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The Lessons We Should Take From the Recent Hearings on President Obama's Contraception-Coverage Compromise, and Other Battles Involving Religious Lobbyists
Updated: 14 Aug 2013
Posted in: Constitutional Law
To understand what's happening in Congress today—including the recent to-do about religious institutions and contraception coverage—it's useful to go back all the way to the Founding Generation, for, as I'll explain, their most fundamental concerns still ring very true today.
The Framers of our Constitution had good reason to be concerned about the accountability of our elected representatives. Having lived under the Articles of Confederation, they described legislatures as "vortices of corruption," and believed that all those who have power are likely to abuse it. So they constructed a Constitution that was intended to cabin power as much as possible, while still making it possible for those in government to further the public good. The problem, as the Framers saw it, is not power itself, but rather the likelihood that tyranny will result when any one individual, branch, or sovereign has too much of it. So they divided power between the branches, between the federal government and the states, and between church and state.
Accountability to the people is one of the measures we use to keep our leaders in check. For example, we have several interrelated means of making the members of Congress account for what they do. First, there is the power of the vote. We choose them, and then they must run for re-election. Their desire to hold office and stay in office gives us the greatest leverage we have.
Second, we can communicate our views to them during their term of representation. The press is a critical means to that end, and, in this era, the Internet also plays a key role in enhancing the delivery of information and increasing our ability to learn about what our representatives are doing—so that we may judge them.
Third, the press can report to us what our representatives are doing—which supposedly, according to Article I of the Constitution, is passing laws to aid and lead the country. And the courts also inform us as to what our legislators have done, whenever they interpret the statutes Congress has passed. In sum, we have the power to choose our elected representatives and then there is an active communication matrix between us and them during their term of service.
That point brings me to more recent events, such as the hearings on President Obama's recent compromise proposal to have insurance companies pay for contraception for employees of religiously-affiliated institutions. There is an important lesson to be taken from these hearings.
The Issue At the Heart of the Recent Hearings: Contraception Coverage For Employees of Religiously-Affiliated Institutions
The issue upon which the recent hearings have focused, as many readers will already know, is whether—under the new federal health care plan—employees of religiously-affiliated institutions would receive contraception.
In the first iteration of the regulations, the Obama Administration exempted religious organizations, such as churches and synagogues, from having to provide health insurance that includes coverage for contraception. But the bill also provided that religiously-affiliated institutions—such as religious universities and other large employers—who hire outside the faith, would be required to provide contraception to their employees through their health care plans. It was not that the religious organizations were being asked to distribute the contraception, or to encourage women to take it. Rather, women would be able to obtain the contraception as part of the health care coverage, and the decision whether to obtain it would be left to each woman and her doctor. The organizations remained free to speak out early and often against contraception. Nothing could stop them from having a tickertape lining their campuses and hospitals informing their employees that the use of contraception was against the religious beliefs of their employers.
However, some of the institutions in that second category—religiously-affiliated institutions that were not religious organizations—made clear that they did not want to pay even indirectly for a product of which they disapproved. Thus, they began to claim—doubtless taking a page from their lobbyists' playbooks— that their "religious liberty" was being infringed. (In fact, their constitutional and statutory arguments to that effect are exceedingly weak.)
So the Administration proposed a new accommodation for the religiously-affiliated institutions. The insurance companies would now provide the contraception free of charge to the institutions' employees—thereby protecting the institutions from having to pay for the contraception themselves. Still, the religious organizations that oppose contraception again declared that their religious freedom was at risk.
At this point, the organizations' constitutional and statutory arguments were nil, but that did not stop them from nevertheless declaring that their "liberty" was at risk.
The Contraception-Coverage Hearings Showed Congress Serving Not Its Own Constituents, but Religious Lobbyists Instead
Of course, at a political level, this seems foolish, as the polls routinely show that a large majority of Americans of all faiths use and approve of the use of contraception. Some large religious organizations, though certainly not all, may disapprove, but Americans treat these issues as personal, and the professional they are most likely to consult is a doctor, not a member of the clergy. Thus, politicians might think twice before jumping too high for the clergy who are demanding that their own religious views must be imprinted even on the delivery of health care to those of their institutions' employees who are not members of their religion.
That aside, the hearings were remarkable. Not a single woman was invited. Instead, five men sat there, intoning platitudes about "religious liberty." To them, the hearings were not about women's rights or bodies, or about medical science, and they certainly were not about the religious beliefs of the employees who did not happen to share their employers' faith.
While religious lobbyists can call their burdens whatever they like in the public square, and can demand from legislators whatever will benefit them, legislators owe it to the American public to present a more evenhanded presentation of the issues than these lopsided hearings offered. True accountability demands that our legislators operate in the interest of the larger public good, not just that of the religious lobbyists who believe that no woman ought to receive contraception, even if her own beliefs permit it.
These Hearings Conjured Up Earlier Hearings Where Religious Lobbyists Also Improperly Dominated Lawmaking
Sadly, this is not the first time that Congress has doctored its hearings to favor religious lobbyists, and to leave to the side millions of Americans who have competing views. When Congress enacted the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), it created a law that would affect homeowners' traditional land-use rights to the core. No homeowners were consulted, to put it mildly.
More specifically, RLUIPA made it easier for large religious land developments to impinge on residential neighborhoods, by overriding prior zoning. Since RLUIPA's enactment, one neighborhood after another has learned that its members of Congress never considered the homeowners' interests when RLUIPA dramatically expanded the power of religious land developers.
To their credit, then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York and former Senator Patrick Moynihan wrote letters to Congress, at the time, imploring them not to pass the land- use provisions of RLUIPA. But their concerns were never made a part of the record. Nor were land use planners, other mayors, any member of a city council, or a single solitary expert on land-use planning ever invited to testify during the RLUIPA hearings regarding their respective areas of expertise. Certainly, no neighbors of the latest megachurch or large temple were asked their views.
Instead, Congress permitted religious entities to drum up "studies" purporting to show that they suffered discrimination in the land-use context. In fact, those studies showed little more than that the land-use process can be tedious and expensive—for everyone, secular or religious. Welcome to the world of development.
The result of these skewed hearings was RLUIPA: a federal law that severely interferes with local control over land use, burdens residential neighborhoods unnecessarily, forces taxpayers to cover litigation costs for federal litigation to defend the land-use code they relied upon to buy their homes, and has created a line of judicial decisions under which religious land developers have avoided the land-use laws everyone else must abide by, sometimes with an argument no better than that they were inconvenienced.
In other words, when Congress fails to do its research because it is so busy kowtowing to religious lobbyists, average Americans suffer. RLUIPA's enactment illustrated the point years ago, and now the contraceptive-coverage hearings are illustrating it once again.
Before Congress takes another step in this arena, it would be refreshing to see its Members hold hearings that include Planned Parenthood; women who work for large religious institutions but do not share their faith; and doctors who can document the costs to society of unwanted pregnancies. In other words, the other side should be publicly aired before the Members proceed. The government's role is to serve the larger public good. That is not the same thing as participating in the public mythology of "religious liberty" that is not based in the Constitution and that has been spun by powerful and vociferous religious lobbyists.
Posted in: Constitutional Law, Speech and Religion
Author: Marci A. Hamilton
Professor Marci A. Hamilton is a Professor of Practice in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania; the founder, CEO, and Academic Director of the nonprofit think tank to prevent child abuse and neglect, CHILD USA, and author of God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty and Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children. Her email address is marcih@sas.upenn.edu.
10 responses to "The Lessons We Should Take From the Recent Hearings on President Obama's Contraception-Coverage Compromise, and Other Battles Involving Religious Lobbyists"
Ted Harvatin says:
Requiring self insured Catholic institutions to provide contraceptive coverage is a violation of the First Amendment. That's what should "dominate" any hearing.
Alohasladie says:
Congress has been busily saying that the freedom to espouse one's religion TRUMPS everyone else's freedom NOT TO, for many years.
Contraception is basic to women's health care. This Congress is adamantly asserting that 50 percent of the voting public is 'inappropriate and unqualified' to voice its opinion on the matter – namely, the 50 percent for whom it is a necessity.
In my opinion, any woman who votes to keep these "Representatives" in power, is deliberately sabotaging not only her right to basic health care, but eventually, her very right to vote. These guys are saying that women don't count – and they're saying it LOUD AND CLEAR.
Bluehawk7 says:
I think you need to send this article to every cable outlet political host so they can show the calling Obama's policy an attack on religious liberty is patently false. The Catholic Bishop's Council, a political lobby group, want to impose Catholic beliefs on everyone, when in fact most Catholic women use birth control, and this argument in the Church had opposition for the present law back in 1968 by Cardinals of that time.
Frankie Addiego says:
The Church's stand on contraception has been clear for years, whether or not you agree with them.
1) This isn't about whether birth control should be illegal. It's about whether an organization that doesn't believe in it–whether or not you do–should have to pay for it. If/when they lead a movement to outlaw it, you can appose it all you want, but they have the right not to have to pay for it. If one of their employees–male or female, btw–choses to use it, I really don't think it will kill them to pay for it out of pocket.
2) I'm sorry: I don't see this as a woman's rights issue. Having your employer pay for your a given aspect of your healthcare isn't a "right" it's a privilege. If you're unclear about this, ask people who work two minimum wage jobs or work freelance (in other words, their employers don't cover their health care). Not only that, but the Church disapproves of contraception for all. The Church never said, "oh, well, we'll gladly cover contraception for men when the male birth control pill gets here."
3) The fact that the panel of religious leaders were all men is COMPLETELY irrelevant and the little protest was just a middle finger. What were they expecting, some mother superior saying, "oh, I've been paying for contraception even though I'm celibate–it's for blood-related matters–and it's nearly driven me broke," and does it REALLY change anything?
4) I don't really think anyone should have to include it in their health care plan, but I SUPPOSE that if someone wants to start a big secular business that they can just consider a business license a "waver" to that whole, "well, I don't believe in it, so I shouldn't have to pay for it thing," but for a Church with a long history of opposing contraception, I don't think they should have to; and by the same token, if a woman decides to work for a Catholic University for instance, why can't she just view that as a similar "waver" where if she wants prescription birth control, she'll have to pay for it herself.
5) The 4th Amendment does protect a woman's right to get the birth control pill or shot every month if she so desires. But it does not imply that her employer is obligated to pay for it.
Most likely, if you DECIDE to work for a Catholic organization, you're not going to take advantage of this anyway; but it's the principle of the thing.
Would it really be such an abridgment of the rights of a woman who CHOSES to work for an organization with a long history of opposing contraception; to "force" (or some other loaded word) the insurance company to pay for it themselves, or *gasp* pay for it out of pocket?
John E. Reuter says:
Excellent article. I knew that the brohaha had nothing to do with "religious liberty" but needed clarification. Listening to Atlanta's archbishop on last night's news made me cringe at the simple-mindedness of his ridiculous argument. I now can image to some small degree how Galileo Galilei must have felt. Didn't know about RLUIPA. Thanks for mentioning it.
Angelaokey2005 says:
Thank you very much for breaking down the real issue very concisely!
Carmeldog1 says:
It appears to this lay person that the Contraception-Coverage Hearings were not about women's health issues by use or non use of contraception, but about whether the administration had the right to issue an edict requiring a religious entity to perform or not perform an action that is opposed by their religious beliefs. Whether the contraceptives are provided by the religious entity directly or through an insurance policy the religious entity pays for is rightly the same as contended by the religious entity. If the administration can legally issue such an edict, then there is no limit as to what action or no action the administration can demand a religious entity take. It appears that is the direction the lawmakers and witnesses were attempting to make clear.
Joe Simmons says:
" [The Framers] divided power between the branches…between church and state."
That is an interesting conception of the First Amendment.
"The issue upon which the recent hearings have focused, as many readers
will already know, is whether—under the new federal health care
plan—employees of religiously-affiliated institutions would receive
contraception."
The issue is whether those with religious objections can be compelled to provide contraception coverage. There are many ways that the government could expand availability and financial coverage of contraception. A person is not prevented from "receiving" contraception.
" (In fact, their constitutional and statutory arguments to that effect are exceedingly weak.)"
I'm glad you cut to the heart of the debate via declarative parenthetical. In the very recent case of Stormans v. Selecky, a federal judge held that pharmacists with religious objections cannot be forced to provide Plan B. The pharmacists were neither paying for nor proscribing the drug, but the judge held they still could not be forced to hand it over. Is it nevertheless "exceedingly weak" to argue that a religious objector can be forced to provide payment for Plan B? What makes it more difficult to "receive" contraception – that your employer doesn't pay for it or that your pharmacy doesn't carry it? There are notable differences between the regulation at issue in Stormans and the instant federal regulation, but that case (and the law it cites) should give one pause before declaring an argument "exceedingly weak."
Your suggestion that those who complain of infringement of religious liberty are being insincere and that the complaints are generated by "lobbyists" (only then to go on to insist that the real problem is that the 'right' lobbyists didn't have more of a voice in a hearing about a regulation already promulgated, thanks to the 'right' kinds of lobbyists) undercuts your argument that you want a full and fair hearing.
There are substantive legal arguments to be made. Can the government force a someone to provide something for free? That is the pretense of the "compromise." Can the government force someone to purchase something that violate their religious beliefs? No matter what any "lobbyist" says, these are serious issues.
i hate obamana always have aways will
Edward Markovich says:
"Vox pouli, vox dei," as the Romans used to put it.
The Roadmap for Pregnant Girls and Women to Assert Their Religious Liberty to Invalidate Abortion Bans
The Supreme Court Further Dismantles the Establishment Clause, Empowers Religious Parents to Obtain Taxpayer Funds for Sectarian Schools, and Ignores the Rights of the Children in Carson v. Makin
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Formula Comes Full Circle in Florida
Wake Up Good People: Overruling Roe v. Wade Is Just One of the Three Fronts in the Religious War Against America
Why We Still Like Separation of Church and State
Texas's Extreme Abortion Law Threatens Girls' Lives
Publications by Marci A. Hamilton
Justice Denied What America Must Do to Protect Its Children
by Marci A. Hamilton
God vs. the Gavel The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty
Fundamentalism, Politics, and the Law
by Marci A. Hamilton and Mark J. Rozell


