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TO GRILL OR SMOKE: Place boudin balls on grill pan. Grill or smoke at 300° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
How long do you smoke boudin on a smoker?
Smoke at 225f for 1 hour and brush the outside of the casing with a little olive oil. After 3 hours of smoking, the smoked boudin is done.
How long do you cook boudin on the grill?
Grill the boudin sausage for about 2-5 minutes per side or until the casing is brown and crispy. As a general rule, the boudin is ready to turn when the casing opens after it has turned brown and crispy. Boudin wrapped in aluminum foil will not turn brown and crispy, just heat it.
What’s the best way to cook boudin on the grill?
Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 400-425 F) and lightly brush the grill grates with butter or olive oil. Place the boudin links evenly on the grill. Close the grill lid and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Open the lid and turn the boudin links over to allow them to cook evenly on the other side.
How do I grill Boudin without it exploding?
How do you cook boudin without it exploding? Line a pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with some cooking spray. Spray one side of the boudin and place the other side in the pan. Cook for 30 minutes on one side, turn over and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
How do you smoke sausage on a pit boss pellet grill?
- Fire pit boss vertical smoker or pellet grill and preheat to 225°F. If using a gas or charcoal grill, set up for indirect heat.
- Place metal hooks on shelves approximately 6 inches apart.
- After the smoke has smoked for 1 hour, raise the temperature to 300°F.
- Remove from smoker and serve immediately.
- Have fun!
What’s boudin sausage?
What is boudin? Boudin is traditionally a blend of cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers, and seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing, but today’s boudin makers can get creative with unusual fillings like seafood.
How do you eat boudin?
The most common way to eat boudin is as an appetizer or simply as a little spread of mustard on bread or crackers. There is no right or wrong way to eat boudin by itself or accompanied by a meal, with or without skin. It really comes down to personal preference.
How do you know when boudin is done?
Preheat oven to 275-300 degrees F. Lightly oil a sheet pan and place the links on the sheet pan. Bake slowly for 25-30 minutes, until the boudin is golden brown on the outside. Serve boudin on a platter with your favorite pickled okra and good whole grain mustard.
What temperature do you cook boudin?
How to Cook Boudin in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place aluminum foil in baking pan and spray foil evenly with cooking spray.
- Place boudin in pan and place in oven.
- Cook boudin for 20 minutes, turning with a pair of tongs.
Do you eat the casing on boudin?
Boudin casings are natural and completely edible. The skin can be difficult to chew when reheated by boiling, steaming, or placing in a microwave oven. However, when baked, broiled, grilled, or air-fried in the oven, the boudin becomes crispy and flavorful.
Is Zummo’s boudin fully cooked?
Zummo Smoked Boudin is fully cooked using Zummo’s perfect hickory smoking process, which enhances all the individual flavors of its ingredients.
What goes well with boudin?
What to Serve with Boudin? The 7 Best Side Dishes
- 1 – Bread.
- 2 – Rice.
- 3 – Spinach salad.
- 4 – Baked beans.
- 5 – Potatoes.
- 6 – Spaghetti.
- 7 – Mac and cheese.
Does boudin have raw meat?
Note that unlike many sausages where uncooked meat is stuffed into a casing, boudin is made from cooked meat. This means that curing is not necessary. However, homemade boudin recipes call for curing the salt. (As always, follow the recipe you are using.)
How do you air Fry boudin?
Air fryer cook instructions for boudin Next, set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and cook the boudin sausages until they turn brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside. This takes about 9-12 minutes. And voila!
Why do my sausages explode?
Sausage may splinter due to the steam produced due to pressure buildup and expansion of the filling. Similar to a frozen can of cola, the sausage can expand during cooking and will split up the sides. As the pressure on the sausage increases, so does the stress on the sausage skin.
What temperature do you cook sausage on a pellet grill?
Preheat smoker or pellet grill to 225. Place sausage links directly on the grate. Cook for 80 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
How long does it take to cook sausage on a pellet grill?
Cook sausages over medium heat (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. This process takes about 20 minutes – 10 minutes on each side. Pre-cooking the sausages will reduce the cooking time.
How long does it take to smoke sausage at 225?
Prepare the smoker and preheat to 225°. Place a pan of water under or near the sausage, depending on the smoker. Place the sausages on the grate, making sure they do not touch each other. Close the lid and smoke for about 3 hours.
How long do you smoke boudin on a pellet grill?
TO GRILL OR SMOKE: Place boudin balls on grill pan. Grill or smoke at 300° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
How long is boudin good in the fridge?
Refrigerate for optimum freshness. Open packages should be consumed within 7 days. How long does it take to ship? We will do our best to get the frozen boudin to you with a 2-day shipping charge.
What is the best way to stop boudin?
Set heat to about 325 degrees F. Spread boudin in a shallow pan and cover with baking foil. Leave the boudin in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, but be careful! If left in the oven too long, you will end up with dry leftover boudin.
Is boudin a Creole or Cajun?
This mentality is evident in Cajun sausages made with pork and rice, and other sausages like Andouille and Tasso, which were invented to utilize every part of the slaughtered animal. On the other hand, most Creole dishes incorporate a diverse range of ingredients and may require complex processes.
Is boudin made with blood?
Also known as Boudin Rouge, it is a type of sausage that is made from a variety of ingredients. Blood Boudin is a red sausage composed of pork and pig’s blood. The pig’s blood actually gives it its color and unique name. It comes from the French Boudin Noir.
Why do they call it boudin?
Boudin – a name that comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “sausage” – was first recorded in ancient Greece by a cook named Aphitonite.
Do you eat boudin on a bun?
If you want to enjoy boudin as part of a main course for lunch or dinner, it can be served with sandwich bread or buns. One can place one link inside a large hot dog bun and serve the Boudin like a Bratwurst.
How is boudin different from sausage?
Cajuns would never call Boudin a “sausage,” but Google likes to describe it that way. Boudin is made with a blend of pork cooked with onions, bell peppers, seasonings, and cooked rice. This fully cooked mixture is then stuffed into a sausage-like casing.
Can you freeze boudin?
The vacuum meat is then stuffed or wrapped in a freezer packet and placed in the freezer. Once the product is re zen, the product is kept for 3 weeks. Although boudin can be re zen, we suggest for maximum flavor that boudin not be refrozen and consumed within 3 days of arrival.
Where is Zummo’s boudin made?
Location: Made in Texas. Atmosphere: it is difficult to identify the “atmosphere” in different states, as this product is purchased at a variety of stores, including Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Does Walmart have boudin sausage?
Syracuse Sausage 4 oz Texas Style Boudin Links, 10 lb-1-1-walmart.com.
What goes good with grilled boudin?
It is perfectly acceptable to serve boudin as part of a meal with a side dish or other accompaniment, but most often it is served as an appetizer, often with crackers or bread and a little mustard.
Can you boil boudin?
Once defrosted, the boudin links should be placed in a stockpot and covered (barely) with water. Next, bring the water to a boil (medium to high to high heat should work). Allow the links to boil for 4-5 minutes, or until the links are too hot to grab with your fingers.
Is boudin a pig’s intestines?
A simple food, boudin consists of cooked pork scraps stuffed in pork intestines, rice, onions, and seasoning. Today, most places have replaced pork intestines with artificial sausage casings, so you don’t have to worry about squeaking.
How long do you put eggs in air fryer?
- Preheat air fryer to 270°F and preheat to 275°F.
- Add eggs to basket, leaving a small space between each.
- For loose eggs, cook for 9-11 minutes.
- While eggs are cooking, prepare ice bath.
How do you cook boudin in a power XL?
Air Fried Cajun Boudin ….. Purchase fully cooked boudin (you can get the best boudin shipped from Non C Kev in Lane, Louisiana) and place in the Flip, Flip, Power Air Fryer XL basket for 5 minutes. Cook for an additional 4 minutes. The end!
Should you poke holes in sausage before grilling?
Stabbing them will only allow their natural juices to flow profusely during cooking and will dry out their insides and reduce their flavor. Get the fat out to prick them before frying,” he advises without being awkward…
Do you have to pierce sausages before cooking?
Do not pierce the skin! The idea behind stabbing them is that if you don’t, the juices inside the sausage could cause the skin to build up and rupture, essentially causing the sausage to explode. But don’t worry about that; the sausage will still explode. The idea of exploding sausages is really a myth.
How do you keep sausages from spitting on the grill?
If excessive fat is spit out into the heater element, lower the pan and/or heat. You may have to prick the sausage to spit it out (a good sausage should not need this!) ). Once the first side of the sausage is cooked, rotate a third of the way through and complete again.
What temperature do you cook sausages on a Traeger?
Tie the casing at the desired sausage length. Set the Traeger to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and place the sausages directly on the grill grates. Smoke for 1 to 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
What temp should I smoke sausage at?
The ideal temperature for smoking sausage is 225°F. If you are using a smoker that cannot be set to a specific temperature, strive to maintain a range of 225° to 240°F.
What temperature do you grill sausage?
If the grill is too hot, the sausage will dry out and burn on the outside. Set the grill to medium-high heat. I aim for a temperature around 400-425F, which is optimal for grilling sausages.
Can you smoke sausage at 200?
Smoking Temperature The ideal temperature to smoke sausage is 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit (93-121°C). Within this range, the sausage can be smoked for up to 3 hours.
How do you know when sausages are done?
You can determine if the sausage is done with a thermometer or a pressure test. It should be firm to the touch, but not shriveled. Do not cut into the sausage to determine if it is done. If it is not keep it moist and lose all the juices inside. A meat thermometer is your friend here.
How do you smoke sausage in a smoker?
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and place a baking dish filled with water to one side of the smoker. Place the sausages on the grate of the smoker, leaving 1 inch of space between each sausage. Close the lid and allow the sausages to absorb until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about two to three hours.
Can you smoke sausage too long?
Time and temperature are really of the essence when smoking sausages. Smoking sausages too high or too long can lead to dry, undesirable, flavorless meat. Like any good thing, sausages need space.
What is the best wood for smoking sausage?
Hickory: This wood is the “king” of smoking and the most popular of all types. It is heavy, pungent, and some say has a bacon-like smoke flavor. It is most popular with ham, bacon, pork roast, sausage, big game steaks, and gnarly smoking.
How long does it take to smoke sausage at 250?
How to smoke fresh sausage. Prepare the smoker to a cooking temperature of 200-250°F. Smoke for 1½ -2 hours until 165°F, turning sausage several times to ensure smoking.


