work anyone can get ahead in the United States. At the root of these economic challenges is the near stagnation of hourly wage growth for the vast majority of American workers over the last three-and-a-half decades. The salience of these issues is evidenced by the fact that terms like economic inequality, stagnant wages, and rebuilding the middle class are frequently used in national discourse on the state of the American economy, as well as by people in both political parties.

The fingerprints of several policy decisions and business practices, including eroded labor standards, weakened labor market institutions, and excessive executive pay growth, can be found in the history of wage growth in the past generation (Bivens et al. 2014; Bivens and Mishel 2015; Mishel and Eisenbrey 2015). A keyfrom 2000 to 2007 because the white imprisonment rate rose while the African American imprisonment rate fell. Because the ratio remains so large, imprisonment and its labor market scarring effects will definitely contribute to wage gaps in a given year, but their pattern over time since 2000 should assist in narrowing the wage gap.

Changes in the macroeconomy will surely have an impact on the wage gaps since 2000. The U.S. economy experienced a mild eight-month recession from March to November 2001, but the jobless recovery that emerged in its aftermath was probably a more serious blow to the economy. Economic growth returned but it was not sustainable. From 2001 to 2007, the jobless rate was slow to fall, wages continued to stagnate, and household debt expanded to record


what have been the patterns of black-white earnings inequality during the recovery of 2001–2007, the Great Recession of 2007–2009, and now the current recovery? We suspect that, after tremendous gains during the 1990s, since 2000 racial inequality has followed general patterns of inequality—either stagnated or expanded, but not in a dramatic style as during the 1980s. Collectively, tepid and unsustainable economic growth, plus the Great Recession, have led to expansion in the black-white wage gap.

Data

To operationalize our analysis of black-white wage gaps, we use samples of white and black workers from the Current Population Survey Merged Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-ORG) files for the years 1979 through 2015. We estimate log hourly wage gaps between black and white workers, adjusted for years of potential experience, education, region of residence,look at the general trends and patterns in racial wage gaps raises some key points that help to guide the remainder of our analysis. While black-white wage gaps for men and women are notably larger in 2015 than they were in 1979, this increase has not been consistent across time periods. Rather, there are three distinct periods of change: the 1980s, the 1990s, and post-2000. Most of the expansion of racial wage gaps occurred during the 1980s for men and during the 1980s through the mid-1990s for women. During the late 1990s, racial wage gaps narrowed. While this reversal helped to make up for much of the expansion of new-entrant gaps that occurred during the 1980s and early 1990s, it was less successful at reversing the trend among


2014). This sample selection truncates the black wage distribution from below, thus raising the average wage of African Americans. If this occurred, it would explain why the new-entrant high school wage gaps did not expand.

Distinct periods of change since 1979

Solely focusing on the trend covering the period from 1979 to 2015 neglects describing or glosses over three distinct periods of change: the 1980s, the 1990s, and the period since 2000. Figures M-P show the top-line decomposition results for each of the four gender/potential experience groups over distinct periods—1979–1985, 1985–1996, 1996–2000, 2000–2007, and 2007–2015—that track trends in the expansion and contraction of wage gaps. We use 2007 as the dividing line for the post-2000 years because it is the peak of the last business cycle, separating the years leadingM:I 6 (2018) – Possibly the greatest action movie in the franchise.

Note: this article is on Mission: Impossible 6 (2018) – part of a 6-part series on all the movies in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Read the whole series on Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Mission: Impossible 3 (2006), Mission: Impossible 4 (2011) and Mission: Impossible 5 (2015)

So here we are the very end, the explosive thrilling climax of the Mission Impossible movie franchise retrospective by the Ultimate Action Movie Club! Bringing us right up to date here is our review of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible – Fallout (2018) which is another absolutely incredible installment that will leave audiences glued to the screen and with their adrenaline pumping.

A TRUE SEQUEL

From the opening of the movie


effortless it feels like he has always been a part of the franchise. Rebecca Ferguson was introduced as Ilsa Faust in the last Mission Impossible movie. Her character arc is far more complete in this movie. Faust is at the very heart of the action and is completely convincing in the action scenes. Sean Harris returns as the antagonist Solomon Lane and is an effective malign presence. There is also the welcome return of Hunt’s wife Julia Meade-Hunt played by Michelle Monaghan and the always brilliant Alec Baldwin is back as the IMFs leader.

As well as the brilliant combination of cast from the past of the franchise there are also the brilliant additions of the incredibly talented Angela Bassett as Erica Sloane, the new Director of the CentralIntelligence Agency and Henry Cavill as CIA agent August Walker. Basset plays her role with ruthless efficacy and Henry Cavill is incredibly shady and a persistent threat to the IMF team. Cavill is absolutely electrifying in the movie’s action scenes. Another brilliant bit of casting in this movie is Vanessa Kirby as White Widow, a black market arms dealer who is the daughter of Max from the first film. It’s great touch to have that link to the first film and Kirby really steals every scene she appears in.

The cast is perfectly balanced and each actor captivates the screen.

A FRENCH CONNECTION

Mission Impossible – Fallout, like the other movies in the franchise, is a fantastic mix of epic worldwide locations and practical stunt work. This movie completely raises the


stakes on the action. It has perhaps some of the strongest action scenes in the entirety of the Mission Impossible franchise.

All of the action in the movie is incredible but the whole of the sequence in Paris is near perfect. From a car chase that clearly references the action movie classic The French Connection (1971) to Cruise going the wrong way round the Arc de Triomphe on a motorbike. The Paris sequence is absolutely relentless and well worth the price of a cinema ticket on it’s own.

CONCLUSION

Mission Impossible – Fallout is in many ways the definitive Mission Impossible film, its mix of old and new elements and adherence to the formula that defined the franchise offers audiences a movie which is really a remix of the first movieHarrison, Dr Catherine Elmer, Nicky Bateman and June Battram; County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust---Dr Neil Munro, Jill Dean and Gill Horner. Finally, we acknowledge the contribution to the research presented in this paper made by Rafael Perera, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Oxford and the other members of the Discovery Programme Steering Committee: Roger Jones (chair), Jon Banks, Alison Clutterbuck, Ardiana Gjini, Joanne Hartland, Maire Justice, Jenny Knowles, Richard Neal, and Peter Rose. This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme (RP-PG-0608-10045). RCR was funded, in part, by the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the Cambridge Cancer Centre.

**Author contributions**

FMW, JE, GR, WH, CB and HM had roles in the design, conduct and management of


three days until it was shut down, and the event made the front page of the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. Because Theta Cablevision charged extra for its FM hookups, CABL-FM 108's potential audience was between 4,700 and approximately 25,000 (based on information provided by Brad Sobel in an article in Billboard), out of Cablevision's approximately 100,000 subscriber households.

The first exclusively cablecasting community radio station was CPVR in Palos Verdes, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. CPVR 95.9 Cable FM radio was on the Times-Mirror cable system, and was started by a group of teenagers who initially practiced being disc jockeys in the homes of two of the founders. Since traditional broadcasting equipment was prohibitively expensive at the time, a young engineer named Tom Hewittby

Once an assumption of benevolent leadership is made the tendency has been to interpret subsequent acts in benevolent terms. When George W. Bush was president this took the form of his supporters believing that Saddam Hussein brought down the Twin Towers, that Iraq had an ongoing WMD program and that the role of America was to ‘free’ the world of tyrants. All evidence to the contrary was taken as either fraudulent or partisan bickering.

The theory amongst bourgeois liberals in the early-mid 2000s was that this trait was peculiar to the more evangelically inclined supporters of national Republicans who had been swayed by the culture wars. The arrogance of the conceit is likely due in part to class difference, in part to conflation of education with intelligence (class difference)


other 90% of the population not that much. His benevolence was not very evenly distributed. In fact, his neoliberal tendencies hurt a lot of people. And all it takes is one visit to the doctor to learn the difference between health insurance and health care.

History Shits the Bed

By the fall of 2011 the streets of Manhattan were filled once again with twenty-somethings carrying shopping bags holding as much bounty as they could carry. The cranes used to build luxury condos that had been stopped in mid-motion in 2009 were back to work. Stock and house prices were rebounding and conspicuous consumption amongst the newly revived banker and executive classes was back in the news. Pockets of economic recovery could be found around the country.

Barack Obama had saved thelives back. For those displaced before the onset of the Great Recession, the stories have been of slow decline from well-paying jobs to hourly work or quasi-professional jobs that are still, in 2017, being diminished.

Those cut loose after 2008 saw rapid spirals down. One career mechanical engineer saw the company he had worked for for fifteen years bought out by a private equity firm in 2009. He was fired along with everyone he worked with when production was moved overseas. The workers filed a class action lawsuit to recover their pensions taken in the buyout. His wife left him the same week his house was foreclosed on. Right now he’s pumping gas at a highway rest stop to make ends meet.

Democrat ‘trade’ agreements combined with consequence-free bailouts for


structure that left new auto workers earning near-poverty wages while auto executives were back to multi-million dollar bonuses in short order. Thanks Barack.

The bailouts of Wall Street had more moving parts. For those with an interest, Milton Friedman (bear with me) and Charles Kindleberger provide histories of the Great Depression from differing perspectives. Long story short, many of the structural problems that exacerbated the impact of bank failures in the Great Depression were resolved by FDR with bank reforms. Government sponsored deposit insurance alone provided a back-stop in 2008 that didn’t exist when FDR entered office.

Sweden undertook a smaller and less complicated nationalization of its banking system in the rolling Scandinavian banking crises of the late 1980s – early 1990s. It led to full recovery of the SwedishStephen's music has been used widely across Australia and across the world, from Jerusalem to Detroit, from Manila to Alaska, New Zealand to Ireland.In Australia Stephen has ministered in every state and territory (except the Northern Territory! Invitations very welcome :) ).

