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Transportation in plants
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Transportation in the plants This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
Should you Sit or Stand at Work?
Should you Sit or Stand at Work? Sitting for too long is not good for you – so should you stand at work? Sitting for long periods of time leads to joint stiffness, neck pain, back pain and postural problems – so should we all be standing at our lap tops instead of hunching over them at a desk? Like every other question it depends – how long we do it for and the type of chair and it depends on who we are. In truth doing any one thing for too long is not good for our bodies The truth is that we need to keep moving – sit for a while and stand for a while is the best way to spend our day so that we don't overload our joints and muscles. One study found that in the workplace, productivity increased when people have the ability to sit and stand throughout the work day. The study, conducted by researchers, examined the productivity of two groups of call-center employees, about 170 employees total, over the course of six months. One group was seated throughout the day, the other group stood up if they wanted to. By the end of the study, the employees using stand-capable workstations were about 46% more productive than the sit-only group (productivity was defined as the number of successful calls each employee completed per hour of work). The difference in productivity between the groups was significant, but the amount of time spent sitting versus standing was less than first thought. On average, the group who could stand or sit to work actually sat for just 1.6 hours less per day than the sit-only group. Second, the differences in productivity only started emerging after a full month of the study. It took that long for the participants to adapt to standing part of the day and figuring out what worked best. No one made overnight changes. The researchers say they also gathered data on employee discomfort and found that "nearly 75% of those working in standing mode experienced decreased body discomfort after using these desks for the six-month duration of the study." Which also goes to the point that it takes some time to adapt to a combination of sitting and standing, and no one should go into this thinking they'll magically adapt immediately. Each position has its advantages and disadvantages. Research indicates that long term sitting or standing are risk factors and that alternating work postures may be preferable. Alternation between two postures allows for increased rest intervals of specific body parts, and reduced potential for risk factors commonly associated with MSD development. Ideally, provide workers with a workstation and job tasks that allow frequent changes of working posture, including sitting, standing, and walking. If either sitting or standing is feasible but only one possible, sitting in a properly designed chair is preferable.
by Aparna Jaiman
Where is the Mumbai Retail Market Headed?
Where is the Mumbai Retail market headed? The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has the highest potential for modern retail in the country, at Rs 1,05,000 crore by 2036, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bengaluru, according to a report by property consultancy Knight Frank and Retailers Association of India (RAI). India is the first choice of global retailers and there are nearly 400 global retailers practicing business and many more yet to come. With a population of over 2crores and rising per house capital income makes Mumbai country's biggest retail market. Whether it is improved connectivity or the ease of imports and exports, all these factors have strengthen the retail sector. Government opening arms to the foreign investors and retailers have opened up a pool of options for buyers. A household now has much more foreign articles then compiled in last 25 years. The traditional markets are growing at a fast rate and are the first choice of buyers. Giants landing in Mumbai in form of marts and complexes has provided buyers variety and also set a different league of business. Food and cloth sector has got a great boom and has exploded into a big sector where there is no slowing down. The food chains and the local vendors are all carrying out their operations and Mumbai is witnessing a never such great competition. The potential for food and beverage quick service restaurants (QSR) in the Andheri-Borivali belt and the island city is estimated to be Rs 780 crore and Rs 730 crore respectively by 2036, offering a big opportunity to QSR players such as McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and Domino's Pizza, the report said. Mumbai leads in the retail expenditures of the country and is the prime source of revenue for the state and central government. Abolishment of Chinese good illegally imported has led to a great capital rise among the country and Mumbai led that too. Although Mumbai still lags behind NCR in terms of retail penetration but is expected to contribute in a big way to the retail spending of the country.
Mineral Nutrition in the plants
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Mineral Nutrition in the Plants This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic and tabular explanation.
Ecosystem - Structure and Functions
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Ecosystem - Structure and its Functions This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
Air Pollution - Types , Sources and its Effects
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Air pollution - Types , Sources and its Effects This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
Water pollution - Sources , Types and Effects
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Water pollution - Types , Sources and its Effects This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
Soil Pollution - Types Sources and Effects
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Soil pollution - Types , Sources and its Effects This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
Mech-o-knowledge
Springs are frequently used in our day to day life. The document contains the basic knowledge about the springs , it's classifications and materials used to make spring. These are somewhat exam ready notes that can be used for frequent study.
by Yagyansh Madan
Noise Pollution and Radio active Pollution
This material will helps in preparing for the candidates appearing for the Competetive exams that includes UPSC,SSC,State service examinations and as well as the documentary materials for the Class 11 and 12 th students especially the topic deals with the Noise pollution - Types , Sources and its Effects This document makes the readers easily understandable about the concepts and the reviews of NCERT Biology with a diagramatic explanation.
MATERIALS GYAN
These notes deal with the analysis of materials i.e. their mechanical, physical and chemical properties , along with the type of materials and their deformations. The content in the documents contain topics such as SELECTION OF MATERIALS, MECHANICAL PROPERTIES,etc. A full compilation is provided of the above mentioned data in the documents attatched below.
FERROUS KNOWLEDGE
Notes available for chemistry students about FERROUS. The document contains full knowledge of the extractive process of general metals, the powder metallurgy, a brief account of pig and cast iron, steels and their manufacture process and the Fe-C Phase diagram along with heat treatment processes.


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2020-03-24 Palma	By Jason Moore
It is a tale of two nations; in Britain the Prime Minister calls for people to stay at home and fight the coronavirus and a sizeable number of people head to the parks, their country retreats and the shopping centres. In Spain the Prime Minister delivers the same message but a week earlier and everyone takes note.
So why is Britain so different than Spain? I must admit that when the lockdown was first announced nine days ago in Spain I was both in shock and rather alarmed. To be honest I was rather amazed that everyone took notice of the government and the streets of Palma were deserted. The police are also out in force with orders to fine anyone who does not have a legitimate reason to be out on the streets.
As we all know the police have also established roadblocks across the island. The lockdown in Spain will last for a further two weeks and there is speculation that things will not start returning to normal until the end of next month.
Britain must follow Spain's lead; staying at home saves lives is the simple message. Yes, it is a nightmare staying at home with no light at the end of the tunnel so far but it is the only way forward.
I suspect that the British government will be forced to take radical action and I believe that there will be incidents. The British need to follow that wartime phrase and take note of what the government is doing and Keep Calm and Carry On. It is the only way out of this terrible situation.
Spain lockdown
Bert / Hace 10 months
Next month ? Next year, if ever.
Yogi / Hace 10 months
Part of it may also be the erosion of trust that has rotted the relationship between civilians and their elected political representatives. The last few years have been distinctly unedifying in the UK for all political shades and has unwittingly allowed pygmy political populists to drive agendas. Farage and brexit for example. And even further back with the expenses scandal. The days of Cool Britannia are far far gone! Not that it was ever that real, but there was a spring in the step of Britain back then which has evaporated horribly.
B.Rowe. / Hace 10 months
Whilst out for a walk with the wife, we usually go over a small bridge and walk along a river bank on a made up gravel path about 1 metre wide. We are aware that the virus can be spread by contact and air dispersal so the mantra is keep 2 metres apart.
First we met a elderly gentleman who stepped off the path and commented as we passed "I think that's over 2 metres", " Thank you" I replied.
On the way back we met a young couple probably in their early twenties walking two dogs, we stepped off the path and waited for them to pass, they carried on regardless down the middle of the path looking at us as if we were aliens.
At the end of the path we cross a narrow bridge that crosses the river about 1.5 metres wide, we stepped on the bridge and could see a middle aged couple arrive at the other side who then stepped aside.
On reaching the other side I said "thank you" and we went on our way.
It seems from this that the older people have more social awareness and are more socially conscious, whilst the younger generation tend to be more involved in themselves.
S.O. / Hace 10 months
The difference is obvious! In Spain it was a legal obligation once the PM had announced it and the police and civil guard were to ensure that people complied. In the UK it was only a recommendation (until yesterday evening).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » Hollywood » THE EAST
In the running for one of the most preposterous films of the year; no star- power could save this ridiculous scenario, featuring anarchists ("The East") Juno Page, Alexander Skarsgard, Toby Kebbell, dedicated vigilantes, using poisonous tactics to rid the country of corporate malfeasance; young idealists, intransigent, misguided; supposedly correcting environmental injustices; Machiavellian measures do not compensate for the wrongs perpetrated by monolithic, blindly capitalistic businesses.
Written and directed by the dynamic duo: Zal Batmanglij and Britt Marling; Ms. Marling stars as "Sarah" an ex FBI agent working for a private D.C. Intelligence agency (run by "Sharon", Patricia Clarkson); infiltrates the "den" of anarchists; survives on Dumpster-Diving, cuisine that has yet to perish, but discarded by irresponsible consumers; partakes in a jejune game of "spin the bottle"; catches a mild case of Stockholm Syndrome; goes on a "jam", euphuism for wrecking havoc, justified revenge on a reprehensible pharmaceutical company; innocents are pointlessly sacrificed, collateral damage expected in their well-intentioned, imprudent quest. Reminiscent of "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" (erroneously attributed to Samuel Johnson). Their intentions were prophetic and flawed.
In today's environment we have seen major companies be held accountable for massive disregard for humanity: Shell Oil, Chevron, Texaco, British Petroleum; the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 has struggled to curtail flagrant abuses by the giants who control this vital resource necessary for survival in the twenty-first century; pharmaceutical companies are incessantly bombarded with class action suits. We have "miles to go"; "The East" proselytizes, yet fails to inspire; it triumphs in vapid, predictable exhortations; an unexciting, boring tale that never titillates or trespasses upon one's imagination.
Left, longing for "Erin Brockovich" and "Silkwood".
0NE & 1/2 STARS!!
For Now…………Peneflix
In the running for one of the most preposterous films of the year; no star- power could save this ridiculous scenario, featuring anarchists ("The East") Juno Page, Alexander Skarsgard, Toby Kebbell, dedicated vigilantes, using poisonous tactics to rid the country of corporate malfeasance; young idealists, intransigent, misguided; supposedly correcting environmental injustices; Machiavellian measures do not …
Previous: THE INTERNSHIP
Next: The East Movie Review


