text:
O rio Rubicão (em latim Rubico; em italiano Rubicone) é um pequeno curso de água do nordeste da península Itálica. Na época romana, corria para o mar Adriático entre Arímino (atual Rimini) e Cesena. A identidade moderna do rio é discutida, mas as evidências sugerem correta a atual identificação com o rio Fiumicino, na Província de Forlì-Cesena.

O rio ficou conhecido pelo fato de que o direito romano no período da República proibia qualquer general romano de atravessá-lo acompanhado de suas tropas, retornando de campanhas ao norte de Roma.

Tal medida visava a impedir que os generais manobrassem grandes contingentes de tropas no núcleo do Império Romano, evitando riscos à estabilidade do poder central. O curso d´água marcava então a divisão entre a província da Gália Cisalpina e o território da cidade de Roma (posteriormente, a província da Itália).

Quando Júlio César atravessou o Rubicão, em , presumivelmente em 10 de janeiro do calendário romano, em perseguição a Pompeu, violou a lei e tornou inevitável o conflito armado. Segundo Suetônio, César teria então proferido a famosa frase Alea jacta est ("a sorte está lançada" ou "os dados estão lançados"). O mesmo autor também descreve como César parecia indeciso ao se aproximar do rio e atribui a decisão de atravessar a uma aparição sobrenatural.

A frase "atravessar o Rubicão" passou a ser usada para referir-se a qualquer pessoa que tome uma decisão arriscada de maneira irrevogável, sem volta.

O escritor brasileiro Machado de Assis (1839-1908) cita a expressão em seu romance Helena, quando a personagem Estácio decide pedir a noiva Eugênia em casamento:

Ver também

Alea jacta est
Júlio César

Ligações externas

 Livius.org: Rubico
 Rubicon in dictionary

Rubicao
Júlio César
Emília-Romanha

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


full iron distance and a tribute to the people of the coast.
Registration Coastman Norway 2018 is now OPEN!
This is a no fuzz straight forward quick and exciting triathlon in beautiful surroundings.People out here are also straight forward and no fuzz.
The Race Manual will provide you with all the necessary information for Coastman Norway Triathlon 2019.
Vi gir 100 kr i «Coastman-rabatt! og starter frokosten 19/8 allerede kl 04.30 slik at Dere er klar til konkurranse.
Prisene våre blir da er på kr 1295,- for hotellrom og kr 695 for motellrom. Inklusiv frokost og bilparkering.


text:
The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117)
Wesley Skogan
Her Majesty's Stationary Office
Skogan, W. (1990). The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117). Her Majesty's Stationary Office.
Skogan, Wesley. / The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117). London, UK : Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1990.
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author = "Wesley Skogan",
note = "Type: Report",
publisher = "Her Majesty's Stationary Office",
Skogan, W 1990, The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117). Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London, UK.
The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117). / Skogan, Wesley.
London, UK : Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1990.
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Skogan W. The Police and Public in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study, No. 117). London, UK: Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1990.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


City playing hardball: Tevez can leave but who could afford him?
Manchester City adopted a remarkably sanguine approach yesterday to the potential disruption of Carlos Tevez once more agitating for a move away from Eastlands.
City's skipper has been their self-proclaimed attacking talisman in the two years since his move across Manchester, but he is more determined than ever to leave after going public over his longing for a family reunion.
The homesick striker may be shedding tears for Argentina, but within Eastlands City remained unmoved as they responded with a ruthlessness that comes from mixing with the Barclays Premier League's big hitters.
The reply to Tevez's thinly-veiled pre-Christmas attack on chief executive Garry Cook left the forward in no doubt that his departure would be on the club's terms, not his, and there was little sign of a shift in policy after his second transfer demand in eight months.
The conditions for any sale were much the same as before - £50million to City and £200,000 a week to Tevez, if he can get it.
Not that Tevez is a stranger to transfers, having moved from Boca to Corinthians to West Ham to Manchester United to Manchester City... all in five years.
As the battle of wills became well and truly joined, it raised the question of who could possibly afford such an outlay. Apart from City themselves, there are few candidates.
Tevez, who is playing for Argentina on Wednesday night at the Copa America, has been given extended leave by City. But they will expect him to return to training three weeks after his final game and before the Community Shield match against Manchester United on August 7 - unless another club is rich enough to pay up.
A swap deal is one option, with Chelsea known admirers. But whether City would be prepared to take Fernando Torres is another question. Samuel Eto'o of Inter Milan is another player who has been considered, but that deal appears to have reached a dead end.
Though Juventus are prepared to negotiate a pay deal in the region of Tevez's current package, they will not go above £35m for the fee and, anyway, are concentrating on Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero.
Sportsmail understands Juve sporting director Giuseppe Marotta contacted Aguero and his agent at Argentina's Copa America camp on Monday and received positive feedback about a move to Turin.
Juventus's follow-up bid of nearly £30m plus Portugal midfielder Tiago Mendes, currently on loan at Atletico, was rejected by the Spanish club, who are pushing for closer to Aguero's £42m escape clause.
Tevez and Giuseppe Rossi are the other names on Juve's wanted list, but City's refusal to budge from their £50m valuation looks like making the unhappy Argentina forward unattainable for the Italians, who are still hoping to reach a compromise for Aguero.
City's stance is likely to have the same inhibiting effect on potential interest from Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Real are juggling other attacking targets, such as Aguero and Brazil's Neymar, and even Inter chief Massimo Moratti is thinking twice about committing to such an amount.
The stand-off between City and their prize asset throws up a number of imponderables, not least how Tevez might react if , as seems distinctly possible, there are no takers and he has to stay put.
Former City winger Nicky Summerbee is confident there will be no sulking from the 27-year-old, particularly after the way he knuckled down when he had been hauled into line by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak last December.
Tevez's departure would increase the pressure on Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli to start producing on a regular basis, even though City would seek to replenish their attacking numbers as a matter of urgency.
Former City midfielder Paul Lake, now the club's ambassador in the community, is convinced they can prove their worth, despite failing to deliver last season.
'Everyone knows Carlos is a major player for us,' he said. 'You look at the goals he has scored over the last two seasons, and it is no secret that he has been our talisman.
'It would be a terrible loss, as it would for any team, but we have got players now who are going to get better. He still has three years left on his contract, so we are in the driving seat over this.
'We are aware of his wishes and the statement he has put out, but let's see what develops. The attraction of this club is there for all to see, no matter what anyone says.
Carlos Tevez can Manchester City leave but who could afford him?


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text:
InsuranceeHealth, Inc. Appoints John Stelben as Chief Financial Officer
PRNewswireNovember 15, 20225 min
Brings More Than 25 Years of Financial and Operational Experience to CFO Role; Succeeds Christine Janofsky
Reaffirms Full Year Fiscal 2022 Guidance
eHealth, Inc. (Nasdaq: EHTH), a leading private online health insurance marketplace, today announced that it has appointed John Stelben as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Stelben succeeds Christine Janofsky, who is leaving her role at eHealth.
Stelben brings more than 25 years of health insurance experience to eHealth. Mr. Stelben's most recent experience was at Aetna where he had multiple roles including CFO Governance Services covering Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees, and Public Exchange businesses. Mr. Stelben was also CFO Integrations during various Aetna transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Stelben had multiple senior financial roles at Coventry Health Care, Inc., including interim CFO as well as operational responsibilities for Medicare Advantage.
"We are thrilled to welcome a leader of John's caliber to eHealth as we continue to enhance our profitability and cash flow profile," said eHealth CEO Fran Soistman. "I have worked closely with John for many years and have a deep appreciation of his significant financial leadership experience in healthcare. We continue to be encouraged by our execution to date in the early stages of the Annual Enrollment Period, and I'm sure that John will be able to immediately begin supporting the finance organization during this critical time of year for eHealth. I am confident he will be a strong addition to eHealth as we work to create value for shareholders and deliver on our differentiated value proposition to customers and carriers."
Soistman continued, "On behalf of the Board and management team, I would like to thank Christine for her contributions to eHealth. We wish her well in her future endeavors."
"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to lead eHealth's finance organization," said Stelben. "I believe eHealth has significant opportunity for growth and value creation, and right now is a pivotal time for the Company as it continues to take steps on its path towards profitable growth. As we execute on these initiatives, I look forward to working closely with Fran and the entire leadership team to return eHealth to a position of strength, drive enhanced value for our shareholders and help customers access the health insurance they need."
Based on information available as of November 14, 2022, the Company is also reaffirming its full year guidance for 2022 as discussed on its November 7, 2022 earnings call, and reiterating the encouraging performance its team has achieved to date during the Annual Enrollment Period.
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Compliance & ScoringCredit and Compliance Partner, CBC, Rebrands as Informativ
Embroker Launches ONE by Embroker
HawkSoft Partners with Input 1


