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Photo: Quartz
We thought it was over with the restoration of Internet in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon in March 2017 after 97 days, but it seems it was not. To mark the 100th day of the second round of Internet shutdown in the same regions of the same country, a tweetchat was organized on Saturday January 7, 2018 by Access Now and Internet Without Borders with leading figures of the #BringBackOurInternet fight since the first shut down such as Rebecca Enonchong, Judith Nwana and Sophie Ngassa.
Welcome to our Day100 chat of internet shutdown/restrictions in #Cameroon as #SouthernCameroons suffer Rnd2 of disruptions. Total of 193 Days w/in a year. Businesses, economy & particularly the young tech hub Silicon Mtn have been severely affected #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn pic.twitter.com/GOJByOUiLs
— Judith Nwana (@judithnwana) January 6, 2018
To set the scene, since November 2016, the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon (also knwon as the Anglophone regions of the country) rose up after molestation of lawyers and teachers who were asking for better working conditions. The situation gave room to expression of a deep rooted ill-being of the English-speaking population of Cameroon dating from decolonization and reunification of the country.
According to Cameroonian authorities, the first shut down was to prevent fake news and hatred speech to spread. No official statement has been made so far concerning the current network disturbance, so we assume the same reasons still stand. However, citizens have a different theory about the whole situation:
#Cameroon The Internet can also help a nation externalize its internal conflict, and hold its government accountable by exposing its deeds to the international regime. @judithnwana @africatechie @Internet_SF #KeepItOn #FreeAllArrested @eliesmith @Smith_JeffreyT
— T .Boy (@Dream_LivesOn) January 6, 2018
Precisely why they shut it down, because they don't want the rest of the world knowing what's going on, especially if atrocities are being committed, case in point #Cameroon #SouthernCameroons esp in #Manyu #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— Judith Nwana (@judithnwana) January 6, 2018
Internet has become inimical to repressive regimes as it exposes all the lies such regimes feed on #Cameroon #Manyu #Mamfe #SoothernCameroon is a glaring example #KeepitOn #BringBackOurInternet Such shutdown must be condemned with our collective voices
— T .Boy (@Dream_LivesOn) January 6, 2018
Several points were raised during the tweet chat, starting with experience of people suffering from the shutdown:
It is crucial to document the impact of internet shutdowns through real stories. Share your story to contextualize the profound harm. Find the sharing forms in multiple languages here: https://t.co/MkmcS1RiZx #BringBackOurInternet #KeepitOn pic.twitter.com/YdHIVq6UBQ
— Access Now (@accessnow) January 6, 2018
I was in #Bamenda right after the second #internet shutdown.
The smartphone in your palm loaded with fancy apps suddenly feels useless & you dread abt missed chats from loved ones.
Very vexing & frustrating experience especially when caught without VPN. #BringBackOurInternet pic.twitter.com/QPOcbEbOAM
— Israel Ayongwa (@iayongwa) January 6, 2018
My online business has suffered tremendously, haven't made any progress since last year due to the internet restrictions. Funny thing is most of the other 8 regions don't care about what's happening. It's plain simple, we are 2 separate countries #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn https://t.co/islpEoH24z
— 1000 Forms Of Fear 🦈 (@randzejude) January 6, 2018
Many people with "basic smartphones" can't have proper VPN access to the internet and that hurts businesses. Back in 2016 it was good cuz nobody needed VPNs. I have seen many people who've given up on the whole internet thing & sold their phones #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— 1000 Forms Of Fear 🦈 (@randzejude) January 6, 2018
The sense of abandonment and the growing radicalization of youth in the two regions was also raised:
Internet cafe's have shutdown, English speaking bloggers can't earn money, etc etc . Government can't create jobs and is gradually pushing many youths who ventured into internet based Businesses into radicalisation. A very dangerous trend #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— 1000 Forms Of Fear 🦈 (@randzejude) January 6, 2018
Funny that gov shuts down the internet to "prevent crisis" but ends up creating joblessness and people become more radicalized with time on their hands, hence fuels the crisis. I just wish they could see that! #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— Judith Nwana (@judithnwana) January 6, 2018
In Egypt 2011, we saw the internet shutdown result in *more* people joining the protests. The blunt instrument of blackouts causes more problems than it solves, in our experience. #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— Peter Micek (@lawyerpants) January 6, 2018
I fear in this case it's going to be the increasingly jobless youths taking up arms. That's just as blunt and honest as it is #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— 1000 Forms Of Fear 🦈 (@randzejude) January 6, 2018
To fix the situation, avenues of action were proposed, commitments were made, as well as calls to action:
2018 brings many elections, including in #Cameroon. We'll exercise our power this year to #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn and end shutdowns with help from @IMFNews @MTNCameroon @Orange_Cameroun @UNDESA @antonioguterres and more. Meanwhile VPNs will help. Thanks for the chat!
— Peter Micek (@lawyerpants) January 6, 2018
Internet and help create a transparency between the government and the citizens, help understand each other's problems a little more clearly, and builds and closer relationship between the two. @africatechie @judithnwana @eliesmith #BringBackOurInternet #FreeAllArrested
— T .Boy (@Dream_LivesOn) January 6, 2018
Solution: We need to reinforce digital rights advocacy communities, and to provide the skills and know-how to advance advocacy efforts. @judithwana @Internet_SF @accessnow @lawyerpants @JulieOwono @SophieNgassa @africatechie
— Sophie Ngassa (@SophieNgassa) January 6, 2018
What are some legal avenues to fighting back? We're intervening in a domestic lawsuit against the shutdown. Will any businesses join? Will telcos sue for lost profits and trade violations? #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn
— Peter Micek (@lawyerpants) January 6, 2018
So there is a long-term impact from a temporary shutdown: people lose trust in the internet and new technology. Can't build a business or livelihood on untrustworthy tech. This shutdown won't help #Cameroon reach the #SDGs.
— Peter Micek (@lawyerpants) January 6, 2018
@IMFNews, @Lagarde, you cannot make another speech or write another report on Cameroon without addressing this economic issue that is greatly affecting the economy and especially tech entrepreneurs #BringBackOurInternet
— Rebecca Enonchong (@africatechie) January 6, 2018
So targeted diplomacy and advocacy our best option? Civic education, people's advocacy/uprising so that they know their rights and can hold govt accountable. Far fetched dream? #BRINGBACKOURINTERNET #KeepItOn
— Innocent Awasom (@AwesomeYnnocent) January 6, 2018
The government will never listen to Cameroonians but they listen to @IMFNews and @Lagarde. So you must take the message to them. 100 days of internet restrictions has not solved anything, only makes it worse! #BringBackOurInternet
— Rebecca Enonchong (@africatechie) January 6, 2018
It is a pity the second #BringBackOurInternet tweetchat generated much less attention than the first one that took place on April 27, 2017. Many people seem not to be aware of the fact that after restoration, Internet has been slowed down in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon to the point that it has become useless. The announcement of the restoration of Internet after 97 days put an end to the matter when it comes to public opinion.
EC too is affected by the situation since our designer is living in Buea and cannot work or send any file at the moment. The first shutdown lasted 97 days and costed about 2.69 million Euros during the first 60 days. Cameroon is entering a new structural adjustment due to public funds and cash-flow challenges. Financial losses recorded for 197 days (and counting) of Internet shutdown is too heavy for a country pretending to fight against poverty.
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I left New York City on Sunday, September 9th, 2001… on a United Airlines Boeing 757 bound for San Francisco. Several days later, four identical planes were hijacked and killed 43 of my friends, destroyed two icons of the city that was my home for the most powerful years of my life to date and forced me more powerfully than ever before to understand the extraordinarily beautiful life that I have created for myself. I have no means of accurately assessing the full impact that these events will have on my life at this time. By sharing what I have written here, I hope to forever transform the possibilities that exist in your life and mine.
Consider September 11th as a challenge to become the hijackers of your own life. Seize the controls and demand that your journey take you to extraordinarily beautiful places, that are filled with uniquely human joy and great personal triumph. Because I declare that those terrorists, who hijacked four airplanes and used them for the sole purpose of kill thousands of unprepared and innocent human civilians; dedicated their lives to nothing more than the possibility of massive death and destruction without any meaning! By not openly declaring the purpose for their actions, to the entire world, they have taught us only one thing....how tragic a life is when it stands for nothing at all!
I further declare that they were not martyrs, but fools! Fools who wasted the most precious gift of all, and for nothing more than little attention. I have chosen to fill the emptiness that this cowardly deeds left in my life, with my dreams and hopes of a gentle and more humane world for our future. A world where person that I come into contact with feels empowered to lead extraordinary life, and that we all learn to empower others to do so as well.
When will humans ever learn, that we will never be able to prevent acts of prejudice and violence? Prejudice and violence are as much a part of being humans as compassion and love. Every time a tragedy of the magnitude of those attacks occurs, we all stop and lament that the world will never be the same again. However, much of humanity exists with a fundamental denial... of the inescapable truth that; nothing, in all of existence, has ever remained the same… across even the smallest fractional increment of time.
We create constant pain for ourselves, because we choose to live in this denial. An essential part of mourning the loss of what we once had is that we must to embrace what we still have. We must look forward with hope to what has been made possible for our future, because of what we have learned and lost in our past.
Some we believe that someday we can put an end to war, that someday there will be no more pain and suffering to endure. Yet, these now appear to be inextricable parts of the very cycle of life itself. Life seems to require the occasional appearance of these random events, in order for life to exist at all. The very stability of the thing that we call life, is now dependent on the existence of many random instabilities. Yet every time there is significant and simultaneous change, particularly when the loss of many lives occurs in a single instant, (like natural disasters or the bombing of Pearl Harbor) we chose to mourn the change and we sometimes forget to embrace it as well. It is often an essential part of life itself and often a source of future growth.
In times like these, we struggle with the nature of these truths. We cannot easily accept things that come into existence without an easily assignable meaning. We fear that which is violent and ugly, yet much of what is beautiful about being humans, often arises out of that which is not beautiful in any way. This yin-yan cycle is the way all things work. It has always been so and it probably always will be.
Why did those human beings hijack four airplanes and then crash them? Why were these people such savages? Why must there be such violence in our world? Why did all of these people, who I loved so much, have to die on that day? Why was it happening to me? Why did it have to happen then? Why them? Why us? Why else? Why not?
We will never understand, comprehend, explain, prevent or alter the existence of such tragedies, like the one that took thousands of innocent lives that day. It is simply because it did.
It is said that every child falls from a state of grace and innocence, the moment when it first discovers that their emotions are linked to events in the world that surrounds them. Life is forever altered the very first time that a child asks its mother the question, Why? Why is it that each and every one of us refuses to listen and just accept what our mothers tell us? When they find their own way of telling us... in their own special ways, that sometimes "The answer is simply "Because."
To my Mother I can finally say thank you, because I finally understand what you meant that first you said, "It is simply because it is"
It is said that "two wrongs do not make a right," and I would say that is 100% correct. Because I believe that for every two (2) wrongs that come into existence, they are often viewed to two rights by others. For each thing that exists in this world as a wrong for one, normally exists as right for another and visa versa. Once again the ancient Chinese yin - yan emerges as the icon for life. However, can it ever be said, that taking something as precious as a human life…. could ever be right for another?
In their own minds, those men who America is today calling "terrorists" were in their minds very much right and justified in their actions… as they each believed that Americans where evil. They sacrificed their own lives, in the name of their own truths and the meanings they had created for themselves.
Many Americans appear to believe that American Government is right and justified in what its now doing, as a means of retaliation. As we now seeks out and these "terrorists" and their "weapons of mass destruction"....killing some innocent civilians in the process. Some now also call the individuals among us, who have given their lives in this pursuit.... a "war hero". Why, because they have given their lives to protect that which the American Government believes to be good and just. However, can a hero arise out of such death and destruction?
I urge you to take a stand for whoever you are, and.to live your life as if each minute were your last, because we are reminded in times like these that it may very well be. So live your life with no regrets, and die leaving behind a world that will be forever better....simply because you were here. This, is how I have chosen to manage the tragedies that were and still are September the 11th, 2001.
Friday, September 10, 2004
2 comments:
- Homeless Comic said...
Man is uncurably evil.
I am just amazed at your passion and intellect. What a great blog. It goes on my list of favorites.
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Guest artists are invited to Kidderminster Art Society's 'Demo Nights' which are held monthly on Thursdays. In 2015 we have had many artists coming to show us their work, techniques and tips.
8th January 2015 our very own David Spurrier RBSA,gave us a demonstration on mixed media. He explained his methodology in the creation of his art. Lots of inspiration!
On 5th February Paul Hipkiss demonstrated his printmaking techniques.
A very informative and enjoyable evening.
On 6th March we welcomed Chris Hughes when he painted a charming Greek Island doorway with detailed brushwork. The work in progress was video'd and shown in on a large screen so we could see the techniques used.
16th April – The demo by Peter Horrocks on 16th April was a great night with lots of information on using earth pigments, which peter demonstrated with great skill. Everyone took away with lots of ideas. More photos on our Facebook page.
7th May – Demonstration by Claire Spencer, RBSA.
A very interesting demonstration by our own member Claire. Lots of tips on tackling pastels.
4th June – demo by George Loades. A member of the Birmingham Water Colour Society, Ludlow Art Club and The RBSA and he paints lovely landscapes and seascapes George will be exhibiting with BWS this July/August at Hanbury Hall.


