blog If you live in Sydney, at this point, it’s become rather hard to believe that the State Government will ever be successful in bringing the city’s public transport ticketing system up to a modern standard. It’s still paper cards dipped into a machine here, despite the fact that cities such as Hong Kong, London, and heck, even Melbourne, have had smartcards for public transport for yonks. However, the new Coalition Government over the weekend shone a ray of light into the situation, with the new Opal smartcard being launched on Sydney ferries, to start with. Perhaps the ghost of Tcard is finally being banished, some 13 years after it was was originally slated to be introduced. I’m not holding my breath just yet, however. The full media release from this weekend:
“Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today introduced public transport customers to the Opal card and the new electronic ticketing system that will transform the way they move around.
Ms Berejiklian said the Opal card would launch with a customer trial from 7 December on the Neutral Bay ferry route. It would then be rolled out across greater Sydney for all Sydney Ferries, train, bus and light rail customers through to 2015.
“London has the Oyster, Hong Kong the Octopus and from next month Sydney will have the Opal card,” Ms Berejiklian said. “The Opal card will transform the way people get around, making public transport more convenient and seeing the end of ticket queues and fumbling for coins.
“Bringing electronic ticketing to Sydney has been a long time coming – the former Labor Government promised it for the Sydney 2000 Olympics – but the Liberals & Nationals Government has been working hard behind the scenes to get to this point. While the Opal card will eventually transform the way we move around, the roll out is complex and we are taking our time – we have learned from overseas that progressive roll outs work best and we expect there may be some hiccups along the way.”
Public transport customers using the Opal card will ‘tap on’ at the start of their trip on each mode and ‘tap off’ at the end, with the Opal card working much like an e-tag. The Opal card is expected to be available for all Sydney Ferries’ customers, at more than 40 wharves from Parramatta to Manly, by the end of next year, with the roll out to trains starting on the City Circle in the second half of 2013.
Ongoing fares for the Opal card will be detailed next year following the ferry trial, but Ms Berejiklian announced three key incentives will be in place to encourage uptake of the Opal card and greater public transport use. These incentives are available for Opal card customers as the electronic ticketing system is progressively rolled out across ferries, trains, buses and light rail.
The incentives include: A weekly reward providing free travel after eight paid journeys in a week – for example a customer using their Opal card paying for two journeys a day to and from work from Monday to Thursday will be eligible for unlimited free travel on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; A $2.50 daily cap on Sundays for Opal card customers– travel all you want and it will cost no more than $2.50 per-person; A daily travel cap of $15 from Monday to Saturday – helping tourists and one-off users travel affordably using an Opal card.
There is no change to paper tickets or other fare products at this time. Come 2015, 42 ferry wharves, more than 300 train stations and more than 5,000 buses and light rail will have Opal equipment operating in Sydney, the Hunter, Central Coast, the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and the Blue Mountains.”
Image credit: NSW Government


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Many Master Gardeners have related successful experiences with the lasagna garden method of creating new garden beds. Pat Lanza has popularized these techniques in her books, which I am determined to read. The concept is simple: cover areas of turf with newspaper or cardboard and then apply layers of organic materials, like shredded leaves, grass clippings, and compost. Over time, everything breaks down and so that you can plant seeds and seedlings directly into the bed without digging and turning the soil.
This fits perfectly with sustainable gardening- build up and conserve organic matter and prevent soil erosion and nutrient run-off. The added bonus is no weeds! But as a person who loves to see, smell, and feel soil, I was having a bit of a tough time embracing the concept. Well, we put it to an initial test this spring in one of the 4 new beds at the Grow It Eat It demo garden at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Ellicott City.
Newspaper was laid on an 8-ft. X 8-ft. area of turf in April and then covered with a 2-in. layer of LeafGro- a commercial yard waste compost. This picture was taken May 8. The grass clippings on the bed are from weed whacking the walkways (we then covered the walkways with shredded pine bark mulch). The edges of the newspaper are still visible.
Linda Branagan is the Howard Co. Master Gardener tending this demo garden. We’ll report on yields later. For now, I’d give this method a big thumbs-up.

domain: agronomy


text:
JOSEPH A. MARRA
909 Midland Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704 Directions
Joseph A. Marra helps you prepare a winning strategy to negotiate with the insurance company or bring your case to trial and get your injuries and damages fairly compensated. He is committed to defending your rights and freedoms and working with you to develop an efficient path towards achieving the results you desire at a reasonable price. The Law Offices of Joseph A. Marra, PLLC has been providing expert, ethical, and reliable, professional legal services for more than 30 years. They are dedicated to prosecuting your case with the utmost vigor and protecting your right to a fair trial. The team protects the injured and works tirelessly to get you the compensation that is fair and reasonable. All cases of personal injury are dealt with at a contingency fee. They get paid a legal fee only if they were successful in your case. The Law Offices of Joseph A. Marra, PLLC, has operated with offices in Yonkers in the Bronx and Westchester County, and Somers NY.
THE LAW OFFICES OF JOSEPH A. MARRA, PLLC - Automobile, Assaults, Construction Site, Slips/Falls, Snow/Ice, Defective Products, Dog Bites, Sexual Harassment, Misconduct or Negligence, Serious Injury, Permanent Scarring/Emotional Upset, Sidewalk Defect, Safety Code Violation, Improper Repair to a Structure & Wrongful Death
TBR® Inspection Report
1750 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10710 Directions
Scott Baron has an extensive history of providing more than 25 years of experience to its clients with commitment and care. Baron has offered practical solutions for thousands of his customers and has a proven track record of maximizing the recoveries of his clients. He has dedicated himself to providing personalized, high-quality legal services throughout the state of New York. Scott Baron Associates PC recognizes that incidents can cause serious injuries as well as emotional and mental damage that can impact clients and their families devastatingly. They take pride in their communication skills with their customers and make sure they are always available to answer any questions you might have. The company has an outstanding reputation and ensures clients seek full coverage for their accidents and traumas. They genuinely trust their clients in moving beyond and beyond. Scott Baron & Partners P.C. has offices in New York, Howard Beach, and Yonkers, New York.
SCOTT BARON ASSOCIATES PC - Bicycle, Bus, Escalator, Elevator and Automobile Accidents, Defective Products, Infliction of Emotional Distress, Intentional Misconduct, Negligence, Dog Bites, Slip/Fall & Wrongful Death
TBR® Inspection Report
ELIAS J. SAYEGH, ESQ.
615 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704 Directions
Elias J. Sayegh is an accomplished lawyer who practiced personal injury and criminal law for the plaintiff. He has earned millions of dollars for his client in the fields of Personal Injury Cases, including Insurance, Property, Construction, and Motor Vehicle Negligence. The professionalism and zealous representation of Sayegh 's clients made him well respected among bench members and other Bar members. Sayegh & Sayegh protect the customer rights of Yonkers and the surrounding area. They have worked with individuals as well as with sole proprietorships and corporations, and have over 70 years of experience in combination. Their lawyer focuses on the representation of criminal defense and personal injury, so bring them your case if it includes DWI or drug crime law, Auto or truck accident law, malpractice law.
SAYEGH & SAYEGH, P.C. - Drug Crime, Slip/Fall, Whistleblower Lawsuits, Product/Premises Liability, Class Action Suits, Car, Pedestrian, Bicycle, Aviation, Auto, Trucking, Motorcycle, Pool and Water Accidents, Dog Bites, Wrongful Death, Nursing Home Abuse, Medical Malpractice, Workers Compensation& DWI Accidents

