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Latest News
Caracas' hair-cutting filmmaker has found a muse in local crime
Jackson Gutiérrez was trimming the hair of one of his regulars while the client shared the latest neighborhood gossip: a group of men on motorcycles had chased down a thief and thrown him off a cliff.
"No way," said Gutiérrez without looking up from his shears. "We should put that in the next movie."
Gutiérrez's first love is cutting hair. His second love is making movies. And Caracas' gritty Petare neighborhood has given him the opportunity to do both.
Gutiérrez, 30, cuts the hair of local arms dealers, petty thieves and regular street hustlers. It's cliché to say that people talk to their barber, but they do.
And Gutiérrez has woven many of their stories into the 17 films he's made about crime, gangs and murder. His movies are made fast and cheap, and they're distributed by a network of sidewalk vendors who pirate the movies alongside the latest Hollywood blockbusters.
His breakout film Azotes de Barrio en Petare or, roughly, The Afflictions of Petare Neighborhood, was finished in 2006 for $230. It was seen more than 1 million times on YouTube before being taken down and is thought to have sold hundreds of thousands of copies on the street.
"His movies are something of a phenomenon with the street merchants," said Carlos Caridad, a Venezuelan filmmaker who blogs about the industry. "If he had made money on those sales, he would be a rich man."
His movies haven't made him rich, but they have opened doors. Gutiérrez has been given a production job at a local television station, and he and director Carlos Malave have made a new version of Azotes de Barrio that will be on the big screen early next year. Another film, Caracas: Las Dos Caras de la Vida, won a special jury prize at this year's Venezuelan Film Festival and nabbed Gutiérrez an award for best supporting actor.
Gutiérrez seems unmoved by the recognition. Almost every day he can be found at Tazmania, his cramped one-seat barbershop that's tucked between scrap-metal stores in Petare.
On a recent weeknight, he was shearing "El Gocho" a one-time arms dealer who played himself in Gutiérrez's third film Azotes de Barrio III. Gutiérrez stars in most of his own films and often casts his friends as extras. One of the reasons El Gocho got the role was because the film needed his guns, Gutiérrez said.
"People have told me so many things sitting here," Gutiérrez said, patting his barber chair. His first movie was based on one off his customers, "Junior," who regaled him with stories about a pack of kids, some as young as 12, who were using drugs and robbing people in the neighborhood.
Lately, Gutiérrez has been collecting tales of vigilantism.
"Right now what seems to be popular is 'lynching' thieves. Just last month they burned some guy alive," Gutiérrez said. "That's the craziest thing going on right now."
Gutiérrez's use of natural actors and his zero-budget sensibility spread like a crime wave through Caracas, and now every poor neighborhood seems to have a handful of filmmakers who are emulating him, said Ociel Lopez a professor of communications at the Central University and the founder of Avila TV, where Gutiérrez sometimes works.
"It's not an overstatement to say that Jackson's work revolutionized the way movies are made in Venezuela," Lopez said. "He just filmed on the street and told real stories that found a mass-market following without any film or television distribution."
Caracas is a Mecca for true-crime stories. The city has one of the highest murder rates of any major metropolitan city in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. And kidnappings are rampant. Locals say if you squeeze the newspaper hard enough it drips blood.
While Gutiérrez's films seem like rollicking violence-fueled capers, he said he hopes his work will open people's eyes to inner-city crime, and be a warning to the community.
"Many people blame the government [for the violence], but it's not the government's fault," he said. "It's the fault of our parents who have stopped looking through their kids' notebooks or asking them who they are spending time with or asking them why they got home late."
Gutiérrez's passion for storytelling comes as Venezuela is seeing a boom in national cinema. Unlike other Latin American nations, where Hollywood blockbusters often crowd out the market, Venezuelan theaters are required to reserve some of their screens for national productions —lowering the risk for financiers. A decade ago, Venezuelan productions drew about 5,000 viewers a year, Jose Antonio Varela, the president of the Fundación Villa del Cine, the state-funded film agency, told state-run media. Now, the country is producing about 20 feature length films per year, which draw some 1.6 million national viewers.
Gutiérrez no longer needs to cut hair. He makes enough money from his production job and acting gigs to support his family. But he says he will never give up the barbershop. Asked if he had to choose between being a barber or a director, Gutiérrez doesn't hesitate.
"I would stay with being a barber — it's a long-term profession," he said. "You're only a director as long as you have a story to tell."


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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Minnesota Wild's Biggest Need?
The Minnesota Wild have missed the playoffs the last 2 seasons. In "The State of Hockey" the expectations are always high. My question is what is the Minnesota Wild's biggest need? My answer is a young goal scorer (sounds simple enough, right?). They need a energetic and exciting player that Minnesota Wild fans can count on for a big goal. Marian Gaborik was the old franchise player but it was obvious the disconnect that was felt in his last season here. If the Wild can attain a young goal scoring wing than that would do wonders for the franchise. The Wild strive on discipline and defense, and with a true goal scorer to compliment Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu, would be great for the franchise.
Posted by MN Wild Freak
Labels: 2010 Minnesota Wild
3 comments:
thank you captain obvious..but seriously, the wild really need a franchise player
- August 19, 2010 at 12:04 PM
we need someone to complete our team... just have to find him!
- August 24, 2010 at 11:24 AM
- August 30, 2010 at 11:47 AM
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subset: commoncrawl


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Gender-neutral equal treatment will be the rule, says Gen. Martin Dempsey.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants to clear up what he characterized as "misperceptions" about the Pentagon's move to rescind rules prohibiting women from combat roles.
"Some fear that this decision will lower standards in our military," Dempsey said in a blog post. "That is simply not the case."
Dempsey said Defense officials would study each occupational field that had been closed to women " to determine where women are able to serve." In the process, equal treatment will be the rule, according to the Joint Chiefs chairman:
Let me be clear: The standards will be gender-neutral -- the same for men and women. This assessment will take time, and the Joint Chiefs and I are committed to making sure that this is done correctly.


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Depending on your state, you may be eligible through NetCredit.
Unfortunately, personal loans through NetCredit are not currently available in your state.
We are working hard to provide access to fast, trustworthy credit in as many states as possible and hope to offer personal loans in your state in the future. If you want to be one of the first to know that we have launched in New York, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com! Be sure to include your name, what state you live in, and how much you'd be interested in borrowing, so we can work to better match our product offerings to your needs.


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REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft is dealing with a worldwide outage in an online service that stores data for a wide range of business customers.
The software maker says its Azure service went down shortly before 4 p.m. EST Friday. The breakdown prevented Azure customers from accessing files kept in Microsoft's data centers.
Microsoft Corp. didn't say what crippled Azure, in a Friday statement acknowledging the problem. The company, based in Redmond, Wash., says it is working to fix the problem.
Azure's failure illuminates the pitfalls of storing important information in remote data centers. Online storage, often called "cloud computing," is growing in appeal because it allows workers to pull up data, wherever they are, to an Internet-connected device.


text: Alright, beyond Castle Grayskull, and even more so than Snake Mountain, I want 'ol Bonehead's Bone Throne to be released as an accessory/playset for MOTUC! I prefer the Filmation version, but each of these are close enough that I'd be happy with a hybrid of some sort. Who's with me!


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Rizzoli & Isles Boss on "Satisfying" Series Finale and a Possible Reboot
Sep 5, 2016 10:00 PM EDT
[WARNING: The following story contains spoilers about Monday's series finale of Rizzoli & Isles. Read at your own risk.] Au revoir, Rizzoli & Isles. The TNT drama signed off Monday after seven seasons with a literal farewell party for Jane (A… Read more


