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Tell Me Story Again, preview of a new poem collection
I recently completed a poem collection, Tell Me the Story Again. The poems are song-like, set in a future (or possibly ancient) world. The narrative voices are many: grey cat, grey mouse, temple sweeper, courage singer, sorrow singer, merry drunk, morose fool, sword woman, skeleton woman, mother rain, ancient dreamer to name a few. Here are a few selctions.
scribe song
the scribe waits under the oak
watching the last leaves fall
some red, some rust, some
holding the green edge of fire
these are the leaves
these are the leaves
of the ancient book
the story is ending
tell me the story again
the scribe waits for the river
or mountain, the small brave mouse
or shadowing raven, ready
to write the translation
these are the wings
these are the feet
of the unwritten book
the story's beginning
tell me the story again
the scribe waits, scrapes
the flesh of her story
down to the bone, her own
blood will do for the ink
this is the bone
this is the blood
of the book she is writing
the story still spinning
tell me the story again
grey mouse song
I am the grey mouse
seed-eater, seed-keeper
I could save the world with my secret store
no one but the cat knows who I am anymore.
she might want to eat me but she sees
the shadow I cast at night
when I dance by firelight
my ears grow wide,
my nose grows long
on tree trunk legs I'm strong
I sway, still grey,
an elephant light as breeze.
temple sweeper's song
they say the gods are gone from here
they said the gods are ghosts
dead as their devotees, but I remain
unsheltered from sun, from rain
in a roofless ruin where wildflowers
succor the last wild bees
there is pollen and leaf and snow
the gods still dance in motes of dust
I stir and sweep day after day
believing still in the slightest chance
someone will come from far away, from long ago
to sweep me into the dance
by firelight our shadows will leap
and the gods will reappear.
sword woman's song
wear your life lightly
like the garment it is, don't
clutch it to you tightly
let it ride the wind
sword woman, you say, where
is your armor, where is your shield
beloved, my armor is to yield
I fear no cliff edge
I fly from tree to tree
landing softly on a limb
death to one side, life
to the other, I love both
and fear neither, there is no strife
no shield but flashing sword
bright in the sun,if you kill me
I love you still, the same
if I kill you.
sorrow singer stands still
standing still in time, its wreckage
rushing past me, this temple,
that crusade, these bones, these bombs
exploded, this gun rusted, this crib broken
that three-legged kitchen table, this ruined painting
this scattered farmstead, rushing, rushing
I am a willow, bending and rooted,
I am lost to time, I am lost to myself.
raven talk
our talk is not idle, not
human, not sound to silence silence
but sound to make silence ring
to wring the blue from the sky
and bring it drenching down
to the bone
what is hard for the ones who only walk
is easy for us, easy
to perch on the highest rock
or the top of a dead tree
easy to float on the wind
upside down , easy
to dive to the heart of a swamp
our beaks are curved and golden
our tails, the envy of crows
but our voices, oh, our voices
part the way between worlds
veils, mists, stones, life, death
you walkers can't fly but you can
follow our cry, follow
if you dare
...between ancient roots
outside doing something else I turn and see them
snowdrops thrusting through dead leaves beside a snowdrift
I drop everything, pick up a rake, clear their bed
the garden, an infant crowning from winter's womb
labor intensive tenderness for this newborn
and then again in the dying time next autumn
in summer, weeding, making way for bloom and fruit
watering, watching as the whole green world matures
but now it is the end of the bare time, bone time
the end of resting inside or questing over crusty snow
to learn the secrets of hollow and rise, the ways
of water and stone, the groan of bare trees and ice
how I am pulled again into the seasons' round
even as my own time winds down or up or both
is their wisdom in waning? I still want to dance
Elizabeth, your body spirals with the wind
watch the oak, learn to keep a wilder deeper time
look: daffoldil shoots rising between ancient roots
Note: I have been experimenting with the ghazal form since meeting poet JK McDowell and reading his collection Night Mystery Light. My primitive understandingis that the form has lines of 12 syllables, stanzas of three lines which must stand alone as a poem, and six stanzas total. There may be other rules of which I am not aware.
...your path is waiting
Where is mountain, where is sky? Mist and cloud may know
or merge unknowing: where is water, where is air?
Between peak and valley, day and night, where am I?
I did not plan to take this precipitous trail,
blue trail markers lure me up and up to blue sky.
I cannot resist, just one more step and one more….
The sea has tides and waves; mountains, peaks and valleys.
Ocean lover, here I am climbing slow rock swells
borne by tides of breath to rest on the mountain's crest.
I did not expect to fall in love with mountains,
on my hands and knees at sixty climbing rock trails
and on my tail, sliding down, glad to be alive.
Just one other car in the trail head parking lot,
sun breaking through as it sets on new-fallen snow,
rosy mountains, cold wind, last dry leaves whispering.
Winter begins, mountains gathering snow and ice
trees bowed by storms then bared when wind blows or sun melts.
Elizabeth, wear snow shoes, your path is waiting.
...it's enough
it is all poetry, even a dark morning
at the end of Fall, twisting oak branches revealed,
small birds and the last lacy leaves still holding fast
rivers and rivulets in the dirt after rain
also branch and curve like trees, and hieroglyphic
trails of mice and birds and bees make more metaphor
a cloudy sky is only dull when you don't look
into all the layered meanings of grey and white
and catch the subtle motion of this dense, high mist
the rainbow rises and roots in forests of gold
we the lucky ones who find the shining treasure
no need for pockets or sacks to carry it home
a white bird with wide wings flying from wood to field
huge and silent, not a hawk, could it be an owl?
everything in me quiets to watch and wonder
Elizabeth, what do you need to do but witness?
why do you trouble yourself with judging your worth?
climb the mountains, stand in your backyard, it's enough
Autumn at the Happy Hermitage: ghazal verses
the leaves are falling, the ridge rising into view
I know it was there all along, but now I see
the still blue wave, and the rocks invisible still
silent behemoths veined with quartz, seamed with thin dirt
enough for moss, lichen, fern, and small determined trees
revealed when I climb to the crest of this slow wave
birds light in bare ash trees, arrange themselves like leaves
leaf-shaped with their folded wings, they sit dark and still
till they lift their wings, leave the ash trees bare again
the hickory nuts knock at our roof, leaves fly
golden on warm, grey air, soft as our grey cat's fur
crows and ravens outcry the wind that carries them
the mist is a river moving over mountains
now and then the sun gleams through lighting wings and leaves
I am here solid, porous, rooted, blown, alive
in a green field, backed by the russet wood, Monkshood
purple cowls atop tall stalks that waited till now
to yield these shocking blooms and skew Fall's color scheme
ecstasy takes time, even if it lasts moments
you have to slow down so ecstasy can find you
the way the light finds each plant in the sweep of day
or the tide finds its secret way between dark rocks
stand still in the wood, on the shore, in your life
ecstasy will come, touch you, fill you, leave you changed.
...the way
I am barefoot, sometimes the way is soft, a frog
leaps pondward, touching my foot, the birds keep watch
I don't know where I am going, what I will find
there are berries in fleeting season, wild flowers
in these I believe, my holy task is to see
or to swim so slowly a turtle barely blinks
can I be lost if I am here and here and here
does the one I called god ask any more of me
why do I cry silently all night for mercy?
the one I believed in is called the way; is he
a deer thicket, a swarm of bees, my bravery
as I prepare for undress rehearsal of death?
when the sun is high and hot there is only sweat
I forget tears, mosquitoes and ticks seek my blood
I bequeath my living body to this summer
how far must I walk to leave behind betrayal
my own and others', when does it become blessing
Elizabeth, let go, your feet will find the way.
...listening to the ground
no objective correlative for this hard time
more life in a desert than in desolation
this grief is punctuation. stop. what can be next?
the pressure of sorrow and terror, internal
external: what is being ground to dust between
these real or imagined huge and relentless stones
outside the window above the altar, a rock
cliff more ancient than the church, crevices alive
with moss and fern, rising to bare sentinel trees
there is never just one death, each person's dying
takes so much with it, the form of a family
and other circles that held her, that she helped hold
the ducks and geese know where they are going and why
they splash land, they lift off and fly. Ripples remain
till they widen out and out into the unseen
Elizabeth, it is more than your friend you miss
stay here with yourself awhile, be patient, be still
while you grieve your feet are listening to the ground
...here's my hand
a ghazal for the year's turn
sometimes watch your thoughts: leaves floating by on a stream
other times, hunt your thoughts down, be a predator
the witness knows which thoughts pass, which to devour
in winter earth's summer colors fly into sky
a fleet sunset blooming, light cultivating cloud
gold, purple, red—our color-hungry eyes are fed
young moon brighter and brighter in deepening dusk
the slim curve brimming with night, someone bear witness:
three small birds swoop down to drink the moon's reflection
a dust mote in god's light, call it a galaxy,
a universe, call it me, how else would god see?
whirl on tiny one, small world, trust immensity
silent as sunlight, in this timeless way I move
whose hands hold the strings that pull the tides, rock my bones?
my feet are wind in the grass, watch me disappear
beloved friends, the world ends again and again
with each death, each year, each turn of an ancient wheel
beginning takes fierce courage, wild faith, here's my hand.
...bear witness back, be here
frost in the night, shining at dawn, melting at noon
flowers give up the ghost on black funeral stalks
I come with the clippers and cart away my dead
light shining through windows and cracks in the old barn
makes patterns with the beams, the weathered boards, the dust,
draws my attention, turns me to some mystery's heart
the tender of an empty shrine, that's what I am
the gods may be here, though the devotees have gone
still the sleeping ground is alive, birds feast on seeds
hawks roll over on the wind as if on a bed
big spruce lies on the lawn, a dogwood crushed beneath
in the same storm's wake, downed trees, playful birds of prey
some are planters, some tenders, others harvesters
of a field, a time, a place. After the fall falls
who watches, sings, and sweeps until it's time to sleep
Elizabeth, the land is your wordless witness
forms pass, trees and buildings fall, people come and go
stop trying to stop them, bear witness back, be here
(assembled and completed on Halloween, 2012)


