text:
Benue killings: If FG can't protect us, we'll raise our own army – Unongo
The Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and leader of the Tiv nation, Paul Unongo, has said if President Muhammadu Buhari failed in his responsibility of protecting lives and property of Benue State citizens, the people would train their own army in the state to defend them.
Unongo said this on Thursday during the mass burial of 73 persons killed by Fulani herdsmen in Benue State.
He said: "Benue people sacrificed blood for the unity of this country and will not allow a section of Fulani herdsmen to kill our people in cold blood.
"I am telling Nigerians that my people cannot continue to be cannon fodder for this country.
"If the government can't protect us, we will mobilise and train our people into an army to defend us.
"We are 100 per cent in support of what Governor Samuel Ortom has done.
"I am the spiritual and ancestral leader of the Tiv nation.
"Enough is enough.
"If the Federal Government cannot stop or arrest those behind the killings, in two weeks, we shall raise an army of our own.
"We cannot allow people to colonise us again.
"We have all it takes to do that."
Leave a Reply
Senators sue AGF, DSS, police for alleged plot to remove Saraki
Two lawmakers, Senator Rafiu Adebayo and Senator Isa Misau, have sued the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the police, the Department of State Services, the Senate and seven others in order to stop the attempts to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Senators Adebayo and Misau, who are supporters of Saraki, instituted the fresh court action marked FHC/ABJ/CS/872/2018 before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday.
Other defendants in the suit are: the majority and deputy majority leaders of the Senate, the Clerk of the Senate, the Deputy Clerk of the Senate, the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Minority Leader.
In the originating summons filed on their behalf by Mahmud Magaji (SAN), the plaintiffs want the Federal High Court to determine whether in view of the provisions of Section 50(1) (a) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, Saraki, who defected to another political party as a result of the division in his former party, can be made to vacate his office other than in accordance with Section 50 of the constitution.
Adebayo and Misau, who represent Kwara South and Bauchi Central senatorial districts respectively, also want the court to determine whether Saraki can be compelled to vacate his office on the grounds that he is not a member of the political party with a majority of senators in the Senate in view of the combined reading of Section 50 of the constitution and Order 3 Rule 8 of the Senate Standing Orders.
The court was also urged to determine whether the Senate President could be said to have vacated his office by virtue of Section 50(2) of the constitution when he had not ceased to be a member of the Senate or the Senate dissolved.
In a motion on notice filed along with the originating summons, the plaintiffs prayed the court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining all the defendants (except the Senate, Senate President and Deputy Senate President) jointly and severally either by themselves, their agents, servants and privies from unlawfully removing the Senate President pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
They also prayed the court for another order of interlocutory injunction restraining the AGF and the Inspector-General of Police from unlawfully interfering with the lawful legislative duties of the Senate President pending the hearing and determination of their originating summons.
Besides, the plaintiffs asked for an order of interlocutory injunction stopping the IG and the DSS from harassing, intimidating, arresting or detaining the President of the Senate in respect of the lawful exercise of his duties pursuant to Section 50(1) of the constitution and another order directing parties in the case to maintain status quo pending the determination of the substantive matter.
The motion was predicated on seven grounds amongst which were that the agents of the IG and DSS had taken steps to flagrantly breach the provisions of Section 50 by employing their agents to disrupt the plenary of the Senate without recourse to the said provisions.
Another grounds were that the constitutional provision of removal of the Senate President does not empower the AGF, police and DSS to unlawfully interfere with the legislative duties of the Senate by causing a blockade at the premises of the National Assembly complex or using their agents to disrupt the lawful duties of the Senate.
In a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion on notice and deposed to by Senator Isah Misau, he averred that the Senate was a body recognised and established by the 1999 Constitution vested with powers of making laws for the good governance and well-being of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The deponent averred that the Senate held a plenary sitting between July 24 and 27 and that it was presided over by its President and that at the end of the sitting members adjourned till September 25.
Misau claimed that the All Progressives Congress as a platform for the Senate President had been bedevilled by crises resulting in divisions and factionalisation at the federal, state and local government levels.
Breaking: Soldiers protest in Borno, engage in shooting spree
Soldiers of the Special Strike Force deployed in Operation Lafiya Dole have protested against their posting to Marte, a Local Government Area in the Northern part of Borno State, Channels Television is reporting.
The soldiers are part of those deployed in the fight against dreaded sect, Boko Haram.
According to Channels Television, the protesting soldiers were reacting to the news of their latest posting on Sunday evening by firing gunshots into the air at the Maiduguri International Airport in the state capital.
One of the soldiers told Channels Television via a phone interview that they were due for rotation, having spent almost four years at the theatre of operations.
He said they reported for duty in February 2015, stressing that a military circular from the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, had clearly stated that no soldier should on any account be kept beyond three years in the North East region of the country.
The soldier lamented that out of the over 300 troops who reported, many of them had died in the last three years as a result of ambush or landmines by the Boko Haram insurgents, while some were killed in battle.
The angry soldiers have blocked all entrances to the airport and have insisted on redress.
However, attempts by top military officers of the Theatre Command to appease the irate soldiers could not yield any positive result.
As at the time of filing this report, the military authorities have yet to react to the incident, while the spokesperson for the Theatre Command, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, could not be reached.
EFCC slams Presidency for linking its actions to Saraki's scripts
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has slammed the Presidency for linking some of its actions, especially the freezing of the account of the Benue State Government, to scripts written by the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
In a statement on Sunday, the EFCC said its actions have nothing to do with Saraki but based on thorough investigation.
The anti-graft commission was responding to an article by the Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who said some agencies of the government were working with Saraki to achieve already predetermined ends.
Ojudu, who is based in the Office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, now the Acting President, said the EFCC, Department of State Services and the Police were acting Saraki's scripts.
He also accused former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, of having provided the template for Saraki's script.
He wrote in part in the article: "From the shenanigans at the Benue House of Assembly to the siege on National Assembly, the attack on judges home in the night, the so-called barricade of the Senate President's house, the laughable kidnap of Boy Dino and 'his 11 hours on a tree', the freezing of the Benue and Akwa Ibom accounts all are scripted, produced and acted by Oloye (Saraki) Productions."
Reacting through its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC said: "The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a widely syndicated article by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters entitled, 'Fifth columnists in our recent history,' wherein he portrayed the commission as a conscript in the devious plots by Senator Bukola Saraki to undermine the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
"The commission takes exception to the attempt to impute false motive to its investigative activities. The recent placement of a 'Post No Debit Order' on some accounts in Benue and Akwa Ibom states were the culmination of many months of painstaking investigative activities. To reduce such activities to the level of a stunt in a real or imaginary script by any politician is outrageous.
"It is important to state that the EFCC is not a party to the so-called script by Saraki. Members of the public should disregard the innuendo in Ojudu's article as it is unfounded.
"The commission calls for circumspection on the part of political leaders, while urging them to seek clarification before making comments on matters they do not know about."
NEWS2 days ago
Breaking: Soldiers protest in Borno, engage in shooting spree
NEWS2 days ago
EFCC slams Presidency for linking its actions to Saraki's scripts
NEWS2 days ago
Delta South Youths slam Sen James Manager, reject his 2019 ambition
ENTERTAINMENT2 days ago
Avoid Arik Airline, Tonto Dike tells Nigerians
BUSINESS2 days ago
Fidelity Bank, BOI, Ford Foundation unveil lending scheme for Aba leather manufacturers
NEWS2 days ago
FMBN begins 'Rent to Own' housing scheme
BUSINESS2 days ago
Heritage Bank, HIS, Tuchi partner to provide mass transit in Lagos
ENTERTAINMENT2 days ago
Not yet a wedding bell in Ooni's Palace


text:
When you book a top-secret hotel on Groupon Getaways, you're guaranteed a name-brand property with a rating of 3 stars or higher in the neighborhood we specify. We'll let you know the name and exact address of your top-secret hotel after you purchase the deal: Look in the redemption instructions for this deal, found in My Groupons in your account and on your email confirmation.
Hotel at a Glance: 3-Star Top-Secret Palm Desert Hotel
Be sure to bring a set of golf clubs to this 3-star hotel. Just a 15-minute drive from its doors can take you to more than 120 golf courses, including the Shadow Ridge course, designed by Hall of Fame swinger Nick Faldo, and the Desert Willow Golf Resort's Firecliff course, named one of the best places to play by Golf Digest. When not on the fairway, guests can visit more than 300 boutiques, restaurants, spas, and art galleries in the area.
- Comforts of home: All suites have separate living areas, full kitchens, and dining areas.
- Practice your short game on the hotel's putting green.
- Meal time: A complimentary hot breakfast kicks off each morning, and the hotel hosts receptions with light meals, beer, and wine Monday–Thursday evenings.
- Go swimming in the outdoor pool, then relax in the whirlpool spa.
- Stock the fridge with goods from the 24-hour hotel convenience store or through a complimentary.
Palm Desert, California: Shopping and Wildlife in Scenic Coachella Valley
Palm Desert shares the desert landscape and resort atmosphere of Palm Springs, about 20 miles to the northeast. It's worth it to visit Palm Desert's El Paseo, known as the Rodeo Drive of the desert for its art galleries, high-end boutiques, and brand-name retailers such as Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Palm Desert is also a gateway town to the more than 750,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park, located less than 60 miles away. In addition to being the birthplace of Bono, the desert park is famous for its unusual geologic formations and mountains of twisted rock, ideal for rock climbing. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife including desert bighorn sheep, golden eagles, and coyotes.
For a guaranteed glimpse of wildlife, check out The Living Desert, a zoo, botanical garden, and animal hospital in Palm Desert. As you stroll throughout the various geographical regions—including North America and Africa's Village WaTuTu—you will see flora and fauna indigenous to that area, which can include Mexican gray wolves, giraffes, or jaguars. The Living Desert also boasts a G-scale model train that winds its way through replicas of historical scenes, including a California mining and logging town and the Grand Canyon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tax payers caught in legal battles with the income tax department may be in for a relief. The department,known to be the biggest litigant in the government,has decided to work towards changing the mindset of the officials responsible for the litigations.
In order to trim avoidable litigation and bring down the number of litigations filed,the central board of direct taxes (CBDT) has told its officials to dispense with let the court decide attitude and at all cost avoid resorting to litigation only for the sake of litigation.
Most importantly,the CBDT has told the officials that defensive attitude should not over ride the thinking pattern in decision making process.
An official told The Indian Express that in order to improve the success rate of litigation,the officials have been told that the impugned order should be read between the lines at responsible level while the tax effect should not be the only basis for entering into litigation.
The official said that the field officials have been asked to understand the substantial question of law involved in unambiguous terms for litigation much before the appeal is framed and filed to mitigate the losses to the department.
The Income Tax Act provides for four stages of appeals starting from the commissioner (appeal),the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) and followed by the High Court and the Supreme Court.
The average life cycle of an appeal is approximately 15 years and the government envisages reducing this to three years. However,currently the success rate is very low while the pending tax disputes are proving to be a drain on the resources. On an average,the ITAT gets 20,865 new appeals annually. Similarly,number of new appeals filed with high courts is around 6,000 while those with the apex court are at round 1,300 in a year.
According to government data,Rs 97,611 crore is locked up in litigation in direct taxes while Rs 1,08,081.08 crore is in indirect taxes as of March 2013.
The CBDT has also said that the filing an appeal is not the end of the matter as the real litigation starts after the filing. The board has said that the frequent reasons for the delay in filing appeals,such as defect in the application,incomplete paper book,poor quality of representation,non filing of rejoinder in time and adjournments,should be avoided and eliminated.
For all the latest News Archive News, download Indian Express App


text:
17-7/8" x 11-1/4" x 30-1/2 Gas Tankless Water Heater, 225,000 BtuH, Natural Gas
- Item # 6FZP4
- My Part #
- Mfr. Model # C 1210 ESC NG
- Catalog Page # 2708
Using 360° Viewing:
- Rotate: Use top-to-bottom, side-to-side by use of mouse arrow.
- Zoom In: Double click on image.
- Zoom Out/Reset: Put photo at full zoom & then double click.
CAD Downloads
- Shipping Weight 89.0 lbs.
Product Details
Technical Specs
- Item Gas Tankless Water Heater
- Fuel Type - Water Heaters Natural Gas
- BtuH - Water Heaters 225,000
- Ignition Type - Water Heaters Electronic
- GPM @ 45F Rise - Water Heaters 9.4
- Fuel Connection - Water Heaters 3/4"
- Water Connection - Water Heaters 3/4"
- Type Tankless
- Item - Water Heaters Gas Tankless Water Heater
- Draft Hood Size (In.) 3 or 4
- Depth (In.) 11-1/4
- Width (In.) 17-7/8
- Height (In.) 30-1/2
- GPM @ 90F Rise 4.7
- Manufacturers Warranty Length 2 yr. Limited Warranty on Heat Exchanger, 5 yr. Limited Warranty on All Other Parts
- Standards CSA International
- Includes Wall Mounting Bracket and Pressure Relief Valve
Compliance and Restrictions
This product has been certified by a third party to be compliant with the "Safe Drinking Water Act" requirements for low lead in potable (human consumption - drinking and cooking) and non-potable water applications (non-human consumption).
Alternate Search Terms
Tankless Water Heaters (230)
Commercial Water Heaters (189)
Gas Water Heaters (107)
Customer Reviews
Product Reviews Disclaimer:
Grainger is neither responsible for, nor does it endorse, the content of any product review or statement posted. Any statements posted constitute the statements of the poster and are not the statements of Grainger. The statements posted by Grainger employees with the Grainger employee badge represent the views of such employees and are not the statements of Grainger. Grainger makes no representations as to the appropriateness, accuracy, completeness, correctness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any product review or statements posted, including those posted by employees with the Grainger employee badge, and is not liable for any losses, injuries or damages which may result from any such product review or statements. Use of any linked web site provided in a product review or post is at the user's own risk.


text:
Karma Sours Michael Finley's Decision to Go GreenApril 3, 2010
His assigned mission complete, Michael Finley did what many in his shoes would have done.
All but locked out of the rotation thanks to a youth movement at his dual positions, he asked the Spurs brass to waive him. Doc Rivers promised the extra key Gregg Popovich could not.
Finley plays sporadic reserve minutes in a Celtics uniform, but nothing he does can resuscitate Kevin Garnett or keep Paul Pierce from dancing closer to the injured list. The 37-year-old guard faced a similar grim reality in San Antonio.
Two months ago, many wondered if Manu Ginobili was more washed up than a warehouse full of haywire Maytag machines. Then, Richard Jefferson looked disastrous and so did the Spurs' title hopes.
Maybe Finley wanted to escape the eye of the storm. He did not want to drown in the inevitable capsizing.
The veteran shooter might still pack a clutch punch or two, but he won't hurt San Antonio much as a bench cog in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics appear as shipwrecked as any wannabe contender, and Finley cannot repair the rudders or plug the gaping hole in the vessel's left side.
The Spurs-Celtics Finals a number of analysts predicted last summer appears less likely than Danny Devito winning a world's tallest man competition.
Finley's value was never going to be realized in the regular season. When it comes to taking a shot with the team down by three or two points with five seconds left, he's in a rare class.
He nailed eight three-pointers in a series clincher against the Denver Nuggets in the 2007 Playoffs.
He sent the Spurs' 2008 playoff opener against the Phoenix Suns into overtime with a triple. He knotted the team's eventual Southwest Division clincher last spring with another trey. That shot set up a fateful first-round series with the Dallas Mavericks.
How he left befits how he arrived. In 2005, Phoenix and Atlanta delivered pitches worthy of an international dignitary. Finley chose the Spurs because he appreciated Popovich's low-key, direct approach.
Finley surprised many then. He did it again in March when he informed his coach he wanted out.
Always the consummate professional, no one can question the sincerity of Finley's request. He still wanted to play, and Boston needed a better backup for Ray Allen.
That does not lessen the difficulty of this sorrowful goodbye. The San Antonio community adopted him as a native son, forgetting his All-Star years in Dallas. He seemed destined to retire in silver and black at season's end.
Instead, Jefferson started to show he could be everything Popovich wanted, and George Hill emerged as an explosive scorer and defender.
Ineffective since an ankle sprain sidelined him for more than a month, Finley was not going to play much behind Jefferson, Hill, Ginobili, or Roger Mason Jr.
His numbers in February suggested he could not have contributed much. He scored five points over a 28-day period and froze like a statue on the defensive end. He did not move, and the Spurs stayed with him in seventh place.
San Antonio played its best basketball of the season in March, navigating a brutal schedule without All-NBA point guard Tony Parker.
Friday night, karma bit Finley in the worst way. No one would argue he deserved it.
With the Celtics up two on the crippled Houston Rockets, Finley headed to the line with a chance to ice the game.
He made the first freebie but clanged the second. Rockets rookie Jordan Hill fought off two Boston defenders to secure the manliest rebound of the night.
Aaron Brooks, then, drained a game-tying three that might have made Jerry West blush. Yes, the Celtics could have fouled, or forced Brooks to drive into the teeth of the defense.
Finley and Tony Allen bricked critical foul shots. Doesn't that matter more than everything else?
As the former All-Star missed the free throw that would have put the game out of reach, he likely remembered a similar night in mid-March last season.
Then, as the Manu Ginobili-less Spurs tried to fend off the defending champion Celtics in a slugfest at the AT&T Center, Finley and Parker combined to earn three chances in the final minutes to seal a momentous win at the charity stripe.
Finley, shooting in the high 80s at the time, missed four in a row. Parker clanged his tries. An emerging Glen "Big Baby" Davis sank the go-ahead baseline jumper to seal a painful choke job on the part of San Antonio. The Spurs and the "C" word in the same sentence?
Giving Davis a shot from that distance, then, was a stroke of defensive genius. Given the same shots against the L.A. Lakers in an overtime game earlier in the month, he missed four of five badly.
Davis began to hit that shot with regularity, and he eventually used the improved stroke to knot a second-round series with the Magic. His game-winner seemed to cement him as an integral piece for Boston.
The Spurs' gag job at the foul line in March only made them look older and unequipped to compete for a title.
Kevin Garnett played sparingly in the game. Bruce Bowen suffocated Paul Pierce, who finished 3-of-15 from the field.
Ginobili wasn't available to swipe another inbounds pass to seal the outcome. Roger Mason Jr. could not produce another dramatic clutch triumph.
Finley had to know what was coming. The Spurs needed to unearth younger contributors, while returning to the stingy defense of years past.
Finley's legs had started to buckle, and his zapped athleticism proved a nightly drain on the team's defensive harmony.
Popovich should have known he was doomed against the Mavericks the moment Finley tried to hang with Josh Howard.
Finley soldiered through the summer and training camp, insisting the acquisition of Jefferson excited him. Competing for championships mattered more than individual glory, he said.
In November and December, with Jefferson stuck in the mud, it looked as if Finley would always own at least a token role as a Spur.
Then, Hill continued to show he merited more minutes, Ginobili started to look like Ginobili, and Jefferson found a clue. The game changed, and so did Finley.
If he compared the Celtics and Spurs in early March, and liked the championship chances for the guys in green better, no one would have declared him insane.
This last week full of endgame futility should make him sick.
His old team slammed his new one Sunday night at TD Banknorth Garden 94-73. A fledgling but overachieving squad from Oklahoma City stole a 109-104 victory right from Garnett's furious, active hands.
The Rockets' injury list upon arrival at Boston's Logan Airport had become longer than Pinocchio's nose. Kevin Martin, Shane Battier, David Andersen, and Jared Jefferies were unavailable. Trevor Ariza joined them on the inactive list at the last minute with the flu.
Finley had a chance to make Houston's gritty effort moot by converting two free throws. Instead, karma reared its ugly head.
A moving screen call on Kendrick Perkins negated what could have been another game-tying shot in OT. The offensive foul did not matter. Finley's contested heave hit the back rim anyway.
More minutes cannot assuage the pain of the Celtics recent slippage in both the standings and every offensive and defensive category that counts.
Ray Allen finished Friday's game with more fouls than points. Garnett looked ancient at times, and missed eight of 12 attempts.
If the 37-year-old guard watched any NBA highlights after his team's third straight home defeat, he saw Ginobili that erupted for 43 points in the Spurs' 112-100 victory over the Orlando Magic.
And probably wondered what he was thinking five weeks ago.


