the MAG.

Beyond issues of representation the working of the MAG suffered from a serious lack of transparency as meetings of the Advisory Group were closed, and no reports or minutes were released. The Advisory Group met in May and September in Geneva before the inaugural IGF meeting in Athens. Coordination between members for the preparations for Athens was done utilising a closed mailing list that was not publicly archived. Consequently, the detail of the operations of the Advisory Group ahead of the first IGF meeting were known only to its members.

Whatever little has been reported suggests that the Advisory Group possessed little formal authority, operating like a forum where members expressed views and debated issues without the object of taking formal decisions. Decisions were settled upon by roughconsensus as declared by the Chair, and on all matters where there was no agreement the issues were summarised by the Chair in a report to the UN Secretary-General. The Secretary-General would take the report summary in consideration however retained the ultimate authority to make a formal decision.[38]

The UN’s clear deciding role was not so obvious in the early years of the MAG’s existence because of the relatively novel nature of the IGF. Moreover Nitin Desai Chair, MAG and Markus Kummer, IGF Secretariat were appointed by the UN Secretary General and were on good terms with the then-Secretary General Kofi Annan and working together they acted as de facto selectors of the members of the MAG. Most of the MAG’s core membership in the first five years of


established under the UN umbrella and to highlight the key developments that shaped its scope and working. Importantly the weakened IGF mandate created divergences on the scope of the MAG to function as a ‘program committee’ limited to selecting proposals and planning the IGF or as an ‘advisory committee’ with a more substantial role in developing the forum as an innovative governance mechanism. In its conception the IGF was a novel idea and by empowering MAG and introducing transparency in the selection procedures of members and their workings could have perhaps led to a more democratic and accountable IGF. However, the possibility of this was stemmed early on.

The opacity in the appointment processes meant that patronage and lobbying became key to being selected as a member of theMAG. It established the worrying trend of ensuring diversity and representation taking precedent over the necessity of ensuring that representatives were appointed through a bottom-up multistakeholder process. Further, distributing the composition to ensure geographic representation severely limited participation of technical, academic and civil society. In the next section, I focus on the rotation of members of the MAG over the last ten years to identify and highlight trends that have emerged in its composition.

Analysis of MAG Composition (2006 - 2015)

This primary data for the analysis of the MAG membership has been collected from the membership list from 2010-2015 available on the I website. The membership list for 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been provided by the UN IGF Secretariat during the course of this research. To the


and who have more legitimacy within their respective constituencies are not appointed to the MAG.

The stress on maintaining diversity is evident in the MAG membership’s gradual expansion from an initial group of 46 members in 2006 to include a total of 56 members as of 2015. However the increase in membership has not impacted representation of the technical, academic and civil society constituencies with only 56 members having been appointed from the three groups over the last decade.

This is problematic considering that at the time of its constitution of the MAG the composition did not recognise[41] technical community as a distinct group, including it along with academic community as part of civil society. Consequently the three stakeholder groups have been represented collectively in the MAG and yet accountserving for a period of three years.

Civil society accounted for only 17% of the total membership with a total of 33 members and representation from the constituency was abysmally low across all regions. Civil society representation from the US included a total of five members, of which one served for one year, three served for two years each and only one representative continued for more than three years. Notably, there have been no academics from the US which is surprising given that most of the scholarship on internet governance is dominated by US scholars.

Industry was second largest represented group with a total of 64 members appointed to the MAG of which a whopping 30 members were appointed from the WEOG region. Representation was the highest across WEOG countries


with 39.47% of the total membership and the group accounted for 32.4% and 32.5% of the total members from Africa and Asia Pacific respectively. Across Eastern European and GRULAC countries industry representation was very low accounting for merely 11.53% and 18.18% of the total membership respectively. Industry representative from the US Included two members serving one year each, five members who served two years each, two members who continued for three years each, one member was appointed for five years, one member who completed the maximum MAG term of eight years.

It is also interesting to note that the industry membership base expanded steadily, spiking in 2012 with a total of 40 representatives from the industry on the MAG. When assessed against the trend of the core leadership tricklingout in 2012, the sudden increase in industry representation may point to attempts at capture from the stakeholder group in 2012. Industry representation from US in the MAG was by far the most consistent over the years and had the most evenly distributed appointment terms for members within a group.

Government has been the most dominant group within the MAG averaging a consistent 40% of the total membership over the last 10 years. At a regional level representation on the MAG was highest from Eastern Europe with more than 61% of its total membership comprising of individuals from the government constituency. GRULAC countries appointments to the MAG also demonstrate a preference for government representation with almost 58% of the total members appointed from within this group. The share of


government representation in the total membership from Asia Pacific was 47.5% and 32.43% across Africa.

Another general policy followed in the selection procedure is that members are appointed for a period of one year, which is automatically extendable for two more years consecutively depending on their engagement in MAG activities. Members serving for one year term is inevitable due to the rotation policy, as new members replace existing members and often it may be the case of filling slots to ensure stakeholder group, geographic and gender diversity. Due to the limited resources made available for coordination between MAG members, one year appointments may not allow sufficient time for integrating new members into the procedures and workings of UN institutions.

Over the last decade 24.36% of the total appointed MAG membershave been limited to serving a term of one year. Of the total 55 one year appointments 26 individuals served their first term in 2015 alone. This includes all nine representatives of civil society and it could be argued that for a stakeholder group with only 11% of the total membership share, such a rehaul weakens the ability of members to develop linkages severely limiting their ability to exert influence on decision making within the MAG.

Interestingly, the analysis reveals that one year term was a trend in the early years of the MAG where a core group took on the leadership role and continued guiding activities for newcomers including negotiating often conflicting agendas. The pattern of one year appointments was hardly visible from 2008-2012 but picked up again


in 2013 and has continued ever since. The trend is perhaps indicative of the movement in the core MAG leadership as many of the original members retired or moved on to other engagements from 2010.

Importantly, the MAG ToR note that in case there is a lack of candidates fitting the desired area or under exceptional circumstances a member may continue beyond three years. However in the formative years the MAG this exception was the norm with most members continuing for more than three years. An analysis of the membership reveals that between 2006-2012 an elite core emerges which guided and was responsible for shaping the MAG and the IGF in its present day format. No doubt some of these members were exceptional talents and difficult to replace, howeveris no website or document that lists the activities conducted by MAG in furtherance of ToR, nor does it produce annual report or maintain a publicly archived mailing list. Important recommendations for strengthening the IGF were made by the UN CSTD working group on IGF improvements.

The group took two years to produce its report identifying problems and offering recommendations that were to be implemented by end of 2015 and yet many of the problems identified within it have yet to be addressed. Worryingly, an internal MAG proposal to set up a working group to dig into the delays is being bogged down with discussions over scope and membership and a similar effort six months ago was also shot down.[54]

The ineffectiveness of the MAG to institute reform have led


Lok Sabha polls: Congress changed its Twitter profile image to Mahatma Gandhi after BJP press conference

The Congress today took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi - after he attended his first ever press conference in five years - by changing the profile photo on the party's Twitter handle to that of Mahatma Gandhi.

The change could be seen as a reference to the controversial remark made by Pragya Singh Thakur, the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, about Nathuram Godse - the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.

The saffron-wearing Pragya Thakur, whose alleged involvement in the 2008 Malegaon blast prompted the Congress to coin the phrase "Hindu terror," had said: "Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt'."

Her controversial comment drew heated criticismfrom opposition leaders and forced the Prime Minister to publicly state he could "never forgive her for insulting Bapu".

Earlier Mr Shah and PM Modi hosted what was billed as a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi. The hugely anticipated event was the first time the Prime Minister had attended one in the country, despite several calls from the opposition daring him to do so.

However, as it turned out the Prime Minister limited his time on the microphone to a short monologue thanking "countrymen for blessings through the ups and downs" of campaigning and praising his government for managing "to hold elections, observe Ramzan, Easter and more."

He then refused to answer any questions, directing one that was asked to Mr Shah, prompting Congress president Rahul Gandhi


to tweet: "Congratulations Modi Ji. Excellent Press Conference! Showing up is half the battle. Next time Mr Shah may even allow you to answer a couple of questions. Well done!"

Congratulations Modi Ji. Excellent Press Conference! Showing up is half the battle. Next time Mr Shah may even allow you to answer a couple of questions. Well done! ???? — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2019

The Congress' jab at the BJP mirrored the one by Trinamool Congress (TMC) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the vandalism of a statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during an Amit Shah road show in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The day after that Ms Banerjee and other TMC leaders changed the profile photos on their Twitter and Facebook accounts to a photo of the18th century reformer. Ms Banerjee also hit out at Mr Shah, saying, "What does Amit Shah think of himself? Is he above everything? Is he God that no one can protest against him?"

Mamata Banerjee changed her profile photo after a statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised

The BJP is not unfamiliar with tweaking account handles on social media platforms.

Shortly before the start of the Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister added the word "chowkidar" to his twitter handle, prompting several party leaders and supporters to follow suit.

The change was in an effort to counter Mr Gandhi's successful "chowkidar chor hai" claim with which the Prime Minister was attacked for alleged corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal.


The California-based Foundation for Advocacy Inclusion and Resources (FAIR) today announced selection of the first Sanford Heisler Public Interest Diversity Fellow in partnership with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center (LAS-ELC) and Sanford Heisler LLP, a leading national public interest law firm.

Giselle N. Olmedo, a 2013 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, bested a talented pool of applicants to earn the 2014 Sanford Heisler Public Interest Diversity Fellowship.

