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Wadhawan (46) was arrested on January 27 by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
New Delhi, Jan 9 () Assets worth over Rs 2,500 crore have been attached in connection with a money laundering and fraud case against Haryana-based SRS group, the ED said on Thursday.
The ED told the apex court that it has recorded the statements of the company's country head in connection with the firm's dealings with the now defunct Amrapali Group.
The agency, in a statement, said it launched a criminal probe under the anti-money laundering law based on an FIR of the Bengaluru Police.
The duo had been arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police in connection with the case earlier this month.
"We do find adequate materials, including documents, available.Therefore, this court cannot invoke Sec.482 of the CrPC to quash the proceedings at this stage," a bench of justices M M Sundresh and RMT Teekaa Raman held.
The agency has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for attachment of the assets valued at Rs 299.99 crore, it said.
The company's income stood at Rs 34.44 crore during the said quarter, a dip of 43 per cent from Rs 60.24 crore it registered in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.
On July 11, the Bombay High Court had refused to grant stay on proceedings before a special court on confiscation of Mallya's properties.
The firm was hired to upgrade streetlights during the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi.
Apart from the immovable properties, bank balance of Rs 1.77 crore maintained in 15 accounts of BIL and its associate companies have also been attached.
After the Supreme Court appointed auditor Grant Thornton highlighted grave irregularities in its preliminary report, the forex enforcement agency has zeroed in on this case.
The attached properties include three commercial assets based in Dubai, a Mercedes Benz car and a number of fixed deposits in bank accounts in the country and outside, the agency said.
According to the sources, Sengupta allegedly accompanied Rose Valley group chairman Gautam Kundu on several foreign trips and helped him in the sale and production of films.
The attachment of properties was done under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED probed the matter under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and made Rajendra Prasad, his sons — Koneru, Madhu and Pradeep — as accused in the case.
The court also said that by virtue of Section 71, the PMLA has the overriding effect over other existing laws in the matter of dealing with "money-laundering" and "proceeds of crime".
According to an ED official, the investors, who were promised high returns on their investments by the ponzi firm, are free to approach the committee which was set up following a high court suggestion in 2015.
A special MPID court in Pune is already hearing the state’s plea for public auction of 143 “free hold” properties of developer D S Kulkarni, alias DSK, and his group.
The attached immovable properties are in the form of land and buildings located in various places of Bengaluru and Mysuru.


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Join Sally Norred for an in-depth discussion in this video Recording split transactions, part of Quicken 2014 Essential Training.
…From time to time, you'll have transaction that falls into more than one category.…In that case, you can assign multiple categories…to the transaction by recording a split transaction.…You may want to use split categories when you…shop at a big box store or a warehouse club.…In those stores, you may buy multiple types of…items like prescriptions, food and electronics in the same purchase.…In this scenario, splitting the transactions categories gives…you a more accurate view of your spending.…Let's walk through the process for recording a split transaction.…
I'll show you how to do this on this purchase that Jeannie made from Costco.…She spent $75 on business expenses at Costco and $175 on groceries.…So I'll take this $250 payment and click the Split in the category list.…I'll type Groceries on the first line.…And I'll change the amount to $175 because…that's all she spent on groceries at Costco.…I'll click Enter on my keyboard, and you'll notice a very handy thing.…Quicken displays the difference between the total and…
- Touring the interface and setting up an Intuit ID
- Understanding account types
- Adding and updating accounts
- Tracking spending
- Searching, sorting, and filtering transactions
- Categorizing transactions and customizing categories
- Reconciling accounts
- Creating and understanding spending reports
- Projecting future balances
- Using Quicken Online Bill Pay
- Creating a budget
- Creating a debt reduction plan and savings goals
- Using the Lifetime Planner and the Tax Center
- Tracking investments
- Viewing your investment portfolio
- Creating and understanding investment reports
- Using the Quicken mobile app
Skill Level Intermediate
1. Touring Quicken
2. Setting Up Accounts
3. Tracking Your Spending
4. Setting Up Bills and Income
5. Planning Your Financial Future
6. Tracking Investments
7. Using the Quicken Mobile App
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domain: finance


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These two headlines clearly show reality: for every action, there is an opposite reaction. The Democrats, courting young females, have decided to allow abortions in places like my state of NY, all the way up to AFTER birth. That is, they let the baby die or kill it right before birth, while still inside the womb. This triggered others to pass the opposite laws of no abortions for any reasons. Both positions are insane and dangerous.
I am a prime example of all this: I was told, at age 13, I could never have children due to damage to my reproductive systems after being raped as a child. But then, I did get pregnant but had to be very carefully attended while pregnant due to it being very difficult.
On top of all this, I am the very rarest blood type: AB negative. My second pregnancy was terrible and I had to be hospitalized three times and nearly died twice. Despite this, I tried one more time and due to the antibodies reacting, I became very violently ill and to save my own life, I had to regretfully terminate a baby I really, really wanted. It still causes emotional distress to me and is hard to write about.
Well, as usual in human societies, people go all the way to the outer limits of any systems humans set up. Once it became legal to terminate a pregnancy, it became an excuse to not use birth controls, for example. Both men and women became very careless about sex.
Young ladies who in the past, would be the matrons of intact families, began running riot and getting abortions out of convenience. I had out of wedlock sex when I was in school due to being told, I could never have children. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I changed everything totally. I had to give up running wild and be a mother.
In today’s news at the Daily Mail is an actress complaining about the strict anti-abortion laws. She then talks in a very strange, bizarre way about how she had her own abortion:
‘I myself went through an emergency abortion 2 years ago. I was 4 1/2 months pregnant and shooting on location in Eastern Europe. I went into pre term labor and told that I had to be awake for the whole procedure,’ the actress continued.
‘Pre-term labor’ is the term for ‘premature birth’. It is NOT an ‘abortion’ at all. She also complains about being awake during the vacuuming of her uterus. Duh. This is standard procedure for all birth processes.
In the past, women were knocked out and doctors learned that this was very bad so it is no longer done. I am guessing she wanted to be knocked out in order to ‘not be there’ when getting an abortion.
‘It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through. I still have nightmares about it. I was alone and helpless,’ she added.
Her reaction is also insane. I am guessing it was feelings of guilt. So she turned herself into a victim instead of being the one who wanted an abortion due to making a movie and thus, needing to be ‘not pregnant.’ The psychology of abortion is a verboten topic for feminists who want to be victims and at the same time, deny victimhood for babies.
From the Daily Mail article about the DNC ladies wanting total abortions:
During a legislative hearing, Del. Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax) admitted that, yes, her bill would allow a doctor to perform an abortion after the mother had gone into labor — a position that Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam bizarrely (and ineptly) decided to defend in a radio interview.
Northam’s defenders accurately point out that elective late-term abortions are rare. But critics ask, with at least equal merit: What medical conditions require crushing an infant’s skull rather than delivering it via Caesarean section? And if killing a baby that way would never happen, as the defenders claim, then why does it need to be legal?
No one has framed a good answer to that, because what I suspect to be the true answer risks getting them in trouble with the Muddle: Despite 50 years of “Our bodies, our lives!” chants, abortion was never primarily about a woman’s right to control her body. It was about her right to control her reproduction, which is not quite the same thing.
The DNC females are acting as if none of this is happening now. They are outraged that the far right is making abortions impossible while the DNC ladies claimed that killing babies literally at birth or even after birth, would be ‘rare’. The history of killing babies is very old, by the way.
Entire religions were built on the idea of feeding babies to gods, killing them on altars, throwing them into fires or lakes, etc. Killing babies for other reasons is historically common.
The killing of babies to gain power is all over the animal kingdom with lions being a prime example. Every time a new male takes over a pride, all the babies are killed. Lots of animals do this and it is no surprise that primates from top to bottom also do this to gain power or territory. Since this is common, we must assume it is natural.
Which is why so much confusion, both political and emotional, surrounds this issue. Now on to the populations in the far southern regions of the planet that has no winters: they are moving northwards across the planet, seeking to use resources built up by other people.
The proposed rule, published Friday in the Federal Register, would tighten regulations against undocumented immigrants accessing federally subsidized housing to “make certain our scarce public resources help those who are legally entitled to it,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said last month.
A literal army of illegal aliens have poured into mainly DNC-run cities that have lots of free food, housing and other stuff.
But the agency’s analysis of the rule’s regulatory impact concluded that half of current residents living in households potentially facing eviction and homelessness are children who are legally qualified for aid.
A loophole exploited by all invading females: have a baby here and you are legal.
Carson told Fox Business on Thursday that only one in four Americans who qualify for federally subsidized housing receive help. “I’m talking about legitimate American citizens, so obviously we want to get those people taken care of,” said Carson, who personally signed off on the proposed regulation.
In 1975 when I had my first baby, we went into a terrible recession due to the oil crisis and jobs were scarce and housing was hard due to the high cost of heating fuels and I had to scratch a living. I worked for landlords. I remember ‘public housing’ in NYC back then.
It was filled with people who poured northwards after integration of housing in order to get freebies. The city frantically built free housing towers all over the place and the new residents tended towards criminality so these became very dangerous places to approach so law abiding citizens avoided this like the plague.
So I never went near this ‘free housing.’ I lived in one room, my husband and baby, and over four years moved to better and better housing as landlords hired me and became a landlady. Public housing is a trap. People move there and then try to stay there forever.
This is true in Europe, too. One trick in both Europe and the US was this: to get the free government housing, if your own home burned down, that is, your LANDLORD’S house, you get a free apartment! Guess what?
Much of the cheap housing in NYC, for example, was put to the torch by people seeking to be housed for free! These people tended to be CRIMINALS. So the crime rate in public housing shot upwards even more! All unintended consequences but why didn’t anyone learn from any of this?
The revised health insurance law is aimed at blocking the use of the system by foreigners who have never lived in Japan, including relatives of soon to arrive laborers, as the country accepts more foreign workers to tackle labor shortages in the rapidly aging country.
The revised law also obliges spouses of public pension recipients to reside in Japan.
What is very ironic here is, many people working in the healthcare system are foreign workers. The Japanese government wants to exploit cheap foreign labor but not let anyone into the systems or citizenship just like…ISRAEL. Ahem. Yes, our top allies are very much ‘closed borders’.
In the face of an aging population and falling birthrate, Japan introduced a new visa system last month to attract foreign workers into its labor-hungry sectors, including construction, farming and nursing care.
So, they can come in but not have any benefits or stay or anything. HAHAHA. Nope, won’t work. The need for controlled, integrated immigration is great especially in countries that encourage abortions and birth control. Odd, isn’t that?
The Chicago City Council approved $2.4 billion in tax subsidies for two major developments in early April. Protesters gathered at City Hall chanting against the deals. Critics said the projects are in prosperous parts of Chicago and developers should pay for infrastructure improvements, not taxpayers.
Chicago’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $119,110
New York City’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $85,600
Los Angeles’ combined Taxpayer Burden: $56,390
Philadelphia’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $50,120
San Jose’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $43,120
San Diego’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $35,410
Dallas’ combined Taxpayer Burden: $33,490
Houston’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $22,940
San Antonio’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $16,660
Phoenix’s combined Taxpayer Burden: $13,290
Juicy contracts for government employees…heh…my husband worked for NY State…and of course, the army of leeches in public housing and welfare are a huge tax burden. This is a topic the DNC avoids like the plague.

