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Smart extends communications support for AFP, PGH frontliners
As part of its continuous support for COVID-19 frontliners, PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) extended communications assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
To provide for their connectivity needs during the enhanced community quarantine, Smart is donating free Smart and TNT SIMs and load cards to more than 1,000 AFP personnel deployed across Metro Manila.
Smart also donated smartphones and load to support the PGH's newly opened COVID-19 ward, as well as to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, the designated COVID-19 hospital in Cagayan de Oro.
With these, frontliners in charge of COVID-19 patients, as well as AFP personnel manning checkpoints across Metro Manila and those stationed at their Camp Aguinaldo Headquarters can stay connected via calls, text and mobile data.
This is the latest in PLDT-Smart's ongoing efforts to provide communications support to frontliners working with local government units, hospitals and government agencies across the country.
PLDT-Smart also supported the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the AFP with free Wi-Fi. In partnership with PLDT Enterprise, Smart supplied LTE pocket Wifi units for buses deployed by DOTr. Wi-Fi kits were also supplied to the AFP to augment the unit's command and control requirements.
Smart has also donated e-load to the Department of Health (DOH) personnel, as well as smartphones with Smart SIMs and one month free unlimited calls and text plus data allocation for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)'s emergency communication hub.
PLDT, Smart and ePLDT also developed COVID-19 emergency hotlines in partnership with the DOH and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for Filipinos seeking consultation and forwarding concerns about the disease. The 24-hour help line may be reached at 02-894-COVID (02-894-26843) and 1555. (Press Release)
Published April 3, 2020 By Press Release
Categorized as Community Tagged COVID-19
Strict safety measures in effect at Landers Superstore Cebu
Smart's LTE service keeps people connected despite COVID-19 quarantine


James Chung, the founder of Lash Creative is extremely direct. He doesn't mince words and when he asks a question, you can see his brain ticking over with pluses and minuses, trying to discern the point. As he himself shrugs 'I'm a bit of a skeptic'. But this is a good thing in a town where people will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. We sat down and talked to him about being successful, keeping clients happy and voice recognition.
Lash Creative thrives on creating beautiful digital products and services that are unique and extraordinary.
We take the time to understand our clients' business objectives and work with them closely to achieve those objectives.
We believe in a collaborative partnership with our clients, rather than a client-vendor relationship.
There is never any compromise on the quality of work we deliver. We are all about creating solid and quality outcomes. We test and test and test and test until the final outcome is perfect. After all, quality and service start at 100%.
Everdure recently launched a new product called the eChurrasco. It's the world's first gas-lit charcoal BBQ that heats up the charcoal in 15 minutes rather than the conventional BBQ where it takes 45 minutes. To really emphasise this feature we created an online campaign: "Zero to hero in 15 minutes". The integrated campaign consisted of an HTML5 microsite that included a competition, Facebook campaign and PR. Overall it was a simple campaign that was executed using various digital platforms. However, with good strategy and planning, together with a well thought through media plan and placements, we achieved an extremely good result with a limited budget.
We achieved over 20,000 Facebook 'likes' during the campaign period, 10,000 competition entries, 100,000 visits to the microsite, 45,000 interactions with the Facebook application and an average of 1:05 time spent interacting with the website.
In your opinion, what is your personal yardstick for measuring a successful campaign?
For us it's very easy to measure the success of any campaign we do as we are in digital. Everything that we do can be measured with the use of analytics. But putting all the numbers and stats aside, if a campaign is able to generate a lot of interaction and conversation, then I think it's a successful campaign from my personal point of view. The fact that it generated conversation meant that the audience had a chance to interact with the brand.
You manage quite a few accounts for large companies, what is the secret to keeping them happy?
I take the time to understand their business and objectives, and work collaboratively with them to help them overcome their digital marketing challenges. I don't use complicated marketing jargon to present solutions, but rather ensure that we all speak a common 'language' to present them with the solutions that will drive business impact and achieve their objectives.
I tend to draw up a lot of diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes and sketches to help the client understand what we are trying to achieve. I haven't met a single client who wasn't happy about the fact that we are trying to explain the whole project in micro details and spend more time in doing so compared to other agencies. Not only does this help them fully understand the strategy and plans, this also helps them to become digital gurus themselves. This is awesome for us as when we see them next, I no longer need to bring my diagrams as I just need to explain things to them simply and they will get it straightaway. Also by doing this, the time management from both ends becomes so much more productive and efficient resulting in a happy client and happy account managers as there isn't a big need for much back and forth in trying to ensure that there isn't any miscommunication.
But having said this, it's all about the relationship. It's best if you can form a personal relationship with your clients, rather than having just a "client and vendor" relationship.
We created a small campaign with one of our movie distributor clients. They didn't want to spend too much money on media when we were explaining how it's crucial to invest in media spend as relying on purely the viral effect is just too risky. Unfortunately the client decided not to go with our recommendation which resulted in poor campaign results.
What do you think are some of the trends that we will see in the creative space in 2013?
Gamification will become an essential part of many digital campaigns. Yes, there will be quite a few brands who may mis-use its context simply for the sake of including gamification. However, it will become a bigger and bigger part of any online strategy.
Every time I have a 'creative beer session' with colleagues from the digital industry, we talk about voice recognition. Voice recognition will become much bigger as well. We have seen a lot of movement sensors but not as many digital campaigns integrating voice recognition. I am a strong believer that speech is easier than movement so it will only get bigger in the digital integration in the future…… but having said this, maybe not in 2013.
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More Jane Jacobs, Less Jane Jacobs?
A guerrilla marketing campaign to save the West Village calls for more Jane Jacobs and less Marc Jacobs. Will the neighborhood listen?
Diana Lind October 19, 2009
Jane Jacobs is the patron saint of urbanism. Unless she is posthumously involved in a sex scandal or some kind of corruption involving the MTA, she will probably always be the best advocate for cities that the USA has ever known. It doesn't hurt that she had an adorable potato face or that her antagonist was the much maligned Robert Moses.
New York Turns to Ride-Hailing as a Last-Mile Solution for Night-Shift Riders
The Mobile City: Everybody Back Onto the Train
Housing in Brief: Detroit Announces $48 Million for Affordable Housing
So, to invoke Jane Jacobs is to invoke all that is good for cities. And Mike Joyce, a graphic designer with Stereotype Design, has taken advantage of Jane's rep to set the record straight: he doesn't want any more Marc Jacobs stores in the West Village. He's taken to producing postcards and t-shirts with the phrase "More Jane Jacobs Less Marc Jacobs." It's pretty catchy. As Joyce mentions in an interview with Jeremiah's Forgotten New York (whom we profiled here), the question Joyce gets most is "Who is Jane Jacobs?" By saying more of Jane and less of Marc, he's not only saying that chain retail is destroying the city's fabric, but the anti-intellectualism is as well.
Meanwhile, everyone, it seems, knows who Marc Jacobs is. And there will soon be a total of six Marc Jacobs in the West Village. Marc Jacobs' stores are in fact taking over the spot of the beloved Biography Bookstore to make way for his leather bags and expensive frocks. It's a literal displacement of literary culture by a consumerist one.
But the truth is that the problem isn't Marc Jacobs and the answer isn't just Jane Jacobs. It's what Lloyd Alter of Treehugger (and who once blogged for us here) says:
The problem isn't Marc Jacobs, and it isn't just Greenwich Village, but all over the world; the same stores, selling the same stuff.
Diana Lind is the former executive director and editor in chief of Next City.
Follow Diana
Tags: new york city, jane jacobs, robert moses

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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90 Day Fiance: Erika Owens' Dad Had The Best Response To Her Coming Out
YouTube/TLC
By Sam Rigas/Jan. 4, 2021 9:58 pm EST
TLC's 90 Day Fiancé made franchise history with the first same-sex couple on Before the 90 Days in 2020. Yonkers, N.Y.-based influencer Stephanie Matto flew to the Australian Outback to meet virtual love Erika Owens. While neither of them were out to their families at the time, Erika knew she wanted to introduce Stephanie as her romantic partner to her family.
While Stephanie was riddled with fears ranging from her chronic health concerns to being physically intimate, Erika grew more and more frustrated. Ultimately, the couple went their separate ways before Stephanie even left Australia. However, their brief romance empowered fan favorite Erika to fully embrace who she is. As we look back on some of the best TV moments of 2020, Erika's coming out to her parents remains one of the most touching scenes in reality TV.
Keep scrolling to find out how Erika's father reacted to her announcement, and what Erika is up to now!
Erika Owens' parents were all smiles
Erika Owens' parents could not hold back the tears (or the hugs!) after Erika nervously opened up about her sexuality. "Steph is here as my partner," Erika clarified after first introducing Stephanie Matto as her long-distance friend. "I'm bisexual."
Erika's dad did not miss a beat and, instead, showed that Erika's sexuality does not change how he feels about her. "Do you want some more fried rice?" he joked in the clip over their Chinese food dinner. "You don't care at all?" Erika asked, as reported by Starcasm. Her mother assured her they did not, as long as Erika is happy. "It's not a worry to have as a parent," Erika's father continued. "It's just information. That's all."
Unfortunately, Stephanie feared her family would not react the same way if she came out. Eventually, Stephanie's mother did accept her sexuality, but not without Stephanie making Erika's wishes feel insignificant. "I felt like the girl that I loved was embarrassed of me," Erika admitted to Stephanie of a past closeted relationship, resulting in a huge fight between Erika and Stephanie.
"She is the reason why now you're pressuring me to come out to my mom!" Stephanie yelled, before breaking a bowl on the floor and storming out. Since their split, Erika has been linked to new beau Chris Siclari. In all matters of the heart, at least Erika will always have her loving parents by her side!


