text:
Work is done to push electrons from the positive to the negative terminal. The work done per unit charge is known as the electromotive force, or emf:$$ε = emf = W/q$$
A battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy to do work in driving elections around a circuit. Inside the battery, work is done to drive electrons from the positive to the negative terminal, which the current is said to travel from the negative to the positive terminals. Hence work is done on the electrons. The force involved is known as the electromotive force, emf.
A battery cannot pass electrons through its electrolyte without loss of energy due to resistance. This is the battery's internal resistance, r, and can be assumed to be in series with the cell. The current I that leaves the battery times the internal resistance is the voltage V of the battery:$$V = ε - Ir$$
where V is the voltage supplied by a battery with emf (electromagnetic force) ε, I the current, and r its internal resistance.
When loads are in series, the same current must pass through all of them. Since the voltage across all the resistors is the voltage of the circuit:
$V = IR_{tot} = I(R_1 + R_2 + R_3 + ..)$, so:$$R_{total} = R_1 + R_2 + R_3 +....$$
where $R_{tot}$ is the total resistance of individual resistances $R_1, R_2, R_3 ....$ arranged in series.
When loads are in parallel, the current is split up into the different branches of the circuit, but the voltage is the same across each branch:
$V/{R_{tot}} = I_{tot} = V/{R_1} + V/{R_2} + V/{R_3} + ...$, so:$$1/{R_{tot}} = 1/{R_1} + 1/{R_2} + 1/{R_3} +...$$
where $R_{total}$ is the total resistance of individual resistances $R_1, R_2, R_3 ....$ arranged in parallel.
Current is measured by an instrument called the ammeter, named after André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836), a French scientist who pioneered work in electrodynamics. The ammeter has a small electrical resistance, but an ideal ammeter has zero resistance. In practice, ammeters will consume a small amount of the power of a circuit, but this is usually considered as negligible for the purpose of calculations.
Potential difference, or voltage, is measured by an instrument called the voltmeter, named after Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), an Italian scientist who made the first wet cell battery, and solved the controversy of the nature of animal electricity. The voltmeter has a large electrical resistance, but an ideal voltmeter has infinite resistance. In practice, voltmeters will draw a small amount of power from the main circuit, but this is usually considered as negligible for the purpose of calculations.
A galvanometer is a device used for detecting electric current. It is the basis of both the voltmeter and the ammeter. It has a coil which causes a rotation of a pointer when an electric current passes through it due to the induced magnetic field.
A voltmeter is attached in parallel to a section of a circuit. It consists of a galvanometer in series with a very high resistance (at least 50kΩ). The high resistance ensures that very little current is drawn out of a circuit when the voltmeter is connected in parallel. The reading on the voltmeter is a measure of the potential difference across the resistance (V = IR).
An ammeter is an instrument positioned in series within a circuit. Its galvanometer is in parallel with the ammeter's very low resistance, so that little current passes through the galvanometer directly, but allows the current to create torque on the dial to display the current's magnitude and direction.
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Marie Curie, née Skłodowska, was a Polish physcist and chemist, fêted as one of the most brilliant minds ever. Although her life was marked by regular tragedy and oppression, as a Pole and as a woman, she triumphed in the end, gaining a remarkable two Nobel Prizes.
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text:
Virgin Mary's feast on Tragonisi
Oh dear Virgin Mary, little chapel
Years now I've known you, since I was a child.
From Merhia I would set out in a little boat
To come here to you to light a candle.
On the eleventh of Orniahti celebrates our church
In the cave we sit and eat our foods.
In just a few lines Michalis Kounenis from Mykonos, known as Babelis, the top bagpipe player of the Cyclades, paints a loving picture of the feast of Tragonisi.
The church of the Virgin Mary's feast day falls on that of Saints Barnabas and Bartholomew, the 11th of June. Departing from Kalafatis, in half an hour you arrive at a little inlet, somewhat protected from the north wind. Tall cliffs surround you, inaccessible shores, no sign of a pier.
After the craft tie up onto the rocks, one next to the other, unloading begins and the first hundred metres are not the easiest. Sheer slopes, sharp rocks, slippery pebbles, minimal progress. After half an hour's walk, the chapel appears, a tiny white building perched on a red boulder between two hanging caper bushes, the only hint of greenery on the island. The priest and chanters barely fit inside and the entire flock stands outside. The chanting echoes through the ravine: "The rich went bankrupt and hungry…".
After the liturgy you walk down several metres and arrive at a cave-like hollow amid the red rocks where benches are set up for the eating, drinking and merry making.
The visitors – no woman among them this time – take out their offerings, each having brought their own. Thus, along with the kopanisti, louza, sausages, quail, all kinds of meatballs and pies, and boiled goat, there are also less common foods, such as local 'sushi' made of red mullet, tuna or ray or fish roe browned in butter with fried sage leaves! The festivities start, Babelis has his bagpipe and the fun begins:
Today is not like other days
It's the Virgin Mary's feast day and the joys are great
- AddressTragonisi, Mykonos
- CategoryFestivals
- LocationMykonos

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Arrange a Viewing
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text:
A one-year micro-influence campaign, co-built with 16 influencers.
BIC wishes to feed the brand image and wishes to enhance the female razors's notoriety nearby a 16-25 years target.
Thanks to a micro-influence strategy, all year long, SensioGrey is to maximize reach and commitment.
Operation made upon 4 seasons led by 16 lifestyle and beauty influencers on Youtube and Instagram. The main objective is to include millenials's daily lives.
A content programme demonstrated by BIC's anecdotes, which aims at assisting them on a daily basis : hassles, first shaves, vacations departures… putting ahead the BIC® Miss Soleil®.
The first campaign (winter 2018) is launched. It will be followed by spring, summer and autumn device in 2019.
Link to 2019 campaign posts and videos :
Poudre Claire : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30n8Tbxc2E&t=369s
MyTrendyLifestyle : https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq0A4DGHL9B/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=oitaq3p977lh
Trésors de Laura : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeFPTdXNPgY&feature=youtu.be
Beauté Parisienne : https://www.instagram.com/p/BqzmlvRjase/
92-98 Boulevard Victor Hugo
92110 Clichy
Switchboard : 01 86 65 74 00
Contact our Head of Marketing and News Business
01 86 65 74 09


text:
And just as I'm grabbing the mugger by the back of the head to smash his face in, I wake up flailing and smack Katie in the eye.
The next few minutes are spent in apologies and a search for ice to hopefully stave off any bruising.
Later, after she's outed me on Facebook, I thank her for letting me tell the story.
"Well, if we hadn't talked about it, that would have made it weird," she says.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei
Posted by Scott Lee Williams at 11:43 PM
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text:
User home
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Property description
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We do not sell second level domains (ex: mysite.com, webproject.net...). However you can point any domain name registered with any domain name registrar to your website hosted with us.
This property limits amount of such domains that can be pointed to a single website.
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Doka management panel


text:
Best RC Under 300
Looking for the best RC under 300 dollars? If you've been scouring the planet in search of an awesome RC car, but would like to keep your cost below 300 dollars, you have landed in just the right place! Howdy friends and welcome back to RC Insiders. In today's post, we will be talking about one of… Read More »


text:
High stability programmable DC Power Supply
REPRO S range is specially designed to match the highest specification and to maximize the mean time between failures.
REPRO S is the EPOWER SYS range of high reproducibility programmable DC power converters based on switched topology, focused on scientific research and industrial applications.
maximum efficiency with zvs
ZVS technology makes possible to switch transistors at zero volts, which means that no power is dissipated during the switching process.
From 0 to 100% load
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Be accurate
REPRO S Series is thermally controlled providing constant performance and excellent ratings. Current measuring at constant temperature, eliminates any thermal drift.
Thermal control leads to an outstanding accuracy and a reliable performance.
DCCT sensor and double control loop are used to achieve the maximum output precision. ±2 ppm accuracy output is achieved, regardless of the temperature conditions in the room and without warm-up times.
