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Last updated 9 years ago
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Truman shocking annoucement that had MacArthur fired!
We were able to get a hold of the letter that President Truman sent to MacArthur for his releasing.
On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur from all his commands in Korea and Japan. Douglas MacArthur was best-known American military leaders of World War II, when Allied forces in the southwest Pacific in his commanded. South Korea was invaded in 1950 by North Korea; MacArthur was in charge of the UN forces and productively drove back the invaders. MacArthur's enthusiasm for pushing on and attacking areas of China was not mutual by President Harry Truman, who relieved MacArthur of his command. Although considered a national hero, he gave a famous address to Congress and retired. Full of confidence, MacArthur was known to be arrogant and egotistical. In Truman's own words he proclaims that," I fired him [MacArthur] because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President...I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was." A dumb son of a bitch he may be, according to Truman, but he was a commander of the US-UN troops in South Korea. He led a surprising victory at Inchon (as shown on map). Furthermore, he planned to attack China supply bases north of Yalu River and explore the possibilities of using an atomic bomb, which could start up WWIII using nuclear weapons. MacArthur's response is that, "I shall return."


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The retro vibe is still flying high, and if you're after the song of the summer you could do worse than these two…
Flying in the big budget corner is by Solange Knowles, who no matter what she'll do in life, will always be known as Beyonce's little sister. A pretty simple track based mainly around a drumbeat, 'I Decided' been remixed (and labelled Pt 2) for the European audience by The Freemasons who have added strings and trumpets and given it a fuller sound.
It's totally inspired by The Supremes, and it's fair enough to say that the original represents the original 60s group (with the Baby Love beat in particular), whereas Pt 2 is 80s disco Diana. The video lives this up even more with the girl group stylings, costumes and hair. On a bad note, it ends with a terrible fade.
In the indie corner, it's the return of Imani Coppala who you may remember from her 1998 hit 'Legend of a Cowgirl'. She's back with producer Adam Pallin under the name 'Little Jackie' and has managed to create a song with a perfect summer vibe and a real life attitude.
We had it as our record of the week last month and it was added to lots of playlists last week. It reminds me of Lily Allen's 'Smile' in the sense of it being massive in the sunshine and having a real city vibe. The video has some great shots of Brooklyn in it. Plus who can resist a song with such a brilliant title as 'The World Should Revolve Around Me'.

subset: commoncrawl


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TIN Report
TIN report's Greg Shanahan on state of the New Zealand tech industry in 2018
New Zealand is facing a quiet revolution. Its tech sector is transforming the economy and society in remarkable ways as the globalisation of capital, communication and commerce invert the pyramid of advantage in our favour. So, how can we take our tech sector to even greater heights? Alongside the release of the 2018 TIN Report, here's TIN managing director Greg Shanahan with his state of the sector address.


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I'm Kickstarting a new book!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Mar 22, 2018 at 10:51:46 PM
I'm super-excited to announce that I'm Kickstarting a new Evil Inc graphic novel! This is going to collect all of the Evil Inc comics that appeared on the site after the 2016 relaunch. Since this is the first book that was originally designed to be a book (as opposed to reformatted strips), I think it's the strongest of the ten Evil Inc books I've published thus far.
AND, for fans of the Evil Inc After Dark series, you'll see several NSFW rewards in this Kickstarter as well. For example, I'm offering a special, digital-only version of the new book that pairs the Evil Inc storylines with the corresponding After Dark stories and illustrations!
I think you're going to love it! We launched two days ago, and we're nearly at 50% funding... and that means, with a little luck, we'll be talking Stretch Goals soon. Stay 'tooned!


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Record enrollment at new university
Aug 28, 2015
In its first full academic year since officially becoming a university last April, Delaware Valley University began the new fall semester with its highest enrollment in almost two decades.
On the first day of classes of the fall 2015 semester, there were 7 percent more full-time DelVal undergraduates enrolled at DelVal than there were last year at the same time. Total enrollment is up due to an 8 percent increase in returning full-time undergraduates and a 3 percent increase in new students. Beating last fall's numbers is significant for the University because enrollment was the highest it had been in 17 years in fall 2014.
The academic quality of the new students has also improved. In fall 2014, 29 percent of the new students met the required GPA and SAT scores for the Institution's highest two scholarships. This fall, 33 percent of new students met the requirements for the institution's highest two scholarships.
The impact of the record enrollment is evident throughout the campus, especially in the residence halls. The University is currently at 105 percent occupancy in the residence halls.
"The increase in the number of resident students is a reflection of our efforts to improve the residential life experience," said Dr. April Vari, vice president of student affairs and dean of students. "From enhancements to our resident advisor program to new initiatives such as our Honors Program living learning community, faculty in residence program, and pet-friendly residence hall, we are creating more reasons for students to want to live on campus."
The strong enrollment this year comes at a time when many other area colleges and universities are experiencing significant decreases in enrollment resulting in dramatic adjustments to staff, programs and budgets. Declining enrollments are also being seen at institutions nationwide.
Several factors contributed to the record enrollment at DelVal.
"Last year, DelVal made a commitment to be the most transfer-friendly institution in the Philadelphia area," said Art Goon, vice president for enrollment management. "Those efforts resulted in a 22 percent increase in new transfer students from last year, and the largest new transfer class in DelVal's history."
"The record enrollment is a result of efforts made by the entire campus," said Delaware Valley University President Dr. Joseph Brosnan. "It starts with enrolling quality new students and our Enrollment Management team has done a great job working with all factions of the Institution in that effort."
"But just as critical is making sure students are challenged in the classrooms and have a quality campus experience after they arrive," said Dr. Brosnan. "That is where our Academic Affairs and Student Affairs divisions have excelled. The record number of returning students underscores the excellent work of our fine faculty and all the caring staff that support our students. These continue to be exciting times for Delaware Valley University. Students see DelVal as a vibrant educational community and they want to be part of that continued growth."


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We all know jumping can keep kids occupied for hours, but a nice way to add a little extra spice is by introducing some balls into the mix! Here is a Springfree™ Trampoline favourite – POISON BALL!!! Why don't you give it a go at home!
Poison Ball
What you need:
2 – 6 soft Air balls all different colours (These are cheap as chips and will provide loads of giggles – not to mention the enormous developmental benefits!)
The aim is to choose a colour that is the evil Poison ball and at all measures avoid touching this ball whilst jumping. Of course the only safe way is one jumper at time so why not record how long you can jump without touching the Poison Ball and then swap with a friend to see who the best poison ball jumper is!
TOO EASY? Put three of the same colour balls in the Springfree™ Trampoline and you have to avoid all three! Good luck…
Stay tuned for loads more exciting ball games. Do you have an even better game that you play on your trampoline? Tell us here by leaving a comment or posting on the Springfree™ Trampoline Facebook fan page so we can all have a go!
For any further info on Springfree™ Trampoline, please visit the Springfree Trampoline website.
Thanks for reading – until next time, safe jumping!


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By Park Hyatt Paris – Vendome
Paris, France – May 30, 2013 – Treat your loved one to a romantic getaway in Paris and enjoy time just for the two of you with our Romance at the Park Package, including:
>Complimentary one-category room upgrade at time of booking
>In-room breakfast for two with champagne (valid once per stay) and daily American Breakfast at Restaurant for remainder of stay
>Bottle of Rosé Champagne and Sweets
>2:00pm late checkout
Terms and Conditions:
Package valid at Park Hyatt Paris Vendome. All hotel reservations are subject to availability and must be made in advance. Package is not valid with groups/conventions and may not be combined with other promotional offers. Package inclusions are listed above. One-category room upgrade confirmed at time of booking. Breakfast for two with champagne is valid only once of guest's stay and is valid through in-room dining. Bottle of Rosé Champagne and sweets per room per stay. Must be 18 years of age or older to receive alcoholic beverages. Non-alcoholic substitutions available. Rate shown is per room, per night and based on double occupancy. A surcharge of will apply on first night. Room tax included. No refunds for any unused portion of package. Guest must be of legal age in specified country to receive alcohol. The availability of hotel stays at some destinations is subject to government approvals, regulations, restrictions and applicable taxes. Promotional blackout periods may apply due to seasonal periods or special events, and normal arrival/departure restrictions apply. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this program at any time without notice. The trademarks Hyatt™, Park Hyatt™ and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. © 2012 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.
A portion of the rate for this offer may reflect taxes, service charges, gratuities, and third-party charges for certain included items, and those costs are not eligible for Hyatt Gold Passport® points.
Media Contact:
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
5 Rue de la Paix
Paris, France, 75002
Tel: +33 1 5871 1234
Fax: +33 1 5871 1235
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Click to visit website
Related articles
- Hyatt Hotels Completes Rebranding of Four Iconic French Properties (roadnettravel.wordpress.com)
- Hyatt Place Seoul to Open in 2016 – Hotel to mark the first Hyatt Place in Seoul and Northeast Asia (hotelprojectsworldwide.com)
- Most Romantic Hotels on Honeymoon Island, Florida (honeymoon.answers.com)
- Hyatt Hotels Corporation to Speak at Baird's 2013 Growth Stock Conference (fool.com)