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The colours of Uluru
The water tank at Kuniya Piti is looking very bright – thanks to the Mutitjulu Primary School and Nyangatjatjara College Rangers. After completing lessons on being sun-smart and water-wise the students wanted to share what they learnt with the park's visitors.
If you're visiting us be sure to fill up your water bottles from the newly painted tank and enjoy the colourful reminders to stay hydrated, wear a hat and keep safe while in the park. We think the students shared their advice beautifully. What do you think?
Vanessa, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

subset: commoncrawl


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The state of my backyard at this point is pathetic, crispy, and not to be shared, but thanks to the native Texas sunflowers I've let run rampant, my front yard is a lovely cheerful place right now.
I hereby declare my "flower moat" front bed design a raging success. Thanks to the 7′ sunflowers, you can't see most of the front porch from the street, which makes the porch a fabulous private place to hang out when it's not a hundred degrees (say, around 7 AM).
The sunflowers also work fabulously with my low-water cactus, yucca, and agaves. I haven't watered any of the sunflowers that aren't coming up in beds with thirstier plants, and they still look great.
And in our daily dose of randomness, this dude cat here showed up on my front porch a while back and began his campaign to be let into my house to luxuriate in our air conditioning and abundant supply of cat food. Sad to say, I already have 2 cats (who hate each other) and 3 dogs in my house, and the damn ark is full! Dude Cat refuses to be dissuaded, and now that we've gotten used to stopping him from sneaking in like a ninja whenever we open the door, he is now on Week 2 of refusing to leave my front yard. He followed me around and almost tripped me countless times as I tried to take pictures, but consented to sit still a moment for this one:
Hopefully he will find and transfer his obsession to some other house with cat lovers and AC who will cater to his every whim.


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WASHINGTON — By any chance do you have a burning need to define "chutzpah"?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says the chummy Yiddish word means "supreme self-confidence; nerve; gall."
All of which defined Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf. Officially, during the war, he was the Iraqi information minister. But a better title was The World's Best Spin Doctor of 2003. He's the guy who steadfastly refused to admit that Baghdad was lost even as U.S. tanks could be seen reflected in his sunglasses. Call him the mother of all press secretaries.
In 2004, we have another someone who approaches Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf's talent for spin and chutzpah. That man is John Edwards.
After losing the Wisconsin primary, the Edwards campaign sent out a press release that described "John Edwards' incredibly strong performance in Wisconsin."
"Incredibly strong performance." Keep in mind: Edwards lost Wisconsin. Lost. As in, didn't win.
But the spin worked. The New York Times ran this report about the "Super Tuesday" primaries: "Mr. Kerry's advisers, while increasingly confident of victory, were startled by the extent to which Mr. Edwards managed to turn a six-point loss in Wisconsin into a platform for an unexpectedly well-publicized challenge."
How do you top Wisconsin?
What can Edwards do to top his Wisconsin spin effort? It's a tough nut, but I urge him to hire the best talent around, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf himself. Sure he's probably pricey, but he's worth it. As the Super Tuesday results start rolling in, presumably all favoring John Kerry, al-Sahhaf can convince us what a glorious day Edwards is having beating back the Kerry delegate infidels.
Below are the states voting and delegates at stake. Next to each state is the spin I would expect Edwards press secretary al-Sahhaf to provide, explaining the losses. Think you've heard the lines before? You have. They're all real, recited by al-Sahhaf himself during the Iraq war.
So let's help John Edwards spin away Super Tuesday defeats, aided by the very able and multi-talented spin doctor Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf.
- CALIFORNIA (370 delegates): "Today, the tide has turned, we are destroying them."
- CONNECTICUT (49 delegates): "The battle is very fierce, and God made us victorious."
- GEORGIA (86 delegates): "Their forces committed suicide by the hundreds."
- MARYLAND (69 delegates): "We have drawn them into a quagmire, and they will never get out of it."
- MASSACHUSETTS (93 delegates): "My feelings — as usual — we will slaughter them all."
- MINNESOTA (72 delegates): "We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted."
- NEW YORK (236 delegates): "No I am not scared, and neither should you be!"
- OHIO (140 delegates): "We are surrounding them and pounding them. The whole trend has changed, and we are going to finalize this very soon.''
- RHODE ISLAND (21 delegates): "We are in control. They are in a state of hysteria. Losers, they think that by killing civilians and trying to distort the feelings of the people they will win. I think they will not win, those bastards."
And then there are the 15 delegates at stake in Vermont — the state where Edwards doesn't even appear on the ballot. Come on, did Edwards really fail to get on the ballot? Take it away, Mr. Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf: "Absolutely that's not true. I can tell you that because I am here at the Ministry of Information."
Howard Mortman is a producer for "Hardball with Chris Matthews."


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By Josee Smith
The Bing Overseas Studies Program's (BOSP) Overseas Seminars component received fewer applications this year than last year despite offering three more programs.
According to BOSP Director Ramon Saldivar, 344 students applied to the eight programs in Vienna, Rio de Janeiro, India, Israel, Madagascar, Palau and Cardiff, Wales. Around 15 students were accepted to each of the eight programs, for a total of approximately 120 students.
Last year, by contrast, there were five overseas seminars, with a total of 460 applicants.
Saldivar downplayed the significance of the decline, emphasizing the limited value of only two years of data.
"Fluctuations always happen," Saldivar said. "If that trend continues for the next four or five years, then we'll start thinking about what it means. But the most important thing about the seminars is that we are only offering a very small number and we continue to be hugely oversubscribed. The total number of applications greatly exceeds the number of spots we have available."
Saldivar refused to give a breakdown of application numbers for each specific seminar.
The waitlist for each seminar also includes 15 students, so that BOSP can make sure that they fill each of the programs to capacity.
"We have no specific goal about the number of students we want to apply," Saldivar said. "We want to make sure that we meet student interest. It also provides information for me to give to my superiors when making budget requests and whatnot that the demand of these programs exceeds what we can offer. It can strengthen my case for wanting to offer more of these seminars."
Saldivar expressed optimism about the support the seminars have received from students and faculty.
"Every indication — from student evaluations, faculty responses, any review body like the SUES (Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford) [report] — continues to point to the overseas seminars as being really successful," Saldivar said. "That is a given. The next question is, how many more can we do? At this point, it is based on funding, in a broad sense. It is also based on how many we can afford to do given the size of this office, given faculty interest."
Biology professor Susan McConnell, who will teach a summer seminar in Costa Rica on conservation photography, said she was happy about the increase in the number of seminars offered this year and was pleased with the number of applicants she received.
Even while the summer seminars continue to enjoy generally strong interest, other BOSP programs have struggled to attract applicants. Five BOSP spring quarter programs — Beijing, Florence, Kyoto, Madrid and Santiago — are still accepting applications, with interested students being asked to contact the program as soon as possible.
Saldivar said that the low interest level of interest in those programs is not that unusual and that BOSP regularly accepts students after the application deadline.
On Monday, BOSP also announced the return of the Community Health in Oaxaca Program for Spring/Summer 2013. According to the BOSP website, this service-learning program will provide students with the opportunity of working in southern Mexico, shadowing health care providers in clinics and hospitals and working with other agencies to meet community-identified needs.
"It gives us an opportunity to try out a different pedagogical method and a different duration, linking it with a course on campus and following up with an overseas experience," Saldivar said. "We are targeting groups of students on campus who wouldn't be thinking that they would be able to go abroad and spend time in an overseas experience."
Saldivar added that, although the topic is community health in southern Mexico, the subject is being interpreted broadly.
"It's not just medical issues, but broad social and community issues that constitute well-being. We are looking for students interested in health care and medical science, but also in all aspects of social sciences and humanities," Saldivar said. "There is room for thinking about culture, language and the arts as part of the construction of a community in good health. We hope to look at it that way over the next two years."
Students can apply to the program on the BOSP website by Feb. 17.
"As long as we continue having students interested in the programs, we will work hard to make the space for students to be a part of them," Saldivar said. "The summer seminars are a signpost of the way we should be moving in the future."


