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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 112,018 in 2017; 2,361 Deaths
Humanitarian Emergencies, Missing Migrants
Geneva – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 112,018 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 23 July, with almost 85 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece, Cyprus and Spain. This compares with 250,586 arrivals across the region through 23 July 2016.
Dimitrios Tsagalas of IOM Cyprus reported on Monday (24 July) that a boat with 143 migrants was found off Pomos Island over the weekend. The migrants arrived at Cyprus's Latchi harbour early on Monday morning.
"Police approached a boat near Pomos at 01:00 on which migrants were travelling and…towed [it] into the harbour at 04:00," Tsagalas wrote. "On board were 62 men, 31 women and 50 minors. They were taken to Polis Chrysochous police station to be registered and provided with first aid, food and other supplies by members of the civil defence, the Red Cross and social welfare services."
Late Monday, Ana Dodevska of IOM Spain wrote Salvamento Maritimo, the Spanish government's sea rescue arm, has reported the 23 July rescue of 44 men, three women and one minor from two small boats located in the Sea of Alboran. The migrants were said to be from Morocco and various nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Their arrival brings total sea rescues off Spain in 2017 to 7,774, Dodevska said.
IOM Athens' Kelly Namia reported today (25 July) that Greek authorities late last week (21 July) discovered the remains of a 7-year-old Kurdish boy near the Skaramangas refugee hosting site, west of Athens. The boy's disappearance prompted an amber alert issued by the NGO 'Smile of the Child', and mobilized a police search operation, which led to the discovery of the boy's body in the sea not far from the camp.
Police say the boy appears to have drowned. The refugee child's parents have been placed under arrest for exposing a minor to danger. Based on their accounts, the child had originally gone missing in the early hours (1AM) Friday, when his parents and other refugees in the camp began a search without result. A search was launched and the child's body was eventually found in the sea. There were no obvious signs of injury or other indications of criminal activity, Namia writes.
IOM Rome reports 9,396 sea arrivals to Italy this month through 23 July. That figure trails the full July totals for each of the past two summers by about 14,000 (see chart below), highlighting a trend that IOM has observed of slower traffic to Italy during mid-summer, and fewer deaths (approximately half of those recorded in July 2015 and 2016). Nonetheless, for the year to date, arrivals to Italy remain slightly ahead of either 2015 or 2016 totals at 93,417.
IOM Libya's Christine Petré reported yesterday from Tunis that through 24 July, a total of 11,403 migrants have been rescued in Libyan waters while the remains of 349 men, women and children have been discovered along Libyan shores (see chart below).
"Today (23 July), 281 migrants were rescued at sea off Tripoli and Azzawya by the Libyan Coast Guard. Early this morning, 133 migrants (120 men and 13 women) were rescued off Azzawya and a few hours later, 148 migrants (142 men, two women and four children) were rescued off Tripoli," she wrote.
The latest fatality in the region was reported last Friday (21 July), bringing the Mediterranean total to 2,361. Although this figure trails the number of deaths (3,047) recorded at this time last year, it nonetheless marks the fourth consecutive year migrant deaths on the Mediterranean Sea have exceeded 2,350.
Worldwide, the IOM Missing Migrants Project (MMP) reports that there have been 3,282 fatalities in 2017 through 23 July (see chart below) with the Mediterranean region accounting for the largest proportion of deaths – almost three quarters of the global total.
Among the newly confirmed fatalities from MMP are: one body found near Sabratha, Libya; remains of a lone migrant found at a ranch near Falfurrias, Texas, USA; a drowning in Río Bravo, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; and nine deaths reported from the discovery in Texas of migrants trapped in a locked truck in a shopping mall parking lot incident (eight migrants were found dead inside the truck; one migrant rescued was later reported deceased at a local hospital).
For the latest Mediterranean Update infographic:
http://migration.iom.int/docs/MMP/170725_Mediterranean_Update.pdf
For latest arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean, please visit: http://migration.iom.int/europe
Learn more about the Missing Migrants Project at: http://missingmigrants.iom.int
Joel Millman at IOM HQ, Tel: +41 79 103 8720, Email: jmillman@iom.int
Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM Italy, Tel: +39 347 089 8996, Email: fdigiacomo@iom.int
Kelly Namia, IOM Greece, Tel: +30 210 991 2174, Email: knamia@iom.int
Julia Black, IOM GMDAC, Tel: +49 30 278 778 27, Email: jblack@iom.int
Christine Petré, IOM Libya, Tel: +216 29 240 448, Email: chpetre@iom.int
Dimitrios Tsagalas, IOM Cyprus,Tel: + 22 77 22 70, Email: dtsagalas@iom.int
Ana Dodevska, IOM Spain, Tel: +34 91 445 7116, Email: adodevska@iom.int


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The Omer: Counting Our Words
By Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman	May 8, 2012, 12:00 am Edit
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman is a professor of liturgy, worship and ritual at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the author of "My People's Prayer Book: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries," winner of the National Jewish Book Award.
Candlelighting, Readings:
Shabbat candles: 7:45 p.m.
Torah: Lev. 21:1-24:23
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31
Havdalah: 8:50 p.m.
We are well into the period of counting the sfirah, as it is called, short for sfirat ha'omer, "counting the omer." Omer means "sheaf," a bundle of stalks of grain, in this case the wheat that is harvested for Shavuot. City dwellers may be forgiven if they do not know the difference between sheaves and stalks.
What we count, in any event, is not the sheaves, but the passage of time during which the wheat ripens, from the second night of Passover, until Shavuot. The mitzvah of counting is derived from this week's Torah portion [Leviticus 23:15-16].
We no longer have a Temple and are hardly agrarian the way our ancestors were, so commentators connect the counting not to agricultural maturity of our crops, but to the moral maturity of our character, as demonstrated by how we use words. Appropriately, they couch their warning in plays on words.
R. Yisrael of Ruzhin rearranges the letters of "sfirah" to get "hasapir ("f" and "p" are the same in Hebrew). Hasapir (literally, "sapphire") is Ezekiel's word for God's throne [Ezek. 1:26], described also in Exodus 10, where Moses and Aaron see it too, as the very essence of "purity." The sfirah becomes the opportunity to strive after purity.
And how do we do that? By watching what we say, for the same Hebrew root for sfirah reminds us also of sofer, the title for our early sages, the sofrim. They got that name, says the Viznitzer Rebbe, because they "counted" each and every word of Torah, a reminder to themselves to retain purity of speech.
Linguistic capacity is a reminder of God. When, at the very beginning of time, God said, "Let there be light," God spoke. the world into being, and human beings also create worlds through speech. Philosophers call the most obvious case "performative language," as when we say "I bet you fifty dollars!" and just like that, a real bet is made. Similarly, if you say, "I promise," a promise is born, bringing with it responsibility, accountability, and relationships based on trust. Words declare us married, send us to jail, or make us citizens — all of them, worlds unto themselves.
More subtly, the verbal hint that we might look the other way creates a world where fraud or theft, or even rape or murder, may more easily occur. Our words collude in creating the crime. By contrast, words of justice and peace create a world of harmony.
This week's sedra provides an illustration of how words matter: a man curses an adversary by uttering God's name. "For pronouncing the name," the Torah rules, "he shall be put to death." But why? Do we think that God can be summoned by name like a genie in a bottle to do our will upon demand?
The issue is not God but the impact of language, as we see from the Hebrew verb that is used here for "pronounce," n-k-v. Etymologists relate it to k-v-v, "to curse," but n-k-v (the form we have) means "to pierce or hollow out." Think, by analogy, of the English idiom, "hollow promises," when someone's words "ring hollow," their promise is of little substance. By using God's name for evil, one hollows it out: one empties it of the grandeur, the goodness, and the promises that are associated with it.
Yet these promises are profound. Midrash Rabbah ends its discussion of our sedra by recollecting them: God accompanies us in our despair; despair is not forever; God will someday redeem us.
We live an age when these promises are dismissed as empty; and not so incidentally, we live in an era, also, when people habitually punctuate sentences with the foul language of curses. Cursing our way through life robs life of nobility; it destroys the faith in promise, because the God whose name gets dragged into the gutter can hardly be the same God who raises us up from despair.
The seven weeks of the sfirah therefore ask us to measure not just time but language. It challenges us to curb our tendency to cheapen life by cheapening talk.
The sfirah counts upward toward Shavuot, when we reenact the giving of Torah. Like Moses on Mt. Sinai, we too may catch a glimpse of the sapir, the throne that glistens like glass in all its purity, and if we do, it would be nice to see our reflection there, equally pure.
It would be nice to know that the words we use are deserving of the Torah we get.
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, co-founder of Synagogue 3000, and professor of Liturgy, Worship and Ritual at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, is the author of "All These Vows – Kol Nidre (Jewish Lights).
Sabbath Week
Counting the Omer
sfirah
sedra

