we talked nonstop about
what had changed in Cuba during 2013 and about her plans for 2014. Two things
she told me then were particularly striking.

In what appears to be one of a collection of measures to silence the press ahead of 2015 elections, Ethiopian authorities in the Communications Ministry are preparing a new system to control the distribution of print media. Privately owned newspapers and magazines, possibly the only remaining independent news sources in the country, would face more state control if the proposal is set into motion.

Tags:

EDITOR'S NOTE: This week,
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong demanded an apology from a critical
blogger who has allegedly accused him of corruption. Roy Ngerng Yi Ling, who is
also a healthcare worker, has frequently posted critical commentary on the
ruling People's Action Party onhis blog, The Heart
Truths.

Jordan's press freedom climate, once a shining light in the Middle East, has quickly deteriorated as journalists grapple with last year's government ban on nearly 300 news websites.

Press freedom groups are documenting a rise in self-censorship and an increase in criminal cases against journalists. Local online news editors and journalists are complaining of economic hardship and psychological pressure.

Since the surprise Arab uprisings of 2011, the Saudi
government has worked assiduously to ensure it has all the tools of censorship
it needs to control dissent. These tools--a combination of special courts, laws,
and regulatory authorities--are starting to fire on all cylinders. The result
has been a string of arrests and prosecutions in recent months of independent
and dissident voices.

One of the strongest memories I have of meeting President
Masoud Barzani is the


winding drive up to his mountain-top headquarters in the
town of Salahuddin outside Erbil. That was in 2008, when a CPJ delegation
secured a pledge
from the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to "create an
atmosphere that is conducive to journalism."

Today, CPJ partnered with Reporters
Without Borders and Rory Peck Trust
in a joint open
letter calling on Kenya's Cabinet Secretary of Interior, Joseph Ole Lenku,
to provide clarity on the government's refugee policy and to exempt journalists
from forced relocation to the refugee camps. On March 25, Lenku ordered
all urban refugees to relocate to one of two refugee camps in a bid to tighten
security amid continuing violence, including an attack on a church in
Mombasa. His order came despite the fact that a similar government directive in
2012 was ruled unconstitutional
by the High Court.

On Wednesday, Azerbaijanwill assume chairmanship of the Council
of Europe Committee of Ministers. The chairmanship process is automatic; the
position is rotated every six months among all of the council's members, in
alphabetical order. But Azerbaijan's chairmanship has proven more problematic
than most, as it comes at a time when the country's fulfillment of its Council
of Europe obligations is at its worst.

Late in 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted
resolution 68/163 on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in an
effort to stem the killings of journalists
and ensure that perpetrators of deadly violence against journalists are brought to justice. The
resolution was a recognition that it has never been a
more dangerous time to be a journalist, and that states have a
responsibility to take action.

Tags:

At first glance, 19-year-old Jewher Ilham may seem like a
typical


college student. As she clutched her smart phone, the face of a cat
imprinted on the cover peered through her fingers. She spoke in short sentences
with little pause. Her thoughts pulled her in various directions as she spoke about
her love for dance, juggling parental expectations, and what she has learned to
cook during her past year in a small college town in the U.S.

Tags:

EDITOR'S
NOTE: Hamid Mir, the executive editor of Pakistan's
Geo Television, survived an April 19 assassination
attempt, but was badly injured. The shooting came a
few weeks after the Pakistani government pledged in a
meeting with CPJ to address the insecurity plaguing the country's journalists. Shortly
after the attack, some Pakistani media stated that CPJ had received an emailed video
from Mir saying that if he were killed, Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence
Directorate (ISI) wasresponsible. Mir recently told CPJ that he had sent a
video to his lawyer, who did not send it to CPJ. The ISI has denied the
allegation it was behind the attack on Mir, according to news reports. This
article was initially published in the daily Urdu-language Jang
newspaper on May 5, 2014.

There are two types of traitors.

The first kind includes those who join
hands with enemies and help enslave their own people. Among the most prominent of
these is Jaffar Ali Khan, whose betrayal, as chief of army in 1757, eventually
led to the British rule of the subcontinent. Over time, Jaffar's name has
become synonymous with treachery.

"The federal government is fully committed to continue
fighting against impunity in cases of killed journalists," Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff told a CPJ delegation during a meeting on Tuesday in


broadcaster widely criticized
for its partiality to the ruling party.

Nearly seven months ago, CPJ published its first in-depth report
on press freedom in the United States, concluding that the Obama
administration's aggressive prosecution of leakers of classified information,
broad surveillance programs, and moves to stem the routine disclosure of
information to the press meant that the president had fallen far short of his
campaign promise to have the most open government in U.S. history. What's
changed since? A quick survey of recent events suggests not much.For four weeks, Hyounoo “DrakeFang” Sung has run a tournament series at Korea’s well-known Street Fighter stomping grounds–ArcadeStream. The series acted as a qualifier, with the top two of each week qualifying for the final top 8. While the proceeds of the ₩10,000 went to charity, the final event itself has something extremely coveted by its participants.

DrakeFang is offering a limited edition Evolution 2016-themed Madcatz Touranment Edition 2 fightstick to the 1st place winner in the winner take all grand finals. Many of ArcadeStream’s mainstays, and some of Korea’s best players, have taken part in the series to get this gem–numbered 27 out of the 30 in existence. Here is the list of the players participating in the finals, to be held on Saturday, September 10th at 5PM


Wet foot follies

March 15, 2006

For five days in January, 15 Cubans who fled to Florida by boat were held on a Coast Guard vessel offshore while legal experts debated whether they should be allowed to apply for U.S. residency or escorted back to Cuba.

The question wasn't whether the refugees had a well-founded fear that they would be persecuted if forced to return to the hemisphere's only communist nation. The question was, does a section of abandoned bridge, no longer connected to land, count as U.S. soil? The Coast Guard decided it did not, and sent the Cubans back. A federal judge in Miami later ruled that, yes, it did. Oops.

The whole episode provides a shining example of the utter senselessness of U.S. immigration policy toward Cuba: Based onthe judge's ruling, the Cubans were entitled to stay in the U.S. not because Fidel Castro is a ruthless dictator, but because they tagged the bridge.

Under the 10-year-old policy known as "wet foot/dry foot," Cubans who reach U.S. soil are almost always allowed to stay; those who are intercepted at sea are almost always sent back.

When the 15 Cubans abandoned their sinking boat just off the Florida Keys and climbed aboard the pilings of the old Seven Mile Bridge, they believed they had successfully touched American soil. Their feet, in other words, were dry. But Coast Guard officials reasoned that the refugees could not walk ashore because the old bridge had been severed from land. That meant their feet were wet.

By the time District Judge Federico Moreno reversed


that, it was too late. The group had been returned to Cuba. The judge ordered the government to do everything in its power, whatever that means, to bring them back. At this point it's up to Fidel Castro, so don't hold your breath.

Cuban exiles in Miami were outraged over the legal hairsplitting. Three Cuban-American lawmakers have demanded a meeting with the State Department to discuss reforms in U.S.-Cuba immigration policy. Some changes are definitely in order, but the answer isn't to ease up on those who are stopped at sea, which is what the exile community has in mind. The journey across the Florida Straits is treacherous and illegal, but thousands of Cubans have been willing to risk it because their legal problems vanish if they can getcrude rafts, boats and inner tubes. That year, the Coast Guard plucked more than 37,000 refugees from the Atlantic and brought them ashore. Under the new policy, the Clinton administration agreed that those stopped at sea would be sent back instead.

That policy, zealously enforced by the Coast Guard ever since, cut the number of attempted crossings dramatically. In 2004, the Coast Guard intercepted fewer than 1,500. But last year, the number nearly doubled.

Like the 15 Cubans who were sent back in January, many of those who are stopped vow to try again and again, until they reach dry land or drown trying. That's not going to change unless the U.S. stops rewarding those who manage to dodge the Coast Guard cutters all the way to the beach. The


Molecular and morphological characterization of Belondira coomansi n. sp. (Nematoda: Dorylaimida, Belondiridae) from Iran.
A new species belonging to the genus Belondira is described from natural areas in Iran. Belondira coomansi n. sp. is characterized by its general size, the dimensions and appearance of its lip region, presence of distinct labial and post-labial sclerotization, the length of the odontostyle and its inconspicuous lumen and aperture, the length of the neck and its pharyngeal expansion, the reduction of the female anterior genital branch to a simple uterine sac, a very short posterior uterus, the anterior position of the vulva, the length and shape of the caudal region with distinctly thick cuticle at its tip, the length of the spicules, and the presence of only one pair of ventromedian supplements. TheFEI ANNOUNCES HOST CITIES FOR MAJOR EQUESTRIAN EVENTS

The FEI Bureau has today allocated host cities for a number of major FEI events over the next three years, including the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final for 2015, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals in 2017, and European championships from 2015-17.

Barcelona (ESP) has been allocated the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final 2015 for the third successive year. The Spanish city hosted the first Furusiyya Final in 2013 and will be staging the Final again in October this year.

Omaha in the state of Nebraska (USA) will host the joint Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals in 2017, holding off strong challenges from Hong Kong (Jumping) and ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Dressage).


will take place in Canada.

The full list of events allocated by the FEI Bureau at its two-day meeting at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) is below:

FEI Championships multi-year applicationsFEI World Breeding Jumping Championship for Young Horses 2016 to 2020Lanaken (BEL), second half of September each yearFEI World Breeding Dressage Championship for Young Horses 2016 to 2018Ermelo (NED), 11-14 August 2016 and August 2017 & 2018FEI World Breeding Eventing Championship for Young Horses 2016 and 2017Le Lion D’Angers (FRA), third week in OctoberThe ceasefire in Syria concluded on September 9, 2016 between the US and Russia came to an end on September 19 at 7pm and ended by a total failure, whether politically, military or in humanitarian term.

