Nobody wants to visit a website that has no content on it! So let's make sure we learn how to put something interesting there for your visitors to see and comment on.
We already talked about this a bit in the previous tutorials, but just to recap, the difference between posts and pages is that posts are chronologically organized, dynamic structures and usually there are a couple of posts per page that visitors are able to comment on. That's one of the reasons why they are frequently used on blogs (almost always actually).
On the other hand, pages are static and most of the time, commenting feature is disabled (although not necessarily). They're used when you want to make a typical information-based website (posting articles on each page separately), and you don't really need a blog.
Needless to say, you can always combine pages & posts. People do that all the time. They keep their articles linked together from the homepage and then they have a separate blog area.
In this tutorial, we are going to go through each of these a bit just to show you what your WordPress site is capable of. We're also going to learn how to insert images & videos!
To start with, log in to your WP dashboard and click on »Posts«.
You will notice that you already have a sample post created entitled »Hello World!«. Feel free to delete this post by clicking the »Trash« link beneath it.
Now, you have to understand that all the posts that you will create here will be organized into »Categories«. You can choose which post goes under which category, but in order to be able to do that, we must first configure them, so let's go ahead and do that.
If you click »edit« on the default category (Uncategorized), you will be able to change its name and modify its options. You can also add more categories of your own choice.
Now, whenever you write a new post, you can decide which category it goes into, depending on how you chose to organize them. This makes posts a lot easier to group and manage.
Insert the title of your post and then put your content in the body part. WordPress uses a WSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) text editor, so if you're ever worked with MS Word or a similar application, you should have no problem editing your content with WP.
Once you're done with that, select a category on your right and insert tags (keywords you want people to find this post by – separate them with commas) and hit »Publish«.
Again, you can delete the Sample Page, however, recall that when we were initially setting up WordPress, we set »Sample Page« as our static homepage.
If we delete it, and make a new one, we'll have to go through that process again. That's why I recommend you simply edit it and change the name to »Home« instead.
To do that, just click the »Edit« link beneath the page title. The rest of the process is exactly the same as with the Posts (enter title, content & hit publish).
That's it, we've covered pretty much everything you need to know to be able to successfully add new posts and pages to your WP website. There's no big science behind it, and all it takes is a couple of minutes to figure out how it all works.
Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, see you in the next one!


A Puerto Rican accommodating with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is acquisitive to save his eyes afterwards an avant-garde gene ysis action at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. On August 23, Julio Adorno Nieves, 23, became the aboriginal U.S. accommodating to be accustomed new genes for his affiliated blinding action in a common Nightstar Theutics ytic trial.
"My eyes has been accepting worse over time, and I've had a lot of adversity seeing at night," said Nieves at a ysis one anniversary afterwards his surgery. "I'm still in recovery, but am acquisitive to see a change soon, acknowledgment to Bascom Palmer's absurd able team." Bascom Palmer has an all-encompassing gene ysis affairs with ophthalmologists, surgeons, abiogenetic attorneys and ysis scientists belief assorted forms of affiliated eye diseases.


text:
Developer Showcase
We are a BAFTA-winning, independent game developer with a reputation for innovation in both storytelling and VR. We have released a number of successful titles and are best known for the critically acclaimed PS4 hit Until Dawn and the recently launched The Dark Pictures Anthology. The latter is a series of stand-alone, horror games for PS4, Xbox and PC. The first two games are out now - Man of Medan and Little Hope.
Founded in 2008, the studio is now home to over 150 talented individuals working across a range of storytelling titles. We've built a track record of high-end production backed up with delivery and reliability. We teamed up with ITN Productions and games trade body TIGA to create this video that explains more about us and how we work.
The studio has received numerous awards, including a BAFTA for Until Dawn, and was included on the prestigious Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50 and Technology Fast 500 lists in 2013.
The studio also works with GamesAid, other charities and educational establishments.
With a passion to deliver high-end interactive drama Supermassive Games is carving a unique and exciting path in the games industry.
Founded2008
Employees200
Websitewww.supermassivegames.com
Made in Guildford
Little Hope - The Dark Pictures Anthology
Man of Medan - The Dark Pictures Anthology
Shattered State
Hidden Agenda
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Tumble VR
Walking with Dinosaurs
LittleBigPlanet - PS Vita
Killzone HD
LittleBigPlanet 2 - Level Kits
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock
Start The Party! Save the World
Start the Party!
The Devil In Me - The Dark Pictures Anthology
House of Ashes - The Dark Pictures Anthology
Back to Developers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
<?php

require __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';

use Core\Application;

