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Tom Ford
- Description
- Reviews
Tom Ford has become one of fashion's great icons. In the past decade, he transformed Gucci from a moribund accessories label into one of the sexiest fashion brands in the world. His designs have increased sales at Gucci tenfold and have helped build the Gucci brand into the luxury goods conglomerate that it is today. Ford brought a hard-edged style synonymous with 21st century glamour to his clothes, and Hollywood sat up and took note. This book is a complete catalogue of Ford's design work for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1994 to 2004. It chronicles not only Ford's clothing and accessories designs for both houses, but also explores Ford's grand vision for the complete design of a brand, including architecture, store design, and advertising. Tom Ford features more than 200 photographs by Richard Avedon, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Terry Richardson, Craig McDean, Todd Eberle, and numerous other photographers including many previously unpublished images. Published to coincide with his departure from Gucci, this book has been created with Ford's full cooperation and every page reflects his exceptional taste. It is Ford's testament to a career of singular moments reinventing the boundaries of style and sensuality in clothing.
- Rizzoli International Publications
There are no reviews yet.


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FRANKLIN MODEL PTW-72 is a complete Automatic submerged twin-arc welding system. It is designed for fixturing and welding Three (3) piece built-up beams consisting of a web and two (2) flanges. The PTW-72 has a web capacity of 72 inches and flange capacities of 20" wide x 1" thick. A complete PTW-72 fabricating cell can be up to 300 ft. long. The system consists of a web loading gantry, web seam station, tack station unit, 4020 CNC Flange Loading Gantry and PTW-72 Pull Thru Welder with CNC Controls.
The Franklin PTW-72 horizontal pull-thru welding system is a highly engineered submerged-arc welding system.
- 72" web capacity (84" optional)
- PowerWave SD-1000 twin-wire with MAX-SA10 controls
- 20" x 1" flange capacity (12" x 1 ½" non-bending)
- Complete flux recovery
- Maximum weight 300 lbs./ft
- Wire dispensing units (supplied by customer)
The PTW-72 can be provided with several options:
- Powered brush cleaning.
- De-cambering devices are available in Pre-Heat and Hydraulic
- 84" width capacity option (PTW-84)
- Wire drum turn tables, de-reelers with various placements(optional)
- Powered brush cleaning. Over sized platform for overhead equipment.
The PTW-72 auto-control system provides the operator various control over the weld sequence. The "PLC" auto control provides an auto-sequence of repetitive machine operations.
Franklin's wide range of engineered material handling systems creates several efficient options for removing finished frames from the PTW-72 outfeed system.

subset: commoncrawl


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2024 Hyundai Sonata N Line DCT DN8.V3 MY24
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- Model Year2024
- TransmissionSports Automatic Dual Clutch
- Body TypeSedan
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- Reg #L49TC
- Stock №320412879
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For questions regarding product orders, donations,
or for prayer, call us at 719-635-1111
The Bible says,
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:17).
Yet he was mightily used of God. This reference is talking about the time Elijah became so despondent that he asked God to kill him (1 Kin. 19:4).
Elijah wasn't perfect; yet he called fire down from heaven three times; he was the first person to raise someone from the dead; he caused the greatest revival in history up to that point; his word started and ended a three-year drought; he multiplied food miraculously; and he is one of only two men who never died—he was caught up alive into heaven. There is a lot we can learn from a man like this, both positive and negative.
The Bible gives little background on Elijah. It wasn't his pedigree or education that brought him into a position of influence and power. Elijah was nobody until he received a word from God. It was the revelation God gave him that put him into a position of leadership. Likewise, anyone who is born again, or baptized in the Holy Spirit, or has a good relationship with the Lord, has a revelation from God too. Just as Elijah's revelation from God put him into a position of influence, anyone who has a revelation of God has the potential to influence others also. The only difference is that Elijah knew what he had and was bold enough to speak. Many of us have been intimidated by the ungodly. We aren't boldly speaking the truth we have from the Lord. What if Elijah hadn't spoken that prophecy to King Ahab? The drought may have occurred anyway, but Elijah wouldn't have been able to use it to affect the nation. The people would have dismissed the drought as a natural occurrence. Elijah was bold enough to speak before there was any proof that what he was saying would come to pass. That took faith and great courage. When the drought came as promised, Elijah became the most sought after man in the nation: "As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not" (1 Kin. 18:10). If we would speak forth the truths God has shown us, just like Elijah, the truths we speak would ultimately prevail. Elijah didn't have all the answers or know what would happen next when he spoke the prophecy to King Ahab (1 Kin. 17:1). Ahab had forbidden worship of the true God, instituting Baal worship. He killed the prophets of the Lord, and Elijah was putting himself in harm's way by obeying the Lord. It wasn't until after Elijah delivered the word of the Lord, that God spoke to him about how He would protect and sustain him. First Kings 17:2-4 says, "And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." One of the great lessons we can learn here is that God doesn't reveal His complete plan immediately. He reveals His will to us one step at a time. After we obey the first step, He shows us the next. Why should the Lord show us step two or ten if we haven't obeyed step one? That would just make us more accountable. So, don't try to figure out the next step until you have acted on what you know to do now. That's a powerful truth. The Lord told Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith. He had already commanded the ravens to bring Elijah bread and meat "THERE" every morning and evening. This was miraculous! What a provision during a terrible time! But notice this: The Lord didn't send Elijah's provision to where he was. A quarterback doesn't throw the football to where the receiver is, but where the receiver is going. Elijah's miracle wasn't where he was but where the Lord was sending him. That's awesome! Each of us has a place called "THERE," where the blessings of the Lord are waiting. The Lord never fails to provide, but people often fail to receive because they aren't all "THERE." If Elijah had not gone to his place called "THERE," his disobedience would not have stopped God's faithfulness; however, he would not have received the provision; it was over "THERE," by the Brook Cherith. This is exactly what is happening to many of us. The Lord has placed something on our hearts to say or do. But, if we haven't obeyed, we aren't in our place of "THERE." We aren't seeing God's provision, because we aren't in that place of obedience. I've heard many people say the Lord told them to attend Charis Bible College. But they just can't see how it could happen. They want to see the Lord's provision before they go "THERE." That's not how it works. Some of you are not seeing God's provision because you aren't doing what He has told you to do. This doesn't mean the Lord is punishing you. If Elijah hadn't gone "THERE," he would have lost his provision. The Lord has provision for you too, but it's "THERE." This place called "THERE" changes. God changed the place and method of Elijah's provision: "And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kin. 17:8-9). You can't just seek the Lord once, hear His voice, step out in faith, and then stop listening. The Lord brings us into His perfect will step by step. Elijah moved when the Lord told him to move. This led Elijah to the city of Zarephath where he asked a widow to give him the last of her food. It looked like he was taking from this woman, but he was actually giving to her. Instead of this being her last meal before dying, the Lord multiplied this woman's supplies, which kept her, her son, and Elijah alive for about three years (1 Kin. 17:15-16). What a great miracle! That wasn't all the widow received. Her faithfulness in giving caused her son to be raised from the dead (1 Kin. 17:17-23). She had been operating in faith every day. She would use the last bit of oil and meal for Elijah and then find that there was always enough to make a cake for herself and her son. This was a great faith builder, which I'm sure figured into the miracle of her son. Elijah went on to call fire down from heaven and consume a sacrifice in the sight of all of the people of Israel (1 Kin. 18:36-38). The people who saw it cried out, "The Lord, He is the God. The Lord, He is the God." They killed all the prophets of Baal, and the whole nation turned to the Lord. That same day, Elijah prayed and ended the drought by a great rain storm (1 Kin. 18:41-45). He was so pumped, he outran Ahab's chariot in a twenty-mile race after Ahab had a head start. Elijah was excited! Here is a very important lesson: After great victories come great temptations. This is primarily because we lose our sense of humility and dependence upon God (1 Kin. 19:4). Elijah had successfully defied the king, his armies, his prophets, and all the people in the nation. But the next day, a note from a woman caused him to run in terror (1 Kin. 19:2-3). The Lord appeared to Elijah and asked, "What are you doing HERE, Elijah?" (1 Kin. 19:9). Elijah wasn't "THERE" anymore. His place called "THERE" was back in Samaria. People were now worshiping the true God, but Elijah had run away in fear, leaving the people without a leader. This resulted in the Lord replacing Elijah with Elisha. Elijah's ministry fell short of what it could have been. The Lord actually spoke to Elijah in an audible voice. He told him to do three things, one of which was to anoint Elisha to replace him (1 Kin. 19:15-16). Elijah anointed Elisha (1 Kin. 19:19), but didn't do the other two things. That means Elijah failed in two-thirds of the things the Lord told him to do. That's amazing. You might think this meant Elijah was washed up and was never used of God again. That's not the case. Elijah went on to prophesy (1 Kin. 21:17-24), and he called the fire of God down two more times (2 Kin. 1:9-12). And most impressive of all, Elijah never died; he was caught up into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kin. 2:11). This man, who failed miserably, still walked so closely with God that he never died. This speaks volumes to us. The Lord has never had anyone working for Him yet who was qualified. He uses us in spite of what we do, and not because of what we do. If we will hold on to our faith, we can still experience wonderful things from the Lord even after failing BIG TIME. What powerful truths.


