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Senior Allison Hillebrandt selected for All-State Ensembles
South Glens Falls High School senior Allison Hillebrandt has been selected as an Alto II to the 2018 Treble Chorus and will participate in concerts held at the acclaimed Eastman Theatre in Rochester during the annual Winter Conference of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). The event will be held from Nov. 29-Dec. 2.
In addition to her work with South Glens Falls Central School District teachers Mark Frederick and Betsy Stambach-Fuller, Allison has studied privately with Meredith Reed at the Glens Falls Music Academy. She has been an active member of several South High music ensembles including Choraliers, Orchestra, Chamber Strings and the internationally acclaimed curricular contemporary a cappella group Vocal Point.
Allison has also participated in several SWCMEA All County and NYSSMA Zone 7 Area All-State music festivals and has been a member of the Empire State Youth Chorale Melodies of Christmas, NYSSA School of the Choral Arts, 50 Miles to Nowhere and various theatre troupes throughout the region.
Category: Archive


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Your Brand in Play
We provide awesome family experiences that differentiate your brand and drive measurable results. Kidzsmart brings your brand into play, whether in-store with activity books, menus, placemats, crayons, cups, premiums, meal cartons, digital games and more; or out-of-store programs such as fundraising, school lunches and literacy. Kidzsmart's expertise lays in the creation of intelligent and character-driven stories, addictive games, and promotions that captivate and delight both children and families. We believe in taking a collaborative, strategic and creative approach with our clients — with a deep focus on the areas of customer frequency, loyalty and retention.
Brands: The Placemat Store

subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, March 25, 2007
MaraDNS snaphost: MaraDNS now has BIND zone file support
MaraDNS 2007.03.25 released
OK, I finally have a usable bind2csv2 parser. This parser has only undergone the most basic of testing.
What this parser is is a script to convert BIND zone files in to MaraDNS 1.3 compatible csv2 zone files. The script is written in Python, so people who need BIND zone file support will need Python on their system. The program was written in Python 2.2.3, and hopefully will work with more recent versions of Python.
The name of the script is bind2csv2.py, and it is in the tools/ directory.
This script is not complete yet. In particular, the $ORIGIN, $TTL, and $READ directives have not been implemented yet. Note that the csv2 parser has has support for these directives since last summer; it's very simple to add these directives to the python script.
Currently, the bins2csv2.py script has support for the following RR types:
A, NS, CNAME, PTR, SOA, MX, AAAA, SRV, TXT, SPF, HINFO, MB, MD, MF, MG, MR, MINFO, MFSDB, RP, X25, ISDN, RT, and GPOS. There are stubs for supporting WKS, NAP, PX, and LOC, but the code for these RRs has not been written yet.
If a TXT field uses \xxx excape sequences, these will become literal '\xxx' sequences in the csv2 zone file.
To use the script, run bindtcsv2 thusly:
bind2csv2.py -c zonefile
Where zonefile is the file you wish to convert from a BIND to a CSV2 zone file. The python script will output a file with a name like zonefile.csv2, which (hopefully) is a csc2 zone file MaraDNS 1.3 can parse.
If zonefile.csv2 already exists, bind2csv2.py will erase and replace the already existing zonefile.
I am now asking for people to help me test this script by sending me BIND zone files to test parsing with.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 8:22 PM
Etiquetas: MaraDNS
Friday, March 23, 2007
Chortle hotfix; kerning; More on DjbDNS
OK, I thought I was done with the Chortle font for now. I was wrong. It seems that a fontforge bug ate all of the non Latin1 characters in the Chortle typeface I released yesterday. Hence, I have a hotfix to restore these characters. In addition, I have improved the metrics with the italic letters a little, and have updated the font version number in that field. As always, it's at http://www.samiam.org/Chortle. Now, hopefully, I have a version of Chortle that doesn't need to be updated for a while.
It would seem that Microsoft Word 2000 doesn't use the kerning tables included with a font. Hence, I have to make the metrics of the letters as good as possible without using kerning. There does seem to be a way of changing the kerning in Microsoft Word, however. I'll have to experiement with this when making pages with really large text, such as title pages.
A DjbDNS user very politely asked me to detail the bugs that I pointed out in yesterday's blog. I will detail the first two bugs here and the other three in later blog entries.
- Djbdns has the 'akamai djbdns' problem where the DjbDNS resolver can not resolve some domains.
In January of 2006, there were known issues with resolving www.edmunds.com and www.infiniti.com with DjbDNS. They may or may not work today; djbdns certainly hasn't fixed the issue that caused the problem.
- DjbDNS is broken when someone has to change their hosting provider, and their current hosting provider refuses to help.
In more detail, djbdns does not periodically check the upstream DNS servers for a given domain to make sure that the domain in question is still using the same name servers. This is a problem when someone changes hosting providers, and the old hosting providers keeps the outdated DNS records in their DNS server. DjbDNS will continue pointing to the old provider until either the old ISP deleted their records, or DjbDNS is restarted.
