text:
ACCOMMODATIONS Seri
Enjoy traditional Japanese course meals and views of Maruyama River and the rolling mountains from the comfort of Seri Inn.
The rooms and baths in this quiet in all provide beautiful views of Maruyama River and the rolling mountain ranges. The traditional Japanese cuisine here is especially something to be enjoyed, the fish and specialty Tsuiyama crab are caught fresh and brought in from near by Tsuiyama Port. Enjoy each individually hand made dish as we serve them to you. We also offer a free shuttle to all the open-air public hot spring bath houses in Kinosaki, guests should take advantage of this chance and visit as many bath houses as they can for a memorable experience. Our private bath with a wonderful view of the surrounding scenery is popular with our guests.
Japanese style guest room
Free open-air private bath with a wonderful view. (※We do not accept reservations in advance. Please make a reservation at the time of check-in. First-come, first-served basis.)
Scenery as seen from the guest rooms, lobby and baths. Guests are sometimes treated to views of oriental white storks and other wild birds flying about.
The relaxation room has free massage chairs and picture books. (This is also the waiting room for the baths.)
- Address・contact information・facility HP
Address :1297-1 Momoshima , Kinosaki-cho , Toyooka-city , Hyogo
Phone Number:0796-32-3368
Facility HP:http//www.kinosaki-seri.net
- Room types
- Western style rooms (0) Japanese style rooms (9) Western/Japanese style rooms (2) Total (11)
- Room features
- All rooms have a restroom w/bidet, TV, AC unit, and refrigerator. There is also a large (34m^2) Japanese style room with a full bathroom.
- Meals served in guest room
- Breakfast:No Dinner:Yes
- Private/Reserved dining in hall
- Breakfast:No Dinner:Yes
- Hot spring
- Hot spring:Yes Family(private) bath:Yes Open air(outdoor bath):No Open air(outdoor bath) in guest room:No
- Baths explanation
- There isn't an open-air bath in our inn, but the bath on the 3rd floor provides an impressive view. There is also a bath that may be reserved for private bathing for groups up to 4 people. (Reservations should be made the same day, no charge.)
- Amenities
Y Small towel Y Body wash Y Hair dryer Y Bidet Y Toothbrush,Toothpaste Y Soap Y Down comforter Y Hair brush,Comb Y Large towel Y Yukata Y Shaver Y Shampoo(Shampoo/Conditioner) Y Shower cap Y Conditioner Y TV - Other Amenities
- Regarding the amenities we provide:
○ Hand towel
○ Body soap
○ Hair dryer
○ Bidet toilet
○ Toothbrush and toothpaste
○ Soap
○ Down comforter
○ Comb and brush
○ Bath towel
○ Yukata
○ Razor
○ Shampoo (including conditioner)
× Pajamas
○ Shower cap
○ Conditioner
× Bathrobe
○ Cotton swabs
Our female guests can from our collection of yukatas (cotton kimonos) and accessories to create a complete set to their liking, a total of 30 different styles. We also have some for the men.
- Facilities
- Non-smoking rooms, Guest parking, Vending machine, Shop, Body care service, Humidifier
- Services
- Internet, Copier, Fax, Postal service
- Facility information
- Free shuttle, massage services(extra charge), state-of-the-art massage chairs(free), table tennis(free), banquet hall, relaxation room, table tennis room, small shop.
- Parking
- Free Parking Available
- Credit cards accepts
- Most major credit cards. JCB・VISA・Master・AMEX・NICOS・ Diners
- Map


