Interested to participate in next years celebration as an exhibitor or volunteer?
Family weekend event held in the railyard of historic Santa Fe, New Mexico. The inaugural weekend is September 15-16, 2018 for the celebration along with our associated Railroad Art, Photography, and Model Railroad Exhibition from September 8-30, 2018.
The event is history, culture, and educational fun – family enjoyment and awareness of this unique vast treasure of railroad history all around the state to inspire future railroad professionals, historians, and hobbyists.
Children's events – interactive layout, wooden trains on floor, railroad coloring, etc.


This was after a softball game in Central Park. I'm quite sure I hit a home run that day. Actually, working with these kids, I felt like I hit a homerun every day. It is an awesome feeling to work at a job that doesn't feel like work at all. Of course there was teaching going on, but moments like this were important too. We were a team; a family – not just an educational program.


text:
Resolutions ›
AFT Resolution
WHEREAS, millions of people have been displaced in the Middle East and North Africa by violence, war, persecution and political turmoil, the fallout of which has had a disproportionate impact in Europe, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey; and
WHEREAS, this is a crisis of massive proportions that requires swift and decisive action; and
WHEREAS, communities and countries that have stepped up and agreed to host refugees have seen a rise in suspicion, xenophobia and religious intolerance, while other countries have closed their borders to refugees entirely; and
WHEREAS, the White House has pledged to lift the number of worldwide refugees that the United States accepts to 100,000; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for the admission of 65,000 Syrians; 18 mayors from major cities—many with large AFT locals, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia—have pledged to open their communities to greater refugee resettlement; and joint statements from 72 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 14 U.S. Senators have added to the growing wave of public support; and
WHEREAS, the United States and the countries in the Gulf, which are among the world's richest countries and are deeply engaged in conflicts in the Middle East, must accept a fair share of refugees; and
WHEREAS, the AFT believes that the United States is a nation whose past and future are based on building bridges, not walls, as we have consistently voiced our support for the rights of migrants and their families through various AFT policy resolutions, including "International Humanitarian Crisis at the U.S. Border" (2014) and "Support a Fair and Just Immigration Policy" (2008), and have supported Education International in passing "The Right to Education for Displaced People, Refugee and Stateless Children" (2015) and "Migration, Professional Diversity and Racism" (2015):
RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers expresses its solidarity with first responders in the transit and resettlement countries, including staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and all workers whose unions are affiliates of Education International, Public Services International, the AFL-CIO and the International Trade Union Confederation; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to work with all parties to promote a global migration policy that emphasizes human and labor rights and inclusive development that addresses important issues such as quality of life and having opportunities to use the knowledge and skills they bring with them from their home countries; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will be diligent in pressing the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration to take bold leadership action, and that we will inform and engage AFT membership as events move forward:
the AFT will lobby the U.S. government to join with our German and other European allies and declare our intentions to rapidly resettle hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, as well as greatly increase foreign assistance to support international refugee agencies and frontline countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey; and
the AFT will communicate to the U.S. interagency delegation to the U.N. Global Forum on Migration and Development about the urgent need to work with allies on developing a common global strategy of fair-share resettlement across countries including the United States; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will provide guidance and support (such as teaching materials) to our affiliates in host communities in the United States as they support families and children seeking to make a home in our country, which includes attending school and participating fully and with dignity in our economy; and
RESOLVED,newly developed Sustainable Development Goals for promoting sustainable human, social and economic development.
Please note that a newer resolution, or portion of a resolution, may have superseded an earlier resolution on the same subject. As a result, with the exception of resolutions adopted at our most recent AFT convention, resolutions do not necessarily reflect current AFT policies.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How do you respond after an opposing team takes an early lead in a game?
Are you able to respond in a positive manner and focus on your game or do you succumb to the pressure of playing from behind?
Often in soccer, an early goal by your opponents in a game can create a heightened sense of pressure.
The result is that your desperate play gives your opponents a tremendous advantage as they dictate the action on the pitch.
Many coaches preach to their teams to play with a sense of urgency when trailing in a game.
But what does a sense of urgency mean?
Some athletes think a sense of urgency means playing harder which often leads to reckless play and poor decision making.
Playing with a sense of urgency is a combination of hustle, focus and execution.
Playing with a sense of urgency is increased effort but within the framework of the game plan.
A great example of responding negatively to trailing in a game is Brazil's 2014 semi-final World Cup match against Germany.
Germany advanced to the FIFA World Cup Final with a dominating 7-1 victory over Brazil.
Germany set the tone early scoring eleven minutes into the game. Twelve minutes after their first goal, the Germans put on an offensive clinic scoring four goals in six minutes.
During Germany's scoring barrage, host-team Brazil lost their focus and appeared frazzled for the duration of the game. Brazil never recovered and was ousted from the World Cup in demoralizing fashion.
Germany coach Joachim Low thought the Brazilian team was overcome by the pressure of the situation and conceded the loss even before the game was over.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos felt the Brazilians played anxious and back on their heels affecting their decision-making and play on the field.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said his team was overwhelmed and lost their focus after they trailed Germany early in the game.
Keep your composure. That may sound easier-said-than-done but take a few deep breaths. Communicate calmly with your team and follow the game plan.
Stay focused on one play at a time. Stay in the present and look for your current opportunities instead of trying to do too much.
You should practice different game-type scenarios during scrimmages… and remember that your mindset in these practice situations will gradually seep into your play during games.
When you're behind the pressure really sets in. Either you fold under that pressure or you thrive! It's important to remember that the game is never over until the whistle blows. Don't panic over the score, focus on what you can control is that moment.


There was no plotting by royalists, no arsenic and no murder. Instead, Napoleon Bonaparte was killed by incompetent doctors and too many uncomfortably large enemas, according to a new study.
One of the world's most enduring conspiracy theories may be laid to rest if research conducted by the San Francisco medical examiner's department proves accurate.
An autopsy performed straight after Napoleon's death, by his personal physician, revealed that he had died from stomach cancer. But over the decades historians have disputed this explanation, suggesting either that the exiled leader might have died from toxic ingredients in his hair ointment, or was killed by his confidant Charles de Montholon as part of a plot to prevent his returning to seize power in France.
But after a detailed study of the medical records kept during the illness that blighted most of Napoleon's final years in exile on St Helena, where he had been banished after his defeat at Waterloo, forensic pathologists in California have focused on the daily enema he had to relieve the pain caused by the cancer.
"They used really big, nasty syringe-shaped things," Steven Karch, head of the researchers, told New Scientist magazine.
In the final crisis of Napoleon's illness, five English doctors were brought in to see him. They gave him regular doses of antimony potassium tartrate to make him vomit. But this treatment would have depleted his potassium levels, and may have caused a lethal heart condition in which rapid heartbeats disrupt the blood flow to the brain, the scientists say.
The doctors' decision to administer a purgative of 600mg of mercuric chloride (five times the usual amount) on May 3 1821 would have further reduced his potassium levels - and may have been fatal. He died two days later, aged 51.


