A Friday of US fiscal truth: No, we can't!
The US government had almost run out of money but Congress started delivering appropriations on the FY 2012 budget last week, avoiding a shut-down until mid-December. More importantly, the bipartisan Joint Select Committee is supposed to deliver a proposal for fiscal measures worth at least USD 1.2 tr in ten-year terms, thus setting the stage for a final compromise in the Committee on November 23 and for a Congressional up-or-down vote one month later. Otherwise, spending cuts evenly split between defence and discretionary social spending to achieve the reductions will have to be made by the OMB starting January 1, 2013. As of Friday morning, the super-committee had essentially settled nothing and, on a most positive account, put together some USD 750-850 bn in potential ten-year fiscal adjustment measures, or a good half a point of GDP per annum!
The Democrats seem ready to tackle some mandatory spending programmes in exchange for significant Republican concessions on raising tax revenue which have not come about so far. Effectively constrained by the Grover Norquist-monitored pledge ("no revenue increases"), the GOP fails to allow for sufficient ownership of fiscal adjustment proposals by both parties, risking deadlock in the Committee and in Congress later on. With Congressional leadership and the White House pretty detached from talks, the risk of failure is imminent. However, Congress should be interested in reining in longterm spending and raising revenue despite deep ideological obstacles and the upcoming 2012 elections. Adjustments of USD 3-4 tr over ten years are needed. It would send strongly negative signals to the markets if Congress cannot agree on USD 1.2 tr. Only if markets were to assume that the GOP wins the Senate, the House and the White House on November 4, 2012, and that Republican-style adjustments were to ensue, could bond markets stay calm – many big ifs. "Help" will come from Europe, whose crisis will drive home to Washington, DC the horrors of bond markets shutting down. It is a long time until December 23.
Deutsche Bank Research is responsible for macroeconomic analysis within Deutsche Bank Group and acts as consultant for the bank, its clients and stakeholders. We analyse relevant trends for the bank in financial markets, the economy and society and highlight risks and opportunities. DB Research delivers high-quality, independent analysis and actively promotes public debate on economic, fiscal, labour market and social policy issues.


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San Diego County Rattlesnakes
May 4, 2018 by Lynn Webb
For many of us who own dogs, rattlesnakes are a real concern. We may feel like we can avoid them ourselves, but feel less certain that our dogs can do the same. In addition to training our dogs to avoid rattlesnakes, it is also important to understand the rattlesnakes themselves and to acquire information about that animal we may fear.
Why Rattlesnakes Matter
Rattlesnakes are beneficial to our ecosystem. They prey on rodents that damage crops and other plants, helping to control hantavirus, a disease harmful to humans that rodents spread through their fecal matter. San Diego County has a wide variety of plants and animal species and is known as a biodiversity hotspot. At the same time, it is a hotspot for biodiversity loss, with the highest rate of habitat loss in the continental United States. Rattlesnakes in San Diego County suffer from indiscriminate killing and collection, in addition to habitat loss.
How are rattlesnakes different from other snakes? Rattlesnakes belong to the viper family, and specifically the subfamily of pit vipers, named for the pit organ between the eyes and nostrils. They use that pit as an infrared sensor to detect prey and direct strikes. Rattlesnakes are venomous (not poisonous) and inject venom into their prey to still them. They will also bite and use the venom to stop an attacker. Rattlesnakes do not attack people or dogs, but they will defend themselves, if needed.
The Rattlesnakes That Live Among Us
There are four species of rattlesnake in San Diego county, some more likely to be seen than others. If you live in an area with a lot of rattlesnake activity, heed warning signs to keep you and your dog safe.
The Colorado Desert Sidewinder (crotalus cerastes laterorepens) is San Diego County's smallest rattlesnake and it is commonly found in sandy flats and washes. It is typically active at night, and will rattle and flee when approached. It's nickname is the "horned rattlesnake," named for the horns above its eyes.
The Red Diamond Rattlesnake (crotalus ruber ruber) is San Diego County's largest venomous snake. At the same time, it is the second least venomous of San Diego's rattlesnakes. Found frequently on rocky hillsides, it is active all year-round, although most-active from April to November. This snake rarely rattles or strikes when approached. It is a CA Species of Special Concern.
The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus) can be found in a variety of skin colors on rocky hillsides from the coast to the desert. Depending on the substrate, the colors patterns may be light or dark to assist with camouflage. They are active from March to September and remain quietly coiled unless harassed.
The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (crotalus helleri), also known as the Western Rattlesnake, is the second largest and most dangerous rattlesnake in San Diego County. It has the most toxic venom of the four species listed here. The most commonly encountered, the Southern Pacific lives in urban areas as well as the near the beach and in the mountains. It is typically active during the day from March to October, but may be nocturnal during hotter weather.
Keeping you and your dog safe when hiking in rattlesnake areas requires diligence and training. I teach people how to cue their dogs away from snakes without using shock or other aversive and painful equipment. If interested, go to my training page and find out more about my private training opportunities. Education and Safety are good things.
If you want to know more about these rattlesnakes, or about other reptiles in San Diego County, check out The California Natural History Guides Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region by Jeffrey M. Lemm. I used it as a source here and it is packed full of great photos and facts. I highly recommend it!
Lynn Webb, M.A., KPA CTP, CTMT
Filed Under: Learning

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Justin Bieber >
Justin Bieber's new track appears on Snapchat's Featured Sounds
By Bang Showbiz in Music / Festivals on 15 October 2020
Follow Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber's 'Lonely' appears exclusively on Snapchat's Featured Sounds.
Justin Bieber's new track has appeared exclusively on Snapchat's Featured Sounds.
The 26-year-old star is set to release his new record later this week, but Snapchatters have already been given the chance to hear the vocals for his new song 'Lonely' before it goes on sale.
The move comes amid the launch of the new Snapchat feature, which allows fans to view the album art, song title, and name of the artist.
Justin's fans will therefore be able to create artistic Snaps with his new ballad and share them with their friends, while they'll also be able to save the link to download the song on their favourite platform.
The chart-topping pop star released his last album, 'Changes', earlier this year, and Justin previously admitted to taking creative inspiration from his marriage.
The singer - who is married to model Hailey Bieber - explained: "I'm freaking married now. I got the best wife in the world. She supports me through so much. I'm really honoured to be her husband and I just ... Yes. There's more to come.
"I mean, I want to continue to write about what it looks like to be ... This is an album I wrote in the first year of our marriage, so it's so fresh. There's so much more to learn about commitment, and building trust, and foundation. I'm looking forward to continuing to build and make music that's going to reflect that.
"I think I'm excited about this, but I'm just like, there's so much more. There's so much deeper levels I'm excited to go to, which is fun. It gives me something to look forward to."
Justin Bieber - Anyone Video Video
Justin Bieber debuting new song Anyone during New Year's Eve gig
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Justin Bieber, The Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Choir - Holy ft. Chance The Rapper Video
Justin Bieber and NHS Choir drop charity rendition of mega-hit Holy
Justin Bieber teams up with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir
Justin Bieber says Grammys are wrong to call his album Changes Pop
Justin Bieber to perform at 2020 American Music Awards
Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes to release new duet Monster this week
Justin Bieber covers Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree for Amazon Original's festive output
Justin Bieber - Holy (Acoustic) Ft. Chance The Rapper Video Video
Justin Bieber to perform at E!'s People's Choice Awards 2020
Justin Bieber & Benny Blanco - Lonely Video Video
Justin Bieber recalls 'tough' life chapters as he drops new song Lonely
Zoolander 2 Movie Review
With virtually the same blend of wit and idiocy as the 2001 original, this fashion-scene...
Zoolander 2 - Trailer Trailer
Derek, Hansel and some other familiar faces are back in Zoolander 2! After offering their...
Zoolander 2 - Teaser Trailer
After a disastrous return to the fashion industry following his retirement, which almost ended in...
Justin Bieber's Believe Trailer
When Justin Bieber was discovered by Scooter Braun and Usher Raymond after performing his songs...
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Clearly designed with his 12-year-old female fanbase in mind, this backstage myth-making doc wants to...


