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|"The" Panzer IV
Paul Allen is a Microsoft co-founder (along, obviously, with Bill Gates). He owns the Seattle Seahawks, he owns this and that - but we finally have discovered what a billionaire really, truly wants for Christmas/Hannukah/etc.:
a Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. H, commonly referred to as a Panzer IV.No, this is not some made-up story to get publicity. Paul Allen positively lusts over one of the last and best-preserved Panzer IVs in the world.
Does this mean that Allen is a ticked off, horribly wronged renegade who out of sheer desperation needs an impenetrable vehicle with which to rampage through the streets of Seattle daring the world to stop him like in the James Garner movie "Tank"?
Well, not exactly.
Billionaires wanting exclusive toys is nothing new. Elon Musk, for instance, recently bought a James Bond car, a Lotus Esprit, that was up for auction. Examples are too numerous to list of well-heeled fellows buying this or that fancy toy. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously bought the very Austrian Army tank that he trained in during the 1960s. He still likes to fool around with it. But the Allen case apparently is not something quite so self-directed.
|The actual Panzer IV - some minor signs of rust, but very well maintained, at least on the outside
I would probably do similar things if I had limitless cash like those guys. Buy a Panzer IV tank, buy a James Bond speedboat or helicopter.. along with some Sopwith Camels, a U-boat, a Heinkel bomber, a P-51 Mustang, a lunar buggy - you get the idea.
The story goes that a Panzer IV was put on auction in July 2014 but did not sell. Allen runs a museum - several museums, apparently, but only one is relevant here - and he is an expert in the field of weaponry and, well, German tanks. Apparently, he already owns the best Panther (Panzer V) left in the world.
Hey, I write about these things. I respect that kind of interest, believe me.
After the auction was over - what the final offer was is unclear, but it must not have met the minimum required - Allen or one of his people called up the auction house and offered to buy the tank for $2.5 million. The auction guy obviously thought that this was a no-brainer for a 70-year-old hunk of gradually rusting metal that no doubt requires constant maintenance and replacement parts that have to be re-tooled in custom fashion from scratch. It's not like the German war factories are still cranking these things out.
The auction guy on the phone agreed. Hey, he would get a nice commission from the sale. Besides, he knew the extent of interest - or lack thereof - in the tank and was in good position to know its true value.
However, the auction guy forgot to talk to the seller, the Collings people. They, for whatever reason, said absolutely no way.
|Another view of the tank in question
Allen, just to be clear, is also the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, as well as being a philanthropist. He is not some fringe skinhead. According to his website, Allen has donated millions to causes as diverse as an elephant census, artificial intelligence development, and, most recently, $9 million to help fight Ebola. He is a Nice Guy who does Good Things with his vast wealth. Hats off to Paul Allen, long may he wave.
He also owns Vulcan Warbirds, which leases its aircraft to the non-profit Flying Heritage Collection. This is the group that attempted to purchase the Panzer. The collection is one of the best in the world - aside from military museums, practically nobody matches its assortment of American, British, Russian and Japanese artifacts, and, more specifically for our purposes, German World War II-era armored vehicles.
Paul Allen, via Warbirds, wants his tank. He has sued to enforce what he/it considers a binding contract.
"Warbirds has been seeking to find a Panzer IV Tank for over five years," reads the lawsuit to obtain possession of the tank, for which the foundation wired $2.5 million after the July auction. "Panzer IV Tanks are extremely rare and rarely are available for sale. Once acquired, the Panzer IV Tank will be on display at the museum."
Let me just say that any museum that purports to display important war vehicles from World War II is absolutely useless as a review of the period without a Panzer IV. The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank of the war. It quite literally was the backbone of the Wehrmacht. It was produced before the war, and it was being produced on the last day of the war. It was cheap and effective, and, although now considered a medium tank, was the heaviest German tank until the (too-early due to its teething problems, but those were worked out by the end of the year) introduction of the Tiger in the summer of 1942 (there were four Tigers on the Leningrad front by August 1942, though two broke down before they could see action, their transmissions were a big problem).
|A column of Panzer IVs
While the Tiger and the Panther get all the press, the Panzer IV and the Stug series of anti-tank mobile artillery pieces were the machinery that the common soldier saw the most. While the Tigers and Panzers were kept in special formations and spent a lot of time in the repair shops, the Panzer IV was there when it was needed. It made up the bulk of both regular army and SS panzer units. The majority of tanks opposing the Allied landings at D-Day, for instance, were Panzer IVs, though there were plenty of Tigers and Panthers also lurking in the vicinity. The Panzer IV was never replaced or supplanted: as late as December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, it made up two companies of Kampfgruppe (Joachim) Peiper, the spearhead of the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge and the SS unit implicated in the massacre of 84 captured U.S. soldiers at Malmedy.
It was a very good tank used by some very bad people.
This particular tank has a roundabout history. It served in the German Army in World War II, then was sold to Syria and captured by Israel in 1967.
So this baby was still being used in 1967. Sure, it was Syria, not exactly a hotbed of tank development. But it was still in use over 20 years after the war despite the difficulty finding spare parts etc. That tells you something right there about how good these tanks were.
Private collector (euphemism for devoted tank fanatic) Jacques Littlefield, who owned 240 tanks (!), purchased it at some point.
|Jacques Littlefield - our hero. A man who understood.
Now that guy liked tanks.
Littlefield passed away in 2009 - a true loss to the entire tank community. Via his will, the collection was donated to the Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation. Rather nice of him. They, however, rather mercenarily decided to sell this Panzer at auction to help build a $10 million museum to house the vehicles they already had. Well, very nice for the other tanks.
However, something changed between the time that the Foundation put the tank up for auction and whenever it was that Allen or his flunkie called. According to statements from the Collings Foundation, they suddenly consider the rare Panzer, of which there are only 38 left in the world, to be "core to their collection" and too dear to part with.
Though they were ready to sell it to whoever phoned in a winning bid only hours or days or weeks earlier.
Through sheer speculation, there are two likely explanations for this sudden and radical change of heart by the good people at the Collings Foundation:
- 1. Paul Allen has a lot of money. The Collings Foundation museum needs money. There is no word on what the Foundation had as its reserve in the failed auction, but now they know who is interested and no obligation to sell (they think). Put that all together and draw your own conclusions.
- 2. Paul Allen is (rather paradoxically if you ask us, which you didn't) a noted gun control advocate, donating lots of cash to support gun control efforts. Like, to us, so what: he can donate money howsoever his heart desires. But could this wacky and seemingly fickle change of heart by the Foundation be ... political?
Reason No. 1 is almost certainly it. Money talks. The idea of Paul Allen owning the tank is fine with us. He has the money to preserve it properly and will display it for the public to view, unlike some other private collectors. They ain't building any more of these babies, that's for sure. These things were rusting in junkyards across Europe sixty years ago. Now, they're almost all gone.
Naturally, Paul Allen doesn't want to pay more. You and I and the Foundation know that money means nothing to him and he probably earns $10 million a month from his vast holdings, but he was poor once and no doubt doesn't like to be "taken." He has sued to enforce his bargain with the foundation's agent at the auction house. Now, whether the auction guy had sufficient powers as an agent to complete a binding deal after the auction was closed - that will be up to the courts. But the Collings Foundation has a pretty good case if you (again, you didn't) ask us.
To anyone concerned about the morality of revering instruments of death and destruction used by a murderous regime to inflict pain and devastation and death on good and innocent people - you have a good point. But German machinery didn't do anything by itself. It was the people who were bad. Tanks are just metal, built by starving slave laborers whose only memory is encased in this cold hardened steel that now sits in museums around the world as a sort of memorial to them and their work and craftsmanship as well as everything else. We can't go back and take away their pain and death, but we can admire what they built regardless. What you read into tanks of the period is up to you, but it isn't necessarily a glorification of Hitlerism.
Even if you consider that a bit of a stretch, it simply makes sense that you can't understand what your own people accomplished unless you see what they were up against. Properly handled, war memorabilia is a valuable educational tool.
This is probably just about the Benjamins. As Crapgame said, "Maybe he's a Republican. Do a deal." (If you get that reference, my hat is off to you).
Bet on Paul Allen getting his tank at some point.


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KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud announced that the state had recorded an income surplus for several years in a row and this had resulted in RM22 billion of state reserves last year.
Now, the State PKR wants the massive surplus to be utilised for the state's needs, especially for infrastructure and public amenities in the rural areas.
"The huge surplus is unprecedented. It contradicts the reality of life in Sarawak. There is the dire need for funding for Sarawak's schools, clinics and roads", its chief Baru Bian said.
He told the antdaily he had suggested in the state assembly that the State Government should step in when federal funding for schools, hospitals and clinics in rural areas was insufficient.
"Knowing very well that Sarawak is very rich in resources, this is the very issue I want to put to the State Government.
Allocate the surplus for public amenities and infrastructure such as schools, clinics and roads.
"The government has to "walk the talk" after making so many promises to the rural folk," he said.
Baru noted the RM500 million allocation from the Federal Government for the Pan Borneo Highway but asked what should be done for the rural roads.
"Now I challenge the state to allocate the RM22 billion surplus to improve and build more roads in rural Sarawak. Don't wait for the Federal Government to take the responsibility," he said.
Incidentally, the cost of the 2,239 km highway in Sarawak and Sabah (to be built in stages from 2011 to 2025) is RM22 billion. The long period has drawn the ire of politicians and citizens from both states.
In reference to the allocation of federal funds to Sabah and Sarawak under Budget 2014 tabled on Oct 25, he opined that the two East Malaysian states were only getting "peanuts".
He said Sabah and Sarawak had helped to form Malaysia and have rich natural resources.
"We contributed a lot to the Federal Government over the past 50 years but received very little in return. I think we have been taken for a ride," Baru added.
~ The Ant Daily

subset: commoncrawl


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Check out our Big Donut Challenge featured on Insider Food!
Every night we have over a dozen brave challengers but less than 10% are able to finish under our 3 minute constraint. Our best time is 1:15! If you finish under 3 minutes, you make it on the wall of fame with a free t-shirt in hand. Under 2 minutes and we give you the meal for free!
Are you up for the Challenge?