text:
Night of The General
The woman was a phenomenon. Easily the most influential figure during Pakistan's second military regime, with the slightest gesture of her bejewelled hand she could guarantee employment, ensure promotions and bring about unwelcome transfers. Yet, interestingly, few even know her real name: Akleem Akhtar. General Rani she was, and remains to all but an intimate few.
There are enough reasons for the lady's ascension to local legend status. In her glory days she seemed omnipotent and was brazen about her exploits. And now, even while suffering from breast cancer that has led to metastasis in the liver and kidney, bedridden and in semi-seclusion, she remains spirited and outspoken.
Yet, doing a story on her was probably the most difficult assignment I have undertaken. For one thing, everyone I was certain was acquainted with her, was reluctant to even own up to the fact that they knew her. So, for starters, I made a call to her daughter, Aroosa Alam, the defence journalist for the Pakistan Observer and the news coordinator for the Middle East Broadcasting Company, and pop star Fakhre Alam's mother.
Aroosa nipped all efforts at contact with her mother in the bud, claiming that not only was General Rani far too unwell to entertain visitors, but also, her brothers were completely against their mother appearing in the press. "My mother has been hurt sufficiently by the media already; we don't want her private life exploited any further," stated a stern Aroosa.
A call to Naureen and Arshad Sami, Adnan Sami Khan's parents, proved equally unsuccessful. Although General Rani is Naureen's maternal aunt, she politely but firmly denied even knowing the lady. There was a similar response from Zil-e-Huma, whose mother Madame Nur Jehan's friendship with General Rani was legion. Huma completely denied any knowledge of the woman.
A journalist working for the Jang group, Maqsood Butt nearly had an apoplexy when I mentioned the story I was working on. While in the past Maqsood Butt had written extensively on this topic and is said to have close ties with the family, he has for several years, refrained from even bringing up her name in an article.
"I promised her that I would never talk about her or her family again," he stated nervously and refused to help me in any way.
Clearly, the woman I was seeking out was no ordinary woman. As I kept running into a blind alley and became increasingly despondent, General Rani's lawyers, S. M. Zafar and Ijaz Batalvi, Mustafa Khar, and a few journalists and government officials who wish to remain anonymous, appeared like beacons and lit my way.
A sneak visit was arranged to General Rani's house and thereupon begins this story.
The house General Rani resides in is rather small, with little more than a handkerchief-sized lawn in front, and the main door opening into a virtually non-existent hall that leads straight to her room. There was an air of neglect about the house; the garden was unkempt and the floor unswept. General Rani was lying in bed. My first impression was one of shock. Having visualised an elegant, elderly woman, I was instead confronted by a dark, overweight woman. Her hair had obviously suffered due to heavy doses of chemotherapy, and the loss of hair accentuated the pock-marks on her face. But though visibly ill, she was in good spirits and happy to entertain visitors – a commodity I suspect, is a rare treat nowadays.
General Rani hails from a village in Gujarat. Her father was a zamindar and the family was reportedly well-to-do. Those who knew her family describe their house as one of the bigger mansions in the area, with a number of servants running around to the residents' bidding.
From the outset, Akleem was an independent spirit. She was a tomboy, fond of outdoor sports and hunting. And though she did not even complete her matric, her sharp intelligence more than compensated for her lack of education.
At a tender age she was married to a police officer many times her senior. Though the marriage lasted for some time and she bore six children, General Rani was never happy. Her husband was a traditionalist and believed that a wife's primary duty was to serve her husband. A woman as strong and independent as she found this hard to digest, and squabbles were common between the two. The sham their marriage was eventually reduced to, collapsed one day – right on Murree's Mall Road.
One summer, when the family was vacationing in Murree, a burqa-clad Rani and her husband went for a stroll on the Mall. As was customary for him, he walked a step or two behind her so as to keep an eye on her. Suddenly there was a gust of wind – "a lovely breeze" says she, and quite spontaneously Rani lifted the naqab covering her face to allow the breeze to caress her cheeks.
Her husband immediately tapped her with his walking stick to reprimand her. Enraged and insulted, she threw caution to the wind and flung her naqab to the ground, and her abaya into a cracking fire. She then turned to face her husband with a defiant gleam in her eyes.
She explains her reaction in these words: "I just felt I had had enough. The anger and frustration had been building up inside me for many months, but that day, it just all came oozing out. I wanted to tear my husband's muffler into bits, scratch his face, pull his hair out, and do all sorts of damage to him. The only thing that stopped me were the people on the Mall."
Though this incident marked the end of her marriage, the official divorce process (if there was one) took place later. Most sources agree that Rani was only married once, but one of her closest friend states that there was a second marriage, much later in her life and of an extremely short duration. Whatever the truth of that marriage, the dramatic end of her first proved a turning point in her life and transformed Rani irrevocably. She began to thrive on her independence and her life philosophy evolved into a specific ambition. As she puts it, "I was determined to beat men at their own game. Since my husband was in the police, I had been observing men in positions of power throughout my married life and I had realised that all men in positions of power needed a vent and the vent they require the most is a bedmate provided through a reliable agency. The higher a man's position, the greater his demand."
In one interview, Rani stated: "I knew that dumb, pretty girls who come with no strings attached are a universal failing of men in power. After my marriage collapsed and I had to find the means to support myself and my children, I decided to become the provider of such girls to men in need."
In yet another conversation, she talked about the understanding she gained of the workings of the government by listening to her husband's complaints. "I realised that in this country everything worked on mutual favours and the profession that I had chosen for myself entitled me to these favours."
This outspokenness notwithstanding, Rani maintains she personally never allowed herself to be used or even thought of as any man's keep. She contends she maintained her dignity and saw herself as a sexless mother figure. She says she was always the woman behind the scenes, there to run the show and mop up the mess.
The gods were obviously smiling on her, because soon after she adopted this profession, the man who was soon to run the show took a shine to her. She describes her first meeting with Yahya Khan. "At that time Agha Jani was posted at Kharian and I was living in Gujarat. We met by chance at a party in Pindi club. Though I would often frequent such parties, I never joined in the drinking and dancing. Rather, I preferred sitting some distance away from the party and usually found a seat near the men's room, well aware of the fact that the more they drank the more visits they would have to make to the toilet and hence past me.
"Agha Jani was in full swing at this party. He was completely drunk, and was continually traipsing back and forth from the men's room. During one of these visits, he saw me and took a fancy to me. I remember asking about him and after we were formally introduced, I invited him to Gujarat."
Thereafter Yahya Khan began making frequent journeys from Kharian to Gujarat. Somewhere along the way she earned the title of General Rani and the name stuck. While speculation about the exact nature of her relationship with Yahya Khan rages – they were said to be friends, lovers, shared a sibling relationship or one of demand and supply at various times through the course of their relationship – the general consensus among Rani's more intimate circle is that they never had a physical relationship. Various explanations are put forth to explain this. "Yahya never desired her," says a friend. "She was a woman of principles and from day one, she made it clear to him what her limits were," states another.
Nonetheless, after he became the martial law adminstrator, Rani became a cornerstone in his life. Yahya's weaknesses were drink and women and Rani masterfully catered to both. Among the women she introduced him to were film actress Taranna – film actress Andleeb's mother – Madame Nur Jehan and Nael Kamal. She relates how Yahya's fascination with Nur Jehan began.
"One night Agha Jani came to visit me and was somewhat agitated. The moment he entered, he inquired if I had heard the song "cheeche da chala" from the film Dhee Rani. I smiled and stated that I had no time to listen to songs. So, he called the military secretary and ordered him to have a copy of the song delivered to my house at once. It was two o' clock in the morning and the MS had to specially have an audio shop opened up in order to obtain the album. But the command was obeyed and within an hour, Agha Jani was blissfully listening to the song.
"Observing him I smiled and stated that since he seemed to enjoy the song so immensely, I would bring the singer to his house on his birthday. This greatly pleased him and so the very next day, I took a flight to Lahore. In those days, a suite at the Intercontinental Hotel was permanently reserved for me and so from the airport, I went directly to the hotel. From there I called Nur Jehan and asked her to come and meet me. Till now, I had never been formally introduced to her; I just knew of her, as she knew of me. Well, Nur Jehan came, and we talked, and the next week she arrived in Islamabad to dance and sing for General Yahya Khan."
Madame Nur Jehan's relationship with General Yahya Khan subsequently came under great scrutiny. At first, Madame persistently denied that she was on friendly terms with the general, but when objectionable pictures of both of them were printed, she resorted to another defence and officially stated that General Rani, had time and, again tried to get her involved with the general. In response to this, Rani laughed and commented that Madame was hardly a suckling infant who could be coerced into doing what others wanted her to do. The Rani-Nur Jehan tussle was played up by the press, until eventually, some time before the latter's death, the two made up. Following is an extract from an interview General Rani gave after Madame's death.
Q: Why did you introduce Madame Nur Jehan to General Yahya Khan?
A: Some tax inspectors were bugging Madame Nur Jehan and the poor woman was in great distress. She asked me to help her out and I introduced her to Agha Jani.
Q: How would you define your relationship with Nur Jehan?
A: She was just like my sister and I often called her baji.
Q: How would you describe her character?
A: She was an exceptionally brave and confident woman, who brought up her children singlehandedly. The only flaw she had was her greed for money.
Q: It is said that Madame tried to drive a wedge between you and Yahya Khan?
A: I don't want to say anything on this issue. If Rani catered to Agha Jani's every whim, there is no question that she was royally compensated. During Yahya Khan's time, General Rani prospered way beyond her wildest expectations. There are endless reports of how she would use her 'special relationship' with Yahya to fill her coffers. She would ask for a plot of land or a house in return for a favour and those desperate for a job or promotion would readily fulfill her demands. During this time, politicians were also eager to win her approval and among the many who curried her favour were Mustafa Khar and Z. A. Bhutto.
General Rani describes her relationship with these two men: "Both Mustafa Khar and Z. A. Bhutto would come and sit at my house for hours on end, begging me to introduce them to the General. Mustafa Khar was particularly fond of listening to the poems I used to write. In fact if you compare Yahya Khan to these two, I would say that I was closer to Bhutto and Khar and arranged more parties for them than I did for Agha Jani."
It was a closeness that was not to endure. As soon as Bhutto came to power, General Rani was put under house arrest and her telephone connection was cancelled. Her crime in the words of an eminent lawyer was that, "she knew too much."
Thus began General Rani's downfall. Once the issue of house arrest was resolved (courtesy S. M. Zafar) and her subsequent jail terms ended (the most recent for drug-trafficking), General Rani never really reverted to her former glory. By now the money that had so freely flowed into her hands had also freely flowed out.
Financially wrecked, socially ostracised, dependent only on the kindness of a few whose affections for her have endured, General Rani lives largely in the past – in the memory of days of wine and roses.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fisher Types N480 and N481 hose end valves are intended as quick-acting primary shutoff valves for the end of the transfer hose on bobtail delivery trucks.
Standard valves can be used on propane, butane, and Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) service at ambient temperature. For other LP-Gases and compressed gases or other temperature conditions consult the factory. For increased safety the Type N480 is designed to stay closed unless connected even with the operating lever in the open position.


text:
In one of the most widely anticipated decisions in recent history, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the sweeping federal law overhauling the nation's health care system is constitutional.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the requirement that individuals have health coverage or pay a penalty — known as the individual mandate — is within Congress' power to impose taxes. On the issue of Medicaid expansion, a majority of the court said Congress can expand Medicaid, but it can't strip states of all their Medicaid funds if they fail to participate in that expansion.
The conservative Roberts surprised court watchers by joining the four liberal justices to form a 5-4 majority. The decision came after three days of historic arguments in late March that hinged on whether the government can require people to purchase health insurance, if they're not otherwise covered. (You can read the opinions here.)
Republican leaders were quick to claim that the decision was bad news for individual choice and the economy. "Obamacare puts the federal government between you and your doctor," GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said in a press conference after the ruling. In what's sure to become a campaign theme, Romney added, "If we want good jobs and a bright economic future for ourselves and for our kids, we must replace Obamacare."
House Speaker John Boehner echoed that argument. "The president's health care law is hurting our economy by driving up health costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire," he said in a statement. "Today's ruling underscores the urgency of repealing this harmful law in its entirety."
But President Obama, who surely was one of the day's big winners, called the decision "a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law." And he urged lawmakers to move on: "What the country can't afford to do is refight the political battles of two years ago. ... Now is the time to keep our focus on the most urgent challenges of our time" – the economy and job creation.
The individual mandate drew the ire of Republicans and tested the legal flexibility of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, which supporters of the law had argued was on their side.
But that didn't turn out to be the crucial test after all. Instead, it came down to a finding that the penalty for not buying insurance is a tax, something Congress can levy under the Constitution.
The lawyers at SCOTUSblog summarized the ruling this way:
The Affordable Care Act, including its individual mandate that virtually all Americans buy health insurance, is constitutional. There were not five votes to uphold it on the ground that Congress could use its power to regulate commerce between the states to require everyone to buy health insurance. However, five Justices agreed that the penalty that someone must pay if he refuses to buy insurance is a kind of tax that Congress can impose using its taxing power. That is all that matters. Because the mandate survives, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional, except for a provision that required states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing their funding. On that question, the Court held that the provision is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn't comply with the new requirements, rather than all of their funding.
The mandate, set to take effect in 2014, was seen by advocates of the law as a crucial tool in making possible a broad expansion of health coverage. It would help spread the costs across more people and would directly ensure that millions of uninsured people get insurance.
But the mandate got compared unfavorably to the government ordering people to buy broccoli. Good for their health, probably. But mandatory? Justice Antonin Scalia pressed Solicitor General Donald Verrilli on the administration's argument that everyone is in the health care market, like it or not.
"Scalia: Could you define the market — everybody has to buy food sooner or later, so you define the market as food, therefore, everybody is in the market; therefore, you can make people buy broccoli.
Verrilli: That's quite different. The food market, while it shares that trait that everybody's in it, it is not a market in which your participation is often unpredictable and often involuntary."
Opponents saw the requirement as an unbridled intrusion on personal liberty. A brief filed by Paul Clement, the lawyer who argued the challenge to the law brought by 26 states, said the mandate was an overreach. He crystallized the argument this way in a legal brief:
"The individual mandate rests on a claim of federal power that is both unprecedented and unbounded: the power to compel individuals to engage in commerce in order more effectively to regulate commerce. This asserted power does not exist."
The Obama administration and supporters of the law had argued, essentially, that everyone is already taking part in the market for health services. It's pretty much inevitable that you'll use health care services at various points in your life. It's only a question of when and how big a bill you'll ring up.
Ultimately, a Supreme Court majority agreed with opponents who argued that the Commerce Clause wasn't broad enough to include the insurance mandate. But that didn't turn out to be necessary for the law to survive.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Law of the Jungle is a hybrid reality show combining elements of drama and documentary. The show is hosted by comedian Kim Byung Man, and each episode invites various celebrities from the various field. So far, many of idol stars and famous actors have appeared on the show. The show introduces viewers to exotic locations around the world where celebrities must work together in order to complete missions and survive. The cast celebrities travel to less habituated, natural places to survive on their own and experience life with local tribes and people. In each location, the guests are tasked to hunt and prepare their meals and also create shelter for the tribe. They sometimes confronted by many difficult challenges. Where will the tribe visit? And how will they survive on their own? Stay tuned to check out!
Genre: Reality
Stars: Kim Byung-man
Crew: Baek Jeong-ryeol, Lee Ji-won, Jung Soon-young
Country: KR
Studio: SBS
Runtime: 26:14 minutes
Quality: HD
First air date: Oct 21, 2011
Last air date: Jun 05, 2021
Episode: 870 Episode
Season: 57 Season
IMDb: 6.3