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>The weekend is here! And the weather is beautiful! So why am I sitting inside blogging at 11:14 a.m. instead of being out enjoying the weather? Because I'm a little slow to get moving today. And being in my PJs and looking out the window at the droves of people on West End headed to the "Celebration of Cultures" at Centennial Park today is better than any TV show I've ever seen.
I hope to actually make it over there today and see what the deal is, so I'll be sure and take pictures if I do.
I also am looking forward to attempting a "long-run" of 5 miles today. This will be my second run since the half last weekend and I ease back into it. I can't lose it though, because in just six weeks I have another half – with my little brother, Rog and Ashley! I use the term "with" loosely – as they'll be about three miles ahead of me the entire time, I'm sure.
I laced 'em up for a short run with Rog earlier this week and we did 2.5. Felt so nice to be running again – and all of my ankle pain that appeared after the half was gone. So that's really good news. Keep on keepin' on!
Also, the highlight of the run was almost literally running into (like, colliding) with this guy from Brothers and Sisters. Seems he was headed over to one of my favorite haunts, Losers, on Division. But as typical with me and celebs, we were about .25 miles past him before I realized who he was. Ah well. Maybe he's in some indie band or something. He seems the type.
We don't need Los Angeles for random celeb sightings!
Luke Grimes, aka Ryan Lafferty on Brothers and Sisters.


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TPM 2018 - 500+ Shippers Have Registered! Check Out What's New!
Hear the latest market forecasts, analysis, expert opinion and more concerning container shipping, freight rates, labor issues and much more at TPM 2018. Case studies featuring shippers and transportation providers showcase how business problems were solved or cost savings achieved.


