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Ramadan in the Maghreb - Daily News Egypt
Culture Ramadan in the Maghreb
Ramadan in the Maghreb
The atmosphere of Ramadan and the celebration of the coming of the holy month are similar in most Muslim countries, but there are details for each nation in their customs and traditions.
Amal Ibrahim May 15, 2019 Comments Off on Ramadan in the Maghreb
In Morocco they call the month of Ramadan "Sidna Ramadan" because it is the best month of the year, and they receive it with decorations in all houses and shops, and close cafes and restaurants during the day.
In the past, women gathered on rooftops waiting to see the first moon of Ramadan, and the joy of the arrival of a dear guest on the people of Fez, followed by the "Nafar," carrying a long pipe blowing seven puffs in either the mosque silo or walking through the streets of the old city and its old elegance announcing the coming of the holy month.
Once the crescent has been confirmed, Moroccans start exchanging greetings, saying: "Awashir Mabrouka". The phrase is spoken in Moroccan colloquial meaning "blessed days". It means dividing the month into 10 days for mercy, 10 for forgiveness, and 10 for freeing hell.
Newspapers and books are enjoying great popularity in the holy month, as Moroccans are more interested in reading.
It is also a special practice to play sports between Asr (afternoon) and Maghreb (sunset) for everyone.
They are good moments of entertainment. Weeks before Ramadan, the people of Morocco prepare their dishes and traditional clothing for decorations at each mosque.
One of the most important customs of the people of Morocco is gathering on the first day of Ramadan in the house of the father or grandparent of the family.
The Moroccan housewife is very interested in decorating the house and preparing it to receive guests from the family and neighbours. The house is adorned with natural flowers and green herbs.
One of the most popular customs of the month of Ramadan is the celebration of the first fasting of the children on the day of Ramadan, especially on the 27th of it. Celebrating this day is a manifestation of traditional Moroccan customs.
If the fasting child is a girl, she eats dates with her family, but in north Morocco, the child would eat a date on a wooden ladder to highlight ascending from fasting. Girls under puberty are characterised by a new dress, which is a traditional Moroccan women's dress. Their hands are covered with henna inscriptions and their small bags are filled with dates, walnuts, and nuts.
The most important Ramadan dishes are Harira, or soup with vegetables, and the couscous is served every Friday in different ways. Grilled meat with tomato sauce is also served. As for the Moroccan iftar (braking the fast), Harira comes first. It is a sign of Ramadan, so they are considered the main dish for iftar. It is a mixture of a number of vegetables and spices served in traditional dishes called "Zlayev." They add dates, milk, and eggs. Ramadan desserts are common, including "Shabakia" and "Sefof", as well as dates.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Morocco organises collective iftars arranged by some charities, Islamic and otherwise, which are supported by the state.
And in Tunisia
The night before Ramadan is named "Kersh Night" and the celebration of the holy month begins before it is received. The month of Ramadan is celebrated as the month of weddings. Girls are engaged and given gifts on the 27th night, which is referred to as the season.
Some families also celebrate Lailat al-Qadr with the circumcision of their children by organising religious events prepared by Muslim groups until the time of suhoor (last meal before fasting).
Families from the wealthy classes organise nights called "Salameh" to mark the month of Ramadan. "Salameh" is a group of religious songs of Sufis. These celebrations are restricted to men. Women sometimes participate from afar.
It is customary for Tunisians to break the fast with dates and milk, perform Maghrib (sunset) prayer, and then return to the iftar table, which is characterised by Ramadan specials. Tunisians begin Ramadan iftar with the words "Sehat Sherbetkom", which means health and wellness.
And the most important dishes on the Tunisian table is the Tajine in different types. Tajine is a popular dish that differs from one area to another.
The most important dessert dishes are "Raffees", made of rice cooked with dates and raisins, or "Madmouga" made of sheets of fried dough, fragmented and stuffed with dates and sugar. In the north-west of Tunisia, porridge is prepared with flour, ghee, and honey. In the coast, pies are made with raisins. "Barracuche" is thick flour granules cooked with varieties of vegetables.
Before the holy month of Ramadan begins, Algerians greet each other by saying "Sah Ramadankom". Families begin to prepare and repaint houses, buy new utensils, and kitchen utensils, prepare all kinds of spices, and start shopping for Ramadan sweets such as dumplings, heart almonds, and other sweets.
Algerian families hold special celebrations for children who fast for the first time. Girls wear new dresses and sit as queens. Amidst a joyous celebration of their first fast, they sit in a high place at the time of iftar until they feel the attention and appreciation. Many Algerian families prefer to circumcise their sons on the night of the 27th of the month.
The Algerian table in Ramadan is characterised by a basic dish, Harira, as a soup. It is also unique to serve some foods such as "sweet meat", a dish made of meat, dried plum, raisins, and rose water, and "Barboche" which is a couscous dish.
In addition to the soup, the bourak and the sweet tajine are appetisers.
For the dawn suhour meal, Algerians mostly eat couscous and "mousouf," a dried couscous with raisins and yogurt.
Not only are Algerians interested in eating during the month of Ramadan, they are also keen on religious duties and worship, where mosques are crowded during Taraweeh prayers, and musical festivals vary widely, especially in the second half of the month. Many musical societies celebrate with different types of popular and Andalusian music.
Topics: Algeria Morocco ramadan Sidna Ramadan Tunisia
Amal Ibrahim
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Home Economy Business Vijay Mallya must cough up $ 135 million + £ 200 K
Vijay Mallya must cough up $ 135 million + £ 200 K
He awaits his 2 July oral hearing before another UK High Court judge for his appeal against his extradition
London: In another setback to economic offender and fugitive Vijay Mallya, the UK High Court has directed the embattled liquor tycoon to pay British beverage giant Diageo over $ 135 million in relation to a collateral arrangement.
Diageo is seeking a total of $ 175 million from the 63-year-old businessman and was successful in one aspect of that claim as it was awarded a "summary judgment" by Justice Robin Knowles, who dismissed Mallya's reliance on an alleged oral promise from Diageo dating back to February 2016.
Over and above the $ 135 million, Mallya is liable to pay interest incurred at a commercial rate as well as £ 200,000 towards legal costs.
Whom Mallya owes the money to
"I have reached the conclusion that at this stage, it is clear the second claimant (Diageo Holdings Netherlands) is entitled to succeed," Justice Knowles said Friday, dismissing Mallya's defence that an oral promise over-rides any claim of such payment.
"We are pleased to have won in a clear vindication of our position," said Dominic Redfearn, spokesperson for Diageo.
"The court was clear in rejecting Dr Mallya's claim that there was a deal other than the one we signed. Diageo has consistently rejected those assertions. At all times through the protracted acquisition of the United Spirits Limited (USL), Diageo acted appropriately and in accordance with all legal obligations. All arrangements with Dr Mallya have been fully disclosed and accounted for," he said.
The remainder of the $ 175 million, including $ 40 million paid directly to Mallya, sought by Diageo will proceed to a trial expected at a much later date.
Son and 2 cos of Mallya liable for repayment
Earlier on Friday, the court heard Diageo's claim that Mallya, his son Sidhartha and two companies associated with the family are liable for repayment of the funds dating back to the company's acquisition of a controlling stake in Mallya's USL around three years ago.
Of the total amount claimed by the London-headquartered firm, $ 40 million is claimed directly from Mallya as the amount paid to him as part of a disengagement agreement and the remaining amount from Sidhartha Mallya and Watson Limited, a company held in a Mallya family trust called Continental Administration Services Limited (CASL).
"We are suing Dr Mallya for repayment and damages amounting to approximately $ 175 million. This is money Dr Mallya and some of his affiliate companies owe Diageo. We have always been clear that we are entitled to exercise our right to recover the sum in full," explained Redfearn, in reference to the wider case being brought by Diageo, one of the world's largest distillers behind brands like Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff.
The three claimants in the case, Diageo Plc, Diageo Holdings Netherlands BV (DHN) and Diageo Finance Plc, are pursuing Mallya over an agreement struck in February 2016, under which he would step down as chair of United Spirits in exchange for a financial agreement.
At the heart of Friday's case lay an ICICI Bank loan owed by Mallya's Watson and CASL, for which Diageo stepped in as a backstop so that it could be refinanced by Standard Chartered Bank. With some USL shares caught up in India's Debt Recovery Tribunal action at the time, it was expected that the collateral associated with the loan could be pursued at a later stage.
"Watson and CASL's only defence is that, prior to entering into the Deed of Disengagement, DHN promised that it would not enforce its claims until certain orders granted in India are lifted. Watson and CASL relied on an oral promise," Daniel Toledano, the barrister for Diageo, told Judge Knowles. "That defence is bound to fail. There are transcripts of the discussions at which the oral promise was alleged to have been made and it is clear from those transcripts that no such oral promise was made," he said.
Many of the transcripts were read out in court, including one in which Mallya repeatedly urges Diageo to not "screw him" further down the line of their negotiations over the sale of the USL.
The judge, in the end, agreed with Toledano's arguments, saying that transcripts when "properly and closely understood" are clear that Diageo had made no oral promise to not pursue the funds.
Diageo's counsel went on to argue the commercial rationale behind Mallya having entered into the agreement with the beverage major because he "stood to gain a lot financially from the deal, which is why he entered into it". He stressed that given the transcripts of a series of conversations presented before the court, there was no need for the case to go to a full trial and that a "summary judgment" by the judge would help save cost and delay.
Mallya's lawyer Daniel Margolin challenged Diageo's case by arguing that an oral promise had in fact been agreed between Mallya and Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes and other executives linked with the drinks major. He claimed at least two conversations that took place between Mallya and the Diageo chairman at the time and another one between Indian businessman Sunil Mittal and Menezes, for which no transcripts are available, are of high relevance to the case.
"It is not appropriate to simply dismiss those conversations," Margolin said, challenging Diageo's attempt at seeking summary judgment.
Extradition a separate issue
Meanwhile, Mallya, who was not present in court and is separately wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to about Rs 9,000 crore, remains on bail.
Mallya awaits his 2 July oral hearing before another UK High Court judge for his appeal against his extradition ordered by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February.
Sidhartha Mallya
Vijay Mallya
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Organic Chemistry, Volume 1: Carbene Chemistry is a 12-chapter text that covers pertinent research studies on the carbene chemistry.
The first ten chapters are devoted to comprehensive surveys of carbene chemistry. Each chapter tackles specific carbene compound, such as olefinic and acetylenic carbenes, aryl and diarylcarbenes, carboalkoxycarbenes, ketocarbenes, halocarbenes, heteroatom-containing carbenes, and dicarbenes. The formation, synthesis, and reactions of these compounds are discussed. The remaining two chapters the excess energy in reactions and spin states of carbenes. This book will be of value to organic chemists, organic chemistry researchers, teachers, and students.