text:
A few months ago, we started the journey to bring the PowerShell experience in to Azure Cloud Shell. Today, that experience enters public preview alongside Bash in Azure Cloud Shell. With the addition of PowerShell in Cloud Shell, now you have the flexibility to choose the shell experience that works best for you.
Features of PowerShell in Cloud Shell
The PowerShell experience builds on to the benefits of Azure Cloud Shell such as:
- Authenticated shell access to Azure from virtually anywhere.
- Common tools and programming languages in a shell that's updated and maintained by Microsoft.
- Persist your files across sessions in attached Azure File storage.
The PowerShell experience adds:
- Azure drive (Azure:) to discover and navigate all Azure resources like file system navigation. Azure drive also provides contextual capabilities such as:
- Resource group scoping for Azure PowerShell cmdlets, when within the context of a resource group path in the Azure drive (Azure:).
- Context-sensitive command list using Get-AzureRmCommand. It only lists commands that are applicable to items under the path in Azure drive (Azure:).
- Rich PowerShell script editing using VIM, which provides built-in syntax highlighting and IntelliSense for PowerShell files.
- An extensible model for adding new commands (via modules and scripts) from the PowerShell Gallery, which automatically persisted across your Cloud Shell sessions.
- Enables interactions with VMs using PowerShell remoting to enable management of guest VMs.
Find more details about the features and tools incorporated into the PowerShell experience in Cloud Shell.
Azure PowerShell integration
To provide a streamlined Azure PowerShell experience, Cloud Shell:
- Automatically authenticates access to all your account's subscriptions for Azure PowerShell
- Maintains the version of the Azure PowerShell modules, providing the latest and greatest experience in every Cloud Shell session
Whether you're an experienced Azure user or new to the platform, Cloud Shell offers low-friction access to learn and use Azure PowerShell commands. Using Cloud Shell, you can easily automate and manage resources at scale from the comfort of the Azure portal.
Azure documentation integration
Azure PowerShell documentation is now fully interactive with the addition of PowerShell Try It button. This addition enables an immersive learning experience for Azure PowerShell scenarios and samples. The integrated PowerShell environment in the Azure documentation uses the same PowerShell in Cloud Shell experience that is available from the Azure portal.
Try this experience today in the Azure PowerShell tutorials.
Azure mobile app integration
PowerShell in Azure Cloud Shell is also available on the Azure mobile app enabling you to take this experience with you, wherever you go. Saving in-progress work across devices is where it starts to get interesting. With the power of the Azure mobile app, you have access to any script in your CloudDrive, from virtually anywhere.
Try it today
Launch Cloud Shell from the top navigation bar of the Azure portal and select PowerShell option from the shell drop-down list. Learn more details about Azure Cloud Shell.
Thank you to our private preview users who helped shape the current experience by providing valuable feedback via issues and feature requests. We encourage you to continue your support by sharing your thoughts, experience, and input through Azure Cloud Shell UserVoice.


text:
Designating a direct beneficiary? Ask yourself these questions first.
Many Canadians designate a direct beneficiary on their RRSP, RRIF, TFSA or insurance policies without giving it a second thought (although in Quebec, beneficiary designations are only effective on insurance policies). However, designating a direct beneficiary is not recommended for many plan/policy owners, where they have non-traditional or unique family situations, as it can lead to unfavourable tax implications for beneficiaries.


text:
Through coloured one-coat weather resistant and breathable decorating render for vertical masonry and concrete walls. 48 Standard colours available. Non standard colours are available subject to colour approval. Expected coverage 1.0m2 per 25kg.
SUITABLE SUBSTRATESMasonry and walls conforming to BS 5628-3 and constructed from the following:■ Concrete blocks.■ Bricks.■ Terracotta blocks e.g. Porotherm*.■ Lightweight aircrete concrete blockwork e.g. Celcon.■ Breeze blocks (clinker).■ Stone/rubble stone.■ Shuttered concrete.■ Expanded clay insulation blocks.■ Clean, sound, well adhered existing render.■ Base coats conforming to BS EN 13914-1■ PAREX grey weather resistant base coats,e.g. MONOGRIS E, PARMUREX or TRADIREX.■ Dry-stacked inter-locking modular wall units e.g. Durisol* recycled timber blocks.*Consult masonry manufacturer's datasheets. Durisol with Monorex GM & GF is NHBC approved for single skin external wall construction.■ For below dpc applications and old substrates inaccordance with BS8000 - 4 Code of Practice for Waterproofing, consult Parex.
UNSUITABLE SUBSTRATES■ Weak mortar or plaster (Gypsum) coated constructions.■ Painted substrates - use PARINTER first■ Avoid applications onto horizontal flat substrates or those with a backward incline as this may affect water run off and may have a tendency to hold moisture.
FINISHES■ Medium Scraped - (GM) Fine Scraped (GF)■ Sponge or Float Smoothed*■ Trowel Smoothed■ Spray Textured - from tyrolean to heavy roughcast effect


text:
Full Pillar Mount 1 Gauge W/Speaker 1999-2007 Chevy/GMC Truck Black Banks Power
Original price was: $102.94.$92.65Current price is: $92.65.
Additional information
Weight | 7 lbs |
Available on backorder
Full Pillar Mount 1 Gauge with speaker 1999-2007 Chevy/GMC Truck Black. A clean, finished look! Banks pillar gauge pods provide a clean, finished look to your vehicle's interior. Mounts on A-pillar allowing wires and tubes to be cleanly routed for a finished look.
Available in 1-, 2- or 3-gauge configuration. 2-gauge configuration with partial-pillar covers or 2- or 3-gauges with full-pillar cover for seamless, built-in appearance. Optional provision for factory speaker on some models. Gauges sold separately, or included with some Banks power systems.
- Location and design allows for optimal gauge viewing
- Provision for factory speaker
- A clean, finished look!
- Easy installation, no damaging or modifying the interior
- Gauges sold separately, or included with some Banks power systems
- Allows wires and tubes to be cleanly routed for finished look
- 1-Gauge full-pillar mount
- Mounts on A-pillar
- Full-pillar cover for seamless, built-in appearance
- Gauge Size (in):2-1/16 inch diameter
- Color: Black


text:
IDC Kharian, located at Al Muqeet Centre, Shop No3, Block No 5, Ground Floor, Kharian, is a renowned medical facility offering comprehensive and best diagnostic services. Our advanced Lab department provides various Lab tests and Home sampling services to meet diagnostic needs. These tests involve the analysis of various samples, such as blood, urine, or tissue, to detect the presence of certain substances, evaluate organ function, or identify any abnormalities. They provide valuable insights into a person's overall health and aid in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of diseases.
IDC Kharian, Lab tests can measure various parameters, including blood cell counts, cholesterol levels, hormone levels, liver and kidney function, and infectious agents like bacteria or viruses. Results from these tests help healthcare professionals make informed decisions regarding a patient's care, enabling them to develop appropriate treatment plans and track the effectiveness of interventions.
At Islamabad Diagnostic Center, we prioritize the well-being of our patients and are committed to providing the best healthcare services at a low price. Our dedicated team of radiologists, sonographers, pathologists, and medical specialists work together to ensure the best possible care for patients. Visit Islamabad Diagnostic Centre (IDC) at Al Muqeet Centre, Shop No3, Block No 5, Ground Floor, Kharian, highly skilled professionals ensure accurate, reliable, cost effective tests at short turnaround time.
Founded in 2004, Islamabad Diagnostic Centre, brain child of Dr. Rizwan Uppal is the first diagnostic facility providing entire spectrum of imaging & lab services under one roof. Since inception, Islamabad Diagnostic Center has built a successful track record and is known for its latest imaging technologies, broad range of laboratory tests and quick turn-around times, with over 2500 staff members, and one of Pakistan's largest pool of qualified Radiologists and Pathologists on its team.The imaging modalities are connected with each other through PACS where doctors from abroad are also involved to make tele diagnosis.
Al Muqeet Centre, Shop No3, Block No 5, Ground Floor, Kharian