A simple stunt, me kicking the bottle and the news of a brand new short film that is coming on the next Sunday.
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Αναρτήθηκε από George Kalatzis στις 2:41 π.μ.


text:
Will Bruce Lisker Return to Prison Because of a Technicality? The Calif. AG is Betting On It
By Erin Moriarty
October 14, 2010 / 4:12 PM / CBS News
Erin Moriarty with Bruce Lisker (CBS/48 Hours) CBS
LOS ANGELES (CBS) We are outraged when a legal "technicality" frees a guilty person from prosecution and prison, but what about when a "technicality" is used as an excuse to put a person IN prison? As crazy as that sounds, the California Attorney General hopes to do just that to a 45-year-old man by the name of Bruce Lisker.
Last year, Lisker was released after spending 26 years in prison for the murder of his mother. Lisker's release came after a federal judge ruled that the evidence used to convict him was either questionable or utterly false.
Lisker owes much of his new-found freedom to a heroic Los Angeles Police Watch Commander, Lieutenant Jim Gavin. Gavin was an internal affairs officer when he stumbled across evidence that indicated Lisker didn't get a fair trial. He found that the arresting detective in the case, Andrew Monsue, had jumped to conclusions in his investigation, ignoring exculpatory evidence. Worse, Gavin discovered that the detective had lied to the Parole Board to help keep Lisker in prison. When Gavin revealed what he had uncovered, Lisker was given a hearing that eventually led to his release last fall. No official action was taken against Detective Monsue, but he chose to retire from the police force shortly after the L.A. Times ran a series of articles about the case.
Bruce Lisker (CBS/48 Hours)
The California Attorney General's office had an opportunity then to appeal the decision, but chose not to. So it came as a shock when last month, a full year later, the office asked the same federal judge to reverse her decision to overturn Lisker's murder conviction. As Bruce Lisker's attorney described it to me, "The Attorney General has buyer's remorse!"
The reason for the change of heart -- a new federal court decision in an unrelated case. In July, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that inmates can't be late filing petitions for release, even if they can prove they are actually innocent. So, accordingly, the California Attorney General is now demanding Bruce Lisker be thrown back in prison.
Doesn't matter that he never received a fair trial.
Doesn't matter that a detective apparently lied to keep him in prison.
Doesn't matter that Bruce Lisker is most likely innocent of murder.
According to the California Attorney General, all that matters is that Bruce Lisker missed a statutory deadline when he filed his petition to prove his wrongful conviction claims.
So far, Lisker remains free. Last week, the federal judge who ordered his release a year ago came to his rescue again and dismissed the Attorney General's motion. The Attorney General now has thirty days to file an appeal.
This Saturday night, CBS News 48 Hours Mystery will air my nearly two years-in-the-making report on Bruce Lisker's case and his fight to prove his innocence. Lt. Gavin risked his own career to help Lisker - a man he had never met - because it was the right thing to do. It would be a shame if, after all that, Lisker ends up back in prison, not because of guilt, but because of a technicality.
MORE ON 48 HOURS | MYSTERY
Click here for more on the case.
Erin Moriarty is an attorney and an award-winning correspondent for CBS News. She covered the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School shootings, the 9/11 investigation overseas and the Iraq War in 2003. Moriarty has won nine national Emmy Awards and a 2001 Press Club Award, among others. She has been a correspondent for 48 Hours | Mystery since 1990.
Correspondent, "48 Hours"


text:
package ORG.as220.tinySQL;

import ORG.as220.tinySQL.sqlparser.LValue;
//import checkers.inference.ownership.quals.*;

/**
 * object to hold a column definition used in sql-statements

 *
 */
public class tsColumn
{
  /**
   * Constant value for data columns. Data columns retrieve their data
   * from physical tables.
   */
  public static final int COL_DATA = 0;

  /**
   * Constant value for expression columns. Expression columns retrieve
   * their data by evaluating the supplied expression
   */
  public static final int COL_EXPR = 1;

  /**
   * Invalid columns are not valid for use in rows. You may need such columns
   * when creating new tables.
   */
  public static final int COL_INVALID = -1;

  private LValue expression;       // If this column is an expression
  private String physName = null;      // the column's real name in the table
  private String displayName = null;   // the column's alias name
  private String fqname = null;
  private int datatype = -1;           // the column's type
  // dBase types:
  // 'C' Char (max 254 bytes)
  // 'N' '-.0123456789' (max 19 bytes)
  // 'L' 'YyNnTtFf?' (1 byte)
  // 'M' 10 digit .DBT block number
  // 'D' 8 digit YYYYMMDD
  private int decimalPlaces = -1;  // not yet supported
  private Object defaultVal = null;// a default value; physical rows will be initialized with that value
  private boolean notNull = false; // not yet supported, true: should be NOT NULL

  private int bytePos = -1;       // internal use - byte position in table

  private int tablePos = -1;       // Position of column in table
  private int resultPos = -1;
  private int size = -1;         // the column's size
  private int coltype = -1;

  private tinySQLTableView table = null; // the table which "owns" the column

  /**
   * Constructs a new data column. The table is assigned to this
   * column and will be used to retrieve column data. The display name
   * is set to the given alias.
   */
  public tsColumn(tinySQLTableView table, String col, String alias)
  {
    if (col == null)
      throw new NullPointerException("Name must not be null");

    if (col.indexOf('.') != -1) throw new IllegalArgumentException();

    this.table = table;
    this.physName = col;
    if (alias == null)
    {
      this.displayName = col;
    }
    else
    {
      this.displayName = alias;
    }
    this.coltype = COL_DATA;
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a new data column. The table is assigned to this
   * column and will be used to retrieve column data. The display name
   * will be set to the column name
   */
  public tsColumn(tinySQLTableView table, String col)
  {
    this(table, col, null);
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a new expression column. The expression is assigned to this
   * column and will be used to compute column data. The display name
   * will be set to the column name
   */
  public tsColumn(String col, LValue ex)
  {
    if (col == null)
      throw new NullPointerException("Name must not be null");

    this.expression = ex;
    this.physName = col;
    this.displayName = col;
    this.coltype = COL_EXPR;
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a tsColumn object. Needed for CreateTable. The column object
   * will crash any query and will cause errors. Handle with care!
   *
   * @param s the column name
   */
  public tsColumn(String col)
  {
    if (col == null)
      throw new NullPointerException("Name must not be null");

    this.physName = col;
    this.displayName = col;
    this.coltype = COL_INVALID;
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a tsColumn object by copying the fields from col.
   *
   * @param s the column name
   */
  public tsColumn(tsColumn col)
  {
    if (col == null)
      throw new NullPointerException("Name was null?");

    physName = col.physName;
    displayName = col.displayName;
    coltype = col.coltype;
    datatype = col.datatype;
    decimalPlaces = col.decimalPlaces;
    defaultVal = col.defaultVal;
    notNull = col.notNull;
    size = col.size;
    table = col.table;
    tablePos = col.tablePos;
    bytePos = col.bytePos;
    resultPos = col.resultPos;
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a tsColumn object by copying the fields from col
   * and setting the table for this column to table.
   */
  public tsColumn(tinySQLTableView table, tsColumn col)
  {
    this(col);
    this.table = table;
  }

  /**
   * Adjusts all fields by copying the fields from col.
   * Table, names, expression or columntype are not affected by this method.
   */
  public void setAll(tsColumn col)
  {
    coltype = col.coltype;
    datatype = col.datatype;
    decimalPlaces = col.decimalPlaces;
    defaultVal = col.defaultVal;
    notNull = col.notNull;
    size = col.size;
    tablePos = col.tablePos;
    bytePos = col.bytePos;
    resultPos = col.resultPos;
  }

  /**
   * returns the physical name of this column. If this column
   * is a datacolumn the physical name is a fieldname in the assigned
   * table.
   */
  public String getPhysicalName()
  {
    return physName;
  }

  /**
   * returns the display name of this column. The display name is
   * an alias for the column's name.
   */
  public String getDisplayName()
  {
    return displayName;
  }

  /**
   * returns the full qualified column name of this column.
   * If this column is a data column, then the full qualified column name
   * is "tablename.columnName".
   */
  public String getFQName()
  {
    return formColname(physName, table);
  }

  /**
   * Set the phsyical name of the column. Be aware that the type
   * of this column changes to COL_INVALID.
   */
  public void setPhysicalName(String name)
  {
    this.physName = name;
    fqname = null;
    coltype = COL_INVALID;
  }