JONES AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: Erik Jones returns to Daytona International Speedway as the most recent race winner having won the July 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400. The win marked Jones first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. This will be Jones third time competing in the prestigious Daytona 500.
JGR AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 131 total starts at Daytona International Speedway in Cup Series competition between the Daytona 500 and July Cup Series race. In those starts, the team has earned six wins, 29 top-five finishes, 41 top-10 finishes and four pole starting positions. The team has led 1,599 laps, completed 20,753 of 23,274 attempted laps (89.2%) and earned an average start of 15.6 and an average finish of 20.2. Denny Hamlin (2016) and Dale Jarrett (1993) both scored Daytona 500 wins for the team and Kyle Busch (2008), Tony Stewart (2005 and 2006) and Jones (2018) have all visited victory lane during the July race weekend.
CLASH RECAP: Running in his second Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Jones started from the 20th position after the 20-car field was set by random draw. Running as high as sixth early in the race, Jones was collected in a 17-car accident on lap 56 that brought out the caution. With rain returning to the track, the race was called on lap 59 and Jones was credited with a 20th-place finish.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: For the 61st running of the Daytona 500, the No. 20 Toyota Camry will carry the Sport Clips colors. This will be the first time in Sport Clips 11-year partnership with JGR that they will serve as the primary partner on one of the team's four Camry's for the Daytona 500. Sport Clips started their partnership with Jones in 2015, sponsoring Jones and the No. 20 Xfinity team at Talladega Superspeedway. Since then, Sport Clips has continued to sponsor Jones throughout his Xfinity career and now in the Cup Series. Sport Clips will be in the No. 20 Camry for the Daytona 500, as well as five more races this season.
DUEL STARTING LINEUP: With the front row of the Daytona 500 set, teams now turn their focus to Thursday evenings Duels when the remainder of the lineup for the Daytona 500 will be set. Qualifying in the 14th position during Sunday's qualifying session, Jones will start from the seventh position of Duel 2 Thursday evening. Live coverage of the Duels will begin at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SIRUS XM Channel 90 Radio.
RACE INFO: The Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, February 17, 2018. Coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and is ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the "Fastest-Growing Franchises' and #17 in its "Franchise 500." There are more than 1,800 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the "Official Haircutter" of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a "2018 Best for Vets: Franchises" by Military Times. Sport Clips provides "Haircuts with Heart" through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $6.5 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR drivers Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Sebastien Bourdais, and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.


This article was entered into The Hackies contest for the MarTech conference. It's an essay contest for teaching a clever marketing technology "hack" — AKA, an innovative approach to marketing technology management that readers can adopt to improve their own organizations and digital customer experiences.
As a marketer, it can be frustrating to recognize the chasm between the promise of technology and the reality of delivering on that promise.
Sure, you can come up with a cool idea like using bacon to emotionally connect with your customer, but then how do you use that newfound behavioral data to productively move a customer along their journey?
Unfortunately, bacon doesn't have a conversion tag that fires once it hits your customer's stomach to measure ROI. BUT, we do have these cool new IoT beacons… hmmm, how can these connect?
When you think about it, the challenge always comes down to data. That's why we created a fresh, flexible approach to data strategy meant to manage the newfound challenges of technology proliferation under any scenario or campaign idea.
CRM = Salesforce: Historical customer data stored in our CRM, much from other systems we've unified.
Marketing Automation = Pardot: Before, during and after the event, Pardot enabled a customer engagement channel.
Event Registration = Cvent: Augment existing customer data (from many sources, including CRM) during conference registration with attendance, favorite color and music bands.
IoT Location = Estimote Beacons, SnowShoe Stamps: Conference app integrated with beacons and SnowShoe stamps (unique identifiers that communicate through phone touchscreens) to measure attendee movement near points of interest.
Analysis = Splunk: Monitor and analyze data in real-time to customize experience based on our hypotheses (for eventual automation).
Push Notifications = Parse: With app installed, Parse enables push notifications to communicate with attendees in real-time.
Music Personalization = Twitter: Favorite music for attendees tweeted to DJ when on the dance floor.
IoT Lighting = Philips Hue Lights + Raspberry Pi: Personalize party/lounge experience with Philips Hue personal wireless lighting system displaying that attendee's favorite color.
Data Collection — Ideally collected from any source: online (client-side and server-side) and offline/off-site. Salesforce/Pardot, Cvent, and Estimote Beacons are all collecting data in our data supply chain, then sending it to a central hub for enrichment and activation. We use Tealium's Universal Data Hub (UDH) to manage data collection across client and server-side technologies.
Data Storage — The data must be sent to a central location where it can be acted upon in real time. Can't store it all in CRM (not real-time, doesn't integrate with every execution tool to act on data in real-time). We used our UDH to store data where it could be accessed in real time for action. Key to have a substantial number of integrations to get the data from anywhere.
Data Enrichment — A mechanism to enrich data in a customer profile in real-time is required because we need to know on-site, in real-time who is spending time where at the conference. We need to be able to identify a customer profile and assign an attribute, like Bacon Lover, to that customer as the behavior occurs. Our UDH combined with a data layer for standardizing and adding data variables (more on this below) allows us this flexibility, along with the central database that correlates it.
Data Unification — Data will need to be unified from various sources, cross-device and cross-channel. We'll need a way to connect a mobile device user with an app as the same person who may have registered for the conference using Cvent on their desktop computer (for example). Our UDH also fills this gap for us. As data flows in from multiple systems the UDH automatically unifies data by mapping to a persistent ID.
Data Activation — Simply having access to unified data isn't enough. We have access to a mind-boggling amount of data — what we need is a way to act on the unified cross-channel and cross-device data as it happens using business rules. The UDH with integrations to all of our stack point solutions allows us to use audience attributes in real time to trigger marketing actions.
We began asking questions such as "What constitutes a bacon lover?" or "How many cups of coffee does it take to identify a big coffee fan?" It's not important that you get it right the first time, so long as it's monitored. If you have historical data to base your audience definition on, even better. After that, you can optimize and automate.
We picked a starting point, then monitored without preconceptions to allow flexibility during the conference and ultimately enable the creation of a truly customer-centric experience over time. We're still on this step.
Based on our monitoring, we made optimizations around the accuracy in identifying and deepening sponsor visits. Instead of our original approach using beacons to identify sponsor visits, we started to use SnowShoe stamps that required the sponsor to press a stamp on attendees' mobile devices. This led to deeper interactions and better reflected a true booth visit.
Changing elements of the program and measuring how customer behavior changes are central to our approach. With a baseline of behavior data on identifying audience members and tailoring experience, we now know how compelling our offers were. We'll use this to optimize the experience for our next conference.
Through all this fun, we fostered a dialogue with our attendees around the idea that data lives all around. The days of tracking web behaviors alone can't adequately explain what customers are doing. They are switching devices at an increasing rate. They are visiting stores while researching products on their phones.
No matter which channel they choose, they expect brands to treat them with the same level of care and knowledge. And they expect brands to operate in real time, all the time.
Whew, that seemed like a lot. But, it's not once you have a flexible data foundation. The power comes from using data in ways that your customer can't see to deliver experiences in the way that they expect — consistent, omnichannel, and cross-device.


