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Wide World of Whippets
Hunt Country Hosts Sixth International Whippet Congress
From the May 2018 issue of ShowSight. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE.
Hunt Valley, Maryland, was the site of the most recent International Whippet Congress, hosted by the American Whippet Club. Held on April 23, 2018, the symposium was the sixth such event organized for the express purpose of bringing fanciers together from around the world to celebrate and study all things Whippet. This year's event coincided with the AWC's National Specialty that also offered ASFA and AKC Lure Coursing, Agility Trials, CGC Testing, Obedience and Rally. A host of Conformation events were offered as well, including Triathlon and Versatility, and Top Twenty competitions. AWC President and Congress Chair Harold "Red" Tatro III welcomed attendees and introduced the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps that ensured everyone was awake through several rousing renditions that honored battles fought and won by General George Washington's Continental Army.
Immediately following the revelry, the first of seven sessions got underway. "Balance and Proportions: Mentoring for the Future" was presented by Karen Lee who discussed the importance of getting young people—millennials specifically—interested in purebred dogs. She offered a bit of advice: When talking to teens and twenty–somethings, we should not talk in negative terms and we shouldn't use horse terms either. (Unless our audience has a background in horses, presumably!) Karen noted that this "old school" approach falls on deaf ears with today's younger dog lovers. Her understanding of this demographic began through an online message board called Whippet World where breed supporters of all kinds gathered to talk about Whippets. It was through this forum that Karen also came to realize that a drawing of the Whippet—showing ideal balance and proportion—did not formally exist. Through "conversations" with fanciers all over the world, she was compelled to provide such an image. In her presentation,
Karen introduced the illustration that's featured by the club's new Illustrated Standard. She used this (and other illustrations and photos) to compare the Whippet's silhouette with both the Greyhound and the Italian Greyhound, emphasizing the differences that make each breed unique. Karen also used a live dog as a model to demonstrate the importance of overall balance as well as how to determine angulation. The presentation concluded by acknowledging the risk of going to extremes with the breed's signature silhouette. "When are your dogs too extreme and how do you know when you are there,"
Karen asked?
The next speaker was James E. Radcliffe, DVM whose presentation on canine sports medicine utilized a series of memorable—if graphic—images. Dr. Radcliffe began by referencing that although form follows function, injury does as well. His use of photos of Sighthounds taken just moments before catastrophe struck allowed the audience to understand the risks that are inherent with performance events. Dr. Radcliffe used graphic photos to demonstrate the kinds of injuries that can occur on the field and the methods used to determine the extent of an injury and the best methods for treatment. He mentioned a digital thermal imaging camera that's especially useful to quantify surgical results. In the dog, everything begins at the feet and works upwards, he emphasized. Every part of the anatomy is connected and interrelated. Dr. Radcliffe emphasized that the whole dog needs to be treated following an orthopedic injury. "If a dog is lame, then it's a complex problem for the entire body," he noted. Due to the Whippet's double suspension gallop, the breed knows how to "fly" and Dr. Radcliffe said that this extreme locomotion creates a problem during landing. "The flying is the easy part," he joked. "It's amazing that any dog can race more than once." Dr. Radcliffe made it clear that performance science is not an exact science and he indicated that 100% recovery does not happen. Every recovery is considered catastrophic. Dr. Radcliffe also emphasized that when it comes to Sighthounds, the appropriate anesthesia is critical. It is the owner's responsibility to ask questions when dealing with treatment for
any injury.
Russell McFadden next moderated "Whippets Worldwide—International Panel Discussion." He introduced noted breed authorities from the UK, Europe, North America and Australia who offered their opinions on the various breed standards. Britain's Pauline Oliver referenced the differences between the UK, AKC, and FCI standards, noting when each was most recently revised. She said that she did not intend to criticize the standards, but only intended to highlight the notable differences in terms of color, height, shoulders, eyes and disqualifying faults. Pauline said that when she judges abroad, she requests a copy of the breed standard and relies heavily on her stewards, translators and scribes to be sure that she stays on point with regards to the standard. Pauline became visibly emotional when she mentioned her judging assignment at the 2015 American Whippet Club. "I'm quite American," she said holding back tears. Pauline concluded her presentation with a few photos of notable winners in Russia, Finland, New Zealand and America. Australian Molly Rule–Steele followed by sharing photos of dogs that she liked from Sweden and the UK. She reminded the audience that the Whippet was recognized in 1891 and that the first standard was approved in 1904. The original standard, she noted, mentioned an ideal weight for the breed, but excluded height. It also did not reference the breed's overall make or color. Molly talked about breed hallmarks and mentioned that these are "purely for function" and not cosmetic. She compared the various standards and noted differences in the requirements for head, skull, eyes, bite and feet. "Everybody agrees on ears," she pointed out. Next up to speak was Thomas Münch of Germany who filled–in for Swede Magnus Hagstedt. Thomas talked about how judging and showing Whippets differs from other breeds, but not from the other Sighthound breeds. He pointed out that when judging Sighthounds,
gentleness is a prerequisite. If this proves difficult, he suggested that judges find other breeds to evaluate. Thomas said that judging one's own breed is a great responsibility and warned that good dogs can be shown by the "wrong" people. Regarding fault judging, he warned against judging unfavorably. "Judging is about forgiving," he confided. About professional handlers, he noted that there are very few in Europe and in the UK. However, where they do exist the bar for the presentation of show dogs is raised considerably. Thomas questioned the degree to which the sport influences society and he reminded attendees that competitiveness should never overrule the dogs' welfare. He also posited several questions worthy of consideration by all exhibitors. Should Whippets [in the ring] be beggars? Is it preferable to move with a lower and longer stride? Is curvier better? Thomas then mentioned dogs from the US, UK, South Africa, Australia and Sweden that were his favorites. Thomas suggested that based on the dogs mentioned, the clichés that exist within the breed about American-type versus English–type are unreliable. Most, he noted, have international pedigrees based on British and American lines. The panel discussion concluded with Bo Bengtson's review of Whippet popularity around the world. Bo provided statistics on breed entries in the US noting that the largest exhibition of Whippets at an AWC National was 597 in 2004. (He suggested the actual total of entries at the Greensboro, North Carolina, Specialty was likely 10–20% higher.) Entries at regionals, he said, rarely reach the 100–dog mark today. By contrast, Bo pointed out that in the UK, entries at Crufts can be among the largest for any breed. At this year's show, 414 Whippets were entered. Bo also presented registration figures for the breed around the world using figures from 2016. The breed ranked #60 in the US with 1,279 AKC registrations that year. By contrast, the breed ranked #16 in the UK with 3,218 registrations. France saw 1,386 entries for the same year, and Germany's registrations totaled 637 for the country's many breed clubs. Bo concluded by mentioning the breed's increasing popularity in Russia, Japan and Brazil. He also noted that Whippets have become popular in unexpected places such
as Serbia.
The next speaker at the International Whippet Congress was Susanne Hughes, DVM who presented her team's work on the study of deafness in the breed. Her findings from 1,853 Whippets tested reveals that 98.6 percent of both conformation and race–bred Whippets have a normal hearing function. Of those affected animals, deafness may be unilateral or bilateral and the causes can be congenital or chronic. Late–onset deafness, she noted, can be either
age-related or hereditary. Dr. Hughes said that late–onset deafness may be caused by infection, tumors or polyps, among other causes. However, it can also be congenital in specific breeds. Dr. Hughes' work with Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) Testing has proved reliable in identifying deafness in Whippets as young as 3–4 weeks of age. She reviewed several types of deafness including Cochleosaccular Degeneration (associated with the recessive alleles of the spotting pattern gene) and Neural Epithelial which is not pigment associated. Dr. Hughes noted that at this time, the inheritability of deafness is not fully understood. Breeder Phoebe Booth next presented photos of her family of dogs to point out that when it comes to deafness in Whippets, color alone cannot be used to reliably determine a predilection for hearing loss. She encouraged breeders who suspect deafness in their lines to test entire litters at seven weeks of age. Phoebe said that BAER testing her litters has proven to be a reliable tool toward understanding the inheritability of hearing loss in the breed.
The Whippet Cardiac Health Project has been gathering data for more than a decade and Rebecca Stepien, DVM, ACVIM presented her team's findings to the rapt audience. Dr. Stepien's presentation consisted of both audio and videos of echocardiograms to elucidate various heart murmurs, Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). She said that moderate to severe heart disease may be identified by auscultation with a stethoscope, but mild to moderate conditions are determined through echocardiogram. Dr. Stepien spoke about heart murmurs due to valve disease and said that murmurs are defined as either innocent, athletic or ejection. MVD and DCM, she indicated, are progressive diseases with clinical signs that include coughing and fatigue. Her study's findings indicate that heart disease is not at all uncommon in Whippets. Only seven percent of animals tested were free and clear of heart murmers. This figure may seem surprising given the breed's longevity and athleticism. However, Dr. Stepien spoke about the role diet may play in the prevalence of heart disease. She said that if DCM is suspected, a whole blood taurine test should be conducted since decreased taurine levels are suspected of playing a role in
the disease.
Lisa Costello DVM MS gave a presentation next on the Whippet Health Foundation Database that, unfortunately, I could not attend. However, the foundation's website provides a concise introduction to its mission: "The Whippet Health Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable Corporation formed to provide financial and other support for individuals and organizations focusing their charitable, educational and research efforts on dogs in general and the Whippet in particular." The Foundation's objective is to further
understanding and support research of diseases, genetic anomalies, injuries and other ailments. The database has been established for the benefit of the general public as well as for Whippet fanciers worldwide. At this year's AWC National, the Foundation conducted several health clinics including BAER testing and cardiac echocardiograms. OFA Eye Certification was also available as was AKC DNA testing
and microchipping.
The final presentation given at the sixth International Whippet Congress was a return appearance by Bo Bengtson whose presentation titled, "More Than a Century of Whippets," provided a visual delight for both art lovers and Whippet fanciers. Bo's extensive work included 163 images that kept
the audience spellbound. Beginning with medieval tapestries and 18th and 19th–century paintings, Bo took everyone on a journey through time to meet the dogs and people who've played significant roles in the breed's promotion and preservation. He presented images of early racing Whippets, Zuber (the breed's first UK champion), and his influential son, Enterprise. From England to America—and back–and–forth again—Bo introduced images of the most acclaimed Whippets from both sides of the Atlantic. There were dogs from the Tiptree Kennels in England and the Dondelayo dogs in America. Bo mentioned that taller British dogs were frequently sent to the US where their size did not impede show ring success. The dogs of Meander, Stoney Meadows, Flornell, Mardormere and Pennyworth also made an appearance. Bo's comprehensive presentation demonstrated that although British and American breeders dominated the Whippet world during the 20th century, this is not necessarily the case today. Breeders in Sweden, Australia, South Africa, France, Canada, Finland, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Argentina and throughout Asia are producing an international collective of Whippets today.
The next time fanciers from these and other parts around the globe gather together for an International Whippet Congress will be in 2022 at Garda Lake in the Northern Italian province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Non vediamo l'ora di vedervi là. Ciao!
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Christine McCafferty, Diageo archive
Alexander Walker's blending book and pickled snakes – Diageo's archivist has (almost) seen it all.
Diageo, the owner of Johnnie Walker and Lagavulin, has an archive containing over 500,000 whisky artefacts dating back 200 years.
Within the archive in Menstrie is a 'liquid library' of over 5,000 bottles of whisky and other spirits from across the years.
While viewers may spot some modern releases within the archive's tall glass cabinets, there are some rare gems to be found, including a bottle of Old Highland Malt – the 19th-century precursor to Johnnie Walker Red Label – containing a well-preserved snake.
Diageo archive manager Christine McCafferty is the custodian of around 200 years of whisky history. Along with her team she is responsible for ensuring that the archive contains an example of every new release from Diageo, as well as preserving its existing contents with extreme care.
Discover how a snake made its way into the archive and which items she treasures most in this revealing interview.
Alexander Walker's blending book and pickled snakes – Diageo's archivist has (almost) seen it all.

