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Lithuania has so much to offer to a tourist. It is a small country, but do not let that stop you from traveling there as there is much to see and do. Here are four top tourist sites that you will not want to miss if you take a trip to Lithuania.
The Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea coast is a must see for anyone who plans a trip to the beautiful Lithuania. This coast is by far one of the prettiest that Europe has to offer. The sand is white and the sea is a beautiful green and the two really compliment each other quite well. There are many seaside resorts on the Baltic Sea Coast and people can be seen here wandering around in the summer, fall, and spring. Popular resorts include Palanga, which is located in Western Lithuania. There are sand dunes located here. Legend has it that a Pagan shrine is located at the foot of the hill here where there lived Birute, a young, gorgeous priestess. The Grand Duke of Lithuania traveled to meet Birute, after hearing of how pretty she was, to marry her, but Birute refused, stating she would be a virgin forever. He captured her and took her as his wife, but he was later murdered, and she returned to Palanga. It is said that she is buried there.
Trakai is a historic city that one should not miss if visiting Lithuania. It is a lake resort that is located west of the capital city of Lithuania. This city is known for having many different populations, such as Jews, Poles and Lithuanians. While visiting this city, it should be noted to see Old Karaite Cemetery. This cemetery was founded in the 14th century and was closed in 1932. One should also plan on seeing Trakai National Park, which was established in 1991. The landscaping done here is both natural and built and include more than 32 lakes. There are a few excursions you may wish to take while you visit this park. These include Manor Park and Varnik botanical and zoological areas where people use to come to enjoy themselves. Manor Park will include a guided tour of the business part of the palace that is located in Trakai. Varnik botanical and zoological areas will usually mean a 2 hour excursion during which people admire wildlife, plants and lichen species.
Aukstaitija National Park
Aukstaitija National Park is located in the northeastern area of Lithuania. Established in 1974, this park is the oldest national park there. Seventy percent of the park is covered by wood; some of the pine trees are even older than 200 years. There are 64 species of plants located here, as well as 8 species of fungi and 48 species of birds. There are 126 lakes scattered over this park that is 405.7 square km. The park has about 2300 residents within the 116 villages located here. There are also 11 hillforts located here, as well as 45 burial sites. Six watermills are located within the park, as well as many museums, including the most famous one, the Museum of Ancient Beekeeping. Here visitors will have the opportunity to see the traditions of Lithuanian beekeeping and the history of it.
A fourth place that is highly recommended to see while traveling throughout Lithuania is one of the oldest cities, Utena. This city is famous for its brewery, horse sports, and hospitality. While in this city tourists may wish to see the Church of Christus Entering Heaven, which is a marvelous site to see. The city is surrounded by lakes, forests, rivers and mounds. Old estates also adorn this town. Every summer there is a trotter racing event that brings in many visitors from all over Lithuania, and this is very exciting to see.
Lithuania is full of great sites to visit. It is a great destination to look at if you are planning a trip anytime soon. Many fun and exciting opportunities are waiting for you there!


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Hey friends, fans, or just WordPress enthusiasts,
Today, I'm going to share with you one important piece of news related to the future of free WooRockets plugins including WR PageBuilder, WR MegaMenu and WR ContactForm. We'll stop development activities by 18 May. That means no more product improvements, bug fixes or any activities related to the products' development. We'll put them on "autopilot" in the "WordPress sky" for the community as we always have at Github. Let me explain to you why we have decided to go this way. It's not an easy decision, but we have had to do it.
It costs a lot of resources.
The development and support costs are huge, but the time involved was even greater. Yes, we hired three developers to take care of each free plugin and one dedicated support staff. We wanted to make sure that the products were in good shape and moved forward with continuous improvements based on users' feedback. We have done this job for over a year and there is no end in sight. Thus, we always had something to do. Recently our company has been faced with an unstable financial situation which has forced us to cut costs. Free plugins were released for the WordPress community and couldn't convert into sales. If free plugins or other commercial products could generate enough revenue to keep the products free, we would definitely go with that. Unfortunately, the commercial parts of the products still need some serious improvement to establish their position on the market.
But most important, we haven't stayed focused on our main goal…
We're WooRockets.
We initially bought these products from InnoGears Team. They did a great job and our role was the improvement their stuff for the WordPress community. We tried hard to answer support questions via the forum and improve the products making them "perfect". By doing that we moved away from our main and initial goal – WooRockets.
WooRockets is about providing ultimate solutions for WooCommerce shop owners. These solutions are themes, plugins, mobile apps and everything related to WooCommerce. We've spent so much time and resources on things that have moved us away from what WooRockets actually is. We really want to make quality products for WordPress; to be specific WooCommerce. It takes time, money and strong FOCUS.
From now on, the code base for the three plugins are still available at Github. Anyone who wishes to improve the product can download it and make further code contributions. Just some quick stats with "Active Installs": PageBuilder – 9,000, MegaMenu and ContactForm together – 4,000. That's not a small or big amount of users, but still numbers that show how free stuff is popular.
…and some last words a BIG THANKS to our users & fans! Your lovely reviews were a big encouragement for us. We believe that it's not the "end", we'll return back to free plugin development when the right time comes, especially with WR PageBuilder.
See you around WooRockets space!

