text:
"Mom! The light on my favorite new toy I got for Christmas doesn't work!"
This exclamation during a fight between two siblings, another telling me all about a book she was reading, all while I tried to get checklists done and order art prints for school to begin next week, and write a list of birthday cards, presents, and groceries I forgot to buy when I shopped yesterday.
"Do you have the box?" I ask, frustrated. She produces torn up cardboard that once resembled the bright shiny box that housed the beloved toy. A bit of gorilla glue and the box is almost passable. I concede to add another stop to my errands list and return her toy so we can reorder and hopefully receive one whose light does work. We arrive at the store and wait 20 minutes in the returns line, but there are no issues and the toy is returned and we move on to other errands.
It is now 1.30pm. We have not eaten. Children and mom are getting hangry and all my errands are not complete. I wish we didn't need to eat because I really don't want to buy food out and I did want to finish all my errands before going home. There is only one choice. We go home. I immediately get online to re-order the toy and get that job out of the way. Except, to our horror, the toy is out of stock! Who knows when or if it will come back in stock. I try Amazon. $73.00! WAY more than was originally paid and we returned it for. My heart sank. I have a to-do list a mile long, it's halfway through the afternoon and I haven't even achieved a quarter of it, and now my daughter has just returned her favorite toy that is no longer available. My frustration increases. I look at my daughter. There was only one thing for it. We go back to the store in the hopes that we can retrieve the toy.
On the way, I hold little hope that we will be able to get it back. I tell my daughter to pray. She prays a simple sweet prayer, "Dear God, please help me get my toy back. Amen."
Once again we are in the returns line. This time we only wait 10 minutes. We explain the situation to the sweet lady at the counter. She looks in the bins behind her. Our toy is not there.
"If it was an online order I don't know what I can do." She sees the disappointment and sadness in my daughter's eyes and says, "there is one other place I can look." She is back a few minutes later with the news we didn't want to hear. "I'm sorry, but because your return was an online item, it has already been processed and labeled. Once it is labeled to go on the truck back to the warehouse, there is nothing we can do."
"Has it left yet on the truck? Where is it right now?" I ask. She knows that I suspect that it is still in the building but due process says I can't have it back now because it will mess up the system. She looks to see if we can buy the item in the store. We can't. She really wants to help but knows she can't. She takes me to her supervisor, asking her if anything can be done to get the item back. The supervisor reiterates what we've already been told. Once the item has been labeled, it's bad luck. As I am talking with the supervisor, the sweet lady from the counter walks away to try another idea. She turns the corner. When I finish with the supervisor we attempt to follow her. She is nowhere to be seen. All hope seems lost now. Our one advocate trying to help us has disappeared. Maybe she went to the online order pick up area. We go there. I ask the two men working if they'd seen the sweet lady. She was helping me. They have not. My daughter's eyes begin to well up. Her beloved toy is lost to her now. One of the men asks if he can help. I don't think he can but to indulge him I tell him the very short version of our story. Enough for him to say, "I'm sorry, I can't help." But he doesn't say that. He goes out the back and brings back a box. Our box! It's our toy! He rips off the label and asks what I paid for it. I tell him. He manually puts the amount in the register and it is ours again!
As we leave the store with a skip in our step and tears of relief in my daughter's eyes, I reflect to her,
"God answered your prayer today."
She looks up at me with wonder and awe. "Yeah, I guess He did!"
"Twice we had been told that we couldn't have it back," I tell her. "If we hadn't lost the lady, we wouldn't have found our way to the man at the back. In God's providence, when it seemed it was gone and there was nothing to be done, God directed us to the very person who could help."
I realize that this story is pretty trivial as far as life stories go. It is just a toy. It would have been disappointing but not that important. But what seemed small and insignificant to me meant everything to my daughter. She learned that her God cared for her and was gracious and loving and kind and she could trust Him, even when our actions are unwise. If it had turned out that in God's providence we couldn't get the toy back, God would still have been caring, gracious, loving, and kind. The lesson would have been to be content with what we have and perhaps think and consider all options before making a decision that could potentially be unwise.
But that wasn't the lesson God wanted to teach us on this day. Today, my daughter learned that God always answers prayer.
"I'm glad God said yes."


text:
Ron Fowler
Tidy St resident
At about 8.30pm on 25th June 2010 a group of people gathered on the pavement in Tidy Street and stayed there until the early hours of the morning. On many occasions during that time glasses were raised in unison and tilted towards the blank, unlit windows of the house opposite. We were holding a spontaneous wake following the funeral of our friend and neighbour, Ron Fowler.
He worked for the Gas Board
Ron was one of four sons born and raised in Brighton, growing up near the Lewes Road. After school he joined the Gas Board and remained there until taking a much enjoyed early retirement. He walked, as he often said, 'thousands of miles' over town in his work, enjoying his relationships with customers for whom time spent over a cup of tea was a valued part of the service.
A Trade Union Health & Safety representative
He retained strong memories of the privations, social hierarchies and inequalities of the post-war period, and perhaps because of this his political sympathies lay with those he saw as on the side of ordinary people. Just recently he declared New Labour's Winter Fuel Heating Allowance 'marvelous', contrasting it with the precisely remembered policies of '… that other lot, they'd let you freeze to death'. He worked hard but non-confrontationally as trade union Health and Safety rep for 28 years, running successful campaigns against unsafe working practices and recalling with particular pride how his intervention had saved the job of a 'family man' who had committed a sackable offence. In the 1950s he had been impressed at the improvement in the family home when – at last - electric lighting replaced gas, and he maintained an open-minded enthusiasm for other modern technological advances, whether mobile phones, the internet or the International Space Station passing in the sky.
Ron loved to cycle
He loved his bicycle and had been known to cycle to Crawley and back; more than that, he actively disliked the damage car culture did to communities and sociability and so participated enthusiastically in the street parties we held from 2007. One of our favourite stories about Ron was of the time he won a car in a casino tournament and stubbornly refused to be deferentially impressed by it, insisting instead on his right to an appropriate cash equivalent.
A man of contradictions
Ron was in many ways a man of contradictions: a smart and stylish dresser, a connoisseur of quality but at low cost; a sociable being who was happy in his own company; someone who hardly drank but loved to party; an often guarded, cautious personality who yet thrilled to the uncertain outcomes of the bets he placed on the horses and at the casino. He was 'single', a 'bachelor': but marriage, of course, charts only one of the many paths of love that the human heart can follow. Ron became the devoted friend of two older women residents in Tidy Street, looking after them through an old age that was undoubtedly happier, healthier, longer lasting and more secure for his attention and care.
An active outgoing life
After their deaths he inherited their house, which enabled him to leave the basement he rented at 34 Tidy Street – a space so damp, he related, that unworn clothes rapidly grew mildew and his electric blanket had to be left permanently on. No 20 became the home he called his 'church', on which he lavished care, attention and DIY skills: his was one of the most frequently polished brass door knockers in the street. From this more secure base his active, outgoing life continued: often from across the street I would see him depart, dressed up to the hilt, and later hear the coming and going of a taxi in the early hours of the morning, which only deepened my intrigue about the (to me) mysterious world of Brighton's casinos.
Resolutely independent
Ron was resolutely independent: at his funeral a former colleague related how he dug out the cellar of his house and cleared up the sewage that then twice flooded it, all on his own: he sought advice as to the solution, but not assistance. Only last year he single-handedly built a summer house in his garden. Perhaps his most satisfying achievement was to become a self-taught artist: he worked in acrylics, developing his craft late into the night in the cellar that became his studio. Occasionally he invited others into his house to view the paintings lining every wall: one night he knocked at our door to share the excitement of finally 'getting' just the expression he wanted on a portrait. All of his pictures were meaningful, but perhaps particularly those of deceased family and friends, intended for their relatives as a gesture of honour and consolation.
A distinctive and irreplaceable individual
His diagnosis of lung cancer came too early for a man with so much to do and live for; one bittersweet consolation was that it led Ron to seek out company more actively than before so that many of us came to know him better. Perhaps it brought out the best in all his neighbours too, by giving us a chance to care: providing lifts to and from hospital appointments, fetching prescriptions, visiting him in hospital, sending cards, providing haircuts, inviting him to or bringing round meals including a Christmas feast over which he rhapsodized, or spending hours, when he locked himself out one winter night, working out how to get back into the house without causing any damage. So it felt entirely fitting that we should then come together in the street where he belonged and had been happy, to celebrate but also to mourn the loss of a distinctive and irreplaceable individual.
By Sara Bragg
[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, No 206, September/October 2010]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We are so perplexed as to why hardly any cruise ships stop for the day, in the city of Avalon, on Catalina Island. It's an ideal alternative port for ships cruising down to the Mexican Riviera. The port of Avalon offers a Mediterranean feeling, in a safe environment, with plenty of picturesque sights and fun activities.
Currently, the Carnival Inspiration stops in Avalon on Tuesday's each week before sailing down to Ensenada. Here are some of the most popular excursions passengers can experience while in the port of Avalon:
Doug Lord of Catalina Tours takes guests on a whale-watching excursion to see some of the 28,000 gray whales that migrate up North after giving birth to calves down in Baja. Lord has been able to get groups of enthusiasts up close to observe baby whale's nursing. Calves acquire a critical layer of fat from their mother's milk, so they can survive the 7,000-mile journey to the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
Another interesting tour to discover wildlife is the Inside Island Adventure Tour. The two-hour trip takes visitors on a private drive along the island's mountain range. Guests enjoy spectacular canyon and scenic coastline views. Tour guides are happy to stop so visitors can take pictures of the mule deer and buffalo that continue to roam the island. The buffalos are descendants of the wild bisons, turned loose on the island back in 1924, after starring in the silent picture film, "The Vanishing American." There are 135 furry brown mammals roaming the island's interior now. The Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, a non-profit organization maintains the healthy herd.
The last stop on the tour, before going back down to Avalon, is at the Airport-in-the-Sky. Built in 1946, it is one of the most challenging airports for pilots due to its 3,250-foot runway. Inside the airport is the Runway Café. Be sure to buy a few of their famous peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate-chip cookies for the ride back. They are scrumptious.
For passengers who would like to have a tour of Avalon and learn a little about the history, they can hop on the Avalon Trolley. The $4 roundtrip ticket includes a ride along the waterfront with multiple stops. One stop is the Catalina Island Conservancy Nature Center, Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens. It's a tribute to William Wrigley Jr., who purchased the island in 1919. Mr. Wrigley was interred at the Memorial upon his death in 1932. His wife, Ada supervised the design and planting of the exotic cactus garden filled with desert and native plants. Many are only found on Catalina Island. There is a Catalina Island Conservancy Nature Center next to the gardens that appeals to all ages.
The trolley travels downtown to Crescent Ave. with its unique shops, restaurants and nearby Green pleasure pier. Cruise passengers who would like to learn more about the inhabitants under-the-sea, can take a glass-bottom boat or semi-submersible adventure tour from the pier. Learn about the brightly orange-colored Garibaldi fish and kelp forest filled with interesting sea creatures. Passengers enjoy feeding the ocean inhabitants in specially designed food drop tubes or push the torpedo buttons that shoot out food.
A half-a-block from the pier is Catalina's Golf Gardens. It's a no-nonsense eighteen-holes miniature golf course situated in a beautiful garden setting.
Pick up the trolley from here to take a ride out to the Catalina Casino and Descanso Beach activity center.
Thrill seekers will want to get off at the Descanso Beach activity center to experience the adrenaline pumping zip-line ride that reaches speeds as high as 45 miles while zipping to five different platforms.
The Descanso Beach Club offers an open-air restaurant and bar, private cabanas and chaise lounge chairs. Single and double kayaks are available to rent for one hour, half-day and full day. It's also a great place to swim or snorkel in the clear and refreshing water.
While relaxing on the beach, to the right, is the landmark Catalina Casino built in 1929. This is not a gambling spot; but a dance pavilion, museum and movie theatre that runs first-run movies for the residents and visitors.
Currently, the Catalina Island Museum is exhibiting Celebrity Playground with photos and stories of Catalina Island's glory days as Hollywood's favorite island destination. Charlie Chaplin, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne were some of the movie stars that sailed their boats to Avalon harbor.
When hungry, the Cottage Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's one of the closest restaurants to the Cruise terminal. The food is good, and the owner Muriel Willhite has lived on the island for years. She is happy to share interesting stories about Avalon.
For those who would like to visit Avalon for the day without boarding a cruise ship, The Catalina Express boat leaves from Long Beach to Avalon on roundtrip cruises seven-days a week. Check their cruise schedule at www.catalinaexpress.com.
Helpful websites:
Catalina Trolley Schedule and Map – http://www.ecatalina.com/pdf/trolly.pdf
Zip Line adventure – www.visitcatalinaisland.com
Inside Island Adventure Tour and Glass-Bottom Boat or Semi-Submersible tour– www.catalinaadventuretours.com
Catalina Casino and Catalina Golf Gardens and Descanso Beach – www.visitcatalinaisland.com
The Cottage Restaurant – www.menu4u.com/thecottage/html/about_us.html
This article was published in the April 2012 edition of NOT BORN YESTERDAY. www.nbynew.com