For some sections of the “left” and sections of the anti war movement in the USA and UK, the failure of the truce is a result of the internationalisation of the war in Syria. This is explained by UK Stop the War activist Chris Nineham “The central problem is the internationalisation of the war. Syria has for years been a theatre in which regional and global powers have been pursuing their geopolitical interests – prolonging and intensifying the conflict. This process has been gathering pace recently and in the run up to the


on the regime and its allies side. Military clashes resumed violently few days before the official end of the truce, while the delivery of humanitarian aids to besieged cities was done only sparingly for the vast majority, except in the case of the town of Talbiseh in Homs province in which aid was delivered on September 19 the first time since July. The convoy brought in food, water and hygiene supplies for up to 84,000 people. But most aid shipments envisaged under the truce have yet to go in besieged cities. The liberated areas of Aleppo (neither under the domination of the Assad regime nor Daech or Fateh al-Sham, former Jabhat al-Nusra), in which around 275,000 residents are again subject to a terrible siege and the military bombardmentof the regime and its Russian ally after a brief interruption, have for example received no aids, while it was one of the priorities in the agreement concluded between Russia and the USA in the ceasefire. Armed opposition forces to the Assad regime, including groups of the Free Syrian Army and various Islamic fundamentalist movements, announced a few hours before the end of the ceasefire that they were preparing themselves to launch a new military offensive to break the siege imposed on the liberated areas of Aleppo. Syrian or Russian aircraft, it still remained to be determined the authors of the raid, struck an aid convoy near Aleppo between the night of September 19 and 20, killing according to the Syrian Arad Red Crescent (SARC), around 20 civilians”,


including the head of one of its local offices, Omar Barakat, and damaged at least 18 of 31 trucks in a U.N. and SARC along with an SARC warehouse. The convoy was delivering aid for 78,000 people in the hard-to-reach town of Urm al-Kubra in Aleppo Governorate. At least 36 civilians were killed in Aleppo and its province in Syrian or Russian raids on Monday night.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the deaths of 237 people, including 38 children, from air strikes on Aleppo city and the surrounding countryside between September 19, when the ceasefire ended, and 26. Of those documented deaths, 162 were in opposition held east Aleppo city.

Russia and the Syrian regime also accused the US of undermining the continuation of the ceasefire after theU.S.-led coalition bombed Assad regime forces in Deir ez-Zor of, killing more than 60 soldiers, while allowing Daech fighters of capturing Mont Thourda, which dominates the airport held by the regime. US officials said it was a mistake and apologized to the families of victims. It is interesting to note that once again Chris Niehman joined this particular version by writing “One thing is for sure, the bombing of Syrian army positions around Deir ez-Zour by western coalition forces, including the US, Britain, Denmark and Australia, which led to the deaths of 60 or more Syrian soldiers, will have been a major blow to the prospects of any ceasefire holding”.

The Assad regime ultimately announced officially on September 19 that the seven-day truce period had ended and it accused


“terrorist groups,” a term the regime uses for all opposition groups, whether peaceful or armed, of exploiting the calm to rearm while violating the ceasefire 300 times, and vowed to “continue fulfilling its national duties in fighting terrorism in order to bring back security and stability”.

These accusations are attempts to hide the continuation of the war led by the forces of the Assad regime and its allies against Syrian civilians and opposition during the week of the ceasefire. Russian and Assad’s regime airstrikes took place in various areas held by the opposition during the week of the ceasefire resulting in 26 civilians killed, including 8 children. On September 18, regime airstrikes targeted the liberated districts of Aleppo killing one civilian and eleven others in the province of Deraaafter dropping explosive barrels.

Meanwhile the besieged district of Waer in Homs, the last bastion of the city controlled by the opposition and in which between 60,000 and 75,000 people live, is in the process of undergoing the same fate as the town of Daraya few weeks ago. An agreement was reached with the regime to transfer some of the residents and fighters in the region of Idlib, in the hands of Fateh al-Sham (former Jabhat al-Nusra) and Ahrar Sham. Homs Governor Talal Barazi said on September 19 that the evacuation would include 22 busses transferring around 300 fighters and their families, around 1,000 people in total.

The Assad regime has used several times this strategy of local agreements with cities and / or districts besieged and continuously bombed to


forcefully displaced local population opposed to the regime to leave their homes for other areas under control of the opposition. These regions are still suffering, such as Idlib, from Assad’s regime and Russian airstrikes and lack often the sufficient means to welcome the newcomers, not to mention the political and social pressures sometimes imposed on them by Islamic fundamentalist movements in this area.

At the political level, this ceasefire was born to fail because it did not address the political roots of the problem in Syria: the Assad regime. The agreement provided for greater military coordination between Russia and the United States in the “war against terrorism” in Syria, targeting the jihadist groups of the Islamic State and Fateh al-Sham, by the establishment of a Joint Implementation Center. Theagreement did not denounce the interventions of the Islamic republic of Iran, Hezbollah and other various Shi’a fundamentalist militias alongside the Assad regime, while it was completely silent and did not to mention any political transition to a democratic system and the departure of Assad dictator and his criminal clique. This political agreement concretely actually led to stabilization of the Assad regime under the so-called pretext of the “War against terrorism” for the political interest of the USA and Russia. That is why this agreement was rejected by large sections of the democratic opposition, whether armed or peaceful.

Meanwhile, the Turkish armed forces continued their progress in the Syrian border territories and their support to armed opposition groups (factions of the Free Syrian Army, Turkmen factions, and Islamic fundamentalist


movements) to impose a form of Turkish “safe zone” cleansed of Kurdish PYD forces and Daech. In the city of Jarablus, conquered during this military intervention, the Turkish armed forces were attempting to impose a Turkmen council to govern the city, instead of another council, which has been established for two years and is recognized by the temporary government and the Aleppo province council, in addition to all Jarablus constituents, according to Mohamed al-Ali, head of the current Jarablus council.

At the same time, the great majority of the Syrian Kurdish political movements, including the PYD and Kurdish National Council, were angered by the recent transition plan, proposed by the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee for the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, as the plan did notenvision any form of federalism in post-war Syria. The High Negotiations Committee for the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces proposed the principle of administrative decentralization in managing the country’s affairs. The Kurdish National Council, which is part of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces but has failed repetitively to recognize Kurdish rights with this latter or the previous Syrian National Council at the 2011 Tunis Conference and at subsequent conferences in Geneva and Riyadh, stated clearly that “this document is not part of a solution, but rather a danger to a democratic, pluralistic and unified Syria guaranteeing cultural, social and political rights to all its ethnic, religious and linguistic groups”. They add “Whoever reads the document notes immediately that point 1 of


make in this context impossible to end the war in the current conditions. One simple example of this is the campaign against medical personnel and facilities. There have been 382 attacks on medical facilities in Syria between March 2011, when the Syrian civil war began, and June 2016, according to data collected by Physicians for Human Rights. Of those strikes, at least 344 — or 90 percent — were conducted by Syrian government forces or Russian forces fighting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. These forces have also killed over 700 medical personnel in Syria, according to the group’s statistics.

This is why any political transition to put an end of the war and towards a democratic system must include the departure of the dictator Assad and itsclique in power, otherwise the war will continue and provoke more catastrophes in terms of human lives. In this transition, all war criminals must be held accountable for their crimes, including and firstly Bachar al-Assad and its clique as they are the main responsible in the around 500,000 deaths and forced displacements of millions of people since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011.

The end of the war is an absolute humanitarian and political necessity. The end of the war must lead to the end of the suffering of millions of people within and outside Syria and give them the possibility to come back to their houses. The end of the war is also a political objective because it is the only way for democratic and progressive


forces to re-organise and play once again a leading role in the struggle for a new Syria for all without discriminations far from the dictatorship of the criminal Assad regime and the authoritarian practices of Islamic Fundamentalist forces. At the same time, there is a need to empower the democratic popular movement and FSA democratic groups upholding the objectives of the revolution and uniting the various components of the Syrian people to challenge sectarianism and racism.

We should remember the action of activist Rima Dali in April 2012 who stood in front of the Syrian Parliament in Damascus holding a banner that read, “Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians”, it remains indeed a priority and very much current in the context of today.

JosephGloria Bell

Gloria Bell

Duration:

Rating:

About the Film:

Ends Thursday, April 25.

Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold (John Turturro) on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity, and family.

From Academy Award-winning director Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, Disobedience) comes a sophisticated romantic comedy that shows love can strike at any time, relationships are never simple, and nothing can get you down as long as you keep dancing.

The Little Theatre is the premier cultural center for the presentation of American independent and foreign films, visual arts


Force India protege Jehan Daruvala will stay with Carlin for a second season in the Formula 3 European Championship in 2018.

Daruvala finished sixth in the series in his rookie campaign after stepping up from Formula Renault, taking a victory at the Norisiring

“It has been a fantastic year racing with Carlin,” he said.

“Everyone in the team is very committed to achieving the best possible results. I am happy to be working with them once again and look forward to a successful year.”

Daruvala joins Devlin DeFrancesco as a confirmed member of Carlin’s 2018 line-up.

Ferdinand Habsburg is also expected to continue with the team, as is Formula Renault Eurocup champion Sacha Fenestraz after he raced for Carlin in Macau.

“It?s great news that Jehan remains for us in FIA Formula 3 nextSimon Pegg has responded to rumours stirred by Benedict Cumberbatch that he will feature in Star Wars: Episode 7 in some way, correctly suggesting that no-one wants to suddenly go "Oh, there's Simon Pegg's face" when watching Star Wars, but hinting that he may feature disguised by CGI or make-up.

Pegg was spotted on the Star Wars set in Abu Dhabi last month leading to speculation of his involvement, with his Star Trek Into Darkness co-star Benedict Cumberbatch adding to the rumours when he discussed the sequel at Comic-Con and talked of JJ Abrams' "continuing use of Simon Pegg".

