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The Birds of Northern Melanesia
Speciation, Ecology, and Biogeography
Ernst Mayr,
Speciation is the process by which co-existing daughter species evolve from one ancestral species - e.g., humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas arising from a common ancestor around 5,000,000 years ago. However, many questions about speciation remain controversial. The Birds of Northern Melanesia provides by far the most comprehensive study yet available of a rich fauna, composed of the 195 breeding land and fresh-water bird species of the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagoes east of New Guinea. This avifauna offers decisive advantages for understanding speciation, and includes famous examples of geographic variation discussed in textbooks of evolutionary biology.The book results from 30 years of collaboration between the evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr and the ecologist Jared Diamond. It shows how Northern Melanesian bird distributions provide snapshots of all stages in speciation, from the earliest (widely distributed species without geographic variation) to the last (closely related, reproductively isolated species occurring sympatrically and segregating ecologically). The presentation emphasizes the wide diversity of speciation outcomes, steering a middle course between one-model-fits-all simplification and ungeneralizable species accounts. Questions illuminated include why some species are much more prone to speciate than others, why some water barriers are much more effective at promoting speciation than others, and whether hypothesized taxon cycles, faunal dominance, and legacies of Pleistocene land bridges are real.These years of study have resulted in a huge database, complete with distributions of all 195 species on 76 islands, together with their taxonomy, colonization routes, ecological attributes, abundance, and overwater dispersal. Color plates depict 88 species and allospecies, many of which have never been seen before. For students of speciation, Northern Melanesian birds now constitute a model system against which other biotas can be compared. For population biologists interested in other problems besides speciation, this rich database can now be mined for insights.