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What is Lightbox 3?
Lightbox 3 is our multi-purpose off-the-shelf interactive software package, with this powerful system you're able to create exciting touchscreen exhibits from your own audio and visual content. Develop educational and engaging visitor journeys utilising the various Lightbox 3 applications, mix and match which apps you want then get to work! Lightbox 3 is supplied with a lifetime licence and ongoing support.
Check out the available apps below!
Complete with slideshow attractor screen, home menus / sub menus and completely customisable collection screens, there's no limit on what you can share.
The user friendly manager allows you to take charge of your own interactive with easy updating of content whenever its required.
Key Features
- Unlimited amount of content
- Beautiful multi-media presentations
- Easily created menu/home pages and attractor screen
- Take control of your own interactive
- Incredibly flexible design options
- Easy to use management interface
- No programming ability required
- Multi-lingual support
Sub Category
WWII In the Air
WWII on the sea
Attractor Screen
Allow visitors to explore and learn with the Hotspot app. Take a high resolution image (such as a map) and overlay points of interest for further investigation.
Although ideal for creating Map style interactives, you can add information markers to any image, offering an unlimited amount of possibilities.
With the user friendly Manager you're able to easily put together and update Hotspot screens with your own media, then customise them to your branding needs.
Key Features
- High Res scrollable or fixed backgrounds
- Unlimited hotspot support
- Use preset Hotspots or custom images
- Share text and images from Hotspots
- Easily created menu/home pages and attractor screen
- Incredibly flexible design options
- Easy to use management interface
- No programming ability required
- Multi-lingual support
Virtual Gallery
Windowed Item
Trigger interesting facts upon completion of each puzzle, present multiple puzzles and brand the whole thing to your specific requirements thanks to the many customisation options available.
Key Features
- 5 difficulty levels
- Uses any image
- Present multiple puzzles sequentially
- Easily customised
- Optional hint / solve
- Attractor Screen
- Home / menu screen
- Trigger additional information upon successful completion of each puzzle
Space puzzle
Space completed
All space puzzles completed
Spitfire Puzzle
Spitfire initial completed
Spitfire fully completed
Home Screen
Memory takes a number of images and turns them into a fun find-a-pair game. There's also the option to trigger additional information upon the successful matching of a pair, as well as at the end of a game. Allowing Memory to be a fun learning experience.
Key Features
- Choose how many pairs to be matched
- Set multiple levels
- Fully customisable
- Use your own images
- Optional additional information when pair is found
- End game info
- No programming ability required
- Multi-lingual support
Memory Game
Memory game some solved harder
Memory game harder
Memory game successful pair
Memory game space
Memory game space harder
Memory game space end screen
Memory game home screen
Educate and entertain with the fully customisable Quiz app, complete with attractor and menu screens.
Program 50 questions and set a limited number to be asked at random each time, creating a fresh experience for every user.
Key Features
- Custom 'result' brackets
- Add up to 50 questions to pool
- Set how many are asked from pool each time
- Random or sequential question order
- Trigger further information when questions are answered
- Incredibly flexible design options
- Easy to use management interface
- No programming ability required
- Multi-lingual support
Wrong Answer
web browser
Easily personalise your Web Browser using fully customisable themes, keeping your user experience 'on brand'.
Key Features
- Link to a single or multiple sites
- Easily created menu and attractor screens
- Stay 'on brand' with a customisable theme
- Limit visitors to one page only or an entire site
- Whitelist allowed sites and block all others
- Incredibly flexible design options
- Easy to use management interface
- No programming ability required
- Multi-lingual support


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Software Engineering Daily: GraphQL: Designing APIs for the Internet of Everything
Are you curious about what GraphQL is and how to use it? GraphQL will change how you change aboutGraphQL API design. It will change how you build internet of everything applications including websites, phones, TVs. It will change how you think about both the front-end and the back-end.
Check out my newest article on SoftwareEngineeringDaily.com to learn how to use GraphQL and design APIs with it through examples.
Let me know what you think about the article and GraphQL. Interested in hearing your thoughts about it as well as any technical topics you would be interested in learning more about.
Also check out my previous article on GDPR for SoftwareEngineeringDaily here
Also published on Medium.


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This post is the seventh in a blog series published in 2019 in the context of a collaboration between the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
August 12 was first designated International Youth Day by the UN General Assembly in 1999, and serves as an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change. This day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of challenges and problems facing the world's youth.
2019 theme: "Transforming education"
There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world. This is the largest youth population ever.
Africa is currently the youngest continent in the world and will continue to be for the next several decades. By 2100, almost half of the world's young people will be African.
Over the next few decades, young Africans will play a critical role in the social and economic development of the continent. The continent's efforts to educate its youth will have vast implications for its economic development, stability and prosperity.
This year's theme highlights efforts to make education more inclusive, equitable and accessible for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves. Inclusive, equitable access to education is crucial to achieve sustainable development and can play a role in the prevention of conflict.
Indeed, education is a 'development multiplier' and a powerful crosscutting instrument as it plays a pivotal role in accelerating progress across both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa's Agenda 2063.
ADEA's contribution to transform Africa's education and training
Today, Africa can seize the opportunity offered by its demographic shift by investing in human capital development, particularly at the secondary education level in which youth gain the skills and knowledge needed to be productive citizens.
The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) – the voice of education and training on the African continent for the past 31 years –recently organized its High-Level Annual Policy Dialogue on Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.
This important continental event concluded that it is indeed critical to reform secondary education in Africa by enhancing the teaching profession, quality learning, 21stcentury skills provision, and embracing innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) if we want to better prepare African youth for the changing future of work.
Putting in place the conditions for economic growth and job creation in Africa will be critical. As part of this, young people will also need to be prepared with the knowledge and skills required to succeed as entrepreneurs and sought by employers.
In addition, this year ADEA, the African Development Bank and the African Union advanced work on the the African Education Fund (AEF). During a 2-day workshop held in July in Côte d'Ivoire, the 3 institutions along with representatives of African countries produced a joint declaration in support of the establishment of the AEF as the unique African mechanism to address the challenges of education and skills development in Africa.
The African Education Funds is a unique, Africa-initiated, continental education fund designed, owned, led and managed by Africans to support tertiary, technology, technical and science education in Africa. The goal of AEF is to complement, collaborate and be mutually inclusive of existing funding mechanisms at the national and international levels.
When operational, the AEF will make available US$300 million, and scale up to US$1 billion over 10 years to finance technical vocational education and training, and science technology, engineering and mathematics in Africa.
ADEA's hopes and expectations for the African youth
ADEA's hope is to keep the current momentum alive by strengthening partnerships with the key stakeholders at country, regional, continental and global levels to work towards the realization of inclusive, quality and relevant education for all young people in our beloved Africa.
ADEA is committed to play its part as a convener, knowledge creator, peer learning facilitator, and forum for policy dialogue to reach the high expectations for the African youth. To this end, ADEA will engage with African decision makers, educational practitioners, private sector, civil society, youth organizations and development cooperation partners to ensure that we all work to deliver on the objectives set in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, Africa's Agenda 2063 and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA 16-25).
Join us and together let's unlock Africa's youth potential!
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Monday through Friday
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1703 North Beauregard St.
Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
Complete Customer Service Details
December 2009/January 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 4
Health and Learning
Pages 75-78
Wendy W. Murawski, Jennifer Lockwood, Abbie Khalili and Adrienne Johnston
At this urban middle school, building a positive school climate is priority number one.
CHIME Charter Middle School (CCMS) was founded on the premise of diversity and inclusion. Our charter requires that 20 percent of our student body be composed of students with cognitive, physical, social, or behavioral disabilities. Located in the Los Angeles Unified School District in California, CCMS is like other middle schools—students sometimes make fun of one another, engage in bullying, and otherwise act like middle school students. But our staff has actively and collaboratively addressed those issues through three practical sets of strategies. The results have been a decrease in bullying and an increase in positive behaviors.
To set the right tone, one of our first actions was to post signs around the school promoting a safe environment. To ensure buy-in, we asked the student council and the school's leadership committee to help make, post, and enforce the signs. A typical sign reads, "This is a violence-free, abuse-free, and bully-free school. Please show kindness and respect in your words and actions." When students, parents, or visitors arrive on campus, they know right away that bullying is not tolerated.
Join the education organization for all educators.
Get full access, plus expert resources and solutions to support whole child education.
December 2009/January 2010Health and Learning
Copyright © 2009 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Subscribe to ASCD Express, our free e-mail newsletter, to have practical, actionable strategies and information delivered to your e-mail inbox twice a month.
ASCD respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the laws governing them. Learn more about our permissions policy and submit your request online.


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Rumors that surfaced over the weekend regarding "Wonder Woman 2" star Gal Gadot appear to be false.
According to a Deadline report Monday, those internet speculations — which claimed Gadot had jumped the Wonder Woman ship pending the removal of producer Brett Ratner — are incorrect for two reasons. Number one, the 32-year-old Israeli actress and model is already locked in to star in the upcoming film, and there haven't been any "sour talks" between her and Warner Bros. regarding Ratner. (RELATED: PHOTOS: Gal Gadot Rocks Cropped Top As GQ Names Her 'Woman Of The Year')
Number two, Ratner's production company RatPac-Dune isn't signed on to finance "Wonder Woman 2." Additionally, his name isn't mentioned as a producer on the first film. His production company was only a "passive financier."
The original comments came following numerous sexual harassment accusations against the Hollywood producer over recent weeks, including from actresses Ellen Page and Olivia Munn.
An unnamed source told Page Six Saturday, that Gadot allegedly said that Warner Brothers would have to cut its ties to Ratner if they wanted her back for the next movie in the DC franchise.
"She's tough and stands by her principles," a source explained to the outlet. "She also knows the best way to hit people like Brett Ratner is in the wallet. She also knows that Warner Bros. has to side with her on this issue as it develops. They can't have a movie rooted in women's empowerment being part-financed by a man accused of sexual misconduct against women."
Warner Bros. recently announced that the release date for the highly anticipated next installment in the superhero film series was moved from December 13, 2019 to November 1, 2019.