GAZING out over downtown Montreal from the large plate-glass windows of his 34th-floor office, Bill Namagoose points out a nearby skyscraper occupied by Hydro-Quebec, a utility whose proposed dam projects would flood a large chunk of lands that belonged to his Cree Indian ancestors.
Getting permission to build such dams used to be a cake walk. Not anymore.
Canada's 1 million natives have in the past two years risen to a level of prominence and political power previously unimagined by most Canadians - as well as by most natives. Quebec's Crees were among the first to recognize the new reality.
"If we were riding around on horses and living in teepees it would be romantic, huh?," Mr. Namagoose says of his lobbying efforts to stop the encroaching white man. "Sure I'd rather be at home in my cabin on the Broadback River than at this office every day. But the danger is here. There's no danger for my people up north. This is the 1990s - and this [office] is the state of the art in lobbying and protecting our land."
Using the tools of a modern political movement, they are also pushing to remake the country in a way that recognizes their way of life and eliminates government paternalism and oppression. In the United States Indian nations have been legally declared "dependent nations" and live according to their own tribal customs and laws, but Canada's natives frequently have little land or autonomy.
"Indians are looking at Canada right now and deciding whether they want to be part of it," says political scientist Gerald Alfred, a Mohawk who grew up in Quebec's Kahnawake reserve. "Before there was a clear sense of what being a Canadian was. Either you were an English-speaking Canadian committed to Western-liberal values, or, if from Quebec, you were French-speaking, but still committed to the same set of values. Now it's all changing and it's up for grabs."
Native leaders agree that the way natives view Canada is changing, as is the way Canadians view natives.
"Internationally we are growing up as human beings, and in the last two years this has been more pronounced," says Ovid Mercredi, a soft-spoken Cree lawyer who is Canada's foremost Indian leader. "We are entering a new era for humanity where the right to be different is being more broadly embraced - and that process is enveloping the world."
Fragmentation, however, remains a problem for Canada's native peoples. Chief Mercredi's Assembly of First Nations (AFN), for example, represents 512,000 Indians whose status is recognized by the government. But another 32,000 natives are Inuit and 500,000 more are Metis of French-Indian ancestry or non-status Indians, who often live in urban settings apart from any reserve. Even within the AFN, which comprises 633 bands, there is disagreement over goals and policies.
And not every tribe is winning battles against huge corporations. Many other Canadian Indians are light-years behind and only beginning to push their own demands.
Nevertheless Mohawks, Crees, Inuit, and other native groups have used their newfound clout to carve out a new place for themselves and protect their lands.
Lobbyist Namagoose describes how his organization, the Grand Council of the Crees of Quebec, worked for years to block Hydro-Quebec's Great Whale dam in the northern part of the province.
Waging a public-relations war, Cree leaders flew to hearings in the US to counter utility executives and spokesmen hired to squelch the Cree message. They hired US consultants to analyze the utility's byzantine financial reports and energy-demand forecasts.
The Crees even shipped birch-bark canoes to Europe and paddled down waterways there dressed in traditional garb to publicize their concerns.
This March, New York state utility officials canceled a $17 billion, 20-year contract to buy Hydro-Quebec's electricity. The broken deal has delayed the dam for years; it may never be built, some analysts say.
Another example of Canadian natives' increasing prominence is Mercredi's stature. In March the Canadian government gave him a seat at the negotiating table during the most recent round of constitutional talks between provincial leaders.
His appearance in ceremonial headdress and a beaded, leather jacket on the March 16 cover of the national newsweekly MacLean's was followed by an Angus Reid Group poll that showed 58 percent of Canadians supporting the idea of native self-government.
"I simply can't imagine an Indian leader in the US having the same clout as Mercredi," says Michael Bliss, a University of Toronto historian. "He virtually functions as a head of state."
Mercredi and others say two events in the volatile summer of 1990 forced Canadians to face native issues. One was Cree legislator Elijah Harper's stand in the Manitoba legislature in June of that year, when he blocked a crucial ratification vote on the 1990 Meech Lake constitutional accord aimed at keeping Quebec in the Canadian federation. Mr. Harper objected that the accord did not address native concerns.
Then on July 11 a Quebec policeman was killed in a clash with a small group of Mohawks who had set up a roadblock at Oka, near Montreal. The shooting followed a standoff that had begun in March after Mohawks refused to permit construction of a golf course on a tribal cemetery.
Mohawks at the Kahnawake reserve a few miles distant reacted by setting up a barrier on the Mercier bridge - an access route to Montreal for thousands of commuters. The reaction was instant, with news crews, police, and federal troops lining up opposite the Mohawks for 49 days before the crisis was defused in August.
"Canadians are reexamining themselves," AFN chief Mercredi says flatly. "I think Canadians have a sense of fairness, and they were shocked by what happened at Oka. Canadian people are seeing the extent to which Indian people feel aggrieved and the extent to which they are prepared to go to defend whatever rights we have."
Mr. Alfred, whose studies have focused on the political development of the Kahnawake reserve, says Oka was a seminal event. "For natives in Canada, it was a symbolic action.... It represented, number one, standing up to the Canadian government, [and] number two, taking action rather than relying on words or arguments. It represented a real change in the way natives in Canada vented their frustration."
Mercredi looks beyond Canada, however, and sees a global change in how natives and non-natives see each other.
"We're becoming a little more compassionate to each other," he said in a recent interview. "We're growing in spirituality that was absent for some time because of the preoccupation with materialism around the world."
Underlying his stand for native rights and self-government, Mercredi says, is a conviction that a broad shift is occurring in individual human attitudes within and without Canada. He sees a rising global sentiment embracing the rights of indigenous peoples along with such concerns as children's rights and the environment.
"It's really a question of identity," he says, his fingers pushed together. "Indigenous peoples are a family within the world community. This experiment we're getting involved in is good for all of us. It will require growth. But in the end, our people will have to come back to an original concept of themselves.
"Our search for wealth hasn't diminished poverty around the world either. So all this idea of economic development for the sake of economic development is losing ground, because people are seeing the results of that kind of destructive planning right in their neighborhood."
Mercredi smiles, then amplifies: "When I say spirituality I don't mean organized religion. I mean a sense of connectedness with the universe, with the world in general. You don't have to be a churchgoer to be a spiritual person. And you don't have to be a churchgoer to know what you have to do to help the human species to survive. This thinking is not something we grew up with, it's something that's evolving."
Though he does not believe Canada's Indian nations are part of the Canadian nation-state, Mercredi says the momentum building toward an acknowledgment in Canada of the native right to self-government will be a breakthrough. He worries now, however, that gains toward self-government made during constitutional talks could evaporate at the last moment - at least in the short term. But in the long run he says he is certain Canada must move forward on Indian rights.
"Nowhere in the world other than in Canada is there such a reconsideration of fundamental values," he says. "Now we have the potential to create a new nation-state that also recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples."


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← Fall TV Preview 2012
The Weekender: No more 'Words' →
Review round-up: September 2012
I've seen a lot of movies in the past month, so here's a collection of everything I've seen since Aug. 1 that hasn't already been covered on the site or College Movie Review.
Bernie (A) – DVD
Richard Linklater's true-life tale of murder in an East Texas town absolutely nails life in the sticks. Jack Black gives the performance of a lifetime as the charismatic funeral home director who took out the meanest lady in town (Shirley MacLaine) and almost got away with it. Also, chalk up another great supporting turn from Matthew McConaughey.
The Bourne Legacy (B+) – Theater
Jeremy Renner is no Matt Damon, but he doesn't have to be. This is a parallel story directed with the same action chops, but no shaky-cam. Sure, I get a little tired of hearing Edward Norton say things like, "I want everything you have on this guy, and I mean everything." But this a new chapter of one of the best trilogies of all time, moving in a darker but thrilling direction.
Celeste and Jesse Forever (B+) – Theater
Like last year's Young Adult, this is often more drama than comedy, but it documents, in sometimes excruciating detail, the different stages of grief of a break-up, and with a character it's often hard to like. But Jones finds all the nuance she doesn't get on Parks and Rec and Samberg shows he's got a bright post-SNL future ahead if he picks more movies like this over That's My Boy.
God Bless America (B+) – Netflix
Occasionally lapses into redundancy: rant, shootout, rant, shootout. But at least Bobcat Goldthwait is saying some things that need to be said about our culture and the people who don't deserve to be a part of it. This is essentially a pop-culture infused Bonnie and Clyde, but when it works, it fires on all cylinders.
The Grey (B+) – DVD
Liam Neeson absolutely kills it once more, fighting off wolves and hypothermia. It's far more existential than the sights of wolf punching would have you believe, but it's gripping from beginning to end, and even taps into a spiritual side.
The Hunger Games (B+) – DVD
Some of those special effects are rough, but Katniss Everdeen is a heroine you can be OK with your daughter looking up to, unlike Twilight. Jennifer Lawrence is great as usual, and the colorful cast of non-competitors elevates this to the level of a spectacular blockbuster.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (C+) – Screening
This would have made an awesome horror movie, but it's sadly an overly earnest family drama. The little kid who grows in the garden exists solely teach this barren couple about doing nice things for nice people and believing in yourself and blah blah blah. It aims for tears but only earns yawns.
Savages (C-) – Dollar Theater
Would have been simply a stylish, substance-free action movie were it not for the horrible choice to put Blake Lively in this. Her narration and acting are just atrocious, featuring two lines that have to rank among the worst this side of The Room. Even without her, this is a senseless, witless movie that makes it impossible to care what happens to anyone onscreen.
Sleepwalk with Me (A-) – Screening
Mike Birbiglia's very autobiographical comedy is a real charmer, even though it's brief and lightweight. We already know he's a great writer, but he's also naturally gifted as an actor, in a way that's different from his onstage presence. Plus, he's surrounded himself with a great group of actors with natural chemistry. This one's likely found a way into my top ten.
Thin Ice (B) – DVD
Takes a while to get going (even in a form that's a half-hour shorter than what premiered at Sundance), but once it does, it's a fascinating game of who's-conning-whom with a colorful cast in a frozen landscape, recalling good memories of Fargo.
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text:
class Spinach::Features::AdminIssuesLabels < Spinach::FeatureSteps
  include SharedAuthentication
  include SharedProject
  include SharedPaths