- The first email I got when I first announced MaraDNS in 2001 was a flame from a DjbDNS advocate, telling me it was not worth my time to write MaraDNS because DjbDNS is a good DNS server.
- I once got in an edit war in Wikipedia over whether DjbDNS is open source. This person wanted to redefine the term "open source" to make DjbDNS open source, even though the Open Source Definition is unambiguous and doesn't cover licenses that forbid redistribution of modified programs.
- DJB flamed the Bugtraq moderator for approving a posting describing MaraDNS on that list
So, yes, I have had some rather unpleasant experiences with DjbDNS advocates and even DJB, even though I supported DJB in some of his flame wars against the BIND developers in 2001.
Note that I'm not counting the flames I got for posting my DjbDNS rant there; I was asking for flames and I did get some productive discussion, which I feel is worth getting flamed over.
- Sam
Publicado por MaraDNS en 5:33 PM
Thursday, March 22, 2007
MaraDNS 1.3.04 released; Chortle update
I have just released MaraDNS 1.3.04. This has a number of bug fixes and improvments in the development branch of MaraDNS compared to the last last release. From the changelog:
- Remco pointed out that MaraDNS is not RFC4074 section 4.2 compliant. Fixed.
- Update of recursive server to make it more robust against certain DOS attacks.
- The port range that the recursive resolver binds to can now be changed in the mararc file.
- FAQ and SQA updates
DjbDNS is harmful
DjbDNS is harmful to use because the code has not been updated for over five years. This, in spite of the fact DjbDNS has the following bugs:
- There are problems resolving some domains with DjbDNS' resolver. This is the 'akamai djbdns' problem.
- DjbDNS does not correctly periodically check upstream DNS servers to make sure a given domain has not moved.
- The list of root servers included with DjbDNS is out of date.
- DjbDNS can not compile in Linux without using a special incantation.
- There is a denial of service problem where a remote attacker can clear DjbDNS' recursive cache by sending a single "packet of death" to a dnscache server.
It is not feasable for a third party to fix any of these bugs because of DjbDNS' restrictive non-open-source license, and DJB appears to have no intention of fixing the bugs in his program.
In fact, MaraDNS has a better security record than DjbDNS. MaraDNS also has had denial of service problems. The difference between MaraDNS and DjbDNS is that the bugs in MaraDNS are fixed.
More information about DjbDNS' problems can be found in the MaraDNS advocacy document.
There is also a problem with the DjbDNS user base, who have all the fanatism of Jihadists.
To be fair, here are some criticisms about MaraDNS that I added to the MaraDNS Wikipedia article:
MaraDNS has limited support for being a slave DNS server. While MaraDNS includes a tool that can receive zone files, this process needs to be automated via an external program, such as crontab, and MaraDNS needs to be restarted to load the zone in question.
While MaraDNS can resolve almost any site that other DNS servers can resolve, it does not resolve all names the same way other DNS servers do. CNAME and ANY records, in particular, are resolved differently.
MaraDNS spawns a thread for each recursive DNS request that is not already cached.
I have updated the Chortle font, and have released version 0.21 of this font today. I'm hitting the point where I'm looking at this font too much and starting to second-guess myself. So, I'm taking a break from my embedded Linux project and will be working on MaraDNS (and my day job as an English teacher) for the time being.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 4:47 PM
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Why I am working on this font
The reason why I am working on making the Chortle bitmap is because Linux does not have a really readable porportional bitmap font. The way I have been working around this is by enabling hinting in Freetype, and using Microsoft's Verdana font. This is obviously not a long-term solution; Verdana is a proprietary font that one can not just add new glyphs to.
So, I'm trying to make a screen font that is as readable as Verdana, while preserving the metrics of the Bitstream Charter/Charis font that I used for my printed documents. It's a lot of work; more work than I envisioned when I started this font. Last night, I decided that, at the larger 17 pixel size, the Chortle bitmap is more readable if I put more space between letters:
This seems to be more readable than the older version of the 17 pixel font:
The update, as always, is available at http://www.samiam.org/Chortle
I also want to use this font in a version of Linux for older computers.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 6:38 PM
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Chortle font update
I have released an updated snapshot of the Chortle font today.
When I was comparing Chortle with the original version of Bitstream Charter given to the X consortium in 1992, I noticed that the spacing for the bold italic font was a lot tighter. See for yourself:
Here, the top is the original Bitstream Charter. The middle is Charis SIL. The bottom is the version of Chortle that I had this morning. You can see that the lettering is a lot tigher with Charis; this causes letters to overlap each other. I have made the lettering a little looser. You can see there is too much space around the "o"; I have since updated Chortle to have less spacing around "o" (and "e", the right of "b", the left of "d", the right of "p", and the left of "q"). "e" still has a little too much space on its right; I will update the Chortle font.
