text:
Victims of sluggish growth, businesses in Central Europe will not emerge from the crisis in 2013
Compared to Western Europe, defaults in Eastern Europe are accelerating at a very high rate.
After the 2009 recession and in the context of the crisis in the euro zone, Central European companies are very vulnerable, according to data collected by Coface on the ground. Insolvencies rose sharply in nearly all of the countries in this region, and in much larger proportions than in Western Europe, from +7% inSlovakiato +27% in theCzechRepublicin 2012.
The highest concentration of insolvencies was observed in construction (30% of the total) as a result of a gradual decline in production, and in retail (23%) due to intense competition and the loss of consumer confidence.
Although most of the insolvencies in Central Europe, as in Western Europe, concern small and mediumsized businesses and particularly microenterprises, the major players have also been affected.
The contraction of domestic demand, the main cause of insolvencies in Poland and Romania
An analysis by Coface economists shows that the factors which explain this worrying increase in insolvencies is not solely attributable to the slowdown in West European countries, their principal commercial partners.
The entry into force of new legislation in 2004 concerning insolvency[1] procedures, has led to a significant increase in requests to declare bankruptcy,[2] particularly inRomania andHungary. By contrast, inPoland andSlovakia, only a small number of companies, mostly large organisations, are requesting the long and costly reorganisation procedures, while small companies simply cease their operations. In short, depending on the case, legal reform may play a role in the insolvencies, but it is not the only explanation.
Based on statistical studies which take into account private domestic demand (consumption and investment), exports and credit developments, Coface has distinguished two particular cases. Poland, which has the largest domestic market in Central Europe, where domestic demand, exports and slowing credit are correlated with the increase in insolvencies. AndRomania, where only the weight of household consumption (72% of GDP) can significantly explain this increase.
[1] Insolvency: an insolvent company is no longer able to cope with its debts. This term may refer to a procedure
[2] Bankruptcy: depending on the country, this term may refer to a standard court reorganisation procedure or liquidation under court supervision
2013 will not mark the end of the crisis for Eastern European companies
For 2013, considering the statistical study conducted for this Panorama, Coface expects continued upward movement of insolvencies inCentral Europe. InRomania, the increase will follow the same rate of +10% in 2012, due to a low increase in domestic consumption (+1.2%). InPoland, because of weak increases in exports (+2%) and domestic demand (+0.9%), insolvencies will increase significantly by +29%.
InSlovakia, where the growth rate does not appear to be sustainable, and in theCzech Republic, due to the contraction in its exports, insolvencies should increase at the same rate as in 2012. In connection with the fragility of the banking system, companies inSloveniaare likely to be the most affected by insolvencies in the region.
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Baby Lamb: Five Cuts Served with Provençal Vegetables, Braised Cipollini Onions, and Thyme Oil (Part 2)
If you're just joining us, you may want to read my last post to get caught up.
To quickly recap, over three and a half hours on a Monday morning, we went from this:
.... to this:
.... and we broke for lunch.
After our lunch of burgers, fries, and shakes, we piled back into my car, drove back to Sheppard Mansion, headed back into the kitchen, donned our aprons (and jackets for the men) and got to work. At the same time, a small construction crew showed up just outside the kitchen window to dig out and lay the concrete foundation for a new wheelchair ramp into the inn. One of the guys on the crew -- the guy who was driving the cement truck, actually -- had a beard that made him look like the long-lost member of ZZ Top, so that meant the entire afternoon was all about trying to out-do one another with ZZ Top song poisoning, which then led to discussions about other bands from our high school days, and we fixated on Kix -- a local band that made it big for about fourteen seconds in the 1980s, and I ended up song poisoning myself with "Cool Kids." Aaaaaand, now that I just found that clip to link to, I've re-song-poisoned myself. Somebody stop me.
Back to the food.
Andy checked on the lamb breast braising in the oven, and it still had some time to go. So, in the meantime, we prepped the legs. Scott had already deboned and butterflied them, so we slathered them with a mixture of minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, chopped thyme, and grey salt. After rubbing them with that lovely mixture, we tied them up nice and tight (I tied the one already on the tray below -- Andy's tying the second one:
In the background of that photo, you can see Scott working with the tenderloin. That part is coming soon. He also frenched the bones for the rack, tied them, and seasoned them. I don't have photos of him doing that because I was trying to spend as much hands-on time as I could with the lamb, and not too much behind the lens.
Overall (and Michael Ruhlman raised this in the comments section of the previous post), this was not a difficult animal to work with in terms of trimming and cleaning it up. In an older animal, there's more connective tissue, called elastin. When it cooks, it seizes up and makes the meat tougher. Younger animals haven't developed the elastin, and instead have more collagen, which when they're cooked, allows the collagen to melt (I think that's an apt way to describe it -- you experts out there, please feel free to correct my terminology if need be), and allows for a much more tender, almost creamy texture to the meat. I'll talk more about that when we get to the end because it definitely had an impact on how this tasted.
Next, we made a farce, or stuffing, with the lamb trimmings. This may have been one of my favorite parts of the process because I love watching chunks of meat get shoved into a meat grinder and swlurge and blop out the other end:
We mixed in some salt, pepper, mustard, brunoise, thyme, minced kalamata olives, and parsley to complete the stuffing:
Andy spread the farce onto the sirloin, placed the tenderloin on top of it (which made me think of the song Tenderoni), then wrapped it three times in caul fat to keep its shape:
Andy did the first one, then made Rich do the second one and heckled him the entire time. I swear, at one point I was ready to just whip out a ruler. First the heckling over the carrots for the brunoise, and now this.
Rich did a great job (even when I needlessly added to the heckling, because sometimes, yes, I am a joiner). Both were awesome. See?
By now, the lamb breast was done braising in the oven. Andy pulled the bones out of one breast, and I handled the other:
We went back to the book at this point to make sure we were still on track -- and I had to take a picture of how well worn Andy's copy of TFLC is:
Now, that's a book that's gotten some serious use in the kitchen.
I don't have photos of this next part -- probably because I was the one doing it and therefore couldn't also simultaneously take photos -- but we prepared the breast meat just like I did with the veal breast when I made it last year -- pressed and weighted them between two baking sheets and put it in the cooler to refrigerate it overnight before cutting it into two-inch rounds.... which you'll see in a later photo.
I deboned and rough-chopped the meat from the neck, shanks and shoulders (which also had been braising right alongside the breast meat, and which I did not take photos of, because I was the one doing it and I'm kind of a picky, annoying control freak about other people using my camera), and Andy tossed the meat with butter, olive oil, brunoise, and some salt and pepper. We also had reduced some of the lamb braising liquid to a glaze, and added that, as well.
Now comes my favorite part. We rolled that hodgepodge (lodge!) into a log. Andy did his:
Then, Rich did one (and was ONCE AGAIN heckled because we are, clearly, in sixth grade), and I did the third one (and was not heckled because I think they are secretly very, very afraid of me, and I was sort of pretending to heckle myself anyway, just to be a good sport about it). You'll see all three in a photo to come. Sort of a meat roll call, if you will.
But making these meat logs -- which would set overnight and the next day be sliced into rillettes and sautéed -- was our final step of Day One. WOOOO-HOOOOO!!!!!!!
We cleaned up the kitchen, got out of there around 4:30, and I took a little 30-minute disco nap before showering and heading over to dinner at Andy and Karen's house, just a few blocks from the inn.
Rich and Scott joined us for dinner, and all five of us sat outside and watched the sun set over the trees as we enjoyed the bounty of summer -- grilled steak, bread, corn, salad, fresh tomatoes, a bottle of Joseph Phelps Insignia along with some other amazing wines, fresh fruit with freshly whipped cream for dessert, and had a really lovely evening. The weather was beautiful, the company outstanding, the music perfect, my hosts most welcoming, and it was the perfect way to wind down what had been an exhausting and totally exhilarating day.
