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KAZAKHSTAN: Crossword books, but no religious literature in prison
Prisoners are allowed to have crossword books, but no religious literature, a relative of one of the five Sunni Muslim prisoners of conscience held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana complained to Forum 18 News Service. "I asked the guards if I could bring a Koran. They said religious books, as well as political books, are not allowed." The relative also complained that the men had their beards shaved off and their religious head coverings taken from them. The duty officer at Astana's Interior Ministry Investigation Prison, where the five are held, claimed to Forum 18 that religious books are allowed, provided they are checked and stamped by the KNB secret police. A relative of another Sunni Muslim prisoner of conscience, Saken Tulbayev, complained to Forum 18 of restrictions in labour camp in Pavlodar. "If he prays they beat him. He can only pray to himself without anyone observing."
All six prisoners of conscience were handed prison terms for alleged membership of the Tabligh Jamaat Muslim missionary movement. Tabligh Jamaat was banned as "extremist" in Kazakhstan by an Astana court in February 2013.
The five Astana prisoners of conscience were finally transferred from the city's National Security Committee (KNB) secret police Investigation Prison to the city's Interior Ministry Investigation Prison on 29 February, a relative told Forum 18. The five prisoners of conscience have lodged appeals against their convictions (see below).
Meanwhile, another trial of three Sunni Muslims – similarly alleged to be Tabligh Jamaat members – continues in Karaganda [Qaraghandy]. The next hearing is due at 2:30 pm on 15 March, according to court records (see below).
The criminal case against an Astana-based legal expert, who gave legal advice to the five Sunni Muslims convicted in the city in February, has still not been completed. He has been held in the city's KNB secret police Investigation Prison since November 2015 (see below).
Prosecutions also continue under the Administrative Code to punish individuals for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. A Jehovah's Witness fined for talking to others of his faith failed to overturn the fine on appeal in February (see below).
"Everyone is afraid"
Of the 29 Sunni Muslims known to have faced criminal cases since December 2014 for alleged Tabligh Jamaat membership, 13 were given prison terms as prisoners of conscience, 12 were given sentences of restricted freedom, 3 remain on trial and one in pre-trial imprisonment (see F18News 25 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2153).
The widespread criminal prosecutions of Sunni Muslims have caused fears among others, especially relatives and close friends of those convicted, that they too could face similar imprisonment.
"Everyone is afraid," one Muslim told Forum 18 on 5 March. "They see that innocent people are being arrested, people who simply called others to be faithful to God. These people did nothing wrong. They didn't even get involved in politics."
Astana prisoners of conscience transferred
On 18 February Judge Umsyn Mukhangaliyeva at Astana's Saryarka District Court No. 2 sentenced 38-year-old Bolatbek Kozhageldinov, 36-year-old Nurzhan Nuradilov, 44-year-old Erbolat Omarbekov and 53-year-old Kubaidolla Tyulyubayev to two years' imprisonment each in an ordinary regime labour camp. All were convicted of alleged Tabligh Jamaat membership under Criminal Code Article 405, Part 1.
Judge Mukhangaliyeva convicted the fifth defendant, 31-year-old Khalambakhi Khalym, under both Article 405, Part 2 and Article 164, Part 1 (the equivalent of Article 174, Part 1 in the current Criminal Code). She handed him a two and a half year prison term in an ordinary regime labour camp (see F18News 25 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2153).
Article 405, Part 1 punishes "organising the activity of a social or religious association or other organisation after a court decision banning their activity or their liquidation in connection with extremism or terrorism they have carried out" with a fine or up to six years' imprisonment. Part 2 punishes participation in such activity with a fine or up to two years' imprisonment.
Article 174, Part 1 punishes "incitement of social, national, clan, racial, or religious hatred or antagonism" with imprisonment of two to seven years or restricted freedom for the same period.
The Judge finally issued the 30-page written verdict, seen by Forum 18, on 26 February. The verdict notes that the prison terms are deemed to run from the date of the men's arrests in September 2015. The men are each required to pay procedural fees of 26,240 Tenge (650 Norwegian Kroner, 70 Euros or 75 US Dollars) for the "expert analysis" used to convict them (see F18News 10 June 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2187).
All five men lodged appeals against their convictions to Astana City Court on 4 March, relatives of several of the men told Forum 18. No date is yet listed for the appeal to be heard.
Prison with no religious literature
Following their September 2015 arrests, the five prisoners of conscience spent just over five months in KNB secret police imprisonment – including their time on trial - before being transferred to the Interior Ministry prison on 29 February 2016.
"The five men will be there while their appeal is heard. They had their beards shaved off and their religious head coverings taken from them," the relative complained.
The prisoners of conscience are not allowed the Koran or other religious books. "I asked the guards if I could bring a Koran," the relative added. "They said religious books, as well as political books, are not allowed. Only crosswords and ordinary newspapers and magazines, as long as they contain no politics."
The relative also tried to hand in miswak, twigs for cleaning teeth which the prisoners regard as being in accord with Islamic hygienic jurisprudence as advocated in the hadith (sayings attributed to the Muslim prophet Muhammad). This too was refused.
The duty officer at the Interior Ministry Investigation Prison insisted that prisoners are not denied religious books. "But they must be checked and must be stamped [as approved] by the Department," he told Forum 18 from the prison on 9 March. "We have a special operational officer who handles this." Asked which Department has to give its approval, the duty officer eventually said it was the KNB secret police. He confirmed that only religious books are subjected to such controls.
Asked why prisoners have had their beards shaved and their religious head coverings taken away, the duty officer put the phone down.
The prison address of the five prisoners of conscience is:
SI-12 (ETs 166/1)
Alash Tas Zhol street 30/1
Thinner, but "no complaints"
Seventh-day Adventist prisoner of conscience Yklas Kabduakasov has got thinner during his imprisonment. "But he has no complaints about his conditions and there are no restrictions on the part of the camp administration," his Pastor Andrei Teteryuk told Forum 18 on 3 March.
Kabduakasov is serving a two-year prison sentence on charges of inciting religious hatred, charges he denies. He is preparing to lodge a final appeal to the Supreme Court.
Kabduakasov was transferred to a labour camp in Pavlodar in late January. The ordinary regime camp is located in the city's northern industrial zone (see F18News 2 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2145).
Kabduakasov's prison address:
140000 g. Pavlodar
Severnaya promyshlennaya zona
Uchr. AP-162/3, 4 otryad
Kabduakasovu Yklasu Kairullinovichu
Two prisoners of conscience in one prison
Kabduakasov's transfer to the Pavlodar ordinary regime labour camp means he is being held in the same prison as prisoner of conscience Saken Tulbayev, punished for alleged Tabligh Jamaat membership.
Tulbayev was sentenced in July 2015 to four years eight months jail in a labour camp and banned from exercising freedom of religion or belief from his scheduled December 2019 release until December 2022 (see F18News 8 July 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2078).
"Saken is not allowed the Koran there and not allowed to pray – it's banned there," a relative told Forum 18 on 9 March. "If he prays they beat him. He can only pray to himself without anyone observing." The relative added that Tulbayev wants to be transferred back to his home town of Almaty "because of the harsh conditions in Pavlodar".
Tulbayev's prison address:
140000 g. Pavlodar
Severnaya promyshlennaya zona
Tulbayevu Sakenu Peisenovichu
Denials of religious literature, beard shaving standard punishments
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (as adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in revised form on 17 December 2015 and known as the Mandela Rules, A/C.3/70/L.3) require governments to respect the religious freedom and other human rights of prisoners.
"So far as practicable, every prisoner shall be allowed to satisfy the needs of his or her religious life by attending the services provided in the prison and having in his or her possession the books of religious observance and instruction of his or her denomination", Rule 66 notes.
Rule 65 of the Standard Minimum Rules requires prisons to allow communal religious observance led by a "qualified representative" of that faith and private visits to prisoners by such representatives at individual prisoners' request.
Denials of the Koran and other Islamic literature, as well as the forcible shaving off of beards, appears to be a standard punishment imposed by the authorities on male Muslims jailed for exercising their freedom of religion or belief. In the case of prisoner of conscience Tulbayev, a prison Deputy Director in Almaty attempted to justify part of this punishment by claiming to Forum 18 that "even if it says Koran or Bible on the cover, maybe something else is written there" (see F18News 10 June 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2072).
Similar harsh treatment, and even the misuse of psychiatry, has been imposed by the authorities upon other prisoners of conscience jailed for exercising their freedom of religion or belief. Atheist writer Aleksandr Kharlamov and retired Presbyterian pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev were both as prisoners of conscience held against their will for over a month in a psychiatric hospital, and no evidence was ever produced that they needed psychiatric medical help. Kharlamov was also not allowed to wear glasses, stopping him from reading, or even have a toothbrush - allegedly on safety grounds. One doctor told Kharlamov that he had been sent to the psychiatric hospital "because you are an inconvenient person for the authorities" (see Forum 18's Kazakhstan religious freedom survey http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1939).
The trial continued in Karaganda on 9 March of three Sunni Muslims accused of Tabligh Jamaat membership. It is due to resume on the afternoon of 15 March, according to court records.
"At the hearing the defence called for an imam to be called as an expert witness," Yuri Gusakov of the Karaganda branch of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law told Forum 18 from the city. "The Judge didn't refuse, and the imam will testify on 15 March." He believes the trial is likely to conclude that day, with the verdicts being issued either at the end of the day or on the following day.
The criminal case against 38-year-old Bauyrzhan Serikov, 33-year-old Aidin Shakentayev and 33-year-old Murat Shopenov was initiated by the KNB secret police. The three were arrested in October 2015. Their trial began under Judge Zhanat Egemberdiyeva at Karaganda's Kazybek Bi District Court on 1 February 2016. All three men are being prosecuted under Criminal Code Article 405, Part 1 (see F18News 25 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2153).
The three prisoners of conscience remain in Karaganda's KNB secret police Investigation Prison while the trial continues. The address is:
SIZO KNB Karagandinskoi Oblasti
100000 g. Karaganda
Prospekt Bukha-Zhyrau 17
No trial date yet
The criminal case against Astana legal expert Murat Takaumov has still not been completed and presented to court, the chancellery of Astana's Saryarka District Court No. 2 told Forum 18 on 9 March. A case is being prepared against him under Criminal Code Article 405, Part 2.
Prosecutor Serik Ishchanov of Astana Prosecutor's Office supported the KNB secret police suit to have Takaumov held further at Astana's KNB secret police Investigation Prison at a hearing on 16 February. At the hearing Judge Malik Kaudinov extended Takaumov's pre-trial detention until 18 March. No further suit has been lodged to Saryarka District Court No. 2 to extend the detention period again, Judge Kaudinov's assistant told Forum 18 from the Court on 9 March.
On 9 March, Prosecutor Ishchanov refused absolutely to answer any of Forum 18's questions, including on when the criminal case is likely to be completed and handed to Saryarka District Court No. 2 for trial.
(Prosecutor Ishchanov also led the case in court against the five Sunni Muslim men – see F18News 2 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2145).
Takaumov gave legal advice to the five Sunni Muslims convicted in Astana of Tabligh Jamaat membership in February. However, his wife Aynur has insisted that neither she nor her husband had any connection to the movement. Despite this, the KNB secret police arrested Takaumov in November 2015 (see F18News 25 February 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2153).
Takaumov's address at the KNB Investigation Prison:
SIZO KNB g. Astana
Ul. Shyntas 2
Takaumovu Muratu Kazbekovichu
Administrative punishment for discussing religion
Prosecutions also continue under the Administrative Code to punish individuals for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. Punishments are often handed down to those who talk about their religious faith to others without having the compulsory personal licence as a "missionary". Also regularly punished are those who offer books on religion for sale without the compulsory state licence required to sell and religious books or materials.
On 25 January, Judge Torkaly Bektursunov of Ayirtau District Court in North Kazakhstan Region found 32-year-old Jehovah's Witness Viktor Shtrek guilty of talking to others about his faith under Article 490, Part 3. This punishes: "Carrying out missionary activity without state registration (or re-registration), as well as the use by missionaries of religious literature, information materials with religious content or religious items without a positive assessment from a religious studies expert analysis, and spreading the teachings of a religious group which is not registered in Kazakhstan". The punishment is a fine of 100 Monthly Financial Indicators (MFIs), with deportation if the individual is a foreign citizen.
Shtrek rejected any wrongdoing, insisting he had spoken to others of his faith from himself, not in the name of any religious organisation. The Judge fined him the prescribed 100 MFIs, 212,100 Tenge (5,200 Norwegian Kroner, 560 Euros or 615 US Dollars).
Shtrek appealed against the decision to North Kazakhstan Regional Court. At court hearings he insisted his rights to talk to others of his faith are protected under Article 20, Part 2 of Kazakhstan's Constitution (which guarantees freedom to give and to receive information) and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
However, on 26 February Judge Zhumabai Mukhamedzhan rejected Shtrek's arguments and upheld the original fine, according to the decision seen by Forum 18.
Bagdad Mukanova of North Kazakhstan Regional Religious Affairs Department refused to explain why Shtrek had been punished for exercising his right to freedom of religion or belief. "Such records of offences are prepared and sent to court by my colleague Bulat Omarov, but he is ill today," she told Forum 18 from Petropavl on 9 March. Asked if that meant Omarov was responsible for violating Shtrek's human rights, Mukanova laughed. She refused to answer any other questions. (END)
Reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Kazakhstan can be found at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?query=&religion=all&country=29.
For more background, see Forum 18's Kazakhstan religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1939.
For a personal commentary from 2005 on how attacking religious freedom damages national security in Kazakhstan, see F18News http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=564.
A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1351.
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© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.
25 February 2016
KAZAKHSTAN: Now 13 Sunni Muslim prisoners of conscience, 12 restricted freedom sentences over 15 months
Six more Sunni Muslims accused of membership of the Tabligh Jamaat Muslim missionary movement were convicted in two separate trials in Kazakhstan in February. Five men – who have been in secret police detention for five months – were given prison terms of up to two and a half years in the capital Astana on 18 February. The judge still has not issued the written verdicts, relatives complained to Forum 18 News Service. Two of the men have never seen their youngest children, born since their arrests. Another alleged Tabligh Jamaat member was given a term of two years' restricted freedom in nearby Akmola Region. The convictions bring to 25 the number of alleged members known to have been convicted since December 2015. Three more are on trial in Karaganda and one more in pre-trial detention in Astana.
8 February 2016
Anti-"Extremism, Separatism and Terrorism" police Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Kuandikov, who led a January raid on a Protestant meeting in Aktau in Kazakhstan, has dismissed witness statements that officers deliberately insulted and intimidated people, including children. "What were they afraid of? We didn't take anyone away," he told Forum 18 News Service. He also denied that police pressure on an Indian and two Azerbaijanis present was racism. And in December 2015, two female Jehovah's Witnesses failed to overturn large fines for talking to a passer-by on the streets about their faith. One of those fined, Nadezhda Chesnokova, was a 74-year-old pensioner. Two booksellers are known to have been fined in the southern city of Kyzylorda in 2015 for selling the Koran and other books on Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Farabi Uzakov of Kyzylorda Prosecutor's Office, asked how punishing people for exercising their freedoms of expression and of religion or belief accord with Kazakhstan's international human obligations, replied: "I don't understand what obligations you are talking about".
2 February 2016
In criminal prosecutions brought by the KNB secret police, nine Sunni Muslims are on trial in Astana, Karaganda and Akmola Region on charges of belonging to the Muslim missionary movement Tabligh Jamaat, which is banned as "extremist" in Kazakhstan. If convicted, they face possible imprisonment of up to seven years. Eight of the nine have already spent months in secret police Investigation Prison, Forum 18 News Service notes. A tenth is awaiting trial on the same charges, also in secret police Investigation Prison. KNB secret police investigator Nurlan Belesov – who brought the cases against seven of the men, as well as against Seventh-day Adventist prisoner of conscience Yklas Kabduakasov, who has been transferred to labour camp in Pavlodar – refused to discuss anything with Forum 18 on 1 February. An individual close to the five Astana Sunni Muslim defendants insisted to Forum 18 that they met "simply to help people, visit the sick in hospital, help those in need and feed the hungry".


