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BRUSSELS — European Union nations agreed to give Ireland a €67.5 billion ($89.4 billion) bailout to help it survive its massive banking crisis, and sketched out new rules for future emergencies to restore faith in the euro currency.
The deal, approved Sunday at an emergency meeting in Brussels, means two of the eurozone's 16 nations have now had to be rescued and underscores Europe's struggle to contain its spreading debt crisis. With Greece and now Ireland shored up, the fear is that traders will target the bloc's other weak fiscal links, such as Portugal and Spain.
The euro was slightly higher at $1.3279 in morning European trading Monday, up from $1.3237 in late trading in New York on Friday.
In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said his country will take €10 billion ($13.2 billion) immediately to boost the capital reserves of its state-backed banks, whose bad loans were picked up by the Irish government but have become too much to handle. Another €25 billion ($33 billion) will remain in reserve, earmarked for the banks.
The rest of the loans will be used to cover Ireland's deficits for the coming four years. EU chiefs also gave Ireland an extra year, until 2015, to reduce its annual deficits to 3 percent of GDP, the eurozone limit. The Irish deficit now stands at a modern European record of 32 percent because of the runaway costs of its bank-bailout program.
However, in a surprise move, European and IMF experts decided that Ireland first must run down its own cash stockpile and deploy its previously off-limits pension reserves in the bailout. Until now Irish and EU law had made it illegal for Ireland to use its pension fund to cover current expenditures. This move means Ireland will contribute €17.5 billion ($23.1 billion) to its own salvation.
The three groups offering funds to Ireland — the 16-nation eurozone, the full 27-nation EU, and the global donors of the International Monetary Fund — each have committed €22.5 billion ($29.8 billion). Extra bilateral loans from Sweden, Denmark and Britain are included within the EU totals.
Ireland's finance ministry said the interest rates on the loans would be 6.05 percent from the eurozone fund, 5.7 percent from the EU fund and 5.7 percent from the IMF. That's higher than the 5.2 percent being paid by Greece for its May bailout.
Ajai Chopra, who oversaw the Dublin negotiations for the IMF, confirmed Ireland's government would have freedom to set its own spending and tax plans.
He said Ireland will have 10 years to pay off its IMF loans, and that the first repayment won't be required until 4 1/2 years after a drawdown. Greece, in contrast, has three years to repay its loans.
Chopra said Ireland's decision to use its pension reserve fund had helped win the confidence of those who offered help.
"It makes total sense to use them at this time. I think this is quite unique in this type of arrangements and it will be taken as a sign of underlying strength," he said.
Cowen told a press conference that Ireland had no choice but to take help, because international investors had decided that lending to Ireland was too risky and were demanding unreasonable returns. The yield on 10-year Irish bonds rose Friday to a euro-era high of 9.2 percent.
"If we didn't have this program, we would have to go back to the markets, which as you know are at prohibitive rates," Cowen said.
Still, analysts and opposition leaders in Ireland warned that the country of 4.5 million was taking on a bill it couldn't afford to repay at rates exceeding 5 percent.
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domain: politics


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Doc: Alcohol-induced cirrhosis eligible for transplant
Dear Dr. Roach: My 52-year-old sister was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol. She has significant financial resources and gold-standard health care. Her liver has failed to bounce back. This month, she was placed on a liver-transplant list. How long can my sister live with alcoholic liver cirrhosis while awaiting a liver transplant? If she complies with transplant protocol (no alcohol, no salt, counseling, etc.), how likely is it that any alcoholic receives a liver donation? The doctors say her MELD score is 25. Could her liver recover so that she won’t need a transplant?
Dear S.H.: I am sorry to hear about your sister. Prolonged, heavy alcohol use can lead to cirrhosis, which is an irreversible condition of liver damage. Stopping alcohol use usually prevents progression of liver disease. Liver disease is estimated by the MELD score. Less than 15 is mild; greater than 35 is the most severe. It is unlikely that her liver would recover with this degree of damage.
According to the most up-to-date statistics from the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, there are 14,000 people waiting for a liver transplant now. People with more severe liver disease are higher priority for the very limited number of organs that become available. As of December 2016, the median wait time for a liver transplant for a person with a MELD score between 15 and 34 was about eight months, meaning that half of people on the waiting list will be transplanted within eight months, and the other half will still be waiting. About 10 percent of people between ages 50 and 64 die each year waiting for a transplant.
People with acute liver failure, from whatever cause, are more likely to die awaiting transplant than people who are on the transplant list for other causes, including alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis C or other causes. The vast majority of deaths on the waiting list are in people whose MELD score is above 35, which is why they are at such high priority for an organ.
It used to be the case that people with alcoholic liver disease were considered lower priority for transplant. However, the data show that liver transplantation is just as effective in selected patients with alcoholic liver disease as any other cause. However, abstinence from alcohol is an expectation for people on the transplant list. Many centers use a six-month rule prior to listing a patient; however, the six-month rule is somewhat arbitrary, and the earlier a person is listed, the better the likelihood of getting an organ. In studies, between 11 percent and 30 percent of people will drink after transplant, but only 5 percent had “excessive” drinking.
Email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

domain: medical


Buellton boosts its burgeoning arts and culture scene
The city of Buellton won the 2022 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Economic Development Through the Arts category. For more information about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org.
Nicknamed “Servicetown, USA,” Buellton (pop. 5,161) was historically known as a convenient place to find lodging for the night, fuel and service vehicles, and indulge in world-famous pea soup at Pea Soup Andersen’s while traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. While certainly a part of Buellton’s history, this reputation failed to reflect all that the city had to offer to visitors and residents.
These travel-oriented services still exist. But now, the city has a reputation for its local wine industry, beautiful natural landscape, and a growing arts scene that is only a short drive from Santa Barbara.
Residents have long pushed for more arts and culture opportunities to increase their quality of life. More recently, residents, businesses, and city officials alike have come to view the arts as a way to incentivize economic development. Like many aspects of government, this is easier said than done. The city has just 20 full-time employees. And like many aspects of city government, the resulting project has its roots in a financial crisis — in this case, the Great Recession of 2008.
Small programs with big impacts
In 2009, a grassroots-led steering committee asked hundreds of residents what the city should look like in the future. This wide-ranging, inclusive public engagement campaign included workshops geared towards younger residents and Buellton’s Spanish-speaking population. The resulting vision plan identified eight intertwined community goals to enhance residents’ lives through economic development, advance a healthy lifestyle, and create new arts and culture experiences.
These goals were expected to proceed together. The revitalization of downtown areas would spur economic development, which would then provide funds for work on the other goals. However, the recovery from the 2008 financial meltdown was slow. The expected revitalization failed to materialize, leaving many of the goals unmet. Community members continued to express their desire for more arts and culture opportunities, touting both its economic and cultural benefits.
In response, the city council “primed the pump” by creating the Arts and Culture Committee in 2019. The committee was open to all interested people so that the larger Santa Ynez Valley community could contribute their expertise. The city drew from its General Fund to give the committee a $50,000 annual budget for artistic and cultural projects.
“Rather than focusing on art galleries or museums, the city wanted local artists, nonprofits, and businesses to bring the arts to the community, particularly our youth,” said Buellton Council Member John Sanchez, who has represented the city council on the committee since its inception. “Visitors will be able to experience these opportunities, which will enhance our tourism, but Buellton’s residents should benefit from this program first and foremost.”
These projects began small but have had a big impact. More than 15 projects have been completed to date, including public art installations, musical performances, and interactive experiences for all community members.
The inaugural program, Día de los Muertos, was a series of art workshops that culminated in a Día de los Muertos celebration. Residents of all ages participated in a hands-on artistic experience and were exposed to the cultural aspects of the traditional Mexican observance.
The committee later funded the Buellton Bach and Bluegrass Stroll during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. A guitarist and violinist from a local music conservatory walked the city’s neighborhoods performing classical and bluegrass music for residents to enjoy from their porches and front yards.
For another program, a local composer created a symphonic composition that reflects life in Buellton. Accompanied by audio recordings of residents describing their favorite aspects of Buellton, the composition was performed at a 2022 music festival, which featured a variety of musical performers representing different styles of music and cultural expression.
Artists also created Walk into Wildfire, an immersive experience that “placed” viewers into the heart of a wildfire. It allowed residents to safely confront the possibility and presence of wildfire, raising awareness about the danger of wildfires and the importance of implementing fire safety measures to protect life and property.
The committee actively solicits ideas from community members. Liz Poulin Alvarez, an artist and high school teacher, suggested creating park-themed murals that are now installed near city hall as both art and tourism opportunities.
“Buellton is blessed with beautiful places to visit,” Alvarez said, “A traveler passing through town may see these murals and be inspired to stop and see more of the city.”
Beyond providing art installations, performances, and interactive cultural experiences for less than $50,000 each year, the committee supports local artists, businesses, and community-based organizations, and helps engage tourists and other visitors from outside the community to discover what Buellton has to offer.
“The arts and culture program allows a small city with 20 full-time employees to provide amenities to residents far exceeding what could be provided by the city staff alone, and at significantly less expense,” Buellton Recreation Supervisor Kyle Abello said.
A possible model for other cities
The program has been well-received both by residents and the regional arts community. “Buellton funds an arts program to promote and display art in any form to create interest in our community,” said Holly Sierra, a former mayor and early committee advocate. “We want to promote arts and culture in our community that gets residents of all ages involved with both the production and appreciation of the end projects. It’s a unique experience for many of them and a great way to get residents involved in their community!”
The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission honored the program with the 2021 Leadership in Arts Award. The annual award recognizes an individual or organization for innovative approaches and commitment to improving Santa Barbara County’s quality of life through the arts. County Arts Commissioner Mary Harris nominated the program.
“In just a few years, and through the disruptions of the pandemic, this organization has managed a very impressive group of activities for the citizens of Buellton and the Santa Ynez Valley,” Harris wrote, “The city council … has produced a model of citizen participation in the arts that other Santa Barbara cities might well wish to emulate.”


