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Piloting Through the 2020 Corona-World: •An objectively subjective selection•
The Market for Ideas
The much-lauded Chinese curse of living in interesting times has certainly applied to 2020. The year saw many disruptions, but also the fulfilment of key trends related to inter-state and intra-state conflict. While no one will mourn its end, we may be right to fear that this will only be a continuing act in the ongoing saga of the world's remaking and the upending of previously cherished certainties, especially in the West.
These vignettes will help us remember the main events of the year. They should not be read in the knowledge of today, but as mementos of another period in a long line of "weeks in which decades happen".
London Does Not Believe in Tears
The Beginning of the UK's Goodbye to the EU
Cristina-Ștefania COJOCARU
Dumitraș-Bogdan CHIRIȚĂ
In January 2020, EU and UK leaders started the countdown and kicked off negotiations regarding the United Kingdom's final exit from the European Union, which also triggered a transition period set to last 11 months. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of controversies, such as Gibraltar's situation, as it is the only British overseas territory in continental Europe and subject to Spanish irredentism. This and many other questions have been asked throughout this far-reaching and arduous process.
For a better view of the proceedings, we need to look back in time, when the referendum that led to the UK leaving the EU took place. This event, which eventually shook Europe politically and economically, was triggered in 2015, when the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced his intention to organise a referendum on the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The referendum was held on June 23, 2016, with the whole world looking on in eager anticipation. Its outcome, however, took the world by storm, when the UK, a nation known for the strength of its institutions, the tolerance of its citizens and its meticulously crafted foreign policies, decided to leave the European Union, through a close-call referendum: 51.9% votes to leave vs. 48.1% votes to stay.
The result caused volatility in financial markets around the world, a political crisis, but also the fear of a constitutional crisis, given that neither Scotland nor Northern Ireland wanted to leave the European Union. In addition, there was the issue of Gibraltar, which has always been a source of dispute between Spain and the UK. Being an exception, i.e., the only British overseas territory that was part of the European Union, Gibraltar participated in the referendum, opposing the Brexit in an overwhelming proportion of 96%. Currently, this issue is still being debated at the negotiating table.
"The only real alternative to a 'hard Brexit' is 'no Brexit'. Even if today hardly anyone believes in such a possibility". These were the exact words of the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who stressed many times that, in the withdrawal negotiations, the interests of the 27 EU countries are his main concern. Indeed, Britain's withdrawal from the European Union has proven to be a lengthy and difficult process. Finally, after four years with countless postponements, deadline extensions and endless rounds of negotiations, on January 24, 2020, the European Union signed the Withdrawal Agreement. The act was ratified by the United Kingdom five days later and was then approved by the European Parliament. The final step was taken on January 30, when the Agreement was ratified by the EU, and the formal withdrawal of the United Kingdom took place on January 31, 2020.
In January 2020, both sides decided that more time was needed to make a deal. Thus, the 11-month transition period began. The main issues discussed during this time were trade agreements, the back payments of the UK to the EU budget, as well as safety and security concerns. At the time of writing this article, the EU and the UK had not inked a deal. Mainly, three important issues remain to be settled: how the agreements will be implemented, the EU's concern over the UK providing financial aid and benefits to companies in its territory and, finally, fishing permits in Britain's waters.
It is clear that EU-UK relations have progressively deteriorated since the time David Cameron announced the intention to withdraw. Although the transition period is soon coming to an end, this is only the beginning of a long series of consequences that will affect, in one way or another, the whole world. Brexit must be seen as a wake-up call by the entire European Union – a historic event, heralding an uncertain future ahead.
The Calm Before the (Sand)Storm
An Uneasy Truce for an Uneasy Peace between the US and the Taliban
Horațiu-Mihai CONSTANTINESCU
Beatrice-Nicoleta HOJBOTĂ
Despite doubts as to its durability, a significant breakthrough was achieved in late February 2020 as the US and the Taliban came to an agreement following negotiations spanning a year and a half. The negotiations, in no small part facilitated by the participation of former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalizad, were initiated by the Trump Administration in a shift from its former position of letting Afghan authorities steer the process of stabilizing and normalizing relations with the Taliban. Discussions focused on reaching a cessation of violence between the Taliban and US troops. In exchange for the gradual withdrawal of all US forces in the country by April 2021, the Taliban were to refrain from attacking US targets as well as prevent other terrorist groups (e.g., Al-Qaeda, ISIS) from using Afghan territory as a beachhead to launch attacks against the US or its allies and to recruit new soldiers to bolster their own ranks.
