VIII. Protection against discrimination
The conclusions of the report for 2013 already mentioned that “the state lacks a systematic approach to counteraction against discrimination.” The civil society has already begun to build partnerships for systematic work to tackle the discrimination problems, however the public authorities are still trying to deny the existence of the problem of discrimination and refute their role in preventing it, as well as personal responsibility for the vulnerability of citizens. The only institution that not only declares but also conducts systematic work in this direction and is open to cooperation with civil society is the office of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.
Also in the last year’s report we noted that in general the development of anti-discrimination law and further practical progress in this area is due, first of all, to the desire of the state to meet its obligations to the European Union, in particular, due its efforts to bring closer visa-free regime. However, this powerful stimulus also makes the realization of commitments to ensure legal and practical implementation of the principle of equality and non-discrimination a matter of form; currently the government does not recognize the very existence of the discrimination issue and extent of its spread.
In its third periodic report on the fulfillment by Ukraine of the Plan of Actions on Visa Liberalization (PAVL) at the end of 2013, the European Commission named among the obstacles on the way to the second phase of the plan the shortcomings of anti-discrimination law and the need for further strengthening it. In view of the blocking by the Verkhovna Rada deputies of the bill No. 2342 on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine” during 2013 and subsequent developments in Ukraine, the bill was eventually technically withdrawn from consideration as one that failed the first reading. The publicly proclaimed reason, for which the majority of deputies refused to vote for the bill No. 2342, was the inclusion of sexual orientation into the list of protected characteristics provided for in the Labor Code of Ukraine. Despite the demands of the European Commission, Council of Europe, national experts and social urgency of the issue, the deputies could not overcome their own homophobia and vote for this bill. On the contrary, trying to justify their inaction, denying the need to develop legislation on protection against discrimination for all vulnerable groups, the politicians resorted to outright manipulation of public opinion. Thus, former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said:
“The opposition leaders are telling us tales that we will sign an Association Agreement with the EU and the next day we will travel without visas to Europe. Nothing of the kind. We must fulfill a number of conditions: legalize gay marriages, adopt a law on equality of sexual minorities…”
The requirements of the EU to Ukraine under PAVL did not include any changes of the Family Code that would allow same-sex marriages. The former prime minister, trying to justify his own inaction, once again publicly denied the universality of the principle of equality of rights, which does not depend on whether the protected characteristic is directly mentioned by the law or not. Another important point in this situation, when politicians openly resort to justifying restrictions on the rights of a group, is the fact of legitimizing the inequality of the group by ordinary citizens, which only deepens the problem of intolerance and xenophobia in the Ukrainian society.
Thus, the new version of the bill on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction against discrimination in Ukraine” developed in March 2014 by the Ministry of Justice contained no references to sexual orientation among protected characteristics which, according to the experts, was primarily due to attempts to please the deputies and contribute to its fastest adoption in formal compliance with the demands of the EU. Trying to go over to the second phase of PAVL the government again ignored the need for consultation with civil society. The Coalition for Counteraction Against Discrimination (CCAD) after registration of the bill No. 4581, having analyzed the proposed amendments, emphasized the following:
“The amendments to a number of laws of Ukraine proposed by the bill need refinements and improvements. The CCAD has to note that the previous recommendations of the Council of Europe, EU and Ukrainian experts on expansion of the list of protected attributes cannot be limited to the inclusion of such features as “citizenship” only. The CCAD insists that the list of protected attributes must be not only open, but also based on the social realities; the list should be optimal and also include explicit prohibition of discrimination on grounds such as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” because the LGBT in Ukraine is one of the most marginalized communities in need of protection and recognition of its equal rights.
The valuable addition to the new bill is the expansion of the forms of discrimination and adding in of the “declared intention of discrimination” and “complicity in discrimination,” but the wording of these provisions and the absence of the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Code of Ukraine of Administrative Offences can lead to difficulties in their practical application.
The proposed extension of duties of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, on the one hand, indicate a desire to increase powers of this institution, on the other hand, these amendments are not feasible without changes to the budget and without making secretariat more professional. Extending the functions of the Commissioner under which s/he “makes proposals to improve legislation on preventing and counteraction against discrimination and termination of use of positive actions” requires further clarification, because the procedure for making and consideration of proposals remains unclear, especially taking into account that the Commissioner has no right of legislative initiative.
Taking into account the position of some deputies and parties, we insist that the exclusion from the bill of the proposed amendment to Article 60 of the CPC of Ukraine would reduce the security level of the plaintiffs and complicate the work of the courts. The proposed norm does not interfere with the observance of “presumption of innocence” as is erroneously believed by some deputies. It is important to distinguish between civil and criminal proceedings. Moreover, the principle of allocation and transfer of the burden of proof is one of the basic principles that the European Court of Human Rights applies in its practice in cases of discrimination, and practice and decisions of which are binding on Ukraine.
We emphasize that the changes in the context of improving anti-discrimination legislation should be applied not only to the core law but to criminal, civil and other codes as well, which, unfortunately, can no longer be done with the existing bill, but should remain a task for the Verkhovna Rada for the future.”
Although the formal public discussion of the bill No. 4581 did not take place, the coordination of efforts and discussion of common approach to the most important and fundamental changes to the law, mechanisms of joint promotion took place at the level of co-working of the office of the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Coalition Against Discrimination and the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights. Therefore some important amendments to the wording of the bill were made through the office of the Commissioner between the first and second readings.
The bill No. 4581 adopted on May 13, 2014 amended the anti-discrimination legislation. The definition of forms of discrimination was improved and expanded, the positive actions, mechanism of their implementation and monitoring of realization were determined, the powers of the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada were expanded, and the principle of shifting the burden of proof was added to the Code of Civil Procedure. Other issues remain unsettled because the law does not provide for the necessity to establish state policy or strategy for the prevention of discrimination, does not solve all procedural problems of its application and does not mention all protected groups.
After the amendments took effect, in the fourth periodic report on the implementation of PDLR, confirming Ukraine’s transition to the second phase of the Plan, the European Commission, making mention of the changes, also stressed the need for further improvement of the law and careful monitoring of its execution.
Another positive example was the clarification letter of the Superior Specialized Court of Ukraine for Examination of Civil and Criminal Cases “On granting proper equality of labor rights in disputes arising in the area of labor relations” published on May 7, 2014; on the one hand, the Ukrainian experts in anti-discrimination law was appraised it as an attempt to avoid direct references to sexual orientation in the Law and, on the other hand, as the first guide for national courts. So the letter of Superior Specialized Court of Ukraine for Examination of Civil and Criminal Cases underlines the following:
“…while examining industrial disputes, the courts should take into account that the list of indications, for which the law stipulates no privileges or restrictions on the implementation of labor rights, is not exhaustive. In particular, it is unacceptable to violate labor rights equality not only based on the indications referred to in part 2 of the art. 24 of the Constitution of Ukraine, art. 2-1 of the Labor Code of Ukraine, paragraph 2 part 1, art. 1 of the Law, but also on the basis of age, skin color, and other physical characteristics (weight, height, speech defects, defects of the face), marital status, sexual orientation and so on.”
Of course, the clarification of the Superior Specialized Court of Ukraine for Examination of Civil and Criminal Cases does not replace the need of legislative extension of the list of protected indications and does not cover all aspects of life, where the discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation” should be prohibited. However, this letter clarifies for the judges how broad should be their interpretation of the open list of indications which is an important step towards the establishment of appropriate judicial practice. It is also important to note that in its analysis the Superior Specialized Court of Ukraine for Examination of Civil and Criminal Cases refers not only to the international instruments, which currently are mandatory for Ukraine, but also to those that we virtually recognize as the fundamental aim of our European dreams: the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and EU Directive No. 2000/78/EU on establishing a general framework for equal treatment of industrial relations and employment which specifically prohibit direct or indirect discrimination based on religion or confession, disability, age or sexual orientation in the areas covered by this Directive.
Another legislative initiative implemented in 2014 included the amendments to Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely the extension of the list of protected indications by adding of such indication as “disability”. The authors of the initiative focused only on the formal extension of the list of indications regardless of evaluating of the effectiveness of the previous application of Art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the question of the “adequate punishment”. The inefficacy of art. 161 was always the main issue which the experts stressed once and again while analyzing art. 161 and militia practices regarding the statements about certain forms of discrimination, including violent crimes. Indeed, in order to bring charges of discrimination, it is necessary to prove the motive and intent of the offender. At the same time in the world practice the issue of the “motive” of discrimination is not important, because the perpetrator might not want to discriminate anyone or be not at all aware of this phenomenon. For example, the public monitoring 2013 showed the widespread problem of inaccessibility of Ukrainian courts for persons with disabilities. Already in 2014, the client of Foundation for Strategic Affairs of the CCAD, wheelchair-bound invalid, trying to take legal action regarding the inaccessibility of an establishment of public catering failed to get into the court registry because of the inaccessibility of the building. The algorithm stipulated by art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in this case is totally ineffective, because if an applicant files an application to the militia about the “direct restriction of his right to a fair trial because of a disability,” it might be extremely difficult for the investigator to prove the court’s motive for intentional non-providing of an approach ramp.
Other important issues of protection against discrimination of certain vulnerable groups were also neglected by the state. Thus, despite an active public discussion in March 2014 of the necessity of amending the Law of Ukraine “On national minorities in Ukraine” and recommendations of international bodies; no specific proposals were paced for consideration of the Verkhovna Rada. The only response was the creation of the position of the Government Commissioner for ethnic national policy. With no powers of legislative initiative, the Commissioner was initially designed to become a kind of a bridge for coordinated action among public authorities and to carry out supervisory and advisory activity.
According to the regulations about the Government Commissioner for ethnic national policy, the competence of the Government Commissioner for ethnic national policy includes as follows:
1) study the state and trends of international relations, national ethnic national policy, including protecting the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples;
2) development and submission to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine:
— proposals to improve the state ethnic national policy, particularly on the protection of national minorities and indigenous peoples, as well as to prevent ethnic conflicts, discrimination on racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious grounds;
— proposals to improve the work of the executive bodies intended to prevent at the early stages the transformation of escalating ethnic tensions into open conflicts;
— information and analytical materials on national ethnic policy, state of interethnic relations, protection of national minorities and indigenous peoples, as well as proposals to address weaknesses in the relevant areas;
— proposals to establish international cooperation with organizations implementing international programs in ethno-national domain;
3) provide for the interoperability of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the executive authorities and civil society, including the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, in order to protect the ethnic rights of citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities, harmonization of international relations, preservation and development of ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of ethnic communities and preservation of interethnic unity and harmony in Ukrainian society;
