text:
After lengthy discussions with SB about how we could set up an experiment to look at how much people conform, we decided to manipulate an essential difference between BrE and AmE – yes, the manner in which we write the date. Americans write the date May 14th 2009 and British write the date 14th May 2009. Now, I don't want to get into discussion about which is the 'correct' way to write the date but it does seem intuitively more simple to put the day before the month as this way it is in order of increasing size of time period. Of course, I am influenced by the BrE social norm! I want to be part of my cultural group.
At the time that we were planning our experimental study, 400 American students had arrived on our British campus for 8 weeks of study. We decided to see whether we could get American students to write the date in the British manner. We manipulated the date on two forms that the students were given when they took part in our experiment. We told them that the study was about architecture and creativity and asked them to build marshmallow and (AmE) toothpick/(BrE) cocktail stick towers in a given amount of time. At the start of the experiment, they signed a consent form that had room for one signature and, importantly for this study, the date. That way we could see how the American students usually wrote the date. Then when they had built their marshmallow towers they had to sign another form in order to be entered for a prize (BrE) draw/(AmE) drawing. This form had nine forged signatures, American email addresses and dates. We manipulated these dates so that a proportion were BrE (14th May 2009) and a proportion were AmE (May 14th 2009). We did not use any numerical dates (14/5/09) as it could become confusing for the participants.
Now the question is – can we get people to change the way that they write the date? In this particular case, can we get people to change their social norm? Well, as in many psychology experiments, there was that additional variable that changed the outcome of the whole experiment! By the time we had finished planning the experiment, the American students had been in the UK for two to three weeks. A large number of students had not been outside the USA before arriving on the British campus and so were adjusting to cultural differences. In one of the classes that these students attended, a register where they wrote their name and the date, illustrated a behavio(u)ral change across the first few weeks. In the first 2 weeks, all the students wrote AmE date, in the third week, 22% were writing BrE and by week 7, 88% were writing BrE. So even without our experimental manipulation, American students were being influenced by the social norm.
Working on this study with SB (an American student) over a period of 8 weeks gave us many opportunities to remark on cultural differences. For instance, we bought (orig. AmE) cookies and drinks as an incentive for these students to take part in the study. I was strictly instructed by SB in the type of cookies and (BrE) crisps/(AmE) chips to buy – they had to be familiar to the students otherwise they would not be interested. We almost had a breakdown in communication when SB saw the (BrE) sell-by date on one of the packs of cookies! If we write the date differently, we also read it differently. We always have to be calculating is it the 7/5 or 5/7? Things like that can make a difference when buying goods or arriving on the right day for a meeting.
Finally, let me describe one finding from our study that is not related to AmE and BrE date signing. In a previous study we found that people were more likely to change from 14th May to 14/5 than from 14/5 to 14th May. You could almost argue that 14/5 is the social norm in the UK. Many people would counter that it depends on the situation in which they are writing the date. Despite these considerations, we can state quite categorically that people do change the way that they write the date dependent on how many other people write it in a certain way. In the study with the American students, SB and I found that they changed from 14/5/09 to 14th May 2009 (from the numerical to the analogical) far more than in my previous study. We call this our 'stranger in a strange land' phenomenon. These students were out of their comfort zone and were more likely to copy the majority behavio(u)r to fit in with the group. Or maybe American students are more conformist than British students?


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- 2929 S Caraway Rd. Ste.1, Jonesboro, Arkansas, 72401
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If you want to buy Marijuana Flower nearby in Jonesboro from a local dispensary, you should understand the three different types of cannabis strains. Sativa, Indica and Hybrid. Jonesboro dispensaries carry all three top-shelf marijuana flower strains. Buy marijuana flower from a Jonesboro dispensary near me
If you're looking to buy concentrates from a local Jonesboro dispensary like (hash, shatter, wax, oils) you're in luck! With so many cannabis products on the market today, it's easy to get all the names and types confused. Concentrates essentially extract all the THC from the marijuana flower, to give you a super-potent extract. Live Resin is an extract that is made from fresh cannabis flower and then frozen. The end result is a sticky extract that includes terpenes for flavor. 'Shatter' is an extract that has gone through a standard drying and curing process. It's called shatter, because it looks like a very thin piece of honeycomb, and it shatters easily. If you've never tried concentrates, and are interested where to buy weed concentrates in Jonesboro, we've got you covered!
Cannabis edibles have evolved over the years. You can now buy MANY different types of weed edibles in Jonesboro:
If you're looking for where to buy weed edibles in Jonesboro, you're looking in the right place!
Thanks to CBD, tinctures have been made popular, but what is a cannabis tincture, and where can I buy marijuana tinctures near me in Jonesboro? Local Jonesboro dispensaries often carry only a few tinctures and strengths. They're great for enjoying the effects of cannabis without the smoke. Tinctures are strong and fast-acting. Tinctures are used by putting a few drops of the tincture under your tongue sublingually. This is an extremely fast cannabis delivery method into the body, as it rapidly absorbs the THC. Tinctures typically take between 10-40 minutes to kick in, depending on the dose, THC content, and your body. Cannabis tinctures are selling in most Jonesboro Marijuana stores. Some tinctures are potent and have been said to bring a slight tingling sensation. If you are interested in where to buy cannabis tinctures in Jonesboro, you have found the right spot! Always be sure to seek advice from your budtender on how much to use.
