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• I consent to receive the information and follow-up communications related to this online loan inquiry application electronically. • My consent is limited to the information related to this online loan inquiry applicationon only and none other. • I can withdraw my consent at any time during the online loan inquiry application process, as well as before I click the "SUBMIT" button, by clicking on my browser's "BACK" button. • I understand that my online loan inquiry application cannot be processed electronically if I withdraw my consent. • Rates and terms subject to credit approval and may change without notice. Loan programs vary by state. All lender programs subject to customer qualification per lenders' guidelines and parameters. Paramount and Paramount Capital do not provide any direct lending or finance services. • Paramount and Paramount Capital does not represent any of the lenders as a broker or in any other capacity other than a referral source. • Paramount and Paramount Capital is not acting as a credit services agent for the consumer. • Any credit product for which the consumer applies and/or qualifies solely is the product of the lender.
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Italics instead of Underlining for Titles
- Use italics in place of underlining for independently published works (books, periodicals, etc). See the examples below for how to cite different types of publications.
Medium of Publication
- MLA now requires that all citations include documentation of the "medium" of the publication (Print, Web, Performance, Photograph, etc). Generally, the designator is the last element included in an entry, except for web resources which are followed by the date of access.
You don't need the URL Anymore
- MLA no longer requires the URL to be included for web sources. If however the citation doesn't easily lead the reader to the source it is recommended to include a URL.
Pagination Changes
- In past versions of MLA you would cite a periodical differently if each issue started with page 1, from one where the page numbers continued issue to issue for an entire volume. This is no longer the case. For all periodical citations include both volume and issue numbers (e.g. 115.1). Take a look at the examples included for periodicals throughout this document.
Abbreviations for Web Sources
- When documenting web sources MLA now requires notation of the publisher or sponsor of the site. When no publisher is listed use "N.p." For web sources that do not have page numbers, indicate such in the citation using the notation of "n. pag." You are also required to indicate the date of publication which many web sources do not indicate, in these instances use "n.d." for no date.

subset: commoncrawl


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Impressed by interns
Dear Editor:
Time and time again we hear about how the younger generation doesn't have the same values and goals in life as they use to. Well, we are here to tell you that we don't agree at all.
Continued outlet mall traffic worries
To Shelby County Road department, our magistrate, KY Hwy district 5 and Simpsonville government,
This is my second letter concerning the outlet mall traffic; someone is going to be injured over this bad planning.
Fire department says thanks
The Shelby County Fire Department would like to thank everyone in Shelby County who gave to the 2014 WHAS Crusade for Children. This is a time of year that our firefighters look forward to because we believe so strongly in this cause. Many volunteers join the firefighters in collecting donations, including the Shelby County Ladies Auxiliary, SCFD Junior Firefighters, friends and family of the firefighters and various community organizations.
Questions redistricting choices
Each year in late August, the Shelby County Public Schools (SCPS) Board of Education produces "The Tax Show." This year, the Board has added a new production to its theatrical repertoire, and, on June 26th, I attended what might best be described as the dress rehearsal for "Redistricting, Mathis Style."
Last week The Sentinel-News caught up with Shelby County native Marissa Raisor as she continues her whirlwind trip at Miss Hooters International.
Our story focused on her recent trip to Thailand to help open a new restaurant and her bit part in the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie "Blended" but the one thing that stuck out most to us was Raisor's commitment to continuing her education.
"I just finished the semester, so I only have a year left," she said.
In support of prayer at public meetings
Ms. Allewalt [My Word, "For the benefit and blessing of the council – Musings on the Prayer Issue," The Sentinel-News, May 28, 2014] it seems, never experienced a public prayer she liked in public meetings or governmental service meetings.
A new look at politicians
Marriage equality not for Gov. to decide
In my opinion, Governor Steve Beshear has no business pursuing the Same Sex Marriage appeal. It is a personal issue that does not concern or affect anyone except those choosing to be married.
I'm glad he did not choose my partner in life. My question to you is "would you want someone else to choose yours"?
Bible disputes need for Fairness Ordinance
I would like to reply to an article in last week's edition by Rev. Fred Moffatt. Let me try to address each point individually.
Live up to the Constitution
The drug cartels are laughing at us as we keep drugs illegal to insure their profits stay high to fuel our enemies in our own hemisphere toward the destruction of our own country. Usually by our own police and greedy officials who are rapidly destroying our U.S. Constitution with compete impunity.
Copyright © 2019
The Sentinel-News is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Shelby County and Shelbyville, KY, and the surrounding area.


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My iPhone 5 Will Be Naked
Sep 20, 2012 5:00 AM PT
As I anxiously wait for my shiny new iPhone 5 to arrive on Friday -- like 2 million others -- my thoughts first turned to protective cases. Would any be available? How long before manufacturers caught up with Apple's secrecy machine and started producing them so I could buy one? And screen protectors, when will my favorite screen protector company be able to deliver?
Then I realized that maybe now, finally, I don't need a case at all. After all, what do I value more and more out of my iPhone? Pocketability. When I'm using it, I want it big enough and when I'm not I don't even want to know it exists. This flies directly in the face of the tech club who believes that bigger is better, that a massive screen equates to productivity and joy. I shake my head at these guys who like the big smartphones, but I don't hold any real animosity. To each their own -- as long as you're not a woman who wears tight jeans, mind you. Here's a story:
Phone Envy?
Last weekend I went out for wings at a sports bar with a couple of guys who sell a lot of Android phones. Both have huge phones. One is a Motorola man about to upgrade to another Motorola, and the other had a Samsung Galaxy S II that he rooted, primarily, it seems, so he could overclock it to make it run faster, even at the expense of his battery life. The screen is brilliant but huge. When he pulled it out to look up some sports score or something, I was taken aback, as I often am when I see the sheer size of these things, so I asked him, "Hey, so do you have a tailor?"
"Huh? What?"
"Oh, you know, so you can have your pockets specially modified so you can fit your phone into them."
He got the joke and laughed.
"I can't imagine being a woman and trying to fit that into a jeans pocket," I said.
"Yeah," he admitted, "If you're a girl this phone isn't for you."
And my buddy's Motorola seemed even larger, but that could have been due to the overall shape.
I see quite a few women stick their smartphones into their back pockets. I tend to weigh a lot more than your average woman, so I tend to avoid this. Last thing I want to do is snap my iPhone when I sit in a chair. So I go with a front pocket or side pocket. My point? The pocket is always the least common denominator for where to put a smartphone, even when a woman may or may not have a purse. (As for man bags, I don't even know what those are, so we'll leave that topic off the table.)
Is iPhone 5 the Perfect Size?
No doubt, the current iPhone 4 and 4S screen size is too small. Sure, it's a workable size, but it's far from perfect. The iPhone 5 screen is longer, 4-inches on the diagonal, which basically gives us room in iOS for a new row of app icons. Nice. It'll make movie and video watching better, plus give us more room for content. And yet the iPhone 5 is 20 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S.
As near as I can tell so far, without holding one until it arrives, I'll have more screen real estate and still be able to one-hand the iPhone just fine. Plus it's an overall smaller device.
That's what I wanted. That's what I want now. I don't want a bigger, fatter screen. I don't want to jam a "phablet" into a pocket or hold a paperback book up to my head to talk. I want a smaller phone, not a bigger one. Not Zoolander small, but pocketable. When my iPhone is light enough that I can't feel it banging against the side of my leg while wearing cargo shorts -- that's what I'm looking for.
Maybe I'm a Girl
Nah. I've never been accused of being girlish. My colleague, Rob Enderle over at TechNewsWorld, seems to think the iPhone 5 was made just for Mrs. Jobs. He even seems to think that it's a girly phone and that he wants a more manly phone. Rob is a pretty sharp guy, actually, and I'm not sure if he's 100 percent serious or joking a bit to amp up his point.
Is there some kind overcompensation going on here with big phones? I thought we were done with that after the economy tanked and driving gussied up civilian Hummers wasn't so cool any more. Now I have to pack a big phone to be a man? Right. Wait. Where's my belt smartphone holster? I can attach my phone to a quick-draw holster on my hip. That's the most manly thing I can imagine. If I can only find space on my gadget belt ... I'll have to take something off. I think my ninja throwing star case will have to go. The last time I threw a star into a cubicle wall at the office, well, I got in quite a lot of trouble. I mean, everyone and my boss thought I was awesome -- just not HR. HR was not amused.
Backing away from the gender issue, I can see how folks use their smartphones as tools, as major input devices for email and work applications. For these people, I can see where having more screen could be useful. I'm just not that person. Sure, I travel a bit for business, attend conferences and events, but if anything, when I'm traveling I want a phone that's more discreet, that's smaller, a bit less conspicuous -- particularly when some session drones on and I need to shock my brain back to life with a pithy headline or two.
My iPhone 5 Will Be Naked This Time Around
For the first year, my iPhone 4 sported a solid full-wrap case. Not bulletproof or waterproof, but solid. When it broke, I got another, slightly slimmer full case. When it broke, I started using one of the Antennagate super-slim cases that basically covered the sides and back of the iPhone 4. And you know what? I liked it. My iPhone was easier to get into and out of pockets, friendlier to hold, and it felt like I was holding an iPhone and not a case.
This time around, I'm going to run around with my iPhone 5 naked -- no bulky case, no slim case, just the iPhone 5. I'll use it the way Apple intended. Will I drop and break it? Maybe. But it has the aluminum rear, now, with better front glass placement. Besides, the big Android phones . . . most of those I see around don't have cases, presumably because they would be waaay too big then, right?
So I'm just saying, I'm coming around to this idea of a more perfect size. Of tradeoffs not being tradeoffs. We'll see, of course, but I'm just saying -- halfway through my iPhone 4 lifespan, I ditched the protective case and went with a thin open shell. I liked it.
There's More to Size Than Meets the Eye
So what else is going on? While the iPhone is the most popular smartphone, Android-based phones and the up-and-coming competition continue to beat it out. Sure, some of the numbers are for cheaper Android phones while others will be for high-quality units from major manufacturers. I don't think there will ever be more iPhones out and about than other smartphones put together. In fact, the iPhone's marketshare, despite wicked crazy fast iPhone 5 sales, will likely decline as more and more people get into smartphones that are not the iPhone.
Meanwhile, Apple's stock has shot past the US$700 per share mark. Whoa. Investors believe in Apple's ability to produce units that are in demand that people want. There's a clear and solid fan base for the iPhone and iOS, and the iPhone and the OS are clearly connected. Android? Not so much. There are different versions, different skins, and while the size of the Android population is quite large, the numbers are fractured -- fractured by app stores, OS versions, and manufacturer-based support features and navigation strategies. The point is that the Apple iPhone universe is now big enough that it doesn't have to have the largest market share to maintain a huge identity in the world. It's a diluted size vs. a concentrated one.
So how does size really matter to Apple fans here? It means we can count on Apple to produce a seamless experience for us for years to come. There's customer demand, there's revenue, there's industry support. Lots of accessories, lots of apps, lots of iPhone action to keep us happy.
The iPhone 5, any way you look at it, seems to me to be more than big enough.