Avalon on Dwellable


text:
Visit Our Sites
The heart-shaped Hachiya is the go-to persimmon variety for baking. Tip: Be sure it is completely ripe, or it will make your mouth pucker!
To print this recipe, choose a print size:
1 tsp. baking soda2 ripe Hachiya persimmons, pureed2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon1/2 tsp. ground cloves1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg1/2 tsp. salt1 cup sugar1/2 cup butter1 egg1 cup raisins1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside. Sift together flour, spices and salt; set aside. Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy, then beat in egg and persimmon pulp. Stir in dry ingredients. Add raisins and nuts and blend them into the dough.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm and just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove cookies from baking sheets and place on a rack to cool.
Makes 2 dozen


text:
Think Twice Before Publishing With Free Article Directories. P.S.Remesh Chandran.
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum.
By PSRemeshChandra, 2nd May 2012. Short URL http://nut.bz/33p2m1bq/
Posted in Wikinut> Columns & Opinions
Online publishing platforms are a great solace not only to those who seek up-to-date and current knowledge, but for those who wish to publish articles without complications also. Websites like Wikinut serve this purpose fine. One can also publish articles in free article directories like Go Articles and E Zine which would surely bring traffic to one's website. But once a sensible writer steps into this alien field, he would soon realize that he has actually stepped into a treacherous bog.
A flood of inferior links comes as a deluge to search results, obscuring all your good links.
It is the wish of every writer who owns a blog or site to drive more traffic to his or her blog and site. Publishing articles in the articles data bases Go Articles and E Zine is the most advised way for attracting traffic into a site. The idea is, since these are reputed sites and by publishing in them your name becomes noted, clicks leading to your site will correspondingly increase and this increase of activity in your site will eventually lead to your site's ranking going higher up with search engines. These data bases offer back links to at least four or five of your sites. You certainly will get more traffic to your site. But, no sooner you begin publishing your articles with these data bases than your digital world will become cramped and confused with hundreds of links leading to inferior sites, obscuring all good links which you have cherished for long. Therefore think twice, before publishing with them.
If you are not interested in making money from your website, never publish in these free article data bases.
These sites are free article data bases, accessible to anyone. By publishing in them, you practically make your articles go public domain, which means anyone can use it anyway. Thousands of disciplined and legitimate readers use these data bases daily for gathering information on a wide variety of subjects. Students, teachers, writers, researchers, publishers, advertisers, all go there to find suitable articles, and they do find these data bases immensely helpful. It is true, this kind of exposure puts you on the main stream of publishing as regard to readership. And if you are interested in making money from your site, it is good again. But once you search, at times, where your articles are going, you will be horrified at the wantonness with which your articles are reused. There indeed are a few decent and imaginative websites which republish your articles as pages in the midst of which their advertisements are posted, doing it in a way that you will be thrilled at the beauty with which your articles are republished. But the most dreaded among them are indecent websites who download your articles from these data bases and use them for illegitimate purposes, in a way it would look that you have endorsed their activities. The end product will look horrible and make people think, who this wreck of an author is to have written such an insensible piece of writing.
The word 'soil' in your article will lead to some real estate firm and the word 'money' will lead to all kinds of hoary money making (loosing) techniques.
Suppose there is a website titled 'Hundred Ways To Make Money'. They take your article on 'A Walk In The Moonlight'. When they publish it, your article will not have the usual titles, sub titles, punctuation, lay out or justification. Almost all words in the article would have been made into links which would lead to their heinous advertisements. If you have the word 'soil' in the article, it would be made a link, which if clicked, would lead to some real estate firm. If you have put the word 'car' somewhere in the article, it will surely lead to some car financing company. The word 'money' will lead to all kinds of hoary money making (loosing) methods and financing. Links to your sites and blogs, when clicked, will lead to theirs. In search results, your name will be there, along with that 'Hundred Ways To Make Money' link, as if it is you who is running that site. Everything can be read, except your article which would be totally missing. A long list of such cheating sites can be added here for the care of writers: trivandrum locanto, bloglinez, shopturbo, infibeambooks, allvoices, lovepets, livinskiy, pageinsider, fashionbeautyonlinestore, rainoutfit, ebay, namepedia, bestpriceprobe, housesplans, 911pipl, milkandcream. This is just to show who can be there, using writers' articles indecently. Do not please click their names and send more traffic to them from authors. But since the names of a few indecent sites are noted here, it would be inappropriate and inopportune not to mention the good and decent websites which reuse writers' articles to the total satisfaction of those writers. They include heartattackforwomen, iraisedit, loudfeeds, blurbwire, pigroot, geliyoo and fearnowine, to mention a few.
Soon your good links will disappear in an ocean of links leading to inferior websites.
Suppose you write for Wikinut and when someone searches on the internet for your name, Wikinut links will appear first. Once you publish in these data bases, it will change. These rogue websites which copy your articles will occupy the first, second, third and fourth pages, and if possible all the rest pages, of the search results. It is like they enjoying a free ride standing on your shoulders. They want pages for their web sites to run, which they cannot create themselves. They download and publish your pages their way, without observing publishers' norms. A few writers will regularly type their names and see what results appear on internet searches. They will soon find that links to their good sites have vanished in a flood of links from rogue sites with their names, minus their articles. Many of them will make complaints to these data bases about how their articles were misused by many websites. They will get the following standard reply which is useless and impracticable to the writer anyway:
"We do require publishers to follow our republishing guidelines: As most publishers simply need to be reminded that they must follow our guidelines for publishers, we first suggest contacting the owner of the site in question. If no response is received, you may then get into contact with the site's web host (contact information can be found by going here: http://www.who.is and entering their website), requesting they enforce their Acceptable Use Policy. Please note, as you maintain the copyright to your articles, you are responsible for protecting that copyright."
It would not be as easy for the writer to disengage himself as it is to put his neck in the midst of this kind of a grinding wheel.
His articles going to the most wrong places is the dread of all fine writers. If you write an article 'Advice against artificial baby feed', it would promptly find its way into a site selling artificial baby feeds. If you write an article against keeping dogs in homes, it would be skillfully manipulated to promote a kennel. If your article is about one of your personal experiences, it will land in a book publishing website which was never connected with you, without any trace of your article there, your name still leading to them. It is unbelievable that many famous book publishing sites make use of this cheap trick ignominiously. Soon you would find that your articles are used for what you always have stood against and what you always have opposed. That would be a very disgusting experience for a writer. It would not be as easy for the writer to disengage himself as it is to put his neck into this kind of a grinding wheel because these links have come to stay, perhaps for ever, or till they get hold of another unawaring prey. A writer will normally wish to someday catch this website owner and present a thundering blow to his cheek or even break his neck.
Be patient, wait and make your articles good. Fame will come your way.
It is advisable for the writer to wait, till traffic naturally finds its way to his website. If one's articles are extremely good and he is good at devising apt tag words for his articles, readers will ultimately come to him, wherever his articles are posted. If there is a really good article on a particular subject in the internet, readers will eventually arrive at it some day, even if it gets buried in the last page of search results. If good articles cannot be searched and brought to readers, search engines also cannot thrive and exist in the long run. Therefore it is the duty of the writer to write, not spread. When it is his time or when it is the time of that particular article, it would sometimes be the only available article to be displayed on that specific subject, and how can it be excluded from being displayed?
The virtue of Wikinut is that there is no distinction between rich and poor writers. Really how much free are the free article data bases?
These directories are said to be free article submission directories. But there are two types of services they offer to writers: ordinary and premium. If you are rich and can afford paying money for sponsoring your articles, you can order premium services. Or, your articles won't have headlines or bold sub headings. This arrangement is really something shocking, mean and ostentatious which does not fit the modern world and which no reliable publishing platform shall maintain. What change will money bring to the quality of an article, except in its look? Why should one submit articles to a directory which denies bold sub headings to a writer because he has no money? It suits only the barbarian times. It is something undignified for a writer to have denied such basic editorial services due to his having no money to pay. When viewed from these angles, Wikinut is the most generous articles data base and publishing platform in the world. There, there are no distinctions between rich and poor writers, and whatever online editing facilities and innovations are available there are allowed to all and shared by all. So, be patient with Wikinut and continue writing very good articles which nowhere else would be available. Someday it will be your day which is not far away.
Dear Reader,
If you cannot access all pages of P.S.Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum, kindly access them via this link provided here:
To read about the life and people of Kerala, the author's native land, visit KERALA COMMENTARY here.
For more articles of this kind, visit SAHYADRI BOOKS here or BLOOM BOOKS, TRIVANDRUM
Article Submissions, Articles, Columns, Driving Traffic To Websites, E Zine Articles, Essays, Free Article Data Bases,Free Article Directories, Go Articles, Manipulation Of Articles,Misusing Internet Articles, P S Remesh Chandran, Protection Of Writers Rights, Public Domain Pages, Rogue Websites,Sahyadri Books And Bloom Books Trivandrum, Treacheries In The Publishing Field, Violation Of Article Usage Norms, Virtues Of Wikinut
Meet the author
Editor of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of 'Swan, The Intelligent Picture Book'. Unmarried and single. Born and brought up in Nanniyode, a little village in the Sahya Mountain Valley.
Share this page
Delicious Digg Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Twitter
There are many good sites like Knoji, hubpages, suite 101 , Xomba that one can write on.
6th May 2012 (#)
Yes, dear Madan. There are many. But I was targeting on Go Articles and E Zine, according to my nature. The original title I intended for this article was 'Think Twice Before Publishing With Go Articles and E Zine. But I changed it to suit Wikinut's modesty. With these two sites, most observations noted above are true, I think. Those legitimate and decent customers of these sites who read and make use of articles posted in them certainly are outside the purview of this article.They are never responsible for this cluttering of search results. In fact, they do not even appear there. I did not know about Knoji. If it is Knol which is mentioned, it is sad Google retired the good Knol. Thank you Madan for the added information.
Engaging and insightful article, PSRemesh with great advice. Very pleased to meet you, by the way. Thanks for sharing.
7th May 2012 (#)
I was only sharing my observations and personal experiences, so that my fellow writers, if they already do not, shall know in advance a few things. Thank you Buzz.
a very interesting article, and some great points
10th Aug 2012 (#)
It is articles written by several good writers like you, Rebecca that caused me to think and write about the disappointments many writers feel about the publishing practices of a few famous article publishing sites and the after ill effects of publishing with them. Your article 'The Things You Will Learn Publishing A Book' which you published in April 2012 was informative and a good read. Why no similar articles since then?


text:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has unveiled its new plan from 2015 to 2020.
It has set a limit of £3.3 billion of total departmental expenditure in 2015/16 and a vision for "secure, affordable and clean energy supplies".
"We will meet these goals by nurturing competition and supporting innovation in new technologies. This will help keep bills as low as possible for families and businesses. We are also pushing for ambitious international action on climate change to safeguard our long term economic and national security," the document states.
It has set out five key objectives: ensuring a secure and resilient energy system, keeping energy bills as low as possible for households and businesses, securing ambitious international action on climate change and reducing emissions cost-effectively at home and managing the UK's energy legacy safely and responsibly.
It adds ensuring a secure supply of electricity and oil and gas is a priority and the government aims to work across all sectors to make sure the UK has a "well-functioning, competitive and resilient energy system".
DECC's long term plan for "predictable and clean electricity" includes a "significant expansion" of new nuclear.
It will also consider new smart technologies such as storage and demand-side response, looking in particular at where it is possible to remove policy and regulatory barriers and catalyse further innovation.
The plan states: "It also includes introducing more competition wherever we can such as for certain large electricity network assets. We will also consider how to reform the current system operator model to make it more flexible and independent. In parallel, we will continue to take steps to reduce overall demand through better energy efficiency."
To supplement production from the North Sea, the government will also continue to support the "safe development" of shale gas.
The document adds the government will "review the operation of the Capacity Market" and expects changes to support for renewable energy to reduce energy bills by £30 from 2017.
Onshore wind projects will not receive any subsidies from April this year and support for solar projects have also been reduced.
Support for business
DECC believes there's "significant untapped potential" for energy saving in the business sector despite the energy intensity of the UK economy falling by 24% since 2004.
It states: "Realising this potential will improve businesses' productivity and will also support growth but the business energy tax and policy framework is complex and businesses tell us it does not provide the incentive it could to reduce energy consumption. The government has therefore consulted, through the Business Energy Tax Review, on how to reduce administrative burdens while improving the effectiveness of policy in driving cost-effective energy and carbon savings."
With the public sector a major energy consumer, spending around £4 billion a year, the government is investing a further £295 million in energy efficiency over five years to help cut costs and emissions.


text:
Use your postcode to find local councillors, facilities, school catchment areas and more.
For details of any additional events or further details of any of our existing services, facilities, and activities please contact us.
The HayesCardiffCF10 1FL
Public transport: See Cardiff BusExternal link opens in a new window for local routes or visit TravelineCymruExternal link opens in a new window to plan your journey online.
Parking: Not available on site. Several city centre car parks within walking distance.
Library enquiries – 029 2038 2116


text:
Day Treatment Program
Most young people who have experienced trauma have unique challenges in their educational goals. Challenges can range from loss of credits due to school moves, challenging school environments, a lack of commitment to education, and various other challenges that are a priority at that time.
The Day Treatment Program is an alternative to Residential Treatment and is suited for individuals who are able to function with lower amounts of structure when school is dismissed.
To provide each student with a quality education that is engaging, interesting, and will help meet educational goals. We offer an alternative therapeutic educational experience for students struggling with emotional, family, other related issues, and whose needs are not being served in their current educational environment.
Quality of Service
The Colorado Department of Education regularly monitors and evaluates our program to ensure its high quality.
We are accredited but AdvancEd., and the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc.
Hallmarks of Our Program
We offer specialized instruction for students from K through 12th grade. Through an individualized school program design and academic and behavioral testing. Our desire is for the best possible education for our clients.
Classes are separated by age groups, skill level, and other special needs.
Low student-to-teacher ratios.
Students receive individual math & reading intervention to increase achievement on a weekly basis.
General Equivalency Diploma (GED) program offered for students who qualify.
Support students progress who are going to public school in our area.
Transition services for students returning to public school.
i-Ready assessments show advancement in credits and content by more than 1½ yrs of grade level for every 180 school days at Griffith Centers.
Classes are offered year-round as credit recovery.
Support for higher-risk students.
Students receive clinical services of individual, family, and group therapy.
The students at the Griffith Centers for Children are given the attention and support needed to overcome obstacles, thus getting back on the road to success and graduation.
For more information on our educational services please contact us below


text:
Annual black and blue morning effort
August 16, 2019 09:20 AM
ALBANY – The usual orange and pink logo was enhanced with blue and black streamers and balloons and plenty of gold, silver and bronze for the annual "Cops on Top" fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics.
Several athletes joined Albany Police officers atop the Dunkin Donuts on Washington Ave. across from the University at Albany.
"They are the guardians of the flame as we call them," said Jennifer Frame of Special Olympics New York. "Our athletes really love and respect them so it's really wonderful to see the partnership between Special Olympics and Law Enforcement here today."
It was one of 16 spots over five counties around the Capital Region where buckets were passed and donations were given to help thousands of athletes reach new heights – just like the cops on the roof.
"This is just one of the many events we participate in with the Special Olympics every year," said Steve Smith of Albany Police. "We do the Torch Run, we do the event at Applebee's every year. We've developed a very strong partnership with Special Olympics and these athletes. We believe in what they do and we're always happy to support them."
Special Olympics New York provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in authentic competition. Athletes, coaches and the people who support them come together for the love of a sport and the thrill of a game.
"It helps raise money for us so we don't have to go out and pay for anything and the rest of my 68,000 athletes can go out and compete," said Kevin Brown, 53, who has been competing through Special Olympics for 45 years and is on the Board of Directors.
Since its inception in 2015, "Cops on Top" has raised over $50,000 dollars.
WNYT Staff
Created: August 16, 2019 09:20 AM
Copyright 2019 WNYT-TV LLC, a Hubbard Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved


text:
is backordered. We will ship it separately in 10 to 15 days.
Dimensions of Product: Lamp is 25" high to top of finial, 12" high to top of glass body, 6 1/8" wide at largest part of lamp body. Shipping box is 8 ¼"W x 8 ¼"D x 14 ¼ "H.