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Performer Winsome Brown weaves text from Paradise Lost with original monologues from herself and co-director Brad Rouse to create an original work "about fucking up," as she puts it, with her wild and affecting solo show Hit the Body Alarm.
Scored with music by downtown legend John Zorn, plus original, live sound-design by Sean Hagerty, the performance moves from Heaven to Brooklyn to Los Angels to the Garden of Eden, distilling prime points of Milton's epic into a kind of performance that can resonate with the world we're in today.
Listen in as Winsome and Sean discuss their collaboration in creating as well as performing the show, feelings of loss, not hiding before (or during) your show, borrowing props from your daughter, designing for your space, and how to show the devil falling from heaven onstage.
"…it's a show about people who've done dreadful things by their own acts…and on a grander scale…I kind of feel that it's about our world, that we are on the verge of fucking up, fucking up very dreadfully…" Continue reading
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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About William Wilson
When you're making one of the biggest investments of your life, you want to work with someone you can trust. As your lender, I'll always have your back.
The guidance of a trustworthy and experienced mortgage professional can simplify any home financing experience. FitzGerald Financial Group has a wealth of knowledge and resources to assist you in finding the best loan to meet your individual home buying needs. We pride ourselves in providing excellent customer service and establishing long lasting customer relationships.
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AB04-01 Society Q
天絲® 及有機棉彈力針織面料
660個 QuadCoreTM承托彈簧
- Customers need to ensure that the ordered goods can meet the size of the building or other environmental restrictions ( such as elevator space, etc. ) . The company will not be responsible for the inability to enter the house or install the goods due to related factors.
- There are no refunds and returns for all goods after payment. If you have any enquiries, please contact the customer service department at +852 2155 9056. We will reply as soon as possible.
- During the receiving and installation period, customers must take care and protect their property, such as furniture, furniture, floors, walls and decorations. ASI will not be responsible for any damage.
- The consignee must carefully check and count the quantity of the goods before signing for the goods. Once the goods are signed, the company is no longer responsible for the goods.
- Delivery service will be suspended on public holidays. In the event of a typhoon signal No. 8 or above or a black rainstorm warning, the delivery service on the same day and the next day may be delayed or cancelled. The company will contact the customer to make arrangements.
- The company must do its best to deliver the goods to the delivery address specified on the order within a reasonable range; however, if there is any delay in the delivery service or failure to deliver due to reasons beyond the company's control, the company shall not bear any responsibility .
- If the customer fails to pick up or receive the relevant goods within 120 days after receiving the notice of delivery/240 days from the invoice date (whichever is earlier), the company has the right to dispose of the goods and related payments on its own.
- If the customer finds any existing defects or damages in the received goods, they can contact the customer service department within 7 days from the delivery date to arrange the replacement of the same goods, and must have the goods to be returned, complete packaging, and valid invoices. Make a return.
- The maximum size error of the mattresses produced by our company is +/- 1.5 cm. The error within this range is not counted as an error, and ASI will not change it for this reason. The color of the product may be slightly different, and the actual product shall prevail. Some series are equipped with display mattresses, welcome to the store to experience.
- The price displayed on the website at the time the customer's order is accepted shall be the official price, unless there is a manifest error in that price. While ASI endeavours to ensure that all prices displayed on the website are accurate, ASI does not warrant that prices are free of errors and reserves the right to correct the same. If ASI finds that the price of any product ordered by the customer is erroneous, ASI will notify the customer as soon as possible and give the customer the option to reconfirm or cancel the order. If ASI is unable to contact the customer, ASI shall unilaterally regard the order as void.
Delivery arrangement:
How long does it take to receive the goods after placing the order?
After the customer places an order, the company will2Contact customers by phone or SMS within working days (Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays are not counted as working days). After the customer confirms that the order is correct, the order will be officially confirmed and the goods will be produced.
All mattresses are not available in stock, and the products will be counted after the company successfully calls to confirm the order or SMS to confirm the order.14to21Delivery within three working days (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not counted as working days); the delivery period of Australian-made and imported mattresses is determined by2to3It varies from month to month, depending on size and source of goods.
Delivery area and schedule?
Delivery date is Tuesday to Sunday morning10Hour to afternoon6Time (no time period for selection).
Remote areas:
Saigon, Clear Water Bay: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Tung Chung, Discovery Bay, Ma Wan: Wednesday, Friday
Stanley: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
Additional fee:
How to charge additional fees?
All surcharges will be collected in cash by the driver at the time of delivery and will not be charged at the time of online payment.
Under what circumstances will a surcharge be charged?
Extra charges for remote areas:
Discovery Bay:$170
Staircase fee:
head5Fees for up and down stairs (6Starting from stairs1Floor):
Mattress size is48"/122 cm/4Feet or below:$50
Mattress size is54"/137 cm/4One-and-a-half feet or more:$90
Fees for going up the stairs from the 6th floor:
Mattress size is48"/122 cm/4Feet or below:$100
Mattress size is54"/137 cm/4One-and-a-half feet or more:$180(If you cannot enter the elevator/stairs, the delivery will only be downstairs)
Fees for stairs on the bed frame (excluding stairs fees):
The size of any bed frame per floor:$100
Demolition of the bed frame (service is only available to customers who purchase the bed frame):
Mother and son bed frame/Cabinet bucket bed frame: $300.00
Oil pressure/Bunk bed frame: $500.00
wardrobe/Overhead combination bed frame: $800.00
Disposal of old mattresses (excluding stairs up and down):
48"/122 cm/4Feet or below:$150
54"/137 cm/4One-and-a-half feet or more:$200
Village entrance fee (only for village houses):
head50M free, every subsequent50Meter $50
Hanging mattress fee:
First floor$ 300,Second floor $450,the third floor $600


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Hi Blog. I want to say thank you to everyone who read this and made it the the #1 most-read article at the JT Online for two days, and again for a number of days later! Dr ARUDOU, Debito:
By Debito Arudou
JBC 82 for the Japan Times Community Page
December 4, 2014
Courtesy http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/12/03/issues/time-burst-bubble-face-reality/
I want to open by saying: Look, I get it.
I get why many people (particularly the native speakers of English, who are probably the majority of readers here) come to Japan and stay on.
After all, the incentives are so clear at the beginning. Right away, you were bedazzled by all the novelty, the differences, the services, the cleanliness, the safety and relative calm of a society so predicated on order. You might even have believed that people are governed by quaint and long-lamented things like "honor" and "duty."
Not that the duties and sacrifices necessary to maintain this order necessarily applied to you as a non-Japanese (NJ). As an honored guest, you were excepted. If you went through the motions at work like everyone else, and clowned around for bonus points (after all, injecting genki into stuffy surroundings often seemed to be expected of you), you got paid enough to make rent plus party hearty (not to mention find many curious groupies to bed — if you happened to be male, that is).
Admit it: The majority of you stayed on because you were anesthetized by sex, booze, easy money and the freedom to live outside both the boxes you were brought up in and the boxes Japanese people slot themselves in.
But these incentives are front-loaded. For as a young, genki, even geeky person finding more fun here than anywhere ever, you basked in the flattery. For example, you only needed to say a few words in Japanese to be bathed in praise for your astounding language abilities! People treated you like some kind of celebrity, and you got away with so much.
Mind you, this does not last forever. Japan is a land of bubbles, be it the famous economic one that burst back in 1991 and led two generations into disillusionment, or the bubble world that you eventually constructed to delude yourself that you control your life in Japan.
You don't. Unless you marry an elite whose family funds your whims, you'll discover that as you get older, opportunities narrow and doors close.
The first major life stage might be getting married — so easy to do here. Then you'd better lose the Peter Pan lifestyle and find a way to support your sudden kids. Or you'll never see them again after the divorce.
Then you finally land that steady job that might lead to a career. But it's hard enough nowadays for Japanese in their 20s and 30s to land secure employment (let alone climb the corporate ladder), so why should Johnny Foreigner cut in? Even if you manage to, people often assume tokenism and don't take you seriously. The bamboo ceiling is pretty impenetrable.
But what about your trusty Genki Gaijin shtick? You'll look jolly silly doing it as a geriatric, playing the perpetual dancing monkey, never the organ grinder.
Finally, as is true for everyone in Japan, the older you get, the less wriggle room you have in your career. Good luck comfortably changing jobs in your 40s or 50s. Most of the influential and reasonably self-actualized people in Japan are elites who spent their lives marrying into connections and cultivating Old-Boy networks, awaiting the right time to be catapulted into the next generation of leaders. NJ OBs in powerful positions? Unlikely.