* * * * *
With lots of wine at dinner comes the inevitable throb of a headache the next morning, but some strong coffee and a few Pop Tarts took care of that right away. Andy and the guys ran errands all morning for the restaurant, and as much as I wanted to join them going farm to farm and producer to producer, I very reluctantly had to spend a few hours doing some client work. We agreed to reconvene in the kitchen just after lunchtime so we could finish all the prep and be ready to serve dinner at 6. My parents and some of their friends were coming over to enjoy this dinner, and I was looking forward to getting back in the kitchen and getting everything done.
Andy took the lamb breast out of the cooler where it had been pressed between two baking sheets, cut out 2" rounds, and we did a meat roll call to make sure everything was ready to go:
All lamb parts, present and accounted for, SIR!
The lamb brain had been soaking overnight in milk, but when Andy took it out of the milk to add it to the tray of lamb delight, he noticed there was some dark discoloration and a strange balance of blood still in there, so he decided not to cook it for me because he didn't think it looked right.
Whew. Crisis averted.
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing little odds and ends, but eventually, I got kicked out of the kitchen because Andy wanted to prepare a few surprises for me and our dinner guests. I was really worried one of those surprises was going to be a tripe-cilantro casserole with fermented lamb brain croutons, but I was later relieved to find out I was wrong.
I was able to sneak in a few shots of the lamb breast all mustarded and pankoed, and the leg was just beginning to cook before my butt was given das boot:
At 6 o'clock, I met my parents and their friends in the dining room; Andy's partner Karen (she runs front of house) joined us, poured some wine, and we started in on Andy's famous soft pretzel rolls (hey, you can't be from Pennsylvania and not know how to make and/or appreciate soft pretzels in every incarnation -- I even make soft pretzel bread pudding, which will knock your socks off) and corn fritters made from fresh corn using an old family recipe (again, I don't know anyone from my neck of the woods who doesn't drool over a hot, fresh corn fritter). Next, he sent out demitasse cups of Creamy Maine Lobster Broth, which he followed with a Rettland Farms milk-fed poularde served over butter-braised cabbage, fingerling potatoes and corn jus. All of it delicious and quite unexpected. I love surprise feasts, don't you?
Then, I was "allowed" to come back in the kitchen and help finish and plate the lamb. As I turned the corner into the kitchen, I was ka-powed with the most amazing smells.
I stopped for just a moment to watch the guys at work as they pulled hot pans off the stove, working in synchronicity with one another and getting the lamb rested and prepared for plating. Karen joined me in the kitchen, and we all worked on the plating together -- exactly as it should be:
So, let's talk about each element of this dish one-by-one, then talk about it as a whole.
Lamb stock reduced to a glaze, with thyme oil Andy made the day before, and on top of that -- each piece of the lamb: leg, breast, saddle/loin, rack, rillettes (shank, shoulder, neck). Oh, and also the kidney. Almost forgot about that.
Let's start with the sauce. Wow. Working with a really young animal, again, means there's more collagen than elastin in the muscle tissue, so not only does that help make the meat so incredibly tender and almost butter-like in its texture when it cooks, it makes the stock and then the reduced sauce more viscous and velvety smooth. The thyme oil and thyme leaves were perfect, too. I never understood why people like lamb with rosemary -- I think thyme is so much more complementary to lamb.
The leg of lamb, which had been slathered in a mustard sauce, pan-seared, then roasted was hearty, yet not heavy. Flawless. The breast meat, which had been braised, then cut into disks, pankoed then sauteed was so creamy, I had to really remind myself I was eating lamb. The loin with the kalamata olive stuffing? Fer the love of Larry Dallas, I think it was (maybe) my favorite of all of them. It was so flavorful and rich, I wanted more. The rack, straightforward and roasted on the bone was exactly as I hoped it would be, and was so fresh and delicious. I'd never tasted lamb like this before, and my dad (who really doesn't like lamb -- actually, he kind of hates it, but came to dinner anyway) was blown away. This was unlike any lamb any of us had ever had, and we were over the moon. The rillettes were really, really good and I was happy to have had some of them leftover to chop up with potatoes the next morning and make a breakfast hash that I still think about.
Every singular element of this dish was phenomenal on its own. It's when I started taking little bites of the breast meat along with some of the tenderloin together... and then the rillette with the rack, that it sent me over the edge. It seemed as though the combinations were limitless, and every single one of them was as good as the next.
The lamb was so good that I could barely focus on the braised cipollini onions, although they were quite good as well, and little bits of those added to the lamb were a treat, for sure.
You know, when I was thinking back to other lamb dishes I've had to try and compare and contrast, I couldn't. Young baby lamb is like nothing else. Prior to eating this, I expected it to taste like lamb (which I already loved), but better. It was a completely different taste altogether. It reminded me of when I made the pig's head, because prior to eating that I figured, "oh, it'll just taste pork-ish." And it was so different (and better) than my expectations. That's how this lamb played on my palate. It was unlike any other lamb I'd had before, and raised the bar, for sure. It was soft and creamy, but not wimpy or lame in any way. It had some heft to it, but it wasn't lamb-y. Cooked lamb has a distinct smell. This did not have that smell. It was much more fragrant and not as meat-y smelling as lamb often is. It was f-ing fantastic.
In fact, I really think I'll have a hard time ordering lamb in a restaurant, knowing how good it can be when you make it yourself with people who crack you up, and then eat it with people who think you're slightly nutty for doing it, but love you just the same. My parents and their friends had a great time, and I think we all felt a little bit spoiled by the experience. This was a great plate of food.
We ended the night with some fresh fruit and freshly whipped cream for dessert, and my parents and their friends headed back home. It was great to have them experience this dish, because it was something I'd never done before, and I think they thoroughly enjoyed the whole night. They don't live close enough to be able to taste all these dishes, so after spending all this time reading this blog from afar, it was nice for me to have them actually there to eat something that was such a big learning moment for me... and that tasted so freakin' good. I think I would have been written out of the will, had I had them drive two hours to my house to eat tripe, pig's feet, or lobster jelly.
I stayed behind to help with clean up, and once the kitchen was shiny and put back together and the few leftovers we had all packed up, I said my goodbyes, dragged my ass to the car, and drove two hours home, giddy and exhausted, but with the greastest sense of accomplishment that I've felt in a really long time.
So, would I ever do this dish again? Hell yes.
But probably not on my own, because I honestly think it's just too much for one person to do (in a short period of time, to ensure the meat stays fresh), unless they've got the experience, tools, and space to do it. That said, if I were ever thrown into a situation where I was forced to break down and cook a whole baby lamb all by myself with a good saw, a good knife, but no help from no one, no how? Let's just say that now, having done this, there's far less risk of failure... or at least I could fail with dignity.
So, thank you, again, to Andy, Scott, Rich, Karen, and Kathy for opening the Sheppard Mansion's kitchen and allowing me to make it my home for a few days.
One last thing: if you ever get a chance to do this -- visit a farm, see a lamb, buy a lamb, connect with a chef, work with and learn from that chef, understand and work with an entire animal, and be able to feast upon your labors when all is said and done, you will be one of the luckiest people on earth.
I swear.
Lamb from Whitmore Farm
All produce from Hanover, PA-area farms and gardens
Music to Cook By: It was an iTunes-free kitchen, but in the spirit of our banter and heckling, go ahead and download yourselves some ZZ Top and Kix and feel the south central PA love.
Up Next: Velouté of Bittersweet Chocolate with Cinnamon Stick Ice Cream
Read My Previous Post: Baby Lamb: Five Cuts Served with Provençal Vegetables, Braised Cipollini Onions, and Thyme Oil (Part 1)


