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Henry comes home
THIERRY Henry was asked this week what the 3,000 or so Barcelona fans in London today should go and see before they go home. "Well I would say Highbury, but they knocked it down and built apartment blocks", came back the bittersweet reply.
Ever since the Champions League draw matched Arsenal with the holders, the Catalan press have spoken of a nostalgic Henry preparing to "go home". Except it isn't quite home. It is the Emirates, and as Henry plays out what looks like being a disappointing last season at Barcelona, there are parallels with his last campaign for Arsenal on the very same ground.
It was at Highbury where Henry played himself into the record books and into the hearts of the fans who voted him the greatest player in the club's history. In contrast, the enduring image of the Emirates Henry during his final season with Arsenal -- 2006-07 -- is of a frustrated forward down on his knees banging the newly-laid turf after not receiving a pass from Cesc Fabregas or an uncomfortable captain counting down the days to his inevitable departure to Barcelona.
Even his most adoring Arsenal fans would perhaps admit Henry stayed one season too many, and Barcelona supporters now believe history might be repeating itself at the Nou Camp.
After last year's renaissance helped the side to a grand slam of trophies and allowed Henry to cross off the last remaining trophy on his CV by winning the Champions League, this year's campaign has so far been flat.
In 2008-09 he hit 18 goals including two memorable strikes in a superb performance at the Bernabeu as Barca beat Real Madrid 6-2 at the end of the season. This time he has scored just three goals in 14 starts. He was taken off at half time a week ago in Barcelona's 2-0 home victory over Osasuna and at the weekend he was on the plane to Mallorca but then left to watch Barca's 1-0 win from the stand despite being fully fit.
Tonight he is expected to start, with coach Pep Guardiola calling on his experience and the added motivation of performing in England again to help his side establish a first-leg lead in the Champions League quarter-final.
But when Henry talks of tonight's game he speaks of playing out of a duty to the Barca fans who dream of contesting the May 22 final at the Bernabeu, the home of Real, their great rivals, more than of a desire to show what he is still capable of. As if he thinks the memory of 226 goals in eight seasons with Arsenal is best left as it is without any need for a postscript.
"It is like Xavi leaving Barcelona and then having to go back one day to play against his old club," he said. "You are prepared but it is a strange feeling. If I'm picked of course I will give everything. We are playing a Champions League quarter-final and I know that for Barca fans it is very important to reach the final this year and if possible to win it. For them it is a dream to reach Madrid but for me it is strange to have to cross with Arsenal on the way."
The comparison with Xavi who started at Barcelona as a 13-year-old might be exaggerated but it illustrates the 'one-man club' feeling Henry has despite his years at Monaco, a brief spell with Juventus and his time at Barca. "When you play in a team and you give everything, the people pay you back for all the effort you have put in," he says of being named Arsenal's greatest ever player.
"I had a special relationship with the Arsenal fans. That honour was like another trophy for me. A trophy from the heart. They are incredible supporters. They always help you and the team, and at Highbury the atmosphere was superb."
"He is a player who still has Arsenal in his heart," his Barcelona manager, Guardiola, said last night. "He is the best player who has ever played for Arsenal, he scored more than 200 goals, it's amazing. He is a huge part of the history of this club."
Henry speaks of Arsenal's "Invincible season" -- 2003-04 -- with more passion than he has ever spoken of last season's league, cup and Champions League treble with Barcelona. "In today's football playing against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool and all those games away from home that are difficult to win, it is almost impossible to go unbeaten and yet we achieved it. That will always stay in the history books, but losing the Champions League final was very hard to take."
Losing that final in 2006 to, ironically, Barcelona, was perhaps the key to Henry's original U-turn on a deal to join Barca that had been set up with the club's financial president at the time, Ferran Soriano. He was informed while the two teams were still in Paris that Henry would not be coming after all. Even Arsene Wenger was surprised.
Henry felt he could not walk out on the club after losing in such a way. The debt to the supporters and to Wenger was perhaps too great. "I started with Wenger. He gave me my debut when I was just 17, and after that we met again in London," he remembered this week. "He had a lot of confidence in me and I have a very special relationship with him. He has done a lot for me. Without him I don't know what would have happened to me.
"Wenger changed the way Arsenal play. He has changed the lives of the fans. Before, they went to the games knowing that their team would win and nothing more, but right now Arsenal and Barcelona are the two teams who try to play football and for me that is so important. He has changed the way the team play but still won trophies. He will always be the best coach the club has ever had."
So this is the Gunners' greatest ever manager against their greatest ever player? Wenger will know not to take Henry's return this season of three goals too seriously. Some of this term's dip has been down to bad luck in front of goal and the emergence of young winger Pedro. He admitted to feeling off the pace after France's recent friendly defeat to Spain but said: "I am training well and feeling much better. I think you could see the improvement the other day against Valencia and Stuttgart."
Arsenal fans will just hope it is the Emirates form and not the old Highbury style that he has brought with him. "Now I am an Arsenal follower and always will be," he said. If that's the way he plays this evening then that will suit his supporters in north London just fine. (© Independent News Service)
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A followup on today's post on Lindsey Graham: Graham, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News, said,
The American people don't understand putting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian court in New York. I don't understand it.
No one understands putting murderers on trial? He and his fellow defendants are accused of killing people in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.; why isn't a jury of New Yorkers the right body to convict them? (The weakness of our local politicians on this issue is thoroughly depressing.) The hard thing to understand is the shrill insistence on the part of opponents of a trial that there is something wrong with calling murderers criminals. Since when did criminal become an exalted state? Jonathan Karl pushed Dick Cheney on that point on "This Week," right before Cheney described himself as "a big supporter of waterboarding":
Karl: Now, I'd like to read you something that the sentencing judge reading the—giving him his life sentence read to Richard Reid at the time of that sentencing. Here it is. He said to Reid, "You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. We do not negotiate with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice."
The judge in that case was a Reagan appointee. Doesn't he make a good point?
Cheney: Well, I don't think so, in a sense that it—if it—if you interpret that as taking you to the point where all of these people are going to be treated as though they're guilty of individual criminal acts.
Does he think they aren't guilty of individual criminal acts? (Or group criminal acts—there is such a thing as a criminal conspiracies.) Cheney and Graham speak as though we've never done this before—as though there were no laws on the book addressing terrorist crimes. But there are. The defining difference is then said to be that foreigners were involved in 9/11; Newt Gingrich, for example, told Jon Stewart that Reid only ended up in court because he was American. Reid is actually British. Gingrich corrected himself on Twitter—his wallpaper is a detail from Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"—tweeting,
On daily show was wrong re: ShoeBomber citizenship, was thinking of Padilla. Treating terrorists like criminals wrong no matter who is Pres.
Terrorists probably don't want to be treated as criminals, either.
When, if ever, do Gingrich et al. suppose a terrorist counts as a criminal, and a criminal as a terrorist? If it had been discovered, midway through Timothy McVeigh's trial for the Oklahoma City bombing, that he had a connection to Al Qaeda (and yes, there are those out there who believe he did—it all has to do with the Philippines), would we have abandoned the process that led to his conviction and execution?
(On the subject of McVeigh, his last statement, before his execution, took the form of a poem he copied out by hand: "Invictus." This is no diminution of the scene in the movie "Invictus" in which Mandela also copies it out, but a comment on what a complex and tough poem it is. Butterflies and flowers won't get you through twenty-seven years in a cell.)
Terrorists can't be tried as criminals, we are also told, because they came to this country with the aim of killing Americans. What about a man who flies to America and kills his sister or ex-girlfriend who's an American citizen, and maybe a couple of her friends for good measure, because he believes she is not living up to the strictures of her religion? (Or just because he's jealous, or for no reason at all?) What if he went home and had to be arrested in his apartment by, say, the French police? Wouldn't he be a criminal? Would Cheney be offended by the idea of putting him on trial, and in jail? A real jail, that is—not a limbo like Guantánamo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Madame Tussauds Launches Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Wax Figures in Nashville at Sold out Soul2Soul Concert
Madame Tussauds, the world-renowned wax attraction, opened its latest location in Nashville in April, but they officially revealed their new Tim McGraw and Faith Hill wax figures at Bridgestone Arena August 5thprior to the sold-out Soul2Soul show. Broll from the reveal is available via Dropbox.
To capture every detail, McGraw and Hill graciously carved out time earlier in the year to undergo a "sitting" with Madame Tussauds studio artists in Nashville. The research team took more than 300 measurements of each singer and McGraw and Hill themselves donated personal items of clothing to ensure an exact likeness.
Faith Hill's likeness is styled in the same show stopping dress she wore at the 2014 Nashville Symphony Ball, while McGraw's life-like figure is outfitted with his trademark white washed denim jeans, a grey marl stretch tee completed with a donated Shantung Panama straw cowboy hat – right from Tim's personal collection.
Both McGraw and Hill's figures will be on display at Madame Tussauds Nashville, the 'Home of Country Music' and are positioned in the interactive "backstage area" of the attraction.
Each Madame Tussauds figure is truly a work of art, involving teams of professional artists and sculptors who spend months on extensive research and take more than 300 measurements to recreate world-famous icons, to achieve the kind of astonishing realism that has been at the heart of the 250-year Madame Tussauds legacy.
With a completely different concept, the attraction in Nashville is the company's first offering in the U.S. that focuses solely on music icons that have shaped America's musical landscape. Guests are encouraged to have fun with the famous stars from musical genres such as Country, Rock n Roll, Jazz, Blues and Pop.
Additional figures hitting the stage at Madame Tussauds Nashville include Beyoncé, Billie Holiday, Blake Shelton, Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Kenny Rogers, Little Jimmy Dickens, Louis Armstrong, Miley Cyrus, Minnie Pearl, Rayna Jaymes & Deacon Claybourne, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift. More artists will be added to the bill within the coming weeks.
To stay up to date, visit the attraction's website and join the newsletter at https://www.madametussauds.com/nashville.
Additionally, stay connected on social media for real-time updates:
- Facebook: /madametussaudsnashville
- Instagram: @tussaudsnashville
- Twitter: @tussaudsnash
- Hashtag: #MadameTussaudsNashville