text:
It's The PandEmmys! Full List Of 2020 Emmy Award Winners
Source: ABC
By:Ashley Joy Parker
Sep. 21 2020, Updated 6:34 a.m. ET
It's TV's biggest night of the year!
The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards honors the best in primetime television programming as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was originally to be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was changed to be broadcast by ABC virtually from the nominees' homes. Held on September 20, the show was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Presenters included the likes of Mindy Kaling, Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, Laverne Cox, America Ferrera, Morgan Freeman, RuPaul, Ken Jeong, Jason Sudeikis and Oprah Winfrey.
The previous night, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards aired a live, virtual ceremony on FXX. The ceremony was presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements including guest acting roles. Big winners on Saturday included Maya Rudolph for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Ron Cephas for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, RuPaul for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program and Queer Eye for Outstanding Structured Reality Program.
EMMY FASHION REWIND: THE BEST-DRESSED STARS OF THE LAST DECADE
Although there was no red carpet this year, the Emmys were still jam packed with star power. Scroll through the gallery below to check out the full list of winners.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose on 'Schitt's Creek' (Pop TV) — WINNER
Christina Applegate as Jen Harding on 'Dead to Me' (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
Linda Cardellini as Judy Hale on 'Dead to Me' (Netflix)
Issa Rae as Issa Dee on 'Insecure' (HBO)
Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson on 'Black-ish' (ABC)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Eugene Levy as Johnny Rose on 'Schitt's Creek' (Pop TV) — WINNER
Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson, Sr. on 'Black-ish' (ABC)
Don Cheadle as Maurice "Mo" Monroe on 'Black Monday' (Showtime)
Ted Danson as Michael on 'The Good Place' (NBC)
Michael Douglas as Sandy Kominsky on 'The Kominsky Method' (Netflix)
Ramy Youssef as Ramy Hassan on 'Ramy' (Hulu)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
'Schitt's Creek' (Episode: "Happy Ending"), Written by Dan Levy (Pop TV) — WINNER
'The Good Place' (Episode: "Whenever You're Ready"), Written by Michael Schur (NBC)
'The Great' (Episode: "The Great"), Written by Tony McNamara (Hulu)
'Schitt's Creek' (Episode: "The Presidential Suite"), Written by David West Read (Pop TV)
'What We Do in the Shadows' (Episode: "Collaboration"), Written by Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil (FX)
'What We Do in the Shadows' (Episode: "Ghosts"), Written by Paul Simms (FX)
'What We Do in the Shadows' (Episode: "On the Run"), Written by Stefani Robinson (FX)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
'Schitt's Creek' (Episode: "Happy Ending"), Directed by Andrew Cividino and Dan Levy (Pop TV) — WINNER
'The Great' (Episode: "The Great"), Directed by Matt Shakman (Hulu)
'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Episode: "It's Comedy or Cabbage"), Directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Prime Video)
'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Episode: "Marvelous Radio"), Directed by Daniel Palladino (Prime Video)
'Modern Family' (Episode: "Finale, Part 2"), Directed by Gail Mancuso (ABC)
'Ramy' (Episode: "Miakhalifa.mov"), Directed by Ramy Youssef (Hulu)
'Will & Grace' (Episode: "We Love Lucy"), Directed by James Burrows (NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Dan Levy as David Rose on 'Schitt's Creek' (Pop TV) — WINNER
Mahershala Ali as Sheikh Ali Malik on 'Ramy' (Hulu)
Alan Arkin as Norman Newlander on 'The Kominsky Method' (Netflix)
Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt on 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'(NBC)
Sterling K. Brown as Reggie on 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video)
William Jackson Harper as Chidi Anagonye on 'The Good Place' (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub as Abe Weissman on 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video)
Kenan Thompson as Various Characters on 'Saturday Night Live' (NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose on 'Schitt's Creek' (Pop TV) — WINNER
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson on 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video)
D'Arcy Carden as Janet on 'The Good Place' (NBC)
Betty Gilpin as Debbie "Liberty Bell" Eagan on 'GLOW' (Netflix)
Marin Hinkle as Rose Weissman on 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video)
Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on 'Saturday Night Live' (NBC)
Yvonne Orji as Molly Carter on 'Insecure' (HBO)
Cecily Strong as Various Characters on 'Saturday Night Live' (NBC)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Source: Pop TV
'Schitt's Creek' (Pop TV) — WINNER
'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (HBO)
'Dead to Me' (Netflix)
'The Good Place' (NBC)
'Insecure' (HBO)
'The Kominsky Method' (Netflix)
'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video)
'What We Do in the Shadows' (FX)
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' (HBO) — WINNER
'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah' (Comedy Central)
'Full Frontal with Samantha Bee' (TBS)
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (ABC)
'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' (CBS)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Regina King as Angela Abar / Sister Night on 'Watchmen' (HBO) — WINNER
Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly on 'Mrs. America' (FX)
Shira Haas as Esther "Esty" Shapiro on 'Unorthodox' (Netflix)
Octavia Spencer as Madam C. J. Walker on 'Self Made' (Netflix)
Kerry Washington as Mia Warren on 'Little Fires Everywhere' (Hulu)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Mark Ruffalo as Dominick and Thomas Birdsey on 'I Know This Much Is True' (HBO) — WINNER
Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt on 'Watchmen' (HBO)
Hugh Jackman as Dr. Frank Tassone on 'Bad Education' (HBO)
Paul Mescal as Connell Waldron on 'Normal People' (Hulu)
Jeremy Pope as Archie Coleman on 'Hollywood' (Netflix)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Source: HBO
'Watchmen' (Episode: "This Extraordinary Being"), Written by Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson (HBO) — WINNER
'Mrs. America' (Episode: "Shirley"), Written by Tanya Barfield (FX)
'Normal People' (Episode: "Episode 3"), Written by Sally Rooney and Alice Birch (Hulu)
'Unbelievable' (Episode: "Episode 1"), Written by Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman (Netflix)
'Unorthodox' (Episode: "Part 1"), Written by Anna Winger (Netflix)
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
'Unorthodox,' Directed by Maria Schrader (Netflix) — WINNER
'Little Fires Everywhere' (Episode: "Find a Way"), Directed by Lynn Shelton (Hulu)
'Normal People' (Episode: "Episode 5"), Directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Hulu)
'Watchmen' (Episode: "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice"), Directed by Nicole Kassell (HBO)
'Watchmen' (Episode: "Little Fear of Lightning"), Directed by Steph Green (HBO)
'Watchmen' (Episode: "This Extraordinary Being"), Directed by Stephen Williams (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Calvin "Cal" Abar / Doctor Manhattan on 'Watchmen' (HBO) — WINNER
Jovan Adepo as Young Will Reeves on 'Watchmen' (HBO)
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon on 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend' (Netflix)
Louis Gossett Jr. as Will Reeves on 'Watchmen' (HBO)
Dylan McDermott as Ernest "Ernie" West on 'Hollywood' (Netflix)
Jim Parsons as Henry Willson on 'Hollywood' (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm on 'Mrs. America' (FX) — WINNER
Toni Collette as Det. Grace Rasmussen on 'Unbelievable' (Netflix)
Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug on 'Mrs. America' (FX)
Jean Smart as Laurie Blake on 'Watchmen' (HBO)
Holland Taylor as Ellen Kincaid on 'Hollywood' (Netflix)
Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan on 'Mrs. America' (FX)
Outstanding Limited Series
'Watchmen' (HBO) — WINNER
'Little Fires Everywhere' (Hulu)
'Mrs. America' (FX)
'Unbelievable' (Netflix)
'Unorthodox' (Netflix)
Outstanding Competition Series
Source: VH1
'RuPaul's Drag Race' (VH1) — WINNER
'The Masked Singer' (Fox)
'Nailed It!' (Netflix)
'Top Chef' (Bravo)
'The Voice' (NBC)
Governors Award
Tyler Perry — RECIPIENT
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy on 'Succession' (HBO) — WINNER
Jason Bateman as Martin "Marty" Byrde on 'Ozark' (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson on This Is Us (Episode: "After the Fire") (NBC)
Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler on 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+)
Brian Cox as Logan Roy on 'Succession' (HBO)
Billy Porter as Pray Tell on 'Pose' (FX)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Zendaya as Rue Bennett on 'Euphoria' (HBO) — WINNER
Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy on 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+)
Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II on 'The Crown' (Netflix)
Jodie Comer as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle on 'Killing Eve' (BBC America)
Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde on 'Ozark' (Netflix)
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri on 'Killing Eve' (BBC America)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
'Succession' (Episode: "Hunting"), Directed by Andrij Parekh (HBO) — WINNER
'The Crown' (Episode: "Aberfan"), Directed by Benjamin Caron (Netflix)
'The Crown' (Episode: "Cri de Coeur"), Directed by Jessica Hobbs (Netflix)
'Homeland' (Episode: "Prisoners of War"), Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (Showtime)
'The Morning Show' (Episode: "The Interview"), Directed by Mimi Leder (Apple TV+)
'Ozark' (Episode: "Fire Pink"), Directed by Alik Sakharov (Netflix)
'Ozark' (Episode: "Su Casa Es Mi Casa"), Directed by Ben Semanoff (Netflix)
'Succession' (Episode: "This Is Not for Tears"), Directed by Mark Mylod (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore on 'Ozark' (Netflix) — WINNER
Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret on 'The Crown' (Netflix)
Laura Dern as Renata Klein on 'Big Little Lies' (HBO)
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay on 'Westworld' (HBO)
Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens on 'Killing Eve' (BBC America)
Sarah Snook as Siobhan "Shiv" Roy on 'Succession' (HBO)
Meryl Streep as Mary Louise Wright on 'Big Little Lies' (HBO)
Samira Wiley as Moira Strand on 'The Handmaid's Tale' (Hulu)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison on 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+) — WINNER
Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch on 'Succession' (HBO)
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy on 'Succession' (HBO)
Mark Duplass as Charlie "Chip" Black on 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+)
Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring on 'Better Call Saul' (AMC)
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans on Succession' (HBO)
Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence on 'The Handmaid's Tale' (Hulu)
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe on 'Westworld' (HBO)
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
'Succession' (Episode: "This Is Not for Tears"), Written by Jesse Armstrong (HBO) — WINNER
'Better Call Saul' (Episode: "Bad Choice Road"), Written by Thomas Schnauz (AMC)
'Better Call Saul' (Episode: "Bagman"), Written by Gordon Smith (AMC)
'The Crown' (Episode: "Aberfan"), Written by Peter Morgan (Netflix)
'Ozark' (Episode: "All In"), Written by Chris Mundy (Netflix)
'Ozark' (Episode: "Boss Fight"), Written by John Shiban (Netflix)
'Ozark' (Episode: "Fire Pink"), Written by Miki Johnson (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
'Succession' (HBO) — WINNER
'Better Call Saul' (AMC)
'The Crown' (Netflix)
'The Handmaid's Tale' (Hulu)
'Killing Eve' (BBC America)
'The Mandalorian' (Disney+)
'Ozark' (Netflix)
'Stranger Things' (Netflix)


