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SHOP >> INTERESTING ARTICLES >> THE SCIMITAR SWORD
SCIMITAR SWORD
The scimitar is a sable or a sword of oriental origin, very light, with a single, sharp, curved edge; as one author has described more graphically as a "sword in the form of a sickle" (hand-held curved blade used for harvesting grain crops or long grass). Its length can vary from 55 ? 100 centimetres, topped off at the opposite end to the blade with a pommel and hand guard.
It is said that the scimitar sword was exceptionally strong and hard, and very resistant to shocks, which it absorbed with ease. This is owed in part to the use of a metal with special characteristics called "Damascus steel". This steel had a high content of carbon, between 1.5 and 2% to be specific, which gave it its grand strength and a unique beauty with wavy markings on the edge. The properties of the Damascus steel were greatly admired throughout the Occident and attempts were made to imitate them, although with little success. In the Iberian Peninsula they did manage to develop a metal with characteristics rather similar to the Damsacus, which was named "Toledo steel".
The scimitar sword had a perfect design for attacking on horseback as after using it to stab, the blade did not stay embedded in the opponent which allowed the warrior to continue advancing through the battlefield. It is said that the blade of a scimitar would cut the body of an adversary from the shoulder to the waist, with the same ease you find in cutting a silk cloth down the middle.
Scimitar sword with a curved edge.
The term dedicated to this sword "scimitar" comes from the Persian word "shamsir" that in turn was derived from the Italian word "cimitarra". The geographical and chronological origins of the scimitar sword pose a difficult debate that is still open today. With regards to the place of origin, there are some who place it in ancient Persia, although its use spread throughout the Middle East from India through to the Eastern coasts of the Mediterranean sea.
With respect to the appearance date of this sword, in spite of the fact that there are theories that place its origin in ancient times (there are authors who go back even to Ancient Egypt) and others that claim the scimitar sword did not appear until after the twelfth century, what we cannot deny is that the peak of dissemination of this sword was during the Middle Ages. In fact, it is the most characteristic Medieval Arabic weapon in the world, often used in the Crusades between the Christians and the Muslims. It was at this point that pictoral representations with the scimitar swords started to appear, such as in the image below.
This sword was not merely a weapon to be used in battle, but it was also surrounded by symbolism, important in Christian as much as in Muslim traditions. For the Kings and Christian Noblemen that fought against the Muslims, the sword symbolised Christ's cross (the cross of the hand guard with the shaft). Whilst for the Muslims it is said that the semi-circular shape of the swords represented the crescent moon, and therefore their own swords symbolised the sacred weapon of Islam: Allah's weapon.
Medieval representation of the conflict between Christians and Muslims. On the right Muslims bearing Scimitar swords.
The most prominent historical figure with whom the scimitar sword is associated was called Salaheddîn Eyûbîen, although he was better known in the Western World as Saladin. He was born in what is now Iraq and he was the most important Muslim general in the Middle East in the second half of the twelfth century. He starred in the religious wars between Christians and Muslims for domination in the Holy Land, emphasizing their victory over the Christians at the battle of Hattin, a victory which opened the door for the conquest of Jerusalem. After the victory was known of by the Christians, the head of the church at the time, Pope Urbano III summoned all of the Christian Kings in a new campaign against the Muslims, the Third Crusade. It was at this time that Richard the King of England gained prominence, who later became known as Richard the "Lionheart".
The scimitar is a legendary sword that in addition to Saladin, has been associated with other characters, as created by Emilio Salgari and nicknamed the "Tiger of Malaysia" or Sandokan. This character was a pirate from Southeast Asia and was the protagonist in numerous adventures in his vengeful endeavor against the British. Simbad the Sailor was also a character that always appeared with the assistance of his trusty scimitar sword and is one of the heroes from the Arabic tale "A Thousand and One Nights". It is also a sword that has inspired multiple video-game cartoon artists.
Ilustration of the adventures of Sandokan shown weilding a scimitar sword.
The 'scimitar' is the generic name that is used to describe Arabic swords with a curved blade, nevertheless, this category encompasses many individual swords that were adapted from the original model with specific names given to them according to their regions of origin.
One of them is the sword with a Turkish origin called kiliç. Its origin is related to the movements of the Medieval Mongols, although other theories suggest that it originated in the fifteenth century. It is a curved singled-edged sword that tapers towards the last third of the blade where the curvature of the cutting edge starts, that widens and shows a sharpened back edge.
Arabic Kiliç curved sword with Turkish origins.
The shamsir sword was developed in Persia, the word from which 'scimitar' is said to have derived. The Shamsir sword follows the same type of single-edged curved sword, and also it characteristically begins its curvature in the last third of the blade. Sometimes the pointed end could be double-edged in order to facilitate the puncture of the enemy.
In India we find the tulwar which is very similar to the Persian shamsir. In Morocco, the characteristic curved sword is called the nimcha. Lastly, the saif is the term by which the curved sword from the Saudi area is known. The saif saber is a short double-edged sword with a curved tip.
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Home News Irish fans honoured by Paris mayor for sportsmanship in Euro 2016
Irish fans honoured by Paris mayor for sportsmanship in Euro 2016
Irish football fans are to be honoured by the mayor of Paris for their "exemplary sportsmanship" during Euro 2016.
Anne Hidalgo announced plans for the Green Army to be given the city's most prestigious award, known as the Grand Vermeil.
A letter confirming the honour has been sent to President Michael D Higgins's office with plans set to be finalised for a ceremony.
The mayor said Irish fans had distinguished themselves with the atmosphere they created in their short but impressive time in the Euros.
The honour of the Grand Vermeil de la Ville de Paris was created in 1911 to recognise individuals or groups who have made a "remarkable act on the capital".
Among the names on the roll call of the honour for the Grand Vermeil are tennis champion Rafa Nadal, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and jazz pianist Herbie Hancock.
It is not the first honour for Irish fans.
On the back of their ambassadorial performances in Poland four years ago, Uefa president Michel Platini announced a special award to Irish fans to recognise their great behaviour and contribution to the championships.
It was dedicated to the memory of James Nolan, an Irish fan who drowned in the river Brda in the town of Bydgoszcz during the competition in June 2012.
Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and junior minister Patrick O'Donovan said they were delighted with the recognition from the mayor's office.
"Irish football supporters enjoy an enviable reputation throughout the football world," they said.
"They are famously friendly and fun-loving with an infectious passion for football and an ability to create a carnival atmosphere. They have shown themselves to be true ambassadors for Ireland during the Euro 2016 championship and this award is well deserved."
Dara Murphy, Minister for European Affairs, added his congratulations to the fans.
"The Irish team and supporters who travelled to Euro 2016 really did us proud in France and on the European stage over the last few weeks," he said.
"The fans showed true sportsmanship and the very best of the Irish spirit while in France, which has been a source of great pride for all of us following the championship at home."
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According to my Media News Group colleague Mike Brohard of the Loveland Reporter-Herald, Colorado State coach Jim McElwain was noncommittal following Wednesday's practice but encouraged about the availability of Rams senior linebacker Shaquil Barrett for Saturday's noon "Border War" game vs. Wyoming in Laramie.
Barrett suffered a sprained ankle last week during the 34-27 loss to San Jose State. Barrett has missed practice time but vowed that he will be ready to go against the Cowboys.
Barrett tops the nation with 12.5 tackles for a loss.
This likely will be the last update on Barrett's status from CSU prior to Saturday's game.
BOULDER — For those wondering what happened to Colorado safety Parker Orms Saturday after he got thrown out for targeting, it's the same thing that happens to a baseball manager for arguing. He's sent to the showers.
He had to sit in an empty locker room for the rest of the first half.


Above is the large sand dune on Fraserburgh beach known as Tiger Hill. Below, a puddle.
The sun sets in the woods… What sparks of light have you spotted in winter?
This entry was posted in frankly a little odd, green places and tagged beach, loch, ocean, river, Scotland, trees. Bookmark the permalink.
Great shots – thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous, gorgeous photographs! As I scrolled through them, each one became my favourite. Beautiful post.
Beautiful! Know the feeling about little light; here's it's worse. We've had so much rain as well (October it rained 28 days out of 31 in Vancouver) that I'm almost forgetting what it feels like to feel the sun on my face.
Just breathtakingly beautiful. Seems so peaceful.
Oh so beautiful. These photos set me to dreaming.
I love your posts! I'm planning on going to Scotland in 2017, so these photographs are incredibly helpful as I consider where to go. Thank you for such a well thought out display!
Beautiful words and pictures Ailish. Was in Scotland in November but this blog already has me wanting to come back for more. Thank you and have a happy Christmas.
It certainly does. So many benefits to visiting the far Northern Hemisphere in winter.


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Del asentamiento de Plymouth (en inglés: Of Plymouth Plantation) es un libro escrito entre 1620 y 1647 por William Bradford, el líder de la Colonia de Plymouth (Massachusetts). Se trata de un diario en el cual se narra la historia de los Padres Peregrinos desde 1608, cuando estaban radicados en los Países Bajos, hasta el propio año 1647, pasando por hechos fundamentales como el viaje a bordo del Mayflower, en 1620, o la expulsión de Thomas Morton, en 1628.

Referencias

Bibliografía

 BRADFORD, William, De la plantación de Plymouth, selección bilingüe editada por la Universidad de León, 1994.

