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Home / Featured Content / Sitting on the Bench in Juneau Was a Promise My Ex Boyfriend Failed To Keep
Sitting on the Bench in Juneau Was a Promise My Ex Boyfriend Failed To Keep
A love story.
November 25, 2020 by Naf Beltran Leave a Comment
Whenever I think of Alaska, I remember the TV show Northern Exposure in the 1990s. It still is one of the greatest TV shows in my book, a favorite to this day. The ensemble characters gave me my first glimpse of what life is like in rural America.
While everything feels slow, everything is also the same, as long as there are people, stories are waiting to be told. Like the one, I am about to share, this is my love story.
There are places, that one revisits so often in their lifetime — whether by going back to that place or by remembering the memories. One day, I would like to be in Alaska again.
Alaska, while cold outside, is full of warm memories on the inside. Alaska, everything I know about it, I learned from history class. The 49th state, a place once a part of Russia.
When I was young, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day, I would set foot in Alaska. Yet 11 years after I watched the last episode of Northern Exposure, I was walking the streets of Anchorage, Alaska.
I can still feel the cold breeze as I tell you my story, but this isn't a story of whale watching, the glaciers, and the ice cream store. I loved that ice cream store in Juneau. This is about a bench in Juneau where promises were made.
I am getting ahead of my story. I was a cruise photographer in one of the best-known cruise lines in America. It was a great experience, in part because I was able to visit at least 80 countries — and for that, I will always be grateful.
I met a boy on my first contract, my boy, means he wasn't younger, he is a year older than me, I was 36 and he was 37. We first met in San Francisco, as he was joining as the cruise ship's Internet Manager and the ship was en route to Mexico. That is where it all started, my love story.
Like any love story, the beginning was as sweet as candy. One of the best times of my life.
Fast forward to my fourth contract, I was back in Alaska and so was he. To be honest I was wishing for another country or place to be in. There are destinations I wish to see, like Europe, which I was able to see on a future contract. But it was Alaska where this story unfolds.
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In this contract, we are not together, the Internet on ships is run by a concessionaire Internet company, as such, my boyfriend can work on the different cruise lines. We both knew that that there will be contracts when we will not be together.
While we are both doing Alaska, both on a 7-day cruise, as fate would have it, we are in Juneau on different days. I can't remember now, who is a day ahead.
Imagine the feeling, you can almost be together and yet you can't. That was our love story, it's complicated.
I won't say I am the best lover, but I am easygoing. I don't ask for much. I trust my lover. I trust to a fault, I also nurture the people I love, lovers included.
There are no rules, except, I thought, it is in everyone's book, be honest, and be faithful. After all, doesn't love means commitment?
It was my boyfriend's idea. I didn't ask why or I can't remember now. It was over the phone, yes, whenever I am in port, I would call or he would call even if he was at sea.
I still remember his voice, his South African accent. He said, whenever we are in Juneau,
promise me, there is a bench we have to sit on, whoever is in Juneau …
I know I will find that bench when I get to visit Juneau again.
There wasn't anything special about the bench. It was the first bench in a series of benches near a small park, and it is very close to where ships dock.
But for us, back then, it was our bench, my boyfriend was romantic in that way. For someone like me, who watched countless rom-com movies, and read novels about love. I loved it, sitting on our love bench.
There were special instructions. It is the first bench, near the crew store. I can't remember it now, but there could be a lamp post on the side of the bench. You have to sit at the far right, your right when you are already sitting on the bench, not your right when you are looking at the bench.
This all happened when mobile phones didn't have cameras, or mine didn't have one, anyway. Facebook wasn't the social media as it now, while I always have a camera with me, I m not fond of taking photos of myself. Even today, taking selfies isn't my thing.
As men in our 30s, we only have our word, a promise to keep, that whenever we are in Juneau, we have to sit on our bench. I did, and maybe he did.
He said, he will etch something on the bench, talk about vandalism. I can't remember now, if that bench has our names, someday, I will know for sure.
What happens in Alaska after all the people from cruise ships leave? The Alaska season ends in September. They say it ends in September because winter is coming. I am guessing, like the rural town of Cicely, the fictional Alaskan town on Northern Exposure, the only people left after the tourists leave are the locals.
Juneau will be quiet.
I didn't know how many times I sat on our bench. But I know I did, and I knew I would feel his presence and my thought was, here on the same bench he was thinking of me, as I was thinking of him.
In Juneau, people working on cruise ships can leave stuff for each other. One day at the crew center, I got a package from my boyfriend, in the box, a red blanket which I still have, and a small rock.
The rock has its own story. He said he found it in the river somewhere in Alaska. He made me promise him that I would keep the rock in my pocket, wherever I go. He also has an identical rock, he said, that he keeps it in his pocket too. And that all we have to do when we miss each other or think about each other is rub the rock, or hold it. It reminds me of Aladdin and the lamp. All that Aladdin needed to do was rub the lamp and the genie will appear and grant his wish.
Maybe, we both wish that our love will be forever. Maybe, he wished I will never find out, or that if I find out, that I will learn to forgive it, the promise he never kept.
On the last two Alaskan cruises of that contract, the Internet manager on my ship left for home. Soon after, I heard from my boyfriend, that he will be joining my ship. It was a surprise, bigger than I thought, as what follows soon broke my heart.
I can still remember the day he joined the ship. It was a busy day, the incoming crew only joins on embarkation day. A day, when the old passengers leave and new ones come in. It is always a busy day for the crew unless it was your day off.
I remember I was the only one left from the photography department. On a day, when the shipment is arriving, because we have to stock as we are en route to Asia after the Alaska season.
I saw him walking towards me, there was no warmth, no sparkle in his eyes, it felt like he was already sorry for deciding to join me.
Everything I would find out soon, that he only decided to join the ship, to be sure that he stopped loving me.
He met someone else, from his previous ship, I never knew the details, was it before or after the promise, the bench, and the rock.
All I know is that he never kept his promise, that every time he was sitting on the bench, he was there not because he was missing me, but because he stopped loving me.
That he didn't want to break my heart, and yet it still happened in the end, a very broken heart.
I feel like Forrest Gump, sitting on a bench and telling you this story. But this happened years ago when I was younger. When like Forrest, in the movie, he said,
"My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Love, like Life, is a box of chocolates, something you enjoy until the last bite. I never quit on love, others came after this boy.
For now, that's all I have to tell you, the bus is here.
Previously published on medium
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Photo credit: by Lee Karkit on Unsplash
Filed Under: Featured Content, Sex & Relationships Tagged With: LGBTQ, photography, self, Sex and Relationships, writing
About Naf Beltran
A speck in the Universe. Traveled in 80 countries as a cruise photographer. Born in Manila. On my way to my first 1 million published words. http://jamp.buzz
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I co-own a flat with my 2 parents since many years ago.
Few years ago, I started dating and planned to get married. Problem is, my financee and I applied for a new BTO. The flat ownership with my parents totally slipped my mind and we even proceed to collect the keys. Each person can only own 1 hdb flat.
Spoke to hdb, and they cant help much as my parents place are under a bank loan. Spoke to bank, they demanded that I cough out huge amount of money (about $90,000) to settle outside loan before I can remove my name from my parents' property.
u asking for help to find money?
u mean u didn't remember your name tied to hdb property??
and u managed to process your BTO application?
Not sure if $$ is the only way out.. but making me depressed.
I managed to process the bto. It is true. Hdb said they do not have visibility if the property is under a bank loan.
Next time buy anything must have enough money. Dont buy without research on how much it will cost.
We are currently assisting our friends over in SEA to raise money for the elderly and children who come from broken homes or/and financially troubled homes.


