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Sale Format: Leasehold Title, period of 50 years from 5th October 2013. Sale in Execution; Deed of Transfer, transfer of the Property into the name of the Purchaser.
The property is secured by a 1.6 meter high boundary wall and entrance is via a sliding steel gate. The property comprises of a guard house, double garage, 6 vehicles carport, four blocks with several rooms, conference room, reception, kitchen, dining area and staff ablution.
The guard house is a single open room at the entrance; The reception area is spacious with air-conditioning system; The kitchen/dining area is Semi-fitted kitchen with double sink and a spacious dining area adjacent to the kitchen, complete with air-conditioning system in the dining; The conference room is spacious with air-conditioning system and is accessed via glass sliding doors.
The Accommodation blocks are as follows: Block 1 – is a thatched roundavel with two rooms. Each room is fitted with wardrobes and en-suite bathroom (bath, toilet and wash hand basin). The flooring is ceramic; Block 2: Flat roof with IBR roofing and complete with ceramic flooring on the floor. It comprises of three rooms each with fitted wardrobes and bathroom (bath, toilet and wash hand basin); Block 3: Flat roof with IBR roofing and complete with ceramic flooring on the floor. It comprises of two rooms each with fitted wardrobes and bathroom (bath, toilet and wash hand basin); Block 4: The largest block with four rooms each with fitted wardrobes and bathroom (bath, toilet and wash hand basin). It is complete with ceramic flooring on the floor. This block also houses the kitchen, dining, staff ablution and conference room.
Driving from Gaborone, turn left into Gabane. From the traffic lights into Gabane, drive for 1.7kms and get to a "Choppies complex/ Liquorama" on the right. Turn left opposite the complex (main road under construction, therefore maintain right). Follow the road and maintain the left road and the property will be ahead with blue paint and brown sliding gate (Jonas Inn Guest House). Lot 730.


Pro bono attorneys working at the country's two largest immigrant family detention centers in Texas said Monday that they have been "locked out" after they raised concerns last week that officials were forcing the immigrant mothers they represent to sign legal papers without consulting them.
The complaint comes as the Congressional Progressive Caucus and members of the House Judiciary Committee are preparing to hold a forum on family detention Tuesday that's expected to include testimony from two immigrant women who were detained, a whistle-blower who worked at one of the Texas detention centers and experts on the psychological, developmental and legal implications of family detention.
It also comes after a federal judge in California gave the administration until Aug. 3 to show why she should not hold them to standards for detaining children set out in a 1997 legal settlement, potentially ending family detention.
A Homeland Security spokeswoman has said they are preparing a response for the judge.
The Obama administration has expanded family detention during the last year following a surge of tens of thousands of immigrant families on the Texas border last summer, mostly from Central America. They went from one 95-bed family detention center in Pennsylvania to three built to house 3,700 by year's end.
On Monday, four national immigration lawyers groups working at the two newer, larger detention centers south of San Antonio in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas, sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement demanding it "account for the cascade of due process violations and detrimental practices."
The groups that wrote to ICE include Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), the American Immigration Council, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and the American Immigration Lawyers Assn. (AILA). They jointly provide legal services to mothers and children detained at the Texas detention centers through the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project.
CARA lead attorney Brian Hoffman said that in recent weeks, staff and volunteers have witnessed ICE officials "coercing women into accepting ankle monitors, denying access to legal counsel and impeding pro bono representation, along with mass disorganization and confusion in implementing the new release policy for mothers who fled violence and who are pursuing protection in the United States."
Gillian Christensen, ICE press secretary, said the agency would review the claims and "respond directly to AILA."
"ICE takes very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care. The agency is committed to ensuring that individuals housed in our family residential centers have care and resources," Christensen said.
"DHS has determined reconsideration is appropriate for custody decisions of arriving families who have established eligibility for asylum, or other relief under our laws. Understanding the sensitive and unique nature of housing families, ICE is evaluating cases of residents at the agency's family residential centers," Christensen added. "Going forward, ICE will generally not detain mothers with children, absent a threat to public safety or national security, if they have received a positive finding for credible or reasonable fear and the individual has provided a verifiable residential address."
"The Karnes County Residential Center provides high quality care in a safe, clean, and family friendly environment, and onsite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel provide direct oversight to ensure compliance with ICE's Family Residential Standards. Our company has consistently, strongly denied allegations to the contrary."
He said Geo officials at Karnes have "created an open and transparent policy of allowing visits to the center by the public, elected local and national officials, federal officials from ICE and other government agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations."
A spokesman for the Corrections Corp. of America, the federal contractor that runs the Dilley facility, did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the letter.
Last Friday, the attorneys allege that ICE officials and guards at the detention center in Dilley locked attorneys out of a courtroom, telling the attorneys they could not enter until the hearings began and letting them in five minutes ahead of time. When an attorney informed the presiding immigration judge, the judge pushed all of the hearings back by an hour.
The same day, psychologists who were pre-cleared for entry into the Dilley facility at the request of pro bono attorneys to examine their clients and establish their asylum claims were "abruptly and without notice refused entry into the facility." That afternoon, a pro bono attorney was removed from the facility "while in the midst of a client interview and without explanation, and denied further admittance," according to the letter.
A spokesman for ICE, in a statement issued Monday evening, said of the attorney being removed: "A pro-bono attorney, who was disruptive to operations at the South Texas Family Residential Center, was asked to leave and is no longer authorized at the facility."
In May, support personnel who had been cleared to enter the detention center in Karnes City, Texas, and the west wing of the White House were refused entry at Dilley, the letter alleges, "without reasonable explanation."
The attorneys allege that ICE officials at the Dilley detention center have summoned women to fake "court" appointments using Post-it notes instructing them, "Ir a corte" (Go to court) within 30 minutes. Once inside the courtroom trailer, ICE officials told the women that ankle monitors were a condition of their release, even for those who had already had their bond set by a judge.
One woman told attorneys she signed an ankle monitor agreement with ICE "under duress" after being denied access to counsel. Another told attorneys that when her uncle attempted to pay her bond in New York, in accordance with an immigration judge's order, ICE refused to accept payment because she had not received an ankle monitor.
A woman at the Dilley facility told attorneys that Thursday night, officials went room to room demanding the names of women who told attorneys about problems with the ankle monitors. "These officials emphasized that they wanted the mothers' names. The client reported that the angry officials told the mothers that lawyers have nothing to do with this matter," the letter said.
Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced a new policy supposedly speeding the release of women who had passed an initial asylum interview. ICE officials also announced added oversight and case reviews intended to improve family detention. An ICE spokeswoman has defended family detention, citing those improvements.
But Hoffman said those improvements appear to have made little difference, according to reports from volunteers they work with who visit families in detention and help them catch buses once they are released.
"Volunteers at the San Antonio bus station have found many families do not understand the terms of their release, and even where they have been handed important documents, they are in English so Spanish or indigenous language speakers do not understand," Hoffman said.
"Mothers who have been shackled with an ankle monitor have no idea how or when to charge the device, and their deportation officers refused to explain or answer questions before release."
Hoffman also said his group has pleaded "with ICE to be allowed to help prepare the mothers to understand their rights and obligations upon release through pre-release orientations, meaning a daily briefing to explain the women's rights, any reporting obligations, the importance of appearing for all scheduled court appearances, how to file an asylum application in advance of the one-year filing deadline, and how to connect with pro bono attorneys in their cities of destination."
He said that "although those requests were initially received with enthusiasm" by ICE officials, "nothing has yet been implemented."
Richard Rocha, a spokesman for ICE in Texas, said it was preparing a response to the letter on Monday.
He has noted in the past that immigrant women at the detention centers received "know your rights" presentations, pointing out one that was underway for several dozen mothers in the detention center chapel in Dilley during a recent tour.
The South Texas Family Residential center in Dilley, the largest of the three family detention centers with 2,400 beds, is run by Corrections Corp. of America, which sub-contracts with another company, American Gateways, to do the legal presentations.
This story described American Gateways as a company contracted by another company to provide legal presentations at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. Actually, American Gateways is a nonprofit organization. It is not a subcontractor and was granted clearance to provide immigration legal services at the center after vetting by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Hoffman said pro bono lawyers would like to work with the company, but have so far been unable to because they do not have access to that part of the detention center.