Enlaces externos
New England Religious History, que incluye datos sobre el libro y otros relacionados. (en inglés)
Texto completo en Google Books (en inglés)

Libros del siglo XVII
Historia de Massachusetts
Historia de las Trece Colonias

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The flames near the Acropolis had died. I cocked an ear, but didn't have to strain this time, for there were no longer any revelers at the top of that hill. Stefan must surely be back by now, unless Sorina Boroi had spirited him off to yet another den of iniquity.
I retrieved my key from my pocket and slid it into the lock. When I tried to push against the door, it held fast. "Stefan," I called out. "Stefan, are you there?" I asked a minute later. Still, there was no answer.
I shouldered my weight against the door again. Nothing. It had been jammed.
I was ready to try the hole that served for a window at the back of the hovel, when I heard a sound coming from within—a low sibilant sound, like the hiss of a snake…a very large snake.
Stefan was in there with that snake. A boa constrictor, an anaconda—whatever other foul kind of snake that was indigenous to Greece could have been in there strangling the life out of him.
I jangled the lock, making a terrific noise that surely must have caught its attention—drawn it away from Stefan and turned it toward me. But nothing happened.
Then I heard the sound again. This time it was different, more defined, almost human—a low, rasping voice, sounding as though it were struggling to speak, as though its vocal chords had been damaged and it couldn't talk above a whisper.
I tried to swallow. My mouth felt as though it was full of sand. I pressed my ear against the door and heard the voice hiss a name…Zigmund.
A gurgling sound snaked through the wood beneath my fingers. My hands clenched, causing splinters to embed in my skin. I could care less about the pain. My only thought was that this couldn't be happening.
Stefan was in there with that horror, that gurgling horror, whatever it was.
I threw my weight against the door and it gave way. The blackness disoriented me; the room was so dark, I couldn't see a foot in front of my face. Not even the moonlight pierced through the window on the other side of the room.
I took a step forward. My foot knocked against something on the floor—something that gave off a low moan. Startled, I sprang back, colliding with the overturned crate that served as a night table. The din that erupted was enough to wake the entire village. I slid to the floor, trying to conceal myself behind the crate, but the creature either did not hear the noise or was too busy to care.
I reached up my trembling hand until my fingers closed around the neck of the oil lamp resting on the crate beside the bed. Slowly, carefully, I settled the lamp next to me, then reached up once more in search of the matches.
Lovely. They had been there that afternoon. Where the devil had they gone? I was ready to give up, but then I realized they might have been knocked to the floor. When I stretched out my hand, one of the matches snapped beneath the weight of my probing fingers.
The snuffling above me ceased at once. My arm remained stretched out. If I tried to move, the rustling of my clothes would give me away. This was an entirely new problem. The thing seemed not to care about loud sounds, but make the tiniest of noises and it would go berserk.
I could hear it moving…coming closer…leaning down from its perch on Stefan's bed. Stefan's bed! He couldn't still be in it? The thing on the floor…no, that was definitely not Stefan.
A gust of hot air was expelled against my arm. I had to bite my lip to keep from choking. The stench of the thing's breath was unbearable—like the dead earth of centuries-old graves.
There was no wind that night, but something was ruffling my hair. Oh, yes, that's wonderful, I thought. The thing was sniffing inches above my head, but the room was too dark for me to discern anything. Why hadn't it attacked me yet? Was it blind? The thought gave me courage, for if it was, I had an advantage, though the thing sounded as big as a bear.
I slouched lower and drew my knees to my chest, trying to tighten myself into a ball. The match was between my fingers. I drew my arm in as slowly as I could. For some reason, the thing jerked away at that moment and went back to its incessant hissing, cooing over whatever it had trapped beneath itself in the bed.
I didn't know what I hoped to accomplish by lighting the lamp. I suppose I was counting on the thing being scared of light. Whatever happened, I had to know what was there, no matter what, yet to strike the match and light the lamp before being seen was surely impossible. I had no weapon, save the lamp, which I already planned to hurl at the thing if the situation turned desperate. But what good would that do? Stun it for an instant, during which I would have to run like mad to escape before the thing realized it should be giving chase? Ridiculous.
As if it had read my thoughts, the thing began to laugh low in its throat.
That decided me. This mocking devil would be unmasked now. No more waiting, no more fear.
I struck the match, threw it inside the lamp, then wrenched the turner up as far as it would go and leaped to my feet.
The light blazed forth so strongly I was blinded for a moment. I lowered the lamp to lessen the glare, and that's when I saw what I was up against for the first time.
It had started to screech—a terrible, high-pitched yowl—yet I was too petrified to run and could do nothing but stare at it in horror. It must have been a man at one time, but now it was plague-ravaged beyond distinction. Although it was still screeching, its tongue seemed to have a life of its own. The barbs encircling the tongue lashed against the thing's face with each jerky movement—puncturing holes in its cheeks from which blood dripped forth. I swallowed hard to keep the bile from rising in my throat, but still I could not turn away.
Sores split the death white skin of its face. There was a bulge underneath the cloak where its stomach should have been, a bulge that was much too large. This was not fat. The thing was engorged and had most probably just fed—on whom, I did not even want to venture a guess.
Red-rimmed eyes stared out from that pale mask that looked more like a skull than a face. The cowl of its cloak had fallen back to reveal a baldpate with more of the same oozing gouges. They weren't as fresh as the ones on its face; something must have stabbed it in defense during an attack some weeks ago. But from the way the tongue lashed and whipped about, I suspected that the creature, in a moment of desperation, must have been driven mad by its own bloodlust and inflicted the wounds on itself.
I swung the lamp toward the creature's face; it screeched and reeled backward, tumbling off the bed.
And that's when I heard Stefan groan. He had been on the bed…being crushed to death underneath the monster's weight.
Madness and terror took hold. I threw the lamp at the thing's head. There was a burst of flames and a horrid scream as the lamp shattered against the creature's face. Shards of glass imbedded in its head, its flesh hanging in strands. A huge piece of the glass protruded from its cheek, which was bubbling underneath the flames like melting wax. Nothing could have survived those injuries. The thing would surely collapse in a dead heap, but all my assumptions were wrong tonight. The beast yanked the shard from its cheek, and its skin began to change.
The flames flickered then disappeared, seemingly sucked into the creature's face. A ripple broke out underneath the ravaged surface…and then the skin stretched until it had grown taut over the wound. I blinked in disbelief, for the cheek had been restored—becoming as smooth as if there had never been an injury. The horror of this transformation was too great for me to fathom. Why should the self-inflicted gouges remain, yet the cheek I had nearly burnt off heal at will?
I now had nothing left with which to defend myself. If the thing wanted me, it would get me. But I wasn't going to let it attack Stefan again. If it wanted him, it would have to take us both. I balled up my fists and advanced.
I don't know if it was because it had used up all its strength to heal itself, or because it actually was as terrified of me as I was of it, but all the fight seemed to go out of the creature the moment I took that first step toward it.
The barbed tongue shot out of its open maw. Was this a prelude to attack or one last show of bravado? The creature's eyes darted to the right. Salvation was only a few feet away. I couldn't cut it off from the opening in the wall, and the creature knew it. In one wild leap, the beast yanked the cowl down over its head and thrust itself through the window.
I heard it screeching long after it had loped off. I had already wasted enough time worrying over something that I'd never, hopefully, encounter again. My concern was all for Stefan now.
I reached for his wrist, feeling for a pulse, but there was none. He couldn't be gone. I refused to believe it.
I looked around for something with which to revive him—water, sal volatile, spirits, anything—but there was nothing in this blasted hovel.
"Stefan, Stefan!" I shouted, shaking him by the shoulders. "Wake up! You are not dead, do you hear me?! You are not dead!" I slapped him. Nothing I did produced any signs of life in him. Hot tears burned my eyes, but I refused to give in. Not yet. Not now, even though I knew the battle had been lost and my best friend was gone.
I pounded his chest, trying to revive his heart, but that didn't work either. My hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to lift his body. What was I hoping to do, raise Lazarus from the dead?
I released my grasp and let him slump down upon the pillow.
He couldn't be gone. He wasn't supposed to die, not like this at any rate. How could he go now before we had even had a chance to really live? I shuddered, for wasn't that what had caused all our trouble? Our desire to live? To forsake all caution and strike out on our own? I choked on the sob in my throat. Now my brother was dead…what good was freedom if it got you killed?
I felt nauseous. My reason was slipping away. I couldn't lose control now, yet what need had I to keep up the pretense any longer?
I turned away from the lifeless body of my best friend and buried my face in my hands.
Tears had been blurring my vision and streaming through my fingers for what seemed like an hour before I heard the sound. I thought the creature had come back, but then I heard him gasp and felt his hand latch onto my arm.
Stefan was alive! I was so relieved, I didn't consider how drained of energy he was and crushed him in an embrace that would have snuffed out the rest of his life had I not realized what I was doing and released him before more damage was done.
"I have no idea," he said, barely above a whisper. "We had come back from the revel at the hill and had just entered when there was a knock at the door. Of course, we didn't know who it could be, so we did not answer. Then there was another knock and a voice…a voice…" he faltered and broke off.
He bolted upright in bed, but immediately collapsed for lack of strength. It was at this time that I noticed a trickle of blood near my foot. A rivulet, streaming down a hill. The hovel was on an incline. Why had I not noticed this before?
I struck a match and lit the lamp on the opposite side of Stefan's bed. Light flashed into the gloom. My eyes followed the stream of blood, the light in my hand revealing all.
I nearly retched when I saw what the shadows had kept hidden.
©2010, 2013 Melika Dannese Lux and Books In My Belfry, LLC. Unauthorized use or reproduction of this excerpt without the author's permission is strictly prohibited.