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Ian Abdulla
(Australia 1947 – 29 Jan 2011)
- Community
- Barmera, Southern Riverine region, Swan Reach, Southern Riverine region
- Language group
- Ngarrindjeri, Southern Riverine region
Swimming before school
- Location
- Yiribana Gallery
- Further information
lan Abdulla's paintings vividly recall his childhood memories of the peripatetic life of the Ngarrindjeri people of the Riverland region in rural South Australia. A hallmark of his work is the juxtaposition of text and image against a flattened foreground, in the manner of an animated narrative. Abdulla's handpainted annotations are placed dead centre at the top of his paintings, bringing a personal inflection to his stories. His experiences are shared by many Aboriginal people dispossessed of their land and marginalised into a life of seasonal work and scavenging. Yet, as 'Swimming before school', 1995, reveals, Abdulla's richly detailed paintings offer a sense of community despite the hardships of working for a subsistence livelihood on the fringes of a wealthy white farming community. The rapid degradation of the natural resources of the region, and encroaching westernisation of Nunga communities are also as subtly constant as the ubiquitous Murray River.
From his participation in a community screen-printing workshop in Glossop in 1988, Abdulla's transition to painting and increasing prominence is similar to that of many Aboriginal artists from rural or urban communities who have found a voice in the visual arts. Abdulla's work came to national attention during his first solo exhibition in 1991 at the newly established Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide. By actively supporting the artists of its Indigenous constituency, Tandanya was critical in the fostering of the impressive talents of Nunga artists. In 1993, Abdulla exhibited jointly with Wiradjuri artist, H.J. Wedge, at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Sydney. An artist-run centre, Boomalli was set up in 1987 by a group of ten Sydney-based Aboriginal artists.
Abdulla has also produced three autobiographical picture books, and undertaken commissions for 'Beyond the Pale: Adelaide Biennial of Australian art', curated by Brenda L. Croft in 2000, and the Melbourne Museum. For these projects, he created three-dimensional installations that appear as natural evolutions of his paintings. In 1991 Abdulla was named South Australian Aboriginal Artist of the Year, and was awarded an Australia Council Fellowship in 1992. As these awards and his work testify, lan Abdulla is now counted as one of the leading figures in the flourishing of Indigenous art from Australia's rural communities.
Hetti Perkins in 'Tradition today: Indigenous art in Australia', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2004
© Art Gallery of New South Wales
- Place of origin
Southern Riverine,
South Australia,
- Year
- 1995
- Media
- Painting
- Medium
- synthetic polymer paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- 239.5 x 160.0 cm stretcher
- Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r. corner, white synthetic polymer paint "Ian.W.Abdulla. 19-95".
- Credit
- Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1996
- Accession number
- 219.1996
- Copyright
- © Estate of Ian W Abdulla. Licensed by Copyright Agency


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BNA oversees the community garden located at Bethel Lutheran Church along 16th Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. The garden consists of 13 plots that are 10' x 20'. There is a $30 fee, plus a refundable $50 deposit, for each plot which includes water, access to seeds, and various plant donations throughout the summer. There is a limit of one garden plot per household and preference is given to residents of Bancroft neighborhood. If you're interested in gardening with us, click here to be put on the list. Eligible households will be contacted in April.
BNA also oversees the Meridian Garden Food Forest along 38th Street at 12th Avenue. Unlike the garden plots, which are for individual use, food grown at the Meridian Garden is for everyone. A core group of volunteers, along with interns from the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP Program, help maintain the garden and are always looking for more volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering at the Meridian Garden, let us know by clicking here.


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Soft-blending, creamy eyeshadow at the convenience of a pencil. Silky-smooth formula glides on easily for high-impact, light-infused color that lasts for hours!
- Packaging: These pencils come in stubby and thick tubes. They're very similar to NYX Cosmetic's Jumbo Eye Pencils (see pictures). There's nothing really special about the packaging, it seems like it could break though if dropped. It's definitely cheaper.
- Product: I honestly was pretty excited when I saw these pencils. I wanted to give them a try, since Wet'n'Wild was really impressing me with their eyeshadow trios. When I first swatched the pencil on my arm, I was completely shocked at how intensely creamy, and almost oily feeling, these pencils really were. They glide on like nothing! Yep- I got excited, and decided to test it on my eye. First, I applied it all over my lid and blended it outwards from my crease. I left it on for 10 minutes exactly, checked it out, and it creased horribly (see picture 4). Completely unimpressed, I wanted to make this pretty shade work. I decided to give it another chance, and applied a primer as a base before applying it again, and then left it for another 10 minutes. This time, there was basically no creasing. Although the colour drastically faded.
- 133 Techno: is a lavender, almost jewel-toned purple.
- Final Thoughts: Im not happy with this product. Wet'n'Wild promises "high impact, light infused colour that lasts for hours". LIES!!! I really tried to give this product a chance, but it just can't be worked with, sorry. I wouldnt buy this again, and I WOULDN'T recommend it at all.
- Availability: $2.99 Wet'n'Wild, Loblaws Superstore, Wal-Mart
|Techno, swatched twice
|Before application
|After application
|Try #2. with Too Faced Shadow Insurance applied
|After primer application
|10 minutes after application OVER the primer
|Urban Decay's 24 Shadow Pencil / NYX Cosmetic's Milk Pencil / WnW's Techno


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Sam Lang, Nuffield Scholar: Agricultural Ecology
The optimistic future that I'd like to see is an ecologically literate society.
There's a framework we use in regenerative agriculture called Holistic Management. In essence
the practise of holistic management shifts your focus from symptoms to root cause - the root
cause then becomes the focus of your solutions. This framework is so effective in part because
it was created based on ecological principles.
So if we take a quick look at just a few of the symptoms present in our world today we have
● The Sixth great extinction
● Climate change
● Ocean acidification
● Increasing disease and pest outbreaks
● Floods & droughts
● And a rapid decline in human health through degenerative diseases linked to poor
nutrition, and environmental factors like toxins & water quality etc
That's not a fun list. But if we dig down into their root causes, perhaps the greatest driver is our
lack of ecological literacy.
We spend a lot of time learning about and applying ecological understandings to our farm
system. At a highly simplified level we try to manage four ecosystem processes; the water cycle,
the mineral cycle, energy flows and biodiversity. These four processes, particularly as they
occur within living soils, are the foundation of our ecosystems and therefore our existence. Yet
as a society we understand and consider them very little.
When we manage these ecosystem processes well on farm, there are a whole raft of positive
spin-offs. They include sequestering carbon in soils, plants and trees, reducing downstream
flood impacts, mitigating droughts, improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, increasing
the nutritional quality of our food and therefore the health of the animals and humans that
consume it. That is preventative healthcare at a massive scale and a huge opportunity for our
increasingly unaffordable health system.
Managing these ecosystem processes well also supports a higher quality of life for farmers and
rural communities through being able to operate more resilient, diversified, higher value and
resource independent farm systems. This is good for all New Zealand as it's these communities
that ultimately have a large influence on the health of the whole country.
There's an exciting growing body of farmers and growers already making these connections.
Unfortunately our ecological illiteracy as a society still has the cards stacked against this
As food producers or resource managers, we aren't trained to understand, let alone manage
ecosystem function. As food, fibre & textile consumers we aren't taught how to assess the
ecological impact or nutritional quality of soy or almond milk from North America, versus dairy
milk from the well stocked, all grass family dairy farm just outside of town.
And as citizens we aren't taught how to use our democratic power to support farmers, land managers or any resource decision makers to do more and better of this positive and essential work.
My optimistic future is where ecology sits alongside civics as a foundational component of our
education system. As a result our society will be empowered with the knowledge to make
decisions that have a positive impact on the health of our ecosystems. Our society will counter
the current dominance of short-term commercial interest in our research system and invests
significantly in understanding the state and trends of our ecosystems and environment. We will
support innovative strategies that utilise ecological understandings to help remedy decades of
ecosystem decline. In this future we'll view technologies as tools that can support good
management, not as the focus of our solutions.
Another aspect of my optimistic future is a relocalised, diverse and connected society. It might
look a bit like this . Does anyone know what this is?
It's an image of a mycelial network, the often hidden component of what we all know as
mushrooms and a keystone species for supporting life on our planet. These are threads of
different species fungal hyphae that form an incredibly expansive, connected and intelligent
network in our ecosystems. These mycelial networks do amazing things, like communicating
advance warning of pest or disease threats throughout an entire forest. They will distribute
water or nutrients to different plants that are in need to ensure the health and stability of the
whole ecosystem. They can even bioremediate contaminated environments like oil spills and
they are a rapidly growing source of natural medicines and biocontrols that is disrupting the
pharmaceutical industry and chemical industries that have specialised in killing things. (If you
want to have your mind blown YouTube a guy called Paul Stamets!).
Mycelial networks have also been likened to the structure and function of both the internet and
dark matter. They represent an incredibly efficient structure for sharing information and
resources, while being very resilient to catastrophes in any part of the system.
So as we try to imagine what a diverse, connected and resilient future society might look like,
perhaps millions of years of evolution has already figured it out???


