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Here's a terse reminder that when an employer's supposedly "legitimate, non-discriminatory" reason for an adverse action is utterly contradicted by the undisputed timeline, then summary judgment most likely ought to be denied.
Donley v. Stryker Corp., No. 17-1195 (7th Cir. Oct. 15, 2018)
In a short-but-sweet opinion, the Seventh Circuit reverses summary judgment in a Title VII retaliation case, where the district court failed to perceive a genuine dispute of material fact: specifically, when company management first became aware of the plaintiff's alleged violation of work rules. By the plaintiff's account, management knowingly overlooked her alleged breach .... until she complained about sex harassment.
EEOC v. Costco Warehouse Corp., No. 17-2432 (7th Cir. Sept. 10, 2018)
Title VII requires that employers exercise due care to prevent sexual harassment of their employees by customers. The EEOC prevailed at trial on just such a claim, winning a $250,000 verdict for a woman shelver who - a jury found - was stalked for over a year by a male customer, while Costco took inadequate measures to protect her. The Seventh Circuit upholds the verdict, and even remands the case back to the district court for award of more back-pay relief.
Robinson v. Perales, Nos. 16-2291 and -3390 (7th Cir. July 2, 2018)
There are several lessons in this Seventh Circuit decision, reviewing a summary judgment and jury verdict in a Title VII and § 1983 case involving state university police officers. First, the court continues to consider the use of the N-word in the workplace to be virtually per se racial harassment. Second, the filing of false reports against an employee may be deemed a materially adverse action, for purposes of retaliation. Third, even if the law mandates strict liability against an employer for retaliation by a supervisor, the jury must still be instructed on the theory or it may be waived.
Kelber v. CareFusion Corp., No. 17‐1206 (7th Cir. Apr. 26, 2018)
The Seventh Circuit creates a split with the Eleventh Circuit, holding that job applicants may bring claims for disparate impact under the ADEA under 29 U.S.C. § 623(a)(2). The panel majority allows a challenge to an employer's classification of an in-house Senior Counsel position as "3 to 7 years (no more than 7 years) of relevant legal experience."
McKinney v. Sheriff's Office of Whitley Co., No. 16-4131 (7th Cir. Aug. 8, 2017)
The Seventh Circuit reverses and remands a Title VII claim for trial that it describes as a potentially "strong case of race discrimination." In particular, it reminds district courts that the "same actor" inference - that a manager who hires Black employees is unlikely to be biased against them - is at most an argument for trial, not a rule for deciding summary judgment.
Alamo v. Bliss, No. 15-2849 (7th Cir. July 20, 2017)
The Seventh Circuit decides a couple of useful things in this Title VII and § 1983 national-origin discrimination, harassment, and retaliation case, set in a City of Chicago firehouse. First, it holds that even petty activity such as lunch-stealing may constitute part of a hostile work environment when the entire pattern of conduct is considered together. Second, even such tedious activities as constantly shifting an employee from site to site, and intensively challenging fitness for duty after medical leave, may constitute materially adverse employment actions.
Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, No. 15-1720 (7th Cir. Apr. 4, 2017) (en banc)
This decision was an instant sensation in the news and social media: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 held to protect employees from discrimination because of sexual orientation (and, presumably, gender identity as well). Digging into the majority and separate opinions, we can trace different possible outcomes when this question inevitably reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gracia v. SigmaTron Int'l, Inc., No. 15-3311 (7th Cir. Nov. 29, 2016)
The Seventh Circuit affirms a jury award of $50,000 compensatory and $250,000 punitive damages in a Title VII retaliation case. The jury could have found, based on conflicting testimony, that the employer fired the plaintiff just two weeks after she filed an EEOC sex-harassment charge, based on an unsubstantiated complaint - reported by the alleged harasser himself - of a minor work-rule violation.
Ernst v. City of Chicago, No. 14-3783 (7th Cir. Sept. 19, 2016)
It's rare for a federal court of appeals to toss a defense jury verdict in an employment-discrimination case, and rarer still for the panel to order entry of a judgment in favor of a plaintiff. Yet both things happened in yesterday's Seventh Circuit decision, which held that a group of female paramedic applicants proved they were unlawfully screened out of employment due to an unreliable physical-skills entrance examination.


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BINUS Enterprise Faculty International Undegraduate program is passionate to transform the graduates to become extra global, more modern, and better individuals. Located on the Wits Business Faculty's Parktown Campus, the CfE is a bridge between tutorial information on entrepreneurship and implementation of knowledge into apply by entrepreneurs. Our online and face-to-face options make our applications efficient and sensible.
Our excellence is assured—we're considered one of just nine business schools nationally with EQUIS accreditation awarded by the EFMD Quality Enchancment System, and have additionally been awarded a QS 5 Star score. Our MBA education recognises the complexity of the environment, and learning takes place via a partly managed, artistic, aware thought course of.
The Diploma in Sustainable Business, offered jointly by College of St. Gallen and Business School Lausanne, launches an additional intake in February 2018. Our full-time MBA ranks within the world top 50 for a career in finance. Kind a faculty title into the search field to dive into a person MBA program and see where graduates typically find jobs and the way their pay compares to graduates from different schools.
We give our students what they need to succeed – related schooling, experience and entrepreneurial ability, and in flip, they graduate as high achievers with aspirational targets. The philosophy of schooling in BINUS Business Faculty is to nurture the information in business administration with the willingness to continuously make improvement of the present achievements.

subset: commoncrawl


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Can anyone please help me with this question?
Find the Maclaurin series and the interval of convergence for $f(x) = \ln(1-7x^9)$
I thought the answer was
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} (-1)^n \frac{7x^{9n}}{n} $$
but it seems that my homework assignment website will not accept that answer. I also am not sure how to find the interval of convergence. I know that $\ln|1-x|$ converges for $|x| < 1$, but I cannot figure out the interval of convergence for my current problem.
Any help or insight is greatly appreciated! :)


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Restaurants – Mexican – LA DESTILERÍA
Blvd Kukulcán, km 12.6, Kukulcán Plaza, Cancún, 77500 998-885-1087
Description: ZONA HOTELERA. When people think of Mexico, they may picture sunny beaches, haciendas, and sombreros, but the owners of La Destilería have some other images to highlight-excellent Mexican cuisine and tequila. Start with a dish like spiced corn soup or stuffed pastries that feature chicken, cream cheese, and mushrooms. After you've had your fill, head to the bar and ask for a margarita created with one of the more than a hundred tequilas on hand. If you're not interested in at least sampling some of the country's finest concoctions, at least visit the tequila museum located inside the restaurant.
Daily 1pm-Midnight
Payment Methods:
Visa,Master Card,Discover,American Express
Visit La Destilería Online


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Casey Kasem gained fame through his radio countdown shows that were broadcast in Michigan and across the United States, and and the man was also the voice of the Scooby Doo cartoon character Shaggy. Kasem, now 81-years-old, is in advanced stages of Parkinson's disease, and his daughter has filed for a temporary conservatorship. The petition accuses her father's wife of preventing the daughter and her siblings from contacting Kasem or taking charge of his health care.
An attorney for Kasem's wife said that the radio star had been checked out by both the police and social services workers and asked the court to reject the petition completely. He also stated that a 2007 document had given the daughter oversight of her father's care was overridden by 2011 estate planning documents.
The judge refused to dismiss the case and noted that additional information about Kasem's care had been requested. The judge also felt that there was not immediate need to interfere because he felt that Kasem was receiving adequate care based on reports provided by a attorneys. The court appointed a doctor to review the medical records and confer with the judge prior to a hearing scheduled for Nov 19. The daughter's attorneys supported a delay in the case and a review of medical records and estate planning documents.
When a Michigan resident is in declining health, his or her family may want to investigate conservatorships in order to assure the best health care decisions are made for the ailing family member. An attorney may be able to help answer a family's questions and assist them with the preparation of necessary documents.
Source: USA Today, "Attorney: Casey Kasem receiving adequate care", October 15, 2013


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What can WOA Productions do for me?
Echo can produce a high quality video which will be an invaluable marketing tool for your business. It can be put onto a fully authored DVD or blu-ray, uploaded to the internet or broadcast on TV.
Why should I choose WOA Productions?
If you choose WOA Productions you can be sure of several things. We are extremely passionate about video production, we have a large amount of experience in producing various video types and we have a comprehensive understanding of the technical aspects of video production. In addition we always endeavour to work closely with our clients and ensure they know what is happening at every stage of production.
How much will a video cost?
Every video is different therefore cost varies from project to project. When pricing a new project Echo take into account: pre- production time; the length of the production; the output format(s); the equipment used; music needs; voiceover; studio or location requirements and the complexity of the edit. We can usually find a price to fit any budget so contact us now for a quote.
Why is it worth having a video produced?
Instead of spending thousands of pounds a year on advertising in magazines and newspapers and hundreds of hours on mail outs and cold calling why not have a video produced that can engage and excite potential clients, have a DVD/blu-ray produced that would raise the quality of your image in your core markets and reach audiences all over the world via the internet all for a relatively low price.
Why is internet video so popular now?
The internet has given businesses a massive stage to advertise their products or services on, people from all over the world can access sites such as YouTube or facebook, which are free to place videos on. These sites can also be used to keep clients up to date with all the latest news and updates. In addition each page on a social networking or video sharing site can have a back link to your website which will help raise the profile of your website in search engines.
Why should I have my video shot in High Definition?
High definition is recommended because the image quality is far superior to standard definition, even once the HD footage is compressed it still produces better results than standard definition. YouTube now supports high definition video and if you are wanting to use Blu-ray in the future then high definition is essential.