text:
Join our Mailing List
About Us
Mission and Policies
Our Team
Annual Reports
Our Partners
Religious Freedom
Economic Rights
Parliamentary Outreach
Urgent Action
Activist Tool-Kits
Volunteer For Tibet
Tibet & Canada
Government Relations
Tibetans in Canada
1000 New Tibetans
Community Contacts
Media Releases
World Tibet News
About Tibet
Photo Archive
Talk Tibet Blog
"I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. It is the foundation for world peace."
Dalai Lama
Tibetan Resistance
Stand Up for Tibet
Photo Gallery
Chinese official raps media 'bias' on Tibet
May 2, 2008
Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The deputy consul general at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco
defended China's activities in Tibet on Wednesday and lashed out at the
Western press for taking the Dalai Lama's side, a move that some believe
is an attempt to minimize criticism of the sentences doled out this week
to 30 Tibetans.
Weilian Shen, the second in charge at the consulate, accused the Western
press of distorting facts about the "Dalai clique," which he claims
instigated the violence in Lhasa on March 14 in an attempt to disrupt
the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
"The acts of violence ... were committed and instigated by the Dalai
clique," Shen said Wednesday, referring to followers of the Dalai Lama,
the exiled spiritual leader of Buddhist Tibet. "The incident violated
the basic human rights of the people in China."
Besides inciting violence in Tibet, "the Dalai Lama is conducting all
kinds of secessionist activities all over the world," Shen said during a
news conference at the consulate. "He has not stopped his activities of
sabotaging the Beijing Games."
The news conference came as criticism bubbled up again over the Chinese
government's handling of the March 14 protest for Tibetan independence.
The quashing of that protest by Chinese authorities created an
international sensation and led to the disruption of the Olympic torch
relay in several of the 19 cities it visited, including San Francisco.
A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced 30 people, many of them monks, to
anywhere from three years to life in prison for their alleged
participation in the deadly riot. They were the first of many expected
convictions as officials prepare for the highly controversial torch run
over Mount Everest and into Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Under international pressure, Chinese government officials announced
last week that they would meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama,
but Shen's comments indicate they have no intention of toning down their
verbal offensive against him.
Sophie Richardson, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, a global
advocacy group, said Shen's statements "suggest to us that Beijing
overtures toward meeting with representatives of the Dalai Lama are
little more than a PR exercise for the rest of the world."
"It's not a surprise because the story about Tibet is back in the paper
and they want to influence what people think," Richardson said. "These
wild allegations make it painfully clear how disingenuous the offer of
dialogue really is."
Shen said the Chinese people are furious that the Western press has been
depicting Tibetans as victims of suppression and the Chinese communists
as oppressors, characterizations that he claims have created an
unnecessarily volatile situation.
"These are totally wrong, biased," he said. "There was, first of all, no
suppression at all."
In the face of looting, beatings, stabbings and the setting of fires in
local shops, he said, "the Chinese police exercised much restraint.
There were no sorts of lethal weapons used."
Richardson said the convicted Tibetans were not allowed to choose their
own counsel, and their trials were held covertly in undisclosed locations.
"It's not exactly the gold standard of due process," Richardson said.
"They certainly deal with criminals the way they deal with Tibetans or
anyone they don't like. Criticism of the government is instantly
construed as subversion."
Shen said he was saddened that many Chinese Americans and supporters of
the Olympics missed the torch relay in San Francisco after it was
re-routed at the last second, but he supported the decision.
"We had to take under consideration people's safety," he said.
Since the turmoil, he said, the situation in Lhasa and elsewhere "has
basically become normal."
To emphasize their point of view, consulate officials handed out three
DVDs on the Dalai Lama and Tibet and a book titled "Tibet: Past and
The chapter on religious freedom assures readers that "religious
believers in Tibet can go in circles, bow to Buddhist statues, burn
incenses, kowtow, give alms and redeem wishes following their own will."
E-mail Peter Fimrite at
World Tibet News
July 24, 2018
Tashi Wanghuk and the state of Tibetan language in China
- The Asia Dialogue
China deploys security forces to prevent Tibetans from protesting water diversion project
- Radio Free Asia
Between censorship and self-censorship: Can China Studies academics avoid moral culpability?
- Hong Kong Free Press
Prague Supreme Court orders reappraisal of a case in which two Chinese took a Tibet flag from protestor and threw it into the river.
- Prague Daily
China sets up unmanned weather station in Tibet for help in 'live-fire conflict' with India
- Zee News
July 16, 2018
Let the Dalai Lama go home
- Boston Globe
What Future For Tibet? – OpEd
- EuroAsiaReview
China Forces Young Tibetan Monks From Their Monasteries
- Radio Free Asia
Tibetans Celebrate Dalai Lama's Birthday in Defiance of Restrictions
- Radio Free Asia
Hydro-powering Central Tibet
- Rukor
View Archive
More News
Media Releases
World Tibet News
WTN Archive
About Tibet
Photo Archive
CTC National Office
1425 René-Lévesque Blvd West, 3rd Floor, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3G 1T7
Privacy Policy
© 2018 Canada Tibet Committee
Developed by


text:
What's in our Bottom Drawer ???
Ten years research and development experience has resulted in Essence of Music's safe and unique chemistry. Essence of Music is the first comprehensive product of its kind based upon and supported by sound science!
Essence of Music is a 'green' product containing no hazardous substances per CERCLA or REACH. It is readily biodegradable and can be shipped virtually anywhere worldwide.
The product was not designed to colorized or romanticize digital sound, but to simply retrieve the digital data from the disc uncorrupted. The error correction circuitry in the player is less needed/utilized, reducing the power requirements to drive the circuit; more power becomes available, increasing the efficiency in the circuit; greater dynamics (dynamic contrast) results.
Essence of Music significantly lowers the digital noise floor, reduces laser timing induced jitter from light scatter and bi-refraction, improves transparency, and the surface smoothness and reflectivity of the disc, resulting in greater micro-detail recovery.
Check out the Audophilia review here
Price $195 inc GST
Contact us for purchase information or if you would like to experience any of our products in person


text:
22 January 2017
Back in Burkina since a week. Eugénie will join me in a few weeks. However, I am not alone, Marion has joined us until the end of April. She has studied education and she will try to help us at the LAP with the studying methods of our students.
Some news about the political situation
When I left beginning of December 2016, there were many strikes. Everybody wanted more money. The situation now seems to have calmed down. However since many people did not get what they were asking for, we can expect a new epidemic of strikes soon.
In Ivory Coast, a similar situation is happening. The rebels who have helped president Ouattara to come to power have been integrated into the army. The top people got a lot of money, but not the basic trouper. They went out in the street shooting asking for what was promised to them. President Ouattara calmed them down immediately by giving them about 20.000 euro each. Now the gendarmes, the policemen are also asking for something… Actually almost all civil servants (education, customs, health) are on strike to get more from the growth of the country. Not sure how this will end.
On the security front, Burkina is still very much vulnerable in the North of the country. The armed forces do not really control the Islamists / terrorist there.
Lycée Agricole Privé
We went for 2 days with Marion to the LAP. It seems that discipline and tranquility have come back to the LAP. Students seem happy, you can hear them sing while watering the plants. Grades of the first quarter are however not what we expected.
In November, we remade the ovens of our kitchen in order to have less smoke in the kitchen and to use less wood. I was surprised to see that only one of the three ovens in use. Even the one used was not really working properly. I checked them and realized that they had not placed a metal ring that supports the cooking pot leaving a space for the airflow. They had received the ring but nobody asked what to do with it and they had been stored. We placed the rings and all the three ovens are working properly. We have definitively a problem of communication and people accept too often that things do not work and do not report the problem.
Nursery schools
On the way to the LAP we stopped at 2 nursery schools in Oualana and Kouekouesso.
Normally all the children have uniforms. In order to make sure that the parents pay the 5 euro school fees for the year, the uniform is only given when they have paid. AS you can see on the pictures parents are more eager to have the uniforms for their children in Oualana than in Kouekouesso.
Proverb of the week
Si un animal vous dit qu'il peut parler, il ment probablement.
If an animal tells you that he can speak, he probably lies.
Si le bélier a tendance à reculer, il ne faut pas croire que c'est parce qu'il est lâche.
If the ram tends to retreat, do not believe it is because he is a coward.
I take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic 2017.


text:
Tuberculosis: Behind the Numbers
This is a short documentary piece about TB survivor Bart Willems of Cape Town South Africa. I consider myself pretty lucky to have been contacted by Visual Epidemiology about this one.
The interesting part of the story is that he recently broke the South African record for free diving. In his own words,
"It wasn't my clear intention to break it but I was going to see how far I could swim with one breath. So I took the biggest breath I've ever taken and submerged myself underwater."
He came up at 114 meters setting a new record and breaking through his own limitations from the disease. Here's the clip from youtube of his dive.
Here are a few before and after stills to show the grade. Its a subtle change but tied the whole thing together nicely.