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If you follow me over on Instagram, you probably already know that I spent a long weekend in New York City last weekend. We spent three jam-packed days in the city, but managed to find some time to stop into La Pulperia, a restaurant featuring rustic Latin cuisine on the Upper East Side for lunch. Chris and I spent that morning at the Museum of Natural History and really worked up an appetite by the time lunch-time rolled around.
We were both immediately impressed by the atmosphere of La Pulperia when we walked in. It has a really cool vibe, but at the same time we felt like we had just walked into a really upscale restaurant. The decor in La Pulperia was spot on with handcrafted floor tiles from Mexico, reclaimed wood from Brazil on the ceiling and walls and gorgeous bar with shelves and shelves filled with bottles of liquor. Not to mention the great Latin music that was playing in the background.
We were greeted and seated as soon as we walked in the door and were both impressed by the reasonable prices on the menu once we sat down and started to look at what they had to offer. The menu itself was simple, but we each saw several things we wanted to try.
For starters, we got some Empanadas. Two were De Carne, which were filled with Argentinean style ground beef, hard boiled eggs, hydrated golden raisins, cumin and chimichurri. The other two were Ranchera Empenadas and they were filled with braised pork, black beans, cotija cheese, chipotle peppers, roasted corn and cilantro. So good and the dipping sauce totally made them!
For the main, I got the Fried Chicken Sandwich, which was topped with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, fried egg, mozzarella cheese and chipotle mayo. It was SO BIG and mighty tasty.
Chris got the Black Pepper Spaghetti Bolognese, which was handmade pasta, ground meats, onions, celery, carrots and topped with tomato sauce. Let's just say that he was a member of the clean plate club that day! He loved it.
La Pulperia also has some really great cocktails and drinks available on their menu. Since we were just in for a quick lunch and had a show to get to, we didn't try any, but I definitely want to get back there the next time I'm in Manhattan so I can try some.
Between the ambiance, the great service and the menu – it all made for a perfect combination for our lunch-time visit last week. La Pulperia is a great spot to meet up with friends after work, a date or dinner with the family. I am looking forward to going back the next time I am in the area.
52 Responses to "La Pulperia: Great Eats on the Upper East Side"
AHHH! I need some La Pulperia in my life. That is going on my list of must visit restaurants for the next time we're up that way. OM nom nom.
I can't think of anyone who doesn't love good food! I love your review on La Pulperia. Looks like a great place to eat.
Isn't New York City the greatest?! This place looks like it has some really tasty food. The menu sounds great.
This meal looks INCREDIBLE! New York is one of my favourite cities in the world.
Mine too! There's so much amazing culture and delicious food in NYC. I'm dying to go back.
I miss NYC so much. I lived there while in school. This food looks delicious. I hope to be back in Manhattan someday soon so I can give it a try!
Your reviews are always awesome! I feel like I'm eating there right with you!
Certainly looks like La Pulperia has some great options on the Upper East Side. Delicious options and sounds like a wonderful place to grab a bite to eat.
Your chicken sandwich looks delicious! There are so many cool places to eat in NYC.
YUMMY!!! You had me at eat. I am always in the mood to eat when traveling to new places. I love to ask locals and see what they suggest.
Ahh My mouth was watering looking at all those pictures of delicious food. If eating food/trying new food was a sport, I'd be athlete of the year!
Wow! My husband and I could spend an entire day eating here! Everything looks amazing! I will have to keep this in mind the next time I am in the city.
What a great lunch! Everything looks super scrumptious and the restaurant style seems fun too.
OK, now I am super hungry! That chicken sandwich with the egg on top would be what I would have ordered!
Oh wow. I haven't had empanadas in like forever! I wish I lived closer to New York! Do they have branches in other places? The pasta dish your husband ordered is so mouth watering! And that fried chicken sandwich is ginormous!
I love empanadas! All of the food here from Pulperia looks delicious. I would love to eat there.
I love neighborhood joints like this one. I am also a fan of a perfectly cooked egg on a sandwich. Yummo.
La Pulperia looks like the place to dine! Everything looks and sounds so delish!
You have good taste in places to eat! I love their empanadas! It's definitely a must stop at place if you're in the city!
Oh I need to keep this in mind for the next time I am in NYC. The menu and your food pics look delicious.
That sounds like a really nice restaurant. We're always making notes of neat places like this to eat.
Ohhhhhh wow, the food looks SO good. I love awesome spots like this!
That's such a good list. I miss living in NYC! It's definitely one of my most favorite places in the world especially when it comes to finding a good restaurant.
I would love to travel to NYC just to try this restaurant! It's been months since I was last there! There are so many things to love about NYC and one of those things is their food.
Never heard of this place before but that sounds like a great place to visit. I'd love to try their Fried Chicken Sandwich, looks delish.
I have been wanting to visit NYC. I have never been and it looks so pretty this time of the year. Maybe next year I can get up that way and check out all the amazing looking food!
This does sound like a fabulous place to eat. I'm hungry now. I would SO get that spaghetti. Carbs are my friends. I miss NYC. I was there YEARS ago and I need to get back there.
this makes me so hungry! I would love to visit NYC, it's on my bucket list!
Love the look of this place. Everything looks so delicious from the starters to the main course. It is always great to find a place you enjoy going too.
What a delicious meal. I will have to check this place out!
Everything that you post on here when it comes to places that you eat makes me jealous that I don't live closer to you. This looks delicious I would definitely try it.
GAH! All that food looks so good. I love trying new places like this. The empanadas look delicious.
Oh yum! NYC has so many amazing food spots, anytime we drive down we hunt out new spots, I'll have to remember this one!
Everything looks so delicious. I like restaurants that keep it simple and don't overwhelm with a menu that looks like a novel.
I'm heading to NYC on Monday so I'll definitely have to check out La Pulperia while I'm there. One of my favorite things to so while I'm in NYC is try out new restaurants.
If you're a foodie, New York City is a must! The Upper East Side has some great choices.
That bolognese looks so good. I love finding great new places to eat. So many in the city.
I am very familiar with the UWS of Manhattan but not the Upper East Side. This sounds like a fabulous restaurant. I would love to check it out in person!
Those portions look really large! I love it when I find good food with generous portions, it's really a good value and also makes you want to return.
Those Ranchero Empanadas look absolutely amazing! Latin food is my favorite so I know that I would love this place!
It sounds like a wonderful place. Man, that fried chicken sandwich looked big, the fried egg on sandwiches seems to be a new thing a lot of restaurants are experimenting with. I might have to give that a try sometime.
This food looks amazing. I would love to go to La Pulperia and try the food. I will have to check it out the next time I am in the area.
These are some really good eats. The pasta especially looks really tempting. Loved the ambience of The Pulperia.
Wow both of those dishes look great and are making me super hungry!
Super place to eat. Good food and great atmosphere. I know you enjoyed every minute.
I have a trip planned to NYC in January so I'm going to add La Pulperia to my list of must eat at places. I love trying out restaurants people have recommended.
This food looks amazing when I plan my trip for NYC I just might add this to the list.
Oh, I love a good restaurant. New York has the best food and this place looks delicious. Any place that adds eggs to burgers and sandwiches is a winner in my book!
This all looks so so good! It seems like a great spot for date night with my husband.
This looks like a great restaurant. One of these days I need to get back to NYC and check it out with my husband.
Oh wow! The food has me drooling! I would have ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich too! Never had it with an egg before though.
That Spaghetti Bolognese looks delicious and satisfying.. you will never go wrong with handmade pasta. It's the best!


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1964 J200 Gladiator Pickup 2017 Jp Dirt 'N Drive ParticipantPosted in Features on May 15, 2017
When Kevin and Whitney Mereness of Meridian, Idaho, sent in their application for the 2017 Jp Dirt 'N Drive presented by Jeep event, we knew this was something we needed to see in person. It didn't disappoint.
"I love fullsize Jeeps and wanted to build something totally different," said Kevin. He is the owner of American Vintage 4x4. Seven years into this build, he definitely has one unique and awesome Jeep. The '64 J200 Gladiator pickup cruises the highways at 85 mph and wheels the toughest trails with ease.
Since there weren't any aftermarket suspension kits that would perform to Kevin's expectations, he designed and built his own four-link kit with 14-inch ORI struts in the front and a custom leaf spring pack and Monroe shocks in the rear. The high-pinion D60 front axle and 14-bolt full-float rear axle each house 5.13 gears, Detroit Lockers, and Yukon chromoly 'shafts. At the ends of the axles are 3/4-ton GM front brakes, factory GM rear brakes, and a hydro-boost and Corvette master cylinder help slow this baby down. Tom Wood's driveshafts can be found front and rear. The PSC Ram assist kit helps Kevin maneuver the 40x13.50x17R Nitto Mud Grapplers over the rocks.
Powering this vintage Gladiator is a GM 6.0L V-8 backed by a 4L65e four-speed automatic transmission that has been beefed up to Kevin's specs. An Atlas II twin stick T-case with a 5:1 low-range ratio make the steepest accents and descents a breeze. A Be Cool transmission cooler mounted under the bed ices the trans fluid during those really tough wheeling days.
The interior is comfortable for those long road trips to and from trails and events. Odyssey seats, a custom dash with Dakota Digital instrumentation, Vintage Air system, Alpine stereo, and a Yaesu ham radio are all part of the interior upgrades Kevin wanted. Safety is paramount for Kevin and the DOM 1 3/4-inch interior cage fits tight against the cab lines. The exterior sports American Vintage 4x4 bumpers and skidplates, a Dual Force Warn winch, custom built bed and canopy cover, and Marine Forest Green paint.
We hope to see Kevin and Whitney again on future Jp Dirt 'N Drive events to watch how the Gladiator build grows, as we know Kevin is the kind of Jeeper who can't resist continually upgrading this amazing rig for ever better trail performance.
Hard FactsVehicle: '64 Jeep J 200 Gladiator
Engine: GM 6.0L Vortec V-8
Transmission: Beefed up GM 4L65e four-speed automatic
Transfer Case: Atlas II Twin Stick
Suspension: Custom-built four-link, 14-inch ORI struts (front); custom leaf spring pack and Monroe shocks (rear)
Axles: HP Ford F350 D60, 5.13 gears, Detroit Locker (front); GM 14-bolt full float, 5.13 gears, Detroit Locker (rear)
Wheels: Black Vision Soft 8
Tires: 40x13.50R17 Nitto Mud Grapplers