// Retrieve configuration
$appConfig = include __DIR__.'/../config/config.php';
Application::init($appConfig)->run();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Audio Video News
Sandy Gross | Jan 15, 2020
I attended CES 2020 — probably my last as it seems that Specialty Audio, once the show's raison d'etre, is really no longer a part of it, at least in any significant way. There are many views as to why this is. Some blame the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), but as a participant in this annual event (once bi-annual) since the early 70s, I feel strongly that the CTA and its CES did not abandon Specialty Audio. Quite the opposite: Specialty Audio abandoned the CES.
The purpose of this piece is not to debate that point, but rather to share some of my fond memories about the show through the years. I attended my first CES when I was a student at Johns Hopkins in the late 60s. It was held at a hotel in New York and I was able to get in because one of my father's clients was exhibiting. I was like a kid in a candy shop, and my clearest memory was the huge Fisher exhibit. My first CES as an exhibitor was in 1974, when I was just starting Polk Audio along with my friends Matt Polk and George Klopfer. We were actually building speakers for a company in Washington, D.C. under the Audio Project moniker. They had secured space in the basement of McCormick Place and we had cooked up 5 or 6 different loudspeaker models. I remember the drive out to Chicago, excitedly postulating how many thousands of speakers we were going to sell at the show. We sold zero but had excellent traffic in our booth, as it was right next to one featuring a prominent porn star of the time, Marilyn Chambers of Behind the Green Door fame, who was on a swing.
Our first CES as Polk Audio was in 1975, I believe. We did not officially participate, but rather "outboarded" the show as many did in the day and continue to do even today. We had originally planned to show at the Playboy Club Hotel, but there was an issue with our credit card. That year, Specialty Audio in general outboarded the show and were camped out at the Bismarck Hotel, famous for its breakfasts and German Egg Pancakes with lingonberries. At that point we had become quite friendly with Saul Marantz and Jon Dahlquist. I spoke with Saul, and he suggested that we come over and set up shop at the Bismarck along with other Specialty Audio companies of the day like Bozak, McIntosh, and Nakamichi, and that turned out to be very significant for the development of our company. Also, it was thrilling for newbies like us to come down to breakfast and see Saul Marantz, Rudy Bozak, Gordon Gow, and the rest of the gang sitting there.
That was what became known as the Summer CES, after the Winter shows started in 1976, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago in January. (Yes, there was a Winter CES in Chicago for a short time.) Whew, Chicago in January can be brutal, and that year was extreme even for Chicago. We did not show, but I attended, and made the mistake of staying at the Bismarck because I had so enjoyed it the summer before. The Bismarck was something of a haul from the Hilton, which normally would not have been a problem, but the taxis were not running due to the cold and I had to walk it. Brrrrr!
Sandy Gross, Matthew Polk, and George Klopfer during the early days of Polk Audio.
For some years, the Bismarck became something of the unofficial home for high-end audio at the Summer CES, which was great. I have many interesting stories from the Bismarck. One year we showed the Oasis Fluid Drive Turntable, which we were considering distributing (yes, then as now, I was a crazed audiophile). Another significant memory involved Godehard Guenther of ADS, who was introducing a range of electronics he was having manufactured in Korea. I remember him banging a table and declaring, "This new line will either make me or break me!" ADS was very successful with loudspeakers, but Godehard was correct — the new line broke him. At some point, the Show decided to try to bring high-end audio back into the fold and designated the Pick Congress for the High-End Audio Exhibits. I fondly remember the big banner in the front of the hotel announcing this news. Not too many years before, I attended demonstrations during the Democratic Convention in Grant Park, across the street from the Pick. I took special delight in the fact that High-End Audio was now being heralded boldly on Michigan Avenue, the same street I had run down trying to avoid Chicago cops intent on smashing my head in.
Then came Las Vegas. In a bold and obviously successful move, the CES fathers (Jack Wayman et al.) decided to move the winter show to Las Vegas in 1976. The first year, I again outboarded. I had reserved a suite at the Royal Las Vegas, and hauled in a pair of speakers, an amp, and a Thorens turntable as I recall. But when I got to the hotel, I was informed that they did not have my suite. Apparently, one of the owners of Threshold had connections with the hotel and had taken my suite away. Oh well! I set up in a room and made the best of it. One fond memory of that first year was meeting Paul McGowan of PS Audio, who has been a lifelong friend. I remember sitting out by the pool with Paul, sampling some Polk Special Blend.
The Winter Show grew and grew. In a move to cater to high-end audio (and although many disagree, they have always been supportive), the CES at some point made the Jockey Club a dedicated high-end audio venue. I remember one interesting encounter at the Jockey Club which speaks to the very special and unique nature of some high-end audio companies. Going down the elevator, I bumped into an acquaintance who started an amplifier company and had just received a terrific review in Audio magazine. As we descended, he asked for my advice with a problem. "Sandy, I have had two dealers approach me to buy and sell my amplifier, but I don't know if I can actually build it. What should I do?"
One tradition that I started at Polk, and then continued after I left, was massive dealer dinners. Someone had mentioned at some point that they were jealous of the big stores that always got taken out to dinner at the shows, so I came up with the idea of inviting all of our dealers to dinner, which started out small, but grew to enormous proportions over the years. I remember in the beginning I had the concept of going to a different restaurant every night. Clearly a mistake, however in Chicago we finally settled on Biggs, an old mansion-style French restaurant, taking over the entire place for several nights.
Definitive Technology BP 10 launch at Chicago summer CES, 1990. Left to right: Sandy Gross, Anne Conaway, and Murray Zeligman.
I had many interesting experiences at Biggs, but one of the most unique occurred one evening when I saw several guests that looked a little different than our normal group. Since I did not recognize them, I approached and asked what dealer they were with. They said that they were not with a dealer but had met a young lady from one of our dealers who had invited them to the party. I nicely informed them that this was a private party and asked them to leave. After they left, one of my friends came up to me and said, "Sandy, do you know who that was?" I said,"No." He then told me, "That was John Holmes." John was a very popular, and apparently famous, porn star of the day. In fact, the CES used to include a porn convention, and the initial success of the VCR was to play porn.
During that period, we chose Chateau Vegas for our dinners at the Las Vegas Show and, as with Biggs, many remember it well to this day. Huge heaping platters of duck, lamb, beef, chicken, lobster, and more served family style and enough to feed twice as many people as were there. I think the idea was that the help at Chateau Vegas took home what we didn't eat, and there was always plenty left. I also began my tradition of opening night at Piero's, a Rat Pack-era dark Italian restaurant &dashj; probably once with Mafia connections — back when it was one of the few good spots in town. Sinatra and Deano apparently agreed. In the early days of the show, everyone was there opening night. I remember Bernie Mitchell, President of Pioneer in its heyday, holding court there. This year, as always, I was at Piero's for the opening night of CES.
I left Polk in 1988, ostensibly to make movies, but then returned to the industry to launch a new loudspeaker company, Definitive Technology, in 1990. It's my opinion that the CES is a gift to our industry and has always presented fledgling companies like mine with a tremendous opportunity. It's been very significant to the success of all three of my companies.
We launched Definitive at the Summer CES in a suite at the McCormick Inn Hotel in 1990. As with Polk in 1974, we drove out to Chicago with a van filled with gear, including our prototype BP 10 loudspeakers. Anne Conaway was part of the launch, along with Murray Zeligman, who had worked on the prototypes. I remember that we were using some huge tube amps, along with a prototype turntable that a friend of ours, Frank Rizzello, had designed. Luckily, we brought a spare solid-state amp, as at some point one of the tube amps blew up, shooting pieces of the molten exploding tubes up at the ceiling. Unlike my first showing back in 1974, that year we signed up 50 dealers right out of the gate. (I remember hearing that one of our competitors remarked to a dealer, "My speaker is much better than Sandy's and dealers are just taking it on because they had done business with Sandy for so many years.") Years later, GoldenEar Technology had similar success at our debut showing, although now with much more advanced speaker designs.
The Summer Show did not last too much longer, but the Winter Show in Las Vegas certainly picked up steam. Specialty Audio at that point was housed at the Riviera, and then later there were two venues: the Hilton Convention Center (later moved to South Hall) for Home Theater, and the Alexis Park for Specialty High-End Audio. At that point in time I was on the CES Advisory Committee, which met once a year in New York. I remember the meetings well, as they were old-style with a full bar at lunch. There were excited debates regarding the possibility of moving CES to New York, which was simply a logistical impossibility, as well as a heated debate about the CES building freestanding sound rooms on the show floor for demos. I particularly remember Bill Johnson of Audio Research getting up and leaving in a huff, declaring the impossibility of achieving good sound in these freestanding rooms. Honestly, I never had a problem. I have to admit that I was the one responsible for suggesting the addition of a fifth day to the show, which did not last long.
My favorite story from this era is one involving Jim Bongiorno (Bongo Jim as he was lovingly known) of Ampzilla fame. Jim required that we sign a confidential non-disclosure agreement before meeting with us one evening after the show had closed in our demo room at the Hilton. He had a concept for what he thought would be a revolutionary product that he wanted us to build and market. His concept was that different speaker positions were ideal for different music, and he conceived of building a complicated track system that would be installed in one's listening room and programmed by the user for their music to automatically move a pair of speakers around the room to ideal positions for each different track. I could not keep a straight face, nor stop laughing. It was as funny as when an "inventor" once called up suggesting that we build speakers for coffins to entertain the departed in their afterlife. We eventually set up our CES dinners at the Mayflower, sometimes hosting over 150 people a night, and the food was always terrific. Theresa, Tony, and their mom later moved to a higher-end location at the Palazzo, and finally opened Fu at the Hard Rock, which will be closing in February. I got to dine there twice this year at CES, and the food was as good as ever.
Sandy Gross and daughter Wendi at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
I never showed at the Alexis Park. Since Definitive Technology was a larger company, we showed at the South Hall (built over the former location of Chateau Vegas). One exciting year was when they erected our sound room with the wrong orientation and had to tear it down and rebuild it. This caused a major delay and we were up all night before the show opened attempting to set up…aargh. In 2007, Specialty High-End Audio moved to the Venetian hotel, and I thought this was absolutely terrific. As I have said and will say again, CTA (known as CEA back then) has always gone out of its way to cater to our market segment. The Venetian was a class act, with terrific suites where we could achieve terrific sound, at least from my perspective. When we successfully launched GoldenEar Technology in 2010, we took a suite at the Venetian for a closed-door, invitation-only peek at what we were thinking of doing. Response was fantastic, and the following year we were back at the Venetian, amps glowing and speakers singing sweetly. Similar to when we launched Polk, dealers and distributors instantly signed up and away we went. At that time, CES at the Venetian was the world's premier showplace for High-End Audio, and dealers and distributors from all over the world flocked there to see and hear the latest and greatest. GoldenEar continued to actively show at the Venetian until 2017, and we still had suites in 2018 and 2019. This year, after our acquisition by AudioQuest, we were back again making music. But few audio companies remained.
What happened? As I mentioned, many blame the organizers of CES, but I disagree. Basically, the skyrocketing hotel costs kept many dealers away. This was really not the fault of the organizers, unless you blame them for creating a show that became so successful that hotels could charge whatever they wanted. I always thought that what they provided us with was first-class and fairly priced. The other issue that hurt the show from the Specialty Audio perspective was the rise of the High-End Show in Munich, Germany. That show is now one where distributors from all over the world go rather than Vegas. When the dealers and distributors stopped coming, so did the manufacturers. Sigh....But CES was a great run and great fun while it lasted.
I get your point, but...
Submitted by jeffhenning on January 15, 2020 - 9:13am
...The reasons, I'm sure are manifold and nothing stays as is forever.
It's like going back to bars where you had great times in college. 40 years out, very few of them remain the same if they remain at all.
Technology moves on as do the habits of those that consume it. Also, the rap against CES has been going on for decades.
From a marketing standpoint, I imagine the smaller, more tightly focused audio expos wind up being better for both the consumers and the manufacturers. After all, the whole reason for their existence is to move hunks of tin just like entertainment is about putting asses in seats.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Sandy.
Submitted by drny on January 15, 2020 - 10:20am
It was Spring of 79'during my sophomore year at College. One of my classmates invites me to his parents house. In his room he had the Original Polk Monitor 10 with an Adcom pre-amp and Amp. Needless to say I was converted.
Forty plus years later, and several Polk, Def Tech and GoldenEar speakers later, I consider Sandy a master at delivering excellent speakers that were actually affordable.
Thank you Sandy for sharing some of your fantastic memories of CES, and for your service to the Audiophiles among us who could never afford 50K speakers.
Kudos to S&V for giving us a glimpse of a Legend.
Sandy helped CREATE the audio industry
Submitted by audio_man01 on January 16, 2020 - 4:15pm
Reading through Sandy's article, I am again reminded that it was in fact Sandy that helped to define the last 30-40 year history of our industry. Saul Marantz, Avery Fisher, Paul Klipsch, Noel Lee, Steve Jobs, Amar Bose. YES, Sandy like this distinguished list fundamentally changed and shaped the CE industry. How? With Polk, Definitive Technology and finally Golden Ear, his companies made better quality hi-fi approachable to a broad audience. Coupled with his keen eye towards marketing to dealers, consumers, the press and the audio industry, he is IMO a true legend that will always be part of the history and success of our industry. Acquisition by AudioQuest is a logical avenue to assure Golden Ear's continuation. As a 30-year attendee to CES, an early 80's attendee at Polk's legendary Summer Chicago CES "dinners" and countless Def Tech dealer/press splurges, being part of that ring side seat was thrilling and fascinating. There is NO nicer person or more brilliant vendor than Sandy Gross.
Best Gear of December 2019
Atlantic Technology Launches First Wireless Headphones with Holiday Discount
laptop screen filters
a v antennas
4k uhd screens
kids electronic software books
discs downloads
all audio video accessories
4 power amps
kids walkie talkies
cell phone adapter
fish finders depth finders