text:
Chilled Spring Pea Soup
If you like it, save it!
Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place.Got it!
If you like something…
Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like.Got it!
Author Notes: A recipe that celebrates spring through the use of peas. The garnish is spring-y too, since it uses pea shoots, chive blossom flowers (from my garden), and huge mint leaves (also from the garden!) It's a bowl of spring in a bowl. - VivekS —VivekS
Food52 Review: The cool colors of this velvety soup—pale green, deep emerald, lavender—had us at hello. It's almost too beautiful to eat but when you do, you find it's light and subtle, a starter rather than a main. Those looking for more robust flavor may want to use chicken stock in lieu of water and up the garlic quotient ever so slightly. - Kukharka —mitschlag
Serves: 4
cloves garlic, sliced
cups water
ounces fresh, shelled peas
cup freshly chopped mint
cup greek yogurt
cup pea shoots
cup chive blossom flowers
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
- Get a pot over medium heat and add some olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent – do not brown. Season with salt and pepper and add water. Allow the water to come to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Add about 2 tablespoons of mint and all the peas. Cook the peas for about 8-10 minutes until they are bright green and tender. Season with salt and pepper and add 1/4 cup of mint.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and blend on high until completely pureed. Pass the soup through a strainer for a completely smooth soup. Set in the fridge for about 4 hours, or overnight, to chill.
- Combine the rest of the mint with the yogurt and mix with a spoon to combine.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Put a dollop of minted yogurt on top. Toss the pea shoots with some olive oil and place on top of the yogurt. Scatter some of those chive blossom flowers around the bowl and dot with some extra virgin olive oil!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Vegetable Recipe
More Great Recipes:
Vegetable|Soup|Make Ahead|Vegetarian|Spring


text:
Designing, laying-out and executing large-format murals(up to 10,000 suare feet) by myself or with a team. Did work from photo-realistic to cartoonish. Projects included an indoor waterpark and major theme park attractions. I was often required to use scissor and boom-lifts including some very large ones. Master-level operator.
Also specialized in props, scenery and simulated paint finishes(varying types of wood, metal and stone mostly). Antiquing. Traditional sign-painting and lettering by hand and also, masking techniques.
Mastery of airbrush and automotive spray equipment including spray-booth maintenance and ventilation systems.
Hand and tool shaping in precision foams, HD bead foam, wood, plaster, papier-mache', wax, froth packs, fiber-glass, clay and epoxy-putty. Commercial projects included giant trees, characters, animals, board game pieces, etc.). Resin casting.
Glass etching & carving, tool engraving, stained glass design and Tiffany restoration, kiln-fired glass painting,
Specialized in large and intricate glass art panels and installations(sometimes multi-layer including unique lighting and mounting systems that I designed). Projects included high-end front entryways, shower enclosures, churches and signage. Developed new techniques based on airbrushing to achieve photo-realistic results in etching.
I've worked on many personal and commissioned antique-restoration projects including steamer trunks, desks, a mechanical drafting table and other assorted furniture items, mastered various staining and clearcoating techniques including polyurethane, varnish, lacquer and catalyzed finishes. Aging techniques. Sandblasting and sealing metal surfaces.
Designed and built several original pieces, notably the "Japanese Puzzle Bookshelf".
Competent with most carpentry -related tools and equipment(sanders, drills, routers, nail guns, saws, pneumatic equipment, etc.). Participated in several equipment use & safety training programs. (Universal, Cinnabar, others). Master level boom and scissor lift operator. Competent fork lift driver
Calligraphy design and execution, font & logo design, basic sewing skills, pencil drawing, Pattern-making. Competent with basic photography and lighting. 4 years of computer aided design and illustration experience ( Adobe Photoshop, Paint.net, Smoothdraw and Inkscape)
Define Studios-Melbourne, Florida (1993-1995)
Designed and etched dozens of custom, art glass doors. I came into this job as a "young helper" and quickly became the lead glass etcher and designer as well as production manager, on-site technician and machinery maintenance man.
Art Glass by Wells-Houston, Texas (1995-1997)
Lead designer and lay-out guy for stained glass and etching, lead glass carver & etcher. Reputable, traditional glass art studio. Tiffany restoration, Fabricated complex geometric, beveled glass panels, Worked with "Munich Style" glass painting, glue-chipping and gold-leafing, Did many unique, artistic projects and developed new techniques. In addition, maintained the air compressors and sand blasting systems as well as safety ventilation systems.
Art Glass by Design-Melbourne, Florida (1997-1998)
Lead designer and glass etcher. Equipment and on-site technician, designed over a hundred stained and etched art panels here.
Define Studios-Melbourne, Florida (1998-2000)
Production manager, lead designer, fabricator, equipment technician including unique air filtration and actuated sand blasting systems. Was contacted by the new owner based on reputation.
Freelance Work
During this period, I also did several large commissioned murals(one at a bowling alley, coffee shop and skateboard shop). I was also constantly drawing and painting in my free time and developing my body of work during this period.
2000 marked the beginning of a new career. Looking to branch out in the world and ready for new, artistic challenges; I moved to Orlando, Florida and immediately found work in the theming industry. This was the start of a "marathon of work" that lasted nearly 8 years straight. I worked as a freelance scenic artist, often hired by sub-contractors in the theming, television and movies industries. Within 2 years I became a "go-to guy" for many companies that had large, technically demanding muraling, sculpting and fabrication jobs with tight deadlines. During this period, I frequently worked on multiple projects at one time, both on-site and in my home studio/workshop. I also traveled out of town on many occasions for large projects.
Wall Wizards-Orlando, Florida
"Star Wars- Ewok Village"(theme park attraction) , Disney MGM: Lead scenic painter. Sculpted and painted hundreds of fiberglass logs to look like real redwood and other trees... right down to the algae and lichens.
"Faux-Finishing project at the house of Reebok CEO", Sarasota, Florida: Lead scenic painter/ art director and researcher. An enormous project wherein I simulated the look of antique mediterranean plaster on new walls and ceilingsby working with photographs taken in actual historical Italian villas. In addition, I painted realistic cloud ceilings and did some very special finishes in kid's rooms involving metallic powders and photo-reactive paints. I was on-site for over 2 months.
Creative Environs- Jacksonville, Florida
"Six Flags/Looney Toons"(theme park attraction), Jacksonville, Florida: Theming artist, designer. A big Looney Tunes themed project that involved painting murals, 3/4 scale cartoon buildings, signs and large character sculptures as part of a team. We also fabricated fake topiaries in the shape of cartoon characters. I also painted an 8 foot tall treasure chest solo.
"Castaway Bay at Cedar Point"(themed attraction) Sandusky, Ohio: Lead muralist, designer, researcher. This project involved painting a photo-realistic,panoramic, circular mural of clouds and the ocean(including breaking waves on the shoreline) that was up to 30 feet in height. It was the background scenery for a massive indoor waterpark. The total size was more than 9,000 sqare feet. The work was done mostly in boom lifts with automotive sprayguns with some brushwork on the wave areas. I worked with one assistant on this mural and spent 2 weeks on-site.
"Magiquest"(interactive theme park) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Lead muralist, designer and production manager. Indoor, interactive magic-themed attraction.Probably the biggest project I worked. Painted and designed a 10,000 sqare foot panoramic, circular "fantasy themed" trompe l'oeil mural. The mural went from day to night and had sky, mountain and forest areas.
I also did many other scenic elements including marble, stone and wood finishes and at least 3... ...more substantial murals including a 5,000 sq. foot parchment treasure map on the outside of the building and a "Dragon Cave". I was on-site for 4 months and sometimes worked with an assistant.
"Medieval Times"(themed attraction) Atlanta, Georgia: Lead scenic painter. Another huge theming project that involved doing many areas of unique faux-finishes and murals. A substantial part of the job was to paint dozens of huge sculpted fiberglass ceiling beams to look like real wood while on scissor-lifts. Worked as part of a team with one assistant.
"Volcano Putt-Putt"(themed attraction), Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Lead scenic painter. Working on an enormous boom-lift, I painted an 8 story, concrete volcano(and lava) with one helper. Also worked as part of a team on the theming in the interior of the building. The volume of paint used was so substantial that we had to use industrial spray equipment and large garden sprayers to apply it. On-site for 3 weeks.
"Cheeseburger in Paradise" (restaurant chain): Production manager, lead artist. Painted tropical themed murals inside and signage outside. Each restaurant was done in 2 weeks of on-site work with a team of 3-5 people. Also did an "epoxy bar top" at each location involving various found objects and seashells encased in 3 inch deep resin. Bar tops were generally 75 square feet. I did at least 11 locations. Some cities that stand out are Chicago, Columbus and New York...
When I left the project, a "look-book" was created using photographs of my work as the template for future teams to reference.
Cinnabar-Orlando, Florida
"Dino-Rama"(Disney's Animal Kingdom): Lead sign painter. This was a large signage project that was done in a 1960's/1970's retro sign-painting style. It was an homage to the Americana phenomenon of the "road-side attraction". I was responsible for several of the most complex signs and also worked as quality control and base-painter on many others. Disney was very strict in wanting their designs to be followed accurately and they often came by the shop to take measurements and compare artwork. Still, I was given authorization by Disney's art director to make some design modifications when necessary.
"3D Billboard elements": Theming artist, sculptor. The company worked on big-budget, themed billboards that could be found near popular attractions in Orlando. I was occasionally involved in preparing sculptural and painted elements for these projects. This was generally done with automotive paint techniques. A couple examples are a giant Mickey Mouse and Spiderman themed billboard.
"The Source Awards" (television special): Theming artist. A large and short-deadline project where I painted many theatrical scenery elements as part of a team. Most of it was a futuristic cityscape that was used as a back-drop for a musical performance.
"Mag-lev Train cars"(prototype vehicle): Automotive paint technician.This was basically an enormous automotive body-work and painting project. Prepared prototype train cars for installation at an unknown location. Worked as part of a team.
Clegg and Sons-Orlando, Florida
"Universal's Halloween Horror Nights"(themepark event): Theming artist, art director. Worked on this in 2 seperate years. I was responsible for painting scenic elements including: giant rusted metal electrical machines up to 3 stories tall, a haunted "ghetto alley" covered with scary graffiti murals, a 3 foot tall eyeball that squirted blood, a 4 foot cauldron filled with large eyeballs and many more ghoulish things...
"Home Shopping Network"(television production) Makuhari, Japan: Scenic artist. This job involved working as part of a crew painting realistic faux finishes on the floors of multiple staging areas of a television studio. Due to the sensitivity of the rolling camera equipment...the floors needed to be completely smooth yet look like real surfaces. Some of the finishes that we did were wood, terra-cotta tile and marble.
"Scenery for Concerts"(staging and scenery): Scenic artist, on-site technician. At this company, I worked on painting and fabricating scenic elements for substantial music productions including concerts for Pink, Mandy Moore, 98 Degrees and Nick Carter among others.
"Television Commercials": Scenic artist. Worked on scenery in-shop and as on-site standby for large campaigns for Reactine, Khol's and Nickelodeon.
"Pandemonium"(television show): Theming artist. One of several kid's shows that I worked on for Nickelodeon. This was a huge scenery and set fabrication job that filled an entire soundstage at Universal Studios, Orlando.
"NSYNC Christmas Special"(television production): Theming artist and design duties. A substantial "antique circus" themed set and props that filled an entire soundstage at Universal. I was responsible for much of the lay-out and painting of scenery and props. Also had some design responsibilities.
"Rock Waterfalls at New Destiny Church"(themed installation): Lead sculptor and scenic-painter, on-site technician. Produced 2 identical 23 X 12 foot high "rock waterfalls". Large foam panels applied to a wooden frame were carved to look like canyon rock and then coated with fiberglass. The pieces were then painted to look natural. This job also had other large faux-finished elements and props.
"Disney 50th Anniversary Celebration"(television and theming project): Lead scenic painter. Working with one partner, I did all sculpted and themed elements and staging for this project. Also worked as on-site stand by.
"Spongebob Squarepants/Dora the Explorer"(stage production): Lead scenic-artist working with one assistant on a large scenery package for a children's theatrical presentation.
Prestige Events
Art Director/Lead Scenic Painter. This is the company that hired me most often for large sculpting projects. Generally, I would do the sculpting duties and then the company would have my work fiberglassed...I would then return to do the painting. I did all lay-out and design for my projects here which involved many other theatrical and painted elements.
Some notable works include 2 identical 7 foot tall parrots(with sunglasses), A 7 foot long, realistic hot dog, carvings for a Mardi-Gras float and reproductions of all the pieces of the board game "Clue" at 3 foot tall.
Selected Independent Work
"TNA Wrestling"(television production): Lead scenic painter for all theming, signage and on-site support. This is another set that filled an entire soundstage at Universal, Orlando.
"Loew's Theatres"(theming installation) Philladelphia, Pa: Theming artist, production manager, automotive spray technician. I was sent out on this several month project during the last 2 weeks. The job was to do a faux-finish on 12 fiberglass columns that were each 25 feet high. When I arrived, this project was far behind schedule and when I left it was completely finished.
"Curse of the Mummy"(themepark attraction): Lead artist and designer. Painted "Egyptian-themed" scenic elements for the entrance to the ride/temple.
"Holy Land Adventure"(themepark): As lead scenic painter on the project, I was responsible for doing a marble finish on the entire outside of "Herod's Temple". There was alot of scissor and boom-lift operation involved. This was one of the biggest projects I have been on and the number of finishes and scenic tasks are too many to list. 3 months on-site.
"Jack-ass the Movie"(film): Scenic painter. This project involved working with a team to paint a giant sized, "redneck version" of the board game, "Mouse Trap" on -site.
"Expedition Everest"(themepark attraction)Disney's Animal Kingdom: Lead scenic painter, theming artist. During this 2 month project, I was one of 2 scenic-painters responsible for painting and theming enormous and heavily rusted areas of "Himalayan train tracks". This was a very high-profile Disney ride project and I worked alongside some of the best artisans and art directors in the business.
"X-ray Visions": in addition to contracted work, I maintained my own glass etching business on the side during this 7 year period.
Final Year in Orlando, Florida
After 7 years of 60 to 80 hour work weeks without a pause freelancing, I needed something different. I applied for employment at Universal Studios, Orlando for a job as a full-time scenic-artist.
After making it through the notoriously exclusive selection process, I was invited for an interview with a committee of 5. Having passed the interview, I was scheduled for a final art test. The test was comprised of several stages of artistic assignments designed to evaluate one's competency in various painting & sculpting techniques and knowledge of materials & equipment. After passing and attending a rigorous safety and training program that lasted for 3 weeks... I was finally part of the team.
Universal Studios "Islands of Adventure":
During my time with Universal, I was in charge of all scenic duties for the "Cartoon Lagoon" area of the park. My most notable contribution was an almost single-handed revamping of the entire Popeye area surrounding the "Bluto's Bilge Rat Barge Ride". This included re-painting and theming nearly every significant scenery and prop in the area(barrels, boats, crates, etc.) and helping create new sign and theming elements.
I also contributed to countless team projects around the entire park which included the "Jurassic Park", "Dr. Seuss", "New York", and preliminary work on "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" areas among many others.
Having learned everything that I could in the theming industry and with an imminent move to Canada looming...I gave my notice and prepared to leave the amazing group of artisans, engineers and technicians that I had worked so closely with for more than a year.
The "ATTRACTION Media" Installation Project
An installation project at Attraction Media Inc. in Montreal, QC. 6 artists were invited to fill a space in one over-night session. The artists: Fred Caron, Alan Ganev, Jason Botkin, XRAY, WIA and Stikki Peaches.
I chose to do an homage to the sign-painting and street art of India called: "Taste of India".
"NOAH"(2014 film)
The work was done at Morot Studios in Montreal, Quebec. A large team of local and international artists, crafts-people and technicians were involved.
I mainly worked on parts of the project that involved painting the skin of the sculpted and molded animal bodies. One of my largest contributions was to develop a 6-step process to speed up the production of "snake mats" and match the look that had already been developed. I was also assigned to quality control for the snakes while working in that area. This involved developing and maintaining a consistent base-color palette and applying a final clear coat.
In addition, i was involved in painting(and prep work) on individual mammal-like creatures of varying sizes and species. Other duties included high-volume base painting, painting gore-effects on slabs of fake meat, painting hundreds of miniature snakes, loading trucks and many other tasks. It was a challenging project and not like anything I have worked on before.
"Urban Totems"(FIMA Festival, Montreal-in cooperation with CEASE Collective)
We painted 12 separate panels attached to a "tower structure" in a live, 2 day event.
"Just for Laughs Festival"(Montreal)
This project consisted of painting a large "column" on the main walkway of the festival and a mural in conjunction with the CEASE Collective and Fresh Paint Gallery. The artwork was painted live during 2 days of the festival.
"Toyota Prius" @ Galerie MX(Montreal)
I painted a Toyota Prius for a live promotional event at MX Gallery in conjunction with the CEASE Collective.
"Vans"(promotional event)
I did a custom paint job on a pair of Vans Shoes to be sold at Greenlight Gallery in Montreal,QC.
"TRAUMA"(Quebec television show)- Haitian shanty town(signage and murals)
On this project I worked from photographic reference materials gathered by the production staff in Haiti. The work consisted of producing all hand-painted murals and signs for an outdoor set. On some elements, I had to improvise new signage to match the styles of Haitian sign-painting. On other parts, I had to match exact references.
Record cover for the band "Lac Estion"
Logo Design for "LOWRISE Sounds"
Car2Go live painting promo(in partnership with MURAL Festival)
A 2 day gig where I had to "freestyle" paint an entire Smart Car in a tropical theme. The first day was rained out but I still managed to finish a complete design.
Selections from my portfolio...


