For a more comprehensive Study Guide and Related Readings, see the end of this article.
What does God want of you? A simple question—but perhaps not easy to answer. Probably the best response to what God asks of us is "to love as Jesus loved, to deny ourselves, and to follow him." God wants us to become disciples.
The Sacrament of Baptism initiates us into the life of discipleship. Discipleship comes from the word discipline, which implies a certain way of life. As baptized Christian disciples, we are to practice Jesus' way of life—particularly that which Jesus describes in the Beatitudes.
Each of us is called to this. This vocation isn't just for monks or nuns or deacons or even lay ministers or catechists. It is for all of us who desire to have God in our lives, who long to become the people we are meant to be. It is about shedding our religious mediocrity for holiness, a holiness that grows daily as we increasingly "put on" Jesus. We are to be people who hear and obey the voice of God by putting the word into action in our lives, witnessing and proclaiming God's love to the world.
The great document of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, tells us that, whatever our state in life, we are all called by God to perfect holiness. We are called to the holiness expressed in the Beatitudes, for they describe what disciples are to do now, as well as who disciples will become if they follow Jesus. The Beatitudes are a portrait of what discipleship is about. The Beatitudes act as a compass, a spiritual GPS unit one might say, for those on the journey of Christian discipleship. Live this way, and you are indeed blessed.
It certainly is easy to lose direction today, so we need a compass! In the past, things seemed much more clear-cut. The Christian way of life wasn't questioned nearly so much. Families participated in the Sacraments on a regular basis, followed the Commandments, and listened to their priests. Distinct expectations existed. Now, generally, nothing seems expected; life becomes what we make up as we go along.
So it can be very difficult to know how to "be poor in Spirit" in this freeform world of competitive, consumerist glee. Is it possible to be meek or to be a peacemaker and still survive? Is it even possible to be disciples?
For those determined to respond to God's call in the affirmative and to live a Beatitude discipleship, this article suggests that four characteristics seem crucial. These attributes are interwoven and build on each other. Disciples 1) are rooted in Scripture and prayer; 2) live a life of integrity; 3) express compassion through action; and 4) undergo lifelong conversion.
The contemporary world is a constant stream of words and images, so it can be difficult to sort out what is important and what can be overlooked. As Christian disciples, we have a primary task to be willing to listen, to open our hearts so that we can bring God's word into our own world. God can then shape our world.
How can we know how to live the Beatitudes if we don't know what the Beatitudes say? This involves more than just reading Scripture; discipleship really occurs when the word read becomes the word lived in our daily lives. That transformation occurs through prayer.
Prayer is the expression of our relationship with God. This relationship grows through prayer and through Scripture. Beyond that, prayer is difficult to define, as it can take so many different forms. In fact, prayer takes on almost as many forms as the number of pray-ers—as each of us prays in our own manner and in different ways at different times in our lives.
Surveys tell us that almost everyone prays in at least some rudimentary fashion. For disciples, prayer, like reading Scripture, can be neither rudimentary nor optional. Disciples who wish to live Beatitude lives must make prayer central to life.
So as disciples, we must commit ourselves to reading Scripture and praying regularly, both privately and communally. Yet, few Catholics actually do this. Why? Probably the primary reason is fear. The Bible is a huge and complex book! How does one even know where to start? Also, both prayer and Scripture make demands of those of us who pay attention. They cause us to reconsider our worldview. It can be tough to do this, so why put ourselves through it?
Yet, with prayer and Scripture we are swept into the consciousness of those things that are God. We begin to recognize, or to discern, certain moments in life as "of God." God is then not only at the center of life; in a sense, God becomes life and all life becomes prayer. Our knowledge of what discipleship is about and how to better practice it also expands.
On a regular basis, too, disciples should ask if their prayer brings further conversion toward Christ. As the stories of the saints tell us, at certain points in our lives we will be asked to move deeper into prayer, toward further transformation of our lives in and toward God.
Pick up Scripture and Read It!
If you don't have a good study Bible, find one (the bishops recommend the New American Bible) that has some background information so that you are better able to understand the social and historical context of each book. Consider finding a group of fellow parishioners or catechists with whom to study, and commit to finding a trained, competent person to whom you can go with questions.
Perhaps you might want to investigate some of the traditional forms of prayer that start with Scripture, such as lectio divina, the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the pinnacle of Christian life and the type of communal prayer in which each disciple should participate regularly.
Its one thing to say discipleship is about holiness, prayer, and Scripture. But it's another thing to know what holiness looks like. In comparison to much of society, most of us probably think we are "good enough." So we can't all be the monk praying in a cell or a martyr giving our life for Christ. But isn't intermittent reading of the Bible and Mass on Sunday enough?
When the word of God becomes the basis of life, then disciples should increasingly reflect the being of God. The Beatitudes make just that argument: God must be seen in our actions and our attitudes. Having lived in God's word and expressed that relationship with God through prayer, disciples reflect and faithfully live out that word.
Discipleship means we will incorporate into our behavior the primary qualities of God, including generosity, mercy, and forgiveness. This fidelity to God means we must be willing to examine regularly both our internal and external lives, with Jesus as the model for our actions. We must develop the habit of reflecting on our daily lives.
One aspect of this examination is to ask what it is we are "living for." Do we live for God's kingdom rather than for ourselves? Do we fill up the emptiness and self-doubt we sometimes feel with material things, with a scrambling for more privileged positions, with addictive behavior? Is it even possible for us to be meek and poor and recognize the longing we feel for God? Discipleship is about trusting that God alone can fill up the emptiness we experience and give us the security we desire.
So living a life of integrity implies that it should be easy for us to find evidence of the importance of God. Or do we, instead, live as if nothing of the Gospel matters? Are we sure that "religion" means "being nice," not causing scandal, or doing what is expected? Is God simply the God of comfort rather than sometimes the God of challenges? Which is the God of the Beatitudes?
In a world so incredibly individualized, the greatest human need today may simply be having someone walk with us. Disciples aren't just individuals; discipleship is about a community. We become the Mystical Body of Christ in the Church, the Body of Jesus extended through space and time. In that Body, we are part of Christ and yet also part of one another. We share one another's burdens and joys. This union of the Body stands in countercultural testimony to the individualism and impersonal nature of contemporary society.
Many of today's sins arise from the rejection of this connectedness. Our culture teaches us to use others for our own purposes, to distance ourselves emotionally and physically, to pursue our own good rather than the common good.
Yet, when we share our burdens through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, as expressed in the Beatitudes, we see evidence that we are meant to live beyond ourselves. We transcend our limited existence to somehow become one with all the earth. We see that we can act in love and care, even when it brings nothing to us personally.
This sharing of burdens reduces the pain; the discipline of carrying another's cross makes the carrying much easier for everyone. When we "feel with" others, we grow spiritually so that the burdens of our own lives do not weigh as heavily. We become more vulnerable, open, and, as St. Irenaeus said, "more fully alive" and more fully like God.
Let's face it: Sitting back and criticizing the world leads only to more frustration. The world can only be changed by people willing to work to change it. Reaching out to that imperfect world is a real test of the sincerity of our discipleship. More so than writing a check (although that certainly has its place), exposing our bodies, hearts, and spirits to the suffering that can exist in the world, without any expectation of reward, is the disciple's way to walk the path of Jesus. It also continuously forms us in the love of a God who sent his Son to do the same thing.
The last step required in Beatitude discipleship is a commitment to ongoing conversion. We are born learners, and we continue to learn throughout life—sometimes despite our best efforts to do otherwise. We blunder on, attempting to better understand who we are and who we are meant to be. Human life is a journey toward greater truths, toward further discovery of our inner selves and our outer worlds.
The road can be narrow or bumpy or full of detours. When it comes to relationships, including our relationship with God, we definitely learn through trial and error. It is hard to know what is truly good for ourselves and those we love. What comes from self-centeredness and what comes from sincere and loving motives?
This is the journey Jesus asks us to walk as disciples who recognize the truth of the way of the Beatitudes. We are to learn to love others for their own sake with the love that God has—a generous, reciprocal, non-manipulative, and universal love.
Like the Apostles, we don't get it right the first time, or maybe even the hundredth time. It's as much about learning forgiveness and reconciliation (including learning to forgive ourselves) as about joy and togetherness. We hurt terribly sometimes. As the Beatitudes and the Paschal Mystery imply, we will experience suffering, maybe persecution, and eventually death. Still, God always and lovingly strengthens us with perseverance and leads us to the deeper levels of discipleship. There, if we are willing, we come more fully into communion with him, where hope and life are eternal.
This is what God asks of us: to become disciples of the God who wishes union with us. This way is rooted in Scripture and prayer, forms our life into one of integrity, calls us to compassionate action in the world, and is a lifelong turning toward God. As the Beatitudes express, if we agree to follow Jesus, our difficulties, weaknesses, and efforts eventually are transcended by the Kingdom of God. Discipleship truly is a way of blessedness.
Now consider these questions for reflection: Do I consider myself a disciple of Christ? Why? Is this a term that I have heard discussed within my community? Why do many Catholics prefer not to define themselves this way? What holds them back from participating in these practices? Which of these "steps" is the most difficult for me to put into practice? Why?
Sue is currently a doctoral candidate in theology at the University of Dayton. She is a wife, mother of four sons, and longtime teacher, farmer, catechetical leader, and community activist.
Through our Baptism and Confirmation, we have been anointed for a life of authentic discipleship. In this article, Susan Sack asks us to reflect on our vocation as baptized Christian disciples. This vocation is about shedding our religious mediocrity for holiness—a holiness that grows daily as we increasingly "put on" Jesus.
It has been said that "with only a little effort, all the beatitudes can be memorized and carried in our heart the rest of our life" (Forest). Thus, our journey of holiness becomes salt and light to the world. Sack reminds us that discipleship is not a once-and-for-all done deal but, rather, requires undergoing continuous conversion every day of our lives.
1. The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is one of the most profound recent catechetical opportunities for adults to experience. What do I know about RCIA in my parish? How have I opened myself to the possibility of participating in RCIA?
2. What does it mean for me to be called to holiness? What might this look like in my life? What are the challenges? The opportunities?
3. How is my prayer life deepening my sense and responsibility to authentic discipleship?
4. How does the Eucharist support my Beatitude way of life?
5. How are forgiveness and reconciliation key elements for converting to Beatitude living? What challenges did I face when I was confronted with the call to forgive or be reconciled with another person?
6. How cam my family or parish become better known as witnesses to authentic forgiveness and reconciliation at all levels?
7. What does the "cost of discipleship" mean to me? What price am I willing or able to pay for becoming an authentic disciple?
1. Invite your parish's RCIA coordinator to visit your class and explain the meaning, beauty, and value of RCIA.
2. Discuss with other catechists how elements of RCIA might be adapted into your catechetical program at various levels. How might this experience enrich both teachers' and students' understanding and appreciation of discipleship?
3. Create and role-play miniature dramas with your class that reflect what your community (civic and parish) could become if all were grounded in the principles of the Beatitudes, specifically forgiveness and reconciliation. Have students present the drama to the parish or at a parent/teacher meeting.
4. Have the faculty and students renew their baptismal and conformational commitments once a week or monthly, pausing with each commitment to discern how it is being lived with integrity and truth.
5. Have students create e-messages for the parish or school website that demonstrate how discipleship is being creatively witnessed by the students during the year. Each week a Beatitude disciple is nominated and recognized within the catechetical program or Catholic school. Students produce monthly multi-media reflections on the call to discipleship as witnessed through those nominated.
6. Read the USCCB bishops' statement Called & Gifted for the Third Millennium. What additional insights do you realize for understanding our call to holiness?
This article was written by the Catechist Staff and appeared in Catechist magazine, October 2010.