Part of that is by design: Enough NJ live the life of Riley and assume the future will take care of itself. After all, for their fellow unambitious and unobtrusive Japanese corporate drones, it will; except that they will likely live a pre-designed, boring and "normal" workaday life taken care of by the state.
But for NJ, given the recent court decision about their welfare benefits, the perpetual weakness of their contract employment, and employers not paying into their pension systems with impunity, a "normal" career is not at all guaranteed. NJ have to be vigilant at an age when everyone else seems to be partying.
Another part is the shocking realization in many NJ (especially in those brought over during the 1980s Golden Age of Kokusaika ("internationalization") who are now reaching late middle age and retirement) that they were working under a delusion: They were never seen as a colleague in the workplace. More as a pet.
This became evident as younger Japanese co-workers, who had less qualifications, time or experience in the company, got promoted over them. After all, what self-respecting Japanese wants some NJ as their senpai (senior) in the workplace? Suddenly, despite following all the rules, NJ didn't get the same rewards.
So, after a quarter-century in Japan, I get it. And here's what you oughta get by now:
If NJ don't do something outside the bubble they've lived in so far, they might end up as some anonymous dead gaijin on a gurney, unremembered and unmourned, merely cremated and disposed of by authorities unsure of your next of kin. I've seen it happen — an accelerating number of times.
Why? Parables such as the one about "boiled frogs" come to mind (i.e., the frog who never noticed the temperature of the water around him rising until it was too late to jump out), but more insightful is what Pierre Bourdieu called the "illusio," i.e., the belief that the great lifetime "game" we all agree to play is worth playing, and the fiction we collectively choose to follow is reality.
The fiction we have been accepting as reality is: Japan will treat NJ equally as long as they play the game by Japanese rules. This shows a sore lack of self-reflection about the NJ's place in Japanese society, where those rules are stacked against them properly assimilating. It's not because NJ always elect to be treated like guests. Guest treatment is in fact the default.
For example, have you ever noticed how difficult it is for NJ to become established in Japan's essential, respected and licensed jobs — e.g., as doctors (and nurses), lawyers, engineers, administrative-level bureaucrats, etc.? Instead, where are they consigned? Factories, education, tenuous entrepreneurship, contracted tech, as nonadministrative corporate drones, and in entertainment. These jobs are basically fungible and expendable. And they are the default.
That's why NJ must learn how to become "hosts." By this I mean that they must offer Japan something that cannot be dismissed as a mere trifle or token effort.
That skill must be precious enough that NJ residents can choose to deny it to Japan, should they ever want to reclaim their power, self-respect and dignity. The NJ who exclusively do what Japan needs, and who cannot be replaced with a Japanese substitute (for example, people acting as indisposable ambassadors of Japanese knowledge — e.g., Ed Reischauer, Donald Richie or Donald Keene), can hold their skills hostage and become secure, respected, even immortal.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but face reality: What do you have to offer Japan? I'm not asking if there is something you do well; I'm asking: After all these years, is there something that you can do that Japan positively cannot live without? If not, then Japan can easily live without you, and you could be headed for the gurney.
No doubt people will decry this column. Look, I "get" that too, for it's a natural part of illusio maintenance. People trapped in their bubbles will fight to their last breath to avoid having them burst. Facing the reality of their perpetual second-class caste status would force them to admit that they made a mistake by submitting to Japan's default subordination processes — that they traded their entire life for something that they ultimately found no stake in.
Criticize away if that makes you feel better. It's more comforting to play the game and party on. For now. But as your twilight years approach, you'll look back in anger and wish you'd created a different bubble. Japan as an entire society does too, what with all this wasted human potential, as it fades into international irrelevance.
Debito Arudou's "Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan" is available on Amazon. Twitter @arudoudebito. Just Be Cause appears in print on the first Thursday of the month. Your comments and story ideas: firstname.lastname@example.com
Read the rest in the Japan Times at http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/12/03/issues/time-burst-bubble-face-reality/. And this will be the anchor site for the article, so comment both below and at the JT if you like. As always, thanks for reading! Dr. ARUDOU, Debito


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Hello Beauty Addicts and welcome back!!
Today's tutorial is a little sexy, a little bloody, definitely twisted, but a must this Halloween.
Here is a list of ingredients and what else you can use if you don't have them:
Third Degree or you could use wax or latex and cotton
Mehron paradise paint in black or you could use cream paints or eyeliner.
Ben Nye blood paste or you can make your own or buy any fro Halloween stores
bruise wheel or cream paints in the same tones
Eyeshadows from Juvias place or any that you have at home.
Hope you liked this video if you did don't forget to like, comment and share!


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Monday, April 02, 2012
Cauliflower Soup
Another soup recipe! Well, we tend to eat more soups at the moment, since Titus really likes them. This one is from a great cookbook called River Cottage Baby & Toddler cookbook, and it's a very basic and simple soup. Definitely one for beginners in the kitchen - but you can spice it up any number of ways, so don't mistake basic for boring!
Good toppings include crispy bacon, croutons, or blue cheese. Feel free to pile on as many toppings as you'd like. Also, add more water or stock if you feel that your soup is too thick, or if you want it even creamier, add a spoon or two of cream.
As usual, I didn't completely follow the original recipe - that one had celery in it, too.
Cauliflower Soup
Serves 4-6
25 g butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
200 g potatoes, diced
1 kilo cauliflower, coarsely chopped
750 ml stock (chicken or vegetable), or water
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper
Melt the butter in a large pot, and gently fry the onion, garlic and potatoes on medium heat, covered, until softened.(7-8 minutes or so.)
Add cauliflower and stock or water, which should just about cover the vegetables. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes. The cauliflower and the potato should be completely soft and cooked through.
Remove the bay leaf, and use a stick blender to purée the soup. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with your chosen toppings.
Recipe in Swedish:
3 comments:
- Christina said...
Oh my gosh! I'm in halls at Stirling Uni in Scotland and I was looking for a quick easy recipe for a cauliflower soup and this was brilliant for me! I don't usually cook but will do a lot more from now on! Thankyou! :D <3
- April 14, 2012 8:55 PM
- Lois Parker said...
lovely creamy soup without having to add any dairy. A great way to use up cauliflower. Really easy to make.
- May 31, 2012 2:16 PM
Very tasty and easy to make too. My daughters aged 4 and 1 ate up every last bit (and wanted more!), a no fuss way of getting them to eat their veg!
- August 31, 2012 8:03 AM
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text:
Frenchman Jean Dujardin may have won this year's Academy Award for best actor for his role in The Artist, but in France he was beat out for the country's most prestigious acting award, the Cesar, by a new acting sensation: The 34-year-old son of African immigrants, Omar Sy.
Sy's movie, The Intouchables, was a hit across Europe and is now playing in theaters in the U.S. It's a feel-good buddy comedy about a quadriplegic white aristocrat who hires an unemployed black kid from the projects as his personal aide. Despite the differences in age, race and background, Philippe the millionaire (renowned actor Francois Cluzet) and Driss (Sy) form a deep bond. The film confronts racism, poverty and infirmity, while Sy illuminates the screen with his rapid-fire banter and infectious laugh.
Speaking through a translator, Sy says he thinks the film struck a chord "because it's about two different Frances meeting each other, liking each other and forming a powerful relationship. That's the problem in France today. There are worlds living side by side yet completely apart. People don't know or understand their neighbor. That's why people are scared."
Like the character he plays, Sy hails from a France far from the glittering boulevards of Paris. The fourth of eight children, he grew up in one of the gritty suburbs with high immigrant populations, known as banlieus, that ring the French capital.
Sy's Senegalese father worked in a factory; his Mauritanean mother was a cleaning woman. Sy is an idol to young kids growing up in the banlieus, who say that his story gives them hope: If he can make it, they can, too.
Immigration has loomed large on the French political landscape lately. Even many second-generation immigrants said they felt stigmatized by the toxic, anti-foreigner, anti-Muslim rhetoric of the recent French presidential race. Sy, who's Muslim himself, says his background has been an asset.
"I feel completely French," he says, "but it's true that as the son of immigrants I struggled with my identity, especially in my teenage years. But I've been able to take aspects of both French and African culture and I'm all the richer for it, even if it does mean I have a little more baggage than most people."
Sy got his start several years ago doing impersonations on a radio comedy show. Then followed a wildly popular TV comedy skit that still airs today.
But it was The Intouchables that launched Sy into real stardom. It became France's second-highest grossing film of all time. A third of the French population has seen it.
Intouchables also swept Europe, spending nine weeks as the No. 1 film in Germany. But some American critics have had harsh words for it, saying it deals in cliches and smacks of Uncle Tom racism.
Sy disagrees.
"They saw it through an American lens," he says. "You can't compare France and America. They are completely different in every way. The point is: My character could have been Arab, or white, because it's his housing project culture and world that permeate and define him. A kid from the projects is marked, no matter what his color."
Sy has since left the projects — though he says he will always carry them within. Those who know him say he goes back often, and he doesn't forget anyone.