The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has signed a long-term agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that will help the agency create early detection methods for medicines that have performance-enhancing potential in sport.
The historic partnership, which was officially ratified in London on June 21, will see GSK supply WADA with confidential information about medicines in early stage development that could be abused by athletes once they are licensed for appropriate patient use.
It covers all new medicines being developed by GSK and builds on the company's role as the Official Laboratory Services provider for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
All medicines are researched and produced to deliver health benefits for patients, and GSK's research efforts are targeted specifically at conditions where the patient need for new medicines is greatest. However, there is always the potential for the illegitimate use of medicines by a minority of athletes seeking advantage in sport.
Under the new agreement, medicines in development will be reviewed by GSK scientists specifically to identify substances with a probable or high risk of abuse in sport.
These scientists will look for any similarity to the pharmacological characteristics of existing performance-enhancing substances and assess how they work in the human body. This would include stimulatory effects or improved physical endurance.
Any new medicines found to have performance-enhancing characteristics will be highlighted to WADA and confidential scientific data relating to them will be transferred by GSK so they can begin work on detection methods.
GSK has worked with WADA to establish a formal scientific review process within its Research and Development teams to help identify as early as possible drugs with potential for sports-related abuse. This includes regular reviews at key research milestones.
Efforts to formalize sensitive information sharing with WADA have been underway across the pharmaceutical industry since the IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) signed a joint declaration with WADA in July 2010.


Franz Schubert's "Winterreise" exploded and mayhemed. Gute Nacht.
We have performed this show 106 times.
"An event so remarkably individual that it seems to demand a myth to explain its origins. Imagine, say, that Spike Jones and the great German Lieder singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau met at a fraternity beer blast, fell in love, and magically conceived three male children, all musically gifted. Reared by a post-Freudian musicologist in a Lower East Side thrift shop, one day the boys stumbled on a volume of Franz Schubert's songs, played through them while sending out for pizza, and the rest is history. In other words, I can't explain Three Pianos even by mythmaking. It's as improbable as it is delightful, a loose-jointed, totally off-the-cuff, booze-and-music party—the audience gets to share the booze—in which every casual moment seems both astutely chosen and precisely executed. Its three perpetrators, Rick Burkhardt, Alec Duffy, and Dave Malloy, are all inventive, resourceful theater musicians, each with a distinctive stage presence, though you couldn't strictly call them actors or singers per se. Malloy, a born clown, has the strongest voice and most forceful piano style; Burkhardt's special gift is the quality, essential for Schubert, that Germans untranslatably call Innigkeit (literally, "inner-ness"). Duffy, with his actorish good looks and flamboyant style, is the troupe's most incisive performer and resident wit...The knowledge and commitment they display keep you going with them no matter what outrages they commit; at the end, Schubert and the Winterreise emerge untattered, even enhanced by the show's festive mix of rowdiness and reverence...instead of trying, condescendingly, to make classical music fun, Three Pianos makes fun classical music."
"One revelation of this wacky assault on Franz Schubert's "Winterreise" is that the upright piano is a much more versatile piece of furniture than most of us realize. In the course of the show the three pianos onstage travel farther than your old Baldwin has probably moved in its entire life, and they are shown to make excellent ventriloquist dummies, coffins, penalty boxes (for this you need three, arranged in a triangle) and literal piano bars, drinks and cocktail peanuts slung across the tops. Mr. Burkhardt, Mr. Duffy and Mr. Malloy, all fine pianists, are determined to put the fun back into melancholy...enlivening through deconstruction. Describing exactly what transpires onstage is difficult, made more so by the fact that by the show's end you may have consumed a fair amount of wine... he three men slickly hide some substance amid the humor...by the end of this nutty show you may want to go out and buy two more pianos to keep your idle one company."
"When the rambunctious Three Pianos barreled its way onto the Incubator stage this past February, nothing could have been more effective in fighting off winter's chill. Warmhearted and expansive, player-performers Rick Burkhardt, Alec Duffy and Dave Malloy sang their own irreverent version of Franz Schubert's Winterreise, plied us with booze and reflected (at the top of their lungs) on music's power to heal heartache. Now that cold winds are blowing again, the three madmen return bearing their nonsense and mirth, not to mention many, many bottles of red wine...its endearing erudition still makes an audience feel physically embraced. Director Rachel Chavkin lets the evening follow the rush-and-dawdle patterns of a real debauch; it feels like a long, woozy night, full of lulls and gleeful reaccelerations... Considering the collaborators' avant-garde bona fides, one would expect a little ironic distance. Instead there's only a comforting sense of proximity—to our hosts, to the neighbor pouring our drink and to Schubert's suddenly accessible and still ravishing music."
"5 Stars....In the boisterous, offhandedly virtuosic Three Pianos, writer-performers Alec Duffy, Dave Malloy and Rick Burkhardt lasso Schubert's sacred cow and serve it up as barbecue. The trio is a real-life music-theater supergroup...they also get the audience drunk, circle their instruments like panicked wagon pioneers, toast one another with bourbon they find in their benches and roar with laughter...Full-blooded and full-bodied, Three Pianos lifts its glass to music, to Schubert and to the type of friendship that can make you laugh off heartbreak. It's also a superb evening. Cheers."
"An evening based on Schubert's "Winterreise" seems an unlikely antidepressant. But Rick Burkhardt, Alec Duffy and Dave Malloy give this gloomy song cycle an amusing theatrical makeover in Three Pianos ...in the scrappy and surreal piece, the 24-part song cycle unfolds amid cleverly constructed mayhem, with Mr. Duffy, Mr. Malloy and Mr. Burkhardt metamorphosing among characters and centuries. Scenes shift with dizzying speed…they leap among pianos and pound out the songs with irreverent twists…Like the drama, the pianos are never static — energetically pushed and pulled around the set as giant props. Liquor was plentiful on set and off; bottles of wine and cups were distributed among the audience, which seemed thoroughly entertained by the trio's goofy and touching musings about love, life and art."
"The best antidote to winter's bitter dregs...Warms spectators at the hearth of musical enthusiasm… Like being cozily tucked away with a clutch of nerdy music-loving friends, Three Pianos transforms Winterreise's spectral solitudes into a parable of artistic community."
"Smart, funny, thoughtful and even educational. Deftly directed by Rachel Chavkin of The TEAM, Three Pianos is performed with skillful musicianship and engaging acting. As they move the pianos around the stage in various configurations you'll be amazed that they keep performing this complicated and beautiful music without missing a beat. Literally. It is an ambitious task to embark on creating a contemporary re-setting of classical music that is accessible and theatrical, yet the Three Pianos team has managed to do it...a real gem of a piece, definitely not your run-of-the-mill experimental downtown mishmosh but a well-planned, carefully constructed, precise (but still endearingly messy), composition from three very talented artists."