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Tag: historical
September 1, 2021 September 27, 2021 #americanrevolution, #selfpublishing, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts-press, self-publishing-authorsLeave a comment
Introducing Jack Darrell Crowder, author of Abby's Secret: The Story of a Young Girl's Courage and Determination During the American Revolution
"Everyone I communicated with were friendly, professional, and very helpful. The entire publishing process was quick and easy. I look forward to working with the team again."
Jack Darrell Crowder is a retired teacher and administrator with 40 plus years in the classroom. He has a B.A. and Masters from Texas Christian University. Mr. Crowder gives lectures on the Revolutionary War at the university, schools, historical societies, and D.A.R. Chapters. He has the following books published: Underage Warriors, Chaplains of the Revolutionary War, African Americans and American Indians in the Revolutionary War, Women Patriots in the American Revolution, Strange, Amazing, and Funny Events that Happen during the Revolutionary War, and The First 24 Hours of the American Revolution.
Abby must put her courage to the test. In 1766 at the age of five Abby is sent away to live with various people. After a few years she finds a home as a servant girl with the Thomas family. Being a young female among ten boys quickly proves to be a physical and mental challenge for Abby. However, she refuses to let others define who she will be, as she fights to overcome prejudice and gain equality. In 1775, she is caught up in the American Revolution and finds that her courage, faith, and character will be tested to the limit. When the war reaches her doorstep, she learns firsthand the sadness of losing loved ones and the horrors of war. As the Revolution draws to a close, Abby makes a decision, and if her secret is discovered she will face disgrace and possibly jail.
March 23, 2021 March 22, 2021 #americanrevolution, #selfpublishing, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, self-publishing-authors, young-woman-during-revolutionLeave a comment
Introducing Donna Sorbello, author of Daughter of Liberty
"My experience of working with Outskirts Press was very good! Thank you to my Author Representative for all of her efforts with me. She was very responsive and patient with someone like me who had computer issues and had a complicated book to print."
Donna Sorbello is a professional actress, a published playwright and poetess, and a professor of acting and playwriting. She has written for various publications and has degrees from Emerson College and Boston University. Married, Donna returned to her New England roots after several years in New York City. Her theatre experience playing varied roles, a visit to the Paul Revere House, and her daughter's innate ability to imaginatively live in the past, all inspired her first historical novel, Daughter of Liberty.
Two Worlds. A Spry Ring. Friendship that defies time. Mary Grayson Pratt, a typical eleven-year old, is bored with sight-seeing with her parents in historic Boston. But the journey Mary takes into the past is well beyond sight-seeing. Mary is plunged into the center of the excitement and intrigue of the American Revolution. How will she find her way home? The meaning and impact of true friendship, loss, and personal beliefs, are all important challenges Mary must face on her journey. How Mary's story is resolved carries the reader into a world of historical tumult and human connections that span time.
February 1, 2021 February 1, 2021 #americanrevolution, #selfpublishing, #timetravel, Boston, colonial-america, friendship, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, revolutionary-period, Revolutionary-War, self-publishing-authors, united states, young-girl-goes-back-in-time-of-the-revolutionary-time-periodLeave a comment
Introducing Howard J. Schwach, author of Ain't Love Enough: A Dave Rifkin Mystery
"This is my third book with Outskirts Press and my experience was smooth and easy. I never had any problems with Outskirts Press but I have heard of terrible problems with other publishers."
Retired New York City teacher and community newspaper editor Howard Schwach is a published author with several young adult educational books and two adult novels under his belt. This is Schwach's third adult novel, a continuation of his popular Dave Rifkin mysteries. His first was American 587 Heavy, a novel centered on the tragic crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Rockaway on November 12, 2001, his second, a novel centered on the age-old conflict between Jews and Palestinians in Israel and the consequences of that conflict on a group of aging Jewish tourists visiting the Holy Land. Although a secular Jew, Schwach renewed his interest in Israel and in archeology on a 2018 visit to Israel, accompanied by his daughter, Amy, the executive director for a major Upper East Side, Manhattan congregation. That visit led to The Masada Complex and the birth of Dave Rifkin as a major series protagonist. In Ain't Love Enough, Schwach continues Rifkin's development as a fully-developed, complex character. The question of "who has the historical right to the land now called Israel?" brought Schwach to his third novel, the second featuring retired detective Dave Rifkin and his wife, Linda.
Dave Rifkin is Back for Another Adventure, One That Will Impact Not Only the Lives of Dave and Linda, but Also the Future of a Nation. Dave and his wife, Linda, are back in New York City after their adventures in Israel and life is not quite what the couple expected it to be. Dave has become an alcoholic and a womanizer and Linda has thrown him out of their Manhattan apartment. He is angry, depressed and drunk, so when he wakes up one morning duct-taped to a chair in a dilapidated bungalow on the Atlantic Ocean shore-front in Rockaway, he is not really surprised. He becomes surprised and alarmed, however, when responding police officers find the dead body of a woman floating in the surf nearby and that woman turns out to be Dave's nemesis from Israel, a woman who was assumed to be rotting away in an Israeli prison. Did he kill her? He can't remember. This begins a new mystery involving the legitimacy of the State of Israel that takes he and Linda from the bungalow to the honky-tonks and bar-b-que joints of Nashville (Tennessee) and finally, to a former airport in Brooklyn that has become a national park. Filled with mystery and mayhem, Ain't Love Enough will have you asking for more of Dave and Linda.
December 29, 2020 December 29, 2020 #selfpublishing, adventure-in-New-York-and-Nashville, historical, Israel, marketing-a-self-published-book, murder-in-Atlantic-Ocean, mystery-detective, outskirts press, self-publishing-authorsLeave a comment
Introducing Billy Anders, author of Murder at Toltec Gorge: A Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Adventure
"This is my fifth book with Outskirts Press and my Author Representative was there to offer new advice and guide me in a painless way. I highly recommend Outskirts Press!"
Billy Anders is a member of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc., and works as a docent for the C&TSRR, successor since 1970 to the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. He is a retired police officer and US Air Force officer.
"IF HE HURTS HER AGAIN, I'LL KILL HIM!" Arriana Garcia, stunningly beautiful yet imperfect, is the section foreman's wife at Sublette, New Mexico, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad's San Juan Extension. It's an isolated, lonely mountain place, 9,276 feet up, where winters are harsh. Twelve young rail workers live in two bunkhouses next to the section house, and Mrs. Garcia cooks for everyone. But in 1927, during the Roaring 20s, American women are changing. Many like Arri Garcia are rethinking traditional roles. Leo Garcia, Sublette section foreman, is Arriana's husband. Leo was decorated for bravery in France during World War I, a hero. Garcia is a strict, effective railroad supervisor, but he has a dark side. Leo is an abuser. Foreman Garcia rules his home the same way he rules his section gang – through intimidation and fear. Eliseo Martinez is a star engineer for the D&RGW. He grew up in Conejos, Colorado, where he served as an altar boy in Our Lady of Guadalupe church. Over time, Eli quietly falls in love with the married Arriana Garcia, though he knows better. More than once, Martinez sees fresh bruises on Arri. Finally, infuriated, he tells his best friend, fireman Samuel Gonzales: "If he hurts her again, I'll kill him!" Sam realizes that Eli has stepped into a Sublette funnel in which there's only room for two people to come out alive. This can't be good, thinks Sam. This can't be good at all.
November 27, 2020 November 26, 2020 #domesticviolence, #spousalabuse, historical, historical fiction, marketing-a-self-published-book, mystery-detective, outskirts press, protection-from-abusive-spouse, railroad-supervisor-falls-for-married-woman, self-publishing-authorsLeave a comment
The Fate of Our States is Great: 101 Poems on American History
"It's highly likely that I will use your services again. Thanks!"
Bill Jordan is a sales manager by trade. He wrote for many publications during his time in college and still contributes to some websites. His first novel, Second Chance at Love, was published in 2018 by Outskirts Press and can be purchased online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Just a kid from Akron, OH, he lives, works, and writes in Ellicottville, NY with his wife and pets. He can be reached by email at billjordaniv@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @billjordan4.
Rhyme your way through time with this entertaining collection of poems on American history. Immerse yourself in a unique journey through United States history. With sections covering significant events, important people and the presidents, this collection is guaranteed to bring you back to history class and help prepare you to win the fight during trivia night as you rhyme your way through time.