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You don't hire a history teacher to help you with math or an engineer to write product marketing brochures. The same way, you don't hire an excellent technical translator to translate your website or a Brazilian Portuguese translator to translate content that will be read by people in Portugal. The result will not be good no matter how good the translator is.
The best translator for your job is the one who understands the content to be translated, has training and experience with the type of content (user guide, website, marketing material) of your project and, above all, is a native speaker of the target language. In addition, there is the cost. You shouldn't pay for what you don't need.
A user guide of your product? Is it your website to sell your product abroad? Is it a collection of tweets where your product was mentioned? A digital brochure to use in your digital marketing campaign? This is critical because being a skilled translator doesn't mean one can translate all types of content well. Website translations are more complex. It requires good understanding of tags and html codes not to create bugs. In addition, website translators need to be aware of the page layout to make sure the words they choose won't mess up the layout. For marketing translations you want translators who are comfortable deviating from the original text, taking some liberty to convey the message as intended.
Languages evolve differently in different countries, thus, you want to select a translator who is a native of the country you are targeting. If your audience is in Canada, don't pick a translator from France. Canadians will roll their eyes with the neologisms that contaminated the language in France. Plus, they will think that you are either reusing a translation made for an audience in France or don't know that they speak a different variation of the language. If your content type is a marketing piece, it goes without saying that this is not the best way to approach a market for your product.
One needs to understand the subject of the content to be able to communicate the message and not make mistakes when choosing the proper terminology. Remember, translation is not just the exchange of words from one language to another. Translation is communicating what one wants to say in another language, thus, translators need to know what they are talking about.
Translations that are critical to your business, like customer facing content (marketing material, instructions and user guides) should be handled by experienced professionals in the respective content type, like transcreators for marketing, and technical translators for manuals. You want to create the best first-impression and ensure that your customers will have as few questions on how to use your product as possible. Websites are worth the investment in skillful experienced translators. On the other hand, non-customer facing or short shelf-life content can be handled by less-skilled translators. This consideration will help you stretch your localization budget.
However, never let your budget drive your choice of translator for your project. If you don't have enough money to translate all you would like to, reduce the scope of your project instead of going with the lowest quote. An inadequate translation is worse than not having a translation.
Once you've answered these questions and have found a short list of translators to reach out to, check out Part I and Part II of the TM-Town guide to writing job enquiry messages to new translators. We share word-for-word scripts you can adapt to your own needs, and also go into all the information translators like to have when being contacted about a project.
Monica Oliveira
Monica Oliveira, ProZ.com VP of Services and Sourcing Solutions, has been working in the localization industry for the past 20 years. She started as a translator of Brazilian Portuguese, worked as a project manager, and made a career in vendor management. She was director of Worldwide Sourcing Management at Lionbridge before joining ProZ.com to work with building solutions for business members.
Edmilson Filho
Posted 9 months ago.
I'm from Brazil, and I tried to translate some documents to my friend because he wants to read to make a Brazilian version to put in his blog https://blogdasaude.net.br This is a blog who talks about health, but I'm a designer, I do not understand a peace of nothing about healthy in english, the google translator is saving my life lol. So the question "What type of content do you want to translate?" for me is the most important!!
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---------------------- Cédric TOSONI - Magazine ----------------------
What is Cédric Tosoni Magazine ?
It doesn't follow the true definition of a magazine rather an original medium of photographic diffusion, in an original support, which can be placed on a coffee table or waiting room, without text or advertisements.
The making of this series of photos, taken in different places with different models, permit me to express creativity as an artist. I thought at the beginning, to create a pot by crowdfunding to fund my travels and photo series because the editorials of magazines are never paid by the magazine itself. Therefore, as a freelance photographer, I needed to find a source of income for this photo series.
Many people ask me regularly how they may obtain paper version of my photos; therefore, I thought of an original medium of distribution that is more mobile than a picture frame which we can get bored with in time. The "Magazine photo" format enables patrons the ability to collaborate with this project, collecting issues as they come and discovering other photos in different places !
----------------------------- Book (soon...) -----------------------------


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State Budget Analysis from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
On June 30, the Pennsylvania General Assembly completed work on a 2011-12 state budget. The final budget spends $27.249 billion, the lowest amount since the 2008-09 enacted budget, with cuts totaling more than $960 million.
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) has just released a detailed analysis of the budget. Some of the highlights include:
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) has just released a detailed analysis of the budget. Some of the highlights include:
- The budget uses only $200 million of a $786 million 2010-11 year-end surplus. The year-end surplus was 10 times the $78 million surplus projected in the Governor's March budget proposal.
- The budget suspends a legally required transfer of 25% of the year-end surplus to the Rainy Day Fund. Lawmakers say this was done as a condition of receiving funds through the American Recovery Act (ARRA). With 2010-11 lapses, perhaps as much as $1 billion is carried forward and unappropriated in 2011-12.
- The budget presumes revenue growth of 1.2% in 2011-12, far less than the 4.7% assumed in the Governor's budget proposal in March.
- Public schools and universities bear the brunt of the cuts in the 2011-12 budget. Grants to school districts, including the basic education subsidy, reimbursements to school districts for the loss of students to charter schools and other program cuts total more than $860 million. Higher education institutions, including Penn State and the other three state-related universities, community colleges, and the 14 State System of Higher Education universities, are reduced by $245 million.
- Several programs administrated by the Department of Public Welfare are also cut, including welfare-to-work and human services. Some of the largest percentage cuts in the DPW budget come in the funding streams for welfare-to-work programs. The final budget adds to Governor Corbett's proposed cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash grant line and New Directions, which funds employment and training programs. New Directions was cut by $16 million, or 48%, while job training programs funded out of the cash grants line are reduced by $44 million. TANF enrollment, which averaged 211,636 in 2010-11, is expected to increase slightly in 2011-12.
- The Welfare Code bill enacted in concert with the budget gives DPW broad authority for one year to make program changes to cut costs. This includes the ability to sidestep formal rulemaking processes and to change program eligibility, modify benefits and provider payments, and to eliminate presumptive eligibility. This authority is granted with the goal of keeping DPW expenditures, including expenditures on entitlement programs, within budgeted amounts.
- Child care assistance, which supports child care for women in welfare-to-work programs, is cut by $17.6 million, or 9%. Child care services — including direct subsidies to working families, quality improvement initiatives such as the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship program, and resource and referral services for parents seeking licensed child care facilities — were cut by $17.8 million. The cuts will be implemented through increased co-payments for parents and reduced funding for professional development activities.


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Tellison have announced an extensive UK tour for next month.
The London quartet, who released their second album 'The Wages Of Fear' earlier this year, will play 13 UK shows across the country throughout October.
The dates kick off at Preston's Mad Ferret venue on October 13 and run until October 29, when the band play a headline show at Tunbridge Wells Forum.
The band will release a new single 'Edith' in preparation for the tour. This will come out on October 10.
Tellison will play:
Preston Mad Ferret (October 13)
Crewe Box (14)
Sheffield Harley (15)
Newcastle Cluny (16)
York Stereo (17)
Derby Victoria Inn (18)
Leicester Firebug (19)
Northampton Roadmender (20)
Cardiff Undertone (25)
Bath Moles (26)
Exeter Cavern Club (27)
Southampton Joiners (28)
Tunbridge Wells Forum (29)
To check the availability of Tellison tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.


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Over the years Ian Jones Insurance Brokers have been successful in sourcing and placing insurance cover for a multitude of unusual businesses, occupations and property, which, under normal circumstance would be quite difficult to have a main stream insurer accept, as it would fall outside of their acceptance guidelines.
When a business doesn't quite fit within some insurers acceptance criteria it may be either rejected altogether, accepted with major increases in premium and/or excess or subject to a plethora of conditions.
At Ian Jones Insurance Brokers we have had many difficult, unusual or hard to place insurance risks come past our desk and over the years we have maintained relations with many insurers or underwriting agencies capable of underwriting such risks. This is the main reason that we are confident in stating that we can place ANY risk for ANY business. Example of a few of these risks include businesses involved in rail corridor fencing and security, high rise property maintenance, high rise window cleaning, event security, shopping centre cleaners, bulk goods warehousing, property constructed of sandwich panelling (EPS, PIR, PUR), mining contractors (surface and underground), mining machinery and lotteries insurance for newsagencies around Australia.
So if you or your business falls into the 'too hard' category for some insurers and insurance brokers, call our office and see how we may be of assistance and let us do the leg work for you.


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More from BusinessWeek columnist Jon Fine's article about BusinessWeek's pending sale: The reason McGraw-Hill (MHP) wants out -- and the reason the purchase price could be tiny -- is because the magazine is effectively costing its owner $40 million a year. (Via MediaMemo.)
[E]xecutives, all of whom insisted on anonymity because they signed confidentiality agreements, say the data state that BusinessWeek lost around $20 million on revenues of $147 million in 2008, and that slightly smaller losses are projected in 2009 on revenue of around $135 million. These losses do not, however, include key corporate overhead items, such as rent and certain infrastructure-related costs. When all those items are factored in, the total loss figure essentially doubles, said two executives who saw the data.
Six months into 2009, BusinessWeek ad revenues are down 30% from the same period in 2008, according to the Magazine Publishers of America, while average magazine ad revenue is down 22%.


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phase modulation
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to phase modulation: frequency modulation, amplitude modulation
phase modulation
n. Abbr. pm or p-m
A method of signal transmission in which the phase of a carrier wave is varied to transmit information contained in the signal.
phase modulation
(Electronics) a type of modulation, used in communication systems, in which the phase of a radio carrier wave is varied by an amount proportional to the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating signal
phase′ modula`tion
radio transmission in which the carrier wave is modulated by changing its phase to transmit the amplitude and pitch of the signal.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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|phase modulation - modulation of the phase of the carrier wave
modulation - (electronics) the transmission of a signal by using it to vary a carrier wave; changing the carrier's amplitude or frequency or phase


text:
Lordex spine center of Columbia specializes in the treatment of Low Back Pain.
Low back pain or lumbago is a common muscoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment.
Lordex spine center of Columbia is confident in treating lower back pain and is a good alternative to surgery.