Regardless of your age, interests or fitness level, you are sure to find many enjoyable activities when you visit Cancun. The area is an outdoor lover's paradise with a wide variety of water sports such as sailing, deep sea fishing, windsurfing, swimming, snorkeling, parasailing and jet skiing. The clear waters surrounding Cancun also offer some of the best diving anywhere in the world.
You can also swim, dive or snorkel the numerous cenotes or sink holes. The state of Yucatan contains more than 3,000 of these unique underground rivers and pools. You can visit different types, including ones that are at land level, ones that are semi-underground or cenotes that are completely underground. The ancient Maya considered cenotes sacred, and you'll quickly see why when you visit these magical places.
If you prefer to stay dry, you can explore Cancun via horseback, moped or foot. The area also contains many tennis courts for active individuals. If you are the adventurous type, you can book a land or aerial tour of the jungle, a submarine tour or race around the track at Go Karts Cancun. The islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres are also conveniently located only a short boat ride away. Don't forget to check out a traditional bull fight at the Plaza de Toros!
Cancun also offers great shopping to suit everyone. You can spend the day wandering the local markets that feature traditional arts and crafts or search for bargains in the trendy shopping malls or exclusive high-end boutiques. In addition to more than 50 stores, Plaza Las Americas also includes numerous restaurants, a book store, a video arcade and 8 movie theaters!
Make sure to visit Mercado 28 in downtown Cancun. You'll find everything from beautiful silver jewelry and delicious food to colorful clothing and unique souvenirs. This is one of the best places in Mexico to find beautiful handmade pottery.


History has its secrets, and someone wants them all.
Behind six feet of steel, buried under the streets of Manhattan, lies the Black Chamber - a room that once housed a team of codebreakers who would one day help to found the NSA.
"Imagine a writer that combines the best aspects of Cussler, Rollins, Berry, and Brown all into one. That's Kevin Tumlinson."
Abducted by a brutish professional killer, two physics professors are left with little food and limited air. Time is running out.
Agent Roland Denzel and Dr. Liz Ludlum are led to a government-sealed room by an unseen figure, where they find a century-old manuscript filled with riddles. Is it the key to opening the Black Chamber? What other secrets does it hold?
Dan Kotler returns in this codebreaking thriller, filled with enigmas, mysteries, and danger at every turn. Kotler must solve the Stepping Maze before time runs out ... for everyone.
The Stepping Maze is the sixth full-length novel in the Dan Kotler Archaeological thrillers.


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This project examines the Limitation Act 1950 and makes recommendations on changes needed to it. The principal recommendation is that the 1950 Act is repealed and replaced with a new Limitation Defences Act of wide application and with three central features: a defence based on a standard limitation period of three years; extension of the three year period in certain circumstances, in particular where a claimant shows absence of knowledge of essential facts relevant to the claim; and a further defence based on a long stop limitation period of 5 years.
Preliminary Paper
PP3 The Limitation Act 1950
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R6 Limitation Defences in Civil Proceedings
The Commission's Report, Limitation Defences in Civil Proceedings (R6)
Government Response to R6
An update of our review was completed in November 2008, and some recommendations are reflected in the Limitation Act 2010.
Copyright © 2023 New Zealand Law Commission. Read our disclaimer and privacy policy. Copyright content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand License. Click here for more information.


Holds up to 50 cards.
Sophisticated black and gunmetal design.
Store and display up to 50 business cards with the stylish Rolodex Distinctions Business Card Holder. With a solid bottom and durable construction, the business card holder is sturdy and convenient to use. Card Holder Type: Business Card Holder; Card Capacity: 50; For Card Size: 2 1/4" x 4"; Color(s): Metal/Black.


Drake's keeping his friends close and his frenemy's family even closer ... based on who showed up to his New Year's Eve bash.
As you know ... Kanye West went on the attack last weekend and issued a very public rebuke of Drake on NYE for following his wife on Instagram, but that didn't stop Kim's sisters from having a good time at Drizzy's champagne party.
Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott all attended The Mod Selection New Year's Party Monday night at Delilah in L.A. -- hosted by Drake -- despite the bad blood currently between him and Ye.
It's possible the rappers' relationship's on the mend ... Drake unfollowed Kim on IG just hours before midnight on NYE, so perhaps that was enough to smooth things over and allow Kanye's kin to hang out with Drake without backlash.
Kanye even tweeted on New Year's Day "I love Drake 2019 we will all heal."
However, he also used the first day of 2019 to go on a Twitter rant about Trump.


"We are at war!" DeMaurice Smith yelled.
Chicago State basketball coach Phil Gary has nowhere to go but up. That's the advantage of starting at the bottom.
In the last week of September, before the season began--that is, before the losing began--Phil Gary, then the head men's basketball coach at Chicago State University, stood on the black rubber track above the CSU stands and looked down onto the empty court. Seeing victories in his mind, he broke into a wide, toothy smile.
Sox hero Ron Kittle finds himself a nice place in the burbs.


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Řád bílé hvězdy (: Valgetähe teenetemärk) je civilní vyznamenání Estonska založené roku 1936. Udílen je prezidentem republiky občanům Estonska i cizím státním příslušníkům za jejich službu ve veřejné nebo místní správě a za zásluhy v oblasti hospodářství, vzdělávání, vědy, kultury, sportu či jiné oblasti.

Historie
Řád bílé hvězdy byl založen prezidentem Konstantinem Pätsem dne 7. října 1936 na památku boje za svobodu. Autorem vizuální podoby dekorace byl Paul Luhtein. Řád byl udílen do roku 1940, kdy bylo Estonsko připojeno k Sovětskému svazu a řád byl zrušen. Do svého zrušení byl udělen pouze dvacetkrát. Obnoven byl v roce 1995 poté, co Estonsko získalo znovu nezávislost. K zatím poslední úpravě organizace řádu došlo v roce 2007.

Pravidla udílení
Řád je udílen prezidentem republiky obvykle jednou ročně vždy na Den nezávislosti Estonska 24. února. Ve výjimečných případech, jako je například státní návštěva nebo posmrtné ocenění, může být řád udělen i mimo stanovené datum. Udíleno je občanům Estonska i cizím státním příslušníkům za jejich službu ve veřejné nebo místní správě a za zásluhy v oblasti hospodářství, vzdělávání, vědy, kultury, sportu či jiné oblasti lidské činnosti.

V zákonem daných případech může prezident rozhodnout o odebrání uděleného vyznamenání. Jde o případy kdy byl vyznamenaný pravomocně odsouzen za úmyslný trestný čin či chování vyznamenané osoby odporuje dobrým mravům, a pokud by se daná osoba takto chovala již dříve, nebylo by jí vyznamenání nikdy uděleno.

Insignie
Řádový odznak má podobu bíle smaltované stříbrné pozlacené šesticípé hvězdy s cípy v podobě ramen maltézského kříže. Mezi cípy jsou ozdoby v podobě pozlacených sněhových vloček. Uprostřed hvězdy je vyobrazen státní znak Estonska. Na zadní straně je uprostřed uvedeno datum 7. X 1936. Předválečná verze měla uprostřed odznaku místo státního znaku malou bíle smaltovanou šesticípou hvězdu. Vzhled odznaků se v jednotlivých třídách neliší, liší se pouze jejich velikost.

Řádová hvězda má šestihranný tvar o průměru 83 mm. Na podkladu je položena bíle smaltovaná šesticípá hvězda svým vzhledem vycházející z řádového odznaku. Udílena je od II. třídy řádu výše.

Řádový řetěz je z pozlaceného stříbra. Plaketa o průměru 38 mm má podobu velkého státního znaku. Na této plaketě je zavěšen řádový odznak v podobě bílé smaltované šesticípé hvězdy o průměru 65 mm.