Last summer, Spain suffered, Italy suffered and Greece suffered. Like the vast majority of countries due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, although these three destinations have especially noted the drastic fall in tourism, capital in their respective economies. And now the three of them are working hard to prepare for a summer of 2021 in which they want to pick up the pace. The first to take the plunge was Greece, which opened the doors on Friday to the arrival of tourists without the need for quarantine and without waiting for the implementation of the covid passport studied by the European Union.
Last year, covid restrictions caused the number of tourists visiting Greece to drop by 78.2%. It fell from the 34 million who traveled to Greece in 2019 – a historic record in the Hellenic country – to 7.4 million, according to official data. And of course, this caused a sharp drop in revenue for the sector.
Tourism accounts for between 25% and 30% of Greek GDP
And it is that tourism represents between 25 and 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Greece – in Spain and Italy it represents between 12 and 13%. For this 2021 summer campaign, in full de-escalation, Greece aims to recover at least half of the cake and reach 17 million tourists, half of those it attracted in the “old normality”.
The Hellenic government of conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis has actively and passively promised that the opening to tourism will be done with all possible precautions and with little risk. To do this, Greece has launched a vaccination campaign which, it says, aims to have all its inhabitants vaccinated in six weeks. It’s the end of June.
“Express” vaccination on tourist islands
In addition, the Greek executive claims to have created a “firewall” on its islands, its main tourist attraction. The islands are precisely the weakest link in Greek public health, given that hospital care is much more precarious there.
For this reason, Greece has chosen to create a different vaccination operation on the islands, horizontal and without distinction of age: it has already immunized the population of the youngest, it hopes to conclude it at the end of May in the average, and at the end of June in those with more than 100,000 inhabitants. This means that at the start of the high season, it is likely that all of its islanders will be vaccinated.
Without quarantine, Greece only requires vaccination, having passed the virus, or negative PCR or rapid test
Since this Friday, quarantines are no longer necessary. For trips to the islands by ferry -with a maximum occupancy of 85%- or by plane, it is mandatory for nationals and tourists to present one of the following options: vaccination certificate, obtained 14 days after the second dose ; negative PCR test performed 72 hours before travel; rapid or home test carried out 24 hours before, or a certificate attesting that the disease has been overcome and which will be valid for two to nine months after having been affected.
Another essential factor that changes from this Friday is that you can enter non-essential stores without an appointment, as has been mandatory since stores reopened at the end of March. Despite everything, the limitation of one customer per 25 square meters remains present, as well as the distancing protocols and the obligation to wear a mask everywhere.
The curfew is maintained, from 00:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., and the mandatory mask
The picture on the streets already started to change on May 3 when they reopened outdoor bars and restaurants after six months with the harsh lockdown except for delivery services. With this opening, the curfew has also begun to ease, which from this weekend will be even shorter and will be in effect from 00:30 a.m. until 5:00 a.m., allowing the restaurant to close at midnight.
Little by little normalcy is returning to Greece. It is open to tourists, but it is also an interior opening. For Greeks, perhaps the most important change is that they can return to their summer residences or visit relatives in the cities, because from this Friday the ban on travel between regions disappears.
The incidence of cases in Greece is still higher than in Spain
However, the pandemic has not gone away. The current cumulative incidence in Greece remains very high – from almost 270 to 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants – and the pressure on the precarious public health system remains very high.
In recent weeks, the number of infections has stabilized slightly, but it continues to well exceed 2,000 cases per day, in a country of nearly eleven million inhabitants. Despite this, health experts see positive signs in the fact that in recent weeks hospital discharges have started to outpace admissions.