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The Obama Administration likes to imagine its Middle East peace process is in a holding pattern until after the midterm elections but a holding pattern implies momentum, a quality conspicuously lacking in the current negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, the Administration's effort has effectively stalled at the first hurdle: the impasse over Israel's continued settlement construction which the Palestinians say prevents them from returning to the table. The situation offers more evidence that the gulf between the two sides is too great to bridge by simply talking things out. Amid mounting frustration, Palestinian leaders have begun telling the world that they are considering taking matters to the U.N. Security Council emphasis, of course, on considering.
The Palestinian leadership believes that the current Israeli government has given no indication that it will offer what Palestinians would consider to be a credible peace agreement absent pressure from Washington. And they have grown exasperated at a U.S. mediating role perennially tilted for domestic political reasons in Israel's favor. The spectacle of the Obama Administration in recent weeks offering the Israelis such far-reaching inducements as U.S. support for long-term Israeli military control of the Jordan Valley even after it becomes part of a Palestinian state, just to keep talks going for another 60 days, underscores Palestinian pessimism over the current process. That's why, Palestinian officials report, they have begun debating whether to take their case against Israel's settlement construction, and even their demand for a state based on Palestinian territory outside Israel's 1967 borders, to the U.N. Security Council.
Relying on international law rather than on the good offices of the United States certainly has some advantages. While U.S. officials tend to use euphemisms such as "unhelpful" when describing Israeli settlement construction on land conquered in the 1967 war, even the mild-mannered U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made clear, earlier this month, that "all settlement activity is illegal anywhere in occupied territory" and demanded an immediate halt to all Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. No government in the world supports Israel's settlement policy, so taking the matter to the Security Council would arguably be a slam-dunk.
Nor should the Palestinians have much trouble persuading the Security Council that the 1967 borders are the basis of a Palestinian state Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 claimed recognition of its own statehood by referring to a 1947 resolution to partition the Holy Land into separate Jewish and Arab states. No Arab state came into being, of course the 1948 war changed the contours of partition to give Israel a substantially bigger share than that envisaged by the U.N. plan, while the West Bank and Gaza were occupied by Jordan and Egypt respectively in 1948, and then by Israel in 1967.
The prospect of the geographical extent of Palestinian statehood being settled in a forum where Israel's overwhelming advantages (forces on the ground, and Washington's political influence) are negated by an international consensus sympathetic to the Palestinian case, has prompted some anxiety among Israel's leaders and their American supporters. "Any attempt by the Palestinians to circumvent [the Obama Administration's] process by going to international organizations is not realistic and will not in any way advance the peace process," warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. And Anti-Defamation League President Abraham Foxman, a strong Israel supporter in Washington, urged the Obama Administration to "close every exit door" for the Palestinians from the U.S.-run process by making clear the U.S. would oppose the U.N. route Washington has veto power in the Security Council.
Foxman and Netanyahu may have no immediate need to worry, however. While the PLO leadership is discussing going to the U.N. as an option, the organization's Washington ambassador Maen Areikat on Wednesday told TIME that his organization "remains committed to bilateral negotiations with the Israelis" as its basic approach to seeking Palestinian statehood. And he emphasized that going to the U.N. would not be a step taken "unilaterally," but "would have to be coordinated with the international community, and with the United States, in order to achieve success." Translation: The Obama Administration still holds effective veto power over whether the P.L.O. takes the matter to the U.N.
The downside of the Palestinian U.N. option, of course, is that while U.N. recognition of a state based on the 1967 borders would "give" the Palestinians more territory than they might achieve in a U.S.-mediated negotiation process, the international body would not address the problem of getting Israel to concede possession and the "facts on the ground" created by Israel since 1967 include nearly half a million Israelis living on occupied territory, more than 200 settlements and outposts, and roads reserved for Israeli use that reduce the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to a kind of fragmented camouflage pattern. So getting U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood on the 1967 borders would establish a principle, but brings its implementation no closer and would probably be the prelude to a protracted struggle between the two sides.
The history and political interests of the current Palestinian leadership, which has shown little appetite for confrontation with Israel, suggest that the prospect of going to the U.N. may be being dangled in order to press the Obama Administration and the Israelis on the settlement freeze and also to make the 1967 borders the basis of negotiations. But even if turns out to be an empty threat for now, the arc of events suggests that the view is growing although not a consensus even within the PLO leadership that relying on bilateral talks with the Israelis, mediated by the United States, is a strategy of diminishing returns.


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Taguba Goes Beyond McClatchy Series — Makes 'War Crime' Charge
By: Joseph L. Galloway
In a week when McClatchy published a five-part series by my colleague Tom Lasseter on the extra-legal American military detention center at Guantanamo and who's responsible for giving Americans a green light to mistreat, torture and detain both the guilty and the innocent prisoners in our custody, Maj. Gen. Anthony Taguba spoke out as well.
In the preface to a damning report on the treatment of Guantanamo detainees by a group called Physicians for Human Rights — which had examined and interviewed 11 former Guantanamo detainees freed without charges — Taguba declared that there was no longer any doubt whatsoever that President George W. Bush and others in the White House had committed war crimes.
"The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account," Taguba wrote. "The commander in chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture."
Following the boss' orders, lawyers in the White House Counsel's office and in the badly named Department of Justice twisted and turned the words and the very meaning of those words in international treaties, in the Constitution, in the federal statutes and the military regulations so that interrogators in brightly lit prison rooms in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo as well as those secret CIA prisons hidden all around would be free to use the waterboard, electrical shocks, sexual humiliation, and all the other dirty little ways you can make a man scream and talk.
To date, seven long years after we scooped up our first detainees in Afghanistan, not a single one of them has faced evidence, his accusers, or anything remotely resembling a legal court hearing on his guilt or innocence.
Even a conservatively-tilted U.S. Supreme Court recently gagged on what the Bush Administration and its lawyers did their best to get them to swallow — the idea that some people in American custody are not entitled to the most basic of all protections, the writ of habeas corpus. The basic right to stand before a properly constituted court of law and make the government prove by the evidence that they have got the right man.
I know. I know. A snowball has a better chance in Hell than we do at ever seeing the President and his cronies actually brought to justice for their high crimes and misdemeanors. We are going to see these walking examples of the lowest common denominator become the happy recipients of a blizzard of presidential pardons on Jan. 19, 2009, before the few who haven't already fled slip out of town ahead of the subpoenas.
My thoughts keep returning to a little speech Gen. Taguba made to his team of investigators as they first began their work in 2004: "Bottom line: We will follow our conscience and do what is morally right."
Would that our President and his unindicted co-conspirators had done the same.
Tony Taguba knew something about prisoners in wartime long before the Pentagon ordered him to investigate the torture and shameful mistreatment of Iraqi detainees revealed by those soldier photographs taken inside Abu Ghraib prison.
You see, his father, Sgt. Tomas Taguba, was a soldier in the famed Philippine Scouts and was, briefly, a prisoner of the Japanese after Bataan fell in the opening days of our war in the Pacific. Sgt. Taguba escaped during the Death March and spent the next three years spying on the Japanese and relaying the information to U.S. forces.
After the war, the senior Taguba was allowed to enlist in the U.S. Army and served honorably and unsung until his retirement. His son was born in Manila in 1950 but grew up as American as apple pie, earned an ROTC commission at Idaho State University and was only the second Filipino-American to attain the rank of general in our Army.
Maj. Gen. Anthony Taguba would undergo his own trial by fire when, in 2004, he was named by the Pentagon to conduct a carefully walled-in investigation of the abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
By regulation — and no doubt by the design of those who appointed him — Taguba could not investigate any uniformed or civilian official whose rank was higher than his own two stars.
Taguba and his investigators sifted and probed and assessed the blame as high as they were permitted to go. Taguba believed — no, he KNEW — that the responsibility for this outrage went much higher. He knew it reached to the office of then Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and likely beyond to the lawyers who served President George W. Bush and perhaps even to the president himself.
But the brass, military and civilian, wanted Taguba and those who ran 16 other Army investigations of the Abu Ghraib scandal only to get to the bottom of the situation, not to the top.
A female Army Reserve military police brigadier general was reprimanded but criminal charges and courts martial were limited to five enlisted men and women, none ranking any higher than staff sergeant.
For his honesty in both the investigation and in sworn testimony before congressional committees Tony Taguba became persona non grata in the halls of the Pentagon. The career of one of the Army's more talented and honorable officers ended with an untimely retirement.
But Taguba wasn't done. The full truth had not been told.


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Support of Law Enforcement
Requests to FinCEN
Law Enforcement agencies that do not have direct access to Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) data may make requests for BSA information and complex analytical support to their investigations.
Analytical Support to Law Enforcement/Intelligence
FinCEN, through the Office of Law Enforcement Support (OLE), provides specialized analysis of Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and other records in support of law enforcement and intelligence efforts to deter, identify and investigate crimes including terrorism financing, money laundering, and other significant national security or financial crimes. The office also has oversight of FinCEN's support for the High Intensity Financial Crimes Area (HIFCA) program and personnel assigned to the HIFCA locations. More information is available within the OLE Pamphlet of Products and Services.
Strategic Analysis
FinCEN also provides strategic analytic support to law enforcement through identification of trends, patterns, and issues associated with money laundering and other financial crimes. BSA information filed by the nation's financial industries forms the heart of FinCEN's strategic analysis knowledge base. Strategic analysis products are intended to assist partners in the improvement of money laundering prevention and detection programs while providing support for the enforcement of anti-money laundering laws and regulations.
314(a) Requests
FinCEN's regulations under Section 314(a) enable Federal, State, local, and foreign (European Union) law enforcement agencies, through FinCEN, to reach out to financial institutions to locate accounts and transactions of persons that may be involved in terrorism or significant money laundering.
Reference Manuals and Networking Bulletins
FinCEN also provides a wide array of support, including training and materials, to the law enforcement community in educating them on the operations of financial mechanisms susceptible to financial crimes.
Direct Access to Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Data
Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies can access the Bank Secrecy Act data through a secure web connection after their agency has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with FinCEN. FinCEN provides training, and monitors use to ensure that the BSA information is properly used, disseminated, and kept secure.
FinCEN also uses a "platform" approach to support law enforcement needs. The Platform offers on-site access at FinCEN to employees from other federal agencies that need to conduct research on cases under investigation by those agencies.
Access to Global Network of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs)
As the FIU for the United States, FinCEN is part of a global network of more than 100 FIUs, known as the Egmont Group. Through this network, FinCEN can facilitate information exchange on law enforcement investigations that have an international component.
- These FIUs were created to collect information on suspicious or unusual financial activity, to analyze that data, and to make it available to appropriate authorities.
- Law Enforcement agencies can submit requests to FinCEN for information from its global partners that can significantly expand their knowledge of financial activities and reduce delays often associated with international investigative efforts.
- FinCEN's staff has developed in-depth knowledge of FIU partner countries, and established relationships with FIU personnel that can be shared/utilized to enhance investigative efforts.