"Giselle is precisely the lawyer we had in mind in establishing the Fellowship," said Felicia Medina, the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler's San Francisco office. "She has an exemplary academic record, as well as a strong history of service as a community volunteer and employee in organizations protecting the public interest. Her commitment to tackling the toughestcases of discrimination and injustice is already strong. We are confident that Giselle's experiences as a Fellow will strengthen her skills and dedication to the clients served by the plaintiff's bar. It is an honor to join FAIR and the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center in announcing her selection as our first Fellowship recipient."

Olmedo graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in criminal justice. As an undergraduate, she worked with organizations that were expanding health care to low-income families and fighting for women's rights. "After graduating, I continued working with disadvantaged communities, including at-risk youth at San Francisco's Juvenile Hall and victims of domestic violence and stalking at the San Francisco District Attorney's office," Olmedo said. "These experiences ignited my passion


Public Interest Diversity Fellow to make a real difference in the lives of people struggling to overcome significant challenges every day."

FAIR will provide Olmedo's salary and benefits during the year-long Fellowship period, which is comprised of two consecutive six-month terms, based upon a grant received from Sanford Heisler. Olmedo will spend the first half of her Fellowship at the LAS-ELC and the second at a firm affiliated with the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), an organization of more than 1,000 workers' rights advocates statewide.

"We congratulate Giselle on being awarded the Sanford Heisler Public Interest Diversity Fellowship so that she can continue on her path to seek justice for underserved and underrepresented communities," said Joan Graff, LAS-ELC President. "During her time as a Bridge Fellow at LAS-ELC, Giselle hasrepresent underserved communities not only in the year ahead, but throughout her career."

For more information about the Sanford Heisler Public Interest Diversity Fellowship and the 2014 selection cycle, contact bryan@bryanschwartzlaw.com.

LAS-ELC, founded in 1916, protects the rights and economicself-sufficiency of working poor people by providing a wide range of free legal services and by engaging in policy advocacy, public education, and technical assistance on behalf of low-income workers and their communities. LAS-ELC addresses the full spectrum of employment-related issues for its clients, such as unpaid wages; denial of family and medical leave; denial of disability accommodations; and discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, immigration status, language, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

FAIR is a California non-profit created by CELA leaders in 2010 to increase diversity in the plaintiffs'


employment Bar and to raise public consciousness about workers' rights.

Sanford Heisler is a national public law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, and San Francisco that specializes in employment discrimination, wage and hour, qui tam, and consumer class action litigation. The firm has represented thousands of individuals in major class action cases in the United States. Sanford Heisler also represents individual clients in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, public accommodations, commercial, medical malpractice, and personal injury matters. In May 2010, the firm won the largest jury award in the U.S. in a gender discrimination employment class action when a jury returned a verdict of $253 million in compensatory and punitive damages against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. In 2012, the firm won court approval to settle a wagepool (120 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height), platform (10 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height), video camera, and computer. The pool was divided into four quadrants, with the visible cues outside the pool. The pool was filled with opaque water, maintained at 19°C \[[@B16]\]. The platform was fixed in one quadrant of the pool, 1 cm below the surface of the water, and the test environment was kept quiet with a stable light source. One day before the experiment, mice were habituated to the pool environment for 120 s without the platform. The MWM experiment consisted of two parts: navigation trials and a spatial probe trial. The trials were conducted between 9:00 and 10:30 every morning to exclude any impact of circadian rhythm.

In the navigation trials, mice were


was much curious in musical performance with full-grown dolls, than the kid dolls that were unclaimed at that instance. While road in Europe she saw a German doll called 'Lilli' which she bought for her girl. The unproved 'Lilli' dolly was not a children's toy, but a humour manner acquisition for men.

Mattel bought the selling rights for 'Lilli'. They denaturised the doll's pet name to Barbie, named after Ruth's female offspring Barbara. Barbie was prototypal discharged for dutch auction in the United States in 1959 and became a hot vendor. Barbie's man 'Ken' was introduced in 1960. Ken was named after Ruth's son Kenneth.

The Barbie dolly was eldest displayed at the New York International American Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. This day became Barbie's formalized bicentennial. ThereShia LaBeouf attacked outside bar - A shirtless man punching someone lying on the sidewalk who appears to be LaBeouf. After the attack, LaBeouf tries to chase after the guy, but someone holds him back and tells him: "You gotta lay low right now."

According to TMZ, the fight started inside the Cinema Public House bar and continued outside after security kicked LaBeouf and the man out. It is unclear what provoked the attack.

A rep for the bar told the site that no one saw the fight outside, but confirmed that the actor has been a regular at the bar while he's been shooting The Company You Keep in Vancouver.


Story highlights Report: Almost half of video game players in U.S. are female

Gamers cite a rise in strong female characters in top titles

In gaming circles, though, some say "boys' club" mentality persists

Marketing overwhelmingly still targets young males

A new report suggests adult women are nearly half of all video game players. That's a number that can be read in the changing tone of some of today's top games. But it's also one that some female gamers say isn't really as close to even as it should be.

According to the "2013 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry" report, produced by the Entertainment Software Association, 45% of all game players, and 46% of the most frequent purchasers of games, are female. Adult women make up 31% of thegame-playing population.

"This new data underscores the remarkable upward trajectory for video games. It is an entertainment form enjoyed by hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, the trade association that represents the U.S. video game industry. "A diverse and energized consumer base, remarkable new hardware, and outstanding software all combine to foster growth for our industry."

Female gamers are obviously a diverse group. Millions enjoy the shooters, strategy games and other titles favored by "hardcore" enthusiasts. Millions more have eased into the gaming world via social and smartphone games, or through family interactions.

One of the top reasons why people buy video games is an interesting storyline, according to the report. And some women have pointed to a rise in the number


been taking notice of the rise of female gamers, and that the inclusion of female characters in meaningful roles is no accident.

"In a lot of ways, it was the perfect storm for change," said Chobot, who is also a writer for the Zombie Studios game, "Daylight." "The gaming industry's awareness of having to appeal to a wider audience -- one that included women -- has been reflected with the addition of stronger female characters.

"The 2013 re-vamped 'Lara Croft, ' 'Mass Effect's female version of Commander Shepard and 'Uncharted''s Elena Fisher and Chloe Frazer are just a few examples that come to mind."

Other strong female characters, like Elizabeth in "BioShock Infinite" or Ellie in "The Last of Us," show the range developers are willing to put in their gameshelping women feel like they belong.

"I've noticed the biggest difference in attitude coming from non-gamers, especially other women, who once found my pastime silly," said Audrey Epple, from Macon, Georgia. "Now, they seem more accepting. It has become the norm."

But despite those cultural shifts, talk to many female gamers and you'll hear stories about a darker side of the hobby -- a persistent "boy's club" mentality that sometimes manifests itself in ugly ways.

Story after story recounts female gamers who, once they ventured into gaming circles beyond family and friends, faced mockery, dismissive attitudes and even abuse from their peers.

In one recent story making the rounds in online gaming circles, a girl went into a certain game's online community, asking about its mechanics.

The first response she got was from


The Czech Republic ( ( listen) Czech: Česká republika, Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen)), also known as Czechia ( ( listen); Czech: Česko, pronounced [ˈtʃɛsko] ( listen)), is a landlocked nation state in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. The Czech Republic covers an area of 78,866 square kilometres (30,450 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental climate and oceanic climate. It is a unitary parliamentary republic, has 10.6 million inhabitants and the capital and largest city is Prague, with over 1.2 million residents. The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia.The Czech state was formed in the late 9th century as the Duchy of Bohemia underthe Great Moravian Empire. After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power transferred from Moravia to Bohemia under the Přemyslid dynasty. In 1002, the duchy was formally recognized as part of the Holy Roman Empire, becoming the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198 and reaching its greatest territorial extent in the 14th century. Besides Bohemia itself, the king of Bohemia ruled the lands of the Bohemian Crown, he had a vote in the election of the Holy Roman Emperor, and Prague was the imperial seat in periods between the 14th and 17th century. In the Hussite wars of the 15th century driven by the Protestant Bohemian Reformation, the kingdom faced economic embargoes and defeated five consecutive crusades proclaimed by the leaders of the Roman Catholic


Church.
Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the whole Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Protestant Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) against the Catholic Habsburgs led to the Thirty Years' War. After the Battle of the White Mountain, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule, eradicated Protestantism and reimposed Roman Catholicism, and also adopted a policy of gradual Germanization. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Bohemian Kingdom became part of the Austrian Empire and the Czech language experienced a revival as a consequence of widespread romantic nationalism. In the 19th century, the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and were subsequently the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, whichwas formed in 1918 following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I.
Czechoslovakia remained the only democracy in this part of Europe in the interwar period. However, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany in World War II, and was liberated in 1945 by the armies of the Soviet Union and the United States. The Czech country lost the majority of its German-speaking inhabitants after they were expelled following the war. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia won the 1946 elections. Following the 1948 coup d'état, Czechoslovakia became a one-party communist state under Soviet influence. In 1968, increasing dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in a reform movement known as the Prague Spring, which ended in a Soviet-led invasion. Czechoslovakia remained occupied until the 1989 Velvet


Revolution, when the communist regime collapsed and market economy was reintroduced. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union (EU) in 2004; it is a member of the United Nations, the OECD, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe. It is a developed country with an advanced, high income economy and high living standards. The UNDP ranks the country 14th in inequality-adjusted human development. The Czech Republic also ranks as the 6th most peaceful country, while achieving strong performance in democratic governance.

