text:
LONDON - The Government has admitted for the first time that British troops in Iraq handed over to the US two terror suspects who were then transferred to Afghanistan for interrogation, sparking fresh claims that it colluded over extraordinary rendition.
John Hutton, the Defence Secretary, told MPs in the Commons that officials had been aware about the incident in 2004 and that "it should have been questioned at the time".
The case was featured in lengthy papers that went in front of two Cabinet ministers, Jack Straw, the then-Foreign Secretary, and Charles Clarke, previously the Home Secretary, he added.
Both deny having seen the references, and Mr Hutton claimed that they were buried in the papers and their significance was not flagged up by officials.
The statement - during which Mr Hutton said he apologised "unreservedly" for what he said were a sequence of inaccurate previous parliamentary announcements on terror detainees - will cause huge embarrassment to the Government, which has repeatedly denied that it played any part in helping the US with the process of extraordinary rendition.
The procedure, condemned by human rights groups, has allegedly seen terror suspects transferred by the US to third countries where torture is not illegal.
In his statement, Mr Hutton said the latest incident came to light after a lengthy review of detentions in Iraq and Afghanistan which has thrown up a series of other errors in details previously released to Parliament.
He added that the US has told Britain it is not "possible or desirable" to move the individuals, who are still in Afghanistan, either back to Iraq or their home countries.
However, the Defence Secretary stressed that Britain had been assured that the suspects had been kept in a humane way - attempting to counter accusations that they were being tortured.
"The individuals transferred to Afghanistan are members of Lashkar e Tayyiba, a proscribed organisation with links to al-Qaeda," Mr Hutton said.
"The US Government has explained to us that they were moved to Afghanistan because of a lack of relevant linguists necessary to interrogate them effectively in Iraq.
"The US has categorised them as unlawful enemy combatants and continues to review their status on a regular basis.
"We have been assured that the detainees are held in a humane, safe and secure environment meeting international standards consistent with cultural and religious norms."
Mr Hutton added: "This review has established that officials were aware of this transfer in 2004.
"It has also shown that brief references to this case were included in lengthy papers that went to the then Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) and Home Secretary (Charles Clarke) in April 2006.
"It is clear that the context did not highlight its significance at that point to the ministers concerned."
He went on: "In retrospect, it is clear to me that the transfer to Afghanistan of these two individuals should have been questioned at the time."
Never Miss a Beat.
Get our best delivered to your inbox.
He said the US had assured Britain the two continued to represent "significant security concerns" and it was "neither possible or desirable to transfer them to either their country of detention or country of origin".
His statement caused a row in the Commons, with the Conservatives claiming it left open a "glaring hole" of British complicity in torture.
"This statement avoids the principal public issue, which is the charge about complicity by United Kingdom forces operating in Iraq outside the multinational division south east," Crispin Blunt said. "This is a glaring hole and must be addressed."
Mr Blunt asked why the transfer had not been more fully investigated in 2004, adding: "It is at the very least unfortunate that both officials and ministers overlooked the significance of these cases, not least since the issue of rendition was already highly controversial."
He asked Mr Hutton what confidence he had that detainees in Afghanistan had not been tortured, pointing to claims from Ben Griffin, the former SAS soldier, that UK forces would regularly hand over detainees in Iraq with a "wider assumption" that they would be subjected to 'waterboarding' by US colleagues.
Mr Blunt said: "Exquisite detail about official and ministerial oversight about two men is all very well and appreciated but it sits ill with simply sweeping under the carpet the apparent evidence of direct British service involvement with delivery to gross mistreatment amounting to torture involving hundreds, if not thousands, of people."
He added: "The country is owed an account of what happened - nothing does more to undermine our fight against terrorism and violence if we depart from the rule of law and the values we seek to defend. We do the terrorists' work for them."
Mr Hutton rejected the accusation that ministers were sweeping anything under the carpet with regards to complicity in torture.
"That is simply not true," he said. "We have extended an open hand and an open invitation for people to come forward and confirm these allegations - none have done so."
Referring to the claims made by Mr Griffin, Mr Hutton added: "There is no such evidence to substantiate those allegations.
"These have been looked at by a very senior serving British army general officer, and he has found no evidence to support those allegations."
Also in his statement, Mr Hutton "unreservedly" apologised for inaccuracies in figures on the number of detainees held by UK forces in the period since January 2004.
It had become apparent, he said, that in three parliamentary answers since February 2007, ministers overstated by about 1,000 the number of detainees held. "Nine further answers contained minor inaccuracies."
Mr Hutton said figures relating to the position in 2003 had indicated that UK forces initially held up to 5,000 Iraqi prisoners.
But a significant number of these were held on behalf of other coalition forces, and it was now believed that UK forces transferred around 3,000 to the detention facility at Umm Qasr between March and December 2003 - although the figure was a "best estimate".
Mr Blunt said he was "astonished" that improved conditions since 2003 had not led to more accurate counting.


text:
It's run by The Patchwork Studio in Australia. My friend does a weekly class with them and loves it.
Welcome to the registration for The Patchwork Studio's
FREE international Round Robin!
How it works:
As a participant, you will be sent some guidelines and instructions from The Patchwork Studio as to creating your first piece. You will also be sent the name and postal address of another participant whom you will forward your piece to at the end of the first five (5) week stage
(please note that participants will need to pay for packaging and postage).
You will then receive the first piece from another participant in your group, and you will be given further instructions from The Patchwork Studio to add onto that piece. Everyone in the group is given the same instruction, and has a further five (5) weeks to complete the stage.
This process is repeated a further two (2) times. At the end, the quilt with your original starting piece is mailed back to you. You now have a beautiful quilt that has been worked on by at least three other participants in your group!
Registrations for the January 2011 Round Robin close on the 20th of December.
Registrations for the March 2011 Round Robin close on the 20th of February.
I lifted all the info above straight from their registration page, but I'm sure they won't mind a bit of free advertising. If you are interested in joining in, click here. It's the first time I've participated in something like this so I'm excited to see how it pans out - I'll try anything once!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Public Space Committee makes final determinations on applications for various uses of public space and areas within building restriction lines. The Committee is responsible for assuring that the temporary and permanent uses of public space for public and private purposes are consistent with the laws and policies of the District. It operates under a Mayoral Order that authorizes the Committee to make final determinations on the approval or denial of most applications for the temporary use of public space. (Public Realm Design Manual, § 1.3: The Public Space Committee).
The Committee shall determine whether or not what is being requested will adversely affect the interest of the public or violate any of the following criteria:
Procedures & Services
The Committee is made up of five members representing four District agencies:
DCMR Title 24: Public Space and Safety and DCMR Title 12: Building Code identify specific public space applications that must go before the Committee, as well as the criteria for review. Common public space applications that go before the Public Space Committee include, but are not limited to:
The Public Space Committee meets the 4th Thursday of every month.
For additional information about the Public Space Committee, or to electronically receive Public Space Committee informational notices, send requests to: email@example.com
See Also
Legal References
Design Standards & Specifications
Transportation Plans & Studies
Other Resources