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What keeps you watching this animePost Reply
Its a smartly written Anime with a witty and bold character at the center surrounded by a range of characters and personalities that create humorous situations and at times conflicts. This anime so far hasn't shown any signs of being corny or overly emotional. Its more or less "realistic" and a bit slice of life so the themes of friendship, overcoming adversity, family, and possibly love are easily relatable for viewers. Its also well drawn and presented beautifully. I look forward to the coming episodes.
Like a BOSS
well what keeps me watching this anime is Ohana's character, she is hard working, and also the story
The latest episode just might have been the best since the first. I have been on the fence but I now I think I am really going to
be hooked on this series.
I keep watching it because is different. It's not another romantic and cheesy drama (i like them too) but sometimes we want to change a bit, am i wrong? It is on my Top Ten !
Gintama is awesome and all, but I'm very happy that anime like this is still being made. It certainly is a nice change of pace with a great story and believable characters. It's a very charming anime!
Of what I watched so far, it's amazing and I love it and it one of the best anime I have watched this year and for a while. AnoHana was great as well so it has competition, but as I said I am hooked. Really hope this will get released on dvd in the UK.
Check out my channel: YouTube.com/BDT87
I absolutely love the storyline. A beautiful, hard working young girl; that moves in with her grandmother. I love drama and romance and this anime has just what I look for in a good seires. I love Ohanas personality is almost as if I new her. I'd love to hang with her. Once you fall for the characters its hard to look away.
I think what kept me watching was the setting. A lot of animes take place in parts of Tokyo or at high schools/academies and there's stuff you expect from those animes, but I thought the hot spring inn was pretty unique for an anime setting -- although, I'm sure there are other animes set in hot springs. I feel like I don't really know what will happen next because it's a different setting for me and that keeps it fun.
The episode focused on Tomoe really cemented Hanasaku Iroha as a favorite for me. She's introduced as a gossipy head-waitress and I figured she was just there for comic relief or just a bit character, but that episode proved me wrong. That story really fleshed her out and I found myself more intrigued with her than with Ohana and the other girls -- maybe it's because I'm the same age as Tomoe. I hope she gets revisited in a latter episode (I think there's like 7 left, and most likely that might not happen). The first 13 episodes were fun stories and there was plenty of development and drama. I haven't found the episodes starting with 14 to be as compelling. The ones with manager and Takako were decent. Most of the rest seemed to be about slice-of-life, teen drama type stories which don't interest me too much. By far the one with Nakochi is best in the second half of Hanasaku Iroha. I look forward to what the other episodes will be about.
The thing that keeps me watching this anime is...LOVE >_______<
I just love this anime and no words can explain how much I appreciate and can relate to the hardships in life (just like Ohana)
I really love Hanasaku Iroha! One of the best animes, ever...
(。◕‿◕。) ~ (。◕‿◕。) ~ (。◕‿◕。) ♡ ♡ ♡
Hanasaku Iroha is an amazing show to watch and continue to watch because of the attention to detail in the writing as well as the animation. I meet people all the time who say "I got this great idea for a story/anime/manga" or whatever, and when you hear them out they always have this flashy concept. But as any good seasoned writer will tell you it's not having an innovative or edgy or controversial or "exciting" concept that will determine whether your story is good (truth be told there are no "exciting" or "boring" concepts in writing), it's what you DO with your concept. How well thought out is your character development. How realistic does your dialogue sound. How plausible are your plot developments and twists, and how do you handle the pacing of it all. The dialogue and interactions between Ohana and Ko alone in their trying to express their feelings and thoughts to one another show a lot of thought went into them. They don't seem forced or canned or artificial in any way. Most of the wannabe writers I know can't even begin to come close to being able to pull off something of that caliber.
This show is a good example of what anime is capable of doing if the people behind the show put their effort into it. Unfortunately a lot of the anime produced these days is becoming more and more like the schlopp that Hollywood mostly produces. It's the "slap it together and pump it out" and "so long as there's a target base of fans willing to shell out money for it, that's good enough" mentality. Maybe this younger generation of writers working in Japan are just like their counterparts here in the states. Maybe they don't read as much as the previous generation did because they've grown up in the video age. Maybe the success of shows like this and (dare I say it ) the passing of bill 156 will encourage the industry to stop resorting to cheap tricks and gimmicks and gratuitous and excessive fan service to make a good show (the little you see in this show is tastefully done and kept to a minimum), and we'll see more quality shows being put out in the future.
The reason im attracted to this anime is because of the flow of the stories and how well the characters interact with one another. Also Ohana's character is funny to watch and sometimes i can relate to her lol.
<3 anime


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Author(s):Hwang Mi Ri
Status: Ongoing
Alternative(s): 그녀는 무서워; She Scares Me; Đại Ca Đi Học (Vietnamese)
Manga Summary: From Loyal Kiss: A beauty at first glance, the opposite of organized, Swearing as part of her daily routine, The so~ hot girl, Jin Eun Jung Considered a hunk by everyone, A textbook example of a good student, The king of organization, The student council president, The so~ hot guy, Moon Seo Young Suddenly one day, these completely different people start living under the same roof and something starts to change! In a bittersweet way ♥ A hot bad-mouthed girl just lost her wallet, determined to get some money, she sees a guy walking down the street, brings a stick and asks him for money, Moon Seo Young, the oh-so hunky goody two-shoes, whose money just got robbed by a girl. how uncool~ but, he has to forget about that since he has much bigger problems cause, Jin Eun Jung, who happens to be that girl, is gonna start living in the same roof as him. woah~ She really is scary. This must be a dream, right?


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Coping in relation to trauma and PTSD
Coping mechanism
When you are confronted with a traumatic event, there are certain automatic responses taking place in your brain. Some of them you are conscious of, like the adrenaline that heightens your awareness and prepares your body for action, others are happening on a unconscious level.
Either way, the coping mechanisms used are adaptive, and therefore useful in reducing stress, or maladaptive and increasing your stress level.
Whatever you choose or is chosen for you, those mechanisms are there to help you manage the anxiety produced by the traumatic event. As I stated in a previous post, no one can decide what constitutes a traumatic event for someone else.
About 400 to 600 coping mechanisms have been identified, according to Wikipedia. So, why do you cope the way you do?
You are unique
Life is experienced differently since each of us is unique in every way. You are not born as a blank piece of paper. Generations have gone before
you, having an impact on who you are. You might have your father's nose or your grandmother's eyes. You inherit certain traits, not just in how you look, but also in how you behave and react to life events.
For instance, anger is a coping mechanism in my family of origin. I deal with a lot of anger, but having been exposed to the detrimental effect it can have, I struggle in expressing my anger in a healthy way. In the beginning of my healing journey I wasn't even aware I had anger issues. Can you say denial?
Upbringing & social environment
The way you have been raised has a huge influence in how you perceive trauma or stress. Maybe you had to overcome the death of a parent. Or the betrayal of trust. Or you had a happy and care free childhood. Maybe your parents believed in you and raised you to be a strong person in his or her own right. Or the whole family system was skewed and you had to take care of a parent, instead of being taken care of.
Maybe you were bullied in school. Or you were a little shy. You were the popular guy or girl. You were intelligent, learned easily. Or you struggled to do your homework and exams, feeling dumb. Or you were told over and over that you wouldn't amount to anything.
I can go on and on. The way your parents relate to you and vice versa influences all your relationships with major authorities. Do you get that? Do you really get that?
I was astounded to discover that after finally being able to leave my highly dysfunctional family behind, I entered a social network with leadership that was actually identical to my relationship with my father! And I walked into it with open eyes. I had absolutely no clue what was going on, since I was used to misuse/abuse of authority from my parents. How could I recognize a healthy authority-dependence relationship when I had no idea what it actually looked like?
Coping skills
Besides being influenced by your environment and unconsciously learning from it, there are also coping skills you can acquire. First you need to be aware of how you respond to the stressor. Then you consciously have to change your reaction to something (more) desirable. This takes practice. For example, to reduce stress you train yourself to focus on your breathing instead of the stressor. Or you learn how to practice mindfulness in order to stay in the moment and not be hijacked by the stressor.
In other words, even though you might have inherited lots of coping mechanisms, you don't need to be stuck with them. You decide the outcome you want, then you work on the skills you need to reach your goal!
So, how are you coping?
Further reading:
Photo credit: lululemon athletica