Nevertheless, this accord is not without its controversies. To begin with, there are several confidential addenda that will not be shared with the public, raising concerns over the nature of the contents of these documents. Furthermore, negotiations up to this point have conspicuously excluded the Afghan Government, involving instead other regional representatives. Thus, this agreement only marks the beginning of the end of US military involvement in Afghanistan; to achieve long-term peace, the Taliban and the Afghan Government need to settle terms amongst themselves, but talks have been hindered by the political crisis which ensued after the 2019 presidential elections and would only be resolved in May 2020. Another issue is the refusal of the Taliban to accept a permanent ceasefire, with the result that Taliban operations against the Afghan Government continued, which led the US to providing air support to the latter.
To sum up, the outlook in the region remains unclear at best; with the withdrawal of US troops from the region, it is up to the Afghan authorities and the Taliban to work out a peace and put a halt to hostilities, which many observers deem unlikely in light of the risk that once the United States have recalled all of their forces, the Taliban would then try to push hostilities further in a bid to oust the government and take full control of the country. Another point to consider is whether the US stance on Afghanistan would change after Joe Biden won the US presidential elections in November 2020. By all estimates, it appears the Afghan affair is far from over.
The Peril that Went Viral
The Spread of the Coronavirus into Everyday Life
Elena-Rodica PETROVICI
Iolanda-Nicoleta POPESCU
Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, also known as the SARS-CoV-2 virus, March 2020 produced major global movements, with the World Health Organization declaring the novel Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic on March 11. The number of cases has since grown massively, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases and almost 1,000 deaths in Europe alone by one day after the declaration. The Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization, Dr. Hans Kluge, stated that the number of cases is expected to increase, and every single day is important in this period, urging the affected countries to implement a containment strategy to control the spread of this disease. The General Director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, warned that while the World Health Organization declared this state of affairs as a pandemic, the countries must stay ever vigilant, as shifting from containment to mitigation is a misguided decision with potentially very dangerous consequences. The WHO General Director added that this is more than a public health crisis. It is a crisis that will affect every industry and facet of human society, so everyone must be involved in efforts to contain and counteract the spread of the virus, for their own good. He also said that all countries can still change the course of this pandemic, "even if we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled".
Unfortunately, but as expected, as the days went by so has the number of cases continued to rise, and therefore, his statement has been validated, with virtually every economic sector suffering from the effects of the pandemic-related measures, especially for the tourism and food industries. At that time, it was believed that the coronavirus causes a mild respiratory infection in almost 80% of the cases, and about half of those infected will develop pneumonia. As for the remaining 20%, 15% will face a severe illness, and only 5% would eventually need critical care. The estimates have continuously changed with better statistical data. The head of the WHO's emerging disease and zoonoses unit, Maria van Kerkhove, gave a statement in which she said that countries need to test and ensure their laboratories and hospitals are ready, no matter how severe the cases might be. The key advice for the entire world population was that "every individual needs to play their part as well" by first of all ensuring adequate hygiene, i.e., by washing their hands and isolating themselves from others should they start to develop symptoms indicative of the coronavirus.
The World Low on Fuel
Decrease in Oil Demand Fuels Search for Viable Alternatives
Dorin PENE
Roxana-Ștefania VOINEA
After we die, will our bodies turn into oil in millions of years? And if so, considering that the chances are slim, will the future inhabitants of the planet wisely use the substances resulting from the decomposition of our bodies? Will they find applications? Most of the products that the 21st century man comes into contact with are obtained by processing and refining crude oil, a hydrocarbon resulting from the transformation of organic matter over the course of millions of years. So, whenever we admire the intense colour of paint, heal ourselves with medication or moisturize our skin with cosmetics, we enjoy these things due to oil.
The applicability of crude oil has been known for at least 12,000 years in ancient Mesopotamia. The word Petroleum has its origin in the Latin language from "oleum petrae", meaning stone oil. Large-scale consumption began somewhere in the mid-19th century, the city of Ploiești, in Romania, hosting one of the first refineries in the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, oil consumption has exploded, fuelling the machinery of the two world wars. Although demand has grown exponentially in the last hundred years, in April 2020 the rise was interrupted. Due to a shortage of fuel demand based on the sudden slowdown in the world economy on account of pandemic related measures, impressive amounts of oil could no longer be kept and their storage actually became dangerous given the high toxicity of the substance. Another factor that influenced the massive decline was the rupture of the agreement between Russia and the OPEC countries regarding the limitation of production to ensure price levels. This divergence has led to an overproduction race between Russia and Saudi Arabia (the OPEC leader), thus flooding markets in order to lower the price of oil, creating redundancy in its exploitation and production. Since countries exploit hydrocarbon deposits at different price levels and vary in the dependency of state budgets on oil revenue, producers sometimes engage in this exercise of self-harm to hobble a rival.