4) information and analytical support of executive authorities regarding Ukraine’s international commitments in the field of ethnic national policy, protection of national minorities and indigenous peoples;
5) promote international cooperation on the protection of national minorities and indigenous peoples;
6) informing the Ministry of Culture of facts of violation of rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples;
7) examination of the facts and circumstances that led to tension in international relations, violation of rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples;
8) participate in drafting laws and other legal acts, including state ethno-national programs and measures to protect and promote the rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples, preservation and development of their national identity;
9) formation of tolerance, preservation of ethnic unity and harmony in Ukrainian society, prevention of incitement of ethnic, racial or religious hatred, xenophobia and manifestations of discrimination, intolerance to ethnic and national communities and their representatives;
10) informing the public in Ukraine and abroad about his activities.
6. Government Commissioner has the right to:
1) set up expert and working groups convened meetings, hold meetings and other events on matters within his competence;
2) involve specialists of executive bodies, enterprises, institutions and organizations (as agreed with their heads) to consider matters within his competence;
3) sit on the boards of ministries and other central and local executive bodies when considering matters within his competence;
4) address in accordance with established order requests to public bodies and local bodies of self-government and get from them materials and information necessary to carry out his tasks;
5) in the prescribed manner to participate in the bilateral governmental commissions and their Ukrainian units on the issues of protection of national minorities and in preparation of periodic state reports of Ukraine concerning the implementation of international agreements on ethnic national policy and protection of national minorities.
7. the Government Commissioner has the right to participate in an advisory capacity in meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine when considering matters within his competence.
8. the Government Commissioner coordinates his activities with the Ministry of Culture.
9. the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
10. The Government Commissioner has a letter-head with the name of his office and address.
Appointed to this position H. Druzenko characterizes his work as follows:
“There was a simple reason to create the position. After the Revolution of Dignity the representatives of ethnic minorities demanded restoration of a ministry or other central body, which would supervise national minorities. The government was not inclined to create a separate department: it had neither money, nor resources. Accordingly, my position is a compromise between the pressure of ethnic communities and desire of the government to take a step towards them, but without appropriate agency…
There exists a problem of dual power or rather dispersion of powers in my field. On the one hand, according to the regulations about the Ministry of Culture, it remains a special executive authority in the field of interethnic relations and protection of minorities’ rights.
However, the Government Commissioner has almost no instruments to influence political decisions. This is despite the fact that the creation of my post caused a lot of expectations of representatives of national communities. But then it became clear that the financial and resource issues are detached from me, I can neither manage adoption of legal acts nor influence them, I have no right to develop draft legal acts and submit them to the Cabinet; moreover, the ministerial projects are never sent down to me for endorsement.”
Adopted in April 2013 the Strategy of protection and integration into Ukrainian society of the Roma minority up to 2020 and the attached Action Plan adopted in late 2013 was the only document which could be regarded as an example of positive action, if not for declarative character of both documents, non-conformity with minimum standard for positive action design, lack of clear indicators measuring success and overall “Soviet” approach to settling document. Neither strategy nor plan received budgetary financing for their implementation.
This exhausted the state steps aimed at practical implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine”. Ignoring the comments of civil society and the expectations of the European Commission, the state did not get down to work on public policy, program or strategy of preventing and counteraction against discrimination. There were neither explanations or initiatives of the central executive bodies (CEB) about implementation of certain provisions of the Law, or local administration of government powers. Therefore, evaluating preliminary awareness of the representatives of state and agencies and local self-government bodies as to the existence of the Law, individual provisions and understanding of their responsibility, the coaches of the training program in the framework of the project “Achieving Equality: joint approach to improve the status of equality and non-discrimination” noted that:
— Government officials and representatives of local authorities have a relatively low level of understanding of the phenomenon of discrimination;
— In each region the dialogue with the government officials began with a denial of existence of the problem of discrimination in this very oblast/region;
— No CEB offered any clarification to its structural units about the procedure and specific implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine”;
— Participants of the training program unanimously noticed the need for a centralized program/policy design on preventing and counteraction against discrimination.
This example shows hat the government officials do not understand the need for local initiatives and their inability to implement local or regional programs in any area without adequate order of the respective ministry.
The only system documents in this area include the approved “Strategy for prevention and counteraction against discrimination in Ukraine in 2014–2017 years” and Action Plan for 2014 developed by the office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in close cooperation with the institutions of the civil society in December 2013.
On the basis of the analysis of the current judicial practice and individual appeals of the citizens related to inequality and discrimination the state of affairs is as follows:
— low level of understanding by Ukrainians of their rights, their inability to objectively assess violations and demand the restoration of their rights;
— public mistrust towards the judicial system and reluctance to file complaints to court for violation of their rights;
— lack of understanding by judges of the essence, purpose and specificity of anti-discrimination legislation;
— non-application of art. 60 of the Civil Procedural Code of Ukraine about transfer of the burden of proof on the defendant if the plaintiff submits evidence proving that the discrimination took place;
— inaccessibility of most courts for persons with disabilities;
— predominant use of judicial mechanism to protect the rights of only one protected group — persons with disabilities.
At the same time, the above conclusions show the urgent need for the state and civil society to focus on the following objectives:
— Development and adoption of a national document that would define strategic goals and objectives of the state in the sphere of counteraction against discrimination and specific program documents at the level of CEB and local self-government bodies to create clear guidelines on the effective exercise of their powers stipulated under the Law “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine”;
— wage a broad information campaign on the spread of discrimination in every sphere of public life with a clear focus on specific examples of various vulnerable groups;
— More active involvement of organizations of civil society and representatives of vulnerable groups in the development of state / regional programs to prevent discrimination and assessing the state’s performance in this area;
— Analysis and simulation of individual cases for the formation of the practice of law, including identification of problematic issues of relief at law and finding ways to address them;
— Training of judges in the use of anti-discrimination legislation, including the explanation of the standard trial as formulated by the ECHR;
— Preparation of clarification of the specific application of anti-discrimination legislation for the courts.
In addition to the above points, it is worthwhile considering following problematic trend. In 2014, Ukraine lost the second action in the European Court of Human Rights, where the applicant brought up the problem of discrimination (Pichkur vs. Ukraine). The applicant complained that he was deprived of his retirement pension based on his place of residence — he lived in the City of Bremen (Germany) — but he had Ukrainian citizenship and a pension that he had while living in Ukraine. Taking into account the fact that Mr. Pichkur was not the only pensioner who lives abroad and wants to receive his pension, this particular problem also requires a legal settlement, because in the absence of its solution a number of individual complaints to the ECHR may follow.
Summarizing the above, it should be noted that the main barrier to effective practical implementation of the Law “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine” is the unwillingness of the government to stop hiding the problem of discrimination and to get down to systematic work on its prevention. The legislation created a space for many activities such as early detection of individual violations and timely systemic prevention of discrimination. The lack of government policy in this area, the inability of central government agencies to work together among themselves and with civil society to solve problems only tend to aggravate the problem. Last year there was no initiative aimed at the development and implementation of affirmative action, for example, although not all measures for the prevention of discrimination or rather equalization of opportunities for vulnerable groups in need of additional funding, and so on.
1. To conduct comprehensive reform of the relevant branch of legislation to prevent all forms of discrimination with obligatory participation of experts and representatives of civil society:
— To include into the legislation indication of health status, sexual orientation and gender identity as “protected characteristics” in need of legal fixing;
— To establish administrative responsibility for violation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination in Ukraine”;
— To revise the relevant branches of legislation for the establishment of contradictions in existing laws and anti-discrimination legislation;
— To do revision of the existing regulatory framework to identify provisions that result in indirect discrimination;
— To overhaul the provisions of art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine providing penalties for discrimination unrelated to the use of violence within the Civil Code and the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences;
— To develop clear and step by step instructions for the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
2. To map out a national strategy to prevent discrimination and a step by step action plan of implementation of such strategy involving civil society experts. It may follow the pattern of the strategy developed by the office of the Commissioner. The strategy and action plan should cover all aspects of life, clearly defining responsibilities of state and local self-government bodies, have realistic and measurable goals, including a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of implementation.
3. To provide for systematic training of civil servants, local self-government officials, law enforcers and judiciary in compliance with and implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Counteraction Against Discrimination”.
4. To work out an effective procedure for dealing with reports on discrimination and violation of equal rights by the law enforcers regarding the Roma population and members of other ethnic groups and LGBT providing effective mechanisms for investigation of such complaints and bring those responsible to justice.
5. To make arrangements to stop rousing hatred (the use of hate speech and spread of false information), in particular in the statements of officials and politicians in the context of legislation development, ensuring human rights and implementation of the European integration commitments of Ukraine.
 This section has been prepared by Iryna Fedorovych, Chairman of the Coordination Council of the Coalition to combat discrimination and co-coordinator of the Project “Without Borders” of the NGO Center “Social Action”.
 For example, creation of the Coalition Against Discrimination in Ukraine; more on CAD see:
 For English text see: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1085_en.htm
 This is the bill No. 4581 developed by the Ministry of Justice and submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers to the Verkhovna Rada on March 27, 2014; for the text of the bill and accompanying cover letter see:
 See the full text http://antidi.org.ua/ua/activity/application/280-zvernennya-kpd-shchodo-zakonoproektu-4581
 The text of amendments to art. 161 see http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1519-18
 The Law of Ukraine “On National Minorities” 1992 is and declarative does not meet today’s realities and needs significant changes; see the full text here http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2494-12
 The Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 164 dated June 4, 2014; see:
10 From the interview for Hlavkom on September 8, 2014; for the full text see:
 The coaches of the training program for representatives of state agencies and bodies of local self-government included Iyeligulushvili M., Ponomariov S. and Fedorovych I. The trainings were held in five cities of Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Kherson, Uzhhorod, Zhytomyr and Dnipropetrovsk; for more on the training program see:
 See more details: http://antidi.org.ua/ua/activity/projects/300-dosiahnennia-rivnosti-uchasnytskyi-pidkhid-do-stanovlennia-rivnosti-ta-nedyskryminatsii-v-ukraini
 See the full text of the Strategy: http://ombudsman.gov.ua/images/stories/strategic%20plan.pdf
 According to the inspection of the accessibility of courts conducted in 2013; for more details see: http://helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1385205425
 The first case where the Applicants stated the violation by the state of art. 14 of ECHR was Fedorchenko & Lozenko vs. Ukraine in 2012; for the court ruling in Ukrainian see: http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/974_933
 For details of the case see: http://helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1398255443