domain: news


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Despite a federal law passed more than 20 years ago that requires scientists to include women and minority subjects as they investigate diseases, clinical research has made very little progress when it comes to minorities, according to a review of more than 10,000 cancer studies.
In a paper published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco; Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain; and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta highlight that, among more than 10,000 studies on cancer funding by the National Cancer Institute (NIH), just 2 percent included a primary focus on racial or ethnic differences in the disease.
Minority subjects were underrepresented in all but 5 percent of federally funded clinical studies on respiratory diseases, the researchers said.
Using a Freedom of Information Act request, the researchers found that award rates for funding grants from the NIH’s Office of Extramural Research are “consistently lower” among non-white applicants, who received grants 42 percent of the time in 1985 and 19.3 percent of the time in 2013. White applicants, meanwhile, received funding grants 48.6 percent of the time in 1985 and 23.3 percent of the time in 2013. The study did not address why grant approvals overall had declined for both groups.
“The NIH alone will not be able to correct the disparities or inequities of the healthcare system," the authors wrote, "but it can send a powerful message that may promote changes in our health care and health science systems."
In 1993 the U.S. passed the NIH Revitalization Act (PDF), which requires medical researchers to prioritize the inclusion of women and minorities as research subjects.
The authors of the study say that since 1993, NIH-funded studies have made huge advances in clinical studies that include women and make note of sex-specific differences in symptoms and treatments. But that the same effort hasn’t been made for including minorities.
Part of the reason, they say, may be because of the historically low representation of minorities graduating with doctoral degrees in the biomedical sciences. They also note that less than 2 percent of principal investigators on NIH-funded research project grants are African American, 3.4 percent are Hispanic and 0.4 percent are Native American, far less then their representation in the U.S. population.
While the authors underscore that not every study needs to look at ethnic differences in disease, including diverse groups in clinical research “can provide meaningful opportunities to examine the complex relationship of ancestral influences, environmental exposures and social factors.”
"Increasing diversity is also a worthwhile effort scientifically," Sam Oh, an epidemiologist and researcher in the UCSF Center for Genes, Environment and Health, and one of the study authors, said in a release. "We can't divert our resources knowing that an intervention is only going to work on a small portion of the population. By understanding that population, we can target our resources effectively for everyone. But we'll only learn that by having study populations that represent everyone."
The researchers cited examples of insights on diseases that scientists have gained in the process of researching racial or ethnic differences in certain illnesses. Scientists, for example, discovered a genetic variant of an estrogen receptor in Latinas that protects them from breast cancer, after they found this difference in subjects with Native American ancestry.
In another study, researchers found that exposure to chemicals such as BPA — which are known to disrupt the body’s endocrine system — are more common in low-income and minority communities, and have been linked to increased rates of premature births in those groups.
Additionally, scientists have discovered that up to 70 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders lack an enzyme to activate the blood thinner clopidogrel, which is prescribed to reduce stroke risk after angioplasty, making the drug ineffective for them.
The authors credit the NIH with its recent efforts to study racial and ethnic diversity, with President Obama’s launch of a research initiative on precision medicine, which tailors treatments to genetic makeup and will recruit at least 1 million Americans as subjects. NIH is also testing a pilot program that would make anonymous applications for funding grants to help eliminate bias.
"Diversity in science is science done well," Oh said. "You need diversity in the research, diversity in who is being studied and diversity in the people doing the science. Otherwise you become an echo chamber — everyone looks and sounds just like us."
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Allies and Assets is about making use of existing social, community and built infrastructure for taking permaculture further to the mainstream. The presentation will describe a variety of city programs, community entities, built infrastructure found in almost any town or city, that can be used to advance the ideals of permaculture. The presenter will explain real life examples from the Pacific Northwest for building bridges – neighborhood associations, mapping your neighborhood, bike tours, front yard gardens, suburban permaculture convergence, faith communities, place making and more. Presenter Jan Spencer, has had extensive experience with this subject.
Presented By: Jan Spencer

domain: sociology


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Osaka – An artist on Thursday won a claim for damages for claiming that an association of merchants in western Japan had copied one of his works of art featuring a telephone booth filled with water and goldfish.
Reversing a lower court ruling, the Osaka High Court ordered the association to compensate Nobuki Yamamoto, a 64-year-old contemporary artist, with 550,000 yen ($ 5,200) for copyright infringement and to destroy a similar facility in a town known for its goldfish farms. .
The phone booth has been installed in a shopping street in Yamatokoriyama town, Nara prefecture, known for growing goldfish, for four years starting in 2014.
The artwork, created to highlight environmental issues, including water pollution, had been exhibited in different parts of Japan from 2000 onwards and featured on television and magazines, according to the ruling. and other sources.
In rendering the ruling, presiding judge Yozo Yamada said the association’s action infringed the artist’s copyright.
While Yamamoto’s work was creative, the association’s version could not be seen as a product of creative thinking but rather as a “copy” of it, according to the ruling.
“My request has been fully recognized,” Yamamoto said at a press conference following the court ruling.
The association claimed that putting goldfish in a phone booth is “just an idea” and is not subject to copyright protection.
After the decision, the group said it would consider appealing.
In July of last year, the Nara District Court dismissed the plagiarism complaint of Yamamoto, from Iwaki, in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.
The district court said that telephone booths “have receivers floating in the water as a common feature, but other than that they are different in terms of the color of their roofs and other things.
He sued for damages for 3.3million yen in September 2018 and argued that the one displayed on the street had a similar exterior to his creation and used the same air bubble generation system using the telephone receiver.
The association withdrew its version from the shopping street in April 2018 before Yamamoto took legal action.
In a time of both disinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing you can help us make the right story.