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Since its re-establishment as a fully independent institution, the National Art School has distinguished itself from its rivals by putting an exceptional emphasis on drawing. Even if a student is specialising in photography or ceramics, drawing remains a fundamental part of the course. The reasoning is simple: nobody ever suffered from being asked to draw. On the contrary, most artists find it an invaluable way of developing skills, clarifying their thoughts, and generally limbering up.
For centuries drawing was the recognised foundation of all art education, only falling out of fashion in the sixties and seventies when it was felt that a young artist’s nascent creativity should not be subject to any discipline whatsoever. Since then it has been creeping back towards the central place it once occupied. Nowadays even the most avant-garde art schools have re-established drawing classes, partly because of student demand.
To underline its credentials as the headquarters of drawing, (with apologies to Julian Ashton’s), the NAS has invited Deanna Petherbridge to be its first Artist-in-Residence for 2011. Not only is Petherbridge a practising artist known for her large-scale drawings, she has been a Professor of Drawing at the Royal College of Art and the University of the Arts, London. Most importantly, she is the author of The Primacy of Drawing: Histories and Theories of Practice, a monumental volume published last year by Yale U.P., and only just released in Australia.
At the moment the NAS Gallery is also hosting Erased: Contemporary Australian Drawing, a touring exhibition put together by Natasha Bullock on behalf of the Art Gallery of NSW. The show, which is a collaboration between the AGNSW and Asialink, has been touring since July 2009, starting in Singapore and then travelling to three destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen. This is an unconventional tour for an unconventional show. Even the choice of the NAS Gallery as the sole Australian venue begs the question as to why the AGNSW didn’t want to play host to its own exhibition.
Would it be unkind to suggest that the AGNSW did not see much potential in this show as a crowd-puller? Erased is so ruthlessly contemporary that many of the drawings by its six featured artists – Vernon Ah Kee, Christian Capurro, Simryn Gill, Jonathan Jones, Tom Nicholson and Raquel Ormella – might be better described as conceptual artefacts. The main problem with self-consciously stretching the boundaries of the medium in this way is that those boundaries are already so distended as to be virtually invisible. At first appearance a conceptual gesture has a certain cachet. After that it tends to rapidly diminish, like an echo in the densely hung halls of art history.
It makes me think fondly of I Walk the Line, the drawing show organised by Christine Morrow for the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2009. That was a smart and entertaining proposition compared with the lacklustre pieces in Erased. This is one occasion when the MCA has been out-contemporaried by the AGNSW, although it is no disgrace to be beaten in such a contest.
From her catalogue essay, it seems that Natasha Bullock has just discovered the word ‘palimpsest’ and wants the world to know. The term usually refers to a page on which traces of an earlier text are still faintly visible beneath new inscriptions, but this is one of those words that has been accorded outlandish metaphorical significance by the art theorists in recent years.
Whatever its wider applications the palimpsest does not lead to a memorable exhibition. Artists have been erasing and redrawing since time immemorial, with Robert Rauschenberg’s gesture of erasing a De Kooning drawing in 1953, being a conceptual watershed. Christian Capurro’s erased pages from glossy magazines are merely a variation on this theme: a vast expenditure of energy for a visually impoverished outcome. The whole point of these works is that there is barely anything left to see, producing a kind of crash diet for eyes glutted with pop cultural pap.
Simryn Gill’s papier maché spheres made from mashed-up atlases come across as a clever one-liner that fails to command attention beyond that first ‘Ah-ha!’ moment. That moment is never actually achieved in Tom Nicholson’s flags bearing a printed image of the face of Marat from David’s famous bathtub portrait. The tortuous relations between art and politics suggested by these works will leave most viewers bewildered. Apparently they originally adorned the rooftop of Melbourne’s Trades Hall, where they must have seemed a poor substitute for the Eureka flag to many builders’ labourers.
I did not find my consciousness of environmental issues to be much advanced by Raquel Ormella’s amateurish whiteboard drawings of the Wilderness Society offices in Hobart. These were shown last year at the MCA, and do not improve upon further acquaintance. I felt equally unenlightened by Jonathan Jones’s elegant arrangements of neon tubes, or white-on-white embossed prints. Does the knowledge that Jones is of Wiradjuri descent radically change the way we look at these works? If they were credited to say, Arno Maurer, we would see them as merely chic, not as “optimistic” comments on race relations in Australia.
Of the six artists in this show, only Vernon Ah Kee’s ghostly ‘portrait’ drawings have any real presence. Reduced to simple arrangements of straight lines that coalesce around the centre of a face, these pictures are masks that lightly veil the skull. Ah Kee’s works are intended as a comment on the dubious way justice is administered on Palm Island. As such, they convey little information but have an eerie, deathly power.
I’m afraid the real action is all to be found in Petherbridge’s The Primacy of Drawing, which I have been dutifully reading but am yet to finish. The book was slow to emerge, costing its author some fifteen years of toil. It is a dense but fascinating story that cannot be absorbed in haste, as it covers all aspects of western drawing from the Middle Ages to the present day. Petherbridge’s approach is transhistorical, meaning that she leaps back and forth across time to discuss themes, ideas and theories. Best of all, she looks at individual works with the practiced, analytical eye of an artist, picking out details that illuminate our understanding.
It may be said with confidence that there has never been a more comprehensive study of drawing. Petherbridge’s research has been prodigious, and the quotations alone are reason enough for buying this book.
As an epigraph for the Erased catalogue, Natasha Bullock quotes that great sage, Lou Reed: “You pass through an ever present past…”
Compare this to Petherbridge’s quotation from artist, Paul Klee: “To each dimension, as, with the flight of time, it disappears from view, we should say: now you are becoming the Past. But possibly later at a critical – perhaps fortunate – moment we may meet again on a new dimension, and once again you may become the Present.”
Reed’s line has the banal profundity of pop song lyrics, but Klee captures the complexity of drawing, the way that the artist’s mind circles around a visual idea, losing it and rediscovering it as the hand works its way across the page. Petherbridge extends this discussion by invoking Heidegger’s concept of “the thinking hand”.
The author was convinced by her researches that it was futile to posit a definition of ‘drawing’, as every attempt is soon mired in contradictions. The problem is compounded by the fact that the word designates a medium, an artefact and an activity. The closest Petherbridge comes to a definition is to call drawing: “the primal, undifferentiated medium in which all art-making floats.” Her preference is to think of drawing as a continuum that may incorporate an infinite range of practices.
If this sounds immensely complicated it does not begin to scratch the surface of a learned volume which helps restore one’s faith in that much-abused term: ‘academic’ The Primacy of Drawing is a model of academic enquiry that blends an acute understanding of history and theory. Too often nowadays we encounter histories and biographies in which a hostility to theory devolves into mere chit chat. Even worse are those books of obtuse theory that completely ignore historical context.
Although my enthusiasm for this book is genuine, one soon learns than personal enthusiasms are often far from universal. Therefore a word of warning is in order for the mythical ‘general reader’: this is a rewarding but difficult book that may eventually take up a place on one’s shelves next to Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. The saving grace is that one can always look at the pictures.
Published for The Sydney Morning Herald, March 5 2011

domain: artistic


the Continental research and development center in Hanover-Stöcken, these tires offer not only a low rolling resistance but also a high level of resilience so as to reliably last for the entire round-the-world trip.
The globetrotters covered the journey distance in ten months, setting off from Denmark and travelling through Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Russia, Mongolia, China, the U.S.A., Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands before finally returning to Copenhagen. On the last section of their journey, Nina and Hjalte Tin want to find out a little more about their tires and are therefore making a brief stop at Continental in Hanover.
As the electric car has a relatively restricted range of 200 km, the main challenge when planning the stages was to ensure the car was appropriately ‘fueled’. During the round‑the‑world trip, they sourced their electricity from garages, camp sites, hotels and even private homes. “We want to use our trip to show that ‘green mobility’ is a perfectly feasible alternative”, commented the pair. “Electric cars can help stop climate change all over the world.”


