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Austerity- Poverty Problems: Brits turn to food banks amid austerity & economic downturn
Austerity Discredited, Not Defeated. Time to Fight for Jobs and Growth.
For four long years after the recession officially ended, conservative austerity policies have sabotaged America's economic recovery, condemning millions of Americans to unemployment and poverty. And in Europe, the same policy regime of spending cuts …
See all stories on this topic »
Poverty Problems: Brits turn to food banks amid austerity & economic downturn
Increasing numbers of Britons are heading to food banks to satisfy their hunger. But the Work and Pensions minister claims half-a-million UK people just want to have their bellies filled for free, and denies a link between the rise in food banks and …See all stories on this topic »
Portugal disabled by euro straitjacket
Sadly, Portugal's disappointing economic growth experience with budget austerity and economic reform within a euro straitjacket has been shared by the rest of the European economic periphery. Indeed, even in Ireland, the poster child for the …
Taxpayers oblivious to the cost of farm subsidies
They preach government austerity, then hand out $50,000-plus bonuses to deputy ministers. They talk about openness but practise secrecy. And they tout Senate reform while tolerating entitlement. It also turns out the Conservatives haven't been …
Should US take lessons from Germany on fiscal austerity?
Keynesian stimulus proponents argued that temporary tax cuts and additional government spending would bolster hiring. Austerity advocates countered that additional government spending would merely displace private spending and that we already had too …
11 Signs That Italy Is Descending Into A Full-Blown Economic Depression
Men's News Daily
Harsh austerity measures are causing the Italian economy to slow down even more than it was previously. And yet even with all of the austerity measures, the Italian government just continues to rack up even more debt. This is the exact same path that …
Portugal's crisis shows that our problems haven't gone away
A second conclusion is that, while the Irish edifice may not be solid brick, it is of durable construction. Not a lot of people seem to know this, but the Irish austerity programme was less severe than that imposed on Greece and Portugal. In addition …
Posted in Anti Austerity, Austerity, Banking, buisiness, Government, politics
Tags: Austerity, Conservative, Food bank, Ireland, Portugal, Poverty, RT (TV network), United States
'Less-than-lethal rounds' shot at Gitmo inmates resisting transfer to solitary
The US military says guards have clashed with prisoners at Guantanamo as officers were moving detainees from communal to single cells in attempt to end a hunger strike that started in February.
The detainees used self-made weapons to resist the transfer, thus forcing guards to fire, the US military said in a statement.
"Some detainees resisted with improvised weapons, and in response, four less-than-lethal rounds were fired," Navy Captain Robert Durand said in a news release.
Officials say no guards or detainees have been seriously injured.
The reason for the move was explained because the detainees covered surveillance cameras, windows and partitions, preventing guards from observing them during a hunger strike that has been continuing for more than two months.
Round-the-clock monitoring is necessary to ensure security, order, and safety as detainees continued a prolonged hunger strike by refusing regular camp-provided meals," Durand said.
Over the years Guantanamo detainees participated in various forms of protests, Durand explained to RT, adding that this new coordinated effort has created an "unsafe situation."
"We made the decision to move detainees into individual cells based on the detainees' continued efforts to block observation," Durand stressed. "We recently determined that the risk to the health and security of certain detainees had reached an unacceptable level due to non-compliant behavior."
Each detainee's physical and mental health has been evaluated after the sweep.
"Detainees may continue to hunger strike as a form of protest," Durand said, also adding that moving them into individual cells has allowed JTF to "ensure that detainees are not being coerced by other detainees to participate in the hunger strike."
Although Guantanamo authorities claim the detainees were resisting with "improvised weapons," Cindy Panuco, a lawyer representing one of them told RT that the truth is still to be determined as "there is no way they could have any sort of weapons."
"That is interesting to find out they have makeshift weapons," Panuco said. "Whenever we have gone down to visit our clients the only thing they are allowed are small ball-point inserts of a pen… almost like straws. That is pretty much all they are allowed. So I don't see, especially given the invasive searches that were conducted in February, what kind of makeshift weapons the government is referring to."
She believes that isolation is just another effort to undermine solidarity among the prison population.
"If they are together, if they are in a communal living space they can communicate and at least support each other and now that they are being isolated, it is another form of torment. To be taken away from your friends and comrades, who were there with you, makes it much more difficult to endure what is already a very difficult situation."
People dress in orange jumpsuits and black hoods as activists demand the closing of the US military's detention facility in Guantanamo during a protest, part of the Nationwide for Guantanamo Day of Action, April 11, 2013 in New York's Times Square. (AFP Photo/Stan Honda)
The detention camp at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba holds 166 men, most of them captured more than a decade ago in different counter-terrorism operations.
Saturday's early-morning sweep took place in Camp 6, a medium-security building where 80 to 100 detainees lived in cells that open into communal bays where they could eat, pray and watch television together. As part of the hunger strike, prisoners have been refusing to let food carts enter some of the bays.
Lawyers say most of Gitmo inmates are currently participating in the hunger strike. The US administration, however, is only acknowledging 43 cases, including 11 people who are being force-fed liquid nutrients through tubes inserted into their noses and down to their stomachs.
The hunger strike began in February in protest to the seizure of personal items from detainees' cells. Some prisoners told their lawyers that their Qurans had been mistreated during the cell searches, which the US military denied.
Lawyers say the hunger strike is caused by the fact that most detainees are held there without being charged, overwhelmed by the depressing feeling they may never leave the prison.
Obama pledged to close the facility at the start of his first term, but has failed to do it so far.
via 'Less-than-lethal rounds' shot at Gitmo inmates resisting transfer to solitary — RT News.
Posted in activism, Crime, Human rights and Liberties, International affairs, politics, Protest, USA, War
Tags: Camp Delta, Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Hunger strike, New York, RT (TV network), United States
Gitmo hunger strike: Timeline
If this developing story ends in deaths I thing we can expect severe repercussions from the Muslim countries.
What are the chances of another oil embargo
A mass hunger strike has been unfolding in the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison for nearly six weeks. RT has been badgering the UN, prison officials, detainees' attorneys and activists to get a full account of the situation.
The number of Guantanamo Bay detainees on hunger strike has increased to 26, up one from the previous day, Guantanamo Bay spokesman Capt. Robert Durand told RT via email on Friday following a written request.
"As of Friday, 22 March 2013, we have 26 hunger strikers, with 8 receiving enteral feeds. This an increase from Thursday, which was 25/8. Tuesday and Wednesday, it was the 24/8, Monday, 21/8, and Friday, 14/8.
We have two detainees in the detainee hospital for rehydration and observation, on enteral feed. We have two other detainee in the detainee hospital for non-hunger strike, non-life threatening treatment," Durand said.
The Pentagon has been accused of underestimating the number of inmates on hunger strike. The New-York based Center for Constitutional Rights slammed the US government for "not admitting scale and scope" of the strike, saying they had received reports that 130 inmates were involved in the protest.
It's going to take the American people to demand Guantanamo Bay prison facilities be closed, former Gitmo prison official Ret. Col. Morris Davis told RT. Until the issue catches the public's attention, there is little hope for improvement, he says.
"A majority of the men at Guantanamo — 86 of the 106 who have been cleared for transfer — have been in confinement now for more than a decade in some cases," Davis said. "So to them… the only way to potentially call attention to it is to do something drastic like a hunger strike."
Meanwhile, US military officials are requesting funding for construction of a new building in Guantanamo Bay, as well as for maintenance on the existing facility. The new project could cost American taxpayers a sum approaching $49 million.
During a conversation with RT Dr. Terry Kupers, a California psychologist and author of Prison Madness: The Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars and What We Must Do About It, tried to answer some of the same questions that have boggled Guantanamo Bay critics since the prison opened in early 2002. While a hunger strike may initially seem illogical, Kupers praised the inmates for exerting one of the few actions within their capabilities in trying to attract international attention. He also pointed to another less-discussed result of long period of time behind bars: prisoners read up on their rights, learning the legal ramifications of their dire situation.
Among the many prisoners of Camp Delta's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay one British citizen remains, despite being cleared for release over five years ago. A national of a key US ally, RT recently sought an explanation from the UK government.
Shaker Aamer, the 44-year-old British resident, has been incarcerated at Guantanamo for 11 years without any charges ever brought against him.
A father of four, Saudi national Aamer is the last British citizen remaining in Guantanamo Bay prison, despite being cleared for release as early as 2007.
In his letters, prisoner Shaker Aamer appeals in desperation to his captors and the outside world:
"Please … torture me in the old way. Here they destroy people mentally and physically without leaving marks."
Following the developments of the hunger strike at Guantanamo detainment facility, RT sent a formal enquiry to the British Foreign Office. In our letter we asked the Foreign Office to comment on the hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where a British resident is being kept among detainees, and whether the British government plans to take any measures to resolve the situation.
In a statement answering RT's inquiry, a spokesperson of Foreign and Commonwealth Office stated the following.
"The UK has long held that indefinite detention without review or fair trial is unacceptable and we welcome President Obama's continuing commitment to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and to maintain a lawful, sustainable and principled regime for the handling of detainees there."
The answer contains no exact information neither on the British citizen being held captive in a US prison, nor on the hunger strike of several Guantanamo prisoners that continues for six weeks already.
As for the US President's 'continuing commitment', it was Barack Obama who promised to close down Guantanamo Bay prison during his presidential campaign in 2008 and who has already returned to the White House for his second presidential term, without any change on the horizon. As such blame for alleged mistreatment at Guantanamo appears less easily labeled a President Bush era problem.
In December 2012 the lawyers of Shaker Aamer filed legal papers with both the UK's home and foreign secretaries claiming that British secret services made "knowingly false statements" to the US authorities concerning their client. According to the filed documents, UK's MI5 and MI6 claimed Shaker Aamer was recruiting people to fight for Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan after the 9/11 and that he was paid directly by Bin Laden – without producing any reliable evidence.
Marine Corps General John Kelly, who spoke at the House Armed Services Committee in Washington on Wednesday, gave the reasons behind the prisoners' hunger strike in Guantanamo Bay. He explained that the prisoners
"had great optimism that Guantanamo would be closed. They were devastated apparently … when the president backed off, at least (that's) their perception, of closing the facility." He also re-iterated the prison administration's earlier statement about the desecration of the Koran – a topic of contention and one of the main contributing factors to the ongoing hunger strike – saying that any claims of desecration are "nonsense" . He went on to say that in "no way has the Koran in any way, shape or form been abused or mistreated" and that he had been presented with copies of the "Sacred Koran" by senior Muslim clerics while he was on duty in Iraq. Finally, he added that while it is known that non-believers are allowed to touch the book, the only personnel who had been doing so at Guantanamo were Muslim translators.
Kelly heads the US military's Southern Command for the Latin America region in Miami. The body also oversees the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba.
Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich tells RT the situation in Guantanamo represents the US as a country "abandoning its constitutional principles, because when prisoners are under US control and discretion they should have the same rights that any other prisoner would have. They should have the right to be told the charges against them, the right to a speedy trial, [the] right to habeas corpus, which would enable them to be released if charges against them can't be levied."
Stephen Soldz, clinical psychologist, who was a consultant when previous hunger strikes happened at Guantanamo prison, explains in an interview to RT, that Guantanamo inmates are frustrated to the point they are reluctant to communicate with the only people who are allowed to visit them – their lawyers.
"Those men would tell their attorneys, 'I don't want to talk with you. What's the point of talking with you? I only want to know the date I'm going out of here.' But there is no date. People can't accept being completely powerless and hopeless," Soldz says.
RT received a letter from the US Department of Justice saying it was not authorized to comment upon the Guantanamo hunger strike and suggesting RT to address the Defense Department for any interview regarding the status of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
"The Defense Department oversees the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and is responsible for its operations – not the Justice Department," said the letter written by Dean Boyd, Spokesman for the US Department of Justice.
However earlier, on March 4, prison spokesman, Navy Capt. Robert Durand, pointed at the Department of Justice as the body to respond to attorneys' letters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights, Konstantin Dolgov, spoke of the need to close Guantanamo in an interview to RT .
"I don't think there's lack of reaction from the international community. What's obviously lacking is political will on behalf of the US government to bring the solution of the problem to its logical end. And the only logical end can be liquidation of this, let's put it straight, shameful facility," he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is concerned with the destiny of a Russian citizen among the Guantanamo detainees.
Famous American human rights activist, Angela Davis calls for closure of Guantanamo in a French daily L'Humanité, AFP reports.
"This tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War makes us, finally, question the further existence of Guantanamo. On this sad date we must come up with a stronger and more resolute call for closure of the Guantanamo prison," Davis wrote.
Front gate of "Camp Six" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, January 19, 2012 (AFP Photo / Jim Watson)
The UN Human Rights body responds to mounting media coverage of the Guantanamo crisis. In a letter answering RT's inquiry, spokesman for the High Commissioner says the office is looking into the details of the mass hunger strike.
"While aware of some of the allegations of mistreatment of inmates said to have provoked the hunger strike – which include undue interference with the inmates' personal effects – we are still trying to confirm the details," the letter says.
The statement from the office of the High Commissioner goes on to say UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay has "repeatedly regretted that the US Government has not closed Guantanamo Bay."
She is concerned with fact that the National Defense Authorization Act has created obstacles for the closure of Guantanamo and also trial of detainees in civilian courts, as well as failure to release those cleared of allegations.
Guantanamo Communications director Captain Robert Durand says the
number of detainees on hunger strike reached 24.
Still, he rejects claims by the detainees' attorneys that the majority of inmates are involved in the protest.
Navy Capt. Robert Durand says 21 Guantanamo Bay prisoners are now on a hunger strike. Eight men are being fed with a liquid nutrient mix to prevent dangerous weight loss from occurring, while two others are at the prison hospital being treated with dehydration.
In a letter to RT, Durand said "the reports of hunger-strike related deteriorating health and detainees losing massive amounts of weight are simply untrue."
However, lawyers for Guantanamo inmates maintain the strike is more widespread than the military acknowledges – and a former Gitmo prisoner agrees.
Omar Deghayes was held at Guantanamo Bay for five years before being released without charge. While participating in hunger strikes at the prison, Deghayes recalls hearing the same "rhetoric" from the US military.
"The rhetoric that [Durand] is describing is something that we went through many times when we were inside Guantanamo on hunger strikes. They used to say the same false things that I'm hearing now. They'd say 'the number is small' or 'there is no hunger strike,' or 'we treat people with dignity,'" he told RT.
The London Guantanamo Campaign holds a demonstration outside the US embassy in London to "raise awareness about the hunger strike, which has more or less – at least in Britain – been ignored by the mainstream media," the campaign's coordinator, Aisha Maniar, tells RT.
"We've been in contact with some of the lawyers who have been [to Guantanamo] over the last week and they've been reporting that when they have met their clients, that their health has been pretty poor," Maniar says.
Attorneys for at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, say that a general hunger strike involving many of the 166 detainees who remain incarcerated there has entered its second month.
However, the US military strongly denies that claim, calling it "a fabrication," and instead says only 14 detainees are actively engaged in hunger strikes detrimental to their health.
"Our understanding is that based on previous standards, the determination of who is a hunger striker is a discretionary determination that Guantanamo makes. What those standards are, what the criteria are, are questions that they need to be asked. How are they defining hunger striker and when are they determining that someone needs to be tube fed? And if the definition of hunger striker is entirely in their control and it is a matter of their discretion, then I think that explains how they are able to say that there are no more than a handful of men on hunger strike," Pardiss Kebriaei, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents a Yemeni detained at Guantanamo, tells RT.
Guantanamo detention center spokesperson, Navy Capt. Robert Durand said in a letter to RT that the number of protesting inmates reached 14 people, five more than they had previously reported. He however stressed "the reports of hunger-strike related deteriorating health and detainees losing massive amounts of weight are simply untrue."
Durand also stated one of the strikers was taken to the prison hospital, five others were being fed through tubes put through their noses into their stomachs, while eight others are not yet sufficiently malnourished to merit such treatment.
Durand denied that the hunger strike is "a widespread phenomenon, as alleged," by the captives' lawyers, and accused them of spreading "outright falsehoods and gross exaggerations." He downplayed the reports of a mass hunger strike at Gitmo, saying that most of the alleged strikers are skipping regular meals, but substituting them with snacks.
"Refusing prepared meals and choosing to subsist for a time on snack foods does not constitute a hunger strike," Durand said.
Durand confirmed the reports that some of the detainees had their Korans taken from them, but called it an attempt at manipulation: "If we accept their Koran, it would be portrayed as either an admission that it required protection and safekeeping, or as a confiscation by the guard force, depriving them of the religious articles needed to practice their faith."
He also insisted that all searches are conducted in a regular way, and that no mistreatment of Muslim holy books has taking place at Gitmo.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which visited the island prison from February 18 to 23, gave an interview to RT, saying that the "ICRC believes past and current tensions at Guantanamo to be the direct result of the uncertainty faced by detainees."
The secrecy maintained by the prison and the communication barriers in place have been an obstacle for human rights organizations for years, Rob Freer of Amnesty International told in an interview to RT.
"We have to wait until a detainee is released, before we can speak to them. This leads to underreporting on individual detainee cases and at least to a time lag. The lawyers themselves are not there the whole time and it requires declassification of certain information when they do get to," he said.
The health of prisoners held in Kafkaesque limbo at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp has deteriorated alarmingly after over 100 inmates went on a protest hunger strike five weeks ago.
The detainees have claimed that most of them are involved in the do-or-die hunger strike, and their attorneys have become concerned about the prisoners' worsening health.
"By Day 45 we understand from medical experts there are serious health repercussions that start happening. Loss of hearing, potential blindness," Pardiss Kebriaei, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents a Yemeni detained at Guantanamo, tells RT. "The potential there is for death as well if the hunger strike continues for weeks."
Her client has allegedly lost 20lbs (9kg) since the beginning of the strike. The collective protest was reportedly triggered by the prison staff's seizure of the inmates' personal belongings. The hunger strike began on February 6, with the prisoners protesting against the confiscation of their personal letters, photographs and legal mail, as well as the allegedly sacrilegious handling of their Korans during searches of their cells.
The real challenge for the detainees is to make themselves heard by means of the hunger strike. Their lawyers have sent a letter to the US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging him to take action to end the protest.
"It's really an abominable humanitarian situation where you're depriving these people of life and liberty and for no really valid basis," detainee lawyer Eric Montalvo told RT.
Prison officials have acknowledged that the hunger strike is taking place. However, they deny that it is a large-scale event: Nine detainees are refusing food, five of whom are being fed through tubes inserted into their stomachs, according to Robert Durand, director of public affairs for the Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
Durand also said that the claims of desecration of the Koran were unfounded.
"To be clear: there have been no incidents of desecration of the Koran by guards or translators, and nothing unusual happened during a routine search for contraband," he told AFP.
Reuters started reporting on the Gitmo hunger strike.
The detainee hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay's maximum-security prison is a last-resort cry for help from those who have spent years in custody without being charged, and who have no hope of release, anti-war activist Sara Flounders tells RT.
"What we did last week was send a letter on behalf of the attorneys who have received direct information, asking questions and reporting what we have heard from our clients to the authorities at Guantanamo, and copying the Department of Justice. Asking for their side of the story and to respond, seeking a quick resolution to what's going on. We've received no response from that letter so far. At this point, the strike is more than 30 days old and by Day 45, we understand from medical experts there are serious health repercussions that start happening," Pardiss Kebriaei, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents a Yemeni detained at Guantanamo, tells RT.
Meanwhile, geopolitical analyst Ryan Dawson tells RT that the prisoners were left with little recourse other than a hunger strike. The prisoners had a previous hunger strike in 2005, which led to the hospitalization of 18 people.
"What I find disgusting in this one is the US is denying the strike is as large as it is and downplaying it, saying its only a few inmates but they've had to admit that at least five are being force-fed through tubes in their stomachs, so this is obviously real…Its hard to get lower than Guantanamo Bay. A lot of these men are detained without trial, some without even charges. That doesn't mean they're innocent, but it doesn't mean they're guilty either. And the problem is secrecy. When you have this level of secrecy, you're just creating an environment for abuse because they are basically human beings with no rights," Dawson said.
"My client and other men have reported that most of the detainees in Camp 6 are on strike, except for a small few who are elderly or sick," Pardiss Kebriaei, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents a Yemeni detained at Guantanamo, Pardiss Kebriaei tells RT. Men have reported coughed up blood, lost consciousness and were forced to move to other wings of the facility for observation.
"We have to understand that all the inmates at Guantanamo bay are devout Muslims so desecrating a Koran for them is the last blow to their dignity. It is of extreme importance to them and according to them they are imprisoned because they are Muslim and that's kind of proving their point. Unfortunately that's something that was quite common under [President George W.] Bush. We thought [President] Obama would be more thoughtful to Muslim beliefs but we are seeing that's not the case…for people who have been incarcerated for 11 years, been away from their families for 11 years, have not been charged for for 11 years, its understandable that taking what is a small item to us is nothing, but to them it is basically their life… the main question is not why they are being treated like that in prison, but why are they in prison, because they have been cleared for release," Arnaud Mafille, an activist with Cageprisoners Human Rights group, tells RT.
"The current tensions in Guantanamo, as far as we can see and as far as we understand, are really the result of the uncertainty faced by the detainees in Guantanamo – the uncertainty linked to their fate, what is going to happen to them. There is a lack of clear, legal framework for their dentition. Most of them don't know what is going to happen to them. So it has always been our position that there needs to be a clear, legal framework and a transparent process in terms of procedural safeguards for the detainees. It needs to be transparent and fair to alleviate the emotional and mental strain that the uncertainty triggers for the detainees," Simon Schorno, spokesperson for the International Red Cross in North America, tells RT
Washington-based attorney David Remes tells CBS News that as of March 8, six detainees he represents had refused food for 36 days, skipping 102 meals, and each man said he had lost at least 30lbs (13.6kg).
"It was quite noticeable," Remes says. "The men I saw were weak, tired, chilled, and had lost a substantial amount of weight."
One of those detainees, Yasin Qassem Muhammad Ismail, from Yemen, who followed up with a phone call to Remes on Wednesday, told the attorney that he now weighed 109lbs (49kg), down from 150lbs (68kg).
After meeting their client, Fayiz al-Kandari's team of military lawyers report that al-Kandari said that the hunger strike "certainly hurts physically," but he felt "very sorry for his parents whose psychological pain is 10 times greater than his physical discomfort."
Attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents a Yemeni detained at Guantanamo, says attorney reports of the hunger strike are consistent.
"What we understand for our clients – and this is coming from every attorney that has either been down to Guantanamo since February or has communicated with their client in some form through letters or phone calls – is that there has been a hunger strike going on at among almost all of the men in Camp 6 at Guantanamo, which is the largest facility at Guantanamo. They have been refusing all food, only drinking water, tea, and coffee, since early February," Pardiss Kebriaei tells RT.
America's infamous Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba has reportedly become the scene of a widespread hunger strike – now in its third week – yet on Monday a prison spokesman denied that any such activity was taking place.
The lawyers for the prisoners said in a letter to the prison commander, that "all but a few men" are on hunger strike and that their condition "appears to be rapidly deteriorating and reaching a potentially critical level."
The protest can best be summed up with a statement that the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) sent to military officials. They wrote that "since approximately February 6, 2013, camp authorities have been confiscating detainees' personal items, including blankets, sheets, towels, mats, razors, toothbrushes, books, family photos, religious CDs, and letters, including legal mail; and restricting their exercise, seemingly without provocation or cause." Moreover, "Arabic interpreters employed by the prison have been searching the men's Korans in ways that constitute desecration according to their religious beliefs, and that guards have been disrespectful during prayer times."
A prison spokesman said that the Department of Justice will address the lawyers' letter of complaint, he also claimed that there had only been six people on strike for a year now. Other detainees simply didn't skip enough meals to be considered on strike at all, according to military rules. The spokesman, Navy Capt. Robert Durand, said that "some detainees have attempted to coordinate a hunger strike and have refused meal deliveries. Most detainees are not participating." He tried to describe the reasons the inmates had for going on strike as blown out of proportion, claiming that they "have chosen one routine search in early February as the rallying point for their grievances."
Colonel Barry Waingard, who was assigned by the Pentagon to defend the Kuwaiti detainee at Guantanamo prison Fayez Al-Kandari, reveals that the Kuwaiti detainees Fayez Al-Kandari and Fawzi Al-Awda went on a hunger strike with other prisoners and lost nearly 10kg each, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported.
Waingard said in a statement that the detainees went on a hunger strike because they are being ill-treated inside the prison, indicating at the same time that the detainees have now realized death is the only way out of the prison.
The lawyers confirm that Fayiz al-Kandari's weight loss over the previous three-and-a-half weeks had reached 26lbs (12kg).
The team of lawyers reports, "Today, we had a communication with the Kuwait legal team concerning Fayiz and Fawzi's physical condition in GTMO. It is difficult meeting with a man who has not eaten in almost three weeks, but we are scheduled for an all-day session tomorrow which we are sure Fayiz will not be able to complete due his failing physical condition. Additionally, we learned that our other client Abdul Ghani, [an Afghan] who has been cleared for release since 2010, is also on a hunger strike. Eleven years without an opportunity to defend themselves."
Fayiz al-Kandari's team of military lawyers announces, "Fayiz has lost more than 20lbs (9kg) and lacks the ability to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time due to a camp-wide hunger strike. Apparently there is a dispute over searches and the confiscations. We believe there is a desperation setting amongst the prisoners whereby GTMO is forgotten and its condemned men will never get an opportunity to prove their innocence or be free."
Fayiz al-Kandari's team of military lawyers arrives at the prison.
Reports first begin to emerge about a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay.
The following message appeared on the "Free Fayiz and Fawzi" page on Facebook, run by lawyers for Fayiz al-Kandari and Fawzi al-Odah, the last two Kuwaitis in the prison: "Information is beginning to come out about a hunger strike, the size of which has not been seen since 2008. Preliminary word is that it's due to unprecedented searches and a new guard force."
The Guantanamo Bay hunger strike reportedly began on or around this date.
via Gitmo hunger strike: Timeline — RT News.
Posted in Crime, Government, Health, oil, politics, Protest, Religion, USA, War
Tags: Barack Obama, Center for Constitutional Rights, Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay, Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Religion, RT (TV network), Shaker Aamer, United States


