text:
Axed: Back to the Rafters ends at Amazon Prime Video
End of the road for a much-loved TV family as Streaming giant opts not to commission further.
Filed under Subscription, Top Stories
EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Prime Video is not moving forward with any further episodes of Back to the Rafters.
Six episodes reviving Packed to the Rafters debuted in September with original cast including Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Hugh Sheridan, Angus McLaren, Michael Caton and George Houvardas.
An Amazon Prime Video spokesperson told TV Tonight, "Back to the Rafters was always at the top of the list of Amazon Australia Scripted Original series to commission, and we are proud to have partnered with Seven Studios to bring the much-loved Rafters back to customers.
"It was a well-rounded six-part season and the final episode left the Rafters family in a happy space."
The revival by writer Bevan Lee not only brought back a favourite TV family six years after they left Australian screens, it also included the library of 122 episodes from 6 seasons on Seven -a strategic move by Amazon Prime to entice viewers longing to relive the original.
TV Tonight understands there were hopes for a movie for the Rafters clan, but it is not proceeding, which means cast are also being paid out from deals.
Amazon Prime does not release streaming numbers so it's unclear how many new subscribers it attracted to the service and whether the feelgood series was an ideal fit alongside premium drama offerings.
But Rafters will always have a cherished place with Australian audiences for its evergreen storytelling led by a stellar cast reflected in ratings that often eclipsed 2 million metro viewers 22 weeks a year.
Tagged with Back to the Rafters, Packed to the Rafters
Geoff Field says:
October 31, 2021 4:36 pm at 4:36 pm
As someone that (apart from the nightly news) only watches a few hours of TV a week (usually a movie without ads) Amazon would have been a waste of money – but thanks to the cast and crew for the great memories – I did watch the original on Seven!
AndrewsTv says:
Wow when you think original was on for 22 weeks a year, now usually only 10 episode seasons for streaming type shows and even some network shows too, I miss when a schedule was set like that but I guess viewing habits have changed mine included where we would sit down same time each week for half the year to keep up with our favourite shows.
Ms_MotorbikeNut says:
October 30, 2021 1:36 am at 1:36 am
I know a lot of people (especially the older people who grew up with PTTR when it was on channel 7 ) didn't watch it as it was on a pay tv channel and many can't afford even $10.00 a month for a pay tv channel. As a home care worker a lot of my clients would have loved to have seen it. They missed the mark putting it on Amazon Prime and not a FTA (Free To Air Channel) they could have aired it on both.
chivasssimo says:
I wonder if there was some confusion around the original show being on Seven (and still on 7Plus) while this reboot was on Prime, produced by Seven.
With a different title (and some cast) I sorta doubt it.
SydneyTV says:
I loved the first few episodes. I found it perfectly written. After a few eps, the main rafters characters felt like they were secondary, with Ruby and the climate being the main focus.
Steven G says:
October 29, 2021 12:34 pm at 12:34 pm
Bugger, I like my Rafters and I agree with some who struggled with the first ep or 2 but it really settled by the end of 3 and got back to what we really loved…
October 29, 2021 10:28 am at 10:28 am
I could only get through the first episode, and only barely. Some things are best left in the past.
andrewb says:
My daughter was born the same time as Ruby in the original series, Ruby was going to be her name too, but we chose not to, thanks to Rafters. While Ruby Rafter reminds me a bit of my daughter, I struggled with the first episode, tried the second to see if it got better, but didn't finish, haven't been back.
Yes, I agree with some other comments here, some things are best left in the past. Waaaay too many reboots now over original ideas.
Loz says:
That's a shame 🙁
A very low % of rebooted shows are successful.
Lizzie May says:
PTTR was great for its time, but the viewing appetite has moved on. Looking at the recent tv breakout hits – all of them have a very clear, strong premise – and sometimes very extreme subject matter, Squid Games, I May Destroy You, Ted Lasso, Succession etc. Australian audiences can handle heightened material and creators can create it. And that doesn't just mean teenagers/twenty/thirty somethings being outrageous – let's see more 'out there', really messed up adult behaviour – like The White Lotus. Banging the same old drum, but please, Amazon and all commissioning platforms – take risks – be odd, be bold, be brave.
aesthetic. says:
Squid Game.
TBZ says:
This was killed off by Climate Change. People don't want to be lectured to while being entertained.
The Last Post says:
Amazon Prime certainly has a wide, varied, and eclectic range of programmes. If they've ended up with 128 eps of Rafters to play throughout their world platforms, then good on 'em. Rafters was of a very high standard.
Speaking of Prime, I've been enjoying watching Colonel March of Scotland Yard – a series of 26 eps filmed in the mid-50s with Boris Karloff as the lead. Once described by TV critic Bernard Levin as "the intellectual content of which is the nearest thing to a hole I have ever seen"… Sure, but Karloff always rose above poor writing and direction to deliver impressive performances.
Disappointing to read this news.
I've only just managed to watched the 6 episodes – absolutely stunning Aussie drama.
Hopefully Channel 7 will return this to free to air next year, such a shame to not continue with this.
What I've Been Watching: Angus McLaren
Back to the Rafters
Back to the Rafters is "not all happy, happy."
Back to the Rafters: trailer


text:
Wisconsin blind boy's rotting body found in mom's car trunk after she claimed he was out with his father
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN: The rotting dead body of a five-year-old blind boy has been found in his mother's car trunk months after he went missing. The boy's mother Sagal Hussein had previously claimed that Josias Marquez had been out of state with his father since January 9.
The 26-year-old was arrested on March 30 and charged with five counts of child neglect. Police took her into custody because of inconsistencies in her story and her refusal to cooperate with police in the search of the child.
The next day after her arrest, investigators found a decomposed body of a boy in her car after obtaining a warrant to search her home and vehicle. They sent the body for autopsy and now it has been confirmed that the body was of Marquez, The Sun reported.
The investigation into the missing case of Marquez was launched on January 26 when a neighbor called police after finding two of Hussein's children, aged 2 and 6, unattended outside their home. The older one told investigators at the time that they did not know where their mother was as they had not seen her since the previous night.
At that time only, investigators got to know about Hussein's third child, Marquez, who was blind and suffered from seizures. Neighbors had told officials that they had not seen him since November 25, 2019.
However, when the police located Hussein and questioned her, she said she had only been gone for 10 minutes to run errands but soon reportedly changed her statement and said she went out for 40 minutes. When asked about Marquez, she allegedly claimed that the boy was with his father out of state since early January. When deputies asked her for the children's father's contact number, she reportedly did not provide it.
It is still unclear how the boy died. However, Hussein's mother, Amal Ismal, has said Marquez's father "wasn't a caring dad and he wasn't doing his part as a dad". She also said that she did not believe her grandson was killed.
"What I know is my daughter, Sagal, was a loving mother, and she didn't kill her own son, and what I believe is, it was not her intention to hurt or kill her own child," Ismal added.
During the time of her arrest, Hussein was charged with child neglect and forgery. However, now prosecutors are waiting to press formal charges against her until an official cause of death for Marquez has been established.
Currently, she is being held on a $500,000 cash bond since a probable cause hearing on April 1. She is scheduled to appear next in court on April 29.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the other two children of Hussein have been taken into foster care. Ismal said that the children's father's family is trying to bring the children to California. However, she stated she hopes the children can stay in the Green Bay area.
Off-duty cop shoots boy, 14, in the head after seeing him outside his house, sheriff says victim 'shouldn't have been out'
Wisconsin mother starved 3-month-old to death despite child services being repeatedly made aware of abuse
Woman's Maternity Photoshoot With 10K Live Bees On Her...
Dog and cat meat sales surge after doctors claim their...
ManLeft Heart Broken After Finding The Real Father Of...
Celebs9
Fail12
Oddities18
Riddles13
21 Women Who Couldn't Resist Showing Off Their Nail Designs to the Entire Internet
19 Photos That Prove Our Grannies Were a New Level of Awesome
19 People Shared Life's Sacred Moments That Made Their Hearts Sing
"I Want Superpower to Live Without Sleep." An Artist Draws Warm Illustrations That Could Find a Place in Any Mom's Heart
I've Been Trying to Not Harm the Environment for 5 Years, and I Want to Talk Honestly About the Pros and Cons of My Choice
A Photographer With Vitiligo Captures the Beauty of Women With the Same Condition, and It's a Sight to Behold
21 Brides With a Magic Touch Who Made Their Own Dream Wedding Dress
What the Way You Sneeze Reveals About You
7 Changes in the Human Body That Prove We Are Still Evolving
6 Pros and Cons of Having Men Present at the Birth of Their Child
Copyright © 2021. Just Girly Things. Powered by Rulenow Media.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Being part of multiple organizations.
As an agency you might find yourself in the position where you need to be part of several organizations in order to keep your customers' data separate. With Falcon, you are able to do just that.
As an agency it might make sense to create a holding organization in which all your agency users are created.
Once Falcon has completed setting up your organizations, you will be invited to join them.
Once you are part of multiple organizations, you will be able to see and switch between organizations you are part of by going to Profile Settings (click on your avatar) - organizations option.
Note, the organization switcher dropdown is only visible if your user is part of multiple organizations.
If you are an administrator of various organizations, you can invite other users to them.
The flow is the same as creating new users. The invited users will be notified of the invite by email.
If the user is already part of Falcon they will receive an invitation email saying that they have been invited to said organization.
Deleting an invited user only removes the user from that organization. Deleting a user from their original organization will remove the user from Falcon along with all the organizations that the user was invited to.
If you require further assistance, please reach out to us in-app or via [email protected].