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I run a lot and I like to try new places to keep me from getting bored. One of my favorite places to run is Buffalo Bayou. I love the views as well. Especially crossing the Jackson Hill bridge before sunrise. If you get a chance, go and catch the gorgeous view of the bayou and the Houston skyline!
If you’re looking for a place to escape, Highland Village is the place to be. Whether you want to sit outside and enjoy the weather at Escalante’s, shop around for a gift for someone, or indulge in a little retail therapy, this is absolutely the place for you. Lululemon is one of my guiltiest pleasures.
The importance of family, friendship, health and learning were strong life lessons in my family. It was with great pride that I saw my father’s family gift to Houston become a reality. Over 75 years ago, a 5.21-acre parcel of land was donated to the city of Houston in order to be used for a park and recreation area. Opened on February 25, Levy Park has at last come back to my father’s namesake and will carry the strong foundations we have as a family to this day. Levy Park will promote healthy lifestyles, entertainment and education opportunities and be a place for friends and family to come together. I look forward to joining and supporting the park and programs while carrying on the Levy legacy.
I call this a “place” but it seems to feel more like a home to me. I joined Define Body & Mind over seven years ago when there was only one location at Tanglewood. Now there are so many different locations and so many different classes you can take! I love the environment and all of the instructors!
Strictly because I’m a huge Rockets fan! My dad was the scorekeeper (ever since they came to Houston in 1971) until he passed away in 2011. Any time I ever go to an event at the Toyota Center, I’m always happy because I know I’m at the home of my team and each memory is priceless.
Guest Editor JENNIFER LEVY feels mentally and physically strong thanks to the miles she has put into her seven marathons and 15+ half-marathons (plus training miles), all to raise funds and awareness for Cherish Our Children International and No More Victims. As a kindergarten teacher, Levy set up a marathon program which challenges each child to accumulate mileage every morning during her ten-minute “run club.” Every mile of their marathons creates mental and physical strength, concentration, pride and a strong sense of individual and collective accomplishment.

domain: hobby


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Mayor Kennedy Stewart acknowledged Thursday in his “state of the city” address to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade that the city continues to lag behind in its goal to build more rental housing for lower to middle-income people.
“Frankly speaking, we’re behind all our targets when it comes to providing workforce housing,” he told a business crowd at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on West Georgia Street.
The mayor was referring to the income band of households who earn $30,000 to $80,000 per year. His conclusion about missed targets was based on city data collected for the first three quarters of this year.
The city, in fact, failed to meet its targets for all income bands below $80,000. But the most significant misses were in the $15,000 to $30,000 band and the $50,000 to $80,000 band.
At this year’s three-quarter mark, the city’s target for the $50,000 to $80,000 category was 6,463 units, but only 2,702 were built, according to the data the mayor used in his presentation.
A total of 440 units should have been built for the $15,000 to $30,000 category, but only 109 were built. A total of 872 were built for the $30,000 to $50,000 category, instead of 1,238.
The city was closest to hitting its target for those earning $15,000 or less per year per household.
“We’re closer to hitting our targets for those households with shelter rate incomes, but we’re well behind in terms of approving housing for households led by a single minimum wage worker, two minimum wage workers, or a single living wage worker,” Stewart said.
That’s why the city will continue to promote its incentive programs for developers to attract the necessary investment to build more purpose-built rental homes, Stewart said.
But the mayor acknowledged not all purpose-built rentals are affordable to all renters, who comprise more than 50 per cent of Vancouver residents.
Stewart delivered his speech a few hours after the City of Vancouver released statistics saying 2,897 units of housing were approved in the first three quarters of 2019.
Those numbers included 649 purpose-built rentals, which is only 32 per cent of the city’s annual target. The majority of those 649 units — 64 per cent — were approved under rental incentive programs for developers.
Other approvals included 601 townhouse units, 364 laneway houses and 529 social and supportive housing units. Overall, more than half of all 2,897 units were two and three bedrooms.
As he has stated repeatedly since he was elected, Stewart stressed the importance of lobbying the provincial and federal governments to obtain funding to advance housing projects in Vancouver.
He pointed to the $184 million the federal government announced in August towards the construction of 1,100 rental homes targeted to singles and families earning between $30,000 and $80,000 annually.
He also praised the city’s partnership with the provincial government, but didn’t refer to any specific projects, although the Courier reported in March that B.C. Housing said 2,450 units of affordable rentals were in the works in Vancouver.
Stewart said he would have more to announce in the coming weeks about funding from the B.C. government for projects in Vancouver.
While housing was a major focus of the mayor’s speech, he talked about two other topics he said voters wanted him to focus on in his four-year term: extending the yet-to-be constructed Broadway subway to the University of B.C., and combatting the overdose death crisis.
On the subway extension: “I don’t understand for the life of me why this line isn’t going all the way to UBC”
On the opioid crisis, and creating his emergency task force on overdoses: “Thanks to a lot of work from those who I think are the heroes of our city, the death rate has stabilized. But it still hasn’t begun to drop.”
Stewart, who ran as an independent candidate, was elected last fall and sworn in Nov. 5, 2018. He leads a mixed council of political parties, with no one party with a majority.
The Courier polled nine councillors last week about their first year in office, with seven choosing to answer a question that asked them to rate the performance of the mayor.
All were generally supportive of Stewart’s leadership, although COPE Coun. Jean Swanson said she was disappointed “he doesn’t put more effort into non-market housing instead of relying on the market and private developers.”
NPA Coun. Colleen Hardwick didn’t respond to the question, but commented generally on whether the new council — with Stewart at the helm — had made progress in its first year.
“A year ago, Vancouverites voted for change, and in my opinion that change has not been achieved,” Hardwick said.
“The plans that had been put in place under the Vision Vancouver regime decade continue to be executed by staff. For this reason, I find where we are a year into the term somewhat discouraging.”
The last time — and first time — the mayor spoke to a board of trade audience was in April. That speech, too, was focused mainly on housing, with Stewart telling the crowd “what we have to stop doing is using the word ‘affordable.’ I think that [word] makes people angry.”
“We’ve been trying to dampen that down in council and not to say, ‘We just built a whole bunch of affordable housing,’” he said at the time.
“We’ll just say, ‘No, we’ve just built a whole bunch of market rental housing, and that’s good.’ That’s a good thing. Take ownership and say this is important because it is for a certain group of people we need for the economy [to thrive] in this city.”
The city’s housing strategy calls for 72,000 homes — not the 85,000 Stewart pushed for in his mayoral campaign — to be approved for construction by 2027.
The city says nearly 50 per cent will serve households earning less than $80,000 per year. Two thirds will be available for renters, with 40 per cent with two or three bedrooms. Much of it is expected to be built by the private sector.

domain: sociology


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You've come to Asheville because we're second to none with access to forested mountains, waterfalls and something to see at every turn. Winter is a great time to get outside and see the mountains in a new light. Experience the open forest bare of leaves and the stillness of the mountains in winter. This is a great chance to reconnect with nature, find solitude and awe, all while beating the crowds of the busy season.
Adventures Accessed is an all-inclusive outfitter and guide service enabling groups of all kinds to build meaningful connections to nature and each other through immersive outdoor experiences.
We're a veteran owned small business and a brand new face in Asheville determined to share the beauty of these Appalachian Mountains, her calming streams and soul-finding solitude. With this in mind we're dedicated in our half-day, day long and multi-day offerings to get groups off the beaten path to experience the true character of the Blue Ridge Mountains. By getting off the mainstream and offering trips that start earlier in the day, we can experience the mountains in their true form, without the disruption or risk of crowds bring.
Our methodology in pursuing solitude puts us at the top of the scale for social-distance considerations while also being able to access the quintessential Blue Ridge scenery you'd expect. Our guides are certified in wilderness medicine and CPR, and are eager to share their knowledge of the natural world around us.
Come as you are and join us through a saunter in the mountains, and rest easy knowing that 10% of your fare will go towards providing wilderness based youth programs for urban teens through our Adventure Worth Sharing initiative.
Call or text 312-720-1539 for rapid reply, more information or to reserve. We look forward to seeing you!

domain: travel


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An English artist indulging my passion for landscape and pattern and attempting to capture a sense of a particular place.
Currently immersed in this huge writers' houses project that has taken hold of me and which happily combines my love of collage (recycling magazines) with literature, architecture, gardens and history.
Main website: www.amandawhite-contemporarynaiveart.com
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Picked up the posters from the printer, very exciting. Though I must say I was disappointed that my final instruction: please delete thick black border round picture (which was him slavishly following and amplifying my thin black biro drawing of where to place what) and make my name much smaller, lower case, had only been half followed.
Too late, too late will be the cry.
Rather the shouty name than the funereal border which looked as if someone, possibly the dogs in the picture, had popped their clogs.

domain: artistic


text:
|Title||Bound-free gas transport coefficients via the time correlation formulation based on an atomic picture|
|Publication Type||Journal Article|
|Year of Publication||1999|
|Authors||Snider, RF, Alavi, S|
|Journal||Journal of Chemical Physics|
|Type of Article||Article|
The values of gas transport coefficients, when both unbound particles and bound pairs are present, are standardly accounted for by treating the gas as a mixture of free atoms and bound pairs and using the well-known expressions for the transport coefficients for a mixture. But since the bound pairs consist of two atoms, it should also be possible to start from a purely atomic picture of the gas. This paper accomplishes that aim, starting with the time correlation function expression for the transport coefficient in terms of atomic variables. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)50117-7].
|URL||<Go to ISI>://000079913000035|

domain: chemistry


text:
During the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention, Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisafi spoke about the impact of rising interest rates. “People didn’t realize interest rates could go up so there’s 15 years of bad habits and if you’re in your 30s and you’re farming, you don’t actually realize what’s happening,” said Grisafi. “They’ll know more when they go to renew (their operating loan) this year.” Inflation is seen as an ongoing issue. “For the Fed to do what they need to do to nick inflation, I don’t think they’d ever be willing to do that during an election year. To truly tame inflation, they have to nuke it and they’re not going to do that for many reasons.”
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domain: economics