Think you know everything there is to know about Orlando? Take this quiz and find out! If you get more than 16 questions right, you get an award.
This quiz requires Java. If you do not have Java, click here.
1. January 10th, 1977 was a Monday, so what day of the week was Orlando born on?
2. How many times has Orlando cracked his skull?
3. What was the first concert Orlando attended?
4. What is his favorite movie?
5. What is he afraid of?
6. Where was he born?
7. What is his biological father's name?
8. When he broke his back, how many days after his operation did he leave the hospital?
9. How old was he when he got his sun tattoo?
10. How long was he in New Zealand filming The Lord of the Rings movies?
11. What was his first job?
12. How old was he when he first started reading The Lord of the Rings?
13. What is his sister's name?
14. How much older is his sister than him?
15. What is his dog's name?
16. What is his favorite color?
17. What is his favorite football team?
18. Who has Orlando NOT mentioned as being one of his favorite actors?
19. What was Orlando's first movie/tv role?
20. What foreign language can Orlando speak?


Rushing water distorting my thoughts.
Or is it from me?
There is no clear explanation.
Posted on April 5, 2015 Categories Free Style PoetryTags agony, breakdown, emotions, GaroutRana, pain, poem, poetry, suffer, tears, writingsLeave a comment on In the shower.
Reflection – I want to taste the bitter sweet pain.
And so I decided to feel.
but the pain it holds still feels like I'm in the dark.
And then I smiled ever so softly.
I am not as cold hearted as I think I am.
I don't need to bleed to feel the pain.
The pain of losing someone you love to… life.
and not fighting for them to stay.
I understood the facts, the logic.
I had already seen through these events.
But there were two things I got wrong.
The timing of the separation.
The extent of how much I would care.
Not at the one I lost.
I have better control than this.
But I guess I can't control what I "don't want" to control.
Potential needs will as an accomplice.
Posted on April 5, 2015 Categories ReflectionsTags GaroutRana, life, love, pain, reflection, writing, writingsLeave a comment on Reflection – I want to taste the bitter sweet pain.


Dwight Howard won't be ending up in Brooklyn after all.
Howard has agreed to enter into buyout negotiations with the Nets, according to ESPN, clearing the way for the 32-year-old center to hit free agency next month. Howard has one year and $23.8 million remaining on his deal.
The Nets agreed to terms with the Hornets on a trade for Howard Wednesday, according to multiple reports. In return, Brooklyn reportedly sent Charlotte Timofey Mozgov, two second-round picks, including the 45th pick in Thursday's night's draft, and cash. The other pick is in 2021, per ESPN.
Howard averaged 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this past season with the Hornets. It was his highest points-per-game average since 2013-14, his second season with the Rockets.
The Nets already have two traditional centers on their roster in Jahlil Okafor and Jarrett Allen, so there wasn't room for Howard to begin with.
Brooklyn will still clear just under $17 million in cap space for next summer, when the free agency class could include both Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard.
Howard, meanwhile, will likely be playing for his fourth team in four years this coming season.


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Q: Chrono DateTime from u64 unix timestamp in Rust How does one convert a u64 unix timestamp into a DateTime<Utc>?
let timestamp_u64 = 1657113606;
let date_time = ...

A: There are many options.
Assuming we want a chrono::DateTime. The offset page suggests:

Using the TimeZone methods on the UTC struct is the preferred way to construct DateTime instances.

There is a TimeZone method timestamp_millis_opt we can use.
use chrono::{TimeZone, Utc};

let timestamp_i64 = 1657113606;
let date_time = Utc.timestamp_millis_opt(timestamp_i64).unwrap();

Another option uses the appropriately named from_timestamp_millis method, but needs more code to do it if you want DateTime instead of NaiveDateTime.
use chrono::{DateTime, NaiveDateTime, Utc};

let timestamp_i64 = 1657113606;
let naive_date_time = NaiveDateTime::from_timestamp_millis(timestamp_i64).unwrap();
let date_time = DateTime::<Utc>::from_utc(naive_date_time, Utc);

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Photograph taken in full daylight in front of St. Peter's church in downtwon St. Petersburg Florida post processed using a "wetplate" effect to completely change the mood.
DP Review Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones.
PetaPixel Photography and Camera News, Reviews, and Inspiration.


NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS Corporation today announced the full redemption of its outstanding 2.300% senior notes due August 15, 2019. The redemption date is March 7, 2019.
The total redemption payment for the notes is equal to the sum of the make-whole amount calculated in accordance with the terms of the notes and the related indenture under which the notes were issued and the accrued and unpaid interest on the notes up to, but excluding, the redemption date of March 7, 2019. The aggregate principal amount of the notes outstanding on February 20, 2019, is $600 million.


Yultron featured on NEST HQ Artist Spotlight!
Dumbfoundead and Year of the Ox Just Finished Their SOLD OUT Tour!
Far East Movement at Spotify Singapore!
Korean Superstar Hyolyn's US Showcase Tickets Now on Sale!


Lillea Goian debuted unique creations, landed interview with Elle.
Nelson designer Lillea Goian (centre) debuted eight looks from her company Lillzkillz during Vancouver Fashion Week.
That was the L.V. Rogers grad's M.O. while participating in Vancouver Fashion Week, an opportunity that landed her an interview with Elle Canada and drew widespread attention to her creations.
And she's got big plans for her burgeoning vintage clothing company Lillzkillz.
The former Rhythm Roper, who got her first job at Bia Bora on Baker St., feels growing up in a community like Nelson was crucial to developing her idiosyncratic taste, and she's grateful for the support she received from her friends and family.
And when she left for Vancouver to study fashion at John Casablancas Institute, she took with her a conviction that she could make it work — even though she had little background in design.
She ultimately created eight looks for Vancouver Fashion Week, and though the preparation was stressful she couldn't he happier with the outcome.
For more information on Goian's company visit Lillzkillz on Facebook. Many of her creations are available for sale online.


