Sunday, March 8th is International Women's Day and it has been observed and celebrated for almost a century. Thousands of events will be held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate our achievements. We have come so far since the times of the suffragettes fighting for the right to vote, yet we have so much further to go.
This day is set aside to celebrate women's achievements and call for greater equality for women. Some people get turned off with the idea of feminism, however I believe that Emma Watson got it 100% right when she stated to the UN her beliefs and understanding of feminism in her HeforShe Campaign. The following is an excerpt of her speech:
For the record, feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being called “bossy,” because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents—but the boys were not.
I FIRMLY believe that being a feminist does not mean that you are a hater of men. It means that you are a champion, believer, and celebrator of women and young girls. It is our job as women to encourage, support and empower one another. Celebrate in each others' successes and offer assistance when help is needed. Take some time this weekend to celebrate YOUR OWN achievements as a woman (however small or extravagant they may be), and be happy for the successes of other women around you. We need more of that in this world.
This isn’t just any cranberry sauce… it’s the one I grew up with every year at Thanksgiving thanks to my Mom! I might be biased, but to me, this is the best version I’ve ever tasted! It’s more on the tart side than sweet because she doesn’t use as much sugar as most recipes call …
I have to admit, this was my first time solo cooking a turkey breast roast…and I kinda crushed it! Excited to share this recipe with you all!
I didn’t get my fill of turkey over Thanksgiving, so I decided to make a smaller, simpler turkey breast roast for the December holidays! This …
This dish is really easy to prepare and you’ll die for the avocado rice…I now make it almost once a week! This rice also goes great with chicken.
If you’ve never roasted a whole chicken before…this post is perfect for you because I promise it’s really easy!
I’ve been meaning to roast a whole chicken for a while now and when I received my Try the Worldbox featuring ingredients from Brazil. I was inspired to use their …
My first cocktail recipe! This is a drink I make myself often, except I’ve fancied it up with some homemade candied ginger!
I swear this is a true story…I was at a friend’s house and making a drink with bourbon and looking for a mixer. The only thing they had was …
Talk about simple..this dish is probably the easiest way to make a delicious, filling meal for yourself or for two (cough cough hot date) or a group!
When I first started cooking I was always intimidated by cooking steak and having it be the perfect temperature inside and also taste good. And the …
Looking for a healthy and easy-to-assemble dinner that’s full of flavor? This lemon chicken with rosemary and garlic is just that!
This dish is a great money-savor as well. I made this on a Sunday and had it for lunch the whole next week! Let’s get to it…
I braised this bad boy for 4 hours in my dutch oven and this was the glorious result. I’ve actually never made brisket before so I perused the internet all day (don’t tell my boss!) to figure out my own recipe for a beer …
ALERT! This might be one of the best things I’ve ever made. The pictures don’t even begin to do this dish justice. I made this meal for myself and I ate it for 4 days for lunch and it was just as delicious as microwaved leftovers as it was the first night right …
Categories: Entities with Irish names > Irish Republican Movement > Sinn F�?�?�?�?�?�??�?©in > Weekly newspapers published in Ireland
An Phoblacht (Irish for "The Republic") is the official newspaper of Sinn Féin in Ireland. It is published once a week, and according to its website sells an average of up to 15,000 copies every week and was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently having in excess of 100,000 website hits per week.[1] Following the split in the Republican Movement in January 1970, one of the urgent tasks facing their leadership was producing a new republican newspaper. The first issue of the monthly paper, An Phoblacht, under the editorship of Seán Ó Brádaigh, appeared on 31 January 1970.
The original An Phoblacht was founded as the official organ of the Dungannon Clubs in Belfast in 1906 and its first edition was printed on 13 December 1906 under the English language version of the title The Republic. In the first edition, Bulmer Hobson, one of the founders of the Dungannon Clubs, set out their aims:
"Ireland today claims her place among the free peoples of the Earth. She has never surrendered that claim, nor will ever she surrender it, and today forces are working in Ireland that will not be still until her claim is acknowledged and her voice heard in the councils of the nations."
A year later the paper merged with a Dublin title called The Peasant, however the title An Phoblacht was again used from 1925 and continued until 1937 with a tumultuous history of internal splits and constant state oppression. Frank Ryan, Seán MacBride and Peadar O'Donnell were just some of the prominent contributors during this time.