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MICHAEL SCHENKER Calls Brother RUDOLF A 'Dangerous Bully': 'I Have To Stay Away From Him'
Legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker (SCORPIONS, UFO) has once again slammed his brother Rudolf, saying that the SCORPIONS axeman is a "dangerous bully" who "takes advantage" his younger sibling.
Michael Schenker gave a number of interviews in the last few years in which he questioned his brother's integrity, going so far as to call Rudolf "a con artist" who "completely adopted" Michael's image as his own. He also denounced the SCORPIONS for "distorting" the story of his brief tenure with the band and criticized what he saw as ongoing efforts to minimize the contributions of the group's former drummer Herman Rarebell and ex-bassist Francis Buchholz, as well as SCORPIONS' long-running creative complacency.
In a brand new chat with Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice, Michael was asked what it would take for him and his brother to finally make peace. "It has nothing to do with peace," Michael responded (hear audio below). "Rudolf is dangerous. I have to stay away from him, because it's the only thing I can do. He's a bully, and he takes advantage of his little brother.
"Rudolf has taken everything that I have developed — my black-and-white guitar, and all of that kind of stuff — and so the only thing that you can do… What do you do if you have a bully on your back? The best you can do is stay away," he continued.
"I have no bad feelings or anything. Rudolf is Rudolf — God bless him. Do what you do. But I don't need to put myself into a vulnerable situation, and that's what I would do if I would connect with him. It would just be more of the same bullshit, more of the same ripoffs and more of the same…
"He is a charming person — he achieves everything with charm," Michael said. "I'm an artist, so whatever I have, I am a very fruitful-from-within person. Whatever I do is fruit for Rudolf to use for his own benefit.
"The best is to leave him alone, let him live his life, and I am better off. Just a couple of words with him would already be enough. [Laughs]
"Rudolf is dangerous for me. He has taken advantage of his little brother, and he had always done that. So the best is to stay away, and bless him, and give him more power, whatever he's doing… He has to clean his side of the street, and it's up to him when he recognizes that. I have my side of the street to take care of.
"Rudolf and I only lived… been only together for two years, in the 'Lonesome Crow' period, so we have no problem living our own life anyway.
"The most important thing for me is to stay away from him, if I want to have peace and continue with my focus without interruption from people who keep digging holes in front of you."
Michael Schenker first appeared on "Lonesome Crow", earned acclaim in the 1970s on classic UFO albums such as "Phenomenon" and "Lights Out" before rejoining SCORPIONS for 1979's "Lovedrive". He departed soon thereafter to launch MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP. And while his sometimes-erratic behavior have derailed parts of his career, Schenker remains one of hard rock and metal's most influential axemen.
Tags: michael schenker
POISON's BRET MICHAELS Is Leading Support Efforts For Victims Of Storms
PAPA ROACH 'Went Through Hell And Heaven' To Make Upcoming Album
CHRIS CORNELL's Daughter To Perform 'Special Song In Honor' Of Her Father On 'Jimmy Fallon'
BIFF BYFORD Looks Back On METALLICA's 1982 Gig As Support Act For SAXON: 'They Didn't Talk To Us For A Long Time' After That
Former DEATH Members Honor CHUCK SCHULDINER At Second Tribute Concert In Tampa (Video)
MALIGNANT ALTAR
Gravitas Maximus


Gov. Cuomo Tuesday definitively ruled out running for President in 2020.
"I am ruling it out," Cuomo said during an appearance on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show." "I ran for governor (in November). I have a full plate. I have many projects. I'm going to be here doing the job as governor."
During an August Democratic gubernatorial primary debate with actress Cynthia Nixon, he said he planned to serve a full four-year term if reelected to a third term unless "God strikes me dead."
But that didn't stop many political insiders on both sides of the aisle from believing he might still consider entering the race once he was safely re-elected.
"I'm governor of New York and I have a lot to do," Cuomo said dismissing the speculation.
But the governor did have specific thoughts of the characteristics a Democrats presidential candidate should have, many of which he has used to describe himself.
"It's not going to be enough to be anti-Trump," Cuomo said. "We need a candidate who brings credibility and experience... to the job and can connect with the people we lost as Democrats -- the working men and women of this country who went with Trump because of the void let by the Democratic party."
He said it's important the Dems pick someone with a record and a platform people believe can work--and not "an abstract theoretical elected official."
The party, Cuomo said, needs someone "who can also make government work to improve people's lives. If you don't touch people and you don't improve their lives, then you have failed. Rhetoric only takes you so far."
"People heard rhetoric from the Democratic party for a lot of years and saw no difference in their lives," he added. "That's why out of desperation they went and they voted for Trump because he seemed different and he promised (to) fill the void that the Democrats left."


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When Ivory Towers Were Black
Thu, Feb 23, 2017 6:30pm
New York, Discussion, Book Launch
Ware Lounge
Free and open to the public.
Mabel O. Wilson / Reinhold Martin
When Ivory Towers Were Black (Fordham University Press, 2016) tells the untold story of how an unparalleled cohort of ethnic minority students earned degrees from Columbia GSAPP during the Civil Rights Movement. The panel will discuss the role of the university in communities and disruptions as potential catalysts for transformational change in academia and society.
The book follows two university units that steered the school toward an emancipatory approach to education, in particular, the school's Urban Planning Program, revealing fierce struggles to open the ivory tower to ethnic minority students and to involve them, and their revolutionary white peers, in improving Harlem's slum conditions. It tracks the unraveling of this groundbreaking experiment as white lash against reforms wrought by civil rights legislation grew. Through its first-person portrayal of how a transformative process got reversed, When Ivory Towers Were Black can catalyze contemporary struggles for equality as crushing race- and place-based injustices multiply and historically marginalized students remain excluded from the elite city-making professions.
Sharon Egretta Sutton (M.Arch '73), Author, When Ivory Towers Were Black
Reinhold Martin, Director, The Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture
Senator Bill Perkins, ( D, WF ) 30TH Senate District
Mabel O. Wilson (M.Arch '91), architect and professor, Columbia GSAPP
Dr. Sharon E. Sutton, FAIA is Professor Emerita of Architecture and Founding Director of CEEDS (Center for Environment, Education, and Design Studies) at the University of Washington. She has been an architecture educator since 1975, having held positions at Pratt Institute, Columbia University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Michigan where she became the first African American woman in the United States to be promoted to full professor of architecture. The author of numerous books, book chapters, reports, and articles, Sutton's research focuses on youth, community, and social justice, including the career development of minority populations. Sutton has lectured at more than 40 colleges and universities internationally, in community settings, and at professional conferences in art, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, and psychology. Formerly a Kellogg National Fellow as well as a Danforth Fellow, Sutton has degrees in music, architecture, psychology, and philosophy, all earned in New York City. She is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, a Distinguished Professor of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and an inductee in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
Reinhold Martin is Professor of Architecture and Director of The Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia GSAPP. He is a member of Columbia's Institute for Comparative Literature and Society as well as the Committee on Global Thought. Martin is a founding co-editor of the journal Grey Room and has published widely on the history and theory of modern and contemporary architecture. He is the author of The Organizational Complex: Architecture, Media, and Corporate Space (MIT Press, 2003), and Utopia's Ghost: Architecture and Postmodernism, Again (Minnesota, 2010). His work centers on histories of space, power, and the aesthetic imagination, particularly as mediated by technical infrastructures. Related areas of research include architecture and epistemology, globalization and cities, and media history.
Senator Bill Perkins, Democrat—Working Families, was elected by the people to the New York State Senate in November 2006. Senator Perkins represents the 30th Senatorial District which is part of New York County and encompasses Harlem, the great preponderance of East Harlem, the Upper West Side, Morning Heights and Washington Heights. A lifelong resident of Harlem, Bill Perkins started his political career as a community activist and is known for his tenacious and unyielding commitment to serving the community. The young, elderly and the most vulnerable New Yorkers have always been Bill's legislative priorities. Prior to his Senate election, Senator Perkins served on the New York City Council. During his eight-year tenure, he was the third highest ranking member of the Council serving as the Deputy Majority Leader. As Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Perkins was the prime sponsor of the Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Act of 2004 which protects children from the deadly effects of lead paint in their homes. Thanks to his efforts, New York has the strongest lead paint prevention law in the country. A strong advocate of public education, Bill Perkins has fought to provide every child equal access to a quality education.
Mabel O. Wilson is an Associate Professor and teaches architectural design and history/theory courses at Columbia GSAPP. She is also appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies and co-directs Global Africa Lab. Her design and scholarly research investigates space, politics and cultural memory in black America; race and modern architecture; new technologies and the social production of space; and visual culture in contemporary art, film and new media.
Organized by Columbia GSAPP.
Columbia GSAPP Associate Professor Mabel O. Wilson ('91 M.Arch) speaks with Sharon Sutton ('73 M.Arch) about the publication of her new book, When Ivory Towers Were Black, which tells the story of how an unparalleled cohort of ethnic minority students earned degrees from Columbia University's School of Architecture during a time of fierce struggles to open the ivory tower to ethnic minority students.