text:
Buy 90 Minutes Get 90 Minutes
Every Wednesday gather your friends and head to Rockin' Jump for two times the fun! All day every jumper gets three hours of Jump time for the price of 90 Minutes.
Add Ons (Zip Line, Bungee, Rockwall and Wipe Out not included)
All Jumpers Under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Drop offs are not permitted.
Ticket Prices
$19.00 per Jumper
(Basic Trampoline Access Only)
$15.99 per Jumper (5 years and below)
(Basic Trampoline Access Only)
The Ultimate Jumping Experience
Cancellation Policy – Unfortunately, your entire amount is non-refundable but is transferable to a different date.
A SIGNED WAIVER IS REQUIRED FOR EVERY ROCKIN' JUMPER. If under 18, the waiver MUST be signed by your PARENT/GUARDIAN. Please complete the online waiver. Once you are in our system, you will not have to fill out another waiver for a full calendar year. Please make sure you arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time. If you are not there on time, then your spot may be given away to a stand by ROCKIN' JUMPER.
To maintain a safe and clean environment, participants must jump in our reusable ROCKIN' SOCKS for $3.50. For safety reasons outside socks are not allowed within the Rockin' Jump Westerville indoor trampoline park.
"There is no better better place to take a high energy, super social 10 year old grand kid."
Ann E.
Rockin' Jump Westerville
The Ultimate Trampoline Park ®


text:
Iraq is called the 'Cradle of Civilization,' as evidence has been found there for the earliest writing system, urban centers, literature, metallurgy, science, medicine and business, as reflected in the Bible (Gn 2:14; 4:21-22; 10:10-11; 11:1-5). Our modern culture has its roots in ancient Iraq...
This article was first published in the April 2003 ABR E-Newsletter.
We are becoming increasingly familiar with the topography of Iraq as we watch TV news reports and read newspaper accounts of events unfolding there. Iraq, about the size of California, is ancient Mesopotamia, Greek for "in the midst of the rivers." The rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, played a key role in the development of civilization in this region. The easternmost river, the Tigris, has its headwaters in eastern Turkey and flows past Mosul (ancient Nineveh), Tikrit, Baghdad, Kut and Basra. The Euphrates begins in east-central Turkey and flows past Karbala, Hilah (ancient Babylon) and Nasiriyah.
Iraq is called the "Cradle of Civilization," as evidence has been found there for the earliest writing system, urban centers, literature, metallurgy, science, medicine and business, as reflected in the Bible (Gn 2:14; 4:21-22; 10:10-11; 11:1-5). Our modern culture has its roots in ancient Iraq. Biblical names for the southern part of ancient Mesopotamia include Shinar (ancient Sumer), Chaldea, and Babylon, and for the northern area, Assyria. The ancient language of the region is called Akkadian, named after the city of Akkad, one of the cities founded by Nimrod in Shinar (Gn 10:10). The language was written in cuneiform, or "wedge-shaped," characters impressed into clay tablets with a wedge-shaped stylus. There are tens of thousands of archaeological sites in this celebrated land. Starting in the south, we shall point out Biblical connections to some of the many discoveries that have been made in this country so rich with ancient history and archaeological remains. These connections cluster around two time periods: the time of the Patriarchs, i.e., the Early Bronze and the first part of the Middle Bronze Ages, and the time of the Divided Monarchy, the Iron Age.
Located ten miles southwest of Nasiriyah, Ur is most famous as the hometown of Abraham. He migrated from Ur to Haran in southern Turkey, the actual homeland of the Patriarchs, and then to Canaan (Gn 11:31; 12:15). Evidence for a very advanced culture from Abraham's day has been unearthed at Ur. Its restored ziggurat, or temple tower, is often shown in news reports. A temple to the moon god Nanna, or Sin, was situated on the top of the tower. The name of the Babylonian king Belshazzar (Dan 5) appeared for the first time in a text found in a foundation deposit of the temple. Scholars once said the Bible was wrong in naming Belshazzar as king when the Persians conquered Babylon, since the known records indicated that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon. What the foundation deposit tablet, along with other subsequently found texts, revealed was that Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and coregent with his father. While Nabonidus was away campaigning, which he loved to do, Belshazzar was left to run the country from Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar offered Daniel the position of "third highest ruler in the kingdom" if he would decipher the handwriting on the wall (Dan 5:16). This was the highest available office in the kingdom, since Nabonidus was number one and his son Belshazzar was number two. Instead of being in error, the Bible precisely reflected the political situation that existed in ancient Babylon at the time of its fall to the Medes and Persians.
Uruk (=Erech)
Twenty-five miles east of Samawah is Erech, another of the world's earliest cities built by Nimrod (Gn 10:10). Excavations there have shown that it indeed was one of the oldest cities in the world and a key city in the Sumerian culture.
The expansive ruins of Babylon are located a few miles north of Hilah and about 25 miles south of Baghdad. Founded by Nimrod (Gn 10:10), it was one of the most famous cities in the ancient world. Babylon was capital of the Babylonian empire that ruled the world from 612 to 539 BC. Five of its kings are named in the Bible: Merodach-Baladan (2 Kgs 20:12), Nebuchadnezzar II destroyer of Jerusalem in 586 BC (2 Kgs 24-25, etc.), Evil-Merodach (2 Kgs 25:27-30; Jer 52:31-34), Nergal-Sharezer (Jer 39:3, 13) and Belshazzar (Dan 5). Many important finds have been made at Babylon, including the foundations of the "Tower of Babel" (Gn 11:18), the royal palace built by Nebuchadnezzar where God pronounced judgment on the Babylonian Empire by means of the handwriting on the wall (Dan 5), records detailing rations given to King Jehoiachin and his family who had been taken to Babylon as captives (2 Kgs 24:15), the Babylonian Chronicle detailing the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar March 16, 597 BC, and the Cyrus Cylinder recording the fall of Babylon (in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy) in 539 BC and the subsequent freeing of captives so they could return to their native lands as was the case with the Judeans (2 Chr 36:23; Ezra 1:24, 6:35).
One of the tragedies of the war in Iraq, and perhaps the greatest archaeological tragedy of all time, was the looting of the National Museum following the capture of Baghdad by U.S. forces. Mobs ransacked the museum, grabbing treasures dating back to the dawn of civilization in Mesopotamia. "They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity...They were worth billions of dollars," said deputy director Nabhal Amin, weeping. Some of the world's most important ancient finds chronicling the achievements of the Uruk, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian and early Islamic civilizations were there. Included were mankind's earliest written documents, ancient mathematical texts, ancient sculptures and other works of art. Also the riches from the royal death pits at Ur from the late third millennium BC and tablets of the Gilgamesh Epic describing a great flood with many elements similar to those of Noah's Flood (building an ark, taking animals on board, releasing birds). Museums in other parts of the country were looted as well.
Located eight miles southwest of Kirkuk, the oil capital of the north, Nuzi was a center of the Hurrian culture. The Hurrians are called Horites, Hivites and Jebusites in the Bible. About 3,500 tablets were found there dating from 1600 to 1400 BC. Many of the tablets deal with laws and customs and provide some of the best available evidence for the common social, economic and legal practices in the ancient world. Such things as a childless couple adopting a slave to be their heir (Gn 15:23), having children by proxy (Gn 16:12), deathbed blessings (Gn 27, 4849) and the importance of household gods (Gn 31:19, 30) are illuminated in the texts.
Calah, 20 miles southeast of Mosul, is one of three cities referred to as the "Assyrian Triangle." Along with Nineveh and Khorsabad, Calah was an important center of the Assyrian Empire that flourished ca. 900-612 BC. Nimrod built it when he went from Shinar to Assyria (Gn 10:10-11). Two Assyrian kings mentioned in the Bible ruled from Calah: Tiglath-Pileser III, also called "Pul" (2 Kgs 15:19, 29; 16:7, 10), and Shalmaneser III (2 Kgs 17:36, 24; 18:9). The ruins of the palace of Tiglath-Pileser III were found, including his annals recording his campaigns to Israel mentioned in 2 Kings 15:19-20 (740 BC) and 2 Kings 15:29 (732 BC). In addition, three Israelite kings who paid him tribute are named (Menahem, Pekah and Hoshea), as well as one king of Judah (Ahaz). A prize find was made in the palace of Shalmaneser III - the so-called "Black Obelisk" that depicts Jehu, king of Israel, bowing before Shalmaneser III as he presents tribute.
Tell al-Rimah
In 1967, a stela of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III was found at Tell al-Rimah, 40 miles west of Mosul. It records a campaign to the west in which Adad-nirari received tribute from Jehoash, king of Israel.
Located at Mosul, Nineveh was also founded by Nimrod (Gn 10:11). Walls nearly eight miles long enclose an area of 1,700 acres. There were outlying suburbs as well, so that when Jonah went there in the early eighth century BC it took him three days to traverse the city (Jon 3:3). Although Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching (Jon 3:5) the revival was short-lived. The Assyrians were soon back to their cruel practices and God ultimately brought the empire to an end, as predicted by the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah.
Nineveh was most famous as the capital city of Sennacherib, the greatest of the Neo-Assyrian kings. Portions of his fabulous palace covering three large city blocks have been excavated. Painted sculptured reliefs depicting his exploits lined the walls. Many records were also found. The Bible tells of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah in 701 BC (2 Kgs 18:18-19:36). In the Assyrian version, Sennacherib states that he shut Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage." He could not boast of capturing Jerusalem, because an angel of the Lord decimated his army and he was forced to return to Nineveh (2 Kgs 19:35-36). His most significant accomplishment, in 701, was the defeat of Lachish (2 Kgs 18:14, 17; 19:8). One entire room in Sennacherib's palace was devoted to this event. The walls were lined with reliefs, now in the British Museum in London, depicting the city and the battle. Sennacherib is seen seated on a throne reviewing a procession of captives and booty being brought out of the city.
The next two kings, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, are also referred to in the Bible at 2 Kings 19:37 and Ezra 4:10, respectively. Their records mention Manasseh king of Judah. He supplied building materials for Esarhaddon's palace at Nineveh and troops for Ashurbanipal's invasion of Egypt. One of the most significant finds at Nineveh was the library of Ashurbanipal which comprised about 1,500 different texts, some with multiple copies, including archival, literary, magical, medical, divinatory and ritual tablets. It was here that the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, with its flood story, was first discovered.
At Khorsabad, 15 miles northeast of Mosul, is the site of Dur Sharrukin, "fortress of Sargon," ruler of the Assyrian Empire 721-705 BC. Prior to 1847, Sargon was known only from Isaiah 20:1 where it says, "In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it." Since his name did not appear in classical sources, scholars concluded that the Sargon in the Bible was not a bona fide king, but rather an alias for some other Assyrian ruler. Ironically, Sargon was the first name of an Assyrian king to be read from Assyrian inscriptions when, in 1847, his vast palace of more than 200 rooms and 30 courtyards, with sculptured reliefs and written records, was excavated at Khorsabad.
Sargon campaigned in the Palestine region three times, 720, 716/715 and 712/711 BC, turning Israel into an Assyrian province and Judah into a vassal state in the process. In 720 BC, following the initial defeat of Samaria by his predecessor Shalmaneser V, Sargon boasted of deporting 27,280 Israelites to Assyria. In 712/711 BC he turned his attention to Ashdod and the area of Philistia. According to Isaiah 20:1, he sent his commander-in-chief (tartân) to capture the city. Assyrian records verify that Sargon remained in his capital at Khorsabad, stating that he stayed "in the land," no doubt to supervise the construction of his palace.
The Future of Iraq
What lies ahead for Iraq? In the short term we pray for a quick end to hostilities, and peace, stability and prosperity for the Iraqi people. In the long term, God said through the prophet Isaiah, "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship [the Lord] together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance'" (Is 19:23-25).
Recommended Resources for Further Study
Editorial Note: Initial reports from the media indicated massive looting of archaeological treasures in Iraq during the U.S. invasion. After the initial release of this article, subsequent news reports seemed to indicate that the looting may not have been nearly as severe as originally thought.
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Souvenirs from Tel Aviv & A Happy Birthday
25 comments:
Congratulations on being published, Shulie! And happy birthday to your son - sounds like it was a great time!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on another wonderful feature in the Washington Post. Happy Birthday to S:)That dish looks fantastic!!:)
ReplyDeleteShulie!! awww the joy of being a mother is seeing your son grow up year by year! i remember last year you wrote a blog post about him going off to college as a freshmen! may you be encouraged in knowing that he is where is today because of your maternal love, guidance, and protection!
thanks for the blog visit. i've fallen out of blogging the past few months due to other things happening in my life, but i hope to jump back in very soon. :) miss you!Happy Birthday to your son, may God bless him always! Congrats on being published on the Washington Post :)