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I was sorry to hear that Dave Cockrum passed away, at the far too young age of 63 after several years of illness. I enjoyed quite a bit of his work over the years. Here are a few examples from books I pulled out to re-read today.
Sky-Wolf was a pretty fun attempt by Cockrum and Marv Wolfman in 1984 to do a Marvel version of the Blackhawks (which I think they were briefly slated to do at DC a few years earlier, following a Batman team-up they did together. That became the Evanier/Spiegle revival, which Wolfman briefly edited and Cockrum drew some covers and backup stories).
One of the last regular gigs that Cockrum had was a long stint on Claypool's SOULSEARCHERS AND COMPANY, which had a lot of opportunity for him to show off some of his expressive humour work and lots of outlandish creatures and situations.
And of course there's X-MEN. One of the few times I regularly read the book was during his second stint as artist in the early 1980s, which had a lot of fun stuff, including the very goofy #153 "Fairy Tale" issue. It wasn't until years later that I read reprints of his original run, which was also fun.


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Manchester expands media reach in $11.95M deal
U-T San Diego has agreed to purchase the North County Times from Lee Enterprises Inc., North County Times publisher Peter York said Tuesday. The price was $11.95 million.
The sale of the Times, including The Californian, its edition in Southwest Riverside County, had been rumored for some time. A story in the San Diego Business Journal on Monday said a sale had been completed.
However, York said negotiations continued until late Monday before the deal was officially reached. North County Times staff in Escondido, Oceanside and Temecula were informed of the deal at a meeting Tuesday morning .
The deal is scheduled to close in early October. Technically, the deal was a sale of the newspaper's assets, and the purchaser is Manchester Lynch Integrated Holdings, an affiliate of the U-T San Diego's ownership.
U-T San Diego, formerly known as the San Diego Union-Tribune, was purchased in December by local hotelier and developer Doug "Papa Doug" Manchester and radio entrepreneur
The North County Times serves northern San Diego and southwest Riverside counties with daily and Sunday editions, along with Internet, mobile and tablet news and advertising at www.nctimes.com , and californian.com . Its printed editions include The Californian, serving Southwest Riverside County.
For the 52 weeks ended Aug. 26, 2012, the North County Times had revenue of $27.6 million and operating cash flow, excluding unusual matters, of $0.8 million, Lee officials stated in a press release. Sales proceeds will be used to reduce debt of Lee.
The North County Times and The Californian will become part of MLIM Holdings' "multi-platform" strategy of adding television and Internet to print news, Manchester said during a Tuesday afternoon visit with Lynch to the North County Times' Escondido headquarters.
Manchester displayed a smartphone that delivers U-T television content through an app as an example of new offerings.
"You're no longer just writers, you're content providers," Manchester said. "We'll put a TV studio up here as well and have local reports from the North County."
Lynch said the multi-platform strategy would not only attract more of an audience, but also advertisers who want to reach that audience, via their preferred medium.
"We reach so many more people that I think we have a tremendous opportunity," Lynch said. "We believe completely in the business. Papa Doug has reinvested in the business, and people think we're a little crazy for that. But the fact is, we believe if you give people the product they want, the newspaper will be read."
"Our circulation has grown over the last few months," Lynch said. "We've upgraded the kind of newsprint we use, the color, the amount of pictures and the in-depth stories. We've changed our entire approach on Sunday based on extensive research."
Lynch said he and Manchester also have studied what role the North County Times will play.
"The initial findings on the North County (Times) are that you guys have done a terrific job in many areas, particularly in your commitment to prep sports," he said. "We want to build on that and support you."
Lynch said the final status of the North County Times is still under study, ranging from a completely separate unit to more integration with U-T San Diego.
In any case, some jobs will be eliminated.
"There's going to be some consolidation," Lynch said. "There are duplicate areas and that's just inevitable. But we want to hire the best people."
Clear on antitrust
The purchase probably will pass antitrust scrutiny, said Ken Doctor, a prominent news industry analyst. The sale is smaller than others that have passed muster, he said.
"There haven't been a lot of Department of Justice actions in term of overlapping newspapers," Doctor said. "The ability of newspapers to buy out adjoining newspapers has gone pretty smoothly over the years."
Doctor said putting nearby newspapers under one ownership allows cost-savings by "clustering" services that can be efficiently centralized, keeping the individual papers themselves in operation.
"Services like printing, production, advertising sales, sometimes distribution, sometimes newsroom," can be centralized, Doctor said. "You lower your cost basis by having adjoining properties."
One paper from four
The North County Times came into existence in the mid-'90s through the merger of three daily newspapers in North County and Southwest Riverside County ---- the Blade-Citizen of Oceanside, the Times Advocate of Escondido and The Californian in Temecula, along with a weekly, The Enterprise in Fallbrook.
The North County Times was then a member of Howard Publications, a family-owned company founded by Rancho Santa Fe resident Robert Howard. The privately held company sold its chain of 16 newspapers papers, including the North County Times, to Lee Enterprises in 2002 for $694 million.
Three years later, Lee made a much bigger purchase, buying the Pulitzer chain and its flagship paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for $1.46 billion. When the market for newspapers began deteriorating shortly thereafter, Lee found itself increasingly strapped for cash. The company's newspapers shed staff and cut expenses, but the debt burden was still too great. Lee stock plummeted, reaching a nadir of less than 30 cents per share.
Debt diet
Lee Enterprises has a large debt ---- estimated at $935 million as of June 30 --- and selling off some newspapers, particularly in non-core markets to reduce debt, makes sense, said Barry L. Lucas, a media analyst and senior vice president of research with New York-based Gabelli & Co.
"If there is a standalone operation like this (North County Times) with a natural buyer in a consolidating market, and I think Southern California is a market that needs additional consolidation of its newspaper publishing, then it makes sense," he said.
Lucas also pointed to a rapid uptick in mergers and acquisitions of newspapers in the last year as a case for possibly more yet to be announced. "It's more than what we've seen in the past couple of years," Lucas said. "I think most of us know what are the difficulties of the business."
Lucas pointed out as examples of industry-wide consolidation the
Lucas declined to comment on the valuation of the purchase price of the newspaper, because he did not have knowledge of its revenue or earnings on a pre-tax basis, or sometimes referred to as a company's EBITDA, an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Pat Maio contributed to this article.


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Gunwalker: Agent Admits His Testimony 'Lacked ... Completeness'
In the tapes, Howard seems arrogant. Howard's lawyer claims this was a strategy to cover his own backside:
"He became very suspicious and in his own defense would tape key conversations with Ms. MacAllister and try to get her to make admissions about the truth of the matter," said Dallas attorney Larry Gaydos. "Andre was trying to get her to admit that indeed they let guns go to Mexico."
This exchange is particularly damning, because one would expect MacAllister to go ballistic upon hearing someone suggest the death of a fellow federal law enforcement agent -- the result of an operation in which she was intimately involved -- was "collateral damage." That she did not speaks to a problem within ATF.
It would appear, however, that things are finally beginning to break loose with this case.
The tapes were apparently released to the U.S. Attorney's office by Justice Department Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar, a move which sent the two main investigators in the case -- Rep. Darrell Issa, (R-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Chuck Grassley, (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- around the metaphorical bend:
"Each of these disclosures undermines our ability to assess the candor of witnesses in our investigation and thus obstructs it," they wrote in a letter dated Tuesday. "Moreover, your decision to immediately disclose the recordings to those you are investigating creates at least the appearance, if not more, that your inquiry is not sufficiently objective and independent.
"It appears that you did not consider the significant harm that providing these recordings to the very individuals under investigation could cause to either our inquiry or your own. You did not consult with us about the recordings even though the congressional inquiry and reactions to it are discussed at length."
Moreover, Issa is now calling for an independent prosecutor, according to the Washington Examiner:
Issa complained in a conference call that "there is ongoing cover-up of a pattern of wrongdoing that can't be explained by any ordinary people [who tried] to do the right thing but made a mistake."
The Obama administration has been slow to hand over documents to Issa's committee, and when they have, they've been heavily redacted.
"Even though I have subpoena ability, I don't have the ability to lock people up for contempt until they fess up and give us what we want," Issa said.
A special prosecutor would have such powers, and would be independent of the government agencies that were responsible for creating and attempting to cover up details of the program.
Indeed, as more details of this case come to light, the deeper and darker it seems to get. An independent prosecutor at this point would seem to be the only way to find out just how deep of a hole DOJ and ATF have dug, and who is in it.


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Texas Hunger Initiative, Research Intern, Application Deadline, BTT Gateway Job ID 7217
Wed, September 11, 2013
As a Research Intern for the Texas Hunger Initiative, you will be helping our team put together a report connecting faith-based organizations in the Austin area with the Summer Food Service Program. We are looking for Sociology students that are willing to work 10-20 hours/week in our office on Anderson Lane. The report will be published online when completed.
To apply, see BTT Gateway Job ID 7217. Application deadline is 9/11/2013.