ESPN has been getting ethered for trying to silence SportsCenter co-host Jemele Hill after she called President Trump a "white supremacist."
But we'd like to tell "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" that Jemele has been woke AF out here ... and that's why we love her. Dig a simple month back into her Twitter timeline to notice that Hill has boldly spoken her piece on numerous social-conscious issues, never shying away.
Yet, ESPN chose this time — when she slammed Trump — to reprimand her? Wow ... OK.
Just in case you were unfamiliar, it's time to get familiar with Jemele Hill and several instances when she has stood up and that something that needed to be said. Salute, Jemele! We stand with you.
So, ESPN is drawing a line with Hill firing shots at Trump? Wow. Just ... wow.
Levity sometimes helps us keep our sanity in times like these.
Cmon @jemelehill you gotta get on your bosses for that auction bit.
We told you that she's been woke out AF here.
We couldn't find a "single you-know-what to give" either.
Congratulations, sir. You earned this.
Jemele's not one to try.
So obviously you missed the numerous vets who say they supported Kaepernick? Does their opinion not count?
Also, I'd love for someone to tell me what the "right way" to protest is? Protests are, by design, uncomfortable. That's the point.
That makes Kaep's support for Hill all the more dope in our eyes.
She's undefeated out here, we swear.
Damn, we miss President Obama and former FLOTUS Michelle Obama. Love and respect to Jemele Hill.


A few years back I was standing at a bus stop in London feeling like I was missing out on the Thanksgiving spirit. I was leaving work and knew around the same time my family was starting to get together to enjoy Thanksgiving. And then I had the most brilliant idea…my own dinner party! I scrambled for my phone and dialed my friend Paddy's number. I asked him if he wanted to make a Thanksgiving dinner with me and invite a few common friends over. He then turned as excited as me and we chatted about the menu the rest of my bus ride home. That weekend we drove to 3 different grocery stores to find the right ingredients to make the traditional dinner. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner in the end even though most of the food was served cold! So with only a few more days until Thanksgiving, it's time for Pecan Pie! This year surprise your guests with this deliciously sweet raw version made with a Candied Pecan Crust and a creamy Citrus Pecan filling. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Process the pecans until a course meal forms, then add the rest of the ingredients. Wipe a pie pan with coconut oil and press the pecan dough into the pan to form the crust.
Blend all the ingredients until completely smooth. Empty into a bowl and fold in the flax. Pour into the prepared pie crust and smooth over. Decorate with additional pecans and the leaves from the clementines/ tangerines.
This entry was posted on November 21, 2010 by Olive. It was filed under Raw Food .
Perfect recipe. Love Pecan Pie and love not using a pound of butter even more! We should submit to Paula Deen and see if she can stomach – hey ya'll!
Yummm…pecan pie can be so sweet, but this looks delicious and not so much sugar….I want to try it!
Your desserts are ridiculous! They all look amazing! Can't wait to try out some recipes!!! Great blog!!


Just when you thought it was time to throw out your favorite tube socks from your high school soccer days, think again. Sportswear is in! And if you're wondering how slouchy tracksuits, sports knits, and shin-protecting soccer socks could possibly be high-fashion, Prada's resort 2018 collection has got you covered!
Juxtaposing sporty shapes and materials with ultra-feminine accents, such as crystal beading, maribou feathers, and pink and peachy shades, cutting-edge fashion designer Miuccia Prada's latest collection — shown this weekend in Milan — is what we imagine would be brought into being if Sporty Spice and Posh Spice had a fashion baby.
…and plumed mini-skirts matched with sneakers that can take you from runway to running full-out in no time flat!
Also. This tracksuit with feathered headband and black leather handbag? Perfection.
But the collection's most winning look is this chic, athletic sock-inspired footwear and high heel combo!
When asked about the inspiration behind the collection, Prada told Women's Wear Daily the goal was to achieve elegance through sports and visa versa.
"I love transparency at the moment. Sometimes I work with something I don't like but this actually, I like. I don't know why, [because] it's a naked body but it's also [delicate], and underlined by sports. Both are an obsession for the body, both are interested in the body," said Prada.
Looks like for Team Prada, 2018 shaping up to be a great season!


It's perfectly natural, and even a good thing to feel slightly nervous before taking your driving test – as it shows you understand the responsibility that comes with being a licensed driver. But feeling overly anxious can be detrimental to your peace of mind and driving ability – in which case it's important to take the time to get your nerves under control.
There are a few traditional methods of coping with anxiety you can try. Breathing exercises are one of the easiest tried-and-tested ways to calm yourself down, as when we're feeling stressed, we naturally start to take short shallow breaths – which is the opposite of what we should be doing. By forcing yourself to take slow, deep breaths – in through your nose and out through your mouth, you can force your body's relaxation response to kick in. Cutting out caffeinated drinks can also help you decrease anxiety, as can taking herbal remedies or using positive affirmations to increase your confidence behind the wheel.
When you've got your test looming, remember that your driving instructor wouldn't be putting you forward for it unless they were confident that you are capable of passing. Ensuring you've got the correct documentation ready, have taken the time to go over any manoeuvres you were struggling with and have revised for your under-the-bonnet questions will help you begin your test feeling confident and in control.
If you've got a good relationship with your driving instructor, you may find it reassuring to have them sit in the back of the car during your test. Or alternatively, you may feel less pressure having fewer people in the vehicle with you. Either way the decision is yours – so go with what you're most comfortable with.
Before heading off on the day of your test – consider taking some provisions with you. A vitamin B rich snack will increase your energy levels and boost your brain function. Taking a bottle of water can also keep you feeling as comfortable and hydrated as possible.
If you know you're likely to feel stressed on the day of your test – consider not telling many people in advance. This takes away the pressure of having a lot of people ask about it afterwards, which allows you to relax more on the big day.
Our audio CD Test Angel was created to help you deal with both the psychological and physical symptoms of stress and anxiety that you may experience when driving, and in particular in the lead up to your driving test. Test Angel gives learner drivers the right mental attitude required to pass their test, and provides coping mechanisms to keep the overwhelming panic at bay. The mindset taught is also valuable in setting you up for success in your future endeavours.


These stones are a favorite among diamond buyers because they are slightly larger than 1 carat stones yet still affordable.
The value of a diamond is determined by the quality grade of each of the 4Cs: clarity, cut, color and carat. As opposed to what many people think, carat is a unit of weight and not size. In fact, the word carat is derived from the Carob seed that was used centuries ago. It was the standard for weighing precious stones, due to its uniform weight. One carat weighs 200 milligrams, or 0.007 ounces. However, carat can indicate the approximate size of the diamond.
Diamond Pricing: Found more often, yet still rare.
Weighing 400 milligrams, a Round Brilliant Cut has a diameter of 8.2mm. The prices for a 2 carat diamond range between $5,060 and $48,400 per carat. Compared to other diamonds, 2 carat stones are found more often, yet they are still rare: 1 in 1 million diamonds are quality 1 carat stones, and only 1 in 15 million stones are 2 carats. Their size makes them ideal for a sparkling set of earrings.
What are the wholesale prices of a 2 carat?
To calculate the average wholesale price for the diamond you want, the price per carat must be multiplied by the number of carats; which in this case means multiplied by 2.
It is also a good start to estimate the price for any jewelry, like for a 2 carat diamond engagement ring for example. Please note that for any diamond earrings you will have at least to multiply the price by 2 as you are looking for a pair of diamonds. When you go for the classic diamond stud earrings price of the jewelry is basically the price of the diamonds.
For a 2 carat diamond round VVS1 D Color, the total diamond price would be 2 x $39,050 = $78,100. For a 2.5 carat diamond ring project you could for example select a 2.5 carat diamond round VVS1 F Color, the total diamond price would be 2.5 x $28,600 = $71,500 + ring's cost.
Within minutes, our team will search the world's largest inventory of wholesale diamonds to find the best deal for the stone you want. Your diamond expert will contact you to discuss further details and answers any questions you may still have.
Pick your perfect diamond and make your own jewelry, from diamond rings to earrings . When you have found the perfect diamond, you will able to create your own 2 carat diamond ring. Picking loose diamonds is only part of the process when creating unique diamond rings. Once you have an idea of which diamond would be perfect for you, you will be able to select the type of jewelry you would like to create. Our in-house jewelers have many years of experience and are ready to craft any type of jewelry whether you are looking for a princess cut engagement ring, the retro-modern cushion cut engagement rings, yellow gold wedding rings or any other type of diamond jewelry. Using the latest cutting edge technology and delicate techniques for intricate diamond rings designs, our in-house jewelers will craft any type of wedding rings, engagement rings, earrings, diamond pendants, bracelets or other jewelry. Picking your own loose diamonds and ring design, is truly the height of a bespoke 2 carat diamond ring. And with a wide variety of loose diamonds, ring settings, design choices, precious metal types, fancy color diamonds and diamond shapes, the possibilities with The Diamond Registry are limitless. Look also for a 3 carat diamond ring or a 4 carat diamond ring in your budget and choose what fits best to you needs.
While a 2 carat diamond is only slightly larger than a 1 carat diamond this carat weight is the second most popular choice as center diamond for diamond rings. The reason is that the slightly larger appearance looks amazing while not getting in the way when you're wearing the diamond ring daily.
Jewelry specialists share that besides diamond rings the 2 carat diamond weight is also very popular and the ideal size for earrings. What kind of diamond ring or earrings suit you is totally up to your taste but if you are not completely sure we have here some inspiration to help you define your ideal 2 carat diamond jewelry.
The most popular diamond ring for a 2 carat diamond is the solitaire ring. This classic diamond ring setting for engagement rings maintains its popularity as the viewer's eye will be drawn to the center stone, the place you want the eye to go without getting distracted. Placing a 2 carat diamond in a solitaire setting, the natural diamond stands alone and is free from distraction showing its full beauty. The simplicity of the setting proves to be timeless as its one of the most popular choices.
So, if you are looking for a timeless ring that sends a message of power and simplicity, a solitaire engagement ring will certainly do.
TIP: the slimmer the band of your ring, no matter if its 14k white gold or 18k white gold, the slimmer the band the more the center stone stands out and appears larger.
The timeless setting of the solitaire ring has maximum visibility due to the diamond's prongs. The prong is the little metal pieces that hold the diamond in place. The prong is (usually) found on the corners of the diamond, as those places are the strongest points to hold the diamond. Prongs are also the holders to let the light pass through the diamond to maximize the natural shimmer of the center stone.
The four-cornered prongs are the standard setting and allow more light exposure. While the four prong setting is most standard you can have the four prong in a less standard way by having it placed diagonally. Normally for smaller carat stones like a 2 carat diamond, having more prongs is not recommended. Six or eight will make the diamond appear smaller.
The larger the diamond the more likely people go for a six prong setting to hold the diamond in a more secure way. However, the chance of you losing the diamond is very rare if the ring is set well. But since the four prong setting, new ways to hold the diamond in place have been designed such as the double prong.
A 2 carat diamond solitaire diamond ring looks like a simple setting with which you can only play with metal, insertion of pave diamonds and prong count. However, nowadays you have a wide variety of prongs to choose from.
Want to personalize your own 2 carat diamond ring?
When you have found the perfect diamond, you will be able to create your own 2 carat diamond ring. Whether you want to go for white gold solitaire with trellis six prongs or rather a yellow gold three stone setting, everything is possible. Our in-house jewelers can help you visualize your dream 2 carat engagement ring to bring it to life.
Feel free to ask for advice for ring design or the actual 2 carat loose diamond via our inquiry form.
*Look also for a 3 carat diamond ring or a 4 carat diamond ring in your budget and choose what fits best to your needs.


