text:
Month: April 2010 (Page 1 of 5)
April 30 game chat
Pirates at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
In Game chat, History
Frederick M. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Eric Karros of the Dodgers connects for the game-winning hit in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 13-12 victory over Florida at Dodger Stadium on April 29, 2000.
Riding in the tunnel …
Salvage mission
Dodgers at Mets, 10:10 a.m.
Russell Martin, C
Matt Kemp, CF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Xavier Paul, LF
Jamey Carroll, SS
John Ely, P
Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the lowdown on Ned Colletti's critical comments of the Dodgers' play. (Dodgers Blog has Kemp's response.) I'll agree with Colletti that Matt Kemp's basestealing and defense have been a disappointment that we'd all like to see corrected, but if you're going to start throwing out pointed comments about the effect of his new contract, you might at least balance it with the fact his hitting has been MVP-caliber. The Dodgers are not losing because of Matt Kemp.
Jackson adds, as many of you might already have suspected, that Charlie Haeger's roster spot is in jeopardy after another unsatisfactory outing. Not sure what move the Dodgers would make, but Saturday might bring a decision.
On April 29, 2000, I stood at one end of a room and a woman walked toward me from the other end of the room. And then we made vows, and we walked out of that room together, married. I'm not sure what's more amazing – that it ever happened, or all that has come in the nine years and 364 days since. It feels unreal. It's been very real – family life can be bliss and it can be hard. But thinking about it feels unreal. It's a ride I don't want to get off.
So I'm off to celebrate – you'll next see me here Friday or Saturday. There will game chats, so stick around and think good thoughts about the Dodgers, when you can.
Mets give Dodgers the full Flushing, 10-5
In Game wrap
Kathy Willens/AP
James Loney can't believe tonight's strike three call against him – nor the downward slide of the Dodger season.
So far in 2010, these Dodgers have been something – as in, it's always something.
With their 10-5 loss to the Mets in the second game of today's doubleheader, the Dodgers now have the worst record in the National League – tied at 8-12 with Atlanta and Pittsburgh, which won the season-opening series between the two teams.
Not for lack of effort, the team has simply found a way to lose. The Dodgers aren't loafing, but they're not executing – not enough of them for long enough. You could say there were turning points today, if you could also say there are turning points when you're sitting in a dunk booth.
I don't think the Dodgers take the field defeated, but they've left me feeling that way. Lately, wins feel like aberrations.
They get bad breaks – the lowdown called strike three on James Loney with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the fourth tonight made the Dodger first baseman angrier than most of you have probably ever seen. But everyone gets bad breaks.
They get hurt – three Dodgers to the disabled list in the past week, and now Rafael Furcal's health is back in doubt, reports Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. You can't win if you can't stay healthy.
They're out of sync – pitching, defense and hitting almost never working at once.
Wednesday marks the end of a nine-game roadtrip that has already yielded six losses. We'll see if home cooking this weekend helps fix things; we'll see if the Dodgers are getting their bad fortune out of the way early. Time and potential are on the Dodgers' side. The question is whether reality is.
Dodgers lose 4-0, just torturing their fans now
In Game chat, Game wrap
Frank Franklin II/AP
Johan Santana was on the wild side for New York today, but he got the job done.
Second burst tries to avoid the worst
Dodgers at Mets (Game 2), approximately 4:30 p.m.
Reed Johnson, LF
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Charlie Haeger, P
And so the reversal is fully in motion. The Dodgers get their third consecutive quality start, this time from Hiroki Kuroda. But the offense is shutout for the second straight time, and Los Angeles falls in the first game of their doubleheader today against the Mets, 4-0.
It wasn't a cruise for Mets lefty Johan Santana. He needed 115 pitches to battle through six innings, including a second inning when he walked the bases loaded, but twice used Kuroda as an escape out of a jam and left the game unscored upon.
On one level, Kuroda outpitched Santana, needing only 87 pitches over six innings, but a wild pitch got the first run in for the Mets in the second, and Jason Bay's first homer of the season (in the fourth) brought in the insurance.
I was hoping that with such a low pitch count, Kuroda would stay in the game (and sacrifice) with one out and one on in the top of the seventh, but Joe Torre had Garret Anderson pinch-hit. The Dodgers didn't score, and rookie Jon Link came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh, allowing the first three men to reach. The Dodgers then brought in Ramon Troncoso; why you would make Troncoso available but not use him to start the inning, I don't know. Anyway, the Mets scored two runs to double the Dodger deficit.
You're never confident against Santana, but you know, you're starting Hiroki Kuroda, and then he's pitching well, Santana looks fallible, and suddenly the game looks completely winnable. But then a different reality blindsides you.
On to Game 2 …
For your between-game reading (via Baseball Musings): former Dodger minor leaguer Matt White isn't a billionaire after all, but he's still looking good for his post-baseball life, according to this story (which I'm having trouble really originated on the Granite Transformations blog, but that's the only place I could find it).
Beware the great pitching matchup
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Citi Field fans wait out a rain delay during the sixth inning of the game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
Loney dropped against Santana; Johnson and Carroll start over young lefties
Dodgers at Mets (Game 1), 1:10 p.m.
Rafael Furcal, SS
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Hiroki Kuroda, P
Spontaneously delivered to us by Coach Nature, Hiroki Kuroda vs. Johan Santana is a pretty great matchup for the first game of today's doubleheader. But the Dodger press notes point out that the last time the Dodgers played a straight doubleheader in New York, on August 14, 1990, the Game 1 matchup was Dwight Gooden vs. Ramon Martinez. Final score of that one? Mets 9, Dodgers 8, with both starting pitchers allowing seven runs.
Howard Johnson was right … on with a three-run homer in the first inning, giving the Mets a lead they never quite relinquished despite three hits and four RBI by Dodger leadoff-hitting third baseman Lenny Harris.
Vicente Padilla has an irritated radial nerve in his right forearm. The Dodgers say they have not set a timetable for his return; True Blue L.A. has more details about the injury, including a reference point with Tampa Bay's Matt Garza, who spent 16 days on the disabled list with it in 2008 but came back strong.
Dodgers rained out — doubleheader Tuesday
The Dodgers have been rained out at New York tonight, with a doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m.
Hiroki Kuroda will start one game; the second will be either by Charlie Haeger or a minor-leaguer. (Unless Haeger starts both games!) John Ely was scratched from his Albuquerque start tonight, so he is most likely to make his major-league debut either Tuesday or Wednesday.
By the way, we don't know how long Vicente Padilla will be out, but here's a bad sign: He told Molly Knight of ESPN the Magazine, "In the past I've been able to throw through this, but I can't even do that. Never had pain this bad before."
In other notes …
Is it time for the Dodgers to hire Chad Moriyama of Memories of Kevin Malone as pitching coach? You be the judge.
You don't usually see negative information in the Dodger press notes … so this shows hard the Dodger fielding travails have been to ignore: "The Dodgers made two errors Saturday for the eighth time this season and have now made 20 miscues on the season. In 2009, the Dodgers committed their 20th error on May 25 and didn't make two errors in a game eight times until September 4. The club's 20 errors lead the Major Leagues."
Former Dodger exec Charles Steinberg has officially become MLB commissioner Bud Selig's senior adviser for public affairs, reports Chuck Schilken of the Fabulous Forum.
Update: Kuroda vs. Johan Santana in Game 1; Haeger vs. Oliver Perez in Game 2.
Let it rain?
The weather report for gametime in New York tonight is not looking good — unless you're rooting for an off day.
Billingsley shines, offense dims in Dodgers' 1-0 loss
In Game wrap, Uncategorized
Nick Wass/AP
Chad Billingsley averaged 14.3 pitches per inning today.
If there is a feel-good loss, the Dodgers might have felt one today.
Despite being shutout for the second time in eight games and again falling two games below .500, the Dodgers and Chad Billingsley might be moping less than normal after the righthander delivered his best start of the year Sunday, allowing one run over six innings in the Dodgers' 1-0 loss to Washington.
Billingsley's only unintentional walk of the day contributed to the game's only run, but otherwise he was on top of his game. He used an efficient 86 pitches over six innings, allowing four hits and striking out five. He averaged five pitches outside the strike zone per inning, not counting a sixth-inning intentional walk following a two-out, Cristian Guzman double that was the result of a miscommunication between Matt Kemp and Garret Anderson. (Kemp called for the ball, but Anderson didn't back off Kemp's path.)
With runners on first and second, Billingsley went 2-2 to Josh Willingham before getting him to ground out and end his cleanest outing since September 23 at this same ballpark, when he pitched no-hit ball for 5 2/3 innings before giving up two walks and a three-run homer to Ryan Zimmerman.
Had the Dodgers been leading – which would have been a possibility had they converted three consecutive one-out singles in the first inning into a run – Billingsley would certainly have pitched in a seventh inning for the first time since July 5. But down by a run with a runner on first, Joe Torre pulled Billingsley for pinch-hitter Andre Ethier. Ethier grounded into a double play.
After Ramon Troncoso retired six of seven players he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, the Dodgers had one final chance when James Loney (2 for 4) led off the ninth with an opposite-field double. But pinch-runner Jamey Carroll couldn't advance on Casey Blake's, I don't know, confusing one-hopper to Guzman. Justin Maxwell then made a diving catch on Ronnie Belliard's blooper to right, and Anderson wrapped up a miserable, three-strikeout day with an easy pop to center.
It's just one game in the season for Billingsley, but it was a promising one. The only time things really went wrong for him was when the leadoff single by Nyler Morgan was followed by an ugly four-pitch walk to Adam Kennedy. But between then and two outs in the sixth, Billingsley only one three-ball count and scattered two singles. Though no one likes a 1-0 loss, the Dodgers might hate this one a little less.
Vin Scully traveled in mysterious ways
In Game chat, Uncategorized
Be the long outing …
Dodgers at Nationals, 10:35 a.m.
Garret Anderson, LF
Reed Johnson, RF
Chad Billingsley, P
Above, Ken Levine passes along a fun promo for Vin Scully's 1967 Rose Parade co-hosting gig with the bewitching Elizabeth Montgomery. We know Scully's voice can cut through time and space, but this is ridiculous!
In contrast, while I share the Left Field Pavilion's disappointment at how many non-Dodger events are included in this MLB Network tribute to Scully, it's all worth it for the pictures of Scully hitchhiking. Yes, hitchhiking.
The somewhat press-shy Andre Ethier gave a fairly lengthy interview to Steve Greenberg of SportingNews.com.
Red-hot Jerry Sands of the Dodgers' Class A team in Great Lakes is profiled by Hugh Bernreuter of the Saginaw News. Sands hit two homers Saturday to up his season batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage to .443/.500/.967.
John Lindsey Watch: In Albuquerque's 6-2 victory over Omaha on Saturday, Lindsey homered and singled in five at-bats, which meant his season batting average and on-base percentage fell to .500 and .548. His slugging percentage did tick up to .821.
By comparison, Isotopes third baseman Russ Mitchell went 3 for 5 and is up to a .359 OBP and .446 slugging.
Ivan DeJesus, Jr. had been struggling at Albuqerque, so his 3 for 5 came in handy. His overall 2010 offense still remains down in the .277/.323 dumps.
Dodgers win in extras but lose Vicente Padilla
In Game wrap, Health/injuries, Uncategorized
Carlos Monasterios, right, gets a high-five from Russell Martin, center, and Matt Kemp after the Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 4-3 in 13 innings Saturday. Monasterios isn't going anywhere for a while after his 2 2/3 extra innings of shutout ball.
See what happens when you get two out of three cogs working?
The Dodger defense help cause the team to play four extra innings Saturday, but this time the bullpen was up to the task while the offense did just enough. With Carlos Monasterios getting the final eight outs, the Dodgers defeated Washington in 13, 4-3.