Asked for a comment on the rumours, Pegg told Vulture: "Well, JJ uses me in different roles, and we're good friends.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not


the housing and between the sensor elements and the moving object. In addition to the physical protection provided the sensor elements by the stainless steel plate, electrical protection against shorts is necessary on the side of the stainless steel plate immediately adjacent the sensor elements. Most often this protection is provided in the form of a thin layer of an insulative material sprayed onto the stainless steel plate. The addition of these protective features, however, necessitate that the magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet must pass through additional layers of material before encountering the object being sensed. Accordingly, the overall sensitivity of the magnetic sensor is reduced.
In addition to the detrimental effects on overall sensor sensitivity, the stainless steel plate is oftentimes destroyed in use through contact -- The various health disparities faced by transgender people has been spotlighted in a series of articles published today in the Lancet Medical Journal, with multiple health experts in three papers calling for action to improve the health and well-being of an estimated 25 million transgender people worldwide.

In a first-of-its-kind assessment, the experts focused on the health of transgender people worldwide. The authors from a variety of institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and the United Nations Development Program, explained how transgender people face serious stigma, discrimination and marginalization, which can affect mental and physical health.

The articles also focused on the specific health problems that transgender people are more likely to face, including a 60 percent rate of depression, a risk


health," Winter added.

The articles were published to coincide with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health symposium in Amsterdam.

In the three published papers, the authors called for a variety of actions to be taken in order to help protect the health of transgender people. The recommendations included calling on the World Health Organization to remove a diagnosis of transgender from its section on mental health, asking physicians to be trained in transgender health care and allowing transgender people to access feminizing and masculinizing hormones.

Dr. William Byne, an expert in transgender health issues and a professor of psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center and a staff psychiatrist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, told ABC News that the articles may help increase awareness in the medical field ofThe RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery and its epigenetic context.
RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is the main engine that drives transcription of protein-encoding genes in eukaryotes. Despite its intrinsic subunit complexity, Pol II is subject to a host of factors that regulate the multistep transcription process. Indeed, the hallmark of the transcription cycle is the dynamic association of Pol II with initiation, elongation and other factors. In addition, Pol II transcription is regulated by a series of cofactors (coactivators and corepressors). Among these, the Mediator has emerged as one of the key regulatory factors for Pol II. Transcription by Pol II takes place in the context of chromatin, which is subject to numerous epigenetic modifications. This chapter mainly summarizes the various biochemical mechanisms that determine formation and function


Tuesday, April 26, 2016

I've been wanting to get Rain some Shopkins the moment I saw it in Toy Kingdom way back. But because she was still 3 years old at that time, I had to stop myself because the parts are quite small. It was tough because they all looked so cute and it looked like fun collecting them! But now that Rain is over 4 years old, it's Shopkins time!!!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

I remember the last time I was in The SchoolRoom. It was years ago. I went with my cousin as she took her daughter there. I remember my cousin saying she really liked the school. Flashback to 2016, I was happy to see they were still open. And still in the very same location atKing's epic story continues with THE LION GUARD: RETURN OF THE ROAR television movie!Starring Simba and Nala's son, Kion, and the rest of his friends who has become a team of animals tasked with keeping peace in the Pride Lands. It's an interesting concept! They're basically like animal heroes (or unlikely heroes for that matter), each having their own strengths and roles.

And then on April 17, at 8:30 AM, The Lion Guard Television Series will premier on Disney Channel!

Seems like only yesterday when Hotel Jen officially opened its doors to Manila. Hotel Jen is a member of the Shangri-La Group of Hotels and also has branches around South East Asia such as Penang, Brisbane, Shenyang, Hong Kong, Puteri Harbour Johor, Male, Upper East Beijing, and Orchard Gateway Singapore,


The challenges

Company overview

GroundProbe is a global technology leader providing advanced hardware and software solutions to the mining industry. Its specialised suite of products and services allow mine personnel to make confident decisions in open-pit operations to maximise safety and productivity, holding true to its vision of making mining safer.
Australian-based company GroundProbe is a truly multinational business, which evolved from an industry-funded PhD project at the University of Queensland in the 1990s into the leading global supplier of slope stability monitoring solutions. The original research was funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program and was focused on developing solutions to detect slope failures that did not require physical access to slope walls, and provided real time monitoring in a broad range of conditions. GroundProbe has continued to heavilyIt was "dumb" for a former detective to make Aaron Farmer, who was today paid $351,575 for his wrongful conviction, believe police had more evidence against him than they did, Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess says.

Farmer served two years of an eight-year sentence after a jury found him guilty of raping a 22-year-old woman in Sydenham in September, 2003.

He was freed in June, 2007, after the Court of Appeal ruled that alibi evidence was not presented to the jury, and a retrial was ordered. The Crown decided not to go ahead with a retrial after DNA samples from the woman excluded Farmer.

The former detective involved is now a senior sergeant in the Lower Hutt community team. He is no longer in an investigative role and was unlikely to be


his time between Feilding and Christchurch, said he was considering buying a house with the compensation money or spending it on his motorcycle. He had received support and insults from people who had recognised him since he was freed.

"I've got some good people around the place who have been very good to me."

The keen motorcyclist said he had planned to travel the world on his motorbike before he was sent to prison, but he was "getting a bit old now".

Farmer said he would like an explanation from the woman who made the accusation.

Farmer's mother, Bev, today put the blame squarely on police for her son's wrongful incarceration.

''I believe the police that were concerned were looking for an answer and they chose Aaron. They showed a photograph apparently toNon-immune hydrops fetalis.
This article reviews the various aspects of non-immune hydrops fetalis, including the historical background, aetiology, clinical presentation, antenatal diagnosis and perinatal management, as well as presenting some data on cases of non-immune hydrops fetalis treated in the newly established Obstetrics Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong at the Prince of Wales Hospital.


for transfemoral implantation appears to be a promising concept that might achieve a sufficient relief of the left ventricle. The intake stud of the pump is placed retrogradely above the aorta valve in the left ventricle. The pump rotor is located at the end of a cannula in the upper aorta descendens and is driven by an external motor. It is a disadvantage of this system that, due to the large diameter of the motor, the transfemoral implantation is possible only surgically through a femoral arteriotomy and, eventually, a graft coupling.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a transfemorally insertable axial-flow blood pump for cardiac support that may be introduced intravascularly without an operation.
The radial compressibility of the elements allows to realize a small puncturemaybe the 4th best conservative college blog in America in 2008

College Roundup

In the last year we’ve called out students at several institutions of higher learning. BYUSA, –the student government association at BYU with soviet-style elections–felt our wrath in this piece and later in this follow up. We also rang up our friends at the University of Washington for their misguided anti-war protest. Rounding out our history of college critique was a vague mention of the Berkeley’s role in giving “academic” credence to attacks on Wal-Mart and a hilarious poem by a Berkeley grad student dedicated to Hezbollah.

Call this, credit where credit is due.

In a recent article about the growth of conservative groups at universities nationwide, The Wall Street Journal covered (subscription required) some of the unique ways College


Expression of growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a, the functional ghrelin receptor, in human ovarian surface epithelium, mullerian duct derivatives, and ovarian tumors.
Ghrelin, the endogenous ligand of the GH secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), is a newly identified, ubiquitously expressed molecule that has been involved in a wide array of endocrine and nonendocrine functions, including cell proliferation. In this context, our group recently reported the expression of ghrelin and its functional receptor, the GHS-R type 1a, in the human ovary and testis as well as several testicular tumors. Ovarian malignancies, however, remain unexplored. Notably, a vast majority of ovarian tumors derive from the surface epithelium, which originates from the celomic epithelium. Considering the proven expression of ghrelin in the human ovary, and its reported effects in the proliferative activity ofto create a conducive environment for fast bowlers to grow and prosper.

ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah registers stunning record, becomes first Asian bowler to achieve historic feat

Most youngsters who wanted to hone their ‘express’ skills were left frustrated and eventually balked at the idea of bowling fast as the surfaces in domestic cricket meant they were destined for toil and nothing else. But with India looking to win matches outside the sub-continent, pace became an agenda at the start of the century. The likes of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan started a revolution of sorts under the patronage of captain Sourav Ganguly as India looked to beat the best with pace. But the treasured weapon was still a spinner, as the duo of Harbhajan


here.

India, today, have a battery of young pacers waiting to grab their opportunities - Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Avesh Khan... the list is endless.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli explains why Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t played limited-overs cricket after World Cup

On Sunday night, when Jasprit Bumrah made mincemeat of Windies in their own backyard, it was a massive payback moment for Indian cricket. Generation after generation of Indian batsmen bore the brunt of facing up to fearsome bowling attacks from West Indies, some nasty with their desire to spill the opponent’s blood. The trio of Bumrah, Ishant and Shami gave this new generation of Windies batsmen a dose of the tonic their predecessors had doled out. A collective average of 10.94 in theTest match for the three pacers was the best in any Test where Indian pacers bowled 50-plus overs. The previous best was 12.76 at Headingley in 1986.

The trio also accounted for 18 wickets in the match, the joint-most by Indian pacers in a Test in West Indies. Not just the numbers, it is performances on the pitch that shows an unmatched intent in this crop of pacers. India’s rich pace cupboard also means opposition teams are scared of providing green tops, often the bane of India batsmen outside the sub-continent. It is the beginning of a new narrative in Indian cricket, a narrative that might end in global domination of the sport by India.


Just in time for the release of the long-awaited "Incredibles" sequel, McDonald's has rekindled its relationship with Disney.

The partnership will bring the House of Mouse back to Happy Meals more than a decade after Disney severed ties with the burger brand.

The two parted ways at a time when childhood obesity rates were rising and there was widespread concern over calorie-laden children's meals at fast food restaurants.

In mid-February McDonald's said that it was revamping its Happy Meal menu to offer selections that were lower in calories, sodium, saturated fat and sugar. This meant ditching cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from the kids' menu.

While these items are still available for purchase, McDonald's will not list them on the menu, thus making less likely that these items will be ordered, it said.

"McDonald'scommitment to balanced Happy Meals allows our two companies to collaborate on new ways to bring the magic of Disney to McDonald's consumers," Tiffany Rende, senior vice president of corporate alliances at Disney, said in a statement Tuesday.