Thus, on April 20, 2020, the world witnessed the largest decrease of the oil price in history, by over 300%. The price in futures contracts became negative for the first time dropping from 17.85$ to -37.63$ in one day. In other words, producers and distributors had to pay to get rid of the oil they had in stock in order to fulfil their contractual obligations to receive shipments in-bound through tankers and pipelines. Vast fleets of tankers were parked off the coast of major hubs in the US, such as Gulf of Mexico. Global trends indicate a likely decline in consumption for the mid and long term, with renewable energy sources gaining more and more ground. Gradually, the demand for fossil fuels, including gas and coal, is expected to decrease from 75% in 2035 to 65% in 2050, while the consumption of supposedly environmentally friendly electricity will double by 2050. Another changing factor is renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass, hydro, and nuclear), the use of which is expected to increase from 25% in 2025 to 34% in 2050. Thus, the fuels of the future, which may eventually replace the fossil fuels wholesale will be obtained from the exploitation of natural forces and recycling, or from hydrogen supply, through the process of electrolysis.
When the Voiceless Must Speak
A Brief Chronicle of Race, Outrage and the Dangers of Extremes
Cristina STOICA
Andrei-Gheorghe ȘOMĂNESCU
Anti-racism protests have spread throughout major cities in the world like wildfire, with several exceedingly violent incidents taking place in the United States starting as of the end of the month of May. The catalyst for this wave of protests was the death of an Afro-American George Floyd while being forcefully subdued by a police officer named Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. What made this particular instance of police brutality far more pungent was footage of Floyd being already restrained on the ground with the Caucasian police officer keeping his knee on his neck. Floyd pleaded for air and repeatedly stated being unable to breathe for about nine minutes before passing away.
On May 26, 2020, a series of protests begin in many of the United States' largest cities, the apex of which was reached on May 31, with 920 protests simultaneously being held in 400 major cities all around the country. Since the onset of the protests, there have been 14,000 people arrested and at least 19 casualties. Most of the protests appeared to be peaceful and, stunningly, much of the police force sent to prevent violence from occurring sympathized with the cause of the protesters, often publicly taking a knee as an already well-known gesture of solidarity. With such a high number of protests, however, in the end the largest yearly rise in murders was registered in the US, mostly in cities affected by the conflict between protesters and police. Even where violent clashes were avoided, the ill feeling towards the police resulted in them standing down or being stood down from important policing duties, leading to an atmosphere of impunity for the criminally inclined.
The protests have also generated a series of significant, potentially lasting changes. First of all, numerous large (and small) corporations have publicly manifested their support for the BLM (Black Lives Matter) cause. Secondly, some movies and books dealing with racial issues were withdrawn or even censored. Thirdly, police departments implemented a series of measures to supposedly better control the behaviour of their agents, such as accelerating the installation of cameras on all officers, supplementing the rise of the ubiquity of citizens filming with their smartphones. A political push towards police reform, even abolition, reappeared, including the replacement of the use of police in less serious disturbances with social workers. The "defund the police" movement gained significant traction.
Unfortunately, as with most things, there is a dark side to these protests. It appears people are forgetting that not only "black lives matter", but in a normal and ethically sound society, "all lives must matter" (which, in itself, has become a politically contentious phrase) and because of that a lot of people were wounded or even killed by some angry individuals who wanted to take advantage of this situation. Furthermore, during the protests, some of the participants began vandalizing monuments such as statues of Christopher Columbus and US Founding Fathers, or, in the UK, the statue of Edward Colston as they were associated, strongly or weakly, with racism, slavery and the displacement of native peoples. These actions must not be tolerated, especially as history has a habit of repeating itself and in order to advance, we must learn from the mistakes of the past so that we may build a better future.
Without doubt, racism is a very important topic and must be handled with a high degree of responsibility lest we find ourselves swaying in the other extreme. The best example of this was the case of Romanian referee Sebastian Colțescu, when he was widely accused of racism for using the word "black" during a football game in order to differentiate a particular person among a group of players. This case spiralled out of control and became a major international scandal, solely because the player in question was offended by being referred to by his skin colour. This situation is wrong from several points of view, chief among which is that the quest to end racial discrimination turns into a witch hunt to find traces of racism in things not even remotely related to it; indeed, racism has been turned into some sort of trump card that can be played whenever something can be construed as such in lieu of reasoned debate or valid arguments. It is also quite disheartening that the same categorical stance and condemnation of racism was not displayed when Romanian athletes themselves have been subjected to overt manifestations of racism in international sporting events on more than one occasion.