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Evolution of the antipollution applicable standards in heavy trucks and NGV positioning
This graph presents European emission standards (Euro standards) of nitrogen oxides and particles for heavy trucks, as well as measured emissions for NGV’s vehicles (WHTC cycle).
Euro standards fix the maximal limits about rejections of pollutants (nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particles) for vehicles). They are stricter and stricter, seeking to limit the atmospheric pollution due to truck transport.
NGV environmental efficiency is far better than traditional fuels’ one. This efficiency can be seen through nitrogen oxides emissions or micro particles emissions. Both these pollutants are strongly concentrated within urban areas.
Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire (2018), IVECO-AFGNV (2015)

domain: chemistry


MTTV - Courtenay Heading: Isle of Well
Published on 7 Dec 2017
An update from Courtenay Heading on his mission to make the Island a centre of health development and research plus we find out more about his up coming Tedx talk.
More like this
All episodes 2017
Vision Nine, Paradise Papers Panorama & news conferences
MP defends the Isle of Man
Year 1 report: Jason Moorhouse


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January 27, 2017 1:08 pm
What troubles me the most about certain far-right-leaning legislators’ recent efforts to further erode prevailing-wage laws is the false propaganda used in an effort to justify their mission.
It’s time to be honest.
They are on a clear mission to lower the family incomes of middle-class construction workers.
Prevailing-wage laws ensure that public, taxpayer-funded bidding practices do not undercut local construction wages and benefits. Using local wage data from private construction, the government sets rates for public construction projects that allow contractors to pay wages, health care and retirement benefits that retain skilled workers.
This is good public policy. Why? The laws reduce the likelihood that construction workers will need to rely on public assistance by ensuring they are paid family sustaining wages. The laws also spur local economic development by increasing the likelihood that local contractors and employees are building local public-works projects. In other words, taxpayer money spent by state and local governments stays in Wisconsin rather than being exported.

domain: politics


The Single WDP-1 is a one channel DMX dimmer/switch with built-in Wireless DMX receiver.
It is wall- truss- and fixture mountable which makes it suitable in any location. It has both dim- and switch mode and can be controlled manually on the 50 mm fader.
DMX Channels: 1
Wireless: Wireless DMX
Power Supply: 240 VAC 50-60 Hz
Output Current per Channel: 10 A
Power Connector In: Schuko Plug
Power Connector Out: Schuko Socket
DMX Connector In: XLR 3P
DMX Connector Out: XLR 3P
Cable Length: 1 m
Length (mm): 100 mm
Width (mm): 95 mm
Height (mm): 273 mm
Weight: 1.4 kg


text:
BEST OF NATURE
There is an increasing demand in the current livestock sector for sustainable products that contribute to improved productivity and better animal health. This trend is not only to be found in the Netherlands, but also in many other parts of the world.
VievePharm Animal Nutrition develops and manufactures products that improve animal health and productivity in a sustainable way. Essential oils, plant extracts and vitamins are the basis of all our products.
Reduction of antibiotics in livestock production
In light of shifting consumer demand and regulatory pressure, there is a clear trend to reduce or completely remove antibiotics from production. The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock production has therefore come under increasing scrutiny.
The main driver of this trend is antimicrobial resistance: the ability of pathogenic bacteria to become resistant to one or more antibiotics can render those drugs ineffective, with profound implications for the animal health, direct environment and ultimately human health.
Sustainable impact on agriculture
The impact on livestock will is effected by our product that consist of herbal extracts and essential oils impact the animal health which will eventually result in longer life and more valuable life.
This sustainable approach of livestock management impacts farmers economically since they will have better and longer production quality.
Meets international food production regulation
All EU states have been consolidating ‘A European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)‘ for the EU to be a best practice region in the minimization and ultimately vanishment of antibiotics in food livestock production. Our products align with those EU and Dutch national regulations.

domain: food


What is Heald?
Heald is composed of two wooden or iron laths upon which a series of twine cords or wires are suspended. In the middle of each cord or wire there is an “eye” through which a warp thread passes. Cotton or worsted wool healds are firmly knitted over the laths, whereas wire healds are suspended on two wire rods fastened to the top and bottom laths. The number of heald shafts to be used is determined by the drafting place of the design. 7 types of heald used in loom will be discuss in this article.
Functions of Heald Shaft:
- It maintains the order or sequence of the warp threads.
- Shedding occurs when it forms.
- Fabric patterns are formed by elevating and depressing the required number of heels in a predetermined and sequential order.
- It helps to detect broken ends.
Necessity of Heald:
- A heald is essential for dividing the warp threads into two layers after they have been carefully arranged.
- Healds facilitate the precise interlacing of warp and weft threads, which creates the desired fabric structure.
- A heald makes possible the proper selection and manipulation of warp threads in successive repeats of a pattern.
- Modern looms have enabled a significant advancement by allowing the warp threads to be placed horizontally.
- The use of healds increases production efficiency by automating and optimizing the shedding process.
Types of Heald:
Various types of heald have been tried and used during many centuries past. Some of the ancient and modern heals are as following:
- Primitive healds.
- Single-clasped healds.
- Double-clasped healds.
- Eyed healds.
- Healds with mail eyes or metallic clips.
- Wire healds.
- Doup healds.
1. Primitive Heald:
The first primitive heald which was used in a horizontal loom consists of a series of twine loops, each passing round a warp thread and fastened to a wooden rod. The number of loops on a rod and the number or rods employed depend upon the breadth and closeness of warp threads. Primitive heald is shown in figure-1
2. Single clasped heald:
Single clasped healds consists of passing two series of threads into separate rods. The warp threads are kept in proper order and thereby the production of the loom is increased largely. Single clasped heald is shown in figure-2
3. Double clasped heald:
The first change consisted in doubling the number of loops on each pair of rods and in causing those loops to lie in two ranges. A warp thread was then passed over one loop and under another, so that as the rods rose or fell, the warp was positively moved without undue strain. Figure-3 is shown double clasped heald
4. Eyed heald:
The eyed healds consist of knitted eyes about the middle of the twine. B and B’ are loops which for cotton manufacturing vary between 10” and 14” or 25.4 cm. and 35.5 cm. from top to bottom. C is an eye whose depth is ¼” of 0.635 cm for cotton goods and 5/8” or 0.95 cm for silk or synthetic goods. D and D’ are the laths or shafts. Figure-4 is shown eyed heald.
5. Healds with mail eyes or metallic clips:
Eyed healds (figure-6) sometimes support steel, brass, glass or other metal eyes. Such healds are usually employed when rough, knotty warps have to be woven, but glass is principally used for silk and occasionally for cotton gauze. They all offer less resistance to the passage of warp than twine eyes and wear better, but they usually take more room.
6. Wire healds:
Wire healds are made of round, flat or twisted wires, small loops being left in the center for the ends to pass. The wires are loosely placed on laths or bars or slider rods D and self-adjusting. Now-a-days, wire healds are largely used in the cotton industry.
7. Doup heald:
Doup heald is the most efficient and latest healds for weaving. There are tow doups and a slip. Each doup is made in two parts and may be termed a double heald. The two pars are at A and C. the part A is cranked and has a small step at B. C is cranked at D and is made with a hole for the bottom part of the heald to pass through. At the upper part E the slot is longer, and has a step upon which the upper end of A may rest when threaded through. At the top half, the two heals are as one by interlocking, but at the bottom they are separate. The healds are slotted at botth ends for the use of slider rods. The healds H and I are reversed in position. The total length of the healds is 13 ¼’ or 33.65 cm and slip F is 6 1/8” or 15.55 cm long. Both the legs and the upper end G of the slider rod are slotted. Through the half moon shaped end G of the slip, the crossing thread passes. At M, the crossing thread is drawn through the slip G, and the stationary thread N is passed through the heald on the stationary shaft behind both doups, and then passed between the doups. When the left doup O is raised, it takes with it the slip R. This causes the crossing thread T to be lifted on the left side of the stationary thread S, and a pick is then inserted with the heald P down. On the next pick the healds and slip are reversed in position, the heald U down and the heald V and slip W up. This completes weaving of the simplest kind of gauze. It may be noted that the slip cannot be pulled down any further than where the double healds J and K interlock at their centres.


