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Hi peeps,
The mornings have been absolutely gorgeous this week – cold, crisp, and not a cloud in the sky … so clear that the mountain ridges look like sharp razors cutting into the sky. Mornings are my favorite time of day because my mind is clear & calm, the coffee's hot, and everything around me is quiet and still. Then the puppies wake up, all hell breaks loose and the craziness of another busy day starts all over again!
Alex & I were back at Lulu's last night (Nick's still on vacation) and who should walk in but Pete Carroll, the coach of the Seattle Seahawks! I guess he's here on a well-deserved break after a great season with the Seahawks (I was sad to see them lose to the Falcons) … but hey, great job, coach! Also dropping by was my pal, Leon, who brought by well-known Japan musician and producer Yohito Teraoka who's also vacationing here with his family. And finally, who should also show up but our good friend, Yutaka, who's back in Hawai'i for another long visit … great to see you again, my friend! Tonight we're back at Kani Ka Pila (no Nick), and then perform tomorrow for a private event at the Halekulani. Next week we'll be back at the Hyatt Waikiki's SWIM on Wednesday, then perform for another private event on Thursday before Alex heads off to the mainland to work on a project. Nick & I will be joining him the following week so we'll be off (again) for about a week or so, but will be back in time to perform at the Punahou Carnival on Feb. 1st. Busy, busy, busy ….
Have a great weekend, my friends … stay safe!
Aloha, "D"


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Camp Chef Universal Ignitor CC-IGN - CCING
- Regular price
- $80.03
- Sale price
- $80.03
- Regular price
$88.03 - Unit price
- /per
Sold out
Adding product to your cart
Camp Chef: The Way to Cook Outdoors. This universal ignitor attaches to stove for fast, safe and easy lighting. Push-button spark lights one burner with ease. A must-have accessory. Ignites one burner. Not for use with Sport Utility Stoves.. Frequently Asked Questions:. I have a Pro 90 I think, can I get a piezo style ignition system like is on the new units with all three igniters and one knob?. The only igniter system that we recommend using item CCING. There is no way to accommodate the igniter system that now part of the newer stoves. Can this ignitor be used on a EX60LW two burner stove?. Yes, this ignitor will work on your EX60LW.. Can this ignitor be used on a YK60LW two burner stove?. Yes, it can.
Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device

subset: commoncrawl


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Are you trying to win cash? Are you seeking to unwind with just a few free drinks? Simply affirm that you're risking your money in the right recreation trough the dedicated webpage on the occasion of on-line Novoline. It's a playing sport delivered to us from Asia. Watch out when mixing playing (your cash) and heavy drinking. Some on-line casinos will supply articles on varied recreation methods, and specific details about guidelines of the video games, so novice gamers can feel at ease whereas getting themselves conversant in the playing parlor, its procedures, and insurance policies. Many online casinos can be found 24/7, which means you possibly can play every time you are feeling prefer it. After all, you could additionally discover a number of the extra established casinos that you've already heard some good issues about since they are often extra dependable by way of gaming expertise.
Subsequently, American roulette offers the casino an edge of 5.26% (which works out as 2/38 in fractional phrases). When you're sitting at a machine, you may be rating free drinks from the multitude of cocktail servers strolling across the casino flooring. If you're eager to win some cash to maintain your enjoying going, you want some fundamental ability stage and have performed earlier than. What's your ability degree? For the good majority of people, Zika doesn't pose a severe menace (Most individuals will not even develop signs from the infection). Get pleasure from my views of this nice place, as effectively because the movies were supplying you with a glimpse into everyday Las Vegas life in and close to my neighborhood, west of the Las Vegas Strip.
And with our conventional casino and sportsbook, in addition to some hunky promotions and bonuses, there is not any higher place to proceed with your stay recreation odyssey. These video games have higher odds for the gambler who know their means round a casino or play recreationally legally a bit. This resulted in hefty bonus prices for the online casino. You may sustain excessive-high quality bankroll administration so long as potential from a slots site. Sure, you possibly can gamble เกม ด ป๊ legally within the United States. Roulette has two kinds, American and European. The principle query is, "What form of journey do you wish to have? Sure video games are extra enjoyable to play, whereas others have higher odds for the participant. Sturdy communication capabilities are particularly vital throughout the preliminary gross sales strategy, as a result of the shopper has typically various venues from which to determine on.


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America Today...our motto, "In God We Trust" which even appears on the Federal Reserve Note (which we blindly accept as our dollar with no sound backings whatsoever) Congress had given their power to create money (Interest Free) with the backing of Gold (which is specificly in our Constitution) to the Federal Reserve which is in fact a Private Bank. It is said that those who control the money are by far a greater threat than standing armies. Yet, the Congress thought it to be in the best interests of the People they allegedly represent to give their Constitutional Powers of creating money to a Private Bank who charges interest to the paper they continually print without any sound backing. Our Dollar is on the verge of Collapsing. I ask to you, Congress, was it worth it?
The majority of Americans speak English as their Primary language but as a Nation we have NO Official Language...Why? Practically All Nations in this world have an Official Language they can call there own. Is having an Official Language that Americans can call our own really that offensive?
In 2005, our current President felt it was necessary to set up talks with the Mexican President and the Canadian Prime Minister, that meeting was and still is mostly secret. The talks consisted of the idea Sponsored by the CFR (Counsel on Foreign Relations) (I might also add at one time Dick Cheney was the Director of) That idea by the CFR and their so called independent task force is in a very well described pdf form found in their website www.cfr.org it's called, "The Building of a North American Community" Where it talks of open borders, a Super Hwy from Mexico to Canada (which can only be accomplished by Emminent Domain costing the American People hundred of thousands of acres, legally stolen from them by the Government who is supposed to serve them, the People) It talks of the Amero which will replace the US Dollar. It talks of mandating your children to learn in Highschool in addition to English but also French and Spanish. It talks of allowing Mexicans to freely come into America to work, It talks of securing the outer perimeters of North America while at the same time to leave the US's borders open and free. It ultimately, will have an unelected government that the United States will have to abide by. That doesn't sound like we're going to be an independent soveriegn nation, to me anyway. Why hasn't the Mainstream Media given it the coverage it deserves? Isn't this something that every American should know or needs to know?
Elections: We're going around the Globe to spread "Freedom & Democracy" We give stern warnings of other Nations to change their ways, to have free and fair elections. Do we have Free and Fair elections here? A lot would say we do, I'm not going to bother accusing of voter fraud here but I will say that the machines we use to vote with, which have been on many occasions proven to have many flaws, yet we continue to use them. They, for the most part, have no paper trails so if you challenge the results, what will be re-counted? The Mainstream Media isn't all that fair either. Rudy Guiliani was claimed at the beginning of the election cycle to claim the GOP Nomination. Where is Rudy now? Ron Paul had consistently beat Rudy in most of the states Primaries and Caucuses, Ron Paul trailed Rudy very closely in one of those first states, He had twice as many votes from the people up until Florida. Right up to the time Rudy officially dropped out of the race, Ron Paul holds 6 delegates to Rudy's 1. Yet the MSM still feels it's justified to "blackout" Ron Paul as well as the message. At one time, years ago, the Debates gave each candidate reasonable time to be heard on issues that matter. Today, that is not the case. CNN's last night debate didn't even speak too much on the issues that our nation is facing. Ron Paul is the only one to speak up agaist the "technicality" bickering between the 2 "front-runners" to stop and to start Debating Foreign Policy. I guess Foreign Policy is irrelevant to CNN and the "front-runners" as is the Constitution. This is a very sad time for America. Most Americans will admit on how biased the media is...Yet, they continue to allow themselves to blindly get brainwashed. America has become a Nation of 2 parties. Republicans and Democrats...They do disagree on a lot of issues and policies but one thing they agree on (pay attn to their actions and records and you will understand) is Big Government, Over Spending, a Military Industrial Complex, Corporations, and quietly they support a North American Union. Our congress have handed the powers over to a Private Bank as well as the Corporations. We are and have been well on our way to a Police State, a Corporist State and the events of 9/11 put the plans into high gear. What is to become the America we Love?
The MSM has aggressively pounded in the minds of Americans that Ron Paul is a "long shot". Is this a reason not to vote for the man who has principles, character, moral values, COMMON SENSE? Wasn't Ronald Reagan considered a "long shot"? Truly sad in America, when the MSM and the elite few use their powers to silent the one person who truly stands for Freedom, Liberty, Prosperity, Hope, and above all the Constitution of the United States of America.
I agree with Ron Paul, it's not "him" we are for, he's simply a messenger who bravely has stood up knowing the dangers if and when he succeeds with delivering the messege, which is a very simple message, The Constitution of the United States of America. Any right minded person would understand and agree that Ron Paul consistently through his 10 terms as a TX Congressman that he is strictly for the Constitution. So, why does the MSM consider Ron Paul "radical" I never thought the Constitution was "radical" Ron Paul is also the only person running for the Presidency that is talking about the issues we face as a nation. He's the only candidate that is offering the people True Solutions. He's the only one warning us if we don't change Directions we will collapse as nation. I realize the word "Change" is by far overly used in the campaigns of all but if you check the records and do your own homework and not rely on the MSM to do it for you...You will then Realize Ron Paul is the only one who is Truely offering Change to America. We, as Americans, are lazy and ignorant in regards to getting involved when it comes to our Political System. I don't really blame us though for becoming discouraged by the greed, control freaks, the consistency of lying to the American People, the Deceit, the manipulations and the list goes on and on of our elected officials who allegedly represent us and have been sworn to uphold the Constitution. I had hoped, us, Americans would jump at the chance to get behind the one person who is actually speaking the Truth to the Americans. The one person who shows his Love for his Country, Constitution, and We the People.
Ron Paul has shown his self to be Couragous to stand amongst those determined to eliminate him, to those who ignored him, to those he attempted to belittle and humiliate him publicly. We as the People must stand Beside Ron Paul in this time of trials for our Great Nation. We the People must not waver as Ron Paul has never wavered on his positions, messages, his honesty has always held on strong. We the People must remain Strong in our Support of the only candidate that is truely Presidential. We the People must NOT give in to the frustrations we all are feeling by the actions of the MSM and the elite few. They are Few. We are MANY. We must continue to spread the word not of Ron Paul but the Message of Freedom, Liberty, Prosperity, and the Constitution. This election is bigger and most Important that we ALL need to remain Strong and Continue Spreading the Word. We need to be Creative. The mission is to Wake the Sleeping Giant, the Majority of We the People. We are the Light. Let us Shine. Let's continue to Honor the one Person who truely deserves to be Honored, Ron Paul. Let's NOT give up Hope. Let's NOT give into the MSM or the Corporists. Let's NOT give into their hate and Propaganda and their voice against Freedom and Liberty.
Let's Shake our Nation until we WAKE THE SLEEPING GIANT. Let's Show the MSM We the People Will NOT Be Silenced. Let's show the elite few Who Truly has the Power, We the People! Let us Speak OUT! Let us come together as One Nation, United in speaking the Truth. This is a fight they brought against "We the People". Let us Show them that We the People will NO Longer accept their Lies, their Special Interests, their mouthpeice of a MSM. Let We the People be Heard. The Message of Freedom will NOT BE SILENCED IT WILL NOT DIE. Let's rattle their Cages and get the Sleeping Giant to Wake UP. The Time has come The Time is NOW. The Sleeping Giant must be Awoken. Speak Out Now!!! Let the Truth Lead the Way to Our FREEDOM which is Under ATTACK!!! We have been Invaded This is the Real War against America and it's bigger than any Terrorists could ever dream of, This War has been declared against the People domestically. I am calling for the Sleeping Giant to WAKE UP NOW!!! The Sleeping Giant is our Only Hope of Winning. Let's Make our Voices Heard!!!