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Student project collaboration with NC State University
It was about a year ago that Dr. Yannis Viniotis, Professor of the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) department at North Carolina State University (NCSU), met with senior Cisco Engineers and agreed to collaborate on several small, hands-on projects with Cisco Engineers and NCSU students.
The NCSU ECE department partners with the industry as part of their Senior Design Project Program, where various vendors serve as sponsors and offer several projects for NCSU students to complete. That is also how the Cisco-NCSU collaboration started. Students get to work on real networking industry problems guided by engineers that already work in the industry. The students gain experience that can be later used in their professional lives. The Cisco engineers get to work with future engineers, mentoring and preparing them for their professional lives and solving some real world technical challenges. It is fun and educational for both sides.
As part of the collaboration, we initially kicked-off each project with a presentation of the actual problem, the project goals, and potential training on the tools to use. We then agreed upon the project milestones. Throughout the lifetime of project we were meeting with the students weekly or bi-weekly to go over the progress of their work, provide guidance, or answer any questions that may come up. We found that keeping a regularly scheduled meeting helped the overall progress. At the end of the two-semester period we had:
Over 20 Wireshark dissectors: These projects were derived from various new network protocols or existing protocol changes that were produced in IETF RFCs but were not yet integrated in Wireshark. Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer that can read and display network traffic captures. Anyone can contribute to it. So, by creating new dissectors for the unimplemented protocols, Wireshark can be quicker to "understand" and display the new protocols when they are present in packet captures, which in turn helps engineers that use the software. To date, students have written over 20 new dissectors that have been accepted and integrated into Wireshark. Carlos Pignataro and Arun Arunachalam, from Cisco, led the Wireshark projects.
tcpliveplay: Network administrators have seen this problem before: "How do I replay a TCP flow destined to a live host since the host will change the TCP sequence numbers every time?" This project required the creation of a tool that replays a captured TCP flow against a live device. Existing tools could not replay a captured TCP connection against a device that changes its response every time. Three students from NCSU chose this problem as their Senior Design Project. For the solution, we chose to extend the tcpreplay tool. tcpreplay is open-source (GPLv3 licensed) software developed by Aaron Turner. It is widely used by the network community, mostly for testing and packet replaying. The name of the new tcpreplay extension that replays a TCP flow is tcpliveplay. Even though the semester was over before tcpliveplay could make it to the engineering community, Yazan Siam, one of the students that worked on this Senior Design Project, chose to work on it over the summer to fix issues and make it available.
You are probably now asking "where can I get this tool?" It was just recently integrated (Sept 2012) and can be used after installing tcpreplay 3.4. tcpliveplay currently operates on a Linux OS and replays one TCP flow capture. Yazan will try to add more functionality in the future. More details can be found on the tcpreplay wiki. The project was driven by Panos Kampanakis from Cisco.
We would like to thank the NCSU ECE students for the good work and collaboration. We hope it has been a good experience for them as it was a fun experience for us.
The collaboration will continue…
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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What is a nail without nail art? Naked. Wanting. Lonesome. Since everyone's taking fashion lessons from street style these days, why not look to some of the best-dressed street style stars for some nail art inspiration? Let's do case studies of Cosmopolitan fashion director Aya Kanai's half-moon manicure, and casting director Natalie Joos' striped one.
Manicurist Simcha Whitehill (aka Miss Pop) helped come up with the below tutorials, so your nails can also look like they just walked out of fashion week.
First up, meet Aya Kanai. Her half-moon manicure looks intimidating, but don't be fooled.
You can also get the look. Here's how:
1. "Starting with a clean nail free of polish, apply a basecoat so the polish you paint on doesn't chip as fast," says Whitehill. "Then, apply reinforcement stickers (you can buy these at Office Max) onto each nail, lining the middle of the inner circle up with your cuticle, so that it peeks through. This masks off the half moon part of your nail and helps create that perfect crescent shape as you paint on the color."
2. Pick your first color to paint on the tips of your nails. We chose Dior Gris Montaigne. Polish them from pinky to pinky, giving them ample time to dry, and then apply the second coat. Immediately after painting each nail with the second coat, peel off the sticker. "Waiting even a second makes the polish tacky and leaves you with a less clean-looking half moon," Whitehills explains.
3. "Apply 10 new reinforcement stickers to your nails, this time placing the top of the circle directly over your cuticle. Be careful not to move it down too far or you'll lose the effect of the half moon. Then, paint on your accent polish," says Whitehill. We picked a silver shade called Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Stardust. "If the polish you choose as your second shade is opaque, apply one coat and then immediately peel off the sticker. If it's sheer, paint on two coats, and then, apply a top coat to seal in your look."
4. Show off your mani! We're assuming your friends will be jealous and want to copy you asap, so make sure you Instagram this look quick to get the street-style cred you deserve.
Next up, meet Natalie Joos, casting agent, fashion consultant and author and photographer for Tales of Endearment, "a wicked blog about vintage clothing and the funky-cool girls who wear it." Her stripes are perfect for spring, but that season's over so let's update the look for fall.
Here's how to get your own striped nail look:
This look couldn't be easier to duplicate, but there are a few things about it that you need to know:
1. After you've removed any old polish and applied your basecoat, choose two light colors to alternate from finger to finger as your base. We chose China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, a gorgeous opaque yellow, and Deborah Lipppman Girls Collection in Jessa, a reddish-burgundy, "since yellow was a surprise nail hit on the fall runways and oxblood is an autumn season staple," says Whitehill.
2. Create three to four vertical stripes on each nail using a striper brush (this is a long skinny nail polish brush that you can get at any art or beauty supply store) and this cool technique: First dip the brush into the red polish and, starting at the cuticle of the nail, hold it there steady and then slowly pull your finger away from the brush. That helps you draw a straight, not wiggly, vertical line in five seconds. Then, after you've created several lines on each nail using the red hue, wipe the brush down with acetone to remove the polish remnants.
3. Switch up your color palette by using the darkest shade out of the three polishes you chose, which in our case is a navy by Essie called After School Boy Blazer. "It's a color that is big for fall fashion-wise, so this is a cool way to translate it to the nail," says Whitehill. Apply this color to the nails that don't already have red lines on them, and then finish with a topcoat.
4. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy while those puppies dry.
Photo Credit: FameFlynet/SplashNews


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Florida Governor Now Supports Broader Medicaid
Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott reversed course Wednesday and said he wants the state to expand Medicaid under the federal health law.
That makes him the seventh GOP governor to back an expansion of the federal-state health program for the poor, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. About 25 governors have expressed support for such a move.