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All formats/editions
Topping the New York Times list and already selling three million copies, The Love Dare has established itself as more than a book; it's an unstoppable marriage movement. And like the husband in Fireproof (the film where The Love Dare originated), readers know this 40-day challenge to understand and practice unconditional love with their spouse need not end when the book does. With that in mind, The Love Dare Day by Day encourages and challenges couples toward new steps in faith and love with 365 marital encouragements, reminders, and action points worth repeating year after year. Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn't have to stay that way. Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, The Love Dare Day by Day is a journey you need to take. It's time to learn the keys to finding true intimacy and developing a dynamic marriage. Take the dare-every day of the year!
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by Sharon Kendrick
by Beverly Donofrio
by Dr. James Dobson
by Rick Bragg
by Larry Bird, Jackie MacMullan
by Katherine Paterson
by Philip Gonzalez, Leonore Fleischer
by Kathleen Karr
by Kent Haruf
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text:
The Life Saver water bottle is a military grade water sanitizer that can make the dirtiest of water drinkable in seconds. The bottle not only filters out bacteria, but also takes care of viruses and water that has been contaminated by fecal matter. The creator, Michael Pritchard, initially came up with the idea after watching victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in Asia go for days without receiving clean water. There are others, however, that are interested in Pritchard's invention.
After showing the bottle off at a defence conference in the UK, Pritchard sold all 1,000 of his $385 bottles in under four hours. Defense experts were impressed with the fact that it could filter 4,000 or 6,000 liters before the filter had to be replaced. An innovation such as this could have a significant impact if it ever reached the consumer market, not only being used as emergency gear, but for camping and travel as well. [The Register]


text:
Overland patent broadside: Targeted firms vow to fight
Let's get ready to grumble
Quantum and other vendors being sued by Overland Storage for allegedly infringing its patents are in more of a mood to fight than settle.
On Friday Overland - the supplier of REO and NEO tape and disk protection systems, and Snap-branded filers - said it was suing Quantum, Venture Corp, Spectra Logic, PivotStor, Qualstar, Tandberg Data GmBH and Tandberg Data Corp, accusing them of unlawfully using patented technology.
These patents were ruled as valid by the US International Trade Commission after Overland launched similar legal action against Germany-based tape automation supplier BDT. But the ITC, in its initial determination, dealt Overland a blow by declaring BDT had not infringed the patented designs. A final decision on the BDT case is due in October.
Quantum spokesman Alistair Washbourn said of the latest legal action: "I can't comment on the specifics of the lawsuit except to say that we are well-positioned to defend ourselves and will certainly do so. I would also note that we are confident our customers will not be impacted."
Spectra Logic's marketing VP Molly Rector added: "Spectra Logic is aware that Overland has filed lawsuits in the San Diego federal court accusing Spectra Logic and others of infringing two of its patents. Those patents are currently in litigation before the International Trade Commission (ITC), which has issued a preliminary ruling unfavourable to Overland. The details of that ruling are not yet available.
"Spectra Logic has a policy of respecting the legitimate patent rights of others and also a strong policy of aggressively defending itself against unwarranted charges of patent infringement.
"Overland has not previously notified Spectra Logic of any alleged patent infringement, and therefore Spectra Logic intends to study the newly filed lawsuit and to investigate Overland's contentions in light of the ITC's ruling."
Tandberg Data said it has yet to examine the details of Overland's claims.
El Reg also asked PivotStor and Qualstar for their reactions. Venture Corp is based in Singapore and supplies tape libraries to OEM partners, one of which is understood to be Quantum. Overland hired lawyers DLA Piper on a no-win-no-fee basis for its latest intellectual property bout. ®
Sponsored: How to Process, Wrangle, Analyze and Visualize your Data with Three Complementary Tools


text:
Wales v Samoa, November 16
Wales wait on Roberts and Wyn Jones injuries
ESPN Staff
November 12, 2012
Wales centre Jamie Roberts suffered a "mild concussion" during his side's defeat against Argentina © PA Photos
Wales have delayed naming their side for their clash with Samoa on Friday night in the hope that their injury crisis will ease.
Lock Alun-Wyn Jones will undergo a scan today to gauge the extent of a shoulder injury that forced him out of Saturday's 26-12 defeat to Argentina while centre Jamie Roberts is being monitored having suffered a "mild concussion" in the same game.
Back-row forward Ryan Jones (shoulder) and centre Ashley Beck (hip) are on course to train fully this week, but Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies is still taking only a limited part in training due to a groin problem. Prop Adam Jones and flanker Dan Lydiate had already been sidelined from the entire series prior to the Argentina game because of knee and ankle injuries respectively.
Perpignan lock Luke Charteris has now joined up with the squad for training after being released to play for his club last weekend. Ospreys second row Lloyd Peers has been called in to train with the squad this week as temporary cover for Jones.
The announcement of the team to face Samoa has now been put back 24 hours to Wednesday lunchtime.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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text:
Stand Up for Arizona
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Since Gov. Jan Brewer signed a new immigration law a week ago, Arizona has been subjected to savage attack as the modern embodiment of Jim Crow, apartheid and Nazism. Few have risen in the state's defense. In a particularly offensive smear, Mexican President Felipe Calderon charged Arizona with opening the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement." And what was the reaction of the Great Apologist Obama to this slander of an American state by the leader of a neighboring nation? None. One wonders if Barack Obama will ever stand up to foreign leaders abusing the nation that awarded him its highest honor.
Of course the bastard from Kenya, the president usurper, the fraud and foreigner Obama/Soetoro/Obama who was indoctrinated for over 20 years in racist Jeremiah Wright's haven of hatred against the United States and people of white color, won't defend the honor of our beloved white Israelite country and precious Republic because he has no honor. That's apparent by the fact Hussein Obama has failed to be transparent with his long form birth certificate, among many other documents he keeps in the dark.
Regardless of Hussein Obama's shameful silence in the face of such a internationally-reported slam against Arizona and the United States by the corrupt Mexican President Felipe Calderon, we - legitimate Americans - must stand up for Arizona and stand up for the United States!
Isn't it hypocritical that non-white races can freely be proud of their race (LA RAZA - THE RACE) and have racist groups like the NAACP and exclusivist organizations like the Congressional Black Caucus, yet whenever people of white color seek to enforce our laws, in this country founded primarily by and for Anglo-Saxon-Celtics (as Manifest Destiny proves), with all its wonderful accomplishments and blessings the Gentiles covet, Joseph's Birthright, the militant minorities howl!
The plain truth is race matters. We need to be reminded of our Hebrew roots and biblical responsibilities and act accordingly, without apology, so help us God!
The sooner we enforce our laws and treat the curse of illegal immigration as a FOREIGN INVASION - with as much manpower and force as necessary to turn the tide and reclaim our country - the greater respect we will have for ourselves and others will take note and warning not to dare bark against us or they will be sent running with their tails between their legs!
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Send illegal aliens running with tails between their legs!
Posted by David Ben-Ariel at 7:04 AM
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text:
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text:
Twitter's Big Battle Is Indifference
Social Network Leaves Many Individual Users Cold
Twitter Inc.'s pitch to people like Christine Harsono isn't hitting its target.
The 21-year-old Los Angeles waitress has yet to give into years of nudging by Twitter to sign up. A Facebook Inc. member since 2008, she says she sees no reason to tweet, even as her favorite TV shows, such as "The Voice," urge her to join the Twitter conversation.


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By James B. Kelleher
CHICAGO, March 8 (Reuters) - Illinois warned that it will run out of money next week to pay for a program that allows 80,000 elderly and disabled people to live at home, the latest illustration of the state's fiscal crisis.
The Illinois agency that oversees home healthcare providers said in a letter on Thursday that the money was "projected to be exhausted by March 15," 3-1/2 months before the fiscal year ends on June 30.
The shortfall will force some smaller nonprofit home healthcare agencies to close, trigger layoffs at others and leave thousands of elderly people scrambling for alternatives to in-home care, said Bob Thieman, executive director of the Illinois Association of Community Care Program Healthcare Providers.
"The state's going to pay for this one way or another. If these seniors cannot be picked up by other in-home providers, they're going to wind up in nursing homes, which will cost a lot more," he said.
Illinois is mired in a financial crisis caused by skyrocketing costs of public-sector pensions, which Governor Pat Quinn this week said are draining money from other social services.
The state legislature has failed to approve reforms to the pensions that will reduce the cost, which has prompted the state to delay paying its bills to balance the budget.
State officials say the situation is improving, but Thieman said it is getting worse for home healthcare providers.
They already wait as long as six months to get paid by the state. Illinois has advised them to continue submitting invoices but says they will not be compensated immediately.
The department blamed the action on overdue bills from last year, which it said ate up a quarter of the $687 million budgeted for the current year to help elderly people remain independent by paying for in-home care.
It would be the second time in two years that the money ran out before the end of the fiscal year, Thieman said. This year's warning came much earlier than last year and was caused by a much larger backlog of bills.
"This one is critical," Thieman said, predicting hardship for providers.
The program serves about 80,000 people each month, according to the Department on Aging. The 40 providers - ranging from nonprofits such as Catholic Charities to for-profit companies such as Addus HealthCare - employ about 25,000 home care assistants, according to Thieman.
No other U.S. state has institutionalized late payment of bills like Illinois, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.
The state's backlog of unpaid bills stood at $8.7 billion at the end of fiscal 2012, or about a quarter of the state's annual revenues. Financial watchdogs say it could soar to nearly $22 billion in five years unless the state takes action to curb its public pension costs.
The state currently has $96.8 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and has the lowest credit rating among the states rated by Moody's and S&P.
In January Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka asked lawmakers to either approve spending more money or require state agencies with surplus funds to return them for others to use.
The legislature approved some additional funding but it did not include money for the elderly and people with disabilities, said Topinka's spokesman, Brad Hahn.


