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Can Alderman Ashanti Hamilton Rise to the Challenge?
Erik Gunn April 6, 2017
MagazinePolitics 0
Ashanti Hamilton rose to power in a city hungry for political leadership. Will he rise to the challenge?
In 1990, Ashanti Hamilton ran away from home. He decided the house he'd been sharing with more than a dozen people, some of them family members, some of them drug addicts, was too chaotic a place for him to stay. "There wasn't enough room for a high school kid who was full of himself and wanted to be an adult," says the 43-year-old alderman who now represents a district on the North Side. A friend's stepmother took him in and "opened up her home when I was a senior in high school, out on the street, just trying to find a place to lay my head," he says. That's what his drug-ridden neighborhood close to the intersection of First and Burleigh streets was like: "People outside of your immediate family became your extended family," he says. "You helped each other to survive.
"I think part of that is really how I operate today: You recognize that the work you do requires a large tent."
A year ago, Hamilton stitched together a tent big enough for a half-dozen African- American council members – and three white South Siders – to elect him Common Council president in an upset that toppled incumbent Ald. Mike Murphy, a council veteran. But more than once since then, their tent has looked ready to blow away. This past summer, the council's public safety committee, headed by Hamilton's pick for chair, tough-on-crime Ald. Bob Donovan, fired off a draft plan calling for more cops, more jail and "boot camps" for potential juvenile offenders.
The timing struck a nerve: Unrest had just erupted in the Sherman Park neighborhood, and the public reaction was withering. A hasty rewrite prioritized policy-community engagement instead, and Hamilton further insisted that future installments address such issues as "resident engagement" and job creation.
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In November, the South Siders and Hamilton again collided when Donovan, Mark Borkowski, Tony Zielinski and José Pérez called on Police Chief Edward Flynn to add more patrols to their side of the city. Hours later, Hamilton countered with his own press release charging that the four had acted "irresponsibly" and "ignored their responsibility to represent the public safety concerns of the entire city."
Although the November spat seemed to spell the end of a North Side-South Side alliance, Donovan and Hamilton both claim that everything's just fine. "We met shortly after that, and I think ironed things out," Donovan says. They followed the meeting with another that included Flynn.
"We have a very good relationship, and I can only see it improving," Donovan says of Hamilton, who argues that the scuffle provided a civics lesson for the city. "I think everybody needed to see and hear the messy side of politics," he says.
Not everyone agrees. Local Republican operative Craig Peterson says he's "disappointed" with Hamilton's performance, and the council president "demonstrated a lack of political acumen" in November when he came out against his own allies. The alderman has racked up "many, many missed opportunities," Peterson says, to advance an agenda of "righting the problems in the central city."
Photo by Adam Ryan Morris
Peterson has advised Donovan and Borkowski (who once called him "my Svengali") and played some role in Hamilton's election to council president, although Hamilton dismisses Peterson's involvement and insists he first sought the backing of South Side members independent of any strategy by the operative.
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Mayor Tom Barrett tends to avoid internal council politics and says he has "a solid working relationship" with Hamilton. "He brings a lot of energy to the position."
Another City Hall insider acknowledges there's been "more drama" surrounding the council as of late, but Hamilton insists you can have disagreements and still get things done. He points to the eventual consensus reached on the city's crime-fighting plan and new city agreements to raise wages and elevate resident hiring standards for the new Bucks arena, among other achievements.
Pugnacious Ald. Bob Donovan
Hamilton says an urge to bring about change from the inside turned him away from his previous career in law and onto working as an aide in the late 1990s for then-Ald. Marvin Pratt, whom Hamilton succeeded. Hamilton demurs on the subject of running for mayor as Pratt did, predicting a wide-open field if Barrett retires. And anyway, he says, "Four years is a long time."
"People want me to climb out on a limb a little bit more," he says. But he's gone far enough, he thinks. "I can hear the creak on the limb a little bit better than most." ◆
Tune in to WUWM's (FM 89.7) "Lake Effect" April 7 at 10 a.m. to hear more about the story.
'Out on a Limb' appears in the April 2017 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
Find it on newsstands beginning April 3, or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.
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Erik Gunn
Milwaukee Magazine Contributing Editor Erik Gunn has written for the magazine since 1995. He started covering the media in 2006, writing the award-winning column Pressroom and now its online successor, Pressroom Buzz. Check back regularly for the latest news and commentary of the workings of the news business in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
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Students, faculty join 'March for our Lives' in Philadelphia
The Beacon/Maddie Davis
Gregory Chang and Keira Kuhar lead Wilkes University students and faculty down Market Street in Philadelphia during the March for Our Lives Protest on Mar. 24.
Maddie Davis, Asst. News Editor
On Saturday, March 24, students and faculty from Wilkes University traveled to Philadelphia to attend the March For Our Lives protest for gun safety against the current administration and the NRA.
The march was one of almost 900 around the globe to protest gun violence and propose gun safety in the wake of the Feb. 14, 2018, school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida, where 17 faculty, staff and students were gunned down at the hands of Nicholas Cruz and his AR-15.
The students of Parkland started a widespread movement "enough is enough," regarding gun violence, and inspired many Wilkes University students and staff to attend the event. The young students particularly inspired junior secondary education and history major Ian Valles.
"I think a debt of gratitude is owed to them, especially Millennials and Gen Z who are doing so much and are apart of the resistance to make sure something like this never happens to our country again," said Valles. "Truthfully it is our future and we have to actually be alive on this planet to make a future for ourselves."
Valles was joined by 15 faculty and staff from Wilkes University to march from Independence Hall to Penn's Landing to rally and listen to guest speakers and music about gun violence and change.
As thousands marched the streets of Philadelphia, Wilkes students made their voices heard, particularly Geraldine Ojukwu, junior political science major, whose chants were repeated by those who marched.
"What do we want," screamed Ojukwu. "Gun control," replied the mass of protesters. "When do we want it," asked Ojukwu, "Now," replied the crowd.
Other chants filled the crowd to externally show what they stood for in the wake of the Parkland tragedy.
"We're gonna put one foot in front of the other and lead with love," sang one group of protestors.
Wilkes students had also made signs showing their outward support for gun control for the march.
"We are students, we are victims, we are change," read Ashley Baker's sign, a freshman criminology and sociology major.
"Promises without action are lies that cost lives," read nursing major, Lauren Coleman's sign.
Gregory Chang, first year pre-pharmacy student, alongside Keira Kuhar, first year student, held a sign with the Wilkes University Logo that read "never again." The sign depicted many of Wilkes University's students stance on gun violence in schools, never wanting it to happen again.
Chang organized the trip to Philadelphia for those who wanted to voice their opinion and join the march as a Wilkes community.
"I wanted to voice my opinion and I wanted to let other Wilkes students voice their opinions because I know this is a very important topic in the country right now," said Chang.
"I wanted to come here because this is unacceptable with what is happening in this country. It really is just unbelievable how many shootings are occurring, just this year alone, let alone the past 20 years. Something needs to be done and nothing is," he said.
The guest speakers included a diverse group of people; from senators, to survivors of columbine, to students now, and many more, all voiced their difference in experiences of gun violence and control.
The message throughout each speaker was clear: there is an imminent problem in this country with guns. Innocent children and adults are dying not only in schools, but on the streets because of these guns. That we as a country need gun control, fast.
"Congress, we don't want your prayers, we want gun reform," said Rachel Steinig, a freshman student leader of the event.
Steinig also called out the racial and classist bias in the media coverage of school shootings and advocated for the Black Lives Matter movement, a movement who is overlooked even though they too support gun control.
"If Stoneman Douglas had been a poor school in a black neighborhood, the shooting and subsequent movement would definitely not have received as much coverage and popular support," she said.
Another speaker, Mark Timpon is the father of Dominick, a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who survived the shooting on Feb. 14. Dominick himself passed the shooter in a staircase as he was reloading. Timpon, a former owner of an AR-15, the weapon Cruz used in the shooting, gave up his gun and is sense advocating for stricter gun laws since he had purchased his gun with the "gun show loophole."
"February 14th changed my life in many different ways," said Timpon. "If there was one more round in that 30 round magazine my son might have died that day."
"It took this horrible massacre to change my views and change the way I think now," said Timpon.
"It was one-hundred percent legal, what I did, and that is one of the problems," he said about the gun show loophole, where Timpon purchased his AR-15 under the government's radar.
"The AR-15 is not made for hunting, it is made for killing," he said.
Senator Bob Casey, an alumni for Parkland, and state representative Brian Sims also joined the stage to voice their opinions on gun control.
The Wilkes University students reacted to their experience and explained why they joined the Philadelphia March for Our Lives protest.
"I marched because I feel like it's our time to make a change," said sophomore political science and criminology major Samantha Trobe. "Just arriving at the march today I became overwhelmed with joy seeing all the people from different ethnicities, races, and genders, old people, young people, marching for a united cause."
Robbie Petrovich, a sophomore history, secondary education and political science major also reflected on his experience at the march.
"I've always kind of been a silent partaker in politics and I just feel like it was finally time for me to stand up for something I really believe in especially me being an aspiring teacher," said Petrovich.
Junior secondary education and history major Ian Valles holds up his sign at the march.
"It was a great experience," said Megan Graham, freshman history major, "I thought it was great and it was a great turnout."
Dr. Andreea Maierean, political science professor was one of the two professors who joined Wilkes students in the march, the other being Dr. Ellen Newell of the Psychology Department.
"Today we have seen democracy and student activism at its best. It felt great to be part of a movement that fights for change in a passionate, articulate and peaceful manner," said Maierean.
"In the end, if we manage to leave aside the ideological barriers, it becomes obvious that this student-led movement is all about saving innocent lives through responsible public policy. It is about putting an end to the outbreak of mass shootings that lead 187,000 American students to become exposed to gun violence since Columbine," said Maierean. "It is about exterminating the contagion of school shootings that does not happen anywhere else in the world except the United States."
Maddie Davis, Managing Editor
Maddie is a junior criminology and sociology double major. She also has a concentration in anthropology and a minor in women and gender studies.
Davis...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I went in Pho Chu The with high expectations, since it is known to serve the best pho in Melbourne. First impressions were good, the restaurant, although small, was neatly spaced out without being overly cramped.
The selection of condiments placed on every single table also seemed promising, especially with the addition of fresh chilli.
I ordered a three colour drink to start off the meal with, although this actually came after the pho was served. The ice was nicely crushed so that they melted quickly, and there was an abundance of red beans, aka my fave (it's actually the green mung bean, but this version of the drink didn't have it T_T). The red jelly bits were a bit clumpy though.
I ordered the special beef, and the assortment of toppings seemed to be more versatile than usual. There was the usual tendon, tripe, beef balls, raw beef, and there were also beef fat (?), which I don't think I've seen served anywhere else. The rice noodles were stretchier than usual, and the stock was full of flavour.
The chicken stock was milder in flavour in comparison to the beef, but was still very pleasant. There was more slivers of onion served on top, and added a sweetness to the stock. On a side note, the plate of Vietnamese mint and bean shoots served with the pho was fresher than your typical pho restaurant.
Although the chairs made scratchy noises, and the toilet definitely isn't the cleanest one around, Pho Chu The does serve up pho that's above par, not sure if it's the best pho in Melbourne, but it's definitely a strong contender.
Pho Chu The is located on Victoria Street in Richmond, catch tram 12 or 109, and get off at Church Street/Victoria Street.