Here are some of the things people are saying about Stephen Kirk's ministry:

“Stephen Kirk is a man of faith and a talented musician. These two are not always found together, but in Stephen they mix to provide a special voice in the Church and special service to the Church. At times people think that song is cosmetic to the spiritual life, but in Stephen we see and hear that song is at the heart of the spiritual life. He shows that the spiritual life really happens when


a professional and engaging presenter whose insights into liturgy, along with the music he writes, will be of great benefit to parishes and schools alike."Anthony GordonTeam LeaderEvangelisation and Religious EducationCatholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

"We thoroughly enjoyed having Stephen visit St Clare's college this year. His approach was engaging and enabled our students to connect with the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in a meaningful way. I would recommend him without hesitation to any school seeking to deepen their student's appreciation of the treasures of our Catholic faith!"Maryellen Moore, Mission and Ministry Co-ordinator, St Clare's College, Canberra

"I have had the pleasure to work with Stephen Kirk regularly in delivering nights of prayer and Adoration over the past four years. His songs are prayerful, easy to pick up, beautifuland appealing to all ages. Stephen has the rare ability of being able to remind people of the presence of God, drawing them into the gratitude and openness that is at the heart of good worship. He is an excellent model of the prayerfulness and liturgical awareness that is necessary for good contemporary music ministry leaders.I highly recommend Stephen Kirk if you wish your people to experience the richness of the relationship between deep prayer and music."Catherine Kennedy, Director of CREDO (Office of Evangelisation & Renewal, Archdiocese of Sydney)

"Amazing presentation. I'm not Catholic, but I've been teaching in Catholic schools for 20 years, and this is the first time someone has explained the mass to me in a way I can understand."(Teacher, Good Counsel College Innisfail, Qld, "Music


Abstract:

Zhen Zhen Zheng (ZZZ), a Chinese national, was trafficked to the Netherlands for the purposes prostitution. In April 2003, after escaping and after being put out on the street by a woman who took her in and forced her to do heavy housework, ZZZ applied for asylum in the Netherlands. ZZZ was pregnant at the time of her asylum application.

In May 2003, Dutch authorities dismissed ZZZ’s asylum claim because ‘she could not give details about her trip from China to the Netherlands, did not have identity documents and waited for eight months before applying for asylum.’ Subsequent appeals proved unsuccessful.

In January 2007, ZZZ submitted a communication to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) in which she claimed that the Netherlands had violated herscience, Fintech and cyber security, helping to turn the government’s aspiration into reality.”

Background

A Trading Nation – a plan for growing Scotland’s exports is the most detailed examination of Scotland’s international export performance ever undertaken by the Scottish Government.

The plan includes commitments to:

increase the network of GlobalScot business representatives abroad from 600 to 2,000 people in key markets

add up to 15 in-market specialists to the countries that make up more than two thirds of our export opportunities

increase the number of trade envoys, potentially from four to 12

scale up trade promotion activity with expanded international missions and exhibition programming – with 68 Scottish Development International (SDI) events planned for 2019/20 and up to £2 million for a programme of inward and outward visits delivered by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce


                                          I.

      Westbrook’s husband bought a Dodge Charger that was financed with an

installment loan through NASA Federal Credit Union. The loan agreement gave

the credit union a security interest in the Charger in the event of a default on the

loan. After her husband died, Westbrook notified the credit union of his death,

which triggered an automatic default. The credit union made arrangements to

repossess the car, and the repossession was assigned to Twenty 4 Seven.

      Late in the evening ofForeign Office says Ian Squire has been killed while three other abducted Britons have returned home safely

A British man kidnapped while carrying out missionary work and helping to set up an eye care clinic in a remote part of Nigeria has been killed.

Ian Squire, 56, was one of four British charity workers kidnapped from the rural community of Enekorogha in the early hours of 13 October. An optician from Shepperton in Surrey, he had been working with the Christian health charity New Foundations to train local people to carry out sight tests and dispense prescription spectacles.

He had developed a solar-powered, portable lens-grinding machine for the clinic, which is located in an area without mains electricity.

Squire’s death was confirmed by the UK Foreign Office (FCO) on Monday as it


again visited with a team to trial a bespoke lens grinder and upscale the refractive and lens making skills of the small eye team.”

Mission for Vision’s latest filing said it was in the process of training three healthcare workers in the Delta. The charity had also carried out work in Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Carson has been reunited with her family in Northern Ireland, where she is recovering at her parents’ home in Ballymoney, County Antrim. She worked at a Specsavers in Fife, Scotland, but had been in Nigeria’s Delta region to help remove cataracts from local people’s eyes.

Kidnapping is a lucrative business in Nigeria, which has one of the highest kidnap rates in the world. Delta state is rich in oiland almost as rich in groups trying to control it, who argue that a bigger share of Nigeria’s oil wealth should be pumped back into the region.

Until 2009, the main armed group was the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which kidnapped oil workers and blew up pipelines. The group then signed an amnesty deal with the government, whereby members received generous salaries and vocational training.

The Niger Delta Avengers, one of the militant groups operating in the area, said on Friday that a ceasefire negotiated last year was over.

However, the group’s attacks have previously targeted oil and gas installations and there is no suggestion that they were behind the kidnap of the missionaries.


A young child's close call with a cougar at a park in Washington state over the weekend could have turned out much worse had it not been for the family's dogs, an official revealed Sunday.

The incident happened Saturday night around dusk at Enchantment Park in Leavenworth, located about 115 miles east of Seattle, according to Washington State Patrol.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement posted to Twitter the big cat was spotted earlier in the day displaying "abnormal behavior," but officials were unable to find it. City officials had closed the park with the intention of returning Sunday morning with tracking dogs.

CHILD ESCAPES 'SERIOUS INJURY' AFTER ATTEMPTED COUGAR ATTACK IN WASHINGTON, POLICE SAY

But later that day the cougar attacked a young boy at theare planning additional testing on the animal, according to the agency.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, usually hunt at night or during the hours around dawn or dusk, according to National Geographic.

"These cats employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite," the magazine notes. "They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days."


On Aug 30 Georgy (Eliayagu) Zylberbord was murdered in Donetsk by pro-Russian militants. He and a security guard had tried to stop the terrorists from plundering the cottage settlement on the outskirts of Donetsk where he lived. The Kremlin-backed militants murdered both men.

The Eurasian Jewish Congress reports that Zylberbord was 47 years old, a businessman, supporter of the arts and community, and a member of the board of the Donetsk Jewish Community.

Rabbi Pinkhas Vyshedski, a close friend of the murdered man, says that Zylberbord was a regular synagogue goer and generous supporter of the Donetsk Jewish community. For him and his wife Zylberbord was like a member of their family.

Rabbi Vyshedski left Donetsk because of the troubles and has opened an office of the Donetsk Jewish community inKyiv. This helps Jewish people from Donetsk who’ve been forced to flee and have sought refuge in Kyiv and other parts of the country.

Most Jewish people from Donetsk have left the city and are living in camps for displaced people, community centres or renting flats in other cities. Some fled to Mariupol and are now again in danger as the militants together with strong Russian reinforcements advance.

Although there were concerns among the Jewish community in Donetsk back in April over leaflets purporting to be from the self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s republic, there is no reason to believe that Zylberbord was killed because he was Jewish. Militants from the DPR have gained notoriety over recent months for plundering; violence; hostage-taking and also killings.

In one of the graves uncovered in Slovyansk


after the militants fled, the mutilated bodies were found of four members of a Slovyansk evangelical church - the two sons – Ruvim and Albert - of Pastor Alexander Pavenko from the Slovyansk Evangelical Church of the Transformation, as well as deacons of the church Viktor Brodarsky, and Volodymyr Velychko.

Once again there is no evidence that the four were killed because they were Christians, although they were abducted from a church service.

The pro-Russian militants have, however, made it quite clear including in something they call their constitution that they recognize only the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Those clerics, such as Mufti Said Ismagilov and Pastor Sergei Kosyak who have remained in Donetsk both to help in evacuation efforts and to provide spiritual support for local believers, areA Marine officer who was accused of sexually harassing multiple women could be forced to retire, even after a board and several investigations failed to substantiate any of the allegations.

Maj. David Cheek, who formerly served with the Marine Corps' behavioral health branch in Quantico, Virginia, faced a Board of Inquiry on Friday after two civilian employees accused him of displaying his erection through his clothing on multiple occasions. The complaints, which date back to 2013, prompted four investigations and the Board of Inquiry, none of which found conclusive evidence of sexual harassment.

The three colonels on Cheek's board recommended that the major, a prior-enlisted Marine who has served since 1992, be involuntary retired at his current rank -- not over the harassment allegations, but "due to substandard performance of


duty."

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer will now decide whether that recommendation should be upheld.

Related content:

The board's determination, first reported by USA Today, was made after Cheek was found to have failed to properly discharge the duties expected of an officer of his grade and failed to conform to prescribed standards of dress, weight, personal appearance or military deportment, according to officials with Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

"The board did not substantiate any specific allegations of misconduct; however, they found his overall performance below what is expected from an officer in the Marine Corps," the officials added.

Cheek, who issued a statement to Military.com through his attorney, said he's thankful the board found the "disgusting and absurd allegations of misconduct" to be unsubstantiated for the fifth time. He called the lastindependent investigations and a board of three colonels -- can absolutely wreak havoc on a person's life or career. But that's the environment that we live in."

Despite the board not substantiating any claims of misconduct, Sherry Yetter, one of Cheek's accusers, told USA Today that she is happy the "very long five-year battle for justice was over."

"The United States Marine Corps finally heard us," she told the paper. "It's a victory for all victims."

The harassment claims from Yetter and a second woman caught the attention of top Marine brass and members of Congress earlier this year after the two said they felt service leaders minimized their claims. That prompted a new investigation into the harassment allegations against Cheek.