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$19.95 Inc. GST
These mini number plate stickers are great! Slap them on your frame, toolbox, car window, school books or little brother's forehead, mark your territory wherever you go! Made from our thick "Tuffstuff" custom MX graphics materials, they come in a pack of 20 and are 53mm x 48mm in size.
Ringmaster Images
17/63-71 Bayfield Road East
Bayswater North VIC
Australia 3153
Ph: +613 9720 2223
Fax: +613 9720 2234


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HP acquires 3Par: Now what?
Last week, I blogged about the 3Par bidding war and how I thought that HP would prevail. Yesterday, Dell refused to match HP's latest offer and so unless something crazy happens, HP is now the proud owner of 3Par for the rock bottom price of $2.4B! The price is more than double Dell's initial bid […]Read more


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By Mark Wilson
Local authorities in the Indonesian regency of Indramayu, West Java, are struggling to prevent the trafficking of children due to the local "get rich quick" attitudes of many parents who face some of the highest poverty levels in the country and view their offspring as economic assets, say local government workers and NGOs.
West Java government women empowerment and child protection chief Nenny Kencanawati said a combination of the province's large population, high poverty levels, poor education and cultural attitudes were hindering local prevention efforts, which since 2008 had been taken forward by the West Java Anti-Trafficking Task Force, comprising of various government ministries and agencies.
"The consumptive culture of many people in Indramayu and other parts of West Java, as well as declining social and cultural values in the family, are a reality here," she said. "Parents want instant money without the work. They want their children to help improve the family's economic situation. For them, it's no problem if they sell their daughters into the sex industry, but for us, it's a big problem."
Nenny also highlighted the poverty and lack of economic prospects faced by hundreds of thousands of people in Indramayu.
"Poverty makes these people vulnerable to traffickers," she said. "People lack the skills and education, and many children drop out of school when they are still young because of their economic situation."
A native of Indramayu, 48-year-old Muhammad Hadirin, has been unemployed for 10 years and borrows money off people in his village to survive.
Late last year, his 16-year-old daughter was asked by a school friend if she wanted to make the four-hour bus journey to Jakarta, the capital, to find work. In effect, she had been recruited to work in the sex industry. Using existing prostitutes to recruit their friends in their home villages is an established recruitment method for traffickers in the area.
"I knew what she was getting into," says Hadirin. "A lot of girls have left here for Jakarta to work as prostitutes, but I need this money for a better life."
Weeks later, Hadirin received a call from his daughter. "She was crying about her work, and I cried too," he says. "She asked for my blessing to get more customers and more money, so I gave it. I told her to just do it."
His daughter's work has paid dividends. She sent back US$220 when the family home was flooded earlier this year and he has hopes she will later pay off his debts with the money she earns from prostitution.
Local NGO workers say the practice of parents in Indramayu selling their children to traffickers who then transport them into the capital's sex industry has been commonplace for years.
"The children, especially the daughters, are seen as economic assets by the parents," says Sukim, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "Many people here call it 'luruh duit' – the view that it's OK to do commercial sex work to make money. In some cases its backed by a history of prostitution the family."
An ex-trafficker, Sukim now works for Yayasan Kusuma Bongas, an NGO that raises awareness of the issue in local schools and communities.
"The people here are poor but they want to be seen to be wealthy, they want prestige in their villages," he says. "Nowadays it's fuelled by the modern, consumptive lifestyle – people want their TVs, motorcycles and mobile phones. They want a way to get rich quick and they think selling their kids to traffickers is one way."
Traffickers prey on these desires, Sukim says, partly by building big houses amidst Indramayu's poverty stricken villages, demonstrating their wealth and luring more families into selling their daughters.
Beneath such "consumptive lifestyles" lie some of the highest poverty levels in the country.
Indramayu is part of West Java province, where government statistics say 4.3 million people live below the poverty line, the human development index is below the national average, and the senior high school participation rate is one of the lowest in the country.
Indramayu itself is one of the poorest regencies of West Java. Home to 1.7 million Indonesians, 16 percent of its population lives below the poverty line according to local government data.
Faced with such poverty, the money earned from selling a daughter into the sex trade can significantly improve the economic situation of the regency's poor families by meeting their daily needs.
"Parents can receive up to $1,700 for selling their daughter to traffickers, more if the child is a virgin," says Solihin Bistox from Garda BMI, an anti-trafficking NGO also based in Indramayu.
Bistox speaks of poor families' dependency on their children, who are expected to help their parents by bringing in money. The option of trafficking them into the sex industry is a "lucrative" one for the family in question, he says, with the girls remaining in the sex industry for years.
Indonesia has made progress on combating human trafficking. In 2006, it was removed from the US State Department's trafficking in persons watch list, a year later it passed an anti-trafficking law and in 2009 it ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
But at the local level, progress is less certain.
For the last seven years, US State Department reports have noted internal trafficking to be "a significant problem" in Indonesia, with the 2013 report highlighting West Java as a "significant" source area.
Local NGOs speak of half-baked government prevention efforts, where officials visit villages, speak to village heads and then leave with little follow up.
"It's not enough. Prevention has to be continuous. It's about giving the kids skills to work in other industries while educating communities about the dangers," says Bistox.
The West Java government's Kencanawati, however, pointed to a new local government program where 1,000 facilitators across the province were teaching villagers how to create "resilient families", to resist the temptation to sell their children to traffickers. Councilors were also raising awareness in the province's 23,000 state schools, including in Indramayu.
Sixty-seven children had been trafficked from Indramayu to international and domestic locations in the last three years, said Kencanawati, adding the number was decreasing annually, but that there was no data on children trafficked to Jakarta or other cities in Java.
However, NGO workers see a different picture. One, who wished to remain anonymous, said that in one red light slum area in North Jakarta alone, at least 74 girls from Indramayu had been trafficked into brothels there.
Meanwhile, Indramayu continues to meet demand.
"I visit villages where each family has sold at least two children to traffickers," says NGO worker Bistox. "So how can the trafficking of kids here be decreasing when, after all these years, Indramayu is still the biggest source of trafficking in Indonesia?"


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In the cool wet climate created by the merging of the rivers, calasparra is an ancient rice strain which matures very slowly and produces a round grain that can absorb 30% more liquid than ordinary rice varieties.
Calasparra rice is perfect for absorbing the flavours of Spain's famous dish paella, and other rice-based dishes.
Most chefs use calasparra to make paella because it allows more flavour from the paella stock to transfer to the person enjoying the dish. Not only does the rice absorb more flavour it remains separate and does not stick together like other rice varieties.
Cooking Instructions:
For paella – rice/water 1/3
Covered pot – rice/water 1/2
100% Spanish rice.
Handling & Delivery charges will apply at standard courier rates for deliveries from Sunshine Coast (QLD) to the rest of Australia. Contact Us for details.
Orders are despatched Monday to Friday. If we are in stock of your items at time of picking, we aim to dispatch your order the next business day.
We cannot guarantee or provide a day of the week or time of day for delivery.
View our full terms and conditions here


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Versatile, practical and strong. The ingenious Manfrotto Pro Light camera backpack PV-410, for camcorders, DSLRs and video rigs is the ideal carry-all solution for professionals. Grabbing your kit and getting out the door has never been easier, thanks to its variety of pockets all with easy access. It even has multiple setups, so you can customise it around the gear you need on the day to suit you. This clever, compact bag is never a chore to carry around, so you won't feel weighed down when you're working under pressure. Lightweight, compact yet roomy in all the right places, you can fit in an impressive amount of kit too. It easily holds a range of camcorder setups, a DSLR and a video rig. The slim, streamlined exterior allows you to access your gear from the front, so you'll be able to get your camera at the ready in moments. This camera backpack is protected by the signature Manfrotto Camera Protection System (CPS), so you can feel sure everything inside is safe and sound. It has four padded pouches in the main compartment which can be accessed either from the inside when the bag's open, or from separate zippers at the side. These pockets even adapt to the size and shape of the items within, keeping them snug wherever you go.
This products is warranted to be fit for the purpose for which it has been designed, and to be free from defects in materials and workmanship. This guarantee does not cover the product against subsequent damage or misuse. The period of validity of the Standard Limited Warranty is defined by the law in force in the country, state or region where the product is sold. Please retain your receipt as proof of purchase to repair your product under warranty.
How to get an extra warranty coverage
Beyond the standard compulsory coverage outlined above, this product is eligible for a warranty extension valid up to 5 years from the date of purchase. The Limited Conventional Warranty Extension does not affect the standard compulsory coverage. To take advantage of the warranty extension scheme, you must register your purchase at warranty.vitecimagingsolutions.com.
3.05 kg
Internal Dimensions
30 x 23 x 48 cm
External Dimensions
34.5 x 30 x 52 cm
Tripod Connection
Laptop Compartment Dimensions
31 x 4 x 41 cm
Number of Lenses
Storage for personal items
Types of Gear
Professional DSLR, Videocamera
Type of Bag
External Tripod Connections
This bag comes with the option and proper connections to attach your tripod externally.
Flexi Dividers
These custom designed dividers have the option to fold out of the way when needed or to be pulled out to protect your equipment in special situations.
Interchangeable Dividers
Both modular and easy to use, these dividers allow you to custom fit the inside of your bag around your gear by creating the exact size compartment for your gear..
Laptop Compatible
Protect your laptop during transport in the compartment. (See bag for exact sizes)
Rain Protector
Included fold out protector which when installed creates a barrier between the wet outside and dry inside of your bag.
Water Repellant
A specially applied coating to the fabric which keeps resistant to moisture
Camera Protection System
Manfrotto's CPS – Camera Protection System has been specifically engineered and laboratory tested to garantee the highest level of protection and shock resistance where it really counts.
Trolley Connection
For easy wheel along transportation simply slide the designated strap connector over any standard trolley or luggage handle.
UV Protection
The silver side of the included rain protector will deflect direct sunshine and prevent your digital gear from overheating.
Work Mat
All-purpose work mat offers a convenient working solution when in the field, by ensuring an available clean working surface for your gear.