  step 'I visit \'bug\' label edit page' do
    visit edit_admin_label_path(bug_label)
  end

  step 'I visit admin new label page' do
    visit new_admin_label_path
  end

  step 'I visit admin labels page' do
    visit admin_labels_path
  end

  step 'I remove label \'bug\'' do
    page.within "#label_#{bug_label.id}" do
      click_link 'Remove'
    end
  end

  step 'I have labels: "bug", "feature", "enhancement"' do
    ["bug", "feature", "enhancement"].each do |title|
      Label.create(title: title, template: true)
    end
  end

  step 'I delete all labels' do
    page.within '.labels' do
      page.all('.btn-remove').each do |remove|
        remove.click
        sleep 0.05
      end
    end
  end

  step 'I should see labels help message' do
    page.within '.labels' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'There are no labels yet'
    end
  end

  step 'I submit new label \'support\'' do
    visit new_admin_label_path
    fill_in 'Title', with: 'support'
    fill_in 'Background Color', with: '#F95610'
    click_button 'Save'
  end

  step 'I submit new label \'bug\'' do
    visit new_admin_label_path
    fill_in 'Title', with: 'bug'
    fill_in 'Background Color', with: '#F95610'
    click_button 'Save'
  end

  step 'I submit new label with invalid color' do
    visit new_admin_label_path
    fill_in 'Title', with: 'support'
    fill_in 'Background Color', with: '#12'
    click_button 'Save'
  end

  step 'I should see label exist error message' do
    page.within '.label-form' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'Title has already been taken'
    end
  end

  step 'I should see label color error message' do
    page.within '.label-form' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'Color is invalid'
    end
  end

  step 'I should see label \'feature\'' do
    page.within '.manage-labels-list' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'feature'
    end
  end

  step 'I should see label \'bug\'' do
    page.within '.manage-labels-list' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'bug'
    end
  end

  step 'I should not see label \'bug\'' do
    page.within '.manage-labels-list' do
      expect(page).not_to have_content 'bug'
    end
  end

  step 'I should see label \'support\'' do
    page.within '.manage-labels-list' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'support'
    end
  end

  step 'I change label \'bug\' to \'fix\'' do
    fill_in 'Title', with: 'fix'
    fill_in 'Background Color', with: '#F15610'
    click_button 'Save'
  end

  step 'I should see label \'fix\'' do
    page.within '.manage-labels-list' do
      expect(page).to have_content 'fix'
    end
  end

  def bug_label
    Label.templates.find_or_create_by(title: 'bug')
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Remember, Two Years Ago, The Pollsters Said….
Now they say Cruz is inching ahead. But take heart Beto maniacs. It was just two years ago, that the polls were all absolutely convinced that Hillary had the election in the bag. Don't trust the pollsters, put Beto over the top!
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No or not + gerund?
Not doing anything about it is worse than doing the wrong thing.
Bob thinks going to the opera isn't a bad idea, but he thinks that not going is a better idea.
There will be no smoking in this office ever again!
At the children's camp, the rules are quite strict: After 8:00 p.m., there is no talking, no reading and no watching television.
No is used with gerunds just as it is used with any noun or noun substitute: to mean not any.
There will not be any smoking in this office ever again!
There is no food in the pantry.
There isn't any food in the pantry.
I considered going to the meeting.
I considered not going to the meeting.
Going seemed like a good idea.
Not going seemed like a good idea.
Also, no (not not) is often used with gerunds in notices that say a particular activity is prohibited (No Smoking, No talking). In this case, it would appear that no is still the equivalent of not any ?"There will not be any smoking in this area."


But surely the fact that it needs considerable re-engineering serves to underscore the point that, as sold, it's not fit for function.
Mine's either in landfill somewhere or has by now been recycled into a jar lid.
Nothing, but nothing, would give me more pleasure than to have a fiddle with your TT. Let me know when you'd like it done and we can arrange a liaison somewhere?
Actually, Kevy, have you thought about doing something like cytech qualifications. Developing a sideline in bike maintenance. Has to be an interesting side line and an area with growth potential. Mobile mechanic or whatever.
Jack Hughes wrote: Actually, Kevy, have you thought about doing something like cytech qualifications. Developing a sideline in bike maintenance. Has to be an interesting side line and an area with growth potential. Mobile mechanic or whatever.
Be handy excuse for all those times you're spotted parked in a layby too.


text:
25th Hour Movie Review
by Phil Hinton Jun 1, 2003 @philhinton
25th Hour Movie (2002)
25th Hour is a slow, sombre but completely involving tale told by acclaimed Director Spike Lee. Based on a novel, and later a screenplay by David Benioff, the film tells the story of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) a well mannered, intelligent and trustworthy individual who just happens to be a drug dealer. The film is told with the use of a normal linear storyline, which is interwoven by flashbacks to fill in the gaps and make the story complete. Monty lives with his girlfriend in a gorgeous apartment and we find out that he is busted by the DEA for drugs offences. He is sentenced to seven years hard time in prison, and given bail after his father offers his bar as surety. We follow his last 24hours before he has to report to the prison, which is a time of reflection and wanting to be around people from his past. He invites his two most trusted friends to spend the last night of freedom with him, as he comes to terms with his fate. There are thoughts of who it was that tipped of the DEA, and who can he trust? All this is set in post 9/11 New York, which adds an uncanny feel to the film, where everyone is mourning their loss.
I felt that although the story could have been a bit tighter, the acting on show from Norton, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson and Anna Paquin is just astounding, and has a realised improvisational feel to it. You immediately feel for the characters that are very well developed and clearly have some history to them.
The final 30 minutes as we explore all that has gone before and what maybe to come, are the most powerful and emotional cinematic scenes I have seen in a while, and I felt genuinely moved. This is possibly Spike Lee's finest effort yet, highly recommended.


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Foreigners can start a business in Belgium as long as they meet the minimum requirements and are entitled to work in the country. If a person meets the requirements, they can choose whether to be self-employed or to start a company. No prior government authorisation is required and there are no restrictions on the transfer of capital in to or out of Belgium.
Non-residents may carry out self-employed work in Belgium for short periods and some companies (especially international companies) may be non-resident for tax purposes.
Foreigners who are citizens of an EU member state or of Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein can set up business in Belgium without restriction. Non-EU nationals must apply for a professional card (beroepskaart/carte professionelle) at the Belgian embassy or consulate in their home country, or, if they are already in Belgium, at the municipality where they live.
Applications are sent to the Federal Public Service for the Economy, which investigates the application. If it is approved, the municipality issues a professional card with an exact description of the authorised activity. This card can be valid for up to five years.
In addition to nationals of a Member State of the European Economic Area, this formality is waived for certain other persons, such as asylum seekers and nationals of countries which have a special relationship with Belgium under a treaty. The countries that currently have such a special relationship are Bulgaria and Romania. However, nationals of these countries require a permit to be able to conduct a self-employed business. The permit must be applied for from the Federal Public Department for the Economy.


