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Mads Mikkelsen Confirms 'Rogue One' Role
The Rogue One trailer gave us a significant amount of information about the film's main character, Jyn Erso – her name, personality, rap sheet, mission – but the other characters received only a few seconds of footage each (with the slight exception of Forest Whitaker's character, who delivered an ominous voiceover). Mads Mikkelsen, who was sorely missing from the trailer, confirmed a key detail about his role when he spoke to Sky News today: he's playing Jyn's father.
When asked about how he felt when he was approached by Lucasfilm, Mikkelsen said:
"I mean I wasn't really sure whether I was wearing a Stormtrooper outfit or anything like that, at that point. And I wasn't sure I could fit in to that. I read the script. It was very beautiful. And Felicity is playing this lovely, young, strong woman and I play her father."
This also corroborates previous rumors that Mikkelsen's character – seemingly named Galen – is one of the principal engineers of the Death Star project who realizes the error of his ways and enlists his daughter, Jyn, to help destroy the superweapon by stealing its plans. This doesn't totally make sense, given what the trailer showed us (Jyn's mission appears to come from the Rebel Alliance, not her father), but Mikkelsen's previous statement that his character is "actually not a bad guy" matches with the report that he's an Imperial who defects.
In the trailer, Mon Mothma mentions that Jyn's been alone since the age of 15. Even if Galen isn't working for the Empire, he still must have abandoned her for some reason, so we can be sure that his relationship with Jyn will be difficult, although hopefully not as twisted as those between Luke and Vader, and Han and Kylo. (Too soon?)
Are you excited to learn that Mads Mikkelsen will be playing Jyn Erso's father? Tell me in the comments or tweet to @SithObserver, and may the Force be with you.
Labels: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Alleged 'Episode VIII' Script Leak Offers Massive Spoilers
Anyone following Star Wars: Episode VIII knows that leaked photos and set details are pretty common (often from Making Star Wars), but it's not too often that we get serious plot spoilers. Last week, a Reddit user claiming to have read the film's script posted a string of plot elements that reveal not only the film's basic storyline, but also the true identity of Rey and the role of new characters played by Benicio Del Toro and Kelly Marie Tran.
To be clear, there's little evidence that any of this is accurate, but the alleged script details are creative enough that they deserve at least a proper analyzing and debunking. Just in case any of this turns out to be correct, a *SPOILER ALERT* should be assumed.
"Working title is "Echoes of the Dark Side." It's divided into three equally important plot threads that don't converge until the third act: Rey's, Finn's, and Kylo's. There's not nearly as much action as TFA in the first two acts, but the third act goes full-on crazy."
"Echoes of the Dark Side" is definitely an original title, if not overdramatic. The concept of our heroes splitting up until the final act is reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back, in which Luke goes to Dagobah while Han, Leia, and Chewie visit Cloud City.
"The broad structure isn't as similar to ESB as TFA was to ANH, but the parallels are still present. Rey is training in the ways of the Force with an old Jedi master (Luke) on a wild planet while Finn and Poe are in a beautiful city that has a shady, sinister underpinning."
There's certainly reason why the filmmakers would want to copy the basic structure of ESB, and this "beautiful city" would have been filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Leaked set photos showed that the city is quite glamorous on its exterior, but another report suggested that it's also a gambling hub. Where there's gambling, there's gangsters, and ample opportunity for our heroes to get sold out to the First Order.
"Finn and Poe are betrayed and captured by Kylo Ren who uses them as bait to draw Rey out of hiding so Kylo and Rey can have a duel in an industrial portion of the city."
We all know that Kylo and Rey's re-match is happening eventually, and this sounds like an intriguing spot for a bout – much different from the snowy forest on the crumbling Starkiller Base at the end of The Force Awakens. Both of them will have received significant training by the time of their second duel; Rey will have learned the ways of the Force from Luke, and Kylo will have presumably finished his training and become a full Sith Lord, if Snoke's words at the end of TFA are any indication.
"The backstory to Luke and his Jedi being wiped out is that Snoke seduced Kylo and a few of the other students to the dark side and tasked them with killing everyone. Luke and a few others survived, including a young Rey who was subsequently dumped on Jakku by Luke. Rey's mom died in the attack."
Most of this had already been guessed by fans; Snoke sent his Knights of Ren to destroy Luke's temple, Rey was present and Luke dropped her on Jakku before retiring to Ahch-To, which explains why Kylo recognizes her in TFA. No one had really considered that Rey's mom had been a casualty of the attack (most assumed that we'd meet her later in the trilogy), but this would suggest that her mother was also a Jedi. Having two Force-sensitive parents rather than just one (like Kylo) would justify Rey's impressive power.
"Rey is pissed at Luke because she guesses that he was her father and is angry at him for abandoning her. Luke turns to her and says "No, you are my father". Yes, really. Rey is the reincarnation of Anakin Skywalker. Luke went to the first Jedi temple to better understand how the process works. He learned that the spirit of the chosen one is reincarnated by the Force every time the universe is thrown out of balance, which apparently happens on a semi-regular basis (Anakin was hardly the first time the chosen one reincarnated)."
Okay...the idea of Rey being the Chosen One is hardly unfamiliar to fans, and her being the reincarnation of Anakin actually matches up with a lot of what we know about her family. To a certain extent, it makes sense, and it would be much more surprising than learning that Luke is her father or even that Obi-Wan is her grandfather. But only in a YouTube parody would Luke ever utter a line as cheesy and eye-roll-worthy as "No, you are my father."
"This is why she's so crazy powerful with the Force (remember that Anakin blew up the Trade Federation donut ship by himself when he was like 8 years old). Rey was the product of a virgin birth, but midichlorians aren't mentioned (Luke says "you are a child of the Force")."
Yes, it would be controversial to reveal that Rey is basically Jedi Jesus, but the exact same was implied about Anakin in The Phantom Menace, so it's not like this is a new level of Star Wars outrageousness. Though both Rey and the audience would be disappointed to learn that her mother is dead and her father is just a bunch of Force particles.
"Luke is hesitant to train her because, according to Jedi history, the chosen one always struggles with staying on the light side of the Force because of the chaotic power running through them. He's afraid that she could become Vader 2.0. If he trains her to fight Kylo, and she turns dark, she would do way more damage to the galaxy than Kylo could ever dream of doing. He ultimately trains her anyway and leaves everything up to the Force. He makes this decision in a scene where he confers with the ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda (Ewan MacGregor and Frank Oz come back)."
This actually relates to Luke's expression at the end of The Force Awakens, filled with sorrow, regret, and hesitation. There were rumors that Frank Oz was going to be on the Episode VIII set, and Ewan McGregor proved that he's happy to reprise his character when he contributed to Rey's vision in TFA, so the return of Yoda and Obi-Wan is definitely possible.
"Rey learns lightsaber skills, Force skills, and has a vision quest thing where she talks with Maz Kanata (unsure if it's telepathy or just a dream) and Hayden Christenson. The latter tells her that she is him, but different, and there's a quick scene where we see hundreds of other Force ghosts who are implied to be past chosen ones."
Maz is a great character that deserves some solid screen-time, but a few words of advice during a vision-y cameo still matches up with the wisdom and Force familiarity that she's already demonstrated. As an undeniably wooden actor and one of the most hated things about the Prequel Trilogy, you'd think that the filmmakers would avoid bringing Hayden Christensen back. However, there were reports that he would appear in Episode VIII, so it's not like his return is 100% implausible, even if it'll generate a resounding groan from the audience.
"Rey feels Finn's distress elsewhere in the galaxy and says she needs to go to him. Luke tells her about the time he felt his friends in distress and Yoda told him to stay and finish his training, and his disobedience led to pain. But then he says he isn't Yoda, and has his own way of doing things, and tags along with her to go help."
This would be a great way to differentiate Luke from Yoda, and allow him to remain at the forefront of the action and hopefully show off some awesome Jedi moves. It would also warm the hearts of many fans to see Luke with the same adventurous energy that he had 30 years ago.
"Finn wakes up on a Resistance cruiser and is told by Poe that they're already en route to the makeshift Republic homeworld in the wake of the capital planet being blown up by Starkiller Base. Leia wants to lobby them to go to war. The Republic is being led by an interim dictator named Lord Vikram (Benicio Del Toro), who was quickly put into power by the few senators still around to maintain order. Starkiller's destruction of the Republic core worlds caused a galactic communications disruption because everything was routed through those worlds, so Vikram is trying to reestablish contact and ensure the Republic doesn't collapse into anarchy."
This is believable if you consider logical galactic politics; the Republic needs some serious reorganization after their capital was blown up, Leia wants to push them to all-out war against the First Order. And it lines up with the old reports that Benicio Del Toro would be playing a villainous character – no one called "Lord" in the Star Wars universe can be a good guy. Both the Republic and the Resistance's relationship with them weren't properly explained in The Force Awakens, so it would be nice to have that fully fleshed out.
"Leia and Vikram butt heads. Vikram agrees that the Republic has to go to war with the First Order, but wants to wait for communications to come back online so they can muster up a sizable force (all they have right now is a single small fleet). Leia disagrees, and wants to take the war to the First Order now while Snoke is still reeling from Starkiller's destruction. She says both sides are in chaos, which makes this an opportune time to strike. Vikram counters by telling her she's letting her personal emotions over Han's death get in the way, and Leia throws it back at him by telling him he was always a little snake of a politician when they would argue back in her senate days, etc, etc, they have old bad blood or whatever."