The title appeared again in 1966 as the mouthpiece of a small IRA splinter group based in Cork.[2] Its modern version was again refounded immediately following the Sinn Féin split by Jimmy Steele in January 1970, An Phoblacht supporting the group led by Ruaírí O'Bradaigh that became the Provisional IRA when the split with the Official Irish Republican Army occurred.
In 1970, An Phoblacht was at first circulated only in the South with another republican paper also established in Northern Ireland in 1970, Republican News, under the editorship of veteran republican Jimmy Steel. It supported the campaign of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and published a weekly column titled "War News", which outlined IRA actions and conflict with the British Army, and provided in depth analysis of the policies being formulated by the Republican Movement. An Phoblacht began with a circulation of 20,000 per month.
Located at 2a Lower Kevin Street in Dublin’s south inner city, it moved to the northside of the capital, to Kevin Barry House, 44 Parnell Square, in August 1972. And in that October it became a fortnightly publication under the editorship of Éamonn MacThomáis, a writer and historian[3] who instituted changes in layout and general improvements so that it became a weekly publication. After 1976, the then Minister for Post and Telecommunications, Conor Cruise O'Brien, a Labour Party minister in the Fine Gael/Labour coalition, strengthenedJack Lynch’s original 1971 Section 31 censorship directive banning members of the IRA or its political wing Sinn Féin from the airwaves. However this ban did not extend to the print media.
Section 31 produced a climate where many career journalists engaged in self-censorship to avoid official opprobrium.
An Phoblacht became more important in disseminating the republican message and highlighting what it saw as the naked state oppression by the Unionist Party and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. It consequently suffered regular Garda Special Branch harassment. Mac Thomáis was arrested and charged with IRA membership and sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment having been found guilty of the offence. The paper continued under the stewardship of Dublin journalist Deasún Breathnach until Mac Thomáis resumed duties on his release in July 1974. Within two months, Mac Thomáis was again arrested and sentenced to another 15 months. Another editor, Coleman Moynihan, who had succeeded Seán Ó Brádaigh in 1972, suffered a similar fate.
It had become clear that a single paper for the whole of Ireland was required to provide a clear and coherent line from the leadership and to counter any partitionist thinking which might flow from the British division of Ireland. Accordingly, on 27 January 1979, the first issue of the merged publications, under the banner of An Phoblacht/Republican News, appeared under the editorship of Danny Morrison.
The paper focuses on providing a weekly commentary on all aspects of Irish politics, and currently it articulates the political position of Sinn Féin and supports the peace process.
The paper was officially relaunched in September 2005 as An Phoblacht. The current editor is Seán Mac Brádaigh.
An Phoblacht/Republican News: Ireland's Biggest Selling Political Weekly — website of the newspaper.
^ Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Minister of Home Affairs file HA 32/2/13 - "Sinn Fein and Republican Clubs 1958-68"
^ Peace Process in Very Serious Difficulty — article by Gerry Adams in An Phoblacht, 2 November 1995
^ "In the H-Blocks Bobby began writing short stories and poems under the pen-name 'Marcella', his sister’s name, which were published in...the newly merged 'An Phoblacht/Republican News'" Extracts from 'Prison Poems' by Bobby Sands (1991)
Categories: Entities with Irish names | Irish Republican Movement | Sinn Féin | Weekly newspapers published in Ireland
Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from July 2009 | Articles needing additional references from July 2008 | All articles needing additional references
An Phoblacht/Republican News: Ireland's Biggest Selling Political Weekly - An Phoblacht: Ireland's Biggest Selling Political Weekly
Peace Process in Very Serious Difficulty - CAIN: 'Peace Process in Very Serious Difficulty' by Gerry Adams (1995) published in An Phoblacht, 2 November 1995
Those fabric flowers are so cute! There really is nothing better than receiving unexpected flowers. :)
Very sweet! Sending real flowers are SO crazy expensive...my Valentine's bouquet was a fortune and it lasted for a day! :)
You are adorable, I love those! Also I keep forgetting to stop and tell you how much I adore you and your blog!