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Hey guys! It's that time of year again, AWARDS SEASON! I had originally planned a haul post for today, but I decided to scrap it and work late into the night on an Oscar's Best Dressed post and have it up ASAP, just for you guys! So, here are my picks on who I thought looked particularly stunning! Honestly, I thought overall, alot of the dresses were very typical and sort of same-ish, but some beautiful pieces did catch my eye!
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.
Let's start off with this year's Oscar's host, shall we? The ever handsome and fantastic Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka. I love Neil Patrick Harris, I really, really do! I think he and his husband couldn't look any more well put together and dapper. Forgoing the typical black suit, Neil is wearing a custom made Brunello Cucinelli light grey tuxedo and tie, while David is rocking a Calvin Klein tuxedo and Hamilton shirt. They both look absolutely smashing!
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie always looks stunning- no doubt about it. However, she takes it to the next level, in one of my favourite designer's dress, Yves Saint Laurent! The dress has so much going for it, the gorgeous flow of the dress, the plunging neckline and the sheer long sleeves. It was perfect! I also love that it was paired with a well executed red lip and a beautiful necklace. One of my favourite looks of the night!
If I thought I could pull off/maintain dreadlocks for a second, I would have had them by now. I've always loved and admired dreads and those who had them! 18 year old Zendaya looks so flawless here! Wearing a slinky white Vivienne Westwood gown here, she's kept it simple make-up and accessory wise, her strong eyes, eye make-up and drop earrings accentuate how breathtaking Zendaya looks here!
Sienna Miller
Just when I was feeling 'meh' and bored of this year's Oscar dress's, the beauty that is Sienna Miller pops up on to my Twitter in this stunning Oscar De La Renta guna! It took my breath away. The detailing in this dress is what excites me most. The lace detail with the sheer material near the hem, the bow details and the thick shoulder straps. It shows off Sienna's knockout body. She kept the look simple with a diamond bracelet and black clutch. I also love her make-up! Her cheekbone game is strong!
Katie Cassidy
Without a doubt one of the most stunning looks of the night. Katie Cassidy kills it with this on point Julien MacDonald number. A 'naked' dress, with the sheer panelling throughout, and eye catching gold leaf detailing, showing off her fantastic figure, with a beautiful train to boot. The dress has been accessorised perfectly, with statement diamond earrings and a golden metal clutch. A beautiful soft curl hairstyle and flawless make-up finishes off the look. Nailed.it.
Kelly Osbourne
Oh oh Kelly O, how astonishing you looked! Wearing an all black Rita Vinieris dress with a lace, semi-sheer bodice top, I love the neckline. The icing on the cake however, was the bottom half, wow! The organza, asymmetric, dramatic hem was so so stunning and I've never seen anything like it before. I need it in my wardrobe. Worn with simple strappy heels and an eye catching multicoloured clutch, a plum lip and the lilac fauxhaux, Kelly O looked phenomenal!
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon always looks stunning on the red carpet. The 2015 Oscars are no different! This year, Reese rocked up to the Oscars in an outstanding Tom Ford gown. This dress is such a classic, monochrome beauty. I love the off the shoulder straps and the black sash in just the right place around the waist. This figure hugging dress accentuates Reese's curves and the neckline shows off her décolletage, which I love. The dress was kept simple with diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet. A very well executed look!
And they are my picks for the Oscars 2015 Best Dressed! Who were your favourites on the red carpet? Let me know below!
Thank you for reading.
Stay fab xo
Kim. :)


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Now you can skip hours of internet research and jump straight to getting answers with our meaningful at-a-glance Demographics Spreadsheet Report. With the most current & most popular demographic data, it's the perfect starting point for your research about 81241 and the rest of Colorado.
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All 81241 population data above are from the US Census Bureau.
The population data for 81241 are from the Census' American Community Survey 2017 5-year estimates. The demographic data for 80645, 81124, 81330, and 81652 are the most current, comparable demographics available from the US Census Bureau, are from the American Community Survey 2017 5-year estimates, and were downloaded on December 2017. Check out our FAQ section for more details.
With 90 people, 81241 is the 477th most populated zip code in the state of Colorado out of 522 zip codes. But watch out, 81241, because 81124 with 88 people and 81330 with 89 people are right behind you.
The largest 81241 racial/ethnic groups are White (97.8%) followed by Two or More (2.2%) and Hispanic (0.0%).
In 2017, the median household income of 81241 residents was $59,250. 81241 households made slightly more than 80645 households ($59,207) and 81652 households ($59,176) . However, 11.1% of 81241 residents live in poverty.
The median age for 81241 residents is 30.4 years young.
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Finding the perfect flatmate
on 7 September 2015 by Jen
A new flatmate is one of the best things about share accommodation because they reinvigorate the household, keeping things lively.
But a new flatmate only achieves this if they mesh well with existing flatmates, making it imperative you choose the right person.
Establish Criteria
Finding a new flatmates is a fun experience, but you need to decide what type of flatmate you want before you start looking. Talk with your other housemates and decide what your criteria might include. While it is important that your flatmate has a stable way to pay the rent and bills on time, remember to also consider what type of personality suits the household best. Do you all enjoy a quiet, calm living environment, or do you like the energy of a louder household? Sorting this out early will make the process of choosing and interviewing potential flatmates far easier and more enjoyable.
Common Interests
One of the easiest ways to work out if a new flatmate is going to work well is to discuss your common interests and hobbies. Your flatmate interview is the ideal place to do this. Don't just limit the meeting to a tour of the house. Sit down with all your flatmates, grab a drink and talk about what you all enjoy. Remember the potential flatmate is using this interview to form their own impression of the household, so make sure you tell them about yourselves. Are you all obsessed with the same TV show, love going to the gym, or eager to try every café in the area?
Household Perks
Netflix anyone? One of the best things about share houses is pooling together your assets to make the best living experience. This can include anything from amazing cooking skills, to a car, or useful IT skills. Did we mention Netflix? Do not underestimate the benefits that flatmate perks can bring to your household to make it more functional, lively and entertaining.
Hang Out
Living together is a great way to really get to know someone (the good and the bad) and many members make life-long friends from new flatmates. Take some time to explain the social dynamics of your share house and see if your potential flatmate is keen for the occasion hangout. If you are a social household, a flatmate who spends most of their time in their room is probably not the greatest fit.


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New Footballs for 2009-2010 Kicking Lessons
Starting this weekend I'll be using Spalding J5V ADVANCE Footballs for all my kicking lessons and kicking camp students in 9th grade and up. They are the official ball of the CIF (California) Southern Section and just about every High School between Los Angeles and San Diego use them. I will be using them now too. Very soft leather, nice quality, build, and durable. A lot more expensive but hopefully my students will enjoy them and will help their kicking game since it will be the ball they use in High School. We will still continue to use Wilson TDJ Composite and Wilson TDY Composite footballs for our youth students. To order your own footballs- visit our official supplier at Wizard Kicking based out of Orange, California.