subset: commoncrawl


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Lokpal and defence procurements
IN recent weeks, the Lokpal Bill has dominated public discourse. There seems to be a naïve belief that a strong Lokpal will root out all corruption. However, a law to establish a Lokpal is unlikely to be more effective than the existing laws to prohibit dowry or untouchability. To make a significant dent on the all-pervasive malaise of corruption, reforms will be needed at different levels of governance and in different sectors, particularly those prone to corruption. One sector needing special attention is defence. John Githongo, Kenya's former Permanent Secretary for governance, has called defence "the last refuge of grand corruption". Fortunately, over the past few years, the defence sector in India has remained untainted by any major scandal. But the world over defence is rated as the most corruption-prone of all international businesses. According to Transparency International's (T.I's) Bribery Payers' Index, defence has the dubious distinction of ranking among the top three most corrupt sectors, along with oil, construction and engineering. A US Department of Commerce report asserts that the defence sector alone accounts for 50 per cent of all graft allegations. Experts estimate that bribes amount to nearly 15 percent of expenditure on arms acquisition. Hence, ministries of defence can never afford to be complacent. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that in his recent address to the top brass of the Army and Air Force, Defence Minister A.K. Antony had cautioned them about "the danger of falling prey to corrupt practices perpetrated by vested interests in the garb of aggressive marketing" and urged them to "stand guard with resolve against any such overtures". Corruption in defence hurts the nation's vitals. It makes defence more costly and diverts scarce resources from development. Corrupt practices dramatically impact operational effectiveness and in turn the credibility of the defence forces. Corruption scandals erode public trust, create insecurity and demoralise the armed forces. National security is treated as sacrosanct. Why is then defence so corruption prone? Transparency International offers some answers. First, defence contracts are large, technically complex and extremely difficult to comprehend fully. Understanding technical specifications of highly sophisticated equipment like a modern-day multi-role aircraft can be a daunting task. Technical specifications are more specific in defence than in other sectors and hence vulnerable to manipulation. Second, defence contracts involve huge sums of money with all their attendant risks. All transactions are carried out under a cloak of secrecy, on the ground of national security. However, secrecy works more in favour of companies and officials rather than public interest. Third, the task of developing technology-intensive weapon systems requires huge investment in research and development over a number of years. The arms export market is highly restrictive in nature. The supply side of the market is controlled by government and multilateral export regimes. On the demand side is generally the government or a government agency. The nature of the market is such that the equilibrium of demand and supply is hardly ever achieved. Most sellers are desperate to recover their huge investments and profiteer, whenever an opportunity arises. This desperation leads to unscrupulous practices. Fourth, the use of agents and middlemen in defence business is widespread; they flourish despite all types of bans. Agents act as the conduits for bribes. Information about agents is, therefore, treated as commercially sensitive. Fifth, because of the very nature of defence business, there are only a handful of suppliers. This situation leads to lack of competition. An analysis of the available data shows that more than 50 per cent purchases in defence are from a single source, making price discovery a complex task. Finally, offsets, which are additional investments made by suppliers over and above their sales, are a large and unregulated area, which pose a special challenge in terms of transparency. Economists see offsets as highly problematic and inefficient. The World Trade Orgranisation has banned offsets in other sectors, but the practice of offsets in defence transactions is common. In India too, offsets are now a mandatory requirement in large contracts. Assessing a fair value of offsets from the preferred supplier is never easy. Can an effective Lokpal make defence corruption-free? The answer is obviously no. But such an institution can help the process of investigation and prosecution of the corrupt. This has to be done in a manner that it does not hamper decision-making for defence procurements, which is already painfully slow. What can then be done to deal with corruption in defence? One major area needing reform is the formulation of technical specifications or 'Qualitative Requirements'. Either on account of inadequate technical knowledge and data or due to deliberate design, these are often worked out in such a manner that only a couple of vendors or sometimes just a single vendor can meet them. This practice virtually eliminates competition and renders price — negotiations an infructuous exercise. Unless qualitative requirements are designed broadly, by specialists, with a view to consciously encouraging competition, defence transactions will remain vulnerable to corrupt practices. According to an International Monetary Fund paper on the subject, "The natural policy prescription to attack corruption in military spending/procurement should be to introduce competition and reduce patronage at the level of officials receiving bribes". This calls for greater transparency regarding defence requirements. Sharing of information regarding future defence requirements, however sanitized, is essential for providing prospective vendors leads for the future. Defence budgets are often approved by parliaments without detailed scrutiny. Disclosure of costs and expenditures associated with defence purchases and stricter parliamentary oversight can help promote greater transparency. In the process of reforming procurement procedures, defence suppliers should be fully engaged through a consultative process. While agents and middlemen are banned in India, if in actual practice they continue to operate, it is better to disclose their identities, payments and terms of their contracts. Offsets should be subjected to rigorous standards and supervision. They should also be fully disclosed to enhance transparency and facilitate monitoring. No one should be under an illusion that the Lokpal law alone can effectively fight corruption. Equally vital will be the role of systemic reforms which prevent opportunities and incentives for corruption. The writer is Director-General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
India, Pakistan agree to more LoC trade, travel*
Frequency of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service to be increased * Foreign Secy talks end on positive note, Foreign Ministers to meet in July Ashok Tuteja in Islamabad India and Pakistan on Friday decided to initiate a series of nuclear and cross-LoC confidence building measures (CBMs) as the foreign secretaries of the two countries concluded their two-day talks on a positive note. Addressing a press conference after their meeting, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir said the two sides had agreed to carry forward the dialogue in a constructive and purposeful manner. The two foreign secretaries on Friday discussed Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges, having discussed peace and security, including CBMs, yesterday. Rao made it clear to the Pakistani side that it would be difficult for the two countries to move forward on the J & K issue under the shadow of the gun and extremist violence. In this connection, she drew attention towards inflammatory statements on Kashmir being made by top Pakistani leaders in the run-up to elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian side also conveyed to Islamabad its concern over continuing infiltration in J & K. The top Indian diplomat was forthright in telling Islamabad that the ideology of a military conflict should have no place in the 21st century in India-Pakistan relations. This was obviously aimed at conveying a strong message to the military leadership of Pakistan to give up its India-centric approach and rather concentrate on tackling the situation in the restive provinces of Pakistan. It was agreed that the Pakistan foreign ministers would visit India in July for a review of the dialogue process with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna. The Pakistani Foreign Secretary would also travel to New Delhi prior to the minister's visit. Indications are that Pakistan would promote Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar to Cabinet-rank. On the Mumbai terror attacks, Rao made it quite clear to the Pakistani side that it could not be business as usual between the two countries until the trial in the case was brought to a 'satisfactory closure'. She said India wanted justice for the victims of the attacks. The Pakistani Foreign Secretary avoided a direct reply when asked whether he still considered the evidence provided by India on Mumbai terror attacks as a 'piece of literature', a statement he had made during his visit to India last February, sparking strong reactions. Bashir said Islamabad did understand India's concern on the Mumbai attacks. He said the issue was being dealt with by the home/interior secretaries of the two countries, adding it needed to be addressed in a collaborative manner. Over the cross-LoC CBMs, Rao said the two sides agreed to convene a meeting of the working group in the matter for strengthening and streamlining the existing trade and travel arrangements and propose modalities for introducing additional cross-LoC CBMs. The working group, to be headed by joint secretary-level officers on both sides, would meet in July. The two countries have decided to increase the frequency of the Srinagar-Muzafarrabad bus service, open more trade routes along the LoC, increase number of trading days as well as the validity of travel permits to six months and provide banking facilities to businessmen. They also decided to set up a group of experts on nuclear and conventional CBMs to discuss implementation and strengthening of existing arrangements and to consider additional measures to build trust and confidence and promote peace and security. The two countries have in the past discussed nuclear CBMs like prevention of an arms race in the outer space and nuclear disarmament. At the Foreign Secretaries' meeting over the past two days, they discussed an agreement to prevent any untoward situation at high seas as was witnessed recently in the Gulf of Aden when sailors of MV Suez were being taken to safety. Indian officials said the two sides considered meetings of defence training institutes of the two countries and regular exchanges between defence experts and coast guards personnel. On the nuclear safety issue, India told the Pakistani side that this was essentially the responsibility of every nation. Each country has to take measures to ensure the safety of nuclear sites in the backdrop of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
ANALYSIS: India-Pak moving forward, step-by-step
"The ideology of military conflict should have no place in the paradigm of our relationship of the 21st century. Instead, this relationship should be characterised by the vocabulary of peace, all round co-operation in the interest of our people, growing trade and economic interaction, as well as, people to people contacts – and all this, let me emphasise, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence." This is how Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao [ Images ] summed up India's vision behind ongoing talks between India and Pakistan. Rao conducted talks with her counterpart Salman Bashir for over six hours, spread over three sessions over the last two days in Islamabad. Official sources said there was no cussedness between two sides and the chemistry was excellent.Before leaving for Washington, this was her last important diplomatic assignment that went as per the script. The government sources, while speaking about Pakistan's readiness to bring in substantial proposal for a change, said, "We are resuming the dialogue. Now, they have to assess their own internal political dynamics. Diplomacy works in context of reality only." It was evident at every step that India and Pakistan both took care and observed caution to see that the peace process doesn't get derailed. The importance India attaches to continue talking to Pakistan was highlighted in the range of issues discussed across the table. The most important talk was about the issue that was uppermost on mind of India. How is Pakistan securing its nuclear plants and what kind of measures are being taken so that nuclear weapons do not fall into hands of militants? According to official sources, the Indian side informed Pakistan that India is improving the safety of its nuclear plants and weapons by forming a nuclear regulatory authority. India told Pakistan that, as its happening world over, the security of the nuclear plants is "national responsibility." India and Pakistan held more than two hours of talk on Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ]. The J&K issue has now got an official Working Group to discuss Confidence Building Measures. Bashir reminded that both sides have "stated position" on J&K. The joint statement issued after the meeting said that both sides agreed to convene a meeting of the Working Group on Cross-Line of Control CBMs to recommend measures for strengthening and streamlining the existing trade and travel arrangements across the LoC and propose modalities for introducing additional Cross-LoC CBMs. The Working Group will meet in July 2011. Also, both sides "noted with satisfaction the progress made towards finalisation of the Visa Agreement which will help liberalise the visa regime and facilitate people-to- people, business-to-business and sports contacts." Both sides also discussed new ideas about their coastal securities and also, significantly, how to prevent conflicting situation at sea. In fact, Indian sources said there was readiness to listen on side of Pakistan. The senior source in government said, 'There was no tit-for-tat. The language we used was such that we were able to put across our views in "reasoned way." The Pakistan side in fact asked India to revive the Lahore [ Images ] agreement of 2007. Both secretaries would