text:
The madness of Tony Blair, the futility of the Chilcot inquiry
by Andy Worthington
www.andyworthington.co.uk
So will the Chilcot Inquiry into the illegal invasion of Iraq actually do anything when it finally reaches its conclusions? It seems unlikely. Over the last two months, we have had some fascinating moments: on November 26, for example, when Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's ambassador to the US, delivered testimony which, as I explained at the time, "demonstrated, without a shadow of a doubt, how 'regime change' in Iraq was agreed between George W. Bush and Tony Blair in April 2002, and how the rush to war by the US meant that furious attempts to justify the plan were doomed to fail, 'because there was no smoking gun.'"
Last week, we had the disturbing testimony of Sir Michael Wood, the Foreign Office's Legal Adviser, and his deputy, Elizabeth Wilmshurst. Wood was revelatory about how Jack Straw, who has, at times, portrayed himself as the highest profile dissenter in the Cabinet, had, in an unprecedented manner, turned down his legal adviser's recommendations. On January 24, 2003, Wood wrote to Straw telling him the UK "cannot lawfully use force in Iraq in ensuring compliance" on the basis of existing UN resolutions, including resolution 1441, which, in November 2002, gave Saddam Hussein a "final opportunity" to comply. He added, "To use force without Security Council authority would amount to the crime of aggression." In his reply, Straw wrote that he "noted" Sir Michael's advice but did "not accept it."
In a contemporary statement, dated January 15, 2020, and issued as part of the proceedings (PDF), Wood had not changed his opinions, and wrote unequivocally, "I considered that the use of force against Iraq in March 2003 was contrary to international law. In my opinion, that use of force had not been authorised by the Security Council, and had no other legal basis in international law."
Wilmshurst, who, unlike Wood, resigned because of her opposition to the illegality of the war, was also devastatingly critical, explaining, in a powerfully understated manner, that the entire process was "lamentable" and lacking in transparency. Also released as part of the proceedings was Wilmshurst's resignation letter, dated March 18, 2003, which makes for fascinating reading (PDF included with a batch of other correspondence). Wilmshurst wrote:
1. I regret that I cannot agree that it is lawful to use force against Iraq without a second Security Council resolution to revive the authorisation given in SCR 678. I do not need to set out my reasoning; you are aware of it. My views accord with the advice that has been given consistently in this office before and after the adoption of UN security council resolution 1441 and with what the attorney general gave us to understand was his view prior to his letter of 7 March. (The view expressed in that letter has of course changed again into what is now the official line). I cannot in conscience go along with advice — within the Office or to the public or Parliament — which asserts the legitimacy of military action without such a resolution, particularly since an unlawful use of force on such a scale amounts to the crime of aggression; nor can I agree with such action in circumstances which are so detrimental to the international order and the rule of law.
2. I therefore need to leave the Office: my views on the legitimacy of the action in Iraq would not make it possible for me to continue my role as a Deputy Legal Adviser or my work more generally. For example in the context of the International Criminal Court, negotiations on the crime of aggression begin again this year. I am therefore discussing with Alan Charlton whether I may take approved early retirement. In case that is not possible this letter should be taken as constituting notice of my resignation.
3. I joined the Office in 1974. It has been a privilege to work here. I leave with very great sadness.
In contrast, yesterday's performance by Tony Blair reminded many of us why we were so glad to see the back of him, and why the former PM's absolute certainties — which always appeared to become more pronounced, the more opposition he encountered — provide absolutely no reason for him to get away with his key role in a criminal invasion that has led to the loss of so many lives. After a nervous start, his one-dimensional Manichean certainty about the world resurfaced, to the extent that he refused to apologize for anything, and, instead, encouraged the Inquiry to imagine how terrible the world would be if Saddam Hussein were still in power, and even began sabre-rattling with regard to Iran.
In an editorial today, the Guardian has captured much of Blair's madness, even if the editors refused to use that particular term:
There is a planet, some way removed from the real one, on which Tony Blair lives. He invited the Chilcot Inquiry to join him on it yesterday. On this alternative earth, certainties dissolve and falsehoods become truths. Facts are transformed into opinions and judgments turn into evidence. Success and failure are both the same. On this strange planet, the invasion of Iraq was not a disaster, but a necessary and even heroic act. Other witnesses to Chilcot have admitted error. Mr Blair simply said he would invade Iraq all over again.
His appearance yesterday at the Iraq inquiry was fascinating not so much for any facts it revealed as for the disturbing insight it gave into his mentality. This came out most strongly in a potent final few minutes. Invited to express regret, in front of relatives of soldiers who had died in the conflict, Mr Blair admitted only to responsibility. He even suggested the military should feel "a sense of pride and achievement." This chilling way of thinking, much more than any reading of international law or mistaken intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, is why Britain went to war with America in Iraq. It is a stark Manichean view. To Mr Blair, there are nice guys and bad ones, good values and evil, and it matters very much which side you are on. His target was Iraq, now it is Iran, as he freely and repeatedly said yesterday.
Should the Chilcot Inquiry have given Tony Blair a harder time? I certainly think so, but while the protestors who, exhausted by six hours of evasion, finally shouted out that Blair was a liar and a murderer, I remain grimly fascinated by Blair's certainty. Does he really have no doubts? Is there no corner of his being that shudders at all the death he unleashed? To this extent, my feelings about the Inquiry reflect comments made to Channel 4's Iraq Inquiry Blogger by an unidentified witness to the Inquiry, who explained:
The run-up to the war was an ancient Greek tragedy where the principal actor was brought down by his strengths as much as his weaknesses. For example, his convictions and interpersonal skills enabled him single-handedly to succeed in persuading Bush away from unilateral action (he would have overthrown Saddam whatever happened), to persuade a sceptical Security Council to issue the UNSCR 1441 ultimatum and to persuade almost all of his Cabinet to stick with him on the venture. Yet, the result destroyed his premiership and his reputation. How then did the fates conspire to produce this result? Each step seemed the right thing in his eyes at the time yet the result was tragedy. That is what I felt the inquiry needed to work through.
Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK). To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, published in March 2009, details about my film, "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo" (launched in October 2009), and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.
Tony Blair at British Iraq Inquiry- C-SPAN Video Library
[DS added the video]
Blair unbowed during Iraq evidence
Tony Blair has answered questions at an Iraq inquiry in London as to why he took his country to war on flawed evidence of weapons of mass destruction.
The former British prime minister's decision to send 45,000 British troops to Iraq in 2003 was the most controversial move of his 10-year leadership.
Alan Fisher reports from London.
Britain's decision to go to war in Iraq illegal
Norman Finkelstein: Main Architects of the Iraq War were Cheney and Rumsfeld, not the Israel Lobby
The Chilcot 'Inquiry': a theatre of the absurd By William Bowles
This entry was posted in All Posts News Politics and-or Videos, Dandelion Salad Featured Writers, Dandelion Salad Videos, England-UK-Britain, Iraq, Iraq on Dandelion Salad, Politics, War, War Crimes and tagged Andy Worthington, Blair-Tony, Chilcot Inquiry, The Iraq War Inquiry, Tony Blair, Tony Blair on Dandelion Salad, Worthington-Andy. Bookmark the permalink.
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mary | January 31, 2010 at 1:03 PM
'bordering on war crime' above??
Most definitely a war criminal.
See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247407/Chilcot-War-Inquiry-Professor-launch-Nuremberg-war-crimes-prosecution-Blair.html
He referred to Iran 57 times thoughout the excruciating 6 hours' worth of bilge. He is cranking up the next neocon war.
Bal Patil | January 31, 2010 at 7:49 AM
A devastatingly chilling exhibition of political chicanery bordering on war crime.
Mike Simpson | January 30, 2010 at 5:16 PM
Blair gave a performance at the inquiry – probably partially for the benefit of his own conscience, which must from time to time rear up and accuse him in the depths of night. I hope so anyhow.