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|Compact version
|Saturday, 14 December 2019
Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 98-09-24
Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>
[01] Commercial Bank of Greece hopes to sell Ionian in four months
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Commercial Bank of Greece hopes to privatise Ionian Bank, its subsidiary, in four months using a sale consultant and a phased process to set a market price for the bank.
State Commercial Bank governor Konstandinos Georgoutsakos told a news conference yesterday that JP Morgan, an international investment house, would act as consultant in Ionian's 51 percent sale.
The three-step privatisation plan would be delayed if JP Morgan recommended a slow-down due to any turmoil in domestic or world markets, Mr. Georgoutsakos said.
The plan follows a recent abortive tender for the bank on the Athens Stock Exchange in the wake of a long-term strike by workers. No consultant was used in the sale.
In the latest plan's first phase, JP Morgan will prepare a sale prospectus after a detailed investigation of Ionian's finances and legal status carried out with an international auditor and law office.
In the second phase, the consultant will approach potential buyers in Greece and abroad, requesting indicative, non-binding bids.
And in the third phase, JP Morgan will ask a small number of interested investors to submit final bids, then negotiating with each in turn in order to secure the highest price for Ionian's stock.
The new sale process would separate Ionian's buyout price from its stock market value, an entanglement that helped to scotch the first attempted sale, and ensure transparency, Mr. Georgoutsakos said.
He justified the method used in the first sale as being in line with the times.
The Political Spring party later issued a statement welcoming the new sale process.
"(The authorities) have adopted, albeit belatedly, a trustworthy three- phase process of transparency that Political Spring leader Antonis Samaras was the first to suggest," the statement said.
Commercial Bank of Greece to boost share cap by Dr 7.2 bln : Commercial Bank of Greece is to raise its share capital by 7.2 billion drachmas, its board decided yesterday.
The scheme involves the issue of free shares, capitalisation of reserves and a readjustment of real estate values.
A special shareholders' meeting will be called to endorse the share capital rise.
State bank governor declines to make rate forecasts : Commercial Bank of Greece governor Konstandinos Georgoutsakos yesterday declined to forecast when Greek interest rates would resume their decline.
Replying to reporters' questions, he said crises in Russia, Japan and Latin America had broken out, impeding any drop in rates.
Athens News Agency
[02] Hellenic Duty Free Shops slumps on no-show by shareholders
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Hellenic Duty Free Shops SA was badly hit on the Athens Stock Exchange yesterday following the postponement of a shareholders' meeting to October a week before the government's second effort to privatise the company.
The decision to postpone yesterday's meeting was taken because of a delay in negotiations to forge a contract governing the operation of Hellenic Duty Free Shops at a new international airport being built for Athens.
Bids for the purchase of the company, which is already partly floated, are due to be submitted to the bourse on September 30 following an abortive tender in the summer.
Talks were expected to determine the percentage of Hellenic Duty Free Shops' revenue to be paid to the Greek state and Germany's Hochtief, which is building the airport.
The amount of revenue is crucial to the firm's sale prospects.
The shareholders meeting was expected to ratify the deal, which has yet to be made. A repeat shareholders' meeting is scheduled for mid-October.
Despite the delay, the deadline for bids in the privatisation tender so far remains unchanged.
But stock market players interpreted postponement of the meeting as a sign of renewed trouble in the sale.
Hellenic Duty Free Shops has already floated a 20 percent stake on the Athens Stock Exchange.
The second flotation is being held to offer another 67 percent of stock to a strategic investor.
Athens News Agency
[03] Half a million people so far declare real estate for land register
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Around 500,000 owners of real estate have registered their properties for a national land register being created in Greece for the first time, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis said yesterday.
The registration rate for areas being catalogued was around 90 percent, Mr. Laliotis said.
Albania and Greece are the only European countries without a land register.
The register, which is expected to start phased operations in 2004, aims to protect state land from encroachment, formalise private ownership rights, and provide revenue for the state.
To receive deeds of ownership, applicants will pay duty of 10,000-300,000 drachmas in line with the value of the property, with the majority expected to pay 20,000-30,000 drachmas. The process is due to start in two years, Mr. Laliotis said.
Revenue from the duty and an extra administrative fee will be used to finance operation of the register.
The next phase of the project budgeted at 42 billion drachmas will involve properties in 447 local authorities, or 16 percent of the country's total urban area, 10 percent of total farm land and seven percent of other land.
Earlier this month, Mr. Laliotis submitted a bill on the national land register to parliament, allowing the creation of registries.
Under the terms of the bill, the final registration of real estate will take place five years after the initial statement has been made.
Unregistered property will be deemed of unknown ownership and become public.
Athens News Agency
[04] Greek stocks end flat in volatile trade
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Greek equities ended mixed to higher on the Athens Stock Exchange in light to moderate trade yesterday reflecting a lack of fresh incentives and directions.
The general index rose 0.04 percent to end at 2,141.06 points amid price fluctuations.
Turnover rose to 42.5 billion drachmas boosted by block trades.
Sector indices were mixed. Banks fell 0.38 percent, Insurance rose 0.75 percent, Investment dropped 0.59 percent, Leasing was 1.26 percent off, Industrials increased 0.68 percent, Construction eased 0.63 percent, Miscellaneous rose 1.40 percent and Hold ing was 0.83 percent down.
The parallel market index for small cap companies dropped 1.69 percent, and the FTSE/ASE 20 blue-chip index fell 0.14 percent to 1,291.23 points.
Broadly, decliners led advancers by 146 to 80 with another 23 issues unchanged.
Desmos, Sato, Uncle Stathis, Ideal, Chipita, Goody's, Petzetakis, Papoutsanis and Dimitriadis scored the biggest percentage gains.
Mosholios Chemicals, Kekrops, Etma, Daring, Constantinidis, Xylemporia, Elfico, Sigalas and Boutaris suffered the heaviest losses.
National Bank of Greece ended at 39,980 drachmas, Ergobank at 23,600, Alpha Credit Bank at 21,620, Ionian Bank at 10,230, Hellenic Telecoms at 6,615, Delta Dairy at 3,150, Intracom at 11,350, Hellenic Petroleum at 2,550 and Titan Cement at 18,000 drachmas.
Athens News Agency
[05] Greek, Romanian businesses meet to discuss cooperation
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Greek and Romanian businesses met in Athens yesterday as part of a visit to the country by a Romanian delegation to discuss Greek investments in the Balkan country.
The meeting, held at the Industry and Commerce Chamber of Athens (EBEA), was addressed by EBEA vice-chairman Dimitris Bertzeletos, who outlined the prospects of bilateral cooperation.
The Romanian delegation's leader, George Cojocaru, detailed the political and economic environment in Romania, and stressed the government's determination to promote its privatisation programme.
He said Romania welcomed investors, noting that more than 50 percent of the country's external trade was directed towards the European market.
The Romanian official also urged Greek investors to turn their attention to direct investments in privatisation and manufacturing.
Greece ranks 11th among foreign investors in Romania with capital totalling 80 million US dollars, half of which was placed in the banking sector and commerce, Mr. Cojocaru said.
Romania, with a population of 23 million people, ranks second after Poland among former socialist countries in Europe, he said.
According to Mr. Cojocaru, political stability combined with a steady national currency and government measures to liberalise foreign exchange and domestic prices, except for energy and transport, had created a favourable investment climate in the country.
The inflation rate had dropped from 300 percent in 1993 to 150 percent in 1997, he said.
Mr. Cojocaru said that Romania was promoting the creation of a free trade zone in the port of Constanta in the Black Sea, and a river link with Europe.
Athens News Agency
[06] Ionian Bank forges deal with Diners
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Ionian Bank yesterday announced the start of a cooperation agreement with Diners Club of Greece.
Ionian Bank, a subsidiary of state Commercial Bank of Greece, will offer Diners Club card owners monthly payment services in Ionian Bank's 225 branches in Greece, effective tomorrow.
Athens News Agency
[07] National Bank, National Mortgage Bank sign merger contract
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)National Bank of Greece Governor Theodoros Karatzas and National Mortgage Bank Governor Vassilis Rapanos yesterday signed a merger contract, as the latter will be absorbed by the former.
The development has already been unanimously ratified by the two banks' extraordinary general assembly of shareholders.
The merger will be formally completed after approval is provided by the development ministry and the Athens Stock Exchange.
The bank's share capital will amount to more than 182.8 drachmas after the merger and will be divided into 31,528,538 shares each, of a face value of 5,800 drachmas. The merger will allow for benefits such as the development of retail banking, the restri ction of operational costs and a more effective management of resources.
Athens News Agency
[08] OA: Flight schedule unaffected from civil aviation employees' strike
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)All Olympic Airways and Aviation flights will be carried out as normal during rolling 24-hour strikes called by civil aviation employees, beginning today through Sunday, an OA statement read.
Civil aviation employees are protesting against planned changes in the institutional framework of work regulations, being introduced by the government. They are also demanding that two bills due to be submitted to Parliament be scrapped. They charge that the bills provide for the establishment of a company that would regulate airports and civil aviation.
The Civil Aviation Authority has filed a motion with courts to have the strike declared illegal. Sources said a ruling was expected late yesterday.
Athens News Agency
[09] Greece aligns with EU bylaws regarding domestic market
BRUSSELS 24/09/1998 (ANA - D. Daratos)Greece appears to be aligned with the European Union's requirements regarding the domestic market, according to data unveiled by relevant EU Commissioner Mario Monti.
Greece together with Sweden, Finland and Germany, are the countries which have incorporated in their national laws most of the about 150 directives and regulations composing the network of the domestic market's operational rules.
Athens News Agency
[10] Papantoniou, Papademos to represent Greece at ECOFIN meeting
VIENNA 24/09/1998 (ANA - D. Dimitrakoudis)National Economy and Finance Minister Yiannos Papantoniou and the governor of the Bank of Greece Loukas Papademos will represent Greece at the informal Council of European Union Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) to be held in Vi enna from tomorrow until Sunday in the framework of the EU's Austrian presidency.
The main issues to be examined at the informal Vienna Council will be the crisis in Russia, the harmonisation of taxation and the EU's finances in the framework of the "Agenda 2000."
Greece will participate for the first time in the enlarged sessions of the "11" of the euro which will be held tomorrow afternoon and on Saturday morning with the participation of the four countries which do not belong to the euro's first phase (as of J an. 1, 1999). The issue of the representation of the so-called "euro zone" in international organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund or the Group of 7 (the most developed countries in the world) will be discussed at these sessions.
Athens News Agency
[11] Thessaloniki picked as Balkan entry point for Chiquita bananas