subset: commoncrawl


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Drums teachers directory for private music lessons in Comox BC V9M CAN
Private Drums lessons music teachers directory in Comox BC V9M CAN
The above search is a free service maintained by DoReMiWORLD.com for the benefit of private music teachers, as well as music students and their parents. Our goal is to help you locate a private music instructor, for example, a private piano teacher, a private violin teacher, a private voice coach,
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Private music instruction is considered to be the best way to learn to play a musical instrument. Use this directory to find a private music teacher offering music lessons in your local area (Comox BC) or online lessons around the world. At the moment, our directory is limited to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, United States, and New Zealand. This music teachers directory classifies private music instructors by instrument, such as private piano teachers (for private piano lessons), private voice teachers (for private voice lessons), private violin teachers (for private violin lessons), etc. Please use the above search function to find a private music teacher near you.
We welcome the following types of instructors in our Comox British Columbia directory: Drums Teachers, Piccolo Professionals, Clarinet Teachers, Bass Teachers, French Horn Coaches, Viola Da Gamba Coaches, Electric Guitar Instructors, Organ Tutors, Flute Coaches, Brass Educators, Woodwinds Professionals, Dulcimer Instructors, Harpsichord Educators, Lute Teachers, Bass Guitar Professionals, Violin Professionals, Classical Guitar Coaches, Cello Educators, Piano Instructors, Mandolin Tutors, Percussion Instructors, Banjo Educators, Trombone Teachers, Viola Instructors, Oboe Tutors, Accordion Professionals, Trumpet Instructors, English Horn Educators, Acoustic Guitar Tutors, Tuba Educators, Electric Bass Coaches, Bassoon Instructors, Voice Tutors, Recorder Teachers, Ukulele Teachers, Harp Coaches, Saxophone Educators, Double Bass Coaches, Bagpipes Tutors, Keyboard Professionals .
WARNING: This game can be addictive


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Updating Video Card Drivers and Power*Tools
For optimal performance, we suggest updating your video card drivers and Power*Tools software to the latest versions.
To update your video card drivers:
1. Click on the Start button > Run. Type devmgmt.msc and click Enter.
2. Under Display adapters, right-click and select Properties.
3. Under the Driver tab, the name of your video card and the date of your driver can be found. Drivers older than a year should be updated to the latest version from the manufacturer�s website, if available. Common manufacturer websites can be found at the end of this FAQ.
To update your Power*Tools Software:
1. Click Help > About PTW32 in the software. Compare your installed version number with the version number posted on our Downloads page at www.skm.com
Video Card Driver Websites
Once you have determined your video card manufacturer and model, you can use this list as a reference to finding the latest video card drivers:
NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
ATI: http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html
Intel: https://www.intel.com/support/graphics/
Matrox: https://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/certified/home.cfm
VIA: http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=2
SiS: http://www.sis.com/download/
S3: http://www.s3graphics.com/en/drivers/index.aspx
Other manufacturers not listed can be found using a search engine.


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Tyco post-split talk Part II: Are acquisitions in the air?
By Martha Entwistle
Updated Thu November 3, 2011
Here's Part II (I posted Part I yesterday) of a blog with some Tyco post-split details, which I found in the process of reviewing the Tyco International Conference Call. The call took place on the day that Tyco announced its plan to split into three publicly traded companies.
On that day, most of the industry, including yours truly, was running around the ASIS show floor. The quotes below are courtesy of Seeking Alpha.
Was the split construed to ready Fire & Security or ADT for acquisition? And, is there any government regulation that would preclude the acquisition of ADT or Commercial Fire and Security from taking place in the next 18 months?
Asked if Tyco had "not had substantive conversations with any outside parties about the sale of any of these businesses?" Tyco CEO Ed Breen said: "We are well aware of the laws and regulations out there and � we are very careful about what we do. So I will leave it at that."
OK, well is there anything to preclude one of the entities from being acquired in the next 18 months?
"If anyone approaches us about a piece of the � our Board would have to take that under advisement. It is our fiduciary responsibility, but it is not our plan. Our plan is to get these out there on their own and let them play in the their industry," Breen said.
Answering a question on a different topic, Breen said: "I'm a big believer that there going to be consolidation in these industries. I think you've already been watching some of that occur and we want our businesses to be able to play in that environment in their respective industries."
Asked about the split between resi and commercial security, Breen said much of the separation has occurred already, when ADT split into residential and commercial divisions.
And, in terms of the monitoring operation, Breen said they have a plan about how to separate the two and "it's easier than it sounds."
Whey didn't they bifurcate the two businesses back in 2006? The companies were too fragmented at that time, Breen said. "The management teams were more fragmented and there wasn't consistent performance."


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What kinds of cases does The Krouse Law Firm handle?
The Krouse Law Firm offers defense and counsel in business transactions, insurance claims, criminal cases and tax disputes.
The Krouse Law Firm also defends local foreclosures in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, Desoto, and Hardee County.
You can rely on KLF for knowledgeable, experienced representation for even the most complex legal matters and litigation.