text:
What's wrong with Iron man 3?
At this point in time we've all probably seen Iron Man 3 and opinions are already formed. I'm not going to stand here and tell you if it was good or bad. I will however do what I always do. Nitpick and complain regardless of whether or not I liked it. Let me qualify the […]
At this point in time we've all probably seen Iron Man 3 and opinions are already formed. I'm not going to stand here and tell you if it was good or bad. I will however do what I always do. Nitpick and complain regardless of whether or not I liked it. Let me qualify the following by saying that I did like this movie, but like ALL movies it had problems. No movie is perfect, and none will ever be. So let's talk about what's wrong with Iron Man 3. (accidental rhyme!)
I would say there are 3 three major problems with Iron man 3. These 3 problems trickle down into every other aspect of the movie causing other problems. So let's start with the least of the three evils. As you know in this movie Tony Stark does a little investigating into the Mandarin. Tony's investigation is one of the major problems in this movie. Tony starts the investigation somewhat interested in the Mandarin but backing off when Rhodes tells him to let it go. It's only when Happy is injured that Stark rallies together his resources to find the Mandarin. The problem with that is that Happy gets injured because he followed an Extremis guy around, but he followed him for no reason. Happy didn't really like Killian because he was hitting on Pepper and labeled Killian's cohort as shady, and so he committed an entire day to following a stranger around based on not really liking the guy. Luckily for Happy he happened to have followed this guy on his illegal activities day, and ends up being caught up in an explosion. (The extremis explosions seem pretty flashy and big. At the center of them there's a man who turns orange and then just bursts with light. I'm surprised that the government never got footage of this considering there have been a few explosions already and they've been looking into this.)
Anyway Happy is injured and now that Tony is personally effected he steps in and uses more technology than every police department on the planet put together. (Also I'm not sure where Tony got a perfect 3d model of the Chinese theater but I don't see why it would help him investigate. All he really learned from it was that there was a center to the bomb with no bomb shrapnel. Which of course he already knew.) Then he uses what is essentially a google search (but it's Jarvis so it's more powerful somehow) and finds the original explosion that nobody noticed because no one is as good as Tony, and he sets out for Tennessee. Well, technically he's forced there, but whatever.
In Tennessee when his investigation continues Tony looks for the mother of the original bomb/victim. Very luckily for Tony he goes to the mom on the day the bad guys have decided to retrieve a potentially incriminating file. For some reason the Mom of the first bomb/victim was given a file about her son because I guess it's common to give the mother of a suspected murderer a police file. An Extremis woman then pretends to be homeland security to get the file but the sheriff doesn't believe her. When he presses her for verification, instead of having some kind of back up plan for this scenario, she starts killing everyone in the bar. Now I would think that the point of pretending to be homeland security was to remain inconspicuous, but I guess essentially leveling a large portion of this town in the ensuing action sequence can be pretty under the radar if you don't really think about it. (And I'm not sure why the Extremis woman didn't get the file initially. She comes out of the bar the mother is in as Tony goes in. Then she goes back in to cause a huge scene? The mother didn't resist Tony, she was completely willing to give the file to Tony when she thought he was the man who called her. So why wasn't the extremis woman able to get the file?)
Moving along Tony gets the file and looks it over. He gains nothing from looking at it, but then when he puts it down after looking at it he notices that MIA backwards spells AIM. That's literally the only reason given by the movie for Tony to suspect AIM. So based on spelling Tony decides to investigate AIM. So after using "hacking" to get into AIM's server he instantly finds the files that reveal everything. Were they on the desktop? Was the folder labeled "illegal files"? Why would Killian leave the incriminating files on the network? Why wouldn't he have the illegal human testing videos on like a flash drive that he kept in a safe? Why does he need videos of his illegal activities if he was there? Can Killian not remember what happen? Because he was there. I do a better job hiding my porn.
After this point Jarvis comes back online. Jarvis uses magic to track the Mandarin's signal to his exact location. Somehow every other investigated entity looking for the Mandarin in the world is unable to do this. Which leads to the question, why is Tony so damn selfish? He has all this technology and he doesn't share it. He literally found the most wanted man in the country, possibly world, in a day or two using all this technology and he hordes it to himself because . . . What he wants to be the one who finds the villains of the world? This section of the movie takes up a huge amount of time and is full of coincidence, gaps in logic, and overall it's just poorly written. It relies on the fact that Tony Stark is the main character to progress. It's a problem because it effects the entire movie. The investigation was a pretty weak part of this movie, and it leads with the second problem of this movie.
The Mandarin is revealed to be an actor hired by Killian because Killian is in fact the Mandarin. Now I don't read the Iron Man comics. I've never followed him at all. I didn't even like the cartoon show. It was . . . I don't know I just didn't like it. I don't have some fanboy respect for the Mandarin, so when I say that the Mandarin reveal was bad it's because it was in fact bad. Here's why. The Mandarin is divided into two characters by this movie. The Ben Kingsley Mandarin before the reveal and the Guy Pearce mandarin after the reveal.
The problem is that the Ben Kingsley Mandarin is the better Mandarin. Kingsley approaches the character with a sort of creepy charm. He's kind of funny but in a dangerous way. Like the Joker. He'll say something that might make you chuckle but you always remember he's a murdering terrorist. That's another thing Kingsley has on Pearce. This Mandarin has motive. He believes that America is corrupt and bloated, and seeks to wake them up with his attacks. This Mandarin isn't attacking Tony directly, but then Tony threatens him. Tony is everything the Mandarin would hate. Tony's ignorant, rich, self entitled and he built his wealth on the blood of the Mandarin's people by perpetuating the cycle of violence in the Mandarin's region. Whether Tony was aware of it or not he used money gained from exploitation to live decadently and hasn't made any retributions. Tony continues to live lavishly as the rest of the Mandarin's people suffer in poverty. Kingsley has every reason to hate Stark and now that Stark threatened him Kingsley has every reason to launch a full scale war on Iron Man. Not just as a personification of everything Kingsley's fighting against but simply as the selfish hero undeserving of the adoration he has begun to receive. That's Kingsley's mandarin.
Now Pearce's Mandarin takes a different approach. (I'm going to keep referring to him as Killian because I kept misspelling Pearce.) Killian is smooth. He has the confidence and charm of a man who is in control. He's smart and has a plan that he is trying to adhere too at all cost. He has personal beef with Stark. Several years ago Stark abandoned him on a rooftop. Delving deeper you can see jealousy in Killian. He doesn't like Tony because Tony has always had it all. He had to work and Tony got to coast. Now in the future that Killian has made for himself he cannot allow Tony to have more . . . anymore. He can't be the hero, he can't be smarter, and he can't have Pepper. The problem is that Killian is more shallow.
Giving the Mandarin a personal beef with Tony encloses Tony into his own world. It takes all the world building done by the first two movies and puts them into a tiny universe where Tony is at the center. This is a much bigger problem than Tony's investigation because it effects the entire Iron Man franchise. Looking at Killian's Mandarin just in context of the movie he can be labeled as Cartoon evil. He's the kind of bad guy who is more driven by an ideal of how things should play out than by success. He would rather have Tony know who beat him than simply beat him. Killian had the most powerful weapon to have in war. The element of surprise. No one knows about Extremis, and no one has really caught on to what he's up to. When Tony threatens him, Killian decides to go for the much flashier blowing up of his house with missiles than a much more efficient method.
Here's one off the top of my head. Instead of the helicopters he could have had an Extremis soldier go into his home. The Extremis' soldier could have either snuck in, burst in, or simply pretended to have business with Tony to get in. Maya gets in without any real problems so it's completely possible for a E-soldier to just come in. The E-soldier can then either kill an unprepared Tony or detonate. Detonation would fit his bombing pattern and because of the high temperature I imagine Tony would not come out unscathed. If nothing else it would badly damage his suit then cue the helicopters to finish him off. You could argue that he didn't E-bomb Tony because he wanted to protect Pepper for later, but then why did he bomb the house with her in it? If she was that important to him he should at least make sure she was out of the house first right? But because he is cartoon evil he must give the hero a chance to escape. I mean he sent three helicopters to fight the guy with the flying suit of armor. Iron man's core strength is his mobility in the sky and superior weaponry, and considering that AIM had full control of the Iron Patriot it would have been much more entertaining to see them use that suit to fight Tony. And Killian sends three helicopters. What if Tony had been wearing his suit when they attacked? Then he could have handled the three helicopters with amazing ease.
But Tony also handles that situation poorly. He has 42 suits. We know that at this point in the movie Jarvis can control the suits because he controls the mark-42 underwater to save Tony in this sequence. So Why, after threatening a terrorist does Tony not have Jarvis flying suits around his home. Even if he doesn't want reveal how many suits he has he can have one or two, or keep them inside only to emerge if trouble comes. In an earlier speech to Pepper or Rhodes I forget, Stark mentions that he has a suit that can catch an explosion. That would have been perfect against, I don't maybe missiles.
Back to Killian. At the end of the movie Killian reveals that he seeks to control the war on terror by being the world's top terrorist and having the president in his pocket. Why? Killian is already rich as fuck. He is on the verge of an amazing breakthrough in all humanity. If he could work out a cure, and safe way to administer Extremis, then it's possible for all human's to regrow what ever part of their body is lost, and in emergency situation heal rapidly. And we establish that's it's possible to cure Extremis because Tony does it at the end of the movie. Which is weird because Tony is neither a geneticist or a biologist. He is a mechanic. And incredibly intelligent mechanic but usually people specialize in one field. Making Tony some kind of brain based Superman is just a dues ex machina that's used to overcome whatever problem becomes tedious to the writers.
Killian could very very easily gain money for this cause, and he does. He takes military contracts to support his think-tank AIM. And given how powerful his personal military becomes it's definitely something the government would be into. His wealth is pretty ambiguous as well. You know he gets money from military contracts, but I imagine that kind of thing is checked on frequently. How has he been hiding his expenses for so long?
Killian is just trying to take over the world because he's the bad guy. He has no real other motivation other than hate for Tony, and he's throwing his entire life and career away just out of spite. Also Extremis is poorly defined. It's explained as accessing an empty part of the human brain to hack into our genes. Which for some reason gives us super healing, control of temperature (but only making things hotter and going back down to normal but not to make things colder), and for some reason it makes you a better fighter. Which is evident when Pepper busts out some sweets moves at the end of the movie having never shown any indication that she had any fighting ability at all.
The fact of the matter is that Killian is inferior to Kingsley mandarin in almost every way. He's just a bad villain. Which is upsetting because they had a perfectly good villain to work with. Also Mandarin is a man who uses a kind of magic and several rings. That's his bit. So taking that away from him is a drastic change to the character. Now I don't mind change, but only when it's for the better. This change doesn't really add anything to the character in fact it dulls him into a rather generic villain. Change for the sake of change or to appease some easily offended demographic is just . . . don't do that. Just don't. It just pisses everybody who actually does care about the character off.
The last and biggest problem with this movie is something mentioned in the Mandarin problem. By giving Mandarin a personal stake with Tony it encloses the world the character is in. This is something that effects the entire Iron Man franchise, but the fact that throughout this entire movie there was not one mention of shield effects the entire Marvel cinema universe. Here's why. In the first movie Shield was crawling all over Tony to ensure that he was ready for their Avenger's initiative. In the second movie they send in a secret bodyguard, who turns out to be a major character, into Tony's life to evaluate him. Now that Tony's a high profile member of Shield, or at least a necessary cog in the Avenger's wheel they do nothing.
There's no shield at all. They leave him completely alone, and when he threatens a known terrorist they don't even call to check if he's doing alright. For a while it's believed that he's dead, and they don't even look into that to make sure that their technological asset is still around. Not just that Tony has made some pretty high profile friends. This would have been the perfect time to set up Hawkeye or Black Widow up a bit more. I mean Tony is involved against some highly trained super-powered soldiers he could use some highly trained shield soldiers to fight them. Or maybe he could invite his green friend. He's clearly in touch with Banner as evident from the after credits scene in this movie.
Tony is suffering from PTSD in this movie. He's afraid that without the suit he's nothing or that if the aliens comeback he won't be ready for them because he's just a man amongst Gods. The lesson he learns in this movie is that if he's trouble he should just build something. The lesson he should have learned from this movie with the addition of the Hulk or Shield was that he doesn't have to worry about this because he is no longer alone. There's no reason to set up this big cinema universe and then cut one of your characters off from it. Especially such an important one. The individual hero movies are meant to build the world so that when we hit the big Avenger's movie everything is ready to go. At least that's what I thought. This movie removes Iron Man essentially wasting our time from the Marvel cinema universe. In doesn't even make sense for Tony not to call Shield in when investigating the Mandarin. Shield is the best investigative organization in the world and he happens to be a high profile asset to them so why wouldn't he use that to his advantage? In the words of the South Park version of Johnny Cochran, "That does not make sense!" I could stress this point, but holy hell have I been going for a while and I think you get the idea.
Overall the movie is still pretty good. I shuddder to think how great it could have been with a bit more thought and world building, but I'm sure there's an alternate reality where we all got to enjoy that. Maybe all these things were done on purpose and I just don't like them. Maybe you don't think any of what I said is right. That's fine, but I truly believe that if these issues were addressed this could have been a truly great movie. I don't claim to know all, but I do claim that this is what's wrong with Iron Man 3.