In this alternate history timeline, you will help run a 3025-Era Mercenary Company as the events of the 3rd Succession War unfold.
Lounge around, have a beer and some fresh road kill. Stay in-character and keep it clean. Well, somewhat clean.
A space to discuss the video game side of BattleTech, including Harebrained Schemes' BATTLETECH. No drinks allowed in the pods!
Have you written a story set in the Classic BattleTech universe? If so, we'd love to read it! Doesn't matter how short or long it may be.
Any sports talk (Baseball, Football, Hockey, Soccer, etc) can be talked about here. Tell us who your favorite team is!
Have you encountered a bug or an error that should not have occurred or simply would like to request a new feature? This is the place for you. I take every request seriously.
If there is something you don't know how to do or need help in performing that is related to this site, ask away.


Te Taiurungi Dr Jim Mather was pleased with the efforts of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi and tauira at Te Kahu o Te Amorangi Te Matatini 2017.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was a strategic partner and sponsor of the four-day festival hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu in Heretaunga.
Dr Mather also presented a new award at the prize giving ceremony for Titonga Hōu waiata-a-ringa (best original composition for action song) to Tauira Mai Tawhiti which honours Te Arawa leader Mauriora Kingi.


.... and why you should consider including them?
My father used to say that you can determine the quality of a leader by the extent of their personal library.
There's probably a lot in that. Yes, we can learn from experience, from networking with others, from training sessions and conferences, and even from social media. But digging into a book will unearth so much more information and ideas than you can gather elsewhere.
In fact, most would see conferences as the teaser, the introduction to ta rewarding study of the topic to be found later as you read recommended texts and books.
Books can encourage you in your kidmin work. You might begin a book while tired and disheartened only to find yourself refreshed, inspired and filled with renewed vigor by the conclusion.
What's on your current reading list?
Yes, I know that books can be expensive, especially if your reading list is extensive. But Kindle versions have greatly reduced those costs.
Have you considered opening up your personal library of ministry resources to your team? It's a great way to encourage them. Offer regular reading suggestions that you know would help them to learn and grow. You could email a weekly/monthly book review to your volunteers and mention that these resources can be borrowed from your library.
While you're at it, why not check with other kidmin leaders from other churches and see if you can organise to share books and resources? You're probably concerned that you'll never see the book again.Certainly, when you're busy, it's easy to forget who has borrowed a particular resource. Ask that they add their name to a list or form that notes the book they have borrowed. Another suggestion is to use an app to track this information. You'll find 'Book Crawler' or 'My Library' will allow you to easily enter information about your books, movies and CDs via the internet. You can enter a 'loan status' when a resource is borrowed to keep track of the book.
Last... don't forget to label your resources so that it's easy to note those resources that are borrowed- a visual reminder to return the book or dvd.
I've included a simple design that you can print onto sheets of Avery labels. Print the labels... add your name and contact info....& adhere to the back or inside cover of your resource.
Check out the sample list below of reading material that I'm planning for this year. There will be others, I'm sure, but this is a good start if you haven't begun your own reading list yet. It's presented in slideshow format so you'll need to click through to the next suggestion using the arrow. Please add any other books that you've enjoyed to this list, too.


I have retired. The old domain jdl.co.uk now belongs to someone else .
JDL was a trading name of John Deacon. I provided IT and security services.
establishing the strategy and tactics for achieving any required object persistence.
I worked with all manner of systems. Much of my work was with the high-energy physics, astronomy and Grid computing communities. Starting in 1993 I was involved with several high-energy physics organizations – principally CERN (Geneva/Meyrin), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Didcot) and DESY (Hamburg). I also worked with NIKHEF and INFN.
I also worked with people from space, astronomy and GRID computing. As well as at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, I delivered such courses at The Royal Observatory (Edinburgh) and Isaac Newton Group (La Palma).
I was one of the founders of Matrice (formerly Lattice Limited), through which we delivered training for businesses.


Proudly servicing the nation's Automotive Groups, Dealerships and Fleets.
We are the Industry Leader in Automotive Warranty Processing.
When making an important decision, ask yourself, "What would the customer say? "
Saving clients significant dollars year after year.
"Value comes in the ability to lighten the burden of others."
Evaluate the cost effective approach to Warranty Claims Management.
Based in the Mile High city, we've become a fixture in one of the nation's fastest growing business locations, the Denver Technical Center. Over the years we have benefited our customers with our versatile practices. These practices range from dealership and fleet clean ups, acting as a stand in for warranty administrators and managing accounts for dealers, auto groups, and fleets for many years. We currently retain the services of a supervisory staff with over 100 years of combined experience in the automotive industry. Our administrative staff participates in up to date training on a continuous basis in order to handle the ever-changing demands of the warranty world.
Our commitments and goals to you.
How we save clients money.


The Boko Haram faction led by Abubakar Shekau claimed in a video released on social media that its fighters carried out the January 14 attack on Rann, near the border with Cameroon.
Many reports including those from AFP and Reuters have previously attributed the incident to Islamic State West Africa province.
The attack in Rann, some 175 km (110 miles) northeast of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, began late on Monday afternoon and Nigerian government forces reportedly fled after militants targeted a military base and burned buildings.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said on Wednesday that 14 people including three soldiers were killed in the assault on Rann.
The Defense Post has been unable to review the entire video released on Thursday, January 17, but according to Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida who broke the news, the military base was breached with "relative ease" and houses and other structures were burned.
An extract of the video appeared to show militants looting supplies from a storage facility and multiple structures on fire. Salkida reported that military hardware and ammunition was also captured.
Rann hosts some 35,000 internally displaced people, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Robert said MSF is preparing to "assist 15,000 people with food, water and medical care" in Bodo, 7 km from Rann across the border in Cameroon.
Rann has been repeatedly attacked in the nine-year conflict and has been hit three times since March 2018.
There have been dozens of attacks on military bases since July, most of which have been blamed on ISWA, or claimed by ISIS as ISWA attacks.
ISWA has lately intensified its armed campaign, launching a number of major assaults on military targets in Borno and neighboring Yobe state amid signs of a takeover by more hardline leaders.


WWN/Scouts You do not want to miss this opportunity of fellowship in the middle of the week. Come and meet all the wonderful kids and their families that have become a part of our Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church Scout program. The night begins with dinner at 5:30. Cost is $3 per person or $10 per family. After a delicious dinner it's off to Bible study class with Dr. Darren from 6:15 – 7:00 pm. Everybody is welcome!
We are glad that you found us on the web. Our Sunday worship is at 9:00 a.m. and features lots of music and Biblical preaching. From October through May "Wonderful Wednesday Night" offers dinner, Bible Study and Scouting beginning at 5:30 p.m. Small groups which meet regularly are available for you to join. "Let our family be your family as we seek together to be God's family." If you have any questions, please contact us! We would love to hear from you!


