time high in value this week, it is not as viable as government currency.
"Today's bitcoins could be tomorrow's beanie babies," Schiff said in an interview with CNBC.
"[It] is a potential medium of exchange, but it's not a store of value," he said.
The legal status of bitcoin remains knotty and varies widely from country to country. While some countries have explicitly welcomed its use and trade, others have banned or restricted it. Critics of bitcoin warn it has become increasingly attractive to organized crime.
Joining Russia sanctions would be 'inappropriate' – Serbia
Fyodor Lukyanov: NATO has already destabilized Europe, is it about to deliver the same medicine to Asia? ANALYSIS


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Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship
Owning the Winter
Owning the Winter; Yes You Can!
On Thursday 15 October the Bettany Centre hosted the half-day Owning the Winter Conference. Around 80 virtual attendees – mostly business founders and owners – joined fifteen experts and leaders in their field to trade insights and experience in this latest instalment of Cranfield's Covid Response Programme.
The underlying message was that, while times are tough and will remain so for some while to come, there are grounds for optimism. Business founders and their teams enjoy advantages of agility and a great capacity for adaptation. These will prove major assets in the approaching winter.
Leading the conversation was our first Keynote Speaker, Cranfield Professor of Global Economy, Joe Nellis. He started by giving us reasons to be cheerful. While the UK economy has been plunged into its deepest recession since the 1930s, it has grown in all three quarters of 2020, defying predictions. Government intervention has been a major factor in supporting that bounce-back, supported by consumer spending and a revival in the housing sector. We still face major challenges in the shape of rising unemployment, under-investment and closing a deal with the EU, but in the medium term there is good reason to think that the economy will resume a pattern of steady growth. Although government borrowing is at a record high, the fact that a large proportion of the debt is held by overseas investors demonstrates international confidence in the UK to weather the Covid storm.
There was further good reason for qualified optimism: the export of goods and services outside the EU – already the lion's share of our exports – has grown by 9.3% during 2019-20. Thom Webb and Alan Pain from the Department for International Trade (DIT) continued this theme. In this period UK exports hit almost £700 bn, of which nearly £400 bn was to non-EU member states. UK businesses do not always appreciate how highly valued our goods and services are to overseas buyers. British quality and innovation are at a premium and the role of the DIT is to support exporters through their extensive network of advisers and sector experts. That assistance translates also into money: in the last five years the DIT has provided £14 bn of support for exporters, much of it through UK Export Finance. The portal to this wide range of services is great.gov.uk.
So much, and so encouraging, for the macro picture. Much of the conference was devoted to the practical actions which business founders can take to improve today's business, and to create a better business for tomorrow. Our second Keynote Speaker, Caroline Southgate, is a BGP alumna and owner of Doris Jones Ltd. Throughout the pandemic she and her team have overseen some 40,000 home visits to the vulnerable elderly, without a single Covid incident resulting. Her central theme was the importance of leadership as the business owner. The onset of Covid created huge uncertainty for her business and she described the way in which she created a "virtual umbrella" to shelter her staff. A contingency plan already existed in the form of the "Snowplan", the company's response to severe winter conditions. At the operational level her staff knew what to do and Caroline focused on the wellbeing of her employees and the wider concerns of their families. She created a video to explain to the families concerned exactly how Doris Jones was protecting their loved ones from the risk of infection. She also spoke about a mentoring scheme provided by the British Army for senior leaders in the care industry. Her mentor helped her to carry out scenario planning and create procedures to cover the worst case. As a result she restructured her staff into teams, each with a very clear focus, and formed buddy groups to provide mutual support and regular check-ins. For the worst eventualities Standard Operating Procedures were created, so that everyone was fully prepared for both the expected and the unexpected.
Simon Hammett of Simon Hammett Consulting picked up the topic of leadership from the perspective of a board adviser, leadership coach and organisational psychologist. His theme was agility and the competitive advantage this conveyed on businesses that were able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
The principles of agility are:
Small, cross-functional and self-directing teams, with team roles defined by competency and expertise
Structured team processes including monthly sprints, timeboxed daily "scrums", and sprint retrospectives aimed at continuous improvement
Short cycles of product development guided by high levels of customer collaboration and regular feedback
Transparency and accountability, with critical issues resolved at the team level
Ironically, much of this disciplined approach has been purposely introduced in large organisations to recreate the flexibility and adaptability that come naturally to many smaller independent businesses.
How to build a more engaged workforce was addressed by Richard White, Founder and CEO of Incentivesmart. He demolished a number of myths about motivation, chiefly that it's all about the money. People seek recognition and purpose in their work and the job of the founder is to provide the environment in which their staff can flourish. That means striking a balance between challenge and support. He advised founders to spend 10 – 15 minutes each week on recognition, to thank employees for their contribution. But the recognition must be real, and the employee must feel the praise is genuine and not just said for the sake of it.