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Support #770
Social background indicators/ parents education level
Hi Understanding Society Team,
I have a question about possible social background characteristics, particularly x_paedqf x_maedqf which ask for fathers and mothers highest education level. I was hoping to use this in my analysis, however the majority of responses appear to be inapplicable (35,000/50,000 in the first wave), and I cannot work out a reason for this.
Would you be able to help, or point me to a better indicator of background?
Thanks for your help,
Updated by Victoria Nolan almost 7 years ago
- Category set to Data analysis
- Status changed from New to In Progress
- Assignee set to Gundi Knies
- % Done changed from 0 to 10
- Private changed from Yes to No
Dear Natasha,
Many thanks for your enquiry, we are looking into it and will get back to you shortly.
Best wishes, Victoria
On behalf of the Understanding Society Data User Support Team
Updated by Gundi Knies almost 7 years ago
- Status changed from In Progress to Feedback
- Assignee changed from Gundi Knies to Natasha Codiroli Mcmaster
- Target version set to X M
- % Done changed from 10 to 100
Dear Natasha,
to better understand why information is not available (i.e. the data assume values of -11/-1) it is a good strategy to consult the universe information in the questionnaire. In this specific case you will see that the question module was carried in the first 6 months of wave 1 but had to be dropped, unfortunately, due to pressures on questionnaire time. The question was, however, included again in the wave 2 questionnaire.
Also note that we provide the data file XWAVEDAT which contains stable information that was collected from respondents in the different waves. Intitial conditions are included there (but you still need to check why information on this record is unavailable for some proportion of sample members).
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team 6 months ago
- Category changed from Data analysis to Questionnaire content


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As an organisation we build strong relationships with organisations and associations globally.
Some of these partnerships support our work across our three tiers of activity, others enable us to offer our members a better service or priority access/pricing to certain services.
EDM Publications
EDM are pleased to offer all members of EOG who already subscribe to any of their publications favourable upgrades for their multi-user and company-wide licenses as well as welcome and trial subscription offers for new subscribers to their titles; The Outdoor Industry Compass and Sporting Goods Intelligence Europe.
For more information, please contact:
Valerie Kriener
Phone: +49 (0)89 127 108 22
Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC)
The SAC is a global multi-stakeholder nonprofit alliance for the fashion industry.
Their mission is to transform business for exponential impact through groundbreaking tools, collaborative partnerships, and trusted leadership for industry sustainability with the vision of a global consumer goods industry that gives more than it takes — to the planet and its people.
The EOG are affiliate members of the SAC.
For more information, please contact:
SAC Contact page


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How To Use A Cheat Sheet
Select the size closest to the size of your nail
Apply your favorite Fly Funky Fresh base coat and/or polish color. If you are applying a full coverage nail decal, you'll only need to apply the base coat. Allow your nails to dry.
Place the decal in water for about 15 seconds. We recommend putting the decal in design down.
Remove with tweezers and slide off background. Place on a paper towel to absorb extra moisture for a couple of seconds.
Place decal and position on your nail. Use our sponge to smooth decal on your nail. If you don't have our sponge, use a paper towel to gently press the decal onto your nail.
Apply at least 2 top coats of clear polish to seal the decal.
To extend the wearing time apply another clear top coat in a few days.


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Sunset Swing – Map
Some of the name-tags in this map might give away plot points that happen later in the book. It's probably best to look at this after having read the book.
I've used Google Maps for the last few books to help me plan how the characters move around the city, and also to see what exists now, and what existed in the same location in the period when the books are set — this was much easier for Sunset Swing than the previous books because less time has elapsed between when the book is set and now, so less has changed.
Anyway, here's the map for Sunset Swing. I kept in all the locations which I considered using but didn't (tagged with 'unused', and all the stuff that I did use, but then subsequently took out of the book, tagged with 'deleted'. There are even a few journeys in there (whole chapters) which ended up coming out of the book.
The map looks much better in Google Maps, click the icon on the top right to view it there, or click the icon on the top left to see details of the pins…


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November 29, 2012
Trashing the dollhouse
by Sal Robinson
Readers imagine the world of a book, but some people go even farther — and no, I'm not talking about the Jane-ites.
Julia Callon, photographer, has a new project underway where she builds dioramas of rooms that feature in books such as The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights, and then photographs them: first, intact, with all their tiny Victorian tea sets in place, and then, ravaged, scorched, cut up, and flooded by the red Jell-O of the psyches of their female protagonists gone amuck.
For instance, see her shots for George Eliot's The Lifted Veil —before:
And after:
And Kate Chopin's The Awakening, before:
And après le deluge:
More of Callon's emotion-wracked rooms are viewable on her website, where she does not, alas, explain what a toasted white dollhouse sofa tastes like.
Her project offers many other satisfactions, of course, among them the idea of these great writers and Callon carefully building their small worlds and then just as carefully blowing them to pieces. And fixing the destruction in time, so that they can be re-experienced by anyone else who has, literally or metaphorically, ever wanted to burn the house down.
Sal Robinson is an editor at Melville House. She's also the co-founder of the Bridge Series, a reading series focused on translation.


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Elegance meets opulence in this classic Bandh gala - kurta suit. This dapper ensemble has a creta sherwani with clean lines layered with a white kurta and ivory pants that give it a swanky, sophisticated air.
This product will be shipped to you after 8-9 weeks from the date of order placed.
Enjoy exclusive access to new launches,
notes from the designers, style inspiration and more!


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Prenatal diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) by direct mutation detection in previously genotyped families from the aspects of CAH permits prenatal treatment of affected females. This spares the affected female the consequences of genital ambiguity, genital surgery, possible sex misassignment, and gender confusion. Here, we present a homozygous affected female fetus. The family also has a son affected by salt-losing type CAH. Genetic mutation analyses of 21-hydroxylase gene (CYP21A2) in the parents and their son were performed previously from the second pregnancy. Parents and their son (index case) harbored a Q318X mutation in the CYP21 gene encoding the steroid 21-hydroxylase enzyme. Dexamethasone was introduced at the sixth week of the second gestation. After 10 completed weeks, a chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was taken, followed by sex typing and CYP21A2 genotyping. The affected female fetus with the same mutation was confirmed and dexamethasone treatment was continued until term. A significant increase in weight gain and blood pressure was observed during the pregnancy. At the 34th week of gestation, a small gestational age (SGA) female baby with normal female genitalia was delivered. The diagnosis was confirmed postnatally by mutation analysis using peripheral blood sampling. The molecular study performed in this family allowed us to give prenatal treatment and to avoid the genital virilization of external genitalia of the affected female fetus. The medical treatment of CAH before birth is a rare example of the successful prevention of a major congenital malformation. However, there is still a need to collect more data concerning possible rare unfavorable effects of this therapy. Long-term follow-up of the safety of prenatal treatment is currently underway. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported Turkish case of prenatally diagnosed and treated
Anahtar Kelimeler : konjenital adrenal hiperplazi, prenatal tanı ve tedavi


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During summer season we conduct a series of rock climbing outings!!!
Rock climbing involves completing a given route on the rock walls or formations. It happens that on the same wall there are up to some dozen routes of various difficulty levels therefore novices as well as expert climbers will find the outings exciting and challenging.
Our instructors conduct three-hour outdoor classes teaching young climbers some rock climbing techniques.