Disney first developed its nutrition guidelines in 2006 and expanded the initiative in 2012. The company seeks to promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, as well as limiting the number of calories, saturated fats, sugars and sodium consumed.


mini golf experiences, and indoor funfair rides and games.

About the company:

We are Tricycle is an expert when it comes to fairground hire services and fairground attractions, and its services include full operation and installation, onsite points of contact for clients, the onsite management of attractions, site surveys and visits, and detailed risk assessments, among others. To find out the latest products and services offered by We are Tricycle, including its outstanding fairground hire services, visit the website.You are here:

REM Awards April 28, 2017

The community celebrated volunteerism by honoring volunteers from 10 REM Partner organizations at the 2017 REM Awards on Friday, April 28, 2017. The ceremony took place in the Waterville Opera House and was followed by a reception and silent auction in the Dance Studio on the 3rd floor of The Center.


Authorities believe a child predator sent packages to young girls in Alabama and other parts of the country.

Prosecutors say unsolicited packages have been sent to two Phenix City, Alabama girls that were addressed to them in care of their elementary school.

The office also said in a Facebook post that authorities including the FBI reported the packages contained food and a letter signed "Atur Bhuck of Santa Fe, NM," as well as visitor's packages from New Jersey.

"Bhuck" wrote he was 14-years-old, mentally disabled and a target of bullying. He asked the girls to reply at two email addresses.

The FBI says one email account appeared to originate from Houston, and that more than 50 similar packages were ordered for minor-age girls in Alabama, South Carolina and Virginia.contact with the hardener of the sleeve, and the rotary movement of the anchoring part causes a mixing of the hardener and synthetic resin, thereby initiating a curing and achieving after curing of the synthetic resin an adhesion of continuous type.
A composite anchor known from the German patent document 32 38 751 Al features on the front end of its anchoring part a cone-shaped disk which is connected in rotationally fixed fashion and points with its opening to the rear end of the composite anchor, the rim of which disk sweeps on account of the form and/or material elasticity of the disk across the borehole wall as the composite anchor is inserted in the borehole filled with mortar compound, thereby destroying microcapsules contained in the mortar compound, by


A mother left her baby unattended in an SUV as she went inside a Maryland gas station Tuesday afternoon, and the vehicle was stolen seconds later with the baby inside.

The child was found abandoned but safe about a half-mile away in D.C., but the hunt for two suspects and the stolen vehicle is ongoing, police said.

Police are searching for a dark gray 2013 Chevrolet Traverse with the Maryland license plate 4CM8301. It has a "baby on board" sign.

The SUV was taken from the Valero station in the 5600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, on the D.C.-Maryland border. Police were called at about 2:45 p.m.

The child's mother got out to go into the gas station's store, leaving the little girl in the SUV with the engine running.

Whileshe did, two strangers jumped into the unattended vehicle and drove off, Seat Pleasant Police Chief Devan Martin said in an update.

A gas station worker said he saw it happen.

"The guy, he just jumped into the car and run the car," he said. He asked News4 not to reveal his identity.

The mother was horrified, the worker said.

"She cried a lot. She was like, mad. She was not able to talk," he said.

Seat Pleasant police were about to put out an Amber Alert, and notified Prince George's County police and D.C. police of the search.

But then they got a call about a baby found in a car seat. Two women who work at a funeral home about a half-mile northwest, at 57th and Eads streets in Northeast D.C., saw


This is the shocking moment a man clings to the back of a van as it speeds through a roundabout and passes a huge lorry in windy conditions 'at 30mph'.

Dashcam footage was captured by electrician Jodie Brown as he was driving between jobs in Worcester last Thursday at around 9:40am.

Mr Brown, 38, spotted a 'Corser Plastering Services' van appearing from a junction with a man standing on the back bumper gripping onto the roof.

The father-of-one was so stunned by the sight he can be heard muttering an expletive under his breath.

Mr Brown said: 'I spotted the guy on the back as soon as the van came around the bend and I actually said 'what the f***?' I was so shocked.

'I figured the driver would pull over after cominground the corner but he just kept on going.

'They must have been going at about 30mph, it was quite humorous to see.

A man was seen clinging to the back of a work van as it sped past a lorry in Worcester

The 'Corser Plastering Services' van drove through a roundabout with the man standing on its back bumper

'The road they started on is always really quiet but at the end of the video when we parted ways, they were actually headed into the city centre.

'The city centre would have been much busier so I imagine there would have been quite a few raised eyebrows.

'The guys probably done it loads of times before. The van was probably rushing off and he just jumped on the back, it's the sort of


TIBETAN BUDDHISM IN MONGOLIA

Most Mongols practice the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced from Tibet to Mongolia in the beginning of the 13th century. In the second half of the 16th century it became the state religion of the Mongol Princes. The Mongols have used Tibetan Buddhism as way of unifying Mongolians and creating a sense of nationalism. It has incorporated many shamanist symbols and rites.

Tibetan Buddhism, which combines elements of the Mahayana and the Tantric schools of Buddhism with traditional Tibetan rituals of curing and exorcism, shares the common Buddhist goal of individual release from suffering and the cycles of rebirth. The religion holds that salvation, in the sense of release from the cycle of rebirth, can be achieved through the intercession of compassionatebuddhas (enlightened ones) who have delayed their own entry to the state of selfless bliss (nirvana) to save others. Such buddhas, who are many, are in practice treated more as deities than as enlightened humans and occupy the center of a richly polytheistic universe of subordinate deities, opposing demons, converted and reformed demons, wandering ghosts, and saintly humans that reflects the folk religions of the regions into which Buddhism expanded. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

Tantrism contributed esoteric techniques of meditation and a repertoire of sacred icons, phrases, and gestures that easily lent themselves to pragmatic (rather than transcendental) and magical interpretation. The religion posits progressive stages of enlightenment and comprehension of the reality underlying the illusions that hamper the understanding and perceptions of those not trained


were considered to have achieved buddhahood and to be the reincarnations of previous leaders. These leaders, referred to as incarnate or living buddhas, held secular power and supervised a body of ordinary monks, or lamas (from a Tibetan title bla-ma, meaning "the revered one)". The monks were supported by the laity, who thereby gained merit and who received from the monks instructions in the rudiments of the faith and monastic services in healing, divination, and funerals. *

Vajrapani is worshiped as a previous incarnation of Genghis Khan. Begze ( Jamsaran) is the protector of Mongolia.

See Separate Articles on Tibetan Buddhism Under Tibet factsanddetails.com .

Early History of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia

Mongolians believed in shamanism in ancient times. Traditional Mongols worshipped heaven (the "clear blue sky") and their ancestors, and theyfollowed ancient northern Asian practices of shamanism, in which human intermediaries went into trance and spoke to and for some of the numberless infinities of spirits responsible for human luck or misfortune. Buddhism was introduced from Tibet to Mongolia in the beginning of the 13th century, when the red hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism began to find its followers among the Mongolian rulers. In the 16th century, many feudal lords as well as herdsmen shifted to the yellow hat sect of the Dalai Lama. In the second half of the 16th century it became the state religion of the Mongol Princes. The Mongols have used Tibetan Buddhism as way of unifying Mongolians and creating a sense of nationalism. It has incorporated many shamanist symbols and rites.

In 1578, in


the midst of campaign, Abtan Khan — Mongol military leader with ambitions to unite the Mongols and to emulate the career of Genghis Khan — became fascinated with Tibetan Buddhism and converted to the religion. He became a devout believer and invited the head of the rising Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism to a summit. They formed an alliance that gave Altan legitimacy and religious sanction for his imperial pretensions and that provided the Buddhist sect with protection and patronage.

Altan Khan (also known as Abtai Khan) bestowed the title of Dalai Lama for the first time to the spiritual leader of Tibet (the 3rd Dalai Lama). Dalai is the Mongolian word for “ocean.” Dalai Lama means "Ocean of Wisdom". Altan died soon after, but in the next centurythe Yellow Sect spread throughout Mongolia, aided in part by the efforts of contending Mongol aristocrats to win religious sanction and mass support for their ultimately unsuccessful efforts to unite all Mongols in a single state.

In 1586, Erdenzuu Monastery (near Karakorum ), Mongolia's first major center of Buddhism and oldest monastery, was built under Abtan Khan. Tibetan Buddhism became the state religion. More than a century before Kublai Khan himself had been seduced by a Tibetan Buddhist monk named Phagpa perhaps, it is reasoned, because off all the religions welcomed into the Mongol court Tibetan Buddhism was most like traditional Mongol shamanism.

Monasteries were built across Mongolia, often sited at the juncture of trade and migration routes or at summer pastures, where large numbers of herders would congregate for


shamanistic rituals and sacrifices. Buddhist monks carried out a protracted struggle with the indigenous shamans and succeeded, to some extent, in taking over their functions and fees as healers and diviners, and in pushing the shamans to the religious and cultural fringes of Mongolian culture. *

Mongol leaders in the late sixteenth century, and later their Manchu overlords, encouraged the spread of Tibetan Buddhism. Its passive religious doctrine gradually diluted the warlike qualities of the Mongols and encouraged between 30 and 50 percent of the male population to escape military service by entering monasteries.

Tibetan Buddhism Catches on in Mongolia

Tibetan Buddhism caught on with ordinary Mongolians. The Dalai Lama became the spiritual leader for Mongolia as he did for Tibet. He ordered that the image of Gonggor be worshiped athome and issued laws forbidding the practice of killing women, slaves and animals as sacrificial funeral offerings in Mongolia. Reincarnated lamas were born and reborn in Mongolia. The Jebtzun Damba became Tibetan Buddhism’s third highest incarnation after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.

More than 2,000 monasteries were built and as much as 40 percent of male population men was made up of celibate monks. Large monasteries had hundreds of monks and schools for art, astronomy and theater. They regularly hosted religious dramas and festivals and were filled with pilgrims. Buddhist lamas became very powerful. They ran parts of Mongolia as feudal states like the lamas in Tibet did. Some lamas were like princes. They owned huge estates worked by nomadic serfs. In the modern country of Mongolia,


but less so in Inner Mongolia, Buddhist monks in wine- colored cloaks still go from door to door blessing homes with a clash of cymbals and perform other Buddhist duties.