  /**
   * returns the default value defined by the column definition in the
   * database. If no default value is defined, null will
   * be returned.
   */
  public Object getDefaultValue()
  {
    return defaultVal;
  }

  /**
   * sets the default value of this column.
   */
  public void setDefaultValue(Object value)
  {
    this.defaultVal = value;
  }

  /**
   * sets the datatype of the column. The datatype must be a valid
   * java.sql.Types constant.
   */
  public void setType(int type)
  {
    this.datatype = type;
  }

  /**
   * returns the datatype of the column. The datatype is a valid
   * java.sql.Types constant.
   */
  public int getType()
  {
    return datatype;
  }

  /**
   * return true, if this column is nullable, false otherwise
   */
  public boolean isNullable()
  {
    return (!notNull);
  }

  /**
   * define, whether this column is nullable.
   */
  public void setNullable(boolean notNull)
  {
    this.notNull = notNull;
  }

  /**
   * set the size of this column. The size must not be negative.
   */
  public void setSize(int size)
  {
    if (size < 0)
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Size must be >= 0");

    this.size = size;
    this.decimalPlaces = 0;
  }

  /**
   * set the size and the number decimals of this column. The size must
   * not be negative and the number of decimals must be smaller than the
   * given size.
   */
  public void setSize(int size, int decimals)
  {
    if (size < 0)
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Size must be >= 0");

    if (decimals >= size)
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Decimals [" + decimals + "] must be < than size [" + size + "]");

    this.size = size;
    this.decimalPlaces = decimals;
  }

  /**
   * returns the size of this column
   */
  public int getSize()
  {
    return size;
  }

  /**
   * returns the number of decimal places in this column
   */
  public int getDecimalPlaces()
  {
    return decimalPlaces;
  }

  /**
   * sets the position of this column in a arbitary resultset.
   * Do not change this value unless you know what you are doing, as
   * this method is able to destroy your query and your tables.
   */
  public void setResultPosition(int pos)
  {
    resultPos = pos;
  }

  /**
   * returns the resultset position of this column.
   */
  public int getResultPosition()
  {
    return resultPos;
  }

  /**
   * sets the byte position of this column in the source table.
   * Do not change this value unless you know what you are doing, as
   * this method is able to destroy your query and your tables.
   */
  public void setBytePosition(int pos)
  {
    bytePos = pos;
  }

  /**
   * returns the byte position of this column.
   */
  public int getBytePosition()
  {
    return bytePos;
  }

  /**
   * returns the position of this column in the given table.
   * if this column is not a datatable, null is returned.
   */
  public int getTablePosition()
  {
    if (table == null)
    {
      return -1;
    }
    if (tablePos == -1)
    {
      ((/*@checkers.inference.reim.quals.Mutable*/ tsColumn) this).tablePos = table.findColumn(getPhysicalName());
    }
    return tablePos;
  }

  /**
   * sets the position of this column in the given table.
   * if this column is not a datatable, this method has no effect.
   */
  public void setTablePosition(int pos)
  {
    tablePos = pos;
  }

  /**
   * returns a stringrepresentation of the column.
   */
  public String toString()
  {
    StringBuffer b = new  /*@RepRep*/  StringBuffer();
    b.append("tsColumn:={FQName =");
    b.append(getFQName());
    b.append(", display_name=");
    b.append(displayName);
    b.append(", tablepos=" + getTablePosition());
    b.append(", bytepos=" + getBytePosition());
    b.append(", size= (" + size);
    b.append("," + decimalPlaces + ")");
    b.append(", type=" + datatype);
    b.append(", coltype=" + coltype);
    b.append("}");
    return b.toString();
  }

  /**
   * returns a the columntype of this column.
   * @returns one of COL_DATA, COL_EXPR or COL_INVALID.
   */
  public int getColumnType()
  {
    return coltype;
  }

  /**
   * returns the assigned table or null if this column has
   * no table.
   */
  public tinySQLTableView getTable()
  {
    return table;
  }

  /**
   * returns the assigned expression or null if this column has
   * no expression.
   */
  public LValue getExpression()
  {
    return expression;
  }

  /**
   * checks if the given object is equal to this column.
   * A Column with different physical name is never
   * considered equal.
   * A Column is equal if it is of the same type
   * and has an equal expression as this column
   * A Column is also equal if it is of the same type, shares the same table,
   * and referes to the same tablePosition as this column
   */
  public boolean equals(Object o)
  {
    if (o instanceof tsColumn)
    {
      tsColumn col = (tsColumn) o;

      if (col.getColumnType() != getColumnType())
      {
        return false;
      }

      // A Column with different physical name is never
      // considered equal
      if (physName != null && col.physName == null)
      {
        return false;
      }
      else if (physName == null && col.physName != null)
      {
        return false;
      }

      if (col.getTable() == null)
      {
        if (getTable() != null)
          return false;

        if (col.getExpression() == null)
        {
          if (getExpression() == null)
            return true;

        }
        else
        {
          if (getExpression() == null)
            return false;

          // A Column is equal if it is of the same type
          // and has an equal expression as this column
          return col.getExpression().equals(getExpression());
        }
      }
      else
      {
        if (getTable() == null)
          return false;

        // A Column is equal if it is of the same type, the same table,
        // and on the same tablePosition as this column
        if (getTablePosition() == col.getTablePosition())
          return true;
      }
    }

    return false;
  }

  /**
   * Checks whether the given name is either a physical name, a display name
   * or a full qualified name.
   */
  public boolean isValidName(String name)
  {
    if (name == null)
      return false;

    if (name.equals(getPhysicalName()))
      return true;

    if (name.equals(getDisplayName()))
      return true;

    if (name.equals(getFQName()))
      return true;

    return false;
  }

  /**
   * helperfunction: forms a full qualified name for this column
   * and chaches it.
   */
  private String formColname(String column, tinySQLTableView table)
  {
    if (table == null)
      return column;