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Four 20-HR hitters, but just one tops 25
The Cardinals are not a strong offensive club, ranking 26th in runs per game at 4.01. The few teams behind them are either in last place in their respective division (Miami, Texas, Pittsburgh) or have had their offense particularly ravaged by injuries (New York Mets). It doesn’t help to play in a ballpark that has suppressed run scoring by more than 10% below average this season.
When it comes to the long ball, Busch Stadium III makes things even more difficult, reducing home run output by more than 20% this year compared to a neutral ballpark. Despite that, St. Louis has one player – Nolan Arenado – on pace to top 30 homers, with him currently tracking toward 32. Given his history of power production, this doesn’t come as a surprise for Arenado, who has averaged 35 home runs per 162 games played during his career.
Unless someone else gets really hot the rest of the year, Arenado will be well clear of his teammates in terms of big flies. Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill each have 18 homers, which puts them on pace to reach 26-27. However, “on pace” is always a sketchy tool to use, and with both of these hitters prone to hot and cold streaks, the safer bet is neither tops 25 home runs.
Paul DeJong hit home run No. 16 on Thursday afternoon, putting him on track to reach 23-24. That makes 20 homers likely but 25 almost certainly out of reach.
If Harrison Bader, Yadier Molina, and Tommy Edman all can flex their muscles a bit over the last couple of months, they could give the Redbirds a full lineup of eight players reaching the double-digit homer mark.
This year’s Cardinals certainly will never be confused with the Yankees’ Bronx Bombers or the Twins’ recent Bomba Squad. But given their ballpark, a more significant emphasis on speed and defense, and the lack of a DH, no one would have expected them to.
Still, whether by the long ball or other means, St. Louis needs to figure out a way to score more runs – this season and in the future. Not every player needs to be as jacked as O’Neill, but a little more power from somewhere would be a great way for the Redbirds to add to a relatively punchless offense and make the rest of the 2021 campaign a little more exciting.

domain: news


Canada is procuring 18 F/A-18A fighter aircraft and parts from the Government of Australia to rapidly increase availability of the CF-18 fleet
On Feb. 17, 2019, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) received the first two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 interim fighter aircraft, an important milestone and investment in sustaining our current CF-18 Hornet fleet.
Through Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure Engaged, the Government of Canada is ensuring that RCAF has the mission ready aircraft it need to meet the country domestic and international obligations in advance of the arrival of jets to replace the entire CF-18 fleet.
“The interim fighter fleet is key to ensuring the Royal Canadian Air Force can continue to fulfill their missions and ensure the safety of Canadians and Canada,” said Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan. “We are familiar with these aircraft and are confident that they can provide the additional support our current fleet requires. They were flown in yesterday by the Royal Australian Air Force and I look forward to seeing them fly again soon in our Canadian colours.”
Canada is procuring 18 fighter aircraft and parts from the Government of Australia to rapidly increase availability of the CF-18 fleet in order to ensure the RCAF can meet all obligations simultaneously.
These aircraft are the same type as Canada’s current CF-18 fleet and can be integrated quickly into RCAF fleet. Modifications and technical work will begin immediately so they can be brought to a similar configuration to Canada’s CF-18 aircraft. The work will continue to be done by Canadian companies.
Deliveries will continue at regular intervals for the next three years, and aircraft will be integrated into the CF-18 fleet as modifications are completed. The final aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of 2021.
The first two aircraft are the F/A-18A model, which means they are single-seat aircraft. They were flown to Cold Lake, Alberta, from Nellis, Nevada, where they were participating in Exercise Red Flag, and will be employed at 3 Wing Bagotville and 4 Wing Cold Lake.
Modifications and maintenance of the current CF-18 fleet will continue to be required until the RCAF transitions to a future fighter. A review of combat capability improvements is currently underway.
Noteworthy Canada’s government cancelled a planned $2 billion purchase of 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters because of a decision by Boeing to launch a trade challenge against Canadian planemaker Bombardier, which the U.S. giant accuses of dumping airliners on the domestic American market.
Nevertheless Canada continues to make progress toward replacing its fighter fleet.
The formal request for proposals for the future fighter fleet is expected to be released in spring 2019, with a contract award in 2021-22 and deliveries to begin in 2025.
One potential contender is Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter, which Trudeau initially said he would not buy because it was too expensive. The government has since softened its line, saying the plane would be allowed to compete.
Photo credit: Able Seaman Callum Rutherford / Royal Canadian Air Force


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|Founded||21 January 2015|
Liberalism (Hong Kong)
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|Literal meaning||Youth new policy|
Youngspiration is a localist political party in Hong Kong founded in 2015. It emerged after the 2014 Hong Kong protests (often dubbed as the "Umbrella Revolution") with an agenda of protection of Hong Kong people's interests and culture against the interference of the Chinese government and advocated the "Hong Kong nation's right to self-determination". The group wants a self-determination referendum in 2020 with the results effective in 2047, when China's "one country, two systems" promise ends. As of 2016, the convenor of the group is Baggio Leung.
Youngspiration was part of the localist electoral alliance ALLinHK in the 2016 legislative election and won two seats in the direct elections. Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, the two Youngspiration democratic elected legislators, triggered a controversy when they made pro-independence statements "Hong Kong is not China" during the oaths of office with insult words to China and were ejected from the Legislative Council by the court after the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) interpreted the Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, which specifically targeted the duo's conduct by "clarifying" the provision of the legislators to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office.
Founding and activism
Youngspiration was established in January 2015 by a group of young people who had participated in the 2014 Hong Kong protests. Its founding convenor, Baggio Leung, was the president of the City University of Hong Kong Students' Union in 2007. Due to its background, it was often labelled as one of the "umbrella organisations". It adopted the emerging localist ideology, claiming to safeguard Hong Kong people's interests, freedoms and culture against the influx of mainland Chinese immigrants and tourists as well as the Chinese government's growing encroachment on the territory. It supported the restriction of Chinese immigrants and the empowerment of the Hong Kong government to regulate and manage the one-way permit scheme.
In July 2015, Youngspiration organised a protest to demand deportation of an undocumented 12-year-old mainland boy Siu Yau-wai, who lived in Hong Kong for nine years without identification. Siu, whose parents are alive and well in mainland China, stayed with his grandparents after having overstayed his two-way permit nine years ago. Some called on the authorities to consider the case on a humanitarian basis and grant Siu permanent citizenship while Youngspiration worried that the case would open the floodgates to appeals from other illegal immigrants, asked for the boy to be repatriated. The boy and his grandmother were constantly harassed and eventually gave up and returned to his parents in mainland China.[failed verification]
In the 2015 District Council election, Youngspiration fielded nine candidates, in which three of them ran against the pan-democratic Democratic Party. Physician Kwong Po-yin defeated the then-incumbent Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council Lau Wai Wing, becoming the only Youngspiration candidate elected as a member of the Kowloon City District Council, representing the Whampoa West constituency. Kwong later left Youngspiration in June 2016.
Youngspiration also called for a primary with the pan-democractic Civic Party for the 2016 New Territories East by-election after the incumbent ex-Civic legislator Ronny Tong resigned, despite drawing differences between the pan-democracy camp and themselves. They withdrew after meeting with the Civic Party and endorsed the candidacy of Edward Leung of the Hong Kong Indigenous, who ran under the localist banner for the first time.
In the 2016 Legislative Council election, Youngpsiration formed an electoral alliance named "ALLinHK" with five other Umbrella organisations, namely Kowloon East Community, Tin Shui Wai New Force, Cheung Sha Wan Community Establishment Power, Tsz Wan Shan Constructive Power and Tuen Mun Community. The alliance vowed to push forward the right to self-determination of the "Hong Kong nation". Convenor Baggio Leung, who stated to stand as Edward Leung's substitute right before the Electoral Affairs Commission invalidated Edward's nomination, and Yau Wai-ching were elected, the latter being the youngest female member of the Legislative Council.
Disqualification from Legislative Council
Youngspiration's two legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching were under fire when they inserted their own words into the official script of the swearing-in at the first session of the Legislative Council. They pronounced China as "Chee-na", the derogatory pronunciation used during the Second Sino-Japanese War, calling the "People's Republic of China" the "people's re-fucking of Chee-na". Their oaths were rejected by the secretary-general of the Legislative Council. Subsequently, their qualification as legislators was challenged by the government in court. The National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) intervened the court case by interpreting the Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong to "clarify" the provision of the legislators to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office, stating that they would firmly oppose Hong Kong independence. As a consequence, the court vacated the two legislators' seats. Their seats in the Legislative Council were replaced by DAB's Vincent Cheng (Kowloon West) and Neo Democrats' Gary Fan (New Territories East) after the by-election which was held in March 2018.
Performance in elections
Legislative Council elections
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District Council elections
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- ^ a b Lau, Kenneth (21 September 2015). "Young guns to take on election veterans". The Standard.
- ^ Sataline, Suzanne (18 May 2015). "Meet the Man Who Wants to Make Hong Kong a City-State". Foreign Policy.
- ^ Cheung, Gary; Fung, Owen (26 August 2016). "Why Beijing's headache over calls for Hong Kong's independence has only just begun". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "Localism: Why is support for the political perspective growing - and who's behind it?". Time Out Hong Kong. 1 July 2015.
- ^ "Abandoned boy, 12, divides opinion in bid for Hong Kong residency". South China Morning Post. 22 May 2015.
- ^ "區議員鄺葆賢退出青年新政 青政指曾挽留未成功". Stand News. 17 June 2016.
- ^ "青年新政：公民黨非同路人". Apple Daily. 7 December 2015.
- ^ "【新東補選】本民前梁天琦參選 稱獲青年新政支持 若進議會拉布點人數「是基本」". Ming Pao. 10 January 2015.
- ^ "青年新政：立會選舉不會與本民前撞區出選". Now News. 1 March 2016.
- ^ "Localists submit nomination for 'substitute candidate' in LegCo election". Hong Kong Free Press. 29 July 2016.
- ^ "The comeback kids: From district council election losers to Hong Kong lawmakers in 10 months". Hong Kong Free Press. 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Three rejections and multiple deviations mark Hong Kong Legislative Council swearing-in". South China Morning Post. 12 October 2016.
- ^ "Hong Kong government fails to block localist duo from retaking Legco oaths, but wins right to seek judicial review". South China Morning Post. 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Hong Kong court rules localist lawmakers must vacate Legco seats". South China Morning Post. 15 November 2016.

