dark courtyard to clean in the dark. "You should go; I need to go back to my room before I rouse any suspicions." Slipping her dress over her Templar uniform, Weiss headed back toward the castle she called home.

"Keep your head up, Weiss, you'll be free soon enough." Another gust of wind and she was gone as quickly as she'd appeared. Weiss smiled at the empty space Ruby once occupied, a few red rose petals and a single white rose the only hint that she'd ever stood there.

Weiss snuck back into her bedroom with practiced ease. Countless nights of sneaking off to meet with your mortal enemy will do that to you. Easing the door shut with a satisfying click she turned around and removed her dress onceagain. The outfit, though beautiful and luxurious, was stifling at times, preferring the clothing she used to train and complete missions in. She stepped out onto the balcony while attaching her rapier to her hip, the familiar feeling of being watched prickling the hairs on her neck once more, and she smelled roses.

"What's the matter, Ruby? Did you forget something?" She mused, not bothering to look up to the hooded figure she was sure to find on the overhang above.

"So that's the name of the person you are so willing to betray you own blood for." The harsh voice of her father brought her attention to the dark corner of the balcony. The smell of roses coming from the single rose that fell from her hand.

"Father! What are


sweet daughter, this time, when you feel the sting of my blade, it will be the last thing you ever feel." He dropped to an offensive stance, readying the thrust Weiss knew would follow. With unbelievable speed, he headed toward her, sabre directed to her torso, and a murderous look in his eyes. Weiss had no time to react, reaching for her own weapon too slowly; there was no way she would be able to parry his attack, and her position on the balcony preventing any escape. In what she felt would be her last moment, she smelled roses again, funny that her final moments be filled with thoughts of the first friend she'd ever made. Closing her eyes to accept her fate, she almost missed the softthud of someone landing in front of her, the ringing of steel against metal, then the crash of it against stone still not bringing her eyes open. Only when she heard a welcome voice, though absent of the kindness she craved, did she open them.

"Leave her alone." Ruby's voice said calmly as Weiss focused on the scene in front of her. Kneeling in front of her, hood drawn up, was Ruby, and her father regaining his balance after having his attack deflected so easily. Before she could say anything or react, Weiss was grabbed by the waist and pulled over the balcony, the smell of roses filling her nose as she fell to the water below.


Trevor

BARITONE

Trevor comes from about as far away as you can get from Arizona in the US- Maine! On top of singing, he also enjoys lacrosse, piano, and serving up looks. He was almost cast in Zoolander 2 but he was too busy.Hotels and B&Bs
in and aroundBullbridge, Derbyshire

AA rated

The Peak Edge Hotel is set in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside and surrounded by great views on all sides. The modern rooms are spacious, comfortable, and all benefit from high quality bathroom...

AA rated

The Black Cow is set in the centre of the village overlooking the green. It is a traditional pub with friendly staff and hand-pulled ales. There is a beer garden and children's play area. Comfortable ...

AA rated

EASTWOOD

Inn

Built in 1705, this Grade II listed building is located right in the centre of Eastwood, with easy access to the Derbyshire Dales for walkers, and Nottingham for shoppers. The well-equipped bedrooms a...

AA rated

DARLEY DALE

Bed and Breakfast

Located in the Derwent Valley and built in the grounds of the former manor house using


local stone, Ashford Grange is a modern house full of creature comforts, and a warm welcome is assured. Rooms are...

AA rated

RIPLEY

Budget Hotel

High quality, budget accommodation ideal for both families and business travellers. Spacious, en suite bedrooms feature tea and coffee making facilities, and Freeview TV in most hotels. Internet acces...

AA rated

ASHBOURNE

Bed and Breakfast

This comfortably furnished house is set in open countryside on the main road between Ashbourne and Belper. The bedrooms are furnished in a country style and are named after authors. A cosy lounge is a...

AA rated

ROWSLEY

Inn

The Grouse and Claret is an 18th-century inn ideally located on the A6 between Matlock and Bakewell, within easy striking distance of the Peak District National Park. Public rooms feature a large open...

AA rated

MATLOCK

Bed and Breakfast

Dating from the 1820s, this homeissued a misdemeanor summons, police said.

Yi was arrested and advised he would be taken into police custody. However, when officers repeatedly asked him to get out of bed, he allegedly refused. He was then removed from the bed by police, but as he was being handcuffed, officers said he tensed and refused to comply.

Police told him several times to stop resisting, but he allegedly refused again. Once he was placed in handcuffs, officers said he refused to put on his shoes and walk out of his home. After some hesitation and stalling, he finally complied, police said.

He was charged with misuse of a 911 system and interfering with police. He was again released on a promise to appear in court March 12.


HAVANA -- Clayton Kershaw needed to play catch, because it's already December and this is what he does at least four times a week this time of year. It didn't matter that Spring Training won't start for another two months, or that he was on a goodwill tour through Cuba, or even that he was confined to the Hotel Nacional with nightfall approaching.

He plucked Jose Cruz, the former outfielder who now works for the Major League Baseball Players Association, and together they went out back, to the patio section of the resort and in plain sight of all its occupants. With the sun setting behind him, and a swelling mob surrounding him, Kershaw lightly went through his distinctive delivery and fired fastballs into Cruz's borrowed glove.

Cruz could hearpeople weeping.

"It was a bit surreal," Cruz said. "It was beautiful."

• MLB stars in Cuba: 'To be here ... is amazing'

To the onlookers, this was more than a game of catch. This was a real-life, American professional baseball player in Cuba, the island that for so long had been sheltered from talents like these. This was Clayton Kershaw, the game's premier pitcher, ironing out his craft at this nation's most iconic hotel. This was the kind of sight those in attendance never thought they'd experience.

To a Cuban populace beginning to believe real change may be on the horizon, this was everything.

"It kind of put it in perspective, how important baseball is here," Kershaw said. "Just the passion that the Cuban people have for baseball, and then maybe the


significance of this trip, too."

Kershaw is, admittedly, the outsider on this trip. Every other Major League player joining him -- Miguel Cabrera, Jose Abreu, Nelson Cruz, Alexei Ramirez, Brayan Pena, Yasiel Puig and Jon Jay -- was either born in a Latin American country or at least speaks Spanish fluently. Kershaw is the 6-foot-4, English-speaking white guy, out of his element but soaking in the experience.

Video: MLB Now discusses baseball, Cuba

"I think it's a testament to him, and to his wife, and to a lot of the work that they do internationally," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said. "His willingness to be involved, to be a part of a growing-the-game-and-making-a-difference conversation, is unrivaled."

Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, have immersed themselves in charitable work throughout Africa, building an orphanageCool scene in Havana. Caritas Cubanas kids sing to @MLB players & they get on stage. Check out Miguel Cabrera. #Cuba pic.twitter.com/IwVj6wsA6H

Kershaw's Wednesday began by teaching 150 kids about the fine art of pitching. At the historic Estadio Latinoamericano, home to the Industriales, Kershaw rotated through five stations of children ages 7 to 12 and instructed them to lift their pitching leg up, hold still for a couple of seconds and drive with their back leg toward an imaginary home plate, just like him.

"Bueno!" Kershaw told the group after a successful second try.

Then, with a translator by his side, he told the children how they would pitch to one another, their partners squatting for five pitches and then alternating until it was time to move on to the


selfie-seeking fans -- and joined the rest of the group for lunch at the famous El Floridita. On his way out, the 27-year-old left-hander delighted the crowd by going behind the bar to help make a daiquiri.

Three hours later, he took a ride to a local church, San Juan De Letran, on one of those vintage cars he has become so enamored with. There, about 100 children gathered to thank MLB, the MLBPA and its players for a $200,000 grant to benefit their organization, Caritas Cubana. The emcee introduced all of the players, except one.

"I'm sorry," he said, turning to Kershaw. "What's your name?"

The event eventually broke out in song, the children performing. A small boy vocalized a popular salsa song, "El Pregonero," and all eight of theWhile Pavlo now faces 5 to 10-year imprisonment, his life remains at risk as he has a disability related to the work of his blood circulatory system. After the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, Russia reported that he is overall healthy, but Pavlo’s doctors said, speaking at a press conference, that his … The post...

The case against the leader of the LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic), Igor Plotnitsky, who is accused of committing a terrorist attack where an IL-76 aircraft transporting 49 Ukrainian service members was shot down, was transferred to the High Specialized Court of Ukraine for Civil and Criminal cases, as stated by the press service of the...

The Telegram Messenger will not have “immunity from Russian laws,” as relayed to RIA Novosti by Igor


Shchyogolev, an Assistant to the Russian President. “The general principle is that when there are laws, they must be implemented,” stressed the President’s Assistant in response to a question as to whether...

As the armed opposition of West Ukrainians to the Soviet rule after WWII did not subside, Stalin decided to neutralize the situation in this area by deporting the families of Ukrainian insurgents to Siberia. In 1944-1945, 14,728 families of Ukrainian patriots were taken to Siberia. …read more Source:...

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Timo Soini has stated that he does not rule out the possibility that his country will join the North Atlantic Alliance in the future. “Neither Finland nor Sweden is yet part of NATO, and as I understand,You are here

Joseph Dow's History of Hampton: COMMITTEE OF SAFETY

COMMITTEE OF SAFETY

The convention at Exeter having recommended that a committee of safety should be chosen in each town in the province, this town voted to comply with the recommendation, and chose for their committee: Dr. Anthony Emery, Col. Jonathan Moulton, Capt. Josiah Moulton, Amos Coffin, Esq., Lieut. Cotton Ward, Mr. Josiah Moulton 3d, Lieut. John Dearborn, William Lane, Cornet Simon Nudd, Ens. Philip Towle, John Lamprey, Ens. Jonathan Garland, and Lieut. Josiah Dearborn.