One of the biggest decisions I had to make as a teenager was to which brand of Denim jeans would I wear. Ultimately, once a decision has been made on the make and style, usually one carries on wearing that same brand.
At the age of seventeen, with an uncontrollable amount of testosterone raging through my veins and at a time when most of us lads were learning how to drive, or were hopelessly trying to get it off with the girls and also getting jiggy with it. If you knew what that meant and were able to, you were lucky, and especially if your hips where lose enough on the disco-dance floor.
A big factor concerned then, was as in fashion now. Who did one actually wear? And not what one was actually wearing! I'm sure you probably have all heard that statement by now.
The three main contenders available were Wrangler, Lee Cooper and Levi Strauss, and with a trim twenty-eight inch waist and a decent amount of Gluteus Maximus, that criteria certainly annihilated the Wranglers as they pushed my buns flat. The Lee's were a definite no-no, they just didn't cut the mustard for me, I think it was the stitching!! But the Levis, just had the finishing touch which kind of gently rounded up the produce and pushed the junk in the trunk nicely forward.
Of course, at the time, Levis were far pricier than the other two contenders. Only the best for me I thought and then the conclusion of deciding what style to choose. Somewhere in my travels I had noticed a role model wearing the 501's, thin leg, slightly stone washed, bottom fly button undone. Yes, it was a guy from my home town, absolutely stunning he was, I should have realised then that something was up, as I was soon to learn the reason why the lower button was left unattended.
It would seem I had already made my lifetime choice and that being many years previous. Sadly the only problem I encounter every time I purchase same, is the leg length, and being vertically challenged the minimum available is a 32 inch inside leg, my crotch to hem measures only twenty-seven and one half inches. At least now you realise just how I managed to be honoured with the nick name of 'Stumpy'. Once my dear ageing seamstress has done her magic, there is always enough remaining to possibly make a scarf !
The television adverts for Levi Strauss have been running for many years, scenes including Drug Stores, Prison, Elevators, Oil rigs, washroom, both Gay & lesbians have been featured, even the cuddly toy Flat Eric, Mermaids, Kung Fu scenes and an original made in 1970 with Hippy cartoon characters as if on a psychedelic trip.
Of all the commercials made for Levis, my favourite has to be the classic Launderette scene with Nick Kamen and I certainly wouldn't believe you if you told me it wasnt yours and I am aiming this statement to both man and woman.
So, even now at my age, I can still manage to squeeze into what I consider the best brand name for Denim, however, you wouldn't have ever caught me in double denim, that has never been my style.