Travel information

At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwaryears, having rejected a federal system, the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Czech part of the country and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the


end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004..

Czech Republic is located in Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria.

When you travel to Czech Republic remember that the climate is temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters.

Other practical travel informations

Terrain is: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country.

When people think of the Czech Republic, the city of Prague immediately springs to mind. Whilst this is an amazing city to visit, thegolds and browns. For the best weather though, visit between the months of April and September, with July and August having the very warmest temperatures.

Things to See and Do in Czech Republic

Prague – Prague is a city which rewards the visitor more the longer they stay there. Three days should be sufficient to see all the major sights and attractions without rushing around too much. Prague Castle and Charles Bridge can both be comfortably viewed in one day, and on the others, strolling the streets of Lesser Town, Old Town and Hradcany will ensure that most of the historic section has been seen. The nightlife in Prague has a reputation for being amazing, and many people choose to visit for long weekend breaks simply to make the most


of this.Brno – This city has some excellent museums, and the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul is an 18th century Baroque masterpiece. Spilberk castle is another interesting attraction the city has to offer.Ceský Krumlov Castle – This UNESCO World Heritage Site dominates the town of the same name. It dates back to the 13th century, but most of what can be seen today is from the 17th century. There is an impressive collection of paintings inside, and a guided tour is available.Sedlec – This is home to rather disturbing place known as the Bone Church, or by its correct name, Gothic All Saints Chapel. The bones of over 70,000 people who died 400 years ago are displayed in macabre fashion.

Czech Republic: photos and pictures

Czech Republic: numbers andfacts 2018

At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Czech part of the country and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with


a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004..

Czech Republic is located in Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria.

When you travel to Czech Republic remember that the climate is temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters.

When people think of the Czech Republic, the city of Prague immediately springs to mind. Whilst this is an amazing city to visit, the country has so muchthe best weather though, visit between the months of April and September, with July and August having the very warmest temperatures.

Things to See and Do in Czech Republic

Prague – Prague is a city which rewards the visitor more the longer they stay there. Three days should be sufficient to see all the major sights and attractions without rushing around too much. Prague Castle and Charles Bridge can both be comfortably viewed in one day, and on the others, strolling the streets of Lesser Town, Old Town and Hradcany will ensure that most of the historic section has been seen. The nightlife in Prague has a reputation for being amazing, and many people choose to visit for long weekend breaks simply to make the most of this.Brno – This


city has some excellent museums, and the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul is an 18th century Baroque masterpiece. Spilberk castle is another interesting attraction the city has to offer.Ceský Krumlov Castle – This UNESCO World Heritage Site dominates the town of the same name. It dates back to the 13th century, but most of what can be seen today is from the 17th century. There is an impressive collection of paintings inside, and a guided tour is available.Sedlec – This is home to rather disturbing place known as the Bone Church, or by its correct name, Gothic All Saints Chapel. The bones of over 70,000 people who died 400 years ago are displayed in macabre fashion.

Travel information and tips: Czech Republic

Terrain is: Bohemia in the west consiststo go.

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What is the Reykjavik Grapevine?

Your essential guide to life, travel and entertainment in Iceland.
Iceland's biggest and most widely read tourist publication. Delivers comprehensive content on all of the main topics of discourse in Iceland at each time: in cultural life, politics or general social affairs. A grand, continuously updated database of Iceland's main restaurants, clubs, cafes, shops, museums, tours and tourist attractions as well as a thorough events listing


The present invention relates to servo information recording technology. More particularly, it relates to techniques which are effective when applied to the operation of recording servo tracks in the manufacturing process of magnetic disks, and a magnetic disk apparatus which utilizes the techniques.
In a magnetic disk apparatus, a plurality of magnetic disks held coaxial are rotated. The recording surface of each of the magnetic disks is provided with a plurality of concentric tracks which are regions for recording information. A magnetic head which is disposed in opposition to the recording surface of the corresponding magnetic disk, is displaced radially of this magnetic disk so as to be located on a target track. Thereafter, the magnetic head records/reproduces information on/from the target region of the recording surface. As aSimple posts with astragal and capitals support the skillion verandah roof which is stepped down from the main roof. The verandah is edged with a triple rail dowel balustrade and is open except for the end bay on the left side. This pavilioned room still has a type of metal sunhood. The entry has a five-panelled front door with fanlight and is flanked by sidelights above a timber panel. All windows opening onto the encircling veranda have step-through windows.

There are gables projecting from the core on both side elevations and these repeat the front gable's decorative features.

The large front garden contains a mixture of mature and recent plantings. A long paved drive down the right hand side leads to the old garage and shed at the very rear


Roberts begins new life as a Bronco

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There were few familiar faces but James Roberts comfortably fitted into his new life as a Brisbane Bronco on Monday, even joking that after three previous clubs he is accustomed to starting from scratch.

The Broncos kicked off 2016 with a full complement following the return to training of their Kiwi contingent and the addition of Roberts who only agreed to terms to join Brisbane two days prior to Christmas after a falling out with the Titans over a contract bungle.

Coach Wayne Bennett did the introductions as Roberts met the likes of Jordan Kahu, Josh McGuire, Corey Parker and Alex Glenn, the 22-year-old Dally M Centre of the Year revealing that former Panthers junior Sam Scarlett was the only currentBronco with whom he had played alongside previously.

Courted by a number of other NRL clubs after conciliatory talks with the Titans eventually broke down in November, Roberts said the lure of playing under Bennett in a star-studded Broncos team far outweighed more lucrative contracts on offer elsewhere.

"Money was never the dilemma. It's the lifestyle and where I'm going to be most happy off the field," Roberts said.

"It's a bit closer to home at the moment and the Queensland lifestyle fits perfectly for me.

"As of last year I had a good year and good lifestyle so staying in Brisbane's probably the best option for me.

"It's a special team and a special coach. There are plenty of special players in the club and he's a special coach and I'd love


The N.B.A. announced Tuesday that MGM Resorts International would be the league’s official gambling partner, the first partnership of its kind with a major sports league in the United States.

The partnership is the next step in the process of betting becoming an accepted part of the sports culture in the United States after decades during which the major sports leagues shunned any official association with gambling. This year, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that effectively banned sports betting in most states, paving the way for major changes in the sports business in this country.

As part of the deal, MGM will use official N.B.A. data on its betting platform and work with the league to detect and prevent fraud and game-fixing. MGM will also have thea field. Indeed, professionals continue to borrow from "The Amateur Scientist" to find low-cost solutions to real-world research problems.

Albert Ingalls
"The Amateur Scientist" traces its pedigree to May 1928, when Albert G. Ingalls began the column as "The Back Yard Astronomer." Ingalls told amateurs how they could get personally involved in astronomy by building professional-quality instruments and carrying out cutting-edge observations. The first sentence in the new column stated: "Here we amateur telescope makers are, more than 3000 of us, gathered together in our own back yard at last."  The name of the column changed several times, to "The Amateur Astronomer", "The Amateur Telescope Maker", and "Telescoptics." Much of the information from these articles was eventually published by Ingalls and Scientific American in the books Amateur Telescope Making.


Notes

The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The
American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume
III, pg. 243.

COL. EDMUND PENDLETON HUNTER. The Hunter family has been
identified with the important history of the country around
Martinsburg for a century and a half. Its members intermarried
with another historic family of this region, the Harrisons, as
noted in another article. This sketch reviews briefly the
well-known older members of the family, Col. David Hunter and
Col. E. P. Hunter.

Col. Edmund Pendleton Hunter, son of David and Elizabeth
(Pendleton) Hunter, was born in 1809, acquired an education at
Jefferson College and was admitted to the bar in Berkeley County
in 1831. He became owner and editor of the Martinsburg Gazette.
He had many interesting associations with public men of his day.
He attended thp Young Men's Convention inWashington, where he
heard Henry Clay speak, and ever afterward was an ardent
supporter of that great Kentuckian. Colonel Hunter succeeded
General Boyd as commonwealth's attorney for Berkeley County, and
he served in the Virginia House of Delegates during 1834-35 and
1839-41.

During the war between the states he commanded the Sixty-seventh
Regiment of Virginia Volunteers. He rose to the highest honors
in the Masonic fraternity in his state, and was a member of the
Episcopal Church.

On August 2, 1832, Edmund Pendleton Hunter married Martha C.
Abell, daughter of John and Sarah (Forrest) Abell. She was born
in Jefferson County, and her parents came from St. Mary's
County, Maryland. Colonel Hunter and wife reared seven children,
named:

Sarah, Maj. Robert W., Elizabeth J., David, John Abell, Martha
C. and Mary Louisa. The daughter Sarah was the wife of Peyton
Harrison, who is elsewhere referred


in a "surprise announcement" Wells Fargo and Wachovia disclosed a deal in which Wells would pay Wachovia $13 billion more for its assets than Citi had agreed to pay with the coercive help of the FDIC. On October 9, LewRockwell.com explained this deal for what it clearly was: pigs fighting to be first in line at the trough. Wells management, in perhaps a cynical Austrian epiphany, suddenly saw value in acquiring the right to sell perhaps as much as $300 billion in subprime securities to the US taxpayer. In the days between October 3 and October 9, Wells, Citi and Wachovia battled over which pig would get to be first in line with JP Morgan, who had already secured its subprime booty with the help of the FDIC.The October 9 piece, however, warned Wells and Citi to be careful of what they wished for, because the market price of JP Morgan since the bailout had gone precipitously down, notwithstanding its unequivocal spot as first in line at the trough and the infusion of $10 billion in cash. As indicated in the October 9 article, absent market manipulation the omniscient and invisible hand of the market could be warning Wells and Citi that JP Morgan's right to receive $850 billion in newly printed inflationary dollars could be as "toxic" as the securities sold in exchange.