text:
Crude oil prices rally amid unexpected OPEC deal
- Equity rally may further strengthen after OPEC members stated that they will unanimously support an output reduction
- We nonetheless remain cautious on the eventual effects of an actual trim
- JPY may further weaken in reaction to the combined effects of the OPEC cut which will drive investors towards higher yielding assets and a worse than expected drop in retail sales
- We believe that the BoJ will not increase stimulus before properly assessing the effects of its latest measures
In Asia, equities rallied strongly this morning following a positive lead from Wall Street and a jump in crude prices after OPEC members said that they will unanimously support an output reduction. After months of heated debate, OPEC ministers have finally found common ground as they reached a preliminary agreement to cut production to a range of 32.5mio to 33mio barrels a day (in August OPEC production reached 33.69mio barrels a day). Crude oil prices reacted sharply yesterday amid the announcement of the pre-agreement with the West Texas Intermediate jumping more than 6% to $47.20 a barrel and the Brent crude testing the $49 level. However, even if it is a good news for oil prices, this is just a pre-agreement in which OPEC members agree to trim production without actually specifying who will take the cut or how it will be divided. Therefore, we remain cautious concerning the effects of an actual trim in production, especially in view of the OPEC's history of consistently failing to reach a consensus.
The Japanese yen was the worst performer amongst the G10 complex as it fell 0.85% against the US dollar. USD/JPY rose to 101.75 in Tokyo from 100.69 in reaction to the combined effect of the OPEC deal, which drove investors towards higher-yielding assets and a sharp drop in retail sales. Retail sales unexpectedly fell in August for the first time in three months, contracting 2.1%y/y, while the market was expecting a reduction of 1.7%. This is pretty dire news for the country as most of its growth is generated by consumer spending. This news will also drag inflation lower, which could encourage the BoJ to further ease its monetary policy. However, given the ineffectiveness of the multiple easing measures implemented over the past few months, we doubt the central bank would dare to increase stimulus before properly assessing the effects of its most recent measures announced at its on September 21st.
Equities were buoyed in overnight trading with all Asian regional markets trading in positive territory. In Japan, the Nikkei was up 1.39% and the broader Topix index rose 0.94%. In mainland China, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Composites were up 0.30% and 0.38%, while offshore the Hang Seng edged up 0.04%. On the commodity side, natural gas rose 0.63%, iron ore was up 1.90% and copper gained 0.90%.
Today traders will be watching the unemployment rate from Denmark; retail sales and CPI from Spain; unemployment rate from Germany; mortgage approval from the UK; consumer confidence from the Euro zone; CPI from Germany; wholesale inventories, personal consumption, core PCE, GDP and pending home sales from the US.
Thursday, 29 Sep, 2016 / 8:30
Source : http://en.swissquote.com/fx/news


On Sunday five members of Thanet's recently founded boccia team, Thanet Thunderers -led by Boccia England officials Terry Fearn and Jackie Potts – took part in its first open tournament.
The event was held at the Medway Park Sports Centre in Gillingham, where the facilities were used as a training camp for the 2012 Paralympics and are fully accessible and equipped for disability sports of all kinds including boccia, wheelchair basketball, and athletics.
The Kent and Medway Boccia Singles Championship was presided over by head referee Jan Mulligan who welcomed the Thanet team to the Kent League alongside players from Dartford Boccia Club, Herne Bay Herons, Prince Arthur Boccia Knights from Gillingham, and Bexley Dodgers.
At this pan-disability singles event Thanet Thunderers were up against some stiff opposition from veterans of the game, including some National League champions, but two players, Philip Coles and Terry Bailes, reached the quarter-finals, and Jacqueline Aves won two pool matches, only narrowly missing out on a place.
The final was presided over by Dan Bentley, a Boccia England referee and Paralympic Gold medallist. Terry Bailes fought a very closely contested match in the final against triple Kent champion and Boccia England player Josh Wilkins from Sidcup, and came home with a well-deserved silver medal.
This weekend Thanet Thunderers are off to play in Chimay, Ramsgate's twin town in Belgium, where they hope to play teams from Chimay and Conflans-Saint-Honorine.
If you would like to join the team just contact Thanet Thunderers on their Facebook page.or call Terry or Jackie on 07505 120059 for more information.


text:
Q: Rounding in a rails number_field I have a number_field thus:
<%= ff.number_field :total_cost_savings, {class: 'form-control number', :step => 0.01} %>

I enter the value 1.1, save and refresh and it displays the value "1.100000023841858".  I understand that this is because the underlying database field is a float and that I could change the database field to be a decimal, but isn't there some way to control the display formatting of the number_field instead?

A: The answer is:
<%= ff.number_field :total_cost_savings, {value: number_with_precision(ff.object.total_cost_savings, precision: 2), class: 'form-control number', :step => 0.01} %>

A: For prices you can do like this:
    f.number_field :total_cost_savings, value: number_to_currency(f.object.total_cost_savings, delimiter: '', unit: ''), step: 0.01