The glow was tempered a bit with the news that Vicente Padilla was going on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm problems – the third Dodger to go on the DL this week. Reliever Jon Link has been recalled, but the Dodgers will make another roster move by Tuesday for a starter to take Padilla's turn in the rotation. But there was a glow nevertheless.
Clayton Kershaw (3.13 ERA in 2010) allowed 11 baserunners in six innings but went to the showers with a 3-2 lead thanks to Casey Blake's second home run. However, a Russell Martin throwing error – the 20th of the Dodgers' 17-game season to date – led to an eighth-inning entrance by Jonathan Broxton, who allowed the game-tying, unearned run (charged to Ramon Troncoso). Rafael Furcal's error an inning earlier also caused trouble; the Dodgers used four pitchers to get six outs in the sixth and seventh.
But the Dodger bullpen provided five scoreless innings at a most welcome time, with Broxton pitching the ninth, George Sherrill retiring all four batters he faced and then Monasterios (his ERA shrinking to 2.08) providing the final 2 2/3 innings to end it.
It wasn't without one more scare. Monasterios entered the bottom of the 13th with the one-run lead after Russell Martin (0 for 5 with the big error at that point) singled in Furcal, who had singled and stolen his eighth base in nine attempts this year (second in the National League). Monasterios allowed a one-out single to pinch-hitter Ivan Rodriguez and then a double to the right-field corner by Nyler Morgan. A faster player would have scored, but Rodriguez held at third – and then was thrown out at the plate by inches by Blake on the Nationals' next at-bat.
Cristian Guzman then popped out to end it. Monsasterios had come through. The Dodgers had come through. Even though Washington had gotten a runner to at least second base in each of the first nine innings, the Dodgers won.
From Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Monasterios, 24, generally keeps his emotions in check on the field but was jumping up and down in the infield like a Little Leaguer when he got Guzman to fly to left and end the game.
"That's the correct way, no?" Monasterios asked. "I'm very excited and happy to be on this team right now. This experience will give me a lot of self confidence."
Shades of Pedro Astacio …
Blake went 3 for 5 with the three RBI from his two homers, and Furcal, Matt Kemp and James Loney each had two hits. (Furcal also had a walk.)
With James McDonald on the AAA disabled list because of a broken nail ("Why tonight?"), the leading candidates to take the Tuesday start are John Ely, Scott Elbert and Josh Towers. Ely and Towers would require a 40-man roster spot, which the Dodgers have to spare if they move Brad Ausmus or Cory Wade from the 15- to the 60-day DL. Ely has the best numbers of the three: a 3.00 ERA over three starts covering 18 innings, though he has allowed 16 hits and eight walks against 12 strikeouts, and he'd be on five days' rest for Tuesday. McDonald could be activated from the DL next week, but would the Dodgers use him after the layoff he has had?
Elbert, who last pitched for Albuquerque five days ago and was scheduled as recently as Friday to pitch today, was replaced by Seth Etherton, so one might have concluded he'll get the call despite allowing 13 runs in eight innings over his past two starts. (He pitched six shutout innings in his first start of the year.) But Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. points out that Elbert is with his wife for the birth of their second child, so who knows?
Also keep in mind, with the possibility of a rainout Sunday or Monday, the Dodgers might be able to postpone addressing this problem. Anyway, enjoy today's glow – a nice alternative to what could have been another dastardly disappointment.
Kershaw LV: Kershawk-infested waters
In Game chat, Thinking out loud
Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire
Jonathan Broxton is the only impeccable Dodger pitcher this season, but he has only pitched 5 2/3 innings in 2010.
Ooh, child, are things gonna get better?
Clayton Kershaw, P
With the Houston Astros (6-10) on Friday winning their fifth game out of six, and Philadelphia and St. Louis losing, the gap between the top and bottom teams in the National League has shrunk to four games. By the end of the day, there's a chance that the Dodgers (7-9) could be part of of a three-way tie for the worst record in the NL – or a three-way tie for third place in the NL West, two games out of first. That should be enough to indicate how early in the season it is.
But I offer that up as much for me as any of you.
I've been disgusted by the pitching and the defense. So far this season, the Dodgers have only twice strung together as many as eight shutout innings: April 7 at Pittsburgh (in between giving up three runs in the first and the winning run in the 10th) and April 17 (2)/April 18 (6) against the Giants (the Dodgers won the second game). Four other times, the team has had at least five consecutive scoreless frames. That's it. Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. writes, "The Dodgers lead the majors with 14 unearned runs allowed this season. In 2009, they didn't give up an unearned run until the 20th game of the season." One's stiff upper lip quivers when the pitching and defense are that porous.
The offense is working, but we all know you need more than that. If the Dodgers can get their fielding above abysmal (Dodger Thoughts commenter Regfairfield has pointed out that the rate of mistakes they have made in 2010 is essentially unprecedented over a full season) and at least get the pitching to be competent, that will be enough for now. As you can see from the first paragraph, no team has broken out in the NL – Philadelphia and St. Louis have their issues, and the NL West is led by the team predicted to finish last. There's plenty of time.
If the offense unplugs while everything else remains sloppy, however, then this season turns into a disaster and, looking ahead to next year, puts much of the entire roster up for grabs while the McCourt divorce case drags on. As we sit here today, there might be as few as four players the Dodgers will definitely retain for 2011: Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Broxton. Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal are likely to stay off the trade market if they can enough of their April performance. Everyone else … who knows? Some would have to stay, but they'd all be on the table. It doesn't really matter who – it would still be turmoil.
It's too soon to worry about this, but I do worry. But it's too soon. But I worry. But it's too soon.
Based on this Washington D.C. forecast, the Dodgers should avoid a rainout.
No Dodger reliever except Ramon Ortiz was used Friday.
The Dodger reliever with the lowest ERA this season (minimum six innings): Carlos Monasterios, 3.00.
Xavier Paul is starting today, but this brief from Ken Gurnick of MLB.com indicates he will be out there in the first inning only occasionally while Manny Ramirez recuperates. Despite Garret Anderson hitting a pinch-homer Thursday, I think the Dodgers would be better-served giving Paul most of the starts.
It's not exactly the same problem as Chad Billingsley, but wun-time onederkind Cole Hamels is being heavily scrutinized in Philadelphia.
Inland Empire's Ethan Martin pitched six innings of two-hit shutout ball Friday, walking three and striking out seven, in the 66ers' 1-0 loss. Martin's 2010 ERA is 1.80. With two shutout innings in relief, Kenley Jansen has a 0.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts against 10 baserunners in 10 2/3 innings this season.
Jerry Sands went 3 for 4 in Great Lakes' 2-1 10-inning loss. The 22-year-old Sands (he's about six months older than Kershaw) has a .485 on-base percentage and .879 slugging percentage this year.
Manny Ramirez DLed – Xavier Paul recalled
In Health/injuries, Transactions, Uncategorized
AP/US Presswire
Garret today, Xavier the Savior tomorrow?
Dodgers at Nationals, 4:05 p.m.
At 1 p.m., the Dodgers announced that Manny Ramirez would be placed on the disabled list with a right calf strain and that Xavier Paul would be recalled to join the active roster.
Paul has a .409 on-base percentage and .574 slugging percentage in 66 plate appearances for Albuquerque this season.
Dodgers face familiar agony
The Dodgers lost tonight, and if you don't know how, you can probably guess.
Dodger errors and their consequences
In Defense, Game chat, Transactions, Uncategorized
Keith Srakocic/AP
Casey Blake has three errors in 11 starts, though none of his errors have affected the game's outcome.
Can Padilla push team over .500?
Dodgers at Reds, 4:10 p.m.
Manny Ramirez, LF
Vicente Padilla, P
Here's a quick rundown of the Dodger errors and their effects this season. In 14 games, the team has made 16 errors, leading to 12 unearned runs. Three of the errors have contributed directly to losses.
1) Russell Martin (1), April 5 at Pittsburgh (Game 1, second inning)
Error: Tied 2-2, with runners on first and second, Martin bobbled Zach Duke bunt in front of home plate.
Consequences: No runs, seven extra pitches thrown by Vicente Padilla.
2) Casey Blake (1), April 5 at Pittsburgh (Game 1, seventh inning)
Error: Down 8-5, with bases empty and one out, Blake flubbed Jeff Clement's grounder.
Consequences: No runs, three extra pitches thrown by Russ Ortiz.
3) Blake DeWitt (1), April 7 at Pittsburgh (Game 2, 10th inning)
Error: Tied 3-3, first batter of the inning, DeWitt commits miscue on Lastings Milledge grounder.
Consequences: Milledge sacrificed to second and two batters later scores winning (unearned) run off Ramon Ortiz.
4) Ronnie Belliard (1), April 8 at Pittsburgh (Game 3, seventh inning)
Error: Leading 8-1, one out and bases empty, third baseman Belliard allows Andrew McCutchen to reach on a grounder.
Consequences: Ramon Troncoso induces 4-6-3 double play from next batter.
5) Ronnie Belliard (2), April 8 at Pittsburgh (Game 3, eighth inning)
Error: Leading 8-2, one out and runner on second, Adam LaRoche takes advantage of another Belliard mistake.
Consequences: Carlos Monasterios retires next two batters, two extra pitches required.
6) Casey Blake (2), April 9 at Florida (Game 4, fifth inning)
Error: Tied 0-0, leadoff batter Cody Ross reaches on Blake mistake.
Consequences: Hiroki Kuroda retires next three batters, one extra pitch required.
7) Russell Martin (2), April 9 at Florida (Game 4, sixth inning)
Error: Tied 0-0, Martin throws away Cameron Maybin bunt (single plus error).
Consequences: Kuroda allows one-out single to Jorge Cantu for unearned run. Needs three extra pitches to get out of inning.
8) Matt Kemp (1), April 11 at Florida (Game 6, sixth inning)
Error: Leading 5-3 with bases empty and two out, Kemp misreads shallow Ronny Paulino fly ball, dives for it but bobbles it for two-base error.
Consequences: Charlie Haeger allows RBI single for unearned run, then a walk before getting a groundout to end inning. Nine extra pitches. Dodgers ultimately lose, 6-5.
9) Rafael Furcal (1), April 15 vs. Arizona (Game 9, second inning)
Error: Trailing 1-0 with runner on second and and two out, Furcal throws away Conor Jackson's infield single.
Consequences: Jon Hester comes around to score unearned run; Tony Abreu extends Kuroda for eight pitches before grounding out to end inning.
10) Casey Blake (3), April 15 vs. Arizona (Game 9, ninth inning)
Error: Arizona leads 4-3 with runners on first and third and one out when Blake mishandles Abreu grounder.
Consequences: Unearned run scores. Dodger reliever Ramon Ortiz called in, needs four extra pitches to get out of inning. Dodgers tie game in bottom of the ninth thanks in great part to a Stephen Drew error, then win in 10th.
11) A.J. Ellis (1), April 17 vs. San Francisco (Game 11, third inning)
Error: Trailing 1-0, runner on first, Ellis throws ball away on Aubrey Huff steal attempt.
Consequences: See next entry.
12) Jamey Carroll (1), April 17 vs. San Francisco (Game 11, third inning)
Error: With Huff on third, Carroll (playing shortstop) can't handle Mark DeRosa grounder.
Consequences: Four runs score in the inning — two unearned, thanks to the errors and an Ellis passed ball.
13) Chad Billingsley (1), April 20 at Cincinnati (Game 13, second inning)
Error: Tied 3-3 with no outs and runners on first and third, Billingsley throws away Homer Bailey's sacrifice attempt.
Consequences: Most disastrous defensive play of year to date. Of six runs Billingsley allows in inning, three are unearned. Billingsley needs nine extra pitches to exit inning. Dodgers lose, 11-9.
14) Russell Martin (3), April 20 at Cincinnati (Game 13, fourth inning)
Error: Trailing 7-3, runner on first and two out, Martin throw gets away on Drew Stubbs steal attempt.
Consequences: The next batter, Joey Votto, homers off Ramon Ortiz. Runs are earned. Ortiz needs three extra pitches to end the inning.
15) Blake DeWitt (2), April 21 at Cincinnati (Game 14, fourth inning)
Error: Leading 4-3, runner on first and one out, DeWitt lets potential double-play grounder get past him.
Consequences: One out and one Kuroda walk later, Aaron Harang knocks his controversial single just shy of Andre Ethier's glove for unearned run.
16) Rafael Furcal (2), April 21 at Cincinnati (Game 14, fourth inning)
Error: Leading 9-4, runner on first and two out, an easy grounder to Furcal somehow gets through.
Consequences: George Sherrill replaces Kuroda and gives up a single that scores two unearned runs. Sherrill uses three more pitches to end inning. Error forced the Dodgers to use an extra pitcher in the game.
Update: The Dodgers have activated Hong-Chih Kuo and placed Jeff Weaver on the disabled list.