A beautiful, vibrant flower garden begins with selecting the right plants and a few simple planting techniques. order here
1. Free. Books. Um, hello...why do we need to go any further than this? Why would you pay money for books when you can read them for free?
2. You can stay there and read all day long and no one will care. If you want to stay in a bookstore and read all day (hello, heaven), you're sure to get side-eye and attitude from everyone working there. Which is understandable, since you're reading the books and putting them back, instead of, you know, paying for them. But the library? Stay as long as you want. Or take the books with you and go outside. I'd love to see you try to "borrow" a book from Barnes & Noble and promise to bring it back inside when you were finished reading it.
3. You can request whatever books you want. Feel like reading but don't feel like browsing the shelves for what you want? No problem. Just go online and put in what you want to read. They'll let you know when the books you requested are there, and you just walk in and pick them up.
When a sure-to-be-a-bestseller is coming out, you can put your name on the waiting list instead of checking the library for it every day.
4. Some libraries deliver. As in, deliver to your door. Arguably the most amazing thing that has happened to me since moving to Orlando. It is Amazon without having to pay for anything. FREE AMAZON. Come on!
6. It's the perfect place to find your new favorite book. While I love book stores with my whole heart, they are usually filled with brand new books--the ones that are currently at the top of the charts and the ones that came out within the last year.
That's great, but there are books that came out two or five or ten years ago that may just be waiting to be my new favorite book.
The library is full of books of all kinds: bestsellers and not so much, old books and new books and everything in-between. So just browsing the shelves could lead you to find a new favorite you never would have heard of.
4. Go for a walk and take pictures of things in your neighborhood. Sometimes when you see something every day, you can forget how beautiful it is.
8. Have a movie night where you only watch movies that you actually own. Because there was a day before Red Box when you actually purchased movies.
11. Every Monday, write down three things you're thankful for. Your week will be at least ten percent better because of this.
15. Have your own wine tasting party. It's cheaper, and you get to try wines that you know you'll like, instead of paying a bunch of money to pretend you like the wine that is literally described as having hints of pencil shavings and leather. Also, unlimited cheese. Yes.
18. Make grilled pizza. If you've never done this, I would be more than happy to share how we do it!
21. Say yes to more. Ask yourself your reasons when your first instinct is to say no: Is it because you're afraid or don't think you're good enough? If that's the case, change your answer.
22. Say no to more. Did you say yes just because you feel obligated or don't want to upset someone? If so, change your answer. Life is too short to not have any time to yourself because you gave all of yours away out of obligation.
24. Go to a theme park or a fair. If you live near a theme park, I highly suggest season passes. They're way more affordable than you might think!
28. Find a sangria or summer cocktail recipe you really like. And save yourself a ton of money in the process.
Labels: adventuring through the month, monthly to-do list, spending may, summer to-do list, things to do in may
A fighter of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front keeps watch of the crowd during the general consultation to its members Monday, May 30, 2005 at Camp Darapanan in southern Philippines which is part of the peace process.
When the Moro National Liberation Front declared independence in August last year, many thought that President Aquino’s latest peace deal with the Moro insurgents in Mindanao would need to be scuttled.
Just a month after the declaration of independence of a “Bangsamoro Republik,” MNLF leader Nur Misuari tried to hoist the MNLF flag over the city hall in Zamboanga, took 200 hostages and sparked a three-week long siege with government troops. Misuari and MNLF commander Habier Malik believed that the MNLF had been left out of the peace process – negotiated between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. So Aquino, and the country, are left wondering whether peace will last, and whether, like so many of his predecessors, the president will ultimately be compelled to declare yet another “all-out war” against insurgents in Mindanao.
Can the latest Framework Agreement create meaningful political space and perceived political participation that is inclusive enough for Christians and Muslims alike in the governance of resource-rich Mindanao? In an earlier article, we examined whether the 2012 multi-phased peace accords between the government and the MILF would be a viable political solution to the decades-long insurgency. Under the administration of then president Ramos, the government completed peace accords with the MNLF in 1996, creating the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and installing Misuari as its governor. The ARMM will have to be dissolved under the current Framework, with a new MILF-led political entity — the Bangsamoro — taking its place. Misuari doubts that he and the MNLF will be able to participate in any power sharing arrangement with the MILF at the helm.