domain: law


The title ‘Franciscan Fragments’ refers not to any scattered stones of medieval monastic ruins, though we have an abundance of them in Yorkshire, but to the present-day Francis Jackson on whose lovely hymn tune East Acklam these ten variations are based. While some of the variants treat the melody in toto (e.g. the two Canons), others take a short motif or fragment from it.
Not a stone’s throw from York’s own ruined monastery, St Mary’s Abbey (in Museum Gardens), is the ancient parish church of St Olave in Marygate, long known for its fine musical tradition. Keith Wright has been the Director of Music there for ten years. These variations for organ celebrate both his great artistry on the instrument and his skill and dedication with the choir.
1. Canon a 2: a straightforward canon at the octave, the left hand leading in the tenor octave, the right hand two beats later. This opening piece, dedicated to Francis, was the catalyst for the remainder of the work.
2. Scherzo: decorates the rising scale of the hymn tune. The distinctive dotted motif of its fifth phrase, heard here at the climax, appears again in later movements
3. Elegy: in the first of two sombre reflections in the minor key ‘heaviness endures for a night’, as Psalm 30 has it, ‘but joy cometh in the morning’.
4. Reverie: takes the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth notes of the melody to weave an altogether happier story.
5. Dialogue: is for manuals only, in two-part texture, using the second phrase of East Acklam to suggest a flowing brook.
6. Evocation: the strange chromatic harmonies attempt to conjure an evening mist on the moors or in the folded hills of the Yorkshire Wolds. In the fading light, one is glad to reach home.
7. Carnival: a mini-toccata, with flag-waving sextuplets heralding the ‘Thanks be to God’ of Green’s hymn text on the pedal reeds.
8. Canon a 3: echoes the French tradition of a Tierce en Taille, right hand leading off, pedal following, and then the highly decorated solo cornet (mixture) version in the middle, left-hand part.
9. Lament: over the ascending pedal theme we mourn all those we have loved and lost.
10. Fugue: throwing caution to the wind, an exuberant subject and counter-subject chase each other through the twelve major keys.


text:
Tuesday May 19, marked engineer Wesley MacDonald's 42nd year of employment with CN, but there was no celebration, private or otherwise.
Mr. MacDonald is still under suspension by CN following a March 19 derailment outside of Bathurst.
``I sit there looking at the floor a lot...I'll never get over it,'' said the 59-year old engineer, who has been nominated for a medal of bravery, despite the suspension.
Mr. MacDonald's name was submitted to the Chancellery of Canadian Orders and Decorations in Ottawa, in view of his having stayed with a runaway train that eventually derailed at 70 miles per hour. He stayed aboard because he was concerned for the safety of anyone who might have been near any of the three level crossings the train had to go over.
In a brief interview Tuesday, Mr. MacDonald said he was glad someone appreciated what he did, although he has no idea who submitted his name to the Chancellery.
``It was a big surprise,'' said Mr. MacDonald, who dulls the sting of his six-month suspension with fishing trips upriver.
He has yet to hear any word from his union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, which is supposed to grieve his suspension. He suspects they are waiting for the results of the Federal Railway Transport Committee's investigation, expected to be released next month.
In the meantime, Mr. MacDonald has seen Bathurst Mayor Doug Williamson go to bat for him, unasked.
In a letter dated May 12, the mayor wrote CN's regional public affairs manager Bob Hest in Moncton, protesting the engineer's suspension.
``No one is attacking management's right to discipline. However, you will never convince the general public that your decision was fair,'' wrote Mayor Williamson, noting Mr. MacDonald's record of service with CN ``has been a good one.''
``The six-month suspension your company exacted on him was unjust and cruel punishment, at a time when his last service years before his retirement are the basis used for his pension when he retired.''
Mr. MacDonald is scheduled to retire later this year. CN is not publicly commenting on the suspension now as they consider it an internal matter. However, there are indications CN might release a statement after the RTC investigation becomes public.
CN has also conducted an investigation into the Bathurst derailment.
Mr. MacDonald said Gloucester MP Roger Clinch is also becoming involved, having told Mr. MacDonald he will discuss the circumstances of the derailment with the president of CN.


text:
Have you ever heard cerebellar hypoplasia before? Cerebellar hypoplasia or CH is a disorder found in cats and dogs. It’s usually caused by the kitten's mother contracting the Panleukopenia virus (feline distemper) while pregnant. However, the kittens have a possibility to live as long as the normal one.
How can we detect the one with CH disorder? They usually have jerky movements, tremors, and generally having walking and balance problems, as shown below:
Those with CH problems usually are more abandoned than the normal one. But, let’s see the story of Rollie, the #CHkittenAmbassador.
Is it safe to Adopt the CH Cats?
Rollie has been adopted for 7 months, it was on March 2018. He was adopted from Rancho Relaxo in New Jersey and now lives with his family in Massachusetts. On the contrary with what people thought, CH disorder is not getting worse. In fact, Rollie has been better day by day and been actively playing with his brothers, Ash:
Although The CH kitten Look Like Wobbly Drunken Sailors, They Look Funny :D
Rollie, The CHkitten ambassador, is as funny as other normal kittens with his expression that made your hearts melted.
Adopting the CH kittens will Make You Feel Better
These special needs cats are the ones who need to be adopted. You will feel better as a human being. There is something magical about CH kitten, you will see the cat growing better and better and it is not difficult to train them to be as active as the normal one.
You, Will, Learn Much Inspiration from Them
Rollie doesn’t feel different from other cats, he thought he is normal. He is such a great inspiration for us as he never gives up learning to walk and actively playing with other animals.
So, do you think you will have another Rollie? :D Let’s save them! A lot of CH Kittens ended up being euthanized. Support Rollie and others like him by having his gear! Rollie's store