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Former missionary illustrates EVERY mission day in graphic novel ‘Dendo’ – Daily Herald
As far as missionary journals go, this oneÃ¢Â€Â™s a doozy.
For one, Brittany Long OlsenÃ¢Â€Â™s missionary journal is 600 pages long. And every page is illustrated. Graphic novel isnÃ¢Â€Â™t your average format for something like this. In fact, it might be the only one of its kind. The Provo resident illustrated a page every day during her mission in Tokyo. She published the volume, titled Ã¢Â€ÂœDendo: One Year and One Half in Tokyo,Ã¢Â€Â last November.
How does one do such a thing? Olsen has been into comics since she was a child, and had been illustrating her pre-mission journals for some time before entering the Missionary Training Center in February 2012.
Ã¢Â€ÂœAnd when I went on a mission I was like, Ã¢Â€Â˜Why stop doing it?Ã¢Â€Â™ Ã¢Â€Â Olsen said.
Missionary days arenÃ¢Â€Â™t exactly filled with free time. And serving in a land as foreign as Tokyo has its share of overwhelming moments. Still, Olsen committed to illustrating a page every single day, even when she didnÃ¢Â€Â™t feel like doing it.
Ã¢Â€ÂœThere were a lot of moments that were raw and emotional, but keeping a journal helped me cope with it, I guess,Ã¢Â€Â she said.
* * *
Naturally, word of her journal spread throughout the mission. Missionaries would frequently ask if they had made it into the book. Though she was ultimately doing it for herself, Olsen always knew she wanted to publish it upon returning home. She made it home to Las Vegas in August 2013 and began the long process of publishing. Scanning each page into the computer, Olsen added shading to the illustrations and developed a font from her handwriting, redoing the writing to look more uniform. With 600 pages to touch up, thatÃ¢Â€Â™s a tall order. She said she worked on it nearly every day between August 2013 and the bookÃ¢Â€Â™s release in November.
Revisiting her missionary experiences afterward was illuminating. She hadnÃ¢Â€Â™t realized there was a continuous plot of sorts, and also saw how her relationships with people in the mission evolved over time.
Ã¢Â€ÂœIn one way, I think it made me more satisfied with what I did as a missionary,Ã¢Â€Â she said. Ã¢Â€ÂœBecause when I got home, sometimes I felt like I barely did anything Ã¢Â€Â” how many people did I actually make an impact on? Having this record helped me feel like I did something; those 18 months were really worth my time.Ã¢Â€Â
Olsen enlisted Clyde Northrup, a longtime friend, to help her edit the book. He said thereÃ¢Â€Â™s a rough-and-tumble quality to the illustrations, and a dry, matter-of-fact wit within its pages, that are central to its appeal.
Ã¢Â€ÂœIt was some combination of simplicity of the dialogue and the comics themselves that really does make you feel like youÃ¢Â€Â™re there,Ã¢Â€Â Northrup said. Ã¢Â€ÂœI could feel in her writing something of that feeling of being out in a strange land and trying to do the best with the job youÃ¢Â€Â™ve been given.Ã¢Â€Â
* * *
Flipping through Ã¢Â€ÂœDendo,Ã¢Â€Â itÃ¢Â€Â™s near impossible to not be intrigued. While its uniqueness makes Ã¢Â€ÂœDendoÃ¢Â€Â appealing, itÃ¢Â€Â™s also made it harder to distribute. Established LDS publishers felt it was too niche for wide distribution, so Olsen self-published it through CreateSpace, a publishing and distribution platform owned by Amazon. Folks that served LDS missions in Japan through the years have contacted her personally, saying how much Ã¢Â€ÂœDendoÃ¢Â€Â captured their own experiences, even if their missions were 30 years apart.
So far Olsen has sold approximately 250 copies. ItÃ¢Â€Â™s a relatively small number, but still impressive given its independent nature. ItÃ¢Â€Â™s available on Amazon, and sheÃ¢Â€Â™s working on getting it into physical bookstores locally.
Ã¢Â€ÂœOn the other hand, the fact that itÃ¢Â€Â™s unique is not only, I think, its greatest strength, but also its greatest selling point,Ã¢Â€Â Northrup pointed out. Ã¢Â€ÂœIf you see that amongst all the other historical fiction and nonfiction, it really stands out, and that alone for me is enough reason to pick it up and look at it.Ã¢Â€Â
Mackenzie Dolan served in Tokyo the same time as Olsen. One of DolanÃ¢Â€Â™s mission companions came to Dolan right after Olsen had her. Reading through Ã¢Â€ÂœDendoÃ¢Â€Â brought back a lot of memories, for better or worse.
Ã¢Â€ÂœIt was almost word for word what I went through with that companion,Ã¢Â€Â Dolan said. Ã¢Â€ÂœIt made me homesick for Japan, definitely. Reading through it, it felt like I was reading through my own journals. I became very nostalgic while reading it.
Ã¢Â€ÂœI think itÃ¢Â€Â™s a great book, not just for missionaries who are going to Japan, but just anyone, because itÃ¢Â€Â™s a fun way to see what a mission is Ã¢Â€Â” even the really hard times,Ã¢Â€Â she continued. Ã¢Â€ÂœThatÃ¢Â€Â™s why I really loved the honesty in her book. She doesnÃ¢Â€Â™t sugarcoat how hard the mission is, and how down you get.Ã¢Â€Â
* * *
The Brigham Young University Library took an interest in OlsenÃ¢Â€Â™s work. The library purchased the bookÃ¢Â€Â™s original illustrations, as well as some of OlsenÃ¢Â€Â™s mission correspondence, for its collection of 21st century Mormon art. Students, scholars and patrons will be able to explore the archived items for years to come.
Ã¢Â€ÂœAs we started digging into it more, we started to realize that nobody else has done this,Ã¢Â€Â said Trevor Alford, the libraryÃ¢Â€Â™s curator of 21st century Mormon art. Ã¢Â€ÂœTalking with some of my colleagues that have expertise in 19th and 20th century Mormon art, they couldnÃ¢Â€Â™t think of anybody that has turned their missionary journal into an art form like Brittany had. I felt it was really important that we document this, being itÃ¢Â€Â™s the first of its kind, really.Ã¢Â€Â
He said LDS culture is currently experiencing a renaissance in Mormon comics. He hopes OlsenÃ¢Â€Â™s book will inspire other artists to create similar works.
Ã¢Â€ÂœOther missionaries have illustrated bits and pieces, but nothing from start to finish like this,Ã¢Â€Â he said. Ã¢Â€ÂœAnd I think the graphic novel format is a great way of telling these narratives.Ã¢Â€Â
* * *
Olsen doesnÃ¢Â€Â™t necessarily want to make a career from comics, but plans to continue drawing them as a hobby. She also hopes Ã¢Â€ÂœDendoÃ¢Â€Â will gain more traction over time, but has modest expectations.
Ã¢Â€ÂœI wasnÃ¢Â€Â™t going for something that was going to appeal to everyone and be a best seller,Ã¢Â€Â she said. Ã¢Â€ÂœI just wanted to create something that was authentic for me, that was my experience, and would be fun for people whose experiences might overlap with that.Ã¢Â€Â
How long does it take to read the 600 pages of Ã¢Â€ÂœDendoÃ¢Â€Â? Well, that depends. One reader told Olsen he read it cover-to-cover in six hours. Ã¢Â€ÂœAnd my husband hasnÃ¢Â€Â™t finished reading it, and heÃ¢Â€Â™s had almost a year,Ã¢Â€Â Olsen said. It looks like both Olsen and her readers have their work cut out for them.
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text:
Makes the port authority of New York and New Jersey subject to certain freedom of information laws.
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public officers law and chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in relation to making the port authority of New York and New Jersey subject to certain freedom of information laws
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill, the Port Authority Open Government Act, subjects the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 86 of the Public Officers Law to explicitly include the Port Authority of New York & Jersey in the definition of "agency" for the purposes of FOIL.
Section 2 amends Chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 to add a new Article XV-B stating that the Port Authority is subject to the provisions of FOIL and OPRA.
Section 3 states that the bill shall take effect upon the enactment of legislation having an identical effect by the state of New Jersey, or, if such legislation has already been enacted, immediately.
JUSTIFICATION: Under prevailing case law, the Port Authority is not subject either to New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) or New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Instead, requests from the public and press for government records from the Port Authority are considered under the Port Authority's self-promulgated internal "Freedom of Information Code" (FOI Code).
The Port Authority's FOI Code is an insufficient guarantee of public access. Because it is policy, rather than law, it can be altered without legislative oversight, and inconvenient or politically sensitive requests can be ignored without consequence, as no state courts appear to have clear jurisdiction to appeal a denial of an FOI Code request.
As recent events have demonstrated, there is a pressing need for transparency and accountability at the Port Authority in order to help restore public confidence in the agency. This bill will close a loophole in the law that exempts the Port Authority from standard access to government records and ensure that the public has the same right to information from the Port Authority as it does from any other state agency or authority. The New York Department of State's Committee on Open Government supports legislation that would accomplish this goal as stated in its December 2013 report Solidifying a Culture of Openness.
Any laws affecting the Port Authority must be enacted by both New York and New Jersey. This bill explicitly subjects the Port Authority to both FOIL and OPRA, having the same effect as legislation that has already been introduced in New Jersey.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: None.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.
EFFECTIVE DATE: The bill shall take effect upon the enactment of legislation having an identical effect by the state of New Jersey, or, if such legislation has already been enacted, immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6593 IN SENATE February 11, 2014 ___________Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern- ment Operations AN ACT to amend the public officers law and chapter 154 of the laws of 1921 relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, in relation to making the port authority of New York and New Jersey subject to certain freedom of information laws THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 86 of the public officers law, as added by chapter 933 of the laws of 1977, is amended to read as follows: 3. "Agency" means any state or municipal department, board, bureau, division, commission, committee, public authority, public corporation, council, office or other governmental entity performing a governmental or proprietary function for the state or any one or more municipalities thereof, INCLUDING THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY, except the judiciary or the state legislature. S 2. Section 1 of chapter 154 of the laws of 1921, relating to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, is amended by adding a new article XV-B to read as follows: ARTICLE XV-B THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF NEW YORK PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW SECTIONS 84-90, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW, AND TO THE PROVISIONS OF NEW JERSEY P.L. 1963, C.73 (C.47: 1A-1 ET SEQ.), COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT. S 3. This act shall take effect upon the enactment into law by the state of New Jersey of legislation having an identical effect with this act, but if the state of New Jersey shall have already enacted such legislation, then it shall take effect immediately; provided, however, the state of New Jersey shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the enactment of the provisions provided for in this act in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effecting the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public offi- cers law.EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13834-01-4

domain: politics


text:
Several new Pokémon online competitions have been announced by Nintendo.
Think Fast Competition: Single Battle
First up and starting from June 6th through June 8th. Each round of the competition is limited to a single 10-minute Single Battle, with a 30-second preview of the opponent’s team, and 15 seconds to make moves each turn.
2014 International Challenge June
Coming later in June, players will be able to earn Championship Points which can be used to possibly secure a trip to the World Championships later this summer.
Eevee Friendly Match
One of two events coming in July, this match will limit participant’s Pokémon to only Eevee and its various evolutions. To mix up the battles even more, the Rotation Battle format will be used to increase the challenge and fun of the competition.
July All Star Battle
This event will allow two Legendary or Mythical Pokémon to appear on competitor’s teams. This competition will also use the Double Battle Format.
Think Fast Competition
Coming in August, this event makes a return but this time in Double Battle form. However, players will not be able to see a preview of their opponent’s pocket monster, and each player can only have one Pokémon in reverse, for a total of three Pokémon per side in each battle.
The Fairy-Type Cup
Coming in the autumn months, this event will be limited exclusively to Fairy Pokémon
Coming in the autumn months as well, this event will have a similar format as the Fairy-Type Cup, but will be exclusive to Ghost Pokémon.
Will you be participating? Let us know and we’ll cover your progress here.
Source: Nintendo Life