domain: law


As Trump gears up for his big July 4th bash, critics are slamming the president for politicizing the national holiday with the event, which includes military tanks lined up on National Mall, flyover jets, fireworks and a speech from Trump on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Colonel Jack Jacobs and Bloomberg View Executive Editor Tim O’Brien join Yasmin Vossoughian to discuss.
Pentagon officials have long been reluctant to parade tanks, missiles and other weapons through the nation’s capital like the authoritarian leaders of North Korea and China. They say the United States, which has the world’s most powerful military and spends more on defense than the seven next largest military spenders combined — China, Saudi Arabia, India, France, Russia, Britain and Germany — does not need to broadcast its strength.
But Mr. Trump believes that the inclusion of tanks and other weapons in the July 4 celebration, which was first reported by The Washington Post, would help to transform the capital city’s annual event into the kind of military celebration he has long wanted.
After watching the Bastille Day parade in 2017 in Paris, Mr. Trump said that “we may do something like that on July 4 in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue.” He later raised the idea of a military parade on Veterans Day, but abandoned it in the face of public opposition from city officials, private dissent from the Pentagon and a price tag of more than $90 million.
.. “You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks,” Mr. Trump said, acknowledging the damage that such heavy vehicles could do to Washington’s transportation network. “So we have to put them in certain areas.”
The president did not say where those areas would be.
.. Pentagon officials declined to comment on Monday as they wrestled with how to accommodate the president’s tank request only a few days before the event. Among the logistical concerns was how to transport tanks that weigh more than 60 tons into the popular downtown area where tourists gather to see the monuments. Moving and guarding the tanks would require staffing at a time when many troops are at home for the holiday.
Another problem is that Arlington Memorial Bridge, which spans the Potomac River and connects Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, might not be able to hold the weight.
It was also unclear on Monday where the tanks would come from.
The closest Abrams tanks appeared to be a 350-mile drive away at the 150th Cavalry Regiment, a unit of the West Virginia National Guard in Bluefield, W.Va. If the military wanted to use assets under federal control, it would most likely have to bring tanks from the Marines’ 2nd Tank Battalion at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Either way, the tanks would have to be transported by rail or flatbed truck.
“We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4,” he wrote. “It will be called ‘A Salute To America’ and will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!”
Critics of the president say his involvement amounts to a partisan hijacking of the Fourth of July event for his own political purposes.
“He’s taking an American — a national — holiday and making it about himself. And that is fundamentally wrong,” said Representative Gerald E. Connolly, Democrat of Virginia, whose constituents live a short drive from downtown Washington.
But supporters of the president scoffed at the idea that Mr. Trump’s involvement is a reason for concern. Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and vocal Trump booster, said the president should have the right to celebrate the Fourth of July as he sees fit.
“What kind of idiot do you have to be to complain that the president wants to celebrate the founding of our country?” Mr. Gingrich said, adding that he supports the idea of having tanks and other military vehicles at the celebration to honor the country’s military.
“Other than the fact they have to pay to fix the streets, who cares?” Mr. Gingrich said.
Many of the tales of controversy to emerge from the Trump administration have been abstract, or complicated, or murky. Whenever anyone warns about destruction of “norms,” the conversation quickly becomes speculative—the harms are theoretical, vague, and in the future.
This makes new Washington Post reporting about President Donald Trump’s border wall especially valuable. The Post writes about how Trump has repeatedly pressured the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Homeland Security to award a contract for building a wall at the southern U.S. border to a North Dakota company headed by a leading Republican donor.
The story demonstrates the shortcomings of Trump’s attempt to bring private-sector techniques into government. It shows his tendency toward cronyism, his failures as a negotiator, and the ease with which a fairly primitive attention campaign can sway him. At heart, though, what it really exemplifies is Trump’s insistence on placing performative gestures over actual efficacy. And it is a concrete example—almost literally—of how the president’s violations of norms weaken the country and waste taxpayer money.
The Post reports:
In phone calls, White House meetings and conversations aboard Air Force One during the past several months, Trump has aggressively pushed Dickinson, N.D.-based Fisher Industries to Department of Homeland Security leaders and Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the commanding general of the Army Corps, according to the administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions.
It may be a not-very-subtle sign of the frustration in the Army that the news leaked to the Post the same day that Semonite was called to the White House and Trump once again pressed him.*
In its latest futile gesture, the House Freedom Caucus sets its sights on ousting the man overseeing Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation...their public relations assault is not actually about his refusing to turn over this or that document related to the Russia investigation. It’s not really even about the lawmakers’ loathing of the broader investigation, though certainly President Trump’s congressional lackeys — Mr. Meadows and Mr. Jordan most definitely included — are increasingly desperate to derail it... For Freedom Caucus leaders, this impeachment resolution is about something at once much broader and far pettier: the need to make a huge, disruptive, polarizing political stink just as members head home for the long hot August recess. Especially with a critical midterm election coming, it never hurts to have some extra well-marbled meat to throw the voters. And it is unlikely a coincidence that, less than 24 hours after filing, Mr. Jordan — who, lest anyone forget, is multiply accused of overlooking rampant sexual abuse while an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University — formally announced his candidacy for House speaker.Not to make Mr. Rosenstein feel any less special, but this is the fourth year in a row that Freedom Caucusers have pulled a summer-break stunt so nakedly self-serving that it would be comic if it weren’t so odious in its quest to erode public faith in government and in democratic institutions more broadly. Indeed, for all those wondering how the Republican Party reached the point where Donald Trump could swallow it whole with his furious everything-is-awful-and-everyone-is-out-to-get-you brand of demagogy, look no further than the nihilists in the Freedom Caucus... In 2015, Mr. Meadows became an overnight political celebrity when, on the day before break, he filed a motion aimed at overthrowing the House speaker, John Boehner. That effort eventually bore fruit... In 2016, Freedom Caucus members filed a pre-break motion to force a vote on the impeachment of the Internal Revenue Service commissioner, John Koskinen. (Impeachment is all the rage with these guys.)And last summer, they filed a discharge petition demanding a vote on a repeal of Obamacare... it has only nine co-sponsors, and Republican leaders, including Trey Gowdy, the chairman of the oversight committee, have expressed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the effort... Mr. Meadows didn’t even attempt to file a “privileged motion,” as he and his colleagues did against Mr. Koskinen two years ago, which would have forced a vote before members decamped on Thursday... the issue won’t get taken up until lawmakers return from break in September, if then. (That’s the beauty of pre-recess antics: They cannot fail before members get to spend several weeks touting them back home.)
There is vanishingly little chance that House leadership will let this toxic nonsense advance — Speaker Paul Ryan already has publicly smacked down the effort — and
zero chance that the motion could amass anywhere close to the two-thirds support required for the Senate to actually remove Mr. Rosenstein.
.. This stunt is in fact so ridiculous, so unfounded, so poisonous to the Republic that Attorney General Jeff Sessions felt compelled not only to publicly defend his deputy, but also to suggest that the lawmakers involved find a better use of their time.
.. Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general who was fired in January 2017 for refusing to defend President Trump’s travel ban, tweeted a warning about the long-term damage of “using the Department of Justice as a prop for political theater.”
.. It’s not that the Freedom Caucus members don’t recognize the damage they’re doing — or even that they don’t care. It is that delegitimizing government is at the heart of their movement.
.. Conflict and obstructionism have always been their purpose, fueled by their relentless message that
- government is always the problem, that
- all experts are idiots, that
- cultural and coastal elites hate Real Americans and that
- all of Washington is corrupt and broken beyond repair.
.. As has often been noted, Mr. Trump did not invent the apocalyptic message that he has used to dazzle the Republican base. He merely distilled it to its essence. But the base had been groomed for his arrival for years, in no small part by lawmakers like Mr. Meadows and Mr. Jordan, who have repeatedly proved eager to tear down democratic institutions in the service of their own political aims.
.. So while the Freedom Caucus’s pitiful effort to oust Mr. Rosenstein should not be taken seriously on practical grounds, it is a tragic reminder of the bleak path down which the Republican Party has been slouching in recent years. The rot was there long before Mr. Trump showed up to exploit it, and it is likely to remain long after he is gone.