text:
Sangam.org
Pirapaharan's 2005 Heroes' Day Speech
from the LTTE Peace Secretariat's website
LTTE to intensify struggle for self-determination, if a reasonable political solution is not offered soon - -Tamil Tiger leader
The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in his annual Heroes' Day statement, made an urgent appeal to the new Sri Lankan Government of Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to offer a reasonable political solution to the ethnic conflict without further delay. The Tamil Tiger leader cautioned the government that his liberation organisation would intensify the struggle for self-determination and political independence if the new regime adopts a hard-line position and fails to resolve the problems of his people.
The LTTE leader said that a critical elucidation of President Rajapakse's policy statement revealed that he has failed to grasp the fundamentals, or rather, the basic concepts, underlying the Tamil national question. 'In terms of policy, the distance between him and us is vast. Since President Rajapakse is considered to be a realist, committed to pragmatic politics, we wish to find out, first of all, how he is going to handle the peace process and whether he will offer justice to our people. Therefore, we have decided to wait and observe, for sometime, his political manoeuvres and actions', the Tiger leader commented.
'The past four years of the peace process have miserably failed to address the most urgent humanitarian needs faced by hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees displaced by war and by the recent tsunami, giving rise to hopelessness and disillusionment among our people,' Mr Pirapaharan observed. 'Our people have lost patience, hope and reached the brink of utter frustration. They are not prepared to tolerate and wait any longer. The new government should come forward soon with a reasonable political framework that will satisfy the political aspirations of the Tamil people,' the LTTE leader declared. 'If the new government rejects our urgent appeal, opts for a hard-line position and adopts delaying tactics, we will, next year, in solidarity with our people, intensify our struggle for self-determination, our struggle for national liberation to establish self-government in our own homeland,' Mr Pirapaharan asserted.
The Tamil Tiger leader also revealed that to date nearly eighteen thousand LTTE cadres have died in the national liberation war, and several times that number of Tamil civilians have been wiped out by the Sri Lankan armed forces. 'We are deeply disappointed to note that neither the Sinhala nation, nor the international community has understood the spiritual significance, the historical importance of the immense sacrifice made by the Tamil people for the liberation of their nation,' the LTTE leader lamented.
The following is the translated version of the full text of Mr Pirapaharan's statement.
'The Sinhala nation continues to be entrapped in the Mahavamsa mindset, in that mythical ideology. The Sinhalese people are still caught up in the legendary fiction that the island of Sri Lanka is a divine gift to Theravada Buddhism, a holy land entitled to the Sinhala race. The Sinhala nation has not redeemed itself from this mythological idea that is buried deep, and has become fossilised in their collective unconscious. It is because of this ideological blindness that the Sinhalese people, and their political and religious leaders, are unable to grasp the authentic history of the island and the social realities prevailing here. They are unable to comprehend and accept the very existence of a historically constituted nation of Tamil people living in their traditional homeland in northeastern Sri Lanka, entitled to fundamental political rights and freedoms. It is because of the refusal by the Sinhala nation to perceive the existential reality of the Tamils and their political aspirations that the Tamil national question persists as an unresolved, complex issue. We do not expect a radical transformation in the social consciousness, in the political ideology, in the Mahavamsa mental structure of the Sinhalese people. The scope and power of Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony has not receded, rather, it has revived and taken new forms, exerting a powerful dominance in the southern political arena. In these objective conditions, we do not believe that we can gain a reasonable solution from the Sinhala nation. We have to fight and win our rights. We have never entertained the idea that we could obtain justice from the compassion of the Sinhala politicians. This has always been the view of our liberation organisation.
Even though we are deeply convinced that we cannot obtain justice from the Sinhala political leadership, but rather have to fight and win our rights, we were compelled by unprecedented historical circumstances to participate in peace talks with the Sinhala state. We were compelled to engage in the negotiating process by the intervention of the Indian regional superpower at a particular historical period and by the pressure of the international community at a later period. There were other reasons, also, that encouraged us to engage in the peace process. Constructive engagement in the peace process is a viable means to secure legitimacy for our liberation organisation as the representative organ of our people. We also wanted to internationalise our struggle and win the support and sympathy of the international community. Furthermore, there is a need to convince the world community that we are not war-mongers addicted to armed violence, but rather, firmly and sincerely committed to a non-violent peace process. Finally, and most importantly, we wanted to demonstrate beyond doubt that the Sinhala racist ruling elites would not accept the fundamental demands of the Tamils and offer a reasonable political solution. It was with these objectives we participated in the peace process. Over the last three decades of our national liberation struggle we have observed ceasefires and participated in peace talks at different periods of time in different historical circumstances. We knew that our enemy was dishonest and devious. We knew that these peace talks would not produce any positive results. We knew that there would be peace traps. Yet we participated in the peace talks with sincere commitment and dedication. In the course of our engagement, we encountered pressures and complex challenges. There were traps to undermine our liberation struggle. We acted prudently and avoided pitfalls. We vehemently opposed all subversive strategies that were detrimental to the interests of our people. The Tamil people are fully aware of the fact that, during the time of Indian intervention, when we encountered a serious threat to our freedom struggle and to the interests of our people, our liberation organisation was bold enough to oppose the Indian superpower and fight its military machine.
From the Thimpu talks, we have participated in several peace negotiations, at different times, at different places. Unprecedented in the history of our struggle, it is only now that we have devoted a lengthy period of four years for the peace effort. However, despite this protracted period of time, our sincere and persistent efforts to reach a settlement to the problems of our people have become futile. The recent peace talks have been significant and essentially different. They have been held with the facilitation of a third country, with the supervision of the international community. There were sessions of negotiations with Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe's administration and, later, with Chandrika Kumaratunga's government. The decisions, resolutions and Agreements reached during these negotiations were never fulfilled. During this process of negotiations we were extremely tolerant and even compromised on several issues. Nevertheless, the Sinhala political leadership refused to offer justice to our people.
On the 24 December 2001 we unilaterally declared cessation of hostilities and opened the doors for peace. At that time, when we extended our hand of friendship to the Sinhala nation, we stood on a strong foundation. Having liberated the Vanni region and over run the Elephant Pass military complex, we had firmly established the balance of military power in our favour. I need not go into the details of the peace negotiations we had with Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe's government in various world capitals under Norwegian facilitation. It is sufficient to say that Mr Wickremasinghe's administration was unable to resolve even the basic existential hardships and urgent humanitarian needs of our people. Adopting delaying tactics, Ranil's government was primarily focusing on setting up an international 'safety net' aimed at decommissioning our weapons. An international aid conference was organised in Tokyo in June 2003 as an essential element of this subversive scheme. Having realised the implications of the international 'safety net,' we decided to boycott the Tokyo conference and, eventually, to suspend the peace talks. Having failed to achieve anything, Ranil's regime came to an end. In the meantime, President Kumaratunga formed a new government with the alliance of racist forces opposed to peace. Chandrika refused to initiate peace talks even though our organisation was willing to negotiate on the basis of our proposal for an interim self-government authority [ISGA]. Time began to elapse in a political vacuum without an interim settlement or a permanent solution. We realised that the aim of the Sinhala chauvinistic political leadership was to misdirect and undermine our liberation struggle by entrapping us in the uncertainty of a political vacuum. Faced with the meaningless absurdity of living in the illusion of peace, we decided to resume our national liberation struggle.
It was at that conjuncture, during the latter part of last year, when we were charting our action plan, that the horrendous natural disaster struck. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the tsunami waves struck at the villages and settlements along the eastern coastal belt of our homeland, causing an unprecedented catastrophe. In this cataclysmic disaster unleashed by nature, twenty thousand Tamil and Muslim people perished and about three hundred thousand people lost their homes, properties and were reduced to conditions of refugees. As nature inflicted further calamity on the Tamil nation, which had already suffered monumental destruction by war, our people were burdened with unbearable suffering. In these circumstances, our liberation movement was geared to confront the crisis. Our fighting formations, as well as our cadres belonging to various social and administrative services, were immediately engaged in the tasks of relief and rehabilitation. As the tsunami catastrophe shook the conscience of the world, the international governments volunteered to provide huge sums of money in aid for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people. In the meantime, President Kumaratunga expressed her willingness to form a joint administrative mechanism in cooperation with the LTTE to implement the tasks of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction for the affected Tamil speaking people. We decided to talk to the Kumaratunga government since we had to give primacy to the extraordinary humanitarian tragedy faced by our people. Talks were conducted at the level of peace secretariats. Since we wanted to avoid delays in the negotiating process, we adopted a flexible attitude, even compromised on crucial matters, and finally an agreement was reached to establish a joint administrative mechanism [P-TOMS]. This Accord was also signed by both parties.