During this 3 day event, a wide range of topics were discussed that included leadership, biblical justice, and entrepreneurship to name a few. The information for attendees was second to none, but the most powerful thing about this event was encountering the power and presence of God with the body of Christ.
The Build Conference also provided space for individuals to interact with and learn from leaders they would never have normally crossed paths with. Leaders were challenged, replenished, inspired, and better equipped to fight for justice in their communities.
As attendees worshipped, shared meals, and challenged one another, their perspective of Christ's Church was expanded. It wasn't about one culture over another, one denomination over another, or anyone's education level, socioeconomic status or race over another. It was in this "clash" that they experienced Kingdom culture! And together, individuals realized that they are ALL in this fight together.
Poetice empowers the Church to fight for justice and this leaders conference wasn't just designed for pastors, but also for educators, health workers, and youth; Christ followers that want to make a difference and fight for justice in their communities. The Build Conference was for leaders who desire to take whatever God has placed in their hands and use it to bring His Kingdom to earth.
The Build Conference was a huge success!
Watch what some attendees had to say about it.


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Category: Passages/Excerpts
Excerpt from Southern Rain: The Alluring Bodhisattva
The next scene foreshadows the meeting of the hero and heroine. The image is by Satomi Kamei.
Watching Nanjing fume from the sky or from the ground, neither Peng bird nor human would have noticed the elderly nun on a donkey cart making her way through the smog from Cock-Crow Temple on the north side of town to outside Treasure Gate, the southernmost portal of the city wall. Though missiles whizzed by her, she maintained her dignity, as did her cart driver, who seemed to have absorbed a bit of her gravitas. The nun was called One-Eyed Jingang, for partially blinding herself while studying the Diamond (Jingang) Sutra, and she was Cock-Crow Temple's abbess. While unaccompanied women raised eyebrows if they ventured abroad on most days, the Spring Festival provided One-Eyed Jingang not only with the cover of smoke but also with an excuse to be out, for clergy were often called upon to offer prayers for the New Year. In fact, One-Eyed Jingang was expected at another place of worship, a monastery named the Temple at the Edge of Heaven, where a prayer meeting was planned for that morning. Before the chanting began, however, she wished to consult with the abbot on a matter of some delicacy.
Arriving at the Temple, One-Eyed Jingang alighted from the cart, paid its driver a little extra for the New Year, walked through the main gate, and ascended the stairway to the Mahayana Pavilion, where the abbot, whose dharma name was Baichi Shi'ai, or "Idiot in the Service of Love," greeted her with ebullient good cheer. Fearless of gossip, he invited the nun into his office.
"Wisdom to you," he saluted her, offering some tea. "Big Sister is a bit early. Have you come to help me choose today's reading?"
"No, Big Brother," the abbess returned, as she sat down on a stool. "I'm sure you've already found something appropriate. As it turns out, I've come to discuss something…inappropriate."
She placed on Baichi Shi'ai's desk the bulging sack she'd been carrying, which the abbot had assumed to be filled with boxed or string-bound folios of sutras. She untied the twine at its neck, just as somebody in the neighborhood set off another string of firecrackers like a drumroll.
The sack fell away, revealing a statuette of the Guanyin Bodhisattva, sculpted from rosewood. The carving stood about a foot tall, but its subject did not stand, nor did she sit cross-legged in stolid meditation. Rather, she lolled in a sultry position with one leg arched upward at a right angle, her arm draped over her knee. Although she was Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion, she posed in the style of Tara, Mother of Liberation; but whatever compassion or liberation she offered her worshippers, it was of a primal, physical sort. Her sexuality was total, not of parts. It sprang not from flaring hips or curvaceous breasts but from her unworldly air of assurance and utter lack of inhibition. Against all convention, this Guanyin held her eyes open, inviting her faithful to advance and be saved. A mandorla of fire radiated from her body, a manifestation of the power of her love.
Baichi Shi'ai knew better than to resist the goddess's charms. Instead, he gave rein to his native enthusiasm. "Oooh! Hail, Guanyin Bodhisattva!" he crowed.
"Yes, she does rather demand devotion," observed One-Eyed Jingang. "I'm surprised you haven't fallen to your knees."
"Whose hands crafted such a powerful image?" asked the abbot. "Or was it a bolt of lightning striking a grateful tree that did the work?"
"Actually, it was created by one of my novices, a brilliant girl. Always reading, trying her hand at something new. I noticed her chiseling away at a hunk of wood from that old column we had replaced and decided to give her a bit of rosewood to see what she could do with better material. This is the result."
Baichi Shi'ai nodded, still absorbed in Guanyin's smoldering expression. "Where will you display it?" he asked, after a while.
"Display it?" the abbess exclaimed. "Good brother! It's hard enough to protect the reputation of my convent without having something like that on a pedestal. Why give the next scandalmonger a chance to start yapping about the 'lewd nuns of Cock-Crow Temple'?"
Baichi Shi'ai rounded his mouth. "Oh? You think this Guanyin is lewd?"
"No, I do not, but a lewd man would, and I'm tired of hearing lewd men talk nonsense about decent nuns." One-Eyed Jingang cleared her throat. "So I was hoping that you, Teacher, would take this Guanyin off my hands."
"And keep her here?" the abbot giggled. "My monks would explode! Even if I hid her away, they would sniff her out like tom cats."
"You have that little faith in your brothers?"
"I have that much faith in my brothers."
One-Eyed Jingang slumped. "Yes, I suppose we face the same difficulty. Since our calling is to free people from desire, it's bad policy to introduce an object of desire into either of our sanctuaries. So what should we do with it?"
Baichi Shi'ai grinned. "You talk as though she were a problem to be gotten rid of, but Guanyin Bodhisattva cannot be a problem. Yes, neither of our temples is the proper place for her, but remember: Guanyin embodies compassion for the world." He raised both his arms, in an encompassing gesture. "Let's put her out into the world, then, where her compassion can do its work. If some starry-eyed lad falls in love with her, so much the better. Everyone in the world needs to be receptive to compassion, after all."
One-Eyed Jingang thought for a bit and then nodded. "Yes, Brother, you are right. We should allow this Guanyin to play her part. I will consign her to the marketplace, to await the first receptive soul that comes along."
She put the Guanyin back in its sack and tied it closed.
"So what will be today's reading?" she asked, but her host didn't answer, and both devotees of dharma continued to stare at the enshrouded idol for a long time.
Author Harry MillerPosted on January 28, 2019 January 27, 2019 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags art, Buddhism, China, compassion, excerpt, fiction, Guanyin Bodhisattva, historical fiction, historical novels, liberation, Ming Dynasty, monks, Nanjing, novel, nuns, sculpture, Southern Rain, Tara1 Comment on Excerpt from Southern Rain: The Alluring Bodhisattva
Excerpt from Southern Rain: Chinese New Year's Day
An earlier posting describes my first Chinese New Year's celebration in Taiwan, in which I saw the streets of Taipei transformed into a veritable shooting gallery of bottle rockets. That memorable experience was one of the many inspirations for my novel, Southern Rain, which opens with this pyrotechnic description of the first day of the year. The time corresponds to February 1644 on the Western calendar.
It is the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the first day of the first month – Spring Festival – and smoke is rising over Nanjing, as its people celebrate the New Year by lighting things on fire.
Half the city's population are setting off firecrackers, to the delight of the other half. In groups of young and old, they hang clusters of the paper-wrapped cylinders like bunches of red bananas from the eaves of temples and taverns. With the touch of an incense stick, the fuse commences to hiss and everybody scatters. If someone chances to round the corner unawares, on his way to visit relatives, he comes abreast of the little bombs the moment they begin to explode and finds himself engulfed in a thundering maelstrom. His chest thumps like a kettle drum hammered by madmen. He flails his arms about his head and staggers away as the crescendo continues, a blur of incandescence hanging in the air near which he passed, casting billows of smoke heavenward. Then, as the last charge on the string gives up its ghost and the echo rolls over the city and disappears into the hills, the celebrants clap and jump for joy, and even the rattled pedestrian grins and waves, signifying no hard feelings. He too is enjoying himself.