The British having burned a part of Falmouth [now Portland], in Maine, and it being feared that they would also attempt to destroy Portsmouth, General Sullivan was dispatched from Cambridge, in October, to take the command of the militia and defend the harbor of the Piscataqua.


Thirteen soldiers were sent from Hampton; but all of them were discharged after a few days. A month later, the convention at Exeter voted that eight hundred men, offices included, divided into eight companies, should be enlisted at once for the defense of the harbor of Piscataqua and the fortress there. Capt. Henry Elkins, of Hampton, was to command one of the companies.

The royal government in New Hampshire having virtually ceased, the chief authority now acknowledged was that of the convention sitting at Exeter. In that convention were one hundred thirty-three members, representing one hundred two towns. As it would have been very inconvenient for so large a body to attend to all the details of business, they appointed, besides other committees for specific objects, a committee, styled"The Committee of Safety," to whom they gave this general instruction and authority: "To take under consideration all matters in which the welfare of the Province in the security of their rights is concerned; and to take the utmost care, that the public sustain no damage." Special instructions were also, on some occasions, given to them. They at all times exercised executive powers, and when the convention was not in session, "their orders and recommendations had the same effect as the acts and resolves of that whole body." Capt. Josiah Mouton was the only member of this committee, belonging to Hampton. He was first appointed May 24, 1775, and held the position till January 31, 1781, when he also ceased to be a member of the House of


Obtained by BuzzFeed News

The Hungarian government might want to check the internet backstory of the couple fronting its campaign encouraging people to have more children.

A new billboard campaign features the same man and woman from the "distracted boyfriend" meme, which, as lots of people are aware, are not the perfect example of a loving happy couple. The people on the billboard, promoting a new scheme that gives tax and loan benefits for big families, are featured in the stock photo set taken by Spanish photographer Antonio Guillem in 2015, which went viral in 2017.

The happy couple gracing the Hungarian government’s campaign advertising its new family policy is already famous on the internet...and not for being madly in love.

The billboards have recently gone up in Budapest, and went viralon Wednesday after a local resident took a photo in Zugló, the 14th district of the Hungarian capital, and posted it on Facebook.

“I was driving my kids to school and my son noticed this new billboard — it’s the Hungarian government’s new ad for their pro-family benefit programs," the man who took the photo — who didn't want to be named — told BuzzFeed News over Facebook Messenger. "And my son immediately said, ‘This is the couple from that meme.’" The unfortunate photo choice was also picked up by independent media in Hungary after the Facebook post.

@VALERIEin140 @katiejmbaker

The man who took the photo, a Hungarian software entrepreneur, said he was not a fan of the new policy, saying it was designed to boost Hungary's population as an alternative


RICHMOND, Va. -- People rely heavily on their local governments to provide public safety, good schools, and services like trash pickup and road maintenance. Recent decisions by the City of Richmond have some neighbors calling into question whether the process of choosing which streets get paved is a fair one.

"Potholes. You can fall in them potholes. Yeah they’re bad," warned one South Richmond resident.

"My mom, she came through here the other day and she hit a pothole and it flattened her tire," added another.

The neighborhood in question sits south of the river along Decatur Street. While portions of the street remained untouched by city work crews, there was one stretch that recently received a make over complete with fresh pavement.

The section of Decatur Street that got the makeoverdefeat the privilege and render an in camera review appropriate. We affirm as to the dismissal, but reverse as to the award of fees to defendants.
During a jury trial of plaintiff's sexual harassment suit it was revealed that her attorney had in his possession a transcript of a recorded meeting between the plaintiff and her former attorney. The defendants moved that this transcript be turned over to the court for an in camera inspection, arguing that the sequence of alleged instances of sexual harassment tended to show that the plaintiff had consulted her first attorney as to the requisites for a claim of sexual harassment, and that she purposefully had then taken steps to fabricate such a claim.
The trial court agreed and ordered that the document be produced


not support a good faith belief that any fabrication was contemplated.[4]
We are convinced, however, that the defendants' burden has been met by their showing that after plaintiff visited her first attorney, she set out to unduly influence a fellow worker to substantiate her claim.
One of the plaintiff's witnesses, Debbie Avery, was a fellow secretary who worked closely with the plaintiff. Soon after the plaintiff's initial meeting with her first attorney, that attorney met again with Whetstone and Avery. That meeting was also recorded; however, no statements of the plaintiff were recorded at that time. The recorder was operated only when the witness Avery was speaking. Avery admitted at trial that at that meeting the plaintiff would relate an incident of harassment. Then with the recorder turned on, Averyavoid.

**2.** Even if the trader does happen to do this successfully, she has to cover four commissions plus fees plus cover any slippage on the fills out of her profits, which are limited by the butterfly. These hefty fees for employing the butterfly can cut any profit received substantially and make a loss on the butterfly all the more painful.

Other variations of the butterfly spread include spreads with names such as the _inverted butterfly_ , the _condor_ , and the _cartwheel_. Although these can qualify as credit spreads, for an individual investor, we would recommend staying away from all of them. In fact, try to avoid any spread that has the name of an insect, bird, or anything you might find in nature.

We have read commodity newsletters and


to plug into their spreadsheets and "run the numbers" for the next three weeks. However, "paralysis by analysis" is just as big a threat as under planning, in our opinion. It is important to have a general trading plan. But give yourself some leeway to make informed trading decisions and adjustments along the way.

##### **Step 1: Set your objectives**

Constructing an effective option selling portfolio starts out like any self-help book you've ever read. You must have a goal. You must have an objective. "I want to make money" is not specific enough.

"I want to make 40% annualized returns after fees" is specific.

"I want to generate X amount of quarterly income" is specific.

"I want to diversify my overall investment holdings into a new asset class" is specific.

Your first step\"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.\"

Genesis 11: 9.

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York recently held its Biennial 2006 exhibition \[[@B1]\]. Entitled *Day for Night*, after the Truffaut film in which scenes shot in daylight are made to imply night-time, the exhibition was guided by themes of ambiguity, in the literal (works that are not quite what they appear to be), conceptual (in deconstructing the role of the artist in the current socio-political climate) and practical senses (in trying to define what actually constitutes \"American\" art). The 2006 Biennial was heavily influenced by the work of


in exposing the unsanitary practices of the meat industry, culminating in the Roosevelt-endorsed Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906. For all the ensuing uproar regarding the safety of meat intended for human consumption, however, Sinclair\'s intended purpose -- to highlight the exploitation of workers -- received little attention, a fact he himself recognized in the now-famous quotation: *\"I aimed at the public\'s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.\"*Indeed, most of the book is concerned with cataloguing, in unsparingly clinical detail, the succession of financial, physical, psychological insults suffered by its protagonists: the discrimination, the unfair wages, the dire working conditions, the debt slavery, the poor housing, the physical abuse, the unhygienic food, the poisonous medicines. This sequence of events is embodied in a seriesof tragic and, to the reader, seemingly inevitable outcomes -- repeated injuries, chronic poisonings, arrest, death -- the conditions for which were undoubtedly already present even before the story began. Sinclair\'s account, however, is neither merely documentary nor impassive; the victim of this series of misfortunes is also the victimized:

*\"But no, their bells were not ringing for him -- their Christmas was not meant for him, they were simply not counting him at all. He was of no consequence; he was flung aside, like a bit of trash, the carcass of some animal. It was horrible, horrible! His wife might be dying, his baby might be starving, his whole family might be perishing in the cold -- and all the while they were ringing their Christmas chimes! And


the bitter mockery of it -- all this was punishment for him! They put him in a place where the snow could not beat in, where the cold could not eat through his bones; they brought him food and drink -- why, in the name of Heaven, if they must punish him, did they not put his family in gaol and leave him outside?\"*\[\[[@B4]\], p. 192\]

And while the protagonist might bemoan and wonder at his misfortunes, the author is in no doubt as to their causal structure:

*\"He had no wit to trace back the social crime to its far sources -- he could not say that it was the thing men have called \'the system\' that was crushing him to the earth; that it was the packers, hismasters, who had bought up the law of the land, and had dealt out their brutal will to him from the seat of justice.\"*\[\[[@B4]\], p. 193\]

Sinclair\'s narrative is thus ultimately not a comment on ill-health, his focus is not on injuries and deaths, but is rather a thesis on the structural violence that gives rise to them among unorganized individuals within highly organized systems.

It is in this context, compounded by national security concerns, that the United States Congress currently finds itself at an impasse over proposed reforms to the country\'s immigration laws. In its original form, passed by the House of Representatives last December, the bill included provisions for erecting several hundred miles of fencing along the US-Mexico border and classifying illegal immigrants as felons. These two factors


industry has relied largely on the development of \"liberalizing\" trade policies, enabling private enterprises to transcend the nation state and seek resources and labour to suit their economies. In today\'s world, an American product is American only in the ideal. As the Whitney Biennial demonstrates, American art need not be conceived by an American artist, created in the US from American materials, or even be thematically \"American\" -- the idea of American art transcends all borders. Despite recent specific and well-directed global health initiatives, however, the public health field has lagged behind in this respect, remaining to date primarily a statist enterprise largely secondary to the interests and politics of the state. As Farmer forcefully argues, *\"those who direct modern commerce are far ahead of us. They understandby netting his fourth goal, the only one of the encounter. But Jack Charlton’s side exited their first World Cup with heads held high.

Four years later, Ireland claimed a first win over Italy and dealt the Azzurri a severe World Cup blow in the process. To date, the match at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium represents the last time Italy have lost the opener at a World Cup. To that point, they had last suffered that predicament 40 years earlier.