Entertainment One Music (eOne Music) continues to be at the forefront of hit music today, making strides in delivering new music from the much-anticipated album releases by 3 Winans Brothers, L. Spenser Smith, and Michelle Williams. Making a splash with three albums currently in the Top 10 on both Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and CMTA’s Current Gospel Overall chart, the critically-acclaimed recent releases Foreign Land, by 3 Winans Brothers is at #2 on CMTA’s Current Gospel Overall chart and #3 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart; Unstoppable, by L. Spenser Smith is at #3 on CMTA’s Current Gospel Overall chart and #4 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart; and Journey to Freedom, by Michelle Williams is at #6 on both CMTA’s Current Gospel Overall chart and Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart.
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Ahead of the show we caught up with the latter to dissect what was happening in Lange land at present, including his reverence for Judge Jules, his new album and what it would of been like dropping his early classic remixes right at the pinnacl of trance's reach.
You’ve got an upcoming appearance at Brunel Rooms on 19th October. Are you looking forward to it? Will this be your first appearance in Swindon?
Yeah, always love playing UK gigs. And yes I think it is my first time playing in Swindon!
You’ve been particularly busy in the studio over the last few years. Have you had anything out recently that you’re particularly proud of?
Yes, I've really pushed myself, especially in the past 12 months to do more in the studio - it's actually been a really tough year working pretty much everyday, but I was on a mission to complete my new album and I can say (with much relief) that I finally finished it two weeks ago.
I'm very proud of the final album, even more so than I expected. Some of the singles from the album that I'm most proud of are 'Destination Anywhere', 'Our Brief Time In The Sun' and also my remake of QT Quartet's 'Hold That Sucker Down' (watch below) has really worked well all year in my sets!
Can we look forward to more productions from you in the coming months?
Definitely, my new single 'Fireflies' with Cate Kanell has just been released and there will further singles from the album including a track featuring a violinist called Ilseviolin. That one's called 'Violin's Revenge' and will be the next single. I'm also looking forward to sharing all the new album versions of tracks.
I had the concept of giving many of the tracks already heard a new twist and making the whole album flow from start to finish, so for xample there's a more chilled out acoustic version of my 'Risk Worth Taking' single with Susana.
How has your summer season been? Where have you enjoyed playing?
It's been an epic summer! Highlights included Tomorrowland, South West Four, and Global Gathering festivals. Celebrating 15 years of being in the industry in Ibiza, as well as ending my summer with a tour of Australia.
Your label has seriously stepped up its number of releases over the last few years. How do you find running a label and what’s the secret to its long standing success?
Yeah, the labels really grown up over the past few years, especially since we've paired up with Enhanced Music who manage the back end and distribution. I'm still A&Ring the label, alongside Stephen Kirkwood.
I like to think I've got a good ear for spotting special tracks, and I've never managed to let go of deciding the label's output, even though I probably should have as there's so much for me to do already!
What else lies in the future for Lange?
I plan projects quite far ahead now, and already have ideas for next year, but can't reveal those just yet... there's still a lot to come this year. My Intercity Radio Show celebrates it's 150th episode next month and we're busy finalising plans for that. Also as well as a stream of new tracks waiting for release I have a remix in the pipeline for one of the biggest DJs on the planet.
Dream situation time... you can go back to any period in clubland history, and play at any club. Who would you have playing alongside you and what tune would you drop?
I didn't start DJing until around 2001, but had my first releases in 1998. It would be really fun to go back to 98/99 and play some of my early stuff. I think the obvious club choice would be Amnesia in Ibiza. I have since played there which was incredible, but it would have been amazing to have dropped my remixes of Lost Witness' 'Happiness Happening' (watch below) or DJ Sakin's 'Protect Your Mind' there in those crazy days when trance took Europe by storm!
As for a Djing partner? I think I'd have to go with Judge Jules...he was a huge supporter back then, I've always rated his eclectic sets, and I experienced hearing some of my first remixes in the booth with the judge at various clubs when I was just getting started.