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)A recently signed agreement between Greece's Fruita and the well-know multinational Chiquita is expected to turn Thessaloniki's port into a major transit centre for the import of large quantities of bananas towards the Balkans.
The first shipment of some 40,000 cartons of bananas is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki on Friday. Fruita has made arrangements for storage in the port's wharehouses.
Athens News Agency
[12] Hostage stand-off ends in bloodshed
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)A more than six-hour hostage stand-off in the heart of Athens ended with a handgrenade explosion and pandemonium a little after 11 p.m. yesterday, leaving one hostage and an escaped Romanian convict seriously injured.
At presstime, the injured hostage was undergoing surgery at an Athens hospital, while one policeman was also seriously injured in the blast.
Two other hostages managed to flee as police commandos (EKAM) broke into a first-floor apartment where the hostages were held by Romanian-Greek outlaw Sorin Matei. The severely wounded hostage was identified as Amalia Ginaki.
According to reports after 1 a.m. today, Matei booby-trapped a handgrenade inside the woman's pants and unleashed the pin just before pushing her at oncoming police commandos and high-ranking officers. Another five police officers were injured in the su bsequent explosion. Four people, three members of the Ginakis family and Amalia Ginakis' fiance, had initially been taken hostage by the 27-year-old five-time escaped convict in the apartment off Acharnon street - at the height of Amerikis Square.
Among the police casualties are the three highest-ranking members of Greek Police's (EL.AS) hierarchy, including commander Athanasios Vassilopoulos, who was slighty injured.
Matei strung onto the national limelight in early September after fleeing from Halkida officers on an Athens sidestreet, taking one of the would-be arresting policemen hostage before stealing a passing vehicle and keeping police at bay for several hours . He was eventually allowed to slip through a police dragnet in the late evening, eluding unmarked police cars and finally releasing the policeman in Piraeus.
Yesterday, in earlier telephone contacts with police and the private SKAI television station, he had demanded US$500,000 for his escape and for the release of the hostages. He later released Vangelis Ginakis, 24, one of the four original hostages.
Before breaking into the Ginakis apartment Matei had escaped from a nearby flat after being located on Tuesday by authorities. In addition, Matei had admitted to police negotiators that he had injected a large dose of heroin just prior to the stand-off.
The botched attempt to first apprehend Matei was carried out by police commandos at his ground-floor hideout yesterday afternoon, after they first tossed a flash and teargas grenade inside the residence. However, he managed to again escape, this time th rough a skylight to the Ginakis' home.
Athens News Agency
[13] Gov't denies reshuffle in the works
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas yesterday denied that Prime Minister Costas Simitis was planning a reshuffle.
"The prime minister (at Tuesday night's rally) spoke of the government being judged in 2000...he expressed his satisfaction with the work his ministers are doing. He has not been and is not preoccupied with the issue of a reshuffle," Mr. Reppas said.
Mr. Reppas said the government had every reason to be pleased with the turn- out and reception at Tuesday evening's rally, saying the many thousands indicated the people's interest in the words and work of the prime minister.
Athens News Agency
[14] Milosevic meeting with Greek business delegation
BELGRADE 24/09/1998 (ANA - M. Mouratidis)Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic met yesterday with a delegation of the newly established Yugoslav-Greek Business Council, which comprises of distinguished businesspeople from both countries.
The Greek and Yugoslav businesspeople briefed Mr. Milosevic on their plans in the sectors of energy, industry, agriculture, trade, transport and telecommunications as well as on the potential for capital investment in projects.
Highlighted at the meeting was also the process of decentralisation which is in progress in Yugoslavia, a fact which also attracts the keen interest of Greek businesspeople. Mr. Milosevic welcomed the establishment of the council and said that its proper functioning would contribute to both countries' economies.
The Greek side was represented, among others, by the chairman of the Greek section of the council, Mr. Mytilineos, and officials from the dairy company DELTA, the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) and the Titan Cement Co.
Athens News Agency
[15] Pangalos attends meeting with Balkan counterparts
NEW YORK 24/09/1998 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos attended a working breakfast yesterday hosted by his Bulgarian counterpart Nadezda Mihailova at the offices of Bulgaria's permanent representation here.
Also attending the session were the foreign ministers of the signatory countries of a joint statement on Kosovo, namely, Albania, Romania, Turkey, Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
"I believe that we all share the view that efforts should be made to achieve a peaceful solution to the Kosovo issue, to avoid military threats and military intervention...and begin a negotiation process to establish a regime of greater autonomy", Mr. Pangalos told the ANA after the end of the meeting.
Regarding a UN draft resolution, which was to be discussed by the Security Council yesterday, Mr. Pangalos said the EU had long ago agreed on the draft resolution and only the US remained to approve of it.
He further added that Russia's agreement on the UN draft resolution had been achieved during a meeting on Monday with new Russian FM Igor Ivanov.
A meeting between US State Secretary Madeleine Albright, scheduled for last night, was later postponed.
Mr. Pangalos said he was optimistic that the draft resolution would be approved by the Security Council.
"The draft resolution is a strong but balanced warning to all sides involved (in the Kosovo issue), and this especially pleases us, as this is the spirit of Greece's approach," Mr. Pangalos said.
Athens News Agency
[16] Maediterranean nations'culture ministers to meet on Rhodes
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Culture ministers from Mediterranean nations meet on Rhodes this Saturday to begin a two-day Euro-Mediterranean conference on EU financing for cultural programmes.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the holding of an 11-nation Mediterranean forum - with the participation of the five EU Mediterranean countries, namely, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece, as well as non-EU members Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt , Algeria, Turkey and Malta.
Also on the agenda of the Rhodes meeting are the organisation of the Euro- Mediterranean summit for 2001, the cultural olympiad and bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Mediterranean festival discussed : VIENNA (ANA - D. Dimitrakoudis) In a related development, the holding of an annual festival for Mediterranean and European television stations and a summit in the framework of UNESCO will be proposed by the EU's Council of culture ministers' president a nd Austrian Undersecretary for European and Cultural Affairs Peter Witman. He will be presiding over the 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Culture Ministers together with Mr. Venizelos.
Mr. Witman announced in Vienna yesterday that at the Conference in Rhodes he will propose the establishment of an annual festival of European and Mediterranean TV stations at which an exchange of TV cultural programmes will take place.
He also intends to propose the holding of a summit between heads of state and government of UNESCO member-states in Vienna in 2002 on the issue of Culture and Development.
Mr. Witman said that the main issues to be discussed at the conference in Rhodes will be the intensification of cultural dialogue, the promotion of the audiovisual sector and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. A kind of stock exchange of ideas at ministeri al level is being planned in Rhodes for the achievement of these targets.
Athens News Agency
[17] Final phase of `Parmenion '98` concludes
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)President Kostis Stephanopoulos, National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos as well as military and defence ministry officials along with several foreign dignitaries yesterday observed the final phase of the combined large-scale military exersise "Parmenion '98", held on the eastern Aegean island of Hios.
All three branches of the armed forces are participating in the annual exercise, which began last Thursday and is being directed by National Defence Chief of General Staff Gen. Athanasios Tzoganis.
The aim of the exercise is to train staff officers and military units in the planning and execution of joint operations in a modern warfare environment and in general to enhance the combat efficiency of the armed forces.
The scenario for the exercise on Hios yesterday was the retaking by special forces of the Angelia islets. This phase of Parmenion was conducted by the 96th Battalion with the additional participation of 6,350 reserves and 6, 550 national guards.
"The country's armed forces, as a part of the Greek people, love peace, stability and progress, work towards achieving these for the country as well as for the wider region, through their ability, decisiveness and preparedness," Gen. Tzoganis said on th e completion of the exercise.
"They are ready and able to contribute to regional and international peace, participating in peace missions of international organisations and developing peaceful cooperation between various countries." "Greece is a peaceful and peace-loving country and does not desire any involvement with anybody but this does not mean that we are not obliged due to the prevailing situation to have our armed forces at a level of operational and effective readiness," President Stephanopoulos said.
Mr. Tsohatzopoulos also congratulated the armed forces, saying that the exercise confirmed the battle readiness of the armed forces, and their high level of morale and ability, adding that it was "necessary for Greece to send a message of decisiveness, stability and peace in the region.
Also watching the exercise were former premier Constantine Mitsotakis, deputy Parliament President Panayiotis Kritikos, former New Democracy leader Miltiades Evert and a number of MPs.
Athens News Agency
[18] Mass infringements of Athens FIR by Turkish warplanes recorded
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Six formations of Turkish warplanes infringed on Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) regulations yesterday, while several fighters also violated Greek national airspace.
According to reports, four Turkish F-16s, six reconnaisance RF-4 warplanes and four F-4 "Phantoms" made 11 infringements of air traffic regulations in the Athens FIR. Three violations of national airspace north of the islands of Hios and Lesvos were als o reported.
In all cases, the Turkish aircraft were recognised and intercepted by Hellenic Air Force F-16s and Mirage-2000s, while in two cases interceptions developed into engagements. Four of the Turkish formations were armed, reports state.
Athens News Agency
[19] Greek FM delegation in FYROM
SKOPJE 24/09/1998 (ANA - M. Vihou)A Greek foreign ministry delegation headed by the ministry's secretary said that talks it held here were "constructive".
FM Secretary Pavlos Apostolidis said that there was a common ascertainment both on the great progress achieved by the signing of the interim agreement and the mutual will for cooperation to go ahead.
On the question of the state's name which is still pending, he said that a solution must be found because this will contribute to the achievement of a series of agreements desired by the two sides and the satisfaction of the ambitions of FYROM.
He added that parallel to the negotiations in New York, the two sides will work for an improvement in relations to help in resolving the remaining difference.
Mr. Apostolidis said that relations between the two countries have been improved even further with the present government in Skopje. The three-hour talks also focused on problems in the wider region and the need to strengthen regional cooperation and the common conception on handling these problems was ascertained.
Athens News Agency
[20] US arms sale to Greece
WASHINGTON 24/09/1998 (ANA/AFP)The United States announced on Tuesday the sale of missiles, missile launchers and rockets to Greece, worth 245 million dollars.
According to a US Pentagon announcement, the purchase concerns 18 launching systems, 146 long-range rockets and 81 guided regular missiles, as well as other military equipment of various types.