Spanish colonial power in the Americas from the 15th to 19th centuries destroyed dozens of rich societies and decimated some of the world's most sophisticated cities.
However, one fortunate carry-over from the Spaniards' grand plans in the western hemisphere was the urban plaza. Designed originally as open space bordered (typically) by a cathedral, governor's mansion and administrative offices, the plaza has evolved into an all-purpose urban feature. Where troops used to muster, the city plazas of Latin America now help build a strong community bond.
Any developers or municipal agencies looking to design an urban plaza today can learn a lot from the successful plazas of Latin America.
Case in point: the plazas of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At almost any hour of any day, plazas like El Jardin, San Antonio and San Juan de Dios welcome a diverse blend of people and activities ranging from raucous to restful, from commercial to meditative.
A shopper never knows who – or what – she may meet in a Mexican plaza, where fiestas seem year-round.
They attract individuals, families and larger groups.
A mom, comfortable with her babe on a plaza bench.
As is typical in Mexico, all generations mix and interact in public.
Spaces in Mexico rarely seem to be dominated by one age group or one demographic.
Design wise, a colonial plaza proves the value of simplicity. Its square or rectangular space is broken into quadrants by walkways and often low border walls (great for extra seating). Iron benches located throughout the space so that, depending on a person's interests and time of day, there is usually somewhere suitable to sit.
Benches, benches, everywhere: new bench being installed at San Juan de Dios plaza.
Trees provide shade or (needed less frequently) rain protection. There is often a dramatic focal point – a sculpture or prominent historic building. In the case of San Miguel's central El Jardin, that roll is played splendidly by La Parroquia, a cathedral with a prominent neo-Gothic facade made of rose-coloured stone that glows in the high mesa light.
Sit and admire La Parroquia from the plaza.
El Jardin (formal name Plaza Allende) provides a great space to sit and appreciate La Parroquia, or to watch the regular stream of visitors who come to snap pictures in front of it. Or to enjoy an ice cream and chat with neighbours. Or listen to music. Or dance. One night during our recent stay in San Miguel, we wandered down to discover that the spaces at the centre of the plaza were filled with couples dancing salsa.
Salsa dancers sway at dusk.
The plaza's perimeter provides enough space for crowds during special events. The buildings on the other three sides of the plaza house stores and restaurants.
Sidewalk cafe next to the plaza.
Shops open onto the street adjoining the plaza.
And adjacent uses are varied. At another church plaza that attracts people day and night, in the San Antonio neighbourhood, weddings are taking place while vendors sell tostados or kids play games.
A bride and her flower girl make their way through San Antonio plaza in San Miguel de Allende.
Meanwhile, an active car repair shop does its work directly across the street – or just as often, in the street.
Just across the San Antonio plaza border wall, this SUV is receiving a new coat of black paint.
The success of these plazas is that they bring people together in safe and comfortable ways, through special events or just a morning conversation. Their designs allow mixed uses and the streets adjacent to the plazas are busy with retail, food services, school groups and church activities. There are literally dozens of activities to interest someone out for a morning or evening walk.
No doubt a good part of that success is due to Mexican culture – one that emphasizes multi-generational family activity. Perhaps, though, the plazas themselves play a role in building that culture.


100+ acre Mornington Peninsular estate, completely off market.
With a true pedigree reaching back to the mid 1800's, as rich in history as it is in beauty. The 100+ acre property combines exceptional beauty with bountiful manicured grounds, substantial potager and well fenced paddocks.The vast double fronted main homestead with its 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is a wonderful fusion of contemporary comfort and Victorian grandeur surrounded by numerous outbuildings including a 2 bedroom cottage (B&B), enormous studio and farm office.
Achieving lifestyle aspirations through property.


MSI has made its X460 and X460DX notebooks available today. Both of these machines sport 14 inch display and measure less than 1 inch thin. The company even claims that X460DX are the lightest notebooks that feature an Core i7 quad core CPU. There is a very minor difference between the two though.
The X460 comes with an Intel Core i5 2410M processor and Nvidia GT540M GPU whereas the X460DX features the latest Core i7 2630QM processor (being used in G74SW notebook – Asus G73SW review – mobilityupdate.com link) that has 4 cores. However, latter does lack discrete graphics, something which is a must have for gamers. Another difference is that the DX version has metal alloy chassis and a chiclet keyboard, similar to the one found in Macbook Air.
That said, both of the notebooks are fully capable of outputting full HD 1920 x 1080 videos via their HDMI port. They both come with USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0 as well.
This site is all about providing you the latest notebook news and reviews of the processors. A lot of posting is done about the newest processor benchmarks as well so that you can measure the performance of a particular notebook.
Does the HP TouchPad Bring Something New to the Tablet Market?


text:
package com.codebullets.sagalib.timeout;

import java.io.Serializable;

/**
 * Uniquely identifies a timeout. An implementation of timeout id
 * has to act as a value type. This means two instances have return the
 * same hash code and to compare as equal in case they identify the same
 * timeout.
 */
public interface TimeoutId extends Serializable {
    /**
     * Compares whether two timeout ids are equal. Two timeout id instances
     * representing the same timeout have to compare with equal true.
     * @param obj Any other object instance.
     * @return True if timeouts ids are equals; otherwise false
     */
    boolean equals(Object obj);

    /**
     * Returns a hashcode of of the timeout id. Two timeout id instances
     * representing the same timeout have to return the same hash code.
     * @return a hash code value for this object.
     */
    int hashCode();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


During the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland, portfolio manager Jeet Singh said in an interview with RT that the cryptocurrency volatility is nothing unusual, given the recent swings seen in the market capitalization which is now sitting at $566 billion.
Having been involved in the cryptocurrency market since 2011, Singh explained that it is not uncommon for these digital assets to fluctuate by 70-80% or even more.
Singh believes that one of the reasons for which the market is so speculative is the fact that those who got in at the late stages are now losing money, whilst those who got in early are still in profit and the volatility does not bother them.
Singh said that currently cryptocurrencies are used like store of value, adding that people tend to hold cryptocurrencies that have more value over time.
In countries which have huge inflation, for example, Indonesia and Thailand, people are accepting cryptocurrencies as payment for different services. There is a high rate of adoption among farmers, especially tobacco and coffee farmers.
Singh predicted the fact that Bitcoin could hit $50,000 in 2018, despite going through an initial period of volatility.