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Commercial, Military, Personal/Corporate, Public Service
By Staff Writer | June 1, 2008
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Atlantic Airways Ltd of Denmark's Faroe Islands has taken delivery of an AgustaWestland AW139. The helicopter is configured for 12-15 seat layouts for both public passenger transport and offshore-support operations.
As the national airline of the Faroe Islands established in 1987, Atlantic Airways is based at Vagar Airport and operates domestic as well as international scheduled and charter services through its mixed fixed-/rotary-wing fleet. Scheduled transport services link the Faroe Islands, halfway between Iceland and Norway, to various destinations in Northern Europe, including major cities in Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Atlantic Airways also flies search and rescue missions.
In addition to offshore transport, the AW139 can be used for EMS/SAR, executive/VIP transport, law enforcement and utility roles. The helicopter has achieved a great success becoming the best selling medium twin in the world. More than 90 different customers in more than 30 countries have ordered in excess of 330 of the helicopter.


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One of the ongoing debates in evolutionary science is focused on the level that selective pressures act at. Compelling cases have been made that selection acts on units that range from entire populations down to individual genes. Now, an open access paper in PLoS Genetics adds a new twist to the debate by suggesting that selection can act on groups of functionally related genes.
The study took advantage of our ever-growing list of completed genomes to compare whole-genome sequences from 30 different species of bacteria. Researchers focused on a set of 744 core genes that are common to most forms of bacterial life and explored how the proteins they code for differ among species. The statistical analysis was made challenging by the fact that different lineages had experienced different rates of evolution; there's no single molecular clock among bacteria. Nevertheless, the authors were able to identify deviations from the typical rate of evolution within a species in order to identify those genes that were evolving rapidly.
What they found was that rates of evolution tended to cluster along functional lines or, as the authors put it, "genes involved in the same biological function tend to have a similar 'selective signature' (pattern of fast or slow evolution across species)." So, for example, the enterobacteria tended to have rapid evolution of genes involved in producing the flagella, the rotary tail that propel them through liquid environments.
A more dramatic example came from bacteria that inhabit the deep-ocean vents. That far from sunlight, photosynthesis and the sugars it produces play very little role in basic metabolism. In Idiomarina loihiensis, an organism that lives there, many genes involved in sugar metabolism show a very rapid rate of change. This could mean either that they are no longer providing an essential function, or that they are undergoing selection for new functions. The authors favor the former because several of the sugar genes are missing entirely from Idiomarina's genome. Meanwhile, genes involved in amino acid metabolism are also changing rapidly, but none have been deleted, suggesting that the organism may be adapting to making a living using an amino-acid-based metabolism.
The authors conclude that their results "suggest that the genomic landscape is organized into functional modules even at the level of natural selection, and thus it may be easier than expected to understand the complex evolutionary pressures on a cell." This may not work well in animals, which often carry several copies of related genes, but similar studies with bacteria may provide insights into how they have adapted to new environments, including those those in which they cause human diseases.
PLoS Genetics, 2008. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0040023


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ACRL/Arts Section's ArtsGuide Philadelphia, PA
Be sure to check out the ACRL Arts Section's ArtsGuide Philadelphia, PA: http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/acrlsections/arts/artsguide/ArtsGuide-Philly-MW2.pdf
The ArtsGuides are developed by the Arts Section to help ALA conference attendees find arts-related venues/events in and around host cities. We point out the more unique, off-the-beaten path arts experiences which you might not discover from other types of tourist guides.
Since the ArtsGuides are prepared by local arts librarians, we give you added value by listing travel considerations to a venue, costs and discount possibilities, and we cover a wide diversity of galleries/performances/events, to help you truly absorb the arts of the city, making your trip enjoyable and enlightening.
Mary Edsall Choquette coordinated/edited the Philadelphia ArtsGuide, and Cheryl Lajos, Sara MacDonald, Erin McKinney, and Alessia Zanin-Yost were her contributing editors.
Tom Caswell, the Arts Section's intrepid webmaster made sure the PDF guide is readily available and Beth Kerr, as chair of the Section's Publication and Research Committee, oversaw the process.


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NEW YORK -- There was an audible gasp, alarm, and then complete panic.
And that was just in the New York Yankees press box.
The Yankees lineup was posted Friday afternoon, and Alex Rodriguez's name was nowhere to be found.
The highest-paid player in baseball history, and one of the biggest celebrities in all of sports, will not be part of the Yankees' biggest game of the season tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. This just became the most publicized benching in the history of sports.
BENCHED: A-Rod not playing in Game 5
In a matter of just three days, A-Rod has gone from being the Yankees' No. 3 hitter, to No. 5 hitter, to a
platoon player to, gulp, the bench.
"Obviously, I'm not happy,'' Rodriguez said, "and I was disappointed. You want to be in there in the worst way.
"But this is a team, and we have some unfinished business today.''
This is the first time in A-Rod's career that he hasn't started a postseason game. Then again, this is the first time he looks completely lost, hitting .125 this series with nine strikeouts in 16 at-bats this postseason.
The trouble is that if he's not starting, when will he ever play? The dude has had 14 career at-bats as a pinch hitter.
His career pinch-hitting batting average: .000. In fact, he's hit the ball out of the infield only once in any of those pinch-hit appearances.
"I do think he's ready,'' said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, "to take an at-bat against a lefty and help us win.''
Welcome to the Bronx Zoo, the 2012 version. Can you imagine the fallout if the Yankees actually lose tonight in Game 5 against the Baltimore Orioles? Then again, can you imagine the turmoil if the Yankees win tonight?
The Yankees would play the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. The same team that has four right-handed starters. The same team whose four starters all throw harder than Baltimore's Game 5 starter, Jason Hammel.
So, if Girardi won't start A-Rod tonight, why would he start him in any game against the Tigers?
If the Yankees win tonight, who volunteers to be the first one to ask Girardi if A-Rod will even be on the ALCS roster? Anyone?
"I have to look in the mirror and do what I can,'' Rodriguez said, "to do the best I can. Don't assume that you've heard the last from us or me."
Yes, this is what it's like in YankeeLand these days, where a catastrophe, or at least a controversy, is just around the corner.
If the Yankees lose tonight, this city will be in an uproar, and surely, changes will follow. You can't have a payroll that's $110 million more than the Orioles, managed by a man that you fired nearly 20 years ago, and be sitting home for the winter while four teams are still playing. That doesn't play in New York.
Girardi is safe. So is Yankees GM Brian Cashman. Yet, there could be a roster metamorphosis.
This is an old team that's badly in need of a transfusion. They could use a B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn roaming the outfield. They need to find someone who can step in and play third base and shortstop to give Derek Jeter and A-Rod a breather.
They need a front-line catcher. And, oh, how they need starting pitching. You can't rely on ace CC Sabathia to stay healthy, and remain the ace, for the next five years. And, yes, they've got to figure out what to do with Rodriguez, and soothe any strained feelings, considering he still has five years and $114 million left on his contract.
"We have to worry about today,'' Girardi said. "If there are concerns about relationships, you have offseasons, you have springs, you have seasons to go through things.
"The best relationships, the strongest relationships, are always relationships that go through struggles. Relationships just aren't perfect. I mean, you put a husband and wife together where the relationship was just perfect without any struggles, you're probably not living on this planet."
"If things have to be built back up, we can do that. I have had to do that before. I have got to worry about today, and we, as an organization and as a group in that room, have to worry about today.''
Yet, with a loss tonight, that worry will become a throbbing headache that won't subside until spring training.
Play ball!


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Staff writer
Extreme heat is hard not just on people. It also is hard on cars. Eastmoor Methodist United Church pastor Mike Eurit found that out the hard way when his Kia Optima broke down.
"My wife and I were on our way home from Manhattan last week when the car started running hot," he said.
Debris in the radiator inhibited airflow causing the engine to overheat.
According to Webster Auto Service in Marion, the debris had built up over time. During cooler weather, the car could handle the lack of airflow. However, it could not keep cool in the hot weather.
"We took it to Webster's and they blew out the radiator, but afterward, the car was still running hot," Eurit said.
The radiator was flushed, its thermostat replaced, and the car ran normally, Eurit said.
Webster's owner Barry Allen said Eurit was not the only customer to experience car problems because of the heat.
"Summer is actually our busiest time," he said.
Rod's Tire and Service in Hillsboro also is busy with the heat.
Allen said he commonly sees cars for electrical, alternator, and fuel pump failure in the summer.
"The heat radiates off the asphalt and creates super heat," he said.
This can be especially hard on cars without regular care.
"Check your fluids, especially antifreeze, and try not to let your car sit on idle for too long. That is especially hard on your engine when it's this hot because no air is circulating when you're running and not moving," Allen said.
Even a car with regular maintenance can leave you stranded when temperatures soar.
"We take good care of our cars and don't have a lot of breakdowns," Eurit said. "We don't like to be stopped on the road. Heat is just that hard on them."
Allen said it was good practice not just in winter months to keep water and snacks in your car in case you become stranded.