Leia didn't have much to do in TFA (pretty much all she did was express varying emotions about Han, Luke, and Kylo), so fans were hoping that she'd get some more action in Episode VIII. Leia's stubbornness and passion for her cause are what define her, and they're what makes her such an important and likable character. Vikram criticizing her of being clouded by her emotions after her soulmate's death would allow the film to appropriately address Han's demise without letting it weigh down the plot.
"The Republic planet is safe because it's protected by a heavy duty shield that can repel any invasion or bombardment from the First Order. Finn and Poe are tasked by Leia to investigate the city because one of Leia's contacts informed her that the First Order have spies embedded in the Republic. Leia suspects Vikram."
It makes sense that the Republic would finally build a safeguard against superweapons. But anyone who's watched Star Wars knows that there's no such thing as a shield that can't be penetrated or otherwise sabotaged...
"Finn quickly becomes enamored by Leia's contact, Chala (Kelly Marie Tran), who tags along with him and Poe through the underbelly of the city to gather information. Finn and Chala have a flirty romance subplot that involves a nighttime adventure through the rustic old city (this is the second entry in the trilogy after all, and poetry demands it)."
Han and Leia's relationship died the moment he did, so it stands to reason that Episode VIII needs to continue the trend of its predecessors and feature a new romance. The "nighttime adventure through a rustic old city" completely matches up with the below set photo of John Boyega's stunt double riding a strange creature with Kelly Marie Tran in Dubrovnik.
"Finn, Poe and Chala all corner the culprit: Vikram's aide, who has evidence of contact between Vikram and the First Order. Leia and some Resistance fighters confront Vikram and throw him in jail for treason. He denies everything, and the rest of the Republic officials are horrified because Leia basically just coup-de-etat'd the **** out of their leadership. Leia assumes control of the planet's defenses and absentmindedly puts Finn in charge of the shield codes."
Well, there's a lesson for you: call Leia overly emotional about Han's death and she'll throw you in jail and take over your government. This would finally satisfy anyone waiting for Leia to once again become the strong, fearless leader that we've known and loved since 1977.
"Finn and Chala have a moment and Finn mentions his confusion about why Vikram didn't just lower the shields for the First Order. They walk into a room and Phasma is standing there and Chala draws a gun on Finn and forcibly takes the codes for disarming the shield from him. She says she planted the evidence, used Finn to get the codes, and basically that she thinks he's a dirty traitor to the First Order. In a moment of pure pottery, Phasma makes Finn lower the shields."
This would definitely make Finn feel stupid, although the "traitor" insult probably wouldn't hurt too much the third time. Ignoring the hilarious, incomprehensible misuse of the word "pottery", Phasma forcing Finn to lower the shields would be quite ironic since he made her do the same in The Force Awakens, and it might just redeem her as the confident, efficient commander that we originally thought she was. However, unlike Phasma, it's doubtful that Finn would endanger his friends when threatened with a laser to the chest, even if Chala had the codes and the shields would be lowered no matter what.
"The First Order fleet jumps out of hyperspace and invades the planet, quickly capturing Finn, Poe and Leia. Kylo starts to torture Finn using the Force, knowing that it will draw Rey out of hiding and into his trap."
We all know that Kylo isn't above some old-fashioned Force torture (Poe can attest to that). This would give the opportunity for Rey to stomp in with her new Jedi powers and save the day, and for Luke to finally reunite with his sister.
In conclusion, these plot details may not be entirely satisfying, and they conflict with some of the rumors about Episode VIII (including details involving Laura Dern's role and Leia getting injured), but they align with the popular theory that the Sequel Trilogy is copying the structure of the Originals. In the likely event that this turns out to be fake, one can at least discern that whoever wrote this paid sharp attention to what we already know about Episode VIII and tied it together in the fashion of Empire Strikes Back with some serious creativity. Reading "leaks" like this is an entertaining way to pass the time until December 2017, even the information itself probably isn't accurate.
What do you think of these plot details? Tell me in the comments or tweet to @SithObserver, and may the Force be with you all.
JJ Abrams Reveals Major Hint About Rey's Parentage
The question "Who are Rey's parents?" isn't expected to be answered until Star Wars: Episode VIII at the earliest (Daisy Ridley recently denied rumors that Rogue One's Jyn Erso is her mother), but we now have a new and potentially game-changing clue from a somewhat unexpected source: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams.
Although Abrams is no longer directly involved in the Star Wars saga, and he'll certainly be keeping mum about any insider knowledge he has about Episode VIII, he appeared to seriously narrow down the list of Rey's potential parents while at an audience Q&A and the Tribeca Film Festival today.
"Rey's parents are not in Episode VII. So I can't possibly in this moment tell you who they are. This is all I will say: it is something Rey thinks about, too."
Assuming that Abrams was being honest and not just intentionally misleading the Star Wars fanbase (or desperate to ward off curious fans), this would suggest that neither Leia and Han nor Luke and another woman are Rey's parents. However, one could interpret his statement as meaning that her parents aren't both in The Force Awakens, meaning that Luke could still be her father and a yet-unknown woman could be her mother.
Either way, this doesn't necessarily invalidate every previous theory about Rey's parentage. Abrams could easily not count Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force ghost-y cameo (during Rey's vision) as being truly "in" the film, in which case if Obi-Wan were her father, the director's statement could still be deemed accurate.
It should be noted that after the Q&A, EW caught up with Abrams and he clarified his comments: "What I meant was that she doesn't discover them in Episode VII. Not that they may not already be in her world." Since the film literally ends with Rey discovering Luke, this seems to further confirm that he's not her father. And Obi-Wan's whispered words of "These are you first steps" during her vision signify that he's "in her world" in the sense that Abrams is applying. Let's hope that Episode VIII director Rian Johnson can forgive Abrams for dropping these hints about Rey's parentage, if not unintentionally spoiling it entirely.
What do you make of Abrams' hints? Who do do you think Rey's parents are? Tell me in the comments or tweet to @SithObserver, and may the Force be with you.
Labels: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Breakdown
The first official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped this morning on Good Morning America, and it's even more of a #ThrowbackThursday to the styles of the Original Trilogy than the trailers for The Force Awakens (which didn't even seem possible).
For every familiar face and technology the trailer shows us, there's about a dozen that we're seeing for the first time. Here's a breakdown of the trailer to glean the most information possible about one of the most anticipated movies of the year:
"State your name for the record," an authoritative voice asks. "Jyn Erso," Felicity Jones' character replies, as we see her escorted by Rebel soldiers into a large room. Interestingly, this mirrors the first moments of The Force Awakens' trailer, in which similarly British-accented heroine Rey is asked "Who are you?", and she replies, "I'm no one." The Rebel helmets are instantly recognizable from the first scenes of A New Hope, aboard the Tantive IV.
"Forgery of Imperial documents, possession of stolen property, aggravated assault, resisting arrest," the same voice says as Jyn is led through a bustling Rebel hangar. This appears to be Jyn's introduction to the Rebel Alliance, although the voiceover seems to be an Imperial interrogating her and reading her impressive rap sheet. The architecture of the hangar identifies it as the headquarters on Yavin 4.
"On your own from the age of 15. Reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined," Mon Mothma tells Jyn in the Rebels' strategy room. Mothma is a somewhat surprising but welcome presence; despite having had only a handful of scenes throughout the Star Wars canon and a single memorable line ("Many Bothans died to bring us this information"), she's one of the highest ranking Rebel leaders. She's played by Genevieve O'Reilly, who reprises her role from Revenge of the Sith (in a silent cameo and a deleted scene).
Diego Luna's character gives Jyn a look. According to Making Star Wars, his name is Cassein Willix (unconfirmed). He will serve as Jyn's partner-in-crime against the Empire, and if Rogue One follows the tropes of most other films (which is unlikely, given Rey and Finn's platonic friendship), he'll also be her love interest.
A hooded Jyn is followed by Alan Tudyk's motion-captured droid. We see her beating up several stormtroopers, and then she and Cassein are knocked down by an explosion. The architecture here is very reminiscent of Mos Eisley, Tatooine. This pretty much confirms to us that yes, Jyn is a total badass.
"This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel," she replies to Mothma, who looks barely amused. One can easily compare Jyn to Rey, based on their physical appearances, three-letter names, and roles as the central character in their respective films, but while Rey is hopeful and naive, Jyn appears to be a constantly-defiant punk. Chances are, her grudge against the Empire has something to do with the absence of her parents, which Mothma previously mentioned.
Jyn looks out the window of a vehicle. "We have a mission for you. A major weapons test is imminent, and we need to know what it is and how to destroy it," Mothma says as we see the superlaser focus lens placed on the Death Star. Well, that pretty much sums up the premise of the film, for the large demographic that had no idea. This tells us that the Rebels don't even know what the Death Star is when they decide to steal its plans. It'll probably be dramatic when the heroes see it for the first time, and hopefully there'll even be a callback to Obi-Wan's classic "That's no moon" line.
"Is that clear?" another Rebel leader asks Jyn. "Yes sir," she sarcastically replies. This hints that Jyn's relationship with the Rebel Alliance won't exactly be a smooth one.