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text:
Author: Mercy Amare
Genre: Mature YA Contemporary
I'm Scarlett Ryan.
Yes, THAT Scarlett Ryan.
I live an extraordinary life: millionaire rock star, owner of exotic cars, pictures of me in every magazine, millions of fans, and a name that is recognized world wide. It's supposed to be my dream come true. But, my life IS a fantasy, and I want real. I want exciting. I want... NORMAL. So, I moved from California to Florida, hoping to obtain some normalcy. Instead I find...
Stephan Montgomery.
He's an arrogant jerk. Seriously, I hate him. I swear if he tells me one more blonde joke, I will punch him... again... Unfortunately I can't stop thinking about him, or his gorgeous green eyes. Trust me, I know that he's bad for me. If only my heart would listen.
I also find out that my parents have kept a LIFE CHANGING secret from me. I need to know the truth.
Buy Links (FREE EVERYWHERE):
Jaded Excerpt:
"We have so much chemistry that we're literally smoking," I smile. "And it's only a matter of time before we erupt."
He clears his throat. "I'm kind of looking forward to this eruption. Think it will happen any time soon?"
"Stephan," I swat my hand at his arm gently. "You are so bad."
"Maybe, but you know you want me."
"Oh, I do want you, but it's so much more fun to make you wait." I laugh. "Besides, I'm waiting until we're in love."
"Augh, the L word again." He shakes his head, as if he can will the word to go away.
"Why are you so against love?" I ask.
"I'm not against love. I just think that love is a serious word. I have never told a girl that I love her, and I want it to mean something. I want the one and only girl I say it to, to be my wife."
And right there, I lost my heart... to a boy named Stephan Montgomery.
Author: Mercy Amare
Genre: Mature YA Contemporary
I left Hope – the only place I've ever felt at home. So now what? Where do I go from here?
When I left, I didn't just leave my home. I left my friends, my sisters, and Stephan… I just found them. I can't lose them now.
I know that I want to do MY music. I need to remember WHY I wanted to play music in the first place. And the only way to get that is by firing my dad, but that may be harder than I thought.
On top of everything, I now have cameras following me around everywhere. Even my own home isn't safe anymore.
I've come to realize that normal will never be an option for me.
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Faded Excerpt:
He pulls out a costume. "I could be Iron Man."
I crinkle my nose. "No way. Thor is way cooler of a superhero."
"He's not a superhero. He's a god. There is a difference," Stephan quickly replies.
"Whatever. I really don't care. He's a mythical creature either way. He can be whoever the fuck I want him to be." I shake my head.
"What are you going as?" Stephan asks.
"Who cares?" I laugh and decide to quote Mean Girls. "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." I pause then say, "I was thinking slutty zombie."
"I think I'm going to like your costume," Stephan says quickly. "And I will totally let you bite me."
"Only you could think about sex during the zombie apocalypse," I joke.
"Well somebody is going to have to repopulate the earth. It's a rough job, but I think I'm up for the challenge." He puts his arm around my shoulder and starts walking me to the door. "In fact, we better get started now."
I remove his arm from around my shoulder. "Right. You get started without me. I'm just going to grab my costume."
Author: Mercy Amare
Genre: Mature YA Contemporary
Release Date: August 31st
Everything in my life is perfect. I have a family. My music is now going my way. And I have Stephan. Forever. All my dreams are coming true. But the problem with perfection is that eventually everything falls apart. And my whole life is crumbling around me — piece by piece.
I am just trying to get through the next few months with my sanity intact, but that seems like an impossible feat. I'm back in LA, and this time I'm not alone. Between finding time for my new husband, my mother-in-law that hates me, and putting up with Alec and Bridgett's bickering, I'm not sure how much more I can take… And then Mona shows up. I am in over my head.
I thought I knew the truth about everything, but I was wrong. Secrets that weren't supposed to come out are now being discovered. Secrets about my biological father… Even Bridgett is keeping a secret… Something big. I have to know what, even if it means running away again.
I tried for normal — now I know that there is nothing normal about being a rock star.
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About the Author
I write YA & NA Romance books. I have a slight addiction to NOS. My guilty pleasure is Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, & The Lying Game.
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Cuba, country of the West Indies, the largest single island of the archipelago, and one of the more-influential states of the Caribbean region.
The domain of the Arawakan-speaking Taino, who had displaced even earlier inhabitants, Cuba was claimed by Christopher Columbus for Spain in 1492. It became the Spanish empire's most-important source of raw sugar in the 18th century and later earned the sobriquet "Pearl of the Antilles." Though Spain had to fight several difficult and costly campaigns against independence movements, it retained rule of Cuba until 1898, when it was defeated by the United States and Cuban forces in the Spanish-American War. Cuba soon gained formal independence, though it remained overshadowed by the nearby United States.
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On New Year's Day, 1959, revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro overthrew the government of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Two years later Castro proclaimed the Marxist-Leninist nature of the revolution. Cuba became economically isolated from its northern neighbour as it developed close links to the Soviet Union. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s isolated Cuba still further, bringing on what Cubans euphemistically call the período especial ("special period"), a time of widespread shortages and financial uncertainty. By the early 21st century, Cuba had loosened some of its more-restrictive economic and social policies, but the United States continued its decades-long economic embargo against the Castro regime, though the December 2014 announcement of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries held promise of the embargo's removal.
Life in contemporary Cuba is thus challenging, given the limited access to food, transportation, electrical power, and other necessities. Even so, many Cubans show a fierce pride in their revolutionary society, the only one of its kind in Latin America. The protagonist of anthropologist Miguel Barnet's novel Canción de Rachel (1969; Rachel's Song, 1991) describes it thus:
This island is something special. The strangest, most tragic things have happened here. And it will always be that way. The earth, like humankind, has its destiny. And Cuba's is a mysterious destiny.
Cuba is a multicultural, largely urban nation, although it has only one major city: Havana (La Habana), the capital and commercial hub of the country, on the northwestern coast. Handsome if rather run-down, Havana has a scenic waterfront and is surrounded by fine beaches, an attraction for increasing numbers of visitors from abroad. Cuba's other cities—including Santiago, Camagüey, Holguín, and, especially, Trinidad—offer a rich legacy of colonial Spanish architecture to complement contemporary buildings.
Cuba is situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer at the intersection of the Atlantic Ocean (north and east), the Gulf of Mexico (west), and the Caribbean Sea (south). Haiti, the nearest neighbouring country, is 48 miles (77 km) to the east, across the Windward Passage; Jamaica is 87 miles (140 km) to the south; the Bahamas archipelago extends to within 50 miles (80 km) of the northern coast; and the United States is about 90 miles (150 km) to the north across the Straits of Florida.
The country comprises an archipelago of about 1,600 islands, islets, and cays with a combined area three-fourths as large as the U.S. state of Florida. The islands form an important segment of the Antilles (West Indies) island chain, which continues east and then south in a great arc enclosing the Caribbean Sea. The island of Cuba itself is by far the largest in the chain and constitutes one of the four islands of the Greater Antilles. In general, the island runs from northwest to southeast and is long and narrow—777 miles (1,250 km) long and 119 miles (191 km) across at its widest and 19 miles (31 km) at its narrowest point.
Groups of mountains and hills cover about one-fourth of the island of Cuba. The most rugged range is the Sierra Maestra, which stretches approximately 150 miles (240 km) along the southeastern coast and reaches the island's highest elevations—6,476 feet (1,974 metres) at Turquino Peak and 5,676 feet (1,730 metres) at Bayamesa Peak. Near the centre of the island are the Santa Clara Highlands, the Sierra de Escambray (Guamuhaya), and the Sierra de Trinidad. The Cordillera de Guaniguanico in the far west stretches from southwest to northeast for 110 miles (180 km) and comprises the Sierra de los Órganos and the Sierra del Rosario, the latter attaining 2,270 feet (692 metres) at Guajaibón Peak. Much of central-western Cuba is punctuated by spectacularly shaped, vegetation-clad hillocks called mogotes. Serpentine highlands distinguish northern and central La Habana and Matanzas provinces, as well as the central parts of Camagüey and Las Tunas.
The plains covering about two-thirds of the main island have been used extensively for sugarcane and tobacco cultivation and livestock raising. The coastal basins of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo and the extensive Cauto River valley lie in the southeast. The Cauto lowland adjoins a series of coastal plains that continue across the island from east to west, including the Southern Plain, Júcaro-Morón Plain, Zapata Peninsula (Zapata Swamp), Southern Karst and Colón Plain, and Southern Alluvial Plain. Cuba's most extensive swamps cover the Zapata Peninsula and surround the Bay of Pigs (Bahía de Cochinos). The Las Villas Plain of the North, Las Villas Plain of the Northeast, and Northern Plain stretch across much of the opposite coast.
Cuba's approximately 3,570 miles (5,745 km) of irregular, picturesque coastline are characterized by many bays, sandy beaches, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, and rugged cliffs. There are also some spectacular caverns in the interior, notably the 16-mile- (26-km-) long Cave of Santo Tomás in the Sierra Quemado of western Cuba. The main island is surrounded by a submerged platform covering an additional 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km).
Among the extensive cays and archipelagoes ringing the main island are Los Colorados, to the northwest; Sabana and Camagüey, both off the north-central coast; the Jardines de la Reina ("Queen's Gardens"), near the south-central coast; and Canarreos, near the southwest coast. Juventud Island (Isla de la Juventud; "Isle of Youth"), formerly called Pinos Island (Isla de los Pinos; "Isle of Pines"), is the second largest of the Cuban islands, covering 850 square miles (2,200 square km). It is technically a part of the Canarreos Archipelago. Hills, dotted with groves of pine and palm, characterize much of the island's northwest and southeast. Sand and clay plains cover parts of the north, a gravel bed takes up most of the southern part of the island, and bogs dominate the coasts and sparsely inhabited interior.
Cuban rivers are generally short, with meagre flow; of the nearly 600 rivers and streams, two-fifths discharge to the north, the remainder to the south. The Zapata Peninsula is the most extensive of Cuba's many coastal wetlands.
The main island's heaviest precipitation and largest rivers are in the southeast, where the Cauto, at 230 miles (370 km) the country's longest river, lies between the Sierra Maestra and the smaller Sierra del Cristal. The Cauto and its tributaries, notably the Salado, drain the Sierra Maestra and lesser uplands in the provinces of Holguín and Las Tunas. Other rivers in this region include the Guantánamo, Sagua de Tánamo, Toa, and Mayarí. To the west the most important southward-flowing rivers are the Sevilla, Najasa, San Pedro, Jatibonico del Sur, Zaza, Agabama, Arimao, Hondo, and Cuyaguateje. Northward-flowing rivers include the Saramaguacán, Caonao, Sagua la Grande, and La Palma.
Cuban lakes are small and more properly classified as freshwater or saltwater lagoons. The latter include Leche ("Milk") Lagoon, which has a surface area of 26 square miles (67 square km). It is technically a sound because several natural channels connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. Sea movements generate disturbances in the calcium carbonate deposits at the bottom of the lake to produce the milky appearance of its waters.