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When we observe mankind itself, we see vast masses of people in different parts of the globe with an improved material lot, but without corresponding satisfaction and happiness, which ought to have been the result of this external progress.
If man is to truly improve and advance, he must do so on all levels and in all spheres of life and activity. Man’s possessions have been increased, but not his joy of living.
The imbalance between outward advancements and the basic degeneracy undergone by the human individual is the root-cause of the unhappy state in which humanity finds itself today, fraught with fear, uncertainty and with a sense of insecurity.
People do not want to think of the present. Either they project themselves into a future when man will perhaps have solved all his present problems, or they think wistfully of the past when things seem to have been better. This is due to the basic error that the entire power of man’s mind, his perceptions and his senses have been totally externalized. He has not started from the proper point, his own nature. If man does not know himself, how can his life be lived successfully?
Swami Chidananda Saraswati (1916 – 2008) was the president of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh – associated with the Swami Sivananda Ashram

domain: literature


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Fine rates fall by Rs. 28,250 between March and April, 2021
JP Nagar’s ranking for waste management fell by four places between March 2021 and April 2021 according to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) Solid Waste Management Report.
In JP Nagar 2nd Phase and 6th Phase, garbage dumps on the street violate littering norms.
However, Junior Health Inspector (JHI), Jaya Prakash (J.P.) Nagar said, “No violators have been penalized in September”.
According to the BBMP’s SWM 2021 report, J.P. Nagar Ward No. 177 ranked 16th for segregation in March. But in April, it dropped to the 20th place.
The total collection of fines in March was Rs. 28,500. However in April, the total fine collection fell to Rs. 250. The BBMP’s solid waste management law 2019, fines – violators Rs.1000 for the first offence and Rs. 2000 for a repetitive offence.
The solid waste management law, 2019, also covers the segregation of solid waste.
Soumyashanto Mandal, Urban Planning Consultant-Revised Master Plan,-Bangalore 2031, BBMP said “The purpose of BBMP’s re-introduction of garbage bins in 2017 was to efficiently manage waste across the city”.
However, most of the bins in JP Nagar are not functional because they are not in a shape to hold the segregated waste.
Rakesh, a flower vendor, has been constantly requesting pedestrians to avoid littering as they turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and produce odour.
Anitha Sunkara, Pathology Professor at Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad said, “Flies from garbage waste can cause infections such as salmonella which causes typhoid fever, food poisoning and gastroenteritis. It can also trigger upper respiratory tract infections and fungal infections.”
Sivaram Tadepalli, resident of Sobha Tulip, JP Nagar 6th Phase said, “The collection of segregated waste is conducted without a miss. Wet waste is collected everyday and dry waste is collected thrice a week i.e., Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.”
About door-to-door collections and wet waste segregation, Kalyan Mohan, JHI, BBMP said, “There has been constant improvement in the segregation level of J.P. Nagar. The ward ranks first in the South Zone for waste segregation.”

domain: news


text:
European Union ministers didn’t reach an agreement about anti-dumping measures to protect the struggling European steel-making sector against cheap imports from China.
During a meeting of economy and industry ministers in Brussels summoned by UK business minister Sajid Javid, the participants agreed about the severity of the situation and proposed to hold a conference to discuss the possible action to be taken later this year.
However, for representatives of the industry that has seen 5,000 jobs cut across Europe over the past three months, the outcome was less than satisfying.
"Steelworkers whose jobs are at risk and who are seeing the impact of the dumping of cheap steel will take very little comfort from the conclusions of today's meeting,” said Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community union.
"We need action now and would have at least expected a clear statement of intent from the meeting that they will speed up reform of trade defence instruments or introduce other measures so that European steel producers are better protected from dumping.”
Prices of Chinese steel exports have fallen by 40 per cent last year according to EU steel body Eurofer.
China, the world’s largest steel producer, has seen an economic slowdown over the past year, forcing Chinese steel-makers to find markets for their products elsewhere.
"China's steel market is loss-making, so how can prices fall? These losses must be covered by subsidies or other measures," Tata Steel Europe head, Karl-Ulrich Koehler, said.
EU steel executives want the European Commission to cut the time it takes to impose duties and restore a system of monitoring steel import volumes and prices, making trade cases easier to mount and possibly acting as a deterrent in itself.
Robrecht Himpe, Eurofer president and chief technology officer of ArcelorMittal, said the EU took more than a year to put duties in place, rendering them obsolete in such a fast-moving market.
UK business minister Javid commented: "I called for these talks and they have helped to place the challenges facing the steel industry right at the top of the agenda in Brussels.
"More still needs to be done at home and with our partners in Europe, but we now have encouraging and important commitments to speed up the European Commission's work on unfair trade practices and ensure the effectiveness of state aid rules."
Eurofer has said that EU demand for steel could grow by 1.5 per cent this year, but that third country suppliers rather than domestic producers would be the main beneficiaries.
In October, Tata Steel announced it would cut 1,200 jobs in its plants in Britain as it fails to keep up with its Chinese competitors. Earlier that month, SSI decided to close coke ovens and furnaces in its Redcar steel plant after no buyer for the indebted facility has been found. The move will result in a loss of more than 2,200 jobs.


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Reigning Sound tour venues
Reigning Sound Tickets
Don't miss out on a chance to be in the audience as the glorious garage punk band Reigning Sound takes the stage for a trek across the country! This awe-inspiring group dazzles audiences wherever they perform, and you don't want to pass up an opportunity to see them at an arena near you. Garage punk aficionados are flocking from all around the nation to see this magnificent band work their magic. Not too many things can beat seeing a majestic garage punk group sing their hit songs on a big-as-life stage. You don't want to pass up a chance to see this exhilarating band belt out their fantastic songs in a live setting! Click over to StubHub as early as you possibly can, because tickets to witness a fabulous show like this one will run out very fast. Snap up a pair of concert tickets to see this spellbinding band up close and personal!
This year, Reigning Sound will stop in cities like Athens, GA, and many more to be announced! Check to see if one of these upcoming concert dates works with your schedule! As soon as you come across a live concert that works for you, mark your calendar as early as you possibly can!
Once you find a show you want to attend, always be sure to act early when you book your seats. Since this garage punk group is so popular, lots of fans are going to be snapping up some tickets, so now's your chance to score yours before it's too late. So don't delay another minute—snag a pair of tickets with just one click of a button!
Few things can beat taking a breather from life to enjoy a thrilling night out at a live show. Whether it's a Broadway play, a garage punk concert, or a live comedy show, not too many things can beat a night of fun-filled entertainment. Live shows like this one have wowed audiences for years, and they regularly sell out in just minutes. If you can head on down to an arena near you to see one of these live concerts, you're guaranteed to have a blast. It's a truly awesome experience you certainly won't want to miss out on. Luckily, scoring some tickets at StubHub is convenient and fast. All it takes is one click of a button, and you're good to go! Plus, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for the lowest ticket prices, so you don't miss out on a sweet bargain to catch a gig like this one. StubHub features several of the best deals out there, so there's no reason to pay full price. Once you pick a tour date and price that works for you, head right over to StubHub to snap up your tickets! Don't pass up a chance to be there for every dazzling moment! Take some of your friends along for a night of excitement!
Live Show Experience
If you're ready to see a majestic live show that will have you grooving along to some glorious songs, be sure to check out Reigning Sound's cross-country tour! You'll want to bring your crew along to enjoy their scintillating songs in a live setting. You'll be humming their explosive tunes to yourself days after the concert is over. Don't miss a chance to enjoy this powerhouse experience! Snatch up a pair of tickets today, and be there for every exciting moment!
Not too many things could be better than low prices for the best seats, and StubHub offers you just that. Buying and selling tickets is easy at this one-stop shop. StubHub is your go-to outlet when you're looking to snag the greatest seats on sale to a much-loved live show. Just name the act and StubHub has the best tickets available. Plus, you'll want to set up some alerts so you always know about upcoming concert info and arenas for your favorite big-name artist. Picking which show to attend is the only hard part! StubHub has your tickets to witness this explosive band live on sale right this minute, so you don't want to wait very long—be sure to order yours as early as you can, because tickets will run out very fast for this electrifying garage punk show. You're better off snapping up your seats as far in advance as possible, so you can be there for every exhilarating moment. Don't waste another minute longer! Take this opportunity while it lasts!
Reigning Sound is currently based out of Asheville, North Carolina.
This garage punk group is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. Reigning Sound first formed in 2001, and finally scored a deal with Merge Records in 2012. The band is currently made up of Greg Cartwright, Benny Trokan, Mike Catanese, Mikey Post, and Dave Amels.