text:
Book 18: Words Of Radiance The Stormlight Archive Book 2
♦ ♦ ♦.5 I'll admit it right now, something must be wrong with me. My husband and I listened to The Way Of Kings, the first in the series, it seems like years ago! We loved it! I would give that one 5 stars for sure. The ratings for this second book on Audible are a solid 5 stars (well 4.8), with over 6500 people rating it. Why didn't I get it? I mean, I got it, I listened to the full 48 hours and 15 minutes of this book! That's 4 days of my life I gave this book. I found myself getting bored and checking out for a few minutes, then asking my husband what just happened? I definitely didn't do that in the first book. I felt like too much time was given to description and characters that didn't interest me that much. That being said, I did, truly, like the story. Maybe it was the narration that let me down? It's almost a 4 star rating, but not quite. I'd like to know what you think.


text:
Platinum Jewellery
Present an unmatched style with the strongest of them all and yes, it is platinum. Platinum jewellery epitomises opulence and the harmony it shares with gemstones and other metals is a sight to behold. Read More
This site uses cookies in the operation of your shopping experience and to provide you with a more responsive service. By pressing the accept button you agree for us to use cookies to ensure the marketing that we provide is relevant to you. Please visit our cookie policy page for more details or to select which marketing services are relevant to you.
Present an unmatched style with the strongest of them all and yes, it is platinum. Platinum jewellery epitomises opulence and the harmony it shares with gemstones and other metals is a sight to behold. Read More
If you really want to pull out all the stops when choosing your perfect piece of jewellery, Platinum is the way to go! This metal is not only the most highly sought after precious metal, but Platinum is the strongest one of them all.
While Platinum has the same luxurious colouration as Silver, it is tarnish resistant and remains super reflective for longer. This stunning metal has a longer shelf life, which is reflected in its price, however, the luxurious details lie its brilliant finish.
As platinum is of limited supply, it is a metal that needs to be coveted at least once in your ever- growing jewellery collection. Indulge in luxury brands such as Iliana and Rhapsody with awe-inspiring pieces and surround stunning and increasingly rare gemstones we know you love, such as; Pearl, Diamonds, Tanzanite, Emeralds with this fantastic metal setting and create a showstopping piece.
If you're looking for something truly meaningful, express your everlasting love with a stunning Platinum engagement rings or make your big day by exploring our beautiful platinum wedding rings, in our exceptional collection.
Opt for something elegantly simple and allow the lustrous shimmer of Platinum to speak for itself, or find an exquisite piece of jewellery completed with a touch of sparkle for a special look you'll treasure forever and perhaps, pass down from generation to generation.
The possibilities are endless with Platinum, so whether you find something that immediately catches your heart such as a platinum bracelet, or you want to create something extraordinarily special and unique, through our bespoke team, discover platinum jewellery pieces with TJC!


text:
Thursday August 15
9:30am ‐ 11:30am
Caledon East Park
6101 Old Church Rd, Caledon East, ON L7C 1G6, Canada
Fun In The Parks at Mobile Village Stops
The CPCC has arranged a busy schedule for our Village families on weekdays this summer.
Everyone is welcome to join us for a couple of hours of fun at the different Caledon villages.
Look for the CPCC Van!


text:
BALTIMORE -- Sometimes the July 31 trade deadline isn't only about the August and September immediately following. Recent Red Sox history would suggest that sometimes the July 31 trade deadline is about is about the distant future.
BALTIMORE -- Sometimes the July 31 trade deadline isn't only about the August and September immediately following. Recent Red Sox history would suggest that sometimes the July 31 trade deadline is about is about the distant future.
In 2010, a Boston team fading out of contention swung a deal with the Texas Rangers to acquire out-of-favor catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox already had Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek on the roster, but Martinez was a pending free agent and Varitek no longer was a starting catcher. Saltalamacchia played only little in the final two months but took over as the starting catcher the following season.
In 2011, a Boston team with what seemed to be a firm grasp on a playoff spot traded for shortstop Mike Aviles even with Jed Lowrie and Marco Scutaro on the roster. Like Saltalamacchia the previous year, Aviles played only little in the final two months of that season, but he found himself the starting shortstop a year later after the Red Sox traded both Lowrie (for Mark Melancon) and Scutaro (for Clayton Mortensen).
(That 2011 team also swung a minutes-before-the-deadline deal for Erik Bedard to fill a more immediate need. It didn't wind up helping much.)
And in 2012, a Boston team treading water before an August collapse swapped Matt Albers for lefty Craig Breslow, a reliever who's proven far more useful this season than he was to a going-nowhere team last year.
What might 2013 bring? The Red Sox have significant free agents-to-be -- and thus potential vacancies next season -- at four positions:
* Catcher, with Saltalamacchia;
* First base, with Mike Napoli;
* Shortstop, with Stephen Drew;
* Outfield, with Jacoby Ellsbury.
This isn't to dismiss the possibility of any or all returning, but that's not something the Red Sox can count on -- and thus something the Red Sox have to protect themselves against.
At first base, the Red Sox would appear to have a potential successor already in-house in the person of Mike Carp, acquired midway through spring training in a similar stash-away move. There likewise appears to be no pressing need at shortstop, not with Jose Iglesias in the major leagues and Xander Bogaerts not too far away.
Though Jackie Bradley Jr. likewise is in the system as an heir to Ellsbury in center field, it wouldn't hurt for Boston to acquire an outfielder like Chicago's Nate Schierholtz to insure themselves against Bradley struggling. But with Carp and Daniel Nava already on the Red Sox roster, there's not really a spot for Schierholtz on the roster as constituted.
That leaves catcher, one of the positions of vulnerability for the Red Sox both now and in the future.
Saltalamacchia has better offensive numbers than the average American League catcher and has three seasons' worth of experience with the Red Sox pitching staff. But Saltalamacchia also has significant defensive limitations, and his offensive approach -- he's struck out three times as often as he's walked -- isn't what the Red Sox really want.
With David Ross out, Ryan Lavarnway had a chance to earn some playing time against lefthanded pitching. But Lavarnway has a .289 on-base percentage and .325 slugging percentage, albeit in sporadic playing time.
If Cherington were to make a move along the same lines as the Saltalamacchia trade in 2010 and the Aviles trade in 2011, he might look for a catcher under control beyond this year -- such as San Diego's Nick Hundley. The Padres are 12 games under .500. Hundley is under team control at reasonable dollars through the 2015 season. The Padres probably won't actively look to trade Hundley, particularly with a Biogenesis cloud hanging over their other catcher, Yasmani Grandal. But they'd have to be open to a conversation.
Hundley -- like much-discussed pitchers Cliff Lee and Jake Peavy -- represents the type of player the Red Sox like to target. He's a player who not only could help this season but would be in the mix next year as well. He'd fit right in with what has become an identifiable Red Sox trade-deadline philosophy.
Twitter: @brianmacp


text:
eISBN: 978-1-60805-188-5, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-60805-546-3
Indexed in: Book Citation Index, Science Edition, Scopus, EBSCO.
The book examines several aspects of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) employing linear diversity techniques such as inter-carrier interference, bit error rate, peak to average power and inter-block interference. It should be a useful reference for readers interested in modern wireless communication systems.
*(Excluding Mailing and Handling)
Pp. 553-555 (3)
Khoa N. Le
School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney, Australia.


text:
Love Christmas Wishes Messages
Christian community in all over the world celebrate Christmas with faith, joy and enthusiasm. Christmas festival celebrates with various popular traditions like sending of Love Christmas Wishes Messages, exchanging of gifts, Christmas trees, decorating homes etc. Christmas is a happy and most exciting time filled with great spiritual significance. On this day, all relatives invest energy in heating treats, making fudge and setting up a major Christmas supper, with every one of the trimmings. Christmas is the most awaited festival of the year. Many peoples find Love Christmas Wishes Messages to wish Christmas. Every person send Christmas wishes messages to their loved ones. One the loving time of the year we are providing you latest and heat touching Love Christmas Wishes Messages to you and your dear ones. Send these Love Christmas Wishes Messages through SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook. You just come through us and watch our huge collection of Love Christmas Wishes Messages on wishesideas.com
For the most special woman in my life,
Who love me unconditionally,
Who care for me
Who cherish me
Merry Christmas!
You know my love is true,
You know you are special,
And you make me feel the new,
Merry Christmas 2020
I need to prove my love to you
This Christmas my dear
That is exactly what I am going to do,
Baby I love you so much
Wishing a Merry Christmas to you
And a lovely New Year 2020!
You are my true love and
I am blessed that I won your heart
Merry Christmas!
In this season of Christmas, I wish you peace of the season
spirit of love, comfort of faith and beauty of the Yuletide.
Good thing I have you as my own personal heater.
May all your joyful Christmas dreams come true, my beloved! I love you!
This holiday season will be the best ever because I get to spend it with you.
I hope your holidays are filled with festivities and plenty of merry enjoyment.
Wishing you a Christmas, filled with fun and party. Have a wonderful Christmas!!!
All I want for Christmas this year is your presence. I don't need any presents from you.
Christmas is always so special because we spend it together. Merry Christmas, darling!
Christmas is for spending time with those we love most. I am so glad to spend it with you!
I thank you for all the love and strength you gave me. I love you so much. Merry Christmas.
May success be with you and everything you do, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year too!
I really care about you. Merry Christmas, and thank
you for being you; you mean the world to me.
Your love is the best gift I could have asked for! Merry Christmas sweetheart!
May this Christmas fill your life with love and may we enjoy many more years of togetherness.
"Seasons greetings" is only one of the messages I would like to give you this holiday season.
Wishing you all the best that life can bring, Merry Christmas to you and a year full of blessings.