This spring, we're taking a peak at a few of our favorite designers' studios and workshops. Today, we meet illustrator-designer-maker-of-things Kate Bingaman Burt in her Portland studio, which is just upstairs from ADX, a communal workshop for crafter-thinkers.
Edmonds, Washington restaurant owner plants herbs and edible flowers for his chefs.
This spring, we're taking a peak at a few of our favorite designers' studios and workshops. Today, we meet illustrator-designer-maker-of-things Kate Bingaman Burt in her Portland studio, a sunny spot just upstairs from community workspace ADX.
Having fellow designers Clifton Burt (her husband), Nicole Lavelle and Will Bryant share the space makes the move from home to studio an easy one for Kate. She says being surrounded by her studio-mates "even trumps naps on the couch and the occasional fridge raid. Our space is kind of like a tree house or a weird fort." Can we come play?!
Check out her site, and see more photos of her space on work.place, a film project all about exploring spaces where creative work happens.


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CHRISTINA-CLARE PHOTOGRAPHY
Catheine Lou Designs
January 11, 2022 - Children's fairytale-themed greetings card craft making kit shot and styled for Catherine Lou Designs
Head over to Instagram and Facebook for more photos, updates and behind the scenes.
Christina-Clare Photography | Business and Product Photographer Bridgnorth ShropshireChristina-Clare Photography Bridgnorth, Shopshire
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Watch It's A Beautiful Day in the style of Michael Buble video for a preview of this backing track. The audio file used in this video is an MP3 render of the Hit Trax MIDI File backing track. Some tracks may include sampled instruments from high quality sample libraries. Most times we record the audio direct from the outputs of a MIDI File player like a MERISH, Okyweb, Roland or Yamaha device.
TECHNICAL NOTES for It's A Beautiful Day in the style of Michael Buble. Sonic results may vary in different MIDI File players and devices, including sound libraries. Hit Trax assumes buyers know the capabilities and limitations of their MIDI playback devices, sound library, related devices and apps. Click the 'Show all Michael Buble MIDI File Backing Tracks box'. to view all Hit Trax titles by Michael Buble.


In June, I traveled to Morocco with the Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa (SWMENA) project team. SWMENA is an innovative, regional project that uses scientific surveys to gather data on various aspects of women's status, and then use this data —as well as tools to maximize its use—to assist local NGOs in conducting advocacy campaigns to improve the status of women in their countries. The purpose of this trip was to release IFES' Morocco survey findings to women's rights advocates, and generate policy recommendations based on these findings. While I am always impressed with the people I meet on my trips with IFES – both in civil society and government – I have never been so amazed by a single individual working so passionately to change her country for the better.
Throughout my time in Morocco I had the privilege of working with Fatima Outaleb, a founding member of the Union de l'Action Feminine (UAF), a group that promotes women's social and legal status in Morocco and aims to remove all types of discrimination and violence against women. I had met Fatima previously and knew she was committed to promoting women's rights in Morocco – she had, after all, been working pro-bono for us bestowing invaluable advice in the weeks leading up to our workshop. Yet watching her in action during this trip allowed me to witness one of those special individuals who have the energy and the charisma to make a huge impact on the causes they promote.
We arrived in Rabat just a few days before the event to find that Fatima had lined up a highly-energetic group to participate in the workshop. A member of parliament would moderate the first day of the workshop and a well respected gender expert the second day. These two high-profile figures were only the first component of a stellar group. Fatima had also gathered participants from all sectors of civil society and government, including several representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Youth and Education. A number of participants traveled from Casablanca and Tangiers to take part in our session, and even a handful of men attended, a rarity in our SWMENA events. Not only did these advocates attend the workshop, they actively participated, drawing on their vast experience and insight to provide constructive criticism to help improve the project, as well as make in depth recommendations based on our data findings to improve women's status in Morocco. It was one of the most fruitful workshops I've attended. Fatima had clearly put in an enormous amount of time, effort and energy in pulling this together, and it was very much evident in the success of the event.
I was even more impressed to learn that Fatima largely volunteers for UAF – she works primarily as a school teacher throughout the year. It's not surprising, then, that one of Fatima's policy recommendations emanating from our data was to work towards reforming education policy to be more inclusive in order to combat illiteracy. According to the IFES questionnaire, 48% of women surveyed have no formal education, compared with 23% of men. Fortunately, however, educational attainment seems to be improving in Morocco – 87% of women 65 or older have no formal education, compared to only 16% of women 18 to 24 years of age. As a teacher, I am certain Fatima has contributed to this success.
IFES works with activists like Fatima all around the world, and it's easy sometimes to forget what a privilege this is. I felt incredibly rejuvenated at the end of this trip – I felt the impact and importance of our work and was reminded of what drew me to the field of development in the first place – to support impassioned people like Fatima who are determined to make a positive difference in their societies.


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Mojo and IKM secure EU Horizon 2020 Grant for development of a hi flo rov
2015 January 24 16:22
Mojo Maritime, leading British tidal energy marine operations specialists, and IKM Subsea, Norwegian ROV manufacturer and operator, have jointly secured a significant EU Horizon 2020 Grant to support a €1,200,000 R&D project to develop an ROV for use in high energy tidal sites, and capable of being operated from Mojo's ground breaking tidal energy vessel, the Hi Flo 4 (HF4).
A significant proportion of overall tidal energy costs are in array installation and, between 2012 and 2014, Mojo Maritime designed and developed the HF4, an offshore construction vessel (OCV) capable of lifting the heaviest envisaged tidal turbines and of dynamically positioning in up to 5.0 ms-1 (10 knots) of tidal stream. These operational advantages will feed through into installation benefits, and Mojo's early analysis using Mermaid™ shows that in medium energy tidal sites HF4 can install tidal arrays in half the time and at a third of the cost of conventional methods. HF4 thus offers the possibility of levilised costs of energy for tidal arrays of £118 per MWH, already below that of many envisaged offshore wind projects, and Mojo is now working with its ship-owning partner, Hammonia Reedeira, to select a yard to build the first-of-class HF4, with an anticipated delivery date target of late 2016.
A next step in reducing tidal energy levilised costs is improving the performance of key installation tools, such as ROVs, which are used not only for turbine and foundation installation, but also for cable touch-down monitoring. Conventional ROVs are generally designed to operate in subsurface currents of up to 1.5 ms-1 but, in Mojo's experience, many struggle above 1.0 ms-1. Conventional ROVs are thus a key operating limitation in the design (and cost) of the marine operations for tidal energy installations, where subsurface current speeds of 5.0 ms-1, are the norm in high energy tidal sites.
For this reason, Mojo and IKM joined forces in mid-2014 to bid for EU funding, from the Maritime Technologies (MARTEC II) call, to develop a HF ROV capable of being operated from the HF4 in high energy tidal sites. Mojo's extensive tidal technology installation background complements IKM's ROV manufacture and operations experience including the design, build and operation of modern WROVs, such as IKM's pictured Merlin WR200, intended to be the most efficient and reliable work class ROV on the market.
The two companies target is to develop a basic design for an HF ROV that is capable of then being manufactured according to a schedule that will align with the envisaged build schedule for the HF4 ship.
With its genesis in the tidal energy sector, the HF4 vessel is highly optimized and offers cost effective performance in wide range of applications, including offshore wind and oil&gas. It is therefore anticipated that the HF ROV will operate from both HF4 and OCV's in a range of offshore operations and conditions. The companies were awarded the funding at the end of 2014, granted as part of the EU's Marine Technology II Horizon 2020 programme, and administered by InnovateUK in the United Kingdom, and work began in earnest on the project on 5 January 2015 on the HF ROV, and will continue through to the end of 2015.
Другие новости по темам: Mojo Maritime