domain: entertainment


text:
The Atmos Boss is a portable pen style vaporizer designed to be used for dry herbs and waxes. The first thing you notice about the Atmos Boss is it’s awesome design. Available in both silver and black colours. The Boss has a style engraved design and overall on feels like a well made product. If
The Vaporite 3 in 1 Kit is a portable vape pen that comes with attachments for dry herbs, waxes and liquids. The first thing you notice about this pen is its sleek design. The all stainless steel body makes the pen nice to look at, nice to hold and something that you would want to
- Vape.TV will support Sodium Ion and Alternate Battery Technologies for the Vape Industry.
- Decoding the word Vape – Starting from the Top.
- Vape Industry Divine De-Occulting – The Truth Behind the DAB.
- Vape.TV Issue Engineering Directive for Vape Manufacturers.
- Vape.TV add shipping to the UK and Ireland.

domain: hobby


text:
This item is to the best of our knowledge available to us from the supplier and should ship to you within the time-frame indicated. If there are any unforeseen issues with availability we will notify you immediately
Boomkat Product Review:
*Part 2* Excellently produced fractured electronics from Cuba's Alain Hernandez aka Nomadic for Andrea Parker's Touchin' Bass imprint. It's certainly not the most fashionable sound right now but props must go out to Andrea Parker for sticking to the agenda and supporting the music she loves so wholeheartedly. Nomadic's sound is a bare-bones appropriation of the kind of developed IDM best represented by Autechre's Chiastic Slide album or by mid-period Phoenecia, except perhaps a little more minimal. The production here is immense, with little other than stripped percussion and distortion for company, and a love of the glitch reminiscent of all those DSP-fuelled albums of the late 90's. Solid stuff - check.


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David Guetta Teams With Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj In ‘Where Them Girls At’ Video
David Guetta has been known for getting the most diverse group of artists together to produce an epic dance track that has the club buzzing. It happens every… single… song! His recent collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida for the song “Where Them Girls At” is definitely “bubbling” up the charts, just like the images in the new video.
[lastfm link_type="artist_info"]David Guetta [/lastfm] – “Where Them Girls At”
[lastfm link_type="artist_info"]David Guetta[/lastfm] is back to his old tricks, combining the upbeat sound of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Flo Rida[/lastfm] with the sizzling rap lyrics of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Nicki Minaj[/lastfm] to make another hit the dance floor track. The video however does not have the traditional club vibe as one would expect of a Guetta video.
This time the artists are surrounded by random bubbles. These bubbles have the uncanny ability to get attractive girls in the mood for a party, especially since they are all produced by Guetta’s awesome mixing.
Makes sense? Didn’t think so…
Anyway, it’s still a pretty cool clip so I give it a 7 out of 10 for creativity and of course, because it features the ALWAYS beautiful Nicki Minaj.
More David Guetta News on 923NOW.com:
- [photogallerylink id=86600]
- [photogallerylink id=90519]


text:
Republika Akhbar Today ePaper in Albanian (shqiptar)
Republika Newspaper is albanian (shqiptar) Epaper of Albania which belong to Europe region.
Shqiptarja, Gazeta Shqiptare, Shqip, Panorama, Tirana Observer, Koha Jone, Telegraf, Panorama Sport, Gazeta Start, Tirana Times, Gazeta e Sportit, Mapo, Shekulli, Balli i Kombit, Integrimi, Gazeta 55, Republika, Standard, Rilindja Demokratike, TemaAnd the other most famous daily newspaper of Albania included in the list so keep visiting pknewspapers.com for free latest updates and news all over the country online newspaper, News, Radio TV Channels and Press agencies. Here we provide you latest news updates, sports, entertainment, weather updates, jobs and daily astrology etc from all over the Albania.
You are reading Republika Newspaper of Albania.
Official website of Republika is » http://www.gazetarepublika.al/

domain: news


Births, deaths and migration
- the population in Birmingham grew by 103,800 between 2006 and 2016, mainly due to the difference between births and deaths.
- we consistently have more people leaving Birmingham rather than moving in. However, migration losses have been smaller in recent years due to people coming to live in the city from overseas.
- the top three destinations for Birmingham residents moving out of the city are Solihull, Sandwell and Bromsgrove
- there were 17,404 Live births to mothers resident in Birmingham in 2016, up 3.4% from 2015
- there were 8,426 death registrations in Birmingham in 2016, this is down 2.5% from 2015
- 45% (106,272) of Birmingham residents born abroad arrived in the UK in the last decade


text:
On June 5, 2011, Scott Grossberg joined Your Tarot Tribe - Beyond Worlds to talk about his book, The Vitruvian Square.
This book features a completely unique, comprehensive method to reading a single card in tarot with great depth.
That episode can be heard HERE.
Below is the handout to that episode.
Learn more about Scott Grossberg at
Above, the Deck of Shadows, by Scott Grossberg.
Ginny's card from the Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti:

domain: library


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HYDERABAD: People looking to buy a cigarette or two at a nearby pan shop may not be able to do so in future what with the Central government accepting the recommendation of an expert panel to ban the sale of loose cigarettes.
Alarmed by this proposal, hundreds of pan shop owners have decided to protest against the proposed ban and claimed that their livelihood would be hit if the government goes ahead with the ban.
Not surprisingly, smokers across the city cried foul over the proposal. With cigarette prices soaring through the roof, smokers feel that restrictions on tobacco users are unnecessary.”I feel smoking is a personal choice and everybody knows that it’s harmful for health. Why aren’t similar measures taken about alcohol and other harmful substances? Why are only smokers singled out?” questioned a 24-year-old software professional.
With the government also mulling over increasing the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 25, tobacco users say it is a needless move. “With the kind of technology available today and exposure youngsters have, it is impossible for people to not know about the ill-effects of smoking. Are you trying to tell me that a 22-year-old does not know that tobacco intake is harmful?” questioned PV Rao, a retired engineer.
Even as smokers lamented the restrictions on them, health care professionals welcomed the move and called it a step in the right direction. “There is also a proposal of increasing fines for public smoking. It will definitely minimise smoking and more vital, passive smoking. Every year 60,000 die of passive smoking,” observed Dr Subhakar, pulmonologist, Care Hospital.
“In every cigarette, there is mainstream smoke which the person inhales and sidestream smoke which is the smoke coming from the burning end of the cigarette which goes into the environment. This sidestream smoke is even more dangerous than the mainstream smoke,” he added.
Several smokers are mulling over quitting cigarettes altogether if the proposed law is implemented. “Cigarettes are already so expensive that I’m spending a major chunk of money on them. I have already reduced my intake of cigarettes drastically since I don’t feel the need to spend so much on something that’s eventually going to harm me. Now if the proposed restrictions are imposed, it’s better to give up the habit completely,” shared V Srinivas, an investment banker.
l Ban on sale of loose stick cigarettes
l Ban on retail display of tobacco products
l Increasing minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 25
l Increasing size of health warnings to cover almost 80 per cent of packaging
l Increasing penalties for smoking in public
l Ban on use of additives that can increase flavour of tobacco products
Shopkeepers cry foul
Small shopkeepers from across the country feel that the proposed move would definitely lead to loss of their livelihood. “Does the government expect the poor rickshaw puller or labourer to stop purchasing khaini or bidi or cigarettes in loose form and buy only pack purchase?” questioned Md Salahuddin Deccni, general secretary, Pan Shops Owners Association of India. Retailers feel the warning messages in the shops and on the packs are good enough to achieve the objective. “After 18 years, people are allowed to decide which party to vote for and which movie to watch. Then why can’t they decide whether to purchase tobacco or not,” he fumed. He urged the BJP government to keep the interest of millions of poor retailers in mind before framing such laws.


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Holidays to New Iberia
Decided it’s time for a holiday and thinking about USA? New Iberia, in Louisiana, has bags to offer. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get planning.
Hopefully you’ll find these insider titbits useful, but there’s really no reason to follow the crowd. With 36 hotels on our books, we’re bound to have one that’s up your street. What you pay all depends on what you’re after.
If you up your budget a teeny bit, we can start talking four-stars. And if you really want to splash the cash, we’ll fix you up with a five-star place.
Now let’s talk flights. With 9 airlines currently flying direct to New Iberia, you’ve certainly got choices.
The Best Holiday Destinations in Portugal
Portugal’s winning combination of sandy beaches, stunning scenery and varied array of activities has rightly kept it firmly on the holiday map for a good many years. Located on the…
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domain: travel


As you can see, the benefits of a system like Graffiti Tracker are many. It frees up officers to spend more time on criminal investigations, and that means more crimes will be solved. Vandals can be targeted to pay to clean up the damage they’ve caused. It reduces overall graffiti and can help law enforcement identify areas likely to be targeted for graffiti. It also provides additional benefits by giving agencies a database of information that they can use to apply for grant funding to eradicate blight.
I strongly encourage all the cities in the region, along with transportation and utility companies that suffer graffiti damage, to join SANDAG’s coordinated regional effort.
Make no mistake, graffiti is a scourge upon the community. A coordinated approach is our best weapon against graffiti.
Cox represents the First District on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.