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The Same – Sync Or Swim
Regular price
Label: Unlikely Records – URT 17
Format: Cassette
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Experimental, Minimal
Incredible '84 masterstroke from Robert Cox (of Rimarimba fame) with 'Sync Or Swim' self-released via his own Unlikely Recordings imprint as The Same. Nestled by the English seaside in Suffolk, Cox was responsible for a number of releases (mainly through his Rimarimba guise) that crafted up a completely unique, complex yet playful, utterly enchanting sound-world through heavy use of repetition, prime-number sequencing and endless overdubbing, pursued with an unwavering DIY approach. Here follows a similar aesthetic, with percussive onslaughts and mind-boggling, rhythmic sequences enriched with shimmering guitar work that joins the dots between Robert Fripp and Manuel Gottsching. Yet nothing can prepare for the B-side epic 'E Scapes', a meandering 20+ minute sonic odyssey of deft sting interplay that beguiles and completely transcends my mere attempt to describe its brilliance with words. With the original LP near enough IMPOSSIBLE to obtain now, this humble, reasonably cassette represents the best route to owning a copy of this brilliance. Highest recommends!


text: Sponsored Links: Pls guys wats d answer to this BRAIN TEASER A teacher walks into the classroom and says: if only YESTERDAY was TOMORROW, TODAY would have been a SATURDAY. Now on which day did the teacher make this statement? (a) Sunday (b) Monday (c) Thursday (d) Friday (e) Saturday Any answers as I still thinking which day? Everyone should try