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Author: Ashley Ashley Ahrens-Viquez
The Role of Mexico's Drug Cartels in the U.S. Fentanyl Crisis
Posted on May 13, 2019 May 13, 2019 by Ashley Ashley Ahrens-Viquez
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
05/13/19- (written by Aitanna Ferrez) The surge of opioid overdoses in the United States has killed tens of thousands of people in recent years and, according to the New York Times, has become the leading cause of death for U.S. citizens under the age of 55. In particular, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and has been a major contributor to the crisis. Fentanyl is often used by drug traffickers and dealers as an additive to enhance the effect of other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and even counterfeit prescription drugs. In recent years, numerous opioid deaths have been attributed to the proliferation of fentanyl, because even small variations in quantity can lead to overdoses.
Historically, fentanyl has been predominantly manufactured in China and often directly shipped to the United States. Mexican drug cartels have predominantly functioned as intermediaries in the distribution of fentanyl. Following an April 1st decision by the Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission to regulate fentanyl and all chemically similar variants as a class of controlled substances, it is possible that Mexican cartels will now become more important suppliers of illicit fentanyl. According to an InSight Crime report focused on the severity of Mexico's contribution to the deadly rise of fentanyl, Mexico has become not only a major transit country, but also a key production point for fentanyl and its chemical variants. Furthermore, Insight Crime's investigation shows that Mexican traffickers appear to be playing a role in the distribution of fentanyl within the United States, with Mexico's two largest criminal organizations—the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)—being the two most prominent purveyors of the drug. According to the report, these and other Mexican criminal organizations continue to transport and distribute fentanyl using the same routes employed for other illicit drugs.
According to the Insight Crime report, the Mexican government "does not see fentanyl as an important issue yet and has not devoted significant resources towards finding the principal drivers of the trade inside its borders." This is a serious concern given the degree to which fentanyl is dramatically reshaping the illicit drug trade. Simultaneously, this is having disastrous effects in Mexican drug producing regions, according to a report produced by the Wilson Center, NORIA, and Justice in Mexico. This report emphasizes that with "the upsurge in fentanyl use, the demand for Mexican heroin has sharply fallen," causing village economies to "dry up" and "out migration" on the upward trend. Altogether, the report highlights the how a modernization of Mexico's drug policies would solve problems to a wealth of unanswered questions and help bring marginalized regions into the country for good.
The new paradigm, created by the rise of fentanyl, may require Mexico and the United States to move away from past approaches dealing with drugs. As fentanyl begins to atomize the market, it will be more difficult to identify and arrest major traffickers like Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, a practice that has not been particularly effective in preventing drug use. According to Insight Crime founder Steven Dudley in a contribution to Foreign Affairs Magazine, "Dealing with illicit drugs requires a holistic approach dedicated to understanding the complexity of drug use and its ripple effects on everything from the rule of law to democracy."
Dudley, Steven, et al. "Mexico's Role in the Deadly Rise of Fentanyl – Investigation." InSight Crime, Wilson Center: Mexico Institute, Feb. 2019
Dudley, Steven. "The End of the Big Cartels." Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs Magazine, 4 Mar. 2019, www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/mexico/2019-02-27/end-big-cartels
Hassan, Adeel. "Deaths From Drugs and Suicide Reach a Record in the U.S." The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/07/us/deaths-drugs-suicide-record.html
Le Cour Grandmaison, Romain, et al. "The U.S. Fentanyl Boom and the Mexican Opium Crisis: Finding Opportunities Amidst Violence?" Wilson Center, 12 Feb. 2019, www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-us-fentanyl-boom-and-the-mexican-opium-crisis-finding-opportunities-amidst-violence.
Posted in Crime and Violence	Tagged Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, CJNG, Drug Violence, fentanyl, opiod, violence	Leave a comment
2019 Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico Report
Posted on April 29, 2019 April 30, 2019 by Ashley Ashley Ahrens-Viquez
Download the full report here
04/30/19- Justice in Mexico, a research-based program at the University of San Diego, released its 2019 report on Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico, co-authored by Laura Calderón, Kimberly Heinle, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk. This report analyzes the latest available data to broadly assess the current state of violence, organized crime, and human rights in Mexico. The tenth edition in a series is published under a new title to reflect the gradual shift that has occurred to the restructuring illicit drug trade and the rise of new organized crime groups.
In 2018, Mexico saw record violence with 28,816 homicide cases and 33,341 victims reported by the Mexican National Security System (Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública, SNSP). This reflects the continued augmentation in violent crime in Mexico for more than a decade with a notable increase in the last few years. The homicide rate has dramatically escalated from 16.9 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 as reported to UNODC to 27.3 per 100,000 in 2018 based on SNSP figures. In this and past reports, the authors attribute much of the violence, between a third to a half, to the presence of organized crime groups, particularly drug trafficking organizations.
According to the report, violence has become more pervasive throughout the country but remains highly concentrated in a few specific areas, especially in the major drug trafficking zones located in the northwest and the Pacific Coast. The top ten most violent municipalities in Mexico accounted for 33.6% of all homicides in Mexico in 2018, with 24.7% concentrated in the top five: Tijuana (2,246), Ciudad Juárez (1,004), Acapulco (839), Cancún-Benito Juárez (537), Culiacán (500).
Tijuana's rate of 115 homicide cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranks second to Acapulco's rate of 127 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. According to Baja California State's Secretary of Public Security (SSP) reporting, Tijuana saw a significant increase in 2018 of 41% victims up from 2017.
The authors have found that Mexican organized crime groups have become more fragmented, decentralized, and diversified in their activities. Notably, violence in the Mexican state of Guanajuato appears to have risen due to the increased presence of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and an increase in the prevalence of petroleum theft (huichicol). At least nine municipalities in Guanajuato had a murder rate of more than 100 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Record violence in Mexico has disproportionally affected certain populations (e.g. politicians, journalist, and men). In 2018, a major election year, there were 37 victims among mayors, mayoral candidates, and former-mayors. These numbers are up slightly from 35 cases in 2017 but demonstrate a significant increase from 14 victims in 2015 and 6 victims in 2016. A 2018 Justice in Mexico study found that in recent years Mexican journalists were at least three times more likely to be murdered than the general population, while mayors were at least nine times more likely. There were 16 journalists and media workers that were killed in 2018. Additionally, the report finds that men are 8.3 times more likely to be homicide victims than women, with 28,522 male homicide victims.
All told, the authors of the report estimate that over 150,000 people were murdered during the six years of the Peña Nieto administration, the most homicides during any presidential term in recent Mexican history. The current Lopez Obrador administration has proposed a new security agenda centered on citizen security, changes in federal law enforcement, and efforts to minimize tensions in U.S.-Mexican relations. Two of the most important measures that the new government has put forward are the creation of a autonomous federal prosecutor and a national guard.
Posted in Crime and Violence, Publications, Special Reports, Uncategorized	Tagged Dr. David A. Shirk, drug operations, drug trafficking, Drug Violence, Drug Violence in Mexico, Kimberly Heinle, Laura Calderon, mayor homicides, mexican mayor, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, organized crime, Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico, Organized Crime Groups	Leave a comment
What the Trial of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Revealed About The Inner Workings of the Sinaloa Cartel
Posted on March 19, 2019 March 27, 2019 by Ashley Ashley Ahrens-Viquez
Sketch by Christine Cornell
03/19/19- (written by Aitanna Ferrez) Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán was convicted in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 on all counts brought against him for his role in directing the Sinaloa Cartel since roughly the 1980s. The trial revealed significant details about the Sinaloa Cartel, how it works, who is involved and where their business is conducted, providing a greater understanding of how this specific cartel has contributed to corruption and violence in Mexico. In the wake of his arrest and extradition to the United States, business of the cartel seems to be carrying on as usual, there is an ongoing epidemic of U.S. drug overdoses, and violence in Mexico has reached record levels. Understanding the impact of the Sinaloa Cartel and where it may be headed in Guzman's absence requires a careful review of what we now know about the organization.
Background on the Sinaloa Cartel
According to InSight Crime, the Sinaloa Cartel began as a small group of farming families who switched to drug trafficking in the 1960s and 70s. In the 1980s, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán officially founded the Sinaloa Cartel. Up until his arrest in January 2016, Guzmán served with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia as what has been perceived as head of the drug trafficking organization.
The Sinaloa Cartel achieved success in part because of its relatively decentralized structure, with different geographic divisions of the network working together as "separate but cooperating organizations." Indeed, though identified as the organization's formal leaders in principal, InSight Crime reports that both Guzmán and Zambada Garcia historically maintained their own individual organizational structures within the Sinaloa Cartel. Meanwhile, many of the Sinaloa Cartel's activities and operations in Mexico and internationally were "outsourced" to local suppliers, distributors, and other partners.
According to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, in an interview with ABC News, it was "El Chapo" Guzmán's ability to "institutionalize power systems and relationships" that largely enabled the cartel to expand. According to Bret Hamilton, assistant special agent for Alabama's sector of the DEA, the Sinaloa cartel is said to control about one-fourth of the drug traffic within the Mexican Region, with an even larger reach and hold on the United States."
The effect of the reach of the Sinaloa Cartel and its network of contraband trade has had translates directly into its ability to, as InSight affirms, "successfully [penetrate] government and security forces wherever it operates." As stated in a June 2018 CRS report, the Sinaloa Cartel has "successfully corrupted public officials from the local to the national level inside Mexico and abroad to operate in some 50 countries," allowing it to become the top supplier of illicit psychotropic substances in the United States.
What We Learned from the Guzmán Trial