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Tens of thousands of film and television writers and actors in the United States, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), are exhibiting tremendous commitment to their joint strike against the multi-billion-dollar entertainment and media monopolies.
The strike, the largest indefinite walkout in the US in decades and biggest ever in the film and television industry, has immense international, social and cultural significance. In their determination to fight against the abuses heaped on them by some of the largest corporations in the world, the actors and writers express the sentiments of millions of workers across the globe entering into struggle. In the US alone, hundreds of thousands of UPS, autoworkers, West Coast dockers and numerous other sections of the working class are embarking on potentially explosive class battles.
Strikers July 14 in New York City
Many A-list artists have voiced their support for the strike, including George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Mark Ruffalo and Matt Damon. However, the conditions faced by the vast majority of working actors and writers in Hollywood are not represented by this small layer. Most find it difficult or impossible to find steady work and are barely compensated when they do land a job in the industry. Only a small percentage of SAG-AFTRA members qualify for the union’s $26,470 health care threshold. Most are forced to take on multiple “day jobs” to pay the bills and put food on the table. Meanwhile, studio, network and streaming executives rake in tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars each year.
A central issue in the joint strike has been the severe reduction in residual payments to actors and writers, which traditionally provided many with a steady base income. The devastation of residuals has occurred with the industry’s transition to video streaming. The companies refuse to tie residuals to the success of their programs, insisting that viewership remain secret. The unions to this point have accepted this, resulting in a serious decline in incomes.
Working actors have described receiving residual checks for as little as “one penny” for their work on hit mini-series and television shows receiving millions of views on video streaming platforms. Actress Kimiko Glenn, known for playing the character Brook Soso in the popular Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, told the New Yorker magazine that she received only $27.30 in overseas royalties from Netflix in 2020. Glenn continued, “So many of my friends who have nearly a million followers [on social media], who are doing billion-dollar franchises, don’t know how to make rent.”
Last Friday, on the first day of the strike, actors and writers in southern California and New York spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about the loss of income through the turn to streaming services, the cutting of residual pay, the transformation of actors and writers into “gig” workers and the serious threats posed by Artificial Intelligence technology controlled by the predatory media and entertainment conglomerates.
Asim, a film and television actor in California, spoke with the WSWS: “We’re striking because there's a real problem with the pay, a problem with residuals, there's a problem with the AI technology coming up. We're trying to address those issues now before it goes too far.”
“I read on the Internet, I'm not sure how true it is, that they were asking to use background actors' image in perpetuity. They use you once, pay you once, and then use your image for, not the rest of your life, but as long as they would like to.”
“If you don't have background actors, that's a huge chunk of actors you would no longer have in the union and would not have to pay anymore. They would be out of work and no longer able to support themselves. It's things like that we have to address right now before it gets too bad. It's actually already gotten very bad.”
David, another California actor on the picket line, addressed the conditions facing actors in the film and television industry:
“It's always been like a gig for us, especially since streaming. Many actors go from one job to the next job, gig work, but the union's supposed to be there to protect the wage and to compensate actors with residual pay, which I used to count on. However, the negotiations over the years have decreased the amount of money that you get for working a job. I can't count on that money anymore.”
He continued, “Earlier, I was able to live more comfortably on my income. I still had to work as a part-timer, not lucky enough to work as a full-time actor, but one time when I got a commercial that I worked two to three days on I had big money. I worked on other commercials, two or three days a week. My whole year was paid off. There’s no pay like that anymore. That was in 2009. That does not exist anymore. Day rates have gone down. Compensation and residuals are down. This is why we are out here.”
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Nachayka, an actor in New York City, spoke to the changes brought about by advances in technology and its impact on actors and writers, explaining “our situation has only been getting worse. As technology is moving forward, for example with streaming, the necessary adjustments are not happening to ensure our wellbeing. With broadcast shows, you could do one show a year and live off of that income. With streaming, people are getting $2 checks, 50 cent checks, in other words, nothing. But the executives are making millions from the millions of views these shows get.”
“Then you have the talk about A.I,” she said. The studios’ “best” offer “is that they pay you one time and then that’s it. They can use your image even when you are dead. So, you have 20 A.I. images, that’s 20 actors who are going hungry.”
Nachayka and Roland
New York City actor Roland pointed to the immense wealth produced by film and television production and domination of a handful of wealthy executives over the industry;
“The producers have all this money they are hoarding and they refuse to share any of the wealth. Then they try to play poor and avoid giving actors their fair share. It’s not right! Especially, since what we are asking for is minimal compared to the amount of money that the producers hoard. These are multi-millionaires and billionaires! I was watching the news yesterday and [Disney CEO] Bob Iger, a multi-multi-millionaire, had the nerve to get on camera saying ‘Oh, they’re asking for too much.’ Really? He made himself look like an idiot.”
Nachayka chimed in, “It really gives you a sense of the type of people we are dealing with. They want to starve out the writers and now us actors. They call it a ‘necessary evil.’ Who does that?!”
“There is never enough money for the production companies,” Roland continued. “They always want more and, of course, the people who actually produce that wealth are not allowed to share it.”
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Asked whether artistic freedom can exist when multi-billion-dollar conglomerates beholden to Wall Street control artistic and cultural output, Asim in Los Angeles responded, “I don't think so. I think that's a main reason why we're seeing the same content again and again, the industry regurgitates the same things. Remake after remake. It's because that's what is getting greenlit by these non-creative executives. They aren't artists, but they are making decisions about the art people get to see.”
“They control the way we put out information and the information we put out. Someone was talking about making this strike into a movie. But it would never get greenlit because the people we would be criticizing are the people who greenlight the movies.”
However, Asim also pointed to the work that has slipped through the fingers of the studios, providing an important and increasingly critical commentary on aspects of social reality, “We have seen some good shows that came out more recently too, like Succession. We get a criticism of the billionaires. I'm sure it's not far off from the way they really are. It's fiction, but not far off.”
Expanding upon his earlier comments, Asim commented, “I think this is just a microcosm of what's happening across the country. I think there are going to be more strikes in the near future. There are going to have to be some changes because there are too many people hurting. There have always been a lot of people who are hurting and poor and can't feed themselves, but now there are too many people who cannot get along, so we're not going to accept it.”
He continued, “There's like a symbiotic relationship between corporations and the government. I think that's why it was kind of disheartening that the employers brought in a government mediator, because the government is always going to be on the side of billion-dollar corporations.
“The government spends trillions on the military. There are people who can't afford to eat, who don't have a place to sleep, the housing market is ridiculously out of whack. I think that starting grassroots-type organizations is how to change things. Take over the government if we don't feel like they are worthy of power. This is a very pivotal time, because there are 300-something million people in America. Are we going to let a handful of people destroy our lives? We have to fight, and I think after a while, we will fight back.”
“We need to kind of take a note from events in France. I think they're a little more demanding than we are. We can't accept certain things.”
Ethan, a striking writer in New York City, commented on the strike’s place as part of the international struggle of the working class, “As bad as the labor situation is for motion pictures and Hollywood entertainment in America, it’s a lot worse in most of the world. Hopefully, any momentum that we get going here, can get picked up and carried on. We definitely need to make a stronger effort to support international film workers.”
“There’s a general strike movement going on in a way that has not been there for a while, which is an inevitable response to wage decreases and attacks on workers. This is a major strike. It’s the entertainment industry! You could not have a more public strike, except for the package delivery workers at UPS, who are actually also preparing for a strike. This summer could see the most important public and publicly supported strike movement in decades.”
West-Coast actor David concluded, “Without the backs of labor, we wouldn't have anything. No big cities, industry, nothing. This is just one example of many struggles to come.”


An up-and-coming Surrey baseball player is hoping to make his way to the big leagues, starting with his post-secondary education.
Brandon Sonnenberg, 18, has a full scholarship to San Jacinto College in Texas, a Division 1 college with five national championship titles for its Gators team.
This news follows a stellar season Sonnenberg had with B.C. Premier Baseball League champions the Okanagan Athletics, in which his overall hitting average was .340. He also had 23 stolen bases, second among all players in the league.
"I ended the season on a positive note winning the BCPBL championship," said the Fraser Heights Secondary graduate days before flying south for his first San Jac practise. "I'm feeling great right now to be ready for college."
The six-foot-one outfielder's interest in the sport began around the age of five with tee ball before moving up to Whalley Little League for about eight years. He spent a season with the then-Fraser Valley Chiefs, followed by two seasons with Okanagan A's.
"I had to work really hard to get to where I am today," said Sonnenberg, noting that baseball has been his passion since he first picked up the bat.
Sonnenberg credits hitting coach Jim Chapman - who is also an MLB scout for the San Francisco Giants - with helping his swing, calling Chapman the "best in B.C."
The San Jac Gators have an impressive history in baseball, with 22 Junior College (JUCO) World Series appearances and dozens of alumni playing in the pro ranks.
"They're a really good school," said Sonnenberg. "They came second place last year in the JUCO World Series."
This fall, Sonnenberg will take general studies with an interest in pursuing business management. As for his goals with the Gators, he has his sights set pretty high.
"I know it's a big hope, but I'd like to get drafted," he said. "I'd love to get drafted by the Yankees. They're my favourite team."
He listed current players Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, as well as classic Yankees Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth, as his biggest baseball inspirations.
"I got my Alex Rodriguez jersey with me down here," he said with a chuckle.
Even with the concept of getting drafted on his mind, Sonnenberg said he will stay focused on his studies and hopes to leave university with a degree. He intends to finish his two years at San Jac, then transfer to another school for his final two years.
"I'm still trying to keep my options open," he said.
© Copyright 2013


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Selection Sunday has arrived, as has First and Fan’s final anticipated bracket.
Based on the months of data collection and analysis, the bracket is as follows:
East vs Midwest
West vs South
Tune in at 5:30 EST today for the Selection Sunday presentation on CBS!