    if (fqname == null)
      ((/*@checkers.inference.reim.quals.Mutable*/ tsColumn) this).fqname = table.getName() + "." + column;
    return fqname;
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
SOT Inc
Low-cost, Greener Subsea Tech Central to O&G Offshore: SOT Inc.
By Peter Appleby | Fri, 10/02/2020 - 09:19
Q: How has SOT Inc's client portfolio expanded over the last year?
A: We had been working in association with PEMEX on some of its wellheads on shallow water projects and were hoping to extend our relationship. However, the new contract model that PEMEX uses means we will no longer be working directly with the NOC but with the service companies, including drilling companies, that bid directly for the contracts. We are involved with one of the major national drilling companies and are providing our subsea inspection services. This is how we expect to go forward.
There are several private companies with which we are in discussion to provide ROV services outside of PEMEX contracts. The market requirement is there because of growing opportunities but at present the handling of contracts is slower than usual. We expect that once activity picks up following COVID-19, our technologies will again be in demand.
Q: What are the benefits of the subsea technologies SOT Inc is introducing to the Mexican market?
A: SOT Inc has recently partnered with a worldwide manufacturer of subsea technologies. We are no longer just ROV providers and Mexico's situation means that innovation will be key in the future. The partnership means we are no longer only a provider of technological services but also a retailer. We believe that considering Mexico's current situation, innovative technologies like ours will be key to the industry's development in the future. Mexico is now a major market because fields, both in shallow and deepwater, are being developed. There is opportunity for everyone, not just SOT Inc.
The company we have partnered with has given us the support to train Mexican local content for the market. As a Mexican company, we consider this an added value and allows us to offer local content to other companies. Though some international companies may be ahead of SOT Inc in terms of overall development, one of the real positives that we and other national companies have is our knowledge of our own waters and areas where we need to improve.
Q: How is SOT Inc changing its strategy to thrive in the new normal?
A: Firstly, we are a company that goes to great lengths to ensure the health of our employees. We decided to improve the health insurance packages that we offer our employees and have made the offshore regulations they work under more stringent. Like many other companies, we have enforced social distancing measures as daily practice and have set other measures like confinement for anybody suspected to be will.
Another change that we had been making prior to COVID-19, and one that will certainly continue afterward, is that the company is moving into environmental inspection. We use our subsea expertise to investigate the condition of reefs in the Pacific and Caribbean, tracking the degradation of reefs and waters surrounding Mexico. We also have an agreement with ASEA and work to measure water quality and other factors important to sea life, like the level of sound, to ensure their sustainability. We understand that protecting our environment is important for Mexico's economic future and for the world. We have a couple of targets to close at the moment and we are excited about the future. We will also look at offshore wind farms, which are a small but a growing market in Mexico.
Q: How will SOT Inc be looking to develop in the next 12 months?
A: We have short, medium and long-term goals that we will move toward. Our ROV services on wellheads in shallow waters will continue to be our main focus, though we believe that the industry, considering the current situation, will recognize that it does not need a BMW to go to the corner store. Instead, alternative means will be found. Our subsea technologies have a lower price but deliver the great quality to clients. Everybody wants to spend less right now.
We believe that our approach will be very attractive to companies like PEMEX. Frequently, companies believe that subsea inspection using ROVs is expensive but we believe our approach removes that concern. Company leaders are also more aware of the environmental impact from their activities and SOT Inc is dedicated to reducing any impact its subsea services have on a local area. For the mid and long-term, we intend to continue the work we are doing with leading Mexican universities to train local content in the use of our technologies. We are dedicated to improving the capacity of local workers.
Subsea Offshore Technology (SOT Inc) is a Mexican firm offering unique subsea inspection services through affordable and environmentally-conscious means. The company's ROVs are equipped for shallow waters and deal with O&G and environmental issues.
MOGR 2020/2021
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When we are in a close relationship with God, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. We see the fruit of that work in qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22).
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"
Maybe it sounds strange to say that the secret to a better marriage is in loving someone else even more than your spouse- but it's true. God IS love: the author and creator, and the ultimate source. It's through a relationship with God, that we learn how to love better and are then able to pour out that love into others.
@@The love of God is a supernatural love that transforms us.@@ If we want our marriage to be transformed, the best way to see that happen is to draw closer to God.
How do we make our relationship with God our first priority? We can do that by establishing daily habits that include prayer, time in God's Word, and worship. It's also important to place ourselves in community with other people who love God, people who will encourage us and keep us accountable.
I'm thankful to be married to someone who loves God more than he loves me. I'm happy that my husband encourages me to love God more than I love him. We're both still works in progress but I can say, without a doubt, that @@as we've both grown closer to God, our marriage has gotten better.@@ I trust God- that he is working in my husband's life and that he is working in mine. That gives me tremendous hope for the future of our marriage.
The secret to loving your spouse better is simple. Love God more.


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Many men and women in recent times focus on a wide range of things before starting their vacation trip. They get loads of choices and after they seek tour packages based on the offers and attractive deals. They have to choose the best suitable category of the tour among different categories like honeymoon, pilgrimage, wildlife and beaches. If they search for a trustworthy tour operator on online, then they can directly read the most recent and unbiased reviews of Ashirwad Tours & Travels. They will get an overview about how to properly use an appropriate tour package from this reputable company and fulfil expectations on the Chitwan National Park Tours within the schedule and budget. The complete details about every aspect of the tour from the day one to end nowadays support all visitors to this travel agency.
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text:
Have Fun with These 7 Old Board Games
The attraction of old board games such as chess and go stem from the fun, competitive playing field they offer as well as the variety of moves you can come up to beat the opponent. The oldest recorded board game was Senet in First Dynasty Egypt, but people have been playing with the dice long before that.
Traditional board games can be as addictive as all the other electronic games but they have digital versions nowadays too. Now that's timeless!
Mancala has different variations but the goal is to count and capture pieces usually made up of pebbles or seeds. Two players take turns playing on a board with pits to try to capture as many pebbles from each other. It goes by different names in parts of Africa, South and Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
Checkers or Draughts
This fast-paced game probably originated in Mesopotamia when a board similar to the one used today was found in the city of Ur. It remained popular but it was only in 1756 when the rules for Draughts were written that it became a competitive game worldwide. There are many checkers variants today such as Chinese, Spanish, and Turkish checkers.
Fanorona
This board game from Madagascar has become popular ever since it was featured in Assassin's Creed 3 along with Checkers and Nine-Men's Morris. There are three versions of the game depending on the size of the game board. All the black and white pieces are prearranged and the players take turns capturing the opponent's pieces first by moving them forward or backward.
The game was probably invented during the Qing dynasty in China. Mahjong gave rise to other card and board games such as Rummy, as well as its Korean and Japanese variants. It can be played by up to four players. The objective is to take turns drawing tiles to create sets by removing identical tiles or pairs.
The earliest form of the game was found in Iran dating from 5,000 years ago. Two players take turns rolling the dice to determine the movement of their pieces (known by various names such as chips, pips, checkers, etc.) The objective is to try to remove all of your pieces first before the other person does.
Nine Men's Morris
The game began in the Roman Empire and requires two players to take turns moving pieces on a checkered board. First, they place all the pieces pieces on the board until they can form a horizontal or vertical row of three identical pieces to remove a piece from an opponent until all the pieces are gone or blocked from moving. There are three other variants, namely; three-men's morris, six-men's morris and twelve-men's morris.
Vaikuntapaali
This game is popularly known today as Snakes and Ladders. Its primary goal was to teach morality by punishments and rewards. Climbing the ladder meant that hard work was rewarded, while the snakes brought down the sinners.


text:
Q: Which log files do I look at to debug copy/paste and Klipper? Short Version
What log files do I look at to monitor copy/paste actions? And what logs do I look at to monitor all Klipper actions?
Long Version
After using my desktop for a while (could be a few hours, could be a few minutes), copy paste starts doing strange things. When I copy (Ctrl+C or via right click menu), Klipper will sometimes not pick up the highlighted text. It sometimes gets blank lines, sometimes just jumps to a random entry in the history, and sometimes works. Rebooting "fixes" it but after some time, this issue will always return.
As far as I can tell, my system was perfectly fine until a couple months ago when I first noticed the issue. But since it is random and rebooting resets the issue, I have no idea what update might have caused this. So I'm trying to debug and track down the issue myself. With that said, could anyone tell me every possible log file to look at that's related to copy/paste and klipper? Thanks!
System Info: In case this reminds someone of a similar issue, my OS is Netrunner Rolling (this is based off Manjaro), CPU is Intel, and GPU is a Radeon HD 7750 using the open source drivers.