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GM 'turnaround' reports rely on 'overbuilding,' jam-packed dealer lots
Ryan Lovelace Contributor
July 19, 2012 1:33 PM ET
President Obama's campaign claim that he rejuvenated the ailing General Motors depends on practices called "overbuilding" and "channel stuffing," critics say.
Car dealerships' lots are filling up with unsold trucks and SUVs because GM built more vehicles than it can sell in order to inflate sales claims and artificially boost its profits, The Daily Caller has learned.
The Detroit automotive giant records sales for vehicles in dealers' inventories before car buyers make their purchases, said Mark Modica, a National Legal and Policy Center associate fellow.
GM's overbuilding "probably helped [GM] in the second quarter, but will hurt in the third quarter," a Standard and Poor's Capital IQ analyst added.
Third quarter results won't be made public until after the November election, allowing Obama to tout the company's short-term success while masking troubles that are not yet apparent to voters.
GM spokesman Jim Cain said the company is "overbuilding" because it plans to shutter four assembly plants for a combined 29 non-consecutive weeks in order to ready them for production of its newest models.
Cain said the scope of the closure "doesn't matter" and "the overbuilding is necessary."
Meanwhile, dealers are swamped with autos that they can't sell. GM began taking plants offline in the second quarter but will close production even longer in the third quarter.
"It's like somebody being constipated, it's got to go somewhere," said Republican congressman Mike Kelly, who owns a Butler, Pa., dealership that sells GM vehicles. "And who's it going to end up hurting? Me and dealers like me."
The American public may hurt as well, as taxpayers' investment in GM will lose value when GM's latest actions negatively impact its stock price.
The company's stock currently floats around $20. Charlie Brown, president and CEO of CB3 Financial Group Inc., said that too much production is driving GM's stock price down. Sales incentives, he warned, may do little to reverse the downward trend.
"People that are investing don't want to see excess inventory. You can only over-incentivize people so much," Brown said. "Their stock price could reach 16 dollars."
Reason Foundation senior policy analyst Shikha Dalmia said GM is stable and making profits, but added that the company would need to sell stock at $55 per share in order for taxpayers to recover their investment.
GM's channel-stuffing tactic has already prompted a class-action lawsuit in New York.
Cain declined to comment on the litigation, but insisted GM has been "very transparent on sales and earnings calls with the media."
Modica said GM has been fiddling with the numbers for a long time, using "smoke and mirrors" to promote a positive public image.
TheDC's Matthew Boyle has chronicled a lack of transparency between GM and the Obama administration and the extent of the government's involvement in the company. Cain disagreed.
"The government is not involved in our operations and has not been since the bankruptcy … which was resolved in July 2009," he said.
Obama, however, continues to claim credit for GM's record during his tenure in office.
"When the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse, more than one million jobs were on the line, Governor Romney said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt," the president said during a July 5 campaign rally in Maumee, Ohio. "I refused to turn my back on communities like this one."
"It's important to emphasize that President Obama let GM go bankrupt. He did," said J.W. Verret, a senior scholar at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. "It is clear that the Obama administration has used its control of General Motors as an agent for its environmental agenda."
"It's hard to imagine the government allowing anything to be done by GM, if they can help it, to hurt the president or his administration," said Bill Ballenger, political commentator and editor of Inside Michigan Politics. "You'd think they'd want to do everything they could to make government intervention look like a good decision."
Steve Mitchell, pollster and chairman of Mitchell Research, said Michigan — the longtime headquarters of the domestic auto industry — will be a battleground state all the way to November. His latest polling data suggests 47 percent of Michiganders support Obama and 46 percent back Romney.
"I don't think President Obama expected to have to spend money in this state," Mitchell said. "If he's at 47 percent and leading at the end of October, he's not going to win this election. Undecided voters almost always vote for the challenger."
Ballenger told TheDC he thinks Obama's handling of the automotive industry will be a big factor in November. And while Obama appears to have an advantage on the issue in Michigan, he said, it remains unclear who holds the upper hand nationwide.
"The question is if [GM] is viable enough to ever repay taxpayers," Dalmia said. "It's pretty clear that taxpayers aren't ever going to be repaid."
Rep. Kelly, the Pennsylvania car dealer, predicted an economic resurgence that would impact the auto sector if Mitt Romney becomes president.
"If Governor Romney is elected," he said, "you'll see reinvestment, you'll see people come back to this economy."
Tags : barack obama general motors mitt romney


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How superannuation laws administered by the Australian Tax Office discriminate against self-employed people
October 2010, Updated February 2011
In October last year, we chronicled the example of an Australian accountant who'd been denied tax deductibility of his superannuation contributions because the ATO claimed he was an employee (see below). He'd received a massive tax bill going back several years. You can see his original correspondence with the ATO here.
We encouraged him to appeal. His lawyers said he wouldn't win. He's just informed us that he has won. The ATO has accepted that he's self-employed. Here's his letter from the ATO. Commonsense has prevailed!
We're all reaching for something in life. As self-employed people we want the right to be our own boss. This is our striving to control our own business destiny, to do things our way---even if it's a bit different. This is entrepreneurship and creativity.
Yet the formal institutions of our society mostly say this is wrong. Sure, they don't say this directly, yet they impose this entrepreneurship-killer through administrative processes backed by legislation.
At Independent Contractors Australia we're dedicated to defending people's right to be their own boss. This leads us into all sorts of legal and administrative 'nooks and crannies' of government activity. One of these is the way the Superannuation Guarantee Levy (SGA) discriminates against self-employed people, denying them/us equitable tax treatment, forcing them/us to be employees when we want independence. It's effectively the enforcement of sham employment.
It's a sophisticated tax trick. There are three pieces of law:
Superannuation Guarantee Levy: This law says that if you are an 'employee', your 'employer' must pay an additional 9% (currently) of your wages into superannuation.
Personal Superannuation Contribution: This law allows you to make additional personal contributions to your own superannuation and claim the contributions as a tax deduction against your income. You can currently claim up to $25,000 a year under the age of 50 and $50,000 a year over the age of 50. This is designed to encourage all Australians to save for their retirement.
10% rule. This is the 'trick': This law says that if you are only an employee or only a contractor in a year, you can make the additional allowed superannuation contributions. BUT If you work as a mix of employee and contractor in a year, you do NOT receive tax deductions for any personal contributions you make to your superannuation retirement nest egg.
Comment: The 10% rule is a blatant case of tax discrimination against self-employed people preparing for their retirement. It is quite common for many self-employed people to have a mix of employment and self-employment when they work. When they do have a mix, they are denied normal legal and legitimate tax deductions for their retirement savings. We have asked people at the ATO and Treasury why this is so. They agree that it is discrimination. We have asked why this discrimination exists when the point of superannuation is to encourage people to save for their retirement. The (unofficial) reply we received is that the 10% rule saves the government money. Outcome? It's a sneaky money-making trick by the government. (Note: The 10% rule has been in place for a long time and is not a new law imposed by the current federal government.)
Aggressive Super Auditing by the ATO: Money-making government grab
For some time now the ATO has been aggressively auditing businesses to see if they are paying the Superannuation levy. It's good that they do this, and in fact the ATO is required to do this under legislation. The audits need to be conducted to ensure that all employees receive their proper entitlement to superannuation from their employers.
But, lately, we are seeing cases where we must question the audits. What's happening is that people who look very much like self-employed people are being 'declared' employees for superannuation purposes. The ATO 'victories' are presented in the media as a 'win' for employees. But are they?
The cases we have seen are where people are most likely operating as self-employed people most of the time, but find the ATO declaring them employees for some of their work. The unseen and unpublicized discrimination means that these people are suddenly subject to the 10% rule and denied otherwise legitimate tax deductions for their personal superannuation contributions. What looks on the surface to be the ATO's protecting employees turns out to be a money-making grab by the government.
There are two legal wins by the ATO that raise concerns:
1. Translators [Associated Translators and Linguists Pty Limited and Commissioner of Taxation [2010] AATA 260]
A translators' booking agency has operated for many years, taking bookings from clients (the courts, etc.) and sending translators on their books to do the translation. The client pays the agency who pays the translator a fixed fee for the hours of work they have done. On the surface, the translators have all the elements of being self-employed. They bring their personal and professional skills to the job and are not and cannot be controlled by either the clients or the agency. Yet the ATO decided that the translators are employees and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal has agreed. The booking agency is appealing to the Federal Court.
2. Roy Morgan Research [Roy Morgan Research Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2010] FCAFC 52 (26 May 2010)]
Roy Morgan Research uses many people to conduct research, a large number of whom are employees and for whom the company pays superannuation and other obligations. However, Roy Morgan Research also has researchers who visit homes asking questions of residents. Roy Morgan Research has considered these people to be self-employed and treated and paid them accordingly. The ATO declared the people to be employees and the Federal Court has agreed. The main argument for the claim that the people are employees rests on the fact that Roy Morgan Research gives the researchers the questions that are to be asked. The ATO/Court view is that this means Roy Morgan Research 'controls' the researchers.
Comment: Both the translators and researchers cases display significant features where the people involved would be said to be self-employed. But there are other indicators where the courts have found employment. But look at the tax and cost implications for the people concerned as well. These fall into two categories:
Double dipping of superannuation costs: Normally, where businesses genuinely engage self-employed people, it's clearly understood that the payments contain an inbuilt component for superannuation. That is, a self-employed person is receiving more money within the package than they would as an employee because an amount for superannuation is included. Where this occurs and the ATO then declares the person to be an employee, the business that engaged the person then has to pay superannuation again. The business could (although it's probably not feasible) seek to readjust the worker's previous pay, claiming back the superannuation component built into the previous pay rate. It's a bit of 'the dog chasing its tail' situation.
The outcome, however, is that businesses become scared about engaging individuals as self-employed people for fear of being caught in this ATO cost pincer movement. This is demonstrated in the email from a self-employed person (below).
Denial of superannuation contributions: This is where the real tax sting comes into play. People who thought they were self-employed and who wish to be self-employed suddenly find their self-employed status for superannuation tax purposes denied to them. It's presented in the ATO public relations pitch as a 'win' for these people. But it's not. Where they have made voluntarily contributions to their superannuation (which is what we want people to do!) they suddenly find their tax deductions are rejected by the ATO under the '10% rule' and they have a large new tax bill. Who wins? The government---because it has just used its administrative and legal power to maneuver additional tax revenue for itself against the direct intent and spirit of superannuation. This is no theoretical assessment. Look at the following case.
Self-employed accountant slammed
A self-employed accountant recently brought us a problem over superannuation. This person is approaching retirement and putting as much into superannuation as the tax laws allow. The accountant is doing exactly as the community would want and the tax laws encourage---that is, for people to maximize their retirement savings so as to be as self-sufficient as possible in retirement.
But look at what's happened.
Quite recently, the ATO sent a letter claiming the accountant is an employee, simply because most of the income currently comes from one client.
The ATO has sent a huge additional tax bill and require payment within a very short time frame. Payment must be made before the ATO will consider an appeal. The tax bill is based on the ATO's assertion that the accountant is working partly as a self-employed person and partly as an employee---(i.e. the 10% rule).
The accountant has supplied us copies of the correspondence, given us approval to publish and it's all here. We've blacked out any identification of the accountant and persons handling the file at the ATO.
We're publishing this because it really gives a true understanding of how the superannuation tax system is rigged to discriminate against self employed people. And it's done it by stealth. Very few people understand or even know of this 10% rule and how it's used in conjunction with superannuation rules to rake in revenue for the government. This is done while the government blows a loud trumpet about wanting people to save for their retirement. If you, as a self-employed person become caught in this snare, what this accountant is going through is what you will face.
Here are the documents:
Letter received by the self-employed accountant from the ATO asserting employment status.
Tax bill the ATO sent to the self-employed accountant.
Reply from the self-employed accountant to the ATO.
Copy of the ATO website decision tool used by the self-employed accountant to verify being self-employed.
Letter from the self-employed accountant's client verifying that the accountant is self-employed.
Some points that come out of this are:
On our view, the ATO's justification for saying the accountant is an employee breaches the ATO's own formal legislative requirements for assessing if someone is an employee. An individual is not, at common law or under statute, an employee simply because his or her income comes predominantly from one source.
The ATO tax form has sneaky triggers in it for the honest and unsuspecting individual that dispose the ATO to declare a self-employed person to be an employee. It's almost as if the tax form has been designed this way. That is, if you fill out the wrong boxes in the wrong way, the ATO claims you're declaring yourself to be an employee.
The self-assessment tax tool on the ATO website cannot be trusted. The tool is supposed to help you clarify if you are self-employed or not. Yet the ATO seems to ignore this and has its own (hard-to-fathom) rules applying in a different way.
The ATO is able to impose its 10% rule 'trick' through a process of commercial intimidation. It is very difficult and expensive for an ordinary self-employed person to know and understand these strange rules, let alone have the money to dispute and fight the ATO in the courts.
The best tax systems maximize voluntary compliance. This 10% rule/superannuation process makes voluntary compliance almost impossible because it's almost impossible to know what the rules are. The rules seem to be oriented towards catching honest people in a trap.
Click here to view Self-Employed Australia's Standard Website Content Disclaimer.