domain: entertainment


text:
Thousands of oil workers in Nigeria are striking to protest violence and kidnappings in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Union members stayed away from their workplaces Wednesday, the first day of a called three-day strike. Long lines also formed at filling stations as Nigerians prepared for possible fuel shortages.
Oil workers say loading at several export terminals has been suspended, but industry officials say the strike has not seriously affected production.
The two main unions representing field workers and management want the government to improve safety at oil industry facilities in the Niger Delta. Leaders of the unions say they will meet Thursday to consider new government proposals on security. They may also decide whether to end the strike early.
On Tuesday, gunman killed a Nigerian oil worker when they attacked a boat carrying workers affiliated with U.S. energy giant Chevron.
Niger Delta militant groups say they want local communities to get a greater share of the region's oil wealth. However, many of the recent kidnappings are believed to have been carried out strictly for ransom money.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. The attacks have reduced output by some 800,000 barrels per day - nearly a third of the country's normal production.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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Hotel Sentido Don Pedro Cala San Vicente
Panormos beach is located 18 km from the main town of Skopelos on the road to Glossa. The beach is covered in rounded pebbles not sand and the sea gets deep quite quickly. A Taverna/restaurant is located across the road in the middle of the beach and one at each end of the beach. The sunset can be viewed from here.

domain: travel


text:
Weight: 1 lb 1 ounces
Length: 7 inches
Materials: Copper, Quartz, Minerals
Water Pressure: Approved for up to 80 psi
Fittings: 3/4 inch male and female hose thread
This AQUA ENERGIZER™ Garden Device is equipped with 3/4 inch standard hose fittings allowing it to be easily attached directly to your garden hose or garden spigot.
Remove your AQUA ENERGIZER Garden Device from the package and prepare to install.
Place the end of the device flush with the threads of the spigot, and twist in a clockwise direction to tighten until firmly in place.
Attach a hose to the other end of the garden device. It is ready for use!


Anxiety over the loss of American jobs remains at fever pitch. A recent Paul Krugman column in the New York Times pronounced unemployed Americans “The Forgotten Millions.” According to Krugman, the lack of federal legislation on jobs amounted to virtual abandonment of the transiently and un- employed. Well, maybe a little more than mere abandonment: “[We’re] well on the way to creating a permanent underclass of the jobless.”
Undocumented immigration and outsourcing are perhaps the two most frequently mentioned culprits of the job heist. The imagery of theft is misleading, of course; undocumented workers aren’t “stealing” American jobs so much as working ogrish caricatures of them. As for those working outsourced jobs abroad? According to City University of New York sociologist Shehzad Nadeem, their roles couldn't, paradoxically,
look more different from the very (American) jobs they’re meant to simulate.
Nadeem, who recently authored the book Dead Ringers: How Outsourcing is Changing the Way Indians Understand Themselves, conducted his research among customer support “representatives” in the call-centers of India, perhaps the emblematic case of outsourced American labor. I haven’t yet read the book -- which scores impressively on the blurb-meter -- though I’ve read some of Nadeem’s scholarly work (warning: links lead to .pdf documents) and listened to an interview of his. Two things seem especially fascinating about the labor -- and laborers -- Nadeem studied: first, the ways in which time has been refigured by outsourcing; and second, what Nadeem calls “accent neutralization,” but which can be taken to stand for a whole nexus of practices meant to (re)train Indian workers culturally.
In a straightforward sense, workers in Indian call centers are just working longer shifts at later hours with fewer breaks -- unfortunate, of course, but hardly unexpected. Through Nadeem’s careful lens, however, we see how insufficient that summary is for capturing the way time -- in all its instantiations -- is acutely and strangely felt by 24-hour call center workers.
Calls are timed and performance is determined by how quickly -- down to the minute -- customers are cleared from the board. Calls are cycled at a pace of about five to ten seconds between each call -- compacting multiple days’ work at an American call center into a single day at an Indian call center. Often, a substantial proportion of pay is determined by performance, which is effectively measured by the number of calls a worker can jam into shift. This creates a perverse incentive structure in which not only vacation and sick days are penalized, but also trips to the bathroom (which are often timed anyway). Time is not merely a framework “within” which you work, but something that saturates the work itself: a persistent pressure to meet staccato deadlines, lined up incessantly through the day. Unsurprisingly, worker burnout is high, with average turnover at some firms reaching about one year.
The lateness of the work itself disrupts the lives of 24-hour call center workers, who take up smoking, up their caffeine intake, and eat late-night fast food. For some, these behaviors manifest in significant health problems. Workers struggle to maintain routine patterns of family life. Women confront lateness perhaps most harshly, not only because of gendered stigmas against being out of home at night and perceptions of (in)appropriate feminine behavior, but also for more brutal reasons: Nadeem notes the rape and murder of two women in 2005 and 2007, and other attacks on women returning home after late night shifts at call centers. All this suggests a sad, strange story: workers spend their “days” in places completely abstracted from general time, and emerge afterwards into the deep hours of night. The unrelenting monitoring of employees, of course, stops at the door.
2. Cultural (re)training
In a February article in the Guardian, Nadeem discusses the practice of “accent neutralization,” which is not so much a practice but rather a whole system of training programs, language consultants, and eager students informed by global demand for a “neutral” English: geographically untraceable and perfectly intelligible across the world. Perhaps the best way to put it is not so much “accent neutralization,” then, but rather “neutral accentization”?
Far from being an isolated practice, accent neutralization fits in a broader program of cultural (re)training, in which Indian call center workers watch reality TV shows and films like American Pie that ostensibly offer a flavor of authentic American life. They concoct backstories and give themselves Western names, like Sean and “Cuthbert,” that serve not only as telephone-line personae but bleed into their modes of identification in everyday life. Finally, as “emotional laborers” who don faces of docility and eagerness to appease, Indian call center workers must attune themselves to the unspoken “cues” of American and British conversation. Says Nadeem in the above article: “Workers must be able to ‘pass’ as American or British and maintain their composure in the face of sometimes racist abuse by irate customers; it is simply part of their job.”
I’ll conclude my short, imperfect review of Nadeem’s work by borrowing a bit of Krugman’s scare language: yes, it seems, American unemployment has already created an “underclass” of the transiently employed. Yet, rather than being ignored or abandoned, the underclass is in fact intensely monitored; rather than taking furiously to the streets, they put on gentle, inviting faces; and rather than beating down your door, they sit, thousands of miles away, in fluorescently-lit cubicles with plastic headsets, waiting for you to ring irately about your broken TV.
*information in this section mostly derived from Nadeem's 2009 scholarly article, "The Uses and Abuses of Time: Globalization and Time Arbitrage in India's Outsourcing Industries," in the journal Global Networks.
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Publication Pattern of the Journal ?Trends in Information Management?: A Bibliometric Analysis
Author(s): Manjunatha J, Guruprasada G. M, Varalakshmi M.
The present bibliometric study has been conducted to evaluate the pattern of growth of research output published in the ‘Trends in Information Management’’ journal. The study focus on the analysis of authorship pattern, most prolific authors, most prolific institutions and geographical affiliation of contributors of the articles published in the journal during the period 2005 – 2013. There are 145 articles published in ‘Trends in Information Management’’ in 9 years. The study result found that the majority of articles 103(74.60 %) were research article and the highest numbers of articles 87(63.04%) were single authored publication. Authors from India have contributed the majority of articles 154(68.14%) followed by Nigeria 20(8.85%) and Saudi Arabia 15(6.64%). Among the total contributors S M Shafi has contributed highest number of publications 22(9.73%) whereas his major contributions 15 articles is editorial material and remaining 7 papers are research articles, followed by Zahid Ashraf Wani 6(2.65%). The highest number of the articles 22(15.17%) published in the year 2011. Majority of institutions which have contributed to the journal are academic institutions. Out of 226 institutions, the ‘University of Kashmir, India’ (87) leads with first rank followed by ‘Taibah University, (15), Aligarh Muslim University’ (9). The highest number of the papers were published on the subject area of ‘Digital Library, Digitization & Institution Repository’ and ‘Scholarly Publications & Open Access Resources’ which represent 17(11.72%) each. The majority of the articles’ 44(30.34%) citations range between 10 to 19 per article and the type of majority of citations 1003(62.38%) were journal article