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Hailey Baldwin's Old Tweets About Justin Bieber Are So, So Cringey
Ah, to be a young stan.
Following news that Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber are engaged, Baldwin's old tweets about her newly confirmed fiancé have resurfaced online, and well, they are certainly something.
A true Belieber for pretty much as long as she's had Twitter, Baldwin has tweeted about Bieber's accomplishments, love life, and random musings numerous times over the years. She's professed her love for "Mistletoe," backed up his love for cereal and naps, and repeatedly affirmed her status as a diehard fan. She even once shipped his relationship with on-again, off-again ex Selena Gomez (who no, doesn't want to talk about the fact that only a few months after they got back together, Bieber is now set to marry another woman).
A brief recap: Bieber and Baldwin met for the first time in 2009 (as captured on video!!), during an early morning Today show appearance. Bieber shook her hand, and Baldwin looked sheepishly away, one of the only two reactions you can have when first being introduced to your celebrity crush (the other is to scream, loudly and unapologetically).
Eventually, they got to know each other and became friends, dating briefly between 2015 and 2016 before parting ways. Cut to 2018, and they are happily betrothed after rekindling their romance in June.
Fortunately, Baldwin hasn't cleaned up her Twitter timeline in any of that time. See some of her tweets below.


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Brandon Smith
This article was written by Brandon Smith and originally published at his Alt-Market.com site.
Editor's Comment: With full knowledge that the pressure in the system is fueling a spirit of rebellion one way or another, the powers that be are focused on portraying dissenters who are bold enough to stand up as both a "dangerous domestic terrorist" and as a powerless individual. Neither are true in the vast majority of cases.
It is no controversy that example leads the way – and there is every sense that a gang of federal agencies are plotting their moves in a plan to make mass arrests of other "example cases" from the Bundy Ranch incident in 2014, and anything else they can come up with, to discourage people from standing up in ways big and small.
There is an attempt to use the broad term "interference" – which was used in charging Cliven Bundy after arrest– to criminalize any form of civil disobedience against the system, or impedence to the larger federal takeover of the country.
A Warning To The Feds On Incremental Prosecutions Of The Liberty Movement
by Brandon Smith
At the very onset of what would become the Soviet Empire, Vladimir Lenin decreed the creation of a national internal army called the "Cheka." The Cheka were handed very broad police powers and tasked with the disruption and elimination of any form of dissent within the communist system. Lenin launched what would later be known as the "Red Terror", in which nearly every Russian population center had an established Cheka office of operations using surveillance, infiltration, nighttime raids, imprisonment, torture and execution to silence opposition to the authority of the state.
Some of these people were active rebels, some were outspoken political opponents and journalists, others were merely average citizens wrongly accused by neighbors or personal enemies. The Cheka created a society of fear and suspicion in which no one could be trusted and little criticism was spoken above a whisper anywhere, even in one's own home.
It is important to note, however, that the dominance of the Cheka was established incrementally, not all at once.
Agents of the state began their "cleansing" of the Russian population by targeting specific groups at opportune times and worked their way through the citizenry at an exponential pace. The most intelligent, effective and dangerous activists and rebels were slated for destruction first, as they represented a kind of leadership mechanism by which the rest of the population might be mobilized or inspired. More innocuous organizations (like Christian churches and rural farmers) were persecuted as background noise while the political mop-up was underway.
Through this incrementalism, the communists were able to intern or eradicate vast numbers of potential opponents without the rest of Russians raising objections. The general populace was simply thankful that the eye of the Cheka had not been turned upon them, and as long as it was some other group of people unrelated to their daily life that disappeared in the night, they would keep their heads down and their mouths shut.
I would point out that the communists were very careful and deliberate in ensuring that the actions of the internal police were made valid through law and rationalized as a part of "class struggle." Such laws were left so open to interpretation that literally any evil committed could later be vindicated. Man-made law is often a more powerful weapon than any gun, tank, plane or missile, because it triggers apathy within the masses. For some strange reason, when corrupt governments legalize their criminality through legislation or executive decree, the citizenry suddenly treats that criminality as legitimate and excusable.
Incremental prosecution and oppression is effective when the establishment wishes to avoid outright confrontation with a population. Attempt to snatch up a million people at one time, and you will have an immediate rebellion on your hands. Snatch up a million people one man at a time, or small groups at a time, and people do not know what to think or how to respond. They determine to hope that the authorities never get to them, that it will stop after a few initial arrests, or they hope that if they censor themselves completely, they will never be noticed.
In fact, corrupt governments issue warrants of arrest for a handful of dissenters and initiate imprisonment in a very public manner in the beginning with the express purpose of making examples and inspiring self censorship in the masses so that the authorities do not have to expend large amounts of resources to fight a more complex rebellion.
I bring up the historic example of the Cheka and incrementalism because a trend is brewing within our current establishment by which I believe a similar (if not more sterilized) brand of oppressive action is being planned against the liberty movement.
After the debacle in Burns, Oregon during the refuge standoff, federal officials immediately began a subtle campaign in the media promoting internal police powers that when examined in an honest light, are truly anti-liberty.
It remains my personal position according to the evidence I have seen that the refuge standoff was likely influenced by at least one if not more federal provocateurs and that Ammon Bundy was "encouraged" in his choice of actions and location by this person or persons. The goal? I can only guess that the intent was to trap the liberty movement in a Catch-22 scenario; either we join the poorly planned and executed standoff on some of the worst defensive ground possible and risk everything on one centralized event, or, we refuse to participate in the strategy and watch helplessly as a group of people, many with good intentions but little tactical sense or training, are arrested or killed. Either we gamble everything on the worst possible terms, or, we avoid the gamble and watch as the entire movement is made to look weak or incompetent by association with a few.
The majority of the movement chose the latter action, rightly I feel. Burns was no Bundy Ranch — everything about it felt rigged. And though there were many angry anonymous voices calling us "sunshine patriots" and "keyboard warriors" because we would not participate, apparently none of those loud mouths ever showed up in Burns either, so I am assuming they finally saw the wisdom in our decision.
It would seem as though the feds did not get exactly what they wanted out of the refuge standoff, but they have decided to squeeze as much advantage out of the event as possible.
Cliven Bundy was arrested after arriving by plane in Portland, Oregon, not on any charges relating to the refuge and his son Ammon, but on charges stemming from the Bundy Ranch standoff of 2014.
These charges include a strange and very broad legal measure relating to "interference with the duties of federal officials." This in particular should be disconcerting to all of us, for "interference" could be any number of activities.
Any duties of federal officials that are not moral or constitutional should be interfered with in a tactically intelligent manner whenever possible. Such charges are a deliberate anathema to civil disobedience designed to counter immoral actions by government authorities. For any opposition could be deemed "interference" given a twisting of precedence, and thus treated as illegal.
In my recent article "Liberty Activists And ISIS Will Soon Be Treated As Identical Threats," I examined statements made by the Justice Department's chief of national security, John Carlin, in an article published by Reuters. Carlin and the Justice Department have made it clear that they intend to apply rules of prosecution used for foreign terrorist organizations to "domestic extremists." The Oregon standoff was specifically mentioned as an example of such extremism.
Carlin claimed that domestic extremists represent a "clear and present danger," alluding to the "Clear And Present Danger Doctrine" allowing the government in "times of national crisis" to prosecute almost any citizen giving "material support" to enemies of the state. "Material support" in the past has even included verbal opposition to government policies. Meaning, Carlin is testing the waters of material support laws and such tests may target liberty movement speakers and journalists along with anyone involved in physical opposition. As with the Cheka, no one is really safe.
These charges are also being brought in a retroactive manner, long after the supposed crimes have been committed as we have seen with Cliven Bundy. Meaning, the feds plan to retain warrants and prolong charges, only arresting people later when they think they can get away with it. This is where the incrementalism comes in…
Rumors of further indictments have surfaced possibly including dozens of people involved in the Bundy Ranch standoff. And because of the nature of the incremental game the government is playing, verification is difficult until the arrests are activated.
It has come to my attention from personal sources that there may be a lot of truth to the rumors of pending or retroactive indictments, and that the FBI in particular may be biding its time and waiting to bring charges when particular people are at their most vulnerable and when the movement is less likely to react. These sources have indicated that the federal government is seeking to work around the public relations problems of standoff scenarios like Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Bundy Ranch. The feds may claim that they have "seen the light" in terms of avoiding outright mass murder, but I believe they have just found a better way to sneak past public opinion.
If they can manipulate the liberty movement into participation in poorly planned standoffs like Burns, Oregon, they will. Such standoffs are doomed from their inception and can even be controlled from within by agents provocateur. They are not a real threat.
If a standoff occurs organically, as it did at Bundy Ranch in Nevada, and public support is on the side of the liberty movement, then the establishment will simply back off and pluck activists from their homes or at the airport months later.
It is incumbent upon me to offer a warning to federal agencies in the event that incremental prosecution of liberty activists is truly a strategy they are planning to carry out: It is the general consensus of many in the liberty movement that anyfurther arrests predicated on activism at Bundy Ranch or similar opposition events in the past to Bureau Of Land Management abuses of power will result in further and expanded engagements by activists. That is to say, such arrests and indictments will not be allowed to continue.
This is not a threat, this is fair warning to government agencies that they are walking a razor's edge. Incremental prosecutions and dismantling of the liberty movement will not be tolerated; they represent a non-negotiable line in the sand. The feds may or may not care what the consequences will be for crossing this line. They may even think they want such consequences. Regardless, consequences there will be.
While the refuge occupiers essentially handed their heads to the feds on a platter, and the movement was not able to salvage the situation in any viable manner, this does not mean that liberty activists will not take measures during future events depending on the circumstances. Federal agencies may be quick to forget the massive response at Bundy Ranch. This is a mistake. They should probably expect a similar response, if not a more aggressive one, if further arrests are undertaken.
With the ethereal nature of criminal charges like "material support" or "interference with federal officials," due process becomes a bit of joke. You see, federal agents and agencies, you have to take into account the reality that the liberty movement is well aware of the government push to remove due process altogether. With the AUMF and the NDAA, among other executive actions, we realize that the friendly mask of due process is worn by government today, but not necessarily tomorrow.
If the movement gives ground and does nothing while dozens or more are retroactively imprisoned one case at a time for opposing federal abuse, then how long will it be before the rest of us are imprisoned on even broader charges? How long before the mask comes off and the rendition and indefinite detention provisions of the AUMF and the NDAA come into play? Do you really expect the movement to put faith in due process given the circumstances? Of course you do not.
I would venture to guess that the feds think that any opposition that does arise during the execution of warrants against liberty activists will be "easily managed." This would be a mistake.
We have seen this all before in the passive sublimation of past societies. We recognize the signs of trespasses to come. And if such trespasses are brought upon the liberty movement or the population at large, then many of us will adopt the attitude that there is not much left to lose.
Personally, I do not look forward to this kind of fight, but I have no illusions that it can be avoided given the course our country has taken. Federal agencies have deemed it a matter of national security to watch us all very closely. They should keep in mind, though, that we are also watching them.
If you would like to support the publishing of articles like the one you have just read, visit our donations page here. We greatly appreciate your patronage. You can contact Brandon Smith at: [email protected]