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That Poppy
On November 4th, 2014 a petite blond girl with big brown eyes uploaded a video to youtube. In it she can be seen eating cotton candy in a pink sparkly top for 1:22 seconds. The title of the video is "Poppy Eats Cotton Candy". This video was followed by many other strange videos including one where she repeats the phrase "I'm Poppy" with different inflections for 10 minutes straight. For years people have tried to uncover the identity of this youtube star. The question is, does she want to be found?
The mysterious girl with a soft voice first appeared on youtube in 2014. She has amassed over 450 million views on youtube. Her ardent followers are known as "Poppy Seeds" and one of them has gone so far as to have created a religion based on Poppy known as "poppyism". She has released a self published book, Her identity was eventually solved, but to this day she remains an enigma among youtube stars. Mystery still surrounds her. Is this a riddle that's not meant to be completely solved?
On today's episode of Clouded we will try and answer 3 questions:
Why is Poppy considered to be, different?
To understand the sensation that is Poppy you really have to study her Youtube videos. They can be very robotic and eerie in nature. A lot of her videos are just her in a white room talking directly into the camera. Talking directly to you, the listener. Especially her videos that came out early in her youtube career.
Such as the video titled "Oh No". In this video Poppy is standing in a white room off center. A few seconds into the video a puff of smoke appears and a second Poppy appears on the opposite side of the original Poppy. They start to look at each other and the first Poppy starts have have blood come out of her mouth. The second Poppy looks at her and says "Oh No". The two Poppy's then stare at each other for about 15 seconds as blood continues to come out of and drip from the first Poppy's mouth. Then the video abruptly ends. That's it. No explanation at all about what you just watched.
In Some of her videos she seemingly seems to be answering some of the questions people had about her. A couple of examples of this are her two videos "I Am not in a cult" and "Am I okay?" Here are a couple of audio clips from those two videos:
Audio Clip Here
I also find the videos of "charlotte" interviewing Poppy to be quite odd and a little bit disturbing. In these videos Poppy is being interviewed by a mannequin named Charlotte that has a robotic voice. Charlotte looks really creepy. She just stands there with awful looking curly wig and does not move an inch. Here is a short sample of one of those interviews:
Audio Clip here
What theories are out there that explain her strange behavior?
Let me start this off by quickly dismissing these theories I found online:
No she is not a robot, a government project, nor is she a part of the illuminati. I do realize that there are connections in her music videos and website that gives illusions to the illuminati, but I believe those are all red herrings. She knows you will be looking for them and so, they are placed there. I can also say with some certainty that she is not a Hologram or an alien from outer space.
That being said, There are strange things I would like to cover that have some people concerned. I the original description of her "I Will Apply for Make-Up" video, certain letters are capitalized. When you spell out only those letters that are capitalized it says "HELP ME".
Then there's the reddit post that had the title "please help me" with the follow up message of "I'm breaking".
Finally in her self-published book called The Gospel of Poppy, she references Moloch. This is a bit disturbing because Moloch is a Canaanite God associated with child sacrifice. Eerie to say the least.
I do believe the truth is much simpler. As Occam's Razor states, the simplest answer is usually right. Poppy, I believe, is a character created to not only to be a parody of today's culture but to also create a youtube pop star.
Who is Poppy?
It has been widely reported that Poppy is the creation of Titanic Sinclair played by musician Moriah Rose Pereira of Boston, Massachusetts.
Corey Michael Mixer, better known as Titanic Sinclair, is a director, musician, and YouTube personality creator. He has previously worked with Mars Argo, who eerily resembles Poppy in both looks and style of videos.
Poppy has grown enormously since her beginnings on Youtube. She has turned into not only a Youtube Personality but also a YouTube music phenomenon. She has released two studio albums, two EP's, and been on tour 3 times.
Poppy also starred "I'm Poppy", a short film and the first episode of a television series of the same name written and directed by Titanic Sinclair, in 2018.
We may never know The reason behind the creation of Poppy by Titanic Sinclair. It could be as simple as to create a star out of a mysterious no one.But no one really knows.
And for some other reason, Corey and Moriah aren't talking either.
11/11/2022 04:50:57 pm
Current shake lot season base worry a why. Service because guess.
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I have started to use TiddlyWiki a lot recently. TiddlyWiki is a wiki platform which runs on your personal computer.
TiddlyWiki runs entirely out of html and so simply by visiting the TiddlyWiki site, you have downloaded the application! Chose File -> Save As… to name it and save it to an appropriate folder on your machine.
TiddlyWiki is blog-like in that new articles (Tiddlers) appear like posts in a blog. But it is unblog-like in that they are not displayed sequentially, but rather called by links or searches on the page.
It is very handy for notes-to-self – especially when you are offline. It can be hooked up to an online version and synched but I haven't tried this yet.
The application was written by Jeremy Ruston who was taken on by BT as head of Open Source when they saw TiddlyWiki


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Jennifer Ulz
I have over 20 years of experience in higher education. I started out as a math and statistics instructor and tutor and then moved into administration as the director of planning and research for two community colleges. This position involved extensive report writing, including statistical and research results and grant and accreditation reports. I earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's in math with a concentration in actuarial science. I have also taken numerous post-graduate courses in data management, institutional research, and higher education, including some writing-intensive Ph.D. level research courses. When I'm not working or reading, I'm often doing volunteer work with my local canine rescue group. I have three dogs of my own and am usually fostering one or two, which keeps me on my toes.


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2nd of May Basic Japanese Class Onigiri, MisoSoup & Saba Shioyaki
Miso Soup with Sweet Potato
As many beginners participated in this class, Ms.Sonia explained how to clean up the kelp surface and different types of bonito flakes.
As we make the most of all the precious ingredients, we reproduced FURIKAKE from bonito flakes that were used for making dashi-broth.
She occasionally shows the inside of the pot after she added the kelp into the pot, so we know how to maintain its temperature properly without boiling it up.
She also explained the reason why dashi shouldn't be boiled.
Once Dashi is done, we took the bonito flakes out and roast it till it dries out. Then add some seasoning… Tada! The bonito flakes turned into nice homemade FURIKAKE!
The nutrition in bonito flakes still remains even after you used for Dashi broth, so please reproduce it for FURIKAKE so you won't waste any of it!
We used sweet potato for today's Miso Soup. During Circuit Breaker, it might be difficult to get all the ingredients you want, so you can try with any vegetables, tofu, wakame seaweed and so on. But honestly I never saw purple miso soup. I would love to try one day!!
Saba Shioyaki
We usually grill fish with a special oven in Japan, but since it is not available in Singapore, we use a normal oven for Saba Shioyaki today.
I found it easier to clean afterwards than using a special oven. We made Onigiri while waiting for Saba to be grilled.
Half way there!… Need some more burnt marks so let's put it back in the oven.
Finally it's done!! …Oops, I forgot to take photos! sorry (><)
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Bengals corner Adam "Pac-Man" Jones forcibly removed the helmet of Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Jones then grabbed the sides of Cooper's head, and slammed it against the helmet, yelling something that Cooper chose not to share, that is, if he heard it at all. Cooper said he didn't.
The NFL, just a few months after saying there would be an emphasis placed on quelling fights and imposing penalties on players involved, are now officially choosing to hit Jones with only a fine.
Not a suspension as was originally thought on Sunday, the incident coming after the play was dead and the blow being a direct hit to Cooper's head, while the league continues to struggle with concussion related problems.
Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio didn't have a clear view of the incident during the game, and declined to delve further into it. Now that he's seen the film, he said:
"It was clearly way over the line. I understand now why our offensive linemen went down there and took issue with it. I respect that. I really don't understand how that was missed."
Del Rio and the Raiders will be keeping the play on file, though somehow, the highlight never hit the national newswire Sunday or Monday, a shocker considering the incessant thirst for football news in a world with several 24-hour sporting news services.
Perhaps there's a point to any thought that it's because Cooper is a Raiders player, the team received the shortest play of any from ESPN's SportsCenter wrap Sunday evening and received no television coverage from the outlet Monday.
Del Rio, still, was shocked that the officials, two of them standing directly over Jones and Cooper when everything happened, missed it.
Said Del Rio:
"There seemed to be enough eyes on the situation. It was right there at the end of the play and clearly a part of the end of the play. Coop just did a great job blocking. I think the guy got frustrated because Coop did a great job blocking downfield."
The NFL issued a justification to ESPN's Ed Werder, that because there was offsetting penalties — the Bengals were flagged on the play for unnecessary roughness, as were the Raiders after rushing to Cooper's aide — there would be no suspension.
The NFL, according to the reasoning disseminated by Werder, failed to take into account that the penalties were issued after the brief skirmish that followed. Not as a result of Jones' direct actions.
The reasoning also included the fact that Jones didn't swing a helmet, and therefore use it as a weapon, even though it became a weapon as soon as Jones slammed Cooper's head into it.
After the game, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said his team can improve their chippy ways, and that he knows who is going to be more physical after the whistle than others.
Jones claimed that he's only trying to play football, and that there is no altercation that wasn't initiated by another:
"Whatever you saw happen, that's what happened. I'm here to play football. I don't back down from anybody and I'm not out here trying to start anything. I'm just out here playing football."
Pacman Jones welcomes Amari Cooper to the NFL with a nice head thump. pic.twitter.com/vkkpTYnNOU
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) September 13, 2015
When Jones took off Cooper's helmet, the play wasn't even happening in their vicinity.
Former NFL coach and current football analyst Herm Edwards issued a few thoughts on radio show Mike and Mike:
"The referees, this was their opening day as well. There was a couple of calls (Sunday) where you scratch your head and think 'didn't they see that?'"
All the officials, though, or at least the majority, were standing right over Jones and Cooper.
Cooper finished the game with five catches on nine targets and 47 yards in Oakland's 33-13 loss to Cincinnati, his NFL debut.
Injury roundup
Safety Nate Allen has a torn MCL, the ligament that keeps one's knee from bending inward. The initial timetable is four to eight weeks, and depends heavily on the amount of swelling and how long it persists.
Safety Charles Woodson suffered a dislocated shoulder and might play Sunday against the Ravens. Most would take it slow. But we're discussing arguably the best defensive back in league history. And slow is not Woodson's thing.
Quarterback Derek Carr tweaked his thumb a good bit, and can grip a football. Some ibuprofen and rest might be all he'll need to play Sunday. But his status will likely remain questionable through the week.
Defensive lineman Justin Ellis should be alright. Del Rio kept the discussion short Monday, but alluded to the possibility of him practicing this week, in the coaches own quiet way.
Oakland brought safety Taylor Mays back in and he will likely start Sunday. Either Woodson or Larry Asante should also start. Keenan Lambert is the team's only depth at the position now.
Jason Leskiw is SFBay's Oakland Raiders beat writer and member of the Professional Football Writers of America. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the Oakland Raiders.