text:
By Wanda Ashworth-Valencia
FEAR – it can be a powerful word and a powerful emotion.
When I moved to Homestead, Florida in 2004, I had no idea how much fear impacted my new community and contributed to the cycle of poverty.
One of the first families I met shared with me their struggle to survive financially. When we talked about their monthly expenses, I discovered this family was paying $35 per child per week to ride a private bus from the school only two blocks away. When questioned about this expense, they quickly explained to me that this was necessary to protect their children from another race that lived in our community. Because they had heard stories of crimes perpetrated by a few people of one race, they extended that knowledge to an entire people group and became fearful of all interaction. This family lived on the edge of survival, yet they were paying $105 per week for their 3 children to ride 2 blocks from school.
Fear often causes us to make poor choices. Perhaps this is why the bible is full of references to "Fear Not."
The good news is that Homestead is making progress in racial reconciliation.
The private bus company that was exploiting the fear of our community no longer has a bus route from our elementary school. Our elementary school has contracted with crossing guards that are known and respected by our children. Now, all of the students of Open House Ministries walk home from school together, no longer isolated by fear, but building a new community where all are brothers and sisters.
God did not give us a spirit of fear.
We must challenge stereotypes and prejudice wherever it exists and build a new, beloved community. "Thy Kingdom come…"
Wanda Ashworth-Valencia is a CBF field personnel serving as the Site Director at Open House Ministries, the Homestead Site of CBF partner-ministry Touching Miami with Love.


text:
News:OpenSSH 7 Disables DSA Keys By Default
OpenSSH 7 Disables DSA Keys By Default
Please be aware of this important change to avoid getting locked out of your Funtoo server.By Drobbins / October 7, 2015
Please be aware that OpenSSH 7 (now unmasked in funtoo-current) has disabled support for DSA keys by default, so that DSA keys cannot be used by an OpenSSH 7 client to log into a server, and DSA keys will not be accepted by an OpenSSH 7 server to allow logins from a client. This change was made by OpenSSH developers due to DSA keys being relatively weak compared to other options currently available.
DSA keys are typically stored in
id_dsa and
id_dsa.pub files. You can also check your
~/authorized_keys file to determine if you are using a DSA key. DSA public keys begin with the string
ssh-dss. These keys will not be accepted by OpenSSH 7 with the default ssh/sshd config installed by the openssh ebuild.
Please see the following Gentoo news announcement for more detail, including instructions on how to re-enable DSA key support on both client and server via configuration file changes: https://www.gentoo.org/support/news-items/2015-08-13-openssh-weak-keys.html
While it is not recommended to continue to use DSA keys, there are still some environments that will require DSA support to be re-enabled to ensure that users can connect via ssh after upgrading to OpenSSH 7. For these environments, it is recommended that you begin the process of migrating away from DSA keys for authentication.