According to the Chinese government: “Lamaism was later protected and encouraged by the imperial court of the Qing Dynasty. Different titles, posts and privileges were granted to high-ranking lamas, who gradually formed a ruling feudal stratum existing side by side with the ruling feudal lords. These rulers not only rode roughshod over the people but took possession of numerous herds and large tracts of land. Their influence could be felt in every aspect of Mongolian life. The feudal rulers encouraged young people to become lamas, who neither got married nor took part in physical labor. As a result, thenumber of lamas increased to as many as one third of the Mongolian population during the Ming and Qing dynasties, seriously impeding the development of production and the growth of the population.” *|*

Links between Mongolia and Tibet have remained strong. The 4th Dalai Lama was a Mongolian and many Jebtzun Damba, Living Buddhas of the Khalkh Mongols, were born in Tibet. Mongolians traditionally provided the Dalai Lama with military support. They gave him sanctuary in 1903 when Britain invaded Tibet. Even today many Mongolians aspire to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa as Muslims do to Mecca.

Zanabazar and Other Important Mongol Tibetan Buddhist Figures

Zanabazar (1635-1723) is Mongolia’s famous leader from the post-Mongol-empire period. Regarded as the first The Jebtzun Damba, the Living Buddha of Mongolia, he was declared leader


of the Buddhists in Mongolia in 1641. He was not only a great political and religious leader he was is also regarded as Mongolia’s most famous artist and sculptor. Trained in Tibet, he created lovely Buddhist paintings and thankas, invented Mongolia’s vertical script, designed great temples, and produced beautiful bronze statues. Some of his loveliest pieces are of goddess Tara. They are said to have been modeled after his teenage lover.

When Zanabazar was three it was deemed he possessed the qualities of a reincarnated saint. At the age of 13 he was sent to Tibet to study under the Dalai Lama. While in Tibet he not only received spiritual guidance he learned the art of bronze casting which launched his career as an artist. He is credited withinventing the Soyombi, Mongolia’s national symbol. He died in 1723 in Beijing. His body was taken to what would be Ulaanbaatar and later was entombed in stupa at Amarbayasgalant Monastery. Images of Zanabazar are seen throughout Mongolia. They are easily recognizable: a monk with a shiny bald head and a thunderbolt in one hand.

One of the most well known lamas was Danzan Ravjaa, also known as the Great and Horrible Saint of the Gobi. Believed to be the 35th incarnation of Yamsang Yidam, a Mongolian deity, he was a skilled artist and was known for producing plays at monasteries and healing the sick from great distances. He lived in the 19th century.

Tibetan Buddhist Monks in Mongolia

Buddhism and the Buddhist monkhood always have played significant political roles in Central


penetrated deeply into Mongolian culture, and the populace willingly supported the lamas and the monasteries. *

Tibetan Buddhism is monastic. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Outer Mongolia had 583 monasteries and temple complexes, which controlled an estimated 20 percent of the country's wealth. Almost all Mongolian cities have grown up on the sites of monasteries. Yihe Huree, as Ulaanbaatar was then known, was the seat of the preeminent living buddha of Mongolia (the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, also known as the Bogd Gegen and later as Bogd Khan), who ranked third in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. Two monasteries there contained approximately 13,000 and 7,000 monks, and the prerevolutionary Mongol name of the settlement known to outsiders as Urga, Yihe Huree, means bigmonastery. *

In some areas, the monasteries and their living buddhas (of whom there were a total of 140 in 1924) also were the secular authorities. In the 1920s, there were about 110,000 monks, including children, who made up about one-third of the male population, although many of these lived outside the monasteries and did not observe their vows. About 250,000 people, more than a third of the total population, either lived in territories administered by monasteries and living buddhas or were hereditary dependents of the monasteries. With the end of Chinese rule in 1911, Buddhism and its clergy provided the only political structure available, and the autonomous state thus took the form of a weakly centralized theocracy, headed by the Jebtsundamba khutuktu in Yihe Huree. *

Foreign observers had


a uniformly negative opinion of Mongolian monks, condemning them as lazy, ignorant, corrupt, and debauched, but the Mongolian people did not concur. Ordinary Mongolians apparently combined a cynical and realistic anticlericalism, sensitive to the faults and the human fallibility of individual monks or groups of monks, with a deep and unwavering concern for the transcendent values of the church. *

Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia in the Soviet Era

When the Communist revolutionaries — determined to modernize their country and to reform its society — took power, they confronted a massive ecclesiastical structure that enrolled a larger part of the population, monopolized education and medical services, administered justice in a large part of the country, and controlled a great deal of the national wealth. Buddhism, moreover, had no interest in reformingitself or in modernizing the country. The result was a protracted political struggle that absorbed the energies and attention of the party and its Soviet advisers for nearly twenty years. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

The Communists saw the Buddhist establishment as a threat. In 1921, the Tibetan Buddhist establishment controlled 20 percent of Mongolia’s wealth and a third of the country’s male population (110,000 individuals) were monks. In 1924 when the 8th Jebtzun Damba (Bogd Khan) died the Communists prevented a new Jebtzun Damba from being named. Mongolians believe the 9th Jebtzun Damba was reincarnated later and now lives near the Dalai Lama in Dharmasala, India.

As late as 1934, the party counted 843 major Buddhist centers, about 3,000 temples of various sizes, and nearly 6,000 associated


buildings, which usually were the only fixed structures in a world of felt tents. The annual income of the church was 31 million tugriks, while that of the state was 37.5 million tugriks. A party source claimed that, in 1935, monks constituted 48 percent of the adult male population. In a campaign marked by shifts of tactics, alternating between conciliation and persecution, and armed uprisings led by monks and abbots, Buddhism was removed progressively from public administration, was subjected to confiscatory taxes, was forbidden to teach children, and was prohibited from recruiting new monks or replacing living buddhas. *

Repression of Buddhism in the Soviet Era

Buddhism and other religions were brutally suppressed by the Communists. The teaching of Buddhism and both Buddhist and shamanist festivals were forbidden. Land ownedby monks was seized and Buddhist shrines cleared away to make way for drab highrises and broad empty boulevards. Buddhism itself was labeled a superstition.

Despite the government's official policy of not overtly persecuting religious beliefs, its antireligious campaign continued slowly but relentlessly. Emphasis was placed on ideological and economic persuasion, which curtailed monastic growth and induced monks of lower rank to return to secular life. Government representatives were attached to monasteries to monitor their activities, construction of new monasteries was forbidden by law, the enrollment of minors was disallowed, and monks became eligible for military service. Many monasteries were destroyed; others were converted to secular use. [Source: Robert L. Worden, Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

In the 1930s a ruthless anti-religion purge was launched by the Mongolian government.


All but four of Mongolia’s 700 monasteries were destroyed by Mongolian Communists assisted by the NKVD (precursor of the KGB). The art in them was destroyed. Gold and silver objects were carted off to the Soviet Union and melted down. Methods of suppression became especially bloody in the second half of the 1930s. In 1935 abbots and monks of higher rank were tried publicly; in 1937 and 1938, about 2,000 of them were executed. Thousands of others were arrested and jailed. The financially shattered monasteries gradually were closed in the period 1938 to 1939.

The campaign's timing matched the phases of Josef Stalin's persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1938--amid official fears that the church and monasteries were likely to cooperate with the Japanese, who were promoting apan-Mongol puppet state--the remaining monasteries were dissolved, their property was seized, and their monks were secularized. The monastic buildings were taken over to serve as local government offices or schools. Only then was the ruling party, which since 1921 gradually had built a cadre of politically reliable and secularly educated administrators, able to destroy the church and to mobilize the country's wealth and population for its program of modernization and social change. *

Only one lamasery in Mongolia was allowed to stay open. The campaign against the Buddhists was largely successful. Within two decades, the resident monastic population was reduced from about 15,000 to approximately 200 monks. A handful of small monasteries and one large institution were all that were left physically of what had been, at the century's


start, the best organized and most intellectual force in Mongolian life. More than 17,000 Buddhist priests and monks “disappeared” and are presumed to have been killed or sent to gulags in Siberia. In 2002, the remains of 600 lamas was found at a monastery. Each was buried with his hands tied behind his back and a bullet hole in his skull.

In 1985, there were only 100 lamas in Mongolia, and they were all at Ganden Monastery, which accepted only 1 in 5 applicants. People kept Buddhism alive at home. Standing beside portraits of Lenin on the family alter were images of Buddha. Some lamas buried religious treasures and told their sons and grandsons to dig them up when it was safe. In one case 62 boxes of objectswas buried in the Gobi and were dug up a monk’s grandson when Mongolia became independent in 1990.

Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia in the Late Soviet Era

In the 1970s, one monastery, the Gandan Monastery, with a community of 100 monks, was open in Ulaanbaatar. It was the country's sole functioning monastery. A few of the old monasteries survived as museums, and the Gandan Monastery served as a living museum and a tourist attraction. Its monks included a few young men who had undergone a five-year training period, but whose motives and mode of selection were unknown to Western observers. The party apparently thought that Buddhism no longer posed a challenge to its dominance and that — because Buddhism had played so large a part in the country's history, traditional


arts, and culture, total extirpation of knowledge about the religion and its practices would cut modern Mongols off from much of their past, to the detriment of their national identity. A few aged former monks were employed to translate Tibetan-language handbooks on herbs and traditional medicine. Government spokesmen described the monks of the Gandan Monastery as doing useful work. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

Buddhism played a role in Mongolia's foreign policy by linking Mongolia with the communist and the noncommunist states of East and Southeast Asia. Ulaanbaatar was the headquarters of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace, which held conferences for Buddhists from such countries as Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan; published a journal for international circulation; and maintained contacts with such groups asthe Christian Peace Conference, the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organization, and the Russian Orthodox Church. It sponsored the visits of the Dalai Lama to Mongolia in 1979 and 1982. The organization, headed by the abbot of the Gandan Monastery, advanced the foreign policy goals of the Mongolian government, in accord with those of the Soviet Union. *

Buddhism survived among the elderly, who prayed and attend services at the Gandan Monastery; in the speech of the people, which is rich in Buddhist expressions and proverbs; and in the common practice of including statues or images of the Buddha on families' special shelves with photographs of relatives and other domestic memorabilia. Mongolian Buddhism, which restricted full participation in the ritual to monks and kept Tibetan as the language of ritual and


rebuilt — but most were still just ruins — in the 1990s. The Dalai Lama sent teachers from India to re-establish the Buddhist educational system The few old monks that remained did their best to teach new recruits.