The international community expressed full support for the joint administrative structure worked out by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. The international governments also expressed hope that a congenial environment for a joint effort by the warring parties had been created. But the Sinhala-Buddhist racist forces could not tolerate the emergence of a congenial environment of goodwill. Having registered their vehement protest to the joint administrative mechanism, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Jathika Hela Urumaja (JHU) withdrew their support to the government. These parties also filed a case in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the joint administrative mechanism. The determination of the Supreme Court made the joint mechanism inoperative. With the demise of the tsunami mechanism, the Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism killed the last hope of the Tamil people. Even the all-powerful President Kumaratunga could not provide a simple humanitarian project for the Tamils against the wishes of the Sinhala racist forces. The tsunami mechanism was not devolved with any political power, nor was it to have any administrative authority. If there was so much opposition in southern Sri Lanka to a simple provisional arrangement, then it is a daydream to expect to secure a regional self-governing authority in the Tamil homeland by negotiating with the Sinhala political leadership. This is the political truth that we have been able to learn from the four year period of the peace process. We hope that the international community, which has been intensively observing this political drama, similarly understands this truth.
I wish to explain here a matter of crucial importance, which betrays the politics of duplicity of the Sinhala ruling elites. You would have heard about a secret shadow war being waged against our organisation behind the screen of peace. This subversive war has been unleashed with the aim of weakening our liberation organisation and to undermine our struggle. A large number of people, consisting of our senior cadres, important members, supporters, Tamil politicians, journalists and educationists who were sympathetic to our cause, have been cowardly murdered. We know the real masterminds behind this shadow war. Though these violent acts were committed under the guidance and direction of the Sri Lankan military intelligence, we are aware that the mysterious hands of some racist Sinhala politicians are behind these nefarious activities. This subversive war is being conducted in the government controlled territories, with the backing of the armed forces, utilising Tamil para-military elements as instruments. We expressed vehement protest to the Sri Lankan government when our unarmed political cadres were murdered and our political offices were bombed in the government controlled areas. Since the government ignored our protests, we were compelled to withdraw our cadres to areas controlled by us.
A strange, low intensity war has been unleashed against us, taking advantage of the conditions of peace effected by the ceasefire. Disarming the Tamil para-military groups is an obligation of the state under the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement. Having failed to fulfil this crucial obligation, the Sri Lanka state has been utilising the Tamil para-militaries as instruments of this subversive war against our liberation organisation. This is a serious war offence. This is similar to a treacherous act in which someone stabs you in the back with one hand, while pretending to embrace you with the other. This behaviour clearly demonstrates that the Sinhala ruling elites have no genuine interest in peace and ethnic reconciliation. The Sri Lankan state has not given up the military option, but rather transformed the war into a new mode of state terror under conditions of 'peace.' We hope that the international community will discern the real mode of this shadow war, and perceive its ugly face and ulterior motives.
As far as the Tamil people are concerned, the concepts of peace, ceasefire and negotiations have become meaningless; concepts that do not correspond to or reflect reality. A shadow war conducted under conditions of peace, military occupation perpetrated in violation of the terms of ceasefire, an international subversive network woven during political negotiations, are the distorted ways the peace process has been abused. Because of these factors, our people have lost faith in everything.
Our people have lost faith in a peace process that has failed to secure them a real, peaceful life; they have lost faith in a ceasefire that has failed to remove the occupation army from their homes; they have lost faith in the talks that have failed to resolve their long standing problems.
Our people can no longer tolerate an unstable life and an uncertain future. The waves of popular upsurgence [Pongu Tamil] erupting in the Tamil homeland are manifestations of the discontent and despair of our people; they are fierce demonstrations of our people's political aspirations. The multitude of the Tamil masses, who converged at recent Tamil resurgence conventions, have publicly proclaimed their demands. The international community cannot ignore these proclamations of a unified nation calling for the recognition of their right to self-determination, of their right to rule themselves. Our people aspire to determine their own political status. Having been subjected to decades of systematic state repression, they call upon the international community to recognise their political aspirations.
We have now reached a significant historic turning point in our struggle for self-determination. The ruling elites of southern Sri Lanka will never recognise our people's right to self-determination. The Tamil right to self-determination will never find space in the entrenched majoritarian constitution and in the political system built on that constitutional structure. Our people have, therefore, realised that they have no alternative other than to fight and win their right to self-determination. Self-determination entails the right to freely choose, without external interference, our political life. The Sinhala nation has been refusing to embrace our people, to recognise their national identity and to share political power. This political alienation has continued since the independence of the island 57 years ago. Frustrated by years of alienation, oppression and ill-treatment as an unwanted people, the Tamils have finally decided to exclude and boycott the Sri Lankan polity and its power system. The boycott of the presidential elections by the vast majority of Tamil people was a concrete expression of this perspective. Our people did not participate in the election, even though they had the voting power to determine the election of a new president. The non-participation of the Tamils should not be construed as a judgement of the personalities or policies of the presidential candidates. Rather, this political boycott was an expression of the deep distrust and disillusionment of the Tamil people with the Sinhala political system.This event symbolises a serious turning point in the political history of the Tamils. It signifies that the Tamil people may choose their own path and freely determine their own political destiny.
The Sinhala nation has chosen a new national leader. A new administration has assumed power under his leadership. This new government has been elected by the Sinhala majority specifically with their voting power. The national minorities are not represented in this government. It is essentially a Sinhala-Buddhist regime. Therefore, Mahinda Rajapakse does not represent all the social formations of this country. He has assumed power as a president to protect and promote the interests of the Sinhala-Buddhist community. We are all aware of Mahinda Rajapaske's thoughts and policies. We are also aware of the incompatible gaps and the irreconcilable contradictions that exist between Mr Rajapakse's political vision and the Tamils' struggle for self-determination. I do not wish to engage myself in a comparative analysis of this issue.
The recent presidential elections and the change in governance effected by the Tamil boycott have created a wide rift, politically, between the Tamil and Sinhala nations. While Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony has assumed predominance in the south, Tamil nationalism has emerged as a powerful force and is consolidating itself in the Tamil homeland. While a new government under Mahinda Rajapkse has assumed power in the Sinhala nation, the LTTE's administration is expanding and gaining strength as a concrete embodiment of Tamil nationalism.
The international community is fully aware of the fact that we are running an efficient, self-governing administrative structure in the majority areas of the Tamil homeland, which were liberated from Sinhala military occupation by our organisation. Our administrative structure is formidable, consisting of our controlled territories with huge civilian populations, protected by a powerful military force. We have a police force and a judicial system to maintain law and order. We have also developed a complex administrative infrastructure of a shadow government. Though a large number of Tamils are still living in the military occupied Tamil region, their allegiance is with our liberation movement. The Sinhalese ruling class refuses to accept this ground reality, this political truth, and attempts to belittle our liberation organisation as a 'terrorist group.' We are disappointed and sad to note that some international governments, having been influenced by this false propaganda, continue to retain our organisation on their terrorist list. Biased positions taken by powerful nations acting as guardians of the peace process, in excluding and alienating our liberation organisation as a 'terrorist outfit' and supporting the interests of the Sri Lankan state, severely affected the balance of power relations between the parties in conflict at the peace negotiations. This pro-state bias constrained our liberty to choose our own political status. This partiality finally became one of the causes for the collapse of the peace talks.
There is no clear, coherent, globally acceptable definition of the concept of terrorism. As such, just and reasonable political struggles fought for righteous causes are also branded as terrorism. Even authentic liberation movements struggling against racist oppression are denounced as terrorist outfits. In the current global campaign against terror, state terrorism always finds its escape route and those who fight against state terror are condemned as terrorists. Our liberation organisation is also facing a similar plight.
We have now reached the critical time to decide on our approach to achieve the objective of our struggle. At this crucial historical turning point, a new government under a new leader has assumed power in the Sinhala nation. This new government is extending its hand of friendship towards us and is calling our organisation for peace talks. It claims that it is going to adopt a new approach towards the peace process. Having carefully examined his policy statement in depth, we have come to a conclusion that President Rajapkse has not grasped the fundamentals, the basic concepts underlying the Tamil national question. In terms of policy, the distance between him and us is vast. However, since President Rajapakse is considered a realist committed to pragmatic politics, we wish to find out, first of all, how he is going to handle the peace process and whether he will offer justice to our people. We have, therefore, decided to wait and observe, for sometime, his political manoeuvres and actions. Our people have lost patience, hope and reached the brink of utter frustration. They are not prepared to be tolerant any longer. The new government should come forward soon with a reasonable political framework that will satisfy the political aspirations of the Tamil people. This is our urgent and final appeal.
If the new government rejects our urgent appeal, we will, next year, in solidarity with our people, intensify our struggle for self-determination, our struggle for national liberation to establish self-government in our homeland.'
Previous speeches:
2004 Heroes' Day speech