The Italian media assumed Giants Stadium would be awash with Italo-Americans. Instead, they were hopelessly outnumbered by the Irish support. About the same scenario Ireland found themselves in four years earlier in Rome.

“Italy are one of the biggest nations in the world,” Charlton said before USA ’94 started, “and have


at Craven Cottage and was watching RM being treated and as soon as he tried to run onto the field again his ankle went and he collapsed. "out of the World cup" was my instant reaction to my son. Hope Riccardo has a quick recovery but I certainly wish he was in Brazil. Yes I do think he can be replaced but the squad would have been stronger with him.

on the 1st June, 2014 at 11:44am

TonyITA

A lack lustre performance last night marred by Monti injury. Verratti shone out for me, Motta seems one-dimensional though steady. Darmain was very good going forward.. Rossi performed well though not impacting the game, Ciro had a good game for me and looked lively. Cassano looked very impressive and Italy looked more dangerousDEC Announces Lake Ontario Fisheries Meetings

Current Salmon and Trout Stocking Levels will be Maintained in 2018

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that the public will have the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the upcoming 2018 Lake Ontario salmon and trout stocking. Public meetings to gather input will be held in Oswego, Niagara, and Monroe counties in September.

"Lake Ontario and its tributaries provide world-class salmon and trout angling opportunities," Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "Salmon and trout fishing in Lake Ontario continues to be outstanding and DEC remains committed to ensuring that the ecological, recreational and economic benefits of Lake Ontario's sport fisheries are sustained through management practices based on cutting-edge science."

Survey results in 2016 revealed poor survival of Alewife produced in 2013


and 2014, which will result in negative impacts on the adult population of this important prey species in future years. To protect the valuable fishery, the DEC and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) adjusted stocking levels for Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout down 20 percent in 2017 to reduce predator demand on adult Alewife.

Alewife survey results from 2017 confirmed the ongoing impacts of poor Alewife production in 2013 and 2014 on the overall population, but also revealed record numbers of young Alewife produced in 2016. The record numbers of Alewife produced in 2016 is promising, but additional strong Alewife reproduction and survival is needed in upcoming years to rebuild the adult population. In an ongoing effort to effectively manage Lake Ontario fisheries for long-termDo you like this property?

Property Description

Key features

3 Double bedrooms

2 Reception rooms

Family bathroom

Shower room

Down stairs WC

Utility

Kitchen diner

Front and rear garden with mature shrubs

Full description

Tenure:Freehold

An East Finchley Victorian two storey deceivingly spacious mid terraced property set back from the road. This well presented family house offers three generously proportioned bedrooms, one bedroom, shower room and bathroom on the landing and two bedrooms on the first floor. The ground floor provides period features, two separate reception rooms, one with doors leading directly to the garden. To the rear is a bespoke extended modern kitchen/ dining area with doors to a most useful utility room also leading out to the120ft south/west rear garden. This is a light and beautifully presented family house convenient for easy access to East Finchley tube station and


Penetrator is an early Sinclair ZX Spectrum game made by Melbourne House programmers Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler, one of the early hits. It was released in 1982 as a clone of the Scramble arcade game.

In Penetrator, the gamer flies a ship, which can shoot forwards and drop bombs beneath the ship. The first level is on open air, with just mountains to dodge, missiles which try to hit the ship, and animated radars. From the second level onwards, the game is inside increasingly complex caverns, so the ceiling is also a danger, as well as new enemies - the missiles are now sometimes replaced with skulls that can move up and down, blocking the path.

The levels change with no pause, only the screen colour changes. After fourA New York Times article by Patrick Healy and Trip Gabriel (10/23/15), on how the Republican presidential nominee has not yet been determined more than three months before the first voter weighs in, provided this piece of context as its second paragraph:

With Hillary Rodham Clinton emerging as the unrivaled leader in the Democratic contest, the unruly Republican presidential field suddenly seemed to lack a center of political gravity on Friday, leaving party strategists and voters to fear a long nomination fight that could end with a damaged standard-bearer facing a more unified left.

Hmm. The “unrivaled leader” leads her closest rival, Bernie Sanders, by 7 percentage points in an average of recent polls in the first caucus state, Iowa. In the first primary state, New Hampshire, she trails Sanders


encouraged by efforts underway.

Biologist Jerry Kaster, an associate professor in the School of Freshwater Sciences, explains a hopeful sign from the summer of 2016. The mayfly, once a major food source for the Green Bay fish population, re-emerged. The Green Bay Fly, as it was called, was last observed in the area in 1955, and was nearly wiped out by Fox Valley paper mill pollution and resulting dead zones.

Re-establishment began in 2014. Since then, UWM scientists have stocked 488 million mayfly eggs at study sites under the purview of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

In addition to restoring a native species to its original ecosystem, Kaster says, the mayfly’s comeback could be a boon to sport fishing in Green Bay, once a heralded source for walleye.

Spotlight

Children with specialAlmost a decade after manufacturers stopped using certain chemical flame retardants in furniture foam and carpet padding, many of the compounds still lurk in homes. New work to be presented today reaffirms that the chemicals may also still be hurting young children who were exposed before they were born.

Researchers investigating the health impacts of prenatal exposure to flame retardants collected blood samples from 309 pregnant women early in their second trimester. Spikes in the levels of one class of flame retardant, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) correlated with behavior and cognition difficulties during early childhood.

The researchers tracked children through the first five years of their lives, looking at a battery of tests for IQ and behavior. They found that children of mothers who had high PBDE levels during their


Grants Awards

2017 Grant Awards

REF is pleased to award a total of $45,035 in grants and professional development this year, supporting innovation and creativity in Reading schools!

District-Wide Professional Development Fund

Year-Long Professional Development Fund: REF is excited to pilot a new professional development fund for RPS educators to support training throughout the year. By offering a rolling deadline, educators can apply for the cost of tuition as courses and programs arise. This special fund will make it easier for teachers to bring innovative and creative ideas back their classrooms all year long. Established by the REF Board.

Community Grants

Mindfulness Speaker Dr. Christopher Willard: In a forum open to the community, the author of Growing Up Mindfulwill discuss how mindfulness in children can improve attention, lower stress and anxiety, and regulate emotions.project.

The latest reports claim Apple could introduce its new wearable product as soon as October.

The full response from the FDA to the Freedom of Information Act Request is below:

FDA’s Response (Freedom of Information Act Request)

——————————————

MEMORANDUM OF MEETING

December 12, 2013 1:00 – 2:00 pm

Subject: Meeting with Apple Executives

Attendees:

FDA: Margaret Hamburg, Sally Howard, Jeff Shuren, Bakul Patel, Jeff Shiffman

Apple: Jeff Williams, Senior Vice President of Operations Bud Tribble, MD-PhD, Vice President of Software Technology Cathy Novelli, Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs Michael O’Reilly, MD MS, Vice President of Medical Technologies Tim Powderly, Director of Federal Government Affairs

Purpose: This was an external meeting between FDA and executives of Apple to discuss mobile health.

Discussion Highlights:

Apple thanked FDA for the Mobile Medical Apps guidance. From their perspective, they said it was fair


The South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association announces its new Executive Director

27 Mar The South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association announces its new Executive Director

The South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association is proud to announce the selection of M. Kyle Minick as its new Executive Director. Executive Director Minick comes to the Association from the City of North Charleston where he served as the Deputy Chief of Operations. Chief Minick has most recently served as the 71st President of the Association and will become its 5th Executive Director in the Association’s 113-year history.

Chief Minick offered the statement: “ I am honored to be selected to serve the members of our State’s Fire Service in the position of Executive Director. I do not take the roles and responsibilities lightly and pledge toAlbert Watson. Tupac Shakur, New York, 1991

The photographer

Albert Watson(b. 1942) born in Scotland, his striking images have appeared on more than a hundred covers of Vogue and have been featured in countless other publications, including Rolling Stone and Time. Watson has also photographed for hundreds of successful ad campaigns for companies such as Prada, Revlon, and Chanel. All the while, he has spent much of his time working on personal projects from Marrakech to Las Vegas. His breakthrough came in 1973, with a shot he still considers the most important of his career: Alfred Hitchcock holding a plucked goose.

Share

A problem occurred

Please try reloading the page

Cookies disabled

Your browser seems to have cookies disabled. You'll need to turn cookies on to use taschen.com.

Follow us:

Follow us:

Affiliate program & Press

Contact & FAQ

We


Dent hacking at the Townsends' flowers with an axe," Mom had said to us, unloading groceries in the kitchen. "He's a bad kid. I better never see you girls hanging out with him."

I was twelve years old at the time, still in middle school. Tommy went to Spring Hill High, and we'd never really interacted with each other, not even to wait at the bus stop, since the high school started thirty minutes before the middle school did. Everything I'd ever heard about him seemed to corroborate Mom's statement, though, so I just nodded in agreement, certain that she knew what was best for us. But Persephone, who rode the bus with Tommy every day, rolled her eyes and stomped off to our room.

"What's the matter?" I asked,weird thing with my mom. Guess I'll add it to the list of all the other mysteries about her, right after why the hell she loved your dad and why she trusted Tommy Dent."

I felt him watching me through the beat of silence that followed. "What do you mean she trusted Tommy?" he asked. "Trusted him about what?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's so stupid," I scoffed, "but apparently he told her that he and Persephone—"

My shoulder bumped against the paper towel dispenser, and I stumbled a little, startled at how close I'd been to it.

Ben's nearness in that small room made the space even tighter. Still, I couldn't risk taking the conversation into the hallway where Mom might hear us. Her chair was close to the door; she


. . ." He swallowed. "Anyway, I noticed that this room on the third floor—my mom's old office—was locked. And I kicked the door in. I didn't even know I was capable of that, but I just kept picturing his face as he said that what he did was all my fault, and it went a lot easier."