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The Department of Children and Families is conducting an investigation after ascertaining that a teacher at a Missouri day care center allegedly duct taped a 4-year-old girl to a chair and posted a picture of the child on Snapchat, according to WFLA.
The purported abuse is believed to have taken place in March of this year, but the child's parents—Elysha Brooks and Christian Evans—were only recently made aware of the incident, and they are now seeking answers and demanding action.
The photo infuriated Brooks. As she saw her daughter's facial expression, she stated that "she can only imagine how she felt." She went on to say that she had no knowledge of her daughter being duct taped to a chair at her day care center. Brooks says the school did not reach out to her or the child's father after the incident, nor did they contact them when a rock was lodged in her daughter's ear, almost damaging her eardrum.
The girl's father stated that after seeing the photo of his daughter and noticing how scared she appeared while duct taped to a chair at her day care center, it put him in a "crazy state of mind" because he wasn't there to protect her and that there were employees at his daughter's day care center that would "stoop to that level" to hurt his child.
Evans and Brooks want the Missouri day care center to be shut down and for the teacher responsible for duct taping their child to a chair and posting a photo of her on Snapchat to be put in jail.
Little Learners of Florissant have not released a statement regarding the allegations. It was reported that the day care center did not respond after the media made several attempts to reach out to them.
Parents whose children attended or currently attending the day care center is also seeking answers but some say that they, too, have not received a response.


Home > Travels > California, dreaming of flowers!
As promised, I have pictures of the flowers.
We left the house at about 9.45 yesterday morning, allowing enough time for the sun to come up and beat the traffic?
We had scoped out a slightly more remote parking area on Monday and headed there. Sure enough there were a few legal spots left and we were able to leave the car and head up the trail. The trail was steep, that was OK , but I've never done well with uneven and slippy… This is as far as I got before I decided that I was much better safe than sorry. I don't have time for injuries! I stayed to take my beautiful pictures while Sheila, ever the adventurous one… she climbed up the temple in Belize… went on further.
There were all sorts of flowers, not just poppies.
These purple ones were so pretty. What did I miss? Wow! Amazing? That path over the valley is the one in Walker Canyon where all the traffic is. Much more unfit non-hiker friendly I think.
I was just wondering whether I should send out a search party when Sheila came back down the hill with just a few bumps and bruises to show, and that picture!
Suffice to say the flowers are everywhere this year! Pictures don't do justice to the scenery, so I won't bore you with them. What's most amazing to me is that this isn't normal. This is the best flower show for 30 years. During the drought there was nothing, not even green grass on the hills.
Worth getting up close? A good day. We took over 200 pictures between us so getting it down to just twelve was hard. You can always ask me when you see me and I'll show you more. I'm not an expert on Californian wild flowers so please feel free to comment with the identities of the ones I've shown. It's good to be a life long learner.
Time to go home today. I'm flying at lunchtime, a brief stop and change of planes in Sacramento and I'll be at Midway around 9 PM. I couldn't have done that 100 years ago!
Previous Post Kenosha, Wisconsin to the poppies in Southern California!


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text:
What the fight against HIV can teach us about defeating Covid-19
Jonathan Sacerdoti
In the eighties, we were warned to beware an easily spread, deadly virus. The government's ominous HIV adverts told us not to 'die of ignorance'. Thus a generation was educated through fear how to avoid infection by practicing safer sex and avoiding contact with the blood of those who are positive.
While those messages are still important today, HIV no longer represents the death sentence it once did. Still a life-altering and permanent disease, it can now be managed in a way that means people often live full lives with HIV, rather than die early because of it.
No successful vaccination has been developed for HIV, but other medical developments helped to change the prognosis for those who contract it. Antiretrovirals work by stopping the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage. For some years already, these drugs have not only been used for long-term HIV patients, but also to 'stop the virus in its tracks'. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) can be given to someone exposed to HIV in the previous 72 hours, to help prevent seroconversion. PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can be given to anyone at risk of catching HIV through future exposure. This approach is also used for some types of bacterial meningitis, when prophylactic antibiotics are given to household contacts of a patient.
So Boris Johnson's announcement that Britain is aiming to fast track the development of anti-viral drugs which could be used in a similar way to fight Covid-19 is important. Many Covid vaccines have been successfully developed and widely used in record time, but these alone won't wipe out the threat of the disease because of new variants and a massive lack of worldwide supply. Effective treatments which fight the virus at the early stages of infection, and even before it is able to infect someone who may be exposed, could become vital weapons in the war against the pandemic.
Covid-19 is a very different virus from HIV. Left untreated, most people do not die from Covid, though as we know, plenty do. Among survivors, many are left with permanent damage to their lungs and other long-term symptoms which drastically effect their quality of life. The illness is so new, we can't confidently know what its real long-term effects are beyond one or two years. HIV is more or less guaranteed to kill anyone left untreated. And while HIV is spread through sexual intercourse or sharing needles, Covid-19 is spread far more easily through social intercourse, with the virus infecting us in our day to day lives through breathing.
Lockdowns and similar restrictions were only ever going to help control the horrific effects of Covid-19 while science tried to catch up. No formulation of social controls alone will defeat this pandemic, and the untold damage lockdowns are doing to our wider health and economic future is unsustainable. Most of us accepted these as emergency measures, but the government is right to think about how we can make the virus less of a threat to life and health in the future.
The Prime Minister gave very few details of his new Anti-viral Task Force. When pressed, two drugs were named in his televised address: Budesonide and Tocilizumab. Neither of these is in fact an anti-viral drug. Budesonide is a corticosteroid and Tocilizumab is a humanised monoclonal antibody, or an immunosuppressive drug. Both have shown potential for treating Covid, but we are some way off using them routinely in the home for all Covid cases. These drugs don't 'stop the virus in its tracks'; they modulate the immune response and inflammatory reaction to it.
Boris also mentioned Remdesivir, an anti-viral once intended for use against Hepatitis C and also tested against Ebola. While it proved ineffective for both, these earlier uses have demonstrated its overall safety. It has since been shown in some studies to reduce recovery time from Covid-19 in hospitalised patients, decreasing their chances of needing more intensive treatment and reducing mortality in patients who needed supplemental oxygen.
There are other existing anti-virals which might prove helpful. Favipiravir has been licensed in Japan since 2014 for the treatment of novel influenza. In Hungary, Favipiravir is widely prescribed for outpatient treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19. However, it is not licensed in the UK or USA for flu, and can't be used on pregnant women as it might damage the unborn baby, so its use in Japan is limited to emergencies.
An Oxford-run clinical trial is underway for people recovering from Covid at home and in other non-hospital settings. Lab studies have yielded good results, and small pilot studies in humans show some benefit in reducing symptoms and the duration of illness. So far 4,600 people have volunteered for the PRINCIPLE trial since it launched in March 2020.
Developed as a preventative medicine and treatment for SARS and MERS in the early 2000s, Molnupiravir has completed its phase two human trial with promising results. According to a Merck press release, it reduces the length of infections and could be a major advancement in virus control. It is hoped that this drug might provide an alternative to monoclonal antibodies, which are administered intravenously. So far, it has only been tested on 202 people without any serious adverse effects. Larger clinical trials are ongoing.
Boris Johnson's aim of having a miracle pill ready by Autumn sounds ambitious, but as some of these drugs are currently used for other conditions, they have already passed clinical trials for safety and could easily be used 'off license' to fight Covid. They could receive rapid authorisation for their new use without the same safety concerns a totally new drug would raise. Any treatments used in the way the Prime Minister described, though, would have to have a positive risk benefit ratio if they are to be given to asymptomatic patients. Ultimately, Covid does not have the same certainty of causing death as, for example, HIV does. Yet anti-virals could nonetheless offer us a route back to normality.
TaggedAids, covid-19, HIV, vaccines
Is Afghanistan to blame for Biden's sinking popularity — or is COVID?
Batya Ungar-Sargon
Covid collapse fails to revive MPs' bars
Zero-Covid is wishful thinking if Australia wants to rejoin the world
The cost of the terrible tragedy at Kabul airport
Charles Lipson
Hurricane Ida exposes the dire state of American infrastructure
Vaccine efficacy and the case for living with the virus
Kate Andrews