I also have finished the 17 pixel bold version of the bitmap font, and am almost done with the 17 pixel bold italic bitmap font.
When I was comparing Chortle with the original version of Bitstream Charter given to the X consortium in 1992, I noticed that the spacing for the bold italic font was a lot tighter. See for yourself:
Here, the top is the original Bitstream Charter. The middle is Charis SIL. The bottom is the version of Chortle that I had this morning. You can see that the lettering is a lot tigher with Charis; this causes letters to overlap each other. I have made the lettering a little looser. You can see there is too much space around the "o"; I have since updated Chortle to have less spacing around "o" (and "e", the right of "b", the left of "d", the right of "p", and the left of "q"). "e" still has a little too much space on its right; I will update the Chortle font.
I also have finished the 17 pixel bold version of the bitmap font, and am almost done with the 17 pixel bold italic bitmap font.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 6:13 PM
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
MaraDNS snapshot
I have released a new snapshot of MaraDNS today that fixes a problem with RFC4074 section 4.2 compliance. I have also backed off on the changes to the recursive code's memory allocation; it's time to completely rewrite the code to not use so many threads, and stop wasting time making changes to a codebase I won't be using once the recursor is rewritten.
The snapshot can be downloaded here:
http://www.maradns.org/download/1.3/snap/200703I have also updated the MaraDNS roadmap page.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 2:17 PM
Etiquetas: MaraDNS
Monday, March 12, 2007
Chortle 0.20 released
I have released Chortle 0.20 today. This has a number of changes from the last release of Chortle:
Chortle is available for download here:
- Dot removed from 0. It didn't look that great in printed documents.
- Bitmap renderings overhauled. Most serifs removed from bitmao renderings; lower case letters "b", "d", "g", "p", "q", "o", "y" made more round to be easier to read.
- Unicode versions of fonts removed. All fonts are now encoded with the "MaraIPA" encoding. Now I no longer have to maintain two versions of the same fonts.
- Bdf non-bold weight name changed from "book" to "medium"
- 17 pixel version of bold and italic font addded
- Vector/Outline BoldItalic version of font copied from source, in order to make this more attractive, with Chortle changes to "1", "1/4", "3/4", and middle dot done.
Chortle is available for download here:
Publicado por MaraDNS en 3:05 PM
Friday, March 9, 2007
Chortle update and sample image
I've been doing a lot of readability (is that a word) testing with the Chortle font. I found that the fully serif font was hard on my eyes after 30 minutes or so of reading. So I starting removing some of the serifs:
This was an improvment, but it was still hard on my eyes after one or two hours of reading. So I improved it some more:
This is clear, but isn't quite readable enough to comfortably read an entire book with; I'm going to have to make a bigger version of this lettering to do that.
MaraDNS update: I have updated the webpage.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 6:34 PM
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Chortle update
Last night, I went to so effort to see if the low-resolution bitmap version of the Chortle font would look better if there was more spacing between the letters. Here was the result:
In the image, the first paragraph is the original font. The second paragraph is a version of the font that always has two pixels between letters. The third paragraph is a version where there are between one and two pixels between letters.
After doing a lot of testing by reading a lot of text with all these fonts, I decided that the original version is the best. The version with two pixels between fonts doesn't give the letters enough space to look nice--I can't change the size of the letters because I want to preserve the metrics of the printing/outline/vector font. The version with between one and two pixels between letters has more attractive letters, but the variable spacing between letters makes it hard to read.
In the original version, the serifs and how they almost connect between letters seems to make the font easier to read.
That said, I have all three versions of the font available in a snapshot I uploaded today.
I will update the webpage for MaraDNS Friday. I will also realease Charter 0.2. At this point, the font is ready for me to start working on the software that will use the font--I will change the software to use more sizes when I make more sizes.
My MaraDNS project: Document how MaraDNS allocates and frees cache elements.
Publicado por MaraDNS en 6:14 PM
Monday, March 5, 2007
MaraDNS 1.0.40 released; Chortle font update
I have released MaraDNS 1.0.40 today. This is the legacy branch of MaraDNS that will no longer be supported for anything besides serious serurity holes after December 21 of this year.
In this release of MaraDNS, I have backported the changes to the UDP code to make it more resilient. No other changes have been done to this code.
MaraDNS 1.0.40 can be downloaded here:
The next thing I need to do is update the MaraDNS webpage.
I have also updated the Chortle font. In this update, I have made some experimental changes:
- I have put a dot in the middle of the number 0 to distinguish it from O.
- I have made the upper stroke 1 more angular to distinguish it from l.