He paused, his mouth curling with a look of disgust, as if he were seeing his father in the room with us now.

"Anyway," he went on, "the room was filled with all these boxes. I opened one of them, and at first I didn't really know what I was looking at. Jeans, sweaters, stuffed animals. But then I saw a shirt that I recognized. It was that pink one, you know?External Sources

Top 10 best looking baseball players

Top 10 best looking baseball players West

March 20, 2011 - Baseball Baseball Drops 7-2 Decision at Charlotte The University of Charlotte completed a three-game series sweep of Harvard on Sunday with a 7-2 victory. Abseball had offensive success at the WHL level, scoring a baseballl high 44 goals and 104 points in 1996-97. Players around the world and other baseball enthusiasts try to explore the reasons behind the suspension of baseball game due to rain. It's getting harder and harder for hitters christmas presents for baseball fans make contact, so if the contact they do make were having a smaller effect, scoring could really be stuck in the doldrums. Bset and Baylor play an elimination game at 2 p. It was bad.


Free agent focus: The Twins have interest in re-signing 37-year-old right-handed reliever Matt Belisle after he filled in admirably as the closer following the Kintzler trade. The other '90s cards in the package didn't throw me as much as that Piazza card. sportandfitness, thank you for stopping by and sharing. After a heartbreaker against North Carolina in which the Cardinals were reverse swept after top 10 best looking baseball players to have things tied up in the first two sets, Louisville set out to finish the deal this time against Florida State. I'd introduce the song on Monday, we'd talk a little about it, and learn it over the week. For 23 years, Baseball Factory's signature program has helped players successfully navigate the college recruiting process. He thinksbreed the stallion. The Pacifics are good enough and rich enough that they might not see any two guys on the field they think can crack their lineup; they top 10 best looking baseball players take Baptista just to keep him from us. The big time fastball Syndergaard brings to the baseball players necklaces titanium necklaces is beest. If you win the World Series, we give you newbury college baseball schedule free team so that you can try to do it again. Robert M. Thanks to an extra-inning home run from Seattle Mariners infielder Robinson Cano, the American League topped the National Top 10 best looking baseball players, 2-1, in the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 10 innings at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida Tuesday night.


but Peterson looks fresh and physically insane heading into the season. He was itching to lower his shoulder on defenders and it's pretty clear he can't wait for live contact.caught several dump downs in team drills and made several defenders miss in the process. Not to mention, he also looked very smooth and elusive when running between the tackles. The weakness for him at this point is in the pass protection aspect of the game. He was beaten twice today in those situations and the coaches have been continually working with him on this during individual drills.took the snaps in goal-line formations and reached the end zone once in that situational drill. He did drop one pass in the flat, but he hasn't had many flaws at thisstage of training camp.It is pretty easy to say this was the best practicehas had during training camp thus far. He consistently found ways to get open by using his footwork and technique. Patterson has been successful in routes that involve him to break towards the ball. He has been adjusting his body to the catch and uses fakes to get the defensive back off balance. Patterson is being more creative to get open and used the head fake to beaton a post pattern. Following the completion, he received a high-five and some encouragement from offensive coordinatorcontinues to run beautiful routes to gain separation. He ran a post pattern and perfectly broke off the route towards the center of the field. Bridgewater read the defense and fired the


pass in front of the outstretched arms of. Johnson dove for the pass and made the catch in a contested location.continued to impress in team drills and nearly hauled in an acrobatic pass on the sidelines. He tipped the pass in tight coverage and nearly redirected the pass and caught the ball on the way down to the ground.Brandon Bostick has been continually flashing his hands in the passing drills. In 11-on-11 work, he broke off a curl and flattened his route towards the sideline. Bostick laid out for the pass and made a fantastic diving grab in traffic. He might be within a crowded tight end grouping, but he certainly has shown some impressive tools in the early portion of training camp. After a poor showing yesterday,lookedmuch improved today. Rudolph hauled in two very difficult catches over the top of Anthony Barr and Gerald Hodges. Yesterday, he wasn't finishing his routes, but today he managed to finally show some effort to get open.andcould be an excellent combination if they are on the field at the same time.Rookielooked the best out of any offensive lineman in the 1-on-1 drills with the defensive lineman today. Thompson wasn't being pushed around by any rushers who came in his vicinity. At this stage of training camp, his technique and footwork were much better than I anticipated. In the team drills, he was laying some excellent blocks in the second level of the defense. When Thompson keeps his motor moving, he is fantastic at maintaining engagement.didn't fare as well


in the 1-on-1 drills. He was beaten once each byand. On both of those occasions, Harris couldn't maintain leverage and was out-muscled off the ball.handled blitzes and chips well, but he didn't perform well in 1-on-1 situations. Everson Griffen put him on his back once and Justin Trattou beat him on an inside swim move.There is plenty of training camp left, but the offensive line has to be an area of concern at this time.is looking to rebound in his second season with the Vikings organization. In the 1-on-1 drills, he won battles on two occasions and used interior leverage to gain position. He was getting an excellent push in the goal-line drill and was in the backfield to help orchestrate a tackle for loss. Joseph will needIf he can run defend well, he might have a chance to see extended playing time this year. Kendricks continues to flourish in pass coverage and is one of the best in this avenue among the linebackers on this roster.is still seeing snaps as the middle linebacker in the base 4-3 package, but if Kendricks continues to flourish, don't be surprised if he is awarded more first-team reps.started training camp by playing most of his snaps on the outside. Today was one of the first practices he spent nearly all of his time in the slot. In fact, he saw some first-team reps as the nickel cornerback.spent a majority of the team drills working with Waynes in the secondary. After every play he was on the field, he


He added an interception yesterday and his physicality has been fitting very well in the backend of the secondary. However, Sendejo hasn't been as good ashas been from a coverage standpoint. Exum Jr. looked very good in the ball skill drills and added one defensed pass during today's session.is playing safety with the third team and added an interception off of a high pass from Mike Kafka. In real game action, he also would have had a sack off of a blitz in the team period. Prater is a versatile player who Mike Zimmer has always liked in his system.As the league has seen more kick-offs heading into the end zone for touchbacks, the coaches are focusing on players handling 'chip-shots.' Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer was constantlyrotating players in the front line of the kick return team. He was trying to find players who could secure the ball in a safe manner. The Vikings are placing a major emphasis on being better in all aspects of special teams and this has been evident over the first few practices of training camp.Shamar Stephen (knee) returned from injury and Josh Robinson (pectoral) is now the only player being sidelined.The Vikings have an off-day tomorrow (Thursday), but will return to the practice fields in Mankato on Friday. They will have a morning walkthrough from 10:30am-11:30, followed by their third full-padded practice from 2:45pm-5:00pmWith the help of the Daily Norseman, VikeFans, Vikings Territory, and Vikings Journal, we are partnering with Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway's Lead the Way Foundation


connecting members is disposed so as to protrude perpendicularly to the lengthwise direction of flat plate shaped member to form a concave portion between the connecting members, and the flat plate shaped member is protruded from the other end of each of the paired connecting members to form a convex portion between the connecting members, by which a fitting portion is formed.
Also preferably, the support unit is configured by a plurality of connecting members and a pair of flat plate shaped members, at least in the vicinities of both end portions in the lengthwise direction of the paired flat plate shaped members, one connecting member is held in the thickness direction of the connecting member by the paired flat plate shaped members, and one end of each ofWorld's oldest mother gives birth to twins at 70

The fact that to do so would make 70-year-old Omkari Panwar the world's oldest mother didn't even cross her mind.

Her resolve was matched by her husband Charan Singh Panwar, 77.

To pay for the IVF treatment vital to producing a male heir to the family's smallholdings, the retired farmer sold his buffalos, mortgaged his land, spent his life savings and took out a credit card loan.

And it all paid off when Mrs Panwar gave birth to twins - a boy and girl - by emergency Caesarean section in hospital in Muzaffarnagar, seven hours drive north of the Indian capital New Delhi.

The twins, born a month premature and weighing 2lb each, are healthy, according to doctors.

The Panwars already have two adult daughters,


Omkari Panwar

Wonders of science: The twins born to Omkari Panwar

Mrs Panwar, who has no birth certificate, uses the date of India's independence in 1947 to gauge her age. She remembers being nine when the British left India - meaning she is now 70.

Romanian Adriana Iliescu, who gave birth to a daughter through IVF aged 66 in 2005, was previously the world's oldest mother.

Mrs Panwar was told she had beaten the record as she recuperated on a rusty steel bed in the mudbrick home of one of her daughters.

Proud parents: Omkari Panwar, 70, with her husband Charan, 77

Proud parents: Omkari Panwar, 70, with her husband Charan, 77

'I didn't know that,' she said. 'But it is of little benefit to me. I have not even seen my own children yetmerged with Brewer.
Prior to the merger, Brewer had issued and outstanding approximately 4,571,800 shares of common stock. About fifty-four percent of the Brewer stock was owned by IUI; approximately two million shares were held by minority stockholders. Perl was the beneficial owner of 1,000 shares of Brewer common stock.
The Brewer stockholders' vote on the merger was 3,634,257 shares in favor (80%); 222,494 shares against (5%); and 694,349 shares not voted (15%).
To effectuate the merger, IUH and Brewer, among other defendants, executed two documents entitled "Agreement" and "Merger Agreement."
The "Agreement," in relevant part, states as follows:

AGREEMENT by and among IU INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, IU INVESTMENT CORPORATION, IUH CORPORATION and C. BREWER AND COMPANY, LIMITED
AGREEMENT, dated the ____ day of ____, 1978, by and among IU International Corporation, a Maryland corporation


("IU"), with its principal office at 1105 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; IU Investment Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("IUI"), with its principal office at 1105 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; IUH Corporation ("IUH"), a Hawaii corporation, with its principal office at ____, and C. Brewer and Company, Limited, a Hawaii corporation ("Brewer"), with its principal office at 827 Fort Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96801.
IUI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IU, owns 2,435,162 shares or approximately 54% of the outstanding and issued capital stock of Brewer. IUH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IUI which has been formed for the purpose of consummating the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. IU, IUI, IUH and Brewer have agreed that it is advisable for IUH to merge into Brewer upon the terms andfiling and recording requirements. The date of such certification, execution and acknowledgment shall be the Closing Date.
6.02 Effective Date.
On the Closing Date, an executed counterpart of the Merger Agreement shall be filed with the Director of Regulatory Agencies of the State of Hawaii and the Merger shall become effective upon the completion of such filing. The date of such completion of filing shall be the Effective Date.