When a preliminary inquiry into Yetter's claims was completed in October


2013, the investigating officer determined the conduct failed to meet the threshold of sexual harassment. Those allegations were then reviewed in 2015 by the inspector general of the Marine Corps, which didn't substantiate any of the allegations.

In 2017, a command-level investigation was completed, which found no conclusive evidence of sexual harassment. The investigating officer who completed the second command-level investigation in April 2018 was also unable to substantiate the allegations.

Meanwhile, Cheek had been selected for command and promotion to lieutenant colonel in August 2017, something Magee described as almost unheard of for an officer serving in an adjutant, or special staff, role.

"I think that speaks volumes to who he is as an officer," Magee said. "His board recalled witnesses who've served with him in every capacity, from commandingWith three songwriters, five members, and a genre running the gamut of folk, progressive, and doom metal, Iowa City metal quintet Insanguine faces a lofty challenge in condensing influences into a single song — much less an entire album.

Insanguine will perform as a supporting act for Condor at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Blue Moose Tap House, 211 Iowa Ave.

Lead guitarist Tay Sky described the two-pronged approach he and guitarist and brother Jarien Sky use with drummer Troy Tietige.

"[Tietge] and I have a lot of good metal jams," Tay Sky said. "But a lot of riffs come from me and Jarien sitting down outside band practice and meticulously composing stuff note by note, making sure it's harmonized. It's sort of a mix between the two."

Insanguine plays a melodic


Contact

Exclaim! Media

Exclaim! Media Inc. (http://exclaim.ca) is Canada's foremost source of news and information on the best in emerging new music. Established in 1991, Exclaim! reaches a national audience through print, digital and live event platforms.

In print, Exclaim! Magazine is Canada's premier national music culture publication with a monthly circulation of over 100,000 copies distributed through more than 3,000 outlets across Canada. Exclaim.ca is the cornerstone of the Exclaim! digital presence, which includes web, mobile and social media platforms, focusing on streaming music, news, reviews, interviews and original video content. The Exclaim! events platform presents national concert tours and regional showcases for Canada's most exceptional up and coming performers.

We acknowledge the assistance of the OMDC Magazine Fund, an initiative of the Ontario Media Development CorporationsWith Week 16 of the NFL season wrapping up, the playoff picture is nearly set, and the postseason schedule is beginning to take shape.

Heading into Monday Night Football, all four divisions in the AFC have been locked up, along with one of the two wild-card spots, meaning that about five teams are fighting for one last spot in the conference. In the NFC, only two teams have clinched playoff spots, leaving the other four wide open for the rest of the conference to fight over.

With just one week in the regular season remaining, let's take a look at the current playoff standings, followed by a breakdown of the postseason schedule and some predictions for each round.

With how the AFC standings look right now, these two games would be


rematches of regular-season contests, with the Indianapolis Colts playing the Kansas City Chiefs just two weeks after their last matchup.

The Miami Dolphins may have won the last game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but Andy Dalton is heating up at exactly the right time. He went off for 366 yards and four touchdowns this week against the Minnesota Vikings and hasn't thrown an interception in three weeks.

With playmakers like A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard on offense along with Vontaze Burfict and Michael Johnson on defense, the Bengals should be able to take this one.

In the other game, the Colts should be able to beat the Chiefs once again. Although their offense has seriously struggled since losing Reggie Wayne, two young receivers in Griff Whalen and Da'Rick Rogers have steppedup recently, and that will be the deciding factor in this wild-card matchup.

Both the NFC East and NFC North champions will be decided in Week 17, but given the current matchups, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers would be able to advance.

For the first game, the Eagles would be playing a very tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints, but we've seen that the Saints don't travel well. They're undefeated in the Superdome, but the Saints are just 3-5 on the road, and it's been a big problem all season. If they have to play in the cold weather against the league's top rushing offense, it will be hard for the Saints to keep up.

The Chicago Bears got demolished this week against the Eagles, but if they


can win next week against the Green Bay Packers, then they'll be in. It likely won't be a deep playoff run, however, as they will be going against the San Francisco 49ers in their first game, and that could be an ugly one.

Can two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks push their teams into the Super Bowl?

Peyton Manning will get an opportunity to play his former team once again in this scenario, only this time he'll be playing in front of a home crowd. Critics can talk about Peyton struggling in the cold weather all they want, but against an inconsistent Colts defense, he should be just fine thanks to weapons like Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker.

In the other game, Tom Brady will be looking to lead his teamto another win, but the offense for the New England Patriots has been wildly inconsistent this season. Without the help of Rob Gronkowski, the field isn't as open for other players, making it harder to play against a very tough Bengals defense.

The second game will almost completely depend on whether or not the good Dalton shows up, but I think that he will. The Bengals have one of the most solid overall teams in the league, and that will show on the national spotlight.

Playing in their third game against each other this season, the Seattle Seahawks and 49ers would be going head-to-head in the divisional round.

While this game could be as close as their last matchup, the 49ers have struggled over the past couple of years when having


Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Islam has two
primary sources, the Quran, and the authentic Traditions of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam),

That explains and sometimes expands on that of the Quran.

Bismillah Al-Hamdu lillah WA salatu WA Salamu 'ala
Rasulullah

Sallallaahu 'Alayh

Allah's blessings be upon him

Or

Allahumma Sali
WA Sallam 'Alayh

Allah's blessings and peace be upon him.

The spiritual benefits of reciting these salawat are
obviously immeasurable.

Mawlid Barzanji is in 'Arabi, it has been translated into
Kiswahili by Mzee bin Ali Muhammad from the Comoro
Islands of Africa,

It is printed in Singapore,

Its introduction is
in the Indonesian language in the Java dialect,

It has been transcribed by Mawlana Uthman Abdulkarim
Nasserpuri Rahmatullahi 'alayh of Kenya,

It has been applauded in Zikr-e-Habib (Remembrance of the Beloved
Prophet) by Ad-Daa'ee al-Kamil Mawlana Abdul 'Aleem Siddiq,

Rahmatullahi 'alayh, who incidentally composed salaams in
Urdu,

It has been reproduced in countlessother kutub (books)
including Baaqatun 'Atirah (A Perfumed Bouquet) of Imam as-Sayyidi Muhammad
'Alhawi al-Maliki of Makkah,

And it is recited from Makkah to Africa, from Madina to Singapore,

From Arafat to Jakarta and
from Mina to U.K.,
that is throughout the world by Muslims of all the four Madhab and all
Taariqan.

Mawlid al-Nabi in 2012 is on Saturday, February 4/5

Celebrate the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), Spread his message of love and Islam to all you
know.

Muslims celebrate Mila un-Nabi by gathering together to send
salutations to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), to give
charity to the poor, and to remember the birth and virtues of the Prophets.

In the countries where Milad un-Nabi in a carnival manner,

Homes and mosques are decorated, and street processions are
held.

Charity and food is
distributed, stories about the Holy


Egypt from
357-567 A.H., innovation the celebration of a number of days, among them, the
celebration of the Prophet's birthday.

This treacherous lie is a grave insult to the scholarship of
Ibn Kathir and the scholarship of all Islam.

For in truth, Ibn Kathir writes about the Prophet's birthday
in Al bidaya wal Nihaya [13-136]

"The victorious king Abu Sa'id Kawkaburi, was one of
the generous, distinguished masters,

And the glorious kings; he left good impressions and used to
observe the honorable Mawlid by having a great celebration.

Moreover, he was chivalrous, brave, wise, a scholar, and
just." Ibn Kathir continues,

"And he used to spend three hundred thousand Dinars on
the Mawlid." In support,

"One of the best innovations in our time is what is
being done every year on the Prophet's birthday, such as giving charity, doing
good deeds, displaying ornaments, and expressingHoly Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
and he is praised.

The Sunna shows that the Sahabas would stand and
declaim/sing poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam)

and that he would
reward them lavishly as he did with Ka`b, `Abd Allah ibn Rawaha, Hassan ibn
Thabit, and many others.

There is nothing in the principle of Mawlid gatherings,

Qur'an and Na’ats recitation and distribution of food and
sweets accept what follows the Prophetic teachings,

Increases knowledge of his Sira among the Muslims,
stimulates love for him in their hearts,

And encourages them to educate their families according to
Islamic principles from the cradle to the grave,

"With utmost love and reverence, not manifested by some
formal activities only, but also through actual behavior of following the
Sunnah"!

Muslims celebrate Mila un-Nabi by gathering together to send
salutations to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu


acts of worship.

The hadith found in Baihaqi, narrated by Anas (Radiyallaahu
anhu), that

"The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam) slaughtered a `aqiqa [sacrifice for newborns] for himself after he
received the prophecy,"

Although it has been mentioned that his grandfather `Abd
al-Muttalib did that on the seventh day after he was born,

And the `aqiqa cannot be repeated.

Thus the reason for the Prophet's action is to give thanks
to Allah for sending him as a mercy to the worlds,

And to give honor to his Ummah, in the same way that he used
to prey on himself.

It is recommended for us, therefore, that we also show
thanks for his birth by meeting with our brothers, by feeding people, and other
such good works and rejoicing."

This hadith confirms the aforementioned hadith of the
Prophet's emphasis of Monday as the day ofThe annual parody of the Nobel Prize also celebrated studies about human saliva as a cleaning agent, the effect of roller-coasters of kidney stones, and the use of postage stamps as erection detectors.

Scientific luminaries gathered at Harvard University’s historic Sanders Theatre on Thursday to honor notable achievements this year, such as the breakthrough insight that humans are no better at imitating chimpanzees than chimps are at aping people, as well as comprehensive research into the efficacy of using voodoo dolls to cope with bad bosses.

It was the 28th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, a parody of the Nobel Prize that celebrates the weirdest and funniest scientific research produced each year. Since 1991, nominees have been selected by the gag journal The Annals of Improbable Research, under the


Kevin Magnussen will be walking down the isle next summer for better and for worse, the Dane revealing that he proposed to girlfriend Louise Gjorup who has accepted the Haas driver's decent proposal.