domain: geography


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Reminder: McDowell’s Pop-up Restaurant Opens April 16 for Ten Days at Cherry Hill Mall!
The people responsible for Galaxy Burger and Beyond, the hit science fiction food and fun adventure, will launch a new pop-up experience next week in a McDowell’spop-up restaurant at Cherry Hill Mall Friday, April 16 through Sunday, April 25.
“We wanted to attract people to malls to support the businesses there that are struggling, while creating a family-friendly activity that would also be compliant with COVID protocols,” says Joe McCullough, founder and CEO of JMC Pop Ups LLC. “We started with Galaxy Burger in Springfield Mall in February and just closed Galaxy Burger at Willow Grove Park Mall on April 5.
“The response of the fans has been so enthusiastic and supportive that we decided to tap into another set of fans apart from science fiction. McDowell’s was the perfect choice, and the recently vacated California Pizza Kitchen at Cherry Hill Mall is the perfect location. It’s exciting to see people coming back to the malls.”
Diners will enter an eatery inspired by the fictitious restaurant from the original movie. There will be interactive photo opportunities with props, including Employee of the Month.
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays will feature a Beer Garden from Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing, with two special edition, exclusive draft beers—Queen to Be Cream Ale and Soul Glo Hazy IPA. Four packs to go are available for presale in limited quantities for pick up at McDowell’s or at the brewery; visithttp://forgottenboardwalk.squarespace.com/mcdowells to order.
Timed tickets for McDowell’s are available for advance purchase only at https://galaxyburgerandbeyond.ticketspice.com/mcdowells-pop-up. First seating each day is at 11:00 a.m. and last is at 7:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Eastern Pennsylvania Robotics Alliance and other local nonprofits.
Regular MickTicket is $28 and includes your choice of the Big Mick, Chicken Chunks or the Louie Anderson, plus fries and a drink. The Meatless Mick (Impossible Burger on a vegan bun, no cheese) is available for an additional charge. Or go for it all with the Magnum Mick—big enough for two, but you can handle it. Upgrade any regular MickTicket to VIP and you’ll also receive a commemorative McDowell’s t-shirt.
For kids 10 and under, the Mildly Amusing Meal ($15) includes a child-sized burger or chicken nuggets plus small fries and apple juice or water.
To top it all off—if you dare—indulge in the Sexual Chocolate Cake Shake. A keepsake glass with the rim coated in chocolate and nuts is filled with an extra thick and creamy chocolate milkshake, with a chocolate-covered cherry safely hidden at the bottom. But that’s just the beginning! The shake is topped with an entire slice of American Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cake, consisting of three layers of moist chocolate cake, two layers each of marshmallow creme and cookie dough, iced with delicious fudge frosting, chocolate cake crumbs, and more fluffy marshmallow topping.

domain: food


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Just a Stranger
A story of a woman and a man, half of her age being in love with each other despite the fact that they are both tied with someone else.
A historical drama. A story of struggle, hard work, and hope – even when the very reason for hope is all of a sudden gone. A group of farmers in ...
Ex With Benefits
Even after their break-up, a couple can’t get enough of each other.
At the heart of every Filipino film is the family, according to Adolfo B. Alix Jr. In his cool yet charged Mater Dolorosa, the actress Gina ...
Ang Anak ni Brocka
It is about a group of investigative journalists from a sub-par TV station who accidentally scores a scoop that a 21-year-old boy is looking ...


Chippenham mother Natasha Bird is back home after giving birth to her second Christmas Day child.
Sonny arrived seven years to the day after big brother Louis. Bookmakers say the chances of that happening are a million-to-one.
More top news
Southmead Hospital has begun an investigation into claims that poor standards of care may have hastened an elderly patient's death.
A single mum who was left an anonymous note with a fiver by a stranger on a train has been able to thank her benefactor in person.
As a man appears in court charged with his murder, Zac Evans' mother has told us she is trying to stay strong for the sake of her family.


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LOST PROPHETS + HUNDRED REASONS
The order of tonight's gig was supposed to be decided on the toss of a coin, with the winner choosing wether to go on first or second. Now, APPARENTLY, Hundred Reasons won the toss, but elected to play first. This was either a very wise, and completely realistic decision on their part, or, as most people suspected, it had already been decided that this would be how it would go down. Had they gone on after Lost Prophets they may well have appeared as nothing more than pretenders to the crown.
As it is, their take on emo goes down well with the enthusiastic (but very small) moshpit, whilst the majority of the crowd either watch on, mildly interested, or prop up the bar. There are some outstanding moments - opener "If I Could" and obvious-hit-in-waiting "Lullaby", hit all the right targets square between the eyes. But none of the other songs catch my ear, and soon after they leave the stage, the opening riff of "Just Because" by Jane's Addiction come over the PA and their shortcomings become even more obvious.
After the runaway success of "Fakesoundofprogress" Lost Prophets have a lot to prove with new album "Start Something". Tearing into "We Still Kill The Old Way", it's obvious they are here to blow away any doubts that they could deliver. The song loses nothing in the translation from slickly produced first-track-on-the-album to perfect set-opener. If anything, it's like watching a caged animal unleashed and rampaging through it's natural habitat for the first time.
Earlier in the evening, the on-stage dynamics of Hundred Reasons seemed contrived and clumsy, but Lost Prophets have it down to a fine art. Singer Ian Watkins, lead guitarist Lee Gaze and Jamie Oliver on keyboards, regularly explode into the air in perfect sychronisation. This is the one abiding memory I have from when I saw the band a couple of years ago - just how kinetic they are.
From start to finish the set is flawless. Ian's voice has developed into a near perfect version of Faith No More's Mike Patton (at his least "quirky") and the musical machinery has been tweaked and fine-tuned into the sort of streetfighter more than capable of taking on anything Linkin Park could field. Storming new tracks "Burn Burn" and "Last Train Home" sit perfectly alongside old favourites such as "Fake Sound Of Progress" and a suprising cover version of Justin Timberlakes "Cry Me A River".
This is a warm-up gig. Watch out America, Lost Prophets are going to be unstoppable after a few months on the road.
Tonight's score? The Valleys 5 - Surrey 2.
Richy [ February9th, 2004 ]


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Rated 9.3 out of 10 by 6
Rated 10 out of 10 by Army of None One of the Best
This is one of the best games I have ever played. The sound, interaction, and controls were great. I like that you can yell, (for example), "On the ground NOW!", or "Police! Hands in the air!". To me it feels like I'm really interacting with the game. One of the tings I thought were the best was that you can interrrorgate the suspects or whitnesses, use no leathal wepons( if you choose not to), and hit (which is leathal) to bring them down to restrain them. I like how you have a team always (except last mission, :spoiler) with you. Also whats cool is that you can pick your team and pick your favorite (if you have them) wepons. I beat the game a long time ago. It really did take some time to beat all the levels, which I like. If you like third person shooters and like to interact with the game, then this is the game for you. I rate this game a 10/10 because of the great graphics, sound, and interaction ect. I would really recomend this game to anyone.
Rated 8 out of 10 by ryan39drummer It was ok but only a 7 out of ten.
I've been wanting this game for 2 weeks. It looked like a pretty good game from the front cover. Looks can be deceiving. It isn't a very challenging game if you play shooter games often. I love playing SOCOM so this was little different. The controls are very strange. The only strange things about the controls are the way you lock on to targets. You have to hold L, press O, X, triangle, or square to choose a person to lock onto even if there is only one target. Then you have to release L and then shoot. It's very confusing. Graphics aren't amazing on this game. They're actually pretty bad. I'm a little picky with animation and graphics because I usually play SOCOM and their graphics are amazingly good. There are around 12 missions in SWAT. Each one takes 10-15 minutes to beat so I beat it in one day. The storyline and sound are pretty good. The best part of the game was the storyline. The game doesn't have much of a weapon choice.
Rated 10 out of 10 by Msteele48 BEST PSP GAME EVER!!!!!!!
This game never gets boring it's like you are really in the game like you can say different things for example POLICE HANDS IN THE AIR!!! you can make enemies surrender and you can handcuff them and interrogate them. you can also use lethal or non lethal weapons also flash-bang and gas grenades.you can also pick two teammates and they can get ranked which makes them better in missions.and if you run into locked doors you can set a C4 charge and blow it up or get one of your teammates to shoot the lock of or lock pick it. and if the doors unlocked you can open the door and storm the room or you can throw a flash-bang in the room and when it explodes it makes enemies confused and you can arrest them it is the same with the gas grenade accept gas goes every were and confuses the enemy.every thing is great about this game and its like you are in the game well for me it was but i highly recommend this game to anyone that owns a PSP.
Rated 9 out of 10 by random person that likes video games cool game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this game because the story line was a hit. i dont really want to give it away but it was one thing happening to new york then they flipped it around. the controls were pretty good exept that you cant reload a gun until the whole clip is out. in this game, the objective is to kill or stun and restain the enemies. when i was playing this game, it accually felt like a was on the SWAT team. i also liked how there are real video clips like the beginning and the end there are videos that accually take you to blackwaters SWAT training building to talk to you about some SWAT stuff. i also like the way how you can blow up doors and stuff like that. the challenges get harder and harder and sometimes they are really hard. but thats somewhat the point of a game to challenge you. i beat it in about 1 week. but you also can find art pieces and upgrade you and your teammates. i would recommend this game to all you future cops.
Rated 0 out of 10 by breinhold44 This game is gonna be great!!!
This game is gonna be awsome because of its combination of tactics and gameplay. Its gonna be FTB2 and Rainbow 6 put together!!! Can't wait for this game to come out.
Rated 0 out of 10 by A Customer sooooo cool
this game is going to be the bome lol ha ha you get it i know. well ya lets get back to the game well i think it's going to be cool i guees so buy it i guess and have fun with it i guess!!!