meet again next month in New Delhi [ Images ]. Before the meet started, no substantial breakthrough was expected because a foreign minister-level meeting is expected soon and also, the prime minister-level meet may be possible in Male, Maldives [ Images ], in November, on sidelines of South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation. So, it was heartening to note that both sides resisted from scoring points or giving spins to the event, and that itself was an achievement in view of assembly elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and sensitivity in India over the slow progress made by Pakistan over26/11. India also talked about David Headley's [ Images ] statements during the Tahawwur Rana [ Images ] trial and the links between terror groups such as Lashkar-eTayiba and the Inter-Services Intelligence. Basheer said that Pakistan understands India's concerns on terror but he hoped that there would be "a collaborative approach." India also told Pakistan that there is infiltration on the LoC, but it has reduced on the international boundary. India tried to raise the level of confidence by saying that there is no scope for military conflict now. Pakistan said there is sense of proportion when it's talking to India. You name it and they talked about it. The issue of Jammu and Kashmir, progress on prosecuting the accused of 26/11, the nuclear safety and security issue. They even mulled over how to have co-operation in preserving the legacy of great poets Iqbal, Faiz and Amir Khushrow. Both diplomats even talked if it's good idea to promote cricket matches between the women teams from both sides and they even asked each other if it's possible to launch an India-Pakistan Women Forum. The official sources said "We are moving ahead step by step and inch by inch." Rao expressed concerns about terrorism and the pending issues related to the 26/11 and Pakistan asked what's happening to the case of the blast on Samjuata express. But, the official sources said that one should not fall into trap of pitting the terrorism of 26/11 against the terror blasts on Samjuata express. "We are not condoning the incident of Samjauta where human lives were lost. India is not afraid of standing up and condemning it. The 26/11 attack is of gross proportion." The Indian side has told Pakistan that once the investigation in Samjauta blasts is completed, they will brief Pakistan about it, while Pakistan has told India that there are legal glitches and issues about the cases related to 26/11 in the Pakistani courts. The government source said, "Some cynics ask what difference such talks make? I think it does make the difference." The source went as far as to claim that, "The meeting was one of confidence that said that we( India-Pakistan) can face the world together!" Image: Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir leave after a joint news conference at the foreign ministry in Islamabad
India seeks details of MiG 29K crash from Russia
NEW DELHI: India has asked Russia to provide the details of crash of a MiG 29K fighter jet, which was manufactured for the Indian Navy, to assess whether there was a need to ground such planes already in service here. India had placed orders for 16 MiG 29Ks from Russia under a deal worth over USD 900 million, in 2004. Some of these planes have already been inducted into service at Goa. "We have sought clarifications from the Russian company ( MiG Corporation )) as the aircraft was still with them and was being flown by their own pilots. At the moment, we have not received feedback, but if there is a technical reason that demands grounding, we will do that," Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters here. A MiG-29KUB twin-seater fighter, which was part of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier deal, crashed in south Russian Astrakhan region yesterday killing its two-member crew. The Russian Defence Ministry has grounded the entire MiG-29 fleet till the probe is over. Verma said an Indian Navy team was already there at the MiG factory and "if there is any technical reason, we will address it. But no such thing right now". India had later placed an order for 29 additional MiG 29Ks from Russia
India-Pak discuss ''contacts'' between defence establishments
From Rezaul H Laskar Islamabad, Jun 24 (PTI) India and Pakistan today held talks on a wide array of defence-related confidence building measures during talks between their Foreign Secretaries, including a proposed pact to prevent "situations at sea" and contacts between their military training establishments.An Indian draft on an agreement to prevent "situations at sea" involving vessels of the two countries has been discussed at previous meetings and the Pakistani side agreed to have a look at the document, an Indian official said at the conclusion of the two-day talks today.There were discussions on contacts between the defence training establishments of the two countries, including India's National Defence College and Pakistan's National Defence University, the official said."There was also a suggestion for contacts between defence and security think tanks, including the holding of seminars and conferences," the official added.Among other proposals discussed by the two sides were measures for better coordination between India's Coast Guard and Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency and steps to put in place new nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures, the official said.The two countries decided that groups of experts, headed by officials of the rank of joint secretary, would meet soon to discuss such CBMs.Dates for the meetings of these groups will be decided through diplomatic channels, the official said.The talks between Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao focussed on the Kashmir issue, peace and security, including CBMs, and the promotion of friendly exchanges.
Is it going to be Lt Col Dhoni?
After Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 29, is in line to be conferred an honorary rank in the defence forces. On Thursday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda wrote to the Ministry of Defence recommending that Dhoni be awarded the honorary rank of Lt Colon el for his 'stupendous performance and leading team India to lift the World Cup trophy after a gap of 28 years'. Fans have mixed reactions to the proposal. "Finally, we can literally salute him like the soldiers," says Naresh Vardhman, 18. Shuchi Sinha, however, says, "What's wrong with these guys? Those ranks are earned by fighting wars, not playing!" Kapil Dev got the honorary rank in the Territorial Army in 2008 while Tendulkar was honoured with the rank of Group Captain in the Indian Air Force last year.
ASSOCHAM calls for setting up defence SEZs, raising FDI cap to 49%
Industry body ASSOCHAM today called for raising the permissible limit on foreign direct investments in strategic defence sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent for better technology transfers and building domestic capabilities. The government should also support setting up defence special economic zones to help create an industrial ecosystem for strengthening manufacturing activities in the country, said The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). "Incentives may also be given to establishments in such SEZs to boost export to neighbouring countries," it said in a set of suggestions for the working group on defence and aerospace industry under the Planning Commission for 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). The large defence purchase orders and contracts to foreign original equipment manufacturers have created large offset obligations, churning out huge business opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Offset obligations worth Rs 150,000 crore are to be fulfilled in the next five to six years. The government may consider an option of providing 25 to 30 per cent reservation to SMEs in defence orders, said vice admiral (retd) P.C. Bhasin who is chairperson of ASSOCHAM national defence council. Cluster development on public private partnership model with focus on defence, electronics and homeland security manufacturing of equipment and components should be pursued, he said. "A dedicated fund of Rs 400 crore may be created to support research and development work by the private sector." ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat called for close coordination between the ministry of defence and other ministries like that of communications and information technology which is also making a serious effort in expanding the manufacturing base. He said raising the FDI limit in defence sector to 49 per cent will allow foreign firms a larger share of risks and profits, and the confidence to transfer sensitive technologies to joint ventures in India. ASSOCHAM also proposed infrastructure sharing for developing innovative technologies and select products between the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the private sector. The ultimate goal should be self reliance in defence production rather than large scale imports, it said.
Will ground MiG-29 if needed: Indian Navy chief
New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Against the backdrop of a twin-seater MiG-29KUB combat jet meant for the Indian Navy crashing in Russia, the navy said Friday it will consider grounding the planes it already has if there was a technical reason to do so. Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters here that the force was yet to get feedback from the Russians on the air crash involving the MiG-29KUB plane in south Russia's Astrakhan region Thursday. The aircraft is the trainer version of the MiG-29K that the Indian Navy fleet will operate from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov) when it joins the fleet in 2013. The navy has purchased 16 planes, of which 12 are single-seaters and four are trainers. "We did get this input (air crash) yesterday (Thursday). So we have sought a clarification from the Russian company...because this aircraft was still with the company and was being flown by its own pilots. At the moment, we have not got the feedback," Verma said. "If they (MiG Corporation) feel there is a technical reason to do it, which demands grounding, that would be done," he said. Verma said an Indian Navy team was present in the MiG Corporation factory to oversee the aircraft's manufacturing and the naval headquarters here was in constant touch with it. "So if there is any reason to believe that there is some technical reason, we will address it at that time. At this point of time, that is not the case," he said. Both pilots were killed in the Russian crash. The Russian defence ministry has already grounded its entire MiG-29K fleet till the investigation into the crash was over. Of the 16 MiG-29s India has purchased, 12 are single-seater fighters and four are twin-seater trainers. India has already got delivery of 11 aircraft, including two trainers. These aircraft are operating from the Goa Naval Air Station till the time INS Vikramaditya is delivered to the Indian Navy by Russia's Sevmash shipyard, which is carrying out a refit on the warship. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also operates a variant of the MiG-29 and these too have been plagued with problems, with nine aircraft crashing since 1997. The IAF currently has some single-seater MiG-29s and 10 twin-seaters.
Analysis: Pakistan army chief shows no signs of quitting soon
(Reuters) - At the height of the storm which swept Pakistan after the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, army chief General Ashfaq Kayani spoke for 1- hours, then told his officers they could ask whatever they wanted, and lit a cigarette. "This is a very delicate situation," he said, in answer to a question about relations with the United States at the National Defense University on May 19. "It's not an easy one." "If we come out of it, keep our relevance and show them we are part of the solution, not part of the problem, we will succeed," Kayani said in one of a series of "town hall" meetings he held to revive army morale. Those meetings have since fueled speculation - particularly in the United States - that the most powerful man in Pakistan, by opening himself up to questions, is fighting for survival. Participants at the meeting, however, said Kayani showed no outward sign of being under pressure as he sat in full dress uniform at a table on the same level as his audience. Equipped only with a file, ash tray and glass of water and facing rows of some 80 officers along with a few civilians, he patiently answered questions from all ranks. "In uniform, we tend to see everything in black and white," Kayani said when a young colonel asked why Pakistan kept a relationship United States if Washington did not trust it. "In the real world there are a lot of grey areas and you have to deal with it." A Reuters correspondent attended the meeting, but since it was off-the-record did not report it until after participants themselves relayed to the media versions of what Kayani had said. Kayani's comments were reported by participants and verified by Reuters. The Pakistan army, the last line of Defense in a country battling a growing Islamist militant insurgency, has come under intense pressure since U.S. forces found and killed bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad on May 2. Its inability to find the al Qaeda leader and to detect the U.S. helicopter-borne raid in which he was killed has left it facing its most severe crisis since its humiliating defeat by India in the 1971 war in which then East Pakistan won independence as Bangladesh. In some ways it is even worse than 1971, when state-run media suppressed the worst of the news in a war happening far away from the traditional heartland of the country. This time, U.S. forces carried out a raid undetected deep within the heart of Pakistan, not far from the prestigious Pakistan Military Academy. That same month militants attacked a naval base in Karachi and blew up two maritime patrol aircraft. Nobody knows what is going to happen next. DRAWING OUT QUESTIONS Yet no one expects Kayani to step down any time soon, or at least not until he has restored confidence within the army. And nor do they expect his most senior officers to turn against him. "The army as an institution is under attack so if the Corps Commanders ask him to leave, that unleashes a very explosive dynamic," said Imtiaz Gul at the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. "That's why the Corps Commanders will never ask him to step down." In inviting questions, Kayani was following a military tradition where officers encourage their men to express their doubts before going into