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Who are Nike's top players at the Qatar 2022 World Cup? Ronaldo, Mbappe
Known for its intricate and cinematic World Cup commercials, Nike has gone again with the top-end concept with its commercial for Qatar 2022.
Svetozar Pavlović
With 3.6 billion people tuning in for the last World Cup in 2018, the occasion presents an unparalleled exposure option for stars of the international game. Across 64 games, the tournament posted an average audience of 191 million. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, stated in May that he anticipates 5 billion viewers for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
World Cup news:
Brazil take samba into last 16
Where's Neymar?
The temperatures in Qatar during World Cup
The biggest sports equipment manufacturing brands herd the World Cup and players, filming high-production ads, and try to enter in every manner possible into the event's sponsorship side.
Also, Qatar 2022 promises to be a mix of potential final appearances for a group of iconic stars, with immense commercial value for the brands they represent and the emergence of an exciting new generation of talent.
NIKE's star-studded World Cup team
For the last 30 years, NIKE's World Cup commercial was awaited by the public and even got this iconic status, where one could relate to the start of the World Cup football craze only after their latest commercial was out. Usually filled with the biggest stars of international football, the Oregon brand played very wisely with those mini-movies and the content they were offering to promote the latest shoe model or a fabric material used in their sponsored national team's uniforms.
They never had a problem paying the best cinematographers and directors to film these works of art because the investment always had multiple returns. The football stars also benefited from these commercials because their market value corresponded with the chance and notoriety to be part of them. It sometimes influences their professional contracts with the teams they are playing for.
The world's highest-paid soccer player is no stranger to the World Cup. Just four years ago, he enabled France to win the tournament for the first time since 1998. Qatar 2022 could be a special moment for the now-23-year-old superstar, directing to a new surge of popularity and, potentially, an even bigger payday. Mbappé is potentially the face of the World Cup, and if France does okay, sponsorship appeal will further skyrocket.
A post shared by Nike Football (Soccer) (@nikefootball)
Kylian Mbappé is one of the most financially prosperous players in the sport, and Forbes estimates he will earn $128 million for the 2022-23 season before taxes and agents' fees. NIKE, who signed the french superstar when he was only 14 years old, in 2019 penned a 10-year contract deal worth $140m in total payments.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in 2003, he only wore boots from the American Sportswear brand. Nike and Cristiano Ronaldo mutually settled to expand the contract. Cristiano Ronaldo's Nike Boot Deal extension was announced in 2016.
After being with the sportswear brand since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a lifetime contract worth $950m with Nike in 2016. With this deal, CR7 became the third athlete to sign a lifetime deal with Nike, along with Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Kevin De Bruyne is considered the best midfielder in the world by football fans and pundits, although we didn't see much of that in the opening games for Belgium at this year's World Cup played in Qatar.
Kevin De Bruyne signed a seven-year endorsement contract with the sportswear brand Nike in 2015 when he used to play for Wolfsburg.
Rashford is a Manchester United academy graduate with 88 goals for the club and counting – including 21 last season. He will likely sign a new Red Devils contract in the next 12 months, and his current deal only runs until 2023.
In 2021, Marcus Rashford extended his agreement with sports brand Nike - a partnership he has been involved in since the age of 11. The forward wears Nike boots during matches and promotes the company's clothing wear. There are no available figures for the sums of money involved in the agreement., but it has to be noted that in 2021 PUMA was interested in signing Rashford, but he rejected their offer of $20m per year and chose to stay loyal to NIKE.
Portugal pitch invader has triple message
Riots broke out in Belgium after World Cup loss to Morocco