text:
When you want to enjoy a full week of Air Racing at its finest look no further than the Checkered Flag Club. This choice club has everything to experience the excitement of the STIHL National Championship Air Races: a front-and-center viewing location, Air Race admission, quality dining, official merchandise, and exclusive entertainment – a unique combination of benefits that are unavailable separately.
We look forward to you joining us in the Checkered Flag Club for the most exclusive Air Race fan experience available.
Checkered Flag Club members receive:
- reserved up-close parking lot with exclusive shuttle service to the CFC Hangar.
- air race site admission, Pit Pass, and Checkered Flag Club hangar pass for all five days.
- Checkered Flag Club hat, pin, windbreaker jacket and official program and poster.
- complementary bag and coat check.
- members only "sky view" grandstand seating with individual bucket seats (not backless bleacher seats).
- exclusive use of the nicely-decorated Checkered Flag Club hangar, set up for dining and socializing with guests from around the world.
- executive style, climate-controlled restrooms for the exclusive use of Checkered Flag Club members.
- private sound system – take a break from the elements and listen to the announcers from inside the Checkered Flag Club hangar.
- catered continental breakfast, lunch, and open bar all five days.
- noteworthy lunchtime speakers heard only at the Checkered Flag Club
- spaghetti dinner on Saturday evening with the keynote speaker of the week.
- option to purchase exclusive Checkered Flag Club merchandise.
Member Information:
Memberships are limited to 225 people to maintain a relaxed atmosphere. We encourage you to introduce your friends and family to the many unique rewards of the Checkered Flag Club by inviting them to be your club guest at a special day rate of $200.00. Guest passes include event and Checkered Flag Club hangar admission for one day, not including merchandise. Members, please call us at 775-972-6663 to register your guest. Daily passes include event and Checkered Flag Club hangar admission, parking, program, and poster.
Compare the savings – even if you could purchase everything included with your CFC membership separately your costs would add up to well over the price of membership.
Renewing Member – Full season: $750
New Member – Full season: $900
Daily Rate — $200
Memberships are available for purchase until the maximum of 225 members is reached. Memberships can be purchased on-site at the CFC hangar during the Air Races only if space is available, but you MUST purchase a General Admission ticket to enter the event. Early reservations are encouraged.


text:
March 28, 2013
Notice on Suspension of Business at an Overseas Consolidated Sales Subsidiary
On March 28, OKI's board meeting passed a resolution to suspend sales operations under Oki Systems Iberica, S.A.U., an overseas consolidated subsidiary of OKI.
1. Reasons to suspend sales activities
Whilst evaluating measures to enhance the management base for revamping the Printer business to achieve stable profits, OKI has made the decision to suspend sales operations under Oki Systems Iberica, S.A.U., since there are weak signs of recovery against the backdrop of the deteriorating economic climate and market environment in Spain.
Oki Europe Ltd. (European headquarters and parent company of Oki Systems Iberica) will assume responsibility for the existing customers in Spain.
2. Overview of Oki Systems Iberica, S.A.U.
|Company name
|Oki Systems Iberica, S.A.U.
|Madrid, Spain
|Name of representative
|Matthew Farrow, Managing Director
|Sales and service of printers and IT equipment
|4,507,000 Euros
|Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
→Oki Data Corporation (Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. 100%)
→Oki Europe Ltd. (Oki Data Corporation 100%)
→Oki Systems Iberica, S.A.U. (Oki Europe Ltd. 100%)
3. Schedule
|(1) Resolution of board of directors
|March 28, 2013
|(2) Suspension of sales operations
|June 30, 2013 (plan)


text:
- Back to Top
- OverviewJump to Overview
- FeaturesJump to Features
- WarrantyJump to Warranty
- ReviewsJump to Reviews
Marshall JCM800 2203X Vintage and 1960AV Half Stack
- Write a Review
- Questions & Answers
- #430984 000306000 430984000306000
Flexible Financing
Free Shipping
Lowest Price
6-Month* financing available.
- Free Shipping (48 Contiguous U.S. States)
The all-valve JCM800 2203 is one of the most highly respected 100W Marshall heads in the company's long history. Evolving from the legendary Plexi he...Click To Read More About This Product
Classic tube tone through a classic cab from the days of huge guitar!
The all-valve JCM800 2203 is one of the most highly respected 100W Marshall heads in the company's long history. Evolving from the legendary Plexi head, it was one of the first Marshall amps to feature a master volume control. The essence of simplicity, the JCM800 is a one-channel, all-valve amp with no reverb or effects. Its easy control panel, distinctive roar, and larger-than-life edge immediately set the standard by which all other rock amps were judged and it remained the industry benchmark throughout the entire 16 years of its production life. Now it's back by popular demand and just like the 1959SLP and 1987X it has a Series Effects Loop with true bypass that takes the loop completely out of the circuit ensuring the original tone isn't compromised in any shape or form.
The Marshall 1960V Vintage Speaker Cabinet puts out beautiful tone at any volume. The addition of an impedance (4- or 16- ohm) mono/stereo switching mechanism has transformed the "industry standard" 1960 into the ultimate speaker cab. This 280W Marshall cab is loaded with G12 Vintage 70 watt speakers.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
- 4 EL34s in the power stage
- 3 ECC83s in the preamp
- True bypass series FX loop
- 3-band EQ
- Presence control
- 30"W x 9"H x 12"D
- 41 lbs.
- 280W handling
- 4x12" G12 Vintage 70 watt speakers
- Impedance (4- or 16-ohm) And mono/stereo switching
Musician's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
- Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks
- Normal wear and tear
- Power surges
- Dust, internal heat and humidity
Other plan features include:
- For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)
- For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Musician's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.
- Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement
- Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold
- Plans are renewable on new gear
*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions (Opens in new window) for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.