That fits well with the results of our joint research from Cranfield and Warwick; this study shows that staff expect five key things from their firm's leadership:
Staff who are engaged and aligned with your organisation's values and purpose are also more likely to be your advocates. This was a point emphasised by Dan Gerrella, Associate Director of Liz Male Consulting, who specialises in Crisis and Reputation Management. If business founders are alert, many issues can be foreseen and prevented from developing into full-blow crises. In the modern world there is no hiding place from media scrutiny and firms that are faced with adverse publicity are best advised to acknowledge the issue and to propose practical solutions for tackling it. Reputational damage will be caused if the organisation handles it badly, and it can take years to recover that trust. Those with a stake in the business will expect the management to supply leadership and to take responsibility for the welfare and safety of those they employ.
The challenge of employee engagement has been made all the more difficult by the move to working from home. Natalie Ellis and Nicky Buckley spoke as representatives of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) and gave some fascinating insights into employee relations now and in the future.
Natalie focused on the central question of "How can we keep people happy right now, when they are working from home?" A company's culture isn't all about business. Founders need to find ways to recreate the conversations around the water-cooler, hosting regular team meeting and even virtual lunches where people can exchange experience and bounce ideas off each other.
Nicky looked to a world after Covid and to the employee talent that will grow your business. Although unemployment levels will rise and new people will come onto the market, she advised business owners to look first to the development of their own workforce. The Cranfield view has always been the best people to attract and retain are those who are looking for a career, not just a job, and it us up to us as leaders and managers to create those opportunities through workforce planning. Now is a great time to review the skills and competencies that are needed for the business of tomorrow.
Two of the most important sets of skills and competencies are likely to be in procurement and the wider supply chain. Mike Lander, Founder of Piscari, has spent many years in procurement, initially in the buying function of large businesses and latterly as adviser to suppliers dealing with procurement professionals. He was also keen to bust a few myths. The buyers that independent business owners often have to deal with are not focused solely on price. They will also consider five other factors: savings, innovation, quality, reliability and sustainability. Depending on the individual contract, each factor is weighted differently and if a supplier is able to demonstrate their capability and track record in these areas this will provide a competitive edge that pushes back on price pressures. That said, business owners can expect tough conversations with corporate buyers in the foreseeable future. Best to form relationships with buyers early and to assemble the data that will put you on the short list.
The most pressing issue for exporters is the UK's final departure from the EU at the end of this year, and how best to prepare in the face of uncertainty. While this is not directly affecting all SMEs it probably is impacting their suppliers, their customers or both. Professor Emel Aktas from Cranfield's Centre for Logistics, Procurement and Supply Chain Management shared the findings of her recent research into such preparations, comparing the actions of smaller businesses with larger firms. She and colleagues focused on the pharmaceutical industry. Professor Aktas's contribution emphasised the importance of the difference between situations of uncertainty, where all possibilities are equally likely, and situations where probabilities can be assigned to different outcomes. As we get closer to departure, we should transition from uncertainty into a scenario where risks can be identified and quantified.
Unsurprisingly, a number of different approaches emerged from the study, conducted over two years from mid 2017 to mid 2019. You might expect differences between small firms, which have fewer resources and less slack, and their larger peers. At the start of the study the small firms tended to carry on with business as usual. Even as the date of exit drew closer, they only changed their strategy to "wait and see". The larger firms, on the other hand pursued strategies ranging from "wait and see" to proactive and reactive approaches as time wore on: one company reported that £50 million was set aside for EU exit contingences in the event of no deal. Out of her research Professor Aktas has produced an analytical framework mapping firms' intentions towards EU exit which will certainly interest independent businesses that service large clients.
Sales, Marketing and Customer Behaviour were also widely covered as it is the No 1 challenge for businesses at the moment. Contributors included Howard Flint of HG Solutions, Kevin Yuen of Spotless Interactive and Adam Gray of DLA ignite.
In a challenging market, Howard argued, to accelerate growth businesses need to look to three guiding principles:
First, solve customers' problems – and ideally critical problems - rather than push products at them. You are likely to have more satisfied customers, better margins and improved retention and upselling opportunities.
Second, be highly selective in the market you target – possibly a niche within a niche, where you can really differentiate yourself. It's better to be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa.