The trial of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was a lesson in and of itself on how the Sinaloa Cartel's success has been contingent upon the high level of corruption within the Mexican police, military, and government. Witness testimony during the trial brought to the surface countless allegations against Guzmán and the Sinaloa Cartel, and corruption was arguably the prominent theme that emerged throughout.
As revealed in a VICE News podcast, the corruption of the Sinaloa Cartel is practically embedded in all aspects of life in Mexico. Two testimonies in particular – one delivered by a former government official Lucero Sanchez Lopez, who became a mistress of Guzmán and the other by Alex Cifuentes, a relative of one of Guzmán's primary cocaine suppliers in Colombia – brought to light the degree of high-level corruption of the Mexican government by the Sinaloa Cartel. In addition, according to the New York Times following the final presentation of evidence, reports delivered the prosecution revealed possibly the most shocking claims against Mr. Guzmán, accusing the crime lord of "routinely rap[ing] girls as young as 13 years old."
The first witness' testimony illustrated the way that government officials fell under Guzmán's sway even as they were sworn to enforce the law. Cifuentes, meanwhile, alleged that the cartel was able to bribe officials even at the highest levels of office, including then-president Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), who allegedly accepted a bribe of $100 million to protect the Sinaloa Cartel from authorities.
The Sinaloa Cartel, though constantly challenged within Mexico by other drug trafficking organizations, seems to prosper well due to its significant international network, even after the guilty verdict of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. In an interview with PBS Newshour, Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations for the DEA, comments that capturing and convicting Guzmán "was a great moral victory for the rule of law, [but] it did very little to have a negative impact on the Sinaloa Cartel." With the drugs continuing to be shipped, the Mexican government no longer hunting down drug lords, and Guzmán's fate of little importance, the Sinaloa Cartel seems to continue to persist with business as usual.
Beittel, June. "Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations." Congressional Research Service, 3 July 2018, pp. 1–28. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41576.pdf.
Feuer, Alan. "El Chapo Drugged and Raped 13-Year-Old Girls, Witness Claims." The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2019. www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/nyregion/el-chapo-trial.html.
Keneally, Meghan. "How El Chapo's Sinaloa Drug Cartel Spread Its Reach Across US." ABC News, ABC News Network, 13 July 2015. www.abcnews.go.com/International/el-chapos-sinaloa-drug-cartel-spread-reach-us/story?id=32421054.
Robinson, Carol. "Mexico's Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leaving Deadly Mark on Alabama." AL.com, Advance Local Media LLC., 23 July 2018. www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/07/what_is_the_sinaloa_mexican_dr.html.
"Sinaloa Cartel." InSight Crime, 30 Jan. 2018. www.insightcrime.org/mexico-organized-crime-news/sinaloa-cartel-profile/.
"The Verdict." Chapo: Kingpin on Trial. VICE News/Spotify. 19 February 2019. https://open.spotify.com/show/3iZGZfoQX9kfzdZtAYi2s2?si=wxEH63CcQD2B50avZt8XJg.
Verza, Maria, and Mark Stevenson. "After El Chapo Conviction, Sinaloa Drug Cartel Carries On." PBS, KPBS, 12 Feb. 2019. www.pbs.org/newshour/world/after-el-chapo-conviction-sinaloa-drug-cartel-carries-on.
Verza, Maria, and Mark Stevenson. "Despite 'El Chapo' Arrest, Mexico's Powerful Sinaloa Drug Cartel Still Raking in Cash around the World." The Japan Times, 13 Feb. 2019. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/13/world/crime-legal-world/despite-el-chapo-arrest-mexicos-powerful-sinaloa-drug-cartel-still-raking-cash-around-world/#.XGxRBc9KigQ.
Posted in Corruption, Crime and Violence, Organized Crime, Transparency & accountability	Tagged "El Chapo", "El Mayo", Guzmán trial, Ismael Zamabda Garcia, Joaquin Guzman Loera, Sinaloa, Sinaloa cartel	1 Comment
New Working Paper: Immigration and National Security: An Empirical Assessment of Central American Immigration and Violent Crime in the United States
Posted on January 28, 2019 January 28, 2019 by Ashley Ashley Ahrens-Viquez
January 25, 2019- In his first primetime Oval Office address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to address what he called a "growing humanitarian and security crisis" at the United States' southern border, spawned in part by the recent arrival of a caravan of 6,500 migrants from Central America's Northern Triangle region.[1] In her paper, titled "Immigration and National Security: An Empirical Assessment of Central American Immigration and Violent Crime in the United States," Daphne Blanchard examines the extent of the potential threat by gathering quantitative data of previous Central American migration flows and the impact they have had on violence in American communities. The author contends that as rhetoric from high-level politicians and news media makes connections between violent crime and immigration, political parties' stances on immigration become more divergent — leading to the inability to agree on comprehensive immigration reform. Not only does this research add to the understanding of the potential threat of these particular migrants to U.S. communities, its findings can be generalized to the overall public debate of the nature of immigration and national security.
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau
Ms. Blanchard found that Central American migration has been hyperinflated in scope and potential for insecurity. Migrants from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) region, formed by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, have indeed surged over the past two decades–their numbers more than double the estimated 1.5 million people from that region in 2000–and the number of unaccompanied minors and families crossing the US-Mexico border has dramatically increased since 2008.[2] However, the author argues the importance of putting their numbers in perspective, noting that this subset of immigrants constitutes less than one percent of the share of the overall U.S. population.
The evidence compiled by Ms. Blanchard suggests that the surge in migration from the Northern Triangle to the United States has not been accompanied by increases in violent crime that would warrant sounding the national security threat alarm. Not only did overall U.S. violent crime rates descend as Central American migration share rose; but the influx of these foreigners in 27 metro areas showed no correlation when compared to the violent crime rate changes during 2012 to 2017. When compared to homicide rate changes, the weak correlation is even more evident; and in the vast majority of cases, homicide rates declined as immigration climbed significantly. It is interesting to note that the only metro area to experience a reduction in Northern Triangle concentration was Columbus, Ohio, which also experienced a 20 percent rise in homicide rates. Not one of the 27 metros with high concentration of immigrants from the NTCA region is within the top ten of the most violent metros in the United States.
Data Source: US. Census, FBI Uniform Crime Report
The brutal gang of El Salvadoran origins, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and claims of it infiltrating American communities, has received high level attention in social and news media. Ms. Blanchard compiled data to understand the scope and reach of this transnational gang to ascertain its potential ability to disrupt the stability and security of the nation. In her study, Ms. Blanchard found that according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), approximately ten thousand MS-13 members inhabit the United States, amounting to 0.3 percent of the overall U.S. population.[3] By comparison, there are approximately 1.4 million gang members living in the United States that make up more than 33,000 gangs.[4] The Cato Institute reports that 0.1 percent of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrests at the border mid-year in 2018 were MS-13 gang members, similar to the statistics from prior years.[5] Of the 1.2 million violent crime offenses committed in the United States between 2012 and 2017, 345 were committed by members of the MS-13 gang.[6] Therefore, the author contends that although a legitimate concern for the communities which it inhabits, this criminal organization does not have the potential to disrupt the security of the United States as a whole. She suggests that the violence of this subgroup of a subgroup should be addressed at a local level and separated from the immigration dialogue. Ms. Blanchard contends that the conflating of all immigrants with the MS-13 gang, as has been done repeatedly through President Trump's tweets and speeches, is unfounded and problematic.
The author offers several policy recommendations to address the surge in Central American migration, to reduce the burden on host countries, and to facilitate balanced immigration dialogue. First, the author suggests engaging media, community, and non-governmental organizations in an effort to balance the dialogue surrounding the migrants and inform the American public of the extent of the threat, thus encouraging fact-based immigration policy-making and aiding in the migrants' assimilation. The author also urges these groups to highlight the positive results occurring in the Northern Triangle region to audiences in both in the NTCA and the United States. She contends that the hopelessness that drives migrants from their homes could be replaced with increased confidence in local governance and civic action to support the ongoing efforts towards stability and economic opportunities.
Ms. Blanchard calls on the United States government to offer sustained and increasing support to sending communities to reduce the push factors of migration. In addition, Ms. Blanchard urges the United States to support other host countries to create additional safe havens in the region through the offsetting of the onboarding costs and engaging in cooperative security initiatives. She points out that if Mexico is unable to shoulder the burden of absorbing the new arrivals or if the migrants are unable to find safe haven in Mexico, the United States is obligated by international law to hear their asylum claims on U.S. soil. Another recommendation the author offers is to give priority to bilateral workforce development initiatives that have the potential to reduce the need to migrate northward. Finally, Ms. Blanchard suggests that the United States reevaluates the traditional resettlement-based international refugee policy and consider a development-based one, which can transform refugees from a burden to a benefit for the host country.
[1] Times, The New York. 2019. "Full Transcripts: Trump's Speech on Immigration and the Democratic Response." The New York Times, January 9, 2019, sec. U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/us/politics/trump-speech-transcript.html.
[2] Lesser, G, and J Batalova. "Central American Immigrants in the United States." Migration Policy Institute, April 5, 2017.
[3] Cara Labrador, R., and D. Renwick. "Central America's Violent Northern Triangle." Council on Foreign Relations, June 26, 2018, Backgrounder edition. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/central-americas-violent-northern-triangle.
[4] "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment." U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Accessed November 16, 2018. https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment.
[5] Bier, David. 2018. "0.1% of Border Patrol Arrests Are MS-13." https://www.cato.org/blog/01-border-patrol-arrests-are-ms-13.
[6] Vaughan. n.d. "MS-13 Resurgence: Immigration Enforcement Needed to Take Back Our Streets." Center for Immigration Studies. Accessed October 26, 2018. https://cis.org/Report/MS13-Resurgence-Immigration-Enforcement-Needed-Take-Back-Our-Streets.
Posted in Crime and Violence, Human Rights and Civil Society, Justice in Mexico, Publications	Tagged Donald Trump, Immigration, Immigration and National Security: An Empirical Assessment of Central American Immigration and Violent Crime in the United States, National Security, President Donald Trump	Leave a comment