text:
Posts TaggedGoogle Goggles
Google Goggles has always been a great testament to how useful smartphones are. Advertised features include the ability take a photo of a French menu and have it instantly translate to English, or search something simply by taking a photo of it.
Recently, Google pushed out an update to Google Goggles on Android, adding some interesting new features in the process. Should you opt in, Google Goggles can automatically analyse all photos taken in your phone's camera app in the background, without you needing to specifically tell the app to do so. It looks very interesting, to say the least. (more…)


text:
Jason "Blu" Griffith told a Las Vegas homicide detective that the slaying of "Fantasy" dancer Deborah Flores-Narvaez was "a heat of the moment thing that happened."
A Metropolitan Police Department report released Monday confirmed gruesome details of how police found the 31-year-old's dismembered body Saturday in two tubs filled with concrete in a downtown Las Vegas home.
Flores-Narvaez had been missing almost a month when Griffith, her ex-boyfriend and a dancer for the Cirque du Soleil show "Love" at The Mirage, was arrested Saturday on one count of murder. The 32-year-old is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.
The police report said that Flores-Narvaez had gone to Griffith's North Las Vegas home on Dec. 12 to watch "Dexter," a television show about a serial killer.
The former couple began to fight, and Griffith's roommate, Louis Colombo, saw Griffith choking the 31-year-old and pulled him off of her. The pair had at least three known prior domestic violence incidents, according to police.
Colombo told police that when he left the home Dec. 12, Flores-Narvaez was OK, but when he returned home later that night, she was dead.
Over the next few days Colombo helped Griffith hide the body, according to the report.
The two men rented a U-Haul truck on Dec. 14. About 11 p.m. the next day, Griffith and Colombo used the truck to transport the tub to a female friend's Henderson apartment where he hoped to store it, according to the report.
The woman asked Griffith what was in the tub. He told her "Debbie was in the tub," the report stated.
The woman told Griffith and Colombo to leave.
She didn't speak with police about the case until Friday. She told detectives she was hesitant to come forward because she was afraid of Colombo.
Police then confronted Colombo. Colombo told police Friday he would cooperate with the investigation as long as he was not charged in connection with the dancer's death, according to the report.
Colombo has not yet been charged in the case, according to jail and court records. However, police are only allowed to make charging recommendations to prosecutors — they can't cut deals with suspects.
Colombo told police that when he came home Dec. 12, Griffith told him it was a "change your diaper moment." Griffith told Colombo he had messed up and Colombo found Flores-Narvaez's cold body.
He told police that after he was sick to his stomach, he helped Griffith put the dancer in a plastic tub.
Griffith bought bags of concrete from a nearby Home Depot, he told police. The two filled the tub with concrete and let it set overnight in the garage.
After the unsuccessful attempt to leave the tub at the Henderson apartment, Griffith got the keys to a downtown Las Vegas home of friends who were out of the country.
Griffith figured the body could be stored there for some time without being found. But when Colombo was moving the tub in the house, located in the 300 block of Bonanza Way, near Bonanza Road and Las Vegas Boulevard, the tub started leaking.
Days later, Griffith and Colombo returned to the one-story home with a sledge hammer, a handsaw, two new plastic tubs and some cleaning supplies.
Colombo told detectives they broke the body out of the concrete and Griffith then sawed off Flores-Narvaez's legs. The body and legs were put in plastic bags. The bags were then placed in two separate tubs and covered with concrete. The tubs were then sealed in a closet.
After confessing his role to detectives, Colombo took detectives to the home. A search warrant was signed at 12:05 a.m. Saturday and the two green plastic tubs with Flores-Narvaez's remains were found in the home.
Griffith was taken in for questioning by detectives on Friday night after he finished performing in "Love."
Griffith admitted renting a U-Haul truck, but said it was to pick up a punching bag in the northwest valley, the report stated. When he was confronted about going to Henderson, Griffith said he went there to pick up workout equipment.
When police asked about Flores-Narvaez's slaying and the disposal of her body, Griffith asked for his attorney.
Griffith was then arrested and charged with murder early Saturday morning.
As he was being driven to the county jail for booking, Griffith told a homicide detective Flores-Narvaez had attacked him and he believed she had a gun, according to the report. Griffith told the detective that "what happened was not a premeditated thing" and that all the "amateurish stuff" occurred later.
A judge will ultimately have to decide whether what Griffith told the detective can be used against him in court because he had earlier asked to speak to his attorney.
As of late Monday, the Clark County coroner's office had not released the cause of death or a positive identification of the body.
It has been nearly a month since Flores-Narvaez was reported missing, a day after she failed to show up for a Dec. 13 performance in the Luxor show "Fantasy." Her disappearance has made national headlines, in part because her family has made high-profile appeals for help in finding her.
Detectives focused on Griffith as a suspect because the dancer had accused him of beating her in October. Flores-Narvaez also told police she was pregnant with Griffith's child at that time. Authorities have not disclosed whether she was pregnant at the time of her death.
Griffith had told detectives that Flores-Narvaez visited him at his home on the night she went missing, but the conversation was brief and she seemed OK before leaving.
Investigators previously had searched Griffith's North Las Vegas home and his car, and he had volunteered for an interview with detectives.
Flores-Narvaez's sister, Celeste Flores-Narvaez of Atlanta, who came to Las Vegas in hopes of finding the dancer, did not return several messages left Monday.
Deborah Flores-Narvaez grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to Maryland, where she studied international business and law. She served as an ambassador for the Washington Redskins in 2007, a non-performing position that sent her into the community.
She moved to Las Vegas to pursue dreams of dancing, and soon was hired at some of the Strip's poshest nightclubs, including Jet at The Mirage and Haze at Aria.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at firstname.lastname@example.com or 702-380-1039.