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"Psychedelic electro-rock odyssey filled with throbbing synthesizers and psychological pondering" – Rolling Stone (on first single "All About Waiting")
"Dhani Harrison's solo debut is anything but a throwback." – Vulture
Dhani Harrison, whose first solo album IN///PARALLEL will be released on 6th October through BMG Records, released a new song today. 'Admiral of Upside Down' is the second single and last track from his forthcoming album.
Echoing influences from his time as a composer over the past few years, the music of IN///PARALLEL paints a cinematic soundscape.
In 'Admiral of Upside Down', the flourishing orchestral song has the motion of a never-ending cycle, emblematic of personal growth and evolution, which offers listeners a perspective into Harrison's own developments and introspective thoughts that he's explored while creating the album. In crafting this solo project, he's taken a deep dive into his own identity, and from that has emerged an audio experience of self-awareness.
Nov 30th – LA – The El Rey


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By Ward Heinrichs Esq., San Diego Employment Attorney
BIG BLEND RADIO INTERVIEW: Attorney Ward Heinrichs explains the latest AB5 amendments and exemption expansions to the ABC Independent Contractor Test. Listen / download the interview podcast on Spreaker.com, SoundCloud.com, YouTube.com or on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Before COVID-19, AB5 dominated most California employment law conversations. If you don't remember, AB5 ushered in the new ABC test used to determine who is, and who is not, an independent contractor. Various groups of workers did not like that AB5 forced them to be employees. In many of those cases, the workers actually made more money, and had greater flexibility, as independent contractors. Other workers suffered job losses because the businesses that used their services needed to consolidate its workforce to accommodate AB5. For instance, many freelance workers faced serious revenue loss and/or unemployment. To make matters worse, most of them would not qualify for state unemployment benefits.
In response to the above outcry, the governor signed legislation (AB 2257) on September 4, 2020, exempting more workers from AB5. It was emergency legislation, so it immediately took effect. The bottom line: Many more workers will continue to work as independent contractors.
The Business to Business exemption did not change much. The new law clarified some requirements and added public agencies and quasi-public corporations to the types of businesses that can apply for the exemption. More importantly, now a business providing services under a written agreement with another business may provide those services directly to customers of that other business if it meets certain requirements.
Referral agencies may now refer clients to more types of businesses than before. Of course, they must first meet the 11 requirements to qualify as referral agencies. Those requirements ensure that the referral agencies are truly independent businesses that refer clients to qualifying service providers.
Now referral agencies may refer customers to businesses that provide the following newly recognized services: graphic design, web design, photography, tutoring, consulting, youth sports coaching, caddying, wedding & event planning, other wedding and event services, yard cleanup, and interpreting services. Clients can be businesses looking for these services through a referral agency, but those businesses must seek services that they normally do not provide themselves or that are outside the usual course of their business. The client, not the service provider, must pay any referral service fee.
The new legislation expanded the definition of Professional Services and other specialized professions (¶ 2783 professions), to include: freelance writer, photojournalist, photographer, videographer, photo editor, digital content aggregator, content contributor, advisor, producer, narrator, cartographer, master classes taught by a specialized performer, registered forester, real estate appraiser, home inspector, translator, editor, copy editor, illustrator, newspaper cartoonist, licensed landscape architect, manufactured housing sales, competition judge, and amateur umpire and referee.
The Music Industry was granted many broad exemptions. Professions involved in creating, promoting, distributing, and recording musical compositions may now be exempt, including: artists, composers, proofers, producers, sound engineers, album photographers, etc. Think of professions that contribute to creating the music and getting it out to the public. Musicians and musical groups who perform single-engagement live performance events are also exempt, but they must perform in smaller venues and may not perform in a symphony, theme park, or musical theater production.
Non-musical, individual Performing Artists are also exempt when using their own creative material. The types of professions included in this exemption are: comedy, improv, stage magic, illusion, mime, spoken word, storytelling, and puppetry.
Single Engagement Events, not related to music or performing arts, can also be exempt from AB5. The business engaging in single engagement events must be an independent business that meets 8 requirements listed in AB5. "Single Engagement Event" means: a stand-alone non-recurring event in a single location, or a series of events in the same location no more than once a week.
All of the above exemptions have restrictions and requirements not addressed here. To learn about those, either review the AB 2257 language or ask an employment attorney!
Based in San Diego, California the Employment Law Office of Ward Heinrichs represents both employers and employees in almost all areas of labor law. He and his firm litigate cases that have been filed in many different parts of California. Visit www.BestEmploymentAttorneySanDiego.com


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Carrie Hull is an artist living and working in Vancouver Canada. She paints mostly with oils and sometimes acrylics and watercolour. She is also currently creating some small oil paintings mounted on reclaimed wood and metal stands, incorporating metal foils.
"As a child in England I always loved to draw and paint. I was obsessed with bright colours. When I arrived in Vancouver, Canada in 1991 I began making sculptural and practical papier mâché pieces which were painted in bright colours and patterns inspired by my surroundings. I then pursued a career in set decorating in film and television and had a family. The urge to create in one way or another has always been present and I always seem to be designing, building or making something. I began to paint in oils in 2014 and felt at home. My work is quite varied in theme but I especially love to paint interiors. My background in set decorating and my passion with interior design fuels this aspect of my work."
Copyright © 2023 carrie hull - All Rights Reserved.
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Why not simplify our work if we know how to do it?
Perhaps each of us tries to make the robot easier from time to time, no matter what sphere he is in. The skilled craftsman demonstrates his invention in the video – a double saw, with which you cut a piece of wood from both sides at once. Hats off, it'll definitely save him some time.


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LONDON: Saudi Arabia increased spending in the second quarter as the government boosted stimulus measures to spur growth.
The Finance Ministry reported a widening budget gap of about SR33.5 billion ($8.9 billion) for the period.
"A key positive trend is the pickup in capital expenditure, which points to some progress with investment activity and is likely to be in line with a wider trend," Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, told Bloomberg.
A weaker oil price is encouraging Gulf states to quicken economic reforms aimed at reducing reliance on hydrocarbons while boosting job-creating capital expenditure on major projects.
"The results reflect the progress made in the realization of developmental projects according to the Kingdom's 2030 Vision and confirm the efficiency of the financial and structural reforms implemented by the government," said Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
"These reforms include the diversification of government revenue sources by increasing non-oil revenues, reforming and developing the Public Financial Management to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of spending through many measures including the adoption of a government procurement system," added Al-Jadaan.
Social protection expenditures were increased in programs such as the Citizen Account Program along with Social Security, cost of living allowance and student rewards.