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Blue Jackets plan on having home games with fans despite coronavirus fears
By James O'BrienMar 10, 2020, 11:25 PM EDT
The Blue Jackets seem poised to play upcoming home games in front of fans despite Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's suggestions to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
Update: Governor DeWine announced that the suggestion will turn into an order.
At a minimum, what we said yesterday about mass gatherings will become an order. #COVID19
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 11, 2020
Blue Jackets reject governor's suggestion, at least for now
The Blue Jackets shared their current plan in this lengthy, somewhat eyebrow-raising statement:
The Columbus Blue Jackets are aware of the recommendation by Governor DeWine that events at indoor sports and entertainment facilities be conducted without spectators. We have been in contact with the National Hockey League and, given the facts before us, it has been determined that our scheduled games, including this Thursday vs. Pittsburgh and Saturday vs. Nashville, will go on as scheduled and be open to ticketed fans that wish to attend.
Our club, the NHL and Nationwide Arena have been monitoring Coronavirus COVID-19 very closely. The NHL has been in regular communication with the Center for Disease Control, Public Health Canada, numerous medical advisors and other leagues and we are committed to the health and safety of our players, staff and fans. To that end, guests should adhere to recommendations that suggest persons at higher risk, including elderly individuals and those with currently compromised health issues or who are feeling ill, avoid large-scale public events.
Nationwide Arena has protocols in place to enhance procedures to fight the spread of viruses as they arise. In the case of COVID-19, additional steps have been taken that include an expanded, detailed cleaning throughout all areas of the arena and an increase in the number of hand sanitizer dispensers available to all. We also encourage guests to continue to practice routine hygiene etiquette as the best way to prevent the spread of viruses.
The club, League and Nationwide Arena will continue to closely monitor the situation as it evolves. It remains very fluid and any additional information or changes will be communicated at the appropriate time.
As the Blue Jackets mentioned in their statement, their upcoming home games include Thursday's contest against the Penguins, and then Saturday's match with the Predators.
A "fluid situation"
DeWine laid out his suggestions on Twitter, including this specific bit about sporting events (or "athletics").
ATHLETICS: For indoor events, we are asking for no events with spectators other than the athletes, parents, and others essential to the game.
Right now, outdoor events can continue. #COVID19
DeWine extended that suggestion to high school sports (OHSAA) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, as well. The Athletic's Aaron Portzline confirms (sub required) that the OHSAA is accepting DeWine's regulation, and Portzline also backs up the note in the Blue Jackets' statement that this is a "fluid situation."
(For one thing, DeWine could ramp up that "suggestion" to more of an edict. One can see that escalation happen regarding the Sharks, who are pondering answers following Santa Clara County making the call.)
Portzline also shared this … interesting quote from Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno.
"I don't want to be ignorant about people who have dealt with (COVID-19)," Foligno said, "but I've read up on it and talked to my wife about it, and if you take the necessary precautions you should be all right. If you live in fear, it's not a good way to live life."
Personally, I can't help but wonder if there's some natural fear of … you know, being sued. Portzline and others seem to bring up that thought, too.
Now that Gov. DeWine has recommended that indoor sporting events be held without spectators, sports franchises – pro, amateur, etc. – are in a tough spot.
Imagine they'd be vulnerable to litigation if they don't heed the governor's word and fans became sick or even died.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 10, 2020
Five home games remaining for Blue Jackets in regular season
Perhaps that's part of the Blue Jackets approaching dealing with coronavirus fears as a "fluid situation?" Will there be virus-related fine print on every ticket? A waiver next to hand sanitizer dispensers?
Maybe the Blue Jackets simply believe they can get through these games, just barely. They only play five more home games in the 2019-20 regular season: March 12, 14, 19, 30, and finally April 2. It's conceivable that the Blue Jackets could thread the needle by not having to eat the money from playing in front of empty arenas or at neutral locations.
For all we know, Governor DeWine might take away any choice in this matter. For now, though, it looks like the Blue Jackets are politely disagreeing with DeWine's coronavirus-related warning, and will go ahead with home games as planned.
Ohio sports fans … I'd stay home if I had the option. Just saying.
MORE ON THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF THE CORONAVIRUS FOR HOCKEY EVENTS
NHL monitoring, limiting employee travel.
Stick shortages among many smaller concerns.
Coronavirus might prevent NHL from participating in preseason games in China.
Locker rooms closed to media to mitigate risks.
Sharks mull over options.


From Alan Sparhawk, Spring 2000, in roughly chronological order of release.
anon - from a dream i had one night.
the plan - one of my favorite mim songs. watch for the demo version of this on the shanti 2 fundraiser c.d. on badman records.
over the ocean - written on the bass, waiting for zak to join the band (he had to move from oakland). i was really sick and could only hit a few notes, one being the high "iiiiii'm". not many songs out there that use the word "dell" - perhaps a tribute to southern wisconsin.
mom says - it's, um, about my mother. i lost a helium balloon. it was blue. mom said the astronauts would get it for me.
coattails - mim's most minimal moment. steve fisk did the OMD-like mellotron.
standby - wanted the end to be this big orchestral build like a cardinal song.
laugh - one of our first "muscle" songs. perhaps a tip to neil young. zak did the distorted keyboard, following the classic low keyboard approach - one take, completely lost and confused (see "stay").
lust - fun song to play live, especially at speak in tongues in cleveland.
stars gone out - first "wordy" song we wrote. influenced by many hours on the road listening to the oldies stations (righteous brothers, roy orbison, etc.). a love song, perhaps.
same - the writer's block song.
do you know how to waltz? - started short and simple, quickly became the long, wall of noise song. sounds like many layers of guitar, but it's actually just one take from 2 amps. added some backwards piano and rolling cymbal. has become a popular request at shows. hard to justify sometimes - there are so many bands out there that do the "long, loud drone" better than we do. played it with godspeed you black emporor! in chicago in '98 for 30 minutes - probably the furthest it could ever be taken.
dark - sort of a children's song. wanted it to creep into the ears of those who fell asleep during "...waltz".
will the night - following in the "stars gone out" tradition. one of our favorite songs. this version recorded on a mini-cassette recorder with us hovering over, then played back through a lot of reverb. sometimes i think we should do a whole record this way.
condescend - first attempt at strings, the pop tradition. the baby sounds are from one of the cello players' daughter. the timing was so perfect we had to leave it in.
born by the wires - studies show that people who live under major power lines become "addicted" to them. one take - didn't know what we were going to end up with.
be there (2nd version) - optigan keyboard, put mic in washing machine and bang on it.
landlord - zak brought the rough idea in. it's about trying to make music in your tiny appartment. you always sound cautious and tiny.
hey chicago - about something that happened to zak. . . in oakland. soundman chris on keyboard and mim and alan talking through bass synth pedal at end.
just like christmas - true story from our spring '99 tour in europe. tried this song many different ways. stumbled on the solution while just messing around on the optigan keyboard (thank you, steve fisk!) zak heard hints of spector so we just went with it. one of the most a-typical songs we've ever done, but also one of our favorites. our two year old nephew can't get enough of it.
little drummer boy - the original drone-rock christmas carol. mim and zak on percussion, alan on optigan through all kinds of distortion and reverb. tones jump out of the din.
if you were born today - a.k.a. "song for baby jesus". originally on the '97 wurlitzer jukebox single. hard to talk about what it's about without making some boring social commentary.
blue christmas - one of our first efforts at home recording. very strange playing all those jazz chords. this appeared originally on the wurlitzer jukebox single in '97.
silent night - recorded in our kitchen with a stereo microphone.
taking down the tree - was actually written while taking down the tree. the nosebleed refers to mim's dry weather problem.
one special gift - started out as a song about being poor at christmas time, but i think mimi gave it a higher meaning with "for one special guest" at the end. i (alan) was going to sing it but i thought it sounded too much like smog.
i hear ... goodnight - this whole record was a complete pleasure to make. the dirty 3 are one of the greatest bands we have ever met and we learned so much in just the 2 days in the studio with them. this was a song i sorta had for a while, but it always seemed a bit forced when just low tried it. with the D3, it was able to completely go where it was begging to go.
invitation day - mick from D3 had some chords and i had a couple lines. the only pre-planned thing about this session was "hey, do you know 'down by the river?'" everything else was put together there the same day it was recorded, and usually in one take.
when i called upon your seed - warren had an idea on the organ, mim did the lyrics. she comes up with some great stuff under pressure.
cody - this is something zak and mick worked out. it's basically the D3 with zak on bass. i know what it's about, but it's pretty personal to zak, so i won't elaborate.
lordy - in the studio, there was this little banjo/mandolin thing with only 3 rusty strings that i was plinking around on. again, the D3 approach made it all work. did one take and decided if we did another that we'd start thinking too much and probably ruin it.
david & jude - written in '95. we play it live a lot. recorded it in '95 at calvin johnson's studio - he even played melodica on it, but it has never appeared on a recorded release. . . someday. it's about israel.
lice song - one of several children's songs we have. someday we'll put them all together on something. started playing this live in '99 and it quickly became popular. i won't admit if it's a true story.
small words - another short song we play live from time to time but have never recorded. it's about our first time playing a non-english speaking country (belgium). people were singing our songs to us though they only knew a little english. then afterwards, talking to them was a new and strange experience. to meet people on the other side of the world who know and love what we do, has been one the most wonderful and humbling experiences of being in this band.