The specific purchase "will not have any repercussion neither on the balance of forces in the region nor on the efforts of the US to have a solution found to the Cyprus issue through the course of negotiations," the announcement said.
Athens News Agency
[21] Athens,Piraeus public hospital physicians join strike
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Physicians at public hospitals in Athens and Piraeus joined their colleagues in Thessaloniki yesterday, saying they would continue their two- week strike to press for more government funding for duty rosters and pay increases.
A representative of the doctors admitted that Health Minister Costas Geitonas' move to increase spending on duty rosters by 8 per cent was positive but said they were still waiting to hear whether this applied to all hospitals before they called off the ir strike.
On Tuesday, doctors at public hospitals in Thessaloniki decided to extend their strike to next Monday. Yesterday morning they occupied the offices of the city's Hippocrateion Hospital for three hours in a symbolic protest. They plan another occupation, at the George Yennimatas Hospital, and the Centre for Infectious Diseases today.
Doctors want payment for being on call to be increased by 60 per cent of the daily rostered-on pay as well as increases for rostered duty pay, a 10 per cent increase in starting wages and bonuses for specialists.
Hospitals' debts fail to decrease : In a related development, debts owed by the country's hospitals are estimated at around 70 billion to date, despite settlement of deficits since Jan. 1997, and the fact that hospital fees increased by 30 per cent, according to the Panhellenic Federation o f Public Hospital Employees (POEDHN).
During a press conference yesterday, POEDHN representatives also charged that a health ministry plan for 3,500 new hirings in 1997 and a further 2, 000 in 1998 has still not been implemented.
They added that Mr. Geitonas refuses to sign a decision for the appointment of 29 hospital managers, all selected from a total of 207 candidates.
The reason for this, POEDHN representatives claimed, may be related to opposition by hospital presidents, who fear that appointed managers could succeed in areas, such economic management of hospitals, where they themselves have failed.
POEDHN further announced that it will call a meeting of all health sector unions for a discussion of hospitals' problems, while industrial action early next month has not been ruled out.
Athens News Agency
[22] Skandalidis optimistic over upcoming elections
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Ruling PASOK Secretary Costas Skandalidis appeared highly optimistic yesterday over the expected outcome of October's local government elections. Speaking after last night's meeting of the central local elections committee, chaired by Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Mr. Skandalidis said that Tuesday's Kallithea speech by Mr. Simitis showed that PASOK supporters were rallying together in view of the elections.
Athens News Agency
[23] Thessaloniki Univ.to allow for police patrols of gounds overnight, Sundays
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Thessaloniki University's senate yesterday night unanimously voted to allow police patrols of campus grounds during overnight hours, public holidays and on Sundays.
Senate members stressed that the decision does not mean annulment of the university's asylum policy, or the first step towards scrapping the practice.
Earlier, a group of about 40 students disrupted the meeting to protest against the proposal to allow police and judicial authorities access to the school's grounds.
The proposal had been brought to the senate by the university's deans following the murder of a man and serious injury of another in a fight between Albanian illegal immigrants on the grounds on Sunday.
The fight broke out during a soccer match between a group of Albanians, who had been living for the past three months in a building under construction for the school.
Police and judicial officials are barred from entering university grounds except on the express approval of university authorities.
University Rector Mihalis Papadopoulos said Sunday's incidents were not unique, and that many university professors had complained about vandalism of school property and grounds, while there were a number of cases involving illegal immigrants making the grounds their homes.
"This impunity must stop," Mr. Papadopoulos said, adding that it was impossible for the university's 39 unarmed guards to effectively police the university's 40 hectares. The practice of university asylum has been the focus of some criticism in rec ent years, particularly during the November 17 annual commemoration of the Polytechnic students' uprising against the military junta, where street rioters in both Athens and Thessaloniki take refuge from police in university grounds.
University property has also often been vandalised during the riots, often by non-students involved in the violence.
Past efforts to lift asylum, either partially or in whole, have been fiercely opposed. In 1995, then-public order minister Stelios Papathemelis dropped plans to abolish the practice following strong protests.
His plans drew a 'louder' protest from the Revolutionary Popular Struggle terrorist group, which placed a bomb at the Athens School of Business to protest plans to abolish asylum. The bomb caused extensive damage but no injuries.
Athens News Agency
[24] Arsenis cites significance of vocational training
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Education Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said that it has been estimated that in the 21st century a person will change jobs six or seven times on average during an average career, adding that this means that the issue of vocational training will always be top ical.
Mr. Arsenis was speaking yesterday at the inauguration of a European conference on vocational education and training at the dawn of the 21st century being held in the Lasithi prefecture by the Vocational Education and Training Organisation (OEEK) in cooperation with UNESCO.
Referring to Greece, Mr. Arsenis said "we have started to implement new education", but added that changes need time and one should learn from the other's experience.
On the question of the conference of UNESCO on the issue of vocational education and training, which will take place in Seoul next year, Mr. Arsenis expressed his view that "the contribution of this conference will not only be the the offer of a unified
European platform of educational reform but the offer of a differentiated programme with converging targets for the development of countries and their social cohesion."
Athens News Agency
[25] Italian FM on Cyprus' EU accession
UNITED NATIONS 24/09/1998 (ANA - M. Georgiadou)Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini said here yesterday that Cyprus was one of the six best-prepared EU candidate countries.
Speaking during a press conference on the sidelines of the 53rd UN General Assembly, Mr. Dini added that "Cyprus cannot enter the Union as a divided nationICyprus must become a member as a whole island.
"We are expecting and hoping that a UN formula will lead to a federal state, " the Italian FM stressed.
Athens News Agency
[26] Russian ambassador to Greece accepts nomination
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Russia's ambassador to Greece, Valentina Matviyenko, has accepted a nomination as a deputy premier in charge of social policy in Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov's new cabinet, Russian diplomatic sources said here yesterday.
The 49-year old Ukrainian-born envoy is expected to meet President Boris Yeltsin yesterday to "formalise her appointment".
"It's a ceremonial matter," sources told ANA.
Although the new cabinet has not yet been announced, Ms Matviyenko would become the first woman deputy prime minister in post-Soviet Russia.
Ms Matviyenko was holidaying in Russia for the past month when she was first offered the culture ministry but rejected it, the sources said, "until Mr. Primakov named her for the new post which she accepted". The sources said that Ms Matviyenko would not be returning to Greece.
"She has already given instructions to the embassy to send her clothes and other private items to Russia," the sources said.
Ms Matviyenko, an active member of the Communist Party youth league Comsomol, has been serving in Greece since October 1997.
She and her husband, a retired doctor, have been living in St. Petersburg.
Athens News Agency
[27] Infertility problems, high rate of abortions the focus of conference
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)Approximately 300,000 married couples in Greece cannot have children, according to a Thessaloniki University medical professor.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, organised by the "Ky-veli" society, obstetrics professor Vassilis Tarlatzis said that around 200,000 abortions are performed annually in Greece, double the number of births.
According to Dr. Tarlatzis, Greece's high infertility rate - 15 per cent as opposed to Europe's 13 per cent - can be attributed to a large extent to the increased number of abortions, as well as to men's problems, mainly infections affecting the reprod uctive system.
Modern methods to assist couples facing infertility problems are available in Greece and results are encouraging.
However, low coverage by private and social security funds prevent couples from seeking assistance.
The average amount given for such a case by funds does not exceed 120,000 drachmas, while expenses can amount to about one million drachmas.
Athens News Agency
[28] 150 illegals discovered crammed into Lebanese-flagged vessel
Athens 24/09/1998 (ANA)The coastguard yesterday confiscated a Lebanese-flagged wooden vessel with more than 150 Iraqi illegal immigrants of Kurdish origin on board, as it sailed south of the island of Crete and just prior to disembarking them at a remote bay.
A spokesman for the coastguard said the four-member crew of the vessel, identified as the "Alak", were also arrested.
Acting on a tip from fishing vessels in the region, the coastguard tailed the vessel, seizing it at around 6 a.m., as it approached the bay of Kali Limenes, south of Crete.
The illegals, 56 men, 31 women and 80 children, among them several infants "were packed like sardines on board a 20-meter long wooden boat," a spokesman said.
"Most of them, mainly the children, were in a dramatic condition and were taken to a local medical centre for first aid treatment," he said. They had been in the sea for almost a week since the boat sailed from the Lebanese port of Abta on Sept. 18.
According to another report, one of the women on board, who was pregnant, had a miscarriage and, as an eyewitness said, the baby was thrown overboard.
The illegals and the crew were taken to Irakleio for questioning, prior to deportation procedures beginning.
Reports said the vessel was initially headed for Italy.
More arrests : In a related development, coast guard authorities on the island of Kythira reported picking up another eight illegal immigrants who tried to disembark at the port of Kapsalia on Tuesday.
The eight - five Iraqis, two Egyptians and one Algerian - said they had been at sea in their small fishing boat for four days since leaving Beirut.
They said that they were actually headed for Italy in the fishing boat, which they had hired from a Lebanese national. All eight are being detained pending deportation.
Finally, a Greek national was arrested yesterday after police found him transporting five Albanian illegal immigrants in his car.
The five Albanians said they had paid 80,000 drachmas to an accomplice of the man for the trip from Kozani to Veria, northern Greece.
Athens News Agency
[29] Sofia conference targets int'l stolen car smuggling activity
SOFIA 24/09/1998 (ANA - B. Borisov)Six international crime gangs involved in stealing cars, primarily from northern Greece, before selling them abroad have been broken up by police in Thessaloniki recently.
Between the period from Greece's joining the Schengen Pact until today, 30 Bulgarian nationals have been arrested at the Promahonas border checkpoint attempting to leave or enter Greece in a stolen vehicle.
The data was provided by Thessaloniki police during an international conference on combatting car smuggling. The conference came to a close in Sofia yesterday with proposals for closer cooperation between police authorities in this sector.
The conference was attended by police and insurance company representatives from 23 countries.
One point noted in particular during the conference was that while police authorities performed their duty in solving cases of stolen cars, legislation is lagging in this sector.
Athens News Agency
Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article