November 24, 2020 November 24, 2020 book-marketing-strategy, historical, historical-american-life-through-poetry, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, poetry-through-the-eyes-of-history, self-publishing, self-publishing-authors, United-states-history-in-rhymeLeave a comment
Introducing Paul M. Ryan, author of The Vietnam War Experience: Reflections on the War and Its Consequences
"I'm very pleased overall with every phase of the publication process."
Paul M. Ryan lives in Northern California with his wife. They are blessed with three children and ten grandchildren. This book reflects the author's experiences in Vietnam and experience representing hundreds of veterans and others seeking disability benefits based on psychiatric issues.
A view of the Vietnam War and its consequences. This book reflects the reality of the Vietnam War, and other wars, in terms of war experiences and events. Themes of this book include the psychological, physical and emotional effects of the war in the context of the war itself and in the context of societal reactions to the war and its veterans. Society as a whole reacts to veterans in many ways. The book conveys these themes through short stories and poems that shed light on the war, which are meant to provide insights into the war and its consequences for the warrior. The book also explores the war's consequences to veterans in the context of their adjustment to society and to how society responds to them. While the book focuses on the Vietnam War, it provides a perspective of war in general. Overall, this writing is a testament to those who served in wartime. It is intended to inspire readers to think deeply about the ramifications of war in general, and the Vietnam War in particular. Those who served in wartime will understand these writings. Others will learn about war and be able to view war through the eyes of the warrior.
November 9, 2020 November 9, 2020 #vietnamwar, cause-effect-of-war, disability, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, perspective-of-war, psychological-physical-emotional-effects-war, results-of-war, self-publishing-authors, Vietnam War, Vietnam-War-short-storiesLeave a comment
Introducing Brenda Marie Black, author of The Bella Rose & Dianthus Bobby
"Thanks to the entire team at Outskirts Press! As a first-time author, there's been much I've learned about getting a book published and I am glad Outskirts Press was recommended to me by an author friend who was published with Outskirts Press. Indeed, my publishing experience with Outskirts Press has been rewarding and positive; and, I received guidance and assistance along the way. The quality of my book in all versions is outstanding."
Brenda Marie Black currently lives in Hanover, PA with her husband, Clay, and two adult puppies, Buffie Delizia and Antonio "Tony" Giocoso. Previously, Brenda worked as an administrative assistant for a county government and two colleges. During her career she humbly received recognition and awards for her work. She holds an Associate's Degree in Business Management, Summa Cum Laude, from Carroll Community College, Westminster, MD. She enjoys painting, writing, walking, jogging, camping, golf, baseball games, and bike riding. She feels blessed to have a loving family and wonderful friends. Brenda looks forward to making new friends with readers.
Accompany Pasquale and Lena in this One of a Kind Story. Brenda Marie Black is a first-time author. As a child, she was filled with an incessant curiosity about the mysterious and unspoken past of her beloved Italian grandparents, Pasquale and Lena Donofrio. As an adult, she set out to discover and unlock abounding secrets through years of research, interviews, and travel. Brenda was gifted time to fulfill a dream-to write and now share this unique and faith-filled novel brimming with romance and suspense. Actual events, research and interviews, along with the author's memories, were used to fabricate a natural fiber as the basis of the novel. An artificial fiber, composed of artistic embellishments of prose and fictional characters, was created for enhancing and materializing the story. Both fibers were spooled into one yarn and woven, nimbly and creatively, throughout the novel. Brenda Marie Black celebrated and cried in researching and writing The Bella Rose & Dianthus Bobby. All are invited to travel back in time to experience the riveting legacy of the author's grandparents. Through precise period details, one will experience, first-hand, the treasured story of handsome Pasquale and beautiful Lena. The aura of their hearts and souls are revealed in raw, in-depth characterization. Along the journey, there are many other unique individuals to discover. Pasquale and Lena gift us with an extraordinary and inspirational story. Join them. Read of their challenges, celebrations, tragedy, heart break, deep regret, and . . . Was Lena's mother right? Would a covenant be broken? Can a single tragic event change everything? Is it possible to bury love? Are coincidences just that-or are our lives in synchronicity? Is there a Heaven? The answers are found as you accompany Pasquale and Lena in this one of a kind story. Are you ready to travel? Bring a wrap for your arms as you might find the esoteric folklore a bit chilling. Be sure to lace-up your most sturdy shoes for this bumpy, unconventional and unpredictable journey. Pasquale and Lena's venture is full of twists and turns. Take a few deep breaths before beginning the expedition to the many unique places this story takes you. You'll be traversing on mountainsides, navigating rough ocean waters, exploring an enchanting lakeside, riding in diverse modes of transportation, and walking and running in various bountiful tracts of nature. And, just an important piece of advice, be sure to pack a cotton handkerchief.
March 26, 2020 January 15, 2020 heart-strings, historical, italian-immigrants, Italy, love-story, marketing-a-self-published-book, mysterious-romance, outskirts press, self-publishing-authors, travelLeave a comment
Introducing Robert Steven Habermann, author of The Promise in the Morning Sky: An Immigrant's Story
"This novel is my third book with Outskirts Press. Each time, my Author Representative provided me with the upmost professional guidance and well-founded recommendations, and she made my journey through this process most enjoyable. If I decide to write a fourth book, I hope that I will use Outskirts Press again."
Robert Steven Habermann resides in Roanoke, Virginia, with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Baxter. This book is his third novel. The Last Emperor of Rome, published in 2017, concerns the life and times of Julius Valerius Majorian and is a story of conquest, betrayal, and forbidden love during the final years of the Roman Empire. Published in 2014, Music in the Key of Time captures the essence of the middle to the late 1960s as seen through the eyes and actions of two young men. A musical CD by the same title and containing twelve of the author's original songs taken from his first book was released in 2015.
Living Takes a Lifetime, and It's Over in the Blink of an Eye. A classic tale of a grandfather telling his grandson the story of a German immigrant and his struggles to establish a life in the New World. A moving chronicle of hardship and gallantry involving tall sailing ships and steam locomotives; slaves and emancipators; homesteading on the treeless Nebraska prairie; and the coming of modern times. A story of an American pioneer and his attempts to make sense out of the chaos swirling all around him.
September 24, 2019 September 24, 2019 difficult-times-learning-to-live-in-America, German-immigrant-living-in-Nebraska, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, self-publishing-authorsLeave a comment
Introducing George Rollie Adams, author of South of Little Rock
"I like the way my book turned out. I am a commercially published author and I have a number of friends who are writers and editors and at least three who are looking to self-publish."
George Rollie Adams is president and CEO emeritus at Strong National Museum of Play, author of General William S. Harney: Prince of Dragoons, and coauthor of Nashville: A Pictorial History. He is a native of southern Arkansas and a former teacher with graduate degrees in history and education.
South of Little Rock is a story of love, hate, fear, and courage as the residents of a small town in southern Arkansas deal with social change in 1957. Sam Tate is a white merchant, councilman, and widower who dotes on his two children and has not given much thought to how black people live. He only wants to play baseball with them. Becky Reeves is an unmarried northerner who ignores a warning from her mother and comes south to teach. Ida Belle Tate is a strong-willed woman who loves quilting and helping raise her grandchildren and dislikes blacks and Yankees. Life changes for all of them when Governor Faubus resists the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and President Eisenhower sends troops to ensure it. While national authority clashes with states' rights in Little Rock, an ambitious newspaper editor and a bigoted minister fan racial hatred in Unionville. Amid cross burnings, White Citizens' Council meetings, and all manner of ruminating, speculating, and sermonizing among townsfolk, white and black, at home, work, and church, Sam questions old ways, Ida Belle clings to tradition, and Becky angers parents and school officials. The unrest brings Sam and Becky together then stands between them. "Remarkably relevant to society today." – Charles Phillips, coauthor of What Every American Should Know about American History. "Meticulously researched. Crisply rendered. Smartly constructed." – Scott Eberle, blogger for Psychology Today. "Adams creates realistic characters and dialogue like a master playwright." – Don Daglow, Emmy-winning author of The Fog Seller: A San Francisco Mystery.
June 6, 2019 June 3, 2019 book-marketing-strategy, civil-rights, historical, marketing-a-self-published-book, outskirts press, segregation, self-publishing-authorsLeave a comment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


While expected to arrive this month or next, the first delivery from Kanye's YEEZY Season 3 is now available. The crop includes a military boot for both men and women, two ankle boot options, and two tall boots.