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Multiple jazz chamber ensembles at Hope College will perform Monday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The concert will feature the Prestige Ensemble, the Vanguard Ensemble, the Verve Ensemble and the Blue Note Ensemble.
The Prestige Ensemble will open the program by performing "Doxy," by Sonny Rollins; and "Straight No Chaser," by Thelonious Monk. The Prestige Ensemble is directed by senior Zach Pedigo of Chippewa Falls, Wis. The ensemble includes sophomore Nathan Axdorff of Grand Rapids, piano; freshman Lisa McLellan of Fort Wayne, Ind., alto saxophone; Zach Pedigo, bass; junior Michael Reynolds of Tampa, Fla, drums; freshman Ashley Ritsema of Grand Rapids, alto saxophone; and freshman Macall Smith of Holland, guitar.
Next, the Vanguard Ensemble will perform "Someday My Prince Will Come," by Churchill/Morey; "Oleo," by Sonny Rollins; and "Sweet Georgia Brown," by Bernie and Casey Pinkard. Vanguard Ensemble is directed by Mike Van Lente, instructor of jazz percussion. The Vanguard Ensemble includes sophomore Forrest Dodson of Kalamazoo, bass; sophomore Joshua Holicki of Coldwater, drums; sophomore Christian Nikkel of Holland, guitar; and sophomore Rachael Whitmore of Clarkston, violin.
The Verve Ensemble will then perform "Pent-Up House", by Sonny Rollins; "Corcovado," by Antonio Carlos Jobim; "Many Mansions," by Sonny Sharrock; and "In a Mello Tone," by Duke Ellington. Verve Ensemble is directed by Tom Lockwood, instructor of saxophone. The Verve Ensemble includes sophomore Nathan Axdorff of Grand Rapids, alto saxophone; sophomore Matt Costello of Holland, bass; Tom Lockwood, drums; and sophomore Meghan Stagl of Deerfield, Ill., piano/vocals.
To close the program, the Blue Note Ensemble will perform "A Night in Tunisia," by Dizzy Gillespie; "The Nearness of You," by Washington/Carmichael; and "Joy Spring," by Clifford Brown. Blue Note Ensemble is directed by Steve Talaga, instructor of music, jazz piano and composition. The Blue Note Ensemble includes Matt Costello, bass; freshman Jarred Mackey of Jackson, drums; freshman Matthew Milliken of Fenton, alto and soprano saxophone; and freshman Andrew Valesano of Sherwood, Ore., piano.
The jazz chamber ensembles afford students the opportunity to perform in the classic small group combo setting. The ensembles vary in size and instrumentation and place a creative focus on improvisation and group communication. All of the ensembles perform works from the classic jazz repertoire. The more advanced jazz chamber ensembles also perform repertoire from the contemporary jazz world. These ensembles also place an emphasis on original student and faculty compositions. A member of the Hope College jazz faculty coaches each of the ensembles. The jazz chamber ensembles are open to anyone interested, regardless of experience with jazz.
Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the central Hope campus at the former 127 E. 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues.