text:
What was the original name of atlanta?
Altlanta's original name was Marthasville.
Ehls, Jürgen
What was the original name of africa?
What was the original name of vaseline?
History • 13 Answers
What was the original name of boston?
What was the original name of the pilgrims?
What was the titanic's original name?
What was africa's original name?
What was stalingrad's original name?
What was hawaii's original name?
What was russia's original name?
What was boston original name?
What was boston's original name?
What was the original name of the republican party?
What was the original name of war and peace?
What was the atlanta bombing?
What was malcolm x's original last name?
What was the original name of john f. kennedy international airport?
What was the original pledge of allegiance?
What was the original purpose of tiktok?
When was the atlanta bombing?
What was the original name for world war one?
Who was the first black mayor of atlanta?
Was richard jewell guilty of the atlanta bombing?
What was the original color of the pyramids of giza?
What was the original color of the pyramids of gaza?
What was the original mission of the secret service?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Entity Framework - Navigation Properties Not Saving I'm having huge difficulties getting my navigation properties to work in EF Code First. As an abstracted example, I have:
public class Parent{
    public int ParentID {get; set;}
    public virtual List<NamedChild> Children {get; set;}
    public Parent(){}
    public void Init(int ParentID, List<UnnamedChild> Children){
        this.ParentID = ParentID;
        this.Children = Children.ConvertAll(x => new NamedChild(x, ""));
    }
}

public class NamedChild{
    public int ChildID {get; set;}
    public string Name {get; set;}
    public NamedChild(UnnamedChild c, string Name){
        this.ChildID = c.ChildID;
        this.Name = Name;
    }
}

public class UnnamedChild{
    public int ChildID {get; set;}
    public UnnamedChild(int ChildID){
        this.ChildID = ChildID;
    }
}

and then later...
List<UnnamedChild> children = GetChildrenFromSomewhere();
Parent p = db.Parents.Create();
p.Init(1, children);
db.Parents.Add(p);
db.SaveChanges();

Now if I'm debugging I can look into the current DbSet and it shows that there is 1 Parent, and its "Children" property is set to a List of 2 NamedChild. This is good, this is what it should be. However, if I stop the program and re-run it, when I look in the DbSet there is still 1 Parent, but its "Children" property has been set to null.
In summary, immediately after saving it the values are right, but as soon as I re-load the DB Context those values are missing (nulls). I am running the most recent EF with LazyLoading enabled.
It should be noted that if I use .Include(), it will populate those null values with the proper NamedChild list, but I need this to work with LazyLoading.

A: Although I don't think it should technically matter, I've noticed that EF seems to prefer ICollections to other list/array types. Try:
public virtual ICollection<NamedChild> Children {get; set;}

Also, I'm a little confused about what you're trying to achieve with your custom constructors. It seems that all you're doing is initializing the properties on the instance. If that's the case, a custom constructor is not needed. Just use the class initialization syntax:
x => new NamedChild { ChildId = x.ChildId, Name = "" }

A: I think EF is probably unable to create a proxy for NamedChild objects, and can't perform any lazy loading as a result.
One of the requirements for creating a proxy class is that your POCO must have a public/protected constructor without parameters.
This may solve your problem:
public class NamedChild
{
    public int ChildID {get; set;}
    public string Name {get; set;}

    protected NamedChild() {}

    public NamedChild(UnnamedChild c, string Name)
    {
        this.ChildID = c.ChildID;
        this.Name = Name;
    }
}

I believe you already meet all the other requirements for lazy loading proxies.
Full Requirements here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/dd468057%28v=vs.100%29.aspx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


On 23 November 2016, SEATCA together with the University of Public Health (UPH), Yangon held a capacity building workshop to develop a monitoring system to assess if the current national law on banning TAPS is effective. Participants in the workshop agreed to call the system MAC which stands for Monitor-Alert-Counteraction.
Dr. Than Sein, President of People's Health Foundation and Prof. Dr. Nay Soe Maung, Rector of the University of Public Health opened the workshop and welcomed the participants.
Ms. Bungon Ritthiphakdee, SEATCA's Executive Director stressed the importance of placing a monitoring system to assess if the existing law in Myanmar on banning TAPS is effective. Collaboration with partners particularly civil societies and universities to strengthen tobacco control in Myanmar is also key, she added.
The workshop was participated by faculty members and students from 12 medical and allied universities coming from different states and region such as Yangon, Mandalay, Magwe, and Shan. Representatives from Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) were also present.
The workshop ended with the formation of a local network called "MNet for TAPS ban". Tobacco industry tactics in violating the law, ways to monitor and expose the violations, the system to monitor and feasible monitoring mechanisms were also discussed.


Growing natives requires patience. I would say moreso than gardening with exotics. This is because of the naysayers as well as personal inexperience with natives. I fluctuate between resolve and doubt when I go out and look at the rain garden, often in the same sitting. One minute, I see great potential and growth. The next, it's just a bare dirt ditch with weeds.
Well, I just read some good advice to keep going: "Most perennial prairie flowers and grasses will not begin to flower until their third or fourth full growing season. Patience is a virtue when establishing a prairie!... Although your seeding may appear to be a bit of a weed patch in the first year or two, by the third year numerous flowers and grasses should begin blooming.... Perennial prairie plants devote most of their efforts in the first few years to developing their famous root systems. They will not be readily apparent in the first year, with little visible above-ground growth.... The deep roots of the prairie flowers and grasses give them long-term staying power that allows them to squeeze out annual and biennial weeds, and to return year after year for decades."
I'm not exactly going for a prairie in the backyard (maybe), but I'd say this holds for rain gardens, too. "Just wait for next year," I tell people. And myself.


text:
Richmond Pharmacology opens new London research facility
Early-phase contract research organisation Richmond Pharmacology has opened its new research facility in London Bridge, at the site formerly known as the Guy's Drug Research Unit.
The organisation state that the new facility will provide a central London base in which further research, utilising enhanced capabilities in delivering early-phase clinical trials, can be conducted. Richmond Pharmacology has already conducted over 300 studies in London since its establishment in 2001.
Dr Jorg Taubel, CEO of Richmond Pharmacology said: "The opening of our new research facility, at what was formerly known as the Guy's Drug Research Unit, is an exciting addition to our research capability, and will help us to provide the best possible support for our clients in their drive to increase the effectiveness and cost efficiency of developing new drugs and taking them to market.The new facility will enable Richmond to apply the most up to date research techniques for ground-breaking research projects and crucially, at scale – something we think will be highly attractive to our clients in the UK and around the world."
Sarah Haywood, chief executive officer of the London collaborative life science effort, Med City UK, said: "Clinical trials are an essential part of the process to bring new healthcare products to patients. London and the UK offers an ideal location for clinical studies. London with 8.3 million NHS patients, a third of which were born overseas, provides an excellent platform for clinical research organisations like Richmond Pharmacology."
clinical trialsfacilitymedical researchRichmond Pharmacology
Brilique (ticagrelor) new formulation gains European approval
Intuitive Surgical gets CE mark for robot-assisted device
Gene Therapy Lets a French Teen Dodge Sickle Cell Disease
Which is the capital city of Ireland?