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News & Events
China's rapid development of new materials industry but the competitiveness is still weak
In recent years, under the policy support, China's rapid development of new materials industry, the implementation of innovation-driven development strategy has played a positive role. But at present, the new material industry competitiveness is still weak, the core key material external dependence is still high. The future, but also need to further strengthen the policy guidance, improve the market environment.
Material industry is the basis of a country's industrial system, the development of new materials is related to the development of high-tech industries and emerging industries. As a result, China has introduced a number of targeted policies to encourage the development of new materials industry.
However, the material field is a major feature of R & D investment, research and development cycle is long, so despite the strong national support, but the actual situation is not optimistic, the key new material self-sufficiency rate is still worrying.
In addition to the core key new material self-sufficiency rate is not high, there are some areas of excess concerns. For example, polysilicon, carbon fiber, lithium and other hot new materials appear together, in some areas into a structural excess dilemma.
In this regard, the future can try to build a world-class new material innovation heights to attract more professionals. At the same time, landing related industries to support policies, improve the policy guidance mechanism.
New material is considered one of the most promising areas of the 21st century, and its importance is self-evident. In particular, China's economic structure is facing transformation and upgrading, but also need to support the new materials industry, laying the foundation for the development of manufacturing and real economy, the prospects are very optimistic.
According to the prospective industry research institute released the "China New Materials Industry Market Outlook and Investment Strategic Planning Analysis Report" data show that China's new material industry output value from 650 billion yuan in 2010 to 2014, 1.6 trillion yuan, the average annual growth rate Up to 25%.
It is foreseeable that in the next few years, the new materials industry will remain in the gold development period, the output value to maintain rapid growth, the average annual growth rate is expected to remain at 20% or more, the development of huge space.
At the same time, with the policy support continued to increase, the new material industry market potential gradually released. By 2020, the new materials industry is expected to become the leading industry of the national economy.
In addition, new energy vehicles, wearable equipment, aerospace industry and other emerging areas of vigorous development, will also further stimulate the growth of new materials industry, accelerate the core key material breakthrough.
China's carbide cutting tool market industry concentration is low
China's carbide cutting tool market is rare, really can be called "globalization" of the market. Do not say that the industry has a small reputation, a certain size of the tool company has set up offices in China or find agents to sell, and even only two or thirty employees of the German company also sold its tools to China , The market can be seen everywhere from Germany, Japan, the United States and other countries of the tool products.
"China's carbide cutting tool market concentration is not very high, which is mainly due to the tool industry itself is not high threshold, many small businesses set up a few lathes to start production, and in the entire industry boom, Low - end market products were in short supply, but also objectively accelerated the decentralization of the industry.
According to reports, this year the industry situation has changed, many in the low-end business days began to become too good. But in general, the tool is a consumable, even if there is no new machine into the production line needs new tools, the old machine also need tool products, this year's biggest feature is in a large area of consumption of inventory.
China's tool industry continues to grow rapidly, behind the rapid development, companies are also clearly aware of the domestic tool industry, high growth rate of gold is not high, of which a considerable part of the enterprise at the expense of the environment at the expense of cheap labor, Product profiteering.
In recent years, China's many high-end manufacturing technology development to the tool to bring new requirements. Such as the car tool must be efficient, high stability and specialization of the characteristics, and with the continuous development of the automotive industry forward, the new requirements came into being, from a technical point of view, there are heavy, complex, Standardization, high-speed and diversified varieties of the trend. In the field of aerospace manufacturing, with the titanium alloy, high temperature alloys and other difficult to use a wide range of materials, how to correctly choose, the rational use of cutting tools for high-quality cutting has become a very important industry topics.
Zhuzhou vigorously promote the development of cemented carbide industry cluster
A theme of development and upgrading of Zhuzhou Carbide Industry will be held at the Enterprise Service Center. Carbide State Key Laboratory Director, Central South University Powder Metallurgy Research Institute and Zhuzhou City, 21 Carbide entrepreneurs on behalf of Zhuzhou to achieve the upgrading of cemented carbide industry, activation of carbide companies to discuss the development of exchanges.
According to Zhuzhou City Carbide Industry Association statistics, Zhuzhou City has more than 33 large-scale production and processing of cemented carbide enterprises, Zhuzhou municipal government attaches great importance to the development of cemented carbide industry, will strive to build carbide industry cluster, through the district enterprises Service center, build industrial service platform, to enhance political, enterprise, garden tripartite interaction, and actively listen to the opinions and suggestions of entrepreneurs to promote Zhuzhou cement industry cluster development. In the future, will also hold other topics, various forms of salon, and effectively provide enterprises with more quality service.
Salon meeting, BTCarbide company responsible person analyzed the development trend of cemented carbide industry and market prospects, the participating entrepreneurs on Zhuzhou City Carbide industry upgrades, enterprise innovation and development in-depth discussion and exchange.
Zhuzhou City is the birthplace of the new China after the establishment of the scale of the production of carbide, to achieve regional development of cemented carbide industry, Zhuzhou City, "to do a strong leader, headquarters, science and technology support, international cooperation, gathering and win-win" for industrial upgrading The main line, focusing on the implementation of the "project construction, enterprise development, innovation-driven, agglomeration development, platform construction, talent support" six actions to promote the upgrading of leading enterprises to upgrade, expand the expansion, bigger and stronger; guide small and medium enterprises complementary cooperation, Win; extend the industrial chain, the establishment of a complete strong industrial ring, access to economic benefits, Zhuzhou hit the city to create a world-class level of advanced hard materials characteristics of industrial clusters.
Zhuzhou BTCarbide Precision Carbide Co.,Ltd, Zhuzhou City Enterprise Service Center is mainly responsible person to participate in the salon meeting.
National People 's Congress: to strengthen the industry to promote tungsten ore mining, tungsten raw materials industry healthy development
Tungsten with excellent physical and chemical properties, in economic construction, national defense construction is widely used, is the most important carbide production of raw materials, has a very important strategic significance. China's tungsten resources reserves, production, trade and consumption rank first in the world, with a larger resource advantage.
National People's Congress said that due to various reasons, the current domestic tungsten mining enterprises are facing a serious crisis, in some places Pirates of mining, stealing mining, private mining phenomenon despite repeated prohibitions, some local enterprises without indicators, super indicators of production, Polluting the environment and other blind pursuit of short-term interests of the behavior, the impact of the industry order. In addition, in the process of price tax reform, due to the high value, the adjusted tungsten ore resource tax rate has increased, the industry loss of expansion, some enterprises suffered losses or low profits. He suggested that to increase the protection of resources, strengthen the industry regulation, and promote the healthy development of tungsten mining industry.
It is suggested that the structural reform of the supply side of the tungsten industry and the cemented carbide production enterprises should be deepened, the supervision and management of the tungsten industry should be strengthened, and the enterprises that do not meet the requirements should be shut down and strictly controlled, and the capacity expansion should be strictly controlled to speed up the elimination of backward production capacity , Proposed to introduce production capacity subsidy policy, a strong push to the tungsten industry supply side of the structural reform;
Second, strict control of the total amount of mining control management, joint business, public security, tax and other departments to strengthen the supervision of tungsten ore production enterprises;
Third, it is recommended to implement a flexible resource tax collection policy. It is proposed to reduce the resource tax rate, the implementation of tungsten concentrate market price linked to the floating tax rate policy, and effectively for enterprises to reduce the burden;
Fourth, it is proposed to develop a national tungsten resource reserve plan to speed up the establishment of a reasonable structure of the national tungsten mineral resources reserve system to protect the national economic security, national defense security and market supply and demand balance. Continue to stop the handling of tungsten mining warrants, clear new proven tungsten resources into the national strategic resource reserves;
Five is to improve the national strategy, commercial reserve mechanism, according to the specific needs of domestic tungsten industry production and domestic and international tungsten market price of tungsten products to prevent tungsten concentrate is excessive consumption, to ensure smooth operation of tungsten raw materials prices, promote tungsten industry Healthy and sustainable development.


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Financial Matters
As discussed in New Zealand Education System, it offers a three tier system of education – primary, secondary and tertiary or post secondary which includes universities, private institutes, colleges and polytechnics.
Education Costs
The tuition fees to study abroad in New Zealand varies depending on the course and university you choose. An undergraduate or Bachelors degree likely cost between NZ$ 18,000 to NZ$ 25, 000 per year. The cost of studying a Diploma or Post-Graduate Diploma in New Zealand may cost NZ$ 10,000 to NZ$ 20,000 approximately per year, while cost of studying for a Post Graduate Diploma may be anywhere between NZ$ 15,000 and NZ$ 30,000.
Living Costs
A foreign student approximately spends around NZ$ 7,000 to NZ$ 12,000 a year including accommodation, transport and entertainment, depending upon the student's lifestyle. Indian students explore various options in regard to accommodation and food to bring down the living expenses in New Zealand.
Most higher educational institutions in the country have Halls of Residence. Rooms are available on a single or twin-sharing basis. Facilities such as laundry, lounge room, and dining hall are also available. Halls of residences provide a safe and secure environment and are generally available in the range of NZ$200 a week. Home stay accommodations are also available. In these types of accommodations, students get to live with a family in a residential house. Flats/independent accommodations are also available; these include one-bed room apartments to 4-5 bedroom flats. A prefixed amount has to be paid to the landlord before one can move in. This amount known as bond is the advance rent of 2-4 weeks, and is refundable.


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Product Description
No need to travel for entertainment! The Clubhouse Climber comes complete with 3 slides, 1 inside and 2 outside the bouncer, two climbing areas to get to each level, and a catwalk (that can also be used as a ball pit area) to navigate through. There are endless hours of outdoor fun right in the heart of your own backyard! This unit is 16' x 16' x 9' and the bouncing area is approximately 6' x 8'. Get comfortable and ready for an exciting workout!
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A Clearwater, Florida, city employee who had been working with the electrical system at a softball complex died on the job Wednesday. A passerby at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex called 911 after finding a man on the ground, unresponsive.
According to a report from The Tampa Bay Times, the victim was an electrician in his 60s who worked in the city building department. He had been working "in and around the lights and the electrical system for the softball fields," the city said in a news release.
The cause of death is unknown. City police, fire and risk management officials are investigating
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28/03/2014 by D.O.T
D.O.T's vehicle management division extends its global reach with the recent movement of a Caterham F1 show car to Fuji, on behalf of the team's sponsor of the same name.
The car was moved by airfreight due to the strict deadlines imposed on the project, and once the car arrived in Tokyo it was quickly despatched to Fuji where D.O.T's local agent, under the guidance and instruction of our vehicle management division in London, carefully unloaded the car and moved into position for display. As you can see by the accompanying photos, this was no mean feat as there were many logistical obstacles put in our way, which were dealt with very succsessfully.
One of the star attractions of the display was a live interview with Caterham F1 team driver, Kamui Koybashi, the interview as you would expect was conducted by Fuji TV Japan!
For more information on how we can assist you with your show car programmes or the movement of your high value vehicles please contact a member of our vehicle management division on +44 (0)20 8890 5511 or e-mail email@example.com


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In 1975, the sign read "Welcome to Caledon, Canada's Greenest Town, pop. 25,000".
Tucked into the hillsides, we spotted scattered houses, some even close together. That was all. Caledon, we thought, must span the width of Ontario to account for 25,000 souls. If you had 25,000 people in a Maritime hub, you'd have yourself a major metropolis. We came from Halifax which didn't claim all that much more than 25,000 – and it flaunted five universities and six movie theatres. But here, 25,000 didn't rate even the elevated status of 'city'. And where were the stores, the churches of varied denominations, the sidewalks? As a likely home, we crossed off Caledon in the newly-created Region of Peel's three municipalities.
We had seen Mississauga. After gawking our way past Toronto's skyline, we exited the 401 toward "one of Canada's largest cities". In our youth, that actually sounded appealing. Anticipation yielded to alarm and matched exponentially the endless number of industrial landscapes and giant billboards.
We stopped for gas. "Where's Mississauga's downtown?" The attendant struggled to help. Well, there's Square One. Miles of asphalt parking lots squashed Square One. Port Credit sounded nice. It was pretty and further redeemed by its nearness to water. But it proved to be too far from work headquarters.
Like Goldilocks, we found Brampton to be just right. With a sigh of relief, we embraced this haven, this refuge. Finally, a recognizable town that boasted a park with a gazebo and a water fountain! The United and Presbyterian churches sat companionably across the street, with the Catholic one down the way a bit. We found a library, cafes, and schools you could walk to. Our street had sidewalks both sides. Our house had a veranda for tricycles, windowsills for plants, and a huge maple for shade. The drive-everywhere future was held at bay for a few years.
Until the day a newly-erected sign screamed the new status: "Welcome to Brampton! One of Canada's fastest growing cities!!"
We moved. To Caledon. Where we nestle into the comforting hug of the hillsides and hold gently the fading sensibility of small town imagery.
by Elaine Coish


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source: cobrasnake
I need:
-Hardcore belts
-Some form of oxford/flat lace shoe
-new glasses
-long hair
Sorry for the mediocre posts. Regular outfit posting will resume after I move into college this sunday (!!!!!).
I think I need things on your need list too! Great photograph finds. x
Those shoes are really sick!
WOW I love the 3rd picture!
i just got some lace up ankle oxfords.. pretty comfy and only $48 by BDG.. and im sure they are online too.
LOL... I totally know the last girl in the photo... I need long hair too.
The Youth.
I love it ! Very creative ! That's actually really cool Thanks.