text:
Learn how the Alignment Tools can be used to adjust the orientation of faces, edges and vertices using a variety of methods. Align a selection using draw and straight line commands in order to reorient components of geometry. Straighten curved geometry using the Align Mesh Points tool.
Discover how to create simple freeform, sub divisional shapes using SOLIDWORKS Industrial Design. Create and place free form sub divisional surface shapes into the graphics area. Edit the size and basic dimensions of the free form shape.
Learn how to combine freeform surfaces with conventional surfaces using patch functionality. Create conventional surfaces and combine them with freeform surfaces. Use the Trim Surfaces command to cut unwanted surfaces.
This video shows off some of the capabilities of working with multiple bodies in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Design. Combine bodies using Boolean commands. Edit bodies before and after Boolean operations.
In this video, the Arc Bend and Cut Plane tools are featured. These tools allow for fast and easy manipulation of the geometry. Bend selected entities about an axis using the Arc Bend tool. Cut a sub divisional surface model across a plane using the Cut by Plane tool.
Discover how the Delete Entities and Fill Edges tools can be used to swap between surface and solid bodies. Delete edges and faces to remove instances of geometry on a model. Use the Fill Edges command to grab the outer edges of a surface to form a solid.
Learn how to add a sharp crease to a freeform surface using the Crease command. Create sharp corners using the Crease command. Control the crease level using the slider bar.
This video features the Insert Loops and Subdivide Faces commands. These tools allow a sub divisional surface model to be further subdivided for geometry refinement. Use the Insert Loops command to divide a loop of faces with one division or multiple divisions. Refine a surface locally with the Subdivide Face command.
Learn how the Freeform Extrude feature can be used to manipulate an existing primitive by pushing and pulling surfaces. Add material by selecting faces that you want to extend outward. Remove material by selecting opposite faces. Create a bridge between two normal faces.
This module shows some of the basics associated with creating simple freeform shapes. Start with a predetermined shape and edit the shape during and after placement. Create 2D primitives based off of sketches and predetermined shapes. Use sketches to make 3D primates using the revolve command.
Discover how selections work in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Conceptual. Select groups of faces, edges or vertices using intuitive tools and keyboard shortcuts. Use the control button to manually group individual faces, edges or vertices. Activate the group select tools to save time while making selections.
Learn how Concept Sketching in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Design can be used to sketch directly onto a curved surface. Sketch directly onto a curved surface. Use the curved sketch to extrude or cut. Edit the original surface and watch the surface sketch and features update.
This module shows some of the Concept Sketch tools available in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Design. Draw up designs with the fluidity of pencil and paper sketches. Edit Concept Sketch geometry using erase and delete functionality. Convert concept sketches to useable sketch geometry with the Convert tool. Merge sketch entities together using the blend tool.
Learn how the 3DEXPERIENCE applications can export sketches and geometry as 3DXML files which capture sketch relations for easy communication with SOLIDWORKS. Collaborate directly with SOLIDWORKS Keep sketch relations between the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and SOLIDWORKS by using 3DXML files.
Discover how easy it is to import and export geometry into and out of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Import 3D design data. Use direct editing capabilities on imported geometry. Import DXF and DWG files to create sketch entities. Export geometry to other CAD programs such as SOLIDWORKS Desktop.
Learn how to store, create, and retrieve concept ideas while iterating to a final design. Navigate through design concepts quickly and easily. Keep all your data on the cloud for easy file management and reduced hard drive clutter.
This module covers the basics of creating a community, assigning roles and controlling community access. Create communities to collaborate with your team members. Assign roles to your colleagues to facilitate proper communication. Set privacy settings to control outside access to your community.
This module covers the communication and collaboration tools available within SwYm communities on the SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Collaborate on topics ranging from high level concepts to detailed engineering projects Create Posts, iQuestions, Upload Files and Build Wikis to communicate with your team.
Discover how content administration works within the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Create collaborative spaces to streamline workflows. Access data through a cloud based infrastructure, allowing you to work anywhere. Classify and tag your content for fast and easy searching.
Learn how to add design intent to models which have been manipulated using direct edit functionality. Add constraints to faces in order to maintain design intent. Dimension faces to constrain key geometry.
Discover how use Move, Copy and Translate within direct edit mode. Use direct edit functionality on imported parts as well as geometry created in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Manipulate geometry using the Move, Copy and Translate features.
This module covers CV splines which allow for continuous curvature and are ideal for smooth and robust curves. Make use of CV Splines in SOLIDWORKS Industrial Design. Create splines using polygon constraints and curvature constraints.


text:
No Minimalist Here
Stone Gable
My Romantic Home
French Country Cottage
At the Picket Fence
Common Ground
Funky Junk Interiors
Savvy Southern Style
Anything Blue Friday
I am happy to be the first to comment on this post, I just must say it is the most beautiful collection of pictures that I have ever seen, I love the blue and white and I love it in all the different settings, not sure which is my fav, could be the last one the bedroom, wow lis that just so awesome I could look at that all day and I just may do that...lol...the dishes behind the staircase, wow....be still my heart...ReplyDelete
OMG those are all breathing , I can't wait to get home and play with my blue & white
transferware, I love blue and white on the red wall
yours is always over the top gorgeous
Nancy, this post is certainly a bright spot on this cold rainy day. What gorgeous spaces and collections. It's always a treat to me to see how others live with their collections. Makes me long for a large kitchen full of wonderful cabinets and open shelves. Hope all is good in your life. ~ SarahReplyDelete
GORGEOUS inspiration...I pinned everyone of them! Charles Faudree is my favorite designer!ReplyDelete
Think I need to make a new board just for these images!! Everyone loved your post, and of course all your gorgeous things in your shop. I was so happy to feature you and your beautiful collections Nancy, you really have curated such a fine selection of transfer ware and this post has me swooning!! Thanks again.....ReplyDelete
I love that blue and white combination; I did our master bedroom in blue and white, with lots of toile, and also splashes of yellow. Lovely post!ReplyDelete
Although no one in my home would agree, this post makes me think I need to get more blue and white on my walls!
- The Tablescaper
Hi Nancy, You know how much I adore transferware and I love to see how others decorate with their collection. I am headed to Tina's blog now.
I agree with the first commenter--absolutely the best collection of pictures ever. I think I'll dream about these pictures tonight. There's not a one of them I don't love.
I have every one of Charles Faudree's books even though there's not a Frenchy room in my house. But I can always dream.
I love your blue dishes against the orange wall!
I'm starting to really love blue... surprising to me!ReplyDelete
Hi Nancy, These are all gorgeous and I will pin a few!! So glad that Tina introduced her readers to you. I have a small collection and I'm always on the lookout for something new.
All are so pretty!! Puts my little collection of red and blue transferware to shame!!
Gorgeous photos! Off to check out her blog!ReplyDelete
Nice to see you over at Tina's, Nancy! You both have beautiful blogs that I enjoy reading. And I absolutely love that last picture with the blue and the roses! Swoon!ReplyDelete
Nice to see you over at Tina's, Nancy! You both have beautiful blogs that I enjoy reading. And I absolutely love that last picture with the blue and the roses! Swoon!ReplyDelete
Hey there, Nancy!!! I love seeing how others decorate (especially the pros like Charles Faudree!!!) with dishes. I am always so afraid to put dishes on the wall for fear they'll fall off and break. I think I've done it only once about 15 years ago, and I would walk through that area like I was walking on rice paper! It was only 3 plates...I can only imagine how scared I'd be with 15+!!!!!! :-) I would love to have some displayed in our dining room, though. I think it would be really pretty!
These are beautiful examples, and the styling is just gorgeous all around. I love how yours were against that burnt orange wall. Very pretty!!!
Have a great weekend!
Nancy, I truly believe that you cannot do "overkill" on displaying blue and white transfer ware. I think the more that "more" is the look for it. I usually like a more simplistic decor , but when I had blue and white in my kitchen, I put as much in my hutch, as I could safely fit in there. All of the photos are wonderful - thank you for sharing them.ReplyDelete
Love all these displays of the transferware. It gives me ideas for our new home. I am headed to Tina's right now.
Gasp. Sigh. Breathe. Such beauty! Thank you for sharing the beautiful display photos!ReplyDelete
I'm a fan of blue transferware too and enjoy your blog often!ReplyDelete
My favorite is the Masons Vista Leeds Polychrome Black Transferware Gold/Copper Lustre Platter Chop Plate Scenic Castles plate. I hae a lot of blue and white and now I'm starting to collect the green. I love it all!ReplyDelete
Thank you for all these wonderful images of Blue transferware, Nancy! Each one is so lovely and inspiring. And thank you for the link to Enchanted Home. I look forward to browsing there. I hope you're well and enjoying the Spring. Take care...ReplyDelete
Great and Inspirational post!
From another china lover - http://jeanneselep.blogspot.com/2013/04/spring-hutch-arrangement.html
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Hi Nancy,
I don't have ANY blue transfer ware, can you believe it! Your beautiful images make me want some! That last image makes my heart skip a beat! ~Delores
I LOVE the blue and white! Thanks for sharing these amazing collections, they are gorgeous!
This is cool!ReplyDelete
I love everything you do!ReplyDelete
I love hearing from my readers. I appreciate the time you take to post a comment and I read them all.
I am a designer and freelance writer specializing in and offering for sale one of the largest collections of 19th and 20th Century English transferware in the world. I love the history and art found in each piece I buy and sell. I've worked with designers and clients all over the world creating custom wallscapes, transferware displays and table settings.
I absolutely love what I do, selling English Transferware and authoring the blog Nancy's Daily Dish where I write educational posts on the subject, create tablescapes with different transfer ware patterns sharing the histories behind them, and share my love of design, cooking, poetry and appreciation of beautiful things.