domain: pet


text:
Freyja decides, very soon after her arrival in Asgard, that she will not marry.
(She says this because she is a woman in a world that is not hers, and she has learned to build walls around the truth. But the truth is this: she decides that she will not marry again. The Aesir do not recognize what she has with Freyr. She agrees – silently, secretly – with Loki in this: the Aesir have far too many taboos.)
She has offers, of course; how could she not? Freyja is accounted the most desirable of all the Asynjur (but she is Vanir), and she has never believed in false modesty.
(She sees little difference, though, between the offers of Aesir, Jotuns, or Dwarfs.)
But she refuses them all. Sometimes she refuses with her skill in spell-singing, sometimes her battle fury, sometimes with Loki’s clever use of the bridal veil Freyja herself will never wear. And, sometimes, with a well-placed tear for her lost husband Od.
(Dear, lost Od, beloved Od who was so lost he never found his way into existence.)
She refuses their offers of marriage, but that does not mean she refuses them, or their gifts.
Odin comes by night, cloaked, his blue hood drawn low over his face, and he brings her gold. Later, he’ll say that he was learning magic of her, which is true enough, though not fully so. (And she holds some practices secret even from him. Freyja is a hostage in a foreign land, but a warrior and a strategist still.) He won’t speak of anything else they may have done, but he is a fool if he thinks Frigg doesn’t know.
Bragi comes at dusk with fine words and splendid song. She finds the music beautiful, and his earnestness amusing, with perhaps a certain appeal of its own.
Heimdall comes often, with a seemingly endless selection of necklaces, none of which will ever match the glory of the dwarfs that shines always at her throat. He speaks of marriage often as well. She never turns him away, but she will never say yes, either.
She’s known Tyr both before he lost his hand, and after. Only once each time, and both times he brings a ring. Freyja laughs about it, because he changes very little. He never did know what to do with his hands.
Balder brings flowers, not terribly meaningful as gifts, but from him she is willing to forgive. He is better than Tyr, though his shame is a strange thing. She prods it, sometimes, picks at him, waits for exactly the right moment to say, “Oh, you are so different from my husband!” She delights in his flush, his little strangled moans half of pleasure and half of disgust. Later, the fairest of all the Aesir will slink back through the shadows to his own hall, but she knows he will be back.
Loki comes in broad daylight, whistling in his complete disregard for boundaries, invisible or otherwise. He doesn’t bring her anything. He just stands at her door and laughs, and Freyja lets him in, because she’s always appreciated audacity.
She looks him up and down and gives him a coy smile, the kind the Aesir seem to love best (a smile to hide your heart, her mother once said). She says, “Haven’t you brought me anything?”
Loki’s mouth is just as coy, and there’s laughter in his eyes. “Oh no,” he says. “I haven’t come to make gifts, but to take them. I’ve come to borrow your falcon skin.”
Freyja’s brows draw up, and she looks at him again, but this time not with her eyes. In the other sight, Loki flickers like flame, now one form, now another, but never still. He is a winged thing already. He certainly doesn’t need to wear her falcon skin.
She says, “What use is it to you, Loki Shape-Changer?”
His smile sharpens at the edges, but his tone remains even and pleasant. It’s the kind of dangerous she’s always liked, and all the more dangerous for it. “I am going on a long journey,” he says breezily. His hands illustrate the point, flitting away from his body and sweeping skyward like untethered birds. “Across mountains and rivers and a great many walls.” He cocks his head at her, a half-curious, half-mischievous look, like a magpie with a glint of sun caught in its beak. His smile shifts into something kind and genuine; Freyja suspects this is the most dangerous of all.
“I am going to Jotunheim,” says Loki, “and it is just possible I may stop by Vanaheim on my way.”
Freyja schools her face carefully. There’s something in Loki’s voice, a modulated but unacknowledged tenderness, that reminds her sharply of her mother. She can’t let him see. It’s so urgent that she lets slide the relatively minor facts that Jotunheim is not a long journey from Asgard at all, and that Vanaheim lies in quite the opposite direction.
Well, almost lets them slide. “Vanaheim does not lie on the way to Jotunheim,” she says, more sharply than she’d intended. Loki’s eyes go gentler still, and she bristles.
But he’s unconcerned, all laughter and airy, artless motions of his hands. “It lies on my way,” he says. He leans close, as though imparting a great secret. “I might even be convinced to take a message. We exiles must have a regard for one another, after all.”
Freyja sucks in a breath, and draws back, then curses herself for being too obvious. “You are not an exile, Loki Odin’s brother,” she says, and there’s more venom there than she might have expected.
Again that tilt of his head, and this time she thinks: like a fox, or perhaps a wolf that is only curious and not yet hungry.
“Blood brother,” says Loki with an easy smile. “And surely Vanadis who is numbered among the Asynjur can understand how much that means. And how little.”
Freyja considers her options. They call him Laufeyjarson (Laufey who was once of the Vanir herself, Laufey who wedded a Jotun and died, they say, in childbed, but none of her kin know for certain). She wonders where his loyalties lie. She wonders where her own lie.
Loki says, “Don’t you have any message for your mother? It has been a very long time, I believe.”
She considers slapping him, and she very nearly does, except that when she looks at him it’s with the other sight again, and suddenly she can’t be sure whether he’s talking about her or himself.
She says, “What assurance do you offer that you will even visit Vanaheim, to say nothing of my mother?”
Loki grins. “None at all,” he says, sounding quite pleased with himself. “I leave it entirely to you to decide to trust me. It has to be that way, of course, because it’s you who’ll have to live with the decision.”
His words sound reasonable, if aggravating, but there’s something off about them, and she can’t quite say what. Still, she is Freyja and she has weapons of her own.
“Very well,” she says regally. “You may have the use of the falcon skin.” Loki beams, entirely too innocent, and she adds quickly, “But know this, Odin’s brother. If you do not return in three days with my falcon skin and a token that you have spoken with my mother, you will never again be welcome in this hall.”
Loki laughs at her. “Blood brother,” he insists, mischief and something else dancing in his eyes. Freyja wonders at him. There is no distinction among the Aesir: a blood brother is a brother. And yet. (Freyja of the Vanir is called the most beautiful of the Asynjur. There is no distinction among the Aesir there, either.)
She looks at him again with the other sight, and she thinks: I am going to regret this. And then she thinks: He called me Vanadis. She goes to get the falcon skin.
The message she writes is short, because no message in the nine worlds could contain everything she wants to say, and she could never trust Loki to speak for her. So she settles for only the most important thing.
Loki winks at her as he takes the skin from her hands, lightning-quick. He quirks his mouth and doesn’t quite laugh, and he says, “Three days, and a token.” Then he takes the message and throws the feather skin carelessly about his shoulders. And then Loki is a falcon, and then the falcon is gone.
Freyja blinks. She can still feel the feathers against her calloused fingers. She considers Loki’s laughing eyes and the sly quirk of his mouth, and hopes he wasn’t lying. It would be a shame to have to ban him from her hall.
She steps to the window and sees, far off against the sun, the black shape of a hawk. She realizes that she still does not know why Loki should have borrowed her falcon skin when he has no need of it. He never answered the question, and somehow she’d forgotten it even needed to be answered. There is little she can do now. He will come back, or he won’t.
She turns from the window and there is her hall spread out before her, high and magnificent and filled everywhere with gleaming gold. Tonight, perhaps, Odin will come, or Heimdall, and she will have yet more gold for her shining hall.
Freyja thinks of Loki, flying about with her wings, drifting on air and going to all the places she will never again go, will never again be permitted to go, unless the fires come and the world is changed. She touches the dwarf-made gems at her throat. “Mother,” she says to the silence of her hall, “I miss you.”

domain: literature


text:
A place to forget about the outside world, relax and explore some truly unique surroundings.
Amangiri, 'peaceful mountain', is located in the southwest region of the USA also known as the Four Corners, where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.
Al Maha Desert Resort is an idyllic, exclusive oasis, set within a 25-square kilometre desert conservation reserve.
Emerging from the heart of the desert, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa is an elegant desert resort in a traditional Arabic fort setting.
Enchantment Resort is situated in Sedona, Arizona's breathtaking Boynton Canyon.
Jack's Camp is located deep in the Kalahari Desert on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, the largest saltpans in the world.
Welcome to a romantic retreat unlike any other. Korakia Pensione offers a unique and relaxing getaway from day to day reality.
A palace inspired by the 14th century Moorish architecture. A romantic retreat, the Ksar and its douar (village) are located in the heart of Marrakech Palmeraie (palm groves), 6km from the Medina (old walled city).
Little Kulala is a Luxury Safari Camp with 11 Chalets, situated on a large private reserve, bordering the Namib Naukluft Park, in the heart of the Namib.
The Aborigines have always known that Uluru (Ayers Rock) was a special place. It is the focus of Dreamtime and it truly is one of the most extraordinary and emotionally moving places on Earth.
The resort is surrounded by huge ochre coloured dunes on both sides and a large valley/wadi offers truly amazing views.
Treat yourself to eco-tourism in Chile, a Chilean vacation in one of the world's unique destinations, the Altiplano of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
White Desert flies you into the interior of Antarctica for an experience that is as luxurious as it is adventurous.

domain: geography


text:
and Mercedes-Benz C-Class – three German models that have come to define the modern small luxury car. The G70’s roster of competitors also includes the Alfa.
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your annual average car insurance premium will increase 21 percent, she said. "No surprise: The faster you’re speeding,
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domain: finance


text: Restaurant Manager Assistant - Casino assists in the management of operations in a specific restaurant. This may include overseeing the staff, ensuring inventory control, proper equipment and supplies, quality customer service and compliance with all food and beverage regulations. Being a Restaurant Manager Assistant - Casino requires a bachelor's degree in area of specialty. Typically reports to the restaurant manager. The Restaurant Manager Assistant - Casino supervises a small group of para-professional staff in an organization characterized by highly transactional or repetitive processes. Contributes to the development of processes and procedures. Thorough knowledge of functional area under supervision. To be a Restaurant Manager Assistant - Casino typically requires 3 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor.