text:
The farce of "Radical Economic Transformation"- what is the behind Zuma's revolutionary phrase-mongering?
Ben Morken
Over the last few weeks many people have been baffled by president Zuma's apparent more "radical" speech-making. In particular the term "radical economic transformation" had many tongues wagging. What does it mean? And how is this different from current policy?
Although it might seem like empty rhetoric, there are concrete reasons behind this "revolutionary" phrase-mongering.
"Today we are starting a new chapter of radical economic transformation. We are moving beyond words," said Zuma at the now habitual chaotic annual State of the Nation Address (SONA). Apparently this is a "sweeping programme...that would seek to change the ownership and control of the economy through legislation and empowerment regulations."(Rand Daily Mail - 9 February 2017).
Zuma sounded very serious: "Political freedom alone is not enough without economic emancipation," he said. But anyone familiar with South African politics would immediately ask if this is not the language of the EFF of the past three years?
EFF leaders Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema - Photo: Floyd ShivambuHowever, Zuma was one step ahead. Before anyone could accuse him of taking his cue from the EFF, Zuma quoted the words of the former ANC president, Oliver Tambo:
"The objective of our struggle in South Africa, as set out in the Freedom Charter, encompasses economic emancipation. It is inconceivable for liberation to have meaning without a return of the wealth of the country to the people as a whole. To allow the existing economic forces to retain their interests intact is to feed the roots of racial supremacy and exploitation, and does not represent even the shadow of liberation. It is therefore a fundamental feature of our strategy that victory must embrace more than formal political democracy; and our drive towards national emancipation must include economic emancipation."
Having warded off accusations of copying the EFF's "populous" rhetoric, the other reason behind the quote from O.R Tambo was to give the impression that he is now embarking on a long standing ANC position. But Tambo said this in 1981, before the revolutionary upheavals of the 1980s which would formally overthrow the apartheid government. That did not stop the ANC elite from coming to an agreement with the white capitalist class at the CODESA negotiations to keep the economy in the hands of the old ruling class. This rhetorical "return" 23 years later is pure hypocrisy.
Then there is the myth of "political freedom". What we have in South Africa today is bourgeois democracy. This means that while formally the masses are "free" to chose their "representatives" in parliament, it is the capitalists who decide what happens. Thanks to the crisis in the political arena over the last few years this is now patently obvious for many people to see. It is people like Atul Gupta and his brothers on the one hand, and the likes of the Oppenheimers and Rupert's on the other hand, who are truly in charge. As the Communist Manifesto says: "The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie."
White Monopoly Capital vs Black-Crony Capital
So what does Zuma mean by "radical economic transformation"? After weeks of confusion, he finally offered a more coherent meaning: "
"We mean fundamental change in the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of all South Africans, especially the poor, the majority of whom are African and female, as defined by the governing party which makes policy for the democratic government."
After informing us that "only" 10 percent of the top one hundred companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are owned by black South Africans, he explained how he intended to implement this "fundamental change":
"The state will play a role in the economy to drive that transformation. In this regard, Government will utilise to the maximum, the strategic levers that are available to the state.
"This includes legislation, regulations, licensing, budget and procurement as well as Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Charters to influence the behaviour of the private sector and drive transformation.
"We seek to open up the economy to new players, give black South Africans opportunities and to make the economy more dynamic, competitive and inclusive. This is our vision of radical economic transformation (…) Radical economic transformation should mean moving beyond share ownership schemes only. We would like to see black people involved directly in business, owning factories. The development of the black industrialist programme is thus critical."
So Zuma's idea of "radical" transformation is to increase the share of black capitalists in the economy! This is of course nothing new. The whole point behind Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy was to create a black elite. This in turn would chain the BEE "partners" directly to the big bourgeoisie in the form of shareholding, directorships, etc. In this manner, the leaders of the ANC have been chained to the coattails bourgeois for the last two decades.
For the last 23 years the ruling class has governed society indirectly through the leaders of the ANC. On the basis of a growing economy the alliance between the black elite and the white capitalist temporarily managed to stabilised the situation after the revolutionary storms of the 1990s.
But now the situation has changed into its opposite. The economy is stagnant or barely growing, inflation is rising and formally a quarter of the workforce is unemployed. This is in line with the previous years of slow growth since the global crush of 2008. In addition to this the currency has lost more than a quarter of its value prompting the Reserve Bank to hike interest rates.
In the meantime the crony-capitalist wing of the bourgeoisie, which is organised around the Zuma clique, grew fat on the back of state tenders and now slipped out of the control of the traditional big bourgeoisie. This circle has now become a competitor to the traditional South African ruling classes. The declining economy - which has squeezed these "tenderpreneurs" - and the political crisis of the ANC, has increased the tensions between these two wings of the ruling class which is now in open struggle with each other.
This is the issue behind the fierce infighting in the ANC. On the one hand there is the old traditional mainly white private sector elite which is close to the party apparatus and on the other hand there is the upstart black elite around the Gupta family and the Zuma clique which is close strong in parts of the state apparatus. The essence of their conflict is to decide who gets the bigger share of looting the state and exploiting the South African working class.
That is what is behind the "revolutionary" phrase-mongering of Zuma and his backers. In the absence of a revolutionary party of the working class, Zuma, the Guptas and their henchmen are trying to demagogically use the language of the Congress movement of the past in their fight against "White Monopoly Capital." That is, they are trying to convince the working class to let themselves be exploited, oppressed and cheated by their wing of the ruling class, which happens to have darker skin than the other wing.
Talk left, walk right
A dirty war has been launched by the Gupta family and their media network, ANN7 and The New Age newspaper. This campaign is backed by the leaders of the ANC Youth League, the Women's League, the Progressive Professionals Forum of Mzwanele Manyi and pseudo-black consciousness campaigner, Andile Mngxitama and his Black First Land First (BLF) sect.
All of this is a massive disinformation campaign aimed at confusing issues in aid of Zuma and the Guptas. Mngxitama positions himself as the biggest enemy of "white monopoly capital" and the Rupert and Oppenheimer families. All this sound and fury not, in defence of the interests of the working class, but those of the competing black capitalists who are positioning themselves to plunder the resources of the economy and accumulate wealth. That is the reason behind Zuma's apparent doubling down in pseudo "radical" rhetoric. The aim of BEE and Zuma's programme of creating "black industrialists" is based on a commitment to a black capitalist class and not a commitment to fight for the interests of the black mass of people, most of whom live under enormous daily pressure to keep their lives afloat.
Fight for Socialism, not black capitalism
All of this is nothing new of course. The ANC has a history of this "talk left, walk right phenomenon. Even the attacks on the working class over the last two decades have been disguised in near-Marxist phraseology. In addition to the obvious betrayal by the leaders, the fact that you can only address the workers with this "radical" language is at bottom reflection the balance of class forces in favour of the working class. In South Africa, the late development of Capitalism together with the brutal way it was imposed meant that the working class was forged in the white heat of struggle. This is a very young working class, very fresh and very militant. It is wide open to radical ideas. But now this working class is tired of empty words. Over the years there have been a dramatic increase in the class struggle, More and more people are reaching far-reaching conclusions. This process will only deepen in the next period. Society is gearing up for a level of the class struggle never before seen in South African history.
Lenin repeatedly warned against what he calls revolutionary phrase-mongering:
"Revolutionary phrase-making, more often than not, is a disease from which revolutionary parties suffer at times when they constitute, directly or indirectly, a combination,alliance or intermingling of proletarian and petty-bourgeois elements, and when the course of revolutionary events is marked by big, rapid zigzags. By revolutionary phrase making we mean the repetition of revolutionary slogans irrespective of objective circumstances at a given turn invents, in the given state of affairs obtaining at the time.The slogans are superb, alluring, intoxicating, but there are no grounds for them; such is the nature of the revolutionary phrase." (The Revolutionary Phrase - V.I. Lenin)
He repeatedly warned to look at the class interests behind the prevailing ideas in society:
"People always have been the foolish victims of deception and self-deception in politics, and they always will be until they have learnt to seek out the interests of some class or other behind all moral, religious, political and social phrases, declarations and promises. Champions of reforms and improvements will always be fooled by the defenders of the old order until they realise that every old institution, however barbarous and rotten it may appear to be, is kept going by the forces of certain ruling classes." (The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism - V.I. Lenin)
It is no surprise that in the same year that revolutionaries across the world celebrate the centenary of the Russian Revolution, there is a renewed interest in radical ideas and with this the radical language which accompanies these. Marxism is a science and like all sciences it has its own terminology. All the great Marxists have always paid the most scrupulous attention to their words, phrases and terminology in order to explain the meaning of their ideas as precisely and logically as possible to the working class.
In these turbulent times on a global scale large sections of the youth and the working class are rediscovering the lessons of past battles. This is vitally important for the future of the world socialist revolution.
The political independence of the working class is now more important than ever. In the absence of the mass party of the workers and the poor on a socialist programme which must educate the people on the crisis capitalism the masses map the way forward for socialist reconstruction of society, the working class cannot be absorbed into the factional fighting of the ruling class.
In the battle between the two wings of the South African ruling class, the working class cannot take sides. It's only salvation lies in fighting both of these wings and to expropriate all capitalists - black and white! The workers must take the means of production into their own hands of and plan production on a rational basis for human need, not private profit. That is the only real radical economic transformation which exists today. It is called socialist revolution.
South Africa elections 2019: widespread fury and big gains for the EFF 13 May 2019
Important victories for the student movement in South Africa 5 Apr 2019
South Africa: the looting of VBS – the true face of 'radical economic transformation' 29 Nov 2018
South Africa: a decade of slump and the end of the "New Dawn" 4 Oct 2018
South Africa's land reform: why is big business suddenly in favour? 12 Sep 2018

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The author introduces the algorithm with a real-life story and then provides applications in four different fields to help beginners learn and know more about this algorithm.
This is one of the best introductions to Random Forest algorithm. The author introduces the algorithm with a real-life story and then provides applications in four different fields to help beginners learn and know more about this algorithm.
To begin the article, the author highlights one advantage of Random Forest algorithm that excites him: that it can be used for both classification and regression problems. (Random Forest algorithm also have the other advantages, which will be shown at the end of the article). The author chose a classification task for this article, as this will be easier for a beginner to learn. Regression will be the application problem in the next, up-coming article.
What is Random Forest algorithm?
Random Forest algorithm real life example.
How Random Forest algorithm works?
Advantages of Random Forest algorithm.
First, Random Forest algorithm is a supervised classification algorithm. We can see it from its name, which is to create a forest by some way and make it random. There is a direct relationship between the number of trees in the forest and the results it can get: the larger the number of trees, the more accurate the result. But one thing to note is that creating the forest is not the same as constructing the decision with information gain or gain index approach.
The author gives 4 links to help people who are working with decision trees for the first time to learn it, and understand it well. The decision tree is a decision support tool. It uses a tree-like graph to show the possible consequences. If you input a training dataset with targets and features into the decision tree, it will formulate some set of rules. These rules can be used to perform predictions. The author uses one example to illustrate this point: suppose you want to predict whether your daughter will like an animated movie, you should collect the past animated movies she likes, and take some features as the input. Then, through the decision tree algorithm, you can generate the rules. You can then input the features of this movie and see whether it will be liked by your daughter. The process of calculating these nodes and forming the rules is using information gain and Gini index calculations.
The difference between Random Forest algorithm and the decision tree algorithm is that in Random Forest, the process es of finding the root node and splitting the feature nodes will run randomly.
The author gives four advantages to illustrate why we use Random Forest algorithm. The one mentioned repeatedly by the author is that it can be used for both classification and regression tasks. Overfitting is one critical problem that may make the results worse, but for Random Forest algorithm, if there are enough trees in the forest, the classifier won't overfit the model. The third advantage is the classifier of Random Forest can handle missing values, and the last advantage is that the Random Forest classifier can be modeled for categorical values.
In this section, the author gives us a real-life example to make the Random Forest algorithm easy to understand. Suppose Mady wants to go to different places that he may like for his two-week vacation, and he asks his friend for advice. His friend will ask where he has been to already, and whether he likes the places that he's visited. Based on Mady's answers, his friend starts to give the recommendation. Here, his friend forms the decision tree.
Mady wants to ask more friends for advice because he thinks only one friend cannot help him make an accurate decision. So his other friends also ask him random questions, and finally, provides an answer. He considers the place with the most votes as his vacation decision. Here, the author provides an analysis for this example.
His one friend asked him some questions and gave the recommendation of the best place based on the answers. This is a typical decision tree algorithm approach. The friend created the rules based on the answers and used the rules to find the answer that matched the rules.
Mady's friends also randomly asked him different questions and gave answers, which for Mady are the votes for the place. At the end, the place with the highest votes is the one Mady will select to go. This is the typical Random Forest algorithm approach.
There are two stages in Random Forest algorithm, one is random forest creation, the other is to make a prediction from the random forest classifier created in the first stage. The whole process is shown below, and it's easy to understand using the figure.
The process is easy to understand, but it's somehow efficient.
For the application in banking, Random Forest algorithm is used to find loyal customers, which means customers who can take out plenty of loans and pay interest to the bank properly, and fraud customers, which means customers who have bad records like failure to pay back a loan on time or have dangerous actions.
For the application in medicine, Random Forest algorithm can be used to both identify the correct combination of components in medicine, and to identify diseases by analyzing the patient's medical records.
For the application in the stock market, Random Forest algorithm can be used to identify a stock's behavior and the expected loss or profit.
For the application in e-commerce, Random Forest algorithm can be used for predicting whether the customer will like the recommend products, based on the experience of similar customers.
Compared with other classification techniques, there are three advantages as the author mentioned.
The Random Forest algorithm can be used for identifying the most important features from the training dataset, in other words, feature engineering.
That not right. You randomly sample points and variables, but the process itself is a deterministic optimization step.