In addition to the hanging clusters, some firecrackers can be thrown, and some are miniature rockets. Explosives of these sorts transform Nanjing's streets and alleys into gauntlets of spark-trailing missiles, air bursts, and ground bursts. Young boys in particular are fond of launching pocket rockets from their hands, to watch them ricochet off buildings and passersby. Their favorite targets are peddlers on donkey carts, because they pretend nothing is happening. They go right on hawking their snacks – "Steamed buns! Dumplings!" – while projectiles bounce off their bellies or lodge in the folds of their robes, sending sparks cascading from their torsos. The pinnacle of fun is to toss a cherry-bomb into the street, timed to explode when a cart passes over it. There it lies, its fuse sizzling, while, say, the noodle-man approaches, crooning "Thick noodles! Thin noodles! Sesame paste! Black bean paste!" and just as his cart reaches it, Bang! off it goes in a cloud of sulfur. Both man and beast jolt from the concussion but emerge unfazed, the peddler resuming his hawking, the donkey his hauling, showing no sign of distress. Onlookers beam and the young pyrotechnicians make ready the next barrage.
Not all that is set alight that day contains gunpowder. Nanjing's denizens also burn joss paper – play money – as offerings to the gods or to their deceased ancestors. Clan after clan of them, Chens, Wangs, and Zhangs, gather in their kitchens or courtyards to burn wad after wad of the heavenly currency, which takes to the air in particulate form. The offering of joss paper is less likely than fireworks to involve the occasional victim, unless it takes place on the ground floor of a storied building and some poor soul is caught upstairs. In such a case, the unfortunate one, as soon as he realizes he is suffocating, makes a desperate dash to the nearest window and thrusts his head outside. Gasping for oxygen, not even this man complains but rejoices in the good cheer and bonhomie of festival time.
Thus does Nanjing exude mirth and merriment, acrid, dark, and thick. Smoke rises over Cock-Crow Temple, a nunnery on a hill. Smoke curls about the Drum Tower, whose beating of the time that day is drowned out in the din. Smoke mushrooms over Three Mountain Street, Nanjing's always-bustling bazaar. Smoke hangs above the Qinhuai River, its famous pleasure quarter. Every tiled roof, every bridge and pagoda, every curvy street and winding canal is enveloped in haze. To the gigantic Peng bird of legend, soaring far above town on this New Year's Day, Nanjing might appear as an exquisite incense censer made to resemble a fairyland. To Nanjing's human residents, the column of smoke dwarfing their city is yet another of its many superlatives; Nanjing wears it like a plumed crown. The vast metropolis, ringed by a wall of eighteen gates, is the pearl of the Yangtze River valley and original capital of the Current Dynasty. It is opulent and lively and crammed with attractions, the subject of rhapsodies by songsters and poets who call it a paradise. If Nanjing's celebrated "kingly air" is now tinged with ash, its people breathe it in even more deeply and feel all the more regal for it. They are as proud and prosperous as any people have dared to be. In a consuming exuberance, they revel and roister, until their city is choking with smoke.
Author Harry MillerPosted on January 14, 2019 January 13, 2019 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags China, Chinese New Year, excerpt, firecrackers, historical fiction, historical novels, Ming Dynasty, Nanjing, Southern Rain, Taipei, TaiwanLeave a comment on Excerpt from Southern Rain: Chinese New Year's Day
From the Black Creek River to the Grand Canal
The episode with the Mississippi egrets described in my last posting was incorporated into my novel, Southern Rain, now available via Kindle and at selected bookshops in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore; it is also available for pre-order, in advance of the general release of the print version in January.
The appearance of the Mississippi egrets, transposed into Chinese cranes, foreshadows the meeting of the hero, Ouyang Nanyu, and the heroine, Ouyang Daosheng.
Just beyond a tributary called Witch Mountain Spring, Nanyu noticed two white cranes flying upstream and then perching on the embankment. When the boat drew close to them, they took off again, swooping on ahead, before coming to a new resting place at the side of the Canal. Nanyu reckoned that the cranes moved ten times this way over the course of an hour—leading and waiting, leading and waiting—as though luring him ever onward. They didn't seem to be feeding, and if they were migrating north, Nanyu wondered why they didn't just get on with it, without waiting for him to catch up. If they wanted to stay on the Canal but were afraid of the boat, then why didn't they fly to the side, to allow it to pass? For the rest of the day, Nanyu was sometimes invited to share food, sometimes asked for help maneuvering through a lock, and then, he would forget about the cranes; but whenever his activities were finished, he'd look up and there they would be, still scouting out the route.
Nanyu continued to see them after he closed his eyes that night, but in the morning, they were gone.
Author Harry MillerPosted on October 29, 2018 October 28, 2018 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags Black Creek River, China, cranes, egrets, Grand Canal, historical fiction, Hong Kong, Ming Dynasty, Mississippi, novel, Qing Dynasty, river travel, romance, seventeenth century, Singapore, Southern Rain, Taiwan, writing2 Comments on From the Black Creek River to the Grand Canal
Passages: From Memories of Mount Qilai, by Yang Mu
"Carrying an oil paper umbrella
alone, I make my way down a
long, long and lonely lane in the rain,
pacing back and forth, hoping to encounter a
young woman knotted with sadness and hate
like a bud of lilac"
Author Harry MillerPosted on April 7, 2018 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags poetry, Taiwan, Yang MuLeave a comment on Passages: From Memories of Mount Qilai, by Yang Mu
Passages: From The Third Tower, by Antal Szerb
I felt my solitary happiness threatened by their happiness of the herd, because they were stronger than I was.
Author Harry MillerPosted on December 7, 2017 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags Antal Szerb, Hungarian Literature4 Comments on Passages: From The Third Tower, by Antal Szerb
Passages: From I Served the King of England, by Bohumil Hrabal
After I bought cans of food, salami, and a huge round loaf of bread in the store, I would stop off at the pub, and the pubkeeper and villagers would come and sit down at my table and ask how I liked it here in the mountains, in all this solitude. I was enthusiastic and told them stories of things that no one had ever seen before but were actually there, and I told the stories as if I were only passing through by car, or had come for two or three days, I talked as though I were on vacation, like a nature lover, like a city person who babbles romantic drivel whenever he comes to the country about how beautiful the woods are and the mountain peaks in the mist, and how it is all so perfect that he would like to settle here for good. And I talked in a jumbled way about how beauty had another side to it, about how this beautiful countryside, like a round loaf of bread, was all related to whether you could love even what was unpleasant and abandoned, whether you could love the landscape during all those hours and days and weeks when it rained, when it got dark early, when you sat by the stove and thought it was ten at night while it was really only half past six, when you started talking to yourself, speaking to the horse, the dog, the cat, and the goat, but best of all to yourself, silently at first — as though showing a movie, letting images from the past flicker through your memory — and then out loud, as I had done, asking yourself questions, inquiring of yourself, interrogating yourself, wanting to know the most secret things about yourself, accusing yourself as if you were a public prosecutor and then defending yourself, and so arriving, in this back-and-forth way, at the meaning of your life. Not the meaning of what used to be or what happened a long time ago, but discovering the kind of road you'd opened up and had yet to open up, and whether there was still time to attain the serenity that would secure you against the desire to escape from your own solitude, from the most important questions that you should ask yourself.
Author Harry MillerPosted on November 23, 2017 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags Bohumil Hrabal, Czech Literature, solitude, Thanksgiving2 Comments on Passages: From I Served the King of England, by Bohumil Hrabal
Passages: From Love in a Bottle, by Antal Szerb
"Do you love me?" I asked doubtfully, and stupidly.
She burst out laughing — with the same unfathomable drunken laughter that had so charmed me earlier. It did not charm me now. Back on the veranda, that earlier laugh had somehow soared into the summer sky, an endearing cry for help addressed to some far-off Dionysus. But now she was laughing at me, and into me, the way any woman might laugh at any man held in an embrace of perhaps half an hour. It was a common, rather vulgar, laugh, an utterly godless laugh, one that could have been heard a thousand times at that moment in any of the parks of Paris and the banlieue — and how was I any different from the thousand other poor wretches who at that precise moment were preparing for the stereotypical games of love?
— from the short story "A Garden Party in St. Cloud"
Author Harry MillerPosted on September 10, 2017 September 25, 2017 Categories Passages/Excerpts, UncategorizedTags Antal Szerb, Hungarian Literature6 Comments on Passages: From Love in a Bottle, by Antal Szerb


