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Posts Tagged 'Gold Coin'
Could the King Charles III Sovereign be the most sought-after ever?
By Katie Way | November 15, 2022 | 4
Read our latest blog on the first King Charles III sovereign – a coin that we predict could be one of the most collectable sovereigns ever.
Known as possibly the most famous coin in history, the Gold Sovereign is the collector's dream. As Britain's flagship coin, it's steeped with incredible history – so if there was any piece to add to your collection, this should certainly be it!
Every year, the classic sovereign and the proof collectable versions are always very high in demand. But this year's sovereign is like no other seen before…
Just released by The Royal Mint, we'd like to introduce you to the brand-new Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Sovereign – the first sovereign to feature the portrait of King Charles III.
The UK 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Gold Sovereign featuring King Charles III's portrait
The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Sovereign – A Unique Collectible
It's incredibly rare to come across a Memorial Sovereign as it is – but to coincide with that, the reverse has got a rare change in design too!
Unique to the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Sovereign, the traditional St George and the Dragon design has made way for a new interpretation of the Royal Coat of Arms. This is an updated version of what appeared on the Platinum Jubilee issue last year, so it's a very fitting tribute to our late Queen.
But that's not all – what makes this coin even more spectacular is that it's the first ever sovereign to feature King Charles III's portrait. This will make it incredibly popular with collectors!
First King Charles III Sovereign
Every so often, a newly released sovereign will exceed the normal levels of collectability. In the past, this has included Queen Victoria's first sovereign from 1837, George IV's only sovereign from 1937, and of course, Queen Elizabeth II's first sovereign from 1957.
And it won't be long until this sovereign reaches the same level of demand and collectability!
Even if it wasn't for the unique design, this sovereign would still rank as one of the most important – being the very first sovereign to feature the new King, it will be the collectible to have in the future.
It's the sovereign that links Queen Elizabeth II's and King Charles III's reigns together – making any sovereign collection incomplete without it.
Available in Gold Proof and Piedfort Quality, make sure you get yours today before it's too late!
Click here to check out the Memorial Sovereign range for your chance of securing yours >>
Or, check out our latest video below to see them up close:
Posted in Blog Home, British History, Coins, Her Majesty the Queen, Information, Information, King Charles III, New Issues, New Issues, Shop, Shop, Uncategorised, Uncategorized and tagged Gold Coin, Gold Sovereign, King Charles coinage, king charles III
Pioneer of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell celebrated on a new UK £2 coin
By Hannah Preston | July 28, 2022 | 0
A brand new £2 coin has been released to honour the incredible achievements of scientist, inventor, and engineer Alexander Graham Bell.
Famed for his revolutionary work in the world of communications, Alexander Graham Bell achieved the world's first successful telephone transmission on 10th March 1876. It's arguably one of the most important breakthroughs of modern-day history as it changed how we communicate forever.
First appearing in this year's annual coin set, the cleverly designed £2 depicts the dial of a push-button phone. And if you look closely, you can spot a hidden message across the buttons, with the letter spelling out 'PIONEER OF THE TELEPHONE'! The design also features the years of Bell's birth and death to mark 100 years since his passing.
The 2022 UK Alexander Graham Bell £2 coin is available in a number of different coin specifications. Let's take a closer look below at the different ways you can add this coin design to your collection.
The Alexander Graham Bell £2 BU Pack
Own the Alexander Graham Bell £2 in the official Royal Mint presentation pack, featuring vibrant artwork of Bell himself! This bespoke packaging will keep your coin in pristine condition. And, as your coin has been struck to a Brilliant Uncirculated quality, it's free from the marks and scratches found on regular circulating coins.
Secure yours for the official Royal Mint price of JUST £10.99 >>
Own in Silver Proof Quality: Limited to just 2,500
The Silver Proof version of the Alexander Graham Bell £2 coin has been struck from .925 Silver to a stunning proof finish, the highest striking standard available. Your coin comes beautifully presented in the official presentation box ready to display with pride. But, with such a low edition limit of just 2,500, you'll need to act quickly to secure yours. This year's FA Cup £2 with a much higher edition limit of 3,750 SOLD OUT in less than 24 hours.
Secure your Alexander Graham Bell Silver £2 for the official Royal Mint price of £72.50 >>
Only 1,000 Silver Piedfort £2 Coins Available
You can also own the extremely limited edition Alexander Graham Bell Silver Proof Piedfort £2. Considered the height of Royal Mint craftsmanship, this piedfort promises double the weight of a standard £2 coin. Piedfort coins regularly sell out, and with this being the first UK piedfort coin to commemorate the life and legacy of Alexander Graham Bell, demand is expected to outdo supply.
Pay as little as a £25 deposit to secure yours today >>
The Gold Proof £2: Extremely Limited Allocation Available
If you want to own the Alexander Graham Bell £2 coin in the most limited way possible, you'll want to secure one of JUST 125 Gold Proof £2 coins available worldwide. Struck from 22ct Gold to an impressive proof finish, your Gold Proof £2 is housed in a wooden presentation box ready to take centre stage in your collection. We only have a very limited number of Alexander Graham Bell Gold Proof £2 coins allocated to us, so high demand and disappointment are inevitable.
Contact us today to enquire and secure yours >>
Only 495 BU £2 Coin Covers Available
For a more limited way to own the Alexander Graham Bell Brilliant Uncirculated £2 coin, you can own the limited edition BU £2 Coin Cover. Limited to just 495 covers, your £2 coin has been paired with a Royal Mail 1st class stamp and an Alexander Graham Bell commemorative label. It's also been specially postmarked by Royal Mail on the 100th anniversary of Bell's passing — 2nd August 2022.
Be one of only 495 collectors to own this limited edition cover >>
The BU £2: Also Available in a limited edition DateStamp™
DateStamp™ collectors will be pleased to know that the Alexander Graham Bell BU £2 coin is also available as a DateStamp™ issue! DateStamp™ products have been protectively sealed in tamper-proof capsules with their own unique serial numbers. And your DateStamp™ has a special one-day-only postmark, meaning only 500 can ever be produced.
Secure yours from the strict 500 DateStamp™ limit >>
Interested in finding out more? Shop the full Alexander Graham Bell £2 coin range here >>
Posted in 50p Coin, Coins, Uncategorised and tagged £2, BU, Coin, Gold Coin, Innovation in science coin, piedfort, Silver Coin, UK Coin
Why time is ticking for you to secure the NEW 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign…
By Kathryn Thompson | November 9, 2020 | 2
The new 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign has been released today, and it's sure to be the Sovereign release of the decade. But you may only have days to own one. Let me tell you why…
We're in the golden age of the Proof Sovereign. As you may know, the Proof Sovereign has become the UK's flagship annual release that's highly sought-after worldwide.
As you can see, recent UK Gold Proof Sovereigns have an undisputed track record of completely selling out. Many with a matter of weeks.
TWO special features to mark Her Majesty's incredible reign
In 2021 we will mark the Her Majesty the Queen's milestone 95th birthday.
To celebrate this, the Proof Sovereign features a special one-year-only unique '95' privy mint mark. Sovereigns featuring privy marks are some of the most collectable Sovereigns around, so demand WILL be high.
One-year-only privy marks are only applied to coins for the most significant events and anniversaries and this is certainly an important one.
Most significantly, for the first time since the Proof Sovereign was first issued as a collector's piece in 1979, the specification has been altered and just 95 mill marks have been precisely engraved on the edge of the coin. A Sovereign would usually have 108 mills. Each one of the 95 mill marks on this coin represents a year of Her Majesty's life, and is an exceptional tribute to her incredible life and reign.
These TWO special features mean that this Sovereign will be a collecting priority and is sure to be the most sought-after yet.
The most significant Sovereign of this decade
Queen Elizabeth IIs' reign is arguably one of the most important and impressive in Britain's history.
That's because she is longest reigning head of state the UK, and in fact the world, has ever seen. 81% of the British population have been born following her coronation, so she is the only monarch that the majority of us have ever known.
Not only that, only a mere 0.9% of British people are over the age of 90 – so our Queen is part of a very elite club! This could very well be the most significant Sovereign we see this decade – it's forever a symbol of the Queen's longevity.
22 Carat Gold Pedigree
The 2021 Sovereign is minted from 22 Carat Gold and it is this historical pedigree that makes the coin so admired and sought-after around the world.
It is also one of the finest examples of British craftsmanship. The exceptional 'proof' finish is the result of the coin being struck up to 4 times using specially polished dies.
The time and effort required to produce the frosted relief and mirrored background of the coin is why a proof finish is considered the pinnacle of the mint-masters art – and the most sought-after by collectors.
And with an edition limit of JUST 7,995 worldwide – the SAME edition limit as last year's Sovereign that COMPLETELY SOLD OUT in a matter of weeks – this year's Proof Sovereign has all the elements to be the most collectable gold coin of the year, if not decade.
You can secure the 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign now, but you'll have to act quickly. You can secure yours today for a down payment of JUST £62.50 followed by nine further interest-free instalments – the most affordable way to own the new coin.
Click here to secure yours for just £62.50 >>
Posted in Blog Home, British History, Coins, Her Majesty the Queen, Information, Information, New Issues, New Issues, Sell Outs, Shop, Shop, Uncategorised, Uncategorized and tagged 2020 Gold Proof Sovereign, 2021 Gold Coin, 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign, British Sovereign, Gold, Gold Coin, gold coins, gold proof coin, Gold Proof Sovereign, Gold Sovereign, Gold Sovereigns, Sovereign, Sovereigns, UK 2021 Gold Proof Sovereign, Uk Gold Coin, uk sovereign