We hear a siren blare as Jyn and Cassein walk purposefully among Rebel pilots in the Yavin temple. This siren can't be from the Rebel base – if the Empire were attacking, it would be wiped out by the time of A New Hope. It's difficult to pin the sound down, but it's definitely been heard before in the Star Wars universe. Whether it's from the Rebels or the Empire, it can only mean one thing: danger.
Ben Mendelsohn's character stands dramatically in front of a Death Star hologram. His white attire identifies him as a Grand Admiral of the Empire, and it looks like he'll be in charge of the Death Star construction and the primary villain of the film. Rumors of the true identity of this character include Grand Moff Tarkin (which is quite possible, given Tarkin's connections to the Death Star project) and even Supreme Leader Snoke.
Stormtroopers and a hovertank march past a masked civilian. This is the same environment as Jyn's previously-seen stormtrooper beatdown and ensuing explosion; the masked man could be a member of their team, waiting to ambush an Imperial convoy. The tank is definitely something we haven't seen before, and on top of it, you can see the first (and far from last) new type of stormtrooper that this trailer shows us.
We see Forest Whitaker's character walking with a cane, in what looks like some kind of cantina. Once again, we don't know who the Oscar winner is playing (Jyn and Riz Ahmed's Bodhi Rook are the only ones that have been confirmed), but his armor suggests that he's some kind of wise, experienced bounty hunter.
A black-colored stormtrooper turns his head, and in the background we see similar soldiers, a moisture vaporator, and a billow of smoke. These awesome-looking guys are reportedly Shadow Troopers of the Death Squad. Shockingly, the Death Squad doesn't help deliver Girl Scout cookies; they'll probably be a serious opposition to our heroes. The moisture vaporator is very reminiscent of Tatooine, but you can also spot some vegetation, so this is most likely a different planet.
"What will you do when they catch you? What will you do if they break you?!" Whitaker's character says. We see handcuffed Rebel pilots escorted by stormtroopers through a marketplace. Clearly, this guy's not too optimistic about Jyn's chances of success. This marketplace shot might just explain the Mos Eisley-like shots in the trailer; the Rebels attack a force of stormtroopers to free several pilots.
Jyn, Cassein, and Alan Tudyk's character run down a corridor. This is our best look yet at Tudyk's sleek droid. Jyn's holding something in her right hand, which might just be the coveted Death Star plans in flashdrive-like form. These scenes were reportedly shot in the London Underground, so perhaps our heroes are making a quick getaway via hovertrain.
Stormtroopers rush after them. And here we have the third and final new trooper type that this trailer shows us: the tan colored Sandtrooper. Making Star Wars refers to them as Scarab Troopers, but that doesn't make a ton of sense, considering that Egyptian scarabs don't exist in the Star Wars universe. (It's even worse than starfighters named after an alphabet that they don't use.)
Donnie Yen's character is surrounded by stormtroopers in the same urban environment with a crashed X-wing in the background. He expertly whacks one with his staff. Yen is a martial artist and has starred in many Chinese martial arts films, including the Ip Man trilogy. As the first photo from the film suggested, his character is blind, which explains why the stormtroopers have their weapons lowered. This is one of the classic "underestimated blind guy is secretly a badass" situations, à la Daredevil.
The Death Squad opens fire. A large transport explodes, and a Rebel with a long rifle ducks. Here we have another major location this trailer shows us: a beachy planet with palm trees. The transport is another new vehicle, and the gray coloring and folding wings (like the classic Lambda-class shuttle and even Kylo Ren's command shuttle) identify it as an Imperial vessel.
The Grand Admiral walks up the beach with dead stormtroopers and flaming wreckage all around. Long, flowing cape? This guy has a very villain-y sense of style. However, we can see that he's not afraid to step into the heat of the action and dirty his white suit.
A hooded figure kneels in front of a smoky, illuminated cylinder. This is perhaps the most intriguing shot of this trailer. The red-cloaked Imperial Royal Guards definitely suggest that the Emperor is involved in this scene, but why would the dictator of the galaxy kneel to anyone? The hooded guy doesn't resemble Darth Vader's armored figure, either. Could the cylinder be a big bacta tank for someone?
Jiang Wen's character avoids an explosion. Jyn, Cassein, and more Rebels are fired at by AT-AT's as they run towards them on the beach. Wen's character is apparently the weapons enthusiast of the group, and everyone else looks armed to the teeth, suggesting that they're planning to hijack the walkers rather than escape them. These AT-AT's are slightly different than the ones seen in The Empire Strikes Back, but it's still an obvious throwback.
"If you continue to fight, what will you become?" Whitaker's character concludes. A series of lights illuminate Jyn in a TIE fighter pilot suit. This line suggests that Jyn's fate is uncertain, although she's most likely just wearing that suit as a disguise. If you listen closely, you can hear Darth Vader's breathing during Whitaker's voiceover, and along with the subsequent Imperial March theme, this is a subtle confirmation that the iconic villain will appear in the film.
Overall, this trailer excelled in explaining the time period and basic plot details Rogue One. We saw a lot of callbacks to A New Hope (the stormtroopers, the Star Destroyer, the Death Star, etc.), but only one familiar character (Mon Mothma) was explicitly shown, and many viewers may not even recognize her. Just like with The Force Awakens, this trailer tells us that Rogue One will have all the beloved themes of Star Wars, but with an extremely diverse group of new characters and tons of never-before-seen technologies and concepts.
What did you think of the trailer? How excited are you for Rogue One? Tell me in the comments, and may the Force be with you all.
'The Force Awakens' Deleted Scenes Guide
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD. The box set comes with a slew of behind-the-scenes footage, but the most anticipated feature was the seven deleted scenes. Here's your guide to each of the scenes and their overall value to the film:
(Note: all image credits go to Lucasfilm.)
Finn And The Villager
Summary: During the attack on the Jakku village, FN-2187 finds a female villager hiding behind one of the huts. He trains his blaster on her, but eventually lowers it and she wordlessly flees.
Value: We already saw Finn reluctantly refuse to shoot the villagers and demonstrate his goodheartedness so this scene would have been a little redundant. Plus, with all the stormtroopers patrolling around, it seems likely that the innocent woman would have been slaughtered anyway.
Jakku Message
Summary: At the Resistance base, a technician receives an encoded transmission. He rushes to inform General Leia that the Jakku village was wiped out, Poe's X-Wing was destroyed, and BB-8 and the map to Luke are nowhere to be found. She replies that he should never underestimate a droid, and tells C-3PO to find BB-8 immediately.
Value: This gives Leia an earlier – although less dramatic – re-introduction, and it provides a little background onto the Resistance's later entrance on Takodana. It also gives Greg Grunberg (successful television actor and JJ Abrams' friend since kindergarten) more screentime as pilot Snap Wexley.
X-Wings Prepare For Lightspeed
Summary: X-Wing fighters depart the Resistance base for the Starkiller. Poe and BB-8 lead the squad, and the rest of the pilots check in before they jump to hyperspace.
Value: Once again, we get a little more of Wexley and the Resistance, but this scene is ultimately unnecessary; it's not like there was any real doubt about how the X-Wings got to Starkiller Base, and the fighters get a healthy amount of screentime later in the film.
Kylo Searches The Falcon
Summary: On the surface of Starkiller Base, Snowtroopers look through the Millennium Falcon and report to Kylo Ren that the ship is clear. He enters the ship and inspects the cockpit, muttering his father's name and appearing to be quite emotional underneath his helmet. He abruptly turns around and leaves, as if he's sensed a disturbance, sees Poe's X-Wing squadrons arrive.
Value: This was definitely a nice moment that further developed Kylo's character, but since there were multiple other scenes that expressed his inner conflict (talking to Vader's helmet, his fateful encounter with Han), you could imagine why this was deleted from the final cut. However, this is (arguably) the most important and valuable of all the deleted scenes.
Snow Speeder Chase
Summary: On the Starkiller's snowy tundra, Rey and Finn ride a snowspeeder and are blasted by snowtroopers in a identical vehicle. They switch positions so that Rey can pilot while Finn returns fire. He soon hits their pursuers, and the enemy speeder crashes and explodes.
Value: The CGI in the deleted scene is pretty bad and clearly unfinished, so one can only imagine how exciting this scene would have been in theaters. This mainly helps to strengthen Rey and Finn's friendship and mirror their escape from Jakku (she pilots while he shoots), and it explains why they made those snowspeeder toys.
Finn Will Be Fine
Summary: At the Resistance base, several physicians tend to Finn following his wounds at the hands of Kylo. Dr. Kalonia (who we saw tending to Chewie earlier) assures Rey that Finn will be "just fine," and she looks relieved.
Value: Mostly, this just tells the audience the severity of Finn's injuries; we never really saw how badly Kylo had slashed him, and there was some question as to whether he was just sleeping or in an irreversible coma when Rey said goodbye to his unconscious body.
Tunnel Standoff
Summary: In the basement of Maz Kanata's castle, Han, Chewie, Finn, and Maz are confronted by a squad of stormtroopers. They say that they're being arrested by order of Supreme Leader Snoke, and Han pretends to not know who he is. The commander demands that they drop their weapons, and Han continues to stall as he reveals that he first identified Finn as an ex-stormtrooper from his boots.
Value: The full extent of this scene would almost definitely show Maz dispatching the stormtroopers with her Force powers (explaining how these guys end up on the battlefield outside), but that part must have been cut permanently because the filmmakers opted out of identifying her as Force-sensitive. Still, it shows some more truly funny Han Solo moments, which is a real treasure given his later demise.
Which scene(s) do you wish made it into the theatrical release? Tell me in the comments, and may the Force be with you all.
Labels: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Alleged 'Episode VIII' Script Leak Offers Massive ...
JJ Abrams Reveals Major Hint About Rey's Parentage...