Watching him leave the TV studios, it's not hard to believe: Sy seems to have a kind word and a warm smile for everyone, especially the security guards and the cleaning woman.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
The Design Experiments plugin is a tool for prototyping designs within the context of WP-Admin. It contains a number of proof of concepts that the WordPress Design Team is exploring.
An important disclaimer: This plugin is called experimental for a reason. It is for testing concepts, and is not intended for use on a production site. These experiments may hide or visually break functionality in the admin area. Some of the experiments may break after a while, and will be removed from the plugin. Do not rely on this plugin for permanent changes to your site.
- Upload the plugin files to the
directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress
- Use the Settings->Design Experiments screen to activate an experiment.
- What do I do if an experiment appears broken?
These are rough proof of concepts, so some breakage is generally expected. If you'd like to follow up with the team who built the plugin though, you may submit an issue on GitHub.
- I have an idea for an experiment, how do I submit it?
There are instructions for submitting ideas and building your own experiments at the plugin's GitHub page.
Contributors & Developers
"Design Experiments" is oopbron sagteware. Die volgende mense het bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van hierdie uitbreiding:
Contributors"Design Experiments" has been translated into 6 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate "Design Experiments" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
- Adds the "Darker Field Borders and New Buttons (Alternate)" experiment.
- Adds the "New Colors" experiment.
- Adds the "Darker Field Borders and New Buttons" experiment.
- Adds the Animated Menu Hovers experiment.
- Initial release. Includes experiments for larger font sizes, Gutenberg-style form fields, an updated header treatment throughout WP-Admin, and a dark mode.


text:
This is FRESH AIR. We're going to remember one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement, Bob Moses. He died Sunday at the age of 86. The quiet-spoken, self-effacing activist helped lead the effort in Mississippi to organize and register rural Black residents to vote. In 1960, after watching news footage of lunch counter sit-ins in the South, he left his job teaching math in New York City to help in the civil rights movement.
When he arrived in Mississippi, he was one of only a few activists there. He joined the staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. And in 1964, he helped organize Freedom Summer, which recruited college students - mostly white students from the North - to come down to Mississippi to help in the effort to register African Americans to vote and to bring the country's attention to Mississippi's entrenched white supremacy. Here he is at a news conference announcing the program.
BOB MOSES: We hope to send into Mississippi this summer upwards of 1,000 teachers, ministers, lawyers and students from all around the country who will engage in what we're calling freedom schools, community center programs, voter registration activity, research work, work in the white communities, and in general, a program designed to open up Mississippi to the country.
BIANCULLI: Bob Moses and others faced brutal violence, relentless intimidation and death threats. Three of the young activists - Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman - were murdered by white racists. Later in his career, Moses, who had a master's degree in philosophy from Harvard, founded the Algebra Project to teach math literacy to urban and rural communities. He considered it an extension of his civil rights work. Terry spoke with Bob Moses in 1993.
TERRY GROSS: How much of an issue was voting when you started in Mississippi? Was there already a popular movement to get...
MOSES: There wasn't, no. What had happened in Mississippi through the '50s was a really strong repression. Mississippi was sort of South Africa. And following the Supreme Court decision, the government of the state was really taken over by the racist organizations. So the White Citizens' Councils, which were the respectable face of the Klan, really took over the state government. Ross Barnett was the governor. And he was really the tool of those groups. And so you had a really state organized repression. And they really assassinated the NAACP leadership that they could. And so by the time we got there in 1960, '61, there was a handful of leaders left. Medgar Evers was the state representative for the NAACP. And he was sort of operating a one-man shop there with a few leaders strung out across the state. And they were struggling to hold on.
GROSS: What was the Supreme Court decision that you referred to?
MOSES: 1954, the Supreme Court decision around school desegregation. So that - you see; Mississippi just decided, well, they're not going to integrate the schools here. And the one - the people who might try are the NAACP leadership with court cases. So they began killing off some of that leadership. It was in Belzoni, and Gus Courts there also in Belzoni. There was a whole string of them that went down during the '50s.
GROSS: So you were operating in a climate of repression and intimidation and violence.
MOSES: Right. Right.
GROSS: What would you use - what would you do to convince people that it was worth the risk to try to register?
MOSES: Well, I think people's backs were up against the wall. So there was a consensus that we all ought to try to register. And then not that we all - well, that it should be done. And then the question was, well, who are the people who are ready to step out? Now, one of the things was our accompanying them to the registration office. So in those areas where people felt more at home going down there if we accompanied them, we did. And that's - the registration office became the scene of little battles. In Walthall County, the sheriff pistol-whipped John Hardy when he brought some people in. And then, in Amite County, they had some guys who came and jumped on me when I accompanied some people down to register in Liberty.
GROSS: When you accompanied people to register to vote and you got into the registrar's office, what were the typical obstacles that you'd face?
MOSES: Well, the delaying tactics. So they would take one person at a time. And, you know, they would just drag it out. And then the people had to fill out some section of the Constitution and interpret it. So they would give them some very difficult passage to read and to write about. And so - and then there would be some intimidations. Usually, you would have law enforcement officers and highway patrolmen, you know, sort of walking in and out. And so it would be a sort of intimidating atmosphere a lot of times. Then you would also have ordinary citizens coming in. And sometimes, they would talk to people, you know, to try to intimidate them.
GROSS: What would you do to make it clear that you couldn't be intimidated, and especially when people are trying to intimidate others through...
MOSES: Well, mostly, we just kept coming back.
GROSS: Yeah. Right. Right.
MOSES: I mean, that - I mean, I guess that was the bottom line, that is that, OK, whatever you do. You know, we - you knock us down. And we get back up. And we come back. So that was basically it.
GROSS: You were more educated, I'm sure, than the authorities who were standing in your way in Mississippi. Did you ever use that as a credential to intimidate them?
MOSES: I didn't do a lot of talking, of course. And this is one of the issues, you know, because the - one of the first things is to let you know that you are not to talk, right? And I didn't really push that. And, I think, here, you're dealing with real personality, you know, dimensions, because I just - in my own way of reacting, I tended to sort of go into myself and find in myself some kind of core, which then I tried to project.
GROSS: That's the kind of thing that's sometimes interpreted as a sign of weakness.
MOSES: I don't know. It depends, I guess. There's a way of sort of projecting how you feel in terms of confidence in just stillness, you know, so that you're not rattled.
GROSS: But you said that the thing was not to talk. Why?
MOSES: Well, they - because, the talking - the first thing about talking is whether you're going to say, sir.
GROSS: Oh, yeah.
MOSES: So that's the first line of the battle. So as soon as you open your mouth, then they're going to want to say, you know, sir, you know? What did you say? Did you - you know, they want you to say sir to them. So you can hardly get a conversation off the ground.
GROSS: Were there tremendous acts of courage that you witnessed in Mississippi?
MOSES: Yeah, I think there were a lot of acts of courage. And some of them, you know, were small in one sense. There were a group of ladies when we were in jail in McComb who took it upon themselves to deliver food to us every day. They cooked it themselves, and they delivered it. And about 16 of us there in jail. And, of course, in doing that, they were branded, right? So - and later, one of them had her house bombed. So there were a lot of those kind of things happening.
And then, of course, there - people were murdered. Louis Allen witnessed a murder. And Herbert Lee, who was one of the farmers working with us, got gunned down at the cotton gin there in Liberty, the same place where I had gotten beaten. And Louis Allen saw it. And so the issue of testifying before the justice of peace, the jury that they pulled together there and of giving his testimony to the federal government - and the Justice Department saying, well, there's no way we can give you any protection. And because of that, he suffered - you know, he got his jaw broken by one of the policemen down there. They put him in and out of jail over a couple years. And finally, they killed him. They drove up onto his front lawn one day and just, you know, blasted him away.
And he sort of lived that, really, on his own for over a couple of years 'cause Herbert Lee was killed in '61, and Louis Allen was shot down in the beginning of '64. And it was really his death which really turned the corner about having the Mississippi Freedom Summer. It's like we had come full circle. And we weren't able to do anything in response to Herbert Lee's murder, but we were in position to do something when Louis Allen was gunned down.
GROSS: When people were murdered in Mississippi, people in the civil rights movement from Mississippi or people from outside who'd come down to work there like Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman, was it a personal crisis for you, too?
MOSES: Yeah. And Herbert Lee was the first person that we were working with very closely who was murdered. And that was in the first summer when we went down. And I guess the only way in which we could sort of live through it was to say, well, we're going to live our lives and go through the same kind of danger that led to his being murdered. And so we're not asking other people to do what we are not also daily doing. And that's how, from my point of view, I got through it.
BIANCULLI: Bob Moses speaking to Terry Gross in 1993. The pioneer civil rights activist died last Sunday at age 86. Coming up, Kevin Whitehead reviews two new solo albums by two tenor saxophonist recorded during the COVID quarantine. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHICK COREA AND GARY BURTON'S "WHAT GAME SHALL WE PLAY TODAY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Hello from the Department of Natural Resources Atchafalaya Basin Program!