Denmark's Ekstra Bladet pulled the cat out of the bag, indicating that the wedding will take place in August of next year.

"Yes, it is true that we will be married in the summer," Magnussen confirmed in Mexico.

"It's strange to me to share my privacy with people I do not know," said the Dane. "So I do not want to go into too much detail and I hope people respect that."

The 26-year-old was a lot more voluble about Formula 1's fuel flow rules that caught him out last weekend in Austin when he was disqualified for exceedinglegal humor."

This book was re-released in updated form as Still the Official Lawyer's Handbook, and then released in revised form in Britain, with Philip R. Jenks as co-author.

White's reputation as a legal humorist was fostered by his other books, especially White's Law Dictionary, a parody of the classic legal lexicon, Black's Law Dictionary; Trials and Tribulations – An Anthology of Appealing Legal Humor; and What Lawyers Do – And How To Make Them Work for You, a light-in-tone but essentially substantive book that enjoyed the distinction of becoming a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

White has also written a number of relatively minor volumes,  a nonexhaustive list of which includes The Classic Cocktails Book, The Martini, Really Redneck, The Birthday Book, and Horrorscopes.

Less known as a journalist, White has published


Ancient History Sourcebook:

Pliny the Younger (61/62-113 CE):

Selected Letters, c 100 CE Translation: William Melmoth (in Harvard Classics series) Introductory Note Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, usually known as Pliny the Younger, was born at Como in 62 A.D. He was only eight years old when his father, Caecilius, died, and he was adopted by his uncle, the elder Pliny, author of the "Natural History." He was carefully educated, studying rhetoric under Quintilian and other famous teachers, and he became the most eloquent pleader of his time. In this and in much else he imitated Cicero, who had by this time come to be the recognized master of Latin style. While still young he served as military tribune in Syria, but he does not seem to have taken zealously toa soldier's life. On his return he entered politics under the Emperor Domitian, and in the year 100 A.D. was appointed consul by Trajan and admitted to confidential intercourse with that emperor. Later, while he was governor of Bithynia, he was in the habit of submitting every point of policy to his master, and the correspondence between Trajan and himself, which forms the last part of the present selection, is of a high degree of interest, both on account of the subjects discussed and for the light thrown upon the characters of the two men. He is supposed to have died about 113 A.D. Pliny's speeches are now lost, with the exception of one, a panegyric on Trajan delivered in thanksgiving for the consulate. This, though diffuse and


somewhat too complimentary for modern taste, became a model for this kind of composition. The others were mostly of two classes, forensic and political, many of the latter being, like Cicero's speech against Verres, impeachments of provincial governors for cruelty and extortion toward their subjects. In these, as in his public activities in general, he appears as a man of public spirit and integrity; and in his relations with his native town he was a thoughtful and munificent benefactor. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by Pliny himself. They thus lack the spontaneity of Cicero's impulsive utterances, but to most modern readers who are not special students of Roman history they are even moreinteresting. They deal with a great variety of subjects: the description of a Roman villa; the charms of country life; the reluctance of people to attend authors' readings and to listen when they were present; a dinner party; legacy-hunting in ancient Rome; the acquisition of a piece of statuary; his love for his young wife; ghost stories; floating islands, a tame dolphin, and other marvels. But by far the best-known are those describing the great eruption of Vesuvius in which his uncle perished, a martyr to scientific curiosity, and the letter to Trajan on his attempts to suppress Christianity in Bithynia, with Trajan's reply approving his policy. Taken altogether, these letters give an absorbingly vivid picture of the days of the early empire, and of the interests of


as I was at the praetor's; he kept close to me there and begged a word in private, when he said he was afraid I deeply resented an expression he had once made use of in his reply to Satrius and myself, before the Court of the Hundred, to this effect: "Satrius Rufus, who does not endeavour to rival Cicero, and who is content with the eloquence of our own day." I answered, now I perceived indeed, upon his own confession, that he had meant it ill-naturedly; otherwise it might have passed for a compliment. "For I am free to own," I said, "that I do endeavour to rival Cicero, and am not content with the eloquence of our own day. For I consider it very height ofhe has got through the preface, or whether he has almost finished the piece. Then at length they saunter in with an air of the greatest indifference, nor do they condescend to stay through the recital, but go out before it is over, some slyly and stealthily, others again with perfect freedom and unconcern. And yet our fathers can remember how Claudius Caesar, walking one day in the palace, and hearing a great shouting, enquired the cause; and being informed that Nonianus1 was reciting a composition of his, went immediately to the place, and agreeably surprised the author with his presence. But now, were one to bespeak the attendance of the idlest man living, and remind him of the appointment ever so often, or ever so long beforehand;


than I was by those of yourself and your brother. He is a native of Brixia, one of those provinces in Italy which still retain much of the old modesty, frugal simplicity, and even rusticity, of manner. He is the son of Minutius Macrinus, whose humble desires were satisfied with standing at the head of the equestrian order: for though he was nominated by Vespasian in the number of those whom that prince dignified with the praetorian office, yet, with an inflexible greatness of mind, he resolutely preferred an honourable repose to the ambitious, shall I call them, or exalted, pursuits, in which we public men are engaged. His grandmother, on the mother's side, is Serrana Procula, of Patavium:1 you are no stranger to the character of itsreap whatever may happen to come up. For the disposition of your judges in as hard to fathom as uncertain, and as little to be relied on as that of soils and seasons. The comic writer Eupolis,6 I remember, mentions it in praise of that excellent orator, Pericles, that "On his lips Persuasion hung, And powerful Reason rul'd his tongue: Thus he alone could boast the art To charm at once, and pierce the heart." [Footnote 1: An elegant Attic orator, remarkable for the grace and lucidity of his style, also for his vivid and accurate delineations of character.] [Footnote 2: A graceful and powerful orator, and friend of Demosthenes.] [Footnote 3: A Roman orator of the Augustan age. He was a poet and historian as well, but


in his honour, he read histories of his achievements, and was himself witness of his fame among posterity. He was thrice raised to the dignity of consul, that he might at least be the highest of subjects, who1 had refused to be the first of princes. As he escaped the resentment of those emperors to whom his virtues had given umbrage and even rendered him odious, and ended his days when this best of princes, this friend of mankind,2 was in quiet possession of the empire, it seems as if Providence had purposely preserved him to these times, that he might receive the honour of a public funeral. He reached his eighty-fourth year, in full tranquillity and universally revered, having enjoyed strong health during his lifetime, with theexception of a trembling in his hands, which, however, gave him no pain. His last illness, indeed, was severe and tedious, but even that circumstance added to his reputation. As he was practising his voice with a view of returning his public acknowledgments to the emperor, who had promoted him to the consulship, a large volume he had taken into his hand, and which happened to be too heavy for so old a man to hold standing up, slid from his grasp. In hastily endeavouring to recover it, his foot slipped on the smooth pavement, and he fell down and broke his thigh-bone, which, being clumsily set, his age as well being against him, did not properly unite again. The funeral obsequies paid to the memory of this


great man have done honour to the emperor, to the age, and to the bar. The consul Cornelius Tacitus3 pronounced his funeral oration, and thus his good fortune was crowned by the public applause of so eloquent an orator. He has departed from our midst, full of years, indeed, and of glory; as illustrious by the honours he refused as by those he accepted. Yet still we shall miss him and lament him, as the shining model of a past age; I, especially, shall feel his loss, for I not only admired him as a patriot, but loved him as a friend. We were of the same province, and of neighbouring towns, and our estates were also contiguous. Besides these accidental connections, he was left my guardian, andalways treated me with a parent's affection. Whenever I offered myself as a candidate for any office in the state, he constantly supported me with his interest; and although he had long since given up all such services to friends, he would kindly leave his retirement and come to give me his vote in person. On the day on which the priests nominate those they consider most worthy of the sacred office,4 he constantly proposed me. Even in his last illness, apprehending the possibility of the senate's appointing him one of the five commissioners for reducing the public expenses, he fixed upon me, young as I am, to bear his excuses, in preference to so many other friends, elderly men too, and of consular rank, and said to


am speaking to him, embrace him. There are men amongst us, his fellow-citizens, perhaps, who may rival him in virtue; but not one that will ever approach him in glory. Farewell. [Footnote 1: "Verginius Rufus was governor of Upper Germany at the time of the revolt of Julius Vindex in Gaul, A.D. 68. The soldiers of Verginius wished to raise him to the empire, but he refused the honour, and marched against Vindex, who perished before Vesontio. After the death of Nero, Verginius supported the claims of Galba, and accompanied him to Rome. Upon Otho's death, the soldiers again attempted to proclaim Verginius emperor, and in consequence of his refusal of the honour, he narrowly escaped with his life." (See Smith's Dict. of Greek and Rom. Biog., &c.)]finished as though he had spent a long time over their written composition. His style is Greek, or rather the genuine Attic. His exordiums are terse, elegant, attractive, and occasionally impressive and majestic. He suggests several subjects for discussion, allows his audience their choice, sometimes to even name which side he shall take, rises, arranges himself, and begins. At once he has everything almost equally at command. Recondite meanings of things are suggested to you, and words - what words they are! exquisitely chosen and polished. These extempore speeches of his show the wideness of his reading, and how much practice he has had in composition. His preface is to the point, his narrative lucid, his summing up forcible, his rhetorical ornament imposing. In a word, he teaches,


entertains, and affects you; and you are at a loss to decide which of the three he does best. His reflections are frequent, his syllogisms also are frequent, condensed, and carefully finished, a result not easily attainable even with the pen. As for his memory, you would hardly believe what it is capable of. He repeats from a long way back what he has previously delivered extempore, without missing a single word. This marvellous faculty he has acquired by dint of great application and practice, for night and day he does nothing, hears nothing, says nothing else. He has passed his sixtieth year and is still only a rhetorician, and I know no class of men more single-hearted, more genuine, more excellent than this class. We who haveeating, reaching out his hand from time to time to the table, for what he might require. As soon as he had made a sufficient meal, he turned over upon his left side, leaning on the elbow.] XX To Macrinus The senate decreed yesterday, on the emperor's motion, a triumphal statue to Vestricius Spurinna: not as they would to many others, who never were in action, or saw a camp, or heard the sound of a trumpet, unless at a show; but as it would be decreed to those who have justly bought such a distinction with their blood, their exertions, and their deeds. Spurinna forcibly restored the king of the Bructeri1 to his throne; and this by the noblest kind of victory; for he subdued that warlike