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Medicinal & Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation & Safety Act Regulations Overview
Posted by Lacy Fletcher on Saturday, November 18, 2017 Under: Cannabis Regulation
All Bureau licenses
Temporary license – Allows for Operations while Annual license Application is Pending
• A temporary license allows a business to engage in commercial cannabis activity for a period of 120 days.
• The Bureau can only issue a temporary license if the applicant has a valid license, permit, or other authorization issued by the local jurisdiction in which the applicant is operating. Humboldt County will be offering temporary permits for farms who registered activity prior to January 31, 2016.
Annual licenses
• All commercial cannabis activity shall be conducted between licensees.
• There is no specific number limit to the licenses that may be held by an applicant. There is no restriction on the types of cannabis licenses a person can hold, except a person who holds a testing laboratory license is prohibited from licensure for any other commercial activity.
• Cannabis and cannabis products must pass through a distributor prior to being sold to customers at a retail
• Distributors may package and label cannabis (dried flower) but may not package cannabis products pursuant to
• An annual license issued by the Bureau is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance and may be renewed annually.
Local compliance Verification
• If the applicant provides a local license, permit, or other authorization, the Bureau will contact the local jurisdiction to verify the information and will allow at least 10 days for the jurisdiction to respond before issuing the license, unless a response is received from the local jurisdiction sooner.
• If an applicant for an annual license does not provide a local license, permit, or other authorization,
the Bureau will contact the local jurisdiction to verify that issuing the license would not violate a local ordinance or regulation. After 60 days, if there is no acknowledgement by the local jurisdiction, the Bureau shall
presume the applicant is in compliance and may issue a license.
Additional Requirements
By license Type
Distributor license – Arrange for testing, check for appropriate packaging and labeling, collect taxes, transport cannabis and cannabis products, and may act as a wholesaler. All transportation shall be conducted by distributor licensees and their direct employees.
• Cannabis and cannabis products must pass through a distributor prior to being sold to customers at a retail
• Distributors must arrange for the laboratory testing and quality assurance for cannabis and cannabis products.
• Distributors may package and label cannabis (dried flower) but may not package cannabis products pursuant to
the distributor license. distributor Transport-Only license – A distributor can choose to be a Transport
only Distributor, which transports only its own cannabis and cannabis products, or transports for other licensees, but does not perform any of the other functions of a distributor. Transportation to retail licensees is prohibited by this type of license, unless the licensees are transporting immature plants and seeds from a nursery to a retailer.
License Type designation
• Licensees must hold an A-license to engage in adult use commercial cannabis activity and an M-license to engage in medicinal commercial cannabis activity. The exception is testing laboratories, which may test
cannabis goods for both license types.
• An owner is a person who: holds at least 20 percent aggregate ownership interest in a commercial cannabis business; is a chief executive officer or member of the board of directors of a non-profit; or will be participating in the direction, control, or management of the entity applying for licensure.
• owners must submit fingerprints, information regarding any criminal convictions, and disclose whether they have a financial interest in any other commercial cannabis business licensed under MAUCRSA.
Priority licensing
• Priority application review will be provided for annual licenses only.
• To be eligible for priority licensing, an applicant must be able to demonstrate that the business was in operation and in good standing with the local jurisdiction by September 1, 2016.
Premises requirements
• Applicants must identify the designated structure(s) and real property under the control of the applicant or licensee where commercial cannabis activity will take place.
• each license must have a separate licensed premises, unless all of the following requirements are met:
A licensee holds both an M-license and A-license for the identical type of commercial cannabis activity;
- The licensee holding both licenses is identical in name, business formation, and ownership;
- The licensee only conducts one type of commercial cannabis activity on the premises;
- All cannabis and cannabis products are clearly marked with an "M" or "A"; and
- records are kept separately for each license and clearly indicate the records are related to the M-license or A-license.
• Security measures are required at licensed premises. Measures include: employee badges, designated limited-access areas, and security personnel.
• 24-hour video surveillance for areas containing cannabis and cannabis products as well as all entryways and exits. retailers must also have video surveillance in point-of-sale areas and security personnel.
Alarm systems, commercial grade locks, and secure storage of cannabis and cannabis products.
• All employees of the licensee must be at least 21 years old.
Cannabis waste
• Cannabis waste must be contained in a secured waste receptacle
or secured area on the licensed premises.
• licensees may not sell cannabis waste and must comply with all applicable waste management laws.
labor Peace Agreement.
• Applicants for a license with more than 20 employees must either:
(1) attest that they have entered into a labor peace agreement and that they will abide by the terms of the agreement, and provide a copy of the agreement to the Bureau, or
(2) provide a notarized statement indicating the applicant will enter into and abide by the terms of the labor peace agreement.
Additional Requirements by License Type
Distributor license – Arrange for testing, check for appropriate packaging and labeling, collect taxes, transport cannabis and cannabis products, and may act as a wholesaler. All transportation shall be conducted by distributor licensees and their direct employees.
• Cannabis and cannabis products must pass through a distributor prior to being sold to customers at a retail establishment.
• Distributors must arrange for the laboratory testing and quality assurance for cannabis and cannabis products.
• Distributors may package and label cannabis (dried flower) but may not package cannabis products pursuant to the distributor license.
Distributor Transport-Only license – A distributor can choose to be a Transport only Distributor, which transports only its own cannabis and cannabis products, or transports for other licensees, but does not perform any of the other functions of a distributor. Transportation to retail licensees is prohibited by this type of license, unless the licensees are transporting immature plants and seeds from a nursery to a retailer.
Additional Transport requirements for All distributors
• Cannabis goods may only be transported in a vehicle or trailer, must not be visible from outside of the vehicle, and must be kept in a locked box, container, or cage that is secured to the commercial vehicle or trailer.
• Transport vehicles must be equipped with alarm systems and remain secure at all times.
• Packages or containers holding cannabis goods may not be tampered with, or opened during transport.
• no vehicle or trailer containing cannabis goods shall be left unattended in a residential area or parked overnight in a residential area.
• All transports must have a shipping manifest with specifc information about the cannabis and cannabis products being transported. The shipping manifest must identify the licensee shipping, the licensee transporting, and the licensee receiving the shipment.
Retailer license – sell cannabis and cannabis products to customers, often referred to as dispensaries.
• retailers are not allowed to package or label cannabis or cannabis products on the premises. All cannabis or cannabis products sold at a retailer must be packaged and labeled before arriving at the retail premises, except during the transition period.
• retailers may only sell and deliver cannabis goods between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
• Before leaving the retail premises, cannabis purchases must be placed in an opaque exit package.
• Deliveries must be made in person by a direct employee of the licensee to a physical address within the state of California.
• Delivery vehicles may not contain more than $3,000 of cannabis product at any time. The retailer must be able to immediately locate all delivery vehicles. Microbusinesses license – Microbusiness licensees must engage in at least three of the following commercial cannabis activities: cultivation (less than 10,000 square feet), manufacturing (level 1, Type 6), distribution, and retail.
• A holder of a microbusiness license may only engage in the commercial cannabis activity requested in the license application and approved by the Bureau. If a microbusiness licensee wants to engage in additional commercial cannabis activity after the license is issued, the licensee shall submit an application to the Bureau identifying the requested changes and providing all information required for an application for the commercial cannabis activity the licensee wants to conduct.
• Licensees will be required to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to the commercial cannabis activities the microbusiness is conducting.
Testing laboratory license – Test cannabis and cannabis products.
Provisional Testing laboratory license
• Testing laboratories that meet all other requirements, but are awaiting Iso (the joint technical committee
of the International organization for standardization and the International electrotechnical Commission) 17025 accreditation may obtain a provisional license.
• Provisional licenses expire 12 months after issuance.
• The Bureau may renew the provisional license for an additional 12 months if the laboratory's Iso 17025 accreditation application is still pending.
• laboratory personnel will take samples from harvest batches and cannabis product batches to be tested. Harvest batches may not exceed 50 pounds. samples collected from batches weighing more than 50 pounds will be deemed invalid.
• samplers must follow requirements pertaining to minimum sample sizes, minimum sample increments, transportation and storage of samples, and documentation of all sampling activity.
Certificate of Analysis
samples received by a laboratory that do not adhere to the requirements will be rejected.
Tests Performed
• Testing laboratories will be required to perform testing on cannabis goods to measure the following:
- Cannabinoids;
- foreign material;
- Heavy metals;
- Microbial impurities;
- Mycotoxins;
- Moisture content and water activity;
- residual pesticides;
- residual solvents and processing chemicals; and
- Terpenoids.
• edible cannabis products that contain more than one serving per unit will be tested for homogeneity to ensure consistent concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD).
Certificate of Analysis
• After testing is completed, the laboratory will generate a certificate of analysis that contains the results of the testing and whether the tested batch passed or failed.
• Batches that pass testing may be sold to customers via retailers.
• Harvest batches or cannabis product batches that fail testing may be additionally processed for remediation, with the exception of edibles. A batch may only be remediated twice. If the batch fails after a second remediation attempt and second retesting, the entire batch shall be destroyed.
Quality Assurance and Quality control
• Testing laboratories are required to develop and implement a quality assurance program that is suffcient to ensure the reliability and validity of the analytical data produced by the laboratory.
Phase-in of required Types of Testing
• The required tests for cannabis will be phased in throughout 2018.
• Cannabis harvested on or after January 1, 2018, and cannabis products manufactured on or after January 1, 2018, will be tested for potency, contaminants with a high public health risk, and contaminants that the industry is largely already testing for.
• Cannabis harvested on or after July 1, 2018, and cannabis products manufactured on or after July 1, 2018, will be tested for moderate relative health risks compared to the group above and contaminants that are currently largely not tested for.
Cannabis harvested on or after December 31, 2018, and cannabis products manufactured on or after December 31, 2018, minor relative health risks compared to the group above and contaminants that are seldom or not tested for.
Transition Period
To support a smooth transition of businesses into a newly regulated market, beginning January 1, 2018 and before July 1, 2018, licensees may do the following:
• Conduct business with other licensees irrespective of the M or A designation on their licenses.
• Transport cannabis goods that do not meet the labeling requirements (prescribed by MAUCRSA or the
California Department of Public Health) if a sticker with the appropriate warning statement is affixed.
• sell cannabis goods held in inventory that are not in child-resistant packaging if they are placed into child-resistant packaging by the retailer at the time
of sale.
• sell cannabis products that do not meet the THC limits per package established by the state Department of Public Health.
• sell and transport cannabis goods that have not undergone laboratory testing if a label stating that they have not been tested is affixed to each package containing the goods prior to transport by a distributor or prior to sale if held by a retailer.
• Individually package and sell dried flower held in inventory by a retailer at the time of licensure.
• Cannabis products held in inventory by a retailer that do not meet the requirements set by the state Department of Public Health for ingredients or appearance may be sold by a retailer.
Beginning January 1, 2018, licensees shall not transport or sell any edible cannabis product that exceeds
10 milligrams per serving. Adult-use products may not exceed 100 milligrams per package; however, medicinal cannabis products may exceed 100 milligrams per package.
Right of Access
• licensees shall provide the Bureau's investigators, compliance monitors, agents, or employees full access to enter licensed premises; and inspect cannabis or cannabis products in the licensee's possession.
Review and copy any materials, books, or records in the licensee's possession.
• failure to cooperate and participate in the Bureau's investigation may result in a licensing violation subject to discipline.
• Prior notice of investigation, inspection, or audit is not required.
Notice to comply
• The Bureau may issue a written notice to comply to a licensee for minor violations of MAUCRSA or its implementing regulations, observed during an inspection.
• The notice to comply will describe the nature and facts of the violation, including a reference to the statute or regulation violated, and may indicate the manner in which the licensee must correct the violation to achieve compliance.
• Within 15 calendar days, the licensee may sign and return the notice to comply, declaring under penalty of perjury that the violation was corrected and describing how compliance was achieved. failure to do so may result in a disciplinary action.
Minor decoys
• Peace officers may use a person under 21 years of age to attempt to purchase cannabis goods to ensure that licensees and their employees are not selling cannabis goods to minors.
Disciplinary Actions
• The Bureau may take disciplinary action against any license by way of revocation, suspension, fine, restrictions upon any licensee, or any combination thereof.
• The assessed penalty shall take into consideration: the nature and severity of the violation; evidence that the
violation was willful; history of violations of the same nature; the extent to which the person or entity has cooperated with the Bureau; the extent to which the person or entity has mitigated or attempted to mitigate any damage or injury caused by the violation; and the extent to which the conduct is a public nuisance or danger to public safety.
• Any Bureau accusation recommending disciplinary action will be served on the licensee and a hearing will be conducted to determine if cause exists to take action against the licensee.
An accusation may be terminated by written stipulation at any time prior to the conclusion of the hearing on the accusation.
Citations and notices to comply
• The Bureau may issue citations containing orders of abatement and fnes to a licensee or unlicensed person in writing.
• The Bureau may issue a notice to comply to a licensee for violations of the act or regulations observed during an inspection. The licensee may within 15 calendar days return the notice indicating the violation was corrected and how compliance was achieved.
In : Cannabis Regulation
Tags: priority licensing good standing cannabis regulation safety act bureau complaince