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text:
Wainlode Cliff () is a 1.3 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954.  It overlooks Hasfield Ham.

Geology
This an historic locality which was first described in 1842 and shows a seven-metre section of Rhaetian age. The site mains the regional two-fold division of Westbury and Cotham Beds.  The Insect Limestone, which is a productive source of insects, defines the base of the Lias.

Fishing
Seasonal fishing is permitted on the riverbank beneath the cliff.  Day tickets are available from the campsite shop, currently priced at £5 per day (2022).

Sources
 Natural England SSSI information on citation, map and unit details
 Natural England SSSI information on the Wainlode Cliff unit

References

External links
 English Nature (SSSI information)

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1954

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Amidst pandemic, while billions struggle for survival, billionaires' wealth tops $10 trillion
in World — by Farooque Chowdhury — October 8, 2020
Billionaires are "smart" enough. Their wealth now, in this pandemic, tops trillions of dollars.
A new report – Riding the Storm, billionaires insights 2020 – by UBS and PwC reveals that the world's uber-rich have increased their already-huge fortunes by more than a quarter; and this "miracle" happened amidst the ongoing pandemic ravaging life of billions of the poor in continents.
Wealth of this handful of uber-rich, according to the report, grew by 27.5 percent – $10.2 trillion – during April-July period. That was the apex point of the Covid-crisis.
According to the UBS, the billionaires had mostly benefited from betting on the recovery of global stock markets.
The report noted: Wealth of the billionaires had hit "a new high, surpassing the previous peak of $8.9 trillion reached at the end of 2017."
What's the number of billionaires today? It's 2,189 – a record high. In 2017, it was 2,158.
One note in the report said:
"As at 31 July 2020, the number of billionaires was 2,189. The billionaire population grew by 131 during the period when financial markets rebounded in 2020. There were 2,058 billionaires just four months earlier on 7 April 2020, which is [the study's] standard cut-off date. For this year's research [the study has] extended it to 31 July 2020, to take into account the transformative effect of COVID-19."
The report, seventh in the series on billionaire wealth, is, as it claims, "continuing […] investigation into this historic era of wealth generation."
The "research universe covers more than 2,000 billionaires from 43 markets in the Americas, EMEA and APAC, looking back over more than two decades."
Its "database includes the 43 largest billionaire markets, which account for around 98% of global billionaire wealth."
Further, the research "conducted about 60 conversations with billionaires." Its "research sources include PwC billionaire data and UBS sustainability ratings."
"Additionally, reflecting the transformative effect of COVID-19 on billionaire wealth, where relevant", says the report, it has "extended this year's standard annual study period that ends on 7 April 2020 to include the five extra months to 31 July 2020."
The methodology, based on the description above, seems not hostile to the billionaires.
The report said:
"Fortunes are polarizing as business innovators and disruptors deploy technology to be among the leaders of today's economic revolution. During 2018, 2019 and the first seven months of 2020, entrepreneurs in the tech, healthcare and industrials sectors pulled ahead. The COVID-19 storm accelerated the divergence."
It said:
"Scientists, computer programmers and engineers are revolutionizing industries at a pace never seen before. Their sphere of activity is spreading from the tech and healthcare sectors to disrupt many parts of the economy. As they apply emerging technologies to drive change, some of them are becoming billionaires."
These are significant findings, which tell a lot about the way capitals behave and pocket money. And, also, the source of this huge money. It's its strength. Its weakness also resides here. A major task is, not slogan mongering, but to find out this strength and weakness of the capitals getting fatter during a crisis period.
The report told an interesting, actually a confusing" fact as it identified a trend as "Record-breaking donations":
"To tackle the pandemic, billionaires have given more than ever before in a space of a few months. Some 209 billionaires have publicly committed a total of USD 7.2 billion, whether in financial donations, manufactured goods and equipment, or other commitments."
Amazing! A lot of donations!!
Is it donation? Is it benevolence? Is it love for the suffering people?
No, this, the "Record-breaking donations", is for reproduction of capital, for sustaining the relations, the conditions that facilitate producing profit, skyrocketing profit.
The report cites Joseph Schumpeter:
"The function of entrepreneurs is to reform or revolutionize the pattern of production by exploiting an invention or, more generally, an untried technological possibility for producing a new commodity or producing an old one in a new way, by opening up a new source of supply of materials or a new outlet for products, by reorganizing an industry and so on,"
But, the fact, which is ignored is:
Which one is exploited – is it an innovation or labor? What has innovated the innovation? Isn't it labor?
Let's assume: From thin air, an innovation – artificial intelligence (AI) to 3D printing, from nanotechnology to biotechnology – has come into existence. But, there's no unfortunate soul to put their labor power behind that innovation to bring it to life – make it move and create some miracle of making money huge in quantity.
How the entrepreneurs would "reform or revolutionize the pattern of production"?
Moreover, what produces the innovation? Isn't it labor in an entire society?
And, isn't a "new source of supply" a new source of exploitation of either nature or human, or the both?
Then, who pays to the "good souls" for the "good souls'" profit – a huge money to re-invest, to indulge in luxury unimaginable to the unfortunate ordinary persons having no access to the information related to that luxury, and to show "benevolence" – make "donations, spend money for "philanthropy"?
Has the "pattern of production", as the Austrian economist, Schumpeter describes, been changed with the innovations? There's change in speed – a significant factor in increasing exploitation and profit making – in production, marketing, etc. that includes confusing and manipulating "mind", brains of consumers. But, are not the relations of production, the relations the commodities establish unchanged?
The section 1 – "The great polarization" – of the report said:
"It's a time of accelerating change, reflected in the polarizing fortunes of billionaires.
"Those that are the innovators and the disruptors, the architects of creative destruction in the economy, are still increasing their wealth.
"Other billionaires, on the wrong side of economic, technological, societal and environmental trends are becoming less wealthy.
"Contrast this polarization with most of the past decade, when steady growth and buoyant asset prices lifted billionaire wealth in all sectors. Most of the decade was a time of exceptional prosperity for billionaires regardless of sector, but in the last two years those using technology to change their business models, products and services have pulled ahead. The COVID-19 crisis just accentuated this divergence.
"While business innovators and disruptors are deploying technology for competitive advantage across all sectors, naturally the heart-land of this activity is the technology, healthcare and industrial sectors, which clearly signal the polarization taking place. During 2018, 2019 and the first seven months of 2020, 4 technology billionaires' total wealth rose by 42.5% to USD 1.8 trillion, supported by the surge in tech shares. Meanwhile, healthcare billionaires' total wealth increased by 50.3% to USD 658.6 billion, boosted by a new age of drug discovery and innovations in diagnostics and medical technology, as well as latterly COVID-19 treatments and equipment. (The standard analysis period has been extended to take into account the effects of COVID-19.)
"Compare this to the smaller increase for the billionaire class as a whole. It rose by 19.1% to USD 10.2 trillion over 2018, 2019 and the first seven months of 2020.
"The net wealth of billionaires in entertainment, financial services, materials and real estate sectors lagged the rest of the universe, with increases of 10% or less."
Which billionaire is getting more wealthy and which one is getting less wealthy, which billionaire is entering the "heart-land of activity and which billionaire is on the "wrong side" is a problem of the billionaires, and of the aspiring billionaires. But, the exploited, the producers of profit, the appropriated remain the same, remain in the same area – exploited.
First, it doesn't matter, which exploiter makes less profit and which one makes higher. The issue that matters is the appropriation/exploitation. Less profit doesn't mean elimination of exploitation/appropriation.
Second, the question of appropriation/exploitation is not considered on the basis of individual or a group of exploiters. Rather, the issue is considered on its entirety – the entire exploiting class, the uber rich billionaires are part of it.
Therefore, higher profit in one area and less profit in another area doesn't make any change in the mathematics of appropriation/exploitation.
The important aspects that come out of the fact related to the two groups of billionaires – one group make more and the other less – are:
(1) The exploiting classes has not ceased or even lessened appropriation/exploitation during this on-going pandemic period, which has been termed as "one of the largest humanitarian catastrophes in recent times" by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It's situation with, as the IFRC said, "1 million individual tragedies and countless heartbreaks".
(2) On the contrary, the exploiting classes have increased appropriation/exploitation in such a time. And it has found out the way to increase/accelerate appropriation/exploitation in such a time, which is full of locked down cities and towns, billions of people staying within their homes and away from production places, factories closed down, workers made unemployed, workers forced to leave their places of residence, which mean (i) the rate of appropriation/exploitation has not lessened in case of, at least, a few thousand billionaires, (ii) rather, they have succeeded in increasing it, and (iii) the capitals involved in this forceful increase of appropriation/exploitation has successfully found "new" areas for appropriation/exploitation. The areas for appropriation/exploitation are not in real sense new.
So, Josef Stadler, the head of UBS's Ultra High Net Worth department, said:
"Billionaires did extremely well during the Covid crisis. Not only did they ride the storm to the downside, but they also gained on the upside."
Stadler has admitted that the uber rich were able to benefit from the crisis.
This acquisition of "benefit" is at the cost of the workers and nature, who produced the wealth.
And, these workers, millions going through untold suffering – unemployment, and consequently, hunger, loss of shelter, lack of health care, fear of murderous uncertainty – in countries, go unheard, unattended, non-politicized, unaware of class question, appropriation/exploitation. Rather, they are manipulated, divided, segregated, infused with anti-worker ideas, concepts and attitudes.
Shall it go this way forever?
Stadler provides the answer with a question similar to the question made above: "Is there a risk they [the billionaires] maybe singled out by society? Yes."
Stadler goes a bit farther with another question: Are they [the billionaires] aware of it [singling out]?
And, again, Stadler has the answer: Yes.
But, the question that will follow is: What shall follow after the "yes" – awareness of the billionaires? It's a major question related to the classes appropriated/exploited, but ignored by many political trends, ideas, ideologies – the rightists, the politics related to this system of exploitation. As a tact of "ignorance", these trends, ideas, ideologies never enter into the question of exploitation, exploiters, exploited, and raise other divisive issues, confusing questions. And, a group of "progressives" faithfully follow this "ignorant" group.
(3) Is this – the new area of making higher profit as shown by this latest finding on a group of billionaires – the dominant trend in the global capitalism?
It's a significant question, which has to be searched. With a single finding, with a finding based on a certain single period – a few months/years – the answer shouldn't be made. The answer to the question will determine a number of slogans in class struggle, the struggle the exploited classes carry on.
Whatever happens regarding the trend of higher profit-seeking capital, the fundamental question of exploitation don't get wiped out. On the opposite, the question remains as one of the burning questions in the economic and political struggle of the billions of the exploited. Whoever doesn't raise this question, whoever ignores this question stand for the exploiters, stands against the exploited.
Farooque Chowdhury writes from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Democracy is a Function of Capitalism
War of the (Financial) Worlds Or Let the Markets Go Wild While the People Go Down
Adam Smith's Invisible Hand Is At Our Throats
The pandemic, the profiteers, the people
Name Me One Country Where Capitalism Works: A Thirty-Year Reckoning
My New 25% Solution
The Revolutionary Potential of Hope and Utopia
The Twin Essence of Our Times
Tags: Capitalism
Author: Farooque Chowdhury