Let the numbers talk
more features
The soft-start function allows the digitally controlled charging of capacitors, reducing the stress of components and increasing their useful life. The power supply has a protection circuit in primary that discharges the bus voltage for safety reasons when the system stops
Air cooling prevents failures caused by water Leaks.
Minimum warm-up time and fast stabilization time over a reference change. REPRO series contribute to save time in operation.
Engineered in soft switching architecture, REPRO S power converters range is able to perform over 90% efficiency. Power factor correction is standard.
REPRO S series control system is extremely easy to use. Power supplies are controlled and monitored with a 7'' touch screen with a friendly user interface providing far more information than conventional interfaces.
The power supply uses a high frequency transformer designed to minimize the dispersed flow, preventing induced currents and noise generation. The high technology material core, allows a higher flux density than the ferrites, allowing to lower the heating, size and weight of the transformer compared to conventional transformers.
Remote control with Ethernet and RS232 interfaces is included.
The use of local divers and optic fiber connections minimizes false triggering, noise and interference emission, allowing a better and more precise operation.


text:
"suffer love! a good epithet! i do suffer love indeed, for i
love thee against my will." "in spite of your heart, i think. alas, poor heart, if you spite it for my sake, i will spite it for yours, for i will never love that which my friend hates."
~~~ benedick and beatrice in much ado about nothing by william shakespeare ~~~
"kkgsr dabba service...," she sits on the floor with a satisfied air and talks business... "just write the name properly."
he walks in. in a temper, a flaming one.
their clashes, their takkars, have always been intense. often beautiful, and how powerfully they convey a sense of attraction, of extreme longing. when they can't meet and embrace any other way, they do it through a tearing, ripping, bitter fight... for they must touch, must connect. if either grew indifferent, that would be the end of everything, perhaps life itself...
one look at her happy face, and he seems first taken aback, then completely riled. love is really a strange animal, it sometimes comes out in the most warped ways. he needs something today. her sataana is getting to him. he is seriously irritated by the raiding of his office, and then there is the issue of shyam... he frets for his sister's safety.
in this state perhaps nothing can bring him peace other than khushi. the khushi for whom his heart had raced. but she is not available... he believes she doesn't exist. and yet... the moment he sees her, he must reach and hold.
through a brusque, "what the hell...," an incensed and offensive, "what's this mess, yeh room saaf karo. now!"... if need be.
communication rarely happens in an obvious stated way. i hate you can mean so many things... i love you, i need you, i can't live without you, why are you not who i thought you were, how could you hurt me so...
her papers lie all over the place, she hasn't heard him. she is speaking on the phone. on her bluetooth. he snarls and yanks off the receiver. getting physical again. a violence in him today. deep in him are trapped many things unresolved, untouched, from a deeply violent night, maybe that surfaces when he is worn out, frazzled. he is capable of incredible tenderness we know. and yet, when stoked emotionally, he can strike out almost without thought. the ripping of her dori, the slapping of moolrajani, now this snatching away of her bluetooth receiver.
sign of man very tense and losing control.
she doesn't pick on his seething, his inner state. she is perhaps too wrapped in the hurt she feels. usually, khushi gets asr... knows why he rages. but this time she, knowingly or unknowingly, gives him further cause to fume. she insists she has done nothing wrong, it's her side of the room, etc.
he takes away her bluetooth receiver, saying she'll get it only after she has cleaned the room. gosh, asr, you sound like a husband from the middle ages... you really are frayed today, aren't you. or is it that you can't stand disorder, mess, because you are trying so so hard to put order back in life. and one look at things out of place and your already irritated mind just flies into a rage.
whatever it is, khushi has lunged forward to get her earpiece back. and the first engagement between you two begins.
ah, the tussle... at one point as her eyes move over his face, something goes thud in me. and just then the first note of rabba vey floats in. it all feels like magic, the perfect syncing. even after so many viewings.
alas, this must not be allowed to go on, so di has to enter the scene just then.
khushi tries to cover up and starts to talk about her happiness at being able to start a business where she can feed everyone. it's what she has always wanted to do... now she can die in peace. a turn of phrase. usually kkgsr doesn't say such things, it felt a bit forced.
obviously the idea was to get di talking about her life span being granted to khushi, again that turn of phrase and custom... "bhagwan kare, aapko humari umar lag jaaye!"
at this, the man who was at his wardrobe trying to get a change and somehow cool down, whipped around, "stop it, di!"
we all know he can't bear the thought of his sister's dath, the last time she had said it was also here, just before the havan of akash and payal's wedding and he had been completely roiled.
writers want him really angry tonight.
he doesn't disappoint.
khushi goes blithely back to being khushi and starts talking to the goat.
"lakshmi ji, di kitni achhi hai na!" di is so nice...
he turns slightly...
"humne aise hi marne ki baat ki aur di bhavuk ho gaye!" i spoke of dying just like that and she became serious.
he turns more... does it disturb him when she speaks of her death? he is in a dark thick place within. i think talk of her death does bother him.
right at that moment, his thoughts caught between di and khushi, the memories come. nicely written i felt this part was. every time a feeling for khushi sneaks out and catches him off guard, along come the images, the voices, the crashing of his world, all that is imprinted on his mind... chhap gaya hai dimaag mein.
di is saying god forbid, may you have my life span to khushi. shyam is yelling, khushi is my life... there's only one obstacle in our way, ranisahiba. shyam is clutching khushi to him and declaring he only wants khushi. khushi is yelling, then leave anjali ji.
you can tell asr is suffering. breaking.
at "chhor dijiye anjali ji ko!" all the mixed up painful emotions seem to coalesce and focus. in extreme anger.
"just stop it!" loud. aggressive... almost violent.
"meri di hain wo... unhe kuchh nahin hoga... main kuchh hone nahin doonga... chahe tum kuchh bhi kar lo.." she's my sister, nothing will happen to her. i won't let it happen... no matter what you try.
barun did a fabulous job of a man in crazy pain, completely taken over by a thing he is sure he saw, trying to ride the storm. in his eyes, khushi is dangerous. such a confounding assessment of things by a dimaag man.
a nice way to perhaps show to him and to us, how much of a dil man he really was.
he could deal calmly and smartly with most things. yes, he lost it if he felt his di was not safe, or sad. a sure sign of dil that too. but he totally and completely lost it when the girl who made his heart race was involved... to see her in shyam's arms, to hear her suggest shyam should leave his sister... it was such a strike on his heart, he lost his mind.
"kya?" she is totally at sea...
what have i done. and that bewildered girl is back, the one who had wondered, what, what "chot" have i given you?
again the memory of the terrace in him. he swallows hard, staring at her... his temper rising... angry very angry... hurt.
and the words that seem torn from him... because i don't say anything doesn't mean i don't know anything. "main kuchh kehta nahi hoon doesn't mean ki mujhe kuch pata nahin hai..."
why don't you say anything, i want to ask him. why don't you accuse her point blank and charge her directly? why? what are you afraid of? why are you not able to say this to her? is that also a sign of your dil? your love?
she is mystified. he is enraged. a wondrous engagement through aggression ensues. the revulsion in him when he thinks of her and shyam together gripping, sending him to bizarre places. long intense looks at her, full of "dhikkar", righteous condemnation... and yet you felt his longing.
he drags her to the poolside, because he doesn't want anyone to hear, the battle rages. she speaks of her dard... he says that's fine, because she has always deserved only pain.
"kyunki tum hamesha se yeh deserve karti ho..." love the language of asr, that hindi english mix, city... real... totally him. but i feel sad that "hamesha" got a place in this vicious sentence.
"tumhare saath jo bhi hua tum ussike layak ho... in fact, agey jaakey tumhare saath aur bhi bura hoga!" whatever's happened to you, you are fit for that only... in fact, worse will come your way.