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The first phase of the multi-million pound improvements to Stonehenge are set to launch to the public next month.
A new visitor building, located 1.5 miles to the west of Stonehenge, will allow people to learn more about the monument in a museum-quality permanent exhibition curated by English Heritage. A 360-degree virtual, immersive experience will let visitors 'stand in the stones' before they enter a gallery presenting the facts and theories surrounding the monument through various displays and nearly 300 prehistoric artefacts.
Designed by Denton Corker Marshall, the centre is an environmentally sensitive and fully accessible building with a high BREEAM rating. Green features include an open loop ground source heating system, mixed mode ventilation and a treatment system for recycling grey water. Facilities include a dedicated education space, a café and shop.
This will be followed by the opening of a group of reconstructed Neolithic houses in Easter 2014. The houses are the highlight of the outdoor gallery and will be built from January 2014.
The final phase of the project - the restoration of the landscape around Stonehenge - will be completed in the summer of 2014. Work to demolish the existing facilities and return the area to grass will begin immediately after the new visitor centre has opened and will continue for a few months.
The £27m scheme is the largest capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage.
To advertise here, click here to email Julian Walter
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text:
SABEU - Plastics and Membrane Technology
Phone: +1 (609) 661 2444
Headquarter: +49 5551 9101-00
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
When the kidneys do not work properly anymore, the blood has to be cleansed outside the body by means of a dialysis machine and the integrated dialyzer.
The dialysis machine for the dialyzer is what the injection molding machine is to its tool.
The dialysis machine facilitates the dialyzer, so that it can perform the actual blood cleansing.


text:
For all sleep-impaired study participants and beer can collectors who want more Mari …
Wonderful World
For all sleep-disturbed research members and beer can collectors who've extra marijuana of their heads than thoughts and are optimistic with pleasant Cologne residents …
Throughout the interval between the beginning and maturity of animals, their flesh undergoes very appreciable adjustments. As an example, when the animal is younger, the fluids which the tissues of the muscle mass comprise, possess a big proportion of what's known as albumen . This albumen, which can also be the chief element of the white of eggs, possesses the peculiarity of coagulating or hardening at a sure temperature, just like the white of a boiled egg, right into a delicate, white fluid, now not soluble, or able to being dissolved in water. As animals get older, this peculiar animal matter step by step decreases, in proportion to the opposite constituents of the juice of the flesh. Thus, the explanation why veal, lamb are white, and with out gravy when cooked, is, that the massive amount of albumen they comprise hardens, or turns into coagulated. However, the explanation why beef and mutton are brown, and have gravy , is, that the proportion of albumen they comprise, is small, compared with their better amount of fluid which is soluble, and never coagulable.
The standard of the flesh of an animal is significantly influenced by the character of the meals on which it has been fed ; for the meals provides the fabric which produces the flesh. If the meals be not appropriate and good, the meat can't be good both. To the skilled on this matter, it's well-known that the flesh of animals consumed farinaceous produce, comparable to corn, pulse, &c., is agency, well-flavoured, and in addition economical within the cooking; that the flesh of these consumed succulent and pulpy substances, comparable to roots, possesses these qualities in a considerably much less diploma; while the flesh of these whose meals incorporates fastened oil, as linseed, is greasy, excessive colored, and gross within the fats, and if the meals has been utilized in massive portions, possessed of a rank flavour.
It's indispensable to the nice high quality of meat, that the animal needs to be completely wholesome on the time of its slaughter. Nonetheless slight the illness in an animal could also be, inferiority within the high quality of its flesh, as meals, is definite to be produced. Usually, certainly, because the flesh of diseased animals tends to very speedy putrefaction, it turns into not solely unwholesome, however completely toxic, on account of the absorption of the virus of the unsound meat into the methods of those that partake of it. The exterior indications of fine and dangerous meat shall be described underneath its personal specific head, however we could right here premise that the layer of all healthful meat, when freshly killed, adheres firmly to the bone.
One other circumstance tremendously affecting the standard of meat, is the animal's therapy earlier than it's slaughtered . This influences its worth and wholesomeness in no inconsiderable diploma. It is going to be straightforward to grasp this, after we replicate on these main ideas by which the lifetime of an animal is supported and maintained. These are, the digestion of its meals, and the assimilation of that meals into its substance. Nature, in effecting this course of, first reduces the meals within the abdomen to a state of pulp, underneath the identify of chyme, which passes into the intestines, and is there divided into two ideas, every distinct from the opposite. One, a milk-white fluid, the nutritive portion, is absorbed by innumerable vessels which open upon the mucous membrane, or internal coat of the intestines. These vessels, or absorbents, discharge the fluid into a standard duct, or street, alongside which it's conveyed to the massive veins within the neighbourhood of the center. Right here it's blended with the venous blood (which is black and impure) coming back from each a part of the physique, after which it provides the waste which is occasioned within the circulating stream by the arterial (or pure) blood having furnished matter for the substance of the animal. The blood of the animal having accomplished its course by way of all components, and having had its waste recruited by the digested meals, is now obtained into the center, and by the motion of that organ it's urged by way of the lungs, there to obtain its purification from the air which the animal inhales. Once more returning to the center, it's compelled by way of the arteries, and thence distributed, by innumerable ramifications, known as capillaries, bestowing to each a part of the animal, life and nutriment. The opposite precept the innutritive portion passes from the intestines, and is thus removed. It would now be readily understood how flesh is affected for dangerous, if an animal is slaughtered when the circulation of its blood has been elevated by over-driving, ill-usage, or different causes of pleasure, to such a level of rapidity as to be too nice for the capillaries to carry out their features, and inflicting the blood to be congealed in its minuter vessels. The place this has been the case, the meat shall be dark-coloured, and develop into quickly putrid; in order that self-interest and humanity alike dictate type and mild therapy of all animals destined to function meals for man.


text: Celeste Thompson, 57, a home care worker in Missoula, Mont., examines a pill bottle in her home. Thompson cares for her husband, and worries that if she loses her Medicaid coverage she won't be able to afford to see a doctor. Mike Albans for Kaiser Health News hide caption toggle caption Mike Albans for Kaiser Health News Policy-ish Home Health Aides Fear They'll Lose Hard-Won Insurance Coverage by Shefali Luthra March 31, 2017 Many health care aides were able to get insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But with the law's future uncertain, they don't know how their jobs or their doctor bills will be affected.


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My name is Kotryna and I am a Visual Communication and Marketing professional from Vilnius, Lithuania. I travel around the world, work with different international projects, share my experience with students in Vilnius College of Design and enjoy every second of my life!
Work experience
2016-now Lecture – Vilnius College of Design
Graphic Design dept. – Visual Communication, Self-Communication, tutoring BA final works
Creative Industries dept. – Design Anthropology
2015-2016 Visual Communication, Erasmus studies, AALTO University of Arts, Helsinki, Finland
2015-now Visual Communication, Master degree, Vilnius Academy of Arts
2011-2012 Visual Communication, Erasmus studies, The Royal Danish Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark
2009-2013 Visual Communication, Bachelor degree, Vilnius Academy of Arts
2016-now LGDA – Lithuania Graphic Design Association


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Chronicle leads with "BAY WATERS A FAVORITE FINAL RESTING PLACE," a trend story about the cremation and discarding of human flesh in the San Francisco Bay. Good fun -- like impending death or knowing you're about to fall off a cement mixer and hurt yourself a lot. We're overcome with heebie-jeebies.
First: death = not fun, especially if it's not spot news. Second: What is news? Is the Chronicle saying, in some cerebral way, that news is dead or preparing for death? Is this a hilarious copy editor's joke alluding to the demise of print and the futility of once-a-day news in constructs of the new millennium? ("When news dies, burn it, then dump it in the Bay!") Perhaps.
Also: "Test scores up, gaps narrowing for state's kids"; "State to renew DeAnza rape case"; "Pelosi scuttles warming challenge"; and a subtly guffawing photograph and referral re: Scooter's legal troubles, and problems the Bush administration will likely face in the wake of his sentencing (Will Bush pardon or not?)
Examiner leads with the fairly typical tabloid bullshit up top -- two photos of attractive women attached to questionable news stories, namely: Kate Hudson dumped Owen Wilson because of "his elusive ways"; and Alison Sudol (not wearing a shirt!) now sings. Also, in more-or-less actual news, a huge headline -- "Businesses show little support for public power idea" -- on today's energy plan vote, and a regurgitated synopsis, with pic, of Arnold's budget speech at the PG&E building yesterday.
Also: "Why women need flexible career tracks," "Floppers don't help Finals foes," and the weather.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? News tips? Cooking recipes? E-mail The Snitch and the weight of the world will lift from your shoulders like mist.


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DJ Khaled lands his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as his latest release, Grateful, bows atop the list. The set — which was released on June 23 through We the Best/Epic Records — earned 149,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 29, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 50,000 were in traditional album sales.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Imagine Dragons' new Evolve arrives with 147,000 units and the biggest week of the year for a rock album. Its starting sum is the biggest frame for a rock effort since Metallica's Hardwired… To Self-Destructlaunched at No. 1 with 282,000 units on the list dated Dec. 20, 2016.
Further, Evolve sold 109,000 in traditional album sales — earning the rock group the top-selling album of the week, as it launches at No. 1 on the Top Album Saleschart. Evolve logs the third-largest sales week for a rock set this year, following the debuts of John Mayer's The Search for Everything (120,000) and Gorillaz's Humanz(115,000).


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Fire-sale FDI or Business as Usual?
Ron Alquist, Rahul Mukherjee, Linda Tesar
NBER Working Paper No. 18837
---- Acknowledgments ----
We thank Jean-Louis Arcand, Nicolas Berman, Satya P. Das, Iftekhar Hasan, Beata Javorcik, Andrei Levchenko, Ugo Panizza, Jing Zhang, and seminar participants at the University of Michigan Finance Day, the University of Vienna, the Bank of Portugal, HEC Lausanne, IHEID, the 2010 MEA Meetings, and the Indian Statistical Institute for comments. We are grateful to our discussant Uday Rajan for his thoughtful suggestions. Maggie Jim, Stela Rubinova, Argyn Toktamyssov, and Jingjing Xia provided excellent research assistance. Linda Tesar gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ile-de-France DIMeco program. Linda Tesar acknowledges support from the Ile-de-France DIMeco program, which supported her research and teaching while as a visitor at the Paris School of Economics during the academic year 2011-12. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Bank of Canada, or the Bank of Canada's Governing Council.
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Five times I have crossed the channel to run the Paris Marathon. It is without doubt one of the best marathons in the world. Ok, I've not done that many but, honestly it's got to be right up there. Many consider the London Marathon to be one of the best and in many ways, Paris beats London hands down. Of ...Read More »
Home - Tag Archives: road race


text: Teaching at Thomas Edison is a dream job for a teacher. Not only is the positive atmosphere evident among administration and staff, but the students love it as well. High expectations drive students to excel and teachers to rise higher than they previously thought possible. Though necessary to devote much time and effort, the satisfaction of student achievement that comes to nearly all is well worth it. I'm a Thomas Edison lifer, both as a teacher and a parent.