Řádová medaile je svým vzhledem podobná řádovému odznaku V. třídy, je však zasazena do stříbrného kruhu.

Stuha řádu z hedvábného moaré je červená. V případě I. třídy je široká 105 mm u mužů a 64 mm u žen. V případě II. a III. třídy je široká 41 mm. Stuha řádu IV. a V. třídy je široká 35 mm. V případě medaile je stuha široká 30 mm.

Třídy
Řád je udílen v pěti řádných a v jedné speciální třídě. K řádu náleží také medaile.

 řádový řetěz – Řádový odznak se nosí na řetězu kolem krku. Zlatá řádová hvězda se nosí nalevo na hrudi. Tato speciální třída je udílena pouze zahraničním hlavám států.
 I. třída – Řádový odznak se nosí na široké stuze spadající z pravého ramene na levý bok. Stříbrná řádová hvězda se nosí nalevo na hrudi.
 II. třída – Řádový odznak se v případě pánů nosí na stuze kolem krku a v případě dam nalevo na hrudi na stuze uvázané do mašle. Stříbrná hvězda se nosí na levé straně hrudi.
 III. třída – Řádový odznak se v případě pánů nodí na stuze kolem krku a v případě dam nalevo na hrudi na stuze do mašle. Této třídě již řádová hvězda nenáleží.
 IV. třída – Řádový odznak se nosí zavěšený na stuze s rozetou.
 V. třída – Řádový odznak se nosí zavěšený na stuze bez rozety.
 medaile – Medaile se nosí zavěšena na stuze nalevo na hrudi.

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura

Externí odkazy

Databáze vyznamenaných Řádem bílé hvězdy
 Řád bílé hvězdy

Estonská státní vyznamenání

Ocenění založená roku 1936

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Doing us proud
Starbucks is opening its first "signing store," where all employees will be fluent in sign language
Nicole Pomarico
Starbucks is taking a major step forward in serving the deaf community. This fall, Starbucks will open its first all-signing store, where all employees will be fluent in American Sign Language.
According to a press release from the company, the new store will open in Washington, D.C. in October and will be close to the deaf-friendly Gallaudet University. Not only is Starbucks working to better serve its deaf customers, but this new outpost will also open up opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing employees: Starbucks says it will be hiring more than 20 such employees at the D.C. store.
"The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is thrilled that a large corporation such as Starbucks is establishing a signing store," NAD CEO Howard A. Rosenblum told HelloGiggles in a statement. "This endeavor promotes sign language, deaf culture, and increased accessibility and employment for deaf people."
#Starbucks set to open first U.S. "signing store" in Washington, D.C. in October where the deaf and those hard of hearing can find work. pic.twitter.com/H1PmcDS8cV
— Angela King (@AngelaKingKUOW) July 19, 2018
This Starbucks will also include merchandise and artwork created by a deaf artist, and the employees' aprons will be embroidered with ASL and adorned with "I sign" pins.
"This store is truly from partners, for partners, and we couldn't have gotten here without the team of deaf partners and allies from our Accessibility office and the Access Alliance partner network who came together to bring this vision to life. I look forward to the team welcoming the community to this store in October," Starbucks' executive vice president of U.S. retail, Rossann Williams, said in the release.
We love that Starbucks is making this change. Fingers crossed this signing store is only the first of many in the U.S.
By Nicole Pomarico
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SEOs get blocked by journalist.
I'm not going to get into any he said/she said here. I am more on the side of the journalist than the SEOs who replied to her, but I also think the attitudes from both sides needed a bit of tempering.
I see it from the journo's side because a) it's super annoying to get bad/persistent "outreach" emails asking for something I don't want to/can't give, and b) she has every right to approach her writing the way she wants to.
I also see it from the SEO perspective, because I too would like a link from the Times, as an SEO and an entrepreneur building a business that gets a lot of business from organic rankings.
The bigger question to me, and the thing that quite honestly annoys me (and always has about the links-SEO world), is that the SEO side seemed/seems unwilling to recognize that an unlinked mention from the NYT or any other big publication can be a HUGE win for you.
Here's how I'd put it to work (and, let me also tell you how it can directly benefit SEO).
The journalist's take on being asked for a link was that she has already helped you out by quoting/mentioning you in her article. I actually completely agree with this because mentions in a national/international publication are a big deal and can instantly lend credence to you/your business as an authority. Why else would there be a big industry around buying links from these sites that are mostly nofollowed?
That's right, the first logo mentioned in that site's homepage logo ribbon does not link to the site. So why is it there?
Because it is social proof, and Michael knows that by showing that he has been covered on BusinessWeek that he will build trust and likely earn business because he has that credence.
I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have been on the phone with someone where I am building trust with them to let Credo help them hire the right marketing firm, and as they scroll down they go "Oh nice, Rand Fishkin endorses you".
After that, think beyond the direct link itself and start thinking (as an SEO!) about the other content you can build around the strategies you employ to help you get great mentions and links.
Those links are awesome and I am super happy that they chose to link to me.
But can I put those mentions to work for me and will they long term benefit my business and my organic traffic (and thus business from that organic traffic)?
Putting it on other content, like the HARO piece and conference presentations, which all earn me links.
We've also used them to get me writing access to places like Entrepreneur, in pitches to various podcasts to get me on as a guest, and more.
I met a VP from TrustPilot, which led to a guest post (and a link!) and more importantly an introduction to someone here in Denver who has become a good friend and colleague.
Having mentions and viral effects can lead to this sort of thing. That LinkedIn post will probably add six figures in revenue to my business over the couple of years following it, and the opportunities it led to have been insane.
Relationships make the business world go round. I have a lot of people that I send work to through Credo, who are not listed publicly for various reasons, because I know them and their work and trust them. I've sent them some incredible clients, clients that my company was able to generate because of our relationships in the digital marketing and entrepreneur industry/community.
They are all promoting each other because they have a relationship.
They're not looking for a link or a quick hit! They're not looking to "scale"! They've built long standing friendships and relationships that over the long term have massive impact on everyone's business!
I'll go out on a limb and say that almost every SEO that responded to the journalist's tweet yesterday will never get a mention from her on the Times. That relationship has ended before it even started.
If you want to grow your business, grow your network, meet incredible people, and maybe get a few links that actually matter then you need to invest in relationships first. Full stop. No negotiation there.
Finally, let's talk SEO for a minute. Sigh. I purposefully don't write much about SEO on this site these days because I have greatly expanded what I think and write about in the last few years, but I think this part is necessary to this post.
SEOs love to talk about "entities". I didn't understand entities for a loong time (and am still by no means an expert), but we've seen Google (and maybe others) invest in this idea of a "being" or a "company" quite a bit over the last few years (Google+ anyone??).
I also heard directly from a Googler that because Google knows entities, they can and will associate your brand/name (unlinked even, which I specifically asked about) with the topic that the piece of content where you are mentioned is covering if your brand is associated with that topic enough.
It's not a link-equity passing link, sure. But it's a topic-related play that, if you are paying attention to where the web is going, may be even more powerful. If you're not paying attention to topic relevance as an SEO and just keep talking about "backlinks", then you are going to have a very bad time in a few years.
So that's my take. This is why an unlinked brand mention can be a great thing for your business and you personally even if you do not get a link.
* Correction from earlier. I thought the journo was at the NYT. She was at the Times in the UK. This has been corrected.
I missed the thread, but I think that it's a bad user experience and shoddy journalism for them NOT to link to the relevant entity/site when they mention you. It's called citations and it's standard in academia to link to your base sources. So why do journalists omit relevant links?
It is SUPER frustrating to read an entire article, entirely about a specific person or event and yet have no ability to be referred to the correct resource. I have to pop-up a separate tab, do a search and HOPE that Google has the RIGHT person/entity or event and more often than not, I can't find it.
That's just dinosaur journalism right there, unwilling to actually help their readers because of what? She's annoyed she gets requests to cite her sources? Maybe if she linked to them in the first place she wouldn't get requests to add them in retro-actively.
I guess it's a question of what "cite" means. In paper academia, they cite it meaning they footnote it. It's not a link (aka that passes something like link equity which has monetary value).
I also don't think a link is always a help to the reader, or necessarily called for always.
I did not see the twitter discussion either, but going off of your post here, part of the issue on wanting a link is that brand mentions are hard to measure. We want as much data as possible as it makes our decision making process more robust.
As well, even if a linked mention, and a non-linked mention boosted our site equally, it would still be great to be able to check in our analytics and see those direct clicks coming in. It's also good for reporting to a client..'we landed a you an article and it brought you this many visitors, which converted at x% ' etc.
And yes, I agree it probably is a bit annoying for the journalist, especially since they may not have control over the final published product and outbound links.
I am not disagreeing here at all, and I too want that data. But is you wanting that data reason to say that she should be linking to you?
Not at all. Their site, their control. Thing is, maybe the journalist doesn't understand SEO and the extra value a link brings, (not the specific journo in the twitter feed, but in general) so it doesn't hurt to ask. An SEO can always check the rest of the site to see if there are any outbound links at all to help them gauge what that answer might be.
But most publications fully understand the value of links – they're hot on internal links, something either done via a tool designed to tactically link certain words and phrases to certain pages, or they drum it into writers to add them (freelance or staff).