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On CVE-2014-1770 / ZDI-14-140 : Internet Explorer 8 "0day"
Hi all, I have received a ton of questions regarding a recently published ZDI advisory, which provides some details about a bug I discovered and reported to Microsoft (via ZDI), affecting Internet Explorer 8. I wanted to take a few moments to clarify some of the confusion and answer some of the questions in this […]
Posted in Exploits | Tagged 005 - Microsoft related, 0day, advisory, corelan-zeroday, cve-2014-1770, cve-2014-1770-zdi-14-140, defense in depth, emet, exploit, fonction-qui-calcul-le-resultat-du-nombre-saisi-def-ffinn-global-a-a-b-0-1-for-i-in-rangen, internet explorer 8, layered defense, uaf, use after free, vulnerability, zdi, zdi-14-140, zdi-php, zerodayinitiative
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Laws of Festivals
- Mo'ed - Interrupt our active life to contemplate truths at foundation of existence. Gather strength for activities of life.
- Prohibition of Melacha applies - i.e., tranformation and improvement of material world must stop.
- But where Yom-Tov requires activity for the Yom Tov, to become a time of Simcha - happiness - then certain activities are permitted.
- Activity which directly produces "natural enjoyment" for celebration of Yom Tov is permitted. Natural, usual and general gratification of the senses are covered by term "consumed by the soul" because gratification of senses should be elevated and sanctified by Yom Tov, but must be done in a way that conforms with ideas of Festival. Therefore, Ochel Nefesh (the Biblical term "consumed by the soul"), refers almost exclusively to sense of taste. No work is permitted just to gratify smell, sight, hearing etc., as this is either just a refinement or artificial gratification.
- Therefore, prohibition of work does not apply to:
- Preparation of food that could not be done on previous day.
- If quality of food is improved by preparation on Yom Tov.
- All food preparation that result in use of food for that day only.
- Prohibition does not apply to slaughtering, breading, baking, roasting, cooking, grinding spices (that would otherwise lose flavor), kindling and burning, carrying, extinguishing if indispensable in preparation of food.
- Activities forbidden - the rest of 39 Melachot of Shabbat: e.g., plowing, sowing, trapping, building and fashioning utensils, making cheese and butter.
- Rabbinic prohibitions:
- Things similar to Melachah - e.g., sharpening knives, producing fire.
- Things that might lead to Melachah - e.g., feeding animals not yet caught.
- Yom Tov Sheni - Second day of Yom Tov in the Diaspora.
Where observed, it is the same as the first day.
- Tourists in Israel
- Israelis in Diaspora
- Six months in each - like inhabitant during each stay
- Laws of Eruv Tavshillin for when Yom Tov falls on Friday
(or Thursday & Friday):
Baked and boiled food put away on eve of Yom Tov, blessing. declaration (not prayer, therefore say in a language that you understand). To cook for Shabbat (not for weekday). Eat Eruv Tavshilin food on Shabbat. - Hallel: Praise of G-d for miracles.
- Kiddush: To sanctify the Festival with words, as on Shabbat.
- After Yom Tov: Havdalah. No spices, no candle.
Chol Hamo'ed - Intermediate Days of Festival
- Torah command to make a Mo'ed is defined by the Rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud.
- All toil is forbidden except for:
- That which will cause loss.
- Things which are necessary for the Mo'ed (and could not have been done beforehand).
- Unskilled labor which involves little effort (e.g., turning on a light, driving a car).
- The main purpose of the Mo'ed is to absorb the lessons of the Festival without the distractions of mundane affairs. Therefore, it is correct to study more Torah than usual during the Mo'ed.
- It is appropriate to eat meat and drink wine during every day of the Mo'ed.