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Rugby farmer warns heatwave could cause serious problems and leave us out of pocket over Christmas
Matthew Grindal on his farm.
A farmer near Rugby said farms across the country are three or four weeks of dry weather away from potentially serious problems – and we may feel the effects over Christmas.
Matthew Grindal, of Manor Farm Shop and Farmhouse Kitchen, said ceaselessly hot and dry weather has already caused some crops to fail while others are weeks away from the same fate.
Mr Grindal with his livestock.
He said: "This wonderful weather that my children are loving along with many in the population is going to come at some cost to us all.
"I think there's a distinct possibility, for the first time in my lifetime, of a serious drought."
Mr Grindal said the problems, although inconvenient, would not be 'catastrophic', adding: "I can't really see supermarket shelves becoming empty, but I can see some produce becoming more expensive."
Supermarkets often pay for stock well in advance, explained Mr Grindal – meaning that a shortage of produce could cause price rises over Christmas and next year, rather than in the coming weeks.
The 200-acre family-owned farm in Catthorpe has seen several crops fail this year and the problems continue, with vegetable crops requiring the weather to change in the next few weeks if they are to grow to their full size.
Mr Grindal's concerns come after the Met Office reported the country has received 16% of long term average rainfall for July, after only 49% of the long term average fell in June.
Drought has already left farmers across northern and central Europe contending with crop failure and bankruptcy.
The shortage of processed water that has plagued Rugby in recent weeks has also left Mr Grindal struggling to look after his livestock.
He said low water pressure meant that, at times, the water flow from the taps servicing the cattle had been reduced to drips – leaving him with no choice but to cart water to the fields to keep livestock hydrated.
Poor grass growth means Mr Grindal, like farmers across the country, has had to resort to using winter rations of hay to feed livestock - leaving him worrying about how he will feed his livestock later in the year.
Now Mr Grindal is asking for more support from politicians and the Government.
He said: "I am amazed our minister for the environment has not shown some support. In this industry you don't feel the Government is supporting you.
"It's not about asking for money. They could say 'we are having problems with food production', just so people understand what's going on, and don't get angry and blame farmers when they see food becoming more expensive."
If the government raised awareness of the plight of farmers, banks and lenders may be more understanding and may not chase so quickly for overdue mortgage payments or overdrafts that some in the farming industry sometimes face, Mr Grindal added.