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Below you will find links to Artstrada magazine's social media and other web presence links. Keep up with what's up!!! PINTEREST TWITTER SOUNDCLOUD FACEBOOK DISQUS VIMEO BLOGSPOTRead More
Tag: Capital Fine Art
Austin's Local Artists have called the ATX and the Texas Hill Country Home and have also scattered to far away places such as New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Paris, London to influence the entire planet Earth! Artists of Texas 10 Texas Artists Who Explore the Beauty of the Lone Star State Texas Artist Index-Online Gallery-More-Buy/Sell Texas Art Current State Artists | Texas Commission on the Arts ART|MOTO|BITES|NITES|UNIQUE Lora Reynolds Gallery 360 Nueces Street, Suite 50; Open Wednesday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Big Medium 5305 Bolm Road #12; Open Monday,…Read More


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Evidence of fraud could force Afghan runoff election
KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan member of the panel investigating the widespread allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's August 20 presidential election resigned Monday and charged that United Nations officials have interfered in the probe, a possible indication that Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai may be forced into a runoff against his former foreign minister.
Maulavi Mustafa Barakzai, who was appointed to the panel by Afghanistan's Supreme Court, which is comprised largely of Karzai loyalists, told McClatchy that he resigned out of frustration with what he called "foreign interference" by U.N. officials in the effort to determine how many questionable votes should be tossed out.
The results of the review are expected to be announced later this week.
The election has become a major challenge for the Obama administration, which needs to convince a skeptical Congress and American public to continue waging the costly eight-year war to prevent the Taliban-led insurgency from regaining control of Afghanistan.
If enough questionable votes are discounted, Karzai's final tally could slip to 50 percent or below, forcing him into a runoff against his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister who has strong support among ethnic minorities in northern Afghanistan.
Sarwar Jawadi, a parliament member who supports Abdullah, said that Barakzai's decision to quit was a sign that the review hasn't gone Karzai's way.
"When the final results are announced, they will not be to the liking of the incumbent," Jawadi said.
A Karzai campaign official, however, said he expects that the president will still win a first round victory unless there's been undue interference.
"We will make 50 percent plus one (vote) even when they take out suspicious votes. We are very confident of that," said Arsala Jamal, the Karzai campaign official. "The only thing that would change is if there is political pressure."
He didn't elaborate, but his comment appeared aimed at the United States and seemed to imply that Karzai might use such a charge to reject a runoff and claim a second five-year term. That could trigger a serious political crisis in the midst of the Obama administration's deliberations on a strategy to contain the Taliban-led insurgency.
Barakzai's resignation is the latest twist in the torturous process to choose a new Afghan president, which election observers, other experts and Abdullah charge was marred by massive ballot box-stuffing and other fraud, mostly on Karzai's behalf.
The election results also ignited a public schism within the U.N. mission to Afghanistan, with Peter Galbraith, the highest-ranking American, being fired after he alleged that his boss, Kai Eide, withheld evidence of vote rigging on Karzai's behalf.
On Sunday, Eide acknowledged that the election had been "a difficult process, marred by so many problems, not least . . . by widespread fraud."
However, he denied Galbraith's charges that he'd tried to cover up evidence of malfeasance on Karzai's behalf that U.N. officials had collected during the voting.
Reach by telephone in Europe on Monday, Galbraith said that Eide's confirmation of fraud and Barakzai's resignation suggested that the Election Complaints Commission was preparing to call a runoff.
"Kai's long overdue recognition that there was widespread fraud, along with the resignation of an ECC member identified with Karzai, is an indication that the ECC appears likely to find that Karzai's true vote total is below 50 percent and there will be a runoff," said Galbraith.
He expressed concern that Karzai could claim "foreign interference" in rejecting a second round.
Barackzai's charge, "Potentially sets the stage for Karzai to reject the call for a runoff," said Galbraith.
(Bernton reports for The Seattle Times.)
Are Obama advisers downplaying Afghan dangers?
Afghan election panel relaxed fraud rules to avoid runoff
Afghan election audit ends, but no results yet
Suicide car bomber kills 17 outside Kabul's Indian Embassy
U.N. credibility in Afghanistan damaged, Karzai rival says
Envoy says his firing will hurt U.N. mission in Afghanistan
Read our in-depth coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan


text:
Eddie Guidry
Senior Fellow, Fluor Enterprises, Inc.
Eddie Guidry is a senior fellow with Fluor Enterprises, Inc., Sugar Land, Texas. He is highly skilled in electrical and control systems for industrial construction, design, and engineering (both domestic and abroad). The majority of Eddie's 38 years of experience includes upstream and downstream portions of petrochemical plants and refineries. He is also heavily experienced in water and wastewater treatment facilities. Eddie is very active in the development of U.S. national (ANSI) and international codes and standards, and has been a principal member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) National Electrical Code (NEC) committee since 1999 and NFPA's National Advisory Committee on Electrical Safety Research since 2008. Eddie, who has also developed and conducted many electrical courses and seminars over the years, currently holds the corporate Master Electrician license for Fluor Corporation in the State of Texas and is also an ICC/IAEI certified electrical inspector.


text:
Will Hulu Charge For Content?
Don't get too attached to free content on Hulu.
Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s new chief digital officer, told attendees at an Internet Week event on Tuesday that he envisions a system that would charge for content on the Internet video site, Daily Finance reports.
Hulu launched as a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal and recently added ABC to its partner list.
Miller, a former AOL executive, will meet with the Hulu board for the first time on Monday. When asked if a subscription-based Hulu might be in the future, he said that "in my opinion the answer could be yes. I don't see why over time that shouldn't happen. I don't think it's on the agenda for Monday [but] it seems to me that over time that could be a logical thing."
It's no secret that Miller's boss, Rupert Murdoch, is not in favor of putting content on the Web for free. Thus far, however, Murdoch's attention has been focused on news content rather than Hulu.
Miller said Tuesday that that news will likely have to be offered in bundles in order to attract subscribers.


text:
[Jerry Seinfeld:] I love it when people are complimented on something they're wearing
And they accept the compliment as if it was about them
"Nice tie", "Why thank you, thank you very much"
The compliment is for the tie, it's not for you
But we take it, and that's kind of the job of clothes
To get compliments for us, because it's very hard to get compliments based on your human qualities
Right, lets face it, no matter how nice a person you are
Nobody's gunna come say, "Hey, nice person!"
It's much easier to be a bastard, and just try and match the colors of it
Yea, testing testing, one, two
Very happy to be here
Just wanna talk about, a couple things today
It's a term we like to use, or they like to use
To talk about people, like them
You'll soon understand
Anyways (DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!)
Here we go
On behalf of the half-witted, I'll be half-witted
At times cuz the hole in me is that gifted
It makes the lesser-knowing jealous
The message I've been sending them at times is irrelevant
Check! Yet to many of them, never unlight
I'm that phat, any track give em cellulite
You dark-minded, confused, I can sell you light
Because I sell my life in every letter that I right
Streetwear's like rap, see a lot of hype
And hype kills, thank Ben for that insight
100's on my mind, why is 100's on my mind
Thinking how Bobby get em buying every time
Is the hype, to some, to others, it something
They can say "I got it, and it's nearly one of one"
Still I wonder, I be in Supreme
And wore it on the cover of the URB
And through all my achievements, you would prolly think
When I'm buying gear, them niggas at least speak to me
But let me lead you to the reason they don't need to
Cuz some niggas go outside there and sleep for it HYPE!
I'll let you niggas call it
Fuck if they don't speak, I appreciate the quality
No need to quarrel for the lack of the not received
Cuz I'll be back for the newest release, it's called HYPE!
[DJ break loop]
I hear the Mecca all the time
Hoping that the 4 line fall right in line
For all who ain't buying it because
They wan't (wasn't) in more stores
Ironically you are what you call
That might be the reason
OG niggas started switching to adidas
Resellers, yea selling is a hustle
Can't sass none who among em
But I can still lavicate the other
Cuz I do love it
I hate to see mediocre kicks getting doubled
In the price, precisely why I don't buy
No sb's after year '05
Those Dino's, sue me, I lied
I paid too much for em, fuck it, ain't proud
But the hype (hype), no man can avoid this
We fall victim to it more or less
What's coming out, I need the appointment
I need the applause of the orges my garments perform for em
So far I been flawless, I been out
Like them all overprint garments that's on them HYPES!
Directed like Williams, perfected my fit til' I'm feeling like millions
Shades are a billion dollar edition
The lights on the ceiling are off, but still them
Cover my face in the shade
A case of the Spade
In case she occasions with Jay, HYPE!
And I don't even like the flavor
But took it to the face, they appreciate my taste, HYPE!
[DJ Break Loop:]
And that's word to my tastebuds man, some of that champagne shit is nasty
Give me a shot of that Imperials, and Remy or something
I don't know about all that champagne
That Rozay shit...It's the HYPE
This one's for you Mr. Music man, listen to me
It go HYPE, yea
That's right Mr. Music man
You passed up, now you feeling bad
You passed up, wasn't feeling that
You say I lack that
So you ain't like that, nah
You ain't write back
"He's just another muthafucka with a backpack"
That's DC shit, we can't grab that
He can't gravitate over the masses
He likes a song with a snap or a hand clap
He don't got a dance, thus, he don't have a chance
I got some heat in my latest plan
We found a cat with a record, he live out in Texas
His myspace is over seven digits
The radio play him every second
The second that I see him we gon' get em'
And turn this rap singer to a ringer
As far as Wale, fuck his people
He prolly die out by the course of next season
What the fuck is a dig dug, I really don't get it
Plus he is not impressive on them little BDS's
So I ain't gon' stress it, it's nothing but a buzz
A little bit of Regional, nobody give a fuck
A year later, nothing but love
Went from something they ain't love, to something they could afford
Now fill the void
This for all those who lack faith in me
But now see it's real and wanna create with me
You cheap motherfuckas, bow out out gracefully
You gon' need some HGH to race with me
They say the tasteless boast every time they made it
Well I ain't made shit (spits), I don't taste shit
So say this no, Craig let me say this
Fuck all you hypes from the labels in the labels, HYPE!
[DJ Break Loop:]
AND I'm GONE!
Before I go, I just wanna say one more thing
When I grow up, I wanna be like Reggie
Wale paroles The Hype paroles traduction biographie chansons lyrics discographie clips videos mp3s