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Back to School & Missing Pens...
I am so excited to be starting a new class today! I've had Adobe Illustrator for a while now and have tried to get in and play with it, but it is a little complicated. I'm looking forward to learning in a classroom situation so I can ask questions.
Okay, what is is about ink pens? Am I the only one who acquires pens from "I don't know where" and loses a pen all of a sudden after taking such good care of it after months and months? I don't get it!
Minus five days!
Have a blessed day!
Photo Credit: Sergei Krassii


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From famine in rural regions of Africa, to severe food shortages in refugee camps in the Middle East, to undernourishment in wealthy U.S. cities – hunger affects a multitude of people around the world every single day. Approximately 805 million people suffer from hunger on a daily basis according to the World Food Programme.
Food is necessary to fuel the body and mind for a healthy life, and when people suffer days, weeks, and sometimes months without adequate nutrition, they cannot function in daily activities. Their minds are not clear, their bodies are not able to perform daily tasks, and their immune systems cannot fight off illness. Malnourished muscle tissue deteriorates, reducing stamina and making it difficult for one to perform the work necessary to support a family. Hungry children lose the desire to play, as well as the ability to concentrate in school. And when workforce and education rates are lowered, the result is economic troubles for the entire community.
The most dangerous effect of hunger and malnourishment, especially in children, is slow immune response. This increases the risk of infection and makes it harder to recover from simple illnesses like diarrhea and the common cold. Many children die from these illnesses because their bodies are not nourished, and therefore, not strong enough to fight infection.
The form of hunger most highlighted in the media is acute starvation – children who are just skin and bones and mothers so weak they can barely hold their babies. These images are real and true, and Willow Creek partners with churches around the world that are fighting to end famine of this magnitude. Whole communities are transformed when seeds are donated, cultivation methods are taught, water wells are dug, irrigation systems are built, and chickens are provided for farming. Contributions to our annual Celebration of Hope campaign go toward helping with these initiatives.
However, hunger is more than just the images of starvation you see in the media. Daily undernourishment is much less visible and harder to produce in photos. Sometimes people who have enough food to fill their bellies are still undernourished because they lack access to adequately nutritious food. Much like those in underdeveloped regions of the world who must subsist on plain rice or corn flour, Americans who rely solely on fast food and cheap, processed food are in danger of undernourishment.
The Willow Creek Care Center is addressing these local needs by providing nutrient-rich foods, such as fresh vegetables, dairy, and whole grains in our full-choice food pantry. We serve households that are food insecure – meaning they do not have ready access to nutritious food, generally due to insufficient income. We are also launching nutrition education classes at the Care Center to teach those who suffer from food insecurity how to obtain and prepare nutritious meals on a limited budget.
At Willow, we believe in coming alongside those who are suffering from hunger, not only by providing immediate food supply, but also by helping them find a way out of the hunger crisis. Our global church partners are working diligently to end hunger through areas of education, health services, and community development. The Care Center helps our local neighbors in need get back on their feet through employment services, dental and vision care, help with transportation, and many other areas of assistance. All of God's people deserve to be freed from hunger, and as Christ followers we are called to be the hands and feet that help them.
So how can you help? Pray for those who are hungry, help educate the people around you, give to Celebration of Hope, and volunteer at the Care Center.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." – Matthew 25:35-36


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got snow ?
News from The Steep, Deep & Extreme International
Big Mountain Slopes
Snowbird summer
Snowbird, Utah – The 34th Annual Snowbird Oktoberfest, which will run for seven weekends this fall, begins Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006. Enjoy live music, dancing, authentic German food and fun for the kids every Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day, through Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006.
Oktoberfest features performances by two to three bands each day, including The Bavarians and Salzburger Echo, in the Snowbird Event Center tent. Catch the Alp Horns on Hidden Peak throughout Oktoberfest. A Tram pass is $16/day or $10 for a single ride with discounts for children and seniors.
Admission to Oktoberfest is free. Hours are noon to 6 p.m.
Oktoberfest visitors will find art for all tastes at "Der Marktplatz," where more than 35 local and regional artists display and sell handmade arts and crafts. Oktoberfest food includes bratwurst, sauerkraut, apple strudel, pretzels and Bavarian roasted almonds.
Children's entertainment and activities include Shan the Juggler/Magician, Dale the Yo-Yo Man, a bell ringer, a giant slide, a bouncy castle, games, face painting and more.
Snowbird's newest summer activity, a mechanical bull dubbed Black Jack, is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Labor Day and then weekends throughout Oktoberfest. The hydraulic bull is operator-controlled enabling all ages to ride and costs $6 per ride.
Additional summer activities Oktoberfest visitors can enjoy include Snowbird's ZipRider, Alpine Slide, Bungy Trampoline, Tram rides, horseback rides, ATV tours, mountain biking, mountain scooter riding, hiking, climbing wall, Cliff Spa, fine dining and shopping.
Oktoberfest activities take place in the Snowbird Event Center tent and on the Plaza Deck, both accessed from Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird Entry 2.
For more information call the Snowbird Event Hotline at (801) 933-2110 or
Ed note: have a look at the Snowbird Tunnel Project, very unique !!
visit Snowbird home of the Pipeline !
Valais tourism Switzerland
A small selection of events between the end of August and the end of October :
20.08.06 Grand Raid Cristalp, Mountain Bike Race Verbier-Grimentz
26.08.-27.08.06 Sheep festival in Belalp
02.09.06 "Wii-Grill-Fäscht", Culinary hike through the highest vineyard in Europe in Visperterminen
02.09.-03.09.06 "VINEA", 13th Wine lovers' get-together in Sierre
04.09.-30.09.06 Varner wine weeks in Leukerbad
10.09.06 "Fromage & Cime", discovering raclette cheeses in Ovronnaz
15.09.-16.09.06 Sheep festival in Rieder- und Bettmeralp
15.09.-17.09.06 "BikePark Festival", Swiss Mountain Bike championship in Champéry-Les Crosets
29.09.-08.10.06 Valais autumn fair in Martigny
Valais Events
Also from Switzerland
From The Discovery Channel
posted by summit at 3:53 PM
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Link We Love (That You Will Too)/
Here's what we're reading this week.
Mexico's Haunted Island Of The Dolls!: Please Kill Me
Mom At 96: Style Crone
Ramsey Family Lawyer Will Sue CBS Over The Bold Conclusion In Their JonBenét Special: Jezebel
A Real Life Driveable BMW Transformer: Bored Panda
A Virtual Reality Exhibition From Bjork: Juxtapoz
Lena Dunham: When You Turn 30, It No Longer Sounds Insane You'll Be A Mom: Refinery29