What really disgusts me about public figures and pols like Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin getting all righteous (and possessive) about the welfare of the troops because they have sons at war is their platitudes and admonishments are pathetically partisan, empty, and devoid of any authentic will for improving conditions in-theater. And for years, we've been spoon-fed this "maverick" gruel, when I have yet to see John McCain, the supposed "military candidate," get his hands soiled addressing the war's dirtiest little secret: that the military, by privatizing nearly every aspect of this war and blatantly ignoring basic guidelines of public health and environmental safety, have put our soldiers' lives and long-term health very much at risk.
We've heard about contaminated water at the bases, we've heard about poorly rigged showers electrocuting soldiers, now we hear that they've been burning amputated limbs, Styrofoam, unexploded munitions, rubber, medical waste and other toxins in open air pits at Base Balad and other military installations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
An open-air "burn pit" at the largest U.S. base in Iraq may have exposed tens of thousands of troops, contractors and Iraqis to cancer-causing dioxins, poisons such as arsenic and carbon monoxide, and hazardous medical waste, documentation gathered by Military Times shows.
And even though the military now has three clean-burning incinerators operating there, officials acknowledged that as of midsummer, the burn pit still was taking in 147 tons of waste per day — significantly more than half the daily output at Balad, home to about 25,000 U.S. military personnel and several thousand contractors.
The burn pit at Balad has consumed Styrofoam, unexploded ordnance, petroleum products, plastics, rubber, dining facility trash, paint and solvents, and medical waste, including amputated limbs, according to Curtis' memo.
"It is amazing that the burn pit has been able to operate without restrictions over the past few years," Curtis wrote.
It wasn't so long ago that the Pentagon was forced to admit — five years after the end of the first Persian Gulf War, and amid controversial claims of "Gulf War Illness," the chronic symptoms and origins of which are still being debated (while veterans of that war continue to be very much sick) — that it may have exposed tens of thousands to nerve gas during the destruction of the Kamisiyah weapons depot in 1991. Meanwhile, multiple studies have found that widespread exposure to chemicals, pesticides and even the innoculations and pills issued by the U.S military could have led to varying ailments among Gulf War vets. Now, frustrated sources inside the military tell me there is still institutional resistance to acknowledging the very real — and potentially massive — consequences of environmental exposures in this war.
John McCain has been in Washington for 26 years. To say in that time, "the maverick" couldn't have challenged the Pentagon and made the safety of the troops fighting his wars a staple of his career is unreconcilable to me. If Barack Obama indeed wins this election, it is up to us, as responsible citizens and human beings, to insist he — and congress — address this issue with the commitment it deserves, for not just the current generation of veterans, but for any more, God forbid, to come.


A small amount of bleeding is to be expected following the operation. If bleeding occurs, place a gauze pad directly over the bleeding socket and apply biting pressure for one hour. If bleeding continues, a moist BLACK tea bag can be used for one hour-bite firmly on it. If bleeding occurs, avoid hot liquids, exercise, and elevate the head. If bleeding persists, call our office immediately. Do not remove immediate denture unless the bleeding is severe. Expect some oozing around the side of the denture.
Use ice packs (externally) on the same side of the face as the operated area. Apply ice 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off for the first 36 hours only.
For mild discomfort use Tylenol or any similar medication; two tablets every 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) 200mg can be taken 2-3 tablets every 3-4 hours.


text:
Lost Creek receives grant for new tech
Originally published Sept. 14, 2021 by The Columbus Telegram.
By Andrew Kiser
Incoming technology at Lost Creek Elementary School is targeted toward helping students maintain their fitness as they get older, said health and fitness teacher Jonathan Tomasevicz.
Recently, Lost Creek was awarded a $3,145 grant from the American Heart Association to buy heart rate monitor wristbands to be used in physical education classes.
Lost Creek Elementary School health and fitness teacher Jonathan Tomasevicz poses for a photo. Tomasevicz and Lost Creek were recently reward an American Heart Association grant for to purchase heart rate monitor wrist bands.
"We just want them to be a healthy adult," Tomasevicz said. "I think that's the goal for any PE teacher. It's to make sure our students are being healthy outside of school."
The new technology will teach kids about science and fitness, regarding their heartbeat while participating in physical activity, Tomasevicz said.
Columbus Public Schools Foundation Executive Director Nicole Anderson – who helped with the grant process - said the wristbands are an effort to bring 1-on-1 technology to physical education classes. The students already have iPads for class, she added.
"I think it's a great idea," Anderson said of the wristbands. "How do you bring tech to PE? That's a great way to continue the movement and get data."
Anderson said the grant helped Lost Creek to receive the heart rate monitor wristbands more quickly.
"Now, we're able to reach this goal and implement this in Lost Creek," she said.
The wristbands have been a long time in the making for Tomasevicz. Before the grant, he also raised money through track and field day T-shirt sales for about the past four years.
Tomasevicz said he raised around $2,000 from the sales; however, half went to track and field days while the other went into the heart rate monitor wristbands.
Anderson commended Tomasevicz's innovation, saying the Lost Creek educator had a "clear vision" that would fit within CPS' curriculum for physical education.
"I think any time we can find things that will elevate what we're already doing is a great opportunity that we need to work for and look for every day," Anderson said.
Tomasevicz said he initially heard about the wristbands while looking through online physical education forums.
"I saw what it did for the PE classroom," he said. "I thought that was really neat and fun to have in our classroom. So I then started trying to find funding for it."
Tomasevicz said heart rate monitors are becoming more common as many people now have a smartwatch such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch that does that task. Additionally, stationary bikes and treadmills can also monitor the user's heart rate, he added.
"Learning about your heart and what zones you should be in, that's a life skill," Tomasevicz said.
Tomasevicz said there isn't a timetable set on when the heart rate monitor wristbands will be delivered as the American Heart Association grant hasn't arrived. But eventually, the school will have 30 different bands for students, he added.
"That's more than enough for a class," Tomasevicz said.
Boost Your Student Wellness Program with the IHT ZONE heart rate monitor:
After years of effort, American Heart Association grant helps teacher purchase heart rate monitors.
Andrew Kiser
The Columbus Telegram
IHT Spirit2021-09-15T15:01:39-05:00September 15th, 2021|Shared Content|


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text:
set -u

current_dir=`dirname "$0"`
root_dir=`cd "${current_dir}/.."; pwd`

. ${root_dir}/bin/functions/color.sh

for benchmark in `cat $root_dir/conf/benchmarks.lst`; do
    if [[ $benchmark == \#* ]]; then
        continue
    fi

    echo -e "${UYellow}${BYellow}Prepare ${Yellow}${UYellow}${benchmark} ${BYellow}...${Color_Off}"
    benchmark="${benchmark/.//}"

    WORKLOAD=$root_dir/bin/workloads/${benchmark}
    echo -e "${BCyan}Exec script: ${Cyan}${WORKLOAD}/prepare/prepare.sh${Color_Off}"
    "${WORKLOAD}/prepare/prepare.sh"

    if [ $? -ne 0 ]
    then
	echo "ERROR: ${benchmark} prepare failed!"
        continue
    fi

    for framework in `cat $root_dir/conf/frameworks.lst`; do
	if [[ $framework == \#* ]]; then
	    continue
	fi

	if [ $benchmark == "micro/dfsioe" ] && [ $framework == "spark" ]; then
	    continue
	fi
	if [ $benchmark == "websearch/nutchindexing" ] && [ $framework == "spark" ]; then
	    continue
	fi
	if [ $benchmark == "graph/nweight" ] && [ $framework == "hadoop" ]; then
	    continue
	fi

	echo -e "${UYellow}${BYellow}Run ${Yellow}${UYellow}${benchmark}/${framework}${Color_Off}"
	echo -e "${BCyan}Exec script: ${Cyan}$WORKLOAD/${framework}/run.sh${Color_Off}"
	$WORKLOAD/${framework}/run.sh

	result=$?
	if [ $result -ne 0 ]
	then
	    echo -e "${On_IRed}ERROR: ${benchmark}/${framework} failed to run successfully.${Color_Off}"
            exit $result
	fi
    done
done

echo "Run all done!"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
BOXER, FEINSTEIN: DIFFERENT ROUTES IN BACKING ISRAEL
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014, OR THEREAFTER
Few things in a rather absurd world are more deserving of ridicule than the United Nations Human Rights Council, a 47-nation group that includes some of the world's leading human rights violators, from China and Cuba to Kuwait, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, to take just a few in alphabetical order.
Thus it was completely appropriate when Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer recruited a bipartisan group of 35 fellow senators to sign a letter to the U.N. secretary general protesting the Human Rights Council's announced investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel during its latest campaign in Gaza.
It was equally unsurprising the U.N. group would single out Israel, as it often has. What else would you expect from an outfit that includes China and Saudi Arabia, among the leading suppliers and financiers of Hamas, designated a terrorist group by all recent American presidents even as it rules the 25-by-seven mile Gaza Strip?
The surprise was the absence of California's other Democratic senator, Dianne Feinstein, from the signers of the Boxer letter.
Every senator had a chance to sign this letter, and it was inked by some of the most liberal, like Boxer and Maryland's Barbara Mikulski, as well as some of the most conservative, like Utah's Mike Lee and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
But the Senate's top brass, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky did not sign. Maybe Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, didn't want to break with Reid. Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez of New Jersey also did not sign.
Feinstein's non-explanation: "I strongly supported passage of (a resolution) which condemned the U.N. Human Rights Council vote...which made no mention of Hamas' indiscriminate rocket attacks and policy of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. I believe support for this resolution is the correct course of action in this case." The resolution, passed three days before the Boxer letter was sent last week.
Feinstein, long a steadfast Israel supporter, did not quarrel with anything in the far more specific Boxer letter, co-written by Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.
The open letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "The fact that there was no call for an investigation into actions by Hamas – including indiscriminate and deliberate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and intentionally putting Palestinians in harm's way – is …wholly unacceptable as it turn(s) a blind eye to Hamas' brazen and depraved use of civilians as human shields (and) the tunnels it has built to cause mayhem in Israel."
The letter also noted that the U.N. group ignored the missiles other U.N. personnel discovered hidden in some of its schools in the Gaza Strip, along with those stored or fired from homes, hospitals and mosques. Nor, the letter said, did the Human Rights Commission mention that Hamas officials have stopped Palestinian civilians at gunpoint when they tried to leave areas Israel warned them to evacuate prior to strikes or artillery fire.
The questionable council also claims most Palestinian dead have been civilians, an allegation based wholly on Hamas reports. One analysis of the fatalities by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting instead shows 57 percent of all war dead have been males aged 17 to 39, which that group says suggests most of the dead have really been combatants.
The Boxer letter also stresses that it's Hamas which has repeatedly broken cease-fires and put Palestinians in danger. It notes the entire campaign started with persistent rocket fire from Gaza that did not stop despite numerous warnings from Israel. "The fact that Israel has effective defenses against the rockets aimed at its citizens is no excuse to overlook Hamas' hostile behavior," Boxer said.
Hamas behavior, of course, has been consistent with its charter, which states that "Israel will exist (only) until Islam will obliterate it" and that "The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight and kill the Jews." Not just Israelis, the charter says, but all Jews.
The behavior of Hamas is no mystery, nor is the bias of the U.N.'s ludicrous Human Rights Commission. The mystery is why Feinstein didn't join in calling both of them out in very specific terms, as did Boxer and dozens of their fellow senators.
Elias is author of the current book "The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government's Campaign to Squelch It," now available in an updated third edition. His email address is tdelias@aol.com
Posted by California Focus at 4:42 PM
Labels: 2014, Aug. 22
SIGNS INDICATE CALIFORNIA RECOVERY WILL LAST
TIME FOR UTILITY EXECS TO START WORRYING
IF NOT SIX CALIFORNIAS," HOW ABOUT ONE, SOVEREIGN CA?
LAST YEAR OF PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSINESS AS USUAL?
TOP TWO CHANGING RUNOFF VOTES, NOT JUST PRIMARIES
TESLA HAS STATE WALKING A TIGHTROPE
CHANGING LOCAL ELECTION DATES: DEMS SEEK MORE DOMI...
OBAMA RISKS ALIENATING LATINOS FROM DEMS
NO GETTING AWAY FROM CORRUPTION IN STATE GOVERNMENT?