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As the B.C. government continues its crackdown on money laundering, the Law Society of B.C. is proposing a rule change relating to trust funds plus issued guidelines for private loans agreements in a bid to protect lawyers from becoming collateral damage.
British Columbia has brought in amendments to its Supreme Court Civil Rules regulations, which will limit the number of experts and expert reports that can be used in motor vehicle disputes, with further amendments effective next year on all injury claims.
Job action by B.C. legal aid lawyers — set to begin April 1 — has been averted as the B.C. government and the Legal Services Society have contributed funds to an interim agreement that puts $7.9 million into a tariff bonus system for legal aid lawyers over the next six months.

domain: news


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Yesterday I showed the grain crops, some of which are nearly ready for harvest - after all, tomorrow is Lammas Day, the traditional festival of the wheat harvest. But several other crops are also important in Grey County. In fact, there are more acres of corn and soybeans than any of the grain crops, even though Grey is the biggest barley producer in the province. Grey ranks highly in canola production too.
Canola is one of the most beautiful crops, turning bright yellow when in flower. It's not a grass, but was developed from rapeseed by researchers in Manitoba. It's definitely a northern crop, grown all across the Canadian prairies, and in the relatively more northern parts of Ontario, not even making it to southern parts of the province. In the prairies it sometimes alternate with brilliant blue fields of flax -you have to see it to believe it!
Canola is related to mustard, cabbage, turnip and brussels sprouts, and is harvested when the seed pods ripen much later, and used for oil production. As you can see here, it's one of the crops with round heart-shaped leaves when first germinating, and a field before blooming tends to have a bluish-green colour.
Soybeans are another crop with oval leaves in threes, just like the beans you grow in a garden. At this time of year it's still a rich deep green and growing fast. This is the biggest crop in Grey County other than hay.
Corn is similar, growing fast, getting up to 6 feet high now, and in some fields beginning to tassle. The tassles are actually the male flowers, which release pollen fertilizing the corn kernels It won't be harvested for months yet, but we are getting the first sweet corn in stores now.
And I added a picture of a very minor crop, buckwheat, simply because it fascinates me. I always think of it in relation to buckwheat honey, but it's main use is as a cover crop, and it's also used for livestock feed and some human consumption.
The buckwheat plant is actually related to rhubarb, and also has round heart-shaped leaves a bit like canola. It looks like a field of plants about 3 feet tall with small white blooms, but you won't see it often.
Finally I couldn't resist another picture of the hay harvest, which has been going on for weeks now. After all, Grey produces more hay by acres than any other county in Ontario, by far. It's the real backbone of our farm landscape.
Beautiful! I applaud the beauty of the crops you pictured. Oh, and Happy Lammas Day! :-)ReplyDelete
Thanks. And thanks for the idea!Delete
Hello! Thanks for coming by to my blog. Beautiful illustrations of the crops which is really what I'm actually glad to learn about. I may live in the Rocky Mountain part of Canada, but often travel to Alberta and seeing the crops, fields and such; this gives me great information as to what is growing! Terrific post, a really nice blog. I will be sure to bookmark. Take care!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the return visit. Hope you can come again.Delete
Beautiful photos. These crops grow in our area as well. I love when the canola is in bloom.ReplyDelete
Glad you could visit; enjoyed your own fields - looked like around here.Delete
Beautiful crops shots! crops are looking pretty, greenery and in its young age. love this post.ReplyDelete
Glad you enjoyed it.Delete
Where I come from, Buckwheat and Maple [syrup] rule! I love the yellow fields. I was treated to a similar sight when I went to Germany this year. Their crop was rapeseed. Stunning!ReplyDelete
Steve, really appreciate your visit. Your own photos are very inspiring.Delete
Such beautiful fields and so many different kinds of crops. The canola field is my favorite photo today. I love seeing the rolled hay too. They are so much bigger when you are next to one!!ReplyDelete
Thanks for your comments and your kind words. No, I haven't read A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm but will try to find it and read it. Thanks. : )
Thanks for visiting so regularly. The thing I remember about the book was their trails, so when I read about your 'Happy Trails' I thought it might be of interest.Delete
The Canola fields are beautiful, or so I think them to be. I did not know that about buckwheat,rhubarb you say, thanks for educating me.ReplyDelete
Thanks for visiting Cindy, especially when you're so busy yourself!Delete

domain: biology


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School expansions to begin this summer
• County's three elementary schools will get new classrooms and additions over the summer break
By Ben Nelms
There will be no sense of boredom in the county's three elementary schools this summer as they sit vacated by students during their annual academic respite.
Hard at work in their place will be engineers and construction workers beginning what will become a $5.5 million expansion funded by an extended one-percent sales tax that will add more than 40,000 square feet of new construction and renovations and other projects.
Voters gave their overwhelming approval in September, at a ratio of 9-1, to extend the current one-percent sales tax for another five years to fund the improvements.
Scheduled for completion in time for the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, returning students and their parents will find new classrooms, new and expanded cafeterias, nursing clinics, carpeting, windows, roofs and other improvements.
Wrens Elementary will have 10 new classrooms attached to the new wing, including art, music and technology, totaling 12,600 square feet. Roofing is also included in the project. Total cost of the project is $1,877,480.
The expansion at Carver Elementary will include six new classrooms, including music and dance rooms, and a new cafeteria with a performing arts area.
Other additions in the 21,600 square foot project include a new façade on the front of the building, a nursing clinic, asbestos abatement and roofing. The cost of the project is $2,364,600.
Construction at Louisville Academy will include four to six new classrooms, a nursing clinic and expansion of the cafeteria.
Other project components include re-roofing, replacement of carpet in the media center and offices, the removal of old windows and new marker boards. The improvements total $896,240 for the 6,000 square foot project.
Also included in the sales tax term is a $356,032 project to construct a new 2,400 square foot chorus room and storage area at the end of A-wing at Jefferson County High School. The project also includes some re-roofing at the school.
Construction at the schools is expected to begin simultaneously this summer, according to Bethune.
Though expected completion dates vary he said all projects should be complete by the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year.
Aggressive dog killed by Wrens officers
• City animal control officer believes rottweiler may have been trained to attack
By Parish Howard
Wrens police officers shot and killed a large, aggressive dog Thursday after two different Center Street residents reported the animal for coming onto their property and terrorizing them.
A Center Street resident called from the Ultimate Personal Care Home at 6:35 a.m. to report a vicious dog that had appeared on their porch would not let anyone out of the house.
When the officer and the city's licensed animal control officer Walter Hannah reached the address, the dog was on the back steps and according to the police report, "acting very aggressive."
Hannah said the dog was wearing a collar and so must have belonged to someone.
"The dog was mean," he said. "When we tried to catch it, it lunged at me, tried to attack me. I had to defend myself (he said he swung at it) and then it ran off. We couldn't catch it."
Around 7 p.m. the city received another call from the owner of the Center Street house next door to the personal care home complaining about a dog barking at and chasing her 12-year-old daughter.
"It was definitely the same dog," Hannah said. "They were able to lock the dog in their backyard and then they called me."
According to the report, the officers again attempted to remove the dog from the premises and again it reacted violently.
"It was jumping up near my face, barking and snapping and lunging," Hannah said. "If I had been a child, it would have been all over me."
The officers said they had to shoot the dog because it was so out of control that it would have been nearly impossible to remove it without being attacked.
"I wasn't going to let any of us get bit," Hannah said. "We didn't know if the dog had rabies or what. It hadn't bitten anybody yet, but we weren't about to let it get another chance."
Last year, at the request of citizens complaining about the number of stray and unleashed dogs roaming the streets, the city purchased new cages and had Hannah, the city's building and grounds director, trained and licensed as animal control officer.
Since then, he says he has trapped hundreds of dogs. The city currently takes these animals to Webster Veterinarian Clinic in Thomson where they are examined. If the animals are healthy, the clinic attempts to adopt them out.
According to Hannah, pet owners whose animals are captured by the city must either show records proving that their dog has had a rabies vaccination, or pay for the shot before picking up their pet.
Hannah said that as the season gets warmer, he is seeing more stray puppies, but worries most about aggressive dogs, like the one the city had to put down.
"I believe it was somebody's fighting dog," he said. "It had a collar and it was so mad, so angry. I think there are people training them to fight, then they get scared of the dogs themselves and so let them go. Now those are dangerous."
Wrens Police Chief David Hannah confirmed that his department has recently received reports that there are people throughout the county who have been raising dogs for staged fights.
"We keep getting reports, complaints about it," Chief Hannah said. "We're doing what we can, but we haven't caught anyone yet. When we do, they'll face both state and federal animal cruelty charges."
Both city employees referenced the 2001 mauling death of a 33-year-old San Francisco woman, the resulting court case that involved murder charges, and said they hope to avoid a similar situation here.
Soil Science Society members from across the state meet at Old Town Plantation near Louisville March 22 for a six-hour working conference and field tour.
Soil scientists meet in county
By Ben Nelms
There is much more to the soil beneath our feet than many may realize. The evidence of that realization was in plain site March 22 as a group of 25 soil scientists from northwest Georgia to Savannah met at Old Town Plantation near Louisville. Much of the time spent at the continuing education conference was spent using hand-operated augers to bore small holes in the ground, identifying and discussing the soil types they removed.
The rationale of conference leader Thomas MacFie for holding "The Coastal Plains of Georgia" working meeting of the Soil Science Society of Georgia at Old Town was a matter of down-to-earth pragmatism. With 80-100 recognized soil types in Jefferson County, he said the diversity of soil types at Old Town and the bed and breakfast accommodations made the site a good conference location. Both reasons bode well for a site MacFie found by accident a couple of months ago.
"The state is divided by five or six major soil areas which were all covered by the sea at one time," said conference leader Thomas MacFie. "There is a lot of sand and clay in the soil down here and a lot of variability, especially with the Ogeechee River, so this is a great site for the conference because of its size and location.
"We're doing a six-hour field tour today looking at different soils. It's an educational type tour and it will be really good for some of the guys who have never worked in the coastal plain."
All the conference attendees' work in the private sector, regularly mapping soils for home sites and farms across Georgia and many have worked with the Natural Resource Conservation Service. A large portion of their work centers on finding suitable sites for land use projects such as home construction and septic system installation.
"The soil maps were originally done for agriculture," MacFie said. "But now the big impact, especially in developing areas like Savannah, Statesboro, Atlanta and north Georgia, is finding suitable sites for homes. We can tell through soil colors and textures and mapping those sites if the location would be a good home site, a marginal site or one that should not be considered for development."
By mapping soil in a large area soil scientists can determine the best use of soil resources, such as in the location of houses and streets in a subdivision, and lessen the chance of groundwater pollution. Evidence of the benefit of soil mapping provides a cushion in the costs sometimes faced by homeowners and developers, such as in the case of correctly placing a septic system in a home site analysis.
"Under the old system used for a suitable location for a septic system there was a failure rate of about 10 percent," he said. "But now by using soil maps the 30,000 home sites my group has done has yet to experience a failure by locating the septic on the wrong soil."
Attending the conference was consulting soil scientist Hershel Paulk, author of the authoritative 1994 "Soil Survey of Glascock and Jefferson Counties, Georgia."
The survey of the 675.5 square miles, or 432,313 acres, comprising the two counties required an effort that took Paulk five years to complete.
The survey included a description of the soils and their location and a discussion of the suitability, limitations and management of the soils for specified uses. Paulk's work updated the first soil survey done in Jefferson County in 1930. No previous soil survey had been published for Glascock County.
"When we started the soil surveys, we were doing them for individual farms for agricultural purposes and erosion control," said Paulk. "Now the work has extended into soil suitability surveys for homes sites, septic systems, roads and all kinds of urban uses. So the surveys now are probably as important for urban uses as they are for agriculture."
A cloudless day and mild temperatures provided an inviting backdrop to the history and scenic beauty of the area. With a portion of MacFie's responsibilities including locating sites for consulting and continuing education conferences, he looks for sites such as Old Town for future consulting and continuing education conferences.
"Old Town would make a great site for all kinds of tours, especially tied into ecology, land use or agriculture," he said.
Window tint law will be enforced in Gibson
• Police chief says he plans to begin ticketing for the charge in May
By Ben Nelms
Citing the need for officer safety and the increase in security awareness after Sept. 11, Gibson Police Chief Richard Peloquin is poised to start issuing citations for window tint violations beginning in May.
The city council approved the measure to include a warning phase effective from April 8 through May 8, with citations being issued beginning May 9.
Peloquin said the move puts the city in line with enforcing current state law.
He quoted Georgia law 40-8-73.1, stating that it is unlawful for any resident to operate a motor vehicle which has material and glazing applied or affixed to the rear windshield or the side or door windows which reduces light transmission to less than 32 percent.
State law also prohibits applying tinting and glazing that reduces the transmission of light through the front windshield except for a 6-inch area at the top of the windshield.
Peloquin said exceptions to the tint law exist on some vehicles. These include multipurpose passenger vehicles such as SUVs and four-wheel-drive vehicles, those with factory-tinted or darkened windows, limousines, vehicles not registered in Georgia or for documented medical reasons.
He said enforcement of the law, while perhaps not the preference of some residents, is a necessary move.
"It's a matter of officer safety during a traffic stop," said Peloquin. "An officer needs to be able to see what's going on inside a vehicle day or night, but especially at night."
The move by Gibson coincides with current efforts by law enforcement in the region in response to potential terrorist activities since Sept. 11, he said.
Peloquin said the determination to remove window tint will be made by city court Judge Bob Knox on the basis of his decision at the court appearance. The fine for window tint violations is $82.
Residents with questions pertaining to the law may contact the Gibson Police Dept. at (706) 598-2011.