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Heyde Werk Homes
Heyde Werk Homes is a licensed, bonded and Insured professional home builder operating in the Shuswap region.
They offer the finest custom built homes in the nicest areas of the Shuswap! Rudy Heyde is a 'hands on' builder that insist on quality throughout, from the design concepts to handing over the keys to the client! He offers years of professional service to the trade and works with the finest subtrades and suppliers available today. All their homes are offered with the full New Home Warranty Protection of 10 years.
Their homes offer many upgraded features at builder quality pricing, such as the finest quality and hand craftsmanship, hardwood flooring, custom tiling, maple custom cabinets, custom designs and layouts and curtious professional care. Operating as a family business, Rudy Heyde builds his homes personally including the basements and framing portions. His wife, Judy assists with office administration, design choices and customer liasson. Heyde Werk Homes is a family operated company building homes for families. Their high standards of commitment to their family and community are synonomous with their commitment to their clients!
The Heyde Family
Custom Quality Built To Last
Heyde Werk Homes can custom build on your own lot, custom build on one of their lots or have BIGRob.ca find you a lot to custom build on. They are flexible in their contract negotiations, transparent and honest. You will be satisfied by choosing Heyde Werk Homes!
Heyde Werk Homes
Rudy Heyde, President
Phone# (250) 804-6641
Fax# (250) 835-2378
eMail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Currently they are offering a Spec Home For Sale which was this years "ROTARY HOUSE" project. Community minded builders give back and this project offered excellent trade training for carpentry apprentices in the Okanagan College and High School Programs; 11 students in all participated. The project was spear headed by the Shuswap Rotary Club and local trades, suppliers & contractors provide pledges to support the Rotary Club's community projects; including BIGRob whom provided the marketing. Now For Sale, This years Rotary House includes 3 Levels of Luxury finishes in a 2.5 Storey custom design that takes in the Lakeview from many locations! See Floor plans and additional Slide Show presentations here! $479,000
A Sample of Quality Homes built by Rudy Heyde:
Above & Below Photos Home Staged By Judy Heyde
Some of the "Value Added" Features Offered:
We provide professional survey certificates ensuring layouts and elevations are exact and precise. Our foundations are engineered in excess of current local building codes and are custom built by the owner, not sub-contracted out. We're believers that with a good foundation, you can build a good home!
Our foundations are typically built on a load bearing strip footing where the ground surface is inspected and passed by a licensed geotechnical engineer. We build safely below the building code frost levels and utilize reinforcing steel in both our footings and foundation wall systems. Our foundation walls are engineered for load capacities and incorporate elevations that allow for system rough-ins and finished basement levels.
Once again we offer the services of professional layouts with the entire framing process being supervised and constructed 'daily' by the owner. We do not sub-contract our framing work and we utilize a system of professionally drafted blueprints and quality checks to ensure a quality finished product. We often build custom homes where clients have specific needs or requests and our methods of construction with our systems easily incorporate these requests. All homes are built in excess of the quality assurances required by the governing regulatory codes. We utilize 2"x6" construction for all exterior walls, fully insulated to R20 and our roof systems are engineered with R50 insulation ratings. Our floor systems utilize an engineered TJI 'silent' floor with T&G, 3/4" floor sheathing that is glued and screwed. We guarantee "no squeaks"!
Understanding that over 40% of all construction claims are a result of poor building envelope systems, we strive for perfection when putting the lids of our homes. We use licensed, qualified roofers that offer extended warranties for their systems. Often our homes are upgraded for quality in roofing design. Particular planning and assessment is provided for rain water leaders, gutters, roof venting and storm water collection systems; ensuring a trouble free home for years and years, well beyond the stipulated warranty periods.
Doors, Windows & Entry
Our homes offer above average quality with upgraded systems; We place a high value on "value added" costs for these systems and do not look for methods of cost savings in this area! Everyone of our homes offers a superior entrance system and high end quality windows for long lasting quality and performance. Our window and door supplier also offers extended warranty coverage for these products. Our overhead door systems are also superior, utilizing commercial grade OH Door openers and high quality products.
We offer upgraded exterior finishing packages that include Hardi-Board siding and high end cultured stone mixed with Smart-Board trims. These systems offer a maintenance free exterior that can withstand the full 4 seasons of weather that we get at the Shuswap; they also offer extended life periods well beyond the specified warranty periods for quality and assurance for your custom built home! We carefully install all exterior systems as an integrated part of the building envelope system; installing pre-finished flashings, vapour barrier backing and adequate venting that far surpass the regulatory requirements of standard home construction.
Click here to answer any questions or queries about the program we offer.
We Look Forward To Helping YOU Build
YOUR Dream Home Here In The Shuswap!
Salmon Arm with Bastion Mountain in background
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The Keystone Legacy Circle is laying the groundwork for Keystone's future.
Generous individuals who support Keystone through a bequest or other planned gifts will become members of the Keystone Legacy Circle. Their gifts will sustain the mission of Keystone by supporting the academic rigor, outstanding faculty, motivated students, and maintenance of our beautiful historic campus.
You can make Keystone a beneficiary in your will. Adding a codicil, a simple process, can make this gift an easy one to give. Some sample language is below:
"I hereby give, devise and bequeath to Keystone School, a 501(c)(3) organization in San Antonio, TX, _____percent (%) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate as an unrestricted gift to be used in the area of greatest need at the time the gift is received."


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Holidays for Couples Travel with the one you love
These unique experiences will ensure that your visit to Japan is something you'll remember and cherish forever.
For an experience that is authentically Japanese, spending the night in a traditional Japanese inn is an experience not to be missed.
Take some time out of your Japan holiday to experience the healing powers of the natural hot springs of Dogo, Shikoku.
Japan is home to the stunning Japanese alps and it's no secret that it boasts some of the most incredible ski fields and resorts in the world.


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To: all staff, Channel 8
From: Rupert Sawyer, chief executive
Subject: Privacy and the role of the press
The issue of press intrusion into the private lives of common folk has once again reared its ugly head in the past week – most notably in the case of the daughter of two flight attendants from Berkshire, better known to most of us as Kate Middleton.
Of course, unlike the sanctimonious tabloids (and "bored" sheets, like the Guardian) that have spent seven days condemning the French, the Swedish, the Danish and the Irish while writing relentless stories that include the keywords "Kate Middleton", "topless", "nude" and "photos" to deliberately attract disappointed red-blooded readers to their rags, my publications have had the courage to print the royally racy photos on the front page – and hang the consequences.
Like any decision made at this level, it was not one taken lightly – after all, pap shots of the Queen-in-waiting-in-not-very-much are not cheap. But of course there is always an ethical question when a publication chooses to put famous flesh to paper (not literally, that would be abhorrent), and I'd like to talk you – my staff – through my thinking.
In short, privacy does not exist in the 21st century. This is a price we pay for having the Facebook and online Scrabble games at our fingertips via the shape of the information super highway. Whereas once a hard-working celebrity could happily indulge in the services of a discreet lady of the night and/or rent boy while hoovering up cocaine in the privacy of their home with a relatively low chance of being exposed, now everyone around them has the ability to document such events and publish them to the world as it happens. We don't need the News of the World to follow people around in 2012 to get a scoop, because there's plenty of money grabbing "friends" willing to hang their "celebrated" associates out to dry.
But what has this got to do with paparazzi photographers snapping Kate Middleton over a fence, Rupert, I hear you ask. Well, it's simple – once we accept privacy does not and cannot exist in 2012, everything becomes fair game, not exclusively, but especially, if it's in the public interest. And considering the response to Boobgate, I think it's fairly clear that the public are interested in seeing candid pictures of our Royal Family.
The Sun justified running pictures of Prince Harry with his crown jewels on display by claiming that he was at a party with people in possession of cameras, therefore he was exposing himself (if you'll excuse the pun) to coverage of this sort. They also suggested that because the images were circulating on the internet, it was reasonable to publish the pictures in the paper. However, they stopped short of running the pics of Kate. Why?
In my mind, if someone is aware that they are in the public eye and then choose to sunbathe topless outside in an age where they are also aware that long lens cameras exist, they are as good as in public. There is only one way to ensure that those pictures never make it into the press, and it's not injunctions, the courts or the PCC … it's simply a bikini top, or an indoor sunbed.
As a senior member of the media elite, I am aware that my competitors are always after a compromising picture of me – that's why I don't walk around on my balcony in Ha Noi with my dungeon gear on or a thousand dong note hanging out of my nose. I keep my private life private, behind one-way glass in my futuristic laser-guarded Victorian-style orangery – and that, because of the precautions I take, is where it stays.
If your computer gets a virus, but you're not running anti-virus software, who is to blame? You are, because you've not taken reasonable steps to protect yourself against something you know is out there. In the same way, if you're famous and you don't want to be photographed – you have two options: don't go outside, or only go out with a bag over your head. It's not rocket science, case closed.
Therefore, as the media circus continues to condemn things they desperately want to publish, but are too afraid too – we here at Channel 8 Corp can hold our heads high. We have given the people what they want – and as you can see, the ethical foundations of our business are solid and unshaken by this madness.
If you have any questions, you're clearly too stupid to understand common sense.
Best wishes,
Your moral guardian and superior life form, Rupert