« As a humanitarian, it was a very intense experience to meet the people sponsored through AMTM. On the one hand, the site referents (in France) proposed to each of us a plethora of pertinent, inventive and very interesting questions. Their amazing preliminary work has allowed us, once we were on site, to have genuine encounters with the sponsored people.
On the other hand, the follow up files on each person, created year after year, are very interesting. They allow for more accurate fine tuning of our questions, and in this way guarantee the sponsors a real life history of the people they sponsor.
In this way, these contacts can be very powerful, instructive, emotional and useful, touching on both their personal lives and their zealous practice of buddhist spirituality.
In every case there was genuine Exchange!
I thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who has prepared the questionnaires et those who have helped me on site, to jump feet first in these enriching encounters.
« I have known AMTM in 1996 by my doctor who was himself deeply involved in the association. I have first sponsored a person, then I gradually discovered the activities of this NGO and the values to which it was committed. I admired the quality of the work and I found this human size association appealing. I proposed my candidature and I have a part-time job there since 2005. I am in charge of the sponsorships and donations administration. I receive many phone calls and the warmth of the exchanges with the godfathers and godmothers gives me a great joy. The office in Nanterre is a wonderful place of sharing where everyone, volunteer or employee, works with the best of himself/herself. There is a lot to do, but the atmosphere is encouraging.
« Before getting involved in charge of a site logistic, I wanted to wait my private and professional life to be less busy because volunteering is very absorbing! I was intent on doing my utmost to help the other.
It is the work of a whole year that will make effective a day spent in a site during the mission. In return, this day on the spot will give life and meaning to the files of the sponsored persons.
« We have been in charge of the sponsorships in Nyingma Palyul for 5 years. At this time, this site took care of about sixty really disadvantaged little boys; they are now 240. Every year, we see the children growing, some of them will continue in the Buddhist tradition, others will return to the civilian life with the basic education. What a pleasure to give them their sponsor's letter which they have been waiting so much and to see their daily life getting better with the completion of major projects.
Every year is the opportunity to meet wonderful people: we have a very strong link with the head of the site and also with the most constant sponsors.
For each mission, we have to find the most urgent things to be done and to curb our impatience because everything progresses slowly in Nepal!
« I was lucky to be there at the beginning of AMTM.
After a few trips with different teams, I was able to realize how important is the help we can bring to all these extremely poor people.
I felt very privileged to live here, having been able to bring up a child with everything that was necessary and I thought it was time to share attention, love with "underprivileged" children. So I became the "referent" of the Snowland Ranag School. This gives a meaning to life!
The children' look, their joy when they see what we bring to them, their laughter while playing ball, skipping ropes ... It's so heart-warming that you want to do more!


Will the Real Cole Please Stand Up?
Last weekend, Court and Alyx took their kids on what seems to be a very fun outing. They went to Boondocks, which is a venue near their home that offers fun activities such as bumper cars and miniature golf and bowling. It was a nice day, and the family had tons of fun. They posted the photos on Facebook. I, of course, love looking at any and all of my grandkids having fun, but these photos were especially enjoyable. I laughed out loud when I saw one particular photo of 3-year-old Cole. He looks like an angel in the photo on the left, but perhaps has more than a little devil in him in the photo on the right. Will the real Cole please stand up?…..
I think the second Cole is an imposter.


What material can jaw crusher crush?
SolutionHome > Solution > What material can jaw crusher crush?
The Jaw crusher is widely used fir secondary and fine crushing in the fields of mining, chemical industry, building material, metallurgy and so on. It can crush materials with Moh's scale in middle and high hardness such as ironstone, copper ore, limestone, quartz, granite, rock, basalt, cobblestone, sandstone, marble, calcite, barite, dolomite, potassium feldspar, talcum, gypsum, medical stone, rock phosphate, manganese ore, ceram, active carbon and so on.
More information, you can CONTRACT US.


text:
Starting from 1957's Sputnik launch by USSR space agencies explored many parts of the universe, still continued. They had touched the Moon, walked in space, explored the red planet, record signal from outer solar system and reaching different corners of the universe time by time. Here top 10 iconic moments in the history of space exploration.
10 Apollo 13 Space Rescue
Apollo 13 was NASA's third space program to land on Moon. It launched on April 17, 1970. On the second day after making a journey of 200000 miles one of oxygen tank get exploded. Many power systems and life supporting equipments damaged as a result of massive explosion. The pressure within the compartment also raises by 1000 times.
Once of fuel cells of Apollo 3 got drained because of unavailability of oxygen,. At that situation a safe lunar landing became impossible and the cre forced to abort the mission and to returned to Earth. At the same time NASA engineers determined that entire oxygen would run out from Apollo 13 before the crew reached on Earth. But they managed to reach on Earth by April 17 using Lunar module.
9 SpaceShipOne, First manned Private Flight
credit of image : By D Ramey Logan – Own Work, Wikimedia, CC BY SA 3.0
SpaceShipOne is the first ever manned private flight that launched at first in the year 2004. It used to fly at a boundary of 100000 meters. In 2004 this space flight won price of Ansari X price worth $10 million.
In the competition Spaceshipone flew in the suborbital plane with three passengers. It also became first space flight to flew in altitude of 50000 feet with two turbojet white knight, the mother ship.
Top 4 Successful Missions To Saturn
The exploration of Saturn became dream of mankind since the discovery of it's fabulous ring system...
8 Hubble Space Telescope, Revolution in Space Observation
Hubble space telescope is the largest and most versatile optical telescope that launched in the year 1990. It was originally developed by NASA along with contribution of European Space Agency, situated in the lower Earth orbit. It managed to capture high resolution images in sky that led to making deep study about space.
It also became the first space telescope that have a design which allows to make repairments by astronauts. The images from different parts of sky captured by hubble space telescope also helped scientists to make deep study about expansion of universe. It also helped NASA to monitor the space shuttles, space walks and different procedures in space.
7 International Space Station, Habitable Artificial Satellite
International space station is launched in the year 1998, an artificial habitable satellite situated in lower Earth orbit. It is the largest artificial body in space, can even observed by naked eye at appropriate time.
International space station is managed and used by five different space agencies NASA, ESA, CSA, Roscosmos and JAXA. ISS acts as home for astronauts and they can make different experiments within it. It manages more than 20 times signals than that of spacecrafts, also used for testing spacecraft instruments.
6 Sputnik I, First Artificial Earth Satellite
credit of image : Sputnik NASA
It is the first ever artificial satellite, launched back in 1957 by Soviet Union. The successful launching of Sputnik I became the start of space age. It was a 23 inch spherical shaped satellite. It had power to calculating the density of atmosphere and for transmitting radio signals.Sputnik I sends signals to Earth for 22 days since the launch and finally burned on 4th January, 1958.
5 Viking I, First Successful Mars Landing
Viking I is one of two spacecraft of Viking mission from NASA, another one is Viking II. It was launched back on 20th August 1975, Viking 2 also followed it and successfully landed on Mars by 20th July 1976, became first ever spacecraft to touch on red planet. It made long study on Mars fore more than 2307 days.
The high resolution photos of Mars sended by both Viking I and Viking 2 revolutionize entire concept of Mars. It also made deep study about vapour on Martian atmosphere and tested samples from surface of Mars. It helped the scientists to get deep knowledge about atmosphere and surface condition of Mars.
4 Voyager I, Farthest Man Made Object From Earth
credit of image : Voyager 1 NASA
Voyager I is the first ever man made object to enter interstellar space. It launched back in 1977, in mission of making deep study of solar system and held the record of operating for 36 years. It wen out of solar system on 12th September, 2013, actually 12 billion miles from Sun.
Scientists determined that Voyager I travelled through plasma for more than one year after entering interstellar space. Voyage also detected the pressure variation in between the edge of solar system and interstellar space.
3 Apollo 8, First Spacecraft that circles the Moon
credit of image : Apollo 8 NASA
Apollo 8 is the first ever spacecraft from NASA that entered Moon's orbit. This manned spacecraft launched back in 1968, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders are the crews of Apollo 8 mission.
It successfully revolves on Moon's orbit and safely returned back to Earth. The crew of Apollo 8 became the first ever human to watch Earth as entire planet. The photograph they took from Moon's orbit 'The Earth rise' also became one of ionic photograph in the history of mankind.
2 Yuri Gagarin, First Man on Space
On 12th April 1961 Major Yuri Gagarin held the record of first human to enter the space. Vostok I was the spacecraft took him to space, operated by space agency of Soviet Union. It also became the first human spaceflight in the history of space exploration. The mission duration of Vostok I was one hour and 48 minutes, managed to separate Yuri Gagarin from spacecraft at right position on space.
Top 6 successful manned Moon landings in the history
"One small step for men, a giant leap for mankind" - No one will ever forget these legendary words...
10 Rarest And Amazing Astronomical Events
The continuous movement of planets, gravitational force, changes within core system of stars results...
1 Man on Moon
credit of image : Man on Moon NASA
On 20th July 1969 NASA held record of the first space agency to put Man on Moon. On that day Neil Armstrong became the first ever human to touch Moon, Buzz Aldrin followed him. Apollo 11 was the spacecraft used for the manned Moon mission, Michael Collins piloted the spacecraft.
They collected samples from Moon's surface and took photographs. They also Put an American flag on Moon surface before they returned back to spacecraft. Finally on 24 th July 1969 they safely reached on home Earth.