text:
Attention Canadians – "Check Yes" May 2011 Census
April 27, 2011 by © Joan Miller - Luxegen Genealogy.
Filed under Canada, genealogy
Check Yes Canadian Census A post by Dick Eastman and a recent email in my inbox from the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society reminds Canadians to CHECK YES on the May 2011 Census. Why? Check Yes on your census form so your descendants can find you in 92 years (2103). I plan to Check Yes. Will you? — Please [...]


text:
October 21, 2000, Section A, Page 9Buy Reprints
Jimmy Carter, a third-generation Southern Baptist and the first United States president to call himself a born-again Christian, has reached what he calls ''a painful decision'' to sever ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, saying that parts of its ''increasingly rigid'' doctrines violate the ''basic premises of my Christian faith.''
Mr. Carter's decision, announced on Thursday in a letter that is being mailed this week to 75,000 Baptists nationwide, comes four months after the Southern Baptist Convention, the country's largest Protestant denomination, declared its opposition to women as pastors.
In the same doctrinal statement, adopted last June, the group advocated a literal interpretation of the Bible. Two years ago, the group called for wives to be submissive to their husbands.
''I have seen an increasing inclination on the part of Southern Baptist Convention leaders to be more rigid on what is a Southern Baptist and exclusionary of accommodating those who differ from them,'' Mr. Carter said today in a brief interview. ''In the last couple of years, this tendency of the Southern Baptist Convention leadership to ordain their creed on others has become more onerous for me and more difficult for me to accept.''
Mr. Carter's announcement is largely symbolic, since he has not had an official role in the national group. But it is intended to influence state and local Baptist organizations, several of which are considering actions to distance themselves from the convention. Member churches are autonomous. The national denomination runs seminaries, missionary boards and a religious publishing house.
Mr. Carter will continue to serve as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at his home church in Plains, Ga., Maranatha Baptist Church, which is still affiliated with the convention.
The Southern Baptist Convention president, the Rev. James G. Merritt, said today that while he was saddened by Mr. Carter's decision, he did not expect a mass exodus. More than 41,000 churches belong to the convention, Mr. Merritt said. And while a handful of churches have left, he said, many more new Southern Baptist churches have been built.
''The vast majority of Southern Baptists are extremely happy with the direction the convention is taking,'' said Mr. Merritt, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Snellville, Ga. ''We felt the need to turn our denomination back to a more conservative theology, and for whatever reason, the president did not agree with that.
''I think it's a sad day for him. It's a sad day for us.''
Mr. Carter is the highest-profile defection yet from the Southern Baptist Convention. He not only made his born-again Baptist beliefs a part of his public life during and after his presidency, but also helped move evangelical Christianity closer to the American mainstream.
''He made talking about Jesus Christ a part of our public discourse in politics,'' said Douglas Brinkley, a historian at the University of New Orleans who has written about Mr. Carter's postpresidential years.
But Mr. Carter's decision to dissociate himself from the national denomination is the latest sign that as conservatives have wrested control of the group over the last 15 years, liberal and moderate believers are giving up hope of having a home among them.
In recent years, a handful of churches have broken off from the national group or joined moderate national networks, like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, based in Atlanta, of which Mr. Carter is a member. The executive committees of the Texas and Virginia state Baptist conventions have rejected the national group's latest doctrinal changes, officials with the national convention said.
The Texas chapter, which is controlled by moderates, has also proposed to reduce its financial contributions to the national organization. The matter will be decided at its annual meeting next month.
The former president first discussed his decision in an interview published today in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
While Mr. Carter's letter was being distributed nationally by another moderate Texas group, Texas Baptists Committed, he said he did not wish to influence the vote in that state. Rather, Mr. Carter said, he was thinking of the Georgia state convention next month.
Mr. Brinkley said: ''In Southern Baptist Convention history, this is a very big moment. The born-again Southern Baptist president breaking with the hierarchy of the church because of their rigidity and dictatorial posturing. I think turmoil will result in the Southern Baptist Convention because of this.''
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are Southern Baptists, Mr. Brinkley said, from President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore to Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi.
''Here's Jimmy Carter questioning their conscience,'' Mr. Brinkley said. ''It's like going to an all-white country club.''
In the interview and letter, Mr. Carter singled out a provision in the convention's revised creed that called for a literal interpretation of Scripture. He said he feared that interpretations of the Bible would be left to the conservative national leadership, not individuals and their churches.
''I have been disappointed and feel excluded by the adoption of policies and an increasingly rigid Southern Baptist Convention creed, including some provisions that violate the basic premises of my Christian faith,'' he wrote in the letter, addressed simply ''To My Fellow Baptist.''
Mr. Carter said he felt no ambivalence about his role at Maranatha because that church did not adhere to all of the doctrines of the convention. It allows women to serve as deacons, he said, and it would not have any problem with a woman as pastor.
''We have never felt a decision made by the Southern Baptist Convention that was contrary to our church's beliefs was mandatory to us,'' he said.
In the interview, Mr. Carter said the decision to break from the national convention was painful for him and his wife, Rosalynn. Being a Southern Baptist, he said, has been a natural and unquestioned part of his life.
''I became a Southern Baptist when I was 11 years old,'' Mr. Carter, now 76, said. ''My father was a Southern Baptist before me and so was my grandfather. Rose's grandfather was a Baptist. We never had questioned that fact before.''


text:
During counseling, a qualified counselor
helps you cope with or change your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors regarding
HIV infection. Your family and caregivers may also
benefit from counseling.
Sessions may be individual or as part of a group.
There are several types of counseling:
The choice of counseling is based on your individual needs,
background, and symptoms.
The effectiveness of counseling
varies. Some people respond very well. Others find minimal relief. Studies
suggest that counseling can effectively treat people who have HIV and who also have
problems with depression.
Counseling sometimes includes becoming a
member of a support group. Support groups are often good places to share
information, problem-solving tips, and emotions related to HIV infection. The
organizations listed in the Other Places to Get Help section of the topic Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection often sponsor support groups for people
who test positive for HIV as well as for their caregivers and friends. Contact
one of these organizations to find the support group nearest you.
There are no known risks.
Select a therapist who is trained
and experienced in treating people who have HIV infection.
Counseling may be expensive, depending on the type of therapy and the
provider. Check with your health plan to determine whether coverage for
counseling is provided.
For more information, see the topic
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Introduction to IBM SPSS Text Analytics
Nov 06th 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
What can we do with our textual survey data? How can we gain deeper insights on what our customers are saying about our company and products beyond simple closed-ended questions? Companies large and small are trying to unlock the insights and answers that are contained in natural language texts. These insights are the key to gaining a competitive edge in today's marketplace.
Join us for a free webinar and see how IBM SPSS Text Analytics can be leveraged to translate text from customer surveys into valuable insights and action:
- Track key concepts over time in various mediums (e.g. social media sites, web sites, customer surveys, etc.)
- Use extracted text concepts to evaluate marketing initiatives. Answer questions like: How effective was our last marketing campaign at getting our message across?
- Determine what are customers saying about your sales cycle in their surveys?
- Uncover which concepts are most correlated to your desired outcome (completed sale).
- Assess/Identify customer sentiment on individual customers, on a specific initiative, and/or on the overall company.
During this informative webinar, we will:
- Explain the terms Text Analytics and Text Mining
- Determine where Text Analytics can be used
- Describe possible use cases/projects where Text Analytics is applicable
- Demonstrate how IBM SPSS is used to extract concepts, create higher level linguistic categories and how to analyze the results
Seats are limited, so register today!
Register here.