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Save West of Ifield
I share the concerns of many local residents at the proposals put forward by Homes England to build up to 10,000 housing units on green fields to the west of Ifield.
Future of Aviation
I have launched the Future of Aviation Group to campaign for Britain's aviation sector following the COVID-19 pandemic's negative impact.
Police on our streets
Crawley police numbers have remained stable over the past decade, but I welcome the Government's pledge for an additional 20,000 officers nationwide.
I lobbied successfully for a new National Funding Formula to ensure fairer funding for schools in our county.
Health in Crawley
I welcome services returning to Crawley Hospital, a stark contrast to the previous decade where we lost our maternity unit in 2001 and A&E department in 2005.
I have consistently called for stronger laws against those who cause animals pain and inflict suffering needlessly.
It was my honour to set up and be elected to chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blood Cancer in June 2016.In this role I've worked closely with the charity Blood Cancer UK, and liaised with medical professionals, Government ministers as well as patients and their support groups.
Chagos Islands
Crawley is home to a large Chagossian community and this is an issue I've consistently pursued since even before my election to Parliament in 2010. I'll continue to pursue this cause with the Government.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Amphetamine addiction causes drug dependency and strange behavior that can put a strain on a your personal life, work, and family.
Treatment for amphetamine addiction is necessary if your addiction has gotten out of control. There are several different options for amphetamine addiction help.
A person who is addicted to amphetamines will also most likely display behavior that fits into the "binge crash cycle." This is when a person takes amphetamines for several days without sleeping and eats very little. He or she then stops taking the drug, crashes, and sleeps for a long period of time. Someone displaying this kind of cycle is more than likely addicted.
Treatment for amphetamine addiction is similar to other addiction treatment. A person can choose to visit an outpatient center to receive medication and therapy, or check into an inpatient center if it would better suit his or her needs.
You can also ask your doctor to lower your dosage of prescription amphetamine, but if you are addicted, you will still need counseling and other rehab treatments.
Medication - Withdrawal from amphetamine causes "fatigue, depression, and disturbed sleep patterns" (NIDA). Depending on how severe these symptoms might be, the patient could need medication to curb withdrawal.
Addiction Counseling - Counseling and therapy and very important in the long-term treatment of drug abuse. Cravings are incredibly strong during withdrawal and continue for a long time afterward, sometimes up to several months. Counseling helps patients deal with their cravings and learn how to handle them in real-life situations.
Group Therapy - Either in group therapy or mutual-help groups, amphetamine addicts can come together and discuss what they are going through with other people who truly understand their feelings. Group therapy can be extremely beneficial while mutual-help groups are very helpful to individuals after structured therapy by providing them with a support network and a sponsor.
Depending on the situation, a patient may also be struggling with mental disorders, and a medical professional can help diagnose that patient and get him or her the additional treatment needed. Amphetamine addiction is particularly problematic as the drug sometimes causes severe psychological disturbances that are not reduced immediately after withdrawal (ex: crystal meth).
Why Seek Treatment for Amphetamine Addiction?
Many people believe they can break the habit themselves, but it is not always that easy. Asking for help is perfectly acceptable, as addiction is a disease that changes the way the brain functions. Long-term use of amphetamines can be physically and psychologically damaging, and a person should absolutely seek treatment 800-839-1663 when attempting to recover and restart his or her life.


Manu Bhaskaran is Director of Centennial Group International and the Founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Centennial Asia Advisors. He has more than 30 years of expertise in economic and political risk assessment and forecasting in Asia. Before joining the Centennial Group, he was Chief Economist for Asia of a leading international investment bank and managed its Singapore-based economic advisory group.
Mr Bhaskaran serves as Member of the Regional Advisory Board for Asia of the International Monetary Fund; Senior Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies; Council Member of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs; and Vice-President of the Economics Society of Singapore. He has a Master's degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor's degree in economics from Cambridge University. He is based in Singapore.


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Build an organizational asset to increase effectiveness.


Share the Love in BW2 with Valentines 2019!
Tags: event, bw2, valentines, 2018, update.
Nate needs to prove he's likable, and eventually he'll have to pick a date. Afterwards, help the one he doesn't pick get over her grief with some Ice Cream daily quests until it's time to help Nate's rejected girl through the 5 stages of grief. All five quests will unlock right after each other and then she will have a new daily quest for you.
Jim and Sasha's relationship quests are around. If you haven't married them yet, you'll see either their Dating or Proposal quest line. If they are married, you get to help the pair pack for their honeymoon, or celebrate their anniversary.
You can also learn how to play guitar to serenade your loved one! And who is that mysterious note from this year?
Nate needs to prove he's a likeable guy. How will this endeavor end?
If you can complete the event, you'll earn this awesome 100% reward carousel creature!
Starting next Friday, the 3 new Valentine's themed pets for this year will be available to purchase over the weekend! Can they woo your heart?
There are a total of FIFTEEN possible achievements to earn in the Valentine's Day 2019 event.
Setup Wizard - You helped the party organizers with all their tasks.
Guitar Training - Follow through with Virtuoso Guitarist Jimmie's lessons.
A Secret Admirer - Find a note from a true secret admirer.
We also have 6 achievements from previous years which may be earnable by spending Bush Bucks if you missed getting them the first time around.
Hearts Hearts Hearts! - You bought all the Valentines things from 2016!
Passionate Purchases - You bought all the Valentines things from 2017!
*The Valentine's mini-golf piece is not included in the Winsome Wardrobe achievement.
This event runs until Friday February 22nd @ Noon PST (8pm GMT).
BW2 Gets Romantic with Valentines 2018!
Nate wants a Teddy Bear. Will things go well?
If you can complete the event, you'll earn this awesome 100% reward statue!
There are a total of FIFTEEN possible achievements to earn in the Valentine's Day 2018 event.
We also have 5 achievements from previous years which may be earnable by spending Bush Bucks if you missed getting them the first time around.
*The Valentine's mini-golf piece is not included in the Romantic Acquisitions achievement.
This event runs until Friday February 23rd @ Noon PST (8pm GMT).
Tags: event, bw2, valentines, updates.
Jim and Sasha's relationship quests are around. If you haven't married them yet, you'll see either their Dating or Proposal quest line. If they are married, you get to help the pair pack for their honeymoon.
Learn how to play guitar to serenade your loved one! Also, who is that mysterious note from?
There are a total of FOURTEEN possible achievements to earn in the Valentine's Day 2017 event.
We also have 4 achievements from previous years which may be earnable by spending Bush Bucks if you missed getting them the first time around.
*The Valentine's mini-golf piece is not included in the Passionate Purchases achievement.
This event runs until Friday February 24th 2017 @ Noon PST (8pm GMT).