- I have added a BoldItalic typeface (Experimental; the spacing around "i", for example, looks wrong)
- I have finished the bold, italic, and boldItalic forms of the 15 pixel typeface
So, let look at the new version of the Chortle font:
Here, you can clearly see the dot in the zero. I have mixed feelings about this dot. It looks fine on the screen, but doesn't look as good as the zero without a dot in the printing font. I have already experimented with making the dot smaller. I may get rid of it completely from the printing font and only have it visible on the screen.
I have also made the angle in the upper stroke of the number one more pronounced, so you can not confuse it with the l. Again, I'm not sure this is as attractive as the original "1", but the change is not as great as the change with the zero, so I will keep this change.
These changes do not affect the metrics of the font.
I have also finished up the bold 15 pixel bit map font, the italic bitmap font, and even now have a bold italic font. Since I've already shown you the bold bitmap font, let me show you the italic font:
If you look closely, you will realize that this font is, by and large, an oblique font instead of an italic font. This is because, at low screen resolutions, it is very difficult to make an attractive true italic font. So, instead, we have this mostly oblique font (the "f", "o", and "l" come from the italic font, however).
I have also made a bold italic bitmap font:
This was done rather quickly; I had FontForge generate a bold italic font from the bold font, then quickly corrected the obvious errors. I am not completely satisfied with this typeface. However, I feel it is more important to work on the Roman, Italic, and Bold fonts at other sizes before trying to make this more readable.
But, before doing all that, I need to get back to MaraDNS, update the webpage, and finish up the changes to the memory allocation.
Chortle, as always, can be downloaded here:
Publicado por MaraDNS en 3:18 PM
Etiquetas: fonts, MaraDNS, release, stable release
Friday, March 2, 2007
Another list of Free fonts
Here is another list of free fonts.
Note that these are "free beer" fonts. These are not open source fonts.
Here are some websites for some bona fide open source fonts:
- Bitstream Vera. Note that, if you have Linux and X on your system, you also have two other fonts from Bitstream that were made free in the early 1990s (and are, to the extent of my knowledge, the first ever open source Type1/TTF fonts): Bitstream Charter and Bitstream Courier.
- DejaVu This is Bitstream Vera with more glyphs and more subfonts.
- SIL has some true open source fonts These fonts were originally meant to allow linguists to have IPA in their documents (something that, in fact, my English lessons use), but these fonts are very useful for writing things in a variety of languages.
- Computer Modern Unicode fonts
- Junicode (GPL font)
- Free UCS outline fonts
- Free UCS outline fonts (again)
- George Williams' fonts
- The MgOpen fonts for English and Greek (and, in the case of Canonica, other European languages)
- The Damase TTF font, a public domain TTF unicode font (Main page no longer on internet, but Debian got the font)
And, finally, some more lists of truly free fonts: an index of open-source fonts; SIL's index of OFL fonts; yet another open source font list
Publicado por MaraDNS en 3:47 PM
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Chortle update and sample images
Here is a sample of the bitmap version of the Chortle font:
As you can see, this font is quite readable but could be improved.
One issue is the the letters are a little closer together than they are in, say, the Verdana font. There is one pixel between each letter in this font; this makes the font a little cramped looking. Another issue is with the "m", "i", and "T" letters: They are asymmetrical. This is because Fontforge doesn't allow me to change the width of a bitmap version of a letter without changing the width in the vector form of the letter.
The thinking is this: We want the bitmap version to resemble, as much as possible, the high-reolsution version of the font. However, this is not possible at the small resolutions typical of computer screens, because the width on the screen has to "snap to" an integer count of pixels.
Indeed, here is a naïve rendering of the above bitmap font on a computer screen, where the characters are placed, as close as possible, to where the characters would be on the printed document:
While this is still readable, it's a little more difficult to read because there is more spacing between some letters, such as "qu" in "quick" and "la" in "lazy".
Another issue is with diagonal strokes. The "x" is a little hard to read because this letter has both diagonal strokes and serifs. The "s" used to also be difficult to read, but I revised it this morning to not have any diagonal strokes in it. I tried removing the diagonal strokes from "y", but decided that it's better to keep the diagonal strokes in this letter. Indeed, the "y" in the Verdana font has diagonal strokes (but doesn't have strokes in the X11 "Misc" font).
Here is the bold version of this font:
As you can see, this is incomplete. In particular, the uppercase accented letters haven't been done yet. As I mentioned yesterday, the letters with diagonal strokes ("A", "M", "W", "v", "w", "x") look a little darker than other letters. Strangely enough, the "z" doesn't have this problem. You may also notice that the lower case "y" doesn't have diagonal strokes; once we make this font bold, it's nay to impossible to keep "y" readable without removing the diagonal strokes. Like the roman font, some letters, such as "r" and "v", suffer because we can't make these letters wider.
Anyway, in addition to getting to the bottom of MaraDNS' memory management, my next project is to finish the bold font, then work on the italic font, then do all this work again at other pixel sizes.