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Troides aesacus est une espèce de papillons de la famille des Papilionidae et de la sous-famille des Papilioninae et du genre Troides.

Systématique
L'espèce Troides aesacus a été initialement décrite en 1903 par l'entomologiste allemand  sous le protonyme d'Ornithoptera aesacus.

Formes
Troides aesacus f. maculatusaurum Parrott & Deslisle, 1987
Troides aesacus f. masaeae Ohya, 1995
Troides aesacus f. purpurea Sumiyoshi, 1989
Troides aesacus f. tenebricosa Parrott & Deslisle, 1987.

Description
Troides  aesacus est un papillon de grande envergure aux ailes antérieures longues à apex angulaire, dont le corps présente un thorax noir et un abdomen jaune. Il existe un dimorphisme sexuel de couleur.

Les mâles ont sur le dessus des ailes antérieures noires avec une bande bleu-vert sur le bord costal et plus fine sur le bord interne et le bord externe et des ailes postérieures très finement bordées de noir. Les revers bleu-vert avec aux ailes antérieures des veines noires et très largement bordées de noir et aux ailes postérieures une ligne submarginale de taches noires.

Les femelles sont de couleur noire avec aux ailes antérieures une rangée de chevrons blanc et un damier de taches blanches laissant la partie basale et l'apex noirs et aux ailes postérieures d'une ligne submarginale de très hauts triangles blancs centrés d'un point noir.

Biologie

Plantes hôtes

Écologie et distribution
Troides  aesacus est présent aux îles Obi, qui font partie des Moluques du Nord, province d'Indonésie.

Biotope
Troides  aesacus réside dans la forêt primaire humide.

Protection
Troides  aesacus est inscrit comme vulnérable sur le red data book.

Notes et références

Annexes

Articles connexes
 Papilioninae
Troidini
Troides

Liens externes

Papilionidae
Lépidoptère (nom scientifique)
Lépidoptère d'Asie
Faune endémique des Moluques

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Author interview – Valerie Laws
I shall be engaging in a number of interviews with independent authors. May you find these informative, entertaining, and perhaps even inspiring to go out and locate their books!
This interview is with author Valerie Laws.
Dear Valerie, can you offer us a little insight into who you are?
I'm an award-winning writer who infamously spray-painted poetry on live sheep in my Arts Council-funded QUANTUM SHEEP project which combined random haiku with the principles of quantum theory. I write crime fiction (THE ROTTING SPOT, with a skull collecting theme and a homeopath detective, now available on Kindle), poetry, plays (12 commissioned for stage and radio), best-selling language books… I've had ten books published and have just e-published my eleventh, my first as an indie author, LYDIA BENNET'S BLOG of which more below. I've had many Writer in Residence posts, in a pathology museum working with dead bodies, University brain institutes, Egyptian 5* hotel ( those contributing to ALL THAT LIVES, poetry of sex, death and pathology newly out), a physic garden growing mind-altering plants… I perform my work all over the world and in the media, and specialise in science-based poetry and art, creating new forms of kinetic poetry on unusual media, not just sheep but beach balls or computer controlled illuminated installations, for exhibitions and public art commissions.
What is the reason that you started writing? When did you start writing?
I've always written and told stories. Ideas come to me and keep nagging me until I write them, either as plays, poems, novels, sci-art, whatever. I've been a full-time professional writer for about 11 years.
Are you writing under a pen-name, do you use your own, or is your work out in both ways?
I use my own name, Valerie Laws, for all the widely different genres I explore.
What, do you think, is your best book? And why is that?
My books are so widely different that it's hard to say! My newest e-book is very funny, my crime novel is highly praised by readers and eminent writers, my poetry collections ditto. I've had a play published, also a book challenging ageism and telling the stories of older people both independent and with dementia. My newest poetry book ALL THAT LIVES means a great deal to me and gets terrific responses from live audiences, it took years of research and also personal experience, witnessing the deaths of my parents, studying the science of dying, watching dissections, and also writing about my sexual adventures post-divorce, which brings a balancing comedy. I'm very proud of my first crime novel THE ROTTING SPOT as I've always loved crime fiction.
Naturally, after the best book, what is your worst, if there is one? And why do you feel that way?
I don't feel that way about any of them. They were all important at the time and still are, to me. Some are less or more successful but that's a different issue.
How do you think your writing has changed over time? Did it change at all?
I like to think my life experiences have deepened and strengthened my writing and I've certainly learned a lot and my writing has become more and more diverse. For years I concentrated on poetry but lately have been writing novels as well.
And can you say that writing has changed you?
It's part of me and it's what I do. The fact that I'm doing it as a job has changed me, I've had to learn to pitch and publicise especially now I'm venturing more into e-books, selling does not come naturally to me. I love to learn new stuff, new technology, new skills!
What is the most daring thing you ever did or tried in your writing? In which book did that happen?
I suppose spray painting the sheep, in Quantum Sheep. There was a huge media frenzy about it and it still gets published and publicised today. I could have just been mocked and in fact I was pretty much teased about it by the media but I'm happy for people to laugh! I did another quantum haiku on beach balls for BBC TV, just published in an NYC anthology Maintenant 6. But also writing plays is very daring, because you have to hand them over eventually and watch them totally at the mercy of the actors and director, but it's great when you sit in an audience who are laughing, and crying, around you – when you meant them to!
And, if your feel up to it, what is the most daring thing you ever did in your life? Feel free to skip this one, not everybody is up to revealing much about themselves…
I was disabled in a car crash 26 years ago so everything since then has been a challenge but I embrace change, challenge and transformation. Walking again after that, which I still do with difficulty and pain. I travel, have snorkelled with turtles and sharks. I've flown a plane. Had my second child after disability. Got divorced after 25 years and started dating fascinating men (some much younger than me). Bought my own house. Became a professional writer and performer. Studied Maths & theoretical physics, my worst school subjects, when disabled with two children, and got a first class honours degree. Wrote and performed poems about my sex life! All those things were daring I suppose!
Is there something you still want to have a go at, in your writing life? Is there a challenge you envision that's worth pursuing?
There will always be challenges in writing. My main immediate challenge is to get better at the whole e-publishing phenomenon. I've learned to format and everything! But still so much to learn.
Has your writing ever been compared to the writing of another (perhaps even famous) writer/author? And do you like that?
Not really, I've been lucky enough to win prizes and awards and get fab quotes and reviews, but they don't compare me to anyone else!
Do you have one or two favourite books (written by someone else)? If so, what are they, and why do they appeal to you so much?
Oh I love so many books! And writers! I love the novels of Barbara Pym, and Jane Austen (though I'm having fun with her in my new e-book!) I love a lot of poets' work and I know many of them so have to be careful here but I love Sharon Olds, an American poet who is breathtakingly honest and intimate. I love Shakespeare, he's funny, lively, sexy, sad and his language is so powerful and entrancing to hear. I love William Blake's poetry, he's a true prophet, he foresaw some modern scientific and social ideas far ahead of his time.
Which book you ever read would you label as least readable book, so far? Feel free to comment as liberally as you want to the why.
I don't like extreme 'torture porn' crime fiction, like Birdman. I suppose Finnegan's Wake is the one most people quote as unreadable but I also find (confession time) I can't bring myself to read the great Russian novels, or most of Charles Dickens though I have read a lot of them and liked some.
Is there a book that you know of that should never have been published, in your opinion?
Mein Kampf? Books which encourage hatred, war, racism, misogyny, homophobia, cruelty… Of course there are books I don't like or think aren't good but somebody might like them, and if nobody does they won't buy them, so I wouldn't normally be in favour of wiping such books, however badly written or boring, out of existence.
Is there a writer that you would love to co-write a book with? And what genre would you like to write in then? Something you're familiar with?
I've collaborated with visual artists, theatre directors and actors, but I can't imagine co-writing a novel or poetry although I co-wrote two best-selling language text books which was different.
Let's see… is there something in the realm of 'wise words' you once picked up that you would like to share? This does not have to be limited to writing, there is more to life than writing. At least, I heard there is. 😉
The poet/playwright Peter Mortimer told me a poem, and I think it's true of novels and plays too, needs an imperative of some kind: meaning, it's something you feel needs to be said. For myself, I'd say embrace change, celebrate life and its changing nature, keep learning and exploring new ideas, skills and experiences. Physics has taught me the universe moves, changes, transforms, all the time and we should accept and live with that.
And as a last question, what is cooking with you? What's your work in progress? Is there a tip of a veil that you can lift for us?
I'm working on a near-final draft of my second crime novel which hopefully my agent will find a home for! I've several poetry projects on the go. But mainly I'm working on getting the word out about my new e-book LYDIA BENNET'S BLOG and the kindle version of THE ROTTING SPOT, now they are out there.
If there is anything else you would like to share, for example a thought, some promotion for your book(s), then here's your chance!
My 'antidote to Austen' is my new comedy YA crossover, LYDIA BENNET'S BLOG – THE REAL STORY OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Lydia is outrageous and gives a whole new slant on the story, and uses modern teen language in Regency times. It's available ($1.55 or 98p) from Amazon kindle at http://amzn.to/LydBBUK and in US at http://amzn.to/LBBUS and from Smashwords and I'm also blogging it, or Lydia Bennet is, at http://bit.ly/LydiaBsBlog
My first crime novel THE ROTTING SPOT is available (99p or $1.57) on kindle at http://amzn.to/RotSpot & in US at http://amzn.to/RotSpotUS
Or in paperback from www.redsquirrelpress.com, who also publish my latest poetry collection ALL THAT LIVES. I hope to put my other work out too as ebooks.
Thank you, Valerie, for your time, and for sharing your words with us!
Author PaulPosted on May 2, 2012 May 1, 2012 Categories InterviewTags interview
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I've been with B.O.S.S. fitness on and off for eight years (this being my third time). I joined shortly after having begun my fitness journey on my own. I graduated high school at a top weight of 245lbs. I lost 20lbs, or so, in the eight years afterward. I was stuck and could not seem to do any better on my own.
When I joined B.O.S.S. I weighed about 220lbs., worked two jobs, and was a 20 something learning how to live. I didn't have a car so I walked to and from the gym (from Olde Towne East to the location in the Short North). I lost another 20lbs., but had to stop. It was another two years before I rejoined and this time I achieved my first goal (170lbs.)! I was so proud of myself and I kept the weight off for years, but as always does, life happened. Through work, school, marriage, and several close friends and family members passing I slowly lost almost all of my gains. I was unhappy, unfit, and stressed out.
The year before last, during a physical, I was diagnosed as hypertensive, well over 180/110. I knew something was wrong as I had no energy, it became harder to function, I began to feel my arms and legs tingle when I wasn't moving.
I swallowed my pride and went back to B.O.S.S. a third time. My goal hasn't been to lose weight (though I am grateful to have), but to learn how to be healthy and independently happy. I've lost 35lbs. over the summer, but the real prize has been learning how to maintain on my own! Changing my diet, not eating as much, biking to work on nice days, working out on my own, and connecting with the friends in my life who are on the same journey have helped me to learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. From this year's physical I am happy to say that I am no longer hypertensive (122/82)! I still have a lot of work to do, but I can confidently say that I feel the best that I have in twenty years!
Thank you B.O.S.S. for all of your encouragement and guidance over the last eight years!