* All the above were computer-adaptive, means each had sectional time to complete and once completed we cannot go back.
After this, from 496 applied students, 30 we selected for Next rounds in Java and 36 for Data Science.
As I had applied for SE-Java profile, I'll follow the same experience.
We had 2 panels for Java and 2 for Data Science.
The interviewer was asking questions on every topic of Java. Make sure your basics are clear.
Questions were from Servlet Lifecycle, Multithreading, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Concepts of Interface & Abstract Class, Static keyword, Garbage collection mechanism, Diff between Java and C/C++, Explain properties of Java, Collection Framework(Important). He gave me a code to write using ArrayList.
Rest on your projects and resume, if you had made on Java, that's a charm.
Javapoint will help you clear your concepts.
The Interview will go for a minimum of 30-45 minutes for each.
After that, the results were being declared and the students who were asked to stay back had to go for HR round. HR person was nice. He asked questions about hobbies and where do I see myself in coming years. The HR was just looking for smart conversation and how you can get well with people and stress. Just relax.
After all had been through to both the rounds, 26 people were left.
Among them, they selected 11 students. 5 for Software Engineer Profile and 6 for Data Scientist Profile.
2.what is polymorphism , types with program.
11.what is the html tag used for displaying the moving content used on the web browser.
he asked us to add same web page.Is it possible to retriew the deleted web page ? and solution for this ?
16.Logical puzzle:There are 9 balls out of which one ball is heavy in weight and rest are of the same weight. In how many occurrences you find the ball that is heavier by using a balance and only two weighings?
i suggest the freshers after your engineering... dont sit idle at home ,try for interviews and i suggest you to learn some technologies..
it takes 1 year to get joining..
i joined for dotnet in sathya technolgies mythrivanam,hyd)(Rnreddy sir).. after the course i attended interview of virtusa..cleared.. this is only because of rnreddy sir who gave indepth knowledge of concepts.. i suggest hyderabadis to join in his batch after your engineering..i mproved a lot in technical and programming skills.. i suggest you to join in his batch..


Bitcoin fell by more than 2% in a matter of minutes Tuesday afternoon.
The severe drop comes roughly three hours after New York's Attorney General launched an investigation into crypto exchanges.
Follow bitcoin's price in real-time here.
The price of bitcoin tumbled more than 2% in a matter of minutes Tuesday afternoon, roughly three hours after New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced an investigation into major cryptocurrency exchanges.
It wasn't immediately clear what may have caused the sudden drop, but Schneiderman's letters to 13 major cryptocurrency platforms, including New York-based Gemini and Coinbase's GDAX, could have a possible chilling effect on the crypto space at large.
Bitcoin was trading at $7,900 per token at the time of writing, down roughly $160 for the day. While still the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, the price of bitcoin has declined by 41% since the beginning of the year.
Most other major cryptocurrencies were in the green Tuesday, with third-largest digital currency litecoin leading the way after Korbit, a Korean trading exchange, said it would support the token.
Reuters also reported Tuesday that Cambridge Analytica, the firm at the heart of Facebook's ongoing data privacy imbroglio, was planning to issue a digital currency.


Main passage starting at the West gate of Al-Ukhdood at the middle of the site.
Situated in the historically rich city of Najran, few kms from the city center is the famous site of "Ashab-ul-ukhdood"-The people of ditch (the reference of which is also given in the glorious Holy Quran as mentioned in the verses above).
Earlier this year I had a chance to pay a visit and acknowledge for myself the ruins of the ancient civilization, connected to the mournful story.
On the site you can witness the remains of the society characterized by a castle built of stones and mud. It consists of more than 25 buildings. Some archeological excavations were made there, and the objects recovered are displayed in the museum adjacent to the site.


This observational documentary follows a year in the lives of two inspirational teachers in the only primary-age boarding school in Ireland. Headfort has been home to John and Amanda Leyden for 46 years and a backdrop to their extraordinary careers. For John, rock music is just another subject alongside Math, English, Scripture and Latin, all of which are taught in a collaborative and often hilarious fashion. For Amanda, the key to connecting with children are books, and she uses all means to snare young minds. Is the school an anachronism in this globalized world or a clever remake of the flawed British public school model? And now the unthinkable looms: what would retirement mean for John and Amanda? Headfort School, spanning the ancient and the ultra-modern, has been their life and passion—who will keep them young if they leave?
Neasa Ní Chianáin: Neasa Ní Chianáin trained at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. She worked as a freelance art director before turning to documentary filmmaking. Her films include No Man's Land ('01), Frank Ned & Busy Lizzie ('04), Fairytale of Kathmandu ('07), and The Stranger ('14).
David Rane: David Rane is a graduate of the M.A. Film and Television course at the University of London (Goldsmiths College) and a BAFTA-winning producer and director, who has produced award-winning documentary films for national and international broadcasters. School Life is his first feature length film as a director.