Somalia's Army leave frontlines and go home as Cheeseman fails to provide their salary and food items.
The sheer gob-smacking institutional incompetence, not to say nothing about mind-bending corrupt-to-the-core level of malfeasance of this outfit in Villa Somalia, which in turn passes itself off as a national government of Somalia is really singular reality, in which no one thought that it was ever possible for any entity in the world over to reach and stoop down to that level of incompetence and corruption.
And by that I mean, it's one thing not to be in a position to liberate far away regions of southern Somalia, like Gedo/Jubbadda-Dhexe/Jubbadda-House/Bakool or even Bay from the grip of the likes of Al-Shabaab of this world.
But the towns of Blacad and Jawhar are actually stone-throw away from Mogadishu. And yet this pseudo-government in Villa Somalia couldn't basically continue to pay the soldiers there who are actually fighting and dying at the behest of the same nominal government of Somalia in Villa Somalia.
And to get a measuring "perspective" of what I am talking about in here, just think about how quickly President Biixi would have been, literally, "impeached" by Somaliland's both houses of parliament, if Somaliland's military were to all of a sudden "vacate" their military positions in and around Tukaraq areas or the general areas of our border with Somalia, because the ministry of defence in Hargeisa was so corrupt to the core, that they haven't bothered to pay those soldiers for few months.
In other words, without belaboring the point too much, or without putting a too finer point on it, one can say that is the "exact reason" as to why Somalia is a bogus, a fiction, a make-believe State that doesn't function on the ground (in any meaningful sense). Whereas in Somaliland, there is all there could be require of for an institutional governance of a proper functioning state.
Hence the pity of it all is the international legal fiction that makes one, such as Somalia, as a "legitimate government", even if they don't have any properly functioning attributes of a Statehood, given that the notion of paying your own security forces before they run away from their duties for lack of payment is the most basic requirement of Statehood.
Whilst on the other hand, the other is a "de-facto state", even when it has all there is for the "effective requirement" of "de-jure Statehood" and some more besides as well to its name, which is the current case of Somaliland.
Your problem is defining your identity and goals in relation to Somalia's current situation.
We behave well and Somalia is bad is not winning strategy. One would think you would understand that by now.
No that wasn't what I was intending to say. Nor is it even a "close approximation" of what the plain reading of the text of my argument could reasonably imply.
Consequently, re-read the argument, from the first line, and this time round do it so slowly so that you will get the "gist" of it.
But just in case you wanted a bit of a help in here, let me direct you to how you should read my argument and say, that, the essence of the argument I was putting forward was that Somalia is a "fiction" in which the world (out of its own security interests) wants to pretend that it's real functioning state.
Whilst Somaliland, on the other hand, is actually the real state. A real thing that actually do its governance function properly. And it's the only effectively constituted State that currently exist within the boundaries of the former territory of the Somali Republic.
Moreover, it is not as if one is saying my identity and my goal (as Somalilander) are always in relation with current situation of Somalia. After all, Somalilanders's identity and their political goal are actually independent of the "condition" in which Somalia found itself at any given moment. Believe it or not.
And finally, I will have you know, that, Somaliland did all of these effective "State building" and did all of the current institutional governance she has for herself, which is what she has been doing ever since 1991, precisely because, recognition or no recognition, she wants to be "effective State" that can function on the ground and in her country. And therefore he desire was such that she wanted her political State to be able to maintain "law and order" without asking anyone else to do it for her, as the case is with Somalia.
Got the point of my argument now?
Very disappointing for all Somali people everywhere, but not surprising.
Coffee time in Amxara Kilil with Afwerki and Abiy was sheer stupidity when you have the Turkish willing and capable to help you, but you go for Coffee time in Eritrea and Amxara two areas where Afwerki has openly stated Turish should be kicked out of Suakin/PortSudan and the Amxara had burned some Turkish businesses in their resistance to Tigray/Ethiopia.
Replacing AMISOM with Eritrea was a non starter.
Ghelleh must have given Farmaajo .....with that Somali smile.
Turkish will not mind if Farmaajo is gone, they can work with anyone that is effective.
The worst thing of all was what was done in SWS. Using childish method in an adults world. Not only Farmaajo even Abiy received a "dirty" look from the Army.
This is news. Nothing to do with my identity and goals.
We called that Cheeseman was a fraud and now almost any Somali worth his salt knows that he is a total fraud. A sell out.
After years, the situation in Mogadishu is at its worst.
Muqdisho (Caasimada Online) – Warar ay heshay Caasimada Online ayaa sheegaya in maanta iyo shalay magaalada Muqdisho ay ka baxeen qaar ka mid ah shaqaalaha Qaramada Midoobay, Midowga yurub, Midowga Africa iyo inta badan shaqaalaha kale ee ajaaniibta ah kuna sugnaa magaalada Muqdisho kadib xaalad cabsi ah oo ka jirta Gobalka Banaadir.
Sirdoonka ajaaniibta ah ee ku sugan Xalane ayaa sheegay in magaalada Muqdisho ay soo galeen Al-Shabaab badan, sidoo kalane ay ku soo dhawaadeen Al-Shabaab kale oo hubeysan kuwaas oo duqayn ku garaaci kara xafiisyada Qaramada Midoobay ee Xalane.
Abiy is travelling to Arabs, Afwerki is not feeling well.
I wonder who will come to Farmaajo help, not Amisom, not SWS, not Puntland..maybe Jubaland will come to his rescue.
Where is @galbeediwhen you need his verdict? This is a terrible news my brothers. This nations, which was slowly rising one president after another, must have taken 5 steps backward today for us to be talking about evacuating NGO workers from Xalane, the most secure buffer zone left in the country. This is more than a disaster.
Why are people still defending Farmaajo?
I agree with Suldaanka in here, in the sense that Mr Cheeseman was always a total fraud. All talk and no trousers (as Brits say).
Moreover, I really think he was never cut-out to be the kind of a guy, who by guile, or by cunning, or by sheer force of personality, can master and gather enough forces to defeat the likes of Al-Shabaab of this world, who in turn are well-embedded in Mogadishu's social fabric, from top to bottom.
And of course, his Prime-Minister, Mr Kheyre, was essentially a "cheap-money-lusting-looter", who saw opportunity of a life-time to make a real killing, financially, during the tenure of his office.
And therefore he was never interesting in getting his hands dirty, if on the other hand, he can play a public relation (PR) game of given good speeches to the public forums.
So together they formed a "perfect and a disastrous political couple" for Somalia.
Hence, the end results you have by now.
However, the only thing these two fellows have shown to the rest of Somalis was how to be good at in the manufacturing of "sheer and shameless publicity", whereby you employ hundred of peoples across continents, just to generate good publicity game for you and your government on the social media.
And you also "prime" them (i.e., these paid stooges), to attack, whilst using on the same social media platform, any of those who show your government to be an "empty suit", or criticize your failing agenda.
So that will be their "lasting legacy" in which these two fellows will leave behind, or that will be what folks will long remember when they look back on these two chaps's days-in-power.
That is, essentially, how to be good at in the sordid business end of creating an "empty propaganda" (daily and relentlessly) to which to lull and bamboozle the "average-public", before they cotton-on to the fact that they have being had in the old fashion way of being sold a bill-of-goods.
This is a calculated wave of propaganda for the most part. Very much hypocrisy. You was never a fan of Farmaajo from day one. are you serious about wondering why people still defending him?.If it is all about president after president for you. I am very much sure the next election will not be held in xalane or the airport , it will be held somewhere else and supervised by Somali security forces. The reason the Farmaajo co are supported by the people is they are doing a lot of things right.
I see that you are still shamelessly peddling the "talking points" of Villa Somalia, even when the cold fact of morning's reality tells otherwise an ugly reality that is at "variance" with whatever gibberish stuff they have asked you spread around it from that bunker of Villa Somalia.
Now why do I say that? Well, to start with, Mr Cheeseman, has failed and failed repeatedly, in security, in political reconciliation with his regional states other than using force and money. He failed to get the constitution gets anywhere close to be finished by 2020.
He failed to actually build any army worth of the name, which in turn can take the fight to Al-Shabaab. He failed to even push the Al-Shabaab from small towns like Balcad (which was last time I remember, a less than half of an hour of car drive from Mogadishu). He failed to even ensure the road that passes in front of his office to be "bombs-proof", in the sense of making sure that no bombs go off in that road.
However, here you are genuinely rhapsodising about some wonderful things in which Mr Cheeseman have done it. And, so you know, let me say that the "hoped-for-one-person-one-vote-election" in which Somalia was expected to do, and Mr Cheeseman have told the international community (IC) that he will do it by 2021, is also out of the window.
And therefore it will be "4.5 formula" all over again and a selection process of that kind whereby the new president of the federal government in post-2021 era will be selected it at that precise compound of Xalane near the airport by 2021. Given that there is no possibility whatsoever of country-wide election at a polling booths across the districts of the country as a whole.
So I do not know what "alternative universe" you seemed to have visited us from it, my friend. But in here on this one in which I am currently living in it, which to boot, it's also where this world (as messy as it is) actually is located at, there is no any "good news" to be written about what Mr Cheeeseman have so far allegedly accomplished, which in turn could go some way in improving the lot of Somalia up to now. And it's unlikely to be any different, come the time of the change-over in 2021.
But, still be that as it is, you can continue to get your cheap money from Villa Somalia, and therefore you can keep on telling us that Mr Cheeseman and Co. have achieved tremendous results, given that is what you have been paid to do it in here of SOL.