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Buy cheap Nioh for PS4. Cheapest price.
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Ready your blade - grueling encounters await around every corner in this action RPG in a vast land ravaged by civil war.
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Dr. Purita in The Sun-Sentinel
Boca doctor's cutting-edge treatments for athletes getting international attention
By Hal Habib
July 21, 2011
Across the street from Florida Atlantic University, next to a gas station on Glades Road, is a medical complex that's easy to miss.
Deep within Suite 460, wearing medical scrubs and dictating reports, sits Dr. Joseph Purita, a 61-year-old native of Long Island who until recently figured his lifelong support of the New York Yankees would be restricted to cheering them on when things turned serious in October.
That was before Purita, an orthopedic physician, apparently resurrected the career of a washed-up pitcher by using stem cell therapy, a procedure still seeking acceptance in the worlds of medicine and sports.
Right-hander Bartolo Colon hadn't been effective since 2005 and missed last season with injuries. Now, he's consistently hitting 93 mph, is 6-5 and has a 3.47 ERA – all at age 38.
"I don't know if the sports world knows what to make of it at this point," Purita said. "This kind of hit them between the eyes."
Curiosity, if not scrutiny, is further piqued because Purita admits to administering human growth hormone. He insists he uses only tiny doses of HGH to promote healing in everyday patients and never on professional or amateur athletes because it's banned as a performance-enhancing substance.
Even for non-athletes, the use of HGH is regulated so tightly that Purita said he paid lawyers $8,000 to make sure he was on the lawful side of "a cloudy issue."
Purita also practices a separate, older form of regenerative medicine called platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP.
"Both of them are still being proven out," said Dr. Lee D. Kaplan, medical director for the Florida Marlins and chief of sports medicine at the University of Miami.
Those who reportedly have tried PRP include Tiger Woods, baseball's Carlos Beltran, Cliff Lee and Jose Reyes, tennis' Rafael Nadal and basketball's Joakim Noah, a former Florida Gator.
And last month came reports that the L.A. Lakers' Kobe Bryant went to Germany for PRP treatment on his right knee.
Purita said he believes Bryant actually took it a step further, undergoing a little-known process called Orthokine, which involves drawing blood, incubating it for approximately 24 hours, then injecting it into an injured area.
"Does it make sense to you that a guy's going to fly 8,000 miles to Germany to get a PRP when, let's face it, there's probably thousands of guys in the United States that are doing PRPs?" Purita said.
Purita said he spent two hours with Colon for the stem cell therapy, which involves drawing blood, separating it and injecting the concentrated cells into the affected area.
The procedure was performed in the Dominican Republic simply because Colon lives there, said Purita, who added that he was asked to oversee the treatment of Colon's right shoulder and elbow because the player's doctor is a cardiologist.
Once the treatment became public, Major League Baseball opened an inquiry, dispatching a lawyer to Boca Raton, where Purita was interviewed for about an hour.
MLB did not respond to The Post's inquiry on the status of the investigation.
The attention on Colon and Purita concerns Travis Tygart, CEO of the Colorado-based U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which drug-tests American Olympians and in similar instances has fielded inquiries from athletes regarding what's permitted.
"We have not seen a spike in those requests, but we're certainly mindful of that and to a certain extent fearful of it, of starting to go down that path," Tygart said.
In general, Olympians cannot use stem cell therapy but can use PRP, although Tygart said whenever he hears of a physician, such as Purita, dispensing HGH for any reason, "It raises a whole lot of red flags."
Amid changing times, Purita contends "the syringe in this case is mightier than the scalpel." He's convinced that eventually, people will say knee and hip replacements were a "barbaric" alternative to stem cell therapy. The procedure, he said, will help a patient "basically grow his entire joint" over again.
Insurance rarely covers the procedures, for which Purita charges $600 (PRP) and $4,800 (stem cell therapy). USA Today cited examples of doctors charging $50,000 for stem cell therapy.
"Thirty years ago, a lot of the old guys in orthopedics and sports medicine said, 'Oh, this arthroscopy stuff is a phase. This is not going to last.' " Purita said. "Well, guess what? It's lasted. This is going to be the next big thing. It's just like we have black and white TV and then color TV and now we've got 3D TV."
Not so fast, said UCLA's Gary Green, medical director for Major League Baseball.
"It's a case where the hype is ahead of the science," Green told USA Today.
"There are no shortcuts to healing," Kaplan added.
Therapy can jump-start regrowth, but will the repaired joint be more susceptible to injury? Will growth stay localized?
"You don't want to necessarily cause the heart to grow or something else," such as tumors, Kaplan said.
"We'll probably have a lot more early results over the next two years, but it could take five to 10 to really focus on where these therapies are optimally used."
Purita, who graduated from Georgetown University's medical school, is not a team physician for the Dolphins but said he has treated active and retired Dolphins, mostly with PRP. He's not permitted to name them and won't say how many were involved.
"I had one guy that just recently retired from the NFL," Purita said. "I said, 'Hey, I can give you a small amount of HGH now because you're retired, but if you go back and play, I'm notifying the league the day you go back because that's a violation of the rules.' He said, 'No, I'm done. After 14 years, that's it. I'm shot.' So I said, 'Fine.' "
Purita's medical record is free of sanctions, but he received unwanted publicity recently when it was learned he was to speak at a September symposium on PRP in Toronto. The moderator: Toronto physician Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty July 6 to bringing misbranded and unapproved drugs including HGH into the United States to treat pro athletes.
Amid criticism, organizers dropped Galea from the program. Purita still plans to speak.
Purita, who considers himself an "ambassador" for regenerative medicine, said he can't be certain that his treatment cured Colon, although he noted that all signs point to it since surgery, rest and physical therapy had failed.
"I can't definitively say, 100 percent, I did," Purita said. "We did the procedure on him and then within a couple of months, he's getting back to his old form.
"Something happened here."


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Displaying 81 - 90 of 1911
EntrepreneurshipInterventionismOther Schools of Thought
History of the Austrian School of EconomicsOther Schools of Thought
History of the Austrian School of EconomicsOther Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Free MarketsOther Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
To understand the marketplace, it is not necessary to believe in the existence of a selfish, profit-maximizing human.
BiographiesOther Schools of Thought
Tollison was one of the most inventive, prolific, and impactful scholars of our generation.
Media and CultureOther Schools of Thought
While not Austrian, the body of work by Hart and Holmström is worth careful study and has interesting implications for Austrians.
EducationOther Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
The macroeconomic approach looks upon an arbitrarily selected segment of the market economy as if it were an integrated unit.
StrategyInterventionismOther Schools of Thought
In free-market circles, most government intervention is dismissed as "socialist," with the result that the term has lost its true meaning.
Money and BanksMoney and BankingOther Schools of ThoughtPolitical Theory
Keynesian economics enjoys universal approval among the political classes. But the whole Keynsian project must be abandoned if we desire economic prosperity.
Unexpectedly, John Maynard Keynes's critique of economist Jan Tinbergen's econometrics offers some sound insights.


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Award-nominated 15-year old filmmaker Luke Allen hosts premiere for new film Unstable
By midlandsmovies, Nov 18 2019 11:32AM
Award-nominated 15-year old filmmaker Luke Allen hosts premiere for new film Unstable
The premiere for the latest short film from award-nominated 15-year old filmmaker Luke Allen is taking place next month in the Midlands.
Based in Telford, his latest short film UNSTABLE is having a red carpet premiere event now production is complete.
Unstable tells the story of Adam (Alexander Westwood), a man whose life starts to go downhill when his ever-increasing increasing addiction starts to affect his relationships.
Made on zero budget with all the members of the cast kindly working and travelling free of charge, what was initially going to be a small screening to kindly thank the cast and crew has now led to a much larger event.
The premiere will take place on Saturday 7th December at Telford Priory School in Wrockwardine Wood from 7.30pm.
Luke goes on to explain how the short was concepted ; "The idea for the film came about as I volunteer with a charity called ROC (Redeeming Our Communities) which has led to me coming in contact with several recovering addicts".
"I've always felt that their representation has been incorrect in media and that addicts are very rarely (if ever) presented as ordinary people who've made a mistake and need help. I hope that this film is successful in portraying them in such a light", adds Luke.
Tickets are free with a small cost for refreshments and dress code is formal and the audience will be treated to a Q&A with the director and the film's cast members.
All details for the premiere are available at www.lukeallen.co.uk and free tickets are available to book at Eventbrite:
Check out the full trailer for UNSTABLE above.


text:
Canon EOS 200D Body Black (kit box)
Brand: CANON
Product Code: E06XGOHSF1
In Stock
Est Ship: Jun 08 - Jun 10
※ Estimated order processing 1-3 working days
− +
The Canon EOS Rebel SL2 is an ultra-compact digital SLR that features a 24MP APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, DIGIC 7 processor and Dual Pixel autofocus system. While its Dual Pixel AF system promises very good live view and video performance, the through-the-viewfinder AF system is aging. This svelte camera has a fully articulating 3" touchscreen display with an easy-to-use interface, 1080/60p video capture and a burst rate of up to 5 fps. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi (with NFC) and Bluetooth.