My son's birthday party is tomorrow. I have this thing about birthday parties. They seemed to have grown into this big consumerism thing since I was little. But I don't want to spend a lot of money for a short-lived experience that may or may not be memorable. And since I'm on this kick about maker spaces and what makes a maker experience lately (that's probably a whole other blog post), I thought I'd use my son's birthday party as an experiment to see if I can create a maker experience for him and his friends. Is that selfish? Probably (says she, mischievously).
this one sounds a little fuzzy, but I honestly want to see inspired expressions on their faces multiple times during the party --- is this possible?? what does it take?
Background check: upon arrival, the child sits down with an intimidating parent holding a clipboard and is asked questions (i.e. Have you ever been stopped by the police? Have you ever hidden broccoli under the table? Can you hold your breath for more than 15 seconds? Do you consider yourself to be physically fit?) Then, child is given first mission - the art of observation while being discrete.
Observation mission - each child is given three questions that they have to answer without being obivous that they are looking for the answers. Then they put the answers in the respective boxes to qualify them for door prizes later.
Everyone gets a handmade cardboard briefcase, packed with stuff to do at the party.
3. The Disguise pack. This is located in the secret compartment and includes felt mustaches of different colors as well as tattoos.
4. Time for a bit of cryptology. Each kid will get a notebook with a lock on it. Inside the notebook is a message they need to decode using their decoder ring. Solving the encryption will reveal what PSSST stands for (Program for Super Secret Spy Training).
5. Then we'll take out the equipment needed to create a communicator wrist cuff. This requires them to make a simple circuit using wires, watch batteries, a momentary switch and an LED light. They attach it to a cardboard tube and decorate it to make the communicator. When they press the button, the light will go on, when they release, the light goes off. I've drawn a simple diagram to help them understand how it needs to be set up, although I expect to need to say a few words about how electricity works before setting them loose on this.
I'll have additional materials at the table so they can enhance their communicator any way they want.
6. If we have enough time, I'll set them loose to make any other spy equipment they might imagine. I have a bunch of materials I'll set out on the table and then we'll see what they come up with!
Top: red binoculars (red duct tape is amazing at transforming tubes of toilet paper!!).
Right: a deluxe spy tablet. I got a lot of ideas from Max on this one - just things he's mentioned at various times. I put a dry erase pen in a holder so you can write on the plexiglass (and erase it when you want something else). There's a (fake) game cartridge the exact size as a Nintendo 3DS game cartridge to ensure compatibility with their other devices (it's the yellow/red thing in the silver pocket). The screen is where you speak into if you're having communications with other spies or headquarters. And the keypad on the bottom right has a working switch that lights up the orange LED at the top when you press it.
Left: a box in the shape and likeness of a book where things can be hidden. The cover is based on the real book series "The Mysterious Benedict Society". We've read the whole series to Max and it's fantastic - especially for the budding spy! I had loads of fun drawing the cover and spine for this. I think I'd want to win this door prize most of all (but that's just me). Oh well, I can always make myself another one!!
7. After we take a break to sing Happy Birthday and have some Italian Ice, we'll get back at it and prepare for shooting practice. They'll take out their marshmallow shooter packs and assemble them. I think if any parents stick around, we'll use them for target practice.
8. Lastly, the badge ceremony. Max will present each kid with their ID/badges. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary ID. When you flip it open, it reveals Secret Agent status.
When I wanted to see if something would work, I'd prototype it and run it by Max. There is a very awesome indicator that tells me if it'll work and it's beyond anything he says: his eyes light up and he inhales sharply. This is such a gratifying and inspiring response; it makes me want to make more of them! I love to see my son inspired and I hope that I can set him up to seek inspiration and make inspiring moments for himself and others.
Max doesn't inherently want to make things just to make things. He's not wired that way. But he will make things (and imagine things) if it leads to play. And it's amazing that the things he makes then take on a richness no purchased toy could seem to provide. It's almost a reverence for that thing. I hope I'm not putting words in his mouth, but that's how I feel anyway.
The ideas for this party are from all over the place. I pulled things from Pinterest, You Tube, stuff I watched my son doing in other contexts and some insights from Thad at Camp Combe. The real trick was to assemble everything together into a cohesive play scenario. The story line for this is very important to me, because without it, I don't think it would work.
I'm not sure that the kids will be able to do a lot of the things independently. Maybe. But maybe not. We'll see tomorrow. At first I felt this would be a flaw. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt getting the parents involved would be a *really* good thing (as long as it's the child's vision that prevails). I pondered for awhile about making additional briefcases for the parents but I didn't have any parents rsvp (which I'm using as an excuse to let myself off the hook for making loads more briefcases!). But seriously, I'm considering what the maker experience would need in order for parent/child to share the experience.
I'll admit it - I have a very selfish reason for doing this. I want to inspire a way of thinking for these kids. It's not just entertainment. It's not just to mark another year for my son. And it's not just to create memories. All of these things are great, and I expect them. But it's more than that. It's to give these kids the opportunity to act on inspired thought and make things, and for them to have a chance to approach life with a maker attitude. I think eyes lighting up and the sharp inhale should be common place and we should all be doing more of that!
Tracee! This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. Seriously. It brought tears to my eyes that you created this to make an over-the-top experience for your son! As I said before, the tribe wishes they could be there with our own attaches. Of course, I will also remind you of my favorite fortune cookie "Expect nothing -- and you will never be disappointed." Aren't you glad you are not working at the big bad corporation so that you can orchestrate moments like these? Kudos to you. Max is a very lucky little man.
Adore!!! It has been a joy to see your designs unfold! Your detailed treasures were imagined, planned, drawn, cut, stitched, written, creased, aligned, taped, glued, tied, painted and wrapped in love for your son!
Wendy! I'm so glad to hear from you! What a pleasant surprise! I'm enticed by the language you use to describe my designs and how I think about what I'm making - how delicious! Thank you!
It's true, I very much use a prototyping process to explore ideas - it serves me in a very deliberate way in my creative process. I wouldn't have certain thoughts or ideas if my hands weren't involved in exploring it.
This is super inspiring! I am in the early stages of trying to create a business with a similar vision of inspiring people of all ages to engage in creative play. I have an underlying mission to strengthen communities by expanding people's understanding of one another through engagement in shared experience. Your process is really helpful to me as I begin to formulate how to package my vision into a marketable service. Please be in touch if you wish to share ideas!
Carolyn, I'm thrilled you reached out - I would love to share ideas and see if there are ways to support each other! Please email me at traceewolf (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll set something up!