text:
Do you know which is the worst company in the world in 2021 according to users?
December 20, 2021 by Mary Blea
Yahoo! Finance has named the worst company of 2021 after a survey of hundreds of users.
In a decision that does not surprise anyone, a dunk has revealed that Facebook is the worst company in the world of this 2021. Every year, Yahoo! Finance selects a "Company of the Year" based on its performance in the market and other achievements, while also choosing the "Worst Company of the Year".
In this 2021, Facebook has taken the price for the worst company of the year, accumulating 50% more votes than the second classified of the list:
What's especially interesting about the company formerly known as Facebook is how many and varied reasons people don't like it. It received 50% more votes than runner-up Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, not because of a singular offense, but because of a litany of complaints from groups of people that they may have little more to agree on.
The name change does not fool anyone
Facebook recently changed its name to Meta, but users don't seem to forgive the long list of mistakes Facebook has made in recent years. One of the main reasons used by users who voted against Facebook was the effect the company has on children and young people, although they knock down there are many users who do not like Mark Zuckerberg.
But nevertheless, it seems that Facebook could redeem itself with users making some changes, at least according to Yahoo! Finance.
Another respondent determined that Facebook could redeem itself by acknowledging and apologizing for what it did and donating a "considerable amount" of its proceeds to a foundation to help reverse its damage. While some people saw the Meta rebrand as a cynical attempt to change the conversation.
Facebook could be using a hack to bypass Apple's anti-tracking measures
Of course, I don't think there are many surprised. If we had to vote for the worst company in the world, surely Facebook would appear in the votes of many users.
Related topics: Social networks
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Carlos Marín loses his life, the Spanish singer was intubated
Crítica de The Witcher: Temporada 2, Netflix consolida su ambicioso universo de fantasía oscura a través de Geralt de Rivia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Why have a system when chaos will suffice?
I'm shirking today; in fact I've not achieved a lot all week, still wresting my mindset from holiday mode back into work, despite having loads to sort. I managed to get out of a meeting this morning by sitting in on a medical student's fourth year conference thing, which is just as well, as I've nowt to show but holiday/wedding photos. Moreover, I'm spending more time on NN than I can legitimise. However, it's been fun this week… and merriment was also had here in Scumsville a few days ago, when the following appeared in our Inboxes.
Now, I don't know whether this system is original, or is borrowed from elsewhere (does it apply at your place of work?), but it strikes me as an example of what happens when too many people in a department somewhere are patronisingly job-labelled 'managers' and, in the jostle for credit, have to come up with more ideas than are, shall we say, necessary. Anyway, I've copied it here, along with the responses that it provoked (with sender and addressee details removed, as I haven't asked them). I hope it gets your weekend off to a good start, and feel free to air your views.
This system is live, so from now on, if you are calling to report your absence from work due to sickness it would be helpful if you could let your line manager know which category your sickness falls into and also a date of when you are likely to return to work. Obviously you might not always know when you'll be well enough to return to work, so don't worry too much if you can't give this information when you call.
If you need any further information regarding this, feel free to contact me.
I was checking the date on this; thought it must be April 1st, right?
Can I vouch 'Indolence' as a category?
If I ever catch something that comes under # 7, I won't report it to anybody.
And was this idea developed by someone who needs to be filed under # 6?
Indolence would come under #13 I think!
I think I best leave work now then – touch of #7 itch!
That's nothing. I tripped over an eski, fell downstairs, banged my head, knocked my two front teeth loose, had to go to the doc who asked about the lump on my ****, and now I can't breathe and my blood pressure's gone through the roof …. which number should I choose?
Treat yourself, list the lot and shout 'House'!
A friend of mine met this girl one time and she was clearly #6 – after spending sometime with her, he had severe problems with his #2 – So he went to #14 – was told he had #7, which made him #4 – Called this girl and told her about the #7 – She said that's nothing I am #8 – He is now #6 – but still has #7……….
I've just realised that it must be that the sickness category list has somehow merged files with the research and clinical division lists, no?
And looking at it again… it reads as a summary of a pretty average fallout from a particularly good weekend.
This is as fine an example of the lengths that management (and, in particular, HR) will go to justify their own existence as anything I've seen. Seriously, one might ask whether managers are legitimately entitled to have such detailed, personal knowledge of one's ailments. Had I been diagnosed with #1 (let alone #7) I'd have hoped that my employers would allow me to tell them such things when it was convenient for me, and not according to their schedule, and certainly not according to the numbered list drawn up by some HR droid. I wouldn't be surprised if thre's not some human rights issue here. You work for people under contract – they don't own your body.
Right on! After the initial jaw-dropping incredulity at the demise of that polite protocol we're all taught about not enquiring after people's reasons for seeing a doctor, I was on that pivot between steaming nostrils and laughter. Having just returned from a good holiday, I'm glad I was sanguine enough to tip towards the latter.
Steel swoops in with a "back to work again shocker" (with # 15: couldn't be arsed working until now) to say thanks to all, sundry and Cornish Cromer Pastie makers but couldn't pick any protocol to whinge about at present.


