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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Why The Victims Of The Brussels Attacks Deserve Our Attention, Not The Attackers
By Christine Suhan
As the names of the victims from yesterday's Brussels attacks are slowly released, I can't help but remember all of the reasons I fell in love with Brussels so much in the first place. I lived there for a short time more than a decade ago and it was, as I remember, a wonderfully diverse city. Ten years ago, Brussels was, for me, a city saturated with character, and I always felt like that very diversity brought Brussels beautifully to life. I can only hope that amidst such devastating tragedy, it will be the thread that holds this magnificent city, its people, and the world together.
We've all seen the images of the city, of the victims, of the three alleged suspects who left the world speechless on March 22. I found it hard to look at the graphic images, but equally as hard to look away. It's easy when something as devastating as the Brussels attacks happens to focus on the horror, the destruction, and the people responsible. Human nature drives us to seek answers, especially in the midst of tragedy, when uncertainty weaves its way through us. We cling to understanding and logic as we try to make sense out of an event that couldn't possibly make sense. It's natural for our brains to take over; it's our survival instinct. But we should shift our attention from our brains to our hearts and step away from our inherent desire to understand the motives behind the attackers. We should turn, instead, toward the remembering the Brussels victims.
KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images
When tragedy happens, whether on a personal or global scale, it's much easier for me to turn my attention toward the efforts to seek justice. I let my anger build up a wall between me and my surroundings, and often, that frustration keeps me hidden firmly behind it. But focusing on justice and seeking out information about the attackers only perpetuates the terror they're trying to circulate. It's what they want. They want fear to rip our humanity apart. They want anger to shred through our hands as we hold one another tightly. They want to create division in a world working effortlessly toward connection.
And we should do everything to stop them.
That's how I remember Brussels: a city full of strangers who'd do anything to help one another.
I remember the first time I took the train into Brussels from my home just outside the city. I was 18 years old, horrible with directions, insecure, and scared to death of forgetting my way from the metro station to my new school. I'd made the trip a few times before with my parents and once with a new friend, but this was my first solo ride. Inevitably, I got lost. I stepped outside of the train station and went the wrong way. Everything looked different than it had the previous times, and as I found myself walking further and further away from the station, I began to feel scared. I sat down on a tree stump and began to cry.
A stranger walked over and sat down next to me. I was nervous and hyper vigilant from a past trauma (I was attacked in Buenos Aires when I was 15), but when the man realized he was speaking to me in a language I didn't recognize, he switched to English. He wanted to help me. He didn't know where my school was, but he stopped another stranger to ask for her help. Then he stopped another. And another. In the end, it took five strangers to get us where I needed to be, but that first man stayed with me the entire time. Five perfect strangers who came together to help me find my way that day. That's how I remember Brussels: a city full of strangers who'd do anything to help one another.
I don't know if there is a perfect way to end terrorism. I don't have any immediate solutions. I am just one person. But I know that terrorists want us all to focus on them and their actions. They want to break us apart, build walls between nations, breed fear in place of peace. So let's not let them.
I've visited several countries since leaving Belgium more than 10 years ago, but none have filled my heart with as much love as it did. I miss the laughter. Every restaurant, every bar, and every street corner were always filled with it. Walking through Brussels felt like listening to the choruses of 20 different radio stations, all playing the same song.
When I lived in Brussels, I was a stranger. Yet the people who lived there saw me. They didn't treat me as other or ignore me in my time of need. Instead, they came straight to me. They helped me.
Three alleged terrorists made a terrifying attempt to silence that laughter yesterday, but the voices of the survivors, the families who lost loved ones, and the world were louder in response. Though it is repeated, time and time again, after every tragedy, it's still true: the voices of hope and compassion and camaraderie are louder than any bomb, any explosion, any threat of terror. And though I know it doesn't mend the hearts in mourning, I hope that it does comfort them.
When I lived in Brussels, I was a stranger. Yet the people who lived there saw me. They didn't treat me as other or ignore me in my time of need. Instead, they came straight to me. They helped me. I hope that in the aftermath of the devastating attacks, we can offer them the same kind of humanity. I hope we can let them know, in both big ways and small, that we see them. That we want to help them. That we will run, not walk, straight to them in their time of need. And I know that by focusing on the victims, and by letting their stories sing louder and longer than any terrorist video, we can whittle down the shriek of terror to a murmur. We can take from them the very thing they want: a voice.
I don't know if there is a perfect way to end terrorism. I don't have any immediate solutions. I am just one person. But I know that terrorists want us all to focus on them and their actions. They want to break us apart, build walls between nations, breed fear in place of peace. So let's not let them. If we shift our focus to the victims and their families and offer each other love, compassion, kindness, and empathy, we can show the faces of terror that we're making an investment to protect humanity. In the coming days and weeks, instead of turning up the volume when a new report about the alleged suspects is made available, I am going to remember the names of the victims in the Brussels attacks, like Adelma Tapia Ruiz, a 37-year-old mother of 4-year-old twin girls; and Olivier Delespesse; and Léopold Hecht, a 20-year-old law student who had a whole life to look forward to. I'll repeat their names and offer their families my love, long before I ever stop to wonder about the names of their alleged killers.


Texans have been on the hunt looking for an elusive new, limited edition ice cream flavor from our favorite Lone Star creamery.
Everyone loves the month of February! January is finally over and one of the best holidays of the year is finally here! No, not the terrible Valentine's Day but Mardi Gras! The holiday has many amazing things including colorful beads, great music, elaborate masks and costumes and don't forget the delicious King cake! The delicious traditional dessert is a favorite among many in not only New Orleans, but with many who celebrate Fat Tuesday. So many Texans were excited when they saw that Blue Bell would be releasing a limited edition Mardi Gras King Cake flavor ice cream to celebrate the season.
But hearts all over the Lone Star state broke when they rushed to their local grocer to grab their own container of the limited edition tasty treat. They couldn't find it! According to Blue Bell, the Mardi Gras King Cake ice cream flavor is only available in Louisiana, and small parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. Many Blue Bell fans have now been on the hunt for the elusive ice cream flavor and they are reporting sites of the ice cream in various parts of Alabama like mobile and Texas including Brenham. Their Twitter has now been busy sifting through questions asking where it's available so fans can find it. They may be better off just putting on their website where it's located so they can stop responding the all the questions.
My question is, is there a little plastic baby in the ice cream tub?


The C137 is a compact combined machine which features two barrels; one vertical above (the heater) and one horizontal (the batch freezer). This technologically advanced model allows the operator to produce a wide range of desserts; ice cream, gelato, sorbet, granita, custard, syrups and much more all with a single machine.
Load per cycle – 2.5 to 8 Kg liquid base mix.
Hourly production – 40 to 45 Kg, approximately five to six batches per hour.
Freezing cylinder – High production flexibility from 2.5 Kg up to 8 Kg of liquid mix, the automatic control manages the freezing cycle in relation to the type and quantity of mix. Highly efficient freezing cylinder with direct expansion gas technology and steel beater with removable flexible scrapers. (Output volume, freezing time and percentage of overrun will vary depending on the type of product and ingredients used).
Two-speed beater – The beater has two speeds; standard for production and high speed for extraction with 'extra chill' option during the ejection to maintain the best product consistency.


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DeSantis calls systemic racism 'a bunch of horse manure'
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blasted the concept of systemic racism in a Friday town hall with Fox News. He called the idea "horse manure" and said America has more opportunities than any other country.
"Well it's a bunch of horse manure," DeSantis said, "I mean, give me a break. This country has had more opportunity for more people than any country in the history of the world and it doesn't matter where you trace your ancestry from. We've had people who have been able to succeed and all."
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) calls the idea of systemic racism "a bunch of horse manure."
"Give me a break … It's a very harmful ideology, and I would say really a race-based version of a Marxist-type ideology." pic.twitter.com/xcTuLmZtoE
— The Recount (@therecount) April 30, 2021
The governor tore into Critical Race Theory and questioned how a society can stand if the people subscribe to that line of thinking.
"And here's the problem with things like critical race theory that they're peddling," DeSantis said. "They're basically saying that all our institutions are bankrupt, and they're illegitimate, okay so how do you have a society if everything in your society is illegitimate."
https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1388475275101581315?s=20
DeSantis had led the fight against this growing ideology, having banned it a month ago in his state.
"So it's a very harmful ideology and I would say really a race-based version of a Marxist-type ideology," he said. "So we've banned it in our schools here in Florida, and we're not going to put any tax dollars to critical race theory. And we want to treat people as individuals and not as members of groups."
Related Topics:critical race theorydesantisfloridaGovernorRon DeSantis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Do you ever worry about whether you're doing things right? Worry about the next assignment or deployment? Worry about family, worry about finances?
I found myself worrying last night, and this is what I read.
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
See, Jesus identified the source of the disciples' fear in that storm. They needed more faith. The Romans passage tells us where faith comes from. There's not a mystical supply somewhere. I don't see faith coming simply by praying long prayers to God. God tells us faith comes from the Word of God, the Bible.
When I find myself worrying too much, I know one problem is that I'm not reading or thinking about God's Word. Maybe I'm reading it, but forgetting it throughout the day. Maybe I'm not reading it enough. Maybe I'm stuck on Deuteronomy and need to read something else for awhile. Regardless, I have indeed found that taking my medicine means I need to spend more time reading and thinking about God and His Word.
What a great reminder…we must discipline ourselves to stay in the word, which is often the first thing to go when we get under stress.
Deuteronomy is cool. The book lets us know where our hope is and where our life is. I think that parents especially need to read Scripture relationally, rather than devotionally or in a data-gathering mode. Children defy attempts to put life into organized boxes. Like us, they are relational creatures. What impacts them the most is the quality of our relationship with them. It does not matter how close we "feel" to God (devotional reading) or in one sense, how much we know about the content of Scripture (data-gathering mode). What matters is the passing on the vibrancy of our relationship with Christ in the context of our relationship with our children. These two passages in Deuteronomy show this relational quality.
8:3-5 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
Raising children is not something that can be pushed aside when we think we need a break. Children, especially young ones, are constantly in need of relational interaction. Developmental ed. psych. misses this one. Children are in need of relational, non-concrete, nourishment. This is why parents must have this relational interaction with God's word. As parents are actively interacting with God relationally in front of their children, they are able to pass this peace (Phil.4) along to their children. You know that God will sustain you even if this is 5th diaper change in the last 30 minutes. Therefore, you are not overwhelmed by the demands of the moment. If you are not overwhelmed then there is less upset being transmitted to your children. Children know when mommy is on the edge of overload and this is relationally transmitted. A mother's life with her young children may at times "feel" like the storm in Matthew 8. However, Christ is there. The storm is no accident to him. He has the bread of life to give to you. You know with certainty that these children are a blessing given to you by God to engage in one of the most wonderful callings of life – leading your children to Christ.
As you are fed by God and his word it stays with you. How your children comprehend that is not something that can be easily quantified. If thoughts of God are tied to a series of data and emotions that were left behind in "quiet time" they will do little to help with children who seemingly woke up with the intent of making your day a disaster. But, if a mother is able to recognize that these children at this moment are acting in a way to cause her to turn to God for strength to do what she can not do on her own then she can know peace in the midst of the storm.
Great post. Lately I've been very anxious about things in the future and have to remind myself that God is in control.
You are right, and your post is comforting and challenging at the same time. Thank you. Shelley, you are right that God's Word seems to get left out when we need it the most. Thank you for your thoughts as well.
On the side note, I guess what's been frustrating me about Deuteronomy is that I am looking to learn about who God is, and I get more questions. I grabbed a few commentaries on Deuteronomy from my Dad's house when I was there last, but I still get overwhelmed with what I don't understand. I guess my husband and I are due for a date so we can talk about these things.
we'll babysit while you go on a date!