The standout Military Boot Rock arrives in tan, being constructed from calfskin leather and polyamide material with calfskin lining, also featuring a durable rubber sole. One tall boot has then been done up in suede, while the other boasts knit construction. And lastly we see a mesh ankle boot for men, alongside a clear ankle boot option.
Head on over to West's official YEEZY store to shop the first drops from YEEZY Season 3.


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2012 Expat Offshore News Archive ›
Gibraltar has made strides to pivot its financial services offering towards global emerging markets.
Financial Services Minister Gilbert Licudi explained in his Budget address that Gibraltar needed to aggressively pursue business in emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.
"Opportunities need to be seized and converted into real business. Things will not happen by themselves," said Mr Licudi adding that established markets like UK and Switzerland remain important too.
"The Government is very optimistic that, in the years ahead, Gibraltar will consolidate its position as a leading international finance centre within the EU. The financial sector is a key driver in the local economy as well as one that stimulates other areas of business and generates thousands of jobs and important revenue," he said.
On the complaint to the EU made by Spain to the corporate tax regime introduced by the Income Tax Act 2010, Mr Licudi said that the Government considers that this is a politically motivated complaint which has no merit whatsoever and that it will see off this challenge.
"It is becoming increasingly apparent that Gibraltar's future in financial services rests with high-end, high-value added private client business, insurance (captive and retail), investment management and funds," said Mr Licudi.
"The critical mass that has been achieved in this sector now makes Gibraltar a mainstream insurance domicile within the European Union along with long-term players in this market," he said.


text:
Inscribing
Inscribing Synonyms
Synonyms for Inscribing
To enroll or enlist new members or potential employees on behalf of an employer, organization, sports team, military, etc.
In real property, to pass upon or into; of litigation, to file or present to the court—for example, to enter an appearance into the record; of a contract, to enter into it means to sign or execute it.
To enter (a name, etc.) in a register, roll or list
graving
To bury
(Obsolete) To put in a grave, to bury.
To dig or excavate with the claws.
autographing
To write one's signature on or in
ciphering
To put in secret writing; encode.
To produce or compose (text) in a recorded form that can be read:
To apply postage stamps to.
To write one's signature.
To write characters similar to those commonly used in print.
To cover with list, or with strips of cloth; to put list on; to stripe as if with list.
inditing
To write; compose.
Imprint is defined as to press something to another and leave a mark.
To produce (a mark, stamp, image, etc.); to imprint (a mark or figure upon something).
To draw or write by cutting or scraping:
dedicating
To address or inscribe (a book, artistic performance, etc.) to someone or something as a sign of honor or affection
Chisel means to shape or cut a hard material using a hand tool called a chisel.
To shape to sculptural effect; to produce (a work) by cutting, or to cut (a material) into a finished work.
To provide with or publicize using a brand name or other readily recognized identifier:
To sign; to mark with one's signature as a token of consent or attestation.
endorsing
To express approval of or give support to, especially by public statement; sanction:
To record in a book; list
To influence the outcome or actions of (something) by improper or unlawful means:
To write or inscribe.
engrossing
To write or print the final draft of (an official document).
Words Related to Inscribing
To record something
To retain in the memory:
Find another word for inscribing. In this page you can discover 29 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for inscribing, like: recruiting, entering, enrolling, graving, engraving, scratching, autographing, ciphering, writing, stamping and signing.
Inscribing Sentence Examples
With the co-operation of the Indians under their chief Saturiba he captured Fort San Mateo in the spring of 1568, and on the spot where the garrison of Fort Caroline had been executed, he hanged his Spanish prisoners, inscribing on a tablet of pine the words, " I do this not as unto Spaniards but as to traitors, robbers and murderers."
The practice was long afterwards adopted of designating the Olympiad, or period of four years, by the name of the victor in the contests of the stadium, and of inscribing his name in the gymnasium of Olympia.
The same may be said of the numerous silly stories told of his life, such as that of his procuring a free passage to Paris by inscribing packets "Poison for the king," and so forth.
In the East the custom which has prevailed for centuries, and which is a practice at the present day, of using the seal as a stamp wherewith to print its device in ink or pigment in authentication of a document is parallel to our western habit of inscribing a signature for the same purpose.
As early as the fourteenth century B.C. the ancient Chinese were inscribing oracle bones with pictures that depicted phenomena that occurred naturally in the universe such as night and day.
Words that mention inscribing in the Dictionary
Words near inscribing in the Thesaurus
insatiate
in-school
inscribes
inscrutable


Ethiopia's unique birds and animals such as the Ethiopian Wolf, Trekking on the very scenic Bale Mountains with lots of flora and fauna, Flamingoes & other birdlife in the Rift Valley Lakes.
Day 01: Morning arrival in Addis Ababa and city tour of the capital. Hotel.
Day 02: Drive to Bale Mtns National Park through Tiya and some of the Rift Valley Lakes. Late afternoon spend some time around the Gaysay plateau and Dinsho to see some of the very rare animals and birds. Lodge at Dinsho.
Day 03: Trek to Moraro mountain (3750m) enjoying the great scenery and wildlife.
Day 04: Trek to Wasema valley while enjoying some more great landscape. Camping.
Day 05: Trek Mount Batu and camp near Lake Gebre Guracha.
your driver. Today you will see the endemic Ethiopian Wolf before you drive to Goba for overnight. Hotel.
Addis with stops in some of the Rift Valley Lakes where you will see some interesting birds. Evening flight back home.
Optional: This trip can be extended to the Omo Valley, Lalibela, Harar or the Historic north.


text:
TAKING A CHANCE
Chance the Rapper's deal with AMC previews the future of movie theaters
A new kind of movie to show.
Image: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Adam Epstein
PublishedMay 9, 2021
Movie theaters aren't usually where you go to watch concerts. But, in the future, they might need to be.
Grammy-winning musician Chance the Rapper will release a concert film exclusively in AMC theaters this summer, the company announced May 7. The film, titled Magnificent Coloring World, marks the first time a recording artist will distribute a movie through AMC. Chance the Rapper previously released a holiday concert film for free on YouTube.
The theater industry has persevered through a catastrophic year during which they had no mainstream movies to show. That forced chains like AMC and Regal to close their doors in most parts of the world, and they've only recently started to open again—at limited capacity. Showing concert films is one way to increase foot traffic in theaters without relying on Hollywood to provide all the content.
But it also could be a way forward for theaters well beyond the pandemic, as part of a broad expansion of offerings that cater more toward younger consumers who increasingly consume all of their entertainment on the internet. Movies alone may not be enough to get them out of their homes and into theaters. If the theater industry has any hope of growing, rather than just treading water as consumption habits shift, it needs to provide experiences that actually cater to the consumers who have abandoned it.
A new kind of movie theater experience
Theaters have long showed concert films and other forms of media besides mainstream Hollywood movies. For instance, Fathom Events, a joint venture of AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, shows special events like opera performances and classic films on the big screen every day. These offerings, however, have not materially changed theaters' outlook—perhaps because their target demographics are the consumers who already like going to the movies. AMC's deal with Chance the Rapper is one example of a partnership that might entice younger viewers out of their homes.
It's just one experiment, and companies like AMC will have to do a lot more. They will have to lean into interactive experiences, gaming, and social media, analysts argue. Virtual or augmented reality could be another option. "It's too early to suggest that's going to be the new theater experience, but I'd be very surprised if we didn't see it at least attempted," Neil Begley, a senior analyst at Moody's who covers the US film studios, told Quartz last year.
In short, theaters will have to be cultural centers that, in addition to showing the latest blockbuster movies, serve as hubs around communal experiences of all sorts of entertainment offerings. (Amazon, should it decide to invest in or outright own a chain of theaters, would likely integrate its live-streaming gaming platform, Twitch, into its cinemas.)
AMC, for its part, is welcoming the Gen Z and millennial-driven frenzy surrounding its stock. It has accepted it's now a cultural meme, and the company's CEO, Adam Aron, apparently loves it. That attitude could go a long way to endearing itself to a new generation of consumers—but that honeymoon phase will end eventually. At some point it has to figure out more ways to get its fans off of Reddit and into the cinema.