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This design invokes the vintage surfboard vibe and a fun way to bring the beach home with our Swell Series.
Swell Series features:
Add Your Personalized Name or City
The exotic Hibiscus always reminds us of the shores of Hawaii and a fun way to bring the beach home with our Swell Series.
Our outdoor surfboard showers have so many great features:
We ship globally!

domain: design


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Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alice Through the Looking Glass ★★½ 1966
Based on Lewis Carroll's classic adventure. Follows the further adventures of young Alice. After a chess piece comes to life, it convinces Alice that excitement and adventure lie through the looking glass. 72m/C VHS. Judi Rolin, Ricardo Montalban, Nanette Fabray, Robert Coote, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Palance, Jimmy Durante, Tom Smothers, Roy Castle, Richard Denning; D: Alan Handley.

domain: library


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Mid-July saw Fr. Denis Wilde travel to New Freedom, Pennsylvania, near Amish country, for a Pro-Life Parish Weekend. The warm hospitality of Fr. Sylvan Capitani, who has served as Pastor for a generation at St. John the Baptist Parish, made Fr. Denis’ stay enjoyable and productive.
After hearing confessions Saturday afternoon, Fr. Denis preached at all four weekend Masses. He heard from many who expressed their thanks for his message, including a number who said they now had a new outlook on life issues. Following Saturday’s Mass, Fr. Denis and Fr. Capitani were treated to a barbeque dinner at the home of Mrs. Joy Crimmons, a newly inducted MEV.


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The Nigerian government has affirmed its commitment to defeating Boko Haram and any other terrorist and criminal organizations with its newest purchases: two Russian Mi-35M helicopters. The helicopters are designed to provide 24/7 combat use of weapons in both poor and regular climate conditions. Cameras, updated navigational finders, lasers, and target sighting systems are other advantages to the Mi-35M. In preparation for the purchase, Nigeria paid for extensive pilot training sessions. Nigeria hopes the helicopters and training sessions will give them an advantage in its fight against terrorists and gangs.
1/7/17 Nigeria (Premium Times) – The Nigerian Airforce says it has acquired two Mi-35M attack helicopters from Russia to fight terrorists and criminal gangs.
The Mi-35M is a rugged helicopter that offers round the clock combat use of guided and unguided weapons in regular and challenging climate conditions which is equipped with the latest navigation suite, target sights system, laser range finder and location finder.
“The aircraft have already been delivered awaiting official induction after which they will be launched for operations,” the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, said at a media briefing in Abuja on Friday.
He said the Air Force has also installed camera on a Beechcraft aircraft NAF 202 and NAF 204, and upgraded the camera on NAF 201 all in 2016.


The great agnostic of the 19th century, Robert Ingersoll, was fond of saying, "The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray."
Well, on September 11, 2001, we all found out - whether we wanted to or not - that the "hands that helped" belonged to the same bodies as the "lips that prayed". I am, of course, speaking about the firemen.
The lips that prayed, then, belonged to the bodies of the men who died - but not before using their hands to help rescue tens of thousands of people from a fiery death.
And let's not forget Todd Beamer, passenger on U.S. Air Flight 93 - one of the heroic passengers who thwarted the hijackers' evil plans at the expense of their own lives. Todd, a Christian, prayed the "Our Father" with a telephone operator - then said the now-famous, "Let's roll."
Hands that help = lips that pray.
After that - it was just a matter of time before Atheist Gal became Theist Gal. And I write this little piece not to condemn those who don't agree with me, but just to let them know what it was that started me back on the road to the Church.


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I’m a mother, wife, artist, and children’s book author by day. By night, I dream up delicious fantasies and turn them into the short stories you can see on this blog. Reading sexy stories was my own little saucy secret until one day it seemed natural to put my love of erotica and my wild imagination together and write a story of my own, resulting in my hot and sweaty tale, The Beach. It seemed like such a perfect setting for more illicit encounters, I dreamed up a whole series of tales for the Pleasure Island series.
Writing erotica has been an interesting adventure, and I’m only just starting out. Unsurprisingly, it’s has spiced up my own sex life, as my husband and I often dream up scenarios together, sometimes even trying them on for size. I’ve begun sharing my stories with the world and have many more in store, including two new series’, University of Desire, and Office Liaisons. Please check back often for new stories, and I always welcome your feedback and story ideas.
Where to find Roxy Hart online
The Secret Life of Lara Lovett
When a twenty-one year old woman holidays with her parents on an exotic island, an inextinguishable desire is awakened within her. Fed up with being treated like a child, and intoxicated by the beauty of the island and its inhabitants, she soon finds herself involved in a number of hot and steamy encounters, but which man will win her heart as well as her body?
A young woman escapes to an exotic island resort in an attempt to forget her cheating ex, and finds herself enthralled by a mysterious stranger on the beach. Her imagination runs wild with visions of lustful escapades. Will her fantasies become reality?
A bored eighteen year old girl goes on a free holiday with her parents to an idyllic island in the Indian Ocean. She accepts a babysitting job from a wealthy couple in order to earn some money to party. The glamorous pair soon arouse her interests… and much more. When her curiosity get the better of her, she uncovers a saucy secret that leads to an eye-opening experience for the inexperienced teen
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domain: artistic


The supermodel bared it all, well almost, as she was covered up in bright neon colors designed by makeup artist Joanne Gair for the celebration of the brand’s 60th anniversary.
“This was probably close to the 13th time I’ve been body painted by her,” the “Project Runway” host said in her blog. “You have to be good at being patient! I don’t mind sitting still for such a long time, though; it’s a living piece of art that I’m so honored to be a part of.”
According to Miss Klum, the elaborate body paint took the artist more than 12 hours to complete, but she said, “I had another fun photo shoot for Astor celebrating color!”
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- Miss DC Earth, Ashley Wade, Has First Meet & Greet Event Since Crowning
- Zendaya Coleman Covers August 2016 Issue of Essence
- Lily James Livens Up The March 2016 Cover Of Glamour Magazine
- Taylor Swift Scores February 2016 Cover Of Cosmopolitan Australia
- Emily Ratajkowski Covers InStyle October 2015: I Love French Style!


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If you want a truly pristine island experience, enjoying all the natural wonders for which the Maldives is so justly famed, then few places will match the overall quality of experience at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru.
In summary, Ritz Carlton Maldives offers Kerry Hill architecture and the best service we've ever encountered in this atoll nation.
Perhaps one day Aman will open a property in the Maldives... for the time being though, this is as close as it gets.
Given that we were arriving late into Sydney I decided to look for somewhere close to the Park Hyatt, where we'd be spending the following four nights, without breaking the bank.
Sydney is an interesting city for hotels, the area around the Opera House has a number of options around the 350AUD mark: a Four Seasons - which many say is the worst in the entire portfolio; an Intercontinental - which has a Club Lounge that is widely praised but also has some very basic looking rooms and the hotel I decided on: The Shangri-La.