For the past 15 years, Rolf Kaestel has sat behind bars in the Utah State Prison, invisible to those who put him there and a mystery of sorts to those who store him.
Ask if you can speak to Kaestel, and Utah officials say they have to ask the state of Arkansas for permission. Ask if Utah knows why they've been paying nearly $28,000 a year to keep him under lock and key, and they say they must consult the state of Arkansas.
And if you ask Arkansas why Kaestel, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for stealing $264 from a Bob's Taco Hut in Fort Smith, Ark., in 1981, why the man is in Utah, they'll say they can't quite recall.
Official records in Arkansas show that Kaestel, a 63-year-old with no living family members who hasn't had a single visitor since arriving in Utah in 1999, was transferred to the Beehive State under what's known as an "interstate compact" agreement because of "noncompliance with the Arkansas system." Explanations of what this means, and what Kaestel may have done to earn his noncompliance status, do not exist.
One thing is absolute: Unless an Arkansas governor commutes Kaestel's sentence from life to, say, 50 years, he will most likely die alone, anonymously and forgotten in the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.
Kaestel's case, and the man himself, with his large eyeglasses, thinning gray mustache, missing front teeth and bald head, shine a light into a volatile corner of the justice system—the part that doesn't rely so much on concrete law, but more on the whims and moods of the human beings who pull the levers.
Kaestel's efforts to draw attention to himself and his case by filing lawsuits and speaking his mind, have backfired so often and with such force that he and his shrinking list of backers have a hard time not thinking higher powers are at work, conspiring against him.
Criminals that actually hurt people have been treated with more leniency than Kaestel. As the decades have mounted and he's sat locked away, he's watched murderers, rapists and child molesters walk away free men.
Kaestel, who built a reputation as a respected paralegal in prison and says he is a few credits short of earning multiple bachelor's degrees, knows he can be a productive citizen. Those who knew Kaestel in Arkansas, and the couple of people who have had contact with him in Utah, have no doubt that Kaestel has been vastly over-punished for his crime. And they are equally sure that Kaestel, after spending more than half of his life in prison, deserves to be free.
Kaestel himself believes he deserved punishment for his crime. He broke the law, and with a rocky criminal past, was convicted and had his life taken away.
But he considers the sentence of life without parole for his crime "overkill."
"They've traded out 34 years of my life for $264," he says.
Kaestel can't claim any of the common issues that might drive one to crime. His parents didn't abuse him, he was never into drugs or alcohol, and he says he was not led astray by poor peer influences.
For as long as Kaestel can remember, though, he felt as though he simply did not fit in.
"Not with other kids, not in school, not in any community or stereotypical way that virtually everybody else [did]," he wrote in a letter to City Weekly.
At a young age, Kaestel had an inquiring mind. And the big questions he asked—What is love? Why are we on Earth? And where do we come from and where do we go?—he failed to find sufficient answers for.
Kaestel says that at first, he was stunned that his parents, clergy and teachers couldn't provide him with answers. Then he became "numbed," growing convinced that the indifference the adults around him showed to his curiosity was a mechanism to turn him into a cookie-cutter conformist.
"And I ran to get away," he writes. "No way was society going to 'assimilate' me and make me one of its mimics."
But when Kaestel found himself in the courtroom at age 29, listening to society's jury send him to prison for the rest of his life, he says he "lost that insane, irrational fear," and in the coming hours and days, recognized his "folly" and "inexcusable criminality."
"So, for 34 years now, I've walked a road that few people even ever find, much less travel," he writes. "I repented of my crimes, my sins—I made what reparations I could, sought forgiveness from those whom I wronged—and obtained forgiveness."
Ron Fields, the former Sebastian County district attorney who sought and received one of the harshest punishments for Kaestel that society could grant, says he found Kaestel hard to understand. This lack of understanding, he says, is what was "scary."
"He had so much going for him, and everything he did, he wrenched it to the dark side," Fields, now a private attorney in Fort Smith, Ark., said in a telephone interview. "You can probably look at Rolf Kaestel, and think, a few things change here and there, and he's the CEO of United Airlines today."
Kaestel committed his first theft at age 11. He enjoyed a certain flavor of cigarettes, which a friend's parents smoked. And his friend liked the kind Kaestel's parents smoked. So the two children swiped smokes and traded.
A few years later, Kaestel, who was born into a military family in Germany, fell in love with a wealthy girl in Montgomery, Ala., where he was raised. Nothing would stop Kaestel from visiting the girl—especially not a lack of transportation.
"I'd steal a car, drive to see her, abandon the car, and steal a car to get back," he says during an interview with City Weekly at the Gunnison prison. "I stole a lot of cars."
But Kaestel wore his hair long, was labeled a hippie and encountered his first brushes with the police when the girl's parents filed a restraining order against him. By seventh grade, Kaestel had had enough of school, and his teachers had had enough of him. He was kicked out.
"I became a real juvenile delinquent," he says.
Faced with going to juvenile hall or returning to Germany with his parents, Kaestel says, he chose Europe. Besides, he says, he had been dreaming of visiting the pyramids in Egypt, seeing Jerusalem and taking a trip to Madagascar to "see the crazy animals."
Once in Germany, he fled in an attempt to visit these places, but his flimsy visa, he says, prevented him from crossing the Swiss Alps.
He fell in with some American military personnel who he says were stealing from the base and selling products on the black market, using Kaestel, who spoke German, as their mule. Kaestel speculates his parents conspired to have him placed in a German institution, where he spent 11 months before an Air Force official intervened. Since Germany apparently couldn't keep him jailed, Kaestel says, they expelled him from the country until he was 21.
In an attempt to remain in Europe, Kaestel says, he joined the Air Force. But just before the swearing-in ceremony, he was told he'd first have to return to the United States. Once in New York, Kaestel says, he went through one gate, and his parents through another. He never saw them again.
After sitting around at a military recruiter's office for a day, waiting to be sworn in, he says, an official told him he'd have to wait 30 days to get his paperwork in order.
Lonesome for his old girlfriend, Kaestel says, "I went out in the parking lot, stole a car and went back to Alabama."
During his absence, his former love had married. Heartbroken, broke and bored, Kaestel says, he was arrested a few days later for burglary. The crime: breaking out a front window of a store, stealing a bubble gum machine, and smashing it, just to "watch all the bubble gum roll down the street."
Kaestel had luck on his side. A jail employee, who had been in the Air Force and lived near Kaestel as a child, recognized the prisoner. Kaestel says the jailer arranged his release, under the condition that he live with the man and his wife.
Things began looking up for Kaestel. He had a job and got along well with his new friends, feeling like his "life is on track for the first time, probably," he says.
Then tragedy struck. The couple Kaestel lived with had a son in his 20s, who was married and had just gotten a teaching job in Mississippi. As the son and his wife returned home from a visit, Kaestel says, they were both killed in a car accident.
"It just tore that family all to hell," Kaestel says, adding that the man began drinking heavily and beating his wife. Kaestel and the man clashed and, in no time, Kaestel stole a car and headed for New Mexico.
Over the next few years, Kaestel was imprisoned in New Mexico and Alabama on robbery charges. Each time he was released, he quickly found his way back to trouble, either stealing cars or committing small-time robberies.
In 1979, Kaestel was paroled after serving two years in a New Mexico prison for robbery. For the better part of two years, he roamed the Southwest, taking an interest in gambling in Las Vegas. Sometime in early 1981, Kaestel decided to make his way back toward New Mexico. He stuck his thumb out and was picked up by four people in their early 20s. None of them had any money, but Kaestel, by this time a seasoned small-time robber, had an idea about how to get some.
Kaestel and his fellow travelers decided to head toward the South. On the way, Kaestel says, he siphoned gas out of cars and committed a couple of robberies. His method of robbery was peaceful, he says; he typically just asked for and received the money. On some occasions, if no one was behind the counter, he took the money and left.
In Oklahoma City, Kaestel says, he decided to get a gun.
"They made realistic looking plastic guns," he says, so he "went across the street to a toy store and got a water pistol."
A short time later, Kaestel lived out the final moments of his free life. In Fort Smith, Ark., Kaestel says, he walked into a Senor Bob's Taco Hut, showed a cashier the water pistol in his belt, and left with $264. "I get the money and I leave," Kaestel says. "I didn't threaten him or anything like that."
Kaestel was arrested nearby that same evening.