text: KAWS: An Artist's Artist\nDespite his celebrity following and high prices, artist Brian Donnelly, a.k.a. KAWS, who recently transformed Drake for the new issue of W Art, is surprisingly down to earth. When he's not promoting his own work, Donnelly champions outsider artists like Peter Saul and Karl Wirsum by flexing his social influence. Here are 5 artists on his radar.\nKarl WirsumPhoto by @kaws.\nKeiichi TanaamiPhoto by @kaws.\nMisaki KawaiPhoto by @kaws.\nRosalyn DexterPhoto by @kaws.\nH.C. WestermannPhoto by @kaws.


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The sense of the word commando, meaning an elite soldier, appeared during the Second World War with the raids on occupied France by elite British forces of that name. Winston Churchill wrote to General Ismay on 2 July 1940:
Read the rest of the article...
If it be true that a few hundred German troops have been landed on Jersey or Guernsey by troop-carriers, plans should be studied to land secretly by night on the islands and kill or capture the invaders. This is exactly one of the exploits for which the Commandos would be suited.
Copyright 1997-2019, by David Wilton


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Tel. 0844 414 2471/2 Fax: 0844 414 2473
The Service charge for our 0844 numbers
is 7p per minute.
Email. email@example.com
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COLERAINE, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland
From ROI Tel: 048 7032 0723
The service charge for calls to 0844 numbers is 7p per minute, plus your phone companies access charge.
Thanks to recent changes in European
Union (Block Exemption) legislation, you
can get maximum value-for-money car
servicing from a top quality local garage,
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If you would like your vehicle booked and presented for its MOT at the same time please advise when booking your vehicle in for its service.
Click on the service you require and it will take you to our Online Booking Tool or you can phone us on
0844 414 2471.


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Politics are at play as Gainesville officials debate whether to implement a 1 percent rate increase for water service beginning next year.
City Council will hold a first vote on the matter Tuesday.
Public Utilities Director Kelly Randall has recommended the increase, which would generate an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 in additional revenue.
"We believe that's reasonable," he said. "We believe that's ... good business."
According to figures provided by Randall, lower-end users would see their costs rise a few cents, while larger consumers paying the highest tiered rate will likely still pay less than a dollar more each month.
But several council members have said they would prefer to hold the line for at least one year.
"I will not support any increases," Councilman Sam Couvillon said.
Mayor Danny Dunagan said a zero percent increase would be a goodwill gesture to city residents and businesses following year-after-year rate hikes.
But Councilwoman Ruth Bruner implied it would be disingenuous to tout no increase just for the sake of winning public support.
While Randall said his department could get by without the increase, it may result in more dramatic rate hikes in the coming years.
"In the future, it's going to come back and bite us," he added.
Councilman George Wangemann said he supported keeping the rate unchanged for a year, "but 1 percent is not unreasonable."
"I don't like to see these big peaks and valleys in increases," he added.
Councilman Bob Hamrick said he would like to see no increase.
And Councilwoman Myrtle Figueras said while she supported the 1 percent increase, she remained undecided on just how she would vote.
Meanwhile, Randall is recommending no rate increase for sewer service.
However, he has proposed a 65-cent increase in the account service fee, which covers the cost of reading meters, sending bills and related customer service issues.


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PS3 Launch TitlesPublished August 11th, 2006 in Gaming, Technology
Earlier in the day you saw my post about the Wii Launch Titles. Well now PS3Land.com posted a long list of PS3 titles as well. Now before I go any further I will state that my interest in both consoles is through the roof. However, I would own a Wii much sooner than a PS3. You see, to me the PS3 is a console I let my friends buy, then I go to their house and mooch. I figure since I do that with the XBox 360 the PS3 will be no different. Don't get me wrong though, I'm sure somewhere down the line I will eventually buy a PS3, but that won't be until after I get well acquainted with my Nintendo Wii.
Now, back to the story at hand. Glossing over the 200 launch titles that the PS3 promotes it really puts Nintendo to shame in terms of sheer numbers. However as most of my professors say, it's all about quality over quantity and I tend to believe it. With the recent drop of interest in PS3 games it makes me wonder how many developers will continue this trend. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen a major increase of PS3 projects being cancelled. In contrast, I have not yet seen a Wii project cancelled. It makes me wonder which system will hold its ground. If Sony can't keep its developers interested in the console, what makes you think they will keep you interested? Of course, the link below doesn't cover all 200 games, its simply a list, but it does cover the most important ones (*cough* Metal Gear Solid *cough*). Don't let me convince you though, post your thoughts and tell us which system you will buy first.
Read More: Over 200 games planned for PlayStation 3 :: PS3 News :: PS3Land.com [via BluesNews]
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1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup / 113 gm butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, powdered
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
hard candies of different colors ( fruit flavored lollies/ poppins)
- Place the candies in a ziplock bag and crush them using rolling pin. If you want different colors, separate the candies color-wise and crush them in different ziplock bags.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius. Line baking sheet with parchment paper/ baking paper.
3. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar and mix them until combined.
4. Add all purpose flour, baking powder and vanilla essence and mix well till it form a smooth dough. If the dough is dry, add 1 tbsp milk and mix well.
5. Roll the dough in a floured surface into 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Using smaller cookie cutters, cut the centre of the shaped cookies.
7. Add the crushed hard candies in the cookies center hole. Do not fill it too much.
8. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies turn light brown at the corners.
9. Remove from the oven and let them cool down for 2-3 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely...


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"breathtaking" – MOJO
"I've heard nobody else who can make the Boehm flute sound like the true traditional thing, who can mould tone to fit the tune so nicely… the sheer musicality is exceptionally impressive…" – Jon Brophy, Irish Music Magazine
"breathtaking" – MOJO
"I've heard nobody else who can make the Boehm flute sound like the true traditional thing, who can mould tone to fit the tune so nicely… the sheer musicality is exceptionally impressive…" – Jon Brophy, Irish Music Magazine
New 5-Track EP from Philippe Barnes & Tom Phelan. Featuring Duncan Lyall (Treacherous Orchestra) – Double Bass, Tad Sargent (CrossHarbour) – Bodhran, and Ollie Boorman (All Jigged Out) – Drums
£6 inc. worldwide shipping
Remote recording of flutes (Concert Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Irish Flute, Bamboo Flutes), Low Whistles, Uilleann Pipes, Acoustic Guitar available.
I have a high quality studio setup at home, and regularly record flute and whistles for film & TV composers remotely.
Equipment: Pro Tools/Logic, Sibelius, Universal Audio Apollo, Neve 8801, AEA R84, Neumann K184's.
Films – The Imposter | Dark Horse | Emma | The Funeral | Brothers of War | Body in the Park
TV – PBS "Magic of the Snowy Owl" | BBC2 "The Monkey-Eating Eagle of the Orinoco" | BBC Horizon "Should I Really Test My Health" | Discovery Channel "Fighting Hatred", "Trailblazers" | ITV "Sanditon"
Albums – Amy Dickson | Dizraeli & The Small Gods | Syd Arthur | 1916 The Musical | Lee Westwood | Attab Haddad | CrossHarbour | Franc O'Shea | Kirsty Bromley | Mike Carter | All Jigged Out | Philippe Barnes & Tom Phelan | Mooose | Mike Considine
"A fine example of how traditional Irish music is still thriving in a modern way" – Martin Chilton, The Daily Telegraph.
"I saw the future of trad music and its name is CrossHarbour." – Tradconnect.com
"This band is going places" – Sean Laffey, Irish Music Magazine.
"Their sound captures the brio of early Solas with the rhythmic complexity of Lúnasa and the wildness of vintage Altan." – John O'Regan, fRoots
CrossHarbour is a dynamic new band emerging from London's thriving traditional Irish music scene. Fusing well-loved traditional tunes and songs with self-penned material and original arrangements, CrossHarbour are gaining recognition for their highly virtuosic and energetic yet polished performances.
With two sold-out gigs at London's Return to Camden Town Festival, as well as performances at the Cambridge Folk Festival, Southwell Folk Festival and the St Patrick's Day festival in Trafalgar Square under their belts, CrossHarbour are already exciting audiences in the UK, and quickly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the folk world.
Their debut album was released in May 2014 and received a positive reception from, amongst others, Songlines, fRoots, The Daily Telegraph and The Irish Times. They are currently working on new material that will make up a second album… watch this space!


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Nobody tells it better than our customers
We are immensely proud to have hundreds of positive reviews on Checkatrade.com, a consumer protection company which vets, monitors and posts feedback on jobs undertaken. We believe that the consistent positive feedback that we receive is due to our unwavering dedication to good customer service, honest hard work, competitive prices and outstanding results. Please visit Checkatrade.com to see what our customers have said about us or read some of our testimonials below.
Very pleased with the work carried out. They are very professional, tidy and timely. I would highly recommend A Mills and Sons.
Redecoration of large living room, ceiling, walls and paintwork.
Work finished to a high standard, would definitely recommend.
Decoration of four bedrooms, walls, ceilings and paint work.
Highly recommended, very clean, tidy and courteous. Have booked already for the next job.
Renovation of bedroom
Over a period of 2 months A Mills and Sons, have provided me with electrician, to re locate sockets, I have had the whole room sound proof plaster boarded and plastered, coved and carpentry work completed in a my house that is over a 100 years old and needed some TLC. I found all the trades men excellent! They turned up on time, did the job within the specified time period, a…
Redecorate kitchen and assorted odd jobs.
I am a repeat customer of Alan's and can highly recommend his firm. They are reliable and friendly, kept me informed throughout and did a great job. I would definitely use them again.
Hall, stairs and landing.
Alan worked hard to meet the specific we'd given him which was to refurbish the hall, stairs and landing. This meant restocking and fixing previous work which had been done poorly. The gloss work was very well done. He managed to eliminate nearly all the imperfections in the wall papering.
Kitchen: walls – two coats emulsion. All woodwork – u/ct glass.
Quality of work, first class. High standard of preparation ensuring an excellent finish. Highly recommended.
Stripped all walls and ceiling in bedroom, re-plastered ceiling, re-wall papered all walls, painted all wood work.
Brilliant from start to finish!
Full renovation of very high gallery landing and stairs.
Very professional, did an excellent job, clean and tidy and a pleasure to have in the house. Would definitely recommend.
Full decoration of dining room and bedroom.
Highly recommend. Did a fabulous job. They're coming back to do the outside of the house. Fair price for a lovely finish.