His father was of great distinction among the Roman knights, and his father-in-law, or, I might more properly call him, his second father (for his affectionate treatment of Voconius entitles him to that appellation), was still more conspicuous. His mother was one of the most considerable ladies of Upper Spain: you know what character the people of that province bear, and how remarkable they are for their strictness of their manners. As for himself, he lately held the post of flamen.1 Now, from the time when we were first students together, I have felt very tenderly attached to him. We lived under the same roof, in town and country, we joked together, we shared each other's serious thoughts: for where indeed could I have found a truer friendtwo sides of three different seas, as it were: from the back you see the middle court, the portico, akd the area; and from another point you look through the portico into the courtyard, and out upon the woods and distant mountains beyond. On the left hand of this hall, a little farther from the sea, lies a large drawing-room, and beyond that, a second of a smaller size, which has one window to the rising and another to the setting sun: this as well has a view of the sea, but more distant and agreeable. The angle formed by the projection of the dining-room with this drawing-room retains and intensifies the warmth of the sun, and this forms our winter quarters and family gymnasium, which is sheltered


from all the winds except those which bring on clouds, but the clear sky comes out again before the warmth has gone out of the place. Adjoining this angle is a room forming the segment of a circle, the windows of which are so arranged as to get the sun all through the day: in the walls are contrived a sort of cases, containing a collection of authors who can never be read too often. Next to this is a bedroom, connected with it by a raised passage furnished with pipes, which supply, at a wholesome temperature, and distribute to al other little bathrooms, elegantly rather than sumptuously fitted up: annexed to them is a warm bath of wonderful construction, in which one can swim and take aview of the sea at the same time. Not far from this stands the tennis court, which lies open to the warmth of the afternoon sun. From thence you go up a sort of turret which has two rooms below, with the same number above, besides a dining-room commanding a very extensive lookout on to the sea, the coast, and the beautiful villas scattered along the shore line. At the other end is a second turret, containing a room that gets the rising and setting sun. Behind this is a large store-room and granary, and underneath, a spacious dining-room, where only the murmur and break of the sea can be heard, even in a storm: it looks out upon the garden, and the gestatio1 running round the garden.


The gestatio is bordered round with box, and, where that is decayed, with rosemary: for the box, wherever sheltered by the buildings, grows plentifully, but where it lies open and exposed to the weather and spray from the sea, though at some distance from the latter, it quite withers up. Next the gestatio, and running along inside it, is a shady vine-plantation, the path of which is so soft and easy to the tread that you may walk barefoot upon it. The garden is chiefly planted with fig and mulberry trees, to which this soil is as favourable as it is averse from all others. Here is a dining-room, which, though it stands away from the sea, enjoys the garden view, which is just as pleasant: two apartmentsthat to so many charms with which my little villa abounds, it might have the very considerable addition of your company to recommend it. Farewell. [Footnote 1: Avenue.] [Footnote 2: "Windows made of a transparent stone called lapis specularis (mica), which was first found in Hispania Citerior, and afterwards in Cyprus, Cappadocia, Sicily, and Africa; but the best came from Spain and Cappadocia. It was easily split into the thinnest sheets. Windows made of this stone were called specularia." Smith's Dictionary of Antiquities.] [Footnote 3: A feast held in honour of the god Saturn, which began on the 19th of December, and continued, as some say, for seven days. It was a time of general rejoicing, particularly among the slaves, who had at this season the privilege of


begin. Verania, the widow of Piso, the Piso, I mean, whom Galba adopted, lay extremely ill, and Regulus paid her a visit. By the way, mark the assurance of the man, visiting a lady who detested him herself, and to whose husband he was a declared enemy! Even barely to enter her house would have been bad enough, but he actually went and seated himself by her bedside and began enquiring on what day and hour she was born. Being informed of these important particulars, he composes his countenance, fixes his eyes, mutters something to himself, counts upon his fingers, and all this merely to keep the poor sick lady in suspense. When he had finished, "You are," he says, "in one of your climacterics; however, you willget over it. But for your greater satisfaction, I will consult with a certain diviner, whose skill I have frequently experienced." Accordingly off he goes, performs a sacrifice, and returns with the strongest assurances that the omens confirmed what he had promised on the part of the stars. Upon this the good woman, whose danger made her credulous, calls for her will and gives Regulus a legacy. She grew worse shortly after this; and in her last moments exclaimed against this wicked, treacherous, and worse than perjured wretch, who had sworn falsely to her by his own son's life. But imprecations of this sort are as common with Regulus as they are impious; and he continually devotes that unhappy youth to the curses of those gods whose vengeance


his own frauds every day provoke. Velleius Blaesus, a man of consular rank, and remarkable for his immense wealth, in his last illness was anxious to make some alterations in his will. Regulus, who had lately endeavoured to insinuate himself into his good graces, hoped to get something from the new will, and accordingly addresses himself to his physicians, and conjures them to exert all their skill to prolong the poor man's life. But after the will was signed, he changes his character, reversing his tone: "How long," says he to these very same physicians, "do you intend keeping this man in misery? Since you cannot preserve his life, why do you grudge him the happy release of death?" Blaesus dies, and, as if he had overheard every"The Life of Pomponius Secundus,"1 in two volumes. Pomponius had a great affection for him, and he thought he owed this tribute to his memory. "The History of the Wars in Germany," in twenty books, in which he gave an account of all the battles we were engaged in against that nation. A dream he had while serving in the army in Germany first suggested the design of this work to him. He imagined that Drusus Nero2 (who extended his conquest very far into the country, and there lost his life) appeared to him in his sleep, and entreated him to rescue his memory from oblivion. Next comes a work entitled "The Student," in three parts, which from their length spread into six volumes: a work in which


are discussed the earliest length training and subsequent education of the orator. "Questions of Grammar and Style," in eight books, written in the latter part of Nero's reign, when the tyranny of the times made it dangerous to engage in literary pursuits requiring freedom and elevation of tone. He has completed the history which Aufidius Bassus3 left unfinished, and has added to it thirty books. And lastly he has left thirty-seven books on Natural History, a work of great compass and learning, and as full of variety as nature herself. You will wonder how a man as busy as he was could find time to compose so many books, and some of them too involving such care and labour. But you will be still more surprised when youhear that he pleaded at the bar for some time, that he died in his sixty-sixth year, that the intervening time was employed partly in the execution of the highest official duties, partly in attendance upon those emperors who honoured him with their friendship. But he had a quick apprehension, marvellous power of application, and was of an exceedingly wakeful temperament. He always began to study at midnight at the time of the feast of Vulcan, not for the sake of good luck, but for learning's sake; in winter generally at one in the morning, but never later than two, and often at twelve.4 He was a most ready sleeper, insomuch that he would sometimes, whilst in the midst of his studies, fall off and then wake up


again. Before daybreak he used to wait upon Vespasian (who also used his nights for transacting business in), and then proceed to execute the orders he had received. A it was dark: a rule he observed as strictly as if it had been a law of the state. Such was his manner of life amid the bustle and turmoil of the town: but in the country his whole time was devoted to study, excepting only when he bathed. In this exception I include no more than the time during which he was actually in the bath; for all the while he was being rubbed and wiped, he was employed either in hearing some book read to him or in dictating himself. In going about anywhere, as though hewere disengaged from all other business, he applied his mind wholly to that single pursuit. A shorthand writer constantly attended him, with book and tablets, who, in the winter, wore a particular sort of warm gloves, that the sharpness of the weather might not occasion any interruption to my uncle's studies: and for the same reason, when in Rome, he was always carried in a chair. I recollect his once taking me to task for walking. "You need not," he said, "lose these hours." For he thought every hour gone that was not given to study. Through this extraordinary application he found time to compose the several treatises I have mentioned, besides one hundred and sixty volumes of extracts which he left me in his will, consisting of


a kind of commonplace, written on both sides, in very small hand, so that one might fairly reckon the number considerably more. He used himself to tell us that when he was comptroller of the revenue in Spain, he could have sold these manuscripts to Largius Licinus for four hundred thousand sesterces,5 and then there were not so many of them. When you consider the books he has read, and the volumes he has written, are you not inclined to suspect that he never was engaged in public duties or was ever in the confidence of his prince? On the other hand, when you are told how indefatigable he was in his studies, are you not inclined to wonder that he read and wrote no more than hefor, as it is naked the faults, if there by any, as well as the perfections, are the more observable. It represents an old man, in an erect attitude. The bones, muscles, veins, and the very wrinkles, give the impression of breathing life. The hair is thin and failing, the forehead broad, the face shrivelled, the throat lank, the arms loose and hanging the breast shrunken, and the belly fallen in, as the whole turn and air of the figure behind too is equally expressive of old age. It appears to be true antique, judging from the colour of the brass. In short, it is such a masterpiece as would strike the eyes of a connoisseur, and which cannot fail to charm an ordinary observer: and this induced