text:
Sydney Sweeney Looked Like Cinderella for Her Met Gala 2022 Debut
Jamie McCarthy, Getty
Literally glowing.
Sydney Sweeney, star of Euphoria and The White Lotus, restorer of vintage cars, and the It girl of young Hollywood, made her Met Gala debut on May 2, and she looked characteristically gorgeous.
In keeping with the evening's Gilded Glamour theme, Sweeney wore a corseted gown with a full skirt, though she added a bit of edge with dark eyeliner. The white beautifully lights up Sweeney's once again blonde hair, and she looks so happy.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: Sydney Sweeney attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)Jamie McCarthy
Her outfit is courtesy of Tory Burch, an American designer if there ever was one. The Met Gala red carpet is often a showcase for designers who work closely with stars they feel best represent their brand. Yep, we can totally see Sweeney as a Tory Burch girl!
For her hair, Sydney Sweeney worked with stylist Bobby Eliot, who used John Frieda hair-care products.
Though she looked superconfident, Sweeney might have been feeling some secret jitters. As she told us in March, she still gets nervous being herself at big events. "If I'm not feeling the carpet, I just tell myself it's a picture and it'll be hopefully gone in 24 hours," she said. "I get nervous before every carpet because I get nervous when I have to be Syd. I feel more confident when I'm different characters, because people are judging the characters and not me…so I kind of pretend to be different characters when I go onto these carpets and do it that way."
So, what was that night's character? Uh, girl who got stuck in traffic! Sweeney and her bustier got stuck in traffic on the way to the Met museum. Fashionably late, of course.
If it feels like it was just the Met Gala, that's because it kind of was. After being scrapped during the pandemic, the big fashion fundraiser came back in September 2021 (it is, traditionally, the first Monday in May, of course), to mixed results. The theme was "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," and Kim Kardashian looked like a shadow. This year's theme was "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," and attendees were instructed to dress in "gilded glamour, white tie," per Vogue.
White tie, white gown, memo received.
Topicsmet gala
Regina King, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda Will Host This Year's Met Gala
Japan's Ex-Princess Is Now Interning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
By Rebecca Cope
Drop The Routine
Sydney Sweeney Drops Her Skin-Care Routine
By Bella Cacciatore
Sydney Sweeney Wore a Black Romper With Puffy Platform Uggs
By Jake Smith