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Presented to the American Conference Institute Employment Law Superconference March 20, 2000.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Guidelines on religious discrimination, 29 C.F.R. 1605, states that when determining "whether or not a practice or belief is religious" under Title VII, the Commission "will define religious practices to include moral and ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views." The term "religious practice" includes observances as well as practices.
The fact that the claimant's views are not held by an "organized" religious group, or even a group, or the fact that the religious group in which a claimant asserts membership does not hold the particular view at issue, does not determine whether the claimant's belief is a religious belief. See EEOC v. Alliant Techsystems, Inc., 78 Fair Empl. Prac Cas. (BNA) 37 (W.D.VA. 1999). The beliefs need not be consistent or logical, but must be sincerely held. Id., 78 Fair Empl. Prac Cas. (BNA) at 41-42, and cases cited there (In Alliant, the claimant requested relief from union dues, alleging that his religious beliefs prevent him from belonging to any organization other than his church, although his church did not have a rule against union membership; cross motions for summary judgment decided against defendants). See also Cowan v. Strafford R-VI School District, 77 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1834 (8th Cir. 1999). (Teacher's contract was not renewed following complaint that she was disseminating New Age beliefs when she presented "magic rocks" to her second grade students; school district not entitled to relief from judgment or new trial when teacher's evidence was sufficient for reasonable jury to conclude that decision-makers were motivated by religious concerns towards teaching of New Ageism, and even where there was evidence that teacher's performance was otherwise poor.)
State law definitions regarding protection from religious bias may be based on different statutory language, and raise the possibility of results divergent from federal law. The case of Shuchter v. New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, 117 N.J. Super. 405 (App. Div. 1971), interpreted the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (N.J.S.A. 10:5-12) which referred to "creed" rather than "religion," but it was held that the Legislature intended that "creed" be limited to its principal meaning, that of religious belief. Accordingly, it would not include purely moral, philosophical, social, or political values or beliefs, as in the Shuchter case, which alleged discrimination against a pacifist organization. However, N.J. Attorney General Formal Opinion No. 17-1949 (March 28, 1949) offers potential protection, under the "creed" provision, for those who are agnostic or non-believers, as well as those affiliated with a particular faith.
Under federal law and EEOC Guidelines, the employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation for the employee's religious belief or practice so long as it does not cause the employer undue hardship in the conduct of its business. See Anosnia Board of Education v. Philbrook, 479 U.S. 60 (1986). Such accommodations could include rearranging the employee's schedule, permitting a voluntary "swap" of hours and assignments between employees, Smith v. Pyro Mining Co., 827 F.2d 1081 (6th Cir. 1987); or permitting a lateral assignment or change of job assignments. See Wright v. Runyon, 2 F.3d 214 (6th Cir. 1994)(employer may offer opportunity to bid on position which would not require plaintiff to work on the Sabbath). Where there is more than one alternative accommodation which would not cause the employer hardship, the employer (or labor organization) must offer the accommodation which has the least impact on the employee's opportunities, terms, conditions and privileges of employment under the EEOC Guidelines.
The most frequently encountered issue in this area is the conflict between work scheduling and the employee's Sabbath observance. Accommodation may involve operating with a reduced workforce during the Sabbath observance. See Protos v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., 797 F.2d 129 (3d Cir.), cert. denied 479 U.S. 972 (1986); Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, 432 U.S. 63 (1977). The cases of Protos and Hardison both involved plaintiffs who were members of the Worldwide Church of God, and who could not work from sundown on Saturday. Hardison examined the extent of the employer's obligation to accommodate the employee's religious practices and observances under Title VII. However, the United States Supreme Court has held that states are prohibited from enacting laws that require employers to provide employees with an absolute and unqualified right to abstain from work on their chosen Sabbath day, because to do so would be to advance a particular religious practice in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc., 472 U.S. 703 (1985).
The federal courts have adopted a relatively low standard for assessing "undue burden," and the employer is accordingly not required to incur overtime costs, violate a seniority system or require another employee to accept the shift or hours of the employee requesting the accommodation. See Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, 432 U.S. 63 (1977); Huston v. Auto Workers, Local 93, 559 F.2d. 477 (8th Cir. 1977); Turpen v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Co., 736 F.2d 1022 (5th Cir. 1984)(one and one-half hours is a reasonable amount of time for the employer to spend in considering the rescheduling of employees to accommodate a plaintiff); Eversley v. MBank Dallas, 843 F.2d 172 (5th Cir. 1988)(employer may offer a lower-paying job as an accommodation). The assessment of whether a particular accommodation causes undue hardship on either an employer or a union must be considered in the particular factual context of each case. Protos, supra, 797 F.2d at 134-135. In the Protos case, plaintiff's line production job was easily learned, the employer maintained a crew of roving absentee relief operators to fill absences in the line, and the employer was not obligated to pay overtime wages in order to fill plaintiff's Saturday absences, according to the Court of Appeals, which affirmed the district court's findings in favor of plaintiff.
A claim based on American Indian tribal affiliation may be national origin discrimination, since Indian tribes are still considered to be nations, and bias is based on place of origin. See, e.g., Dawavendewa v. Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement & Power District, 154 F.3d 1117 (9th Cir. 1998); but see, Alabama and Conshatta Tribes of Texas v. Big Sandy Independent School District, 817 F. Supp. 1319, 1329 (E.D. Tex. 1993)(Recognizing the "Native American Indian Movement" as a religion).
The employer is not required to accommodate a religious practice of the employee that does not require a specific time for performance. In the case of an employee who was discharged for taking unauthorized leave from her job during the employer's busy season to go on a pilgrimage, in order to make out a prima facie case, the Roman Catholic employee had to show that it was necessary, in accordance with her bona fide religious belief, to go on the pilgrimage at that particular time. Tiano v. Dillard Department Stores, Inc., 76 Fair Empl. Prac Cas. (BNA) 561 (9th Cir. 1998). In the Tiano case, the Court of Appeals reviewed de novo the determination of the district court that had found plaintiff credible and found that she had met her burden of establishing a prima facie case of religious discrimination. Plaintiff had testified that she had to undertake the pilgrimage in October, which fell during the employer's busy season. The record revealed that the plaintiff was a very productive sales person, that she was a devout Catholic, and that she had asked at least three supervisors in the chain of command for leave without pay to go on the pilgrimage. The Court of Appeals, in effect, substituted its judgment for that of the trial court, finding that plaintiff had a bona fide religious belief that she needed to make the pilgrimage, but no temporal mandate. Id., 76 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) at 563-64).
A. Hair Length and/or Style
The employment cases that litigate hair length or style as an expression of religious practice tend to arise from workplaces where the employer desires to standardize the appearance of its workforce, particularly those employees who interact with the general public, and thus "represent" the employer. See EEOC v. United Parcel Service, 94 F.3d 314 (7th Cir. 1996)(UPS had a strict policy that no employees with beards are to be assigned public contact positions; in this case, there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the employer's offer of jobs with no public contact to bearded applicants was a reasonable accommodation).
Many cases involve military, police or security services. See Geller v. Secretary of Defense, 423 F.Supp. 16 (D.D.C. 1976)(Jewish chaplain in the Air Force should be permitted to wear a beard in accordance with Jewish tradition because he was employed by the military specifically to serve in a religious capacity).
Appearance-regimented workplaces have been challenged to accept bearded employees on medical grounds under the American with Disabilities Act or state law handicap and disability provisions. See EEOC v. United Parcel Service, 860 F.2d 372, 373 (10th Cir. 1988)(The opinion noted that pseudo folliculitis barbae affects approximately 25% of the black male population, and that the treatment is to refrain from shaving. In this case, the UPS sought to maintain its bar against bearded employees in public contact jobs). In the case of Police, FOP, Newark Lodge No. 12 v. City of Newark, 170 F.3d 359 (3rd Cir. 1999), the police department's refusal to make religious exemptions from its no-beard policy for police officers, while it made exceptions on medical grounds as an accommodation under the ADA, violated officers' rights under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act, which also requires the same "reasonable accommodation" by employers for employees' religious beliefs. The police department had insufficient justification in "uniformity" under strict scrutiny standard for failing to grant exemption to male Sunni Muslims who were required by their religion to grow a beard. Id., see also Sadruddin v. City of Newark, 34 F. Supp. 2d 923 (D. N.J. 1999)(Muslim firefighter discharged for refusing to shave beard has made out a prima facie case of religious bias).
In the case of Robinson, the police officer asserted that his dreadlocks were an expression of his religion (Nazarite) and African-American culture. Robinson v. District of Columbia, 79 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1791 (D.C. Cir. 1999). Defendant's motion for summary judgment was granted in part, the court finding that the grooming order was a neutral regulation of general applicability which had been enforced against whites as well as other wearers of dreadlocks, who, as a result conformed their hairstyles to comply with requirements. At oral argument, plaintiff had conceded that the defendant had an interest in establishing a uniform image for police (Defendant's motion for summary judgment was denied as to the Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Association claims).
Wearing of a yarmulke may remain an issue only in the military. See Goldman v. Weinberger, 475 U.S. 503 (1986)(Air Force rule prohibiting wearing of yarmulke while on duty did not violate First Amendment or Title VII where required by the need for uniformity).
However, a turban, with its increased bulk, may present more occasions for conflict in a variety of jobs. In the case of Kalsi v. New York City Transit Authority, 62 F. Supp. 2d 745 (E.D.N.Y. 1999), a Sikh subway car inspector was discharged for refusing to wear a hardhat. No preferential treatment was established so as to support an inference of bias, where a Sikh maintenance supervisor who had never been an inspector was not required to wear a hardhat in his position and had been transferred to that position in order to accommodate his religious practice. The hardhat requirement safety-based, and the fact the employer enforced the safety footwear requirement less stringently than the hardhat requirement did not raise an inference of discrimination.
It is clear that unions have a duty to accommodate the religious practices of their memberships as well as employers under the language of Title VII. However, the presence of a union contract may complicate the establishment of a reasonable accommodation. That, however, does not absolve the employer of exploring accommodation with the union. See , e.g., Balint v. Carson City, NV, 180 F.3d 1047 (9th Cir. 1999)(Collective bargaining agreement was not complete defense to religious bias claim against prospective employer, where plaintiff, who was a member of the Worldwide Church of God, withdrew her application for employment when told that the employer would not accommodate her need to be off on Saturday. Employer may be obligated to explore accommodation by implementing split shift scheduling).
In the case of Rodriguez v. City of Chicago, 156 F.3d 771 (7th Cir. 1998), the City satisfied its duty to accommodate the belief against facilitating abortion, held by a Roman Catholic police officer, who was occasionally assigned to guard abortion clinics, by providing him with the opportunity under his collective bargaining agreement, to transfer with no reduction in pay or benefits to a comparable district that did not have an abortion clinic. This would eliminate conflict between the officer's beliefs and job duties; however, the City had no duty to accommodate the officer by placing him on his preferred assignment. The labor agreement provision that barred bias in transfers and assignments on the basis of religion did not render the City's accommodation unreasonable, because the officer was not forced to transfer.
Neither can the obligation to pay union dues be considered an absolute. For example, in the recent case of EEOC v. Alliant Techsystems, Inc., 78 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 37 (W.D. Va. 1999), the employer was confronted with an employee who genuinely felt that he could not pay union dues because he could not be a member of any organization other than his church. Believing that the source of the object was the political stance taken by the union on some issues funded by a portion of each members' dues, the employer and union permitted the plaintiff to donate that portion of his dues to a charity. However, on further challenge by the employee, the court found that the employer and union failed to show undue hardship in permitting an accommodation that would allow the employee to donate the full amount of his dues to charity in lieu of payment. Loss of one member's dues was found to be insignificant and a "mass movement" of other employees for the same benefit was unlikely.
Sexual orientation tolerance may provide a justifiable reason for an employment decision by a religious entity. Hall v. Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp, 27 F.Supp. 1029 (W.D. Tenn. 1999). In that case, the court granted summary judgment in favor of the religious-based employer that discharged an employee whose job included interpretation of institutional policy and work with student outreach and ministry groups, and who became an ordained minister of a church that publicly supported homosexuals. The court found that the employee's position as a minister of her sect conflicted with her job for her employer, because support for homosexuals conflicted with the employers organization's beliefs which considered homosexuality to be a sin. The court also engaged in an examination of whether the employer was an entity entitled to the protection of the religious exemption of Title VII.
Also of interest in the Hall case was plaintiff's argument that the employer had waived the Title VII exemption for religious entities by its advertisements and declarations in various institutional publications, including the employee handbook and policy and procedure manual, that it was an equal opportunity employer. 27 F. Supp. 2d at 1037. However, the court found that the Title VII exemption was not a privilege that could be waived, but rather an expression of Congress to protect the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment to the United State Constitution, in order to minimize governmental intrusion upon religious organizations. Id. See also Little v. Wuerl, 929 F.2d (3d Cir. 1991)(Married Protestant teacher's contract not renewed by parish parochial school after her remarriage, subsequent to a divorce; summary judgment granted to the parish school because application of Title VII's prohibition against religious discrimination is constitutionally suspect; the parish did not waive the exemption by hiring a Protestant; the exemption was not waivable.); Maguire v. Marquette University, 627 F. Supp. 1488 (E.D. Wisconsin. 1986)("The Court is troubled by the fact that both parties seem to agree that this Court should have something to say about plaintiff's eligibility to teach in Marquette's theology department…[but] Title VII and the First Amendment…preclude this Court from assuming jurisdiction of the subject matter of this action.').
However, it is not universally true that state law protections for religious organizations will be equivalent to those enjoyed under federal law. See Ward v. Hengle, 124 Ohio App. 3d 396, 706 N.E. 2d 392, 76 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 36 (Ohio App. 1998)(Parish priest, church and Roman Catholic diocese was not exempt from suit under Ohio anti-bias statue for alleged religious bias; church failed to show undue hardship in any effort to accommodate employee who considered himself a monk, but whose order was not formally recognized by the Roman Catholic church. The employee was not in the public eye, and wearing of monk's garb did not interfere with his work.)
The issue raised in one case arising out of the Eastern District of New York is an interesting one. Bennett v. County of Suffolk, 78 Fair. Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1536 (E.D.N.Y. 1999). In Bennett, the court denied cross motions for summary judgment on the basis that factual issues existed as to whether certain questions on a pre-employment psychological test were, in effect, used as a religious screening tool. Plaintiff, who had applied for a police job in which he would be responsible for a firearm, had passed the civil service exam, but failed to pass the psychological test. Plaintiff asserted that his responses on the psychological test expressed his religious beliefs and were unnecessary in evaluating him for a position in law enforcement. The court found that the issue was "factually loaded," that it could not rule that the disputed questions were per se unconstitutional, and that whether the questions had a rational and legitimate basis for determining the qualifications of a potential police officer was contested by the opposing experts. Id., 78 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) at 1538.
The reported cases involving religious-based workplace harassment are not common. In the case of Ngeunjuntr v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 146 F.3d 464 (7th Cir. 1998), a salesman failed to make out a prima facie case of hostile environment workplace harassment based on his Thai origin and Buddhist religion where three comments over a seven-year period by supervisors were not viewed by the court as sufficiently harsh to support a claim. In addition, there were no adverse job consequences and the salesman had a long-standing history of poor performance and disruptive behavior which explained the irritation of his supervisors. Id., 146 F.3d at 466-467.
In Heitzman v. Monmouth County, 321 N.J. Super. 133 (App. Div. 1999), another recent case applying the theory of hostile work environment, the court found that sporadic, casual anti-Semitic remarks of a non-supervisory employee to the plaintiff, a Jewish co-worker, were not so severe or pervasive that a reasonable person of Jewish ancestry would believe that his conditions of employment were so altered as to give rise to liability under the applicable anti-discrimination law. The Jewish employee had never complained about the anti-Semitic comments, although he had a history of complaining frequently about second-hand smoke, thus undermining his complaint. Compare Taylor v. Metzger, 152 N.J. 490 (1998), a race discrimination case, where the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the single incident of harassing conduct evidenced in this suit was sufficient to create a hostile work environment under state law. 152 N.J. at 508 (Summary judgment for employer denied where a racial epithet was uttered by county sheriff to African American under-sheriff in the presence of another supervising officer.)
Copyright © 2000 Wong Fleming, P.C.