A: For sure it does not "log" in a dedicated log-file by default.
However, you may see something useful in ~/.xsession-errors. Run tail -f ~/.xsession-errors on a console while you play with klipper.
You may also communicate with klipper over dbus, but I don't see any logging facility there either (but you can list the entries, clear the history, etc etc)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
MidCountry Bank receives national honor
American Bankers Association recognizes MidCountry's support of first-time homeowners
MINNETONKA, Minn. (03-08-11) MidCountry Bank was nationally recognized for its community outreach efforts in support of first-time homeowners during the American Bankers Association (ABA) National Conference for Community Bankers in San Diego, Calif., Feb. 22. MidCountry was awarded for its endeavors in the "Helping to Achieve Homeownership" category. Established in 2005, the ABA Community Bank Awards program recognizes the outstanding charitable achievements of its member banks.
Nine banks were selected from a field of more than 180 nominations (and more than 7,500 banks nationally), based on the innovation, creativity and effectiveness of the bank's approach to making a difference in its community.
Due to MidCountry's new homeowner assistance program, 80 families were able to buy their first home in 2010, while another 60 received down payment assistance, and nearly 20 received renovation funds. Despite the challenging market, these families now have a place to call their own and are helping rebuild communities devastated by foreclosures.
"MidCountry Bank is honored to receive this award, which represents our commitment to helping our customers and community members achieve their homeownership dreams," said Greg Krenz, MidCountry Bank mortgage division president. "Our company is guided by our core values of integrity, fairness, honesty, compassion and excellence, and we believe that making the quality of life better for others is something to recognize, celebrate and foster."
Mortgage Division President Greg Krenz displays the American Bankers Association's "2011 Community Bank Award for Helping to Achieve Homeownership," which MidCountry Bank was honored with Feb. 22, 2011. MidCountry Bank was recognized for its innovation, creativity, and effectiveness in helping families realize the American dream.


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CS High is a great show! had a great time. Some of the hardest working people I have seen in ages.
Thank you for all you did to make Jim's 60th birthday party such a great success and funfilled night. We all had agreat night and the show and food was fantastic. You send to send you our email address and you would send us the picture of Jim with his motorcycle gang. Can't wait to see it up close. Once again thank you for such a GREAT funfilled night. Terrific show.
Enjoyed the show,it was very funny and witty!!! Sisten Ainta Man was unbeleivable and never broke character once. She was amazing. The rest of the cast were very talanted from playing instruments to singing and acting. The food was great, I had the steak(its hot and fresh upon delivery).Very efficent and friendly staff. Would highly recommend this show to anyone with a great sense of humour. Thanks to the cast for a fun eveing with family, food and good times.
My band absolutly love C.S.High!! We all agreed it was the best part of our trip to Saint John. Everyone liked the food too, and especially the dessert. We are still quoting you guys today! Thanks for a great show!
Hey guys- great opening night for CShIgh, Just wanted to say I love you guys and also I can't wait til Saturday when we can do it again! Linder- you are so f*@#ing amazing on ONE!
Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful evening. Had the pleasure of seeing Dearly Beheaded on 18 April with some great friends and I must say we had a blast. The food and entertainment was second to none, best $100 I've spent in a long time. See you all again on 16 May. Keep up the great work.
Our son gave us a gift certificate for Christmas and we were at the Dinner Theatre on March 21 - it was awesome. The food was great and the entertainment was extraordinary. The talented cast did a wonderful job and were very entertaining.
Will spread the work with my co-workers.
The performance was excellent and the food was terrific. What a fun way to spend an evening!