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An Alnwick firm has provided a town student with a bursary to help him with his degree at the prestigious University of Oxford.
Adam Douglas, who recently achieved exceptional A-Level results at the Duchess's Community High School, will begin his course in October.
Adam received an A* for maths, an A for further maths and an A for physics and he will study a masters degree in engineering sciences.
And he will be assisted with his studies by a bursary which has been provided by local manufacturing software company, metrology software products ltd (MSP).
The Greensfield Park-based company was only too happy to support Adam.
MSP was impressed by his general attitude and ability when he spent his school Year 11 work experience placement with the company.
Following that, he was invited to work for MSP during the school holidays and has spent this summer working full-time as part of its software development team.
Peter Hammond, technical director at MSP said: "It has been a pleasure to have Adam back with us for the last few months.
"He has integrated well with the team, demonstrating exemplary technical aptitude and problem-solving skills.
"We are a growing business, with an increasing number of prestigious customers and we have some really interesting projects that we hope Adam can get involved with.
"These are exciting times for Adam, we are looking forward to supporting him with his studies and we all wish him the very best in the forthcoming years."
Adam said that he is grateful for the support and is relishing his time at Oxford.
He said: "I have always been interested in making things or pulling equipment apart and reassembling it to see how it works. Studying a general engineering degree at university was always my plan and I'm really excited to begin the course."
Diane Bronze, maths teacher at Duchess's High, praised Adam's efforts.
She said: "We are very proud of Adam and his achievements. He is an extraordinary student who has an exceptional understanding of everything mathematical.
"We hope that his time at the school has played a little part in his success and we wish him well with his exciting future."


text:
Components of a new line of bitters under the trademark "Czar's Meadow" - saturated aroma, naturalness and faultless quality.
Pine nuts infusion is a part of bitter "Czar's Meadow with pine nut". Pine nuts, as we know, are the most valuable natural products. The protein of kernels of pine nuts is so balanced that is digested by a human body for 99%. The set of vitamins, minerals, and also amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants are parts of pine nuts.
Alcohol content :40%


text:
SS7 for the
Common Man
|© Copyright 1997-2007 OpenSS7 Corporation All Rights Reserved.
Last modified: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 08:34:15 GMT
PCA200E Interface Card
Description: OpenSS7 Hardware Selection PCA200E.
The PCA 200E card is a 155MHz ATM card manufactured by Marconi (formerly FORE). The figure below shows a picture of an PCA 200E card.
The PCA 200E cards have a good level of signalling performance because they have an on-board 25MHz i960 Intel RISC processor performing cell processing using buffer rings in the same manner as an Ethernet controller.
Following are some features of the PCA200E card:
Following are the advantages of the PCA200E card:
Following are the disadvantages of the PCA200E card:
Note: Some of the information in this hardware selection guide may be incomplete, incorrect, out of date, or inconsistent with the vendor's actual offerings. Also note that this hardware selection guide does not constitute an endorsement of anyone's product or service. The authors of the OpenSS7, their sponsors, agents and representatives will not take responsibility in it.
Please use good business sense when considering any vendor's products and consult with the individual vendor before making any decisions. Please do, however, investigate the product and service offerings of the sponsors listed on our Sponsors page: it is through your support of our sponsors that the OpenSS7 Project exists and is funded to continue.
SS7 for the
Common Man
|Last modified: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 08:34:15 GMT
© Copyright 1997-2007 OpenSS7 Corporation All Rights Reserved.


text:
Real Estate Developers in Noida Extension are trying to woo home buyers to strengthen their case in court for getting land back from the farmers, even as the real estate crisis in the region worsens as more farmers move court against acquisition of their land.
The strategy seems to be to build up pressure by highlighting the demands of home buyers and, thus, ensure that the verdicts in the cases that are yet to be decided go in favour of the builders. A group of developers are already holding talks with a self- appointed representative of home buyers in Greater Noida (West) to mobilise their sentiments and desire to get a dream home to bolster their case.
The builders are also using the services of public relations ( PR) agencies to distribute handouts highlighting the home buyers' points of view and, also, forward SMS campaigns every day.
"I received an SMS from the buyer's association. However, I did not get this directly but through PR agencies of developers. It is very hard to distinguish whether it came from developers or from home buyers. Everything seems so well managed," Shirish Thakur, a home buyer, told MAIL TODAY .
The Noida Extension Flat Buyers' Association submitted a memorandum to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority ( GNIDA) on Saturday asking the authority to re- negotiate with farmers and to resolve the land issue as soon as possible.
"What is interesting is that the memorandum hardly speaks of the problem of getting refunds from developers and the delay in the projects. All it speaks of is getting land back from the farmers," Thakur said. The association, headed by retired IAS officer R. P. Tyagi, has filed a petition in Allahabad High Court appealing that it be made a party in all the petitions filed by the farmers. "We want the court to hear the buyers' point of view as they are also the aggrieved party. We will be applying for this in other cases as well," Tyagi added.
"It is gathered from the mood of the agitating farmers that their demand is primarily for enhanced compensation. If the authority takes initiative it should not be very difficult to reach a settlement with the farmers," the memorandum said.
"We, the bonafide flat- buyers, have come to you with the expectation that you will understand our plight and accept the mistakes committed in the past and also settle this matter with the farmers without any further delay before any more adverse decisions are pronounced by the Hon'ble Allahabad High Court," the memorandum read.
However, some home buyers just want their money back. "Most of us who have put our money into buying these homes just want our money back. No one is interested in being part of the litigation. Let the court decide it," Arun Mishra, an angry home buyer, told M AIL T ODAY . The farmers are also not willing to back down.
"The developers are hand- inglove with GNIDA. They first duped buyers and now they have refused to pay any money to their contractors. No one is raising these issues," said Girish Nagar, a farmer Grom Dhada village. " Moreover, they are telling buyers that we are protesting just for money. This is not true. We are protesting for our land and will continue to do so. Just as the homes of buyers are at stake, our lands are also at stake. Why do they forget that?" asked Nagar.
Builders use the services of PR agencies to highlight the home buyers' points of view and also forward SMS campaigns every day. The Noida Extension Flat Buyers' Association has submitted a memorandum to GNIDA asking the authority to renegotiate with the farmers to resolve the land row The association has filed a petition in Allahabad HC appealing that it be made a party in all petitions filed by the farmers.
The real estate developers attempt to build pressure by highlighting the demands of home buyers to ensure that the verdicts in the yet- to- be- decided cases go in favour of the builders. Realtors are in talks with a representative of home buyers in Noida Extension to mobilise their sentiments and desire to get a dream home to bolster their case


text:
Industrial Gaskets Packing Hooks are the most rugged tool available for packing removal. The flexible shaft is constructed of twisted steel cable which easily conforms to close working conditions. Supplied boxed as a set.
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text:
Good afternoon and welcome to Allianz Park,
Ahead of us we have huge games over the next few weeks to tackle head on. We have some massive clashes against the best teams England and Europe has to offer, starting today against Wasps.
You always know when you play Wasps that the game will be a battle. We've had some famous battles over the years, and Dai Young has put together a squad of real quality once again. They are a fiercely competitive side and have made a superb progress as a club over the last few seasons in the Aviva Premiership and in Europe, so we know that as players that we're facing one of our toughest challenges of the season today. And our clashes with Wasps are always a huge test.
There are some massive games ahead and these are the types of fixtures that we all love to be a part of. You want to be testing yourself against the best players, the best teams playing in front of packed houses.
One thing that we're always excited about is playing in front of a sold-out Allianz Park. When this place is full the atmosphere really does inspire the players, so we're very excited to be back at our home with the place packed to the rafters.
On a personal note, I am immensely proud to be making my 200th appearance for Saracens today. Being part of this group has been hugely enjoyable experience, as has working alongside people who care deeply for each other in an environment we are all blessed to work in. Every time I pull on a Saracens jersey I'm motivated by playing alongside guys I can call friends, and for people within the organisation who bust a gut every single day for each other.
Thanks for all your continued support, and enjoy the day.


text:
Music:- Mac Jamez_FOR YOUR HEAD ft Ozee
James Emmanuel Onawo popularly known with his stage name MacJamez, hails from Agbashi in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
He is the founder of "Team Blowmind" presently "Blowmind Recordz", co- founder of Prime Access Dance Crew.
MacJamez was nominated in 2016 as "next rated musical artist" in the Nasarawa Entertainment Industry Awards (NEINA), organized by NGstarshub, and Nasarawa Legendary Awards, 2017 consecutively.
His passion for music lured him into grooming his music career from age 14.
In 2016, MacJamez dashed into limelight with these singles, "Oshumotu (I love you) and "Faraway".
The Faraway crooner has relentlessly find his way into the heart of people thereby, building a unique fan base from 2016 till date, With these smashing hit singles "Wedding Day", "Packaging", "Bani Da Ka'nka', "Am I Mad" and other featured songs.
The Afro Singer is widely applauded for his energetic and dramatic performance, versatility and reality kind of Music.
MacJamez is starting this year wfirst single of the year with a wavy single, featuring Ozee, the front line act of Tazu Entertainment.