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Jonathan Schaffer est un philosophe américain spécialisé en métaphysique analytique et en épistémologie. Il est à l'origine de la théorie « contrastiviste » de la signification et est principalement connu pour avoir réhabilité le monisme au sein de la métaphysique analytique.

Parcours professionnel

Jonathan Schaffer obtient son doctorat de philosophie en 1999 à l'Université Rutgers sous la direction de Brian McLaughlin. Supervisée par David Lewis, sa thèse porte sur le « lien de causalité et les probabilités de traitement ». En 2000, il accepte un poste de professeur adjoint à l'Université du Massachusetts à Amherst et entre en fonction en 2004. En 2007, il obtient un poste de chercheur permanent à l'Université nationale australienne. Il remporte alors la même année, en 2008, deux prix du « meilleur article », l'un de la American Philosophical Association pour son article « Connaître la réponse » (Knowing the Answer), et l'autre de la Australasian Journal of Philosophy pour son « Du nihilisme au monisme » (From Nihilism to Monism).

En 2010, Schaffer accepte un poste permanent à l'Université Rutgers.

Source de la traduction

Liens externes

  Blog philosophique de Jonathan Schaffer

Philosophe américain du XXIe siècle
Philosophe analytique
Professeur à l'université Rutgers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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FERC Issues Notice of Inquiry Regarding Horizontal Market Power Analysis
On March 17, 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC" or the "Commission") issued a Notice of Inquiry (the "Notice") regarding its analysis of horizontal market power under section 203 of the Federal Power Act ("FPA"). Specifically, the Commission is soliciting comments on if, and if so, how, the Commission should modify its existing approach for analyzing horizontal market power concerns under section 203 of the FPA in light of the issuance of the Horizontal Merger Guidelines by the Department of Justice ("DOJ") and the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") on August 19, 2010 (the "2010 Guidelines"). The Commission also seeks comment on what impact the 2010 Guidelines should have, if any, on its horizontal market power analysis performed for market-based rate authority applications pursuant to section 205 of the FPA.
Section 203(a)(4) of the FPA requires the Commission to approve a proposed disposition, consolidation, acquisition or change in control of a public utility if it finds that the proposed transaction will be consistent with the public interest. Three factors are considered when the Commission analyzes whether a proposed transaction is consistent with the public interest: (1) the effect on competition; (2) the effect on rates; and (3) the effect on regulation. With respect to the effect on competition factor, FERC employs the framework found in the 1992 Horizontal Merger Guidelines (the "1992 Guidelines") issued by DOJ and FTC which contains four components: (1) the identification of the relevant products; (2) the identification of customers who may be affected by the merger; (3) the identification of potential suppliers to each identified customer; and (4) the analysis of market concentration using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index ("HHI") thresholds.
On August 19, 2010, DOJ and FTC issued the 2010 Guidelines which supersede the 1992 Guidelines and differ in several important ways. Generally, the 2010 Guidelines place less emphasis on market definition and the use of a prescribed formula for considering the effects of a merger. For example, with respect to the competition and analysis screens, the 2010 Guidelines raise the HHI thresholds for determining the level of existing market concentration and, for "concentrated" markets, increase the amount of post-merger changes in market concentration levels that are necessary to trigger significant concerns over competition and the ability to exercise market power. The 2010 Guidelines state that the administering agencies (i.e., FTC and DOJ) will engage in a fact-specific approach tailored to each transaction. The 2010 Guidelines also address the potential competitive effects arising from partial acquisitions and minority ownership.
In the Notice, the Commission seeks comment on whether, and if so, how, the Commission should revise its approach for examining horizontal market power concerns in transactions governed by section 203 of the FPA by incorporating the 2010 Guidelines. FERC also seeks comments on what effects, if any, the 2010 Guidelines should have on FERC's analysis of horizontal market power issues when FERC considers granting authority to make wholesale sales of electricity at market-based rates pursuant to section 205 of the FPA. The Commission acknowledges that there are "fundamental" differences between its analyses and those performed by the FTC and DOJ. As an example, the FERC notes that its review process is made public, with parties free to intervene and comment, and its merger decisions are based on a factual record shaped not only by the applicant, but by intervenors and subject to analysis by Commission staff. In contrast, the review process performed by DOJ and FTC is nonpublic and closed, and based on information submitted by the applicant and non-public information gathered by the DOJ and FTC staff, as well as the economic analysis performed by staff. Thus, the Commission requests comments addressing whether such differences should affect the extent to which the 2010 Guidelines are adopted.
Potentially affected stakeholders include those who are contemplating merger and/or acquisition transactions involving public utilities, and those entities seeking to become authorized to engage in wholesale sales of power at market-based rates. Comments in response to the Notice are due by May 23, 2011.


STORIES OF GOD'S HAND AT WORK IN AFRICA.
When people's hearts are changed to love Jesus we need to share this wonderful news! At African Enterprise we are committed to sharing the stories of our African brothers and sisters with the world.
If you would like to screen these videos in your church, please use our Vimeo or Youtube pages.


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Austin Airport
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Airport facilities located at each Taylor airport terminal
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Check the weather at Taylor and the local area
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport AUS Hotels
Best Western Taylor Inn Taylor reservations
See all Austin-Bergstrom International Airport AUS Airport Hotels
Best Western Taylor Inn
2600 W 2nd Street, Taylor, Texas, 76574-4901, United States
Hotel Ratings
AAA - 2 Diamond
Complimentary continental breakfast
Ice/vending machines
Photocopy services
Exterior corridor
·From: Interstate 35. Take US Route 79 east. ·From: State Route 95. Take US Route 79 west.
1 mile(s) from Rudy Mikeska's Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Q, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2 mile(s) from Dairy Queen, American, 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
2 mile(s) from McDonalds, Fast Food, 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
2 mile(s) from Sirloin Stockade, steak, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
2 mile(s) from Pizza Hut, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. delivery available
2.5 mile(s) from Domino's Pizza, pizza, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. delivery available
16 mile(s) from Elgin
22 mile(s) from Austin
39 mile(s) from Temple
Check In: 13:00:00
Check Out: 12:00:00
Pets Policy: No pets allowed
Discover Network
Welcome to the Best Western Taylor Inn located a short drive from Round Rock and Austin, the Capital of Texas. Honored by our city as the Gateway to Taylor, Texas we stand ready to serve both the business traveler and the family coming to our area. A perfect choice if you are looking for a quite country setting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet close enough to conduct all of your business in the Austin Area.Our new hotel features beautifully decorated guest rooms with high-speed Internet, oversized work desk, microwave, refrigerator, and spacious bathrooms. But that's not all our pool is breathtaking with crystal clear water and an ample area for lounging amidst the beautifully decorated landscaping. Before you leave join us for continental breakfast with an abundant array of fresh fruit, breads, pastries, fresh juice and many other items to tempt you.The staff and management will exceed your experience and are focused on making your stay a satisfying experience.


Training for cheerleading, photo studio for pictures, stadium for reputation, we got a lot more.
Soccer, basketball, baseball and football, which do you prefer? Guess the captain counts the most, right?
Practice more, experience more, you'll get your reputation on campus, in country and even in the whole world.
Pictures that you take with the one you love shall be the most precious thing in this world. Come take more.