The running rails are up, Hurdles are out, sheets are off and the takeoff boards have been painted.
Another enjoyable social event was held at Landbeach Village Hall on 12th October. Thanks To Michael and Val Gingell for arranging this.
The completed fence ready for the first meeting of the season, Sunday 25th November.
One down, one to go.


text:
Bill Crofut Fund for Children
A charming venue in the hills of the southern Berkshires.
The historic Sandisfield Arts Center is home to a vibrant selection of performances, exhibits and workshops.
Frederick Moyer Piano Recital
We are thrilled to bring back Frederick Moyer after his wonderful recital (and the debut of our Stainway) last year. Moyer is equally at home with Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Schoenberg as well as Ellington…
Berkshire Opera Festival
Have you ever wondered how a fully-staged opera is brought to life? Have you wondered if opera was something you'd enjoy? Berkshire Opera Festival co-founders Brian Garman and Jonathon Loy will answer all your…
Marguerite "Marge" Bride — Opening Reception, Sat, Aug 3rd
Free opening reception Saturday, August 3rd, 2:00 - 4:00 PM. After the opening reception, the show will run until August 31, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100. Artist's Statement:…
It's Friday night at the movies at the Arts Center. This month's selection for the whole family is "The Empire Strikes Back" The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V –…
Bill Cohn on "Combating the Enemy Within"
Early in the Depression, on February 2, 1931, Silas H. Strawn, Chairman of the United States Chamber of Commerce, warned, "in a condition of this kind, the thing to be feared most is fear…
Children's Book Author Jana Laiz Reads from Recent Books and Talks about Being "A Writer with a Purpose"
Jana Laiz, writer in residence at Herman Melville's Arrowhead, will read from and talk about recent books such as Blanket of Stars and Billy Budd in the Breadbox: The Story of Herman Melville, as…
Claudia D'Alessandro "The Nature of Things" — Opening Reception. Show runs through September 28
Free opening reception Saturday, September 7th 2:00-4:00 PM. After the opening reception, the show will run until September 28, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100. Artist's Statement: All around…
Film: The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Join us for this Academy Award - winning classic (Best Foreign Language Film, 1971), setting the context for historian Robert Maryks' talk the next day, which will include correspondence from the Finzi-Continis. Amid the…
Fascism and Racial Laws in Mussolini's Italy
In his talk and slide presentation, historian and part-time Sandisfield resident Dr. Robert A. Maryks will tell a story of the impact of the racial laws on the Jews (and those who were considered…
Wanda Houston Band: '40's, '50's, & '60's R&B and Jazz
The Wanda Houston Band features the incomparable vocalist Wanda Houston accompanied by three virtuoso and diverse musicians specializing in unique interpretations of American Music. The band's repertoire includes selections from the great American Songbook,…
The Enigma of Socialism: A Talk by Val Coleman
A talk given by Val Coleman June 13, 2013 at the Sandisfield Arts Center
One in the Coleman/Cohn series of talks on American life and culture
Socialism. All of my life I have been surrounded, cajoled, nearly drowned by the very idea. It was and is everywhere. My three-novenas-a-year [...]
Read Our Full Blog
In 1839, the Sandisfield Arts Center building began an 80+ year run as a Baptist meeting house, followed by another 75 as an Orthodox synagogue (the only known rural Orthodox synagogue on record in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). In 1995, the building was reborn as a performing arts center.
Since that time, the Sandisfield Arts Center has evolved into a professional non-profit organization recognized by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the National Trust, and the public for our dedication to preserving this historically-important building and rehabilitating it for use as a performing arts center. In 2006, the building was accepted on the National Registry of Historic Places as "The Montville Baptist Church." Visitors now come from all over Berkshire, Hampden & Litchfield Counties, as well as New York, Boston and Connecticut for our unique, quality performances.
The small-town, grass-roots commitment that gave birth to the Sandisfield Arts Center in 1995 is still present today, as the organization depends almost entirely on volunteers. These dedicated folks meet, administer, clean, bake, paint, host, donate and perform their way through tough economic times, long, cold winters, and all the challenges that small, non-profit arts organizations face on a daily basis. Please see our Volunteer page if you'd like to participate!
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5 Hammertown Road, P.O. Box 31
Sandisfield, MA 01255
Our programs are supported, in part, by grants from the Sandisfield Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, the Monterey Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
© 2018 Sandisfield Arts Center. All Rights Reserved.


Potential Conflicts of Interest: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-0561.
Requests for Single Reprints: Keith Henry, MD, HIV Program, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue, MC O1, Minneapolis, MN 55415; e-mail, keithh6680@aol.com.
Current Author Addresses: Drs. Baker and Henry: HIV Program, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue, MC O1, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
From University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has revolutionized HIV care over the past 15 years, converting a fatal disease into a treatable chronic condition. Despite this success, uncertainty remains regarding the optimal time to initiate cART. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended an aggressive approach of starting cART at any CD4 cell count less than 0.500 × 109 cells/L (1). Concerns about drug toxicity and accumulating resistance mutations motivated the panel to subsequently lower the CD4 cell count threshold to 0.200 to 0.350 × 109 cells/L. Because of the improved short-term safety of currently regimens and the appreciation that HIV infection may contribute to non–AIDS-related conditions, the 2011 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines again recommend that cART be initiated at CD4 cell counts of 0.500 × 109 cells/L or less and be considered at CD4 cell counts greater than 0.500 × 109 cells/L. Although only 50% of the panel supported the latter recommendation (2), use of this threshold would effectively mean offering treatment to everyone with diagnosed HIV infection.
Published: Ann Intern Med. 2011;154(8):563-565.