After Breakfast depart for a city sightseeing tour ob Bhopal.
Next on the scheme of things lies a city tour which will encompass all the famous sightseeing attractions. First begin the tour with a visit to the Upper Lake also known as "the Bhopal Beauty" is the largest artificial lake in Asia and where you can enjoy bracing on speedboats or go cruising; next visit Lower Lake. The sightseeing tour will further include visit to Laxmi Narayan Temple, Birla Museum, Kilol Park, Kamla Park, Moti Masjid, Sadar Manzil and Taj-ul-Masjid, Vidhan Sabha, Tagore Memorial and the National Archives of India. Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum.
In the morning, after breakfast departure to Pachmarhi for onward connection.
Enjoy half day Gypsy safari in Pachmarhi and visit the Jata shankar, Church, B-Fall, Bal Udyan, Vaniki Sanghrahalaya, Noka Vihar and sun set at Dhoopgarh. You may opt to spend evening strolling through the streets of Pachmarhi and look around the town. For your safety, you are advised not to venture in the jungle or cross the town limits in the night as the predators are on prowl once it is dark.
After breakfast, enjoy full day Gypsy safari and visit the Pandav gufa, Apsara Vihar, Rajat Prapat or Chouragarh, HandiKhoh, Priyadrashini, Gupt Mahadev and Mahadev Rajendra Giri.
After breakfast, Early Morning Departure to Bhopal for onward connection.


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NBC-LEO Calls for Cancellation of Africa's Debt
Note: The Africa Fund has since merged to form Africa Action. The links below to The Africa Fund no longer work.
Resolution by NBC-LEO
The Africa Fund
50 Broad Street, Suite 711 New York, NY 10004 USA
E-mail: africafund@igc.org
Web: www.theafricafund.org
For more Information contact: Richard Knight
National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials
Calls for Debt Cancellation for African Countries
The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) adopted a resolution at its spring conference calling for active debt cancellation and relief for African countries. The resolution urges full appropriation of President Clinton's request for funding of the Cologne Initiative, an international effort of the G-7 industrialized countries to bring debt relief to highly indebted poor countries. The NBC-LEO resolution comes as Congress appears poised to appropriate only a small portion of the money requested for debt relief. NBC-LEO "requests that poor country debt cancellation be supported by the United States to improve the political and economic development of African countries and improve the lives of African people."
The Clinton Administration has proposed a multi-year package for debt relief for the fiscal years 2000-2004 including $320 million for bilateral debt relief and $600 million for multilateral Cologne Initiative debt relief. To date, Congress has done little to support debt cancellation or relief -- last year Congress only appropriated $110 million for bilateral debt cancellation and none for multilateral debt relief. The Senate Foreign Operations bill, now before Congress, has only $75 million for all debt relief for FY 2001 compared to the request of $435 million for multilateral debt relief ($210 million for FY 2000 and $225 million for FY 2001). The House Foreign Appropriations Committee, scheduled to take up the matter on June 13, is expected to adopt no more than one-third of the Administration request.
"By adopting this resolution stressing the importance of appropriating full funding for debt relief and cancellation the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials is providing important leadership and guidance on U.S.-Africa policy," said Jennifer Davis of The Africa Fund. Davis addressed the spring conference on the African debt crisis at the invitation of NBC-LEO President Cleveland City Council Member Roosevelt Coats.
NBC-LEO, with members in 34 states, is a caucus of the National League of Cities working to influence national policy positions to promote the special interests and needs of the African American community. The Africa Fund, founded in 1966 by the American Committee on Africa, works for a positive U.S. policy toward Africa and supports African human rights, democracy and development.
The following is the full text of the resolution:
Resolution Supporting Debt Forgiveness and Relief For African Countries
March 12, 2000 at Washington. D.C.
WHEREAS the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) is committed to economic and social justice for Africa and to the importance of Africa for NBC-LEO and its constituents; and
WHEREAS Africa is laboring under a debt burden that stifles life, economic progress, and political stability; and
WHEREAS the debt burden translates into $400 for every African man, woman and child on a continent where the average annual wage for most countries is less than $400 per person; and
WHEREAS African countries cannot move forward with needed modernization and improvement of the lives of African people with this continuing debt burden; and
WHEREAS it is in the interest of all cities and their citizens that poverty reduction in Africa be supported by the United States; and
WHEREAS after hundreds of years of exploitation of Africa's natural and human resources, modern African nations lack the ability to repay international debt incurred for survival in the aftermath of this exploitation; and
WHEREAS thirty-five of the world's forty most debt burdened countries are in sub-Saharan Africa; and
WHEREAS in response to the international campaign for poor country debt cancellation, the leaders of the G-7 adopted the Cologne Initiative in June, 1999; and
WHEREAS the Cologne Initiative includes a provision for deeper relief of more highly indebted poor countries and President Clinton has requested supplemental funding from Congress to meet the United States' commitment made at Cologne in connection with this debt eradication plan;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, MEETING IN WASHING, D.C., AS FOLLOWS:
Section One. The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials supports full funding for the Cologne Initiative to address debt reduction and debt elimination in sub-Saharan Africa.
Section Two. NBC-LEO urges the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to include $210 million for the fiscal year 2000 supplemental bill for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Trust Fund.
Section Three. NBC-LEO urges full approval of the $600 million for the HIPC Trust Fund over the next three years consistent with the Cologne Initiative.
Section Four. NBC-LEO requests that poor country debt cancellation be supported by the United States to improve the political and economic development of African countries and the lives of the African people.
ADOPTED BY THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS this twelfth day of March, 2000, in Washington, D.C.
Roosevelt Coats, Council Member, Cleveland, Ohio
President, NBC-LEO
Posted on RichardKnight.com
[Back to Cancel Africa's Debt] [Home]


The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been experiencing major healthcare problems for several years now. Since the tragic economic downfall in the 1990s after the Korean War, North Korea has faced a huge number of problems in its health sector. The major problem is the chronic food shortage which struck the whole country because of the nationwide famine. The country and its people has been completely relying on international aid from international organizations like the World Health Organization and foreign countries like South Korea for several years now, and up until today the country seems to not have done anything to work on the problem.
North Korea is a politically isolated country brought about by the sanctions put up by the United Nations when P'yongyang launched nuclear and missiles tests in 2009. Due to the incident, the UN Security Council has tightened its sanctions on the country. Moreover, North Korea continues to suffer from severe food shortage and malnutrition because of its political isolation. At that, the North Korean citizens are becoming so poor that most people cannot afford healthcare benefits. Health institutions in the country like hospitals and clinics which are located in the cities lack enough medical supplies and are barely functioning according to North Koreans who fled from the country.
The lack of priority given to the health sector has made worse the health situation in the country. Epidemics have continued to spread throughout the country accompanied by malnutrition brought about by the chronic food shortage.