"tum jo chahti ho wo tumhe kabhi mil nahin sakta..." what you want you can never get. terrible terrible core of the whole situation. why all that happened, happened. i recall her saying, no matter what you say, itna toh humne aapko majboor kar hi diya, that you had to marry me. yeah, it was more complex that anyone thought... anyone.
i always feel when we name a thing we think we get it, understand it completely. we called that moment on the terrace... mu. misunderstanding.
and thought we knew what it was.
but really it was far more than just a simple mu. it was a killing terrible terrifying thing for a man just beginning to feel a love he had never felt...
evaah. had to say it the asr way.
"vishwas nahin hota ki aap wahi insaan ho jisne...," her heart shredding, her tears pouring out, she said i can't believe you're the same man who...
yeah, who... who was supposed to tell her something. baat karni hai... flirt a bit and say... bas karni hai. the man about whom she had started having dreams... the man who always raided her dreams, but at last she felt, she could perhaps... chooriyan, aapne di hain? all their tender flirty aware of each other conversations float around in that silence... even his anger, his of course faraq padta hain, kyonki...
how could that man be doing this to her.
terrible poignant sadness.
when he hurts her by accident, in a second all the rage is gone... khushi! is she hurt.
no, she is not hurt on the hand... it's elsewhere that she is and she is not going to let you show concern. instead, let all the hurt come, that's what you say i deserve, right?
such a terrific man woman engagement. asr khushi hamesha in it.
he has said the most horrible things... accused her of ghatia harkat, baaton...low down actions and words. he is not going to believe her.. esp those tears.
i am glad he spoke. he needed to say something. as we speak, and express, we ease inside at times.
she also didn't stay quiet and adopt a martyrish air. she won't cry any tears for him and she won't let him help her when she is hurt.
"enoooughh!" he'd yelled. maybe she said it quietly in herself even as she railed and fought back.
awkwardness when he returns. a dark tension in him... real again. he tears up the tickets for bali...
the bali set up was interesting and all the goofiness of shyam scheming then shyam stymied, kind of fun. the nani and family scenes balanced the fight somehow. it's true, family often tries to improve matters when couples fight, often love prompts it and yes, a feeling of interference seeps in. here i never did mind the over concern of di or the great ideas from nani... true to their characters. have i mentioned i am beginning to adore nani some more.
i had a feeling that story was ready to engage with the central conflict involving shyam khushi asr. get deeper, dirtier, more confrontational... right through dilli ma bali, heer ranjha, i felt that. then suddenly a break i couldn't get at gh... highly intent on raising the feel good factor and also, hey we got asr where we want him glee. then finally another terrace and the fights that would get it all out in the open.
mystifying, this diversion. but ever since nanital we know, you never really get to where you think you will, and yet destinations are reached.
whoever directed the warring and grappling and clinches of this episode, many salaams to you.


text:
Have y'all seen this "Feminism Is" photo project going on at Columbia University?
The "Feminism Is" project is part of a larger "Women in the Media" initiative started by Ilana Greenstein, the events coordinator for the Columbia University Democrats, this semester to "bring awareness to the marginalization and sexism that women, especially female politicians, face in the modern-day media."
Some interesting responses.
It's always fascinating to see how different people conceive of "feminism." Looking at the project got me thinking why feminism is important to me.
Here goes:
Feminism is believing we are capable of creating a world where all people stand shoulder to shoulder with one another as equals no matter what their gender, race, sexual preference, religion or any other part of their identity is.
Being a feminist is understanding I must work each day to recognize my privilege and to acknowledge and respect the very different barriers other may people face in their equally important desire to eliminate marginalization.
A MOUTHFUL. Ok that's mine. Now it's your turn! What does feminism (being a feminist) mean you you?


text:
The scene is a hospital room where Luke Dunphy, at age 14 the youngest of the Dunphy children, is being treated for an allergic reaction. His young cousin looks at the IV drop hanging by his bed and asks what it does. Without missing a beat Luke replies: "I don't know but thanks to Obama you're paying for it". This scene from an episode of the popular sitcom Modern Family, which aired the day after Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term in the White House in 2012, was greeted with cheer among conservatives. Several conservative bloggers and news outlets commented on how Modern Family "mocked" the president's signature health care reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from 2010. The conservative website RedAlertPolitics expanded, writing: "even liberal Hollywood writers can't escape the reality that is the expensive repercussions from Obamacare". Others took to social media, within days several clips of the scene had been uploaded to YouTube and comments written on Twitter.
Commentators connected the joke to earlier reports of advertising plans in connection with the roll out of the online marketplace for the medical coverage in California. The New York Times had reported that suggestions from the Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide agency included having prime-time television shows, explicitly naming Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy, incorporate the health care law into their storylines. The news of the plan was initially met with skepticism among conservative news outlets, criticizing viewers being "force-fed pro-Obamacare propaganda". Following the Modern Family episode with the comment on the health care law these same voices gleefully saw it as a backlash towards the attempted marketing campaign.
The popular ABC sitcom has never been a favorite among conservatives, featuring both a gay couple and an immigrant family as leads it has been discarded as a liberal fantasy, but the apparent critique of the bête noire of contemporary conservatives was welcome. Perhaps this unfamiliarity with the show was the reason the sentiment of the joke was misjudged. Regular viewers of Modern Family certainly know that Luke is no voice of authority on the show; in fact in one episode his father calls him his dumbest child. The character of Luke has since the third season's start been delivering seemingly off-hand comments that suggest political fringe rhetoric, such as questioning the war on drugs or portraying Canada as a high tax dystopia. Against this backdrop the comment is not so much critique of the health care law and President Obama as of the, at times, close to paranoid voices fighting the law, especially within the Tea Party movement.
The initial marketing plans for the health care law roll out as well as the responses to the one-liner on Modern Family illustrate how the political is intertwined in any public discourse, even seemingly apolitical television entertainment, although it is more seldom identified and incorporated into the larger political sphere. The case of Modern Family is especially interesting as both President Obama and his Republican opponent in 2012, Mitt Romney, have professed their love for the show. Being the most watched family sitcom Modern Family occupies an attractive place in popular culture – one previously held by shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, and All in the Family – and at the same time an important political soap-box. The presidential contenders' fandom, genuine as it might have been, was a deliberate attempt to connect with potential voters.
Recently, I came across another instance where a popular family sitcom and the president crossed paths, although in far less polite terms. Richard Nixon's extensive recording in the Oval Office can reveal both interesting and trivial things, such as a 1971 conversation with advisors H.R. Haldeman and John Erlichman about the new sitcom All in the Family. Nixon was upset having watched a little of the show when he was trying to "tune into the damn baseball game". The episode he caught a glimpse of was apparently "Judging Books by Covers" (Season 1 Episode 5), one of the first television appearances of an openly gay character. Nixon railed against the "glorifying" of homosexuality on public television, still unaware of how much of the show would be devoted to jokes about him. Archie Bunker never did learn the president's middle initial, stubbornly calling him "Richard E. Nixon" throughout the show. Some twenty years after Nixon's private tirades against the immorality on All in the Family, Vice-president Dan Quayle let his frustration with the lack of morality on Murphy Brown out in a very public way. Foreshadowing the presidential contenders public support of Modern Family Quayle's morality crusade was, however honest, a show for the galleries. In the middle of an especially fervent period of "the culture wars" Quayle was intent on making his stance known. These three instances of political controversy when it comes to television sitcoms suggest that the personal is indeed political, and can be found in both your living room and the Lincoln sitting room.
(c) 2015, Humor in America


text:
The legendary tome of esoteric knowledge and wisdom, written by one of the most influential minds of the 20th century. Manly P. Hall was a Canadian born mystic who dedicated his life to learning, preserving, and sharing the wisdom and practices of the ancients with the world. In his life he authored dozens of books and hundreds of essays, gave over 8,000 public lectures, and founded The Philosophical Research Society in California to help revive and preserve philosophy in the United States. In 1928 at the age of 26, he authored his most famous work, The Secret Teachings of all Ages. Considered to be one of the greatest books on ancient wisdom and esotericism ever written, it covers a very wide range of topics and expands the readers mind into new dimensions of thought and understanding, about our worlds history and the teachings of the mystery schools. This version here is a non-illustrated, paperback copy at a very fair price for those who wish to just become acquainted with the material. The Eternal Circle is proud to help keep the work of this brilliant man alive.