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Los Angeles Shows – June 1st – June 7th
Little Joy
Monday, Junes 1st:
Willoughby @ The Silverlake Lounge
Tuesday, June 2nd:
Erykah Badu @ Grove of Anaheim
Wednesday, June 3rd:
2 Live Crew @ The Key Club
Matt Ellis @ The Silverlake Lounge
Meiko @ Hotel Cafe
Thursday, June 4th:
Cotton Jones @ Spaceland
Fol Chen @ The Echo
Friday, June 5th:
Little Joy @ Troubadour
Erykah Badu @ Club Nokia
Saturday, June 6th:
Peaches @ The Music Box at the Fonda
Holy Fuck @ Troubadour
Sunday, June 7th:
Rollo & Grady // Sunday Sermon
MP3: The Sugarman Three & Co. – Bosco's Blues
MP3: Quantic Presents…Flowering Inferno – Cuidad Del Swing
Rollo & Grady // Friday into Saturday – Volume #13
MP3: Portishead — Sour Times (Trip-Hop Dub Remix)
MP3: Portishead — Sour Times (Lot More Remix)
MP3: Phoenix – Lisztomania (The Tremulance Remix)
King Khan & The Shrines // Photos — Echo [5/29/2009]
Images – Rollo & Grady
King Khan // Tonight & Tomorrow Night @ The Echo
Tickets are still available for King Khan & The Shrines tonight and tomorrow night at the Echo.
MP3: The King Khan & BBQ Show – Fish Fight
MP3: King Khan and The Shrines – Land of the Freak
King Khan and The Shrines – The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines (iTunes)
Everything In Its Right Place
MP3: Radiohead – Everything in its Right Place (Gigamesh Remix v2.0)
MP3: Radiohead – Everything in its Wrong Place (Me & This Army Remix)
MP3: Vitamin Dub – Everything In Its Right Place (V-Dub Remix)
Rollo & Grady Interview / Andrew Kenny – Wooden Birds
Texas native Andrew Kenny is a happy man. After spending the past six years in Brooklyn he recently moved back to his hometown of Austin to be with his friends and embark on a new endeavor. Kenny is best known as the singer/songwriter behind the indie group the American Analog Set. He's also spent time recording and performing with Her Space Holiday, Ola Podrida and Broken Social Scene. In his new band, The Wooden Birds, Kenny is joined by Leslie Sisson, Lymbic System's Michael Bell and Ola Podrida's David Wingo. Their debut album Magnolia is a beautiful mellow alt-folk record. The arrangements on Magnolia are driven heavily by percussion and simple acoustic guitar play. The highlight for me is that Andrew is more vocal on this album than his previous work with American Analog Set.
When I spoke to Andrew last week, he had just returned home from touring Europe and could hardly contain his excitement for his new record. The Wooden Birds are playing tonight at Spaceland (more info).
R&G: When you began working on The Wooden Birds project, how important was it for you to establish your own sound and move away from the American Analog Set sound?
Andrew: I don't know if it was important to get away from something we had done before. It wasn't a reaction in any way. I wanted to start with something that wasn't just twelve singer-songwriter, acoustic guitar kind of songs. I wanted to put songs together and at the same time present them in ways that were consistent and interesting on their own. I guess I might own a few records that are in that singer-songwriter kind of category, but I didn't necessarily want to make one. I started counting out beats on my guitar, working on demos, working with that as a basis for rhythm and then adding percussion and bass sounds. Once that sound started developing, I thought it was a good start for a rhythmic, vocal-heavy kind of folk-esque pop sound. The sound kind of developed because I wanted it to, and the songs were chosen because they fit well in that style. But I love the American Analog, and it's one of my favorite bands ever. That's why I did it for so long. We still get together and play here in Austin. I didn't necessarily want to do anything that had to be way different from the Analog sound. To me, there's a good deal of overlap. Songs like "Aaron & Maria," "The Postman," "Kindness Of Strangers" and "Born on the Cusp," these are all songs that could have been Wooden Bird songs but were very simple songs written by a guy named Kenny and performed by the Analog Set. They could have just as easily been performed by The Wooden Birds.
R&G: Conversely, "The Other One" could be an American Analog Set song.
Andrew: Absolutely. "The Other One" was kicking around whenever we were working on the last Analog Set record. Everyone just said, "You've already got one 'Aaron & Maria' on the Analog Set record, do you really need another?" The songs were so similar in vibe and structure that it just didn't make sense to write it, but I included it on Set Free. I just really like that song, so it made perfect sense for The Wooden Birds set up where there can be many songs that are verse and vocal intensive and more traditional in their arrangement. I do like that song a lot, but yeah, that could have been an Analog Set song, if I had my way.
R&G: I read an interview where you said Magnolia was inspired by heartbreak and a mild obsession with death. You're happily married and you're alive and well. Can you explain why these themes are prevalent in your music?
Andrew: That's an awesome question. I'm a happy person. I love my wife. I don't feel the least bit heartbroken right now. So when it comes to writing songs about heartbreak, I'm not generating any new stories today. But I've probably got enough in the tank that I still feel like I'm writing them in earnest. We all made it through high school. Everybody has a bad time with love. It's what I feel I can write about most earnestly, so that's where I start. And I don't know where death comes from, quite honestly. I don't necessarily want to die all the time every day but I think about the end of life often, I hope as often as other people think about it.
R&G: I know you quit reading reviews years ago, so I'll fill you in on recent reviews. The Wooden Birds music has been compared to Sam Beam of Iron & Wine and Lindsey Buckingham.
Andrew: I'm a fan of both. I think that's great. I didn't quit reading reviews because I was above them or anything like that. It seemed like no matter if they were good or bad I would find something bad about them and would somehow feel worse after reading them. It's not that I think I'm unredeemable. Without people knowing that I try to be a decent person, one could easily think, "What, does this asshole think he can't be reviewed?" It's more like there's nothing good for me in there. Towards the end of the Analog Set I would hear comparisons, so the reviews stopped bothering me. Again, it wasn't because I was above them. It was because I like music. I would read reviews and sometimes it's nice to have something described to you in the context of music you're already familiar with. Being a young guy, oh, it drove me nuts. Spiritualized and Stereolab and then Belle and Sebastian a few years later. Locally, all we got was Bedhead, and that drove me bananas. Later on I was like, "We kind of fit in with those bands, so why not have them in our record reviews." Buckingham? Iron & Wine? Those are great comparisons, and I think they're totally accurate. If that's who we're being compared to, then I would stand up and agree.
Did CBS (Last.fm) Hand Over User Data to RIAA?
[Via Daily Swarm]
P2PNet
"Both CBS and the RIAA have already stated quite clearly, for the record, that absolutely no individual user or listener information was supplied to the RIAA by last.fm or any division of CBS Corporation in the past, nor do we plan to do so in the future," it quotes CBS Interactive as stating, adding:
"The story posted by the website was based on an unnamed tipster. No inquiry was made to CBS or last.fm about the veracity of the anonymous source. Those who consult such blogs should be aware of the standard by which such postings are sourced and published."
Last.fm didn't hand user data over to the RIAA. According to our source, it was their parent company, CBS, that did it. That corresponds to what our original source said in conversations we had after our initial post and before CBS lawyers became involved. But we didn't want to update until we had an independent source for that information, too.
Here's what we believe happened, based on our sources: CBS requested user data from Last.fm, including user name and IP address. CBS wanted the data to comply with a RIAA request but told Last.fm the data was going to be used for "internal use only." It was only after the data was sent to CBS that Last.fm discovered the real reason for the request, say our sources. Last.fm staffers were outraged, say our sources, but the data had already been sent to the RIAA.
MOG – Apraxia
Last FM, owned by CBS, proudly allows Nazis to infect the system to disseminate racial hatred and promote violent race war. I bring this fact up to say, well, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM THESE KIND OF PEOPLE? Of COURSE they are going to SELL OUT their users to MAKE A BUCK!! And since all the nazi shit is all off major labels, they run no risk of screwing with the fans of Nazi music, only EVERYONE ELSE
Radiohead // How To Disappear Completely [Video]


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Samuel YORK
BIRTH: 1645, Durham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
DEATH: 18 MAR 1718, Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts
Father: Richard YORK
Mother: Elizabeth ?????
Family 1 : Hannah ?????
MARRIAGE: ca1667, Durham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
1. Samuel YORK
2.+Benjamin YORK
3. Sarah YORK
4. Hannah YORK
5. Elizabeth YORK
6. Richard YORK
7. Rachel YORK
8. John YORK
9. Thomas YORK
_____John YORK______
| (ca1592 - ca1640) m 1615
___Richard YORK_______|
| (.... - 1674) m |
| |_______
|- - Samuel YORK
|___Elizabeth ?????____
On 20 JUL 1670, Samuel York purchased with his partner, James Thomas, a 600-acre tract of land (now called Topsham) from the Indians. During the King Phillips War, he abandoned it. Before 1680, he lived in Falmouth, NH, until it's distruction.20 NOV 1682 in an Indian attack, when he sold his half of a sawmill and fled to Gloucester.
There have been different dates for the marriage between Samuel York and Hannah (mostly 1667 or 1680), almost suggesting that there might have been two wives named Hannah. If Samuel was born in 1645, his marriage in 1680 would have made him 35 years old. One might imagine that he had a family from a 1667 marriage that could have been killed in the King Phillips War, in which Topsham was hit especially hard.