What if you had all the secrets to winning a scholarship? Would you tell the world — or keep them for yourself? Nationally recognized financial aid and scholarship expert, Mark Kantrowitz, does have all the secrets, and fortunately, he's spilling everything he knows.
1. Start searching for scholarships as soon as possible. Don't wait until spring of your senior year in high school to start searching, or you'll miss half the deadlines. There are many scholarships available to students in grades 9, 10 and 11, not just high school seniors. There are even scholarships for students in grades K-8. Continue searching for scholarships even after you are enrolled in college.
2. Answer all of the optional questions on a scholarship matching web site for about twice as many matches.
3. Use a free scholarship matching service like Fastweb.com. The Fastweb database is updated daily, and the site will email you notifications of new scholarships that match your personal background profile.
4. Look for local scholarships on bulletin boards near the guidance counselor of financial aid offices, or the library's jobs and careers section.
5. Apply to every scholarship for which you are eligible. Pursue less competitive scholarships, such as small awards and essay contests, since they are easier to win and the money adds up and helps you win bigger scholarships.
6. Don't miss deadlines. Use a calendar and checklist to get organized.
7. Tailor your application to the sponsor's goals. Read and follow the instructions carefully.
8. If you have difficulty writing essays, try recording yourself as you answer the question out loud, and transcribe the recording later. Most people can think and speak faster than they can write or type. Create an outline afterward to organize your thoughts.
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10. Google your name and make sure you have a professional online profile. Use a professional email address, such as firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Clean up the content of your Facebook account, removing inappropriate and immature material.
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12. Make a photocopy of your application before mailing it. Send the application by certified mail, return receipt requested or with delivery confirmation.
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text:
Josip Barišić (født 7. marts 1981) er en tidligere kroatisk fodboldspiller.

Eksterne henvisninger

Fodboldspillere fra Kroatien

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


City Wide Holding Co. Inc.
City Wide Franchise is ranked #175 in the Franchise 500!
City Wide Maintenace offers building maintance services to commercial properties across the US. Services include commercial cleaning, supplies and consumables, flooring and carpet care, window cleaning, parking lot services and janitorial service.


Sired by Danehill's champion son Mozart, Rebellion (GB) is the leading earner and one of four graded stakes winners from Mozart's single crop of foals.
Winner of 7 races and $816,277, Darley-bred Rebellion (GB) retired sound after racing in top company at distances from 5-1/2 furlongs to one mile. After winning or placing in 7 of his 8 starts in England, he was purchased by Treptow's Virginia-based Hickory Tree Stables and moved to the barn of trainer Graham Motion.
Carrying the Hickory Tree colors, he ran up a three-race winning streak on the turf in North America at 4, culminating in a victory in the Steinlen S. at Belmont Park. Switched to polytrack next time out, he ran second by a half-length in Keeneland's Grade 3 Phoenix S. Racing almost exclusively on the main track the following year, Rebellion (GB) captured Keeneland's $400,000 Commonwealth S., a Grade 2 event over 7 furlongs, in 1:21.17, just 1/5 off the track record, then headed west to score in the Grade 3 Ack Ack H. at Hollywood Park, and finish a fast-closing second, beaten a half-length, against a stellar field in the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Park. Rebellion (GB) won on dirt and turf from 5-1/2 to 7-1/2 furlongs, making 26 starts from ages 2 to 5, and defeated six Grade 1 winners and 22 graded stakes winners while competing at 15 different racetracks.
"Rebellion (GB) is the most genuine horse an owner could ever ask for. He won at five different racetracks in Europe and North America, on turf and polytrack, retired completely sound, and always showed tremendous heart and determination. He descends from the brilliant Danehill line and is sure to pass on his heart and durability to his offspring.
The Danehill sireline has also been highly successful in North America with such runners as 2009 Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International winner Champs Elysees (GB) and his Eclipse Award-winning siblings Banks Hill (GB) and Intercontinental (GB). His dam, English group stakes winner Last Resort, is a daughter of Riverman's champion son Lahib from a high-class European family. Nominated to Breeders' Cup and Ontario Sire Stakes. Live foal guaranteed, payable when foal stands and nurses.