The FY 2018 Atchafalaya Basin Annual Plan has passed both the State House and Senate with unanimous bi-partisan support. Projects in the plan include: Depth Restoration in Grand Lake, Hydrologic Restoration of the East Grand Lake Water Management Unit, two boat launches, a walking trail at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center, and a Geocache trail. Thanks to everyone who supported us along the way!
News: Frog season begins: June 1 ABP: Renovation work completed at Wilson's Landing in St. Mary parish- ready for summertime fun Louisiana Sportsman: The chinquapin run: Flat Lake fishing takes off this month Country Roads: The Black Bear Comeback LDWF: 2018 Louisiana Duck Stamp Competition A Word's Worth: Restoring the Prairie The Advertiser: 1927 flood on Mississippi River, Atchafalaya River changed Louisiana forever ******************************************************************************** Events: ABP Technical Advisory Group Meeting, June 22 at 9:30 am at DNR in Baton Rouge ABP Research and Promotion Board Meeting, June 29 at 9:30 am at DNR in Baton Rouge Les Main Guidées: Boudin, June 3 at Vermilionville in Lafayette Krotz Springs Sportsmen's Heritage Festival, May 25-28 at the Krotz Springs fairgrounds Dutch Oven Cooking, June 3 at Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville Creole Culture Day, June 4 at Vermilionville in Lafayette Free Fishing Weekend, June 10 and 11 statewide Shadows-on-the-Teche Children's History Camp, June 12-16 in New Iberia Bushcraft, June 24 at Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville 4th Annual Southwest Louisiana Attakapas Opelousas Prairie Tribe Festival, July 29 at the Farmer's Market Pavilion in Opelousas The River Rises: Historical Floods, June 3 - Aug 27 at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen Water Trails of the Atchafalaya, June 17 - Oct 29 at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen La Table Francaise, last Saturday of every month at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville Les Courdre Pointes Quilting Circle, every Thursday from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville Atchafalaya History Kids Summer Camp, June 19-23 and June 26-30 at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen
Frog season begins: June 1
Send in your Basin Pics! Let us know if you have an upcoming event to promote the Basin!
Send in your Basin Pics!
Let us know if you have an upcoming event to promote the Basin!
Checking the water:The information below is obtained from the USGS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has been compiled by DNR into this format to allow a quick look at information pertinent to the Atchafalaya Basin. Current Atchafalaya Basin water levels from NOAA.
Data is for 6/2/2017
Ohio River at CairoLocation: Southernmost gauge on the Ohio River in Illinois Reading significance - used to forecast rises on the Mississippi. Lag time, 4 to 6 days.Flood Stage: 40'Stage: 41.7'24 hour change: -0.5'Forecast: expect to FALL to 36.0' by 6/7
Mississippi River, just south of ORCS, at Red River LandingReading: Mississippi River south of ORCS, after the diversion into the Atchafalaya Flood Stage: 48'Stage: 57.3'24 hour change: -0.1'Forecast: expect to FALL to 56.5' by 6/7
Mississippi River at Baton RougeFlood Stage: 35'Stage: 40.2'24 hour change: 0.0'Forecast: expect to FALL to 39.4' by 6/7
Mississippi River at New OrleansFlood Stage: 17'Stage: 16.2'24 hour change: 0.0'Forecast: expect to FALL to 15.9' by 6/7Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River at SimmesportFlood Stage: 47'Stage: 36.9'Forecast: expect to FALL to 36.2' by 6/7
Atchafalaya River at MelvilleFlood Stage: 34'Stage: 28.9'Forecast: expect to FALL to 28.2' by 6.7
Atchafalaya River at Krotz SpringsFlood Stage: 29'Stage: 25.9'Forecast: expect to FALL to 25.3' by 6/7
Atchafalaya River above Butte La RoseFlood Stage: 20'Stage: 18.8'Forecast: expect to FALL to 18.4' by 6/7
Atchafalaya River at Bayou Sorrell Locks on the GIWWFlood Stage: 12'Stage: 11.4'Forecast: expect to FALL to 11.2' by 6/7
Atchafalaya at Millet (Myette) PointFlood Stage: 15'Stage: 11.5'Forecast: expect to FALL to 11.1' by 6/7
Atchafalaya River at Morgan CityFlood Stage: 6'Stage: 7.2'Forecast: expect to FALL to 7.0' by 6/7
Murphy Lake near Bayou SorrelStage: 16.91'
Lower Grand River at Bayou SorrelStage: 8.21'
Bayou Courtableau (inside the floodway)Stage: 20.47'
Middle Fork, Bayou LongStage: 10.10'
Arm of Grand Lake near Crook Chene CoveStage: 15.73'
Pontoon Bridge at Butte LaroseStage: 14.14'
Lake Pelba at I-10, HendersonStage: 17.87'
Little Alabama Bayou at SherbourneStage: 18.95'
Work Canal near I-10Stage: 14.86'
Bayou La Rompe at Lake LongStage: maintenence
Keelboat Pass below Lake ChicotStage: 10.83'


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TextEvans-TCP (Phase 1)Date of publication:
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text:
"To be or not to be, that is the question." – Hamlet
It was Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) who first introduced
me to ultramarathons in 2001, helping me rediscover a passion for the outdoors with their unique trail events up and down the West Coast. PCTR's fun and low-key "runs but not races"
have been a big part of the California trail running community for over a decade
(beautifully chronicled here by Sarah Lavender Smith for UltraRunning Magazine
in March, 2009). Rarely a month goes by that I don't recall the fateful day I met
PCTR Race Director and co-founder Sarah Spelt managing an aid station for the
Purisima Creek 50k near my house, and watched her help a runner finish
vomiting, pull him up, and say, "you only have 5 miles to go…so get out of that chair and keep moving forward". Wow! Runners and volunteers alike were friendly, tough, courageous…a group of passionate people creating adventure just for the hell of it. Like many, I was drawn in by the PCTR aura.
Lately, that aura has had to shine through some dark times. To say that 2011 has been a tough year for PCTR would be
an understatement of ultra proportions – cancelled races, a no show for an
event, tens of thousands of dollars in refunds in limbo, a rotating door of
co-RD's, and more - any one of these would be enough to set the tombstone on even the
best event management company. But just when you count them out, PCTR comes
back with dogged persistence. As 2011 comes to a close, they face their toughest challenge yet, and all eyes are on the Rodeo Beach 50k on
Dec 31st to see if the race will occur, and more importantly, if
PCTR will survive.
I was lucky enough to be a regular participant in the Golden Age of
PCTR, where they held 20+ races annually through 2000-2010, ranging from 10k's
to 24-Hour events, and even birthing the heralded Headlands Hundred. Those who ran
knew exactly what to expect – a well-marked course, plenty of happy volunteers,
lots of food, and a sense of humility that made even the craziest races (and
racers) feel approachable. By 2008, nearly every race was selling out, with a
solid mix of regular runners and first-timers motivated by the Dean
Karnazes/Born To Run surge. The 10-20k distances seemed to be the cash cow, drawing
hundreds each weekend, while the ultras were clearly a labor of love that Sarah
and then-husband/PCTR co-founder Wendell Doman both shared with the community they
helped build.
The Golden Age got its first shake up in mid-2010, when a "Dear Jane letter" from Wendell to Sarah split the personal relationship that was the genesis of PCTR. Some feared the
worst in the face of a divorce among co-founders, but they continued to do an amazing job
keeping everything going smoothly. Wendell soon after started Coastal Trail Runs with a roster of even more races that
conveniently did not occur on the same weekends as PCTR events. Like the child
of divorced parents who now gets two weekly allowances, the trail running
community was getting a best case scenario from a challenging personal
2011 started ambitiously for PCTR, with a new co-owner and
Race Director Michael Popov, new logos and web site, and a plan to expand into a whole new series of races
in the Lake Tahoe area. A newly minted PCTR Race Team was spotted everywhere, with
runners like Ian Sharman making headlines with his American Record-setting 12:44 at the Rocky Raccoon 100 trail run. Races continued to sell out through
the summer, many in record time, although the Lake Tahoe races had to be
postponed due to long permit timelines. Still, they forged ahead, and for most
of us, the Golden Age was as bright as ever.
Then in September, 2011, the "train came off the rails", so to speak.
On September 16th, less than 24 hours before the San Francisco One Day event at Crissy Field, an e-mail went out from Sarah saying
the event would be cancelled due to a "personal emergency". Some runners were
aghast, having trained and flown out to be at the event, but most just offered
their help and condolences. PCTR does races in rain or shine, so surely they
wouldn't cancel an event unless it was serious? The PCTR Facebook page lit up
with concern, personal outreach, anger, and lots of questions.