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Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (2014) IMDB
Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda is the sequel to Sharktopus. There is no plot. Otherwise, the title is pretty self-explanatory.
My take:
First of all, if anyone knows where the above image came from, can you please let me know? I suspect it's not official, because it's pretty awesome, and makes me wish that Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda had been an anime.
I can't really bring myself to critique this movie. Yes, it's stupid; yes, the acting is bad (except for Akiro Endo and Tony Evangelista, who I actually think aren't half bad); and, yes, the CGI is terrible. It's a SyFy movie, so these things are all a given.
Was I entertained, though? Hell yeah. I might feel a little ashamed for justifying SyFy's habit of releasing sub-par movies every other day, but they know what their niche is, and they know how to do it, uh…as only SyFy does? I can't really bring myself to say they do it "well," after all.
If you watch Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda, you'll get exactly what you
deserve expect.


text:
Below are two links to information in favor of abolishing the electoral college. One link, a video, is from a conservative organization and the other, an article, is from a liberal organization. Politicians would like us to believe we and they can't agree on anything but, they are wrong.
(P.S. The conservative web site, http://www.nationalpopularvote.com, gives you the opportunity to send a message to your local legislator in favor of ensuring that our presidents are elected by a majority.)


text:
Getting StartedOK, I've finally decided to take the plunge into the "blogsphere" and add my voice to the thousands (millions?) screaming to be heard! The irony is that I'm not sure who will hear me, if anyone, and yet I feel compelled to write.
So many thoughts are swimming around in this head of mine that I wish I had an outlet to share. And so, now I do!
At first, I thought of doing a blog specifically related to simple church (house church, organic church...insert your preferred label here), but there are topics I would love to write about that really have nothing to do with that topic specifically. So, I am making this a more general "Theological Musings" blog, realizing that many of my posts will head in the simple church direction.
I realize that "Theological Musings" is not only a stuffy title, but is largely inaccurate, too. Well, the "musings" part is accurate. But "theological"? Theology is technically the "study of God." While I'm sure some of my posts will actually discuss the character and nature of God, it is more a collection of thoughts about how we relate to God, not about Who He is. In my opinion, Who He is is rather simple. He is God -- the eternal Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer..... But in the course of what we know as human history, God has chosen to reveal Himself in a way that allows us to have a personal relationship with Him. It is the outworking of that personal relationship that interests me the most. But, when it boils down to it, blogger.com wanted me to give this a title, and I couldn't think of anything that would really identify it without ending up with a URL like Meandering-Thoughts-of-a-Christian-Guy-Trying-to-Find-the-Truest-Expression-of-that-Christianity.blogspot.com! And who would remember that URL to type it in the first time?! :)
So, for now, at least, "Theological Musings" it is, with all of its flaws. During the lifespan of this blog, I intend to talk about topics that interest me in addition to the aforementioned simple church topic. Topics such as worship, American patriotism, holiness, end-times prophecy....you name it.
A couple ground rules, though, if you choose to read and respond:
- Please understand that these are merely my musings, and I am not trying to judge anyone else. While at times, you may find me very passionate about a topic, I do not in any way claim to have all the answers, or even to fully understand the things about which I write.
- If you choose to respond, please do so without judging me or others. I am not interested in flame wars, name-calling, finger-pointing, gun-pointing, threats, labels......can't we all just get along? ;) Seriously, I love discussion, even passionate, lively discussion. But if you're just responding to call me a heretic, you might just find your post being deleted! Unless, of course, you say it in love...... ;)
- From time to time, I will touch on some "sacred cows". It is not my desire to offend anyone, and these thoughts are solely representative of my own thinking. Do not assume that anything I say represents any other person, organization, or group.
OK, you're probably at this point wanting to know about where I fit into the current series of labels assigned to various Christian groups. Well, get used to disappointment!! ;) hehe I'm not very big on labels. I can, however, confidently share with you my "short list" of essential doctrines to which I subscribe and which I believe are absolutes. Everything else, in my opinion, is "up for grabs" and can be discussed without questioning if someone is truly saved. You ready? This list may seem a lot shorter than you are expecting, and it may upset some that I have left certain "pet doctrines" of theirs off this list. Well, so be it. These are the things I believe are absolutely essential for one to call themselves a Christian, and for me to recognize them as my brother or sister in the Lord:
- Jesus Christ is God in the flesh
- Jesus Christ died for the sins of all mankind, was buried, and literally rose from the dead to live forever.
- Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, and there is salvation in no other person, doctrine, or belief.
- Each individual's eternal destiny will be determined by their relationship (or lack, thereof) to Jesus Christ.
That's it. No insistence on any particular translation of the Bible. No particular statement about the end times. No dress code. No checklist of appearances or actions. No particular style of music. Those all have more to do with your personal relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit living inside you. They are not required for entrance into my "club" ;)
My motto is paraphrased from one that is attributed to the Moravian church: In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, love. (They use the term "charity" in order to keep the flow of "-ty" endings, but I think the word "love" means so much more. "Charity", in our modern American culture, almost seems to be a look down the nose at someone "less" than ourselves.)
So, with that, let the fun begin. Perhaps we will learn something from each other. Perhaps I will find that I'm too far outside "the box" on some things. Or, maybe I'll help you to get outside whatever box you may be in. But above all, I pray that you will be encouraged in your relationship with Christ. If you don't have a personal relationship with Christ, I pray that something I say or express here may cause you to seek that for yourself. If I can be used in any way toward that end, I will be most humbled and grateful! To God be all the glory!
Oh, and if anyone is actually reading this, please drop me a note or respond to the posts and let me know!!
Until next time,
steve :)