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Kikuri
Sprite of Kikuri in Highly Responsive to Prayers
HellMoon
God (?)
Around the Rotting World of Flames in Hell
魔鏡 (Highly Responsive to Prayers)
Highly Responsive to Prayers (Hell Route Stage 15 Boss)
Kikuri is a large bronze disc with an image of a girl on it that Reimu Hakurei ecounters in Hell's Rotting World of Flames. Kikuri is the Stage 15 boss on the Hell route of Highly Responsive to Prayers. However, since she has no profile and no dialogue exchange with Reimu, nothing much is known about this enemy.
4 Official Sources
Kikuri is most likely based on Kikurihime (菊理媛 lit. "Lady Kikuri" or "Princess Kikuri") a Shinto goddess who mediated the dispute between the two primordial Shinto creator gods Izanagi and Izanami in Yomi, the Shinto land of the dead. Kikurihime, due to being the mediator of the conversation between Izanami and Izanagi, is said to be the goddess of love, marriage, and negotiation. In fact, it's speculated that her name originally came from the word 括り(kukuri) meaning to bind or to tie (relating to her status as a matchmaking god). She was later conflated with the dragon goddess Shirayamahime, who is worshipped at Mount Haku. Through this she gained the attributes of being a patron god of fertile land and rain.
Her name is displayed in-game as Kikuri. There's no official kana or kanji spelling of her name just like with the rest of the Highly Responsive to Prayers cast, but her name can be written as "菊理" where kiku (菊) means "chrysanthemum", a symbolic flower of Japan, and where ri (理) means "reason", "logic" or "general principle" in Buddhism.
Her sprite in Highly Responsive to Prayers displays her as a large bronze disk with a fiery purple aura. The disc contains an image of a girl with long hair sporting a content, closed-eye expression. Ribbons or feathers seem to be on both sides of her head, flanking a white dot on her forehead. A similar white orb can be seen between her clasped hands. She also appears to be wearing modern attire, complete with a tie or ascot of some sort. In Highly Responsive to Prayers' "Good Ending #2", Kikuri is seen in a position where she's partially exiting her disk. This implies that she's not some engraving or picture but rather a being inhabiting the disk.
Elis and Kikuri share the same theme titled "Magic Mirror". Kikuri's variation uses slightly different instruments in a lower pitch, however.
Magic Mirror's Japanese name, 魔鏡 (makyou), refers to a type of traditional bronze mirror brought over from China. These bronze magic mirrors are often used as ritual objects of worship in Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples where they were thought to represent gods or be inhabited by gods.
Taking this into account, Kikuri may actually be the goddess Kikurihime inhabiting or possessing a bronze magic mirror.
Kikuri's version of Magic Mirror is listed in the files of Highly Responsive to Prayers as "KAMI.MDT", kami (神) being the Japanese word for god.
Kikuri is faced in Highly Responsive to Prayers' Hell route likely because the goddess Kikurihime was present in Yomi, the Shinto underworld.
In some Japanese translations of the Bible, Yomi is used to replace the words Hades and Hell.
Kikuri's title, "HellMoon", may come from the association that mirrors and the moon have in Japanese culture.
For example, the moon god Tsukuyomi is said to have been born out of a copper mirror. Another example is the Japanese proverb 鏡花水月 (kyouka sugetsu lit. "mirror flower, water moon") that connects the fleeting, untouchable beauty of a moon being reflected on the surface of water to a flower being reflected on a mirror.
In China, there existed "moon mirrors" (方諸 fangzhu) that were used to gather water during the nighttime.
Kikuri's connection to the moon might also come from juxtaposition with the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu's symbol is the yellow chrysanthemum which represents the sun and Japan (The Land of The Rising Sun) as a whole. Kikurihime's symbol is also the chrysanthemum, particularly the white chrysanthemum, which symbolizes death (due to her connection to Yomi) and, if taken to be the opposite of Amaterasu's chrysanthemum, the moon.
ZUN had a tendency to reference the Shin Megami Tensei video game series quite a bit during the PC-98 era. The original Shin Megami Tensei on the PC Engine, released in 1993, featured both Kikurihime and Amaterasu, with Kikurihime being a simple palette swap of Amaterasu. Additionally, the area of Hell Kikuri is in, the "Rotting World of Flames" (炎の腐界), is a direct reference to Megami Tensei's "Rotting Sea of Flames" (炎の腐海).
Kikurihime is considered to be the honji (manifestion) of the androgynous bodhisattva Kannon (Japanese version of Avalokitesvara) by some Buddhist sects.
This may have influenced Kikuri's pose and appearance. Representions of Kannon often have him/her with closed eyes and clasped hands, just like Kikuri. In fact, this idea can adequately explain Kikuri's strange head dot and ball of light. Kannon, like most Buddhist figures, has what's called an urna (白毫 byakugo) on his/her forehead. Kannon is also commonly depicted with a jewel called a cintamani (如意宝珠 nyoi houju) that grants any wish one may desire. This jewel is commonly depicted as a glowing orb of light in Buddhist art. For comparison between the two, see here.
It might also explain why Kikuri is in Jigoku (Buddhist Hell) instead of Yomi (Shinto Hell).
Main article: Fandom: Kikuri
1997/08/15 Highly Responsive to Prayers
Reimu Hakurei • Yin-Yang Orb • SinGyoku • YuugenMagan • Mima • Elis • Kikuri • Sariel • Konngara
Hakurei Shrine • Human Village • Makai • Hell
Manual • Extra Text • Music Comments • Other Translations
Original Soundtrack • English Patch
Retrieved from "http://en.touhouwiki.net/index.php?title=Kikuri&oldid=453484"
Characters in Highly Responsive to Prayers
PC-98 Characters


Left to right: Wor. Bro. Marc J. Barnard, Past Master, Wor. Bro. W. Thomas Parks, Master, Ray Smale, Scout Leader.
On January 13, Tom Parks, Master of St. Croix Lodge No. 46 and Marc Barnard, PM of the Lodge, presented a check for $1500 to Ray Smale, area scout leader for use in installing a septic system at the new scout hall on Scouting Way just off South Street in Calais. The funds came from Lodge fundraising projects and a youth grant from the Grand Lodge of Maine. The Lodge Brethren are very pleased to be able to assist the Scouts with the work they are doing to help our area youth.