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Glowing Pathfinder Bugs
a Squidsoup project
Glowing Pathfinder Bugs, an interactive art project primarily aimed at children, uses projection to visualise virtual bugs on a real sandpit. The bugs are aware of their surroundings and respond to its form in their vicinity. By changing the shapes and forms in the sand, the bugs' environment is altered in real time, creating a direct form of communication between virtual bugs and real people.
This highly malleable and tactile physical environment allows us define and carve out landscapes in which the creatures exist, in real time. The piece, originally commisioned by Folly Gallery for Portable Pixel Playground, encourages a simple form of animal husbandry; a sense of looking after, controlling, breeding and caring for the bugs.
Glowing Pathfinder Bugs resulted from a period of research and experimentation into interaction in three physical dimensions. The original version used equipment originally designed to track human gestures and movement, but in 2011 was updated to use the KINECT, a very powerful consumer level depth-sensing camera designed for use with the Xbox 360.
As with much of our work, BUGS tries to blur or dissolve the boundaries between the real world and virtual space. Here, virtual creatures exist within a physical landscape whose topography the virtual creatures are aware of. As the bug's decisions are based on their surroundings, and this is controlled by participants, there is a strong sense of communication between bugs and people - virtual and real.
Squidsoup is a digital arts group specialising in immersive interactive installations within physical 3D space. Their work combines sound, light, physical space and virtual worlds to produce immersive and emotive headspaces. They explore the modes and effects of interactivity, looking to make digital experiences where meaningful and creative interaction can occur.
Contributors: Anthony Rowe, Chris Bennewith and Liam Birtles
More details about this project, and others, can be found on our blog, at www.squidsoup.org