On the evening of October 9, 2008, Citi announced that it would bow out of the fight and allow Wells to go forward with the Wachovia acquisition. Although reports indicate that Wells


is the answer. They will witness the free capitalist market, not callow and dishonest politicians, solve the unsolvable.

JP Morgan and Wells are positioned to prevent the next great depression but they must reject the interference of government in their business. If they refuse to deal with the devil, the market will reward them.

October 11, 2008

The Best of Bill ButlerNorthumberland

Explore Northumberland on your family glamping holiday

Northumberland has a diverse geography. It is low and flat near the North Sea coast and increasingly mountainous toward the northwest. When luxury camping in this area, there is plenty to explore in the area, especially with Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the National Park and Coast. Explore the area on the beautiful hiking and biking trails that await your visit.

Glamping on the Northumberland coast

Here you can find our coastal Feather Down location Seahouses Farm. The farm is located outside of the town that shares its name. With the beach nearby as well as a few golf clubs, Bamburgh Castle, boat trips to the Farne Islands and other possibilities, there is plenty to be explored in the near area when


Plant Based

Our involvement in the plant-based category is a natural evolution of our leading position on animal welfare and experience in sourcing and processing vegetables.

Market Overview

The rise in plant based eating or flexitarian approaches to meal times has increased rapidly since 2017. Veganuary, the charity encouraging people to try a vegan diet in January has seen an incredible uplift in participants. 59,500 individuals signed up in 2017 compared to 168,500 in 2018.

More and more people are choosing a plant based diet for ethical, environmental and health reasons.

We believe in the longevity of the category and are passionate about our role in improving taste, quality, variety and sourcing.

Working with existing brands

We help existing brands bring their plant-based products to the UK market. With expertise in marketing insight, technical sciencewhich included minor surgery. We've had a handful of piglets needing stitches, all of whom made a full recovery.

Missy (left) and Little Red

And so we meandered on, confident in the hardiness of pigs and our budding amateur veterinarian skills, and then Missy began throwing up blood on Saturday morning.

She had just had a litter of piglets -- 10 happy little ones -- a couple weeks ago and was in the barn, co-parenting with first-time mom Victoria and her litter of 6. In fact, it was when we were opening up her farrowing stall to the common area that joins with Victoria's stall when we noticed that something was really, terribly wrong.

Before Saturday she had seemed lethargic and irritable, by turns. I figured that she was slightly depressed, postpartum


of the political activities that gave birth to the APC in 2013.

The APC, as it is well known, emerged as an amalgam of disparate politicians, appalled by the poor performance of the PDP and united by a common goal to oust the party from power. This goal was the magic ingredient in the union of hitherto rival politicians. But no sooner had the goal been achieved than things began to fall apart. So bad have things fallen within the party that it is afraid of convoking a national convention before the 2019 general elections for fears of exacerbating the already bad situation.

The striking parallel between Obasanjo’s emerging ‘Third Force’, as the Movement has been designated and the emergence of the APC in 2013, therefore, makes it vulnerable torates of smoking in adults (but not
adolescents and children) in New Zealand. The two nurses who identified the patients with stroke also interviewed the community
controls using identical questions asked in the same standard manner. The questions were embedded in a large number of other
questions thus reducing the potential for information bias.

No attempt was made in the analyses to differentiate between exposure at home, at work, or elsewhere. Exposure at work has
been found to confer a greater risk for coronary heart disease than exposure at home.1819 Studies that report exposure only at home or at work could lead to an underestimation of the effect because of the different
employment patterns of men and women. The lower association between passive smoking and the risk of stroke in women could
be due to


the tobacco industry. Strong public health action is overdue.27

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, and the Grand
Lodge of Freemasons of New Zealand for their support of this research. We also wish to thank Joanna Broad, Alain Vandal, Robert
Gentleman, and John Anderson for their analytical advice, and Susan Hawkins and Cherie Mulholland for their interviewing skills.At Hearing, Division Still on Rezoning Plan to Keep East New York ‘Affordable’

January 7, 2016, 2:08 pm

On Wednesday, more than 100 people—city officials, attorneys, community development organizations and residents—gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall to weigh in on a controversial rezoning plan by the City that would have wide-reaching impact on the future of affordable housing in East New York.

Hosted by the City Planning Commission, the hearing comes on the heels of a report released in December by the office of NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer that found that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to rezone East New York for more affordable housing actually would end up displacing 55 percent of its current residents.

“Based on analysis by my office… the plan must be modified to eliminate or mitigate this impact,”


said Comptroller Stringer in a statement delivered by Brian Cook, Stringer’s Director of Economic Development.

The hearing was an opportunity to potentially chart a new course– one that might support commercial and new housing development without disenfranchising a majority of its current residents. However, according to Politico, after hearing arguments on both sides, little happened in the way of changing opinions on either side.

During the hearing, representatives from NYC’s Housing and Preservation and Development defended the plan, assuring that 50 percent of the housing would be at market rate while 50 percent would be set aside as affordable (approximately 6,300 units) for people earning less than 60 percent of the area median income, which is $42,620 for a family of three.

Acknowledging that private developers were unlikely to keep toreferencing public data from the city’s Department of Finance website on property sales, Rose Martinez, a Morgan Stanley fellow working with the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, pointed out that prices in the city already have tripled since the mayor announced his intention to rezone East New York.

For example, one and half years before the mayor announced his rezoning plan, the average sale price for a multi-family walk-up was $480,000. Since then, the average sale price has already skyrocketed to $1.4 million, she said.

Two legislators– Borough President Eric Adams and City Councilman Rafael Espinal (who represents parts of Bushwick and East New York)—were outspoken in their opposition to the proposal. The two co-authored an op-ed in Crain’s New York Business on the day of the hearing, offering their


Original Mix licensed to Ministry of Sound and appears on their SessioNZ 2013 compilation.

The 18th release on Darin Epsilon's Perspectives Digital sees frequent studio partners Antix and Tim Richards teaming up once again for a new single. The New Zealand based trio have worked together in the past with spectacular results on Flow, Iboga, Detone, and SIlence Through Music. Their first studio production for Perspectives is a vocal project entitled 'Another Day' which includes remixes from Andre Sobota, SQL and Fiord.

The Original Mix begins with a tight, floor-friendly house groove that's accented with sparkling electronics and enchanting harmonies, which deliver an amazing atmosphere early on. The highlight of the production though is a charming vocal which provides some enticing hooks, along with dynamic range that is sure tohave the full attention of your dance floor.

The first remix on the package is supplied by Andre Sobota, who is making his first appearance on Perspectives. The Brazilian producer has been crafting some of the most musically inspiring progressive house for the last 2 years. Andre's remix of Coldplay & Rihanna's 'Princess Of China' was picked up and played by Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 and then subsequently released on EMI. Following that, Andre's two tracks 'Voyager' and 'Found' were signed by Eric Prydz for release on his Pryda Friends label. Further releases on Toolroom and microCastle capped off an incredible 2012 for Andre, and with his remix here, he's gotten 2013 off to an amazing start. Andre's taken all the amazing elements from the original and


transformed them into his own progressive techno hybrid that's full of the soul and emotion we've come to expect from the Brazilian producer.

The second interpretation is provided by SQL, who is also making his debut appearance on Perspectives. Pim Van Horssen aka SQL is a Dutch techno / tech house producer whose pristine studio skills are well documented with releases on GEM, Get Physical, and Form. For his 'Another Day' interpretation, SQL has crafted an irresistibly funky groove that is perfectly accented with smooth melancholic lines, subtle acid hooks, and a great twist on the vocal elements from the original.

The final remix on the package comes from Antix under their more tech house oriented Fiord guise. It rounds the package out nicely with a cool and contemporary clubPoll: 60 Percent of Democrats Support the Keystone XL Pipeline

(CNSNews.com) – A Harris Interactive Poll released last week by the American Petroleum Institute shows that 60 percent of Democratic voters support the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Better than 90 percent (92) of Republicans voters support its construction.

Overall, the poll showed that 75 percent of responders favored the construction of the pipeline and 17 percent opposed.

The survey was conducted on Nov. 6 -- Election Day -- among 827 interviewees.

Most of the voters surveyed also supported increased access to domestic energy resources, according to the poll.

Overall, 73 percent of voters said they favor “increased access to domestic oil and natural gas resources,” and 15 percent were opposed. Of those that support increased access to domestic oil and natural gas


The Cal State Fullerton staffer fatally stabbed during a targeted on-campus attack has been identified — as authorities revealed that a backpack holding an incendiary device was discovered under his car.

Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57 — who served as the university’s director of budget, finance and student services for university extended education from 2009 to 2017 — had returned to campus as a special consultant in early 2019 “to provide his sage guidance and wisdom,” university president Fram Virjee said in a statement.

Authorities found Chan inside his silver Infiniti sedan in the campus parking lot around 8:30 a.m. Monday bleeding from his head, with stab wounds all over his body, police said.