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


First Lady Melania Trump will soon become the first Catholic to reside in the White House since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and his wife Jackie had to move out. The current First Lady has not yet relocated to Washington D.C. She is waiting for 10-year-old Baron Trump's school year to finish before joining the president at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
While it is not publicly known when exactly Melania Trump became a Catholic – she had been brought up in a Communist-supporting family in Slovenia who gave the outward appearance, at least, of falling in line with Communist atheist beliefs – a spokesperson for the First Lady confirmed to the Daily Mail shortly after her meeting with the Pope this week that she was a practicing Catholic.
Melania Trump had caused some speculation regarding her religion after she introduced her husband at a rally in Florida in February with the Lord's Prayer.
The President himself is a Presbyterian and the couple married in an Episcopal Church in Florida in 2005. This would seem to suggest that her conversion to Catholicism may have happened at some point over the last 12 years.
On Wednesday, First Lady Melania Trump attended a Papal address along with her family, shortly before her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham confirmed her religion. Grisham failed to confirm the exact time of her conversion.
Melania is believed to have brought along a set of rosary beads for Pope Francis to bless and to have told him she was looking forward to visiting the "bambinos" in a Vatican-affiliated hospital later that day.
At Bambino Gesù (Baby Jesus) Hospital, the First Lady laid flowers at the feet of a statue of the Virgin Mary, before meeting with the children, and praying at the hospital chapel.
"To spend time speaking to and coloring with children who have such a positive spirit despite illness was an amazing gift," she said.
Although former Vice President Joe Biden is a Catholic and there has been a significant percentage of Catholic members of Congress, Melania Trump will be the first Catholic resident of the White House since the early 1960s.
Currently 70 million of the 321 million residents of the US are Catholic (about 22%) and the growing Latino and Hispanic communities are adding further to this.
While Catholics were once viewed with suspicion in America, especially in the southern states, this view has been fading in recent years.
"Not that long ago, the prospect of the head of the Catholic Church addressing Congress would have been unthinkable," observed the New York Times when Pope Francis addressed the Joint Session of Congress in September 2015.
Read more: Catholics reject Donald Trump in huge numbers – the Pope Francis effect?
While JFK broke down the barrier, no Catholic has since come close to reaching his achievement with only long-shot Martin O'Malley and Catholic convert Jeb Bush representing the Catholic faith in the 2016 presidential election. (Although, Marco Rubio was also once a Catholic.) Within Trump's current administration, Seán Spicer and Kelly-Anne Conway are among the most prominent Catholics.


Yesterday the pair EUR/USD reached ten-day highs at the level of 1.3642. Supported to Euro was provided by the rise in German consumer confidence index and the increase in money supply in Eurozone. Consumer confidence index reached the level of 8.5%, which was above the forecast; while money supply increased by 0.1% on annual basis. Unified European currency was also supported by the fading interest in the USD.
On the other hand, the pair is under pressure from instability in Ukraine and poor inflation data in Germany (consumer price index rose by 0.5% against expectation of 0.6%).
Resistance levels are the local highs of 1.3726, 1.3773 and 1.3800; the latter one is important psychological level. Support levels are moving average with period 55 (1.3660), yesterday's lows of 1.3642, moving average with period 100 (1.3625) and Fibonacci retracement of 61.8% (1.3590).
It is recommended to open long positions after breakdown of the level of 1.3726 with protective orders at 1.3700 and a target of 1.3773.


text:
/ Skincare
Usher reveals his romantic side
R&B singer extends his perfumed portfolio
March 10, 2009 - 17:44 GMT hellomagazine.com Usher reveals his romantic side
1/1Usher He and She are the latest fragrances to be released by the R&B star
Usher He and She are the latest fragrances to be released by the R&B star
UR For Men
UR For Women
21 best perfume gift sets for women this Christmas: From Jo Malone to Chanel, Valentino & Dior
While buying someone a fragrance for Christmas might not be everyone's choice of gift ("Oh, it's far too personal!"), there are plenty of...
6 wedding perfumes worn by royal and celebrity brides: from Princess Diana to Michelle Keegan
Have a charming Valentine's day
It has to be our favourite Valentine's gift from the beauty houses so far – a delicate rose gold charm bracelet from John Galliano, that tells the...
The latest new beauty buys that you're going to get excited about
The best new fragrances to ask for this Valentine's Day
From the new Jo Malone Valentine's edition to the latest Burberry, you can't go wrong with ANY of these scents...