text:
Panel discussion: Can common cotton claims be debunked?
By Simone Preuss
Is cotton as bad as its reputation when it comes to water consumption, pesticide and insecticide dependency and land usage? A recent panel discussion titled "Cotton claims - the good, the bad and the nuanced" as part of the Truth Series by the Transformers Foundation - founded early last year as part of the global Kingpins Transformers trade shows for the denim manufacturing sector - tried to answer that question.
Four panelists set out to debunk common cotton claims in terms of water and pesticide/insecticide usage and cotton yield, among them Simon Ferrigno, UK-based freelance writer and researcher in the areas of sustainable cotton and agriculture; cotton scientist Dr. Keshav Kranthi who is the technical head of the Washington, DC-based International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC); Cannon Michael, farmer and board member of the New York-based Transformers Foundation; and Arun Ambatipudi of Chetna Organic based in Hyderabad, India, which is a 360° development intervention for smallholder and tribal farmer families primarily dependent on rainfed agriculture.
Image: Transformers Foundation
Does it take 2,700 liters of water to make one t-shirt?
The first cotton claim to be debunked was the figure of 2,700 liters of water (the equivalent to 30 bathtubs) needed to make just one cotton t-shirt. This is a global average figure that takes the water consumption from growing the crop to the finished product into account and is the one that is most persistently used by brands, bloggers and organisations like the World Wildlife Fund.
According to Ferrigno, this "global average figure" is meaningless and we need to look at different factors that are involved. For example, he said, "the water is not actually used, it is borrowed" as it goes back into a water system. This could mean that a t-shirt that takes 3,000 liters of water to make is more sustainable than one that uses 'only' 2,500 liters if most of the 3,000 liters are re-used while most of the 2,500 liters is wasted.
Image: WWF
Kranthi explained that the global average figure is calculated to provide a benchmark to help countries, farmers and communities place garment production in perspective. According to him, we have to take the complexity of the data into account, for example if we are dealing with irrigated cotton or unirrigated cotton. He referred to data by the ICAC, which may be more accurate.
Michael pointed to huge regional differences in production as well as the general usage of water. "It takes a lot of water to produce almost anything," he said, citing tomatoes as an example. "We are all part of the system," he added. While that is certainly true, we also need to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. While tomatoes are an integral part of the diet of people around the world from the Americas to India, owning cotton t-shirts is not a necessity.
Image: David Nance via Wikimedia Commons
Should consumers stop buying cotton clothes because they use so much water?
The second claim looked at the numbers currently floated to put water use for cotton clothes into perspective, for example 10,330 liters of water needed just to grow the cotton used in one jacket, which is equivalent to 24 years of drinking water for one person. This leads to the question if consumers should stop buying cotton clothes if they are so water-intensive.
According to Michael, this is a "bad statement to make" because it starts a dialogue that is not constructive. Admitting that "lots of water" is needed to make cotton garments, he pointed to the different irrigation methods used like drip irrigation versus flood irrigation and if ground-water recharge is part of the water that is used.
Kranthi called these calculations "disturbing" and pointed out that the numbers are old and that "agriculture needs water", adding that the 34 million hectares of cotton growing area worldwide needs trillions of liters of water but that much of that number comes from rain. "If farmers don't use it, that rain water is wasted," he said. While that is certainly true, the fact remains that there are plants, like hemp, bamboo and nettles for example, that use less water and store the water they use much better, leading to more efficient water management.
Does cotton need pesticides?
Another common cotton claim is that 25 percent of insecticides and 18 percent of pesticides worldwide are used on cotton growing. This means that potentially harmful chemicals go into the rainwater, worsen air quality, damage flora and fauna and affect human health as well.
"These figures are not remotely true," said Ferrigno, calling them "ancient" and estimating that they are from 30 to 40 years ago. He called the current figures - 22.5 percent of all insecticides used on cotton growing and 14.7 percent of all pesticides - a "huge reduction" but it is clearly not: That means that in 30 to 40 years, despite advances in crop science and farming methods, the percentages have just fallen by 2.5 and 3.3 percent, respectively.
Ambatipudi was able to shed light on why that is: "Farmers are dependent on local pesticide dealers who have a vested interest [to push their products]," he explained. So it is more about what products are available in a particular region than what are the most sustainable as there are no systems in place that support farmers in this way. "Farmers get petrified by seeing insects in the field, regardless if they are beneficial insects or pests," he said. So they spray. He also pointed to a psychological effect of spraying: It puts the farmers' mind at ease because they want the leaves to shine. Green leaves are equated with healthy leaves and they feel they have done their bit to protect their plants.
"Any form of pesticides or chemicals are bad," admitted Kranthi. But cotton farmers use them because there are so many species of pests that affect them - 1,326 according to Kranthi, many of which are cryptic species, meaning hidden inside the plant, which means the pesticides/insecticides have to also go inside the plant and thus, into the cotton and later the garment. His solution would be to invest in technology that eliminates the need for insecticides or pesticides. Or, what may be a faster, practical approach, why not switch to plants like hemp, nettles, flax or jute that are more pest-resistant?
The discussion ended with each panelist giving their recommendations for more sustainable cotton growing practices and debunking cotton myths. For Ambatipudi, this would be better rainwater harvesting, given that currently, 96 percent of rain water is run off and only 4 percent used on cotton, and getting cotton farmers to become organised, enabling them to have more say as part of a long supply chain.
Ferrigno would like to see cotton claims being used only after checking them, especially by politicians, while Kranthi hopes for a focus on science and scientific data that the numbers can be backed by. Last but not least, Michael pointed to the leading role that brands and retailers will have to play by making cotton more sustainable and consumers as well by demanding greater transparency.
Given the fact that cotton is a crop that requires - if not 2,700 liters of water to make one t-shirt - still a whole lot of water and is not a pest-resistant plant, thus requiring more pesticides and insecticides than alternatives - the question remains why the garment industry is holding on to this one material so desperately?
Granted, it would be difficult to replace cotton - short-term or in the long run - with just one alternative but it may be time to branch out and look at multiple alternatives that can take its place and grant more sustainable garment production.
Image: S Aziz123 via Wikimedia Commons
Transformers Foundation


Hudson Heights is a wedding and event band ranging from 6-8 pieces. They provide a range of live entertainment services, from intimate acoustic sessions to high energy, full band performances. Their musical versatility is their greatest strength – they can quickly transition from an instrumental jazz cocktail hour to a large room dance party. Though there are six permanent members, they come with the value of a 7 – 10 piece band. The instrumentation between the four musicians includes: electric and acoustic guitar, bass, upright double bass, keyboard, trumpet, saxophone, drums, and cajon. The band offers the unique ability to add an electric violinist and sax player to compound their dynamic sound. Hudson Heights is fronted by two singers, Danny & Eden, who double as event emcees. The vocal abilities of Hudson Heights' singers allow the band to cover a wide range of genres from 50's pop and rock to today's hits.
By traveling with a full time sound technician to perfect the levels, coupled with tasteful band lighting, Hudson Heights delivers an interactive and energetic show to complete an epic event.
If you are between a DJ and a live band, why not combine the two and get the best of both worlds? EMG specializes in the band/DJ combo option. Whether taking turns or playing together, Hudson Heights and the DJ will create specific arrangements to seamlessly transition into each other's sets so that the dance floor never empties!
Hudson Heights is a rare combination of youth and experience. Their talent, creativity, and showmanship provide all the right elements to turn a memorable day into the party people can't forget.
Register to come see Hudson Heights at their next public showcase.


text:
Gaza rockets make new war inevitable: Israeli PM says
People watch the aftermath of a rocket fired from Gaza after it hit in the southern Israeli port city of Ashdod, Monday, May 6, 2019. The Israeli army on Monday lifted protective restrictions on residents in southern Israel, while the Hamas militant group's radio station in the Gaza Strip reported a cease-fire, signaling a deal had been reached to end the bloodiest fighting between the two sides since a 2014 war. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Aron Heller, The Associated Press
Published Thursday, September 12, 2019 6:23AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, September 12, 2019 9:52AM EDT
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that continued rocket fire from Gaza is making another war against Palestinian militants in the coastal strip inevitable, his latest headline-grabbing announcement just days before he seeks re-election.
Netanyahu said advanced plans were in place to strike Gaza and that he would decide the optimal timing of the offensive, given the unwillingness of Gaza's Hamas rulers to stop the daily barrages.
The recent attacks have caused no casualties. The Israeli military has responded with limited strikes against Hamas installations that have caused no casualties and little damage, and has refrained from risking a larger conflagration as Israelis prepare to head to the polls.
The Israeli leader has been criticized for failing to respond harshly to the rockets, which have sent residents of southern Israel racing for cover. Netanyahu, who counts on the working-class, Gaza border towns as part of his electoral base, was himself whisked away by bodyguards from a campaign event on Tuesday when Palestinian militants fired rockets toward the area.
Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Hamas militants seized power two years later. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and engaged in several other rounds of violence over the past decade.
"I do not wage war unless it is a last resort and I don't risk the lives of our soldiers and citizens just to get applause," Netanyahu said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet Radio. "We will probably have no choice but to set out on a big campaign, a war against the terror forces in Gaza."
"I won't start it one minute before we are ready, and we are preparing for a 'different war'," he added, shortly before flying to Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
It was Netanyahu's first major interview with a mainstream media outlet in a frenetic campaign in which he has been dictating the agenda with a dizzying array of manoeuvrs.
Just this week, he alleged fraud in Arab voting areas, without providing any evidence, and pushed for legislation to place cameras in polling stations on election day. He also claimed to have located a previously unknown Iranian nuclear weapons facility and vowed to annex the heart of the West Bank if he wins re-election.
His pledge to extend Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley sparked international condemnation. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, said it would be a "serious violation of international law."
Jordan, one of only two Arab states to have reached a peace agreement with Israel, condemned Netanyahu's "catastrophic" announcement.
"It will not only undermine the two-state solution, which the whole world sees as the only path toward resolving this conflict, but it will kill the whole peace process," Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said.
Saudi Arabia, a regional power that has grown closer to Israel in recent years, also condemned the move.
Netanyahu said it was important to act now as President Donald Trump prepares to unveil his Mideast peace plan after the elections next Tuesday in Israel. The move was widely viewed in Israel as Netanyahu's latest stunt to draw in right-wing voters in a hard-fought campaign.
In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it took note of Netanyahu's announcement and the "highly negative reaction in the Arab world." It said it would share its concerns with Israel since "implementation could trigger a sharp escalation in the region and undermine hopes for establishing a lasting peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours."
Prior to his departure to Sochi, Netanyahu said the focus of his talks with Putin would be to promote the "joint goal" of removing Iranian forces from neighbouring Syria. Netanyahu and Putin have met regularly in recent years to co-ordinate military activities in Syria.
Netanyahu has for years argued for aggressively countering Iran's nuclear program and its regional activities, and often takes pride in having a strong working relationship with both Putin and Trump.
However, Netanyahu's clout in Washington appeared to take a hit this week with the firing of one of his like-minded allies in the administration, National Security Adviser John Bolton, amid reports that Trump was considering meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and easing sanctions against Iran.
In his radio interview, Netanyahu defended his record.
"Where did this strong sanctions policy against Iran come from if not from the struggle that I led? Indeed, I have had influence on Trump," he said. "You can't tell the president of the United States with whom he should meet, but there is not one person who has influenced more, and continues to influence, the aggressive stance against Iran than me, and everyone knows that."
Rockets are launched from Gaza Strip to Israel, Sunday, May 5, 2019. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Sunday intensified a wave of rocket fire into southern Israel, striking towns and cities across the region while Israeli forces struck dozens of targets throughout Gaza, including militant sites that it said were concealed in homes or residential areas. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Harry: 'No other option' but to cut royal ties
China discloses 136 new cases of coronavirus, third fatality
ETFO names new locations for strikes
Firefighter charged after fire truck hit girl
Parents bracing for upcoming teachers' strikes
What you need to know about ongoing strike action involving Ontario teachers