With the recent public discourse around the Absa rebranding turning towards the inevitable negative sentiment, I was reminded by the success of long-term design strategy in defining the course of business success.
Could you imagine a BMW without its iconic kidney grill, or Coca-Cola® without its spencerian script. It's hard to imagine I agree, but there exists certain conditions where it may actually happen one day. When the connection between brand and consumer breaks down to a level where separation occurs, drastic measures are often required to reconnect or remain relevant. Or if brands require to completely reposition themselves due to a tack in business direction, as in the case of BP back in the early 2000's.
For Absa it can be argued that the business, now faced with an incredible opportunity of expansion, chose a path of complete reconnection. Opening up the African market through their Barclays unbundling is a smart move. Creating a completely new identity, however is risky.
As the author of the outgoing Absa mark and brand, many of my friends and colleagues have asked me the inevitable question. What do I think about the rebrand? Strangely I have simply had no emotional reaction to it. And that's where the problem lies with it. I filed it into the collection of unremarkable South African rebranding projects of recent times. I had no idea who was responsible for this rebrand, but I understood their enormous task of making this brand relevant to a new market. The bland mark is supported by some really well executed visual stimulus and a positioning which, whilst not entirely groundbreaking is strangely relevant. I also understand that healthy brands require the odd course correction or complete repositioning from time to time. They need to create meaningful connections with current, lapsed and new consumers and find new channels to do this. My honest opinion is that this rebrand is just too safe.
When the hype around this rebrand finally dies down, and it will, I'm not convinced that Absa will have in its arsenal of brand elements anything to truly defend its territory with. It's all too generic. I guess time will tell how the brand manifests itself across all consumer touchpoints. What it isn't going to be is a BMW kidney grill.


text:
package io.algobox.backtest.spark.common.client;

import io.algobox.indicator.IndicatorService;
import io.algobox.instrument.InstrumentService;
import io.algobox.price.PriceService;

import java.io.Serializable;

public interface AlgoboxClient extends Serializable {
  PriceService getPriceService();

  IndicatorService getIndicatorService();

  InstrumentService getInstrumentService();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: fill combobox with cells that contain # I'm trying to fill a combobox with cells from column A that contain #. I get an error message: "Couldn't find specific object." Please help me understand what I'm missing here. Thank you.
        Dim i As Long
        Dim lr As Long

        Sheets("Colon").Select
        lr = Worksheets("Colon").Cells(Rows.count, "A").End(xlUp).Row

        For i = 2 To lr
            If InStr(Cells(i, 1).Value, "#") > 0 Then

                ComboBox1.List = Worksheets(1).Range("A2:A" & lr).Value
                UserForm1.Controls("ComboBox" & i).Object.List = ComboBox1.List

            End If

        Next i

A: Here, I got one for you. Try with this.
Public Sub fillCombo()

    Dim row, lastRow, index As Long
    Dim dataList() As String

    'Data list index
    index = 0

    'Getting the last row
    lastRow = Sheets("Colon").Cells(Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).row

    'Looping all row from row 2.
    For row = 2 To lastRow

        'Here, my logic is some cell value which not include "#" are not store in array.
        'If "#" is include in cell value.
        If InStr(Cells(row, 1).Value, "#") > 0 Then

            'Increase index
            index = index + 1

            'Re-declare dataList size
            ReDim Preserve dataList(index)

            'Store cell value in array
            dataList(index) = Cells(row, 1).Value

        End If

    Next row

    'Set dataList to combo box.
    Sheets("Colon").ComboBox1.List = dataList

End Sub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Les indicateurs du chômage en France mesurent le nombre de chômeurs et leur part relative dans la population active. Souvent critiqués, ils sont néanmoins couramment utilisés tant par le personnel politique que par les journalistes.

Histoire
Durant les années 1980, dans certaines agences locales de l'emploi française, on estime le nombre de chômeurs en mesurant les fiches cartonnées avec un double décimètre. Depuis, des progrès techniques ont été accomplis, mais des problèmes conceptuels demeurent.

L'INSEE et Pôle Emploi mesurent un chômage qui n'est pas totalement identique, d'où le décalage persistant entre leurs deux chiffres. L'INSEE utilise la notion de chômage définie par le Bureau international du travail (critères: être sans travail ; être disponible pour travailler ; rechercher un travail de manière effective) ; pour Pôle Emploi, la définition du chômage est : être sans emploi, disponible immédiatement, et à la recherche d'un emploi à temps plein. Le problème est que cette définition est celle de la catégorie 1 des demandeurs d'emplois qu'elle comptabilise, alors qu'elle répartit les chômeurs inscrits sur ses listes en 8 catégories au total.

Un chômeur qui cherche un travail à temps partiel (catégorie 2 de l'ANPE) n'est donc pas comptabilisé comme chômeurs et ne l'a jamais été. Il en est également ainsi d'un demandeur d'emploi cherchant un travail à durée déterminée (catégorie 3).

Le décalage – important à l'époque – entre les deux méthodes de comptabilisation se reflète dans deux rapports : le premier, écrit par Edmond Malinvaud sous le titre Sur les statistiques de l'emploi et du chômage (1986) ; le second, rédigé par Paul Dubois (INSEE) et Michel Lucas (IGAS), intitulé Rapport sur les statistiques mensuelles du chômage et publié en 1991. Des efforts ont été entrepris à la suite de ces réflexions pour harmoniser les chiffres des deux institutions, mais l'écart est consubstantiel des divergences entre les concepts. Plus préoccupant, l'une et l'autre des définitions officielles laissent de côté un volume important de personnes.

L'alternative
Cet état de fait a suscité la mise au point d'indicateurs alternatifs du chômage. Dans le milieu des années 1970, la CGT dénonçait déjà la sous-estimation des chiffres du chômage opérée, selon elle, par le gouvernement à des fins politiques. Sa méthode de calcul la conduisit, en 1975, à dénombrer 1,1 million de chômeurs quand l'ANPE n'en comptait que 700 000.

En 1984, l'ARIES (Association de recherches internationales économiques et sociales), dirigée par Lionel Stoléru, expliquait l'écart existant entre les chiffres de l'INSEE et ceux de l'ANPE par deux causes essentielles : le traitement social du chômage et le traitement politiques des statistiques.

En 1997, CERC-Association, proposait le concept élargi de personnes "privées d'emploi". En ajoutant aux chiffres de l'ANPE les personnes dispensées d'une recherche d'emploi, les chômeurs en formation ou en reconversion, et les préretraités, elle arrivait à un total de 5 millions de personnes "privées d'emploi".

La même année, le Commissariat général du Plan estimait le nombre de personnes "touchées"par le chômage à 7 millions, en ajoutant aux chiffres de l'INSEE : les personnes travaillant à temps partiel subi, celle qui subissent une précarité du travail (emplois aidés, travail temporaire involontaire), les préretraités, les demandeurs d'emploi en formation, ceux qui ne sont pas en mesure de chercher un emploi (problèmes de santé, service national, chômeurs découragés).

Ces indicateurs alternatifs ne sont pas eux-mêmes à l'abri de critiques, mais ils pointent l'inadaptation des outils statistiques à décrire le problème du chômage et du non-emploi. En réalité, le véritable problème est que le chiffre du chômage se voit assigner deux objectifs : indiquer le nombre de chômeur, et décrire l'état du marché du travail. On a pu un temps déduire l'état du marché du travail du nombre de chômeurs mais ce n'est plus le cas. Les indicateurs officiels comme les indicateurs alternatifs omettent un certain nombre d'informations relatives à l'influence du chômage sur le marché du travail, qui ne se résume à la probabilité d'y entrer ou de s'y maintenir. On peut citer comme carence : l'état des relations professionnelles ; les détournements de statut (la "fausse sous-traitance"), l'utilisation excessive des emplois aidés (en particulier leur effet d'éviction sur les emplois "normaux") ; le niveau des salaires...

Mode de calcul 2015
Une fois inscrits à Pôle emploi, tous les demandeurs d'emploi sont tenus d'informer Pôle emploi, chaque mois, de leur recherche active. C'est « l'actualisation » mensuelle. Toute personne qui déclare toujours être à la recherche d'un emploi lors de son actualisation est alors comptabilisée dans le nombre total des demandeurs d'emploi. A contrario, lors de son actualisation mensuelle, si un demandeur d'emploi informe Pôle emploi qu'il a trouvé un travail (temps partiel, interim, CDD de 15 jours...), s'il n'actualise pas son statut, s'il ne remplit plus les conditions pour demeurer inscrit, ou s'il est radié administrativement, il sort des listes de Pôle emploi. Il n'est alors plus inscrit sur les listes de Pôle emploi et n'est donc plus comptabilisé parmi les demandeurs d'emploi.2

Notes et références

Notes
Site de Pôle Emploi: http://www.pole-emploi.org/actualites/comment-sont-calcules-les-chiffres-du-chomage--@/543/view-article-75876.html