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Special Introductory Pricing
I will be posting about one pattern per day (Wednesday - Friday) and they will each be available for a special introductory price of $6.50 each for one week (ending 8pm on the 22nd). (note: further coupon codes will not work with these patterns.)
You can find Cake Slices on Craftsy and Etsy and all of the new patterns in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.
How Cake Slices came to be...
I designed Cake Slices, a layer cake friendly pattern for the very first Quilter's Planner over 2 years ago.
The quilt was made using a layer cake of Hello Darling by Bonnie and Camille for Moda and Kona Cotton solid by Robert Kaufman in navy. The batting used was Warm & White by the Warm Company and Aurifil thread was used in the piecing and quilting.
(Side note: if you would like a 2018 version of the Quilter's Planner you can find it right here.)
About the pattern...
I have now updated Cake Slices to be a stand alone pattern with instructions for 3 sizes, baby, lap, and queen. The pattern also contains a coloring diagram of the quilt top to audition possible color schemes.
Additional colorways
I love to play with coloring quilts, so I played around with Cake Slices to see how the quilt would look with a light background instead of the dark blue.
Many, many thanks to Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl and Paige @Quilted Blooms for their help with tech editing this pattern!
Remember, you can find Cake Slices on Craftsy and Etsy for only $6.50 through Friday the 22nd. Thanks!


text:
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Adam Sims
My dad and I were close when I was growing up. I deeply admired him and we did everything together. He had the type of charismatic personality that drew others to him like a magnet and made everyone laugh. He was just one of those fun-loving guys. Riding dirt bikes was my favorite and when we would go riding, he would invite everyone in the neighborhood to join.
I loved him. I looked up to him. He was my hero. He also dealt crystal-meth.
He wasn't just a dealer, he actually cooked the meth in our home and in a trailer in the backyard. Apparently his addiction began with marijuana; he would get high growing up. He entered the world of crystal meth during the recession. He had a tile business and lost a lot of work, so he began working trade shows. The company would pay him triple time if he worked 24 hour shifts, setting up and tearing down in one complete day. The job consisted of long, grueling hours and that led him to accept crystal meth from his co-workers. It was the only thing that got him through those unending 24 hours shifts. That job was my dad's gateway into the world of hard core drug dealing.
Innocent and Unaware
When I was a kid, I had no idea what he was doing. People would come in and out of our house, obviously not the best kind of people, smelly and dirty. They would often bring their kids and they would beg for food.
I recall this vivid memory of my dad stepping into the shower and my sister and I playing on his bed. He had left this bag of white rocks on the bed and I started flicking them at my sister- I had no idea what they were. By the time he got out of the shower and saw what was going on he blamed my mom and starting yelling and cussing her out. "Do you know how much this is worth?!" It was one of the biggest fights I witnessed between them.
Three years after my parents got married, my mom gave her life to Jesus. My dad wanted nothing to do with it. She knew what he was involved in and they fought all the time. I was about 13 when the problem between my parents also became my problem. My mom would not leave him. She was committed to the marriage, but clearly, was not okay with the lifestyle my father was living. I resented my mom for this. I didn't like her at all because I kept thinking she was trying to break up the family. And so, I did all I knew to do as an adolescent: I lashed out, I cussed her out, I blamed her.
I did not for one moment believe her when she explained that my dad was a drug dealer.
A Crumbling Foundation
Fortunately, my mom mustered the courage to kick my dad out of the house when I was 14, but he eventually came back home and back into our lives.
When my mother kicked him out a second time, my heart was on my dad's side, he was still my hero, so I wanted to help him. The best thing I could think of doing was to clean the garage for him. I kept finding these glass pipes and called my best friend who lived across the street. His dad was always hanging with my dad, so I asked him what they were. "Dude, those are crack pipes!" he explained. It was at that moment that I realized my mom was telling the truth, and had been all along.
I remember feeling so alone in that moment. My hero had fallen and I assumed my mother did not still love me because I had treated her so poorly.
I was a shy, nerdy kid, but I put on a tough, unbreakable exterior. Inside, I was totally broken.
At one point, my dad got so mad at my mom that when we left, he took a chainsaw to all of the furniture and took all of our clothes and piled them on the floor, and then proceeded to pour bleach all over everything. It was shocking as everything began to unfold. He had to be sick, or that is what I convinced myself to believe. I spent the night at my neighbor's and they ended up giving us clothes and helping us out.
The Breaking Point
As a young teen I was scared. This 'unbreakable' exterior was hiding an intense anger inside of me. So I began to play football in high school and let out a lot of aggression on the field.
Then, one night my dad came back again. When I saw his face I thought for sure that he was going to kill us. I ran over to the neighbor's house. As I watched from across the street, I saw him grab my mom through the window by the hair and throw her to the ground. He then drug her to the garage. He bashed the gas line and he was going to blow the house up. My neighbors ran over there and ripped the garage door down but he fought them off and fled. It all plays back so clearly in my mind.
A few days later he came back to the house. He walked up and asked me to go get my mom. While I was getting my mom, he stole my dirt bike. At that point, I began to actually hate my dad. He intentionally deceived me and stole from his own son. How could he do that?
After that, I became depressed and angry. I really wanted to end it all, but because my mom grew up in church, I was taught that suicide was the only unforgivable sin. I would try to trick the system, sleep with knives or spill pills. If it was an accident then it wouldn't be unforgivable. I tried to create an accident 3 times. I didn't want to go to hell.
At the age of 16, someone sponsored me to go to Hume Lake Christian Camps. My mom forced me to go; she packed everything for me and dropped me off at church. "I love you Adam, see you later." I responded, "I hate you." She walked away crying. That is still a moment I deeply regret.
A Changing Perspective
The guest speaker for the week at camp was a man physically deformed by a bone disease. He lived with pain everyday and couldn't manage without assistance. As I listened to him, I began to think that my problems were nothing compared to his.
One evening I went to the edge of the lake and started talking to God. It was so upsetting to me. "God, how can he love you? After everything he has been through? You are real to him, and I want to know what that is all about. If you are who you say you are, then I'll give you everything. I have nothing, but I'll give you everything." Instantly, this crazy, overwhelming, inexplicable feeling of happiness and joy came over me. I remember smiling and crying and all I could say was "Thank you!" I said it out loud- I actually spoke out loud to God that night by the lake. I went back to the youth pastor from my mom's church and he prayed with me.
From that point on, I was completely changed. I wasn't escaping anymore, but investing. In my junior year of high school, I went from earning 4 F's to straight A's. God had transformed my life. My "unbreakable" exterior was being transformed into an unwavering faith.
I was reading the Bible as much as possible. My personality has always driven me full force into any hobby: dirt bike riding, computers, video games and at this point with the Bible; I couldn't get enough. But I still hated my dad. God was breaking down the walls of my life, but this one seemed shatterproof.
An Unbreakable Exterior
One day, my dad showed up to the house after getting kicked out for a third time. As I listened to myself respond to him, I couldn't believe how cold-hearted and dismissive I was. I told him to leave, and he said, "I have nowhere to go, if I leave, I'm going to kill myself."
"Then do it, I don't care," was my response. He had caused so much pain. I saw him as the devil and I wanted him out of my life. He asked for money, I gave him the only $20 I had and told him to never come back. But about an hour later, he came back.
I asked, "What? Were you too scared to do it?"
He answered, "No, I wanted to do it in front of you."
He got a knife and tried to stab himself right in front of me.
The white shirt he was wearing showed blood coming through. On the inside, I was going crazy, but on the outside, I was stone cold. He ended up stopping and fled to the bedroom. My mom called the cops when she realized what happened.
I remember my neighbors getting lawn chairs out to watch everything that went down at our house that night. There were firetrucks and cop cars; my dad was resisting because he didn't want to go back to jail. All the cops were surrounding the yard yelling at him to drop his knife. He kept yelling, "I don't want to go back to jail, just shoot me." He decided to charge the police officers and all I heard was pop, pop, pop. They used stun guns and he immediately went down.
As they were loading him into the ambulance, I stood there thinking that this was probably the last time I would see my dad.
A Struggle with Obedience
That same year, I went back to Hume Lake and the speaker was giving a call for young men to become pastors. I felt so strongly against the idea that I said out loud in the service, "NO!" But I knew that the Holy Spirit was placing it on my heart. I immediately began serving at my church as much as possible.
When I got home that summer, my father had returned from the psych ward, declared sane and sober. He moved back in. I still hated him. But he started to ask me questions about Christianity and wanted to go to church. "Do you know any churches that are good for me to attend?"
I had heard about Sandals Church and what they were about, and I told my Dad, "Sandals Church takes people like you."
Every Sunday I dropped my dad off at Sandals Church and picked him up. One night, after he had been attending for six weeks, he started talking to me in the living room and the Holy Spirit convicted me to ask him some questions. I was struggling on the inside because I did not think he deserved to be saved or go to heaven, but I was obedient to God.
That night I led my dad to Jesus. He gave his life to God, and God used me to do it.
Fighting for Forgiveness
Everything changed. He helped around the house, served the family and continued to go to Sandals Church. He stopped using and dealing for good. However, there was still so much hatred and unforgiveness in my heart and I began to be challenged by my youth pastor to forgive my father. I couldn't at first, but God worked on my heart and began breaking down those walls and healed me. As I considered what God had done for me and how he forgave me of all my sin, I began to forgive my dad.
He died later that year. I was 21 and found him in his bed one morning. After years of torturing his body with drugs and alcohol, his heart had finally given out.
I have experienced things that no person, especially a kid, should ever experience, but I would not change any of it. I know now, more than most, what it means to love and forgive people. If God can give me the grace to forgive my dad, then I know I can forgive anyone. God has begun to make me whole through an incredibly broken childhood and I will forever be different.
And if God got me through that, he can get me through anything. He is unbreakable.
Need a place to start over?
Sandals Church is for people like you, too.Join us this weekend


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Amazon.com: Storm - A Novella eBook: Christopher Cook: Kindle Store: "How does a boy become a man in the Deep South?
Not without a struggle.
This powerful novella of a young boy and his extended family in rural East Texas is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner both in the psychological complexity of its storytelling and in the music of its language. There is the boy and the stoic grandfather he worships, the vivacious mother he loves, the emotionally distant unemployed father he both admires and aches for, and the two violent uncles ("half man and half beast") he fears. In that conflicted setting, the boy wonders what it means to be a man, if he can ever become one, or even if he wants to. After an unexpected killing occurs, the undercurrent of suspense builds to a climactic ending that is both highly dramatic and emotionally charged."