Established in the year 1989, Magnamious Systems Pvt. Ltd is a system Integrator and operates in IT infrastructure space. The Company's strengths lies principally in the trading, designing IT Infrastructure and implementing of industrial IT Products; management and execution of IT projects; sourcing, installation and servicing of technology-based Servers & Systems and represents global technology leaders, serving diverse industrial sectors and applications.


text:
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NEW YORK -- Less than 12 hours after winning the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll already was talking about getting started on next season. Pedro Severino Jersey . "The first meeting that well have will be tomorrow. ... Our guys would be surprised if we didnt," Carroll said Monday morning. "We really have an eye on whats coming, and we dont dwell on what just happened. Well take this in stride." He appeared at a news conference at a Manhattan hotel with linebacker Malcolm Smith, the MVP of Seattles 43-8 victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. Carroll oversees a team with the fourth-youngest roster for a Super Bowl champion, with an average age of 26 years, 175 days, according to STATS. The youngest champs ever were the Pittsburgh Steelers who won the 1975 Super Bowl, and they collected a second consecutive title the next year. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson just wrapped up his second season in the league, as did Jermaine Kearse, the receiver who caught one of the QBs two touchdown passes Sunday night. Doug Baldwin, who caught the other, is only three years into his pro career, as are star cornerback Richard Sherman and Smith, who at 24 is the fourth-youngest player to be the Super Bowl MVP. "Weve seen the effort that it takes to get to this point, and, obviously, well try to replicate that and do it again," Smith said. "Were looking forward to the next challenges and guys having a target on their back and people trying to come after us." Smith became the third linebacker to earn Super Bowl MVP honours, thanks to a 69-yard touchdown return off an interception of regular-season MVP Manning in the first half and a fumble recovery in the second half. He said that during the game, some of his teammates were telling him, "You might be the MVP." "And I was like, No way. No way. Not me." Carroll said general manager John Schneider has positioned the Seahawks to be able to avoid the problems that can make it hard to repeat as NFL champions. Since Denver repeated in the 1999 game, only one team has won two Super Bowls in a row, the New England Patriots in 2004-05. Theres the need to replace players who leave via free agency. The need to pay other players with new, better-paying contracts. "John Schneider has done an extraordinary job of structuring this roster contractually, and with the vision of looking ahead, so that we can keep our guys together," Carroll said. "One of the things that happens every so often is teams have a big fallout after they win the Super Bowl. Were not in that situation." Carroll was reminded during Sundays game of some of his blowout victories in college football bowl games when he was a championship-winning coach at Southern California. "It felt like it. It looked like it. The score was like it," he said Monday. "I really cant tell you exactly what it is, but somethings going on, because I sat back there at the end of the first quarter and said, Shoot, here it goes," he said. "Bang, bang, bang, bang, and its 22-0 at halftime." Carroll described the lopsided nature of the game as "kind of like an avalanche," an interesting choice of words given the hubbub last week -- and, really, for months before that -- over whether the first outdoor Super Bowl at a cold-weather site would be affected by snow. Instead, the weather wasnt a factor Sunday at the stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where the temperature was 49 degrees at kickoff and only some light rain fell. On Monday morning, meanwhile, driving snow hit the area and forecasts called for up to 8 inches. "I dont know how (NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell) pulled it off, but he pulled off the weather in perfect fashion," Carroll joked. "The NFL is powerful." Rich Dauer Jersey . Reimer told TSNs Mark Masters on Tuesday that he doesnt know if he will be moved leading up to the March 5 trade deadline but added he wasnt interested in discussing it. "Who knows whats going to happen on the horizon here and right now I dont know if I want to talk about it too much. Austin Wynns Jersey . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport.MADRID, Spain -- Players past and present paid their respects to Luis Aragones on Sunday at the funeral of the former Spain coach in Madrid. Barcelona players Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol -- who played under Aragones when Spain won the 2008 European Championship -- all visited La Paz cemetery for Sundays funeral, a day after Aragones died after a battle with leukemia. He was 75. Among those in attendance were former Atletico Madrid teammates Adelardo Rodriguez, Miguel Reina and Miguel San Roman, as well as former players Pedja Mijatovic, Fernando Hierro and Andoni Zubizarreta. Trey Mancini Jersey. All Spanish league games are holding one minutes silence in honour of Aragones this weekend, with Atletico remembering its former player and coach before its match against Real Sociedad. ' ' '
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text:
North Mountain is a 2015 Canadian action thriller film. Written and directed by Bretten Hannam and billed as a "cross between Brokeback Mountain and Rambo", the film stars Justin Rain as Wolf, a young Mi'kmaq hunter who encounters Crane (Glen Gould), a wanted fugitive, in the forest. The two men fall in love and begin a relationship, which is tested when the gangsters looking for Crane arrive.

The film's cast also includes Meredith MacNeill, Gharrett Patrick Paon, Glenn Lefchak, Johnny Terris, Gary Levert, Preston Carmichael, Scott Baker, Daniel Fanaberia, Zach Tovey, Katherine Sorbey and John Allen MacLean.

Shot near Kejimkujik National Park in January 2015, the film premiered on September 23, 2015 at the Atlantic Film Festival. It screened at various LGBT film festivals, including Toronto's Inside Out Film and Video Festival and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, in 2016, and received a limited commercial run in 2018 at Toronto's Carlton Theatre.