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"We don't have the official pictures yet, but one of the groom's Aunts took the following pics of our beautiful bride (Renée). The weather was cool enough to make the shawl very appreciated. I received many comments on the workmanship. Thank you for making our day special. :)" ~Diane & Joe Martin (Colorado)
Director Renny Harlin sports a Bunki's Originals scarf in Beijing.
Customer Karen says "Met you last night at Oktoberfest in Southlake. I love my hat and scarf!"
Genevieve sent us this selfie to let us know how much she loves her scarf! (Dallas)
Marc awakens from a restful snooze with his BO's blankie.
Roo is snuggling up and ready for a walk. (Indiana)
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domain: geography


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ADVENT TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS is an entity registered at Albany county with company number 6243817. incorp services, inc. located at the address One Commerce Plaza Albany, Ny, 122102822. Company is incorporated on August 3, 2021. Current status of the company is active.
|Company name||ADVENT TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS|
|DOS ID #||6243817|
|Initial DOS Filing Date||August 3, 2021|
|Company Type||FOREIGN BUSINESS CORPORATION|
|Current Company Status||ACTIVE|
incorp services, inc.
one commerce plaza
ALBANY, NY, 122102822

domain: economics


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The Best Titanic Conspiracy Documentary
It is a story that has left many questions unanswered, and the documentary provides an intriguing hypothesis that the ship that plummeted two miles to the bottom of the sea was not the Titanic but its sister ship the Olympic.
This film is based upon the research of Andrew Newton and includes the evidence of the British and American inquiries, the eye witness reports of survivors, newspapers of the day, photographs, video, film and radio broadcasts.
The views and opinions presented in this film are based on actual evidence and legitimate inference.
The people depicted are all deceased and can shed no light on the mystery of the Titanic’s sinking.
This hypothesis is presented for viewers to reach their own conclusions.
- Srila Prabhupada video
- Lectures - ISKCON Swamis and gurus
- Devotees of Other Sampradayas
- Ayurveda, healt, vegetarianism
- Cow protection and training Oxen
- Documentary from India
- History of India
- Holy places in India
- ISKCON Temples and festivals
- ISKCON controversy
- India dance and culture event
- Indian Cooking
- Indian Temples
- Kalaripayattu - Indian martial art
- Music and kirtans
- Reincarnation, past lives, NDE
- Spiritual Movies
- Spiritual Science
- Spiritual reading
- Vastu and feng shui
- Yoga and meditation
- World controversy
- Various documentary
- ISKCON ExSwamis and ExGurus
- Lectures from interesting peaple

domain: library


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How exactly to Support A Black Partner During Racially Charged Times
Today, that marketing image the thing is of a mixed-race family members smiling together at an easy meals restaurant or an young interracial few shopping at a hip furniture shop could be focus group-tested as exemplifying the very best of modern capitalism.
Not a long time ago, the thought of individuals from various racial backgrounds loving one another ended up being far from prevalent â€” specially white and black colored us citizens, where such relationships had been, in reality, criminalized.
Though this racist law had been overturned in the us because of the landmark Loving v. Virginia situation in 1967, interracial relationships can nevertheless prove hard with techniques that same-race relationships may not.
Issues can arise with regards to each partner confronting the otherâ€™s www.datingranking.net/fr/squirt-review understandings of battle, tradition and privilege, for just one, and in addition with regards to the method youâ€™re managed as a device because of the world that is outside whether as an item of fascination or derision (both frequently concealing racist prejudices). And tensions like this may be specially amplified if the discourse that is national competition intensifies, because it has because the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Derek Chauvin may 25.
So that you can better discover how to correctly support a partner of color as an ally within the period of the Black Lives question motion, AskMen went along to the origin, talking to Nikki and Rafael, two people whose lovers are black colored. Hereâ€™s exactly what that they had to state:
Speaing frankly about Race With An Ebony Partner
With respect to the dynamic of one’s relationship, you might currently speak about battle a fair quantity.
But whether or not itâ€™s one thing youâ€™ve been earnestly avoiding, or it just does not appear to appear much at all, it is well worth checking out why to make a change.
Unfortuitously, because America and lots of other Western countries have deep-rooted anti-Black sentiments running they are through them, your partnerâ€™s experiences with anti-Black racism are likely a non-trivial portion of who. Never ever talking about that youâ€™re missing out on a big chunk of your partnerâ€™s true self with them means.
â€œThe subject of battle has arrived up in discussion between me personally and my fiancÃ© from the beginning of your relationship,â€ says Nikki, whoâ€™s been with her partner since 2017. â€œWeâ€™ve discussed how individuals respond to our relationship from both grayscale views â€” from just walking across the street to getting supper at a restaurant, we’ve for ages been observant and alert to other people.â€
She notes that these conversations would show up since the two prejudice that isâ€œencounteredâ€ noting cases of individuals searching, sporadically talking directly to them, as well as â€œbeing stopped as soon as for no explanation.â€
The Ebony Lives situation motion has just motivated more â€œheightened and deepened conversation recently,â€ adds Nikki.
In terms of Rafael, whoâ€™s been dating his gf for around eight months, battle arises â€œnaturally in discussion usually, on a regular or most likely day-to-day basis.â€
â€œMy gf works for a prestigious Ebony party business therefore we both keep pace with news, present activities, films and music,â€ he says. Race leads to every aspect of your culture, about it. so that it will be strange never to talkâ€
Supporting Your Spouse When Theyâ€™re Facing Racism
If youâ€™re only just just starting to speak about battle along with your Ebony partner, you do not yet have an excellent grounding in just how to help them when theyâ€™re facing racism, whether thatâ€™s systemic or personal, implicit or explicit, intentional or perhaps not.
1. Recognize Racismâ€™s Part in your Life
Itâ€™s important to acknowledge that white individuals are created into a currently existant racist culture, plus itâ€™s impractical to correctly tackle racist dilemmas unless you can recognize exactly how it is factored into the own upbringing.
â€œBe an ally,â€ states Rafael. â€œCome towards the dining table with a knowledge that individuals all function within a racist system, and therefore either benefit from white privilege or perhaps in the truth of BIPOC (Ebony, native, and folks of colors) people, are marginalized/held right back by racism. Many if not all the people that are white done, said, or took part in racist behavior at some time. Doubting that individuals take part in a racist system is silly rather than real. Begin here.â€
Itâ€™s fixable by asking your spouse to simply help teach you, or simply just by acknowledging the part you must play in your journey towards anti-racism by educating your self as well as others near you.
2. Pay attention to Your Partnerâ€™s Truths
Perhaps you are familiar with interacting with your lover about week-end plans and where you should consume for supper, but that will additionally expand to their experiences with racism and anti-Blackness.
Even though theyâ€™re topics you’re feeling uncomfortable bringing up, it is essential never to shy away them up from them or make your partner feel bad for bringing.
â€œIt is imperative as his fiancÃ©e that we pay attention and help,â€ claims Nikki of her partner. â€œI allow him to convey their emotions easily, providing a location of convenience. As he was willing to start up and also have those deep conversations, I became here to pay attention. I really believe that this will be significant in supporting a Black partner, specially in this time.â€


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Eric Doyle reports:
Two Swedish companies are taking advantage of the US Patriot Act to drum up some European business.
Severalnines, which offers automation and management software for cloud database provisioning, and the City Network hosting company have banded together to produce “a fully European Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) solution”. The Severalnines DataCloud service is still in beta under the name of the City Cloud Database Service but is ready to take customers on board.
Read more on eWeek.