text:
SMUD Board Withdraws From Trinity Lawsuit!
by Dan Bacher
April 14, 2003
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board voted 7-0 in a closed session on Thursday, April 3 to end its participation in the Westlands Water District lawsuit against Trinity River restoration.
This is a great victory for the Hoopa and Yurok tribes, anglers, environmentalists and SMUD ratepayers, who flooded the SMUD offices with hundreds of letters asking SMUD to pull out of the controversial litigation that blocked the historic "Record of Decision" by Bruce Babbitt in December 2000.
The board's decision was apparently prompted by a letter from 12 environmental groups sent to SMUD on Thursday that accused SMUD 's legal position as being "inconsistent with its mission to meet electricity needs 'in an environmentally responsible manner.'" On Wednesday, the Environmental Council of Sacramento also had voted unanimously to request SMUD to drop out of the litigation.
"I'm very happy that the board decided to pull out of the Trinity litigation," said Susan Patterson, president of the SMUD Board of Directors, who was the lone vote against SMUD remaining in the lawsuit in the board's August meeting. "I believe that this was the right thing to do. I'm getting a sense that the board wanted to move onto other things.
"We got a lot of letters, some very passionate, asking for SMUD to withdraw from the lawsuit," she emphasized.
The Hoopa Tribes's filing of an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court on Monday, March 31, for an injunction and stay in the court order by Judge Oliver Wanger paved the way for the decision to pull out. Patterson asked the SMUD General Counsel, Arlen Orchard to provide the board the option of withdrawing from the appeal. She argued that SMUD had achieved its chief goal - getting the federal government to redo an environmental study (EIS) that would address the impacts of restoration - and the other board members agreed.
"SMUD joined this litigation two years ago in an effort to get the federal government to take a broader look at scientifically sound methods for restoring the fisheries on the Trinity River," SMUD said in a press release on April 4. "Given a recent trial ruling from Judge Oliver Wanger, the Board is now satisfied that SMUD has accomplished what it set out to do and that the District's participation in the appeals of the judge's rulings in this lawsuit is no longer necessary."
Environmental and fishery groups and the Yurok and Hoopa Tribes were surprised - and greatly encouraged - by the decision.
"The SMUD Board, by voting to withdraw, have shown true leadership and concern for fulfilling their mission of meeting electricity needs 'in an environmentally responsible manner while providing value to the community,'" said Byron Leydecker of Friends of the Trinity River and California Trout. "This is an enormous victory for our decades-long battle to restore the Trinity River to its potential."
Clifford Lyle Marshall, chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, said the tribe was "elated and ecstatic" about the decision.
"SMUD has shown that they have a conscience," said Marshall. "It's a great move on SMUD's part. It shows that the people of northern California care about their quality of life, preserving the environment and maintaining the wild and scenic places like the Trinity because they are of immeasurable value. When water is going down a beautiful river like the Trinity, how can you place an economic value on it?"
Now that SMUD is out of the litigation, Marshall said the Tribe is working with Congressman Mike Thompson and Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein to pass federal legislation that would guarantee minimum flows and restore the fisheries of the Trinity River.
Bruce Babbit's Record of Decision on the Trinity River was a "fair compromise" that allocates 53 percent of Trinity River water to agricultural and hydroelectric users and 47 percent for the benefit of the river and fisheries, according to Marshall. SMUD decided to join the lawsuit blocking the ROD when the utility was in the midst of an energy crisis and trying to maintain every source of power generation it could.
However, participation in the lawsuit incurred the wrath of environmentalists, fisheries groups and the tribes, since it halted badly needed efforts to restore the river's salmon and steelhead, which had declined to only 12 percent of historical levels. The court order blocking the release of cold water from Trinity Dam could have alleviated the die off of over 33,000 salmon on the lower Klamath last September, so SMUD's participation in the legal battle contributed to the fish kill.
Opponents of the lawsuit argued that the price of river restoration was worth the small cost to SMUD customers. SMUD would lose 40 megawatts, enough power for about 40,000 homes, if the ROD was implemented, according to Ruthie Breech, Outreach Coordinator for Friends of the River. This would translate to an average of $2.00 per year per customer - a tiny cost to pay for the restoration of what was once one of the West's top steelhead and salmon fisheries.
Judge Wanger's ruling in December 2002 established a deadline of July 2004 for the Department of Interior to complete its supplemental environmental impact study. Now that SMUD has withdrawn from the litigation, activists are hoping that another party to the lawsuit, the NCPA (Northern California Power Association), will pull out of the legal battle. This would further isolate Westlands Water District - and send a powerful message to Judge Wanger that the people of northern California want the Trinity River restored!
Kudos to all of those who sent letters, via "snail mail" and email, to the SMUD Board. A special thanks go to Richard and Deborah Alves, Fish Sniffer Webmasters, who put up an action alert on www.fishsniffer.com to generate many of the letters that SMUD received prior to dropping out of the litigation.
Daniel Bacher is an outdoor writer/alternative journalist/satirical songwriter from Sacramento California. He is also a long-time peace, social justice and environmental activist. Email: email@example.com
* See earlier article: "It's Time For SMUD To Stop Blocking Trinity Restoration"


text: There are 21 levels in this game. You will be using a cannon in each level of the game and your goal will be to launch the heads to the headless bodies. Make the launches with enough perfection to collect all the stars floating in the surrounding. You will have limited number of shots to complete each level.


text:
Qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi has begun, and we couldn't be more excited for the Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 7. To get you ready for the games, we'll be showing you awesome fitness moves from some our favorite U.S. team all-stars. Get ready to get fit, Olympian-style!
For former gymnast Ashley Caldwell, executing a series of death-defying flips on skis counts as her idea of a really good time. As an aerialist, she lives for that airborne moment when she's just propelled off the snow ramp and all that's left is for her to show us her wicked acrobatic skills.
"I love flipping," says the bubbly 20-year-old, who's covering new ground as one of the first female aerialists to attempt triple flips (watch her this weekend at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Event in Park City, Utah, an Olympics qualifying event). "You're trying to do the hardest trick possible, but you have to do it well."
That means being strong enough to fight against forces while in flight.
"Your body naturally wants to spread out -- flail and go wherever," says Caldwell. That's why a killer core is so important. And Caldwell doesn't mess around when it comes to working through her regular core-strengthening routine.
One of her go-to exercises? V-ups, a great one for upping the ante on standard ab work. If you can make it through a set of these, we grant you full license to call yourself a superwoman -- even if flying sky-high like Caldwell ain't your thing!
Lay face up on a mat with legs straight out and arms extended toward the top of your head. Engaging abs, lift your upper body and legs off the ground up so that your body forms a "V" shape from the side (similar to shown).
Keep feet pointed and legs together and straight. At the top of the move, touch your toes with your fingertips (if you can!), then lift arms again and come back down. Do 3 sets of 8 tp 12 reps, depending on ability.


text:
We and Technology Co. LTD which mainly manufacture large and medium-sized crushing and grinding equipments was founded in 1987. It is a modern joint-stock corporation with research, manufacturing and sales together. Another workshop in Shangjie Industry Park covers 67000 m ². Over the more than 30 years, our company adheres to modern scientific management system, precision manufacturing, pioneering and innovation. Now Fire Machine has become the leader in domestic and oversea machinery manufacturing industry.
We bring a large number of high-qualification talents together. Bai Yinghui, general research and development engineer, is a well-known expert in crushing and grinding area who won the youth medal of technology of the state council and receives special government allowance. We own an experienced service team, offering the customer free design and professional skill training and live guide for installation and debugging. We have won high recognition from clients.
The company mainly manufactures mobile crushers, stationary crushers, sand-making machines, grinding mills and complete plants that are widely used in mining, construction, highway, bridge, coal, chemical, metallurgy, refractory matter, etc. Product quality is life, and scientific innovation is motive power. We get ISO international quality system certification, European Union CE certification and Russian GOST certification. The company has strong research and development strength and innovation.
Our machinery research institute was founded in 2005 which is the most powerful comprehensive technological research institute in the domestic mining machinery industry and provides top scientific research platform for professional personnel. Up to now, We have won 10 national patents, 24 national utility model patents and 3 provincial science and technology achievement awards. The company products remain the international leading level by strengthening international exchanges and cooperation all the time, and has won a wide range of international market, such as Russian, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kuwait, South Africa, Egypt, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Australia, Korea, Canada and European Union,etc.


text: This week we have a jam packed show for you. We start off with Vincent Dawn a.k.a. Bruno Mattei's Mondo Cannibal from Intervision/Severin Films, we then dive into Blue Undergrounds newest blu-ray release of Larry Cohen's God Told Me To! We get a bit side tracked as per usual, but we jump into one of the goriest love stories ever made, Jorg Buttrereit's Nekromantik 2 (The Return of the Loving Dead) on blu-ray from Cult Epics and since it's been looking like Christmas outside every where with all this damn snow everyone has been getting I decided why don't we just take a peak at the blu-ray release of Christmas Evil (You Better Watch Out) from our pals at Vinegar Syndrome! It's a fun episode and Chuck pushes me to the boiling point, I hope you all enjoy it.