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… continued from Where Are They Now?
"Well, again, I get the impression that there aren't clearly defined scientific occupations in the sense that you and I understand them. It's more like there are a handful of Kwakitl in any given generation who are of a general scientific mindset, and who try to understand and document their world around them. So it's not like they have astronomers and chemists and biologists and so on. It's more that they have people like Li-Estl who do all these things, as well as teach the young and record histories and pass on oral traditions. At least, that's the impression I came away with. Most Kwakitl become fishermen or builders or cooks or what-not, to keep day-to-day life in the village going on, and everyone's expected to do their part, but there's always one who is allowed to set aside her time to study, and to teach. Usually just one, however."
"But she knows what stars are."
"No, I don't actually think she does, to be honest. She knows they are different from planets, but I'm not sure if she understands that her sun is a star like all the others. I tried to explain how far away Earth is, and that it revolves around a different star, but either the translation program isn't up to the task, or it's just too foreign of a concept. When I point up to the sky, she just shuts me down right away and doesn't want to hear it. I think maybe she believes we come from the far side of her own planet, or something. I'm not sure. Considering how open she has been to everything else, and how quick to pick up on things, like language and so on, there's a strange reticence to delve into this one."
"That's odd. Gamma didn't seem to have any trouble with it."
"Gamma? Who's that?"
"One of the lieutenants on the boat. In charge of the fishing crew. Old bird, probably with many years of offshore sailing experience, and thus almost certainly an accomplished celestial navigator. I'm pretty sure he was… sorry, she was well aware that a new bright object had appeared in their sky when Aniara arrived in orbit. I tried indicating that we came from that new star in the sky, and she appeared to get it right away."
"Her name is Gamma? How… that doesn't seem much like…"
"I named her that," Laxmi interrupted. "I know it's not her real name, but we had to call the leaders on the boat something, and she was the third, so… Gamma. Delta was the cook."
Jaci chuckled. "How original. I wonder what they called you."
"Probably Thing 1 and Thing 2, for all we're aware, since that's basically what we called them."
Anna picked up Jaci's handheld, studied it for a moment, then turned toward Li-Estl.
"Li-Estl," she said, as she started typing, then she turned back to Jaci. "Can't I just speak to this thing? It seems to understand Li-Estl speaking just fine."
"Sure, go ahead. I'm just old-fashioned, I guess. Press that when you're ready to dictate."
Anna smiled her thanks, then she held up the handheld while speaking to Li-Estl.
"Where do you think we came from?"
"Jaci come from Ar-Velen," the device translated. "Discoverers find him there. Laxmi and Anna, uncertain, find at sea, but maybe from Ar-Velen also. Why humans on Ar-Velen?"
"Discoverers? Like, explorers? So you have explorers who travel the ocean, not just fishermen?"
The tablet beeped, and looking at the display Anna saw that it had no Kwakitl translation for "explorers" and that "discoverers" was an uncertain term, which it reused in place of "explorers." Li-Estl paused before replying, and Anna supposed she was confused by the garbled translation.
"Kwakitl who find and discover. Go to Ar-Velen because falling star go there. Fire shine bright in line across sky, then big noise everywhere across ocean. Send discoverers. Go Ar-Velen, but big storm cause delay. Then after storm, in fast wind, go very fast to Ar-Velen and find Jaci there."
"The sonic boom." Anna turned to the others. "She's describing the shuttle descent. And the hurricane. I guess if it hadn't been for that, they would have arrived sooner? So they sent a team to… Oh! She means investigators! They went to investigate what they must have thought was a meteor." Anna turned back and activated the tablet again. "Li-Estl, is Ar-Velen the island where your discoverers, or investigators, found Jaci?"
"What is that place? Why don't Kwakitl live there? It seems like it would be much easier than here, with lots of readily available food."
"Lots of… food? No food on Ar-Velen. All food is in sea. Ar-Velen is forbidden."
"Forbidden? Why? But there's an old, abandoned place in the mountain there, like here, a cave, with round doors and windows. There are drawings on the walls. Why did the Kwakitl leave there?"
Li-Estl squawked in alarm when she heard the tablet's translation. She turned to face her students, spoke to them rapidly, and clearly started urging them to get up and go. The students, for their part, appeared to have been listening with rapt attention to the exchange between their teacher and the strange human visitors, and it was only with much grumbling and disappointment that they shuffled out of the room. Li-Estl followed them to the entrance, peered outside, then came back in and faced the humans.
"Ar-Velen is ancient place. Long, long ago Kwakitl live there, but it is dark time. Very dark time in history. Not so long ago as…" She pointed to the tablet. "As Jaci's recording. But all history, all stories, from before time of Ar-Velen lost. Li-Estl not know truth, but old stories say Orta come to punish Kwakitl for fly too high, steal flight from Kwakitl. Orta and Kwakitl fight, and Kwakitl win, make Orta go away, but if Kwakitl try fly again, Orta may come back. That is myth, not history, Li-Estl knows this, but dark time is not myth. In dark time, some Kwakitl gain power with fear. Spread fear to ask questions, fear to know truth. Fear to fly. Use fear of Orta. Punish any who ask questions. All Kwakitl must watch punishment. Punishment very bad. Always those punished die, but first much pain. All must obey, all must forget from before, or punishment and death."
Anna listened in horror. "She's talking about…"
"The Inquisition," Jaci said. "Or their version of it. Control of society through terror and persecution."
Li-Estl spoke again. "Now is different. Now Kwakitl civilized. Now Li-Estl can teach history, not myth. But, still some believe in old ways. Myth say only Orta come from sky, and Orta evil, so some will say only evil come from sky." She turned toward Jaci. "Li-Estl know you not live long on Ar-Velen. Nobody live on Ar-Velen. All afraid of Ar-Velen, because Ar-Velen have dark history. Ar-Velen place of dark time. Li-Estl know you come from other world, that you ride bright fire down from sky. Li-Estl know new star in evening sky, beside path of gods, is not star. Not star, but somehow is where you come from, how you get here. But, very important, you not speak this to other Kwakitl. You say from Ar-Velen. Much safer. Most not believe if you say from sky, but some… some think maybe you with Orta. Only evil come from sky. Only bad things. If you from sky, you must be evil. You must be bad."
Jaci's jaw dropped. "All this time…"
"Jaci, your mistake clearly is speaking too plainly in front of the kids," Laxmi observed dryly.
"Students good," Li-Estl continued. "But young. Not always understand in full. Some have parents follow old ways. Maybe. Not safe come from sky to some parents."
"Li-Estl," Anna said slowly. "How do you know this? How do you know we come from the new star that isn't a star? How do you know it's not a star?"
Li-Estl didn't answer right away. She looked into Anna's eyes for a long moment, searching for something there, then relaxed, seeming to have arrived at a decision.
"Come," she said. "Li-Estl show you." She hobbled slowly on old, creaky legs toward the door. In the doorway she paused and turned back to the humans, waving a wing impatiently at them. "Come!"
In the hallway outside an aroma of cooking fish reached Anna, and her stomach rumbled with hunger.
"Soon is meal. We eat. Your boat bring good fish. But first I show you. Come!"
They followed the old bird back to the external elevator chamber. Li-Estl trundled past the operator, who cocked her head to the side but did not interfere, and the humans followed her right onto a waiting platform. The operator shifted rocks onto the counterweight until she judged the weights balanced, then nodded to Li-Estl. A moment later the platform began rising up the face of the cliff toward the evening sky.
Far to the west the last rays of the setting sun lit both sea and sky on fire, a brilliant ruddy orange hue against the darkening aquamarine above. The first stars… real stars… twinkled through the thick atmosphere above and from the darkened east. A breeze ruffled through Anna's hair, and she listened to the squeak of the elevator platform's ascent. No one spoke.
After several minutes they arrived at another opening into the cliff, another platform, and Li-Estl brought the elevator to a stop. They stepped onto the unattended platform, much smaller than the main one down below, but instead of a passage leading back into the mountain they were presented with a door.
Li-Estl produced a set of keys from a pocket somewhere in her vest, and despite her wobbly gait, she stood quite nimbly on one leg while unlocking the gate with the other. She swung the door open on creaky hinges and ventured into the darkness beyond. Turning, she again waved a wing.
"Come!"
As darkness descended upon the ocean outside, the party ventured into darkness beyond. Li-Estl seemed quite sure of her step, but the following humans felt their way along the smooth wall of the passage. All was not pitch black, and their eyes soon adjusted, but nevertheless it was dim going.
"Anna," Laxmi whispered. "This wall…"
"I know. It's not rock."
Li-Estl led them up a stairwell, and then another one after that, until they arrived at another door. Again, Li-Estl produced a key and opened the door, then gestured for the humans to precede her into the chamber beyond.
"Oh my God," Anna breathed.
"Wow." Even Jaci was overcome with amazement.
The chamber was circular, with a smooth domed roof. The roof, at least, was clearly not rock, but metal, and divided into even sections, wedges which came together at the apex. In the center of the room, upon a thick dais taking up most of the floor, a large cylinder rested at a steep angle upon a metal stand. The lower end of the cylinder tapered down to a narrow end, resting at what would be eye level for a Kwakitl above a chair, also on the dais. The wide upper end of the cylinder pointed toward an open section of the roof, through which stars shone clearly.
Anna took a deep breath and gazed at the large telescope, grinning.
"And I thought you said they don't have astronomers," she said to Jaci. "Well, they have an observatory."
… continued with Telescope
© Matt Fraser and mattfraserbooks.com, 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matt Fraser and mattfraserbooks.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Find pet friendly hotels in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach is the action-packed hub of the Grand Strand, which stretches from Little River in the north to Georgetown in the south and includes the communities of North Myrtle Beach, Cherry Grove, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, and Pawleys Island. Pet owners have their choice of pet friendly hotels in the area, including beachside campgrounds and RV parks, budget motels, full service hotels, modern condos, charming bed and breakfasts, vacation rental homes, and oceanfront resorts. When it's time to eat, choose from one of the many local restaurants that welcome pets on their delightful outdoor patios. Here, diners will enjoy delicious fare ranging from down-home southern barbeque to scrumptious seafood to sophisticated contemporary cuisine.
The fun in Myrtle Beach always starts on the pet friendly beach. After awakening and grabbing that first cup of coffee in the morning, head over to the beach with your pet to watch a beautiful ocean sunrise. (NOTE: from May 15 to September 15, leashed dogs are welcome on the beach only before 9AM and after 5 PM, but they are allowed at all times during the rest of the year.) Afterwards, enjoy one of the many pet friendly activities in the Myrtle Beach area. Take a relaxing walk on sandy white beaches, in season.
Rent a pontoon boat and enjoy a leisurely cruise up the Intracoastal Waterway. Take a hike in beautiful Huntington Beach State Park to experience the diverse natural environments of a salt marsh, a freshwater lagoon, and a fabulous stretch of beach. Visit pet friendly La Belle Amie Vineyard to sample its delicious private label wines. Walk the boardwalk for miles of specialty shopping, or hit the factory outlet stores and flea markets for fantastic deals. Check out the popular off-leash Barc Parc, where Fido will have a great time romping and playing with new friends. At dusk, don't forget to head back to the beach for a spectacular, fiery sunset over the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Exciting Myrtle Beach offers countless other recreational opportunities that may not be pet friendly. At those times, you'll have no problem finding an experienced pet sitter, dog walker, or doggie daycare provider to care for your pet. Be sure to hit the links at some of the more than 100 area golf courses to find out why Myrtle Beach has been called "The Golf Capital of the World.� Check out the thrilling amusement parks and water parks. Enjoy the exhilaration of jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, windsurfing, or deep sea fishing. Take a day or night cruise on a casino ship and enjoy fine dining, live entertainment, and Vegas-style gambling. In the evening, unwind and enjoy the vibrant Myrtle Beach nightlife at endless nightclubs, discos, sports bars, and dance clubs.
Whether you are traveling with your family or someone special in your life, take your pet along and enjoy all the fun that Myrtle Beach has to offer. There are plenty of pet friendly hotels in Myrtle Beach!