Third, be the experts, which is again something we have stressed over the years at Cranfield. Use all means at your disposal to demonstrate your authority in your field, publicise this through low-cost channels such as social media, and get ready for enquiries.
Kevin Yuen is an expert in human-centred design and using insights into customer behaviour to design a company's services. He walked us through a fascinating case study of what is involved in the customer journey of purchasing an electric vehicle.
When buying an "old-fashioned" petrol car, people are confident they know how to evaluate the features. But how do you make this buying decision during times of uncertainty – in this case, not knowing how to evaluate the features of an electric vehicle. Can I leave my children in the car alone, or are the batteries a risk? What happens if I run out of "fuel" on the motorway?
An important insight Kevin was able to provide was that customer behaviour affects a buying decision much more than the standard demographic customer segmentation. Whereas two people might be of the same sex, age and have similar disposable incomes, their buying journey is very much dependent on their behaviour and internal values.
When you are seeking to encourage people to make decisions during uncertainty, you have to provide them with insights that allow them to feel more certain. Kevin spoke about creating a "Myth Busting" page on your website and then training your workforce to be able to give the customer greater certainty. While you might not be an electric car manufacturer, the same concepts hold true during the current uncertainty resulting from Covid. The message is clear: help your customers find certainty why they need your product and services.
Adam's tour of the digital world was no less impressive. Within the 60 seconds of an "Internet minute" there are literally millions of interactions and transactions: 190 million emails alone are sent and received. Yet despite all the billions of pounds spent annually on web-based marketing, levels of response and engagement are frighteningly low. Even on Google, the world's most popular search engine, response rates to advertising are less than 2%. On the other hand, if used effectively digital sales and marketing can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and achieving influence. The average Linkedin member has 900 contacts. Multiply each of those by 900, and pretty soon you have a potential reach of over one million contacts. But very few users approach such networks with the same degree of professionalism as they would, say, their advertising. The clear message from Adam's session was to clarify your social marketing strategy and update your and your company's profile immediately!
Participant take-aways
Space has compelled us to feature only a selection of the nuggets of wisdom that delegates to Owning the Winter took away with them. Among the many pieces of feedback we received was this: "In every session, I wrote down something I'm going to do, which is unusual for a conference." As organisers, we were delighted. Many others expressed the same intentions, to put what they had learned into action.
Recent articles in the media suggest that we are not alone in seeing a silver lining in the clouds overhead. Data from Companies House show that between April and June this year 162,479 businesses were registered, more than three times the average number of start-ups within this period over the preceding decade. Just this week research from Direct Line indicates that nearly one in five Britons (19 percent) has either started a business since March or is actively planning to do so. And in the US government figures recently released show that the highest number of people EVER are seriously planning to start a business.
There are a number of things that will get us through the current crisis. We believe that the support of your peers who face similar challenges as owners, managers and leaders, is among the most important. For a better and brighter future, stay part of our vibrant Cranfield peer-to-peer network!
Get in touch with us if you have questions, comments and want to know more about our offering for SMEs.
Our huge thanks to our Owning the Winter contributors for sharing their insights and wisdom.
Cranfield Business Community – How can we help?
A lot has changed since the first lockdown in March where we put a programme of webinars, workshops and conferences together to support business owners making sense of the unprecedented times.
Now we are facing the second lockdown in England and we would like to understand how we can help you as a business owner in the upcoming weeks and months.
Complete our survey and let us help you
What delegates had to say:
At the start, we asked delegates about their expectations of Owning the Winter.
This is what they told us:
We also asked delegates what are the biggest challenges they face right now:
At the close, we asked delegates to summarise the conference in one word:
We also asked: "What action are you taking tomorrow as a result of the Owning the Winter Conference?"
More reviewing!
Procurement update
Think about the problems we solve
Task list of actions
Implementing it while redoing my website
Discussing strategy with my team
Buffing my LinkedIn profile!
Watching all the other talks!
Consider procurement needs in the sales process
Looking at customer personas
And finally: "What is your biggest take-away from today?"
There are opportunities coming & LinkedIn profiling
Take stock and strategise
Quarterly reviews for customers
Reminder to focus on solving a problem rather than pushing your products or services
Use of LinkedIn
Joe Nellis blew me away (but I'm a massive data geek) so his data/information was my best take-away – knowing where you are now is so powerful when you want to go
Consistency of change
Be more active on Linkedin
Understand procurement better
Human-centred design
Owning the Winter We realise that there are a number of challenges that business owners will need to face in the immediate future. The 'Owning the Winter' programme will support your business to overcome these challenges and emerge stronger
Cranfield MK43 0AL
Directions here