text:
A Digital Billboard In The Philippines Displayed Porn And Someone Definitely Got Fired
FML for whoever was responsible for that one, and for any little ol' ladies who may have been walking in the street at that time.
Someone is walking their ass to the unemployment agency due to this major oversight.
According to inquirer.net, the digital billboard attached to the Executive Building Center in Makati City, Philippines, randomly began to display porn for the world to see at 2 p.m yesterday. Whatever they're selling, the people are buying!
The video showed a couple having sex with the man on top, really going at it. Fortunately for those faint of heart, you could not see the man entirely or recognize his face due to a window being open on the computer.
"We were laughing when we saw it. Some who were riding motorbikes even stopped. A lady also stopped, and other drivers, including a driver of an L300 van, I think," said Mulong Sermonia, a man who was inside his vehicle when the spectacle took place.
Not much is known about the incident but it is suspected that TeamViewer, a computer software application was used. TeamViewer is used to gain Internet-based remote access meaning those who use the software can connect to any computer remotely as though they were right there. In most cases, someone on the other end has to grant permission for the software to do this.
It is still unknown weather or not the porn was an accident or a prank from hacking.
Photos: Mulong Sermonia Facebook
By Nadine / Wednesday 21 March 2018 14:00 /
FMLNews
By Jayman223 - United States - Reno
Today I adopted a dog. He ran away the same day. FML
By owned - United States
Today, while babysitting, the little boy explained to me why I was single, reasons such as 'unattractive' and 'not the girlfriend type'. I cried. FML
Today, I was getting ready for my first date with a boy I really like when my dad insisted on meeting him. My dad is super protective and a cop. He cleaned his gun in front of my date and made it clear he had to be careful with me. My date started to cry when we got to the car. FML
By Anonymous - United States - San Ramon
Today, my leadership class was trying to decide who would run the kissing booth in our local carnival. Someone suggested me, to which the director replied, "We'd never make any profit with her." FML
By EvilMother - United States - Hinsdale
Today, after having a long talk with my mother about gays, she told me that she was totally open. I felt completely relieved, being gay myself. Seconds later, she said, "But not for you. I want you to find me a nice girl that can give me lots of grand kids." FML
By prince232 - Australia - Sydney
Today, after having a second interview with a club I want to work for, the interviewer ignored my work references. Instead, he told me he was going to call the only manager I never got along with, for reference in a job I left 5 years ago, because he knows her personally. FML
Today, after trying for several days to change some details on the social security website, I got fed up and called them. I waited nearly two hours on hold, and when I finally got through, the guy on the other end just told me to reboot my computer and try again, then hung up on me. FML
By WorstLifeEver - United States
Today, I was walking around in the mall when I dropped my purse. When I bent down to pick it up, some guy came up behind me, humped my ass, then ran away laughing. FML
By not sexy anymore - 28/7/2020 05:01
Get on with it!
Today, my boyfriend asked why I've been so grumpy lately. When I told him it's because our relationship has been severely lacking in intimacy, he sighed heavily and said, "Ugh, fine, let's just get it over with!" Gee, thanks babe. FML
By tyrettes
Today, I started a new yard maintenance job. Before the day had even ended, I got fired, because I apparently didn't have enough experience, and I moved too slowly. It was supposed to be my training day. FML
By me - Canada
Today, my exchange student asked me for a ride to a party at a friend's house that I didn't know about. When I said, "Oh, just let me change", she replied, "I just need the ride, you're not invited." FML
By yup - United States
Today, I thought it would be hot if I sent my boyfriend kinky message. He didn't reply so I sent a few more. 10 minutes later I got a reply saying, "Honey, this is his mom and you should be a little less desperate." FML
By ElaborateScheme - United States - Palm Beach Gardens
Today, I was feeling a little bored so I decided to go outside for once. Living in Florida is nice and all except for the fact that right now I'm putting ice over two snake bites. FML
By Jason Brazil
Hypochondriacs of the world unite!
Today, I was woken up at 2 in the morning by my wife frantically saying something about her having scabies, and that I had to take her to the ER. It turned out to be eczema. FML
By Anonameow - United States - Fairfax
Today, after driving for four hours to visit my best friend for the New Years break, she still hasn't finished up her skype conversation and left her room to greet me. She knows I'm here. I've spent the last hours watching youtube videos with her cat. FML
By Dick the Greater
Today, I took my girlfriend to meet my parents at a family dinner. There was plenty of alcohol on offer, as is normal at our get-togethers. She got blind drunk and ended up crying to my mum about how I can't please her because I have a small penis and my oral sucks. FML
By danggit3290 - United States
Today, I was masturbating in the dark with the door open. I thought I saw a figure outside my door, because I didn't have my glasses on. After intensely staring at the dark figure for about a minute, thinking it was my imagination, my stepdad said, "you know, I am looking RIGHT at you," FML
By I piss upon thee - United States - Toledo
Today, I got a warning for not covering a shift, on my day off, for someone who didn't want to go to work. Apparently the next time I "do something wrong", I'll either get warned again or fired, whichever they feel like doing. FML
Phew, glad it wasn't me
By tmi. - Australia
Today, a customer smiled, looked me in the eye and described to me in graphic detail the swelling that occurred to his nuts after his vasectomy. FML
Today, my 8 year old adopted daughter told me she wants me to take her back so another family can adopt her because I don't give her enough toys. FML
By Brittanyy_leigh - Australia
Today, my boyfriend and I went to the beach. I though he was being really sweet by putting sunscreen on my back as I layed on my stomach. I got home later, and felt that my back was sore. Then I saw the giant penis on my back that been burnt in. FML
By owmyballs - Thailand
Today, I was playing with my yo-yo. I began showing off to my friends. When the girl I liked walked by, I thought it'd be really cool to do the move "dog bite". I ended hitting myself in the balls. Hard. FML
By Username - United States
Today, my daughter in law sent me another romantic text that was meant for her husband. Not only can't she spell for shit, the clichés she uses are horrifyingly embarrassing. The fact this keeps happening makes me want to slam her head in the oven. FML
By KayDayParade - United States
Today, while paying for groceries, I opened my wallet to find that all my cash had been exchanged for Monopoly money. FML
By Anonymous - United States - Kansas City
Today, I uploaded a video to YouTube. I have around 20k subscribers, so I'm not a huge deal. I used a "fail" sound effect. I just got an email from YouTube saying that I got a copyright strike. They told me that it was the 4-second sound effect. They copyrighted 4 seconds of my video. FML
By FlorenceD - United States - Dallas
Today, I was walking up some stairs and heard a noise as if someone was following me. The faster I went, the louder the noise got. I was too scared to realize that it was just my thighs causing my jeans to chafe. FML
By Ghost - United States
Today, I was at my 10 year high school reunion. I saw the girl I used to have a BIG crush on, so I decided to go over and say hi. She screams when she sees me. Then, she starts hitting me, looking panicked. I control her and ask why she's hitting me. She says 'Everyone thought you were dead!' FML
Today, I punched my wife in the face, because she jumped out from behind the bedroom door in the dark. I'm afraid of the dark. I'm 21. FML
By JPlays - United States - Henderson
Today, after days of working with a client on plans for a project, I received a message half way through completion saying the deal was off because "my prices were so low it seemed like a scam". FML
By Anonymous - United States - Corning
Today, I walked in on my roommate with her ass cheeks spread wide, and her friend ripping a strip of wax off of her while wearing a headlamp flashlight to see if she "got it all". FML
By jjoker - Australia - Melbourne
Today, I went to the toilet to do a number 2. As I went to wipe, the toilet paper slipped out of my hand and I before my brain could register, I wiped my ass with my bare hand.. I also had curry the night before, so yeah. FML
By notcool - United States
Today, I learned that my anxious and obsessive mother is going to drive three hours every weekend to attend a Johns Hopkins medical course on stress reduction. Why is this bad? I just left home for college and have enjoyed my last two weeks of freedom without her around. I attend Johns Hopkins. FML
By Anonymous - United States - Honolulu
Today, I discovered that my daughter refuses to eat, but not because she's anorexic. Apparently, her health class has learned about the digestive system and now she refuses to "take part in something so gross." FML
By n - United States
Today, my boyfriend made me breakfast because I had a cold. Because my nose was so stuffed, I couldn't tell that our milk had gone bad. I had two cups. And now I'm stuck on the toilet. FML
By Birthday Boy
Today, my family asked where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner. They shot down my every suggestion and decided on sushi. I'm allergic, so the only thing I could eat was a veggie appetizer. Dad said I need to "expand my palate." FML
Today, my ex-wife, who I have a 1000-yard restraining order against since she threatened my new wife and our kids, moved into a house down the street. The police say they can't do anything because her house is more than 1000 yards from mine. It's 1012 yards away. FML
By Samson - United States
Today, my girlfriend was really depressed. I listed the top 50 reasons why I love her. Her response was "thanks for that but seriously, this video on youtube is hilarious." I couldn't cheer her up but apparently a 10 second video of a dog running in circles can. FML
Today, while arriving to a date for the first time in a couple years, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm only dressed up because I had court today." FML
By Chouse - Canada - Grande Prairie
Today, during my uncle's funeral, my four year old loudly asked, "Where's all the dead people?" FML
By need not know - 19/1/2020 05:00
Still married
Today, while fixing my dad's phone, I saw Tinder installed. He's still married to my mum. FML
By Lobby_Bee | 17
#7613931 - Wednesday 21 March 2018 17:51
They have been hacked, I doubt anyone would watch porn on the work PC when they can watch it on their phone wanking in the bathroom.
By Donut_Wizard | 23
"Mommy, what's that?"
"Oh that's what's know as a skank."
"They're playing hide the sausage"
"You mean like we do with the dog when we hide hide treats?"
DarkAngelsBlade | 25
Nope team viewer is not a hacking program, or a program meant for hacking. Team viewer had to already be installed. Whoever did it meant to do it. They just may not have meant to do it on that computer. They weren't using it for porn themselves bud.
By GMSP | 18
I say give the person a promotion, that's free sex ed to the citizens right there!
Neror | 13
Porn is the worst sex education. It's part of a larger problem.
By pjsr | 32
Once the keyboard gets all sticky, anything can happen ...at least that's what I've heard.
By Davros | 12
I bet they have a population explosion in 9 months