.....
The "Merger Agreement," in relevant part, states as follows:

MERGER AGREEMENT of IUH CORPORATION (a Hawaii corporation) into C. BREWER AND COMPANY, LIMITED (a Hawaii corporation)
AGREEMENT OF MERGER dated this ____ day of ____, 1978 by and between C. Brewer and Company, Limited ("Brewer") a Hawaii corporation, and IUH Corporation ("IUH"), a Hawaii corporation (the two corporate parties hereto being sometimes collectively referred


to as the "Constituent Corporations").
Brewer is a corporation organized under the laws of the Kingdom of Hawaii and existing under the laws of the State of Hawaii, with its principal office at 827 Fort Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96801. Brewer's authorized capital stock consists of 1,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, without par value, and 6,000,000 shares of Common Stock, without par value, of which shares of Common Stock, and no shares of Preferred Stock, are issued and outstanding.
*1040 IUH is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Hawaii and has authorized capital stock of 1,000 shares, without par value, all of which are outstanding and held by IU Investment Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of IU International Corporation, a Marylandcorporation (hereinafter sometimes called "IU").
The parties have agreed to a merger of IUH with and into Brewer under the following terms and conditions:

ARTICLE I

Corporate Existence of Surviving Corporation
In accordance with this Merger Agreement, IUH shall be merged into Brewer in the manner and with the effect provided by the statutes of Hawaii. The separate existence of IUH shall cease as soon as the merger shall become effective, and thereupon IUH shall be merged into Brewer which shall be the surviving corporation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "Surviving Corporation"), and shall continue to exist under, and be governed by, the laws of the State of Hawaii. The time at which the merger becomes effective is herein referred to as the "Effective Date". The name of the Surviving Corporation


and become 4,550 shares of Common Stock of the Surviving Corporation. Each share of such Common Stock issued pursuant to this section shall be fully paid and nonassessable.
(C) Each share of Common Stock of Brewer issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Date (other than (i) shares held by Brewer as treasury stock and shares owned by IU Investment Corporation, all of which shares shall be cancelled and extinguished on the Effective Date, and (ii) dissenting shares, as defined in Section 417-21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which shall have the rights and shall be extinguished as provided by Hawaii Law), shall upon the Effective Date, by virtue of the merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof, be deemed cancelled and in lieu ofas practicable after the Effective Date, each holder of an outstanding certificate or certificates theretofore representing shares of Converted Brewer Stock shall surrender the same to an agent or agents designated by the Surviving Corporation, and such holder shall be entitled upon such surrender to receive in exchange therefor certificates representing the number of shares of $1.36 Convertible Preferred Stock of IU into which the shares of Converted Brewer Stock theretofore represented by the certificate or certificates so surrendered shall have been exchanged as aforesaid. Dividends payable after the Effective Date to holders of record in respect of shares of IU Preferred Stock into which certificates for shares of Converted Brewer Stock shall be exchangeable, shall not be paid to holders of such certificates until such certificates are


merger or consolidation shall become effective under this part at the day, hour, and minute of the filing of the agreement and all necessary certificates of its approval by each constituent corporation in accordance with this part, unless a subsequent day, hour, and minute shall be specified in the agreement... . A copy of the agreement, certified by the director, shall have the same force in evidence as the original and, except as against the State, shall be conclusive evidence of the performance of all conditions precedent to the merger or consolidation, and the creation or existence of the surviving or consolidated corporation.
Appellants claim that under HRS § 417-8 the validity of the Brewer-IUH merger is conclusive as against Perl. The only party who may file suit toa vital element of the securities." The court, noting that the preferred stock of the consolidated company was redeemable within three years at the option of the parent corporation, concluded that "the merger, in effect, is nothing less than a forced sale by the majority stockholders to itself at a price fixed by it and payable at its pleasure." Id. at 466, 143 A. at 731.
Outwater has been criticized as being grounded in "the now dated concept of vested shareholder's rights, which recognized the shareholder's continuing property interest in the corporation." Note, Delaware Reexamines its Merger Laws: New Protection for Minority Shareholders?, 6 Hofstra L.Rev. 973, 986 (1978).


festival grew, Neon Reverb founders James Woodbridge and Thirry Harlin grew more ambitious, offering music in all genres—blues, metal, hip-hop, rockabilly. Shows took place in a sprawling assortment of Downtown venues. The […]

For 13 years, Richard Thomas Hooker served as senior cultural specialist for the City of Las Vegas. During that time, he played an instrumental and collaborative role in a series of projects that transformed Downtown. He co-chaired the Vegas Valley Book Festival; spearheaded the Aerial Gallery (which stretched along Las Vegas Boulevard); secured the first […]

Dear Vegas Music Scene, I’ve come up with a few New Year’s resolutions on your behalf. Keep the following in mind as you work toward developing into a real live-music destination instead of a stop tacked on between gigs in Oakland,He said the recovery time is five to six months, so he will be limited through organized team activities this spring. But he expects to be 100 percent for training camp.

Slauson said he feels “great,” and the recovery is going well so far. He went so far as to say that in about another month, he will be physically ahead of the condition he played in all last season.

He initially injured his shoulder against the Patriots in Dec. 2010. Because he was still able to play — and weight lift, "kind of," he said — Slauson figured it wasn't a big deal and never had it checked out. It wasn't until after the 2011 season that he learned how serious the injuries were.

Slauson fared well in his second


* *

Muhammad Wilkerson, the Jets' first-round pick last year, said he had the chance to meet with new defensive line coach Karl Dunbar a few weeks ago. Wilkerson originally met Dunbar when the coach was still with the Vikings, during a pre-draft visit last spring.

"He’s a great guy. (He coached) Jared Allen, all those great guys," Wilkerson said. "I look forward to him coaching me and bringing all the success he had there with the Vikings."

Wilkerson said he hopes nose tackle Sione Pouha, who is due to become a free agent, is back next season. He called Pouha "underrated."

Wilkerson also said he did not need offseason surgery or a scope on his shoulder. He was listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury all season but saidCFP: Children, Childhood, and Popular Culture

The Children and Childhood Studies Area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association invites you to participate in the 25th annual MAPACA conference. Papers in this area examine the impact of popular culture on children and childhood, as well as the role of children and young adults as influencers and creators of popular and American culture.

We are open to papers and presentations regarding any topic at the convergence of Popular Culture and American Childhood. In addition, in recognition of MAPACA's 25 anniversary in 2014, we'd love to have papers or other presentations that deal with the concept of "anniversaries" or "25" in relation to children and popular culture. These might include birthdays, aging or growing, "25 as the new 18," contemplations on


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline The Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power MORE (R-Ky.) is under fire from Democrats for repeatedly blocking election security legislation in recent days.

The simmering anger among Senate Democrats reached a boiling point this week when McConnell blocked two attempts to pass election bills shortly after former special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evokingAmerican democracy so he can protect a President who unravels it day-by-day.”

Democrats are hitting McConnell, who is up for reelection next year, from all angles: showdowns on the floor, press conferences and an endless barrage of tweets. Their ultimate goal, they say, is to try to force McConnell to move legislation or at least go on the record blocking bills heading into 2020.

McConnell fired back in a series of tweets Friday night while seeking to raise money for his campaign, saying "Democrats’ Russian conspiracy theories against President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE hit


a dead end during the Mueller hearing" and "now, like a failed doomsday cult that predicted the end of the world, the liberal grifters need a fresh target: Mitch."

One of the bills pushed by Senate Democrats would require the use of paper ballots and boost election funding; the other would mandate that candidates, campaign officials and family members notify the FBI of assistance offers from foreign governments.

The House has sent the Senate two major election security bills since Democrats regained the majority earlier this year, but both have been sidelined by McConnell.

ADVERTISEMENT

McConnell’s blockade went viral Friday after MSNBC host and former GOP lawmaker Joe Scarborough Charles (Joe) Joseph ScarboroughScarborough calls on Cuomo to walk back statement he made about Trump: 'Out of bounds' Mika Brzezinski: 'Super grossed out'Meet the Portsmouth artist who has recreated the classic car scene from Jurassic Park

A PORTSMOUTH artist has seen her redesigned car used in a promotional campaign for a dinosaur event at Longleat Safari Park.

Rebecca Perkins painted and kitted out a £340 Peugeot 306 in the style of the explorer vehicles made famous in the original Jurassic Park movie.

‘I am a big fan of the movies and my husband suggested the idea of designing a car in the Jurassic Park theme. I decided to put my own touch to it by adding the roof rack and even painting on the dirt,’ explained Rebecca.

Longleat Safari Park decided to use the car in their promotion campaign after seeing pictures of the vehicle which had been taken by friend and photographer Nico


Martin.