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Read these Thanksgiving quotes that are infused with the spirit of the holiday. They will remind you what you should be grateful for and help to create the right mood for the warmest family celebration.
Thanksgiving nails are the detail not to miss when the festive time comes. That is why we have all these sweet and trendy nail art ideas gathered! Thanksgiving nails are that one way to grant your holiday look unique vibe, and we have only the best suggestions to share.
Not everyone knows what special vibe the properly chosen napkin rings can create. You can find a suitable look for all the occasions here. We promise – your guests will be in complete awe!


I`m trying to get my original paint 57Pan closer to factory original and would need some hardware in good but used condition ... mainly bolts
2 bolts which hold the horn to the motor mount
2 wingnuts for battery cover (and a good used cover in black)
4 bolts which hold the front hydra fork cover
2 bolts for the pipe clamps to the heads
3 bolt which hold the exhaust system
and I`m looking also for a one-piece Panhead handlebar in good usable straight black condition
Can anybody out there help?


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Glo takes Slide ‘n’ Bounce concert to Ikeja
Residents of Ikeja, Lagos, over the weekend shared the fun and thrill of Globacom’s first-class entertainment show, the Glo Slide ‘n’ Bounce concert.
The event which was held at the Ikeja Water Parks Hotel on Toyin Street attracted excited subscribers on the Glo network in the area who came to watch their entertainment idols such as Korede Bello, Burna Boy and the celebrated PSquare perform at no cost to them.
As Glo had done in several cities where the show has been hosted, the next generation network ensured that the teeming subscribers who turned up for the show were thoroughly entertained as resourceful Nollywood actor and comedian, Okey Bakassi, up and coming artistes as well as the main acts of the evening took turns to perform to the delight of the audience.
The Disc Jockey for the night, DJ Neptune, got the audience dancing to different hit tunes. The dancing competition for the night which was won by Adeosun Adeleke, attested to the limitless talents that abound in the country.
As part of the side attractions for the night, the remaining 26 contestants in the Reality TV Show, Dance with Peter (DWP), sponsored by Globacom, made guest appearances at the show. Their superlative and energetic dance steps and choreography stunned the audience and left them wishing for more.
Oluwa-Damzy, a guitarist and one of the local hands who performed at the show, stood out as the audience sang along with him while he displayed an unusual dexterity with the strings. Other local hands at the show included Neeyu, Martins, Jeffy Brown, Icee and D- Money, a younger brother to the “Akpako” master, Terry G.
The show then moved to a different level when the “God Win” exponent, Korede Bello, entered the stage with his “Adaobi” hit track. His dancing crew of five beautiful ladies was simply exotic with their acrobatic display on stage.
The coming of the Glo Ambassador and late Fela Anikulapo’s protégé, Burna Boy, completely changed the tempo of the show, and the crowd surged forward to feel the afrobeat entertainer ply his trade.
The sensational musical twins, PSquare, rounded off the evening of fun and their performance was electrifying, especially when the DWP contestants joined them on stage to celebrate with their idol and originator of the Reality TV Show, Peter Okoye.
From Ikeja, the Slide ‘n’ Bounce concert will move to neighbouring satellite town of Egbeda this weekend


The new Soma Fabrications Vanhallen 27.5 Frame is the newest offering in the Soma hardtail lineup. The recognizable Tange Prestige heat-treated butted CrMo main tubes offer a supple, lightweight ride quality. Even though this is a steel frame it still has all the makings of a modern mountain bike. The Boost compatibility, 44mm headtube, PF30 bottom bracket ensure that the Soma Vanhallen will be compatible with the newer components on the market.
Available in Candy Apple Green and Hyper Gray Metallic
Compatible with Boost Cranks
Clears 27.5 up to 3.25''' tires
Post style disc brake mount
ZS top cap, and EC44 lower, can run 1-1/8'''' with a ZS44 lower
Tange Prestige CroMo main tubes, butted CroMo rear
No eyelets for rack and fender mounts
The Soma Fabrications Vanhallen can be run singlespeed with the addition of an eccentric bottom bracket. The Problem Solvers E46 would be a crank option. The other requirement is the use of a 24mm axel crank with a threaded bottom bracket.
Due to the box size, please allow a few extra days for the Soma Vahallen frame to ship
All Mountain, Cross Country
Have Experience With This?
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asked by: Octopusbeak 1. Does this frame need to have BB/headtube/seat tube faced/chased/reamed? 2. Does White Industries make a compatible headset for this frame and the tapered steerer of the Whisky No. 9 fork? 3. Does it include rear axle?
anwered by: canteau 1) Soma does not face their frames after painting, so it's recommended that they are faced before being built, we also recommend that you use a rust treatment like Frame Saver. 2) White Ind does make a ZS/EC44 headset to work with a tapered fork. 3) The thru-axle is included with the frame
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Each week, Customer Love offers a quick snapshot of one of MailChimp’s awesome users.
What: A men’s clothing and accessories label
Where: New York
Why we love them: Durability is in the details of every item Ernest Alexander makes, from the strap of a messenger bag to the stitching on the back of a wool necktie. Founder and creative director Ernest Sabine (his middle name is Alexander) obsesses over craftmanship. His grandmother and great-grandmother were seamstresses, so manufacturing is in his blood—and that comes across in everything his company creates.


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Westgate Las Vegas’ SuperBook had the Knicks opening at 16-1 to win the 2019-20 NBA championship, the fourth-best odds in the conference, according to ESPN.
New York is behind only the Milwaukee Bucks (9-2), Boston Celtics (7-1) and Philadelphia 76ers (10-1) in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant’s pending free agency is the reason why.
The belief by Jeff Sherman, who’s in charge of the SuperBook’s NBA odds, is that the Knicks are the favorites to sign Kevin Durant this summer, and that’s why the Knicks are 16-1. The Bucks (9-2,) Celtics (7-1) and 76ers (10-1) are ahead of the Knicks, but they’d pull into second-best in the East if they get both Durant and Kyrie Irving.
“I could see them at 12-1(with Durant and Irving,)” Sherman told ESPN. “All we’re doing is making these odds based on today’s perception on where people think these guys might have a legitimate chance of going.”
The Warriors are the early favorites for next year’s NBA title at 7-4.
Of course this can all change very quickly.
Free agency should be wild.
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For all the latest breaking Sports Gossip, be sure to follow SportsGossip.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.