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Winner: Portland, for getting the job done
The Thorns showed up with a chip on their shoulder, ready to complete the 'unfinished business' of last season. It's strange to say for a team that has now won either the league title or the shield in three out of the league's five seasons, but Portland has felt like an underachiever. With the talent at their disposal, not to mention the infrastructure and institutional support, anything less than a title this year would have felt like a disappointment. Beyond that, it's important to remember that Portland started this season poorly, and still looked to be struggling well into the summer. There was talk about 'too many stars, not enough teamwork' and questions about whether they would ever actually put it all together.
Well, they put it together. Following a loss on July 1, Portland went on a run in which they won 11 of 13 games, including the semifinal and final. They integrated their stars as they returned from the Euros and injury, settled into a flexible tactical system, and started to look as good as they always expected to be.
In a league without all that much tactical innovation, coach Mark Parsons' back three was a breath of fresh air, and helped to revitalize their attack without doing anything to weaken their stout defense. Dropping Christine Sinclair back behind the forwards was another critical innovation, allowing her to orchestrate the attack from a deeper position, and then crash in behind to pick up second balls and knockdowns.
Portland didn't have anything close to their best game of the year in the final, but it was enough to get the job done. They played a composed, compact, and stultifying game—conceding plenty of marginal chances but stifling the big ones. It wasn't pretty, but no one in Portland will care much about that.
Loser: The beautiful game
All three of the games between these two teams this season were tight affairs, but this one took things to a different level. That's not surprising, necessarily, since cup finals often end up being some of the least exciting games of an entire campaign. When the stakes are this high, teams play conservatively, looking to avoid mistakes, and the quality of play often suffers. This game was no exception.
In their postgame press conferences, both coaches specifically used the word "battle" to describe the game, and neither seemed to be using the term metaphorically. It was a tense and brutal affair, a grim and physical game, without much to recommend it in the way of skill or tactical quality.
Portland deserves special credit (or blame, depending on your perspective), making it clear from the first minute that they would match North Carolina's aggressive style directly. This preemptive physicality ensured a choppy and violent game, with tight marking and aggressive tackling making it very difficult for either side to develop any rhythm.
To the extent that there was any real 'beauty' in the game, it came on the defensive side of things. In particular, North Carolina deserves credit here, for the way that their players moved as a unit. The interactions between the central defense and central midfield, in particular, were lovely. As Dahlkemper tracked a runner, Mewis would drop in behind to take her spot. As Erceg drifted out wide to fill in the gap left by an attacking fullback, Dahlkemper stepped left and Zerboni drifted in to close down the angles exposed by those moves. It was lovely stuff.
But this was the exception more than the rule. On the whole, these teams came to shut each other down, and they mostly succeeded. That did plenty to raise the tension but didn't do much for the lover of the beautiful game.
Loser: Danielle Chesky, for calling a truly terrible game
As noted, this was a physical and violent game, and ultimately that comes from the teams who chose to play that way. But the final guilt has to rest with the referee, who allowed it all to unfold. While she got some hold back on the game in the second half, the first 45 minutes were a nightmare of escalating violence. I have written before about the problems with loose officiating in this league. And it would be hard to find a more representative example than this game.
There's an unwritten code for referees: lighter punishments for star players, no cards early in the game, don't make yourself the focus. Those all came together in this game, in the opening three minutes, when Tobin Heath barged into Taylor Smith from behind, dislocating her shoulder. It was about as clear a yellow card as you'll ever see, but received only a warning. And things only escalated from there. In the opening half hour, there were at least half a dozen awful challenges, and dozens more examples of rough play. And Chesky still hadn't seen a single foul that she judged worthy of a booking.
By the 39th minute, North Carolina was forced to make their second injury-based substitution, and the game had gone completely off the rails.
She eventually discovered the cards in her pocket and showed a couple to Portland players before the end of the half. And by the second half, with control at least marginally re-asserted, things started to look more like a soccer match and less like a game of rugby. But even with those improvements, the damage was mostly done.
The players deserve a referee who will punish dangerous play. The fans deserve a referee who will call fouls accurately. "Letting the players decide the game" is a canard, and you only need to watch this match to see why. By letting violent play go unpunished, Chesky didn't stay out of the limelight; she made herself the story, to the detriment of the game that everyone was hoping to see.
Winner: The NWSL, for turning the corner
The NWSL suffers under the weight of history. Previous women's soccer leagues have generated far greater fanfare, bigger audiences, more excitement, only to fold after three years. This league has survived, but sometimes has seemed to achieve this success at the expense of intensity or excitement. It can feel like the unloved stepchild of the US Women's National Team, a training ground to keep them fresh but not something to generate much passion.
But, increasingly, that narrative is falling apart. Sure, some of the old guard clearly didn't value the league, and maybe some of the current stars don't treat it entirely seriously. But you only have to look at the passion and commitment and intensity of the players in this match to see how much it matters.
For the young stars of US soccer—players like Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper, Lindsey Horan, and Lynn Williams—the NWSL has always been a part of the landscape. To them, this is the pinnacle of their professional achievement, and there is absolutely nothing second rate about it. They care. They care a whole lot.
If you're an #NWSL fan, you've got to love the way the young #USWNT players view the league. pic.twitter.com/IhFcAvYCgl
— John D. Halloran (@JohnDHalloran) October 16, 2017
Find someone who is happy for your success the way Sonnett and Raso are happy that Horan won the #NWSLChampionship MVP award. pic.twitter.com/5iG2TiWjO9
— Ann Odong (@AnnOdong) October 15, 2017
I talked to Sam Mewis in the mix zone after the game, and she had the demeanor of someone who had just lost the World Cup final. The intensity, the passion, the commitment that she feels about the national team…it is all there in precisely the same degree for this league.
And that is a great thing.
Winner: Orlando, for doing a great job hosting
There has been a lot of discussion in the past week about future NWSL finals. Should the league return to a system of allowing the top seed to host, or persist with the predetermined venue? There are fair arguments on both sides (and decent arguments for going an entirely different third direction), but one huge advantage of a preset location is the opportunity for the league and media to plan ahead of time, and to showcase the nicest venues on offer.
This is not a knock on North Carolina, who I'm sure would also have done a great job hosting. But Orlando gave us a fantastic experience, and deserve some recognition for the work they put in. It's my favorite stadium experience of any in the league, with a beautiful pitch and a wonderful design. The accommodations for the media day on Friday were stupendous, the press facilities were excellent, and the staff went above and beyond the call of duty to give us a great experience.
While the overall attendance numbers were less than ideal, the pre-set location gave a lot the league's superfans a chance to attend. And in many ways, that's more important than the simple topline number. Making it easier for those who care the most to make the pilgrimage should be a big priority. The NWSL final should be an Event—and Orlando did it's best to help that process along.
Shoutouts are also deserved for Jen Cooper, who put on a great WoSoCo, and for the supporters groups of teams all around the league who made the journey and showed up strong. And an extra special mention goes to the Riveters, who flew 3000 miles to support their team, and helped bring the intensity and excitement that this game and this league deserves.


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West Germany, 1966 (MIFF 1968, Programme 2)
Director: Volker Schlöndorff
This faithful screen version of Robert Musil's well-known novel is a major work of the new German cinema. Set in a remote Austrian boarding school before the First World War. the story centres on one of the pupils. Törless—handsome, vain, detached. When he arrives at the school, he adopts an attitude of philosophical objectivity, accepting life as an abstract force over which he has no control. A student steals some money from another, and is discovered by two senior students who subsequently blackmail and sadistically torture him. Törless finds himself part of this ritual, and his solution to the problem of his inaction becomes the dramatic conflict of the story. The central theme of the film then emerges: the domination of the strong over the weak—man over man—man over group—group over nation.
F.I.P.R.E.S.C.I Award, Cannes.
Schlöndorff, one time assistant to Malle and Resnais, uses a stark, almost documentary approach to the world of Törless. The boys in the cast are all non-professional actors who are faithful personifications of the types in the book. Matthieu Carriere, as Törless, gives a magnificant portrayal of Musil's central character.


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Your bedroom is the most personal space in your home, which means its interior is of immeasurable importance. A bedroom should be calm and soothing, a place to relax and unwind after a stressful day.
Whether you're revamping your whole bedroom, or just want to add another piece to your existing collection, browse our bedroom furniture ranges to find the perfect style for your space.
Our extensive range of bedroom furniture is designed to complement all decor tastes. From bed frames to wardrobes right through to blanket boxes and bedsides, we will cater for all your style preferences, from the quirkiest of contemporary bedroom furniture ranges to classically chic and traditional.