Also, you can overwrite the active record getter, by adding this to your model file:
    def total_cost_savings
      read_attribute(:total_cost_savings).round(2)
    end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Does the France-Algeria moral crisis comprise Paris' Barkhane Operation?
Algeria's decision to ban France's military planes from its airspace is symbolic in sustaining the ongoing moral crisis between the two countries, where Algiers wants to halt Paris' role in the region
by Abdennour Toumi
In light of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Algiers and Paris following President Macron's cutting back on visas granted to Maghrebi citizens over the country's vague immigration policy and his comments on the existence of an Algerian nation before the French colonization in 1832, Algeria decided to ban all French military planes over the country's airspace on October 3. French military planes, however, have been flying over Algeria's airspace since the launching of former President François Hollande's Serval Operation in Mali in 2013; a military operation that is France's "war on terror" global strategy in the Sahel.
Tired serval
The Serval Operation was extended in 2014 by the Barkhane Operation, allowing France to deploy 5000 soldiers in Mali. Though last summer, the President did decide to withdraw French troops from the Sahel, leaving only special forces based in north Mali. That will end early in 2022. Nonetheless, President Macron said Algiers' decision to not allow French military planes to use Algeria's airspace will have a direct impact on the Barkhane Operation mission. Meanwhile, the high-ranks of the French military did argue that Algiers' decision would affect only the two logistic flights that were flying from the French military base in the city of Istres.
Thus, Algiers and Paris clashed recently over the new Algiers' diplomatic dynamics in the Sahel and Algiers' military new doctrine that was established scrupulously in Algeria's November 2020 Constitution in Articles 30 and 31. Algiers is taking a leading role in the Malian crisis — recently; it has implicitly supported the interference of Moscow, which has angered Paris, and even Rabat, which feel that the presence of Russian auxiliary forces in Mali would trim Rabat's wings in the Sahel.
Nevertheless, there is an anti-French sentiment manifested by local populations in Mali and Niger, a sentiment that has reached the military officials in Mali, who seem to want to change the entire military alliance towards Moscow. As a result, Paris is in a panic mode, after the semi-decline of French diplomacy that usually is a pragmatic one: a paradigm that has become difficult to qualify as Paris' diplomacy under President Macron's administration.
Paris, on the other hand, is relativizing the impact of Algiers' decision, saying that French drones continue to operate regularly in the Sahel. They will be taking off from Niamey, Niger; therefore, there is no need to fly over Algerian airspace.
Exit tragedy
In this stance, the Barkhane Operation is targeting radical Islamic armed groups in the triangle area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Militarily, the Barkhane Operation, with its special forces, needs regular manpower supply. Consequently, the decision of Algiers is still considered as a strong message for the French authorities in their "war on terror."
Algiers has a solid say in this endless war, as they have long experience in this field that needs deep intelligence work, coordination, and direct talks with local community leaders such as Soufi (Zaouias) religious leaders. Paris and Algiers have been cooperating on this complex issue of national security for decades. Recently, French special forces have shown success in Mali, following the assassination of an al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb leader last year and the assassination of an ISIS in the Sahel leader last September. Both were orchestrated with the help of the Algerian intelligence service. On October 21, the French military announced the assassination of Gouma Katiba's leader along the Malian-Burkinabe borders.
Algeria's decision is still symbolic in sustaining the ongoing moral crisis between the two countries, where Algiers wants to slow down Paris' role in the region. The latter still believes that the region is their safe backyard where everything is permitted.
It is a mindset shift among the leaders in Algiers as it goes in Mali, and in other African countries' leaders and elite: a shift that is affecting these countries' public policy implementations and new vision towards the former colonizer. The new leaders in Algiers are using their multiplication of partnership paradigm to pressure Paris further and they have stopped looking at Algeria as its former three departments so that Malian leaders, whose prime minister has accused France of training terrorist groups, can hand over an enclave in north Mali to the armed group of Ansar al-Dine. According to Russian state-run RIA Novosti, Malian military forces have no access to Kidal: a city that French troops have begun to draw down from the northern cities of Kidal, Tessalit, and Timbuktu.
The moral quarrel between Algiers and Paris is expected to have a significant impact on the French military anti-terrorism activities in the Sahel and the entire Saharan strip. The Algerian military has been leading an active counterattack against Paris. For months, the military in Algiers has been watching Paris' rhetoric diplomacy in the region, whether it is in Libya, Tunisia, and lately in the Sahel, as well as the Pegasus scandal, which showed that Paris was too timid and complicit with Rabat.
Exacerbation
Thus, Algeria-France's latest moral crisis will be set on the sandy ground of Mali after Algiers recalled its ambassador, Mohammed-Antar Daoud, from Paris. Algiers is waiting for genuine excuses from Paris over President Macron's statements. A cutting-edge escalation in the ongoing tensions between Paris and Algiers would further complicate the role of France in the Sahel. Paris cannot afford to lose a well-organized and experienced army and disciplined intelligence like Algeria in its "war on terror."
The question of national security that Paris' main alibi is in the Sahel is not the only one. Another variable that would pose a serious challenge to Paris is the migrant flux that Algiers could use as a wildcard in its tumultuous relations with Paris. Does Paris excel in the Sahel without Algiers? Knowing the so-called "war on terror" is a marathon, endurance is a must in such a bumpy field. Military authorities in Bamako and local religious and politicians are willing to meet with Islamic armed groups for direct discussions and, ultimately, a political solution that will lead to national reconciliation: an approach that Algeria has followed in its war on terror since the 1990s.
Despite the French military presence and its special forces operations in the region, which are targeting heavily Islamic armed groups, violence has spread to central Mali and to the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger. For instance, in Mali, thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and they are trying tirelessly to cross to Algeria, Libya, and Morocco, looking for a better life in Spain and eventually in France.
Consequently, France looks at the moral crisis with Algiers as just another episodical moment in the two countries' 59 years of abnormal relations. Next year, Algeria will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its independence from France in 1962. Therefore, new regional and international superpowers are also putting their boots on the ground in the Sahel, like Turkey and Russia. The former has already become a geopolitical obsession for the French media and politicians in the last five years, whether it is about the failed policy in Libya, the lost policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, or the quagmire of the Sahel of the French president and his ideologue foreign affairs minister.
Turkey, like Russia, is urging Algeria to make a decisive move to distinguish itself from France. The new Ankara-Algiers-Moscow axis that is on the rise would push France to review its Sahel policy, notably in West Africa, where France is heavily deploying its soldiers and lobbies, claiming Paris is battling Islamic armed groups in this vast region that needs serious local development and bold nation-building programs. People in the region are tired of lethal weapons from a military operation that are stuck in the dunes' crescent of the Sahel.
Algerian Ambassador to Paris returns as bilateral tensions ease
Algerian ambassador to France returns after three month hiatus
Abdennour Toumi
Abdennour Toumi is a journalist and a North African Studies specialist who received his PhD in Political Science from Toulouse University in France. His articles have been published by many outlets, and he has featured in reputable media channels including Daily Sabah, TRT World and BBC Turkish. He worked as a lecturer in the Department of Middle East and North African Studies at the Portland Community College, and was a member of the Portland State University Center for Middle Eastern Studies. His focus is on issues such as the socio-political mutations of North Africa; the role of Turkey in this region; the problem of immigrants, and the interactions of the North African diaspora in France.


text:
On March 23, 2011 at 20 past 12 noon the tunnel boring machine broke through from the Faido western bore into the Sedrun part-section (title page); in this connection the deviations from the intended value amounted to only 3 mm horizontally and 0 mm vertically. Roughly 5 months after the main breakthrough in the eastern bore the 2 single-track tubes of the Gotthard Base Tunnel were thus completed over a length of 57 km. With this second main breakthrough a construction phase was concluded, which began in the Bodio southern part-section in 2001 and was prepared for back in 1996 with the...
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The PopTech Fellows programs for social innovators and scientists identify and train some of the world's most promising talent.
Since 2004, Peter Durand has served as House Artist for the annual PopTech Conference in Camden, Maine.
Using a range of art materials including acrylics, pastels, india ink, collage, graphite, and digital tablets we respond to each individual presentation and creates a unique work of art. Each poster is created in real time, live in the Camden Opera House.
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PopTech 2013 Science Fellow Miriah Meyer explains how data visualization can be more concise, practical and scientifically useful, and still be aesthetically pleasing.


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Grybauskaite to attend Ukrainian President's inauguration
President Dalia Grybauskaitė is leaving for Kyiv on Monday, May 20, to attend the inauguration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, informs House of President.
Dalia Grybauskaitė
© DELFI / Kiril Čachovskij
According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, Ukraine is very close to Lithuania. The Lithuanian people, who had struggled many decades for national independence, firmly stand by Ukraine's aspirations for a European future and strongly support its determination to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The inauguration ceremony will take place at the Verkhovna Rada where the new president will take the oath of office. Later in the day, he will meet with visiting foreign dignitaries and guests.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi scored a landslide victory in the second round of presidential elections on April 21. He won more than 70 percent of the vote in Ukraine.
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Home Culture Culture News
June 7, 2010 12:20PM ET
New Ozzy Tracks Premiere In 'Rock Band'
Osbourne makes 'Rock Band' debut one week before 'Scream' arrives
Ozzy Osbourne fans will get a chance to preview three tracks from his latest album Scream one week before the disc's June 22nd release thanks to a new platform for the Prince of Darkness: Rock Band. On June 15th a six-pack of solo-career-spanning songs will hit the Rock Band store. "I hope Rock Band players around the world are ready to have their living rooms invaded by me!" Osbourne says in a statement. While Rock Band challenges gamers' mastery of instruments, the Ozzy pack will surely test the vocal chords of amateur singers everywhere.
The pack includes Scream's lead-off single "Let Me Hear You Scream" (check out a preview of the song's video here), "Soul Sucker" and "Diggin' Me Down." Ozzy's hit "No More Tears," No Rest for the Wicked's "Crazy Babies" and Black Rain's "I Don't Wanna Stop" round out the set, which will be available as downloadable content for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The June 15th track pack marks Ozzy's Rock Band debut; he'd previously made seven appearances on Guitar Hero games.
Check out video game avatars of real-life rock stars, from Kurt Cobain to Metallica.
Ozzy recently visited Rolling Stone to talk about Scream, the passing of Ronnie James Dio and the possibility of a Black Sabbath reunion ("I never say never"). Osbourne also previewed his massive trek in support of Scream — which includes six Ozzfest dates with Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford — revealing he wants to add some older gems to his set lists. "I have such a body of work to pick from now I want to try some different songs other than 'Iron Man' and 'War Pigs,' " Ozzy told RS. "I'll always have to do 'Paranoid' because that's my anthem. I wouldn't mind doing 'Fairies Wear Boots' or something different just to see how it goes."
Ozzy Osbourne DLC Pack 01
"Crazy Babies"
"Diggin' Me Down"
"I Don't Wanna Stop"
"Let Me Hear You Scream"
"No More Tears"
In This Article: Ozzy Osbourne