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I haven’t played with these cards* in several years. Today I got the hit to pull them out again before I began writing. Courage showed up in my reading this morning and it perfectly describes the process of becoming a thought leader, of becoming conscious and aware and sharing our softness and vulnerability with the world in order to empower & strengthen and inspire others to break out of their shell too…
I love this picture because it reminds me of some small purple flowers I saw at the top of the 6 passes we crossed on the Pacific Crest Trail in the High Sierra – some above 10,000 feet, where nothing much grows and there are only piles of rocks. I recall thinking that if those small delicate flowers could literally grow out of the crevices in the rocks, what else is possible? It blew my mind because I had never seen something like that before, barren rocks at the top of the world with life springing forth seemingly unaware that this was a rather unusual and “impossible” place to grow and bloom.
Thank God for nature and the ignorance of plants and animals, otherwise we’d live in a very limited place 😉
Kinda makes you wonder whose really ignorant, huh?
“The seed cannot know what is going to happen the seed has never known the flower. And the seed cannot even believe that he has the potentiality to become a beautiful flower. Long is the journey, and it is always safer not to go on that journey because unknown is the path, nothing is guaranteed. Thousand and one are the hazards of the journey, many are the pitfalls – and the seed is secure, hidden inside a hard core.
But the seed tries, it makes an effort; it drops the hard shell which is it’s security, it starts moving. Immediately the fight starts; the struggle with the soil, with the stones, with the rocks. And the seed was very hard and the sprout will be very, very soft and dangers will be many.
There was no danger for the seed, the seed could have survived for millennia, but for the sprout many are the dangers. But the sprout starts towards the unknown, towards the sun, towards the source of light, not knowing where, not knowing why. Great is the cross to be carried, but a dream possesses the seed and the seed moves.
The same is the path for man. It is arduous. Much courage will be needed.” *
Where are you storing your seed of courage? Stop hiding it away for another day. It’s time to add a little water and watch it sprout. Don’t worry, even in the harshest conditions, indeed, because of the harshest conditions – your little sprout will flourish.
I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
*The image and description are from Osho Zen Tarot: The Transcendental Game of Zen deck and book.

domain: literature


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we have few garment products and looking for freelance photographer to do photoshoot for marketing purpose.
4 freelance font une offre moyenne de $173 pour ce travail
See work here: [!] And here: [!] Before I began my own photography business I worked for one of the finest catalog producers in the world (Cabela's). I edited and retouched over 7500 images a year and my work was s Plus
Upcoming photographer trying to get more experience and build my portfolio. I have lighting equipment and background screen if needed.
I have a lot of practice in photography, live in the Houston area and can make it to downtown in 20 min if needed during this week.
I am available to come in the afternoon any weekday this week or be available on Sunday. If you want I can also be sent the garments and a description of the vibe you want to set with your audience and I will have them Plus


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13 Days, 12 Nights Turkey Tour
13 Days, 12 Nights Turkey Tour
Location: İstanbul- Gallipoli- Troy- Pergamum- Fethiye- Kekova- İzmir- Kuşadası- Pamukkale&Hierapolis, –Antalya-Cappadocia
Day 1 Arrive Istanbul:
Welcome to Turkey! Arrival into Istanbul. We will transfer you from airport and check-in to your Hotel. After checking, we will give you a brief explanation and review of your itinary. Overnight in İstanbul.
Day 2 Istanbul City Tour:
After the breakfast, you will meet our guide at Hotel. You will join old part of İstanbul tour. It covers Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3 Daily Gallipoli tour from Istanbul:
We will pick you up early in the morning at 6:00-07:00 a.m and depart to Gallipoli. Full day tour of Dardanelles, Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, ANZAC Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, ANZAC Commemorative Site, Respect to Mehmetcik Statue, Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Johnstons Jolly (Turkish and Allied trenches and tunnels), Turkish 57. Infantry Regiment Cemetery, The Nek, Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. When tour ends, we will drive back to İstanbul and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in İstanbul.
Day 4 Troy & Pergamum Tour:
After the breakfast, We will see Troy and Pergamum ancient cities, we will visit the Trojan Horse, Helen of Troy where over 10 ancient cities have been discovered and built one on top of the other, dating back to 3500 BC. When we finish the tour we will drive to Pergamum and visit the Acropolis, the Steepest Theatre of the ancient world, Temple of Trojan, the library, Asclepion, the ancient medical centre, the oldest known hospital in the world. Then drive to Kusadasi to your hotel.
Overnight in Kusadasi. (B-L)
Day 5 Ephesus Tour:
After breakfast at the hotel, you will visit ancient city of Ephesus. A full day of Ephesus tour covers great ruins of ancient city, Celsius Library (the most important commercial center of western Anatolia), Temple of Artemis and House of Virgin Mary. (B-L)
Day 6 Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tour:
In the morning, we will pick you up 8:30 a.m and drive to Hierapolis. When you enter the Hierapolis, an ancient city located on hot springs and its necropolis. Then you have free time to stroll over travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.En of the tour drive back to hotel and overnight in Kuşadası.
Day 7 Blue Cruise ( 3 Nights 4 Days):
We will pick you up from your hotel and transfer to harbor in Fethiye approximately at 11:00- 12:00.During your journey, you will stay away from the stresses of the city. We will stop Samanlik Bay for swimming and lunch. Butterfly Valley (sea conditions permitting) is our next stop for swimming and visiting this natural reserve, hosting 136 kinds of different butterflies and moths. After these activities, we will cruise to Oludeniz (The Blue Lagoon) if the sea conditions permitting. Option for paragliding available. Last visiting of the day is St-Nicholas Island. Byzantine ruins,swim,dinner. First day will be ended. (B-L-D)
Day 8 Blue Cruise ( 2nd Day ):
Early in the morning, depart to Firnaz Bay near Kalkan. We will stop for breakfast and swimming. Afterwards, Cruising to Kas where we stop in the harbour for lunch and visit to this charming fishing village of ancient Antiphellos, as Kas was once known, only Lycian rock tombs, Sarcophagus and the Roman theatre. Kekova which is close near here, we will stop for swimming, dinner and 2nd night. (B-L-D) .
Day 9 Blue Cruise ( 3th Day ):
After the breakfast, depart to Sunken City of Kekova. You will see Lycian and Romans’ remains. Because of the archaeological site, this city is protected. Simena which is a traditional Turkish fishing village and no car access and Byzantine, Ottoman castle. In Gokkaya Bay optional water sports are available. Swimming, Dinner,relax and 3th night. (B-L-D)
Day 10 Blue Cruise ( 4th Day ):
You will see Pirates Cave before cruising to Andriace harbour. Disembarkation time before the lunch.After the lunch, transfer to Demre. We will stop for banking and shopping. When we finish the tour, we will check out from boat and transfer to Antalya. Overnight stay in Antalya. (B-L)
Day 11 Antalya to Cappadocia by Plane:
You have chance to explore Antalya. End of the day, we will transfer to airport and take a flight to Cappadocia via Istanbul. When you arrive the Cappadocia, Our representative is going to greet you at the gate a sign bearing your name and take you to your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B)
Day 12 Cappadocia Red Tour ( North of Cappadocia):
After the breakfast, you will meet your guide and start your Cappadocia red tour. You will visit Devrent Valley (imagination valley), Paşabagları (Monk’s Valley), Avanos (Red River), Göreme Open Air Museum (Rock Churches), Esentepe (Panoramic View), Uchisar Castle. End of the tour, We will transfer back to your Cave Hotel. (B-L)
Day 13 Cappadocia Yellow Tour ( South of Cappadocia):
Our guide will pick you up approximately at 9:30 a.m. You will walk in Red and Rose Valley with tour guide and discover wonderful rock formations, pigeon houses, naturel tunels and churches. While you are walking, you will feel the nature and rocks. After the walking, you will visit the Piegon Valley and Kaymaklı Underground City. End of the tour, we will transfer to airport. Flight to Istanbul.(B-L)
Istanbul – Crowne Plaza İstanbul
Cappadocia – CCS Hotel, Kayakapi Premium Cave Suites, Mdc Hotel
Kuşadası: Double Tree by Hilton Kuşadası
Pamukkale: Spa hotel Colosae Thermal, Richmond Pamukkale Thermal
Antalya: Dedeman Hotels, Rixos Antalya
- Domestic Flights
- Transportation in air-conditioned vehicles throughout.
- Escort by an English speaking Professional tour guide-lecturer.
- Entrance fees to the whole museums and sites stated in the itinerary.
- Accommodation in mentioned or similar hotels.
- Arrival and departure transfers.
- Porterage at the hotels.


We got a classic! One day early! Toronto budding star K Money and he brought some special guests including Casper TNG and RK. We talk about the come up of the track “Come Outside,” stepping into the music scene and what to expect next. Check out the full episode of We Love Hip Hop below.
We Love Hip Hop (Full Episode)
You can find all full episodes of the podcast on YouTube.
Smoke & Mirrors
Hip Hop Tea! We Love Hip Hop on YouTube.
/ 7 hours ago
Mississauga recording artist Devon Tracy has come a long way since we posted his...
/ 3 days ago
Canadian star producer/recording artist NAV brought The Freshman Tour to Edmonton’s Union Hall on...
/ 6 days ago
Ottawa’s own Belly along with French Montana, CMDWN, Murda Beatz, and 2 Chainz helped...