The Dalai Lama visited Mongolia in August 2006. At that he had visited Mongolia five times since the early 1990s. In 2002, he delivered religious discourses to thousands of followers. He also visited Mongolia in the 1980s when it was still a Soviet satellite. When the Dalai Lama has visited Mongolia hundreds of thousands, many traveling long distances across the steppe, have showed up to see him.

Huge crowds showed up at the state museum in Ulaanbaatar to see what were said to be the ashes of Buddha, something which would havebeen impossible under the atheist Communist regime. People waiting in all day to see them and it is estimated the majority of the people in Ulaanbaatar came to see them. The ashes were carried from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing by plane on a silk pillow placed on the lap of a monk. The monk and the ashes were escorted on to the plane with an armed guard, brass band and red carpet.

Like Tibetans, Mongolians eat a lot of meat despite the fact that Buddhism discourages the killing of animals. A Mongolian monk told the religious scholar Edward Conze: “We Mongol monks always eat meat, because there is nothing else. Yes, we known that by habitually eating meat we act against the ordinance of Lord Buddha. As a result of


our sin we may well be re-born in hell. But it is our duty to take the Dharma to the Mongol people, and so we just have to take the consequences as they come.”

Mongolia's Monks Make a Comeback

Monastic life was nearly wiped out in the Soviet ear, mostly during Stalinist purges in the 1930s when an estimated 17,000 lamas were executed, but since the country emerged from decades of Soviet dominance, the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism has made a comeback. In 2006, Reuters reported: “When Gendenjav Choijamts thinks of praying, he thinks of vodka. The 62-year-old monk at Mongolia's oldest Buddhist monastery remembers when his father and his friends had to pretend they were gathering for a drinking session to hide the fact they were gatheringin prayer. "My father was a monk but because people were persecuted for that, it wasn't widely known," he said in the lush green grounds of Erdene Zuu, which dates from the 16th century. "He was a herder. He hid his shrine and would chant in secret in the evening," he said. [Source: Reuters, July 19, 2006 *~*]

“In 1990, three monasteries were allowed to reopen. The number quickly mushroomed to 170 across the country. Erdene Zuu monastery, in the grasslands on the edge of the ancient capital of Kharkhorin, some 370km southwest of Ulaanbaatar, housed 1,500 lamas before it was destroyed in 1936. But on the vast plains and valleys... traditions survived. "We used to hide the shrine in a big chest. When it was dark we would


light the butter lamps," said Baasan-Suren Khandsuren. At 27, he is head lama at the monastery, whose grounds are marked out from the surrounding grasslands by a border of 108 stupas, which managed to survive the purges. When he came to the monastery in 1991, shortly after it reopened, there were just 17 monks. Now there are 65. At the time, Baasan-Suren was 12 years old. *~*

“When Baasan-Suren entered the monastery he was following the footsteps of his grandfather, who managed to salvage religious artefacts from the grounds after it was closed."In Mongolia, there are very old monks and very young monks," he said, alluding to the generation raised during the communist era, when gatherings of prayer were replaced by meetings of the state co-operative. "When I visitedmy grandfather's home, I looked at the Buddhist statues and had a very warm feeling about those items," he said, interrupting an interview to fish into his robes to answer his mobile phone. "It took a lot of courage to keep all those things during communist times." *~*

“At 12, Baasan-Suren had to forsake standard education for religious teachings. Now, he has established a religious school to allow the 33 boys currently taught there the privilege of both. As he speaks from his office, housed in a ger, the traditional round tent of herders, little boys run wild around the grounds, playing and pushing and hiking up their maroon robes to show off on a chin-up bar as they wait for the morning chanting to begin. *~*

“Among the tourists


milling around the grounds are visitors from Ulaanbaatar, some are also devoted Buddhists. "I always have my prayer beads with me," said 50-year-old Tserendulam Tserennad-mid, her sunhat and sweatsuit marking her out as a city-dweller in the country where nearly half the 2.7 million population are nomadic herders. Next to the monastery's main shrine, a monk staffs a small table where adherents come to order chantings. As the sun burns off the night chill, a boy blows a conch shell and the monks begin their morning prayers. Gendenjav Choijamts is glad to be among them. "This is a good change," he said of the renewed traditions. "When you don't have religion, you lose your compassion." *~*

Andrea Sachs wrote in the Washington Post: “Dressed in a saffron robe andare coming back. They are performed mostly in the Ujemchin districts of Shilingol (Xilin Gol) in Inner Mongolia and among the Oirat (or Deed) Mongols living on the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai.

Most Mongols are buried in community graveyards, In urban areas in China they are usually cremated. During Mongol wakes friend bring gifts of whiskey and sweets.

See Separate Article TIBETAN FUNERALS, SKY BURIALS AND VIEWS ON DEATH factsanddetails.com .

Image Sources:

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, U.S. government, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.

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© 2008


FORUMS

Gorky 17 aka Odium

Game Info

The year is 2008. NATO intelligence reports that, for some unknown reason, the Russian army has destroyed one of its so-called "secret cities" known by the code word 'GORKY 17'. This exact replica of an American city was used to train the best Russian spies during the Cold War. "The city’s been deserted since the collapse of the Iron Curtain", comes the reassuring answer from the Kremlin, "now that we are friends, we no longer need such monuments to mistrust". But NATO commanders aren’t buying this PR exercise – they know that Gorky 17 had another, far more important purpose. This was where the Soviet Union conducted its most secret military experiments.

The following year, as the first step toward Poland’s integration into NATO, ahis current whereabouts.
       The minor had previously admitted that she has a problem with anger and said she
has had four therapists (all of whom the minor reported had quit). The minor’s school
reported that the minor had 18 unexcused absences in November and December 2013,

                                              2
prior to her detention, and two unexcused absences since being placed in the receiving
home. Also prior to her detention, the minor was reported to have had behavior problems
at school, including being rude, disrespectful,


defiant, and disruptive. There had been
one behavioral incident while the minor was in the receiving home but no other behavior
problems or other concerns since her detention. The minor was placed in a foster home
on January 15, 2014.
       The social worker listed several referrals of physical abuse and neglect of the
minor while she was in the custody of mother. Appellant had been incarcerated since
October 15, 2013, and was serving a four-year sentence. His criminal history spans
almost 20 years and consists of the following convictions: grand theft (1995), unlawful
taking or driving of a vehicle (1995), obstructing or resisting a peace officer (1996),
felony possession of a firearm (1997), an unknown/misidentified offense (1999), grossly
negligent discharge of a firearm (2005), illegal possession of a firearm (2005), driving
underthe influence (2005), obstructing or resisting a peace officer (2008), making a
criminal threat to commit a crime resulting in death or injury (2008), driving under the
influence (2008), illegal possession of a firearm (2010), grossly negligent discharge of a
firearm (2010), and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm (2013).
       Including the minor, appellant has five children, born of four mothers.
Appellant’s wife B. D. is raising one of her own children and two of appellant’s children
on a full-time basis. She also cares for two of his other children on a part-time (shared
custody) basis. The minor began visiting her half siblings in B.D.’s home after detention.
B. D. initially indicated that she was interested in placement of the minor in her home and
applied to the kinship unit


clear and convincing evidence that there was a substantial danger
to the minor if she were to be returned home to the mother. Although mother remained
unwilling to care for the minor and had made little effort to keep in touch with the minor,
the court ordered reunification services for mother.
       As to appellant, the court found he lacked a relationship with the minor, had been
the subject of two restraining orders, had an extensive criminal history, and despite being
a felon, had continued to possess firearms which he used in a dangerous manner. The
court expressly stated it was not denying appellant’s request for placement because he is
currently incarcerated. Instead, the court found clear and convincing evidence that it
would be a substantial danger to the minor’s physicalin the custody of mother. Sadly, the minor’s mother has made it
clear that she does not want to care for the minor anymore and she had not visited the
minor since her detention. The minor stated that appellant had told her that she could not
live with him either. Prior to her detention, the minor had been withdrawn, defiant,
angry, aggressive, and had been “running away a lot.” Yet, despite the minor’s family
history and emotional problems, and despite reports of poor behavior and truancy in the
past, the minor was reportedly doing well in her out-of-home placement.
       Prior to this disposition hearing, the minor did not know appellant, or even
remember seeing him in the past. He was, as the court described him, a “virtual stranger
to her.”


What We Take From Our Homes [Nonfiction]

by Jonathan McDaniel

1

My parents were born and raised in the suburbs of greater Memphis. News channels and billboards refer to western Arkansas and northeastern Mississippi, where state lines intersect at Tennessee’s southeastern corner, as “the Mid-south.” My father lived in a three-bedroom house off Highway 51 in Southaven, MS. The house, with its red bricks and white-painted wood paneling, sat on a one-acre lot with a tulip poplar planted in the front yard, like many of the other houses dotting the neighborhood streets.

His father still lives there today.

2

My mother grew up in a 1200-square-foot house in Whitehaven, a suburb in southern Memphis, about four miles from Southaven and the Tennessee-Mississippi border. She was born in 1957, the same year Elvis Presley purchasedwooden-box television set. I remember my grandmother asking him to take me to get the mail, likely hoping I’d find a tiny reprieve to my boredom. My grandfather slipped on his brown leather slippers and held the storm door open for me, and as I walked past I got a whiff of the cigarette smoke on his white undershirt, a smell he was always trying to hide from my grandmother. I walked with him, hand in hand, down the long driveway through his immaculately groomed lawn and arrived at the mailbox. He handed me a stack of mail, and I pinned it to my chest with one arm, and clutched his rough, leathery hand with the other as he led me back to the carport.