The fish aren't holding to a pattern too long but they haven't been moving too far so they're easy to relocate when they move. Most of my fish have been coming off of the ledges along the banks and river channel on anchor but the depth they are in varies from day to day. I've been using only live bait but the lure bite for slabs and topwaters should be turning on soon. Bait remains easy to catch on the tires in the marinas.
Since the patterns are off I'm hesitant to make any predictions as to what July will hold for this year. Traditionally July is one of my best months for big fish so we will soon see. All I know is the fish have been biting good in the mornings and the evening fishing has been tough. Yesterday we brought in 40 fish but tomorrow could be different, you never know. There are several openings available for July. You can book your trip online at www.striperinc.com or just give me a call at (903)815-1609 and I'll get you set up.


text:
Get Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America from Amazon.com
Order our Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America Study Guide
Chapters 1 through 3
Chapters 25 and 26
It Ain't So Awful Falafel
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America - Chapters 7 through 9 Summary & Analysis
This Study Guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Funny in Farsi.
Chapters 7 through 9 Summary and Analysis
Chapter 7: Bernice
In 1976, the family moved to Newport Beach for another of Kazem's consulting jobs. People in Newport mistook them for Mexicans and assumed that they were housekeepers and gardeners because they were the only Mexicans found in Newport Beach. At school, a nurse named Bernice, swore that Firoozeh was Alaskan. She was asked by her seventh grade teacher to give a report on her homeland, the teacher was disappointed when she hauled out her Persian artifacts. The teacher thought she was from Peru!
While they lived in Newport Beach, the Iranian government took a group of Americans hostage. Americans began to look at all Iranians with suspicious eyes. Eventually, Firoozeh moved to Berkeley where some very progressive students sided against the CIA for their treatment of Iranians. While in Berkeley, Firoozeh met her future husband, a Frenchman named...
(read more from the Chapters 7 through 9 Summary)
More summaries and resources for teaching or studying Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America.
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America from BookRags. (c)2020 BookRags, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
Wildlife English Movie Review
Feature Film | Drama
Paul Dano's directorial debut is a mature, confident and thoughtful portrayal of a family falling apart. Even though it's not exactly the same theme, Wildlife is everything that Boy Erased lacked. Rather than a superficial portrayal of a teenager going through troubled times at the hands of his inconsiderate parents, Dano and his writing (and real life) partner know that emotional wounds go much deeper than the skin.
Oct 28, 2018 By Piyush Chopra
The authenticity of the world constructed around 2 parents and their child feels incredibly lived in and believable. A father who can hardly bring himself to stay in one place for too long, a mother who finally decides to stop living for the men in her life and start living for herself, and a son who is caught between two warring parents and doesn't know how to pick a side: the characters are fleshed out from the very start but as the story progresses and all three's lives begin to unravel, the film goes up a few notches.
RELATED: The Dry Review
All the performances are wonderful but Carey Mulligan steals the show, especially in her drunken "Cha Cha Cha" scene. Dano has made a first film to be proud of and his is certainly the best film of MAMI by the end of Day 2.
Mukti Mohan
Divya Pillai
Shivani Rajashekar
Tovino Thomas


text:
Daily Dosage - August 4, 2008
By Cam Collingwood Aug 4, 2008, 5:04am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Daily Dosage - August 4, 2008
Daily Diarrhea
Anyone else find the 2-minute warning in the NFL a little unnecessary? I mean, do you really need a "warning" and for those who are playing or watching the game, who doesn't know exactly what time is left? Where you really need a 2 minute warning is at last call, so you can get a few more in before the bar closes. We bring this up cause we're giving you a 2 Month Warning on the beginning of the NHL regular season, which will start in Prague and Stockholm on October 4th. So time to start getting geared up and prepped for hockey, fantasy hockey, hockey pools, road hockey, beer league hockey, bubble hockey, air hockey, any hockey you can think of... and if you hadn't noticed we're geared up for hockey 365.
JP Dumont of Nashville was asked recently his thoughts on Alexander Radulov signing to play in Russia next year and he told the Nashville Tennessean that he'd love to have him back but that if he did come back he'd "have a lot of explaining to do during training camp. Not only to the players, but I think to fans, too." Thanks JP, I'm sure all 3 of the Nashville fans out there are so glad that you're speaking for them and enticing Rads to come back with your open arms welcome. He's already shown that he doesn't want to play in Nashville and now you're basically telling him that the players and fans are going to make it uncomfortable on him if he's forced to come back.
Lots of people call the Leafs or the NYR "The Country Club" because of the lifestyle the players enjoy but we're really starting to think that the new Tampa Bay Ownership Group (aka Koules & the Gang) really thinks they're running a country club... & I guess that makes sense cause that's what co-owner Len Barrie has been doing for the last few years. Was reading a blog on the team's website about their recent development camp on Vancouver Island (at Len Barrie's latest golf course/resort) and it sounded a lot more like Bud Camp than development camp. There were references in the blog to rounds of golf, hiking, trivia contests, pool parties at Len Barrie's house, press conferences, a few scrimmages and not much development, although I'm sure the players didn't mind cause I'm sure they all got free ice cream (any flavour they wanted!). During the scrimmages instead of letting the real coaches do their thing, Oren Koules coached one team and Len Barrie coached the other... No word if Barry Melrose jump back behind the mic and commentated. Then it mentioned that Tyson Barrie, Len's son who is 17 and hasn't been drafted, participated in the camp, nice perk for the owner to include his son and too bad for any player who tried to take him out. On top of it all, the camp was on the opposite corner of the continent, many miles from home for most of the staff and apparently the equipment staff had to drive all the gear 52 hours there and 52 hours back to make this all work.
This just dawned on us but how come Mike Commodore has never chosen to wear jersey number 64? Wouldn't that be one of the best jersey's of all time?
Distraction of the Day
What's distracting us today... well its actually a holiday today up here in Canada, sometimes called Simcoe Day, Civic Holiday, August Long or just "I don't have to work Monday" works just fine. Basically, we Canadians have to take advantage of the 2 months of warm weather we get, so how could they possibly expect us to go from July 1st to Labour Day without a long weekend in there? Well never fear, we're on the job today doing our best to bring you a quality, informative, PG-rated reading experience... long weekends are for the weak.


In December 2014, self-defense courses conducted by local police departments were offered to female employees at our locations in Santander, Spain and Hanover, Germany.
Topics included proper techniques for falls, protective actions and striking an attacker. Twelve women participated in the four-hour course, and the overall response was very positive.


text:
The Joy of Blasphemous Fusion Food
Learning to Love an Induction Stove
The Hard-Won Pleasures of a Yeasted Cake
At the age of sixty, Stanley Tucci is enjoying a somewhat unexpected late-career reinvention as a sex symbol.Photograph by Ernesto Ruscio / Getty
Annals of Gastronomy
The Timeless Fantasy of Stanley Tucci Eating Italian Food
In CNN's culinary travel series, Italy is beautiful and the food of Italy is beautiful. Not insignificantly, Tucci is beautiful, too.
By Helen Rosner
Several episodes of the CNN series "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" open with a message that's part apology and part warning: "The following episode was filmed prior to the start of the COVID-19 outbreak." For the couch-bound viewer, any travel show is a portal to fantasy. But a show like this—airing in a time like this—is escapism of another order. Here there are olive trees and cow-dappled hills and the blue-green sea, sure, but also cheek-kiss greetings and crowded piazzas, tiny café tables and narrow alleyways. Tucci, the show's host, wanders through Italy's regions unmasked, unfettered, chatting amiably with cheesemakers and pizzaiolos, sipping aperitivos on rooftops, picking up petals of artichoke from a plate in a cramped restaurant kitchen. Everything, always, is drenched in heavy yellow sunlight, as if the nation were basking in the languor of eternal late afternoon.
"Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," which concluded its first season this past Sunday, is ostensibly educational. Each episode takes viewers on a tour of a specific region, and in each Tucci spends a bit of time with scholars and activists, discussing some aspect of the region's history or politics or social strife. But mostly he eats, and talks about eating, and visits the farmers and producers and venders who provision his marvellous meals. Italy is beautiful. The food of Italy is beautiful. Not insignificantly, Stanley Tucci is beautiful, too. He strolls the narrow thoroughfares of Florence and Naples with the physical eloquence of a dancer, at once smoldering and restrained. He gazes at wheels of cheese and swirls of pasta as if the food must be seduced before it will consent to be devoured. The Tucci of "Searching for Italy" is a figure out of time: thick-framed glasses, white pants, a rich leather belt, a linen shirt tailored narrowly to the trapezoid of his torso, cuffs rolled just so, the hint of a bronzed and muscled forearm. He delivers sly jokes and engages in patter with shopkeepers in a mix of Italian and English. "This bread, it's an aphrodisiac," he says, standing outside a bakery in Bologna, and adds, "I'm all alone in a hotel; why would I want to do that?" His suave exterior shows cracks only in moments of sensory ecstasy. Taking a deep whiff of a split wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or letting the funk of a ribbon of prosciutto blossom on his tongue, he moans, he sighs, he murmurs. The whole thing verges on obscene: Tuccissimo.
At the age of sixty, Tucci is enjoying a somewhat unexpected late-career reinvention as a sex symbol. Students of the Tucci allure have pointed out that it is in no way new. It dates back at least to his appearance in a nineteen-eighties ad for Levi's 501s, in which he shows off an A-shirt and exquisite deltoids on the streets of New York City. His breakout role, as the debonair restaurateur Secondo in the film "Big Night" (1996), was less explicitly sexy, but it had the effect of linking Tucci's persona forever to the intimacy and sensuousness of food. The movie, which Tucci co-wrote and co-directed, is about a pair of Italian brothers in the nineteen-fifties who are trying to save their struggling New Jersey restaurant with a huge, blowout dinner. The movie is most beloved for its feast scenes, when the brothers serve their guests a fusillade of Technicolor courses, including an extraordinary timpano centerpiece. But the greater food sequence takes place in the movie's final minutes, when Secondo makes an omelette for his brother and their lone employee. It is filmed in one unbroken shot, without dialogue or music; its choreography of silence and motion, solitude and togetherness is like something out of Fellini. Cracking eggs, setting the pan over the flame, laying hunks of bread on plates, Tucci makes cooking a physical language.
Tucci has returned to food often in the course of his career. He's authored two cookbooks (the second with his wife, the literary agent Felicity Blunt, who makes a few cameos in "Searching for Italy") and played Julia Child's adoring husband, Paul, in "Julie & Julia." A culinary memoir, "Taste: My Life Through Food," is due out in the fall. Sure, Tucci has played other roles as well: supervillain, serial killer, fashionista, wizard. In his most recent film, this year's tender "Supernova," he plays opposite Colin Firth as a man navigating early-onset dementia. But the Stanley Tucci of our hearts is a man who cooks and eats and enchants while doing so. An ur-Tucci moment came to us, last April, in the form of an Instagram video. It shows Tucci in his home kitchen, making a Negroni for Blunt. Wearing a tight shirt, he titrates the Campari with beguiling sangfroid—an eyebrow flicker, a kittenish half smile. "Enjoy This Powerfully Erotic Video of Stanley Tucci," the Cut recommended, and by god we did.
Plenty of Hollywood stars know their way around a kitchen. Cookbook best-seller lists are perpetually full of names better known from IMDb pages than the James Beard Awards. But most often the stars who cross over into food are women. And, often, those women have turned to the kitchen after aging out of Hollywood's cruelly narrow definition of female desirability. In the field of professional domesticity, youth is a novelty rather than a currency, and success comes from being likable more than fuckable. It may be that fewer male movie stars have second acts as culinary personalities because the sex appeal of men has no clear expiration date. Instead of a low-budget stand-and-stir programmed for the midafternoon mom brigade, Tucci gets a prestige travel show in which he charms his way around one of the most beautiful countries in the world, like an aged-up Alain Delon in "Purple Noon" (minus the murder). Before the first season of "Searching for Italy" had finished airing, it had already been renewed for a second. It doesn't feel entirely fair.
In a recent Variety profile, Tucci said that he found the process of hosting a documentary series to be surprisingly challenging. "I'm not a journalist; I'm not an interviewer," he said. His lack of experience is not inevident. "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" is a good show, but not quite a great one. Its culinary discoveries (balsamic vinegar in Modena, pizza in Naples, risotto in Milan) are not new, and its gloss on the less glamorous aspects of Italian culture and history are rarely more than decorative. The Italy we are shown is suspended in a dreamlike past: every cheese has been made for centuries, often with the same tools; every drizzle of balsamic vinegar is a triumph of preserving the old ways against the encroaching, soul-sapping efficiencies of the modern age. Tucci samples mortadella in Bologna with a leftist organizer and goes fishing in Lombardy with a far-right hard-liner, the latter of whom he engages with genteel distaste. But the substance of their conversation is overwhelmed by the ambience of their surroundings, and of Tucci himself. Stanley Tucci plays a travel-show host; Italy, with a bit of corsetry and airbrushing, plays itself.
"He's no Bourdain," one CNN devotee in my life said, of Tucci, unprompted, a few weeks ago. I suppose I agree, though that's sort of like saying that a langoustine isn't a porterhouse. Like Tucci, Anthony Bourdain was rich in charisma and possessed unlikely sex appeal. But Bourdain the travel-show host served as a spotlight, fondly illuminating the people and places around him. Tucci is an electromagnet. Even when he's in a crowd, he seems like the only person on the screen, and the show is at its best when it stops fighting the desire to focus entirely on him. He chops carrots for a soffritto in a rented apartment in Florence with his mother. He adds another knob of snow-white butter to a massive skillet of garlic and cabbage as he makes pizzoccheri, a Lombardian specialty, as a gesture of appreciation for his crew. At one point, Tucci takes the camera away from his director of photography, so that the man can eat. It's the best moment in the series: Tucci on camera, then behind the camera, then back on camera again—at once the cook and the creator, the lens through which we see the meal, and the meal itself.
Helen Rosner is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 2016, she won the James Beard award for personal-essay writing.
More:Stanley TucciItalyCookingTravelTelevisionFood
Sign up for The New Yorker's Food newsletter and get recommendations, reviews, and more, twice a month.
The World of Television
HGTV Is Getting a Renovation
In the streaming era, does the network need to be more than wallpaper?
By Ian Parker
The Haredi Jewish Family of "Shtisel" Returns for a Third Season
The runaway-hit series from Israel delivers pleasures similar to those of an expansive nineteenth-century novel.
By Alexandra Schwartz
Behind the Making of "Reeducated"
Journalists describe the challenging process of building a visual story based on the memories of former prisoners.