text:
- Help: email@example.com
- 816-960-2008
- Call with Skype
- Course Login
Sustainable community
Sustainable community
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)
Sustainable communities are communities planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living. They tend to focus on environmental sustainability (including development and agriculture) and economic sustainability. Sustainable communities can focus on sustainable urban infrastructure and/or sustainable municipal infrastructure.
[edit] Sustainable communities by country
[edit] New Zealand
Kaikoura has a stunning environment which is important to the community and attracts close to 1 million visitors each year. Throughout the Kaikoura community, the value in looking after the environment, for the community, the tourists and the next generation, has become increasingly important - Green Globe provided a framework to reduce the environmental impact of the community and the visitors.
Green Globe is a tool used by Kaikoura's community to measure and work towards reducing its impact on the environment.
To become certified the environmental impact is measured each year (also known as benchmarking). Annually they calculate 12 indicators, which include the amount of energy used in the District, amounts of [greenhouse] gas and waste produced, and 9 other indicators (for benchmark results in 2003/2004 , 2004/2005, 2005/06 and 2006/07).
By measuring the impact they are having - they can manage it and work to reduce the negative effects. The Council has adopted an Environmental & Social Sustainability Policy and every day activities focus on leading the community towards sustainability.
[edit] United Kingdom
The Government of the United Kingdom defines a sustainable community in its 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan: Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all. [1][2]
The agenda sets out a long term plan to combat the under supply of homes in the South East and over supply of void or low demand properties in the Midlands and North.
It has also formed the Academy for Sustainable Communities.
[edit] United States
The Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies is a small scale example of a sustainable community for students at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
[edit] Portugal
Tamera peace research center is one of the biggest communities in Europe which is aiming to create a model of sustainable life on earth.
[edit] See also
- Academy for Sustainable Communities
- Ecovillage
- Green Globe Community Standard
- Intentional community
- Low Carbon Communities
- Sustainable living
[edit] References
- ^ Maliene V, Howe J, Malys N (2008). "Sustainable communities: affordable housing and socio-economic relations". Local Economy 23 (4): 267–76. doi:10.1080/02690940802407989.
- ^ McDonald S, Malys N, Maliene V (2009). "Urban regeneration for sustainable communities: a case study". Technologic and Economic Development of Economy 15 (1): 49–59. doi:10.3846/1392-8619.2009.15.49-59.
[edit] Additional reading
- Maliene V, Malys N (2009). "High-quality housing—a key issue in delivering sustainable communities". Building and Environment 44 (2): 426–30. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.04.004.


text:
Mr STEPHEN JONES (Throsby) (13:45): Today the High Court has ruled on the validity of the Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013, an act of the Legislative Assembly of the ACT. It held that the territory was unable to make such laws. It found that section 51(xxi) of the Constitution gives the federal parliament power to pass a law providing for same-sex marriage. We can presume that the government or the Prime Minister brought the appeal to the High Court on the presumption that it is proper that this parliament should consider such laws.
In February last year I brought a private member's bill before this parliament which would have provided for marriage equality. The bill did not succeed, and the reason it did not succeed is that members of the coalition were not given a conscience vote on the issue.
I believe that on this issue members of this place are lagging behind public opinion. I believe we are different but equal and we should not be differently equal before the laws of this place. I call on members opposite and I call on the government to allow its members to have a conscience vote on this issue when a bill is next brought before us.


text:
About Thailand (ประเทศไทย), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (ราชอาณาจักรไทย) is a country in Southeast Asia with coasts on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It borders Myanmar (Burma) to the north-west, Laos to the north-east, Cambodia to the south-east and Malaysia to the south.
With great Thai food, a tropical climate, fascinating culture and great beaches, Thailand is a magnet for travellers the world over.
Northern Thailand
Chiang Mai, hill tribes, and the Golden Triangle.
The great undeveloped north-east – get off the beaten track and discover backcountry Thailand and some magnificent Khmer ruins.
Central Thailand
Bangkok, lowlands and historic Thailand.
Eastern Thailand
Beaches and islands are all about Thailand and some are within easy reach of Bangkok, like Pattaya, Ko Samet and Ko Chang.
Southern Thailand
Hundreds of kilometers of coastline and countless islands on both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, plus Phuket, Krabi, Ko Samui, Ko Tao and many more of Thailand's famous beach spots.
It is amazing that about Thailand is the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia, and for a reason. You can find almost anything here: thick jungle as green as can be, crystal blue waters that feel more like a warm bath than a swim in the ocean and food that can curl your nose hairs while tap dancing across your taste buds. Exotic, yet safe; cheap, yet equipped with every modern amenity you need, there is something for every interest and every price bracket, from beach front backpacker bungalows to some of the best luxury hotels in the world. And despite the heavy flow of tourism, Thailand retains its quintessential Thai-ness, with a culture and history all its own and a carefree Thai people famed for their smiles and their fun-seeking sanuk lifestyle. Many travelers come to Thailand and extend their stay well beyond their original plans and others never find a reason to leave. Whatever your cup of tea is, they know how to make it in and about Thailand.
This is not to say that Thailand doesn't have its downsides, including the considerable growing pains of an economy where an agricultural laborer is lucky to earn 100 baht per day while the nouveau riche cruise past in their BMWs, Bangkok, the capital, is notorious for its traffic jams and rampant development has wrecked much of once-beautiful Pattaya and Phuket. In heavily touristed areas, some lowlifes have made scamming tourists into an art form.
Bangkok is at the start of many visitors' itineraries, and while a modern city, it has a rich cultural heritage. Most visitors at least take in the Grand Palace, a collection of highly decorated buildings and monuments. It is home to Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand that houses the Emerald Buddha. Other cultural attractions include Wat Pho, Wat Arun and Jim Thompson's House, but these are just a fraction of possible sights you could visit.
The former capitals of Siam, Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, make excellent stops for those interested in Thai history. The latter could be combined with a visit to Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Khmer architecture is mostly found in Isaan, with the historical remains of Phimai and Phanom Rung being the most significant.
In the northern provinces live unique hill-tribe peoples, often visited as part of a trekking. The six major hill tribes in Thailand are the Akha, Lahu, Karen, Hmong, Mien and Lisu, each with a distinct language and culture. Chiang Mai makes a good base for arranging these trekkings, and has some cultural sights of its own, such as Wat Doi Suthep.
For those interested in recent history, Kanchanaburi has a lot of sights related to World War II. The Bridge over the River Kwai, popularised by the film of the same name, is the most famous one, but the museums in its vicinity are a lot more moving.