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Expert Insights for the AI Business Revolution
Ahead of its Build 2019 developer conference next week, on Thursday Microsoft announced a number of improvements coming to Azure that the company says make it easier for developers without an artificial intelligence (AI) background to build enterprise AI solutions and machine learning models.
"[Microsoft is] focused on helping all developers -- even those without an AI or data science background -- use its tools and services to deliver the big benefits that more and more customers expect," the company said in an announcement of these changes. "Microsoft expects more and more customers to start using AI, both because they see the business benefits and because the tools are more accessible."
Perhaps the most significant change is coming to Azure Machine Learning, which will now feature three "modes" for developing its cloud-based machine learning models: "code-first," for developers who prefer to work in code;"no code," aimed at "business experts" others with no programming experience; and "drag and drop," designed for people who may want to make their own machine learning models but don't quite have the programming background to code them. All three models feed into the same back end.
To help improve the interoperability of Azure Machine Learning, the platform will soon officially support the Open Neural Network Exchange, an open cross-platform "ecosystem" for AI models also supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Facebook. The platform also supports ONNX Runtime, which Microsoft made open source in December 2018.
Other improvements announced for Azure Machine Learning include improved Azure DevOps integration, user interface improvements and low-latency improvements, plus support for Nvidia TensorRT and Intel nGraph for programming those manufacturers' high-performance deep learning chipsets.
Microsoft also announced that Azure Search is getting the AI treatment with new "cognitive search" capabilities. The company explained that customers will soon be able to apply Azure Cognitive Services algorithms directly to Azure Search, adding greatly improved business intelligence (BI) and analytics capabilities.
And speaking of Azure Cognitive Services, the company's collection of SDKs, APIs and other tools to help developers without a data science background apply AI solutions in the enterprise, the company also announced this service will get a new category called "decision" (to add to the existing vision, knowledge, language, speech, search and anomaly detection categories). Within decision, developers and data scientists will find (not unsurprisingly) tools for creating applications with better decision-making capabilities, including a "content moderator" and a personalization tool.
More details on all of the above announcements (plus many others expected) will come next week at Microsoft Build 2019.
About the Author
Becky Nagel is the vice president of Web & Digital Strategy for 1105's Converge360 Group, where she oversees the front-end Web team and deals with all aspects of digital projects at the company, including launching and running the group's popular virtual summit and Coffee talk series . She an experienced tech journalist (20 years), and before her current position, was the editorial director of the group's sites. A few years ago she gave a talk at a leading technical publishers conference about how changes in Web browser technology would impact online advertising for publishers. Follow her on twitter @beckynagel.
Pure AI


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On September 7, 2015, at approximately 9:41 p.m., officers responded to a shooting call in the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue. The victim Jesse Willis, a 34 year –old Black male, was shot multiple times and transported to Methodist Hospital where he died. As a result of the investigation, it was determined that Richard Louis Butler Jr., a 36 year-old Black male, was responsible for the shooting death of Willis. Butler has been arrested for murder and placed in jail on a $500,000.00 bond.
For more information see the probable cause affidavit below.


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I don't think that I can ever say that winter is not just as beautiful a time of year to photograph as summer.. oh it's true the sun sets so much earlier but even though it sets earlier it still has something really beautiful to say.
I love taking peoples portraits, really that's the only reason I do what I do, to capture moments and people and friends and family. Sometimes it's really easy to get caught up in all of the day to day other stuff, but when it comes down to it, I do this because I love what I create and I love to share it. That's it. It's not more complicated then that.
I get so busy I don't always have time to see or play with the people I love. Sometimes they have to schedule a session with me to get a few hours of time in (and dinner afterward). Nicki you are my best friend and I love you. Thanks for believing in what I do.


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Topic: urban issues
Here's a challenge for all bicyclists.
Too often we're figuratively tangled in our own spokes. We forget about the transportation matrix we depend on: the policies that determine motor traffic conditions, for example; or the state of mass transit. And we've got a special responsibility to grapple with issues that affect our transport cousins: pedestrians, in-line skaters, bus riders and rail passengers, wheelchair users, et al. So let me throw this at you:
With substantial snowfalls coming our way, many people will effectively be immobilized. We all know the reason. The sidewalks will not be shoveled, so pedestrians and people in wheelchairs (or those with other mobility challenges) will be forced to stay indoors or take their chances on the street.
As non-motorized folks we can appreciate the situation. We know everything is not okay just because the salt trucks and plows do the minimum so cars and trucks and Hummers can get where they're going. We understand that basic rights – of free association and public participation – are at stake here. And that many people, sometimes including ourselves, are being denied these rights.
I was thinking about this as I waited for the bus this morning at the corner of Monroe and Meigs, ready to put my bike on the rack and take a leisurely, affordable ride out to Pittsford and the Nazareth campus. Well, the Monroe-Meigs eastbound stop is right in front of a Rent-A-Center, as good an example of predatory, parasitic capitalism as anything. And the RAC guys are living up to their seasonal tradition: they seem to have a hands-off policy regarding snow removal, and so their stretch of public sidewalk is often impassable – even though their customer base must be long on pedestrians.
But RAC is not alone. Up and down Monroe Avenue, and in most other commercial and residential areas, non-shoveling is the great leveler. Businesses large and small, prosperous and struggling, worthy and wretched, all – or many, at least – leave the sidewalk heaped with snow, which then turns to ice, which then turns to slop.
I've seen people go head over heels as they tried to negotiate these sidewalks. Now, I'm not one to pump the personal injury lawyers, but you'd think some enterprising client would at least try to take a shovelphobic merchant to the cleaners.
A myth has been circulating that the city sidewalk plows do the job, and no further attention is required. No way. The municipal code makes it clear that owners or first-floor tenants are responsible for removing ice and snow so sidewalks are not hazardous. But there's no enforcement – not even an educational campaign, nor so much as a fleeting public service announcement. What gives?
This issue is a big one to disability-rights activists. Not long ago (last winter?) some activists took City Hall folks on a little reality tour of snowbound walks and bus stops. Nice photo-ops for the officials. But where's the progress?
I've got this dream that bikers will become the vanguard on this issue. Groups like Critical Mass could swoop down on lazy merchants and institutions (including not-for-profits that should know better) and read them the mobility riot act. We could press for better bike-locking/storage facilities while we're at it. Maybe we could bring our own shovels to clean the walks, and throw the stuff up on the offenders' porches or whatever. A simple transfer of wealth. Surely no businessperson could object to that.
Another concern: I often see plowing contractors illegally pushing snow out from driveways and parking lots onto the public street. Any winter biker knows this can create a real hazard – dense snow and ice packed against the curb, to the point that the bicyclist's travel lane is blocked. We should be addressing this problem, too.
I love snow, actually. I'm looking forward to a great x-c- skiing season. Might even get the snowshoes out soon. But I really hate it when human carelessness allows the snowfall to hurt the vulnerable.


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In Germany, industrial businesses pay a premium on renewable energy, a tax which seems to be funding the development and and installation of further renewable energy plants and the decommissioning of fossil fuel and nuclear plants.
For German automakers, though, whose sales are suffering, how can they pay renewable energy taxes and develop and manufacture new vehicles? The solution? Install your own power plants.
German automaker BMW is already well on its way to becoming completely renewable, from 28% in 2011 to adding 25% wind power at the Leipzig plant this year. BMW hopes to reach 100% renewable energy, but doesn't say exactly when.
Daimler and Volkswagen are installing natural gas plants at their factories in Woerth and Kassel, reducing their energy costs by better than 25% while reducing their carbon emissions by 15%.
Installing their own renewable and cleaner energy generation, German automakers take advantage of a number of benefits. First, reducing their power consumption from outside sources reduces their tax liability. Second, installing cleaner power reduces their overall greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, self-sufficiency reduces their risk of blackouts caused by storms and spikes in demand.
Despite the decline in the European automobile market over the last six years, German automakers are finding it much cheaper to install their own power systems.