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Rafael Rivera
rafaelrivera@cozen.com
Bio Publications News Events
Rafael focuses his practice on matters involving directors and officers liability insurance coverage. He has experience handling all aspects of D&O claims management and coverage analysis in connection with securities class actions; derivative actions; Delaware appraisal petitions; opioid-related claims; qui tam lawsuits involving the False Claims Act; antitrust and unfair competition claims; investigations and litigation by the SEC and DOJ; and other complex litigation. In addition, he has represented D&O insurers in a number of high-exposure cases involving a wide variety of coverage terms and provisions.
Moreover, Rafael has broad claims and coverage litigation experience involving commercial general liability and first party property insurance policies. He is also committed to pro bono work, having previously represented an undocumented person in removal proceedings before the DOJ.
Rafael is an active member of the firm's Professional Liability Coverage Practice Group, and Hispanic Attorney Resource Group. Before joining Cozen O'Connor, Rafael practiced law in Chicago for six years, and remains licensed in Illinois.
Rafael received his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and his B.A. in political science from The University of Tampa. Following law school, Rafael served as a Judicial Law Clerk in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County for the Honorable Joan Powell.
Super Lawyers Recognizes 17 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in New York
Super Lawyers has named 17 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2021 New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.
Rafael Rivera Named 2021 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow, Jordan Chisolm and Orla Thompson Named Pathfinders
Cozen O'Connor has chosen Rafael Rivera, an associate in the firm's Global Insurance Department, to be a member of the 2021 class of fellows, participating in a landmark program created by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.
Illinois Appellate Court Requires CGL Insurer To Defend Insured Against BIPA Claim [Casualty Coverage Chronicle Blog]
Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act ("BIPA") restricts businesses that collect biometric information (e.g., DNA, fingerprints, facial and iris recognition) from disseminating that information. Although BIPA had been in effect for more than a decade, the Illinois Supreme Court's ruling in...
17 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Recognized as New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Super Lawyers has named 17 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2019 New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.
Delaware Supreme Court Validates Federal Forum Provisions in Delaware Corporations' Charters [Alert]
Rafael Rivera discusses the Sciabacucchi decision and how it may impact state SCAs and limit attendant D&O-related costs.
Litigation Uptick (Best's Review)
Rafael Rivera published an article to Best's Review titled, "Litigation Uptick." In this article, Rafael discusses why insurers are seeing an uptick in litigation.
Fifth Circuit Affirms Application of Securities Exclusion [Alert]
Rafael Rivera discusses Gleason v. Markel American Insurance Company and the importance of the wording of securities exclusions in D&O policies.
Eleventh Circuit Holds No Obligation to Cover Defense Costs from DOJ Antitrust Investigation
Rafael Rivera, Jr discusses the Circuit Court's decision in Crowley and how it may impact whether government investigations trigger coverage under D&O policies and, if so, at what point during an investigation.
Update on D&O Claims Environment Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic
July 21, 2021 - Webinar
D&O Exposure Arising from Stakeholderism and Coverage Considerations
October 28, 2020 - Webinar
D&O CLAIMS ENVIRONMENT ARISING OUT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Professional Liability Insurance Coverage
DePaul University College of Law, J.D., 2011
The University of Tampa, B.A., 2007
Rising Star, Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine, 2016-2019
New York Super Lawyer "Rising Star" 2020, 2021
U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Illinois
Illinois Circuit Court
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Hispanic National Bar Association


text:
Simon Gerrans (1980. május 16. –) ausztrál profi kerékpáros. Jelenleg a GreenEDGE versenyzője. 1-szeres ausztrál bajnok, a Tour de France-on, a Giro d'Italián és a Vuelta a España-n is 1-1 szakaszt nyert.. Az Tour Down Under-t 2- szer (2006,2012), a Milánó–Sanremo-t 1-szer nyerte meg.

Sikerei
2002
 Ausztrál országúti-bajnokság, U23-mezőnyverseny
  1. hely

2005
 Tour de France
 166., Összetett versenyben

2006
 Tour Down Under
 Összetett verseny győztese
 1., 1. szakasz
 Tour de France
 79., Összetett versenyben

2007
 Tour de France
 94., Összetett versenyben

2008
 Tour de France
 79., Összetett versenyben
 1., 15. szakasz

2009
 Amstel Gold Race
 7. hely
 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 6. hely
 Fléche Wallone
 8. hely
 Giro d'Italia
 1., 14. szakasz
 43., Összetett versenyben
 GP Ouest France
 1. hely
 Vuelta Espana
 1., 9. szakasz
 Országúti világbajnokság, mezőnyverseny
 10. hely

2011
 Amstel Gold Race
 3. hely
 Tour de France
 96., Összetett versenyben

2012
 Ausztrál országúti-bajnokság, mezőnyverseny
 1. hely
 Tour Down Under
  Összetett verseny győztese
 Milánó–Sanremo
 1. hely

Ausztrál kerékpárosok
Ausztrál olimpikonok
1980-ban született személyek
Élő személyek

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As we age our teeth become darker in appearance. This can be due to staining from consumption of food and drinks with strong colours such as red wine, smoking and various types of foods, but mostly it is a natural phenomenon.
Our dentist will advise the correct choice of whitening kit and make a clear plastic mouth tray for the whitening gel, which is a custom fit for your mouth. The snug fit of this tray will maximise contact between the bleach and tooth surface and minimise contact with your gums. The gel is syringed into the specially made trays and worn at night for two to six weeks. Most people will achieve a result of 6 to 10 times brighter on their teeth, using the home whitening method.
To determine if tooth whitening is right for you, start by talking to our dentist, who will need to accurately assess the underlying reasons for discoloration of your teeth and advise if you are a good candidate for bleaching. If tooth whitening is recommended, your teeth and gums should be healthy and free of dental decay before you commence treatment.
Does teeth whitening cause side effects and can they be prevented or alleviated?
The most common side effect of whitening is tooth sensitivity. This can be prevented before teeth whitening by using special toothpaste for tooth sensitivity for two to three weeks beforehand.
Note: It is also recommended that teeth whitening products should not be used in pregnancy and should be used with caution by people who continue to smoke and drink alcohol.


Trelleborg, in partnership with RBR Enterprises, will give attendees a hands on experience with Trelleborg TM150 VF380/90R46 tires during a 'ride and drive' at the 2016 MAGIE (Midwest Ag Industries Exposition) Show August 24th and 25th in Bloomington, Illinois in the U.S.
RBR Enterprise, manufacturer of fertilizer and chemical application equipment, will feature the 2017 Vector 300. An industry-leading high-clearance applicator, the Vector 300 allows an operator to quickly and efficiently spread fertilizer up to 105 feet and lime up to 60 feet.
Trelleborg's TM150 tire comes as standard on the 2017 Vector 300. Able to cope with high demand applications, through its high load, stability and reduced fuel consumption, the tire's tread pattern allows the producer to work in the most difficult of conditions. D rated at 40 mph, TM150 provides excellent lateral stability and great road comfort and handling, even at high speeds. In addition, it can carry 40% more load or it can be deflated by up to 40% while carrying the same load.
"Trelleborg and RBR Enterprise Will Offer Ride and Drive Experience"


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You are here: Home / Extraction / What is Acid-Base Extraction?
What is Acid-Base Extraction?
What is An Acid?
To understand acid-base extraction, it is easy to go into the basics of the extraction process by answering the question what is an acid? An acid is a substance that can dissolve objects and is corrosive and sometimes noted as being sour tasting. Not all acids can be corrosive and acidic, but as humans we consume the more non-corrosive acids every day like lemons and oranges. For the purpose of acid-base extraction acids are more of the corrosive type on the PH scale.
How Does the Process of Acid-Base Extraction Work?
For starters, it is important to note that acid-base extraction is another form of liquid-liquid extraction, for more information on that process you can read about it here. Acid-base extraction is an extraction process that includes using a solvent and water. The acid-base extraction process divides compounds from each other depending upon an acid-base property.
The compounds are mixed and are disintegrated in a solvent and then subsequently separated. Then based on that part of the process that there is an acid or base mixed in and the liquid is brought to the stage it needs to be brought to. This is the basis of an acid-base extraction process.
What Solvents Are Used in Acid-Base Extraction?
Due to the nature of the process, a lot of different solvents can be used for acid-base extraction purposes some of the most common solvents are:
Diethyl Ether
How to Buy Acid-Base Extraction Solvents?
You have found the right place! Here at Extraction Grade Solvents, we offer a multitude of solvents for the purpose of acid-base extraction as well as working with your business to help find the right solvent for you. For more information about what solvents we offer and how we can help you contact us here!
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text:
The southern African spiny mouse (Acomys spinosissimus)  is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Its natural habitats are moist savanna and rocky areas.

References

Acomys
Rodents of Africa
Mammals described in 1852
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters


text:
MoviesWithButter » Pre-Production » The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger News
Box Office Report: Little Hope for 'Lone Ranger' as 'Despicable Me 2' Soars
feedproxy.google.com – The 3D animated toon has earned nearly $60 million in its first two days, compared to a measly $19.5 million for Disney's $250 million Western headlined by Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via jackiechan
New in Theaters: 'Despicable Me 2,' 'The Lone Ranger'
10:20 AM 7/5/2013 by Logan Falk
This weekend's new releases got a head start on their weekend grosses, coming out in theaters on Wednesday (to make the most of the Fourth of July crowds, obviously). For the most part, this weekend belongs to fun family films, which can expect big receptions at the box office.
The Lone Ranger Represents Everything That's Wrong With Hollywood Blockbusters
feedproxy.google.com – George Lucas and Steven Spielberg recently took part in a symposium in which they predicted an imminent "implosion" in the system as a result of the industry's current obsession with blockbuster movies. Curious about whether or not this was simply exaggeration, Vulture's David Edelstein got in contact with producer Lynda ... 6 years 28 weeks ago	via donnieyen
Box Office Report: 'Despicable Me 2' Crushes 'Lone Ranger' Tuesday Night
feedproxy.google.com – Universal's 3D animated event pic grosses $4.7 million, compared to $2 million for Disney's big-budget action-adventure. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via jetli
Why Aren't More People Talking About 'The Lone Ranger'?
feedproxy.google.com – A new study finds the Johnny Depp tentpole is being discussed on social media significantly less than "Iron Man 3" and "Man of Steel" were ahead of their releases. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via jetli
Armie Hammer Talks THE LONE RANGER, What He Collects, What Scene Made Him Nervous to Shoot, and Guy Ritchie's THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
collider.com – With director Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger opening this Wednesday, Disney held a big press junket Santa Fe, New Mexico. While I've done a lot of interviews, it was incredibly cool to be talking to the cast and filmmakers with the beautiful New Mexico desert behind us. If you've missed the trailers, the story focuses on John Reid (Armie Hammer) surviving an attack, being saved by Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp), and the two teaming up to fight injustice. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via donnieyen
Johnny Depp discusses playing Tonto and 'Rango' for 'Lone Ranger' director Gore Verbinski
hitfix.com – Johnny Depp sat down with us at the press day for Gore Verbinski's 'The Lone Ranger,' and we talked about playing both Tonto and Rango for the filmmaker. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via donnieyen
Critics Consensus: Despicable Me 2 is Certified Fresh
rottentomatoes.com – This week at the movies, we've got an army of minions (Despicable Me 2, with voice work by Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig) and a legendary masked man (The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer). What do the critics have to say? 6 years 28 weeks ago	via donnieyen
Depp and Verbinski keep upping the dollars, if not the quality
feedproxy.google.com – Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp, the director and star, respectively, of the new comedy Western "The Lone Ranger," have made four live-action movies together, a partnership that has stirred up close to $3 billion in global box office receipts. 6 years 28 weeks ago	via jetli
Armie Hammer Locked Down for 'Lone Ranger' Sequel
2:46 PM 7/1/2013 by Jeff Giles
For awhile, it looked like Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger wasn't even going to be made, but now that the Disney-backed revisionist take on the classic Western -- starring Armie Hammer as the titular vigilante and Johnny Depp as his Native American sidekick Tonto -- is readying its arrival this weekend, talk is already turning to sequels.
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From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "The Lone Ranger," a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to...
Cast: Armie Hammer, James Frain, Johnny Depp, Ruth Wilson, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner
Director: Gore Verbinski
Studio: Walt Disney Studios
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 149mins
Stage: Distribution
Genre: Action-Adventure, Western
Kemosabe
Simon of the Desert
William Tell
Oz: The Great and Powerful
The Lone Ranger 2


Video Installation, 6 min. loop, 2015 OUR PEACE is a 4-channel immersive video environment created from documentary footage captured in Portland, Oregon. The work is on view at White Box at the University of Oregon during December 2015. The machines of war are woven slowly into the social fabric of America, mingling with the banality of everyday life. Removed from foreign battlefields, these machines come home and absorb their new environment which, in turn, transforms their design, function, and meaning. Jet airplanes carry passengers all over the world and armored vehicles have become luxury cars, nearly disappearing into the commonplace. But there are times and places where the machines of war are more difficult to disguise as commodities and the contrast with everyday experience is more pronounced.


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This Headset Is Like an IMAX Theater for Your Face
Filmmaker Hugh Welchman on how he used the Glyph to edit his new movie, 'Loving Vincent.'
By Salvador Rodriguez@sal19
The Avegant Glyph is a headset that uses a low-power LED and a combination of tiny mirrors to rapidly reflect lights of various colors into your retina.
Courtesy Avegant
Hugh Welchman is a man on the go. As a co-director of the upcoming film Loving Vincent, he oversees a production crew of more than 100 in offices spread across in Europe. Train rides and plane flights are his norm.
For a while, his work while traveling was limited to writing emails, but these days, Welchman is going over his film and editing the surround sound all while bustling across the old continent. He does it using his Avegant Glyph, a portable and private theater-like display for video viewing.
"It's good for doing creative reviews when you're on the move, which a lot of people in the film industry have to do," said Welchman, whose movie will be the first fully-painted animated film. "Especially in animation, where you're often splitting your work between different studios."
The Glyph is a headset that uses a low-power LED and a combination of tiny mirrors to rapidly reflect lights of various colors into your retina, giving you an extremely high-resolution image with no pixelation. The Glyph can connect with devices, such as smartphones and laptops, via an HDMI cable. Wearing the Glyph is a little like wearing headphones but tilting the headband forward in front of your eyes, Geordi LaForge-style.
"Think of it as Bose headphones for your eyes," said Edward Tang, founder and chief strategy officer of Avegant.
Since it began shipping to consumers in January, the Glyph has caught on with a niche groups of customers, most notably among high-speed drone racers who use the device to pilot their flying gizmos. But the device is also popular among users who play mobile video games and like to watch movies while on the go. With its adoption by the Loving Vincent crew, the gadget is now also being used to create movies.
Welchman and his co-director and wife Dorota Kobiela began using the Glyph in May after seeing a demo of the gadget at a conference. The two were impressed by the quality of the gadget's visuals and its portability. Welchman typically travels at least once a week between his production crew's various offices, which include a painting studio in Athens.
The device comes particularly in handy when Welchman is on his way to a studio in Warsaw, Poland, to meet up with his sound designer. "He always tends to send me stuff at 3 o'clock in the morning before I'm getting on a train at 5 o'clock in the morning to come and see him," Welchman said with a chuckle.
The partnership with "Loving Vincent" is particularly important for Glyph, a young San Francisco startup trying to break into the crowded hardware market.
Since its founding in 2012, the company has raised $35 million dollars. The company began making waves in 2014 after conducting a successful Kickstarter campaign, but with the release of the Glyph this year, Avegant's focus is now squarely on driving sales.
While filmmakers are not the largest consumer group by any means, they are a prestigious group whose influence often helps others decide the technology they want to add to their own repertoire of tools. In this case, Welchman exhibits the benefit of the Glyph for travelers, a segment that Avegant does target.
People "who spend a lot of time traveling, they want to have their movie, but they don't want to carry a tablet and balance it on a back seat tray table," said Richard Kerris, Avegant's chief marketing officer. "They just have their Glyphs, they put it on, and they've got a beautiful screen."
Avegant does not disclose unit sales or revenue, but the company did recently slash the price of the Glyph from $699 to $549. With hardware, a price cut is often a sign of lagging sales, but Avegant says the cuts are due to its "manufacturing team ... working hard to decrease costs while maintaining our high quality."
The company will have an opportunity for ramping up sales as holiday shopping gets going (Avegant said it will offer consumers an additional 20 percent discount from Friday through Monday).
As for Welchman, the filmmaker said he is simply excited to finish production by the end of November and prepare for his movie's release sometime next year. Welchman says he fully plans to use the Glyph for the next movie he makes, but in the meantime, he's just excited to try it out as a recreational gadget.
"I would like to explore it, you know?" Welchman said. "It's got more functionality than I've used so far."


With a lot of rain overnight made for one heck of a mud race! No creek crossing this year. Identified them the best I could - ones I couldn't identify are at the end of the black section. Sorted by color and first number, unidentifiable will be toward the end of each color batch - PHOTOS WILL BE ENHANCED (LIGHTENED, CROPPED, POSITIONED, ETC.) after ordering. Be sure to check out the starts and miscellaneous shots!


Perhaps my biggest realization came as I was nearing Chaco. I was in a particularly beautiful area, driving through a pass in the mountains filled with green trees, red cliffs, numerous hawks, and blue sky above.
I was, at that moment, precisely where I was meant to be. I knew it. The Universe knew it. There was nothing else in the world I was supposed to be doing, or wanted to be doing, besides driving on this road.
Sounds simple, but it was monumental for me. I had lived most of my life based on "shoulds" and other people's expectations, rather than my own desires. I now felt completely at peace.
I took a deep breath and smiled as I turned down the dirt road to Chaco. It seemed an eternity since I left home yesterday morning.
The Universe had already provided, and I had accepted, several valuable lessons.
I entered Chaco a changed woman, for I had paid attention not only to the destination, but to the journey. What lay ahead could only be magic.
The second day I chose to drive with no music, no tapes, no distractions. I wanted to use this time to explore me. As the miles ticked by on the odometer, I went back through my life.
As I became acutely aware of the beauty of the wide open plains and the blue sky beyond the windshield, I also saw inwardly with a keen eye what I liked in my life and what I wanted to, and needed to, change.
It all made so much sense out here. I saw that I had choices. And I consciously made some different choices.
I was enjoying the long hours on the road alone. It gave me time to think, to explore, and to simply take in the expansive landscape full of Mother Nature's wonders. Self-discovery, contemplation—we all need time alone to reflect and we rarely give ourselves that gift.
But how could I do the same at home, when life seemed to just drag me along at times?
I knew I just needed to make time—a walk, a bike ride, some time in nature. Combined with intent, small increments could be just as powerful.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I got beyond the craziness of Los Angeles and out onto the open road. I pulled out my first tape—one my uncle had sent following his heart attack several years ago. He was full of appreciation for the brilliance of the sun, the green of the trees, the caring people around him, and the simple things.
No longer was life a daily grind or something to be taken for granted; his words were a good reminder of the magic of everyday life. I took note and started thinking about my own life. The open road helped me to unwind and leave my daily cares behind.
It was somewhere between Barstow and Needles, between my uncle's tape and the relationship tapes, that I had my first big "ah-ha." It seemed so obvious, why hadn't I seen this before?
I had spent much of my life feeling like I was doing something "wrong"—like somehow others held the key to the right way to do things.
What if I simply changed my thinking—that I always did something right? What a concept! Driving alone, uninterrupted, was providing a new clarity to my thinking. This was my time, and I was loving it.
The long road trip to Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico is always a great opportunity for introspection, letting go of day-to-day cares, and clearing your head before entering the canyon (always a good idea—more on that another time).
I'm heading off on a (long) road trip from San Diego to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and, of course, Chaco—so thought the following account was fitting. I'm posting it in four short parts over the next few days.
The photo is one of many versions I have taken over the years of the amazing and beautiful Pueblo Bonito doors. The ancient Chacoans were gifted architects and masons.
Little did I know when I set out that mid-December morning what a journey I was embarking on. Oh, I thought I knew. I thought this was about spending a week at Chaco Canyon in the high desert of New Mexico—one of my favorite, magical places to visit.
I had been there many times before, and I always came away knowing more about myself. This would be my first time alone.
I wasn't thrilled about the long, 15-hour drive without a companion. I had always had someone to talk to and share the driving with. I was the one who could usually manage only two hours at a time—in the daylight.
Night driving and the long stretches were better left to my driving companions. My role was backup. So I came armed with plenty of tapes to keep me company and the resolve to take frequent breaks.
The morning of my departure I was both excited and nervous. I felt this would be a special trip. It was still dark; the cold air was damp in my lungs. I shivered as I packed the final few things, with the help of my husband. I delayed leaving as long as I could.
Something felt different today. He felt it too. His hug goodbye was longer; he pulled me a little closer. I watched him as I drove away, a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach—a feeling of anticipation. What would this trip hold for me?