battle, but after the orders are given, expect them to be followed without question. "In the military, it is regarded as a reflection of loyalty if you are frank," said General (retired) Ehsan ul-Haq, when recalling meetings of the Corps Commanders, the army's top officers with command over troops across the country. "There is a discussion (among the Corps Commanders), but there are no fireworks," said Haq, a former head of the military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "There is a lot of poise and dignity in how you address issues." At the evening meeting at the National Defense University, Kayani, far from appearing on the defensive, actively encouraged questions. When a young female student put up her hand to ask a question and the officer running the event said there was no more time - it was by then nearly midnight - Kayani insisted on answering it. The student asked about the threats Pakistan faced. Kayani in response made no mention of Pakistan's traditional rival India -- the subject did not come at all in four-hour long session. "What worries me is the indirect threat and that is the economy," he said. "If you want to be secure ... you have to address your internal situation and the economy is the major issue." And rather than relying on the Americans for money, Pakistan should reform its economy and raise taxes domestically. "We have to stand up on our own feet and we cannot do this unless we have a strong economy," he said. UNPRECEDENTED CRITICISM U.S. media reports that Kayani is fighting for survival have infuriated the military which sees them as a deliberate attempt to malign the army. Those have been accompanied by unprecedented domestic criticism of the army, which peaked after Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad was kidnapped in Islamabad and beaten to death at the end of May. Shahzad had previously spoken of being threatened by the ISI over his reporting, and suspicion immediately fell on the powerful intelligence agency. It denied involvement. And while the army still enjoys high approval ratings in Pakistan, its critics accuse it of sucking up scarce resources in military expenditure focused on India. They also blame it for cultivating Islamist militants in the past for use against India, who are now increasingly slipping out of its control and turning on Pakistan. There are, moreover, unquestionably strains within the military, a Muslim army which for 10 years has been asked to suppress the anti-Americanism which threads through society and fight in a campaign which many see as "America's war." Some of those strains rose to the surface this week when the army said it had arrested a brigadier over links to the banned Hizb-ul-Tahrir, an Islamist political group seeking to overthrow the civilian government and establish an Islamic theocracy. Kayani himself has also been the subject of private grumblings in the military after he obtained last year a three-year extension to his term of office to November 2013 - effectively strangling promotions further down the line. But barring another big unexpected event which dents the army's credibility further, there appears to be little evidence to suggest that Kayani is about to be forced out. Over tea, biscuits and sandwiches which followed the meeting at the National Defense University, he appeared relaxed and smiling as he chatted to participants. "As long as you are in the (army chief's) seat, there is no threat to you," said Imtiaz Gul.
China strengthens hold on Nepal, comes to India's doorstep
A series of recent events reveal that China's geo-strategic policy has Nepal firmly in its cross-hairs and is determined to bring it definitively under its influence. China has now recommended a proposal with potentially far reaching implications, especially for India. Intended to achieve multiple objectives, it retains the focus on Nepal while seeking to neutralise Tibetan activism, undermine the Dalai Lama's influence, including in Nepal, consolidate China's political and economic influence in Nepal, and help China achieve its long-term strategic goal of bringing Nepal irrevocably under its influence. Success in the last two means that China will have crossed the Himalayas and established its influence up to the lower foothills bordering India. When the Chief of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) visited Kathmandu this April, he signed a USD 19.8 million defence agreement directly with Nepal's Army, ignoring the protestations of Nepal's Ministry of Defence. Following the visit, the Beijing-based and supported Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation has now proposed a $3 billion Development Plan for Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini, ostensibly 'with no strings attached'. Beijing, which for the first time in 2006 officially described Buddhism as a peaceful 'ancient Chinese religion' and has held two World Buddhist Forums, apparently continues to seek legitimacy from the Buddhists. Composition of the board of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation hints strongly at Party and PLA links. Nepal's Maoist leader Prachanda, is the Foundation's Vice Chairman has attended two of its events in Malaysia and Singapore in October 2010 and March 2011 respectively. He claims a major role in getting China's support for this project. Xiao Wunan, a senior Chinese Communist Party cadre who is Deputy Director of an office of China's National Development and Reform Commission in Western China, is Executive Vice President of the Foundation. He is also Vice President of the World Buddhist Peace Foundation, which helps organise the Beijing-sponsored World Buddhist Forums, and was formerly Vice President of the editorial board of the journal Study on Maoism. The Executive Director of this Foundation is Eric Tay, who graduated in 1993 from China's Air Force Institute of Engineering. He owns companies in Beijing and Shenzhen which invest in commodities and energy resources. Article continues below the advertisement... This cheque-book diplomacy by Beijing reinforces earlier road and rail projects linking Lhasa with Kathmandu and promises a huge cash infusion to a country with a GDP of barely USD 12.5 billion. Plans envisage construction of temples, an airport, a highway, hotels, convention centres and a Buddhist University. Expectations are that Lumbini, which presently attracts 5,00,000 tourists annually and is just a two hours drive from India's Gorakhpur, will become a trans-border tourist attraction spawning numerous ancillary service enterprises, generating a steady revenue stream. Xiao Wunan has said he hopes the Lumbini project brings together all three Buddhist Traditions, namely Mahayana, Tibetan Buddhism and Theravada. The proposed university will rival the one planned at Nalanda. Unstated is that these construction projects will be awarded to Chinese companies and probably PLA-affiliated sub-contractors, or engineering personnel will be employed. This implies long term Chinese presence, and going by the experience of many countries in Africa, the mushrooming of illegal Chinese settlements along Nepal's borders with India. This $3 billion overture to Kathmandu is, interestingly, accompanied by Beijing's apparent decision to shed its earlier aversion to non-formal contacts with prominent Tibetans and Tibetan entities. This subtle, but significant, shift was noticed during Governor of Sichuan, Jiang Jufeng's 3-day visit to India this April. Jiang Jufeng met privately with Dolkar Lhamo Kirti, President of the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) and Samten Choedon, TWA's Vice President, at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel, Delhi. They discussed the protests in Kirti Monastery where 300 monks are in jail since March 16. Accepting their petition, Jiang Jufeng assured the matter would be examined. This is the first time a visiting senior Chinese official privately met exiled Tibetans in India. It could be a tactic to divide the exiled Tibetan community, or an attempt by both sides to find new methods at accommodation. The latter is suggested by the Tibetan community's failure to stage routinely organised protests during the visit of former hardline Tibet Party Secretary, Zhang Qingli, to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji this May. — The author is a former additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India.
Time to Put the Indian Courts Martial on Trial
By Chandra C P Nath Strident cacophony in the Indian media about arresting corruption in the Indian Defence forces has sent Indian Army scrambling for action. Where does the cacophony of the media leave Indian Military Justice system is a question I raise in this article. In addition, the thesis developed for this article is that the current Military Justice System is weighed against the accused and violates the human rights. The Indian system will be examined with close reference to UK as these originated from the single common source of Roman laws. Did the Indian Chief of Army Staff violate the law by trying to shield his Principal Staff Officer? If the original decision not to prosecute Lt General Avdhesh Prakash was based on sound professional judgement, why did he buckle and order a Court Martial? Are matters of honour of distinguished soldiers decided in such a flimsy fashion? To come under pressure because of media onslaught and to ask the Chief to order a court martial may itself be violation of law by the Indian Defence Minister because he is interfering with strictly judicial powers of the Chief. It is an accepted dictum that to perform a superior judicial function, security of tenure is mandatory. Does the Chief or for that matter, any one working under him have any security of tenure? Constitution of India Article 311 protects bureaucracy but not men in uniform! A Naval Chief was dismissed by the Raksha Mantri and there was not even a whimper! Does the military justice system as it exists in India to day violate Human Rights? The case of Findlay v. United Kingdom decided unanimously by the European Court of Human Rights on February 25, 1997 that courts martial violate Human Rights had a major effect on courts-martial in all the countries that derived its military laws from the English laws. The resulting changes and reforms forced on UK's system through the Armed Forces Act 1996 and 2006 prove the point that it is just a matter of time that some one raises human rights violation of all courts martial. Lt General P K Rath was punished severely for giving security clearance for a school near the military area. Did the prosecution prove a culpable mental state where he committed the crime knowingly, intentionally, recklessly and/or negligently or was it just an error of judgement in an administrative function? Contrast this with a Lt General who was alleged to have tampered with the war diary during Kargil operations. This is not an error of judgement but an alleged crime committed knowingly, intentionally and recklessly, in the field of military operations in the face of the enemy. He allegedly makes an official record, knowing that it is false in a material respect he knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the record was official. He was not even charged with an offence leave alone punished because no media pressure forced the Chief to order a court martial. In contrast the error of judgement in a purely administrative function committed by Lt General PK Rath was charged and punished. The only difference was, one was placed as the accused in front of a court martial and the other was not. So, every thing revolves around who is placed as the accused in front of a court martial. There was no media pressure on the Chief to charge the Lt General in the Kargil operations. Does it mean media determines who should be charged, who not to be charged? Didn't the Chief breach a known duty to prosecute? It did not require much deliberation for the European Court to pronounce that the court martial was not an "independent and impartial tribunal", that it was not a tribunal "established by law". The members of the court martial were appointed ad hoc, that the judge advocate's advice on sentencing was not disclosed, that no reasons were given for the decisions taken by the court-martial, the conforming and reviewing officers, and that the post-hearing reviews were essentially administrative in nature and conducted in private. European Human Rights Court (in Findlay v. UK in 1997) expressed the unanimous opinion that there had been a violation of Article 6 para 1 of the Convention (art. 6-1). All the officers appointed to the court were directly subordinate to the convening officer who also performed the role of prosecuting authority. The lack of legal qualification or experience in the officers making the decisions either at the court martial or review stages made it impossible for them to act in an independent or impartial manner. Any accused in a court martial in India could claim that his trial by court martial failed to meet the requirements of Article 6 para 1 of the Human Rights Convention (art. 6-1). The recent spate of widely publicized trials by court-martial of high ranking Generals have hopefully focused national attention on military justice. Let us remember what US Supreme court as stated in O'Callahan v. Parker that military trial of soldiers committing civilian offences should always be viewed with suspicion. "There is substantive disapproval of the general use of military courts for trial of ordinary crimes. Courts-martial as an institution are singularly inept in dealing with the nice subtleties of constitutional law." Should we not accept the legal principles of stare desis and jurisprudence constante as established in the Human Rights Courts quoted? Indian Military Justice system is an anachronism as it is totally derived from what was promulgated for a colonial army for the expansion of colonies by the colonial power and not suited for the citizen soldier of a democracy which should believe in liberal values of human rights and protection of the same from usurpation by the State. UK has totally overhauled their system under pressure from Human Rights courts. USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have also revised their laws pertaining to military justice system to come to terms with the requirements of a modern society. If the Indian Parliament is convinced that the military justice system is bereft of the essence of justice in terms of human rights, drastic reforms may, hopefully, be forthcoming. Chandra C P Nath served in the Indian Army from 1966 to 88. He currently works in USA in the intersection of information security, privacy and law. He can be reached at email@example.com .