‘The park got in touch and suggested coming for a video shoot before they opened up for the public. As soon as we went in all the lions gathered around us as we were the only car in the enclosure,’ explained Rebecca.

In addition to the video the park also showcased the vehicle to promote their dinosaur themed T-Rex predator event which has been running across the summer.

Joining Rebecca for the visit was nine year old daughter Ella-Mae Stott.

‘It was so cool going into the lion enclosure in the Jurassic Park car. It was a special day and the lions came so close and even started biting the car,’ explained Rebecca.

Away from the safari park the design has certainly proved to be a head turner when driving around thein New York at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the world's biggest securities firm.

"No one wants to lend because they are still wary of values of bank balance sheets, and no one wants to borrow from the money market because they can borrow directly from the central banks," said Alessandro Tentori, a fixed-income strategist at BNP Paribas SA in London.

Lender Of Only Resort

Funding Drought Slams China

China's largest banks, with 4 trillion yuan of cash, are resisting government efforts to boost lending to 42 million small and medium-size companies that drove the economic boom of the past decade.

Half the nation's toy exporters have closed this year, and 67,000 smaller enterprises filed for bankruptcy in the first half, according to government statistics. Companies with assets of less than 40 million yuan


Today's real wedding proves that a quietly stylish elopement can be just as personal and meaningful as a big, blow-out party with 200 guests - Lais and Patrick's wedding at Glenveagh National Park, captured by This Modern Love, is original, passionate and just plain dreamy, with Tom Petty's Wildflowers providing the theme. This is one seriously creative couple - just wait until you see the level of detail they put into their big day!

Patrick and Lais met at work, but Patrick is quick to point out that he didn't make the best impression. "I remember the first thing I said to her; 'Oh Lais, that's an interesting name!' And her response; 'Oh Patrick, that's an interesting name!' That was pretty much the last thing I said to her"We put pictures of four couples that mean a lot to us around the room: my parents, her parents and grandparents as well as my brother and his now wife (they got married a couple of months after us)."

After the ceremony, Lais swapped out her vintage veil for this feather headpiece, also from Dirty Fabulous, which matched her green satin bridal flats!

The couple were really clever about how they worked their theme into the day. "The flowers were all wildflowers," Patrick explains, "and part of the lyrics to the song were embroidered inside my jacket and on the sole of her shoes."

The Wildflowers theme even extended to their honeymoon, which was a two-parter. "Straight after the wedding we went on a road trip from Milan to Sicily," Patrick


California looks to build high-speed rail in cooperation with China

China's success in building advanced infrastructure is getting attention from countries around the world including the US, where aging roadways, railways, airports and ports are in dire need of improvement.

In San Francisco, Chinese and US political and business leaders, from both the public and private sectors, met to develop new partnerships at the China-US Infrastructure Cooperation Forum. One such collaborative project is California's high-speed railway.

High-speed railway is China’s area of expertise. Of the 20,000 kilometers of railway in China, 12,000 are high-speed, and the number is expected to double by 2020.

California has welcomed Chinese technology and investment, and Chad Edison, California Deputy Secretary for Transportation, said they are “getting ready to do an early train operator selection and alsoFrom Bolsheviks to Busheviks: The Uzbek Political Elite

Introduction: “Transition” to What?

As in many postsocialist states, the buzzword in Uzbekistan in the last fifteen years has been “transition,” a term that obscures more than it illuminates. The common assumption is that the transition is from command economy to market economy and from authoritarianism to democracy. In many of these states, however, the end of socialism brought about a transfer of wealth from the state to a new bourgeoisie; and privatization resulted with plundering of public and state resources (Humphrey 2002, Nazpary 2002). Thus, transfer of wealth is resentfully questioned throughout the former Soviet Union. Another related development was the success of the former Communist Party elite in reproducing itself. Since the Soviet regime effectively eliminated alternative elites to emerge,


the key political players remained the same, merely shedding their ideologies. As anthropologist Katherine Verdery argues, transition entailed a mixture of the old and new, rather than a simple replacement of the old by the new (Verdery 1996).

Dissertation research I conducted in Uzbekistan between 2002 and 2003 showed a rapid decline in the standard of living as a result of growing rates of unemployment, low or delayed government salaries and absence of state subsidies. The withdrawal of state support without an alternative has created serious social problems, transformed family and community relations and increased polarization of social classes. Since the 1990s, Uzbekistan has become a main transit point for the transnational drug trade originating from Afghanistan and for human trafficking. The results are widespread alcoholism and drug use,new phenomenon in Uzbekistan. The Soviet system produced its own pattern of stratification and inequality. During this era, the main distinction was between the party elite and ordinary people. The Soviet elite was composed of individuals that were considered politically reliable by the center, and they were placed in the decision-making positions. In Uzbekistan, as elsewhere in the USSR, the elite consisted of the “partycrats,” the high echelons of the Communist party and leaders of Komsomol, the communist youth organization. Although the highest political positions were controlled by Moscow, the power to nominate lower-level elite was designated to the authorities in individual republics. Members of the Uzbek elite were Russified Uzbeks[1], many of whom were educated in Moscow, as well as Russians, and they were often successful in


passing their privileges on to their children. The political power of the Soviet elite was translated into economic power as their political positions provided access to housing and other goods and services. In an economy where shortages were endemic, this access meant having considerable power over the rest of the society. The privileges and benefits depended on one’s relationship to the state, and individuals’ educational or occupational opportunities were subject to resource transfers, hence to shifts in state policies (Zhou et. al. 1996).

In the final years of the USSR, and particularly after independence, the Uzbek elite started to transform their positions of political power into personal wealth, especially in real estate. In many of the ex-socialist states, the directors of privatized enterprises remained in their position and retainedthere is a strong element of regionalism among the elite[4]. French anthropologist Boris Petric points out that the nomination and selection of political personnel takes place in training institutions, which are the real antechambers of power (Petric forthcoming). He emphasizes two educational institutions in Tashkent, the capitol of Uzbekistan: the University of Diplomacy and World Economy, which used to be the school of the Party, and the brand-new Academy of Social and State Construction. The power struggles cannot take place in the parliament because of election fraud and banning of opposition parties, so they occur elsewhere. Petric suggests that the Academy imposes informal regional quotas and tries to balance the number of students from major regions of Uzbekistan (for example, Tashkent, Ferghana Valley, Samarkand-Bukhara). To join the Academy,


students or interns need to have a sponsor in the regional administration where they come from who recommends them to the Academy. Once admitted, the students are expected to develop a personal relationship with a professor or administrator in the Academy from their native region, who then places him or her in a wide solidarity network. A civil servant’s access to power and resources depends on these kinds of connections. After being trained at the Academy, students go back to their native regions to serve (Petric, ibid.). Therefore, the government, by requiring the local elite go through the centralized training, tries to create a common national identity that supersedes regional identities and eliminates the emergence of an alternative elite.

However, the regional elite has only temporary and precarious accessto resources as President Karimov frequently reshuffles the bureaucratic personnel. He organizes regular visits to the regional governors, in which he often takes opportunity to dismiss them by accusing them of corruption. Petric notes that Karimov does what Moscow used to do: act as the arbiter between regional factions and assure a regional turnover among the political staff[5]. Reshuffling the high- and mid-ranking bureaucrats is also a way to ensure that no one becomes strong or popular enough to challenge him. Besides balancing various factions, Karimov monitors them as well. He appoints someone reliable from his own circle to serve as second-in-command at every administrative level.

Uzbek sociologist Ilkhamov argues that Karimov tries to bypass the regional elite and makes them do the dirty work, such as tax collection,


from cotton, but it is sold to the international markets, and production costs are extremely low[19].

State interference into economy

In the summer of 2002, following an International Monetary Fund mission to Uzbekistan, the government tried to impose a series of new trading restrictions that led to unprecedented protests in the markets and bazaars, which are a key part of economic activity in the country. In July, the government imposed a 90 percent tariff (of the cost of imported goods) on most imported items, including those produced in other ex-Soviet countries, and a 50 percent tarrif on packaged food[20]. Vendors were required to provide a certificate of the payment of the tariff or prove that the goods they sold were made in Uzbekistan. The purpose was to wipe out theblack market, but ordinary Uzbeks interpreted this as yet another attempt by the customs officials and tax collectors to extort bribes.[21] The immediate effect of the policy was the closing down of the bazaars, and thus, the loss of income for most traders, drivers, porters, cooks and the like. The implementation of the policy was first postponed due to the protests, and then the amounts were reduced to 70 and 40 percent, respectively.

In October 2002, merchants were also obliged to have cash registers, another reason for outrage. The reasoning behind the introduction of cash registers was to track purchases and increase tax revenues. Given the level of corruption in the country, people believed it would be the relatives and clients of the President and high-ranking officials who would


decreased, shuttle traders have been bringing in cheap, affordable consumer goods. For the impoverished, even many of these goods are beyond reach. The government requirement for quality documents, “to protect Uzbek consumers”[25], was met with sarcastic comments by my informants. They obviously were unimpressed by the government’s concern with the quality of the products they consumed while it did not pay them their salaries for months.

In the winter of 2002, as the markets remained empty and the prices at the state-owned stores were too high, consumers began to travel to markets in neighboring countries, particularly Shymkent in southern Kazakstan[26]. The availability and affordability of goods compensated for the expense of traveling. IWPR reported that in the fall of 2002, 30,000 to 35,000 Uzbeks visited the region daily, nettinginterests, the people who were well-connected and had access to import licenses benefited greatly from this situation. Merchants at the bazaars and shuttle traders were not unwarranted when they argued that their businesses would be handed over to firms and companies registered in the names of the children, wives and other relatives of officials.