text:
Trump administration sues Facebook over alleged favoritism for immigrant workers
December 9, 2020 December 5, 2020 - by cmbodiescom
The Trump administration sued Facebook on Thursday for allegedly passing over US job candidates for thousands of positions in favor of immigrant workers holding temporary visas.
The suit by the Justice Department claims that from 2018 through September 2019, Facebook (FB) discriminated against US workers by reserving job openings for temporary workers including H-1B visa holders.
In a statement, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said: "Facebook has been cooperating with the DOJ in its review of this issue and while we dispute the allegations in the complaint, we cannot comment further on pending litigation."
The complaint follows a two-year investigation by the DOJ, according to an agency release. The Trump administration seeks civil penalties against Facebook as well as back pay for what the DOJ says is owed to US workers who were denied employment at Facebook.
"Our message to workers is clear," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, in a statement. "If companies deny employment opportunities by illegally preferring temporary visa holders, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable. Our message to all employers — including those in the technology sector — is clear: you cannot illegally prefer to recruit, consider, or hire temporary visa holders over U.S. workers."
The complaint was filed before administrative law judges at the Executive Office for Immigration, a branch of the Justice Department. The department's Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer routinely handles cases involving immigration employment practices.
Southwest warns 6,800 employees of impending layoffs, a first for the airline
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text:
Beating eBay: Alibaba's rise a multibillion-dollar roller coaster of successes and setbacks
Joe McDonald, The Associated Press May 9, 2014
BEIJING, China – Even before Alibaba went online, its founder talked about making the fledgling e-commerce company a global player.
At Alibaba Group's first staff meeting in 1999, a video shot by an employee shows Jack Ma rallying a workforce of 17 of his friends. They met in a cement-floored apartment in Hangzhou, a city southwest of Shanghai, at a time when few Chinese were online. Ma was an English teacher with no training in business or computers.
"Our competitors are not in China but in Silicon Valley," says Ma in the video, which is included in a documentary about the company, "Crocodile in the Yangtze," made by a former Alibaba vice-president, Porter Erisman. "We can beat government agencies and big, famous companies because of our innovative spirit."
Such Silicon Valley-style bluster was new to China, but Ma delivered. Over the next 15 years, he helped propel Alibaba through technical and financial challenges and a battle with eBay Inc. to become the world's biggest online bazaar. The company is now planning to list in the U.S. and analysts say its initial public offering this year may raise up to $20 billion.
Last year, 231 million customers spent $248 billion with merchants on Alibaba's platforms, more than Amazon.com Inc. and eBay combined.
Along the way, Alibaba had to develop e-commerce infrastructure its Western counterparts took for granted. Few Chinese used credit cards, so it created Alipay, a payments system that helped online sales win acceptance by allowing wary customers to receive goods before releasing money to sellers. The company worked with shippers to improve their reliability and held trade shows to persuade entrepreneurs to go online.
"Alibaba really created the e-commerce market in China," said Edward Yu, president of research firm Analysys International.
Today, the company's main platforms are its original business-to-business service Alibaba.com, consumer-to-consumer site Taobao and TMall for brands to sell to consumers.
Alibaba has expanded into personal finance, games, video and other services. In March, it was one of 10 companies picked by Beijing to set up China's first privately financed banks since the 1949 communist revolution. It is dipping a toe abroad, with a $215 million investment in March in Tango, a California-based mobile message service, and plans to launch a U.S. e-commerce site.
Alibaba's IPO paperwork says revenue, mostly fees from merchants, rose 57 per cent in the final nine months of last year. Alibaba kept more than 43 cents of each dollar as net income.
In a Silicon Valley-style innovation, Alibaba cultivated a hardworking but playful corporate culture that was a novelty in China's state-dominated economy. An annual employee talent show grew into Alifest, a raucous event held in a soccer stadium before an audience of thousands. Ma takes part by singing Chinese pop songs.
"Alibaba allowed people to shape their own destiny instead of working for a state-owned company or the government bureaucracy," said Erisman.
The early years were a roller-coaster of successes and setbacks. In 1999, Alibaba raised $5 million from investors including Goldman Sachs and then $20 million from Japan's Softbank. Plans called for raising more through a stock market offering, but the Internet bubble burst in 2000 and interest in tech shares evaporated.
"We suffered much more than any other Internet company," Ma told the BBC in 2001.
The next year, Alibaba faced its biggest threat when eBay acquired EachNet, a company that had 80 per cent of China's small consumer e-commerce market.
Ma fought back by launching consumer site Taobao and Alipay. He promised Taobao would be free for three years, undercutting eBay's fee-based model. In a guerrilla move to offset eBay's bigger advertising budget, Alibaba employees posted thousands of messages on Internet bulletin boards directing users to Taobao.
In 2004, then-CEO Meg Whitman said eBay expected China to be its biggest market in 10 to 15 years. In 2006, eBay gave up and turned over its China operation to a local partner.
Taobao has given tens of thousands of small Chinese entrepreneurs their first foothold in e-commerce, trading used furniture, hand-knitted sweaters and other goods.
In the northwestern city of Urumqi, Jin Junhui started a business on Taobao in 2005 selling dates and raisins for which the region is famous. Sales in 2008 hit 500,000 yuan ($80,000) and doubled the next year.
"Taobao has changed my life," said Jin, 32. "Now I have two employees and more free time to do what I like."
Alibaba's rise has been marked by Ma's emphasis on the company's long-term interests, even when that clashed with shareholders.
That strained ties with Yahoo Inc., which provided much-needed cash when it paid $1 billion for 40 per cent of Alibaba in 2005. The relationship soured in squabbles over strategy but Yahoo profited. Alibaba bought back half for $7.1 billion in 2011 and Yahoo stands to make billions more in the IPO.
Alibaba also faced criticism in 2011 when it spun off Alipay but failed to tell Yahoo and other shareholders immediately. Ma said the move was necessary because Beijing would only license an electronic payment service wholly owned by Chinese citizens.
Ma stepped down as CEO in May 2013, but stayed on as executive chairman and also announced an overhaul to make Alibaba more responsive.
The changes come as Alibaba faces a challenge to its dominance amid upheaval in China's Internet market, where users are shifting to going online via smartphone and tablet.
In e-commerce, Alibaba faces competition from Jingdong.com, which has one-tenth of its market share but a strong reputation for service. Jingdong.com received a $215 million investment in March from games portal Tencent Holdings Ltd., which also owns a stake in an operator of logistics centres.
"Two years ago, I think Alibaba was quite successful. It had no competitor," said Yu of Analysys International. "But today things are quite different. Tencent definitely is a formidable power to challenge Alibaba's business."
AP researcher Fu Ting in Shanghai contributed.


text:
namespace google_apis {

// This class is used to generate URLs for communicating with drive api
// servers for production, and a local server for testing.
class DriveApiUrlGenerator {
 public:
  // |base_url| is the path to the target drive api server.
  // Note that this is an injecting point for a testing server.
  DriveApiUrlGenerator(const GURL& base_url, const GURL& base_download_url);
  ~DriveApiUrlGenerator();

  // The base URL for communicating with the production drive api server.
  static const char kBaseUrlForProduction[];

  // The base URL for the file download server for production.
  static const char kBaseDownloadUrlForProduction[];

  // Returns a URL to invoke "About: get" method.
  GURL GetAboutGetUrl() const;

  // Returns a URL to invoke "Apps: list" method.
  GURL GetAppsListUrl() const;

  // Returns a URL to fetch a file metadata.
  GURL GetFilesGetUrl(const std::string& file_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to create a resource.
  GURL GetFilesInsertUrl() const;

  // Returns a URL to patch file metadata.
  GURL GetFilesPatchUrl(const std::string& file_id,
                        bool set_modified_date,
                        bool update_viewed_date) const;

  // Returns a URL to copy a resource specified by |file_id|.
  GURL GetFilesCopyUrl(const std::string& file_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to fetch file list.
  GURL GetFilesListUrl(int max_results,
                       const std::string& page_token,
                       const std::string& q) const;

  // Returns a URL to trash a resource with the given |file_id|.
  GURL GetFilesTrashUrl(const std::string& file_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to fetch a list of changes.
  GURL GetChangesListUrl(bool include_deleted,
                         int max_results,
                         const std::string& page_token,
                         int64 start_change_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to add a resource to a directory with |folder_id|.
  GURL GetChildrenInsertUrl(const std::string& folder_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to remove a resource with |child_id| from a directory
  // with |folder_id|.
  GURL GetChildrenDeleteUrl(const std::string& child_id,
                            const std::string& folder_id) const;

  // Returns a URL to initiate uploading a new file.
  GURL GetInitiateUploadNewFileUrl() const;

  // Returns a URL to initiate uploading an existing file specified by
  // |resource_id|.
  GURL GetInitiateUploadExistingFileUrl(const std::string& resource_id) const;

  // Generates a URL for downloading a file.
  GURL GenerateDownloadFileUrl(const std::string& resource_id) const;

 private:
  const GURL base_url_;
  const GURL base_download_url_;

  // This class is copyable hence no DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN here.
};