There is ample reason for concern. Since the signing of the Bangsamoro Framework in 2012, and up to the latest signing of the fourth and last Annex (decommissioning), government troops have clashed with Muslim separatists at least thrice. In September last year, forces comprising the Abu Sayyaf, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (a new splinter group of the MILF), and MNLF forces attacked the island of Basilan. Just days apart from the start of the Zamboanga siege, two more bombings occurred in shopping malls in Davao City, and it was only after 400 MNLF loyalists were killed or captured that government troops declared the Zamboanga crisis over. Other armed groups, including former rebels, either coalesce or break out into more mobile units at their own convenience, effectively prolonging the conflict and adding to uncertainty about whether the Framework Agreement will hold.
Rather than waging another ‘all-out war’ along the lines of his predecessors – notably, Presidents Estrada and Macapagal-Arroyo – President Aquino has responded with a policy of ‘all-out justice’ for the families of slain soldiers. In the aftermath of the Zamboanga siege, the Department of Justice filed charges against Misuari and his cohorts for human rights violations and for using civilians as human shields, effectively turning the tables on the MNLF and placing the group on the defensive.
While there can be no doubt that the Mindanao conflict is not a simple police matter, any solution to the conflict must address broader poverty alleviation measures, issues related to economic growth, and questions of political legitimacy. So far, Aquino and his peace negotiators have kept in place the boiler plate provisions of modern power sharing accords, with four Annexes dealing with wealth and power sharing, normalization, decommissioning, territorial waters, and a ‘transitional’ commission or council. There are hortatory references to norms and modalities of transitional justice and reconciliation.
Can President Aquino’s platform for ‘all-out justice’ (playing up the more ‘criminal’ elements of banditry and deliberately avoiding war rhetoric) be effective against breakaway Islamist factions? Any meaningful peace accord must appeal to ground commanders and leadership, as well as the people of the region. Aquino distinguished himself from past presidents a year ago by making a visit to an MILF camp in Maguindanao province where he and MILF leader Hashim Salamat handed out government medical benefits and education scholarships to the families of MILF fighters and their children. More such overtures will be necessary in the future to demonstrate his government’s commitment to the process and the people.
The ultimate challenge, however, remains to encourage other rebel groups to feel like a legitimate part of the peace process. It remains to be seen whether the provisions of the Bangsamoro Framework can accommodate all parties’ political aspirations. Legitimate or not, the newly formed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Misuari’s increasingly restive MNLF feel politically and socially ostracized — a problem that must be resolved. This issue implies greater normative questions, such as whether peace can be a pact or must be a process, and whether such a process must be enshrined in the Philippine Constitution. Faced with Islamist rebels who are increasingly sceptical over the workings of the government system, President Aquino has the double burden of meeting expectations of rebels, on one hand, and Christianized versions of what ‘ought’ to be the rule of law, on the other.
Because the Philippines is a constitutional democracy, President Aquino must tailor the provisions of the Framework so that they can pass muster before the Philippine Supreme Court. This is doubly important because a previous peace agreement with the Muslim rebels was declared unconstitutional by the Court in 2008 for attempting to bargain away ancestral domain in the name of Muslim ‘self-rule’. Voting 8-7, judges of the Supreme Court described the peace process – then under President Macapagal-Arroyo – as “whimsical, capricious, oppressive, arbitrary and despotic.” Immediately following the court’s decision, fighting renewed, and MILF fighters captured several towns in the southern province of Lanao del Norte.
It is the same MILF who will now take the reins of power under the current Framework. Aquino wants to be able to end four decades of insurgent violence before he steps down in 2016. Given his forcefulness and approach to this issue, it is doubtful that any successor will stand a better chance of achieving success. At the same time, if history is any guide, it is doubtful that a smooth and conflict-free transition will take place in Mindanao. To be successful, the MILF and the MNLF must first bury the hatchet. This seems about as likely as Mindanao’s successful secession from the union. So our guess is that the current Framework will end up being temporary – ultimately done in by political infighting among the insurgents and more instances of terrorism. If that is the case, this Framework may turn out to have been the last real chance for peace in Mindanao.