The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall – Classic Esoteric Masterpiece
An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy
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Elementary and Special Ed classroom teachers find multiple ways to present and reinforce the important skills of listening and following directions with this bundled teacher kit. Read aloud the humorous story about RJ's rough day. Follow up with any of the 24 activities in the activity guide which includes pdf files for reproducible pages. Display posters to visually remind students step-by-step how to use the skills every day. The book, the activity guide and the set of two posters can each be purchased separately but for the best value choose the kit and watch your students become better listeners and direction followers! Format: Book, activity guide, poster set
Additional Information
Julia Cook


text:
|Compact version
|Friday, 25 September 2020
RFE/RL Newsline, 06-05-23
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
From: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>
[01] RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SLAMS 'PARANOID' WEST...In an interview published on May 22, Sergei Lavrov said Iran should have the right to peaceful nuclear energy, and he accused the West of "paranoia," dpa reported. In an interview with the Austrian magazine "Profil," Lavrov said the atmosphere between Russia and the West is "not as we would like to have it." He added that in the West there is "a kind of paranoia that still persists with the mentality of the Cold War," which is harming relations with Moscow. Lavrov singled the United States out specifically, criticizing Washington for telling allies "either you're with us or on the other side of the barricades," and for trying to "force its ideology" on the world. Regarding Iran, Lavrov said that given the fact that Tehran broke its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is "only natural that the international community no longer trusts" them. But once the current crisis is resolved, he continued, Russia will not be opposed to Iran enriching uranium for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards. BW
[02] ...WARNS AGAINST ISOLATING BELARUS...Speaking on May 19 at a press conference in Strasbourg after Russia assumed the chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Lavrov said that the West should not continue its policy of isolating Belarus, Interfax reported the same day. Belarus "should not be isolated but engaged in interaction. This is much more productive in achieving a positive response," Lavrov said. "I am sure that dialogue is in the interests of all those who are convinced of the need to promote democracy and other Council of Europe principles," he added. BW
[03] ...AND CLARIFIES MOSCOW'S POSITION ON KOSOVA TALKSMany observers construed Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement in late January that the eventual solution to the Kosova conflict could serve as a precedent for resolving analogous territorial disputes within CIS states as favoring independence not only for Kosova but for Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Transdniester (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 1, 2006). But Foreign Minister Lavrov made clear to journalists at his press conference in Strasbourg on May 19 that Moscow does not approve of Kosova's "unconstructive" insistence in the ongoing status talks that there is no alternative to independence, or of what he termed Prishtina's attempt to impose its preferred solution on Belgrade. In comments posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website (http://www.mid.ru), Lavrov said that if the two sides reached a mutually acceptable solution tomorrow, Russia would "vote with both hands in favor" of endorsing it, but that if they need more time to reach a solution, it would be counterproductive to impose an artificial deadline for doing so. The international Contact Group on Kosova -- which comprises the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Italy -- recently expressed the hope that a solution in the ongoing status talks could be reached by the end of this year. LF
[04] RUSSIAN OFFICIAL SAYS MOSCOW WILL SEEK TO EASE DIFFERENCES WITH EUROPEDeputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said on May 21 that Russia will seek to use its chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to ease divisions on the continent, Interfax reported the same day. Grushko said Russia will also seek to address differences with Brussels at a Russia-EU summit meeting in Sochi in late May. "Not everything is smooth in relations between Russia and the European Union," Grushko said. "However, one more step toward lifting the barriers will be made at the summit in Sochi." BW
[05] RUSSIA SAYS NGOS CAN'T HAVE EQUAL ROLE AS STATES ON UN RIGHTS COUNCILA senior Russian diplomat said on May 21 that nongovernmental organizations should have a role in the United Nations Human Rights Council, but should not be as powerful as states, Interfax reported the same day. "We, here in Russia, can hardly imagine nongovernmental organizations excluded from the council's work," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Yakovenko told Interfax "But one should not forget that the UN, by nature, is an interstate organization, and that the future Human Rights Council is called upon to be the main intergovernmental human rights agency in the United Nations system," he said, adding that "proposals to put the member states and nongovernmental organizations' powers and status on an equal footing in the Human Rights Council are unfounded." BW
[06] ORTHODOX CHURCH OFFICIAL SAYS PAPAL VISIT NOT DISCUSSED WITH VATICANA senior Russian Orthodox Church official said on May 19 that the prospects for a papal visit to Moscow were not discussed at a recent Vatican meeting, Interfax reported. Metropolitan Kiril of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who is the head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, met with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican on May 18 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 19, 2006). Kiril was the highest-ranking Orthodox Church official to meet the pontiff since the latter's election in April 2005, and the meeting sparked speculation that a papal visit to Russia could be in the works. "The issue of a papal visit was not on the agenda," Kiril said. BW
[07] RUSSIAN FINANCE MINISTER URGES OIL EXPORTERS TO AID POOR COUNTRIESAleksei Kudrin said on May 21 that Russia has asked all oil-exporting countries to increase their aid to poor countries affected by rising petroleum prices, Interfax reported the same day. "We have urged the oil-exporting states to contribute to the mechanism of aiding the poorest countries affected by the oil price hikes," he told a meeting of officials from Group of Eight (G-8) countries in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Russia, he said, has donated the equivalent of $45 million to a special "antishock fund," which provides support to poor countries hit hard by oil price rises. BW
[08] DEMONSTRATIONS MARK SAKHAROV'S BIRTHDAYApproximately 500 demonstrators in downtown Moscow marked the late Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov's 85th birthday on May 21 by protesting the deterioration of human rights in Russia, dpa reported the same day. "We have come together to defend freedom in our country as long as there is something left to defend," Yury Zamodurov, director of the Sakharov Museum, said in remarks reported by Interfax. Sakharov, the dissident Soviet physicist and rights activist, died in 1989. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. BW
[09] YAMALO-NENETS GOVERNOR QUESTIONED IN CORRUPTION CASELocal prosecutors have questioned Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Governor Aleksei Barinov in a criminal case opened into large-scale embezzlement at the Arkhangelskgeoldobycha company of which Barinov served as general director until 2003, Russian media reported on May 20 and 21. Barinov's home and his office have been searched. Barinov was elected Yamalo-Nenets governor in February 2005, defeating two rival candidates from the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party, according to "Gazeta" on May 22, and in that capacity he voiced his objections to the proposed merger of the oblast with Arkhangelsk. LF
[10] TWO ARMED MILITANTS KILLED IN POLICE OPERATION IN DAGHESTANPolice in an armored personnel carrier opened fire on May 21 on a house in the northern town of Khasavyurt where two armed militants were hiding, Russian media reported. The militants returned fire, wounding three police officers, but were killed when police stormed the building. One of the two militants was identified as Bulat Abdulayev, head of a band of local fighters. LF
[11] INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HE WILL NOT RESIGNMurat Zyazikov assured Interfax in a May 19 interview that there is no truth to media reports that he will step down in the wake of the recent abduction of his father-in-law and the May 18 assassination of Ingushetia's most senior counterinsurgency official (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 1 and 2, and May 2 and 18, 2006). Zyazikov recalled that his dismissal and appointment to other posts, including that of ambassador to various African states, has been predicted countless times since he was first elected president four years ago. In implicit response to opposition accusations that his policies have resulted in economic collapse, Zyazikov said that while positive change is obvious, "it is not happening as rapidly as we would like," and "there is still much difficult work to be done." President Putin reappointed Zyazikov for a second presidential term one year ago (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 3 and 8, 2005). LF