Antigua is made from a solid hardwood frame, with hand woven Water Hyacinth.
Available in Headboard only or as a Platform bed.
Shown here in Dark Chocolate Finish.
All Caribbean Collection beds come with a limited 5 year warranty.


text:
Home :: Intelligence :: Library :: News :: 2004 ::
The Review of Intelligence
on Weapons of Mass Destruction
Chairman: The Rt Hon The Lord Butler of Brockwell KG GCB CVO
The Rt Hon Sir John Chilcot GCB, The Rt Hon Field Marshal The Lord Inge KG GCB DL,
The Rt Hon Michael Mates MP and The Rt Hon Ann Taylor MP
PRESS CONFERENCE: OPENING STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN, THE
RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD BUTLER OF BROCKWELL KG GCB CVO
Ladies and Gentlemen
In-Depth Coverage
1. Thank you for coming to this press conference on the Report of the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction which I have chaired and which the Government has published today. May I introduce my colleagues .
2. We were appointed as a Committee of Privy Counsellors on 3 February and were asked to report by the Parliamentary Summer Recess which we have managed to do. This is a period of just under 6 months. We were asked to follow, in terms of procedures, the precedent of the Falkland Islands Review under Lord Franks in 1982. That Review was completed in an almost identical period.
3. When we were appointed there was much comment on the supposed narrowness of our terms of reference compared with Franks, in particular that our terms of reference did not cover the reasons for going to war. It seems to have been forgotten that Lord Franks was not asked to consider, and did not consider, whether it was right to go to war to recover the Falklands.
4. It is true that, unlike Franks, our terms of reference covered only one aspect of events leading up to the Iraq war, and that is the collection, assessment and use of intelligence. In another respect, our terms of reference went much wider since we were asked to consider the general issue of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in countries of concern and on the global trade in such weapons.
5. This wider context not only enabled us to look at the issue in the round but also enabled us to examine, and to some extent tell the story of, the activities of our intelligence agencies in countries where things have gone better than they did in Iraq.
6. We welcomed this because all members of the Review Committee, through our different backgrounds, know a good deal about the work of our intelligence community and we admire it very much. When attacks on UK interests are not foreseen, intelligence gets the blame. When there are successes in countering such attacks - as there very frequently are - nobody gets to hear about them. We have great admiration for the bravery and professionalism of the people who serve in British intelligence, and for the degree of teamwork in the British system which is the envy of many other countries. There has probably never been a period in peacetime when intelligence work has been more difficult and more important to all our safety than it is at present.
7. As it happens there have been recent developments in counter-proliferation in respect of countries of concern, and to some extent in counter-terrorism, when what was previously hidden has come to light. We tell at least some of the story of the contribution of intelligence to these successes in Chapters 2 and 3 of our Report. There is more we could have told if doing so would not have damaged continuing operations.
8. Now to the Report itself. We hope that the table of contents will enable you to find your way round it easily. For those of you who have to read it quickly there is a final Summary of Conclusions which brings together the main conclusions in (I hope) a coherent way. But I emphasise that these conclusions should be read in the context of the sections to which they relate. They should be treated as signposts not substitutes for reading the earlier sections.
9. Before describing the main chapters and our conclusions I highlight one or two points in the introduction. First, it has been the job of the Iraq Survey Group in Iraq, not ours, to discover whether there are Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. The ISG has not reported yet. We have been in touch with them informally and we have given [para 474] our broad judgement of what the outcome is likely to be, but it is they, not we, who are the authority on this.
10. The second is that we have not commented on the performance of the intelligence machinery in other countries. In the United States there is a parallel Commission, as well as the Congressional Intelligence Committees.
11. Third, while there is much material which we have not been able to include, we have prepared a Report which is published in full, including an unprecedented amount of intelligence material. There are no asterisks. Moreover, we believe that what we have been able to publish gives Parliament and the public a fair view of the issues we were asked to cover.
12. Fourth, we think that a lot of confusion arises from the language used on this subject, and from the term "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in particular. So we have tried to avoid this phrase in the body of our Report, referring instead to the type of weapon by its name in each case. I will now try to stick to that in the rest of this presentation.
13. Chapter 1 of the Report describes the nature and use of intelligence, including its pitfalls. We hope that readers will find this interesting. We feel that the character and limitations of intelligence need to be better understood and this is essential background for what is said in the rest of the Report.
14. Chapters 2 and 3 are an account of the material we are able to publish on the role of intelligence in respect of the AQ Khan network, Libya, Iran, the proliferation activities of North Korea, and counter-terrorism; and the conclusions we draw from those. As I have said, we believe that these are creditable and impressive stories. We hope that they will give readers a glimpse of just a fraction of the work intelligence does in trying to make the world a safer place.
15. Now Iraq. We have two chapters on Iraq - one dealing with the role of intelligence in the period leading up to the Iraq war and the second with specific issues which have been the subject of public attention.
16. In the general chapter on Iraq we start from the end of the first Gulf war and look at intelligence between then and the departure of the UN inspectors in 1998. We do so in order to examine how that intelligence influenced the assessments in the later period and our conclusions are set out in paras 207-9.
17. On the period up to 1998 we draw four main conclusions - first of effective work carried out by IAEA and UNSCOM, which was however not complete because of inability to account for all Iraq's previously estimated stocks. Secondly, a progressive reduction in JIC estimates of Iraq's capabilities up to 1994/95. Thirdly, following the defection of Saddam Hussein's son-in-law, Hussein Kamil, which prompted Iraqi declarations of programmes previously concealed, growing suspicions between 1995 and 1998 of what Iraq might be continuing to conceal. And fourthly more assured JIC assessments of Iraq's nuclear capabilities than of its chemical and biological capabilities. The latter are, of course, easier to conceal.
18. In the period 1998-2002, the weapons inspectors were no longer in Iraq and intelligence sources were sparse, particularly on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons programmes. Following the inspectors' departure, some of Iraq's suspected remaining facilities were attacked through the bombing operation, Desert Fox. The policy was one of containment of Saddam, against a background of continuing suspicion and fears on the part of the Government that the international will to retain sanctions was weakening [paras 213-217].
19. There was limited intelligence suggesting Iraqi attempts to expand its missile programme, to lay the foundations of a revived nuclear programme, and to develop facilities which could be used for chemical and biological programmes. In the background, there was the well-established history of Iraq's weapons programmes from well before the first Gulf war and their use in action both against Iran and Iraq's own people. More immediately, there was growing intelligence and consequent concern about proliferation in other countries as well, for example the expanding information about the extent of the AQ Khan network. This led to fears of what one witness called a "creeping tide" of proliferation [paras 255-257].
20. Then 9/11 happened, followed by coalition action in Afghanistan, President Bush's axis of evil speech, and growing evidence of United States focus on Iraq. This led to reassessment of the British Government's policy towards Iraq in early 2002 and to the conclusion that stronger action (not necessarily military action) needed to be taken to enforce Iraqi disarmament [paras 259-269].
21. This conclusion was not based on any new development in the intelligence picture on Iraq [paras 284-285]. At that stage there was no recent intelligence that by itself would have given rise to a conclusion that Iraq was of more immediate concern than the activities of some other countries. The British Government, as well as being influenced by the concerns of the US Government, saw a need for immediate action on Iraq because of the wider historical and international context, especially Iraq's perceived continuing challenge to the authority of the United Nations. The breach of UN Resolutions also provided a basis for action but, if it were to take the form of offensive military action, it was recognised, first, that the United Nations Security Council would need to be convinced that Iraq was in breach of its obligations; second, that such proof would need to be incontrovertible and of large-scale activity; and, third, that the intelligence then available was insufficiently robust to meet that criterion. This was in March 2002.