Okay, folks . . . it's that time again. I'm down to two suits, one sports coat, and only a couple of pants that I can squeeze into. No more excuses. I'm tired of good intentions, secret promises to myself . . .
Okay, folks . . . it's that time again. I'm down to two suits, one sports coat, and only a couple of pants that I can squeeze into. No more excuses. I'm tired of good intentions, secret promises to myself, groans and grunts as I roll out of bed in the morning, and especially those well-meaning comments from first-time visitors at our church: "You look . . . uh . . . different than I expected." I suppose that's better than "You look . . . uh . . . fat."
Funny thing about being overweight . . . it's impossible to hide it. So the alternatives are (a) ignore it and lie to yourself by saying nobody notices, (b) make jokes about it, (c) try to solve the problem overnight—which is tempting but dumb, or (d) face the music and get underway with a long-range plan that works.
For me, it's an intelligent diet (ugh!) mixed with a program of regular exercise and a do-or-die mind-set that is determined to see it through, followed by a from-now-on game plan that is realistic, workable, and consistent.
Personally, I don't need a shrink to shrink. But what I do need is discipline with a big D. (It might also help me a lot to think of rewards other than a strawberry sundae.) You know what I'm getting at, don't you? If I intend to avoid great widths, I need to go to great lengths to make that happen. And if you are put together somewhat like I am, you do too.
So why am I telling you all this? It would be much easier and certainly less embarrassing for me to say nothing, eat little, exercise in obscurity, and start to shrink. I did that once before and it worked. Problem was, when I got down to my desired weight, a rumor spread that I had cancer. Cynthia even got a sympathy card or two. So . . . none of that.
I'm mentioning it because I need to be accountable and we need to be reminded of the importance of our physical appearance. While there is an overemphasis on this in the secular world, for some strange reason, we Christians tend to underestimate its importance. Yet our bodies are indeed the "temple of the Holy Spirit" and we are to "glorify God" in those bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
So, let's get serious about something we've ignored or excused or joked about long enough. As for me, I've got about forty pounds to go. How about you?
Have you looked in the mirror lately? Could the Spirit's temple stand a little attention to get it back where it ought to be?


This is my first post in my first parchment blog. How exciting!
I'm parching for many years and enjoying it very much! I have a great bunch of parcher friends all over the world and we are in daily contact, sharing our work and making swaps. I also like to paint and to craft. And I'm delighted to teach my delicious granddaughter some of my skills. Hope you will enjoy your visit at my site. Have fun!


text:
Хуґан () — село в Ірані, у дегестані Салеган, в Центральному бахші, шагрестані Хомейн остану Марказі. За даними перепису 2006 року, його населення становило 775 осіб, що проживали у складі 244 сімей.

Клімат
Середня річна температура становить 12,76°C, середня максимальна – 31,34°C, а середня мінімальна – -9,43°C. Середня річна кількість опадів – 208 мм.

Примітки

Населені пункти шагрестану Хомейн

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A parish is a community of believers and a spiritual family that is supportive and loving. It can be a place to grow spiritually, to put your faith in action, and to use our gifts of time and talent as disciples of Christ. We look forward to answering any questions you may have. Visit us on https://www.facebook.com/pg/SaintAnnBlackRock or add us to whatsapp 203 368-1607 to get the latest activities.


text:
Cinetorhynchus fasciatus är en kräftdjursart som beskrevs av Okuno och Tachikawa 1997. Cinetorhynchus fasciatus ingår i släktet Cinetorhynchus och familjen Rhynchocinetidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Tiofotade kräftdjur
fasciatus


Lol...it sure puts things into perspective!
Hoping for a better month NoS-wise. A safe New Year to all!
That shirt is too funny!
Wow...your last set of children make 10 for you! Sounds like a lot of work, but you have a lot of experience, too! Congratulations!
I should get that for my 17 year old son, but it's table entertainment to hear him bellow when I put food on his plate.
Allison, I just saw this. I'm so sorry for the loss of your precious daughter. May God be a comfort to you and your family.
Excellent post! I wish you much peace with No S and your treatment results!
Like Oolala says, I would go with the luncheon size plate, about 8-1/2". My husband and adult sons use these for dinner. They do go back for seconds sometimes, but they are not NoSers.
I would think nothing of having a slice of toast with jam on it on an N day. That probably would be more sugar than your waffle.
Topic: Public Announcement For Public Accountability!
naeman, I like your stats, and how you are taking small steps to achieve your goals. It seems so much more doable that way.
I wish you well this time around on your No S journey!
You a great example of one who goes through pain, and yet sees the blessings and gratefulness of life, big and small, and focuses on that. Healing comes sooner that way. Wishing you peace.
I never appreciated my mother more than when I had to take over the cooking chores for my own family.
No disposal at my house, because I have well water/septic system - a big no-no. Most developments automatically put it in when they are receiving city/town water. But I don't need one; I have 4 male family members at home.
Oolala, what is, or will be, your fasting/eating times the three days a week of fasting that you said you will go back to?
Yes, food has water in it, so less food, less water. That would give me headaches, too.
Well, I'll put it this way...when I was on IF for a year or two, I really had plenty of energy those days that I didn't eat until dinner. I just grew "weary" of not eating! Now, most weekdays I don't eat breakfast, just coffee with a bit of cream, and mornings are my best self.
Topic: Appetizers? Sweets on N days?
Welcome back, vmsurbat! Missed you! It's always good to hear from another encouraging poster.
Topic: Daily modifications. What are your thoughts?
oolala53 wrote: And if it's more active, fill up on the company and ambience.
Sounds wonderful! Enjoy your holiday, and give us updates of the various foods you get to eat. Lucky you! Good going that you will try to keep your N-days... well, N.
Enjoy the warm weather, but don't sunburn. That will ruin your holiday!
So sorry for your loss, Noel.
We hope you will post - we'd love to hear from you again!
I think about how I used to order a Chinese takeout lunch, with one pint of wonton soup included, and eat the entire thing at one sitting. Now I can make that baby last for 5 days!
No S is a sane and normal way to eat forever. I wish you well on it!
oolala53 wrote: It takes a relatively consistent reduction over a period of time of a little more than 200 calories to lose one ounce of fat and stabilize there. Fun!
Oh my! Consistency is the key. This had been my problem, and a problem for the masses.
Elizabeth...where are you? I hope you are well. We miss you!


When I go to use the Search function drop down menu I am not able to select using the MOUSE.
However, I am able to use the keyboard arrows to select. It works fine in MS Explorer.
I am using Firefox 2.6.
Kindly provide your site URL where you face this issue. So that we can check and update you.
I will only leave this up 24/hrs.
We checked your site in different browsers but there is no issues in search module. We can able to select the values through mouse. Kindly let me know the Exact browser and its version in which you have issues. So that we can check and update you.
If you do not have an issue then it may be my "NOSCRIPT" plugin getting in the way.
We double checked in Firefox and there is no issue. Kindly disable the "NOSCRIPT" plugin and check.


Join Us For the Chesterton Gala 2018, Our Annual Evening of Music and Merriment!
Join us for the Chesterton Gala on Friday, January 12, our annual evening of music & merriment to benefit the students of Chesterton Academy.
Join Us for the 2017 Chesterton Gala, Our Annual Evening of Music and Merriment!
This year's exciting event will take place Friday, January 27th at the beautiful Hilton Minneapolis. Doors open at 5PM! This is our most important fundraiser of the year and all proceeds go to support student scholarships and tuition assistance.
Join Us for the 2016 Chesterton Gala, Our Annual Evening of Music and Merriment!
This year's exciting event will take place Friday, January 29th at the beautiful Hilton Minneapolis. Doors open at 5PM! This is our most important fundraiser of the year and all proceeds go to support student scholarships and tuition assistance.
Our annual evening of music and merriment to benefit the students of Chesterton Academy takes place Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the beautiful Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Doors open at 5PM! Scroll down for event details.
Save the Date for The Chesterton Gala 2015 - February 7, 2015!
Mark your calendars for the sixth annual Chesterton Gala on Saturday, February 7, 2015! This year's evening of music and merriment will take place in the stunning Grand Ballroom at the Minneapolis Hilton. Proceeds from the Gala - our major fundraising for the year - will benefit the students of Chesterton Academy.
The Chesterton Gala 2014 - Thanks for a Wonderful Evening!
Thank you to all who joined us for the fifth annual Chesterton Gala on Saturday, February 8 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota! Nearly 800 guests gathered for our evening of music and merriment to benefit the students of Chesterton Academy.
Guests of All Ages Had a Ball at The Chesterton Gala!
Thank you to all who helped make The Chesterton Gala such a wonderful success! Over 600 guests joined on Saturday, April 13 at the Crowne-Plaza Hotel in St. Paul for our fourth annual evening of music and merriment to benefit the students of Chesterton Academy.
Chesterton Gala 2012 a Wonderful Evening of Music and Merriment!
Over 500 guests of all ages attended Chesterton Academy's third annual benefit gala on February 10 at the beautiful International Market Square in Minneapolis. We were honored to have Father Francis "Fr. Rocky" Hoffman, Executive Director of Relevant Radio, as our guest and keynote speaker for the event!
Chesterton's Evening of Dinner, Dancing and all that Jazz a Great Success!
he evening featured a wonderful performance by our own Chesterton Academy Choir and dancing to the music of the fabulous Wolverines Big Band. Special highlights were speeches by Joseph Barron and Alea Florin, Chesterton Academy's first graduating seniors, and remarks by Dale Ahlqust, co-founder of Chesterton Academy.
Save the Date for the 2011 Chesterton Gala!
Mark your calendars for the 2011 Chesterton Gala to take place on Saturday, February 19th at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront Hotel.
More than 300 guests attended Chesterton Academy's first annual Benefit Gala on Friday, April 23, 2010. The delightful event was held at the elegant University Club - Downtown Clubhouse in St. Paul.