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On Wed, 2/25/09, Emergency Moderator/Teeth Maestro wrote:
Sharif brothers declared ineligible for Elections Posted by Teeth Maestro February 25,2009
On Sat, 2/28/09, Jimmy Jumshade wrote:
They have created an unwanted crisis already when there is so much other crisis going on. Bloody Weirdos..... ......and Shareef brothers should have been disqualified & not allowed to participate in elections a year ago.....not after they have been in Office for a year.This is just a big time power-grab.
Excerpts from ISLAMIC PAKISTAN: ILLUSIONS & REALITY By Abdus Sattar Ghazali:
The author is a professional journalist, with Master's degree in Political Science from the Punjab University. Started his journalistic career as a sub-editor in the daily Bang-e-Haram, Peshawar in 1960. Later worked in the daily Anjam and the Tourist weekly Peshawar. Served as a News Editor in the Daily News, Kuwait from 1969 to 1976. Joined the English News Department of Kuwait Television as a News Editor in December 1976. Also worked as the correspondent of the Associated Press of Pakistan and the Daily Dawn, Karachi, in Kuwait. At present working as the Editor-in-Chief of the Kuwait Television English News.
Pakistan Human Rights situation criticized
The US State Department in its Annual 1997 Human Rights Report harshly criticized Pakistan's general political and human rights situation, saying the government infringed on citizens' privacy rights, extra-judicial killings in Karachi were still common, the judiciary was under political influence and journalists were on payrolls of agencies. "The government's human rights record remained poor in 1997, with serious problems regarding police abuse, religious discrimination, and child labor."
The report released on Jan. 30, 1998, said:
* The government imposes limits on the freedom of assembly, movement, and-for the Ahmadis in particular-religion. The extra-judicial killing of criminal suspects, often in the form of deaths in police custody or staged encounters in which the police shoot and kill the suspects, is common. Although Karachi remained a hotbed of politically motivated violence, extra-judicial killings by security forces there had diminished (as compared to the previous government).
* The authorities sometimes transferred, suspended, or arrested offending officers, but seldom prosecuted or punished them. Investigating officers generally shielded their colleagues. The Amnesty International estimated that up to 100 people died from police torture each year.
* The MQM contends that several thousand of its members are still in jail on politically motivated charges that date from the 1992-96 period. The government is supposed to be reviewing the cases of these imprisoned individuals (most of whom are awaiting trial) to see if they can be released. To date, few of them have been released.
Although Pakistan's constitution provided for an independent judiciary, in practice, the judiciary was subject to political influence. Journalists, routinely underpaid, are on the unofficial payrolls of many competing interests, and the military (or elements within it) is presumed to be no exception.
The Human Rights Society of Pakistan described the US State Department's report on human rights environment in Pakistan as a "fairly" objective document and said that it needed to be taken seriously. In a statement issued on Feb. 2, HRSP chairman S. M. Zafar said:
* The society shared the concern of the US State Department with regard to the attitude of police towards human rights and considered it to be failure of successive governments in Pakistan in controlling the situation.
* The argument about the problem being a legacy of the past was untenable as "the 1997 record of the government does not indicate any serious attempt by the government to punish the violators, some of whom resorted to extra judicial killings". Unless the government could exhibit an iron will, the bad habit already formed would continue to persist, he pointed out.
* The US report correctly portrayed the damage suffered by the judiciary that required immediate attention of all concerned. Code of conduct of judges for the superior court, he added, should be followed in letter and spirit by the learned judges and the government should avoid in passing any law, constitutional or otherwise that might erode the independence of judiciary.
MQM leader Altaf Hussein acquitted in Major Kaleem kidnapping case
A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Feb. 5 1998 acquitted Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and 18 other top leaders in the Major Kaleem kidnapping case and overturned Altaf Hussain's 27-year jail sentence ordered by a special Suppression of Terrorist Activities (STA) court. The court ordered the release of three of the 18 acquitted leaders - Ashfaq Chief, Javed Kazmi and Haji Jalal- who are serving their term in Karachi Central Prison. Ashfaq Chief, Javed Kazmi and Haji Jalal were sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment while others, including Altaf Hussain, sentenced in absentia and declared absconders, were awarded 27 years' imprisonment each. The 16 others acquitted in the case included Altaf Hussain, Saleem Shahzad, Safdar Baqri, Dr Imran Farooq, Yousuf, Nadeem Ayubi, Ayub Shah, Aftab Ahmed, Ismail alias Sitara, Ashraf Zaidi, Sajid Azad, Asghar Chacha and Rehan Zaidi.
After A.Q. Halepota, one of the counsels for the Muttahida leaders, concluded his arguments, the court asked Advocate-General Shaukat Zubedi to make his submissions. Zubedi said that a lot of omissions amounting to contradictions had been made during the trial and that he would not support the convictions of the accused by the STA court. The advocate-general said further that the proper course would be to send the case for retrial before a competent court, but the court didn't agree with his contention and acquitted the appellants.
According to the prosecution, Major Kaleem and three other army officers were patrolling the Landhi area in civilian clothes in an army jeep when about 20-armed youths took them hostage after seizing their weapons. The army men were taken to a place called White House in Landhi where they were allegedly tortured and kept for seven hours. They were rescued when the police reached the place.
The incident had happened on June 20, 1991 and the FIR of the incident was lodged on June 24. The accused in the case had been charged with kidnapping the army officers and torturing them. Trial before STA Court No. 3, began before judge Ghazanfar Ali Shah in March 1993 and the judgment was delivered on June 9, 1994 when Altaf Hussain was not in Pakistan.
The counsel for the Muttahida leaders pointed out a number of contradictions in the statements of the state witnesses who had appeared before the STA court. They said the state witnesses had failed to substantiate how army officers possessing automatic weapons could be overpowered by armed youths. The counsel also submitted before the court that Major Kaleem and those with him should have been court-martialled for surrendering to civilian youths instead of accusing the Muttahida leadership of kidnapping and torturing the armymen. They were of the view that it was a fabricated case against the Muttahida.
They argued that the names of top Muttahida leaders were not mentioned by the state witnesses, but were later inserted in the challan by the investigation officer, and added that this suggested that the party leadership had been named in the case with mala fide intention.
The Major Kaleem kidnapping case took a new turn on Feb. 4, when a prosecution witness confessed that the name of MQM chief Altaf Hussain had been belatedly inserted in the FIR. Akbar Beg, the officer who had conducted the initial investigation into the case, told the court that Altaf Hussain's name was included in the challan against him after the start of the army operation against the MQM.
SC issues detailed judgment in Sajjad's appointment case
The Supreme Court on Feb. 9, 1998 issued detailed judgment on the petitions challenging the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as the chief justice of Pakistan. The ten-member bench headed by Justice Saiduzzaman Siddiqui in its short order on Dec 23, 1997 had declared the appointment of Justice Sajjad as the CJ, illegal and unconstitutional.
The court in its 391-page judgment rejected the argument that if the appointment of Justice Sajjad as the chief justice was held unconstitutional; its application would be with retrospective effect. The court held that doctrine of de facto would apply to the appointment of Justice Sajjad as the chief justice of Pakistan till Nov 26, 1997, when a division bench of the Supreme Court restrained him from performing his administrative and judicial functions.
Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, the counsel for the former chief justice, had argued that if the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as the chief justice was declared invalid, it would lead to serious consequences as except three judges of the Supreme Court - Justice Ajmal Mian, Justice Saiduzzaman Siddiqui and Justice Fazal Illahi Khan - the appointment of all the Supreme Court judges and a number of high court judges would become invalid as all of them were appointed by the president in consultation with Justice Sajjad Ali Shah who was then the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The ten-member bench after discussing the doctrine of de facto observed: "the principle of de facto exercise of power by a holder of the public office is based on sound principle of public policy to maintain regularity in the conduct of the public business, to save the public from confusion and to protect the private right which a person may acquire as a result of exercise of power by the de facto holder of the office."
The court also dismissed the argument that the appointment of Justice Sajjad as the chief justice of Pakistan was a past and closed chapter after the apex court judgment in Judges case. Responding to the argument of Hafeez Pirzada that no judge affected by the appointment of Justice Sajjad as the CJ had objected to his appointment and they continued to function, the court said it was incorrect.
The court maintained that three judges senior to Respondent No 2 (Justice Sajjad) in spite of invitation by the president of Pakistan did not attend the oath-taking ceremony of Justice Shah as the CJ to express their resentment. Justice Saad Saood Jan, the senior most judge of the apex court who had legitimate expectancy to become the chief justice of Pakistan after the retirement of Justice Nasim Hasan Shah, the court observed, proceeded on leave for three months and until his retirement on June 30, 1996, spent most of his time at the apex court branch registry at Lahore. The court also referred to the speech of Justice Saad Saood Jan on the occasion of his retirement and a press statement issued by him, to show that he had resented his supersession by a junior judge.
Justice Ajmal Mian, another judge who was affected due to the violation of the principle of seniority in the appointment of the CJ, had also expressed his opinion on the appointment of a junior judge as the chief justice. The court referred to the two judgments in Al Jehad Case 1, and Al Jehad Case II, in which Justice Ajmal Mian had expressed his views on the subject.
Justice Ajmal Mian and Justice Saad Saood Jan did not surrender their right of legitimate expectancy to the office of the chief justice of Pakistan in favor of respondent No. 2, the court observed. "It must be borne in mind that judges of the superior courts by tradition maintain high degree of comity amongst themselves. They are not expected to go public on their differences over any issue."
The court observed that it was not expected of the superior court judges to litigate in courts like ordinary litigants in case of denial of a right connected with their offices as the code of conduct for the superior court judges enjoined upon them to avoid as far as possible any litigation on their behalf or on behalf of others.
It held that the principle of seniority in the appointment of the CJ since the establishment of the Supreme Court in 1956 was upheld. It was only violated in 1994 when the Respondent No 2 (Justice Sajjad Ali Shah), fourth on the seniority list, was appointed the chief justice of Pakistan.
The court rejected the argument of Hafeez Pirzada that no writ could be issued against a judge, the court held that judgments delivered by a judge or group of judges were the functions which were covered under Article 199(5) of the Constitution. "The difference between a judge acting as court and a judge acting in his personal and individual capacity is not only real but is necessary to preserve, otherwise a judge will not be answerable for wrong done by him in his individual capacity."
Action taken or orders passed by him in his capacity as a judge of the court cannot be brought under challenge under Article 199 of the Constitution but his action as ordinary individual would be subject to ordinary law of the land including Article 199 of the Constitution, it was maintained. When the appointment of a judge is challenged that he did not possess the qualification prescribed by the Constitution, the relator was not asking the court to strike down any of his action which he had performed or was performing as judge but was asking for examination of personal qualification. "We are therefore of the view that such an attack on the validity of the appointment of a judge of superior court through collateral proceeding is not proper remedy."
The court held that petitions challenging the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as the chief justice were maintainable. The SC reacted to the objections raised by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah against six judges on the bench, accusing them of bias. The court rejected the objections. The court also rejected the objection to the presence of Justice Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, Justice Fazal Illahi Khan, Justice Irshad Hasan Khan, Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and Justice Khalilur Rehman Khan on the bench hearing the petitions. The court also rejected the objection of bias against Justice Saiduzzaman Siddiqui that he was prejudiced against Justice Sajjad for the reason that he had recommended to the president to refer his (Justice Siddiqui's) case to the Supreme Judicial Council.
The Supreme Court converts 'charge sheet' against Nawaz Sharif into notice
A supreme court bench headed by Chief Justice Ajmal Mian agreed on Feb. 17, 1998 to treat as a mere "show cause notice" a "charge sheet" issued to Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif by a bench headed by the former chief justice, Justice (retd) Sajjad Ali Shah, for alleged contempt of court. S.M. Zafar, counsel for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, took 90 minutes to persuade the court that the charge sheet issued to the prime minister was not a charge sheet as required under the law, and the court was still at the stage of "show cause notice".
When the proceedings started, Chief Justice Ajmal Mian observed that the previous bench had charge sheeted the prime minister, and the only question for the court to decide was what procedure to follow.
S.M. Zafar contended that no charge sheet had been "issued", but admitted that a charge sheet had been "drafted". He said unless a charge sheet was read out to an accused asking him whether he pleaded guilty or not guilty, there was no charge sheet. He said under rule 7 of the 1976 Contempt of Court Act, the attorney general had to act as a prosecutor, and it was his duty to read out a charge to an accused. He said no such thing had happened in this case, and the so-called charge sheet was handed down to representatives of the respondents at the office of the deputy registrar.
When the chief justice observed that a mere formality of reading out a charge sheet to an alleged contempt was not performed, the counsel for the prime minister stated that reading out the charge sheet to the accused was not a "mere formality", but an "essential formality."
Mr Zafar argued suspending the potency of the 14th Amendment through an interim order without hearing the Federal Government or the attorney general, had upset parliamentarians who raised the issue in the parliament and this necessitated an explanation by the respondent. He contended that by virtue of section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act, Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, after having taken cognizance, could not proceed with the case.
Pakhtoonkhwa: Renaming of the NWFP
The issue of renaming the North Western Frontier Province has sparked an acrimonious argument between the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group). A resolution on renaming of the province as Pakhtoonkhwa was passed by majority in the NWFP assembly on Nov 13 1997. The resolution later became controversial due to a tough resistance by several political parties of the province against the backdrop of an aggressive campaign launched in its favor by the ANP and some other nationalist groups. By February 1998, the situation in the NWFP reached a point of acute polarization between the pro-Pakhtoonkhwa campaigners, particularly those from the ANP, and the opposing group led by veteran Muslim Leaguers.
The ANP leader, Khan Abdul Wali Khan says that (a) changing the name of the province was no longer an issue as the matter was settled by the NWFP Assembly and (b) that they were discussing with Mian Nawaz Sharif whether Punjab should accept the NWFP resolution. Wali Khan argues that the question of Pakhtoonkhwa was not the question of change of name but of safeguarding the provincial autonomy. The ANP President, Senator Ajmal Khattak has clarified that his party wanted that except for foreign affairs, defense, currency and communications, which should remain with the center, all other subjects should be handed over to the provinces.
The PML (N) parliamentary party of NWFP on Feb. 20, 1998 rejected the ANP demand for renaming the province as Pakhtoonkhwa, but empowered the Prime Minister to suggest any other "non-controversial" name. The PML (N) members stressed that Frontier (Sarhad) was a good name for the province. But if at all, renaming the province was needed, then it should be named as Khyber or Abasin. The NWFP Chief Minister, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, said that the will of the people should be taken into account while resolving the Pakhtoonkhwa issue and referendum could be one way of ascertaining what the people wanted.
However, the Awami National Party (ANP) leadership rejected the offer of holding referendum on the issue. The ANP also disapproved "Khyber" to be the new name of the province and it had told the government that it would get its demand accepted or would leave the coalition with the PML both in Center and the province.
The fact of the matter is that there is an agreement between PML(N) and ANP that the name of NWFP be changed. The ANP gave full support to Mian Nawaz in his confrontation with the judiciary and supported each amendment without asking for a free and judicious debate. The ANP President, Senator Ajmal Khattak, on Feb. 11, 1998 reaffirmed that the Prime Minister had given an undertaking to the ANP that the NWFP would be renamed as Pakhtoonkhwa. He said it was because of this understanding that his party had supported Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister and Sardar Mehtab Abbasi as NWFP chief minister.
As the acrimonious debate continued, the former chief justice of Pakistan Dr Nasim Hasan Shah called for the dissolution of the NWFP Assembly and fresh elections in the province on the issue of Pakhtoonkhwa. The press in the Punjab reminded the ANP Rehbar, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, the negative role played by his father, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, during the struggle of Pakistan. One of the newspapers from the Punjab suggested that the province should have all the say in the affairs of the state because it provides wheat to smaller provinces.
On Feb. 15, 1998, speaking on the 10th death anniversary of his father, the Pakhtoon nationalist leader, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Rehbar of the Awami National Party, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, warned the government of grave consequences if Pakhtoons were not given their due rights." If the demand for Pakhtoonkhwa was not met it would amount to curbing provincial autonomy, on which there could be no compromise."
"The provincial assembly has given its decision on renaming the NWFP by adopting a resolution in this regard and as such the province has been renamed as Pakhtoonkhwa. Now it is a matter of provincial autonomy and non-acceptance of the NWFP Assembly's resolution by the center would mean that Islamabad has no respect for the demand voiced by the elected representatives of a province.
"The Prime Minister was trying to re-create One-Unit to establish the supremacy of a specific larger province. However, the ANP would be the first one to resist such a move as we did in the past when Z.A. Bhutto was the Prime Minister. If they try to re-impose One-Unit, then we will say goodbye to them. We have good wishes for them; let them live there and we [Pakhtoons] here".
Wali Khan also warned prime minister Nawaz Sharif that his party would not bow down before the government over the question of Pakhtoons' rights and reminded him the his party's 15 members had resigned from the provincial assembly in protest when the prime minister [former] Bhutto dislodged the Balochistan government. "The ANP which has a strength of over 30 members in the provincial assembly would not hesitate to do so again if the center tried to curb provincial autonomy", he remarked.
He argued that the ANP's stand over Pakhtoonkhawa was not just a matter of renaming the province rather it was a struggle for the rights of Pakhtoons and the well being of their province. " Our forests, waters and all other provincial resources are in the control of other people."
About the Afghan refugees settled in the NWFP, he said they were not refugees, they were living in their own area because they were Pakhtoons. "The British rulers drew Durand Line just to divide the Pakhtoon nation, it has no significance at all because the Pakhtoons are united. We did not recognize the Pakhtoons' division neither at that time, nor do we accept it at present. The Pakhtoons living in Pakistan and Afghanistan are the one and same nation, they cannot be divided".
On February 25, 1998, the talks between the ANP and the federal government, on renaming the province as Pakhtoonkhwa, failed that led to the ending of a year-old ANP-PML(N)alliance.
According to Dr. Ahmad Hassan Dani, Northwest of the British has been a changing phenomenon in history. In their westward advance over the decline of the Mughal Empire the British first created the North West Province, which is now called Uttar Pradesh in India, and much later in 1901 they agreed to the formation of the present North West Frontier Province and separated it from the province of Punjab. To NWFP was added the Hazara division for administrative purposes, as Gulab Singh to whom Kashmir was sold, could not pay the full amount and hence Hazara was taken away and added to this newly created province. The Mughals had formed Suba-i-Lahore, Suba-i-Multan, to which Sindh was attached, and Suba-i-Kabul, to which was attached more or less the present NWFP. Later the Mughals conquered Kashmir and extended their sovereignty over Baltistan and Ladakh. (17)
Lord Curzon, in his Forward Policy, distinguished between the settled districts of NWFP and the newly established tribal agencies and fixed the border between British India and Afghanistan at the western end of the Khyber Pass for the first time in history and thus made a political division of the Pakhtoon tribes. (18)
To the original British NWF Province the government of Pakistan, in 1970-71, after the abolition of the states, added Swat, Dir and Chitral as new districts and also created the district of Kohistan, which was practically no-man's land in the British period. Just before partition of the sub-continent, the idea of Pakhtoonistan was floated by Congress for reasons not difficult to understand, but it fizzled out in the referendum as the people voted to join Pakistan. (19)
"As far as the British Indian Empire was concerned, the new colonial name of the province was fully justified as this province lay to the north-west frontier of the Empire but in the present geographical context of Pakistan it is neither the only region in the north-west nor the only part lying in the frontier of the state," argues, Dr. Dani. (20)
No doubt, 'NWFP' is no name for a province. This name is a legacy from our colonial past. We must be realistic in our approach and change the name of this province. A number of names have been suggested as a substitute for the NWFP. These include:
ABASIN: Abasin is one of the historical names of the river Indus that flows through the province.
GANDHARA: This is the historic name of this region. It is the Aryans who first started the geographic name of Gandhara in about the middle of the second millennium BC that extended on either side of the river Indus, with two capitals, Pushkalavati (modern Charsadda) on the west and Taxila on the east. Later the western capital was transferred to Peshawar (old Purushapura). The geographical name Gandhara continued until AD10 century, i.e. for nearly twenty-five hundred years, when after the overthrow of the Hindu Shahi dynasty by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, it was incorporated into his Ghazni Empire and Gandhara was forgotten into the limbo of history. (21)
KHYBER: After the name of the historical Khyber Pass.
PAKHTOONKHWA: It literally means the side where the Pakhtoons live. Pakhtoonkhwa has been used in Pushto literature to identify the region.
For many people the Pakhtoonkhwa issue is a regional matter, having no major consequences on the country's politics but political analysts believe that, if not handled with care, the Pakhtoonkhwa issue has the potential to turn into a major catastrophe for the country. The net result of the ruling elite being led by the bureaucracy is unending polarization between the center and regional nationalism. It is the rock on which the ship of state foundered in 1971. But the center-province bitterness and antagonism have not changed since then. The unchanging ruling elite -- in terms of social and economic provenance of a vast majority of the bureaucrats, generals and deputies of both the major parties -- refuse to be accommodative and flexible to the demands of regional nationalists in Balochistan, Sindh and even the NWFP. (Pushtoon nationalism has become an extremely complex issue with an international dimension.) The all-powerful center looks upon regional identities with suspicion and tends to react with vehe mence. The only means of dealing with them is through infiltration, subversion and division with the help of intelligence agencies. This method works for a time, as it seems to have done in Sindh, Balochistan or even in Karachi. But that resolves no problem. It merely buys time. (22)