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The American International School in Israel began as the idea of several Foreign Service wives in 1957 who spent most of the year trying to come up with a "child friendly" program for their children closer to their home. When they couldn't find one, they decided to start their own school. By the following fall of 1958, they received approval to hire an American teacher, ordered books from the U.S., and rented a room behind the "gan" in Kfar Shmaryahu for eight children, where they stayed for one year, before moving to the Kfar Shmaryahu Community Center. By the following year, they had 22 students and had hired two additional teachers and had 50 students enrolled for the fall of 1959.
1960's: Our first real campus
The school in Kfar Shmaryahu was built on property that was purchased with the help of then US Ambassador Walworth Barbour in 1963.
1960's: Campus Dedication
When the modern campus' new library was dedicated years later, Defence Minister Moshe Dayan was the guest speaker.
1970: Prime Minister Golda Meir speaks at graduation
At one of the first high school graduations, in 1970, Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir was the commencement speaker. Many famous Israeli, American and other international politicians, diplomats, and citizens have visited the school throughout the years.
1973: Hockey Marathon is born
The most longstanding tradition at WBAIS is Hockey Marathon. Started in 1973 by PE Teacher Ran Gonen, it became a beloved event that was nurtured and expanded upon by Elise Hakimi and Ed Tatko. In earlier incarnations, it lasted 36 straight hours. The high school was divided into red and blue teams and some teams played while others relaxed, socialized or slept. Opening ceremonies are always attended by the entire school and alums come back to reminisce--and to play!
The HM tradition has continued under the guidance of Doron Kramer and the PE Department and though we missed 2 years because of COVID-19, Hockey Marathon came roaring back in 2022 to the delight of the whole community.
1979-1982: WBAIS in the Negev
As part of the Israeli/Egyptian Peace Treaty, the United States built an air base in Uvda, about 40 miles north of Eilat. For the American firms working on the project, a K-12 school was required for 20-30 children.
We set up and operated the school with a small staff of very flexible teachers and three trailer classrooms.
1978: Welcoming Iranian refugees
When Ardy Khazaei came to AIS in 1978, he was twelve years old and had fled his home in Iran with his family on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. Khazaei was one of almost 200 Iranian students who arrived to the school at the brink of the historical upheaval.
Due to the influx of Iranian refugees into Israel and particularly the school, the student population of AIS almost doubled in size, almost overnight. And overtime, AIS became a place of safety, security, and shelter for children and families whose lives had been abruptly uprooted.
Pictured here: Ardy Khazaei at age 17 at graduation, with legendary HS counselor Ed Tatko, and Rosa Khazaei, Ardy's mother, who served as a Persian-English translator for these refugee families.
1983: the Apollonia Dig
Apollonia was founded by the Phoenicians in the 6th century BC and inhabited continuously through the period of the Crusaders, In 1982, Apollonia (which attracted interest as an archeological site since the 1950's) became an academic project of Tel Aviv University's Institute of Archaeology.
After being approached by a professor involved in the project, WBAIS allowed its students to take part in the dig for several seasons. Looking back, former superintendent Forrest Broman said: "Over the years of digging in Apollonia, we found lots of pottery, several bags of Byzantine period coins, and some columns. "
In 2002 Apollonia National Park was opened to the public.
1987: Cornerstone laid for new HS building
As the school grew, so did the need for more space. In 1987, the new high school wing was inaugurated.
One of the seniors that year wrote in the yearbook (whose theme was Cornerstone): "A new school... requires some patience before yielding good results. But it's been worth the trouble. ... The classrooms are heated and cooled silently... the desks are big and comfy. The labs are quite beautiful, and the computer room is impressive in and of itself. Altogether, a wing we can be pretty proud of."
1988: New initiatives
Two new traditions began in 1988. The Goode Times was the first student led school newspaper. The staff broke new ground, trying computer and desktop publishing technologies that had not been used previously at AIS.
This issue highlights "US Elections AIS Style" with students taking on the roles of the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush and the Democratic nominee, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts. With a full entourage of secret service men, they campaigned and debated and finally the student body voted. The HS History department continued to bring the electoral process to life every four years from then on.
1991: School during the Gulf War
"It is March 1991... the Gulf war has hit all of us very hard…AIS closed its doors as a precautionary measure on January 15, 1991: Already many of our students had left the country with their families, in most cases under orders from the embassies or firms where their parents work. The first Scuds hit Israel on the night of January 16, with virtually no warning in the Tel Aviv area. Huddled in our sealed rooms, we all heard a series of loud explosions as the Scuds landed, following which the sirens started blaring throughout the country.
Even though the Scud attacks continued, on February 4 AIS reopened with only 100 students here out of the 470 who had been with us in December. Even some of the kindergarten children returned and every student and teacher carried a gas mask throughout the day.
Through all of this our students and teachers who had left the country suffered a sense of dislocation and uneasiness at being away from their homes here. As many students and teachers said, the worst thing was worrying about their friends and colleagues back here in Israel."
from an article by Forrest Broman
1995: A study in AIS friendship
In 1982, Jackie joined AIS in Pre-K as a Jewish dual citizen of Israel and South Africa. in 1987, Samar, a Muslim Arab Israeli citizen, joined Jackie in 4th grade. Both studied together at AIS and graduated in 1993 as seniors, and their friendship grew with every year.
In their yearbook, they refused to appear singly and asked for a joint picture. The quote they chose to accompany their photo was from Aristotle: "Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.
2001: Our Jerusalem branch JAIS opens
In 2001, the American Embassy approached then Superintendent Bob Sills about starting a branch of the American School in Jerusalem. Susan Guggenheim was hired to start the school and to be its first teacher. After the perfect location was found in the Goldstein Youth Village, the Jerusalem American International School opened with a pre-K and Kindergarten, and 8 students.
As time passes, the population grew and the grades expanded. By 2008, the school welcomed students in grades pre-K through 6, and a very diverse community was formed including Israelis, Arabs, Armenians, Embassy personnel, children of NGO families that were working in Gaza, and of reporters from news outlets working throughout the area.
JAIS is always a reflection of the political situation, with its population rising and falling in response to events like the moving of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and the Intifadas (respectively). It now serves over 120 students in grades PreK though Grade 8, with high school students traveling to the Even Yehuda campus.
2007: WBAIS moves to Even Yehuda
WBAIS opened a new state-of-the-art 19-acre (77 dunam) campus in 2007 which is located in the town of Even Yehuda, a residential community approximately 20 kilometers north of Tel Aviv.
The purpose-built campus includes four separate divisions, a performing arts building with 400-seat auditorium, full gym, cafeteria, library and media center, athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, and an olympic-sized pool.
2013: Nobel Laureate address GAIA Symposium
Israeli Nobel Laureate in Chemistry addresses the GAIA Wildlife Conservation Event at the Even Yehuda campus of WBAIS. In 2013, AIS had a Falcon TV activity for high schoolers and they filmed the event. They wrote: 'A couple weeks ago, GAIA held a great exhibit to promote and spread awareness in Israel about the conservation of the wildlife here. It provided the opportunity to hear from a variety of respected speakers, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Ada Yonath, and, all in all, turned out a beneficial night for everyone!"
2014: Children's opera Brundibar performed
Amb. Daniel Shapiro and Education Minister Rabbi Shai Piron were the guests of honor at the 70th Commemorative Performance of the children's opera, Brundibár, at WBAIS on April 2, 2014. Holocaust survivor Ela Weissberger (pictured here), from the original Brundibár productions at Ghetto Theresienstadt, also participated in the event. All the participants in the opera were WBAIS students.
Months of study and preparation involving the entire school culminated in this event that was spearheaded by music teacher Frannie Goldstein as well as teachers Liran Yaacobi and Jonathan Minke. The campus was decorated in 15,000 butterflies created by the students inspired by the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly, and in commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust.
2015: Conflict Resolution Program
The WBAIS Conflict Resolution Program brought Arabs and Israelis and non-aligned students together and taught them skills for listening and communication and techniques to better understand their own beliefs and positions, as well as those of others. Seen here are mediators Dror Rubin (Israeli) and Faten ZInati (Arab) and CRP students from AIS and other schools.
For many of the students, these meetings were their first opportunity to have an honest and open dialogue with "the other side."
Testimonials from past participants:
Yair, from Petach Tikva: "I came to the meeting to voice my own opinions, hoping to gain understanding from my Arab peers, but I left with an understanding of my own that the other side has its own narrative that I also have to listen to."
Hiba, from Sachnin: "I have met Jewish students in the past but have never spoken with them about these issues. I felt I was allowed to speak my own truth, and to learn to listen differently. Young people have to be the leaders in changing the relationship between Jews and Arabs."
Katia, from Germany: " It was amazing to see how both the Jewish and Arab students underwent a transformation. At first, no one wanted to speak; then there was a lot of shouting and blaming; finally, they learned how to speak differently. Even if there are many difficult problems to solve, we have to begin with children and the youth who are the future.
2016: Ambassador Powers addresses the TIMEMUN conference
Excerpt from Ambassador Powers' speech to 800 students: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian delegates at the TIMEMUN conferences at WBAIS:
"But what you are doing here shows that these are problems that can be overcome. Whether tackling those challenges within your community or tackling challenges faced by members of the United Nations, what's needed is actually not all that different. You've got to be candid and clear-eyed about the problems. You've got to learn to walk in the shoes of others. You cannot underestimate the transformational power that individuals have to make change. If you do that you will, in fact, bring the world closer to the model United Nations that you seek. "
2017: Early Years Reggio Emilia program opens
WBAIS opened their Early Years Reggio Emilia program in 2017 under the guidance of Maaian Zelman, and created a special building to house it.
"One of the key principles that you will find at any Reggio Emelia school is the fact that children have rights when it comes to their learning. Children are put at the centre of the practice by being treated as a 'knowledge bearer'. By valuing children in this way educators have to put more emphasis on really listening to the children. Children need ample time and space to express themselves.
Children in Reggio settings are active builders of knowledge, and they are encouraged to be researchers. Many of the educational experiences at Reggio take the form of projects, where children have opportunities to actively participate, explore, and question things. There is also a very strong emphasis on the social development of children as part of a community and their relationships to other children, their families and teachers." Source
2019: Falcons Robotics team wins Israeli Nationals
On the WBAIS Falcons Robotics website, they described themselves as follows: "Falcons Robotics represents a team of high school students at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel. We are students from around the world that are innovative problems solvers, who explore and discover new skills in STEM fields, while learning to overcome the challenges that face us each day as a family. We work hard, dream big, and have fun!
In 2019, under the guidance of teacher Mike Shappell and mentor Benny Schwabsky, the AIS Robotics team won the Israeli National competition and went to Detroit with their lovable and trusty robot Spaceballs I (4338) to participate in the International First Competition.
1974, 2019: AIS staff honors former superintendent Forrest Broman on his 80th birthday
The legendary superintendent Forrest Broman (tenure 1974-2019) set as one of his primary goals to attract the finest teachers and staff to the American International School. When he celebrated his 80th birthday, many of those teachers (some still at the school) gathered to honor him, including Elaine Levy who helped guide the school from her long term position as Elementary Principal.
Top row from left to right: Nili Sadovnik. Abby Chill, Jeanne Rabin, Bonnie Einav, Esther Barnea, Naomi Rubenstein, Shlomit Eshel, Aviva Rosensweig, Paula Benveniste
Bottom row from left to right: Ron Gonen, Elaine Levy, Forest Broman, Leonie Brickman, Fran Ran, and Elise (Hakimi) Geras
2021: COVID Vaccination Clinic on campus
When the COVID pandemic came to Israel, schools nationwide went into lockdown and virtual learning structures were created. The creation of COVID vaccines slowly allowed personnel and students to return to face to face learning on campus. Elementary students were the last to receive the vaccine, and WBAIS created a COVID vaccination clinic where parents could bring their children to receive their vaccines in a comforting setting.
2022: Student-initiated drone flying class
One of the WBAIS strategic goals is to instill students with the knowledge of their own agency. In 2022, high school students requested that a drone flying class be created. They created a formal proposal, decided on benchmarks for certification, and presented their ideas to the School Board. The course took place and will continue this year with new students as the curriculum further develops.