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Dutchsinse Global Earthquake Update - Spread of seismic activity across Pacific. Keep Watch. May 22, 2019
By Zach Royer
Seventy million years ago, the earth was inhabited by giant reptiles: gigantic lizards, colossal saurains, who slithered, swam, flew. Their reign lasted one hundred million years - whereas, according to the most optimistic estimates, man has had barely six million years.
This means that these species of reptiles had in order to become adapted and to evolve, an infinitely longer time than man. Furthermore, it is impossible to pretend that they represented an evolutionary failure: any species that lasts a hundred million years must be considered to be fully adapted. Yet few species that were contemporaries of those reptiles survive -- for example, certain crabs, which have not changed in three hundred million years. In fact, in less than one million years the giant reptiles entirely disappeared.
How and Why?
We can scarcely maintain that it was because a change in climate; for even when the climate changes, the oceans hardly vary, and many of these reptiles lived in the oceans.
It is impossible to believe that a higher form of life was able to exterminate them. This would have required a considerable army, whose traces we would certainly have found.
One amusing hypothesis is that our ancestors, the mammals, might have fed on dinosaur eggs. But it is only that: an amusing hypothesis: the icthyosaurs deposited their eggs in the oceans, out of their adversaries' reach.
It has been said that the grasses changed, and that the new grasses were too tough for the big reptiles. A completely unlikely hypothesis: large numbers of vegetation types have survived, on which they could have fed perfectly well. The giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands, the ones that interested Darwin so much, did not die of hunger.
One could say that species grow old, become senile, and die. But this is bad logic: the preservation of the genetic code prevents a species from dying out. And why haven't those species that are still living after several hundred millions of years, such as crabs and cockroaches, become senile too?
None of these hypotheses hold. But something happened. What then? An ingenious hypothesis has been outlined by two Soviet scientists, V. I. Krasovkii and I. S. Chklovski, both of whom are eminent astrophysicists -- especially the latter, who is the author of some extremely important works in astrophysics and radio astronomy. It was Chklovski, in fact, who studied synchotron radiation and showed that relatively rapid and extremely violent events can be produced at the center of galaxies as well as in space in general.
Like it or not we're rapidly moving into the world of 5G, or 5th generation cellular telecommunications. Why? Because the frequency bandwidths used currently by cell phones and similar technologies are becoming saturated. And also because we live in a world where people want more.
5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT) that goes with it, promises to give us more.
But more what?
Super-Fast Download Speeds
5G and IoT promises to connect us in our homes, schools, workplaces, cities, parks and open spaces to over a trillion objects around the world. It promises cars that drive themselves, washing machines that order their own washing powder and softener plus of course super fast downloads and streaming.
According to Fortune.com 5G will support at least 100 billion devices and will be 10 to 100 times faster than current 4G technology. (4G was already about 10 times faster than 3G).
It'll bring download speed up to 10 Gigabits per second. This would let us have an entire building of people send each other data in close to no time, thus improving productivity.
What is 5G?
5G offers mind-blowing data capabilities, practically unrestricted call volumes and near infinite data broadcast. It does this by 5G using largely untapped bandwidth of the millimeter wave (MMW), which is between 30GHz and 300GHz, as well as some lower and mid-range frequencies.
This table compares the different generations of mobile technologies:
If you haven't heard of Demna Gvasalia, you will. He's breaking fashion norms with cutting edge design and neon colors.
Are you interested in fashion? Does the name Demna Gvasalia ring a bell? If you have never heard that name before, the chances are good that you will soon.
The 38-year-old Georgian fashion designer is one of the up and coming people in the fashion industry. With a background in design at Louis Vuitton and Maison Martin Margiela, Gvasalia has the pedigree to stand out from his contemporaries. But what makes Demna Gvasalia such an important figure in the industry?
Read on to learn more about this designer who is taking the fashion world by storm!
His Impressive Background
Gvasalia has a decorated background in the fashion industry that makes him prime to be a leader in the industry.
He was fascinated by fashion from a young age while growing up in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union during the 1980s and 1990s.
As a young adult, Gvasalia's passion for fashion brought him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts located in Antwerp, Belgium. While he studied at the art academy, he developed a knack for creating unique designs that were well-received by his peers.
Shortly after he completed his studies, he was brought on as the design leader for Masion Martin Margiela and later, Louis Vuitton.
His Current Projects
Gvasalia has performed so well early in his career that he has landed other top positions at some of the leading fashion brands worldwide.
In October 2015, he was named as the creative director of Balenciaga, a Spanish luxury brand. Gvasalia got to work on creating his first collection for the brand, which was revealed to the world at the 2016 Paris Fashion Week.
You can shop the iconic brand at the most reputable retailers around the world!
In addition to his position at Balenciaga, Gvasalia is also the head designer at VETEMENTS. Gvasalia founded the brand in 2014 and is joined by a group of designer friends as they design unique clothing and shoes that have a wide appeal across different cultures.
Although the brand was headquartered in Paris, Gvasalia announced that it would be moving to Zurich, Switzerland in 2017.
Wrapping Up: Demna Gvasalia and Fashion
Demna Gvasalia is a name that's become synonymous with fashion in only a short period of time.
Despite Gvasalia's success, he's a designer who is not content on resting on his past achievements. It is perhaps that passion to push the envelope in the industry that helps him continue to design new fashions and create mass appeal.
One way that Gvasalia is unique when compared to his peers is his use of luxury materials on otherwise mundane objects.
For example, he is known for using neon colors on hourglass skirts and experimenting with the way the slits are placed on the garment.
At Apparently Apparel, we are your digital source for all things fashion. We offer a wide range of men's and women's clothing and accessories. We also are a popular resource for the latest news in the industry.
Check out our popular/trending clothing and accessories to find something new for your collection!
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At 7:20, I will pick up Bob to go to breakfast. We go every Saturday to Sirloin Stockade for breakfast. Then we eat a very late light lunch. We eat such a large breakfast.
Missy is wanting to go outside but it's too early. It's not light out there and I never take her out in the dark. About 6:00, we will go out on the carport.
I slept well last night. I got up shortly after 4:30. I just couldn't get back to sleep after waking up to go to the bathroom. I've had a cup of coffee and fed Missy already. I've watched the weather channel until the "local weather on the 8's" came on. That's our local weather. It's going to be pretty hot today...in the high 90's. Now I have the music going.
My son, Keith, called yesterday and visited with me awhile. He's such a neat guy! In fact, all my kids are. I am so lucky. I was a strict disciplinarian with a lot of structure in my life. And I injected a lot of structure into their lives. They had chores and they didn't go to bed until their rooms were neat. We did a lot of fun things like camping trips every other weekend and horseback riding every Saturday morning for years. We bought a season ticket to the swimming pool when we lived in Bartlesville and every afternoon, after they had their chores done, we went swimming and spent the afternoon at the pool. My kids, especially the boys, were excellent swimmers and divers. We never missed a Walt Disney movie either. In those days, we went to the movies a lot. Of course, in those days movies were a lot different. There was little sex and violence in them. They were strictly entertaining and wholesome. The world has changed a lot the past 40-50 years and, in my estimation, not for the better.
More later...
We had our breakfasts and we are both very full. I probably won't eat again today. I had taken Missy out for an hour, but as I suspected, an hour wasn't enough for her. She was unhappy about it. I took some of the pork Bar B Q over to Karan and while I was gone Bob came to do a small load of laundry. Karan wanted to tell me all about her camp experience. I am so glad she went because she had a wonderful time.
When I got home Bob and I visited awhile and then he went home to take a nap and I took Missy outside again for awhile. She seemed content then. I found the paper Ron and I wrote and presented for the John Whitmer Historical Association meeting. Bob had mislaid his copy and he wanted to show it to Diana. I printed it off for Bob and then a copy for myself too.
More later...
My oldest great granddaughter, Sage, is the third from the left. She is 12 years old and will be 13 in September. She is such a nice girl. Her mom has done a good job rearing her. This was taken at church camp on the last day there.
More later....
Bob came over about five to watch the news and left about 6:40. He went home to re-install his own VCR. Tony had fixed it and Diana sent it with his birthday gift. Now he will probably give mine back to me.
I watched TV for awhile but then took a shower and washed my hair. The heat had made it oily.
I will go to bed at 9:00.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Saturday and Breakfast Out
Posted by Margie's Musings at 5:55 AM
3 comments:
- Sister--Three said...
You are to be commended on the job you did rearing your children.
You must spend time in your garden or your harvest will be weeds.
- July 16, 2016 at 3:20 PM
- Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...
It sounds as if you raised your kids with the perfect balance of loving discipline with fun to follow ! :) Sage is so pretty and looks so happy in this photo ; camp was probably a blast! :)
- July 16, 2016 at 4:19 PM
- Margie's Musings said...
It was, Deb. Sage just loves our family camps. She has gone for years.
And thank you Sister-Three. I tried. I thought I might have been too strict with them. But they all three turned out very well.
- July 16, 2016 at 8:06 PM
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text:
"We are Like the Dead"Torture and other Human Rights Abuses in Jail Ogaden, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia
In the heart of the eastern city of Jijiga, just five minutes from the University, lies one of the most notorious detention centers in Ethiopia. Jail Ogaden, officially known as Jijiga Central Prison, is home to thousands of prisoners, who are brutalized and neglected. Many have never been charged or convicted of any crime.
Former prisoners described a horrific reality of constant abuse and torture, with no access to adequate medical care, family, lawyers, or even, at times, food. Officials stripped naked and beat prisoners and forced them to perform humiliating acts in front of the entire prison population, as punishment and to instill shame and fear. In overcrowded cells, head prisoners, called kabbas, beat and harassed prisoners at night during interrogations, passing notes on to prison leaders who then chose some for further punishment. The purpose of the torture and humiliation was to coerce prisoners to "confess" to membership in the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a banned opposition group.
This report, based on almost 100 interviews, including 70 former prisoners of Jail Ogaden, documents torture and other serious abuses, including rape, long term arbitrary detention, and horrific detention conditions in Jail Ogaden in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State (Somali Region) between 2011 and early 2018. Interviewees also included government officials and members of Somali Region security forces.
Many of the former prisoners interviewed said they saw people dying in their cells after being tortured by officials. Female former prisoners told of rape. Prison guards and the notorious Liyu police ["special" police in Amharic], brutalized prisoners, at the behest of regional authorities. The prison is subject to almost no meaningful scrutiny or oversight.
The cycle of torture, humiliating treatment, overcrowding, inadequate food, sleep deprivation, and lack of health care in Jail Ogaden is consistent with the government's long-standing collective punishment of people who are perceived to support the ONLF. Human Rights Watch has previously documented how the Ethiopian army committed crimes against humanity and war crimes during counter insurgency operations against the ONLF in 2007 and 2008, including extrajudicial executions, torture and rape.
Rather than meaningfully investigate the crimes at that time, the Ethiopian government established the Liyu police who have committed a range of serious abuses in Somali Region since 2008. The Liyu police report to the Somali Region president, Abdi Mohamoud Omar, known as Abdi Illey.
In Jail Ogaden, disease is rampant, basic water and sanitation needs are systematically ignored, while prisoners report deaths in detention following the outbreak of infectious disease. Some former prisoners told Human Rights Watch that corpses sometimes remained in prisoners' cells for several days.
Female prisoners gave birth in their cells without access to skilled birth attendants, often in grossly unhygienic conditions. The plight of children, some allegedly born in Jail Ogaden from rape by prison guards, is especially tragic. Former prisoners said that lactating mothers received no extra food, and that children received no education. Since 2013, prisoners have reportedly not been permitted any visitors, or to receive food or other goods from relatives.
Release of prisoners is often ad hoc and the length of prisoners' sentences, when they have one, may have little bearing on when they are actually released.
Former prisoners said that senior Somali politicians including Abdi Illey and Somali Region head of security and head of the Liyu police Abdirahman Labagole appeared regularly at the prison to speak to the prison population. Many of the worst abusers have been the prison heads of Jail Ogaden. Not only do some of these officials appear to have ordered torture, rape and denial of food, but in some cases, former prisoners alleged that they were personally involved in committing rape and acts of torture.
In 2011, Somali Region officials carried out an 11-day evaluation of prison guard performance which corroborated many of patterns of abuse former prisoners described to Human Rights Watch. The evaluation was filmed at the request of Abdi Illey, and then shared with Human Rights Watch several years later when an advisor to Abdi Illey left Ethiopia. On film, guards detail torturing, raping, and extorting money from prisoners, and describe how various senior officials at Jail Ogaden directed them to engage in torture and rape.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a federal government body mandated to carry out investigations into allegations of human rights abuse, has inspected Jail Ogaden on many occasions since 2011, but there are no publicly available reports on those visits. It is not clear what actions, if any, were taken to hold anyone accountable for abuses uncovered during those inspections. Many former prisoners told Human Rights Watch that they had been prepped by prison officials on what to say and what not to say to the Commission. The most visibly injured, along with children and pregnant women, were reportedly held in secret rooms or moved out of the prison ahead of Commission visits.
Those who spoke openly to Commission officials were brutally beaten, sometimes to death, in the days after the visits. The EHRC did not respond to our letter requesting information about their work to address abuses in Jail Ogaden.
Ethiopia's federal system gives considerable autonomy to its regions, including the Somali Region, to carry out many governance functions. Regional detention facilities in Somali Region have little federal oversight and the regional government has neither the will nor capacity to monitor detention conditions.
Very few of the former prisoners we interviewed said they had ever been to court or been charged with any crime. Even when prisoners did appear in court, most did not have access to defense lawyers, could not present an adequate defense, and were confronted with courts that lack independence and are reluctant to challenge government abuses. This all leaves prisoners in Jail Ogaden with virtually no channels for redress.
Torture and impunity for torture are well-entrenched problems throughout Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch regularly receives reports of abusive interrogations countrywide using techniques such as severe beatings and water and genital torture, similar to what Jail Ogaden's former prisoners describe. As far as Human Rights Watch is aware, there have been no reported instances of the federal government holding anyone accountable for torture, and prisoners' complaints of torture in detention are routinely ignored by the courts.
The Ethiopian government's response to requests for investigation into alleged rights abuses is to state that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can carry out such investigations, but EHRC investigations have generally not met the most basic standards of impartiality. There is little transparency around its work. The government has repeatedly rejected calls for independent international investigations into abuses and has ignored repeated requests from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and eight other UN Special Rapporteurs to visit Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's new prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, took office in April 2018. Since then, he has pledged to implement progressive reforms and his government has closed Maekelawi detention center in Addis Ababa, a site notorious for torture and abuse of prisoners. He also acknowledged that torture exists in Ethiopia in a June speech to parliament, a rare admission for an Ethiopian prime minister.
Thus far, however, the new prime minister has not stated how his government will tackle the larger problem of impunity for torture. While many former prisoners would welcome the closure of Jail Ogaden, such a move would not address the abusive nature of the region's security forces, the impunity of those who engage in serious abuses, or the weak rule of law in Somali Region.
Ethiopia should comply with the provisions of its own constitution and fulfill its core obligations under international human rights law—in particular the absolute prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment—by systemically addressing persistent allegations of torture and illegal detention. Ethiopia's new prime minister and senior officials, including in the federal police and the military, should urgently and publicly condemn abuse of prisoners in Jail Ogaden and other prisons in Ethiopia, to send an unequivocal public message that mistreatment of prisoners will not be tolerated—and back up such announcements with disciplinary action and prosecutions of officials who engage in such practices.
In the face of numerous and horrific allegations, Dr Abiy Ahmed and parliament should establish a federal Commission of Experts (COE) for Somali Region. The Commission should investigate abuse at Jail Ogaden and recommend specific officials, regardless of rank, to face criminal charges for the mistreatment of prisoners. This should include specific investigations into senior Somali Region officials such as President Abdi Illey and current head of Liyu police Abdirahman Labagole.
Furthermore, authorities should allow access to Jail Ogaden and all other detention centers throughout the country to independent Ethiopian and international monitors, including human rights and humanitarian organizations, members of the diplomatic community, African Union human rights mechanisms, and UN mechanisms such as the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Prime Minister Abiy should also take immediate steps to substantially reform the Liyu police and hold senior members of the Liyu police and Somali Region government to account for serious human rights violations, including torture in Jail Ogaden.
Published on HRW on July 4, 2018
The full report is available here.
By Hilary O. Shelton and Lauren-Brooke Eisen
The early 1990s were a turbulent time for many cities and towns in America. The national violent crime rate had been steadily ticking up, increasing 40% from 1984 to 1992, as the murder rate climbed 20% between 1984 and 1993, disproportionately impacting communities of color. Congress reacted by passing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, better known as the "1994 Crime Bill," which restructured federal grant funding. It inspired states to build more prisons.
The number of people behind bars increased by almost 50% between then and now, from 1.5 million to 2.2 million people. African Americans bared the brunt of that tremendous growth, making up 13% of the U.S. population but 37% of the nation's prisoners. Meanwhile, crime rates are down. Budgets are tight. Prisons are overcrowded with inmates who are serving time for non-violent crimes. And we are beholden to an often-unjust justice system built on policies past, which highlights and exacerbates racial inequality in America's criminal justice system. In short, we are paying dearly to waste human lives.
But a new bill introduced Wednesday by Rep. Tony Cárdenas of California aims to reverse that decades-long trend. The Reverse Mass Incarceration Act, which Senators Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal introduced this summer in the Senate, sends federal funds to states that reduce crime and incarceration together. It is the only solution proposed on Capitol Hill that would help reign in state prison populations (where 87% of the country's prison population is housed), while reducing vast racial disparities in the system and ensuring hard-earned public safety gains over the past quarter-century are not lost. Senator Blumenthal said on Wednesday, "the federal government can encourage more enlightened and effective action" at the state level with this bill.