For now, I'm moving on to Lotus Connections. As part of my duties, I'm currently building enablement materials that explain how to customize and brand a particular implementation of Lotus Connections. Additionally, I'm working on some materials around the APIs and how they can be used to integrate Lotus Connections with 3rd party products. Development sent me a link to their internal Wiki where developers are posting some API samples, which I thought is great.
the Lotus Connections Forum can be used to post questions and gather opinions on certain issues from community members and any other IBMer worldwide!
Sametime 7.5.1 and the BroadcastSuite plugin which allows community members to instantly chat, get their questions answered and collaborate. If you haven't installed the BroadcastSuite plugin yet on your Sametime client, do it today!!!!
Today, I'm at a customer site to start a Lotus Connections install of Beta 2. The interesting problem that we'll address here is integrating Lotus Connections with the customer's home grown applications. I hope to post my findings as I go along.


text:
I wonder..... 6 replies
I wonder.....
m_forsythe
Flametongue
Does anyone have any info on the upcoming Deus Ex movie? like who's going to be in it? or when it's going to be realesed? I'll have a look for more info if ne1 wants me too, but it'll be interesting to see what is fact and wot isn't, as they say. Flametongue.
jihuugegi
The action takes place in the year 2052 as the world confronts the threat of a terrible disease, economic collapse and global terrorism. JC Denton is a highly-rained, nano-technology enhanced counter-terrorist who is sworn to protect the government. But as he unravels one conspiracy after another, he must decide between continuing to serve the government or overthrow it.
It'll probably be a flop.
Heel commentator
Mmhmm. My guess is that they'll take the typical film-of-a-game pitfall and focus more on the action than the story- style over substance. It's the same thing in any game-based movie you'd care to think of, and despite the fact that Deus Ex is a cerebral game, I doubt the producers will break the mould of disappointment.
Aye, and how could you base a film on Deus Ex, which has several different ways of playing the levels? You would have to go for a set path.
azzkiker
I heard they are also thinking of producing films for Half-Life and Grand Theft Auto!!! :D
Kool! That would be amazing wouldn't it, if Tommy Vercetti was the main character! But it would have to be an 18......
[color=black]Games-to-Film: Eidos Update[/color]
[color=black]The latest on Fear Effect and Deus Ex.[/color]
[color=black]February 03, 2004[/color][color=black] - Game developer Eidos has released an update on a number of their game-to-film adaptations in development. [/color]
[color=black]First and foremost, the makers of Tomb Raider have optioned the Fear Effect series of action-adventure games to Paramount Pictures. Uwe Boll, director of House of the Dead and the forthcoming Alone in the Dark adaptation, is helming the project. He says, "Fear Effect is a fantastic game with a dark story. I want to create an action film in the vein of Charlie's Angels but portray its sexy heroines Hana and Rain in a much edgier fashion." [/color]
[color=black]The developer has also sold the movie rights for Deus Ex to Columbia Pictures and producer Laura Ziskin.[/color]
[color=black]Last we heard, screenwriter Greg Pruss was drafting the script. He told IGN that the game's main character, JC Denton, will be "a little bit filthier than he was in the game," and that the film will be somewhat darker than the source material.[/color]
[color=black]Eidos' vice president of marketing, Paul Baldwin says, "We are excited to continue our success of extending our original IP to film. Tomb Raider was highly successful, as will be Deus Ex, and we look forward to Fear Effect continuing this trend."[/color]


text:
Crusaders to Host Wilmington in OAC Home Opener
Wilmington (0-2) 7 7 0 7 21
Capital (2-0) 14 7 6 7 34
Pa: Nick Iske - 52
Ru: Brent Walton - 222
Rec: Brenden Doyle - 27
Pa: Brandon Mitchell - 135
Ru: Chase Manica - 115
Rec: Jeremy Duncan - 74
Time of Poss.
Capital game notes | Wilmington game notes
Live stats | Video/Audio
Following a record setting performance on offense in Capital's season opening win last Saturday at Earlham College (Ind.), 54-20, the Crusaders welcome in Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Wilmington on Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Capital (1-0) set a pair of new program records against Earlham, rushing for 537 yards en route to accumulating 735 total yards of offense. Prior to last week, the Crusaders rushing yards in a single game (510) had stood for over 50 years, dating back to 1963 in Capital's matchup against Kenyon College.
Sophomore quarterback Chase Longwell (Hilliard, Ohio) was one of the main catalyst's for the Crusaders' record setting performance, earning him OAC Offensive Player of the Week.
After a scoreless opening quarter, the Crusaders posted 20 unanswered points in just over seven minutes of play, as Longwell scored a pair of rushing touchdowns from eight and 56 yards out. Junior linebacker Bryant Bokovitz (Gallipolis, Ohio) then returned a fumble for an eight yard touchdown.
Following an Earlham touchdown, sophomore running back Brent Walton (Pickerington, Ohio) then tacked on a late first half score, giving Capital a 27-6 lead heading into halftime.
Capital opened the second half with a 35 yard pass and catch from Longwell to junior wide receiver Jake Skelton (Madison, Ohio) for his first score of the day.
Earlham responded with a pair of touchdowns to pull to within 14 points of the Crusaders, but Capital never looked back as Longwell tossed a pair of long touchdown passes to Skelton and junior slot back Jake Breakey (Pickerington, Ohio). Walton then rushed for his second touchdown late in the contest, padding the Crusaders' lead at 24 points.
In the game, Longwell totaled 362 total yards of offense, including passing for 198 yards on an eight-of-18 passing mark and three scores. He also rushed for 164 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the victory.
Head coach Craig Candeto sits down with
Charlie Danis to talk Cap Football.
Capital QB Chase Longwell talks about the
upcoming game vs. Wilmington.
Walton also made his presence known, rushing for a game-high 171 yards on 20 attempts, while compiling a pair of touchdowns in the process.
Skelton led the game in receiving yards (118), catching five passes, two of them going for touchdowns. Breakey hauled in the other Capital touchdown pass, proving to be his lone catch of the game on a 56-yard score.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the win for the Crusaders was their lack of turnovers, as Capital did not throw an interception or fumble through over 30 minutes of possession.
On the defensive side of the ball, freshman defensive lineman Jared Johns (Hilliard, Ohio) posted a game-high two-and-one-half sacks. Fellow defensive lineman in sophomore Jimmy Ahern (North Olmsted, Ohio) and freshman Trey Reese (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also recorded one sack apiece.
Sophomore defensive back Jimmy Curtis (Hilliard, Ohio) tallied the lone interception in the game.
IN THE RANKINGS
Capital enters the game against Wilmington with multiple players leading statistical categories across the OAC, and even the nation.
Longwell places in a tie for first in the OAC in passing touchdowns (3), as well as fourth in passing (198) and rushing yards per game (164).
Walton currently ranks third in the conference in rushing yards per game (171) and rushing touchdowns (2), rushing for 8.6 yards per carry. Skelton leads the OAC in receiving touchdowns (2), while also recording the third most receiving yards per game (118).
Johns is second in the conference in sacks (2.5), as Curtis is tied for eighth in tackles per game (9).
As a team, the Crusaders are currently first in the conference and in all of NCAA Division III in total offense (735) and rushing yards (537), while placing third in points per game (54).
Defensively, the Crusaders are currently tied for fifth in the conference in points allowed (20) and ninth in total yards allowed (420). Capital's defense has totaled five sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery through one week of play.
ABOUT THE QUAKERS
Wilmington (0-1) comes into play having lost 41-24 at Olivet College in its season opener last Saturday afternoon.
After falling behind 21-0 through the first 17:30 of play, the Quakers inked the scoreboard for their first score of the season on a six play, 75-yard drive in just over two minutes.
Following a missed extra point, both teams tallied an additional touchdown before halftime, making the score 28-12 at the break.
Olivet opened the second half of action with another score before Wilmington responded with another score of its own to narrow its deficit to 34-18 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter.
Both teams would post one touchdown apiece over the final 16 minutes of play, as the Quakers fell by 17 points.
Leading the way so far this season for the Quakers is sophomore quarterback Austin Jarbo (Gratis, Ohio), who is currently tied for first in the OAC in passing touchdowns (3) and fifth in passing yards per game (192).
Jarbo also leads the Quakers in rushing yards per game (150), earning him the spot of sixth best rusher in the conference at seven and a half yards per carry.
Junior wide receiver Justin Lee (Middletown, Ohio) leads Wilmington in receiving through one week of action, ranking second in the OAC in touchdowns (2) and yards per game (95), averaging 19.2 yards per catch.
On defense, the Quakers are led by junior linebacker Nick Williams (Cleveland, Ohio), who currently leads the conference in tackles per game (13), while also having combined for one tackle for a loss in week one.
Classmate and fellow linebacker Tarrell Starckey (Richmond, Va.) follows, averaging the fifth most tackles per game in the OAC (11), while also recording one sack and two tackles for a loss. Starckey also is the lead return man for the Quakers, averaging 28.6 yards per return on five kickoff attempts.
As a team, Wilmington ranks eighth in the conference in total offense (381), including seventh in passing (192) and sixth in rushing (189). Defensively, the Quakers place 10th in the OAC in points (41) and yards allowed (564).