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Steve Peers
The United Kingdom has its finger
in many pies: the EU, NATO, the United Nations Security Council and the
Commonwealth, to name just a few. Of these, the Commonwealth – which has just
finished its latest summit meeting – obviously has the closest specific link to
British culture and history, since it's mainly comprised of our former
colonies. (A few Commonwealth members are not former colonies, and some obscure
ex-colonies like the USA chose not to join. For a full list of members, see here).
Like many British citizens, I
have friends and relatives in many Commonwealth countries: Canada, India, New
Zealand, Australia, Singapore and South Africa. But I also have friends in the
rest of the EU, as well as a professional interest in EU law. There's no incompatibility between the two at a personal level: we can all enjoy poutine as well as paella, or watch Antonio
Banderas one day and Hugh Jackman the next. But is the same true of the UK's trade relationships?
When the UK joined the EU over
forty years ago, it sundered special trade links which it had with most of the
Commonwealth, and replaced them with trade links with the EU (as it's called
now). One of the arguments sometimes invoked in favour of the UK leaving the EU
in the forthcoming referendum on membership is that the UK could reverse this
process, reviving its Commonwealth trade.
But a lot has changed in forty
years. In my view, what's true for individuals is also true for the country as
a whole: the UK does not have to choose between trade with the Commonwealth and
trade with the EU, but can (and increasingly does) have both. This blog post explains
why. (I'll write another post on the issue of the EU's trade with
non-Commonwealth countries in future).
Back in 1973, the UK had to end
special trade ties with the Commonwealth because the EU is a customs union,
which (according to the definition set out in international law) means that it has
common trade rules with the rest of the world. The EU has power to sign certain types of trade deals, instead of its Member States (although in practice those deals are usually subject to Member States' unanimous consent). But the EU's powers don't extend
to all types of 'trade deals', as that phrase is used by non-specialists. Those powers apply to the imposition of taxes at the border (known as tariffs) or other economic regulation of trade between
countries, but not to commercial
agreements with other countries to buy British goods. So, for instance, the UK
and India were free to conclude £9 billion worth of trade deals of that
broader type during the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister.
It's sometimes argued that trade
deals are irrelevant, because 'governments don't trade, businesses do'. While
it's true to say that much trade takes place on the basis of contracts between
companies, governments still play a large role – either as purchasers of many goods
and services, or as regulators with the power to impose tariffs or regulation
which might reduce the volume of trade.
When the UK joined the EU, the EU
was mainly only interested in special trade deals with nearby countries (although this
included the Commonwealth countries of Cyprus and Malta). Mostly the EU then preferred to trade with third countries on the basis of multilateral rules instead. However, the EU did extend its existing
special trade agreement for former sub-Saharan African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) colonies of France and Belgium to most of the former colonies of the UK
in those parts of the world. But it did not extend any special treatment to richer
Commonwealth countries, like Canada and Australia, or Commonwealth states in
Asia, like India or Malaysia.
But times have changed. In recent years, the EU has become more
interested in negotiating bilateral trade agreements with many countries, and
not relying so much on the multilateral trade system established by the World
Trade Organisation (WTO). This has transformed the EU's trade relationship with
Commonwealth countries (along with many other states). Some of these treaties don't have the words 'free trade agreement' in their title, but the substance includes free trade rules; and indeed the agreements are notified as free trade agreements to the World Trade Organisation.
EU/Commonwealth trade today
The result of this change in
policy is that the EU has agreed free trade agreements (FTAs), or is in the
process of negotiating free trade agreements, with the vast majority of
Commonwealth states – a full 90% of the 50 Commonwealth countries that are not
in the EU. This includes the six Commonwealth states that accounted (in 2011) for 84% of Commonwealth trade – and many more besides.
More precisely, there are already
FTAs in force between the EU and 18 of those 50 Commonwealth states (36% of the
remaining Commonwealth). The EU has agreed FTAs with 14 of those countries (28%),
subject only to completing the ratification process. It is negotiating or about
to start negotiating FTAs with 13 states (26%). That leaves only 5 Commonwealth
states (10% of the non-EU total) that the EU is not planning FTA talks with. (For
full details of the status of EU trade relations with each of the countries
concerned, with links to further information, see the annex to this blog post).
Of course, the Commonwealth includes
many different types of economy, but the EU has agreed FTAs with two of the
wealthiest Commonwealth states (Canada and Singapore), and has recently
committed to talks with two more (Australia and New Zealand). It also has deals
or is negotiating with most of the larger developing Commonwealth members
(India, Nigeria, South Africa and Malaysia).
It's sometimes suggested that the
EU's trade deals with other countries don't benefit the UK. But the UK's exports
to Commonwealth countries have been increasing at over 10% a year – with increases
(over two years) of 33% to India, 31% to South Africa, 30% to Australia and 18%
to Canada. In fact, since 2004, British exports to India are up 143%. Needless
to say, this increase in trade with the Commonwealth (while an EU member) must
have created or maintained many British jobs.
Criticisms of the EU's trade policy
The EU's trade policy is often criticised
on three particular grounds. While there may be some force to these arguments,
the issue in the upcoming referendum is whether these problems would actually
be solved by the UK leaving the EU.
First of all, it's often argued
that EU trade agreements are not fair for developing countries. In fact,
the EU's negotiation of FTAs with developing Commonwealth countries in the last decade is
in part due to WTO rulings that the EU could not just sign one-way trade deals, liberalising only access to EU markets; such treaties have to liberalise trade on both sides (the EU had resisted
this). The EU does offer less generous unilateral trade preferences as an alternative to two-way deals (and some Commonwealth states, like Bangladesh, prefer this).
If the UK left the EU, it could
decide not to sign trade deals with
some of the developing Commonwealth countries that the EU has signed deals
with. It could also offer a more generous version of unilateral trade
preferences. However, the UK would not
be free to sign deals for one-way trade liberalisation, since it would be bound
by the same WTO rules on trade agreements that the EU breached when it signed
those deals. Moreover, while not replacing the EU's trade deals would arguably
help the poorest countries' economies, UK exports to those States would
logically be lower.
The second argument is that the
EU's trade deals are a problem for the environment and public services,
and give industry overly generous intellectual property protection, with
the result (for instance) that prices of basic medicines rise due to extended patent
protection. But this argument is equally made against many trade deals that the
EU is not a party to at all – such as the recent Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
So, while (stepping outside the
Commonwealth for a moment) the planned EU/US trade agreement, known as TTIP, has
attracted critics concerned about its effect upon the UK's health care (among
many other things), those issues would not magically go away if the UK, having
left the EU, sought to negotiate its own trade agreement with the USA instead. The
controversial parts of the draft deal are surely attractive to the US side as
well as the EU side; it's not as if the EU is in a position to issue non-negotiable
demands to desperate, poverty-stricken Americans.
The third argument is that the EU
is not sufficiently interested in pursuing trade deals. As the facts discussed
above show, it's quite false to suggest that the EU is not interested in trade deals
with Commonwealth countries, or that the UK's EU membership makes it impossible for British businesses to
increase their exports to those countries. But could it be argued that the UK alone
would do a better job of negotiating such trade deals, and negotiating them more
quickly, after Brexit?
It's true that it often takes
years to negotiate EU trade agreements, and that some negotiations stall or
slow down to a snail's pace (with India, for instance). But this is not unique
to the EU. Over twenty years ago, for instance, the Clinton administration developed
a plan for a 'Free Trade Area of the Americas' – but it has never come to full
fruition, and talks eventually fizzled out. There's no guarantee that the UK
alone would be able to reach agreements more quickly than the EU as a whole.
In any event, as noted above, the
EU already has agreed trade deals with 64% of Commonwealth countries, and is
negotiating with another 26%. Some of the latter negotiations are likely to be
completed by the time that Brexit took place – since that would probably happen
two years after the referendum date, so likely in 2018 or 2019 (for more
discussion of the process of withdrawal from the EU, see here).
So the UK would have to ask perhaps
three-quarters of its Commonwealth partners for trade deals to replace those
already agreed with the EU. They might agree quickly to extend to the UK a parallel version of their
existing arrangement with the EU, since that would not really change the status
quo. But they might not be interested in negotiating any further trade liberalisation. If they are interested, they will ask
for concessions in return, and this will take time to negotiate.
For the remaining one-quarter or
so of states, the UK will have to start negotiations from scratch, in some
cases having to catch up with EU negotiations that are already underway. And
there is no guarantee that these other states will want to discuss FTAs, or that
negotiations would be successful.
Overall then, there's no
certainty that UK exports to the Commonwealth would gain from Brexit. They
might even drop, if some Commonwealth countries aren't interested in
replicating the EU's trade agreements. Alternatively, they might increase – but
it's hard to see how any gain in British exports would be enormous, given the
existence of so many FTAs between the EU and Commonwealth countries already,
and the uncertainty of those states' willingness to renegotiate those deals.
Could this very hypothetical increase
in exports to the Commonwealth make up for any loss in UK exports to the EU
following Brexit? Obviously, this assessment depends on how Brexit would affect
UK/EU trade relations. That's a hugely complex subject, which I will return to
another day, but suffice it to say that while I think a UK/EU trade deal after
Brexit is likely, it's far from guaranteed. And it's hugely unlikely that any such
trade deal would retain 100% of the UK's access to the EU market. There are
many reasons to doubt this could happen, but first and foremost: why would the
EU send the signal that a Member State could leave the EU but retain all of its
trade access? If it did that, the EU would be signing its own death warrant.
The key fact to keep in mind here
is that the UK's trade with the Commonwealth is less than one-quarter of its trade
with the EU. So to make up for even a 10% drop in exports to the EU, the UK
would have to increase exports to the Commonwealth by more than 40%. How likely is that, if the vast majority of trade between the EU and the Commonwealth would
already be covered by FTAs at that point?
Taken as a whole then, it's clear
that the UK can remain a member of
the EU and trade with the
Commonwealth – and that this trade will only increase in future as more EU FTAs with
Commonwealth states come into force or are negotiated. Leaving the EU, on the
other hand, is liable to lead to reduction in trade with the remaining EU
without any plausible likelihood that trade with the Commonwealth would
increase by anything near the level necessary to compensate.
Canada: FTA agreed.
It must still undergo the formal ratification process.
Australia: FTA negotiations start soon
New Zealand: FTA negotiations start soon
South Africa: FTA in force
India: FTA under negotiation
Singapore: FTA agreed.
It must still undergo the formal ratification process.
Malaysia: FTA under negotiation
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives: No plans for FTA
12 Caribbean Commonwealth states: FTA in force between EU
and 15 countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint
Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago
Brunei: No plans for FTA
2 Pacific Commonwealth states: FTA in force with Papua New
Guinea and Fiji
7 more Pacific Commonwealth states: FTA under negotiation between
EU and 12 more countries including Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, the Solomon Islands,
Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
3 West African Commonwealth states: FTA agreed with 16 West
African countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. It must still undergo the formal
ratification process. (Note that Gambia left the Commonwealth in 2013; but it
is also part of this agreement).
Cameroon: FTA in force
4 East African Commonwealth states: FTA agreed with 5 East African
countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. It must still undergo the formal ratification process. (Update: the Commission proposed the signature and provisional application of this deal in February 2016)
2 Southern and Eastern African Commonwealth states: FTA in force
with 4 Southern and Eastern African countries including Mauritius and
Seychelles (and also Zimbabwe, a former Commonwealth country).
2 other Southern and Eastern African Commonwealth states: FTA under
negotiation with 7 more Southern and Eastern African countries including Malawi
and Zambia.
5 Southern African Commonwealth states: FTA agreed with Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique.
It must still undergo the formal ratification process. (Update: the Council decided on the signature and provisional application of this deal in June 2016; it will be signed and enter into force provisionally in mid-June).
Photo credit: www.google.com