Références

Chômage

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The React Element series is arguably one of the best sneakers Nike has released in recent memory. Their deconstructed vibe, along with an uber-comfortable React midsole, made the React Element series an It sneaker. The React Element 55 is the subtle version of the React Element 87 with its solid uppers, but that changes with this Size? exclusive.
Inspired by Nike's "Escape" pack, this pair of React Element 55s sport a black ripstop upper with a white grid pattern, giving the shoe an 80s-like vibe. Staying true to the "Escape" color motif, they have hits of brown, tan, olive green, and red around the upper.
These are slated to drop on November 29 exclusively to Size? retailers. If you fancy them, better contact your plug so that you can cop them (at resell price for more than obvious reasons). Should Nike bring these exclusives to our shores? Let us know in the comments section below.
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text:
Career Announcements (more headlines) 07-11-2019
Electro-Art-Pop Artist Polyna Signs With 3143 Management
Email: bgreenwood@3143mgmt.com
Website: http://www.polyna.com
New York, NY, July 11, 2019 � 3143 Management, one of the fastest-growing artist management agencies in New Jersey, has signed electro-art-pop artist Polyna. Born in a classified Russian �dark town� where residents worked to dig up Plutonium and build Sputnik satellites for the space race, Polyna is now a New York City resident who has built a global audience on social media with over 37,000 Instagram followers, 15,000 Facebook likes, and 11,000 Twitter followers. Her single �Complicated� and its various remixes have logged over 120,000 plays on Spotify alone, where she reaches over 8,000 monthly listeners. Now, 3143 Management will help her expand her presence further via management services aimed at building a team who will facilitate her domination of the global pop market.
An accomplished vocalist, violinist, actress, and artist, Polyna is a graduate of both the Russian State University of Theatre Arts, one of the most prestigious theater universities in the world, and Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. She has used this knowledge to meld elements of electronic, dance, pop, and rock into uniquely vibrant and cinematic songs that lend themselves to striking visuals. Her music video for �Doll� was chosen as the official selection of the 40th Denver Film Festival in 2017 and the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2018, and her video for �Complicated� was supported by World of Dance and the World Music Video Awards. Polyna has also been featured on the cover of VIRTUOGENIX Magazine and been featured in Beat, Avenir, Pop Justice, Fame Magazine, and many other publications. In addition, her songs are in rotation on SiriusXM in the U.S., played in H&M stores around the world, and featured on hit playlists such as New Music Friday and Chilled Pop Hits.
�Polyna�s music absolutely blew me away, and I instantly knew that 3143 needed to be part of her journey,� said KL Martin, Founder and President of 3143 Management. �She is one of the most talented people I�ve ever met, and it�s only a matter of time before she�s a household name around the world. We�re looking forward to working with her and the team we�ll be creating together to make that a reality.�
�KL and the 3143 Management team have been extremely welcoming and encouraging of my vision, and I know we�ll do great things together,� said Polyna. �I�ve been working hard on some new surprises and can�t wait to share them with all my fans.�
For more information on Polyna, visit polyna.com.
Polyna Social Media
Instagram � instagram.com/polynamusic
Facebook � facebook.com/polynaofficial
Twitter � twitter.com/polynamusic
About 3143 Management
3143 Management is one of the fastest-growing artist management agencies in New Jersey, offering a wide range of services including management, booking, distribution, and social media. Based in Asbury Park, one of the country�s richest music scenes, 3143 works with the most exciting independent acts in the region, crafting customized deals, development plans, and promotional strategies to expand their fanbase and nurture their existing audience. Its current roster includes Arlan Feiles, Dave Mooney and Viewers Like You, Deen Anthony, Deirdre Forrest, Ellis Wilkinson, The Extensions, The Hell Yeah Babies, JAHK, The Mercury Brothers, and The Paper Jets. For more information, visit 3143mgmt.com.
3143 Management Media Contact
Bill Greenwood, 609-221-2374, bgreenwood@3143mgmt.com


text:
Here's how the R rating, which turns 50 this year, became off-limits to many Mormon moviegoers — and why it may not be the case anymore
(Paul Fraughton | Tribune file photo) Filmmaker Richard Dutcher, shown in April 2012.
By Sean P. Means
· Published: October 3, 2018
Growing up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, filmmaker Richard Dutcher always knew R-rated movies were "kind of a taboo."
He also thought that taboo wasn't supported by the church's doctrine.
"If you want to deal with issues of faith in a real-world situation, obviously you're going to be portraying things" that fall outside the limits of "family-friendly entertainment," said Dutcher, who kicked off a decade of LDS-oriented moviemaking with his 2000 missionary drama "God's Army."
Dutcher said he would tell aspiring Latter-day Saint filmmakers that "it's better to tell an R-rated truth than a G-rated lie."
For many LDS faithful, though, the R rating — which is marking its 50th anniversary this fall — is a line they will not cross.
While the rule is rigid in the minds of many members, its origins come from a handful of comments made by church leaders through the years.
The movie industry's lobbying arm, the Motion Picture Association of America, introduced the ratings system in 1968 as the industry fought local censorship boards, and filmmakers chafed at the restrictions under the antiquated Hays Code — which, among other things, mandated that married couples on screen sleep in separated twin beds.
The first ratings, implemented Nov. 1, 1968, assigned letter ratings to each movie: G for general audiences, M for mature, R for restricted and X. The M soon was replaced with GP, briefly, and then PG for parental guidance.
PG-13, the rating sought for most action movies, was introduced in 1984 as a middle ground between PG and R. In 1990, the NC-17 rating took over for the X, which was never copyrighted by the MPAA, thus allowing porno theaters to advertise hardcore films as "Triple X."
As the ratings system became well-known across America — in recent surveys, the MPAA found that 94 percent of adults with children have heard of it — leaders in the LDS Church also took notice.
The first recorded reference by a high-level LDS official to the MPAA system was in the October 1972 LDS General Conference, by Robert L. Simpson, then an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Simpson recommended that parents "make some effort to find out something" about any movie their family might watch. "It goes without saying that all X- and R-rated movies are automatically eliminated," Simpson wrote.
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In that same conference, Hartman Rector Jr., then-president of the First Council of the Seventy, gave a laundry list of barred behaviors for young people. One of them: "Do not attend R- or X-rated movies, and avoid drive-ins."
Ezra Taft Benson set this notion in stone. In a priesthood talk at General Conference in April 1986, the church's president and prophet gave a talk, "To the Youth of the Noble Birthright," that urged young priesthood holders toward a moral life.
"We counsel you, young men, not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards," Benson said, 23 minutes into the 33-minute talk. "Don't see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive or pornographic. Don't listen to music that is degrading."
David Scott, a professor of communication at Utah Valley University, is struck at how the R-rating rule has spread past Benson's initial audience of young men.
"It is fascinating how people become adults and still carry that belief system with them as a universal standard," Scott said, "rather than one that's just recommendations for children."
The mention of the R rating was brief — Benson talked a lot longer about music — but lasting.
For example, at the Megaplex Theatres chain, which operates 16 locations on the Interstate 15 corridor from Logan to Mesquite, Nev., the R rating is strictly enforced. A parent or legal guardian must buy tickets for guests under 17 and stay for the film — and, after 6 p.m., parents cannot bring children under 5 into any R-rated movie.
Filmmaker Andrew James remembers growing up in a Latter-day Saint household where R-rated movies weren't allowed. Usually.
"My parents wanted me to see 'Schindler's List,' so they broke the rule a few times," said James, whose documentary "Street Fighting Men" is on the festival circuit.
As a film student at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, James would see foreign movies in the school's International Cinema program, usually with objectionable material edited out. If he saw a Hollywood movie, it would be at the BYU-owned Varsity Theatre in Provo — which always made a few nips and tucks.
"It felt arbitrary, and I wanted to watch good films," James said. "I always found it weird they were trusting this arbitrary rating system that was coming from the dreaded Hollywood."
When the Oscar-winning "Schindler's List" came out in 1993, it didn't screen at the Varsity because director Steven Spielberg refused to let it be edited. The controversy prompted Scott, as his master's thesis at BYU, to write a study about moviegoing habits, asking customers at a Provo video store whether they would go see "Schindler's List."
(Photo courtesy Amblin Partners / Universal Pictures) Liam Neeson, left, and Ben Kingsley star in Steven Spielberg's 1993 drama "Schindler's List." The movie's R rating tested the moviegoing habits of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In his study, Scott found that about half those responding were "situationalists" who would investigate a movie's content before deciding whether to see it. Another 40 percent were "absolutists" who would refuse to go to any R-rated movie because church leaders told them not to. The final 10 percent, Scott said, were "escapists," who avoided nudity and language but were OK with violence in films — and separated movie watching from their religious lives.
The conclusion of that 1990s study, Scott said, is "that Mormons aren't all one-minded, at least at the college-age level."
The view that movies could be cut up for Latter-day Saint consumption, James said, was a large factor in the rise of edited-video services, a booming business in Utah in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The boom was short-lived after courts ruled that such editing violated the copyrights of the movie studios that produced the films.
James and co-director Joshua Ligairi detailed the phenomenon in the documentary "Cleanflix," which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film opened with video of Benson's 1986 sermon.
It wasn't an R-rated movie but the PG-13, 1997 megahit "Titanic" that got the edited-video businesses rolling, James said. The single seminude scene of Kate Winslet's Rose posing for Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack became so controversial that an American Fork video store offered a new service: splicing the scene from customers' VHS copies.
"They were outraged. They saw it as a moral decay," James said. "They felt entitled, in a way, to fix it. And it grew from there."
The motivation for such businesses was, as James put it, that people said "we want to experience the cultural zeitgeist of 'The Matrix' but without the violence or the sex."
That mindset, Dutcher said, reveals "a cultural immaturity. … The vast majority of Mormons don't see filmmaking as an art form."
(photo courtesy Excel Entertainment) Jacqui Gray, left, and Matthew A. Brown play missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Richard Dutcher's 2000 drama "God's Army."
Scott said that in the media studies courses he teaches at UVU, Latter-day Saint students are shifting away from the old R-rated standard as they're inundated with more media — much of it without any kind of ratings system.
While some still follow the rigid rule, Scott said, "the vast majority have let that go."
Dutcher ran headlong into the admonition against R-rated movies when he made his 2008 urban drama "Falling," in which he played a freelance Los Angeles videographer wrestling with his LDS faith when he witnesses a murder in the streets. The movie got an R rating for violence and language.
Dutcher confronted the ratings issue head-on, putting up a billboard on Interstate 15 marketing "Falling" as "the first R-rated Mormon movie."
"Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I had fun doing it," Dutcher said. "It's a Mormon film that, because it was R-rated, the target audience didn't even go to see."
spmeans@sltrib.com
twitter Follow @moviecricket