text:
Durban Review Conference
The Durban Review Conference is the official name of the 2009 United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), also known as Durban II. The conference ran from Monday 20 April to Friday 24 April 2009, and took place at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.[1] The conference was called under the mandate of United Nations General Assembly resolution 61/149 (passed in 2006) with a mandate to review the implementation of The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action from the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance which took place in Durban, South Africa.
The conference was boycotted by Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, and the United States. The Czech Republic discontinued its attendance on the first day, and twenty-three other European Union countries sent low-level delegations. The western countries had expressed concerns that the conference would be used to promote anti-Semitism and laws against blasphemy perceived as contrary to the principles of free speech,[2][3][4][5][6] and that the conference would not deal with discrimination against homosexuals.[7] European countries also criticized the meeting for focusing on the West and ignoring problems of racism and intolerance in the developing world.
Controversy surrounded the attendance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the conference due to his past statements on Israel and the Holocaust. On the first day of the conference, Ahmadinejad, the only head of state to attend, made a speech condemning Israel as "totally racist"[8] and accusing the West of using the Holocaust as a "pretext" for aggression against Palestinians.[9] The distributed English version of the speech referred to the Holocaust as an "ambiguous and dubious question". When Ahmadinejad began to speak about Israel, all the European Union delegates left the conference room, while a number of the remaining delegates applauded the Iranian President.[10] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay at both the boycotts and the speech.[11]
Durban III, a follow-up conference that took place on 22 September 2011 in New York City, was boycotted by the ten aforementioned countries (including the Czech Republic), along with Austria, Bulgaria, France and the United Kingdom.
- 1 Committee
- 2 Objectives
- 3 Attendance
- 4 Ahmadinejad's participation
- 5 Other events and incidents
- 6 Outcome document
- 7 See also
- 8 References
- 9 External links
The Durban Review Conference was run by the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee, which was chaired by Ms. Najat Al-Hajjaji of Libya. The eighteen vice-chairpersons hailed from Cameroon, South Africa, Senegal, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Armenia, Croatia, Estonia, Russia, Belgium, Greece, Norway and Turkey, and the vice-chairman-rapporteur was from Cuba.[12]
According to the UN website, in August 2007 the Preparatory Committee set forth the following objectives for the Durban Review Conference:[13]
- To review progress and assess implementation of The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action by all stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels, including assessment of contemporary manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, through an inclusive, transparent and collaborative process, and identification of concrete measures and initiatives for combating and eliminating all manifestations of these phenomena;
- To assess the effectiveness of the existing Durban follow-up mechanisms and other relevant UN mechanisms dealing with the issues of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in order to enhance them;
- To promote the universal ratification and implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and proper consideration of the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;
- To identify and share good practices achieved in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Delegates from 141 countries participated in the conference:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great-Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.[14]
Other entities represented: Palestine.
Other participants as observers: Council of Europe, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, European Union.
Specialized agencies represented: International Labor Organization, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UN Conference on Trade and Development, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Industrial Development Organization.
The following intergovernmental organizations and other entities were represented: African Union, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, Inter-American Development Bank, League of Arab States, The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Also represented: three UN programmes and funds and some twenty Human Rights bodies and mechanisms.
Also represented: 39 national human rights institutions from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania, and between 400 and 500 NGOs.
Nine countries boycotted the conference entirely.
- On 23 January 2008, Canada became the first country to announce it would not participate in the Durban Review Conference. A joint statement by cabinet ministers Maxime Bernier and Jason Kenney said the 2001 conference "degenerated into open and divisive expressions of intolerance and anti-Semitism that undermined the principles of the United Nations and the very goals the conference sought to achieve." Canada said it "had hoped that the preparatory process for the 2009 Durban Review Conference would remedy the mistakes of the past" but Canada had concluded the process was too flawed to make the conference " worthwhile."[15] In a subsequent interview on 20 April, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the decision to boycott the conference, stating that "Canada will not lend its name and reputation to an international conference that promotes these kinds of things" and that it was clear early on that the conference would be used to "scapegoat the Jewish people." He added that Canada "will participate in any international conference that combats racism. We will not, however, lend Canada's good name to those, such as Durban II, that promote it."[16]
- On 19 November 2008, Israel announced it would boycott the Durban Review Conference. Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, stated, "The documents prepared for the conference indicate that it is turning once again into an anti-Israeli tribunal, singling out and delegitimizing the State of Israel." She said, "The conference has nothing to do with fighting racism. In view of this situation, I decided that Israel will not participate and will not legitimize the Durban II conference."[17] On 19 April 2009, Avigdor Lieberman, Livni's successor as Foreign Minister, called the conference "a hypocrisy summit,"[18] saying the fact that Iranian President and Holocaust denier[4][19] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been invited to speak at the conference proved its true character. "An international convention that invites a racist such as Ahmadinejad, – who preaches the extermination of the State of Israel day and night – and which allows him to make a central speech, demonstrates both its goal and its character," Lieberman said, adding that Israel could not ignore that a Holocaust-denier had been invited to take part in a convention taking place on the very same day that the Jewish people commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day to remember the six million Jews murdered in Europe by Nazi Germany and its accomplices.[19] Israel had previously withdrawn from the 2001 Durban Conference.[20]
- On 27 February 2009, the United States announced it would boycott the conference.[21] The American delegation in attendance at the conference's preparatory talks concluded that "the anti-Israel and anti-Western tendencies were too deeply entrenched to excise."[22][23] The US State Department said the planned outcome document being drafted for the meeting had "gone from bad to worse, and the current text... is not salvageable... A conference based on this text would be a missed opportunity to speak clearly about the persistent problem of racism."[24] However, in an interview on 4 April, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice expressed her feeling that the content of the latest draft had improved and that a decision on the United States' involvement in the conference had not been made.[25] Deliberation inside the Obama administration ended on 18 April: "With regret, the United States will not join the review conference," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. Wood said the conference document reaffirmed a declaration that emerged from the original Durban conference which the United States had opposed, and that the United States was concerned over new additions to the text regarding "incitement," that run counter to the U.S. commitment to unfettered free speech.[26] The following day, President Barack Obama said "I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe," but stressed that the language of the U.N.'s draft declaration "raised a whole set of objectionable provisions" and risked a reprise Durban, "which became a session through which folks expressed antagonism toward Israel in ways that were often times completely hypocritical and counterproductive."[4] The United States had withdrawn from the 2001 Durban Conference,[20][27][28] and did not attend the 1978 and 1985 World Conferences Against Racism.[29]
- On 5 March 2009, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced at a NATO summit that Italy was pulling out of the conference because of "aggressive and anti-Semitic statements in the draft of the event's final document." Ministry Spokesman Maurizio Massari confirmed Frattini's statements, and charged that the final draft document of the Durban Review Conference contained "expressions of anti-Semitism." Massari said Rome would not participate in the conference unless the document was changed.[30]
- On 19 April, Australia's Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, announced that Australia would be boycotting the conference.[31] "Regrettably, we cannot be confident that the Review Conference will not again be used as a platform to air offensive views, including anti-Semitic views," Smith said on 19 April.[32]
- It was reported on 14 March that the German federal government was considering a boycott of the conference.[33][34] The German federal government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, Günter Nooke, said "In the first instance we should try everything to improve the text of the final document," but also that "Germany should not lend itself to a conference that tries to one-sidedly incriminate Israel."[35] On 16 April, Nooke stated at this point it was very unlikely that Germany would attend the Durban conference.[36] On 19 April, U.N. spokesman Rupert Colville said Germany informed the global body that it would boycott the conference[4][37] out of concern that it could be "abused as a platform for other interests."[38]
- On 19 April, the Netherlands joined the boycott. "The conference against racism is too important to allow it to be abused for political purposes and attacks against the West," Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said in a statement. Verhagen said the draft for the conference represents a "wasted opportunity" to address human rights violations by countries and organizations involved in discrimination on sexual, religious and racial biases. "The conference places Israel as the only defendant," he stated.[39] Verhagen also said it appeared that the intention of event was to vilify Israel and condemn Western countries for slavery and colonialism. "We want to seize all chances of combating racism and discrimination, but we are not lending ourselves to a propaganda circus. I will not participate in antisemitism."[40]
- On 19 April, New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully announced that New Zealand will boycott the conference. McCully stated that his government is not satisfied the wording emerging from discussions held ahead of the conference will prevent it from becoming a repeat of the 2001 conference.[41]
- On 20 April, Poland announced that it would boycott the conference. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that "We have reason to believe that the Conference will once again be exploited, as was the case in Durban in 2001, as a forum for unacceptable statements contrary to the spirit of respect for other races and religions."[42]
Boycott threats and limited participation[edit]
Several countries sent only low level delegations that included no senior government officials. Some of these had originally considered boycotting the conference.
- In early November 2008, Per Stig Møller, Denmark's Foreign Minister, announced that Denmark will not attend the conference if a proposal to equate criticism of religion with racism is included on the agenda.[43] However, Denmark did send an ambassador to the conference. Per Stig Møller has however declared, that if other countries follow in the Iranian path, Denmark shall walk out.
- On 16 March 2009, the European Union stated it would boycott the conference unless major changes were made to its declaration.[44] Britain said it would not attend unless the draft showed a "change in direction."
- On 18 April, Swedish Integration Minister Nyamko Sabuni announced that her government would boycott the conference, sending no ministerial officials to the event, due to worry that it would be a repeat of the last conference on racism. She said that a ministerial presence would "legitimize undemocratic forces." However, a low-level delegation was sent instead.[45][46]
- On 19 April, the United Kingdom announced that it will attend the conference. The delegation will be led by Peter Gooderham who is the British ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.[47] However, Britain's Foreign Minister also stated that Britain will "walk out" of the conference if "red lines" on language such relating to anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Blasphemy are crossed.[48][49]
- On 19 April, a source close to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office told the Agence France-Presse that France would send a low level delegation to the conference.[49] The source stated that "France will go to Geneva... in order to articulate its standpoint on human rights issues." However, Rama Yade, the Junior Minister for Human Rights, warned that France would "not tolerate any verbal slander" and that "Our position must be backed up by a verbal political offensive. So that people understand that this conference is not only a diplomatic victory but the continuation of a fierce battle for the victims of racism and discriminations. This message must be absolutely clear."[50]
- The Czech Republic (which held the EU presidency at the time) sent a low level delegation to the conference. However, following a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the opening of the conference on 20 April, the country withdrew its entire delegation for the remainder of the conference.[10]
Reactions to boycotts[edit]
- On 17 March 2009, Yuri Boychenko, chairman of the group responsible for drafting the conference's declaration, issued a draft that omitted any reference to the Palestinian territories or to defamation of religion in hopes of preventing a widescale boycott by Western nations.[51] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said all disputed points such as references to Israel, Zionism and the Middle East had been deleted from the declaration. She added that she was confident that all parties would approve the reworked statement and decide to attend the upcoming meeting in Geneva.[52] In his opening address to the conference, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said, "some nations who by rights should be helping us to forge a path to a better future are not here. Outside these halls, interest groups of many political and ideological stripes shout against one another in acrimony."[53]
- Pope Benedict XVI on 19 April 2009 hailed the U.N. anti-racism conference and urged countries to join forces to eliminate intolerance, but he made no reference to the boycotts of the meeting. He said he sincerely hoped that delegates who attend the conference work together, "with a spirit of dialogue and reciprocal acceptance, to put an end to every form of racism, discrimination and intolerance." He added that it would be "a fundamental step toward the affirmation of the universal value of the dignity of man and his rights."[54]
- On 19 April, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad commented on the controversy surrounding the summit in a televised speech, implying that it was due to a Zionist plot. "It is clear that the Zionists and their backers will undertake everything possible so that the voices of those people suppressed will be silenced... [the] Zionists control an important part of the politics in the U.S. and Europe and used this influence, especially in the media, to force their demands, which are nothing more than the plundering of nations, onto the world," he said.[19]
- Most members of the European Union, including France and the United Kingdom, ultimately decided to attend the conference, although they sent low-level delegations (no cabinet ministers attended) and walked out of the conference during a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.[55][56]
- On the opening day of the conference, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, of the conservative People's Party, criticized European Union countries who boycotted the conference as representing "not a sign of strength" for the EU.[57]
- The following day, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner criticized the United States for boycotting the conference."It's paradoxical – they don't want to listen to Iran in Geneva but they are ready to talk to them," Kouchner told French radio Europe 1. "More than a paradox, that could really be a mistake."[58]
- Members of the Human Rights Council:[59]
Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, People's Republic of China, Djibouti, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Jordan, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay.
- Members of the Human Rights Council that voted against/abstained from the conference:[59]
Finland, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine.
- Nine countries boycotted the conference entirely:
Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, United States.
- One nation broke off its attendance after the first day, joining the boycott:
Czech Republic (holding the EU presidency at the time)
- The conference's Bureau of the Preparatory Committee:
Argentina, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic (left), Estonia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey.
- Confirmed attendance (non-preparatory committee members):
East Timor, France, Ireland, Lesotho, Montenegro, Nigeria, Switzerland, Togo, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Zambia.[48][49][60][61][62][63]
Ahmadinejad's participation[edit]
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the only head of state to attend the conference and hence delivered a speech on its first day. European countries had expressed fears that a commotion in regard to Israel's right to exist and the Holocaust would be raised by Ahmadinejad and some of the other delegates attending the event.[64]
A collection of human rights groups challenged the Iranian leader at the meet, charging that religious discrimination was widespread in Iran, notably affecting Baha'is, Christians, Jews, Sufis, Sunni Muslims, and other minorities, through arbitrary arrests, intimidation and harassment. The human rights groups called on governments taking part in the conference, as well as the media, to hold Ahmadinejad accountable for violations in Iran.[65]
A meeting between Ahmadinejad and Swiss President Hans-Rudolph Merz before the conference created a minor diplomatic row between Switzerland and Israel. Jerusalem recalled its ambassador to Bern "for consultations" in protest at the meet, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official explaining: "We understand the Swiss are obliged to host the conference as part of their UN commitments, we understand that the Iranian President has to be given a visa. What we don't understand is why the Swiss President greeted Ahmadinejad on arrival."[66] Speaking at a state ceremony marking the beginning of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed a question at the Swiss president, saying "I turn to you, the Swiss president, and ask you: How can you meet someone who denies the Holocaust and wishes for a new holocaust to occur?"[67] In response, the Swiss foreign ministry released a statement saying it "deplores the excessive language used in this context by different Israeli representatives," and summoned the Israeli representative to Bern.[68]
In his opening speech, Ahmadinejad said that the Zionist creation of Israel in the British Mandate of Palestine was accomplished by "military aggressions to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering."[69] He said that migrants from around the world (such as Europe or the United States) descended on Palestine and set up "a totally racist government", and that "in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive racist regime in Palestine."[69][70][71]
The speech was disrupted at the start by members of the French Union of Jewish Students as Ahmadinejad opened with a Muslim prayer. The two rainbow-wigged protesters tossed red clown noses at Ahmadinejad and shouted "racist, racist" before being escorted from the room. The protesters said that they had been trying to convey "the masquerade that this conference represents."[11][72]
Within minutes of the speech's opening, dozens of delegates from at least thirty countries, including all the European Union countries in attendance, left the room to return when Ahmadinejad's speech was over. The Czech Republic announced that it would join the boycott of the conference in protest over the speech.[11][69] The BBC described the exit as a "public relations disaster" for the United Nations.[11] Many of those who remained to listen to Ahmadinejad's speech applauded his remarks.[73] The countries whose delegates participated in the walkout were: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic (which left the conference for good), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, St. Kitts and Nevis and the United Kingdom.[74]
The English text version of the speech, handed out by the Iranian delegation, stated that after World War II the Allies had created the state of Israel "on the pretext of Jewish sufferings and the ambiguous and dubious question of holocaust."[75] On the following day, the UN revealed that the Iranian president had originally intended to include the phrasing in his speech, rather than "the abuse of the question of the holocaust" he used.[9]
The speech was deplored by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the speech, but also objected to the walkout. European Union presidency said the remarks were "unacceptable" while European Jewish groups condemned the speech.[76][77] Concern was also expressed that the speech would derail the conference or divert attention from its purposes.[75][78]