THE majority of foreign visitors to Shanghai will find language the biggest challenge. But it's also worth being prepared for how to deal with business cards, what to wear and how to drink a toast. Our tips on coping with a trip to China's biggest city are part on an ongoing series on business etiquette around the world. Please add your own.
• Most locals know just a handful of English words, so bring a phrasebook with you (and point to the relevant words and Chinese characters) and ask hotel staff to write down addresses for cab drivers.
• In business meetings handshakes have become popular as an initial greeting, but sometimes you'll find Chinese skip the handshake and go straight to the swapping of business cards.
• These cards are exchanged at breakneck speed. Receive one in both hands and read it immediately. Be sure to offer yours in return. It's useful to have cards with your name and job title printed in Chinese on the reverse. Ask a kind Chinese person to select a good Chinese name for you. Mainland characters are different from those used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, so be specific if you have them printed in your local Chinatown.
• Business interactions between men and women are reserved. After an initial handshake, avoid body contact such as hugging or kissing on the cheek.
• Do not underestimate the concept of losing face. Arriving late, causing embarrassment, behaving confrontationally, insisting too hard on paying a bill or calling attention to a mistake can all cause loss of face. This is potentially disastrous for a fledgling business relationship. Conversely, complimenting someone on their business acumen in front of their colleagues is an easy way to win brownie points.
• If a Chinese person has misunderstood you, or cannot (or does not want to) answer a question, they may laugh to cover their embarrassment. Try not to get agitated. They may come back to you with an answer later, once they've had the chance to think it through or to find out the answer. If they don't, you'll need to ask again—but it's best not to do this in front of others so as not to cause a loss of face.
• Don't be unnerved by long silences—these are an important part of Chinese communication. But note that silence can also be used to unnerve a negotiating opponent.
• A Communist campaign to give women equal status to men has been largely successful. Foreign women are accepted on equal terms in the work place.
• Personal space is not highly regarded in China: expect people to stand quite close to you, and even barge into you. Conversely, however, expansive gestures such as hugging are not acceptable.
• "Dress-down Fridays" and casual office wear have not caught on. A suit and tie is the norm, though a short-sleeved shirt with no jacket is acceptable in the summer.
• The Chinese are fiercely proud of their culture, and sensitivities can be easy to ignite. Best to stay away from Taiwan, Tibet or human rights.
• Most business entertaining is done over lunch, though a big deal may be celebrated by an evening meal in a private room at a restaurant. Unless specifically invited, spouses typically don't attend. The Western custom of after-work drinks is rare, though there is a growing trend for business colleagues to meet for coffee.
• Try to master chopsticks before you arrive in Shanghai. Chinese food is eaten informally, with everyone serving themselves from several main dishes on a central turntable. You will usually be seated on the right of your Chinese host, who will always serve you first.
• In all but the swankiest restaurants, messiness is perfectly acceptable. People will happily slurp their soup, toss chicken bones around their plates and spill soy sauce everywhere.
• Frequent toasts are not unusual. Mao tai (or baijiu), a fiery 60-70 proof liqueur distilled from sorghum, is what you'll typically drink. If you can't keep up (and it's usually better not to), join in the toast with beer or a soft drink.
• Drinking a lot (and even drunkenness) may earn you respect or trust, since many Chinese believe that alcohol causes barriers to come down and true intentions to be revealed.
• During a meal, do not turn a fish over to get to the flesh on the underside. Superstition holds that turning a fish over will cause a fishing boat to capsize.
• You may be invited to eat at someone's home. Always bring a gift (fruit or flowers or something from your own country), and remember to take your shoes off at the threshold.


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Yoga for People of Color Sangha
Yoga for People of Color SanghaYoga for People of Color SanghaYoga for People of Color Sangha
healing empowerment liberation
healing empowerment liberationhealing empowerment liberation
Please support Yoga for People of Color Sangha!
What is Dana, the practice of giving?
Dana: Dana (pronounced "daah-na") is a Pali word meaning generosity.
Dating back to the time of the Buddha, there has existed an interdependence between those who offer the teachings and those who receive them. According to the Buddha, generosity, or sharing what we have is one of the central pillars of a spiritual life. In the act of giving, we develop our ability to let go, cultivate a spirit of caring, and acknowledge the inter-connectedness that we all share. It is a basis of wholesome karma. The Buddha created a system to develop this quality of open-handedness, whereby those who share the teachings are dependent on those who receive them. Monks and nuns go on daily alms rounds with a begging bowl, relying on the generosity of lay people for support in continuing their teaching and spiritual life (this is adapted from the Spirit Rock website).
There is also a concept called "dana economy," which means the organization is economically viable by the generosity of the community. Previously we used the phrase "pay what you can". This statement sometimes can trigger feelings of scarcity for people of color, i.e. "I can't afford anything", etc., so dana liberates us from this scarcity consciousness.
In a similar light, an Indigenous way of understanding generosity is connected to the life or wellbeing of others. Traditionally, Indigenous peoples of this land, which Albuquerque is settled upon and surrounds, understood the provision of food, water, clothing, or any other life-centered need as the closest equivalent to a "payment." This way of generosity also translates as a spiritual gesture through a traditional way of prayer where offerings are given to the Creator, Spirits and Ancestors. This traditional exchange is not centered on what was being given but the action of sharing a life source from one person to another. This life source may translate into national currency of today, as we live in a country that runs off money. Decolonizing this Western and U.S. centered idea of currency or transaction to instead understanding this relationship of generosity as a way that continues to give life to others is focal. As we live in a country that is inherently and violently capitalistic, we unfortunately must sustain by ways of national currency. Decolonizing the dollar is not so much about transaction as it is about supporting and sustaining the lives of others through solidarity. For our community, dana and this Indigenous framework of sustaining life supports our meditation and yoga teachers, organizers, the physical spaces we gather in, and any resources that we need. These are the spiritual frameworks we use to help us grow and thrive as a community.
People of color healing spaces, and health practices and services cannot be taken for granted. We always face various obstacles. Contemplate about what you can contribute to keep the balance of giving and receiving to ensure that Yoga POC Sangha remain of service to its beloved communities.
Our fiscal sponsor is Asian American Association of New Mexico.
The Tricycle Buddhist Magazine has a compilation of articles and resources to better understand dana.
YOUR GENEROSITY IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR THRIVING!
VENMO: YOGAPOC
Copyright © 2020 Yoga for People of Color Sangha - All Rights Reserved.


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PlayStation 4 » Action Adventure » Open-World
In today's hyper-connected world, Chicago has the countrys most advanced computer system one which controls almost every piece of city technology and holds key information on all of the city's residents. You play as Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker but also a former thug, whose criminal past lead to a violent family tragedy. Now on the hunt for those who hurt your family, you'll be able to monitor and hack all who surround you while manipulating the city's systems to stop traffic lights, detonate gas lines, turn off the electrical grid and more. Use the city of Chicago as your ultimate weapon and exact your own style of revenge.
PlayStation 3 (76.00%) - Xbox 360 (77.67%) - PC (75.88%) - Wii U (62.50%) - Xbox One (77.67%)
GamesMaster UK 08/01/14 Review 87 out of 100
CalmDownTom 06/25/14 Review 3 out of 5
Playstation Official Magazine UK 06/24/14 Review 7 out of 10
Thunderbolt 06/23/14 Review 6 out of 10
Play UK 07/01/14 Review 80 out of 100
Quarter to Three 06/21/14 Review 4 out of 5
GamingUnion 06/12/14 Review 8 out of 10
ImpulseGamer 06/07/14 Review 4.8 out of 5
ZTGD 06/06/14 Review 9 out of 10
More Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs 3 Reportedly Leaked, Features London And Multiple Characters - GS News Update
Watch Dogs Legion Leaks Confirmed During Ubisoft E3 2019 Conference
Is Pre-Ordering Games A Good Idea? - Steam Punks
Three Free PC Games Available From Ubisoft Right Now


Walt Disney Pictures & Lucasfilm debuted the first teaser trailer for their upcoming American epic space opera film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The film stars Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, and Alan Tudyk.
"Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe.
It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know.
It will be the first Star Wars Anthology film, a stand-alone story set in the Star Wars universe, directed by Gareth Edwards from a script by Chris Weitz, which was based on an idea by visual effects supervisor, John Knoll.


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Nigeria: dozens killed in election-related violence
While millions of Nigerians wait for the election results, civil society groups confirmed that at least 39 people have been killed in election-related violence. Results are expected to start being announced early this week.
At least 39 people killed in election-related violence
On Saturday, February 23, thousands of Nigerians hit the polls: It is Nigeria's most crucial election since the end of military rule in 1999. The elections were initially scheduled to take place last week but were postponed just five hours before they were due to begin. According to the authorities, the ballot was delayed due to technical problems.
On Sunday, The Situation Room – which represents more than 70 civil society groups – reported that at least 39 people were killed in election-related violence, including an electoral official. The data was collected by the Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence.
According to Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, an electoral official had been shot by a group of unknown people.
In another incident, seven people were killed in a shootout between a gang and a Nigerian army troop.
Nigeria's most crucial election since the end of military rule
While the 73 million eligible Nigerian voters had a pool of 70 presidential candidates to choose from, only incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari and his rival Atiku Abubakar are seen as having a chance.
Buhari, 76 is a former military ruler seeking a second term, while Abubakar, 72, is a businessman who has previously been appointed as vice-president.
The elections results are expected to start being announced early this week.
West Africa: the 2019 elections
"Green Book" Wins Best Picture at the Oscars
South Africa: Students win the battle
Student protests have been going on in South Africa for more than a week now. Recently, president Jacob Zuma said that his administration will not impose any increase…
Extra Cameroonian troops go up
Within the whole East African wave of fighting against terrorist groups, Cameroon has decided to send an extra 2,000 troops up to its northern border with Nigeria…
Nobel Peace Prize for Tunisia
Today, October 9th 2015, the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, composed of Tunisian General Labour Union, Tunisian Human Rights League, Tunisian Confederation…
Burundi's government refuses to cooperate with the UN
Earlier this week, the United Nations announced that it is conducting an inquiry to investigate violence in Burundi. Unsurprisingly, Burundi responded to the announcement…
Magufuli seeking loan from turkey for railway project
Tanzanian president, John Magufuli, received Turkish president Recep Tayip Erdoğan, this Monday in Dar es Salaam. By this occasion, Magufuli requested funding…