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- Inca Trail Treks
- Alternative Treks
- Day Hikes
- Peru Destinations
- Southamerica Tours
- About Us
Peru Tour Package 8 days–Starting in Lima, which was a ‘City of the Kings’, until the middle of the 18th century, the capital and the most important city of the Spanish dominions in South America. Many of its buildings, such as the Convent of San Francisco (the largest of its type in this part of the world), are the result of collaboration between local craftspeople and others from the Old World.
Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire, which is decorated by ancient beautiful incan typical streets, incan temples, colonial buildings, etc; one of them is Hatunrumiyoc that is a great place to have a closer look at the engineering skills of the Incas. The 12 sided stone, and the wall it is found on, is a perfect example of the stonework that was reserved for the ‘elite’ of Incan society who lived in houses of perfect stonework, cut and shaped with not a gap to be seen. The walls were so well built that the Spanish used them for the foundations of their buildings after the conquest. Cusco is led to the development of loads of awesome attractions, so there’s plenty of cool ways to spend your time.
Taquile and Amantani still remain as the most culturally intact communities in Peru. From the quality of their famous weaving and the use of their woollen hats, to the terracing and traditional means of government, the people of Taquile and Amantani Islands continue to live in a manner not far off from that of their ancestors, the Incas. On arrival at the islands, there’s the opportunity to visit some weaving groups and to savor a tasty local meal before jumping back on the boat for our cruise to our next stop, the famous floating Uros Islands. Uros Islands are fascinating to visit and you’ll love experiencing the entrepreneurial spirit of the locals here. You’ll get a glimpse at the local lifestyle as you visit small fish farms, a natural history museum, a local’s home and check out the variety of wares for sale by the women of the community, including local textiles and mini totora reed boats.
Arrival any time in the morning to the international airport of Lima where our tour manager waits for you, and meets up you to take to the hotel, at the hotel you will be informed about the fascinating journey that awaits you. subsequently we start with our tour visiting the pre-incan temple of Huaca Pucllana then we go sightseeing along the important places of the capital, such as San Martin Square, Main square where we see the government palace, the basilica cathedral, archbishop’s palace, the municipality of lima, typical colonial streets with nice mansions. Then we visit the convent of Sain Francis where we see beautiful cloisters, catacombs, the religious museum, the choir, the library of the monks, the sacristy with the collection of Rivera and Zurbaran’s canvas, subsequentely we visit the modern Lima: San Isidro, El Olivar, Larco Mar from where we have a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean, after a while we go to a nice restaurant to have lunch.
In the afternoon we visit the Gold Museum Of Peru. The ancient peruvian were great fantastic silversmiths and goldsmiths that employed particular techniques to work on the metal, as the process of “cire perdue” which was known and disappeared in eastern until the Renaissance. In our excursión to the museum we see a great collection of gold artifacts from different pre-incan cultures, some artifacts date from 3,000 b.c, on the exhibition incalculable jewelries that are finely wrought that were used by the Incas, the children of the Sun God, and the other monarches. Besides the museum keeps a valuable Collection of antique and modern guns which are among the best of its kind in the World. after having a great tour into the museum we go back to the hotel
We will wake up very early in the morning to drive to the airport and take the flight to Cusco, at your arrival time in Cusco you will meet up with our tour manager at the airport, then to drive to the hotel in Cusco where you will get an informative breifing about the fascinating journey in Cusco and Puno from your tour manager, after that we will drop the lugagges off at the hotel and we will start with our excursión in the city. A day on leisure in the ancient capital of the incan Empire entitled a World´s Heritage site by UNESCO. In the morning you will explore the stunning fortress-temple Sacasayhuaman, Qenqo, Pukapukara, and Tampumachay. About midday you will have a great lunch at one of the typical restaurants, after having the lunch we continue exploring the Cusco’s antique streets, and we arrive walking to the extraordinary Temple of the sun Qoricancha, the most important religous site of the incas in the lower Cusco This sumptuous temple’s walls and floors were allegedly once covered by sheets of solid gold. This temple was once one of the most important religious site of the Incan people in the city of Cusco. On this tour we also visit a local market where you taste fresh-baked Chuta bread, and you still see some local items, articles for different purposes and aims, then you go walking to the main square in which you will feel at the plenary puma’s heart, (because Cusco the capital of the incan Empire was designed in a puma shape), and from here wou will see the colonial buildings, the cathedral and the other chuches around, eventually we go back to the hotel.
Full day guided tour in the Sacred Valley, visiting important incan sites, as Pisaq, and Ollantaytambo, along with the visits to the local interesting places ( e.g, chicheria a place where you would have a local typical corn beer and play frog game).
At each incan site you will have stunning views and rich history, and you will be amazed by the architectural styles, walls, palaces, granaries, temples, terraces, etc.
You have another way of visiting the Sacred Valley, exploring the incan sites of Chinchero, Moray, Salt Mines Maras, Ollantaytambo. We have these two options because in the Sacred valley of the Incas you have several incan sites to visit, and according to your preferences you might disccus with your tour manager that way to provide it to you, one of the options that you would like more.
In the evening after the tour we drive to the train station of Ollantaytambo from where we will go aboard the train to Machupicchu town( estimated time of arrival to Machupicchu town 1:45-hour), when we arrive to Machupicchu town we will go to the hotel to make our check-in, and about 7:30pm we will have dinner.
The most important day has arrived because it is the day of Machu Picchu, we will wake up very early to have breakfast organizad at the hotel, right away to go to the bust station and take the bus for 25-minute to get the Machu Picchu sacred inca city.
“what a moment” you will be very amazed of having the Sacred city right infront of you, so we will seal our feat with an epic picture with Machu Picchu at the background. After the photography session, the tour will start, where our tour guide will be the main character for three-hour on the history, arqueology, ancient architecture. Once you finish the sightseeing at Machu Picchu you will have enough time to explore the sacred city. Whether you have booked a climb to Wayna Picchu, you will climb up the mountain after or before the tour, it depends of the spaces availability for that date, more info see Wayna picchu option.
In the afternoon you have to take the bus from Machu Picchu inca city back to Aguas Calientes town( Machu picchu town), then to take the train back to Ollantaytambo train station and/or Poroy train station, where our transfer will be waiting for you to take you back to the hotel in Cusco.
We pick you up early in the morning in our private transportation, to drive to the folkloric city of Peru. We will drive for whole day until Puno through the highland towns, along the way we will have many stops, where we will visit interesting places like Andahuaylillas, San Pedro Raqchi, La Raya, etc. We will be arriving to Puno in the evening where we will make our check-in at the hotel.
We will go to the hotel to pick you up at 7:00am, then to drive to the main lake-port from where to go aboard the boat, we will have a 30-minute drive to get the floating islands, once we arrive the inhabitants of the islands will welcome us, then they will let us know concerning of their daily social life on the floatings islands, and we will have time to hangout with them. After being with the local ones we will continue sailing to get the next island Amantani, when we arrive to the lake-port of Amantani, the local people will be waiting for us with a big and contagious smile who will take us to their house to have lunch, in the afternoon we will explore the island and of course we will go to Pachatata ( pre-incan temple) from where we will have stunning sunset. At night about 7:00 pm we will have dinner, then we will be invited by the locals to be part of their celebration party, eventually at about 10:30 pm we go back the house to sleep.
We will have breakfast made by the local family, right away to take the boat to Taquile island after 1-hour sailing we will arrive to the island, when we arrive to this island we will explore for 45 minutes the outsides of the little town after that we will have lunch at one of the local restaurants, from this island we will have awesome views of the lake, later on we will explore the little picturesque town, and we will have about 30-minute walk by a short path to get the boat. In the afternoon we will navigate for 2:30 hours back to the main lake-port, from where we will take our private van back to hotel.
Early in the morning we go to the hotel to pick you up in our private transportation to drive to the airport of Juliaca, we drive for about 45 minutes to get the airport where we say good bye each another and end of our service.
From US$ 2300/ 8 Days
The price is subject to three-star hotel in Peru; however, you want to have four-start or five-star hotel we would provide you that class hotel, so you would add the difference to the total balance. Whether you would like to take a private service, our service would increase in US$350 with two-person, US$300 with three-person, US$250 with four-person or more, these prices are applied to each person.
Student with a valid ISIC student ID: US$ 2280; Children under seven years of age receive a 10% discount. Children between 7 and 15 years pay the student price, but must show a copy of their passport (this discount is only valid for Machupicchu)
We need a minimum of two people to run the tour. We guarantee that your tour will be limited to a maximum of 8 people.
The perfect custom-made private tours, adventure tours, or expeditions don’t just happen. It takes a team of talented, knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced professionals to bring it all together and possible. Our team of Peru Summit Adventures Leaders is comprised of local trip veterans, seasoned tour veterans with rich backgrounds on history, archaeology, culture, cuisine, geology, biology, and more.
With the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the travel industry, our Trip Leaders safely deliver your trip-of-a-lifetime to maximize your Peru journeys and adventures every step of the way. Our Tour/Trek Leaders have worked extensively in the Peru isolated mountains, archaeological sites, hiking the Inca Trail (at least 150 times), Amazon jungle, and being at Machu Picchu for over 400 times at least, this guarantees your trip a unique and memorable experience.
Making a choice of your right travel company/ tour operator is the most important decision you will make as you make your plans for a long-anticipated dreamed adventure. At first glance, some companies may seem cheaper. However, when you research a little deeper, you will see why traveling with Peru Summit Adventures assures that you will have the most memorable travel experience possible. In fact, we guarantee it, our TripAdvisor reviews say that.
Making genuine and sustainable itineraries often translate to real costs, with a host of responsible travel practices that underpin our prices, here are the reasons why you should go with us!
Little insignificant details make all the difference to get a successful trip and an unforgettable experience, that’s the point where our tailor-made trip specialists and destination experts work intensely. No stone is left unturned in our quest to deliver exceptional private tours, trekking tours, and expeditions in Peru. With us, it’s all about you and your traveling mates too, for sure! We take your wants, needs, time constraints, budgets, and personal travel style into account to deliver experiences that are far from standard.
Safety is at the core of everything we do at Peru Summit Adventures. There is nothing that we take more seriously. Put away your concerns and start enjoying the trip of your life knowing that you are on safe and sound hands. Peru Summit Adventures is a registered trademark and a licensed company by the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism (MINCETUR).
What an awesome to travel with someone who is from the same destination, a professional expert, it’s how you get the first-hand information. Our Peru Summit Adventures staff are friendly, funny, with deep knowledge on the route and destination, and great storytellers. We love what we do and it’s obvious. A simple concept, yes, but it makes all the difference. The team at Peru Summit Adventures all live and breathe the trip, experience, adventure, (you’ll see this when you arrive!). We love what we do, and it’s obvious. From the moment you arrive, you’ll feel the buzz and excitement that Peru Summit Adventures offers.
Probably you will see that most of the tour operators mention it on their websites that are local tour companies, however, if you research a little deeper you will find out that’s not true, they might be although half of the operation is done from here and another half abroad, they even have NorthAmerican phone number or European phone numbers, which is a clue to find out, we are not against the foreigner companies or half foreign companies, what we are against is that they lie.
In Cusco exist just few truly local tour operators. If you did not know, foreign companies come to Peru to get rich without paying a General Sales Tax or Tax Contribution to our country. If you did not know that, according to the United Nations, for every US $100 spent on a tour in a developing country or foreign travel companies, only $5 stays in the local economy. Normally, almost all of the money flows back to large companies operating outside the destination countries. As we are a local family enterprise, we guarantee that your travel expenditures will support the local economy, and improve the lives of Peruvians through contributing to general sales tax.
Be a responsible traveller! Let’s make this world a better place for everyone and for everyone that lives in it! The natural environments that we travel to are fragile and abundant with beautiful culture and traditions that are often reliant on tourism. We have a responsibility as travelers to minimize the impact of our presence, protect what is delicate, and leave a positive influence everywhere we can.
As a locally owned and based Peruvian tour company, we integrate these practices into our in-country operations we are aiming for a style of travel that makes the world a better place for everyone, and for everyone that lives in it. Since our very first days as a tour operator, responsible business has been at the heart of what we do. Peru Summit Adventures is committed not just to treading lightly, but to making a real difference by helping and investing in local communities, education initiatives, environmental conservation projects. These values are not more than just words, they are ingrained in the culture and philosophy of our crew, daily operations of Peru Summit Adventures trips, and at our office too.View More Reasons, Why Peru Summit
From the soaring peaks of the Andes and the lush Amazon Rainforest to pre-Columbian ruins and Spanish colonial mansions, Peru beckons with the allure of the ancient and mysterious. Join Peru Summit Adventures on an Enhanced Journey to this spellbinding country and its most significant sites, including the “lost city” of Machu Picchu. On this footage, we show you just a tiny part of this wonderful place. Book your spot today and JOIN US!
We are the experts when it comes to customizing tours and treks and our incredible private signature series itinerary.
Safety is at the core of everything we do at Peru Summit Adventures. There is nothing that we take more seriously.
Our Guides with a deep knowledge of destination, route, and a focus on customer service makes all difference en route
Let’s make this world a better place for everyone and for everyone that lives in it! All is done in a responsible manner