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
was a Japanese politician, in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. He was born in Seoul, when Korea was under Japanese rule. He attended Tokyo Union Theological Seminary, earning a master's degree. In 1990 he was elected for the first time as a member of the Japan Socialist Party.

References

External links
  in Japanese

1939 births
2016 deaths
People from Seoul
Members of the House of Representatives (Japan)
Japanese clergy
Members of the United Church of Christ in Japan
Social Democratic Party (Japan) politicians
Democratic Party of Japan politicians
21st-century Japanese politicians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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US SD.FL: Example of POA granting power to change the named beneficiary of an insurance policy
By Juan C. Antúnez on December 22, 2007
Liberty Life Assur. Co. of Boston v. Miller, 2007 WL 4233547 (S.D.Fla. Nov 29, 2007)
This case is helpful because it provides an example of a power-of-attorney (POA) that authorized the attorney in fact to change the named beneficiary of an insurance policy. All of the Florida cases I've written about lately involved POAs being used to take action NOT authorized by the instrument [click here, here, here, here].
So what does the POA have to say to authorize the attorney in fact to change an insurance policy beneficiary designation form? Glad you asked. Here's your answer:
Construction of a durable power of attorney is a matter of law. Spoerr v. Manhattan Natl. Life Ins. Co., 2007 WL 128815 (S.D.Fla.2007). In construing a power of attorney the court must look at the language of the instrument in order to ascertain its object and purpose. Id. However, power of attorneys are strictly construed. Id. And, only the principal's intent is considered when construing the power of attorney, not the agent's intent. Kotsch v. Kotsch, 608 So.2d 879 (Fla.App. 2 Dist.1992).
First, the Decedent intended to give broad powers to Mrs. Miller as his attorney-in-fact. Under paragraph 4 of the power of attorney, labeled "No Limitation on Attorney-In-Fact's Powers," the Decedent states that he "intend [s] to give [his] Attorney-in-Fact the fullest powers possible, including all powers set forth in Florida Statute Section 709.08 as now in effect or hereafter enacted, and [he] [does] not intend, by the enumeration of [his] Attorney-in-Fact's powers to limit or reduce them in any fashion." (Durable Power of Att'y ¶ 4.) Here, the Decedent expressed his desire to relay to Mrs. Miller all the powers that he could possibly give her. ( Id.)
The Decedent specifically states that he intends to give her the full extent of powers under available pursuant to 709.08. ( Id.) Among the powers available pursuant to 709.08, is the power to "amend or modify any document or other disposition effective at the principal's death." § 709.08(7)(a). This power is only available if the decedent expressly authorized his attorney in fact, Mrs. Miller, to use that power. See § 709.08(7)(a). Therefore, the powers are available because he expressly states that he intends to give Mrs. Miller the full powers available under 709.08, (Durable Power of Att'y ¶ 4.), and the power to change beneficiaries under his insurance policy is one of the powers available under 709.08. § 709.08(7)(a).
Furthermore, under the section entitled "Management and Contracting Powers," the Decedent expressly authorizes Mrs. Miller to alter, insure, and in any manner deal with any real or personal property tangible or intangible and any interest therein. (Durable Power of Att'y ¶ E.) He further authorized Mrs. Miller under this same section to improve, manage and insure intangible property that he owns "upon such terms and conditions as the Attorney in Fact shall deem proper." ( Id.) And, under section P, "Special," the Decedent declares that he gives his attorney in fact the full power of substitution, in other words, the full power to do and perform every act necessary and convenient to be done as if he were still personally present. (Durable Power of Att'y ¶ P.)
The Decedent clearly intended to give his attorney-in-fact, Mrs. Miller, the full extent of the powers that he could give her. The Decedent granted Mrs. Miller the "fullest powers possible" pursuant to Florida Statute Section 709.08, which he did not intend to limit by enumerating further power. Therefore, his intent was clear, and strictly construing this contract, we must conclude that the Decedent intended to authorize Mrs. Miller to be able to change the named beneficiary on the insurance policy. Because there is no genuine issue of material fact and the law indicates that Mrs. Miller was authorized to change the named beneficiary on the Decedent's insurance policy, summary judgment shall be granted in favor of Mrs. Miller and the Estate of the Decedent is entitled to the proceeds of the Decedent's insurance policy.
When does a court have continuing jurisdiction over a trust?
LLC Operating Agreement vs Will. Who wins?
Is there a workaround to Florida's inequitable treatment of middle-aged adults contesting paternity for the first time in probate?
I'm a partner with Stokes McMillan Antúnez Martinez-Lejarza P.A., a boutique trusts and estates law firm located in Miami, Florida. I've been practicing law for over 25 years. Trusts and estates litigation, probate administration and estate planning is all I do as a lawyer. Read More
By Juan C. Antúnez on January 9, 2023
FY 2020-21 Probate Court Filing Statistics: How busy are our probate judges?
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A Challenging Inheritance: The Fate of Mark Twain's Will
Change the Culture, Change the System + Judge Warner's Ten Tips on Civility and Professionalism
Can your probate judge enforce your settlement agreement or do you have to file a new lawsuit?
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The Florida Style Manual
What families, trust protectors, directed trustees, and the bankers and lawyers who work with them need to know about Florida's new Uniform Directed Trust Act
By Juan C. Antúnez on October 31, 2022
What's it mean to challenge the "validity" of a will and why does it matter?
Want to get better at screening estate cases? Read "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll's Will: A Tale of Testamentary Capacity"
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Bending the Arc of History by Terrence Franklin
By Juan C. Antúnez on July 14, 2022
Is there a workaround to Florida's inequitable treatment of middle-aged adults contesting paternity for the first time in probate?
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This is my running list of significant trust, probate and guardianship related appellate opinions since 2005. If you think I've missed an important appellate decision that deserves wider notice, please let me know. As new appellate decisions are published I'll add them to the list.
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India to Start Vaccination with Russia's Sputnik V Covid Vaccine (Индия начнет вакцинацию российской вакциной Sputnik V от Covid) / India, May, 2021
Keywords: covid-19, social_issues
Source: infobrics.org
Over 1.5-2 lakh (1 lakh = 100 000. – InfoBRICS) doses of Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be provided to India in the starting of May, DB Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India to Russia said. He added that the vaccine numbers will be subsequently increased over the next few months.
1.5-2 Lakh vaccine will be provided to India in. It will be increased by middle or later part of May. It will be increased to 5 million in June and so forward," Venkatesh Varma said.
Earlier, Verma has said the production of the vaccine will start in India in May and it is likely to go upto 50 million doses a month. He had said that the first shipment will take place by the end of April and the production will be launched in May and it will slowly increase.
Verma also added that there are no plans to restrict travel between India and Russia in view of Covid.
In September 2020, Dr Dr Reddy's Laboratories and RDIF entered into a partnership to conduct clinical trials of SputnikV, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the rights for distribution of the first 100 million doses in India.
Later, it was enhanced to 125 million. "We are targeting to have the first batches imported by Q1, and are trying our best to have them by end-May," A Dr Reddy's spokesperson said.
Russia's Sputnik V, the world's first vaccine registered against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), has been recommended for emergency use by experts in India, which is seeing a worrying spike in cases linked to the viral infection.
The politics of COVID aid and compassion: India vs Brazil (Политика помощи и сострадания COVID: Индия против Бразилии) / India, May, 2021
Keywords: political_issues, expert_opinion
Source: www.gzeromedia.com
While residents of wealthy countries are getting ready for hot vaxxed summer — COVID is still ravaging many low- and middle-income countries. The horrifying scenes coming out of India in recent weeks have gripped the world, causing governments and civil society to quickly mobilize and pledge support.
But on the other side of the globe, Brazil is also being pummeled by the pandemic — and has been for a year now. Yet thus far, the outpouring of aid and (solidarity) hasn't been as large.
What explains the global alarm at India's situation, and seeming passivity towards Brazil's plight? What are the politics of compassion?
Scope of the crises. Both India and Brazil are experiencing catastrophic outbreaks of disease. These countries have the two highest death rates in the world, recording 2,367 deaths (Brazil) and 3,571 (India) respectively on average over the past 7-days. (However, data coming out of India is vastly undercounted.)
Both are seeing a steady stream of new daily cases and deaths: Brazil and India recorded 28 new cases per 100,000 on average over the past week. But there's one big difference: while India's deterioration has been recent and swift, Brazil's crisis has been relentless over the past 12 months.
Global (in)action: While both Brazil and India are spiralling, the international response to India and Brazil has been vastly different.
For India, the Biden administration mobilized to deliver $100 million in emergency aid in mere days, and directed vaccine supplies to Indian drug manufacturers.
And while critics have pointed out that US aid to India is still too stingy, compare that to to Washington's tight-fisted approach to Brazil: despite repeated appeals for help from Brazilian officials, Washington has doled out just $19.7 million in pandemic-related aid over the past year, including less than $2 million for hard-hit Amazonian communities as they were literally fighting for breath. Similarly, Brussels has offered help to India, while remaining apathetic towards Brazil. (Germany recently sent 80 ventilators to the Amazonian city of Manaus.)
Politics is personal. One contributing factor is that Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has not cultivated much goodwill from the international community over the past few years. The brash populist has denied the severity of COVID, scuttled states' efforts to implement lockdowns, and sowed doubt about vaccines' efficacy. And his history of insulting world leaders hasn't helped: He amplified a social media post describing French President Emmanuel Macron's wife as "ugly," and questioned President Biden's electoral victory. Meanwhile, his own government has managed to insult Beijing (mocking Chinese-made vaccines and tweeting racist content about the origins of the pandemic) despite the fact that Brazil depends heavily on China — its largest trade partner — for vaccine supplies.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by contrast, has cut a different figure. Although he is a divisive leader who has made a series of recent blunders in handling the pandemic, he has not diminished the seriousness of COVID-19, and has maintained warm relations with governments whose help his country desperately needs. That approach appears to be working better than Bolsonaro's.
The power of the diaspora. At 18 million, India has the world's largest diaspora, 17 percent of whom live in the United States. As India's crisis spiraled, student groups and non-governmental organizations around the world quickly stepped in to raise funds. Indiaspora, a DC-based non-profit, announced that it had raised $1 million in just 48 hours. Meanwhile, GoFund said that 60,000 donors from 106 countries had contributed to India-related fundraisers since April 17.
While Brazil also has a sizable diaspora population, 450,000 of whom live in the US, its size pales next to India's. And there has been almost nothing comparable in terms of online fundraising.
Acute vs chronic disease. Since COVID exploded in December 2019, hotspots have come and gone. But Brazil's crisis has been more or less constant for a year now. COVID cases — and deaths — have continued to plague populous states like São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Many people around the world seem to have gotten used to things being very bad in Brazil.
India, on the other hand, seemed to have things under control as recently as March. The crisis appeared to come out of nowhere just as economies in Europe, North America and elsewhere were preparing to reopen. This created a sense of global panic and served as a call to action because no one is going back to normal until we all are.
At the moment, neither Brazil nor India is close to that.
Green moves to change output modes (Переход к более экологичным решениям для изменения режимов вывода) / China, May, 2021
Keywords: ecology, ndb
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn
Decarbonization efforts in China will not stoke inflation, says NDB official
Growing impetus for decarbonizing efforts in China and the rest of the world will spawn new technologies that will change the ways of production, instead of just cutting carbon-intensive production and stoking inflation, a senior executive of a leading global financial institution said.
" (Decarbonization) doesn't mean that we are going to stop producing certain things. It will be producing in different ways," Leslie Maasdorp, vice-president of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, told China Daily. The NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Maasdorp's words came amid concerns among some experts that decarbonization could lead to losses in steel supplies and other carbon-heavy industries and thus exert inflationary pressure.
Amid decarbonization efforts, new technologies are expected to emerge and form new business models and production processes that are less carbon-intensive, he said.
"One should not be concerned about the potential loss of production in steel and some carbon-intensive industries because of decarbonization. I believe in technology. Over hundreds of years, technology is the lever that provides the window into the future," he said.
The world's course toward a less carbon-intensive economy has been on a fast track after the US administration announced the target of an about 50 percent reduction from 2005 levels in net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030, while China is striving to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
The NDB is focused to help member economies, including China, toward carbon neutrality and facilitate related revolutions in business models, Maasdorp said, though the imperative priority now remains helping the economies out of the public health crisis and economic impact caused by COVID-19.
In this regard, the bank has allocated five member countries all of the $10 billion worth of emergency assistance facility that it set up last year, and has recently provided new loans to South Africa and Brazil, he said.
The NDB vice-president made the remarks on Sunday on the sidelines of the establishment ceremony of Xiamen Torch University, located in Xiamen, Fujian province. The university is aimed at promoting innovation and industrial upgrade by closely combining education and research with actual needs of companies located in the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries.
The NDB is ready to boost skill development to strengthen industrial capacity in BRICS countries, including facilitating the Torch development zone's talent enhancement initiatives like setting up Xiamen Torch University, Maasdorp said.
He said the university has the potential to not only lift the industrial capability of Xiamen, but spur economic development in other parts of China and even other BRICS economies. Its experience in nurturing talent and promoting innovation could provide strategies that can be replicated elsewhere, and training materials used here can be shared with other regions in a virtual format.
China's economic prospects have seen a "massive turnaround" from the COVID-19 dip, but macro policy support is still necessary for sustaining the rebound, Maasdorp said.
"There are still too many uncertainties in the immediate future." The worsening pandemic situation in India, for instance, may reverberate across neighboring economies, while the uneven global economic recovery might cloud the external demand of China, he said.
China's GDP posted the fastest expansion on record of 18.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, yet the economy has not fully normalized, with the services sector, manufacturing investment and consumption lagging behind, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
To promote a shared, sustainable economic recovery, Maasdorp said that China and other BRICS economies should strengthen collaboration in vaccination, or share ideas, technologies and resources to ensure fast vaccination among the population, and deepen economic partnership in investment and trade.
China's economic rebound has contributed to the global economy "in a major way" given its sheer size, but will contribute significantly more once cross-border people movement further normalizes amid a more stabilized pandemic situation, he said.
BRICS Development Bank Increases Lending to Brazil (Банк развития БРИКС увеличивает кредитование Бразилии) / Brazil, May, 2021
Keywords: ndb, economic_challenges
The New Development Bank (NDB) has accelerated the approval of loans for Brazil after having established a physical presence in the country.
The BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – created NDB in 2014 and it became fully operational in 2016.
The Brazilian senate authorized the bank to open an office in the country in July 2020, paving the way for increased financing of local projects.
Last year, NDB loans to the BRICS nations totaled US$10.2bn and Brazil received the largest share with US$3.5bn for six projects, according to Brazilian infrastructure association ABDIB.
The projects included US$2bn to support federal government programs to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as emergency aid and financing for micro and small enterprises, Claudia Prates, head of NDB's Americas operations, told an event hosted by ABDIB.
For this year, the bank expects to approve loans for Brazil worth US$1.2bn.
Since its creation, NDB has approved US$5.1bn in loans for Brazil, representing nearly 18% of all approved loans, ahead of Russia (16.3%) but trailing India (24.3%), China (22.6%) and South Africa (18.8%).
Political events in the public life of BRICS
Post-Pandemic Recovery Must Be Sustainable, Inclusive (Постпандемическое восстановление должно быть устойчивым и инклюзивным) / South Africa, May, 2021
Keywords: social_issues, covid-19
Source: www.engineeringnews.co.za
Efforts to accelerate the post-Covid-19 recovery in South Africa must be done sustainability and in an inclusive manner, speakers said during the Financial Services Working Group of the South African chapter of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) Business Council's webinar.