text:
<?php
global $wpdb;
$wpdb->show_errors();
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
    $model = datapress_get_current_model();
    $model_id = $model;
    $model = $GLOBALS['models'][$model];
    $data = array();
    $st = array();
    foreach($model['fields'] as $f => $field) {
        $data[$f] = $_POST[$f];
        $st[] = '%s';
    }

    if (isset($_POST['row_id'])) {
        $wpdb->update($model_id, $data, array('id' => $_POST['row_id']), $st, array('%d'));
        header('location: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=' . $GLOBALS['app_namespace'] . '-' . $model_id);
        return;
    } else {

        $wpdb->insert($model_id, $data, $st);
        $id = $wpdb->insert_id;
        header('location: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=' . $GLOBALS['app_namespace'] . '-' . $model_id . "&id=" . $id);
    }
}
?><form method="POST" action="<?php echo $PHP_SELF?>">
<?php

$model = datapress_get_current_model();?>
<input type="hidden" name="model" value="<?php echo $model?>">
<?php
$model_id = $model;
$model = $GLOBALS['models'][$model];
$row_id = isset($_GET['id']) ? $_GET['id'] : '';
$row = array();
if (!empty($row_id)) {
    // Get current entry
    $rows = $wpdb->get_results("SELECT * FROM $model_id WHERE id = $row_id", ARRAY_A);
    $row = $rows[0];
?>
<input type="hidden" name="row_id" value="<?php echo $row_id?>">
<?php } ?>
<?php
foreach($model['fields'] as $field) {

// retrieve the existing value(s) for this meta field. This returns an array
 ?>

<label for="field_[<?php echo $field['id']?>]"><?php _e( $field['title'], 'metapress' ); ?>
<?php switch ($field['type']) {
case 'image':?>

        <input type="hidden" class="input" name="field_[<?php echo $field['id']?>]" id="field_<?php echo $field['id']?>" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $row[$field['id']] ) ? esc_attr( $row[$field['id']] ) : ''; ?>">
        <input type="button" class="button" id="field_<?php echo $field['id']?>_image_button" value="Choose image">

<?php _e( $field['description'],'metapress' ); ?>

<?php break;
    default: ?>

        <input class="form-input" type="<?php echo $field['type']?>" name="field_[<?php echo $field['id']?>]" id="field_<?php echo $field['id']?>" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $row[$field['id']] ) ? esc_attr( $row[$field['id']] ) : ''; ?>">

<?php _e( 'Enter a value for this field','metapress' ); ?>

<?php break;
    } ?>

<?php

}
?>

<button class="button button-primary" type="submit">Submit</button></form>
<?php


The 100% USDA certified organic cotton sateen pillow cases are the perfect pure, chemical-free cover for your all natural pillows. These sateen pillow cases get softer with each and every wash.
These organic cotton pillow cases are handcrafted by a small US manufacturer and made with the finest natural, chemical free ingredients available.
What Makes these Organic Cotton Sheets Special?
Sleeping on certified organic, chemical-free sheets and bedding is a proven way to reduce dangerous chemical exposure that can adversely affect you and your children's health.
These organic pillow cases are handcrafted, so order today to receive in 1-3 weeks.


text:
Sweeney Statement on the Passing of Peter J. Barnes, Jr.
TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney issued the following statement on the passing today of Peter J. Barnes, Jr., who had a diverse and admirable career of public service, including serving as an MP in the United States Army, 26 years as a Special Agent for the FBI, as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, as chairman of the State Parole Board, and as the Director of Public Safety for Edison Township and East Brunswick Township:
"With the passing of Peter Barnes, we have lost one of the most honorable and accomplished public servants in our lifetime. Peter was a real gentleman who embodied all the best qualities of a law enforcement officer and supervisor, as an elected official and as a husband, father, grandfather and friend.
"He was a man of decency and integrity who treated everyone with equal measures of respect and who, in turn, earned the respect and the admiration of everyone who knew him. Peter had a soft-spoken demeanor, but he possessed a rock-solid commitment to the enduring values of honesty and selfless service.
"Peter would never boast about himself, but he had a remarkable career of public service. From serving his country in the armed services to a distinguished career as an FBI agent investigating bank robberies, white-collar crime and national security, to representing his home community in the Legislature, to directing the work of the Parole Board and overseeing the public safety operations in both Edison and East Brunswick, he set an example of selfless leadership that will be part of his legacy.
"My sincere condolences to Barbara, Peter's devoted wife and partner of 64 years, and to his four children and 10 grandchildren, including his son Peter J. Barnes III, who succeeded his father in the State Assembly before becoming a State Senator and Superior Court judge, and to his grandson Jack Barnes who serves on the staff of the Senate Democratic Majority. I know that Peter was as proud of his family as they are of him. We all share in your loss but we are better for our time with him."