text:
The following blogpost was carried on the website FirstPost too :).
I have written in the past too, how Rajdeep Sardesai (and the channel he co-owned) have lied and spread lies about Narendra Modi. However, what transpired over at the Madison Square Garden at New York takes lying to an entirely new different level altogether!
I think there are three very distinct angles that we will need to discuss here:
1. The crass and low-level journalism of Rajdeep Sardesai in New York
2. The hooliganism of Rajdeep Sardesai in New York, and the response of his fraternity.
3. The famous "eye witness FB account" that the fraternity of Rajdeep Sardesai shared massively.
The crass and low-level journalism
India Today released an "official" video in which Rajdeep was heckled (as if heckling is a nasty crime). In an attempt to gain sympathy, they have unwittingly exposed the low-level journalism their high-level journalists resort to! Let's focus on the first part of the video. Rajdeep, taking a very demeaning tone, is seen posing many questions to the crowd gathered there. One of his first comments - "My worry is that the moment I ask them to be noisy, they will start with Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi". It just beats me - why should he be "worried" if the crowd (that is assembled to listen to Modi) praises Modi?!
And then very soon he comes to his agenda - Modi won 31% of the vote! First - that is an absolute lie. The NDA won 38.5% of the popular votes cast. That's a whopping 7.5% difference this guy is ignoring. But for a guy who ran a program called "Billion Votes" when there are only 800 million eligible voters, it's too much for us to expect that he values numbers well. He asks the crowd a loaded question, which when listened to carefully means this - "Modi doesn't answer my question, atleast you do it"!
To a response that 1.25 billion people are with Modi, here's the question he posed: "There are number of people who opposed Modi. What would you like to tell those who are still critics of Modi, who believe that Mr. Modi has to answer certain questions that he has still not answered" The youngsters there gave him a befitting reply - "Before elections, we may be divided. But after election, it is one Prime Minister (for all 1.25 billion people)". Not happy with the intelligent responses he has been getting, Rajdeep changes tack and asks if anyone paid to come to the event. Again not happy with the boisterous NO, he goes back to asking "Can one man change India?" to which he got another befitting response - "If one woman can loot India, one man can certainly change India"!
But this is just a prelude. The sickening part of the journalism starts at around the 4th minute. He first asks the crowd, "Will you go back to India?" as if that is the only measure to show appreciation of Modi. And then comes the killer question:
"Many people believe that the Indian American Community, the Indians here talk a lot but don't do anything".
One person from the crowd shouted "Who are these many people"? To which Rajdeep quotes Jagdish Bhagwati (as if he is many people) and repeats the question multiple times "Why doesn't Indian American Community do more for India?" And he taunts the crowd with "Comon, answer me". It is a shame and pity that Rajdeep uses such a tone to demean the hard work of so many private individuals assembled there. Please watch the video to see how he stresses on this question so much, and in a tone unbecoming of a visitor. If you think this is some "contrarian questions" that a journalist is posing, here's a tweet that Rajdeep RT'ed on the same day:
"Very cute! Migrated willingly to USA, won't come back & yet chiming: "I love my India." Is their India Real or Imagined? Ancient or Modern?"
Why does Rajdeep and their ilk look down upon these people, who have made a choice to pursue other (and perhaps better) opportunities abroad? Is it their belief that you lose right to think about your country once you leave it for earning your bread and butter?
Also, why preface *your* view with "many people believe", "number of people think"? I have written earlier too on this "many people" logic here - why can't you pose a question just like you want to ask, instead of prefacing it with "many people"? I, for one, am keen to ask Rajdeep a question on these lines -"Many people believe you practice gutter journalism" and would love to hear his response!
At around the 5th minute, the "heckling" starts. Rajdeep takes us to the miniscule crowd that is now shouting "Rajdeep Murdabad". Perhaps they got riled that he is questioning their love towards India? He tells them, "I will ask you a question. I will ask you a simple question" but never gets to asking the question! And out of nowhere, he suddenly asks the crowd "Did Modi teach you to behave badly? Did America teach you to behave badly?". Whoa - what kind of crass and crappy generalisation is this?! Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India - like him or not, give him the respect he deserves for that.
The hooliganism of Rajdeep Sardesai in NY and the response of his fraternity
Immediately after this, Rajdeep went to town saying he was assaulted, pushed etc. And then this 11 second video surfaced on the net. The video showed Rajdeep in a scuffle with another man. From the video, it was not clear who started the scuffle, so Rajdeep's fraternity (as is their wont) concluded that Rajdeep got assaulted first! And then they went to town.
- Siddarth Varadarajan: "Just saw shocking YouTube clip of Modi Bhakts attacking @sardesairajdeep in NYC. Media, political parties must condemn this intimidation.
- Namita Bhandare: "Assault of one journalist is an assault on entire press. Editors Guild must seek an apology fm the organisers."
- Shiv Aroor: "Saw it frame by frame. The assaulter belongs to a prison cell"
- Sunetra: "We journos are meant to ask provocative sometimes obnoxious questions, not warm fuzzy ones. Intimidation ain't gonna work #RajdeepAttacked"
- Barkha Dutt: "Shocked to hear about attack on @sardesairajdeep. unacceptable to settle disagreements in this manner. Condemnable"
- Suparna Singh of NDTV:" @sardesairajdeep shameful attack. We at NDTV stand with you. (And here she gave the link of their article) http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/journalist-rajdeep-sardesai-assaulted-in-new-york-599178?pfrom=home-topstories
There are many more, but I chose only a few to highlight the response based on the 11 second video. It was conclusive enough for them to "Stand with Rajdeep". Infact, Sunetra went one step forward and said that they have the right to ask provocative questions but no one should get provoked. The provocative question here, by the way, was this" "Why don't you do anything for India?"
After a few hours, this 28 second video clip was uploaded to youtube. It is crystal clear from this video that it was Rajdeep who first manhandled the person after calling him an "asshole". I watched the video 3 times just to make sure it was Rajdeep who attacked first. Entire fraternity went silent. Namita Bhandare and Sunetra think this is not conclusive enough proof now, and we need a fuller video! I have asked Suparna Singh if she plans to update the NDTV article with the latest 28 second video; she responded back saying they don't plan to update any more videos because there are so many of them floating around! How convenient really! Shiv Aroor doesn't tell us which video he watched "frame by frame".
Rajdeep Sardesai then tweets this:
"First, Kick and abuse while I am on cam asking questions, then release video selectively. Rule of the mob."
The official video released by India Today when Rajdeep was "on cam asking questions" does NOT show us that he was being kicked and abused. Why is Rajdeep not releasing the video where he claims he was "kicked"? Where he claims he was "abused"? He pompously also announced this earlier in the day:
"Glad we caught the idiots on cam. Only way to shame the mob is to show them. "
But guess what - he hasn't shown the mob to us yet! If he means that those who shouted "Rajdeep Murdabad" are the "idiots on cam", then surely Rajdeep must learn to take criticism in his stride (as none less than Amitabh Bachchan once advised him!). The guy whom Rajdeep manhandled has posted his account on the blogosphere. He claims to have called Rajdeep as Newstrader number 1, and that got to Rajdeep who in turn called him an asshole. Amusing how Rajdeep thinks that he can accuse an entire community, right in front of them, of "not doing anything" for India but the same folks should not call him a "newstrader"!
It was shocking to note this boorish and uncouth behaviour of Rajdeep Sardesai. Coupled with fact that he did not release any video to support his claim and the monstrous silence of all those from his fraternity who "stood with rajdeep", it was beginning to dawn upon them that they have been caught red-handed.
The famous "eye witness FB account"
Confronted with such clear video evidence, and bewildered on how to react, the entire fraternity now started taking solace in an "eye witness account" posted on Facebook. Even Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken retweeted this account.
Rajdeep Sardesai himself tweeted that we all read this account. This eye-witness account refers to an incident that happened way after all of the above happened. He says Rajdeep was surrounded by a mob who were hurling the choicest of the abuses and yet Rajdeep kept his calm and kept smiling. This happened for nearly 25 minutes according to him. There was pushing and shoving and ofcourse abusing again. The account says:
"Despite my repeated requests to stay away from Rajdeep, the mob continued to shout pro-Modi slogans right in front of his face to instigate him"
Why does the eye witness think Rajdeep will get instigated by pro-Modi (who is now the Prime Minister of India) slogans? What kind of instigation strategy is this? By asking us to read the account, is Rajdeep also endorsing the view that pro-Modi slogans get to him? Is that why he said at the beginning of that India Today video that he is "worried" crowd will start "Har Har Modi"?
Here is a 3 minute video that was posted on youtube about this incident. There was zero shoving and pushing in those 3 minutes. The very fact that Rajdeep was there for ~20 minutes without getting hurt meant that there was no pushing. It is in this video that Rajdeep declares that "kuch logo ke paas paise aate hai, class nahi". There were questions floating around though - "why are you afraid", "what about cash for votes" etc. If this is abuse, then I really pity the fraternity.
There are other eye witness accounts floating around that talk about the boorish behavior of Rajdeep too (Example 1 and 2) – guess what, the fraternity will not talk about them!
Many fellow tweeters commented that if this is the kind of propaganda the newstraders are capable of, when there is strong evidence available against their argument, then imagine what they are capable of in the absence of such evidence. It is a pity that this fraternity wants to rake up non-issues at every available opportunity. It is a shame that this fraternity resorts to "whatever it takes" to deride Modi - now even actions of some random supporter on ground is because of Modi.
It is a sad reflection on this fraternity that they pursue an agenda and don't like to own it up fully. The agenda in this instance was to discredit not just the Prime Minister of India, but private individuals of India (or Indian origin) and their hard work in trying to live a good life. It is appalling and beyond belief that an entire fraternity can lie, stick to it, and even discredit those putting the truth out there. This is a very very scary side of the English TV media.
Either Rajdeep Sardesai and his fraternity must release the video in which he claims he was "kicked while on cam" or apologize to their readers/viewers for wilfully misleading them, yet again. This incident will go down in the annals of the TV history as one of the most disgusting acts by Rajdeep's fraternity.
Tailpiece: Rediff ran a story that claimed Gautam Adani spoke to Rajdeep on behalf of Modi, to tell Rajdeep that Modi is upset. Gautam Adani denied this. Yet, rediff is sticking to this ridiculous story. The Prime Minister of India has far better things to do than think about the likes of Rajdeep.
Update: Rajdeep Sardesai finally accepts to have been the one who got violent that day. Something he could have done on day 1.
Update: Rajdeep Sardesai finally accepts to have been the one who got violent that day. Something he could have done on day 1.