text:
Sending a bottle of Belvedere Vodka makes a great gift. This Vodka is distilled the authentic way in Poland. It has been produced the same way for over 600 years - all we do is pop it in a wooden gift box for you!
Bottle Size: Standard Bottle 70cl (700ml)
Ordering multiple gifts for friends, family and business clients couldn't be easier, our shopping cart allows you to send to mulitple people at different addresses in just one transaction.
One Payment, One Receipt, All addresses entered are verified by our Postcode checker for accuracy, You can select multiple products, You can select individual delivery dates and gift card messages for each order.
Click here to see How to Order Gifts to Multiple Addresses
Please complete the information below to place your order.
Please enter the delivery post code and select the address from the drop down list
Please select your preferred delivery date
Delivery options will show after you select a delivery date
You can personalise this gift with a personal message. Please type your message below, don't forget to add your name so the recipient knows who sent them the gift!
Your personalised message will be printed onto a plastic card, placed into a small silver envelope and inserted with the gift. Below is a preview of how your card will look. You can adjust the font and size using the boxes below
You can style your card by selecting font type, size and position here
You might like to add a helium balloon to your order for just £6.99
Scroll through the balloons to find the occasion required. Clicking on add will place the gift and the balloon into the shopping cart.
Perfect for saying thank you, congratulations, get well soon, happy retirement, welcome to your new home, baby boy, baby girl and of course Happy Birthday!
You can change the quantity here if you need to send more than 1 gift to the above recipient.
Need to send to multiple addresses? First Click on add to shopping cart, then Click on the Send another Gift button.
A single bottle of Smirnoff Red, Triple Distilled Vodka. This is presented in a wooden gift box and is lined with wood wool. Personalize this gift by ...
Absolut is probably Swedens biggest export after Ikea! Absolut is made from Swedish winter wheat and has been produced in Sweden since 1879. This is t...
The elegant French Vodka, Grey Goose presented in a wooden gift box. Distilled and bottled in France, this Vodka has a great flavour and is recognized...
Red Berry is one of the first flavor-infused varietals from the makers of Ciroc Ultra-Premium Vodka and is gluten free. Ciroc Vodka from France is ext...
Ketel One vodka supplied as a gift in an excellent wooden gift box. Ketel Vodka is a Dutch brewed Vodka and is inspired by over 300 years of one famil...
Send someone this lovely Vodka gift. A 70cl bottle of the famous Chase Vodka from England, presented in a wooden gift box with a sliding lid. Simply a...
Chase Marmalade Vodka certainly makes for a striking gift to be sending, it tastes great too. The best selling flavoured vodka from the English spirit...
This is truly special. This award winning Vodka is presented in a skull shaped glass bottle, hence the name Crystal Head. The Vodka inside is Canadian...
Ciroc Ultra-Premium Vodka is gluten-free and distilled from fine French grapes; a process inspired by over a century of wine-making expertise and craf...
This is the Apple version of the great tasting French vodka. Five times distilled in the Cognac region of France, Ciroc Apple flavoured vodka is a ric...


text:
To think this douchebag used to be an elected Republican. What a tool.
"Yes. Let's be accurate, now. Let me finish," said Chafee. "When the holiday season approached, they said what do you want to do in the State House. My instructions were very simple: Do whatever the previous governor did. No more, no less. Just do what they did. And that is what we did.
"And the previous governor called it a holiday's tree," said Chafee. "That was the tradition.
"I don't know whether it goes back before him, the governor that preceded me, Gov. [Donald] Carcieri [R.]. Some say it goes back to the governor before him, Gov. [Lincoln] Almond [R.]," said Chafee. "But this has been the tradition of Rhode Island. I didn't change anything."
CNSNews.com asked: "And what in your view is Christmas?"
"Well, obviously," said Chafee, "it's a religious holiday."
"Is it the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in your view?" asked CNSNews.com.
"Yes, of course," said Chafee.
"Then why not call it a Christmas tree instead of a holiday tree?" asked CNSNews.com.
"I'm just taking the same program that previous governors have done before me, nothing different," said Chafee. "If you have a question, ask the previous governors."
CNSNews.com asked: "How do you respond the Roman Catholic Church, for example, saying that you should call it a Christmas tree?"
What a dick.


text:
CHICAGO (CBS) Friday night in the sky's just outside of Chicago, a new world record was set with 138 skydiver flying heads-down all together.
The world–setting skydivers joined hands to create a human snowflake in mid-air at speeds up to 220-miles-per-hour.
The previous mark was 108 skydivers, which was set three years ago in Chicago in 2009.
It took 15 tries to finally break the record.
What was even more impressive, four of the skydivers shot the video of the event.


text:
Misc Your Songs Justin York - More Than My Dream Come True tab
Hello, it's Justin. I wrote this song at time in my life when I felt that God was far me. It's a cry from my heart telling my Savior that I long to be with Him, and that there nothing that can compare to His love. I hope that you will enjoy playing this song, but warn you, the tempo and melody are hard to find, but I'm sure you can figure it out. Godbless (verse one) E A Asus D Dsus earthly romance I have had but I wanna be with You G5 C2 Dsus how can this world compare E A Asus D Dsus with all the love You've spoken, spoken to me G5 C2 Dsus how can I doubt that You care (chorus) C Em D G5 C2 D take me away oh God, let me shower You with my love C G Em Dsus D Em7 I wanna be alone with You, for You are more Em G C more than my dream come true Em G5 Em7 D C2 You are more than my dream come true (verse 2) E A Asus D Dsus Your romance I have tasted and Your love I have felt G5 C2 Dsus But won't You come and dance E A Asus D Dsus Can I stay with You now, and stay with You forever G5 C2 Dsus I want to be held in Your hands


text: I took my in-laws to see this show and they had never seen a show at the Gaslight. They won't stop talking about it! Tons of laughs. We just loved the actors playing with each other on stage, especially the pirates and Dr. Steal and Ms. Fairchild. We also love the piano player, Her fingers move like lightening! The Gilligan's Island show at the end was really fun as well. It was like watching a rerun of the tv show! We can't wait for the next show.


text:
DJ and producer Sean Marquand recounts the mixing process of Universal Togetherness Band's previously unreleased album, for music restoration specialists Numero Group. Available as a high-quality download from Society of Sound.
"When Jon Kirby called me to mix the Universal Togetherness' unreleased album, I didn't hesitate for a second. It was instantly clear from the first listen of the rough mixes that there were real songs and performances underneath the tape hiss and raw engineering. I also happen to love modern soul from the early 80s, so I knew it would be a pleasure to dig in on this material.
I started work on the multis in the dead of summer and I quickly realized that there were some big issues with the raw material. The transfers from 1 and 2 inch tape were both noisy and frustratingly flat. The original '80s console mixes I had
been sent as a reference had dimension to them, so I knew these songs could sound good, and probably great. To start, there was a lot of cleaning up to do. I spent days editing the raw tracks to pull out the hum, hiss and the occasional errant drum click or scrape of a mic against an amp grill.
Once the pre-mix was finished, I called up my talented buddy Eber Pinheiro from Atlantic Sound Studios—conveniently located 2 floors directly above my studio in Dumbo Brooklyn—for some advice. He was just as charmed as I was by the songs so he suggested we finish the mixes at Atlantic.
Atlantic has an impressive amount of outboard gear, amps as well as a Trident 80 console. The second we pulled up the faders on the board, Universal Togetherness Band started to sound alive. Eber and I both had some time to work on this project so we decided to use as much outboard gear as possible, to give it more punch and warmth, and also just for the experience of doing so, which is usually pretty fun.
We patched nearly every track into a pre, compressor or through a tube amp. We mic'ed up 3 vintage Fender amps and set up a bunch of 57s on the grills and put a Sony C37A in the corner of the live room. We ran the lead and rhythm guitars through the amps as well as the Rhodes and organs. This re-amp technique worked wonders on "Real Thrill" and "Ain't Gonna Cry" as both tunes had tons of energy but the instruments needed some grit to stick out. We tried this technique on every song, but it only ended up sweetening the more upbeat songs. The ballads and mid tempos songs needed a different vibe.
"Taken by Love" was possibly my favorite song on the album, due to its really catchy outtro, but it was the most difficult to mix. There were only 5 or 6 stereo tracks to work from and every track had tons of bleed on it. The only thing to do was run it through D.W. Fearn VT-2s and Neve 1073 and eq the problem areas. I think the final product is cool though. It sounds like UTB was having a good time.
"Once in a Lifetime" conversely was really fun to mix, as there are so many elements to bring out and tuck in. We squashed the rhythm synth pattern through a Urei 1176LN and drove a Fender Champ a bit on the guitar while we gritted up the overheads through the UREI LA-3A. The claps were buried in the mix, so Eber set up a sequence of a high pass filter sending the claps through 15 second and 30 second delays through a Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo hard panning them and sending them to the reverb return. There were probably easier ways to make the claps pop, but this technique sounded great.
Nearly every song had some gentle EMT 140 plate reverb over the mix on most songs, which helped, and we also fed some of the original noise back into some songs to compensate for the gated drums.
At least half of the songs had non-vocal hooks and instrumental sections that were 2 to 4 times longer than needed. My hunch is they kept the structure long for overdubs but never got around to tracking any added solos or percussion. We ended up trimming down any long sections that had no musical variation, which tightened things up a bit.
The last step for every song was mixing down to Eber's Studer A820 half inch machine. This step glued everything together and made us happy to get out of Protools for a minute.
The whole process ended up being a blast for us. The songs really work now and it was cool to help bring out the fantastic details of this really charming band."
Sean Marquand
Universal Togetherness Band is available as a high-quality download from Society of Sound.