text:
Home Science Department of Chemistry ETDs
Dlamini, Nonjabulo Prudence. Micro-organisms for the removal of copper and cobalt from aqueous solutions. 2010-03-31T06:58:29Z.
Micro-organisms for the removal of copper and cobalt from aqueous solutions
Dlamini, Nonjabulo Prudence
Prof. B.B. Mamba, Prof. A.F. Mulaba- Bafubiandi
Water purification adsorption
Copper absorption and adsorption
Cobalt absorption and adsorption
Inorganic pollutants like heavy metals are some of the major water pollutants worldwide. They are toxic and in some cases carcinogenic even at low concentrations. Their removal from industrial aqueous solutions, wastewater and hydrometallurgical process solutions prior to their release to the environment is necessary for a healthy biosphere which includes human beings, aquatic life and plants. There are several technologies used to remove metals such as Cu, Co, Zn, Hg from water. These include among others, ion exchange, membrane filtration, activated carbon, electrochemical treatment, chemical precipitation, reverse osmosis, coagulation and flocculation. Although they have been used in the removal of metal pollutants from water, these technologies produce high quantities of sludge. They are also expensive to operate and need well trained personnel to operate large chemical plants. Since current metal removal techniques have limitations, a need exists for the development of environmentally friendly and cost effective techniques for the removal of metal ions from aqueous media. The focus of this research project is on the use of micro-organisms as biosorbents for copper and cobalt pollutants in aqueous solutions. The experimental work was carried out on a laboratory scale and a summary of our findings is presented as follows: Synthetic sulphate solutions of copper and cobalt were prepared using CuSO4. 7H2O and CoSO4. 5H2O powders. Concentrations of 0.002 M, 0.07 M and 0.2 M copper and cobalt ions in solution were used as test synthetic solutions for our experiments. Mixed strains of bioleaching bacteria were sourced from Mintek (Randburg, South Africa) to test the viability of this research project. This consortium contained Acidithiobacillus caldus, Leptospirillum spp, Ferroplasma spp and Sulphobacillus spp. These bacteria were able to remove up to 55% copper and 25% cobalt from low concentrated copper and cobalt sulphate solutions with 69% and 58% removal demonstrated in the case of mine effluents emanating from metallurgical operations. Different strains of micro-organisms (bacteria) were isolated from mine dumps and mine operation effluents and soil from the Palabora Mining Company in Limpopo, a northern province in South Africa and Nigel Town in the Gauteng Province. The isolated bacterial strains were then identified using PCR analysis and strains from the Bacillus genre were found to be predominant. Shewanella spp was also present. Pseudomonas spp was isolated using Pseudomonas agar base. These bacteria were then cultured at different species-specific culture conditions and their capabilities to remove copper and cobalt ions first from synthetic solutions and subsequently from mine effluents emanating from metallurgical operations were tested. In the first stage of biosorption experiments, factors that affect biosorption mechanisms which include, solution concentration, biomass concentration, pH, contact time and the presence of other metal co-ions were investigated. A decrease in the amount of metal sorbed as solution concentrations increased was observed with all the bacterial strains. An increase in metal sorption was also observed when biomass concentration was increased. The pH was found to be a species dependant parameter.
ETDs Micro-organisms for the removal of copper and cobalt from aqueous solutions


Plus size wedding dress shopping can be daunting! Finding a bridal salon that has plus size samples is one of those tasks you don't even want your enemies to have to take on. When I first got engaged my friend said you have to check out this bridal salon (thanks Juanita). So she tagged me in a post from Pantora Bridal and for all the obvious reasons I feel in love with this bridal salon.
(1) It's a Black woman owned salon.
Take all my money lady. I am so here for Black Girl Magic, y'all just don't understand.
(2) It caters to our melanin.
When I was researching dresses and saving pictures there was one common look that drove me crazy. I was so stick of seeing those sheer ghostly white/beige bodices. But at Pantora, the sheer is for us. Lots of cocoas, chocolates and caramels hunty!
So I paid the $10 booking fee (reluctantly, I mean I know it's just $10 but I'm cheap) and gathered my squad for my first wedding dress shopping experience.
In my mind I had a clear vision of what I wanted to wear. I wanted a trumpet dress with ruffles. I didn't want anything strapless because… dem thangs need support. And I didn't want a ball gown.
After yesterday I have no clue of what I want.
The trumpet and mermaid dresses do not, I repeat do not, allow you to move. My thighs have never been that close and I don't think any amount of chub rub spray or whatever would soothe that irritation for me. The strapless dresses were actually flattering and I love how it really highlighted Ella (my tattoo). The ball gown was so girly. I thought that I would hate it but it really channelled all my soft and pink Cinderella emotions (more like Cindy but you get it).
Either way, I am pretty sure I want a fit and flare dress. So my next dress fitting I will try more of those on. I haven't decided where I'm getting a dress from but here's my day with Pantora in 9 mins. Watch all 9 mins, I promise you will be entertained.
If you're a new bride (and happen to be Black) I beg of you to try Pantora Bridal. She's BAE. Also if you liked this post you can thank me by leaving a comment or sharing this post on social media.
I am honestly loving that combination at 2:34! So flattering and fun.
I am so going. I know I will look very similar in my dresses because of being really heavy up top and bottom. I was trying to get the line from Eloquii but hey I will give this place a shot! I am so picky though. You were so calm and collected throughout the whole thing! I loved it.
You and your girls are so freaking cute!!!! You had fun with the process and that's so important because so many forget about that. And you looked amazing while doing it. Well wishes on your engagement.
You've made that experience look like so much fun!! Awesome memories were created. Your squad to the truth!


If you are working with emergent writers, English language learners or older children struggling to acquire basic literacy skills, Clicker Sentences will enable them to produce work they can be proud of while learning the key skills necessary for independent writing.
Designed with the classroom in mind, Clicker Sentences includes the Sassoon font, speech feedback and many other child-friendly features to create an accessible and engaging environment for pupils to work in.
"Clicker Sentences is a great tool for early educational settings and for older children with special needs…if you are after an inclusive tool that can scaffold early learners to the next level, then this is a must."
Clicker Sentences enables you to quickly create sentence building activities on any topic, tailored specifically to support each pupil's individual needs. Each sentence grid contains all the words required to build a sentence. Pupils click each word to create the sentence in their document, then select the arrow key to move on to the next sentence in the set, quickly building a significant piece of writing.
The Google voices provide pupils with realistic speech support as they work, encouraging them to re-read their sentences and check that they make sense. Children can right-click to listen to any of the words before they send them into the document, providing an opportunity to rehearse the sentence before writing it.
It's so easy to differentiate the support offered in each sentence building activity, enabling every pupil to achieve writing success.
Adding a picture to each sentence provides learners with an additional cue. Over 3500 searchable curriculum pictures are included, and you can also use your own images or snap photos straight in with the Chromebook camera. The pictures can even be sent into the document too!
Set up any sentences for your learners in a few seconds by simply typing or pasting them in. The intuitive Edit Mode makes tailoring the activities to your specific requirements incredibly simple.
A professionally made, ever expanding bank of learning resources is just a click away with Clicker Sentences. Select 'LearningGrids' to access a wide range of topic-specific Sentence Sets created by our curriculum team – new resources are added regularly.
Our Chrome Apps work with Google Drive, and work both online and offline. Whether you're a school, local authority, support service, or an individual user, the apps are easy to license and manage using your standard Google tools.
Get consistent literacy support across your school by investing for all your devices. Sentence Sets and Documents you create on your Chromebook are fully compatible with Clicker 7 on Win/Mac and with Clicker Sentences on iPad.