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Tag Archives: inclusion
When Is A Toilet Not A Toilet?
Can all members of the public use the Public Conveniences?
You may well be asking what has a question about toilets got to do with ordination training? Yet it has turned out recently to be the most basic and essential necessity of finding a toilet that really brought it home to me how we so often both intentionally and unintentionally exclude a large group of people within society
One of my fellow ordinands, Helena, is a former lawyer and is a passionate advocate and fierce protector of people's rights. She also has Multiple Sclerosis and uses a mobility scooter and therefore knows first-hand what the world looks like to a disabled person. She, like the majority of disabled people, doesn't just want and need to be as independent as possible, but believes that each and every one of us has to become much more aware of what needs to be done to create a naturally inclusive society; which brings me back to toilets!
We've all heard the stories of inconsiderate able-bodied car drivers who blatantly park in a disabled parking space thus denying any genuine blue badge holders from doing so; but what about all those who deliberately use the designated disabled toilets, because they are the closest, which on becoming blocked force the person in the wheelchair to have no facilities at all?
That is just one specific instance, but what about when a community in which disabled people live shows too little consideration or awareness of their needs? A case in point is when we went on a field trip to a neighbouring village to the college. Firstly, I have to say that I am not singling out this particular community, as regretfully it is not unique, and it should be acknowledged that the organisers of the trip should have completed a health and safety assessment prior to the visit. However, if what happened, on the surface appears laughable, it is also deeply thought provoking
Everybody needs to go to the toilet – fact. Everybody is aware that not all buildings they visit will have toilet facilities – fact. Everybody knows that where public toilets are provided they can use them…………
The church we were visiting did not have a toilet, which was reasonable enough given its age and listed-building status; the vicarage did have toilets (as you would expect) except the vicarage itself was inaccessible to a person in a wheelchair. Where then was Helena, who not unreasonably had reached the point when she wished to avail herself of these facilities, to go? The public conveniences were about 200 yards from the vicarage but on arriving at them we saw that there was no designated disabled toilet, in fact there were steps to get into both the ladies and gents (see picture above)
Where else could we try? Fifty yards down the road, the Catholic church was situated in a lovely new building with signposted disabled parking and push button entry access to presumably up to date toilet facilities – but the building was locked and empty. Around the corner there was a public house, and calling through the open back door we asked if we were able to use their toilets. We may, but whilst we could get into the pub, the toilets had a step down to them. Retracing our steps, we were advised that a key had been found for the village hall, this was some 500 yards in the opposite direction. Here there was a small disabled toilet, barely large enough to allow Helena to enter with her scooter and hopelessly maintained so that the clutch rail would not stay upright. We spend several minutes with the two of us trying manoeuvre ourselves, one holding up the rail, the other trying to fit into the cubicle, before I could step outside and she was finally able to relieve herself – so much for self-esteem and independence!
All in all this farce lasted about 40 minutes, and I jokingly said to Helena that it was good job she could hold on. To my dismay she told me that for many disabled people this was not the case – it's called 'social incontinence', where lack of disabled facilities force otherwise continent people to resort to incontinence products simply to be able to go out into the world for any length of time. One more example of the removal of a person's dignity.
Helena was just one person in that place at that time, but how many more people have come up time and again against the same problems and instead of feeling welcomed and able to play their full part in their communities have felt excluded and devalued.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters,
if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions?
It is a hundred years since people and governments became more aware of the need to make provision for the disabled, following the many thousands of men who returned incapacitated from the First World War, either blind or limbless. One hundred years in which we have come a long way to recognise the equality of all in society and yet we still exclude and marginalise the disabled through not consulting or considering fully their needs, so that they can just BE
Maybe it's time to look around the places you live and work in, remembering that it's not just toilets but other things like ramps and rails; and when you spot something that needs changing, then do what needs to be done to make that change happen, including asking the people for whom you are doing it what it is they really need.
Helena, endures much in the way that she has to adapt in order to undertake her studies and she shouldn't have to. As I walk alongside her she has made me more and more aware of issues that should change and transform how we think and act as individuals, as a society and as Christians. This sort of teaching, in my mind, will always be more valuable than anything that an academic text book has to say.
An inclusive society means no-one should be excluded
This piece has been written with the full permission of my friend and fellow Ordinand, Helena
This entry was posted in Ministry and tagged access, awareness, community, consideration, devalued, dignity, disability, equality, exclusion, health and safety, inclusion, independence, multiple sclerosis, rails, ramps, self esteem, society, toilets disabled on July 24, 2014 by lindasgalvin.


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Important updates to the UK tax regime for contractors
March 16, 2016 by Matt
This article is from http://www.recruiter.co.uk/
Budget: T&S tax relief removed from next month
The government is to push ahead with the removal of tax relief on travel & subsistence (T&S) expenses, according to Treasury documents accompanying today's Budget.
The documents confirmed that tax relief will be removed from April 2016 for temporary workers supplied through employment intermediaries.
The government's move was met with a mixed response.
Commenting on the government's confirmation, Crichton Miller, chairman of driver recruitment business Haul-It Nationwide, said: "I am delighted."
He continued: "Decent compliant agencies like mine struggled to compete with the hidden margins employed by the majority of agencies via umbrella companies and T&S schemes. Only extreme efficiency has allowed my business to survive over the last 19 years of trading against unfair competition.
"Now, we should have a level playing field and my workers' wages will remain the same and our charges will not go up."
But Crawford Temple, chief executive of PRISM, a trade body for service providers and payment intermediaries in the temporary labour market, said he was disappointed the Chancellor had not announced a strategic review of tax legislation affecting contractors.
"Our members are still unable to invest in the future with any certainty, and the country's growing army of contractors will continue to suffer the worst of both worlds. They are treated as 'employees' by the taxman despite identifying more with the self-employed in the way they choose to work. It is important to remember these are people with no job security, who lack the same access to support, benefits and pensions available to ordinary employees."
Meanwhile Julia Kermode, CEO of the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association (FCSA), a trade association for umbrella, accountancy and payroll providers, said: "When T&S comes into effect there is no question that we will see a skills shortage, as fewer workers will be willing to travel for assignments.
"There will undoubtedly be a knock-on effect and government policies that are heavily reliant on contractors will be hit. The new plans for HS3, Crossrail, M62 widening, 18-mile trans-Pennine tunnel will suffer along with other current infrastructure projects which rely on contractors."
Other announcements in the Budget included:
Personal service companies (PSC) crackdown
As expected, the Chancellor announced that from April 2017, where the public sector engages an off-payroll worker through their own limited company, that body (or the recruiting agency if the public sector body engages through one) will become responsible for determining whether the rules on self-employment should apply, and for paying the right tax.
Abolition of Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) for self-employed
The government will abolish Class 2 NICs for the self-employed from April 2018. The government will publish its response to the recent consultation on benefit entitlement for the self-employed in due course, which will set out details of how the self-employed will access contributory benefits after Class 2 is abolished.
– See more at: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2016/03/budget-ts-tax-relief-removed-from-next-month/#sthash.Z1rX3ygV.dpuf
– original post: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2016/03/budget-ts-tax-relief-removed-from-next-month/
Tags:contracting
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Matt has worked in recruitment since 2000, and is a co-founder and director of Blues Point. He has a degree in French from Durham University and is a qualified chartered accountant. He looks after the financial and legal aspects of the business. Interesting fact: Matt used to live in Blues Point, which is in Sydney, in 1998. Hence the name!
Latest posts from Matt
Five pros and cons of video interviewing - November 9, 2022
Expect the Unexpected - November 1, 2022
Considering lying on your CV? Read this first - August 19, 2022
Beware the Counter Offer!
Overqualified
6 essential tips for Skype interviews
The argument in favour of mentoring
The Super League of Extraordinary Home Workers
How to interview the interviewer
IT graduates required!
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Dr. John W. Cavanaugh, PhD
Dr. John W. Cavanaugh, PhD is the President and CEO of CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS, LLC and a local faculty member at the Columbus, Ohio campus of the University of Phoenix. He also manages the LinkedIn group page for the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) http://ncdd.org/about .
Dr. Cavanaugh's experience includes time as a Program Officer for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation where he functioned as liaison to National Issues Forums Institute (www.nifi.org) , a nationwide network of organizations committed to public policy deliberation. He previously served as a staff assistant in the Boston office of U.S. Senator John Kerry, as a budget analyst in the office of the Massachusetts state auditor, and as a research assistant professor in the Center for Citizenship at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Dr. Cavanaugh has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Framingham State University, a master's degree in Public Affairs from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and a doctoral degree in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina.
He is author of MEDIA EFFECTS ON VOTERS and is published in numerous periodicals regarding issues including multicultural public relations, government and nonprofit relations, civic engagement, and community outreach.