text:
Protein Phosphatase 2A as a Therapeutic Target in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Mirzapoiazova, Tamara and Xiao, Gang and Mambetsariev, Bolot and Nasser, Mohd W. and Miaou, Emily and Singhal, Sharad S. and Srivastava, Saumya and Mambetsariev, Isa and Nelson, Michael S. and Nam, Arin and Behal, Amita and Atri, Pranita and Müschen, Markus and Tissot, François L. H. and Miser, James and Kovach, John S. and Sattler, Martin and Batra, Surinder K. and Kulkarni, Prakash and Salgia, Ravi (2021) Protein Phosphatase 2A as a Therapeutic Target in Small Cell Lung Cancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 20 (10). pp. 1820-1835. ISSN 1535-7163. PMCID PMC8722383. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0013. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20210730-171053099
Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.
PDF (Supplemental Figure 1) - Supplemental Material
MS Word (Table S1) - Supplemental Material
Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a serine/threonine phosphatase involved in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and DNA-damage response, is overexpressed in many cancers, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Here we report that LB100, a small molecule inhibitor of PP2A, when combined with platinum-based chemotherapy, synergistically elicited an antitumor response both in vitro and in vivo with no apparent toxicity. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we determined quantitatively that sensitization via LB100 was mediated by increased uptake of carboplatin in SCLC cells. Treatment with LB100 alone or in combination resulted in inhibition of cell viability in two-dimensional culture and three-dimensional spheroid models of SCLC, reduced glucose uptake, and attenuated mitochondrial and glycolytic ATP production. Combining LB100 with atezolizumab increased the capacity of T cells to infiltrate and kill tumor spheroids, and combining LB100 with carboplatin caused hyperphosphorylation of the DNA repair marker γH2AX and enhanced apoptosis while attenuating MET signaling and invasion through an endothelial cell monolayer. Taken together, these data highlight the translational potential of inhibiting PP2A with LB100 in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy in SCLC.
https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0013 DOI Article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8722383 PubMed Central Article
Mirzapoiazova, Tamara 0000-0001-9353-229X
Xiao, Gang 0000-0002-9476-3847
Nasser, Mohd W. 0000-0003-2070-4972
Singhal, Sharad S. 0000-0002-6415-8160
Mambetsariev, Isa 0000-0003-2882-0249
Nelson, Michael S. 0000-0003-0480-5597
Atri, Pranita 0000-0002-0417-0256
Müschen, Markus 0000-0002-6064-8613
Tissot, François L. H. 0000-0001-6622-2907
Miser, James 0000-0003-1881-251X
Sattler, Martin 0000-0001-5053-4199
Batra, Surinder K. 0000-0001-9470-9317
Salgia, Ravi 0000-0001-9643-7626
© 2021 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs International 4.0 License. Received January 8, 2021. Revision received April 22, 2021. Accepted July 7, 2021. Published first July 12, 2021. The work was supported by the NCI of the NIH under award numbers P30CA033572, U54CA209978, R01CA247471, and R01CA218545. We thank Andrea Bild and Pierre Wallet, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, for experimental advice and for the reagents, and the City of Hope Light Microscopy Core, High Throughput Screening Core and Pathology, Solid Tumor Core, for help with sample processing. The murine SCLC cell lines C2.04, C896.04, and C22.03 were a generous gift from Dr. Anton Berns' lab. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
NIH P30CA033572
NIH U54CA209978
NIH R01CA247471
Small cell Lung cancer, Protein Phosphatase 2A, LB100, Carboplatin, Combination therapy
10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0013
Protein Phosphatase 2A as a Therapeutic Target in Small Cell Lung Cancer. Tamara Mirzapoiazova, Gang Xiao, Bolot Mambetsariev, Mohd W. Nasser, Emily Miaou, Sharad S. Singhal, Saumya Srivastava, Isa Mambetsariev, Michael S. Nelson, Arin Nam, Amita Behal, Pranita Atri, Markus Muschen, François L.H. Tissot, James Miser, John S. Kovach, Martin Sattler, Surinder K. Batra, Prakash Kulkarni and Ravi Salgia. Mol Cancer Ther October 1 2021 (20) (10) 1820-1835; DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0013