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Schwarzenegger Nominates Conservationist to Fishery Council
Kate Wing Appointment Would Bring Balance and Public Voice to Table, Says NRDC
SAN FRANCISCO (March 31, 2004) - An ocean policy analyst with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) could become the first conservationist ever appointed to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), the quasi-governmental body that oversees fishing off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. Kate Wing is one of six names submitted this month by Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for consideration by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Conservationists say Wing's appointment would bring critically important balance to the council, which traditionally has been dominated by commercial fishing interests. "Fish are more than money," said Wing. "They're part of a living marine system, which we need to manage sustainably. If appointed, I will work to ensure a healthy ocean and fish for the future."
The PFMC sets the total allowable catch each year for sardines, groundfish, tunas, sharks and other fish. It sets other regulations and allocates the catch among commercial and recreational fishermen. The system has come under fire because fishing industry members dominate the PFMC and the nation's other fishery councils. At the same time, many types of fish have dramatically dropped. The Pacific groundfish fishery is considered to be in a state of collapse.
Last year, the independent Pew Oceans Commission released the first comprehensive evaluation of U.S. ocean policy in more than 30 years. It recommended more balanced representation on the fishery councils and separating decisions about allocation from total catch. Another high level commission, The U.S. Oceans Commission, appointed by the president and members of Congress, is expected to make similar recommendations next month.
"It would be an honor to bring a voice of conservation to the council," said Wing.
Secretary of Commerce Don Evans will announce final appointments by June 27. He will consider nominations by the governors of California, Oregon and Washington. There are a total of eight appointed seats on the council, who serve three-year terms.
Wing has a master's degree in marine policy from the University of Washington. She served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee for Oceans and Fisheries under Sens. John McCain and Olympia Snowe. Currently a member of the PFMC's advisory group on highly migratory species, she has worked on management of many of California's fisheries, including squid, abalone, and nearshore finfish. She also works on Pacific groundfish.


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Dudley has spent over 40 years in the insurance industry, specialising in the loss adjustment of energy related claims. Throughout his career, he has handled on behalf of Lloyd's and international Insurers many of the largest losses ever to hit the insurance markets.
Dudley has been instrumental in the start-up of a number of successful companies, both in the UK and North America, most notably:
Founder and Managing Director of Bateman Chapman Limited which, at the time of its sale, was one of the largest and most qualified international loss adjusting groups, comprising 12 offices worldwide.
Founder and former CEO of Lloyd Warwick International Limited, a specialist loss adjusting firm based in the City of London and currently having 23 offices worldwide. Dudley continues to act as consultant for LWI on technically complex claims.
Dudley is also an independent, qualified CEDR registered mediator and arbitrator to the insurance industry.
He has successfully assisted in resolving a number of high profile disputes between policyholders and insurers as well as conducting mediations wholly unassociated with energy or insurance issues.
Residing in Oxfordshire, Dudley is a passionate and successful leader committed to guiding Forecast Technology to success.