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Added Feb 12, 2013
Costa Mesa, Cali...
My wedding dress….
a dream dress made reality with the help of my grandma and mom, hence the 3 generations
strapless drapey, ball gown dress fit for a flowery butterfly garden nymph.
Although my wedding dress did not take place in a garden, i certainly felt invincible in it ;>
draping along the skirts and silk flower buds created by my grandma. She also hand beaded all the lace down the bodice and also all along the train and bottom skirt.
The dress closed in the back with a zipper but little pearl buttons were sewn up the back for a button up effect
so much fun to create and imagine and drape(i did the draping, my mom did most of the sewing)
and like all procrastinators, the night before my wedding we were all hand sewing, even my dad jumped in to help…. it was a full family collaboration, and i couldn’t have been happier
silk, dupioni, chiffon, tulle, organza
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Baby Sizing Chart. This will come in handy.
baby blanket size chart
Baby Blanket Size Chart | Little Monkeys Crochet
Baby Blanket Size Chart
beautiful blanket ♥ Great idea: double moss stitch and knit five "scarves" that were then sewn into one big blanket."
Baby Boy Crochet Necktie-Any size and color
baby blanket. love the colors.
How to decide on your quilt size since there isn't a specific standard on blankets with certain mattress sizes.


text:
by Sukhpal Sukh, Diljit DosanjhAlbum · 293,751 Plays · 8 Songs · 293,751 Plays · 38:24
Sukhpal Sukh, Diljit Dosanjh
Sukhpal Sukh, Sudesh Kumari
Smile is a Hindi album released in 2008. There are a total of 8 songs in Smile. The songs were composed by talented musicians such as Sukhpal Sukh and Diljit Dosanjh. Listen to all of Smile online on JioSaavn.

domain: entertainment


Socket-A AMD 760 Motherboard Roundup: Farewell to a Beautyby Mike Andrawes on November 3, 2001 4:10 AM EST
- Posted in
AMD's 760 chipset was the first to bring DDR SDRAM to the PC's main memory subsystem. VIA and ALi quickly followed with their own Athlon DDR chipsets, but neither of those platforms were able to keep up with the AMD 760. AMD had originally intended to introduce DDR SDRAM for the Athlon, then slowly let the 3rd parties take back the Athlon chipset market. With VIA and ALi falling behind on the performance curve, AMD had to continue supplying a large number of chipsets to the market.
More recently, we've seen the introduction of the SiS 735, then the VIA KT266A, both of which were finally able to eclipse the AMD 760. One slight problem - it's still relatively hard to find KT266A boards in the retail market and there's only one major manufacturer mass producing SiS 735 boards at this point in time. The other major contender, the NVIDIA nForce, is even further off into the future as far as retail availability goes. So if you need a DDR Athlon motherboard immediately, the AMD 760 is still a reasonable choice. Not to mention that you'll be avoiding some of the issues that have been reported with KT266 motherboards and you'll have more selection than you would with the SiS 735.
In this roundup we have a total of nine boards, they are the ABIT KG7-RAID, ASUS A7M266, Biostar, Chaintech, DFI, EPoX, FIC AD11, Gigabyte 7DXR, and the MSI K7 Master-S.
The AMD 760 Chipset and Drivers
The AMD 760 chipset debuted almost a year ago, with the main purpose being the introduction of DDR SDRAM technology. When first released, the AMD 760 chipset consisted of the 761 North Bridge and the 766 South Bridge. The AMD 761 North Bridge provides the DDR SDRAM interface and 133MHz FSB support in addition to AGP 4X support. The 766 South Bridge contains support for Ultra ATA-100 and some other features.
However, since the North and South Bridges are linked via the PCI bus, the VIA 686B and its lower price tag became the most commonly used South Bridge with the 760 chipset. In fact, all motherboards except one in this roundup use the VIA 686B instead of the AMD 766 South Bridge. The sole exception is the Chaintech CT-7KJD, which uses the VIA VT8231.
In order to make sure that this hybrid chipset performs well, install the AGP driver from AMD and the IDE drivers from VIA. For further details on the AMD 760 chipset and the technology behind it, please refer to our AMD 760 chipset review.