Ahmadinejad received a hero's welcome upon his return to Tehran on 21 April,[79] where he was greeted by supporters at the airport with "Death to Israel" slogans.[73][80] The conservative media in Iran hailed Ahmadinejad's speech, while the reformist press focused on the walkout and demonstrations, but without criticizing the president.[73][81] The speech was also supported by Lebanese militant group and government participant Hezbollah[82] and by Gazan ruling group Hamas.[83] On the day of Ahmadinejad's return, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned a European Union representative in Tehran to protest what Iran called the EU's "double standard" with regards to racism.[84] On the following day, Iran sent a letter of protest to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for criticizing Ahmadinejad's speech, claiming the Iranian president "was subjected to unfair and unwarranted harsh criticism."[85]
Ahmadinejad speech: full text, BBC News
Original draft of speech, BBC News
Reactions to speech[edit]
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay at the incident, describing the words chosen by President Ahmadinejad as being those that are used "to accuse, divide and even incite".[11] Ban stated that he had asked Ahmadinejad in advance not to focus on "divisiveness" in his address and that "It is deeply regrettable that my plea to look to the future of unity was not heeded by the Iranian president. This is the opposite of what this conference seeks to achieve. This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism," Ban said in a statement following Ahmadinejad's speech."[56] High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned Ahmadinejad but objected to the walkout, saying "I condemn the use of a UN forum for political grandstanding. I find this totally objectionable... The best riposte for this type of event is to reply and correct, not to withdraw and boycott the conference."[76] Pillay also described Ahmadinejad as "somebody who traditionally makes obnoxious statements."[78]
- At a later press conference, Ahmadinejad criticized the countries which boycotted or walked out of the summit as "arrogant and selfish," and asked of the walkout, "Why is it that the so-called advocates of freedom of information fear hearing other people's opinions?"[86]
- Speaking at a state ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli President Shimon Peres called Ahmadinejad's appearance at the conference "a deplorable disgrace,"[87] commenting on his speech "Nazism has been crushed, but anti-Semitism is still alive. The gas has evaporated, but the poison remains."[88] In a letter to parliamentary counterparts abroad, Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin wrote "This time, Hitler has a beard and speaks Persian," and compared the conference to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, calling on legislators to take action against the Iranian president and not to ignore his anti-Israel pronouncements and threats.[89]
- The Czech Republic's Foreign Ministry, which held the European Union's rotating presidency at the time, announced shortly after the speech that it was breaking off its attendance at the conference in protest. A statement issued by the ministry described as unacceptable Ahmadinejad's description of the Israeli government as racist, stating that Prague therefore did not wish to lend weight to his "anti-Israeli attacks" by remaining present at the conference.[90]
- Foreign Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store, who addressed the conference after Ahmadinejad's statements, said "Norway will not accept that the odd man out hijacks the collective efforts of many,"[91] adding the statements "run counter to the very spirit of dignity of the conference."[90]
- The presidency of the European Union said in a statement: "The European Union rejects in strongest terms views expressed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad labelling Israel as (a) racist regime."
- French officials described it as a "hate speech".[11]
- Peter Gooderham, Britain's envoy to the U.N., stated that his nation "unreservedly condemns Iranian President Ahmadinejad's offensive and inflammatory comments. Such outrageous, anti-Semitic remarks should have no place in a U.N. anti-racism forum."[56]
- Andrej Logar, the Slovenian ambassador, said Ahmadinejad's remarks were "detrimental to the dignity of this conference".[69]
- The Vatican described Ahmadinejad's comments as "extremist and unacceptable".[92]
- Russia's foreign ministry criticised Ahmadinejad's attack on Israel as "hard and lacking balance."[75]
- The Chinese government called for the international community to end its criticisms and focus on the conference's goals. "We hope relevant parties can step up dialogue, eliminate disputes and concentrate on a consensus so as to combat racism with one voice," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.[73]
- Brazil's foreign ministry, in a statement, declared that: "Ahmadinejad trivialized the meaning of tragic and historically established events like the Holocaust" and "Such comments damage the climate for dialogue and the understanding necessary for international efforts to end discrimination". Brazil confirmed Ahmadinejad's visit to the country at 6 May, when these concerns would be expressed to him.[93]
- Officials from the United States, which boycotted the conference, stated that Ahmadinejad's comments will "feed racial hatred."[94] Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., called Ahmadinejad's remarks "vile," "hateful" and "inciteful," and praised Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for condemning them.[56]
Other events and incidents[edit]
Alternative summits[edit]
On 19 April, the day before the opening of the UN conference, UN Watch and other non-governmental organizations hosted the "Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy," in order to raise public awareness to the issues of discrimination and racially motivated torture. Invited speakers included survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and former dissidents from Iran, Cuba and Burma.[95][96] UN Watch also hosted a "Conference Against Racism, Discrimination, and Persecution" in Geneva. Speakers at the latter conference included former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and former Miss Canada and President of Stop Child Executions Nazanin Afshin Jam. Other events in Geneva opposing the UN conference were attended by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, Harvard law professor and liberal activist Alan Dershowitz, former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, and film star Jon Voight.[97][98][99]
A "Durban II counter-conference" was held in New York City on the same dates as the conference in Geneva. The counter-conference was sponsored by the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and co-sponsored by more than 20 organizations. According to the organizers, the event was held to "address the real issues of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance which the Durban I and Durban II were officially convened to address; but as happened at Durban I, the Durban II proceedings in Geneva will likely ignore, distort, or misrepresent these issues."[100][101]
Parallel summits[edit]
Palestinian and anti-Israel NGOs held a parallel meeting to official events, entitled the "Israel Review Conference: 'United Against Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation, Dignity & Justice for the Palestinian People,'" in a Geneva hotel on 19 April, before the Durban Review Conference had begun.[102] The anti-Israel conference was organized by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, the International Coordinating Network on Palestine and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Committee, and was attended by some 160 participants. A related initiative was the "NGO Civil Society Forum March against Racism," attended by Israeli Arab Member of Knesset Jamal Zahalka, who presented himself as a Palestinian victim of "Israeli racist apartheid," and by former UN Human Rights Council Rapporteur on Racism Doudou Diene. Yet another event was the "Civil Society Forum for the Durban Review Conference," in which Diene also spoke.[102][103][104]
Statement by Libyan torture victim[edit]
In a pre-summit planning meeting, Ashraf Ahmed El-Hojouj, a Palestinian doctor who had been tortured in Libyan prisons after being accused of deliberately infecting children with HIV, announced he was filing a legal complaint to the UN Human Rights Council. "The United Nations should condemn countries that scapegoat, falsely arrest, and torture vulnerable minorities," said Hojouj, who addressed Najjat Al-Hajjaji, the Libyan chairwoman of the proceedings. Hajjaji was reported to have been visibly uncomfortable during the proceedings and interrupted Hojouj three times during his testimony. She then gave Libya the floor to make an objection, and finally cut Hojouj off. Hojouj was slated to testify before the summit on 17 April.[105][106]
The UN expelled from the conference three activist groups for "unacceptable disruptive behavior." The Iranian Neda Institute for Political and Scientific Research was kicked out for distributing inflammatory material to meeting participants, while the Union of Jewish Students of France and the London-based group The Coexist Foundation were removed for disrupting Ahmadinejad's speech.[107][108] In all, the credentials of 64 representatives from the three groups were revoked. Two journalists representing the conservative magazine and website Townhall were also expelled for disrupting the proceedings after one tried to take over the podium while the other filmed the scene.[109]
Outcome document[edit]
On 21 April, the second day of the conference, the delegates agreed on a 143-point declaration to combat racism and discrimination against minorities. The declaration also warned against stereotyping people because of their religion, a key demand of Islamic states who said that Muslims have been unfairly targeted since the 11 September attacks on the United States. In addition, the declaration reaffirmed principles agreed at the 2001 Durban Conference.[110] The document did not include the concept that the defamation of religion is racist and should be banned.[111]
Approval of the declaration was originally scheduled for 24 April. Delegates said that the controversial opening speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strengthened their resolve to adopt the declaration as soon as possible, so they advanced the adoption to 21 April.[112] U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described the declaration as an answer to Ahmadinejad's tirade. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner echoed Pillay's comment, saying, "The text was adopted, therefore he [Ahmadinejad] has failed."[75]
Amos Wako, president of the meeting in Geneva, described the 16-page document as a "historic outcome."[73] Navi Pillay called the declaration a "carefully balanced and yet meaningful" final document, which enshrined "a common aspiration to defy racism in all its manifestations and work to stamp it out wherever it may occur."[113]
See also[edit]
- World Conference against Racism
- World Conference against Racism 2001
- Anti-racism
- Israel, Palestinians, and the United Nations
- Antisemitism
- New antisemitism
- Israel and the apartheid analogy
- UN Watch
- ^ "Durban Review Conference, 20-24 April 2009, Geneva". www.un.org. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Growing Western boycott threatens U.N. racism forum by Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 19 April 2009.
- ^ racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, tml Boycotts hit U.N. racism conference Archived 15 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, CNN, 19 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d Bradley S. Klapper, US boycotting, Iran starring, at UN racism meeting, Associated Press 19 April 2009
- ^ Western nations boycott UN anti-racism conference Archived 20 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine by Peter Capella, France 24, AFP News Briefs List, 19 April 2009.
- ^ Ahmadinejad to address racism summit by Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 20 April 2009.
- ^ "AFP: Text on Israel cut from UN racism draft". Google. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/21/2548003.htm
- ^ a b "Ahmadinejad dropped Holocaust denial from speech". Associated Press. 21 April 2009.
- ^ a b Ahmadinejad prompts walkout from U.N. racism summit by Laura MacInnis, Reuters, 20 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Walkout at Iran leader's speech". BBC. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ Bureau of the Preparatory Committee, United Nations
- ^ Background: objectives, United Nations
- ^ Resolution adopted by the Review Conference, A/CONF.211/L.1
- ^ Canada Takes Firm Stance on United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Canada News Centre 23 January 2008
- ^ Durban II will 'scapegoat' the Jewish people: PM by Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf, Canadian Jewish News (CJN), 23 April 2009.
- ^ Ravid, Barak. "Israel to boycott 'Durban II' anti-racism conference" Haaretz, 21 November 2008.
- ^ Lieberman: Durban II conference is 'a hypocrisy summit'[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 19 April 2009
- ^ a b c Cnaan Liphshiz and news agencies, Lieberman: Ahmadinejad invite to Durban II shows true character of summit Archived 21 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Haaretz 19 April 2009
- ^ a b "US abandons racism summit". BBC News. 3 September 2001.
- ^ "The US to boycott Durban II summit" Haaretz, 27 February 2009.
- ^ Kampeas, Ron. "U.S. pulling out of 'Durban II' conference" Archived 28 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
- ^ Kay, Jonathan. "Jonathan Kay on the U.S. backing out of Durban II: So much for the idea that Obama is soft on the Israeli file"[permanent dead link] National Post, 27 February 2009.
- ^ "We're sorry, that page can't be found". www.state.gov. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Smith, Ben (4 April 2009). "Obama-era goodwill for Rice at U.N." The Politico. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ U.S. will boycott U.N. conference on racism, 18 April 2009
- ^ Mark Klusener (4 September 2001). "Accusations Fly As US, Israel Walk Out Of "Bizarre" UN Conference". CNSNews.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008.
- ^ "Racism summit turmoil: Reactions". BBC News. 3 September 2001.
- ^ U.S. Participation in the United Nations, Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1977, Department of State, p. 172
- ^ Ravid, Barak. "Italy pulls out of Durban II over 'anti-Semitic' draft statement" Haaretz, 5 March 2009.
- ^ "Australia to boycott UN anti-racism conference" News.com.au, 19 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009. Archived 23 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Australia to boycott racism conference, UPI 19 April 2009
- ^ "Bundesregierung denkt über UN-Boykott nach: - WELT". DIE WELT. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ "UN-Konferenz gegen Rassismus: Boykott durch Bundesregierung?". Retrieved 8 July 2017 – via taz.de.
- ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "UN-Rassismuskonferenz unter Druck - Politik - DW - 14.03.2009". DW.COM. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ The Earthtimes. "Germany expected to boycott UN anti-racism meeting: Europe World". Earthtimes.org. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
- ^ Analysis: Berlin Boycotts Durban At 11th Hour Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Turkish Weekly, 20 April 2009.
- ^ Germany joins boycotters of UN racism meeting, Associated Press. Retrieved 21 April 2009
- ^ Cnaan Liphshiz, Netherlands joins U.S., Australia in boycott of Durban II Archived 21 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Haaretz 19 April 2009
- ^ Change Draft Text or We'll Boycott Racism Meeting, Netherlands Warns U.N., CNS News 17 December 2008
- ^ "NZ boycott of UN anti-racism conference sparks debate". Radio New Zealand. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
- ^ Sweden and Poland boycott 'Durban II' conference Archived 28 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine by Maud Swinnen, European Jewish Press (EJC), 20 April 2009.
- ^ Denmark threatens boycott of Durban II] by Paul Lungen, Canadian Jewish News, 5 November 2008
- ^ "EU threatens to boycott Durban II if used as anti-Israel forum" Haaretz, 16 March 2009.
- ^ "Sverige boykotter racismekonference", Politiken, 18. April 2009
- ^ Sweden to boycott UN racism conference, The Local 18 April 2009
- ^ Britain isolated amid UN racism summit boycott by Bruno Waterfield, The Telegraph, 19 April 2009.
- ^ a b Obama: US boycotting due to 'hypocritical' attacks on Israel[permanent dead link] by Allison Hoffman and Hilary Leila Krieger, The Jerusalem Post, 19 April 2009.
- ^ a b c Boycott-hit racism forum to open, BBC News. 20 April 2009.
- ^ EU split on boycott of UN racism conference, Agence France-Presse, 20 April 2009.
- ^ Nebehay, Stephanie. "Diplomats amend U.N. racism text to draw in West"[permanent dead link] NewsDaily, 17 March 2009.
- ^ EU still undecided on whether to attend UN anti-racism talks, Deutsche Welle 17 April 2009
- ^ "France calls for firm EU action after Ahmadinejad dubs Israel racist". www.rfi.fr. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Frances D'Emilio, Pope: Upcoming UN racism conference 'important', Associated Press
- ^ Israël "déçu" par la France et la GB, AFP (reprinted in Le Figaro 20 April 2009)
- ^ a b c d Envoys walk out of U.N. anti-racism conference, CNN, 20 April 2009.
- ^ Benjamin Weinthal, Austrian Foreign Minister slams EU countries for boycotting Durban 2[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 20 April 2009
- ^ France criticizes USA for shunning U.N. racism talks, Reuters 21 April 2009
- ^ a b Human Rights Council Resolution 3/2. Preparations for the Durban Review Conference, United Nations
- ^ Iran's president to attend UN racism meet, Agence France-Presse, 14 April 2009 (reprinted by Yahoo news)
- ^ UN anti-racism meet founders amid Western boycott[permanent dead link], Agence France-Presse, 19 April 2009 (reprinted by Yahoo News).
- ^ Western boycott threatens U.N. racism forum[permanent dead link] by Laura MacInnis, Reuters (reprinted by Yahoo news), 19 April 2009.
- ^ Israeli outcry over Iran at UN racism meeting[permanent dead link], Agence France-Presse, 19 April 2009 (reprinted by Yahoo News).
- ^ Julian Borger and Robert Booth, Britain walks out of conference as Ahmadinejad calls Israel 'racist', The Guardian 20 April 2009
- ^ Rights groups challenge Iran leader at racism meet, AFP. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ Jason Koutsoukis, Israel recalls envoy over welcome to Iranian President Archived 24 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Canberra Times 1 April 2009
- ^ PM at Yad Vashem: We won't let Shoah deniers carry out another[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 20 April 2009
- ^ Switzerland deplores Israel's "excessive" reaction to Iran talks, Xinhua 21 April 2009
- ^ a b c d "Iran remarks on Israel sparks walk-out at U.N. meeting". Reuters. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ Neil MacFarquhar, Iranian Calls Israel Racist at Meeting in Geneva, New York Times 20 April 2009
- ^ "Ahmadinejad speech: full text". BBC. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
- ^ Iran president's remarks prompt walkout at U.N. conference, Associated Press 21 April 2009 (reprinted in the Los Angeles Times)
- ^ a b c d e UN seeks to salvage racism summit, Al Jazeera 21 April 2009
- ^ Who boycotted, who walked out of racism talks, Associated Press 20 April 2009
- ^ a b c d Diplomats seek to salvage UN racism meet, AFP. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ a b Ahmadinejad speech: World reactions, BBC News 20 April 2009
- ^ Benjamin Weinthal, Swiss defend meeting with Ahmadinejad[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 21 April 2009
- ^ a b UN attempts to contain fallout at racism meeting, AFP. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ Nasser Karimi, Iran warns Israel not to attack nuclear sites, Associated Press. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ Leader's UN rant plays well in Iran Archived 25 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, AFP (in Canberra Times 22 April 2009)
- ^ Iran press hails Ahmadinejad speech, AFP. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ Hizbullah backs Ahmadinejad's Geneva speech, 23 April 2009
- ^ Hamas Activist Praises Ahmadinejad's Geneva Speech Archived 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Fars News Agency 23 April 2009
- ^ Iran summons EU representative over Durban Archived 24 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, PRESS TV 21 April 2009
- ^ Eliane Engeler, Iran sends protest letter to UN secretary-general, Associated Press 23 April 2009
- ^ Ahmadinejad: What befell freedom of speech? Archived 22 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Press TV 20 April 2009
- ^ PM: We won't allow another Holocaust[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 20 April 2009
- ^ Peres: Durban 2 a disgrace, Ynet News 20 April 2009
- ^ Rebecca Anna Stoil, 'Hitler speaks Persian,' says Knesset Speaker Rivlin[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 21 April 2009
- ^ a b Cnaan Liphshiz, Norway's foreign minister draws fire for following Ahmadinejad at Durban II, Haaretz 20 April 2009
- ^ Norwegian statement at Durban Review Conference, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20 April 2009
- ^ Vatican condemns Ahmadinejad comments as extremist, Reuters 20 April 2009
- ^ Ahmadinejad lambasts Israel again after Durban II walk-out Haaretz 22 April 2009
- ^ U.S. calls Iranian speech vile, Reuters 20 April 2009
- ^ Yitzhak Benhorin, Sharansky, Wiesel to help counter 'Durban II' conference, Ynet 13 April 2009
- ^ Alternate Durban conference held in Geneva, JTA 19 April 2009
- ^ Tovah Lazaroff, 'I'm a Zionist': Activists protest in Geneva[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 23 April 2009
- ^ Michael J. Jordan, Why the US will boycott global racism conference, Christian Science Monitor 19 April 2009
- ^ Adena Philips, The other conference on racism – the one the UN should have held[permanent dead link], National Post 24 April 2009
- ^ Ami Eden, Durban II 'counter-conference' underway Archived 28 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, JTA 21 April 2009
- ^ Fern Sidman, The Durban II Counter-Conference, FrontPage 23 April 2009
- ^ a b Selig, Abe (19 April 2009). "Anti-Israel NGOs get head start in Geneva ahead of Durban II". The Jerusalem Post. LXXVII (23312). p. 2. Retrieved 27 April 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Durban parallel slams 'Israeli swimming pools', Jerusalem Post 19 April 2009
- ^ Rebecca Anna Stoil, Arab MKs vocal in support of Durban II[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 20 April 2009
- ^ Abe Selig, Anti-Israel NGOs get head start in Geneva ahead of Durban II[permanent dead link], Jerusalem Post 19 April 2009
- ^ U.S. must take lead in human rights, The Gazette, 15 May 2009
- ^ UN kicks Jewish, Iranian groups out of racism meet, Associated Press 23 April 2009
- ^ Laura MacInnis, U.N. kicks out three groups from racism conference, Reuters (reprinted in the Washington Post 23 April 2009)
- ^ John Zaracostas, Turbulent U.N. racism forum closes, Washington Times 25 April 2009
- ^ Frank Jordans, UN meeting approves anti-racism declaration, Associated Press. Retrieved 21 April 2009
- ^ Laura Trevelyan, UN racism event highlights divisions, BBC News 24 April 2009
- ^ UN meeting on racism adopts final declaration, AFP. Retrieved 22 April 2009
- ^ UN anti-racism conference concludes with hard-won agreement, Xinhua 24 April 2009
External links[edit]
- Durban Review Conference Geneva, 20–24 April 2009 at the United Nations
- Durban Review at DurbanReview.org
- Durban II: An Inside View & Analysis @FinalCall.com
- Preparing for Durban II at UN Watch
- Durban Watch at Eye on the UN
- Durban Conference 2009 at NGO Monitor
- Durban Review Resource Page at ICARE