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text:
(Above left) The Barone Middle School eighth-grade volleyball team will play in the season-ending league tournament this Saturday in Craig. Both A and B teams will play. Pictured are; Caitlyn Shepherd on her teammates shoulders. Back row; managers Marlela Rosas and Alicia Mobley, Sarah Gerloff, Madi Shults, Maegen McGruder, Raven Somerville, Amanda Begaye, Taylor Frantz, Faith Patterson and coach Ivy Coryell. Front row; Chelsie Benjamin, Jenna Walsh, Marrissa Slone and Jamie Moyer.
(Right) Playing for coach Jennifer Turner, back, are BMS seventh-graders Julia Keeler, Maggie Phelan, Kinzy Burke, LoriAnn Klinglesmith, Caroline Copeland, Peyton Burke, Anna Walsh, Halle Ahrens, Reese Pertile, Bryn Walter and Loran Casias. Front; are Amanda Scherbarth Meghan Smith and Madeline Amack.

domain: news


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Almost finished up on this Doctor Doom Sketch Cover. This stage moved on to rendering the hood area. Lots of going back and forth with layering build up to get a cloth texture feel. Rendering with Faber-Castell PITT art pens and Liquitex paint.
Here is a little more progress on this Doctor Doom Sketch Cover. Finished up all the metal area and moved on to the inside hood area.
I’ve been wanting to paint this sketch cover since the pencils were complete, but had other projects to finish up first. The painting process has begun on this Doctor Doom Sketch Cover. Painting process 01 : Started with the skin tones and moved onto the metal area’s. Rendering with Faber-Castell PITT artist pens and Liquitex… Read more »
I haven’t had a chance to share these custom Zombie Tramp Shoes with you yet. These were challenging yet fun create since I typically paint more realism. I can now share because they were officially delivered to the client at WonderCon.
Gearing up for WonderCon with this painted Flashpoint Batman Sketch Cover. I will have this and other sketch covers available at my table in Artist Alley C-56. Rendering with Faber-Castell PITT artist pens and Liquitex paint.
Captain Marvel donation art painting stage 02 for the PADRE Foundation Fashion Show silent auction happening Saturday, May 11, 2019. Moving to to rendering the red sections of the painting. This stage was rendered with Faber-Castell PITT artist pens and Liquitex paint. PADRE Foundation (Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education) plays a critical role in the… Read more »
Here is the Captain Marvel pencils to this years donation art for the PADRE Foundation Fashion Show silent auction happening Saturday, May 11, 2019. This is stage one of my art process. Next up will be adding paint. PADRE Foundation (Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education) plays a critical role in the education and support of… Read more »
Been wanting to illustrate some Elseworld characters. So went with one of my favorite Elseworld characters. Here is the Flashpoint Batman Sketch Cover Pencils all finished up. Will be adding color to this in the future.
Doctor Doom Sketch Cover pencils all finished up. Looking to add paint to this soon.
Happy New Year!!! A huge thank you to everyone for your continued support with my art! I hope you all have an amazing 2019 of success and prosperity!!!


BOZEMAN — One trend that stood out entering Montana State’s homecoming game Saturday was Weber State’s ability to score points in bunches early in games.
The Wildcats came in having outscored opponents 123-34 in the first half. It was the Bobcats’ goal to shut down Weber State’s offense, especially in the opening two quarters.
Mission accomplished. MSU became the first team to hold the Wildcats without a first-half touchdown this year. Instead, Weber State relied on three Trey Tuttle field goals and the Bobcats took a one-point lead into intermission.
“One of the things we did a really good job of was eliminating the explosive plays and making them earn it,” MSU coach Jeff Choate said. “Unfortunately we didn’t do a good enough job of getting off the field on third downs.
“We played a lot of snaps in the second half in particular, and our tackling started to fade. I think that was kind of the tale of the tape on the defensive side of the ball.”
Led by quarterback Stefan Cantweell, the Wildcats were much more efficient in the second half. They scored two third-quarter touchdowns and added another Tuttle field goal to claim a 25-17 victory.
Montana State’s offense failed to cash in on its early opportunities. It, too, settled for three first-half field goal attempts, but kicker Gabe Peppenger missed two of them. The Bobcats were also forced to punt three times in the second quarter and possessed the ball for just 3:36 of the third.
While MSU was unable to sustain drives, Weber State found a way to move the chains for a majority of the game. The Wildcats had drives of 16, 11, 10, 11 and 12 plays, all of which resulted in either touchdowns or field goals.
The Bobcats’ touchdowns — a 64-yard throw from Chris Murray to Lance McCutcheon just before halftime and a 25-yard throwback pass from receiver Kevin Kassis to Murray in the fourth — weren’t enough.
In all, Weber State possessed the ball for 40:01, leaving just 19:59 for MSU’s offense to operate. The Wildcats converted 9 of 16 third downs while the Bobcats moved the sticks on just 4 of 12 third-down tries.
WSU tight end Andrew Vollert caught five passes for 48 yards. Four of his receptions went for first downs.
“Weber State is known for coming out in the first half and putting it on teams,” MSU cornerback Bryce Alley said. “We had to make sure we stopped them. We held them to three field goals (in the first half). We’ve just got to continue that on to the next half.”
“Play after play after play,” Alley said. “We’ve just got to get off the field. They stayed on the field for the whole third quarter, or just about.”
It was a reversal of fortune from the Bobcats’ 49-21 victory a week earlier at North Dakota. In that game, MSU had nearly 40 minutes of possession time and converted 12 of 16 third downs.
On Saturday, Weber State ran a combined 21 plays on its first two second-half drives, both of which resulted in touchdowns.
“We knew they were going to come out swinging (in the second half) and we wanted to do the same,” defensive end Derek Marks said. “We knew we had to hit them. They were just executing plays and we just couldn’t get off the field.”
Not so special
Bobcats coach Jeff Choate pointed to poor special teams execution as a culprit in the loss.
Beyond Peppenger’s two missed field goal tries in the first half, punter Jered Padmos averaged just 35.5 yards on four punts, and Weber State began those ensuing drives with an average field position of the 33 yard line.
Wildcats punt returner Xequille Harry had 45 yards on two returns, while kickoff returner Rashid Shaheed had 51 yards on two run-backs.
“Special teams hurt us in the first half in particular, not just the missed field goals,” Choate said. “I thought we kicked poorly, punted poorly and gave them some short fields. Now, we played well enough on defense to mitigate that, but you can’t do that.”
Tuttle, Weber State’s freshman placekicker, was good on field goals of 28, 21, 31 and 24 yards. Tuttle is off to a great start to his career: He is now 10 for 10 on field goal attempts this season.
Tuttle is now 6 for 6 from 20-29 yards and 3 for 3 from 30-39 yards. He also made a 45-yarder against Cal earlier in the year.
Against the Bobcats, Tuttle averaged 62.9 yards on seven kickoffs, and forced four touchbacks.
‘A great Bobcat’
Before addressing the ins and outs of the Weber State loss in his postgame news conference, Choate took a moment to acknowledge Montana State hall of famer Joe Tiller.
Tiller, a star lineman for the Bobcats in the early 1960s and a former head coach at Wyoming and Purdue, died Saturday in Buffalo, Wyoming, at the age of 74.
“I had the opportunity to meet Joe last year at homecoming. He was at our Friday walkthrough,” Choate said. “He was just a gracious, humble man. For all the things that he’d accomplished you would have never known it. He was a great Bobcat, a heck of a football coach and an even better person. He was one of the first guys to congratulate us after we beat the Griz last year in Missoula.
"When I found out about that news (about Tiller's death) it definitely hit me in the heart.”
Tiller was inducted into the Montana State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. After an All-America season in 1963, Tiller became an assistant coach with the Bobcats in 1966. Thirty years later he coached Wyoming to a Western Athletic Conference title. He guided Purdue to the 2000 Rose Bowl.


The Texas Education Agency recently decided to approve new charter schools for the next school year, which means the state will be redistributing some education dollars and resources to new schools during a recession that will already have a significant burden on existing schools. This is not what Texas school districts need right now.
The TEA commissioner has allowed 49 new charter campuses in 2020, including 12 for IDEA Public Schools. The reasoning for charter expansion during a recession and pandemic is surprising. The commissioner has the authority to approve charter expansion, but must consider “information relating to any financial difficulty that a loss in enrollment may have on a district” as well as “evidence of parental and community support for or opposition to the proposed charter school.”
Twenty Texas-based organizations that represent teachers, principals, school boards, rural and urban school districts, and superintendents expressed concern about charter expansion, claiming that the decision could “exacerbate the state’s budget crisis, harm school districts, and send Texas tax dollars out of state.”
These organizations are correct in raising concern about charter expansion. Superintendents and school leaders should be organizing resources and responding to new, emerging situations due to COVID-19, not spending significant time and resources planning to open new schools.
Student enrollment in schools is currently down as more parents keep children home, implying that Texas will be making a decision to open new schools while districts have fewer students. Charter expansion in this context does not make economic sense and is out of step with statewide elected officials’ fiscally conservative governing principles. New schools are not needed when so many districts are facing declining enrollment and budget shortfalls.
State law also requires the TEA to consider governance structure and the soundness of fiscal and administrative practices. IDEA Public Schools, a charter management organization operating in several states, has previously come under fire for questionable fiscal practices that include spending donor money to purchase a San Antonio Spurs luxury box and making a $900,000 payout to a former superintendent who resigned. The TEA also found that IDEA owed more than $130,000 to the Teacher Retirement System.
The Texas School Alliance indicated that this expansion will cost hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 10 years, some of which will go to organizations in California, Florida and New York. The money being spent to support charter expansion can instead be used to support existing schools and the multiple crises confronted on campuses. For example, about half a million rural households in Texas do not have access to broadband internet.
Rather than investing in charter expansion, Texas could ensure more rural students have access to internet and devices, which is a long-standing equity problem the state should have addressed years ago.
The TEA should also direct resources to curbing the disproportionate impact of school closure on students with disabilities, especially given that the state has repeatedly failed to monitor special education implementation and ensure adequate levels of funding per federal law. Expanding charters at this time is especially problematic, given that many charters in the state enroll fewer students with disabilities than would be expected based on natural proportions.
Finally, the TEA should be mindful of the human impact the pandemic and recession will have on teacher and principal pipelines. Some principals and teachers have already decided to retire early, and it is likely that a number of educators will become ill from COVID-19 as the coronavirus continues to spread. Rather than create more vacancies by opening new schools, the state should work with unions and teacher preparation programs to ensure the educator pipeline is sufficient to staff every Texas classroom with an effective teacher.
The TEA is simply trying to take a business-as-usual approach by keeping pace with annual charter expansion. However, 2020 is not a typical year, and existing schools have too many financial and educational concerns to ignore. The state should reconsider charter expansion and ought to enact fiscally responsible policies that prioritize existing schools.
David DeMatthews is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin.
Mary Grace McFarland is a master’s student studying education policy at The University of Texas at Austin.