Would you like to personalize a unique Libra star sign women's t-shirt that gets noticed? This could be a perfect personalized star sign gift for a mother, daughter, or friend. E.g. one-off Libra zodiac gift for yourself - to a birthday, Christmas, or mother's day - You decide ;)
• 100% ring-spun cotton. • Sport Grey is 90% ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester. • 4.5 oz/yd² (153 g/m²). • Pre-shrunk. • Shoulder-to-shoulder taping. • Quarter-turned to avoid crease down the center.
Please allow up to 2-3 business days extra production time during peak holidays. Once the order is handed over to the shipping partner/courier, we have no control over delays they might encounter during the shipping time frame. If your item is considerably delayed, please contact us.


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The organizers behind Amazing Arizona Comic Con have pulled the Phoenix event off their schedule, along with a sister Houston event.
Amazing Arizona Comic Con had been scheduled for Feb. 17-19 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
In an announcement on their website, the organizers said “changes in guest policies, the comic market, and social climate were causes to re-evaluate moving forward in these cities.
“Phoenix and Houston are both strong fan communities with multiple genre celebrations throughout the calendar year. While we feel the perspective of Amazing Comic Conventions remains unique, where the Architects of Pop Culture are on the marquee, featuring primarily comic creators; we believe a greater attention can be built by focusing on each of two calendar dates, building these to be the best events possible.”
Amazing Arizona Comic Con started in 2010 at the Mesa Convention Center.
More about Amazing Arizona Comic Con:
- Amazing Arizona Comic Con, Amazing Houston Comic Con scrubbed for 2017
- Chris Claremont Interview (Part III) – On Burroughs, Bigelow, Idris Elba, Iron Fist and Inhumans
- Chris Claremont Interview (Part II) – X-Men v Superman v Batman v Deadpool v John Carter v The Martian
- Chris Claremont Interview (Part I): Serial storytelling, Steampunk and the Superstitions
- Amazing Arizona Comic Con 2016 – Saturday Photo Recap
- Amazing Arizona Comic Con 2016: Friday Fotos

domain: entertainment


65th Navy Day reception was held at SLNS Rangalla
The 65th Navy Day reception was held at SLNS Rangalla on 19th December 2015 under the patronage of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. A large number of serving and retired naval officers including former Commanders of the Navy, Admiral Basil Goonasekara, Admiral Cecil Thisera, Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe and Admiral Jayantha Perera attended the event organized in view of the SLN's 65th anniversary.
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and South East Asia, Dr. Amy Searight also graced the occasion as a special invitee along with the Commander of the Air Force and defence officials attached to the foreign missions in Sri Lanka.
The SLN celebrates the Navy Day on December 09th each year. A wide variety of social and religious activities are held in accordance with naval customs and traditions in view of the anniversary celebrations.


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She's 6, she's fun and playful and we're not just writing that in the ad, she cuddles, has a sweet little purr and the sweetest tiniest face. She's small to medium in size, has her claws and claws only on a wooden scratch pad he made her. She's lived with two pugs who've since found homes.
She eats and drinks well, no lumps or bumps, indoors only, should probably be alone or with dogs since she's been the only lady in the house (as the pugs were males), no fur balls, no throwing up!
She'll roll on her belly and let you play with her every morning, she'll push open doors and she's got some speed when you throw her toys and play fetch. I love her to death and I'm bummed I even have to place this ad, as I travel for work and my place doesn't allow pets either. You can hold her and pet her, she's not shy around strangers which is awesome, she won't run away and hide, she'll actually just smell you to see what's up and see if you'll give her attention. She definitely needs attention. ( I feel she may have been neglected in love for the first 3 years of her life, so she can use some consistency.

domain: pet


NEW ART: Altoona Library Sculpture Unveiling
The Altoona Public Library is about to get some new décor.
Des Moines artist John Brommel created a sculpture for the library. His creation is made of scrap metal welded together.
The picture above shows the work in progress
The library will hold an unveiling of the finished product Saturday morning.
The library director says the completed sculpture will be two-thirds the size of a Volkswagon bug. The project cost $5,000.