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The light blue is a good color for her, and the wide open collar brings that color near her face where she needs it most. I wish this suit wasn't black though. It's too harsh and too sharp a contrast with her coloring, and she starts to merge with her surroundings a bit. But everything about this outfit says no nonsense, ready for business. She's sporting the tough look most often seen on her opponent, HP CEO Carly Fiorina, while Fiorina has gone in the opposite direction, bringing a new softness to her look in recent days. Perhaps the sartorial grass is always greener on the other side of the aisle.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Are Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina trading closets?
As Barbara Boxer heads into an intense period of re-election campaigning, she appears suited up for battle - literally. Here she is on CNN discussing the Gulf Coast oil spill:
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Void Moon Debuts "Hammer Of Eden"
Void Moon has revealed "Hammer of Eden," the first song off its debut album, "On the Blackest of Nights." That track can be streamed on Cruz Del Sur Music's bandcamp page, complete with lyrics. Void Moon's bass player Peter Svensson explains why "Hammer of Eden" was chosen as the opening track of the album: "It's the most direct and headbanging- friendly song on the album. An up-tempo song with a very heavy chorus to create the feeling of a massive hammer crushing the Earth."
On the Blackest of Nights will be released worldwide by Cruz Del Sur Music on the 2nd of November in Europe and 6th of November in USA. An official release party for On the Blackest of Nights will take place in Malta at V-Gen, Saint Julian, to coincide with the Malta Doom Metal Festival 2012.
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Traveling back to the 18th Century
An "ossuary" is a box, a building, even a well or any other kind of site that is made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. Ossuaries are used where burial space is rare, or as here in Paris, where human remains were brought to the catacombs from overcrowded cemeteries, in order to make room for the city's increasing development. The Paris Catacombs date back to the late 1700's, when the ossuary was formed from an old underground stone quarry. For over 15 years, every night again, long processions of priests, workers and black draped horses and carriages brought over 6 million re-excavated people to these tombs. Up until 1860 the kilometers long corridors were used to pile up skulls and bones. For those interested, it is a fascinating opportunity to step back in time and look at a former burial practice.
Some facts
After entering the pavilion, that houses the entrance, a spiral stairs brings you immediately down to 20 meters (135 feet) below street level, approximately five floors lower that is. There is a whole network of corridors that runs through the entire city and is situated at different depths. We will only be able to view a small piece in this 45-minute guided tour. The first meters lead us through "ordinary" corridors, built of stone, a proof that it is indeed an old quarry we are entering. From time to time we can see landmarks placed in the walls, referring to the streets and districts above.
We wander through the dark corridors for a little while, small ceiling lamps from time to time that show us the way. We are alone, and see a black line on the ceiling, the line that had to be followed many years ago in order not to get lost in here, something that happened often. Only recently two girls were found in here after being lost for two days…
A unique site
Before entering the actual Catacombs, you'll notice some history from before. As already mentioned, the Catacombs are made from older quarries.They represent the interface between the history of Paris and the Earth's geological evolution. Forty-five million years ago, Paris and the surrounding area were covered by a tropical sea. Dozens of metres of sediment accumulated on the sea bed, forming over lime the limestone deposits visible in the Catacombs today.
From the thirteenth century onwards, the open quarries on the slopes along the river Bièvre were replaced by underground workings to supply the huge quantities of stone required to build Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre and city ramparts. The supporting pillars, bellshaped roof cavities, quarrymen's footbath and Port-Mahon sculpture gallery, all of which can be seen on the tour, bear witness to the fact that mining activity was carried out at the site over the centuries.
The Paris Catacombs
Finally we enter the Catacombs, something I have personally been looking forward for several years. But somehow every time I visited Paris, I forgot for some reason. The first view is amazing… Hundreds, no, thousands of bones and skulls are piled up one another. So many remains, that it almost seems like a building material. It is anything but frightening. A special feeling comes to me: the feeling of going back in time. The remains that lie here, those faces that look at you, belong to citizens who lived in the Paris of three hundred years ago. These people have experienced the French Revolution, ended up under the guillotine, some have even been shot looking at the holes in the skull, and they would tell many stories if they only could.
The more you walk, the more remains seem to show up behind every corner. It's remarkable how many bones lie here: behind the first rows, those who form the walls of the corridors, are several more meters of stacked bones and skeletons. Around 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) are to visit, the rest of the 11.000 square meters of the tombs aren't. But even this "small" part is really impressive.
Key dates
4 April 1777 : Louis XVI establishes the "Quarries Inspectorate", responsible for protecting Parisian quarries.
7 April 1786 : Blessing and consecration of the ossuary, now known as "the Catacombs". It took two years to transfer all the bones from the "cimetière des Innocents" graveyard, the largest one.
1787-1814 : Transfer of bones from other Parisian graveyards.
1810-1814 : Héncart de Thury, inspector of Quarries, tries to make the site accessible to the public.
1859 : The final transfer of bones takes place during the urban regeneration work carried out by Haussmann.
1983 : The "City of Paris Cultural Affairs Division" takes over the management from the Quarries Inspectorate.
2002 : Catacombs become part of the Carnavalet – History of Paris Museum.
2008 : The Catacombs reopen after three months of work, in the Port-Mahon gallery, which had been closed since 1995.
Notable historical people
During the French Revolution people were buried directly in the Catacombs, including the members of the Swiss Guard killed in the storming of the Tuileries palace on 10 August 1792, as well as the victims of the massacres in September 1792. The remains of victims of the guillotine transferred there from their original burial pits include Lavoisier, Madame Elisabeth, Camille and Lucile Desmoulins, Danton and Robespierre.
The bones from several graveyards and churches in Paris include the remains of many famous names from previous centuries including the writers François Rabelais (1483-1553), Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1698) and Charles Perrault (1628 – 1703), the sculptor François Girardon (1628 – 1715), the painter Simon Vouet (I590 – 1649), the architects Salomon de Brosse (1571-1626), Claude Perrault (1613 – 1688) and also Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646 – 1708).
Practical Tips
- Buy a ticket in advance to avoid waiting. Visitors are limited.
- The experience is the same by day and in the evening, as you're underground and the lighting is artificial.
- You may want to bring an extra layer in summer, as the temperature drops to raound 14° C (54°F) in the Catacombs.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes: it'so down 130 steps and up 83 steps to return to street level.
- There is no cloakroom, so bring only what you want to carry with you. No suitcases larger than a backpack or a handbag.
- The Catacombs tour is maybe not for everyone… you will be quite deep underground and see human leftovers, so it's not actually recommended for young children or sensitive people.
- Unfortunately the site is not accessible for those with limited mobility and not recommended for those with heart or respiratory problems.
- For fewer crowds, book a morning visit.
How to Get There
The Catacombs are open every day except Mondays and some bank holidays, and are located in the 14th arrondissement.
The Denfert-Rochereau metro and RER station puts you right by the entrance on Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy.
Catacombes de Paris
1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy (place Denfert-Rochereau)
75014 Paris
Tél. : +33 1 43 22 47 63
Information and booking : +33 184.108.40.206.31
Other Things to Do in the 14th Arrondissement
This part of Paris is not the city's most popular, since it's a bit far away from the Seine, near the southern edge of the city limits. However, when you are actually there to visit the Catacombs, take advantage to check out some other attractions such as the 56th-floor observation deck of Tour Montparnasse, or Montparnasse Cemetery, where writers and intellectuals such as Charles Baudelaire, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir are buried.
Need more information about the Catacombs, and how to visit them? Check catacombes.paris.fr.