Theme of presentation: Dr. Bhumip Khasnabish introduces Smart Body Sensor Objects (SBSOs) including their Networking and Internetworking. A few use cases including the relevant privacy and protocol requirements are discussed. General usage and deployment etiquette along with the relevant Regulatory implications are then pointed out.
Details of presentation: Wearable and implantable body sensors for health, vital organ/entities, etc. monitoring, self and surrounding audio and video recording, augmenting the reality, etc. are. rapidly becoming utility devices. Making these devices smart and capable of networking and Internetworking opens up a whole new world of privacy-invading Internet innovations in the increasingly mobile, connected and analytics-driven society. Handheld device and machine-tomachine driven any-area and any-technology networking will change humanity and society forever. Smartness can be incorporated in the Body Sensor Objects (BSOs) by embedding (a) virtualization, (b) predictive analytics, and (c) proactive computing and communications capabilities. In this talk, Dr. Bhumip Khasnabish introduces Smart Body Sensor Objects (SBSOs) including their Networking and Internetworking. A few use cases including the relevant privacy and protocol requirements are discussed. General usage and deployment etiquette along with the relevant Regulatory implications are then pointed out.
Theme of presentation: The importance of sensing and measurement in the world of robotics, and the future research and development of sensors in this area – MEMS, biological sensors etc.
Details of presentation: There was a mesmerizing presentation on the said topic over a period of two hours. All the participants were engrossed with the wonderful lecture delivered by Prof. G. Sen Gupta.
Details of presentation: Prof. Iti Saha Misra, CoMSoC Chairperson of Kolkata Section, welcome Prof. Pradeep Ray to the venue at 11.00 am. There were 104 pre-registered participants for the program consisting of undergraduate engineering students from the Departments of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering and Applied Electronics and Instrumentation from Jadavpur University itself along with other neighbouring Institutes (Heritage Institute of Technology, Narula Institute of Technology, Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology etc.). Apart from that large section of the audience was current research scholars and faculties from various institutes. There were 10 IEEE members and 25 student members.
Theme of presentation: Most of communication and microwave specialization students have participated the lecture meeting. It was very much beneficial for the students to get the real picture of satellite communication in Indian Scenarios.
Details of presentation: The future Internet, or the Internet of Things and the Internet of Everything, whatever we have now seems inadequate. So the concept of Fog computing comes which brings the concept of using mobile devices, home gateways, set top boxes as computing devices. In this talk, the concepts of Big Data, the history of the Grid and Cloud and the rise of Fog computing as a new paradigm along with some research cases that are actively pursued at TCS Innovation Labs Kolkata are delivered nicely by Dr. Mukherjee.
Details of presentation: IoT (Internet of Things) systems like smart energy management expose sensor data that sense human activity, containing private information. Such fine-grained sensor data also makes different important 3rd party applications like smart grid control, dynamic pricing, elderly monitoring possible. The fear of privacy breach ("spying inside home") impedes practical deployment of such applications and its acceptability. Unlike data and network security research, data privacy research is at its nascent stage. Research activities on smart meter data privacy is gaining pace, even governmental agencies are engaged to issue guidelines regarding protection of consumer privacy. In this talk, particular focus on the description of IoT data privacy problem, its impact and current solution on privacy preservation of smart energy managementtion of smart energy management systems have been covered.


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Turkey starts naval exercises in Aegean Sea
13 March 2018 11:26 (UTC+04:00)
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 13
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
As a response to naval exercises of Greece, conducted from March 6 to March 30, the Turkish Navy also began exercises in the Aegean Sea, the Turkish media reported citing military sources.
Reportedly, the Turkish naval exercises began on March 7 and will continue until April 30.
The number of ships of the Turkish Navy, which will take part in the exercises, has not been revealed.
As it was previously reported, the Greek Navy began naval exercises in the Aegean Sea.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the information about the collision of boats of the Turkish and Greek coast guards. According to the head of state, the incident did not cause problems. Erdogan laid the responsibility for the incident on the Greek side, saying "the Greeks were confused".
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
military-naval exercises
Erdogan, Merkel discuss Libya by phone ahead of Berlin conference
Turkey 05:18
Erdogan calls on Europe to support Turkey's moves in Libya
Turkey 18 January 14:01
Turkey's Arfem Aluminium company talks on plans in Azerbaijan
Business 17 January 17:08
Turkish farmers to save money by using solar power
Turkey announces early start of construction of new shipping canal in Istanbul
Turkey's export of fruit, vegetables down
Jerusalem Post: January 20 - page of heroism in history of struggle for Azerbaijan's independence


A trio of opportunities are presented in Bristol in March where we have arranged a rare 1 day, non-assessed HHSRS Identification and Rating of Hazards training event, plus a 2-day HHSRS Practitioner course – and to complete the set, an Introducing the Basics of Statutory Nuisance training day.
The 1-day HHSRS training on Thursday, 7 March covers all the essentials of how to identify and rate hazards in residential dwellings and is an excellent refresher or introduction to the subject. The 2-day HHSRS course beginning on Wednesday, 6 March includes theory and practice and results in a certificate of competence for those who reach the required standard.
The third course on Thursday, 14 March is our phenomenally well-received 'Introducing the Basics of Statutory Nuisance' training day, delivered by Ian Marriner, RIAMS Chief Editor and experienced trainer. For all the details visit training.rheglobal.com.


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VENOM - From The Very Depths CD
FORMED BACK in 1979 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Venom have had a HUGE influence on extreme music, especially the Thrash and Black Metal scenes, with bands such as Metallica, Slayer & Megadeth regularly acknowledging their historical importance and weight.
Titled From The Very Depths and featuring 14 fresh recordings produced by main-man / bassist Cronos, this is the band s 14th studio album to date; the follow-up to 2011 s Fallen Angels release, it sees the trio (completed by guitarist Rage & drummer Dante) adopting a style highly redolent of classic early Venom with modern studio technology employed only to increase the general level of nastiness and spite.
With the title of their second album ( Black Metal , 1982) now being used to describe an entire musical genre, it s clear that Venom s ground-breaking blend of raw heavy metal & punk, complete with down-to-earth humour and lyrics inspired by Satan and darker forces in general, singles them out as one of metal s most legendary and notorious acts.
They were harder, faster, noisier and more offensive than all of their contemporaries back in the early 80s, and new album From The Very Depths shows that their signature no-compromise approach, based around original Venom titan Cronos infamous bulldozer bass , has in no way mellowed with time...
THE NEW ALBUM: FROM THE VERY DEPTHS
VENOM, the hugely influential UK outfit now celebrating 30 years plus at the forefront of the metal scene since the release of their legendary Welcome To Hell debut, will have a brand new studio album released on January 26th via Spinefarm Records...
Label Spinefarm


In Episode 4 of my series interviewing teaching greats from the recent past, I interview Paul Dean. Download the podcast or listen online here: https://soundcloud.com/willorrewing/paul-dean or watch on YouTube below.
Paul read English at Manchester 1971-9. His first teaching post was in Manchester. He was then Head of English at Portsmouth Grammar School 1986-99, Dragon 2000-8, and Summer Fields 2008-15. He is now retired but still on the books part time at both.
In this interview, we start by discussing why Paul was attracted from secondary teaching to the independent prep sector: "prep schools seemed to offer the freest place to teach in the entire educator sector." In the second half, from 25.30ish, we discuss his thoughts about teaching English – when, to my mind, the interview really hits its stride. For those who are time-pressed, I'd especially recommend Paul's thoughts on the teaching of poetry from 41.28 onward, which includes some mesmerising impressions of Auden, Heaney and Wordsworth.
Thank you very much to Dougal of the band Paint (www.facebook.com/pg/paintbandUK/about/) for the wonderful jingle.


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FLASHBACK: AC/DC's Rock Hall Induction
Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter	October 5th, 2017
NEW YORK - MARCH 10: Rock band AC/DC speak at the18th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on March 10, 2003 in New York City. AC/DC was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with The Righteous Brothers, Mo Ostin, The Clash and The Police.
Brian Johnson celebrates his 70th birthday today (October 5), and with the announcement of the 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees also coming down today, it's appropriate to look back to 2003 when AC/DC received their Rock Hall dues.
First, they were inducted by Steven Tyler, whose speech is incredibly underrated in the long list of induction speech in the history of the Rock Hall…
Johnson then spoke on behalf of the band in a short but sweet speech that also served as a doffing of his newsboy hat to the late Bon Scott…
And then, it was time to rock! Just like the entirety of AC/DC's career, the band's night of honor was all business, no bullsh*t, but still a ton of fun.
We fans wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice.
AC/DC,Brian Johnson


Access Fund is thrilled to announce that it will be hosting an annual event celebration over the weekend of May 15-17, 2015, in partnership with Patagonia. The event, Solid Protection: Tools and Strategies for Protecting the Places We Love to Climb, will bring together climbers, pro athletes, advocates, and industry leaders in Colorado to discuss the role of climbing in the greater conservation movement. The event is open to the climbing public, and all are encouraged to attend one or more of the weekend's events.
The main event will be a celebratory dinner on the evening of March 16, with keynote address by climbing legend Doug Robinson and a special presentation of the Access Fund 2014 Sharp End Awards. Attendees are invited to arrive on Friday and join us for a happy hour screening of Moving Over Stone with Doug Robinson. Saturday morning will kick off with an advocate summit, featuring a full day of workshops, panel discussions, and training on techniques and strategies for protecting climbing areas and joining the greater conservation movement. An open Access Fund board meeting on Sunday morning will close the weekend's events.
Access Fund and Patagonia invite you to join this unique event. Reserve your spot today at www.accessfund.org/SolidProtection.