Chan, of Hacienda Heights, could not be saved, and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Meanwhile,SHOW REVIEW/LIVE PHOTOS: Redeemer Tour w/Toothgrinder and Norma Jean

A long and exciting lineup graced The Foundry Concert Club in Lakewood, Ohio. Long time legends Norma Jean took the stage during their Redeemer Tour along with Gideon, Toothgrinder, Greyhaven, Edorra and Crucigen. The crowd was on the smaller side upon walking in, but over the course of the evening swelled to a size that proved it was a sold out show.

Painesville, Ohio, native metalcore band Crucigen kicked off the evening with an energetic performance. The crowd was a bit smaller to start, but as the performance went on people began to file in. When asked to share his experience, guitarist and backing vocalist for Crucigen Radames Colon said “…opening for Norma Jean was an insane experience! It’s not very


heartfelt performance, and the music itself was excellent, but the band as a whole felt uninspired; it lacked the passion of stage presence. Despite this, the crowd really came alive; it was during this performance that the first mosh pit of the evening broke out. The group started out slow, but by the final song had reached the energy and drive that we’d come to expect from them.

If there was any band from the lineup that liked their music loud, it was Gideon. With stoic expressions and fingers pointed in the air, the band pushed the sound engineer to raise their monitors louder and louder. In certain circumstances, people use loud volume as a way to cover poor performance; this was not the case with Gideon.

From the momentthe band started to their final note, they rocked the club. Hailing from Alabama, this quintet brought insane energy to the stage. The music inspired all to let loose and jam along with the band; before we knew it, we were swayed into headbanging and moshing with everyone else. It wasn’t uncommon for people to jump up, throw up their devil horns, and jump into the crowd; by the end of the set there was a waterfall of crowdsurfers jumping from the stage. Their energy brought everyone to new heights, and they kept that momentum rolling for the headliners.

The atmosphere was nothing short of electric as Norma Jean took the stage. Amped up from the opening bands, fans were moshing and crowdsurfing within the first fifteen seconds of


amounts of protein, as determined by the Bradford assay, were separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (6%). Proteins were electrophoretically transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane (Amersham Biosciences, Amersham, UK), which was probed first with a mouse hMLH1 antibody (1 : 500, G168-15, BD Biosciences, Erembodegem, Belgium), and secondly with a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antibody raised against mouse IgG (1 : 3000, Dako, Glostrup, Denmark). Expressed protein was detected by chemiluminescence (Western Lightning Chemiluminescence Reagent, PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA).

Results
=======

Genetic analysis and tumour spectrum of the *hMLH1-p. Gly76Glu* variant: a case study
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Caucasian male was seen in clinic with a history of male breast cancer and leiomyosarcoma of the thigh (presenting concurrently in his third decade), colon cancer (presented in his fourth decade) and prostate cancer (presented in his fifth decade). There were colorectal cancersCompany) came in 1762. He held a lavish inauguration on his birthday on 29 September.

Subsequently, his birthday was a national holiday in the Indies. During his time as Governor-General, he overthrew the Prince of Kandy, in Ceylon, though with difficulty, and he conquered the sultanate of Siak in Sumatra. Contracts were entered into with various regional leaders in Bima, Soembawa, Dompo, Tambora, Sangar and Papekat.

Van der Parra favoured his friends and gave out well-paid posts if he could get anything in return for them. It was said he was a typical colonial ruler, idle, grumpy but generous to those who fawned upon him and recognised his greatness. It was a golden time for the preachers in Batavia, who got gifts, translations of the New Testament and scholarships from


UPDATE: Since this story was first published, the video has been removed from YouTube.

———

ST. PETERSBURG — Andy Park wanted to see if a man could get into the woman's restroom at Target.

The retailer's "inclusive" restroom policy — allowing people to use whatever restroom corresponds with their gender identity — has been under fire since last week. It's a small flare-up in a larger firestorm around new laws banning transgender people from bathrooms that don't match the sex on their birth certificate.

Park, 57, hid a camera phone in his shirt pocket, went to the Target a quarter mile from his home and asked employees there if he could use the women's restroom.

He posted the video, which went viral.

As of early Thursday morning, Park removed the video from YouTube andFacebook.

Before he did, many people who watched and shared it assumed Park is on the anti side of LGBT rights.

The St. Petersburg man insists that's not true. In fact, he's a member of the LGBT community.

He's gay.

He said he made the video — which had nearly 2 million views by Wednesday afternoon — to prove Target's policy is overly broad and could allow men with bad intentions into women's bathrooms. But he doesn't think transgender people should be kept out of the bathrooms they want to use.

"I'm not the person people think I am," he told the Tampa Bay Times. "I'm not a Bible thumper. I'm a gay man who has transgender friends."

Park says he wanted to make the video after he read that Target was allowing men


to use the women's restroom. He didn't expect anyone outside his friends would care to watch it.

The video shows him walking into the store and approaching a man at guest services. He asks if he can use the women's restroom.

"Sometimes, I get uncomfortable in the men's room," he told the employee. "I just wanted to make sure I'm allowed to go in the women's room."

The employee refers him to someone in security.

Park confirms with the security worker that he can go in the women's restroom, posing the same question he did to the other employee. Park also has that employee reaffirm to him that any woman who has concerns with Park's use of the bathroom can speak to staff.

Park never films inside any bathroom; the video cut offafter his conversation with employees.

Target, for its part, says it's committed to letting all customers have a comfortable experience in its stores.

"Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity," Target wrote on its blog last week.

The store's reiteration of its policy prompted more than 900,000 people to sign a boycott petition.

Much of the conversation swirling around bathrooms comes after North Carolina passed a law that requires people use the restroom that corresponds with the sex on their birth certificate — regardless of their gender.

Many who oppose the Target policy support North Carolina's law.

Not Park.

He said anyone living as a woman, for example, should use the women's restroom.

"This is


day the families held no party.

By the time the husband’s family left Syria, she was eight months pregnant. Soon after they arrived at the Zaatari camp, she collapsed. “She turned blue, she became stiff as stone, she was having seizures and there was blood coming out of her mouth,” said her husband, Mohammad Ghazawi, 26, who said he had known he wanted to marry her since catching glimpses of her in their hometown.

It is unclear whether the arduous 12-day journey through the desert caused her collapse and the coma that followed, but teenage mothers are considered at risk for the condition she eventually learned she had: eclampsia.

In the end, doctors were able to deliver her baby, a girl, safely, but Hana continues to have seizures.

Although she is stillWan-Bissaka, English footballer
 November 29
 William Byron, American race car driver
 Agata Kryger, Polish figure skater
 Ye Qiuyu, Chinese tennis player
 November 30 – Liu Huixia, Chinese diver

December

 December 1 - Jung Chae-yeon, South Korean singer and actress
 December 3
 Hayley Okines, English progeria activist (d. 2015)
 Rashan Gary, American football player
 December 5
 Khaleel Ahmed, Indian cricketer
 Clara Rugaard, Danish actress and singer
 Sophie Simnett, English actress
 December 8 – Ilaria Käslin, Swiss artistic gymnast
 December 11
 Ben Cook, American actor
 Taylor Hickson, Canadian actress and singer
 Konstantinos Mavropanos, Greek footballer
 December 12 – Ed Oliver, American football player
 December 15
 Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player
 Kelvin Harmon, American football player
 December 16
 Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter
 Bassam Al-Rawi, Iraqi-born Qatari footballer
 December 17 –


women eligible to enlist in 2019 were only infants on 9/11. Their rationale for being there indefinitely has become as obscure as the path to victory. No doubt some of them are out there now, seeing how night-vision goggles work during the day.

Three Kings uncannily anticipated the mission drift, the refugee crises and the forever wars that have plagued the United States since it came out, but eight years after Operation Desert Storm ended, Russell just wanted audiences to know what the hell it was all about. Working from a story by John Ridley – a whole screenplay, really, which led to an ugly attribution dispute – Russell uses a thrilling update on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to smuggle in a sophisticated treatment of the chaosGuard. When the men witness a mother being executed in the streets of Kerbala, they decide to intervene by escorting a group of dissident refugees to safety across the Iran border, in the hope of salving their consciences while still padding their wallets.

Once the Americans make the decision to help the refugees, Three Kings threatens to become a story about benevolent first-worlders saving the downtrodden, but Russell has a more sophisticated agenda. What unifies many of the characters in the film – the Americans, the dissidents and even members of the Republican Guard – is that they’re ordinary people at the mercy of the powerful and corrupt. At a minimum, they’re all risking their necks in a war zone, but the major Iraqi characters in the film have


Tammy Mills had no idea what "ice" was when she started as crime reporter at The Border Mail in December 2012.  "I think I just thought it was frozen water," she laughs.  Within weeks though, she soon realised that this drug was having a silent but horrible effect on her new community. In this week's Behind the Scenes interview, she recalls: - the moment the impact of 'ice' on the community really hit her - the most bizarre stories of 'ice' users - why it's so important that drug users aren't written off by societycalligraphers. And pays them money!" It may seem "a little silly that we're paying people good money to do fancy handwriting while threatening to furlough people doing real jobs," but it's worth remembering that "the White House is, after all, home to the head of state of the most powerful nation on earth." Hiring three people to hand-write all the invitations for state dinners and other ceremonial functions is hardly shocking, and it's not like Blair is one of Obama's "Chicago cronies" — she's held her position since at least the Bush administration. As for the salaries:

Presumably, these individuals are members of the U.S. civil service. The White House is subject to the locality pay for the Washington-Baltimore area and pay is standardized. So, that means Blair and


RUTH Davidson last night faced scathing criticism from campaigners who claim she "hasn't lifted a finger" to speak up for those affected by the controversial 'rape clause'.