For decades, through both the 1994 Crime Bill and other programs, the federal government has sent out grants to states and cities on autopilot to fight the "war on drugs" and to aid other anti-crime, public-safety initiatives. States and cities often seek these additional "bonus" dollars and are willing to modify policy to get them. It's one reason why almost all the funds ultimately allocated by Congress from the 1994 bill were used by states to build more prisons and lengthen prison sentences.
This new measure is designed to redirect that flow of funding — to upend that incentive. It would authorize $20 billion in incentive funds over 10 years to states that cut their prison population by 7% every three years and keep crime near record lows, or even lower. This can be done either by creating a new grant — or by directing current funds — to support state activities proven to reduce crime and incarceration at once. Lately, some states are already on a path to do this; the bill will encourage and could speed up further progress, promising federal dollars for successful and reform-oriented changes in policy.
But federal sentencing reform alone will not eliminate mass incarceration. The federal government must work with states to drastically cut the number of prisoners behind bars. Under this new act, states would be free to choose their best path to achieving these common goals, building on local expertise rather than just a federal mandate. If fully applied, this would result in a 20% reduction in the prison population nationwide in a decade, a result of local expertise at the state level. Certainly, Republicans and Democrats should be able to get on board with a program that improves public safety while reducing our expensive and inefficient incarceration system.
Not only is this possible, it's played out across the country. In the last 10 years, 27 states have reduced incarceration and crime together. It's a politically and geographically diverse group. They include states in the Northeast (New York and New Jersey), the West (California and Colorado) and the South (Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas). Texas alone has closed eight prisons in just six years, while crime rates remain at historic lows. Similarly, under Governor Andrew Cuomo and due to a reduction in the state's prison population, New York has closed 13 state prisons.
To be sure, local and state reform is key to making a dent in America's prison population. But this bill would set a tone from the top and directly help states continue already successful efforts. It would dramatically reduce prison populations, lessen the justice system's disproportionate impact on communities of color and maintain hard-won declines in crime over the last 20 years. Passing this bill would send a message from the federal government that our society is capable of responding to crime in a way that is not only effective, but also humane.
Published on TIME on October 4, 2017
By Karen L. Cox
While the mass incarceration of men has dominated the discussion of policing and prisons over the past few years—and rightly so—there's been a recent shift in thinking about incarcerated women, and not a moment too soon. According to a report by the Vera Institute, women's incarceration has increased a startling 14-fold since 1970. Like their male counterparts, these women are also overwhelmingly women of color.
Despite the shocking increase in their numbers, however, the specific issues and needs of female prisoners have largely gone ignored. In particular, as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month begins in the U.S., it's worth noting that the vast majority of women in prison are single mothers who have been victims of domestic and/or sexual violence.
These concerns have rarely been part of prison-reform discussions, and yet this fact is typical of the history of women's incarceration in our country.
Criminal justice in the American South for decades following the Civil War was meted out unjustly, disproportionately affecting African Americans, regardless of gender. And, thanks to a unique historical record created by women in a Mississippi prison in the 1930s, it's possible to see that the similarities between women's incarceration then and now is significant. In both periods, women were more likely to be incarcerated for nonviolent crimes than for violent ones. Likewise, many of the incarcerated women in both cases were victims of domestic and sexual violence whose income was vital to their family household.
The prison in question was a state penitentiary in Jim Crow Mississippi, better known as Parchman. Of the more than 2,000 prisoners there in the mid-1930s, between 60-80 were women, of which only a handful were white. That small group was responsible for sewing all of the convict uniforms and the mattress ticking, canning the food that was eaten by everyone, picking cotton, and even slaughtering cows and hogs that fed the prisoners. There, women left a record of their lives in the form of blues poems and songs. In the early 1930s, Delta journalist David Cohn visited the women at Parchman and provided them with pencils and paper on which they provided details of their lives, their criminal trials and incarceration.
In "My Prison Blues," for example, Fannie Walden wrote about some of the very same issues that concern incarcerated women today. She laments being separated from her child in the lyric "One poor little daughter in the cold world behind/for home and her love, my heart doth pine." A later verse explains the reason she is in prison was due to a situation of domestic violence: "The only trouble I've given the land/Was defense of myself—just killed one man."
Nor did the violence stop at the prison gates. Women at Parchman also wrote about the violence they experienced while in prison, sexual and otherwise. One woman, identified only by the initials M.A.V., describes another female prisoner's child, the product of sexual violence at the hands of the white supervisor of the women's camp: "Coreanna's got a baby and he's got blue eyes, must be the Captain's, he ain't none of mine."
Another prisoner detailed the physical violence at the hands of the man she calls the "Ricketiest Superintendent." In her "penitentiary blues," she describes the brutality of prison and thoughts of refuge in the lyric, "Got the ricketiest superintendent, Got the worst sergeant on the farm, and if I make it to the bushes, my sergeant can't do me no harm."
Fast-forward to 2017 and we realize that little has changed in the treatment of women in over one hundred years. The vast majority of female prisoners remain women of color. They continue to be victims of sexual violence. Their children are being raised without them.
The difference is that this is not Jim Crow Mississippi. Today, this situation extends well beyond the South. Nationally, as the Vera Institute Report shows, the overwhelming majority of female prisoners are held for nonviolent offenses and most are women of color. Among them, 86% are victims of sexual violence.
The difficulties faced by female prisoners are now attracting the attention of politicians. On July 11 of this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, or the "Dignity Act," on behalf of himself and Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Richard Durbin.
The bill aims "To improve the treatment of Federal prisoners who are primary caretaker parents." To that end, the Dignity Act calls for a more generous visitation policy for incarcerated mothers. If passed, it would also prevent restraining pregnant women by shackling them or placing them in strait jackets, among other forms of restraint. Prisons would provide parenting classes and trauma-informed care for those who need it, as well as make basic healthcare products like tampons available. Gynecological care would also be mandatory.
Since July, the Dignity Act has only advanced as far as the Senate Judiciary Committee where no further action has been taken. Given the stark realities of life for incarcerated women, action cannot come soon enough. Our nation can and should do better than to allow Jim Crow-like prison policies to continue unchecked.
Published on TIME on October 2, 2017
By César Muñoz
On March 22, Brazil's representatives will have to explain at a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights why the country maintains some of the most violent and inhumane prisons in Latin America, and why the government has let them fall into the hands of criminal organizations.
You'd expect Brazilian authorities to make regaining control of their prisons a top priority after the series of massacres that left more than 100 inmates dead just two months ago. Instead, state negligence, incompetence, or a lack of political will continue to let gangs use prison cells as recruiting grounds.
An October 2016 report by the Federal Prison Department said that the state government's failure to provide adequate health, education, work, and legal services to inmates was strengthening the very gangs the prison system is supposed to help crush. The consequences for Brazil reach far beyond the prison walls.
In mid-February, we asked permission to visit the Penitenciária Agrícola de Monte Cristo, the largest prison in the northern state of Roraima, where gang members killed 10 inmates in October and another 33 in January. State authorities candidly shared details about life inside the prison, but refused to let us in, saying they could not ensure our safety. In truth, they can't ensure anyone's safety. Only the gangs can do that.
The crumbling Penitenciária Agrícola held 1,511 inmates in February. It was built for 750 but its real capacity could be as low as 300 because successive riots have caused the infrastructure to deteriorate, a judge overseeing the prison told us. Most of the prisoners spend 24 hours a day in overcrowded, fetid cells, with nothing to do.
Roraima's statewide prison population has grown by 41 percent in the past 18 months, to 2,300. More than half have not been convicted of a crime, according to state data. Their average wait in prison for trial is more than a year, according to the National Council of Justice.
In January, the judge ordered that the 161 inmates held in a semi-open facility –which allows some of them to go out to work during the day– continue their sentences under house arrest after the prison director said that he was unable to ensure their security or the security of his personnel.
At Penitenciária Agrícola, since the October killings, guards have only entered the prison grounds twice a day, to bring food. They are protected by a squad of heavily armed military police officers. Any inmate who feels sick in between –or is attacked– may well die.
The two public defenders who represent convicted detainees in all of Roraima's prisons have been unable to meet with their clients in Penitenciária Agrícola since October, one of them told us. As we have reported elsewhere in Brazil, lack of adequate legal representation means that some cases fall through the cracks, including one man who remained in a Roraima prison for a year after he was awarded parole in 2016.
So who's in charge? Vicious gangs, who use the prison to recruit members by offering the protection that the state does not.
The Penitenciária Agrícola holds about 500 members of PCC, a prison gang originally from São Paulo, according to prison officials, who ask incoming detainees to declare their gang affiliation so that they can be housed with members of their own gang. Even those who say they belong to no gang are sent to cells with PCC members, allegedly for lack of space, according to prison officials. There, they are under pressure to join.
The 33 inmates who died in January did not belong to any gang. Members of PCC decapitated all of them as a show of force, prison officials told us.
None of this is exclusive to Roraima. Brazil has more than 622,000 people behind bars – 67 percent over capacity. Holding pretrial detainees with convicted criminals, hideous overcrowding, procedural delays, and gang rule within the cellblocks are common.
A new prison under construction – designed for fewer than 400 inmates – won't solve the state's problems. Neither Roraima, nor Brazil, will be able to build enough prisons to end overcrowding if there is no change in current incarceration policies.
Judicial and state authorities should make wider use of alternatives to prison, both for people awaiting trial and those convicted of non-violent offenses, and improve the justice system by ending unjustified delays and increasing the number of public defenders. Most of all, Brazil should abandon its retrograde "war on drugs" policy, which is filling prisons with people detained with small quantities of drugs. Brazil needs to decriminalize drug use.
The recent prison massacres showed the strength of Brazil´s prison gangs. Brazil's federal and state governments need to demonstrate that they are stronger, and smarter, by overhauling judicial and incarceration systems that now serve no one well except the gangs. The safety of everyone – inside and outside the prison walls – depends on it.
This article was published on Human Rights Watch's website on March 22, 2017.
Thousands of ICE detainees claim they were forced into labor, a violation of anti-slavery laws
By Kristine Phillips
Tens of thousands of immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were forced to work for $1 day, or for nothing at all — a violation of federal anti-slavery laws — a lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against one of the largest private prison companies in the country, reached class-action status this week after a federal judge's ruling. That means the case could involve as many as 60,000 immigrants who have been detained.
It's the first time a class-action lawsuit accusing a private U.S. prison company of forced labor has been allowed to move forward.
"That's obviously a big deal; it's recognizing the possibility that a government contractor could be engaging in forced labor," said Nina DiSalvo, executive director of Towards Justice, a Colorado-based nonprofit group that represents low-wage workers, including undocumented immigrants. "Certification of the class is perhaps the only mechanism by which these vulnerable individuals who were dispersed across the country and across the world would ever be able to vindicate their rights."
At the heart of the dispute is the Denver Contract Detention Facility, a 1,500-bed center in Aurora, Colo., owned and operated by GEO Group under a contract with ICE. The Florida-based corporation runs facilities to house immigrants who are awaiting their turn in court.
The lawsuit, filed against GEO Group on behalf of nine immigrants, initially sought more than $5 million in damages. Attorneys expect the damages to grow substantially given the case's new class-action status.
The class-action ruling by U.S. District Judge John Kane means that as many as 60,000 current and former detainees at the detention facility in Aurora are now part of the lawsuit without having to actively join as plaintiffs, said Andrew Free, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.
The lead plaintiff in the case is a permanent resident of the U.S., and attorneys expect "a significant portion of the class will fit that bill," Free said.
The original nine plaintiffs claim that detainees at the ICE facility are forced to work without pay — and that those who refuse to do so are threatened with solitary confinement.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims, six detainees are selected at random every day and are forced to clean the facility's housing units. The lawsuit claims that the practice violates the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which prohibits modern-day slavery.
"Forced labor is a particular violation of the statute that we've alleged," Free said. "Whether you're calling it forced labor or slavery, the practical reality for the plaintiffs is much the same. You're being compelled to work against your will under the threat of force or use of force."
GEO Group also is accused of violating Colorado's minimum wage laws by paying detainees $1 day instead of the state's minimum wage of about $9 an hour. The company "unjustly enriched" itself through the cheap labor of detainees, the lawsuit says.
None of the original nine plaintiffs are still detained at the facility, DiSalvo said.
The class-action ruling by Kane, a senior judge in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, came at a critical time, DiSalvo said, noting President Trump's pledge to deport 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants. Advocates say private prison companies that have government contracts stand to benefit significantly from the president's hard-line policy of detaining and deporting a massive number of immigrants
"That means you need to round up and detain more people in order to determine whether they have the rights to stay in this country before you deport them," DiSalvo said. "More people could be moving through, not just in the Aurora facility. More people could be subjected to GEO's forced labor policy."
Notably, the stocks of the two biggest private prison operators, Geo Group and CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), have surged since Trump's election. The companies donated a total of $500,000 to Trump's inaugural festivities, USA Today reported. Since Trump took office, his administration has reversed the Obama administration's policy to end the country's reliance on private prisons.
GEO Group has strongly denied the lawsuit's allegations and argued in court records that pay of $1 a day does not violate any laws.
"We intend to continue to vigorously defend our company against these claims," GEO Group spokesman Pablo Paez said in a statement. "The volunteer work program at immigration facilities as well as the wage rates and standards associated with the program are set by the Federal government. Our facilities, including the Aurora, Colo. Facility, are highly rated and provide high-quality services in safe, secure, and humane residential environments pursuant to the Federal Government's national standards."
Jennifer D. Elzea, acting press sectrary for ICE, said she couldn't comment on the litigation because "ICE is not specifically a party in this suit."
Under ICE's Voluntary Work Program, detainees sign up to work and are paid $1 a day. The nationwide program, ICE says, "provides detainees opportunities to work and earn money while confined, subject to the number of work opportunities available and within the constraints of the safety, security and good order of the facility."
Detainees work for up to eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, cleaning bathrooms, showers, toilets, windows, patient rooms and staff offices, waxing floors, and preparing and serving meals. ICE says detainees "shall be able to volunteer for work assignments but otherwise shall not be required to work, except to do personal housekeeping."
Jacqueline Stevens, who runs Northwestern University's Deportation Research Clinic, said the program does not meet the criteria for what qualifies as volunteer work under labor laws.
"Just slapping the word 'volunteer' in front of 'work program' doesn't exempt the prison firm from paying legally mandated wages any more than McDonald's can use 'volunteer' senior citizens and pay them Big Macs," said Stevens, whose research about the volunteer work program prompted the lawsuit.
Prison labor, Stevens added, has two purposes: to punish prisoners after they've been convicted of a crime and to rehabilitate them.
Those don't apply to immigrant detainees, she said.
"There's no ostensible purpose to rehabilitate them," Stevens said. "They're just waiting for a court date in order to clarify their immigration status. Some don't end up being deported."
Free, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, said there are alternatives to detaining immigrants while they wait for their day in court. That includes supervision programs and community monitoring.
"That's much cheaper than spending double the current cost of detention," Free said, adding that not incarcerating them would ensure they're able to find attorneys and attend their immigration hearings. "The for-profit prisons are a policy choice against due process in immigration courts and against access to counsel and against positive outcomes to immigrants who have valid claims."
In 2014, GEO Group filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in court records that Colorado's minimum wage law does not apply to immigrant detainees.
"Detainees are not whom the minimum wage laws were intended to protect. The minimum wage law was enacted in Colorado to ensure wages are adequate to 'supply the necessary cost of living and to maintain the health of workers so employed,'" the attorneys argued, quoting the state statute.
The company further argued that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is inapplicable because the law is meant to prevent human trafficking of people for labor and/or sex. GEO Group, the attorneys wrote, "did not traffic Plaintiffs in the Aurora facility with the purpose of putting them to work." They added that the detainees are in the custody of immigration officials.
In 2015, Kane, the federal judge, partially denied the motion to dismiss. Although he agreed with GEO Group that Colorado's minimum wage law is inapplicable, he ruled that the other claims can stand.
"GEO's argument was, 'Even if we are forcing people to work under threat of solitary confinement, that would be allowed,'" DiSalvo said. "And the judge said, 'No it wouldn't be.'"
Kane granted class-action status a few days after the Justice Department directed the Bureau of Prisons to, again, use private prisons, a significant shift from the Obama-era policy of significantly reducing — and ultimately ending — their use.
In a one-paragraph memo last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the previous directive to the Bureau of Prisons to either reduce or decline to renew private-prison contracts as they came due, The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky reported.
"The memorandum changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the Bureau's ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system," Sessions wrote. "Therefore, I direct the Bureau to return to its previous approach."
The original directive from the Obama administration did not apply to immigration detainees.
This article was published on The Washington Post's website on March 5, 2017.
July 2018