text:
We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Barber supplies all kinds of piercing instruments for all of your piercing needs. The instruments will ensure that you carry out your job with accuracy and precision whilst making sure that your customer is in safe hands. All of our equipment is of the highest quality ensuring that it is reliable and meets all of your needs and expectations. Our instruments will make sure that your customers leave your shop feeling happy and satisfied with their new look. Some instruments we have in stock include tweezers, forceps, ball holders and much more.


text:
Mehmet Tunçer
Prof. Dr. in Restoration, Fac. Of Architecture and Engineering, Head of Dep. of Architecture, Abant Izzet Baysal
Konya, which is in the Central Anatolian Region, is one of the greatest cities of Turkey as far as surface area is concerned. It has been densely populated in every historical period since its land is distributed into plateaus, plains and closed river systems and its soil is fertile. It was an important center of trade, culture and politics all through the First and Middle Ages at the intersection points of historical trade routes that connect the Anatolian towns to each other, to Asia and to Europe (Figure 1). It still keeps that importance today.
Significant settlements have been established in and around this City since prehistoric times. This part, which also contains the ancient Lykaonia, has in it the oldest ancient-era settlements of Anatolia. Many findings, witnesses to the prehistoric times, have been unearthed in the Alaeddin Hill. The same Hill has been home to the Frigians (Phrigians?) between the 8th-7th centuries BC. Catalhoyuk, near the Cumra District, houses one of the richest veins of findings of the history of civilization (800-5300 BC). Besides Catalhoyuk, important Neolithical settlements are Erbaba (Beysehir), Suberde and Can Hasan. Settlements were established at Can Hasan, Western Catalhoyuk, the Alaeddin Hill, Sizma, Karahoyuk and other centers in the Calcolitichal and Bronze Ages.
Konya is one of those Anatolian cities whose name has lasted since the ancient times. Its name of old, Ikonion, is related to the work "Ikon", which means "picture", "holy picture". The name Ikonium was altered to Iconium in the early Roman period, then to Claudiconium when the Emperor gave the town his own name in the period of Emperor Cladius (41-54 AD). The town, which became a completely Roman town in the period of Emperor Hadrianus (2nd century AD: 117-138), went by the name "Colonia Selenie, Adrina Augusta Iconium. The name of the town, which is mentioned as "Conium" or "Stancona" in Byzantian sources and "Conia, Cogne, Cogna, Konich, Konia Tokonion" in other sources, appears as "Yconium" in Crusader sources. The Arabians named the town as Kuniya. The name Konya, which was used in the Seljuk (Selçuk) and Ottoman (Osmanlı) periods as well, has come unaltered to our day.
After raids by Kimmerians, Lydians and Persians, Konya was put under Roman rule in 133 BC. It is known that Konya was included in the first great Anatolian Empire, the State of the Hittites (1650-712 BC). The Konya Egerli and Karaman are among old Hittite towns. The rock base-relief, which is one of the most descriptive properties of Hittite art, is encountered in Egerli, Ivris, Beysehir-Eflatunpinar and Fasillar. Following that, Konya entered the power of the Frigian state (712-695) and the Lydians (680-546).
This is followed by the Persians conquering all of Anatolia from one end to the other (546-334 BC). The town was included in the Cappadoccia Kingdom between the dates 332-17 BC. Conquered by the Romans in 17 BC, Konya became an important center in this period and the Byzantian period. The Roman period displays the properties of the peace time in such a town as Konya which is wide-spread on plains. The town was the scene for several Emevi and Abbasi (Arabs) attacks in the Eastern Rome/Byzantine period between the years 395-1076. After the Malazgirt Battle, it was conquered by Suleyman Shah in the year 1076 and made the Capital City of the Anatolian Selcuklu (Seljucks) State. The Alaeddin Hill is an inner citadel in Konya, which attained its true character during the Selcuklu period. This Selcuk Citadel has almost been left right in the middle of the town during the Ottoman Empire Period.
The "Center of
Trade", an indication of the economical structure, level of technology, and
the social and cultural life of a town,
is the most important part of the town. There is a deep-rooted tradition of trade organization and trade
structure in the Ottoman-Turkish towns. The traditional trade centers of
many of our towns today, like in Konya, are physical proofs of this tradition,
which have lived until this day. These
trade centers should be rearranged and old buildings should be given new areas
of application. The position of Konya, on the route that runs by mountains
going down all the way to the Mediterranean shores, lends itself readily to
urban settlement. Catalhoyuk, that is perhaps the first prehistoric Anatolian
settlement to display urban characteristic, is on the same route, very close to
Konya. The ancient route, which goes across Anatolia diagonally, had become
extremely significant when Bursa rose as an economical center in the Ottomans'
OF THE 20TH CENTURY (Aziziye Mosque)
This route set off from Bursa, passed through Kutahya-Karahisar-Aksehir-Konya-Adana and reached Halep and Sam; it therefore connected Konya simultaneously to the other Ottoman towns, most significantly Istanbul. Kayseri, through which another trade route from Syrie passed, was connected to Konya through Aksaray.
Another way the Ottomans reached the Arabian countries was the Alanya-Antalya (Attalia) sea route. Heavy trade material of Anatolia was brought to Antalya through land and were carried to Alexandria and other regions from there through sea. And the control of that Antalya route was in the hands of Karamans, in Konya.
The trade and social focal points in Konya are the trader-crafter markets surrounding Mevlana Kulliyesi, Selimiye Mosque, Kapu Mosque and Aziziye Mosque. The two basic elements of the Islamic town, the mosque and the market, are observed to be the two elements controlling the physical structure in Ottoman towns as well. However, Ottoman towns were developed, unlike other Islamic towns, by creating imarets (Pious Foundations), which are collections of religions and social buildings. Since imarets included buildings for all services, including mosques, inns, baths and mealhouses (aşevi), they tended to attract people around themselves.
The Konya settlement area was within the walls surrounding the Alaeddin Hill in the Selcuk times. After the town walls were repaired, a palace was erected on the northern slopes of the hill and the Ulu Mosque (Alaeddin Mosque) in the middle part. According to the building remains, it can be stated that the northern side of the hill was reserved for Turks and the southern side, for the Christian people. The palace, government buildings, schools, mosques, inns and baths were constructed in the Turkish part. There was a wall separating the Turkish and Christian Districts.
The Town, which grew and flourished rapidly, was surrounded by a broader wall by Alaeddin Keykubat I. Charles Texier mentions that there were 108 towers on these walls, one in every 30 meters; and there were bridges on these walls where the gates were. There were 12 gates leading out of the wall. Some of these gates had names like Aksaray, Atpazarı (Horse Market), Debbaglar, Ertas, Fahirani, Halka Begus, Meydan (Square), Çeşme Kapısı (Fountain Gate). The Town spilt out of these walls as well after the 16th century and spread swiftly in four directions. The main spreads were to Araplar and Sedirler in the northeast, to Turbe in the east, to Uluirmak and Lalebahce in the south and to Havzan and Meram in the west.
Information about the trade areas and markets during the Selcuk period is limited. While the markets and bazaars were around the Alaeddin Hill until the 13th century, they were moved out of the outer walls after that date. The Buğday Pazarı (Wheat Market) was in the north, the Kapan Pazarı (Trap Market) and Odun Pazarı (Wood Market) were in the west, and the Bezezistan (Bedestan) was in the east. There also were horse and sheep markets nearby the Aksaray Gate.
Some of the inns, whose patrons were merchants, that are in the markets are Sekerciler, Pirincciler, Vezir Ziyadettin, Bedrettin Yalman, Demre Hanim and Altin Apa. Today, only some shops next to the Sahip Ata inn remain of the trade points.
The Konya traditional market; had a unique and original structure in the Ottoman as well as the Selcuk Period. Every trade branch operated in a street assigned to it. The center of the market started from the Kanuni Bedesten and reached out to Atpazari in the south.
The market was in its present bounds in the 19th century. After the 1869 fire, a great portion was renovated by the Governor Burdurlu Tevfik Pasa.
The traders and crafters that remain to us from the old market are as follows: Mustaflar, Çarıkçılar (Shoemakers), Yorgancılar (Coverlet-Makers), Marangozlar (Carpenters), Demirciler (Blacksmiths), Attarlar (Druggist), Tuzcular, Kececiler, Jewelers and Dabbags (Tanner).
None of the trade buildings that were constructed in the Ottoman Period could reach to our day in its original form. And the nine-domed covered bazaar "Konya Bedesteni", dated 1538, was torn down and the School of Industry (today, the building of Special Governorship) was erected in its place. The traditional Konya Market was built in 1869 by the Governor Tevfik Pasha, and the Wheat Market was build in 1901 by the Governor Ferit Pasha. Some of the trade buildings, which are mentioned in historical sources but could not stand to this day, were: the Kiremitli Inn built by Beyazit II., the Avlun Inn built by Behram Aga, the Alaca Inn built by Mahmut Pasha, the Valide Inn built by Kosem Valide Sultan, the Bezirganlar Inn built by Mustafa Pasa and the Aslan Aga Inn built by the Kethuda Aslan Aga. The Mecidiye Inn, built in the 19th century, is still in use today (Figure 3).
There are inns that bear the properties of late period Ottoman architecture in the traditional town center besides the Mecidiye Inn, such as the Nakipoglu Inn and Basarili Inn. Market Places (Bazaars), which were important elements of the traditional pattern, have been destroyed (like the Uzum Market (Grape Bazaar) and Agac Market (Wood Bazaar)) (Figure 4). Whereas the shops that create the pattern in this part of the town center had generally been one-or two-story, mixed roofed, with balconies on the front facade, wooden and shuttered buildings in the beginning of the 20th century, now they are completely disfigured by repairs, added stories and new buildings. One of the best-preserved historical trade patterns today is located in the part to the north of the Turbe Street.