Daniel Wagner is the CEO of Country Risk Solutions. Edsel Tupaz is a professor of international and comparative law, based in Manila. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Ateneo de Manila.
In this Yoga class, you will get a gentle introduction to the most basic yoga postures. This class is more suitable for beginners as well as students who want a gentler, more relaxing approach to their yoga practice.
This class is focused on gently moving the stress from our day, out of our body. Perfect for beginners while experienced yogis will love the benefits of a nice stretch.
Join Brittany for her Friday Flow Down and a chill out session directly after. Bring a bottle or bite to share with your fellow yogis.
Half class devoted to active movement with breath. The other half is devoted to restoring the body with gentle but longer holds and relaxation. You get the best of both worlds! ALL LEVELS
As the name suggests, this class is one hour of aerial conditioning to prepare for and practice tricks! 5-7 Basics classes are required prior to this class. Because there will likely be flips and inversions it is strongly suggested that you do not eat 2 hours prior to class. Time at the end of class for picture taking is built into the class. If you have had any kind of concussion in the last 6 months Tricks class is not for you.
Ginger developed these formats – barre, aerial barre, TRX barre/Pilates/yoga from a lifetime of movement, functional strength and flexibility, and the body moving as a whole to create muscle symmetry and balance. She blurs the lines amongst Yoga, Pilates, Reformer, Barre, Ballet, and Modern Dance to meet the students needs. Never be bored, always be challenged!
I developed these formats – barre, aerial barre, TRX barre/Pilates/yoga from a lifetime of movement, functional strength and flexibility, and the body moving as a whole to create muscle symmetry and balance. I blur the lines amongst yoga, Pilates, reformer, barre, ballet, and modern dance to meet my students’ needs. Never be bored, always be challenged!
Our introductory class consists of strengthening poses, stretching poses, inversions and savasana. This is typically the same class with some variations of inversions and standing postures. Appropriate for complete beginners to a yoga practice, first time students describe this class as “surprisingly approachable.” No experience required.
(Sept. 7, 2018) One thing you can say about this year’s Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, it had its ups and downs, and ins and outs.
That combination resulted in what appeared to be a lower than usual attendance, but a spirited one for sure.
But in recent years the festival has rebounded and considering it’s put on with a shoestring budget of $85,000, it’s been a success.
One observer has called it a prime example of a festival put on by the people for the people – a people’s festival.
That’s because it relies on unpaid volunteers to organize it and help with cleaning up the grounds each day and staffing the beer booths.
This year was more special with the performance of Motown legends Martha and the Vandellas, who paid a special tribute to Aretha Franklin who recently passed away.
One almost-casualty was the Polish Day Parade, which came close to being cancelled when a torrential rain and wind whipped through the city right before it was to start.
The parade, however, was delayed by only about 20-30 minutes, and onlookers stuck around to make it festive and hometowny.
Tigers’ pitching legend Denny McLain – he of the 1968 World Series Champs fame – was the parade marshal. At the grandstand, he thanked the city and seemed genuinely surprised by how organized the parade and festival was.
There was also the yearly “canoe race,” and it has continued to grow and grow in participants and fans. It has now doubled in size and rowdiness.
The race consists of teams – mostly from our local bars – who build their own “canoe” on wheels, with one team member riding in the canoe while another pushes it down a one-block stretch on Jos. Campau. At the end of the block, the team members switch positions and race back to the starting point.
In the meantime, folks looking on are encouraged to pelt the racers with water balloons and anything that can hold water. Just about everyone leaves soaking wet – which in the heat was an added relief.
And a bigger shout-out goes to Outer Limits Bar for bringing added humor with having their canoe fitted out with a guy playing the snare and bass drums (and, yes, cowbell) and the team members looking like members of the band, Devo.
(Maybe this event confirms we have all truly reached a level of de-evolution that the band sang about back in the 1980s. Although, arguably, Hamtramck has always been way ahead of the curve.)
Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers [are] few..." (Matthew 9:37)
There is nothing wrong with the Harvest – what we lack at times is the number of workers needed to reap effectively and abundantly.
Lord, increase our faith to believe that the Harvest truly is great and that a multitude will be saved at the end of the age!