text:
HappinessRelationships
Home›Happiness›Striking a balance between marriage and music – Dbanj speaks
Striking a balance between marriage and music – Dbanj speaks
Considering the way pop star, Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, a.k.a D'banj manages to joggle between a tight work schedule and marital responsibilities, one may be tempted to think he has a secret rule book guiding him.
However, in a chat with Showtime, the 'Fall in Love' crooner explained how he has been able to successfully achieve this feat.
"It's been very hard but the truth is one just has to understand what he/she is doing.
When you see the actors or footballers in the club, they're just normal people, but when the footballers put on their jersey and get on the field, they're different people entirely.
I was with Obafemi Martins in the club recently and he was just a normal person but when he wears the jersey, he's a different person.
So like I said, one just needs to understand what you do. As an entertainment person, it's part of me.
When I wear my costume as D'Banj, I get to entertain my people but then I've my privacy and if you check it properly for the last decade, even if I'm out there I keep my private life very private.
If you know how to strike a balance and then God blesses you with the right wife that can understand then you're good," he said.
Speaking further, he revealed the secret behind his ability to successfully stay relevant on the Nigerian music scene for more than a decade.
"I really don't know, I just do what I do.
But I think it's just by doing what I know how to do best and being true to myself, being original. Also, believing in God and touching base with your foundation, where you're coming from. For a very long time I've always tried to understand my calling, I think that's one thing that has helped me to get to this level and it's been an interesting ride."
The self-styled 'Koko Master' who just launched a new YouTube series chronicling his musical sojourn, (The adventures of Koko Master) explained why he needed to do so.
"One major thing that has affected us in Africa is that we've not documented our stories right and that hasn't inspired the new generation," he noted.
TagsdbanjMarriageMusicRelationship
My motherhood experience – Stephanie Okereke Linus
Love your parents, spoil them now, life ...
Actress, Juliet Ibrahim speaks on having side boyfriend
Recording a song is very expensive- Singer, Victor AD
Look of the day: Kemi 'Lala' Akindoju now Mrs Fregene
#Relationship Goals- President Barack Obama and his wife, Mitchelle celebrate 24th wedding anniversary
Allure MagazineEntertainmentNews
Tonto Dikeh confirms split from husband, Olakunle Churchill
Tems nominated for BET Awards 2021 'Viewer's Choice: Best New International Act' Category
Allure MagazineBeautyNews
Popular Nigerian actor, Mike Godson has shared his best kept beauty secrets and its epic!
Prolific writer, Chimamanda Adichie bags honorary degree from Duke University
Nigeria needs a revolution to get better- Actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde


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Home Law Tracing the roles of soft law in human rights
Addressing internal displacement and durable solutions through national laws and policies
While the domestication of IDP soft law through the development of national laws and policies has broadly been a major success of the IDP movement, a closer look at these instruments reveals dissonance in relation to the international normative framework, and, in some instances, barriers to durable solutions. Building on Orchard's discussion of IDP soft law implementation, we consider how domestic instruments reflect and shape normative understandings of displacement and durable solutions forwarded in soft law, and thus coordinate the behaviour of actors through a particular 'discursive opportunity structure'.44 In other words, how and to what extent do understandings of IDPs and durable solutions pass from the international soft law context to the domestic context?
The benefits of national laws and policies on IDPs have been discussed widely in the literature. National instruments are often seen as reflective of growing state recognition of and commitment to a vulnerable population.45 Schrepfer captures the international community's high expectations of these instruments, arguing that developing national laws and policies on IDPs 'strengthens capacities, as it clarifies basic notions, concepts and normative ideas framing and strategizing a response to internal displacement, and may even lead to a more efficient use and allocation [of resources]'^6 Other key benefits cited include the possibility that these instruments can provide clarity over legal conflicts; facilitate coordination; allocate roles and responsibilities; and systematize responses.[1] [2] [3]
While scholars have praised the IDP 'norm cascade' since the 1990s, it is important to note that many national laws and policies have been developed in reference to specific displacement crises and have narrow applicability. Many national instruments discuss in their preambles the details of the conflict-based displacement that led to the need for a law or policy; comparatively few explicitly include other displacement scenarios such as natural disasters.4® These documents may not necessarily inform future displacement situations, although it may be hoped that they establish a productive political or legal context for states to act on their responsibilities toward IDPs.
Orchard identifies some of the consistencies between domestic laws and the IDP soft law framework.49 In his analysis of thirty-nine laws and policies, Orchard indicates that twenty-nine address the provision of international assistance; twenty-four recognize that IDPs are protected by international law; twenty-one cite or highlight domestic laws that protect IDP rights. While seventeen mention the Guiding Principles explicitly, only seven embrace the conception of an IDP established in the Guiding Principles.50 Building on Orchard's work, our qualitative analysis of a similar but somewhat larger sample of fifty-five national laws and policies examines the 'frames' that structure efforts to mobilize action and marshal resources in response to a particular issue such as internal displacement. 51 Variations in the framing of the IDP concept itself, the hardships and violations associated with displacement, and what constitutes a durable solution all shed light on the motivations behind these instruments, their efficacy, and the traction of IDP soft law in diverse domestic contexts.
It is instructive to look at how the representation of 'the IDP' within these texts relates to the international normative framework. The way in which the concept of an IDP is framed has fundamental importance if assistance and protection is to last over the entire displacement cycle. It is therefore troubling that few states have embraced the flexible and encompassing definition laid out in the Guiding Principles, and incorporated in subsequent documents such as the Kampala Convention and the IASC Framework. For example, Nepal's national framework states that only those who lived in 'legal areas' before the displacement crisis may be considered IDPs.52 Laws and policies from various former Soviet states detail an application process for IDP 'status'; only some establish or detail an appeals process to contest denial of status.53 Some policies, furthermore, convey that IDPs are only those in camps. For instance, Liberia's legal framework from 2002 declares 'its commitment to respect the rights of all Liberians in IDP camps to return to their places of origin or habitual residence with the full protection of the law'.54 Some national laws and policies link negative connotations to the IDP concept. For instance, some indicate that IDPs require a top-down 're-socialization' or 'rehabilitation' process (such as Sri Lanka and Nepal) while others paint IDPs as welfare dependants, emphasizing the need to wean them off aid (rather than, say, treating them as victims of traumatic and destructive circumstances, or agents who have a role to play in their own recovery).55 These representations illuminate how states view their IDP populations and may seek to use national laws and policies as a tool to limit rather than to bolster their entitlements.
Diverging from international soft law standards, hardly any national instruments recognize that IDPs actually have a right to a durable solution, but rather express a commitment to create the conditions for the resolution of displacement, establish funds for the settlement of IDPs, or specify certain settlement options that can be made available to IDPs. In most instances there are gaps in the representation of durable solutions, with only one or two settlement options mentioned—usually return and resettlement. Even when durable solutions are not explicitly referenced, many of the criteria outlined in the IASC Framework receive some mention in the description of the resolution of displacement. These include issues such as access to safety and security, an adequate standard of living, livelihoods support, property restitution, family reunification, documentation, and participation in public affairs. 'Access to effective remedies and justice' was the least likely of the eight IASC Framework criteria to be included in domestic laws and policies. Unlike
52 Government of Nepal, National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons, 2007.
53 Under the Guiding Principles, being an IDP is not to be understood as a legal 'status'.
54 Government of Liberia, Declaration on the Rights and Protection of Liberian IDPs, 2002, emphasis added.
55 This imagery of the IDP is sprinkled throughout e.g. Sri Lanka's 2002 National Framework for Relief Rehabilitation and Reconciliation (RRR Framework), which at one point bluntly states: 'The tendency for residents of camps and welfare centers to become passive recipients of handouts from relief agencies should be counteracted by every means' (p. 24). Art. 20 of section IV (Sanction) of Peru's Law Concerning the Internally Displaced (Law No. 28223) states that 'any person who, taking advantage of the circumstances may have declared untrue facts and conditions, and because of them may have obtained rights and benefits not due to him/her, automatically loses these rights and benefits, as well as being penalized in accordance with the applicable legislation'. Strikingly, there are no such statements for the application of sanctions or penalties for anyone who obstructs the provision of assistance to IDPs, or is complicit in arbitrary displacement.
in standards such as the IASC Framework, in the majority of national laws and policies on internal displacement, supporting durable solutions is presented as an expressly humanitarian undertaking. While the vast majority of the policies state that IDPs have either a right to or can benefit from humanitarian assistance, it is rare that development actors are mentioned, although soft law tools including the Guiding Principles and the IASC Framework recognize that they have critical roles to play. Important exceptions to this are found in some Latin American laws and policies as well as in some of the newer policies created in Iraq and Afghanistan, which mention the resolution of displacement and its relationship to the protection of social, economic, and cultural rights.56
In the majority of instruments, there is a heavy emphasis on return as the preferred and expected option, with various policies mentioning the need to encourage IDPs to return, or to 'build confidence in them that home is safe'Th In most of the national laws and policies we reviewed, IDPs are presented as people who have an original place of permanency and belonging, and should be assisted for national and economic stability reasons to return to these places. This focus on return is particularly evident in instruments developed in the 1990s and in the early years of the twenty- first century; more recent instruments are more likely than earlier documents to contain the term 'durable solutions' and to reference the three settlement options—a testament to soft law's contribution to popularizing a 'durable solutions discourse'. Various instruments, especially those from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, seem to conflate return and resettlement; using resettlement as a synonym for return further entrenches the notion, contrary to soft law standards, of return as the only supported option. Even when policies recognize IDPs' right to freedom of movement, many instruments only provide details on support and entitlements for returnees.
Indeed, only a few instruments explicitly identify local integration as an option for IDPs, reflecting the historical neglect of local integration in international dis- course.58 In national instruments, states sometimes explicitly or tacitly restrict free movement and settlement options. For example, Angola's Council of Ministers' Decree indicates that efforts to resolve the country's displacement crisis shall 'take into account the local administrations' priorities regarding territorial regulations in the identification of resettlement or return areas'79 Sudan's 2009 National Policy on IDPs states that IDPs 'can live wherever they want to live freely inside the Sudan without violating the rights and obligations of other citizens'.60 Such provisions reflect
56 Strong statements on social, cultural, and economic rights are made in Guatemala's Agreement on Resettlement of the Population Groups Uprooted by the Armed Groups (1994) as well as in the numerous laws and policies developed in Colombia, which also reference the state's obligation to facilitate social justice.
57 Text taken from Uganda's 2008 Camp Closure Guidelines. Similar phrasing and concepts are echoed in national instruments from Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, and Turkey.
58 E. Ferris, 'Resolving Internal Displacement: Prospects for Local Integration' (Washington, DC, Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, 2011).
59 Government of Angola, Angola's Council of Ministers' Decree 79/02 on Norms on the Resettlement of Displaced Populations, 2002.
60 Government of the Republic of Sudan, National Policy for Internally Displaced Persons, 2009, emphasis added.
the diverse and complex ways in which IDPs' rights, particularly as they relate to the resolution of displacement, intersect with the rights and responsibilities of other actors and populations, sometimes resulting in competing claims and conflicts. IDP soft law and related tools do not, for the most part, provide concrete guidance on how to navigate and resolve these dilemmas. Reflecting this gap, few laws or policies seem to envision, or provide guidance for dealing with, legal conflicts that emerge between IDPs' right to pursue the durable solution of their choice, on the one hand, and state or private rights to land upon which IDPs may have taken refuge, and where they may wish to remain. Some instruments, such as Kenya's 2012 Prevention, Protection, and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons and Affected Communities Act, do suggest that the government has the responsibility to find land for IDPs as necessary, although others link the clearance of temporary IDP settlements (camps) with the perceived need to return private and public land back to 'productive use'.[4] [5]
IDP soft law stresses the need for the process of pursuing durable solutions to adhere to rights-based principles, including as they relate to questions of voluntariness or choice, and the active participation of IDPs in decision-making. Reflecting this soft law concern, most national laws and policies use the word 'voluntary' in relation to settlement options. However, the majority of these documents do not put IDPs at the heart of the process, failing to connect the principle of voluntary movement with choice regarding IDPs' place of permanent residence. Some instruments also embrace relatively restrictive conceptions of what voluntariness entails. For example, the 2008 Uganda Camp Closure guidelines indicate that once 50 per cent of the camp population has left, camp phase-out can legitimately commence, suggesting that residual populations have less robust process-related rights protections. In most national instruments, IDP participation is usually discussed at the level of 'consultation' and rarely as 'decision-making'. The paternalism that pervades these documents provides little discursive room for IDPs to express their voice, choice, and agency. Interestingly, some national policies that address development-induced displacement, as well as conflict or natural disaster-induced displacement, seem to include a more active role for IDP participation and access to public hearings or fora.62
Overall, analysis of the body of national laws and policies on IDPs that have emerged over the past twenty-five years demonstrates that while soft law has had a significant and evolving influence on domestic frameworks, in many instances domestic interpretations of obligations towards IDPs vary considerably from international standards. Variance from international standards is somewhat more evident when it comes to addressing the question of durable solutions; this is perhaps unsurprising, given the political and economic sensitivities associated with efforts to resolve displacement crises.[6] [7] To be sure, there are some national laws and policies that hew closely to international norms. For example, Afghanistan's national policy reflects soft law standards in many important ways. It conveys a broad conceptualization of durable solutions as a humanitarian and development issue, and makes clear and explicit statements about security of tenure and access to land as important elements of durable solutions. The policy also, in a particularly progressive fashion, states the need for IDPs to 'benefit from Master Urban Plans to regularize many of the informal settlements' and 'from improved land titling, so that they get security of tenure and can make improvements to their shelters without fear of eviction'.64 Policies such as the one adopted in Afghanistan underscore the importance of incorporating a wide range of different actors into the policymaking process in order to productively navigate the interpretative challenges that accompany efforts to translate international soft law norms on IDPs into national standards. In general, however, the creation of domestic standards may be a double- edged sword: while they may systematize and strengthen domestic commitment to international norms, restrictive or narrow interpretations of the state's obligations towards IDPs may also make it more difficult for the displaced to lay claim to the full range of rights identified in international IDP soft law. And yet, as the following case studies demonstrate, the development of national instruments on IDPs and the quality of these standards are only two aspects of the myriad ways in which soft law shapes the resolution of displacement. As experiences in Sri Lanka demonstrate, the drafting of national laws and policies that closely track soft law norms may serve as a foil for abuses against IDPs. Meanwhile, experiences in Haiti—where soft law norms have not been incorporated into domestic instruments—illustrate both the limitations of soft law and universal norms as well as the ways in which they nonetheless influence practice.
[1] Wyndham (2006); Schrepfer (2012).
[2] 48 Only five states—Kenya, Angola, Uganda, Afghanistan, and the Philippines—provide somedescriptive detail on displacement resulting from natural disasters. Liberia, Sudan, Nepal, Azerbaijan,Iraq, and Turkey have policies that include 'natural disasters' in the definition or description of an IDP,but these documents largely discuss displacement resulting from conflict scenarios. E.g., Iraq's NationalPolicy on Displacement (2008) lists a series of consequences from displacement that are clearly conflictrelated; its goals likewise reflect the resolution of conflict-related displacements. The remaining lawsand policies analysed do not explicitly include displacement owing to natural disasters in their definitions or scenarios. In fact, Art. 2 of Russia's 1995 Federal Law on Forced Migrants actually states that 'Aperson shall not be recognized as a Forced Migrant if he/she has left the place of his residence because ofthe economic reasons or because of a famine or of an epidemic, or because of the emergency situationsof the natural or of the technogenic character' (emphasis added).
[3] Orchard (20 1 4). 50 Orchard (2014): 8. 51 R. D. Benford and D. A. Snow, 'Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview andAssessment', Annual Review of Sociology vol. 26 (2000): 611—39. Our sampling frame includes all thelaws and policies listed in the Brookings-LSE Index of Laws and Policies on Internal Displacement asof Apr. 2015. In cases where a particular country has four or more such documents, the most currentand comprehensive law or policy was selected for analysis (this concern applied to only five countries,Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Turkey, and Uganda).
[4] See e.g. several of Uganda's 2008 Camp Closure Guidelines, or Guatemala's Agreement onResettlement of the Population Groups Uprooted by the Armed Groups (1994). Section 1.3 (Housing)of the Republic of Georgia's State Strategy for Internally Displaced Persons—Prosecuted (2007) states,'almost the half [sic] (45%) of IDPs are accommodated in collective centers. These buildings havelost their primary function, which in many cases has resulted in their depreciation ... the economicdevelopment of the country is hindered as in many cases the half-ruined buildings and their uncaredfor neighborhoods represent disadvantageous factors for urban development of cities, the revival andmanagement of resorts and industrial infrastructure, and the attraction of new investors.'
[5] See e.g.: Government of the Republic of Kenya, Prevention, Protection and Assistance toInternally Displaced Persons and Affected Communities Act, 2012.
[6] Assessing whether the variance between international and domestic standards is more pronounced in soft law-informed cases than in hard law-informed cases is beyond the scope of this chapter.However, the more rigorous monitoring structures accompanying some hard law frameworks couldpotentially encourage the development of domestic laws and policies that are more systematicallyattuned to international principles.
[7] Government of Afghanistan, National Policy on Internal Displacement, 2013.