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"Who ya lookin' at?!" is the look students get from Western's local campus bullies — the Canadian geese.
But there's one school out there that has found an Orwellian way around the two-winged pestilence that almost every Western student has had an experience with.
The University of Waterloo keeps track of geese on its campus via "Goose Watch" — a website with an interactive map that tracks goose nests at the school.
It's during the nesting season in spring that the geese earn their reputation for bad behaviour, as the birds can be very protective of their young. Since the Waterloo website's launch in 2013, the site has been averaging 3,000 to 6,000 page views in each year's eight-week nesting season.
The website was developed by James McCarthy, a geospatial applications specialist in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo.
"It was pretty organic, and mostly a social media thing," said McCarthy of the website's success.
After its launch, the website was originally promoted by the University's Student Success Office, but the rest was up to word of mouth.
The website started as a Twitter trend, a hashtag that listed different nest locations that students encountered on campus. The popularity of the trend interested the school, and a static map was formed on the school's Open Data website, which was the inspiration for the website developed by McCarthy.
With Western's own vibrant goose population, some Western students have expressed interest in a similar website for their campus.
"I'd probably give it a shot," said Michelle Amponsem, a first-year BMOS student, citing her distaste for the birds that make UC Hill look like a goose version of Osheaga.
As at Waterloo, some Western students are interested not because they fear the birds, but due to its strange concept.
"That's hilarious," said Zoe Yang, a first-year BMOS student. "I would probably download it just for jokes, just because it seems like a funny website. But I wouldn't download it because I'm actually scared of where they are."
Western currently has some precautions in place around geese, but nothing compared to Waterloo's digital system.
Mike Lunau, Western's manager of Landscape Services, said that if aggressive geese are reported, the areas around their nests are marked with a sign but nothing else is usually done.
But not everyone sees the need for a website. Andrew Pham, a second-year BMOS student, said that the geese on campus have bothered him in the past, but that it wasn't enough of a problem to use the website.
"I don't get nervous unless they're like right in front of me, but then I can just walk around them," he said.
The website requires some users to report nest locations. McCarthy said that only one per cent of the website's users do, so a website at Western would also need a small number of reporters who keep the map updated.
McCarthy added that, overall, the website is low maintenance, and the only work anyone does in upkeep is in approving the nest locations that are reported in the nesting period.
Whether Western develops a map or not may depend on student and administration interest — in the meantime students continue to negotiate their way through the rough geese neighbourhoods.


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The New Jersey-based Palestinian American Community Center has announced the first educational initiative of its kind: The Homeland Project. Subsidized participants will explore and experience the Palestinian territories — a bit like Taglit or "Birthright Israel," an organization that aims to give every Jewish young adult around the world an opportunity to visit Israel. The primary qualification for applicants is to be "an American citizen of Arab descent." Not American citizens of Palestinian descent. The program welcomes people with heritage from 22 different nations, including Algeria, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. People of "the Arab World."
Having grown up Arab-American with Iraqi heritage, I've long wondered about the term "Arab World." I understood my American identity, but what distinguished Iraq from the broad term "Arab"? Which superseded the other and why, I wondered. Now I bring this question to you: What is the Arab World? And more important for Stratfor readers: Is the concept still suitable today? Or is it possible that it's out of date, a relic of 19th- and 20th-century worldviews that no longer serves us into the 21st century and beyond?
What It Means to Be Arab
At a moment in history when nativism, populism, ethnocentrism and xenophobia are on the rise in "the West" (another construct that may be worth examining in the future), and civil wars, conflicts between neighboring nations and splintering religious alliances are on the rise in the Middle East, it may be useful to rethink this label.
Why do we call people "Arabs" to begin with? What do Arabs share in common? Anthropologically and politically speaking, Arabic is the national language — the mother tongue — of the states identified as Arab. "At the core of being Arab is the language itself," writes the late Los Angeles Times reporter David Lamb in his detailed book The Arabs: Journeys Beyond the Mirage.
"Indeed, the most accepted definition of Arab today is one who speaks Arabic. None other seems to work. The real Arab comes from one of the 13 tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, but what of the millions who don't? Most Arabs are Muslim, but what of the six million Egyptian Coptic Christians? A European lives in Europe, an Asian in Asia, but does an Arab live in Arabia? So after decades of fruitless debate among the Arabs themselves, Middle East scholars generally agree that an Arab is one who speaks Arabic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew."
Yet even the Arabic language they may treasure as a common link is deeply divided by dialect, mixed with French in the West and Farsi in the East. My Iraqi father and his Moroccan-born colleagues regularly resorted to English so they could understand one another.
Geographically, Arabs are citizens of the member states of the Arab League founded in 1945, which comprises territory across North Africa, a large cluster in Southwest Asia and on the Arabian Peninsula. That's a wide swath of the planet. Ethnically, the people we call "Arab" are Bedouin, Berber, African, Arabian and Circassian. They share DNA from India, Europe, Persia and many nations along the Silk Road.
Arab nations may be developed or developing, with fossil fuel stores and historical sites for tourists. They may be eager to purchase modern weaponry and invite state-of-the-art technology firms to consider business, or still-fragile economies struggling to right themselves after years of colonial control, domestic tyranny and conflict. And they may be all of the above.
Religiously, Arabic-speaking populations include Christians, Muslims, Jews, Yazidis, Mandaeans and Druze. As British diplomat Gerard Russell writes in Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms:
"I encountered religious beliefs that I had never known before: a taboo against wearing the color blue, obligatory moustaches and a reverence for peacocks. I met people who believed in supernatural beings that take human form, in the power of the planets and stars to steer human affairs and in reincarnation. These religions were vestiges of the pre-Christian culture of Mesopotamia but drew as well from Indian traditions that had been transmitted to the Middle East through the Persian Empire, and from Greek philosophy."
Culturally, Arabs display vast differences in cuisine and costume, distinct customs regarding relations between men and women, and varied appreciation of hip-hop, Western European music and any number of local styles of singing, drumming and playing stringed instruments.
Politically? Just look at the headlines to see some of these nations increasingly alienated from one another: attacking neighbors, refusing refugees and failing to come to an agreement on how to deal with the ongoing crises in Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Syria. Not to mention Israel.
At a time when many of us seek to find more in common than that which divides us, the terms "Arab" and "Arab World" may actually be unhelpful and inaccurate. Might they unconsciously promote division, I wonder, rather than interconnection? It behooves us to explore more nuanced identity options for those with whom we are engaged in business, trade, war and diplomacy.
The Myth of the Monolith
Historically, "Arab" may have been a more correct identity than it is today. In the early 800s, when Abbasid caliph Abu Jafar Abdullah al-Ma'mun appointed astronomers who began to systematically check the accuracy of Ptolemy's star charts, scientists from surrounding regions were drawn to Baghdad's emergent House of Wisdom. There they were encouraged to track the heavens. Jim Al-Khalili writes in House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance that the pursuit of sciences in the ninth century "marked the beginning of seven hundreds years of Arabic astronomy and provided the bridge from the Greeks to the Copernican revolution in Europe and the birth of modern astronomy."
Jonathan Lyons, a 20-year foreign correspondent for Reuters, notes that because of Koranic injunctions to heal the sick:
"Major medical schools were established in [the Arab cities of] Damascus, Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo. The Persian physician and philosopher Avicenna's eleventh-century Canon of Medicine served as the leading medical text in the West for more than five hundred years."
In The House of Wisdom, Lyons explains, "Unlike the medieval Christian West, which tended to view illness and disease as divine punishment, Arab physicians looked for imbalances or other physical causes that could be treated as part of their religious mission," and that "Many medieval mosques and other public buildings featured sophisticated water-delivery systems, a field in which early Arab engineers excelled."
However, in his 1937 tome History of the Arabs, Philip K. Hitti hints at the actual complexity of the construct "Arab" dating back to the Golden Age of Islam in Andalucia, today's southern Spain. Even in the 10th century, he points out, there was no monolithic Arab.
"In the purely linguistic sciences, including philology, grammar and lexicography, the Arabs of al-Andalus lagged behind those of al-Iraq. Al-Qali (901-67), one of the eminent professors of the university of Cordova, was born in Armenia and educated in Baghdad. His chief disciple, Muhammad ibn-al-Hasan al Zubaydi (928-89), belonged to a family that hailed from Homs [Syria], but was himself born in Seville."
Indeed, there was no monolithic religious Arab construct, either. Hitti writes of the only major Shiite caliphate in Arab history, established in Tunisia in 909. The dynasty lasted less than 300 years, struggling unsuccessfully to "challenge to the religious headship of the Islamic world represented by the Abbasids of Baghdad." Yet today, North African Muslim-majority nations are reported to be Sunni, and the former Abbasid center — Iraq — is known for its Shiite population. Religious affiliation is not geographically consistent. Politics are. Key to engaging Arabic-speaking Sunni and Shiite communities today could be consideration of power, access to power and equity of power rather than real religious dispute.
Albeit political foes, the Fatimid Caliphate's governance structures emulated the Abbasid model, leaving to historians a "manual intended for the use of candidates for governmental posts a sketch of the military and administrative systems… At the time of the Crusades, the Arab World, from Spain to Iraq, was still the intellectual and material repository of the planet's most advanced civilization," writes Amin Maalouf in the epilogue to his page-turner The Crusades Through Arab Eyes.
"Afterwards, the center of world history shifted decisively to the West. Is there a cause-and-effect relationship here? Can we go so far as to claim that the Crusades marked the beginning of the rise of Western Europe — which would gradually come to dominate the world — and sounded the death knell of Arab civilization?
"Although not completely false, such an assessment requires some modification. During the years prior to the Crusades, the Arabs suffered from certain 'weaknesses' that the Frankish presence exposed, perhaps aggravated, but by no means created."
Following the Catholic conquest of Andalucia and the subsequent shift of trade routes from trans-Asia to trans-Atlantic, the "Arabs" lost their primacy and Europe found its legs. The Ottoman Empire rose and fell. "We could credit the hammers of Mark Sykes and Francois George-Picot with nailing the geographical coffin of the sick man of Europe," I wrote in this space a year ago, "but in truth its demise was already well underway."
In his analysis of the post-World War I Arab awakening, George Antonius wrote in 1939:
"In the [Arabian] Peninsula, the essential change was the replacement of Ottoman suzerainty by Arab sovereignty. Five new states came into being, in which former vassals of the Sultan of Turkey assumed in fact the prerogatives of independent rule."
Antonius notes dissension among the houses of the new rulers.
"Ownership of a strip of border territory threatened to lead to a serious trial of strength between the acknowledged leader of the Arab Revolt and a chieftain whose ability and determination had revived the Wahhabi movement and endowed it with military power. Whatever blessings the advent of the Peace may have brought to Arabia, it was clear that peace was not among them."
Almost 800 years after the Fatimid dynasty declined, Egypt suffered a humiliating defeat by Israel in the 1967 War; its leader, Gamel Abdel Nasser, died three years later. "The extraordinary scenes at his funeral, with millions weeping in the streets, certainly meant something; at least for the moment, it was difficult to imagine Egypt of the Arab world without him. His death was the end of an era of hope for an Arab world united and made new," British historian Albert Hourani writes. Forty years later in Tunisia, a fed-up fruit vendor set himself on fire when authorities forbade him to sell his goods. Was he an Arab, a Tunisian or simply a man that needed to feed his family?
Lamb observes:
"The Arab World is full of contradictions that seem to defy a Westerner's logic. It is a separate entity in the global community of nations, and simple categorization is difficult… At every turn the game rules were different. In the Arab world it is understood that hospitality is given freely to friend and foe alike, that the blessings of family and religion are to be cherished above all else, except possibly money, that what is said is not necessarily what is meant at all because, in the richness and imagery of the Arabic language, style counts more than substance."
Claiming a Modern Identity
As a historical term, "Arab" may play. But is it in the best interest of analysts and policymakers of the 21st century to box these diverse communities into a contained category called the Arab World? Even with separate country chapters, the term "Arabs" minimizes discrete pride of place; it may lump together rich nations and poor, diminishing the needs of each.
In a day and age where identity is increasingly claimed rather than donned, I also wonder if, back in the centuries of the Golden Age, they actually called themselves Arabs? Were they Arabs in the Maghreb, Al-Andalus and pre-Saudi Arabia? Or did Baghdadis, rather than Arabs, populate the House of Wisdom? Would the 10th-century Cordoban professor Al-Qali, born in Armenia and schooled in Baghdad, have claimed Andalusian identity, as I have claimed New Jersey identity having been born in California and grown up in New York? Or would he be Armenian? Or perhaps tie himself instead to his alma mater in Abbasid Baghdad?
Was he an Arab? Was my father? With which identity are we — as individuals and as a group — most effectively engaged when it comes to foreign policy and international business? The broad brush "Arab" in America encompasses a century of negative media stereotypes and myriad modern tragedies, some of which include the unforgiveable attacks of 9/11, the Munich Olympics and the rejection of the U.N. Partition Plan. That history colors current relationships. When I say I'm an Iraqi-American, that label sometimes elicits compassion for the destruction of my father's homeland. But being Iraqi-American is just as likely to invite the question, "Aren't you glad we went in?" Nevertheless, at least those are specific questions to consider. I certainly can't answer questions that start with: "Why do Arabs …?"
I wonder if Al-Qali could.
One might argue that today there is no coherent, cohesive Arab World and that the concept of "Arab" is obsolete. I will continue to ask the question and look for answers. But even as I distinguish "Iraqi" from "Arab," I grant that the term remains a point of connection for people in the diaspora. To say "I am an Arab" here in America links individuals to cultures of long ago and far away; cultures that live in our parents' stories, pieces of pottery, gold bracelets, incense and prayer rugs. And young people, like those applying for The Homeland Project trip to the Palestinian territories, may embrace the term Arab-American to claim a proud heritage, cultural identity and intellectual roots.