text:
BLOG March 27, 2018
DARK MONEY: 10 anonymous donors 'March For Our Lives' is deliberately hiding
Is anyone wondering how a group of high school students managed to pull off a huge, highly organized, multi-million dollar rally involving hundreds of thousands of people across the country, all in a matter of weeks?
Saturday's March for Our Lives event, which was supposedly organized "for kids and by kids" is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization, which means they are not required to disclose their donors — and there's a reason why they don't want people to know who's pulling the strings.
Fact check: How many people ACTUALLY showed up to march in DC?
On today's show, Glenn chalked up a list of at least ten far-left donors known to be behind the March for Our Lives movement, including:
Mark Kelly & the Gifford Foundation
Michael Bloomberg & Everytown for Gun Safety
George Soros & Open Society Institute, the Tides Foundation, Women's March, Louis Farrakhan
Friends Committee of National Legislation
Jeri Rhodes & Greenpeace
"Their list of donors reads like a who's who of radical leftist organizations," said Glenn. He later added, "The last thing that they want is for names like 'Soros' or 'Farrakhan' ... to show up on their tax sheet. But we'll never know the full extent because big progressive donors don't want you to know who's really in charge here."
Watch the clip above to get Glenn's take.
This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.


For building certifications such as the NZGBC Green Star and the Living Building Challenge, using recycled or salvaged product earns you credits/points on your application.
Independently certified as having lower environmental impact than standard timber, as verified through a materials certification body recognized by the NZGBC (a list of approved eco-labels are available on the NZGBC website).
You can also be awarded one more point if the timber does not exceed the minimum treatment standards.
Our Australian sleepers and Hardwood Rustic beams are chemical free and comply with these standards.
Interlink can help you by reliably supplying you with your recycled hardwoods. We can provide you 100% recycled sleepers and hardwood beams, free of chemicals. These products are very aesthetic, they bring history and character to any building or garden.
Sustainability is not only about the environment, it is all-encompassing of design, social impacts, efficiency and the health and happiness of the people that will inhabit the building. This is an ideology also held by the Living Future Institute. 'The Living Building Challenge™ is the built environment's most rigorous performance standard. It calls for the creation of building projects at all scales that operate as cleanly, beautifully and efficiently as nature's architecture. To be certified under the Challenge, projects must meet a series of ambitious performance requirements over a minimum of 12 months of continuous occupancy.' We can help you with your materials section of your Living Building Challenge. No need for hours of research, we can provide you with all the information you need. Look at our Transparency Labels for specific information on our different products.