Again, the URL for the Chortle font is here:
Publicado por MaraDNS en 3:41 PM
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text:
Held every fall, the Autoshow Miami International is one of the top five auto shows in the U.S. It showcases hundreds of cars from more than 40 manufacturers from around the globe - a collection that auto enthusiasts wait all year to see!
If you want to participate in this incredible trade fair and interact with world-class brands (from Mitsubishi to Porsche!), then apply for an exhibition stand and contact our team of experts in trade shows. They'll introduce you to the best Stand Booth Contractors in Miami Beach! An impressive stand will definitely be a plus for you and your company!
The major exhibitors include brands such as: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infinity, Jaguar, JEEP, KIA, Lamborghini, Landrover. Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Maserati, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, RAM, Rolls Royce, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volve and VW.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to meet and mix with some of the best car companies! Autoshow Miami will allow you to establish valuable partnerships!
Why exhibit?
he 10-day event averages over 650,000 visitors a year, making it one of the highest attended auto shows in the United States. Along with Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit & New York, the Miami show is the first scheduled of the "A sized category" automobile shows in the USA. Participate and you will be able to:
- have direct access to 650,000+ potential customers;
- keep up-to-date on the latest products and trends;
- increase your brand's visibility;
- build your brand as a cutting-edge company;
- build relationships and strengthen bonds with current and potential customers;
- take advantage of many sponsorship opportunities;
- and so much more!
Many attractions!
Auto Show Miami International attractions:
- Ride and drive events. You can learn here more about cars and you can the chance to drive a number of the latest vehicles trends.
- Camp Jeep. You can see here a demonstration of the capability of the Jeep vehicles.
- Million Dollar Alley. You will be speechless with the beautiful cars.
- Memory Lane. You will have the chance to see classic vehicles, bringing from the past the best cars of the market in the past.
- Havana Classics.
- Dezer collection.


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Royal Caribbean cancelled the scheduled stop for another of its cruise ships at its private destination of Labadee, Haiti due to ongoing protests.
Line's Navigator of the Seas had to stop at Labadee on January 21, Thursday, but Royal Caribbean withdrew all of its employees from the site and cancelled the port call.
Source / Image: pinterest.com
This is the second ship to skip a stop in Labadee. Earlier this week protests stopped Freedom of the Seas and its guests could not go ashore.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean announced:
"Royal Caribbean has not received any guarantees or assurances that there will not be any protests in the future. If a protest takes place while a ship is in port, there would be a significant impact on our guests' ability to enjoy Labadee, or we may have to cancel the visit completely."
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text:
The week in "blasphemy" news #18
Saudi Arabia confirms Raif Badawi's sentence – let's increase the pressure, this is the only action left. Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin relocated in the US after serious threats to her safety. Pakistan blasphemy laws could soon be modified to combat increasing "misuse". But is that a real progress? New charges of "blasphemy" and "insult to religion" in Egypt and Myanmar against a TV presenter and a writer. Last but not least, a new resolution calling for the repeal of "blasphemy" laws worldwide is on track at the US House of Representatives.
This is our eighteenth round-up of "blasphemy" news and views from the past seven days.
Saudi Arabia confirms blogger Raif Badawi's sentence of 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail
His sentence had been postponed after international outcry and condemnation from governments and the UN but was eventually confirmed on Sunday by the Supreme Court.
His wife Ensaf Haidar, who has been very active trying to overturn the sentence and raise decision makers' attention, is now hopeless since there is no further recourse available.
Amnesty International has listed 5 more ways you can help : sign the petition, Tweet Saudi Arabia, Get your government to pressure Saudi Arabia, Contact the Saudi Arabian embassy in your country, Demonstrate outside the Saudi Arabian embassy and Tweet your support to Raif and his family.
Find out more here : https://www.amnesty.org/five-ways-you-can-help-raif-badawi
US Center for Inquiry brings secular writer and activist Taslima Nasrin to safety in US after renewed death hreats
The same violent extremists who claimed responsibility for the recent murders of freethought writers Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman, and Ananta Bijoy Das, have been threatening the life of Taslima Nasrin.
Taslima Nasrin is an outspoken secular activist and author, world-renowned for her powerful writings on women's oppression and her continous criticism of religion. In August 2014, she gave an outstanding speech at the World Humanist Congress on Freedom fo Thought :
"'Without the right to offend, freedom of expression cannot exist. Without freedom of expression, there can be no democracy.'
'I think less about my own survival than the birth and survival of a healthy, progressive society with equality, justice, freedom.' She declared, 'I am truly homeless but I have a home. The hearts of people who oppose the forces of darkness. My shelter and my refuge. Atheists, feminists, humanists, you are my country, you are my home.'"
Facing direct threats, she had to leave her native Bangladesh in 1994 for India where she continued to face persecution for her controversial humanist books and articles. She arrived in the United States last week under the assistance of CFI.