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Hello, Welcome To The Religious Studies Project
Email: editors@religiousstudiesproject.com
A Response to Callum Brown: Connecting "When" and "Why" in Digital Religion, by Tim Hutchings
May 4, 2012 /0 Comments/in Features /by Tim Hutchings
A Response to Callum Brown: Connecting "When" and "Why" in Digital Religion
By Tim Hutchings, Durham University
Published by the Religious Studies Project, on 4 May 2012 in response to the Religious Studies Project Interview with Callum Brown on Historical Approaches to (Losing) Religion (30 April 2012). For a more 'informal' response, you can listen to our roundtable discussion session on the question Can We Trust the Social Sciences?.
In his new podcast for the Religious Studies Project, Callum Brown has given us an excellent introduction to the historical approach to the study of religion. In conversation with Christopher Cotter, Brown outlines rival traditions within the history of religion and demonstrates what each has contributed to our understanding of secularisation. Along the way, Brown summarises his research career and offers some tantalising hints about his current interview-based study of the life stories of people who have left religion. He also emphasises the value of demographics, arguing that sophisticated analyses of census data reveal that people develop 'an entirely new sense of self' when they leave religion. This is a fascinating and challenging claim, but I have chosen to focus in this response on another of the main themes of this podcast: the relationship between history and sociology.
At the end of this interview, Brown distinguishes the history of religion sharply from sociology. According to Brown, there is a "huge gap" in method, approach and interests between the two disciplines. Sociologists, he argues, believe that the world is governed by rules. They undertake research to study the contemporary religious landscape, interpret this snapshot in time by framing it within a particular model of fixed, linear change, and then make predictions about the future. Historians, on the other hand, believe that nothing is inevitable and assume that "when" must be the first step in working out "why". Instead of collecting snapshots, historians map change year-on-year, using that longitudinal data to establish the effects of key events.
My own field of research is digital religion, an area with a particularly troubled relationship to history. Scholars and commentators interested in digital culture and its significance for religion have struggled to distinguish what is truly new from what has come before, and continue to search for helpful ways to talk about change.
One classic strategy since the 1990s has been to contrast an anecdotal snapshot of contemporary life against visions of the near future and the recent past. In the most common forms of this argument, the past is characterised by stable local communities, face-to-face relationships and a secure, unchanging personal identity. Contemporary digital technology challenges this stability by supporting fluid, self-determined, global communication networks, so the argument goes, and these changes will intensify in the near future. Different observers have interpreted this same basic approach in positive, neutral and negative ways, seeing technology as the route to new spiritual awareness (Cobb 1998), a powerful tool that can be used to promote an unchanging religious message to the new mission field of digital culture (Estes 2009, Sweet 2012), or a dangerous threat to church, character and society. Sherry Turkle's recent declaration that social media is facilitating a "flight from conversation" is a good example of this third type (2012). Young people now use their phones a lot, she argues, and they previously spent time face-to-face, and this shift is very bad for everyone. Her argument is simple and intuitively appealing, contrasting a recognisable snapshot of everyday life with a widely-accepted vision of the recent past and calling for immediate action to rescue the future, and her article has provoked much discussion online in recent weeks.
Scholars of media and religion have tried to challenge this approach over the last decade by framing their observations within a more rigorous historical perspective. The forms of religious community observed online are not unique after all, they argue: they actually continue long-running trajectories of social change from groups to networks (Wellman 2012) or from stable to fluid religious identities (Wagner 2012). Heidi Campbell's recent work (2010) focuses on the power of religious groups to construct and interpret the technology they use, a process that includes engagement with group history. For Campbell, contemporary religious uses of the internet must be interpreted in the context of the theology and values of particular communities, including how those communities have changed their approach to media over time. Many other scholars have tried to complicate popular understandings of the past and present of media religion, undertaking detailed comparative studies to show that religious authority, community and identity have not changed in the ways some observers allege.
Listening to Callum Brown's interview, it becomes clear that all of these scholarly approaches represent a distinctively sociological way of using history. These scholars analyse the past to identify long-term trajectories in social or religious change and use that model to interpret the present. "When" questions are rarely considered: the purpose of the exercise is to establish a tension between a stable (or predictably-changing) past and a snapshot of the present, to generate insights into continuity and change.
There is clear scope here for inter-disciplinary collaboration. Sociological interest in the history of religion and media has generated a space for interventions by historians, who can greatly benefit the study of digital culture by offering detailed critiques of our assumed trajectories of change. Recent examples include Jeremy Stolow's keynote speech on the spirituality of the telegraph, delivered to the Digital Religion conference in Colorado earlier this year (see Stolow 2011), and Stefan Gelfgren's work (2012) on the history of religious attitudes to media. Sociologists of digital religion are still not as interested in the connection between "when" and "why" as Callum Brown might like, but clear progress is being made to forge connections with historians. This podcast is an excellent provocation to think harder about the questions we overlook and the interdisciplinary conversations that might help us uncover them.
This material is disseminated under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. and can be distributed and utilised freely, provided full citation is given.
Tim Hutchings recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the HUMlab digital humanities centre in Umeå, Sweden and has now returned to the UK to join the CODEC research initiative at St John's College, Durham. Tim is currently working with CODEC to develop a series of digital art exhibitions and installations in response to the Lindisfarne Gospels. His PhD thesis (Durham University, 2010) was an ethnographic study of five online Christian churches, focusing on the relationship between online and offline religion. Research interests include e-vangelism, online Christian storytelling, the future of the Bible as a digital sacred text and the role of new media in death and mourning.
Campbell, Heidi. When Religion Meets New Media. Abingdon: Routledge, 2010.
Cobb, Jennifer. CyberGrace: The Search for God in the Digital World. New York: Crown, 1998.
Estes, Douglas. SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
Gelfgren, Stefan. "Let there be digital networks and God will provide growth?" Comparing the aims and hopes of 19th-century and post-millenial Christianity. In Pauline Hope Cheong, Peter Fischer-Nielsen, Stefan Gelfgren and Charles Ess (eds.), Digital Religion, Social Media and Culture: Perspectives, Practices and Futures. New York: Peter Lang, 2012. p. 227-242.
Hogan, Bernie and Barry Wellman. The immanent internet redux. In Pauline Hope Cheong, Peter Fischer-Nielsen, Stefan Gelfgren and Charles Ess (eds.), Digital Religion, Social Media and Culture: Perspectives, Practices and Futures. New York: Peter Lang, 2012. p. 43-62.
Stolow, Jeremy. 'Telegraph', in freq.uenci.es: a collaborative genealogy of spirituality. September 7 2011. Available online: http://freq.uenci.es/2011/09/07/telegraph/. Accessed May 2 2012.
Sweet, Leonard. Viral: How Social Networking is Poised to Ignite Revival. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook, 2012.
Turkle, Sherry. The flight from conversation. New York Times, April 21 2012. Available online: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html. Accessed May 2 2012.
Wagner, Rachel. Godwired: Religion, Ritual and Virtual Reality. Abingdon: Routledge, 2012.
Tags: callum brown, Demography, Digital Religion, History, Sociology, Tim Hutchings
https://i0.wp.com/www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tim-hutchings.jpg?fit=118%2C150&ssl=1 150 118 Christopher Cotter https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/logo.png Christopher Cotter2012-05-04 08:47:472016-04-09 18:39:38A Response to Callum Brown: Connecting "When" and "Why" in Digital Religion, by Tim Hutchings
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Q: Inner product between certain vectors on a simplex. For $n\geq 2$, let $\Delta^n$ be a regular $n$-dimensional simplex in $\mathbb{R}^n$ centered at the origin ${\bf 0}$ and inscribed in the unit sphere $S^{n-1}$.
Let ${\bf v}_0,{\bf v}_1,\ldots,{\bf v}_n\in S^{n-1}$ be the vertices of $\Delta^n$.
It is well known that the angle $\alpha_n$ subtended by any two vertices of $\Delta^n$ through its center (i.e. ${\bf 0}$) is given by
$$\alpha_n=\textrm{arc}\cos\Big(-\frac{1}{n}\Big).$$
For $j=0,\ldots,n$, let
$\Delta_j^n$ denote the convex hull in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ of the $n+1$ points ${\bf 0},{\bf v}_0,{\bf v}_1,\dots,{\bf v}_{j-1},\widehat{{\bf v}_j},{\bf v}_{j+1},\ldots,{\bf v}_n$ (where the hat  means omission). Thus $\bigcup_{j=0}^n\Delta_j^n=\Delta^n$.
Take two nonzero vectors ${\bf x},{\bf y}\in\mathbb{R}^n$ such that ${\bf x},{\bf y}\in\Delta_j^n$ for some $j=0,\ldots,n$.
Question 1: Is it true that
$$\frac{{\bf x}}{|{\bf x}|}\cdot \frac{{\bf y}}{|{\bf y}|}\geq-\frac{1}{n}?$$
Question 2: If so, does equality occur in the last inequality only if the vectors ${\bf x},{\bf y}$ are multiples of some ${\bf v}_i,{\bf v}_k$ (necessarily for $i\neq j\neq k\neq i$)?
Thank you.