text:
Eastern Shore News' 59th Bank of Cheer underway
The Eastern Shore News Bank of Cheer 2019 is underway and seeks the community's help. The fund drive provides food to local needy families.
Eastern Shore News' 59th Bank of Cheer underway The Eastern Shore News Bank of Cheer 2019 is underway and seeks the community's help. The fund drive provides food to local needy families. Check out this story on delmarvanow.com: https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2019/11/14/eastern-shore-news-bank-cheer-2019-fund-drive-provides-food-for-needy-holiday/4179496002/
Carol Vaughn, Salisbury Daily Times Published 11:24 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2019
Fund drive provides food and other necessities to about 200 local needy families.
The Eastern Shore News for the 59th year is sponsoring the Bank of Cheer fund drive to provide food and other necessities to about 200 local needy families this holiday season.
The 59th annual Bank of Cheer fund drive began this week, with the goal to raise $20,000.
The boxes are funded by readers of the Eastern Shore News through the annual Bank of Cheer drive. They are packed and delivered by volunteers, including newspaper staffers, students, members of area churches and civic organizations, and others.
The sturdy cardboard boxes for many years have been donated by Dublin Farms of Horntown.
PHOTOS: Eastern Shore News 58th Annual Bank of Cheer
Volunteers from Craddockville United Methodist Church pose after loading into their vehicles some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Volunteers wait to load into their vehicles some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Volunteers load some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
A volunteer and Northampton High School Honor Society members load into a school bus some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Volunteers get their assignment from organizer Laura Trala before loading into their vehicles some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Northampton High School Honor Society members load into a school bus some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Volunteers and Food Bank employees help load some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Nandua High School band members and band director Kendra Powell pack boxes of food for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer in Tasley, Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Nandua High School band members pack boxes of food for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer in Tasley, Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Nandua High School band members and band director Kendra Powell, with the help of John Smith, right, of the Accomack County Department of Parks and Recreation, pack boxes of food for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer in Tasley, Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Staff photo by Carol Vaughn
Additionally, a number of volunteers have returned to work each year with the Bank of Cheer.
Laura Trala, formerly the News' operations manager, has been involved in the Bank of Cheer for more than 20 years and has organized the effort in recent years.
Trala, who now owns Keko's Grill in Chincoteague, generously volunteered to continue organizing the Bank of Cheer this year.
Volunteers get their assignment from organizer Laura Trala before loading into their vehicles some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Photo: Staff photo by Carol Vaughn)
"I am constantly amazed at the generosity of Eastern Shore of Virginia residents when confronted with the needs of their less-fortunate neighbors," said reporter Carol Vaughn.
"I know the Shore will come through to help us reach our goal of providing a Merry Christmas for those in need," she said.
For nearly six decades, the boxes have provided a better Christmas for thousands of local households.
Monetary donations can be mailed to: Bank of Cheer, P.O. Box 288, Tasley, VA 23441.
Traditionally, the Christmas boxes include a turkey or ham, canned meats, fruit, vegetables, flour and other staples.
Boxes are delivered about a week before Christmas, in time for recipients to prepare for the holidays.
Northampton High School Honor Society members load into a school bus some of the 200 boxes of food being delivered to Eastern Shore of Virginia residents for the Eastern Shore News' 58th Annual Bank of Cheer campaign in Tasley, Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Photo: Staff photo by Carol Vaughn)
RELATED 2018: Bank of Cheer delivers 200 boxes of food in time for Christmas
Recipients are selected by community leaders, who confer with ministers, organizations and employees of Social Services departments to determine the families who most need help.
Unless anonymity is requested, the News publishes the names of those donating to the Bank of Cheer drive in the paper. Donations also may specify if the gift is given in memory or in honor of an individual.
Members of the News staff have no input into the selection of recipients and applications for Bank of Cheer packages will not be taken at the News' office.
MORE Christmas 2019: Parades in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia
MORE Where to see Santa Claus this Christmas season on Delmarva: 2019
On Twitter @cvvaughnESN
Read or Share this story: https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2019/11/14/eastern-shore-news-bank-cheer-2019-fund-drive-provides-food-for-needy-holiday/4179496002/
Boscov's plans growth at its Salisbury location
'My mom's dead': Trial begins in killing of ex-wife
In Easter murder, man guilty of 1st-degree murder
Bay Bridge tolling to move to Eastern Shore
Hogan proposes tax relief for Maryland retirees
Eastern Shore mourns death of Fruitland officer


text:
An Estonian Kosovo
by NordicStorm Sat May 17th, 2008 at 06:44:32 PM EST
Like in most former parts of the Soviet Union, Russian is a widely spoken language in the Baltic state of Estonia, and a significant portion of the Estonian population are ethnic Russians who immigrated during the Soviet-era. Estonia is a small country, home to about 1.3 million people. Approximately 26% of those are Russians. Finnish author and journalist Leena Hietanen has written a book provocatively entitled Viron kylmä sota, Estonia's cold war, in which she takes Estonia to task for its treatment of the Russian minority living in Estonia.
Promoted by Migeru
In an interview with Finnish daily Hufvudstadsbladet (May 9th, 2008) Hietanen, who has worked in Tallinn for the past seventeen years, makes a number of notable claims that you rarely see in western media. Chief among them is the one hinted at in the title: the continued mistreatment of the Russophone minority in Estonia could potentially lead to a "Russian Kosovo in Estonia", that is ethnic tensions with "the west" supporting one side and Russia supporting the other that will ultimately lead down the same path as the ongoing Serbia/Kosovo dispute.
She further compares the situation of the Russophone minority to apartheid in South Africa or that of the Palestinian population, echoing Russian sentiment in the matter (see for example this 1993 article in the New York Times). Says Hietanen:
116 000 människor i Estland är statslösa och saknar medborgarskap. Ytterligare 130 000 är ryska medborgare. Vi har att göra med en minoritet på 250 000 människor utan medborgerliga rättigheter i ett EU-land. Och detta godkänner man i Bryssel!
116,000 people in Estonia are stateless and lack citizenship. Another 130,000 are Russian citizens. We are dealing with a minority of 250,000 people without citizen rights in a EU country. And this state of affairs is approved of in Brussels!
It should of course be noted that Hietanen is unabashedly pro-Russian, and makes no pretence otherwise. She explicitly states that she did not strive to be objective in writing her book. But this nevertheless serves to illustrate a contention often brought up at ET: whether extending EU membership to countries with significant shortcomings in human rights is at all a wise idea. Instead of being able to dangle the carrot of potential EU membership to encourage improvements and reforms, we have now internalised the issue, with seemingly little political will or ability to address it.
In a 2003 article (pdf), David J Smith of Glasgow University discusses minority rights in Estonia in the context of the then soon-to-be enlargement of the European Union. Smith sees a deliberate attempt by many of the driving forces behind the rebirth of the Estonian state in the early 90s to disenfranchise the Russian minority. Following Estonia's declaration of independence in 1991, a large portion of those who settled in Estonia during the Soviet-era became essentially stateless, and remain so to this day. Merely 35% of the Russian minority have Estonian citizenship, the rest have either Russian citizenship or "undetermined citizenship", as it is euphemistically called. This would make 65% of the Russian minority ineligible to vote in Estonian parliamentary elections and giving them a disproportionately small influence in Estonian politics. Smith notes that
In legal terms, Estonian minorities policy is entirely consistent with the [Council of Europe] [Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities]. In their approach to the settler issue, Estonian state-builders thus consciously sought to exploit the absence of any universal framework for minority rights, employing the very arguments that a number of EU member states had used in order to avoid any far-reaching minority rights obligations to their own immigrant populations.
Amnesty International issued a report in 2006, calling upon Estonia to end discrimination of the Russian-speaking population, while commending efforts to assist the Russophone population in learning Estonian. A significant amount of the Estonian populace has an inadequate knowledge of the sole official language of Estonia, which obviously puts them at a great disadvantage.
The ethnic tensions in Estonia received short-lived international attention after the bronze statue conflict of 2007, or Bronze Night as it has since been dubbed. The conflict was also the impetus for Hietanen to write her book; she views it as a missed opportunity for the Estonian government to engage and integrate the Russian minority. Instead, she fears the damage done by the Estonian government may be irreparable:
I dag är det osäkert om de 116 000 ens önskar bli estniska medborgare. De kanske föredrar att få ryskt pass.