Hello and welcome to Australia Day. Perhaps I should be showing something from Australia but I have been looking at GB Regionals again and thought I would keep with that theme.
In a recent piece I wrote about the redrawn eye of the dragon on a GB Wales regional stamp. I commented about the catalogue price difference and how important I think it is to know about these differences and check for them.
Continuing this theme let's look at this stamp from Northern Ireland. SG NI 43, the 17p grey blue on phosphorised paper issued in 1984. I was not aware there were two types to this stamp. But as I was checking I found both Types in my stock.
Try as I might I cannot get a scan of the differences from the actual stamps so am using the image from the SG Concise catalogue. see image below - Type one shown to the left has the crown with all the pearls individually drawn, that is they are not touching, while Type II - issued in 1986 and SG NI 43Ea - has the first three pearls on the left of the crown joined. There are a few other differences to look for but this one is very clearly seen with a good magnifying glass.
All very nice I hear you say again. Even nicer when you see the catalogue prices of the Type II stamp is £150 versus £0.80 for the Type I issue. Check your stamps. Perhaps you have a gap in your collection :-) or something of higher value than you realised.


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Юго-Западная ТЭЦ — предприятие энергетики Санкт-Петербурга, первая очередь введена в строй в 2011 году, строительство второй очереди закончено в 2016 году. Единственным акционером ТЭЦ является субъект Российской Федерации — город федерального значения Санкт-Петербург.

Общие сведения
Предприятие зарегистрировано как АО «Юго-Западная ТЭЦ». Строительство нового предприятия и ввод его в строй предназначены для:
 компенсации дефицита тепловой и электрической энергии в Приморской юго-западной части Петербурга, что приведет к расширению возможностей для жилищного строительства;
 повышения надежности энергосистемы города в целом.

Энергоблоки выполнены по парогазовой схеме, что дает суммарный прирост в электрической и тепловой эффективности около 20 % по сравнению с традиционными ТЭС, станция отвечает самым строгим требованиям экологии по состоянию на 2010 год. По заявлению главного инженера Юго-Западной ТЭЦ (ныне — генерального директора) Анатолия Чугина, Юго-Западная ТЭЦ, на момент её открытия, является с технологической точки зрения наиболее современным предриятием энергетики России.

Площадь, отведенная под строительство ТЭЦ, составляет 24,2 га. Новая теплоэлектроцентраль построена на резервных территориях Красносельского района в зоне бывшего золоотвала Первомайской ТЭЦ-14, которая не пригодна для строительства жилья и расположена у края Угольной гавани (южнее дома № 28, литера АК, по Угольной гавани, Элеваторная площадка).

Торжественный пуск станции состоялся 29 декабря 2010 года, на мероприятии присутствовали губернатор Валентина Матвиенко и председатель комитета по энергетике и инженерному обеспечению Олег Тришкин.
В действие были запущены два современных водогрейных котла.

Торжественный пуск второй очереди ТЭЦ произошёл 4 октября 2016 год. В церемонии запуска приняли участие губернатор Санкт-Петербурга Георгий Полтавченко и председатель Законодательного собрания Санкт-Петербурга Вячеслав Макаров.

На территории ТЭЦ работает музей ТЭЦ.

Хронология
 2006 год — завершено технико-экономическое обоснование проекта, проведены изыскательские работы. Администрация Санкт-Петербурга приняла постановление «О стратегическом инвестиционном проекте Санкт-Петербурга строительства и эксплуатации Юго-Западной теплоэлектроцентрали»
 2007 год — заключен контракт на поставку 5 турбин с итальянской компанией Ansaldo Energia.
 2009 год — из-за кризиса основной инвестор был вынужден отказаться от проекта, стоимостью 15 млрд рублей. На апрель этого года завершены проектные, начаты монтажные работы, заказано оборудование для ТЭЦ. Довести строительство до конца Смольный решил сам за счет кредитов госбанков. Построенную (к 2011 г.) станцию планируется передать ГУП «ТЭК СПб», хотя возможна и продажа частному инвестору.. Поставку оборудования планируется осуществлять в два этапа. Всего будет поставлено 5 турбин. Электрическая мощность каждой турбины составляет 66 МВт, коэффициент использования топлива при теплофикационном режиме составит порядка 87 %.
 29 декабря 2010 года — ТЭЦ частично введена в эксплуатацию. Мощность на момент частичного ввода в эксплуатацию 120 гигакалорий/час.
 12 августа 2011 года — введена в строй первая очередь ТЭЦ
 31 августа 2016 года — введен в эксплуатацию энергоблок ПГУ-300.

Генеральные директора
 Р. И. Костюк (род. 27.07.1941) (с 2005 по 31.05.2018)
 А. В. Чугин (род. 12.05.1966) (с 31.05.2018)

Примечания

Газовые электростанции России
Электростанции Санкт-Петербурга


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Tell Your Tales of Little Tokyo
June 20, 2018 June 20, 2018 Jessica Williams Contemporary Art, Japanese American Culture, Japanese American History, Little Tokyo, News & Announcements, People, Public Art
Artist Dan Kwong
Dan Kwong is a veteran performance artist, director, writer, and native Angeleno, based at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. He is one of four artists who are currently part of the inaugural +Lab Artist Residency Program, sponsored by the Little Tokyo Service Center. The theme of the residency is Community Control and Self-Determination. The four artists are living in the historic Daimaru Hotel on First Street for three months while creating art projects that involve the Little Tokyo community and speak to this topic.
Dan's project, Tales of Little Tokyo, involves collecting personal memories and stories about Little Tokyo from seniors (as well as some younger generation folks), and shaping that material into a theatrical piece.
"Little Tokyo is a precious and vibrant community with over 130 years of history," says Dan. Our stories are at the heart of that history, and collectively they become the voice of our community. This project aspires to give that voice a hearing."
Through the first week of July, Dan is conducting a series of informal "story-circle" gatherings at JANM. Story-circles happen every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, usually from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and Wednesdays, usually from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Gatherings happen in JANM's Araki Community Education Center.
Members of the JANM community share stories of Little Tokyo
In these story-circles, Dan asks various questions—it's a bit like an interview—and people share their memories, stories, and anecdotes about Little Tokyo. These are recorded.
In early July, Dan will sort through and edit this material and write a theatrical piece that expresses the significance and value of preserving and sustaining Little Tokyo as a cultural community.
On the weekend of July 28-29, there will be a public presentation (most likely a staged reading) of the piece in JANM's Tateuchi Democracy Forum.
Please let Dan know if you are interested in sharing your tales of Little Tokyo. He would love to hear from you! Dan can be reached at dkbb12@aol.com. A maximum of 10 people can share per session so contact Dan in advance to ensure your spot and confirm the time for the day you want to participate. You can also just drop by one of the story-circle sessions if you'd like to listen in; you might still want to contact Dan to confirm the time. Paid admission to JANM is not required, but there are great exhibitions now on view so you may want to take full advantage of being here. Admission is only $12 for adults and $6 for seniors.
For more information about the +Lab Artist Residency Program, check out the LTSC's press release announcing the inaugural artists.
artist in residence Dan Kwong life history Little Tokyo storytelling
One thought to "Tell Your Tales of Little Tokyo"
Maria Kwong says:
Sat in during my lunch and was sucked in to hearing stories about people that I thought I knew! This really brought out some great shared tales for the collective love of Little Tokyo. (and I'm not just saying this because Dan's my brother!)
This Summer, See Masumi Hayashi's Work in Glendale
Photographer Jim Lommasson on What We Carried