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I have almost never felt confident as a parent. Ok maybe that's not true. There have been moments when something new I was trying appeared to be working and suddenly I was able to see a potential future where every day wasn't a struggle. But those moments have been rarer than the usual utter chaos and internal turmoil that characterize my days.
It's easy to feel like you are drowning in a sea of potential help, but so much of it is conflicting. How do you know what is the right approach to parenting for your family or even for your specific child? (Doesn't it seem unfair that each kid has different requirements? I've often thought how much easier it would be if what worked for one worked for all of them. After all, my kids all pretty much look alike, it would be nice if parenting strategies could be more consistent as well?).
The Parent Super Bundle from Ultimate Bundles is one of those potential sources of help. But today is the last day to purchase before this bundle goes away.
"What?" you say, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
Two reasons.
1. I know as a parent I tend to hem and haw and ultimately wait until the last minute to make a decision anyway.
2. I don't want you to over analyze this. This is a HUGE bundle with so many fantastic resources. But don't get bogged down in that. Make it a simple math problem. Find a handful (seriously focus on five or fewer) of books, courses or bonus offers that you know will be helpful and useful.) Then run the numbers of what those resources usually cost.
Don't think you will use all of these. I have never used every resource in one of these bundles. But I have always gotten my money's worth and more.
Here are just a few products that I think make the bundle worth it.
The Stop Yelling Handbook
by Amanda Rueter
The Stop Yelling Handbook is packed full of tips and techniques to help every day moms deal with the frustration and anger that comes with raising kids.
Value: $7.99
When I was perusing the list of resources in this bundle this book immediately jumped out at me. I have become a yelling mama. This is something I specifically did NOT want to be. I'm finally at a place in my life where I am ready to start dealing with the yelling problem and this looks like a great way to get started.
A Realistic Action Plan for the Weary Mom:
15 Days of Hope from the Intentional Mom
by Jennifer Roskamp
An extensive book that examines 15 common issues that moms struggle with. This is exactly the hope that will breathe new life into your days.
Value: $7.99
Since weary has been my buzzword lately, I was immediately drawn to this title. Most days I feel like I'm making it up as I go along, even though I'm someone that likes routine and structure. This book sounds like a great one to help me get a handle on my days again.
Training Your Children in Home Economics
by Angie Kauffman
Training Your Children in Home Economics addresses why learning Home Ec skills are important for children, as well as sections on skills in Money Management, Hospitality, Simple Sewing Skills, Gardening, Meal Planning, Meal Preparation, Kitchen Safety, Food Safety, Microwave Safety, Table Manners & Laundry Skills
Value: $2.50
My husband and I were just discussing the other night how much we value practical life skills and how important we feel it is to teach our children these things, perhaps even as important as their formal education. It is also something that I was lacking a bit in my upbringing so I had a lot to learn when we first got married. This is a great resource to help get the process started for my own kids.
Creative Freewriting Adventure: A Journey Into Freewriting
by Stacy Farrell
Bring joy and excitement into your student's writing with these simple-to-execute (yet significant) writing exercises. No prep required. Just grab a pen and paper, set a timer, and have fun!
Value: $18.95
As a parent of a reluctant writer, and a creative writing teacher, I was very excited to see such a great resource included in this bundle. Whether you homeschool or not, many parents feel overwhelmed with the prospect of teaching their children to write. Yet, it is an essential skill often overlooked and underappreciated in the traditional classroom. This has the potential to be an invaluable resource toward fostering your child's creativity and imagination.
Bonus Offer
10 free audio stories for kids
Around the World Stories offers fun, original audio stories that introduce kids ages 5-12 to how children in other cultures live, play, learn, eat and celebrate. Each 30-minute story focuses on the adventures of a child from another country and comes with discussion topics, recipes and activities.
Value: $30
I have been so eager to try this. As lovers of Adventures in Odyssey and Sparkle Stories, this seemed like a perfect fit for our family. Plus, as homeschoolers, it's a great way to cover some social studies and geography.
That's it! If you only used those 5 products you would have gotten more than your money's worth on this bundle. Feel free to visit the main bundle page to see a full list of all the products that are included. But not let it overwhelm you. Focus on the things that you think will really help your specific family
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!