- Och då uppstår frågan hur Estland ska hålla ihop sitt land om en betydande minoritet inom landets gränser inte uppfattar landet som sitt hemland?
Today it's uncertain whether the 116,000 even want Estonian citizenship. Perhaps they would prefer a Russian passport.
– And then the question arises how Estonia will hold its country together, if a significant minority within the borders of the country doesn't view the country is its home country?
Hietanen also criticises the inaction of Estonia's northern neighbour Finland. It would probably be way too much to ask of the current Finnish government to play any sort of constructive role; Finnish foreign policy have recently taken a marked turn towards Atlanticism and NATO, likely to the detriment of its relationship with Russia. Though in light of Estonia's desire to be part of the Nordic community and close economic ties to Finland and Sweden, Finland could potentially be very influential.
In a sad irony, she claims that she is having ever greater difficulty getting her articles, which she characterizes as defending Russians, published in Finnish newspapers. It's funny, had she written an article criticising Russia and had difficultly publishing it, it would be considered "finlandisation".
This is not to minimise or trivialise the trials that Estonia had to endure during the Soviet-era. But, as Hietanen herself notes:
...ett förtryck idag [kan inte] försvaras med historiska argument. Gamla oförrätter kan aldrig motivera nya.
...oppression today cannot be justified with historical arguments. Old injustices can never justify new ones.
An Estonian Kosovo | 61 comments (61 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
The Eesti tipjar (4.00 / 12)
Tere õhtust.
"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 02:35:50 PM EST
Re: The Eesti tipjar (4.00 / 6)
Thank you, NordicStorm! I was just today complaining in the Meta-ET story that we do not get enough diaries about Europe. And here they come. Very interesting diary. :-)
by Fran on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 02:45:03 PM EST
Why, happy to be of service. Agree completely that it would be great to have more diaries on Europe, particularly as media coverage beyond the neighbouring countries and the larger ones is generally poor.
More diaries on the Nordic countries (and I would extend the definition to include Estonia) would be a personal goal, but alas time and energy seems to be in short supply...
Re: The Eesti tipjar (none / 0)
Thanks for this. I realise I was underinformed, or maybe misinformed by my Estonian friends.
You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 03:21:22 PM EST
Re: An Estonian Kosovo (4.00 / 2)
How did the new Estonian authorities determine who was a citizen after independence and who was not? I assume there must have been some criteria, and perhaps an explanation of why so many ethnic Russians are currently lacking citizenship rights. But has Russia offered any of them citizenship either? From your diary it sounds as though they could be Russian citizens yet remain in Estonia.
How come in post-Soviet eastern Europe, Estonia, Latvia and Konigsberg all still have significant numbers of Russian settlers, yet Lithuania and Poland don't?
Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 03:24:08 PM EST
The criterion was essentially that anyone who was a citizen prior to 1940 or the descendant of such a citizen was granted citizenship. This would exclude those who immigrated during the Soviet-era and who had no prior connection to the Baltic states. Naturalization is possible, but it requires quite an in-depth knowledge of Estonian. Russia has been quite vocal about Russian minorities. Don't know if issuing 116,000 new citizenships over night would be the best tack to take.
I'll have to profess ignorance in the subject matter, but from my understanding Lithuania actively tried to minimize immigration, whereas Estonia and Latvia did not (thus explaining Lithuania's comparatively small Russian minority compared to the other two Baltic states).
And why wouldn't Kaliningrad have a significant Russian population? It is in Russia, after all...
...and Poland wasn't part of the Soviet Union.
*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 04:18:58 PM EST
Re: An Estonian Kosovo (none / 0)
...but did anyone say it was?
I inferred it, which is the fault of my shaky history. Sorry, it was my mistake.
Not to worry, it seems a lot of people have Eastern Europe confused. I'm half-Hungarian, and if I had a nickel for everytime I've been referred to as Polish or Bulgarian or anything but Hungarian even by my friends, I'd be able to buy Budapest, or at the very least Pest ;-)
Would they take nickels in Buda or Pest?
A couple of years ago, maybe. But I will not let the impending death of a currency affect my figures of speech! I'm drawing a line in the sand here, people!
I was trying to make a semiotic connection to the Nickel deposits of the Kola peninsula, but the brain flagged.
The where? Where do you find peninsulas in Hungary? Or a large island?
by PIGL (stevec@boreal.gmail@com) on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 07:57:25 AM EST
Where do you find peninsulas in Hungary?
Tihany, in Lake Balaton, with a smaller lake on top.
Or a large island?
Well, large or not, there is a prominent one between Buda and Pest (Margit-sziget = Margharet Island).
</thread hijack by the Hungarian Tourist Office>
by DoDo on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 08:31:21 AM EST
Tourist thread Hijack (4.00 / 3)
I was referring to this Kola peninsula, which is somewhat closer and better known to NordicStorm and myself.
It s not a place that is attractive to tourists, unless you enjoy seeing the rotting hulks of undecommissioned nuclear-powered ships and submarines sitting in the tidal river in downtown Murmansk. Or the obliterated nature within 50 kms of the nickel smelters. Or the people with an average life span below 50.
It's the most depressing place I've visited.
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 08:52:18 AM EST
Re: Tourist thread Hijack (none / 1)
The tourism bit was in jest. I know about the Kola peninsula. (Though I think I first learnt of it in literary class when we had some Russian short story about a boy's holiday titled "On the White Sea" or something, so I originally had a more romantic picture it.)
But what I'm not sure about is how your circle was supposed to close around buying Budapest-nickel-Nickel mines-Kola peninsula; or why PIGL sees peninsulas or islands necessary for closing the circle :-)
Re: Tourist thread Hijack (4.00 / 2)
As I admitted above to NS, I started out wih the intention of making a leap to bring in the Kola nickel smelters in some wild triple allusion, but the 'brain flagged' ie failed to perform as required. It smelted. What a pest!
Those acid pollution caused by those Kola smelters have had a rather disastrous effect on N. Finnish forests. In fact that was why I was there in Kola in '95, with a team of forest scientists. I just found the book based on the research while clearing out some dusty shelves.
Could you diary?
by DoDo on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 01:36:43 PM EST
I will think about it. It is an interesting subject, especially since the Finnish paper industry is in deep shit - about a million tonnes of paper will be removed from production. But, as I have said, that is only 20% max of total fibre usage - most of the rest going into packaging.
The latest move is to increase the amount of timber burnt domestically for energy - currently running at about 5 million tonnes, with about 70 million cubic metres surplus currently reaching maturity annually. (I am not sure how to correlate those figures)
The technology for burning fibre has made huge strides regards water/air pollution by-products. Boiler techonology using fluid beds + highly efficient scrubbers has seriously reduced pollution - but only at the most modern plants. The same can be done for coal - but it requires the building of new plant. Circularized Fluid Bed technology decimates almost anything ecept for heavy metals that are easier to catch with the latest scrubbers. I am not a coal advocate, but there is technology to handle it's fairly clean use for energy production.
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 03:32:52 PM EST
Thank you for the lovely photos. I've never been to Hungary, though I have a nice oil of a 1920s Budapest street scene hanging on my wall.
Incidentally, where does Eastern Europe begin for (most) Finns? (Considering that Finland is to the East of most of the Visegrád countries = Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary)
In a strictly geographical sense, I would consider "Eastern Europe" to be central Europe. Can't speak for most Finns, but I have the feeling they generally have a vague notion that Russia is in the east and Germany is somewhere in the center.
In a strictly geographical sense, I would consider "Eastern Europe" to be central Europe.
I can't parse this :-)
I think he means: geographically, Europe has been said to start at the Atlantic cost and proceed to the Ural mountains. Starting from the Biscay coast, the westernmost third of this region is pretty much France and Germany, and the might Duchy of Luxembourg and cheese eating Danes. The middle part is Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and such. The eastern part is all Russian.
The western-centric notion of "Eastern European" includes any one who cooks with sour cream, knows what is slivovitz, and (hates the Russians exclusive-or started WW1). We've never heard of Belorus or Moldavia, so don't know how to account for them.
In that sense, the geographic central Europe and the cultural eastern Europe are the same.