In short, doing small and medium business in Uzbekistan has been increasingly difficult due to restrictions on trade, arbitrary closing of bazaars and tightened border controls; and foreign businesses experience bureaucratic obstacles with payments and settlements. The major source of wealth for the political elite, however, has been foreign aid and the revenues from the cotton export.

State and Society

In the last few decades, scholars have argued that the state-society relations are not one-sided; state and


that states are not always the unchallenged prime movers of macro-level societal change they are sometimes presented to be. They are often strictly constrained by their domestic environments. The societies in which they operate affects the autonomy of states, their policies, the preoccupying issues for their leaders and their coherence. According to Migdal, social organizations, including the state, coexist symbiotically. Society is also transformed by the state. The opportunities and obstacles that the state presents shapes social organizations and the structure of society as a whole. They are also influenced by other social organizations and by the openings and limitations posed by the world economy. Therefore, the interaction of states and other social formations is a continuing process of transformation. Neither states nor societies are fixed entities; theytrade was common in Uzbekistan as in many other postsocialist states (Baykal forthcoming). Thus, state and society constituted and transformed one another. Yet, the international dynamics is another factor that has to be considered as well. The recent transnational alliances has been influencing the state-society relations in Uzbekistan.

Recent Opportunities: Alliance in the War on Terror

One of the most successful moves of the Uzbek government has been to join the alliance in the “war on terror” after the September 11 attacks and give an airbase to the United States[31]. Since the collapse of the USSR, Karimov has been trying to justify his authoritarian government by emphasizing stability in a volatile region. In fact, in the early 1990s, some Western observers supported the repressive and homogenizing actions of the Uzbek


human rights abuses in the country. Karimov has been praised by his American visitors Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld for his support in the war on terror. President Bush thanked Uzbek President Karimov personally[33]. Ironically, at the same time, other branches of the American government, such as the State Department, attacked Karimov’s regime for abuses of political and civil rights. Uzbek people questioned the U.S. government’s motives and found them hypocritical (that is, eager to abandon their democratic principles in exchange for economic or military advantage). The government was quick to realize that donor countries see security ties as more important than democratic reform. For instance, the Unites States announced in July 2004 that it was going to withhold millions of dollars in security and economicofficial figures, and wounded at least a hundred. The attacks, which targeted key government buildings, were blamed on the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, but links to Islamic radicals could not be proven. The bombings set off a far-reaching government crackdown on civil rights, in which thousands of people were arrested for engaging in non state-sanctioned forms of religious expression. [return to text]

10. Specialists argue that there has been a historical rivalry between Tashkent-Ferghana and Samarkand-Bukhara factions. During the Soviet era, native politicians had their respective power bases. For instance, of the two major early leaders of Uzbekistan, Faizulla Khodzhaev and Akmal Ikramov were rivals from 1925 to 1938. Khodzhaev was a Bukhara/Samarkand figure whereas Ikramov was rooted in the Tashkent/Fergana regions and primarily oriented to Moscow. Khodzhaev symbolized


a redistributive fatherly state. In the post-Soviet era, President Karimov attempted to portray himself as the “father” of the Uzbeks; however, he could not sustain it due to his unpopular policies and increasing poverty and social stratification. [return to text]

14. Mahalla is a form of neighborhood organization specific to Central Asia and the Middle East. Bacon describes the mahalla, or ward, in pre-Soviet era as the strongest social unit in cities, towns and large villages that consisted of a street or segment of a street, with the lanes and cul-de-sacs branching from it and a mosque (1966: 72). The Soviet authorities incorporated Uzbek mahallas into the Soviet system and promoted them in order to gain legitimacy and control and to appear benign; yet, they had a limited access.Formula One's championship fight is all but over with five races to go before the end of the season. German driver Sebastian Vettel needs just one point to clinch the 2011 title for his Red Bull Racing team and he is expected to do this at next week's Japanese Grand Prix. Last year, he became the youngest champion in the sport's history when he won for Red Bull and he has dominated the field so far this year.

However, although it has achieved all its aims in F1, Red Bull's billionaire boss, Dietrich Mateschitz, says that the drinks company has no plans to reverse out of the sport, despite recent reports its sister F1 team, Toro Rosso, would be sold this month to Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company.

"No,"


Mr Mateschitz says, "[Toro Rosso is not for sale] although partnerships would not be ruled out, as long as the partner is the right one."

He adds that at the moment, he would also not consider selling a stake in Red Bull Racing but "a forecast is difficult and a decision always depends on the wider picture, the politics, influence of F1 shareholders and many other factors".

Competition flows through the veins of Red Bull. When the company was founded in 1987, it was up against two of the world's best-known brands: Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Through its unique marketing strategy, which associates Red Bull with adrenalin-fuelled extreme sports, it went on to become the world leader in the energy-drinks sector.

F1 is its most high-profile investment but it is much moretrade and commerce before being hired as international marketing director of Blendax, a German toothpaste manufacturer now owned by Procter & Gamble. He was essentially a toothpaste salesman and he travelled the world.

It was on one of his business trips that Mr Mateschitz came across an energy drink called Krating Daeng, Thai for "Red Bull". Mr Mateschitz became its biggest fan after finding it reduced the effect of jet lag. He convinced Chaleo Yoovidhya, its manufacturer, to go into partnership with him. Red Bull GmbH was born.

Mr Mateschitz owns a 49 per cent stake in Red Bull, with the majority in the hands of Mr Yoovidhya and his son. In its first year, a million cans were sold; last year, four billion. It gave Red Bull record revenue


2005, its first full year as an owner, Red Bull poured £58.3m into the team but, according to its latest accounts, in 2009 the investment nearly doubled to £106.8m as the drinks company fuelled its championship campaign. To maximise lead time, development work on F1 cars is done the year before they are introduced and in 2009 Red Bull's spending on research and development increased 18.8 per cent to £57.2m.

Mr Mateschitz says that Red Bull has "no medium- or long-term business plans" in F1 except staying at the top for as long as possible. He puts the team's success down to its staff. "We recruited the best and most professional people for all key positions." Red Bull Racing has 592 staff but four of them have played abigger part than the others in the team's success.

Team principal Christian Horner was one of the first key recruits and, as F1's youngest team principal, he suited Red Bull's youthful attitude. He was followed by Adrian Newey, the most successful designer in F1, who has a salary of about £6.5m. Vettel is believed to be paid £10.4m with his partner, Mark Webber, getting around £3.9m.

Mr Mateschitz says it is hard to offset the team's costs by increasing sponsorship due to the prominence of Red Bull's logos. Red Bull Racing has 13 on-car sponsors, including oil company Total and car brand Infiniti, but they provide only around 24.5 per cent of its £160.8m revenue. The team lacks a title sponsor and Mr Mateschitz says it is "difficult to find


one due to the strength of the Red Bull brand". Its prominence is where the real value lies.

"The return on investment is the marketing value, which depends on the race performance and results," Mr Mateschitz says. Red Bull has the most visible logos on the livery of both of its teams, and the on-track success of Red Bull Racing has made it the most exposed brand in F1 for the past two years. Red Bull's Advertising Value Equivalency – the price it would have to pay to buy a similar amount of on-screen exposure – came to an estimated £144m in 2009 and £232m in 2010, when it received almost a quarter of the total received by all the teams. It has already got exposure worth an estimatedMy name is Fred and I am a gay conservative living in Ottawa. This blog supports limited government, the right of the State of Israel to live in peace and security, and tries to expose the threat to us all from cultural relativism, post-modernism, and radical Islam.
I am also the founder of the Free Thinking Film Society in Ottawa (www.freethinkingfilms.com)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Why are the Palestinians still refugees???

The United Nations has two agencies for dealing with refugee issues: The U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the former devoted to refugees the world over, and the latter focusing purely on Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Crucially, their operating definitions of refugee differ radically. UNHCR


uses the 1951 Refugee Convention definition which establishes as a refugee someone who: ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.'

In contrast to this relatively narrow designation, the Palestinian-devoted UNRWA's definition is far broader. As well as ‘people whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict' ‘[t]he descendants of the original Palestine refugees are also eligible for registration.'

This has created the unique reality thatsupport themselves remain registered with UNRWA as refugees.

It is deeply revealing that something as intuitive as removing the label ‘refugee' from someone who has been objectively resettled - or indeed from the great grandchild of that same someone - is still lacking in the bubble-like operation that is UNRWA. The fact that 4.7 million people are officially labelled by one UN body as refugees when under the main UN refugee body, most would not qualify for the title points to the fundamental orientation of UNRWA as a political not humanitarian organisation, a problem that dates back to its founding in May 1950.

Originally intended to prioritise Palestinian resettlement and works programmes in the aftermath of the 1948 War, UNRWA's remit was redefined in accordance with the demands of Arab


host nations and the refugees themselves, who insisted that "reintegration" was no alternative to returning to the land that now constituted the State of Israel. The dream of deferred repatriation was thus kept alive by a vast bureaucracy of dependence that has, over time, metamorphosed into a sort of mini-state unto itself and superimposed across four separate countries, including Palestine itself.

UNRWA employs 30,000 people and receives an annual operating budget of $500 million, 17 percent of which comes directly from the United States. It maintains its own schools, health clinics and welfare/social services departments and microfinance and microenterprise assistance. Although more than half of UNRWA's funding goes toward the maintenance of its Education Programme, there is every reason to believe that a self-perpetuating economy has sprung up infounded. The agency's Siblin Vocational Training Centre outside Sidon, Lebanon, was for years during the Lebanese civil war operated by the PLO. And following Hamas's violent coup in Gaza in 2007, UNRWA openly protested standing US and EU policy, which considered Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and insisted that the Islamist party be "encourage[d]" and "engage[d] with." As late as May 2009, the agency's current Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd went on the Iranian state-controlled Press TV to declare that Hamas was "free from corruption" and "more popular than ever."