text:
When the Agile Manifesto was published in 2001, it gave name to a collection of methodologies that had been growing in popularity for several years. These methods, many of which are now in common usage worldwide, had strange names such as Scrum, Pinball, Extreme Programming (XP), and Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM). My 2007 Agile adoption survey (see sidebar) shows that agile techniques have been successfully adopted within a majority of organizations and often at scale. So now, six years later, I think that it's clear that Agile has successfully crossed Moore's technology-adoption chasm.
Figure 1 overviews the adoption rate for agile techniques. When asked whether their organization had adopted any agile techniques, or if not when they thought it would happen, 69 percent responded that their organization was currently doing agile and an additional 7.3 percent indicated that they believed it would happen within the year. More importantly, as you can see in Figure 2, many organizations that have adopted agile approaches have clearly gone beyond the pilot project stage. Of the 427 people who indicated the number of agile projects that their organization has performed, 45 percent indicated that their companies had done two to five agile projects and 39.6 percent indicated five or more projects (unfortunately, there was an overlap in some categories in the wording of the question, although respondents were only allowed to select one option).
The success rate of agile projects appears to be very high77 percent of respondents indicated that 75 percent or more of their agile projects were successful, as you can see in Figure 3. For this question, the definition of success was left up to the respondent as the definition of IT project success varies by organization and often even by project (more on this in a future column).