text:
What would you
give to know your future? What happens when poison becomes your only elixir?
Does happily ever after exist for real? Does love transcend time and death? What
would it take to make you kill your closest?
“Among the stars” is a collection of stories
that answer such questions we seldom ask aloud, as it treads along the gossamer
thread that separates reality and fantasy, life and death, a hero and a
Arjun listens to
the stories from his favourite hero, his dad - a magician who could spin
stories that make the world disappear. Stories that change the way the world
seems. The collection also portrays the magical relationship between a story
teller and his faithful audience and how we hold our story tellers in our
hearts as they shape us into who we are.
the Stars they lie,
loved ones - they never die.
your arms and fly
far away into the starlit sky.”
Dhasa Sathyan, is the pseudonym under which the Chennai-based
Engineer and writer, Yamunai Thuraivan pens down his stories. He believes coffee
and good books hold the key to our souls. He writes short stories and poems for
several blogs and e-magazines including the online monthly - Reflection. He
connects with his readers through his social networks and pens his thoughts
regularly in his blog, musestruckwordsmith.blogspot.in. He also has penned down many songs in his mother tongue
for several short films. A movie buff and a wanderlust, he spends his leisure
hours experimenting with his culinary and gardening skills or by going on long
bike rides to explore new people and places. He marks his entry into the print media
with his debut book “Among the Stars”.

domain: library


text: Featuring VINNE, Bhaskar & MOGUAI, Kohen & MALARKEY, Murat Salman & Rednod. This Is Tech House. Featuring Pax & Gorgon City, Endor, Shiba San. Following on from label debut 'Dance With Me', Felguk fuses his classic electro house sound with THE FALL EP KILL SCRIPT Armada Music. Felguk Tour Dates, Concert Tickets, Albums, Songs, Twitter, SoundCloud, Facebook, and YouTube; plus more electronic music and EDM on Felguk - Felguk Party Pak [ep] (, NHN벅스/(주)엔에이치엔벅스) · Felguk - Jack It [digital single] (, Dongle Records/Label Engine LLC). Felguk is the stage name of the Jewish- Brazilian DJs and music producer duo 'Blow Out,' and 'Jack It,' and will have another EP titled 'Bassive' out on. Felguk is the stage name of the Brazilian DJs and record producer duo Felipe 'Blow Out,' and 'Jack It,' and will have another EP titled 'Bassive' out on. Album: Jack It EP Felguk - Jack It (Original Mix) [HD] to Plastic Smile by Felguk, Example and discover more similar Dubstep songs like Jack It. Browse hundreds of songs like Just F*ck - Simple Jack remix by Bad Boss () and add them to This Life - Cat Dealers RemixFelgukPlay on spotifyV. The duo began their own imprint, Dongle Records, in , where they have released two singles, 'Blow Out,' and 'Jack It,' and will have another EP titled. Albums and collections of an artist Felguk only on our website. Title: Felguk - The Funky Drama. Artist: Felguk Title: Jack It EP. Artist: Felguk.

domain: entertainment


text:
Telling Time Practice!
Have a story read to you by an actor/actress!
Weekly Reader Online!
Listen and read along to stories that have been written by children your age!
I can tell the difference between facts and opinions.
I can tell the main idea, facts, and details from a selection.
How to Find the Main Idea


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The photos from the Ghanaian version of the Big Brother Naija show which is dubbed “The Big Brethren Ghana” has caused a huge stir online after photos from the reality show flooded social media platforms.
“The Big Brethren Ghana” has its programming like what’s currently happening at the Big Brother House in Nigeria and has also suffered several technical glitches since its start. The housemates could be seen sleeping on student mattresses in one unkempt room.
Earlier, the organisers of the show had lied about an affiliation with Multichoice Ghana but the disclaimer issued by the operators of Dstv told Ghanaians not to fall for the lie of a lifestyle programme.
Some Ghanaians have however expressed their anger against the organizers for “disgracing the country”, as they fear getting trolled just like Big Brother Cameroon.
The organizers said;
“Biggy 237 aims at nurturing talent and inspiring hope in young Cameroonians. It is a talent driven show which brings out creativity, innovation and showcase the talent of its contestants. Biggy237 creates a platform to showcase the skills and talents of its contestants, while entertaining the public,”
Checkout the photos and reactions below;


When most people think of David Lynch, “workout wear designer” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, although at this point it should hardly come as a surprise that the multitalented cultural icon wants to conquer yet another industry. Some entertainment critics describe Lynch as “the Renaissance man of modern American filmmaking,” after all, what with his experience as a screenwriter, producer, animator, and director.
I think that Fast Company’s Joe Berkowitz describes Lynch’s somewhat perplexing foray into fashion most accurately:
“Noted purveyor of nightmares and dreamscapes, David Lynch, has a certain reputation. His fans know that at any moment he might come out with an album called Crazy Clown Time or writer a book about transcendental meditation. Even with an expectation for odd choices though, fans probably could not have predicted that the director’s next venture would involve women’s sportswear.”
Once again, Lynch has exceeded all expectations with his new line of workout clothes designed for wellness website Live the Process. Reportedly, Lynch teamed up with model Alyssa Miller and Live the Process to make the lycra-based workout leggings and tops a reality. Perhaps what is most astounding about the collection is just how beautiful the pieces all are.
According to Live the Process, this capsule collection of sportswear was designed to raise awareness about transcendental meditation (TM), which Lynch has been a longtime, highly vocal advocate for. “The collection will be available at Barneys New York with a portion of the proceeds going towards funding for the David Lynch Foundation’s mission to make learning TM accessible to everyone globally,” explains Live the Process. Lynch has been practicing this kind of intensive meditation for more than 40 years, and believes that it has the power to end suffering and bring peace to people all over the world.
Learn more about David Lynch’s collaboration with Live the Process by reading an interview between the wellness site and the acclaimed director.
Images: via Live the Process


Two male subjects were arrested by Centre Police Investigators after it was discovered that the pair were using fraudulent/stolen credit card information to purchase zero turn lawn mowers from two separate businesses in Centre on Monday.
Centre Police Chief Kirk Blankenship said that Investigator Will Clark was contacted by a local dealership concerning a transaction – a short time later, Clark received another call from a second business about a fraudulent purchase. Investigator Clark and Chief Investigator Randy Mayorga received information that two of the mowers had been dropped off at a location in East Centre.
Further investigation revealed that one of the individuals involved in the thefts lived at a residence on College Street in Centre where additional mowers were located.
After speaking with the individuals, Mayorga was able to locate several ‘homemade’ credit cards used in the transactions. It was also discovered that several lawnmowers had been purchased and sold on other states.
20-year-old Andre William Hush of Centre was arrested and charged with two counts of Theft by Deception 1st Degree. Jaylin Davion Arnold, age 21 of Louisville, Kentucky was also charged with two counts of Theft by Deception in the 1st Degree.
Arnold is being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center without bond, Hush was released a short time later after posting bonds totaling $10,000.
Mayorga said that additional charges and arrests are expected to be made as the investigation continue