he praises my deserts (though he is really indebted to me) beyond their due. It is true indeed that when the philosophers were expelled from Rome,1 I visited him at his house near the city, and ran the greater risk in paying him that civility, as it was more noticeable then, I being praetor at the time. I supplied him too with a considerable sum to pay certain debts he had contracted upon very honourable occasions, without charging interest, though obliged to borrow the money myself, while the rest of his rich, powerful friends stood by, hesitating about giving him assistance. I did this at a time when seven of my friends were either executed or banished; Senecio, Rusticus, and Helvidius having just been put to death, whilefather had once been in that station of life. He was bathing at his Formian Villa, when he found himself suddenly surrounded by his slaves; one seizes him by the throat, another strikes him on the mouth, whilst others trampled upon his breast, stomach, and even other parts which I need not mention. When they thought the breath must be quite out of his body, they threw him down upon the heated pavement of the bath, to try whether he were still alive, where he lay outstretched and motionless, either really insensible or only feigning to be so, upon which they concluded him to be actually dead. In this condition they brought him out, pretending that he had got suffocated by the heat of the bath. Some of


his more trusty servants received him, and his mistresses came about him shrieking and lamenting. The noise of their cries and the fresh air, together, brought him a little to himself; he opened his eyes, moved his body, and shewed them (as he now safely might) that he was not quite dead. The murderers immediately made their escape; but most of them have been caught again, and they are after the rest. He was with great difficulty kept alive for a few days, and then expired, having, however, the satisfaction of finding himselMariana Kriguer came back to us this week on Mike in Brazil. She was a blonde beauty that was a fitness freak. You could see it in her body. Mariana was flawless. She had a slim waist, thick strong legs and an insane ass like no other. She even showed off how dedicated she was by giving us a taste of her workout. She actually did some exercise for us in a tiny outfit that drove us wild. Then Tony showed up and he took things to a new level. Mariana started to tease him and liked it so much, she stripped totally naked and started to shake that amazing ass and pussy.

Tony immediately started to rub and suck that pussy. That got Mariana heated up, and she


returned the favor by giving him an world class blowjob. By then Tony was dying to get in that pussy. He pounded it deep and hard all over, and Mariana loved it, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she had her asshole filled up. Tony stroked that big butt until he couldn't take it anymore then pulled out and busted his load all over her sexy body and face.

Manuelle was a blonde bombshell we were lucky enough to have on Mike in Brazil this week. She was tall and tan, had amazing long legs, and an ass you could worship. That booty and those thick legs had us dying in anticipation to see more. In no time, her clothes came off, we were absolutely mesmerized by her insanehotness. She shook, popped and twerked that big juicy ass all around, and it was bonerific. Then Manuelle laid back, spread wide and began rubbing that sweet Brazilian pussy.

Right when she had it nice and wet, Roge walked in. He gave her a hand, and Manuelle got him back by sucking that dick like only a veteran Latina could. Roge wasted no time pounding that pussy deep and making her orgasm. But Manuelle wouldn't be fully satisfied until she had that cock deep in her ass. Roge stroked that butt and even went balls deep. Manuelle loved it, and he banged that asshole until he came all over her huge ass.

When it comes to sexy Brazilian porn stars, Melissa Winter is a force to be reckoned with. When


we first caught up to this Latina hottie, she was posted up by the pool in a sexy little outfit. It wasn't long before she was just in a thong giving us some great views of that big juicy ass. It was so round and delicious, it had us mesmerized. After doing and amazing striptease that teased us to the bone, Loupan entered to help our cause. He whipped out his cock, and Melissa started to suck away on it.

This Brazilian babe had some serious skills and was a total freak on the dick. Once she was done working those magical lips, she got on top of Loupan's cock to work her other lips. Melissa worked that pussy like only a Brazilian vet could. It was a thingof beauty watching her thrust those hips on his cock, as her big ass booty bounced and rebounded all over. When Loupan couldn't take anymore of that HOT Brazilian pussy, he pulled out and busted his load all over Melissa's sexy body.

Tainah was a smoking hot Brazilian babe that had us from the start. She was gorgeous, with nice tan skin, a slim waist, nice ripe tits, thick thighs, an ass that belonged on a goddess, and a hot Latina pussy. We first caught up with her while she was hanging out at the pool. Tainah was looking fine as hell in a tiny bikini and thong. That delicious ass sticking out of the water had us drooling. She stripped naked to give us the full view then


she out on quite the show, as she shook that ass all over. That got her horny, so Tainah started to play with herself.

She got that pussy nice and wet for Tony when he showed up. Tony wasted no time licking that pussy before he buried his cock in it. He stroked Tainah's pussy deep and hard, but what she really wanted was to have her asshole filled by cock. Tony spread that butt and eased his cock in. Tainah ass was as tight as they come. Tony gave that butt long slow strokes, which loosened Tainah up nicely. Then he went deep in that ass and pounded it, as Tainah's nice big tits bounced up and down. When Tony couldn't take anymore, he pulled out and blewhis load all over her perfect Latina tits.

Viktoria was a super HOT Brazilian lady that was all about the sex. This Latina was super pretty, had nice tan skin, and nice petite body, and an ass that was out of this world. She admitted to us that she almost like jizz as much as she liked dick, and that made us flip our wigs. No doubt, Viktoria was yearning to get plowed, pounded and screwed good. Loupan was more than happy to give her what she wanted. Little did he know, she was an anal queen that wanted that hungry asshole filled good. And that booty was nice and tight.

It was absolutely perfect for some anal. Just wait until you see Viktoria taking that cock deep in her


you begging for days on end. We knew it was going to be a good episode because we were well aware about the kind of appetite Monique had for cock. It was insatiable. Tony was about to have his world rocked. But first, Monique started things off by playing with herself.

She rubbed that pussy until it was nice and wet. About that time, Tony came in a licked her plump juicy clit. He explored her ass with his tongue and stroked those luscious tits with his cock. Monique returned the favor by giving him an intense lip-smacking blowjob. Tony could only take so much of those sweet Brazilian lips wrapped around his cock before he had to get in that HOT Latina pussy. Tony pounded it deep andhard and made Monique orgasm multiple times. He finished off the best possible way with Monique. He drilled her hard in doggy style and blew his load all over her smoking hot ass.

This week, we had an amazing Mike in Brazil anal video for you. Manuelle was a sexy Latina with a hard body and a huge ass that loved to take it up the butt in anal. Loupan met up with her in the park, as she led him to the local gym for a private training session. There Manuelle worked out that amazing ass and those nice thick legs. Loupan couldn't take the views, so he stripped her down and sucked her hot tan tits and Latina pussy. Manuelle had a body that was perfect. She


January 20, 2017, despite his failure to pass any major laws. That is more Executive Orders than any President has issued in the first 100 days since World War II. Nearly one fourth of these executive actions have affected the pipeline industry, either directly or indirectly, as noted below:

On Friday, February 24, 2017, President Trump signed another Executive Order (EO) aimed at identifying and eliminating federal regulations that burden businesses. The EO states that “[i]t is the policy of the United States to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.” Continue Reading Executive Order Focuses on Deregulation

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With a diverse practice mix, workforce and footprint, Troutman Sanders has cultivated its reputation for a higher commitment to client care for over 120 years. Ideally positioned toNeale said.

Around 1930, white pine blister rust was introduced into California. The fungal pathogen is a significant threat to sugar pines and other species of “white pines.” In fact, of the commercially important white pines in North America, sugar pine is most susceptible to white pine blister rust.

In addition, sugar pine survival is threatened by damage from bark beetles, and the ongoing drought and lack of snowpack in the Sierra.

Sequencing pine genomes

Pine trees and other ancient conifers are dominant species in forests found in temperate regions of the world. The genus Pinus includes over 100 species of pine trees, which fall into two major subgroups — the yellow pines and the white pines. The loblolly pine, a member of the yellow pine subgroup, was sequenced by Neale, Langley


of the sequencing and analyses of the sugar pine genome is pending publication in a scientific journal. The scientific reports of the loblolly genome sequencing appeared last year in the journals Genetics and Genome Biology.

Key partners in the sequencing project were professors Steven Salzberg, a computational biologist at Johns Hopkins University, and Jill Wegrzyn, a bioinformatician at the University of Connecticut.Image caption
Teenagers and children as young as 12 regularly tombstone off Plymouth Hoe in the summer

The dangers of tombstoning - jumping into the sea from heights - is to be spelled out to young people in Devon.

A waterfront safety event is being held in Plymouth with free entertainment to encourage more under-18s to attend.

Police have organised the multi-agency event at Commercial Wharf on Friday to tackle the problem of tombstoning.

"The summer holidays attract tombstoners, often with disastrous results when a jump has gone wrong," Pc Mark Hodges said.

It horrifies me to see children undertaking this risk-taking behaviourJoan Watkins, Plymouth City Council

In June, coastguards said a group of teenagers continued to tombstone off Plymouth Hoe, despite seeing one of their friends taken to hospital on a spinal board after


to orbit. This secondary payload was deployed after the primary objective, delivering the NROL-39 spacecraft to orbit, had been accomplished.

The CubeSats were produced under a partnership between the NRO and NASA with several organizations, including the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, the Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Army working to produce them. According to a ULA-issued release:

“The five NASA-sponsored CubeSats were developed by Montana State University, California Polytechnic State University, the University of Michigan, and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York.”

Both ULA and the NRO collaborated in the development of the Aft Bulkhead Carrier (ABC) on the Centaur upper stage. Essentially, this device is used to carry the secondary payloads on this flight.

Welcome to The Spaceflight Group! Be sure to follow us ondeploying more ships in Europe on a year-round basis. The shipyard completed its first major revitalisation project onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Splendour of the Seas, which included now routine work such as fitting a ducktail weighing more than 300 tons.

The Royal Caribbean refit, and the shipyard’s close proximity to major shipping routes, helped Navantia to quickly build its reputation in the business. Since 2011, the shipyard has developed long-term relationships with some of the world’s biggest cruise lines and successfully completed more than 47 cruise ship renovations. Royal Caribbean has been one of its key customers, entrusting Navantia with several major projects, including the 2015 dry dock of Allure of the Seas, which was the world’s largest cruise ship at the time.