text:
Adrienne Clarkson ES » School Council
Welcome to the ACES School Council Website!
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 school year began with delay, as did the organization of our school council. Undoubtedly, some of our regular school council activities and meetings will look, feel, and be different this year. However, our focus remains to support and enhance the student experience here at ACES in as safe a way as possible.
Together, we are an association of parents/guardians, teachers, and community members dedicated to supporting and improving student learning at Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School. School Council is a valuable home/school link that supports the learning environment of our students. As an advisory body, the ACES School Council achieves its goals by maintaining a school-wide focus and providing advice to the principal, vice principal, and school board on significant education issues, and by planning activities that support the active participation of parents/guardians and our wonderful ACES Community.
School Council meetings are open forums for all ACES parents/guardians (regardless of whether their students are attending school in-person or virtually) who would like to gain firsthand insight and have a voice in what's happening at ACES. The principal and a staff member report on staffing, field trips, sports and cultural activities, scheduling changes, etc. We discuss what our school Board and Provincial Government are doing that will impact our children's education, and what can be done about it. Under regular school operations, we invite guest speakers on different subjects and topics of relevance and interest (ie: appropriate use of technology, well-being). We raise money for extra school activities, library books, sports equipment and science projects. And in the process we get to know each other better!
By participating in ACES School Council, we can help discover new and exciting ways to contribute to the education of students in our school. Education is a partnership involving parents, students, teachers, principals, school boards, government, and the community. Our involvement in the School Council gives us the opportunity to strengthen that partnership, and to be part of a dedicated team working to support a high quality of education and an accountable education.
The main purpose of school councils is to work towards the improvement of student achievement and to enhance communication between the school and the school community. This is accomplished by making recommendations to our school principal and the school district on significant education issues, and by planning activities that support the active participation of parents/guardians and our school community.
Follow the official ACES Twitter account!
@ACES_ES_Rocks
To keep up to date on School Council news and events:
School Councils are advisory organizations, mandated by the Ministry of Education, and make recommendations to the principal and School Board when appropriate. All schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board should have an advisory school council to help increase communication between schools and their communities and to serve the needs of students. A school council liaises through the school principal and is an important link between parents and the school community. Find out more about school councils by reading the OCDSB's fact sheet on school councils.


Reach hundreds of thousands of travelers before and during their trip to our nation's capital. As the official marketing/advertising partner of Destination DC, Miles is honored to continue working with partners to maximize tourism marketing dollars through Destination DC's official print and digital platforms. These include the Washington, DC Official Visitors Guide, official map products, email newsletters and web advertising on washington.org.


Sergeant Cox was killed when his patrol car was struck by a train at a crossing in northern Idaho. It is not known why Sergeant Cox failed to see the train approaching.
Sergeant Cox had been with tha agency for 19 years and was survived by his wife and three children.
Rest in Peace, Sergeant Cox. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.


The 'Beast from the East' exposed the country's undue reliance on the biggest electricity interconnector with Europe, a new report shows. Despite Great Britain's power demand surging as temperatures plummeted, the interconnector actually exported power to France on two of the coldest days – 28th February and 1st March.
The six days from February 26 to March 3 were the third coldest experienced this century. These freezing temperatures pushed up power demand 10 per cent as consumers and industry used more electric heating to keep warm.
In response to increasing demand and more limited supply, wholesale power prices surged five times the average for the quarter, peaking at £990 per MWh as the market became volatile.
However, despite surging demand and higher prices, Great Britain's interconnector exported power to Europe on two of the six coldest days as prices on the continent rose even higher than the UK to meet increasing demand from French consumers, who use more electricity for heating than in the UK.
Great Britain's's interconnector with France can demand up to 2GW of the country's demand – around 4 per cent. It represents 50 per cent of the UK's interconnector capacity, with the remainder accounted for by transmission between the UK and the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Biomass and hydro ran solidly throughout the cold spell. Wind output was particularly high when it was most needed, ranging from 11.8 to 13.8 GW during March 1st.
Coal generation surged for the weeks surrounding the cold spell, not because more output from conventional plants was needed, but rising gas prices made it more economical to burn coal than fire-up additional gas capacity.
"While the European interconnector is an an important part of Great Britain's electricity infrastructure, it responds solely to price. Therefore, if Europe has a cold snap, the country is at the end of the line, leaving consumers vulnerable to security of supply and higher prices.
Drax has upgraded half of its power station in North Yorkshire from coal to use sustainable biomass, with plans to convert a further generating unit this year. It is now the biggest single site renewable generator in the country and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.
Drax Power Ltd, which operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies seven per cent of the country's electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fueled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.


We know—everybody loves to complain about meetings. But, here's the thing: They're still necessary. Regardless of how hard you try, you'll never do away with them entirely. Furthermore, meetings do actually serve a purpose. When run effectively, they can actually be far more efficient and lead to better results than those constant back-and-forth email chains that clog up your inbox.
Did you catch the operative phrase there? When run effectively. Not all meetings are created equal. If you want those sit-downs to be more productive for everybody involved, you're going to need to invest some planning and strategy. Like what? Well, we've pulled together five key tips to help you optimize the time you spend in meetings.
Most of the work involved in running a top-notch meeting happens well before your actual meeting starts. So, the first thing you'll want to consider is when and for how long you're scheduling your meeting for. Meetings themselves aren't typically a waste of time. However, if you're in the habit of blocking out an hour on people's calendars—when the important discussion itself only requires a half hour—your attendees will quickly get frustrated.
Try this simple trick that Sabina Nawaz recommends in her article for Inc.: Schedule meetings for 45 minutes, instead of a full hour. It'll keep your whole group focused, while also giving people some much-needed buffer time to prepare for their next meetings. Speaking of a buffer, Nawaz says it can also be smart to start your meetings at quarter past the hour. That gives people who are coming from another meeting enough time to transition and get their thoughts in order.
No amount of productivity tricks will help you run a smoother meeting if the room is packed with people who don't actually need to be there. Not only does that make people feel as if you wasted their time by asking them to attend a totally irrelevant conversation, but it can also slow down the discussion.
When inviting people, make sure that you have a clear reason in mind for why he or she needs to be in attendance. If you can't think of anything? Chances are, that person (and your whole group!) would be better off if he or she just skipped it.
When it comes to running a meeting that your participants view as productive—as opposed to pesky—the more preparation you can do, the better. That means putting together an agenda of what items you plan to cover during that meeting, and then distributing it to attendees ahead of time.
Doing so accomplishes a couple of different things. First, it gives you the opportunity to organize your thoughts and ensure that you're going to be able to touch on everything you need to discuss.
Secondly, it gives your attendees some insight into what they can expect during that sit-down so that they can prepare ahead of time. That'll lead to a far better conversation than requiring everyone to fly by the seat of their pants—and then eventually have to circle back with the necessary information that they didn't have with them for the meeting.
Even with a detailed agenda in front of you, meetings still have a way of running off the rails every now and then. Conversations segue and tangents end up taking way too much of your time.
This is why it's great to have a designated time keeper to keep a watchful eye on things. If you're the one hosting a smaller meeting, this could very well be you. But, if you have a lot of attendees or your attention will be consumed with other things? Consider enlisting the help of someone else to do this.
When things start to get off track, the time keeper can step in, remind attendees of how much scheduled meeting time is left and what topics you still need to cover, and then hopefully get things heading in the right direction again.
If everybody walks out of your meeting without anything to do or follow up on, then it likely wasn't a productive use of anyone's time. Meetings should lead to action.
Meetings are a staple of office life, which means you'll never do away with them completely. Fortunately, when they're managed correctly, they can actually be a productive use of your time.
Put these tips to work for your next meeting, and you're sure to have a conversation that's worthy of everybody's time and attention.


St. Anthony's Boys Kitale and St. Cecilia Misikhu Girls were the big winners in the day one of Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Hockey national games played at the Shanzu Teachers Training College in Mombasa.
St. Anthony's beat St. Georges from Mombasa 3-0 with a brace from Lorgan Mabuka and one goal from Oscar Kiptoo, St. Cecilia Misikhu girls also beat Hillcrest with a three-goal margin with goals from Shenyi Marinda, Sharon Simiyu and Rachael Khamala.
Speaking to Kevin Lugalia, the St. Anthony's coach after the match, he believes it's a good start in the championship. "We have started off well, and we will keep on the fight until the last minute. We want to take each match at a time because this isa championship and anything can happen," said Lugalia.
Boys pool A: St. Charles Lwanga vs Friends School Kamusinga (0-1), Homabay vs Nairobi School (1-0).


text:
@implementation UIImage (Help)

+ (UIImage *)updateImageOrientation:(UIImage *)chosenImage
{
    if (chosenImage) {
        // No-op if the orientation is already correct
        if (chosenImage.imageOrientation == UIImageOrientationUp){
            return chosenImage;
        }
        else{

            // We need to calculate the proper transformation to make the image upright.
            // We do it in 2 steps: Rotate if Left/Right/Down, and then flip if Mirrored.
            CGAffineTransform transform = CGAffineTransformIdentity;
            UIImageOrientation orientation=chosenImage.imageOrientation;
            int orientation_=orientation;
            switch (orientation_) {
                case UIImageOrientationDown:
                case UIImageOrientationDownMirrored:
                    transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, chosenImage.size.width, chosenImage.size.height);
                    transform = CGAffineTransformRotate(transform, M_PI);
                    break;

                case UIImageOrientationLeft:
                case UIImageOrientationLeftMirrored:
                    transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, chosenImage.size.width, 0);
                    transform = CGAffineTransformRotate(transform, M_PI_2);
                    break;

                case UIImageOrientationRight:
                case UIImageOrientationRightMirrored:
                    transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, 0, chosenImage.size.height);
                    transform = CGAffineTransformRotate(transform, -M_PI_2);
                    break;
            }

            switch (orientation_) {
                case UIImageOrientationUpMirrored:{

                }
                case UIImageOrientationDownMirrored:
                    transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, chosenImage.size.width, 0);
                    transform = CGAffineTransformScale(transform, -1, 1);
                    break;

                case UIImageOrientationLeftMirrored:
                case UIImageOrientationRightMirrored:
                    transform = CGAffineTransformTranslate(transform, chosenImage.size.height, 0);
                    transform = CGAffineTransformScale(transform, -1, 1);
                    break;
            }