text:
Fans Want a Lady Gaga Relationship After Bradley Cooper Splits With Irina Shayk
The couple called it quits after 4 years
Maren Morris Needed Help After Seeing "A Star is Born"
When Maren Morris watched "A Star is Born" with her husband Ryan Hurd, she had to go to therapy. Morris told "Women's Health" quote, "I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had to go to therapy. Not the substance abuse part, but there were things that happened to Lady Gaga's character that...
Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Post Malone Lead Billboard Music Awards Nominees
The Billboard Music Awards cover it all, and a long list of genre-spanning artists make up this year's nominees. Cardi B is stealing the show before it begins, however. The rapper is at the head of the class with a whopping 21 nominations in 18 categories, including top Hot 100 song, top selling...
Lady Gaga Turns 33 as the 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Hits Another Amazing Milestone
Over a million reasons to celebrate for Mother Monster
Lady Gaga's "Shallow" Hits No.1 After Fans Create Free Starbucks Drink Scam
Lady Gaga fans took to social media to come up with a super convincing hoax involving something no one on the internet can resist: free Starbucks.
Lady Gaga Responds to Bradley Cooper Dating Rumors After Electric Oscars Performance
Starting it off with an eye roll, Lady Gaga dives into the vision behind the performance and how acting and rehearsal, not true love, were behind their electric chemistry.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's 'A Star Is Born' Is Returning to Theaters
The universe has answered our prayers. A Star Is Born is coming back to theaters!
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" Performance at the Oscars Is Already a Classic
The pair had the moment of the night with the 'Best Original Song' winner
Kelly Clarkson Phenomenally Covered Lady Gaga's "Shallow"
We all love Kelly Clarkson , and her cover of Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper 's "Shallow" makes us love her even more!
Lady Gaga Stands up for Mental Health at the GRAMMY Awards
An emotional moment from Mother Monster


Canterbury is a non-profit organization which receives neither federal funding nor endowments from other organizations. The school is financed by tuition (not tax-deductible) and any contributions (tax-deductible) that may be received.
1. Book fees and Building & Grounds fees are due by July 31.
2. The first tuition payment is due August 8th.
3. Succeeding tuition payments are due on the 1st of each month.
4. After the 5th of each month, a $10.00 late fee will be charged.
5. There will be a $10.00 charge on any returned check.
6. If an account is in arrears 60 days, a student is subject to dismissal.
1. There is a 5 percent discount for annual and semestral tuition payments.


text:
'use strict';
const chai = require('chai');
const sinon = require('sinon');
const sinonTest = require('sinon-test');
var test = sinonTest(sinon);
const expect = require('chai').expect;
let request = require('superagent');

let BlockCypher = require('../../lib/bcypher');
let chain = 'btc';
let network = 'main';
let token = process.env.TOKEN;
let bcapi = new BlockCypher(chain, network, token);

describe('Blockcypher getAddr Method: ', function () {

  describe('Success: ', function () {

    it('When addr a string and params exists', test(function (done) {

      let addr = '12345';
      let params = {};
      let validEndpoint = '/addrs/' + addr;

      let validReturn = { data: { key1: 'value', key2: 2 } };
      this.stub(bcapi, '_get').yields(null, validReturn);
      bcapi.getAddr(addr, params, function (e, r) {

        var callArgs = bcapi._get.getCall(0).args;
        expect(callArgs[0]).to.equal(validEndpoint);
        expect(callArgs[1]).to.deep.equal(params);
        expect(typeof callArgs[2]).to.equal('function');
        expect(Object.keys(callArgs).length).to.equal(3);

        expect(e).to.equal(null);
        expect(r).to.deep.equal(validReturn);
        done();
      });
    }));

    it('When addr is an int and params exists', test(function (done) {

      let addr = 12345;
      let params = {};
      let validEndpoint = '/addrs/' + addr;

      let validReturn = { data: { key1: 'value', key2: 2 } };
      this.stub(bcapi, '_get').yields(null, validReturn);
      bcapi.getAddr(addr, params, function (e, r) {

        var callArgs = bcapi._get.getCall(0).args;
        expect(callArgs[0]).to.equal(validEndpoint);
        expect(callArgs[1]).to.deep.equal(params);
        expect(typeof callArgs[2]).to.equal('function');
        expect(Object.keys(callArgs).length).to.equal(3);

        expect(e).to.equal(null);
        expect(r).to.deep.equal(validReturn);
        done();
      });
    }));