A Freedom of Information request by the SNP revealed that Tory leader Davidson had not engaged with the Department for Work and Pensions since the clause came into force. The rule means that a woman has to prove a third child was conceived after being raped to be exempt from a two-child tax credit cap."

Davidson was accused of failing to use her influence with Tory ministers in charge of the DWP since the policy was introduced on April 6.

SNP MP Alison Thewliss, who launched a campaign group – Scrap The Rape Clause – last night said inaction by Davidson showed she didfrom a TV critic. Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times said "the only point of light is provided by Catherine's partner, Tess, who, as played with great common-sense appeal by Nina Lisandrello, clearly deserves to be on a better show." On January 21, 2013 in Brazil, she won Best Supporting Actress in a Best of 2012 Awards promoted by Brazilian cable channel Universal Channel.

Filmography

References

External links

Category:Living people
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:Actresses from New York City
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:People from Encino, Los Angeles
Category:1980 births


and, if you are attending the Summit, make sure to say hello!

2017 Summit Fellows

Mark BillingsProgram and Communications Coordinator, Best Friends Mentoring ProgramDickinson, ND A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois) and the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana, Mark has worked in the non-profit sector for the past 15 years. After witnessing first-hand the value of mentoring while hosting exchange students, he devoted his career to establishing and building quality youth mentoring in rural North Dakota. Married with three teenagers, Mark has completed 25 marathons in 7 states.

Heather Cook Detention Coordinator, Reading for LifeSouth Bend, IN After graduating from Indiana University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, Heather began working as the Detention Coordinator at the St. Joseph County Juvenile Justice Center, using the Reading for Life curriculum to mentorgroups of incarcerated teens. The positive impact this program has made on so many children has truly given her purpose. When Heather is not working, she can be found spending time with her 3 little girls.

Debbie Eller Executive Director, Communities in Schools of Caldwell CountyLenoir, NC As a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Appalachian State University who holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University, Debbie works as the Executive Director with Communities in Schools of Caldwell County, NC while also serving as Vice President of the Career Development Division at the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of the Shelter Home. She worked as a volunteer in the Girl Scouts organization for over 25 years and has received many adult leadership awards in scouting.

Maryellen


GomesMentor Coordinator, Cobb Mentoring MattersMarietta, GA With a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Georgia State University, Maryellen works as the Mentor Coordinator for the Cobb onhealthy valtrex County School district where she oversees the district’s flagship school-based mentoring program she created called Cobb Mentoring Matters. Since inception, the program has created a turn-key program for businesses, churches and civic organizations to play an important role in the educational process for the students in Cobb County. Maryellen enjoys spending time with her family and friends and bike riding.

Amber D. Green Youth and Alumni Manager, Trinity River MissionDallas, TX Having received a B.A. in psychology from Lake Forest College (Lake Forest, IL) and a Master’s of Social Work Degree fromthe University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, Amber now works for Trinity River Mission—an educational nonprofit in West Dallas serving at-risk K-12 students and their families. Amber manages the Believe and Achieve Scholarship and Mentoring Program for middle school and high school students, promoting college-going culture by providing students with life, college, and career readiness skills, as well as mentors to support their journey to educational, professional, and personal success.

Dustin Koury Teen Pals Program Coordinator, Brown County Human Services DepartmentGreen Bay, WI Dustin is a youth advocate specializing in services for teens with direct experience in mentoring, child welfare, foster care, and Independent Living Services. He is currently the Program Coordinator of the Teen Pals program, a mentoring service of the Brown County Human Services Department in Green Bay,


WI designed to serve youth ages 13-18 by pairing them with a caring volunteer who can work with the youth to build confidence, life skills, independence, and lifelong connections. Pals is an example of what can be accomplished through collaboration between youth, adults, and the surrounding community.

Mariam MartinezProgram Director, Institute of Youth Development and ExcellenceCincinnati, OH A graduate of Mt. Saint Joseph College with a degree in Humanities and Liberal Arts, Mariam was born in Mexico, learned English in high school, and has worked in various aspects of youth development. She’s worked in schools as a language teacher, supported bilingual literacy programs, and worked with families as a Home Visitor for Every Child Succeeds. She currently works as Program Director at the Institute of Youth Development and Excellencewhere she manages volunteer development and develops programs for young children.

Kelvin MattairProject Director, JBU Mentoring Program, Unity Family Community Center, Inc.Williston, FL After 11 years serving at-risk youth in the state of Florida, Kelvin moved to Australia in 2013 where he worked with indigenous youth and learned a new perspective for mentoring young people. In 2015, he returned to the United States and began his new career with Unity Family Community Center, Inc. For the past year, Kelvin has worked hard to create UFCC’s new mentoring program, JBU Mentors, which aims to reduce delinquency, enhance exposure, and increase academic performance through one-on-one or group mentoring.

Jamila M. TrimuelFounder and Executive Director, Ladies of VirtueChicago, IL With a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Master’s of


Science in Health Systems Management from Rush University, a Master’s of Science in Educational Leadership from the Broad Center, Jamila is the Founder of Ladies of Virtue (LOV). LOV is a Gold Star Mentoring Program, recognized by the Illinois Mentoring Partnership, and instills purpose, passion, and perseverance in girls, ages 9-18, while preparing them for college, career, and to become change agents in their communities.

Thank you for reaching out to MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and for your interest in youth mentoring. MENTOR is the unifying champion of youth mentoring in the US. We aim to increase the quantity and quality of mentoring relationships through advocacy, public awareness, and the development and delivery of resources, standards, and research. There are many ways in which you can connect toSHAFAQNA – Police have arrested the 48-year-old driver of the van who ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in north London, next to a Muslim center and close to a mosque. One man was pronounced dead at the scene and 10 people were injured, with eight of them being taken to the hospital.

19 June 2017

07:38 GMT

Two of the victims sustained serious injuries, Basu says.

07:32 GMT

The incident “has all the hallmarks of a terrorism incident,” UK counterterrorism police coordinator Neil Basu said in a statement.

He added that all the victims were from the Muslim community.

07:01 GMT

Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain called the incident a “terror attack on Muslim worshippers.”He tweeted a statement from the Muslim Welfare House, condemning “any act of hate that tries to


                                   Defendant‐Appellee.
                      ____________________

          Appeal from the United States District Court for the
            Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
              No. 11 C 8136 — John W. Darrah, Judge.
                      ____________________

    ARGUED NOVEMBER 6, 2013 — DECIDED MARCH 26, 2014
                  I
    Bass  worked  for  the  District  as  a  custodian  from  May
2001 until February 2, 2011. In April 2002, she was assigned
to work the 2:00–10:30 pm shift at Cunningham Elementary
School. At the time Cunningham was a single‐floor building
but  in  2003  a  second  story  was  added  on.  The  additional
space was more than one employee could handle, and so the
District  assigned  Lewis  Pickens,  a  male,  to  Cunningham  to
work  the  same  shift  as  Bass;  Pickens  was  responsible  for
cleaning the new second floor. The second floor included 19
classrooms and the library, while the first floor had 11 class‐
rooms  and  the  gym.  The  principal  of  Cunningham,  Maria
Arroyo,  was  Bass’s  direct  supervisor  from  November  2008
until she was fired.
     During the 2008–09 school year, the District hired an out‐
side vendor, Pike Systems, to conduct a time‐study of custo‐
dial  duties  at  11  of  its  schools.  The  study  was  supposed  to
shed light on how long different custodial tasks should take
and to recommend measures that would improve efficiency.
At  Cunningham,  Pike’s work  revealed  that  the  tasks  associ‐
ated with the second floor took more time to complete than
one  shift  permitted,  while  those  for  the  first  floor  could  be
finished in less time than one shift. As a result, Pike recom‐
mended that the restrooms on the second floor be reassigned
to  the  custodian  responsible  for  the  first  floor.  While  Bass
was on leave, the District had the substitute first‐floor custo‐
dian try out the new arrangement (that is, clean both the en‐
No. 13‐1742


                                     3

tire first floor and the second floor restrooms). She was able
to  do  so  during  her  shift. As  a  result,  the  District  approved
the  reassignment  of  the  second‐floor  restrooms  to  the  first
floor  custodian,  Bass.  The  Pike  study  also  resulted  in  reas‐
signments  at  other  schools,  with  seven  male  custodians  as‐
signed  additional  duties.  Neither  Bass  nor  the  District  tells
us how many women other than Bass were given additional
work.
   On  December  10,  2008,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Cunning‐
ham  to  discuss  the  new  system  with  Bass,  Pickens,  and  the
Cunningham building engineer, Charles Hicks. At the meet‐
ing, Bass complained that the new arrangement was not fair
and resulted in too much work for her.
    Around  the  same  time,  Bass  began  having  performance
issues,  which  led  to  two  suspensions  without  pay.  Bass  did
not contest these suspensions at the time; she admitted that
she  had  failed  to  complete  all of  her  cleaning  duties.  After
she  completed  her  suspensions  her  performance  improved
significantly, and she was rated “exceeds  standards”  by Ar‐
royo at the end of the 2009–10 school year. Bass explains this
improvement as the result of efforts beyond the call of duty:
she  says  that  she  stopped  taking  routine  breaks  in  order  to
complete all her work. The reason why her performance im‐
proved,  however,  is  immaterial,  because  performance  was
not the basis for her termination—attendance was.
    Under  the  collective  bargaining  agreement  (CBA)  to
which Bass was subject, she was permitted a one‐time disa‐
bility leave for up to twelve months, in addition to all other
accrued  sick  leave  (which  had  to  be  exhausted  first).  The
CBA provides that employees who are absent after exhaust‐
ing all leave are subject to disciplinary action, up to and in‐
4                                                          No. 13‐1742

cluding  termination.  Prior  to  2010,  Bass  had  taken  two  ex‐
tended  leaves  of  absence,  including  two  disability  leaves  of
nearly a year, one from March 14, 2005, to January 27, 2006,
and  another  from  September  3,  2007,  to