The following Monday, Michael Popov announced on Facebook
that he would no longer be associated with PCTR "due to personal issues and
other numerous issues with the co-owner". Like many, I was shocked, and began
asking around with the PCTR runner/volunteer regulars about what might have happened. Many felt it was a shame that Michael had left, saying he had
lifted up PCTR with his enthusiasm and attention to detail. Others were much
more direct, implying that Michael's involvement created a precarious
financial situation for PCTR, and his personal style had driven regular volunteers away.
Whatever it was, the cancellation of the San Francisco One Day, and now this, was evidence
that something deeper was amiss.
Then, the unspeakable happened. When racers arrived at the
Santa Cruz Mountains 10k/20k/50k the following weekend, PCTR was nowhere to be
found. La Sportiva was there to demo their shoes, and a couple of volunteers
were eagerly awaiting aid station supplies, so it was clear that no notification of a cancellation had gone out. After hours of waiting, runners disbanded and
went right to the Facebook page to express their shock and outrage. Just when
you thought a last minute cancellation was the worst cardinal sin of race
directing, a no-show reset expectations at a whole new level.
Refund requests poured in by the hundreds, which
unfortunately resulted in PCTR's credit card processing company freezing their account and making it impossible to issue refunds. The PCTR web site posted cancellations for the next two races (Montana de Oro and Redwood Park),
exacerbating the refund/frozen account situation, but still processed entry fees for future events through PayPal. This confused many, and while some ultrarunners just
rolled with it and asked for credits for future events, the short course masses
were extremely vocal about their missing funds and took to the Internet. Runners
like Oregon's Casey Hennig blasted PCTR on Yelp, Facebook, and even filed a
complaint to the Better Business Bureau, permanently damaging the PCTR brand. Runner Christine Jenior Gorby said on Facebook she was engaging her lawyer, which as we all know means that PCTR
would have to be very careful about any public dialogue (ie, there will be little, if any). Another slighted runner, Greg Monaghan, continues to post to Facebook regularly
to call PCTR "scam artists", "criminals", calling Sarah "a thief", and encourage runners to
go to competitive events. Hell hath no fury like a runner feeling ripped off, and with a lack of frequent two-way communication, they let their voices be heard. It was hard to imagine how PCTR would survive.
Then, in mid-October, signs of life. In fact, it was more
than signs, it was a comeback in the making. Sarah came out of silence to
publicly comment on the frozen credit account scenario, promising refunds to all
involved and replying to many personally. A new team was hired, run by Tim Long
and Tim Stahler ("the Tims"), two individuals with a deep passion for running and hosting events.
Tim Long had even relocated from Colorado, and as soon as he hit the ground,
the races were back on. The Santa Monica Mountain event on Nov 20th
happened, followed by the Woodside event on Dec 3rd, in an
impressive display of last minute organization and high
integrity communication about the race directing experience. I ran the 25k at Woodside,
and it felt like the good 'ole days were coming back, with ample course markings,
food, and happy volunteers. A new PCTR Race Team was announced, and I joined up
to help in the comeback story. Like an ultrarunner who refused to drop, PCTR
was taking flight once again.
Then as fast as the comeback was on, it stumbled. On
Dec 17th, the Tims posted a blog entry saying they would no longer be involved with PCTR, citing the inability to address the confusion and
frustration around refunds and money owed. They did promise to host
the Rodeo Beach event on Dec 31st, and assured everyone that food and supplies were ordered. After Rodeo Beach, the blog entry went on to say, the Tims would be creating races under a
new event management group called Inside Trail Racing. Yup, that just happened.
A few days later, they updated their post saying they had been contacted by PCTR's lawyer to stay away from the Rodeo Beach event. Lawyers are involved? Uh, oh. Suddenly, everything seems up the air.
Will the Rodeo Beach event take place on Dec 31st?
Are refunds coming, or does involvement by lawyers signal signs of bankruptcy?
Will PCTR survive?
All eyes are on Dec 31st.
One thing for sure, you can't knock the players in this story for a lack of passion about their sport and community. While Sarah and the PCTR crew find their footing, Michael Popov went on to tackle 140+ mile adventures of his own, Wendell created Coastal Trail Runs, and the Tim's launched Inside Trail Racing. In the face of a DNF, they each found within themselves the strength to press on and flourish in their own way. Their persistence is admirable, and for what it's worth, the trail running community continues to reap the benefits.
A few days later, they updated their post saying they had been contacted by PCTR's lawyer to stay away from the Rodeo Beach event. Lawyers are involved? Uh, oh. Suddenly, everything seems up the air.
Will the Rodeo Beach event take place on Dec 31st?
Are refunds coming, or does involvement by lawyers signal signs of bankruptcy?
Will PCTR survive?
All eyes are on Dec 31st.
One thing for sure, you can't knock the players in this story for a lack of passion about their sport and community. While Sarah and the PCTR crew find their footing, Michael Popov went on to tackle 140+ mile adventures of his own, Wendell created Coastal Trail Runs, and the Tim's launched Inside Trail Racing. In the face of a DNF, they each found within themselves the strength to press on and flourish in their own way. Their persistence is admirable, and for what it's worth, the trail running community continues to reap the benefits.
There is a special place in my heart for PCTR, and I sincerely
hope that they will persevere through these tough times. I am ever the optimist, much in thanks to ultrarunning, and can easily picture racing a PCTR event in full PCTR Team gear soon, taking about how glad we are all that refund nonsense is over. It would be yet another epic story of persistence and courage in the face of adversity that our sport creates with welcome regularity.
Keep moving forward, people. Try to be positive for those that are struggling through the race. The finish line is closer than you think.
Keep moving forward, people. Try to be positive for those that are struggling through the race. The finish line is closer than you think.
Peace and courage...
[Ed. Update - On Christmas Day, PCTR and Inside Trails announced on Facebook that they reached a contract agreement for the Inside Trails team to manage the Rodeo Beach event on Dec 31st. This arrangement is only for this event. It's nice to see they worked something out. Also, I should note that Jeff Makoff, the legal counsel donating his time to PCTR to help them through their current challenges, offered the following official statement in an e-mail to me:
"The trail running community is aware of the difficulties PCTR has faced recently. We appreciate the extraordinary patience of our loyal friends and followers. PCTR has retained professionals to work through the immediate issues and help formulate a strategic plan for the future. Among the urgent issues are the processing of all refunds for past cancelled races. Please look on our Facebook page for real-time updates and further instructions for refunds. This process is well-underway and we will keep you posted. We wish everyone a great 2012 - and we sincerely apologize for the recent difficulties!"
Jeff went on to mention how they are in sorting out who still needs refunds, and who has already received them through their credit card companies, and how best to process them efficiently. It sounds very positive to me.
I'm hoping to volunteer at Rodeo Beach on the 31st to lend my support. Hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to seeing you.]


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Below is a pointed analysis of what is currently happening with the Food Safety Modernization Act written by Brian Snyder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). He explains in apt detail that "what we're really dealing with here is the potential culmination of a decades-long process of government policy being used to favor a fully industrialized food system…" The post originally appeared on Brian's personal blog, Write to Farm.
To take action on FSMA, click here to submit a comment to the USDA by the Nov. 15 deadline. Stay tuned for more updates from RAFI in the coming days.
FSMA: There's Something Happening Here
by Brian Synder
There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
–Stephen Stills, For What It's Worth, 1966
If you're like me, you are starting to grow weary of all the hoopla generated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the effort to generate public comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the November 15 deadline. This has been a long slog, seeming perhaps like much ado about nothing to many who are not directly involved. Along with Stephen Stills, you might be tempted to agree that what's happening ain't exactly clear, and no one could blame you for that.
The tendency in situations like this is to exaggerate what's happening, in order to get people to pay attention to what is otherwise a rather mundane subject. There has been plenty of that type of hyperbole in the food safety debate, and this writer is not totally innocent in that regard. But when the public discussion about food safety regulation began in earnest in early 2009 – following problems discovered with our beloved peanut butter – there were various public messages promising that backyard gardening was about to be outlawed by Congress. Well, such blatant falsehoods did more damage than good, directing attention away from some extremely important implications for our food system in the ongoing saga of passing and implementing FSMA.
It's not easy to explain, but anyone experienced with monitoring food system policy knows that the most important aspects of FSMA have little to do with issues involving water, manure, exemptions or even definitions. What we're really dealing with here is the potential culmination of a decades-long process of government policy being used to favor a fully industrialized food system over the preceding system, which was, unconsciously and by its very nature, more local, sustainable and organic in the way it functioned. Not an idealized golden age of any sort, and no one is advocating that we "go back" there, but what we had fifty years ago functioned much more in balance with the needs of our land and people, and better supported the common interests of rural and urban communities in particular.
But the years have taken their toll on our food, and our people and planet in the process. Those of us advocating for something better have sometimes been considered extremists, as we struggle to mesh traditional values and the indigenous knowledge of farmers with the advances of modern science that sometimes act like a sledgehammer on the landscape. Over the years, we "won" things like organic certification and country of origin labeling, but now seem to know less about the origin of food in the mass marketplace than we ever did. The tide of change has not been with us, and in many ways, FSMA represents the triumph of a tidal surge of food system policy that would make Superstorm Sandy seem like a routine romp in the kiddie pool.