A: Yes to both questions. Let's fix $j$ and let $S=\{x/|x|:x\in \Delta_j^n\}$. The minimum in question 1
is equal to $\min\{x\cdot y:x,y\in S\}$. For a fixed $y$ the map $x\mapsto x\cdot y$ is the orthogonal projection
onto the line through $y$. Every hyperplane of the form $\{x:x\cdot y=a\}$  meets either both $S$ and
$\Delta_j^n$, or neither. (This can be justified by decomposing $x=ay+n$ with $y\cdot n=0$ and then scaling $n$ appropriately.) Therefore, we can consider $\min\{x\cdot y:x,y\in \Delta_j^n\}$ instead. But this is the minimum
of a linear function on a polyhedron, so it must be attained at some vertex $v_k$. Since for every $y$ the minimum is
realized by $x$ at a vertex, it follows that the minimum over both $x$ and $y$ is attained by a pair of vertices.
This answers Q1.
Regarding Q2, suppose that the minimum is also attained by some $x',y'$ where $y'$ is not a vertex. We can still
assume that $x$ is a vertex $v_k$, by the above. Since $y\mapsto x\cdot y$ also attains the minimum at some vertex $v_\ell$,
it follows that $\Delta_j^n$ contains a line segment that is orthogonal to $v_k$ and contains   $v_\ell$.
This is ruled out by inspection of $\Delta_j^n$.

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During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, technology companies were unaware -- even in denial -- that their platforms could be used for election manipulation.
Facebook Inc. had one major victory in the midterm elections: securing help from the government to keep foreign influence campaigns at bay.
As recently as September, the cooperation seemed difficult to achieve. While Facebook knew it would be held responsible for stopping the spread of misinformation, especially from foreign fake accounts, the company was nervous that it wouldn't be able to deliver on that promise without help from U.S. authorities, people familiar with the matter said at the time.
Now, communication lines have started to open between Facebook and federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the company. Facebook also established relationships with state election boards, so it could be alerted to problems as they occurred. Those connections are likely to strengthen ahead of the 2020 presidential election, when foreign interest in election manipulation may be higher. Twitter Inc., too, has strengthened its relationship with federal law enforcement agencies, seeking to protect against foreign influence.
The change came after aggressive outreach by Facebook, which intensified in September. As the company was being publicly questioned about and chastised for its response to the 2016 election, it was building relationships behind the scenes. Facebook said its executives and others met with hundreds of congressional offices to discuss election threats, and held open sessions for their staff once a week for the last few months. The company said it also offered individual "election integrity" briefings for every secretary of state and state election director.
Sara Sendek, a DHS spokeswoman, wrote in an email that in the lead up to the midterms, the agency strengthened its relationship with social media companies and convened calls for the companies and election officials at the state and local level. Two such calls took place in August. "Securing the electoral process is a shared responsibility, and these types of partnerships play an important role in our ability to share information and take action," she said.As many predicted, foreign governments tried to influence the midterms. The company disclosed several instances of coordinated political activity by Russia and Iran ahead of the election. But the most recent network of fake accounts, which Facebook took down right around Election Day, was based on a tip directly from federal agents — not something Facebook was able to find on its own. The tip came from the FBI, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because it was private.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, technology companies were unaware — even in denial — that their platforms could be used for election manipulation. Researchers now cite the relationship that the technology companies have built with law enforcement as a key part of cleaning up Twitter and Facebook.
During the midterm elections, the troublesome content from domestic sources outweighed any foreign interference, researchers said. Twitter concluded that while it did see some malicious activity on the platform, it was mostly "low volume and low reach voter supressive content," according to a tweet from the company.
Twitter said it has spent months meeting with the DHS in person and creating direct points of contact for the officials. The company has also created an online portal for government officials, law enforcement, and researchers to report any unusual activity they see, according to the company. "While our investigations will continue, it was evident on Election Day that we were more efficiently able to combat threats to information integrity through these partnerships," a Twitter spokesperson said.
Though the companies appeared to pass this crucial test, the midterm elections are also a more complicated contest to manipulate, according to Nimmo. It's likely that foreign meddlers are saving their best tactics for the presidential election, he said.


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text:
200 schools, 17 states file lawsuit against federal gov't on international students leaving U.S.
More colleges and states are joining forces to sue the U.S. federal government, seeking an injunction against the Trump administration's new visa rule for international students.
Over 200 schools have signed court briefs supporting Harvard University and MIT as they sue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a federal court in Boston.
Massachusetts and Democratic attorneys general in 16 other states as well as Washington DC have joined as well.
They argue the move jeopardizes students' safety because of COVID-19 and that it forces schools to reconsider their fall plans which they have spent months preparing.
The lawsuit challenges a recently announced directive that says international students cannot stay in the U.S. if they take all their classes online this fall.
Reporter : ashin@arirang.co.kr