On numerous occasions, the shipyard has also


critical to the success of the projects and the team often starts as much as two years in advance – Navantia currently has reservations for cruise ship refits booked until 2021. A typical revitalisation will last between two and five weeks and will encompass a broad range of projects, from installing ducktails and new cabin blocks, to overhauling pod propulsion units, fitting exhaust gas cleaning systems, renewing steel and piping, and carrying out surveys and certification work. In addition to completing the technical aspects of the refurbishments, Navantia manages the workflow, coordinating with various subcontractors to maximise operational efficiencies and maintain a safe work environment.

To strengthen its position as the world’s second busiest cruise ship repair yard and maintain its traditional commercial vessel repair activities, Navantia aims tomore 'buts.' Your people—"

"My people!" exclaimed the prodigy ferociously. "My people tried to make a monstrosity out of me." His face grew quite crimson at the enormity of what he was going to say. "My people can go way back and sit down!"

"My heavens!" cried Marcia in alarm. "All that? On tacks, I suppose."

"Tacks—yes," he agreed wildly—"on anything. The more I think of how they allowed me to become a little dried-up mummy—"

"What makes you think you're that?" asked Marcia quietly—"me?"

"Yes. Every person I've met on the streets since I met you has made me jealous because they knew what love was before I did. I used to call it the 'sex impulse.' Heavens!"

"There's more 'buts,'" said Marcia.

"What are they?"

"How could we live?"

"I'll make a living."

"You're in college."

"Do


interested him, and the young ladies would try to kiss him, which he submitted to with mild boredom. And when the long day was done at five o'clock he would go upstairs with Nana and be fed oatmeal and nice soft mushy foods with a spoon.

There were no troublesome memories in his childish sleep; no token came to him of his brave days at college, of the glittering years when he flustered the hearts of many girls. There were only the white, safe walls of his crib and Nana and a man who came to see him sometimes, and a great big orange ball that Nana pointed at just before his twilight bed hour and called "sun." When the sun went his eyes were sleepy—there were no dreams,to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) was undertaken followed by an analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract and of the index terms used to describe the article. A second search using all identified keywords and index terms was then undertaken across all included databases. Third, the reference list of all identified reports and articles was searched for additional studies. Both published and unpublished papers reported in English language were searched with no restriction to age, country and date of publication. The data bases searched included the following: Excerpta Medica Database from Elsevier (EMBASE), CINAHL, MEDLINE and Psychological Information (PsycINFO) database. The search for unpublished studies included the following: HIVinSite, AIDSinfo, HIV and AIDS clearinghouse,


In her latest film, “Young Adult,” screenwriter Diablo Cody has given Charlize Theron a whole new kind of monster to play — the ultimate narcissistic mean girl. The character is Mavis Gary, a stunningly beautiful but depressed 37-year-old divorced alcoholic who still revels in the glory of her high school days and plots to win back her old flame, now married with a newborn child.

Cody, 33, was born Brook Busey in Chicago and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Daniel Maurio, and their 18-month-old son Marcello. Cody burst into films in 2007 with her Oscar-winning script for “Juno,” directed by Jason Reitman, who also helmed “Young Adult.” She talked to The Post about self-obsession, addiction to reality TV and leopard-print pedicures.

Mavis is a brilliant meditation onJessamine Milner was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1894 and didn't start acting until 1972. There's not much about her on Ye Olde Internet, but I did find this heartfelt praise for her role in Sybil:

This was a deeply harrowing movie to watch, and unbelievably so when it came out in 1976. A small child in the grip of her homicidally insane mother, who inflicted sadistic torture on her, while her ineffective husband looked the other way when the signs of abuse were obvious.

There's a small performance in this movie that haunted me more than almost anything else in the film; the part of the grandmother, played by Jessamine Milner, who was as much a victim and prisoner in the home of her psychotic daughter as Sybil was.


The difference was she was aware of the extent of her daughter's insanity.

What must it be like to be a prisoner in your own adult child's home, knowing she is inflicting abuse on your grandchild and will do the same to you if you speak? That kind of helplessness must be sheer hell to live with. She could have told her son-in-law or the police at any time (if she was able to get out of the house), but would they have done anything? Or turned a blind eye, considering the time?

Jessamine Milner's performance was so honest and affecting, it stands out as one of the most painful parts of the film, and she is in only two minutes of it! She was born in 1894, and wasalmost 80 when she made the film. She apparently was in her mid-seventies when she went into film! She's a mystery, and other than her few TV appearances in the late 70s, nothing apparently is known about her. However, she deserves a mention somewhere because of her performance in this difficult to watch film.


his

brief, as follows:

             The first Order in this case was entered on March 19, 2014,
        based upon an agreement of the parties. That Order provided for
        shared legal custody with primary physical custody with Mother
        and Father having partial periods of physical custody. At the time
        the Order was entered, Father was enlisted in the United States

____________________________________________

*   Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
J-A24011-19

        Army and stationed in Ft. Stewart, Georgia, while Mother and the
       minor [C]hild lived in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

               Upon his discharge from the United States Army, Father
        filed a Petition for Modification on April 20, 2018. In his Petition,
        Father asserted that he had been discharged from the Army and
        was then residing with his mother in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
        The Petition for Modification requested joint physical custody of
        the minor [C]hild. The matter was conferenced before a Custody


Russia's Dmitry Medvedev hailed Barack Obama as "my new comrade" Thursday after their first face-to-face talks, saying the US president "can listen" -- even if little progress was made on substance.The Russian president contrasted Obama as "totally different" to his predecessor George W. Bush, whom he blamed for the "mistake" of US missile shield plans fiercely opposed by Moscow.Obama agreed to visit Moscow in July after his talks with Medvedev on Wednesday on the sidelines of a G20 summit in London aimed at fixing the battered world economy.

"I believe that we managed to establish contact. But Moscow lies ahead. I cannot say that we made much progress on the most serious issues," he told reporters, adding: "Let's wait and see."

"I liked the talks. It is easy to talkRussia; simply give them what they want. In this, Obama is becoming an expert in surrendering to the Bear and we can look forward to many years of groveling before the Russians in the future.l

The Russians appear to be pleased with their new, more accommodating partner in Barack Obama. President Medvedev even went so far as to hail our president as his "new comrade."

Russia's Dmitry Medvedev hailed Barack Obama as "my new comrade" Thursday after their first face-to-face talks, saying the US president "can listen" -- even if little progress was made on substance.

The Russian president contrasted Obama as "totally different" to his predecessor George W. Bush, whom he blamed for the "mistake" of US missile shield plans fiercely opposed by Moscow.

Obama agreed to visit Moscow in July


Friday, January 14, 2011

THE KING JAMES BIBLE AT 400: Bernard M. Levinson and Joshua A. Berman have published a fascinating brief article on the historical background of the publication of the King James Bible and its subsequent influence. It is posted at Academia.com.

President Richard M. Joel has announced the appointment of Lawrence H. Schiffman as vice provost for undergraduate education at Yeshiva University. Schiffman joins the University from New York University where he served as the Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies.

[...]

(Via Joseph I. Lauer's list.)

Professor Schiffman is, of course, a world-renowned expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. His own website is here.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

SARAH PALIN is widely being taken toking, upon his coming in, as hoping that he would afford him all possible assistance; that he fell down upon his knees, and stretched out to him his right hand, and begged to be released; and that when the king bid him sit down, and tell him who he was, and why he dwelt there, and what was the meaning of those various sorts of food that were set before him the man made a lamentable complaint, and with sighs, and tears in his eyes, gave him this account of the distress he was in; and said that he was a Greek and that as he went over this province, in order to get his living, he was seized upon by foreigners, on a sudden, and brought to


this temple, and shut up therein, and was seen by nobody, but was fattened by these curious provisions thus set before him; and that truly at the first such unexpected advantages seemed to him matter of great joy; that after a while, they brought a suspicion him, and at length astonishment, what their meaning should be; that at last he inquired of the servants that came to him and was by them informed that it was in order to the fulfilling a law of the Jews, which they must not tell him, that he was thus fed; and that they did the same at a set time every year: that they used to catch a Greek foreigner, and fat him thus up every year, and then lead himto a certain wood, and kill him, and sacrifice with their accustomed solemnities, and taste of his entrails, and take an oath upon this sacrificing a Greek, that they would ever be at enmity with the Greeks; and that then they threw the remaining parts of the miserable wretch into a certain pit." Apion adds further, that" the man said there were but a few days to come ere he was to be slain, and implored of Antiochus that, out of the reverence he bore to the Grecian gods, he would disappoint the snares the Jews laid for his blood, and would deliver him from the miseries with which he was encompassed.

Ms. Palin's use of "blood libel" has generated objections, exemplified by the statement of Abraham Foxman, National


using this widely used term.

Numerous uses of the phrase in this "broad metaphorical" way in the last decade or so by people holding a wide range of political positions are collected by Jim Geraghty at National Review Online.

Where does that leave us? It would have saved trouble and discomfort if Ms. Palin had said something like "false accusations" in that paragraph instead of "blood libel." But at the same time, as Mr. Foxman says, she was well within her rights to defend herself against the inappropriate attacks against her and others, attacks that shamefully sought to score political points off a tragedy. And however discomfiting her use of "blood libel" is, that use is entirely within the norm for political discourse in the twenty-first century.

As for the broaderthan their Jewishness, being the operative point. Had the Jews been guilty of any of these heinous acts, the charge would not have been a libel.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

UPDATE ON THE CYRUS CYLINDER LOAN EXTENSION: After some confusion, the British Museum has issued the expected announcement:

4 January 2011

Extension of Cyrus Cylinder loan

Following a request from the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), the Trustees of the British Museum have agreed to extend the loan of the Cyrus Cylinder to the National Museum of Iran until 15 April 2011. This decision has been taken in recognition of the fact that the exhibition has proved to be very popular to date, and the extension will give an opportunity for people from the provinces including school groups to visit


emanations that bridge the distance between the transcendent godhead and his finite creation. Unsurprisingly for a man who was completely blind, Yitzhak believed that one could ascend these sephirot and approach his creator through mystical contemplation. This idea was to prove very influential amongst later generations of kabbalists – most notable Nachmanides, whose teacher was Yitzhak’s disciple.