            // Now we draw the underlying CGImage into a new context, applying the transform
            // calculated above.
            CGContextRef ctx = CGBitmapContextCreate(NULL, chosenImage.size.width, chosenImage.size.height,
                                                     CGImageGetBitsPerComponent(chosenImage.CGImage), 0,
                                                     CGImageGetColorSpace(chosenImage.CGImage),
                                                     CGImageGetBitmapInfo(chosenImage.CGImage));
            CGContextConcatCTM(ctx, transform);
            switch (chosenImage.imageOrientation) {
                case UIImageOrientationLeft:
                case UIImageOrientationLeftMirrored:
                case UIImageOrientationRight:
                case UIImageOrientationRightMirrored:
                    // Grr...
                    CGContextDrawImage(ctx, CGRectMake(0,0,chosenImage.size.height,chosenImage.size.width), chosenImage.CGImage);
                    break;

                default:
                    CGContextDrawImage(ctx, CGRectMake(0,0,chosenImage.size.width,chosenImage.size.height), chosenImage.CGImage);
                    break;
            }
            // And now we just create a new UIImage from the drawing context
            CGImageRef cgimg = CGBitmapContextCreateImage(ctx);
            UIImage *img = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:cgimg];
            CGContextRelease(ctx);
            CGImageRelease(cgimg);
            return img;
        }
    }
    return nil;
}

+ (UIImage*)shrinkImage:(UIImage*)original size:(CGSize)size {
    CGFloat scale = [UIScreen mainScreen].scale;
    CGColorSpaceRef colorSpace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();

    CGContextRef context = CGBitmapContextCreate(NULL, size.width * scale,
                                                 size.height * scale, 8, 0, colorSpace, kCGImageAlphaPremultipliedFirst);
    CGContextDrawImage(context,
                       CGRectMake(0, 0, size.width * scale, size.height * scale),
                       original.CGImage);
    CGImageRef shrunken = CGBitmapContextCreateImage(context);
    UIImage *final = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:shrunken];

    CGContextRelease(context);
    CGImageRelease(shrunken);

    return final;
}

#pragma mark - 创建mainBundle目录下不带缓存的图片
+ (UIImage *)imageNoCache:(NSString *)name
{
    return [UIImage imageWithContentsOfFile:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@/%@", [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundlePath], name]];
}

#pragma mark - 可拉伸的图片
+ (UIImage *)stretchableImage:(UIImage *)img edgeInsets:(UIEdgeInsets)edgeInsets{
    edgeInsets.top < 1 ? edgeInsets.top = 12 : 0;
    edgeInsets.left  < 1 ? edgeInsets.left = 12 : 0;
    edgeInsets.bottom < 1 ? edgeInsets.bottom = 12 : 0;
    edgeInsets.right  < 1 ? edgeInsets.right = 12 : 0;
#if defined __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED >= __IPHONE_5_0
    return [img resizableImageWithCapInsets:edgeInsets];
#else
    return [img stretchableImageWithLeftCapWidth:edgeInsets.left topCapHeight:edgeInsets.top];
#endif
}

+ (UIImage *)imageFromBundle:(NSString *)bundleName path:(NSString *)path imageName:(NSString *)imageName
{
    NSMutableString *fullName = [[NSMutableString alloc] initWithString:[[[NSBundle mainBundle] resourcePath] stringByAppendingPathComponent:bundleName]];
    if (path && path.length > 0)
    {
        [fullName appendString:@"/"];
        [fullName appendString:path];
    }
    if (imageName && imageName.length > 0)
    {
        [fullName appendString:@"/"];
        [fullName appendString:imageName];
    }
    NSLog(@"xxxxxx %@",fullName);
    return [UIImage imageWithContentsOfFile:fullName];
}

#pragma mark - UIColor转UIImage
+ (UIImage*)imageWithColor:(UIColor*)color
{
    CGRect rect = CGRectMake(0.0f, 0.0f, 8.0f, 8.0f);
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(rect.size);
    CGContextRef context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    CGContextSetFillColorWithColor(context, [color CGColor]);
    CGContextFillRect(context, rect);
    UIImage*theImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
    return theImage;
}

#pragma mark - UIColor转UIImage
+ (UIImage*)imageWithColor:(UIColor*)color size:(CGSize)size
{
    CGRect rect = CGRectMake(0.0f, 0.0f, size.width, size.height);
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(rect.size);
    CGContextRef context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
    CGContextSetFillColorWithColor(context, [color CGColor]);
    CGContextFillRect(context, rect);
    UIImage*theImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
    return theImage;
}

+ (UIImage *)imageWithView:(UIView *)view rect:(CGRect)rect
{

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(view.frame.size, view.opaque, 0.0);
    [view.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];
    UIImage * img = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

//    if (rect.origin.x != 0 && rect.origin.x != 0) {
//        CGImageRef imageRef = CGImageCreateWithImageInRect(img.CGImage, rect);
//        img = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:imageRef];
//    }

    return img;
}

+ (UIImage *)imageWithWindowRect:(CGRect)rect
{
    UIWindow *window = [UIApplication sharedApplication].delegate.window;
    NSLog(@"%@", NSStringFromCGSize(window.bounds.size));
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(window.bounds.size, NO, 0.0);
    [window.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];
    UIImage * img = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
   UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    UIImageView *imageView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:img];

    UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(rect.size, imageView.opaque, 0.0);
    [imageView.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];
    img = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();

    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

    return img;
}

#pragma mark - 将图片大小转换成新尺寸
+ (UIImage *)imageWithImageSimple:(UIImage*)image scaledToSize:(CGSize)newSize
{
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(newSize);//根据当前大小创建一个基于位图图形的环境
    [image drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, newSize.width, newSize.height)];//根据新的尺寸画出传过来的图片
    UIImage *newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();//从当前环境当中得到重绘的图片
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();//关闭当前环境
    return newImage;
}

#pragma mark - 将图片大小转换成新尺寸
+ (UIImage *)imageWithImageCenterSimple:(UIImage*)image scaledToSize:(CGSize)newSize
{
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(newSize);//根据当前大小创建一个基于位图图形的环境
    [image drawInRect:CGRectMake((image.size.width - newSize.width)/2.0,
                                 (image.size.height - newSize.height)/2.0,
                                 newSize.width*2,
                                 newSize.height*2)];//根据新的尺寸画出传过来的图片
    UIImage *newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();//从当前环境当中得到重绘的图片
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();//关闭当前环境
    return newImage;
}

+ (UIImage *) croppedImageCenterSimple:(UIImage*)image scaledToSize:(CGSize)newSize
{
    CGSize size = CGSizeZero;

    if (newSize.width >= newSize.height) {
        size.width = image.size.width;
        size.height = size.width * newSize.height/newSize.width;
    }

    if (newSize.height >= newSize.width) {
        size.height = image.size.height;
        size.width = size.height * newSize.width/newSize.height;
    }

    CGRect cropRect = CGRectMake((image.size.width - size.width)/2.0,
                                 (image.size.height - size.height)/2.0,
                                 size.width,
                                 size.height);

//    NSLog(@"---------- cropRect: %@", NSStringFromCGRect(cropRect));
//    NSLog(@"--- self.photo.size: %@", NSStringFromCGSize(self.photo.size));

    CGImageRef imageRef = CGImageCreateWithImageInRect([image CGImage], cropRect);
    UIImage *result = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:imageRef];
    CGImageRelease(imageRef);

    NSLog(@"------- result.size: %@", NSStringFromCGSize(result.size));

    return result;
}

+ (CGSize)scaleImage:(UIImage *)image sideMax:(float)sideMax
{
    if (!image)
        return CGSizeZero;
    CGSize size ;
    if (image.size.height > image.size.width)
    {
        size.height = sideMax;
        size.width = image.size.width/image.size.height*sideMax;
    }
    else
    {
        size.width = sideMax;
        size.height = image.size.height/image.size.width*sideMax;
    }
    return size;
}
@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Low gas prices, job gains are good news for…
Low gas prices, job gains are good news for Southern California
By Kevin Smith | kvsmith@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
PUBLISHED: January 16, 2015 at 5:02 p.m. | UPDATED: September 1, 2017 at 2:14 a.m.
It seems like we hear an awful lot of bad economic news.
The latest came Thursday from Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Lagarde says global economic growth is being hampered by weak investment, significant debt burdens and high unemployment.
The eurozone, which could slide into a third recession in six years, continues to grapple with fallout from the 2008 financial crisis.
On the retail side, Americans cut back on holiday spending in December and Target announced it is pulling back from its money-losing foray into Canada after just two years.
That equates to the closure of 133 stores and cutting about 17,600 employees.
None of this is fun to hear, but I want to focus on some good news.
I'll start by noting that gas prices in Southern California have plunged to levels not seen for a very long time.
On Thursday the average price for a gallon of regular in the Los Angeles-Long Beach region was $2.57.
A year ago it was $1.10 more a gallon.
Same thing in the Inland Empire — $2.53 a gallon on Thursday and $1.02 more a year earlier.
Now I realize that oil companies aren't uncorking the champagne over this. In fact, BP announced Thursday that it will cut an estimated 200 staff jobs and another 100 contracting jobs in light of falling oil prices.
I hate to hear of anyone losing their job, but I'm looking at the bright side. I commute from Santa Clarita to Pasadena every day and I'm enjoying the fact that I can now fill up my Honda Civic for about $34.
Now let's look at the job picture.
Last week the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added 252,000 jobs in December, capping the nation's best year of hiring in 15 years.
And earlier this week they announced that employers advertised the most job openings in nearly 14 years in November. That signals that businesses have more confidence in where things are headed.
And let's not forget California's most recent jobs report. That showed a gain of 90,100 jobs in November — the biggest monthly increase in decades.
I'll cap this review with some non-economic news that just makes you feel good.
On Wednesday climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson successfully completed a 19-day trek up Dawn Wall, a notoriously tough route that snakes its way up the sheer granite face of Yosemite's El Capitan.
That's 3,000 feet straight up.
Using only their hands, feet and a safety rope, they did what many thought was impossible.
Now if that doesn't bring a smile to your face, I don't know what does.
Kevin Smith | reporter
Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.
kvsmith@scng.com
Follow Kevin Smith	@sgvnbiz