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The WiTech Lab seeks to develop and apply nascent wireless technologies, both passive and active, to improve daily life.
- (02/19) PushID presented at NSDI '19.
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February 1, 2010 9:38 AM
Ongoing annual savings from SAM programs requires ongoing involvement of IT staff and senior management
Profile: Guest Author
Scott Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Miro Consulting, warns that without continued vigilance, software asset management programs aren't that much better than a crash diet. Read on for his thoughts on why, and what you can do to keep costs low for your IT department. For related information, read...


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Put on your Google Cardboard, Viewmaster 3D, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or Samsung Gear (coming soon) and dive into the ocean depths, or experience the beauty of PolyAquatic in 2D on just your phone! Watch the Trailer
Swim with schools of sea bass, mackerels, turtles, minnows, jellyfish, and whales! Each with their own personality and favorite places to be, you might even hear their sounds before you see them! Discover the Aquatic Life
Shipwrecks, treasure chests, hidden grottoes, underwater gardens and a deep sea canyon; explore an ocean floor that shrimp, clams, starfish and crabs call home. Can you find them all? Explore the Ocean Floor


text: Nicole Fagone is one of the most passionate people i have had the pleasure of becoming friends with. I rush to get to her classes, no matter how I'm feeling, as i know I'm going to feel better after. Whether it's a more active set or more meditative, i leave feeling amazing! She makes every single student feel special and welcome from beginners to the seasoned practitioners. Her passion exudes in everything that she does. She makes sure that she explains everything and never makes anyone feel like they can't do something. Her loving, caring, sharing ways go above and beyond what i ever thought a teacher would be. Inspirational, kind, passionate, loving, these all describe Nicole.


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Thursday, December 20, 2012
Cult Nails Bitten Review and Swatch
20 comments:
Awe, this is such a gorgeous color on you!ReplyDelete
Your pictures always look gorgeous to me! I love Bitten on you. I must wear that one again! <3ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you very much. I appreciate the compliment.Delete
It's gorgeous on you, and so sparkling and festive :) You are def your own worst critic, because your photos are consistently lovely.ReplyDelete
Did I tell you my lightbox came in the mail the other day? Well, anyhoo, I've been playing around with it and I'm highly frustrated because I thought I could magically stick my posed hand in there and snap the perfect photo, but not so much. It's almost more work than waiting around to get a good outside shot. And yeah, it totally makes me not look forward to posting about anything because, despite what I said on fb about not being a perfectionist, I still have standards, lolol. It's all so much more fun when you're happy with your pictures. Combine that with other stuff, the business of the holidays, and the fact that all I really want to wear right now is Come to Bed Red and La Moss and you have another inconsistent blog. :pReplies
Liesl, I also got a light box and expected all my pictures to be automatically perfect... In the end I ditched the damn thing and just held on to the colorful fabric it came with for my backgrounds! My pictures seem to look better when shot outside of the box! Go figure :(Delete
Good to know. I have been thinking about getting a light box. Why do you guys think they aren't working?Delete
Hi Essie, this polish is such a stunner!!!! Beautiful on you. And I am totally with Liesl, your photos loook great. ALWAYS!!!! And of course there are days when I feel that whatever I try, no photo would be to my liking ;-)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks for the compliment. I'm also glad to know others go through the same struggles as I do.Delete
I think your photos are really good too. Much better than mine, I am always running around my house trying to find light, and I don't like editing. I like manicures.ReplyDelete
This polish looks really good on you! Stunning really!Replies
Thank you. I know, I look so funny running around my house with a polish in one hand and a camera in the other. My kids and husband don't even notice anymore:)Delete
You are way too hard on yourself! Your photos always look stunning! I haven't blogged in a bit but I know lighting was one of the things that seemed to make or break my photos...or at least how I felt about them. And us midwest peeps...lighting can really suck! It seems like it's gloomy more than it's not. Seriously, just try not to be so hard on yourself! You pictures are always amazing!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks so much. Yes, it's frustrating in the winter here. But now with the snow, it is lightening things up better.Delete
This is such a pretty color!ReplyDeleteReplies
Yes, I enjoyed wearing it for a couple of days!Delete
Wow, this is one gorgeous polish!!ReplyDeleteReplies
I love it too! Thanks for commenting:)Delete
Im with the other ladies, your pictures are always so beautiful!! And I also love Bitten!! It's such a perfect raspberry color with an oomph!! :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks for the confidence boost. This is a really pretty polish.Delete
Looks delicious on you!ReplyDelete


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Guided Tour: Charles Dickens
July 10, 2015 @ 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 3:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, repeating until August 1, 2015
Charles Dickens: The Continuing Victorian Narrative
45- minute guided tours of Charles Dickens: The Continuing Victorian Narrative will be available at M&G at Heritage Green on Fridays and Saturdays at 3 p.m. for $3 in addition to general admission. Ask about these tours in the M&G Gift Shop.


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With so much unsubstantial and bland music getting peddled around the UK under the country banner these days, it is refreshing when a touring band free of label pretensions shows the true qualities of the genre. In fact, The Stray Birds have been primarily courted by the folk fraternity on these shores with the obvious attraction being the band's entirely acoustic live sound blending vibes from the roots tradition. Yet observing the band from a close up quarter as they headed into the final shows of their latest UK tour, there was an avalanche of evidence to suggest that they should be an example of the marker to assess country music genre claimants.
For this tour, The Stray Birds have expanded from a core trio to an enhanced quartet with the addition of Dominic Billet on percussion. This was in line with the evolution of their overall sound on the new album MAGIC FIRE which had a more contemporary feel to it. As expected, this top notch record was the focal point of the set list at The Bullingdon in Oxford, a popular venue hosting the band for the first time. Having seen them in their previous format last summer when they tagged on a series of dates around their prestigious and acclaimed Cambridge Folk Festival slot, there was zero danger of a 150 mile round trip not being worthwhile.
Of course Maya's effortless input didn't just end at the vocals as she proved to be an exceptional fiddle player and adept guitar picker. Perhaps Oliver shaded the instrumental stakes in overall impact with his stellar fiddle playing and the blow away sound from his unplugged resonator utilising the central mic set up. Needless to say the double pronged rhythm section set the pace and the luscious onslaught of a twenty-song strong set list soared the evening to a stratospheric success level.
Although as mentioned previously MAGIC FIRE was the album being showcased, the evening began with the finest song from their back catalogue in 'Best Medicine'. The position as set opener meant the back story to this song was omitted and this was generally the tone of the evening with the continual flow of songs supplanting meaningful insightful interludes. Not a bad thing when your venue imposes a pre-club night early curfew. It wasn't long before the new music took hold and over the duration of the set, eleven of the twelve tracks from the new album were featured.
My three highlights from the gig were in this bunch of tracks, with the vibrant and rather excellent, 'Sabrina' being lined up as one of the songs that will shape 2016. This was closely followed by the powerful encore number 'When I Die' and the blissful country duet 'Somehow' delivered perfectly by Oliver and Maya at their primary best. The strength and immense stature of the new album was exemplified by further incursions into it to reveal: 'Third Day in a Row', 'Mississippi Pearl' and 'Shining in the Distance'.
We have already mentioned one of the three moments when the band went off 'The Stray Birds script' with a hat tipped to Jimmy Rodgers c/o Doc Watson. The others were a tribute to Townes Van Zandt with a triumphant version of 'Loretta' and a take on Susanna Clark's 'I'll Be Your San Antone Rose' inspired by Maya listening to Emmylou Harris singing it.
If they only match The Stray Birds half the distance, the effect will be profound. The core trio of Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven and Charles Muench plus Dominic on percussion continue to be a band capable of moving audiences and exploiting the vast expanses of what is deemed to be Americana music. For me they press all the country music buttons, led by highly crafted musicianship, a vocal depth from an infinite core and songs dressed with rich trimmings. The Stray Birds continue to attract plaudits endlessly seeking music utopia and kindly return the compliments with a step in this direction.