text:
"Union Station", "The Topeka School" and "The Grammarians"
November 24th, 2019	| Published in November 2019
I'm learning that when "The New York Times Book Review" tells its readers that new books are experimental, or are breaking new boundaries in the structures of the work, or that the writers are breaking new ground in either short fiction (Zadie Smith's new stories in "Union Station" or the novel itself (Ben Lerner's "The Topeka School"), to beware. I'm concluding that the "Times" reviewers use such tropes rather than to actually review the work critically, so that alleged experimental work is praised just for presumably being such, in and of itself.
Briefly, Zadie Smith's new stories in "Union Station" are a hybrid combination of short fiction and the essay form, and they succeed at neither. Mostly, the stories are what we've come to expect: rants on the lives of women of color (in this case, a rather privileged one in a London university), getting into the issues of the day concerning race, gender, class and power. Smith adds nothing either new or of particular interest in these alleged stories, and the story parts of the stories are weak, incomplete, dull, solopsistic and narcissistic. Smith is usually a very compelling and exciting writer, but she should probably stick to either fiction or essays and not combine the two, as she has attempted to in these stories. They read as lazy, sloppy, inconclusive. She has done much better with either fiction or essays and we hope she returns to fiction or nonfiction, where she's usually absolutely tops.
Ben Lerner's much overpraised new novel "The Topeka School" is often deadly dull. Lerner, who clearly loves words, language itself, offers us a family in Topeka, Kansas; both parents are psychiatrists in an America still addled by psychoanalysis, and their brilliant son, the narrator, seems to be trying to work out his masculinity issues in high school debating: Lerner's quite interesting in describing this highly competitive world, wherein high school students are competing to win in two types of debating. We're also privy to the narrator's sets of friends from high school, spoiled, coddled, privileged; chapters alternate with the presumed thoughts of a special needs young man that the group of "in" people at this high school pretend to befriend, but continually bully throughout the novel. The writing itself in those brief chapters where we sense the conflicted thoughts of this very sad boy is very beautiful. But it's extremely difficult to have much affection or interest in the narrator himself, and his parents and their psychiatrist friends just stop short of being spoofs (intended or not is unclear). The parents, of course (the mother's interesting and empathetic), see their son only through the lens of psychoanalysis, and it's rather fun to read these parts, although psychiatry has done an awful lot of damage to an awfully large group of people since its arrival in America (which Freud himself didn't want to be part of the medical profession here). If only Ben Lerner had shortened this overly long novel, or had a good editor to do so, the reader might have been drawn in more, but the novel goes on and on and it's often very boring and it would be easy to just put it down. If "masculinity" is definable through how a young man uses lanaguage/words rather than through physical prowess, which was true at the time when the novel's set, then surely this group of entitled friends wouldn't have taken such pleasure in bullying the special needs boy: that part of the novel is, frankly, disgusting, and any compassion the reader might possibly have for the narrator is ruined by his/his friends' constant and cruel attacks on this other child. By the end of the book–and it was a struggle to get there–I didn't care about most anyone in the book.
Another novel that deals totally successfully with the very idea of language it "The Grammarians", by Cathleen Schine. Two female twins—identical—are born into an upper middle class suburban Westchester County family, and these girls have developed a special language between themselves even as babies; they are, in childhood and adolescence, inseparable, and are utterly fascinated with their (very sympathetic) father brings them home a huge dictionary; words become their toys, their playthings, thus interacting with their own invented language. The small family unit, which includes the father's psychiatrist brother (who is heavily spoofed throughout the novel), his wife and their bratty son Brian, is wonderfully rendered by Schine.
By the time the girls become women, they both find fascinating husbands (who become best friends with their own languages of friendship—and an understanding of how dominant the twinship is between their wives. Both sisters will become writers, both of their published writings are about language; one writes a column about the ongoing debasement of language, of grammar, of words, the other writing about what we'll call the American vernacular, which she discovers by reading letters written during World War I, letters from the heart with their own internal poetry. These different approaches to language cause decades of a rift between the women, who, of course, continue to circle around one another and remain highly competitive. That Schine defines these two fascinating women via their use of and choices of the very purposes of language is a nearly unique trope in contemporary literature, and succeeds on every level, where "The Topeka School" flails around and around on itself.
"The Grammarians" is by turns funny, intense, fascinating, brilliantly structured, and always engaging. Schine's hit a home run with this very fine novel about words.


text:
Polyphonic Blog
OnCampus Blog
OnCampus
OnCampus TV
Webinars and Hangouts
OnCampus Articles
Foundation Reports
Research Bibliographies
Harmony Archive
Orchestra Spotlight
Orchestra Spotlight: Central Ohio Symphony
Chicago Philharmonic Society
Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra
RPO Guest Conductor Series: Michael Francis
RPO Guest Conductor Series: Thomas Wilkins
RPO Guest Conductor Series: Michael Christie
Recap: League of American Orchestras Conference 2013
Browse archives for June 25, 2013
Ann Drinan
Ann Drinan, Senior Editor, has been a member of the Hartford Symphony viola section for over 30 years. She is a former Chair of the Orchestra Committee, former member of the HSO Board, and has served on many HSO committees. She is also the Executive Director of CONCORA (CT Choral Artists), a professional chorus based in Hartford and New Britain, founded by Artistic Director Richard Coffey. Ann was a member of the Advisory Board of the Symphony Orchestra Institute (SOI), and was the HSO ROPA delegate for 14 years, serving as both Vice President and President of ROPA. In addition to playing the viola and running CONCORA, Ann is a professional writer and editor, and has worked as a consultant and technical writer for software companies in a wide variety of industries for over 3 decades. (She worked for the Yale Computer Science Department in the late 70s, and thus has been on the Internet, then called the DARPAnet, since 1977!) She is married to Algis Kaupas, a sound recordist, and lives a block from Long Island Sound in Branford CT. Together they create websites for musicians: shortbeachwebdesign.com.
Ann holds a BA in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA in International Relations from Yale University.
Read Ann Drinan's blog here. web.esm.rochester.edu/poly/author/ann-drinan
All posts from Ann Drinan
Polyphonic.org – The Orchestra Musician Forum – League Conference: A Conversation with Greg Sandow
[...] thinking of the inspiring part of Jesse [Rosen]'s talk yesterday, about how little arts education there is in East…
Orchestra Management, The Future
I attended the League of American Orchestras' annual conference last week in St. Louis. The conference was the usual mix of plenary sessions, constituent meetings (I attended the musician sessions), workshops and smaller presentations, a master class with David Robertson, and a concert by the St. Louis Symphony. I will be writing about the various sessions I attended over the course of the next few weeks, so check back for more details.
The theme of this year's Conference was "Imagining 2023." The conference presenters included two futurists, one of which was the keynote speaker Elizabeth Merritt, founding director of the Center for the Future of Museums, a most dynamic speaker. More about Elizabeth later.
Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League, gave his opening remarks about the future of orchestras. He talked about the need for orchestras to balance getting out into their communities while still performing in their wonderful concert halls, where they sound the best. He used the metaphor of the Hudson River in New York City that flows both north and south simultaneously. He mentioned the New World Symphony's initiatives in bringing in new audiences and quoted hockey great Wayne Gretzky's response to the secret of his success ("I skate to where the puck will be") and applied it to New World ("We skate to where the audience will be").
As examples of forward-looking initiatives, he mentioned the Cleveland Orchestra's series that takes place in a bar, the Stockton (CA) Symphony's work confronting gang warfare with a piece about conflict resolution, and the diversity conference organized by the Sphinx Organization last February.
He quoted Yo-Yo Ma who, in his Nancy Hanks Lecture on April 8 in Washington DC, talked about the "edge effect" — the ecology where two different ecosystems meet, such as a forest and a savannah. The more varied the two backgrounds, the more diverse are the life forms, and the more potential exists for new life forms. Jesse suggested that orchestras should look for their own "edge effect" in finding unions of different genres, cultures, art forms, etc. Imagine 2023!
Jesse's complete remarks can be found here on the League's website.
A fascinating coincidence was presented at the opening session. The Gold Baton award was given to the Volunteer Council of the League and to Don Randel, president emeritus of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Dr. Randel is an eminent music historian (medieval and renaissance music) and taught at Princeton for many years; he is also the past president of the University of Chicago.
During his remarks in receiving his award, he mentioned the performance of John Adams' Dr. Atomic by the St. Louis Symphony that evening. He said that a scientist he knew at Princeton, who left to go to Fermi Labs and who is featured in the Dr. Atomic opera, was once asked by Congress whether the work he was doing there would contribute to the national defense. His reply was, "No, except to make the nation worth defending." Dr. Randel applied this concept to symphonies as a treasure of our nation.
ICSOM: The First Fifty Years
No Time At All
View all posts Author website
Polyphonic.org – The Orchestra Musician Forum – League Conference: A Conversation with Greg Sandow says:
[…] thinking of the inspiring part of Jesse [Rosen]'s talk yesterday, about how little arts education there is in East St. Louis, a poor minority community. […]
To enhance the professional development and broaden the perspectives of musicians who are participants in North American symphony orchestras and other musical arts organizations.


New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) India U-23 mens football team, which has never qualified for the U-23 AFC championship since its inception in 2014, will start preparation for the qualifying round matches, under coach Derrick Pereira in Goa from March 2.
India, which have qualified for the men's AFC Asia Cup championship four times but failed to qualify for this biennial international age-restricted football championship, organised by the AFC, will be one of the 44 teams that have entered the competition. These teams are divided into two zones — West Zone (Groups A-F) and East Zone (Groups G-K) with 24 and 20 teams, respectively.
Eleven group winners and four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament. If the final tournament hosts Thailand win their group or are among the four best runners-up, the fifth best runner-up also qualifies for the final tournament.
India is in Group F, along with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. While India is placed at 18, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan are placed at 12, 21 and 45, respectively, in AFC ranking.
From the outset it seems India is well placed in the group, but then India have never been able to beat Uzbekistan and also lost its last two matches against Tajikistan. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it will also be a tough match considering the prevalent relations between the two countries.
Qualifying matches will be played from March 22-26. India will play Tajikistan on March 22, host Uzbekistan on March 25 and Pakistan on March 26. Before the start of qualifying matches, India will be playing a friendly with Qatar U23 National side on March 11 in Doha.
In an interview to the AIFF website, Pereira said, "It is an honour to be associated to with the national team. I know most players and have seen them in action. But we need to find the right combination to perform and achieve the desired results.".