text: I was fascinated by the peeling paint, because it disturbs what is otherwise a plain and boring industrial shutter into a bizarre abstract. Unlike most of my 'Colours of Industry' photography which is about clean lines and regular geometric shapes, this one is about using your imagination to see what you want to see. Could this be some form of alien language for instance?


text: "Hectic", "fast-paced" and "gotta hurry" get left outside the "Coffee Kitchen" door. Inside, it's "welcome", "familiar" and "relax" for as long as you like! Chat with a friend over a cup of locally-roasted, freshly brewed coffee or a glass of wine. Work on your laptop in the peace and quiet of our back patio, stopping to savor bites from our menu that are as "close to home cooking" as you can get...away from home. Enjoy jazz, the blues or rock 'n roll on a Friday or Saturday night over a glass of wine, a craft beer, or your favorite coffeehouse beverage with a scrumptious dessert. And don't forget, we'll be serving breakfast the next morning, starting bright and early! 45 South "A Coffee Kitchen" is "Your Meeting Place" just a few steps from your home or a short ride to downtown Norcross at 45 South Peachtree Street. Bring your friends, family or work mates and enjoy the moments!


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Treat yourself and your loved ones to THREE layers of chocolate-y, coconutty, banana goodness!! We can't get enough of these delicious Coconut Cacao Super Oats Bars from Kelsey of Wolfepack Write Ups! So yummy and SO easy to make!
Find the original recipe on Instagram at @kelsey_wolfe7!
For the bottom layer:
For the middle layer:
For the top layer


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Latin America Enterprise Fund Managers L.L.C. is one of the pioneers in managing private equity funds in Latin America with USD 783 million of cumulative committed resources since 1995. LAEFM Colombia Ltda. is a subsidiary of LAEFM and manages funds which invest in priority sectors of the Colombian economy, hydrocarbons and forestry.
Jun-10-2015, 12:30 p.m.
Investor Meeting:
Jun-11-2015, 4:00 p.m.
Jun-10-2015, 3:00 p.m.
Investor Meeting:
Jun-10-2015, 3:00 p.m.
Fiduciary Committee
14-Dic-2011, 11:30 a.m.
Investor Meeting
15-Dic-2011, 4:00 p.m.
Fiduciary Committee
14-Dic-2011, 4:00 p.m.
Investor Meeting
14-Dic-2011, 5:00 p.m.


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I'm inspired by art and design. My latest Stand Up Inspiration focuses on three artists and a lamp that helps you to focus.
Tame Space is a service that helps you organize your environment, making it useful and beautiful.
All in Stand Up Inspiration
I'm inspired by art and design. My latest Stand Up Inspiration focuses on three artists and a lamp that helps you to focus.
On the heels of a recent post about living the good life with kids, I began to see a flurry of advice for overwhelmed parents. Seems I'm not the only one with an impossible dream to live in peace with small, organizationally deranged humans who leave a trail of toys wherever they wander.
T, The New York Times style magazine, has more writer's rooms. In case you didn't know, I have a thing or two for writers and the rooms where they work. These rooms along with the artist Xu Bing, below, are today's Stand Up Inspiration.
I've been following the charming and amusingly self deprecating Ursus Wehrli for the last six months, watching his Ted Talk and talk on Typo Design. I loved both volumes of Tidying Up Art. Then he came out with something right up my alley: The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy.
I find inspiration, everywhere really, but mostly in the design, architecture, literary and art world. I love it when I find visual art that touches on my work as a professional organizer because it hones my skills in subtle, but necessary ways.
When I see inspiring things in the world or online, I stand up. Quite literally, I pop out of my seat and, only because I'm curious to read more, sit back down.


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While I wish I knew who taught it to me, I will be satisfied that I learned it: the habit of coming out from behind my desk and sitting with the individual needing to talk with me. It was amazing how much more real and meaningful conversations became without the barrier.
It is not just physical barriers, but the metaphorical desks and tables, that separate us from each other and from real conversation together. The biggest internal barrier to true dialogue is judgment. As we believe we already know what the other person is going to say, or where the conversation will go, we effectually end the conversation before it begins. This is a trust killer.
Dialogic trust begins in me as I put aside the judgments – small and large – that block hearing another human being. Removing judgment allows one to not only hear what is being said by another, it also presents one with the privilege of learning about, and understanding, the other person. When someone is listened to by you, when someone senses your effort to understand, he/she offers you their trust.
Without this mutual gift of trust, there is no dialogue. In his book, Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together, William Isaacs defines dialogue as a conversation with a center, not sides. As we drop the barriers to honest connection and meaning with one another, trust begins to flow in the conversation.
The true blessing of dialogic trust is in discovering where the flow takes us.