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Work Is Worship
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami , 2004-04-02
Bodhinatha spoke today on the concept of "work is worship" in the Hindu religion. He recounted how many visitors have told him "We are so busy, Swami, we just don't have any time for spiritual things." That is a Western concept, he noted, that our life is separate from our spiritual progress. In Hinduism, work is worship. We learn to control the mind, to concentrate, by doing the things of life, by our study and our projects. Then those skills can be used in meditation. Willpower is also developed through doing things in life, by the challenges that come, the obstacles we overcome.
Unedited Transcript:
Good Morning, everyone! We have Sadhunathan with us this morning. Vanakkam, Welcome!
Working on a possible Publishers Desk on 'Work is Worship', based on the talk given at the Bangalore work site, which was an appropriate title since it is a work site. What inspired me to give the talk was a theme was becoming apparent among visitors and pilgrims here, whom I meet with in the Guru Peedam. A number of times I heard the same story which is, "We are so busy, our life is so filled with activity, that between our professional jobs and taking care of our family and all, we don't have any time left for spiritual practices. We really regret that but there is just so little time we have available to do something spiritual."
Of course that is the opposite of work is worship. That is work is not worship, right?
Looking at our normal activities in life, our job, taking care of our children, raising them, getting them through school and so forth. Looking at those as if having nothing to do with worship. Having no religious component at all, that is not the right Hindu point of view.
So this talk goes through a number of points as to why work is worship and I wanted to read one point here today, which is actually the last point.
Final idea on work is worship, has to do with how the skills we develop in our outer life are useful in our inner life as well.
For example, if we develop a habit of good concentration in our school studies as a youth and carry this on in our adult life by being totally focused on the tasks we do at work, we have developed a very strong ability to concentrate. Therefore when we sit down to meditate our thoughts are naturally concentrated and it is easy to control the mind.
However, if as a child we let our mind wander during our studies and as an adult daydream a lot while working and we sit down to meditate, it will be impossible to control our thoughts.
The point is obvious, right? When you developed a skill, Gurudeva liked to call that external concentration. Concentrating on something that is outside of us. We learn to concentrate by school, by work, by raising our children, by keeping our mind on what we are doing. We develop the ability of concentration and that ability is there when we try and meditate and turn within. We can actually control the mind because we have been controlling the mind our whole life. We control it all day long.
The two are quite related, as we can see.
Another important ability we develop in our work is willpower. Willpower is the strength of will to carry out one's decision, wishes or plans. People who regularly make plans and fail to carry them out lack willpower.
For example, a student often plans to get up early to study for his test but always when the time comes, decides to continue sleeping instead.
Willpower can be cultivated by finishing and doing well every task that we undertake. In fact, done a little better than our expectations.
That is a twofold guideline for willpower.
First, finish each task. Second, do it well.
Nothing is done with half a mind thinking about something else. Nothing is dropped in the middle. Developing these two important habits produces an indomitable willpower. A strong willpower can be turned within and help us immensely in our inner pursuit, such as meditation. But first it must be developed externally.
It is also helpful in being able in general to better control the instinctive and intellectual mind. Gurudeva has an insightful comment on willpower, "The more you use your willpower, the more willpower you have."
That is interesting, usually when you use something you have less. If you use it, it is gone. But in this case if you use it, you got more. Pretty interesting point. It is like a muscle, by using the muscle you create a stronger muscle. So willpower is just like that. By using our willpower we create a stronger willpower.
And there is a final quote from Paramaguru Yogaswami, "You are going out to work, you must dress well and look dignified. Everything should be an offering to God. The world is an altar."
Interesting perspective.
In our recent daily Master Course Lessons, we have a lot about Realizing Parasiva. So I thought I read some of that even though it is a little advanced. Still it is inspiring to everyone to hear Gurudeva talk about these things. Also, the last part is a little more practical as well, it gets into concentration.
"Rare are the diligent sannyasins who after working many years within themselves, each in his own time burst through superconsciousness into nirvikalpa samadhi, the Realization of the timeless, causeless, spaceless Self. Many strive to attain Self Realization, during many lifetimes and then for many years in their present birth. The many lives have brought certain accomplishments which leads to their first breakthrough into nirvikalpa samadhi. The first breakthrough into samadhi happens quickly so that the subtle parts of the mind, shall we say, are not consciously aware what is actually taking place or what has actually happened. Because they are not used to be consciously aware in the higher states of consciousness.
However, when the renunciate has broken through to the Self, Parasiva, he has the possibility of the full use of his mind, the higher states of consciousness as well as the full understanding of the lower states of consciousness and how his individual awareness travels from one state to another.
The mere fact that he has broken through to samadhi means that he was able to justify the experience enough in his subconscious mind, so that his subconscious mind could fall into line into the habit pattern of pure concentration. When the conscious mind is in concentration upon one single thing, the subconscious mind is in concentration also, following the pattern of the conscious mind on one particular thing. Then that expands consciousness automatically into the superconscious state of mind. With the understanding of the functioning of the superconscious mind and not being diluted by any other ramifications of the superconscious mind, often a renunciate will manage to go right into the core and actually break through to the Self. That is what has happened to him.
Each soul comes into Self Realization differently because each has a different mind, a different subconscious mind and a different conscious mind with a different nature. So naturally his reaction through experience, before the experience of Self Realization and his reaction afterwards being of the conscious and subconscious mind is going to be different, depending upon his background and understanding and his nationality, etc.
The teachings of yoga are so basically simple and so basically concrete. And the most beautiful thing in the world on contemplation is the simplest thing in the world. The most beautiful design is the simplest design. So simply since one has Realized the Self and gone into nirvikalpa samadhi once, then obviously the simplest thing to do is to do it again. This is the practice of samadhi. When one has accomplished this a second time, do it again. Realize the Self again and again and again. Each time the renunciate comes out of samadhi, he will rebound and it is like popping back into a different aspect of the mind. Or he will actually have more conscious awareness of the mind and totality of the mind. In other words, he will have a greater capacity to expand the consciousness. Or in still other words, he will become consciously more superconscious for longer periods of time, each time he experiences nirvikalpa samadhi. When a beginning devotee is going up the path he is spontaneously superconscious now and again. After his first samadhi he has realized that he has had longer periods of superconsciousness. After his second samadhi he will be more and more aware of his superconscious mind and after the next samadhi he will be even more and more aware of the superconscious mind. However each will unfold the superconscious mind and superconscious abilities, powers, differently than another due to the fact that all have different backgrounds, personalities, and such. Although he Realizes the Self the entirety of the basic nature does not change. However his understanding of his own control of his tendencies, the overall control that he has of his ability to mold his own life - that starts a process which transforms him gradually and increasingly as he becomes more and more familiar of the laws of going into and out of nirvikalpa samadhi."
That was Gurudeva's beautiful statement.
We have about one more month in the Moksha ritau, stressing meditation in our life for one more month and then we move on to Nartana ritau.
Have a wonderful phase.
Aum Namah Sivaya.