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Catherine D'Lish has earned a reputation as a contemporary "striptease virtuoso" with her unusually inventive shows performed in an elegant and whimsical style. Catherine is easily the most influential stripping entertainer performing today. She has headlined in varied venues from Las Vegas casinos, nightclubs around the world and fetish events to the top gentlemen's clubs and "mainstream" theaters; was a headlining performer for Playboy's 50th Anniversary Tour, and starred in "Burlesque Fest", the first national tour of its kind. Catherine has competed in and won nearly every pageant and title available to striptease performers, holding over thirty titles such as Miss Nude USA, World's Performer of the Year, Miss Erotic World, Showgirl of the Year, Miss Exotic America, Miss Nude International, USA's Best Shows, Miss Exotic World, and is a member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
Catherine is renowned for her extravagant costumes and elaborate props. Recognized as the premier fan dancer today, her most popular shows are classic striptease- complete with a giant champagne glass bubble bath finale.
Catherine has also built a reputation as the best burlesque costume designer and creative director in the business. She has created dazzling costumes that are ornately hand-jeweled and feathered, with laborious attention to detail not commonly seen today. Catherine is well-known for her work as creative director/costumer/choreographer for Dita Von Teese. The shows and costumes she has created have earned international recognition and acclaim. Each of her dazzling ensembles is paired with an equally lavish prop. Catherine has one of the most extreme collections of enormous props in the business, including a larger-than-life champagne glass, grand gilded birdcage, giant spider web, and a magnificent eight-foot tall waterfall complete with fountains and flowers.
In addition to traveling and performing, Catherine fills her time by teaching workshops and also coaching established performers privately. She has recently launched a retail feather design business with Fabulous Feathers, based out of Los Angeles.
In The Press
Catherine D'Lish… probably the closest you'll get to the real thing.
-Bizarre Magazine
…Catherine D'Lish, considered the founder of the neo-burlesque movement, does more of a classic striptease. She has incredibly elaborate costumes and props. She's just very much a beautiful naked woman, and that's kind of her bit.
-The Idaho Statesman
Catherine D'Lish, one of the last true burlesque performers…
- Leg Tease Magazine
…New Burlesque is exemplified by Catherine D'Lish…
Catherine D'Lish has had one of the most impressive careers in the show-it-all business. She also pioneered a throwback-style of performance that spawned a new burlesque movement. Wherever she stands, her powerful stage presence and breathtaking set and costume design (think acres of rhinestones, enough feathers to make a Mardi Gras Indian jealous and a fully operational waterfall) are unparalleled in the world of exotic dance. Her show may not be your grandma's burlesque, but it's not your roommate's burlesque, either.
-New Orleans Gambit
Catherine D'Lish, a veteran burlesque performer and one of the genre's biggest headliners act, however, is arguably not tame even by today's standards.
-Vodka Magazine
Catherine D'Lish often stole the show…She dons (and doffs) vintage lingerie, and in her last Denver appearance, she swam seductively in a giant martini glass and spun her barley-clad self silly on a perch in an enormous birdcage.
-The Denver Onion
And anyone who has the pleasure of getting a closer look at the costumes will attest to their incredible detail. Onstage, the tons of glitter, mirrors, sequins and rhinestones that coat every surface of the costumes and props create a look of complete fantasy. …Catherine D'Lish embodies the sensual movements of the old burlesque stars. She moves slowly, but never stops moving, drawing the audience in to her dance. …and she becomes the spider. After stripping most of her clothes off, she climbs the web and strikes a numbers of athletic and nearly contortionist poses, moving slowly and very arachnid-like around the web.
-"Burlesque And The New Bump-N-Grind"
Catherine D'Lish's giant web routine was a particular highlight, as she showed off the kind of flexibility that made men weak, and women envious.
-UK Daily Mail
The last performer was Catherine D'Lish, a woman who oozes glamour and sex appeal. This member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame donned a costume as a radiant peacock for a few moments, and then danced with some of the world's largest feather fans. She gave an outstanding performance to close out the opening night.
-Offbeat Magazine
Ms. D'Lish is highly regarded for her saucy striptease in gigantic props- pro outfits like this one don't come through town too often, so get yer tickets now, and watch those tassels swing, swing, swing!
-Portland Mercury
Finally, a giant champagne glass is carried in and filled with bubbly. The cast slides out of the spotlight, and the evening's grand dame, burlesque legend Catherine D'lish, struts in to the tune of "Hey Big Spender." A porcelain-skinned goddess in an ermine coat, D'lish begins to peel off her clothing, one silky, sequined piece at a time. A man tipsily approaches the stage with a bill in his hand; Paco Fish, taking the man for a club regular, pulls him back and tells him to drop the tip onstage, so he doesn't disrupt the routine. But D'lish, who got her start as a teenager in seedy strip clubs in San Diego, knows exactly what to do. She has the man slip the bill under her garter belt, then remove one of her elbow-length white gloves with his teeth. Then she sends him back to his seat.
D'lish finishes the evening by climbing into the glass of bubbly and sponging off her not-quite-naked body. It must be the sexiest thing this club has seen in a long time. Even the Honeys are wowed.
-Urbanite Magazine
Bawdy burlesque is making a welcome return…determined to bring the arse-shaking art form back to its former glory… Catherine was so hot she set off the theaters sprinklers…
People Magazine (Australia)
Something about seeing the saucy redheaded Catherine D'Lish spin around in a giant champagne glass. It's the only time that I've felt hubba-hubba was an appropriate answer to a question.
-Gordy Reviews
…glamorous redhead Catherine D'Lish…at the top of the Friday night bill, and for good reason…seems to love every second of the act- wherein lies true professionalism.
Jack Magazine
…Catherine D'Lish has a wonderful persona. Although she's drop dead sexy and performs a striptease like she invented the damn thing, there's nothing indecorous about her. Catherine D'Lish is the kind of stripper you can bring home to Mom-or better yet, to Dad. Her success is a testament to the fact that strippers don't have to forfeit their dignity to captivate an audience. In fact, D'Lish cites "good taste and femininity" as the hallmarks of the New Burlesque Movement. As Tom Jones would say: "She's a lady, whoa-whoa-whoa, she's a lady". Upon viewing D'Lish's stunningly beautiful stage act and pulling ones jaw up from the floor, it is hard not to care, and CARE DEEPLY, about the future of burlesque. And I don't just mean men. Interestingly, D'Lish boasts a substantial collection of panties that were thrown onto her stage by, you guessed it- female fans. Intrigued? Damn right you are! So, come see what the all fuss is about, why don'tcha. (And bring an extra pair of panties, just in case.)…
-Private Dancer Magazine
Catherine D'Lish did the most truly sensuous act, slinking from a curvy red velvet couch to a giant champagne glass where she made the most of the bubbles.
Yes, burlesque is back in all its feathered and fringed glory…. New burlesque queen Catherine D'Lish, who does a faithful re-creation of Sally Rand's famous fan dance…. in a generous nod to history Miss D'Lish conjures images of yore with routines that include an adult-size champagne glass, a gilded birdcage and a costume made of peacock feathers.
-The Washington Times
(Devotchka) found a local following. So did headliner Ms. D'Lish, who heroically swung in a gilded birdcage and splayed across a spider web in pursuit of her art. Air quote marks aside, she is one gorgeous redhead.
-The Dallas Morning News
…Picture a giant four-foot-tall martini glass on stage, as a beautiful woman named Catherine D'Lish performs a graceful dance with two large feather fans. She slowly removes her dress, her stockings, and steps up into the martini glass and sensually bathes herself in this exotic bath. Near the song's end, Ms. D'Lish reclines back, lifts her legs together, and spins herself around as Sam Butera's saxophone reaches it's climatic wailing. If one was ever looking for a moment that could symbolize that peak moment in Vegas history- where sex, liquor, and music came together in a brief moment of pop cultural glamour- one would be hard pressed to choose a moment more appropriate than this one.
-Cool and Strange Music Magazine
By the end of her set, Catherine D'Lish made everyone feel like this bottle of champagne, drained and wet!
-Degenerate Press
…but like everyone else in the room- I was holding out to take a gander at the headliner, Catherine D'Lish. Time flew by, and I hadn't long to wait before Miss D'Lish claimed the stage and performed a remarkable dance on a giant spider web. It was fascinating to watch this tiny woman of impressive proportions nimbly pick her way around a web in a sparkling g-string. She finished off the evening with her famous champagne/bubble bath striptease. I had heard of this and had even seen photos, but I was not prepared for how sexy and gape-worthy it would be in person. Entering the stage in a drop-dead costume that she slowly and skillfully removed with the help of a gentleman wearing a tuxedo (whom I astutely suspect was planted there) she held the attention of everyone in the place. Once she was down to her glittery skivvies she then shook a bottle of bubbly, and poured it down her body while the fellow caught a wineglass full from between her legs. All around me people went nuts. Everyone had these silly smiles on their faces as they applauded and whistled. It was great. With a practiced leap, Miss D'Lish dove into a giant champagne glass and began frolicking and bathing in bubbles. It was a killer way to end the evening.
-Other Press- Vancouver
Two-time Miss Exotic World—not for nothin'—Catherine D'lish wore a stunning dress slit up above the thigh high line, and… well, my notes fall apart here. The thing about Catherine is that it's EVERYTHING about the way she moves. She lets a curl of her hair fall and it's electrifying. A hand sweep behind her head—I'm putty. She has the specificity of a Balinese Legong dancer—eye rolls and everything.
-Cultural Capital