Development finance institution (DFI) the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa CEO TP Nchocho said as was the case with most DFIs and banks with the advent of the pandemic, it did not know what the future would hold and how things would unfold, and there was a natural adjustment to pull back and be extra cautious.
This proved prudent, as there were instances of devaluations in asset values, lost capital and businesses going bankrupt.
However, he noted that the IDC had seen significant recovery in its balance sheet, with assets recovered; funding partners globally opening lines of funding to it again; and its matured mainly listed assets also recovering. Therefore, he said, the organisation's funding capacity was much improved and was strong.
In deploying funding and aiming to engender recovery, Nchocho said the IDC, in line with its mandate, was prioritising the manufacturing and industrial sectors, as well as the localisation of manufacturing. The organisation is also investing a lot of money in renewables and a robust pipeline of energy efficiency projects for distributed generation. The IDC was looking to further expand in this area.
Nchocho said the country had somewhat lost its momentum in terms of infrastructure rollout; however, he acclaimed that some impetus was returning, with the IDC having positive engagements with major State-owned entities with a focus on driving partnerships for development to get infrastructure implementation going.
He also noted a need to expand access infrastructure to less developed areas.
Meanwhile, nonprofit organisation Southern African Trust CEO Masego Madzwamuse commented that, when aiming for recovery, it must come from the perspective of who is driving it, who is benefiting and what kind of discussion was shaping priorities.
She noted that when countries reopened after lockdowns, the informal sector was largely forgotten, with provisions to resume economic activity skewed towards assisting big business.
She pointed out that in South Africa and the rest of the African continent, the structure of the economy was largely informal, with the most economic activity driven by women.
She noted that there were deficits in this informal structure in terms of incentives being put in place, infrastructure and policy support, which needed to be addressed.
Africa-based Fintech company Mukuru Group CEO Andy Jury highlighted the importance of digital financial inclusion, which the company had aimed to do by trying to bridge the cash to digital divide. He emphasised that digitalisation was not a binary switch, but rather, a series of links in the value chain.
The company's approach has been to find out what its customers' pain and friction points were in their informal processes, and then walk alongside them with a solution that creates progress, rather than assuming what they may needed and advertising a solution.
With a large number of transaction happening in the informal sector, and customers also needing to send money across borders, it uses mobile and Web-based technologies to enable this efficiently and cost effectively.
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's interview with the RT television channel, May 3, 2021 (Интервью официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой телеканалу «Russia Today», 3 мая 2021 года) / Russia, May, 2021
Keywords: quotation, mofa
Source: www.mid.ru
Question: What impact have the sanctions had on the state of relations between Russia and the West?
Maria Zakharova: Unfortunately, the growing use of politically motivated, unilateral restrictive measures by a number of Western countries, primarily the United States, has become a reality of our time. We increasingly view the sanctions against Russia as a "gesture of despair" and a manifestation of the local elites' inability to accept the new reality, abandon the stereotypes of their bloc-based thinking, and recognise Russia's right to independently determine its path of development and build relationships with its partners. Apparently, they find it difficult to handle the obvious successes of the Russian economy, which is growing more competitive, internationally, and the greater presence of high-quality Russian goods and services in world markets.
The vicious practice of imposing unilateral political and economic restrictions, especially the extraterritorial application of such measures, is an infringement on the sovereignty of states and interference in their internal affairs aimed at keeping, at any cost, their dominant position in the global economy and international politics, which they are gradually losing. Diplomacy is being replaced by sanctions; sanctions help mask trade protectionism and attempts to divert attention from internal problems as well.
Indicatively enough, the West has ignored the calls of the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to suspend unilateral, illegitimate sanctions on the supply of medicines, food and equipment necessary to fight the coronavirus during the pandemic. We also have not seen any interest from our partners in Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative proposed during the G20 summit to create green corridors in international trade, free from sanctions or other artificial barriers.
The restrictions introduced against our country undoubtedly have had a negative impact on our relations with the collective West. They are undermining mutual trust, and darkening the prospects for normalising relations. Although we do not at all support pushing the sanctions spiral upward, we nevertheless accept the challenge and respond promptly and in a targeted manner. Given the obvious fact that anti-Russia sanctions are a double-edged weapon that inflicts no less damage on the one wielding it, we do hope that common sense will prevail, and our partners will return to building ties with us, relying on the principles of justice and equality and relinquishing the "right of the strongest" and the invasion of sovereign affairs of other states. We have repeatedly made it clear that we did not start this sanctions war, but we are ready, at any point, to do our part in order to end this pointless confrontation, in which there will not be and cannot be any winners.
Question: How strong is the impact of the Western actions on the Russian economy?
Maria Zakharova: The escalation of reciprocal sanctions pressure is having an all-around negative influence both on the Russian and Western economies. Assessments of the reciprocal damage vary due to their objective nature but are still running into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Under the circumstances, we continue responding to restrictions in a balanced, appropriate manner, being guided by the interests of national economic development and domestic economic operators. In these actions, we proceed from the principle of "doing no harm to ourselves." In part, we retain our special reciprocal economic measures, that is, restrictions on the import of certain products from the countries that have introduced anti-Russia sanctions. We are consolidating our national financial system and searching for new international partners, including regional ones. We are also taking other measures aimed to diversify our foreign economic ties. We are working on economic and legal mechanisms to reduce the negative impact of restrictions on the development of bilateral trade and investment cooperation. We have drafted legislation providing for measures to counter new potential unilateral steps by the United States and other countries. We have largely managed to adapt to the external challenges and turn the situation in our favour, as well as launch programmes for import substitution and the development of advanced, competitive domestic industries.
Question: What steps is Russia taking to reduce its dependence on Western financial systems?
Maria Zakharova: The discussion on the need to reduce dependence on the dollar as the world's leading currency has been going on for at least a decade. The previous upheavals in the US financial market and the subsequent global financial and economic crisis exacerbated the vulnerability of the global economy to the dollar domination and called into doubt the sustainability of the world currency system based on the supremacy of one national monetary unit. Washington's current sanctions "voluntarism" is making even more dubious the reliability of dollar transactions. In these conditions, the task of consolidating the independence and sustainability of the financial system to external threats is increasingly becoming a priority for any state.
Question: Is Russia always destined to be dependent on the US dollar?
Maria Zakharova: In order to reduce excessive dependence on foreign means of payment, states and financial market participants have to adapt to new realities, including by finding and developing alternative settlement mechanisms. From this perspective, the gradual departure from the US-centric configuration of the world monetary system is an objective response to a combination of factors. Consistent steps in this direction in coordination with our trading partners would help strengthen the national currencies, as well as minimise the potential economic damage from new restrictive measures Western countries might introduce. This work will undoubtedly require significant effort to reformat the established models of cooperation, to create mechanisms for the support and functioning of new systems of mutual settlements and pricing in the market. Russia has recently signed agreements to expand the use of national currencies in mutual settlements with China and Turkey. There are similar agreements within BRICS. Positive trends are observed in the EAEU, with a growing share of national currencies in mutual payments, as well as in trade and economic cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.
Russia's possible disconnection from SWIFT is so far considered a hypothetical scenario. Nevertheless, interdepartmental work is underway to minimise the risks and economic damage to our country from restricted access to the usual international financial instruments and payment mechanisms. The Central Bank's Financial Messaging System is one example of alternative instruments. Options are also being discussed for adding interface with its foreign counterparts, such as the European SEPA, the Iranian SEPAM and the Chinese CUP and CIPS.
Cooperation is growing between the Russian MIR payment system and its foreign counterparts, in particular, the Chinese UnionPay, the Japanese JCB and the international Maestro card. Such co-branded cards are accepted both in Russia and abroad. In particular, various operations with them are already possible in Armenia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. At the same time, it is a long and laborious process. And it is too early to talk about any specific dates for putting together a comprehensive national toolkit for payment transactions or for its promotion to international markets.
At the same time, Russia is vigorously exploring the opportunities provided by modern digital technologies and the potential of their use to increase the sustainability, stability and independence of the national financial system and means of payment, with a clear understanding that digital money can become the foundation of an updated international financial system and cross-border transactions in the future.
Question: Can Russia ever truly insulate its economy from a hostile foreign policy?
Maria Zakharova: Only a small group of countries – to their own detriment – are pursuing a hostile policy towards Russia. In response, Russia will continue to use external challenges as additional incentives to increase the stability of its economy, mobilise the creativity of national business, modernise production, and diversify economic ties.
We will not shut out the outside world, which is something the initiators of the sanctions are persistently pushing us to do. On the contrary, we are always open for dialogue on all problems or concerns, and are ready for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries, but only on the basis of the principles of equality and mutual consideration of interests. This is how we actually see stable international relations.
For our part, we strongly support a broad international discussion of ways to counteract the illegitimate unilateral measures. We are confident that a systematic dialogue should help reduce the business community's concerns regarding the uncertainty and instability in global affairs, which are provoked by the West's one-sided and inconsistent policy. Even today, we can see that the initiators of the sanctions are starting to realise, albeit slowly, that any unilateral steps cause unacceptable damage to those taking them, and are pointless and counterproductive.
BRICS Competition Centre is working to set up a unified standard for monopolies control in the BRICS countries (Центр конкуренции БРИКС работает над установлением единого стандарта контроля над монополиями в странах БРИКС) / India, May, 2021
Keywords: economic_challenges
Competition agencies worldwide are concerned by the growing concentration of capital and other resources, including data and technologies, into the hands of an ever smaller number of players.
For the BRICS countries, the problems of growing inequality and stagnating economic development are more acute than for the mature economies. The key mission of the BRICS Competition Centre will be to promote a development agenda and to reinforce the role of antitrust regulation in overcoming imbalances in the global economy.
The establishment of the BRICS Competition Centre is aimed at providing a platform for close cooperation between BRICS competition authorities and leading academics in the field, as well as bringing together policy makers across all the BRICS countries to set the agenda for future enforcement action.
Its focus will be on gathering and analysing information from antimonopoly agencies, identifying best practices and, most importantly, drawing up recommendations and working out approaches to competition policy reflecting the development interests of the BRICS economies.
"The creation of a centre like this to address conceptual issues is long overdue. Many key competition law doctrines and theories are drawn up beyond the BRICS countries and do not fully take account of their interests and characteristics. These are, above all, issues around economic equality, protection of the public interest, and access to modern technologies. There is a clear demand in the world today for justice, for change in the global economic architecture, and this demand cannot be ignored. Antitrust laws could become an effective tool for meeting this demand if it is actively applied in a coordinated way by our countries, which represent almost half of the world's population and economic activity," said Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Centre.
The creation of the new Centre is particularly relevant given the growing competitive struggle for domination in the new digital economy. One of the Centre's key research topics is new approaches to antitrust regulation of the digital economy. Other research projects include competition issues in pharmaceutical markets and a study on joint efforts by antimonopoly bodies to combat transnational cartels.
The market of one country, even as large as China, is not a sufficient argument for regulating the actions of the global digital monopoly. Competition law is now in some way a unique mechanism for economies in terms of its regulatory impact on global processes unfolding in the digital economy.
It is in an intermediate position, not reaching a well-unified set of rules, as is the case in the field of global regulation of intellectual property, but it clearly has a greater regulatory potential than the various forms of national regulation that are at the disposal of administrative law. Protection of competition is already more than a matter of national legal order, but not yet a matter of full-fledged international regulation. In this intermediate position, competition law has both strengths and weaknesses.
For example, the absence of a single global regime allows countries to experiment more, both at the national level and at the level of regional associations. At the same time, due to the reasons mentioned above, competition law is very susceptible to international cooperation, which means that it is much more likely to agree and synchronize anti-monopoly policy measures than in other more nationally oriented areas of regulation. One of the most promising formats of cooperation in the antitrust area is cooperation between the BRICS countries and other developing jurisdictions.
"Among the most promising areas for creating effective mechanisms of checks and balances for the growing market power of global digital platforms are the emerging formats of antimonopoly cooperation within the framework of regional associations of developing countries. Cooperation between the BRICS countries in the antitrust sphere can also become a serious factor for the formation of an international regime for competition, which is currently absent. Agreed requirements for digital monopolies on the part of not one country, but entire regions, could make it possible to change the situation for the better," Ivanov added.
The Centre's research work is a continuation of earlier Russian studies in the field of antitrust measures. Significant practical results of international scope have been previously achieved in the sphere of competition in the agricultural sector and food markets.
Back in 2015-17, with support from the Higher School of Economics, a working group of the antimonopoly agencies of the BRICS countries conducted a comprehensive analysis of global food markets and presented a paper which underpinned a change in the way competition is protected in this sphere.
One of the outcomes of that change was a decision by the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russian Federation on the high-profile merger between Bayer and Monsanto, which was greatly facilitated by joint work with antitrust colleagues in the other BRICS countries.
The Open-Oriented Development of Service Industry in BRICS Countries:Progress, Policy Measures and Enlightenments (No.48 ,2021) (Открытое развитие сферы услуг в странах БРИКС: Прогресс, политические меры и просвещение (No 48, 2021 г.)) / China, May, 2021
Keywords: research, social_issues
Abstract: Since the launch of cooperation mechanism in BRICS countries, the member countries have focused on relaxing restrictions on market access and removing competition barriers for foreign investment in distribution supply chain services, market connection and support services, improved the transparency of regulation and control and established and strengthened cooperation mechanism among them. These measures have highly raised the opening-up level of service industry to the outside world, swiftly increased service trade volume, gained a bigger say in the world, refined the structure of service industry, sharpened the competitive edge in some sectors of service industry, consolidified the development foundation of the service industry and made a greater contribution to aggregate GDP of various countries. China needs to refer to the experience of relevant BRICS countries in light of the development characteristics of service industry at home, firmly push ahead with the openness of China's service industry to a higher level, flesh out the laws and regulations conducive to the open-oriented development of service industry, formulate targeted opening-up measures according to the industrial characteristics, enhance the open-oriented policy measures within the service industry, make good use of the BRICS cooperation mechanism for involvement in the formulation of service trade rules, so as to promote the high-quality development of China's service industry.
Keywords: the opening-up of service industry, policy measures, experience and enlightenments, OECD Service Trade Restrictions Index, the BRICS countries