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|Aspects and Symbols
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What is a Natal Chart?
If you have been watching the 'home page' of this website, scrolling down near the bottom, the Retrogrades have been posted all year. Every so often I remind you. Mercury in Scorpio Retrogrades on October 31, 2019 and will turn Direct on November 20, 2019.
Mercury transits a Sun Sign every 15 to 60 days depending on its motion, meaning if it involves a Retrograde or not. Mercury goes through a Retrograde status three times per year giving us 3 times a year to get our maintenance, scheduling and organizational act together.
In this case Mercury will Retrograde on October 31, 2019 at 27 degrees until November 20, 2019 at 16 degrees.
Mercury will be in its Pre-Retrograde Storm beginning October 11, 2019 at 11 degrees. This is the time period 'before' Mercury Retrograde where Mercury begins to slow down and weaken, which often time results in unfortunate errors in decision-making (thinking) and inattention to detail. Keep in mind Mercury rules both Gemini (communication) and Virgo (methodology, details).
Mercury in its Post-Shadow will end on December 7, 2019 at 27 degrees, being back where it started when it first retrograded back on October 31, 2019.
Mercury stands for the intellect, common sense, cold reason, commerce and business. Its qualities are fluidity and versatility. Its position and aspects tell us about our communication and learning habits and our modes of thinking. The house that Mercury occupies in your Natal Chart is where these characteristics will manifest the most.
Here is a nice little piece of Mercury trivia for you. Mercury will never be more than one Sun Sign away from the Sun. This means someone who has their Sun in Scorpio, will have their Mercury within 1 Sun Sign on either side of Scorpio or it will be in the sign of Scorpio. This means there are only three possibilities that a Scorpio Sun Sign individual might have their Mercury in -- Mercury in Libra, Mercury in Scorpio or Mercury in Sagittarius. This helps you guess someone's Mercury even if you don't know their exact birthdate but you know their Sun Sign. You can pretty much rule out Mercury in the opposite sign (Taurus) or the four signs on each side Taurus (Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo) and (Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn). Cool huh?
Mercury in Scorpio is a very profound communicative transit. Let's think about this. Scorpio is very intense, secretive and instinctive, so when coupled with the planet of communication this creates extremely profound and capable insight. This intensifies the ability to see human motivations more clearly.
Mercury in Scorpio cuts to the chase and does not mince words and if you know a Scorpio, their language is generally fairly sharp and often stinging. If you don't want to know, then don't ask a Scorpio because they won't spare your sensitive feelings, you will just have to get over it. Scorpio energy either says what it feels or doesn't say anything at all. Actually, the silence of a Scorpio says a lot. It's no secret, Scorpio hates and Loves with equal fervor.
Mercury in Scorpio creates a very determined mind able to tap all resources. Think people think! Mercury is the thinking planet and so Mercury in Scorpio will help you think your way through challenges and overcome them. Scorpio is also the worrier of the zodiac, so if you choose the route of worrying your way through instead of thinking your way through, then this transit will feed your 'chosen' suffering. Worrying does not serve you, it only makes you suffer. Make a choice, worry or think.
Scorpio is not only ruled by the scorpion and the eagle, it is also ruled by the mythical and sacred bird, 'the phoenix rising' who rose from the ashes and transformed. Scorpio carries the ability of the 'Midas Touch' who has the ability to turn the situation around like King Midas who turned everything he touched into gold. Scorpio has knack for getting out of severely challenging situations by simply transforming the situation into something better. It's like taking a donut and twisting it like a pretzel into a neverending figure eight. That is the work of a Scorpio. It is my belief that a Scorpio invented the twist donut and lemonade. If anyone can take lemons and turn it into lemonade, it is indeed a Scorpio. While it is important to have each sign of the zodiac on your team, can you now see how important it is to have a Scorpio on your team. Keep in mind that we all have Scorpio somewhere in our Natal Chart, which means Scorpio is part of you, so you should get to know this sign and where you carry the transformative power of the 'Midas Touch' and the 'Phoenix Rising'.
Scorpio rules the genitalia (sex organs) and thereby rules sex; therefore, the thinking planet of Mercury causes a preoccupation with sex. There is also probably some secret chatter, secret talks (or phone sex) going on as well.
Being that Scorpio is the secretive and investigative Agent 007 of the zodiac, this transit brings about intense research, detective and investigative tendencies. And as a gentle reminder, never ever lie to a Scorpio, because they will find out. Their natural suspicious and questioning tendency tells them to "trust but verify". Actually, Scorpio's don't really trust anyone. Someone in the zodiac has to be this way and Scorpio is the one. Scorpio's don't mistrust, they distrust. This why their level of communication often involves withholding rather than giving. This is exactly why they need insurance but assurance. Scorpio naturally rules the 8th house of joint resources (money, wills, insurance), joint physicality (sex) and joint feeling (assurance). Scorpio really does want to share their Life with someone and when they do, you can best believe that they consider you, someone special. Stay Astrologized™.
Now click your Sun Sign below (on or after Thursday, October 3, 2019 when this transit occurs) to go to your Monthly Horoscope to read how it impacts your entire Sun Sign.
**This web site's goal is to provide you with information that may be useful in attaining optimal health. Nothing in it is meant as a prescription or as medical advice. You should check with your physician before implementing any changes in your exercise or lifestyle habits, especially if you have physical problems or are taking medications of any kind.


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Share Your Story • John R. Tenopir • December 3, 2012
The next big thing that NASA could or should do, is to work the R & D, just the old NACA. Prepare the aerospace industry, with the research and development, to speed up the products and services that will be needed in space. 1. Build a second station, ISS Beta, just for commercialism. 2. Build the third station, ISS Gamma, to replace ISS Alpha. 3. Set in place the standards for the OSP's. The Orbital Space Planes. 4. Use the current load lifters to put the big and heavy cargoes into LEO. 5. Set in place the standards for orbits tugs, to move objects around in LEO, and set the stage for real spaceships. 6. Building on the above, on to the Moon. 7. Building on the above, then on to Mars. 8. Next stop, Alpha Centauri.
Become a member of The Planetary Society and together we will create the future of space exploration.
Help advance robotic and human space exploration, defend our planet, and search for life.


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Year: 2006
Run-Time: 1 x 43 min.
Directed by Thomas Rilk and Bernd Seidel
A co-production of ORF, BR, and Degn Film
Languages: German (ORIGINAL) , English (DUBBED)
Format: 16:9
Untersberg - Fabulous Nature
Untersberg - Sagenreiche Natur
The Untersberg is considered the most fabled mountain in the Alps - rich in myths and caves. A giant massif between Austria and Bavaria, it is the local mountain for thousands of city dwellers but is also home to the inimitable local inhabitants. They tell their stories and give us an insight into a modest life dominated by a mountain far from any hectic. They have learned to live harmoniously in and with nature and to take things as they come: Dairymaids and dairymen, ski tourists, potholers and climbers. However, more and more people are coming to the mountains looking for new challenges and thrills and it is simply a matter of time before mass tourism moves into this calm and unhurried part of the world.
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Wow, it has been forever since I've written anything! I guess that's what happens when life actually gets a little busy. Anyway, sometimes it seems as though the universe has picked up on certain things that interest me and the next thing I know I am constantly getting little messages that reinforce my ideas. Case in point, after writing about my dream of eloping (if I ever get married) I came across a collection of City Hall wedding photos on Refinery 29, via A Cup of Jo.
Just look at these photos! I love the idea of having a low key wedding with style that goes far beyond the standard long white dress. I think my favourite thing about seeing all these photos is that it's a chance to see what couples do when they are able to wed on their own, without the clashing expectations of a few hundred friends and family. It's honest, low-key and beautiful.