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Early last month, a team of journalists from the Danish Broadcasting Corp. visited Qatar to film a documentary about the country's preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. When they arrived at the Labor City housing project with their cameras, they were arrested by Qatari officials and taken away to a police station for a day of intense questioning.
In an opinion piece recently published by the Danish Broadcasting Corp. and shared here with permission, director and presenter Niels Borchert Holm recounts the experience.
We have only just reached Labor City when the white SUV pulls up behind us. The driver, wearing a thobe and aviator sunglasses, gets out and angrily tells us to stop filming. Having called his superior to the scene, he collects our passports and orders us to follow them to the police station.
We were in Doha to record a documentary for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR2, about FIFA's controversial choice of Qatar as host of the 2022 football World Cup.
After a brief drive, we arrive at a nondescript three-story building. The courtyard is lined with a row of SUVs, a shiny blue and gray Rolls-Royce parked in the middle.
We are led into an office with a third man, also in a thobe, behind his desk. A series of rapid fire questions follows: Who are you, what are you doing here, where is your permission?
Accused of trespass
We explain what is all true: That we're journalists from the Danish Broadcasting Corp., on our way to film GULF Contracting Company laborers prepare for the Workers Cup final; that we've received permission to record from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the tournament organizers, and the coach of the team in question; that we've informed the Government Communications Office and PR-company Portland (Communication) of our plans.
The man behind the desk, who until now has only addressed his colleagues, replies in English: "You are at the police station. Don't be afraid. We are doing this for the safety of our country. People cannot come and film here without permission. You have been trespassing."
It turns out our permissions are not sufficient. Now our cell phones are taken, too. We're brought outside again, where we sign a document allowing our car to be searched.
After this we are separated and put into different rooms of the police station, with no explanation of what is to come. Through windows we can see the Grand Mall just outside of Labor City, which houses around 40,000 workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, India and numerous African countries.
The austere conditions of migrant workers have become Qatar's publicity Achilles heel, and it is what brought us to the country. It was our intention to cover the Workers Cup final and have a chance to speak with the people on whose backs the World Cup is being built.
'Confessions' in Arabic
That plan now seems somewhat naïve and not likely to pan out. After four hours of detention, it's well past noon, and no one will tell us what is going on. What is our offense? Are there any charges against us? Will we be released soon?
Repeated requests that the policemen identify themselves are ignored; they are from the Criminal Investigations Department, they say. Can we have a copy of the legal documents, all of which are in Arabic, that we're made to sign? "Sorry, no," they reply.
The arresting officer returns carrying documents. These are your confessions, he says.
What? Confessions of what? Claiming to be translating, he reads aloud: "I have been filming in Qatar without a permission, and I have been trespassing." We sign and leave our inked fingerprints on the documents.
By this time, we've given up on claiming legal rights.
The reason given for our arrest – that we had permissions in the form of emails rather than printed copies – seems completely arbitrary, a pretense to detain and interrogate us.
It no longer feels conspiratorial to suspect a set-up: We had informed everyone and anyone of our plans to be here this morning, and the policeman was ready the second we entered the area.
Anonymous interrogators
Late in the afternoon we take turns in another round of interrogations. Four new men have arrived, and the interrogator does nothing to hide that his interest is different from simple police issues.
"Who paid you to come to Qatar? Why do you want to record the Workers Cup final? What is the message of your documentary?" We repeat that we want to depict the love of football among Qatar's many workers.
Our answers don't impress him, and he goes one step further, demanding names and information of people we've met with and recorded.
Again we ask about the identity of the interrogators. We represent the Ministry of Interior, that's all you need to know, he replied.
Absurdly, the conversation then turns to journalistic standards and ethics.
Why are the media so critical of Qatar, he asks us. Why don't journalists tell the positive stories? Well, one is tempted to reply, let's start with this situation. Detaining journalists for days is hardly the way to achieve better coverage.
In the end, we're made to handwrite a statement: I will not record interviews with workers, or film stadiums under construction in Qatar without government permission. Resigned, we sign and thumb-stamp another meaningless document.
Oh, just one more thing: the memory cards containing our recordings from that morning. "The Ministry of Interior" has decided to keep those.
Another period of waiting ensues. We're in our tenth hour inside the police station. Our anxiety over the outcome keeps growing. If the goal of the day was to scare us, well, then mission accomplished.
Most likely, we think, we'll get to spend the night in a cell. But then we're gathered in the entry hall and brought back into the office of the police chief. The quartet from "the Ministry of Interior" has gone, leaving only the arresting officer to deal with us.
Flight home
"You'll be free to go in a moment," he says. "Next time, you should really be more careful. We're doing this to protect you." He returns our passports and cell phones and follows us to our car, smiling.
Out in the street, we're confused. What just happened? It's evening and we drive back to our hotel. We buy tickets for the first morning flight out and pack our bags.
In the middle of the night we check out and go the airport, wary of being followed and concerned about whether we will get to leave the country. Is this now over?
Of course it is, everything went according to plan. Another crew of journalists goes home without evidence of how workers are treated in Qatar, and they're not likely to return.
Key questions
Having reflected on this experience, we have just a few simple questions for the Qatari authorities.
What is so important to hide about workers' living and working conditions that it is better to jail and interrogate journalists, to confiscate their work?
And looking forward, what do you intend to do? Next time, you'll be dealing with more than a small Danish film crew. If all goes according to plan, you'll be welcoming thousands of journalists for the World Cup in six years.
What will you do then, lock up all ungrateful journalists? Or will the people who built your stadiums and infrastructure be put away?
Editor's note:
Niels Borchert Holm is not the first foreign journalist to be apprehended in Qatar in recent times.
Last year, BBC journalists were arrested by Criminal Investigations Division (CID) officials in Doha's Industrial Area. They were released without charge, but their equipment was seized and not returned.
A few months before that, German broadcast journalist Florian Bauer was also detained by police in Qatar. He was accused of filming without a permit. It took more than three weeks for his cellphone, laptop and external hard drive to be returned to him in Germany. His laptop had been damaged and his electronic devices had had their memories wiped, he said.
Bauer said Qatar state media authorities apologized for his ordeal and offered to pay for his hotel room and flight home, but he declined.
Holm, meanwhile, told Doha News that he received a phone call from Qatar's Government Communications Office after his release inviting him to a meeting the next day, but he chose not to attend and has not spoken to local officials since.


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As a fan of Group of 5 football, Underdog Dynasty wants Scott Frost to stay at UCF. And for us fans, the best way to show that support is to wear our emotions on our, well, t-shirt.
After Nebraska fans showed up to Orlando to try and convince Frost that he should go to Lincoln, Underdog Dynasty and BreakingT decided to come together and have UCF fans show Frost why he should stay in Orlando.
The "Stay Frosty" t-shirt is for keeping Frost in Orlando, while also paying tribute to the epic special teams unit celebration this past Saturday when Matthew Wright, Caleb Perez, and Mac Loudermilk shotgunned imaginary beers after Wright's made field goal.
You can get your hands on one of these t-shirts to show off your UCF pride and love for beer, by purchasing one here. They cost $25 for sizes small through XL, $26 for 2XL, and $27 for 3XL. The shirt is a blend of 60% cotton and 40% polyester, and are screened and printed in the US.


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2 Jun 2015
God's sense of humor
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Tobit 2:9-14
On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead, I, Tobit, went into my courtyard to sleep next to the courtyard wall; and my face was uncovered because of the heat. I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall; their fresh droppings fell into my eyes and produced white films. I went to physicians to be healed, but the more they treated me with ointments the more my vision was obscured by the white films, until I became completely blind. For four years I remained unable to see. All my kindred were sorry for me, and Ahikar took care of me for two years before he went to Elymais.
 At that time, also, my wife Anna earned money at women's work. She used to send what she made to the owners and they would pay wages to her. One day, the seventh of Dystrus, when she cut off a piece she had woven and sent it to the owners, they paid her full wages and also gave her a young goat for a meal. When she returned to me, the goat began to bleat. So I called her and said, "Where did you get this goat? It is surely not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for we have no right to eat anything stolen.†But she said to me, "It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages.†But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners. I became flushed with anger against her over this. Then she replied to me, "Where are your acts of charity? Where are your righteous deeds? These things are known about you!â€
Mark 12:13-17
They sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?†But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.†And they brought one. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?†They answered, "The emperor's.†Jesus said to them, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's.†And they were utterly amazed at him.
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


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The scheme will strive to boost high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower that can venture into research careers
Providing a thrust to high-end scientific research; a platform for research internships and capacity-building programs; preparing scientific manpower — these are some objectives of 'Accelerate Vigyan' (AV) launched by the Union government's Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).
The scheme aims to initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and giving hands-on workshops on a national scale.
"The vision is to expand the research base with three broad goals: consolidation / aggregation of all scientific programmes; initiating high-end orientation workshops; and creating opportunities for research internships for those who do not have access to such resources," said Rajeev Mehajan, advisor, SERB.
The institution is also planning to launch an app in about two months. Accelerate Vigyan has already starting calling applications under its 'ABHYAAS' component for the winter season.
ABHYAAS is an attempt to boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential post-graduate / PhD students by developing their research skills in select areas.
It has two components: High-end workshops ('KARYASHALA') and research internships ('VRITIKA'). This is especially important for those who have limited opportunities to access such learning capacities / infrastructure.
The current call for applications invites researchers for the winter season (December 2020-January 2021) 'KARYASHALA' and 'VRITIKA'.
"There is a plan to organise about 1,000 high-end workshops (dedicated to certain themes) to provide opportunities to about 25,000 postgraduate and doctoral students in the next five years, in collaboration with premier scientific institutions and laboratories," said Mehajan.
Central coordination of internships in these institutions will provide opportunity to another 1,000 potential postgraduate students every year.
"There is very less talk about safe lab practices in the country under this programme. We want to address that," added Mehajan.
The Union government scheme will work on mission mode, particularly with respect to its component dealing with consolidation / aggregation of all major scientific events in the country. An inter-ministerial overseeing committee involving all scientific ministries / departments and a few others has been constituted to support SERB in implementing the scheme.
The database of skilled manpower developed across different disciplines so generated and the final outcomes captured in the process through all sub-components of the scheme will serve the cause of all stakeholders in respect of capacity building in the country.
The scheme also seeks to garner social responsibility of the scientific community in the country.
Another component under AV is 'SAMMOHAN', which has been sub-divided into 'SAYONJIKA' and 'SANGOSHTI'. Sayonjika is an open-ended programme to catalogue capacity building activities in science and technology supported by all government funding agencies in the country. Sangoshti is a pre-existing program of SERB. India Science Wire
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As Capcom announced, the next Resident Evil showcase will take place next month. The Japanese company has promised impressions and details of upcoming projects such as Resident Evil Village or Resident Evil Re:Verse.
Resident Evil Village New Showcase in April 2021
In a few weeks, two new titles of the popular horror series will appear with Resident Evil Village on the one hand and the multiplayer title Resident Evil Re:Verse on the other hand.
As Capcom announced today, another Resident Evil showcase will take place next month, which will be used to provide players with fresh details and impressions of Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil Re:Verse. However, Capcom was just as unable to elicit specific details as a specific date for the said showcase.
One of the topics covered in the Resident Evil showcase is the recently announced Resident Evil Re:Verse open beta. This will take place from April 7 at 11:00 p.m. PT / April 8 at 2:00 a.m. ET on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and will be used, among other things, to collect feedback from players on possible improvements in the final version.
Resident Evil Re:Verse will appear parallel to the release of Resident Evil Village on May 7, 2021, and can be downloaded and played by buyers of Village at no additional cost. The PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 versions of the game will be supplied.