Here's why. It's about authority, in two ways. First, there's the further removal of decision making power away from farmers and consumers, and into the hands of government bureaucrats located more and more remotely from the production end of the system (don't be fooled that this is a mere federalization of food production authority either). Second, FSMA potentially represents the final triumph of technology over nature in terms of which sector of our collective reality is calling the shots. You remember the "tree of wisdom" and "tree of knowledge of good and evil" from the Creation story in Genesis? In recent decades, the latter has been on a crusade with respect to defeating the former, and we are all the worse for it.
In other words, what we are now facing is not just the potential presence or absence of pathogens in our food, but the question of who will be responsible for our food in the future, how it will be grown, and under what authority. In more practical terms, the trend is almost certainly in the direction that will make it harder and harder – if not eventually impossible – to grow foods in less technologically intensive ways and bring them to local and regional markets without an industry-approved, profit-taking mechanism in the middle… which is roughly equivalent to the process that caused the vast majority of dairy farms in this country to fail.
The final determinations have not yet been made. FSMA comes at a time when public interest in knowing more about where and how our food is raised is greatly accelerating. With that trend, a plethora of new organizations and community-driven efforts aimed at encouraging healthier, locally grown food is also coming into prominence. Those of us within that "movement" do not always agree on priorities… in fact there has been a striking lack of interest among members of the so-called "foodie" crowd in terms of the relevance of the FSMA debate. But it is exciting to see the extent to which the sustainable agriculture community – more closely connected to farmers – is now driving the conversation, sitting for once at the head of the agricultural table instead of its foot.
There is no question whatsoever that we are, in this historic moment, witnessing a dramatic shift of leadership in terms of which organizations are speaking on behalf of rank-and-file farmers everywhere.
Industry experts and food safety activists are still shaking their heads in disbelief to behold what was accomplished in the legislative phase of FSMA by those who want to keep authority closer to the fundamental farmer-consumer relationship, thereby maintaining a proper balance of nature and technology in the system. Now those gains must not only be defended, but further advanced in the process of bringing FSMA regulations to fruition.
If you have not already weighed-in with written comments on the FSMA rules, you are in danger of forfeiting your opportunity to participate in history. Thousands of pages of necessary information have been boiled down and made available to you through an extraordinary effort by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and their#fixFSMA campaign. Everything you need to know about the proposed regulations and how to comment can be found on the NSAC website, or even more succinctly on the PASA website (thanks to NSAC, of course). A petition cosponsored by NSAC and our very good friends at Farm Aid is included in both places. You can also consult numerous opinion pieces written by me and some of my friends and colleagues at the Write to Farm blog.
This flies against conventional wisdom, but I once witnessed a dramatic reversal in a massive drive to enact new dairy regulations here in Pennsylvania, spurred mostly by a beautiful poem written and submitted by a farmer, at just the right moment, to the authorities charged with the decision. If even a simple poem can change the world, then what is your excuse for not getting involved right now, and doing what you can?
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.
{This is my last blog post until after the November 15 deadline for submitting FSMA comments. Please help by distributing this piece, links to NSAC, and any other resources available to you as far and wide as possible, while there's still time to act.}


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Adafruit APDS9960 Proximity, Light, RGB, and Gesture Sensor
This breakout is chock full o' sensors! Add basic gesture sensing, RGB color sensing, proximity sensing, or ambient light sensing to your project with the Adafruit APDS9960 Proximity, Light, RGB and Gesture Sensor. When connected to your microcontroller (running our library code) it can detect simple gestures (left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up are currently supported), return the amount of red, blue, green, and clear light, or return how close an object is to the front of the sensor. This device uses an I2C interface so it's easy to wire up and use.
The APDS9960 from Avago Technologies has an integrated IR LED and driver, along with four directional photodiodes that sense reflected IR energy from the LED. It's proximity detection feature allows it to measure the distance an object is from the front of the sensor (up to a few centimeters) with 8 bit resolution.
Since there are four IR sensors, you can measure the changes in light reflectance at each of the cardinal locations over time and turn those changes into gestures. Our interface library can detect directional gestures (left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up), but in theory more complicated gestures like zig-zag, clockwise or counterclockwise circle, near to far, etc. could also be detected with additional code.
The APDS9960 has a configurable interrupt that can fire when a certain proximity threshold is broken, or when a color sensor breaks a certain threshold.
Technical Details:
- Product Dimensions: 17.8mm x 17.8mm x 3.2mm / 0.7″ x 0.7″ x 0.1″
- Product Weight: 1.3g / 0.0oz
- Product Wiki


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By Ramzy Baroud
What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets? On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video, none of which can truly capture the everyday reality of the Strip – its formidable steadfastness, the everyday acts of resistance, and the type of suffering that can never be really understood through a customary glance at a social media post.
At long last, the chief prosecutor of the International Court of Justice (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has declared her 'satisfaction' that "war crimes have been – or are being – committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip". As soon as the ICC statement was made on December 20, pro-Palestinian groups felt a rare moment of relief. Finally, Israel will stand accused, potentially paying for its recurring bloodbath in the isolated and besieged Gaza Strip, its military occupation and apartheid in the West Bank, and much more.
However, it could take years for the ICC to initiate its legal proceedings and render its verdict. Moreover, there are no political guarantees that an ICC decision indicting Israel would ever be respected, let alone implemented.
Meanwhile, the siege on Gaza persists, only to be interrupted by a massive war, like the one of 2014, or a less destructive one, similar to the latest Israeli onslaught in November. And with every war, more dismal statistics are produced, more lives shattered, and more painful stories are told and retold.
For years, civil society groups across the world labored to destabilize this horrific status quo. They organized, held vigils, wrote letters to their political representatives and so on. To no avail. Frustrated by government inaction, a small group of activists sailed to Gaza in a small boat in August 2008, succeeding in doing what the United Nations has failed to do: they broke, however fleetingly, the Israeli siege on the impoverished Strip.
This symbolic action of the Free Gaza movement had a tremendous impact. It sent a clear message to Palestinians in occupied Palestine, that their fate is not only determined by the Israeli government and military machine; that there are other actors who are capable of challenging the dreadful silence of the international community; that not all Westerners are as complicit as their governments in the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.
Since then, many more solidarity missions have attempted to follow suit, coming across the sea atop flotillas or in large caravans through the Sinai desert. Some have successfully reached Gaza, delivering medical aid and other supplies. The majority, however, were sent back or had their boats hijacked in international waters by the Israeli navy.
Freedom #Flotilla: All You Need to Know (VIDEOS) https://t.co/oJgMBraXAd via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/AVWzofzsAY
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 25, 2018
The outcome of all of this has been the writing of a new chapter of solidarity with the Palestinian people that went beyond the occasional demonstration and the typical signing of a petition.
The second Palestinian Intifada, the uprising of 2002, had already redefined the role of the "activist" in Palestine. The formation of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) allowed thousands of international activists from around the world to participate in "direct action" in Palestine – thus fulfilling, however symbolically, a role that is typically played by a United Nations protective force.
ISM activists, however, employed non-violent means of registering civil society's rejection of the Israeli occupation. Expectedly, Israel did not honor the fact that many of these activists came from countries deemed "friendly" by Tel Aviv's standards. The killing of US and British nationals Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall in Gaza in 2003 and 2004 respectively, was just the precursor of Israeli violence that was to follow.
In May 2010, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla consisting of the Turkish-owned ship 'MV Mavi Marmara' and others, killing ten unarmed humanitarian workers and wounding at least 50 more. As was the case with the murder of Rachel and Tom, there was no real accountability for the Israeli attack on the solidarity boats.
It must be understood that Israeli violence is not random nor is just a reflection of Israel's notoriety and disregard of international and humanitarian law. With every violent episode, Israel hopes to dissuade outside actors from getting involved in "Israeli affairs". Yet, time and again, the solidarity movement returns with a defiant message, insisting that no country, not even Israel, has the right to commit war crimes with impunity.
Following a recent meeting in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the International Coalition of the Freedom Flotilla, which consists of many international groups, has decided to, once more, sail to Gaza. The solidarity mission is scheduled for the summer of 2020, and, like most of the 35 previous attempts, the Flotilla is likely to be intercepted by the Israeli navy. Yet, another attempt will likely follow, and many more, until the Gaza siege is completely lifted. It has become clear that the purpose of these humanitarian missions is not to deliver a few medical supplies to the nearly two million besieged Gazans, but to challenge the Israeli narrative that has turned the occupation and isolation of Palestinians to a status quo ante, to an "Israeli affair".
According to the United Nations Office in Occupied Palestine, the poverty rate in Gaza seems to be increasing at an alarming speed of 2% per year. By the end of 2017, 53% of Gaza's population lived in poverty, two-thirds of them living in "deep poverty". This terrible number includes over 400,000 children.