text:
FEATURES Guest Posts September 10, 2022
Mihir From 'Fantasy Book Critic' Recommends Six Must-Read Fantasy Books That Use Indian Mythology
This blog, Fanna for Books, has often reiterated its eclectic reading and reviewing choices but there's no doubt that a pattern can be seen when majority of the books mentioned on this blog are of the fantasy genre. It truly is a genre that lets you dream, lets you imagine any and everything. Especially when it takes inspiration from stories that have always existed, i.e., folklore, epics, and myths. Fantasy is a glorious escape, and Fantasy Book Critic is a blog that gives the brightest spotlight to these stories and their authors. Needless to say, it's a pleasure to have one of the blog's members, Mihir, share six fantasy novels inspired by Indian mythology and lore that can be a great introduction to the Indian fantasy space for non-desi readers. To view more such posts centred around South Asian authors, make sure to check out this collaboration, More than Masala, spanning over September 2022.
Mihir, from 'Fantasy Book Critic', Recommends Six Indian Fantasy Books Inspired by Mythology & Lore
As Indian fantasy fans, we have had slim pickings in the epic fantasy genre. However, since the early 2000s, there have been a few South Asian Fantasy authors who have written some terrific stories. Plus they utilize Indian mythology & lore to create stories that as an Indian, were highly appealing. Today I wish to highlight a few of these series/books which I think are worthy of being read as well as checked out by non-desi fantasy readers So in random order, here we go!
The Gameworld Trilogy by Samit Basu
This trilogy is quite a unique one as the author took Hindu mythology and combined it in a very savvy way with the epic fantasy tropes of the 90s. The story begins in a chaotic fashion and then goes to include quite a few aspects of western literary titles (the opening lines of the first chapter bring to mind both Alice in Wonderland & The Hobbit for starters). Samit Basu really uses all sorts of prophecy tropes and then deconstructs them superbly. With a Prattchett-esque flair, his world consists of ridiculous creatures as well as terrifying ones from mythologies all over the world.
The story while starting out as a regular epic fantasy takes a wild turn with the absurd and a lot of meta commentary. This trilogy is definitely not for the newbies to fantasy as they might miss a lot of literary allusions & meta references, but for those who are looking for something interesting and one that merges Terry Prattchett's zany commentary with Roger Zelazny's mythology-based fantasy. The Gameworld Trilogy is a South Asian cult classic that needs to be read more widely.
Mrityunjaya (The Death Conqueror) by Shivaji Sawant
The English translation of this Marathi classic is the holy grail of Indian mythological fantasy. To my mind, this is possibly the best speculative fiction book which has come out of South Asia. Possibly even rivals the best that Asian speculative fiction has to offer. This is a semi-autobiographical take on one of the most tragic individuals to have ever existed. This book is about the glorious and calamitous life of Karna from the epic Mahabharata. This standalone book is divided into nine sections with four of them being narrated by Karna and the remaining five narrated singularly by Duryodhana (his best friend), Kunti [his biological mother], Vrishali [Karna's first love and wife], Shon [his younger brother] & Lord Krishna.
This English translation of a Hindi translation of an originally Marathi book might not seem to be the best-translated book but do not be fooled. This book is a wonderful told story of a warrior whose life was ruined by fate repeatedly, yet never gave up and strove ever hard to give his family and friends everything that he could. This book has everything any fantasy fan could ask for and more, plus the ending is such a climatic one that it would rival the best that David Gemmell or John Gwynne have written.
The Palace Of Illusions by Chita B. Divakaruni
I have to admit, I'm partial to the Mahabharata and hence this book by Chitra B. Divakaruni was another must-read for me. This standalone book is a feminist retelling of the Mahabharata by focusing the story through the lens of Draupadi solely. Born via a yagna (fire ceremony), Draupadi and her twin brother Dhristadyumna were fated to be harbingers of fate, determining a lot for various souls and sundry. Chitra B. Divakaruni paints a beautiful story and gives Draupadi a voice that is haunting and yet powerful. It is a story that takes a proud character from the Hindu epic and gives her a voice that was not present in the original epic.
Draupadi or Panchali as she is referred to throughout the story is a woman who constantly struggles against the constraints that fate, family and fortune have placed on her. She balances the attention that Krishna places on her, versus her husbands' demands and finally her true love. It is a story that takes quite a few liberties with the original epic and yet still keeps faith with its spirit. This story is rumoured to be adapted into a Bollywood movie starring Deepika Padukone and I for one cannot wait to see it come to fruition.
These Savage Shores by Ram V. & (Illustrator) Sumit Kumar
This graphic novel is a dark but lyrical historical fantasy story that's set in middle of the 18th century and focuses on the topic of monsters. Sumit Kumar gorgeously illustrates the story and the artwork enhances the story incredibly. It also focuses on the English colonisation of India and how even among the supernatural world, the Far East is thought to be ripe for expansion.
In part a horror story, and in part a love story, These Savage Shores is a story that effectively utilizes a minor Hindu mythological entity and gloriously builds the story around that person. We also get to meet Tipu Sultan as a young boy and it was a fascinating touch to the story. Overall, this story is a brilliant deconstruction of gothic horror and European colonisation. Give this one a try and you won't regret it, historical fantasy meets horror with a superb illustrative eye.
The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi
One has to hand it to Amish Tripathi, he revolutionized the Indian reading scene with the release of his Shiva trilogy. This trilogy reimagines Lord Shiva as a person who is of Tibetan origin and his adventures in Vedic India. This trilogy is a fast paced one that combines modern vernacular language and concepts within an epic fantasy world that's based on ancient India. However, this ancient India is rife with magic, astras (technological weapons) as well as other mythological races. There is a magical prophecy as well as epic action sequences and a fast paced plot that makes the readers keep the pages turning constantly. This series definitely introduced many an Indian reader to the concept of quick paced fantasy similarly to what Terry Brooks did in the early 80s.
I would recommend it for the fun it promises as well as the ease with which Amish Tripathi enmeshes Hindu mythology within an epic fantasy lens. His authenticity sparkles through easily and marks him as an author that is very much within the vein of Terry Brooks and R. A. Salvatore.
The Devourers by Indra Das
This was a unique literary fantasy story mixed in with historical fantasy & horror. Part mystery with a dual timeline, this debut novel focuses more on the literary aspect of storytelling while also dealing with gender norms, societal customs and of course personal relationships that can take a turn to the savage. The writing style while being more akin to Amitav Ghosh than say Christian Cameron (this is no criticism) made this a unique story. For those looking to find the connection between werewolves, gender identity, and historical India should make a beeline for this debut.
In addition, here are some recent debutantes that you all need to checkout: Tasha Suri, Vaishnavi Patel, Geetha Krishnan, Gourav Mohanty, R.R. Virdi, Aparna Verma, and Kritika H. Rao.
Mihir Wanchoo
Born and raised in Mumbai, India. Mihir Wanchoo is a physician and a Masters graduate. He is an avid book collector and longtime reader of fantasy, thrillers and Indian mythology with additional interests in historical fiction and urban fantasy.
Favorite writers include Jeffrey Deaver, John Connolly, David Gemmell, Dyrk Ashton, James Clemens/Rollins, Craig Schaefer, Rachel Aaron, Rob J. Hayes, Richard Nell,Ilona Andrews and many others.
Mihir currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with his family, and is ever looking forward to discovering new authors and old books. You can find him on Twitter at @FantasyBookCrit!
N O T E
Everything stated in this post is independent of any compensation, and the guest writer's comments and thoughts are solely their opinion; the formatting was done by the blogger but no changes were made in text.
Posted in FEATURES Guest Posts and Tagged fantasy more than masala mythology folklore inspired reader guest post south asian authors
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2 replies on "Mihir From 'Fantasy Book Critic' Recommends Six Must-Read Fantasy Books That Use Indian Mythology"
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Kalista Etc says:
Thanks for the recommendation! As a mythology fan myself, I would love to learn more about Indian mythology from books. I love Sayantani DasGupta's middle-grade series "Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond" despite not being middle-grade myself, ehe.


text:
Russian Diplomatic Mission's Car Hit by IED in Kabul, Employees Suffer Light Concussions
© REUTERS / Sputnik
by Tim Korso
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/01/1081328565_0:134:2458:1516_1200x675_80_0_0_13decfc2908c0b66b744657f5af3c10e.jpg
Tim Korso. Sputnik International
https://sputniknews.com/asia/202012011081328277-russian-diplomatic-missions-car-hit-by-ied-in-kabul-employees-suffer-light-concussions/
According to initial reports, a military pickup driving in front of the diplomatic vehicle might have been the actual target, although it has not been excluded that the Russian personnel were targeted either.
A vehicle belonging to the Russian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan has been hit by the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Kabul, Russia's Foreign Ministry has stated. The explosion took place near the Russian Embassy in the Afghan capital. The car did not suffer a direct hit, with its passengers suffering only minor concussions as a result.
"We demand that the Afghan authorities conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the personnel of the Russian diplomatic buildings in Afghanistan. The Russian Embassy in Kabul is introducing additional security measures to defend the personnel and the facilities of the diplomatic mission", the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
The diplomatic car might not have been the target of the bombers, the ministry noted. According to a preliminary assessment, the IED may have been planted to hit an Afghan Security Force military pickup that was driving in front of the Russian Embassy's vehicle. At the same time, the ministry did not rule out the possibility that the attackers might have specifically targeted the Russian diplomatic workers.
Bombings in Afghanistan
The situation remains tense in Afghanistan even after the US and the Taliban, considered a terrorist organisation in Russia, signed a truce earlier this year. Under the conditions of the agreement, the Taliban has vowed to stop attacks on American forces in the country, prevent it from turning into a safe haven for terrorist organisations, and to engage in dialogue with the government in Kabul. In return, the US promised to withdraw its forces from the country after 19 years of war.
© AP Photo / Sgt. Justin Updegraff
US Reportedly Closed at Least 10 Bases in Afghanistan Since Signing Deal With Taliban
Earlier, in November, Washington announced a partial withdrawal of its forces from the country, even though occasional attacks continue to take place, some of them purportedly carried out by the Taliban itself. In addition, the group and the Afghan government have still not engaged in the expected dialogue to reach a political solution to the conflict, which has been ravaging the country for decades.
Elite Australian Force Members Face Dismissal Over Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan
Twin Blasts in Central Afghanistan Kill 14, Injure 45, Officials Say
US to Provide $600Mln for Civilian Assistance in Afghanistan in 2021, Under Secretary of State Says
Car Bomb Explodes in Suicide Attack on Directorate of Security Office in Northern Afghanistan
Afghanistan Successful in Obliterating Daesh Threat from its Soil - Security Adviser
explosion, IED, Russia, Afghanistan


text:
Zodarion talyschicum is een spinnensoort in de taxonomische indeling van de mierenjagers (Zodariidae).