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Restart of Unit Oskarshamn 1 Postponed
Pressrelease Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The annual outage at unit Oskarshamn 1 was being completed on Saturday 14 May when the unit was synchronized to the offsite grid. However, the restart was suspended and the unit shut down for measures to be taken due to oil leakage on a flexible tube in the conventional turbine equipment and a leaking valve in the auxiliary condenser.
At present, intense activities are in progress in order to remedy the leakages, and synchronization to the grid is currently estimated to take place later this week.
For further information on any changes, please see the website of the Nordic Power Exchange, nordpoolspot.com. You can also find updated production information on our website About our production.
Press contact
Communications and Public Relations
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +46 491-78 75 50


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Until I first came to Nigeria in 1964, I never had given much thought to Islam. But when I arrived, my eyes were opened to a new world. At the international airport in Lagos, men in "Arabian Nights" outfits swarmed around me. Some months later, on a visit to Lagos during Christmas week, I came upon an election day riot, in which a large group of university students dressed in jeans and T-shirts were threatening violence against a smaller group of men dressed in these very same "Arabian Nights" outfits. By that time I had come to realize that the students in modern Euro-American dress were mainly non-Muslims from southern Nigeria and that the others were mainly Muslims from northern Nigeria. Even if a considerable number of non-Muslims in Nigeria nowadays dress in fashions of Muslim origin, the fact that there is such a thing as a male Muslim way of dressing may be taken as a key to something central to the Islamic tradition, not only in Nigeria, but also more generally.
It is often said by Muslims that Islam, unlike Christianity, is a way of life, not just a religion. It certainly is true that Islam enters into many more minutiae of daily life—e.g., how men dress—than does Christianity. In this, Islam has more in common with Orthodox Judaism. St. Paul, trained in this tradition of Judaism, steadfastly insisted that Gentile Christians were not held by the details of the Mosaic Law, starting with the laws of circumcision and diet. In this, Christians differ dramatically from Orthodox Jews or devout Muslims who follow the sunna (customary path) of Muhammad. Orthodox Jews and devout Muslims find God's will, to the present day, in detailed conformity to set rules and regulations affecting every aspect of life.
Muslims call the codification of the divinely revealed or prophetically exemplified rules for living sharia. The detailed contents of sharia are specified by the Quran and the sunna of Muhammad, his customary practice as recorded in traditional accounts called hadith. The word sharia is used only once in the Quran, but its usage is quite significant. In this passage God addresses the prophet Muhammad: "We have set you on a path [sharia] of the divine command. Now, then, follow it! Do not follow the delusions of those who know nothing!" (Quran 45:18).
Sharia can be taken as a shorthand term for the whole of Islamic morality, dealing with every aspect of life from the most trivial (dress) to the most profound (statecraft). When Kemal Ataturk wanted not only to disestablish Islam in Turkey, but to relegate it to a cultural backwater, he forbade Turkish men to wear brimless caps and insisted instead on European-style hats with brims. Wearing such European hats, Muslim men could not easily make the five-times-daily worship (salat), since a hat with a brim would fall off in the prostrations that are part of the ritual. Muslim men are to perform their ritual worship with their heads covered. The fez fitted the bill exactly; the fedora did not.
Although most modern Muslim states have considerably modified sharia law, there are few Muslim states that do not pay at least lip service to the inspiration of the sharia in their constitutions. Only in Saudi Arabia and Iran, however, does one find sharia fairly fully implemented in the codifications of law.
There are five basic schools of interpretation of Islamic law, four of them sunni (Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali and Shafi'i) and one of them shi'i (Ja'fari). The Maliki tradition within sunni Islam, originating in Medina with the scholar Malik ibn Anas in the eighth century, came down from northwestern Africa to West Africa over the past millennium. It has been honored, at least for such matters of personal law as marriage, divorce and inheritance, in most West African Muslim communities. Only in the last three years, however, have Nigerian Muslim politicians in the 12 northernmost states of the Nigerian federation pushed their desire for sharia legislation much beyond the area of personal law, introducing into their respective states the sharia penal code.
People ask me these days, when I travel overseas, why it is that women are stoned to death for adultery in Nigeria. As of the date of writing, September 2002, neither of the accused and convicted women in the lower sharia courts of Sokoto and Katsina states, Safiya Hussaini and Amina Lawal, has actually been executed in this brutal fashion. The case against the former was voided on appeal earlier in 2002. Her crime had been committed before the Islamic penal code was enacted in Sokoto State. She has since traveled to Italy as the guest of a women's group in that country and on Sept. 8, 2002, was made an honorary citizen of the city of Rome.
Amina Lawal's case is still pending appeal. Because she is a nursing mother, the time of her potential stoning has been deferred for more than a year, and her female lawyer is determined to reverse the conviction. Meanwhile, other people have also been accused of adultery in sharia courts elsewhere in northern Nigeria. As if in reaction to the question why women alone have been so accused thus far, a recent case has been lodged in another northern Nigerian state against both a man and a woman. Not a few people in northern Nigeria seem ready to cast the first stone.
How did the Islamic legal tradition decide on stoning as the punishment for adultery? The Quran makes no mention of such a punishment, although some early Muslim sources claimed that a verse to this effect had been omitted in the final edition of the Quran. The Quran does require four male witnesses to establish any charge of unlawful sexual intercourse (4:15-16), and the subsequent legal tradition has insisted that these be four eyewitnesses of the actual sexual act, a condition difficult to fulfill. The Quran also specifies strict retribution for false accusation in such a case: 80 strokes of the lash (24:4). The first punishment for an adulterous woman specified in the Quran is house arrest, but a subsequently revealed Quranic verse is said to abrogate this milder regulation and punishes the adulterer and the adulteress each with 100 lashes (24:2).
The punishment of stoning for adultery originates not from the Quran but from the sunna or customary practice of the prophet Muhammad, possibly deriving from the biblical punishment for betrothed virgins who violate their troth, along with their male collaborators (Dt. 22: 23-24). In modern times most Islamic countries have modified earlier regulations for punishing adultery, although Saudi Arabia and Iran persist in the practice of stoning, according to several human rights organizations. But even in Saudi Arabia, a royal princess so accused two decades ago was executed not by stoning but by beheading.
In the Maliki legal tradition that prevails in West Africa, the four male witnesses necessary to establish the charge of adultery need only provide circumstantial evidence of the crime, e.g., the pregnancy of an unmarried woman or a woman divorced for more than a year. This use of circumstantial evidence—obvious pregnancy—is unique to the Maliki tradition. In this use of circumstantial evidence, then, the sharia penal code in the 12 northern Nigerian states comes down harder on those who commit adultery, and especially women, than does the penal code of Saudi Arabia (where the Hanbali legal tradition prevails) or Iran (where the Ja'fari legal tradition prevails).
All capital punishment, in my opinion, is barbarous. I am appalled as an American that more and more American states, as well as the federal government, resort to this form of punishment for the most serious crimes. But how do I, as a student of Islam in Africa, explain this return to the most stringent Islamic penal practice in the northern third of Nigeria over the past three years?
Most of the northern third of Nigeria during the first decade of the 19th century was subjected to the reformist movement within Islam in that area usually called the Fulanijihad. Led by 'Uthman dan Fodio, a Fulani scholar of Islamic law long resident in Hausaland (much of the northern third of Nigeria today), this reformist movement enforced a rigorous interpretation of the Maliki legal tradition. In the years (1804-9) of military conquest of Hausaland by forces loyal to him, 'Uthman dan Fodio defined as infidels not only those wavering Muslims who sometimes revered supernal forces other than God but also those lax Muslims who persisted in serious sin.
Normally the sunni Islamic tradition considers the seriously sinful Muslim, no matter how persistent in his offenses, still a Muslim. 'Uthman, at least during the period ofjihad, lapsed into a sort of Kharijism, that early Islamic heresy that defined serious Muslim sinners as apostates and subjected them to the most extreme retribution. 'Uthman interpreted persistence in sin as an implicit denial of the divine or prophetic laws forbidding such acts. Not only persistently sinful Muslims, but also those Muslims who were responsible for the 'legalization of sin'—such as the Muslim Hausa rulers who tolerated pagan possession dances by women in their realms—came to be defined as infidels by 'Uthman dan Fodio, at least in the heat of thejihad.
The rigorous teaching of 'Uthman dan Fodio lives on today in the sharia courts of the 12 northernmost Nigerian states. Alarmed by marital breakdown and tendencies toward sexual promiscuity in northern Nigeria, the 12 northern state legislatures have decided to root out sin among Muslims. The sharia courts have no jurisdiction over non-Muslims, it is said, but already there is a growing tendency to impose sharia law on everyone in these northern Nigerian states, including religious minorities. Prohibition of the sale of alcohol not only deprives Muslims of temptation but also deprives non-Muslims of liquid refreshment on a hot day, of which there are many in the northern third of Nigeria.
I doubt that Amina Lawal will be stoned to death for adultery when she finishes nursing her child some time in 2004. But the northern Muslim politicians in Nigeria are using her case and others like it to give the impression to their electorates, in the build-up toward the federal election early in 2003, that they are trying to enforce Islamic law and thereby create a moral society. Thus far, however, only petty thieves and those guilty of sexual transgressions have been found guilty before sharia tribunals. Embezzlers of state funds have managed to escape scot-free.
If the federal government of Nigeria, currently headed by President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian from the Yoruba southwest of Nigeria, tries to intervene in the case of Amina Lawal or in similar cases, Obasanjo and his colleagues risk the loss of their heavily northern Muslim constituency. If Obasanjo is re-elected anyway in the 2003 presidential poll, Muslim politicians in the sharia states will be able to say that they tried to enforce morality but the Christians of the south prevented it.
But if a northern Nigerian Muslim is elected in the 2003 election, he (it is unlikely to be she) will have to face ignominy throughout the world if a sharia state in northern Nigeria subjects anyone to stoning for adultery. Nigeria has already endured suspension from the Commonwealth and more general international pariah status for the execution of the poet and regional activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and his associates in 1995 under the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. The death of Abacha in 1998 after five years of misrule paved the way for Nigeria's return to elected civilian rule in 1999. Nigerians, although none too pleased with the concrete results of return to civilian rule three years ago, would not like to reverse the international political gains of the past three years. But there are some Muslims in Nigeria who secretly hanker for the era of military dictatorship, as long as the dictator in question is a fellow northern Muslim.