text:
Read To Win
Women science fiction writers won big at the Hugo awards this year. Here are five you should read
There's life, some of it alien, beyond Ursula Le Guin, Margaret Atwood and James Triptree Jr.
Mimi Mondal
Aug 19, 2017 · 07:30 pm
Winners of the Hugo awards 2017 | K Tempest Bradford
The 2017 Hugo Awards were announced on August 11 at the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Helsinki. It has already made headlines for women writers and editors winning all twelve of the individual Hugos, as well as the John W Campbell award. The women writers are a significant part of the team awards as well.
This clean sweep is a first, although women have been dominating the international science fiction and fantasy awards for years now. It is also a triumph, especially for the Hugos, which have been plagued since 2015 by a malicious right-wing voting bloc called the Sad Puppies, who sabotage the nominations every year and oppose any kind of "diversity" in the genre.
This rhetoric of diversity has become more familiar in the political sphere in the last few months, especially after the election of Donald Trump as the United States President, but it's not new. Now we are suddenly more aware that there is still a disproportionately large number of white men in the world who are intolerant of any kind of deviation from themselves – including women, LGBTQ people, people of colour, disabled people and so on.
But diversity in literature has been an uphill struggle for years, especially in science fiction and fantasy, which already considers itself a "progressive" genre. The conservatives of science fiction and fantasy probably don't believe in creationism or vote for Trump, but neither did the engineer at Google, possibly, who recently sent a memo to the company claiming to "scientifically explain" that women are biologically incapable of being equal to men in technology professions.
As Indians, we all tick at least one diversity box, but the science fiction and fantasy fans that I grew up with in Calcutta were overwhelmingly and acridly male. It was unthinkable to be considered a serious reader, leave alone an expert, even by a guy who has just read his first science fiction book. And the authors we read – the only authors we knew of – were also all male, and mostly all white, with the only exception of Ursula Le Guin, also a winner of this year's Hugo Awards.
Image credit: K Tempest Bradford
The only person who is entitled to claim women authors winning awards is no longer newsworthy is the person who regularly reads those women authors' works, and funnily enough, those are usually not the people who make that claim. For the rest of us who would like to read more women authors of science fiction and fantasy besides Le Guin, Margaret Atwood and JK Rowling, here is a helpful list.
Here are five of the women writers who won this year:
NK Jemisin
In 2016, NK Jemisin became the first black author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel for The Fifth Season. In 2017, she won the award again for its sequel The Obelisk Gate, becoming the first author to win it twice in a row. The third book in her Broken Earth series, The Stone Sky, was released this week. The epic series takes place on a planet with a supercontinent called Stillness, which is slowly heading towards an apocalypse through social and natural forces big and small.
"Hmm. No. I'm telling this wrong.
After all, a person is herself, and others. Relationships chisel the final shape of one's being. I am me, and you. Damaya was herself and the family that rejected her and the people of the Fulcrum who chiseled her to a fine point. Syenite was Alabaster and Innon and the people of poor lost Allia and Meov. Now you are Tirimo and the ash-strewn road's walkers and your dead children . . . and also the living one who remains. Whom you will get back.
That's not a spoiler. You are Essun, after all. You know this already. Don't you?
Nassun next, then. Nassun, who is just eight years old when the world ends.
There is no knowing what went through little Nassun's mind when she came home from her apprenticeship one afternoon to find her younger brother dead on the den floor, and her father standing over the corpse. We can imagine what she thought, felt, did. We can speculate. But we will not know. Perhaps that is for the best.
Here is what I know for certain: that apprenticeship I mentioned? Nassun was in training to become a lorist."
— From "The Obelisk Gate"
The Hugo Award for the Best Series was given for the first time in 2017, and Lois McMaster Bujold won it for her Vorkosigan Saga, which she has been writing since 1989. Several individual novels from the series have won and been nominated for Hugos in the past. It is a long series that requires a lot of patience and immersion. Beginning in a galaxy in which several planets have been colonised by humans and separate cultures have developed, the world of the Vorkosigan Saga and its characters progress as the stories evolve.
"A sea of mist drifted through the cloud forest: soft, grey, luminescent. On the high ridges the fog showed brighter as the morning sun began to warm and lift the moisture, although in the ravine a cool, soundless dimness still counterfeited a pre-dawn twilight.
Commander Cordelia Naismith glanced at her team botanist and adjusted the straps of her biological collecting equipment a bit more comfortably before continuing her breathless climb. She pushed a long tendril of fog-dampened copper hair out of her eyes, clawing it impatiently toward the clasp at the nape of her neck. Their next survey area would definitely be at a lower altitude. The gravity of this planet was slightly lower than their home world of Beta Colony, but it did not quite make up for the physiological strain imposed by the thin mountain air.
Denser vegetation marked the upper boundary of the forest patch. Following the splashy path of the ravine's brook, they bent and scrambled through the living tunnel, then broke into the open air.
A morning breeze was ribboning away the last of the fog on the golden uplands. They stretched endlessly, rise after rise, culminating at last in the great grey shoulders of a central peak crowned by glittering ice. This world's sun shone in the deep turquoise sky giving an overwhelming richness to the golden grasses, tiny flowers, tussocks of a silvery plant like powdered lace dotted everywhere. The two explorers gazed entranced at the mountain above, enveloped by the silence.
The botanist, Ensign Dubauer, grinned over his shoulder at Cordelia and fell to his knees beside one of the silvery tussocks. She strolled to the nearest rise for a look at the panorama behind them. The patchy forest grew denser down the gentle slopes. Five hundred meters below, banks of clouds stretched like a white sea to the horizon. Far to the west, their mountain's smaller sister just broke through the updraft-curdled tops."
— From "Cordelia's Honor"
Ada Palmer
Ada Palmer's debut novel Too Like the Lightning was a nominee for the Best Novel award, but she ended up winning the John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer, which is nominated and presented alongside the Hugos, but is not officially a Hugo award. Palmer, who is a professor at the University of Chicago, adds to the mounting evidence against the complaint that women cannot write hard science fiction or political intrigue. A novel that takes place on Earth in the 25th century with a radically different past, this is a complex historical and philosophical read.
"You will criticise me, reader, for writing in a style six hundred years removed from the events I describe, but you came to me for explanation of those days of transformation which left your world the world it is, and since it was the philosophy of the Eighteenth Century, heavy with optimism and ambition, whose abrupt revival birthed the recent revolution, so it is only in the language of the Enlightenment, rich with opinion and sentiment, that those days can be described. You must forgive me my 'thee's and 'thou's and 'he's and 'she's, my lack of modern words and modern objectivity. It will be hard at first, but whether you are my contemporary still awed by the new order, or an historian gazing back at my Twenty-Fifth Century as remotely as I gaze back on the Eighteenth, you will find yourself more fluent in the language of the past than you imagined; we all are.
I wondered once why authors of ancient days so often prostrate themselves before their audience, apologize, beg favors, pray to the reader as to an Emperor as they explain their faults and failings; yet, with my work barely begun, I find myself already in need of such obsequies. If I am properly to follow the style I have chosen, I must, at the book's outset, describe myself, my background and qualifications, and tell you by what chance or Providence it is that the answers you seek are in my hands. I beg you, gentle reader, master, tyrant, grant me the privilege of silence on this count. Those of you who know the name of Mycroft Canner may now set this book aside. Those who do not, I beg you, let me make you trust me for a few dozen pages, since the tale will give you time enough to hate me in its own right."
— From "Too Like the Lightning"
A treat for lovers of shorter fiction, the novella Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire won all three of the major awards this year – the Hugo, the Nebula and the Locus. The story is a reversal of the popular trope of the young boy or girl being introduced to a magical world. This is a dark, gruesome story about young people who were introduced to magical worlds but since then have been rejected from them, and need to re-learn how to survive in the mundane world. A sequel is forthcoming.
"The girls were never present for the entrance interviews. Only their parents, their guardians, their confused siblings, who wanted so much to help them but didn't know how. It would have been too hard on the prospective students to sit there and listen as the people they loved most in all the world – all this world, at least – dismissed their memories as delusions, their experiences as fantasy, their lives as some intractable illness.
What's more, it would have damaged their ability to trust the school if their first experience of Eleanor had been seeing her dressed in respectable grays and lilacs, with her hair styled just so, like the kind of stolid elderly aunt who only really existed in children's stories. The real Eleanor was nothing like that. Hearing the things she said would have only made it worse, as she sat there and explained, so earnestly, so sincerely, that her school would help to cure the things that had gone wrong in the minds of all those little lost lambs. She could take the broken children and make them whole again.
She was lying, of course, but there was no way for her potential students to know that. So she demanded that she meet with their legal guardians in private, and she sold her bill of goods with the focus and skill of a born con artist. If those guardians had ever come together to compare notes, they would have found that her script was well-practiced and honed like the weapon that it was."
— From "Every Heart a Doorway"
Amal El-Mohtar
Amal El-Mohtar's short story Season of Glass and Iron , published first in the Starlit Wood anthology and then in Uncanny magazine, also won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards this year. Primarily a short fiction writer and poet, El-Mohtar writes stories that sparkle with lush, intricate descriptions, magical worlds built close to the real one, with well-rounded, surprising, stereotype-breaking diverse characters.
"Tabitha walks, and thinks of shoes.
She has been thinking about shoes for a very long time: the length of three and a half pairs, to be precise, though it's hard to reckon in iron. Easier to reckon how many pairs are left: of the seven she set out with, three remain, strapped securely against the outside of the pack she carries, weighing it down. The seasons won't keep still, slip past her with the landscape, so she can't say for certain whether a year of walking wears out a sole, but it seems about right. She always means to count the steps, starting with the next pair, but it's easy to get distracted."
— From "Season of Glass and Iron"
Eight newly released nonfiction books that take readers back in time to help understand our world


text:
China competed as the host nation of the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China that took place between 4–13 March 2022. In total, 96 athletes were initially expected to compete.
The total competition places that the Chinese delegation achieved is 116.
It is the largest delegation to compete at the Games.

China topped the medal table for the first time, becoming the first Asian country to top the medal count with more gold medals, more silver medals, more bronze medals, and more medals overall than any other nation. China also broke the record for the most gold medals, the most silvers medals, the most bronze medals and the most medal overall won by Asian countries at a single Winter Paralympics.

Medalists

The following Chinese competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.

| width="56%" align="left" valign="top" |

| width="22%" align="left" valign="top" |

Administration
The delegation consists of 96 athletes and 121 staff members. Biathlete and para cross-country skier Guo Yujie and para ice hockey player Wang Zhidong were the flagbearers for China during the opening ceremony.

Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors participating at the Games per sport/discipline.

Alpine skiing

China competed in alpine skiing.

Biathlon

China competed in biathlon.

Cross-country skiing

China competed in cross-country skiing.

Para ice hockey

China automatically qualified as the host.

Summary

Preliminary round

Quarterfinal

Semifinal

Bronze medal game

Snowboarding

China competed in snowboarding.

Wheelchair curling

China automatically qualified as the host.