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Many powerful magic have been used and introduced at Fairy Tail, many fans choose to cosplay their favorite characters and by this way to get their great magic in cosplay world, which turns out to be really fun! And it's believed they must be really enjoyable. Today we are going to show some amazing detailed introductions about the powerful magic, let's just have a look!
White Dragon Slayer Magic (白の滅竜魔法 Haku no Metsuryū Mahō) is a Caster Magic, Lost Magic, and a type of Dragon Slayer Magic that utilizes light. This kind of magic allows its user to transform the physiology of their body into that of a White Dragon. Consequently, this Magic allows the user to both produce and control light from any part of their body, which can be used in both close and ranged combat. It is different from other Light Magic, as Sting refers to White Dragon Slayer Magic as "Holy" and "Pure", as if it were a "light of justice".
Flame God Slayer Magic (火炎の滅神魔法 Kaen no Metsujin Mahō) is a Caster Magic, Ancient Spell, and a type of God Slayer Magic that utilizes fire. It incorporates the element of fire into the user's body, allowing them to produce black flames from any part of their body, which are mostly used as a means for offense. The user is also able to consume external sources of fire in order to replenish their strength and rid themselves of fatigue, thereby making them immune to fire-based attacks, much like a Fire Dragon Slayer. However, a Flame God Slayer is able to eat the flames produced by a Fire Dragon Slayer, with the reverse being normally impossible for said Dragon Slayer, except under special circumstances. In addition, God Flames do not burn. Rather, they have been described to be more like halberds that destroy everything in their path.
Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (影の滅竜魔法 Kage no Metsuryū Mahō) is a Caster Magic, Lost Magic, and a type of Dragon Slayer Magic that utilizes shadows. It is a magic allows the user to transform their physiology into that of a Shadow Dragon, turning their body into a shadow that cannot be touched by normal means. With this Magic, the user is also able to fade themselves into shadows to move swiftly, dodging efficiently and making surprise attacks. However, if the user is caught while in a tangible form, or by another person in shadow form, they are then vulnerable to attack.
Ushi no Koku Mairi (丑の刻参り Ushi no Koku Mairi) is a Holder-Type Lost Magic. This Magic is involved with the use Kain's voodoo doll, Mr. Cursey. After someone places a strand of hair on the doll and manipulates the doll, the "victim" is manipulated in the same manner. When a person isn't holding the doll, the person who the doll is attuned to is able to move normally. However, a second aspect of this Magic is that Kain can magically alter the doll's properties, allowing him to change the properties of the person attuned to the doll in the same manner. For example, by turning his doll into iron, Kain can do the same with his own body. Other forms of Magic can be used in conjunction with this Lost Magic, for example when Natsu lit the right hand of the doll on fire, this was reflected on Lucy, who was under the influence on the doll, without actually damaging her body.
View more:
Enjoy the Very Amazing Fairy Tail Cosplay Photos
Cosplay is Just the Way to Make You Happier