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region, Germany
Learn about this topic in these articles:
section of Eifel
- In Eifel
…three sections: Schneifel or Schnee-Eifel, Hocheifel, and Voreifel. In the Schneifel (German: "Snow Eifel"), near the Belgian frontier, scrub and forest are common, with cultivation only on the richer soils. The Hocheifel ("High Eifel"), which includes the highest point in the plateau, Hohe Acht (2,451 feet [747 metres]), is a…
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Washington: Canadian singer-songwriters Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber's 'Monster', one of the biggest musical collaboration, will be out on the night of November 20 (local time) and their fans cannot keep calm!
The two pop stars wrote the song with Daniel Caeser, Frank Dukes, and Mustafa, the Poet. 'Monster' marks the first time the two musicians have worked together, according to People. Both have previously hinted that they would be open to working together.
The 'Holy' singer and 'Senorita' star have been very active on the photo-sharing platform since the news has released. The collaborative project, 'Monster' would be released tonight (local time), according to the announcements.
The recent, post shared by Mendes, has gained more than one million views within a few hours in which he has announced that the song would be released on The night of November 20. He wrote,
Fans started flooding the comments section to show how excited they are about the same.
The new single by Mendes and Beiber comes as part of the former's soon-to-be-released album 'Wonder'.


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With 2015 being the 30-year anniversary of essential classics from Slayer, Sodom, Destruction, Bathory, Celtic Frost and other bands, we've decided to take a deeper look at the raw, creative spirit that forged black metal, death metal and other styles in the mid-1980s. Check out our "Origins of Evil" playlist on Spotify!
We tend to think of subgenres like death metal, black metal and grindcore as separate entities. In some cases, especially with death metal and black metal, the genres came to clash with one another, much like how hardcore punk and thrash metal had a decade earlier. But the different varieties of extreme metal have a common point of origin in the fast, abrasive sounds of the mid-1980s. Inspired by the ferocity of punk, the aggression of early thrash and the wicked aesthetic of bands like Venom and Mercyful Fate, a group of bands released several crucial albums between 1983 and 1987 that would craft the building blocks of distinct extreme metal sub-genres. In formal terms, one could call this sound "early extreme metal," but for shorthand, think of it as "The 85' Sound," as many of the perfect examples of this music emerged in 1985. It's worth exploring this time for a sense of perspective as metal enthusiasts, but also for the simpler purpose of finding some solid, ferocious metal.
Core Elements
For extreme metal to exist, there are a few things that had to come first. Obviously there is the foundation laid by bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, the common points of origin for most heavy metal. But it's with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) that the lineage begins to get tricky. Most metal bands acknowledge Iron Maiden and Motorhead as crucial to the development of thrash or "speed" metal. But it's Newcastle's Venom who brought the evil aesthetic: the pentagrams, the skulls and an obsession with the occult.
But it took more than visuals to make the music "extreme" – there was also an ideological shift, albeit one that was tongue-in-cheek. Whereas metal bands had long talked about hell, evil and the devil, it was Venom who shifted the lyrics to actually personify those themes. So instead of Black Sabbath's protagonist who asks "What is this, that stands before me? Figure in black, which points at me!" – we're told "I'm in league with Satan, I was raised in hell, I walk the streets of Salem, Amongst the living dead." Though these lyrics sound cartoonish now, they actually present a unique challenge to the listener. No longer can you identify as the frightened every-man in the corner, no: if you want to sing along, your voice is now that of the evil one. You are the "big, black shape with eyes of fire."
But the sound mattered quite a bit too, particularly the introduction of Cronos' harsher vocals, as the following clip from Metal Evolution describes:
Still, as with Motorhead, there is a groove to Venom's music that anchors it in pure heavy metal, without totally breaking the dissonance threshold to "extreme" metal. You still needed the spark of punk to help propel the speed and attitude of the music. Without Discharge, The Exploited, Amebix and the whole set of American hardcore punk bands, extreme metal would be missing the speed and song structure we've grown accustomed to. Discharge in particular brought a level of grit and sludge to their guitar distortion that was previously unheard of, especially on albums like Why and Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing. As Daniel Ekeroth notes in Swedish Death Metal:
Even though there were times of fiendish and narrow-minded hostility between the metal scene and the punk scene, there are of course broad similarities between the two genres. The speed, the distortion, the heaviness, and the aggression…Nobody remotely sensible can deny that the punk movement is where music originally started to get really fast and aggressive. Bands like Discharge and Black Flag were the most violent acts in the world in the late 70's and early 80's. When metal music started to get more brutal, it took aggression and speed from punk
And it was in Sweden that crust-punk bands like Anti-Cimex, Mob 47 and Asocial formed the scene that would later spawn Merciless and Nihilist, and thus the rest of the Swedish death metal scene. It the nascent days of Swedish death metal, with no real metal scene to turn to, the thrash and early death metal bands depended on the punk scene for gigs and support.
But back to the metal side of things, Mercyful Fate took the occult aesthetic (including corpsepaint) and introduced a level of drama and grandeur that would inspire generations of black metal bands to come. Metallica deserves a brief nod as well, especially for helping to spur on the tape-trading scene with 1982's No Life till' Leather and for being a beacon for metal on a grand scale. The tape-trading scene's part in the history of extreme metal simply cannot be overstated. Without the global network of traders and collectors (and fanzines), metal's talons would never have spread as far as they did. But the extreme metal visionaries didn't only listen to metal and punk. Post-punk and early goth bands like Christian Death, Killing Joke and Joy Division made an impact as well, and not just in terms of eyeliner.
By 1983, a new crop of bands from several scenes began to form, play gigs and record demos, blending the influences described above into something fascinating, fresh and violent.
The Sound, the Look and Subject Matter
If original heavy metal represents a distancing from rock's ties to the blues and various forms of pop music, then extreme metal is the complete, blood-drenched divorce (later styles like sludge and stoner metal notwithstanding). And with extreme metal, there is an inescapable air of violence, evil and chaos surrounding every note – something you don't get as much of with other metal bands.
There are several elements the bands described here share in common, even with their different origins in the United States, Brazil, Germany and elsewhere, along with with the more distinguishable sounds associated with their later careers:
- Fast, almost frantic drumming
- Loud, heavily-distorted guitars with the use of notes at "evil" or dissonant-sounding intervals
- Yelled or shrieked vocals with lots of reverb (to give it that dungeon-like demonic sound)
- Perhaps some overdriven bass
- You feel like they kind-of, sort-of don't know what they're doing, but it somehow comes together
And like Venom, they did not just talk about the devil, they dared to take his side and bring the listener into his world. It's as if while reading Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost or Faust, the work suddenly turns on the reader and makes the devil the protagonist. And it's through this imagery and extremity that the music gets its character, along with the increased reliance on the guitar (not the vocals) to play they key narrative role.
This also fed into the look – upside-down crosses, eyeliner and early corpsepaint, spikes, studs, bullet belts and all-black clothing – and made it into a uniform.
In one sense, this is all a bit ridiculous and over-the-top – why take things so far? Because it's precisely this willingness to push further into the darkness that makes the music so timeless. When you listen to more orthodox thrash like Exodus, Nuclear Assault and Testament, the power and ferocity of the music is undeniable, but the subject matter and the style is unavoidably tied up with the 1980s and the last gasps of the Cold War. Though the threat hasn't completely disappeared, the world is significantly less likely to perish in a thermonuclear exchange than it was 30 years ago. This keeps peak-era thrash somewhat stuck in time, making it difficult to bring back without the aura of nostalgia (see: the ~2007-2011 neo-thrash movement).
But due to their place in myth, legend and metaphysics – the mystical and occult themes of extreme metal can more easily transcend time and place. And because there's the air of fear, hatred, foreboding and the conflict between good and evil, it allows the music to be taken (at least somewhat) more seriously than the fantastical output of power metal and pagan metal. It's the combination of these themes, plus the bewildering aggression of the music, that's allowed eventual offspring such as black metal and death metal to live on, evolve further and absorb innumerable other styles in the process.
The Bands and Key Records
Though Sodom would be the first band to release a demo (Witching Metal in 1982), Hellhammer is arguably the first band to take metal on the dark path and get noticed. Not that they were well-received of course. In fact, they were absolutely brutalized in the music press, so much so that the band's progenitors Thomas Gabriel "Warrior" and Martin Erin Ann renamed the band Celtic Frost only a couple years into their career. Still, the band's few releases would prove influential once the sting of critical scorn wore off (there's even a modern band called Apokalyptic Raids, named after one of Hellhammer's EPs). And it makes perfect sense, as Warrior and company began to take the harsh vocals and dissonant arrangements and pick up where Venom had left off. The chord progressions on albums like Morbid Tales sound weird and perhaps improvised (or even pulled together by mistake), but this willingness to experiment and wrap strange sounds together would help frame the contours of extreme metal to come.
While bands like Slayer, Sepultura, Sodom, Destruction and Kreator are known as masters of straightforward thrash metal, each band's origins are inextricably linked to the history of black metal. When you listen to songs like Slayer's "Black Magic" or Sodom's "Deathlike Silence," you hear some hidden shades and hints of what would appear later in places like Norway, Greece and elsewhere. But this was in many ways unintentional, a consequence of the equipment available to the fledgling bands at the time, along with their still-developing musical skills. But what the bands lacked in surgical precision, they more than made up for in darkness and barbarity. Compare for instance, Sepulura's raw, demonic Morbid Visions to their more-refined and precise death/thrash-attack on Arise. In the first case, there are moments where you feel Max and Igor just cobbled together whatever came naturally sounded evil. In the second, the band that knew exactly what it was doing. But where Arise is impressive because of its organization, Morbid Visions holds up for the opposite reason: it's fantastic because it's so chaotic.