text:
It may sound odd to some, but Square believes that the humble receipt can be a powerful tool because it is so closely linked to the transaction between buyers and sellers. Now, the mobile payments company has unveiled a new product that allows direct communications via digital receipts.
Known as Square Feedback, the tool lets buyers weigh in on their experience by clicking a button in their digital receipt and sending a message directly to a merchant. Square thinks the service, which will cost sellers $10 a month, will be a valuable conduit for customer service and allow merchants to build relationships with their clients.
Square Feedback has a number of elements, but one of the most important, the company believes, is allowing merchants to respond directly to criticism. Square processes 10 million digital receipts per month, so it thinks the opportunity to facilitate the building of those relationships is substantial. Square is expected to process around $30 billion in transactions in 2014, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But not all is going well at the company. On Monday, it announced the launch of a new service,, which lets people place advance orders at participating shops, cafes, and restaurants through their mobile devices. The feature appeared to replace Square Wallet, a service that allowed users to pay for all manner of items at participating merchants via their devices. Square Wallet had been seen as a crucial part of the company's overall service, and its demise -- the company will continue to support it for existing users, but will no longer make it available in either the iOS or Android app stores -- is not a good sign for the high-profile company.


text:
OLAF Is Conducting 42 Investigations Concerning Bulgaria
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is conducting 42 investigations concerning Bulgaria, according to Sonia Klisarska, head of the AFCOS Directorate at the Interior Ministry.
The AFCOS Directorate (Coordination of the fight against infringements affecting the financial interests of the EU) Directorate at Bulgaria's Interior Ministry is a partner of OLAF.
Klisarska made clear that the largest number of investigations were in the spheres of agriculture, structural and cohesion funds, and fishery.
She informed that AFCOS was conducting 6 administrative investigations, 5 of which based on signals and one on a request of OLAF.
Klisarska specified that the request of the EU's anti-fraud body involved a project of the Burgas Municipality under the Administrative Capacity Operational Program.
The head of the AFCOS Directorate explained that OLAF had filed 51 requests for cooperation to Bulgaria, while Bulgaria had requested cooperation from OLAF on 4 occasions.
She added that the most frequent violations involved public procurement.
Klisarska announced that 18% of the cases in the period 2007 – 2011 had reached pre-trial proceedings.
OLAF Spokesperson Johan Wullt reminded that Bulgaria had registered the largest number of investigations for 2011, a total of 78, adding that this was partly due to the numerous signals sent to OLAF concerning Bulgaria.
In the period 2007 – 2011, 31 irregularities worth EUR 4.6 M were reported as fraud in the sphere of structural funds.
Johan Wullt clarified that the Scandinavian countries had the clearest record with the smallest number of investigations.
The OLAF Spokesperson added that the average length of an investigation was 29 months.
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text:
The connections between filmmaking, spaces of justice and feminist epistemologies were explored at a seven-day art-research workshop “Politics of Sexuality and Gender” organized by the Kone foundation funded research project Making Spaces of Justice Across the East-West Divide at the University of Tampere. The workshop was also a site to experiment with filmmaking as a university pedagogical method.
Cinema as a space of justice
Before coming to class, the students had been assigned a set of pre-readings: a pile of academic articles dealing with the politics of gender and sexuality. They had also written short learning diaries based on the readings.
One of the tasks we gave the students during the workshop was to transform their written learning diaries into short films. At the end of the workshop, we organized a film screening where a set of rhythmical cinematic celebrations made by engaged and liberated spirits was viewed.
One of the films juxtaposed the idea of Finland as one of the most gender egalitarian societies in the world with experiences of sexual violence that the author and her friends had experienced. These experiences were inserted into the film in the form of notes from diaries.
As most students did not have previous experience of filmmaking, reaching this point required overcoming a degree of techno-shyness and fear of equipment — i.e. learning to trust oneself and one’s own powers as a cultural producer.
To enable this, a brief introduction into video production and the basics of film language was given to the students. This equipped the students with a variety of possible tools and strategies that they could use to visualize their ideas.
We also discussed the concept of “shot”, framing and composition, camera angles and movement, mise-en-scène and editing.
“Queering Time” combined Dziga Vertov’s film material with an old Hollywood film. The point was to re-read old video clips so as to queer time, i.e. to make visible queer relationships across time as well as through space.
Concrete exercises also allowed the workshop participants to dive into the terrain of “high cinema”, which many had previously seen as something exclusive and elitist. Such misconceptions about the camera and filmmaking risk overshadowing the real democratic qualities of filmmaking and the idea of cinema as a space of justice.
Film, feminism and objectivity
As the students were themselves engaged in film-making, we were better able to think through the kinds of optical illusions that the camera creates. We discussed the fact that a camera can be thought to embody the feminist methodological notions of gaze, persistence of vision and optical illusions as described by Donna Haraway.
Haraway and other feminists have problematized the assumption of value-free knowledge, universality, detachment and traditional objectivity. What we know and how we know it depends on our position in social structures, i.e. how we are situated in relation to the axes of power, gender, sexuality, ‘race’, ethnicity and class.
Filmmaking exercises also allowed the students to see in practice the connections between research and art practices. They concretized the fact that knowledge is not an object “out there” to be revealed. Rather, it is produced by an embodied author.
From objectivity to situated knowledges
Haraway uses the powerful metaphors of vision and gaze to bring in an image of an embodied, actively seeing eye. She discusses the notion of “situated knowledges” to criticize traditional notions of objectivity. The notion of “optical illusion” problematizes the possibility of dispassionate knowledge from nowhere.
While making and screening the students’ films, we discussed how these epistemological notions and the assumption of filmmaker as a cultural producer with experiences and perspectives deprived from objectivity and apolitical postures come alive in filmmaking.
We reflected on how this is seen in the ‘gaze’ of the camera directed by hand at the researched realities – and the researchers themselves. Or in the editing and montage techniques, forms of presentation – a screening, gallery installation, on-line streaming – and the production value of an audio-visual product.
Practical filmmaking and the concept of situated knowledges are thus related. Both problematize the assumption of an all-seeing scientific gaze as an omnipotent observer from everywhere and nowhere.
Teaching filmmaking to university students turned out to be a powerful pedagogical tool to illustrate how what we see and what we know depends, quite literally, on our location.
The camera became a metaphor illustrating how the vision of a researcher – exactly like a camera – is always positioned, and how film-makers – exactly like researchers – always choose and offer a perspective, deciding to leave things outside the frame.
Written by Daria Krivonos, Masha Godovannaya and Anni Kangas

domain: artistic


From CBC's coverage of its own create-a-new-hockey-theme-song competition:
"We have an opportunity to help five regular Canadians achieve a dream of having their composition associated with Hockey Night in Canada," said Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports.What do you mean "regular Canadians", Mr. Moore? Does that mean non-professional musicians? If so, where'd you get the idea that professional musicians aren't regular, or let's say "ordinary", Canadians? From our Prime Minister, perhaps?