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James NorzDigital Artist Male Miami, Florida, US
Mayhem # 2521238
About MeHi my name is James, I just graduated and am looking to do some fun photo editing on the side. I have minimum experience, but want to gain more experience. Willing to do some things for free, just let me know. Contact me with any questions.
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AMERICAN ELK ANTLERS
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The Genuine American Wild Elk Antlers have arrived!
Unlike those who believe these majestic animals have been hunted for these antlers, in fact, our antlers are 100% naturally shed
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domain: hobby


In the world of professional wrestling, few events hold as much anticipation and excitement as the annual WWE Royal Rumble. This iconic battle royale sets the stage for the road to WWE WrestleMania, and over the years, it has given fans countless memorable moments.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, a veteran of the squared circle, recently took to the airwaves on "Busted Open Radio" to share his personal favorite Royal Rumble memory. During his illustrious career, Mark Henry participated in an impressive 10 Royal Rumble matches, but one moment stood out above the rest for him.
He fondly recalled the surprise return of none other than John Cena at the 2008 Royal Rumble. "It would have to be when John Cena came back," Henry reminisced. "Nobody was expecting John to come back because of [an] injury, and the Royal Rumble was headed toward Triple H winning, and everybody was like, 'Damn it, not again.'
" Cena's comeback at the 2008 Royal Rumble was indeed a momentous occasion. Having suffered a torn pectoral muscle just four months earlier, the WWE Universe didn't anticipate his return so soon. When Cena's music hit and he emerged as the final entrant in the match, the Madison Square Garden crowd erupted in an explosion of excitement.
"I was in the ring when his music hit, and was one of the last guys to go out," Henry shared. "The energy from the Garden — I can't even explain. ... It was shaking the whole building."
Cena's Rumble Triumph
Cena's surprise entry into the Royal Rumble culminated with him eliminating Triple H to secure the victory.
This triumphant return set the stage for Cena's subsequent challenges for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton at WWE No Way Out and WWE WrestleMania 24, with Triple H also playing a significant role in those storylines.
Cena's first match back following his Royal Rumble return was against none other than Mark Henry on "WWE Raw." Mark Henry's recollection of this iconic Royal Rumble moment serves as a reminder of the unpredictable and electrifying nature of professional wrestling, where surprises and unforgettable moments are always just a ring bell away.
Wrestling fans worldwide continue to cherish these moments that make the Royal Rumble a must-watch event year after year.


text: "My mom is white and my dad is black," says Rena Dunbar, who learned about racism first-hand, growing up along with her twin sister Leah in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a segregated steel-mill industrial town. "Seeing discrimination made us activists." The twins won scholarships to DePauw University in southern Indiana. They majored in English, started a chapter of Amnesty International, and protested the first Gulf War. After graduation in 1994, Rena followed the Grateful Dead on tour as far as Autzen Stadium shows in June, and decided to stay on in Eugene. She completed a masters in teaching program at Pacific U and spent nine years teaching language arts to at-risk kids at South Eugene HS. "I wanted them to have an experience that challenges the mainstream culture," she says, "to hear and honor their own voices and stories." Dunbar left South to help start Peace Village at Network Charter School, taught there for two years, then returned to the 4J District at Spencer Butte MS in 2009. Sister Leah teaches at Churchill HS. For nine years, the twins held a monthly last-Thursday youth poetry open mic, "Weapon of Choice: Voice!" at the Morning Glory Cafe. "What ended that was me going to middle school," says Rena. "Leah and I both teach a class called Courageous Conversations. We examine how identity, culture, and ethnicity shape our world view."

domain: sociology


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Police said Wednesday that the body of a man displaying gunshot wounds had been found in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, in the 194th killing in the Arab community this year.
Police said that investigators were at the scene and that “at this stage, all possibilities are being investigated.”
Medics from the Magen David Adom rescue service said the man was already dead when they arrived.
The Ynet news site said the man was found by his mother not returning home for three days. No weapon was found at the scene.
It said he was known to police to have been involved in drug dealing in the city.
Since the start of the year, there have been 194 violent crime fatalities in Arab communities, compared to 81 deaths during the same period last year, according to the Abraham Initiatives organization, which tracks the figures.
The total for this year amounts to a killing every 34 hours.
Almost all of the deaths were caused by firearms, and 12 of the fatalities were women.
Last week, a mass shooting in northern Israel left five members of a Bedouin family dead.

domain: law


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This week we look at another famous person who lived with and overcame autism to do extraordinary things. Considered the father of fairytales, the stories written by this autistic have been handed down over the centuries and today are still some of the best fairy tales ever written.
The excerpt comes from the children’s book Different Like Me written by Jennifer Elder.
“Hans Christian Andersen didn’t fit in very well in his home town. So when he was just 14, he set out for the big city of Copenhagen. It was a very long walk, but Hans was excited. Soon he would be in a new place where nobody knew him. Hans could start a brand new life!
Unfortunately, life in Copenhagen wasn’t much better than it had been at home. Hans tried to find work but didn’t have any luck. So instead he started school, but didn’t fit in there, either. The other boys teased him for being tall and awkward, and they hurt his feelings. Even the teachers weren’t very nice. Hans was sad, but he cheered himself up by writing stories. He wrote wonderful tales about mermaids and princes. In the 1830s, books were written in a formal style, using lots of long words. But Hans wrote simply, the way people really spoke. This was new to readers. His stories became very popular, both with kids and adults.
As Hans became famous, he started getting invitations to dances and dinner parties. Hans was pleased but worried too. The people at these parties would be smart people, cool people, fancy people. How would he ever fit in? Despite his fears, Hans went to the parties. Slowly, he began to realize: His new friends didn’t want him to fit in. They didn’t invite Hans because he was like everyone else. They invited him because he was different. They invited him because he was interesting. They invited him because he was Hans.
Hans wrote about lots of different things, but one of his best-loved stories is about being different. The Ugly Duckling tells the story of a young duck who doesn’t look or sound like everybody else. Just like Hans, he leaves home, looking for somewhere to belong—and just like Hans, he gets some bumps and bruises along the way. In the end, though, the ugly duckling discovers that he’s not ugly—he’s not even a duckling! He’s a beautiful swan. It took Hans a while, but he finally realized that just because he was different didn’t mean there was something wrong with him. Hans had been a swan all along.
Hans Christian Andersen’s stories have been read all over the world, and inspired everything from paintings to songs to movies. That sad 14-year-old boy long ago may have secretly hoped that he and his stories would someday be famous; but in his wildest dreams, he could not have guessed that a statue of one of his characters would watch over the harbour of the city he loved. In fact, today the Little Mermaid is the symbol of Copenhagen—the city where Hans feared he would never fit in.”
In our last piece we gave you a peek at child with autism telling you five things that child might wish you knew, this week we give you five more.
Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented. Show me how to do something rather than just telling me. And please be prepared to show me many times. Lots of patient repetition helps me learn. A visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. Like your day planner, it relieves me of the stress of having to remember what comes next, makes for smooth transitions between activities, and helps me manage my time and meet your expectations.
Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can’t do. Like any other human, I can’t learn in an environment where I’m constantly made to feel that I’m not good enough or that I need fixing. Trying anything new when I am almost sure to be met with criticism, however constructive, becomes something to be avoided. Look for my strengths and you’ll find them. There’s more than one right way to do most things.
Help me with social interactions. It may look like I don’t want to play with the other kids on the playground, but sometimes it’s just that I simply don’t know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation. If you can encourage other children to invite me to join them at kickball or shooting baskets, I may be delighted to be included.
Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. This is termed “the antecedent.” Meltdowns, blowups, tantrums or whatever you want to call them are even more horrid for me than they are for you. They occur because one or more of my senses has gone into overload. If you can figure out why my meltdowns occur, they can be prevented.
If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally. Banish thoughts such as, “If he would just …” and “Why can’t she …?” You didn’t fulfill every last expectation your parents had for you, and you wouldn’t like being constantly reminded of it. I didn’t choose to have autism. Remember that it’s happening to me, not you. Without your support, my chances of successful, self-reliant adulthood are slim. With your support and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise you I’m worth it. It all comes down to three words: Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me. I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed I don’t lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates, or pass judgment on other people? You are my foundation. Think through some of those societal rules, and if they don’t make sense for me, let them go. Be my advocate, be my friend, and we’ll see just how far I can go.
Aug 21, 2019Story & photos by Sean Devers Watched by large and raucous crowd the Curtains came down on day three of 2019 Senior Squash Championship in Guyana as veteran Racquet wielder the ever green...
U.S. President Donald Trump’s new rule on immigration and nationality, published on Monday, August 12, is not different... more
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domain: literature


text:
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Copyright law is two things: a gnostically complex rubric for deciding who can reproduce a work of art, and one of the most powerful legal forces on the internet. But precisely how complex and how powerful? Well, enough that a major law school thought it might lose its YouTube channel in a copyright dispute over a video explaining copyright law.
Last year, the NYU School of Law held a conference on intellectual property, including a panel about music copyright. When musicians sue each other for stealing songs, their cases hinge on a fascinating and intricate analysis of rhythm, style, and uniqueness. The panelists illustrated this with seconds-long clips of several famous songs — sometimes unaltered, sometimes stripped down to individual…tech, The Verge, The Verge - All Posts