Elevate the art of listening to records to a new angle with a vertical turntable that shows off the disc as it spins.
There is no reason why your vinyl has to sit there like a pancake, spinning around and taking up all sorts of space as you listen to it. The Floating Record Vertical Turntable from Gramovox on Kickstarter plays your precious Barry Manilow albums in a much more dramatic fashion than a regular record player.
If you took an average record player and set it on its side, you would have all sorts of problems, not the least of which is that the record would fall off. The Floating Record solves this issue with the use of a clamp that holds the album in place vertically. A belt spins the record and the custom carbon-fiber tone arm uses a spring to apply the force that keeps it in touch with the album's surface.
Is LP wear a myth? Can 50-year-old records still sound great?
A vinyl hoarder ups the ante: Can one man buy all the records in the world?
Speakers mounted into the wood base make the Floating Record a self-contained audio system, but it can also be hooked into an existing sound system, bypassing the built-in speakers. The player can handle both 33 1/3 and 45 rpm records. The alignment of the belt lets you select the speed.
Vertical turntables aren't a brand-new concept, but the Floating Record may be the most gorgeous version yet created. The wood base and sense of space all around the album give it the air of modern art. It's been more than enough to get Kickstarter backers excited. The project stomped its initial $50,000 funding goal and is now up over $220,000 (and rising) in pledges with 33 days left to go.
Vinyl is not forgotten in this digital age. Record sales are up and LPs have found a comfortable niche coexisting with digital music libraries. An MP3 will never give a music lover the same sense of physical joy as handling a record. The Floating Record just wants to make the whole experience more artistic.