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With the right window treatments, you can transform your Florida home's interior from drab to fabulous. A window treatment is an interior design element whereby a hard or soft material or fabric is placed around, on or in the window. The main objective is to enhance the aesthetics of the window and of course the room.
At California Designs, we offer a variety of window solutions to suit the specific needs of the property and of course your personal taste, preferences and budget. We can custom design window treatments for your home, office or even your yacht. Our styles range from casual to formal and you can expect for an elegant touch to be added to any room with our assistance.
At California Designs, we believe only the finest quality window solutions will do for our clients. This means each product we use is manufactured from the finest quality materials and offers both durability and value for money. Materials used in window treatments typically include wood, vinyl, poly resin, faux wood, aluminum and soft material fabrics. You will find the following items as part of our window treatments range:
Pirouettes, Silhouettes, Duettes, Luminettes, Vignettes Wood Blinds
Solar Shades
Natural Roman Shades
Conrad Shades
Hartman & Forbes
All products can be motorized.
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For appointments or scheduling, please call 561-625-5250 or visit our showroom.
Some appointments may require product selections in the showroom prior to site measurements.
Requests for pricing/quotes via e-mail will not be answered.
Our team of specialist interior designers will design and professionally fit / install the window treatments of your choice.
All our window treatments can be motorized for your comfort and convenience. What's more, we also offer window solutions and treatments for yachts.
From traditional vertical and horizontal blinds to Roman and pleated shades, California Designs is known for providing Florida homes with the ultimate in quality, variety, and classy window treatments. If you're looking for blinds and shades that will do more than simply keep the light out when necessary, but add to the aesthetics of your home, you've come to the right place.
Invest in the latest in innovative technology for the home – motorized window treatments from California Designs! Our motorized window treatments are controlled with a battery-powered remote and can be customized to suit your needs, preferences and budget. From hardwood to plantation shutters and everything in between, the choice is up to you.
Some of the Brands we offer are:
Conrad Shades
Hartmann & Forbes
Hunter Douglas
At California Designs, we offer free consultations for window treatments. During this consultation, our in-house designer will advise you of your various options, ensure accurate measurements are taken and present you with an all inclusive consultation. Our professional and experienced installation team will further ensure your new window solutions are correctly installed for the best possible effect.


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Today's spotlight author: T.F. Walsh
Novel featured in the Dark Fates boxed set: Demon's Fever
A Hell Unleashed Novel
After falling for the enemy, there's no going back.
After losing her dishwasher job, Cary Stone finds herself broke and homeless. And, oh yeah, she's also a half-demon who has to stay in hiding because everyone wants her dead. Awesome. So when she's offered a job to hunt demons at Argos Inc., she jumps at the chance to get a new lease on life. But in order to keep the job, she has to pass a series of tests…all of which she fails miserably.
Failing isn't an option as Cary has to do whatever it takes to nail this opportunity. And then there is the hotshot demon hunter that is sexy motivation to reach her goal… but if he knew she what she really was, he'd want her dead too. Can things get any worse?
Levi Walker is pissed off. Seriously. After being the best demon hunter at Argos Inc. since forever, they want to screw him by not paying him for the jobs? Nope, Levi decides it's time to go. Or at least it was until a hunt he's on spins wildly out of control and causes a catastrophic loss…and everyone at Argos blames Levi. Now faced with being sued for the damage, Levi begins pursuing the evidence to clear his name. Jumping right into the fray, Levi soon finds himself in mortal danger. But he's a fighter who'll battle until the end…which may come sooner rather than later, now that he's met a beautiful and mysterious hunter at Argos and can barely keep his mind on the job.
Will Levi stay alive long enough to find the proof to clear his name and leave Argos for good or will Cary prove to be the sexy and dangerous distraction that he just can't ignore?
Amazon Bestselling Author, TF Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she's always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.
Sign up to T.F. Walsh's newsletter for latest updates, exclusive content, and giveaways. www.tfwalsh.com/subscribe-to-my-newsletter