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This tool supports the audit of existing services and covers not only the period of time associated with the encounter but also the pre-service and post-service phases of the journey. Customer journey maps are typically focused on the front stage encounter from the customer's point-of-view but as an audit it'd be great to see a complementary version demonstrating the connections with the back stage supporting processes.
If you want to try it out without entering your email address, please use our public Customer Journey Demo Canvas for a first impression.
More about the Customer Journey Canvas
Service Design Thinking is an upcoming term that will be (or already is) going viral among businesses. The name is pretty self explanatory—it basically refers to the process of brainstorming and designing services. The Customer Journey Canvas is a template to facilitate this process.
The big deal about service design thinking is that it can help a business to stand out from its competitors by offering value-added services that will heighten customer satisfaction and develop brand loyalty. As a consumer, you might have come across both retailers selling the same product at the same price. What makes you patronize one shop over the other? The answer likely lies in the different services offered!
As a service provider, a Customer Journey Canvas is a handy tool to have if you want to have an overview of your service processes and generate ideas to refine them.
Service Design Thinking spans across the three stages of customer journey: Pre-Service Period, Service Period and Post-Service Period.
Pre-Service Period
At this stage, you can clearly state down how and through which channels you want to market your service. You can also think about the following:
1) With social media being an integral part of many people's lives, how can you make use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to spread awareness about your service? Can your targeted clientele access information about your new service offerings through these channels?
2) Predict what your customers have to say about your service to their families and friends. Market research can provide you a good idea of the various sentiments customers have on similar services or service providers based on their past experiences. This helps you to have a clear overview of the misgivings consumers have about such services and what your business can do differently.
This stage concludes with you penning down the likely expectations your customers have towards your service.
Service Period:
The mapping of the customer service journey is a major component of the second stage of Service Design Thinking. From the very second your customer steps into the store, he or she will encounter touchpoints (places of interaction between the customer and service) that will contribute to their final evaluation of your service. For example, during a typical grocery trip, the cashier will likely be the last touchpoint of the customer service journey. How the cashier treats the customer will affect the impression the latter have towards the company. Prior to this, there are also other touchpoint which will shape the entire shopping experience.
The second stage will culminate in the evaluation of the individual experiences customers have with the provided service.
Post Service Period
No business can go without reflections and evaluations of their services. How are they being perceived by the customers? Did the service provider follow-up with the customers? After-sales services are particularly powerful because they can impact and influence the customer's perception in a positive way if he or she has a negative impression previously. This is a good opportunity for the service provider to display genuine interest and sincerity in ensuring a pleasant experience for the customer.
At this final stage, you will identify the general social media comments customers have about your services. Do they talk negatively or positively about their experiences with the service to people around them? This will lead to the customer's final assessment of his satisfaction level as he made comparisons to his initial expectations.


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Zambia - Key Findings
The FINclusion Lab project encourages financial services providers, governments and financial inclusion funders to analyze financial services penetration to formulate policies and identify underserved areas. Developed by MIX in 2014, the interactive data visualizations integrate data on financial access points and local market infrastructure and demand at the national, provincial, district and commune levels to generate actionable intelligence.
A series of static visualizations provide country-specific financial inclusion insights derived from the datasets included in a given country's workbook.
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The FINclusion Lab platform uses geospatial mapping and data visualization to measure financial inclusion not only at the national level but also at state and district levels. Doing so allows users to identify opportunities to increase service coverage, inform strategic business planning, and improve government policy and regulation. Through strong in-country relationships and our technology infrastructure, we capture robust local data that is transformed into interactive dashboards and insights.


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Organic traffic is essential for the development of any website or online business as well. A good SEO expert will make sure that the client gets to attract organic traffic through search queries. It establishes the online brand in the market because more people become aware of the same. You would trust an established online brand more than a new one.
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When we provide services, we ensure that our clients get to achieve their desired goals. Powerful SEO strategies can provide such results with ease. That is why organisations look for the best SEO company or the best SEO expert. They do not want to take any risks in this regard.
As an SEO agency, we develop a unique SEO strategy, keeping your goals in mind and implement it accordingly. We will focus on specific keywords of your business's niche and curate content for the same. Apart from that we will make use of all the SEO implementations successful companies use, so that you can get to the same level.
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You've heard it millions of times. It's the 15-second canned recording that follows a cell phone voicemail greeting and tells you what to do at the beep.
And it's become the latest thorn in the side of the American wireless industry.
Last week, New York Times personal technology columnist David Pogue stirred outrage online and from customers when he launched a "Take Back the Beep" campaign on his blog targeting the message.
"I've been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by American cell phone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions," he wrote.
Pogue argued that the instructional message is nothing more than attempt to keep customers on the phone so that they can charge them for additional minutes.
By Thursday evening, several carriers set up dedicated forums to handle the influx of messages from "Take Back the Beep" campaigners.
Pogue acknowledged that there are codes to bypass the message if you are a caller and options to eliminate it if you are the customer, but he said they are just patches. The better solution would be for the carriers to get rid of them altogether.
The carriers themselves argue that these messages are intended to help customers navigate the voicemail menu and that they already offer ways to delete or workaround the message.
"It's about giving our customers and the people who call them choice and control over their technology," said Verizon Wireless spokesman Tom Pica.
Roni Singleton, a spokesman for Sprint, said, "The voicemail message exists because we have to assume that there may be customers and users that require as much instruction as possible on how to use the voicemail."
Both said their companies adequately inform customers about how to work around the message. But that hasn't stopped the blogosphere and cell phone customers from keeping the campaign alive.
In his blog, Pogue said, "I'm also hopeful that, with the stupidity of these instruction messages brought to the public consciousness, customers will be reminded how irksome it is every time they leave a message — that it'll bug them from now on — that it will become a canker that won't go away until the carriers make it so."
Here are six other "cankers" that won't go away.
Text Messaging Fees
In 2009 alone, 3.3 trillion text messages are expected to fly around the world, according to Gartner Research. That represents a 600 percent increase since 2007.
Many consumers have unlimited text messaging plans. But those who don't face exorbitant charges if they exceed their limits. Since 2005, every major carrier has raised the price of transmitting an out of plan text message from 10 cents to 20 cents for reasons no one understands.
Earlier this year, one Wyoming family was hit with a nearly $4,800 phone bill when their 13-year-old daughter averaged about 288 messages a day.
In June, senators took the wireless industry to task for increasing text messaging fees. In that hearing, one researcher testified that it costs wireless providers three-tenths of 1 cent to transmit a text.
So why does it cost the consumer so much more than that?
"This is a head scratcher to consumers because these rising costs are not at all related to the pricing incurred by the carrier," Joel Kelsey of Consumers Union told ABC News in June.
In their defense, the cellular industry contends that texting bundle plans have gone down 60 percent in price in recent years, and most consumers choose bundles.
On a land line, when you make a call, you pay for it. If you receive a call, you don't.
But that logic never carried over to the cellular industry. When it comes to phone calls and text messages, both the sender and the receiver have to pay.
Comparing the U.S. system to the European system, consumer advocates say it's a rip-off.
"When you receive a call in Europe, only one person pays for the call. If I receive a call, I don't pay for the minutes," said Jeff Blyskal, a senior editor with Consumer Reports magazine, adding that here, we're double-charged.
Cellular carriers say they offer plans, such as Verizon's Friends and Family and T-Mobile's myFaves, that give customers unlimited minutes to call their closest friends and family members.
Verizon spokesman Tom Pica told ABC News that the business model in this county is based on the premise that those who use the service pay for the service.
"Each carrier involved in the process recoups the costs associated with sending and receiving that message or the call over the networks they build and maintain," he said.
International Roaming Rates
Another issue consumer advocates say is heating up is the cost of international roaming.
Art Neill, an attorney with the non-profit Utility Consumers' Action Network in San Diego, said his organization has received calls from phone customers who received $1,000 bills for calls they didn't even make while overseas.
"If you have the phone on in another country, just because you don't pick up the phone, and have it for emergency purposes, you'll be charged," he said. It depends on the carrier, but some charge roaming fees if someone just leaves you a voicemail message while your phone is on.
He also said that he's heard local reports from San Diego customers who have been charged roaming rates because the cell phone company mistakenly thinks they have been in neighboring Mexico.
They're about 15 miles from the border, he said, but the cell towers are relaying false information. As a result, the burden is on the customer to contest the charge and prove their location.
The cell phone carriers say that on a case-by-case basis they're willing to work through contested charges with customers. Many offer special travel packages and have roaming agreements with other countries, so they also urge travelers to consult with them before leaving the country to determine the plans that work best for them.
Data Services
Neill also said charges for data services are among the worst examples of nickel and diming going on right now.
Cell phones -- even the simple flip phones that don't include the bells and whistles of a Blackberry or iPhone -- let users do a whole lot more than send and receive calls and text messages.
Depending on your plan, sending pictures to e-mail addresses, streaming video or audio and accessing Facebook or MySpace can cost a pretty penny. But the average consumer can't easily predict how much it will cost them, he said.
One ringtone download here and a few minutes of streaming video there can add up.
"You're getting a lot more multimedia content traveling through the phone," Neill said. "If you don't have an unlimited plan you could be hit pretty bad."
This also applies to wireless cards that let customers use the cellular networks to connect to the Internet.
In an extreme example, an Illinois man racked up a $27,000 bill from AT&T for streaming a Chicago Bears game from his laptop while on a Caribbean cruise.
Using his laptop, a wireless card and Slingbox device that let him watch the game via an Internet connection, he tuned into watch the Bears battle the Detroit Lions.
But, charging him by the kilobyte, at the international rate, the company said he was roaming for the three hours it took to watch the game.
The man dug up the documentation to prove that he was not at sea but actually in port at Miami when he was watching the game, but the company stood firm. Even after he pled his case to 14 different employees, they would only reduce the bill to $6,000.
Ultimately, however, after the Chicago Sun-Times ran his story and brought his case up with AT&T, the company dropped the charges.
Third-Party Fees
Ringtones, wallpaper, games. Sometimes you want them on your cell phone, sometimes you don't. But consumer advocates caution that fees charged by the third parties that sell those products to the consumer and then collected through the cell phone bill are another problem.
In some cases, the fees end up on the consumer's bill through misleading means. A scam wending its way through Facebook earlier this year tricked users into signing up for a cell phone service by asking them to provide their cell phone numbers to receive the results of an online IQ test.
Typing in their cell phone numbers unwittingly signed them up for cell phone services that started at $9.99 a month. But getting those charges off a cell phone bill is no easy task.
"They're having a huge economic benefit from it," said UCAN's Neill, adding that removing the charges is "more difficult than it should be. They ultimately control the phone bill."
Teenagers are an easy target, he said, as they might not even know that a certain download or game will result in a monthly charge.
For their part, cell phone companies say that they have implemented safeguards to protect users.
An AT&T spokeswoman said that when customers are considering purchasing downloadable options, such as ring tones, wallpaper, games or other content, they must opt-in twice -- and take two actions -- to indicate that they want to receive the services. Third-party providers must make pricing and directions for unsubscribing clear to users, the spokeswoman said.
If customers want to dispute charges, AT&T said it reviews complaints and makes billing adjustments on a case-by-case basis.
A spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless said that it has similar safeguards and reviews billing issues as they arise with customers.
Cell Phone Subsidies
If you go out and buy the new iPhone 3GS, it will cost you $199 (if you get the 16 GB version). But AT&T buys the phone from Apple for $400.
Like many carriers, AT&T entices customers with lower-priced or free phones if they agree to a two-year contract (depending on the carrier, the contract term could be different).
But it turns out it's not such a sweet deal after all.
"One of the biggest [issues] are these free and discounted phones," said Consumer Reports' Blyskal. "We've done work that shows those phones, you actually pay for them. It's built into the service charge."
So though you pay $200 initially, you pay the remainder each month with your service bill. But even though you eventually pay off the phone, your monthly bill never goes down.
ABC News' Elisabeth Leamy contributed to this report.