text:
Today's comic is dedicated to Rhys Morgan, Jessica Ahlquist, One Law for All, and Salman Rushdie. Heroes, all.
└ Tags: censorship, X-Factor
John Cage is going to be pissed.
HaggisForBrains says:
Right on the button!
StrangerInAStrangeLand says:
Oh, how true!
Ron Millam says:
Sometimes, this stuff just writes itself, doesn't it? But it takes talent to summarize it like this. Don't ever stop.
Ian Jones says:
Getting really angry not so much at the wing nuts, but the cowardly kow-towing to their threats of violence. We're bringing it on ourselves, ffs, yeah like a fucking catholic choirboy.
When is someone with real authority going to stand up and condemn these turnip munchers?
Daz says:
"We're bringing it on ourselves, ffs, yeah like a fucking catholic choirboy."
Please tell me I misread you meaning…
Arki says:
Perfectly appropriate.
I've changed my Facebook picture to the one of J&M used by Rhys Morgan and UCLU Atheist, Secularist & Humanist Society, in a gesture of solidarity, and hope that others will join me in an "I'm Spartacus" moment.
Come on, who's with me?
Author – I hope you don't mind – I've put in the link.
Dear Ian Jones,
No authority will stand up and condemn these turnip munchers because they too are turnip munchers! It's up to us non-turnip munchers to deal with this issue. By the way, you're very kind in calling these guys turnip munchers…I have heard worse!
🙂 🙂 i like this one
Kahomono says:
I get your point but you should have made it 1×1 and white, not 0x0. 0x0 causes many feed readers to error out on it, resulting in many people missing the point.
Author says:
Could you elaborate a bit please Kahomono? I don't know what you mean, and I want to make the feed work for everyone.
Acleron says:
Truly brilliant.
The boys would certainly make George Orwell proud, doublespeak doublegood indeed!
To clarify the above in the event there's a band or an album named "George Orwell" out there somewhere;
"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." And to expand that a bit, "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. "
atheistbruce says:
New here, logging on…
Ophelia Benson says:
Rhys is still getting the most amazing bullying crap on his Facebook page – some of it from his own classmates…along with one alum of his school who made real threats.
Nassar Ben Houdja says:
Boo hoo, it is to weep
For the pitiful secular sheep
Waiting for some one to tell them
What to in unison condem
Until told, they won't even squeak.
@NBH take your assonance and shove it up your ass. Unless you simply don't know what "secular" means and have this bassackwards.
kiyaroru says:
For the pitiful theist sheep
What in unison to condemn
Better?
@kiyaroru Better, but is it what NBH intended? It would be nice to hear from the guy sometime, other than in another opaque Calypso.
Sean Robsville says:
Secularists should encourage the spread of the METAMEME. It blocks the growth of violent, intimidating, dogmatic religions such as Islam, in the same way that the mild cowpox virus blocks the spread of lethal smallpox.
-Daz, possibly, rereading it, maybe quotes around "we're bringing it on ourselves" would be clearer – it's what I keep hearing, tall poppies etc. The point was- I aren't going to shut up, the blame lies squarely with the muncher of halal turnips, and transubstantiated crackers.
Quote from BBC about resignation,
"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association is continuing with its protest against the image, saying it has wider implications.
Adam Walker, the association's national spokesperson, said the two student groups had worked well together in the past and said the offence was unnecessary."
– Damn right the offence was unnecessary. It was unnecessary for you to be offended, Boo Hoo.
I shall be drawing an extra Mohammed on Draw mo day just for you.
noreligion2 says:
please Nassar
stop projecting
and take a long hard look
into a mirror
FreeFox says:
Speaking of censorship… wtf is going on in the land of the free, bastion of free speech, and defender of liberties world wide? Are you chaps seriously instituting the very internet blocks that the US State Department is delivering tools to circumvent to peeps like us living in dictatorships, so we have access to a free web? Sproing much?
DocAtheist says:
@FreeFox, I'm only just now catching up on emails and news, because I wouldn't go online, yesterday, in protest. I think Wikipedia shutting down its English version helped the most, though. It's scary, being an informed American, these days.
@Author, would you like to make a J&M avatar for us follows, one that would link to your site? I'd make sure to use it awhile.
IanB says:
@DocAtheist: Good idea, wish I'd thought of that.
Great strip again, just when I think the world of the religious can't get any more weird it does, sometimes it almost seems to weird for satire.
@DocAtheist – quite a few people are using the image of the cover of Vol 2 as their Facebook and/or Twitter profile pic at the moment. You just have to upload it to the appropriate place. Making it link here is not something I can do.
Ian Jones.
Fair enough. On my first reading it looked like victim blaming but with the scare-quotes, all makes sense. Probably my bad comprehension-skills.
This is the thing about "you must not offend Muslims by drawing cartoons" arguments being kow towed to by universities, publishers or newspapers / websites. The core material of the Abrahamic religions is just as offensive to each other and to non believers. The Koran, for example, calls for the murder and eternal torment of every member of the UCL atheist society. Did UCLU ban its Muslim groups from promoting, quoting, displaying or distributing the Koran? And what about all the things it says about Jews? And women (worth half a man?). How is the drawing of a cartoon more offensive than that? Yet nothing is done.
@JoJo – You're missing the point. Muslims don't want to be equal/accomodating/considerate they want to be right! More importantly they want us to acknowledge the fact that they are right!
Unruly Simian, I'm sorry to resurrect the pedantic theme so hard to put to bed in these comments, but I have to say "that they are right" is not a fact, it is an extremely uninformed, block-headed, delusional opinion.
oldebabe says:
@ unruly Simian… that seems to be it, exactly.
Four writers read from The Satanic Verses today at the Jaipur Literary Festival, the one Salman Rushdie had to withdraw from because of the threats. The four were promptly "investigated" by the police. This was tweeted by the South Asia correspondent for the Globe and Mail, who was tweeting from the festival – so she must have seen the cops actually "investigating" the writers right there in person.
European says:
@Ophelia: Sounds really bad (albeit not surprising). It is really scary to see how many Muslims compensate their inferiority complex by boundless self-righteousness and paranoia
some Matt or other says:
@noreligion2: He knows. He was speaking from the point of view of a group of uninformed, block-headed, delusional people who believe in their rightness and the factuality thereof.
I agree that Author and the named people are heroes. Things have come to a pretty pass when to draw or publicise a cartoon, or to speak at a university or literary festival, is heroic.
Bart says:
This would be so much funnier if the cartoon were titled 'Jes and Mo'
@ Bart – I'm sorry, that went over my head – please explain. Bear in mind that some of us have been fans here for years, and see no need to change anything.
@Bart… yes, I agree. It would be more harmonious.
The LSE Students' Union has issued a statement on the extreme evil of the LSE Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society and its use of Jesus and Mo on its Facebook page. The statement is bottomlessly disgusting.
http://www.lsesu.com/news/article/6001/Statement-on-AHS-Society/
fuzzy says:
@Ophelia Bensosn… It says it depicts the Prophet Mohammed, but that's false. As I understand it, Mo is a picture of a body double. I think the LSE SU ought to be asked to correct that part of the statement (I don't know how to do that. This is my first post here so I'm not even sure if this'll get through!)
Jobrag says:
What I don't get about this whole ruction is the illogical thinking behind the attacks on the cartoons.
The reason for the ban on depicting the prophet was because he feared that pictures of him would lead to idolatry, no one is going to worship these cartoons (sorry author they are good but not that good), The reaction, over reaction, by some Muslims suggests that they regard Muhammad as more then human, in fact they idolise him, ho hum idolatry by the back door. I wonder if they get irony at UCL Muslim Society?
author knows very well the drawings are not that good; author says as much himself.
@Ophelia: What do you expect from LSE, court university of the Gaddafi clan?
Acolyte of Sagan says:
One question that these idiots can never give an answer to – and I've put it to several down the years – is "Why, if your god is so mighty, do you feel the need to pronounce judgement on It's behalf?".
Certainly some may think that they're proving their loyalty or love towards their god through violence and intimidation, but I think that there's possibly a deeper reason for the majority of it, and have recently been mulling over a half-formed hypothesis which could help explain their seemingly irrational and over-emotional reactions.
Simply put, if there is a god, and It's an omnipotent and omniscient (let's ignore that particular paradox for the moment) god, then surely It would be more than capable of issuing Its' own threats and punishments on those who offend it. Besides, wouldn't this god be a little miffed at mere humans presuming to speak, judge and sentence 'sinners' on Its' behalf, something akin to them suggesting that It's possibly not quite as almighty as It likes to think?
My personal view is that those issuing the threats are not doing so out of a love of their god, but from fear of it.
Every time they see or hear a slur on their particular brand of god go unpunished, they must wonder why there was no apparent 'divine' retribution sent down on the blasphemer. The obvious reason for this lack of action from above -to us at least- is that there is no god, but how are the religious to explain it without in some way sowing the seeds of doubt in their own minds? The deity can't be too busy to act, couldn't have been elsewhere and missed the incident; it can't be having a rest or working on another project. Any one of these would mean that the deity cannot have the properties bestowed upon it by the faithful, and without those properties then by their own definition it isn't god.
At this point, moderates generally console themselves with the thought that we cannot 'know the mind of God', so tend to go for the 'judge not, lest ye be judged' method, and the really nice ones might even pray that we may be shown the way, but the poor sods brainwashed from birth to truly fear the O.T. monster can't leave it at that, not if they've pondered, however briefly, any of the above 'excuses for God'.
Why not? Because by asking the questions they would effectively be showing doubt in what they believe to be an absolute dictator, one that demands absolute faith and punishes doubters most severely indeed, so to their way of thinking something as simple as a sketch can lead them to doubt and therefore – in their minds – to hell; and THAT scares them. So they lash out at what they perceive to be the source of that fear, which sadly isn't the god that failed to act, but the action that it failed to act upon. Ironically, they must also be aware that by acting as 'god-by-proxy' they are once again inviting Its' wrath, which scares them even more and leads them to redouble their attacks, thereby acting as 'god-by-proxy', and on and on ad infinitum.
@AofS I think you over complicate the thinking of these cretins. They are not thinking any of the things you project on them. They are not thinking at all. They are reacting emotionally to what they perceive as an insult, not to their supposed god but to themselves and to their culture. They are not trying to defend their god. They feel personally attacked. They feel that their culture is under attack. They see westerners as powerful bullies who bomb and kill for Christianity and oil. They see their country of origin and culture as constantly being exploited, dominated, put down, and insulted. All of this makes them touchy, to say the least. So they react. If they were capable of thinking under these circumstances, they wouldn't be such idiots generating so much irony.
I just hope they learn to gain some perspective, and get used to being insulted. They need to insult us back, not try to shut us up. Right now they go looking for insults just so they have an excuse for their anger. And their leaders collect "insults" to spread and inflame the passions of their followers.
I agree mostly with DH (only that it applies not only to Arab Muslims, and not even just to religious peeps, nationalists ranting about foreigner stealing their jobs and imposing their cultures, or political ideologues who identify themselves with either the exploited proletariat or the exploited economic backbone of society are basically the same breed), but I think part of the problem (at least for devoted Xstians) is that they read the bible very selectively and with a very strange and unrealistic bias.
There is stuff in there that tries to depict God as this even minded, fair playing, loving paternal guide, guardian of morals, and in need of little helpers who spread the happy message. But it's mostly NT stuff and mostly just what third parties claim about God. In the OT and in most stories where God actually acts Himself and where we can judge Him by His deeds, He isn't at all like that. There He is jealous, cranky, unfair, fickle, cruel, passionate, blundering, bossy, whining, and generally totally neurotic. And He doesn't really give tuppence about any of those complicated diatary or sexual rules you find elsewhere.
The peeps he shows real love to (and sometimes tough love at that), like David or Jacob, aren't goody-two-shoes types. They are thieves, robbers, liars, cheats, vagabonds, and scrapers. But God obviously loves them more than most. Why? Well, from the stories, I think He does because they love life, they love, if you will, God's world. They don't wait for some heavenly post-mortem hosannahs, but they "drink life to the lees". Take the scene when David expresses his thanks by dancing naked in front of God (and the people of Israel) in spite of the disapproval of his high-born wife and other courtiers, and how God makes him forefather of the Messiah for that.
No matter if you take God as metaphor or literal ominpotent guide of destiny, THAT image of God actually describes real life. Life mostly does reward you if you meet it head on and with strong passions and desires and the ability to appreciate the present. Even if you violate a couple of ethical rules on the way. God's will or just natural run of things? Either way, that depiction of God is pretty consistent with empirical experience. :p
David Amies says:
It is incumbent upon all of us who object to being bullied by activists who purport to be mightily offended by mild satire concerning their religion and gods, to react strongly with yet more satire and laughter. The LSE Students Union authorities have made fools of themselves by their hysterical reaction to the protests sent in about the J&M cartoon on the Atheist and Humanist website.
Personally, I do not regard the Koran as a holy book. I do not think that Muhammed was the perfect man – a bit of tosser, actually. I reserve the right to laugh at, poke fun at and generally show my complete and utter disrespect for Islam and all its works. If that gets up anyones nose, then so be it. While I am at it, I wish to go on record as saying I feel the same about Christianity and its various churches.
Just who do these religious nutters think they are?
David Amies