Summary

Round robin

Draw 1
Saturday, March 5, 14:35

Draw 3
Sunday, March 6, 9:35

Draw 5
Sunday, March 6, 19:35

Draw 7
Monday, March 7, 14:35

Draw 8
Monday, March 7, 19:35

Draw 11
Tuesday, March 8, 19:35

Draw 12
Wednesday, March 9, 9:35

Draw 13
Wednesday, March 9, 14:35

Draw 15
Thursday, March 10, 9:35

Draw 17
Thursday, March 10, 19:35

Semifinal
Friday, March 11, 14:35

Final

See also
China at the Paralympics
China at the 2022 Winter Olympics

References

Nations at the 2022 Winter Paralympics
2022
Winter Paralympics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Home » Features » 9 Things to Know About Orienteering
9 Things to Know About Orienteering
By Aaron Derr
Photographs by Matthew Allen
An orienteering competition is a great way to test your map-and-compass skills.
#1: What is Orienteering?
Orienteering is a race in which participants use a highly detailed map and a compass to navigate their way between checkpoints along an unfamiliar course.
The Greater Cincinnati Scout-O Camporee is a weekend of orienteering competitions in Loveland, Ohio, hosted each fall by the Blue Jacket District of the Dan Beard Council. Troops and crews from the surrounding area come together to test their skills on a course that has been designed by Orienteering Cincinnati, a local club.
#2: Cross-Country Orienteering
In orienteering competitions, checkpoints — called "controls" — are placed in an area of 1 to 2 kilometers. In cross-country orienteering, every competitor must visit the same controls in numerical order as quickly as possible. In other formats, they can get to the checkpoints in any order. Regardless, it's a challenge in route choice and stamina.
At the Blue Jacket District Scout-O, competitors use electronic punching devices at each checkpoint and at the start and finish line to record their times.
"It's a lot of running," says Andrew Wolfzorn, a 17-year-old from Troop 55 in Loveland, Ohio, who earned first place in a Scout-O solo race. "You have to get in the right mindset … clear your mind out and get in that race mentality."
#3: Choosing Your Course
Cross-country courses are graded by age and skill, and can vary in length. Course levels, indicated by color, progress from novice to expert: white (beginner); yellow (intermediate); orange (advanced); and brown, green, red and blue (expert). The winner in each age and course level is the fastest competitor who has all the correct control punches.
"On the easier ones, the checkpoints might be right on the trail," says Parker Moyer, 13, from Troop 850 in Cincinnati. "On some of the harder ones, they might be in the middle of the forest."
Parker recorded the fastest time (by one second!) in one race on the yellow course.
#4: Taking a Bearing
Taking a bearing is measuring a direction from one point on the ground to another. Hold the compass in one hand, centered on your body. Rotate your body and the compass until the direction-of-travel arrow points in the direction you want to go. Rotate the bezel of the compass until the north end of the orienting arrow lines up with the north end of the magnetic arrow (usually red). Determine the bearing by reading the number on the bezel directly opposite the bearing index.
#5: Using a Topographic Map
A topographic map tries to show the form and shape of the land by the use of contour lines. If you walk all the way around the base of a mountain and always stay at the exact same elevation, you are contouring around it. The line you follow is called a contour line. Now do it again — but walk a line 20 feet higher in elevation. You have walked a second contour line.
Symbols on the map represent features on the ground. A topographic map will show things like gullies, pits, boulders, rocky ground and impassable cliffs.
"You have to be smart about where you're going," Parker says. "If you're heading through a darker green place on the map, it means the forest is thicker.
"It might be faster to take what you thought was the long way around."
#6: Orienting a Map With a Compass
Orienting a map means aligning it with the terrain. The most accurate way of aligning the map and terrain is to use a compass. First, rotate the compass bezel until "N" or 360 degrees is lined up with the direction-of-travel arrow. Next, set the compass down on the map, with the compass edge along one of the north-south magnetic lines and the direction-of-travel arrow pointing north. Rotate the map and the compass together until the compass needle matches the direction-of-travel arrow. The map is now oriented.
#7: Measuring Distance on a Map
You can measure distance on a map by using a compass scale, a ruled compass edge or any straight edge. Most maps include a scale relating distance on the map to distances on the actual terrain.
On a 1:15,000 scale, 1 inch on a map is approximately 1,300 feet or ¼ mile on the ground; on a 1:24,000 scale, 1 inch on a map is equal to 2,000 feet on the ground; and on a map with a scale of 1:62,500, 1 inch on the map is equal to 5,208 feet or about 1 mile on the ground.
"You have to pace yourself," Andrew says. "Use the key on the map to figure out how far you have to go."
#8: Judging Distance on the Ground
For some people, judging distance is the hardest part of orienteering. But you can make it easier with some preparation. One way of judging distance is by pace-counting or counting every time your right (or left) foot touches the ground over a given distance. For example, if you lay out a 100-meter course, the number of paces and the amount of time it takes you to walk from one end to the other is your walking pace per 100 meters. Do this multiple times to get a more accurate measurement.
#9: What About Running? Or Going Uphill or Downhill?
As your stride lengthens, the distance you cover increases and the number of paces per 100 meters will decrease, as will the time it takes you to cover that distance. Measuring your running pace and time is exactly the same as measuring your walking pace. Because this is much more active, it is even more important that you run the course several times to get a true measure.
Your stride will shorten as you move uphill, so the number of paces and the time to cover 100 meters will be more than it would be on level terrain. You can get downhill measurements on the same course you use for the uphill by traveling in the opposite direction. Gravity wants to pull the downhill walker or runner along at a faster clip. Your stride will lengthen and the number of paces and time per 100 meters will decrease.
"At the end of one course, we were all sprinting trying to find the last one," says Jonathan James, 13, from Troop 114 in Cincinnati. "No one else had found it. Then we found it and we felt a nice sense of accomplishment. Then we just sprinted to the finish line."
Get started in orienteering by first learning how to use a map and compass at go.boyslife.org/mapcompass.
Learn more about the Dan Beard Council orienteering event at go.boyslife.org/scouto
Compass and GPS
2 Comments on 9 Things to Know About Orienteering
True North // May 2, 2019 at 6:33 am // Reply
You need to account for declination when orienting a map to a compass.
orienteer // April 17, 2019 at 12:04 pm // Reply
Orienteering events take place year-round, all over the USA (and around the world). You can find an orienteering club and event in your area at: https://orienteeringusa.org/clubs/all#start-table


Ask us about our current graduation party specials!
Here at Pixburgh Photo Booth we are proud to offer you the affordable "priceless" memory! You should not have to sacrifice quality to get an affordable rate!
Check below to see a few examples of our work!
Disk jockeys and custom sound/lighting/video packages available! Contact us today for a free quote!
*Your choice of an open air booth or enclosed is up to you, however if you do not specify which one you would like we will choose the one we see best fit for the occasion! Thank you!


The main purpose is to explore the long-te … The main purpose is to explore the long-term effects of interacting energy and climate policies by means of a simulation model of power companies investing in generation capacity. With this model, we study the influence of policy on investment in the electricity market in order to explicate possible effects of current and alternative/additional policies on the various sector goals, i.e. renewables targets, CO2 emission targets, security of supply and affordability. The methodology, agent-based modelling, allows for a different set of assumptions different as to the mainstream models for such questions: this model can explore heterogeneity of actors, consequences of imperfect expectations and investment behaviour outside of ideal conditions.ent behaviour outside of ideal conditions.


Using the Microsoft tool, IT can easily move student and teacher data from existing systems to a new productivity suite.
Schools often use productivity and collaboration tools. But before a school can start using Microsoft Office 365, IT professionals must provision accounts for teachers and students in Azure Active Directory.
Microsoft School Data Sync, a web portal, can be accessed by Office 365 Education global administrators to automate this process by importing data from a comma-delimited (.csv) text file that includes class rosters and teacher and student information. PowerSchool or a OneRoster-capable student information system can connect SDS to an SIS without first exporting data to a .csv file.
In most cases, only one sync profile is necessary to migrate users from an SIS to Office 365. However, use two profiles to keep Office 365 synchronized with an SIS. The first profile should be used to create new users in Office 365; the second profile should be used to synchronize changes to users that already exist in Office 365.
When setting up a sync profile, options include selectively synchronizing attributes from an existing SIS and automatically assigning licenses to new users.
Synchronization profiles are used to either migrate data from an existing SIS to Office 365 once or continuously update Office 365 with changes made in an SIS. And because Office 365 uses Active Directory for authentication, once migration is complete, third-party apps can integrate with Office 365 to take advantage of single sign-on so students and teachers don't have to log in to several different systems.
The School Data Sync Toolkit can be used to schedule .csv sync profiles to run regularly to synchronize Office 365 with an SIS. The toolkit can validate .csv files before and after they are used for synchronization. OneRoster .csv files can also be converted for use with SDS. The Add-CsvFileSyncTask PowerShell cmdlet creates a scheduled task that runs every night on a local PC to sync a .csv file with Active Directory.
When creating a sync profile, a primary key must be set for both the source directory (the SIS) and target directory (Active Directory) to match the identities for each user. Microsoft recommends a maximum of three sync profiles for best performance. Choose one of three available attributes in the source directory to match one of three attributes in Active Directory. The attributes should be related and must have an equal value. The most common configuration is to use the Username attribute from the source directory and match it to the UserPrincipalName attribute in Active Directory. To match the two attribute values, it's possible to optionally append the Active Directory domain suffix to the source attribute.