Racism is not a modern problem; it is something that has haunted us since the dawn of our species and probably will continue to be a part of our society for a long time. Even though this was not the first time the police committed a racially-loaded abuse, it seems that the death of George Floyd was the point of no return when a greater number of people than during the previous BLM protest era in 2014-2015, even beyond the US borders, reacted in solidarity with one another and in opposition towards discrimination on racial grounds. This event echoed all throughout the world as social media feeds exploded in tune with the protests in the streets, demanding decisive action from the government to ensure such a crime would never take place again. It may be too late for George Floyd, but it is not too late for the rest of the world.
Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire
Hong Kong's Autonomy Is Being Shanghaied by China's New Law
Mihaela CIOFLAN
Raluca-Andreea PETRE
The disputes between China and the former British colony of Hong Kong date back to 1997, when Hong Kong became a part of China in a union that is guided by the formula "one country, two systems". But the story begins in 1842, when China was defeated by the United Kingdom in the "First Opium War"; Hong Kong thus came under British rule. Due to its status of British colony as well as its geographical position, Hong Kong became an important economic power, mediating much of China's trade and investment ties to the rest of the world until recently. This influence enabled the British to negotiate several concessions in exchange for its peaceful return to China, such as autonomy in maintaining its capitalist economic system, the independence of its justice system, its freedom of trade and freedom of the local press, at least for 50 years following the handover.
Back in the present day, the communion between China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been marked increasingly often by various conflicts that have intensified due to the pro-democracy protest of the people of Hong Kong who feel that China is encroaching on cherished liberties. At the same time, the frustrations among the young in Hong Kong are also fed by the relative decline of the city through the growth of alternative centres such as Shanghai and Singapore, the high cost of living, the extremely unaffordable housing and many other economic issues which feed into political discontent. In response to rising dissent, China has decided to pass a "national security law", which detractors argue violates both human rights and freedom of expression. The main international interpretation is that, through this law, the Chinese authorities seek to attain absolute control, violating the special status that Hong Kong attained in 1997. In a press release, the USA condemned China's actions, with President Donald Trump signing an act demanding sanctions against all those who signed the security law, but in response, China created its own document stating that it will punish all those who signed the US President's act.
Following Donald Trump's intervention, an official position emerged from the United Nations calling for the law to be made public, to be removed from ambiguity, to be transformed more clearly and succinctly, and to respect human rights and the laws of Hong Kong. In this context, the United Kingdom also issued a press release announcing that it will support all those who have British passports in Hong Kong and adds that this law violates the direct freedom of its people. Later on, proposals started to appear about granting British passports to all Hong Kong-ers present before the 1997 era. The law is meant to put a halt to the protests, which would thereby become illegal; furthermore, individual journalism would no longer exist, freedom of expression and access to information would be suppressed, the internet heavily regulated by what authorities decide is passable. These measures could destroy Hong Kong's autonomy, and the law will apply to all people passing through the city, driving away investors and tourists. The punishment is imprisonment for months, years or even for life. After the approval of the national security law, protesters were assaulted with water cannons and most of them were arrested for speaking freely. Unfortunately for Hong Kong, the dialogue between the great powers does not seem to be going its way, as the latter fear causing the situation to destabilize even further.
Old Dreams Die Hard
The Shadow of Turkey's Neo-Ottomanism Looming over the Minarets of Hagia Sophia
Mariana-Bianca IORDACHE
Turkey's history can be described in equal parts as vast, bloody and mysterious. Hagia Sophia was built in 537 under Emperor Justinian. For over a thousand years, it was the largest building but also the largest church in the world. It served as a cathedral for the Patriarch of Constantinople before and after the Great Schism that divided Western and Eastern Christianity. After the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. Under the Ottomans, the architects added minarets and buttresses to preserve the building, but the mosaics that represented Christian images were whitewashed and covered. In 1934, under the leadership of President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the mosque was converted into a museum. Politically, the transformation of Hagia Sophia into a museum was considered a symbol of the Ataturk government's commitment to a free, secular state.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent decision to reconvert the former Hagia Sophia church, an important site for Orthodox Christianity, into a mosque has been seen as a provocation by Greece and risks inflaming tensions between Ankara and Athens, which are already running dangerously high. Clearly, this decision was calculated politically as an opportunistic attempt to shore up the President's popularity with his electorate in the context of a beleaguered economy. It also underlines Turkey's ambition to play a pivotal geopolitical role in the Middle East. After being denied membership in the European Union for decades, Turkey turned its attention elsewhere. As Hagia Sophia becomes once more a mosque after over eight decades as a state-run museum, it can be seen as a step towards building a Turkish Islamic hegemony with increasing regional influence and also towards a populist unity in the fragmented Islamic world. It also signals a resumption of the old conflict between Turanism and Arabism for control over Islam.