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
[12] ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETArmenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told RFE/RL's Armenian Service on May 19 that he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov failed during talks in Strasbourg the previous evening to agree on scheduling a further meeting of the two countries' presidents to discuss approaches to resolving the Karabakh conflict. Oskanian said earlier this month that such a meeting could take place in June. Oskanian told RFE/RL on May 20 that his talks with Mammadyarov were "not bad overall," but that "there are still many issues that have not yet been agreed on." Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned on May 20 the Russian charge d'affaires in Baku, Petr Burdykin, to protest allegedly biased and pro-Armenian statements made in an interview with Armenian media by Vladimir Kazimirov, who served from 1992-96 as Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group that is seeking to mediate a solution to the conflict, day.az reported. LF
[13] AZERBAIJANI FIRST DEPUTY PREMIER RESIGNSAbbas Abbasov, who has served for 14 years as first deputy prime minister, submitted a letter of resignation on May 18 that President Ilham Aliyev accepted the following day, day.az and echo-az.com reported on May 19 and 20, respectively. Abbasov was responsible primarily for agriculture and for economic ties with other CIS member states, according to echo-az.com. LF
[14] GEORGIA PROTESTS TALKS BETWEEN NORTH, SOUTH OSSETIAThe Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a formal protest on May 20 in connection with the visit the previous day to Tskhinvali, capital of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia, of a government delegation from North Ossetia, Caucasus Press reported. That delegation, which was headed by North Ossetian Prime Minister Aleksandr Merkulov, participated in a joint session of the governments of the two republics. South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Djioev responded on May 20 to the Georgian protest by affirming that "South Ossetia is a sovereign state and not a part of Georgia," Caucasus Press reported. He added that South Ossetia is therefore entitled to decide independently which states it wants to cooperate with. LF
[15] GEORGIAN OMBUDSMAN IMPLICATES SENIOR OFFICIALSGeorgia's human rights ombudsman Sozar Subar delivered a report to a parliamentary committee on May 19 in which he criticized several senior officials, Caucasus Press reported. Subar said the deaths of several prisoners during fighting in a Tbilisi jail in March were the direct consequence of Justice Ministry official Bacho Akhalaya's decision to authorize armed troops to open fire on prisoners (see End Note, "RFE/RL Newsline," March 30, 2006). Subar also called on the Prosecutor-General's Office to open criminal cases against Mikheil Kareli, a close associate of Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, for allegedly misappropriating land, and against National Security Council Secretary Kote Kemularia. Subar implied that in his former post of Justice Minister, Kemularia was to blame for the embezzlement of funds earmarked for the reconstruction of a prison in Kutaisi. Kemularia retaliated by branding Subar "an idiot," and dismissed the allegations against him as politically motivated, according to rustavi2.com on May 20. Most parliament deputies from both the opposition and the pro-government majority positively assessed Subar's report, rustavi2.com reported on May 19. LF
[16] KAZAKH MINISTER OUTLINES PIPELINE PROSPECTS, DIFFICULTIESKazakh Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev told Interfax in Berlin on May 19 that a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea may be built only with the agreement of all five Caspian littoral states."Despite the general appeal of this project, it is quite difficult in technical terms," Toqaev said. "Especially considering that it requires the laying of a gas pipeline along the Caspian seafloor, for which the consent of all Caspian states is needed." The Caspian's legal status remains undefined, and Toqaev noted that while the littoral states have managed to agree on "70 percent" of a convention to define the Caspian's legal status, "it is difficult to expect that the convention will be ready for signing in the near future." The news agency noted that Iranian officials recently cast doubt on the possibility of a trans-Caspian gas pipeline without the consent of all five littoral states. On another front, Toqaev told Interfax that Kazakhstan is considering a Chinese proposal for a gas pipeline running parallel to the existing Atasa-Alashankou oil pipeline for exports from Kazakhstan to China. China made the proposal when Toqaev visited Beijing in mid-April, but Toqaev said that it is still too early to discuss any possible time frames for the project. DK
[17] KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SAYS TALKS ON U.S. BASE NEARING FINAL STAGEPresident Kurmanbek Bakiev said on May 19 that a U.S. delegation is expected in Kyrgyzstan on May 22-23 for talks on a new agreement for the U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan, Kabar reported. Asked whether Kyrgyzstan would ask the United States to leave if Washington does not agree to a lease increase by June 1 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 20, 2006), Bakiev said: "The active phase of military operations is over for all practical purposes [in Afghanistan]. A president and parliament have been elected there, although pockets of tension, of course, have remained. But the situation is different than what it was five years ago. That's why we've proposed that the American side pay market prices for its presence in Kyrgyzstan." Queried about price negotiations, Bakiev responded: "We're not at the bazaar. The bazaar is for haggling. If the American side feels that Kyrgyzstan has presented incorrect calculations, let them prove it to us. And if they convince us that we've raised the price unjustifiably, we're willing to review our position." Comments Bakiev made earlier this year indicated that Kyrgyzstan is seeking annual lease payments of $200 million from the United States (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 16, 2006), which until now has paid approximately $2 million to lease the territory of its air base in Kyrgyzstan. DK
[18] FRANCE BOOSTS TAJIKISTAN CONTINGENT...Three French Mirage 2000 fighter jets and 250 servicemen have arrived in Tajikistan to boost that country's military contingent at Dushanbe airport, ITAR-TASS and AFP reported on May 19 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 12, 2006). The aircraft will carry out flights over Afghanistan until October. With the arrival of the extra servicemen, the total strength of the French contingent in Tajikistan is 400. DK
[19] ...AS TAJIK OFFICIAL SAYS NO NEW BASES PLANNEDTajik Deputy Defense Minister Ramil Nodirov, who is also chief of staff of the country's armed forces, told Interfax-AVN on May 19 that Tajikistan does not plan to host any new foreign military bases. "There will be no foreign military bases on the territory of Tajikistan except the Russian one, the status and deployment conditions of which are determined by earlier agreements," Nodirov said. As he has in the past, he dismissed media reports of a possible Indian military base in Tajikistan (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 27, 2006). "It is just someone playing their game, trying to be not pawns, but a chessboard," Nodirov said. DK
[20] RUSSIAN FIRM BEGINS TAJIK POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTIONRussian Aluminum (Rusal) has begun the first stage of a project to construct the Roghun hydroelectric power station in Tajikistan, Avesta reported on May 19 citing Rusal's press service. Rusal will invest $50 million into the first stage of the project, which is slated for completion in September and will create infrastructure for the specialists needed to construct the power station itself. The plant is intended to provide power for an aluminum-production facility Rusal plans to construct in southern Tajikistan. DK
[21] TURKMENISTAN OBTAINS CHINESE LOAN FOR GAS PRODUCTIONRepresentatives of China's Export-Import Bank and Turkmenistan's State Bank for Foreign Economic Activity signed an agreement in Ashgabat on May 19 for China to provide Turkmenistan with a 200 million-yuan ($25 million) loan on favorable terms, turkmenistan.ru reported the next day. The loan is earmarked for the purchase of equipment to boost production at Turkmenistan's Dauletabad-3 gas field. DK
[22] UZBEKISTAN SHUTS DOWN U.S.-BASED NGOThe Uzbek Justice Ministry has shut down the Kokand and Ferghana branches of the U.S.-based NGO Central Asian Free Exchange (CAFE), ITAR-TASS reported on May 19. An Uzbek court has ruled that CAFE representatives engaged in illegal proselytizing in the two cities, the Justice Ministry told the Russian news agency (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 17, 2006). DK
[23] REPORT SAYS FORMER UZBEK MINISTER TO FACE COURTFerghana.ru reported on May 20 that former Uzbek Defense Minister Qodir Ghulomov will appear before a military court on May 22 in connection with offences he is alleged to have committed during his tenure as minister. The unconfirmed report said that the investigation of Ghulomov began after his removal as defense minister in November 2005 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 21, 2005). DK
Eastern Europe