text:
International Award for Young People
Creating Committed Citizens
IAYP India Website
The International Award
Success Story: Our footballer girl
Read Jyoti Ann Burrett's interview who completed her Gold level in International Award for Young People. Women's football in India isn't a lucrative career-option but this Delhi girl, who holds a Masters degree in Sports and Health Science from Uiversity of Exeter, decided to listen to her heart and pursue here biggest passion-playing football.
An enthusiastic, charming young lady, Jyoti Burrett has perhaps as much footballing knowledge as many sports journalists themselves. Jyoti, who never represented India at any level, before making it to the senior team, got a direct entry into the National Camp. Her hard-work, sheer determination and talent doing justice to her inclusion. A strong hearted woman, Jyoti gave up a high end corporate job for football. A true disciple of the beautiful game, Jyoti was picked in the 23 member team to tour China, in an exposure trip, before the commencement of the Asian Games.
The Hard Tackle's Joseph Solomon caught up with the mesmerizing Jyoti Burrett, and asked her about, her incredible journey.
Joseph : Hello Jyoti, how are you? We at The Hard Tackle commend you for your commitment and passion towards football.
Jyoti : Hi Joseph, I'm fine. Well, thanks a lot!
Joseph : It is highly unlikely for girls to get into football, how did this transition happen?
Jyoti : Well initially I was never a footballer. I was an athlete and a hockey player. Our school offered hockey as a sport for girls, and I played hockey till the state level, so from then on I moved to football, I moved to juggling. The transition from hockey to football is not that difficult, obviously there are different limbs involved, but the game play is pretty similar, so that way it was sort of easy for me.
Joseph : Did your school, Welham, play a major part in it ?
Jyoti : Welham gave me a lot of exposure to hockey and athletics and Welham's girls have this atmosphere of being sporty and all. If you play sports its a big thing in our school, you are treated as a hero. So I feel that I'm lucky that i am an alumni of Welham.
Joseph : Given that Football in India is not seen as a lucrative career option, were your parents against it ?
Jyoti : I haven't had the sort of opposition from parents, they have been supportive and in fact this is like their dream come true. So me playing football is better for them, instead of any corporate job.
Joseph : Well, you shunned a high paying corporate job to play football, what was it ? Was it Passion ?
Jyoti : I just don't see myself doing a 9-5 desk job, I think ill probably tire of boredom. This was my life is more spontaneous and happening.
Joseph : How did you get into Juggling ? And do you think a better juggler is a better player ?
Jyoti : Initially i never had a football at home, i had a tennis ball, so i would try and juggle with it. Slowly and gradually, my interest developed and well, i try to do more tricks and skills with it. Yes, I personally think that it does help you in the game, because you are comfortable with the ball, so you're used to that ball touching you're feet, that even when you play a match its just natural, You can always use it.
Joseph : How was the experience with the Jaguar Eves, your primitive club ?
Jyoti plying her trade in England
Jyoti : I needed a place to play in Delhi and its hard as you know, so i found a place to play and my friends put me in touch with Jaguar Eves. I remember the first day i went there and i was like, can i please play ? Hence, Jaguar eves became a place where i could go when i needed support.
Joseph : Finally you got into the National Team, how has the transition been, say from a juggler to a national level player?
Jyoti : I was completely out of my comfort zone, as i went directly into the camp and i saw people there so good. I remember looking at the Manipuri girls and thinking 'i am never going to reach that level'. But in camp, you improve and you get better, so the transition you can say was difficult as well as rewarding.
Joseph : Apart from this transition, How has life been at the national camp ?
Jyoti : Ofcourse it is very very competitive, there are days where you think im gonna get trampled upon and there are days where you can stand up and dictate things. It has its ups and downs, but it is difficult.
Joseph : You have also played in England. Tell us about your experiences there.
Jyoti : I played for my university, it was my first experience of being part of a club, a regular club. So every Sunday, it was match-day, training with the coach and everything, i really liked the whole professionalism at it, and so it was a huge thing for me. There were girls, who are so much bigger, physically well built than me and , they've been playing since they were kids. So All in All, England was a good eye opener to the football world.
Joseph : How were the training methods and infrastructure there, as compared to India ?
Jyoti : We played on a rubber pitch there, as it is always rainy, it was a lovely pitch, you can fall, you can slide, nothing happens to you. The infrastructure was great, you have the best gyms, the best facilities, and the best running tracks around.
Joseph : So, on that note, What do you think about the state of women's football in India ?
Jyoti with Indian Goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan
Jyoti : See, i have been playing football for 4 years in India, and i can see a genuine improvement in media coverage and facilities. You can see a change, but still there is a lot of scope for improvement.
Joseph : Then there was an exposure trip to China, How did it help the team ?
Jyoti : When you play abroad there is this different sense, of togetherness, its great for team bonding. Ofcourse there is that extra 'josh' of playing for the country, and you want to give your 110% every time. I feel it really makes the team bond, the minute you leave the country. You leave the country as India, the togetherness feeling just gets you.
Joseph : And what are your thoughts on the Indian Women's Performances in the Asian Games?
Jyoti : Its football right? Sometimes you win,sometimes you loose,and sometimes you draw. Its that simple.
Joseph: Finally, Can we see Jyoti leading the line for the Indian team soon?
Jyoti : Well hopefully, lets see, I think ill probably switch my position to the right wing, because Bala is playing and she is really good at it, and i prefer running, i'm an athlete by nature. So i see myself playing a lot more right wing, i just have to work a lot more on my crosses.
Joseph : Describe Jyoti in five adjectives
Jyoti : Enthusiastic, Hard working, Competitive, Entertaining, Supportive
Read Jyoti's story printed in The Economic Times in 2013: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/for-indias-jyoti-ann-burrett-its-football-over-high-paying-corporate-job/articleshow/21245408.cms
Read her full interview on The Hard Tackle posted in September 2014: http://www.thehardtackle.com/2014/indianevejyotiburretttalksabout/
Posted by The International Award for Young People at 10/01/2014 11:39:00 am
Labels: dofe, football, IAYP, Indian Football, Indian Women Football, University of Exeter, welham girls school, Women Football
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OpenTable isn't just for restaurant reservations. It's also a food delivery service
OpenTable is getting into the food delivery business.
The world's biggest online restaurant reservation service — which was founded 21 years ago — has been watching warily as more and more diners opt for delivery. Between May 2018 and May 2019, U.S. restaurant visits were flat at 23.8 billion, but deliveries rose 3% to 2 billion, according to NPD Group, a market research company.
So OpenTable decided to partner with three delivery companies — Caviar, GrubHub and Uber Eats — to offer that service through its app.
"We want OpenTable to be the go-to dining app for every meal occasion," said Steve Hafner, who leads OpenTable and Kayak, an airline fare search engine. Both companies are owned by travel conglomerate Booking Holdings.
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When OpenTable's updated site launches this week, it will give diners a delivery option for 8,000 restaurants in 90 U.S. cities. If they select delivery, users will be directed to the restaurant's preferred service to complete the transaction. If a restaurant works with more than one delivery company, each option will be shown. Eventually, OpenTable wants to post estimated delivery times and costs for each service as well.
Hafner said OpenTable decided to add a delivery option about nine months ago but didn't want to operate its own fleet in what's already become a booming sector. According to Technomic, the top five food delivery companies in the U.S. had $13.5 billion in sales between May 2018 and May 2019.
But the delivery market is crowded, and companies have been aggressively discounting and offering bonuses for drivers. GrubHub's first quarter profit tumbled 78%.
Partnering was the easiest and fastest way to get into the business, Hafner said. OpenTable — which says it seats 123 million diners each month — offered delivery companies access to a huge customer base.
"All these companies are in a chase for growth and they want to be where the consumers are," Hafner said.
Hafner said the delivery function will make it easier for diners, who may use multiple delivery apps but don't always know which companies work with which restaurants.
OpenTable chose its three partners because they have the biggest reach, Hafner said. Eventually, the service will expand to more of the 51,000 restaurants OpenTable works with. OpenTable is active in 20 countries, including Australia and Japan.
GrubHub says the partnership is another way for diners to discover delivery. It also gives them an option to try a restaurant's food even if a reservation isn't available, the company said.
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GrubHub said it's not concerned about OpenTable potentially posting its fees alongside competitors.
"We support any efforts to help consumers save money on delivery," the company said in a statement.
Dan Simons, who runs seven restaurants as the co-owner and founder of Maryland-based Farmers Restaurant Group, said delivery was irrelevant six years ago. Now, it's the fastest growing part of his business, accounting for between 4-10% of his sales.
Simons said more than half his reservations already come through OpenTable. The new system will help him advertise his delivery option. Simons already works with Caviar and GrubHub as well as DoorDash.
Simons says he hears a lot of full-service restaurants complain that delivery is taking away customers who would otherwise eat in the restaurant. He thinks it's actually bringing in more business, because customers who want to stay home and watch TV while they eat weren't going to dine out anyway.
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"I want them dining on my food whenever they want it," Simons said.
OpenTable currently charges restaurants $249 per month for its service, plus $1 per seated diner who booked through OpenTable or 25 cents per diner who booked on the restaurant's website using OpenTable software. Restaurants won't pay any additional fee for the delivery option, Hafner said. Instead, OpenTable will charge a "modest fee" to delivery companies.