See also
List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films of 2015

References

External links

2015 films
Canadian action thriller films
2015 action thriller films
Canadian LGBT-related films
LGBT-related thriller films
2015 LGBT-related films
First Nations films
LGBT First Nations culture
Films shot in Nova Scotia
2015 directorial debut films
2010s English-language films
2010s Canadian films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
"Marine Life and Impact of Man" lecture – Sat 03 Aug 2013 from Otterman speaks
A Round up of the Festival of Biodiversity 2013
from Raffles Museum News
Fish farming goes high-tech
Former IT man uses technology to bring industry into 21st century
Natalie Kuan and Chan Huan Jun Straits Times 20 Jul 13;
IT LOOKS like a traditional fish farm floating on the sea, at first. Draw closer to Metropolitan Fishery Group, however, and more begins to meet the eye.
Solar panels are mounted on the roof of a small wooden shelter. And a peek at the owner's iPhone reveals a water monitoring system which can be accessed remotely.
These are just two of several high-tech features which make the fish farm stand out in an industry that has long depended on low-cost labour instead of technology.
Metropolitan Fishery Group is the brainchild of 50-year-old Malcolm Ong.
In 2007, he took a leap of faith. From being a managing director of a French software company, he plunged into fish farming, despite having no experience.
"It was all because I wanted to buy a boat," he said. "As I did my research, I got to know more and more fishermen who lamented the dwindling local fish stocks in Singapore. That was when I realised fish farming was feasible and I could make a difference."
Locally harvested fish currently meets 7 per cent of demand here.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority hopes to increase this to 15 per cent by 2015.
Metropolitan Fishery Group is now the biggest fish farm in this country, capable of producing up to 600 tonnes of fish a year, and selling them under its brand The Fish Farmer.
It helps that new-age fish farms can tailor supply to demand with pinpoint accuracy.
Fish can be bred to the exact size and weight needed by the market.
In contrast, traditional fishingdepends entirely on what gets into the net.
As a veteran of the IT industry, it would seem natural that Mr Ong's fish farm incorporates high-tech equipment, including the water-monitoring system.
When the oxygen level in the water is low, an alert is sent. Staff can then activate an oxygen pump, giving the fish a better chance of surviving. Low oxygen levels are a common problem for fish farms.
Still, he says, the most important thing he brought from the office to the farm was his people- management skills.
"It's all about bringing a team of people together. Like in IT, when we worked on projects, in the same way here you need to coordinate people."
As much as technology has changed the game in the industry, some things remain the same.
Says Mr Ong: "Back-breaking labour. It's all muscle and human strength. "I need three or four people to reel in a net when it's filled with fish. Each fish weighs half a kilogram.
"Automation has yet to make an appearance here."
It was sink or swim for ex-pig farmer
He had to adapt to rearing fish after pig farms were phased out
Debbie Lee Straits Times 20 Jul 13;
MR ONG Kim Pit's decision to become a fish farmer in 1990 was made out of necessity, rather than choice.
Back then, the farmer, now 65, had been rearing pigs in Punggol for about 30 years. But the Government's decision to phase out pig farms in the early 1980s saw him turn to fish.
Armed with only the know-how of pig farming, he started out rearing freshwater fish such as marble goby and barramundi in a Lim Chu Kang pond.
But after three years, when the rent proved too expensive, he bought a fish pen off the Lim Chu Kang coast to farm saltwater fish, starting with twenty small nets and 3,000 barramundi.
The transition from pigs to fish was not a smooth one. "If a pig falls sick, you inject it with medicine. But fish are trickier," he said. "Species such as grouper will definitely come down with an illness at some point. Their throats and mouths may rot."
And there was competition from other fish farms. The Jurong Fishery Port has since stepped in to regulate prices. "In the past, I would sell a kilogram of fish for $5, and they would sell it for $4.50," said Mr Ong.
But he has no regrets making the switch, even if he lost as much as 3,000kg of fish in the beginning. "As farmers, we need to have confidence in ourselves," he said, adding that he would constantly analyse where he had gone wrong to find ways to improve.
After losing $70,000 in barramundi because of diseases, for example, he turned to milkfish and mullet. It paid off, with these two species less prone to illness. Their feed, of stale bread and uncooked instant noodles, is also cheaper.
Now a seasoned fish farmer, he even uses high-tech machinery, such as a pump to improve oxygen levels in the water.
His farm rears at least 400,000 fish today, most of them bound for wet markets and supermarkets here. He earns $2,000 to $3,000 a month, depending on orders from Jurong Fishery Port.
But Mr Ong intends to call it a day after two more years. His three sons are not keen to take over the business.
"It's not an easy job to follow," said his second son Jun Yuan, 30. "The operation and maintenance costs will be too high for me to carry on for another decade."
labels aquaculture, marine, shores, singapore
Setting gardens a-flutter
Grow the right plants and attract butterflies as well as birds to your plot to liven it up
Natasha Ann Zachariah Straits Times 20 Jul 13;
For some avid gardeners, having butterflies enter their plot might be akin to the presence of an uninvited guest in one's home. After all, caterpillars are known to be voracious eaters that can destroy pockets of their gardens.
But these winged creatures add colour and life to what would otherwise be a static display of plants. Which is why the National Parks Board (NParks) is focusing part of its greening efforts on introducing butterflies and winged creatures such as dragonflies and birds to its parks and green spaces here, even in Singapore's urban landscape.
Dr Lena Chan, director of the National Biodiversity Centre, says that despite Singapore's small size, native butterfly species here number at 301 - about five times more than the United Kingdom.
The centre, which is under NParks, takes charge of and records biodiversity- related information and activities.
"There's so much rich biodiversity in Singapore," says Dr Chan, who is in her late 50s. "What can we do about it and how can we make use of its benefits such as having natural ecosystems that balance pests and insect populations?"
Across Singapore, some plots of land are being set aside to plant host and nectar plants, which will attract butterflies to feed and lay eggs in a natural environment. These include the three- month-old garden at Alexandra Canal Linear Park (see other story), Hort Park and community gardens such as the Tampines-Changkat Community Garden set up by residents of the neighbourhood.
And while most people might squirm at creepy crawlies, Dr Chan says: "Everyone loves butterflies but you need caterpillars too. We are trying to give nature a nudge by growing the right plants. We leave the rest up to the butterflies."
One community garden that has successfully nurtured butterflies is the Kebun Baru Palm View garden, trimmed and lovingly tended by gardening enthusiasts who live nearby.
Sandwiched between blocks 231 and 232 at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 is a plot that is filled with flowering plants such as morning glory creepers, roses, ixoras and hibiscus. Butterflies dart from flower to flower, sucking up nectar.
Mr Selvadurai Krishnamoorthy, 75, is behind the thriving plot. Together with three volunteers, he took 21/2 years to build up the garden, planting flowers that residents had donated.
The retiree, who used to work for a printing firm, says attracting butterflies was initially difficult as they did not have the right plants. But since he started, he has spotted 12 species of butterflies there.
Mr Krishnamoorthy adds: "Without butterflies, gardens will not look pretty. It is growing well now and I have never sprayed it with pesticides because that would keep the butterflies away."
At Hougang Primary School, his son Mohan, 38, also helped spearhead a butterfly garden project on the school grounds.
After two years of trying to start a butterfly garden at the school to no avail, the science teacher hit the jackpot after receiving saplings and seeds through a contact at NParks. The school also got $2,500 from Citibank's initiative, Ideas in Action, to help fund the project.
He put in Lantanas, Weeping Willows and Crotalaria plants, among others, and found butterflies swarming to the spot.
The garden, which started at a corner of the carpark, has since expanded to other spaces nearby, such as along the driveway. It will soon be extended to the plots in front of the school's main entrance.
Butterflies that have been seen include the Chocolate Pansy, the Tailed Green Jay and the rare Plain Tiger butterfly.
He says: "I started out trying to make the butterfly garden part of an existing eco-garden. But it was not bright enough for the flowering plants to grow, which meant the butterflies were not coming."
He says having a butterfly garden at the school helps pupils get up close to the fluttering beauties. "The pupils experience the life cycle first-hand because they get to see the eggs, the caterpillars, how they go into the pupa stage and finally grow into butterflies. It's just a modest garden that came out of hard work."
natashaz@sph.com.sg
Small plot is a butterfly haven
To see an abundance of butterflies up close in an urban jungle like Singapore, most people would have to pay to enter an artificially created setting.
But a small plot at a public garden here is drawing these insects naturally - and people can see them for free.
On a sunny day at Alexandra Canal Linear Park, near Strathmore Avenue, the 100 sq m Butterfly Garden is a thriving ecosystem, attracting butterflies such as the whitish Common Tit. The three-month-old park was set up by multinational electronics company Sharp and the National Parks Board's Garden City Fund to celebrate Earth Day on April 22.
They worked with students from Serangoon Secondary School to create a design that would best help butterflies find food and lay eggs.
Upper-secondary students Nurfadilah Jalil and Dina Dayana Abdul Rashid won the design contest with their star-shaped garden.
In the middle of their garden is the Lantana camara, or a host plant, where only certain types of butterflies will lay their eggs.
Surrounding this round bush are four other types of plants, otherwise known as nectar plants, which attract all butterflies looking for food. Adding a pop of colour are plants such as the Red Ixora, Chinese Violet, Panama Rose and Ixora Dwarf White.
Dr Lena Chan, director of the National Biodiversity Centre, says if gardens are done right, the butterflies will come. "People are always shocked when they come by and see many butterflies around. It's about planting the right plants and creating a natural setting, and butterflies will just be attracted naturally."
Birds and bugs drawn to garden
Retired lecturer Wee Yeow Chin, 76, fancies himself a "citizen scientist".
Much like netizens who post about current affairs, DrWee regularly writes about birds and insects on his eight- year-old blog, Bird Ecology Study Group.
But he does not go deep into the forest to find wildlife. Instead, they come right into his garden in Binjai Park, nesting and feeding on the fruit, plants and trees that he has grown for the last 30 years.
Dr Wee, whose 100 sq m garden includes two towering palm trees and a hulking Terap tree, says: "I planted them from seedlings all those years ago. Then the birds came, ate and dropped seeds here. I just let them grow."
The trained botanist, who also worked as an agronomist for the Malayan Pineapple Industry Board, has documented 33 species of birds that have visited his garden. They include the Yellow-vented Bulbul, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and a pair of Spotted Doves.
He has also found insects such as paper wasps, ladybugs, cicadas, grasshoppers and rhinoceros beetles which nestle in his compost heap.
Even on a wet, rainy Thursday morning, the garden is bustling with activity. Sparrows twitter around a bird feeder that Dr Wee made out of a plastic soda bottle for bird seeds.
He lives with his retired piano teacher wife Eileen, also 76, and their daughter Jean, who is in her 40s, in the one-storey semi-detached house.
He tells of his experiences dealing with his feathered visitors, including mopping up broken eggs that fell out of their nest from trees in his garden, or wasps that have built a nest in the roof's eaves.
Once, crows nested in one of the trees in his garden but Dr Wee realised that a cuckoo had actually laid its eggs instead in the nest, leaving the unknowing crows to raise the baby chick.
"Some of the birds return regularly and they have become a little tame, so they let me go close to take photos."
The active life in the garden makes for exciting documentation for Dr Wee, who is the founding president of the 22-year-old Nature Society (Singapore). "For the cuckoos... We have never actually seen for ourselves this behaviour where they lay eggs in other birds' nest.
"Posting about it makes people become more aware of how these birds behave."
His secret to attracting the wildlife: an untidy garden.
Dr Wee, who tends the garden by himself, lets plants such as the white-stemmed button vine and butterfly plants grow wild. He says he trims the trees only when branches spill over into his neighbours' yards.
Recreating a jungle-like garden, he says, allows the birds to nestle and hide from prying eyes.
"I may not have green fingers but the garden has grown well," he says. "It's nice to sit here and watch the birds and butterflies come in and fly around. It's peaceful."
How to attract butterflies and birds to your plot
Tip 1: Butterfly caterpillars are fussy about what plants they feed on. For example, the Monarch butterfly spends most of its time as a caterpillar feeding solely on poisonous milkweed. As such, the leaves from the plant - also known as the host plant - are the food source for the caterpillar through its larval stage.
Grow plants that attract the butterfly you would like to have, as it will lay its eggs where it knows its caterpillar can find food.
Tip 2: Caterpillars will be present in any garden that attracts butterflies. To avoid having all your plants eaten by the caterpillars, plant nectar plants, or plants that are filled with the sugar-rich liquid, around the host plant to attract other butterflies looking for nectar. That way, only the host plant will be eaten by caterpillars.
Caterpillars will not go to the other nectar plants as each species has certain types of plants that it will feed on.
On the presence of caterpillars, Mr Anuj Jain, 28, chairman of the Butterfly Interest Group at the Nature Society here, says: "Don't worry because they are only temporary. They are a natural phenomenon and the plant never dies. The leaves will regenerate themselves."
Tip 3: Learn about the conditions that your plant needs to thrive in.
For example, flowering plants that have nectar need good sunlight to grow, while fruit trees need good fertilisers and enough water.
Check with local nurseries about which plants are suitable and what care methods are required to produce the best plant.
Tip 4: To attract birds, grow plants that have a lot of foliage so that they can nest and burrow.
Birds will also visit your garden if there is food available, so set up a bird feeder with seeds or plant fruit trees.
Tip 5: Avoid touching birds' nests or feeding caterpillars. This upsets the natural breeding cycle of the birds and butterflies, and discourages them from returning.
Tip 6: You may not attract butterflies if you live on higher floors, Mr Jain says, as it is unlikely that butterflies will be able to reach heights taller than most trees.
Sources: NParks, TheButterflySite.com, Mr Anuj Jain, Dr Wee Yeow Chin
Grow a butterfly with a butterfly kit
Step 1: Collect the eggs or caterpillars from the host plants. Use either a twig or toothpick to coax the caterpillar to climb on or cut the leaf that they are attached to. Avoid touching them as you might hurt the caterpillar or get bitten.
Step 2: Put the caterpillar into a well- ventilated, covered plastic container with a handful of leaves from the host plant. Make sure the container is shielded from direct sunlight. Mist it occasionally to create a humid condition.
Step 3: Clear the dried leaves in the container every few days and put in fresh ones for food.
Step 4: When the caterpillar is about to pupate and become a chrysalis, it will attach itself either to the side or the lid of the container.
Check the pupa regularly. If it turns black, it could have been attacked by parasites and will no longer develop.
Different species take different amounts of time to transform between each phase. Most spend three days as an egg, one month as a caterpillar and one week as a pupa.
Make sure the chrysalis is hanging in an area that has space for the butterfly to spread its wings without touching the base or the sides of the container. If it falls off from the area it has attached itself to, it may not survive.
Step 5: After the butterfly comes out from the pupa, it needs to get the fluid from its abdomen into its wings, which have been crumpled from being in the chrysalis. This process takes about several minutes, after which the butterfly will rest and let its wings dry.
The drying can take up to three hours before it starts flying. Release the butterfly in the area where you first found the caterpillar or near nectar flowers so that it can feed.
The average lifespan of a butterfly is a month.
Sources: NParks, www.wikihow.com/Raise-Butterflies
labels insects, singapore, singapore-biodiversity, singaporeans-and-nature
Malaysia: Plantation Association Calls For Delicate Tackling Of Indonesian Fires, Haze
Ahmad Fuad Yahya Bernama 19 Jul 13;
JAKARTA, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Association of Plantation Investors of Malaysia in Indonesia (APIMI) has called for the fire and haze issue in Indonesia to be dealt with composure, in sustainable engagement and on a responsive basis.
APIMI chairman Datuk Abdul Wahab Maskan said this was important as the issue involved Asean countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
"The annual issue on fire and haze must be tackled delicately by all governments involved and be put as a top priority agenda when the related governments meet during bilateral meetings or Asean meetings before the (fire) hot spots season," he said in a statement here Friday.
He expressed hope for the establishment of a permanent special task force on fire and haze by the relevant governments to ensure that members who were facing the problem be assisted in any way that they could.
"The collaboration between G to G (government to government) is very important and this is supported by the B to B (business to business) platforms. B to B should be no issue as for the Indonesia Malaysia Palm Oil Group (IMPOG), the topic will be deliberated between the two countries' representatives," he said.
Abdul Wahab said all parties involved in the fire and haze must collaborate to find a solution to the issue rather than finding fault on who should be blamed.
He said Malaysia, via G to G, was always supportive of the efforts by the Indonesian government to find solutions and to stop the fire and haze.
APIMI members, he said, had been responsible operators and observed best practices like other respectable plantation operators in Indonesia, while the Indonesian authorities had generally been responsible and responsive to the needs of plantation investors in Indonesia.
The APIMI chairman reaffirmed that Malaysian companies were not generally at fault in clearing land in Indonesia using fire, which caused smoke that had affected Singapore and parts of Malaysia recently.
He said some of the APIMI members accused of causing the fire in Riau last month had clarified their innocence and were committed at all times to cooperating with the relevant government authorities in their investigations into the source of the fires in Riau.
Abdul Wahab said reports had been submitted to the relevant authorities and it had been proven that they were clear of any involvement in causing the fires.
"I can assure that APIMI members have generally all along had a policy of zero burning. They have assured that they have observed the advisory procedures in managing their respective plantations and have also been reminded every early in the year to be prepared on the hot spots issue, and steps to overcome the issue were also printed for members via bulletin," he said.
APIMI members, he said, also had their own SOPs to ensure that they avoided any open burning activity and there was also a special task force to assist authorities should any open burning be caused by others.
"In the APIMI AGM held recently, members of the association confirmed that they practice zero burning for any activity within their respective plantations and supported the Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) which prohibits open burning in replanting activities, and emphasised environmental and eco-friendly farming practices," he said.
The statement made by Darrel Webber, secretary-general of the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), on July 5 had also proven that none of the APIMI members were involved in the fires and haze in Riau.
RSPO, he said, had carried out an analysis with the help of an international research expert and a scientist and the findings showed that none of the companies accused were involved in causing the fires in Riau.
Sime Darby in haze issue talks
Isabelle Lai The Star 19 Jul 13;
PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Plantation has engaged with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to discuss issues faced in resolving the haze problem.
It said this engagement was done to provide all and any assistance to the authorities so a sustainable and long-term solution could be found.
In a press statement, Sime Darby Plantation said it was also willing to discuss this issue with the Indonesian authorities in order to find an equitable solution to the problem.
The company added that several internal and external discussions had been held with relevant stakeholders.
It expressed the need to clearly demarcate areas which were under the company's control with those occupied by local communities within a licensed concession area.
"This would help to ensure that responsibility for occupation and use of land is clear," it said.
It added that it would maintain the current boundaries of its operating areas and would continue to work closely with Indonesian authorities as well as educate local communities on sustainable farming practices.
Eight Malaysian-owned firms, including Sime Darby Plantation, came under fire when the Indonesian Government claimed that their subsidiaries were some of the culprits responsible for the open burning, resulting in the thick haze which travelled across Singapore and Malaysia.
Sime Darby Plantation had said in response that the five hotspots detected in PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati concession areas in Riau, Sumatra, were not in areas planted by the company.
It said the hotspots were from traditional farming methods by the local communities, adding that the concession holders had no control or influence over their practices or activities.
PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati is own-ed by PT Minamas Gemilang, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Plantation.
Malaysia: Plantation Association Calls For Delicat...
► 26 Jun