July  9,  2008.  These
absences alone exceeded the amount of leave to which Bass
was entitled under the CBA.
    Unfortunately, Bass injured her back on August 12, 2010,
and  again  took  family  medical  leave.  The  District  told  Bass
that  since  she  already  had  used  two  long‐term  disability
leaves  and  all  her  other  accrued  leave,  she  would  have  no
more available leave as of November 3, 2010, and she would
be  fired  if  she  failed  to  return  to  work.  Bass  got  a  doctor’s
note indicating that she could return  to  work on light  duty,
but  the  District  had  a  longstanding  policy  of  not  having
light‐duty  assignments  for  custodians.  Bass  did  return  to
work  on  November  4,  2010,  apparently  without  restriction.
Twelve days later, she injured her back again and was out for
2.5  days. At  that  time,  she  had  only  one  sick  day  available,
and  so  this  new  absence  resulted  in  1.5  days  of  unexcused
and  unpaid  time  off;  based  on  that  incident,  the  District  is‐
sued  a  written  reprimand  to  her.  She  returned  to  work  on
November  19,  2010.  On  January  3,  2011,  Bass  again  did  not
report to work. She provided a doctor’s note dated January 4
stating that she could not work because of severe back pain;
the  note  estimated  that  she  would and I think he has to continue to hammering the point that he can win the general election.”

The appearance, however, here didn’t go off without a hitch. As he made his way around the fairgrounds, Mr. Biden briefly mixed it up with a Trump supporter who accused the balding Democrat of misquoting the president.

The lineup of contenders speaking at the Soapbox on Friday features former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, businessman Andrew Yang, former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, New Age guru Marianne Williamson, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana opened up things here Thursday and got some laughs when he assured voters he wasn’t here to remind them that his great-great-grandparents called Iowa home and that his mother was born in the state.

“We gather


New York Academy of Art Talks with David Kratz, Brooke Shields, and Eric Fischl

23

Aug

New York Academy of Art Talks with David Kratz: “In Conversation” with Brooke Shields and Eric Fischl

Thursday, August 23 | 7 PM | $15

Join New York Academy of Art President David Kratz along with actress Brooke Shields and artist Eric Fischl.

In addition to her work as an actress, Brooke Shields has been sitting as a model for artist Eric Fischl. Their friend David Kratz will talk to both about this process as well as their individual work, making the audience part of a this very intimate conversation.

23

Aug

Introducing Southampton Arts Center’s Friends Circle

Friday May 25 - Monday Dec 31

It’s friends like you that have made the first five years of SAC so successful. Now, we arestage his own death to defraud his insurance company. He exchanges personal effects with someone who was killed at a railroad crossing, but this other man proves to have been a criminal who had stolen a large sum of money; thus, the protagonist is pursued both by the man’s cohorts and by an insurance investigator. When he turns on his company’s agent and kills him, he realizes that he will be subject to criminal charges under whichever name he uses. In “Three O’Clock,” a man decides to eliminate his wife and her lover. He builds a time bomb that he installs in the basement of his house; once the mechanism is in place, however, he is accosted by burglars, who tie him up and leave him behind as


even brief trauma can continue to have adverse effects across the lifespan. We join our colleagues in esteemed national organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians,/a>, and the National Latina/o Psychological Association in condemning these policies based on a large body of scientific research on the impact of migration, family separation, and trauma throughout the lifespan. By the latest Executive Order, which is yet to be implemented and which seeks to extend detention of children indefinitely, families are now allowed to remain together in federal detention centers; however, over 2,300 children nationally have already been separated from their parents with no clear plans for reunification.

WSPA’s mission is to promote the psychological well-being of all Washington residents, through education,their lives and many others were injured follows a nationwide increase in hate crimes in the past year. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reported as many as 1,094 incidents in the first month after the presidential election last year, and 1,863 between November 9 and March 31 of this year. There are 917 hate groups currently operating in the United States according to SPLC. Considering that most hate crimes are not reported to the police (Bureau of Justice Statistics), these recent numbers represent a pressing call for increased public discourse and action.

Washington State Psychological Association (WSPA) joins the American Psychological Association to firmly and unequivocally condemn the acts of racism and violence which took place in Charlottesville, and all other acts of bias, prejudice, and discrimination, which


509 F.Supp. 400 (1981)
George W. MILLER, in his own behalf and in the behalf of others similarly situated, Plaintiff,
v.
Geraldine DANIELS, John Davis, Charles Gadsden and Frank X. Gargiulo, James F. Bass, Robert S. Black, Hector Diaz, Matteo Lumetta, Joseph J. Previte, Martin Richards, Alice Sachs, Anthony Sadowski, and Salvatore Sclafani, Commissioner of Elections of the City of New York in their capacity as the Board of Elections in the City of New York, Defendants.
No. 80 Civ. 7082.
United States District Court, S. D. New York.
March 2, 1981.
*401 Jeff L. Greenup, Fred L. Wallace, Percy L. Lambert, Hudson H. Reid, New York City, for plaintiff.
Allen G. Schwartz, Corp. Counsel, City of New York, Patrick F. X. Mulhearn, Asst. Corp. Counsel, New York City, for defendant Board of Elections.
Saul Rudes, NewYork City, for defendant Daniels.
John S. Martin, Jr., U. S. Atty., Richard N. Papper, Asst. U. S. Atty., Southern District *402 of New York, New York City, Gerald W. Jones, John MacCoon, Sheila K. Delaney, Samuel D. Reyes, U. S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division Voting Section, Washington, D. C., for United States as amicus curiae.
SOFAER, District Judge:
Plaintiff George W. Miller was an unsuccessful candidate for the assembly seat in New York's 71st Assembly District ("the district"). Dissatisfied with the manner in which the Board of Elections conducted the primary and general elections, and denied relief by the courts of New York, plaintiff alleges various violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1971 to 1973bb-4 ("the Act"), and of other federal statutory and


constitutional provisions. His claims purport to rest in part upon section 5 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1973c, and he requests that a three-judge court be convened to adjudicate those claims. Because the section 5 claims are insubstantial and meritless, the request is denied, and those portions of the complaint are dismissed.

I. Background and Allegations
Plaintiff was the incumbent Assemblyman in the 71st Assembly District, located in Harlem. In the Democratic Party primary for that seat held on September 9, 1980, plaintiff ran against defendants Daniels, Davis, and Gadsden. All four of the candidates were black. Defendant Daniels won the Democratic nomination; plaintiff later won the Republican nomination. The general election was held on November 4, 1980, and Daniels was elected, by a margin of four to one.
Afterthe primary, but before the general election, plaintiff petitioned the New York Supreme Court (New York County) to overturn the Democratic primary result because of voting irregularities. The Court assigned the case to a referee. The referee held hearings on plaintiff's allegations and ruled that plaintiff had failed to establish even half of the number of irregularities necessary to impugn the integrity of the election under New York law. The Supreme Court confirmed the referee's recommendation and dismissed the petition. The Appellate Division (First Department) and the Court of Appeals each unanimously affirmed that dismissal. Associate Justice Thurgood M. Marshall denied interim relief.[1]
Over one month after the general elections, plaintiff filed the complaint in this action. He sues in his own behalf and as the representative of various


district who were not members of the Democratic Party to vote in its primary. Id. ¶ 23. In the September 9 election in which plaintiff lost to defendant Daniels, 500 non-party members allegedly voted in the Democratic primary, id. ¶ 25; fifteen percent of the voters in the March 25, 1980 Democratic presidential primary allegedly were not enrolled in the party, id. ¶ 24. Second, in violation of the two-year rule discussed above (Election Law § 5-406), defendants allegedly permitted 6,000 persons who should have been stricken from the list to vote in the presidential primary, and 2500 to vote in the September 9 primary; these persons were removed from the rolls prior to the general election. Id. ¶ 26. These actions are said to violate the Equala broad sell-off the day before, sparked by poor earnings reports and negative forecasts from a number of major companies across many economic sectors, as well as a dismal report on durable goods orders in December. Over the two days, the Dow lost 486 points.

With the soaring US dollar, slumping global demand and plummeting oil prices beginning to seriously impact the sales and profits of major US firms, the Fed has come under increasing pressure from Wall Street to delay any rate hike until the final months of this year or some time in 2016.

So far this week, Microsoft, Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble, DuPont, United Technologies, Pfizer and a number of other large firms have reported major declines in fourth-quarter earnings and/or sharply reduced forecasts for 2015, attributing


their currencies in an attempt to export the slump to the US.

Last week, the European Central Bank launched a “quantitative easing” plan to purchase 1.1 trillion euros worth of bonds by 2016, diluting the value of the euro against the dollar and other major currencies. On Tuesday, Singapore became the ninth country this month to take action to push down the value of its currency. The others, besides the euro zone, include Denmark, Turkey, India and Canada.