text:
Is a Data Center Transformation for You?
Is a Data Center Transformation for You?
Migrating mission-critical applications have known benefits, which are often accorded significant attention – and for good reason. But what's left unsaid is how the process is successfully carried out.
Application migration can be fearful – poor execution could result in unexpected and detrimental IT issues, which may negatively impact service levels for the entire company. But simply avoiding a migration is not solving the problem, either. More than likely, you will have to face an application migration at some point, due to poor application performance, outdated technology, or compromised architecture. This is when it becomes crucial to consult the right technology, and the right people.
Cisco provides a framework to help you understand the process of undergoing a data center transformation. In the Cisco® Domain Ten Framework, Cisco Services outlines information such as network standards, management procedures, security, and outsourcing options – just to name a few.
The Cisco Domain Ten Framework will guide you through the most important aspects of the migration process, and what you should expect. You will gain insight into your environment that will enable you to predict whether your migration will be successful, and how to best execute the transformation – whether you are working with a virtualized, automated, or full cloud environment.
At Cisco, our professionals work to deliver quality information that will integrate key components of migration and guide you through your data center transformation. We even offer a personalized portal of application migration resources and a free book to ease you into the transition.
Read our full article on Application Migration, and to view our exclusive offers.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


text:
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I just received a letter from my employer on the changes in my insurance coverage as a result of ObamaCare (health-care reform changes.)
In exchange for my insurance company having to provide no lifetime maximum, no pre-existing condition limitations for enrollees under 19, coverage for lazy kids up to the age of 26 on their parents' policies and 100 percent coverage for preventive care, here is what I get:
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text:
The Curious George Discovery Beach Game is great fun (and even looking at a beach on a cold January day made us feel better). The board is really innovative. The board shows a seascape with puzzle like pieces that lift off. Now here's the really cool part–below the puzzle pieces there is "blue sand" that is safely behind clear panels. Players actually shake the whole board (box) and when they do they redistribute the sand and the hidden treasures. We found that shaking the box was a great hit with players.
The object is to collect six cards representing hidden treasure that you look for on your turn (the spinner tells you where you may look on your turn). So it's a really fun visual discrimination game that moves pretty quickly (also a plus with this age group).
The other GREAT aspect of this game are the directions…which are much clearer than my explanation I think….kudos to the team at I Can Do That! Games for making the directions so easy we only had to read them once and we were good to go.
Curious George Discovery Beach Game is the type of game your older preschooler and early school age kids will want to play again and again. ($16.95). We have given the game an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award–but we can already tell it will be a strong contender for our year end Platinum Awards.