A pencil drawing of a 14- or 15-year-old Aboriginal teenager named Toulgra, who was later sent to Norfolk Island on suspicion of being involved in colonial wars during the "secret river" days of the early colony, has been acquired by the State Library of NSW for $237,000.
The 1802 drawing by French artist Nicolas-Martin Petit, an artist on Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia, is considered unique and highly significant, said library staff. It was found between the pages of a book in Bath, Britain.
Compared to other Indigenous portraits of the time, the pencil drawing is neither cartoonish nor heroic. What made it so "wonderful and special" was that it was "loving and sympathetic", said Ronald Briggs, a curator at the State Library of NSW and an Indigenous services librarian.
He said Toulgra received a "warm welcome back to country" when the portrait arrived in Australia.
To historian Professor Grace Karskens, the portrait of Toulgra is as beautiful as it is important.
"For too long white people have written about Aboriginal people as one undifferentiated group. It is time we recognised there were individuals with names, and personalities and lives. To have a portrait of a named individual is wonderful," she said.
Petit spent a day drawing Toulgra, the nephew of Bennelong, when the French expedition visited Parramatta. The drawing shows a slightly pudgy and vulnerable boy on the cusp of manhood. It was reproduced a few years later in a French book about the voyage, but the engraver chose to make Toulgra look more muscular and aggressive than he appeared in the original sketch.
In contrast to the warmth of the Toulgra drawing, another newly purchased sketch by the artist Richard Read snr in 1824 shows a man known derogatorily as "Bugger Bugger" with two barbed spears typical of the Sydney region.
"Petit was only about 10 years older than Toulgra, but he was a professional artist who had been told to make his drawings as accurate as possible," Mr Briggs said. "And the scientists back home [in France] told the artists to make their artwork as close to real life as possible so that we know exactly how people look."
Toulgra was Bennelong's nephew, and a friend of Musquito, who was thought to be a leader of resistance against colonial settlement on Aboriginal lands.
Toulgra and Musquito were later deported to Norfolk Island's penal settlement.
"Fires were being started, people being speared in their huts. There are no official records but we know Aboriginal people were being killed as well," Mr Briggs said.
Toulgra and Musquito didn't go to trial before they were sent to Norfolk because they couldn't swear on the Bible. They didn't believe in God.
Although Toulgra was sent to Norfolk, it is unclear whether he was really a ringleader.
As a young man who had already been initiated, though, he would have been caught up in frontier conflict over land and food. "It would have been bitter and bloody," Professor Karskens, from the University of NSW, said.
The drawing is expected to help researchers study the colonial wars.
Professor Karskens was last year awarded a fellowship to use the library's collection to research a long lost list of 180 Aboriginal place names for areas on the Hawkesbury, and to tell the stories of those places and the people who lived there.
"Names mark our landscape," Karskens said. Following in the footsteps of Kate Grenville's historical novel about 19th century settlers on the Hawkesbury, Professor Karsken's project is called the The Real Secret River, Dyarubbin.


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Q: How to setup wireless network downstream of wireless bridge I have been trying to extend my home network to a nearby building. My network is set up as follows:
Please view image here
I have my main router that's hooked up to ISP. An ethernet cable connecting from that router to a KuWfi outdoor antenna (with PoE) (this product https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Z4R827X/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The receiver for that antenna in the other building (also PoE). I think the 2 kuwfi are currently set up as point-to-point, but have also have AP option. How do I now take that connection here at the receiving end and make another wireless network with router 2.
My question: how should I configure my second router at the receiver end of this network to have a wireless network, should it be bridge or repeater mode? I have some experience with this sort of thing, and I've attempted a few times but I think some issue with DHCP/static IP caused it to fail. All the terminology of accesspoints/bridges/repeaters is mixing me up.

A: What you need in the other building is an access point device connected to the KuWfi by ethernet cable. Access point fuctionality can be achieved in several ways - e.g., buy something called an access point; or configure a spare router as an access point (lots of instructions online).
Regarding the KuWfi units: Configure the KuWfi unit connected to the main router as Master, and the KuWfi unit in the other building as Slave. Usually they come preconfigured like that. This causes the KuWfi units to provide the same function as if you had run an ethernet cable from your main router to the access point in the other buildng.
Conceptually, what is important to understand is that the two KuWfi units communicate with each other on their own wireless network, separare from your router's wifi network. Your main router and the access point in the other building don't know that the packets they are sending back and forth are being sent between buildings by the KuWfi devices.

A: You don't need the functionality of a second router (or at least your description doesn't call for a second router). If you configure the 2nd Router as Switch/AP only . Turn off any router functionality (DHCP, DNS etc.) and you should be all set (usually this is bridge mode).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Q: Azure DevOps Dashboard Created By Created Date I've been asked to generate a report listing all the dashboards used by a team, who created them and when.  Anyone know how to get this information from Azure DevOps?  Thanks in advance for any assistance.

A: Unfortunately we cannot get the history information for now.
We can get the list of dashboards for a specific team by calling the REST API (Dashboards - List), and retrieve the properties (detail information) for a specific dashborad (Dashboards - Get), but both not include the history information (Created By and Created Date in your scenario).
There's already a user voice submitted here to suggest the related feature with adding Activity Log to Azure DevOps (VSTS) to track user access, you can go and vote it up or submit a new user voice to suggest the feature to achieve that in future release...


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Dr. Stephen Malthouse appearing on an Internet program about vaccine choice earlier this spring. Screenshot, YouTube
Anti-mRNA vaccine B.C. doctor sues College of Physicians and Surgeons over free speech
Dr. Stephen Malthouse of Denman Island filed case in June in response to the CPSBC
Mike Chouinard
Jul. 7, 2021 5:40 p.m.
In a Denman Island physician's view, it's a battle to protect his right to free speech.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons though apparently wants Dr. Stephen Malthouse to stop speaking on COVID-19 issues.
In a B.C. Supreme Court file, Malthouse says the CPSBC has been trying to stop him from questioning direction from public health officials over measures aimed to stop the spread of COVID-19. The investigation has come largely because of complaints from physicians not associated with his practice as a doctor, the document states.
Malthouse filed the petition in civil court on June 24 in an attempt to quash decisions from the CPSBC and its Inquiries Committee aimed at stopping him from expressing his opinions. It cites a May 17 letter allegedly saying he would be reprimanded.
There is nothing listed on the College of Physicians and Surgeons website in terms of any disciplinary actions against him in terms of running his medical practice. A CPSBC spokesperson told the Record, "Investigations that result in discipline are disclosed to the public and remain on the public record. There has been no decision related to Dr. Malthouse. The college cannot comment further at this time as the matter is before the court."
He is still listed as a physician on Denman Island. An online search shows Malthouse as being connected with the Denman Medical Clinic, but the clinic confirmed he has not been practicing there for some time.
In the court petition, Malthouse argues his opinions and statements on COVID-19 are outside the context of his practice and patient care. He and his legal counsel also argue the CPSBC's actions fall beyond the scope of the Health Professions Act and that he is being punished because he disagrees with public health policy.
"The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that the College, and the Committee, acted in bad faith," the document states.
The petition also outlines the basis of Malthouse's opinions and actions, particularly around a letter sent to Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, questioning public health statements and directives around flattening the curve, masks, PCR testing used to screen for the presence of viral RNA and banning the use of treatments that could help before a vaccine had been put out to market. It also states the doctor was prepared to take part in efforts early on until it became apparent the "tsunami" of COVID-19 patients did not occur.
RELATED STORY: RCMP called after anti-maskers force their way into Courtenay business
The newspaper was sent a copy of the letter last fall. In it, among other claims, Malthouse states the pandemic is over and no second wave will follow.
In the court document, there is little reference to vaccines, beyond the statement of other treatments being banned last year prior to a vaccine being ready for market. However, it does reference the CPSBC's reaction to a letter to the editor Malthouse submitted to a Denman and Hornby Island newsletter in March. In the opinion piece, he questions the efficacy of an mRNA vaccine, noting the rapid duration of testing, and suggests it is not a vaccine but rather an experimental gene modification product. As well, he references low mortality rates for people under 40 as well as previous problems with vaccines for coronaviruses.
In one YouTube video, Malthouse suggests the mRNA vaccine could lead to infertility and that "… essentially, people are going to be made into guinea pigs for this vaccine."
RELATED STORY: B.C. doctors could face consequences for spreading COVID misinformation
In May, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC and the First Nations Health Authority released a joint statement reminding doctors they could face consequences for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
"Public statements from physicians that contradict public health orders and guidance are confusing and potentially harmful to patients," Dr. Heidi Oetter, registrar and CEO of the college, said at the time.
The Record contacted Malthouse by email for further comment and will update the story if there is more information.
With files from Katya Slepian
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
Dog found at abandoned B.C. doggy daycare too weak to walk, needs weeks to recover: SPCA
B.C.'s COVID-19 infections, hospital cases continue to decline