text:
Jury Convicts Tony Alamo for Sex Crimes
(Revised and expanded)
Can you believe it? - they've gone and put a "PROPHET" in chains for the lowest of venal sins, and all he wanted to do was get the Bible into them pre-pubescent, demon-bound, irresistable young tarts to redeem their profane little souls. You'd think the jurors would have given the Chosen One some small dispensation:
Convicted pastor says he's 'one of the prophets'
"... 'I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel,' Alamo called to reporters afterward as he was escorted to a waiting U.S. marshal's vehicle.
"Shouts of 'Bye, bye, Bernie; — Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman — came from a crowd gathered on the Arkansas side of the courthouse. Some came from Fouke, the nearby town where Alamo's 15-acre compound sits. Others were former followers of his ministries in Arkansas, California and New York. ... "
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_re_us/us_evangelist_child_abuse
Evangelist Tony Alamo Convicted of Child Sex Abuse
By JON GAMBRELL (AP)
TEXARKANA, Ark. — A federal jury has convicted evangelist Tony Alamo on charges he took underage girls across state lines for sex.
The jury issued its judgment Friday in federal court in Texarkana, Arkansas. The jury found the 74-year-old Alamo guilty of all 10 counts he faced. The indictment accused him of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines as early as 1994.
FBI agents and Arkansas State Police troopers raided Alamo's compound in southern Arkansas in September looking for child pornography. Agents arrested him five days later in Arizona.
Alamo had denied the charges, claiming they came from a Vatican-led conspiracy against his ministry. His apocalyptic tracts outline his hatred of the Vatican and his feared "one-world government." The Southern Poverty Law Center considers his ministry a "cult."
www.google.com/hostednews
'Prophet' pastor 'married' young girls because God told him to
Tony Alamo faced his jury today as they rendered their verdict in the case against him. Alamo, the former pastor of the a multi-million dollar ministry, was found guilty of transporting minors across state lines to have sex with them. His victims were present as the verdict was read.
One of the women was reportedly 8-years-old when she was "married" to Alamo. Today the five women range in age from 17 to 33.
Alamo had nothing to say as the verdict was read but he made a point to tell reporters, as he was escorted out of the courthouse, "'I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel." Um... no... that is not why he went to jail.
According to the Associated Press report, the defense lawyers for Alamo said that he was being persecuted "because [the government] doesn't like his apocalyptic brand of Christianity." Yeah, that's why he was brought to trial. Perhaps it was because they didn't like his brand of child abuse.
Though Alamo did not take the stand during the trial, it was said in the report that Alamo "told his followers God instructed him to marry younger and younger girls."
Alamo will face sentencing in about 8-weeks, though it was said that he would appeal the verdict. He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.
I am left with a couple of questions after hearing this story. Where were the parents of these girls when all of this was happening and what was their part in all of this? Further, are they facing any sort of charges related to this case? Certainly, if they allowed or helped such things to happen to their daughters, they should be held accountable in the crimes as well.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2044-Atheism-Examiner~y2009m7d24-Prophet-pastor-married-young-girls-because-God-told-him-to
Parents' role in Alamo case is a tricky question
By ANDREW DeMILLO and JON GAMBRELL (AP)
TEXARKANA, Ark. — One by one, the women told the court a similar story. They were "married" to evangelist Tony Alamo as children or teens, pushed into the unions with the blessings of parents who believed it was the highest honor before God.
Their parents had been taught that Alamo was infallible, and with him the girls would have access to amenities like television, ponies, a swimming pool and a carousel — luxuries otherwise unattainable in their tightly controlled lives. But instead of spiritual happiness, the women allege Alamo preyed on them for sex at ages as young as 9 as their parents willingly allowed it or ignored the signs of abuse.
None of their parents have been charged, despite the litany of abuse the women detailed under oath as Alamo faces charges of taking them across state lines for sex when they were underage. Experts say prosecutors would encounter several challenges in accusing the parents of abuse or neglect, most notably in determining how much responsibility they had.
"Some of these parents may be viewed as victims as much as suspects," said D'Lorah Hughes, an assistant law professor at the University of Arkansas. "Alamo has a long history of treating his followers not well, and I think you could take the viewpoint that these people have been duped and have been in some way suckered in as victims."
FBI agent Randall Harris, who led the Alamo investigation, shared some of the same concerns when testifying before the grand jury that indicted the 74-year-old evangelist. When questioned during the trial by Alamo's lawyers, Harris said he never told any of the women their parents could be prosecuted.
"I think some of them may have asked me if there was some way my parents could get in trouble," Harris said. "I explained to them that I didn't believe that they were going to be pursued at the federal level, but that I had no control over the state level."
Federal prosecutors won't say whether any of the parents could face charges. Prosecutor Brent Haltom in Miller County, where Alamo's compound is located, said he has no cases open involving the evangelist or parents of the alleged victims.
Parents themselves offered differing views on their own culpability. The mother of an 18-year-old who said Alamo "married" her at age 8 told jurors she had no problems with her daughter going to the evangelist's home. The mother called Alamo "a holy man of God" and a prophet who took in a troubled girl.
"I was totally in control of her situation," the woman, a defense witness, said. Prosecutors never got the chance to ask if she knew Alamo had sex with her daughter as she left the stand after claiming Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. Four of her underage children remain missing after state child-welfare officials obtained an order seeking to put them in protective care.
The Associated Press generally does not name those who say they were victims of sexual abuse, and often doesn't use names of family members to avoid identifying the accusers.
On the opposite end, some said they felt they had to sacrifice their daughters to appease the man who was master over every aspect of their lives. The mother of a girl Alamo allegedly "married" at age 15 said she was pregnant with another child when Alamo summoned the woman, her husband and their daughter to his house and made the announcement.
Alamo told her God instructed him to take their underage daughter as a "wife," she said. Refusing meant being thrown out of the church, which paid for all of the family's food, clothing and shelter.
"I didn't think we'd survive outside. ... That was the only life I knew," the mother said. "When he said the Lord told him to do something, I believed it."
In the past, some allegations against Alamo surfaced because parents spoke up.
More than two decades ago, child abuse charges were filed against him in California alleging that an 11-year-old boy was hit 140 times with a 3-foot board while Alamo gave punishment orders over a speaker phone. The case came to light because the boy's father and uncle, who had previously fled the commune, came back one night to try to take custody of their sons. The boy's physical condition prompted a raid on the Saugus, Calif., compound. The abuse charges were later dropped because Alamo had been imprisoned on tax evasion charges.
In the current case, any attempt to charge the girls' parents with failure to protect their children would be especially difficult, said Linda Spears, vice president for policy and public affairs at the Arlington, Va.-based Child Welfare League of America. ...
CONTINUED: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmOiqQT1PYFy0ptuu_jsZ4TvKjKAD99KMADO0
Witness invokes Fifth Amendment at Alamo trial
BY ANDY DAVIS
TEXARKANA - Under questioning Tuesday at evangelist Tony Alamo's trial, the wife of a fugitive described by authorities as Alamo's "enforcer" invoked her right not to incriminate herself. As she left the courtroom, she was served with documents from child welfare authorities seeking protective custody of her four children.
Jennifer Kolbeck, whose husband, John, is wanted in the beating of a teenage church member, was one of five members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries who took the witness stand Tuesday to defend Alamo, who is charged with taking five underage girls across state lines for sex.
Testifying along with Jennifer Kolbeck were three women whom authorities have described as Alamo's wives and the man who drove a bus on a trip in which Alamo is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Wearing a white jacket and slacks, a pink blouse and tinted eyeglasses, Kolbeck, who was born in the ministry, told jurors that one of the girls Alamo is accused of abusing went to live with him because she was "always in trouble" and because she had a "very bad problem with lying."
Under questioning by assistant U.S. attorney Candace Taylor, Kolbeck said she had driven that morning from a hotel in Shreveport. Asked where she had been before that, Kolbeck said she had been "driving all over the place."
"Is that because you're in hiding?" Taylor asked.
"Absolutely - hiding from harassment," Kolbeck said. She said she had been in Arizona, Oklahoma and California.
Asked why she is hiding, Kolbeck said, "I have no comment on that." That prompted a huddle between Alamo's attorneys and U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes. Afterward, Barnes said Kolbeck would be invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself and that all of her testimony would be stricken.
Authorities have been searching for John Kolbeck since October, when Fort Smith police obtained a warrant for his arrest on a second-degree battery charge in the beating of a teenage church member at a ministry warehouse.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has also been searching for the Kolbecks' four children, ages 12 to 17, since November, when judges in Miller and Sebastian counties issued orders listing 128 children, including the Kolbecks', as being in danger of abuse because of their parents' association with the ministry. The Kolbecks also are the legal guardians of three other children named in the court orders.