The first urban Master and Implementation Plan of Konya City, whose basemaps were prepared in the 1940s, was made in the year 1944. In the Master and Implementation Plans, that were obtained through the planning competition held by Iller Bankasi in 1964, it was decided that the city be developed in the Konya-Ankara axis' direction.
According to the 1990 census, the city has a population of 513 344. Of that number, 188 244 lives in the Selcuk District, 182 444 in Meram District and 142 678 in the Karatay District.
In the 1/25 000 scaled Environment Arrangement Plan approved in the year 1983, the population for the year 2005 is targeted to be 1.3 millions.
The Central Business Districts (CBD) of Konya consists of the proximity of Aleaddin Hill, which is developing to be as the administrative center of the city. The Turbe District, where the historical town center is located, is a part that can be reached by the Outer Citadel and the Aksaray Gate (Bab-i Aksaray) in the eastern part of the city. There is a dense traffic artery between the Aleaddin Hill and the Mevlana Kulliyesi. This artery, which was conceived to be a pedestrian-concentrated promenade in the 1964 plan, has not yet been put into application.
The effects of the Konya Urban Master Plan (Y. Tasci Plan) dated 1965 on the Historical Town Center are as follows:
Konya is established on a historical core and is presently developing in a radial and erratic manner depending on the commercial and social equipment. The onset of highrise buildings on norrow streets in the town center indicates the growing tendency for sunless, unhealthy places.
The town center is unable to serve surrounding settlements. As a natural consequence of the human stream flowing in an east-west direction and connecting the bus terminal and the traditional center, a new center is planned to develop in time and a dense building is foreseen around this center.
The Aleaddin Hill-Mevlana Kulliyesi axis is set aside for pedestrian traffic and it is decided to form two collecting routes, one to the north and one to the south, and a central ring. This ring will provide easier access from the neighborhood, which is developing all directions, to the traditional centers (Figure 5).
Developing the roads surrounding the Historical Town Center, a second ring was formed around the center; thus, the region between the first and the second rings is conceived as a part that is fitting to the theory of urban development, and a transition-development area for the center.
The permission for 3, 4, sometimes 5-story buildings has, for a long time, prevented high-scale building demands in this part, as compared to the higher-rant parts of the City. On the other hand, since these parts are right next to the traditional trade center and since a potential for tourism is inherent there, the interest in the region has ever been alive. For the existing main artery to be rearranged for mainly pedestrian traffic, the two new Northern Arteries that were created connect the residential areas in the eastern part of town to the historical trade center and to the new center in Nalcaci, through the Turbe District (Figure 6).
To the west of the Turbe District is the historical trade center, and to the east, north and south is the Konya traditional residential pattern. This area, which has been used for residential purposes until recent years, is gradually being converted into a tourism trade, daily trade, hosting and small production area since it is included within the CBD boundaries; and with occasional stores and warehouses, is slowly being ruined. The 1-2 storied old Konya houses, part of the traditional residential pattern, are being pulled down and 4-6-storied buildings are being erected on the same street, hence the density is blowing up to disproportionate amounts and a building order that clashes with the old town pattern, that lacks services and parking areas, is being established.
While the existing road pattern in the traditional center is being preserved as it is (apart from some opening-closing to traffic and some one-way designations), great damage has been made to the historical sight of Konya by the increased number of allowed stories.
The implementation plan that has been in force in Konya until our day was neither prepared in a manner thoughtful of the cultural valuables that have to be preserved as examples of monumental and civilian architecture, nor was aimed to preservation.
Where registered buildings were dense, either the road was widened or new roads were opened by pulling down registered buildings. By wide-ranging operations in the traditional center, big-scale buildings like the Mevlana Market, the Kadinlar Bazaar, The Şeyh Kamil Merkez Market, the Rampalı Market, the Saray Market, or big-program buildings that were erected by combining together all of a building plot or even two plots together, were made, totally incompatible with the traditional pattern in their mass, dimensions, or architecture.
The projects of some buildings like the Ferah Market, Vakif Market-Business complex, and the Altin Market are relatively fitting in their environment with their dimensions. Another project that was prepared was or the renovation of the Old Wheat Market and converting it to a great closed-roof-market complex. All of these applications disturb the historical pattern of the traditional center, and the intensifying business activities bring about transportation problems.
Konya, whose historical past is extremely rich and whose accumulation of cultural and architectural material is extensive, should be considered with all-encompassing approaches and its cultural valuables and monumental structures should be preserved and developed as parts of a whole.
Actually, according to the decision numbered 225 and made on 01.05.1995 by the Konya Council of Preservation of Cultural and Natural Assets, a "Konya Historical Town Center Conservation Plan", that includes the greater part of the traditional center has been prepared by considering the traditional center as a whole. With this plan, the "Mevlana Kulliyesi Environmental Arrangement Project" formerly prepared by the Ministry of Culture, the "Mevlana Kulliyesi Location Preservation-Aimed Building Plan" that considers the close neighborhood of the Kulliye, and the "Piri Mehmet Pasa Kulliyesi and Its Environment Conservation Plan" prepared by the Karatay Municipality, transportation, land use, cultural assets that have to be preserved and other similar factors were considered altogether and it was attempted to create a "Historical Town Center Project".
All these new developments are positive, although late. Nevertheless, the planning and application issues presented below should be considered with priority.
The "Konya Historical Town Center Conservation Plan" does not contain all of the traditional pattern and center of Konya. Moreover, a complete and whole inventory has to be made of the cultural valuables that could reach intact to our day that have to be preserved. An inventory has been made of the traditional central parts and new registrations have been made. However, the conservation plans of parts that include the traditional pattern in the south-west and north should be prepared urgently.
There are many studies about the archaeology of the City of Konya. Still, these studies remain separate from each other. It is important to create an "Archaeology Master Plan" of the town about past, especially archaeological periods, by preparing the restitution of the City. The traditional town center and the traditional residential pattern are within the borders of the Meram Municipality and Karatay Municipality. The Greater Municipality also has authority over these two municipalities. For instance, the study on the Preservation-Aimed Planning for the Surroundings of Piri Mehmed Pasa has been made by Karatay Municipality, whereas the Historical Town Center Preservation-Aimed Planning studies were made by the Greater Municipality. The preservation plans around the Mevlana have, on the other hand, been prepared by the Ministry of Culture. The Konya Province is directing the project and application works around the Mevlana Kulliyesi and its close proximity. As can be seen, the chaos of authority and many-headedness that can be observed in a lot of other preservation areas is encountered in Konya as well.
It is probably the best if the preservation and improvement-aimed planning studies the traditional pattern of Konya (the central and residential pattern) are conducted by the Greater Municipality of Konya, while some specific projects of application are applied by the Meram and Karatay Municipalities.
Naturally, the central administration's (Governor, the Ministry of Culture, the Department of Pious Foundations etc.) and local units (The Preservation Council, the Province Culture Department, the Regional Department of Pious Foundations etc.) should be directing, controlling and financially and technically aiding the local administrations.
In the long run, it is vital that the local administrations (municipalities) should form units within their structure that contain personnel experienced in urban planning, restoration, preservation, rehabilitation, development, and renovation to fit the historical environment; and in the short run, that they should work in cooperation with people, establishments and organisations experienced in these matters.
By considering "Special Project Areas" that are to be determined in the course of the work on Preservation Planning, urban design, landscape and urban furniture projects, relevation and restoration projects should be prepared in greater scales (1/500, 1/200 and the like), and applications should commence without any further delay. The important point, beyond the preparations of these plans and projects, is passing on the valuables to be preserved to the future generations by prompt application of these.
· TUNÇER, M., "Conservation Project of Konya Historical Trade Area, Research Report", Oct. 1996, (Unpublished) UTTA Planning and Consulting Co.
· TUNÇER, M., "Preserving KONYA, The Seljuk Capital", ADA Kentliyim Review, May-June 1998, Number 14, Ankara, pp.72-75.
· ALKAN, A., "Planning Problems of Konya The Historic Town", 1994, Konya.
· ERGENÇ, Ö., "Ankara and Konya In Years Between 1580-1596", Ph.D. Thesis, University of Ankara, 1973.
· KARPUZ, H., "Historical and Physical Development of Konya Historical Trade Center", Unpublished Research, 1996, Konya.
· ÖNDER, M., "Mevlana's City Konya", 1976, Ankara.