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The Obama Paradox
The ritual started in earnest last fall in the midst of the biggest humiliation of Barack Obama's presidency, the failure of the health care website. Anytime he heard a sliver of good news, the president reacted the same way: He knocked on the polished cherry wood table in the Roosevelt Room.
It's a small thing, almost a nervous tic, but Obama's habit of knocking on wood during Obamacare meetings had become notable, something that close advisers talked and even joked about among themselves.
Story Continued Below
Obama had always projected the aura of a deeply confident man, someone who on the basis of past experience was justified in assuming that good luck just naturally happened to him. But in the second term, confronted by recurring setbacks and regular reminders of the limits of his power, he began to convey a sense that even hopeful news might be ephemeral, a mirage.
( PHOTOS: Obama's Hotel California)
When Obamacare fixer Jeffrey Zients told the president for the first time that the website would finally hold up under a rush of visitors, Obama joined his senior aides in a round of knocking. When the insurance marketplace finally functioned as it should, they knocked. When enrollment numbers picked up in March, they knocked.
In interviews with more than 60 people who have had close dealings with Obama — his aides, lawmakers, friends, historians, critics and outside advisers — the portrait emerges of a president shadowed by a deepening awareness that his time and power are finite, and that two-thirds of his presidency is already in the past tense.
The interviews, which illuminate Obama's thinking, outlook and choices as he navigates his second term, suggest a paradox. Often stymied at home and abroad, Obama recognizes that he is less in control of the Washington agenda than ever in his presidency — a reality that has left him deeply frustrated at times. Last week was a case study, with the Veterans Affairs scandal and resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki eclipsing Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan and major foreign policy speech at West Point.
( WATCH: Obama: What you didn't know)
Yet his newfound realism has also given him a palpable sense of liberation.
The president, finally, is much freer to talk about things that matter to him. He discusses issues of race in a far more personal way, more frequently, than he ever did in his first term. He is more prone to speak his mind on contentious social issues, to the point of volunteering that, in his younger days, "I got high'' — an unusually blunt take on his past that aides say they would have prevented before his reelection, fearful of how his critics would use the sound bite.
Obama still hasn't accepted the extraordinary isolation of being president. But he's become more deliberate in finding ways to break out, particularly as he suffers the early onset of empty nest syndrome. With his daughters around less, the Obamas are taking fuller advantage of the perquisites of the office, such as squeezing "A Raisin in the Sun" on Broadway into a recent Manhattan fundraising trip.
In a departure from a long practice of keeping his personal circle strikingly tight and rarely lingering at official events, Obama has been hosting star-studded dinners that sometimes go on well past midnight and inviting a few newcomers such as former NBA star Alonzo Mourning into his social sphere. He's playing golf more than any other year, replacing basketball as his go-to sport, partly because of concerns about getting injured.
( Also on POLITICO: Obama's new teammate: Alonzo Mourning)
Obama is giving more thought to his post-presidency than his aides like to suggest. He has spoken privately of his intention to establish a foundation with the reach and influence of the Clinton Global Initiative, the international fundraising juggernaut started by former President Bill Clinton. And despite his deep connections to Chicago, he has told friends he would like to live in New York City.
The president's political world is more and more beyond his command. Instead, it is driven by Republicans in Congress, potentially power-shifting Senate races in states where Obama isn't welcomed to campaign, and to speculation centered on Hillary Clinton's agenda — not his own. Obama tells anxious Democrats that there is only so much he can do beyond fundraising and better implementing the health care law. But he also has told allies that losing the Senate to Republicans would make his last two years in office unbearable.
This sense of diminished possibilities has infused his governing strategy.
Obama is most animated by the enormous challenge of closing the income gap between the rich and poor, but he's had to rely on only small-ball initiatives. He and his aides have charted out a schedule of executive actions through early next year, giving the West Wing a renewed focus even if the ambition pales in comparison to the early days.
But a presidency built on finding ways to elude Congress is a remarkable descent for a leader whose second inaugural address was an audacious call to arms for a liberal resurgence. These days his actions reflect a conclusion that his best option is to navigate shrewdly within narrow limits rather than soar above them with transformative politics.
At the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner, Obama was sufficiently at peace to deliver joke after joke about "my stellar 2013.''
"I admit it, last year was rough,'' he said. "Sheesh. At one point, things got so bad, the 47 percent called Mitt Romney to apologize."


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This is a very hearty flavorful soup. This recipe is Pareve & vegetarian but you can easily make it meat by adding beef or chicken to it. This can be done either on the stove top or in a crockpot (my best friend!!). Don't be scared of the exotic spices. It's doesn't give off heat but flavor.
1 large spanish onion, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 very large loose carrot, peeled & cut up
2 green zucchinis, cut up into chunks
3 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into ¼'s
2 idaho potatoes, peeled & cut into ¼'s
1 butternut squash, peeled & seeded & cut into large dice
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp beef soup mix
2 Tbsp hawaij seaoning mix
6-8 cup water
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
In a large pot ove med high heat add oil & warm up. add onions to the pot & sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt to the onions. sautee for 5 min. add garlic & cook for 5-7 min. then add the rest of the vegetables, stirring when all added. Cover & cook for 15-20 min
Add the seasonings & soup mix. Stir. Cover & cook for 10 min. Add water. Stir. Cover & let cook for 1/2 hour-40 min. Taste & add seasonings if needed.
Add the cilantro. Stir. Cover & cook for another 1/2 hour.
This can also be done in a crock pot. Just put everything into a 5-6 qt crockpot. Mix. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.
You can easily make this with either chicken or beef, Just add the meat of choice to the pot before the onions.


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|Love & Basketball
|Tuesday, 10 October 2000
Back in the 1930s, some wiseacre declared that the basic movie story was "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl," and of course, that really is the boiled-down plot of a lot of movies, including "Love & Basketball." In fact, the sheer familiarity of this undeveloped boy-meets-girl idea is comforting; it's the stuff of all romantic melodramas and comedies. We don't want to see boy NOT get girl, after all. It's the details that flesh out the idea that make the movies matter to us.
"Love & Basketball" has a freshness and warmth that made it matter to critics and audiences, and it's been given the "Platinum Series" treatment by New Line Home Video, which may be gilding the lilly more than a little. It's a good movie, but it's not likely that any but its most fervent fans will want to listen to both commentary tracks, check out the animated storyboard of one of the basketball sequences, watch the audition footage of stars Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Kyla Pratt and Glenndon Chatman (playing the same two characters at different ages), and so on. The commentary track featuring Lathan and director Gina Prince-Bythewood is even somewhat irritating; the two women chat and laugh a lot, but their discussion adds little to the enjoyment of the movie. The other track, with Prince-Bythewood, editor Terilyn A. Shropshire and (recorded separately) composer Terence Blanchard is considerably more interesting.
Rather too much like a basketball game, the movie is divided into quarters. First Quarter, the screen tells us, is Spring, 1981. Young Quincy McCall (Chatman) is playing basketball in his driveway with a few friends, when a newcomer their age wanders in, wanting to play, too. Turns out the stranger is a girl, Monica Wright (Pratt), whose family has just moved into the same upper-middle-class black neighborhood in Los Angeles -- right next door, in fact. They're both crazy about basketball; in fact, Quincy's father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert) is a pro player. On the other hand, Monica's mother Camille (Alfre Woodard) couldn't care less about the sport; she's happy being a housewife and fond mother. Monica and Quincy, often called just Q, decide to be boyfriend and girlfriend, though this doesn't last long.
However, by the Second Quarter, 1988, when they're both seniors at Crenshaw High, they're still good friends, even if not romantically involved. And they're both still playing basketball.
One of the strengths of Gina Prince-Bythewood's script is that Monica's love of the game is never made to seem even slightly unusual, nor is any bogus explanation created to explain it -- any more than for Quincy. Also, the writer-director makes it clear, again without undue emphasis, that girls' and women's basketball is a genuine sport with fine athletes -- even if, unfairly, few in this country pay much attention to it.
(Which leads to an interesting plot development in the fourth quarter.)
Quincy is a major star on the Crenshaw team, and he has his choice of colleges trying to recruit him. On the other hand, Monica's temper and arrogance have caused her to be passed on by all college recruiters. Neither her mother nor her father (Harry J. Lennix) are particularly supportive of her goal of playing ball professionally. Meanwhile, Quincy's parents are drifting apart; matching an earlier scene in which young Quincy could hear them making love at night, there's an excellent scene when he, as a teenager, hears them fighting, and goes across the lawn to Monica's room. She lets him in, hands him a pillow and blanket, and he sacks out on her floor -- something that's obviously happened all too often in the past.
They each go to the senior prom with someone else, but the dates don't work out well, and the two end up making love -- tellingly, for Monica it is the first time, but Quincy is experienced.
Finally, however, USC recruits Monica -- as well as Quincy. For a while in the Third Quarter (1988-1989), they go together, but pressures are pulling them apart. Monica has to work harder than Quincy does to make her mark on the basketball team, so much so that she rigidly observes curfew one night when Quincy desperately wants to talk to her about his parents' collapsing marriage. Soon thereafter, he breaks up with Monica, and drops out of college to turn pro.
The Fourth Quarter, 1993, brings them back together, just as we want. There's a last, charming coda at the very end.
Lathan and Epps were both in their twenties when they played teenagers in "Love & Basketball," but she's far more convincing than he is. She expresses that focussed, self-centered intensity common to many smart teenagers, with complete assurance and naturalness; she's believably naive, believably promising. She gives an exceptionally good performance, so good that it's surprising she hasn't turned up in bigger roles already. Epps was reasonably well established by the time of "Love & Basketball," though his performance is more conventional than Lathan's. We never get under his skin the way we do with her (partly because the movie is really her story), though he's not bad. It's just that he lacks her intensity, and does not draw our attention the way she does.
Dennis Haysbert is one of the warmest and yet most incisive actors working today, which makes us, as well as his son, believe his lies about never having had an affair. Haysbert is a major star waiting to happen. Alfre Woodard, of course, is a star; her role here is just on the border of thankless, though, and she's not able to bring many dimensions to the underwritten part, though she tries.
The basketball scenes are very good, with the focus being (reasonably enough) on Monica's times on the court. The editing is excellent, and Prince-Blythewood never lets our attention wander. The sound is particularly good in one sequence; we hear Monica's thoughts, and sometimes see the action through her eyes -- at this point, the sound of the basketball comes from the right-hand speakers, as if we're dribbling the ball ourselves.
As pleasant and entertaining as it is, "Love & Basketball" just misses the jump shot. Though the characters are appealing, and Lathan is outstanding, the story itself is slight and predictable. There needed to be more incidents overall -- but also, at more than two hours, it should have been shorter.
As suggested above, most of the extras are negligible, but the documentary, "Breaking the Glass Ceiling," is worthwhile, and the deleted scenes are often interesting.