Slayer of course were more refined from the very beginning. And there's a very apparent shift from Show no Mercy to Hell Awaits. Show no Mercy still has a Venom-like swagger to it, with chord progressions that could easily have made it on to a Judas Priest album without anyone noticing. But once you pass through Haunting the Chapel to Hell Awaits, the band had truly come into its own, stripping out the more melodic tendencies for a frightening and dissonant sound perfectly suited its subject-matter. And though the band had ditched the eyeliner rather early, the band still had an occult-fixation that separated it from other LA and Bay Area thrash bands.
In his interview for Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult, Darkthrone's Fenriz described his impressions of these bands' early works, and how he knew there was something different about them:
as a kid I was thinking, Hmmm this is strange thrash
It's about extraction; you almost have to search for the black metal in the albums. That was when it was interesting, it was not labeled, you had to find it for yourself
Likewise, it's only in retrospect that I can really pull these bands together into a style, but the commonalities are undeniable. And at the time, it was thought of as part of the wider underground metal ecosystem, rather than a separate, unified movement that everyone knew about.
And his remark about "strange thrash" perfectly describes a band like Possessed. Are they the first death metal band? Or are they just really, really harsh, evil-sounding thrash? Indeed, the band straddles the edge of both musical continents, but it's quite possible that death metal would not have developed the way it did without Possessed. In Choosing Death, Albert Mudrian describes the importance of the band's debut album:
In 1984, Possessed signed a recording contract with the fledgling Combat Records label, and a year later set out to Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, California to record their debut LP, Seven Churches.
The results was an overly and violent thrash-paced album, which was the first proper LP to feature what would become the standard growling death metal vocals for the genre.
Again, there are some weird, chaotic moments on songs like "Burning in Hell" and "The Exorcist," particularly with the drums. But it's this chaos that produced the atmosphere essential to classic death metal. Thrash became very formulaic very quickly. A band who wanted to stand out had to do some weird things, while still maintaining the same level of aggression. And while many bands would perfect this style after Seven Churches, this first instance of death metal's stylistic hallmarks has a purity that only comes once.
Speaking of purity, any discussion about metal in the mid-1980s has to include Sweden's Bathory. To quote Daniel Ekeroth again, this time speaking about Bathory's development between their first and second albums,
There were no fixed death metal or black metal genres at this point, just an unlabeled corpus of new, violent music
By this point Quorthon had realized that an extreme "scene" had evolved around bands like Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Sodom, and he knew he had to compete. So Bathory went beyond them all.
Few albums typify this essential period of extreme metal's development better than Bathory's The Return of Darkness and Evil. Like Show No Mercy, Bathory's self-titled debut was rooted in the NWOBHM and the sound of bands like Motorhread and Venom (though Quorthon always denied any devotion to them). But the album also contained a sneak preview of what was to come in songs like "Raise the Dead" which sounds like an early ancestor of "Call From the Grave" (from In the Sign of the Black Mark), and there's an ugliness to the production and vocals that prefaces albums like Worship Him and Under a Funeral Moon. But the second album shows a clear progression and maturation of this sound into more brutal territory. Where you could say the first album still "rocked" in a black metal sort of way, The Return… simply burns, rips and tears through songs like "Total Destruction," "The Winds of Mayhem" and "Reap of Evil."
And when you think of burning, ripping and tearing, the round of Brazilian bands that came around the same time as Sepultura continued to push extreme metal forward to the edges of its proper sub-genres. There are many bands, like those featured on the Warfare Noise compilation, that came out of this scene, but Sarcofago and Vulcano stand out the most in terms of influence. The blistering energy and bestial ferocity is still eye-opening, even to modern ears (turn on "Satanas" or "Dominoes of Death" and try not to think "Holy…"). At the very edge of this primordial era stand Vulcano's Bloody Vengeance and Sarcofago's INRI. These two fantastic, over-the-top albums are basically as "extreme" as extreme thrash can get before the terms "Black Metal" or "Death Metal" must apply. Though for many good reasons, both bands are now considered part of the black metal canon, partially due to Euronymous citing them as such.
As you can see, this primitive iteration of extreme metal impacted many scenes, even though this impact wouldn't be felt or realized till a few years later. And I haven't even gone into detail about other bands from Sweden like proto-death outfits Obscurity and Mefisto. There's also the hardcore-punk-turned-metal of UK-act Onslaught's early albums (Fun fact: both Onslaught and Possessed came out with an album in 1985 which contained a song called "Death Metal," try and resolve that one). Even Italy's Bulldozer put out an album in the early extreme metal style, the under-recognized classic, The Day of Wrath.
But it's worth focusing on another Swedish band. Stockholm's Morbid formed in 1985, and after playing some gigs and releasing some rehearsal tapes, put out the December Moon demo in late 1987. The band's sound was similar to that of Sarcofago and had some shades of Bathory as well. Though songs like "My Dark Subconscious" have their own sense of spooky weirdness and are well-worth exploring, perhaps more interesting is where the members went afterward. When the band collapsed in 1988 after recording one last demo (the aptly-named Last Supper), Drummer LG Petrov and Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund went on to form Nihilist, the groundbreaking death metal act which would later become Entombed. As for Morbid's eccentric frontman, he would be recruited to join a Norwegian band who, after just releasing a mini-album called Deathcrush, needed a new singer. The band of course, was Mayhem, and the singer's name was Per Yngve Ohlin, better known as "Dead."
In a sense, the fate of Morbid is a microcosm of the sound covered in this essay. For many of the albums released from 1983 to 1987, they all lean or hint toward one genre or another, but it all still falls neatly enough into simply "extreme metal." But 1987 was a turning point, where black metal and death metal began to diverge. It's not unlike the story of Green River, the influential grunge band whose breakup would point to the diverging fates of many within the Seattle music scene (i.e. one more underground, and another willing to go further into the mainstream).
New Styles Blossom
Just as punk bands began to change as their musicianship increased, the bands who played "the 85' sound" eventually coalesced around different, more refined versions of their previous selves. By 1987, most of these bands wound up playing more standard variations of thrash, dropping the occult in favor of topics more akin to Megadeth and Metallica, rather than Venom and Mercyful Fate.
In 1986, Slayer created one of the finest metal albums of all time. Reign in Blood has a few key aspects that separate it from Hell Awaits. The reverb which gave Slayer it's haunting sound is ditched in favor of a punishing, direct approach that makes "Angel of Death" and "Jesus Saves" more cutting and brutal, rather than spooky and atmospheric. The same could be said for the German bands as well, who would go on to release classics like Release from Agony and Persecution Mania (Kreator's Pleasure to Kill rides the line, so I've included it in the chart below). Sepultura moved on rather quickly as well. Though Schizophrenia bears some traces of their previous work, Beneath the Remains is an obvious thrash/death metal album. In the late 80s, thrash metal grew from an underground movement to an almost mainstream force, peaking artistically in 1986/87 and then commercially in 1991 with Metallica's "Black Album" and the Clash of the Titans Tour.
But as thrash metal was reaching the pinnacle of its artistic legacy, the primitive style left behind by these bands began to split and evolve as well.
Though Possessed's aforementioned Seven Churches is often cited as the first death metal album, it wasn't until Death's Scream Bloody Gore that the scene in Florida kicked off as its own, discrete artistic force. Likewise, though Venom, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and early Bathory play an important role in the development of black metal, the last band's Under the Sign of the Black Mark would chart the course for the genre's future. From there, the style's contours were further shaped by Samael, Master's Hammer, Blasphemy and Mayhem – who would lead the sound into its more well-known chapter. As for grindcore, its development remains more indebted to the crust-punk and thrash scenes than to any devilish persuasion. During the mid-80s metal was also impacted by early grind acts like Repulsion and Terrorizer. And after years making their name in the UK crust-punk scene, influenced by bands like Siege and Deep Wound, Napalm Death released the earsplitting Scum.
From 1987 onward, death metal, black metal and grindcore would all see their respective highs and lows, and would even splinter into their own series of sub-genres, a musical genome that continues to develop today. Still, no one can deny the power of the sound forged from 1983-1987, and not just for its outsized influence. Few records are as haunting as Hell Awaits. The raw, creative risk-taking of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost has never been replicated. And the menacing terror of Seven Churches and The Return of Darkness and Evil is unmatched. If a listener wanted to hear the beginnings of metal at it's darkest and most powerful, early extreme metal would be the place to look.
Origins of Evil: Essential Discography
Author's note: I've put a list together here of the essential albums, EPs or demos played in the early extreme metal style. Yes, I know these bands made other records, but I've limited the list to the recordings that best exemplify the pre-death/black metal split. Logically, I've set the limits to 1983-1987, which is why certain, somewhat related bands didn't make it on here (Merciless probably being the closest example).
Bathory (1984)
The Return of Darkness and Evil (1985)
The Day of Wrath (1985)
Celtic Frost
Morbid Tales (1984)
Emperor's Return (1985)
To Mega Therion (1985)
Bestial Invasion of Hell (1984)
Sentence of Death (1984)
Infernal Overkill (1985)
Triumph of Death (1983)
Satanic Rites (1983)
Apocalyptic Raids (1984)
Endless Pain (1985)
Pleasure to Kill (1986)
Megalomania (1986)
The Puzzle (1986)
December Moon (1987)
Ovations to Death (1986)
Damnation's Pride (1987)
Power From Hell (1985)
The Force (1986)
Seven Churches (1985)
Satanic Lust (1986)
The Black Vomit (1986)
Bestial Devastation (1985)
Morbid Visions (1986)
Show No Mercy (1983)
Haunting the Chapel (1984)
Hell Awaits (1985)
In the Sign of Evil (1984)
Obsessed by Cruelty (1985)
Bloody Vengeance (1986)