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The Pope Who Would Be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the
Emergence of Modern Europe by David Kertzer Random House, 2018 xxx + 474 pages
Historian David Kertzer made a name for himself with his 1997 book The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. The book covers the until then hardly ever pointed out case of an Italian Jewish young boy who was illicitly baptized by the housemaid and then kidnapped in 1858 by Papal State authorities on the grounds that Jews in the Papal States might not be allowed to raise a Christian child.
Because so few books or thorough short articles have actually been written on the topic in English, Kertzer now enjoys a position as perhaps the preeminent specialist on the case. This is no little thing, because a variety of filmmakers– consisting of Steven Spielberg– have revealed interest in dramatizing the Mortara case on movie. The movie job– explicitly based upon Kertzer’s book– was still progressing as of February of this year. There’s an essential lesson here for historians: if you can discover an obscure however compelling historic episode to specialize in, it might settle in a big way
. Considering that the success of the Mortara book, Kertzer has actually not wandered off far from the subject matter. He has actually composed a variety of books over the past twenty years integrating the subjects of
Jews, popes, and the modern-day Italian state. With his most recent book, The Pope Who Would Be King( 2018), Kertzer returns to the subject of the late Papal States and of the guy who ruled at the time of the Mortara kidnapping: Pope Pius IX, a.k.a.”Pio Nono. “Just like the Mortara book, Kertzerwhen again concentrates on a topic that is rarely examined at any length in the English language. This time it is the internal politics of the Papal States and how those politics influenced the routine’s relations with the fantastic powers of Europe. When it comes to relating the basic facts of the occasions surrounding the Papal States in the mid-nineteenth century, it is difficult to find much fault with Kertzer’s work. As we will see, however, Kertzer’s interpretations of these
realities neglect important context, and he falls under the trap of duplicating a range of myths about middle ages federal government and”Enlightenment” routines. The Papal States and the War against Liberal Reformers The setting itself is amazing, and Kertzer focuses most of his narrative on the events around the year 1848. This was a year of transformations, upheavals, disobediences, and routine modification
in Europe. France, Austria, Denmark, and the German Confederation
were all caught up in it. The papal regime most certainly did not escape from this unblemished: by early 1849, the pope had actually run away Rome, and a new democratic, constitutionalist Roman Republic was declared in his lack. Things hadn’t started out that method for Pio Nono. Although considered as a pope “of individuals “in the early days of his rule, Pius IX quickly soured on the liberal reformers once it became apparent they were going to keep requiring the very same reforms delighted in under the relatively liberal programs in other places in Europe. The middle classes and working classes of the Papal States, for example, were demanding a constitution with some type of representative federal government, flexibility of speech, and freedom of assembly. Many of all, these reformers desired reforms to the legal systems of the Papal States which had actually long been regarded as inefficient and extremely punitive for little criminal activities while stopping working to deal with serious criminal offense. On these matters– in part due to the fact that the legal system was greatly dominated by clergy– Pius withstood. The upper classes of the Papal States– controlled by wealthy cardinals who were far more conservative than the pope– dug in their heels in opposition to any reform. Pius persuaded himself that while liberalism might have operated in other locations like England or France, the Italians were incapable of self-government. As Pius discussed to a French diplomat in 1849,”[ T] he Italian peoples are not fit for representative institutions. They are not yet adequately informed … [but] the time will come when they will be capable of having, like others, a regime that uses flexibilities. “Many within the Papal States obviously disagreed, and the pope was stripped of his political” temporal “powers in February 1849. Kertzer goes on to describe how Pio Nono consequently established his court in exile in the Kingdom of Naples, and how he conspired with France, Spain, and Austria to retake his throne in Rome. It
remains in recounting this story, total with colorful descriptions of numerous cardinals, diplomats, and presidents that Kertzer shines. The storytelling is engaging, and the timelines are clear. At the center of all of it, naturally, is Pio Nono himself, toward whom Kertzer is not unsympathetic. Pius is represented in a manner comparable to how others have portrayed him over the years: a man more concerned with theological matters than matters of state, and as a figure of personal piety who led an austere way of life. When it pertained to matters of state, however, Pius often showed a spirit of petulance and of one who was in over his head. Thus many other queens and aristocrats of the nineteenth century who discovered themselves deposed or in the middle of revolution, Pius was surprised to find that he was not generally liked by his
topics. He viewed needs for political reforms in the Papal States as cases of individual betrayal. He complained that “[ n] ever has a Pope or sovereign been more miserable than me, “however was, according to Kertzer, a lot of hurt by the evident fact that after his exile” not a single Roman had lifted a finger in defense of his guideline. “Pio Nono therefore became persuaded that he would require the support of foreign armies to reinstall him as the worldly king of central Italy. He invited the Austrian army to retake the northern portions of the Papal States, focused in Bologna, the second city of the Papal States. The French, on the other hand, were to retake Rome itself. The Austrians, obviously
, mored than happy to expand their influence in northeastern Italy. For the French, the political rationale was twofold. The French expedition would enable conservative French politicians to cater their Catholic citizens. On the other hand, the republican French regime would demand that the pope recognize basic flexibilities and enable constitutional federal government. Neither the Austrians nor the French– or, obviously, the pope– had lots of qualms about shedding Roman blood. The Austrians shelled and besieged Bologna. The French– hesitant to shell or set afire a city filled with many of the most ancient treasures of Christendom– focused their artillery on the Roman walls. Nevertheless, numerous shells missed, and as lots of as eighteen hundred Romans were eliminated in the siege.
This, obviously, just served to radicalize lots of moderate Romans versus any go back to papal guideline, with or without reforms. The plan worked. The Austrians restored rule in the northern Papal States, and the French put Pius back on his throne. In the end, however, it was the pope who was playing the French, and the pope declined to make any concessions to the liberals. The French however continued to inhabit Rome– and therefore keep the pope on his throne– out of worry the Austrians would seize Rome in France’s stead. The Papal States and Absolutism in Context These
fundamental realities are not much in disagreement, and Kertzer skillfully compiles them. Undoubtedly, a review of other deal with the Papal States recommends a picture that is hardly flattering for papal rule. The Papal States were financially backward and industrialization was far behind other European polities. Therefore, poverty was more prevalent and rebellion was reasonably common. The common people were frequently at the mercy of vindictive regional
despots. Criminal offense was frequently widespread. In its last decades
, the papal regime was progressively in debt, mainly as a result of an enormous, inefficient
, and troublesome well-being state. Yet these facts also contradict Kertzer’s analysis of the realities of papal rule. Kertzer attempts to represent the rule of the popes as one of unrestrained absolutism with foundations in the Middle Ages. The Papal States, we are to think, comprised a unified police state which answered to a single undeniable sovereign and was rooted in a” medieval vision “of”magnificent guideline. “On this, Kertzer drifts severely, naturally. Not just did the popes never ever achieve absolute guideline within the Papal States, but the Papal States were not the model for absolutism in other places in Europe. Nor was the absolutist design a legacy of the Catholic Middle Ages. A Dreadful Model for Aspiring Absolutists As the name suggests, the Papal States were never one unified polity. They were, rather, a patchwork of local”states”controlled by the nobility and other”elites”such as rich metropolitan experts and landed commoners. On an everyday basis, the absence of direct papal control could be seen in the administration of the legal system. As noted by historian Steven Hughes, the popes had long attempted to execute their own brand of direct justice however consistently failed. For several years, the popes utilized
a police force, referred to as “sbirri, “who would end up being understood for their corruption and neglect for regional custom-mades and interests. For the regional aristocrats and other rich elites within the Papal States, nevertheless, papal rule was a hassle to be flouted.
Undoubtedly, in numerous areas,”the better households” instituted their own brand name of law and worked with criminal gangs to protect local interests. These gangs, or”biricchini,”Hughes tells us,”constantly survived on the fringes of legality.”Furthermore, targets of papal justice within all classes might find refuge and immunity from papal law with local nobles, who used immunity in return for commitment from local citizens. Hence, Hughes concludes,”the central routine might count on little support from the upper tiers of society.”On top of this was the reality that criminal offense and disorder were a sad reality of life in many areas. Hughes notes that opposition to papal guideline was fueled at least as much by the perceived abuses of “absolutist” popes as by a failure to keep order. In other words, the papal regime might have been deemed violent, however the more damning indictment was likely the reality that it was considered being of little use in assisting secure the lives and property of common individuals. Given its mounting financial obligation, the Papal States were increasingly vulnerable to failure by the time of Pius IX. There
is no doubt that the papal program wished to become an absolute monarchy,” yet the truth of the Pope’s power in no chance matched the pretense.”In spite of this, Pius and his supporters did obviously welcome a political fiction that the pope’s guideline was both absolute and required. On this, Kertzer quotes the conservative Austrian diplomat Klemens von Metternich:” The Papal States exist … and their existence is both a social and political requirement.”After all, the absolutists concurred, “how could rulers justify their own routines as divinely ordained if the pope’s incredible mandate were cast in doubt?” This might have been effective monarchist propaganda, however it had little foundation in historic experience. After all, the Papal States did not even exist until the 8th century,
and queens had actually in some way come up with ways to validate their programs till that time. Kertzer likewise errs in attempting to connect the absolutist model to the Middle Ages. He plays quick and loose with terms like”magnificent rule,”and attributes the latter idea to what he calls a”middle ages vision”in which emperors most likely rule with absolute power. Yet the middle ages truth was one in which monarchs tended to be far weaker, and states much more decentralized, than was the case under the outright rulers of Renaissance
and contemporary Europe. In reality, political guideline in the Middle Ages was typically characterized by hearty opposition to outright guideline, total with parliaments in a variety of budding European states. The basic increase of effective routines unimpeded by legislatures, local nobles, or independent cities is a relatively modern-day and postmedieval development in Europe. Absolutism is not even particularly connected to Catholic emperors, as was explained by the increase of Tudor absolutism in England. Nor did the church always see nonmonarchical institutions with suspicion. Indeed, as Lord Acton points
out in his essay”Political Ideas on the Church,”the papacy– and numerous other ecclesiastical organizations– can be found on various events to have supported “the people “in numerous kinds. This was usually done to counter ruling queens thought to be harmful to the church. Napoleon as Catalyst for a Modernized Papal Routine More highlighting this point: the papal regime was significantly increased in its last years not by a return to medievalism, but by Napoleon’s annexation ofhe Papal States in 1809. As Hughes notes, it was Napoleon’s state-of-the-art and administrative program that did the most to decrease the decentralism left by medieval institutions. It was the French state that
offered “centralization backed up by Napoleon’s bayonets,”set the phase for” the damage of the old patterns of benefit, “and enabled the papal regime to attempt a greater debt consolidation of power. By the time of Pio Nono, however, this absolutist change had only been insufficient and haphazard. The public and the upper class both remained extremely suspicious of papal police and bureaucrats, and

domain: history


Hi - I own Jaybird Runs.
My right ear bud only seems to charge in the case, when I connect a USB to the case. The left ear bud is working perfectly.
I have tried the cleaning tips, but this has not made a difference.
The situation is, that if I don't have my ear buds charging via a USB connection then the right ear bud's battery will drain and then be out of battery by the time I need to use again.
It seems to be an issue, with the case rather than the right ear bud as when fully charged via the USB, there's no issues.
Appreciate any insight into this.
Please sign in to leave a comment.


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Great residential lot located in Quail Hollow community in West Columbia, SC. This is a great opportunity to purchase a property that has mature trees and is located in a POA with very low dues. Call listing agent for details. Listing agent is related to the Seller.
|Address:||108 Eagle Nest Trail|
|Lot Square Feet:||acres|