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FEC's Status Quo is Hazardous — Proposed Legislation Would Help Fix It
At the hearing on H.R.1 before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, opponents of the bill set their sights on the bill's reforms to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), charging that these changes would allow a dangerously partisan takeover of our nation's campaign finance regulator. As someone who used to work at the FEC, I could not disagree more.
Daniel I. Weiner
Right now, the FEC is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans and notoriously dysfunctional. It deadlocks on whether to pursue most significant campaign finance violations — often after sitting on allegations for years without even an investigation. Its process for issuing new rules has virtually ground to halt. The agency took five years just to delete the two regulations struck down by the Supreme Court in Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that kicked off the super PAC era in which we live today.
And the commission is beset with management problems. There hasn't been a permanent general counsel (the Commission's chief legal officer and one of its two most important staff positions) in more than five years. Morale among rank-and-file is lower than in most other places in the federal government. H.R. 1 would go a long way towards addressing these issues.
H.R. 1 would overhaul the FEC by reducing its six commissioners to five, with no more than two for each major party and one independent. One of these commissioners would be designated by the president to serve as chair, responsible for hiring the agency's staff director, submitting its budgets, and running it on a day-to-day basis. These changes would bring the FEC more in line with how most independent federal agencies run, except that, unlike those bodies, the president's party would never have a majority. H.R.1 would also set up a bipartisan, blue-ribbon panel to vet potential nominees and make public recommendations to the president, which is not the usual practice for other agencies.
The bill's critics argue that even with these safeguards, it would still be easy for one party to weaponize the FEC. They suggest that the independent on the Commission would likely be a wolf in sheep's clothing — that is, nominally independent but really a partisan. They also suggest that a presidentially appointed Commission chair would be tantamount to an "election czar," with vast power to persecute the president's opponents.
Presumably such nominees would not survive bipartisan vetting, so for these scenarios to come to pass, both the president and senate would have to be willing to disregard this process.
What H.R.1's critics miss is that these dire predictions could just as easily come to pass under the FEC's current structure. As a legal matter, the president has constitutional authority to nominate whomever he wants to serve on the FEC, provided no more than three of the nominees are affiliated with any one party. There is no bar on a president nominating a "Democrat" who just last week was registered as a Republican, or vice versa. The tradition of picking three commissioners closely aligned with each major party is just that, a tradition. By implicitly relying on political actors to refrain from the most extreme types of partisanship, H.R.1 is breaking no new ground.
It should come as no surprise that those crying loudest about a "partisan takeover" of the FEC are the same people who generally oppose all campaign finance limits (which the vast majority of Americans support). For the most zealous proponents of unfettered campaign spending, having no cop on the beat may seem like a pretty good deal. I think they are wrong. If we are going to have campaign finance rules, they should be enforced. If we don't want them, they should be repealed.
A functional FEC might actually loosen some of the rules critics complain about most, rather than leaving them on the books to confuse everyone but the most sophisticated players. Everyone should want this level of clarity — which helps explain why similar FEC reform proposals have garnered bipartisan support in the past.
Personally, I generally support stronger campaign finance rules (though not always), but I respect that many people who would make excellent FEC commissioners have a different perspective. I would much prefer a functional FEC run by someone who might not share my views to the gridlocked body we have now. I know I am not alone.


Spiraling outward from the center of the city, the twenty civic regions of Paris's numbered arrondissement system are a series of zoned administrative districts. They largely overlap with the city's organically formed neighborhoods, though some straddle arronidissement boundaries—the Marais, for instance, encompasses both the third and fourth. But the arrondissements aren't just bureaucratic designations; each has its own identity, from the spectacle of palatial boutiques and actual palaces in the premier (first) to some of the city's best Chinese cuisine and the unmissable Père Lachaise cemetery in the vingtième (20th).
While most tourists stick to the central arrondissements along the Seine—the 1st, 6th, and 7th in particular—the best neighborhoods for eating and exploring lie elsewhere. Every arrondissement has something to offer; it simply depends on what you're looking for from your trip. While staying in the center makes for easy access to the main tourist destinations, if you're interested in sheer proximity to good eating and even better nightlife, you're best off in the Marais, the 9th near Pigalle, the 10th near the Canal, or , the 11th—our top choice for food-focused Paris. Here's the lowdown on every neighborhood, from iconic to underrated, with quick-hit intel on the best places to eat in each.
For more info on each of the neighborhoods, check out the original publication on Eater.


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Q: What is the largest Worklight payload in notificationData allowed? I have a worklight notification adapter - and the payload looks like this :
WL.Server.notifyAllDevices(userSubscription, {
        badge: 1,
        sound: "sound.mp3",
        activateButtonLabel: "ClickMe",
        alert: notificationText,
        payload: {
            valueOne : inp1,
            valueTwo : inp2,
            valueThree : inp3
        }
    });

An example of invoking this 2 times is below - message from messages.log:
[
3/11/13 23:37:52:595 GMT] 00000981 com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsConnectionImpl                 W Failed to send message com.notnoop.apns.EnhancedApnsNotification@bb51701b... trying again
java.net.SocketException: Connection closed by remote host
    at com.ibm.jsse2.qc.k(qc.java:71)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.h.write(h.java:29)
    at java.io.OutputStream.write(OutputStream.java:86)
    at com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsConnectionImpl.sendMessage(ApnsConnectionImpl.java:161)
    at com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsServiceImpl.push(ApnsServiceImpl.java:46)
    at com.notnoop.apns.internal.AbstractApnsService.push(AbstractApnsService.java:52)
    at com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsServiceImpl.push(ApnsServiceImpl.java:36)
    at com.worklight.integration.notification.apns.ApplicationConnection.sendNotification(ApplicationConnection.java:84)
    at com.worklight.integration.notification.apns.APNSMediator.sendNotification(APNSMediator.java:85)
    at com.worklight.integration.notification.Mediator$4.run(Mediator.java:174)
    at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:482)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask$Sync.innerRun(FutureTask.java:345)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:177)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1121)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:614)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:780)

[3/11/13 23:41:53:849 GMT] 00000bff com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsConnectionImpl                 W Exception while waiting for error code
java.net.SocketException: Connection reset
    at java.net.SocketInputStream.read(SocketInputStream.java:200)
    at java.net.SocketInputStream.read(SocketInputStream.java:132)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.a.a(a.java:100)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.a.a(a.java:125)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.qc.a(qc.java:207)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.qc.a(qc.java:488)
    at com.ibm.jsse2.e.read(e.java:32)
    at java.io.InputStream.read(InputStream.java:113)
    at com.notnoop.apns.internal.ApnsConnectionImpl$1MonitoringThread.run(ApnsConnectionImpl.java:102)

Yet if i reduce my payload to just 2 values - it works. Is 2 some kind of limit?
Cheers

A: There is no limitation on the payload values size.
Does the SocketException happen to you consistently with more that 2 values?


Thin and very lightweight, it is intended for intensive ice climbing use and challenging winter ascents. The UIAA Dry treatment will make it resistant in cold and wet conditions.
You'll barely feel its length or in the backpack with its 38 g/m.
Designed by our teams in the Chamonix valley, at the foot of the Mont Blanc, all our ropes are lab tested, certified to guarantee their mechanical features. Our technical partners test them in the field to validate product claims.
technical mountaineering, ice climbing and challenging multi-pitch climbing.
This rope has the UIAA Water Repellent label A brief summary of test: - A rope sample is subjected to light abrasion over its entire surface, the equivalent to a few days' use. - It is soaked for 15 minutes. - the amount of absorbed water must not be greater than 5% of the sample's weight. The SIMOND DRY ropes easily meet UIAA requirements The rope's mechanical features will last longer in cold and wet conditions.
Deterioration of rope ends is no longer an issue thanks to this new ultrasound fusion process.
Middle mark for greater safety when lead climbing or abseiling and making rope handling easier.
Now in its 3rd winter of regular use and still going strong/showing very little sign of wear. Packaging has always shown this to be used as a half or twin rope. Amazing price for a sheath and core dry-treated rope.
Thanks for your feedback on the Simond rope, I appreciate the time you have taken to provide such critical information. I am in touch with the product manager to alter the description as soon as possible. Enjoy your mountaineering!
Being this narrow it is likely to be a half rope, but this is not mentioned in the description.
This raises safety issues about the limitation of the rope. In particular that it should be used double for any climbing work ( belaying/ absailling) .


Poll: Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child canon?
Mom's decided to rest tonight, so have a poll!
I know that Rowling treats Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as canon, but given that it wasn't part of the book series, is a play, and she didn't actually write it alone (which makes it a multi-author fan play to my mind), do you think it's canon? I ask as someone who treats as core canon only the book series, and as supplemental canon, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I never got into Pottermore, and since that info wasn't available to everyone (without jumping through hoops) and was changeable/removable, I've never treated it as canon any more than I've treated Rowling's extra-book pronouncements as such. I have no intention of treating a play written well after canon's close with other people as canon, and movie series canon is just that, movie series canon—but that's just my opinion. What's yours?
Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child canon?
Sort of, or I don't know---see comments.
P.P.S. Given that this is fandom, does it actually matter if it's canon or not?
I will treat it as I treat the epilogue (in Mijan's words: Epilogue, What Epilogue? or EWE).
I'm looking forward to reading; I want new fanfic fodder!
Did you enjoy the play even though it read like fic to you?


Happened to click photos of these insects- I didn't know their names until Vivek Yadav identified them on facebook.
These two were sitting comfortably on a wire in a forest like are at our native place. Above two closeup shots were taken using 300mm lens. I could have moved couple of steps further for a better shot, but risked alerting the skimmers. With 55mm, below was the maximum zoom possible, which obviously is not enough and not interesting.
Really looks beautiful upclose. Esp the wings and the patterns on them! Colors are no doubt awesome.
Those wings are so pretty. Nice shots, Shrinidhi.


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The Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR) is given to tax residents to encourage them to have more children. To qualify, you must be a Singapore tax resident who is married, divorced or widowed in …... What are you entitled to? Welcome to entitledto's free benefit calculator. To find out what you might be able to claim enter your details and you'll receive an estimate of your entitlement to benefits, tax credits and Universal Credit.
Know your Tax Deductions So that you can maximise your tax refund each year, we have put together a list for many different occupations and investments. Our tax deduction lists are written by our qualified and experienced accountants and show you all of the tax deductions you can claim in your …... What are you entitled to? Welcome to entitledto's free benefit calculator. To find out what you might be able to claim enter your details and you'll receive an estimate of your entitlement to benefits, tax credits and Universal Credit.
Tax Refund – Are You Entitled? Posted April 27, 2013 by Gavin Bacon. It is a legal requirement to submit tax returns to the South African Revenue Services.