Sometimes, we're so busy, we have no time to think or breathe. That seems like this dude's perpetual state. They say it's a question of priorities but what if they were all a 10? Made me think if I was able to clone myself. Could I have a dozen please?
Clone #1: for my wife, and friend, for all the times I was too damn busy to be there. You will finally have my full attention. Maybe too tired to listen, never too tired to care.
Clone #2: for my kids, seems like just yesterday, I carried you on my shoulders. You grow so fast, I need to savor every growing moment because each second is so unique.
Clone #3: for my friends I've left behind. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to hang out all day and talk about us in the past, the present and the future.
Clone #4: for my family. Visiting Dad and Mom should not be a special occasion but an everyday event. I just wanted to be like you Dad, just wanted to be like you.
Clone #5: for the blogger in me. To read the other 10 thousand wonderful blogs I never seem to have time for. I know you're out there... waiting.
Clone #7: for the guide in me. To show the others that path I have taken in the hopes it will accelerate theirs.
Clone #8: for the human in me. To take the risks I was afraid to take, to walk the paths where I could not see the end.
Clone #10: for the artist. To draw and paint because each stroke can never be repeated exactly the same.
Clone #11: for me. To be a breeze that drifts in life and celebrate all that is around. Just because I can.
The pace at which technology moves and develops, tends to leave most of us behind in a hot cloud of smoke, wondering where and when we got so outdated- for SLMD it’s not a case of keeping up, it’s a matter of making motions in a market that is constantly changing, diversifying and challenging what we thought to be true. And with a team deeply invested in following, mapping and improving upon each technical advancement introduced within the commercial world of Interior Architecture- SLMD believes in leading the way and designing interiors fit for the future, rather than following what the past left behind.
Established in 2009, the progressive and reliable Interior Architecture company boasts an impressive list of loyal clients, such as Glanbia, Axa Insurance and AdRoll, and as their reputation continues to grow with the significant work they have compiled on their portfolio to date, so to has their staff capacity which includes architecural and urban designers, furniture designers, graphic designers and exhibition designers.
SLMD succeeds in enticing new clients through targeted marketing, referral, or simply by the witnessing of their work in its day-to-day role in the world. Focused on delivering a unique service- which is based not only upon their clients’ needs, but also their working culture and the scope of social and commercial media interaction of the business- SLMD strives to understand the direction their clients wish to take business and dedicates their time and knowledge to propelling them there.
We specialise in interiors for commercial companies,” Company Founder, Lawrence McFarlane explained. “Whilst we have succesfully worked on retail, hospitality and leisure projects, its commercial office interiors that we find the most challanging, and its where we have built up the majority of our expertise. A lot of the corporate contacts we’ve made over the years, are people who have been continually impressed with our work. We’re known for creating technologically integrated interiors.”
We try not to get caught up on clichés or the current fads of office design. We would rather spend our clients resources on researching innovative ways for them to interact better with their customers and staff than create ‘of the moment’ playground type installations. The companies we work with tend to have best in class employess who are striving for success, our aim is to help them achieve this through intuitive design with precise implementation.”
SLMD knows better than most that the face of business as we know it is changing, and that it’s better to be on board technology‘s speed train, than not to be. As a mechanical design engineer originally, Lawrence McFarlane grasps the technical side of SLMD’s designs with ease and incorporates as much of his knowledge into each one as he can. Having recently installed top-of-the-line social media command centres for some of his clients, Lawrence has seen the direct improvement his work has spurred, whilst his clients have informed him of the impact his innovations have made.
How a businesses interacts with its customers is no longer what it used to be, the friendly face is becoming all but obsolete as social media takes over and criticism, whether good or bad, spreads at staggering rates, not only domestically, but internationally,” Lawrence revealed. “We’ve helped our clients to develop different systems which not only monitor their own clients and customers requirements but also how the competition is communicating with the market. We’ve even gained valuable experience of our clients EMEA operatons and markets by travelling with them and designing bespoke exhibition stands for them, transporting the face of their companies around the world and building solid marketing architecture for them.”
And their goal- which they are very much on the cusp of realising, with the opening of their second office in Belfast- is to spread the name, SLMD, all over the country and create a branded interior design company that is renowned for the execution of clever, diverse, forward thinking and smart designs for all corporate clients.