text:
Inhalation anthrax is often described as a toxin-mediated disease. However, the toxaemia model does not account for the high mortality of inhalation anthrax relative to other forms of the disease or for the pathology present in inhalation anthrax. Patients with inhalation anthrax consistently show extreme bacteraemia and, in contrast to animals challenged with toxin, signs of sepsis. Rather than toxaemia, we propose that death in inhalation anthrax results from an overwhelming bacteraemia that leads to severe sepsis. According to our model, the central role of anthrax toxin is to permit the vegetative bacteria to escape immune detection. Other forms of B. anthracis infection have lower mortality because their overt symptoms early in the course of disease cause patients to seek medical care at a time when the infection and its sequelae can still be reversed by antibiotics. Thus, the sepsis model explains key features of inhalation anthrax and may offer a more complete understanding of disease pathology for researchers as well as those involved in the care of patients.
As a result of letter mailings in 2011, 11 individuals were diagnosed with inhalation anthrax, of whom only six survived . The incident caused terror and panic as many thousands in the targeted regions expressed concerns of having been exposed [2-4]. The event brought an intense focus on the pathology of inhalation anthrax and its causative agent, Bacillus anthracis. Unlike cutaneous or gastrointestinal anthrax, which are rarely lethal, inhalation anthrax has a mortality rate of 50–90% . The reasons for the high mortality of inhalation anthrax are perplexing. For years, mortality in anthrax infections has been attributed to toxaemia [6, 7], largely because the toxin is able to cause the death of experimental animals (discussed below) and immunity to the toxin protects from infections [8, 9]. However, the toxaemia model for the high mortality of inhalation anthrax does not account for the lower mortality of cutaneous and gastrointestinal forms of the disease, where the disease is caused by the same organism and circulating toxins are also present . Furthermore, the pathology in toxin-challenged animals does not resemble the pathology in B. anthracis-challenged animals. Therefore, although widely accepted, a growing body of evidence indicates that the toxaemia model of inhalation anthrax is incomplete. Emerging data indicate an alternative view: that B. anthracis uses the toxins to suppress host immunity, allowing the organism to proliferate to high numbers and causing death by septic shock.
Discussion of the evidence
The anthrax toxins and toxin receptors
The anthrax bacillus produces two exotoxins that are encoded on a plasmid, pOX1, producing three protein products. The first protein is protective antigen (PA), an 83-kD protein that is common between the two exotoxins and confers receptor-binding properties. PA binds to two receptors, tumour endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CMG2). The CMG2 receptor for PA is the major mouse PA receptor  and is widely expressed on a variety of cells and tissues  while the TEM8 receptors are expressed in epithelium [13, 14] and up-regulated in endothelium in response to inflammatory stimuli . PA associates with two other proteins encoded on pOX1, lethal factor and oedema factor, to become lethal toxin (LT) and oedema toxin (ET) respectively. Remarkably, although toxins were lethal in myeloid-restricted CMG2−/− mice, these mice were resistant to infection with toxigenic and encapsulated B. anthracis . Similarly, the bacteraemia that normally accompanies B. anthracis infections did not occur in CMG2−/− mice. As CMG2−/− and myeloid-restricted CMG2−/− mice are resistant to toxin-induced immune suppression, these findings suggest that anthrax toxin plays a key role in supporting the development of bacteraemia by suppressing a key feature(s) of the immune responses to the bacteria. This view contrasts with results of experiments using toxin-producing and toxin-lacking B. anthracis spores and a macrophage cell line, J774 . These data showed that J774 was able to produce inflammatory cytokines regardless of the ability of the vegetative bacteria to produce toxin, suggesting that toxins do not suppress this feature of inflammation. In B. anthracis-infected guinea pigs, PA reaches maximum levels of <2 μg/ml of blood while rabbits can achieve as much as 100 μg/ml . A correlation between bacteraemia and PA levels has been shown , consistent with the notion that toxin is needed for B. anthracis to escape immune detection in the host.
Clinicopathological features of human inhalation anthrax
Although inhalation anthrax is an exceedingly rare occurrence, there are two well-documented major outbreaks in recent history. The first occurred in Sverdlovsk, USSR in 1979 and was attributed many years later to the accidental release of anthrax spores from a nearby military facility . An analysis of available data suggested that there were about 250 total cases with 100 deaths . Pathological studies of fixed and preserved samples of 41 fatally infected individuals from the Sverdlovsk release  indicated overwhelming bacteraemia, a hallmark of late-stage inhalation anthrax in human beings  and animal models . Bacilli were found in most organs, particularly the lung, mediastinal lymph node and the spleen. Acute bronchopneumonia and fibrin-rich lung oedema were present in half of the examined cases and involved all five lobes of the lung. The pathogen was more prominent in the vascular and interstitial spaces than in the alveoli, suggesting terminal seeding of the lung from the vasculature. In addition to bacteraemia, the samples showed several haemorrhagic features. A microscopic analysis revealed vasculitis and fibrin deposition with high- and low-pressure haemorrhages . One-third of the cases showed early renal acute tubular necrosis. Although not a consensus opinion, one author of the study, who had participated in treating the patients, suggested that the haemorrhagic features were the result of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) , as the patients also showed decreased fibrinogen and increased bleeding times prior to their deaths. Importantly, haemorrhagic diathesis was present pathologically in over 70% of these cases .
The second well-documented inhalation anthrax outbreak occurred in late 2001. Five letters containing the spores of B. anthracis passed through postal facilities in the District of Columbia, New Jersey and Florida. Initially, ten patients appeared from sites through which the letters had passed . Pathological studies of the patients who died in this U.S. exposure [1, 25] showed pathology similar to that described for the Sverdlovsk outbreak. Bacterial antigens were prominent in all tissues except the lung, and patients had elevated neutrophils, including immature forms (bands). Haemorrhagic features were also seen, including serosanguinous pleural effusions, haemorrhage and oedema in the lung parenchyma, and varying degrees of haemorrhage and/or necrosis in the spleen, intestine and mediastinal lymph nodes.
Although even more rare, there have been case reports of disease in which the infectious agent was the B. anthracis-related species B. cereus harbouring the toxin-encoding pOX1 plasmid [26-28]. The most detailed report  described a single 39-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with shortness of breath, hypotension, tachycardia, multicentric pneumonia and pleural effusions. The patient died 72 hrs after initial presentation, despite the identification of a Bacillus infection less than 10 hrs after presentation and administration of intensive antibiotic therapy. The pathology observed in this case was largely consistent with that of inhalation anthrax. Laboratory tests revealed elevated blood levels of neutrophils (21,000/μl) and elevated plasma D-dimers (1574 ng/ml) indicative of DIC. Both lungs showed serosanguinous fluid, and unlike inhalation anthrax caused by B. anthracis, the intact pathogen was prominent in the alveolar space. All organs except skin were positive for B. cereus by chemical staining. Microscopic examination of tissues showed fibrin deposition, indications of ischaemia and areas of necrosis, particularly in the kidneys.
Together, these observations establish several common features of infections with pOX1-harbouring Bacillus species and provide clues to the pathophysiology of lethal inhalation anthrax. First, both inhalation anthrax and respiratory B. cereus infection lead to widespread and extraordinary bacteraemia, as well as clear signs of inflammation and hypotension, accompanied by tachycardia. Late stages of infection are marked by oedema, particularly in the lung, fibrin deposition and thrombosis, particularly in the kidney, haemorrhage associated with vasculitis, and necrosis in multiple tissues, particularly the kidneys.
Pathological features of animal models challenged with toxin
If toxin challenge is an accurate model for the lethality caused by inhalation anthrax, then death caused by toxin challenge and death caused by inhalation anthrax should share similar pathological features. For the most sensitive mouse strains, Balb/c  or A/J , 100 μg of LT was lethal in about 60% of animals within 3 days regardless of the route of administration (intraperitoneal or intravenous injection) . LT challenge resulted in mild apoptosis of myeloid and lymphoid cells in the spleen and necrosis in the liver. Signs of haemorrhage appeared in the spleen but resolved prior to death, and only mild haemorrhage occurred in the liver with no deposition of fibrin. No kidney pathology or capillary thrombosis was observed in mice challenged with LT. ET is more potent than LT in mice; 37.5 μg ET was lethal in 50% of mice in less than 3 days . ET-challenged mice showed fluid accumulation in the intestine and necrosis in several organs, particularly the heart. In dogs, intravenous administration of 8.4 μg/kg LT or 205 μg/kg ET was 50% lethal at 24 hrs. As in mice and rats, each toxin induced hypotension and tachycardia, but unlike mice and rats each toxin caused kidney injury, demonstrated by increases in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine . In combination, the pathology produced by the two toxins appeared to be additive rather than synergistic . In contrast to inhalation anthrax infections, there were no obvious changes in pleural or peritoneal fluid levels and, importantly, no signs of inflammation in animals challenged with either or both toxins.
These studies in various animal models reveal that toxin challenge produces hypotension, a feature common to the human cases of inhalation anthrax. The mechanism of toxin-induced hypotension remains unclear, but could involve vasodilation or LT-induced apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells . However, there are few other similarities between the pathology of toxin challenge and that of inhalation anthrax infection, and the key features of inhalation anthrax are largely absent in animals challenged with toxin alone. In toxin-challenged animals, there is a marked absence of inflammation and limited production of inflammatory cytokines, although IL-1β is elevated with infection and with LT challenge probably by activation of Nalp1b and caspase-1 . Although these observations do not specifically exclude the toxaemia model, they strongly challenge the notion that the pathology accompanying inhalation anthrax is directly due to the toxins.
This conclusion is supported by the relative low potency of LT and ET compared with other bacterial toxins. As discussed above, the lethal dose of LT can range from 20 μg to more than 100 μg per mouse. While more lethal than LT, ET nevertheless exhibits an LD50 no higher than 25–50 μg in a ~20 g mouse. This dose of toxin is more than 1000-fold higher than that needed for lethality by other bacterial toxins like diphtheria, pertussis or cholera . On the basis of these lines of evidence, we conclude that mortality in inhalation anthrax is not solely due to toxaemia and suggest that other features of the bacteria contribute to the pathology.
Sepsis in anthrax infections
The rapid development of sepsis is well documented in cases of injectional anthrax, in which the blood is directly infected with B. anthracis via intravenous injection with illicit drugs. At least 47 cases of injectional anthrax, including 13 deaths, were confirmed in drug addicts in Norway , Scotland  and Germany . These patients rapidly developed all the landmark features of sepsis (sustained fever, decreased or elevated white blood cell count, anaemia, thrombocytopaenia) although the severity of the pathology might in part be due to drug use by the patients. When infection was not detected and treated expeditiously, the patients developed septic shock followed by multiple organ failure characterized by elevated liver enzymes, acute renal insufficiency, DIC and massive disseminated bleeding . Because direct infection of blood in injectional anthrax leads to severe and rapidly lethal sepsis, it is likely that the remarkable bacteraemia observed in inhalation anthrax can also cause sepsis.
In addition, our recent studies demonstrate that infusion of live B. anthracis causes sepsis in non-human primates . These animals exhibited systemic inflammation typical of sepsis , as well as consumptive coagulopathy indicated by decreased fibrinogen and platelets, prolonged clotting times, and elevated fibrinogen degradation products. Such abnormalities in blood coagulation are characteristic of DIC, which is strongly associated with clinical illnesses such as sepsis . Importantly, these changes do not occur in animal models challenged with toxin alone. Furthermore, the pathology of B. anthracis-challenged animals is remarkably similar to that described for the 2001 letter attack victims, who also showed coagulopathy [25, 44].
Sepsis exhibits a variable set of clinical features  but is usually described as systemic inflammation caused by an infectious agent. Clinical features include core temperatures >38.3°C or <36°C, elevated heart rate, altered mental status and significant oedema (>20 mls/kg in 24 hrs) . Inflammation is indicated by elevated or decreased blood neutrophils, increased levels of immature neutrophils, thrombocytopaenia and elevated circulating C-reactive protein. Haemodynamic abnormalities include decreased arterial pressure and prolonged measurements of blood clotting (prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time). When accompanied by evidence of hypoperfusion or dysfunction of at least one organ system, the situation evolves to severe sepsis and organ failure. Organ dysfunction features include decreased blood oxygenation, decreased urine output, and elevated metabolite levels such as bilirubin and creatinine. Finally, if severe sepsis is accompanied by hypotension (<90 mmHg or a reduction of ≥40 mmHg from baseline) or need for vasopressors, despite adequate fluid resuscitation, the disease has progressed to ‘septic shock’. These features are consistent with the pathology seen in victims of the letter attacks and of the Sverdlovsk spore release, while most of these features are absent in toxin-challenged animals.
Sepsis is always accompanied by elevated proinflammatory cytokines , which contributes to the activation of blood coagulation through tissue factor expression  and to haemodynamic instability . The dysregulated coagulation reported in inhalation anthrax is common in other forms of sepsis. For example, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) directly elicits increased expression of tissue factor on monocytes . LPS alone can account for the systemic inflammation and coagulopathy in Gram-negative sepsis as challenge of animals  or human beings [52, 53] with LPS induces a clinical inflammatory response that resembles Gram-negative sepsis.
How Gram-positive bacteria like B. anthracis cause systemic inflammation remains unclear. Live B. anthracis bacteria harbour several proinflammatory agents that can stimulate inflammation in vitro [54-57]. We [58-60] and others [61, 62] have provided evidence that the peptidoglycan (PGN) component of the bacterial cell wall induces proinflammatory cytokine production in innate immune cells. In vivo, PGN stimulates proinflammatory cytokines in rats  but in vitro mouse macrophages fail to respond . A recent review, noting the ability of B. anthracis cell wall preparations to induce inflammation and shock in rats , suggested B. anthracis PGN as the inflammatory agent in injectional and inhalation anthrax . Our recent work shows that the proinflammatory response in human cells is due to the formation of PGN-anti-PGN immune complexes that bind to IgG Fc receptors expressed on innate immune cells . After these immune complexes undergo phagocytosis and lysosomal hydrolysis, their degradation products are available for detection by cytoplasmic nucleotide oligomerization domain-containing (NOD) receptors . NOD receptors induce proinflammatory cytokines through the activation of NFκB . Recent but unpublished studies by our laboratories showed that the PGN-anti-PGN immune complexes also activate primate platelets that, unique in the animal kingdom, also express Fc receptors. Thus, the engagement of Fcgamma receptors by PGN-anti-PGN immune complexes is one possible route for B. anthracis to induce systemic inflammation in human beings and other primates.
Like tetanus, diphtheria and botulism, anthrax is now considered to be a toxin-mediated disease. However, a growing body of evidence supports the conclusion that anthrax toxins alone are not the sole cause of high mortality in inhalation anthrax. In contrast, remarkably similar pathological features, including several hallmarks of sepsis, were observed in non-human primates challenged with B. anthracis and in inhalation anthrax patients from both Sverdlovsk and the 2001 letter attacks in the United States. In the sepsis model, outlined in Figure 1, we propose that inhalation anthrax begins with the introduction of a sufficient number of spores such that the mediastinal lymph nodes become infected with vegetative bacteria. In the lymph nodes, the struggle between host immunity and bacteraemia begins: vegetative B. anthracis produces virulence factors including toxins that suppress immune detection and/or the host immune response . At this stage, antibiotics or anti-toxin antibodies could clear the bacteria, but because the patient feels only mildly sick  they delay medical attention. Indeed, in cutaneous or gastrointestinal anthrax, which cause overt symptoms of disease, patients seek medical attention promptly and antibiotics clear the infection . This notion is amply illustrated in a recent case of apparent gastrointestinal anthrax in the United States . A woman seeking medical attention complained of a variety of non-descript issues but included her recent development of nausea, vomiting and decreased food intake. Upon admission to the hospital, her clinical features included prolonged clotting times, thrombocytopaenia, and Gram-positive rods in blood cultures, all indicating sepsis. These rather extreme symptoms likely caused the patient to obtain medical advice and resulted in her survival after extreme medical intervention. Without prompt and proper intervention, the balance between immunity and infection will eventually tip in favour of the proliferating bacteria. The vegetative bacteria enter blood circulation and overwhelming bacteraemia occurs. At this point, the patient is sufficiently ill to seek medical attention, but antibiotics or anti-toxin antibodies are unable to prevent imminent death from the already advanced systemic inflammation and coagulopathy.
It should be emphasized that the sepsis model we describe here invokes an important role for anthrax toxins in the progression and ultimate lethality of inhalation anthrax. We propose that by suppressing the immune response, anthrax toxins play a central and necessary role in the development of bacteraemia and lethal sepsis. It is also likely that the anthrax toxins contribute to the pathology caused by the pronounced bacteraemia, especially late in the disease when toxins are at their highest level. A central role for anthrax toxins in disease development explains why vaccination against toxin can protect human beings from inhalation anthrax: without the immune suppression caused by anthrax toxins, the vegetative bacilli are effectively cleared by the immune system long before they become a systemic challenge. The model also explains why treatments such as Raxibacumab, the recently FDA-approved monoclonal antibody targeting PA, can protect animals . However, according to our model, Raxibacumab prevents anthrax toxins from incapacitating innate immune cells so that they are free to kill the microbe. Thus, the time window for efficacious treatment by Raxibacumab overlaps that for antibiotics, which we believe fail because patients do not yet know they have the disease.
If the sepsis model of inhalation anthrax is correct, our understanding of the basic biology of inhalation anthrax is confined and incomplete by the toxin-centred focus of current studies. More importantly, the toxin-centric approach in the study of inhalation anthrax pathology will do little to save patients with inhalation anthrax. Rather, we believe the research focus should be on how Gram-positive bacteria escape human immune detection, how they establish bacteraemic conditions in human beings, and how they cause systemic inflammation in human beings.
The authors are grateful to J. Donald Capra for his intellectual input in the conception of the hypothesis and in the writing of this manuscript. The work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant 2 U19 AI062629 and 5R01-GM097747.
SK conceived of the hypothesis presented here, KMC wrote the manuscript. All authors participated in critical revision and made important intellectual additions. All authors have given final approval of the submitted version to be published.