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However it always used to be just one Ford car that used to carry the strong brand image in the country. Well it seems Ford plans to change that scenario by bringing the all new Ford Figo Apsire that can bring thousands of sales number in our country. The Ford Figo Apsire is a sub-4 metre compact sedan entitled to rival the growing compact sedan segment in India. Launched in August 2015, this vehicle has already become the second largest selling compact sedan lagging just behind the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The Apsire looks similar to Ford KA+ model which is already in sales in Brazil. Both these vehicles are part of the Ford's B-562 compact car project. However Ford Figo Aspire length in India is under 4 metres (that's to attract lesser tax duties), whereas its Brazilian counterpart is over 4 metres.
The Ford Figo Aspire will be available in four trims namely Ambiente, Trend, Titanium & Titanium+ and comes with some of the first in-segment options including 6 airbags, hill start assist, dual clutch automatic transmission and Electronic Stability Control to name a few. The colour options available are sparkling gold, smoke grey, deep impact blue, oxford white, Ingot silver, ruby red and tuxedo black.
Ruby Red Ford Aspire:
The price for the car is in the range of Rs 5.90 lakhs to Rs 9.90 lakhs (On-Road price, Bangalore). Other cars in this sub-compact segment include the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and Tata Zest.
The Ford Figo has been designed from scratch unlike many of its competitors in the segment including the Maruti Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and Honda Amaze, all of which are modifications to its hatchback version. The Figo Aspire delivers a premium design and styling comparable to some of the cars in the higher segment. Its bold, dynamic and elegant exterior conveys a sense of precision, efficiency and sophistication. The car has an overall length of 3,995 mm which is same as that of Dzire, Xcent and Amaze. One might think that this sub compact car might have also compromised on its creativity because of its limited length. However we can say that the Figo Aspire is the best looking car in this segment and is very similar to its concept model.
Let's start looking at the car from the front. First thing that asks for the attention is the hexagonal grille having slim chrome lining with four horizontal chrome slats. Below which is the air damn with two vertical bars which however doesn't get the chrome treatment.
On either side of this is the protruding radiant fog lamps surrounded by black plastic body. Moving up we can notice that the bonnet is well designed featuring a prominent bulge and two powerful muscular lines on either side that runs from the Ford logo until the windshield. These lines even blend with the depression on the roof and add a lot of character to the car.
The swept back headlamps are pretty large and look like an evolved version of the current Figo unit.
Coming onto the side profile, the first thing one notices is the strong beltline running from the A pillar to the C pillar. The projecting shoulder line that originates from the front fender through the door handles till the tip of the tail lamp adds to the sporty looks of the car.
The sedan gets BSMP (Body Side Protection Moulding) with chrome inserts with thick lines that offer safety as well as sharpness to the overall side profile looks. Other than these, there are OVRMs with integrated turn indicators, door handles that are in body tone and 14 inch eight spoke alloy wheels for the four tyres.
The rear end of the sedan is marked with captivating D shaped tail lamps and a chrome strip that runs across the width of the car. The tail lamps however don't get those LED lightings used in most of the sedans nowadays. Ford logo sits in the centre of the chrome strip and strip actually makes the rear looks less bulky unlike the other compact sedans. The black cladding at the lower lip and a few creases on the bumper adds to the styling of the car.
The tail lamps however don't get those LED lightings :
Although the Ford Figo Aspire is a sub 4 meter compact sedan the interiors are pretty spacious considering the tall B pillar. Ford has managed to get the ergonomics right and the accessibility of the features in the car is spot on. With ample space and handy storage areas it has put up a tough competition for its rivals like the Swift desire, Honda amaze and Hyundai xcent. The car has ample leg room and headroom in the front row, the second row also has some pretty good spacing and must be comfortable for 3 fully grown adults even on long road trips.
The interiors come with a Dual Tone (Charcoal Black + Light Oak) Environment. The whole dashboard design seems to resemble the Ford ecosport. The Ford Aspire is equipped with fabric seats on the lower versions while the titanium+ version gets premium leather seats. The door armrests also house fabric padding's to give it a premium feel. The titanium+ version gets seat integrated airbags which also prohibits addition of aftermarket seat covers.
Premium finish door cladding
Ample legroom
Moving over to the In Car Entertainment the base ambient version does not get any ICE system and the top storage space which has the MFD screen on the higher versions doubles up as a Smartphone holder useful for navigation and other apps. The top titanium version gets 4.2" MFD Screen integrated with SYNC, Voice Control and App Link.
Other features such as Bluetooth, Aux-in and USB can also be seen in the Aspire.
From the drivers point of view - The steering wheel is quite sporty which is again inspired by the one on Ford Ecosport. It has steering mounted controls and a lever under the steering wheel used to adjust the height of the steering wheel.
The instrument cluster looks elegant and simple with a huge speedo and equal area is given to the tachometer on the left and the fuel gauge towards the right, maybe Ford wants to showcase that they provide unmatched mileage without compromising on power.
When it comes to safety the car comes with 6 airbags on the top titanium+ variant (2 airbags on the dash + 4 curtain airbags). The seat-belts are black in colour contrasting to the light oak background. The interiors have lesser use of chrome as the dual tone colour setting does the job.
The lighting switches too did not fail to impress the camera.
Additional features :
Ford MyKey
Figo Aspire's first-in-class Ford MyKey technology provides an extra element of safety, allowing drivers to set speed warnings, activate a seat belt reminder, limit the car's top speed as well as audio volume
Ford SYNC app
Fords voice activated system helps you to call friends and family or listen to your favorite songs hands free. You can even have your text messages read out to you. And in case of any emergency, SYNC's Emergency Assistance will use your paired phone to automatically call emergency services and give your GPS location.
Reverse parking camera with integrated IRVM display
An important necessity in today's road conditions with tighter parking spots.
Auto fold and electrically adjustable ORVM's
Automatic Climate Control
Figo Aspire boasts the best-in-class climate control system. Even in the heat of summer, once you set a temperature, the system maintains it with outstanding precision, ensuring superior comfort for everyone. And because it's super-efficient, you save fuel.
Overall the interior is pretty elegant, ergonomic and user friendly with many first in class features the ford Aspire puts up a tough competition.
Engine & Technical specifications :
Complementing its bold looks and aggressive styling ford has done pretty well under the hood too. The Aspire has three engine options with a manual and automatic gearshift transmission.
1.2l Ti-VCT Petrol MT :
- Figo Aspire's new 1.2l Ti-VCT petrol engine delivers superior power of 88 PS with an impressive fuel economy of 18.16 km/l and reduced emissions. It has a maximum torque output of 112Nm @ 4000RPM.
1.5l TDCi Diesel Engine :
- Engineered for economy and performance, the super-refined 1.5l TDCi diesel engine delivers best-in-class 100 PS power. It has a maximum torque output of 215Nm @ 1750-3000 RPM and a pretty good fuel economy of 25.83 km/l.
1.5l Ti-VCT Petrol AT :
- The best combination among all the other engine options is the 1.5l petrol engine. Mated to a 6-Speed PowerShift transmission that delivers a massive power of 112 PS. The PowerShift AT uses a dual-clutch shifting system designed for smooth gear changes and superior fuel efficiency. The torque output of the 1.5l Ti-VCT Petrol AT is 136Nm @ 4250 RPM.
While the first two petrol and diesel engines are available on all variants with the manual gearshift, The 1.5l Ti-VCT Petrol engine with the 6 speed automatic gearbox is only available on the Titanium version.
Technical specifications :
Overall length (mm): 3886
Overall width (mm): 1695
Overall height (mm): 1525
Wheelbase (mm): 2491
Front track (mm): 1492
Rear track (mm): 1484
Ground clearance (mm): 174
Turning radius (m): 4.9
Boot space (l): 257
Fuel tank capacity (l): Petrol - 42
Fuel tank capacity (l): Diesel - 40
With more features such As Electric Power Assist Steering, Anti-Lock Braking System, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Electronic Stability Program, Traction Control System and Hill Launch Assist. The Ford Aspire is bound to surprise you in terms of drivability and unmatched performance.
Ride and Handling:
The Figo Aspire is certainly designed to appeal mass market, especially younger buyers. Its design won't disappoint you, whether it's soft suspension setup to take on uneven city roads, comfort centric cabin design, ample ground clearance (174mm) and precise steering response. It cruises comfortably on city roads with small potholes and uneven surfaces. Small jerks are easily absorbed through its suspension setup without much fuss, leaving no space for complaint about comfortable ride. As you pick up the speed on the highway, the car does show little body sway due to soft suspension, but it's nothing to worry about.
The steering is light and responsive at low speed. As you pick up the speed, it weighs up gradually, thanks to EPS. The steering doesn't have extreme connectivity feel like the old Fords have, but it is responsive and precise.
At low speed, the Aspire takes the corner without any roll but if you push it harder at a corner, it under-steers and body roll comes in. The 14 inch Apollo tyres are quite grippy and supportive at reasonable speed, but for a powerful diesel variant, the tyre upgrade is a must.
As mentioned earlier, this car is designed for mass market and not for driving enthusiasts. If you drive this cruiser within reasonable speed range, you won't complain about it.
A ride height (Ground Clearance) of 174 mm is a welcome move by Ford, so no more bottoming out on the bad roads!! .
The brake response in both diesel and petrol variant is absolutely spot on and positive. The top end variant Titanium and Titanium Plus features ABS with EBD as a standard for better handling and control.
The Ford Figo Aspire comes with loads of promising safety features which are hard to ignore. The main highlight of the safety features is a driver side airbag as a standard across all variants, while all other variants above the base model come fitted with dual front airbags. The top end Titanium Plus trim gets an additional pair of side and curtain airbags (total 6 airbags) and features Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) for better stability and control.
Driver and Passenger airbags in Titanium Trim Variant:
The new Ford Figo Aspire is the only sedan, which provides more than two airbags in the sub-4 meter compact sedan segment. The top end model also features the Perimeter alarm and SYNC Emergency Assistance.
Ford claims that, in the event of any accident where an airbags deploys or the fuel pumps shut off, the SYNC Emergency Assistance uses your paired phone to contact emergency operators and provides them your exact car location in GPS coordinates. This feature automatically turns on the microphone, so that the operator can talk to any occupants in the vehicle, even if they can't reach the controls.
The Perimeter alarm System prevents any unauthorized attempt to enter the car by smashing a car window or hard knocking on any part of the car body. Its shock sensor triggers the alarm, flashes the headlamps and parking lights, and activate theft indicator on the instrumental panel. Once triggered, an alarm can be set off using special button provided on the master key.
Ford has introduced Ford MyKey feature in 'Titanium +' trim variant which helps you to set up a top speed limit, speed warning and audio volume control. The MyKey profile displays three options; the first one is 'Speed Limit', the 2nd option is 'Speed Warning' and 3rd option is 'Volume Control'. Once you set these parameters on MyKey Profile, rest assured that this feature won't allow you to go beyond the speed you set in 'Speed Limit' MyKey profile. It flashes the warning message as soon as you exceed the speed you set in 'speed warning' MyKey Profile. Also, it won't allow you to increase audio volume more than you already set in 'Volume Limit' MyKey profile. This feature definitely boosts confidence and will help many youngsters and taxi-fleet owners to check max speed while driving. You can set or delete your MyKey profile only through master key.
The petrol engine automatic transmission Titanium variant come equipped with some additional features like Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Traction Control System (TCS) and Hill Launch Assist (HLA). The Hill Launch Assist (HLA) kicks in while making the hill start and stops you rolling backwards on a steep road. It holds the brake for a few seconds after you take your foot off the brake pedal and allows you to accelerate smoothly. The ECP with Traction Control System enhances handling on tough and slippery surfaces. It also helps to get back you on track if you make sudden maneuvers that put your safety at risk.
Pricing and Specification Comparison:
We would like to give our special thanks to the FORD METRO showroom team for their support and cooperation in getting us this review. We believe every buyer who wants to buy a FORD car should definitely visit the METRO FORD showroom at St.Mark's road Bangalore, for an overwhelming experience while buying their new cars.
Photo credits: Sathyajith Ullal & Sheldon D'mello