Het dier behoort tot het geslacht Zodarion. De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1987 door Peter Mikhailovitch Dunin & Nenilin.

Mierenjagers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Part Number: Atmel SAM-BA In-system Programmer Microchip SAM Boot Assistance (SAM-BA) software provides an open set of SAM-BA for Linux. Description: This application note describes the steps to install and use SAM-BA on some popular Linux distributions to program Atmel ARM based devices. This repository contains the sources of the Atmel SAM-BA tool. This tool is The main supported platform for SAM-BA are Windows and Linux. The following.
SAM-BA Linux uses the USB connection through CDC to communicate with the This kernel version may contains two drivers for atmel boards: the sam-ba. I am using SAM-BA v/patch 7 for Linux but unfortunately I have only tried with the version available in the ATMEL web page, can. 2 Aug SAM-BA® is a programming tool for the Microchip MPUs/MCUs. Open the SAM -BA web site and download the package: SAM-BA for Linux. ID 03eb Atmel Corp. at91sam SAMBA bootloader.


Nothing can make you feel vulnerable older faster than a bad back that appears to be out of the blue. And if you know the feeling, it's probably not much comfort that at some point four out of five adults will share it.
However, only a small percentage of problems with the back are really serious. Simple muscle strain is 80% of all lower-back pain. More importantly, such pain almost always develops gradually, meaning the moment your back "goes out" is the ultimate outcome, not the cause. And the cause is years and years of bad back habits, more often than not.
So, what are you going to do to buck the chances? That's what's coming up in the next few pages-a ten-minute, ten-move formula to avoid ever developing a back problem. At home, at work, a little daily back attention can keep your back young for a long, long time in workouts.
That's how a healthy back stays from a strong and flexible cast of muscles. That's why in key back-stabilizing muscles in the torso and legs this simple routine zeroes. It specifically stretches the flexors, the muscles in the front of the body that tend to become tight and short, and strengthens the extensors, the back muscles that tend to be underused and weak, as well as the abdominals that support the spine.
LOW-BACK LOOSENER: Lie straight on your back with your right leg. Hold your left knee with your hands on the back of your thigh to the chest. Hold on for 10 seconds. On the other side, repeat.
SIDE-OF-HIP STRETCH: Lie straight on the floor on your back with your right leg. Bend the left leg to the chest. Use both hands to grasp the left knee and pull the leg up and across the body to the right shoulder. Feel stretching out of the left hip. Hold on for 10 seconds. On the other side, repeat.
FRONT-OF-BODY LENGTHENER: Lie down with your hands under your shoulders on the stomach and your elbows bent. Push up to raise as much as possible shoulders / chest straightening arms while keeping mat / floor hips in contact.
BACK-OF-THIGH UNTIGHTENER: Lie on the back. Place under your lower back a rolled-up towel. Hold your legs straight. Place your cord or belt around your right leg heel and lift your right leg slowly until you feel stretched in the back of your thigh. Hold on for 10 seconds. Repeat with a different leg.
LOWER-BACK STRENGTHENING: Lie close to the buttock on the back with heels. And lift the buttocks gently and lower the floor back down until thighs and back are in a straight line. Remember to breathe for ten seconds.
ABDOMINAL FIRMER: Lie on the back with bent knees and heels near the buttocks. Reach hands from thigh to thigh. Curl your head and shoulders gently until the blades of your shoulder leave the floor.
On the internet search drive for wellness there are millions of hits-from mental to physical health, cardiac fitness, cancer, yoga, how to overcome certain ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stoke, and weight loss tips, and how to grow taller, with many other ideas being honored. Finding any site that has so much to offer on all these fronts requires quite a bit of research, let alone one that can combine all the needs for your innermost well-being-joy, bliss and more.


Every seller seems to give their own credit card nowadays, each along with its own special benefits. How are you supposed to know which to select and also whether utilizing that card is actually worth it?
Unfortunately, most of these memory cards possess a high rate of interest and low lowest payments that pretty much balance out any kind of markdowns ultimately.
Thus permit's check out at the Walmart Mastercard and also Walmart Credit Card through Synchrony Bank to find how they stack up. Walmart possesses 2 top quality cards, which possess virtually the exact same advantages along with merely a couple of main distinctions.
The Walmart MasterCard can practically be actually utilized anywhere you like suggesting that you'll acquire awarded for acquisitions produced virtually anywhere MasterCard is approved (albeit somewhat, at 1%). The Walmart Credit Card is just taken at Walmart shops, Walmart.com, Walmart as well as Murphy USA filling station, and also Sam's Club retail stores (there are actually visa or mastercard that use perks for Sam's Club as well).
Yet another difference: some Walmart MasterCard owners might obtain a lower APR depending on account kind. And also eventually, Walmart MasterCard owners are qualified for cash loan (along with a changeable APR), while Walmart Credit Card owners are actually not qualified.
Since the Walmart MasterCard is actually slightly harder to obtain, some candidates are going to automatically obtain the Walmart Credit Card, which targets individuals with reduced to reasonable credit history aiming to create their credit report. You may find out even more regarding the document method below.
All Walmart visa or mastercard are instantly signed up in Walmart's 3-2-1 Save Rewards Program. As a result, you'll receive cash-back such as a statement debt for each purchase.
2% at Murphy USA and Walmart filling station.
1% at Walmart (or even anywhere else when using the MasterCard).
All purchases created at Walmart.com obtain the 3% cash-back. This also features in-store item/grocery pick-up and grocery store shipment purchases, if spent for online (cash-back is 1% if purchased in-store).
Perks made with the Walmart MasterCard and Walmart Credit Card never ever end, and there is no limitation to the benefits that can be earned (within the credit limit).
Various other downsides undoubtedly put on this memory card. As an example, cardholders may simply acquire limit 3% cash-back for using the memory card at Walmart.com. That being claimed, if you're a frequent internet customer, the statement credit report might swiftly build up.
If your credit report isn't strong good enough for the Walmart MasterCard, you can't gain cash-back beyond Walmart (which restricts the memory card's effectiveness). But, again, there's no yearly fee … so also utilizing it to pay at Walmart, authorized gasoline stations, and Sam's Club may imply money back monthly. Especially if you spend there commonly!
Despite the fact that there is actually no yearly cost, the Walmart MasterCard and also Walmart Credit Card possess high APRs and late fees. These may build up rapidly and also place you in a major bind. Of course, you can avoid these fees through compensating the balance in full each month.
Lastly, if you're still working on developing your credit report, you'll most likely be provided a low credit line, which means you won't manage to invest much on the card. However if you use your credit card sensibly, your credit line and credit rating might enhance.
Obtaining the Walmart MasterCard as well as Walmart Credit Card.
Prospective cardholders technically request the Walmart MasterCard and also Walmart Credit Card concurrently to view which one (if either) they will obtain. As stated over, the Walmart MasterCard has a little greater certification requirements. Therefore, those that do certainly not apply for the MasterCard may still get the Walmart Credit Card instead.
That being actually claimed, the general consensus is actually that the Walmart cards are actually usually aimed for individuals with inadequate or even restricted credit report. In other words, Walmart most likely prepares for current or past imperfections in your credit.
You may obtain the Walmart MasterCard/Walmart Credit Card online, at any establishment register, or at the jewelry booth.
Upon credit scores testimonial, some candidates will definitely be permitted instantaneously. Nevertheless, some functions might require further evaluation, resulting in a 7-10 day standing by time frame. (See listed here for even more instant accepted charge card).
Sign Up Bonuses: The Walmart MasterCard and Walmart Credit Card commonly provide low register bonus offers that have actually varied in the past.
One such current promo was actually a financial savings of $25 or $35 off your first investment for on the internet treatments just. Walmart possesses also just recently supplied a single 10% discount on the cardholder's very first acquisition.
But as usual, stipulations apply. For the 10% price cut, the promotion was capped at a maximum of $25 … meaning it was merely good on acquisitions of as much as $250. And also for both incentives, the purchase must be brought in the same time of treatment confirmation. So supposing you must hang around to be permitted? Walmart explains you will acquire a comparable provide in your credit card bundle.
For both of these sign-up incentive examples, cardholder cost savings are actually not "funds," however are as an alternative put back on the next memory card declaration as a debt.
Another possible advertising is actually 0% loan on sizable acquisitions if paid for within a specific timespan (6, 12, 18, or even 24 months). However, if you fail to spend the balance in full due to the statement target date, you'll be asked for interest back to the date of purchase, which could be incredibly expensive.
You may additionally be offered a promo "no interest for X months" offer. Because scenario, you do not pay enthusiasm in all throughout the advertising period however will certainly start paying rate of interest when the offer runs out. There is actually no back enthusiasm through this deal.
Due to the fact that advertising provides vary, make certain to check out the terms thoroughly when you submit your request.
In our point of view, are actually these good sign-up provides? Certainly not definitely. You can absolutely earn far better sign-up incentives through other benefits charge card on the market place.
What occurs if you are actually refused both the Walmart MasterCard and also Walmart Credit Card? Because instance, you still possess an additional possibility: the Walmart MoneyCard, a reloadable pre paid Visa or even MasterCard from Green Dot Bank.
Like the other cards, the Walmart MoneyCard also qualifies for enrollment in the 3-2-1 Program. You'll get accessibility to special price cuts as well as sales notices, you don't require a checking account to utilize the pre paid card, as well as you can easily also have your income direct placed. Nevertheless, there are actually month to month fees for utilizing the Walmart Money Card.