text:
Pakistani Doctor's Family Says Trial A Sham
May 28, 2012
by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
PESHAWAR -- The brother of a Pakistani doctor jailed for helping U.S. intelligence track down Osama bin Laden has called on the head of Pakistan's supreme court to intervene to allow an appeal by his brother.
Jamil Afridi told reporters that the trial that convicted his brother was a sham. Doctor Shakeel Afridi was found guilty of treason in a secretive tribal court last week and sentenced to 33 years in jail.
His family says the appeal process is held up because the authorities have not yet released a copy of the court order.
"They are not even giving us copies of the judgment about his punishment," Jamil Afridi said. "We have been trying since Friday [May 25] but the Assistant Political Agent is not giving us copies. The prison authorities are not allowing us to meet him to sign papers for his lawyer to meet him."
Jamil Afridi said his brother was innocent, and called his sentencing "illegal."
The doctor's defense lawyer, Raza Khan Safi, told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that he had not seen a copy of the sentencing.
"The news about 33 years' imprisonment was published in media, but they are not providing copy" of the verdict, he said. "Provision of copy within 24 hours is the legal right [of the defender], but they are not providing and instead avoiding [us]. We met in addition the inspector-general of prisons, but he is not signing the defense documents.”
At Heart Of U.S.-Pakistan Tensions
Afridi, a former surgeon, ran a fake vaccination program designed to verify the Al-Qaeda leader's presence at a compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad. Bin Laden was subsequently killed there in a U.S. raid in May 2011.
After his sentencing, U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut U.S. aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33 million, or $1 million for each year of his jail sentence.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the sentence was "unjust and unwarranted." Clinton said Afridi was "instrumental in taking down one of the world's most-wanted terrorists."
Last week, jail officials said Afridi was weak, depressed, and suffering from stomach problems. The officials said he had been examined by prison doctors and prescribed medicine. A local government spokesman, however, said on May 28 that Afridi's health was "alright."
Jamil Afridi said he has not seen his brother in prison, so he didn't know how he was being treated.
With additional reporting by AFP and AP
Copyright (c) 2012. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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text:
It has been eight weeks since I began this feature and I hope people are enjoying it. I'm always so nosey when it comes to the post and what people receive so if you have or know of anyone who has a blog dedicated to all things snail mail then please send me the link, I'd be ever so grateful! I'm glad to say that this week was much better in terms of quantity of post, I received post on four days. I even got a surprise box full of goodies from my doll of a friend in America. I hope next week brings a lot more pretty post as I have only two replies to write and then I am up to date again, I love being so organised and punctual. Anyway, let me show you what I received...
1. A postcard from my dear friend Tina from Germany. She sent me this card from Crete where she was on holiday and where I shall be going on holiday in six weeks!
2. A box of goodies from my doll Shauntella from America. This was a surprise!
3. The contents from Shauntella's surprise box to me. There were jellies but they didn't make it to the photo, too yummy to resist! I just love the Marilyn Monroe t-shirt and I can't wait to try out the nail wraps. I also love the baby gro's for Tyler Lee, there is a third but he wore it already so it's in the wash.
4. A letter from my old pal Tanja from Germany along with a postcard from her trip to Verona, Italy.
5. My third letter from the lovely Asta from Finland complete with Moomin tea. I love how Asta always decorates her envelopes, really pretty post!
6. The two Moomin teas!
It's safe to say I was spoilt this week for sure! I really love surprises so I am overjoyed by Shauntella's box of goodies. It was lovely to hear from all these gorgeous ladies this week and I hope to hear from them all again soon. Replies are in progress!
Stay pretty people and pick up a pen!


text:
I've been working on a story for almost a year now, to launch in this website/app called LINE Webtoon. But my problem is that every time I plan something carefully (creating deadlines, detailed characters and chapters, etc. Etc.), I end up getting ANOTHER idea and then work on that. So now I'm up to 6 stories I'm working on and have no idea which one to choose. I never thought my vivid creativity would be such a problem: any tips on how to just pick a story and start it?
Into Art? Join the community.Get Amino
Demon and Fox (Unfinished)
Sweet tooth potion! ☠


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Focus on Firelands Counseling & Recovery Services
Norwalk Reflector - 8/10/2020
Aug. 10--NORWALK -- The Huron CountyBoard of Mental Health and Addiction Services has been highly focused on increasing community engagement and outreach in an effort to raise awareness and education regarding the supports and services available in Huron County related to mental health and addiction.
This week, the board highlights one of its local treatment providers, Firelands Counseling & Recovery Services.
Firelands Counseling & Recovery Services began offering services in Erie County in 1987 and quickly expanded to Huron County in 1989. FCRS of Huron County is located on the Fisher-Titus campus on Benedict Avenue in Norwalk. The Norwalk office consists of about 25 staff and they currently are looking to fill vacant positions for clinicians.
FCRS offers a variety of services in Huron County such as:
--Same Day Assessments
--Group Therapy (Stepping into Recovery, Intensive Outpatient Program, Aftercare)
--Education & Consultation
--Family Support Program (individuals affected by Covid-19)
--Mental Health Day Treatment
--MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment)
--Prevention programs such as QPR and Mental Health First Aid.
--FCRS also currently operates two grants that benefit residents of Huron County.
These grants are:
--SOR (State Opioid Response) Grant: This grant created a position at FCRS for a "Recovery Navigator". This staff member helps reduce barriers to treatment for individuals with an Opioid Use Disorder diagnosis by linking them to additional resources such as child care and transportation.
--MAT 6 Grant: This grant is utilized to increase services in the Huron County Jail. This allows for MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) to be offered to inmates to reduce drug use upon release. This grant also assists individuals in linking with needed services after incarceration.
FCRS also operates the Huron County Crisis Hotline. This hotline is available to anyone who is in crisis and in need of help. This hotline is available 24/7 and is staffed by trained clinicians.
For more information on FCRS or to schedule an assessment for services:
--Norwalk Office: 419-663-3737
--Crisis Hotline: 800-826-1306
(c)2020 the Norwalk Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio)
Visit the Norwalk Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) at www.norwalkreflector.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


In the first eleven days of January, the revenue of the Suez Canal witnessed a significant 40% decline, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). The reduction in income is attributed to the conflict in the Red Sea region, compelling carriers to reroute operations away from the canal towards safer shipping routes.
Confirming the stark statistics, the SCA reported a simultaneous 30% year-on-year drop in ship traffic between January 1 and January 11. A total of 544 ships, encompassing various types, traversed the canal during this period, marking a substantial decrease from the 777 ships recorded in the same timeframe in 2023. However, no additional updates have been provided regarding traffic or revenue figures since the initial report.
Contrary to earlier rumors circulating in January, suggesting the suspension of canal transits due to the regional hostilities disrupting shipping operations, SCA Chairman and Managing Director, Ossama Rabiee, promptly dispelled such claims. Rabiee asserted that navigational services were operating normally.
Given the canal’s vital role as a source of foreign exchange revenue for Egypt, Rabiee acknowledged the challenging circumstances faced. He highlighted that neither discounts nor other incentives were proving sufficient to attract customers amid the current situation. The ongoing conflict in the Red Sea region continues to impact the operations and financial performance of the Suez Canal, a critical waterway for global maritime trade.


text: If I were to have a muse, then it would definitely have to be Lisa. This shoot was my third with Lisa and by far the best because it was her wedding day! She and Heath couldn’t have picked a more rockin’ weekend to have been hitched – it was the same weekend as the Heavy Rebel Weekender aka rockabilly fest. We had so much fun walking around the old cars taking photos! The whole day was truly amazing. You heard me gushing about Winston-Salem in my last post, but look at the photos, and realize why I love my hometown and the characters that reside there. Congratulations Lisa and Heath!!!!


THE RETIRED MILITARY COMMANDER’S NEW JOB MAY PROVE DISASTROUS FOR PAK-IRAN BILATERAL TIES.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz has appointed Pakistan’s former Army chief, General Raheel Sharif, as commander of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT), a force of 39 Muslim states “combating international terrorism.” Given Sharif’s record of initiating the invasion of North Waziristan under Operation Zarb-e-Azb and other counter-terrorism action across Pakistan—which brought down terrorist acts significantly—the appointment is well-deserved and should be welcomed. The Saudi umbrage, triggered by Pakistan’s refusal in 2015 to join the Saudi war in Yemen, is also expected to subside after this.
King Salman, with the help of his son and deputy crown prince Muhammad bin Salman, spearheads an internal paradigm shift—dubbed Vision 2030—to ease Islamic strictures on the civilian population and ratchet up the regional war against Iran. In Syria, he is focused on destroying the Assad regime, Iran’s oldest ally, by funding the uprising against it even though it also benefits the Islamic State militant group seeking to replace the kingdom in Saudi Arabia with a caliphate.
As part of its anti-Iran policy, Riyadh has steadily opposed America’s change of approach under President Obama, which saw the signing of a nuclear deal that has eased many sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation. And following a mob attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, pilgrims from the country are no longer permitted to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.
But while General Sharif’s new appointment will ease concerns in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will now have to work twice as hard to allay resentment in Tehran. Last year, during a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s, Pakistan allegedly raised the question—as a form of protest—of Indian intelligence penetration into Balochistan through Iran. It became a little awkward when the Pakistan military’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) department highlighted the query, forcing President Rouhani to issue a rebuttal that the matter has ever come up for discussion.
In the eyes of some Pakistani commentators, Sharif’s appointment will negatively affect Iran-Pakistan relations, an already struggling equation that had hoped to find unity through the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project. But even worse for Pakistan, it has lent new credence to rumors of a Pak-Saudi “secret nuclear deal,” cornering Islamabad into boosting efforts to lessen its regional isolation.


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A vehicle accident is not something that ought to be easily dismissed. Many things can happen as a result of a car accident. Your spinal column might get out of alignment; you could have a broken bone, or even whiplash. These types of problems could be really severe or it could be something that is quickly managed if you see the best healthcare practitioner.
Often times cars and truck accident victims will go and see a medical doctor immediately, particularly if they are experiencing pain in some part of the body. Discomfort can radiate from their spinal column, tingling down their arms and even serious headaches. , if the issue is dangerous it makes sense to go instantly to the hospital and see a medical physician.. There are times when issues occur that might not be quickly identified by a doctor.
For instance, persistent headaches can often suggest a misaligned spinal column or something related to your neck. These alignment issues can be remedied by going to see a chiropractor who has experience and knowledge in muscle skeletal locations. These chiropractic care professionals have actually been specifically trained to be able to deal with these types of injuries and can often be the root cause of continuous headaches.
An automobile accident, meanwhile, is a distressing experience for anyone included. Some vehicle mishaps can cause long-term nerve damage as well as problems relating to the victim's muscles and bones.
Whatever the circumstances that have actually caused and resulted in the patient's discomfort, whether it is a vehicle accident or other distressing injury, it is worthwhile to have your every option checked out. You would be well served by inspecting into alternative therapy that might be treated by chiropractic services if your discomfort does not go away after visiting a medical doctor.
No earlier than visiting a chiropractor will you get the sense that they appreciate your holistic well-being. It is not frequently that you see health care specialist who enters into your complete history to comprehend where distressing damages could have happened throughout your recent activities.
These types of issues could be extremely severe or it could be something that is easily handled if you see the right healthcare professional.
Often times automobile accident victims will go and see a medical Chiropractic clinic physician right away, especially if they are experiencing discomfort in some part of the body. If the issue is deadly it makes sense to go instantly to the hospital and see a medical doctor.