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Williams men's hockey ready for first NCAA tournament appearance
WILLIAMSTOWN — The hair is starting to sprout on the cheeks and chins of members of the Williams College hockey team. Beards and hockey can only mean one thing — it's playoff time.
In Williams' case, it's tournament time, as the Ephs will play their first-ever NCAA Division III hockey tournament game Saturday night at Lansing Chapman Rink.
"I've been growing it for a little while, but I guess it turned into a playoff beard, which is fantastic news," Williams goalie Michael Pinios said before practice on Wednesday. "We're so excited about this opportunity, especially since it's the first time in school history. We had a really good week of practice last week, and we're really prepared for this opportunity."
The regular-season NESCAC champions had to wait until Monday morning to find out if they would earn a golden ticket to the tournament. But Williams was one of the first names called out during the NCAA.com Division III selection show. The name right after Williams was MASCAC champion Salem State.
The eventual prize is a Division III championship. The Final Four will be played March 25-26 at the Herb Brooks Ice Arena at Lake Placid, N.Y.
The two teams will play each other for the first time since 2008. Williams won that game 5-4 in overtime.
"It means a lot" to be in the tournament, Williams defenseman Frankie Mork said. "It just shows how great of a season we had. Starting from Day One, you have to be consistent all year. I think we got better every week and every game. That just shows that we deserve to be here."
Williams' players have had a bit of a jump to their skating all week, once they found out that they would be going to the NCAA Tournament. That was thrown into a bit of doubt after eighth-seeded Tufts knocked off the top-seeded Ephs 2-1 in a NESCAC quarterfinal game. But when No. 2 Trinity, the defending Division III champion, beat Amherst in the NESCAC Tournament final, the Ephs were ready to take the Road to Lake Placid.
But Monday morning was an interesting one.
"I think we all had the butterflies in the stomach," said Mork. "I heard there were five or six guys in the same class and they were kind of following it. I went to breakfast alone, saw a couple of guys there, threw it on the computer and when we got the news we threw a little celebration quickly. We were pumped."
"It was tough to watch," Williams forward George Hunkele said. "I was shaking. I was nervous. Once they said 'Williams,' I was definitely so happy."
Williams will face a Salem State team that comes into the tournament on a 13-game winning streak. That streak, of course, includes a 4-0 win over Plymouth State in the MASCAC championship game. Salem hasn't lost since dropping a 3-1 decision to New England College back on Jan. 12.
The only team the two schools have in common is Amherst. Salem beat Amherst 5-4 in the consolation game of the Babson/Salem State Tournament. Williams went 1-0-1 against Amherst, tying 2-2 on Dec. 11 and winning 2-0 on Feb. 20, in a game that clinched the regular-season title.
The Vikings are paced by tournament MVP Marcus Zelzer. The junior goalie from Green Bay, Wisc., is 18-1-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average. He has five shutouts.
Senior forward Cam Moniz leads Salem with 19 goals and 10 assists. Sophomore forward Casey Miller is third on the team with seven goals and 16 assists. He is a transfer from Division I Sacred Heart.
"They're a good team. Like I've said before, there are a lot of good teams," Williams coach Bill Kangas said. "I think they're really talented up front. A lot of guys with a lot of points. The goalie has been playing great. He was the player of the year in their league. He's a difference maker.
"When you get to this stage, that's what usually happens. Guys step up and he has for them."
Williams comes into the game led offensively by David Italiano and Tyler Young, linemates who have eight goals each. Pinios was 12-3-1 with a 1.67 goals-against average. Pinios and Young were named to the All-NESCAC second team, while defenseman Zander Masucci was named the NESCAC player of the year.
Twelve months ago, top-seeded Trinity was upended by No. 8 Tufts in a quarterfinal game, and had to wait and watch to see if a tournament bid was forthcoming. The Bantams got their bid and eventually won the NCAA Title.
The Ephs are hoping history might repeat itself.
"We looked at Trinity from last year and they were out in the first round and came on really strong in the tournament," said Pinios. "We're hoping to follow suit."
Contact Howard Herman at 413-496-6253.
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From childhood, we're taught how to brush our teeth -- use circular motions, up and down, and don't forget the back teeth. There are many benefits to good brushing. Brushing reduces tartar and plaque build-up and prevents gum disease and periodontitis. Regular brushing also lessens our chance of cavities and gives us whiter teeth and a prettier smile.
But it turns out that a healthy mouth is more than just clean teeth; it's also the portal to a healthy body. In 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) had their first joint conference. Their goal was to reduce health issues linked to poor dental care by increasing communication and awareness between the two professions. One speaker summed it up, saying "The fact that the mouth is connected to the rest of the body is often overlooked." [source: Sutton].
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- Cases of sexual violence, including rape, fall within the larger realm of domestic violence
- Marital rape is yet to be categorized as a criminal offence in India
- According to the central government, criminalizing marital rape “may destabilize the institution of marriage”
New Delhi, September 2, 2017 : Baby works as a domestic help; she says she cannot recall her age when her parents married her off to a man who was much older to her; a man she barely knew. She didn’t anticipate her husband would demand to have intercourse on their wedding night. She was still young and not ready, but that didn’t stop him. Baby was raped by her husband on her wedding night. But marital rape means nothing to her.
Sunita irons clothes for a living. She says has been married for more years than she can remember. The duo has four kids together, but that doesn’t stop her husband from raising a hand or two on her, every once in a while. Every night, her husband would get drunk, hit her and forcefully demand to have sex, paying no heed to her resistance. Sunita has three daughters, and a son, and the husband still wants to have progenies. “I told my mother that this man has raped me multiple times. She protested, arguing that he is ‘your husband’ after all,” she said.
But did she never decide to approach the authorities?
To this, Sunita promptly replied, “I once had a sore eye after he (the husband) hit me with his shoe when I refused to have sex. I went to the local hospital and then the police. I narrated the entire scene; they were very considerate, offered me water and then asked me to go home and ‘adjust’.”
Sunita is unaware of a term called ‘marital rape’.
This is the reality of a huge part of the society in real India.
Like Baby and Sunita, women who suffer such indignities are often asked to “adjust” with perpetrators of violence because of a deep –embedded fear of what the society would say. This notion of an ‘ideal woman’ impedes women to object to illicit treatment meted out by their ‘better halves’.
The debate around the issue has become ripe once again with the Central Government stating that what “may appear to be marital rape” to a wife “may not appear so to others”. In an affidavit to the Delhi High Court, the central government took a stand against criminalizing marital rape saying that it “may destabilize the institution of marriage” and also become easy tool for harass the husbands and the in-laws.
— The Wire (@thewire_in) August 29, 2017
Rape v/s Marital Rape
Rape is defined in Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, but with an irregularity: “Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.”
While rape is addressed as perforation without a woman’s accord in its main clause, the only remedy to forced intercourse provided to ‘married’ woman is specified under Section 498-A of the IPC and the civil provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestiic Violence Act.
Following the horrific 2012 Nirbhaya rape case that brought the entire world to a standstill, the Indian media has given paramount coverage to instances of rape across the country. But even after 5 years of the gut-wrenching incident, there seems no end to this crime.
Cases of sexual violence, including rape, fall within the larger realm of domestic violence. However, rape by husbands within holy matrimony continues to remain an obscure subject in India and the exact number of cases is hard to gauge.
According to a 2015 report by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) tracing the proximity of offenders to the victims of sexual violence, it was revealed that in 95 per cent of all rapes, the offenders were familiar to the survivors. These, presumably include acquaintances, friends, relatives and colleagues.
And what about rape committed by husbands?
In light of the debate over marital rape, a reminder: if you actually ask women, almost all the sexual violence they face is from husbands pic.twitter.com/BRVXk0cbbJ
— Rukmini S (@Rukmini) August 30, 2017
These cases continue to be an under-reported crime in India. This can be attributed to two major reasons,
- Because of the stigma associated with it
- Because of the presence of a defunct justice system
Furthermore, more often than not, these cases go missing because of several additional (and unnecessary) barriers stemming from a combination of familial and/or social power structures, shame and dependency.
Marital Rape In India
While most of the developed world has penalized marital rape, surprisingly it is yet to be categorized as an offence in India.
A United Nations’ report titled ‘Why do some men use violence against women and how can we prevent it?’ published in 2013 disclosed that nearly a quarter of 10,000 men in Asia-Pacific region, including India, admitted to have indulged in the rape of a female partner. The report traced their rationale to a deep-embedded belief that they are entitled to sex despite the consent of their partners.
The study also revealed that the majority of these instances were not reported and the perpetrators faced no legal consequences.
Why criminalising Marital Rape is important. pic.twitter.com/8xeLpzAsCL
— Hasiba (@HasibaAmin) August 29, 2017
In 2014, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in association with International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) brought out a report titled ‘Masculinity, Intimate Partner Violence and Son Preference in India’. Among other things, the report analyzed the average Indian male’s understanding and interpretation of the idea of ‘masculinity’ and how that molds their interactions with women.
Not surprisingly, the study revealed that a typical man in the Indian society associated the attributes ‘tough’, and ‘controlling’ with masculinity.
Segments of the present day Indian society continue to look at men as tough forces, who can (must) freely exercise their privilege to establish rule in personal relationships and above all, continue to control women.
Additionally, the study also revealed that 60 per cent of the Indian men disclosed the use of physical violence to establish authority.
In India, stiff patriarchal norms continue to tilt the gender balance firmly in the favor of men, as a result of which, women are forced to internalize male dominance in their lives.
Marital Rape in India : A Legal Perspective
Section 375 essentially distinguishes between two categories of women
- Married women
- Unmarried women
Much to the Indian society’s disappointment, the Indian legal system denies protection from rape to the married woman. This creates discrimination as the women belonging to one section are denied justice merely by virtue of being married.
But can there be two different definitions of rape? Can there be a differentiation between the rape of a married woman and the rape of an unmarried woman? Is it justified to discriminate a woman just because she is married to the man who has raped her?
The Debate Around Marital Rape In India
Despite the piquant situation, the issue raised furor when Minister of State for Home, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary told the Parliament that the question of criminalizing marital rape in India has no relevance “as marriage is treated as sacred here.”
Does marriage being a sacrament provide one with the legal right to rape a woman?