When I was a student in Rome I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During most of my stay in that ancient part of the world I was in the company of other pilgrims. But there was one trek I took solo. It was to the town of Capernaum, which is the important city highlighted in today's gospel. The group I was with was not scheduled to go to Capernaum, but I was intent on doing so since I was to be ordained the following December. At the Jesuit Biblicum where I was staying, a receptionist had written out in modern Hebrew the name Kaphar-na-um. I was to give it to the local bus driver who would drop me off at the town where Jesus began his public ministry.
I was the only non-native on the bus, which was packed with Israeli soldiers with their rifles in hand, young mothers nursing their kids, people on their way back home after a long day at work. I was told the trip was not going to take long. But the bus driver apparently forgot my note and never stopped at Capernaum. I realized something was dreadfully wrong when I was one of the few people left on the bus. The bus driver told me to get off and wait for a bus to take me back to Jerusalem. I waited for over an hour. It began to get dark and cold and I wondered where in the world I was.
When I prepared today's homily, all those emotions of feeling lost in a strange yet beautiful land came back to me. The adventure of it all! Which, after all, is what life is all about: an adventure. It isn't just narrative fluff for Matthew to say that when John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus left his hometown of Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea. Jesus' move is very important for Matthew's story. Now that John has been "handed over," it is time for Jesus to take over. The new order has begun.
In today's gospel, Jesus not only broadens his horizons, he calls others to do so as well. Notice how Matthew emphasizes the family relationships of the people involved in this story. Peter and Andrew are specified as brothers, as are James and John. He underscores the fact that they leave their father and their boat in order to follow Jesus. I am wondering today about the people in our country who constantly chant, "America first!" Are they bothered by today's gospel? Jesus is telling us that to be his disciples we sometimes have to question the values of our country, indeed, even sometimes to leave our families.
Even Jesus' family tried to restrain him from his ministry. They tried to bring him back home. I think Jesus knew how easy it is to be so consumed by family values that we forget who we are apart from them. The gospel today speaks loud and clear to us a message that is perhaps hard for us to hear, but hear we must. The gospel tells us that the kingdom of heaven doesn't exist to serve the country; the country exists to serve the kingdom of heaven. The gospel tells us that that the kingdom of heaven doesn't exist to serve the family; the family exists to serve the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is always calling us even from what is most secure, more sacred, most safe in our lives, to something and someone higher.
You are a parent, child, spouse, aunt, uncle, godparent, grandparent, citizen – yes. But you are first of all a Christian, a child of God. That is your true identity. That is who you most truly are and where your real peace and security lie. Once we get that into our hearts and heads, chances are we can survive even a broken country or a dysfunctional family.
When Matthew first told this story about leaving family and boats and all familiar ways to follow Jesus, it didn't frighten his congregation. After all, there were many sitting in his congregation who had already been kicked out of their synagogues or families for believing in Jesus. When Matthew first told this story, it didn't frighten people; it comforted them.
Let us also hear this gospel as a story of comfort and reassurance. In this Eucharist, in the partaking of his Body and Blood, may Jesus give all of us the strength and the courage to broaden our horizons and do what is right.


American Retro FW2014/15 Collection hit the highway of love in modern street style meets rock'n'roll glamour and French chic. American Retro girl sets off on Route 66 adventures in her large, grumbling Cadillac. With the snowy mountains in the background, she's making stopovers at diners and motels, setting her mood between the '50s and '70s.
At nightfall, she enlightens the dark and frozen asphalt with the floodlights of her car. She's wearing wintery sweaters and elongated skirts, her boyfriend's checked shirts and pinstriped suits. The tiny mini skirt and big furry coat also make appearances. She's borrowing from both men's tailored style as well as a starlet's wardrobe. Fur, wool, feathers and velvets are featured, alongside crinkly silver, bonded leather, shiny sequins and compact neoprene jerseys. The new season is all about cosy fabrics, glimmery dresses, shiny and matte fabrics, winter sport details and menswear tailoring.
Highlight pieces include stretch suede or bonded leather miniskirts, a shearlingsleeved coat, ribbed knit turtlenecks, velvet or knitted dresses, as well as flared skirt, dresses or pants. Dark hues marry unexpected red or pink tonalities. Graphics are borrowed from Pop Art and inspired by raindrops falling on the car's windscreen.


text:
Waves churned by El Nino storms underneath the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in San Francisco Bay. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
La Niña shows signs of ending. Is El Niño next?
by: Alix Martichoux
(NEXSTAR) – The long reign of La Niña may soon be over. According to the latest outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, there's an 82% chance that by springtime – sometime between March and May – La Niña will have faded away.
In the spring, La Niña is most likely to be replaced by conditions meteorologists refer to as "ENSO neutral," which is when neither La Niña nor El Niño is present.
Looking further down the forecast into late summer and early fall and there are signs of something we haven't seen in years: the return of El Niño.
Avian flu confirmed in three grizzly bears euthanized in Montana
By the August through October timeframe, there's about a 50% chance El Niño will take hold. Of course, that means there's also about a 50% chance it won't.
NOAA issues an "El Niño watch" when El Niño is possible within the next six months, explained Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, and so far, no watch has been issued. The team that monitors ENSO patterns is waiting a bit to see if the probabilities firm up, she said.
"We really do want to see more metrics in support of it before saying El Niño is possible and that we should be alert to it," L'Heureux said. "But with that said, those probabilities are not nothing. They're certainly something to keep an eye on and we will."
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Both La Niña and El Niño usually grow strongest in the winter. A strong El Niño winter, if it were to develop, would be the inverse of what we've seen the last three years and would likely mean a cold, wet winter for California and the Southern U.S. El Niño usually means a warm, dry winter for the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.
In the near term, L'Heureux emphasized, La Niña is still with us. Its effect was apparent in the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for February released on Thursday.
For the southern half of the U.S., meteorologists predict a February that is warmer and drier than average – as is typical with La Niña winters. In northern states, it's the opposite: A colder and wetter February is expected.
If El Niño were to develop later this year, it's not yet clear how long it would last. It would be a big change from the dominance of La Niña, which has been present practically uninterrupted since the summer of 2020.
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text:
Bikinis & Boardwalks
#livetravelchannel Sun 8pm | 7c
Bikinis & Boardwalks: Gangsters & Alligators
Get wet and wild at 2 amazing summer hot spots: the beach boardwalks in Atlantic City, NJ, and Hollywood Beach, FL.
Episode: Gangsters & Alligators
Beaches Summer
Atlantic City's Steel Pier, longer than the length of 3 football fields, is packed with adrenaline-fueled rides.
The Atlantic City boardwalk is the largest in the world. Built in 1870, it hit its stride in the Roaring Twenties when notorious political boss and racketeer Nucky Johnson ruled the boardwalk.
Located 60 miles east of Philadelphia, Atlantic City is known for its strip of casinos, but this place offers much more for its 30 million annual visitors.
Atlantic City's collection of casinos includes Bally's, Caesars and Trump Plaza.
This tunnel of games leads to the Trump Taj Mahal, which has one of the largest poker rooms in Atlantic City.
In the 1800s, saltwater taffy became the "first Atlantic City souvenir," and James Candy still uses the original recipe that made it such a hit back then.
After a crash course in the fundamentals, these girls mastered the theory of catching waves and hit the Atlantic City surf, the same shores that rumrunners used to smuggle illegal booze during Prohibition.
Twelve hundred miles south is another locale with the most exotic vibe of all: Hollywood Beach, FL.
Hollywood Beach's Caribbean-like charm makes it a dreamy escape from the spring break hot spots to the north and south.
Happy hour is the perfect time to loosen up at the hottest spot on the boardwalk, or "broadwalk" as the locals call it: Nick's Bar and Grill.
The ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood Beach encompasses 10 acres of parks and promenades, complete with an interactive fountain.
Hollywood Beach's Le Tub features bathtubs as art and planters throughout the restaurant, so it's easy to see where it got its name from.
With its tropical vibe, Le Tub makes you feel like you're eating in the Amazon, just a few blocks off the beach.
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Q: Understanding URLs in Apache on Mac Running Apache on Mac Snow Leopard (ie Web sharing enabled).
Paths are evaluating in ways not expected:
example.com/folder is returning a file (sans exception) instead of a folder.
If I make a call to example.com/events/March and I have a file events.php in my root directory, Apache returns that page, and the rest of the path is ignored.
Furthermore, this call takes precedence over the commands in .htaccess
eg. I need example.com/events/March to redirect to example.com/events.php?month=March
Apache returns example.com/events.php without the requisite argument.
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^events/(.+)/?$ events.php?month=$1

If the events.php doesn't exist (let us say it is called eventsHandler.php), then the above rewriteRule works wonderfully. So I know it is not an issue with the .htaccess
I've tried to make file extensions visible, it has not helped.
So the questions are:

*

*Why does Apache on Mac drop the file extension and treat the file as a folder?

*Why doesn't the .htaccess overrule this?

*How do I fix this, that it should just work?