    it('When addr is a string and params does NOT exist', test(function (done) {

      let addr = '12345';
      let params = {};
      let validEndpoint = '/addrs/' + addr;

      let validReturn = { data: { key1: 'value', key2: 2 } };
      this.stub(bcapi, '_get').yields(null, validReturn);
      bcapi.getAddr(addr, function (e, r) {

        var callArgs = bcapi._get.getCall(0).args;
        expect(callArgs[0]).to.equal(validEndpoint);
        expect(callArgs[1]).to.deep.equal(params);
        expect(typeof callArgs[2]).to.equal('function');
        expect(Object.keys(callArgs).length).to.equal(3);

        expect(e).to.equal(null);
        expect(r).to.deep.equal(validReturn);
        done();
      });
    }));

    it('When addr is an int and params does NOT exist', test(function (done) {

      let addr = 12345;
      let params = {};
      let validEndpoint = '/addrs/' + addr;

      let validReturn = { data: { key1: 'value', key2: 2 } };
      this.stub(bcapi, '_get').yields(null, validReturn);
      bcapi.getAddr(addr, function (e, r) {

        var callArgs = bcapi._get.getCall(0).args;
        expect(callArgs[0]).to.equal(validEndpoint);
        expect(callArgs[1]).to.deep.equal(params);
        expect(typeof callArgs[2]).to.equal('function');
        expect(Object.keys(callArgs).length).to.equal(3);

        expect(e).to.equal(null);
        expect(r).to.deep.equal(validReturn);
        done();
      });
    }));

  });//end of success cases;

  describe('Errors: ', function () {

    it('bubbles up error when _get returns error', test(function (done) {

      let addr = '12345';
      let params = {};
      let badRequestError = "Bad Request";
      let validEndpoint = '/addrs/' + addr;

      let validReturn = { data: { key1: 'value', key2: 2 } };
      this.stub(bcapi, '_get').yields(badRequestError, validReturn);
      bcapi.getAddr(addr, params, function (e, r) {

        var callArgs = bcapi._get.getCall(0).args;
        expect(callArgs[0]).to.equal(validEndpoint);
        expect(callArgs[1]).to.deep.equal(params);
        expect(typeof callArgs[2]).to.equal('function');
        expect(Object.keys(callArgs).length).to.equal(3);

        expect(e).to.equal(badRequestError);
        expect(r).to.deep.equal(validReturn);
        done();
      });
    }));

    it.skip('should return error when addr is missing', function (done) { done() });

  });//end of error cases;

});//end of getAddr


With all the beauty reviews I post on my blog, there's often just as many products that don't make the cut. Sometimes these are products I've put down my own money for, other times they are PR packages but to try them all and finding the ones worth showing to you results in a (ridiculously) large stockpile of things that just don't work for me. You may recall my Makeup Spring Clean video in which I cleared out my entire makeup stash, well... here's the aftermath.
Now it's worth mentioning that beauty products are just a personal thing and your discontent with a foundation may be another person's love affair so I always suggest letting your family and friends have a picking before your makeup hit the bins.
For me, I'm finally feeling refreshed to have let go of the items that were weighing down my collection. Unless you have a real daily need (like a makeup artist), I think functionality eventually wins out every time. And for goodness sakes, it's nice to see the bottom of my drawers again! How often do you clear out your beauty drawers?