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Name: Jaume
Birthday: 22 December 1994
Birth place: Vic
Height: 170 cm / 5'6"
Weight: 68 kg / 149.9 lbs
Shoe size: 43 EU / 9.5 US
Charming Jaume is a friendly and spontaneous kid who likes literature and video games.
As a young actor, he was entertained by the idea of being a tickle model.
It really is a challenge to him: he's got one of the most sensitive bodies we've ever had the pleasure to play with.
Videos he appears in:
One reply on "Jaume"
Un modelo muy tierno. x3


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Four main schools of lacquer painting grew up, and these are named after the villages where they arose: Kholui, Palekh, Mstiora and Fedoskino. Kholui boxes are dynamic and colorful, Palekh boxes close to the old icon tradition, while those of Mstiora are more muted and 'creamy' in tine. These three styles use tempera paints: that is, paint mixed egg yolk. Fedoskino is closer to the classical oil-painting style, and uses mother-of-pearl, gold and silver leaf to give an inner glow to the picture. All schools produce brooches as well as boxes, which are highly wearable and make delightful gifts.
Forget the stresses of every day life and explore a timeless landscape, more beautiful then you ever imagined
We offer a wide variety of programs ranging from general sightseeing and art tours to adventure holidays including rafting, hunting,etc...
If a group tour or standard trip is not for you, we'll be happy to suggest a tailor-made itinerary according to your special interests, whether related to history,literature, nature or outdoor activities.
We have the following tours:
1. Russian Folk Art Tour 2. Lacquer Miniature Art Tour 3. Cruises from Moscow to St. Peterburg
4. Waterways of Russia 5. Moscow Tour 6. Cities of Golden Ring
7. Russian Ar Tour 8. Treasures of Russian Culture 9 Textile Tour
10.Siberia- Small Sayany Circle. 11. Siberia-Big Sayany Circle. 12.Russian Rites


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Peter Schiff Radio Show Nov. 8th, 2010 Recap
Economy, QE, gold, global econ-politics. Inflation vs. deflation.
Peter's guest is Robert Prechter, founder and president of Elliott Wave International, on why America's gravest current threat is deflation, which is covered in his new book Conquer The Crash.
For thousands of years Precious Metals (PM) such as Gold (Au) and Silver (Ag) have been utilized as real money for exchange, wealth store, and metric of value. While I am NOT an advocate of one single commodity backing our money (like a gold standard), I do believe that the price trend of PMs are the most important indicators of the value of fiat money, plus the crimes of corrupt banking corporations and governments that manipulate PM prices. The "Canary in the coal mine" is Gold - AuCanary.
Today's FINVIZ 5 Minute Charts - (for other charts go to the bottom of this page)
Click HERE for more real-time ADVANCED CHARTS and see the bottom of this page for more real time price updates.
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Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi disputed a report Friday she will meet with President Donald Trump next week to discuss becoming U.S. attorney general. "The attorney general says that is fake news," Bondi spokesman Whitney Ray said in an email Friday. The McClatchy news organization reported that it had contacted three sources who said Trump was seriously considering Bondi for the job and that she would travel to his Palm Beach estate Mar-A-Lago while the president was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. McClatchy reported that Trump and Bondi have been in regular contact since the Nov. 6 election, as the races for governor and U.S. Senate, which Trump waded into, went into recounts.
President Trump did nothing to refute the report Saturday morning when he said, "I'd consider Pam Bondi for anything. I know her very well. … In some form, I'd love to have her in the administration."
Bondi's name has frequently circulated as becoming part of Trump's administration since the president was elected in 2016. A staunch Trump backer, Bondi has been coy about her future as her term gets ready to expire in January. Lately, she has been appearing on Fox News, where speculation also has her landing. The U.S. attorney general job opened when Jeff Sessions left under pressure this month.


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Made more than half of this album while incarcerated. My anger and raw emotions are shown on a lot of songs. It's highly lyrical yet yet fueled with deep songs. Also songs that that are more on a hip hop level. It has a wide variety of music. Club songs, street songs you name it. Its all to show my artistic abilities. The title of the album is also deep. any questions just ask.
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ASVAB Preparation: How to Add and Subtract Fractions
Adding and subtracting fractions for the ASVAB (or for any other purpose) can be as simple as multiplying and dividing them, or it can be more difficult. As the following information shows, it all depends on whether the fractions have the same denominator.
Adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators
To add or subtract two fractions with the same denominator, add (or subtract) the numerators and place that sum (or difference) over the common denominator:
Adding and subtracting fractions are set up similarly.
Adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators
You can't add or subtract fractions with different denominators. You have to convert the fractions so they all have the same denominator, and then you perform addition or subtraction.
Converting fractions so they share the same denominator involves finding a common denominator. A common denominator is nothing more than a common multiple of all the denominators.
Find a common denominator for the fractions 3/5 and 1/8.
The multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40.
The multiples of 8 are 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40.
A common denominator for the fractions 3/5 and 1/8 is 40.
The next step in the addition/subtraction process is to convert the fractions so they share the common denominator. In order to do this, divide the original denominator into the new common denominator and then multiply the result by the original numerator.
Start with 3/5. Divide the original denominator (5) into the new common denominator (40): 40 ÷ 5 = 8. Next multiply the result (8) by the original numerator (3): 8 × 3 = 24. The equivalent fraction is 24/40.
Perform the same operation with the second fraction,1/8 . Divide the original denominator (8) into the new common denominator (40): 40 ÷ 8 = 5. Next multiply this (5) by the original numerator (1): 5 × 1 = 5. The equivalent fraction is 5/40.
Now that the fractions have the same denominator, you can add or subtract them:


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Jaquelne Bruckner
Homestead High Mequon, WI Class of 1967
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- 1967
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It appears that Kylie Jenner is savoring all the media attention that she has been getting since news broke that she is pregnant.
The young reality television personality and model and her rapper boyfriend, Travis Scott, are expecting a baby girl in early 2018.
For the past few weeks, every picture and Snapchat video shared by Jenner are put under a microscope for a hint of a baby bump or a clue to the confirmation of the gender of the unborn child.
A source close to the entrepreneur said she is not in a rush to post the first baby bump selfie because she is making more money by continually teasing her fans and followers.
A source close to the socialite said: "Kylie is loving the anticipation she is creating with her pregnancy announcement. She is relishing the buzz online and with her fans. Kylie loves that no one is quite clear on her pregnancy news."
The person with ties to the 20-year-old social media sensation said she loves watching the anticipation building around the baby announcement.
The source added: "Kylie has never been more excited in her life, and so she likes making this fun and mysterious for her fans too. She loves seeing how excited everyone is. She cannot wait to share the news with everyone, which will be very soon."
Jenner wants to break the Internet with her Beyonce-like maternity shoot. She is also hoping that a magazine or website will pay her a lot of money for such pictures.
The family friend claimed: "Kylie was inspired by Beyonce's iconic twin announcement on her Instagram page, so she decided to reach out to the photographer as well as other photographers she loves and trusts to recreate her own special iconic moment announcing her pregnancy. Kylie wants to do a similar shoot, with her own style, flair, and creativity to share her news with the world."
The curvy Keeping Up with the Kardashians star is said to be in love with Scott and contrary to the rumors they are thinking about marriage.
An eyewitness recently saw them out and about and explained: "They looked like an all-American pair of couples walking through the park, holding hands, and with their arms around each other.Travis and Kylie looked happy, in love and totally cuddling. Travis was all over Kylie with lots of kissing, sweetly pulling her tight, grabbing her butt and gazing into her eyes. It was obvious he could not get enough of her."
Are you eager to get an official baby bump picture?