Currency trading can be lucrative and may make you very good income, but of course, like all other company venture, foreign currency trading, often known as forex or Currency trading entails dangers and uncertainties and it also does need lots of work and guts to face the health risks and uncertainties on this venture.Contrary to almost every other enterprise, forex trading currencies to make money are often much unforeseen and consequently requires a lot of hazards. You may genuinely make good money out of it but also you can drop everything quickly, therefore it is significant really to learn anything you can about investing foreign currencies before trying to jump in the band wagon of investing on the internet. Should you be just beginning with foreign exchange, however, you sense here is the kind of enterprise you can handle and also be effective at, what follows is a simple guideline in foreign exchange trading for starters.
Another necessary issue that should be deemed in foreign currency trading for beginners understands the terminologies and notations in Currency trading. In exchange, currency exchange couples are offered in notations and you have to comprehend them also. Foreign currency essentially requires buying once the foreign currency importance is low and selling if the worth is great, thus, investing into forex trading means understanding if the foreign currency worth would climb and once they could decrease. Obviously, should you a right prediction on if the foreign currency worth would rise, you might almost certainly get good income in forex trading. In order to do that, brokers take part in a market place assessment which might entail inspecting the popularity of currency exchange beliefs and figuring out the actions of its principles with time.
Specialized examination and basic evaluation are the two essential strategies that take part in predicting and figuring out the tendencies of currency ideals. Obviously, money values will also be influenced by social and economical variables of the country and simple examination can help you assess these factors. With your quantitative analysis, it will help you in deciding a good time to acquire or offer.If you would like participate into Currency trading, it is recommended and to have yourself some instruments to help you assist in the buy sell trade near me. On the list of forex trading equipment that you will want are graphs, info on rates, tendency analyzers, and then in this age of modern technology, a trading computer software that will systemize your market place analysis.
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Founder and developer of the Satwa Guna (illusion of forms) international project, the only major worldwide project in which photography catches the unity in diversity of universal spirituality.
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Working as a freelancer Moviemaker for about 9 years.
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Moviemaker & video editor for documentary movie "Shimshali People", Pakistan started in 2010 (in work).


Everybody in the village was mad at Pandye because did fraud to make money.
Khupika Ba was however proud of Pandye.
When Pandye came to village Khupika Ba welcomed him with excitement.
Bariste, Bilase and Bale's dad shout at Pandye and try to punish him.
Jigri's clash with Rakshya's uncle.
Watch the comedy serial to know how fake currency racked is found.