A: On MacOS, a slash ("/") is a valid character for use in filenames and is not a path delimiter.  Try using a colon for the path delimiter instead.
Also, be sure to test your paths in all the code you depend on because you may occasionally encounter some code that will try to automatically convert paths after detecting the OS.  We ran into some issues like this back in the Novell NetWare days (not with NetWare, which supported multiple file system naming conventions on a single volume by adding something called a "namespace" on the server-side, but with third-party tools and libraries that can sometimes introduce confusion).


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Editorial: Hawkeyes, stay home or help out
Promoting large gatherings such as parties is harmful amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are better ways to help combat this disease and unite with the community.
Jenna Galligan
The Old Capitol is seen on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
DI Editorial Board
A video shared on the public Barstool Hawkeyes Instagram account last week highlights a growing concern in Johnson County amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The video depicts individuals who appear to be University of Iowa students recreating the downtown Iowa City bar scene through filming in their home.
Members of the international community, federal and local government, and even social-media influencers are encouraging Americans to stay home, practice social distancing, and leave the house for only necessary errands.
In this unprecedented time, it is frustrating to see UI community members take such a threatening virus so lightly. The novel coronavirus may harm us or our loved ones. For millions of Americans, including hundreds of Hawkeyes, it has resulted in extreme unexpected financial hardship, making it difficult for people to pay rent or put food on the table.
The Daily Iowan Editorial Board understands wanting to find creative ways to have fun amid these trying times. There are better ways to cope with the challenges COVID-19 poses than promoting harmful coping methods such as drinking and depicting people enjoying gatherings rather than practicing social distancing, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the spread of COVID-19 to ease the burden on hospitals faced with treating an influx of patients.
The public shaming of college students has consumed numerous media outlets in recent weeks, as 49 University of Texas at Austin students returned from their spring-break trip to Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico and tested positive for COVID-19.
"If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not going to let it stop me from partying," remarked another young individual when interviewed on why he chose to spring break in Florida amid a pandemic. He has since rescinded his imprudent statement.
Early news of this pandemic gave the assumption that young adults were not at risk for COVID-19, but that was quickly disproved as reports showed that 20 percent of all coronavirus hospitalizations were for individuals between ages 20 and 44. The virus shows no immunity to younger people, who potentially run the risk of being asymptomatic carriers and unknowingly spreading the virus to others who may be more vulnerable to falling severely ill or dying from it.
Iowa does not currently have a shelter-in-place order. Johnson County, home to the UI campus, is one of three counties with the most COVID-19 cases, with 134 confirmed cases. It follows Polk County with 127 cases and Linn County with 186, the Iowa Department of Public Health reports. Needless to say, the threat of the virus is local for all Hawkeyes. Self-discipline is necessary now, more than ever, regardless of the lack of a shelter-in-place order.
Since the end of March, Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague has emphasized adhering to Gov. Kim Reynolds' disaster proclamation, encouraging social distancing and gathering in groups of less than 10 people.
It is a shame to see fellow students disregard the lives around them and celebrate naivety for social-media clout. Feedback in the comments section of the video include, "Take it from me who went to Iowa and lives in NY," the state that leads the country in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. "I really hope y'all stop that. Learn from the college kids in Texas. Y'all ain't immune trust me."
As our generation is justifiably mocked and blamed for the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country, we have a role to play in proving that, when asked to set up to the plate by staying home and staying safe, we can do it. So little is asked of us with the reward of getting back to routine as usual. If we cannot practice discipline now, the result can be costly and devastating.
Some UI students, though, are championing what it means to be in this effort to combat the pandemic together. They should be looked at as models for how to step up during this period of uncertainty.
Students running the UI Mobile Clinic are offering telemedicine appointments in order to serve the community while following social-distancing guidelines. Their work brings basic health care to members of the community that are uninsured or underinsured — a critical service for many at the moment.
For health-care workers on the front lines of this virus, some Hawkeye medical students are coming to the rescue by providing services such as babysitting, errand running, and meal prepping to assist those who cannot distance themselves from work and are needed to save lives affected by the virus.
Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz says it best: "We all want to get back to work and we miss our routine. But the bigger picture is that if we are not able to get back, that means we have bigger problems than missing football."
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An auto accident can cause considerable damages to your vehicle, and it can also result in injuries that will require professional care to treat. Chiropractic treatments can be extremely effective for those that have suffered from a motor vehicle accident injury, but being uninformed about this type of care can cause you to fail to receive it.
While it is true that particularly severe neck and back injuries will likely require surgery to correct, many others will be able to be corrected through a combination of chiropractic care and physical rehabilitation. Before you will know whether chiropractic care can be used to treat your injuries, you will need to be thoroughly evaluated. This evaluation may require the use of x-rays or other imaging tools to allow the doctor to determine the scope of the injuries that your neck and back suffered.
Individuals will often assume that neck and back injuries will always be extremely easy to notice. While it may seem as though you would immediately become aware of injuries to these areas of your body, it can actually take some time before the symptoms of the injury will become severe enough to be noticed. This can be particularly true with injuries that are caused by strained tendons, ligaments, muscles or inflammation. While you may feel relatively fine after the accident, being evaluated by your doctor as soon as possible may help to identify these issues so that treatments can be started as soon as possible.
While receiving chiropractic care can be extremely beneficial to helping your neck and back injuries heal, there are patients that will not even consider receiving this treatment due to the belief that they will have to pay for the full costs of this treatment out of their own pocket. Yet there are many insurance companies that will provide coverage for these services. By speaking with your insurance agent or representative, you can now what type of coverage your policy offers for chiropractic care. In some situations, you may need to be referred to a chiropractor by your general care provider in order for it to be covered. If this is required and your doctor recommends being treated by a chiropractor, you should arrange for your medical records from the accident to be sent to the chiropractor so that they can more easily review your condition.


Here's VIDEO of ex-Denver Broncos QB Chad Kelly being chased out of a Denver-area home by a man wielding a vacuum cleaner tube … all while Kelly's dressed like an idiot in his Halloween costume.
It's all part of Kelly's criminal case stemming from the bizarre October 22 arrest — after Kelly left Von Miller's big Halloween party and wandered into a random person's home.
The woman called for help — and a man who was inside the house grabbed a piece from a vacuum cleaner and used it as a weapon to chase the QB out of the home, striking him several times along the way.
In the footage, taken from the security camera at the home — you can see Kelly (apparently dressed as Woody from "Toy Story") bolting out of the home.
Kelly was later arrested and charged with felony criminal trespassing.
But on Wednesday, the QB struck deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of 2nd degree criminal trespass — a class 3 misdemeanor — and in exchange, the the felony trespass charge was dropped.


Avete già sentito del programma musicale stupendo tra l'8.8.2011-17.7.2011 che sarà offerto a Locarno nell'ambito dei famosi "MOON & STARS"? Spero che possiate così anche migliorare le vostre conoscenze linguistiche.
Have you already heard about the fantastic artists Locarno is expecting for the open-air concerts in Locarno between the 8th and 17th July 2011? I hope that you can in this way also improve you language knowledge.
Habt ihr schon von den fantastischen"Moon & Stars" Konzerten gehört, die zwischen dem 8.und 17.Juli 2011 in Locarno gegeben werden? Ich hoffe,dass ihr dank dieser Musik auch eure Sprachkenntnisse verbessern könnt.
Great artists, such as BLIGG, STING, SANTANA, ZUCCHERO, JOE COOKER and GIANNA NANINI, ROXETTE, AMY WINEHOUSE, BRYAN ADAMS or JACK JOHNSON will take part!
You can listen to the song and at the same time do an exercise.There are four difficulty levels in this kind of exercises.
You have to fill the missing words into the gaps and the music will stop if it is too fast for you to follow. Click on "backspace" if you want to relisten to the music or on "tab" for the missing word to be filled in..
Sag mir nicht, dass sich ein Versuch nicht lohnt/dass sich kämpfen nicht lohnt.
You know it's true./Sai che è vero./Du weisst, dass es wahr ist.
There's nothing to hide/Non c'è niente da nascondere/Es gibt nichts zu verbergen.
There's nowhere unless you're there./Non c'è nulla, (nessun posto) se tu non ci sei./Es gibt nichts, (keinen Ort) ausser du bist dort.
ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK/STING – with subtitles!
Last but not least I would like to mention the following linkhttp://dartagnan.ch/static.php?op=canzoni.txt&npds=1 because here you can read the lyrics of songs in English and getquite good transaltions into Italian. You can either look for songs in foreign languages in alfabetical order, for songs in foreign languages by the name of the singers or soundtracks.
On the right hand of some lyrics there is the icon of a loudspeaker and there should also be the possibility of listening to the music. I don't now, however, whether it works always.