NAC foster parents are special people. They go above and beyond to assure that children with serious medical and/or behavioral problems have nurturing, safe and loving homes.
Meet just a few of NAC foster parents and read how they have changed lives.
Meghan is a special education teacher. She contacted NAC one day wanting to make a difference in the life of a child with special needs. As a teacher in New York City's public school system, she saw daily the affects of children languishing in foster care.
Margaret has been a foster parent for over 20 years. While she has never adopted, Margaret has provided a supportive and nurturing home for many children who have been able to safely go back and live with their birth parents.
Angela and Rashid never thought they would become foster parents, let alone adopt a child with a disability. Angela is a pediatric nurse who was working in the hospital where Saliman, a child diagnosed with Bartsocas-Papas Syndrome, lived for almost a year.
Yvonne is the single adoptive parent of two children with special medical needs. When asked if she had room in her home for a child with autism, she did not hesitate to say yes.
Copyright© 2008-2019 New Alternatives for Children, Inc.


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Find a Private / Custom trip that explores Balkans. There are 17 tours to choose from, that range in length from 3 days up to 11 days. The most popular month for these tours is June, which has the most tour departures.
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            moveStaticToRepeating('weaponprofs', ['weapprofname', 'weapprofnum', 'expert', 'specialist', 'mastery', 'high-mastery', 'grand-mastery', 'chosen-weapon']);
            moveStaticToRepeating('profs', ['profname', 'profslots', 'profstatnum', 'profmod']);
            moveStaticToRepeating('langs', ['langname', 'lang-rw']);
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Home / News / FTTOTS shipping in progress!
With the utmost respect, we would like to inform everyone that placed an order for the FTTOTS vinyl through our new webshop, that we apologize for the delay in shipping.
Pre-Orders were accepted to guarantee that your numeric position and specific order will be processed so you will not miss out on this vinyl.
Unfortunately, we've been faced with some delays and hope for your understanding. We look to begin shipping early next week, and release an updated statement regarding proof our product is ready for delivery.
We sincerely thank you for your patience and support.
On behalf of the Shogun crew, we Salute you!
Yo Marcel! We ran out of stock for the shirts and are pressing new ones as we speak. Your LP is waiting to be send with the new shirts, which will both be on your doorstep in 4-6 weeks. Hope that's not an issue for you. Thanks for your support and patience, peace!


Almost every smartphone user get its phone locked due to unsuccessful pattern attempts or wrong password tries. Mostly people get their android phone locked due to incorrect pattern attempts, commonly its done by kids. If you are a HTC one user and facing same issue than don't worry as today we will tell you how you can unlock your HTC one when you forget the password.
If you remember your Google password then log in with right details your phone will be unlocked and your personal data will also not be effected. But when you don't remember your Google account password then you are out of the luck as your data like "contacts saved in the phone, call logs and text messages, applications will be removed". But you can still unlock the phone by performing hard factory reset. Your data like apps installed on SD card, photos and videos will not be effected. Follow following steps to hard reset HTC one.
1. Turn off the device and wait for a moment.
2. Press and hold volume down button and then press and hold power button.
3. A screen with different android images will be appeared, after that release the power and volume down keys.
4. Press volume down key to select factory reset and than press power button.
After it your HTC one will revert back to factory settings, it will behave like a brand new phone. So, its all about how to unlock HTC one when you forget the password, stay in touch for more tips and tricks.