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Below, you'll find frequently asked questions about staying at Ronald McDonald House New York.
First, submit an online application. You can access our online application here.
Due to our community's overwhelming support we have had to put a hold on accepting individual volunteer applications at this time as we have reached our waitlist capacity. Please check back with us at the end of the summer to apply! Note this is only for the individual volunteer opportunities, we are still accepting corporate and community group volunteers to serve meals, participate in a day of service and offer skill-based assistance to our families and staff.
We receive hundreds of volunteer applications every year and make every effort to review each one and respond to every applicant. Once we receive your application, you will be invited to attend a volunteer orientation, which we hold once every two months. The orientation will give you the opportunity to learn more about the House, the services we offer, and any open volunteer positions. This may be followed by a tour of the House and an interview. Not all volunteers who attend an orientation will be placed. If a volunteer job match is made, you will meet with your staff and volunteer supervisor once all of your paperwork has been approved.
Volunteers must at least 18 years or older.
Unfortunately, we don't allow anyone under 18 to volunteer with the children. We do have opportunities for high-school-age children to help with our sidewalk sales program. They can also get involved through their schools.
Nobody under the age of 18 is allowed to volunteer with the children, even under parental supervision.
Under no circumstance should you come to the House while ill. Any type of germ can be detrimental to the health of our children.
We can accommodate up to 20 people at a time.
Breakfast is served Sunday through Friday at 8:00 AM year round.
Lunch is served Sunday through Friday at 1:00 PM year round.
Dinner is served Monday through Friday at 6:30 PM year round. October 1st through April 30th Sunday dinners are held at 5:30 PM and May 1st through September 30th at 6:30 PM.
Parents are responsible for recognizing the dietary restrictions for their children. No special food preparations need to be made. We just ask that you provide a balanced meal and include options for vegetarians and those who are gluten-free.
If you are on the schedule to prepare breakfast for our families, please provide food for 75 people.
If you are on the schedule to prepare lunch for our families, please provide food for 50 people.
If you are on the schedule to prepare dinner for our families, please provide food for 125 people.
Meals should be ready to serve at your designated time. Groups typically arrive an hour before. Arrangements can be made for volunteers to come earlier should they need extra time to cook or prepare.


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They are applied at checkout.
We offer free returns for eligible items.
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We are delighted to announce the Las Vegas Charity Ball, at Crewe Hall Cheshire on Saturday 25th February 2017!
This exciting charity ball is being organised and hosted by the Rotary Club of Bentley Cheshire; a Satellite club of Crewe & Nantwich Weaver Rotary, which was inaugurated in July 2016.
The Rotary Club of Bentley Cheshire has chosen to support Climb and the Alex Staniforth Adversary Fund (fundraising for Young Minds) as two local causes who are working to improve the lives of children and young people:
This will be a fantastic evening at a wonderful venue, with dinner, dancing, casino, charity auction, live entertainment including special guest Rebekah Ryan Music and all the glamour of Las Vegas!
Tickets are £50 each or £500 for a table of 10. For more information or to purchase tickets please contact email@example.com
Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Bentley Cheshire for organising and hosting this event in aid of ClimbHQ and Young Minds.


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Tom Munsteiner's Sculpture "mantis" Citrine Sculpture
Tom Munsteiner Spotlights The Sculpture "mantis" Citrine Sculpture
Tom Munsteiner, the project leader of the award winning work Citrine Sculpture by Tom Munsteiner points out, This sculpture was hand carved from a large, clean natural Citrine crystal. It measures 32 cm in height, and weighs a total of 12.500 carat. The cutting design was applied by facetting the back side of the stone, in the renowned Munsteiner fantasy cut. The title of the sculpture, "Mantis", is derived from the insect Praying Mantis. The form and design of the incisions centered on the back side of the stone are based on the blades of the insect..
Tom Munsteiner's Sculpture "mantis" Citrine Sculpture Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to DXGN Design Journal homepage.


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First, I could see that I needed to change the format of my block declarations in my content pages from
- {name: content, format: textile}
- {name: sidebar_heading, format: textile}
- {name: sidebar, format: textile}
blocks: [[content, textile], [sidebar_heading, textile], [sidebar, textile]]
Not a big deal, though I needed to do it in every file (I need to find a way to get rid of this duplication). I thought that would be enough to get me running, but to my surprise every page generated the message "Invalid structure of meta information".
The problem was that my files (originally created in Windows and now living on my Mac) had lines ending in \r\n and Webgen didn't like this. Things worked better when I changed each file to have lines ending simply in \n.
Next I had to replace references to block content in templates from from
{block: block_name}
After that I was 90% of the way there, with all the standard stuff covered. The next step was to handle two places where I'd used included content.
Webgen 0.4 changes the order of the steps in the evaluation of page files. The new order is:
- convert to HTML;
- then ERB;
- then webgen tags.
In earlier versions I believe the steps were performed in the reverse order. This change in ordering broke some of my "custom" code, where I was including common Textile content into a number of pages by reading it from a file via ERB. Since ERB is now run after the conversion to HTML from Textile I was getting the included Textile content rendered as HTML without translation.
One thing I was using this for was to include a common sidebar. However Webgen now supports nested templates, and that's a better way to solve the common sidebar problem. I now have a template that looks like this:
template: ../default.template
--- content
{block: content}
--- sidebar_heading, textile
--- sidebar, textile

* Easy Access Training
* Software Development
* Coaching and Mentoring
* In-house Training
For enquiries regarding any of our services, please email us.
Pages that want the common sidebar use this template and only need to provide the body content.
The other thing I was using an ERB include for was to provide a common set of textile link aliases (things like
[three_rivers_essay]http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/steve%20hayes%20essay.htm). These need to be in the same file as the textile source at the time it's converted to HTML which is before either ERB or tags are handled, so it looked like I was out of luck. My solution was to write my own tag, called "site", which provides the same sort of functionality. A reference to the tag looks like
{site: three_rivers_essay} or
{site: {name: three_rivers_essay, text: "a different piece of text"}} - I'll include the plugin code at the end of the post.
It's good to see Webgen in active development, I like nested templates, and it's quite easy to write plugins. It would be good to see better documentation (hopefully that will come from the new activity as well) but Thomas Leitner provides excellent support via the forums.
class SiteTag ["Suncorp-Metway", "http://www.suncorp.com.au"],
"three_rivers_essay" => ["software tyranny", 'http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/steve%20hayes%20essay.htm']
# and so on
infos( :name => 'Custom/Site',
:summary => 'Return standard sites and labels')
register_tag 'site'
param('name', nil, 'The name of the site that will be linked to')
set_mandatory('name', true)
param('text', nil, 'The text that will be displayed for the link')
def process_tag(tag, chain)
return self.link
def link
name = param('name')
definition = @@definitions[name]
raise('Could not find site named ' + name + ' in ' + @@definitions.to_s) unless definition
url = definition[1]
text = param('text') || definition[0]
return "#{text}"