Celebrating life through gentle yoga practice with emphasis on breathing, balance, postures and relaxation techniques.
As we look forward to spring and the freshness of a new season, make a commitment to energize and nourish your mind and body. The vinyasas are designed to promote youthfulness, grace, flow and balance. The addition of Yin yoga takes us deeper into renewal. Classes are for all ages and levels of wellness.
Whether it is Chair Yoga, Mat yoga or pre-natal, there is something for everyone at all levels. Educational classes, social gatherings or just learning something new, I promise that you will enjoy and come away with a happy heart. See upcoming events below.
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Member of YSN (Yoga Society of Nashville) and Yoga International.
Private or Group Classes Available: Chair Yoga, Mat Yoga, Pre and post natal Yoga, Silver Sneakers, Cardio/Strength, Mantra & Meditation, Personal programs available by appointment.
It all begins with Yoga practice. The principals of breathing, balance, asanas, concentration and meditation compliment all areas of work and play. The goal is to have a healthy mind, body and spirit.
Mission Statement: To provide a variety of yoga practices to promote physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being for students of all ages and levels of fitness, at an affordable cost.
Note: There is a suggested donation of $5 per class however; no one is ever turned away due to inability to make a contribution.
Cost of personal training programs are negotiated individually.
And so it began in the 70s.
Copyright © 2017 Seasoned Yoga - All Rights Reserved.


Sarajevo, November 26 – The BiH Constitutional Court confirmed that the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays is not in line with the BiH Constitution and ordered the Republika Srpska Parliament to harmonise it with the Constitution six months after the decision is forwarded to it.
The BiH Constitutional Court has ordered the Republika Srpska Parliament to harmonise Article 3b) of the Law on Holidays with the BiH Constitution within six months after the receipt of this decision and to inform the BiH Constitutional Court of measures it undertook with the aim of executing this decision, says the Constitutional Court.
The BiH Constitutional Court again emphasises that this decision in no way calls into the question the right of BiH citizens, Orthodox faithful/or a similar right of citizens of any other religious community/ to freely celebrate their holidays, including Patron St.'s Day of Holy Archdeacon Stephan, in a traditional or some other appropriate way.
According to the Constitutional Court, such freedoms and rights, particularly their free exercise, only confirm multiconfessional and multicultural character of BiH as a country and society, which is why this decision of the BiH Constitutional Court in that context cannot be interpreted in any other way.
At Izetbegovic's request, the BiH Constitutional Court has halted the procedure for assessment of the constitutionality of Article 2b) of the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays.
The Declaration says that challenging provisions of the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays before the BiH Constitutional Court is an exclusively political act and not a legally-based act, the covert goal of which is to negate the legality and legitimacy of Republika Srpska and the Dayton constitutional and legal order of BiH.


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Girl slits wrists with blade over differences with father
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 7: An unidentified young woman, who is believed to be in her teens, has been admitted to the admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Jahra Hospital after she allegedly attempted to end her life by slitting her wrists with a blade, reports Al-Rai daily.
The daily added after the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior received a report on the incident police and paramedics rushed to the spot and discovered the victim was rushed to the hospital by the father. When police reached the hospital, she had already been admitted to the ICU.
The daily added, she will be interrogated when she is moved to the general ward. In the meantime, the father said she attempted to end life because of differences between him and his daughter. A case of attempted suicide has been registered against her.
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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 11: The cases of suicide continue to baffle Kuwait as another Asian …


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Home»Showbiz
Price arrives at blessing in A-Team van
Saturday, July 03, 2010 - 05:41 PM
Katie Price used a replica A-Team van as a wedding car today as she had her marriage to cage fighter husband Alex Reid blessed at a lavish church ceremony.
A veil of secrecy surrounded the celebrations as guests were reportedly asked to sign confidentiality agreements and to hand in their mobile phones at the door.
Despite the choice of transport to church, the event at St Paul's Church, Woldingham, Surrey, was a much grander affair than the hasty shirt-and-jeans approach adopted for the original low-key nuptials held in Las Vegas in February.
Family and guests arrived at the picturesque village church in Range Rovers and a coach with the banner: "Congratulations Katie and Alex" on the front.
But as the guests, including Danielle Lloyd and Melinda Messenger, stepped into the church, they were shielded from waiting photographers with umbrellas and sheets.
It is understood that guests were made to wait for up to two hours before Price arrived at the church.
Scuffles broke out between photographers and bouncers as the A-Team van pulled up bringing Price to the church.
A crowd of about 40 people had gathered outside the church hoping to get a glimpse of Price.
Local resident Elaine Benjamins, 54, said: "We had come to the school fete but we got a bit distracted when we saw that this was happening.
"I think it's wonderful, why not? It's a big occasion for her, good luck to her, although I prefer the ex.
"They've managed to keep it a pretty good secret otherwise I'm sure there would have been more people here.
"We're hoping the school fete might get a few more visitors now."
However, other residents of Woldingham seemed nonplussed by the spotlight being thrown on their small village.
One shopkeeper said: "Someone told me it was happening here but I haven't seen anything, I haven't really taken any notice."
The ceremony may have taken place away from the eyes of the Press but it is set to feature in a three-part television series called 'Katie & Alex: For Better, For Worse', to be screened later this summer on ITV2.
Following the church blessing, Price and Reid left in the A-Team van and the guests were taken back to Price's former marital home with Peter Andre in the village.
A huge marquee was erected in its grounds for the party with a second one put up in her other home in West Sussex, apparently as a decoy.
The Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, had also been rumoured as a possible location.
A member of staff said: "I wish it had been held here but that appears to have been a smokescreen."
Price, aka Jordan, was pictured earlier this week in a flowing pink dress at a Barbie-inspired hen party at a five-star hotel in London.
The 32-year-old glamour girl has already shared some details of the event.
In a recent TV interview, she said: "It's going to be great sharing this fantastic day with my friends and family. I can't wait to celebrate our love for each other again."
Reid said: "Seeing her walk down the aisle again and being able to share it with the people we love will make this truly memorable."
The couple's decision to cash in by allowing the cameras in to cover the ceremony contrasts with the relative secrecy that surrounded their whirlwind trip down the aisle in Las Vegas in February.
But it is understood there is no magazine deal in place for this marriage, unlike Price's wedding to first husband Peter Andre.
Price, who had glittering, pink-fuelled nuptials when she wed Andre, said her latest wedding event was going to be a homegrown DIY affair.
"We're all going to do it as a family thing, how really it should be done, not how other people tell you to do it," she said recently.
"We're not going to have a wedding planner, we're literally going to do it ourselves."
The blessing comes just days before Price makes another stab at a music career with a new single 'Free To Love Again' which is due out on July 12.
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Celine Dion pays tribute to her mother following her death aged 92
British PR chief to be honoured in Los Angeles


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