[24] BELARUSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES DISCUSSES NUCLEAR POWERResearch aimed at achieving greater energy security was singled out as the top priority of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences on May 19, Belapan reported. Uladzimir Tsimashpolski, deputy chairman of the academy's presidium, stressed Belarus's dependence on imports of natural gas from Russia, which account for 95 percent of Belarus's total fuel consumption, Belapan reported. Tsimashpolski said that building a nuclear power plant should be a top priority for Belarus. "Nuclear fuel would replace a considerable amount of energy imports, he said. "Nuclear fuel is much cheaper than organic ones -- an amount equivalent to one ton of coal costs $5 to $25 at present." One ton of coal costs approximately $60. RK
[25] GUAM MEETING OPENS IN KYIVA two-day summit meeting of the presidents of GUAM member states (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) opened in Kyiv on May 22. The main topics on the agenda are the diversification of energy supplies and containment of regional "frozen conflicts." The adopted agenda foresees separate meetings of the member states' foreign, energy, and interior ministers, and of the heads of their respective security services. A proposed name change for the organization, Organization for Democracy and Economic Development -- GUAM, is expected to be adopted at the meeting. The presidents of Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania were invited to attend the summit as guests. RK
[26] EBRD PREDICTS STUNTED ECONOMIC GROWTH IN UKRAINEThe European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has forecast that Ukraine's economic growth in 2006 will be the lowest in Central and Eastern Europe, UNIAN reported on May 22. The EBRD predicts economic growth of 1.2 percent in Ukraine in 2006, compared to 2.4 percent in 2005. The increased cost of imported gas is named as one of the factors for the lower expectations. The EBRD has forecast lower economic growth throughout the entire region. UN experts predicted in February that Ukrainian growth in 2006 would be 5 percent, UNIAN reported on May 22. RK
Southeastern Europe
[27] PRELIMINARY RESULTS INDICATE WIN FOR PRO-INDEPENDENCE FORCES IN MONTENEGRO...According to unofficial results, Montenegro narrowly voted for independence from Serbia on May 21, international news agencies reported the next day. "Based on the count of 99.9 percent of the ballots cast, 55.5 percent of Montenegrins have voted for independence," Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who favors independence, told supporters in Podgorica. "The Montenegrin statehood has been restored." Less than an hour after polls closed on May 21, the unofficial Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID) said its tally showed 56.3 percent of the vote in favor of independence, with strong turnout of 86 percent. Two hours later, CESID chief Zoran Lucic lowered the projection to 55.3 percent, still more than the 55 percent threshold agreed with the European Union. Ultimately, the CESID said the "yes" campaign won 55.5 percent. After Djukanovic endorsed the projected results, celebrations broke out in central Podgorica among independence supporters. BW
[28] ...BUT UNIONISTS REFUSE TO CONCEDE PENDING FINAL RESULTSUnionist politicians, however, criticized pro-independence forces for prematurely declaring victory based on unofficial results, international news agencies reported on May 22. Opposition leader Predrag Bulatovic, who supports a continued union with Serbia, criticized the "aggressive and arrogant" pro-independence celebrations, dpa reported. Likewise, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that only official results can be regarded as legitimate. Serbia and Montenegro's Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic, however, offered Montenegro conditional congratulations. "On condition that these results are final, I congratulate citizens of Montenegro on their majority and democratic choice," he said in a statement released to the Tanjug news agency and quoted by dpa. "As of tonight, not only Montenegro but Serbia, too, is on the path toward the international recognition of its independence." BW
[29] EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF TALKS WITH SERBIA...EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana on May 19 called for a resumption of frozen pre-membership talks with Serbia, Reuters reported the same day. Brussels broke off talks with Belgrade on a Stabilization and Association Agreement after Serbia failed to arrest war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic by an April 30 deadline (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 2 and 3, 2006). "We have to resume negotiations with Serbia, really the sooner the better," Solana said. He added that a positive assessment from International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia's (ICTY) chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, should be sufficient to restart talks. "If the Serbian government, according to [Del Ponte], shows clearly that 100 percent of the effort is being done, and I think they are doing their utmost of course, the situation may change and in that case it should change," Solana said. BW
[30] ...BUT ICTY PROSECUTOR SAYS SERBIA IS DECEIVING TRIBUNALICTY prosecutor Del Ponte has said Serbian officials have been deceiving her about the search for Mladic, Beta, FoNet, and B92 reported on May 19. In a letter to EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, Del Ponte wrote that Serbian officials overstated how close they were to capturing Mladic. She also wrote that she doubts Belgrade's sincerity about wanting to capture Mladic and that she suspects that elements inside the Serbian government were tipping off Mladic about the search. BW
[31] SERBIAN SUPREME COURT RESTORES BK TELEVISION'S LICENSESerbia's Supreme Court has overturned a decision to revoke BK Television's broadcast license, Beta, FoNet, and B92 reported on May 19. On April 25, Serbia's Broadcast Agency Council closed the station, which is connected to controversial tycoon Bogoljub Karic. Authorities accused the station of bias during the 2004 presidential election for giving Karic, whose family owns the station, more time than other candidates (see "RFE/RL Newsline," April 27 and 28, 2006). The Supreme Court ruled, however, that the Broadcast Agency Council failed to give sufficient legal justification to support revoking BK Television's right to broadcast. BW
[32] PREMIER SAYS MOLDOVA WILL SUPPORT RUSSIA'S WTO BIDSpeaking at a joint press conference with International Monetary Fund representative in Moldova Johan Mathisen, Vasile Tarlev said on May 19 that Chisinau will back Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), ITAR-TASS reported the same day. "We want Russia's earliest admission to the WTO, it will do good not only to Russia, but other countries as well, including Moldova," he said. Tarlev added that in joining the WTO, "it is necessary to be ready to match the [WTO's] fundamental principles and norms," in an apparent reference to Moldova's ongoing dispute with Russia over wine imports (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 28, 2006). Moldova has threatened to block Russia's WTO bid over the ban. BW
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
[33] 18 SOLDIERS, DOZENS OF INSURGENTS REPORTED KILLED IN SOUTHERN AFGHAN FIREFIGHTSThe Afghan Defense Ministry claimed in a press release that 13 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in an ambush in Helmand Province on May 21, the official Afghanistan National Television reported. Eight hours of fighting between ANA soldiers and "government opponents" also resulted in the death of 20 "terrorists" and the capture of nine others. One ANA soldier was reported missing and others 15 sustained injuries. In a separate incident in Helmand Province on May 21, three ANA troops and a French soldier were killed, scotsman.com reported on May 22. In a battle in neighboring Oruzgan Province on May 19, one U.S. soldier was killed and seven others were wounded, American Forces Press Service (AFPS) reported on May 21. According to the AFPS report, U.S.-led coalition and ANA forces killed 20 "enemy fighters" in the Oruzgan battle. AT
[34] NEO-TALIBAN CLAIM KILLING OF FORMER GOVERNOR, PRESIDENTIAL ADVISERMohammad Ali Jalali, who formerly served as governor of Paktika Province in southwestern Afghanistan and also served as an adviser on tribal affairs to President Hamid Karzai, was killed by Taliban fighters on May 21, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. Jalali and a colleague were reportedly kidnapped in the Andar district of Ghazni Province. Hours later, Mullah Mohammad Sharif Anas, purporting to be a Taliban commander, told Pajhwak that "we killed the former governor Jalali...while his colleague was set free." AT
[35] SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS TWO IN KABULA suicide car bomb exploded when it hit a truck in eastern Kabul on May 21, killing two civilians, RFE/RL reported. The bomber was also killed in what Afghan officials quoted by RFE/RL said they believe was a premature explosion. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which frequently uses the road on which the explosion occurred, was the presumed target of the attack, the official Bakhtar News Agency reported on May 22. AT