Williams Racing deputy team principal Claire Williams believes that the team will have to "wait and see" as to whether they can bounce back from a dismal 2018 season.
The Grove-based team slumped to their worst-ever finish in their history, recording just seven points all season.
Although the team identified several areas in need of drastic improvement ahead of the 2019 season, an all-changed line-up of rookie George Russell and the returning Robert Kubica might not spell the immediate turnaround they are hoping for.
Speaking to RACER magazine, Williams outlined that the team would be keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground and that expectations were very much realistic heading into the new season.
"We're pretty happy that we have resolved some of the key issues that we had last year. But our recovery is still very much a work in progress.
"We've obviously had the plan that we've put in place around car development that's been ongoing for a while now. That's been going I think probably as we would expect.
"I think it's a case of we clearly have got to wait and see until we get to testing to see what everyone else is doing. It's quite difficult to judge the progress we're making at this point."


Lo Bosworth and Lauren "LC" Conrad are seen here shopping together at Wholefoods Market in LA on February 26, 2010. Both are dressed in sweats and Lo carries her Balenciaga Classic City in 2010 Sahara. The city can still look good with lounge wear, and can make a great casual bag too. It looks like LC is carrying a black Chanel Flap.
Nicole Richie arrives at London on February 25 to continue promoting her new apparel line, Winter Kate (named after daughter Harlow). She wears a very cute printed mini dress with bold, white sunglasses. It looks like she's carrying her black Balenciaga city (a little hard to see). Seems like her to go bag for this entire business trip!
The sale started a couple of hours ago, but there are still some available that are temporarily in others' carts. So if you keep stalking and refreshing you might get lucky and be able to add one into your cart! They even have some styles in GGH, which comes as a complete surprise! The sale will end March 1.
If you need an invite for membership click HERE.
Italian actress Elenoire Casalegno posing here with her Balenciaga Outremer Work Bag on February 25, 2010. Outremer adds a very pretty pop of color against her black blazer and legging look.
Aloha Rag has gotten in more Balenciaga new arrivals today.
None of these new colors suit me since I'm not much of a yellow person. I like to eat Mustard, but not wear it, haha. Canard it too dark for me, almost black.
Email them at love@aloharag.com if you're interested in any of these particular styles.
If I weren't broke, I would get the 07 Anthracite Flat Messenger!!
I haven't purchased Juicy Couture Charms in a very long time, but I couldn't help myself when I saw these two. I try to cut back since they are not cheap, runs from about $40-60 each! I love to hang charms off my Balenciaga bags, so here to model the charms is my 07 Ivory Twiggy. I know I put it up for sale a while ago, but I took down the listing because I fell in love with it all over again. Ivory is an amazing neutral that really works with my wardrobe.
Dakota Fanning celebrates her 16th birthday today! She has definitely grown up before our eyes. The young actress was spotted in Los Angeles with a cute tiara on her head, and torn leggings (seems like the trend at the moment). She is also carrying her well-worn Balenciaga Giant City Bag with Gold Hardware which gives her look a very rocker chic edge.
Kourtney Kardashian and two month old son Mason attend a birthday party in the Jackson family compound. Her choice of baby bag/purse? Her Balenciaga Black Square Tote! Instead of carrying a traditional diaper bag, she opts for this sleek over-sized bag that can be carried multiple ways. This bag matches beautifully with her outfit.
Although our 30 day pledge has technically expired, we are renewing and extending our committment until the end of this month. Now you have an extra week for your purchase from RDC to have an impact in the lives of those in Haiti who have had to endure so much. Thank you for your generosity and support!
We have also recently updated our sale category with many fresh Balenciaga items now on sale for the first time and even deeper discounts on some items previously marked down. All sale prices shown here will expire at the end of this month.
As always, we welcome your trade-in of Balenciaga Items in excellent or better condition for immediate credit towards the purchase of anything in our store. We also have a flexible layaway policy that can allow you up to 60 days to pay for your order.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were spotted landing down at Heathrow airport in London on February 20, 2010. Mary-Kates choice of carry-on? Her Ponyhair weekender again! She is also pairing her bag with her very hot Balenciaga Harness booties. Sister Ashley uses an oversized Hermes bag!
English singer Mollie King of The Saturdays wears her Balenciaga Galet Work Bag with Giant Gold Hardware. She is seen here on February 20, 2010 attending London's Fashion Week. Standing at 5"4" the Giant Work bag does not look humongous on her.
Galet is truly a beautiful color that was very popular amongst Balenciaga fans during the 2009 season. It is a lovely elephant gray color that is a great neutral color that is slightly reminiscent of 2006 Greige.
Today, reps confirmed that the two got engaged over the weekend in Hawaii! Congrats to the happy couple! Everyone is getting engaged all of sudden.
Dakota Fanning has been spotted twice in one day! This morning, she was seen in her sweats heading to the gym for yoga. The second picture is of her shopping with her mother in LA on Valentine's Day. I loved her in World of Wars, and Uptown Girls and I'm looking forward to her next projects.
Her bag is definitely nicely worn in since there is color fading all over, and a very darkened handle. This is something I'd like to avoid with my Bals! As much as I love the vintage look, I love the "new bag" look more. I'm very careful with my bags, and always baby them as much as I can!
Images via Fadedyouth, and Popsugar.
The lovely Nicole Richie was spotted in snowy NYC attending Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week today February 16. She wears her Balenciaga Classic Black City, lovely floral dress, and red coat. I adore her hair, the braiding is so cute and chic.


text:
Your Amsterdam to Lille Europe train travel starts here
Cheap Train Travel From Amsterdam To Lille Europe
Distance from Amsterdam to Lille Europe is 233 Kilometer
% in terms of Carbon footprint if you travel between Amsterdam to Lille Europe by Trains and not by Airplane
% in terms of Carbon emissions if you travel between Amsterdam to Lille Europe with Trains vs Car
Departing Train Station: Amsterdam Central Station
The Train station is located at the center of Amsterdam
Arrival Train Station: Lille Europe
The Train station is located at the center of Lille
You can order your Train ticket from Amsterdam to Lille Europe 3 months ahead of your departure date
You can pay for your train trip to Lille Europe by these payment terms Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Maestro credit cards but also with the following alternative payment methods: Paypal, Alipay, WeChat, Trustly, Ideal, Sofort and more.
Remember traveling by train is very scenic experience especially if you train travel between Amsterdam and Lille Europe, Enjoy.
See how your train trip from Amsterdam to Lille Europe will look like
More Important Information About Your Travel to Lille Europe
Lille ( LEEL; French: [lil]; Dutch: Rijsel [ˈrɛisəl]; Picard: Lile; West Flemish: Rysel) is a city at the northern tip of France, in French Flanders. On the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord department, and the main city of the European Metropolis of Lille. As of 2015, Lille had a population of 232,741 within its administrative limits,. Lille is the first city of the Métropole Européenne de Lille with a population of 1,182,127, making it the fourth largest urban area in France after Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
Additional Information About Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands with a population of 872,680 within the city proper, 1,380,872 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. Found within the province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", attributed by the large number of canals which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century and became the leading centre for finance and trade. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Images of France trains
Other Train Trips From Amsterdam:
Amsterdam to Nieuwerkerk Aan Den Ijssel train ticketsAmsterdam to Zaltbommel train ticketsAmsterdam to Amsterdam Sloterdijk train ticketsAmsterdam to Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena train ticketsAmsterdam to Barneveld train ticketsAmsterdam to Blerick train ticketsAmsterdam to Borne NL train ticketsAmsterdam to Buitenpost train ticketsAmsterdam to Deinum train tickets
Amsterdam to De Huet Doetinchem trainsAmsterdam to Eindhoven trainsAmsterdam to Apeldoorn De Maten trainsAmsterdam to Geleen Lutterade trainsAmsterdam to Gramsbergen trainsAmsterdam to Haarlem Spaarnwoude trainsAmsterdam to Hardinxveld Giessendam trainsAmsterdam to Heino trainsAmsterdam to Hoogeveen trainsAmsterdam to Horst Sevenum trains
Amsterdam to Klimmen Ransdaal ticketsAmsterdam to The Hague Laan Van Noi ticketsAmsterdam to Heerlen Woonboulevard ticketsAmsterdam to Maastricht Randwyck ticketsAmsterdam to Naarden Bussum ticketsAmsterdam to Nijverdal ticketsAmsterdam to Opheusden ticketsAmsterdam to Purmerend Overwhere ticketsAmsterdam to Rotterdam Lombardijen ticketsAmsterdam to Schiedam tickets
To travel from Amsterdam to Lille Europe , trains would be the best travel choice, for several reasons:
2. Speed - Traveling by train is in most cases the fastest way to get from Amsterdam to Lille Europe .
* Trains always costs you less when you train travel Amsterdam to Lille Europe so remember to calculate everything.


Star SM-T300 Portable Printers - On Sale !
Bluetooth & Serial Interfaces. SM-T300-DB50 3-Inch Mobile Printer including Bluetooth Wireless Communication, MFI Certified, Blue Light LCD, AC Charger, Battery Pack, Serial Cable, Belt Clip and Paper Roll. Color: Gray.
Bluetooth & Serial Interfaces. SM-T301-DB50 3-Inch Mobile Printer including Bluetooth Wireless Communication, MSR: 1&2 Track, MFI Certified, Blue Light LCD, AC Charger, Battery Pack, Serial Cable, Belt Clip and Paper Roll. Color: Yellow.
802.11 & Serial Interfaces. SM-T300-DB50 3-Inch Mobile Printer including Wireless LAN Communication, MFI Certified, Blue Light LCD, AC Charger, Battery Pack, Serial Cable, Belt Clip and Paper Roll. Color: Yellow.
The Star SM-T300 is ideal for the ever growing field service/portable industry, the Star SM-T300 is ideal for workers requiring handhelds to seamlessly print to a portable printer.
LCD Display.Its rugged and splash proof design coupled with a long battery life makes the Star SM-T300 a welcomed option for applications in harsh outdoor environments, such as service & delivery, public safety and utilities.
In addition to easy drop in & print paper loading and a print speed of 75mm per second, the Star SM-T300 also features an LCD display, magnetic stripe reader and comes standard with Serial and Bluetooth connections.
The Star SM-T300 also comes with a One-Year manufacturer warranty.