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Author of Scottish crime fiction and thrillers
"Forbes’s brand of ‘Highland Noir’ is shaping up to be a good series."
Hello and welcome
I’m an author of Scottish crime fiction, living in my home-town of Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. I’ve been writing novels and short stories for many years. Much of my writing is set in the Highlands and Islands and Edinburgh, although I’ve also written and published award-winning short stories set in the Antarctic and Italy.
My latest novel, Queen of Grime, was published in December 2022. It features an Edinburgh crime scene cleaner with a deadly secret that is endangering her family. It is full of grime, gore and dark humour. Spoils of the Dead, a prequel novella in the Queen of Grime series is also available as a free e-book for subscribers to our mailing list. To ensure your copy, please subscribe using the subscription form at the bottom of the page.
I began by writing contemporary and historical fiction, with no intention of turning to crime. It was a chance remark at a writing group about a short story I'd written that led to my debut police procedural novel, In the Shadow of the Hill, set in Inverness and South Harris, and featuring Detective Sergeant Joe Galbraith. It was published by ThunderPoint Publishing in 2014. Madness Lies, Book 2 in the DS Joe Galbraith series, set in Inverness and North Uist, was published in 2017.
Unravelling, a standalone crime thriller, set in Inverness, was published by Scolpaig Press in July 2021.
Deception, a dark Edinburgh tale of a relationship mired in deceit and lies, uplifted by a cast of interesting characters brought together in adversity, was published by Scolpaig Press in January 2022.
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CHICAGO: Arab Christians in the West continue to face mounting challenges of discrimination, marginalization, and even misunderstanding by other Christians, of their religious identities, experts speaking about Easter celebrations acknowledged during an interview on The Ray Hanania Radio show Wednesday.
Katherine Kelaidis, a resident scholar at the National Hellenic Museum Chicago and an expert on Orthodox Christian identity, said that much of the confusion arises from the complex diversity among Christians from the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Rev. Khader El-Yateem, director of the Evangelical Mission and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America based in Florida, said many more challenges result from a lack of understanding and recognition of Arab Christians by other mainstream Christians, and by being excluded from mainstream American fundamentals like the US Census.
“This country still does not recognize our presence. Does not recognize who we are. That is a movement we need to continue,” El-Yateem said, noting his daughter was forced to identify as being “White” rather than as “Arab” when she applied and was accepted at college this past year.
“When the Census 2030 comes out, we need to be on that census form. We need to change that college application that says no Arab or Middle Eastern. We don’t want to be lumped into this White Community which is slowly disappearing in the United States.”
El-Yateem told Arab News during the radio interview the goal must be to make “the Arab community as one” bringing together Christians and Muslims, and also being smart about engaging in American political dialogue and debate.
“I love the Jewish community. I hate the policies of the Israeli government. We have to be careful to make that distinction between the Jewish community and the Israeli government and its occupational policies which take away from the freedoms of the Palestinian people,” El-Yateem said.
He said that efforts are being made to strengthen the bond with Muslims, noting that last March the ELCA issued a declaration apologizing to the Muslim community for persecution by “the Christian Church.”
He said Arab Christians need to do a better job of educating Americans about who they are, adding that many mainstream Christians believe that Arab Christians converted to Christianity from Islam, and assume all Arabs are Muslim.
“People in America need to understand that not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arab,” said El-Yateem who agreed he identifies as a Christian by religion and a Muslim by culture.
One contributing factor to the misunderstandings many Western Christians have of Arab and Mediterranean Christians comes from the divisions that separate Christian religious sects, especially between the Christian West and the Orthodox Christian East.
“There is a general lack of understanding in America. American Christianity is an ethnic form of Christianity. They just don’t call it that. If you go to some mega church, you are practicing some form of Christianity,” Kelaidis said
“I think there is in America a lack of understanding about the complexities beyond Protestant and Catholic. I even hear people say are you Catholic or are you Christian? Catholics are Christians. I think there is a real ignorance about Eastern (Orthodox) Christianity.”
Kelaidis said that ironically, the Ukraine conflict is forcing Americans to look more closely at eastern orthodox Christians and to try to understand how the Ukraine Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church differ.
For example, while most Western Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday April 17, many Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week later on April 24.
Kelaidis said the challenges are “complicated” by extreme diversity among Arab and Mediterranean Christians. Those differences are driven by diverging views over the old Julian calendar that traces back to the Roman Empire, and the new Gregorian calendar which was changed in the 19th century, she explained.
“One of the things that is happening in the orthodox world is that the calendar has become a point of contention,” Kelaidis said.
“So, you have groups that break away over the calendar. There are groups called Old ‘Calendarist’ Groups. Their initial point of contention is they changed the calendar.”
El-Yateem said Arab Christians need to work harder to cover the challenges and must become more active in Western societies like America.
“The Arab Christian community in the United States struggled. Many of them came from backgrounds that they thought they would come to America and be embraced and they are faced with the harsh reality (that) because you come from this background (of being Arab) and you will not be embraced,” El-Yateem said.
“You … are labeled. So, we try to work very hard with our community on education in empowerment more importantly to get engaged. To be part of your child’s school. To be part of your local democratic process. Be involved in your community. That is how we can have (a) voice, how we can have power, how we can have representation.”
But both agree that Easter is a time when Arab and Mediterranean Christians will reinforce their faith, come together in their belief if not in their calendars, and face the challenges in Western society together.
One way was explained by Palestinian American Chef Tariq Nasir, whose father was Palestinian from near to Jerusalem and mother is American from Michigan. He said Middle Eastern food is a foundation of the Arab community and for Christians a celebration of Easter.
The most popular food item at Easter, Nasir said, is the making of Maamoul, an Arabian dessert sweet filled with sugared walnuts or dates. Arab Christian children would call them “slammer cookies” because their mothers would press the mixture in a wood-carved molder and then bang it on the table to get it out for cooking.
Food is central to the Arab cultural identity, he said, explaining: “I think it is because it brings everyone together. When I was a kid, the whole family would go over to my grandmother’s house and everybody would be there. All her kids and then all her kids’ kids, and we would all sit around the table. And everybody passing food back and forth. And it is just a time when everybody can get together. And Arabs, as you know, are very social and love other people.”
El-Yateem, Kelaidis and Nasir were guests on The Ray Hanania Radio Show which is broadcast on four American radio stations in Detroit, Washington D.C., Ontario and Chicago. It is hosted by the US Arab Radio Network and sponsored by Arab News.

domain: sociology


Visual Kei band ARCHEMI. announced the release of its 2nd mini album that is set to drop on December 5th, 2018.
It has been about four months since the band gained a new guitarist, Go. They already released a new single together with him in June and now a mini album will follow. The title is "aun" (阿吽) and it will feature five songs for 2200 Yen plus tax.
A oneman tour will follow one week later that will lead the band to six different locations. The tour final will be next year, on January 18th at Ikebukuro CYBER.


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Doctor insights on:
Pain Toe Knuckle
There is a sharp pain in my toe knuckles. It feels like I have to crack them, but when I do the pain doesn't go away. What could it be?
I fell down some steps couple months back. Now I have pain on my right toe knuckle when bent. Why?
I have two dark spots on my big toes (brownish color) - one on each 'knuckle' area of toe. Skin feels slightly rough there;no pain. What is it?
I am having pain in my second toe (none at base of toe) at the last knuckle and tip of the toe. It is an achy pain that seems to stay even with rest.
OH my aching toe!: You have provided a pretty good description of the distal phalanx and distal interphalangeal joint of the second toe. Often times this toe is a bit longer than the others. It is because of the extra length that this toe can be bumped or jammed more readily. Some times this type of injury is not felt initially, but is noticed some time after the fact. Often, Motrin and protecting the toe help. ...Read moreSee 2 more doctor answers
I have a lump on my second toe on top of the uppermost knuckle no pain. Should I have it looked at?
I had a complete ankle replacement over three months ago. since then have not been able to bend my big toe at knuckle and lots of pain?
Scar tissue: The tendon that flexes the great toe at the knuckle is in the back of the ankle joint and very close to the incision/bone cuts s that are made during the procedure. It is not uncommon to have scar tissue form around this tendon making it difficult to flex the great toe. This can resolve with time and rarely needs more treatment than physical therapy. Sometimes it is injured MRI can help determine ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
I got my knuckle bone taken out of my pinky toe on jan 31. I got my stitches taken out monday. My toe is in more pain than ever! why is this?
I got my: Is the toe red and swollen? Do you have a bandage on it that is too tight? Call you surgeon now and insist on appt. Asap to check the toe to r/o infection, you will need snyibiotics. In rare instances people after foot surgery develop a condition called complex regional pain syndrome with severe pain, hot/cold/ clammy skin that has to be diagnosed and treated quickly . Feel better. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Bumps on both big toe knuckles hard skin on top and it feels like a hard little rock is on the inside also. No pain unless i wear shoes that rub on it?
I've had a peasized hard bump on top of my big toe for years...in between knuckle and joint. No pain, but seems to be getting bigger. What is this?
Cyst: One examination by an orthopaedist will give u your answer. Sounds like a ganglion cyst @ your age. Older patients in this location may be a mucous or degenerative ( arthritic) cyst. Other 'nodules' etc. may be in play with a more detailed history / examination. Get examined ! Best of Luck! ...Read more
- Talk to a doctor live online for free
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- Ask a doctor a question free online
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domain: medical


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Once upon a Quilt....
Patchwork,Quilting and a little about me...
I would love a copy of your sweet little baskets! Where do I go?Thank YOU!P
Hi Christine, I would love a pattern also. The one I have is small and every time I try and enlarge it it distorts on me. Thank you!
I would like to try your baskets, thank you!:-}pokey
I would also love to have this cute little pattern, thank you
Christine,I'm doing small baskets too...but the Sue Daley pattern, and not on point, and like you I'm doing them in scrap fabrics. I'm 100 baskets done now, and 98 to go! I can see a Singer Featherweight behind yours? I've been using my old Featherweight in Dubai, but not for the baskets, but for the quilt top that I've put up on Esther's WOW for this week.I'm back in Brisbane for another week. Are you at Peppermint Stitches at all this coming week by any chance? Shaaryn
I would love the pattern also, if you don't mind. Thanks so much! So sweet, great colors.
I also would love a copy of the little baskets...your quilt looks wonderful...where do I go?
Very sweet baskets, Christine.
Hi Christine!I'd love a copy of your pattern as well!I searched when I first started seeing then on the web, but couldn't find a copy.Thanks, Take care, Leslie
Christine, I send you my info this AM after you contacted me via your phone. I am in the US in Pennsylvania. Do you have my info? Thanks again.
Hi Christine,nice pattern, I would love a copy of this little baskets.Thank youGabriele
i would like the basket pattern also please email me at email@example.com
i would like the pattern of the baskets please firstname.lastname@example.org
Hi Christine,Is it still p[ossible to ask for the pattern of the baskets? I would love to make those! Please let me know, if it is not to much trouble, if it can't be done. I would love to know where to purchase it if possible.Thanks!
Oh, my goodness! I need this pattern BAD! I love baskets and tiny quilts so please send me a copy? Thank you so much. Sharon slozano5 at earthlink dot net.
Your basket quilt is so unique! I love that it is set on point. I would love a copy of the pattern. Please let me know how I can get it. Thank you!
I would love a copy of your basket pattern if is still available... It is lovely! Where Dino go to get a copy?Thanks on advance,Elaine at the beach
Would it still be possible to get the darling basket pattern? Thank you.
OMG, please tell me I still can get the copy of your basket, they look so beautifull and fun to stitch. Thank you!!
I would a copy of your basket block. I hope it's not to late.ThanksBonnie TuckerBonnietr@aol.com
I would love to have a copy of your basket pattern. I have been looking for a pattern just like that, but hadn't found one I liked. My e-mail is Spearmanscrapper@aol.com.Thank you so much! I love all your basket blocks.
Baskets are one of my all time favorite patterns. Love your baskets! could I please have the pattern. Many thanks.
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Learn to make (and sample) creative Summer Salads at Schlessman on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. If you're tired of iceberg lettuce, this class is for you! Cool off mealtime while keeping it healthy with these salads that will introduce more veggies into your diet and that your whole family will love! This class is also being offered on Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ross-Cherry Creek Branch, Wednesday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Smiley Branch, and Thursday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bear Valley Branch.
Want an attractive centerpiece to go with your salad? Check out Summer Floral Arranging at Ross-Cherry Creek on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. Know nothing about flowers? This class will teach you some basic floral design techniques and how to design a simple centerpiece using practical tools and unique form. This is a hands-on workshop for the first 6 interested people who want to design their centerpiece during class, so come early if you want to be one of the lucky ones! This class will also be offered on Wednesday, June 8 at 6:00 p.m. at the Smiley Branch. Presented by Sarah of Ladybird Poppy.
Other upcoming SUMMER classes include:
Bicycle Commuting (at multiple locations!)
Introduction to Composting
Tips for Summer Fun
Feng Shui in the Garden
Wire & Stone Heart Craft (at multiple locations! Registration required!)
Herb Growing 101
See the complete Fresh City Life My Branch events listing for details, and join us for a fabulous summer!


Kerik's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told the Hill that he and Kerik had intended to appear before the Committee on Thursday for Kerik's scheduled deposition, then walkout over their objection to the panel's structure.
"I believe that they lack the authority to conduct depositions," Parlatore explained to the Hill. "However, Mr. Kerik does want to meet with them and to provide them with information and so therefore, we will do it by voluntary interview."
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., works as the Democrat-led panel's co-chair, though many have claimed that Republicans must have a ranking member to meet House rules. Courts have never ruled on the matter.
Parlatore told The Hill he was set to file a lawsuit following Thursday's planned deposition to seek a ruling on whether the Committee has "the power to conduct depositions because they don't have the proper constitution."
The Hill noted that such a voluntary meeting, which has been done with other witnesses, would not be under oath, though the Committee could subpoena Kerik if they don't think the meeting was helpful.
Kerik obtained space for the Trump team's "war room" at the Willard Hotel and has told The Washington Post he billed the campaign more than $55,000 for rooms for Trump's legal team and $10,000 in travel expenses. He was reportedly behind efforts looking into campaign fraud.
He has already shared documents with the committee and has previously told Newsmax that he has "overwhelming evidence of election fraud."
"I want to testify publicly," he told Newsmax in December. "I think the American people should be able to hear firsthand the overwhelming evidence we have on election fraud."
In a letter to the panel chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Parlatore said: "To be clear, Mr. Kerik very much wants to cooperate with your committee and provide all of the requested documents and to testify and answer all questions regarding these matters.
"Unfortunately, our efforts are being hampered by your insistence on using a fatally flawed deposition process rather than a public hearing."
"Given the past conduct of certain members of this committee, Mr. Kerik is understandably concerned about sitting for a deposition behind closed doors which members of the committee will later leak selective and misleading portions of, while keeping the remainder secret to intentionally deprive the public of proper context."


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Make it through, Target posted any better then expected results in November and offered an upbeat outlook as it takes business away from Wal Mart. Analysts will be closely watching how Wal Mart performs when we'll. While Wal Mart have his or her problems as some shoppers are bypassing the discounter for Target and other rivals, The sector's health depends on a vibrant Wal Mart to its sheer size.
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OTHER EQUIPMENT. SIMG FRAME GRINDERS, TURBINES AND OTHERS
SWING FRAME GRINDERS. Prepared for deburring large parts.
In this latest versión, extra improvements are incorporated into the standard, making it an ideal machine for its application.
The grinder has the following features:
- Robust, balanced chassis. It minimises the transmission of vibrations to the operator.
- Robust engine support bolted to the central body.
- Protective cover for the belt grinder made of rolled Steel, with the support coupled to the rotation shaft on bearings.
- V-belt pulley transmission.
- Defence of perforated transmission for better cooling.
- Adjustable, fold-up handlebars at the height required by the operator.
- Control panel built into the machine. With emergency stop and start-stop button, in an accesible place on the machine.
- Optional: Pneumatic tightening system, based on changing the centre of gravity of the entire grinder.
- Ergonomic design and length suitable for attaining a comfortable to-and-fro motion.
- Documentation, instruction book and CE certificate of conformity.
The turbine is the heart of every shot blasting installation. It is the element that constantly drives the abrasive with which we are working. Therefore, it should have a range of features that ensure its performance and longevity.
ALJU turbines have the ability to vary the speed of impact and flow of shot, obtaining different finishes without the need to change the type of abrasive.
ALJU turbines offer,
- High performance due to their advanced design that achieves an excellent relationship between engine power and shot projected.
- Quick, easy maintenance, because parts accesible and their assembly and dismantling can be carried out very easily.
- Very versatile turbine, that rotates in different directions.
- Polyvalent protective componentes, as they support various positions, ensuring maintenance using few parts.
- High resistance to abrasión, proven by the constant research that we carry out on new materials, which improve overall performance and profitability.
- Greater durability thanks to being able to use the turbine blade on both sides.
- Possibility of automatic guidance of the shot jet, even during the cleaning cycle.
- Swing frame grinders
- Cupola furnaces
- Degreasing tubs
This product has been assigned by the exhibitor to category:
MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT / Casting machinery and equipment / Auxiliary equipment for metal casting and smelting
This product is presented by the exhibitor: ALJU
More products of this exhibitor