Even as coach class seats get more cramped, airlines around the world are spending billions of dollars to develop even more spacious and luxurious business-class seats that stand out from their competitors, according to a New York Times article in August 2013.
Lufthansa alone is spending nearly $4 billion in upgrading its cabins with over a billion dollars being spent on seat design, research and installation.
The reason for this trend is that business class and first-class passengers account for up to half of the revenue of some major carriers, despite being just 10-15 percent of total passenger numbers.
Airlines are hiring architects, industrial designers and even yacht designers to develop advanced seats with innovative features. A single business-class seat may cost up to $80,000 while custom-made first-class seats can cost as high as $250,000 to $500,000 each.
No wonder that business class today is comparable to first-class on most airlines 10-20 years ago.
Image Credits: By Patrick Lindon and ACA Advanced Computer Art, Munich (Patrick Lindon) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.


200% is a powerful website. On December 10th, Mark Murphy asked Peter Pannu to "please **** off from Birmingham City. On December 12th…he…pissed off from Birmingham City. Co-incidence? Or will the following rant have a similarly desired effect on some of the reprehensible football "personalities" referenced therein?
Co-incidence, probably. But still, eh?
In the summer, football's world was agog at the talents of Thomas Mueller, Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben and, briefly, Ricky Lambert.
By the middle of December, English football's world was…well…open-mouthed at a Manchester United performance so bad that Red Lion pub teams everywhere were considering suing SKY pundit Gary Neville for defamation for making a comparison.
Off the pitch, English club football was starting to undergo the sort of radical ownership surgery which will ensure that World Cup under-achievement will be a thing of England's past…and present and foreseeable future. While it's moral values were regularly exposed as one notch below Neanderthal man in boardrooms, dugouts and the young minds of over-privileged players.
On the pitch, almost submerged by this moral mayhem, EPL claims to be the world's best have rung hollower with each passing not-so-super Sunday. Southampton v Manchester United on December 8th was fourth against fifth, with the winners going third above a team managed by Sam bloody Allardyce (how's that legal action against Panorama going, Sam?).
I only watched the second half, with the voice inside my head (in that particular 45 minutes, anyway) being Vic Reeves condemning acts on the Novelty Island section of his Big Night Out show as "verrry poor." Then I discovered the first half had been worse.
United are not yet any better under Louis Van Gaal than they were under David Moyes (or, whisper it, Ryan Giggs). Yet while they were a distant-ish seventh last season, they sit, at the time of typing, in an automatic Champions League qualification place entirely on merit.
And if Ian, still oddment enough to fill otherwise blank Saturday afternoons with a trip to Shoreham reserves, is getting repulsed by senior professional football, it is equally little surprise that increasing numbers of the 95.6% capacity crowds at EPL games arrive dressed as empty seats in home colours – 60,013 crowds at the Emirates really have come in all sizes this year.
"YER ACTUAL FOOTBALL": On the pitch, while Lionel Messi was named the best player of the World Cup, a decision made with sponsors not skills in mind, Cristiano Ronaldo was again the best player of the year. And 2014 saw a subtle shift in their public personae.
Ronaldo remains a preening prick. His macho posing after his late penalty in the already-won Champions League final was a sending-off offence even WITH his shirt on. And when he scored a vital goal in their semi-final triumph, his rehearsed celebrations were about an individual record he'd broken rather than what it meant for the match and the club.
Messi largely remains modesty itself when he scores. A smile. A point towards anyone else involved in the goal. And a point and a grateful look to the heavens. If he ever topped that celebration, it was because of what it meant for the match and the club.
Yet reports of Ronaldo's philanthropy have emerged, alongside suggestions that Messi's tax affairs are…well…messy. Personally, I still find Messi a more pleasant watch than Ronaldo. But Ronaldo has been player of this year ahead of Messi by a bit more than a bit, with German keeper Manuel Neuer only a serious contender in the mind of German keeper Manuel Neuer.
FIFA's goal of the year could yet be Stephanie Roche's double-keepie-uppie, turn and 25-yard left-foot volley for Peamont United against Wexford Youths in Ireland's women's National League, perhaps thanks as much to a groundswell of anti-FIFA feeling and some clever use of "vote early, vote often" tactics by…well…me, as to its undeniable brilliance. Roche may not be as marketable as Colombian wonder-kid James (Ham-es) Rodriguez. But surely FIFA wouldn't fix this vote.
It would, of course, be daft to rule such things out, given the latest 2018/2022 World Cup vote revelations. "We even fucked up fiddling it" said an "FA source" in written evidence to a parliamentary committee examining England's spectacularly-failed 2018 bid.
That quote, and Russia's 'dog ate my homework'-style suggestion that the "leased" computers used in their bid "were destroyed in the meantime," says nearly all that needs saying about FIFA. They are taking the piss out of everyone in football and they will continue so to do until Sepp Blatter dies.
OWNERS: Off the pitch domestically, ownership scandals continue to permeate professional and, at Hereford United, semi-professional football. If some weren't so serious you might nominate young beat combo One Direction's putative involvement with Doncaster Rovers as the biggest scandal of the lot.
Carson Yeung's biggest, if not necessarily best, achievement at Birmingham City wasn't Blues' 2011 League Cup triumph over wilderness-years Arsenal, but the fact that he's made more and more Blues fans nostalgic for predecessors, convicted pornographer David Sullivan and former Hustler magazine owner David Gold.
In 2014, as Leyton Orient battle Leeds United and Watford for the most managers in a season, there must be an increasing number of Os fans hankering for ex-owner Barry Hearn (although Hearn isn't completely ex – he retains a 10% stake in the club, "boardroom facilities" for life and, which MIGHT just be key here, continued ownership of the Brisbane Road ground).
When Hearn ended his 19 years owning the Os, long-service gratuity material in such matters, he said: "I can envisage a day in the not-too-distant future when all 92 clubs here…are under overseas control." And when such a self-confessed little Englander "(realises) I have been restricted in my vision" for "(being) opposed to foreign players and foreign owners," that vision seems plausible.
Of course, nationality is no guide to the merits or otherwise of club ownership, a point made perfectly in three words: Kenneth William Bates. And a point vocally reinforced, then re-reinforced by Wigan's Dave "I have hundreds and hundreds of Jewish friends" Whelan.
But Hearn suggested "it is totally about the money," and that when it comes to spending your way towards the top "only the foreigners have that sort of money." However, this view may have been rose-tinted by new Os owner Francesco Becchetti having the "sort of" money to give Hearn the "sort of" long-service gratuity he believed he was worth.
Cardiff City fans will know it is not "totally about the money," especially when the owner of that money has a regularly-massaged ego the size of (and here the over-used analogy is appropriate) Wales. Vincent Tan's personal outlook had as much to do with Cardiff's relegation this May as his money had with their promotion last May. It was, and will continue to be, **** all to do with the kit. And the idea that he did Cardiff and football any favours with his ego-driven handling of Malky McKay's situation needs to be quashed.
Tan is a rich football incompetent. Hull's Assam Allam is fractionally-less so thanks to contributions he and his family have made to Hull outside football. But his persistence with the idea that making the club's nickname its real name is more ego-driven gobshite-ery and will be proven so if Hull follow Cardiff's into the Championship.
THE RICH GET RICHER WHILE THE POOR…: While money washes around football's elite – and around agents – the idea that "all" are "in it together" is as laughable there as it is in PM David Cameron's egalitarian imaginings.
Partly hidden by the many and mounting financial scandals at Ibrox has been Celtic's refusal to pay staff the "living wage" of £7.85 per hour. It is inexcusable for any club receiving any form of European or TV money to pay any staff any less. Especially when Chelsea…CHELSEA…are taking a moral lead by paying London's £9.15 per hour. And given Celtic's specific, much-trumpeted, charitable origins, such parsimony is a disgrace. If Hearts, so recently in administration, can do it, Celtic surely can.
As I've written before, a not-insignificant proportion of Celtic's recent transfer and European windfalls has been directed towards long-term debt. But the cost of the living wage to Celtic financially is dwarfed by the reputational cost of going so completely against their origins and supposed-ethos. Football is no charity. But paying the living wage isn't charity. It is the right thing to do and it is affordable. And in Celtic's case on both counts particularly so.
"RULES…WHAT RULES?": But Rangers still rule in terms of financial skulduggery, chicanery, tomfoolery, hilarity and inappropriate self-regard. They have made whopping losses from their very start. Yet Scottish football "needs" this money-burning machine in its Premiership next year, regardless of on-field performance, with the SFA yet to issue a denial after being asked in October about the specifics of such a plan.
One poster on a Celtic fans' forum recently nutshelled Rangers' 2014: "Well, that was today's clusterf**k, I wonder what tomorrow will bring." Probably a statement from supporters group "Union of Fans" demanding/urging…something, oblivious to the fact that no-one significant cares.
In July, they claimed Channel 4 News Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson had his "reputation (such as it is) left in tatters due to (his) biased and inaccurate reporting" on Rangers…news surely to those who gave Thomson and colleagues an Emmy award a month later for their coverage of the conflict in Syria.
"We are the people," is the Rangers' fans mantra. Arrogant t*ssers.
RULES ON THE BACK OF A FAG PACKET: Resolutions are in sight and underway at long-term basket-cases Coventry and Portsmouth respectively. But that has been little or no thanks to Football League and FA regulations which have consistently been exposed as not worth the fag packets they might as well have been written on the back of.
I am reminded of the powerlessness of a woman at Ostend once tasked with keeping football fans off a jetfoil to Dover. Celtic had played in Belgium and a man bedecked in green and white, with a face like the map of Ireland, approached the departure desk. "Are you a football fan?" the woman asked him. "No," he replied. The look on her face when she realised that she could do NOTHING ELSE to stop him travelling will never leave me.
With the League equally powerless, convicted fraudster Massimo Cellino can run Leeds, via his family until March, then by himself, once his conviction for tax evasion is spent. And Carson Yeung can, if the labyrinthine internal politics of Blues' parent company favour him, control Birmingham City…FROM…A…PRISON…CELL…also via strategically-placed relatives.
FCKD UP MORALS: It ISN'T the main point. But why do football people put such horrible nonsense in easily and widely retrievable emails? It is, I suppose a second strand of the stupidity that makes them write such shite in the first place.
Of course, while Malky Mackay thought he could get away with his casual racism, and Dave Whelan probably STILL thinks he said nothing wrong, EPL CEO Richard Scudamore knew he would get away with his casual sexism. "His" clubs, "his" officials and "his" journalists could always be relied upon.
This ignored football's fundamental role in facilitating Evans' crime – Peter Crouch's old joke ("what would I have been if I wasn't a professional footballer? – A virgin") doesn't seem so funny in that context. And the fact that denying Evans that status in society is seen as in some way "illiberal" is as skewed a morality as any exposed in football this year.
AND THE "WINNER" IS: Scudamore would win any award for football lowlight/life in any normal year. FIFA aren't worth it. Rangers are too funny. And, to varying extents, the highest-profile sexists and racists will get theirs. But rogue owners can only ply and abuse their trade due to the free football market which Scudamore leads. And, because he is protected, Scudamore got away with breaking the rules of his very own organisation, which he sees as governing football in this country.
However, Evans, and the people "protecting" him take top spot. Scudamore, Blatter. McKay and Whelan were guilty of words. But Evans was guilty of a deed and still believes he wasn't guilty at all.
He, Scudamore and Blatter are fundamentally dishonest people and deficient human beings. And the most depressing fact of all to take from 2014 is that those qualities seems to be so much of what it takes to make it in football these days.
Really enjoy reading your blog. Some great articles and very impressed reading back through older posts, to see the awards that you've won. I've recently started up http://www.footballphotos.co.uk and was wondering if you'd be willing to do a link exchange. I think your site is an excellent read and would really love to hear back from you about a reciprocal link.