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Speech – Keynote at the World Zoroastrian Congress
by Jack Tindale
On the 27th December, Lord Bilimoria gave the opening keynote address to the World Zoroastrian Congress – held in Mumbai, India.
Under the title, "The Everlasting Flame of Zoroastrian Identity: An Unbroken Thread of Achievement from Cyrus the Great to Today," Lord Bilimoria set out a narrative of Zoroastrianism in world history, ranging from the achievements of the largest of the ancient empires – which at its peak included for virtually half of the world's population at the time – to today, one of the world's smallest communities. Lord Bilimoria noted that from the Achaemenid Empire, to the British Raj, to modern India – Zoroastrians have been at the forefront of virtually every field they have put their hand to, wherever they have settled.
Vada Dasturji, it is a privilege to be speaking here today, to all of you present at the 2013 World Zoroastrian Congress on the subject of "The Everlasting Flame of Zoroastrian Identity: The Unbroken Thread of Achievement from Cyrus the Great to Today."
Let me begin by saying that there is much to be said for the concept of a religion that is founded by a prophet speaking of the eternal truth.
In many respects, history is comprised of threads that bind memories of the distant past with the present day. What connects modern aspects of faith with the religion of Cyrus the Great and Xerxes? The British Empire is the largest Empire the world has ever known, however, in 480 BCE, it is estimated that 50 million people lived in the Achaemenid Empire – approximately 44% of the world's population at the time. This figure would make the Persian Empire the largest ever in world history in terms of the percentage of the world's population at the time.
We look at Cyrus as "Cyrus the Great", the harbinger of one of the greatest Empires of the Ancient World. He is best known for two things. The first is the Cyrus Cylinder, perhaps the first recognisable modern legal instrument. In the United Kingdom, we consider the vital role of Magna Carta. When giving tours of the Houses of Parliament, I always like to point out the facsimile of the document – which is in the 'Content' Voting Lobby of the House of Lords. In terms of European history, it is very august, having been sealed in 1215, in fact, I spoke in a debate in the House of Lords recently on the forthcoming 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in just over a year's time!
People rightly consider Magna Carta to be first Bill of Rights. It sets out clear powers and authority of the Barons over the King, as well as serving a vital role in the establishment of the House of Lords and thereafter the House of Commons, a parliament free of the direct control of the monarch. However, although the British are very proud of Magna Carta, it is juvenile compared to the Cyrus Cylinder, the declaration found in the ruins of ancient Babylon that sets out the great deeds and genealogy of Emperor Cyrus the Great.
Created in around the year 530BCE, the cylinder notes the most important aspects of Cyrus' great humility and tolerance, which form vital aspects of the entire tradition of the Zoroastrian faith. This is especially true when one considers the role that Cyrus played – not just in the protection – but also in the active promotion of many different religions and faiths that flourished in the Persian Empire during this time. It cites his building projects in territories that he had conquered;
"I rebuilt sanctuaries and chapels that lay in ruins. The deities of Sumer and Akkad that Nabonidus had, to the fury of the people, brought to Shuanna, I returned unharmed to their rightful sanctuaries. I have returned all the deities to their sanctuaries and restored their temples.
It is rightly seen as a major artefact for world history, representing the first detailed look at statecraft within a multi-ethnic society. There is a direct link between the protection and patronage of the Zoroastrian community under Cyrus, as well as the role that they enjoy in India, the United Kingdom and around the world today.
Secondly, Cyrus is also well known for his magnanimity – a specific example being that concerned with the refuge he gave to the Jews in Egypt. The Old Testament and the Torah both note this, as shown in the passage from the Book of Ezra;
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which [is] in Judah. [Ezra 1:2]
It is important to note that neither Cyrus, nor the magi priests in his court who acted as advisors, sought to convert the people of the conquered lands to the Zoroastrian faith. As a figure, Cyrus was determined to ensure that the territories that he conquered, often lands that had been under the domination of other empires, had their traditional forms of worship and religious practices restored to the people who lived there.
Babylonians and Jews alike considered Cyrus as being on a mission from their individual concept of God. His ecumenical approach remains one that is difficult to fit into the historical paradigm. By the standards of the day, Cyrus and his fellow Persian monarchs were almost unique in the way in which they practiced one faith, whilst accepting the right of subjects and client states to practice another. To the present day, Zoroastrianism actively sets out to ensure that all individuals have a right to follow their ancestral faith, given that belief is a fundamental part of a person's heritage and spirit.
If we continue the thread of history onwards, let us next consider the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar, who came to power well after the decline of the Zoroastrian religion saw the Parsi community forced to seek safety in India. Like Cyrus, Akbar was known by the epitaph of "the Great" and was also known for his great magnanimity and tolerance towards all religions. Akbar was beloved both during his rule and in the centuries afterwards and his religious tolerance formed a major aspect of this tradition. Indeed. In 1580 CE, he affected to establish the Din-I Illahi, (Religion of God) which was an attempt to synthesise aspects of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism into a single faith that would reconcile the in-fighting groups within his Empire.
Now, if one wishes to reflect upon the legacy of Zoroastrianism, let us consider the religion of the great ancient Western Empires. The Greeks and Romans are seen as the founders of European Culture, but their Polytheistic beliefs have died out. The Catholic Romans and Orthodox Greeks of today do not have the same thread of history going through them. Although Zoroastrianism was suppressed in Iran, it still exists there and in a diaspora ranging from India to the United Kingdom to the United States. There is an historic, unbroken link between the religion of the ancient Persians and the community that I am proud to be a part of today.
The Zoroastrian community around the world, though scattered, has survived away from its ancient homeland, yet still holds such a strong historical link and thread to the past that is arguably unsurpassed in world history.
I would like to stress that when I talk about Zoroastrian Parsis, I also include Zoroastrian Iranis.
The legend of the Milk and Sugar is apocryphal, but it retains a great historic basis. The Parsi Community has survived by preserving a racial connection through the Paternal Line in India and also by a strict preservation of the religion. This is thanks to a mutual understanding. There was a tolerance of the Indian Kings, but also the direct role that the Parsis played by not practicing an evangelising religion. They were not considered a threat to the established order.
Although the Parsis largely remained out of the historical narrative from their arrival in India over a thousand year ago, they only really adopted a prominent role after the arrival of the British. Their emergence and success with the British comes from a number of factors.
Firstly, there is the religious role of Zoroastrianism on the development of their cultural, economic and social behaviour. We must consider the position of the Gathas on this. Not least one of the great defining characteristics of the vital role that great deeds and hard work play in life. I am particularly struck by this one;
By Thy perfect Intelligence, O Mazda
Thou didst first create us having bodies and spiritual consciences,
And by Thy Thought gave ourselves the power of thought, word, and deed.
Thus leaving us free to choose our faith at our own will.
Ahunuvaiti Gatha;
Yasna 31, 11.
I have come here from South Africa. On Monday 9th December I was one of the few Peers privileged to speak in the tributes to Nelson Mandela in the House of Lords. When imprisoned on Robben Island – Mandela often recited the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley to his fellow prisoners. The poem concludes:
When we compare Zoroastrianism to the more recent Abrahamic faiths, Catholicism and Anglicanism – for example – both place great emphasis on the forgiveness of sins. In the Book of Common Prayer, even the Lord's Prayer implores God to "Forgive our Trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." There is a more positive attitude in Zoroastrianism. Obviously, forgiveness of sins is an essential component of other Monotheistic religions and they have evolved, but in the pure form, Zoroastrianism remains almost unique in the role that we place upon achievement in this life, as well as preparing ourselves for judgement in the next.
My wife Heather and I have just celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary. I proposed to her in Athens, Greece on the Acropolis, in front of the Parthenon. We went back to Athens to celebrate our anniversary last month. To go back to the concept of "threads", is it also not incredible that when we talk about Western philosophy and political thought, we still revert back to the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle? Why shouldn't we do the same with religion? Just as there is the school of thought that says that philosophers in the West can be called either a Platoist or an Aristotelian, can we not argue that modern religion and their practices should not be seen as a reflection of the words of Zoroaster? We must consider the vital nature of what he encouraged, not least his promotion of achieving greatness in life and nurturing the environment.
Yasna 47.1 mentions;
"Through a virtuous spirit and the best thinking, through both the action and the word befitting truth, they shall grant completeness and immortality to Him."
The same Gatha talks of these so-called "divine sparks" which are as follows;
Vohu Manah, – "Good Purpose"
Asa Vahista – Best Truth/Righteousness"
Xsathra Vairya – "Desirable Dominion"
Spanta Armaiti -"Holy Devotion"
Haurvatat -"Wholeness"
Amaratat – "Immortality"
As Zoroastrians, we were all brought up to learn our prayers by heart, but not understand their meaning. I only gained a proper understanding of our prayers when Kathleen Raine – the famous poet and close friend of the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles – presented me with a book by her very close friend, Piloo Nanavaty-Jungalwalla, called "The Gathas of Zarathustra."
So many Zoroastrians have lived their entire lives reciting by rote and listening to prayers without understanding a word of the dead languages that the Gathas were originally written in, and yet the practices and entrenched behaviours have led to their community becoming one of massive achievers and a tradition of serving the wider community. One could argue that this concept of being part of a wider social entity in India could have arisen out of necessity – given the Parsis having to find a safe haven after their persecution in Persia – but I believe that it predominantly comes from their inherent religious beliefs and practices. The threads of history continue to demonstrate this. Cyrus was magnanimous when he didn't have to be and later, Zoroastrians were allowed to flourish under the Mughal Emperors and the British Raj by the same aspect of tolerance.
I was with Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu last week in Cape Town – when I asked him what was most special about Nelson Mandela, he replied by saying how he was magnanimous. Mandela was the embodiment of the African concept of the world 'Ubuntu.' Nelson Mandela said that Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. He used the term in a speech and said, "the question therefore is: are you going to do so to enrich yourself in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?" Ubuntu is about human nature, it is about humility, it is about human kindness and it is about community. The Parsis demonstrate this so well.
Of course, Nelson Mandela was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi , who had a great influence on Mandela. Gandhi famously said, "In numbers Parsis are beneath contempt, but in contribution, beyond compare." Parsis have always been renowned for their magnanimity.
When I was appointed, ten years ago, as the first person of Indian origin to be the UK Co-Chair of the Indo-British Partnership, now the UK-India Business Council, the Indian Co-Chair was Narayana Murthy of Infosys and the first thing he said to me when we met was "I have never met a bad Parsi"!
Most importantly, Parsis are seen as people who are trusted – this comes back from the founding origins of their faith. Parsis are respected by others – they have flourished and have continued to do so in India and the UK. Britain's secular and multicultural nature has been a traditional source of sanctuary for persecuted people for centuries, starting since the time of the French Huguenots. Today, the United Kingdom allows people of all religion – not just Zoroastrians – to succeed. The Zoroastrian Trusts Funds of Europe, of which I am proud to be Patron, was founded in 1861, making it the first and the oldest of the Asian Faith-Based Organisations in the UK. Dadabhai Naoroji was a founding member and Mahatma Gandhi used to attend its events in the late 19th Century.
In mark of that, I would now like to thank everyone at the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) – but especially Malcolm Deboo, Dorab Mistry and Rusi Dalal, all of whom have done so much for the Zoroastrian community this year, and indeed, every year! Also a thank you to so many; my cousin Sherry Cama and the amazing work done by her at Parzor, the organisers of this conference and the BPP, as well as all the sponsors of this conference, especially Cyrus Poonawalla and Nadir Godrej and the Godrej family as well as Maneck Davar and Homai Modi for all their hard work.
Last year, I was very proud to have led the first debate on Zoroastrianism in the House of Lords on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the ZTFE.
Next year we commemorate the centenary of the First World War – my grandmother, Rati Bilimoria, who is 99 years old says she is a war baby, as she was born after the start of WW1 in 1914. Last November, for the first time in history, given the Zoroastrian community's important contributions to the armed forces over the years, I represented the Zoroastrian community at the Remembrance Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen.
This year the ZTFE, with the help of sponsors like Cyrus Poonawala and the Tatas, helped the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London stage the wonderful Everlasting Flame exhibition which had record turnouts. Full credit to the amazing curators who included Pheroza Godrej, Firoza Punthakey Mistree, Sarah Stewart and Almut Hintze.
However, tolerance has not always been ubiquitous. For example in British India, there is the example of the discrimination that Jamsetji Tata found while establishing the vast conglomerate that takes his family name. When he was not allowed to enter a leading hotel in India because he was a native, he then decided to build the Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay, which eventually opened in 1903, to become the best hotel in India and today, it is one of the best hotels in the world! When Dadabhai Naoroji – the first Indian to sit in the House of Commons in 1892 – first decided to contest a seat in parliament, he found himself being attacked from representatives of all parties because of his ethnicity and background. The Prime Minister at the time, the Marquess of Salisbury, said,
"However great the progress of mankind has been, and however far we have advanced in overcoming prejudices, I doubt if we have yet got to the point where a British constituency will elect a black man to represent them."
Reports of the reaction to this speech were mixed, with some noting "laughter" and others "cries of shame." However, it was certainly controversial. Isn't it ironic that Naoroji was fairer in complexion than the notoriously ruddy-faced Salisbury was! The Prime Minister never apologised for the remark, although he would later invite Naoroji to become a member of the governing body of the Imperial Institute.
Despite these problems, Naoroji was eventually elected MP for Central Finsbury, by a narrow margin, gaining him the nick name, Narrrowmarginjee! In his maiden speech, he talks of his thanks at being elected,
"Central Finsbury has earned the everlasting gratitude of the millions of India, and has made itself famous in the history of the British Empire, by electing an Indian to represent it. Its name will never be forgotten by India. This event has strengthened the British power and the loyalty and attachment of India to it ten times more than the sending out of one hundred thousand European soldiers would have done. […] I thank you, Sir, for allowing me to say these few words and the House for so indulgently listening to me, and I hope that the connection between England and India – which forms five-sixths of the British Empire – may continue long with benefit to both countries."
Before I made my own maiden speech in the House of Lords, I referenced the Zoroastrian community and I also read Naroroji's maiden speech, which I keep every day on my desk in my House of Lords Office. In my speech I spoke about the Zoroastrian community when I became the first Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the Upper Chamber in 2006. Again, the thread of history connected me with Naroroji, with the Zoroastrian Parsi members of Akbar's court and the Zoroastrians at the time of Cyrus the Great. I noted the role played by this community – some people fail because of, others succeed in spite of – in spite of our tiny size, I am so proud of what our tiny community has achieved, not only in India but also by producing the first and only three Indian MPs in Britain before India's independence.
This year, I was proud to launch, for the first time in history, the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group in the British Parliament. There is no way that our first three Zoroastrian MPs Dadabbai Naoroji, Sir Mancherjee Bhownagiri and Shapoorji Sakhlatwala would have been allowed to do this a century ago!
When I was introduced to take my seat the House of Lords 7 1/2 years ago, a life appointment as an Independent Crossbench Peer, the House of Lords officials asked me if I would be happy to swear my oath in front of the whole House using the Bible; I said I didn't mind, but I asked why couldn't I use my own Zoroastrian prayer book – they said as I was the first Zoroastrian in history to sit in the House of Lords they didn't have a Zoroastrian prayer book; so I presented them with one given to me by our senior Dasturji in the UK, Rusi Bhedwar, and I am proud to say that today our Zoroastrian prayer book sits alongside the other prayer books, the Bible, the Old Testament, the Bhagvad Gita and the Koran in the despatch box in the chamber of the House of Lords every day forever on!
My great grandfather, DD Italia, came from the city of Hyderabad in India, where I was born. He was an entrepreneur and a Member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House in India, and he was a man in whose footsteps I am proud to follow in the Upper House of the UK, the House of Lords. I am also proud to have been inspired by his motto, "To aspire and achieve". My company, Cobra Beer, and I have adopted this as our vision and added, "To aspire and achieve against all odds, with integrity".
I am so proud that the Zoroastrian community has been able to succeed in such a rounded way, but also in such an impressive way – which beguiles our tiny size – we range from great industrialists like Jamsetji Tata to one of the modern world's most famous musicians, Freddie Mercury.
For example, we create great lawyers – a few years ago, both the Chief Justice of the Indian Supreme Court and Solicitor General were Zoroastrians. We can be great military leaders, my own father; Lt. General Faridoon Bilimoria was Commander-in-Chief of the Central Indian Army. Other Parsis have risen to the top in the Armed Forces, including my uncle, Lt. General Adi Setnha, who was Vice-Chief of the Indian Army and my relative, Admiral Jal Cursetji, who was the first Zoroastrian Parsi to be appointed Chief of the Indian Naval Staff. Air Chief Marshal Aspi Engineer served as the Chief of the Indian Air Staff, followed by Air Chief Marshal Falli Major. There was, of course, Field Marshal Manekshaw, who was Chief of the Indian Army. There were influential politicians, including Indira Gandhi's husband Feroze Gandhi and the prominent parliamentarian Minoo Masani. The Parsis have always been great philanthropists – I have already mentioned the Tata family; I have spoken about Cyrus the Great, we have our very own Cyrus the Great here today, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, one of the major sponsors of the Everlasting Flame Exhibition at SOAS and of this conference and we are of course very grateful to him, the Godrej family and the Pallonji Mistry family.
And of course, we have the Zartoshty Brothers, benefactors of SOAS and the Zoroastrian Centre in Harrow, London, whose amazing benefaction is legendary and inspirational.
Dr Homi J. Bhabha, the founder of the Indian nuclear power industry, was a Zoroastrian Parsi. HMS Trincomalee, which was launched in 1817 and remains afloat in Hartlepool, was built by the Wadia Group, a Zoroastrian Parsi family of shipbuilders. I remember being taken on board the vessel as a young boy by my great aunt, Sheroo Wadia. And of course, Farokh Engineer remains the greatest wicketkeeper batsmen of all time. I was in touch with him before the Congress and he has conveyed his best wishes to all of you here today.
None of our achievements would have been possible without the opportunities this wonderful country, India, has given to us.
Indeed, I could go on and on about Zoroastrians reaching the top and excelling in just about every field. In my own experience, it is not purely because of encouragement from the family, but because we are part of an entire community of achievers. Zoroastrian Parsis are fortunate in that we are constantly inspired by being part of an exceptional community. I would go so far as to say that 'the Zoroastrian Parsis are the most successful community in the world in terms of per capita of achievement'!
My great-grandfather was a major inspiration to me, as was my father, a senior army officer, but I have also received, by a sort of cultural osmosis, inspiration from our ancient history. There is a certain irony that all this goes back in an unbroken thread from a community that was almost destroyed to one that remains tiny even to this day. Parsis are the smallest recognised religious group in the United Kingdom of under 6,000 people out of a population of over 60 million, but we retain a sense of pride in our achievements, even to the present day. In India, we are just 69,000 out on 1.2 billion people!
My friend, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Amartya Sen has written at great length about identity. He believes that we have multiple identities. In my case, I am proud to be an Indian; I am proud to be an Asian living in Britain; I am proud to be British and I am very proud to be a Zoroastrian Parsi.
Parsis in India are proud to be Indians as well as being Zoroastrians.
Adam Grant, Professor of Management at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, has recently authored a book entitled – "Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success." Professor Grant says that there are three types of people in the world – givers, takers and matchers. Although he finds that the majority of givers don't exceed the accomplishments of takers and matchers, he concludes that even if givers don't always get the same outcome, when they do rise, they make friends, rather than enemies. When I read that, I immediately thought of the Zoroastrian Community.
To me, the Zoroastrian community is the living embodiment of the aspiration and achievement of this ancient religion – good values lead to the everlasting flame of the Zoroastrian community. It is a wonderful combination of identity and pride. In October 2010, Rowan Williams became the first ever Archbishop of Canterbury to visit the Zoroastrian Centre in Harrow. He responded to a speech I had made welcoming him. He said that, Lord Bilimoria has used the word integrity twice in his speech, and he then explained that integrity, the word itself, comes from the Latin word integer, integrum, meaning 'wholeness'. Integrity is the ability to hold your life together, not to let it be fragmented, broken up, with parts of it hidden and parts of it revealed, but rather to be able to stand in the light, in the truth without fear. You cannot practice integrity unless you are whole.
Many misuse the word, but the Zoroastrian community are a living embodiment of the term integrity. We have gained integrity through proper action and via a strong sense of heritage, identity and instinctive, un-arrogant humility and confidence, without hubris over the generations.
It is this aspect of us that represents the thread of history and the everlasting flame. I am the founder of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce in the UK. Our slogan is "Industry and Integrity." Asha and Righteousness are at the heart of all that we set out to achieve.
If you would allow me to use a business analogy – "Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right thing"; Zoroastrianism is about always doing the right thing.
To conclude, my favourite saying of Mahatma Gandhi's applies no better than to the Zoroastrian community. If I may paraphrase it;
"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits form your character, and your character determines your destiny."
From Cyrus the Great to today, our beliefs have determined our destiny. May the Zoroastrian Community worldwide, go from strength to strength, aspiring and achieving against all odds, always with integrity!
Embedded is a recording of Lord Bilimoria's speech.
Posted in: News, Speeches
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill Report Stage Day 6 – Second Contribution
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill Report Stage Day 6 – First Contribution
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill Report Stage Day 4 – Fourth Contribution
My Parliamentary Appearances
D-day: 75th Anniversary - <i>Motion to Take Note</i> | Lords debates 4 June, 2019
My Lords, the landings of allied forces on the Normandy coast on 6 June 1944—Operation Overlord—were […]
UK Foreign Policy in a Shifting World Order (International Relations Committee Report) - <i>Motion to Take Note</i> | Lords debates 21 May, 2019
My Lords, when I came to this country in the early 1980s as a 19 year-old student from India, Britai […]
Brexit: Common Security and Defence Policy Missions and Operations (European Union Committee Report) - <i>Motion to Take Note</i> | Lords debates 15 May, 2019
My Lords, the 26-page political declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship be […]
© Copyright 2019 - Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL


Childhood cancer survivor Katie Bunker, now a pediatric oncology nurse at Seattle Children's Hospital, will be participating this weekend in her second Obliteride, riding 50 miles as a member of Team Baldy Tops.
Getting dumped after diagnosis isn't the only plotline when it comes to love and cancer. Fred Hutch News Service talked to three couples who found romance despite disease. This Valentine's Day, we share their stories.


text:
Home NBA
Eric Thomas Is the Secret Weapon for Chris Paul and Other Elite Athletes
by Scott Jenkins on June 27, 2020
It is not easy for an athlete to excel at the top of their sport. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to not only make it as a professional but then become of the best in your league. No doubt, it helps to have people assisting you on your journey to the top.
One such person who is a "secret weapon" for some of the best athletes in the sports world is Eric Thomas, a life coach who has a tendency to squeeze even more greatness out of star athletes who are already at the top of their game.
Who is Eric Thomas?
RELATED: 30 for 30: ESPN's Best Football Episodes
Thomas is an unassuming motivational coach who works with some of the most successful athletes and celebrities in the entertainment world, according to a profile by GQ.
He calls himself the country's "number one" motivational speaker, but even if that's not true he is one of the best. Millions of people watch his YouTube videos, and his Instagram followers also number in seven digits. His clients include top executives for well-known brands, including Nike, AT&T, and Procter & Gamble.
But his biggest influences come through his uniquely close relationships with some of the world's biggest entertainment and sports stars. Unlike most people in his industry, Thomas doesn't try to sell people on shortcuts to success. Instead, he makes sure his clients know they will have to dig deep and grind hard to find success when working with him.
How he's become a top life coach
In his late-teen years, Thomas met a pastor who convinced him he had a gift for motivating people. When Thomas recalls that event, he seems to think that all of his charisma, intelligence, and drive emanates from his throat, the tool he uses to help others.
That may be true because it's his prowess as a speaker that helped him unlock his career, fame, influence, and fulfillment. He began his speaking career locally in Lansing, Michigan, where he was living at the time. He uploaded his first video to YouTube in 2008; it showed him telling students an anecdote about a near-drowning, which he believes revealed the secret to achievement.
The video didn't gain much traction until 2011, when a college football player stumbled onto it and sampled Thomas' audio for his own video. That first video now has more than 46 million views on YouTube, and Thomas has seen his career on the rise ever since then.
His notoriety came quickly after that, when former Panthers LB Thomas Davis got in touch with Thomas almost a decade ago, seeking Thomas' encouragement for the team. Word got out, and other NFL teams reached out to Thomas to speak to their players.
Athletes Eric Thomas has worked with
RELATED: Julian Edelman Headlines NFL's Most Underrated Stars
Chris Paul is just one of the notable athletes with whom Thomas has worked. They have been close for years, and Thomas often sends Paul voice memos with encouragement and prayers before he takes the court for games.
When Paul worked with Nike to create a new shoe last year, he had a pair decorated with some of Thomas' inspirational quotes. Thomas also works with the Pacers' Victor Oladipo. The pair met when Thomas spoke at a team retreat in Miami, and they quickly grew tight.
Oladipo said to GQ "once you build a relationship with him, it's everlasting." According to the NBA star, once Thomas "connects with you, he's with you." Just after the NBA suspended its season in March, Thomas participated in a Zoom chat with the Timberwolves to help their players think differently about the situation.
Some of the other athletes who Thomas counts among his group of friends are NBA players Isaiah Thomas and J.R. Smith, in addition to NFL stars Cam Newton, Kyle Van Noy, and Kenny Golladay.
Tags: NBA players NFL players


Greg Dixon is combining a love for traveling with a love for video to offer private sightseeing tours starting in the Vancouver area. A Lincoln Town Car is available through Rocket Town Car Service ( http://towncarservice.ca/ ) or Greg will drive parties of two or three in a Volkswagen Passat wagon. Greg can shoot video of your adventure to provide unlisted YouTube clips that you can share with friends and family.
Custom day tours could include UBC, Gastown, Lynn Canyon, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park, Horseshoe Bay, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Fraser Valley, Harrison Hotsprings, and any other sites in the Vancouver region. The special introductory rate is $300 for the day plus $15 GST.
Longer trips are also possible. Greg once went to Alberta and came back through Texas — all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. One way trips are also possible if you would like to continue further by plane, train, buss, or boat.
Contact Greg at gregdixon@sharedvisions.com for more information.


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La pasada de La Negrita o pasada de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, es una festividad tradicional religiosa católica de Costa Rica, que se celebra en la ciudad de Cartago el primer fin de semana de septiembre de cada año. Esta fiesta es parte de las celebraciones del 2 de agosto a la Virgen de los Ángeles, Patrona de Costa Rica. La festividad se da por el regreso de la imagen de la Virgen a la Basílica de los Ángeles, luego de permanecer un mes en la Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Carmen. La celebración data de 1782, cuando se realizó la primera pasada con motivo de su proclamación como Patrona de la ciudad de Cartago, en ese entonces capital del país.

La pasada se caracteriza por una procesión donde la imagen de la Virgen de los Ángeles, vestida de gala y en andas o en carroza, es transportada por los fieles de uno al otro templo. La festividad es particularmente colorida debido a que los vecinos adornan las calles por donde pasa la Virgen, destacándose especialmente las alfombras de colores hechas de flores, aserrín de colores y plástico reciclado (llamado también plástico obstruido), por un camino cercano a los cinco kilómetros. También se realizan actividades culturales, folclóricas, musicales y comerciales en la Plaza Mayor de la ciudad, que data de la época colonial, frente a las antiguas ruinas de la Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol.

Galería

Véase también

Virgen de los Ángeles
Iglesia católica en Costa Rica

Referencias

Iglesia católica en Costa Rica
Fiestas de Costa Rica

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Ukraine crisis: Putin says military force would be "last resort"
Mar 5, 2014, 1:33 am SGT
http://str.sg/Z3s4
MOSCOW (REUTERS) - President Vladimir Putin delivered a robust defence of Russia's actions in Crimea on Tuesday and said he would use force in Ukraine only as a last resort, easing market fears that East-West tension over the former Soviet republic could lead to war.
But tension remained high on the ground, with Russian forces firing warning shots in a confrontation with Ukrainian servicemen, and Russian navy ships were reported to have blockaded the strait separating the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula from Russia.
At his first news conference since the crisis began, Putin said Russia reserved the right to use all options to protect compatriots who were living in "terror" in Ukraine, but force was not needed for now.
His comments lifted Russian bonds and stock markets around the world after a panic sell-off on Monday.
Putin denied the Russian armed forces were directly engaged in the bloodless seizure of Crimea, saying the uniformed troops without national insignia were "local self-defence forces".
Western sanctions under consideration against Russia would be counter-productive, he warned. A senior U.S. official said Washington was ready to impose them in days rather than weeks.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made his first visit to Kiev since the overthrow of Russian-backed President Victor Yanukovich, describing the experience as "moving, distressing and inspiring".
Kerry laid flowers in Independence Square at a memorial to pro-Western protesters killed by police last month, met the country's interim leaders and announced a US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) economic package and technical assistance for the new government.
Putin said there had been an unconstitutional coup in Ukraine, and Yanukovich, who fled to Russia last week, was still the legitimate leader. No Ukrainian government elected under current circumstances, with "armed terrorists" in control, would be legitimate, he said.
Kerry dismissed the Russian leader's account of events, telling a news conference in Kiev: "Not a single piece of credible evidence supports these claims." He accused Moscow of invading Crimea in an act of aggression against Ukraine but said the United States was not seeking a confrontation and would prefer to see the situation managed through international institutions.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk told reporters in Kiev that the Ukrainian and Russian governments had begun consultations on the crisis "at the level of ministers". He gave no details.
The Feb 22 ousting of Yanukovich after months of street protests in Kiev and Russia's seizure of control in Crimea have prompted the most serious confrontation between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War.
Western governments have been alarmed at the possibility that Russia may also move into eastern and southern Ukraine, home to many Russian speakers, which Putin did not rule out.
"There can be only one assessment of what happened in Kiev, in Ukraine in general. This was an anti-constitutional coup and the armed seizure of power," he said, looking relaxed as he sat before a small group of reporters at his residence near Moscow.
"As for bringing in forces, for now there is no such need, but such a possibility exists," he said. "What could serve as a reason to use military force? It would naturally be the last resort, absolutely the last." Earlier on Tuesday, Putin ordered troops involved in a military exercise in western Russia, close to the border with Ukraine, back to their bases. He said armed men who had seized buildings and other facilities in Crimea were local groups.
But in a sign of the extreme fragility of the situation in Crimea, a Russian soldier fired three volleys of shots over the heads of Ukrainian servicemen who marched unarmed towards their aircraft at a military airfield surrounded by Russian troops at Belbek, near the port of Sevastopol.
After a standoff in which the two commanders shouted at each other and Russian soldiers levelled rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at the Ukrainians, the incident was defused and the Ukrainians dispersed. No one was hurt.
The Ukrainian border guard service said Russian navy ships had blocked both ends of the Kerch Strait between Crimea and Russia, but Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said the 4.5km wide waterway was still open for civilian shipping.
REBOUND Russian dollar bond markets rebounded on Tuesday, encouraged by Putin's comments.
Russia had paid a heavy financial price on Monday for its military intervention in Ukraine, with nearly US$60 billion wiped off the value of Russian firms on the Moscow stock market.
Despite Putin's more conciliatory comments, Russia has shown few signs of de-escalating its conflict with Ukraine so far, NATO said on Tuesday as its members held emergency talks on the crisis. Other incidents showed tensions remained high.
Turkey on Monday scrambled eight F-16 fighter jets after a Russian surveillance plane flew along its Black Sea coast, the military said.
Kerry's visit to Kiev came as Washington and its Western allies step up pressure on Moscow to withdraw its troops from Crimea or face economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
A senior U.S. administration official said Washington would work with Congress to approve US$1 billion in loan guarantees to help lessen the impact on Ukrainians of proposed energy subsidy cuts.
In further pressure on Kiev, Russia's top gas producer Gazprom said it would remove a discount on gas prices for Ukraine from April.
Putin secured parliamentary backing at the weekend to invade Ukraine if necessary to protect Russian interests and citizens after Yanukovich's downfall. Russia's Black Sea Fleet has a base in Crimea, a peninsula that has an ethnic Russian majority.
The exercises in central and western Russia, which began last week and raised fears that Russia might send forces into Russian-speaking regions of east Ukraine, ended on schedule.
The announcement that troops and their headquarters were returning to barracks sent a more conciliatory message than much of the rhetoric from Russian officials.
Putin is dismayed that the new leadership in Ukraine, the cradle of Russian civilisation, has plotted a course towards the European Union and away from what had been Moscow's sphere of influence during generations of Soviet Communist rule.
Ukraine said observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a pan-European security body, would travel at its invitation to Crimea in an attempt to defuse the military standoff there.


text:
namespace RosettaStone
{
//! \brief An enumerator for identifying trigger type.
enum class TriggerType
{
    NONE,          //!< The effect has nothing.
    TURN_START,    //!< The effect will be triggered at the start of turn.
    TURN_END,      //!< The effect will be triggered at the end of turn.
    PLAY_CARD,     //!< The effect will be triggered when a player plays a card.
    CAST_SPELL,    //!< The effect will be triggered when a player plays a Spell
                   //!< card.
    AFTER_CAST,    //!< The effect will be triggered after a spell is played.
    HEAL,          //!< The effect will be triggered when characters are healed.
    ATTACK,        //!< The effect will be triggered when characters attack.
    AFTER_ATTACK,  //!< The effect will be triggered after an attack action is
                   //!< ended.
    SUMMON,     //!< The effect will be triggered whenever a minion is summoned.
    PREDAMAGE,  //!< Effect will be triggered when a character gets predamage.
                //!< This event happens just before the character is actually
                //!< damaged.
    TAKE_DAMAGE,  //!< The effect will be triggered when a spell or a character
                  //!< deals damages.
    TARGET  //!< The effect will be triggered when a card is targeted by an
            //!< attacking minion or a played card.
};

//! \brief An enumerator for identifying trigger source.
enum class TriggerSource
{
    NONE,
    SELF,
    HERO,
    ALL_MINIONS,
    MINIONS_EXCEPT_SELF,
    ENCHANTMENT_TARGET,
    FRIENDLY,
};

//! \brief An enumerator for identifying trigger activation.
enum class TriggerActivation
{
    PLAY,
    HAND,
    DECK,
    HAND_OR_PLAY
};

//! \brief An enumerator for identifying sequence type.
enum class SequenceType
{
    NONE,
    PLAY_CARD,
    PLAY_SPELL,
    TARGET
};
}  // namespace RosettaStone

#endif  // ROSETTASTONE_TRIGGER_ENUMS_HPP

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Adams-Obama and Jefferson-Trump
Posted by Don Marshall December 28, 2016 8:15 PM
I have been studying the writings of our Founding Fathers. Throughout the readings I have been reminded of what I learned many years ago, when I first read their writings rather than to accept what others, including the media and professors, have interpreted them to mean.
I have often debated that Article III of our Constitution does not give sole authority to determine constitutionality of a law to the U.S. Supreme Court. I am frequently told that I am incorrect; my faith in my beliefs continue to be strengthened in the writings of our Founding Fathers. Our Founding Fathers wrote a Constitution that provides protections to prevent any one branch of government from being the final arbiter of what is or is not constitutional. One of my favorite presidents, Andrew Jackson, understood this when he responded to Chief Justice John Marshall's order to force the State of Georgia to release Samuel Worcester for crimes he was convicted of in state court. President Jackson's response was simple; "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it."
There are a few things that we must remind ourselves of when we struggle with decisions that are made by the federal courts and executed by federal law enforcement through the use of funding established by the legislative branch. First, we must remember what Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter in his 1815 letter to W.H. Torrance, "The question whether the judges are invested with exclusive authority to decide on the constitutionality of a law has been heretofore a subject of consideration with me in the exercise of official duties. Certainly there is not a word in the Constitution which has given that power to them more than to the Executive or Legislative branches.". Thomas Jefferson's writings demonstrate his fear that the judicial branch would become more powerful than the founders intended and would eventually become a ruling elite. An inequality unchecked by the other two equal branches of government and as a result, a tyrannical branch of government in some instances. This fear can be seen in Jefferson's 1820 letter to William Jarvis, "To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy."
President Jefferson's fears of a tyrannical judiciary were not unfounded fears in his day, nor are they unfounded fears today. There is a significant difference between then and now. In the early years of our nation the Founding Fathers were able to write significantly about what the intentions of the phrasing our constitution was intended to mean. Their writings countered interpretations that twisted the true meaning of the document. Yet, even during a time when the Founding Fathers wrote to counter misinterpretations of our Constitution; it did not stop attempts by the Judicial branch to encroach on the authority of the executive and legislative branches. This is ever apparent in the 1803 case of Marbury v Madison, in which Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion creates the judicial review doctrine. What is often not taught in history about the Marbury v Madison case is it was John Marshall's duty as Secretary of State for President John Adams to deliver Marbury his commission prior to the expiration of President Adams term. Secretary Marshall failed to deliver several commissions created by the Federalist legislature in the "Midnight Session", to be appointed by President Adams, including Marbury's.
I understand why the Founding Fathers did not create a judiciary with sole authority to decide what is or is not constitutional. President Adams and the Federalist were thrown from the halls of power by the American people with the election of President Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican Party in the election of 1800. in one last attempt to prevent the will of the American people from being implemented, President Adams and the Federalist attempted to maintain power and control of the direction of the country through the courts. Chief Justice Marshall played a vital role in that plan. Although President Jefferson had the courage to stand up to Chief Justice Marshall and the Federalist who attempted to give themselves power over their equals, the precedent set in Marbury v Madison is still widely viewed as Constitutional power rather than a power granted to the judiciary by the judiciary.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court has become exactly what President Jefferson feared when he wrote "The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." The U.S. Supreme Court has become the branch of government that in some instances has placed us under the despotism of an oligarchy because the executive and the legislative branches have failed to stand up to the Supreme Court when it acts outside the scope of its exclusive powers granted in Article III of the Constitution.
President Obama has used executive orders in his final days as President in an attempt to tie the hands of President Elect Trump, just as President Adams attempted to do to President Jefferson with judicial appointments. I believe President Trump has that same courage President Jefferson had when he stood up to Chief Justice John Marshall and the Federalists' attempt to sabotage the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
Don Marshall
8th Justice Court
dmarshall@tangiconstable.com
James Stewart commented 2017-06-22 12:28:23 -0500
You are doing a great job with the litter abatement program. Litter leads to clogging the drainage system which leads to flooding houses and streets.


The last time I saw The Pixies was on my 19th birthday. Fast forward over the decades past a reunion of the original line up in 2004, and the addition of bassist Paz Lenchantin in 2013, to Sunday night when I set myself a new record for the longest time between seeing a band...26 years!
Liverpool's The Wombats opened on an off night from The Pixies co-headlining tour with Weezer.


text:
← Ten Years FT Deutschland. Part 2: China
Ten Years FT Deutschland. Part 4: India →
The Tiger Bar in Phuket was the last place where I would have seen myself on New Year's Eve 2004. It was filled with techno beats, smoke and drunken tourists, many with Thai girls sitting on their laps. It was life as usual at Patong Beach – except that it wasn't. The houses down the road had been swept away by the tsunami. Along the beach, silent groups of people gathered around fires commemorating the dead.
When the disaster hit on Boxing Day, we thought at first that we could rely on the Financial Times correspondents in Asia for our coverage. But we soon realized that up to 1000 German tourists were missing in Phuket. Somebody had to go, and I was the Asia editor. The regular flights had been cancelled, but I managed to get on a charter flight from Munich. My fellow travelers were rescue teams and their dogs as well as a few regular Germans who were looking for relatives.
One of them was Alexander Kühne who became the protagonist of my feature story. His niece had survived the disaster and called him from a hospital. Now he was on a mission to find his brother. He spent the next days visiting crowded hospitals and looking at notice boards with photos of bloated and distorted corpses. He searched for clues in the rubble at the beach and went to the Buddhist temples where volunteers piled up the dead bodies. When I met him again on New Year's Day, he had given up hope for his brother, but he was following one last clue that his sister-in-law might still be alive. It turned out that she wasn't.
Ready to join the WTO: Saigon
A natural disaster had been the reason for my first trip to Thailand, a political earthquake triggered the second. In November 2006, I flew to Bangkok in the aftermath of the military coup against the elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. On the same trip I also visited Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
In Vietnam I wrote a feature about the Communist country's upcoming accession to the WTO. Hanoi was about to host the Apec meeting for the first time, and the streets were decorated to greet the guests, among them U.S. President George W. Bush. Three decades after the Vietnam War, Americans were more welcome in Vietnam than in most other Asian countries. I wrote a story about this with the title "The good American".
China and its influence were never far from view on my travels in South East Asia. On a trip to Malaysia in 2003, I witnessed the frictions between the economically successful ethnic Chinese and ethnic Malays whom the constitution grants preferential treatment.
Turtles for a long life: Washington SyCip
On the sidelines of a journalists.network trip to the Philippines in 2007, I wrote a profile about Washington SyCip. The agile senior (he was 85 years old back then) was one of the Taipans with Chinese roots whom many German companies relied on to do business in that country.
In all South Asian countries, I observed the struggle to overcome nepotism and corruption. Under its new President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia had made some progress. In the Philippines, a lot remained to be done. At the end of the journalists.network trip to Manila and Cebu, my fellow organizer Martina Merten and I added a week long vacation on the island of Palawan – where we learnt the most about politics in the Philippines.
The entire island was the empire of Edward Hagedorn, the mayor of its capital Puerto Princesa. The man with the German-sounding name had impressed foreign governments and media by introducing garbage separation and promoting eco-friendly tourism. The Hagedorns seemed to own everything on the island, including the vacation home we had rented with a pool overlooking the beach, a cook, a driver and a security guard.
The guard, who was also a fisherman and a gifted Elvis Presley impersonator, had previously worked as Hagedorn's personal security detail. Whenever he or his children got sick, the mayor pulled a few bills out of his pocket. Our guard's was a safe vote for Hagedorn in the upcoming local elections.
Mayor Hagedorn granted us an interview in Manila
Not that the people of Palawan had other options. We saw Hagedorn's grin and Latino style mustache on every house, our driver listened to a tape with songs praising the mayor. As we learnt later, there had once been a brief interregnum after another candidate had won the elections. But Hagedorn's people orchestrated a recall, and the Supreme Court later allowed him to be re-elected even though he had already served two terms. That was in 2001, and as far as I am aware, he has not been challenged since.
This entry was posted in The Five Asia Years and tagged FT Deutschland, Palawan, Philippines, Sabine Muscat, South East Asia, Thailand, Tsunami 2004, Vietnam. Bookmark the permalink.
2 Responses to Ten Years FT Deutschland. Part 3: South East Asia
Kathryn Ruud says:
What extraordinary events you have witnessed, Sabine. I appreciate the way you write in German, too – it is not overly fussy language, very clear and direct. And your stories take the reader "right there". And I am left wondering if Alexander ever was able to find his sister-in-law Barbara in the tsunami aftermath.
Sadly, he wasn't. I wrote a brief update about him for the print edition a year later, and since they just opened up our print archive yesterday, here it is. http://www.ftd.de/print-archiv/?artID=1024646&day=24&month=06&year=2005&pagenum=15&timeframe_all=false


And then you get to the tree top walk and what a view and experience. The crosswind will make you feel unsteady but it is a stable bridge although it can feel claustrophobic since it's narrower and only one-way traffic. But once you're in the middle of the bridge, it truly is awesome. Don't forget to take a panoramic shot. Speaking of panoramic shots, the Jelutong Tower is also worth a climb... The TreeTop walk is a 250 meter suspended pathway between the 2 highest points in MacRitchie, Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalan. At the TreeTop Walk's highest point, you'll be 25 meters above the ground - that's up to 7 storeys high!
Walk towards either end of the bridge and enter from there. Exploring Bukit Timah Rail Corridor Before I went exploring, I was so worried that the unused railway station and tracks would be already torn down and removed, with only trees and grass left, but my worries were unfounded.
The treetop walk is a suspension bridge spanning the height of the two tallest hills (Bukit Pierce and Bukit Kalang) in the MacRitchie Nature Reserve area. The unidirectional 250m suspension bridge is wide enough for a single person to move across it at any time and provides a different view of the green canopy that is the Nature Reserve.
Trail Length & Route � The distance to the entrance of the TreeTop Walk is approximately 6 km (1.5 � 2 hr walk) from MacRitchie Reservoir Park and 2.5 km (45 mins � 1 hr walk) from the car park at Venus Drive. A round trip including the TreeTop Walk is about 8 Km to 14 Km (3-5 hrs depending on your walking pace and from where you start).
How to get there �The TreeTop Walk is accessible from MacRitchie Reservoir Park via MacRitchie Nature Trail (indicated as Route 3 on map) or from Venus Drive, off Upper Thomson Road. The distance to the entrance of the TreeTop Walk is approximately 4.5 km (1.5 � 2 hour walk) from the reservoir park and 2.5 km (45 mins � 1 hr walk) from the carpark at Venus Drive.


text:
Q: Floating inside an absolute-positioned div, placed inside a relative positioned element I'm creating a pure-CSS hover dropdown menu, based on a very basic idea idea.
The HTML:

    Menu item 1

    This one has submenu

...