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Celtic v Linfield: David Healy looking forward to 'toughest game' his side have ever faced
Linfield will be hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit in tonight's second leg
Johnny Morton
Linfield Manager David Healy (Image: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.)
Linfield manager David Healy is aware that tonight's second round Champions League qualifying second leg at Celtic Park is going to be the toughest game of his sides careers.
Healy has acknowledged that it also has the potential to be the greatest game for his team if they are able to pull off a shock result and overturn the 2-0 deficit conceded last Friday at Windsor Park.
"This will be the toughest game these lads will ever play in, the biggest game and hopefully it is the best game but we are certainly looking forward to it," said Healy.
Celtic v Linfield: When is the game and where can I watch it?
"We will set up the way we did on Friday, to contain them and force them wide. What we don't want to do is come here to be annihilated.
"A lot of the SPFL clubs have come to Celtic Park and been blown away.
"We don't want to be lambs to the slaughter. We will be positive when we have possession but will be organised and disciplined as we were on Friday night."
Much of the aftermath from the first leg was marred by UEFA disciplinary action against both clubs, and also Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths who tied a club scarf to the Windsor Park goal after the game.
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths was disciplined for tying a scarf to a goalpost at Windsor Park
Linfield will be bringing around 1,000 fans to a sold-out Celtic Park, and is confident that after the game football will be the main discussion point.
The most frustrating thing for the former Northern Ireland striker is that the 'idiots' took away from what was a positive Linfield performance.
"The disappointing thing with everything that happened on Friday is that the players didn't get enough praise for their work ethic and the amount of effort they put into the game. It is frustrating," he added.
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths doubtful for Champions League second leg clash against Linfield
"Someone asked me the question about the incidents straight from the game and I claimed that I didn't see the incident.
"But having seen and been made aware of the incident, I didn't want to come out and say anything but now that two or three days have passed, it's time for me.
"I know the club have made a statement about the idiots and it is hugely disappointing that with the amount of money that we spent and the efforts that the club make, we still have a few idiots who want to bring the club to the attention of other people.
"It is hugely disappointing as the manager of the club that (because) of a few idiots, the players didn't come out with a lot more praise. A lot of people wanted to talk about what happened off the pitch.
"I did say about supporters throughout the world, sometimes no matter what you do as a club, you can't prevent a few idiots that follow the club. We have made giant strides to make sure we are talking about what happens on the pitch.
"It is hugely important tomorrow night that the 1,000 supporters or whatever who are going to be here behave themselves in an impeccable manner, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the game, enjoy the occasion, and we come away talking about hopefully another positive Linfield performance."


Learning Arabic How Are You?
How are you? (For subject you, female, singular).
How are you? (For subject you, male, plural).
How are you? (For subject you, female, plural).
The main difference of the expressions above is vocals of end of each stentence on word "haluk" (حَالُك), i.e.: ka, ki, kum, and kunna.


The Board of Nemaha County Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, Jan. 14, in the Commissioner's Room of the Nemaha County Courthouse. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Gary Scoby leading the flag salute. Present also were Commissioners Tim Burdiek and Dennis Henry, and County Clerk Mary Kay Schultejans recording the minutes.
The county's Wind farm Attorney James Neeld called to speak to commissioners by phone. The commissioners voted to enter executive session for attorney-client privileges. Present for the executive session was the Board of Commissioners, Attorney James Neeld by phone, and County Attorney Brad Lippert. The meeting returned to open session at 9:40 a.m., with no action taken by the board following the executive session.
Open discussion was held concerning the development of the Soldier Creek Wind Farm in Nemaha County. Present for this discussion with the board included several local landowners, representatives from NextEra Energy Resources, members of the local media, USD No. 115 Superintendent Darrel Kohlman and County Attorney Brad Lippert.
Chairman Scoby stated that the county is waiting on the final footprint of the project and the density study from NextEra Energy Resources before finalizing the term sheet. Commissioners also stated that they were planning to travel to Reno County and Pratt County on Tuesday, Jan. 15, to speak to county officials from each of those counties about the development of wind farms in their respective counties. Schultejans plans to travel with commissioners.
• Tthey are currently holding 10 inmates in the jail.
• They booked four individuals into the jail this past week.
• He is preparing for another winter storm to hit the area this coming weekend.
• He also is preparing for another winter storm to hit the area this coming weekend. Lierz stated that he has been in contact with Road and Bridge Supervisor Dennis Ronnebaum and with the Kansas Department of Emergency Management, as well, concerning the predicted winter storm.
• They have repairs to do to one of the snowplows following this past weekend's snow removal.
• He is also preparing for another winter storm to hit the area this coming weekend.
• Pottawatomie County is speaking to him about Nemaha County purchasing the road right of way necessary for the replacement of a bridge that lies on the Nemaha County-Pottawatomie County line.
• He would like to move Road and Bridge Department Secretary Kristina Talkington on the pay scale at this time. Commissioners approved increasing Talkington's pay from $14.32 per hour to $15.07 per hour, effective Jan. 21.
Appraiser Betty Roeder came before the board.
• Roeder asked commissioners if they still wanted her office to take over the 911 addressing in the county. Commissioners stated that they would like the Appraiser's Office to do this.
• She presented commissioners with a quote from Dell in the amount of $1,889.38 for the purchase of a new PC to be used for GIS purposes. This purchase was approved. Roeder plans to pay for this purchase out of remaining 2018 money from the Appraiser's Fund.
• She has begun to put together a specification sheet for a new truck for the Noxious Weed Department. Commissioners made some suggestions of what they thought should be included in the spec sheet.
• She had an agreement for commissioners to review to allow the Noxious Weed Department to spray the State road right-of-ways in Nemaha County. Following review, Chairman Scoby signed the agreement as presented.
• She attended a Noxious Weed meeting in Topeka last week.
County Attorney Brad Lippert spoke to commissioners about the number of staff members in the Marshall County Attorney's Office compared to the Nemaha County Attorney's Office, and also about what Marshall County pays for defensive services compared to what Nemaha County pays for these same services.
Commissioner Henry signed the Nemaha County Quarterly Financial Statement for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2018, as presented.
Chairman Scoby signed add/abate orders as presented.
Commissioners signed an engagement letter with Reese and Novelly, P.A., as presented to conduct the Nemaha County 2018 audit.
Chairman Scoby signed the monitoring resolution letter for the Bern Fire District No. 4 Community Development Block Grant as presented to be sent to the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Chairman Scoby signed the Clerk's Annual Fees Report for 2018 as presented.
The board reviewed and approved the minutes from the Jan. 7 meeting.
The board reviewed vouchers submitted by the different departments to be paid at the middle of January.
Commissioners met on Tuesday, Jan. 22, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Monday, Jan. 21. These minutes were not available at The Herald's press time.


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text:
Say you have an array for which the ith element is the price of a given stock on day i.

Design an algorithm to find the maximum profit. You may complete as many transactions as you like (ie, buy one and sell one share of the stock multiple times).

### Note
You may not engage in multiple transactions at the same time (ie, you must sell the stock before you buy again).

### Example 1:
```
Input: [7,1,5,3,6,4]
Output: 7
Explanation: Buy on day 2 (price = 1) and sell on day 3 (price = 5), profit = 5-1 = 4.
             Then buy on day 4 (price = 3) and sell on day 5 (price = 6), profit = 6-3 = 3.
```

### Example 2:
```
Input: [1,2,3,4,5]
Output: 4
Explanation: Buy on day 1 (price = 1) and sell on day 5 (price = 5), profit = 5-1 = 4.
             Note that you cannot buy on day 1, buy on day 2 and sell them later, as you are
             engaging multiple transactions at the same time. You must sell before buying again.
```

### Example 3:
```
Input: [7,6,4,3,1]
Output: 0
Explanation: In this case, no transaction is done, i.e. max profit = 0.
```

## Solution
An excellent generalization of the whole series can be found in this [post](https://leetcode.com/problems/best-time-to-buy-and-sell-stock-with-transaction-fee/discuss/108870/Most-consistent-ways-of-dealing-with-the-series-of-stock-problems)

In general, stock problem can be characterized by three factors, the ordinal of the day i, the maximum number of allowable transactions k and the number of stocks in our hand at the end of the day.

This easy variant where k = Inf indicates maximum allowable transactions don't matter, k == k-1, the DP transitions are
- dpClosed[i] = max(dpClosed[i-1], dpOpen[i-1] + prices[i])
- dpOpen[i] = max(dpOpen[i-1], dpClosed[i-1] - prices[i])

which is equivalent to accumulate the local positive gain, note this doesn't break the requirement of no multiple transactions at the same time, just calculate the gain. However this approach doesn't extend to the case where there is a fee [714m](../p714m/README.md).