text:
Hello Stampin' Friends ~
Today I have a quick -n- easy Christmas card for you. I know many of you have very busy lives but still like the "hand made" touch at Christmas so here is one solution for your cards …
Let's begin with our Designer Series paper: This Christmas Specialty Designer Series paper, you will find this paper in our annual catalog on pg.172. Once we chose the design we want, the next step is our card base … today I chose Cherry Cobbler.
While your picking out your paper products, grab your "Vellum Cardstock" because that is what we've stamped our greeting on. The greeting is from our "Wonderful Year" stamp set found on page 28 of the Holiday catalog. I used StazOn ink because it works best on this application.
I attached my vellum with the glue dots and then hide them by placing a rhinestone over the top. I colored my rhinestones with a Sharpie™ marker.
Yup … it's that quick -n- easy. Let me know if you have any questions about today's card, or other cards you have viewed this week.
Thanks for stopping by today, and enjoy your Sunday.
Today's Stampin' Supply List …
Price: $13.00
Price: $8.00
Price: $8.00
Price: $9.00
Price: $20.00
Price: $5.25
Price: $5.00


text:
Active engagement with assessment can help students improve their learning for themselves and move assessment beyond passive transmission of standards.
In this leaflet produced by Oxford Brookes active engagement with assessment is achieved through taking a social constructivist approach with students.
Broken down into three more detailed stages, the leaflet suggests ways for you to:
- Help students understand the theory behind assessment standards, in order they can actively engage with every stage of the assessment
- Engage students with the assessment criteria
- Engage students with feedback
Click here to access the full leaflet.
Latest posts by Ali Press (see all)
- Improving student assessment - August 17, 2016
- Panopto for student assessment - August 17, 2016
- Nearpod for creativity, engagement and assessment - August 17, 2016


text:
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Down the Rabbit Hole, Alice! Giveaway & Freebies
Well, I was inspired to join this newly found cyber-community so I made it my summer project to create my own teaching blog. (Down the rabbit hole, Alice!) Once "Peace, Love & Learning" was up and running, I began to really see what a supportive and generous kinship there is amongst blogging teachers. The generosity, creativity, collaboration and encouragement is astounding! I've been teaching for a little while now and have lately been feeling the need to dust off some of my old tricks and find some new ones. I LOVE teaching and I think I'm pretty good at it, but I think I was in need of a little rejuvenation. Mission accomplished! By allowing me to peek inside your classrooms, borrow some of your ideas (Smellies? Who knew?) and benefit from your experiences, you have truly inspired me to be a better teacher.
So, as I head into the new school year armed with my Target pocket charts, stash of Lip Smackers and a copy of "Pete the Cat", I want to say thanks. Thanks for sharing your brilliance, for supporting a "newbie" blogger and most importantly for rekindling my spark. You guys rock! Really. . .
Check back in tomorrow for some great freebies and my first giveaway in honor of my one month "Blog-iversary!"
8 comments:
Welcome, I too started blogging this summer (teaching wise that is) Love the kinship here among the blogs. My budget not so much :)ReplyDelete
Haha... just realized it's my blog-iversary too! Isn't it funny how a new "trick" in your teacher toolbox can be just the thing you needed!? So glad you're here!!ReplyDelete
Karen :o)
Mrs. Stamp's Kindergarten
Happy Blogiversary! :) What a sweet post! I feel the same way about the creativity, generosity, collaboration and encouragement of teacher bloggers. It's like our own online teacher's lounge with some amazingly talented teachers. :)ReplyDelete
Lil' Country Kindergarten
You took the words right out of my mouth. What an amazing group of teachers. My spark is back as well. Thanks for all your inspiration too!
Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits
Welcome to the world of blogging! You've obviously had an amazing start. You have a beautiful blog. I've added you to the Favorite Teaching Blogs sqworl.ReplyDelete
Your kind words reflect the feelings of many of us new bloggers/blog stalkers! I haven't found the courage to start a teacher blog yet, but with the awesome help of Cheryl at Primary Graffiti, I have started a classroom blog. I would love to see your classroom blog to get some ideas on what to add to mine! Would you be willing to share the address with me? I would really appreciate it!ReplyDelete
Cathy firstname.lastname@example.com
Be that as it may, in case you're willing to bet on the likelihood of paying two auto credits later on then there's a ton of awesome open door out there, whether you're hoping to purchase American or European. Merchants are edgy to move their stock, so ensure you look around to get the most ideal arrangements. Cash Advance San-diegoReplyDelete
Financing a dump truck is not quite the same as financing an auto, pickup truck, or whatever other vehicle. A dump truck purchaser will presumably observe dump truck financing to be simpler to get and more promptly accessible than different sorts of business financing. cash advanceReplyDelete


text:
SASKATOON - Drew Burko passed for 321 yards and four touchdowns as the Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the UBC Thunderbirds 54-24 in CIS football on Friday.
With the win, the Huskies (5-3) finish third in the Canada West division and will face provincial rivals the Regina Rams (6-2) in a semifinal on Nov. 2 at Mosaic Stadium.
The No. 7 Rams blanked the University of Alberta 19-0 in Friday's other CIS game.
The Thunderbirds wrapped their season with a 2-6 record.
Saskatchewan's Cole Samson and UBC's Thomas Moult traded field goals early in the first quarter before Burko hit Charlie Power with a 34-yard TD pass at 1:40 to go ahead 10-3.
Burko carried the momentum into the second, finding Mitch Stevens with a 52-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-3.
Shane Buchanan punched in a touchdown from the one-yard line two minutes later for the Huskies, but UBC cut into the lead with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Bull at 6:24 to cut the deficit to 24-10.
Saskatchewan entered the half up 31-10 after Chase Bradshaw ran in a major from the red zone with 1:47 left in the second.
Burko hit Stevens again from 35 yards out for the only score of the third.
Daniel English opened the fourth with a 12-yard touchdown catch for the Thunderbirds, but Jarvis James put Saskatchewan up 45-17 when he ran in a TD from 68 yards out.
Burko found Braeden George from eight yards out and UBC's Lucas Spagnuolo run in a TD to round out the scoring.
No. 7 Rams 19 Golden Bears 0
At Regina, Landon Buch's touchdown rush from the one-yard line in the second quarter was all the offence the Rams needed to keep the University of Alberta (0-8) winless on the season.


text:
In this episode, I explain how the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile one year ago ignited a fire in me that fueled the journey to create buy black podcast. We discuss the concept of PowerNomics, and how building an entrepreneurial spirit and ownership of the Black Community by the Black Community can affect long term social and economic change in the United States and around the globe. Next, we address the structure and content of the show and preview the development of a companion online Black-Owned Business Directory at http://www.buyblackpodcast.com. I talk about (and will reiterate here) the intent that this show's listening community will be filled with people who take real action and intentionally spend their dollars on quality Black-Owned products and services. The show wraps up with a bit of housekeeping, where I discuss the things you, as a listener, can expect from me and my pledge to be transparent with you if/when I have a financial stake in any product or service recommendation that I make. Thank you for listening. If you like the show and believe being a part of this community can enhance your world, please subscribe and leave a 5-Star Rating on iTunes. If you have a Black-Owned Business, know a business owner who should be featured on the show, or have any other questions, email me at email@example.com. -Gerald Links and Helpful Information Shared by Gerald during the Show:
Host (Gerald Jones): firstname.lastname@example.com 501-765-3998 Twitter/FB/IG @buyblackpodcast


text:
Childhood and Youth is an exciting, multidisciplinary subject in which you will explore a range of issues and challenges faced by children and young people in contemporary society, both here in the UK and on a global level. Drawing on key ideas from sociology, psychology, politics, history and geography, the degree examines important questions about children and young people's development, their life chances and their opportunities for participation in wider society.
Topics studied include how social class, poverty, gender and ethnicity impact upon young people's lives; how the media influence how children and young people are perceived by adults, and how they view themselves; and why young people take part in risky activities. In examining such questions, you will also explore various political debates and policy initiatives, as well as learning about various ways of researching with children and young people that aim to help them overcome the many challenges that they face.
With its strong emphasis on social justice and welfare, the degree will enable you to develop as a critical social scientist who values your role within the academic community at Hope and who, as a graduate, will be able to use your skills and knowledge to the benefit of your local community and society more broadly.For more details and information about this course visit:
The Degree with Foundation on this course is now full for 2020/21 entry (the 3 year Undergraduate is still open for 20/21 entry)
Language has a profound influence on the way we see, construct and interpret the world around us. It shapes our identities and culture and can be used to manipulate the way we think. The English Language degree examines a wide range of varieties of English in their social, cultural and historical contexts. It teaches you how to closely analyse texts ranging from everyday discourse to fictional narratives to the language of the media.
Studying English Language provides you with a sound knowledge of how language is structured, how it developed and spread globally, and how it functions both in society and in our minds, but it also equips you with a variety of practical critical and analytical skills. We pride ourselves on offering a challenging and stimulating degree with a wide range of innovative teaching and assessment methods, with an emphasis on how language is used for professional purposes and the practical skills valuable in selected careers.
You will be taught by academics who are actively engaged in research and have published in their specialist fields. You will also benefit from the University's Special Collections in the library, home to over 75,000 printed materials and complemented by an environmentally controlled vault that houses rare books and manuscripts from as early as the ninth century, as well as partnerships with Liverpool's cultural and educational institutions. With a strong commitment to small-group teaching and the personal development of all of our students, we strive to support you in the pursuit of academic excellence.
For more details and information about this course visit:


text:
No one is enthusiastic about the candidates running for president in 2016 except for the Democrats cheering for Hillary and Bernie and they are in deep denial. The idea that the only ones their party have in the race is a corrupt, indictable, incompetent former Secretary of State and an elderly communist should be laughable yet both are still taken seriously. As for the Republicans, they�ve managed to throw away excellent candidates and are spending all their time trashing one another instead of getting real.
Here�s the nitty gritty that all are ignoring- any one of the original candidates vying for the GOP nomination is more qualified than Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and that includes Donald Trump. The country will not fall apart if Trump wins and those heralding a disaster are blowing smoke generated by the establishment GOP and the statist RINOs who want to keep their jobs and power.
The mainstream media hasn�t done its job in decades, opting instead to promote its own agenda of attacking all things conservative. If it had it would have reported that protesters at Trump and Cruz rallies are probably paid with funds from the infamous megalomaniac George Soros. The average American voter doesn�t have the time or the will to travel around the country waving manufactured flags and chanting socialist demands.
It�s time to look in the mirror at the real person hiding their head in the sand. The hysteria at the possibility of a Trump presidency is nonsense. It is the idea of a Clinton presidency that should scare us all so why hasn�t it?
If the GOP candidates had any sense they would be targeting her instead of each other. To do that they have to remind the young voters what she was like the last time she was in the White House. Bill Clinton called her his co-president. His presidency was the most classless since Grant but not as honorable. The Clinton administration was riddled with staff that could not pass security clearances yet managed to be hired anyway.
I watched a Hillary television ad that listed all her achievements and I shouted,� Lies, all lies,� at the screen. The idea that she�s for women�s rights is a canard considering that she trashed any woman accusing her rapist husband of sexual impropriety. Any young woman planning to support Hillary needs to Google the so-called �bimbos� that Hillary destroyed.
She was my Senator and did absolutely nothing except name some government buildings and throw taxpayer funds at cronies and Dem donors. Her attempt at health care legislation (Hillarycare) ending up with litigation against her closed-door tactics that cost the government $285,864 in legal fees for plaintiffs. Although that award was overturned, her entire efforts to assume presidential powers as First Lady were clouded by her arrogance and incompetence. She was described by the Chief Counsel of the Watergate Committee in 1973, a Democrat, Jerry Zeifman, as �unethical and dishonest�. Good call, Jerry.
The myth of the Clinton administration�s success will one day be exposed when the mainstream media finally grows a pair and admits that the only good thing Bill Clinton did was step side and let Newt Gingrich�s Congress pass its Contract With America. Let�s remind these young uninformed voters that while he was impeached on a trumped up charge of perjury and inappropriate sexual activity with an intern, he should have been impeached for treason involving accepting reelection campaign funds from Communist China in exchange for releasing our national data. Hillary�s email scandal is just part of a corruption pattern that the Clintons have been using for decades.
Sadly I�ve read articles on billionaires funding anti-Trump campaigns but they should really be flooding the airwaves with ads showing how the low class, vulgar, drug-addled Clinton staff vandalized the White House when they left in 2000. Ads should be informing the ill-informed, low info Democrat voter the truth of the past of both Hillary�s real treatment of women and Sanders� (who is not even a Democrat) many years in office that produced nothing. I watched a Sanders ad and again shouted at the screen, �Who�s going to pay for this, Bernie?�
Why don�t these billionaires offer free copies of Animal Farm and 1984 to this burgeoning national idiocracy? These classics used to be required reading in schools but the Marxist academia has made sure they no longer are.
I am not a Trump supporter nor am I crazy about Ted Cruz. In fact, I really don�t care personally for either but both have one quality that I find valuable-they are anti-establishment. That is a very good thing and in November, I will vote for any GOP nominee who has that same quality. If this man wins it is up to the rest of us to see that he has a Congress that is against the status quo as well. Then America has a very good chance to be great again.
Comment by clicking here.


text:
Cool updates to Glogster EDU's format. Seems like it will be easier to Glog. Cool stuff…take a look. http://blog.edu.glogster.com/2012/03/09/clean-clear-tabbed-dashboard/
How to embed a Glog on your WordPress.com Blog.
I just started using Edmodo, but love it. It has become an extremely useful communication tool with my students. Edmodo is a web 2.0 social networking tool for educators to use to communicate with students and parents. Here are 10 reasons why I love it and recommend educators use it: 1. It is free. There … Continue reading
I found this list of web 2.0 resources for teaching and education yesterday from a Wiki called "Web 2.0 Guru", by Cheryl Capozzoli. I want to share this with you because it is by far, the best list of web 2.0 resources for teachers I have ever seen. Enjoy searching, bookmarking, referencing, planning and having … Continue reading


text:
The Team
Studio Ed
Studio Ed is based around a ProTools HD3 using Apogee converters and a Yamaha DM2000 Console.
Includes Neve 1073's, Tube Tech SMC 2A Compressors, LA 2's, LA3's, NTI EQ, SSL Comp's, 1176's and a full complement of EQ's, compressors and signal processors.
ATC 25's, KRK E8 and E8B's. SGM 10's with Custom Mastering Lab Crossover & Cabinet w/ matching Yamaha P2200 modified power amps. Yamaha NS 10's, Meyer's and KRK Sub Woofers.
Studio Ed is fully 5.1 Surround Sound, and film mix equipped and calibrated.
I founded the Grammy's Producers and Engineers Wing. And I'm current (and past) governor of the L.A. chapter of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences.
I'm also a founding member of the META Alliance, a group of audio industry experts dedicated to the implementation of high-quality standards in music recording and delivery.
And I regularly turn up as a moderator or panelist at industry conferences like NAMM and international music festivals.
The Grammy In The Schools and Grammy Camp programs are both great and I try to work with them regularly when not in the studio.
I'm a frequent guest lecturer for recording programs at colleges and universities including Berklee College of Music (which offers an Ed Cherney scholarship), the USC Thorton School of Music, Citrus College and CalArts.
And I'm on the Board of Directors at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul Minnesota.


text:
Citysearch has launched a new website called 3 Buck Bites where people are able to find food for less than $3.99 in their respective cities. You can check out the New York City page here.
Not satisfied? Submit your own cheap eats!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
3 Buck Bites - Food for $3.99 Or Less
Labels: 3 buck bites, cheap eats, cheap food, citysearch, new york, new york city, nyc
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Nectar present 3, the most sophisticated set of tools designed to blend voices. Go to every part of your vocal chain for professional sound voices in seconds. First introduced in 2010, Nectar has found a space in studios around the world, offering first-class processing designed for professional results in seconds. With version 3, Nectar helps your vocal tracks sung by addressing each of vocal production chain, offering valuable features automatic learning, a new and innovative signal processing and communication throughout the session.
What's New
Version 3.10n:
- Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.
OS X 10.8 or later, 64-bit processor
Download Now


text:
Magazine article Nation's Cities Weekly
Los Angeles Builds Alliance to Improve Race Relations
Article excerpt
This article is part of a continuing series on racial justice and race relations in cities. Articles will appear weekly leading up to NLC's sixth-annual Race Equality Week, Sept. 26-30, 2005. The goal of the weeklong series of events is to raise the consciousness and awareness of the importance of the role of city officials in improving race relations, achieving racial justice and creating inclusive communities.
The recent mayoral election in the City of Los Angeles drew international attention to the city's racial politics, long characterized by a rivalry over jobs, housing and schools. In a historic step, Antonio Villaraigosa became the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in 125 years, and moreover, won the overwhelming support of the black community.
Villaraigosa's election is a milestone for the two communities that have a lengthy history of racial and ethnic tensions and fighting social injustice. Los Angeles' old political coalitions among white, Jewish, and black residents have broadened in a need to share power with a growing Latino population. Villaraigosa's victory was punctuated by majority support from Latinos, blacks, whites, the Jewish community, moderates, liberals and union members.
A microscope will be held to the new mayor's ability to keep the Latino and black communities working together.
On one hand Los Angeles has reason to celebrate the support built across party and cultural lines ushered in by the recent election. Blacks as well as Latinos were part of Villaraigosa's coalition, showing a cultural shift in ethnic symbolism and relationships.
On the other hand, persistent fights between black and Latino students in schools are just one indicator of continuing ethnic unrest.
Easing racial tensions was precisely the motivation behind unveiling a new coalition between African American and Latino Leaders, the "Latin And African American Leadership Alliance." The co-chairs of the alliance are the Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the New York-based National Action Network; Christine Chavez, granddaughter of labor hero Cesar Chavez and political director of United Farm Workers; and Najee Ali, a Los Angeles- and Chicago-based cleric and community activist. …


text:
Cuddle Parties are on the rise, and they're exactly what they sound like. They're platonic orgies where participants can experience non-sexual physical intimacy. They're sometimes used as a form of therapy but often just exist for those who want or need no-strings, fully-clothed intimacy.
They're popular all across the USA, from Washington to Florida, with a large concentration in California, and you can view them all online at the official Cuddle Party Page. Cuddleparty.com claims to now be in its 12th year of cuddling and is a well-established institution, constantly growing in popularity. They train facilitators, connect cuddlers and even list a Fight Club style list of rules which are read out at the beginning of each meeting. Fortunately, we are allowed to talk about cuddle parties.
At this point, it would be impossible not to mention my nationality. I am British. While most national stereotypes tend to be exaggerated, unhelpful and / or untrue, the famous British reserve is the real deal. One of our foremost broadcasters, Karl Pilkington, experienced one of these hugathons when forced to attend for the TV show An Idiot Abroad.
"This wouldn't happen in England, this wouldn't work, but in America they love all this sh*t," Pilkington said.
We are Basil Fawlty, paranoid that the psychologist is attempting to analyse his sex life.
We are Mark Corrigan from Peep Show (what do you mean, you haven't seen Peep Show? Leave. And do not return until you have watched all 9 series. Heathen.)
We do not want to be touched by strangers. We do not want to touch strangers. That is why, if you type in 'England' into the cuddleparty.com search bar, you are presented with this screen:
There's something about the completely non-sexual approach which puts our hackles up. If someone wants to hook up with an attractive stranger on Tinder, we understand that, but we regard anyone who wants to cuddle or be cuddled by strangers with the level of suspicion found in this Reddit discussion:
And yet, across the Atlantic, the trend continues to flourish. Why?
I suppose the simplest answer is that some people like it.
They probably get the sense of well being and happiness that the organizers intend to cultivate. That doesn't sound like too big a leap of the imagination. These events also seem to attract the stressed or lonely, those who need some platonic affection for their mental well-being.
Cuddleparty.com also lists some skills you will gain from attending the parties: confidence, boundary and communication skills, and the secrets to welcome, relaxed, non-sexual touch. Again, this is difficult to argue with – surviving such an intensely socially awkward situation will make chatting to new people seem like a walk in the park.
Cuddle parties are like jogging. A lot of people are into it. A lot of people feel fitter and healthier for doing it. Part of me begrudgingly thinks that it probably does feel good. But my overwhelming feeling is that you must be clinically insane to try it.
Of course, there's always the other question: how far do cuddle parties go? With all that touching, massaging, and in some cases, kissing, cuddle parties must be loaded with a lethal amount of sexual tension. Cuddleparty.com's rules forbid sex and nudity, but since when did rules stop anyone?
What happens at cuddle parties, stays at cuddle parties. If you really want to know the truth you'll have to head to cuddleparty.com, but one thing's for sure: you won't see me there.