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October 2008 Archives
« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
Jose Fish Market
Last Spring, disembarking at La Guardia airport, I decided to ride the Q33 bus to Jackson Heights before transferring to the subway to Manhattan. I walked around the area to find an interesting place to eat and decided on Jose Fish Market from the looks. This is a Korean-Peruvian fish eatery, I surveyed the offerings and they looked very fresh and well-prepared. So I ordered the fried whiting fish, scallops and shrimps combination with french fries for $5.00. The order came with two wedges of fresh lime. I noticed that every order came with two wedges of fresh lime. This is a very good sign because it is not normal in NY to get two wedges of fresh lime. I sat at the community table and enjoyed my fries, fish, scallops and shrimps. The next best thing was the flat-screen TV showing the Andrea Bocelli concert. I was very impressed with the total package. A very clean place and music to enjoy the meal.
I have been back twice, traveling to Jackson Heights just to eat at Jose Fish Market, wow!
The last time, besides the fried fish platter, I ordered the fish soup and I think that it is very good. Next time, I must order the whole fish and rice for $6.00 and they have a dozen freshly shucked oysters for $10.00. I am going to bring a bottle of Spanish cava and have a good time ... I saw a customer purchase a ripe avocado from the fruit store, next door, and enjoyed the sliced avocado with his fish and fries ... I am going to do the same, next time ...
Definitely worth the detour (as they would say in the Michelin guide) ... every time, the fried fish was very fresh and crunchy, not salty ... a large flow of customers keep the products fresh off the frying oil ... the last time, I ordered the rice instead of the French fries and they are good with onions and squash in the broth, 50 cents extra charge ... and the pint of fish soup ($2.50) is very delicious with the two wedges of lime ... I hesitated to write after the first visit but I am convinced that it is the best fried fish eatery in New York...
From Manhattan, the E or the F subway line will get you there express and catch the Q32 for a free ride back to the City ...
Jose Fish Market, 81-04 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, NY, 718-478-0232 ... on the take-out menu "the chef wakes up at 3 am daily to buy the fresh fish..."
This is an AGINY Good Value!
Subway info (new window opens): MTA map | schedules | HopStop | Interactive Transit Map
Hugo Chavez
On September 18, we released a report in Caracas that shows how President Hugo Chávez has undermined human rights guarantees in Venezuela. That night, we returned to our hotel and found around twenty Venezuelan security agents, some armed and in military uniform, awaiting us outside our rooms. They were accompanied by a man who announced--with no apparent sense of irony--that he was a government "human rights" official and that we were being expelled from the country.
. . .
In the more than twenty years that Human Rights Watch has worked in Latin America, no government has ever expelled our representatives for our work, not even the right-wing dictatorships guilty of far more egregious abuses than those committed by Chávez. Presumably they knew better. After all, Chávez's decision to expel us merely served to confirm the central message of our report and ensure that it received extensive coverage around the globe.
Why did Chávez do it? One Brazilian on the plane on which we were forced to leave Venezuela offered a view that is increasingly widespread throughout Latin America: "Chávez is crazy." But the human rights defenders we work with in Venezuela have drawn a far more sobering conclusion. Chávez, in their view, was sending a deliberate message to his fellow countrymen: he will not allow human rights guarantees to get in his way, no matter what the rest of the world may think.
If their interpretation is right, it does not bode well for the future of Venezuelan democracy.
"Hugo Chavez Versus Human Rights," by Jose Miguel Vivanco, Daniel Wilkinson, The New York Review of Books, November 6, 2008
Of course, the falling price of oil won't help Chavez, either.
Furniture Fit for Royalty, Nov. 15-19, 2008, at Christie's
Something free to do in Manhattan, in the Rockefeller Centre area before the Thanksgiving week-end ... free, no tickets required .... beautifully displayed objects of art, most polite and helpfull stuff ... nice tiolets ...
Furniture Fit for Royalty: Important European Furniture, Ceramics, and Carpets, at Christie's, 10 am - 5 pm, November 15-19, 2008
Christie's, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-636-2000
Please note that links to auction items usually stop working within 30 days after the auction concludes ...
Subway MTA map | Straphangers interactive map | schedules | HopStop
When you smile the whole world smiles with you
In June 2008 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a team of cosmetic surgeons suggested this experiment is making all of us happier. People with Botox may be less vulnerable to the angry emotions of other people because they themselves can't make angry or unhappy faces as easily. And because people with Botox can't spread bad feelings to others via their expressions, people without Botox may be happier too. The surgeons grant that this is just speculation for now. Nevertheless, they declare that "we are left with the tantalizing possibility that cosmetic procedures may have beneficial effects that are more than skin deep."
"Why Darwin Would Have Loved Botox: All those wrinkle-causing winces, smirks, and sneers may have been the product of evolution." By Carl Zimmer, Discover, October 15, 2008
Also see "Warm Hands Warm Your Heart," by Steven Reinberg, The Washington Post, October 23, 2008
A great exhibition of Impressionist and Modern paintings at Sotheby's
Something nice to do in New York on the first week-end in November ... walk to 72nd Street and York Avenue, free and no tickets required.
A great exhibition of Impressionist and Modern paintings, beautifully displayed, and nice toilets. The space makes me feel that I am in some SOHO or Chelsea art gallery but I am in the Upper East Side
Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, Sotheby's, 10 am - 5 pm, October 29 - November 2, 2008, Sotheby's New York, 1334 York Avenue, at 72nd Street, 212-606-7000
There is a branch of Dean and DeLuca on the 10th floor with a lovely out-door terrace to enjoy a cup of coffee ... or Matsu Sushi, 411 East 70th Street, New York, 212-744-5454. ....the best values are at lunch from their "lunch specials" from 11am - 4 pm ... the sushi rice at Matsu Sushi is a stand-out ... with the correct amount of rice wine blended into the sushi rice to give a nice sour and sweet taste, a very tasty sushi. Also they do not serve a huge piece of fish, just a nice size piece ... and at the right temperature, i.e., luke warm and not ice cold ... very close to Sotheby's, the Tri-Institutional Friday Noon concerts at Rockefeller University and the numerous hospitals in that area...
Speaking about lunch in this neighborhood, I must recommend the ILLY cafe at the Food Emporium on 69th Street & Third Avenue, very good Italian ILLY coffee, great sandwiches for $6.99, especially the mozzarella and prosciutto, numerous hot soups and $5.99 salad buffet ... moreover, a whole roasted D'Artagnan chicken to go for $10.99, etc...
The Term Paper "Business"
The term paper biz is managed by brokers who take financial risks by accepting credit card payments and psychological risks by actually talking to the clients. Most of the customers just aren't very bright. One of my brokers would even mark assignments with the code words DUMB CLIENT. That meant to use simple English; nothing's worse than a client calling back to ask a broker -- most of whom had no particular academic training -- what certain words in the paper meant. One time a client actually asked to talk to me personally and lamented that he just didn't "know a lot about Plah-toe." Distance learning meant that he'd never heard anyone say the name.
In broad strokes, there are three types of term paper clients. DUMB CLIENTS predominate. They should not be in college. They must buy model papers simply because they do not understand what a term paper is, much less anything going on in their assignments.
. . .
The second type of client is the one-timer. A chemistry major trapped in a poetry class thanks to the vagaries of schedule and distribution requirements, or worse, the poet trapped in a chemistry class.
. . .
The third group is perhaps the most tragic: They are well-educated professionals who simply lack English-language skills.
. . .
There's another reason I never felt too badly about the job, though I am pleased to be done with papers. The students aren't only cheating themselves. They are being cheated by the schools that take tuition and give nothing in exchange.
"The Term Paper Artist: The lucrative industry behind higher ed's failings." By Nick Mamatas, The Smart Set, October 10, 2008
And we wonder why a college degree doesn't mean what it used to....
- "America's Most Overrated Product" - Hobnob Blog, October 23, 2008
- "Are Too Many People Going to College?" - Hobnob Blog, September 14, 2008
- "Does it matter where you go to college?" - Hobnob Blog, October 2, 2007
- "Kids and High School" - Hobnob Blog, January 24, 2006
- "What You'll Wish You'd Known," by Paul Graham, January 2005
Necessary market correction
Today people who hold cash equivalents feel comfortable. They shouldn't. They have opted for a terrible long-term asset, one that pays virtually nothing and is certain to depreciate in value. Indeed, the policies that government will follow in its efforts to alleviate the current crisis will probably prove inflationary and therefore accelerate declines in the real value of cash accounts.
"Buy American. I Am," by Warren E. Buffett, The Malaysian Insider, October 23, 2008
My two cents: Inflation might not be a big problem if the prices of real estate, oil, raw materials, metals and share prices drop, drop, drop. I see this is a very realistic and necessary market correction which is very painful ... in this scenario, Warren Buffet is correct ...
Alan Greenspan is the person most responsible for the world-wide financial mess ... the so-called Oracle! He stayed too long in office and felt so invincible. His policy of low interest rates and easy money has caused the downward spiral into the black hole of debt, deficit and destruction...
Finally, the world will be a better place if we can learn from our collective mistakes...
Post by Peter
If you use AVG do NOT accept the update on 10/23/08
If you do you will lose ALL Internet access.
Switch to McAfee.....
America's Most Overrated Product
[E]ven those high-school students who are fully qualified to attend college are increasingly unlikely to derive enough benefit to justify the often six-figure cost and four to six years (or more) it takes to graduate. Research suggests that more than 40 percent of freshmen at four-year institutions do not graduate in six years. Colleges trumpet the statistic that, over their lifetimes, college graduates earn more than nongraduates, but that's terribly misleading. You could lock the collegebound in a closet for four years, and they'd still go on to earn more than the pool of non-collegebound -- they're brighter, more motivated, and have better family connections.
Also, the past advantage of college graduates in the job market is eroding. Ever more students attend college at the same time as ever more employers are automating and sending offshore ever more professional jobs, and hiring part-time workers. Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar.
"America's Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor's Degree," by Marty Nemko, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2, 2008
- "Are Too Many People Going to College?" - Hobnob Blog, September 14, 2008
- "Does it matter where you go to college?" - Hobnob Blog, October 2, 2007
- "Kids and High School" - Hobnob Blog, January 24, 2006
- "What You'll Wish You'd Known," by Paul Graham, January 2005
Study the topic of "taking offense" and you realize people are like tuning forks, ready to vibrate with indignation.
"Well, Excuuuuuse Meee! Why humans are so quick to take offense, and what that means for the presidential campaign." By Emily Yoffe, Slate, October 17, 2008
Unregulated Capitalism? Where?
Communism's failure involved Stalin's terror-famine in Ukraine, the Gulag, the deportation of the Kulaks, the Katyn Forest massacre, Mao's Cultural Revolution, Che Guevara's executions in Havana, the flight of the boat people from Vietnam, Pol Pot's mass slaughter -- a total death toll of 94 million people, according to the Black Book of Communism. Prominent American leftists -- from Lillian Hellman and Dalton Trumbo and lots of other writers to Alger Hiss of the State Department and FDR speechwriter Michael Straight, who became the publisher of The New Republic -- were members of the party that did these things. And that party had total control in the countries that it ruled. There were no opposition parties, no filibusters, no election-related maneuverings that prevented the party in power from getting what it wanted.
. . .
And what is the "failure," as [Harold] Meyerson puts it [in the Washington Post], of this semi-deregulated capitalism? Does it involve mass starvation? Does it involve terror-famines? Does it involve millions of deaths? No, so far it involves a sharp decline in the stock market from record levels. Taking 1980 as the starting point for Meyerson's nightmare vision of "unregulated capitalism," here's what has happened to the S&P 500. It's had some dips, but it still reflects vast wealth creation, and vast increases in the assets of our IRAs and 401(k)s.
"Gods That Fail," by David Boaz, Cato @ Liberty, October 15, 2008
- Museum of Communism - by Bryan Caplan
- "What Unregulated Capitalism?" By Conn Carroll, The Foundry, Heritage Foundation, October 15, 2008
Prediction Markets and Manipulation
As many people suspected someone was manipulating Intrade to boost John McCain's stock price
. . .
This is big news but not for the reasons that most people think. Although some manipulation is clearly possible in the short run, the manipulation was already suspected due to differences between Intrade and other prediction markets. As a result,According to Intrade bulletin boards and market histories, smaller investors swept in to take advantage of what they saw as price discrepancies caused by the market shifts -- quickly returning the Obama and McCain futures prices to their previous value.
This resulted in losses for the investor and profits for the small investors who followed the patterns to take maximum advantage.
This supports Robin Hanson's and Ryan Oprea's finding that manipulation can improve (!) prediction markets - the reason is that manipulation offers informed investors a free lunch.
"Manipulation of Prediction Markets," by Alex Tabarrok, Marginal Revolution, October 18, 2008
After the election, for analysis of what the election means in Congress, see our Capitol Hill Workshop: 2008 Election.
- "Trader Drove Up Price of McCain 'Stock' in Online Market," by Josh Rogin, CQPolitics, October 17, 2008
- intrade
- IEM - Iowa Electronic Markets - from the University of Iowa
- "Speculation and Energy Prices: Legislative Responses," by Mark Jickling and Lynn Cunningham, CRS Report for Congress RL34555, July 8, 2008 (28-page pdf )
- "Subprime Mortgages: Primer on Current Lending and Foreclosure Issues," by Edward Vincent Murphy, CRS Report for Congress RL33930, March 19, 2007 (12-page pdf )
Chickens coming home to roost
This is very interesting, leverage to the maximum .... and California is going bankrupt .... running out of cash to operate ... even Arnold cannot save California ... the USA has been living high on credit for too long ...
See, e.g.:
- "The Reckoning: Agency's '04 Rule Let Banks Pile Up New Debt," by Stephen Labaton, The New York Times, October 3, 2008
- "wild greed and market failure" AGINY, October 3, 2008
- "Wall Street crisis threatens California's house-of-cards budget plans," by Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee, October 1, 2008
"wild greed and market failure"
Many believe that wild greed and market failure led us into this sorry mess. According to that narrative, investors in search of higher yields bought novel securities that bundled loans made to high-risk borrowers. Banks issued these loans because they could sell them to hungry investors. It was a giant Ponzi scheme that only worked as long as housing prices were on the rise. But housing prices were the result of a speculative mania. Once the bubble burst, too many borrowers had negative equity, and the system collapsed.
Part of this story is true. The fall in housing prices did lead to a sudden increase in defaults that reduced the value of mortgage-backed securities. What's missing is the role politicians and policy makers played in creating artificially high housing prices, and artificially reducing the danger of extremely risky assets.
"How Government Stoked the Mania: Housing prices would never have risen so high without multiple Washington mistakes." By Russell Roberts, The Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2008
The consensus among economists is now clear, the best strategy for dealing with the financial crisis is to recapitalize the banks that need recapitalization.
"The Economic Consensus v. Politics," by Alex Tabarrok, Marginal Revolution, October 3, 2008
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle: This whole area has been transformed ... the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has a bar on the 35th floor overlooking the Central Park South ... Columbus Circle is a great place to hang-out and meet friends...and now we get the Museum of Art and Design ... peel-off your cob-webs and head to the Columbus Circle area...
Post by Peter
- Columbus Circle on Google Maps
- Columbus Circle - from Wikipedia
- Shops at Columbus Circle Visitors Guide - from About.com
- Columbus Circle Fountain - from New York Architecture Images
- "Taking a Fresh Look at Columbus Circle," by Francis Morrone, New York Sun, August 8, 2008
- "Close-Up on Columbus Circle," by Christine Lagorio, Village Voice, September 6, 2005