22. During the spring and summer of 2002 [paras 270-281, 289-306], further intelligence came in and the tone of JIC judgements became firmer but successive JIC assessments warned that intelligence remained limited, particularly on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons programmes. A dossier began to be prepared, first covering four countries of concern and then concentrating solely on Iraq. Other issues occupying the intelligence agencies, the JIC and the Departments during this period included terrorism, the activities of the AQ Khan network and the tension between India and Pakistan.
23. In response to Parliamentary and public concern that there was a growing prospect of military action against Iraq, the Prime Minister announced on 3rd September 2002 that the Government would publish what subsequently became known as the dossier [paras 313-314]. This was published on 24th September in time for a debate on Iraq for which Parliament had been recalled. The dossier broke new ground in three ways: the JIC had never previously produced a public document; no Government case for any international action had previously been made through explicitly drawing on a JIC publication; and the JIC had never been used in such a public way. The immediate response to this dossier was that it was cautious, even dull. It gained attention through later events, and particularly from the fact that, contrary to the expectation reflected in it, military forces entering Iraq did not find significant stocks of chemical or biological weapons or evidence of recent production of such weapons.
24. We have examined the dossier very carefully. In our Report we take the unprecedented step of publishing as an Annex the relevant sections of the three key JIC assessments preceding the dossier, alongside the dossier itself and the Prime Minister's accompanying statement in the House of Commons so that comparisons can be drawn about whether the dossier fairly represented the intelligence. Our own conclusions [paras 460-469] are:
The Government wanted the dossier as a document on which it could draw in its advocacy, not necessarily of military action, but of the general direction in which its policy had been moving away from containment to a more pro-active approach to enforcing Iraqi disarmament.
The JIC, with commendable motives, took responsibility for the dossier, in order that its content should properly reflect the judgements of the intelligence community. They did their utmost to ensure this standard was met. But this will have put a strain on them in seeking to maintain their normal standards of neutral and objective assessment.
In translating material to the dossier, warnings in the JIC assessments were lost about the limited intelligence base on which some aspects of these assessments were being made. Language in the dossier, and used by the Prime Minister, may have left readers with the impression that there was fuller and firmer intelligence than was the case. It was a serious weakness that the JIC's warnings on the limitations of the intelligence were not made sufficiently clear in the dossier.
With the benefit of hindsight, making public that the JIC had authorship of the dossier was a mistaken judgement. In the particular circumstances, the publication of such a document in the name and with the authority of the JIC had the result that more weight was placed on the intelligence than it could bear. It also put the JIC and its Chairman into an area of public controversy. Arrangements must be made for the future to avoid this and we discuss a number of options for doing so.
We realise that our conclusions may provoke calls for the Chairman of the JIC, Mr Scarlett, to withdraw from his appointment as the next Chief of SIS. We greatly hope that he will not do so. We have a high regard for his abilities and his record. It was a mistaken judgement for the dossier to be so closely associated with the JIC but it was a collective one for which Mr Scarlett should not bear personal responsibility.
25. Between September 2002 and the outbreak of war, the intelligence community turned their attention to Iraqi plans for deception and concealment and to providing information to UNMOVIC in their searches for hidden programmes and weapons; and also to contingency planning for war. We were surprised that, as the generally negative results of UNMOVIC inspections became apparent in early 2003, there was no re-evaluation of the quality of UK intelligence.
26. We examined the extent to which intelligence played a part in the Attorney General's opinion of 7 March 2003 on the legality of the war [paras 374-379], which we have read. That opinion turned predominantly on legal argument. The only relevance of intelligence is that the Attorney General advised that, in the absence of a further United Nations Resolution, the Prime Minister needed to be satisfied that there were strong factual grounds for concluding that Iraq had failed to take the final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations under relevant resolutions of the Security Council and that it was possible to demonstrate hard evidence of non-compliance and non-co-operation with Resolution 1441. The Prime Minister, in reaching his view, took account of false statements and omissions in the declarations submitted by Iraq pursuant to Resolution 1441 and Iraq's failure to comply with, and co-operate fully in, its implementation. He also took account of the intelligence picture and information from other sources, including UNMOVIC [paras 384-385].
27. It is not for us to comment on the legal merits of the Attorney General's opinion. We took evidence from Ms Elizabeth Wilmshurst, a former deputy legal adviser in the Foreign Office, who resigned over this issue, and satisfied ourselves that her disagreement related to the legal arguments and not to intelligence [paras 376].
28. Following the war, and of course unknown to those concerned at the time, doubts have arisen about a high proportion of human sources whose intelligence helped to underpin the Joint Intelligence Committee assessments and the Government's September 2002 dossier. The details are set out in paragraphs 410-412 of our Report. We have considered why these problems have arisen.
29. The overall problem was of course that Iraq was a very difficult target. Not only was it a closed and highly secretive society but Saddam had effective and ruthless counter-intelligence and ghastly punishments for those suspected of collaborating. Nevertheless, the difficulties which have emerged were not, in the UK's case, the result of over-reliance on dissident and emigré sources which SIS have a policy of avoiding. One reason may have been the length of some of the reporting chains - the "Chinese whispers" problem. Another may have been that otherwise reliable agents were reporting on areas outside their usual territory. A third reason may have been that, because of the scarcity of sources and the urgent requirement for intelligence, more reliance was placed on untried agents than would normally be the case.
30. However, even taking these factors into account, we conclude that part of the problem arose from weaknesses in the effective application by SIS of its validation procedures and in their proper resourcing [paras 413-423]. The Chief of SIS acknowledged, that one problem may have been a shortage of experienced case officers following the budget reductions in the SIS in the 1990s. Another reason may be organisation changes which reduced the independence of those within SIS who validate human sources. At all events this problem needs to be given attention in the light of experience in Iraq and we hope that the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee will monitor progress.
31. As regards assessment of intelligence, we detected a tendency for judgements to be too influenced by past underestimates as well as by Iraq's previous record, and its programme of deceit and concealment. But we found no evidence of deliberate distortion or of culpable negligence nor for that matter of assessments being influenced by the policy concerns of senior members of the JIC.
32. The Report then covers a number of specific issues in relation to intelligence on Iraq on which our conclusions can be summed up as follows:
The JIC found no evidence of co-operation between the Iraqi regime and Al Qaida [para 484].
Assessments that Iraq sought uranium from Africa were well-founded on intelligence [para 503].
The report that Saddam could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes, in the form in which it appeared in the JIC assessment and then in the Government dossier, was unclear and the JIC should not have included it in this form. Since the war the validity of the reporting chain which produced this report has become doubtful [para 511].
Mobile laboratories have been found in Iraq but do not match the ones in the intelligence reports which were relied on for evidence of Iraq's production of biological agent. Moreover, we now know the one described by the source would not have been capable of producing stocks of such agent [para 530].
The aluminium tubes which Iraq sought to acquire were almost certainly intended for rockets rather than evidence of an attempt to re-constitute a nuclear programme. Nevertheless, the JIC were right to take seriously the possibility of their nuclear use [para 545].
The JIC retained in its assessments for longer than the current evidence justified references to Iraq's possible possession of plague agent [paras 562-565].
The specific concerns raised by Dr Brian Jones and his staff about the September 2002 dossier were justified and the intelligence report on which his seniors relied in overruling them should have been shown to the experts [paras 570, 572, 576-577].
We found no evidence that a motive of the British Government in initiating military action was security of oil supplies [para 579].
33. Chapter 7 of the Report then draws out general conclusions about counter-proliferation policy and the implications of what we have found for the UK machinery of Government.
34. We have so far identified one error in the Report. As the text indicates, we received evidence from Mr Scott Ritter, the former weapons inspector, but he is not included in the list of formal witnesses in Annex A. I apologise for that.
35. I hope that the Report speaks for itself and that these comments have been helpful in leading you through it. We have all agreed that we will be giving no media interviews after this Conference. So if there are questions, I will take them now.
www.butlerrreview.org.uk