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Disclaimer: Welcome to my website. My Disclaimer contains important information I need to share with you and for you to understand. Please be advised of the following. The information contained on this website, and accompanying blog (collectively "website"), including ideas, suggestions, techniques, and other materials, is educational in nature and is provided only as general information and is not medical or psychological advice. Transmission of the information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute a client-coach or any other type of professional relationship between the visitor and Kimberly Manning and should not be relied upon as medical, psychological, coaching, or other professional advice of any kind or nature.
© 2023 Kimberly Ward Manning.
Photos by Goksun Ergur.


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Jung Hae In And Han Ji Min's Moment At The 2019 MBC Drama Awards Skyrocketed Its Viewership
Actors Jung Hae In and Han Ji Min attended the 2019 MBC Drama Awards for their series, One Spring Night.
During the ceremony, the hosts approached the on-screen couple's table for a short interview. They noted that the chemistry between their characters seemed too real and asked Han Ji Min if their romance was only truly on-screen.
Han Ji Min initially answered, "It's difficult to answer." But she went onto reveal that she felt attracted to his character as she became her character, Jung In.
When you're working on a project, you have to live as your character so I filmed the drama with the same fluttering heart as Jung In.
Since then and now, he's always been handsome.
— Han Ji Min
When the hosts asked Jung Hae In if he would ever act as a couple with Han Ji Min again, he answered, "Of course," without any hesitation!
They ended their sweet moment with a heart and the shyest smiles! And it marked the most viewed segment during all of the awards ceremony show!
The 2019 MBC Drama Awards recorded an average viewership of 7.5% during the 1st half and 8.5% during the 2nd half. But Han Ji Min and Jung Hae In's 1-minute moment marked a viewership of 11.0%!
This visual power couple played an untraditional love story between a single dad and a woman falling out of her with her long-time boyfriend.
As their drama became one of the most beloved K-Dramas in 2019, it makes sense that their chemistry during the awards show will also become one of the most beloved moments of 2019!
Check out their full interview below:


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Workers' compensation can be a tricky area of the law to understand because of how it is set up. Under the workers' compensation scheme, if you get hurt while on the job, you can get compensated for your personal injuries without filing a lawsuit. In fact, with workers' compensation, you get compensated precisely because you can't file a lawsuit. This might seem counterintuitive, but this is just the beginning of how unique workers' compensation issues can be.
A recent case in Pennsylvania provides an excellent example of this.
Convenience Store Clerk Shot
Back in May, 2008, a convenience store in Philadelphia was having shoplifting problems. They installed 16 surveillance cameras and these resulted in one of their patrons getting arrested for shoplifting. Soon after the arrest happened, the clerk who had been working when the arrest happened starting getting threats from the shoplifter's relatives.
One night, after closing the store, the clerk was sitting in his car with a co-worker. The car was parked at the curb just outside the store, which had no parking lot. Two people with masks on approached the car, stood in front of it, and shot into it repeatedly. The clerk was hit multiple times, leaving him permanently disabled.
Workers' Compensation Handles On-the-Job Injuries
Workers' compensation exists so that people who get hurt on the job can recover.
So was the convenience store clerk in this case "on the job"?
In the court case that resulted, the store owner argued that the clerk wasn't. Not only was the clerk's shift over and the store closed, but he was in his car on the street. The store owner also claimed that the car had pulled away from the curb before the shooting, and that the shooting was because of the clerk's marital problems, but these statements were overcome with evidence during the case.
The judge reviewing the case, though, decided that this was a workplace injury. The fact that the car was parked on the street didn't change this because there was no parking lot for workers and the section of the street was part of the store's property. Additionally, under Pennsylvania's workers' compensation law, "actually getting to or leaving the employee's work station is a necessary part of that employee's employment." Finally, the injuries came as retaliation for the shoplifting arrest – something that was definitively work-related.
Because these factors all made the shooting a workplace injury, the clerk was able to get the workers' compensation he needed to recover from his severe personal injuries.
St. Joseph Workers' Compensation Attorneys at the Smith Law Office
Whether the store clerk was "on the job" was just one of the big issues in this Pennsylvania case. In our workers' compensation blog post for next week, we'll go over another one of its issues – why the store owner was trying to deny his employee compensation.
Just because these cases are from out of state doesn't mean they can't shed light on how workers' compensation works in St. Joseph, Missouri. While the details might be different, the big questions remain the same.
If you've been hurt on the worksite, call the personal injury and workers' compensation attorneys at the Smith Law Office at (816) 875-9373 or contact us online.


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Facebook Flow
While most regard social media platforms like Facebook as a way to connect with others, Professor Tero Karppi from UTM's Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, is mostly interested in examining the disconnection in relation to social media users.
"The idea is to look at social media when it breaks. What are the limits of connectivity? What are the situations when social media sites want to get rid of users?" asks Karppi, a new media expert who has had Facebook specifically at the fore of his research since 2010.
"For example, what social media platforms like Facebook do with users after they die."
In this instance, Karppi says there are a few options on Facebook when users pass away, including designating a "legacy contact" to take over your account in the event of your death, or once you have confirmed a person has died by submitting an obituary or an official announcement, you can request to memorialize the deceased's Facebook account, which restricts their personal profile.
Even more interesting are the efforts to encourage one, who is still very much alive, to stay on Facebook when they attempt to deactivate their account: pictures of your Facebook friends pop up with a text underneath that says your friends will miss you if you go. This attempt to influence your decision also ties into other messages that materialize, such as 'Facebook cares about your memories' or that you have been friends with one of your contacts for a [specified] number of years; Karppi says Facebook has "devised a platform that appeals to your emotions" and also provides a sense of belonging to a group in which you have meaningful connections in order to keep you signed on.
This feeds into another area that Karppi focuses on in trying to understand social media users, as well as how social media businesses see their users, how they position them, particularly through technology, and who gets to use the information.
"My work considers how much control the user actually has – what processes are controlled by the user, and what are the processes controlled by the platform?" says Karppi.
"I am also interested in the idea of expanding our understandings of social media from that one platform or website to all the other things it connects to, and is beyond our control."
Along this vein, a research study he conducted in 2015 with collaborator Kate Crawford from Microsoft Research questioned how the information a user posts may be of interest to other actors, such as financial traders, who are looking for a tip-off to steer the stock market, based on posted material on social media. The research culminated in examining one tweet that allegedly had wiped out $136.5 billion of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index's value.
Karppi, who completed a PhD in his home country at the University of Turku in Finland and then three years in the Department of Media Study at the State University of New York at Buffalo prior to coming to UTM, says that he has been always interested in media and communications, but that he was always taught to "go against the grain." This is what led him to the disconnection pursuit in his current work.
"In the early 2010s people were so hyped and into the possibilities of social media in general," says Karppi. "Connectivity was taken as given, it was like a dogma no one was interested in challenging. And yet, connectivity always implies the possibility to disconnect."
"At that point, academics weren't really focusing on social media platforms; they were interested in doing user-centric research. But it felt like there was another side to this area that needed to be better understood."
With technology moving at such an accelerated pace, and new social media platforms cropping up all the time, does Karppi worry about Facebook being eclipsed by another option at some point?
"In the beginning, I was unsure whether or not I should take Facebook as my research material because it might disappear within the next couple of years, but here we are seven years later, and it has only continued to grow in a significant way since that time, with 2 billion monthly users," says Karppi, himself currently just a "semi-active" Facebook user.
"Facebook as an interface may slowly disappear but they can afford to buy the competition, and will own the next iteration of Facebook. Whether it's called Facebook, Google, Twitter or something else doesn't matter. What matters are the techno-social conditions we accept when we let these platforms into our lives."