What is a cannabis topical, and what are they used for? If you are seeking where to buy cannabis topicals in Jonesboro for pain, you're in good hands. Jonesboro dispensaries often carry several different types of Cannabis topicals. Topicals are cannabis-infused lotions, oils, or balms that get directly applied to areas of the body and absorb through the skin to aid in pain relief, inflammation, joint issues, soreness, and many others. Those who have arthritis often visit Cannabis shops and speak to their budtenders about Cannabis topicals to ease their pain. Buy cannabis lotion near me in Jonesboro, Shop cannabis pain relief balm Jonesboro.
Popular cannabis brands are venturing into the world of cannabis oil vape pens, as they are potent, discrete, and leave little to no smell. Shop THC vape pens from Jonesboro dispensaries Most Jonesboro dispensaries sell THC vape pens. If you've never tried a weed cartridge before, you'll love them.
Browse marijuana stores using the city list below.

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
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Do you sometimes feel that your kids might eat you out of house and home? It can feel like that at times, especially during the teen years. They grab a handful of cookies here, a bag of chips there, and finish last night's leftovers in a flash. They're growing like weeds, of course, so you figure all that eating is OK. Most of the time, it is.
But sometimes, heavy snacking isn't what it seems to be. If kids eat unusually large amounts of food — and feel guilty or secretive about it — they could be struggling with a common eating disorder called binge eating disorder.
About Binge Eating Disorder
Lots of people find comfort in food. After all, it's often at the heart of our happiest celebrations. Birthdays can mean cake with friends; Thanksgiving often means turkey and stuffing with family. Most people will sometimes eat much more than they normally do on special occasions.
But people with binge eating disorder have a different relationship with food — they feel like they've lost all control over how much they're eating, like they can't stop. They also binge more frequently — at least twice a week for several months.
For people with binge eating disorder, at first food may provide feelings of calm or comfort, but later it can be the focus of strong guilt and distress. A binge usually involves eating unusually large amounts of food quickly and feel completely out of control as they do it. These behaviors become a pattern of eating and can alternate with dieting.
Binge eating disorder is more common in people who are obese, but it affects people with healthy weights as well. However, there's little information on how many kids and teens are affected because the condition has only recently been recognized, and some may be too embarrassed to seek help for it.
And because most binge eating is done alone, even if their kids may be gaining weight, parents might not be aware that it's due to bingeing.
While most people with other eating disorders (like anorexia and bulimia) are female, an estimated third of those with binge eating disorder are male. Adults in treatment (including 2% of adult Americans — roughly 1 million to 2 million people) often say their problems started in childhood or adolescence.
Signs and Symptoms
Kids and teens who sometimes eat a lot don't necessarily have binge eating disorder. Kids can have huge appetites, especially during growth spurts, when they need more nutrients to fuel their growing bodies. So it can be difficult to determine whether a child has binge eating disorder. But several signs distinguish someone who binge eats from someone with a "healthy appetite."
Parents and other family members may first suspect a problem when they notice large amounts of food missing from the pantry or the refrigerator, though it's hard to imagine one child could have eaten so much.
Other signs include:
- a child eating a lot of food quickly
- a pattern of eating in response to emotional stress, such as family conflict, peer rejection, or poor academic performance
- a child feeling ashamed or disgusted by the amount eaten
- finding food containers hidden in a child's room
- an increasingly irregular eating pattern, such as skipping meals, eating lots of junk food, and eating at unusual times (like late at night)
People who binge eat may also experience feelings that are common to many eating disorders, such as depression, anxiety, guilt, or shame. They may avoid school, work, or socializing with friends because they're ashamed of their binge eating problem or changes in their body shape and weight.
The causes of binge eating disorder is unknown, although the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that up to half of all people who have it also have a history of depression. It remains unclear, however, whether binge eating brings on depression or whether people with depression are prone to the disorder.
Many people who binge eat say that episodes can be triggered by feelings of stress, anger, sadness, boredom, or anxiety. However, even if someone feels better temporarily while eating, binge eating is usually associated with feelings of distress. Most commonly, after a binge a person will feel very guilty and bad about losing control.
How It Differs From Other Eating Disorders
Binge eating disorder is slightly different from other eating disorders.
People with bulimia nervosa (sometimes called binge-purge syndrome) binge on food and then vomit or use laxatives to avoid gaining weight. They may also fast (stop eating for a while) or compulsively exercise after an eating binge. Like people who suffer from binge eating disorder, those with bulimia nervosa repeatedly eat excessive amounts of food and feel guilty or ashamed about it. Unlike bulimia, however, individuals with binge eating disorder do not purge and are, therefore, frequently overweight.
Anorexia nervosa also involves feelings of guilt about eating. Whereas people with binge eating disorder consistently overeat, people with anorexia starve themselves, causing potentially life-threatening damage to their bodies. They may also compulsively exercise to achieve weight loss, a condition known as anorexia athletica.
Doctors and mental health professionals use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) when they identify binge eating disorder. These include:
- binge eating more food than most people could consume in short periods of time
- a sense of lack of control over eating
- feelings of distress about eating behaviors
- binge eating that occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months
- the binges are not associated with regular purging with laxatives or by vomiting or excessive exercise
- binge episodes associated with:
- eating more rapidly than usual
- eating until uncomfortably full
- eating when not hungry
- eating alone or in secret
- feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt
A child will be diagnosed with a binge eating disorder only after discussing the medical history, family history, patterns of eating in the family, and emotional issues. The doctor will also perform a complete physical and may order lab tests to assess some complications of obesity and nutritional adequacy. As with any eating disorder, it's also important that the child receives psychological therapy for support and to help change unhealthy behaviors.