8

I grew up across


was still a girl. My mother had taken the statues and paintings and arranged them on the piano or hung them on our living room walls. My grandmother had been gone for two years then. I remember being glad she wouldn’t see that lighthouse. I was glad she wouldn’t see her husband in a blue-spotted gown, wearing a bloody bandage. He was a stranger then.

22

My mother brought a prepackaged cup of honeydew melon from the cafeteria. My grandfather stared through his hollow eyes at the open window. A mindless, empty gaze. One by one, she fed the sweet cubes to him. He smiled after each bite. He tasted something familiar.

I hoped that somewhere deep inside the labyrinth of his mind he had stumbled upon a memory he couldKing Mho Fho

KB'S Favorite Book

Best Romance

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Gather around KB fans because I have an exclusive interview for you! For the first time ever, I was one of the very lucky mortals to interview the (batshit) psycho crazed archangel Michaela that Nalini Singh has written about in boh her Guild Hunter series books, Angels' Blood and Archangel's Kiss. Because Nalini has such great connections with the angels she pens, she was able to schedule time for me to sit down and talk with Michaela. At first Michaela threatened to break my bones, but then Mho Fho went out of his way to speak to her himself. She decided not to torture me and cause me horrible pain. I think because he promised his demon sheep soul to


Manga to also have "big news" on same day

The May issue of Shueisha 's Bessatsu Margaret magazine revealed on Friday that Io Sakisaka 's Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare manga will end in the magazine's June issue on May 13. The June issue will also feature "big news" for the manga. The manga will feature on the June issue's cover, and the final chapter will be 46 pages long with an opening color page.

The story focuses on two girls whose stances on love are polar opposites. Yuna wants a love that's like a dream. Akari thinks she can become better at love and is very realistic in her approach. The two heroines' stories unfold beside two male main characters. Kazuomi doesn't understand love. He asks, "What's that, something tasty?"On the other hand, Rio won't reject anyone who comes his way, as long as that person is cute.

Sakisaka launched the manga in June 2015. Shueisha published the 11th volume on February 25.

Sakisaka serialized her "traditional school romance" Strobe Edge in Bessatsu Margaret from 2007 to 2009. Viz Media published the 10-volume series in English. The manga inspired a live-action film that opened in Japan in March 2015.

Sakisaka's 13-volume Blue Spring Ride manga inspired a television anime series, an original anime DVD, and a live-action film in 2014. Crunchyroll streamed the television anime as it aired, and Sentai Filmworks released it on home video. Viz Media is releasing the manga in English.


China is now offering the complete Fei Teng (FT) series of precision-guided bombs (PGBs) to the international market, following the release of the improved FT-series variants earlier this year. (Photo : REUTERS)

Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd. (ALIT), an intermediary subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC), is now promoting the complete Fei Teng (FT) series of precision-guided bombs (PGBs) to the international market, following the release of the improved FT-3A, FT-6A and FT-7 variants earlier this year, according to an article published on www.janes.com.

According to the report, the FT-3 precision-guided bombs (PGBs) and the CALT/CASC FT-1 were developed by the CASC China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) and were first exhibited at the Zhuhai Airshow in China in Nov. 2006.

The FT family hasof navigation satellites. The first 16 Beidou satellites formed a network that covered only China and nearby regions, while the first new-generation satellite, the 17th in total, was launched in March 2015 to help the network transition from regional to global coverage.

According to Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office and spokesperson of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, the country will put into orbit 18 more satellites for the Beidou system by the end of 2018.


Recent Palm Eastern Mortuary and Cemetery Obituaries:

Cedric Adrian Nelson was born on July 2, 1959 in Alexandria, Mississippi to the Late Mr. Lonnie Nelson Jr. and Mrs. Mary L Nelson. He is the Middle child of 3, his siblings – Billie Page of McGee, Mississippi...
Read Full Obituary for Cedric Nelson

CEDRIC NELSON A life well-lived. Cedric Adrian Nelson departed this life Monday, July 27, 2015, at Nathan Adelson Hospice, Las Vegas, after his valiant fight with Pancreatic Cancer. He was born July 2, 1959, in...
Read Full Obituary for CEDRIC NELSON

JUNE SMITH Our beloved mother, June Smith, passed away July 15, 2015, at home, at the age of 71, after battling cancer. June was born May 29, 1944, in New Orleans, the daughter of the late Dorothy Dupont and Paul...
ReadFull Obituary for JUNE SMITH

Our beloved mother passed away at home on July 15 at the age of 71 after battling cancer. June was born May 29, 1944 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of the late Dorothy Dupont and Paul Guidroz. June graduated...
Read Full Obituary for June Germaine Smith

PETER BURKART JR. Peter Louis Burkart, Jr., of Las Vegas, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2015. He was born Oct. 30, 1928, in Detroit. Peter retired from the city of Highland Park, Mich., after 33 years of service and then...
Read Full Obituary for PETER BURKART Jr.

May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, And all the rains fall soft upon your fields, And


until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his...
Read Full Obituary for Joseph Frederick Reynolds Jr.

Joseph R. Reynolds Jr. Oct. 22, 1946 - July 16, 2015 Joseph "Joe" F. Reynolds Jr. passed away on July 16, 2015, in Henderson, Nev., with his wife, Carol, by his side. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, July 29,...
Read Full Obituary for JOSEPH REYNOLDS Jr.

Betty Jean Moore, a long-time resident of the Henderson, died Thursday the 23rd of July. Born in 1937 in Missouri, Betty received her Masters degree in Elementary education majoring in music from UNLV in 1973. Betty...
Read Full Obituary for Betty Jean Moore

BETTY MOORE Betty Moore, a long-time resident of Henderson, passed away Thursday, July 23, 2105. Born in 1937 in Missouri, Bettyand even leaders of other Russian parties, who use to criticize current policies, praised him as a most efficient of all government members.Upon his inititive new advanced underground command center was built recently in Moscow.

Gen. Shoigu served for almost two decades as a head of the ministry for extraordinary situations, and earlier when he was serving in the military, he surpassesd normal deadlines to be promoted to the higher ranks, because his brawery, when he prevented major catastrophe while risking his own life.

His visit to Teheran is a preparatory step before Putin's planned visit, because Putin wants to make only visits, where the substantial and crucial matters will be decided.

Iran has advanced knowledge in a design of drones, and it could be one of the interesting points for


are paying it with their lives.

The Last Place to Stand is a fast paced story of future mechanization and AI, mixed with a coming to terms of humanities deepest needs. In it we meet X213, a woman who is beginning to feel the crowding of the machine world around her and who must make a decision that would change her life, and Samuel, who has already made that decision and lives with the intention of someone who has been set free.

I also wrote Stand Against Infinity, free on Amazon by the way, which is a prequel to The Last Place to Stand. It is the story of Samuel and how he got his start. What changed him to be man he is in The Last Place to Stand?with its higher MS and slow immunity in Assassin form. W I'd argue is equally important for both: Assassin's W with its extra mobility and ranged slow further enables his approach, while Darkin's W with its knockup and AOE damage (which leads to sustain through his passive) serves purposes of survivability and team fight ability.

So we were lucky: 1) and 2) lined up. We gave Darkin the bonus on his centerpiece skill, which also thematically used the scythe he was housed in, while giving Assassin the bonus on the purest expression of Shadow Magic, which is also the centerpiece for his combat pattern. Love it when things line up like this?"

Reav3

"Well his R used to be a basic ability...that was fun times...."

DanielZKlein

"There was an ability were he left


might also see something he could never be himself in Kayn. Kayn's link to the shadow is deep, for whatever reason. Maybe Zed hopes this is a sign that Kayn could do better than him? Ultimately succeed him? And he may have other, darker motives as well.

I think Kayn's respect for Zed is just as deep. Unfortunately, he's in the process of convincing himself that the only way he can prove himself to his father figure is by becoming something more than Zed wants him to be. Stronger than Zed. Strong enough to defeat him, if necessary.

They have a bond, but it will be tested.

No opinion on Akali personally, I'd have to do some digging into the lore. I'd never seen the theory she was Order of Shadowstart off the AMA, commented on what champion's model was used as a placeholder duringdevelopment: commented on the issues they had when they tried to implement the UI elements for whentransformation is ready:When asked about the most difficult part of creatingWhen asked howname was picked, a few Rioters gave their stories:When asked about why they choseE,With a new champion there are bound to be bugs, here'sAs for why we didn't get a traditional teaser forWhen asked aboutinspirations, continued with a story from beforedevelopment, and how his E fulfilled a dream of his: provided some insight on transforming champions and how they implemented a transformation onAs for scrapped abilities on, a few Rioters chimed in: also gave a look at an old kit from early in development:As for how


long Kayn was in development,When asked aboutlack of character inking,Onshadow assassin form and it's damage,OnW,And onult, gave insight on the ties between Rhaast andOnpersonality,On the duality ofAs forlinks withOn possible ties to Group Questions 2 - DanielZKlein This week's Ask Riot may look familiar ; This week covers the most asked questions on topics like a League movie, voice chat, sexy champions, and more:put out a new support article on links for free RP, with an interesting video from RHRealism and CrazyBoris illustrating their point:After the announcement of thehotfixes so soon after the deployment of Patch 7.14, commented on his thoughts and experiences while working on the balance team:despite his early nomadic years, in the days of his ascendancy, Mr Bigshot was one of the most feared players in the NBA. The guy was the head/brains/ of the Detroit Pistons team that took the 2004 title off the mighty Lakers. Billups may not get into the Hall in his first try, but he will get in.

Tracy McGrady – There were years where T-Mac’s game was held in such high esteem that he was only just below Kobe Bryant. Hard to believe now. After injuries, the “first round hoodoo” and lack of effort decimated his game, Tracy McGrady‘s clearly not a Hall of Fame candidate.