text:
import { NgRiccioPage } from './app.po';

describe('ng-riccio App', () => {
  let page: NgRiccioPage;

  beforeEach(() => {
    page = new NgRiccioPage();
  });

  it('should display message saying app works', () => {
    page.navigateTo();
    expect(page.getParagraphText()).toEqual('app works!');
  });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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<meta content="reference" name="DC.Type" />
<meta name="DC.Title" content="derby.drda.keepAlive property" />
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<title>derby.drda.keepAlive property</title>

derby.drda.keepAlive property

Indicates whether SO_KEEPALIVE is enabled on sockets.

The keepAlive mechanism is used to detect when clients disconnect
unexpectedly. A keepalive probe is sent to the client if a long time (by
default, more than two hours) passes with no other data being sent or received.
The <samp class="codeph">derby.drda.keepAlive</samp> property is used to detect and clean
up connections for clients on powered-off machines or clients that have
disconnected unexpectedly.

If the property is set to <samp class="codeph">false</samp>,
Derby will not attempt to
clean up disconnected clients. The keepAlive mechanism might be disabled if
clients need to resume work without reconnecting even after being disconnected
from the network for some time. To disable keepAlive probes on Network Server
connections, set this property to <samp class="codeph">false</samp>.

Syntax

derby.drda.keepAlive={true|false}

Default

True.

Example

derby.drdra.keepAlive=false

Static or dynamic

Static. You must restart the Network Server for changes to take effect.

Parent topic: Setting Network Server properties

Related reference

derby.drda.host property

derby.drda.logConnections property

derby.drda.maxThreads property

derby.drda.minThreads property

derby.drda.portNumber property

derby.drda.securityMechanism property

derby.drda.sslMode property

derby.drda.startNetworkServer property

derby.drda.streamOutBufferSize property

derby.drda.timeSlice property

derby.drda.traceAll property

derby.drda.traceDirectory property


Our decorative Laurel displays present our products in an organised, clear and eye-catching manner. They draw attention and inspire customers to make spontaneous purchases.
Our Laurel power magnets are available in attractive transparent pouches for Laurel sales displays, or with suspension bracket for self-service shelves.
Our small, strong and colourful power magnets have a holding force of up to 1,900 g / 2,800 g on any metallic surface. If you don't have a metal surface to hand, simply use the self-adhesive metal discs.