If you are experiencing problems with low volume or no audio at all from your JBL EON600 series loudspeaker, you may need to perform a factory reset.
While powering up the speaker, holding EQ+ and Boot buttons will return the speaker to factory default settings. When the reset begins all LEDs will blink on the speaker control panel. This procedure can be utilized as a backdoor to restoring reliable behavior.
The speaker will not be part of the mobile application's network group any longer, so the device has to be re-added.


« Announcing: New Permanent Meeting Location!
Come help us celebrate 37 years of George Sutton Toastmasters! Our Reunion Meeting will be on Thursday, June 9th from 11:30 – 1:00 in Room 424 of the Colorado Technical University, 3151 South Vaughn St., Aurora, 80014.
This will be a great chance to see old friends and meet current Toastmasters.
If you'd like, as part of Table Topics, you can share your favorite memories of Toastmasters or tell us how being in Toastmasters has helped you.
We will be serving a complimentary lunch beginning at 11:00, so plan to arrive early.
If you'd like directions or more information, you can visit our website: GeorgeSuttontoastmasters.com or check us out on Facebook: Facebook.com/auroracoloradotoastmasters.
Please RSVP to our current president, dianeburidge@gmail.com or through our Meetup Group page.


While in America John Wesley compiled a hymnbook called A Collection of Hymns and Psalms which has come to be known as the 'Charlestown Hymnal'. The inspiration to compile this volume probably came to John from the hymns he heard being sung by the Moravian and Lutheran refugee Christians of Savannah, Georgia, USA. It contained 70 texts (21 metrical psalms and 49 hymns), although some of the longer ones were divided into stand alone sections, which meant that there were 78 items in total. Wesley included hymns by, amongst others, Issac Watts his father, his older brother Samuel, and George Herbert. Also included were translations of Spanish, German and French hymns.
Only two original copies from 1737 survive: one is kept at the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester; the other is held by the New York Public Library.
A hymn included in this hymnal which is still widely sung today is Isaac Watts' hymn 'I'll praise my maker while I've breath'.


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Philip Dearmond Curtin (May 22, 1922 – June 4, 2009) was a Professor Emeritus of Johns Hopkins University and historian on Africa and the Atlantic slave trade. His most famous work, The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census (1969) was one of the first estimates of the number of slaves transported across the Atlantic Ocean between the 16th century and 1870, yielding an estimate of 9,566,000 African slaves imported to the Americas.  ( Current estimates are that about 12 million to 12.8 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic over a span of 400 years.) He also wrote about how many Africans were taken and from what location, how many died during the middle passage, how many actually arrived in the Americas, and to what colonies/countries they were imported. Deirdre McCloskey has described Curtin as the "doyen of African economic historians."