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S: The Beautiful Butterflies
FC: The Beautiful Butterflies
1: The Beautiful Butterflies Researched and Written by Ms. Martinez' Second Graders
2: Butterflies are so different. Butterflies live in the open spaces. My insect eats different fruits like apples and bananas. I think the insect knows they have 3 body parts. They taste with their feet when they stay in a flower and they smell with their antennae. One interesting fact of a butterfly is that they are colorful. Now you know about butterflies. By Eduardo
3: Butterflies are cute insects! Butterflies taste with their feet and walk with their feet. One interesting fact about butterflies is that they have 3 body parts! My butterfly lives in trees! This insect loves to eat soft fruit! Butterflies have 6 legs. Do you know more about butterflies? By Hislaim
4: Let's hear about magical butterflies. Do you know that butterflies can taste with their antennae? Do you know that they can travel up to 2,000 miles? Some butterflies are colorful. Butterflies love nectar because it is juicy and tasty. The butterflies live in the rainforest. Now do you know more about butterflies? By Edwin
5: Butterflies are the best insects in the world. They live in a tree. All my butterfly friends have 3 body parts. Our butterfly friends have 6 legs. My butterfly friend likes to eat nectar from the flowers. All butterflies can see yellow, red, and green. If you wear blue and pink they cannot see you. Butterflies are cool insects because they are amazing. By Karina
6: Butterflies are cute and gorgeous. Butterflies live by the stream in mountains. Butterflies can see red, green, and yellow and butterflies cannot see pink, orange, blue, purple, brown, and black. They like fruit so much like watermelons, grapes, plums, carrots, and bananas. Butterflies go to warm places like Mexico and if you touch the butterfly wings they die. Butterflies have 6 legs, and insects do, too. Butterflies are sweet and pretty. By Jannette
7: Butterflies are amazing flying insects. They like to eat nectar from flowers. The butterfly lives in the field. They have 3 body parts. The thorax, abdomen, and head. Butterflies can see the colors green, red, and yellow. They lay their eggs on milkweed flowers. Butterflies are cool. Do you think they are cool? By Jared
8: Butterflies are beautiful. They like red, green, and yellow flowers. They live on the trees in the rainforest. The exoskeleton can be found on the outside of butterflies. He gets fruit from the beautiful mango trees. They can travel up to 2,000 miles to Mexico and they go to the warm places. Butterflies are cool. By Alexis
9: My insect is a butterfly. It is a beautiful butterfly. My butterfly lives in a tree. So you know that butterflies have 6 legs, 2 antennae, and 3 body parts? My insect loves to eat nectar from the sweet flowers. If you wear the colors red, green, or yellow they will land on you. They lay eggs on leaves. Now do you know that butterflies are cool? By Jocelyn
10: Butterflies are cool insects. My butterfly eats watermelon from humans. My insect lives in the rainforest in the trees. Butterflies are amazing because they can see green, yellow, and red colors. They have 6 legs, 4 wings, and 2 antennae. Do you know that if you go to Mexico you will see butterflies? Do you know that they are very cool? By Erik
11: Butterflies are beautiful. Butterflies travel to Mexico 2,000 miles. Butterflies taste with their feet. They eat strawberries. Butterflies have an exoskeleton. They live in trees with flowers. Butterflies are cool. Do you think they are cool? By Joseph
12: Butterflies are beautiful. They can see red, green, and yellow. My insect lives in the rainforest on a tree. Butterflies have exoskeletons. They are the size of a child's fist. My butterfly eats nectar from beautiful flowers. Butterflies are great. By Bruno
13: Butterflies are beautiful. They travel up to 2,000 miles to Mexico. They use their mouths like a straw. They can see red, green, and yellow colors. My butterfly lives in a rain forest on the trees. My butterfly loves fruits like oranges and bananas. Butterflies are awesome. By Claudia
14: Butterflies are beautiful. They live in a tree in the rainforest. Butterflies like to eat fruit like oranges and apples. The butterflies can go place to place like Mexico. The butterflies can lay eggs on the leaves. The butterfly has 3 body parts like thorax, head, and abdomen. Now did you learn about butterflies? By Isabel
15: Butterflies are cute. Butterflies live in a rainforest in the trees. The butterflies eat nectar from cute flowers. The butterflies feel and smell pretty flowers. They use their wings to fly. They have 6 legs. They need 6 legs because if they don't have 6 legs they can't walk. Butterflies are amazing. By Katya
16: Butterflies are strong. My butterflies live in a rainforest in a tree. This insect likes water. They are the size of a child's fist. With their antennae they can look for food. They can travel up to 2,000 miles. Butterflies are cute. By Eric
17: Butterflies are beautiful insects. They live in open spaces with flowers. When she eats she uses her mouth like a straw. She also uses her antennas to smell and taste. Butterflies fly everywhere like Mexico. Butterflies have 4 pairs of wings and if butterflies have 4 pairs of wings, then they can fly very fast. This insect loves to eat nectar from beautiful flowers and she eats strawberries also. Butterflies are cool insects. By Nathalya
18: Do you want to learn about butterflies? They taste with their legs. They fly fast. My butterfly lives in the rainforest in the trees and grass. If you were a butterfly you would fly to Mexico. The butterflies eat nectar from flowers. Butterflies are awesome. By Alex
19: Butterflies are beautiful. The butterflies live in trees. They travel to warm places like Mexico. Butterflies like to taste flowers. They have 3 body parts. They love to eat nectar. Butterflies are awesome. By Tony
20: Butterflies are beautiful insects. My insect lives in the bushes in the open fields. My butterfly has beautiful antennae. My butterfly is about the size of a child's fist. My butterflies can travel 2,000 miles to Mexico. My beautiful butterfly eats nectar from colorful flowers. Did you learn something about butterflies? By Adrian
21: Butterflies are special. Do you know that butterflies have an exoskeleton to move their body parts? All butterflies have a straw to get the juice of flowers. Their habitat is a tree and they lay their eggs in a leaf and they live in a rainforest. My butterfly likes to eat fruit like apples, oranges, watermelon, pineapple, and bananas. I know that butterflies can see red, green, and yellow. Butterflies are my favorite insects. By Estefany
22: Butterflies are hot. They taste with their legs. They lay their eggs on milkweed. This insect loves to eat sweet strawberries. They live in trees. They have 3 body parts head, thorax, and abdomen. Butterflies are cool! By Arelly
23: Butterflies are different and exciting insects. My insect loves fruits like bananas, apples, mangoes, oranges, and watermelons. The butterflies go to Mexico. An amazing fact is that they have 6 legs and 4 wings. The shelter is a tree by a stream. An important fact is that they have 3 body parts. What did you learn about butterflies? By Marco
24: Butterflies are awesome! The butterflies smell nectar. The butterfly eats nectar from flowers. They have 3 body parts. The butterflies see red, green, and yellow. The butterfly lives in the open spaces. The butterflies are amazing insects. By Jesse
25: Butterflies are cool insects. They go 2,000 miles to Mexico. They taste with their feet. Butterflies smell with their antennae. It lives in fields with the flowers. Butterflies like fruit like oranges. Butterflies are cool. By Ulises
26: Butterflies are interesting to me. Do you know butterflies have 3 body parts; head thorax, and abdomen? These butterflies drink nectar from flowers that are colorful. This insect lives in a green bush. Butterflies go to flowers. They feel the flower and smell the nectar of the flowers. A fact is that butterflies have an exoskeleton. I learned that butterflies live a happy life. By Achly
27: Butterflies are pretty. Butterflies are scared of owls. My butterfly loves apples. Butterflies live in the grass. Butterflies love flowers. They have 3 body parts. Butterflies are beautiful insects. By Livia
28: This was a second grade project that met the following standards: Selects and reads a variety of text *Reads a variety of genre including fiction, non-fiction and poetry Uses writing process effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences *Uses graphic organizers *Produces personal narrative, friendly letter and report Uses information from a variety of sources *Selects topic and identifies sources of information with teacher support *Conducts simple search *Organizes information with graphic organizer Life Science *Describes the habitat needs, structures, behavior, and life cycles common insects Science as a particular way of knowing *Distinguishes between fiction and non-fiction science books From: http://www.adams12.org/files/curriculum/report_card_curriculum.pdf
29: Picture Credits: hagemann, judy. img_6114.jpg. Spring 2008. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 Shaffer, Mary. butterflies(28).jpg. Spring 2006. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 Davis, Ned. butterflies.jpg. 2005. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 Desandies, Manyee. monarch2.jpg. January 2005. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 Canipe, Steve. owleyebutterflies.jpg. 2004. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 Canipe, Steve. birdwing-mating.jpg. 04/09/2003. Pics4Learning. 13 Apr 2010 http://www.flickr.com/photos/e3000/1561440998/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/psycho-pics/3462583453/sizes/l/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/fipsy/2315717370/sizes/l/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/enil/1259490812/sizes/l/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/7422037@N06/3585762902/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/3771693679/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/computerhotline/2729082988/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/e3000/84732808/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/10096171@N04/4204277746/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zpyder/3748193629/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/vilseskogen/3017035075/sizes/o/


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A Kamikaze Plan For Obama
The more obvious move is to find a Sister Souljah–after Saturday–to stiff arm. The most promising candidate is not a person, but an idea: race-based affirmative action. [bold original] Obama has already made noises about shifting to a class-based, race-blind system of preferences. What if he made that explicit? Wouldn't that shock hostile white voters into taking a second look at his candidacy? He'd renew his image as trans-race leader (and healer). The howls of criticism from the conventional civil-rights establishment–they'd flood the cable shows–would provide him with an army of Souljahs to hold off. If anyone noticed Hillary in the ensuing fuss, it would be to put her on the spot–she'd be the one defending mend-it-don't-end-it civil rights orthodoxy. ~Mickey Kaus
This would certainly be a bold move, but this is a cure that is worse than the illness from the perspective of keeping Obama's campaign afloat. In the wake of Obama's speech in Atlanta (in which he rails against the "profound structural and institutional barriers" to opportunity and the "insidious role that race still plays"), can you really see him taking this position? I'm also just trying to imagine the progressive reaction to this. Many on the left had a conniption because the man referred to Reagan in a mildly positive way. Just think of what would happen if Obama took a position that would actually be to the right of the Bush administration on such a policy–it wouldn't just be the civil rights leaders who would react strongly. How better to demonstrate his alleged lack of progressivism to the left than to take what is, in effect, the Republican position on race-based preferences? Then, from the other side, his support for a "class-based preference system" would lead to predictable attacks from the right that he is stirring up "class warfare."


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Because of your generosity, our guests can find the safety and shelter they need to escape from their abusers. Thank you for caring and giving.
Our shelter depends on the financial generosity of individuals, corporations and churches of all denominations to help women and children in crisis emerge strong, independent and self-sufficient.
To make a donation by mail, please make checks payable to DaySpring Villa.
Mail to PO Box 1588, Sand Springs, OK 74063.
To make arrangement to drop off In-kind or household items donations
please call our office at 918-245-4075.


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Exhibition 2 May - 13 May 2018
Cocktail Party: Tuesday 1st May, 5.30-8.30pm
Design research gallery Matter of Stuff returns to Sketch with a new site specific exhibit: Light & Reflection opens on Tuesday 1st May presenting a series of innovative works by designers exploring how light and reflection, inceptual with their object, affect our appreciation of the surrounding space.
Works on show include a new chandelier by Bocci for Sketch, a light sculpture by Umut Yamac, an innovative table lamp and mirror by Simone Crestani and experimental mirrors by Matteo Tampone.
Bubble Mirror
87 – 11 Pendant Lights
Bollicine – Table Lamp