Different types of therapy can help treat binge eating disorder. For example, family therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy teach people techniques to monitor and change their eating habits and the way they respond to stress. Family therapy includes the whole family in the process of helping the individual. Cognitive-behavioral therapy combines the approach of helping people change self-defeating thoughts along with changing their behavior. Counseling also helps patients look at relationships they have with others and helps them work on areas that cause them anxiety. In some cases, doctors may prescribe medication to be used with therapy.
But there's no quick fix for any eating disorder. Treatment can take several months or longer while the person learns how to have a healthier approach to food. Although weight-control programs are helpful for some people affected by binge eating disorder, kids and teens should not begin a diet or weight-control program without the advice and supervision of a doctor.
For some parents and family members, the long road to recovery can be frustrating and expensive. Get support for yourself through parents groups or by reading about the disorder so you can help your child and your family get through this.
Risks and Complications
After months of overeating, many children and teens with binge eating disorder are overweight. The most common health risks are the same ones that accompany obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease, some kinds of cancer, and depression and anxiety.
Helping Your Child
If you suspect your child has a problem with binge eating, call your doctor for advice and referrals to qualified mental health professionals who have experience treating eating disorders in kids.
Reassure your child that you're there to help or just to listen. Having an eating disorder can be difficult to admit, and your child may not be ready to acknowledge having a problem. You can also encourage healthier eating habits by modeling your own positive relationship with food and exercise and by not using food as a reward.
With the help of your family and supportive professionals, your child can start eating healthy amounts of food and learn to manage stress in ways that don't involve eating.
source: http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/binge_eating.html#


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Theophylact of Ochrid
Blessed Theophylactus of Ochrid (ca. 1050/60-ca. 1108) was one of the most famous Byzantine biblical scholars and exegete. He was born on the Greek island of Euboia, close to Athens, some time between 1050 and 1060. He pursued an education in Constantinople where he studied under the finest teachers of literature and rhetoric of his time and became one of the clergy of the Great Church there. He was appointed professor of rhetoric at the patriarchal academy and tutor to the emperor's children. As a relatively young man, he was consecrated as bishop and sent, against his will, to Ochrid, where he was the Metropolitan of the Church in Bulgaria for twenty-five years.
An inspired theologian and orator, he has left many homilies and, most importantly, a commentary on the whole New Testament (Theophylactus completed extensive biblical commentaries on the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the New Testament Epistles. There is also supposed to be a commentary on the Greek text of the Psalms and on the Prophets), which has been treasured by Orthodox Christians ever since. The Patrologia Graeca has a long Sermon on the Cross, another on John the Baptist, and a third on the Feast of the Presentation.
The first English translation (and the first in any modern Western European language) of Theophylact's commentaries on the New Testament, The Explanation of the Gospels, is available from Chrysostom Press. Work is underway to complete the English translation of his commentaries on the Book of Acts and the Epistles.
In his last years he moved to Thessalonica, where he reposed in peace; the exact year of Blessed Theophylact's repose is not known, but the latest date that can be ascertained from his letters is 1108.
The Serbian Orthodox Church, whose jurisdiction in later years came to include Ochrid and Macedonia, and other Orthodox Churches, commemorates Theophylactus as a saint, on December 31.
External links
- Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria, download Theophylact's Commentary on I Corinthians, Chapter 13 for free.
- Theophylact of Bulgaria on Wikipedia
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Oh Halloween,
Every autumn, my brain fills with memories of trick-or-treating, homemade costumes, spiced apple cider, haunted houses, and plastic pumpkins filled with candy. I come from a place where the whole neighborhood pitched in to make trick-or-treating super fun. I have always loved Halloween and costumes. But somewhere along the way it went from a carefree holiday about getting as much candy as possible to a stress-ridden competition about who can find the cleverest rationale for dressing like a male prostitute.
Gay world is a lot like Girl World. Like the American Female, Gay Homosexuals like to attend Halloween parties in teeny tiny outfits that show a lot of skin and give a slight nod to a cultural icon or popular movie character. Below are some examples of Gay Halloween costumes, juxtaposed against the original, more conservative versions. Also included are ten tips for making your costume sexy. And yes, by "sexy" I mean offensively revealing and slutty.
Rule #1: Make sure your costume is easily recognizable.
Here is what an upstanding person would wear if they dressed up as Mario and Luigi:
If you're a Gay Homosexual, find a way to make the costume sexy and provocative. Live a little! Nothing says iconic childhood video game character like leather gogo shorts, right?
Rule #2: Rely on cultural stereotypes.
Here is a straight man dressed as a Scottish:
And here is a Gay Homosexual dressed as a Scottish.
(Sidenote: I cannot confirm the sexual preferences of the above models. But come on, look at those faces. First one has a raging case of StraightFace and the second one has major Gayface). And yes, I realize it's "Scot" not "Scottish" but I thought Scottish was funnier.
For cultural stereotypes, also consider going as a Sexy Indian:
Rule #3: You can always count on costumes that reference "masc" professions.