Ben Wallace – One of the best defensive players to play in our generation, Ben Wallace‘s story is a testament to hard work


"Shanghai 2009" "I was born in Shanghai in August,1953 There were four of us in the family" "My father was from Guangdong, studying in Shanghai" "My mother was born in Zhejiang" "So we were migrants" "Many families like us were living in Shanghai's alleys" "And the happiest part of growing up there was having fun" "The thing I still remember best is the start of the Cultural Revolution, and just before that we were 89 and 1516 at the time" "It's a very intense memory" "Neighbors used to respect other's privacy" "But Cultural Revolution changed that because of all the raids" "We suddenly found out which families were spies which ones were capitalists which ones were revolutionaries" "Eventually, the poor Reds were paraded through the streets" "There wasa capitalist family living opposite us" "In Cultural Revolution, they could only keep one floor of their building" "We used to peep at their meals" "They had a big mahogany table servants, too" "elegant manners, fine dishes" "That way of life ended with the Cultural Revolution" "Each alley had a boy who was top dog" "Each with his own gang." "This boy was the best fighter" "A natural leader, got along well with the others" "So we all had to choose who we wanted to play with" "It determined whether you'd get bullied or you'd bully others" "Meanwhile in the alleys nearby, there were boys who targeted us" "Kind of like the Warring States Period" "There was one kid from Zhangjia Park who always went for us" "We


lived in Da Zhong Li" "It would be no different in, say" "X u Dong Li" "Anyhow, every lane, every Li had a couple of so called" "hooligans Lively boys" "That is, always fighting each other" "Then making up." "Then fighting again" "Those are my strongest childhood mermories" "Anybody" "Anybody dare fight me" "Come on" "Come on, here" "Hurry up" "Anyone dare" "I'm Kang Quan!" "Who dares" "Come in and shoot" "My father was Yang X ingfo" "He co organized the Chinese Civil Rights Alliance to rescue communists and democrats who had been arrested by the Nationalists" "And Chiang Kai shek was very displeased" "He ordered secret agents to assassinate my father on the morning of June 18th, 1933" "My father's office was in a western style housewith a garden" "When we drove out, we had to turn a corner into the road" "So the car was driving slowly" "This time I was suddenly deafened" "There was an explosion" "I thought the tire had blown or something like that" "But when I stuck my head out" "Our car was a convertible" "The chassis was metal, and it had a canvas roof" "But there was nothing between the roof and the chassis" "So, no protection against gunfire" "As the car was taking the turn, it came to a stop" "Why?" "I saw the driver jump out" "He was trying to escape" "He was shot twice once in the stomach" "Then in the arm blood everywhere" "I was too scared to know what was happening." "At that


moment" "I grew dizzy and lost consciousness" "I came to a bit later" "I found myself lying" "under a seat." "My father was on top of me" "I tried to get up" "But he was on top of me" "I did my best to get up I was only 14" "In the 2nd year of junior high school Anyhow, I finally managed to sit up" "Then I tried to wake my father" "But he didn't repond." "After the assassination, Madame Soong made a speech telling us to keep going" "But the fact was, there was no longer a general secretary" "Madame Soong told Lin Yutang, he was a member of the Alliance to stand in as the general secretary" "You know Lin said He said that was askingto be killed" "So the organization was disbanded Because nobody wanted" "I recall when Tse ven Soong came out of the railway station" "with his assistant Tang Yulu" "They were in similar suits." "It was hot" "They were in white suits, panama hats" "The train pulled in, many people got off" "Before they reached the barrier" "There was a gunshot" "Tse ven Soong reacted quickly He flung himself to the ground" "Lost his hat so they missed their target Soong' s assistant took one step" "and was shot dead" "All it took was one shot" "One shot was enough to kill him" "Anyhow" "The assistant had dependents" "He was newly married" "And his wife was pregnant" "As a widow, she'd have many difficulties" "Tang, Soong and my father


"Because the big waves would splash us" "He was one of the first to have an air conditioner" "They first appeared in the 1930s" "Take his Peking Opera performances" "Professionals staged Peking Opera for money, but he was an amateur" "Even in rehearsals, he had famous actors in supporting roles" "They got paid for doing very little" "Everyone came to watch was given a tin of monosodium glutamate or a box of mosquito repellent coils" "So everyone came to see the shows not because he was a great actor" "but they could get free MSG or mosquito repellent coils That was how things went" "He liked best singing Peking Opera only used imported brands" "But his costumes were Chinese" "He knew how to enjoy life" "During the CulturalJapanese goods" "Tianchu was a big success" "It took the Chinese market away from the Japanese Aji no Moto" "But Tianchu's raw materials had come from Japan" "So he founded Tianyuan Chemical Company to provide the raw materials That's why the name is similar" "And the chemical by products were used by another company he founded, Tianli Nitrogen" "In the 1930s, his three companies earned him the nickname Father oflndustry." "And that's why when the anti Japanese war got going he could spend a small fortune" "to buy a special fighter plane from the German company Siemens" "He donated it to the country in the company' s name" "I wish I knew someone like you could love me" "I wish I knew" "You place no one above me"


the way of the gang" "One day he took me out by car" "Near the gate of Lafayette Fang, Fuxing Road" "One of his bodyguards opened the car door, jumped out and lined up beside the car until it reached the gate." "The gatekeeper made a call" "Then my father went in" "Not until the door was closed behind him, did the bodyguards turn the car around and leave" "He was afraid of being killed" "At 14, his father died" "His mother just after she gavee birth to a girl, she died too" "Since he couldn't afford a coffin, he rolled up Grandpa's body in a mat" "He left it in the mud by the bank of a lake near Gaoqiao" "Later a tree grew there" "And itsroots wrapped around Grandpa's body" "A geomancer said It was a very good omen" "He was a naughty boy" "He was brought up by Wan Molin's father" "He was mischievous" "So nobody liked him" "Kids clustered around him" "He'd say Even I am a tramp," "I will be the leader of tramp" "My grandma was called Little Lanying A stage name" "They toured around, putting on shows" "My mother sang." "My aunt did too" "Auntie's stage name was Yuying For my mother was Yulan" "When they performed in Shanghai" "my father saw them" "It was in Tianchan Theater, Shanghai Tianchan Theater" "Later on, when my father wanted to marry my mother who should be the matchmaker?" "One of gang boss Huang Jinrong's daughters in law named Li Zhiqing"


"Huang's son actually died before they could marry" "So when Li Zhiqing got married, her husband was already dead" "So she had to marry a portrait of her late fiancé" "She married into the Huang family But she had no husband" "So she was in charge of almost everything of the family" "She was my father's matchmaker" "And my mother had a godmother" "She served as mother's matchmaker" "My grandmother had one demand" "Her daughter must be the official wife" "Not a concubine" "My father made that promise" "Dad's first wife loved him very much" "So when he married my mother the first wife gavee him all she owned" "Even her marriage license" "But dad's second and third wives both bullied her" "Anyhow, father's first wife gavee themarriage her blessing" "I'll give her our marriage license as a gift" "My mother was the official wife" "But she played mahjong with the other wives like one big family" "At that time most of us had no choice but to flee Shanghai to Hong Kong" "We decided to leave" "On May 27th, 1949, my father left on the ship Haiyan" "When it pulled out from Shanghai's Wusong Port they passed a Shenxin Cotton Mill and he said aloud" "Even I have to leave!" "To this day, I don't know why he went to France" "Hong Kong would have been fine, wouldn't it?" "He asked for" "One hundred and forty passports" "But in Taiwan, it was impossible" "They wanted to charge him $150,000" "He knew he had only


$100,000" "There was never enough money" "So one day he said" "I must die" "Otherwise all of you will die" "Day by day, his health was deteriorating" "It could only end one way" "Pudong, Shanghai" "The Bund" "Nanjing Road set, Chedun Film Studio" "My father, Wang X iaohe he joined the Communist Party on May 4th, 1942" "The Party ordered him to go to Yangshupu Electric Power Plant" "In 1948, everything went wrong for the KMT (Nationalists)" "There was a surge in protests by students and workers" "My father was caught up in all that" "The enemy was watching him closely" "Eventually they charged him with destroying a power generator" "They arrested him on April 21 st" "He was given a death sentence scheduled for September 27th" "Onthat day, my mother" "I had an elder sister" "She born 17 months before me" "I was born on October 24th,1948" "On September 27th, my mother was pregnant with me" "Despite being so pregnant she picked up my sister" "And went to the prison gate with our Grandma" "Many people came along in support" "So the traffic around Tilanqiao Prison was clogged up all day" "Some policemen whipped my mother with a belt" "Trying to drive her away" "She didn't leave, of course" "After all that the Tilanqiao Prison put up a notice" "It said they hadn't got the execution order So it wouldn't be carried out today" "My father was being held in Yangshupu" "They brought him to Tilanqiao Prison" "That prison had a special court" "To


sentence people in secret" "Just for the convenience of the KMT" "They convicted and sentenced my father He was executed in Tilanqiao Prison on the morning of September 30th" "Put to death" "My father died around 10 o'clock on September 30th in Tilanqiao Prison" "On that day, a journalist from Ta Kung Pao in Hong Kong made an interview" "He took many pictures" "Actually lots of people took photos when my father was brought outside the prison and after the closed court session" "I know my father from those pictures" "He died three weeks before I was born" "So I never met him" "I knew him only from those pictures" "I miss him so much, though" "I never knew my father's love" "After the execution, Mother thought ofin the park We lived in tents and waited for the boat" "I retain those memories and I put them all in my film Red Persimmon, shot in 1996" "A ship called the Zhongxing turned up" "It was very big." "There was a safety inspection" "When we were getting on board many others were clamouring to board" "It was very hard to get on board" "There were ten kids in our family" "My father wasn't with us, he was still fighting" "Mother, Grandma and father's attendants were there" "There was an aide de camp who controlled the boarding" "Grandma was worried we'd separated There were so many kids jostling for access to the boat Losing sight of their parents" "So she tied us all together at the waist"