}  // namespace google_apis

#endif  // CHROME_BROWSER_GOOGLE_APIS_DRIVE_API_URL_GENERATOR_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Protesters try to legitimize their cause
Roman Vorobyov
combined report
Christy Monet
Voters looking through the results of the elections to the opposition's Coordination Council. Source: ITAR-TASS
The elections to the opposition's Coordinating Council sparked debates on the future of Russia's opposition. While some pundits see them as "virtual" and "far removed from reality," others argue it is an attempt to bolster real democracy in the country.
{***The face of protests***}
Russia's opposition leaders have held elections to its Coordinating Council (CC) – a single governing body that is intended not only to coordinate the protest movements, but also to represent angry citizens in their dialogue with the Kremlin and the State Duma.
Russian opposition seeks to hold one-person protest in central Moscow on Oct. 27
A week after the regional elections on Oct. 14, another round of voting has taken place outside of public administration: the election of members to the opposition's Coordinating Council (CC). The purpose of the body is to develop a unified ideology, coordinate opposition activities, and represent dissatisfied citizens who have been involved in protests since the Duma elections of December 2011.
According to Dmitry Oreshkin, the creation of the Coordinating Council was both inevitable and necessary.
"This is not to say that it will be wonderful, or that it will be made up of the very brightest people, far worthier than those who are in government or who are members of legitimate opposition," the political scientist said. "It is not even certain that the new body will be able to solve all of the problems it has raised. What matters is that the Coordinating Council is essential for the peaceful and legitimate development of the political situation in Russia."
"The existence of the opposition's Coordinating Council does not guarantee success, but its absence guarantees failure," Oreshkin added.
Pavel Sheremet, a political commentator for Kommersant, agrees with Oreshkin on the underlying importance of this political development.
"The elections, by themselves, will of course make no difference," Sheremet said. "But this is the first occurrence in many years of people coming together to demand just one thing: change."
The face of protest
The CC is set up as a body of 45 elected members. Thirty of these members are elected according to the so-called general civil list, under which anyone can run. In addition, there are five representatives from each of the three main ideological strata —the left, liberal, and nationalist regional organizations. The members of the body are elected to serve for one year.
"This formula may not seem that straightforward, but it is the result of a broad compromise between very different political forces," said CC elections organizers on the official website of the opposition's Central Electoral Committee.
Political scientist Mikhail Remizov has his doubts about the efficacy of the newly formed governing body.
"These elections do not inspire confidence in a substantial number of real and potential participants," said Remizov. "The bickering that is growing in the protest milieu obscures the possible positive effects that were initially seen. Leadership should be asserted not through formal procedures, but through some purposeful activities that unite people."
In total, more than 200 people were in the running for 45 seats. Among them were not only popular leaders of street protests, but also less-prominent businessmen, journalists, public activists and other interested citizens with political ambitions.
"The opposition's Coordinating Council marks an attempt to broaden the scope of protest activities, on the one hand, and an attempt by some leaders to consolidate their status, on the other. I am referring to Navalny and Sobchak," said political scientist Alexei Mukhin. "Both have public track records that are checkered, and both are trying to use the Coordinating Council to establish themselves as bona fide politicians."
Regardless of personalities, track records, and ideologies, Oreshkin believes that the most important task for opposition leaders is to focus on trust.
"October's regional elections have shown that the system's politicians (both pro- and anti-establishment) command less and less interest and trust. The turnout was low, sometimes disastrously so. Most of those who turned up at the polls belonged to the "controlled electorate," who had been mobilized on orders: employees of major enterprises, public sector workers, servicemen, pensioners, etc. Those who were able to stay away from the poles did exactly that."
According to Oreshkin, opposition leaders can only gain legitimacy – the kind "system politicians" lack – through elections that target audiences' trust.
"This is the only way to gauge the real weight of the left, the right, the nationalists, the anarchists and the liberals within the protest movement," said Oreshkin. "Elections will allow us to, if not solve, then at least mitigate the problem of ideological 'sectarianism' in different anti-establishment groups, build a mutual understanding and determine priorities."
{***Not without scandal***}
Not without scandal
The elections to the CC were initially scheduled for Oct. 20-21, to be held online and at specially sited ballot boxes. However, the opposition was unable to complete the procedure in time: the website of the Central Electoral Committee was attacked by hackers on Oct. 20, and voters were unable to cast their ballots online. As a result, voting was extended until evening the following day.
The voting disturbance reveals the fact that authorities have already taken note of this opposition development, says Ocherkin.
Over 40,000 take part in electing opposition Coordinating Council
Opposition prepares for fall season
Opposition doesn't view elections as the alternative
Khodorkovsky refuses to join Russian opposition Coordination Council
"They do not know who personifies the new political force and what its political weight is; but they know full well (though they keep quiet about it) that it is a force to be reckoned with. Judging from the massive attempts to disrupt or discredit the election of the Coordinating Council, the powers are aware of this too."
The elections were also hit by financial scandal. According to regulations, the main source of funds for the elections came in the form of a 10,000-ruble ($320) fee, which all registered candidates paid. However, shortly before the elections, some of the registrants accused the organizers of fraud and demanded their money back.
Following an investigation of the alleged fraud, law-enforcement agencies launched criminal proceedings. Organizers of the opposition elections, meanwhile, announced that any candidate who requested a refund would receive their money back.
Ocherkin believes the scandals are overrated, however.
"There will of course be some bad blood and scandals, some will slam the door, stomp their feet, leave the fold and quietly come back. All this is inevitable, because elections are by definition about conflicts of interests. But there is no other way."
Mixed reviews
As would be expected, not everyone sees eye-to-eye on the significance of the opposition's new governing body and the elections that it held. Nikolai Levichev, chairman of the opposition party "A Just Russia," believes that the elections are an exclusively online project.
"I don't understand what all the fuss is about. All sorts of communities spring up on the Internet, following all sorts of principles," Levichev said. "All that is virtual life that is, in my opinion, far removed from reality."
Full story: Elections in Russia
Ocherkin suggests that the significance is much bigger.
"This, essentially, is the first attempt to counter 'sovereign' democracy with genuine democracy and a docile parliament that is 'no place for discussions' with a genuine (albeit embryonic) parliament," he said. "In any case, hands-on experience with alternative politics is good for the country and society, even if it is not crowned with a victory."
Either way, the development is something that authorities will have to pay attention to, according to Sheremet. "Perhaps being elected to the Coordinating Council is a ticket to jail, but it may also legitimize the new opposition leaders," said the Kommersant correspondent. "This is why the authorities are so vexed. I am sure that those who ignored the project regret it now."
Kremlin authorities, for their part, are restrained in their official comments regarding the CC's future. "We don't yet understand what kind of structure it is, who the members are, what sort of people they are. Therefore, we can't comment," presidential press secretary Dmitri Peskov told Kommersant Vlast. President Putin, however, has already repeatedly stated that he is ready to meet with them.
Material based on articles published by Kommersant and Kommersant Vlast, RBC Daily, RIA Novosti, and Gazeta.ru.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
elections politics opposition Politics Elections


JSC Routine has distributed by Dhaka Education Board of Bangladesh. The main examination will hold on first November. JSC implies Junior School Certificate.
Presently, this Junior Secondary Certificate is for all. JDC implies Junior Dhakhil Certificate. This framework has begun since 2010 for understudies for the understudy of class eight (VIII). Exam routine timetable has distributed for all Education Board this year. Bangladesh Education Board is in charge of distributing the JSC exam routine for consistently. Alia Madrasah board deals Dakhil exam. There are added up to twelve subjects. The exam will begin from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm every day. Exam time table is accessible on education board official website.


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To see the potential effect of this serum, here are two photographs, with no makeup, and unretouched, taken about 10 minutes apart.
no makeup, un-retouched. This is about ten minutes after a light facial massage with ageless serum.