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text:
C40 Cities Finance Facility receives $2.3m from USAID to help cities access financing for climate projects
Cities in the Global South will have access to $2.3 million to mobilise financing for their climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. Support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will allow the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) to unlock financing for sustainable infrastructure in developing countries and emerging economies. USAID, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) made the announcement today at the United Nations Habitat III conference in Quito.
C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes commented on the announcement:
"As a mayor I can attest that access to reliable financing is one of the greatest barriers cities face when it comes to delivering sustainable infrastructure projects. The C40 Cities Finance Facility is an extremely valuable mechanism for overcoming this obstacle, and we are proud to have USAID's involvement in the project and endorsement of our approach."
C40 mayors have been calling on national and regional governments, and international financial institutions to take action to help finance the transition to low-carbon, resilient pathways within cities. In the Call for Action on Municipal Infrastructure Finance, C40 outlined the support needed to create an environment that will enable cities to implement plans to fight climate change.
Carrie Thompson, USAID's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment spoke of the importance of the contribution:
"Most urban growth around the world is happening in areas that are highly vulnerable to climate risks, including storm surges, floods, heat waves and high winds. One of the major barriers for cities, when they want to build safer housing and also infrastructure for transport, water and sanitation, is a simple lack of good financing options. USAID's $2.3 million support of the CFF will help cities access financing for urban infrastructure that will be climate-resilient. People's health and livelihoods depend on it."
Ms. Tania Rödiger-Vorwerk, Deputy Director General for Environment and Infrastructure at BMZ welcomed USAID as a partner:
"The New Urban Agenda recognises the importance of financing for its implementation. We have a real opportunity to help cities build their financing capacity and deliver the sustainable and low carbon future we all wish to see. We are proud that USAID is joining BMZ as a partner of the C40 Cities Finance Facility. We look forward to working with USAID in establishing the CFF as a multi-donor platform to support cities to access finance and to implement the New Urban Agenda."
Earlier this year, Bogotá and Mexico City were selected as the first two pilot projects for the CFF, each receiving $1m dedicated to technical assistance, provided by experts in urban infrastructure project preparation. USAID's support will increase the ability of the CFF to deliver results during the pilot phase and strengthen donor interest.
The CFF is currently funded by BMZ, and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Delivery of technical assistance is coordinated jointly by C40 and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. USAID's contribution will further assist cities to access the finance they need to deliver on their low carbon and climate adaptation projects. For more information on the CFF go to: http://www.c40cff.org/.
The CFF and the future of green-finance in cities will be one of the key topics discussed at the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, taking place in Mexico City from November 30th to December 2nd. As the foremost global gathering of mayors of the world's megacities, the C40 Mayors Summit will set the agenda for a climate safe world in the years ahead. To register to attend the C40 Mayors Summit visit: https://mayorssummit2016.c40.org/.
Press Release: C40 Cities Finance Facility receives $2.3m from USAID to help cities access financing for climate projects
Cities in developing countries and emerging economies will have access to $2.3 million to mobilise financing for their climate change…
Why Sustainable Urban Development Needs Better Finance
This week in Quito, Ecuador, international leaders have gathered in support of the New Urban Agenda, which lays the groundwork…


Live a splendid moment with our famous Lebanese diva, in a concert not to be missed!
Magida El Roumi promises the fans of the Beiteddine Art Festival a night to remember, as she will offer them a compilation of her best songs, especially her new releases reflecting the joy and sophistication of her art.
Tickets available in Virgin Megastore all branches.


text:
// Copyright (c) Microsoft.  All Rights Reserved.  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.  See License.txt in the project root for license information.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Diagnostics;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Evaluation.ClrCompilation;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Metadata;
using Roslyn.Utilities;
using Type = Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Metadata.Type;

namespace Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.ExpressionEvaluator
{
    [Flags]
    internal enum DeclarationInfo : byte
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// A declaration with this name has not been encountered.
        /// </summary>
        None = 0,
        /// <summary>
        /// This member is defined on the declared type or one of its base classes.
        /// </summary>
        FromDeclaredTypeOrBase = 0,
        /// <summary>
        /// This member is defined on a type that inherits from the declared type (is more derived).
        /// </summary>
        FromSubTypeOfDeclaredType = 1,
        /// <summary>
        /// This member should be hidden (under "Non-Public members" node), because Just My Code is on and
        /// no symbols have been loaded for the declaring type's module.
        /// </summary>
        HideNonPublic = 1 << 2,
        /// <summary>
        /// More than one non-virtual member with this name exists in the type hierarchy.
        /// The ResultProvider should include the declaring type of this member in the member name to disambiguate.
        /// </summary>
        IncludeTypeInMemberName = 1 << 3,
        /// <summary>
        /// The full name for this member access expression will require a cast to the declaring type.
        /// </summary>
        RequiresExplicitCast = 1 << 4,
    }

    internal static class DeclarationInfoExtensions
    {
        internal static bool IsSet(this DeclarationInfo info, DeclarationInfo value)
        {
            return (info & value) == value;
        }
    }

    internal struct MemberAndDeclarationInfo
    {
        public static readonly IComparer<MemberAndDeclarationInfo> Comparer = new MemberNameComparer();

        private readonly MemberInfo _member;

        public readonly DkmClrDebuggerBrowsableAttributeState? BrowsableState;
        public readonly bool HideNonPublic;
        public readonly bool IncludeTypeInMemberName;
        public readonly bool RequiresExplicitCast;

        /// <summary>
        /// Exists to correctly order fields with the same name from different types in the inheritance hierarchy.
        /// </summary>
        private readonly int _inheritanceLevel;

        public MemberAndDeclarationInfo(MemberInfo member, DkmClrDebuggerBrowsableAttributeState? browsableState, DeclarationInfo info, int inheritanceLevel)
        {
            Debug.Assert(member != null);

            _member = member;
            this.BrowsableState = browsableState;
            this.HideNonPublic = info.IsSet(DeclarationInfo.HideNonPublic);
            this.IncludeTypeInMemberName = info.IsSet(DeclarationInfo.IncludeTypeInMemberName);
            this.RequiresExplicitCast = info.IsSet(DeclarationInfo.RequiresExplicitCast);

            _inheritanceLevel = inheritanceLevel;
        }

        public Type DeclaringType
        {
            get
            {
                return _member.DeclaringType;
            }
        }

        public bool IsPublic
        {
            get
            {
                return _member.IsPublic();
            }
        }

        public bool IsStatic
        {
            get
            {
                switch (_member.MemberType)
                {
                    case MemberTypes.Field:
                        return ((FieldInfo)_member).IsStatic;
                    case MemberTypes.Property:
                        return ((PropertyInfo)_member).GetGetMethod(nonPublic: true).IsStatic;
                    default:
                        throw ExceptionUtilities.UnexpectedValue(_member.MemberType);
                }
            }
        }

        public MemberTypes MemberType
        {
            get
            {
                return _member.MemberType;
            }
        }

        public string Name
        {
            get
            {
                return _member.Name;
            }
        }

        public Type Type
        {
            get
            {
                return GetMemberType(_member);
            }
        }

        public Type OriginalDefinitionType
        {
            get
            {
                return GetMemberType(_member.GetOriginalDefinition());
            }
        }

        private static Type GetMemberType(MemberInfo member)
        {
            switch (member.MemberType)
            {
                case MemberTypes.Field:
                    return ((FieldInfo)member).FieldType;
                case MemberTypes.Property:
                    return ((PropertyInfo)member).PropertyType;
                default:
                    throw ExceptionUtilities.UnexpectedValue(member.MemberType);
            }
        }

        public DkmClrCustomTypeInfo TypeInfo
        {
            get
            {
                switch (_member.MemberType)
                {
                    case MemberTypes.Field:
                    case MemberTypes.Property:
                        return _member.GetCustomAttributesData().GetCustomTypeInfo();
                    default:
                        // If we ever see a method, we'll have to use ReturnTypeCustomAttributes.
                        throw ExceptionUtilities.UnexpectedValue(_member.MemberType);
                }
            }
        }

        public Type GetExplicitlyImplementedInterface(out string memberName)
        {
            memberName = _member.Name;

            // We only display fields and properties and fields never implement interface members.
            if (_member.MemberType == MemberTypes.Property)
            {
                // A dot is neither necessary nor sufficient for determining whether a member explicitly
                // implements an interface member, but it does characterize the set of members we're
                // interested in displaying differently.  For example, if the property is from VB, it will
                // be an explicit interface implementation, but will not have a dot.
                var dotPos = memberName.LastIndexOf('.');
                if (dotPos >= 0)
                {
                    var property = (PropertyInfo)_member;
                    var accessors = property.GetAccessors(nonPublic: true);
                    Debug.Assert(accessors.Length > 0);