Some more nice news just rolled in today — my interview at the Fangs, Fur, & Fey Web site is now live! Fellow author Devon Monk asked some great questions about my new book, and I tried to give some pithy-sounding answers.
I like seeing the months or years of work start to come together, like the last few months of work on a skyscraper, as all the windows and glass are put in place and the steel infrastructure disappears, leaving you with a gleaming tower full of secret rooms and amazing views in a place that used to be empty space.
I like that description of revisions, too. I'd never thought about it that way, but it makes sense. Too bad about the release date for A Gathering of Doorways. Make sure to tell us when it does come out.
Hey Mahesh! Nice to hear from you again! And thanks.


This years 2018 Golden Globes was definitely a deviation from the past. Not only did all the female stars wear black gowns to the event in support of ending sexual harassment, but also there was a support vibe rather than a competition for the golden statue. Women seemed to lift each other up through their speeches, and were very outspoken on the need to speak up, and stand up for themselves.
The golden globes were a golden celebration of stars, couture dresses, and surprising moments like Kirk Douglas receiving a standing ovation at 101 years old. The iconic actor was accompanied on stage by his daughter in law Catherine Zeta-Jones followed by a short video tribute to him as an actor. There were happy moments, and moments meant to inspire.
In Los Angeles, the Golden Globes are filled with weekend long festivities including numerous events leading up to the big award show. One of these events is the recurring GBK pre Golden Globes Celebrity gift lounge honoring the nominees and hot Hollywood talent. This year GBK presented "A Golden Affair," and golden it was beginning with one of the events wine sponsors Blue Nun. The event was held at the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills and guests were gifted Blue Nun wine embosomed with speckled 24 Karot gold flakes, now that seems like a golden celebration.
What pairs so perfectly with wine that you'll want more, and I'm not referring to another glass! Chocolate, in addition to the bottle of wine, guests were treated to chocolate bars because wine and chocolate are a perfect combo. Other fab gifts included an artisan group tote filled with goodies, artwork by LMK Art. Just check out the dazzling LA gold rug, it falls perfectly into the sparkly golden affair.
There was so much pouring refreshments in the forms of wine, sake and more wine at the event. In addition to Blue Nun, Moraga Vineyards in Bel-Air gifted guests the Moraga experience as well as wine tastings. There were sake moments provided by Hiro Blue Junmai Ginjo Sake, because lets face it sushi is a big part of the LA culture. This sake is perfect to accompany an at home sushi night, homemade or order in, it's important to pair accordingly.
Next it's all about indulgent self care, any star knows this is just part of the role of being a tinsletown sweetheart. That's why when Burke Williams offers their massages on site, you quickly concur and delight in their amazing new collection. Guests were treated to a complete spa experience at any of their locations as well as a bag full of skin care treats. I seriously love Burke Williams and will be sharing some of my favorite skin care products coming up.
As much as I love being pampered, chocolates, and beauty, I was seriously enthralled to discover the new Too Faced Cosmetics chocolate gold collection. Not only is the eye shadow gold bar palette inclusive of colors I love, it smells like chocolate. Walk into a Sephora and head over to the counter and begin smelling away. It smells amazing! Guests were treated to make up touch ups by a Too Faced make up artist and were gifted a bag full of Too Faced goodies including a chocolate bronzer, gold liquid lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow pallet. How's that for the chocoholic in us!
Award season is officially upon us, and that means star studded adventures celebrating film, style and everything glam!
Those are some luxuious looking products that I wouldnt mind being pampered with.
Oooooh, I love that Too Faced palette! Great post!
Cool products! I like the makeup!
The eye palette is amazing! I love it!
Awesome I love the decoration!!
This is awesome, especially the palette. Also, I want that Sparkling wine. Indeed, it's the most anticipated time for red carpets. Can't wait to see more stars in the red carpet.
That lounge and all the gifts are amazing!
Wow, so much gold! Great photos!
I think the uniformity of the attendees made a huge impact. It is about sending a strong message. It is one amazing event.


ix makes old stuff cool. A fun aggregation of vintage kitsch and modern gifts, this funky boutique is in an island class by itself, with antique dial phones, typewriters, posters, signs—even the Golden Books you remember reading as a child. And if nostalgia doesn't do it for you, there's hip new wares like candy-colored porcelain tableware and eco totes made from recycled Cambodian rice sacks, plus vintage women's and new children's clothes and housewares.
In 1977, Martha's Vineyard residents considered seceding from the state, having been threatened with a loss of their seat in the Legislature. They were invited to join landlocked Vermont before the rebellion petered out.
April through December, daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
January through March, Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Oh! The heat is unbearable, I can't wait for the summer to be over! But I am glad that the rain is also bringing an end to the summer-like weather we've been experiencing. Although it is a mixed emotion because we didn't really have the chance to enjoy the summer with getaways in the beach or travel in one of our plans of going to another country yet but we did have the chance to go swimming in our staycation at the hotel and play outdoor playground that gave me a bit of summer flushed skin.
Now it is time to bring back that natural fair skin and just the perfect timing when Secret de Beauté sent me products to review to gently and safely whiten the skin.
HOW I USE IT: Wet Skin, Lather well, Let it stay for 3-5 minutes (I usually brush my teeth while letting it absorb on my skin) rinse thoroughly.
• Love the color of the bar soap, makes it more fun to use.
WHAT I THINK? I noticed the micro-peeling and exfoliating effect instantly after two days of usage revealing that outermost layer of the skin and is gradually removed to reveal that whiter and younger looking skin. It is very effective and I love that it is not drying and it did not irritate my sensitive skin. I will definitely repurchase and I highly recommend it to use it with the Power Dose Intensive Whitening Body Lotion.
HOW I USE IT: Apply after taking a bath and before going to sleep at night.
• SPF 80 for sun protection for further damaging the skin.
• Lovely packaging, the pump works really well.
• No intensive whitening result so far.
WHAT I THINK? I love this lotion. Now I know the reason why this is one of the Best Seller! This is easily absorbed on the skin and without that sticky after feeling that is perfect for our current crazy weather. Consistency is okay, not too thick like other lotions. It is also a major plus that it has high SPF 80 that can protect you from skin darkening, sunburn and skin cancer that exposing yourself in the sun can cause you. It didn't really give me that intensive whitening result but I will continue using it and I maybe repurchasing because the product looks promising. I highly recommend it!
Maraming nagsasabi na maganda talaga itong secret de beaute soap and lotion! Although a bit pricey and is only available online, I can honestly say it is a good product! Thanks for this review Ms. Rochelle!


Jason Anderson: "My win tonight was good. I got a good start and led the whole main which is something I've never done. I was stoked to do it here in Salt Lake. It was a good race for me. I got my first podium here last year, which was my first time here. To get my first win this year, I'm happy and super excited. I usually just go crazy. Just being calm and putting in my laps made the difference. The whoops were gnarly tonight. I definitely didn't wanna crash the last lap in them. Once I made it through them it was like sigh of relief. It was a good night."


I would like to say thank you very much for the Christmas gifts which I received from parents and guardians. I look forward to opening them on Christmas day morning!
Yesterday was the last day of school this year 2016, here at Varee Chiangmai International School and the ep1 red children took part in our annual Secret Santa gift swap.
Have a wonderful Christmas holiday and I look forward to teaching your children for the final quarter of the academic year.
School will reopen on Wednesday 4th January 2017.
The secret santa presents from all of the ep1 red children.
Posted on December 21, 2016 by Teacher Chaz •	This entry was posted in *OUR ACTIVITIES!!!*, TEACHER PARENT COMMUNICATION and tagged Chaz, Chiangmai, Chiangmai School, EP, EP1, EP1 Red, Secret Santa, teacher chaz, Varee, Varee Chiangmai, Varee Chiangmai International School, varee chiangmai school, VCIS. Bookmark the permalink.


The company has been recognized for its active participation in 'Investor Action', launched by the editors of Puls Biznesu daily. ALTA has been among other stock exchange companies awarded for the active dialogue with individual investors.
Alta S.A. has been received The Polish Innovation Award for 2013, granted by the editors of the Entrepreneurship Forum published in Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. The Jury appreciated our main project: first sustainable town in Poland Siewierz-Jeziorna.