Granted, I'm a little behind in posting this week. I've been busy but I have time for a quick post . I was reading through the comments on my most recent post on Left Coast Rebel. One short comment caught my eye, and it made me think about conservatism, libertarianism and the future of the Republican Party and the Tea Party. That's the sign of a great, thought-provoking comment.
How delusional that she thinks we are republicans, too. Ha!
While my thoughts ran on several different tangents that are worth sharing, I'd like to focus on just one for now.
I have much more in common with a lot of Tea Party groups than current Republican leadership. But the Tea Party is too amorphous and fluid to include in this discussion properly. So I will focus on conservatives, libertarians and how they relate to the current Republican party.
I'm probably more aligned with the most of the folks at LCR philosophically than politically. More precisely, we have very common beliefs when it comes to things like the economy, limited government and individual liberty, but we part ways somewhat when it comes to the means necessary to achieve those ends. Let me explain why.
Firstly, I adhere pretty forcefully to the notion that a person can love the ideals and principles that America's founding fathers established the nation upon while at the same time vehemently opposing the direction the current government is taking. I suspect no one will argue that is an unreasonable proposition - even if you do not agree with my opinions about the current government. If that is fair, then it is also fair to say that it is possible to like the premise of the modern Republican party (in the tradition of Reagan and Goldwater, the litany of principles which I will also save for another time) while not agreeing with the current Republican leadership.
In other words, I like the Republican Party, I do not like the Republican leadership.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not a Republican. I'm a Canadian (and unlike liberal Democrat ineligible voters, I don't vote in U.S. elections). But as a Canadian I have a unique perspective on what damage is caused by a split conservative electorate. In 1987 in Canada, a populist conservative party sprang up in the west as conservative voters had become disaffected by the more liberal wing of the Conservative party that had dominated the party and politics for a few election. Our Prime Minister at the time, Brian Mulroney was about as popular as a second term George W. Bush. The conservative party was ripe for a clobbering and in fact they got one in the next election (1993).
But with a split in the conservative constituency between two conservative parties, the conservative viewpoint was left in the wilderness until 2006. In 2006 the conservatives finally won a narrow minority government once again, but only after a unification of the two parties in 2003 when they realized that the parties had split resources and expended efforts fighting each other in conservative ridings (districts) instead of focusing their efforts on the common political opponents - the Liberals and the socialist New Democrats (who as often as not, worked together).
The point is that a split conservative, libertarian and Republican constituency is an ineffectual one. It is something that will keep both conservative and libertarian views from having a seat at the table as long as that split exists. We have to subvert the 10% to 20% of areas upon which we disagree in order to avoid having the 80% to 90% of things we agree upon subverted by president Obama and potential president Hillary Clinton *shudder*.
Subverting those disagreements does not mean forgetting them forever. It means those issues get put on the back burner until the general public can be paradigm-shifted to the right. Then the time for those issues will be plausible as the 'in-fighting' will not estrange voters from conservative/libertarian philosophy. Canada again provides an example.
The conservative party of Canada is far less of a center-left party than you suggest. While it is not currently conservative in the sense of American conservatism, it's still a center-right party. The way it governs is affected by the country as a whole. The conservative government is hampered by decades of liberalism and socialism, so moving the country back to the right will take considerable time. The country fears conservatives as being radicals and Prime Minister Harper has had to temper his lower taxes, stronger national defense, pro-business views to suit what is still a center-left country that is slowly testing the waters with a conservative government (three elections later).
Harper's prudence isn't as exciting as Reagan or Thatcher in a full on charge to the right, but it's the smartest approach in a country ready to run back to the liberals at what it regards as the slightest hint of radical conservatism. If we are to get to a center-right nation, we unfortunately have to do it slowly.
Other than that, glad as always that you are paying attention to what's going on up here.
In the end, Ed Morrissey agreed that prudence was necessary. I'm still flattered that he even noticed my comment.
What that means for the case of the U.S., is that the longer conservatives spend out of power, the harder it will be to move the country back to the right. Combine that with the notion of a Tea Party or a Libertarian party or a Constitution party 3rd option, it means a split vote and a guaranteed loss. The path of most likely success is for conservatives and libertarians to work within the Republican party than without it. Fix it, don't dispose of it. That's why I supported Mitt Romney in 2012 even though he was not my third or even fourth choice during the GOP primaries (I put him ahead of only Huntsman). That's my opinion based on what I've seen here in Canada and how dark it got for conservatives for almost twenty years.
Perhaps that also points out a difference between Americans and Canadians. Americans think big and they want to hit a grand slam home run and switch the nation back onto the path of liberty and limited government in one fell swoop. Canadians, continuing the baseball analogy are perhaps more conservative cautious and willing to play station-to-station baseball, winning one single, walk, stolen base or double at a time. That explains why Canada is moving to the right slowly and probably also explains my thinking that it's more of a recipe for success than striking out trying for the grand slam. Of course, grand slams are entirely possible. Ronald Reagan was a grand slam. I'd like to believe that it's still possible but given how far down the path of entitlement, environmental, class warfare and the dumbing-down of the populace path America has traveled, I'm not sure that it is any longer anything more than a fairy tale.
Up until president Obama, the left was content with a slow roll towards socialism and it was successful. The speed with which progressive liberals are pushing forward now is out in the open. While Obama won yet again in 2012, a backlash is coming and they will pay for their brazenly socialistic pursuits in votes. But that is only true if the opposition isn't split. Divide and conquer works. Unity within the right is needed now more than ever.
Thanks for the head's up on the spam, Dean. Great post too, BTW - glad I could provide a little inspiration, you rock!


text:
Franz Siebe ( - ) est un homme politique allemand. Affilié à la CDU, il était membre du parlement de Basse-Saxe.

Biographie
Franz Siebe naît à Metz, dans le Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen, le . Devenu orphelin, il est envoyé en  1904 dans l'arrondissement d'Osnabrück en Basse-Saxe. À la fin de sa scolarité, il devient apprenti monteur. Dès son adolescence, il adhère à un syndicat chrétien. De 1917 à 1919, il participe à la Première Guerre mondiale. Après la guerre, il retrouve sa profession de serrurier.

Bénéficiant du renouvellement du personnel politique dans l'Allemagne d'après guerre, Franz Siebe est élu au Parlement de Basse-Saxe à Hanovre en 1947. Il siège du  au  et finit par se rallier à la CDU. Franz Siebe décédera le  à Georgsmarienhütte, en Basse-Saxe.

Sources
 Simon Barbara : Abgeordnete in Niedersachsen 1946–1994: Biographisches Handbuch, 1996, p. 360.

Liens externes

Membre du Landtag de Basse-Saxe
Personnalité de l'Union chrétienne-démocrate d'Allemagne
Naissance en mars 1898
Naissance à Metz
Naissance dans le district de Lorraine
Allemand natif de Lorraine
Décès en septembre 1970
Décès en Basse-Saxe
Décès à 72 ans

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
« The C List
A5998: Grant's Pension Bill »
NFL Benefits
Posted December 1, 2021 by burypensions in Multiemployer Pensions, sports.	Leave a Comment
Chapter 5 of When the Cheering Stops is on pensions and benefits that National Football League (NFL) players get. Below are excerpts and a look at the funded status of the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan.
Player pensions are part of the CBA and have become a bigger priority, thanks to intense lobbying by prominent former players. All vested players – those who played or were on a roster for at least three seasons – are entitled to a pension. The value of the monthly pension is based on the number of years played. But not all retired players are treated alike. In fact, there are two broad classes of retired players; those who retired before 1993 and those who retired after that year, even though many players' careers spanned that year. From 1988 to 1993, the league and union were unable to reach a new labor deal. But when they finally agreed on a new contract, players who retired after 1993 were given bigger pensions, annuities, 401(k) accounts, and other benefits. Players who retired before 1993 were left with less lucrative pensions and few of the other perks. In the latest round of negotiations, which culminated in a new ten-year contract that was signed in March, 2020, advocates for the players who retired prior to 1993 argued yet again that they deserved a bigger slice of the pie. (page 64)
Many players today aren't ready to fight to fund the pensions of the pre-1993 retiree players….The players get a finite amount of money each year, and any money they give to retired players comes out of their share. (page 65)
The average pension for retired NFL players now is approximately $46,000 ($760 per month for each season played)….In the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011, a "Legacy Benefit" was added to increase the size of the pension of older retirees to bring them more in line with current pensions. The increase amounted to an additional $108-124 per month. (page 65)
In the new collective bargaining agreement signed in March 2020, players who retired before 1993 received a bump in their pensions. They will not be equal to players who retired after 1993, but it moves them closer to parity. And for the first time, roughly seven hundred players who played at least three seasons and retired before 1993 will secure pensions worth $1,650 a month. When they left the league, those players needed four seasons of service to qualify for a pension. Now, these players are in line with the requirements for those who retired after 1993. (page 66)
The plan's latest 5500 fling shows a $4 billion shortfall.
Active Participants: 2,292
Retirees: 4,436
Separated: 6,997
Total Participants: 13,725
Assets as of 3/31/20: $2,397,635,581
Contributions for year: $136,005,179
Payouts for year: $156,622,749
Assets as of 4/1/19: $2,516,864,836
Liabilities at 3.08%: $6,408,881,170
Funded percentage: $39.27%
Unfunded Liabilities as of 4/1/19: $3,892,016,334
At 39.27% the plan is indeed woefully funded and could be lining up for a Hail Mary.


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Part of our Graphic Design services is the logo design. We make logos according to your taste and to your business's theme. With this offer, we are in partner with you in promoting your business and brands and making it grow.
1. You let us know of your desired logo. You can do this by communicating with us through sending us an emailed instruction about your wanted concept. We can determine the exact logo you want as you also provide the information about your company, your brand and how it works.
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Once the logo is delivered to you, the full ownership of it will also be transferred to your name. Our company will never cling to any private works our clients ask us to work.
Payment for the logo made will be determined according to the quotation given to and finished by our company.
Legal Rights Agreement. Eyewebmaster will not hold the copyright ownership of the logo made by us once the project is done but all the rights pertaining to it will be given to the company or to the one who asked us to do it. Instances such as failure of the logo owner to pay us according to the time set will determine the retraction of the logo's legal right. All our work, including the logo designs, are created originally. If there is anything that may look the same as the other company has done, a review of it will be made and corrections and editing will follow.