The CSS:
div.submenu {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
}
ul#top > li:hover div.submenu { display:block; }

As far as I know, this is the bare minimum to get the idea working.
The problem is I want the submenu to be multi-column, without actually using CSS3 multiple columns.
So I decided to break my submenu into multiple lists and have them float: left like this:

    Menu item 1

    This one has submenu

...

...

...

...and the CSS:
div.submenu ul { float:left; }

This worked well until the point when I got a pretty big submenu in the last main menu item, producing a result like this:

The problem is it is unacceptable to have the submenu fall outside the container. I decided to mark the second half of the main menu items as class="right", and align the submenu's right border to the parent item's right border.
li.right div.submenu { right: 0; }
/* this placed the submenu to the right of the entire page;
it needs a positioning context: */

ul#top li { position:relative; }

That last line causes the
's to stop floating and just get stacked on top of each other.

Is there a way to keep them floating without setting the
 to a fixed width?
Interactive demo: http://codepen.io/oli-g-sk/pen/ociet
Edit: if this helps somehow, it is allowed to set the submenu list items .submenu > ul > li to a fixed width. In fact I'm already doing it in the demo.

A: Try removing float:left from div.submenu ul and add these two rules:
div.submenu {
    white-space: nowrap;
}

div.submenu ul {
    /* float:left; <-- remove this */
    display: inline-block;
}

demo: http://codepen.io/anon/pen/ApxFd

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the 1.24.0-beta pre-release. Based on your suggestions, we fixed important bugs over the past few weeks, and we added many great new features as well.
This version of SCIRun/BioPSE contains a new PowerApp called "BioImage" for the processing and visualization of medical image volumes. With BioImage users can directly load a variety of native data formats (e.g. DICOM, Analyze, VFF, NRRD, PICT) and can apply processing algorithms to specify and enhance regions of interest within the volume (e.g. cropping, resampling, histogram equalization, median filtering, contrast / brightness). The BioImage visual interface allows users to interact with their data both in 2D "slice views" (powered by the new ViewSlices module), as well as in a full 3D "volume rendering view" (powered by our new high-performance volume rendering modules). Users can seamlessly move between the 2D and 3D views to precisely control how different features of their data are displayed, and to gain both quantitative and qualitative insights.
As always, our software is available for download from the SCI Software site.
For this release we have made source code available, as well as RPMs for Linux (Mandrake 9.x and RedHat 9.x), and a new binary distribution for Mac OSX 10.3. For information on installing SCIRun, please see the platform-specific Installation Guides on the SCIRun/BioPSE Documentation page.


text:
Every Business Politics
Former Niger Governor Abdulkadir Kure Dies at 60
ByLawrence Micheals
Jan 9, 2017 60, Adulkadir Kuremformer Governor, dies, featured, Niger State, PDP
A former governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure, is dead.
Kure died on Sunday in a German hospital at the age of 60.
The Chairman of People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger, Tanko Beji, confirmed the death of the former two-term governor of the state.
Reacting to Kure's death, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger described the death of Kure, as a great lost to the state and the country at large.
Bello siad: "I am very shocked but 'from Allah we come to him we shall all return'."
"I was with him about two weeks ago in Abuja where we discussed on how to ensure good democratic governance in our state," he said.
Represented by Jide Orintunsin, his Senior Special Assistant Media, Bello said that the state would continued to remember him for his giant developmental strides during his two terms in office.
Niger government has also declared a three-day mourning over the death of the former governor
Jonathan Vatsa, the state's Commissioner for Information, disclosed this in a statement in Minna on Sunday.
He further stated that all flags should be at half mast through out the state during the mourning period.
According to the Commissioner, Gov. Bello has also declared a work free day on the day of the burial of the former governor to enable citizens accord the departed leader a befitting burial and respect.
Vatsa expressed that the government will miss the wise counsel of the former governor, who despite political differences never fail to offer meaningful advice to the present government.
The intervention of the former governor during the recent labour crisis in the state was not only legendary but showed him as an elder stateman, whose main concern was for the good, progress and unity of the state.
"Engineer Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure remains a leader who, out of office showed concern for the development of our state."
The deceased became the governor of Niger from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007 under the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
He introduced Sharia Legal System in the state in May 2000.
Kure is survived by his wife and six children.
N5,000 Beneficiaries were Identified before Buhari's Inauguration – Presidency
NNPC Blames Airlines for Aviation Fuel Scarcity
By Lawrence Micheals
An incurable optimist, a writer, poet, a technopreneur in the making, a resource personnel, an event planner who is technically gifted and clinical when it matters.
Politics Uncategorized
Musings of the gods: The Nigerian Government and its people
Every Business Nigerian economy
Musings of the gods: Governor Wike


I'm getting a noise from my air pump. Air pump goes on in key position 2 and stays on when I start the car.I'm getting a P0410 code. I just changed the air pump with no difference. Changed ignition switch no help. Air pump relay was changed also.
I have never had to work on mine. If it's ground switched it may be the wire to the ECM rubbed against something and got contact to ground.
IT turned out to be the motor for the drivers side headlight wiper was stuck on. I started looking for a bad plug wire around that area. I took out the plug for the air pump and the noise stayed on.
Good news. So I will still have a P0410 code. I'll start on that next.
Ah, yes. well that happens to me all the time.


text:
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. Because the World Series is played in October, it is sometimes called the Fall Classic.
Until the formation of the American Association in 1882 as a second major league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871–75) and then the National League (founded 1876) represented the top level of organized baseball in the United States. All championships went to whoever had the best record at the end of the season, without a postseason series being played. Starting in 1884 and going through 1890, the National League and the American Association faced each other in a series of games at the end of the season to determine an overall champion. These matchups were disorganized in comparison to the modern Series: games played ranged from as few as three in 1884 to a high of 15 in 1887 (Detroit beat St. Louis 10 games to 5), and both the 1885 and 1890 Series ended in ties, each team having won three games with one tie game.
The series were promoted and referred to as "The Championship of the United States," "World's Championship Series," or "World's Series" for short.
The 19th-century competitions are, however, not officially recognized as part of World Series history by Major League Baseball, as the organization considers 19th-century baseball to be a prologue to the modern baseball era. Until about 1960, some sources treated the 19th-century Series on an equal basis with the post-19th-century series. After about 1930, however, many authorities list the start of the World Series in 1903 and discuss the earlier contests separately. (For example, the 1929 World Almanac and Book of Facts lists "Baseball's World Championships 1884–1928" in a single table, but the 1943 edition lists "Baseball World Championships–1903-1942".
Curt Gowdy on Joe DiMaggio's comeback at the '49 World Series
Al Michaels on reporting the earthquake during the 1989 World Series; on sports reporting being the same as news "you don't have to get it first, you have to get it right"
Dick Enberg on calling the 1982 World Series and his disappointment over not being NBC's lead announcer for the 1983 World Series
Bob Costas on Kirk Gibson hitting the home-run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series
Ted Turner on the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series in 1995
Curt Gowdy on covering 16 World Series
Stewart MacGregory on being unit manager for the 1966 World Series
Al Michaels on covering the 1972 World Series on NBC between the Oakland A's and the Cincinnati Reds
Don Ohlmeyer on the U.S. boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow
Executive Don Ohlmeyer on NBC's coverage of the 1997 World Series interfering with the launch of the Fall schedule
Herbert F. Solow on selling the World Series to Japan


text:
DTA dumps on blockchain, again
The Digital Transformation Agency only used a small amount of its allocated funding to investigate the use of blockchain to deliver government services, and will not produce a roadmap for the emerging technology after becoming less than enthused by its potential.
The DTA was handed $700,000 in the 2018-19 budget to research the benefits to government of using the blockchain following a personal request from former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
But DTA chief digital officer Peter Alexander told a senate estimates hearing on Monday night that the project was completed and only $200,000 of the money had been spent.
Peter Alexander: A lack of standardisation for blockchain remains an obstacle for government users
The funds were reallocated from within the DTA, so are now going towards the agency's other projects.
"Because that money came from an allocation within the DTA, that is just in our broader appropriation base, and is being used for other priorities across the organisation looking at emerging technologies, digital identity and other things we're doing," Mr Alexander said.
The majority of the DTA's work was done in collaboration with CSIRO's Data61, while it also worked to develop blockchain prototypes with the Department of Human Services and other agencies for delivering services.
After working on the project for less than six months, the DTA told a senate estimates hearing in October that blockchain is at the "top of a hype cycle", and that "for every use of blockchain that you would consider today there is a better technology".
It unveiled its advice to government in February this year, advising departments to focus on the actual problem rather than jumping to embrace new technologies like blockchain, saying it is a "solution looking for a problem" currently.
At senate estimates this week, Mr Alexander said the biggest issue holding back the use of blockchain by the government is in the lack of standardisation.
"The overwhelming and major concern with blockchain today is a lack of standardisation. A lot of companies are looking at blockchain technology without a standard," Mr Alexander said.
"For most government uses there are alternate technologies we would choose today that are more mature and more standardised," he said.
"We might choose the betamax version of blockchain when other organisations are using VHS, and then someone else will come along and use DVDs and Blu-Ray. In the end, all we want to do is watch a movie, and we've chosen an implementation that isn't going to interoperate with others."
The immutability of blockchain records and concerns over who holds the ultimate authority of them are also issues facing the use of the technology by the government, the DTA said.
The DTA also confirmed it would not develop a roadmap for blockchain.
"It's always the wrong way to go to have a roadmap for the technology – what we need to see is a roadmap for solving the problems of Australians and Australian businesses. We don't need a technology roadmap to say here's a series of technologies. We need to understand what they can do and engage with the public," Mr Alexander said.
"At the moment we have no funds set aside for a technology roadmap. We have funds for user journeys and understanding the needs of Australian people and businesses and the services government delivers to them."
Related: Blockchain | Digital Transformation Agency | DTA | Peter Alexander
Labor outlines NBN future plans
NEC Australia loses half its leadership
Redback cranks Aussie battery tech
Posted on 7 March 2016 | by James Riley
The Digital Transformation Agency only used a small amount of its allocated funding to investigate the use of blockchain to deliver government services, and will not produce a roadmap...
Govt 'stonewalls' release of Growth Centres report
Posted on 9 August 2021 | by Denham Sadler
Greg Hunt rings in policy changes
Posted on 21 August 2016 | by James Riley
Tech giants' sharp pushback on proposed competition reform