June 15 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – An anti-gang task force this morning arrested 15 defendants charged in a federal racketeering indictment with exercising control over Hispanic street gangs across Orange County. The indictment alleges that members of the Ojeda Organization – named after leader and Mexican Mafia member Peter Ojeda – extorted “taxes” from street gangs and punished non-payers with assaults.
In addition to the arrests made by well over 100 agents and officers associated with the Santa Ana Gang Task Force, ten defendants are already in state custody.
The three-count indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana on June 8 and unsealed this morning, asserts that the Ojeda Organization engaged in extortion and assault, as well as assisting in the distribution of narcotics throughout Orange County. Controlled by Peter Ojeda, the organization included high-ranking members of several Hispanic street gangs, which helped the organization exert its influence “from the streets of Orange County into the Orange County jail system and the California correctional system,” according to the indictment.
The case against the Ojeda Organization was announced at a press conference this morning by United States Attorney Debra W. Yang, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Richard T. Garcia, Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters, California Department of Corrections Assistant Director Richard Rimmer and Michael Bukovac, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“A coordinated effort between local, state and federal authorities has taken down one of the most powerful gangsters in Orange County,” said United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang. “I am pleased that my office could assist the Santa Ana Gang Task Force by bringing the federal RICO statute into play. It is my hope that the arrests today will send a message to gangsters that law enforcement is committed to working together to take you off the streets.”
Richard T. Garcia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI for this region, stated: “This case demonstrates the success in combating gang violence made possible when law enforcement at all levels share intelligence and combine resources. This cooperative effort will continue to be utilized to best serve the community, as we maintain our efforts to thwart violent gangs in our neighborhoods.”
Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said of today’s announcement: “The arrest of these dangerous and violent criminals who have engaged in an on-going pattern of organized crime will have a significant impact on narcotic and gang activity throughout Orange County.”
John A. Torres, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF office in Los Angeles, said: “ATF’s primary focus remains protecting the public and reducing violent crime. We will continue to participate with local, state and other federal agencies in an effort to disrupt organized crime.”
Richard Rimmer, Assistant Director of the California Department of Corrections, said: “The Department’s Special Services Unit works with law enforcement throughout the state to prevent prison gangs from establishing a foothold in our communities. Today, a large, highly organized and violent criminal gang is behind bars. Tomorrow, someone will try to take their place, and all of these agencies will be back out there to stop them.”
The indictment alleges that 16 of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly called RICO. The RICO charge alleges dozens of overt acts that members of the organization committed to expand the power and control of the enterprise. Detailing conduct in 2004 and early 2005, the RICO count accuses Peter Ojeda and others of, for example, demanding taxes from numerous street gangs and others who wanted to distribute drugs in Orange County, coordinating the collection of taxes from jail inmates who were selling drugs, and ordering assaults for failing to pay taxes or for showing disrespect to the Ojeda Organization. Assaults were conducted when a “green light” was placed on the offending gang or gang member, meaning the gang or gang member would be assaulted by members of the Ojeda Organization or those doing its bidding.
The Ojeda Organization required Hispanic criminal street gangs in Orange County to pay money as a “tax” or “tribute” on a regular basis, the indictment alleges. The Ojeda Organization permitted the tax-paying gangs and gang members to exert influence over their neighborhoods and territories. The Ojeda Organization disciplined Orange County criminal street gangs and their members who engaged in unsanctioned violence, such as a drive-by shooting, which could cause increased law enforcement attention and thereby threaten the income of the Ojeda Organization.
Those named in the RICO count are:
* Peter Ojeda, 63, of La Habra;
* Marco Diaz, 31, of Santa Ana, who was a leader of the Ojeda Organization;
* Jose Becerra, 38, of Placentia, the third leader of the Ojeda Organization;
* Rafael Torres, 31, of Santa Ana;
* David Melgoza Jr., 37, of Santa Ana;
* Anthony Lebron, 40, of Santa Ana;
* Ramon Meza Jr., 31, of Santa Ana;
* Abraham Magallon, 29, of Placentia;
* Jose Arvizu, 31, of Anaheim;
* Oscar Ruiz, 25, of Santa Ana;
* Jose Ruiz, 25, of Santa Ana;
* Ismael Esquivel, 49, of Anaheim;
* Mario Saucedo, 29, of Santa Ana;
* Orlando Alvarado, 22, of Santa Ana;
* Freddie Ojeda, 48, of Santa Ana; and
* Frank Nerida, 35, of Anaheim.
* The RICO charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
* Count two of the indictment alleges a conspiracy to distribute narcotics. This count charges six members of the Ojeda Organization and 13 others who are not part of that enterprise. The narcotics conspiracy count charges Peter Ojeda, Diaz, Magallon, Arvizu, Oscar Ruiz, Saucedo, and:
* David Trujillo, 32, of Santa Ana;
* Arthur Duran, 34, of Garden Grove;
* Robert Ocampo, 29, of Anaheim;
* Freddie Luevano, 36, of Santa Ana;
* Abel Azevedo, 34, of Santa Ana;
* Joseph Castro, 35, of Foothill Ranch;
* Lawrence Morales, 35, of Anaheim;
* Long Nguyen, 29, of Orange;
* Robert Cervantes, 30, of Santa Ana;
* Jose Martinez, 31, of Santa Ana;
* Sandra Flores, 29, of Santa Ana;
* Diego Moreno, 39, of Fullerton; and
* Mia Rodriguez, 25, of Orange.
* The drug trafficking conspiracy charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison.
* Count 3 of the indictment charges Peter Ojeda alone with distribution of methamphetamine, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and could bring a sentence of up to life in prison.
* A list detailing which defendants were arrested, are in custody and are considered to be fugitives was made available at today’s press conference.
* An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
* The defendants arrested this morning will be making their initial court appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana. Federal prosecutors intend on seeking writs for the defendant who are in state court custody to remove them to federal custody.
* “The City of Santa Ana and the County of Orange are very grateful to the Task Force for making our community a much safer place,” said Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido.
* This case is the product of a two-year investigation by the Santa Ana Gang Task Force, which is made up of officers from the Santa Ana Police Department; special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and investigators with the California Department of Corrections.
* CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Smith
* (714) 338-3591


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KELLY SNOOK AND IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE STUDIOS
After several months of singing with Diane at open-mics and devotional gatherings in New York, a songwriter friend of mine, Hillary Chapman, came over to me one night at The Cornerstone and recommended that I get in touch with a great sound engineer he knew down in Washington, DC. Hillary gave me a phone number and within a week I was on a bus to DC for my first session with Kelly Snook at It’s Not Rocket Science Studios.
At that time, Kelly was, in fact, an astrophysicist working in the upper echelons of NASA and specializing in Mars research. But it was clear from the first time I met her that Kelly’s true calling was music. While working at NASA, she was simultaneously building a recording studio and developing her skills as a music producer by recording local artists in DC.
Our very first recording session began with a democratic spirit that was, in hindsight, surprisingly automatic, and which would characterize the way we worked together from then on. Every decision – musical, technical, logistical – was talked through with mutual consideration for each other’s ideas. This kind of artist-producer dialogue was exciting in that it created an openness to new possibilities and led to artistic decisions that perhaps neither of us would have arrived at alone.
That day, we only spoke briefly about the subject of devotional songs. Setting the Bahá’í Writings to music was still a new area for me and I had a bunch of other “proper” songs that I thought I should record first. I played a few of them for Kelly and we settled on one called A Few Honest Words.
The way Kelly transformed my little acoustic ditty completely blew my mind. The following day, I went back to New York with what seemed like a totally different song to the one I had sung the day before. Kelly had been developing her own methods of music production, using her skills in both science and music to create layers upon layers of sounds that weave in and out of each other and surround the listener from every direction.
That first session in 2007 was the beginning of a 10-year intercontinental collaboration which has brought me and Kelly back and forth across the Atlantic too many times to count, and which has slowly led to the making of Year of the Nightingale.
To hear an example of Kelly’s production, here is the recording of A Few Honest Words from that first session at It’s Not Rocket Science Studios: A Few Honest Words, produced by Kelly Snook


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Ethereum did reach a new all-time high this very morning, and Bitcoin, despite not breaking any new price records, is fascinatingly sticking ground while remaining closer to the $60k price point. It means that the bullish run that did accompany these both well-accomplished cryptocurrencies has not left them, and it might seem that both of these can scale some great price walls with the passage of time, provided the bullish run remains intact.
According to the Kraken report, the currently ongoing trading patterns are the exact replica of the traditional trading schemes from back in the day, and if history repeats itself, then both Bitcoin and Ethereum could see a positive bump in their price. But for Bitcoin, it would have to take a $10k price dump before heading towards the north again. Bitcoin has gained almost 30% since the bullish run did manage to stick by it and has finished its sixth consecutive month in green which is an accomplishment of its own.
According to the historical records, something similar was happening with Bitcoin in 2013 when it did have months of increase back to back in terms of price, and currently, Bitcoin can match the same patterns after April because, on average, it is the second-best month with a medium increase of about 51% according to Kraken report.
If everything goes right and the previous trends are to be seen, then going straight, Bitcoin can see about a 50% surge in its price and settling for the $90k price point in the future. However, as far as Ethereum is concerned, the Kraken report was simply much more generous around it as it ended up giving a 700% price boost to Ethereum, settling the new price around $15k for the future exhibits if things continue on the same road these seem to be at the moment.
But it is highly unlikely that it would pave out exactly like last time, or the fact that volatility of the crypto market can be totally ignored here. Still, it is a long shot, but in the world of probabilities, this can be taken as a positive sign for the future of the crypto market if this ever happens.