We use relative pronouns after a noun to make it clear which person or thing we are talking about.
For example, we use who to provide more information about a person.
That is the man who won the gold medal in the 200m race.
The runner, who won the race, is the fastest man in the world.
Explanation of when we can and cannot use 'that' as a relative pronoun.
Five features that will help you to identify and use non-definining relative pronouns.


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Let's start 2016 with a proper farewell to 2015. Before we look forward to another year of anime, we should look back on 2015 and reflect on what made it one of the best years of anime in recent memory. There were numerous anime and characters that were incredible, dazzling, brilliant sensational, influential, and monumental in 2015, and today, I want to take a moment to provide my thoughts and opinions on the 15 most significant anime and characters from this last year. Come, take a look and re-experience why the anime of 2015 are so remarkable and unforgettable.
This week: why episode 13 of Yama no Susume Second Season might be the best episode of anime of 2014, distress and worry that Psycho-Pass 2 will be a fanservice anime or a shell of its former self, examining why the melee choreography of the fights of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works are so enjoyable, and concerns over the evolving comedy in Amagi Brilliant Park.
Back sometime, whenever week 11 was: questioning whether Ginko is happy or not in Mushishi Zoku Shou, why the infamous grins in Akuma no Riddle were perfect, examining the contrast between the different Kaoris in Isshuukan Friends, and a candidate for the best episode of anime of the year from Ping Pong the Animation.
Back whenever these episodes of anime aired: how detailing the background characters in Isshuukan Friends represents Kaori's growth as a character, wondering if Adashino-sensei is Ginko's only friend in Mushishi Zoku Shou, being frustrated with the expositions in No Game No Life, and why I'm going to miss Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin when it's over.
A long, long, long time ago, whenever these episodes aired: explaining why Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin doesn't need a villain, why the lives of Sora and Shiro are worse now than before in No Game No Life, thoughts on why the relationship between Tokaku and Haru isn't a romance in Akuma no Riddle, and using variations in cinematography to keep the reaction shots interesting in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.


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· Sport
New record as Rasovsky wins cross Lake Balaton event – Photos
competition Hungary Lake Balaton swimming
Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
Swimming world champion Kristóf Rasovszky won the 38th cross Lake Balaton competition in a record time here on Saturday.
The 23-year-old completed the classic 5,200-meter distance between Révfülöp and Balatonboglár in 57 minutes, shattering the previous record of 58 minutes and 33 seconds set by Mark Papp in 2016.
Read alsoCute cat cycles around Lake Balaton – Video
Rasovszky represented Hungary at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He won the 5km open water event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, and also won the 5km and 25km open water events at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships in Glasgow.
"That's why we came, that was the goal. The weather was absolutely suitable for a new record," Rasovszky said after the race.
More than 9,800 people took part in the event. Participants were mostly Hungarians but there were some 250 swimmers from other European countries, and some from as far afield as Canada and India.
Photo: MTI/Varga György
They swam under sunshine in temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, while the waters of Lake Balaton were between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius.
Fellow Hungarian Anna Olasz was the fastest among the women swimmers, finishing in one hour, one minute and 37 seconds.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, on-site registration was forbidden, and wearing masks was compulsory for organizers in cloakrooms and the finishing zone, and for competitors on board the boats navigating between the two shores of the lake.
Read alsoHere are the top ten best wine terraces of Lake Balaton
Body temperatures of swimmers were also taken and those showing 37 degrees Celsius or more were not allowed into the water.
Source: Xinhua


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Home / COVID-19 restrictions
Fans must adhere to COVID – 19 protocols if they want to watch the 2019 Vodafone Futsal Inter District Championship at FMF Gymnasium in Suva.
Fiji Football Association chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf issued the timely reminder before the much awaited tournament kicks off on Friday..
"That's the regulation and we request fans to please follow all the regulations imposed by the health ministry and the government ," Yusuf said.
"We want everybody to comply with the rules, no arguments to ensure the COVID-19 protocols are followed."
"We will make sure that the careFiji app will be sited at the gate, no app no entry," he added.
The careFIJI app is Fiji's COVID-19 tracing app.
He urges fans to work hand in hand with them for everyone's safety.
"Those not complying will not be allowed into venue," he said.
"For those with no smartphones, they will need to produce a photo id, for all the details to be entered in the log book."
The pool games will be played on Friday and Saturday while the finals will be staged on Sunday.
The ticket price is $5 for adult and child under 12 is free..
Fiji FA
Jakobsen happy to be aliveLATEST NEWS, MAIN NEWS, SPORTS
Eight teams battle in futsal IDCLOCAL NEWS, MAIN NEWS, SPORTS