                    // We'll just pick the first interface we find since we don't have a good way
                    // to display more than one.
                    foreach (var accessor in accessors)
                    {
                        foreach (var interfaceAccessor in accessor.GetExplicitInterfacesImplemented())
                        {
                            memberName = memberName.Substring(dotPos + 1);
                            return interfaceAccessor.DeclaringType;
                        }
                    }
                }
            }

            return null;
        }

        private sealed class MemberNameComparer : IComparer<MemberAndDeclarationInfo>
        {
            public int Compare(MemberAndDeclarationInfo x, MemberAndDeclarationInfo y)
            {
                var comp = string.Compare(x.Name, y.Name, StringComparison.Ordinal);
                return comp != 0 ? comp : (y._inheritanceLevel - x._inheritanceLevel);
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We engaged in storing a qualitative GI Steel Plate for our valued clients. Developed with advanced technology, these presented plates are in compliance with the defined parameters of the industry, signifying their high standards. Furthermore, to meet divergent demands of the clients, we have made these plates available in different technical specifications.


text:
Tag Archives: Blake Shelton
Robby and Me
So 31 years ago this month I spoke to a guy I didn't know on an actual landline. No, it wasn't like that. He was a friend of a friend who was new to town and he had the soft, sexy voice of a young Robby Benson.
For those who don't know – Robby Benson was a big film and TV star in the seventies with great hair, impressive acting chops and endless boyish charm. Extremely smart and fun loving with a talent for playing often troubled though never irredeemable characters.
NOT ROB LOWE. #better
Anyway, I agreed to take Robby's voice to a party because It/He didn't know many people in town and when he came to my door I was taken aback. He not only looked a little like Robby, by way of Italian heritage, but was smart, fun-loving and far LESS TROUBLED than any of the people he played.
This was Robby as you wanted him to be. Or so I thought. And it turns out I was right. That night turned into that morning and more than three decades later here we are, his voice still intact and my crush now my husband.
and they lived happily ever after #AWWWWWW
It is important to remember Robby my husband and I met in 1987 in the height of the AIDS crisis. The idea of finding a person with whom you could survive with 31 years later seemed…well, no one was thinking that far ahead. About a week or two was all you could manage, and even that was pushing it.
We were ending the horrible Reagan years where gay people were branded nationally as diseased sinners whom the public at large needed to be protected from. It wouldn't get too much better in the four years of George H.W. Bush, though one of my favorite political moments of that time was when a former boyfriend gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention nominating Bill Clinton that chastised Bush, Sr. for willfully ignoring so many of the sick (nee gay) members of his (Note: Bush, Sr.'s that is) American family.
That boyfriend is long dead but his words linger in my mind. I think of him and so many others often, though not in tragic terms. I wonder – what would they make of Ellen coming out nationally? Will and Grace and the return of Will and Grace 15 years later? Could they have imagined RuPaul would not only have a high-rated show but win an Emmy and spawn a nationwide trend towards EVERYONE workin' it 24/7 by simply being your true self?
Preach Ru
This is to say nothing about gay marriage in the age of Grindr, gay parenting, #ItsGetsBetter, gays in the military and, well, pretty much gay everything, anything and in any way possible if you so choose.
Exhibit A #heyantoni
That does not mean there are now zero consequences from family members, neighbors and the world at large for one's choices. But pretty much every choice we make has consequences.
The fact that there is even this much of a level playing field felt like a quaint pipe dream in 1987. Kind of like your parents saying you were not even a twinkle in your mother's eye five years before you were born. (Note: Okay, maybe my family were the only ones who spoke this way but nevertheless the star metaphor feels apt).
It is in this context that I tuned in NBC's The Voice this past week and saw a gay male couple in their 30s – one African American, the other lily White but both super hot – talk about meeting, singing together, falling in love and forming their own singing group.
They then discussed their parents and siblings, families who were finally face to face for the first time at this about-to-be televised audition. Amidst all this we were also told they had an upbringing steeped in the church, information that would have been the whole point of their appearance even a decade or two before. Assuming, that is, they would have even been let on TV as their true selves, which they wouldn't have been.
Never mind that I thought their musical act was kind of corny, albeit sweet – sort of Up With People trying to mix with vintage Temptations music. What was being broadcast here was in PRIME-TIME NETWORK TELEVISION. More than their music, their story had reduced their four heterosexual vocal coaches/International music stars to sighs of admiration and tears.
YES IT IS LISA #exceptyourlips #help
It was also pre-determined by a corporately held network, owned by a conglomerate, that this would similarly tug at the heart strings of America's heartland. Why else make them the lead off act in the 8:00pm family friendly time block?
Heck, I wondered, what does my sometimes still stuck in the eighties self make of that? What would any of my friends, particularly the musical ones and specifically those who were long gone, make of it?
Answer – most of us around these days don't think of it much at all. Those not around couldn't think of it as real. At least that's what I and my husband concluded.
None of this is a reason to pat ourselves on our collective backs and break out in cheers as a nativist movement sweeps the country and the world, imperiling minorities everywhere and even thumbing its nose at some MAJORITIES, nee WOMEN.
OK OK Stay with me!
It is only to say, sometimes one has to look at where they came from as well as from where they started in order to gain perspective and energy about where they are now and in what way they are to proceed.
This year there are dozens and dozens and dozens of LGBTQ-themed films already or about to be released. Click here for a list
Sure, we are still a niche audience but so is pretty much EVERY audience these days. In 2018, it's all about niche music, niche TV, niche radio, niche….don't get me started. So much to catch up on, so, so little time.
I'm sorry Sarah.. there is literally no time #AHSApocalypse #netflixIguess
But ultimately it's more about subject matter and the lens within that niche. In the seventies and eighties it was acceptable for straight male characters to make "fag" jokes without retribution. The notable major LGBTQ crossover releases in 1987 were Maurice and Prick up Your Ears – two period pieces about a time when gay meant sick and in the shadows, and lesbian love or BTQ existence were barely an onscreen flicker.
It would be five years before Neil Jordan pulled off an international gender hat trick in The Crying Game. This was 23 years before TLC aired its first episode of a reality show focusing on a transgender teenager, I Am Jazz.
We've learned that the point is the lens from which something is viewed. We are offered the travails of a white suburban gay kid coming out in films like Alex Strangelove and Love, Simon (Note: L-O-V-E) and the oppressiveness but ultimately unapologetic victories young gay protagonists can have when their parents try to convert them to straight in movies such as The Miseducation of Cameron Post and the upcoming Boy Erased, all of them 2018 releases.
YAS. YAS. YAS
This doesn't erase the tragic last days of Oscar Wilde in Rupert Everett's The Happy Prince, now out at theatres. As its star, writer and director, Mr. Everett effectively reminds us that this literary giant served TWO YEARS hard labor for engaging in gay sex (aka sodomy) with the man he loved at the turn of the century and was damaged beyond repair, not to mention shunned by society, in the few years he had left after he got out.
Yet in 2018, it's an openly gay artist telling the story about an iconic gay artist from the past to a world that in the great majority, at least in the U.S., are on HIS side. If that weren't the case, you can bet Sony Pictures would have NEVER picked up the film for distribution.
We're not exactly to Avengers level, but good on them.
Nor would a gay Black man co-write the screenplay to his own autobiographical story, Moonlight, and then watch his story become 2016's surprise best picture Oscar winner.
So as we all deal with the Trump America of it all, the international Nativism that could be our ultimate destructions, not to mention the latest U.N. report on climate change and the tragedy of global warming that threatens the extinction of the human species, it's nice to remember history, progress, regression, revolution, resistance and more progress is our legacy.
It's a roller coaster of emotions, dear.
History can turn on a dime, either way, and many of us have lived through periods where all fights seemed in vain and the best we hoped for was simply getting through.
What we didn't know was that the future could be brighter than we imagined, BLINDING so DAZZLINGLY as to be rendered un-seeable, with only inevitable dollops of dark.
And that dream Robby Benson can appear at your doorstep just when you thought there was never a chance.
If this last thought seems too LGBTQ Hallmark, check out what one member of our new generation just unabashedly posted on his YouTube Channel. Colin O'Leary you are 2018 Robby – reincarnated.
Standard | Posted in Gay is the Old Black	| Tagged 1980s, Adam Levine, AIDS, american horror story apocalypse, antoni, Blake Shelton, Broadway, carson daly, colin o'leary, debbie downer snl, Don't Fuck it up, Drag Race, gay couple, Gay marriage, Gay rights, George H.W. Bush, HIV, I love lucy gif, Jennifer Hudson, jonathan van ness, keith haring, Kelly Clarkson, LGBT, LGBTQ, lisa rinna gif, Lucille Ball, Lucy, queer, queer eye netflix, rob lowe, robby benson, Ronald Reagan, Ru Paul, Sarah Paulson, showtunes, The Voice, Will and Grace	| 2 Comments
Love it AND Hate it
You can hate something you love or love something you hate. For instance, in my twenties I used to periodically LOVE watching televangelists Jim and Tammy Baker crazy talk their version of God and morality to the masses while simultaneously HATING them and every misguided piece of religious bile that spewed out of their hypocritical mouths. What does this say about me? That I'll sink lower than the approval ratings of Congress (and then some) for a laugh AND I will even do it gaily at my own expense.
Truth be told, I fully support the right of pretty much any nut job who manages a way onto the airwaves to have their say just as I vehemently advocate for the right to hurl poison pen insults from the peanut gallery directly at them and their nether regions if I so choose. Of course, sometimes a handful of those wackos and media whores of the moment are mentally ill and, in that case, all bets are off. Which particularly pains me since Kathleen Taylor, a renowned Oxford University researcher and author specializing in neuroscience, predicted last week during a talk on the brain that we might soon see a proven link between religious fundamentalism and mental illness.
Yes, I'm looking at you, Lonesome Rhodes
This all brings me to my favorite TV reality judge (and overexposed rock star) Adam Levine (Note: Yes, I love Adam even as I sometimes hate tire of him). Fearing the two best singers he mentored all season as a coach on NBC's #1-rated show The Voice would indeed be voted off the program by the masses (nee viewers) who had the time and thought to phone in and be counted in the final vote tally, America's #1 Jewish front man (that's Adam, not me) decided to tell the truth and utter these four words:
"I Hate This Country."
Uh, oh.
If we were all brutally honest, we would all admit that in times of stress or perceived injustice we all have said or thought something similar or far worse:
"I HATE YOU, _____________________"
Spouse (Fill in the name)
Lover (Fill in the name of your choice after they cheated on you)
Friend (Fill in the name of your choice after they cheated on you with your lover or spouse or both)
This, of course, does not mean that we really HATE any of those treasured people in our lives aside from in that moment in time (well, maybe we cut the friend.. right?). Just as it doesn't mean that Adam Levine hates the good ole red, white and blue any more than his fellow judge, country and western star Blake Shelton, loves it.
Let's have them duke it out!
I happen to know this is true because in the last two or three decades I have said I hate this country publicly, oh, at least a dozen times (though not on NBC because they haven't booked me yet). More than half of those times were in the eighties and nineties during the Reagan/AIDS era. A few more came after George W. Bush got elected and re-elected. Another couple had to do with young people being bullied and a few more – well, I forget.
Like any opinionated fella in 2013, Mr. Levine instantly took to Twitter and defended himself with humor – brushing off his remarks as an impromptu joke. But hundreds (thousands?) tweeted back to him and NBC that he was un-American (one twit even suggesting Navy Seal Team 6 be sent after him) and should be fired. Then some fair and balanced wags at Fox weighed in with similar thoughts, prompting Mr. Levine to issue still yet another statement: "I obviously love my country very much and my comments were made purely out of frustration."
This last mea culpa is sort of like the kind you give to your parents, friends and lovers — but without the accompanying tears, back patting or make-up sex.
As for me and my anti-American words, there will be no apology. Formal or otherwise. The last time I checked the only thing you can really be put in jail for saying in the United States is Fire! in a crowded movie theatre or any sort of perceived threat against the President.
You can also add choosing "List It" to my list of crimes. #AlwaysLoveHillary
Or, perhaps, if I had my way, singing Merle Haggard's reactionary, right wing country classic from 1969, Okie From Muskogee, on network television – which was what happened on Monday night's edition of The Voice.
Don't remember the lyrics? Well, here are the first four lines:
We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee
We don't take our trips on LSD
We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin' right, and bein' free….
Yet Adam Levine, who has been often said to smoke a joint or two , could this week only beam and nod in approval at that Muskogie moment. Maybe it was because he liked the song or, more likely, maybe it was because he was afraid not to like the song. I have no idea. But then again, for a $10 million plus paycheck for each Voice cycle I too might even be silenced by the possibility of a red state America backlash getting in the way of my retirement fund.
For the record, there are many, many things about this country I do love. New York City, the Pacific Ocean, the view from my upstairs window, kitchen supply stores, driving with the top down in my car with the heat on in 55-65 degree weather, and the right to write anything I damn please without having some idiot redcoat (or any other color coat) comin' a knockin' at my door and dragging me to a cyber-age Siberian prison never to be heard from again.
But that doesn't mean that at one point or another I don't also dislike, or even hate all of the above. I spent some time on vacation last week in 90-degree/900% humidity New York that in that moment made me despise the city and everything about it even as I still loved (as I always have) its Broadway shows and hot pretzels.
These pretzels are making me thirsty!
I also hated my convertible car last year when the battery died twice in a month, one in the middle of busy intersection. Just as I positively loathe the Pacific Ocean on windy summer days like today when I can't figure out whether my sinuses or the brush in the Inland Empire burn with greater intensity.
The point is – no one should ever take at face value anything that is said, or even read, in this world. There is a context, an underside, a nuance, or even an accompanying explanation to everything you hear, see or read. You are not obligated to seek it out but none of us can rightly deny that it doesn't exist. I mean, even I know in my heart of hearts that there is something good about mashed potatoes and peas despite the fact that the sight of them together on my dinner plate inevitably makes me gag.
Which brings me to the newest food craze sweeping New York – the Cronut.
Behold.. THE CRONUT.
A combination croissant and doughnut, these very sweet somethings are the invention of French pastry chef Dominique Ansel and are THE new must have for anyone who is anyone in the city (Note: the previous sentence could easily be read by my beloved Stefon). People wait online in front of Mr. Ansel's Soho bakery each morning starting at approximately 5am (he opens at 8) to get one of the precious 200 or so Cronuts he bakes each day. You can buy up to six of them in a day (they are sold to you in a gold box if you do so), you can't reserve them ahead of time (Anderson Cooper tried and was refused while Hugh Jackman was rumored to have waited in line) and there are Craig's List professional shoppers who you can hire to stand in line and deliver your Cronuts personally to you if you pony up $30-$40 per pastry for the pleasure.
Given all of the this, is it any wonder that I decided ahead of time that I LOVE and had to have my very own Cronut on my recent NYC trip? Well, that is until I saw a photo of one close-up and realized it had a weird gooey cream oozing out of its center which immediately made me nauseous. Like really sort of sick. Cause I'm more of a chocolate cake kind of guy. Always was. Which in turn leads me to admit that I HATE Cronuts and the elitist idea of them. At least for now. Or until I taste one. At that point, it can go either way.
Standard | Posted in Just Sayin'	| Tagged A Face in the Crowd, Adam Levine, Annie Lennox, Blake Shelton, Cronuts, Dominque Ansel Bakery, Lonesome Rhodes, Love it or List it, Okie from Muskogee, The Voice	| 0 comments