text:
Exhibition: A glimpse of everyday life inside North Korea
By Andrea Rose
'The DPRK is very cautious about any imagery or any view of itself which doesn't conform to the statist ideal'. ©
Photo by Nick Danziger.
In August 2013, the British Council's Visual Arts Director, Andrea Rose, along with photographer Nick Danziger and writer Rory MacLean, travelled to North Korea at the invitation of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) authorities. They set out to provide a view of the people and the country with the aim of informing future discussion about this isolated state. Andrea Rose answers our questions about the visit.
How did the idea come about for a photography workshop in North Korea?
It began when Nick Danziger, whom I had worked with before on a project in Ethopia, talked to me about running a workshop in North Korea. He wanted to involve maybe 12 or 14 individuals from different walks of life -- a forester, a dancer, a teacher, a fisherman -- to tell a different story from the one we're familiar with through the media. The idea was to invite them to take part in a workshop which would take place over three weeks. Nick would mentor them so they could tell the story of their own lives through photography.
In North Korea, as in other countries, photography is predominantly a tool to show you at your best. You put your best clothes on, you smile, and it's all rather formal and controlled. The workshop was an attempt to get a view of a more ordinary, everyday life that North Koreans live. As well as Nick helping them tell their stories through photography, Rory MacLean would mentor the same North Koreans in writing down their stories. From these narratives, the two of them would then create an exhibition which would be shown in Pyongyang at the end of the visit, and then subsequently in London. It was an intriguing idea because it's at the root of what the British Council does -- attempting to engage with people rather than governments and regimes.
North Korea is famously cautious about imagery that doesn't conform to the view it wishes to project of itself as a happy, fortunate, communist state, where everything is provided for by the grace of the Kim family. It's a view which considers that people and ideology are one and the same thing. This is what makes it so difficult to see what the lives of individuals are like. Pluralism, diversity and individual determination naturally militate against the idea of a single state ideology where everyone acts in the interest of the party. Nick's idea, therefore, was specially intriguing. Was there any distance between the expressions of the state and the individuals who live in it?
I called the North Korean Embassy in London and asked if we could meet to discuss the idea, and to my amazement, not only did they respond instantly, they were incredibly positive about the idea.
How successful were you in capturing the everyday life of North Koreans?
We never got to see life in North Korea without some form of monitoring. We were never allowed anywhere without our official guides. The North Korean Embassy had been very good about agreeing to our requests and we spent a lot of time in advance of the visit in negotiating the terms of the workshop -- who we wanted to see, the equipment we were going to take in with us (cameras, digital recorders, printers etc.), the way we wanted to conduct this workshop. But when we got to North Korea, all this went out of the window. We quickly learned that bringing together a group of 14 North Koreans, and keeping them together in one place for a prolonged workshop wasn't going to be possible.
We were met at Pyongyang Central Station (we had taken the train in from Beijing -- a 24-hour journey) by the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. They were our official hosts and remained with us for the entire period we were there, including staying overnight in whichever hotel we were in). Our two guides seemed genuinely perplexed by the idea we'd proposed to their London Embassy. No, they told us, there was no way they could assemble a group of people in a room in Pyongyang for weeks. First of all, for anyone living and working outside Pyongyang, they couldn't get a permit to travel into the city. And secondly, no-one would be given permission to take three weeks off work.
So we had been, if not deluded, then a little naive. But in a way it didn't matter because we did insist on meeting certain people and there was a lot of bargaining and manoeuvring, and trying to finesse with our minders our way out of visits to the usual tourist destinations. We really wanted to meet a fisherman, for example, because we'd heard about the parlous state of the fishing fleet, and wanted to see for ourselves the daily lives of those who work the seas for a living. The tragedy is that the UN has voted a considerable sum for the repair and renovation of the North Korean fishing fleet (the statistics about the numbers of deaths of fishermen are alarming) but they can't allocate it as there is no way of verifying that it will reach the fishing fleet rather than bolster the military.
I think the reason we were able to get as far as we did is because I made it clear to the North Korean Embassy before we set out that the purpose of the visit wasn't simply to have an exhibition but to test the potential for future cultural collaboration between the UK and North Korea. As the British Council has been running an English language teacher training programme in North Korea for the past 13 years, we already had some track record of working in the country, but both sides were keen to explore whether this could be expanded. I am sure this gave us greater access than we might otherwise have had.
How much contact is there between North Korea and the rest of the world? Do you think North Korea wants more contact, and if so, what sort of contact?
It's sometimes said that anyone who tells you they know North Korea is either a fool or a liar, because nobody really knows the answers, even long-term Pyongyang watchers. From my limited experience -- and we were there longer than many people on a first-time visit -- it's unnerving to see how little contact with the outside world there is. No newspapers, no internet, no books, no films, no television or radio to speak of other than state broadcasting, which pumps out a continual paean of praise for the regime. In an otherwise interconnected world, it feels like a time warp -- feudal in many ways.
You have to know the history of North Korea to understand why they've adopted this insular policy. They don't trust Japan, which brutally occupied the Korean peninsula for the first 40 years of the 20th century, suppressing the Korean language, stripping people of their family names etc. They don't trust the Chinese, their enormously powerful neighbour to the west, which has periodically seen Korea as a tributary state; they don't trust Russia, on their northern borders, another all-powerful neighbour which, having been an ally during the Soviet period, let them down after the end of the Soviet Union, no longer providing them with raw materials on friendly terms; and they least of all trust South Korea, which they see as being a puppet of the USA, and yet which they feel should be united (under the red flag) to create a single Korean nation. So they see themselves as surrounded by hostile forces. Protectionism, in the form of holding onto the one thing which distinguishes them from all their neighbours -- their belief in communism and in the Kim dynasty to lead it -- therefore spells independence. Independence and self-reliance are their watchwords. They don't see globalisation as a positive way to build the economy of the country. Yet South Korea, with the same history as North Korea until the establishment of the two states in l948, has become one of the most prosperous nations in the world, without any of the mineral wealth of North Korea -- coal, rare earth, bauxite, gold etc. South Korea is largely composed of agricultural land, yet it has traded itself into becoming a global player through its emphasis on innovation.
Everything the regime does is aimed at control -- control of the people, control of the economy -- control in order to maintain the status quo. At first we were surprised we could take our mobile phones in, but of course that's because there's no network connection, so it's meaningless anyway. We had laptops too but there's no internet. Television monitors are in many public places (hotels, restaurants) etc., but it broadcasts a diet of propaganda messages, and nothing from any other country. Lack of knowledge of any alternatives keeps the population in ignorance, and ignorance breeds fear.
Given that it's so controlled, and so cut off, it's surprising they let you in. What's the main interest for them?
The British Council has been in North Korea now for 14 years, it's worth reminding ourselves of that. We've had teachers based there over that period, training teachers of English. North Koreans know -- the educated elite certainly know -- that they have to be able to deal with the outside world. Food security is critical -- they can't produce enough to feed themselves, and are dependent on outside aid (28 per cent of North Korean children under the age of five are malnourished). They don't publicly acknowledge external aid, of course, but that is the case.
They do know they need better connections. It surprised me that, as well as business English, they have asked for materials in certain subjects such as market economics. It shows awareness of the way the rest of the world has gone. Whether it will lead to a gradual move towards economic liberalisation or not is an open question. The failure of the command economy however is not in question.
The British Council is often criticised for engaging with regimes such as North Korea but takes the view that engagement is better than isolation. Do you feel this more keenly since your visit?
While I was there, I did feel that the benefits the British Council could offer were access to knowledge; to awaken people basically. We talk about the difficulty getting in to North Korea but North Koreans also can't get out. They don't have passports, most of them can't travel between cities, so they're very closed off from any forms of understanding about how other systems work, or how other people live and think. I think that the more one can encourage the idea that there are alternatives, the better. That was certainly the case with the former Eastern bloc, when the British Council kept channels open between the former countries of the Eastern bloc and the west. It helped many people to know that the west could provide a different perspective, and that western know-how helped Eastern bloc countries develop from failed command economies towards more liberal market economics, with all the benefits in basic living standards for their populations that these were able to provide.
It's important because North Koreans live in a state of both intellectual and physical poverty. Their traditional allies -- the countries of the former Soviet bloc, Libya etc. -- have all overthrown their despotic regimes, so it is less and less able to trade on 'friendly' terms for commodities such as oil -- vital necessities to ensure industry remains active. Just on a human level, people shouldn't have to be living in those sorts of circumstances.
You went to deliver a photography workshop – what did you find out about the visual arts in North Korea?
Well, like everything else in North Korea, the visual arts are completely state-controlled. There is nothing private at all. I made the foolish mistake of asking someone involved in the Korean film industry if there were any independent production companies and he laughed at me and said, 'You know our system, don't you?' It's the same with art.
North Korea has four major art studios, and one of the biggest, Mansudae, features in the exhibition. Mansudae has 4,000 people working in it. What they largely produce are images that promote the idea of North Korea as demi-gods -- in posters, murals, paintings, statues and badges. Every public building you go into has a portrait or statue -- usually monumental -- of one or other of the two deceased Kims (Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il) -- sometimes both. And every citizen over the age of about 16 wears an enamel badge showing one of the Kim family. They are given out to citizens by work units, or the army, and are all made in these art studios.
How do you see arts initiatives working compared to hard diplomacy?
I think you have to define art in broad terms. In North Korea, the ultimate artistic expression is where individuals perform in the service of state ideology, and there is no better example of it than in the Arirang Games. This huge gymnastic display, where more than 100,000 performers are choreographed into performing astonishingly precise tableaux with their bodies is an amazing thing to witness -- people so synchronised that it perfectly replicates the idea of individuals subservient to a single state message,¨people as pixels in effect. For us, where pluralism and diversity contribute to the full expression of who we are, it's hard to appreciate a country where art is seen only as a vehicle for an ideology that has been discredited everywhere else in the world. But if we can find the forms of expression that will allow each side to explore a little of who we really are, or might be, then it is definitely worth pursuing.
For example, the exhibition we're putting on is of images made by a photo-journalist. They are not 'fine art' in the traditional sense. Nonetheless it's image-making, and many of those images, it seems to me, convey something of the individuals we met, and the contexts in which they live; something which hard diplomacy -- the business of economics, politics and military discourse -- cannot, and doesn't aim, to do. Perhaps it's no surprise that there are 'individuals' in this country, but it's not something which North Korea itself promotes or which the western world, or the rest of the world, can easily see. I think people are rather amazed when they see in these photographs people who have in common with us human desires such as the betterment of their children and pleasures like swimming. There is a commonality there after all. And that surely makes us feel more interest in them than we might otherwise do.
How do you see the future of the relationship between the UK and North Korea?
Whatever happens, it'll be a slow process -- and it's a process rather than an event. The exhibition is a small contribution to a view of North Korea, but I think we've added something a little bit different on this occasion. What I think it will do is help gain the trust of the North Koreans we met. We have brought them over twice since we went there, and we're bringing them over a third time in July 2014 to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cultural collaboration. We will be the first western country to do that, and it will open up the possibility for the British Council to explore the possibilities for future cultural engagement. It could be in sport, or film or in other areas in which we know there to be an interest. It could certainly be in education.
I'm not going to predict what's going to happen in North Korea, but I can't believe that a society that sees other possibilities can fail to be affected by them. Just as I was affected by going to North Korea in that it made me sympathetic to the people who live there -- not the regime but to the people that live there -- I would hope they felt sympathy towards us. And when you feel sympathy towards people, even if you don't speak the same language, and don't have the same political views, it makes you a little bit closer.
The British Council has a unique platform to be able to do this, and I think we should make use of it. It's a very privileged position. Interestingly enough, in answer to all those people who ask why we're dealing with a regime with human rights issues second to none in their brutality, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights issued a report about six weeks ago. It was very dispiriting in terms of revealing the terrible things that go on, but what the report recommended was that nations increase people-to-people engagement as a means of combating these. I feel that we've started that process and we need to continue and deepen it.
Who else is involved in the people-to-people engagement?
One of my recommendations when I came out was to suggest that we explore with other European countries where there was scope for collaboration. I've been talking to the Goethe Institute who have done quite a lot of cultural work in North Korea. Germany has a unique contribution to make. Having been a divided state in the 20th century, they have a very particular experience to share.
How did the experience of visiting North Korea change you, if it did?
It's difficult. It's a shock to go to a county where control is so absolute. I anticipated that it might have been rather like the China I first visited in the early l980s, but it wasn't. The ceaseless exhortation to fulfil the commands of the communist regime was one thing, but the omnipresence of the Kims -- not only in images but in the words of those we spoke to -- makes you feel you're inside a cult.
I'd never really had any dealings with North Korea before. But within this one peninsula, to find people of the same ethnic group, with the same language, and same historic and cultural roots behaving so differently depending on whether they live north or south of the demilitarised zone makes this tremendously poignant.
Throughout my career at the British Council, I've been very conscious of the tensions implicit in countries defining themselves through cultural identity -- often expressed through traditions -- and the pressures of globalisation. Can you modernise without westernising, in a nutshell? Where art plays a role is in mediating between the two: allowing individuals to question, to explore, to invent, to innovate, and institutions to celebrate those freedoms by respecting and promoting them.
There seemed to me a deep -- and misplaced -- sense of anxiety in North Korea that their identity will be eroded if allowed to touch or be touched by others. It's almost a laboratory case. You have this open, innovative, and experimental country in the south of the Korean peninsula, and a restrictive, closed-off country in the north. It's like having two identical seedboxes, one with the top open to the atmosphere, the other with the top permanently sealed. Inside the open-lidded box, the plants can grow and thrive, fed by sunlight and weather. In the closed box, the plants distort.
So I was affected by the way politics can create a group of people who struggle to assert their human dignity. How could you not be affected by that?
See photos from North Korea [link expired] taken by Andrea Rose in 2013.
Above the Line: People and Places in the DPRK, an exhibition of 80 large-scale colour photographs by Nick Danziger, is at the British Council's headquarters in London until 25 July. The exhibition is accompanied by a 210-page catalogue with 150 full-colour plates, and interviews with 12 individuals living in North Korea.
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Meets at First Watch in Vestavia.
Meeting at 7pm in the home of Laurie Moyer. Topics will vary: March-Time Management; April-Handling Stress; May-Communication.
All ages children meet up front after evening services for 10 minutes of singing, memorizing Scripture and learning more about God.
Study of Bible Women with Joyce Jamerson, at 4:00 p.m. in the upstairs adult classroom.