CFI has just established an emergency fund to help Taslima Nasrin settling in the US and, hopefully, to help other defenders of freedom of expression threatened in their country. You can donate here.
Pakistan blasphemy laws could soon be modified to combat increasing misuse. But is that a real progress ?
After increased anti-Christian violence in Pakistan (read our story from last week), the Interior Ministry plans to tighten its very repressive blasphemy laws in order to avoid its "misuse" against religious minorities.
A draft bill introducing severe penalties against those who make false allegations of blasphemy has been finalised by the interior ministry, and will now be put before the Pakistani government. The new legislation aims to ensure that people do not take the law into their own hands, and will require proof that an individual intended to commit blasphemy before they can be charged.
This moves also comes from renewed international pressure on Pakistan and recent calls from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom on US Government to designate Pakistan as a "country of particular concern" regarding religious freedom (read the 2015 report on the state of freedom of religion or beliefs).
The US Commission highlighted the peculiar legislation of Pakistan regarding blasphemy :
"The country's blasphemy laws, used predominantly in Punjab province but also nationwide, target members of religious minority communities and dissenting Muslims. Blasphemy laws are inherently problematic and conflict with fundamental human rights protections. In Pakistan, they are particularly pernicious. The punishments are severe: death or life imprisonment. There is no clear definition of blasphemy, which empowers the accuser to decide if a blasphemous act has occurred. No proof of intent is required, nor must evidence be presented after allegations are made. Penalties for false allegations are not part of the blasphemy laws, though they may exist in other criminal code provisions. The need for specific penalties was demonstrated when USCIRF asked government officials about instances where false allegations of blasphemy were prosecuted and they were not able to offer a single example".
As long as the very existence of the "blasphemy" offence stays untouched, it is hard to see any progress in this legislative proposal.
Egypt court sentences TV presenter El-Beheiry to five years on charges of blasphemy
In early April, Al-Azhar, the country's leading Sunni Islam institute, filed an official complaint against El-Beheiry's show he presents about Islam. His controversial show has tackled hot issues like punishment for apostasy, early marriage and different interpretations of the Hadith.
"The charges of blasphemy were "strange" as he had tackled "heritage, not religion" in his show With Islam, he said in a phone interview with private TV channel CBC on Monday.
The programme, previously broadcast on private TV channel Al-Qahera Wal-Nas, did not insult religion, but rather "defended" it, he claimed.
Myanmar jails writer for 2 years for 'insulting religion'
On Tuesday 2 June, Myanmar court sentenced a writer to two years in jail and hard labor for insulting Buddhism and "wounding religious feelings"..
Htin Lin Oo, a former official with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, was found guilty for comments made in a speech that was intended to discourage Buddhist extremism. His lawyer also explained that Htin Lin Oo was criticizing Buddhist monks who had given hate speeches.
The verdict was condemned by rights groups:
"Myanmar's government "should be encouraging writers like Htin Lin Oo to promote interfaith tolerance in the country, rather than sending him to jail," Wai Hnin of the Burma Campaign UK said in a statement.
London-based Amnesty International said Htin Lin Oo was a prisoner of conscience who should be freed immediately.
"The growing influence of extremist Buddhist nationalists and their hateful rhetoric in Myanmar is deeply troubling," Amnesty's regional research director Rupert Abbot said in a statement. "The government seems intent on compounding the problem by imprisoning those speaking out against religious intolerance."
In March Myanmar jailed a New Zealand bar manager and his two local colleagues for two and a half years with hard labour for using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night.
U.S. House Introduces Resolution Calling for the Global Repeal of Blasphemy Laws
Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) have introduced a new resolution to the Committee on Foreign Affairs calling for the global elimination of blasphemy laws. This resolution proposes the House of Representative to:
– Call on the President and the United States Department of State to make the repeal of blasphemy laws a priority in its bilateral relationships with all countries that have such laws through direct interventions in capitals and in multilateral fora;
– Encourage them to oppose any efforts at the United Nations or other international or multilateral fora to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, such as the 1999–2010 defamation of religions resolutions, or attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions;
– Reaffirm the decision to designate Saudi Arabia a country of particular concern for, among other reasons, continuing to detain and imprison people for blasphemy and for imposing torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and limit the waiver on this designation to no more than 180 days;
– Call them to designate Pakistan and Egypt each as acountry of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act for perpetrating and tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom, including abuses flowing from the enforcement of its blasphemy law and from vigilante violence around blasphemy allegations that takes place with impunity;
– Urge the Governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the governments of other countries to amend or repeal their blasphemy laws as they provide a pretext for impunity or violence against religious minorities; and
– Urge those countries that have imprisoned people on charges of blasphemy to release them unconditionally and, once released, ensure their safety and that of their families.