text:
Remembering John Hughes: Vacation 58
This short story was the basis for all the 'Vacation' films.
We're still coming to grips with the sudden passing of John Hughes yesterday at the way-too-young age of 59, but reading his short story Vacation 58 — which was the basis for Hughes's incredible and unforgettable string of Vacation films — this morning made us feel a little bit better. Here's hoping it does the same for you. [Biz Bag via Goldenfiddlr]


text:
CME: Beef Herd Grows as Grass Plentiful15 July 2015
US - The US beef cow herd is expected to show strong growth in 2015 thanks to strong calf prices, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.
Even more important for herds have been excellent pasture conditions and declining feed costs.
While at the start of the year the assumption was that producers would seek to rebuild their herds given the strong incentives in the market, much of that was dependent on the ability to keep retained heifers in the herd.
Too often in the past producers would retain heifers only to sell them off later due to the lack of available feed.
But this year so far has been a continuation of what we saw last year - ample grass supplies and a strong push to retain females rather than send them to the feedlot.
The latest USDA crop progress report showed that for week ending July 12, 65 per cent of pastures were in good/excellent condition. This is a 10 point improvement from the previous year and an almost 20 point improvement from the 10 year average.
In 2012, when drought in the Southern Plains forced producers to liquidate a lot of productive cows, the national pasture good/excellent rating was a mere 19 per cent, 46 points lower than today.
Conditions in Texas and Oklahoma, which in recent years have been greatly affected by drought, show a dramatic improvement. In the latest report, 77 per cent of pastures and ranges in Texas and 67 per cent in Oklahoma were rated in good/excellent condition.
With plentiful grass, and some of the best calf prices on record, there is little surprise that cow-calf operators are holding on to every cow and heifer they can.
We think the second chart is quite telling. It shows the ratio of cows/heifers as per cent of total slaughter.
It is normal for the ratio to decline in the summer and be higher in the winter but this year the summer decline has been the biggest we have seen in the past 15 years.
Female slaughter (cows/heifers) in May and June was just 40 per cent of the total, well below the levels we saw during the herd rebuilding years in 2005 and 2006.
Cattle slaughter is lower compared to a year ago and dramatically lower than what it was in 2012 and 2013 - this has been largely due to fewer females in the mix (herd rebuilding/herd preservation) and to a lesser extent because of a smaller calf crop overall.
Consider these numbers: Total cattle slaughter for the period May 3 - June 27 was 4.432 million head, down 358,290 head (-7.5 per cent) compared to the previous year and down 705,782 head (13.7 per cent) compared to the same period in 2013.
Female slaughter (cow/calf) during May and June in 2015 was 1.823 million head, 258,198 head (-12.4 per cent) from a year ago and 520,743 head (-22.2 per cent) compared to 2013.
So the decline in female slaughter has accounted for a little over 2/3 of the overall reduction in US cattle slaughter in May and June of this year.
This is what normally expects during herd rebuilding years - if anything the reduction this year has been even more dramatic and consistent with the excellent returns cow-calf operators are enjoying at this time.
Implications: Feedlot placements are expected to be low through the summer, which will continue to limit the supply of cattle coming to market later this year and in early 2016.
TheCattleSite News Desk


text:
The problem with fresh grads
By P. ARUNA
PETALING JAYA: Poor attitude -including asking for too much money - is the chief reason why employers shy away from hiring fresh graduates. Another common complaint is that many graduates are poor in English.
I think the root of this difference in expectations stems from the generation gap.
You and I, we graduated from foreign universities; we get to travel to Europe, if not we'd hang out at Starschmucks all day; we don't have to worry about money and we even get to choose who we want to be and who we want to work for.
Because of this wealth and privilege, our standards of living don't start at 3 (if it were a 1-10 scale) like our parents' did, but instead it starts out at a comfortable 5, at the very least. With these standards, a young adult would wonder, "how am I supposed to survive on Rm1800 a month"?! Besides, inflation isn't helping.
There's also a connection to how all this commercialism, technology and pursuit for wealth (e.g. parents spoiling their children, parents too busy to pay attention to their kids) creates people with poor attitudes but I won't go there. I have an IKEA office chair to put together. (Let's hope it's not as complicated as a shelf.)
Now when your mum and dad were our age, they were poor; they didn't have opportunities to further their studies overseas and didn't have a choice in their employment. As long as there was a vacancy and a salary, they'd take it.
Today, this generation are senior managers in every company young grads seek employment with.
The younger generations' views of the world doesn't quite jive with the bosses'. Both parties were brought up differently and lived very different lives.
Your parents (representing Employers) brought you (representing Young Grads) up with a life like this. Ergo, they brought this crapper on themselves? But surely they did it because they love us, right?
Your parents (representing Employers) brought you (representing Young Grads) up with a life like this. Ergo, they brought this crapper on themselves? But surely they did it because they love us, right?
So how do we solve this clashing of ideologies?
I would think salaries or benefits have to be increased somehow.
Senior management today need to understand that this generation of people don't live the same way they did. 4 year old kids know how to operate iPads for goodness sake. They have to keep up.
Y.Grads have got to learn manners... and English.
Y.Grads can't be obnoxious a-holes but have to be the ideal rookie (e.g. eager, hardworking, willing to learn, everything your parents were like when they were younger) because Baby Boomers are still wielding the stick.
And parents, stop spoiling your children, teach them principles and expose them to all sorts of people, cultures and experiences. Your kids don't have to have great exam results, what they need are soft skills.


text:
Kevin Ritter, from a very early age, developed an appreciation for great patina and vibrant colors. During his formative years, the home in which he was raised was filled with painted furniture – country furniture finished with real milk paint. Pieces that had great patination and real wear.
Building country furniture with reclaimed wood and a distressed painted finish was the family business, so when Kevin got a bit older and could handle a hammer and saw, he was shown the ropes. He learned a great deal from his dad, including an eye for design.
As it is with most family businesses, the next generation learns the trade by working from the bottom up. As a result, Kevin wasn't sold on building furniture as a livelihood – he needed more, so off to college he went to study biology. He earned his degree, but quickly figured out – three years and one rather interesting and tough job later – that biology was not where he wanted to be. The job, however, was on a fishing boat in Alaska; the words "Deadliest Catch" says it all.
In His Blood
At the time of his awakening, the desire for country furniture was nearing its peak. The family business was ready for Kevin's return. Furniture was going out the door on a regular basis, and they had the opportunity to take on a couple of kitchens built with designs and finishes similar to the furniture they created. (Fig. 1)
Kevin was experienced, and ambitious, but he was hesitant about moving into kitchen work. He was concerned that tooling up to build complete kitchens would differ from how they built furniture, and that the shop size would be a constraint. The company, however, moved forward.
After a couple of kitchens were out to customers, kitchen-cabinet inquiries rolled in, so they rolled on. Kevin developed a passion for designing and building kitchens as furniture sales continued to grow. After five years, the time had come for the two divisions to separate. It was agreed that Kevin would move out on his own with the kitchen business while his dad kept the furniture business going. (Fig. 2)
Timeless Kitchen Cabinetry (TKC) began in Malvern, Penn. There Kevin built the business into a growing concern. Plus, his design ideas flourished as well. TKC built kitchens for homes from New England to Virginia to the Mid-West. It has kitchens featured in Old House Interiors, Early Homes and House Beautiful to name a few. Things were good, but …
To continue reading this article, you must purchase a 360 Fanatic Membership or a 360 Enthusiast Membership.


text:
New 'Trolls' Trailer Unveils Brand New Scenes From The Movie - Watch Here!
Branch lifts Poppy's spirits in the brand new trailer for Trolls.
In the upcoming film, after the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends.
Together, this mismatched duo embark on a rescue mission full of adventure and mishaps � trying to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.
Both Anna and Justin talk about the movie ahead of the new scenes being revealed.
Trolls hits theaters on November 4th.
TROLLS | Official Trailer #2


text:
Rocco Vincent Albenese
I am researching for a friend. Her father is Rocco Vincent Albenese born 14 Dec 1844 at Reggio Calabria, Italy. He died 2 Jul 1940 at Springfield, Massachusetts and is buried at the Saint Mickels Cemetery. His father is Dominick Charles Albenese born in Italy. His mother is Marian Atteo Albeno. She died at Reggio Calabria, Italy. That's all I have on his parents. Rocco married Alsede Fournier in Springfield Massachusetts. I don't know the date. Alsede was born 1877 and died 16 Apr 1914. She is buried at Saint Aloyuois Cemetery Indian Orchard, Massachusetts.
Does anyone know this family or can you give me any information about Rocco Vincent ALBENESE or his parents?
Bill Dottery