Thank you Shelley for our absolutely delicious and beautiful looking cake. We (and everyone at our BabyQ) absolutely loved it!
It was the cutest cake, we loved it and you did such a great job with the details. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for Zachy's amazing cake! I loved it and many people commented on how incredible it was!
What a wonderful cake! Worth turning sixty for this amazing creation.
Thank you for the cake Shelley! It looked beautiful! And everyone commend on how delicious the cake was too! Thanks again! I will definitely recommend you in the future!
Hi Shelley, cake was lovely thank you. It looked beautiful, the flowers were lovely – we should have had it out on display earlier! It also tasted good, icing was great and just the right amount (not too much).


Algebra is likely one of the most essential classes that you'll absorb your schooling. Nonetheless, employers tells us that it's difficult to recruit mathematics graduates that can work in a crew, talk nicely and resolve actual-world problems. The normal strengths of the Division of Mathematics at Macquarie University embody groupings of mathematicians working in analysis, class theory and number principle.
The brand new Program on Mathematics and its Purposes gives college students an enhanced portfolio of topics of their degree applications, and permits the Division to higher practice them to work efficiently in numerous facets of science, technology and commerce.
Honor distinguished alumnus Dr. Larry Nelson (1962 MS in Mathematics from KSU) talked about alternatives for mathematics students and remenisced about his involvment with the Apollo challenge; and Friends of Mathematics lecturer Dr. Eugenia Cheng (Professor of Mathematics at University of Sheffield and School of the Art Institute of Chicago) shared her ideas on mathematics, food and graphs.
Professor Maury Bramson has been elected as a member of the celebrated Nationwide Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of his excellence in authentic scientific research. On April thirteen, 2017, The Mates of Mathematics Awards Banquet celebrated and recognized the achievements of mathematics college students at Kansas State College and past.
Perhaps Al-Khwarizmi 's most vital contribution to mathematics was his sturdy advocacy of the Hindu numerical system (1 – 9 and zero), which he acknowledged as having the facility and effectivity wanted to revolutionize Islamic (and, later, Western) mathematics, and which was quickly adopted by the whole Islamic world, and later by Europe as nicely.