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443 Shiffers Mill Road, Millersburg, Pennsylvania
443 Shiffers Mill Road, Millersburg, Pennsylvania 17061 - Your small piece of heaven, right here on earth! Property located in Washington Township, along the desirable Wisconisco Creek. Combination of wooded and cleared gently rolling land bordering the creek. All the privacy and pleasure of a private get-away, close to Millersburg. Vacant Land (w/Shed) could be used for recreation as a week-end/summer get-away or for the perfect location for building your dream home. Mobile Home previously on site, well and septic system on lot (not used for some time) PERFECT!
Listing Courtesy of ALLEN J MCCORMACK~CENTURY 21 AT THE HELM~-717-737-4444

domain: geography


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Juicy pieces of roasted chicken thighs glazed with a sweet teriyaki sauce on top a bed of crispy potato wedges, carrots, and broccoli.
3 lbs. (1.36 kg) Bone In Chicken Thighs (Boneless, Skinless can be subbed)
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
2 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
1 tablespoon Peanut Oil (Vegetable or Canola Oil can be subbed)
1 lb. (454g) Broccoli Florets
1 lb. (454g) Carrots, cut on the bias into half moons
As Needed Vegetable Oil for Frying
2.2 lbs. (1 kg) Frozen Potato Wedges
1 tablespoon Sea Salt
1 cup (240 ml) Teriyaki Sauce
1 tablespoon (2g) White Sesame Seeds
¼ cup (4g) Green Onions, sliced
Prep Time: 30min | Cook Time: 30min
Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C), de-bone the chicken thighs, leaving the skin intact. Season the inside of the chicken thighs where the bone was with salt and white pepper. Roll the chicken thighs into little cylinders and place skin side up on a sheet pan lined with a silpat or aluminum foil. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 5-7 minutes before slicing.
In a large pot bring some water to a boil, enough water to blanch the broccoli and carrots. When the water reached a full boil add the carrots, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the boiling water and immediately place them into an ice water bath, this will stop the cooking process. Drain the vegetables very well and set aside until you are ready to stir fry them.
To stir fry the vegetables, heat the sesame oil in a large saute pan or a wok over high heat. Add the blanched vegetables and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes.
Heat the teriyaki sauce and keep warm.
To fry the potato wedges, fry the wedges in the vegetable oil preheated to 375 °F (190 °C) for 4-6 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain the wedges and place them into a large bowl. Season them with the salt and toss to combine. Arrange the wedges on a platter.
Top the wedges with the stir-fried vegetables, and the sliced pieces of chicken. Ladle the teriyaki sauce over the chicken and vegetables and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
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domain: food


By Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s right hand man in Harare Tafadzwa Muguti is facing a three-year jail term for defying a High Court order barring him from demolishing people’s properties in Chitungwiza.
Muguti, secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in the capital, defied the order together with Chitungwiza town clerk Evangelista Machona.
The High Court prohibition order was granted last year.
Chitungwiza Residents Trust and it’s director Alice Kuveya on Friday made a chamber application for contempt of court under case number 393/22,, in which Machona and Muguti are third and fourth respondents, respectively.
The other respondents are Chitungwiza Municipality and the City of Harare.
On June 10 last year, High Court judge Justice Edith Mushore prohibited, under case HC2857/2021, the demolition of all informal traders’ structures in Harare and Chitungwiza.
The order stated that demolitions were not in compliance with the law, in particular section 32 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act (Chapter 29:12), and section 3 of the Administrative Justice Act.
“The court ordered that all demolitions be stayed pending determinations of their legality. However, that order was completely disregarded by the respondents who have commenced demolitions of informal traders’ structures in Harare and Chitungwiza,” Kuveya stated in the application.
“I made enquiries with Chitungwiza Municipality as to why the demolitions were being carried out in defiance of a court order that I had obtained, and I was advised that there was no council resolution to proceed with these current demolitions, but Machona and Muguti were acting unilaterally.
“I attach hereto a January article by the NewsDay in which Machona confirmed her hand in the demolitions and warned that they would continue. After the interim order granted by this court, Muguti also made utterances in which he openly denigrated the order and also foretold that the demolitions would continue in the face of that order.”
The court ruling states that: “The third and fourth respondents shall serve alternate three-month jail terms for contempt of this honourable court until such time as they purge their contempt and comply with orders of this court under HC2857/21.
“The first and second respondents be, and are hereby barred from filing any papers before this honourable court until such time as they shall have purged their contempt of court. All court papers filed by the first and second respondents before this honourable court under HC2857/21, be, and are hereby struck out of the record.”
Machona and Muguti are yet to respond to the application.


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Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Paco and Heidi had been rescued from abuse in Alabama and had made their way to a humane society. However they were at a kill shelter. When pure bred dogs are taken to a kill shelter the shelter calls around to rescues of the coresponding breed so that the dogs can be saved. The DRNA agreed to take them but the only foster home that had room was all the way in Pennsylvania. A series of volunteers drove Paco and Heidi as many miles as they could to the next volunteer who would meet them and continue their journey to Pennsylvania.
The second I saw their picture I emailed Paco and Heidi's foster mom back and said that I would be there the next day to get them. It was the last day of classes for my junior year and I left immediately from school with a friend. It took us about 2 hours to get to their foster mom house. As soon as they saw us they ran and jumped into our laps. I knew at that second I was going to love these dogs more than any one person should and I was right. I have had them for 2 years and they amaze me and make me love them more every day.
I may be somewhat biased but is this not the cutest dog you have ever seen?
Friday, June 5, 2009
1/2 cup zucchini
1/2 cup squash
1/4 cup carrots
1/4 cup onions
1 egg (in addition to the egg called for by the bisquick recipe)
Shred all vegetables and put in strainer to let excess water drain off. While vegetables are draining follow directions on bisquick box to make 4 pancakes. Add pancake batter to vegetables and mix well. Next add 1 egg and combine wit mixture. Heat a small amount of oil in pan or on griddle. Drop about 2 tablespoons of batter onto a skillet and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
I usually serve these with a green salad with a tangy dressing. The dressing with the veggie cakes just seems to compliment each other. I have also made these by adding or substituting other vegetables like mushrooms and green peppers. These are super simple and so good!
Tomorrow I am going to a Fleatique in my hometown. There will be 3 miles of vendors selling crafts, antiques, baked goods, books, as well as families having yard sales. I'm like a little kid on Christmas because I am so excited to go!
If anybody is in the area and would like to check it out here is the link...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers
1-2 green peppers (depending if you eat a whole or half)
1 bag instant rice (I use brown but use whatever you have)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup water
4 green onions
1 1/2 cup TVP (or for all you meat eaters, 1 1/2 cup ground meat)
Cook the rice according to directions and set aside. Next cut green peppers in half and roast in the over at 425 for 15 minutes or until soft. If the pepper is really thick or tough I will boil it for a few minutes prior to roasting. While pepper is roasting put tomatoes, water, half the chopped onions and cooked TVP in a pan. Once the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken add the rice.
Place half or a whole green pepper in a bowl and top with the tomato, rice, tvp mixture and voila deconstructed stuffed pepper.
I realize this isnt an exact stuffed pepper like most people are used to. However it takes about 20 minutes to make as opposed to the typical hour it takes just to stuff the peppers. I hope you enjoy!
And what beverage pairs best with sushi? Well a venti white chocolate mocha with soy of course.
And of course I haven't taken any pictures of the garden. One day. One day. But until then I will keep you in suspence. Due to the yucky weather and sleep deprevation I don't see today being the day that garden pictures are going to happen. Paco the sweet little, calm chihuahua that he is has been terrified of the severe storms we have been having at night so me being the softy that I am has let him sleep in bed instead of his crate. By sleep in bed I mean pace all night, shake, and lick my face. Hopefully tonight it will not storm and I will have my sweet, calm, chihuahua who loves to sleep through the night back.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Speaking of reading a book, Jason and I have decided that we are going to cancel our satelite! This is a good thing because we are now going to save about 80 dollars a month! We don't really watch TV that often and if we do its usually a netflix or a redbox movie. Im pretty excited to save more money!
I have also found a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. You mix equal parts of borax and baking soda and use one scoop per load of dishes. Since using this I have found that some dishes don't get completely cleaned. I don't know if its because I didn't rinse the dishes well enough or if its the dishwashing detergent so I may pick up a box of store brand detergent and mix a 3 part ratio for the recipe- 1 cup borax, 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup detergent.
Nothing else exciting has happened lately so I will now bore you with tonights dinner menu. At least once a week I try to make a vegan dinner. In a perfect world I would be a vegan and never eat any animal products. In reality I am but a mere vegetarian. But one day a week I pretend..
Roasted Brussel sprouts, Vegetable Orzo, and Curried mashed cauliflower (instead of using all of the butter, cream, and milk in this recipe I use soy milk and soy yogurt). Eating vegan one night has so many benefits, its healthier, cheaper, and (not to be preachy) its a compassionate act that is easy to do!