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Inside CHI Geneva: Mclain Ward wins the Rolex Grand Prix at CHI Geneva and becomes the Rolex Grand Slam live contender
CHI Geneva 2022
Mclain Ward wins the Rolex Grand Prix at CHI Geneva and becomes the Rolex Grand Slam live contender
Mclain Ward and HH Azur. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam / Peggy Schröder.
Press release from Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping
Before the Rolex Grand Prix – the highlight class of the 61st edition of CHI Geneva – got underway, 8,000 adoring fans said farewell to an all-time great horse, Martin Fuchs' legendary gelding, Clooney 51, who was retired in August 2021. After winning this Rolex Grand Slam Major in 2019 with the now 16-year-old grey, a visibly emotional Fuchs paraded Clooney to each corner of the Geneva Arena, to rapturous applause and cheering from all who watched on, before closing with a short speech honouring his loyal companion.
The scene was then set for this year's Rolex Grand Prix, in which 40 horse and rider combinations representing 14 nations – including 16 out of the current top 20-ranked riders – lined-up, each staking a claim for one of the sport's most sought-after prizes, as part of their Rolex Grand Slam quests. Course designers Gérard Lachat and Louis Konickx set a technical, 14-obstacle first round test, which would be followed by a nine-effort jump-off, should two or more partnerships navigate the opening round without a fault.
Great Britain's Ben Maher (Dallas Vegas Batilly) recorded the 1.60m class's first clear, emulated soon after by Daniel Deusser of Germany with Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z. At the halfway stage, a further seven riders had gone clear, including Gilles Thomas (Calleryama), French duo Kevin Staut (Scuderia 1918 Viking d'la Rousserie) and Simon Delestre (Cayman Jolly Jumper), Andre Thieme (DSP Chakaria) and Christian Ahlmann (Dominator 2000 Z) of Germany, Dane Andreas Schou (Darc de Lux), and Irishman Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz). The second half of the round witnessed just four additional riders progressing to the jump-off, with the Oxer-Liverpool (6a) proving to be the trickiest and most knocked down. These riders included crowd favourites, Martin Fuchs (Leone Jei) and Elian Baumann (Little Lumpi E), American Mclain Ward (HH Azur), and a delighted Daniel Bluman of Israel (Ladriano Z), making a final shoot-out of 13 pairings.
Rolex Grand Slam Live Contender, Daniel Deusser set the early jump-off pace and put the pressure on after becoming the first to go double clear in a time of 42.58 seconds. However, it wasn't to be a second consecutive Major victory for Deusser after Simon Delestre went 0.12 seconds faster, with the Frenchman's time soon being eclipsed by next gen Belgian talent Gilles Thomas, who went 1.58 seconds quicker still (40.88 seconds). After both Christian Ahlmann and Rolex Testimonee, Kevin Staut were unable to go clear, Saturday's winner of the Credit Suisse Challenge, Shane Sweetnam, looked like a man possessed, going clear and knocking Thomas off top spot in 40.48 seconds, a time that looked unbeatable. However, next into the arena, Martin Fuchs proved Thomas' time in fact was beatable, going sub-40 seconds (39.77 seconds), and in turn sending the crowd wild. With penultimate rider Daniel Bluman putting one down, Fuchs' destiny lay in the hands of American Mclain Ward and his 16-year-old bay mare HH Azur. Renowned for their speed and accuracy, the pair glided around the course, going faster than Fuchs at the first two sectors, eventually clearing the final fence over a second quicker than the Swiss, etching their names into Rolex Grand Slam history, with Ward ultimately becoming the Live Contender.
On his first Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping Major victory and where it ranks among his career wins, Mclain Ward, said: "To win the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva ranks right up amongst the very greatest moments. Olympic gold medals, the Grand Prix in Calgary – this is a very special moment."
And on what makes CHI Geneva such a special place to compete at, Mclain Ward, commented: "Its people! I mean, it's spectacular, the atmosphere, the environment, the organisers and sponsors make it so special that the competitors rise to the day."
Meet the next gen: Alexandra Amar
Alexandra Amar. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam / Peggy Schröder.
Why is CHI Geneva such a special show?
It's a home show so it's already something special, as you're competing in front of your home crowd, which is really lovely. For my part, I've been selected to compete at CHI Geneva three times, which means a lot to me. Michel Sorg, who is responsible for the [Swiss Team] selection is always believing in me and always giving me my chance. And of course, CHI Geneva is the most beautiful indoor show in the world, so it's always a very special feeling to be competing here.
How much inspiration do you take from fellow Swiss riders, such as Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat?
When I was a little kid I was always lining-up to get a signature from Martin and Steve, so to be competing with them is something that means a lot to me. I've been dreaming of it and working hard, and now being there with them, my dreams are kind of coming true. This year, we can also speak about Edouard [Schmitz], who is competing at 5* level; he has had a wonderful year, and I think he is now an idol, who we can all take inspiration from.
Which horses are you competing with this week?
I've had a bit of disappointment jumping here this week, as I brought a very green horse with me to jump at this level, to give him his chance, but maybe it was a little bit early. The horse is Lyon Van De Plataan, he's 10-years-old and a super-quick horse and very competitive, especially at this level. But this arena is very spooky, with a lot of things to look at, so for a horse who is a little bit green, it was maybe a little bit too early, but he's definitely a horse for the future and one we will keep an eye on.
Full interview here
The vet check: Dr. Marco Hermann
Dr. Marco Hermann. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam / Peggy Schröder.
What is your role at CHI Geneva?
I am the veterinary delegate for the FEI at CHI Geneva. I am in charge of looking at the veterinary rules set by the FEI and making sure that they are implemented correctly. This starts with the organisation of the veterinary team and examination of the horses on arrival – making sure that they are sound, that they do not have any signs of the EHV virus and ensuring that the horses are fit to compete. Another important job that we have is conducting doping tests and treating any horses on-site, who have become unwell or lame.
Have you worked on any other international equestrian events?
I have been fortunate to be able to work on a variety of different international events with the FEI. I was the veterinary delegate for CSI Zürich for 30 years, as well as for CSIO St. Gallen for almost 40 years. I have also been in charge of the veterinary team at CHI Basel and the FEI World Championships.This is the second year that I will be the veterinary delegate at CHI Geneva. Before you could work an event with no break, but nowadays the veterinary team has to change every three years, so next year will be my last year working at CHI Geneva. This was the reason that I was able work for those other events for so long.
What is a typical day for you like?
It is difficult to say now because I am retired, so I can enjoy my life a bit more. I no longer have to drive all day to clients like I did for many years – it could sometimes be from 6am in the morning to 10pm at night. In the past I also used to help students in the clinic. These days, veterinary practices are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, which sometimes meant I would be operating all night.
About the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping
The Rolex Grand Slam is considered by the sport to be the ultimate equestrian challenge, primarily due to the sporting prowess required to achieve this feat. It is a quest taken on by the world's top riders, vying to secure the legendary status associated with winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.
The format of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is simple: anyone who wins three Majors in a row receives the Rolex Grand Slam trophy and a €1 million bonus on top of the class's prize-money. If that same rider then continues their success by winning a fourth Major in succession, they will be rewarded with an additional €1million bonus. If two shows are won in succession, the bonus is €500,000 or if an athlete wins only 2 majors in a period of four successive shows, the bonus is €250,000.
Previous article "This is the dream": Ward and the wonderful HH ...
Next article CHI Geneva Rolex Round Table: With Daniel Deusser ...
CHI Geneva 2022 from A-Z
Thrills and spills from the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva 2022, part two
Thrills and spills from the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva 2022, part one
CHI Geneva highlights, part two
CHI Geneva highlights, part one


Now I'm walking on sunshine, oh oh!
I'm walking on sunshine, oh oh!
And don't it feel good!
Perhaps walking in sunshine is a more apt description for toddling about in this sunshine dress from Shiki Designs, nonetheless you can't help but feel as happy as can be in this dress as bright as a smile.
The orange platforms from Kookie are as hot as the sun's flames. The photos are shot at Artarra and I used one of Elysium Elide's many color-drenched windlight settings. You can get the poses as part of Chic Management's Platinum Hunt.
The happy hairstyle is from Exile and is called Valerie. The earrings are from DeLa and are a perfect complement to the dress and shoes.
The skin is Lelutka's new Flutter skin which is quite a departure from many of former Lelutka skins. Flutter has has delicate features and a vulnerable appearance that surprised many of the folks used to the assertive and bold faces of most Lelutka skins. I like its delicacy.
This entry was posted in Expos, Fairs and Fundraisers, Great Places to Shoot, Second Life and tagged DeLa, Di's Opera, Exile, Kookie, LeLutKa, Platinum Hunt Deux, Poetic Colors, Shiki Designs on August 10, 2011 by Cajsa Lilliehook.


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This is what the default htaccess contents are.


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The dresser combo is to room to make it clutter free. It has a pad with safety strap to prevent the child from falling off.


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Report on citizenship law : Zambia
Published: 14/Dec/2020
Source: Global Governance Programme, European University Institute
by Kelly Kapianga
GLOBALCIT Country Reports; 2020/14
Defining what 'citizenship' is is a difficult task. This is because although there tend to be continuities, the markers of citizenship are often geographically bounded and vary from country to country. Often, it is easier to say how citizenship can be identified. In this regard, citizenship can be defined as the status under a legal system which grants an individual the greatest set of rights to political, civic, social and cultural participation in that country. In Zambia,some of the unique entitlements it grants an individual include the right to vote, be elected President, appointed Speaker of the National Assembly, to institute a court action to protect the constitution. The concept of citizenship and its trappings in Zambia are, however, a borrowed concept and not a purely Zambian creation. Therefore, to understand citizenship, a consideration of Zambia's history and the various iterations of the concept of citizenship over time is in order.
Therefore, this report is divided into two parts. The first discusses the historical development of citizenship in Zambia. It will examine the ways in which various constitutions particularly between 1964 and 1996, and related laws have conceived of citizenship, how it can be acquired and lost. The second will discuss the current citizenship regime in Zambia, which was introduced by a constitutional amendment in 2016. The final will discuss some of the current political discussions around citizenship and the conclusion will provide a summary of the report.
Download from European University Institute: https://cadmus.eui.eu//handle/1814/69240
Themes: Acquisition of nationality, Loss and Deprivation of Nationality
Regions: Zambia
Citizenship and Statelessness in the Member States of the Southern African Development Community
Report on Citizenship Law: Nigeria
Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review: Mauritania
Report on citizenship law : Mali
Report on citizenship law : Rwanda