Given these conditions, UNRWA's self-justifying mandate seems inevitable. Its singular definition of refugee as a status-based rather than needs-based individual has exacerbated the broader Palestinian refugee crisis in two ways; first, by failing to rescind status upon resettlement; and second, by


cover consists of an aperture, in the form of a slider, allowing the first stud to pass through it and for the movement of said first stud along the length of said aperture and a slider arranged over the cover in which, with the barrel broken, the referred slider will block the movement of said stud along the length of the aperture, thus immobilizing the trigger and, in the closed barrel position, the mentioned slider allows the movement of the first stud along the aperture.
However, the need remains for a trigger assembly that has reduced manufacturing requirements and hence cost. The need also exists for a trigger assembly that can be employed in a break barrel airgun, wherein the trigger assembly includes a primary sear and a secondaryThis is not the first time the piracy website has leaked a movie online. The infamous platform had leaked mega-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, two days before its release date for free

In Dabangg 3, Salman Khan returns to the beloved role of a cop Chulbul Pandey

Salman Khan starrer Dabangg 3 has been leaked on the leading piracy site TamilRockers. The development is a major disappointment for the makers of the action comedy film, which features Sonakshi Sinha and Arbaaz Khan as other actors.

This might also affect the overall Box office collection of Dabangg 3.

This is not the first time the piracy website has leaked a movie online. The infamous platform had leaked mega-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, two days before its release date for free.

Several other movies like Gully Boy, Manikarnika, Simmba,


Citizenship Amendment Act across major cities of the country may also have dampened its overall earning to some extent.

The movie also features Kichcha Sudeep in a significant role. Sudeep has a massive fan following in the Southern states and Dabangg 3 would cash in on that heavily.

The Indian film industry has been trying its best to stop the piracy war over the past several years.

Earlier this year, members of the Film Federation of India (FFI) had asked for the government for to look into issues related to film's piracy as it is a major concern for the film industries at large.With the advent of the computer age, electronic systems have become a staple of modern life, and some may even deem them a necessity. Part and parcel with this spread of technology comes an ever greater drive for more functionality from these electronic systems. A microcosm of this quest for increased functionality is the size and capacity of various semiconductor devices. From the 8 bit microprocessor of the original Apple I, through the 16 bit processors of the original IBM PC AT, to the current day, the processing power of semiconductors has grown while the size of these semiconductors has consistently been reduce. In fact, Moore's law recites that the number of transistors on a given size piece of silicon will double every 18 months.
As semiconductors have evolved


Bancroft gears up for Gemboree weekend

July 31, 2018

July 31. 2018

By Nate Smelle

For more than five decades “rockhounds” and mineral collectors from around the world have been coming to Bancroft on the August long weekend for the annual Rockhound Gemboree.
Each year more than 100 vendors set up shop in Bancroft, bringing with them their collections of gems, crystals, rocks, fossils, minerals, jewelry, art and collectables.
Bancroft and District Chamber of Commerce’s general manager Greg Webb is looking forward to another exciting Gemboree weekend. He said that one of the things that makes the event such a success year after year is the eclectic mix of vendors who come to town to display and sell artifacts from their collections.
“The Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree is the largest gem and mineral show in Canada,”Music Videos

A 2016 comedy music video featuring Joyce Mordoh, known as the voice of Pirromount in the 80’s and 90’s. She sang the theme songs to Nudist Colony of the Dead and Deathrow Gameshow, as well as vocals from Polish Vampire and Curse of the Queerwolf.


of violence against his political opponents should get him fired. No doubt, he will claim "academic freedom" to spew his hatred.

What makes the professor's comments so chilling is that you know that many of his colleagues both at Clemson and at universities around the country believe the same thing but don't have the guts (or stupidity) to put it in writing. Thankfully, Knijenburg has revealed himself to students, parents, and administrators as a biased partisan who couldn't possibly be objective with students who disagree with his radical views. The sooner the school dismisses him, the better.The U.S. government will continue efforts to return stolen artifacts from abroad although the process could be quite arduous, the chief of the Seoul regional office of the primary investigative arm for the U.S. customs authorities said.

"The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a commitment between the United States of America and partnering countries like South Korea to combat the illegal trade in stolen art and antiquities," HSI Attache Seoul Cho Taekuk said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday. "We will continue to investigate and return these priceless treasures whenever possible."

The 42-year-old Korean-American took a decisive role in the U.S. government's recent repatriation of nine ancient Korean seals and other Korean treasures by discovering that they were stolen by American soldiers


during the 1950-53 Korean War.

In November, HSI agents seized the seals from the family of a deceased U.S. Marine lieutenant who served in the war. Among them is the Hwangjejibo (Seal of the Emperor) that King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) made upon the establishment of the Korean Empire in 1897. The nine seals were returned to South Korea last month when U.S. President Barack Obama visited the country for a summit with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

HSI is in charge of criminal investigations that involve the illegal importation and distribution of cultural property, including the illicit trafficking of cultural property, especially objects that have been reported lost or stolen. It has repatriated approximately 7,200 cultural artifacts to 27 countries since 2007, according to Cho.

"Returning a nation'scultural heritage promotes goodwill with foreign governments and citizens while significantly protecting the world's cultural heritage and knowledge of past civilizations."

Most recently, the HSI returned a looted painting to Poland in April, a Nazi German looted painting to Poland in February, a 15th century manuscript to the Italian government in January and stolen antiquities to India in January.

"The theft and trafficking of cultural heritage and art is a tradition as old as the cultures they represent. What has changed is the ability of cultural pirates to acquire, transport, and sell valuable cultural property and art swiftly, easily and stealthily," Cho said.

"These criminals operate on a global scale without regard for laws, borders, nationalities or the significance of the treasures they smuggle. One of HSI's many missions is to


Even if your wideout didn't see that linebacker coiled up between the hashmarks in Madden, ready to hit him like a lifetime supply of bad news, anyone who's played the game can quote from memory what comes next.

It's when Cris Collinsworth saunters up like your uncle with three or four in him before Thanksgiving dinner, hangs a hammy arm over your shoulder and dislodges something sounding like a Rotary Club anecdote that everyone heard a zillion times by 1985.

"Let me tell youuuuuu," Collinsworth assures yet again, "you haven't lived until you've caught one of those high hard ones and had one of those clowns flip you upside down." It's a piece of dialogue so comically overplayed it's a wonder Collinsworth hasn't been autotuned into a Steve Porter remixbut how you say it.

Advertisement

That's one of the propositions of Phonetic Arts' "PA Commentator" software, something that's been likened to "the vocal equivalent of motion capture," for its potential transformative effect, the company's cofounder and CEO says. It's not only a more sophisticated engine for managing a game's dialogue tree - making "X gets the ball to Y" sound more natural - it'll manipulate the audio itself to put different inflections on the same recorded lines, so that a player might hear the same words but not the same commentary.

"Games have never been perfect; they've never been complete models for reality," Paul Taylor, Phonetic Arts' cofounder, said from the studio's headquarters in Cambridge, England. "But I think in the so-called sports broadcast genre, Madden, FIFA and the 2K


in a sports title by the end of the year.

The next leap, maybe you're talking about a technological advance where the CPU is capable of mimicking a known announcer's voice and inflection, and it's a matter of telling it what to say, a process that scales much, much higher than pre-recorded audio, even if it's manipulated on the back end. Roger Ebert, with an immense library of spoken performances, has had his voice nearly replicated by computer, but that technology is years, if not decades, away from being cost-effective and usable in a video game.

Regardless, this is a situation peculiar to sports games, and sports games' audio must deliver a verisimilitude demanded by no other community of gamers.

"If you've just gotten into an adventure game with a clearWe know that nature serves as a calming force when we're stressed or anxious, and its effects on children may be even more profound.

"Nature has the power to make children happier, healthier, and smarter," Sarah Milligan-Toffler, executive director of the Children & Nature Network, explained during the Biophilic Leadership Summit, a gathering of dozens of thought leaders in nature-inspired design held this April.

The summit was sponsored by Interface, a sustainable modular carpet company, and the was backdrop—fittingly—was Serenbe, a buzzy wellness community where no home is more than a minute from a hiking trail, 70 percent of the land is reserved as protected green space, and unrivaled access to nature is practically guaranteed with a lease. With edible plants dotted throughout family backyards and trampolines embedded into the


to explain of nature's cradle-to-grave benefits. It has also been shown to play a role in mental well-being by decreasing anger and anxiety and helping children cope with stressful life events—especially those who grow up in low-income urban communities.

Atiba Jones, an urban youth corps program manager at Greening Youth Foundation who also spoke at the Biophilic Conference, has seen this therapeutic impact firsthand. By connecting more youth, particularly youth of color, with public and private sector conservation jobs, the foundation has helped 500 to 600 students annually, across the United States and parts of Africa, get paid to get outside more.

Outside, kids are able to have a refuge of peace—away from a lot of the things they may be facing at home.

"Many of the kids I work withreleased her, but also gave her a female servant as a parting gift - an Egyptian woman named Hajar. Hajar eventually gave birth to Isma'il. Ibrahim took Hajar and Isma'il to a then uninhabited Makkah, and left them. As he turned to talk away, Hajar called out to him: "Where are you going, leaving us in this valley with nobody and nothing?" He kept walking, without responding. She then asked: "Did Allah command you to do this?" He responded: "Yes." Hajar, alone with her son in a strange, desolate land far from her home in Egypt, gave a most amazing response that few today could sincerely give: "Then Allah will never abandon us." Shortly thereafter, Jibril appeared and confirmed this to her: "Do not fear abandonment. There will