That still doesn't add up. Is in this view Russia (and Ukraine and Belarus and the Caucasus) "culturally" part of Eastern Europe or not? E.g. is this "western-centric cultural Eastern Europe" the exclusion of Russia or the merger of the real cultural Central and Eastern Europes? If the first, do Finns exclude the big neighour and onetime overlord from Europe (and see cultural Eastern Europe to the geographical West of most of their country)?
I think Finns see all these as simply neighbours ;-)
DoDo, I was just being flip early on a Saturday morning. As a Canadian, I can't speak to this, except to mention the geographic relativism. For example, when I grew up on the prairies, people in my family used "down east" in reference to southern Ontario, from whence they had quite recently migrated to Sakstatoon by rail and red-river-wagon (the remains of these wagons can still be seen all over the Prairies). But everyone knows "eastern Canada" really means the Maritimes and Newfoundland, about 1500km east of "down east."
Am I missing something important here?
Not sure you miss anything, but assuming you're new to this issue, a little run-down on it.
Geographically, depending on who did the calculation, the center of Europe is somewhere between Southwestern Lithuania and the Northwestern edge of the Carpathian Basin [today in Slovakia and the Westernmost tip of Ukraine].
Historically, "Central Europe" used to be the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire (was earlier Austria and Kingdom of Hungary, became later Austria-Hungary). Culturally, this made some sense for the following reasons: Eastern border roughly the Eastern extent of Western Christianity (which meant very real political alliance systems and exchange beyond religion), these continental countries were off East of the dominant maritime nations making up Western (and Northern) Europe, and there was the Ottoman Empire to the Southeast. With German unification in the 19th century, all of Germany shited into "Central Europe".
To give some evidence, Central European Time (CET, the timezone today extending from Spain to Hungary, but originally only from Germany and on to Transsylvania and Galicia, areas then in Austria-Hungary but today in Romania resp. Ukraine) was established at the request of the Hungarian State Railways (see here).
In all the descendant countries, the region is called thus to this day. In the West, however, after the Iron Curtain descended across the continent, "Eastern Europe" became what was beyond.
After the fall of 'communism', there was confusion. Finding that the locals are confused and aren't that enthralled by their "Eastern Europe" terminology, some Westerners (especially those immigrating fro here...) had no trouble with the old terminology (see the Soros-funded Central European University). Then there are the new 'compromise terms', used on international fora to please us but apparently unknown to most Westerners: Central-Eastern Europe, Eastern-Central Europe (CEE/ECE), the same with "and".
But Western usage is confused also for reasons entirely unrelated to our sensitivities. What complicates the picture is
EU accession: no one says "Eastern EU", instead, the mostly Central European new members (and immigrants from there) became "Eastern Europeans".
the Russia question: Russophobes of various degrees wouldn't even see Russia as culturally European, or just ignore the ex-USSR-minus-Baltics - so the Eastern border of the EU is really the cultural limit of Europe for them.
Poemless would also want me to add to the previous a parallel trend among Central European Russophobes, insisting on differentiating themselves as Central European to distinguish from the 'russkies'. (Though I honestly don't know how much, if any, role that plays.)
Quite a bit in the genesis of the modern use of the term if you look at the debates in the seventies and eighties. Quite prominent a theme in fact in the contributions of your co-national, Gyorgy Konrad. To be fair this part of the argument was at least as much intended to counter anti-East European prejudices among Westerners as an expression of anti-Russian prejudice. But the latter is a real factor.
by MarekNYC on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 03:33:49 PM EST
Quite a bit in the genesis of the modern use of the term if you look at the debates in the seventies and eighties. Quite prominent a theme in fact in the contributions of your co-national, Gyorgy Konrad.
I must admit I had no clue. Intrigued, I started off for a search; and so far I find there was apparently a so-called "Central Europe Debate", in which Konrád participated; kicked off by Milan Kundera's 1984 essay "The Tragedy of Central Europe", positing that in Central Europe is a part of the West kidnapped by the East, where intellectuals fight for European values against Soviet-Russian "de-Europeanisation", and that Central European intellectualism was the real center of European civilisation. That's strong tobacco indeed. Apparently, his strongest critic in the ensuing debate was emigrant Russian poet Joseph Brodsky. I am still reading.
(At any rate, while I may have absorbed Cewntral Europe myths created by the eighties dissident movement, I doubt my geography class curriculum was influenced by Konrád & co.)
That's when it hit the Western mainstream but the talking points began getting developed in the late seventies samizdat. Interestingly the mainstream Polish dissidents tended to be less Russophobic in that way. That might have something to do with the dueling Polish historical traditions of left nationalism - politically very Russophobic, but culturally Russophile and identifying strongly with the Westernizer tradition and right nationalism - politically Russophile but seeing 'real' Russia as the Slavophile one and thus as something utterly alien from and inferior to 'the West'.
I just found an essay (sorry, in Hungarian) giving a historical overview of the meanings and political uses of Central Europe, as well as Eastern-Central Europe and Eastern Europe. It appears that all the meaning variations I named for post-1990 existed earlier: ECE appeared in German schemes for Central European hegemony, an Eastern Europe West of Russia-Belarus-Ukraine appeared in between-world-wars Polish-Czech nationalist historiography. The article also claims that (all of) Germany was counted into CE from the emergence of the term in the late 18th century.
On the Central Europe Debate, this article both connects and separates it from a debate among historians about Central Europe as separate cultural region, which started in the seventies.. E.g. the intellectuals were really for the re-joining of the two sides of the Iron Curtain, not an identity separate also from the West (but a purer essence of it if we look at Kundera).
Hm, maybe I should write a diary.
Or maybe you are already better-read for that :-)
At any rate, thanks for sending me on this search.
Well, as I said it was also push back against the longstanding 'othering' of 'Eastern' Europe that started with the Enlightenment. (See Larry Wolff's Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment This trope reached its most virulent form in the German Ostforschung tradition. Interestingly, if you look at the Adenauer period, you see the notion of Germany as a bulwark against the Asiatic Slav hordes being reconfigured into a tool of furthering European integration and opposition to traditional national-konservativ and voelkisch constructions of German national identity.
it was also push back against the longstanding 'othering' of 'Eastern' Europe that started with the Enlightenment.
That must have been muddled up with the German factor at least since the rise of Prussia in the Seven Years' War. If my source is right, the Central Europe idea got traction in the West in the form of the German Threat (and in Prussia/Germany Mitteleuropa became popular in the form of natural hegemonic area for regional dominance). Then again, it also claims that the East-West division idea finally supplanted the North-South idea (in which Russia was the Giant of the North) only with the Crimean War.
I hope NordicStorm won't get angry at me for this thread hijack, but I can't pass up another thing I now read.
Apparently, a central theme in the historians' debate on Central Europe from the seventies was the development of feudalism as something separating out such a region, in particular the second serfdom. Which brings me to thing about an earlier era. Catholics contend that what connects Europe historically above all is its common Christian past. But the spread of Christianity was just as much the spread of the then modern society model of feudalism.
Yup. Serfdom never really fully recovered from the Black Death west of the Elbe, but it came back with a vengeance in Prussia and points East. A good starting point on it if you're interested is a classic collection of essays The Origins of Backwardness in Eastern Europe ed. Daniel Chirot.
Shouldn't that subthread be compiled in a diary sooner or later ?
Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 08:19:44 PM EST
Yeah, see one of ther above comments. But so many interesting issues came up in my reading yesterday, I fear it could turn into another 4,000-word diary if I write it...
by DoDo on Sun May 11th, 2008 at 05:04:05 AM EST
Well, that's 4000 words I'd like to read... Few diaries would be more topical on ET than stuff about European identities
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Sun May 11th, 2008 at 05:33:21 AM EST
Just thought it would be delightfully self-contradictory to write that "eastern Europe is central Europe". Nothing significant to parse there ;)
by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 10:17:09 AM EST
That's Ålanders for you. The subtleties of self-contradiction are virtually unknown on the mainland ;-)
Bah! I submit most human beings are self-contradictory. Stadin kundit in particular ;)
I wa self-contradicting myself...in demonstration
Way too hot apparently. Didn't register ;)
Wow. If the Serbs had appied the same rule to Kosovo in the 1980s, over 80% of the 2 million "Kosovars" would only have had Albanian citizenship.