ONE of the wealthiest and most prominent figures in Costa Blanca high society was shot dead by a suspected hitman in a murder that has shocked Spain.
Maria del Carmen Martinez, widow of the former CAM bank president Vicente Sala, was shot execution-style while sitting behind the wheel of her Porsche Cayenne SUV in one of her family's Alicante car dealerships.
The assassin used a silencer to fire two shots at point blank range to her head and cheek. Martinez, 72, died instantly at around 7pm on Friday December 9, slumping outside the car where she was later found.
Neither her car, nor her luxury handbag and other easy pickings were taken, leading detectives to conclude this was a contract killing possibly linked to her family's extensive business empire.
Madrid has offered to send a special investigative unit but Alicante has thus far preferred to handle the case locally. Authorities believe the perpetrator may have been hired outside Spain and has already left the country.
Martinez had taken over the family business after her husband's death in 2011 but speculation is rife that the household is bitterly divided. There are well-known tensions involving her adult children, three daughters and a son.
Martinez was a highly-regarded public figure. A huge funeral the following day was attended by a who's who of the business, social and political worlds of Valencia.


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Koeneniodes spiniger är en spindeldjursart som beskrevs av Filippo Silvestri 1913. Koeneniodes spiniger ingår i släktet Koeneniodes och familjen Eukoeneniidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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Her boyfriend Jason Abalos accompanied her to the United Kingdom.
Vickie Rushton couldn't help but feel emotional after she finally met her dad's side of the family for the first time since she was born.
Calling it an answered prayer, Vickie shared in a lengthy post her touching experience when she met her British fam during her visit to the United Kingdom.
"After 26 years, I finally met my family on my father's side. My heart was overwhelmed and I just can't explain what I felt when I saw my brother went out the door with arms wide open. I was speechless. I was shaking. I felt like crying and jumping at the same time," Vicki wrote, recounting what she felt upon seeing her British family for the first time.
"God is amazing. His timing is indeed perfect. I didn't want to leave. It felt like home. For now, I have to wait again till my next visit. If this is how it feels after a long wait, I don't mind waiting at all," she added.
Vickie also thanked her boyfriend, Jason Abalos, who accompanied her to the United Kingdom.
"Thank you baba for coming with me," she stated.