But it wasn’t until the expulsion from Spain that these ideas gained widespread currency. Almost grudgingly, European scholars admitted the sanctity of a 13th century Iberian text called Sefer haZohar, which was attributed to the authorship of a second-century Palestinian rabbi named Shimon ben Yohai. Ben Yohai’s transformation is recorded in Tractate Shabbat of the Babylonian Talmud, and served Jews of the sixteenth century with an origin story for the Zohar. Adeliverance of the Jews of the Persian Empire from extinction 2,300 years ago. In Iran, the center of the ancient Persian Empire, the date will be marked with mourning and anger.

For years already, Iran has been teaching schoolchildren that Purim marks the massacre of 75,000 Persians by the Jews under the command of Queen Esther. It is presented today as an ancient Iranian holocaust perpetrated by the Jews.

The Iranian version leaves out the part where Haman, the royal advisor, convinces the Persian king to sign a decree permitting the wholesale slaughter the Jews of the empire. When Esther reveals her Jewish background to the king and reveals that Haman was tricking him, the king issues a second decree, allowing the Jews to defend themselves. By God’s grace, the


Jews are largely spared, while their enemies are slaughtered.

This year, Iran may go further than simply revising the biblical account. Iranian authorities have decided to downgrade the status of the “Tomb of Esther and Mordechai the Jews” in the city of Hamadan in central Iran. The tomb had previously enjoyed that status of an official pilgrimage site.

Following the downgrading, the Iranian news agency Fars began pushing the idea that Esther and her uncle Mordechai were responsible for a massacre of Iranians, and that their burial place had merely been tolerated until now.

The Iranian news agency MEHR reported reported that a couple of weeks ago, a group of 250 militant Iranian students gathered at the tomb and threatened to tear it down.

I have mentioned the (traditional) tomb of Estherin Iran and I was sure I had noted this story before, but if I did, I can't find the post now. There is a somewhat related post here.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

LARRY HURTADO has posted a list of Christian Literary Texts in Manuscripts of Second & Third Centuries (pdf file) in the Essays section of his blog. It is an updated version of the list in his 2006 book. Many Jewish manuscripts are included as well. The list includes Old Testament and Apocrypha manuscripts; New Testament manuscripts; manuscripts of Philo, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, New Testament Apocrypha, Apostolic Fathers; and more.

This papyrus contains the first seven verses of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Beneath the scripture a different author has scribbled in random phrases. It has been suggested that


discussion king

Discover a selection of top forums discussion king on the internet. Come to share your passion on forums discussion king and meet other fans of discussion king. Then, why don't you create your own forum of discussion king ?

Pensacola forum : This is a local forum based out of Pensacola Florida that caters to the discussion of politics, local news, philosophy, and basically anything that anyone cares to discuss. There are no rules

The Christine Car Club is an international club where actual movie car, Christine clone owners and enthusiasts, and fans of the 1957 and 1958 Plymouth come together to pay tribute to Stephen King and John Carpenter's masterpieces. Released in 1983, bhis most recent position with the USPS as a tour superintendent, Johnson supervised approximately 400 employees.  Johnson's former supervisor, Mel Shepherd, testified that he felt the higher-level supervisors were "out to get" him and his workers (which would have included Johnson) because those employees were part of what the higher-level supervisors referred to as the "old regime."  (Appellant's Adden. at 2.)

3
In 1992, when Johnson was 52 years old, the USPS went through a major reorganization in which all tour superintendents and some other management positions were abolished.  The USPS created a higher-level position, entitled Manager of Distribution Operations (MDO), which required skills additional to those previously required for the tour superintendent position.  To facilitate the reorganization, the USPS offered Johnson and other qualified employees


special early retirement packages.  They had until November 20, 1992, to decide whether or not to accept the package.

4
Michael Matuzek was the Manager of Processing and Distribution at the General Mail Facility in Omaha, Nebraska, at the time of the reorganization.  He was responsible for promoting employees to the newly created MDO positions.  On November 13, 1992, Matuzek informed Johnson that he would be considered for the new positions like everyone else and that the most qualified candidates would be selected.  At that time, Matuzek was uncertain what other positions would be available after the reorganization.

5
On November 18, 1992, Matuzek candidly informed Johnson that he did not intend to hire Johnson for one of the MDO positions because Johnson lacked the requisite skills forthe position.  Matuzek felt Johnson was entitled to this information because Johnson also had to make his decision concerning the early retirement package.  Matuzek testified that he told Johnson he would still have a job with the USPS and would not suffer a decrease in pay if he elected not to take early retirement.  On November 20, 1992, Johnson accepted the early retirement package, though he testified that he had not intended to retire early.  In December 1992, the MDO selections were made and staffed with persons ranging from age 36 to age 48.

6
Johnson then filed suit against the USPS, alleging age discrimination in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. § 633a (1994).  Following the bench trial, the


Highly talented British No 2 Dan Evans could be in line for a recall to Great
Britain's team for the Davis Cup quarter-final tie against Italy in April

Dan Evans, the mercurial British No 2, is back in contention to be selected for Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Italy in April after team captain Leon Smith invited him to a training camp at the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton.

Smith was disappointed by Evans’s decision to fly home after the Australian Open rather than travel to the United States in preparation for February’s first-round match in San Diego.

But given the shortage of convincing back-up for Andy Murray, Smith knows he would be ill-advised to blackball one of his most talented players. Evans has climbed into the 120s in the worldadded. “I like playing with Bolelli because he can play really good but he had surgery on his wrist. He has recovered well but after surgery you need time to recover. We are playing doubles here in Miami. He is fit, he won one Challenger event one month ago.”

Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association has appointed a new commercial director in James Mercer, who has been working in rugby league but was a nationally ranked junior in his youth and performed a similar role for the International Tennis Federation in the early 2000s.


insurance cancellation notices to GlobalNet. The District Court determined that (i) New York law should apply to GlobalNet's contract claims; (ii) New York law should apply to GlobalNet's tort claims; and (iii) having applied New York law, Crystal was entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

BACKGROUND

2
At all relevant times, GlobalNet was in the business of providing on-line news and financial information to private investors in Europe and the United States and to on-line trading facilities. GlobalNet is a Delaware company that had an office in Boca Raton, Florida, at the time that its business relationship with Crystal began. Crystal is a commercial insurance broker incorporated, licensed, and headquartered in New York. Crystal also has offices in various locations in the United States, including two in Florida. Crystal,about January 12, 2000, GlobalNet entered into the Financing Agreement with AICCO for the financing of its premium payments for the D & O coverage. The premium payments on GlobalNet's D & O coverage were sent from the GlobalNet Florida office until sometime in "the summer of 200[1]." The payments were sent to AICCO's address in Dallas, Texas, as directed by the payment stub provided by AICCO.

4
In August 2001, AICCO sent a September 2001 premium Finance Statement (the "Statement"), dated August 1, 2001, to GlobalNet at its Palmetto Park Road address. GlobalNet had closed and vacated its office at that address in late June or early July 2001.1 As a result of GlobalNet's absence from the Palmetto Park Road location, the Statement could not be delivered and was


applicable law is the law of the state of the insured risk). Nonetheless, the choice-of-law analysis remains the "center of gravity" or "grouping of contacts" for claims sounding in breach of contract between a broker and an insured.

22
Here, there is an adequate grouping of contacts to apply New York law to the contractual claims. The policies were brokered in New York by Crystal, which is also a corporation headquartered and licensed to do business in New York. GlobalNet, in contrast, was incorporated in Delaware, with its principal place of business having moved from Florida to London, England. The Financing Agreement between AICCO and GlobalNet was prepared by Crystal and executed in New York. AICCO is also a New York corporation. In the performance of its brokerage responsibilities, Crystalthe conduct of brokers, insurance agents, premium finance companies and insurers licensed within the state." The District Court determined that "Crystal's failure to act in notifying Global[N]et" of the impending cancellation involved a tort implicating the regulation of a broker's conduct and that the failure to act occurred in New York. Because, for conduct-regulating torts "the site of the tort is the controlling factor in the choice of law analysis," the District Court applied New York law to GlobalNet's tort claims.

27
The determination of the District Court was correct. Here, Crystal is licensed in New York and maintains its principal place of business in New York. Crystal received the notices at its New York office and received phone calls from AICCO regarding the missed premium payment at that same


party. A stipulation and order to that effect was entered November 30, 2004

3
 Florida law distinguishes "insurance brokers" from "insurance agents":
An "insurance broker" is one who acts as middleman between the insured and the insurer, and who solicits insurance from the public under no employment from any special company, and who, upon securing an order, places it with a company selected by the insured, or, in the absence of such a selection, with a company selected by himself; whereas an "insurance agent" is one who represents an insurer under an employment by it. Whether a person acts as a broker or agent is not determined by what he is called but is to be determined from what he does. In other words, his acts determine whether he isapplied in the mounting of the extended telescope sections represent a crucial criterion for the maximum load-carrying capability. In the latter case, the so-called super lift operation has been developed for torque relief.
The use of telescopic cranes with super lift operation has been known for a long time. An example is illustrated in a brochure issued by Mannesmann Demag Fordertechnik, Demag AX 1600, April 1996, pages 5, 17 and 27. A guy truss is arranged on the boom base of the main boom for placement on the boom base to increase the load-carrying capability and to reduce sag of the main boom. The guy truss is connected, on the one hand, to the foot region of the main boom via a guy rope of substantially constant length, and,