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Welcome to my humble home on the Web. My name is Joel Hardin, though I am also known on the Web as Percy Blakeney and Percy Bandello. If you have ICQ please drop me a line. My number is 7738988 and my nickname is, of course, Percy. Please have a look around my site. Below you will find several links to subjects in which I am interested. I am constantly working on this site (usually on my character sketches/ fantasy artwork pages) when time allows. By the way, please sign my guestbook on the way out. I hope you enjoy your stay.
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text:
Coronavirus testing: What we know, all in one place
Before being sent to a lab, blood samples from COVID-19 antibody tests are packed in a container at the Volusia County Fairgrounds on May 5, 2020, in DeLand, Fla. (Associated Press)
By Samantha Putterman May 5, 2020
If Your Time is short
The main types of coronavirus tests — diagnostic, antibody and antigen — are in different stages of development and have varying levels of accuracy.
Testing supply shortages vary across labs but have been made worse by an overwhelmed international supply chain.
Contact tracing, which involves tracking patients and who they've interacted with, is a common public health strategy that experts say is key to slow the spread of the coronavirus and reopening the economy.
Coronavirus testing, and everything that goes along with it, has permeated the news cycle.
That's because the testing situation — in the United States and abroad — is complicated, and continues to change.
Health officials say that adequate and rapid testing, as well as contact tracing, are paramount to slow the spread of COVID-19 and navigate a return to public life.
It can be hard to keep up with which test does what. So we compiled what we know about the process so far to get you separating antibody from antigen.
Where the U.S. is on testing right now
Testing for the novel coronavirus continues to tick up in the United States, but public health experts say it's still a drop in the bucket compared with the amount needed for a country of 330 million people.
So far, around 7 million Americans have been tested for the virus. Approximately 235,000 people are currently being tested in the country per day.
That sounds like a lot. But to safely restart the U.S. economy, the country needs to be doing at least 5 million tests per day by early June, according to a study by Harvard University. The study said that number should reach 20 million tests per day by late July.
Whether the Trump administration believes the U.S. can hit that figure depends on the speaker. President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. may be able to carry out 5 million tests per day "very soon." But Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health in charge of the government's testing response, told Time there's "absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even 5 million tests a day."
The Harvard assessment is "an unreasonable benchmark," Giroir said.
The White House blueprint for ramping up testing capacity largely leaves states in charge of developing plans and rapid-response programs. The plan says the federal government should act as the "supplier of last resort" for tests.
The different types of coronavirus tests
There are three main tests that health officials mention as they talk about what's needed to restart the economy.
Tests for confirming the disease: Diagnostic (polymerase chain reaction, or PCR)
Diagnostic tests determine whether someone is currently infected with the novel coronavirus. They are considered the most common and reliable.
Diagnostic tests, which are also known as PCR tests, look for the genetic material of the coronavirus in a sample that's typically taken from a person's nose or throat. It uses polymerase chain reaction technology to amplify any viral genetic material that may be present.
These tests are known to be the most accurate, but it usually takes several days to get results.
To speed up the process, Abbott Laboratories made its "ID NOW" rapid PCR test, which can produce results in 13 minutes. But when it was reported that the tests were producing a high number of false negatives, the company advised health care providers not to store patient samples in solutions known as "viral transport media." Abbott said the swabs should be placed directly into the device and then the test will work as expected.
Tests to determine who was already infected: Antibody
Antibody tests, also known as serology tests, identify whether a person was previously infected with the virus. It does not detect the virus itself.
The tests are designed to detect the presence of antibodies — proteins that are key elements of the body's immune response to germs. Antibodies would be present in people who battled the coronavirus and recovered, as well as in people who had been exposed but whose infection was so mild that they didn't notice they were sick.
These are usually blood tests and can be taken from a finger prick or a vein. Results typically only take a few minutes, but the biggest issue is accuracy.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a policy in March that allowed for antibody tests to be brought to market without the usual review process. This enabled more than 100 commercial tests to flood the market, many of which were of low quality. Facing widespread criticism over the approach, the FDA revised the policy on May 4 and announced new standards for testing developers.
READ MORE: Antibody tests: The promise and pitfalls of using them to reopen the US
Tests to identify people infected with the virus, with less lab work: Antigen
Antigen tests are designed to detect a specific antigen, which is considered to be any foreign substance that the immune system fights against.
Researchers say antigen testing could be part of a broader solution to quickly screen patients for infection.
But there are no coronavirus antigen tests currently approved by the FDA.
Antigen tests, like PCR (diagnostic) tests, would be used to determine infection and require nasal swabs. But antigen tests would look for viral proteins on the virus' surface, while PCR tests look for genetic material carried inside the virus.
Antigen tests are typically quick and easy and use the same technology as a rapid strep test. The tests can be done in a doctor's office and can produce results in minutes.
PCR tests tend to be more sensitive, and thus, more accurate than antigen tests.
A few reasons why the US lags in testing
Supply shortages
Supply shortages have plagued coronavirus testing in the U.S, and some labs are faring better than others.
Swabs and reagents, in particular, have been in high demand. These materials are used to collect and process samples for coronavirus testing, and the sudden worldwide demand for them has strained the supply chain and slowed down testing. (Swabs are used to collect samples from people's noses or throats; reagents are chemicals used to identify the virus in the tests.)
Government agencies continue to approve and incorporate testing supply alternatives in an attempt to fix the problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, now says various types of swabs can be used in certain situations, and the FDA greenlit the use of a broader range of swabs and relaxed other guidelines on storing samples.
READ MORE: Swabs and reagents: The coronavirus test materials everyone is talking about
The fractured supply chain
The U.S. outsources some of the materials it needs for testing, and a global run on the same supplies has bottlenecked a complex international supply chain.
The shortages are constantly changing.
"At one point it was test kits, at another it was swabs," said Louise Serio, a spokesperson for the American Clinical Laboratory Association that includes Quest and LabCorp. "But one constriction in the chain of supply can suddenly create a bottleneck. That's why it's important that labs have reliable access to all of the supplies and equipment necessary to perform the tests."
Some of the supplies needed for testing, like a lot of the test kits, come from Europe, but other supplies might be sourced from India, Italy, China, or the United States.
Lab officials also say that some of the major testing manufacturers are based overseas and typically make the majority of their products near, or around, their headquarters.
READ MORE: The international supply chain behind coronavirus testing
Lack of preparedness and a botched rollout
The United States' testing woes seem to have kicked off with a late and failed rollout of testing kits from the CDC. The kits turned out to be faulty and forced the agency to recall the tests.
Another blow, some experts say, was a lack of foresight going back years.
The U.S. has strategic emergency reserves of items like oil and milk, but didn't treat testing components the same way, said Davey Smith, chief of infectious diseases and global public health at the University of California-San Diego. There was no emergency supply of swabs or reagents.
Contact tracing is a common public health strategy and has been used to slow other diseases. It involves tracking the movements of patients and who they've interacted with — possibly by using their cell phones.
Health workers conduct contact tracing by learning as much as they can about who a patient has been in contact with, so they can be notified about their potential exposure and urged to isolate.
State and local public health officials are hiring thousands of new contact tracers, but some experts say the federal government needs to spend billions of dollars to bolster those efforts.
READ MORE: Contact tracing: How it's used to fight COVID-1
Time, Trump Says U.S. Will Run 5 Million Daily Virus Tests 'Very Soon.' His Testing Chief Says That's Impossible, April 28, 2020
Harvard University, Roadmap to pandemic resilience, April 20, 2020
CovidTracking.com, US Historical Data, Accessed May 4, 2020
CNN, What to know about the three main types of coronavirus tests, April 29, 2020
NBC News, What is antigen testing? How a new test could help track the coronavirus outbreak, April 28, 2020
NPR, How Reliable Are COVID-19 Tests? Depends Which One You Mean, May 1, 2020
PolitiFact, COVID-19 testing: Where we are now, April 17, 2020
PolitiFact, Swabs and reagents: The coronavirus test materials everyone is talking about, April 21, 2020
PolitiFact, The international supply chain behind coronavirus testing, April 28, 2020
PolitiFact, Antibody tests: The promise and pitfalls of using them to reopen the US, April 15, 2020
PolitiFact, Contact tracing: How it's used to fight COVID-19, April 17, 2020
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
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stated on January 11, 2022 a Facebook post:
"The CDC director just said that 75% of 'Covid deaths' occurred in people with at least four comorbidities."
By Samantha Putterman • January 12, 2022
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Dana Perino
stated on January 4, 2022 a segment:
A law backed by Virginia Democrats barred local sheriffs from having military equipment that "would have come in very helpful" with the I-95 traffic jam.
stated on December 31, 2021 an Instagram post:
Tylenol "ruins your ability to kill" COVID-19.
By Samantha Putterman • January 5, 2022
stated on December 4, 2021 a Facebook post:
Microsoft and Bill Gates created a 1999 video game called "Omikron."
By Samantha Putterman • December 17, 2021
stated on December 14, 2021 a Facebook post:
"California store owner prices all items at $951 so thieves can be prosecuted."
The COVID-19 vaccines cause AIDS.
stated on December 6, 2021 a meeting with Louisiana lawmakers:
The COVID-19 vaccine is the "deadliest vaccine ever made."
stated on December 7, 2021 an Instagram post:
Says Vice President Kamala Harris called the unvaccinated "dirty Trump people."
By Samantha Putterman • December 8, 2021
stated on November 21, 2021 a Facebook post:
The Vatican owns a telescope called Lucifer.
By Samantha Putterman • November 22, 2021
stated on November 9, 2021 a tweet:
"Bill Gates just admitted that the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines don't work well."
A new Facebook/Meta rule allows the company to use people's photos without their permission, and posting a notice on your page will stop it from doing so.
"Italy drastically reduced the country's official COV1D-19 death count by over 97%. This means Covid killed fewer people than an average seasonal flu."
stated on November 3, 2021 a story:
"More fraud in New Jersey's election uncovered – voting machines would not allow citizens to vote for Republican governor candidate."
By Samantha Putterman • November 9, 2021
stated on November 4, 2021 a Facebook post:
Merriam-Webster recently changed its definition of the word "vaccine" and removed the immunity portion.
Reiner Fuellmich
stated on December 30, 2021 in a video:
"Even the WHO has conceded that the (SARS- CoV-2) virus … is no more dangerous than the common flu, with an infection fatality rate of 0.14%."
By Jill Terreri Ramos • January 19, 2022
stated on January 12, 2022 in a Facebook post:
Images show how climate change destroyed the Greenland ice sheet and harmed a polar bear from 2009 to 2019.
By Gabrielle Settles • January 19, 2022
America First Political Committee
stated on January 10, 2022 in an ad:
Carlos Gimenez "wants a national database to track you and discriminate against you."
By Tom Kertscher • January 19, 2022
stated on January 3, 2022 in a blog post:
"Gavin Newsom Gets Death Penalty."
By Bill McCarthy • January 19, 2022
stated on December 21, 2021 in Twitter:
"Mask mandates on children lead to learning loss that harms early childhood development."
By D.L. Davis • January 19, 2022
TikTok posts
stated on January 9, 2022 in a TikTok video:
Video shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pouring shots for a group of people "days before testing positive" for COVID-19.
By Madison Czopek • January 18, 2022
stated on December 28, 2021 in a post:
"NASA hired 24 theologians to study human reaction to aliens."
By Monique Curet • January 18, 2022
stated on December 2, 2021 in an email:
"The number of COVID-19 deaths recorded so far in 2021 has surpassed the total for 2020."
By Nusaiba Mizan • January 18, 2022
stated on January 13, 2022 in an Instagram post:
Says Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said: "Two doses of the vaccine offers very limited protection, if any."
stated on January 12, 2022 in a blog post:
"Fully vaccinated Australians in hospital for COVID-19 surpass unvaccinated"


Hair is at its most vulnerable when wet, so the less time spent under heat or air drying, the better. No More Blow cuts down on air-drying time, provides UV protection, reduces frizz, and leaves hair healthier-looking.
After towel-drying, section hair and spray each section to coat the hair thoroughly. Comb through. For curly hair, twist and scrunch as you spray to encourage your natural texture. Once hair is about 80 percent dry, finish with your favorite styler. Try Rich Kid Coconut Oil Air Dry Styler and Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm to add hold and shine.


This Game of Thrones themed coffee table is all hand built, one of a kind, with hand made steel legs and 3D printed decals with a hardened resin top. It's a beautiful piece and will certainly be the centerpiece of any fans house. 33in deep X 49in wide X 17in high.


text:
Toponymes
 Tayac est une commune française, située dans le département de la Gironde et la région Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil est une commune française, située dans le département de la Dordogne et la région Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Homonymie de toponyme


A drunk woman took her car on a high-speed joyride while her baby was in the backseat.
Dashcam footage shows the woman speeding toward a roundabout and then flying over it. Authorities in the United Kingdom said the car flew 15 feet in the air, landing on its roof along the road.
The woman and her baby survived the crash.
She then pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison.


Father, by his life and death Martin of Tours offered you worship and praise.
Renew in your hearts the power of your love, so that neither death nor life may separate us from you.
Blessed saint, You were born under pagan ways but since your childhood you were chosen to be a Prince of the Church and , as Bishop of Tours, many souls were redeemed and liberated from the satanic forces through your prayers, austerities and blessings.
We humbly ask for your intercession before Our Lord Jesus Christ because we want to be worthy of the grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit that lead us from darkness to light into the eternal kingdom, for ever and ever. Amen.