As she left the courtroom Tuesday, Jennifer Kolbeck, accompanied by her attorney, was followed by a Miller County sheriff's deputy, an FBI agent and an attorney with the Human Services Department. In the courthouse lobby, a deputy served Kolbeck with the court papers.
Earlier Tuesday, ministry member Sharon Alamo, who prosecutors say is one of Tony Alamo's wives, testified that he had made trips to California to see heart and eye doctors, to work on business ventures such as starting a line of jewelry and recording gospel albums, and to buy a "hairpiece."
She said he traveled for a time in a motor home, then later in a bus, with several women and girls whom she described as his office assistants. Tony Alamo had a bedroom in the back of the bus, where she said suitcases and recording equipment were also stored.
During a trip in the fall of 2004, Sharon Alamo said, the air conditioning in the bus malfunctioned. Since the bedroom sits over the engine, the heat in the bedroom would have been "unbearable," she said, and Tony Alamo didn't spend much time in the bedroom during that trip.
She and the bus driver, ministry member Sanford White, said a 13-year-old girl was along for the trip, but they never saw Tony Alamo go into the bedroom with her, as the girl, one of Alamo's accusers, says he did.
Under questioning by assistant U.S. attorney Clay Fowlkes, Sharon Alamo said she had exchanged vows with Tony Alamo in 1989, but she said they are "not together right now" and stressed that they were never legally married.
"We were together for a while and after several years, we on our own determined to separate, yet we still work together and I live in the same home," Sharon Alamo said.
She also acknowledged that she and Tony Alamo lived with several other women and girls whom she had seen wearing wedding rings, but she did not know whether the other women and girls were Alamo's wives.
Two other women, Alys Ondrisek and Angela Morales, also testified on behalf of Tony Alamo, saying all of his trips were for church business or legal matters. Prosecutors have indicated that they are among Alamo's wives, but did not ask them Tuesday about their marital status.
After each one testified, Tony Alamo smiled and gave them a thumbs up.
Before finishing their case Tuesday morning, prosecutors played recordings of phone calls Alamo had made from the Bowie County jail annex of the Bi-State Detention Center in Texarkana, Texas, where he is being held without bail. In one of them, Alamo assured a member he was "still in charge" of the ministry.
Since a Sept. 20 raid on Alamo's compound in Fouke, child welfare authorities have taken 36 children into protective custody, saying they were endangered by ministry practices that include allowing underage marriages and beatings for violations of church rules. An additional 98 others are listed in court orders as being in danger of abuse, but authorities have been unable to find them.
Among those who were in the courtroom as Kolbeck testified Tuesday was Antavia Meggs, who signed over custody of her three children to the Kolbecks in 2007 but now wants them back.
As Jennifer Kolbeck took the stand, Meggs left the courtroom and went to a bathroom to cry.
"I thought she was out of the country with my kids, and here she is right in front of me," Meggs said.
Human Services Department spokesman Julie Munsell declined to say what action the department might take, citing a gag order in the case. Meggs said she doesn't hold out much hope that serving Jennifer Kolbeck will bring her closer to her children.
"I don't think she'll tell anybody anything," Meggs said.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/264918/
allexus8 said...
Tony Alamo is so right he is in jail because of false lies from these woman that was given bribery for testify falsely against him, the fed pay every single one of those girls off with gifts and money, they surely went to well spring and just like the traitor judas iscariot received silver to testify falsely. of you go to Tony Alamo website at www.alamoministries.com all thur Tony Alamo site he said the vatican and government will frame him and defame him and jail him because he read the word of god, yes he is TONY ALAMO THE GREATEST PROPHET IN THESE LAST DAYS ANOINTED BY JESUS CHRIST TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF GOD, THAT IS THE ONLY THING HE GUILTY OF IS WINNING SOULS TO THE LORD, THAT IS THE ONLY REASON HE IS IN JAIL ,BECAUSE HE EXPOSE SATAN AND HIS FOLLOWER STANK, GOD AND HIS SAINTS WON 2000 YEARS AGO WHEN JESUS CHRIST RISEN AND WAS CRUCIFY ON CALVARY,HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD WAS SHED FOR FORGIVENESS OF SIN AND STILL CONTINUE TO CLAIM VICTORY AND JESUS CHRIST HOLY NAME, REVENGE IS THE LORD HE WILL REPAY!!!!!!!!!
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text:
[INSIGHT]Still fighting yesterday's wars
Criticism of President Roh Moo-hyun and his administration is coming from all sides. Whether the person is a taxi driver or the president of a large company, a housewife in the market or a college professor, he or she cannot seem strike up a conversation without criticizing the president.
Mr. Roh is in a tight corner, surrounded by enemies. How did he come to be in this situation?
Many intellectuals ascribe it to the administration's anti-intellectual self-righteousness. In a recent lecture at Seoul National University, writer Park Kyung-lee deplored the current political climate, which does not acknowledge the existence of other people with different opinions. She said, "When 'I and you,' 'we and they' are divided into dichotomies and fighting each other, our future cannot but lead to despair."
In an article titled "Remembrance and Forgiveness" in the fall issue of the quarterly publication Dangdae Bipyeong ("Criticism of the Present Age"), Ahn Kyung-hwan, a law professor at Seoul National University, says it is difficult to find balance, reason, cultivation and intellect in Korea now. Mr. Ahn laments that he is frightened by those who dash to idealistic conclusions, skipping over many stages of reasoning.
For example, he says, some young scholars think that South Korea has been unable to build a just society because the country did not clear up the issue of pro-Japanese collaboration immediately after liberation. He also reports that 80 percent of students at a prestigious university said that the reason businesses exist is to return their wealth to society.
Professor Ahn emphasizes that the mission of setting history straight, under a flamboyant slogan with which to defeat other political forces, can easily lead to lies and distortions, and that we cannot run toward the future as long as our eyes are fixed on the past.
Therefore, he concludes, we should forget what should be forgotten, and remember what should be remembered.
In an Oct. 29 discussion with Seoul National University faculty, under the theme "The Intellectual Crisis and its Historic Background," Professor Lee In-ho, a former ambassador to Russia, saw the social instability of this age as a factor in that crisis.
Professor Lee analyzed the tragedy of our intellectual history through the history of the past century. During the Japanese occupation, when independence fighters and intellectuals did not mix, a substantial number of those intellectuals became "abnormal" intellectuals, accepting Marxist-Leninism or Christianity as their gospel.
After liberation, they were engaged in factional confrontation. During the military dictatorships, the intellectuals were divided between resistance fighters and bystanders. Particularly since the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, the two camps have developed a hostile relationship, and boundaries that neither side can cross have appeared.
In this intellectual climate, Professor Lee said, the "386" generation succeeded in creating a new political force by appealing to the Internet generation's sentiments of anti-Americanism and anti-elitism, just as the people's anger over the corruption of the political establishment was reaching a peak.
Anti-intellectualism does not simply mean a lack of intellectual ability. It stymies the possibility of reasonable dialogue because of the extreme egotism and self-righteousness with which abstract causes like reform, equality and love for one's countrymen are advocated.
As a result, Mr. Lee said, the operation of state affairs has shown symptoms of division, and the social atmosphere has became impoverished and merciless.
Many intellectuals believe that because the present administration, with its one-sided self-righteousness, sees the other parties as immoral individuals ―and because the administration clings to idealism instead of reality, yesterday's guilt or innocence instead of life in the present, and moral fundamentalism instead of reasonable judgment ― national opinion is divided, and social integrity cannot be achieved.
How can we overcome this anti-intellectual climate?
I hope both camps will be liberated from the "original sin" of the Gwangju struggle. The intellectual climate cannot be improved unless we get away from the dichotomous thinking that measures (and divides) others according to their answer to the question, "What did you do at the time of the Gwangju struggle?"
Today, now that politicians from the "386" generation have gained political power, their thoughts and sentiments are expressed in the so-called four major reform bills. As long as the Roh administration puts all its energy into passing those bills, the division and conflict in our society will never be healed.
Despite the moral and idealistic goals of these bills, the way they are being handled is one-sided and anti-intellectual.
Let's skip over the faults of these bills (and the alternative bills presented by the opposition); they have been discussed enough. What we need to examine is why the Roh administration is so attached to these wasteful bills.
Perhaps when the "386" politicians were students, in the 1980s, the targets of these bills ―the three major dailies, private schools, pro-Japanese collaborators and the National Security Law ―were their enemies. Yesterday's students are in power today, but isn't it true that they are measuring the present by the yardstick of the past, and viewing the aforementioned institutions with the kind of hatred one would have for a serpent?
With more than 20 years having passed, the Roh administration ―though victimized by those forces in the past ― should embrace them, to profit from the wisdom of integration and coexistence, and revive the intellectual climate.
As Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young has said, the administration can open up a new future only when it shows the wisdom of flexibility― when it can walk around the big mountain, and cross the river where it is shallow.
* The writer is the executive editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
by Kwon Young-bin