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Pregnancy is the most pleasing period in the life of any women. Pregnant women undergo a lot of physical and chemical changes in their body. Each and every activity of mother can definitely the baby present in the womb. Hence it is most significant for pregnant ladies to be cautious and avoid certain activities. Smoking during pregnancy is one of the bad activities that can cause ill effects to the unborn baby.
There are chances for miscarriage or birth of low weight baby if the mother did not stop smoking during her pregnancy.
There are medical conditions where sudden and unanticipated death of a healthy baby occurs during sleep. It is termed as Sudden Death Syndrome or SIDS. Chances of babies to get affected with this condition is doubled if their mother smoke during her pregnancy.
Even for a normal pregnant lady, there are many complications associated with pregnancy. This is increased in case of smoking women. Multiple complications are expected during their delivery. Vaginal bleeding and premature placental detachment are some of the instants for complications possible in pregnant mother.
Smoking can also affect with absorption of essential vitamins and folic acid which can cause neural tube defects in the baby.
Smoke present in the cigarette is a dangerous chemical. This chemical can replace oxygen present in a pregnant smoking woman into carbon monoxide which is a poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide can damage body and brain tissues of the baby and also results in cardio vascular problems.
A movement of the baby with the womb of a mother is highly affected and a baby gets affected upon smoking of each cigarette.
Nutrients reaching the baby from mother can get affected if the mother smokes during pregnancy.
More than 4000 chemicals are present in cigarette and these dangerous chemicals pass on to the baby.
Hence it is better for pregnant ladies to quit smoking.


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5 Comments
Ooh, it's a bag of goodies!
Erm, I have a feeling that bag is not filled with lots of sweets and chocolate. Maybe alfredo sauce…
Alfredo sauce!
I just got through the WHOLE comic in a day (yay!) So far… little confused. XD But hey I get the feeling this is going to be one of those things you have to re-read when it's finished. Well that's half the fun!
Keep it up! I love it! The dialogue is swish, all the characters loveable in all their different ways, AND the arts epic!
I give you internets, and a e-cookie!
Hi, just wanted to say this comic is phenomenal. The art style is gorgeous, characters are compelling, dialogue is so clever… You've got yourself another fan <3


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« Recipes Home
Deviled Dungeness Crab Casserole
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté onion and green pepper in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Add flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in half and half gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Add yolks to pan. Heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add cayenne, salt, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and chives. Mix well. Stir in crab meat.
Transfer crab mixture to six buttered ramekins, custard cups or a 1-quart casserole. Combine crackers and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle on crab mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown.
Serves 6.


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Arlington Animal Hospital: Compassionate Veterinary Care
For 77 years, Arlington Animal Hospital has been trusted with the care of dogs and cats in the greater Arlington and surrounding communities. We believe there is more to treating pets than medicine alone. Communication, education and compassion are also important to your pet's health and happiness. At Arlington Animal Hospital, we consider our clients to be a vital part of their pet's wellness team, and we strive to empower our clients to contribute to their pet's wellness. As a result, a trip to Arlington Animal Hospital feels more like a visit to extended family— animal health professionals that share the same devotion to your pet as you do.
Our veterinarians and staff are known for the friendliness and expertise we use to provide the many services we offer on behalf of your pet's health. Dental care, spays and neuters, and digital radiography are just a few examples of the services we can perform at our fully equipped, historic facility.
Parking Information
Since we are an urban facility, Arlington Animal Hospital does not have designated parking for our clients. The parking lots that surround our facility are the property of and allocated to other businesses. For your convenience, we've included our best parking advice:
- S Cleveland Street and S Edgewood Street have metered parking.
- Free parking is available further down S Cleveland Street and S Edgewood Street as well.
If you need any help or have any questions, please call (703) 920-5300 . Our staff will be happy to assist you.
Contact Us!
2624 Columbia Pike,
Arlington, VA 22204
Phone: (703) 920-5300
Fax: (703) 685-8860
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office Hours
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Doctors' hours are by appointment only.
We love our patients!
If you would like a photo of your pet featured on our website, please email a picture to email@example.com and we will upload it for you.


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Trump hails Chinese president's 'extraordinary' rise as he begins second term
US President Donald Trump has congratulated Chinese president Xi Jinping on his "extraordinary elevation" as he begins a second, five-year term as leader.
China's ruling Communist Party this week formally lifted Xi's status to China's most powerful ruler in decades by writing his name and dogma into the party's constitution alongside the party founders.
In a tweet, Trump said he had spoken to Xi to congratulate him and that the two discussed trade and North Korea.
In an interview with Fox Business Network's Lou Dobbs, shortly after the phone call, Trump described Xi's elevation as something that had "really virtually never happened in China".
"He's a powerful man. I happen to think he's a very good person," said Trump, describing their relationship as notably strong.
"People say we have the best relationship of any president-president, because he's called president also," he went on to say. "Now some people might call him the king of China. But he's called president."
Five members of the new seven-strong Politburo Standing Committee introduced by Xi were newly appointed on Wednesday.
Going by the party's norms on retirement ages, none of them are deemed suitable to succeed the 64-year-old as party leader after his second five-year term.
The absence of an obvious successor pointed to Xi's longer-term ambitions, said Joseph Fewsmith, an expert on Chinese politics at Boston University.
"It suggests that Xi will likely serve a third term, and that he is likely to name his own successor," Fewsmith said. "We have not seen that for two decades."
Trump and Xi will meet in China next month during Trump's first presidential visit to Asia.
Trump said he would be "going to Beijing and other places, wherever he'd like to take me" and said he hopes the trip will be "historic and positive" with serious progress on North Korea.
Trump will also stop in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines during the November 3-14 trip.
PA Media


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Science standards advance in Idaho
At its August 10, 2017, meeting, the Idaho state board of education gave preliminary approval to a new set of state science standards, reports Idaho Education News (August 10, 2017).
Earlier versions of standards discussing climate change and human impact on the environment were, as NCSE previously reported, deleted from the state science standards by the state legislature, where legislators — particularly in the House Education Committee — complained that they failed to present "both sides of the debate."
The revised versions of the standards continue to acknowledge human responsibility for recent climate change, but appear to soften or qualify the acknowledgment somewhat. The drafting committee was evidently "trying to navigate [between] a rock and a hard place," as NCSE's Glenn Branch told the Spokane, Washington, Inlander (June 8, 2017).
The proposed standards are now expected to return to the legislature, to undergo its review in 2018.
[Updated on August 15, 2017, by correcting the final paragraph, which incorrectly referred to a further period for public comment.]