text:
Trip OverviewPackages & OptionsLocationReviews
Best of Times - Biltmore Estate & Blue Ridge Mtns w/PA Dutch
Asheville, NC, USA
Best of Times Travel
Sep 17 - 22, 2023
Welcome to America's Largest Home - The Biltmore Estate. A power-packed program taking in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, The Infamous Biltmore Estate, Touring of the Penn Dutch Country, the incredible Show MOSES at Sight and Sound Theatre, and so much more. This is a value packed program that will provide you memories of a lifetime!
• Roundtrip Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation
• 5 Nights Hotel Lodging
• 10 Meals - 5 Breakfasts, 5 Dinners
• Tour of Historic Asheville, NC and the famous Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway
• Admission to the Biltmore Estate - Includes Estate Tour, the Biltmore Gardens, and the Biltmore Winery with Tasting
• Exclusive Guided Tour of the PA Dutch Country
• Ticket to see MOSES at Sight & Sound Theatre
• Best of Times Travel Tour Director (Gratuity Included)
• Luggage Handling & Taxes
• Bus Driver Gratuities Not Included
• Optional Travelers Insurance by Chubb is offered - Click Here for Details on Chubb Travel Insurance Program
*Best of Times Travel will notify you of the closest departure point to where you live approximately 3 weeks prior to the trip departure date.
The Biltmore Estate
The Biltmore Estate will astound you! Majestic, magnificent, breathtaking are just a few words to describe what you will feel. Discover the wonders of Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Situated on an 8,000-acre estate with the Blue Ridge Mountains as the backyard make this the perfect setting to create unforgettable memories. Enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the magnificent 250-room Biltmore House with incredible commentary. Stroll acres of formal and informal gardens, including the Italian Garden as well as the ancient trees comprising America's first managed forests. You will find Biltmore's lush landscape to be amazing. The Antler Village and Winery is Biltmore's new village that connects the estate's present and past, providing a relaxing place for dining, shopping, and historical exhibits. We will also take some time to visit the Biltmore winery. Biltmore is a "must see" destination in America. But not only do we take in this magnificent American treasure but experience the Best of Times difference with some extra's that only we include in our packages.
Asheville, NC & the Blue Ridge Mtn Pkwy
The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway is part of the National Park Service and is known as America's Favorite Scenic Drive. The 469-mile ribbon of road weaves around the peaks of the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains connecting Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina). As the Parkway approaches Asheville, it offers breathtaking views of some of the highest peaks east of the Mississippi River. Enjoy a magnificent drive and tour of the Parkway and the city of Asheville, NC as part of your package. Enjoy 2 night accommodations here, along with great food and fun!
Visiting the Pennsylvania Amish
The Pennsylvania Amish of Lancaster County are America's oldest Amish settlement, where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Arriving in Amish Country allows you to step back in time to enjoy a slower, more peaceful pace – one where the horse & buggy remains a primary form of transportation, and where windmills dot the landscape, providing power harnessed from nature. Always a vital part of Lancaster County culture, the PA Amish are involved in agriculture as well as an array of businesses and cottage industries. On our journey enjoy our Exclusive backcountry tour of the Penn Dutch Country, it's a one-of-a-kind tour.
The Hit Show MOSES
From the banks of the Nile River to the depths of the Red Sea, MOSES is a spectacular entertainment experience!
Set adrift as a baby, he is an unlikely hero – until God calls him to lead His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Journey with Moses as he ventures through the wilderness, encounters God at the burning bush, and ascends to the top of Mount Sinai. Experience one of the Bible's most epic stories as MOSES comes to life with massive sets, special effects, and live animals in this original stage production from Sight & Sound Theatres.
For a short promotional video of the New Hit Show MOSES Click Here.
Rates and itineraries shown here were in effect at the time of printing and no changes are anticipated; however, Best of Times Travel reserves the right to withdraw any tour or to make any rate changes, as necessary. Prices are subject to change. A deposit is always required to confirm a reservation. A Deposit of $300pp, plus insurance premium (if selected) is due upon registration to confirm your reservation. Travel Insurance: We recommend your purchase of optional travel insurance. This optional travel insurance is per person and the premium is based on the overall trip cost. Travelers MUST purchase the plan at the time of initial deposit. Coverage will not be in place unless your full Deposit is received. Cancellation schedule and fees are in place regardless of cancellation reason (including, but not limited to, force majeure, health pandemics or government restrictions). Travel Insurance Premium is also Non-Refundable regardless of cancellation reason. Payment in full must be received by July 14th, 2023 or this may result in an automatic cancellation. Please note: All cancellations must be made in writing and sent to Best of Times Travel. The date of cancellation is deemed to be the date received by Best of Times Travel. Cancellation Charges for this programs are as follows: Cancellations from date of booking until 7/14/2023 have no cancellation fee. Cancellations from 7/15/2023 until 8/11/2023 will be assessed a cancellation fee of 75% of the total fare. Cancellations after 8/11/2023 will receive no refund, 100% of the total fare. Best of Times Travel is not responsible for any refunds over and above said amount. Best of Times Travel reserves the right to issue any refunds, in whole or in part, in the form of future travel credit.
*Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver has the following stipulations: plan must be purchased within 15 days of initial trip payment, insured must be medically able to travel at time of purchasing the plan, all pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs need to be insured. This information is a brief description of the features of this insurance program. Coverage & pricing may vary by state. The provision of this document is for informational purposes only and is not an insurance contract. Coverage is being marketed by Chubb Insurance Solutions Agency, Inc. located at 202 Halls Mills Road, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889. Insurance benefits are underwritten by ACE Property & Casualty Insurance Company located at 436 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106.
All Items Listed in What's Included Above
Driver Gratuity
Your Bus Driver Gratuity is NOT included in your package price. Our suggested Gratuity Amount is $30 - $50 per person for the trip.
Double Occupancy Rate
Available until August 17, 2023|40 left
This is for 2 people sharing a room together. Rooms will be configured with either 1 King Bed or 2 Queens. Best of Times Travel will make every effort to have passengers sharing a room with different last names have 2 beds in the room.
This is for 1 Person Occupying a room with No Roommate.
This is for 3 people sharing a room together. Rooms will be configured with 2 Queens. This will require that 2 passengers must share a bed together. Roll-away cots are Not Available.
Quad Occupancy
This is for 4 people sharing a room together. Rooms will be configured with 2 Queens. This will require that 2 passengers must share each bed in the room. Roll-away cots are Not Available.
Double Occupancy RateSingle OccupancyTriple OccupancyQuad Occupancy
Since our company's founding in 1974, we have been providing our customers with memories of a lifetime, through our travel and entertainment based programs.
We had a great time. Food was great. Music was great. However, spending 2.5 hours on a bus was much too long. I'd rather drive up myself and be there in about 1.3 hours. Stopping in Billerica then in Waltham added an extra hour to our trip so our group will probably not be doing this again.
By Dorine W for Oak Point -New Yrs Eve Day - American Bandstand - Sat. 12/31/2022 on 15 Jan, 2023
Best of Times trip to Danversport Yacht Club (New Years Eve Day- American Bandstand 12/31/2022 in Mass. was absolutely awesome, food delicious, staff wonderful and great music. We all had a wonderful time and met a lot of fun people. Loved the band as they played lots of varieties of music selections and requests. This is the second time I have gone to this event, and it definitely keeps us on our dancing feet. Thank you, Best of Times for another Best of a Time. Happy New Year!!!! See you again soon! always, Kathy Jerome NH
By Kathy J for Best of Times -New Yrs Eve Day - American Bandstand - Sat. 12/31/2022 on 02 Jan, 2023
I had a fantastic time. The food was great and the hotel was amazing. Would do it all over again. Thank you for a memorable trip.
By Elaine C for Reading Woods Social Club-Nashville's A Country Xmas 2022 on 01 Jan, 2023
Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. Bus travel to/from Logan airport was smooth and the driver was very courteous. Flights and connections went well considering the size and age of the group. Our director Tim and Nashville bus driver Vaneeta were great. He provided timely and useful information so we knew when to be where we needed to be and she was always right at the predetermined spot and time with a big smile for all of us. Our only complaint was the pacing of day #1. We got on the bus at 1:30am, arrived in Nashville (after a flight transfer in Chicago and not a lot of waiting time) to get right on the bus for a tour of the city before stopping to get something to eat. We understand that the hotel rooms aren't ready that early in the day. Maybe next time (if it's the same age demographic) have the flight to Nashville later in the day so your group can settle in and get a sense of the Opryland Hotel before getting to it the following day. The tours and sites you chose to highlight were excellent. The Grand Ol' Opry show, Ryman Theater and General Jackson Shows were super. Didn't care so much for the Oak Ridge Boys but the evening and venue were nice. The food was generally good. Nice breakfast variety each morning. Dinners were okay and there was plenty to eat. I worked long ago in the hospitality industry and know how it goes when feeding a large group but you might want to think about having one lunch or dinner meal in Nashville be specifically about Bar-b-que! Too much chicken lol. Anyway, thank you for a enjoyable Nashville Christmas experience! We would consider traveling with you again.
By Joyce B for Oak Point -Nashville's A Country Xmas 2022 - Feat. the Oak Ridge Boys on 30 Dec, 2022
Great time, but need an extra day up front with later departure on first day with no planned activities. Really need some time to settle in, explore, get a decent meal, and get a good night's rest. Our guide, Tim, was absolutely fantastic and our bus driver, Vaneta, was incredible. Nonstop flights would have been preferable if possible. Also if a flight is going out at 5am there is nothing open at Logan until 4 at the earliest…please remove indication that we have time for something to eat before the flight from your brochure. Thanks for everything. Gave 4 stars only because of the marathon first day.
By Judith F for Oak Point -Nashville's A Country Xmas 2022 - Feat. the Oak Ridge Boys on 29 Dec, 2022
© 2023 Best of Times TravelTermsPrivacy