Like a police man.
What, you ask, is better than a cop? A sexy cop. Duh!
Here is how your typical dweeb dresses up as a sailor (no offense to the dweeb pictured):
And here is how a Homosexual Gay Eastern European dresses as a sailor:
Rule #4: Find a cherished cultural icon and ruin it for children forever.
Here is how this nerd dresses as Mickey Mouse, America's most beloved rodent.
But why wear all those clothes when you can look this sexy?
A fun tip for Gay Homosexuals is that as long as you have one prop (like gloves or a hat) you can get away with wearing just a speedo or underwear. That totally counts as a costume. I'm serious.
Oh Santa, who brings us presents at Christmas:
And Gay Santa who is the present on Halloween:
Rule #5: If you can't think of anything to be for Halloween, go with the basics.
Take, for example, this white dude dressed as a waiter:
Gay waiter costumes are like white person waiter costumes except with way less clothes and with way bigger muscles.
Rule #6: If you dress as someone poor or unsuccessful, make it sexy!
No one is going to want to hang out with you if you look like this gross convict.
However, if you cut off half your costume you will definitely make friends.
Rule #7: You can never go wrong with anything sports-themed. Unless it's one of those pansy sports like figure skating.
Here's a greasy dude dressed like an American football player:
And below is an even greasier Gay dressed as a football player. Even if he can't throw a ball to save his life, his costume references sports. This is a good costume if you are looking to attract sporty masculine Gays who like masculine things like playing football and skipping down the street holding hands with other men.
Rule #8: Dress like a superhero. If you must wear pants, make sure you show off your giant biceps.
This is what a sensible person who doesn't want to freeze to death wears to dress as Wolverine:
Let's face it, Wolverine is a pretty Gay costume to begin with. The white tank top/muscle version is much sexier though. And for the Gays, if it's Halloween and you're not sexy you may as well stay at home alone. Eating a cake. Alone. By yourself. Alone.
Rule #8.5: The Ambiguously Gay Duo, while not totally relevant, is still a totally cute couples costume:
Rule #9: Guys like it when you dress up as something innocent (and naughty!).
For a Straight, an angel costume looks like this:
But that's far too much coverage for a Gay Homosexual. For a Gay Angel costume, just get some enormous wings and tie a tiny handkerchief around your waist. This costume is also good because it practically writes its own come-on lines ("Did you fall from Heaven?" etc).
Rule #10: Have fun! (But don't eat anything).
Straights Dudes, who attend Halloween parties fully clothed can afford to snack. Eat some candy corn! Grab a chip! Enjoy, Straights! Gay Male Homosexuals, however, should refrain from eating on Halloween. Because you are naked, it's imperative that you drink liquids that dehydrate you whilst eating nothing. This will ensure that no unflattering pictures of you show up on Facebook. And let's be honest, the real reason for Halloween is Facebook pictures where you look really hot.
Happy Halloween!


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America is not a two-party country — it's a multiparty extravaganza.
We turn every possible pause from work into a party: New Year's Day, the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
And on Saturday, many Americans will play overtime by reveling in a pair of nationwide celebrations — Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. Establishments everywhere will be mashing up Mexico and the Bluegrass State.
* In Portland, Maine, this weekend, barkeeps at Bull Feeney's will be slinging $3 drinks that include bourbon margaritas and tequila juleps.
* In Minneapolis, the Northstar Bartenders Guild is thinking along the same cross-cultural lines, promoting a Kentucky Derby Fiesta — with Southern-style victuals and tacos and encouraging folks to wear fancy spring Derby hats and Mexican sombreros.
* In San Francisco, the Elixir club will host a soiree titled Cinco de Derby, showcasing "seersuckers y sombreros."
Though the United States may be in economic chaos and cultural disarray, the states still know how to unite for a party.
But how is American culture affected by the increasing popularity of the so-called alcoholidays — especially Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day, widely celebrated by people who have no ties to the traditions they spring from? Do these galas really glue us together, or do they dilute our sense of unity?
Arin Damar, a recent college graduate who has worked as a bartender at more than one Washington, D.C., establishment, says we should celebrate the celebrations. Responsibly, of course.
National shindigs "link so many people together in the same place," Damar says. "People bring culture with them when they immigrate, transporting celebration rituals as well as language. Gathering to commemorate a holiday like Cinco seems almost like a prideful celebration of the uniqueness of our diversity — that we can retain our roots while simultaneously being a 'good' American. That's something everybody can take part in."
And cash in on. In the tradition of the commercialization of Christmas and Thanksgiving, alcoholidays offer boundless opportunities for marketing, promotion and good old-fashioned American moneymaking.
Debauchery And Bad Behavior
Academics who study rites and rituals see a pattern. The Americanized versions of Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick's Day and other nationwide wingdings "have taken on common forms — food, decorative objects, music and performances, colors and clothing," says Diane Ashton, a professor of religion studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. These national bashes "share a common upbeat meaning that emphasizes good feelings among family, friends and community groups."
As the nation has become more diverse, there often seem to be fewer and fewer moments that we can share en masse.
Though the ethnic and religious events being celebrated may be different, Ashton says, the let-your-hair-down to-dos have morphed into common, easy-to-recognize — and therefore, simple-to-celebrate — American rituals. And, of course, Ashton says, each of the newfangled festivals "offers goods to be advertised and sold, and so each is marketable."