South Asia director at Human Rights Watch Meenakshi Ganguly had retaliated saying that it is particularly concerning when a government that claims to secure the safety of women inside and outside national territory shamelessly turn to justify a crime in the name of culture and tradition.
India can learn something from its neighbours. Nepal has laws against marital rape, so does Bhutan
— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) August 29, 2017
Group director of social and economic development at the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) Priya Nanda asserted in an interview with a leading portal that “the reason men don’t want to criminalize marital rape is because they don’t want to give a woman the power to say no.”
In 2013, a three-member commission headed by Justice J.S. Verma suggested remedial measures to combat sexual violence in India, following the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case. One of its recommendations was the criminalization of marital rape.
The recommendation was ignored by the government as a large amount of people questioned its efficiency saying if made a crime,
- It might be misused by people
- It will be difficult to prove
- It might break up marriages
But, how fair is it to not have a law against marital rape, only because of the reason that it is ‘difficult to prove’?
In a broader understanding, it needs to be understood that the criminalization of marital rape must not be viewed as a step against men or the institution of matrimony, but as an attempt to demolish the patriarchal system that continues to clutch the Indian society.
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"In India, to be born as a man is a crime, to question a woman is an atrocious crime, and this all because of those women who keep suppressing men in the name of feminism."
Feminism, a worldwide movement that started to establish, define and defend equal rights for women in all sections- economically, politically, and socially. India, being a patriarchal society gives a gender advantage to the men in the society thus, Indian feminists sought to fight against the culture-specific issue for women in India. Feminism itself is nothing but a simple movement that pursues equal rights for women (including transwomen) and against misogyny both external and internal. It states nowhere that women should get more wages than men, that women deserve more respect than men, that's pseudo-feminism.
Pseudo feminists state that women deserve more respect and rights, any other gender deserves no respect. They feel that women should be the ones ruling the world and at higher positions. When feminism takes a turn for extremities it becomes pseudo-feminism and people who label themselves as feminists will bash anyone who speaks against even the wrongdoings of a woman. They'll bash women who're wife and sisters for not speaking up and support any women criticizing political leaders even if it's completely irrational. This is where hypocrisy and pseudo-feminism merge with each other.
They take advantage of the rights given to women to protect themselves to threaten other genders. The rights given to women are supposed to make them feel reassured that they can reach out to the judiciary if their rights are being hampered not to threaten to make the victim sound like the culprit.
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Indian Feminist Movement has made significant progress however, even in the modern world women are still unsafe and are discriminated against when it comes to getting a job, land ownership, and access to education. While filling the official papers it is still asked "Wife of /Daughter of:….."
People in India still continue the practice of sex-selective abortion, abandoning the girl child, not letting girl child study instead they should learn household chores, they are seen as a burden to the family. Such injustices make feminism such an important movement, gender equality is worth fighting for to create a safe environment for women. Feminists over the years have been criticized for focusing on the rights of privileged women and not giving equal representation to poorer and lower caste women, which has led to separate caste-specific feminist organizations and movements.
Some notable milestones in the Feminist Movement
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned against Sati Pratha (practice in which a widow sacrificed herself by sitting atop her deceased husband's funeral pyre) and child marriage
- Savitribai Phule started the first school for girls at Bhidewada in Pune city in 1848.
- In 1972, SEWA, the biggest trade union for women was set up by Ela Bhatt for women working in the informal sector.
- The Chipko Movement was launched and led by women in 1973.
- #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and abuse was started in 2006 and revived in the year 2015.
People in India still continue the practice of sex-selective abortion, abandoning the girl child, not letting girl child study instead they should learn household chores, they are seen as a burden to the family.Unsplash
Feminism is often misunderstood as pseudo-feminism and hence, becomes the target for public hatred and is accused of wronging other genders under the façade of feminism. It is misunderstood by Indians as female domination instead of gender equality. Indian society and Indian feminists believe that only men are perpetrators of a heinous crime like rape and they refuse to even recognize the men who say they were raped and it's the toxic masculinity in the society that believes how can a woman rape a man? Reality is different from what we believe, women can be the perpetrator too, women threaten to file a case of domestic violence, or sexual assault against innocent people just to fulfill their ego.
Thankfully feminism and pseudo feminism are two separate concepts and feminism is just about equality and not judgment. Indian society and feminists actually need to understand the difference between the two and stop tarnishing the Feminist Movement as a whole.
Keywords: Feminism, World, India, Pseudo-Feminism, Gender
Kerala is a land of many good things. It has an abundance of nature, culture, art, and food. It is also a place of legend and myth, and is known for its popular folklore, the legend of Yakshi. This is not a popular tale outside the state, but it is common knowledge for travellers, especially those who fare through forests at night.
The legend of the yakshi is believed to be India's equivalent of the Romanian Dracula, except of course, the Yakshi is a female. Many Malayalis believe that the Yakshi wears a white saree and had long hair. She has a particular fragrance, which is believed to be the fragrance of the Indian devil-tree flowers. She seduces travellers with her beauty, and kills them brutally.
Yakshi idol in Veroor, Sri Dharamashastha temple Image source: wikimedia commons
The Yakshi is believed to live in a palm tree which can appear like a palace. Victims are taken here before they are killed. Travellers on highways are often advised not to stop near heavily forested areas, or speak to anyone who closely resembles a Yakshi. Some believe she can change form, while other hold to the belief that she doesn't. after securing her victim, the only trace left behind is body parts like hair, nails, and teeth.
They say, like other ghosts, a Yakshi's feet will not touch the ground. This is something to look out for. Mysterious deaths have been reported across the rural areas in Kerala, and all these have been attributed to the legend.
Keywords: Legends, Yakshi, Urban legend, Ghost, Kerala, Myth, Vampire
The LGBTQ+ acronym stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and others. In India LGBTQ+ community also include a specific social group, part religious cult, and part caste: the Hijras. They are culturally defined either as "neither men nor women" or as men who become women by adopting women's dress and behavior. Section 377 of the India Penal code that criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature" i.e. engaging in oral sex or anal sex along with other homosexual activities were against the law, ripping homosexual people off of their basic human rights. Thus, the Indian Supreme Court ruled a portion of Section 377 unconstitutional on 6th September 2018.
But the question is, "was India always against homosexuality"? Has the concept of homosexuality being unnatural existed forever? No, in Indian history and Hinduism homosexuality has never been an offense, in fact in several instances it has been depicted how people embraced their identity, be it sexual identity or gender identity. Section 377 was brought to India by the British in 1862, while India was colonized. Even after the Independence, it was only in 2018 that the Supreme Court ruled it as irrational and illogical.
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Homosexuality in Ancient India
When Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality in India, there was an uproar about it being a western ideology and liberalism. But in reality, homosexuality has existed since the time of the Vedas. The Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association (GALVA) researched and discovered that it was around 3102 B.C. (during the Vedic Age) that homosexuality or non-normative sexual identity was recognized as "Tritiya Prakriti", or the third nature. Ancient India not only made mentions of homosexuality but accepted it as well.
Hinduism is the most vastly followed religion in India. Hinduism does not explicitly mention homosexuality however it does contain a homosexual theme and characters in its text. There have been various instances in our scriptures and texts that have introduced us to LGBT+ characters such as the androgynous form of Shiva and Parvati Ardhanariswara meaning "the half-female lord". One of the most popular and ancient texts on sexuality, eroticism, and emotional fulfillment of life, "Kamasutra" has a complete chapter dedicated to homosexuality and homosexual sex. Numerous Hindu sculptures and temples have statues depicting homosexual activities.
Numerous Hindu sculptures and temples have statues depicting homosexual activities. Facebook
Our Mughals were Queer
Mughals are often seen under the light of cruelty, rigid ethics, nobility, and polygamy. Simultaneously, Mughals are also the ones credited for the emergence of Sufism, abolished jizya tax, love beyond religion, classes, and gender.
In the Baburnama written in memoirs of our very first Mughal ruler Muhammad Babur, several instances documented Babur's infatuation and affection towards a teenage boy named Baburi. We also have multiple Persian couplets as evidence of Babur's affection for Baburi. Mughals engaged in homosexuality and pederasty, and they believed that later was a form of "pure love".
But as time passed homosexuality was suppressed more and more though people practiced it in secret if revealed they were punished. According to the Fatwa-e-Alamgiri Sharia-based text of the Mughal Empire, there is a common set of punishments for homosexuality, which could include 50 lashes for a slave, 100 for a free infidel, or death by stoning for a Muslim.
British Raj and Independence of India
In 1862, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized homosexual sex came into force. Even after Independence in 1947, the section remained a part of the Indian Constitution. There were protests all over the country to give people of the LGBT+ community basic human rights but it was not until 2018 that The Supreme Court of India ruled the portion of Section 377 has unconstitutional and struck it off. One judge said the landmark decision would "pave the way for a better future.". With Section 377 gone are LGBT+ people allowed to fall in love freely? No, people are still afraid to love because of the stigma in our society when it comes to homosexuality; they are seen as lesser humans.
ALSO READ: Significant Support for Rights for LGBTQ+
Although the Supreme Court has decriminalized homosexual activities, same-sex marriage remains illegal in the country. Homophobia is still prevalent in India, and homosexual children would rather commit suicide than come out to society with their true identity, that's how harsh of a world we live in. Lacking support from family, society, or police, many gay rape victims do not report the crimes. In 1977, writer and Indian mathematician Shakuntla Devi published "The World of Homosexuals". It was the first study in the Indian context; the book contains interviews with homosexual men set in the years of Emergency. She wrote, "rather than pretending that homosexuals don't exist it is time we face the facts squarely in the eye and find room for homosexual people." We've had small victories in our fight against homophobia and getting LGBT+ community the rights they deserve as humans, but we still have a long and exhausting fight ahead of us.