A few days ago I attended a Birkbeck Food Group event with one of my food heroes, Claudia Roden. It took Claudia 5 years to research her most recent book The Food of Spain. Sixty minutes was never going to be enough for this whistle-stop tour of the country in its cuisine.
Each visit Claudia made to Spain unearthed more food memories than she could have hoped for. Each contact came up with yet another person to meet. She would talk food favourites, festivals and folk history in kitchens as "people open up in the kitchen, not in the living room". Most, be they workers or nobility, spoke of peasant cuisine being central to their food memories.
Claudia's thesis is that Spain's history of conquering armies meant a population on the move and tastes were, by necessity, unsophisticated. The aristocrats despised vegetables and ate meats, mostly game, though rabbits were left to the lower orders. In Bourbon and Habsburg times the Spanish nobility ate French cuisine. They followed the lead of King Philip V who employed cooks trained in the French court at Versailles. The current haute cuisine in Spain, she was assured, was a cuisine of "today", though chefs claim to look to the roots of Spanish food for inspiration.
A quote from the Catalan writer Josep Pia "A country's cuisine is its landscape in a cooking pot" was apt. The diversity of the landscape of Spain has led to three styles of cooking: the sea; the plain; and, the mountains. Claudia pointed out that, unlike Italy, dishes are not contained within regional borders.
The food of the wet, mountainous north was influenced by early French pilgrims walking the pathways of St. James, and by the maize, potatoes, beans and peppers brought back from South America by returning priests. The Visigoths introduced cider apples and pigs leading to dishes such as the Asturian roast pork with apples and cider. The ebb and flow of religious intolerance can be seen in the foods of Jews who arrived in northern Spain to escape the rule of the Berbers in the 12-13th centuries. To Claudia's mind, the famous Tarta di Santiago is a good example. In this sweet dish of almonds, eggs, sugar, butter and citrus she can see the Jewish Passover cake.
The hot, interior Plain was perfect for ranching and pastoral farming, feeding the rich on roast meats and the poor on "spoon" dishes. After 1492, the Moriscos (Muslims forced to convert to Christianity) remained in the region until the 17th century leaving a legacy of Moorish dishes which we learnt exceeded that of Andalucia. The fried breadcrumb dish 'migas', now widespread in Spain, came about when the Moors were banned from eating couscous.
The coast and Balearic Islands shared the mild climate and cuisine of other Mediterranean countries. In Cordoba, on the the Route de Caliphate, Claudia had enjoyed aubergine soaked in milk, floured, fried and drizzled with honey. Having eaten a very similar dish in Morocco, it was difficult to argue its origins did not lie in Moorish rule. Later, Catalans re-populated these Arab-taken areas and brought their cuisine to the mix.
As in many European countries, the monasteries were famous for the quality of their cooking and in the convents pastries were baked for benefactors. Attempting to extract recipes, Claudia was frustrated to find the convent visited was that of a 'closed order', with only Sister Immaculata having dispensation to speak. This significant problem was later resolved by an unintended invitation to the Sisters to become Friends on Facebook where they happily 'conversed'.
Here is the recipe for Claudia Roden's version of that Tarta de Santiago almond cake.
Grease a spring-form cake tin, around 28cm in diameter (preferably non-stick) with butter and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
Grind the almonds finely in a food processor. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale cream then best in the orange and lemon zest and almond extract. Add the ground almonds and mix very well.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the egg yolk and almond mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until it feels firm.
Cool then turn out. Dust the top with icing sugar - if you like, cut the shape of a Santiago cross out of the paper and place it in the middle of the cake first, then carefully remove the paper shape.


We're hoping to deliver a one question survery to our customers. I was wondering what the opinions are about doing this?
If our audience is 60 mobile, does it make sense to embed a google form?
What are the pluses and minus of doing this?
For context, we are hoping to send a single question. Specifically, "How likely is it that you would recommend GameChanger to a friend or colleague?"
If it's just a single question/answer, how about instead of embedding the form (which is a bit hairy considering the different email clients) but just ask the customer to click on the number that their answer corresponds to and run a report on which link was most clicked? Well, that's if you don't want the answer to necessarily be linked to a customer.
Can you shrink the answers down? If you were willing to drop it to frown, medium, or smiley, you could do this by passing choices through to a hosted form where you can store the data.
That said, I seem to remember running this survey back in the day to calculate company health (7-9) - (1-6) or something, but with a bit of careful work you could still have distinct links that drive back to a hosted landing page with the users votes.
You can see I am trying to lead you away from embedding a google form. I don't like putting forms in emails, as with all things html email they just aren't reliable across clients.
Not quite the answer you were looking for, but maybe something to consider.
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Context - Is it an issue with the GameChanger website or mobile app? What's the app version, device OS version, or web browser?
Relevant links - What team page, game page, or player profile did you experience the issue on?
Steps to reproduce - What steps caused the issue? Does the issue occur 100% of the time?
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This message was sent to 2504-comment@community.litmus.com in reference to Case #188708.
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