That marketability, says Matthew Dennis, author of Red, White and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar, is at the heart of the hearty parties. "These days are so highly commercialized and generic," Dennis says, "they're largely an excuse for a party."
He continues, "All of this has been facilitated substantially by the producers of beer and other celebratory foods and drinks. Even when non-Irish people wear green, their impulse, I think, is just to join in the fun, not make any cultural or political statement."
There are some exceptions, Dennis adds. Certain holy days and ethnic celebrations do take on real and reverent meaning in certain American communities. But he thinks the boom in popularity of nationwide holidays has more to do with advertising and consumer culture than celebrating our diversity. "Note also the increased popularity of Halloween as an adult — rather than merely child-centered — holiday," Dennis adds, "especially as an occasion to throw a party and drink more heavily and eat nonhealthy foods."
The drinking component concerns many people, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On its website, the group offers some safety tips for tipplers and their friends.
For many Americans, the alcoholidays are relatively free of the religious or familial obligations of traditional fetes, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In fact, debauchery and bad behavior are common themes of those toasting Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day, according to Paul Montoya, who grew up in Honduras and worked for the past couple of years as a bartender at a Florida beach bar. So are "insensitivity and racism toward the very holidays they believe they are celebrating."
Ho Ho Ho
Which brings us to the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo. The annual May 5 commemoration in Mexico glorifies the Mexican Army's defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. If the French had won, some historians posit, they might have then helped the South defeat the North in the American Civil War — changing the course of Western civilization.
So arguably, America, with its multicultural influences, has every right to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. And every other holiday as well, including those not yet exploited.
Montoya now lives in San Francisco. The people of that city, he says, "love holidays so much that they decided there weren't enough and invented some of their own" — including SantaCon, during which thousands of people dress as Santa Claus and pub-crawl through the city. According to the SantaCon website, the bacchanal of bearded bar-hoppers has filtered out to more than 230 locations in 33 countries around the world.
How long until other celebrations spread across the land? Let's not forget Indian Independence Day in August. Mexican Independence Day in September. And the Chinese New Year, whenever it falls.
Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block. Human rights groups are denouncing the sentence handed down today to members of the Russian feminist punk band, Pussy Riot. The group's crimes? It staged a protest in Moscow's main Russian Orthodox Cathedral last winter. A judge convicted the three women of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced each of them to two years in a labor camp.
As NPR's Corey Flintoff reports from Moscow, the punishment drew an angry response from demonstrators outside the court.
COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE: A wave of groans and cat calls spread through the crowd as people learned that the judge had imposed two year sentences on Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Marina Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich.
Human rights groups and international pop stars had called for mercy for the women on the grounds that they're young, ranging in age from 22 to 30, and that two of them have young children. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, the target of the protest in the cathedral, said recently that he believes the women shouldn't receive harsh sentences.
Many in the crowd hoped that meant the sentence would be limited to the nearly six months the women have already spent in jail awaiting trial, but the crowd wasn't necessarily representative of the broader Russian society. A recent poll by the Levada Independent Research Group found that just six percent of Russians said they sympathized with the women.
The split in society was evident in the crowd outside the court. Orthodox believers jostled among pink-haired punks and middle-aged liberals. Free Pussy Riot t-shirts were prominent, like the one worn by Roman Abermenka(ph).
ROMAN ABERMENKA: I like what the girls did and I am a lawyer and whatever is going on there in the court has no slight relations to law.
FLINTOFF: Abermenka, who's 38, says he's been taking part in opposition protests since December, when tens of thousands of people rallied against perceived fraud in Russia's parliamentary elections.
Writer and opposition activist, Boris Akunin(ph), says the verdict will drive a wedge between those who support the regime and those who seek reforms.
BORIS AKUNIN: The split in the society will grow bigger and bigger and this is something which worries us - me - a lot. We don't want a revolution in this country.
FLINTOFF: The job of a president is to seek compromise, Akunin adds, but he says President Putin is throwing gasoline on the fire. Since Putin was reelected president in March, parliament has passed laws raising fines for so-called illegal protests. It has also tightened rules on defamation of public figures.
Police arrested several dozen activists during today's protest. People in the crowd applauded for the detainees as police hustled them into waiting vans. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Crimeans vote to leave Ukraine, join Russia
Published 12:00 am Monday, March 17, 2014
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Just two weeks after Russian troops seized their peninsula, Crimeans voted Sunday to leave Ukraine and join Russia, overwhelmingly approving a referendum that sought to unite the strategically important Black Sea region with the country it was part of for some 250 years.
The vote was widely condemned by Western leaders, who planned to move swiftly to punish Russia with economic sanctions.
As the votes were counted, a jubilant crowd gathered around a statue of Vladimir Lenin in the center of Simferopol to celebrate with song and dance. Many held Russian flags, and some unfurled a handwritten banner reading "We're Russian and proud of it." Fireworks exploded in the skies above.
"We want to go back home, and today we are going back home," said Viktoria Chernyshova, a 38-year-old businesswoman. "We needed to save ourselves from those unprincipled clowns who have taken power in Kiev."
Ukraine's new government in Kiev called the referendum a "circus" directed at gunpoint by Moscow, referring to the thousands of troops that now occupy the peninsula, which has traded hands repeatedly since ancient times.