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Rumors are floating around that NCsoft has a new sci-fi based MMOG in the pipeline, although their official comment is "No comment."
Rumors started to do the rounds last week that NCsoft, publisher of seven MMOs no less, was working on a new title when MMO blog Massively noticed NCsoft Europe was hiring and had uploaded a decent smattering of concept art to its website, suggesting a "Starship Troopers" science-fiction style game was in the works.
Could it be the first fruit of NCsoft's deal with Sony to bring its online games to the PS3 and PSP?
When we contacted NCSoft Europe we got the expected "no comment", but don't let that dull your excitement. Expect some more news very soon!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Tabula Rasa Game Page.

domain: game


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Identity & Sexuality
If you’re starting HRT, here’s how to make sure your sex life doesn’t suffer.
Transgender individuals aren’t 'other people.' They can be your loved ones, so support them.
Hormone replacement therapy comes with obstacles. Take it from someone who’s been there.
No, not everyone feels sexual attraction. Asexuality is as normal as any sexual orientation.
I’m navigating a gender transition in my relationship, and you can, too.
As the community under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella grows, so do the myths that surround it.


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Voted the French people's favourite car in a vote organised by RTL, the Citroën 2CV continues to please and to mark the history of the automobile as that of the brand. Today, July 25th, the 24th World Meeting of 2CV Enthusiasts will be held in Switzerland and will celebrate the mythical Citroën for a few days.
The Swiss Jura is preparing to host this international event dedicated to the 2CV. From 25 to 30 July, for the third time, Switzerland will host the largest biennial gathering of vintage vehicles in Europe. An event with almost 50 years of tradition that delights young and old.
The mythical 2CV, born 75 years ago, is still very popular with car enthusiasts. The car of the students and the hippies, the 2CV has become a beloved figure over the years. Young and old always turn around when a 2CV drives by.
Switzerland's central location and ease of access promise a strong turnout for the global meeting. The event will take place near Delémont, between Courroux, Courrendlin and Val-Terbi. More than 4,000 vehicles are expected to take part over the six days of the event. At least 8,000 people will be present on the festival site at all times. The World Meeting of 2CV Enthusiasts is a colourful and simple event for everyone: families, couples or groups, young and old, traditional and alternative.
The 53-hectare event site includes a 3-hectare fairground, a 43-hectare campsite and a 7-hectare visitors' car park.
The campsite check-in will open on Tuesday 25 July at 10.00am, with the highest number of vehicles expected on this day.
The exhibition centre will be open to everyone, both Döschwo drivers and external visitors, free of charge. Everyone is welcome to spend a few pleasant hours in the crowd. The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The concerts will take place every day from 3 p.m. Twenty food trucks, a main tent and a fondue tent will take care of the physical well-being of the visitors. The impressive number of 2CVs can be admired from an observation tower. A flea market will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children's entertainment, competitions and other games will be organised every day. On Saturday evening there will be a closing party and the announcement of the host country for 2027.
In Delémont, a 2CV museum will be open to the public on the Croisée des Loisirs from Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Every afternoon from 14:00 to 16:00, the 2CV Beauty Contest will be held in the courtyard of Delémont with different groups of vehicles.
In conclusion, no less than six days of celebrations will be dedicated to the Citroën 2CV, enough to celebrate the event that will forever mark the history of the brand and the popularity of the car. In this special year, when the 2CV celebrates its 75th anniversary, this event will be a great success.


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It's extremely rare for me to give up on a book without finishing it. No matter how bad a book is, I'll generally slog through until the bitter end. And honestly, The End of the Story might actually be a pretty good book. But I just couldn't take it. I've read one of Davis' short story collections, Samuel Johnson is Indignant, and while some of the stories struck me as overly precious and got on my nerves, I LOVED others. I was even on the verge of buying copies of the book for several friends of mine, but ended up buying my mom two other books of hers, and was looking forward to borrowing them. Alas.
The premise of this novel is, I think, a worthwhile one - it's the narrative of a woman looking back on a failed love affair. Not even a serious relationship, a brief affair. According to the dust jacket, it contains reflections on the ways in which memory distorts and twists the past, along with thoughts on interactions between people. This sounded quite appealing to me. Perhaps I didn't like it because it hit a sore spot, but I don't think so. No, this book had two major strikes against it, and the second one was particularly deadly.
1. "Reflections on the way memory distorts" etc is a euphemism for "so much meta-language it reads like the blueprints for the text rather than the text itself". 60 pages in, we're still hearing about how HARD it is to write this novel. And there's barely been any plot yet. Mostly, we're told about the writing process, and what's apparently coming up. I am mildly curious whether the things mentioned early in the book are actually fully described later, or whether mentioning them actually serves to describe them. Curious, but not enough to actually finish the book.
2. The narrator is a fussy, self-centered, whiner. It's hard to imagine why on Earth anyone would ever want to date her in the first place. She mostly describes how sorry for herself she felt, and continues to feel. Under the pretense of analyzing her relationship, she explains that she was never really interested in the things her lover cared deeply about, and really didn't even know that much about him. She vaguely realized, for instance, that he was hurt by the fact that she never wanted to ride in his car or spend the night at his place instead of hers, but she was comfortable in her place, and his made her nervous, so she never did. What a jerk. One generally has the sense that she was completely unwilling to ever compromise. While she complains about feeling insecure because she's older than he is, she also uses this insecurity to completely ignore his needs and desires and focus purely on her own. What a jerk.
I don't know if the author is aware of how ungodly self-absorbed and irritating her protagonist is. Perhaps it's a brilliant act of literary creation, that she's so honestly depicted that perspective. But I am completely incapable of sympathizing with someone so wrapped up in themselves, particularly someone who doesn't even realize how atrociously selfish they are. So whether it's semi-autobiographical or not, I dunno, but in any case, it's not a narrator whom I want to spend time with. I tried, I really did, but 70 pages in, I couldn't stand to be in the woman's company any more, even if she does occasionally have a way with words. Actually, this fed into the first problem - not only did I increasingly dislike her because of the way she treated people and only thought about herself, and the way she refused to pull her shit together and take responsibility for her own actions, and was constantly fussy and complaining about her needs, but then to make matters worse, I had to endure her complaining about what a great effort it cost her to even tell me about it. LET ME SPARE YOU THE WORK BABY. Ugh.
It's unfortunate, because I think the whole experience has really turned me off her work in general. I imagine that anything of hers I read now, I'll be predisposed to see it as narcissistic posturing, and I'll have a hard time enjoying it. Maybe with enough time off, I can return to her. We shall see.


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Pro Football Focus recently released their annual “PFF 101”, in which they grade and rank the Top-101 players in the NFL.
From 1,728 players in the NFL in 2022, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ranked at #45, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa comes in at #45 on @PFF's yearly Top-101 list. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/hGrHfy0rqx— Sumeet (@flameosumeet) February 23, 2023
Having led the league in passer rating and quarterback rating this past season, it’s no surprise to see Tua ranked so highly. With a total grade of 81.9 out of 100, Tua finished as the 8th-best quarterback in the league, behind Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Jacoby Brissett, and Andy Dalton. Tua also managed to finish ahead of some of the league’s best quarterbacks, including Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.
As a team, the Dolphins had six players on the list, 5th-most in the NFL. Joining Tua on the list is Tyreek Hill (#7), Christian Wilkins (#58), Jaelan Phillips (#59), Jaylen Waddle (#66), and Connor Williams (#98).
What do you think of Tua’s ranking? Should it be higher? Should it be lower? Let us know in the comments below!


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5 Arab States Break Ties With Qatar, Complicating U.S. Coalition-Building
By ANNE BARNARD and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
The feud among regional allies of Washington threatens to stress the American-led campaign against ISIS and complicate efforts to confront Iran.
Published in World on June 4, 2017 at 06:00PMRead more on The New York Times
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|For sale: Fender FSR American Deluxe Jazz Bass (USA).|
FSR - "Factory Special Run"
I bought this bass new a couple years ago but have seldom played it. (maybe 15 - 20 times). It remains in "show-room" condition, probably played less than a guitar hanging in a music shop.
No dents or scratches, only the most subtle signs of use.
All the original owners manuals, stickers and tools and tags as newly opened!
finish: high-gloss urethane lacquer (body), satin-gloss polyurethane lacquer (neck)
neck: maple, bolt-on, modern C-profile, with graphite support rods
fretboard: rosewood with acrylic mother-of-pearl block inlays
fretboard radius: 9.5-inch (241mm)
frets: 20, medium jumbo
string nut: 38.1 mm, bone
scale length: 864 mm (34 inches)
tuners: Fender Lightweight Vintage-Style
bridge: HMV High Mass Vintage (strings-through-body or topload)
pickups: 2x N3 Noiseless Jazz Bass single coil (bridge + neck)
electronics: volume, bass/treble/midrange boost/cut, active/passive, pickup switch
includes: Fender SKB case with TSA latches, guitar cable, guitar strap, strap locks
handmade in America
new Fender N3 Noiseless pickups: deeper basses, clear trebles and no hum
improved, versatile electronics: more headroom and tighter basses
switch between active and passive mode
passive tone controls: treble, mid, bass
pan potentiometer for blending the sound of the two pickups
Strong Arm string guide on A: improved string nut pressure
vintage tinted neck with satin-gloss back
carefully crafted bone string nut
Posiflex graphite neck support rods for extra strength and stability
5-screw neck mount and contoured heel for more comfort while playing
ultra-comfortable rolled fretboard edges
slot screws on the battery compartment for easy opening with a coin or a pick
luxury pearloid block inlays and neck bindings.
I'm selling as I have a few basses and I hardly play this one.
This bass is in excellent condition, a dream to play and priced to sell!
Hinta: 1500 €