text:
Armenia, Azerbaijan – and Nagorno-Karabakh: "Germany is pretending not to see or hear"
from Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has been brewing for decades. Why is it taking so long to find a solution?
Ilias Uyar: The solution would be peace and security for the people in Nagorno-Karabakh. The international community and the OSCE Minsk Group haven't done enough to achieve this in recent years.
The people in Nagorno-Karabakh are invoking their right to self-determination set out in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter; the territorial integrity claimed by Azerbaijan is based on a decision made by the dictator Stalin, who arbitrarily ceded Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.
Precisely this major principle of international law, the right to self-determination, was answered by Azerbaijan in the late 80s with pogroms and repeated attacks and war.
Since then, the Republic of Artsakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, has established itself as a democratic state. There are elections, there's a party system, there are universities, schools, cultural institutions and those holding political responsibility are not related to one another. There's no family clan ruling over everything. Azerbaijan is the total opposite.
Nevertheless, the sovereign status of Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognised under international law…
Uyar: All the prerequisites are there from a legal point of view, all that's missing is the international political will. The recognition of this sovereignty is being torpedoed by the oil state of Azerbaijan with cash, lobby firms from Washington's K Street and the famous caviar diplomacy.
We know from research by 15 international media companies within the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium that Azerbaijan has bribed deputies and manipulated decision-makers in the U.S., the EU and in Germany.
Successful mediation: the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to an end to all fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. The "total" ceasefire was mediated by Russian President Putin. The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that after more than a month of bloodshed he had signed an agreement with Azerbaijan and Russia that was "unspeakably painful for me and for our people". After a thorough analysis of the situation, he decided to end the conflict, said Pashinyan. There was immediate talk of capitulation in Armenia, which led to protests and riots in the capital Yerevan
Peace initiatives sidelined
In 2016, the former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian said in an interview: "The decider here will be overcoming the mentality of the state of war. Ultimately, I have faith in a reconciliation." The Azerbaijani deputy Rasim Musabeyov issued a similar statement, saying: "I would like to believe that I will see peace with my own eyes." If key actors on both sides are saying they want peace, why has the conflict been reignited now?
Uyar: This is essentially due to Turkish influence. Turkish President Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Aliyev are kindred spirits. They are not concerned with the well-being of their nations, what they care about is that their regimes retain power by any means necessary. Both nations are in an economically precarious situation, they hope that the war will weld them together on the domestic policy front.
The voices calling for peaceful solutions are being silenced in both countries. In Turkey, Erdogan has been persecuting and arresting members of the opposition for years; Aliyev is doing exactly the same. In Azerbaijan, Akram Aylisli, regarded there as a great writer for the people, has been subjected to a campaign of harassment; he was stripped of all his titles after he wrote a novel in 2012 that was critical of the pogroms against Armenians.
The human rights activist Giyas Ibrahimov spoke out publicly in favour of peace at the start of the conflict and then received a visit from the Azerbaijani police. Voices like this should be heeded, but that's exactly what the Aliyev regime wants to prevent.
The OSCE Minsk Group has been trying to mediate in this conflict since 1992. Has this endeavour now failed?
Uyar: Three ceasefires were agreed at the instigation of France, the U.S. and Russia. But Azerbaijan has no interest in such a move. Following a meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Geneva, (Swedish foreign minister at the time and head of an EU delegation) Carl Bildt tweeted: "Armenia wants a ceasefire, Azerbaijan wants victory."
Peace isn't an option for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's military budget is larger than the entire national budget of Armenia. Aliyev believes he can win with the support of Israeli and Turkish drones.
Israeli arms supplies to Azerbaijan
Why does Israel of all countries support such aggression?
Uyar: Israel says it is contractually obliged to Azerbaijan through weapons shipments. This is cynical. Israel is thereby squandering any moral claim. With Turkey, we're dealing with the grandchildren of the perpetrators of the 1915 genocide, firing today on the grandchildren of the survivors of the genocide with Israeli weapons. Despite this ominous situation, Israel has ignored several demands to stop supplying this war with weapons. It really is unbelievable.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at war again over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus for over a month. Three ceasefires have failed. The conflict is taking its toll on civilians. Julia Hahn reports
Residential area reduced to rubble: the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of deliberately bombing civilian targets. For example, part of the city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh's famous 19th-century cathedral was destroyed in early October. According to authorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijani troops are just a few kilometres from the strategically important city
Destroyed livelihood: Ragiba Guliyeva stands in the ruins of her house in Ganja, Azerbaijan's second largest city, which was hit in a rocket attack. "I was in the kitchen when beams and stones rained on me all of a sudden," she said. "I screamed as loudly as I could." Ganja is dozens of kilometres from the front. The government of Azerbaijan blames Armenian troops for the attack
Mourning the children: several people were killed in the attack on Ganja, according to Azerbaijani authorities.Guliyeva's 13-year-old grandson, Artur, was one of the victims. At a church service, teachers and classmates paid their respects. According to official figures, at least 130 civilians were killed on both sides
Volunteering for the front: authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say 1,200 soldiers have died since fighting started in September. Azerbaijan's government has not reported the extent of its military losses. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently mentioned a total of 5,000 people dead on both sides. Young men keep on volunteering for service at the front, such as these fighters in the Nagorno-Karabakh capital, Stepanakert
A decades-old conflict: the region has been controlled by Armenian separatists since Azerbaijan's government lost control in a territorial war from 1988 to 1994. A fragile ceasefire has been in effect since. The painting in a school in Barda honours a soldier who died
International intervention? Propaganda and war rhetoric govern everyday life in Azerbaijan, which is ruled by an authoritarian regime. The government, in Baku, receives weapons and expressions of solidarity from Turkey. Russia is the protective power for Armenia's government, in Yerevan. Observers warn that the regional powers could actively intervene in the conflict
Holding out in shelters: regional authorities estimate that half of the residents, or 75,000 people, could flee the fighting. Residents who remain continue to hold out in basements and shelters
The coronavirus in a conflict zon: life in shelters has become routine for many Stepanakert residents. The rooms are crowded and poorly ventilated. The people are safe from the bomb attacks, but doctors warn of a rapid spread of the coronavirus. There are no officials figures, but some doctors have estimated that about half of the shelters' residents test positive on a daily basis
Classrooms as emergency shelters: people fled the fighting in Azerbaijan, too, including from the town of Terter, which is right on the front. Some found refuge in neighbouring Barda, about 20 kilometres from Nagorno-Karabakh, where schools have been used as emergency shelters since the end of September. But they are not safe either
The front approaches: several buildings were destroyed and cars burned out during an air raid on Barda a few days ago. Azerbaijani authorities reported at least 21 dead and dozens injured. The Armenian government denied the attack, but Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, pledged "retaliation on the battlefield" and "revenge"
No foreseeable peace: the fighting continues. The government of Azerbaijan has demanded the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia's prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has officially asked Russia for help. The Foreign Ministry has pledged Russia's "necessary assistance" should the fighting shift to Armenian territory
What role does Turkey play as a close ally of Azerbaijan?
Uyar: Following clashes in the summer, Turkey despatched jets and high-ranking officers to Azerbaijan, arms sales have gone through the roof. The air space over Azerbaijan is monitored by Turkish officers, Turkey has sent allied jihadists from Syria to the region, who are now murdering in its name.
One captured jihadist stated that the fighters are being paid 100 dollars for the head of every dead Armenian. This makes Turkey, a NATO partner and EU accession candidate, an active party in an illegal war of aggression.
We're hearing some new genocide rhetoric from Turkey, which to this day denies the 1915 Armenian genocide. In the summer, there could be no mistaking what Turkish President Erdogan meant when he spoke of "ending what our grandfathers began in the Caucasus". It's my impression that these threats aren't really being taken seriously in the EU. How can this be interpreted?
Uyar: Both the EU and Germany are pretending they can't see or hear anything. This appears to be a tradition in Germany when it comes to the existence of the Armenians; the silence reminds me of 1915. The government clearly has other interests. It probably wants to protect the refugee agreement with Turkey; also I assume it wants to avoid problems with sections of the Turkish community in Germany.
The German-Armenian lawyer Ilias Uyar lives in Cologne and is active in the civil society initiative "RECOGNITION NOW", which was instrumental in the German parliament's resolution to recognise the genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Pontus Greeks and also demands that the genocide of Armenians be taught in schools. He is also active in local politics in the Cologne CDU
The role of Germany's Turkish community
In Germany too, the DITIB is drumming up support for the war – just as it did several times before when it took action against the Kurds…
Uyar: I don't know what the DITIB is actually preaching in its mosques, but it's known that they preached in favour of the war when Turkey invaded Syria. DITIB mosque congregations post war propaganda related to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in social networks, while the Armenian church in Germany holds prayers for peace.
When the German government remains silent over this, it is playing into the hands of nationalists and agitators. They perceive this as an encouragement to continue. The German government shares some of the responsibility should the situation escalate. It is cynical, if DITIB congregations receive political support as co-operation partners for integration and anti-racism projects. Why, in this country, is financial support being given to Turkish organisations and associations that deny the Armenian genocide?
The French government has responded with a ban on the right-wing extremist Grey Wolves organisation, following violence against Armenians in France. Would this also be an option for Germany?
Uyar: This is a necessary measure and long overdue, particularly as intelligence agencies have had their eye on the Grey Wolves for some time already. Turkish and Azerbaijani extremists carried out attacks on Armenian shops in Germany this summer. I referred to this threat already back in early October at the federal press conference. We shouldn't be waiting until the same thing that happened in France also happens here. The German government must abandon its course of inaction, and in doing so it should make no distinction between German, Turkish and other right-wing extremists. The Grey Wolves organisation should be banned.
The peace process has barely made any progress since the 1990s. Is finding a solution still possible at all? What does the future hold for the region, do you think?
Uyar: I very much hope that peace can be established because that is the only realistic option. I'm working to achieve this every day. The Armenians have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for millennia and will also continue to defend themselves against aggressions. But I'm pessimistic. Because on an international level, the Armenians with their peace efforts aren't listened to, only the aggressor with the cash and the oil.
Interview conducted by Gerrit Wustmann
© Qantara.de 2020
Translated from the German by Nina Coon
← Op-Ed: Does Armenia Pose a Threat to The State of Israel? → News – Nagorno Karabakh – military analysis: In Nagorno-Karabakh, drones gave Azerbaijan huge advantage and showed future of warfare – 2:47 PM 11/15/2020 | The News And Times Blogs Network – newsandtimes.net


text:
Stelis meganthera är en orkidéart som beskrevs av Carlyle August Luer. Stelis meganthera ingår i släktet Stelis och familjen orkidéer. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Orkidéer
meganthera