The referendum offered voters the choice of seeking annexation by Russia or remaining in Ukraine with greater autonomy. After 50 percent of the ballots were counted, more than 95 percent of voters had approved splitting off and joining Russia, according to Mikhail Malishev, head of the referendum committee.
Final results were not expected until Monday.
Opponents of secession appeared to have stayed away Sunday, denouncing the vote as a cynical power play and land grab by Russia.
Putin insisted the referendum was conducted in "full accordance with international law and the U.N. charter."
Russia was expected to face strong sanctions Monday from the U.S. and Europe for going forward with the vote, which could also encourage rising pro-Russian sentiment in Ukraine's east and lead to further divisions in this nation of 46 million. Residents in western Ukraine and the capital, Kiev, are strongly pro-West and Ukrainian nationalist.
Andrew Weiss, vice president for Russian and East European studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested the confrontation could intensify.
Russia "is really turning its back on the outside world and is basically going to say to the West, 'Now, go ahead. Show us how tough you are.' And the West, I think, is struggling to come with an adequate response."
The Crimean parliament planned to meet Monday to formally ask Moscow to be annexed, and Crimean lawmakers were to fly to Moscow later in the day for talks, Crimea's pro-Russia prime minister said on Twitter.
Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said the annexation could take "from three days to three months," according to the Interfax news agency.
Some residents in Crimea said they feared the new Ukrainian government that took over when President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia last month would oppress them.
"It's like they're crazy Texans in western Ukraine. Imagine if the Texans suddenly took over power (in Washington) and told everyone they should speak Texan," said Ilya Khlebanov, a voter in Simferopol.
Ukraine's new prime minister insisted that neither Ukraine nor the West would recognize the vote.
"Under the stage direction of the Russian Federation, a circus performance is underway: the so-called referendum," Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Sunday. "Also taking part in the performance are 21,000 Russian troops, who with their guns are trying to prove the legality of the referendum."
As soon as the polls closed, the White House again denounced the vote.
"The international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence," it said in a statement. "Russia's actions are dangerous and destabilizing."
Russia raised the stakes Saturday when its forces, backed by helicopter gunships and armored vehicles, took control of the Ukrainian village of Strilkove and a key natural gas distribution plant nearby — the first Russian military move into Ukraine beyond the Crimean peninsula of 2 million people.
The Russian forces later returned the village but kept control of the gas plant. On Sunday, Ukrainian soldiers were digging trenches and erecting barricades between the village and the gas plant.
"We will not let them advance further into Ukrainian territory," said Serhiy Kuz, commander of a Ukrainian paratrooper battalion.
Despite the threat of sanctions, Putin has vigorously resisted calls to pull back in Crimea. At the United Nations on Saturday, Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution declaring the referendum illegal.
However, Putin spoke with President Barack Obama and supported a proposal from Germany to expand an international observer mission in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Sunday in a statement after the vote.
"The heads of state noted that despite the differences in their assessments, it was necessary to work together to find a way to stabilize the situation in Ukraine," the statement said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also spoke with Putin on Sunday, wants more observers sent to tense areas, particularly in eastern Ukraine, her spokesman said. Putin told Obama that such a mission would be welcome but would need to be extended to all regions in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
In Donetsk, one of the main cities in eastern Ukraine, pro-Russia demonstrators called Sunday for a referendum similar to the one in Crimea.
In the streets of Sevastopol, the Crimean port where Russia now leases a major naval base from Ukraine for $98 million a year, speakers blared the city anthem, but the military threat was not far away — a Russian naval warship still blocked the port's outlet to the Black Sea, trapping Ukrainian boats.
At a polling station inside a historic school, tears came to Vladimir Lozovoy, a 75-year-old retired Soviet naval officer, as he talked about his vote.
"I want to cry. I have finally returned to my motherland. It is an incredible feeling. This is the thing I have been waiting for for 23 years," he said.
But Crimea's large Muslim Tatar minority — whose families had been forcibly removed from their homeland and sent to Central Asia during Soviet times — remained defiant.
The Crimea referendum "is a clown show, a circus," Tatar activist Refat Chubarov said on Crimea's Tatar television station. "This is a tragedy, an illegitimate government with armed forces from another country."
The fate of Ukrainian soldiers trapped in their Crimean bases by pro-Russian forces was still uncertain. But Ukraine's acting defense minister, Igor Tenyuk, was quoted as saying Sunday that an agreement had been reached with Russia not to block Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea through Friday. It was not clear exactly what that meant.
Ethnic Ukrainians interviewed outside the Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral of Vladimir and Olga said they refused to take part in the referendum, calling it an illegal charade stage-managed by Moscow. Some said they were scared of the potential for widespread harassment.
Vasyl Ovcharuk, a retired gas pipe layer, predicted dark days ahead for Crimea.
"This will end up in military action, in which peaceful people will suffer. And that means everybody," he said. "Shells and bullets are blind."
Associated Press writers Dalton Bennett in Sevastopol, Yuras Karmanau in Strilkove, Jim Heintz and Maria Danilova in Kiev and David Melendy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.


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GET A QUOTE NOWIf you wait too long you may need more costly fixes such as a full resurface. To learn more about a resurface please click here http://www.syntheticturfpitchmaintenance.co.uk/reactive/resurfacing/ In the instance of vandalism such as a nearby artificial 2G sport surfaces being cut or a 3G rubber infill surface being burnt it's also possible for these areas to be repaired.