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Myanmar: WILPF statement against the military crackdown in Burma
A reign of terror has prevailed in Burma since 1962, the population being brutally repressed by a military dictatorship; women have suffered in terrible and specific ways.
The international community has tolerated this military junta far too long. Its silence has protected a culpable economic exploitation by actors who must be made to cease their profiteering and deal-making with the regime, currently headed by General Than Shwe. The current culture of impunity must come to an end, and those who have committed grave violations of international humanitarian law must be justly prosecuted.
WILPF calls on all Member States of the United Nations to:
Refuse the credentials of the Myanmar delegation to the 62nd UN General Assembly, recalling the precedent of the GA's refusal to recognise the apartheid regime as representative of South Africa's population on 13 November 1970 in Resolution 2636
Utilize the current meeting of the Human Rights Council to re-establish the Special Procedure on Myanmar and call for implementation of the recommendations of Special Rappoteur Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro (Brazil)
Consider the reports of the Special Rappoteurs on Myanmar and call on the regime to allow them access to the country for the first time since 2003.
Demand that UN humanitarian actors be given access to provide needed assistance to the estimated 500,000 internally displaced persons,
Demand that Aung San Suu Kyi be released from house arrest and permitted to exercise her political and human rights and freely enter the UN house
Exert pressure on the Than Shwe military regime that it respect the peaceful demonstrations for democracy currently taking place in Burma
Call on the military regime to engage in immediate talks with the democracy leaders, who maintain a long-held position of non-violence and support for dialogue and negotiation.
The terror and profiteering in Burma must end – the time for decisive action is now."
24 September 2007
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• What is Therapy Dogs International?
Therapy Dogs International (TDI®) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.
• When was TDI established?
TDI was founded in 1976 in New Jersey.
• What type of dogs are used?
TDI registers all breeds of dogs. Some dogs have pedigrees, while others have been adopted from local shelters or are rescue dogs.
• Where do the dogs volunteer?
We have volunteer dogs and their handlers in all 50 States as well as some in Canada.
• What are the requirements for joining TDI?
To belong to Therapy Dogs International (TDI®) all dogs must be tested and evaluated by a Certified TDI Evaluator. A dog must be a minimum of one (1) year of age and have a sound temperament. Each dog must pass a TDI temperament evaluation for suitability to become a Therapy Dog. The test will also include the evaluation of the dog's behavior around people with the use of some type of service equipment (wheelchairs, crutches, etc.).
• What are the health requirements?
We require an continuously updated Health Record Form to be completed and signed by a licensed veterinarian.
• How is the organization funded?
TDI is a non-profit organization supported through annual membership dues. Donations are welcome.
• How is the organization managed?
A Board of Directors governs the organization under the leadership of Ursula A. Kempe, President, who is also directing the business office of the organization.
• How to obtain more information?
Our mailing address is: 88 Bartley Road, Flanders, New Jersey 07836; Tel: (973) 252-9800; Fax: (973) 252-7171; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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This wonderful event is the brain child of Andrea of Andreas Recipes. How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity. There are 8 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies - A Gourmet cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the next 12 days of December.
These cookies are coming from Gourmet's Favorite Cookie Recipes: 1941-2008. They've published a lot of cookie recipes in their 68-year history, many of them around the winter holidays. This season they decided to choose the very best from each year.
These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day!
Jerry - Cooking...by the seat of my Pants
Ben - What's Cooking
Sandy -At the Baker's Bench
Courtney - Coco Cooks
Kelly - Sass & Veracity
Claire - The Barefoot Kitchen
Andrea - Andreas Recipes
Day 1 of the 12 Days of Cookies features the Lemon Thin!
How do you capture the bright sourness of lemon in a cookie? These thins do the trick: Each unassuming bite packs a punch of citrus flavor.
Lemon Thin - April 1976 (link to the recipe as it was originally printed)
2 eggs
2/3 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon rind, grated
6 Tbsp butter, softened (I used unsalted)
2/3 Cup flour
- Preheat oven to 400 °
- In a bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture forms a ribbon when the beater is lifted. Keep beating and add the lemon rind.
- In a separate bowl beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the butter to the egg mixture alternating with the flour.
- Drop the batter by teaspoons about 2-1/2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten the mounds into 2 inch rounds with a spoon dipped in water.
- Bake the cookies for about 5 minutes, or until the edges are browned.
- Allow to cook on the sheets for 1 minute then cool them completely on a rack.
- Makes about 48 cookies.
Will I make these again? I most definitely will. They would be a great snack for a hot summer day around the pool!
As Always...
Happy Entertaining!!!


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Nic Long
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Jettie Stec


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The Batu Caves are located thirteen kilometers north of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. Caves are one of the most important Hindu religious sites outside of India. Every year hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees come to climb the grueling 272 steps up to the caverns. The main Batu Cave is known as the Temple Cave or Cathedral Cave. The cave serves as a Hindu Temple devoted to Lord Muragan whose 42 meter high gold statue stands guard outside.
credit: Christian Haugen


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See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State
Road trips are a classic American tradition.
The Great American Road Trip isn't quite as old as the car itself, mostly because the roads that existed when the first automobiles were taking to the streets in the early 1900s. If today's drivers think winter potholes are bad, the streets when the automobile was first being developed were meant for horse and buggy. People still traveled and the first successful cross-country road trip took place in 1903. It wasn't until cars became more accessible and paid vacation time was given to workers in the post-World War II boom that Americans really started turning their wanderlust into a trip from sea to shining sea.
Now there's around a car per person and 4.18 million miles of road in the United States, according to a February 2017 report by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
It's all but impossible to drive down every single one just like it's impossible to see everything the U.S. has to offer in only one trip. Stacker utilized the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration and state travel guides to locate must-drive roads in every U.S. state to help any would-be road tripper to narrow down their options. We researched roadways for the devilishly daring, the tranquil soul, the lonesome and lovesick, the wildlife lover, the fisherman and more, leaving no parkway unturned in order to bring joy to road warriors across the nation.
Walt Whitman understood the importance of traveling highways and byways, as made evident when he said, "I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me." Hit the gas pedal and take to an open road of your own this summer.
Read on to learn about must-drive roads in every state.


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This is a feasibility/architectural question (I am no database administrator). Let's imagine a PostgreSQL database running online (like those from Heroku for example).
One would like to maintain a slave copy of this database on a remote PC by connecting to this online database (24/48 hour intervals). Is this possible from a PostgreSQL perspective? If yes, what would be the best Postgres implementation/configuration strategy? What do I need to learn?
The slave copy should catch up on all modifications made to the online database (eventually by specifying some kind of 'until' date if necessary). This slave would be used in read mode only. Ideally, slaves to the slave must be implemented in this asynchronous way too (i.e., in a cascading fashion).


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Tony's guests this week:
Drew McManus, principal of Venture Industries Online, and Ceci Dadisman, digital marketing manager at Form.
Also, Gene Takagi, our legal contributor and principal of NEO, Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations law firm.
There's more at tonymartignetti.com
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:20 — 55.5MB) | Embed
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TD-Y3V Series
Toshiba's TD-Y3V series is a high quality videowall solution that can be customised to suit your business requirement and supports multi-screen tiling of up to 10 x 10 displays in either portrait or landscape mode. The Direct LED IPS displays ensure superior picture quality and the slim design with 3.5mm narrow bezel makes the TD-Y3V suitable for any professional environment.
Download DatasheetCreate Enormous Displays
Create engaging signage on a large scale with multi-screen tiling of up to 100 videowalls in a 10 x 10 configuration, in either portrait or landscape orientation. The 3.5mm narrow bezel, means that every inch of videowall screen is exploited to its full potential for maximum impact.
Impactful Displays
Toshiba's TD-Y3V videowalls offer truly superior image quality and clarity with direct LED backlighting and IPS display. This combined with a light output capacity of up to 500 Nit all helps create great impact and standout content in any environment.
Schedule content at the right time
The built in Real Time Clock means the displays keep their internal clock setting, even for prolonged periods of power down or interruptions of the local network. Content can therefore always be synchronised and scheduled, including USB playback, exactly at the time you want it.
Extensive Connectivity
A wide range of input and outputs, makes the TD-Y3V series easy to set up and go. Tiling and daisy-chaining options allow you to link numerous screens creating visually striking videowalls. Additionally the user can easily control videowalls individually or all at the same time using the remote control.
Embedded Signage
Embedded signage (SoC) allowing software partners to port their own solutions directly on Toshiba Business Displays. The embedded software solutions run directly within the displays, linking central software systems without the need for external media devices or additional cabling.
Screen Size | 49" (124cm) | 55" (140cm) TD-Y553M |
55" (140cm) TD-Y553X |
Direct LED Display | IPS Display | IPS Display | SVA Display |
Full HD 1080p resolution | |||
24/7 usage from 450 Nit | 500 Nit | 700 Nit | |
Landscape/ Portrait option | |||
Embedded USB player & scheduler | |||
Realtime Clock | |||
Embedded Signage |
Support Centre
Access and download more product information and find quick and easy troubleshooting advice.
Get Support