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Thyroid Antibodies Panel (TPOAb and TgAb) in Asansol
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The RCMP have responded to accusations that they used unneccesary tactics in making arrests at old-growth logging blockades in the Fairy Creek area on Monday and Tuesday.
Protests and arrests have continued this week despite a two-year deferral on old-growth logging in Vancouver Island's Fairy Creek and Central Walbran areas announced by the provincial government in response to a declaration put forth over the weekend by three southwestern Vancouver Island First Nations.
The RCMP arrested 12 people on Monday, eight on Tuesday, and four on Wednesday, bringing the total number of arrests to 198 since enforcement began on May 17. At least 10 people have been arrested more than once.
The Rainforest Flying Squad, which is coordinating the protests, expressed concerns about some the arrests on Monday and Tuesday on the Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page
According to the RFS, the first protester arrested was part of a group carrying supplies to Hayhaka Camp on the Braden Main Forestry Road. Police later made seven arrests at the camp, including two senior women, one of which was using a walker. Three of the people arrested were chained to the ground in "sleeping dragon" devices, one was chained to a tripod, and another was chained to the top of the tripod.
The RFS reported that the RCMP used an excavator to extract the protesters in the sleeping dragons.
"There are other safer methods they could employ, but they choose the intimidation of large machinery," the Facebook report said.
There were also concerns about the arrest of the woman atop the tripod. She had attached her chains around her groin, and asked for a female officer to remove them, but her requests were allegedly denied.
The police responded that they are taking necessary precautions to keep all members of the public safe.
"Generally, the operation on June 7 and 8 to remove those using locking devices to block access was slow, methodical and completed by specially trained teams who took necessary safety precautions," the RCMP said in a statement to Black Press Media. "The interaction between police and those arrested was observed by independent media, legal observers and protestors in close proximity. Much, if not all of this was captured on video. We are unaware of any complaints or injuries regarding the work done over these two days.
"Safety and respectful treatment of all persons is important to maintaining public confidence in this challenging operation. We will review the concerns contained in the post to ensure that we have benefit of the available evidence."
The RFS also reported that the RCMP had bulldozed the Hayhaka Camp on Tuesday, but the police said that was a decision made by the logging company.
"The use of equipment to remove obstacles in the direction of [the camp] by Teal-Cedar Products Ltd. and not the RCMP.
For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please click here.
READ MORE: Behind the line at Fairy Creek: Inside B.C.'s old growth forest battleground
READ MORE: Vancouver Island First Nations declaration not enough for old-growth protesters


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It's tempting to say that if you saw the 2020 Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People, you know a lot about how you'll feel about the 2022 Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends. Even if I didn't tell you that a good chunk of the creative team had returned, you'd realize it on your own. The two shows feel like creative siblings, beyond the fact that they're adapted from the same author's books.
But these are very different stories. Normal People is more conventional, built around a couple, around their drawing together and pulling apart over the years. Conversations with Friends, while it is primarily the story of a shy poet named Frances (Alison Oliver), is built around four people and all the relationships between and among them, over a shorter time but with a complex and multidirectional set of dynamics. Its potential outcomes are multiplied; its narrative paths are more curved, more tangled.
Frances's primary relationship is with the charismatic and outgoing Bobbi (Sasha Lane), who was her high school sweetheart, and who remained her best friend after they broke up. They perform spoken-word poetry together, they spend all their time together, and – critically – they both initially assume that they share everything, that they don't have secrets. At one of their performances, they meet a successful writer named Melissa (Jemima Kirke), and befriending her leads them to her husband Nick (Joe Alwyn), a gorgeous actor to whom Frances is instantly and powerfully attracted.
Eventually, this connection becomes an affair, and while Nick hiding it from his wife might seem like the relationship's biggest secret, it's just as significant to Frances that she's keeping it from Bobbi. Something so big and important, something that affects one of Bobbi's other friends, something that changes Frances' life so much – neither of these women would ever have dreamed it could happen without Bobbi knowing about it, until it did. Is Frances, in her way, also being unfaithful, if we assume she and Bobbi have an understanding she is violating?
While it's an infidelity story, Conversations with Friends doesn't position itself as a cautionary tale about infidelity per se. It resists making Frances and Nick's relationship less real, or less deeply felt, than his marriage. One of the things that connects Conversations with Friends to Normal People is a way of shooting love scenes straightforwardly, so that they feel like extensions of the rest of the story, so that the physical relationship and the emotional one are always closely connected. Frances and Nick's sex scenes are a bit more glamorous, for lack of a better word, than the sex in Normal People, but they still feel more honest than most. The affair between Frances and Nick is built on dishonesty or at least concealment, but the series shoots their scenes together with a sensitivity that makes it clear that while, in some ways, this relationship may be very messy and full of hazards for everyone, it's genuinely happy and fulfilling in others.
One of the challenges of this series is that while Frances is sharply defined, Bobbi is a little less so, and she's just as central to the story as Nick. Because what is troubling Frances, what is making her confused, isn't just that she's having a secret relationship with Nick. It's that she has this relationship with Bobbi that is no longer physical or romantic, but that demands the same intimacy and confidences – and really has the same intensity – that it did when they were a couple. The story takes it as a given that Bobbi is electric, charismatic, someone everyone wants to be around, someone in whose shadow Frances has always felt she was moving. But that doesn't always quite come through in this portrayal, where Bobbi's emotional landscape sometimes seems a bit more blurry than you might wish.
It's admirable that the relationships in this story are so complicated and interconnected. It pushes back against the notion of close relationships displacing each other rather than existing alongside each other, or at least exploring what it would look like to reject that idea. It's hard to make every piece of the contemplative ending feel earned, because it's several endings in one, several conflicts coming to a close together. But as was true with Normal People, the strength of this series is that it is quiet and reflective and pretty.
All four of the main performances are successful; Oliver has some lovely moments in which the normally reserved Frances is suddenly lit from inside by the attention of one of the people she loves. And Kirke has probably the fewest featured scenes, but does a lot of work in them to make Melissa neither an uninterested wife to whom Nick is no longer attached, nor a victim who is sentimental and betrayed. Because we are in Frances's head, we don't spend time alone with Nick and Melissa's marriage, but some of its tricky contours come through anyway.
The series features some fine performances, and it's beautifully directed to find the loneliness of an empty house and the intimacy of sitting close to someone you care about. Still, there's something about Conversations With Friends that's not quite as emotionally vivid as Normal People. The challenge of serving all these relationships is a little too much for the script, and Frances' point of view, as portrayed on screen, isn't quite enough to illuminate all these other characters and make them feel fully realized. It's the less successful of these two related projects, but if you like your dramas understated, you won't be disappointed.
This piece first appeared in NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss the next one, plus get weekly recommendations on what's making us happy. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Events taking place on October 21, 2019
Events 1–16 of 16
- Film
- Chicago
55th Chicago International Film Festival
Including 7 films from Spain this year, the 55th edition of the Festival represents a showcase of the power of cinema and the ways in which films can at once entertain and inspire while broadening our perspective on the world.
Oct 19 – Oct 27, 2019
- Design
- Washington, D.C.
Urban Transformation: Iberoamerican Architecture and Urban Spaces
This photography exhibition aims to show the power of architecture to transform urban spaces in Iberoamerican countries.
Oct 18 – Oct 27, 2019
- Visual arts
- Dallas
Sorolla in the Studio: An Exceptional Loan from an Important Spanish Collection
This exhibition investigates Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida's creative process and working method between 1902 and 1906, a critical period in the artist's career.
Oct 18 – Jan 12, 2020
- Music
- New York
Casa Limón: NY Week 2019
Casa Limón presents the third edition of Casa Limón NY Week, featuring new talent and high-quality projects to renew the music scene.
Oct 13 – Oct 21, 2019
- Visual arts
- Washington, D.C.
Alonso Berruguete: First Sculptor of Renaissance Spain
The National Gallery of Art hosts the first major exhibition held outside Spain to celebrate the expressive art of the most important sculptor active on the Iberian Peninsula during the first half of the 16th century, Alonso Berruguete.
Oct 13 – Feb 17, 2020
- Visual arts
- New York
Helena Goñi: Tell Me How Close We Are to a Riot
Spanish photographer and artist Helena Goñi presents her first New York exhibition, a collaboration between Aldama Fabre Gallery and The Storefront Project, and narrated by Julia Morandeira.
Oct 3 – Oct 26, 2019
- Performing arts
- Washington, D.C.
Spotlight on Contemporary Spanish Theater: Women Dramatists
This new series presents works by contemporary Spanish female playwrights Paloma Pedrero, Laila Ripoll and Yolanda García.
Sep 30 – Nov 18, 2019
- Music
- New York
Cristina Pato at NYU's King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center
Noted Galician bagpiper, musician, writer, producer and educator Cristina Pato organizes and hosts a series of free public events throughout the fall at NYU's KJCC.
Sep 26 – Dec 5, 2019
- Film
- Washington, D.C.
Filming Spain's Exile in our Hearts
As part of the "Filming Spain's Exile in Our Hearts" film series, the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain presents a collection of stories of the Spanish republican exile.
Sep 24 – Nov 7, 2019
- Visual arts
- Dallas
El Greco, Goya, and a Taste for Spain: Highlights from The Bowes Museum
This exhibition explores painting techniques from the early sixteenth to late eighteenth centuries while also taking a closer look at John and Joséphine Bowes's role in the history of the collection and display of Spanish art outside of Spain.
Sep 15 – Jan 12, 2020
- Visual arts
- Washington, D.C.
Fictive Certainties with Ginevra Shay & María Tinaut
De Novo Gallery showcases "Fictive Certainties" with Spanish artist María Tinaut and American artist Ginevra Shay.
Sep 7 – Nov 2, 2019
- Design
- Los Angeles
The second home serpentine pavilion by SelgasCano
Spanish architects Lucia Cano and Jose Selgas of Selgascano designed the 15th edition of the Serpentine Pavilion, which is now on show at La Brea Tar Pits.
Jun 28 – Nov 24, 2019
- Visual arts
- Los Angeles
Illusion by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger at Flutter Experience Canceled
Flutter, a long-term, cross-disciplinary exhibition held within a repurposed 1920s art deco building in Los Angeles features an Immersive Interactive Cinematic Art Installation created by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger.
Jun 1 – Jun 1, 2020
- Film
- Houston
The History Through Cinema
This new festival brings some of the best Latin American and Spanish films to Houston to explore the Hispanic-American history from the 15th century to the present.
Mar 27 – Nov 13, 2019
- Visual arts
- Boston
Air Sea Land by Okuda San Miguel
Boston Seaport welcomes seven monumental sculptures by Spanish contemporary artist Okuda San Miguel.
Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2019
- Heritage
- Washington, D.C.
The support of Spain for the Independence of the U.S.
As a summary of the exhibition "Recovered Memories. Spain and the Support for the American Revolution," this permanent showcase features documents, reproductions of uniforms, drawings, illustrations, maps and miniatures.
Jan 1 – Dec 30, 2024