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text:
Тайрон Деон Мингз (; 13 марта 1993, Бат, Англия) — английский футболист, защитник клуба «Астон Вилла».

Карьера

Клубная
Находился в системе «Саутгемптона» и «Бристоль Роверс». В начале своей взрослой карьеры играл в клубах Южной футбольной лиги «Йейт Таун» и «Чиппенем Таун».

С 2012 по 2015 год выступал в Чемпионшипе за футбольный клуб «Ипсвич Таун». Первый матч за команду провёл 4 мая 2013 года в 46-м туре чемпионата против «Бернли». «Ипсвич» проиграл со счётом 0:2. В сезоне 2013/2014 принял участие в 16-ти матчах чемпионата. В сезоне 2014/2015 был игроком основного состава, проведя 42 игры в чемпионате (включая плей-офф). «Ипсвич» занял в Чемпионшипе 6-е место, дающее право играть в плей-офф за выход в премьер-лигу. В играх плей-офф команда уступила «Норвичу».

Летом 2015 года подписал контракт с клубом «Борнмут», который вышел из Чемпионшипа в Премьер-лигу. Стал самым дорогим приобретением в истории «Борнмута» — новый клуб заплатил за него 8 миллионов фунтов. Дебютировал за клуб 25 августа 2015 года в матче 2-го раунда Кубка Лиги против «Хартлпула». «Борнмут» разгромил соперника со счётом 4:0. Первый матч в премьер-лиге провёл 29 августа 2015 года в 4-м туре против «Лестер Сити». Игра завершилась вничью со счётом 1:1. В сезоне 2015/2016 сыграл 1 матч в чемпионате. В сезоне 2016/2017 сыграл 7 матчей в чемпионате. В сезоне 2017/2018 сыграл 4 матча в чемпионате.

С января по май 2019 года был в аренде в «Астон Вилле». Сыграл 18 матчей и забил 2 гола в Чемпионшипе. Вместе с командой выиграл плей-офф за выход в Премьер-лигу. Летом 2019 года «Вилла» выкупила права на Мингса.

В сборной
За сборную Англии дебютировал 14 октября 2019 года в матче отборочного турнира чемпионата Европы 2020 против команды Болгарии.

Статистика

В сборной
Тайрон Мингс дебютировал за национальную сборную Англии 14 октября 2019 года выйдя в стартовом составе в отборочном матче Евро-2020 против Болгарии.

Матчи за сборную

Итого: сыграно матчей: 17 / забито голов: 2; победы: 13, ничьи: 2, поражения: 2. eu-football.info.

Достижения
 «Астон Вилла»
 Победитель плей-офф за выход в Премьер-лигу: 2018/19
 Англия
 Серебряный призёр Чемпионата Европы: 2020

Примечания

Ссылки
 Профиль футболиста на официальном сайте «Астон Виллы»
 Профиль футболиста на официальном сайте Премьер-лиги

Футболисты Англии
Игроки сборной Англии по футболу
Игроки ФК «Ипсвич Таун»
Игроки ФК «Борнмут»
Игроки ФК «Астон Вилла»

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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According to recent research conducted by Tali Sharot, director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London, it appears that our brain is set up to see life in pink 'la vie en rose', no matter what happens … This British researcher would like to show us that we are about 8 out of 10 to suffer from an "optimism bias". There is therefore a high probability that you are a pathological optimist without knowing it! Do you believe it ? No ? So try a simple exercise: plan a year ahead, then 5 years, then 10 years… Are you in this potential future ? Unless you are cheating (because you are very attentive and clever readers and you have understood where I am going), you should be thinking about good times: holidays, a wonderful trip around the world , a day off with your family, a diploma, a promotion, or any other happy event … Are you still bored and does the reality seem gloomy ? All right, then I take you on a journey to colour your thoughts in the world of « The Comfy Traveler ».
When I first discovered the colourful illustrations and photographs of Laetitia, I had this song in my head « Lunettes Bleues, Lunettes Roses » " interpreted by Alain Souchon: Blue glasses, pink glasses / in our eyes a dose / of humour and poetry / Blue glasses, pink glasses / and on the world we put / a much prettier look at it… Passionate about travels (England, Finland, Canada, Italy, Switzerland …) and a camera always in her hand, Laetitia has many memories to share, colours, sensations and emotions out of tons of images. This is how her boutique "The PixelSuitecase" saw the light of the day, with the desire to share parts of memories and pieces of dreams, and to share her colourful world through illustrations combining drawing and photography … She has this little touch of colour that invites you to be in a good mood! Here are my favourites … but before to unveil them, I have a question that puzzles me: Laetitia, why did you choose the name « The comfy traveler »?
« Home sweet home en Scandinavie ». A real Finnish hut in a small town on the outskirts of Helsinki. You/We want to take refuge and snuggle comfortably next to a good fireplace, after we have enjoyed the outdoor nature and felt the icy wind on the tip of his nose … A cosy little corner of home in wild nature!
"When I look at this photo, I have only one word to say, one feeling in my head: nostalgia. A pleasant nostalgia of these little bits of life that you want to keep with you forever, whether they are about crazy adventures or from simple moments at home.
"Italy – Milano the pretty". In the North of Italy, board on a trip to a charming town in La Dolce Vita. The Duomo, the Vittorio Emmanuele II Gallery, the Scala di Milano, the city hides many treasures. Welcoming and sunny, this city is famous for fashion and will welcome you warmly. Don't forget your blue or pink glasses nor your hat !
« Londres – "Do you want tea with your cookie ? »… Of course, many well-known and inescapable / obvious places make up the city's identity and its English charm. However, the English capital is also full of hidden treasures. If you are a fan of Potter, this photograph will remind you of the sequence of "Harry Potter and the House of Secrets" … this hotel was used to represent the outside of the King's Cross-station!
Voilà… When the reality seems gloomy, it sometimes becomes urgent to "escape" into another dimension. A simple photographic creation can transport you to a world so different from your everyday life, a place of well-being where you can enjoy a few moments of pleasure and see "la vie en rose"… Feel free to colour your style, your interior with the creations of Laetitia: they will give you a daily dose of good mood !
This is the first time I am hearing about creations of Laetitia and those photographic creations blew my mind. They really have to power to transfer you to a different place and time. Thanks for the enlightening post!
Thank you 🙂 I also love Laetitia's little touch of colour that invites you to be in a good mood !