#BBG

#Array #Greedy

#Similar question
[121e](../p121e/README.md) [122e](../p122e/README.md) [123h](../p123h/README.md) [188h](../p188h/README.md) [309m](../p309m/README.md) [714m](../p714m/README.md)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Powerful, Short Documentary on Flawed Doping Conviction of Steven Colvert
Posted by Roger Pielke, Jr. at 10:38 AM 0 comments
Unsolicited Advice for USOC After Nassar
The events today in a Michigan court room were remarkable, as sexual predator Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to an additional 175 years in prison. In the aftermath of the sentencing the US Olympic Committee, which has oversight responsibilities of USA Gymnastics under us law (the so-called Ted Stevens Act of 1978), released a letter to athletes.
In the letter USOC says the following:
The USOC has decided to launch an investigation by an independent third party to examine how an abuse of this proportion could have gone undetected for so long. We need to know when complaints were brought forward and to who. This investigation will include both USAG and the USOC, and we believe USAG will cooperate fully. We will make the results public.
Nobody asked me, but here is some independent advice to USOC.
1. How USOC handles this investigation is incredibly important, for making things better, for its reputation and for its legitimacy in the eyes of athletes.
USOC gets one shot at this and one shot only. The way forward is a minefield with lots of potential for missteps. Here are some recommendations based on my observations of many, many investigations by sports organizations.
2. The choice of "independent third party" is absolutely essential.
No details are provided, but it would seem obvious that absolutely no one from the Olympic "family" should be involved in the investigation. No one. Independent must mean independent. USOC should have no role in selecting the members of the investigative team. USOC should pay the full cost.
One suggestion is to follow the model of the Mitchell Report (full name: "Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball") which was called for and paid for by Major League Baseball.
George Mitchell recently explained how it came together in a way that was truly independent:
[MLB commissioner] Bud Selig deserves great credit for his courage. He was the only commissioner of a professional sport in the United States who had the courage to authorize a completely independent investigation. I made it clear to him in our first conversation that I would do this only if I had his commitment to my full and total independence. He unhesitatingly gave it, and he kept his promise. That's to his great credit.
It also worked because, well, George Mitchell is George Mitchell. (I had the pleasure of spending a day with him a few years ago when I was the "George Mitchell lecturer" at the University of Maine. He is the real deal.)
Who might USOC turn to? Some suggestions:
Condoleeza Rice is at the top of my list. She is a diplomat, knows sports and is above reproach. If not her, then someone of similar stature (of which there are very few). George Mitchell is on the list also.
Alternatively, USOC could turn to Congress for help, for instance by making an appeal to the two senators from Colorado (where USOC is headquartered), one a Republican and one a Democrat. Congress has ultimate oversight responsibilities for USOC and could empanel and support the work of an investigation (e.g., via hearings). The risk of course is that involving Congress could lead the issue to become politicized in today's hyper-partisan environment. Another risk is that Congress is just too dysfunctional to take it on .
Of course, Congressional action might preempt USOC anyway (in which case it would be in USOC's interests to just get out ahead). Senator Jean Shaheen (D-NH) has already suggested such, and the train may be leaving the station.
Either way, I'd recommend Condoleeza Rice, regardless who empanels the committee.
3. The investigation must be about more than who knew what, when.
Yest, that should be part of it, of course. But an equally important question is who didn't know what, when. If USAG or USOC officials did not know about the years of abuse, then why didn't they? What went wrong? Clearly, both organizations should have known a long time ago and stopped it.
A limitation to such an investigation is that absent a Congressional role, there will be no subpoena power or ability to compel evidence from witnesses. Mitchell had this problem in his steroid investigations, but his efforts were was helped along by a few athletes who were willing to speak and a parallel federal investigation.
If USOC has not already acted to secure official communications of (all) USAG and (relevant) USOC staff, such as emails, phone messages etc. then it is already too late. USOC needs to be acting as if a major investigation is already underway, and not wait until it is.
4. Finally, USOC should go ahead and decertify USAG.
In its letter today USOC said:
We have strongly considered decertifying USAG as a National Governing Body. But USA Gymnastics includes clubs and athletes who had no hand in this and who need to be supported. We believe it would hurt more than help the athletes and their sport. But we will pursue decertification if USA Gymnastics does not fully embrace the necessary changes in their governance structure along with other mandated changes under review right now.
This is weak.
Given the scope of the abuse, USAG needs to be rebuilt from the ground up in the aftermath of an independent investigation. Decertification would mean, in effect, putting USAG into a form of receivership and managed by USOC. Yes, this would be challenging and take a lot of effort. However, it could be done in a manner that limits impacts on athletes and the sport.
Crucially, it would be the right thing to do, and help to restore credibility in the sport and the institutions that govern it. It would send a signal that fixing things is ultimately more important than sport victories. If there is some disruption involved in making things right, then that is a price worth paying.
USOC can be sure that people like me -- well outside their "family," and people like Aly Raisman -- who has called for such an investigation as someone well inside the Olympic "family," will be paying close attention to how this independent investigation proceeds. There won't be a lot of generosity towards USOC if they botch this.
What they do next really matters. We are all watching.
Posted by Roger Pielke, Jr. at 2:09 PM 0 comments
Regulatory Re-Writing via Arbitration? Chand at CAS
Last week the Court of Arbitration for Sport provided an update on its arbitration proceedings in Chand vs. CAS (here in PDF). This is the case that involves the IAAF testosterone regulations governing eligibility of female athletes. I won't go into the (substantial) backstory here, but if you are interested see my recent paper on "sex testing."
In this post I argue that CAS should not allow IAAF to re-write its regulations through this arbitration case.
This is an odd arbitration. Several years ago CAS had suspended the IAAF regulations with a request for IAAF to return with evidence in support of them (if this seems backwards, it is). IAAF commissioned research, presumably to support their regulations, which were published last year (Barmon and Garnier 2017).
The IAAF data do not support the IAAF regulations. Everyone seems to agree with this, as IAAF has asked CAS to present new regulations as part of the Chand proceedings. CAS agreed to this request and in response IAAF submitted to CAS "draft revised regulations that would only apply to female track events over distances of between 400 metres and one mile."
This is an unusual arbital decision. IAAF is engaged in regulation re-writing as part of a CAS proceeding.
Even more odd, the evidence from IAAF in Bermon and Garnier (2017) shows that as the 100m distance -- that Chand specializes in -- high testosterone women are slower than low testosterone women, shown in the figure below.
As a matter of the CAS arbitration in this case, that should be the end. Even if one were to privilege testosterone as a proper object of regulation of female athletes (which to be clear - I do not), the IAAF data does not support such regulation in the case of Chand. End of story. Case closed. Send IAAF back to the regulatory drawing board.
But for whatever reason (and I'm not sure, but I'd guess the reason's initials are CS), CAS is allowing IAAF to re-write its testosterone regulations via the Chand case. You've heard of "activist judges"? Well, these are "activist arbitrators" working on behalf of those in IAAF who have expressed a desire to ban certain women from sport.
But here as well the IAAF data of Bermon and Garnier (2017) don't support the proposed regulations of testosterone in women at distances of 400m to one mile. Consider the figure below:
These IAAF data (pink bar) indicate that over distances of 400m, 800m and 1500m high testosterone women are on average 1.1% faster than their low testosterone counterparts. Unfair, IAAF might scream.
But look at the data for men at 400m and 1500m (blue bar). These data indicate that high testosterone men are on average 1.1% faster than their low testosterone counterparts. Surely if high T in women in selected events where performance differs is to be regulated, then high T in men in selected events where performance differs is also to be regulated?
If IAAF responds that the T standard applies only to women but not men based on performance data, then this is the very hallmark of sex discrimination. This only scratches the surfaced of flawed T regulation (see my paper for more nails into this intellectual coffin).
T regulation is simple in theory. But when theory meets the real world, T regulation fails comprehensively, taking IAAF's own data at face value. Dig a little deeper the IAAF study falls apart (e.g., it includes dopers).
Bottom line: CAS should not be engaged in regulatory re-writing via the Chand case. Chand should be permanently reinstated immediately. IAAF T regulations should remain voided. If IAAF wants to keep trying to regulate women's bodies, then they should start again.
Posted by Roger Pielke, Jr. at 6:57 AM 0 comments
Caveat Lector: How Kathy Carter Wins the US Soccer Presidential Election
I'm not an insider. Far from it. I have nowhere near the insight and knowledge of long-time observers like @duresport or @pkedit (and of course there are others). I'm just a professor with a blog. I used to work at 538 for Nate Silver so I do have a license to speculate irresponsibly about elections.
So with that caveat lector out of the way, here are some scenarios for how the US Soccer presidential election might play out, with my expectations for how things will occur.
This post will make the most sense if you have a bit of background in the election and its candidates (here is a good place to start). There are at present eight candidates who I'll divide into three categories (and each has impressive resumes, I just list their primary present occupation below):
Status Quo Candidates
Kathy Carter, president of Soccer United Marketing
Carlos Cordeiro, USSF vice president
Reform Candidates
Kyle Martino, TV analyst
Eric Wynalda, TV analyst
Steve Gans, attorney
Hope Solo, professional player
Michael Winograd, lawyer
Paul Caligiuri, coach