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Do you have pictures of fire lookouts? Do you know where those lookouts once stood? Have you talked with folks that remember lookouts? Do you like to sniff out old trails and roads and see if you can find footings or remnants of old fire lookouts?
If the answer to any of the above questions is "yes," then you have something to add to the forestry history of the United States. All you need are a memory, pictures, and the ability to use the Internet. You can post your information with recognition for your efforts.
The National Register of Former Lookout Sites is sponsored by the Forest Fire Lookout Association with support from the American Resources Group.
At one time, there were over 8,000 fire lookouts in 49 states according to the national inventory completed by the Forest Fire Lookout Association in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. Today, fewer than 2,000 lookouts remain. FFLA's goal is to recognize, help maintain, and restore as many as possible. Currently, there are over 2,000 lookouts registered on the National Historic Lookout Register. Most receive some level of maintenance and about 500 are staffed by paid observers or volunteers.
We are in a race with time as abandoned fire towers are sold for scrap to make way for cell towers and other antennas on high points throughout America. Members of FFLA continue to do all they can to prevent that, and are becoming more successful every year. Some lookouts get moved to parks, fairgrounds and museums where people can visit and learn of the proud history of these recognized symbols of forest conservation. Others are sold to private parties who move them to their own woodlands and farms to enjoy and preserve them. A few, especially in the south, revert to the landowner when the forestry agency no longer can staff them and face an uncertain future until one of us comes forward with an offer to help.


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- Duke Energy meteorologists continue to monitor storm's path and potential impact across the Carolinas
- An additional 200 line technicians and 100 vegetation management personnel head to the coast today
- Duke Energy urges customers, especially those located in communities along the coast, to be prepared
Duke Energy is bracing for a rare coastal ice storm that is forecast to hit eastern North Carolina and South Carolina later today.
Duke Energy's team of meteorologists continues to monitor the system. Line technicians, service crews and other personnel are available throughout the company's service areas and are ready to respond to outages and emergencies, if they occur.
Also, the company is shifting an additional 300 responders from areas less likely to experience power outages to the coastal areas to assist with outage restoration.
"Storms are unpredictable. Until we are confident in the storm's path and its impact to our customers, we will keep an appropriate number of resources in our communities throughout the Carolinas to assist with restoration efforts prior to moving them to other areas," said Jeff Corbett, senior vice president of Duke Energy's Carolinas Delivery Operations.
Duke Energy urges customers, especially those located in communities along the coast, to be prepared:
- Check your supply of flashlights, batteries, bottled water, non-perishable foods, medicines, etc.
- Ensure a portable, battery-operated radio, TV or NOAA weather radio is on hand.
- Do not attempt to heat your home with a gas grill or by bringing a generator inside. Only operate such equipment outdoors in well-ventilated areas. Follow manufacturer instructions.
- Check on family members, friends and neighbors who have special medical needs or who are elderly to ensure they have necessary emergency supplies. Encourage them to determine now what action they would take in the event of an extended power outage.
Customers who experience an outage should call Duke Energy's automated outage-reporting systems for their respective utility:
- Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-POWERON (1-800-769-3766)
- Duke Energy Progress: 1-800-419-6356
Customers may also report an outage or view current outages online at www.duke-energy.com/storms
Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized as well as trees or limbs in contact with lines. Please report downed power lines to Duke Energy and your local police department. If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
Restoring power
Restoring power after an ice storm can be challenging as travel conditions are poor. Before power can be restored, crews first assess damage and determine what crews, equipment and supplies will be needed to make repairs. Because of this, customers may see damage assessors patrolling their neighborhoods before crews arrive to begin work.
Crews prioritize work to ensure the largest number of customers is restored as quickly as possible. Essential services such as hospitals and emergency responders have priority.
"Our crews will work as quickly and safely as possible to complete restorations," said Corbett. "Depending on the number of outages and the amount of damage sustained, we know from past storms some customers may experience multi-day outages."
"I cannot stress enough the importance of being prepared and having a plan in place now in the event your power goes off," he added. "We appreciate our customers and their advanced preparedness and patience as we brace for this unprecedented event."
If you lose power, please turn off as many appliances and electronics as possible. This will help with restoration efforts as it will reduce the immediate demand on the power lines when power is restored.
Once your power is restored, wait a few minutes before turning your equipment back on.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.


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IoT: Out Of The Cloud & Into The Fog
Cloud computing architectures won't be able to handle the communication demands of the Internet of Things. The future is in fog computing.
August 19, 2014
By now, most IT organizations have embraced the concept of cloud computing and are using it in some capacity. But if grand predictions regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) turn out to be true, even the most advanced, distributed cloud architectures aren't going to be able to handle the IoT's data and communications needs.
That's where the idea of "fog computing" comes into play. It's a term coined by Cisco, but most major IT vendors are developing architectures that describe how the IoT will work by bringing the cloud closer to the end user -- similar to how fog is nothing more than a cloud that surrounds us on the ground.
The problem that IoT forward thinkers see with the current cloud architecture is that it's heavily reliant on distributed processing and available bandwidth from the edge device to the backend server. Most data in a cloud environment is sent to the cloud to be processed, leaving our edge devices as dumb portals into the cloud.
Though this architecture works well today, it falls apart when we're talking about adding billions of devices and microdata transactions that are incredibly latency sensitive. Instead of forcing all processing to backend clouds and forcing all IoT device intercommunication through a cloud intermediary, fog computing proposes that devices have the opportunity to talk directly to one another when possible and handle much of their own computational tasks.
This evolutionary shift from the cloud to the fog makes complete sense to me. The original cloud boom began when mobile devices like smartphones and tablets were becoming all the rage. Back then, these devices were weak on computing power, and mobile networks were both slow and unreliable. Therefore, it made complete sense to use a hub-and-spoke cloud architecture for all communications.
But now that most of us are blanketed in reliable 4G technologies, and mobile devices now rival many PCs in terms of computational power, it makes sense to move from a hub-and-spoke model to one that resembles a mesh or edge computing data architecture. Doing so eliminates bandwidth bottlenecks and latency issues that will undoubtedly cripple the IoT movement in the long run.
So if you thought that cloud computing was the pinnacle of infrastructure designs for the foreseeable future, think again. If we're talking billions of devices and instant communication, current cloud models won't be able to handle the load. Fortunately, advances in mobile processing power and wireless bandwidth have allowed many to design a far more capable architecture that brings us out of the clouds and into the fog.
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