text:
- Description >
- Specification >
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Maze Runner The Scorch Trials is surprisingly good.
When I had watched the first installment and read about how James Dashner had dreamt about The Maze Runner, I could instantly relate to him. It occurred to me how the universe wanted him to mould a situation into a story. He spun a great tale, which promised a franchise then and there. So I went with great expectations to watch this one. The fact that Wes Ball was going to direct this again seemed great too.
Plot of Maze Runner The Scorch Trials
When the movie gallops into the 'what happens next' territory I was amazed how brilliantly it ran. There wasn't a moment spared for breathing. It just ran and ran, justifying its name. Halfway through, and the adventure wasn't stopping. I really liked how the director kept everyone on their feet. I liked how James Dashner had thought this through. How he arranged the bricks to build something beautiful. However, it all seemed pretty predictable.
If you take some steps back and really look at it, the story is a classic zombie tale, however, doesn't linger in that territory, which is good. There are situations built up deliberately to up the thrill level. Horror has been scooched in the plot to make it look rad. There are a lot of characters in the movie that keep popping up and then are suddenly put down in order to make the flick less lengthy. Then again Wes Ball fails at it terribly. Which takes us to its editing, which isn't that great after the editing.
The final bits and the epilogue of the movie are really predictable and reek of mediocrity. You almost see what's coming, and who is going to say what.
You can order Maze Runner The Scorch Trials from here:
Given the number of characters, the tale keeps on adding Dashner deserves a TV series to do him justice.
However, the movie is still good and will make you want to know more just like any other franchise. A definite watch.
You can check out reviews of other Dylan O' Brien movies as well.
Check out the trailer of Maze Runner The Scorch Trials here:


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A New Life in Safety
The Chaldean Catholic Church is one of the largest Christian communities in Iraq. Approximately 6,000 Chaldeans are currently resident in Germany, 1,000 of which live in Greater Essen in the state of North Rhine Westphalia. The first official Chaldean Catholic parish was recently established here; it even has its own church, the Church of Mar Adai and Mar Mari.
Most Iraqis in Essen's Chaldean Catholic community came to Germany as refugees or experienced war and oppression first hand in Iraq. Father Sami Danqa, for example, was kidnapped by criminals in Baghdad in 2006 and was released eight days later after a ransom was paid.
For the parish community, it is absolutely clear that they must do what they can to help the so-called "quota refugees" who are now arriving in Germany from Iraq - without regard to religious affiliation.
"Even if Muslims attack Christians in Iraq, we as Christians consider it our duty to be there for all those who ask for help," says the chairperson of the parish council, Seyman Adem. That being said, no Muslim Iraqi has yet contacted the parish for help.
Direct assistance on day-to-day matters
Sana Hermez, the mother of three adult sons, helps families in Essen's Chaldean community and is responsible for looking after refugees. Although she admits that no-one yet knows how many refugees will actually arrive, "but everyone here will help out," says the 50-year-old, who fled to Germany in 2002 when her husband was murdered in prison.
"We help them look for a flat and get them the basics they need when they arrive, such as cookware, bed linen, or warm clothes. But in my experience, the most important thing is helping them with all the formalities and bureaucracy, making sure someone goes with them and translates for them."
About 5 million Iraqis left their native country as a result of the sanctions imposed in 1990 and the war in 2003. An estimated 2 million people fled into neighbouring Syria and Jordan, where many now live in appalling conditions.
In order to spread the load more fairly, repeated calls were made to Western states to take in more Iraqi refugees and to offer them the opportunity to obtain permanent residence. The USA only began to take in refugees in autumn 2007. In November 2008, the EU then decided to accept a total of 10,000 quota refugees.
Helping the "most vulnerable"
Germany has since agreed to take in 2,500 Iraqi refugees, albeit on condition that the people selected need special assistance because they cannot return to their native country in the near future and cannot be integrated into the community in Jordan or Syria in the long term.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees selected a number of these "most vulnerable" people for resettlement in Germany. The group includes lone mothers with children, women and girls threatened with violence, and members of persecuted religious minorities such as the Yazida.
According to available information, at least half of the selected refugees will be Chaldean Christians, who have been suffering increasing persecution since the Iraq War of 2003.
The Chaldean communities in Germany - in addition to Essen, primarily those in Munich and Stuttgart - will, therefore, have a major role to play in the integration of quota refugees. Rudi Löffelsend, who is responsible for foreign affairs at the welfare association Caritas in the Diocese of Essen, is responsible for Iraqi refugees and hopes that cooperation will be close:
"The Iraqi Christians are generally very well educated and middle class," says Löffelsend. "The same can be said of the Chaldean Christians living in Essen. Most of them are very well integrated into the community, have jobs, some have even built houses, and their children are at the more academically oriented secondary schools. These people are capable of taking control of their lives and this makes them important navigators for the new arrivals."
Optimistic estimate
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia expects to receive approximately 540 quota refugees from Iraq in the coming months. It is, however, likely that some time will pass before they actually arrive in the Ruhr region.
Upon arrival, the refugees will first be brought to Friedland, the former transit camp for refugees from the East and the GDR, near the city of Göttingen. Some states in Germany would then like the refugees to take a three-month integration course together. In North Rhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, the Iraqi refugees are to be given the opportunity to choose where they want to live immediately.
To make sure that everything runs smoothly, Caritas has set up a round table. Here, representatives of Caritas and the dioceses of Paderborn and Cologne will decide how best to help refugees and establish contact with the municipal administrations and Iraqi migrant organisations.
Rudi Löffelsend is optimistic that the Iraqi refugees will be well integrated, not only because of efficient networking within the community, but also because the number is not too large. "With a population of 20 million, 540 refugees are a drop in the ocean when one considers that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis need safety and prospects for the future."
Martina Sabra
© Qantara.de 2009
The EU and Iraqi Refugees
The Myth of "Voluntary Return"
EU interior ministers have recently agreed to take in 10,000 Iraqi refugees currently living in Syria and Jordan. But human rights organizations criticize the preference given to Iraqi Christians and warn that the Iraqi government is painting a false picture of the grim situation in Iraq in an effort to lure refugees back home. By Anja Zorob
Iraqi Refugees in Germany
Stripped of Asylum Status
Over three million Iraqis have been forced to leave their country, resulting in the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since 1948. At the same time, the German government has been revoking the asylum status of Iraqi refugees. Beate Hinrichs reports
Interview with Migration Minister Tobias Billström
"We Need a Common European Migration Policy"
Sweden's Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, Tobias Billström, is in favour of a common EU asylum policy and calls on the Member States of the European Union to support Sweden in the matter of Iraqi refugees. Petra Tabeling spoke to Minister Billström


text:
I want patience and I want it now.
Also, I find that nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Laziness is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Some of the smartest things people have ever said:
No language makes perfect sense. — John McWhorter
Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. — Carl Jung
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child. — George Santayana
Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do. — Savielly Tartakower
One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision — Bertrand Russell
Every good thing that happens in your life is a gift. — Yours Truly
If you can't practice self-denial, all you're left with is denial. — Ibid.
"Most people wouldn't recognize subtlety if it jumped up and bit them on the ass."
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