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As an aspiring sports attorney currently practicing work comp defense, I've been reaching out and connecting with sports law industry leaders over the past year—each conversation providing valuable insight and knowledge.
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The keyword "use" has been recycled for three distinct applications:
1- to import/alias classes, traits, constants, etc. in namespaces,
2- to insert traits in classes,
3- to inherit variables in closures.
This page is only about the first application: importing/aliasing. Traits can be inserted in classes, but this is different from importing a trait in a namespace, which cannot be done in a block scope, as pointed out in example 5. This can be confusing, especially since all searches for the keyword "use" are directed to the documentation here on importing/aliasing.


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I'm normally wary of anything that has too much hype surrounding it, because generally I feel like it can't possibly be as good as everyone says it is. I'm sure you've heard of Mad Men, as it is constantly hyped as one of the best shows on TV and has won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. If you've never seen it, it's set in the 1960s in New York City, and it's all about the "golden age" of advertising on Madison Avenue and the glamorous life that the ad men led. Last week I finally checked out a couple of episodes and I have to say, it really is fantastic. What I'm enjoying most about the show is the look and feel of it. Not only does it seem very historically accurate, it's such a beautiful period piece. Everything from the clothes and the hair to the scenery is lovely to look at.
The acting in the show has also been wildly acclaimed, and it is also superb. Jon Hamm is fascinating to watch as Sterling Cooper's morally-complex creative director Don Draper. You want to root for Don because he's so charismatic and such an advertising genius, but he is certainly no angel. I'm also finding myself really interested in the storyline of Peggy, the naive new secretary to Don. We're learning about how things work at Sterling Cooper right along with Peggy as she is thrown into a world filled with double standards between the men and the women. If you're looking for a great drama series to watch and are especially interested in learning a little more about the past, I highly recommend checking out Mad Men. Currently we own season one, season two, season three, and season four, so stop by any of our three locations to look for one today!


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Injured & Disabled Workers: How Can We Help You?
Are You Getting the Benefits You Deserve?
Are You Getting the Medical Care You Need?
Are You Being Harassed? Is Your Job in Jeopardy Because of Your Injury?
If you are suffering from a disabling injury or disease, don't settle for anything less than the law firm of MacDonald & MacDonald PLLC to protect your legal rights and recover your just compensation.
Contact us for a free consultation regarding your rights: 1-855-55-BENEFITS
Let us Put our Experience & Expertise to Work for You.
The mission of our firm is to represent and assist injured and disabled workers and their families throughout Michigan.
Attorneys in the MacDonald family have been fighting for injured and disabled Michigan workers for over 80 years and three generations.
The father and grandfather of the attorneys of MacDonald & MacDonald PLLC, Attorney Robert James MacDonald, served as a Democratic Representative and Senator from Flint in the Michigan Legislature, chaired the Workers' Compensation Section of the State Bar of Michigan and was appointed by two Governors to their Advisory Commissions on Workers' Compensation. His sons, including Attorney R. Duncan MacDonald and Attorney Timothy J. MacDonald, continued to fight zealously for over four decades to secure benefits for injured workers, including benefits for thousands of General Motors' employees in the Flint area in Workers' Compensation, Social Security Disability, Personal Injury and Product Liability claims. Attorney Robert J. MacDonald has continued the tradition of fighting for injured and disabled workers for over twenty-five years.
The firm continues the tradition of fighting to secure whatever benefits, rights, remedies and damages it can for clients suffering from injury or disability.
The firm fights for our clients by offering legal advice and by representing clients in Litigation, Trials, Appellate Practice and Negotiations. The firm is licensed to General Practice in the District, Circuit, and Appellate Courts of the State of Michigan, its Administrative Agencies, and in the Federal Courts.
The firm assists clients by fighting to secure Workers' Compensation Weekly Benefits, Medical Care, Vocational Retraining and Tuition, Specific Loss Benefits and Lump Sum Settlements.
The firm assists injured and disabled clients when they face Disability Discrimination or suffer Retaliatory Discharge.
Social Security Disability, SSI, Short and Long Term Disability Benefits and Disability Pensions for our disabled clients.
The firm represents clients injured on, and off, the job in Personal Injury and Negligence claims against those responsible for the injuries. The firm fights for those injured in Work Accidents, Automobile Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Trucking Accidents, Construction Site Accidents, Aviation Accidents, Boating Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents and those injured by Defective Products.
The firm has clients in Genesee, Oakland, Lapeer, Saginaw, Shiawassee, Macomb, Livingston, Bay, Wayne and Ingham Counties. If you are outside Michigan, in western Michigan or in the Upper Peninsula, and we can't help you directly, we will help refer you to top rated law firms that can.
Many of our clients are UAW members. The firm's clients have belonged to a number of UAW locals, including UAW Local 140, 594, 598, 599, 651, 653, 659, 699, 1292 and 5960.
The firm represents other union members, including those belonging to AFSCME Locals 875,1600 and 2650 and 3518, SEIU Local 517M, Teamsters Local 332, IBEW Local 948, Laborers 1075, Ironworkers No.25–and injured people struggling and fighting without a union.


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Evisa.com today won its appeal at the Ninth Circuit over whether its domain name diluted Visa's trademark for credit cards, keeping the word "visa" in the dictionary (and DNS servers) for now. "Visa is a generic word used throughout the world to describe foreign travel and was used long before it became a brand name for credit cards," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "The Court of Appeals wisely rejected Visa's attempt to monpolize use of the word 'visa' in a domain name without further proof of harm to Visa's business." EFF represented Evisa.com in its appeal along with Thomas Moore III of Tomlinson Zisko LLP.
For more information, see the EFF case archive.


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The Great Indoors Sweatshirt
The Great Indoors Sweatshirt is made of premium quality cotton for a great quality soft feel, and comfortable retail fit. Our soft textile flex print gives a really high end finish to any striking design. This high quality print will not crack or fade which ensures your garment stays looking fantastic. The stuff comfortable and easy to wear. We produce high quality sweatshirt with great designs in the world. The Quality :
- It's great, the shirts are Ultimate Cotton 10 OZ
- HIGH QUALITY INK Printing.
- The print is high-quality and won't crack or fade. We want to send you a shirt that you will love to wear.
The Size :
- Small = 26″-27″ body length x 20″ chest
- Medium = 27″-28″ body length x 22″ chest
- Large = 28″-29 body length x 24″ chest
- XL = 29″-30″ body length x 26″ chest
- 2XL = 30″-31″ body length x 28″ chest
- 3XL = 31″-31.5″ body length x 30″ chest
Handling and Shipping :
- All Items are hand print and ship from USA
- Sweatshirts made by order.
- Orders will be process only on MONDAY – FRIDAY (except holiday).
- Sweatshirts will be sent out within 1-3 business days after payment is received.
Take Care : Ideally, you should wash the shirt inside out in cool water and tumble dry on low. If you are going to iron the shirt, don't iron directly on the design. Please contact us if you have any questions! Thank you, Happy Shopping
see also : Sweatshirt Products