Biography

Early life and education
Curtin was born in Philadelphia on May 22, 1922, and grew up in Webster Springs, West Virginia, the site of a coal and timber company owned by his family. He attended Swarthmore College, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree during 1948, having had an interruption of three years while he served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II, serving aboard ship as a radio operator. He did his graduate work at Harvard University, earning a Master of Arts degree during 1949 and was awarded his Ph.D. during 1953. His doctoral dissertation, titled "Revolution and Decline in Jamaica, 1830–1865" addressed 19th-century history and economics of Jamaica.

Academic career
After graduation, he began teaching at Swarthmore College where he remained until 1956. He relocated to the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he taught from 1956 through 1975. There, Curtin and fellow historian Jan Vansina established a department of African languages and literature during 1956, as part of one of the first academic African studies programs established at a college in the United States. From 1975 until the time of his death he was a member of the faculty of Johns Hopkins University .

Recognized during 1983 as a MacArthur Fellow with its accompanying "genius grant", Curtin published a total of 19 books, which include Death by Migration: Europe's Encounter with the Tropical World in the Nineteenth Century, described by the American Historical Review (AHR) as "ground-breaking." In addition to the aforementioned calculation, he has challenged the common opinion that improvements of medicine were responsible for the increased attempts at European colonization of Africa during the 19th century.

In his 1969 book The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census, Curtin researched the sources of frequently used estimates of the number of individuals transported across the Atlantic Ocean by the slave trade.  His analysis of shipping contracts and data from the ports of entry enabled him to estimate between 9 and 10 million individuals being transported on slave ships, with a margin of error of 20%, out of the 20 to 30 million that had been loaded aboard at ports in Africa. Prior to Curtin's research, estimates of the number of individuals brought from Africa as slaves ranged from 3.5 million to numbers as high as 100 million individuals. A widely cited number of 15 million slaves used by W. E. B. Du Bois, who had gotten the number from abolitionist Edward Dunbar. Another widely quoted estimate of 20 million slaves was based on calculations using data concerning slaves in Jamaica that was adjusted for the entire Atlantic slave trade, though the original data used to make the calculations has since been lost.

His 1989 book Death by Migration combined medical and population history, tracing the effects of tropical diseases on Europeans in tropical Africa during the time before medicines were available to treat these conditions effectively.

A controversial opinion piece published in a 1995 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "Ghettoizing African History" criticized the frequent equation of African and African American scholars in college and university departments of history with jobs concerning the history of Africa.  Although Curtin mentioned that this practice might discourage some caucasian academicians from specializing in African studies, his comments were also an argument for more opportunities for African-American scholars.

While many visitors to Africa have been to Gorée Island in Senegal, described as a site where as many as 20 million Africans were fattened for shipment across the Atlantic Ocean from the Slave House after being shackled there in dank cells, Curtin debunked the traditional account, stating that "[t]he whole story is phony". Curtin stated that the Slave House, one of the most beautiful houses on the island, would not have been used for storing slaves, that the rocks near the shore would make docking boats perilous and estimated that a total of no more than 50,000 slaves had passed through the island. Senegalese academics criticized Curtin's statement, stating that he was guilty of "stealing their history".

Books:
 Africa Remembered: Narratives by West Africans from the Era of the Slave Trade (editor, 1967)
 The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census (1969)
 The Image of Africa: British Ideas and Action, 1780–1850 (1973, AHA Schuyler Prize)
 Africa and the West: Intellectual Responses to European Culture (1974)
 Precolonial African History (1975, AHA pamphlet)
 Economic Change in Precolonial Africa: Senegambia in the Era of the Slave Trade (1975)
 African History (co-author, 1978)
 Cross-Cultural Trade in World History (1984)
 Death by Migration: Europe's Encounter with the Tropical World in the Nineteenth Century (1989)
 The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex: Essays in Atlantic History (1990)
 The Tropical Atlantic in the Age of the Slave Trade (1991, AHA pamphlet)
 Why People Move: Migration in African History (1995)
 Disease and Empire (1998)
 Migration and Mortality in Africa and the Atlantic World, 1700–1900 (2001)
 The World and the West (2002)
 On the Fringes of History: A Memoir (2005)

Doctoral Supervision (University of Wisconsin-Madison):

Doctoral Supervision (Johns Hopkins University):

Awards and honors
Curtin was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.

Personal
A resident of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Curtin died at age 87 on June 4, 2009, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with pneumonia cited as the cause of death. He was survived by his third wife, the former Anne Gilbert, as well as three sons and three grandchildren. His marriages to opera soprano singer Phyllis Curtin and Patricia Romero both ended in divorce.

References

External links
 Philip Curtin - Daily Telegraph obituary
  - New York Times
  - Washington Post
  - JHU Gazette
  - H-NET

1922 births
2009 deaths
Swarthmore College alumni
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
United States Merchant Mariners of World War II
Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania
Johns Hopkins University faculty
MacArthur Fellows
People from Chester County, Pennsylvania
Writers from Philadelphia
People from Webster Springs, West Virginia
Presidents of the American Historical Association
Swarthmore College faculty
University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
Historians from Pennsylvania
Historians of Africa
American Africanists
American male non-fiction writers
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Presidents of the African Studies Association


several years afterward, cities were surprisingly resilient and by 2005 had weathered the economic fallout from the attacks rather well. The more serious crippling event of the past decade was the Great Global Recession of 2008. In fact, the repercussions from the recession are still being felt and likely will be for many years. The Great Recession was also responsible for forcing municipalities to enter the new normal phase of municipal finance.
the federal government and state governments also encountered. There is less grant and entitlement assistance available from both entities, leaving municipalities to develop sustainability solutions on their own.
from city to city. If a community was slow to react to decreased revenues, the inaction no doubt led to a dramatic decrease in operating reserves, also known as fund balance.
High unemployment rates coupled with decreased wages and benefits in the private sector have led to taxpayer angst over perceived overly generous municipal wage and benefit structures. Citizens' envy of public employees' salaries is expected to play heavily on future decisions to be made by city leaders.
insurance costs and pension obligations.
Although these realities may seem overwhelming, they also provide opportunities for cities to be creative in developing new organizational structures and policies that will help reshape local government for survival in the new normal environment.
• Make the Easy Cuts. Most organizations have "low-hanging fruit" that can be scaled back without imposing too much pain, such as travel and training activities. These items can eventually be added back when the economy improves. Unfortunately, savings from such categories are typically not material.
• Implement Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) Programs. In recent years the private sector has successfully used ERI programs to help achieve structural balance. With traditional municipal revenues down by at least 15 percent and expected to stay that way, employment levels must be reduced. Cities should run the numbers in advance to make sure an ERI program provides financial justification. The loss of institutional knowledge is often a major concern. However, most incented retirees are happy to field questions on request after they leave.
municipal distress and Chapter 9 cases.
• Don't Fill Vacant Positions. To help reduce employment levels, the workload of employees who leave the organization should be re-engineered. Remaining workers may feel more stress because of added duties, however, and management must be sensitive to problems that arise and be ready to react in a timely manner.
• Pare Back Nonessential Programs. An economic downturn is the perfect time to evaluate individual programs within every department. It's easier to justify a program's elimination or restructuring when funds are in short supply.
EARN CTP, CPE, AND CLE CREDIT.
• Discontinue Funding for Capital Improvements. This is not a decision to take lightly. However, if a thorough evaluation and justification of existing programs has been conducted and communicated, a temporary stoppage in capital improvements funding is appropriate.