Snap! West Texas postcard center is the perfect tool to send a glimpse of West Texas with your message to business associates, prospective clients or friends and family around the globe. Send as many virtual postcards as you want, they are free!
PICK AN IMAGE. Click on the button below the image to select it.
NAME AND E-MAIL INFORMATION. Enter your information and the recipient's name and e-mail address.
SELECT TEXT AND BACKGROUND COLORS. Using the pulldown menus below, select your text and background colors. Be sure to select two different colors for the recipient to be able to read the card!
ENTER THE TITLE AND MESSAGE. In the boxes below, enter your message.


If you follow me on twitter one of the podcasts I have been vocal about promoting and talking about is The Where's Buffy podcast. Where's Buffy is a men's lifestyle podcast that goes over Hip-Hop, some of the latest topics, sports and the like. I had the opportunity to go on with them and take part in this week's conversation. It was a cool experience. Dale and Earl, aka Fat Boy Dizz and Ill Fam 79 were prepared and ready to work as usual with strong opinions. If you haven't done it yet, go check them out at their website Wheresbuffy.com .


text:
Jaden Smith Encourages Fans to Ditch Meat
11.Sep.2019 . 1 min read . Written by Jennifer
Last week, Jaden Smith, son of Hollywood celebs Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, encouraged more than eight million Twitter followers to ditch meat, one day at a time.
On September 06, 2019 Jaden tweeted on social media, "Dear Meat Eaters Let's Start Doing #MeatlessFridays Where We Don't Eat Meals That Include Meat For The Entire Day."
The tweet received more than 44,000 likes and 8,900 retweets and an outpouring number of support from followers.
One person commented: "Been thinking about giving up meat or at least cutting down for a while now, so this sounds like a solid first step."
Another person said: "This is such a good way of helping and possible for me without shaming meat-eaters who can't necessarily stick to vegan diets because of health issues."
And someone else chimed in with: "And then we keep doing meatless Monday and create this perfect duo just like that."
(That #soundslikeaplan!)
Jaden has been a huge advocate for the plant-based industry. He is already an investor in the plant-based company, Impossible Foods. And earlier this year, he opened a free pop-up vegan food truck (that he calls the 'I Love You' restaurant) in Los Angeles to feed the homeless in the Skid Row area. On his birthday, Jaden shared the news about the truck on Instagram, posting a photo and writing: "I Love You Restaurant is a movement that is all about giving people what they deserve - healthy, vegan food for free. He also founded the company, JUST Water—a company he founded with his dad to help with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. #notallherowearcapes
With the motivation of this new generation, the future looks bright!
Looking for plant-based options? We carry over 1,000 plant-based products and deliver nationwide with 2-day shipping! Check out Mylk Guys, here!


text:
As Eviction Deadline Looms, Black Women Are Over Two Times More Likely to Be Behind on Rent
12/18/2020 by Jasmine Tucker and Claire Ewing-Nelson
Asian women, Black women and Latinas are facing serious hardship with only more to come if expanded unemployment benefits and the eviction moratorium are allowed to expire. It's time to act before it becomes too difficult for Americans to come back from this crisis.
An anti-eviction demonstration in Brooklyn, New York, in August 2011. (Michael Premo / Flickr)
This fact sheet originally appeared on the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). It has been republished with permission.
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the disastrous consequences of longstanding racial and gender inequities in our economy. Women continue to bear the brunt of pandemic-related job losses and as of November, nearly two in five unemployed women had been unemployed for six months or more.
The current economic climate, combined with the already high rates of pre-pandemic economic insecurity, and lost earnings due to the gender wage gap have left women with little or no financial cushion to weather the current crisis.
What is more, the looming expiration of emergency extended unemployment benefits under the CARES Act (on Dec. 26) and the CDC's temporary halt on many evictions (on Dec. 31) threatens economic catastrophe for millions.
NWLC recently released a report analyzing week 18 of the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, which measures the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on households.
The report shows that, compared to white men and women:
Asian women, Black women and Latinas are more likely to be behind on their rent or mortgage payment;
Black women and Latinas are more likely to be in households that face food insufficiency; and
Black women and Latinas are more likely to be in households that have lost employment income since March.
As seen at a Treatment, Not Evictions Rally on May 29, 2018, in Philadelphia. (Joe Piette / Flickr)
Black, non-Hispanic women are over two times more likely than white, non-Hispanic men to be behind on their rent or mortgage payments.
Among renters, more than three in ten Black women reported being behind on their rent payment—making them over two times more likely than white men (13.4 percent) or white women (14.1 percent) to be behind on their rent.
Latinas (18.3 percent) and Asian women (16.1 percent) were also more likely than white men or women to report not being current on rent payments.
Among homeowners with mortgages, Latinas (19.1 percent), Black women (14.5 percent), and Asian women (14.4 percent) were all over two times more likely than white men (6.7 percent) to be behind on their mortgage payment.
Among renters with children in the household, nearly two in five Black women reported being behind on their rent payment. By comparison, among renters with children in the household, about one-quarter of Latinas (25.1 percent) and white, non-Hispanic men (24.7 percent), along with nearly one in four white women (23.8 percent), reported being behind on their rent payment.
Among homeowners with mortgages with children in the household, more than one in five Latinas reported being behind on their mortgage payment. More than one in six Asian, non-Hispanic women (17.7 percent) and Black women (17.0 percent) homeowners in households with children reported being behind on their mortgage—compared to 7.6 percent of white men and 9.7 percent of white women homeowners with children in the household.
Here at Ms., our team is continuing to report through this global health crisis—doing what we can to keep you informed and up-to-date on some of the most underreported issues of this pandemic. We ask that you consider supporting our work to bring you substantive, unique reporting—we can't do it without you. Support our independent reporting and truth-telling for as little as $5 per month.
More than one in five Black, non-Hispanic women and Latinas don't have enough to eat.
Black women (22.6 percent) and Latinas (20.7 percent) were over two times more likely than white men (8.1 percent) and white women (9.4 percent) to report not having enough food in the past week.
About six in ten Black, non-Hispanic women and Latinas are in a household that has lost employment income.
Latinas (60.4 percent) and Black women (58.1 percent) were more likely than white men (42.7 percent) and white women (41.9 percent) to report a loss of work income in their household since March. These losses may be exacerbated in the coming weeks and months if businesses face tightened restrictions in response to the pandemic or shut down altogether.
More than one in four people overall expect their household to lose employment income in the next four weeks as a result of the pandemic.
Nearly two in five Latinas, nearly three in ten Black women, and more than one in four Asian women expect their households to lose employment income in the next month—compared to 21.5 percent of white men and 21.2 percent of white women.
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the economy; millions of jobs are likely permanently lost while some that have returned in recent months may again disappear as the pandemic resurges.
Rep. Marcia Fudge to Head Housing and Urban Development: "We Will Help People Believe Once Again"
Feminist Lens: Patricia Vidal Delgado's Insightful First Feature Confronts Imperialism, Past and Present
Neera Tanden Tapped for OMB Director: "I'm Here Today Because of Social Programs"
The coronavirus pandemic and the response by federal, state and local authorities is fast-moving. During this time, Ms. is keeping a focus on aspects of the crisis—especially as it impacts women and their families—often not reported by mainstream media. If you found this article helpful, please consider supporting our independent reporting and truth-telling for as little as $5 per month.
Tagged: Asian Women, Black Women, Coronavirus, Economic Justice, Economy, Latina Women, Racial Justice
About Jasmine Tucker and Claire Ewing-Nelson
Jasmine Tucker is Director of Research at the National Women's Law Center, where her work focuses on a range of issues facing women and their families. Before joining the Center, Tucker served as Senior Research Analyst at the National Priorities Project where her work centered on federal spending, tax policy, and social insurance and safety net programs.
Claire Ewing-Nelson is a Research Fellow of Workplace Justice at the National Women's Law Center.
People Are Finally Paying Attention to AAPI Voters. But For How Long?
Nina Reddy
Unprecedented Farmers Protests in India: Lest We Miss This Feminist Moment
Mallika Kaur


text:
Cranbrook District
June 16, 1955: "F.B.M. Peterson, age 64, died Sunday at Fernie Hospital after his jeep plunged down a 50-foot bank in the vicinity of his farm south of Elko earlier the same day.
He was a longtime B.C. Forest Service employee and for 27 years had manned the lonely isolated Caven lookout station on a mountaintop 20 miles southwest of Jeffray as a key man in the Elko ranger district during the fire season. He had been working recently at the Elko ranger station waiting for trail conditions to allow his return to his lookout post for this season.
He was born at Oslo, Norway, had lived in Canada since 1914, and was one of the longest-time B.C. Forest Service employees in the district. He was not married and has no known relatives." (The Lethbridge Herald)
Latitude: 49.111 Longitude: 115.546 Elevation: 1927