The best part of what we do is seeing the clients’ reactions and hearing how their businesses have developed, how their staff and clients now interact with the designs and how it was all worth it for them,” Lawrence described. “We love coming up with excellent solutions and finding different ways to solve the problems we are faced with. We also like our ideas to come from an information rich perspective and with a diverse library of books traversing disciplines from advertising and marketing to PR and Green Businesses, and a vast knowledge of supply specialists gained from over 18 years experience in the design industry at our fingertips- there’s no end to where SLMD can go in this industry.”
Conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, who formerly worked for that man of high character Clarence Thomas, has received $240,000 in taxpayer money from the Administration to spout propaganda in support of the Leave No Child Behind law on his TV show and in his columns.
No Armstrong, if you did it because you believe in it, you would have done it without shaking down the taxpayers for it. You did it because you are a conservative who values money above all else. Perhaps you can spout for us how many African Americans have been helped by the passage of NCLB, and why we should ignore the fraud behind this law that took place in W's Texas schools.
Given this propaganda exercise, how many conservative pundits do you think are on the White House payroll selling us the benefits of Social Security privatization these last four years?
Update: Howard Kurtz reports in a Page One in Saturday's Post that Williams is paying a price for his conflict of interest and is taking some shots as well. And the Administration is taking some shots from the Post over its repeated use of taxpayer resources for propaganda.
Williams's newspaper syndicate, Tribune Media Services, yesterday canceled his column. And one television network dropped his program pending an investigation. �Accepting compensation in any form from an entity that serves as a subject of his weekly newspaper columns creates, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict of interest," prompting readers to ask whether his opinions "have been purchased by a third party," a company statement said.
Alex Jones, director of Harvard's Shorenstein media center, said he is "disgusted" by what he called "the worst kind of fakery and flackery" on Williams's part. "It's propaganda masquerading as news, paid by government, truly a recipe from hell," he said. "It would make any thinking person hearing any pundit speak want to say, 'Okay, how much did they pay you to say that?' �Jones said the contract also shows that "the Bush administration neither understands nor respects the idea of an independent media."
And yet the Bush Education Department sees nothing wrong with the buying of journalists to peddle propaganda with taxpayer dollars.
The Education Department defended the contract, which Paige knew about in advance, as a minority outreach effort through Williams's syndicated program, "The Right Side."
"Our contract was for advertising," said department spokesman John Gibbons. "Our intent was to reach out to minority audiences. Armstrong went out and talked about it -- we didn't have anything to do with that."
But the contract also required Williams to "utilize his long term working relationship" with black producers to "encourage" them to "periodically address the No Child Left Behind Act."
Amazing. Keep in mind the issue here isn�t Williams� punditocracy. He and other pundits who have their own shows are free to support and espouse whatever views they want. But for the government to think it is acceptable to grease these folks with taxpayer dollars to use their public airwave platforms to masquerade as journalists supporting the Administration is beyond the pale.
In just under a week, one of the most fashionable events in the entire British social calendar commences; Royal Ascot. Founded by Queen Anne in 1711, the four-day racing festival has become a pageantry filled national institution, one where both the horses and the elaborate hats in attendance share focus and press.
With a strict dress code, Royal Ascot is synonymous with sartorial elegance, thus, whilst inevitably enjoying a lil’flutter on the GG’s, it’s always the elaborate hats which have my eyes on stalks each year. Underneath all the silk flowers and high-fashion head toppers however, it is just as important to make sure your jewellery is just as on point (to point).
Luckily for the attendees, and all race aficionados in general, for the second year running, Links of London are back in the saddle as the official jewellery license holder at Royal Ascot. The much-loved British jewellers and have once more designed a stylish, racing-inspired collection that will not only complete your look, but will be treasured by its owners for many more years to come.
Amongst the specially crafted diamond necklaces, colourful charms, and engravable cufflinks for the often-overlooked gentlemen, I decided my favourite pieces from the Links of London Ascot Collection were the Horseshoe designs.
Simple in style, with an obvious nod to horse racing, the delicate chain bracelets, pendants, rings, earrings and adjustable cuffs available in sterling silver, yellow gold vermeil and 18k rose gold, are utterly timeless.