[36] AFGHAN GOVERNOR CLAIMS PAKISTAN 'FORCING' TALIBAN TO ENTER AFGHANISTANHelmand Province Governor Mohammad Daud said that intelligence reports available to him suggest that "hundreds and hundreds of Taliban who have been in Pakistan" since 2001 are being "forced" by Pakistan to "move inside Afghanistan," London's "The Sunday Times," reported on May 21. Mohammad Daud claimed the Taliban are planning to reestablish bases in northern Helmand that were once used by mujahedin fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, speaking in Kabul on May 21, said that his government knows that the ideological, political, and military "leadership of Taliban, and also another international terrorist group, are living in Pakistan," RFE/RL reported. On May 18, President Karzai once again accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border attacks by militants and of interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 19, 2006). AT
[37] PAKISTAN REJECTS AFGHAN PRESIDENT'S CHARGES OF INTERFERENCEPakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani on May 20 called Afghan President Karzai's charges that Pakistan is supporting cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan baseless and unfounded, PTV reported. Durrani predicted that Karzai's comments will have a negative impact on relations between Kabul and Islamabad. The responsibility of maintaining security in Afghanistan is the responsibility of the Karzai administration, Durrani said. Al-Qaeda elements present in Pakistan and many Pakistani problems are a direct result of instability in Afghanistan, Durrani said. Durrani demanded an end to the infiltration of terrorists from Afghanistan to his country. Charges and countercharges between Afghanistan and Pakistan of interference have intensified in recent months (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," March 24 and April 26, 2006). AT
[38] UN RESOLUTION ON LEBANON ANGERS TEHRANIranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said at a May 18 press conference in Damascus that the recent United Nations Resolution 1680 is against international law and represents international interference in bilateral Damascus-Beirut relations, SANA reported. Adopted on May 17, resolution 1680 builds on resolution 1559 of 2004. In a reference to the military capabilities of Hizballah and resolution 1559's call for the disarmament of militias, resolution 1680 states: "The Council...called for further efforts to disband and disarm all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and to fully restore the Lebanese Government's control over all its territory." Resolution 1680 also refers to the mid-April UN report on the implementation of resolution 1559, which specifically calls for "cooperation of all other relevant parties, including Syria and Iran" (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," May 3, 2006). According to the new resolution, the Security Council "Reiterates also its call on all concerned States and parties as mentioned in the report, to cooperate fully with the Government of Lebanon, the Security Council and the Secretary-General to achieve this goal [implementation of 1559]." Resolution 1680 singles out Damascus, calling on it to resolve border controversies with Beirut, to establish a permanent diplomatic relationship with Beirut, and to control the movement of arms into Lebanon. BS
[39] LEBANESE NOTE IRANIAN INTERFERENCE IN THEIR AFFAIRSThe Maronite patriarch in Lebanon, Nasrallah Butrus Sfayr, discussed other countries' interference in his country's affairs in a May 20 interview with Al-Arabiyah television. Asked about his earlier allegations against Iran and Syria, Sfayr said, "The Lebanese are not left alone to solve their problems." He continued, "There are those who provide funds and weapons and there are those who support one party against another." On May 19 in Moscow, Lebanese legislator Saad Hariri, son of slain former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, also noted Iranian and Syrian interference in his country's affairs, Interfax reported. "We will not accept interference in our internal affairs by Syria, or Iran, or any other state," he said. BS
[40] IRANIAN GROUPS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS, HAMASForuz Rajaifar, secretary-general of the Commemoration Headquarters for the Martyrs of Islam's World Movement, claimed at a May 20 conference at the University of Tehran that 35 Jews resident outside Iran have registered as volunteers for martyrdom operations (suicide bombings), Mehr News Agency reported. Rajaifar said a new martyrdom-seeking unit would be named on May 25, adding, "This unit has been named after martyr Nader Mahdavi, who was martyred when he rammed his speedboat into an American frigate in the Persian Gulf." The Student Movement for Justice and the Students Committee for the Support of Palestine have established a fund to aid the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Fars News Agency reported on May 19. The United States, EU, and Israel are withholding financial support from the Palestinian Authority until Hamas recognizes Israel's right to exist and renounces violence; Tehran has pledged to support the Palestinians financially. BS
[41] IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS HAMAS, HIZBALLAH HEADS IN DAMASCUSForeign Minister Mottaki returned to Tehran from Damascus on May 19, IRNA reported. While in the Syrian capital he met with President Bashar al-Assad, Vice President Farouk al-Shara, and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem. Mottaki also met on May 18 with the leaders of Hizballah and Hamas -- Hassan Nasrallah and Khalid Mashaal, respectively -- IRNA reported. The U.S. State Department has designated these entities as terrorist organizations. BS
[42] NEW IRANIAN AMBASSADOR ARRIVES IN BEIRUTMohammad Reza Rauf-Sheibani, the new Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, arrived in Beirut on May 19, "Al-Nahar" reported the next day. Born in 1961 in Mashhad, Sheibani headed the Iranian mission in Damascus from 1997 to 2001, then dealt with Middle East affairs at the Foreign Ministry and, before his current posting, headed the Iranian interests section in Cairo. President Mahmud Ahmadinejad told Sheibani in a May 16 meeting in Tehran that Iranian-Lebanese relations must expand, IRNA reported. BS
[43] IRANIAN SECURITY FORCES PURSUE ALLEGED KILLERS IN SOUTHEASTReferring to the attackers allegedly responsible for killing 12 people on the Bam-Kerman road on May 14 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 15, 2006), Interior Minister Mustafa Pur-Mohammadi said on May 20 that there are reliable reports that the group's leader has been injured, state radio reported. Kerman's deputy governor-general for political and security affairs, Abolqasem Nasrollahi, announced the suspect's wounding on May 19, Fars News Agency reported. Government forces are in close pursuit of the attackers in Sistan va Baluchistan Province, Nasrollahi said, adding, "The [Islamic Revolution] Guards Corps, the Basij, and the [police] backed by the Army Aviation Corps are seriously pursuing the operation for the arrest of the perpetrators and for purging the area of bandits, and we will have some very good news for the people soon." The public relations office of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security announced on May 19 that its personnel in Kerman Province have broken up two gangs responsible for kidnappings and weapons smuggling, ILNA reported. All 18 gang members were reportedly arrested. BS
[44] KILLINGS IN IRAN BLAMED ON FOREIGNERSMilitary forces participating in the Eqtedar war games in Kerman, Sistan va Baluchistan, and South Khorasan provinces allegedly have found evidence of foreign involvement in provincial violence, Iranian state radio reported on May 20. Police and Guards Corps personnel attacked a "bandits' base" in the Pir Suran heights of Sistan va Baluchistan Province and discovered documents that reveal American and British involvement in recent violent incidents in the eastern part of the country. Hojatoleslam Erami, the Friday Prayer leader in Meymeh, Isfahan Province, alleged in his May 19 sermon that the U.S. was behind the killings that took place earlier in the week (see above), provincial television reported, and he urged the central government to control the borders more effectively. BS
[45] IRAQI SPECIAL TRIBUNAL JUDGE ORDERS HUSSEIN'S LAWYER OUT OF COURT...Judge Ra'uf Rashid Abd al-Rahman ordered Bushra Khalil, one of Saddam Hussein's defense lawyers, to leave the courtroom on May 22, saying her conduct was unacceptable, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. The argument between Khalil and Abd al-Rahman broke out when she entered the courtroom and demanded that Abd al-Rahman reinstate her to the court, after he dismissed her from an earlier session for her behavior. When Khalil ignored Abd al-Rahman's order to sit down, he had guards remove her from the courtroom. During the commotion, Saddam Hussein objected from his seat, and Abd al-Rahman ordered him to "shut up," whereby Hussein began shouting that he is president of Iraq. "You are a defendant," the judge replied. When testimony got under way, a former Revolutionary Court employee, Murshid Muhammad Jassim, testified on behalf of Awad al-Bandar, the head of the regime-era court. Jassim praised al-Bandar, saying he always reassured the witnesses that they would not be tortured for their testimonies before the court. He claimed the court always allowed attorneys for the defendants and said Hussein never interfered in the court. KR
[46] ...AND HUSSEIN'S HALF-BROTHER TESTIFIESThe court also heard testimony from Saddam Hussein's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, at the May 22 session of the Al-Dujayl trial, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. Ibrahim is a former presidential adviser and served as head of intelligence under Hussein. He appeared in court to testify on behalf of his brother, Barzan Ibrahim. Judge Abd al-Rahman announced at the session that only two of Barzan Ibrahim's witnesses have appeared in court. He said the court has received written refusal to testify from some of the witnesses called by Barzan, but a second witness for Barzan is expected to testify on May 22. KR