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- Made with Swarovski Elements


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Kurt Becker acquired his coaching mantra from two of the icons of college and professional football, Bo Schembechler and Mike Ditka. After being hired at East Aurora, his alma mater, he couldn't wait to expose his young athletes to a philosophy that they have never experienced before.
East Aurora is to winning what the Chicago Cubs are to pennants. In the last 11 years, the football program has won six games. The Tomcats have lost their last 30 games. Oh-and-nine is as common as mustard on a hot dog. They haven't had a winning season since 2000. In fact, Becker played on one of the school's last winning teams in 1976.
Becker, 53, has a game plan to change the storyline. He outlined everything in detail last Monday when he met with all 75 returning players from all levels of the program. "They look hungry and they want to be coached," he said.
"My first message was that when the door closed, all that happened before was over and done and gone. I don't want to hear about it. The social problems that existed before don't exist in my world. Monday started a new day, a new program. Everybody started from the beginning. I have a vision and I shared it with my players. I'm holding it close to my vest. I'll let others figure out what we are doing."
But Becker promised one thing: "You won't see the ball being thrown all over the house." Becker was a two-time All-Big 10 and an All-America first-team offensive guard for Schembechler at Michigan. He played for Ditka's Bears for eight years, including the 1986 Super Bowl champion.
Becker's program will be based on tradition, not a shotgun offense or a cover-two defense. "My platform and what I will build my program on will be based on the fact that East Aurora was the first sanctioned school district in Illinois (1847) and our rivalry game with West Aurora is one of the oldest in the state (114 years)," he said.
"To me, those two elements add up to one thing--tradition. I came from tradition. I came from Michigan. I played for a school with tradition. I was captain there. And I was drafted by the Chicago Bears. (Ownercoach) George Halas was the founder of the NFL. That's tradition. I understand what tradition is."
Why did Becker decide to get back into football? When his son Garret was in sixth grade, he told his father that he wanted to try out for youth football. He made the squad. His father found himself walking on the sideline, watching his son play.
"I asked some of the other fathers: 'Have any of you coached football before?' I volunteered to help. They didn't know who I was. I wanted to be sure my son had a positive experience. As he progressed, I followed along coaching his teams in grade school and high school."
Garret, a senior at Marmion Academy in Aurora, will attend Miami (Ohio) as a preferred walk-on. He is a running back and linebacker. He isn't a blue chipper, like his father was, but Kurt is pleased his son had a good experience, played on successful teams, including a state runner-up, and has an opportunity to go to college to get a good education and play football.
"Sometimes it is difficult being a coach's son but he did a great job with it," Kurt said. "That's why I got into it, to be able to be a part of his career and enjoy it. It was special to me."
Becker enjoyed working on coach Dan Thorpe's staff at Marmion. When the job opened up at East Aurora, he hesitated. He liked what he was doing. He wasn't sure he wanted to assume the pressure of being the head coach at his alma mater. But people from the school district insisted. "You need to be the coach at East Aurora," they said.
"Everywhere we went, the subject came up," Kurt said. "Finally, my wife Gloria suggested that I start listening to them. I thought my direction was I wanted to coach in college. I wanted to be an offensive line coach in the Big 10. I pursued it a bit. I went to some campuses. But college football is a totally different world from the time I played."
In the end, Becker listened to his wife and longtime friend Steve Kenyon, an East Aurora graduate who had coached at East Aurora in the 1970s when Becker was a studentathlete and in the 1990s when school officials threatened to terminate the entire interscholastic sports program.
"He worked at Naperville Central for 19 years and just retired," Becker said. "He called and said I should apply for the head coaching job at East Aurora and he would be my assistant. He was the final piece to put it all together. Steve convinced me and I applied for the job."
Becker needed to be assured that he had more support than one dedicated assistant. And he was. School board president Annette Johnson, an East Aurora graduate, said: "We're tired of losing. The sports program has been neglected." She told Becker the the school district is committed to building a successful sports program.
"The district has given me oversight over the district's entire football player--11 grade schools, three junior high schools and the high school," Becker said. "All of them will be on the same page. We will create a feeder program that we never had before."
Becker pointed out that East Aurora has lost more than a few athletes to its eastern neighbors--Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley and Matea Valley--over the years. But he insists he will create success and a winning attitude that will keep East Aurora kids at home.
His long-term vision includes the construction of a new multi-purpose stadium for football, soccer, track and field, lacrosse and youth football that will be for the use of the entire community. The goal is for the facility to be ready in two to three years.
"Usually I'd jump into things and wonder what I did to myself," Becker said. "But I took time with this. This is a serious matter. We are in Class 8A in football. If we want to operate at the Class 8A level, we must work 12 months a year. We'll have our own weight training room, meeting room and locker room in that facility.
"When success comes, bricks and mortar will follow. Part of putting together a successful program is bricks and mortar. The (current) stadium was build before the high school. We will build a new stadium that will be a landmark for the district, on the site of the old stadium. That is my ultimate goal, a facility that will attract kids who want to play on the field."