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Learn how to engage employees, what matters most in business, and how talent management means a higher ROI
Thursday, January 10, 2013
What comes first, the Culture or the Strategy
Well, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? The HR professional is starting to ask themselves a
similar question; "which comes first, the development of the culture or the development of the strategy.
Culture is defined as a blend of attitudes, behaviors, actions and beliefs that flourishes with a clear set of
values and norms that actively guide the way an organization operates. I like to say that it is the taste,
smell and feel we can when we come in contact with the organization. This is the origin for the term,
"a fun place to work". The culture does define the work environment to both the internal and external
customer. Many believe that culture is the environment in which your strategy and your brand lives
or dies. I, like many others, believe that creating the appropriate culture is one of the most important
factors in determine future success.
It has been almost a decade since we feverously created our vision and mission statements. In the
majority of organizations, you will usually find the mission and/or vision statements hanging on the
walls and they probably have not been revised in over ten years. Vision, to me, is the dream of the
organization usually provided by the leadership team. It is a view of what they would like the company
to look like in the future. The Mission Statement on the other hand should be the reason each and
every employee wants to come to work and exhibit a high achieving performance on a daily basis.
We used to break the mission down into purpose. Now, many organizations are translating the purpose
into core values or statements of excellence. This is where the organization needs to associate the
values with the culture. Make sure the values and culture reflect the same meaning to everyone that
enters the building. The culture has to be genuine.
Posted by Innovative Leadership at 3:53 PM No comments:
Labels: culture, Focus, how to be a successful HR professional, how to be successful, HR, strategy, success, workplace
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tips to Maximize Your Productivity
Productivity is getting the desired results by focusing on your high payoff activities
and spending little or no time on your low payoff activities. It is not rocket
science…just a commitment to excellence.
Here are some tips to help you maximize your productivity:
- Keep track and analyze your daily productivity so that you can improve right out of the gate.
- Stop wasting the first hour of your workday. Having the chat and first cup of
coffee, reading the paper, and socializing are the three costliest opening exercises
that lower productivity.
- Do one thing well at a time. It takes more time to start and stop work on each
activity. Stay with the task until it is completed.
Posted by Innovative Leadership at 3:35 PM No comments:
Labels: how to, how to be productive, priorities, productivity, results, tips
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From this Friday 11th November. Every Friday 9:30am-10:30am. Teddy's Lodge - part of King Edward's Pre Prep school, Weston Lane, Bath. We've changed the format of the YOGADOO for pre-schoolers class so that now the first half an hour of the session is for your little one, (aged 18 months-4 years) and incorporates elements of yoga, massage, movement and music and continue the parent/carer and child bonding process while encouraging little one to express their new found creativity and freedom of expression. The class includes yoga postures and dry massage strokes as well as stories, music, singing songs and rhymes and creative play. These elements together help your child's vital development.
The second half of the class, the child plays with toys and dress-up clothes, while the parent or carer has a half an hour Vinyasa Flow Yoga class, giving you some valuable 'Me time'. And we all finish with a cup of tea.
Every Friday 9:30am-10:30am. Teddy's Lodge - part of King Edward's Pre Prep school, Weston Lane, Bath. Free Parking on site. Block of five classes £30. Three pay as you go places available each week. Book online here
No previous yoga experience is necessary, all mats are provided. Please wear comfortable clothes. All classes are taught by fully-trained RYT RCYT Adults and Children's Yoga teacher, Lucy Aston. For more info email email@example.com or call 07960629503.


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NIGER: AREVA a sponsor of the 33rd Sabre National
News brief
March 14, 2012
March 14, 2012
AREVA was one of the sponsors of the 33rd Sabre National, the traditional wrestling championship in Niger, which was held from February 25 to March 4 at Maradi, the economic capital, located 600 km east of Niamey. It was first time that AREVA had supported the event.
The national sport of Niger, traditional wrestling is very popular in the countryside as well as in the cities. Each year this event attracts thousands of people of all ages, men and women from all social strata, and young people from all regions, thus creating social bonds and contributing to the unity of the country.
Consistent with its commitments to the people of Niger, the AREVA group did its part to make this sports festival and major cultural and social event a big success. All the matches were broadcast live on radio and national television.


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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links or listings on the page below are "paid listings". I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993
Until 1990 courts interpreted the Free Exercise Clause as mandating an exemption from a generally applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation which burdened the free exercise of religion unless the law was supported by a government interest of the highest order which was effected by a legislative program which had the least possible burden on the free exercise of religion. See e.g., Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972). In 1990, the United States Supreme Court somewhat diminished Free Exercise Clause exemptions from generally applicable laws. See Employment Div. v. Smith, 485 U.S. 660 (1988).
Congress responded by passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. The United States Supreme Court has declared the Religious Freedom Restoration Act unconstitutional to the extent that it is applied against state and local laws. City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997). It has continuing force and effect against federal statutes and regulations. Many states also passed statutes which to one degree or another restore earlier protections for the free exercise of religion. Those state statutes may be found at the Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie Religious Liberty Archive's State Statutes.
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie Religious Institutions Group
42 U.S.C. § 2000bb. Congressional findings and declaration of purposes
(a) Findings
The Congress finds that –
(1) the framers of the Constitution, recognizing free exercise of religion as an unalienable right, secured its protection in the First Amendment to the Constitution;
(2) laws "neutral" toward religion may burden religious exercise as surely as laws intended to interfere with religious exercise;
(3) governments should not substantially burden religious exercise without compelling justification;
(4) in Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed by laws neutral toward religion; and
(5) the compelling interest test as set forth in prior Federal court rulings is a workable test for striking sensible balances between religious liberty and competing prior governmental interests.
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this chapter are –
(1) to restore the compelling interest test as set forth in Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) and to guarantee its application in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially burdened; and
(2) to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious exercise is substantially burdened by government.
42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1. Free exercise of religion protected
(a) In general
Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Exception
Government may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person –
(1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and
(2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
(c) Judicial relief
A person whose religious exercise has been burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate relief against a government. Standing to assert a claim or defense under this section shall be governed by the general rules of standing under article III of the Constitution.
Section 2000bb-2. Definitions
As used in this chapter –
(1) the term "government" includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, and official (or other person acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a Documents subdivision of a State;
(2) the term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory and possession of the United States;
(3) the term "demonstrates" means meets the burdens of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion; and
(4) the term "exercise of religion" means religious exercise, as defined in section 2000cc-5 of this title.
[Editor's Note: The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000, 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc-5(7)(A) defines "religious exercise" as follows: "The term 'religious exercise' includes any exercise of religion, whether or not compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief."
RLUIPA further clarifies, at 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc-5(7)(B) that, among other practices, "[t]he use, building, or conversion of real property for the purpose of religious exercise shall be considered to be religious exercise of the person or entity that uses or intends to use the property for that purpose."]
Section 2000bb-3. Applicability
(a) In general
This chapter applies to all Federal and State law, and the implementation of that law, whether statutory or otherwise, and whether adopted before or after November 16, 1993.
(b) Rule of construction
Federal statutory law adopted after November 16, 1993, is subject to this chapter unless such law explicitly excludes such application by reference to this chapter.
(c) Religious belief unaffected
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to authorize any government to burden any religious belief.
Section 2000bb-4. Establishment clause unaffected
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect, interpret, or in any way address that portion of the First Amendment prohibiting laws respecting the establishment of religion (referred to in this section as the "Establishment Clause"). Granting government funding, benefits, or exemptions, to the extent permissible under the Establishment Clause, shall not constitute a violation of this chapter. As used in this section, the term "granting", used with respect to government funding, benefits, or exemptions, does not include the denial of government funding, benefits, or exemptions


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Oxford Shooting Stars
The club was founded in 2010 by ice hockey enthusiasts keen to create a beginner-friendly environment which would attract new participants into the sport. Despite many experienced players now being members of the club, players new to the sport, and of any ability, are continually joining.
The club played its first game on Saturday 11 December 2010 (against Slough Scorpions) and had its first win on Saturday 15 January 2011 (against Swindon Rec Wildcats).
The club joined the newly formed SHL cup in the summer of 2012.
In 2013 they were invited to join the Southern Conference League.
Get in touch
Twitter: @UpTheShooting


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Student Opportunities
From time to time Coonley becomes aware of programs that may be of student interest outside of the school day. Check back periodically for opportunities that are passed along to us. Please note that these programs are not sponsored by Coonley so direct any questions to the parties offering the programs.
SIT Conference (Students Involved with Technology)
The SIT conference is a conference for students in grades 3-12th grades to present or participate in various technology activities. There are 6 concurrent conferences happening throughout the state. Registration for presenters and participants for the February 20, 2016 event is now open at http://www.sitconference.org/