Another type of reactive maintenance that we can do for synthetic pitches is rejuvenation http://www.syntheticturfpitchmaintenance.co.uk/reactive/recycled-rejuvenation/ of the infill where the dirty sand is extracted and replaced with a fresh layer of infill. This process is done to remove contaminants from the pitch and ensure that it's kept in good condition. Feel free to contact us for more information on these services as well as the repair maintenance that we can carry out.
All repairs to sport surfaces are carried out throughout the life of synthetic grass on joints. It is important to repair the joints on a fake grass pitch such as 2G and 3G sports surfaces as failure to do so can cause trip hazards risking the safety of a sport pitch users and increasing the chances of an injury on the fake sport pitch. Local establishments with fake grass sports facilities and surrounding areas that might need repairs include:
You may need to carry out all weather repairs to surfaces when your flooring becomes unsafe and unsuitable for use. As specialists, we have years of experience and expert knowledge carrying out repairs to damages on a range of surfaces across the UK.
Whether you need proactive or reactive maintenance, our professionals are on hand to carry out the work that is crucial for your surrounding areas. Please speak to our team today if you have any questions you want answering. Simply fill out the enquiry form provided and we will get back to you as soon as we can with everything you need to know.
Repairing failing joints and seams on an artificial sports pitch involves cutting back the damaged or affected areas, laying a Geotextile tape to join the carpets at the seams, applying the adhesive glue evenly to 'stick' or hold the two pieces of artificial carpet back together by the joints, it is important that the glue is in contact with the whole turf backing including the stitches. Glueing the fake turf back together at the seams is vital as it's extremely important for the right amount of glue should be applied.
A reason why a number of artificial turf surfaces in the UK are in need of repair is that the correct amount of glue was failed to be applied at a time of installation, it's important to point out however to much glue can cause it seeping through the carpet. While the repair to fake sports pitch is curing we advised that something is placed over the new repaired artificial turf joint to ensure the adhesive glue is embedding itself to backing stitches of the synthetic grass carpet.
To find out more information about repairs all weather sports pitches including cost and prices associated with repairing artificial grass sports surfaces please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for reading!


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For days, they refused to bury their dead. On a main road in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, hundreds of mourners from the local Hazara community, adherents of Shi'ite Islam, watched over the nearly 90 coffins in below freezing temperatures. The victims of an increasingly bloody wave of terror were no longer willing to inter the corpses of their loved ones for the world to forget about them.
Among the dead was Irfan Ali, a brave and much liked young activist who had to abandon his education because of the appalling security situation in the province of Baluchistan, where Quetta is the capital, yet devoted much of his time telling the world about the suffering of his people. Last Thursday, Ali felt he had cheated death the first time. He tweeted that he had narrowly escaped a bombing in Quetta. When he went to tend to the victims, a second deadlier blast struck the billiards hall in Quetta, raising the death toll to nearly 100. It was the greatest single tragedy to visit the community.
The tragedy jolted many Pakistanis, bringing tens of thousands around the country out onto the cold streets. Protests and candlelight vigils sprouted in many cities. Ali, the slain activist, was a familiar face at such protests. In recent photographs, he was seen holding up the image of a Pashtun politician, who was assassinated by the Taliban last month. This time, many protesters held aloft portraits of Ali's smiling face, some adorned with words from his Twitter bio: "I am born to fight for human rights and peace. My religion is respect and love all the religions."
The protests were eventually heard. Some of the largest crowds had gathered in Karachi, outside the private residence of President Asif Ali Zardari. On Monday, the government dispatched Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to Quetta to meet with the victims. Chief Minister of Baluchistan Nawab Aslam Raisani, a figure of clownish incompetence with a taste for the good life, was told there was no job waiting for him when he returned from his latest foreign jaunt. The provincial government was sacked, having forfeited its mandate. And a form of emergency rule imposed under the province's more stolid governor.
(MORE: War in Mali: France Can Bomb Militants, but Not Arms Routes)
It was enough to persuade the families of the Hazara victims to bury their dead, but more will need to be done to stop others from being sent to an early grave. Last year, over 400 Shi'ites were killed across Pakistan, double the number killed in 2011. A significant minority in majority Sunni Pakistan, Shi'ites comprise roughly a quarter of the country's population. At least a quarter of the recent death toll belongs to the Hazara community in Baluchistan, who migrated there over a century ago from neighboring Afghanistan. Seeking safety, many have been making journeys onward. Last Thursday's attacks, though deadlier than previous ones, were depressingly familiar.
In recent years, Shi'ite pilgrims from the Hazara community have been hauled off buses bound for pilgrimages in Iran to be lined up and summarily shot. In other parts of the country, as far apart as Karachi in the south, Lahore to the east, the northern hills of Gilgit, Parachinar near the Afghan border, and Dera Ismail Khan in the northwest, Shi'ite worshippers have seen their processions routinely attacked.
On each of these occasions, Shi'ite worshippers had gathered in the streets, as they have done for centuries, to mourn the memories of their ancient martyrs. They left having to mourn the loss of new ones. The seventh century massacre of their most revered saint, Imam Hussein, and his followers, becomes not just a retelling of the foundation of their faith. It is relived as a parable for the present, the story of a vulnerable minority brutally slaughtered for its beliefs.