But Becker knows there are critics and skeptics and pessimists who haven't seen a winner at East Aurora since Ernie Kivisto's basketball teams of the 1970s and Scott Martens' basketball teams of the 1980s. They respect Becker's enthusiasm and they admire his pedigree. But that are keenly aware that a half-dozen previous football coaches haven't been able to finish above .500--or even above .000.
He has learned his coaching DNA from Schembechler and Ditka. He describes his coaching persona as "a no-nonsense guy, a disciplinarian, a teacher with high expectations." Just as Schembechler always referred to Ohio State as "those guys from the South," Becker always refers to West Aurora as "that school on the other side of the river."
From Schembechler, he learned organizational and motivational skills.
"Bo controlled everything. He ran practice with a finely tuned watch. We didn't do a lot but what we did we were good at. Perfection was the key. At the end of the day, we'd line up and people knew what we would run. Bo didn't care if they knew. 'My players are better than your players and my play will work,' he said. We outworked the competition," Becker said.
From Ditka, he learned how to be a fierce competitor, a level of toughness. His players may not be as skilled or as fast or as big or as strong as others in the conference, but they won't lack for toughness and competitive spirit. Old number 79 will see to that.
"People ask me: 'What has happened to the Tomcats?' Nothing has happened to them. Tradition never dies. But we have ignored it," Becker said. "My job is to re-ignite it with the kids, grab the Tomcat and shake him up and wake up the tradition. You can't buy it. You can't feel it or smell it. It isn't an entitlement. You have to earn it."


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I told you I was on the hunt for a new mirror for Ross's big girl room...
At the time, I didn't realize how perfect this mirror actually was. In fact, now that I have it (for a mere 15 bucks), I even discovered it won't need painting!
After a little clean up, I'm pretty certain it'll be just right.
Pin It Now!


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The South Australian Government has introduced a ban on the use
of fluorinated firefighting foams due to concerns about the
chemicals' environmental impacts.
The ban covers all types of fluorinated firefighting foams, both
C8 types and more modern ≤C6 types.
No other Australian state or territory or major international
jurisdiction has banned ≤C6 types of firefighting foam, although in
2016 Queensland
introduced a ban on C8 types and restrictions on ≤C6 foam.
C8 foam may contain perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), while ≤C6 types contain reduced
amounts of PFOA. PFOS is considered a persistent organic pollutant,
and PFOA is expected to be listed as such in Australia in 2019.
The wide-reaching ban may have significant consequences for
major hazard facilities, which frequently rely on fluorinated foam
suppression systems because of their increased effectiveness over
non-fluorinated alternatives.
The ban, which covers all foams containing per- and
poly-fluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS), is part of an
amendment to the Environment
Protection (Water Quality) Policy 2015 under the Environment Protection Act 1993,
made following public consultation during 2017.
Under the changes, non-handheld firefighting foam applications
in South Australia are required to be compliant within two years,
and handheld extinguishers must be compliant within two years or
upon the next refill, whichever is earlier.
Fluorine levels in firefighting foams will now require
certification by suppliers. The ban also includes a provision to
address PFAS contamination of existing equipment.
Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) released
an information bulletin in 2014 on the
selection and use of firefighting foams. In it, the Association
recommends a ban on C8 type fluorinated foams, but recommends
modern ≤C6 foams be retained for limited use cases due to their
reduced environmental impact and high level of effectiveness.
"FPA Australia maintains that any foam must be selected on the
basis of suitability for responding to fire risk, life safety,
property protection and the environment," said Matthew Wright, FPA
Australia's General Manager Technical Services/Deputy CEO.
"C8 foams containing PFOS should rightly be banned, however
there is still a role for next-generation ≤C6 foams that offer both
reduced environmental impact and effective firefighting
"Although the extinguishing capability of fluorine-free foams is
improving, they have still not been proven effective in significant
fire incidents. Taking ≤C6 foams off the table will increase the
risk to life safety and the environment due to out of control fires
in high risk applications."
"We're nevertheless encouraged by the continuing development of
fluorine-free foams, which have made great strides in recent
Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) is running
a Future of Firefighting Foams seminar on 21 February in
Queensland. The seminar will address fluorinated and fluorine-free
firefighting foams, when and where they can be used, state
legislative restrictions and environmental impacts.
Learn more here.


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Northeast Youth & Family Services
NYFS is a mental health and social service agency serving people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in the northeastern suburban and Twin Cities area.
Their mission is transforming lives today – creating a better tomorrow for youth, adults and families.
Services include:
- Mental Health Counseling
- Juvenile Diversion
- Day Treatment - NETS
- Senior Chore Services
- Youth Employment
- Youth Development
Shoreview: 651.486.3808
White Bear Area: 651.429.8544
White Bear Area: 651.429.8544