Home Decor Expo is presenting exhibition in Jamnagar City for Property, Real-estate, Residential, Commercial, Builders, Flats, Loan, Dream, House Architects, Interior Designers, Builders and Contractors.
Property & Home Decor Show presents a grand exhibition in Jamnagar in March 2018. Property & Home Decor Show 2018 in Jamnagar going to held for 5 days at Pradarshan Ground.
The Home Decor exhibition will showcase new latest products, recently used in market and available for decorating the home. Currently people are becoming very serious about their home decoration items. Latest home decor fashion and trend items will be available in the trade fair.
Here, you can find Property and Home Decor Show and Exhibition under one Roof. It offers a perfect platform for both International and local real estate markets to showcase their residential, commercial.


Glass Subway Tile Wood Bark 3x6 for kitchen backsplash, bathroom, shower, featured walls, fireplace surround, swimming pool, Jacuzzis, and spas. This wood-look mosaic tile is made of 100% recycled glass and it is mesh mounted on a 11.5-inch by 11.63-inch sheet for an easy installation. It has an elegant matte finish and bark wood look. This product is sold by the sheet and it is 5/16 of an inch thick. Order a sample today!


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In first-summer many show pure grey saddle against strongly bleached upperwing with almost whitish midwing-panel. Bill and legs sometimes grow yellower; bill-tip becomes pale from late winter, giving space for the black bill-ring. Common Gull normally has a complete black bill-tip in first-summer. Eye pale from one year of age.
ID pitfalls for first-years are small second-year Herring and American Herring with bill pattern similar to Ring-billed. In the large species, look for a grey mantle combined with much darker mottling or bars on coverts, broad white and irregular tertial-tips and more solid brown areas on the underwing-coverts. A combination of first-year-like wing pattern and pale eyes is frequent in Herring (in Ring-billed, first-year wing is always combined with dark eyes). Herring and American Herring are larger with a more sloping forehead, heavier bills (tips especially 'masculine' and bulbous-shaped), smaller eyes, longer legs and shorter wings with broader white primary edges and less wing projection beyond tail than in Ring-billed. Inner primaries often plain grey in second-year Herring Gull; in first-year Ring-billed there are dark spots near the tips of the inner primaries. If present, red traces on gonys confirm Herring.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle, April 18 2010, Boston, MA. Picture: David Sibley. Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle, April 18 2010, Boston, MA. Picture: David Sibley.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st PB moult, July 17 2008, Daytona Beach, FL. (Tore Grebberg). Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st PB moult, July 17 2008, Daytona Beach, FL. (Tore Grebberg).
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 2nd cycle, October 27 2010, Dallas, TX. (Wikipedia Commons). Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 2nd cycle, January 03 2012, Seward Park, Seattle (Amar Ayyash).
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 2nd cycle, March 01 2013, Canaveral National Seashore, FL. (Tammy Karr). Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 2nd cycle, March 01 2013, Canaveral National Seashore, FL. (Tammy Karr).
Second-winter similar to adult, but with darker outer wing, as primary coverts and alula are dark (pale grey in adult) and the white on the wing-tip is smaller, usually restricted to a small white mirror on P10 (second-year Common Gull has a larger mirror on P10 and often a small one on P9). Settled birds have a darker wing-tip, lacking the white tips of adults. Traces of a dark tail-bar are the rule; many also show scattered dark on secondaries, dark lesser covert bar and dark tips to some underwing-coverts. Such immature characters are much rarer in Common Gull nominate canus, but more frequent in eastern taxa and Mew Gull. Bill often three-toned with grey-green or fleshy base, black ring and paler tip. Some develop the adult bill. Eyes usually pale, but some have eyes predominantly dark until second spring. Legs greyish (not bright yellow as in adult).
Second-summer as second-winter before moult into adult plumage, but head white and bill as adult.
Third-winter/ summer as adult, but white mirror on P10 smaller and outer primary coverts with narrow dark markings.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 01 2013, Canaveral National Seashore, FL. Picture: Tammy Karr.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 18 2013, Miami beach, FL. Picture: Antonio Silveira.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 10 2014, Tinley Park, IL. Picture: Amar Ayyash.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 09 2014, Chicago, IL. Picture: Amar Ayyash.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 27 2008, Nags Head, North Carolina. Picture: Becky Gregory.
Ring-billed Gull delawarensis 1st cycle (2CY), March 19 2012, Las Vegas, NV. Picture: Mike Levine.


Goya captioned a drawing of a couple suspended in the air 'joy'—but the true meaning of the picture is not so certain.
From 1796 until he died, in 1828, Goya made eight albums of drawings. These are private works the artist created for his enjoyment and perhaps to show to members of his inner circle of family and friends. Like all his drawings, they must be kept in boxes to protect them from the damaging effects of light. So they are not so familiar as his paintings, which are on the walls of most major museums.
The drawings in all but two of the albums were executed with brush and wash. Rendered in a cartoonish idiom, they create a theater of the imagination. The compositions are complete and resemble little paintings. Often they are accompanied by a terse inscription. However, unlike the captions to conventional satirical prints and drawings, the inscriptions in Goya's graphic works often complicate the message of the piece. Hidden from the prying eyes of the Inquisition and the evil designs of political enemies, these drawings allowed Goya to comment on his experience of life.
Regozijo (Joy, ca. 1816–20) is one of 21 of the artist's album drawings in the exhibition "The Spanish Manner: Drawings from Ribera to Goya," organized by the Frick Collection in New York. At first glance, we see two heavily draped figures, their arms akimbo, their legs thrashing in the air. Goya has suspended the laws of gravity; there is no ground below the figures and neither, for that matter, are there clouds in the sky. The two bodies float like astronauts in the vacuum of space. According to the inscription, their release from the physical world is connected to the experience of pure joy.
This interpretation is fortified by a small detail. Looking closely at the hands of the upper figure, we can discern the bulbous shapes of castanets. Although we now associate this instrument with flamenco dancing, in Goya's time the word castanet was slang for "happiness." This makes sense; the two figures are swept off their feet in a state of rapture.
A second glance begins to undermine the apparent certainty of this interpretation. The faces are those of older people. Not that the elderly inevitably lose the capacity to experience joy, but there is a somewhat grotesque quality to the physiognomies of these two. Are they real people? And if not, why does Goya represent this powerful emotion by resorting to caricature? The question is open. As do many of the album drawings, the composition poses questions to which no definitive answers are provided. This studied ambiguity is a constant feature of Goya's later work and helps to explain why these drawings never lose their attraction.
Goya's control of the medium plays a huge part in the success of the drawing. The complex effects of the woman's costume are achieved by brilliant handling of light and shadow, especially in the skirt, where the wash is subtly modulated in tone; irregular patches of blank paper create the highlights. In contrast to these free-flowing brushstrokes are the faces, which the artist has delineated with the delicacy and precision of a miniature painter. Goya pleases us with his artistry as he teases us with his wit and imagination.
Jonathan Brown, Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Fine Arts at New York University, organized the exhibition with independent scholar Lisa A. Banner and Susan Grace Galassi, senior curator at the Frick Collection.
"The Spanish Manner: Drawings from Ribera to Goya" is up at the Frick Collection in New York through January 9.


Replace proxyaddress and port with the ip address and port (usually 3128 or 8080) where the proxy server is running.
Ehm… do I need to restart the comp after doing this? Because if so – then this is very unhelpful.
I switch networks twice a day (home->office->back home), and I need to change the proxy settings each time. Obviously I don't want to restart my computer each time – as I have documents open etc.
Is there a way to change the proxy settings without restarting the computer?
I tried the "dconf-tools" Gnome package in Xfce and it works.


text:
Q: handling echo statements in php and android Suppose there's a scenario where in PHP, I am echoing like :
echo ' some html response tags ';
then when I connect my android with retrofit then should I make a separate for the same query for android ? I am literally confused. should I use JSON encode or a total different echo statement (for android).
I hope you understand my question. My question is how to have different echo in the same query for web and android. Please help me understand this.

A: JSON is data interchange so this is the main job for JSON, using echo is not a good way to interchange any data there are a lot of scenarios that echo could have a bad impact on your data and interchange process.


text:
<!doctype html>

		<title>Schedule Rounds</title>

		<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./css/common.css">
		<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./css/config.css">

Note for advanced users

If you want to create more complex schedules using the operating system's own scheduling mechanisms, the command to invoke for running a given round is:

Checking for existing schedule...

			<button id="save" disabled="disabled">Save</button>
			<button id="cancel">Cancel</button>