text:
Let me start off by saying the salesman was nice. Of course, salesmen are always nice. They want to be your friend. That must be one of the rules of successful salesmanship. Not too long ago, my wife and I were shopping for a car at the now defunct Gulf Motors when a salesman asked, after learning we were from New Jersey, what part of Jersey I was from. When I told him Dover, he swore that Dover was his home town. No kidding, I said. "Where abouts did you live?" "By the school," he answered. "Which school?" "You know, the big one." By then, I realized the guy was full of shit and probably couldn't find Jersey on a map. Still, he was probably employing tried and true selling techniques.
Anyway, the guy selling appliances at Lowe's was a nice enough guy. He helped us roll the Samsung refrigerator we were looking at over to the Whirlpool range so that my wife could compare the shades of stainless. Then, he gladly accepted our debit card and we were good to go.
The problems came with the delivery men. They brought in the refrigerator, attached the freezer compartment handle, plugged it in, then, set the temperatures. So far so good. Then came the range. The lead man, in charge of the connections, did a little finagling, then, voila, tried the burners. They worked. Then, he tested the oven. Zap, it threw a breaker. He tried it again. Same result. He told me there was something wrong with the breaker and that I needed a new, updated, version. Then, he and his partner left. Appreciatively, fool that I am, I tipped each of them a fin.
After removing the breaker from the box – it was a duel 30/40 amp breaker common to houses on wheels – I drove up to Lowe's and talked to a guy in the electrical department. He said they didn't have the breaker I needed, a 30/50 amp breaker, and directed me to try across the street at Home Depot. The guy at Home Depot, an ex-electrician, informed me that the 30/50 amp breaker recommended by the guy at Lowe's required heavier wire than what I had in the trailer and that installing one could spark a fire. He advised me to contact an electrician.
Well, it was Sunday afternoon. But, luckily, I live in an old fogies trailer park where the residents are retired from all kinds of occupations. With a few calls, I found myself a retired electrician who was glad to come over. He ran a few tests and determined that the line was okay to the range outlet and through the cord up to the stove. Something's wrong with the stove, he said.
So, I called Lowe's, spoke to the same salesman, and was promised I'd receive a new stove, in fact, a better stove, the next day. And I did. They plugged it in, turned on the oven, and everything worked perfectly. No one has gotten back to me from Lowe's. Guess they think it's okay that their delivery man had me running all over when he should have known that there was something wrong with the stove. My guess is he was just too lazy to cart it back out to the truck.
Speaking of lazy, I noticed the refrigerator door, when allowed to swing shut, was closing with enough force to jolt the entire hacienda. I got down onto the floor and discovered that neither of the levelers were touching the floor. They just plopped it down and left it there.
I never liked Lowe's, but my wife did. Let's face it, as opposed to HD it's more girly. You know, finished floors instead of concrete, etc. etc. But, I doubt they'll ever see another nickel of my money.


text:
Shri. G.K.VasanLeadership
G. K. Vasan is the President of Tamil Maanila Congress.
He was educated at the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, and graduated from the New College. He is the son of a veteran Congress leader, G. K. Moopanar, who later formed his own political party, the Tamil Maanila Congress. The TMC elected Vasan as its leader after the death of his father, later he merged the TMC with the Indian National Congress.
G.K.Vasan re-launched Tamil Maanila Congress in November 2014 to fulfill the dream of millions to bring back Kamaraj rule in the state.
|Shri G.K. Vasan
|Father's Name
|Shri G.K. Moopanar
|Mother's Name
|Shrimati Kasthuri Moopanar
|Date of Birth
|December 28, 1964
|Place of Birth
|Sundara Perumalkoil,
Distt. Tanjore, (Tamil Nadu)
|Marital Status
|Married on November 29, 1996
|Spouse's Name
|Shrimati Sunitha Vasan
|One son, Master G.K.V. Pranav
|Educational Qualifications
|B.A. (Corporate Secretaryship),
The New College,
Madras University, Chennai
|Party Name
|Tamil Maanila Congress
|May 2009 – May 2014
|Union Minister for Shipping
|Jan 2006 – May 2009
|Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
|Oct 2004 – Jan 2006
|Member, Consultative Committee for theMinistry of Urban Development
|Aug 2004 – Jan 2006
|Member, Committee on Coal and Steel
|Nov 2003 – Feb 2006
|President, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee
|Jun 2003 – Jul 2004
|Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation
|Aug 2002 – Nov 2003
|Secretary, All India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C.)
|Jan 2003 – Feb 2004
|Member, Committee on Urban and Rural Development
|Jun 2002 – Jul 2004
|Member, Departmentally-Related Standing Committeeon Urban and Rural Development
|May 2002 – Jan 2004
|Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture
|April 2002
|Elected to Rajya Sabha
|Aug 2001 – Aug 2002
|President, Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)
|Thiruvayiru Thyagabrahma Sabha
|Life Member
|Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
|Life Member
|Cosmopolitan Club, Chennai
|Life Member
|Constitution Club, New Delhi


text: "Body Language" (a working title) is a documentary profiling Bo Kyung Lee, a professional dancer, Ithaca College professor and a recent immigrant to the U.S. from South Korea. The documentary will take the viewer to Bo Kyung's modern dance class, in rehearsals for the Cornell Locally Grown Dance Festival and in her daily life as she adjusts to American culture. The ladies of CouchBoat Productions are interested in discovering how she teaches, interacts and communicates by means other than words. Follow them as they make these discoveries… and more.