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The French Interior Minister announced today that 1,300 kilos of high purity cocaine were discovered in Paris on an Air France flight from Caracas on September 11th. The telling detail? The drugs were discovered in bags that were not assigned to any passenger registered on that flight. The drugs were stashed into 30 suitcases, at a back-straining 43 kg. of high grade coke per bag. Altogether, they were worth a staggering 200 million euros. It was the biggest drug bust in the history of La Ville Lumière.
Now, anyone who has witnessed the elaborate controls the National Guard keeps over every aspect of passenger and bag movements in Maiquetía – where woe be onto you if you try to leave the country with two packs of coffee in your bag as souvenirs – knows perfectly well you can't get 65 ghost bags onto a plane without them knowing about it. Which makes this pretty much proof positive that the Guardia runs drugs out of Maiquetía.
Sure, we always "knew that"…but now we can drop the scare quotes.
Correction: In fact, the drugs were packed into 30 bags, not 65 as I mistakenly wrote earlier.Caracas Chronicles is 100% reader-supported. Support independent Venezuelan journalism by making a donation.


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How the new Volvo V40 looks isn't such a big secret now that several pictures of the model, including the interior, were leaked out. The pictures show that the five-door V40 derived styling cues from its sister vehicle Volvo XC60 SUV, most notably the front and rear light cluster designs. The Volvo V40 also mirrors the profile of the SUV, although it is smaller.
The V40 is expected to be the first vehicle to be endowed with the company's new range of modular four-cylinder VEA (Volvo Environmental Architecture) engines, which could carry no more than 2.0 litres of fuel.
According to Autocar, Volvo will market the V40 to young, active families and will be marked as premium product within the VW Golf class. Volvo expects the V40's labeling to appeal to the North American market.
The company will unveil the V40 at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, along with baby sports utility vehicle XC40. The V40 will replace both the S40 and V50 in Volvo's line-up.
Stefan Jacoby, Volvo President and CEO, says that the Volvo V40 is the carmaker's first-ever C-segment five-door hatchback. He believes that the V40 is a class leader when it comes to many areas, from design, to safety, to driving dynamics, to fuel economy. According to him, the car perfectly illustrates Volvo's 'Designed Around You' principle as it is a car that's effortlessly connected to the driver, that's pleasing and easy to use, that cares for people, and that handles in a highly intuitive way.
The V40's design is particularly striking, with an exterior that was styled by Chris Benjamin at Volvo's studio in Camarillo. According to Benjamin, he wanted a car that is emotionally engaging and that has the looks of a coupé but with the functionality and practicality of a 5-door hatchback. And with the car's Pedestrian Airbag Technology, he was able to lower the car's bonnet line and even bring down the whole car itself.
Volvo V40 is actually lower by 29 mm compared to a C30 coupé, which is one of the road's lowest hatchbacks. Additionally, the V40's rear styling is also based on the C30 coupé, which, in turn, had taken cues from the '70s classic, the P1800ES.
Moreover, the cabin's design prioritizes giving a small car a "large car feel." The V40 has a wide dash, accentuating this "big car feel." You can select three different instrument displays: the "eco" setting, which helps you drive more economically; the "performance" mode, which better suits a more spirited driving; and the "elegance" mode, which is more classical. A high-tech thin film transistor (TFT) instrument digital display is also available as an option for all Volvo V40 range models.
Lastly, the V40 features hands-free mobile connectivity and Bluetooth music streaming as standard. It also boasts a navigation system that gives you directions through its main instrument cluster, as well as a mobile app that helps you find your car even in a huge car park, that allows you to lock and unlock your car's doors, and that provides you with a journey log.


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Roger Federer has been warned: if he has another oustanding year, he won't be invited back again to Rafael Nadal's tennis academy.
"The invitation is always open for you," the top-ranked Spaniard told his long-time rival and friend in a video released on the Facebook page of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar to celebrate its one-year anniversary.
"The only thing that cannot happen again is that after coming here you play that well again," Nadal said. "If that's going to happen, I don't invite you."
Nadal, who has been beaten by the second-ranked Swiss in all four matches this season, then smiled, before saying: "Just a joke. See you soon."
READ: Roger Federer heads the world's top-paid tennis players of 2017
Both injured and written off by many a year ago, Federer traveled to Nadal's hometown of Manacor on the Spanish island of Mallorca to help open his academy:
This season, the pair have split the grand slam events between them, with Federer beating Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open before winning his eighth title at Wimbledon in July. Nadal clinched a record tenth French Open championship in June and finished his major season with his third title at the US Open in September.
"I don't think Rafa or myself, we thought we were going to have the year that we had, but maybe it all started at the Rafa Nadal Academy," Federer said in the video. "So I have to get an invitation soon again, so I can get here again and get inspired."
Their long rivalry, which started in 2004 and which Nadal leads 23-15, has been crucial for the bottom line of the men's tennis tour. Television ratings for men's tennis have jumped 100% since 2008, according to the ATP World Tour. The Australian Open finals between the pair in January - their first major title match since 2011 Roland Garros - lit up social media and broke viewing records in Australia and Europe.
Federer and Nadal, arguably the sport's two most popular stars who have won a combined 35 grand slam singles titles, are locked into a close battle for the No. 1 ranking as the tennis season draws to a close. The 36-year-old Federer, the world's best-paid tennis player with $64 million in annual earnings, according to FORBES, currently trails Nadal by 1,960 points on the ATP rankings.
There are 3,000 points at stake in the next couple of weeks at indoor events in Basel, Switzerland, Paris and at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Federer, who excels on indoor hard courts, has won the ATP Finals six times. Nadal, who took over the No. 1 ranking in August from an injured Andy Murray, has never won the event for the top eight singles players and this week pulled out of Basel with a knee injury.
Although Federer finished five seasons as No. 1, the last time he did so was in 2009.


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Solutions To Requirements On Electrical Drives In O&G Applications
MetadataShow full item record
Lecture 3: Variable-frequency drives (VFDs) are being increasingly employed in oil and gas (O&G) applications due to their better efficiency, reliability and process control when compared to conventional drives. In comparison with conventional industrial gas turbines, electrical drives result in at least 7 to 10 more production days per year. The requirements on variable-speed drives (VSDs) keep rising, including stricter regulations and the need for higher efficiency. Due to the wide range of different compressor/pump applications (upstream, midstream, downstream) used in the O&G industry, different requirements are placed on the electrical drive systems for each application. For high power applications ranging from 1 MW up to 100 MW medium-voltage (MV) VFDs are the preferred solution. This paper provides an overview of the application-specific requirements on MV drive systems, and matches these requirements with state-of-the-art MV VFD solutions. This paper complements the process and mechanical knowledge that the O&G industry has with essential electrical background on medium-voltage drive systems.
Pumping machinery
Ganesan, Vijay; Busse, Stephan; Demmig, Sven (2016). Solutions To Requirements On Electrical Drives In O&G Applications. Turbomachinery Laboratories, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /160262.


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Following yesterday's attack on Mariupol and the escalation of violence in the Donbas Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, decided to convene extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council this coming Thursday, 29 January, in Brussels.
The High Representative is in close contact with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the Member States and international partners. She has spoken on the phone to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko (LINK)
Today she spoke to Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, conveying the messages from her yesterday's statement (LINK).


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The Gemini has two, 5-foot-diameter rings. Each ring can hold 12 gourds of any brand. You can easily attach gourds with the 24 included Horizontal GMAs (gourd-mounting arms). SuperGourds will need to be drilled front to back using the handy dimple guide on the upper-neck of the gourd using a 13/32" drill bit.
The Gemini rack includes a 2-piece, 16-foot pole, aluminum ground stake, two solid-aluminum 72" top perch rods, ball top, stop pin, safety bolt, 34 feet of 3/16" stainless metal cable, a hub, two complete ring sections, ring supports, and a brake winch. Assembly required.
In the drop-down menu above and to the right you have a choice of four different gourd rack system configurations:
NOTE: SuperGourds have both a Horizontal & Vertical GMA Option, see photos
1. Rack plus 24 SuperGourds with round holes
2. Rack plus 24 SuperGourds with crescent holes, plus 24 porch sets
3. Rack plus 24 Troyer Vertical Gourds
4. Rack plus 24 Troyer Horizontal Gourds


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Mixed timberland outside of Mena, Arkansas with Ouachita Mountain Views, creeks, and much, much more. Developmental possibilities abound in this 130 acre tract. Close to Irons Fork Lake and Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Ouachita National Forest nearby for hunting and recreation. Short drive to Wolf...Feature 130 Acres : $199,000
Timberland Development Acreage Polk
Mena : Polk County : Arkansas
United Country - Arkansas Properties