The responsibility for these attacks has often been claimed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), probably the most dangerous group operating in Pakistan today, and its militant allies. LeJ began life as an even more vicious offshoot of the banned anti-Shi'ite organization, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). A decade ago, the group found common doctrinal ground with newcomers from al-Qaeda and proffered its deep and pervasive network. Al-Qaeda maintained operational control, LeJ supplied the foot soldiers. The lethal combine has been blamed for attacks such as the 2008 bombing of the Islamabad Marriott and the 2009 Lahore attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.
The failure to stop these militants is the collective failure of Pakistan's power elites: the politicians, the army and the judiciary. Less than 24 hours after the Quetta attacks, Malik Ishaq, a notorious LeJ leader, was in Karachi inciting further anti-Shi'ite hatred. "I don't have fun making speeches," the self-confessed killer of Shi'ites told his supporters. "You know what I have fun doing."
Ishaq was shockingly released from prison in 2011 after the courts said they didn't have enough evidence to convict him. As is often the case, witnesses are not protected and are either eliminated or reduced to a terrified silence. The prosecution and the police fail to marshal the evidence necessary to support a conviction. There are also questions that analysts raise about Islamabad's intelligence agencies' links to sectarian groups like the LeJ and its parent organization, the SSP.
Ishaq has barely been prevented from roaming around freely. He was briefly taken into custody once only to be released again. He and his cohorts are also the beneficiaries of sordid deals with Pakistan's power elites. When the army's headquarters were under siege in 2009, Ishaq was reportedly flown from prison to help negotiate a stand-down. The Punjab government, lead by the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N, has courted votes alongside leaders of the anti-Shi'ite SSP.
The failure of Pakistani authorities to protect the Shi'ite population and act against their killers is eroding faith in the state and its institutions. Their failures amount, as Human Rights Watch has said, to complicity. It also raises troubling questions about Pakistan's identity. In 1947, after the partition of the subcontinent, Pakistan was founded ostensibly as a state for the region's Muslims — and the minorities that live there. The founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was himself a secular man of a Shi'ite background.
Over the decades, various minorities have found themselves under siege. Prejudiced laws against the Ahmadi Muslim sect have seen the group's leadership take exile as its followers have either abandoned the country, fall foul of its blasphemy laws or lose the loved ones in terrorist attacks by the same groups that have targeted the Shi'ites. The beleaguered Christian community fares no better, similarly trapped between militant violence and laws that make them vulnerable to persecution. The old Parsi community has dwindled sharply, with an estimated three times as many living in Toronto as do in Karachi.
For the Shi'ites, it was supposed to be different. They have long lived peacefully alongside the majority Sufi-inspired Sunni community, marching together at the same annual Muharram processions. There were always levels of prejudice, with bigots comparing Shi'ites to "cockroaches" and hard-line Deobandis — adherents of a puritanical South Asian strain of Sunni Islam — declaring them heretical. But the Pakistani mainstream never considered them a separate minority. In public, for example, Shi'ite politicians are not identified by sect.
If, however, Shi'ites are not going to feel safe in Pakistan, it will have grave consequences not just for the country but also the wider region. Pakistan's Shi'ite population is second only to neighboring Iran, where Shi'ites are the majority and Shi'ite Islam is embedded in the heart of the country's politics. In the long term, it could be the most destabilizing of all of Pakistan's problems — with the violence not restricted to a remote borderland, but tearing into the country's very fabric.
MORE: TIME Exclusive: Q&A with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar


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The vice president of the soccer club AC Milan, who is also Silvio Berlusconi's younger brother, has unleashed another racism scandal.
During a political rally, Paolo Berlusconi referred to one of his players, Mario Balotelli, by using the "N" word.
"OK, we are all off to see the family's little [slur]," Berlusconi can be heard saying in a video of the event. "He's a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well – you can even have a chance to meet the president [Silvio Berlusconi]."
Britain's The Independent reports:
"The comments come at a sensitive time for the club and Italian football, with Milan midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng recently staging a walk-off in a friendly match after being racially abused by a section of supporters. Boateng's actions won praise from Berlusconi senior.
"Paolo Berlusconi was attending a rally for a candidate for his brother's right-wing People of Freedom party when he made the comments. ...
"A spokesman for the Serie A club said today there would be no comment from AC Milan regarding the video."
As we've reported, racism is big deal in European soccer. Last March, a British student was jailed for sending a racist tweet about a collapsed player and last summer John Terry, a former captain of England's national soccer team, was tried over what he told Anton Ferdinand, a black opponent.
The Guardian reports that the Italian-born Balotelli had just joined AC Milan from Manchester City.
CNN spoke to Italian football expert John Foot for some political context. The network reports:
"When the deal — worth around $31 million — to bring Balotelli to AC was announced last week, La Stampa estimated the signing of 'Super Mario' could be worth 400,000 votes in Silvio Berlusconi's bid for re-election in Italy later this month.
"While the incident could damage Berlusconi's image abroad, Foot doubted it would affect his popularity in Italy.
"'His reputation abroad is pretty appalling anyway,' added Foot. 'There hasn't been a debate in Italy about racist language. For a long time they used to use words to describe immigrants which were absolutely racist.
"'It is something I don't think will have an impact on Berlusconi domestically.'"
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