[47] BRITISH PRIME MINISTER ARRIVES IN IRAQTony Blair made a surprise visit to Baghdad on May 22, and is expected to meet with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, international media reported. A British spokesman told reporters that Blair's trip is intended to show support for the "democratic government and to help it take charge of its own destiny," the BBC reported. Meanwhile, a senior British official accompanying Blair said that British forces will not completely withdraw from Iraq for another four years, Reuters reported. "The aim is to take Iraq to a position where the multinational force is able to withdraw during [the government's] period in office," the official said. "During the four years, the present role and structure of the multinational force will change and come to an end." Troops may stay on beyond that period in order to train Iraqi forces, the official added. British General Sir Mike Jackson told London's "The Guardian" that the situation in Al-Basrah, where British troops are currently based, is "pretty awful," the daily reported on May 20. KR
[48] IRAQI PREMIER VOWS TO GET TOUGH ON CRIME, TERRORPrime Minister al-Maliki vowed on his first full day in office on May 21 to use "maximum force" against terrorists and criminals , RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. "We will use maximum force in confronting the terrorists and murderers who provoke bloodshed. But besides these military and security measures, we also need measures leading to a national reconciliation," he said. Al-Maliki added that he will "set up a special commission...to lay down a detailed plan for a national reconciliation," which he described as a crucial measure for cracking down on terrorists. Regarding the presence of militias, the prime minister told reporters: "Weapons must ultimately lay in the government's hands only. Militias, death squads, terror, killings, and murders -- all these are deviations and abnormalities. We must close the file of militias because we cannot imagine our country will be secure and stable [as long as] there are militias killing [people] on grounds and reasons that may be distorted, vague, or serving limited interests." KR
[49] IRAQI CABINET APPROVED WITH THREE SEATS VACANTIraq's Council of Representatives approved Prime Minister al-Maliki's cabinet at a May 20 session, but three key posts remain unfilled, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. Al-Maliki told parliamentarians that he will oversee the Interior Ministry, while Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zawba'i will oversee the Defense Ministry and Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih will oversee the National Security Ministry until the prime minister can fill those positions. Sunni leader Salih al-Mutlaq objected to voting for an incomplete cabinet during the session, and led a walkout of some 15 parliamentarians. Al-Mutlaq told reporters at a press briefing later the same day that the cabinet announcement was "in breach of the constitution because several ministerial portfolios were added to please this or that side without the approval of the parliament," and because of the three vacant posts. Al-Mutlaq further claimed that the Shi'ite-led United Iraqi Alliance demanded a written pledge from him indicating that he would change his political platform as a precondition for joining the government. "We will not pay this price to enter the government," he said. KR
End Note
[50] CONCERNS RAISED ABOUT RUSSIA CHAIRING COUNCIL OF EUROPEBy Brian Whitmore
Activists expressed concern when Russia inherited the chairmanship of the Group of Eight (G-8) major industrialized countries at the beginning of 2006. And Moscow's accession on March 19 to the head of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, the organization's decision-making body, is likely to spark even more controversy.
As he outlined Moscow's goals during its six-month chairmanship, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's remarks alternated between reassuring and defiant. Speaking on May 18 in Strasbourg, Lavrov said Moscow will seek to stretch the council's mandate beyond protecting human rights and promoting democracy.
"We believe we can contribute not only to safeguarding and developing issues that are traditionally on the agenda of the Council of Europe, but also to extending cooperation in new areas, particularly in the context of the search for more effective responses to the threats of terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also indicated it will use its chairmanship to fight what it calls Western "double standards" regarding Russia and other former Soviet republics.
Such sentiments from Moscow have served to increase Western concerns about Russia's tenure at the head of the committee, which comprises the foreign ministers of all the member states, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg.
Just last week, the Council of Europe's European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance criticized Moscow for not doing enough to combat a virtual epidemic of hate crimes. And the previous week, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights accused Russia of running a network of secret prisons in Chechnya, and asked the Council of Europe to investigate.
Human rights activists say that rather than seeking to expand the Council of Europe's mandate, Russia should instead focus on meeting its own obligations as a member of the organization. Diederik Lohman, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said Russia has actually regressed in key areas of democratic freedoms since joining the Council of Europe 10 years ago.
"Russia is definitely a whole lot less democratic than it was in 1996. Freedom of speech, freedom of the media have been restricted severely over the last 10 years. In addition to that, there of course still is the lingering armed conflict in Chechnya, where people continue to disappear on a very regular basis at the hands of Russian forces or pro-Moscow Chechen forces," Lohman said. "And the Russians have not taken any effective steps to stop these abuses there or to bring the perpetrators to justice. "
Lohman added that Russia has room for improvement in many areas, including reforming the Prosecutor-General's Office and the security services, formally abolishing the death penalty, and protecting basic rights such as freedom of the press.
Rights activists say that Russia's claims of double standards and warnings about the West imposing its own standards are disingenuous. "By being a member of the Council of Europe, Russia has formally taken on certain human rights obligations. It can no longer say that these are 'Western' values, because they are values that it has signed on to," Lohman noted. "The European Court of Human Rights has very clear jurisprudence, and that jurisprudence applies to every single member state in the Council of Europe, including Russia. So there really are no double standards."
As a member of the Council of Europe, Russia is expected to take over the committee chairmanship. The chair is not elected, but rotates alphabetically among the Council of Europe's 46 member states.
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There has been something in the air these past three weeks. I have spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with watering, itchy eyes. So far I have tried three different eye drops and four or five different antihistamines, none really taking care of the problem.
So, am I telling you about it to draw sympathy from around the globe? Not in the least. Over the 45 1/2 years I've lived, I have been blessed tremendously with good, healthy eyes.
Besides the time, I think I was 9, when I tried to catch a stick with my left eye, and the time, I believe I was 12, when I thought, maybe even hoped, I would need glasses as one of those odd-to-idiotic junior high attempts for attention, I am rarely even aware I have eyes.
When I was 38, and confessed to an adult Sunday School class I hadn't had my eyes checked in 20 years, they were sure I was in danger. I promised them I could see fine. They chuckled knowingly and several added, "Yeah, we all thought that." I broke down and went to an optometrist. I was still seeing 20/15 after decades.
But these last three weeks have been challenging. I spend way too much time blotting my eyes, rubbing my eyes, sitting back and closing my eyes, hoping for relief. Yesterday was finally a little better, but today they are at it again.
I expect within a couple of weeks my eyes will be back to normal and I will forget about them again. But what a blessing it has been, for these past couple of weeks, to have been made aware how wonderful it is to have eyes, and (usually) to have very healthy eyes.
Over the weekend I spent a good deal of time thinking about how much of life I am able to take for granted. Rather than simply not thinking of it all (which is probably definitional for "taken for granted"), I am extremely grateful!
I recall having a conversation with a couple of 14 year old boys. Somehow the conversation got to the point of me saying "I think a 12 year old child should be able to expect to be fed. AA 12 year old should not have to figure out where his/her next meal is coming from."
I learned that I was talking to to young men who both, at 12, had had to find their own food from time to time.
I think a 12 year old ought to be able to take it for granted that there will be food. These boys could not bring themselves to accept the concept.
What do you and I take for granted? What ought we take for granted?
May you spend some time this week thinking of all the things you ordinarily don't have to think of. And be grateful!