An image, a video, a chart or a social media post can never convey the pain of 400,000 children, who experience real hunger every single day of their lives so that the Israeli government may achieve its military and political designs in Gaza. Indeed, Gaza is not just an Israeli missile, a demolished home, and an injured child. It is an entire nation that is suffering and resisting, in near-complete isolation from the rest of the world.
True solidarity should aim at forcing Israel to end the protracted occupation and siege on the Palestinian people, sailing the high seas, if necessary. Thankfully, the good activists of the Freedom Flotilla are doing just that.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is "These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons" (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is "Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out". Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net


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You are here
Home ›UK - The Queen (on the application of Citizens UK) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, 31 July 2018
European Union Law > EN - Dublin III Regulation, Council Regulation (EC) No. 604/2013 of 26 June 2013 (recast Dublin II Regulation) > Article 2
European Union Law > EN - Dublin III Regulation, Council Regulation (EC) No. 604/2013 of 26 June 2013 (recast Dublin II Regulation) > Article 3
European Union Law > EN - Dublin III Regulation, Council Regulation (EC) No. 604/2013 of 26 June 2013 (recast Dublin II Regulation) > Article 8
The Court of Appeal found the "one-off" expedited procedure in place from 2016-2017 in Calais for unaccompanied children with family members, siblings or relatives in the UK and operated by the British and French authorities to fall below the requirements of procedural fairness as a matter of common law.
The appeal before the Court of Appeal originates from a High Court decision in respect of the "expedited process" (known as Operation Purnia) established between the UK and French authorities in response to the proposed demolition of the camp in Calais. The expedited process was put in place by both States in order to assess the eligibility of unaccompanied asylum seeking children to be transferred to the UK under a form of accelerated Dublin III procedure using Article 8 of the Regulation as the criteria for transfer. The operation was split into two phases, the first being an interview, decision-making and transfer phase and the second being short interviews with children and their family members in the UK who had not been fully processed in the first phase. During these phases approximately 550 children were transferred but 500 children claiming to have family members in the UK were not transferred during the material time. Refusal decisions for these children were communicated to the French authorities (not the children or their family members directly) by means of a spreadsheet with a short word or phrase "explaining" the reasons for refusal. These decisions were then communicated by the French authorities to the children. No opportunity was given to the children to correct errors in the decisions. Before the High Court, Mr Justice Soole held that:
1) The expedited process did not include the making of an application for international protection, neither to France nor to the UK. The making of an application is an essential requirement for the triggering of the application of Dublin III without which Dublin simply does not apply. Ultimately the reluctance of children to apply for international protection was a determinative factor for the High Court in its finding that no application for international protection had been made. In that vein, Article 6 DRIII did not give rise to a freestanding obligation on the UK in the absence of an application.
2) As the above, the lodging of an application and a take charge request are also central parts of the Dublin mechanism. Since an application for international protection had not been made it followed that the lodging or a take charge request was not applicable. The justiciability of Article 17 was therefore purely academic, although the High Court highlighted that were it necessary to deal with the point the Court would have relied on the Court of Appeal judgment in ZAT (para 85).
3) Despite the shortcomings of the expedited procedure, including the absence of information, the scope of the process and the sparsity of reasons for the rejection, all leading to a great sense of confusion, the process was nonetheless fair, reasonable and with no systemic failure. However, the Court noted that no account should be taken of material obtained in the course of the expedited procedure in future applications.
As an additional comment the High Court noted that Article 5(1) of the Dublin Implementing Regulation did not require, in this context, the provision by the authorities of detailed reasons for negative responses. Moreover, the provision of representation or further review was not needed for the operation of a lawful system.
The Court of Appeal structures its reasoning by first, considering EU law, second, common law fairness, third, Article 8 ECHR, and finally the duty of candour and co-operation. As such the Court notes that the expedited procedure adopted by both States did not amount to a procedure under Dublin III. Moreover, the adoption of such a procedure was not unlawful by virtue of the existence of Dublin III since a Member State may adopt a procedure in its own domestic law which requires an application for asylum to be made on its own territory and Member States may similarly agree upon a procedure alongside Dublin III. Justice Soole was therefore correct in his judgment in this respect. As to common law fairness the Court underlines that the duty to act fairly or the requirements of procedural fairness will be implied into a statutory framework even when the legislation is itself silent. In reliance on various pieces of jurisprudence the Court extrapolates the following standards in respect of the duty to act fairly:
- A system can be challenged as unfair;
- Fairness may require that the purpose of an interview should be made clear to those who are being interviewed;
- Interviewers should be given clear instructions about what they are to do;
- One cannot substitute a proper and fair decision by stating that there is a will for the State to reconsider a decision;
- Before a decision on the dishonesty of an applicant, the applicant must have the right to be heard against those allegations or at least be informed of the gist of the case against him;
- In asylum procedures, there must be an irreducible minimum of due process.
The Court furthermore places heavy reliance on the reasons to be given in a decision and whilst it accepted that there was nothing unfair in the procedure established by the British and French authorities, insofar as the French would inform the children of the decision, the Court does underline that providing reasons for a decision is intertwined with the fairness of the procedure and, ultimately, the rule of law. As such, the Court rejects the State's argument that because the expedited process was discretionary there was no obligation on the State to implement procedural fairness when carrying out the procedures. According to the Court, the duty to act fairly in the expedited procedure applied as a matter of principle and, indeed, had this been an ordinary administrative decision-making process, the law would require procedural fairness, which, in light of the sparseness of the reasoning given in the State's decisions, had not been complied with. The effect of this was that the children had no idea of achieving a positive outcome under the procedure and they had no realistic prospect of challenging a negative decision. Argumentation by the State to the effect that the Dublin Regulation III (attracting a panoply of procedural safeguards) was still applicable regardless of the expedited procedure and that the State in the expedited procedure was not reaching any final decision was found to be flawed by the Court. Indeed, the expedited procedure did lead to a decision, the effect of which, inter alia, resulted in children potentially giving up a formal application under Dublin III because of the negative decision they had received under the expedited procedure. The Court also noted that it was not impossible for the State to elaborate upon the reasons for negative decisions as interview records showed. Thus, the Court found the expedited procedure to fall below the requirements of procedural fairness as a matter of common law.
In respect of Article 8 ECHR, the Court notes that the article does not give greater rights than the common law would in such a context. Furthermore, the Court questions whether Citizens UK can rely on the Human Rights Act since it is arguably not a victim of the alleged breach of Convention rights.
Last, the Court refers to the duty of candour and co-operation on public authorities, the aim of which is to assist the court with full and accurate explanations of all the facts relevant to the issues which the court must decide. As such, further evidence presented to the Court, evidence which was not disclosed to the High Court at the relevant time and was revealed "by chance", showed that upon receiving the responses on the spreadsheet from the British authorities, the French authorities requested more detailed reasons to be given but this was refused by the British authorities, in part, because of the risk of legal challenge that this may give rise to. In addition, the evidence previously given to the High Court did not clearly explain that the second phase of the operation was, in fact, a reconsideration procedure. The Court of Appeal found that the absence of such information and clarity before the High Court amounted to a serious breach of the duty of candour and co-operation. According to the Court, the most serious of such a breach was the reasons given by the State concerning the sparsity of reasons for a negative decision; not due to issues of urgency but because of the risk of legal challenge to the decisions. This breached the duty to act fairly, the rationale of which is to enable a person to know whether they have a basis of mounting a legal challenge and to enable a court to assess whether a decision is wrong.
The Court granted a declaration that the State had committed a breach of the duty of fairness under common law and further found:
- A serious breach of the duty of candour and co-operation by the Secretary of State in this case;
- The expedited process was unfair and unlawful as a matter of common law;
- The grounds of appeal under EU law were rejected;
- The issue of Article 8 ECHR needed no further exploration.
The case has not been appealed further and is now final.
The judgment was accompanied by a concurring opinion from Lord Justice Hickinbottom who stated that where the Secretary of State embarks upon a process it is incumbent on the State to act lawfully in its implementation. In respect of reasons being given for decisions, Lord Justice Hickinbottom notes that fairness requires reasons to be given, not only to improve the quality of decisions and to instill public condifence in the decision making process but also because the supervisory function of the courts of decision makers requires it. Moreover, Lord Justice Hickinbottom notes the serious breach of the duty of candour and co-operation in this case and states that the facts before the Court serves "as a timely reminder to public bodies as to both the scope and importance of the duty of candour to the court when they are responding to a judicial review."
UK - R v SSHD, ex parte Doody and Others [1994] 1 AC 531
UK - Cooper v Wandsworth Board of Works (1863) 14 CBNS 108, 194
United Kingdom - R (on the application of Refugee Legal Centre) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] EWCA Civ 1481
UK - R v Home Secretary, ex parte Fayed [1998] 1 WLR 763