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Vba how to use find in Excel
For example in the table below I want to find the date of the last session with Devon.
To do it in Excel, here is the answer:
- Option Explicit
- Sub FindLastOccurrence()
- Dim sPatient As String
- Dim rngSearch As Range
- Dim dtLastSessionDate As Date
- ''
- sPatient = "Devon"
- ''
- 'Set an Object variable for the range to be searched.
- Set rngSearch = ActiveSheet.Range("AQ5:AQ14").Find(What:=sPatient, SearchDirection:=xlPrevious)
- If Not rngSearch Is Nothing Then
- dtLastSessionDate = ActiveSheet.Cells(rngSearch.Row, rngSearch.Column + 1)
- End If
- ''
- End Sub
a) Line 10 is used to search the specified range. The "SearchDirection:=xlPrevious" argument find sets the search up in reverse direction. If xlPrevious is replaced by xlNext, the search would be from top to bottom.


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I heard something in passing a few days ago that I didn't think much of at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more it festered. I heard someone say that women are not permitted to participate in actual combat in the United States military. I thought, 'no…that's ridiculous. Who would make a stupid rule like that?'
Turns out, stupid rules like that do exist.
It has only been since 1985 that women have been allowed to serve on submarines. NINETEEN EIGHTY FIVE. I mean, okay, the first time ANYONE served on a submarine was in the early teens of the twentieth century, but NINETEEN EIGHTY FIVE, people. Do you even know how ridiculous that is?
I don't want to get too sidetracked here on the basic ridiculousness of sexism, because I could just go on mocking folks all day. You know, for a *change*.
Anyway, I'd heard the claims that women cannot match men when it comes to physical exertion and ability. I'd heard the goofy idea that men in the military would be 'adversely affected' in seeing a female comrade fall to enemy fire. I'd even heard that womens' roles are as nurturers; that we need women in order to raise up the next generation (of soldiers, presumably). And that allowing women (and, for that matter, gay folks) would somehow cause military units to crumble with diversity.
In my naïveté, I thought these arguments were just simple smokescreens for basic sexism. And they may well be. But there are people who actually *believe* this crap. That always comes as a surprise to me.
I was sent this article which discusses a recent move in the US military to lift bans on women participating in combat. And something really struck me when I read:
Americans will not tolerate large numbers of women coming home in body bags.
And here it is.
Do you value your sons so little? Are your daughters more worthy than your sons? Because if this is the case, I think you're doing it wrong. On one hand, the right-wing says that women are content in their subordinate roles as caregivers and mothers. That it's okay to have special rules for women because they're just not as capable as men. So on one hand, they *devalue* women. But then they turn around and say, "No no no, you cannot let women get killed in combat. We won't stand for that."
So you're fine with indentured servitude (proscribed roles for women), but you're not okay with freedom (womens' right to choose how to serve their country). Gotcha. You know, that's kind of backward to the way you're portrayed in the media.
But I want to get back to something here. It's okay to send dozens of young men home in bags, but you take a step back when there's a possibility some of those body bags contain uteri? "Well, no", you'll say, "ideally we don't want ANYONE to have to give their life for their country."
But, in essence, when someone DOES give their life for their country, better it be a young man. I do not see the logic here.
Rick Santorum, who is a raging madman (in fact, I usually refer to him as Rick Sanatorium), claims that the reason it would be a mistake to ALLOW women full participation in the military is because it would be really difficult emotionally for male soldiers to see a female soldier's life threatened, and that reaction would be distracting from their missions. Because, you know, watching an enemy of the state blow your buddy's brains out in front of you is fine as long as your buddy is another dude.
More mind-boggling are the comments of one of the people who served on a task force that studied the role of women in the military in 1992. Elaine Donnelly said:
it's a cultural issue and that Santorum's concerns are legitimate. The commission voted against sending women in close combat because "that would like being an endorsement of violence against women," she said.
No, really. Go back and read that again.
You cannot allow women in the military because that means our country supports violence against women. We also support violence against men, but that doesn't matter because men can take care of themselves. You know, it's too bad there aren't people who are opposed to violence. Then maybe we wouldn't NEED a military.
I feel this is a good time to point out that Ms. Donnelly is the president of the Center for Military Readiness. While I'm sure this is a worthy organisation, I can't help but imagine it as a bunch of super jumpy people in a high-tech room, all of whom have had WAAY too much coffee. And they all just cop these ninja poses every now and then and shout: "ARE YOU READY? **ARE YOU READY!!!???**"
She (Donnelly) goes on to say:
If a soldier is injured and his support soldier is a woman, "that man dies because she's not going to be able to meet the physical requirements and it doesn't matter how brave and courageous she is. … We respect women in the military but when you're talking about direct ground combat, if you start making diversity the most important factor, then you put lives at risk."
As my good friend Ferlak pointed out, the army has combat readiness tests, and if you don't pass those, you don't get to do frontline combat, period. Regardless, one would assume, of your gender. Trust me, if you were on the front lines with His Nibs and I, which of us would you want dragging your shellshocked arse back behind a tank and out of the line of fire? [Note: you want me.] [Also note: I'm a chick.]
I should just like to point out that I am of the extreme left-wing socialist bent who is opposed to the need for a military period. This doesn't mean I think there are times when military action isn't the fastest and most effective way of protecting people against despotic military regimes, genocide, and all sorts of evil acts performed by men and women on one another. I *despise* the taking of human lives, no matter in whose name it is done. But here's the ticket….I despise the taking of male lives *just as much* as I despise the taking of female lives.
It is no more wrong to hurt a woman than it is to hurt a man.
And this archaic, backward policy that the Pentagon is trying to change (that of women not being permitted to serve in combat roles) needs to go. It needs to recognise the value of *all* lives, regardless of their gender.
Give some more credit to the people who *do* choose to serve in the military (I am certainly not one of them), and in their ability to do their jobs, and to do them well, regardless of their chromosomes.
Also, my American friends, PLEASE don't elect a nutbar. PLEASE don't elect Rick Sanatorium. Or Mitt Romney (HIS NAME IS MITT. MITT. HOW CAN YOU, WITH A STRAIGHT FACE, EVEN CONSIDER SAYING "President MITT"?). Or Newt Gingritch. HIS NAME IS NEWT. NEWT. All three of these men are dangerous to freedom, liberty, and, to be honest, common sense. Some of them are dangerous to sanity. In exchange, I will do my very best to try to get Stephen Harper out of office here at home.


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Enterprise Estonia: Estonia down €1.3 billion in tourism revenue in 2020
According to Enterprise Estonia (EAS), tourism exports fell by 63 percent or €1.3 billion in 2020, reaching only €763 million.
"Especially in a small country, it is clear that our prosperity or lack thereof depends primarily on the extent to which we are able to sell goods and services outside Estonia," Liina Maria Lepik, director the of the Estonian Tourist Board, said in a press release, adding that tourism revenue had been on the rise so far.
Tourism exports consist of a total of two economic indicators, which are exports of travel services and exports of passenger transport.
Exports of travel services, that is expenditures of residents of foreign countries in Estonia, totaled €517 million in 2020. This is a decrease of 67 percent or €1.04 billion compared to 2019. The last time the export of travel services was the same was in 1999.
Exports of travel services show the expenditure of all residents of foreign countries in Estonia, including one-day visitors and those who do not spend the night in accommodation establishments. The number of overnight stays of foreign tourists in accommodation establishments also showed a similar result - their overnight stays totaled 1.4 million, which is at a similar level as in 1999.
Exports of passenger transport, that is payments of residents of foreign countries to Estonian transport companies, totaled €245 million in 2020. This is a decrease of 52 percent or €266 million compared to 2019.
The drastic decline also reduced the share of exports of tourism services in exports as a whole. While in 2019, the share of tourism services exports accounted for almost a third of services exports, it was only 13.5 percent last year. The share of tourism in the export of goods and services was one tenth in 2019, last year it dropped to 4 percent.
According to Enterprise Estonia, this year has also started very hard for the tourism sector. According to Statistics Estonia, the nights spent by foreign tourists in January make up only 14 percent of the January 2020 level.
The nights spent by domestic tourists in January of this year accounted for as much as 97 percent of the level of January last year, but they do not in any way compensate for the hole made by foreign tourism, as domestic tourism accounted for one third and foreign tourism for two thirds of the total volume of Estonian tourism before the pandemic.
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Kristjan Kallaste


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Synopsis: Mrs. Voorhees is dead, and Camp Crystal Lake is shut down, but a camp next to the infamous place is stalked by an unknown assailant. Is it Mrs. Voorhees' son Jason who didn't drown in the lake some 30 years before?
My Quick Review: Since I was quite disappointed while re-watching the first Friday the 13th, I had lower expectation getting into the first sequel.
But Friday the 13th Part 2 is actually a better film. Steve Miner takes the director role this time and he shows more skills than Sean S Cunningham whose direction was more tv-like.
As a result, Friday the 13th part 2 got more thrills than the original movie and better kills too (who can't remember the spear death as well as the machete kill).
It does help as well, that the heroine in Part 2 is played by Amy Steel, who can actually act and we also get so see Jason for the first time as the titular killer (albeit with a paper bag on his head, not yet his iconic hockey mask).
And, the last 20 mn or so of the movie, a lengthy chase through the woods/cabins, are extremely efficient and nerves cracking.
While the set-up is the same, as it will be in most of the other sequels, Friday The 13th Part II still stands as an important entry in the series, with probably the best use of the score/music and location (starting with Friday part III, there will be an overuse of studio sets instead of natural location) and some of the best deaths.
My Rating: 6.5/10
Director: Steve Miner
Origin: US
Click Here to Own and Watch Friday the 13th Part II now!