Since June 30, the US dollar has risen 17.7 percent against a basket of international currencies. It has increased by 9 percent over the last three months alone.

Plummeting oil and other commodity prices (oil is down by 57 percent since June), a symptom of stagnating and even negative growth from China andTag Archives: Tony Johnson

This season, most of the NEC teams will take on a Patriot League team at least once in their non-conference schedule. Lafayette (seven games) and Lehigh (six games) should be part of the NEC standings, since more than half of their non-conference schedule will be made up of NEC teams.


That night, they were awoken by shrieks. Old Ned had abducted the landlord’s daughter and was rolling her off in a barrel! The three gave chase into the misty woods by moonlight. But they lost the cackling hobgoblin, and found the barrel abandoned in a clearing with a hollow tree.

They wandered into another clearing where they met a strange beggar and were attacked by Harpies. Zagro’s spear put an end to them though. In the next clearing they found a hut with an old crone inside. Aldo questioned her while Zagro and Sir Grimblebottom hung back. She seemed anxious about her husband returning, a man who didn’t like strangers. Sure enough, a crazy wild man came charging into the clearing, wielding a huge axe. Zagro shot an arrowat him and Sir Grimblebottom fought him. He was soon overwhelmed, and the three confiscated his axe and tied him to a tree. Hidden in the woodshed of his house were several dead bodies — the axeman’s victims. The three looted the hut and moved on.

The next clearing had a small lake with a boat moored on the shore. The three saw a ghostly maiden in the lake, holding a sword. Aldo climbed into the boat and was carried into the centre of the pool (Zagro and Sir Grimblebottom hung back, stupefied). The lady transformed into a skeletal ghost, who asked for vengeance against a certain mad lord from thereabouts. When Aldo agreed a ghostly sword appeared point-down over his head — as a surety of his promise.


The ghost told Aldo about a magical spear and gauntlet buried in one of the nearby hummocks. Aldo retrieved the glowing spear and they continued. They found a vine-covered hut. Aldo tried to set it on fire and it jumped up on huge chicken legs and strode away into the forest!

Day dawned, and the forest thinned. They reached a road where a mysterious black carriage awaited them. However Zagro and Grimblebottom were more in favour of returning to the wood to seek the elusive Old Ned. Back among the trees, they stumbled across an ancient overgrown ruin, and descended steps into an underground temple to a War God. Zagro found traps and secret passages, fought an ancient mummy and uncovered six chests of treasure. Old Ned or no,stumbled in the dark. At one point Skagharin took a potshot at a lone sentry on the wall. The arrow went wide but the alarm went up and more came running. Just more distractions. Skagharin grinned to himself as he made his way down to the main gate. To his dismay, the guards were still up on the wall at the front. Arrows whizzed down from the parapet and Dintari took a hit before they made the cover of the gate. Fortunately it was only a mild graze.

Pausing for breath in the shadow of the wall, Skagharin noted that the drawbridge was down and the portcullis was open. The sound of fighting was coming from the courtyard. Skagharin could see Svein Karlssen and his warriors approaching — the


alone), Moonshadow, Skagharin, Dintari, Brutarl, Parius and Jorry Muttonchops set off to the south. The terrain was low scrubby hills. After a while the group came to a sunken swamp with an old stone monolith on a rise in the centre. Skagharin noted that the water level of the swamp had dropped rapidly recently. He wanted nothing to do with the monolith, but the others approached its dry island and he warily followed. Parius stepped up to the monolith — and suddenly writhing roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around everyone’s legs. Only Skagharin evaded the clutching vegetation. At the same time, the earth opened beneath Parius’ feet and he was sucked quickly below. Slashing himself free of the roots and creepers, Brutarl leapt to saveParius, but was too late. He and Skagharin dug frantically but found no sign of the half-elf. Then, just as suddenly, Parius was ejected from the ground, and the animated roots shrank back into the earth. Parius was muttering something about the Earth being in pain, but he seemed physically unharmed. The group quickly left the vicinity of this stone of elder gods.

The stockade

Some distance beyond the monolith swamp, the reaver’s outpost came into view. It was a wooden stockade in a valley surrounded by light forest. A dock with a ship at anchor was nearby. Guards patrolled its walls, changing every half hour. Skagharin observed the stockade for some time before conferring with Dintari, Moonshadow and Brutarl on the best course of action.

Night of fire and noise

Skagharin


the clear sky and the moon was bright on the water. Skagharin knew where they were: the islands north of Thuland. Trusting the moonlight and his skills he set a course southwards. After some time, several small dark islands became visible. Melisana suggested the ship drop sails lest it crash into submerged rocks or reefs. Skagharin gave the order, more because he wanted to give the girl a rest than anything.

Brutarl shouted and Skagharin awoke. The ship drifted near a bleak rocky outcrop. Brutarl pointed beyond the islet to where a Thulandian longship was even now altering course toward them. With the sails furled, flight was pointless. Besides, the Thulandians might be friendly.
“Cover the treasure!” hissed Skagharin.
Warily, the six awaited the longship and its armed crew.

The captain ofthe longship was one Svein Karlssen, a Thulander. He was not hostile and even agreed to trade for food and water. His ship sought Reavers in Thulandish waters. Skagharin had noted that there was an outpost within Thulandian waters marked on his captured reaver charts, and he had no qualms about revealing this to Karlssen. He was intrigued and suggested the group sail to nearby Vorgenheim to inform his master Eorl Vorgen. The two ships parted.

It seemed as good a destination as any. Skagharin set sail for Vorgenheim and Lassa’s Grace (for such he had named their longship) arrived at the village by sunset. As they pulled the boat up the gravelly beach, they were met by a group of villagers on the foreshore. Skagharin hung back. A


could hear the sounds of goblins approaching in the corridor outside, investigating the noises they could hear. Brutarl, Dintari and Moonshadow pushed the heavy bookshelf in front of the door, holding it place while the others descended. The goblins started pushing against the door and hacking it with their swords, yelling insults and threats. Dintari pushed against the bookshelf but the door was gradually being forced open. Brutarl fired his crossbow through the crack in the door and a loud yelp was heard as the bolt found a goblin. By now the others had climbed into the chimney, so Brutarl quickly followed.]

Into the catacombs

At the bottom was a large chamber divided into storage areas. Stacks of crates loomed dimly in the gloom. There were noises above as thehere somewhere. Time to start looking. Skagharin investigated a pile of crates which seemed to contain bricks. Crates of bricks? Made no sense until he noticed the thin trip wire across the passage. Traps, then. He backed off slowly.

Brutarl was not one for slow or careful. With long strides he crossed the chamber and swept back a tapestry concealing an exit passage. Skagharin spotted another trip wire but before he could warn the barbarian, he had snapped it; with a crumbling sound chunks of masonry and plaster collapsed from the roof, stunning the the barbarian.

When the dust cleared, the party moved forward into another large chamber similar to the first and again divided into three long partitions. The first was filled with crates. From the second could be


Unfortunately he misjudged and when he landed the floor gave way; stones, masonry and Brutarl fell into a dark pit. Here Brutarl’s luck held, and he landed painfully on a ledge. After catching his breath he was able to climb out of the hole. The others noticed that the floor adjacent to the wall was still intact and so could pass around the pit. Parius came to Brutarl’s aid and healed his bruises and scrapes.] Past the pit trap were a number of small cells, perhaps for monks or prisoners though all were empty — except for the last which was rigged with a rusty old crossbow aimed at the doorway. Skagharin ducked to avoid the crossbow bolt which had been aimed for a human height.

Empty rooms, then,but Skagharin’s sharp mind was ticking. Why lay traps except to protect or deter? How did all of those crates get down here? Surely not down the ladder chimney. The first pile of crates was a trap, but the second.. Skagharin led the way back to the nearest nook with the crates, and he, Dintari and Brutarl started shifting them. Sure enough a door was concealed behind, from which a fresh breeze emanated. Through the door was a long rough-hewn passage through the rock.

Sea King’s end

The passage led to a huge cavern. Skagharin could smell the sea. On one wall were several alcoves, and there was a large bricked-up opening on another wall. From something Keestake had said, Skagharin assumed the niches contained the tombs of the sea


hands upon Brutarl and called upon the gods to heal him. The gods must have listened. Brutarl leaped to his feet and stabbed the Sea King with his own dagger through a chink in his armour; punched right though the rotting flesh beneath and out the other side. The Sea King tottered to his knees and collapsed in the sand.

Leaving Brutarl to strip the long-dead corpse of its armour, Skagharin investigated the other tomb and found the promised boat: a funereal longship complete with the dead body of a prince, piled high with weapons, armour and treasure. Then he, Dintari and Moonshadow removed the bricks from the sea cave wall. Beyond: an underground beach, grey sea and the glare of sunlight from the exit.

Putting to sea in thelongship, Skagharin found the thing a bit of a beast to handle. To his surprise, Melisana was able to hoist the mainsail with ease. Skagharin frowned. Full of surprises, that lass. Must keep an eye on her, he thought. The winds whipped the boat as it moved away from the island and Skagharin assumed Lassa had been fickle — as she often was. But as they moved further the winds around them calmed somewhat. Not around the island though. Many huge typhoons engulfed it; the sky darkened and the wind shrieked. Skagharin glimpsed rubble, trees and boulders flying up into the sky and maybe even — he was unsure — small figures also. What was unmistakable, and made him clutch the stern rail till his knuckles turned white,