text:
Zucchini Lettuce Salad
This salad is a great way to use up an abundant crop of squash. Topped with bottled dressing and cheese, this colorful side makes such a flavorful addition to any meal.—Melody Smaller, Fowler, Colorado
Total TimePrep/Total Time: 10 min.
Makes4 servings
- 2 cups shredded leaf lettuce
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, zucchini, olives and onion. Drizzle dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts3/4 cup: 160 calories, 14g fat (2g saturated fat), 4mg cholesterol, 740mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 3g protein.
Recommended Video
Apr 5, 2010
I doubled the recipe and took to a potluck. It was a hit! I used Ken's Italian dressing and the canned Parmesan cheese as in a hurry but still was awesome! Loved it...will do again! Great mix of flavors!


text:
The French government will take measures to secure the financing and accelerate the reconstruction work on Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, as doubts are raised over President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that the reconstruction would be completed within five years.
A fundraising appeal after Monday's fire has raised nearly 900 million euros so far.
Speaking after a special Cabinet meeting dedicated to Notre Dame, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the government will present a bill next week to ensure "transparency and good management" during the reconstruction.
One measure will ensure all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame. The bill will also allow for a special individual tax cuts for individuals making donations.
As of Wednesday, the reconstruction efforts raised 880 million euros in donations from all over the world, from individuals and companies, drawing some criticism that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Macron said Tuesday evening that the renovations to restore the cathedral's 19th century spire and the roof would be completed in five years, in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But experts have weighed in, warning that the ambitious timeline is insufficient.
Notre Dame's rector said he would close the cathedral for up "five to six years."
The spire: To rebuild or not?
Philippe said that an international competition will be held to answer the question of whether or not to rebuild the spire.
"Should we rebuild the spire envisaged and built by Viollet-le-Duc under the same conditions ... [or] give Notre Dame a new spire adapted to the technologies and the challenges of our times?" he asked.
Firefighters on Wednesday were still examining the damage and shoring up the structure. Investigators believe the fire was started by accident, possibly linked to renovation work that had been underway when the fire broke out. Though the Paris prosecutor's office has still been unable to send investigators inside the cathedral.
Investigators have already questioned some 30 people, including workers at the five construction companies involved in the renovation work.
Bells will toll at cathedrals around France on Wednesday evening in honour of the monument.


text:
When I attended my first Internet User Experience conference in Ann Arbor in the mid-2000's, I knew I wanted to get involved with local user experience groups.
The people I met at the conference were doing all the things I found fascinating about the web: user research, usability testing, and information architecture. I wanted to learn more!
It was easy to find out what user experience groups were in the area. I asked Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus, coordinator for the conference, co-founder and then-president of Michigan Usability Professionals' Association (UPA), now known as Michigan User Experience Professionals.
There weren't a lot of active local UX groups in the mid-2000's. Michigan UPA was organizing the majority of the UX events happening in Ann Arbor, metro Detroit, as well as other events around the state.
Fast forward to 2014.
I've seen incredible growth in the number of metro Detroit UX groups in the past few years. The new groups held meetups, book clubs, and brought brand new events to the area, including:
I'm amazed at all the new people I meet at UX events in the area.
At our Detroit User Experience group happy hour last night, one of our new members asked:
Deborah, I want to attend more user experience events. How do I find out about UX groups and their meetups?
Music to my ears.
I love sharing information about local UX groups! If you're also looking for UX groups in the metro Detroit area, here are the ones I know about.
Detroit User Experience
Founded in early 2013 by Jodi Bollaert, Detroit User Experience (UX) has grown from the first book club meeting of five people (I was one of them!) to almost 300 members. I joined the group as co-organizer in mid-2013.
The Detroit UX group is for people working in a UX-related profession (or wannabe) who would like to meet like-minded folk to network, share ideas, present, learn, vent (a little), discuss good books, and more.
We meet at various locations in Detroit and the suburbs. We've held networking events, book club meetings, held the first World Usability Day Detroit, hosted Rosenfeld Media full-day UX webinar, partnered with Vitamin T for Digital Detroit Rendezvous events, and held an accessibility awareness day panel of web professionals.
Ladies that UX Detroit
Formerly Detroit Women of Design & UX, the new Ladies that UX Detroit group aims to bring together brilliant and creative women* in the design and UX fields of southeast Michigan who want to build and leverage a network of like-minded ladies.
Through organizing events and providing a central place for connection, they hope to foster an atmosphere of learning, mentorship, and support.
Ladies that UX Detroit is an inclusive group; if you identify as a woman, and you're involved in the UX, tech, and design fields, you're welcome to participate.
I was glad to hear my friend Emily Bowman, who recently returned to the Detroit area, will take on leadership of the group. I can't wait to hear about their future events and activities.
Content Strategy–Metro Detroit
Started in 2012, Content Strategy–Metro Detroit is a group of professionals with responsibility for content, including strategy, delivery, management, governance, distribution (you name it!).
If you're into communications, marketing, social media, publishing, sales, asset management, or user experience–this is the group for you.
The group hasn't held any meetups since September 2013, but is relaunchin the group for the July 23 meetup, with a discussion on the difference between content strategy and content marketing.
Michigan Computer Human Interaction (CHI)
The Michigan CHI group is a local Special interest Group in Computer Human Interaction (SIGCHI) of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), for professionals who live in Michigan.
The group's focus is on human-computer research and interactions for software, websites, tablet, and mobile computing. Their events are held in southeastern and central Michigan.
Michigan User Experience Professionals Association
Founded in 2002, Michigan User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is one of the oldest user experience groups in the state. Michigan UXPA is a chapter of the User Experience Professionals Association, which supports people who research, design, and evaluate the user experience of products and services.
The group includes user experience professionals, information architects, content strategists, interaction designers, graphic designers, software developers, technical communicators, and project managers. It's where I continued to learn about the practice of user experience, user-centered design, and usability, and where I served as officer for three years.
Educational and networking events are held throughout the year, mostly in the Ann Arbor area, metro Detroit suburbs, and Lansing area.
Society of Technical Communicators, Southeast Michigan
The Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC/SM) brings together technical communicators from southern Michigan and northern Ohio for learning and networking opportunities.
Their events are held in metro Detroit suburbs as well as downtown Detroit. The event calendar shows monthly events for the first half of 2014. Unfortunately, no events are listed after July 1. Hopefully you'll see events listed on their calendar soon.
Do you know of any other Detroit-area user experience groups? Share them in the comments.


text:
Helen Majaga International was founded in May 10th 2016, by Helen Majaga.
We are a team of passionate thinkers and creatives; we communicate life-changing ideas. Therefore, at Helen Majaga International, the work that we do is more than just a job.
If you are looking for a meaningful job position, where you can grow professionally and personally, Helen Majaga International might be the perfect fit.
Career Opportunities
We are looking to grow soon, and we will be seeking for new creatives and experts to join us to help contribute to our success.
Please note that when new career opportunities open up, they will be posted here.