domain: medical


Elkhart County Board of Realtors in Indiana is to become the first real estate board in the state to begin using a safety app, according to an article in Goshen News.
The cell phone app is able to track real estate agents movements and will provide their offices with real-time security information. It was created by two Arkansas men after the kidnapping and murder of realtor Beverley Carter. Safety concerns have been a concern for many realtors who frequently have to visit vacant homes and who may have appointments with people who are often complete strangers. The real estate board chose Real Agent Guard because the app is a cloud-based, so any information sent by real estate agent cannot be stopped by stealing their smartphone or by breaking it, providing colleagues with at least a geo-tag of the real estate agents last location.
As a result of this increased security, agents are also being encouraged to take photographs of the people they are currently showing property to, as well as their vehicle license plate and even their driver’s license before posting the information to the security site. Another feature is the ability to set an alarm to sound at the end of the appointment time. If the real estate agent fails to disable the alarm then a notice is automatically sent to their security contact.
Although this might seem intrusive for potential property buyers, most are likely to understand the need for increased security and many realtors have experienced incidents that have made them uncomfortable. Although real estate agents may frequently take other agents with them, using this app should help them feel safer. Additionally, the increase in security can help protect clients. According to the article, approximately 85% of the alerts received by the security company are health-related and may involve realtors slipping on ice or having other health-related issues.
Elkhart County Board of Realtors has 309 members and although it is the first in the state to adopt a safety app, its president is hopeful of persuading other nearby realtor boards to begin using safety apps as well.