text:
Friday, May 27, 2011
Registration Checks at Ukrainian Border Crossings
1. Borypsil Airport, August 2010
I had a new visa from the Krakow Ukrainian Consulate on the heels of a [in hindsight rather pointless] 3-month visa. After asking around online and talking to the Kiev central OVIR, I had concluded that the new visa would probably allow me to have 90 days in the country before being required to register. At the border checkpoint at the airport I was told that this was not the case and that the new visa had no bearing on the 90/180 rule. In essence, this means that under their interpretation if you stay in Ukraine 80-90 days without a visa and leave to get a visa, after reentering the country on visa you will have to register promptly before being allowed to leave the country without paying a fine, even if you only spent 0-10 days in the country with your new visa. However, the central city OVIR may have a different interpretation and may decline to register you until closer to 90 days have passed since your most recent entrance to Ukraine.
Basically, the border guard told me I was in violation and had his boss come out to talk to me. The boss say I would have to pay a fine, emphasizing that the procedure took several hours to write up properly and that I could "take a later flight." I was already almost late to my flight because of issues with my carry-on baggage, which included some metal backpacking gear, and the guard new this because he had requested my ticket along with my passport. I told them there was no "later flight" and that I would not take my trip after all, but would remain in Kiev. At this point I honestly thought my chances of leaving the country were about nil, and I didn't care anymore because of all the problems and the fact that I hadn't slept at all the previous night.
After some hemming and hawing back and forth between the guards, the boss muttered something and left. The guard gave me back my passport and told me I was "incredibly lucky." I couldn't believe it.
I have never paid a bribe in over 8 years of living in Ukraine, and I'm happy that I didn't break with that tradition. I am almost certain that the border guards were setting me up to bribe them in the back room in order to make my flight.
2. Zhuliany airport, May 2011
WizzAir now flies out of Zhuliany, not Boryspil. This is good news, because Zhuliany is actually within city boundaries. I got there by bus for 2.50 UAH (31 US cents). At the border crossing, the guard entered my information into the computer and looked carefully at my visas, stamps, and registration. The registration covered my current stay in Ukraine beyond my exit date, so there was no problem there. But he noticed that there was a problem before the registration -- the same "problem" that the previous border guards had noticed. He spent several minutes talking to his colleague in the booth about the situation, then went out into the back room to talk to the boss. As he was returning down the hall, I heard (in Russian) -- "if he's got that mark [i.e. OVIR registration], that means he's already paid [a fine]." I gathered that the border guard was inquiring about the possibility of fining me for a past infringement. Finally, he came back, apologized for the delay, smiled, and gave me my passport.
Moral of the story: airport border guards are looking at your residency information very carefully these days.
1 comment:
- AnonymousDecember 12, 2011 at 11:40 PM
sorry, I just started reading your blog, so I don't know if you have older posts that talk about land borders. I've only been living in Ukraine for about 16 months (all spent in Donetsk, my "home away from home"), and I've had some problems getting long-term visas in the past. I've finally gotten one, and I don't want to go into details about it, but I wanted to speak about my knowledge of land borders. I was in a dicey position a few months ago, and some American friends recommended passing through western land borders. I took their advice. The first time was the border in Uzhgorod (Slovakia). This was by far the easiest border I've ever crossed. You need to cross in a vehicle, but marshrutkas constantly run between Uzhgorod and Sobrance, SVK, so it's not really a problem. I ended up hitchhiking, and it took awhile to find a willing driver, but we got it, and got across with ZERO questions asked, and given my situation, I was sincerely surprised and happy (the guy who drove us seemed like some kind of "businessman," also *wink*). The second time was at Chop (Hungary), which has a great commuter train that runs from Chop to Zahony, HUN every two or three hours between 8am and 7pm. Customs took 15 minutes for all passengers to be checked. Same situation, few questions, and unusually, some smiles from customs agents. The train cost 25 griven. My point is, I seriously recommend these two borders for anyone who is nervous about paying bribes or worried about being questioned. However, you seem like a Ukraine "veteran," so I'm sure you know about this stuff already. Cheers! - PaulReplyDelete


text:
Six Ways to Improve Your Online Store
If you are running an online store, you would know by now that constant improvements are required in order to keep the quality visitors coming in and to increase the conversion rate of that traffic. The following six steps may help you to better your store and achieve more sales in the coming months.
1. Upgrade product descriptions – You may want to add some zest to your product descriptions that will entice shoppers to read and feel that they need it. You may want to do this in a manner such as telling a story so that your customers have a better experience than simply reading mundane product descriptions.
2. Use Video for product demonstrations – Whether your product is software or a service or a tangible product, you may want to use video to showcase the features of the products. Users are becoming more savvy and will enjoy watching a short demo clip of your product rather than reading pages of content.
3. Use new technologies – You can make use of new technologies such as flash, flex or jQuery plug-ins to merchandise and cross promote special offers. Providing these types of advanced shopping experiences to users means a competitive advantage that will result in increased sales volumes.
4. Product Reviews and Ratings – Implementing reviews and ratings mean that customers can see what other customers think about your products. This will also be a great source of feedback in order for you to improve your product to suit the needs of the market.
5. Add suggestions and cross selling tools – You may want to promote similar products and services to customers who are purchasing something on your website. Companies like Amazon have had a huge success using these selling techniques.
6. Single Page Checkout – It is vital for you to ensure the customer has the easiest method of paying for the goods or services once they have decided to purchase it. Therefore you should include everything on a single checkout page so that the customer pays and leaves. The less complicated the purchase process is, the better.


text:
Persuasion Contents
- Introduction
- Timeline
- Images
- Austen, Jane
- Social / political context
- Religious / philosophical context
- Literary context
- Volume 1
- Volume 2
Feminist criticism and literary history
A working definition
Feminist criticism concentrates on:
- The presentation of female experience in character and action, frequently pointing out the misrepresentation of female characters by male authors, and challenging sexist views and statements
- The 'silence' of women in certain works of literature and how different those works might seem if the female point of view were more fully represented
- In terms of literary history, it draws attention to the work of overlooked or neglected female authors, who are seen as constituting a separate literary tradition, which is different from - but not necessarily inferior to - a tradition dominated by male writers.
Persuasion offers many opportunities for the first two of these approaches.
The female voice in Persuasion
Persuasion was groundbreaking in the impression it offered of the female consciousness. Anne's success in finding her voice, using it, and being heard by others lies at the heart of Persuasion. We know her opinions, thoughts and feelings even when she doesn't voice them, because we see everything and everyone in the novel from Anne's perspective. Through her representation of Anne's inner life, Jane Austen gives us an exploration of the female consciousness that presents it realistically and validates it as trustworthy:
- Anne's reason is inextricably linked with her emotions and the two work in tandem to lead her to conclusions that demonstrate insight and understanding of the world and those around her
- Anne's instincts are valid. The novel demonstrates that, when she allows the reasoning of others to override her natural instincts unhappiness occurs - as it did when she followed the reasoning of others and rejected Captain Wentworth – or is threatened – as when Anne realises the misery she would have endured if she had followed the reasoning of Lady Russell and married William Elliot
- As Anne gains independence, her instinctive and emotional responses begin to align with her outward expressions and actions
- Anne values her own instincts sufficiently to choose happiness, even though it means leaving her family and marrying the man of whom they disapprove.
No voice and no choice
Persuasion is forward-looking in its demonstration of the happiness that can result from women discovering their voice and trusting it. However, Anne's silence, with the refusal of others to listen when she does speak, are significant indicators of:
- the limitations imposed on women
- the domination of the male point of view
- an unwillingness to acknowledge the female perspective.
We see this when Anne briefly voices her opinion on the value of the navy in Chapter 3, and her father silences her with a diatribe against them. Similarly, Anne's wise recommendations for retrenchment do not even get proposed to her father, and her wishes for avoiding Bath are passed over. Instead, she has to passively endure the consequences of her father's poor financial decisions.
Despite the fact that Austen does not portray Elizabeth and Mary sympathetically, a feminist viewpoint must acknowledge that they too, being women, have little choice:
- Elizabeth is subject to the selfish whims of William Elliot. His decision to marry someone else for financial gain leaves her without a husband and under pressure to marry suitably before she gets too old. Meanwhile, she continues to have to be dependent on her father (Ch. 1)
- Charles' fitness as a father is not called into question when he decides to go to dinner with the Musgroves rather than stay home with his sick son. However, when Mary wishes to do the same, her motherly instincts are criticised. She gets her own way in the end, but the double-standard is clear nevertheless (Ch. 7).
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