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Terror suspect Swedes freed from Pakistan
TT/The Local
terroristpakistanmehdi ghezali
The Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed that four Swedish citizens, arrested in Pakistan in August as terrorist suspects, have been released and put on a flight to Stockholm.
The group include Mehdi Ghezali, who spent two years in Guantánamo Bay following his 2001 arrest in Afghanistan, as well as 28-year-old Munir Awad and 19-year-old Safia Benaouda, and their two and a half-year-old boy.
"I can confirm that they have been released," Cecilia Julin, head of press at the Foreign Ministry told news agency TT.
The ministry has yet to receive a formal statement from the Pakistani authorities on the release. "We interpret it that they have come to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence to hold them," Julin added.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Benaouda and her son were to be released "shortly" following a meeting between Pakistan's Minister of the Interior Rehman Malik and Swedish Ambassador in Islamabad Ulrika Sundberg.
Malik, who is in charge of Pakistan's police force, said on Tuesday that he would receive a report about the detained Swedes on Wednesday, at which time he would made a decision about their fate as soon as possible.
The Swedes have been detained since August 28th when they were arrested in northern Pakistan, along with seven Turks, an Iranian, a Russian, and one Pakistani, according the police.
The police reported that the group were found in a prohibited area near a nuclear power facility.
Police suspect the group was on its way to rendezvous with representatives from the Taliban in southern Waziristan, long considered a Taliban stronghold.
One of the Swedes claimed the group was in fact on its way to a meeting with a Muslim revivalist movement in the city of Lahore.
It took until September 16th for Swedish authorities to receive formal confirmation that the Swedes had in fact been arrested.
Lawyer Anton Strand, who is representing on of the men, received notification today that his client had been freed.
"Those who have worked with the case are relieved that it has been handled this way," he said.
"No evidence or formal suspicions have been made against my client other than a recent issue over his visa, that he entered the country without sufficient papers."
The group was released on Saturday morning and were accompanied to the airport by the Swedish ambassador.
No information have been given as to their expected arrival time in Sweden.
"Our responsibility stops at the airport in Pakistan and they travel home on their own accord," Julin said.
"It is up to them if they want to give out information on when and where they land."
Northern Sweden plane crash: Here's what we know so far
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Working in Sweden: Seven real benefits that actually pay off
Swedish investigators begin probe into plane crash tragedy that killed nine people
Latte pappa or crime? Sweden's international reputation
Löfven: Stockholm terror attack my toughest day as Sweden's PM
Politician steps down after using 'terrorist bomber' security alias
Uzbekistan says Stockholm suspect had ties to IS
Not a terrorist attack: Swede stole truck in Barcelona after wild night partying


text:
*** CORONAVIRUS UPDATE. WE ARE HERE TO HELP. ***
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Ashkan Fardost
"The Internet killed normal."
Sweden, the late 90's, a quiet Stockholm suburb. A teen who dreams of being a music producer has just gotten his hands on the first piece of production software capable of rivaling a professional setup. At the time, he is a weirdo – listening to trance, claiming to make music while sitting quietly in his room, refused by every label who gets his demo CDs in the mail. Then, Napster happens.
"You have all misunderstood digitalization."
From aspiring teen creator to semi-hacker to music producer working with the greats, from a PhD in organic chemistry to collaborations with Hyper Island and the Stockholm tech scene, to the starting-up of Oddball Ventures, and from this diverse portfolio to TEDx and a nomination for Sweden's Speaker of the Year 2017, Ashkan has not only lived the evolution of the internet, but seen it through angles few else have. He is set apart by his insights into the internet as a psychological, sociological and anthropological phenomenon that changes the entire dynamic of the world.
"A quartet of disciplines to unravel
If you want to know what apes, farms, gods and robots have to do with the future of business and humanity, you have to hear what Ashkan has to say.
Ashkan's lecture spans over 8 000 years, from ancient man to the future of mankind. It is a carefully crafted blend of philosophy, sociology, anthropology and technology – a quartet of disciplines that is key to a powerful analysis of the present and future.
Standing on the shoulders of great philosophers and sociologists, he begins by uncovering what it means to be human. With the help of anthropology, he then shows us what catalyzed human civilization and what continues to power it. Hint: it is all about information technology! Last but not least, he introduces the internet and current technological trends to this model, shedding light on the road we are thundering down – and on how it is changing us for good.
Ashkan's unique macro perspective provides a deep understanding of the future of organizations, companies and societies in our ever-faster changing world. His topics can be tailored for a wide variety of audiences, including but not limited to those who specialize in leadership, innovation, culture, education and social progress.
Curious and want to know more? Request availability of Ashkan Fardost? Fill out this form, call us on +46 8 545 688 66 or e-mail us at info@speakersnet.se. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Photography by Annika Falkuggla
"Ashkan Fardost gave what might have been the day's most purely entertaining event, albeit with a profound point. Through sheer charm he managed to not alienate his audience with his opening statement "sales are dead", which was probably a tough sell to the crowd. Over the course of a fascinating 30 minutes he expounded a theory which managed to join the dots between trance music, prehistory cave dwelling society, the implications of the invention of the printing press and why the internet is fundamentally coming full circle back to tribalism. It was a rollercoaster."
Katarina Bäckman Hed | Executive Producer | Mercuri International Sverige
"The keynote provocation delivered by Ashkan at the 8th World Summit on Arts and Culture was insightful, dynamic and thought provoking; it was an aspirational intervention that sparked reactions and conversations, just as we hoped. We are incredibly grateful to Ashkan for his well prepared, grounded and thoughtful contribution to a vital conversation among government leaders, policy makers and civil society on the future of arts and culture."
Magdalena Moreno Mujica | Executive Director | International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
"Ashkan delivered a excellent speech. The audience satisfaction was proven the day after when he was quoted by them. Ashkan is an exceptional and humble person and highly professional both in regards to preparations as well as the performance."
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The National Association of Japanese Canadians call upon Prime Minster Harper and Governor General Johnston to meet with National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, Aboriginal leaders and Attawapiskat Nation Chief Theresa Spence to discuss concrete commitments, preservation and fulfillment of treaty rights.
Bill C-45 directly alters the Indian Act and therefore requires further open discussions with the First Nations people on its ramifications.
We ask all Canadians to contact the office of the Prime Minister and your local MP and express your support of Attawapiskat Chief Spence and the Assembly of First Nations.