By shifting the definitions of beauty and ugliness, Orit felt that modern art was moving her away from her instinctive grasp of spirituality: If beauty, which we connect with spiritual accomplishment, is spurned, then what do we value?
A nger or strong emotion can be expressed by blotches of reds and oranges. Tranquility can be communicated through shades of blue. But how can you express, in concrete media, the longing of a soul for its Creator?
This is the question that occupies artist Orit Martin as she creates her unique pictures. She thinks of her art as an "invitation to associate with your soul." And her work is distinguished by its contrasts. Juxtaposed upon the canvas are diametric opposites: life and death, the physical world and the spiritual, tranquility and turmoil.
Orit's art resonates with people around the world, and her pictures hang in homes in Israel, Europe, the US, and even China. While her primary gallery — a place of bright white walls and breathtaking color — is in Har Nof, Orit regularly exhibits her work across the world.
"This is me," Orit says, pointing to the small child in the painting. The child peeps behind the veil of the picture and is confronted with a dazzling cloud-filled sky. The picture whispers of the spiritual experience involved in looking beyond the confines of This World to behold a dimension of spiritual reality.
A major in philosophy (alongside a minor in art) enabled Orit to delve into the works of the greatest philosophers, both ancient and contemporary, and discover their insights into the working of the human mind. "To my great disappointment, there was no discussion of the human soul," Orit says. Any answers she did receive were dissatisfying.
Orit decided to throw herself into her art, reasoning that even if she didn't know why she had been put on this planet, her art would ensure her some level of immortality. But the more Orit invested in her art, the deeper she felt that it wasn't the answer to her questions.
Modern art confounded her. Defying the definitions of beauty — modern art could be ugly and disturbing — and throwing off the harmony of color and symmetry, what was left?
"This wasn't something that could answer my thirst for spirituality, I realized. In fact, it would only distance me from what I was searching for." By shifting the definitions of beauty and ugliness, Orit felt that modern art was moving her away from her instinctive grasp of spirituality: If beauty, which we connect with spiritual accomplishment, is spurned, then what do we value? Not only that, but the recent trends, in which anything goes — and where a steel sculpture of an orange balloon dog (produced by Jeff Koons) can be sold for millions of dollars — do nothing to uplift a person or deepen his perspective on life or the world.
It sounds like a strange subject for a picture: a child and a grave. In Secrets a child stands over a grave in the forest, streams of warm yellow light illuminating the scene. He peers into the grave. And yet, the grave is not filled with clods of earth; it is merely a hole from which we see the beautiful blue of the sky along with tranquil clouds.


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Starkill: Virus of the Mind
Ever wonder what a midnight jam between Children of Bodom, Dream Theater, Arch Enemy, and Symphony X might sound like? Well, grab a listen to Virus of the Mind, the sophomore release on Century Media from upstarts Starkill and you just might find out. This is highly precise, expertly produced, chops heavy yet melodic technical death metal/power metal/progressive metal that demands your attention from the first note all the way to the last. The band consists of Parker Jameson (lead guitar, vocals, keyboards), Spencer Weidner (drums), Tony Keathley (guitar, backing vocals), and Shaun Andruchuk (bass guitar), and while the whole band come across quite impressively, it's Jameson with his uncanny shredding and Weidner's acrobatic drumming that really steal the show. "Winter Desolation" contains some mind bending solos within a complex extreme metal framework, while Weidner's uncanny stick work will have your jaw on the floor throughout the prog/death track "Breaking the Madness". The title cut is a pulverizing example of epic death metal, and the well placed keyboards on the crushing "Skyward" adds a nice power/prog metal touch. One of my favorites is the melancholy "Before Hope Fades", as heavy, melodic riffs and huge orchestral swells complement battling death metal growls and gorgeous clean vocals. In fact, the melodic vocals are used very effectively in spots throughout the album, but not overused, as Jameson's growls are still the main vehicle. "God of this World" has many cinematic, symphonic passages amid the brutal technical death metal arrangements, reminding somewhat of Fleshgod Apocalypse, and the groove laden yet crunchy "My Catharsis" is like a head on collision between Arch Enemy and Symphony X, complete with some scorching lead guitar work from Jameson.
It's complex, it's brutal, it's melodic, it's epic...Virus of the Mind is also a hell of a lot of fun. Perhaps too much sheen and too far into power/prog metal for serious, old school death metal fans, this latest from Starkill is sure to appeal to anyone who appreciates a crossing of genres topped with over the top musicianship. Well done.
1. Be Dead Or Die
2. Winter Desolation
3. Breaking The Madness
4. Virus Of The Mind
5. Skyward
6. Before Hope Fades
7. Into Destiny
8. God Of This World
9. My Catharsis
10. Convergence
Added: October 26th 2014


Baltic Holidays are delighted to be the official organiser of the Between Shades of Gray Schools' Tour of Lithuania.
Between Shades of Gray is an incredibly moving, historical novel based on true events. Set in 1941, this haunting story, inspired by first-hand family accounts and memories from survivors, tells the story of 15 year old Lina, who is hauled from her home in the middle of night by Soviet guards with her mother and brother, and taken to Siberia.
This critically acclaimed novel now appears on the curriculum of schools throughout the USA and is a firm favourite of book clubs all over the world.
Between Shades of Gray provides a great introduction to the history of that period. Now your students can experience and learn first-hand, the history of Lithuania with our fascinating and in-depth Between Shades of Gray Schools' Tour.
Their learning will be brought to life by visiting the places where all this happened, meeting the people and understanding how modern life today could have been very different.
Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to support your student's classroom learning.
DAY 1: Arrival to Vilnius airport. Welcome transfer to your hotel in Vilnius old town.
Accommodation in Vilnius old town hotel in a mix of single, twin & triple rooms to suit your group.
Your guide will meet you after breakfast at the hotel and take you for a walking tour of Vilnius. See modern day free Lithuania, beautiful and cultural, educated and prosperous. Visit the Lithuanian Parliament for a Democracy, Independence & Freedom tour. See the walls that were put up by the people to protect the parliament from the Russian tanks in 1991; now a memorial wall to freedom. Meet with an MP to talk about modern Lithuania and how the country got their independence from USSR in 1991. Discuss modern politics and enjoy a general introduction to the country and history.
Accommodation the same as previous night.
Our guide will pick you up from the hotel with suitable transportation depending on your group size.
AM: Visit 'Rumsiskes' the Lithuanian open-air ethnographic museum, a wonderful introduction to the culture, traditions and history of Lithuania. Explore the Laptev sea deportation exhibition – a cattle truck, memorials and a yurt from Siberia, which is what people built as their 'homes' in the labour camps. It was here that Ruta met Irena, the inspiration for the character of Lina in the book, and she told her the story of how her family had been deported to Siberia. It may be possible for some groups to meet Irena.
PM: Visit to Lithuania's second city of Kaunas. Learn about the stark realities of Lithuania's recent history at the chilling Ninth Fort former prison camp – torture, interrogation and execution – building up the fear for all locals that they could be next. This will be followed by a tour of Kaunas old town. Accommodation is in Kaunas city centre hotel.
Leave Kaunas and city life behind and travel up to the traditional region of Zemaitija. Students will visit the iconic Hill of Crosses. This pilgrimage site was bulldozed several times by the Soviets but always reappeared with Lithuanians bringing crosses to the site. The hundreds of thousands of crosses makes for an impressive site and is symbolic of this nation's strength, hope and resilience. This will be followed by a tour of the fascinating Cold War museum and former missile base at Plokstine. Built in secret during the night by the Soviets, this is where the Cuban missile crisis missiles were pointed at the UK and other European cities. Students will learn about life in Soviet times and get a sense of the constant threat and fear felt by citizens from all walks of life.
Accommodation will be at rural accommodation with the opportunity to enjoy a traditional sauna or steam bath.
Return to Kaunas and have a day with our partner school/college meeting possible pen-pals that have been established during the school year. Accommodation in Kaunas city centre hotel.
Visit the Sabonis Basketball School in Kaunas, a great experience! Visit to Trakai Castle, one of the most attractive and popular sights in Lithuania. Accommodation in Vilnius old town hotel.
Free day in Vilnius. Time to do some sightseeing, visit museums or galleries and buy some souvenirs. There may be additional opportunities to meet with volunteers from the charity 'Mission Siberia' who maintain the graves of Lithuanians in Siberia, or with Zilvinas Naujokas of Tauras Films and producer of 'Ashes in the Snow'. Accommodation at the same hotel.
Transfer to Vilnius airport for your flight home.
VISIT some of the locations that inspired the book.
DISCOVER the culture and traditions of the Lithuanian people, past and present.
EXPLORE a former prison camp and uncover the stark realities faced by prisoners.
UNCOVER the truth about what life was really like during Soviet times.
FEEL the fear under which everyone lived.
EXPERIENCE real relics from these dark days, leaving nothing to the imagination as to how horrific the conditions actually were.
COMPARE the past and the present. Understand how modern Lithuania could have turned out very differently.
REMEMBER AND HONOUR the casualties and lost relatives from the atrocities.
REALISE that we can all learn from these historical events and ensure that these mistakes are not repeated.
CONTACT Linas or Sally at [email protected] for more information.
On days 2,3,4,5 & 6 you have our guide with you.
Lunch venues will be pre-booked at Rumsiskes, Hill of Crosses and Trakai but are payable locally (a set menu can be arranged and included in the tour if preferred).
Evening meals are left free, although reservations or set menus can be arranged.
Itinerary will be tailored to suit your group size, interests and dates.