Why didn't NATO bomb Estonia to safeguard human rights ?
by vladimir on Wed May 21st, 2008 at 04:31:42 PM EST
Some data on the size of the ethnic Russian minorities in the three Baltic states (this includes the descendants of both old and new immigrants, citizen or stateless):
Estonia: 25.6% or 344,280
Latvia: 27.3% or 620,000
Lithuania: 5.1% or 170,000
Lithuania kept immigration low by economic development policies. Not only Lithuania has not one but three big cities (Vilnius, Kaunas, and the port Klaipėda). Other big towns were distributed rather uniformly as well (since the times of Marienburg rights), with Šiauliai, Panevėžys in the North, and Alytus, Kapsukas (now Marijampolė again) in the South, etc. New factories were distributed across the country just as uniformly. In particular, the Sniečkus government built agro-chemical plants in Jonava, Kėdainiai (rather central); a petro-chemical plant in Mažeikiai; a big power plant in Elektrėnai, etc. Workforce for those factories could gathered from neighbouring villages; there was no need for "friendly" immigration. Only construction of the Ignalina nuclear plant required a significant influx of Russian-speaking specialists.
The policies meant that overall industry grew rather slow in Lithuania; there were few industrial wonders to brag about. At the breakup in 1990, Lithuania was still a very agricultural country, with over 30% of population still rural. But the upside was, of course, minimal minority worries.
by das monde on Sun May 18th, 2008 at 11:26:49 PM EST
I believe the Russian minorities in quite a few of the former Soviet States are pretty much in the same boat as in Estonia. I don't know the stats (should be possible to obtain some "semi reliable" ones, but I recall hearing similar tales of woe regarding poor treatment, disenfranchisement, loss of opportunity to obtain/retain jobs. One has to feel for these minorities who often have nowhere to go.
It also should not be difficult to find similar situations throughout the world historically. As often repeated, two wrongs do not make a right; however, avoiding the first wrong would often preclude the later one. Alas, human nature is what it is.
I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri May 9th, 2008 at 09:01:07 PM EST
From my understanding, what's special in Latvia and Estonia is the large number of stateless ethnic Russians.
Yes, I believe you are right. There were problems in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and perhaps others. We were surprised by the numbers of Russian speakers in the former Soviet States when we visited most of them several times 1995-99. One could pretty much get along in Russian, but the problems were building even then.
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 09:27:38 PM EST
What makes this a special case is that on the one hand these weren't really immigrants, but rather folks who moved to a different part of their own country and suddenly found themselves screwed over when the borders changed. On the other hand they are also the settlers from the former imperial power, a category which does not tend to fare all that well following decolonization. So this isn't really like the Kosovo situation where you had a region with a longstanding bi-national population where the local majority sought to gain independence from the ethno-state of the local minority and initially the minority imposed a highly repressive and discriminatory rule, and then when the majority won a bloody civil war, it proceeded to ethnically cleanse a large chunk of the minority population.
However, I don't see how the EU can fairly act unless it imposes a uniform obligation of citizenship by birth and a ban on using any language or cultural criteria in the naturalization process.
NB Anybody know how the proporations of citizens/stateless/Russian citizens have changed, if it all over the past fifteen years?
NB how many non citizens with permanent resident status does Finland have and do they automatically give citizenship to those born there or who have lived there for a certain number of years?
I don't know. My personal experience was of being first an alien with residence that kept getting extended, and then finally learning Finnish, passing an obligatory language test, and finally acquiring citizenship signed by the then President himself - Mauno Koivisto.
Some investigation is needed to find out what has happened between 1982 and today.
Don't know about permanent residents, but all told approximately 130,000 non-Finnish citizens live in Finland. You're only a Finnish citizen at birth if at least one of your parents is a Finnish citizen. To become a Finnish citizen, you have to have been a resident for at least six years and be able to communicate in either Finnish or Swedish.
by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Sat May 10th, 2008 at 03:39:23 PM EST
If I give myself a little time to discuss this...
Existing "legal" situation is utterly ugly. What is even more unfortunate is that the precedent... works.
Here is a slow clarification: it certainly works for the Baltic governments and their national interests.
It works for the settlers in the sense that staying in the Baltics remains their best (objective) option or (subjective) preference. They won't be doing better back in Russia - fewer economic opportunities and no less unpleasant prejudices are waiting there.
I know the Russian-speaking population bemoans the lack of status and full rights, rightfully. But what would they do to change that? They can organize themselves because of a monument to be moved, but you don't see them acting together for a rightful status. Is their situation and everyday difficulties a high priority to anyone, including themselves or the Russian government?
They know that their situation is unfair, but they would rather go along with those extra little injustices and difficulties than do anything about it. Their situation is not generally worse than those legally just contracts of "competitive" employment all around the world. I can imagine that they might "fight" for it and achieve a rightful status, but the price is not worth it. Achieved justice would likely to leave them poorer and with less opportunities and friends.
Sometimes I think that perfect justice is an agreeable but somewhat unnecessary goal. People can live with some injustice, be it legal or "emergent". They would rather adopt, and very frequently reasonably so.
by das monde on Mon May 19th, 2008 at 02:11:52 AM EST
But this nevertheless serves to illustrate a contention often brought up at ET: whether extending EU membership to countries with significant shortcomings in human rights is at all a wise idea. Instead of being able to dangle the carrot of potential EU membership to encourage improvements and reforms, we have now instead internalised the issue, with seemingly little political will or ability to address it.
Those were my thoughts during the negotiations on Estonian membership in the European Union. Estonians surrounding the current president of Estonia were just biding their time for revenge on anyone and anything Russian, and it was just a matter of time before their crusade against Russians could go into full swing. The president himself immigrated to the US as a small child and grew up in America among Estonian refugees thirsting to pay "the" Russians back. I thought the European Union should make settlement of the Russian minority issue in Estonia a condition for Estonian membership in the EU. I saw time and time again that Estonians didn't care what anyone else in Europe thought, for example, when a member of the Estonian government marched in a celebration in Tallinn with former Estonian SS men in their uniforms. Now the Estonian government has the bit in its teeth with its minority problem, and the EU can just sit by and watch.
by Anthony Williamson on Mon May 19th, 2008 at 02:18:57 PM EST
I´m somehow tired of repeating this: Estonians are the original people in Estonia, not Russians. Therefore it´s quite absurd to use the word aparheid, what it comes to Russians situation in Estonia.
Crimes against humanity during the Soviet occupation in Estonia, they are not solved at all. And those persons, who were involved with those crimes, are considered to be big heros for Russians in Estonia. Russians are not willing to learn Estonia, though they´d be living in the country for a long time.
I don´t think it´s a very big task, if You want Estonian nationality - just to learn a little bit Estonian language.
by Bets on Sun May 25th, 2008 at 03:20:40 PM EST
Wait, are you saying that if South Africa wanted to strip whites of citizenship it would be okay?
When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 17th, 2008 at 10:09:19 AM EST
And it should be also known, that Leena Hietanen is not considered very professional journalist in Finland - she has been kicked out from many newspapers, because she doesn´t make a difference between fact and fiction. The book she wrote about Estonia is full of things, that are non-true.
I´m very sorry for Russians in Estonia, that they got speking for themselves a person, who is completely unreliable.
European Tribune - An Estonian Kosovo
Instead of being able to dangle the carrot of potential EU membership to encourage improvements and reforms, we have now instead internalised the issue, with seemingly little political will or ability to address it.
We have done exactly the same with Romania and Bulgaria and the concerns about corruption.
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Vapor Release Triggers California Blaze
October 1, 2012 • by Anton Riecher
Dubbed "the most serious U.S. refinery incident in recent years" by a top U.S. Chemical Safety Board official, an Aug. 6 flammable vapor explosion at a Richmond, Calif., refinery is under investigation by that agency.
CSB chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said the fire was a near-disaster for refinery personnel.
"The circumstances warrant a full and independent federal investigation to determine the root causes," Moure-Eraso said. "Although fortunately no workers were killed, the overall impact of the incident ranks it as among the most serious U.S. refinery incidents in recent years."
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An initial report by the refinery owner filed with the Contra Costa County Department of Health Services states that the fire occurred at the refinery's No. 4 crude unit at about 6:30 p.m. Preliminary information indicates the fire was near P-1149 (C-100 Atmospheric Column No. 4 Sidecut pump). This unit was not operational.
Five minor injuries were reported by employees, three of them associated with the incident, the report states. These employees received first aid at the refinery and returned to work on the same shift.
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