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'I Thought I Didn't Have The Nicest Clothes' – Africa's Most Beautiful Girl
Advertisement Last December, the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Nyekachi Douglas stole the headlines with her wild celebrations when Miss Jamaica was announced … Continue reading 'I Thought I Didn't Have The Nicest Clothes' – Africa's Most Beautiful Girl
By Solomon Elusoji
Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Nyekachi Douglas at the Miss World 2019 beauty pageant
Last December, the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Nyekachi Douglas stole the headlines with her wild celebrations when Miss Jamaica was announced the world's most beautiful woman at the Miss World 2019 beauty pageant.
Although Douglas, who was the highest-ranked African beauty queen at the contest, didn't win, she received warm accolades for the manner in which she jubilated with Miss Jamaica, Toni-Ann Singh.
Recently, the Jamaican Consulate in Abuja invited Douglas to congratulate her for placing high at the beauty tournament and, of course, for her bubbling celebrations around the Jamaican queen.
READ ALSO: Miss Nigeria Inspires The Internet After Frenzied Celebrations
"From the moment you graced the stage in London at the Miss World, we thought that you had something special and certainly by the time the competition was over, we had confirmed that," Jamaica's High Commissioner to Nigeria, Esmond Reid, said at the Jamaican reception for Douglas.
The top diplomat also announced that Douglas was set to travel to Jamaica in February.
Ms. Douglas couldn't hide her joy on stage last December.
"We know that an invitation has been extended for you to come to Jamaica in March and all of Jamaica is waiting for you," he said.
"You are one of us now. And it is no accident that you have the surname Douglas, which is a very recognised name in Jamaica. We look forward to seeing and reading about the things that you will be doing."
At the reception, Douglas was visibly overcome with emotion, intermittently covering her face with her palms.
"The first time I watched the video (celebrating on the Miss World stage), I was like 'why did I have to be so excited on stage?'" She said.
"But the more I watched it . . . we live in a world where people who are trying to run for the same thing and push for the same goal are trying to pull each other down. We don't realise that we are all trying to do the same thing.
Jamaica's High Commissioner to Nigeria, Esmond Reid, was delighted to receive Ms. Douglas
"We should be happy that someone has gotten to a place where they can do what you want to do. And as Toni-Ann said, there is enough room for each of the other Queens to still make a difference. The crown is beautiful, but you don't need the crown to change the things that you can change. And Toni-Ann is an amazing woman, a God-fearing girl, someone that I can say I admire – she has values. So I am not surprised that she has the crown. I called it. So I was like 'I told you'."
Later during the reception, Douglas shared the story of how she decided to compete for the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) contest which catapulted her to the world stage.
"It was something that I had always wanted to do," she said.
But at the audition stage, "I had so many reasons to believe I wasn't going to make it too far. But the push from the people that love me and God gave me the courage to still go there, even though I thought I didn't have the nicest clothes.
Ms. Douglas said the Miss World beauty pageant is essentially about making an impact on the world.
"Even after the auditions, there were moments I felt I wasn't going to go anymore because I didn't want to waste my time. I wanted to come back the next year when I had better clothes. But now I realise you will never feel fully prepared. There is always something more that you can do; and if you keep on waiting, you are never going to do it because there is no such thing as perfect."
Douglas said being at the Miss World contest has shown her that beauty pageants are not about "how beautiful you are or how slim your waist is, it is more about how do I be an impact on the rest of the world? It's more about being a voice – not just for yourself but for your country. It's a union of national ambassadors. And we are finding ways we can make ourselves better and make our projects better. It is something that will change you completely and make you see life through a different lens."
Douglas is currently partnering with organisations to rebuild schools in Makoko and equip them with computers.
"I grew up in a place that's not as privileged," she said. "It's very difficult to be ambitious when you are living in that kind of place because you are only seeing one thing and my goal is to expose them to more than what they have."
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Camp is where it's at.
There is so much to learn from a week of summer camp as campers and staff. God works wonders here in this set apart place. Kids get a chance to disconnect from devices and reconnect with themselves, friends and the stunning Creation that surrounds them at Tall Timber.
Check out the article below for a great read on why Camp makes a difference in kids' lives.


Whether you're travelling to the snowfields in Queenstown or planning a beach vacation to Greece, protecting your belongings is an absolute priority for every traveller. Unfortunately, year after year many travellers fall victim to cash, belonging and identity theft.
If you're travelling alone or with a group, the rules of packing safely are simple, says Kathmandu Product and Training Expect Daan Dijkstra. Daan argues "the key to travelling to a new country, is to pack smart." This is particularly important when adventuring through foreign areas, visiting tourist-heavy cities or exploring high-risk areas.
Daan gives us his low-down on how best protect yourself while travelling.
The rise in modern technology not only enables travellers to spam friends with thousands of holiday posts and beach-envy photos, but also serves as the main contributor to the $300 billion dollar credit card fraud industry. These days, criminals can easy obtain traveller identity details and syphon cash by using RFID skimmers. To protect yourself, your identity and all your hard-earned dollars, consider purchasing a travel wallet with RFID electromagnetic shielding technology. It could be the difference between a pool tanning session and a visit to the local police station. The Kathmandu's Departure Wallet keeps everything safe in a compact and simple manner. Make travel smart choices now and you'll thank yourself later.
Make your luggage distinguishable on the luggage carousel by adding a luggage tag to your checked bags. To safeguard your bag further, purchase small combination locks that bolt the zips of your bag together. This reduces the risk of any unwanted visitors cracking open your bag. Hot tip: use locks with combination mechanisms to avoid and lost-key issues. The Kathmandu Travel Security ID Kit is the perfect safety accessory for any traveller, equipped with an ID tag and a small combination lock to seal everything away.
Pocket, meet zip – sounds simple, but loose satchels and open bags are just asking for swift hands to make light of your heavy cash. When purchasing travel bags – be it luggage, handbag or daypack, ensure that all openings have a zip or secure closure and use it!
If you find yourself in a particularly unsafe/crowded area, keep those valuables close by investing in an adjustable belted bag that can be worn around the waist, over the shoulder or as a backpack. For some inspiration check out the Transit Magic Pack by Kathmandu.
For more information regarding Kathmandu products, tips and travel essentials visit Kathmandu online.


There was a strict nature reserve inside the park area until 1961 when the reserve was unfortunately abolished1. The national park (158 km2) was established only in 2007. It adjoins Kintrishi Strict Nature Reserve (139 km2).
Annual precipitation exceeds 2500 mm, even reaching 4000 mm 2 on some uppermost slopes; thus, this is the wettest place in the Caucasus and also in the whole former Soviet Union1. Average annual temperature is 9–10°C at the park's higher elevations discussed below2. The forests have often been called temperate rainforests. Compared with the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Coast of North America (see Olympic National Park) and the Southern Hemisphere (see Tarkine), the climate is somewhat more continental. The summer dry season, an important characteristic of the Pacific Coast of North America, is absent3. As a consequence of these climatic differences, the forest consists of deciduous broadleaf trees. The forests of northern Iran (see Alborz Mountains) and western Georgia have a number of common features3.
Elevation ranges from approx. 200 m to 1764 m. The slopes are steep. As in northern Iran, there was a glacial refugium in the lowlands of western Georgia and adjacent areas3, consequently many regional endemics can be found on the park's lower slopes. However, the low-elevation forests are not in their natural state. At higher elevations individual trees have been felled before the park's establishment4 but the forest nevertheless looks quite undisturbed with large and dead trees; however, here the diversity is rather low. For information about tree identification, see Borjomi Strict Nature Reserve. Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) dominates. The other abundant trees are Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut), Carpinus betulus (European hornbeam) and Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata (black alder) 2. Here A. glutinosa is not restricted to riversides and wetlands but also grows on slopes and ridges. C. sativa was formerly widespread in Georgia's forests but today it can only be found in mountains with limited accessibility5.
A remarkable difference to Europe's Fagus sylvatica (European beech) forests (see Heilige Hallen Nature Reserve) is the undergrowth, which typically consists of a dense, mostly evergreen, vegetatively regenerating shrub layer. The most abundant species is Rhododendron ponticum (pontic rhododendron), other common species being Rhododendron ungernii, Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel), Ilex colchica and Vaccinium arctostaphylos (Caucasian whortleberry), of which only the last mentioned is deciduous. In the F. orientalis forests on the upper slopes, the shrub layer is often only about one metre tall but all the mentioned evergreen species can reach over 10 metres in favourable sites, V. arctostaphylos attaining about 5 m at most6. In places, forest floors resembling those of F. sylvatica forest can also be found, e.g. with a low thorny Rubus shrub layer, or with almost non-existent undergrowth. The canopy is not particularly dense. Climbers are scarce on F. orientalis but more abundant on other trees. The upper slopes are shrouded by fog almost daily4.
The park has two hiking routes. The shorter one, through Juglans regia (Persian walnut) and other plantations, is mostly located outside the park and is not worth hiking for the forest (the trail ends at a waterfall). But the longer one (meant as a two-day trail but possible to hike in one long day) runs at higher elevations through gorgeous F. orientalis forests. Overnight stays are allowed in a camping place near the above-mentioned waterfall and in a shelter at the end of the longer trail at 1235 m elevation. The trails begin at Chakvistavi village, which can be reached by taxi from Chakvi (the 15 km trip along a very bad road takes 45 min).
2 Memiadze, N. et al. (2013): Flora of Mtirala National Park. International Caucasian Forestry Symposium.
3 Nakhutsrishvili, G. (2013): The Vegetation of Georgia (South Caucasus). Springer.
5 Bobokashvili, Z. & Maghradze, D. (2009): Georgia. In Avanzato, D. (ed.): Following Chestnut Footprints (Castanea spp.).
6 Schmidt (2002-7): Bäume und Sträucher Kaukasiens. Mitt. Dtsch. Dendrol. Ges. 87-92.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) forest. Elev. approx. 800 m.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) forest. Elev. approx. 900 m.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) forest at approx. 1000 m.
Two Tilia begoniifolia (Caucasian linden) at approx. 1100 m.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) at approx. 1100 m.
Creek valley at approx. 1100 m. Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata (black alder, left) and flowering Rhododendron ungernii.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech) forest. Also small Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut, left centre). Rhododendron ponticum (pontic rhododendron) understorey.
Fagus orientalis (oriental beech), girth 536 cm. Rhododendron ponticum (pontic rhododendron) understorey. Elev. approx. 900 m.
Some canopy tree and understorey (bottom) species at upper elevations.