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Teachers have a hugely important role to play in our society but so often they are undervalued, under resourced and over worked.
We design experiences and trainings that aim to give teachers new tools and practices to help them bring more creativity and effectiveness into their work.
How do we engage the ‘unreachable’? How do we bring a subject to life through the arts? How can we create an environment in our classrooms where students want to learn?
We want to empower teachers to use creativity in their work to begin to overcome challenges and enable students and teachers alike to learn and grow.
Our trainings for teachers aim to bring some of our experience as facilitators into the classroom context and empower teachers to use these techniques to enliven education for their students and inspire creativity in themselves and their schools.


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Unveiled by Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB), “Now is The Moment” is nationwide tourism recovery advertising campaign that aimed to attract more visitors to the area.
Now is The Moment campaign is part of big recovery campaign of the Monterey County. The campaign is just the start, and it will take two or three years to get county’s pre-COVID-19 pandemic tourism numbers.
The Big Sur community and Monterey County as a whole saw more than a $1.8 billion loss in tourist revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Monterey itself depends heavily on both conference business and tourism.
Tourism is the county’s number-two industry after agriculture, and a key economic driver of jobs and revenue for the Monterey Peninsula. Agriculture continued during the pandemic, but lots of tourism stopped due to shelter-in-place.
The “Now is The Moment” advertising campaign are scheduled to run for the next five weeks in markets within driving distance – like the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and direct flight markets – like Dallas, Denver, San Diego, as well as in the Midwest and East Coast.
Another phase of promotion for fall and winter travel is under development. There’s more planned for 2022 and then beyond as foreign travel returns.

domain: travel


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Mumbai: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has challenged the approval of Adani Wilmar’s bid for Ruchi Soya Ltd’s acquisition, arguing that under the insolvency and bankruptcy code, relatives of a wilful defaulter can’t participate in a bidding process. On Monday, senior counsel J.P. Sen—representing Patanjali Ayurved—argued that the company is challenging the bid process as it violates the Section 29 (A) of the bankruptcy law.
“We are challenging the matrix of the evaluation process for the bidding because we feel that the goal post has been changed,” argued Sen.
As per the Section 29 (A), a resolution applicant (bidder) is ineligible to submit a plan if connected to a person who meets any of the ineligibility criteria. The definition of connected person makes reference to related party which in turn lists relatives as well.
Patanjali has sought Adani Wilmar’s disqualification on the ground that Pranav Adani, managing director of Adani Wilmar, is related to Vikram Kothari, the earlier promoter of Rotomac Group.
Patanjali’s counsel also sought to know the details of the debt resolution plan submitted by Adani Wilmar, but lawyers representing Adani Wilmar as well as the resolution professional opposed this saying that there is no such provision under which a party who has not won the bid can seek such documents.
Ravi Kadam, senior counsel representing the resolution professional, and advocate Zal Andhyarujina—appearing for Adani Wilmar—also sought more time to file their reply in a petition filed by Patanjali.
The tribunal will hear the case next on 7 September.
Patanjali Ayurved had last week moved the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), challenging the move of Ruchi Soya’s committee of creditors (CoC) to choose Adani Wilmar over it. About 97% of lenders of debt-laden Ruchi Soya had voted in favour of the Gautam Adani-promoted Adani Wilmar.
Adani Wilmar’s offer for Ruchi Soya entails a 60% haircut for the banks.
The statutory 270-day deadline for the debt resolution will complete on 12 September.
Patanjali Ayurved had earlier alleged that the bidding process was not followed properly. It had also raised concerns on law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advising Ruchi Soya’s resolution professional Shailendra Ajmera as well as Adani Wilmar.
That issue was settled when Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas resigned and Luthra and Luthra Law Office came on board to advise Adani Wilmar.
Ruchi Soya is part of the so-called second list of 28 defaulters the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) flagged for resolution under its schemes before December 2017, failing which these cases were to be referred to the NCLT. The tribunal admitted Ruchi Soya for insolvency resolution process in December.


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MUMBAI: Television actress Samikssha Batnagar makes her debut as a singer with the single "Tishnagi". The song releases on Tuesday.
Samikssha has appeared in TV series like "Ek Veer Ki Ardaas: Veera", "Devon Ke Dev: Mahadev" and "Kumkum Bhagya", and films like "Calendar girls", "Poster Boys".
(Also read: Samikssha Batnagar's Diwali at old age home)
Asked about what made her explore singing, Samikssha said: " I have been practising classical singing since childhood. However, I never focused too much on singing until I started with a few cover songs recently, and got a great response. I then decided to come up with my own single. I find the lyrics of 'Tishnagi' too catchy and the whole storyline around it."
"Tishnagi" has been written by Alaukik Rahi and composed by Rishi Singh. The music video is available on YouTube and social media.

domain: celebrity


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By Obas Esiedesa
The Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Lai Mohammed has commended the Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for completing the 5,000 barrels per day Waltersmith Modular Refinery located in Ibigwe, Imo State.
Mohammed told journalists after a pre-commissioning visit to the plant, that it was one of the major achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari government.
The refinery is scheduled to begin products truck-out by October 14, 2020. It will become the first privately owned refinery as well as the only refinery in operation in the country.
The 5,000 barrels per day refinery which is jointly owned by Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) having 30 percent equity.
Construction work on the refinery started in October 2018 and will commence operations on October 14, 2020, loading out 23 trucks of refined products per day, having concluded off-take arrangements with select firms.
The Minister stated that the completion of Waltersmith modular refinery and conceptualization of similar projects in Bayelsa were key achievementsof President Muhammed Buhari’s administration, adding that modular refineries only became a reality under the present administration despite years of rhetoric by previous governments.
Mohammed described modular refineries as key to meeting the Federal Government’s agenda of increasing local refining capacity, enhancing value addition to the hydrocarbon resources and employment generation.
He gave assurance that government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and relevant agencies will provide Waltersmith with all necessary support it needs to operate and grow sustainably.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote expressed pride that the Board moved quickly to invest 30 percent equity in the Waltersmith modular refinery project with the approval of its Board’s Governing Council.
He hinted that the project had several benefits, including generation of direct, indirect, and induced employment opportunities for management staff, plant operators, technicians, drivers, cleaners, suppliers, security personnel and others.
He said that one of NCDMB’s mandates is to develop in-country capacities and capabilities to utilize and add value to the nation’s hydrocarbon resources, while its vision is to serve as a catalyst for the industrialization of the Nigerian oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.
According to him, “this vision contributes to the realization of our 70 percent Nigerian Content target in the oil and gas sector by 2027. Our partnership with Waltersmith and other similar investments are some of the levers we are using to deliver the target growth rate.”
Wabote canvassed that at least 10 percent of Nigeria’s oil production should be refined through the modular refineries.
He noted that an average of ten direct jobs were created for every 1,000barrels/day capacity of modular refinery, hence over 2,500 direct jobs and over 25,000 indirect jobs can be created if 10 percent of Nigeria’s production is refined using modular refineries.
On his part, the Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Mr. Abdulrasaq Isah indicated that the company decided to embark on the modular project as a strategy to address incessant pipeline vandalism and theft of its crude oil products.
The project will also ensure import substitution, energy security for the nation, lower of the company’s operating cost and create lots of jobs, he revealed.
He outlined the company growth plans, “part of which is to significantly expand the refinery’s production capacity to 50,000 barrels of crude oil per day”.
He said: “We have started with the first module which is 5000 barrels. The next module will be 25,000 barrels. Then the finale module will be 20,000.
“At that point we will be loading 120 trucks every day at peak production, comprising different products-diesel, kerosene, PMS, HFO and Jet Fuel.”
Lai Mohammed was accompanied on the visit by the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and the Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

domain: economics