text:
Lóriga, Josmaily; Regalado, Ledis; Prada, Carmen; Schneider, Harald; Heinrichs, Jochen (2017): Phylogenetic relationships of two Cuban spleenworts with unusual morphology: Asplenium (Schaffneria) nigripes and Asplenium pumilum (Aspleniaceae, leptosporangiate ferns). In: Plant Systematics and Evolution, Vol. 303, No. 2: pp. 165-176
The infrageneric classification of Asplenium, the most species-rich genus of ferns, is notoriously difficult as a result of extensive morphological homoplasy combined with exceptional morphological disparity. Besides a core Asplenium, 29 satellite genera have been described, but most of them have not been widely accepted. In recent years, molecular phylogenetic studies found most of these satellite genera to be nested in Asplenium, but several morphologically distinct taxa have not yet been included in such studies. One of these elements is the monospecific neotropical genus Schaffneria which is characterized by undivided suborbicular blades, lack of a costa, black stipes, netted veins and single or paired sori. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic inference based on the chloroplast DNA markers rbcL, rps4, rps4-trnS and trnL-trnF indicated a position of Schaffneria nigripes within Asplenium. We thus propose to treat Schaffneria as a synonym of Asplenium and adopt the name Asplenium nigripes. With the current sampling, Asplenium (Schaffneria) nigripes is placed sister to A. pumilum, the only species of Asplenium with whitish catenate hairs on its leaves. Despite considerable morphological differences, both species resemble each other in several features including filiform-lanceolate, mostly entire, brown-blackish rhizome scales with a dark-sclerotic center and some marginal projections, a striate, hairy epidermis, echinolophate spore ornamentation with slim microechinate folds forming small lacunae, and Aspidium-type gametophytes.
14. Jun 2018 10:00
Lóriga, Josmaily
Regalado, Ledis
Prada, Carmen
Schneider, Harald
Heinrichs, Jochen


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text:
Experience the fun-filled move, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" available on Digital 9/14 and on Blu-Ray on SEPT. 25th! #HanSolo
You know to never tell him the odds. Even if you're not the most Star Wars savvy person in the world, most of you probably know that Harrison Ford was Han Solo in the Star Wars episodes 4, 5, 6, & 7. This is a character that is well represented, loved, and revered in the world of science fiction movies. The cocky, brash, quick-witted space smuggler is a well-known character, and in Solo: A Star Wars Story we get to see how the older version of Han we all grew to love was shaped. I was very fortunate to be able to walk the red carpet for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and I just loved this movie. My family and I were excited to check out this new Blu-ray!
Alden Ehrenreich is taking up the mantle as the scruffy looking (much younger) nerf herder. We follow the scoundrel on a series of daring missions across the galaxy, along the way he runs into a large hairy walking carpet that goes by the name Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), he comes face to face with a notorious gambler and original owner of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). Phoebe Waller-Bridge who plays the droid "L3-37", is a real scene stealer, I have to admit I laughed out loud a few times in her scenes.
Lucasfilm's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," directed by Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Ron Howard—the creator of unforgettable films, such as "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13," "Parenthood" and "Splash"—took moviegoers on this summer's wildest ride with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich). The action-packed journey explores Han's first encounters with future friend and copilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and notorious gambler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), as well as his adventure-filled past alongside fellow street thief Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) and career criminal Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Watch instantly on Sept. 14thas the Millennium Falcon sets course digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and on Movies Anywhere, and bring the adventure home on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand on Sept. 25.
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" bonus content takes fans behind the scenes to experience compelling discussions with the star-studded cast and screenwriters Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan (writer of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi); a revealing feature on Chewie and his enduring friendship with Han; a close-up look at the original version of the Millennium Falcon and Han's first time piloting the infamous ship; the creation of the film's otherworldly settings and pulse-pounding action sequences; and eight never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes.
Directed by Ron Howard, the fun-filled galactic heist movie stars Alden Ehrenreich ("Hail, Caesar!," "Tetro"), Woody Harrelson ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "The Messenger"), Emilia Clarke ("Me Before You," "Game of Thrones"), Donald Glover ("Spider-Man: Homecoming," "The Martian"), Thandie Newton ("Gringo," "Crash"), Phoebe Waller-Bridge ("Fleabag," "Killing Eve") and Paul Bettany ("Captain America: Civil War," "Master and Commander"). Joonas Suotamo (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) returns to play Chewbacca. Written by Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel. Lawrence Kasdan, Jason McGatlin, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are executive producers.
We see Han joining in a band of scoundrels put together by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), they then run afoul of Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) and the Crimson Dawn. That's just the tip of this fast-paced and fun action-adventure. This is the Star Wars movie we've been looking for! After the Force Awakens and Last Jedi, this is the exact type of movie we as Star Wars fans needed. Sure the movie is chock full of action, but it's also not as grim and dark as the last 2 movies and just allows you to sit back and enjoy.
The extras on the Blu-Ray are just amazing it was great to hear from the cast, and to see how they made the Milenium Falcoln come to life. I just love seeing the deleted scenes, it is great to see how a scene could have changed the pace of the movie, and made it better or worse. There are hours and hours of extras, so many that there are plenty more for the family to check out and enjoy. Check out these fun bonus scenes:
Bonus Clip: Snowball Fight – Deleted Scene
Bonus Clip: Animal Sounds
DIGITAL AND BLU-RAY BONUS MATERIAL (may vary by retailer):
• Solo: The Director & Cast Roundtable
Sit down with director Ron Howard and the stars for an intimate and entertaining discussion of the film's making.
· Team Chewie
See what it takes to bring your favorite Wookiee to life in this lighthearted look behind the scenes.
· Kasdan on Kasdan
Iconic Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and son Jonathan share what it was like to write the movie's script together.
· Remaking the Millennium Falcon
Track the transformation of the most famous ship in the galaxy, from Lando's swank and impeccable pride and joy to Han's stripped-down hot-rod freighter with "special modifications."
· Escape from Corellia
Get behind the wheel for the making of this high-octane chase through the streets of Corellia.
• The Train Heist
Explore the challenges and thrills of creating this action-packed sequence, including its remote location and spectacular effects.
· Becoming a Droid: L3-37
Meet the newest droid—and the talented actor who helps bring her to life.
• Scoundrels, Droids, Creatures and Cards: Welcome to Fort Ypso
Take an in-depth tour of the rough-and-tumble bar where strangers mix and gamblers risk all in the legendary card game, Sabaac.
• Into the Maelstrom: The Kessel Run
Join Han and Chewie at the controls of the Millennium Falcon to see how this legendary moment in Star Wars history unfolds.
o Proxima's Den
o Corellian Foot Chase
o Han Solo: Imperial Cadet
o The Battle of Mimban: Extended
o Han Versus Chewie: Extended
o Snowball Fight!
o Meet Dryden: Extended
o Coaxium Double-Cross
The Millennium Falcon: From Page to Park – An exclusive look at the history of the most famous ship in the galaxy, its origin and development, and how it will translate in one of the most anticipated expansions in Disneyland's history.
I was impressed with Alden Ehrenreich's take on Han Solo, he was very aware of who he was playing, this is a role that spans over 40 years and 4 movies. People will be ready to nitpick everything wrong with how he plays this well-known character. In my humble opinion, he nailed it. He was a young Han Solo, within the first 15 minutes of this movie I was hooked. From top to bottom, from the casting, the writing, the production quality, this is a fun movie. Have you seen Solo: A Star Wars Story, what did you think? I would love to hear what you thought of the movie? Are you going to pick up Solo: A Star Wars Story on DVD or Digital?
SOLO: A Star Wars Story is now available on Digital HD and arrives on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray DVD and On-Demand on September 25th!
Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions. No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising.