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This Pride month has been a special case from past years. People seem to be more aware of companies attempting to take advantage of people's Pride, the phenomenon called "rainbow capitalism".
On another hand, it's amazed some how much acceptance can be shown, with streets, malls and more decked out in rainbow.
Taylor Swift recently joined the fray by releasing a single "You Need To Calm Down", the music video almost immediately reaching #1 on trending on YouTube and garnering over fifty-five million views.
Her song is part of Pride month as she urges people with hateful views to calm down and "not step on his gown". Her video is filled to the brim with gay, trans and drag icons, including a drag race with icons dressing up as Swift, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and more.
One of the integral parts of her song release is that she donated and urged others to donate to GLAAD, an organization committed to fighting misrepresentation of the LGBTQ+ community in the media.
Something I was extremely surprised to see was the pushback Taylor Swift received.
People decided that it wasn't enough that she provided representation in her video, that her song tells others they need to be more accepting, or even that she greatly increased donations to a great LGBTQ+ foundation. They grouped her song in with rainbow capitalism and decided that the help wasn't necessary.
I think this is ridiculous, and I want straight people (yes, even allies) to stop white knighting for the community.
There was a point where the panelists (an awesome lesbian couple in cosplay, mind you) were talking about an anime with a trans character. Someone in the back of the room raised their hand and commented that the shorthand "trans" can be offensive to some people and they should use the term "transgender".
The person who commented was not trans. They could have been gay or an ally, but they were not trans. I was just sitting there, thinking, "I didn't know I was offended by this! Trans is intentionally an umbrella term, including people of the nonbinary as well as the transgendered and transsexual."
Just like this person getting offended for trans people at Momocon, there were countless articles written by people outside the community telling us we shouldn't appreciate the song.
Even people in the community should accept the help from Swift. She did everything right in my opinion, and short of being gay herself I see nothing she could have done better with her gesture. For the most part, I'm a skeptical person. I think it's a wise decision to be wary of help and possible motives. In fact, when I saw that she released a Pride-centric song, I was wary at first too.
I'm calling off the attack hounds. Stop bashing her efforts, whether you're trying to be a good ally or a good member of the community. Taylor Swift did a good thing, with good motives and a good result.
You need to calm down.


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The greatest asset : Faith
The worst thing to be without : Hope
Success will naturally come when the necessary conditions are fulfilled; there is no need for strong pursuit.
Pipa, a Chinese lute, is the king of Chinese folk music.
Its body, by traditional Chinese measurement, is three feet five inches, representing the three powers—heaven, the earth, and man, and the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Meanwhile, the four strings represent the four seasons.
Traditional Chinese paintings:
Bamboo symbolizes loftiness, straightforwardness, and character; orchids symbolize not drifting with the current, of living a simple life; and stones and rocks symbolize strength and durability.—Qing Yan
It has pride even before it breaks out of the ground. It is filled with modesty when it is high enough to reach the clouds. — Chinese saying
“A mountain is famous not because it is high but because it has a spirit dwelling in it. A well is efficacious not because it is deep but because it has a dragon hiding in it. No matter how humble my drawing-room is, the fragrance of my virtue has brightened it. Look! The moss has already dyed the steps green! The reflective light of the grass through the bamboo curtain has colored my room a shadowy blue! Easy conversations mingled with merry laughter burst forth from the room now and then. Not a single vulgar person among my friends; they are all learned scholars. Sometimes we play ancient strings and sometimes we enjoy ourselves with the delightful books. There is no decadent music to numb our brains nor office correspondence to weary us to death. Oh! I’ve always longed for Zhu Gouliang’s thatched cottage and yearned for Yang Zhiyun’s pavilion as well. I fancy they were just as humble as mine, weren’t they? Confucius says, ‘What harm will it be to be plain?’”
A Motto for My Humble Drawing-Room : Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty

domain: artistic


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This brand-new restoration of the CÃ©sar Award-winning political thriller directed by Joseph Losey is starring Alain Delon in a career defining role with a special appearance from Jeanne Moreau. Mr. Klein, with its Kafkaesque focus on the themes of identity and obsession, has become a classic of the doppelgÃ¤nger paranoia genre and is one of Losey's darkest films. Paris, January 1942 - art dealer Robert Klein (Alain Delon) is making a killing. For this loyal Frenchman the Nazi occupation is a unique business opportunity. He stands to profit from the Jewish people's... misfortune, as they sell their possessions in a hurry to leave the country. But when a Jewish newspaper turns up on Klein's doorstep, his comfortable life begins to unravel. It seems there is another Robert Klein, a suspected Jewish Resistance fighter, who is content to live in the shadows and let his namesake take the fall. As Klein's investigation of his double progresses, the mood shifts from Hitchcock to Kafka and proving his innocence becomes less important than confronting his doppelgÃ¤nger... Extras: Introduction by Jean-Baptiste Thoret Mr Klein Revisited by Michel Ciment Interview with Henri Lanoe [show more]
We will publish your review of Mr. Klein (Vintage World Cinema) [Blu-ray]  on Blu Ray within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.


2018 Mitsubishi Xpander officially unveiled
After its global debut at the Gaikindo Motor Show last year, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation has officially launched the highly anticipated MPV in the country, the Xpander, which was revealed at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.
This new entry in B-segment crossover will be the new competitor of the Honda BR-V, and Toyota Rush, which will be launched soon in the country.
Under the hood, the Xpander is equipped with a 1.5 L 4A91 MIVEC DOHC 16-valve engine, which gives a maximum output of 105PS / 6,000rpm and maximum torque of 141Nm/4,000rpm. This enables the Xpander to have less vibration and less noise for smooth and quiet driving performance.
Outside, the Xpander flaunts Mitsubishi Motors’ Dynamic Shield design concept. It has a luxurious front grille, LED position lamps arranged in a crystal-like blocks, a unique headlight design with lamp layout that prevents the blinding effects of headlight glare. For its sportier look, the Xpander is equipped with 15-inch alloy wheels for GLX variant, and 16-inch two-tone alloy for GLX Plus, GLS, and GLS Sport variants.
The Xpander’s interior offers a lot of highly functional features. It has an interior length of 2,840 mm to provide a comfortable space for maximum of seven adults, and lets the passengers enter and exit the vehicle with ease. Access to third row seats is also made easier with the tumbling system for folding the second row seats. For an even more comfortable ride, the armrest in second row is a part of seat back which can be utilized as a large armrest to accommodate two passengers’ elbows or center space which can be used to load long items.
With its high 205mm ground clearance in seating position, the body is optimized for clear visibility with reduced blind spots. For luggage capacity, the XPANDER is the only vehicle in its class that has a flat luggage floor without bumps and gaps. Its maximum cargo capacity is 1,630 liters when both the second and third row seats are folded. The seats can be arranged in various combinations to accommodate different type of cargo.
Other features of the Xpander include 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with GPS navigation system, MP3 player/tuner with AUX, USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, and easy link feature. The steering wheel is also equipped with audio remote switch and cruise control.
The Xpander also offers superior convenience to its passengers by providing several storages/pockets for valuables and various small items. 12V power outlets are also readily available for first, second and third row passengers for more convenient trips.
You may test drive the new Mitsubishi Xpander at the MPV’s Xpo, which will also take place at the World Trade Center starting today until March 4. The gates will be open from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, while the head-to-head test drive will be held from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Mitsubishi will begin to deliver the all-new Xpander in May. The prices are as follows:
Xpander GLX M/T: Php 885,000
Xpander GLX Premium A/T: Php 960,000
Xpander GLS A/T: Php 995,000
Xpander GLS Sport A/T: Php 1,060,000


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On cue, the younger man entered the office, finding his fiancé on the floor and surrounded by a dissembled chair. He had his white noise machine playing in the far corner of the room, giving clear indication that he was stressed.
But Levi looked adorable like that—his hair disheveled and his sleeves rolled up. It made Eren all the more eager to marry him and make him into a handy husband.
“You’re still putting that thing together?” Eren laughed, walking over and joining his partner on the floor. He knew better than to touch any of it, though. Levi tended time have a system in place when putting furniture together.
“And you’re still not going to help me?” Levi teased. “This was your present. I ought to think putting this damn thing together would be a part of that.”
As harsh as he sounded, Levi truly was grateful for his Christmas gift. He’s been complaining about his stupid chair for months now and Eren jumped on this easy opportunity for a gift.
Levi was notoriously difficult to buy gifts for; anything he needed he would buy himself. And right before any anniversaries or Valentine’s Day, Levi would beat him to the punch.
But this Christmas, Eren was finally able to catch Levi by surprise. After a little research, Eren found a comfortable and expensive office chair for his fiancé.
Levi’s gratitude was never rewarding, but Eren could read his fiancé better than anybody. The raven’s simple ‘thanks’ was enough to send a punch of butterflies in his stomach.
Eren snorted. “Yeah right. I’m still traumatized from when we tried to put our bed frame together.”
“You bought the instructions in German, remember? And we still couldn’t put it together. Don’t you speak that shit?”
“Nur ein bisschen.”
“Cute. Now what do you want.”
Eren sighed. “Well, everyone’s wondering if we’re throwing a New Year’s party tomorrow night. After all, you did promise . . .”
“I don’t recall.”
Eren’s face fell flat. He stared at his partner for a few more minutes, giving him time to rethink his words. Levi chose not to notice.
“This morning?” Eren teased, his gentle reminder causing the older man to freeze. “After we showered together and I did that thing with my—“
“I say whatever you want when you get me like that,” Levi snarled quickly. “But no. No parties.”
“And why not?”
“Who’s gonna clean all that shit, Eren? Certainly not me.”
“How messy could it be?” Eren whined childishly. “It’s just a few of us. I doubt some of the older crowd would want to stay all the way until midnight.”
He was lying. Eren knew that most everyone was down for an excuse to get drunk at the firm. There was no other reason Eren would badger his hard ass of a boss otherwise.
Levi snorted. “And some might wanna do their own private celebrations, clown. Like me, for example.”
Levi grabbed at the brunet’s tie and brought him close. He felt the younger man’s breath tickle his lips as his breath hitched. Eren blinked rapidly, yet he felt a slight tingle of arousal at his gut.
“Doesn’t that sound nice?” Levi’s voice dropped. “You. Me. Tomorrow night. Drinks. That dumb charcuterie board that Erwin got us. My dick in your ass. Doesn’t that sound much better than getting drunk around people you barely like?”
“You’re a vegetarian anyway,” Eren tsked, standing up. He swatted Levi’s hand away from his tie before smoothing it out. “And no, I want a party. Give me a party.”
The older man sighed, standing and swiping at his pants. His glare tilted sideways as he pulled his phone out. He began tapping at something on his phone, scoffing and huffing as always.
Levi was no doubt, typing up a memo to send to the entire office. Eren felt a little smug at this revelation.
“You’re such a bossy bottom, aren’t you?”
“Don’t forget the streamers, old man.”
There he was.
Sasha fumbled with her envelope, her hands and feet sweating profusely. Her heart was beating against her rib cage, deafening her eardrums.
She had spent all morning agonizing over her appearance. Despite wearing the same thing as she always did and having her hair the same length and same style, she felt as though making a change would be enough.
Perhaps the change would instill some sort of bravado in her. Wearing her hair down with a cute hair clip should instill a confidence in her that her ponytail could not, yes?
“C-Connie?” She asked, stumbling over words. She tapped her shoe, ignoring the dull ache they provided from being freshly bought.
The associate turned in his chair, his eyes scanning up Sasha’s body before meeting her eyes and smiling.
“Oh, hey!” Connie grinned, making Sasha swallow thickly. “‘Sup, Sash.”
She smiled back, nauseously. “H-Hey! So, I-I had some tickets for this thing—?”
Connie nodded, listening carefully.
“It’s a New Years thing, and I was just wondering—“
“Hey, Connie!” Eren came around the corner, making Sasha release her breath. “I totally got Levi to throw a New Years party tomorrow. You’re in, right?”
Connie’s eyes widened. “Dude, you’re joking.”
“Hell no. Let’s go tell Thomas. I wanna see his face.”
“Hi Eren,” Sasha chirped, her words sounding venomous. “How is Levi.”
“Dunno,” Eren shrugged, making the girl’s jaw clench. “Let’s go, Connie. See you around, Sasha.”
Sasha huffed and turned to sit in her desk. She buried her head in her arms and groaned slightly, earning herself a sympathetic look from her desk partner, Hitch.
“This is truly awful,” Levi scowled into his drink. “I hate office parties.”
And like he promised, a party was held at the firm the very next night. The décor was lackluster, but the employees didn’t seem to mind. They seemed to be thrilled with the idea of getting drunk in the same place they worked.
There was also a karaoke machine in which Connie was frequently abusing.
“You didn’t seem to mind it before,” Eren remarked into the ear of his fiancé, remembering the first office party Levi held here.
Eren took a sip of his own drink, his mind drifting back to all those months ago. Back when he and Jean lived together and back when Eren was new to the firm.
“Yeah, well. I didn’t have someone to come home to back then.”
Eren raised a brow. “No shit?”
“So you were just gonna die alone before me, or what?”
Levi stayed silent.
“Levi,” Eren pushed. “Were you—“
“Mr. Ackerman?” Historia came around the corner, her eyes slightly wild. “Erm, I know you told me not to accept phone calls after hours, but this—um—Sorry, I’m not sure how to explain this—“
“It’s a woman. She says she’s your sister? She’s on the phone. I already linked it to your office phone.”
Levi’s eyes darkened. “And why would you do that?”
Historia dug the tip of her shoe into the ground. “I’m sorry—I’m—She was really persistent and she-she said—“
“Forget it,” Levi waved a hand. “I’ll be in my office in a second. Thank you.”
Levi slammed his drink into Eren’s chest and headed towards his office in a straight line. The door slammed and the party paused momentarily, recognizing the body language of their pissed off boss.
Eren pursed his lips and decided to wait right outside, whenever Levi needed him.
“Hello?” Levi spoke, his heart racing in his chest. His voice sounded as stoic as ever, and he wasn’t sure if this was an appropriate greeting for someone like Isabel, but better than nothing.
He was standing over his desk, his phone in the palm of his hand. His office chair was still dissembled on the floor right by him, glaring at him in the moonlight.
“Levi?” Her voice rang through the other end of the line. “My god, is that really you?”
He was tempted to lie. He had no inclination to make amends with his sister, someone he hasn’t seen or heard from in nearly twenty years.
How old was she when Levi was disowned? She couldn’t have been more than 13. That’s the age of someone who can think semi-critically, right? So why would she act out on Levi as well? Why would she abandon him like that.
“Yes,” Levi choked out, crossing his arms. “How did you find this number?”
“I’ve been looking,” Isabel breathed. “I—For some reason, I thought you might’ve changed your name.” She laughed humorlessly. “But you’re still going by the same name. That’s amazing. I can’t believe it’s really—“
“Magnolia. Isabel Magnolia.” Isabel answered. “I changed it as soon as I moved out. I can’t believe I found you again. I’m so sorry for what da—what he did to you. That wasn’t fair. I’m so sorry, Lee.” Her voice broke off at the end, being interrupted by her muffled cries.
Levi’s heart wrenched at her sobs, but he had so many questions. She sounded desperate and heart-broken, but why would she claim to hate Levi too back then?
The raven spent all these years resenting each member of his family. He never thought to give any of them the time of day. In fact, he dreamed of the moments he could all throw them the middle finger and exclaim how proud he was of himself. Maybe he was wearing a rainbow thong, maybe he had his face painted blue, but now that he was here . . . Now that this was a reality, his heart couldn’t help but listen and forgive.
“Why would you do that to me?” Levi asked coldly. “Mom and Dad said you moved away because you didn’t want to be gay like me.” The older reiterated the story he was told, almost as though he burned it into his skull for the past two decades.
“I didn’t!” Isabel gasped. “I swear on my grave I didn’t and never would. I was sent to another boarding school because I defended you, Lee. I promise up and down that is what happened. We need to catch up. Seriously.”
“I don’t want to.”
Levi’s knee jerk reaction made his throat feel closed off. His heart thumped and he almost immediately regretted those words, but he had to stand by them.
He couldn’t regret his choices.
Isabel was silent for a heavy moment. “Levi, please—“
“No!” He cried, almost childishly. “You had all these years to find me and you never did! Why now? You made me feel alone and you made me feel like shit.” His words sent heat to his cheeks and he felt tears prick at the backs of his eyes.
“You’re not mad at me,” Isabel stated, almost rehearsed from her end. “You’re mad at him. I had nothing to do with him, Levi. I promise. You can either believe me or don’t, but if you have enough forgiveness for mom, I hope you have some left for me too.”
Levi slammed the phone down on the receiver and choked out a sob he didn’t realize he was holding.
He doubled over his desk and let the tears run free, dripping down his pale skin and collecting at the bottom of his chin. He sobbed into his arm and pounded the desk with his fists, his heart clenching and his throat dry like sand.
At some point, Levi ended up on the floor next to his desk. He had his head hanging low between his perched knees and his arms over his head.
He stayed like that for an hour or so, his tears going dry long ago. He might’ve drifted off a couple of times, but his mind felt raw.
The door to his office slowly creaked open and Levi lifted his head, seeing the familiar shape of his fiancé standing in the door.
“Everyone’s on the roof,” Eren smiled softly. “The countdown is soon. Care to join me?”
Levi wanted to shove him out. Levi wanted to curl himself in a ball and bask in his dangerous concoction of self-loathing and daddy issues all by himself. Fuck some stupid fireworks, Levi had his bed to cry into.
“I ought to punch you in the mouth,” Levi grumbled, standing and grabbing his coat from the top of his desk.
“If that makes you feel better. Now come up and follow me, you damn grinch.”
“Clown.” Levi muttered half heartedly.
The roof was cold as hell. The wind was bitter and cold, biting at Levi’s pale skin and making him shiver.
He cuddled into the big arms of his fiancé and scowled into his familiar chest.
Levi wanted to hate it. He wanted to hate this so bad and talk down to it. He was absolutely not in the mood for any New Years magic, but god damn it if he didn’t love the way Eren smelled all around him. There was comfort and softness in the way Eren held him and buried his nose into Levi’s neck.
The view was nice as well. Their office building wasn’t superbly tall, but it was enough to give a tall view of the street and twinkling lights beyond.
The air was filled with sounds of the gentle roars of the street. There was music playing somewhere and cheers coming from the opposite direction. Levi wanted to hate this feeling so bad, but Eren was just too damn convincing.
“Can we hurry this along?” Levi chattered, holding his jacket closer to himself.
“Only you would ask time to move faster for your convenience,” Eren teased, pressing a small kiss into Levi’s temple.
Levi rolled his eyes and dug himself further into Eren’s arms. He was grateful Eren didn’t ask about the earlier phone call. He assumed the brunet might’ve learned his lesson from meeting his parents at Christmas time. God bless the man for being a fast learner.
The screech of a firework interrupted their conversation and a streak of green shot into the sky before exploding and fizzling.
Levi blinked at the sight. There was something awe-inspiring about being this high in the air and seeing such a bright display.
Shortly after that, a few more fireworks went off around them. Levi jumped slightly, causing Eren to laugh in his ear. Levi smacked him playfully and met with his dazzling, sea green eyes in the dark.
“You’re such a dumb ass,” Levi scolded, shifting himself to face his fiancé. The wind whipped their hair, nipping at their ears and blowing harshly.
Eren looked so stunning like this. His skin looked almost ghostly in the night, his dark hair whipping and moving like brilliant flags and his eyes . . . God his eyes were gorgeous.
Eren cracked a grin. “You love it.”
“TEN!” Voices shouted around them.
“I’m glad we could do this,” Eren confessed, his thumb reaching up to brush Levi’s cheek.
Levi chuckled. “You know I only do this shit for you, right?”
“Of course,” Eren placed a small kiss on his forehead. “And I love you for it.”
“I really don’t deserve you,” Levi confessed, his words running out like water. “You’re perfect. I—“
“No, it’s true. All the bullshit you deal with—“
“Don’t say that,” Eren urged, his bright eyes searching into Levi’s.
Levi jerked his head away and avoided eye contact, his cheeks blazing with fire. Butterflies bloomed in his gut, furthering his feelings of embarrassments
“Look at me,” Eren encouraged.
“No,” Levi choked stubbornly. “You’re—God damn it. Fuck, Eren.”
“Levi,” Eren spoke more sternly, grabbing his chin and forcing the older to make eye contact. “I’m meant to be here. With you.”
“ONE!” The voices chanted higher.
Eren pressed his chapped lips against Levi’s as cheers and fireworks went up all around them.
Levi sunk himself into the feeling of warm lips and the familiar smell of his lover, his arms wrapping around the back of Eren’s neck unashamed. There were whoops and hollers all around them, the night sky being illuminated with sprays of multi-colored light.
The raven found warmth in the booms and sizzles of the fireworks above, his heart soaring out of his chest.
“Happy New Years,” Eren smiled, pulling away first.
Levi smiled lazily, the bliss in his heart making him feel like one of the fireworks shooting into the sky.

domain: literature


Watch the archived May 2nd Beat!
Bolcom and Morris were witty, fun and shared so many great stories. If you missed the live stream, here is your chance to check it out. If you were part of the real time experience, you can enjoy it again. Thank you to all of the singers who submitted videos performing a Bolcom piece. Andrea from […]


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Generate income From Your Cent Manage Vouchers
It is hard to think of that individuals that are generating income from offering dime items on Instagram are not enjoying this business significantly. The key reason for their immense success is that they have recognized that offering little pricey products on Instagram can be a really financially rewarding methods of creating some quick profits. There are countless local business operating on the social media system as well as if you are among the fortunate ones, you might end up running one of them also. The question that arises is how can one find such a company, let alone make a great deal of cash out of it? Just like any type of various other occupation or organization, investing in an Instagram photo service chance is not mosting likely to be simple. For one point, it is important that you know which type of products that you intend to market. In instance you are thinking of offering digital products, you must check out those that have huge versatility. If you are wanting to make big profits, you will most definitely require to offer electronic media. If your products include barcodes, the exact same rule relates to them. As a general guideline, it is highly recommended that you stay away from marketing items that are not suitable with Instagram. For example, if you wish to market things such as tees with barcode published on them, you ought to make sure that you upload these pictures on a barcode-specific platform. Among the most significant obstacles that you will deal with as an online marketer that is mosting likely to offer little items such as penny supplies, is that there is no universal platform for Instagram picture sales. You will certainly need to deal with the truth that there are just a couple of on the internet business that give access to picture sharing solutions. As a result, if you wish to boost your revenues, you will have to find a firm that will certainly offer you with accessibility to a checklist of numerous firms that have comparable items. Bear in mind that you will have to send your photos to these business using your social networks accounts. This implies that you will have to upgrade your web page each time you add a brand-new photo to make sure that you do not lose the opportunity of marketing those pictures the next time you update your page. So as to get even more direct exposure for your products via social networks platforms, you will certainly require to go seek various other ways in which you can promote your cent bargains. For the most part, this suggests blog writing. A lot of business owners that are looking to make a profit from dime products have one point in common: they do not like writing. However, this is not a need. You will certainly have the ability to go blog site concerning your items in your extra time and also this will aid you to construct your brand name. There are a variety of blog writers who are passionate regarding advertising their websites, and this is one reason that you will certainly discover most of them giving promo code codes. When you wish to benefit from the possibilities supplied by social networks platforms such as Instagram, you will certainly need to supply promo code codes that will enable individuals to access your website for free. In order to do this, you will certainly need to have an Instagram account. For that reason, in the spirit helpful you gain even more cash from your dime bargains, it remains in your benefit to search for some Instagram promo code codes and then use them to your users to ensure that they can access your web page free of charge. Although you might not have actually realized it, there are a variety of other ways by which you can generate income from your cent deals. Undoubtedly, among one of the most popular methods is to run offers and afterwards reverse and also sell them at a later day. As you can see, there are numerous ways in which you can market your product and help to make more money while doing so. The vital point is that you locate a way in which you can give more value to your individuals and that you benefit from every possibility you are offered.

domain: economics


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Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and MPP for Guelph, is the first Green MPP elected to the Ontario Legislature in 2018.
Biodiversity protections are not red tape
March 10, 2023
QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the Ford government’s ongoing consultations on updating Ontario’s biodiversity strategy.
“By failing to protect Ontario’s biodiversity, we are setting ourselves up for an uncertain future.
Strong, healthy ecosystems are the foundation of our communities, our environment, and our economy.
But to date, the Ford government’s track record on protecting them has been abysmal.
Since taking office, they have gutted conservation authorities and made devastating funding cuts to programs that limit the spread of invasive species.
They’ve pulled the plug on protecting species at risk and introduced pay-to-slay legislation that lets deep-pocketed corporations ignore the Endangered Species Act.
And they’ve repeatedly delayed their climate impact assessment for no clear reason.
Doug Ford thinks environmental protections are red tape. But Ontario Greens know that protecting biodiversity is the fiscally responsible thing to do.
By doing so, we’re building strong natural environments that strengthen our food security, protect our drinking water, build resilience to climate fueled extreme weather events, and improve our mental wellbeing.
This ongoing consultation is an important opportunity to hear from the people of Ontario on the biodiversity protections they want to see from this government.
Ontario Greens will continue to hold the Ford government accountable and push for a better biodiversity strategy that protects the systems that are so vital to our province’s wellbeing.”


Lava Agni 2 5G Price
There is talk of Lava Agni 2 5G that this mobile can be launched in the Indian market in the month of mid-March or April. The sale of the phone will also start shortly after its official launch. Talking about the price, it is speculated that this Lava mobile can be offered at a starting price of Rs 20,000 and the price of the Pro model can also be seen up to Rs 25,000.
Lava Agni 2 5G specs
The Lava Agni 2 5G phone can be launched with an Octacore processor, in which the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset can be seen. 8 GB of RAM can be provided in this phone, with which 128 GB of internal storage can be featured. However, this Lava mobile can be expected to be available for sale in more than one memory variant. Also Read: Nokia’s New Low-Cost Smartphone Nokia G22 Is Coming, Specifications Revealed
Lava Agni 2 5G can be equipped with a triple rear camera for photography. A 50-megapixel primary sensor can be placed in the rear camera setup of this phone, which will be equipped with the OIS feature. At the same time, for selfies and video calls, this smartphone can be launched by equipping it with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera sensor.
A 6.5-inch HD+ display can be provided on the Lava Agni 2 5G phone, which will run at a 90Hz refresh rate. For security, where the power button of the built-in fingerprint sensor on the side panel of this smartphone can be placed, for power backup, a 5,000 mAh battery can be placed in this Lava mobile which will be equipped with charging technology 44W fast.


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Portabella and crimini mushrooms rank with carrots, green beans, red peppers and broccoli as good sources of dietary antioxidants, Penn State researchers say.
N. Joy Dubost, who recently earned her doctorate in food science at Penn State, measured the activity of two antioxidants, polyphenols and ergothioneine, present in mushrooms, using the ORAC assay and HPLC instrumentation, as part of her dissertation research. She found that portabella mushrooms had an ORAC value of 9.7 micromoles of trolox equivalents per gram and criminis had an ORAC value of 9.5. Data available from other researchers shows carrots and green beans have an ORAC value of 5; red pepper 10; and broccoli 12.
The ORAC assay, the most well known test of antioxidant capacity, focuses on the peroxyl radical, the most predominate in the human body. Free radicals, such as the peroxyl radical, are thought to play a role in the aging process and in many diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's and atherosclerosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that those who eat the most fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants have lower incidence of these diseases.
Dubost detailed her results in a paper, Quantification of Polyphenols and Ergothioneine in Cultivated Mushrooms and Correlation to Total Antioxidant Capacity Using the ORAC and HORAC Assays, presented Monday, June 26, at the Institute of Food Technologists meeting in Orlando, Fl. Her co-author is her dissertation adviser, Dr. Robert Beelman, professor of food science.
Dubost explains that assays are a first step toward determining how effective a food is in providing protection against oxidative damage. Anti-oxidants inhibit increased rates of oxidation, which can damage proteins, lipids carbohydrates and DNA.
She adds, "The ORAC assay does not tell what happens in the human body but this assay is currently under investigation as to how it can predict physiological activity."
The Penn State study showed that the anti-oxidant effect of mushrooms is due primarily to the presence of polyphenols. Dubost and Beelman had earlier identified mushrooms as an abundant source of the anti-oxidant, ergothionene.
Dubost notes, "Evidence suggests that erogothioneine is biologically very important and, even though the assay used does not show it contributes to total antioxidant activity in the mushrooms, it may significantly contribute antioxidant activity in the body."
The ORAC values found in the latest study indicate that mushrooms are potent anti-oxidant sources. The research revealed that, of the mushrooms tested, portabella mushrooms and crimini mushrooms have the highest ORAC values. Criminis, which are brown, are otherwise similar to the popular white button mushroom, the one mostly commonly consumed in the U.S. The white button mushroom has an ORAC value of 6.9, above tomato, green pepper, pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, and green beans.
Dubost says, "You don't have to eat only the vegetables with the highest anti-oxidant capacity to benefit. If you eat a variety of mushrooms along with a variety of other vegetables, you'll be getting a variety of antioxidants."
The study was supported by The Mushroom Council, NutriCore Northeast and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.
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domain: chemistry


text:
The Observatory produces a quarterly newsletter with information on its latest activities and enforcement tools, as well as news about its stakeholders from all around Europe.
International IP Enforcement Summit 2021
The 4th International IP Enforcement Summit was held online on 22 and 23 June. It gathered information from key actors on the ways to improve the protection and enforcement of IP rights, notably in the online environment and worldwide.
The summit highlighted strategic and practical guidance and shared good practices as well as showed how the fight against counterfeiting and piracy could contribute to a healthier society, a more sustainable environment and a stronger economy.
Exchanges focused on IP infringement online and how to facilitate cooperation with intermediaries, including the use of new technology in the fight against IP crime and the importance of collaboration and sharing of data.
Several sessions also concentrated on the misuse of online intermediary services and how this can be addressed.
The 3rd edition of a study to analyse trends in the global trade of fakes, carried out by the EUIPO in cooperation with the OECD, was also released.
If you want to read more about the summit or watch the different discussions you can do so from the summit’s web page.
IP in the Digital World and Awareness
The Out-Of-Commerce Works Portal goes live
‘Forgotten stories can once again become our shared history’
In order to help cultural heritage institutions fulfil their mission to benefit European culture, Directive (EU) 2019/790 introduces a legal framework to support cultural heritage institutions in the digitisation and cross-border dissemination of out-of-commerce works. Out-of-commerce works are works, such as books, films, or visual works that are still protected by copyright but are no longer or have never been commercially available.
Following a series of user tests between 18 and 21 May 2021, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Observatory have officially announced the launch of a new Out-Of-Commerce Works portal on 7 June 2021. You can read more here.
World Anti-Counterfeiting Day: launch of Pan-European media campaign
On the occasion of the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on 8 June, the EUIPO launched its 2021 Pan-European Awareness campaign Risk and damages posed by IPR Infringement in Europe.
The campaign implemented in collaboration with stakeholders and notably consumer associations, focuses on online infringement of IPR and the risks for consumers. Coverage achieved in all media (print, audiovisual and online) and across all Members States has been extensive with 1 472 clippings and a total of EUR 10,877,375 of AVE (advertising value equivalent). Most of the coverage has been in οnline media (80 %) followed by print media (11 %), radio (8 %) and TV (1 %).The top 5 countries with the highest coverage are Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria and Portugal. Over 85 articles have appeared in the non-European press.
You can read more here.
The EUIPO Observatory launched a call for proposals Grants 2021 – Closing date 08 June 2021
On 13 May the EUIPO Observatory held an information session and launched the fourth call for proposals to support awareness raising activities on the value of Intellectual Property and the damage caused by counterfeiting and piracy. The submissions are currently under evaluation and successful projects can expect to be notified in July.
Following previous editions in 2015, 2017 and 2019, the EUIPO has launched its fourth call for proposals to raise awareness on the benefits of protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) and on the damage caused by the infringement of these rights, while highlighting the importance of IP in supporting creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. You can read more here.
New web page with information on e-commerce marketplaces IP protection tools
E-commerce keeps growing and plays an important role for many businesses. But what can you do if you discover a potentially infringing or counterfeit version of your product for sale on an e-commerce marketplace? Or what to do if somebody is using your trade mark in an e-commerce listing to mislead consumers?
To protect your business and customers the very first step is to get the listings removed. The EUIPO has been working with a number of e commerce marketplaces to gather information on their IP protection tools to make it easier for you to take action and use the resources they make available.
You will find the new web page here with information about notification systems, IP protection programs and contact points for the e-commerce marketplaces that have provided the EUIPO with this information.
If you have any questions please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship with IdeasPowered@school resources
The IP in Education project has a very clear mission to promote creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and responsible digital engagement among young Europeans. We collaborate with all the 27 EU education ministries, national IP offices, other EU institutions and several umbrella organisations in the field of education.
On 6 May 2021, IP in Education Network representatives from education ministries, IP offices and other relevant bodies met virtually to exchange views and participate in discussions on IP in education across Europe. You can read more here.
Together with our stakeholders, the IP in Education team has created plenty of resources and materials that promote IP. Have you ever visited IdeasPowered@school resources? There, you will find plenty of interesting games and activities. The Creativity Diary in all the EU languages is well worth checking out! You can read more here.
Estonia joins agorateka
Estonia is the latest country to join agorateka, linking 5 portals (Jupiter, Estonian shorts, Pro-music, Just Watch and SROC) that guide users to legal Series & Films, Music and Sports events. With this new addition, the initiative now covers 23 countries and over 2800 Legal Offer Sites. Work developed to explore how to facilitate updates of legal offer sites in national aggregators, notably the possibility to channel information from users via a mailbox.
Enforcement and SMEs
IP crime among the 10 priorities in the fight against organised crime
The Council adopted on 26 May the conclusions setting the 2022-2025 EU priorities for the fight against serious and organised crime through the European multi-disciplinary platform against criminal threats (EMPACT). This includes a new priority on economic crime that covers among other things ‘IP crime, Counterfeiting of goods and currencies’. Reflections are on-going on how the Observatory can best support the implementation of this priority. You can read more here.
EIPPN Workshop 2021
On 20 May 2021, the EUIPO and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (EUROJUST) held the seventh annual workshop of the European Intellectual Property Prosecutors Network (EIPPN), again by videoconference. The network brings together prosecutors for IP and related serious crimes who deal with criminal investigations and prosecutions in the EU and beyond. The workshop let them share experiences and best practices. Themes discussed this year were ‘Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Crime’, ‘Illegal IPTV Streaming and Video-on-Demand’ and ‘Domain Name Abuse’. More than 60 prosecutors from the EU and neighbouring countries participated in this half-day videoconference.
Virtual IP Seminar on Enforcement with the Republic of Serbia
A virtual Intellectual Property (IP) Seminar on Enforcement was held by the EUIPO in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (IPORS) on 12 May 2021.
During the seminar, the latest developments in EU customs regulation and the recent study on IP infringement and its links with criminality were discussed by the EUIPO’s Observatory speakers. You can read more here.
Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP 2021)
The EUIPO Observatory is assisting the EU Commission DG JUST in the implementation of the “Hybrid Activity” on counterfeit dangerous products within their Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP 2021).
In the CASP activities market surveillance authorities (MSA) focus of safety aspects of products. Counterfeiting is a domain for which MSA usually do not have legal competence to intervene. However, from the angle “product safety” they can.
In the current project EUIPO put customs and MSA together. Customs will assist in identifying counterfeits at the border that then will be tested on safety aspects by MSA.
We are hoping to get data from this project that underpins the assumption that counterfeits are potentially also a danger for the safety of consumers. We are following up to our study “Qualitative Study on Risks Posed by Counterfeits to Consumers” published in June 2019. A training activity was scheduled for Thursday 1 July.
EUIPO Enforcement Online Seminar. IP crime: a current threat to consumers and EU member states
Over 26-27 April the EUIPO (Observatory) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) held an online event on the enforcement of IP rights.
The seminar addresses challenges related to the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), focusing on the current threat of IP Crime to consumers, and the EU Member States more generally. You can read more here.
Reports and Studies
Global Trade in Fakes – A Worrying Threat
The European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, based at the EUIPO, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) work together to publish studies and research on global trade in counterfeit and pirated products. The reports analyse the impact on the economy and the share of international trade affected by the phenomenon.
The latest study in the series, Global Trade in Fakes: A Worrying Threat, analyses the scale of the worldwide trade in counterfeit goods. It is an update of two previous studies on this subject, published in 2016 and 2019, respectively. You can read more here.
The report is available here.
Social Media — Discussion Paper: New and existing trends in using social media for IP infringement activities and good practices to address them
This discussion paper explores new and existing trends whereby social media functionalities are misused to infringe IP rights directly, to support IP-infringing activities happening through other channels, or to provide information on such activities. It identifies some of the challenges faced by IP owners, law enforcement authorities and social media companies in addressing these trends. Most importantly, it lists the preventive and reactive good practices developed by social media services to counteract these trends.
The discussion paper is available here.
Monitoring and analysing social media in relation to IPR Infringement report
The growth of e-commerce has been well documented, but how the rise of different technologies and consumer habits has affected IPR infringement on the internet and, in particular, on social media platforms, is not clear. Therefore, EUIPO decided to conduct a study to better understand the volume and frequency of IPR infringement on social media. You can read more here.
The report is available here.
Economic impact of COVID-19 crisis in IPR-intensive industries
This study analyses the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on industries that use intellectual property rights (IPRs) including trade marks, designs, patents and copyright, intensively. The analysis is based on the Short-Term business Statistics (STS) from Eurostat, and on previous research carried out jointly by the EUIPO and the European Patent Office (EPO). You can read the study here.
Following the publication of the study, the Observatory has updated the quarterly IPR indicators to monitor the recovery phase during 2021 and beyond, for the European Union and the four largest Member States.
You can read the first update with data up to March 2021 here.
Report on the EU Enforcement of intellectual property rights: overall results of detentions, 2019
Following the publication, in December 2020, of the reports of Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) and the EUIPO on the detention of goods infringing IP rights at the EU border and in the EU internal market respectively, this report allows an overarching view of the overall detentions of fake products in 2019 as reported by EU Member States. You can read more here.
The report is available here.
Interagency Cooperation at National and International Level: an assessment of good practices aimed at improving IPR enforcement
The Observatory has published the updated version of the 2014 report on ‘Inter-Agency Cooperation at National and International Level’. The updated report has been prepared on the basis of data provided by the Observatory public sector stakeholder representatives in 2020.
You can find the report here.
Focus on Cybersquatting: monitoring and analysis
Cybersquatting involves bad faith registration and/or use of another company’s trade mark or other distinctive sign in a domain name, without having any legal rights or legitimate interests in that domain name. Rights owners have often expressed their concern over cybersquatting, particularly since the expansion of the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) begun in 2012. The purpose of this study was to quantify the phenomenon of cybersquatting and to describe the methods and the business models employed by cybersquatters, thus providing a basis for fighting the phenomenon more effectively.
The study is available here.
European Commission — Report on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries
The European Commission has published its Report on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries (Third Country Report).
The Third Country Report identifies countries outside of the European Union in which the state of intellectual property protection and enforcement gives rise to the greatest concern and provides an update of the existing Commission’s list of priority countries. You can read more here.
Recent European case-law on the infringement and enforcement of intellectual property rights
The Observatory published a new report of important and recent decisions relating to the infringement and enforcement of IPRs.
The new edition contains more than 170 summaries of key judgements from the national courts and the preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice of the EU. The most recent from May 2021 are listed in the first part. The second part covers previous decisions issued from 2018 until April 2021.
The document includes summaries produced internally by the EUIPO but also selected contributions from national Intellectual Property Offices.
On 25 March 2021, the Observatory participated in a ‘Workshop on Intellectual Property in Performing Arts’ in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was organised by the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM) and the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), in partnership with IP Key South-East Asia (SEA).
The workshop’s aim was to provide a platform for exchanges from performing art practitioners, varying from directors and playwrights to university students. The sessions provided detailed information and insights on copyright and related rights from the perspective of both the EU and Thailand.
In mid-May, the Observatory together with the European Agency for Judicial Cooperation EUROJUST participated in a ‘Colloquium on Effective Legal Remedies for the Enforcement of IP rights in South-East Asia’ for judges and prosecutors. The event was organised by IP Key South-East Asia. The colloquium addressed issues around civil and criminal enforcement of IP rights. It permitted the European experience to be shared with representatives of the region.
At the end of May, the Observatory shared findings from recent Observatory studies and other activities at an IP Key South-East Asia organised event entitled ‘Conference on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy in South-East Asia’. During the two-day event, the focus was on identifying effective means of combating counterfeiting and piracy in the region. Beside Observatory and other European speakers, representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam contributed with in-depth knowledge and shared best practices.
From 31 May to 11 June, the Observatory participated in the ‘1st Regional Seminar on Cultural Industries and Intellectual Property as a factor for economic growth’ organised by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The seminar covered a range of subjects, namely raising public awareness, examples of anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting campaigns in the European Union and intellectual property in education, including frequently asked questions and practical examples.
The seminar’s aim was to generate specialised knowledge on copyright as a key factor in strengthening cultural industries and the socio-economic development of the Latin American region (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela). The seminar targeted employees of public or private organisations working in Latin America in the fields of copyright, the cultural and creative industries, or in the education sector.
80 million seized – Europol fights counterfeit pesticides
1 203 tonnes of illegal pesticides were taken off the market and criminal profits worth up to €80 million were seized during Europol’s recent operation against counterfeit and illicit pesticides. Between 13 January and 25 April 2021, Europol coordinated operation Silver Axe VI. It targeted the trade in counterfeit and illegal pesticides. The operation involved law enforcement authorities from 35 countries, and was supported by the EUIPO under the 2020-2023 SLA with Europol. You can read more here.
Update of the 2019 grant beneficiaries
The IPPI project has entered its long-awaited final phase. The final event and competition between the participating classes from Italy and Spain took place on 28 May. The competitors have prepared videos responding to challenging tasks related to social media. The competition included a quiz roulette and a case study.
Moreover, CC Umbria has recently upgraded the IPPI webpage. It is now hosted on the new website of the Chamber of Commerce of Umbria.
Brain Ideas 2.0 is successfully raising students’ awareness of intellectual property.
DECO just finished implementing a set of online awareness sessions at schools, reaching more than 2 000 students so far, and a set of online conferences in universities for future teachers, reaching 805 participants.
To celebrate World IP day, DECO promoted the Brain IDeas 2.0 Game Week, starting with an Open Class, for all interested schools. They also challenged schools, students and teachers to play an Interactive Board Game. The main goal was to raise IP awareness through a fun educational activity.
We had more than 1 000 students and teachers joining in with this activity, and they played more than 2 000 games!
Legalna Kultura organised #Jatorozumiem (#Igetit) workshops in the Catholic Primary School St. Padre Pio in Zamość on the occasion of the National Week of Libraries, in which the pupils in years 1 to 3 participated.
Who creates culture? And to whom do cultural goods belong? How can cultural goods be stolen? What can we do for our favourite creators? What are legal sources of culture? What does it mean to be fair to others? And why is intellectual property important? These are the questions that the children received answers to during the workshops. To explain the concept of IP, the trainers used helpful exercises, discussions and an engaging presentation.
Also, ‘I get it!’, a project even coordinated by Legalna Kultura, aims to educate people on the use of cultural resources that are useful in science, teaching and creative work. You can read more here.
The year-long Music Moves Hungary project by ProArt closed with the grand finale of the Big Student Music Test on 14 May. The event was held online with 11 finalists who did the best on the music test and at the invitation-only semi-finals.
The goal of the edutaining quiz, that was done by over 17 thousand students, was to:
- educate the target audience about copyright and piracy issues in the music industry;
- encourage students to participate in the creative process with a better understanding of copyright-related legalities and respect for creativity.
The quiz was promoted and supported by a series of videos of the ‘Zeneguruképző’ with exciting topics related to the secrets of the music industry.
The different branches of the year-long programme were designed with a three-fold purpose:
- to present the abstract legal concepts of copyright in a real-life context;
- to get students to see the real the damages that piracy does to the creative process;
- to encourage them to pursue a creative career in the music industry.
Update on Observatory Expert Groups
The Impact of Technology EG held an online technology workshop on 6 May. The meeting gathered experts in new technologies that might affect intellectual property infringement and enforcement. Participants were introduced to Digital Mobile Networking (GSM-6G) and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. They discussed their impact on intellectual property related infringement, enforcement, criminal investigation and evidentiary matters. The outcome of the meeting will be reflected in the 2021 edition of the Intellectual Property Infringement and Enforcement Tech Watch Discussion Paper .
The next workshop is scheduled for the end of 2021 and will focus on Blockchain trends, IT forensic tools to analyse cryptocurrency transactions and non-fungible tokens (NFT). The EG also contributed to developing the methodology of the current study on the impact of artificial intelligence on infringement and enforcement of copyright and designs. In the near future, all of the members of the EG as well as other experts will be interviewed by researchers from the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute that has been entrusted with doing the research. The report should be finalised by the end of the year.
The Cooperation with Intermediaries EG held its most recent online meeting on 29 April. The meeting covered: the status of the group’s work in relation to social media, payment, logistics and transport; an update on the EUIPO’s strategic project, ‘Enhancing IP protection in e-commerce marketplaces’, which was initiated based on the work of the Expert Group in online platforms; an update from the European Commission (DG GROW) on the implementation of its IP Action Plan and its ongoing work on the EU Toolbox against counterfeiting.
For the next steps, the EG will finalise the discussion paper on Payment as well as the scoping document on transport and logistics. A new drafting group on transport and logistics will also be set up. The EG will also be consulted on the Automated Content Recognition Paper before its publication scheduled in Quarter 3 2021.
On 15 June, the discussion paper ‘New and existing trends in using social media for IP infringement activities and good practices to address them‘ was published. After having looked at domain names (discussion paper released in March 2021), the EG examined how social media are misused to infringe IP directly, support IP infringing activities happening through other channels or to provide information on such activities. It identified some of the challenges faced by IP owners, law enforcement authorities and social media services in addressing those trends. Most importantly, it identified preventive and reactive good practices developed by social media services to undermine these trends.
The Outreach EG has advised on the implementation of the Pan-European Campaign, launched on the World anti-counterfeiting day. The Outreach EG has also suggested topics for panel discussions and breakout sessions, as well as relevant speakers for the International IP Enforcement Summit on 22-23 June. The next meeting is expected to be in the autumn.
The Legal EG contributed to the methodology for the artificial intelligence report mentioned above. It will also be contributing to the Green Trade Mark Study. The Legal EG is expected to meet during the third quarter of this year. On 25 May, a webinar was organised to present the ‘International judicial cooperation in intellectual property cases – Study on legislative measures related to online intellectual property infringements: phase 2‘. Members of this expert group contributed to that study.
The International Cooperation EG hosted an online meeting on 27 May on the subject of IP Enforcement in Africa. The participants were given a case study and tips on protecting intellectual property rights in Africa. They were also given an update on the AfrIPI project. On 7 July this EG will hold its next online meeting. The agenda includes discussions on implementing action points agreed in 2020, as well as updates on enforcement activities and the EU Funded projects
The Observatory Expert Groups guide the implementation of Observatory projects in specialist areas. Experts give their own personal opinions – they do not represent any organisation or institution.

domain: law


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Mount Emei 峨 眉 山
Mount Emei is located in Leshan City in Sichuan Province, in southwestern Sichuan Basin, located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, standing in between the Dadu and the Qingyi, in the southwest of Emeishan City, 7 km, 37 km east of Leshan City, is a famous Buddhist mountains and tourism resort, the "Emei world show" called, is a set of Buddhist culture and natural scenery as one of the state-
Mount Emei Wan Foding peak elevation of 3079.3 meters. The whole situation and towering majestic mountains, rich vegetation, verdant vegetation, and therefore, "Hung Show" laudatory. Because a considerable height, size large, climbing routes near Barry, the formation of a strong challenge for ordinary climbers. In recent years, built a climbing rope, visitors have been easy to board, thousands of miles to the very top overlooking the sea of clouds, in the golden dome can enjoy "sunrise", "sea of clouds", "Buddha" and "shengdeng" four absolutely King. Mount Emei Buddha is the most magnificent spectacle. A total of dozens of Buddhist temples on Mount Emei, the temple has many fine collection of Buddhist treasures. Many elderly people endure the hardship devout Buddhist, step a break, after 10 days before the Peak. Searching for a myriad of tourists are attracted across the oceans, after several twists and turns, over several years beginning from the Hill is willing to cozy. Emei beautiful natural scenery, a good environment to make it become the base for exploring spot, Qiuxian monastic ideal of the premises.
Mount Huangshan 黄 山
Of all the notable mountains in China, Mount Huangshan, to be found in the south of Anhui province, is probably the most famous. Originally known as Mt. Yishan it was renamed Mt. Huangshan in 747 AD in recognition of the legendary Huang Di, who was the reputed ancestor of the Chinese people and who made magic pills for immortality here.
Wu yue is the collective name given to China's most important mountains, namely Mt. Taishan in Shandong Province, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi Province, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi Province, Mt. Songshan in Henan Province and Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province. It is said that you won't want to visit any other mountains after seeing wu yue but you won't wish to see even wu yue after returning from Mt. Huangshan. This saying may give you some idea of the beauty and uniqueness of Mt. Huangshan. Together with the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Great Wall, Mt. Huangshan has become one of the great symbols of China.
Mt. Huangshan can boast not only of its magnificence but also its abundant resources and great variety of zoological species, for which it has been listed as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.
Hong Kong 香港

domain: geography


The 2020/21 club season has reached a thrilling conclusion around Europe. Who triumphed and who will play in which European competition next season?
Manchester City reclaimed their Premier League crown from Liverpool but the drama went to the final day elsewhere on the continent…
La Liga: Atletico clinch the title on dramatic final day
Atletico Madrid were crowned La Liga champions for the first time in seven years after holding off the title challenge of city rivals Real by coming from behind to beat Real Valladolid 2-1.
Second-half goals from Angel Correa and Luis Suarez overturned Oscar Plano’s opener to secure silverware for Diego Simeone’s side.
Victory for the visitors relegated Valladolid and proved vital as defending champions Real were denied successive titles by their city rivals.
Atletico, who finished two points clear of Zinedine Zidane’s men at the summit, went into the weekend in pole position but faced a Valladolid side desperately seeking points in the scrap for survival.
Real Madrid were forced to settle for second in La Liga despite coming from behind to beat Villarreal 2-1.
The defending champions had to win their final match of the season and hope for a slip at the last by Atletico, but their rivals’ result meant what happened at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano was irrelevant in the context of the title race.
Villarreal face Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday and, had they held on against Real, they would have guaranteed a return to that competition next season, but their seventh-place finish means as things stand they will play in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
Champions: Atletico Madrid
Champions League: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla
Europa League: Real Sociedad, Real Betis
Europa Conference League: Villarreal*
*Villarreal will book Champions League football if they beat Man Utd in the Europa League final
Relegated: Huesca, Valladolid, Eibar
Serie A: Juventus make Champions League after Napoli crash
Inter Milan clinched their first Serie A title in 11 years, ending Juventus’ run of dominance – but Andrea Pirlo’s side were reprieved in their bid for Champions League football on the final day.
Juve eased past Bologna 4-1 thanks to two goals from Alvaro Morata and one each from Federico Chiesa and Adrian Rabiot, Riccardo Orsolini pulling one back for Bologna.
They faced an anxious wait to see if Napoli had beaten Hellas Verona but the 1-1 draw in Naples meant Gennaro Gattuso’s side suffered a heartbreaking end to the season, crashing out of the top four after failing to overcome the 10th-placed visitors with nothing to play for.
Napoli will drop into the Europa League qualification spots along with Lazio, while Roma came from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Spezia and book a Europa Conference League spot by finishing seventh. Could a reunion with Tottenham await Jose Mourinho?
AC Milan secured second spot with a 2-0 win over Atalanta but both sides will play in the Champions League next season.
Champions: Inter Milan
Champions League: Inter, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
Europa League: Napoli, Lazio
Europa Conference League: Roma
Relegated: Benevento, Crotone, Parma
Bundesliga: Historic record for Lewandowski
Bayern Munich wrapped up another title and Robert Lewandowski broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old Bundesliga goal-scoring record for a season on the final day when he scored in the last minute of their 5-2 win over Augsburg, taking his tally to 41 goals, one more than the former Bayern great.
The Poland striker is already second on the all-time scorers list in the Bundesliga, with 277 goals now, behind only Muller’s 365. Muller set the previous record in the 1971/72 season with 40 goals, which Lewandowski equalled last week.
Erling Haaland scored twice and Marco Reus got the other goal for Borussia Dortmund to finish third with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
And though RB Leipzig had secured Champions League football, Union Berlin’s 2-1 victory thrust them into the Europa Conference League.
At the other end of the table, former Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen were relegated for the first time since 1980 following their 4-2 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach, along with already-relegated Schalke.
Cologne will go into the relegation play-offs.
Champions: Bayern Munich
Champions League: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg
Europa League: Frankfurt, Leverkusen
Europa Conference League: Union Berlin
Relegated: Schalke, Werder Bremen
Ligue 1: Lille win first title in a decade
Lille won their first title since 2011 as they pipped PSG on the final day.
Lille, who have the league’s best defence, won 2-1 at Angers to finish with a club record of 83 points, one ahead of PSG who beat Stade Brest 2-0 to end up second one point behind.
Monaco needed both teams above them to lose and to beat Lens handsomely if they were to capture an unlikely title, but could only draw 0-0 to finish their campaign.
At the bottom of the table, Nantes’ 2-1 defeat at home to Montpellier saw them relegated alongside Nimes and Dijon.
Champions League: Lille, PSG, Monaco
Europa League: Lyon, Marseille
Europa Conference League: Stade Rennes
Relegated: Nantes, Nimes, Dijon
Who are the winners of Europe’s other leagues?
- Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax
- Portuguese Primeira Liga: Sporting Lisbon
- Russian Premier League: Zenit Saint Petersburg
What is the Europa Conference League?
Tottenham will find themselves in UEFA’s new Conference League competition next season. But just what is it?
The UEFA Europa Conference League will be the third UEFA club competition and run alongside both the Champions League and Europa League.
The idea behind the Europa Conference League is to give more clubs a taste of European football, particularly sides from countries that struggle to qualify for the other two UEFA competitions.
Read in full here


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1960’s Joe Burton Race Used Sprint Car McHal Speedway Helmet
Helmet used by Sprint Car driver Joe Burton. This great-looking period helmet was used by Burton on dirt race tracks around the Indianapolis area in the mid-’60s. Burton was the brother of famous Motorsport artist Ron Burton. The battled scared helmet has a black orange and yellow scalloped design on its white base that was painted by brother Ron. It also so still wears a black peak that has the word ‘Hosea!’ painted to it and full-face shield visor and as is when Burton last used it.
A great piece of vintage early 1960’s Sprint Car memorabilia that would look good amongst any collection.
This helmet comes from the famous Ron Burton Collection. The helmet is one of 170 helmets that were on display at the famous Union Jack Pub in Speedway (Indianapolis) Indiana. Ron Burton is a famous artist who often traded his paintings with drivers for one of their helmets. We are proud to offer this unique collection of many one-of-a-kind helmets and artwork.
The helmet comes with a Certificate Of Authenticity.


|Click to enlarge|
||54448||Long Sleeve Belted Double Breasted Pin Dot Print Fleece Jacket by Robert Louis |
Features a large collared neckline, double button panel front, two side button pockets, and a wrap-around tie.
Machine Washable 100% Polyester
||53780||Full Zip Front Zebra Print Soft Plush Fleece Hoodie by Effeci Machine Washable 100% Polyester |
||53747||Full Zip Front Arctic Fleece Hooded Jacket with Button Detailed Pockets by Effeci |


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"People who love my songs want me to sing more in Hindi," says Bhupen Hazarika - poet, music composer, singer, actor and filmmaker all rolled into one.
The Complete Bhupen Hazarika launched on Thursday is an album with Hindi tracks for his loyal fans. The popularity of his Assamese and Bengali music for films has gained immense popularity. Considering his popularity even among people who do not speak these two languages, Virgin Records asked Hazarika to cut an album with only Hindi songs. The Dadasaheb Phalke award winner for lifetime contribution (1993) completes a full circle with this collection of songs.
The Complete Bhupen Hazarika has 10 songs composed by Hazarika, sung by a mix of young and reputed artists including Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hema Sardesai, Shaan, Ishaan, Mahalaxmi, Arpana, Suneeta Rao, Dominique and Rekha. Curiously every song begins with Hazarika singing a line in Assamese and then another artiste breaks into Hindi. Explaining why every song begins in Assamese, he says, "Every song has a genesis therefore I sing it in Assamese. This symbolises the Hindising of the Assamese song. The songs are about universal sentiments. There are 10 moods on the album."
While the words in Hindi have been penned by Amitabh Varma, they are inspired by Hazarika. Except three songs - 'Dil Hoom Hoom Kare' from 'Rudaali' penned by Gulzar, 'Duniya Parayee Log Yahan Begane' from 'Darmiyaan' by Javed Akhtar and 'Ganga' written by Pandit Narendra Sharma.
An impressive video of the track Ganga has been shot by Pradeep Sarkar and is currently on rotation on the music channels. Hazarika has rendered this track and he is accompanied by other singers. This song, he says, was originally composed in Assamese as an ode to river Brahmaputra in 1995 and inspired by Paul Robson song Old Man River.
Speaking on the selection of singers on the album, he says, "I knew what kind of voice was needed for my songs. I decided on the singers keeping this in mind."
Hazarika loves the idea of creating more Hindi albums and he has two projects on hand already. Says the multifaceted, 74-year-old, never say die artiste, "I will go on doing more. I am working on one project with Lataji and another with Ashaji. I am very serious about my Hindi listeners now."
Other than these projects he has given music for painter M F Husain's film 'Gaja Gamini' and Kalpana Lajmi's 'Daman'. Speaking about his experience with Husain, Hazarika recollects, "There are no dialogues in the film and the music had to be a tuneful dialogue. To work with him was like you are giving 24 canvases rather than frames in a minutes."
Very few would know that Hazarika started his career as a child actor in the film 'Indramalati', the second talkie film made in 1939. He started singing at the age of 10 and since then he has been a prolific artist. When asked why he has not cut more Hindi albums in the past, he says laughingly, "I was lazy." We disagree on that Dr Complete Hazarika.

domain: celebrity


text: Did you know that Fort Bend county has some of the highest Home Insurance rates in the United States? Crazy... right?! The reason that some of the big carriers are so expensive is that they want to price themselves out of the market due high risk exposure. If you're with one of the big name brands... you might want to re-shop your Home Insurance with Rockland. We represent over 50 different Regional / Smaller Insurance carriers... and by small, we mean they write business in 10 states instead of 50. They offer just as good of coverage and service as the other carriers without passing on the High Insurance premium.


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What is the best treatment for peripheral artery disease?
Physical Activity. An effective treatment for PAD symptoms is regular physical activity. Your doctor may recommend supervised exercise training, also known as supervised exercise therapy (SET). You may have to begin slowly, but simple walking regimens, leg exercises and treadmill exercise programs can ease symptoms.
How do you fix arterial insufficiency?
There are 2 main types of revascularisation treatment for PAD:
- angioplasty – where a blocked or narrowed section of artery is widened by inflating a tiny balloon inside the vessel.
- artery bypass graft – where blood vessels are taken from another part of your body and used to bypass the blockage in an artery.
How can I improve my peripheral arterial circulation?
Your doctor may prescribe daily aspirin therapy or another medication, such as clopidogrel (Plavix). Symptom-relief medications. The drug cilostazol increases blood flow to the limbs both by keeping the blood thin and by widening the blood vessels.
How do you treat peripheral vascular disease?
You can help keep peripheral vascular disease from progressing in several ways:
- Not using tobacco products.
- Exercising regularly.
- Limiting fat and following a healthy diet.
- Managing your risk factors — such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Is walking good for PAD?
One of the best exercises for PAD is walking. This low-impact activity elevates your heart rate and — once you get through the initial challenges — can help improve mobility over time. You’ll likely have some discomfort when you start, but it will go away as you continue walking.
What are the signs and symptoms of arterial insufficiency?
- Painful cramping in one or both of your hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs.
- Leg numbness or weakness.
- Coldness in your lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side.
- Sores on your toes, feet or legs that won’t heal.
Can I reverse peripheral artery disease?
There’s no cure for the disease. But lifestyle changes, exercise, and medication can slow the progression of PAD and possibly reverse its symptoms.
Does walking help peripheral artery?
Walking is especially good for you Several randomized clinical trials have shown that walking can make a real difference for people with peripheral artery disease, says Emile R. Mohler, III, MD, late Director of Vascular Medicine at Penn Medicine. “Any other exercise is fine.
What kind of doctor treats poor circulation in legs?
A vascular physician will diagnose any conditions, prescribe any medications you might need, and formulate an actionable treatment plan for managing your poor circulation. You may require medication or procedures to treat your conditions, but your doctor will also recommend lifestyle changes.
Can blocked arteries be treated with medication?
In serious cases, medical procedures or surgery can help to remove blockages from within the arteries. A doctor may also prescribe medication, such as aspirin, or cholesterol-reducing drugs, such as statins.
Do you elevate legs with PAD?
Positioning: It is recommended that people do not cross their legs, which may interfere with blood flow. Some people manage swelling by elevating their feet at rest. You should elevate your feet but not above the heart level.
Should you wear compression socks if you have peripheral artery disease?
You shouldn’t wear compression stockings with peripheral artery disease, and wearing them if you have diabetes and PAD can be dangerous. These garments can exacerbate PAD symptoms by impeding already-limited circulation. If you’re wondering if compression socks are good for PAD, the answer is typically no.
What is the treatment for acute peripheral vascular insufficiency?
Treatment options for Acute Peripheral Vascular Insufficiency. Treatment for PVD is based on age, symptoms, severity, and preference. If symptoms are minimal then simple lifestyle changes may help. This includes exercising, healthy eating, and smoking cessation.
How is peripheral artery disease treated?
Treatment for peripheral artery disease has two major goals: Manage symptoms, such as leg pain, so that you can resume physical activities Stop the progression of atherosclerosis throughout your body to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke
How common is peripheral arterial insufficiency in older adults?
In the years 2012 and 2013 department of vascular surgery, University Hospital Rijeka admitted 169 patients older than 70 with peripheral arterial insufficiency of type Fontaine III and IV That number represents 68.8% of total number of patients admitted for peripheral arterial insufficiency.
How are blood clots prevented in peripheral artery disease?
Medications to prevent blood clots. Because peripheral artery disease is related to reduced blood flow to your limbs, it’s important to improve that flow. Your doctor may prescribe daily aspirin therapy or another medication, such as clopidogrel (Plavix).

domain: medical


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||The Bodacion is a mix between a Dalmatian and a Bearded Collie. They can have the personality of either breed, but are generally loving companions.
||The coat can be shorter like the Dalmatian, or longer like the Bearded Collie.
||Bodacions are playful, affectionate and loyal.
||Bodacions generally get along well with children and other pets, if they are socialized well as puppies.
||The coat needs regular brushing and occasional bathing.
||The Bodacion responds well to gentle, consistent training.
||This breed needs regular exercise in a large yard.
|Country of Origin:

domain: pet


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The theme "Warm Walls" at the Stenograffia festival has become very popular among artists. It’s a wonderful idea to draw something on a wall, which most of the time surrounded by cold and dull weather, that will remind of summer throughout the year.
Please meet merops. These tropical birds, which are considered to be one of the most beautiful ones in nature, appeared on the five-storey building in Orenburg.
Photographer Maxim Loskutov

domain: hobby


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Vegetable Grill ClipsFOOD/DRINKOUTDOORS
Nothing makes vegetables taste better than grilling them. Cook up a storm on the BBQ with these vegetable grill clip! They feature serrated teeth and a spring hinge to secure your veggies in place. Perfect for asparagus, zucchini, peppers, or any other long vegetables. Line 'em up and get them on the grill!

domain: food


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Out DJ Alyson Calagna debuts as Saturday’s Purple Party headliner
SCOTT HUFFMAN | Contributing Writer
International circuit party veteran — and Purple Party Weekend alum — DJ Alyson Calagna is excited about coming back to Dallas. Saturday night will mark the out DJ’s seventh appearance at the annual weekend of parties. In years past Calagna has spun at Sunday afternoon tea-dances, but this year she’s headlining the main event on Saturday night.
“I’m humbled and honored,” Calagna says of being asked to return to Purple. “It feels like family to me. It started pretty small. I remember it growing and growing each year. I’m really happy to be a part of that change and to have been with them so long. It’s gratifying and rewarding.”
Whether Calagna is in the DJ booth cueing up tracks that she produced (like the current Billboard chart-climbing remix of Yoko Ono’s “Woman Power”) or those that others have produced, she promises to take the dance floor crowd on an inspirational journey.
“What I’ve kind of stuck by is if [the music] moves me, then I play it,” Calagna says of her trademark. “It’s all about finding energy [through] peaks and valleys, yet still tying music together and telling a story. There kind of needs to be a flow between beginning, middle and end. It’s a storytelling experience. It’s a lot like life.”
Calagna draws from a vast collection of dance tracks that transcends both time and musical genres.
“I firmly believe that [music] doesn’t have an expiration date,” Calagna says. “The beautiful thing about music is that, in one moment, you can be catapulted into a memory that can be from your childhood or high school or anything. It’s so funny how we say, ‘I used to love that song!’ We put it in the past tense. The truth is we still love the song, but we just haven’t heard it.”
As a female DJ in a male-dominated circuit world, Calagna also believes that music has no gender.
“When I was coming up, there were not a lot of us,” Calagna says of her female colleagues. “It was really, really hard for me to break through. It’s easier in a sense now, but it still is not as accepted. For some reason, there is a bit of a stigma.”
Calagna recalls one particular appearance several years ago during Orlando’s Gay Days as a pivotal moment in her career — a night that elevated her circuit party credibility.
“It was the first Arabian Nights after-hours that I did for Disney,” she recalls. “At the end of that, I remember feeling like
‘What the fuck just happened?’ That gig was kind of like the shot heard round the world. People from all over the country were there.”
The secret to Calagna’s success before and since, she says, has been to follow her instincts.
“Pretty much what pushed me through was to be myself — to be OK with exploring sound and constantly being a work in progress,” she says. “It’s easy to go with what everyone else is doing, but in the end you’ll hurt yourself. Just follow you, be you, and play you.”
Calagna and her partner recently relocated from Florida to Colorado. With a hectic travel schedule both stateside and abroad, the in-demand DJ realized that she had really begun to miss nature.
“I really enjoy living in [a place with] four seasons. It’s good for me. I like the change – the physical change and the energetic change,” she says.
She has noticed, however, a recent population boom in Colorado. Could it be that her fans have followed her there? “They followed me or they followed the legalization of marijuana,” Calagna quips. “I’m not sure.”
15 years of making a difference
Purple Party is Dallas’ world-class weekend of spectacular circuit celebration. The three-day succession of dance parties features captivating light shows and crowd-pleasing sounds from the globe’s most popular DJs.
The Purple Foundation, one of the largest all-volunteer nonprofit charity dance organizations in the U.S, has raised sizeable funds each year since 2001 organizing the weekend of dance and social events. Now in its 15th year, it has made a difference in the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS, giving proceeds to beneficiaries including AIDS Services of Dallas, Resource Center and Legacy Counseling Center.
“I’m very proud and excited that Purple Foundation is celebrating 15 years of producing Dallas Purple Party and 15 years of making a difference in the community, foundation President Blake Baker said this week. “I’ve been involved with the organization for the last 10 years, and I’m very happy to have seen Purple Party grow from a small regional event to one of the largest in the country.
“But, being the biggest isn’t what makes Purple Party so special,” Baker continued. “It’s knowing that we are really making a difference in our local community with people and organizations that really need our help. The difference we are making is clear. When ASD can say they built a new kitchen for their residents because of the money we donated, we know the work we are doing is really helping people.
“Ask anyone that’s ever attended our weekend and they’ll tell you, there’s just some special about Purple Party and we couldn’t agree more.”
Here’s a rundown of this weekend’s events, with individual ticket prices (online and at the door). All-access passes are also available. For more information, visit PurpleFoundation.org.
• Ivan Gomez, Ignite (Station 4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road, Friday, 9 p.m. $15–$20). The Barcelona native has taken the U.S. by storm, headlining A-list events including Palm Springs’ White Party and Miami’s Winter Party Festival. The DJ’s sets are propelled by a mixture of house genres including tribal, progressive, tech and underground. (J Warren of Dallas opens. Special Rose Room performance by Trixie Mattel from RuPaul’s Drag Race — see interview Page 17.)
• Doug Jackson, Roar! (Dallas Eagle, 5740 Maple Ave. Friday, 9 p.m. $5 suggested cover). South Florida’s DJ has served as spinner-in-chief at several of the nation’s hottest bear events including Provincetown’s Fireman’s Ball, NYC’s FurBall and TBRU’s BearDance. Jackson’s sound mixes progressive, techno and tribal grooves with big room vocals and deep bass rhythms. (DJ Perry of Dallas opens.)
• Wayne G, Rise pool party (Sisu Uptown Resort, 2508 Maple Ave. Saturday, 1–7 p.m. $35–$40). A former resident DJ at London’s Heaven, Wayne G is known internationally for his impressive skills. He is also noted for an imposing discography having produced dance floor remixes for divas Lady Gaga, Madonna, Katy Perry and the late Whitney Houston, and seamlessly blending house, electro and tribal sounds into his exhilarating sets. (MNDO of Dallas opens.) Note: Dallas Voice will be shooting photography for its upcoming Annual Swimsuit Edition at the Rise pool party. Come to the party and win a chance to appear in the coverage.
• Alyson Calagna, The Purple Party (South Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St. Saturday, 9 p.m. $60–$80). The high priestess of sound (see interview, this page) has earned top billing at the world’s biggest dance and circuit events. Her profound and unmistakable signature style will transport revelers on a spiritual journey that rises above both musical genre and time. (Shane Stiel of Los Angeles opens.)
• Danny Verde, Revival (Hall of State in Fair Park, 3939 Grand Ave. Sunday, 4—10 p.m. $35–$40). Italy’s Verde returns for his third consecutive Purple appearance. Verde has remixed some of popular music’s biggest names including Cher, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Avicii and Selena Gomez. His high-energy sound is fueled by driving beats and powerful, uplifting vocals. (Brandon Moses of Dallas opens.)
• Paulo, Glow (Sue Ellen’s, 3014 Throckmorton St. Sunday, 10 p.m. $25–$30). Portugal native DJ Paulo has headlined parties including Montreal’s Black and Blue Festival, NYC’s Alegria, Orlando’s Gay Days and Sydney’s Mardi Gras. He also boasts impressive production credits with remixes for artists including Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera. His hypnotic, percussive blend of tribal and percussive house sound promises to entrance the dance floor. (Mike James of Dallas opens.)
— Scott Huffman
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 8, 2015.

domain: news


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FILE - In this March 4, 2019 file photo Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey speaks at a news conference in Beauregard, Ala. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is apologizing after a radio interview described her wearing blackface during a college skit in the 1960s. Ivey issued a statement Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 saying that she does not remember the sketch or ever wearing blackface but wanted to “offer my heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes.” (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)More
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says she should not have worn blackface in a college skit decades ago, but she does not plan to resign over something that happened so long in the past.
Ivey told reporters Tuesday that "she should not have done that" and it's important to apologize.
The governor has no plans to quit. She said it was "something that happened 52 years ago and I'm not that person."sonos sonos One (Gen 2) - Voice Controlled Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa Built-in - Black read more
She said her administration stands for being inclusive.
Ivey last week apologized after a 1967 college radio interview surfaced of her then-fiance describing her wearing "black paint all over her face" in a skit.
Ivey acknowledged wearing blackface six months after she told The Associated Press that she had never worn blackface. Ivey said she doesn't remember the skit.
all right reserved for yahoo news


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The Bank of England will release the new polymer £20 note featuring artist JMW Turner into general circulation on Thursday.
It will replace the current £20 note, which features noted economist Adam Smith.
Both notes will be accepted as legal tender for a period of time before the old one is withdrawn. The Bank of England has not yet announced when the old note will be discontinued but will give a notice period of at least six months.
The Bank of England is calling it “the most secure bank note yet,” with two windows and a two-colour foil to thwart fraudsters.
The note also contains a “tactile feature” to help vision-impaired people identify it.
Collectors are already clamouring for early and rare serial numbers, which could end up worth a small fortune.
The Bank of England has confirmed that some AA notes will definitely be entering circulation. When the new plastic £5 entered circulation in September, those with the rare AA 01 serial number sold for hundreds of pounds online.
Meanwhile, a AH 17 75 serial number sold for a whopping £3,600 as it featured the date Jane Austen, who appears on the back of the note, was born.
“The introduction of this new £20 note is a great step to cutting down on fraud which is a thorn in the side of small firms,” said Mark Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
“As the most common note in circulation, small firms will be pleased to see the money they are working with is going to become safer and more secure. This will mean that small businesses can spend time and money on other issues away from fraud.”
He added: “Around a quarter of all high street transactions for small firms is carried out using cash which is why a continued investment in the safety and security of cash is so important.
“More than 10% of small firms are already enacting anti-fraud measures in a bid to cut down on traditional business crime and this move that will go some way to helping businesses.”


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Channing Tatum Has the Cutest Birthday Message for His Wife
It's Jenna Dewan-Tatum's 34th birthday, and her husband Channing pulled out all the stops.
The Magic Mikestar tweeted out a sweet message Wednesday of two hand-made drawings he made for the "best mommy and wifey," as their daughter Everly is only 1 year old.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best mommy and wifey in the whole world!!! pic.twitter.com/q0WMtF3t6n— Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) December 3, 2014
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Cutest Celeb Kids
That's not all. Tatum, 34, was a good sport and also got a pedicure with her!
Jenna captioned the photo with a funny message, "It's my birthday and hubby does what I want him to."
The couple has been together since they first met on the set of Step Up in 2006, and they later married in 2009.
While Channing's adorable drawings further proves it, even Jenna knows she's one lucky wife. This past September, she talked about Channing being a supportive husband to Us Weekly. "He's amazing," she gushed. "He's a loving, loving dad for sure."
Take a look at the anticipated sequel, hitting theaters July 1, 2015, below.
Follow Rosalyn on Twitter: @RosalynOsh


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Tyros is an idyllic part of the Peloponnesus with background the Myrtoan Sea, the wonderful superblue beaches that offers us unforgettable days and nights.
Our house is located in an environment full of natural beauties . Its distance from Athens is 195km. There is daily road connection.
The characteristic Peloponnesian hospitality is offered generously wrapped in conjunction with the marvelous Greek cuisine, the many cafe and minimarkets .


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Mercury Basic Facts:
Mercury Periodic Table Location
Mercury Electron Configuration
Short Form: [Xe]4f145d106s2
Long Form: 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d105s25p64f145d106s2
Shell Structure: 2 8 18 32 18 2
Discovery Date: Known to the ancient Hindus and Chinese. Mercury has been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 1500 B.C.
Name: Mercury derives its name from the association between the planet Mercury and its use in alchemy. The alchemical symbol for mercury was the same for the metal and the planet. The element symbol, Hg, is derived from the Latin name 'hydragyrum' meaning "water silver".
Mercury Physical Data
State at room temperature (300 K): Liquid
Appearance: heavy silvery white metal
Density: 13.546 g/cc (20 °C)
Melting Point: 234.32 K (-38.83 °C or -37.894 °F)
Boiling Point: 356.62 K (356.62 °C or 629.77 °F)
Critical Point: 1750 K at 172 MPa
Heat of Fusion: 2.29 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization: 59.11 kJ/mol
Molar Heat Capacity: 27.983 J/mol·K
Specific Heat: 0.138 J/g·K (at 20 °C)
Mercury Atomic Data
Oxidation States: +2 , +1
Electron Affinity: not stable
Atomic Radius: 1.32 Å
Atomic Volume: 14.8 cc/mol
Ionic Radius: 1.10 Å (+2e) 1.27 Å (+1e)
Covalent Radius: 1.32 Å
Van der Waals Radius: 1.55 Å
First Ionization Energy: 1007.065 kJ/mol
Second Ionization Energy: 1809.755 kJ/mol
Third Ionization Energy: 3299.796 kJ/mol
Mercury Nuclear Data
Number of isotopes: There are 7 naturally occurring isotopes of mercury..
Isotopes and % abundance: 196Hg (0.15), 198Hg (9.97), 199Hg (198.968), 200Hg (23.1), 201Hg (13.18), 202Hg (29.86) and 204Hg (6.87)
Mercury Crystal Data
Lattice Structure: Rhombohedral
Lattice Constant: 2.990 Å
Debye Temperature: 100.00 K
Mercury is amalgamated with gold to facilitate the recovery of gold from its ores. Mercury is used to make thermometers, diffusion pumps, barometers, mercury vapor lamps, mercury switches, pesticides, batteries, dental preparations, antifouling paints, pigments, and catalysts. Many of the salts and organic mercury compounds are important.
Miscellaneous Mercury Facts
- Mercury compounds with the +2 oxidation states are known as 'mercuric' in older texts. Example: HgCl2 was known as mercuric chloride.
- Mercury compounds with the +1 oxidation state are known as 'mercurous' in older texts. Example: Hg2Cl2 was known as mercurous chloride.
- Mercury is rarely found free in nature. Mercury is harvested from cinnabar (mercury(I) sulfide - HgS). It is extracted by heating the ore and collecting the mercury vapor produced.
- Mercury is also known by the name 'quicksilver'.
- Mercury is one of the few elements that is liquid at ordinary room temperatures.
- Mercury and its compounds are highly poisonous. Mercury is readily absorbed across unbroken skin or though the respiratory or gatroinstentinal tract. It acts as a cumulative poison.
- Mercury is very volatile in air. When room temperature air (20°C) is saturated with mercury vapor, the concentration greatly exceeds the toxic limit. The concentration, and thus the danger, increases at higher temperatures.
- Early alchemists believed all metals contained varying amounts of mercury. Mercury was used in many experiments to transmute one metal into another.
- Chinese alchemists believed mercury promoted health and extended life and included it with several medicines.
- Mercury readily forms alloys with other metals, called amalgams. The term amalgam literally means 'alloy of mercury' in Latin.
- An electrical discharge will cause mercury to combine with the noble gases argon, krypton, neon, and xenon.
References: CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics (89th Ed.), National Institute of Standards and Technology, History of the Origin of the Chemical Elements and Their Discoverers, Norman E. Holden 2001.
Return to the Periodic Table