Conventional wisdom (i.e., what you'll see in the MSM and on Twitter) holds that the "others" don't really have a great shot at winning, but could have an impact. This seems right to me.
The electoral process and math are somewhat complex and opaque (described a bit here and formally here in PDF). In a nutshell, the goal of the election is for a candidate to secure half of the vote, defined as "a majority of the weighted vote of eligible votes cast in that round of balloting." This may be important in a close election, as it means that abstentions reduce the number needed to attain a majority. (Oddly, abstentions are not recorded votes, but non-votes: "members who wish to abstain from voting should refrain from voting and not press any number on their electronic keypad vendor.")
In the event that no candidate secures a majority, there is a 10 minute break and the vote is re-run. After this happens three times with no majority (if delegates decide to do so in advance) the lowest vote-getter will be removed from the listing, and can still be voted for as a write-in. Candidates may also decide to voluntarily drop out. I don't think they get to that contingency.
If all that makes sense, well, you are doing better than me. Let's now look at how things might play out in the election.
I'm not convinced that there will still be 8 candidates still running when the voting starts. Candidates might yet choose to drop out ahead of the vote. But let's assume that there are all 8.
MLS interests (for lack of a better term) will have more than 20% of the overall vote and perhaps, speculatively, as much as 35%. Conventional wisdom, which I won't get into here, holds that MLS interests favor the status quo candidates.
It is perfectly conceivable that one of the status quo candidates (Carter or Cordeiro) wins outright in a first ballot, but probably unlikely if both are in the mix. Watch out if one drops out ahead of the vote -- a sure sign that they have the votes for a 1st round victory.
But let's say both stay in and give the two of them 25% of the vote up front, based solely on the votes held by MLS interests.
That leaves 3/4 of the vote, which we can split 3 ways equally in the absence of further information to the contrary: 1/3 to Status Quo, 1/3 to Reformers and 1/3 to the others. That would give a first round result of:
Carter/Cordeiro - 50%
Wynalda/Martino - 25%
Field - 25%
I have more confidence (gut feeling, or maybe indigestion, whatever) in the 50% for the Status Quo than the breakout of the other 50%. Some of the vote for Others might also be tactical in the sense of seeing the lay of the land in Round 1 and encouraging a Round 2 (losta game theory dynamics here for sure). But even if each of these guesstimates of mine is off by +/-10% I don't think it changes the calculus (political and electoral) that follows.
Horsetrading Post-Round 1
I'd guess that most if not all of the Others leave the race at this point. They made their points, had their impact and see things are getting real. I'd further speculate that most of this support then goes to the Reformers- why would you vote for a dark horse if you wanted the Status Quo?
The most important question now is whether Carter or Cordeiro drops out in favor of the other. Cordeiro is already USSF VP, and electing Carter locks in the Status Quo candidates in the top two positions. What happens if Cordeiro gets voted in and the Board has to install a new VP during the next year? Politically, that VP might need to be the losing Reformer - Wynalda or Martino. Its a risk for the Status Quo to open Cordeiro's seat.
On the other hand, Carter has drawn a lot of criticism due to her role at SUM, among other things. From a purely political tactics perspective, her dropping out in favor of Cordeiro would surprisingly eliminate these negatives and maybe push him over the top. Soccer politics isn't really known for its cleverness, so I am going to say that greed wins and Cordeiro drops out in favor of Carter.
Either way, if Carter or Cordeiro drop out, this would necessitate a similar deal between Martino and Wynalda, with very much a similar calculus to be made. Wynalda has run the higher profile campaign, but also has higher negatives than does Martino. I'd guess that this decision would be based on who gets the most votes in the first round. But I don't know if both or either would set aside ego for the other. Regardless, if the Status Quo center on a candidate the Refomers will have to as well.
So let's say Round Two starts out with one of Carter and Cordeiro versus one of Wynalda or Martino, with the possibility of a straggler Other still hanging around. I don't think it matters which of the Status Quo candidates or Reformers are on the ballot at this point. The lingering uncertainty will be whether the Status Quo candidate can get over 50%. I think it'll be close, but ultimately the Status Quo will win.
As long as I'm making all this up, I can be even more precise. There will be a significant protest vote in the form of non-votes (which is actually why a remaining Other might be important). The resulting smaller number of delegates who vote will allow Kathy Carter to win the presidency with more than 50% of the vote but less than 50% of those eligible.
Carter - 47.34% of eligible votes
Martino - 43.86%
Other - 3.61%
Non-votes - 5.19%
There you have it. Two decimal places. I hope it adds up to 100%.
Irony Alert
For reformers, a Carter/Cordeiro regime would not be all bad news, as it would all but guarantee a far more significant reform agenda would get pushed through USSF in the years to come. The reality is that this election is only the start of change coming to USSF. Buckle up.
Introduction to Sports Governance: Spring 2018 Syllabus
My spring syllabus for Introduction to Sports Governance (ETHN 3104) at the University of Colorado is now available here as a PDF.
This spring we have another impressive list of guest speakers lined up: Hope Solo, Vitaly and Yulia Stepanov, Kara Goucher, Casey Malone, Mara Abbott, Jim Trotter, Solomon Wilcots, Ceal Barry, Jay Smith, Phil DiStefano, Rick George, Jor Jupille, Mike Macintyre, Tad Boyle, JR Payne, Valerie Simons and several possible surprise guests.
For locals, we will have some evening events associated with the class open to the public, so stay tuned.
We are reading three books:
The Edge (by me)
The Sports Gene (David Epstein)
Cheated (Jay Smith and Mary Willingham)
Lots of other readings - academic, journalism, official reports, etc. We are also watching several films, including Icarus, Venus Vs. and Let them Wear Towels.
It will be a great class - the best ISG so far. I am really excited for the semester.
Comments welcomed!
Posted by Roger Pielke, Jr. at 12:47 PM 0 comments
Making Sense of USSF Electoral Math
OK, I'm diving into the challenge of trying to understand that incredibly arcane mathematics of the upcoming US Soccer Federation presidential election. As a reminder and disclaimer, I am the co-President of the Board of Directors of FC Boulder, a member of the Colorado Soccer Association, which in turn is a member of USSF. This analysis however is done in my professional capacity as a professor who studies arcane things like US Olympic NGB elections.
The below analysis is preliminary and I welcome corrections or clarifying information. I'll update this post as new information becomes available. Some details on the election process can be found in the Office Election Abstract (here in PDF) prepared by US Soccer. This post by Anthony DiCicco is also a useful resource. Paul Kennedy has some similar data from the 2017 USSF AGM here.
Those eligible to vote in the upcoming USSF election are called "delegates" as members of the USSF "National Council" as defined by the 2017-2018 USSF Bylaws. In 2016 USSF identified 534 delegates eligible to vote, as indicated in the memo reproduced below. These numbers will no doubt be slightly different for 2018, but they give us a basis to explore weightings.
US federal law (Ted Stephens Amateur Athletics Act 1978) under which USSF operates as an Olympic sport governing body requires that athletes have at least 20% of voting authority. To fulfill this requirement USSF employs weights to the votes of its delegates. Not every individual delegate's vote is equal to another's - a shocker, I know.
There are five categories of delegates, listed below with their allocated 2016 delegates, each represents a person:
Youth Council (291)
Adult Council (191)
Professional Council (14)
These totaled 534 delegates.
Because athletes have only 4/534 of the delegates (0.75%) USSF in 2016 implemented a weighting system that gives 20% of the vote to the athlete delegates as follows (USSF uses two decimal places so I will also). Each number below represents a vote:
Youth Council (291 - 25.64%)
Adult Council (291 - 25.64%)
Professional Council (291 - 25.64%)
Athletes (228 -20.09%)
Other (34 - 3.00%)
After the 2016 weighting, there were 1135 possible votes. The three councils each get 25.64% of the vote and are tasked under USSF Bylaws with determining how each allocates the votes of their delegates.
For the Professional Council's 25.64% share, the vote weighting inside the Pro Council is interesting:
MLS 9 - 64.29%
NWSL 3 - 21.43%
NASL 1 - 7.14%
USLPRO 1 - 7.14%
The MLS and its minor league USL together get 71.43% of the 14 votes that it uses to determine the overall Professional Council vote. This means that MLS/USL is responsible for 18.31% of the overall presidential vote (that is 71.43% of 25.64%). The NWSL (the professional woman's league) gets 5.49% of the overall presidential vote (a bias pointed out by Anthony DiCicco among others).
We can do some rough math as to how many other votes are possibly controlled by MLS.
Among the "Other" votes (which include USSF Board members, past presidents, life members etc.) MLS clearly has 3/34 and could easily have half or more of the total, or between 0.26% and >1.5% of the overall presidential vote.
Each of the 4 Athlete delegates is responsible for about 5% of the overall presidential vote. There are 8 of 20 members of the USSF Athlete Council who played in the MLS pyramid. While it is not clear how the council allocates its votes or who (or how many) the delegates will be (or who they might vote for), it is reasonable to assume that half or more of the delegates (maybe as much as 15% of the overall presidential vote) will come from former players in the MLS pyramid. It is not difficult to imagine an interest among some in supporting MLS priorities.
So without even considering the Youth or Adult Councils we can estimate that MLS interests control 18.31% + 1.5% + 15% or about 35% of the overall vote (on the lower end this is about 29%).
If so, this would mean that MLS may only need 24% of delegates among Youth and Adult Councils to secure a 50% majority for its preferred candidate. Put another way, 75% of the Youth and Adult Councils could vote against MLS interests and still lose the election. That is just math.
Some initial conclusions:
The USSF election procedure is ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated;
There is a huge bias against women;
There is a huge bias in favor of MLS;
Some of the potential problems in the arcane process could be mitigated with open (not secret) ballots. Let's see who everyone votes for;
I'll be surprised if MLS does not get their preferred candidate.
Powerful, Short Documentary on Flawed Doping Convi...
Caveat Lector: How Kathy Carter Wins the US Soccer...
Introduction to Sports Governance: Spring 2018 Syl...