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Operator of the Santouka Ramen restaurant chain in the US, Plenty USA, Inc. is scheduled to launch a version of Japan-made AI communication robot SOTA on April 15, 2018. The North American launch of SOTA will be at JUNKICHI, a restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. An earlier version of the robot has been in use at the Santouka Ramen restaurant in University Village.
Developed to be able to recognize faces, help customers, and make sure communication with the servers goes smoothly, the robot will be placed atop tables. A camera in SOTA's head connects images to Microsoft Azure's FaceAPI service to allow the robot to recognize faces, allowing it to adapt to repeat customers. Guests can also use a smartphone app to make the unit speak. It has many prepared lines, but can be told to say all sorts of things via Microsoft Azure's Text to Speech service, meaning SOTA can have guided conversations in real time.
Reportedly, SOTA is a fixture at a Japanese izakaya restaurant reporting a 10% jump in sales since it started using SOTA.


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AF420 Taffy Reactive InkItem #: AF420
Hero Arts Reactive ink pads are ideal for use with stamps and for creating colorful backgrounds. This unique reacts to water when sprayed, dripped, or misted. The raised pad, measuring 3.5” x 2.25″, easily inks stamps of any size. Non-toxic, long-lasting, quick-drying, and acid-free.
Get Ideas for your Next Project
Hey there! Daniel West here with a set of mini Valentine cards I created with the new Flower Girls...Read More


Home > Achievements > Non-Academic > Chinese Dance SYF Arts Presentation 2014 (Distinction Award)
Chinese Dance SYF Arts Presentation 2014 (Distinction Award)
On 8th April 2014, our Chinese dancers presented the dance named《草原女儿》(Daughters of the Grasslands) at Kallang Theatre for SYF Arts Presentation.
This dance depicted a group of joyful Mongolian maidens galloping and merry-making on the boundless greenery of the Mongolian grasslands, an alluring sight that made up the enchanting landscape of Mongolia. With this captivating and lively dance, our Chinese Dancers successfully ushered in the first Distinction for SYF Arts Presentation 2014 for North View Primary!
Our heartfelt congratulations to our Chinese dancers who worked extremely hard for the past year in perfecting this dance, and many thanks to our dance instructor, Miss Yang Jing Feng for choreographing this dance. Not forgetting our teachers-in-charge, Miss Ng Mui Hiok and Ms. Leow Liting, for their dedication and hardwork.
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS!


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Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and the military commander tasked with the government's asylum seeker crackdown are expected to confirm the eighth boat arrival since the election.
The first since the coalition introduced a new media blackout protocol arrived on Sunday afternoon, bringing the total to eight since September 7.
The vessel landed at Christmas Island carrying about 30 people, shire councillor Gordon Thomson told AAP.
The passengers were expected to disembark around 3.30pm (local time).
Mr Thomson said there were women and children on board very thirsty and drinking lots of water.
HMAS Maitland escorted the boat to the island, he said.
A Customs and Boarder Protection spokeswoman declined to provide official confirmation as a result of the government ending the practice of announcing boat arrivals as they happen.
A spokesman for Mr Morrison also refused to comment and said information would be provided on Monday.
Mr Morrison and deputy chief of army Angus Campbell will give weekly media briefings about Operation Sovereign Borders, the coalition's asylum seeker and border protection exercise.
The first will be held on Monday.
He says the government won't constantly update the public because it wants to starve people smugglers of information.
Extra briefings will be given when necessary, for example, in the case of sinkings.
© AAP 2019


Stay up-to-date with Weekly Blog Posts, Holiday Hours, Local Roofing News and MORE...
Bizarre Photo of the Month
Our estimators and crews see some interesting roofing strategies while in the field.
We are going to share photos of some of the crazy ideas we see.
In this photo, a plumber ran a new PVC pipe inside of an existing galvanized vent pipe, leaving a wide open hole in the top of the vent cap. Maybe they thought it would have some insulation with this installation.


The DLS-90 Power Converter/Battery Charger from IOTA Engineering converts nominal 108-132 AC voltage to 13.4 DC voltage for both DC load operation and 12V battery charging.As a power supply, the unit's tightly controlled regulation allows the user to operate a nominal 12VDC load up to 90 amps.As a battery charger, the unit will maintain the battery, delivering its full-rated current when the battery capacity falls sufficiently low. The voltage is set to deliver its maximum current for the necessary period of time to minimize undue stress to the battery caused by heating of its cells. This helps to ensure the longest possible life of the battery. Over time, as the battery nears its full capacity, the DLS-90 will automatically drop the current, providing a float-charge to the battery to prevent self-discharge of the cells. Features:Switch-mode technologyExceptionally clean DC outputTight line-load regulationQuickly and efficiently charges batteriesDesigned to withstand low transient AC line voltageCurrent limit and thermal/overload protectionLower operating temperatureQuiet fan operationExternal reverse polarity fuse protection from incorrect battery connectionHigh and normal-stage charging jackCompatible with the IOTA IQ4 Charge ControllerUL and CUL listed.


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The teacher, who joined the school this month, is alleged to have behaved improperly and inappropriately with a class 5 student during a dance class.
"The teacher is alleged to have behaved improperly and using inappropriate language with the student. He is alleged to have told the child 'I will remove your ID card, then your shirt and then your skirt'.
"The school's disciplinary committee has investigated the matter and on its recommendation the services of the teacher have been terminated," school Principal SB Tripathi said.
The school authorities also approached police with a complaint and demanded that an FIR be lodged against the teacher.
"A police team has gone to meet the victim and will be speaking to her along with the counsellors," a senior police official said.
This incident follows two instances of violence against students in the Delhi-NCR region. A 7-year-old was found with his throat slit at Gurgaon's Ryan International School.
A day after that, a 5-year-old was raped allegedly by a peon working in the school.

domain: law


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From amps and pedalboards to guitars and stands, we offer a large assortment of musical instruments and equipment. No matter your skill level, we have the right instruments and accessories for your needs.
Guitar & Amplifier Repairs
Let our expert staff satisfy your amplifier and guitar repair needs. We perform all of our modifications and repairs in a timely manner and at a reasonable price.
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At our music store in Redondo Beach, California, we offer a wide range of guitars, basses, string instruments, pedalboards, amps, and cables to musicians and music teachers. Harbor Music serves music enthusiasts throughout the local area with quality repair services and high-quality equipment.
Our locally owned and operated store specializes in the sale of professional music gear, and our staff of industry enthusiasts and musicians builds custom pedalboards tailored to the needs of the individual musician.


Working with heat of vaporization
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I have attached the graphs. I don't think the first one is useful, but i needed to plot the data and find the heat of vaporization. Hence, the reason for the second graph. I know that the slope is equal to the heat of vaporization/RT but I don't think I am getting the right answer.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 6, 2023, 12:45 pm ad1c9bdddf
Convert the temperarure values to Kelvin by the addition of 273. take ln of the vapor pressure values and plot. ...
The heat of vaporization are analyzed. The slope which is equal to heat of vaporization are given. The solution explains each step and provides all mathematical steps.


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Are Alternative Investments Right for You?
With alternative investments, it’s critical to sort through the complexity.
Have A Question About This Topic?
Probate can be a completely public process, or it can be managed to include as little information as possible.
This calculator compares a hypothetical fixed annuity with an account where the interest is taxed each year.
Are women prepared for a 20-year retirement?

domain: economics


text:
Customising an Ikea toy kitchen… and it is finally ready for Christmas.
Here’s a quick list of what I did to the DUKTIG Ikea toy kitchen:
- Painted the raw wood parts using Little Greene Paint Company wood primer and then the whole thing in Intelligent Eggshell in Loft White. This paint left over from doing up his nursery.
- Primed the grey plastic with a spray primer.
- Sprayed all the primmed plastic pieces gold with a metallic spray paint.
- Painted one cupboard door and the back sections with blackboard paint.
- Covered the counter top with sticky backed plastic that looks like butchers block wood.
I’ve collected together some gorgeous accessories and play food for Luther’s Ikea toy kitchen to look its best and for him to get the most out of playing with it. I’ll put up a separate post on these after Christmas when it’s in his room.


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The asda store planned for Llwynypia has received a firm thumbs down from shop owners in Tonypandy.
Melanie Archer has owned The Daisy Chain florist in De Winton Street for four years.
She said the supermarket could have a serious impact on her trade.
'From my point of view I think it would make a massive dent in the work I do.
'It is hard to comprehend having something like that. It is going to give me a knock.
'I would have to say it's not a good thing purely from a business point of view.
'If I lived here it would be a fantastic thing but I have to look at it differently.
'As far as funerals and weddings go, that is not going to be touched but just for a bunch of flowers it's going to be.
'Our small businesses are being badly knocked by the big chains because they can afford to sell goods at low prices.'
Craig Griffiths, of Hilda's florist in Dunraven Street, is a member of Tonypandy's Chamber of Trade and looks after the shop which has been trading for 33 years.
He has found there has been a marked downturn in the distribution of goods.
He said: 'I found recently that 70 per cent of flowers now go to supermarkets, 26 per cent go to florists and one per cent go to garage forecourts.
'It will definitely have a big knock-on effect and it's already hard running an independent business.
'The majority of small businesses throughout the UK are suffering due to the power of supermarkets, not just us.
'I know someone who has a shop in Dowlais and the ASDA there has had a devastating effect.
'ASDA said they were coming here whether we liked it or not.
'We all keep in contact and are all in the same boat. Things are not good with the addition of a new supermarket.'
Mark Howells, owner of Howells Sports in Dunraven Street, is uncertain about the future of Tonypandy as a whole.
He said: 'I don't know what to make of it.
'It could be the kiss of death but then I might be wrong.
'Retail in general is quiet across the board. It's all out of town development now, in places like Talbot Green.
'They need to do more for Tonypandy. More could be spent on trying to get people back into the town.
'Sometimes it's like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.'