Building on the huge success of the M1 line, Taylormade is launching a new collection of M1 ($500) and M2 metalwoods that take advantage of new developments and new materials to help improve your game on the green. The new M1 (above) uses a new titanium alloy and an increase in carbon composite, which all comes together to create a driver with more distance, forgiveness, and enhanced customization.
Taylormade is also launching an all-new M2 ($400) that is built using a new multi-material construction and new shaping techniques via what they're calling "Geocoustic" design. Couple this with a new and even more flexible Speed Pocket and an increase in forgiveness through their use of 9-1-1 Titanium.
The golf giant announces its longest driver yet.


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Urlop w Wenecji (ang. Summertime) – brytyjsko-amerykański melodramat z 1955 roku w reżyserii Davida Leana. Adaptacja sztuki Arthura Laurentsa pt. The Time of the Cuckoo (1952).

Opis fabuły
Jane Hudson, nigdy niezamężna Amerykanka w średnim wieku, przyjeżdża do Wenecji na swój wymarzony urlop w Europie. W jednej z przytulnych kawiarenek "wpada w oko" przystojnemu Włochowi imieniem Renato. Obydwoje ulegają wzajemnej fascynacji, która szybko przeradza się w płomienne uczucie. Jednak odkrycie przez Jane faktu, że ma do czynienia z żonatym mężczyzną (nie do końca szczerym), w połączeniu z jej purytańską mentalnością oraz świadomością, że wraz z końcem urlopu obydwoje będą musieli powrócić do swoich "ról", wbrew autentycznym uczuciom doprowadza do rozstania. Jego symbolem jest ostatnia scena filmu – kiedy spóźniony na odjazd pociągu Jane, Renato bezskutecznie biegnie po peronie usiłując wręczyć jej drobny upominek – symboliczny biały kwiat gardenii.

Obsada aktorska
 Katharine Hepburn – Jane Hudson
 Rossano Brazzi – Renato de Rossi
 Isa Miranda – pani Fiorini
 Darren McGavin – Eddie Yaeger
 Mari Aldon – Phyl Yaeger
 Jane Rose – pani McIlhenny
 MacDonald Parke – pan McIlhenny
 Gaetano Autiero – Mauro
 Jeremy Spenser – Vito de Rossi
 Virginia Simion – Giovanna
 André Morell – angielski pasażer w przedziale
 Gino Cavalieri – konduktor na stacji
i inni.

O filmie
Urlop w Wenecji był kolejnym filmem utalentowanego brytyjskiego reżysera Davida Leana, stworzonym u progu jego światowej kariery, jaką zapewniły mu kolejne dzieła takie jak: Most na rzece Kwai (1957), Lawrence z Arabii (1962), Doktor Żywago (1965). Po latach Lean uważał obraz za swój ulubiony film.

Film był adaptacją udanej sztuki Arthura Laurentsa z 1952 roku. Jednak jak pisali krytycy, uproszczoną i pozbawioną większości indywidualnych odcieni i psychologicznych subtelności teatralnego pierwowzoru.

Odbiór
Obraz spodobał się zarówno widzom, jak i krytykom. Tylko z rozpowszechniania w kinach USA i Kanady przyniósł 2 mln. dolarów wpływów. Krytycy chwalili zwłaszcza kreację Katharine Hepburn jako "bezsporny" i "główny walor filmu".

Ze względu na fabułę, film miał również problem z PCA, której szef – Geoffrey Shurlock – w liście skierowanym do kierownictwa United Artists (dystrybutora filmu w USA) odmówił certyfikacji filmu ze względu na przedstawione w nim "cudzołóstwo". Ostatecznie organizacja, stanowiąca ówcześnie w Stanach Zjednoczonych rodzaj nieformalnej cenzury, wydała zgodę na dystrybucję po usunięciu kilku "niemoralnych" scen z filmu.

Obecnie (2021), ponad 60 lat po premierze, w rankingu popularnego filmowego serwisu internetowego Rotten Tomatoes obraz posiada wysoką, 89-procentową, pozytywną ocenę "czerwonych pomidorów".

Plenery
Plenery filmu były jak najbardziej autentyczne. Obraz powstawał m.in. w Wenecji, gdzie nakręcono 90 procent scen (pozostałe lokalizacje to Burano i Rzym). Uważny widz dostrzeże w nim charakterystyczne dla tego miasta miejsca z placem św. Marka włącznie. Według krytyków autentyczność plenerów była – ze względu na romantyczno-miłosną fabułę filmu – jego dodatkowym atutem. Amerykański krytyk filmowy Bosley Crowther w swojej recenzji filmu zamieszczonej w The New York Times uznał nawet miasto za odtwórcę głównej roli ("principal performer"). Początkowo lokalizacja zdjęć stanowiła problem dla władz miasta, które obawiały się, że pobyt amerykańskiej ekipy filmowej w wielu miejscach stanowiących atrakcję turystyczna miasta oraz zaangażowanie do filmu gondolierów (w pewnym momencie zagrozili oni nawet strajkiem o ile władze miasta wydadzą pozwolenie na zdjęcia) w szczycie sezonu turystycznego, może stanowić stanowić zagrożenie dla dochodów tej branży. Problem został rozwiązany, gdy  przekazało hojną darowiznę na fundusz utworzony w celu sfinansowania renowacji bazyliki św. Marka. Sam Lean miał również obiecać kardynałowi, że w świętych miejscach miasta i wokół nich nie będzie widać krótkich sukienek ani nagich ramion kobiet.

Źródła podają, że w kolejnych latach po premierze turystyka w mieście wzrosła, a miejsce gdzie w jednej ze scen filmu Hepburn wpada do kanału było jednym z najchętniej odwiedzanych.

Nagrody i nominacje

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Linki zewnętrzne
 Plakat do filmu

Amerykańskie adaptacje filmowe
Amerykańskie filmy romantyczne
Amerykańskie filmy z 1955 roku
Amerykańskie melodramaty
Brytyjskie adaptacje filmowe
Brytyjskie filmy romantyczne
Brytyjskie filmy z 1955 roku
Brytyjskie melodramaty
Filmy kręcone w Wenecji
Filmy nominowane do Oscara
Filmy w reżyserii Davida Leana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Jotunheimen (in norvegese Jotunheimen significa "casa dei giganti".) è una catena montuosa situata nella parte meridionale della Norvegia e che si estende per una superficie di circa 3.500 km². Fa parte della catena dei monti scandinavi. Le 26 montagne più elevate della Norvegia si trovano nella catena di Jotunheimen, compreso il monte Galdhøpiggen (2469 m), cima più elevata del paese. I monti Jotunheimen sono situati fra le contee di Innlandet e Vestland. Dal 1980, un'area pari a 1.145 km² dei monti Jotunheimen è stata dichiarata parco nazionale.

È una popolare meta per gli escursionisti e il club alpino norvegese vi gestisce diversi rifugi così come diversi sentieri numerati.

Geografia, geologia, paesaggio
Lo Jotunheimen è delimitato a est dall'altopiano di Valdresflya e il fiume Sjoa, dai laghi Bygdin e Tyin a sud, dal Sognefjellet e il Bøverdalen a ovest e dal Kvittingskjølen a nord.

Altri progetti

Gruppi montuosi della Norvegia
Monti Scandinavi
Vestlandet
Østlandet


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