This announcement has caused international discontent from Washington to Paris, but especially in the Orthodox countries, most notably Greece and Russia. In addition to its impact on Greek-Turkish relations, this choice affects Ankara's relations with the European Union, UNESCO and the world community in general. For Greece, Hagia Sophia is identified with Constantinople, the name by which the Greeks continue to call Istanbul. This decision has a double meaning in Turkey where the President is declining in popularity, but also in the West, as Turkey wants to take greater part in the power games in the Mediterranean and the Near East. It also recalls Turkey's aggressiveness in the region, namely its attempts to exploit energy resources in the South-Eastern Mediterranean claimed by Cyprus, followed by intervention in Northern Syria and recently in Iraq or interference in the conflict in Libya. Not only that, but migration issues have become a matter of dispute between Greece and Turkey, despite both being NATO members.
In conclusion, this decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reintroduce Hagia Sophia as a mosque is not accepted and embraced by Christian countries, the European Union and NATO, mostly in weariness because of Turkey's unpredictability, its grasp for regional power and its seeming double game with Russia in areas such as military acquisitions.
The Belarusian Boiling Point
Rising Discontent in Belarus as Population Contests Lukashenko's Re-election
Daria-Maria CĂLIN
Hesam JEBELI-BAKHT-ARA
Following the presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 2020, Europe's longest-serving ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, earned a new term with over 80% of the votes being counted in his favour. Although his sixth consecutive election did not come as a surprise, it decidedly did not come as a result of the people's desire. Belarus has not seen fair elections since 1994, when the last European dictator, as he was nicknamed by the George W. Bush Administration, began his regime. Lukashenko has been widely criticised for banning opinion polls, throwing opposition candidates in jail and rigging the elections. It is difficult to say how many citizens actually support the current president, but popular support weighs little in the calculations of a ruler who has the army, the intelligence services and the media at his beck and call.
Despite his best attempts at project the image of an invulnerable leader, Lukashenko's empire is increasingly faltering. Winning the election was by far the least of his problems, seeing the fallout that ensued. To begin with, a compromised president will impede country's access to foreign loans, which the Belarusian economy desperately needs in order to survive. Furthermore, there is a feeling of dissatisfaction among the population, similar to the one that manifested itself in the early 1990s which, at that time, ensured the victory of the current president. Lukashenko is now facing protests that Belarus has not seen since the fall of the USSR, with an estimated 300,000 people in Minsk and 200,000 in other cities in the country. The riots have gone on for four months without interruption, further underscoring the pent-up frustrations and disgruntlement of the population as well as its firm cry for a change to be made. Against the people who demanded new elections, the government resorted to internet blackouts and police brutality, having no intention of backing down. Since the start of the protests, more than 30,000 people have been arrested.
Although numerous global actors have denounced the cruelty of the events in Belarus, the reality in the field is unlikely to change that easily. The European Union in particular is in a tight spot; while it cannot ignore the illegalities, it cannot impose extreme sanctions on Lukashenko either as doing that would push him even further towards Russia. Although he holds no special sympathy towards his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Putin prefers the certainty of a weakened but familiar politician who needs his support to a power vacuum worsened by a series of unpredictable protests and regime changes. For him, the situation in Belarus may represent a new opportunity to force the Minsk regime to accept a closer integration, which would extend Russia's influence to Poland and Lithuania. However, Putin must abandon the militaristic approach used in Georgia and Ukraine in order to avoid possible external sanctions, but also to gain the trust of the people of Belarus, especially since almost 90% of citizens want the country to maintain a good relationship with Russia and the protests are not necessarily anti-Russia, but anti-Lukashenko. That said, Putin's ability to interfere with the events in Belarus is limited by Russia's distressed finances as supporting the collapsing Belarusian economy requires financial resources that the country does not have.
Belarus is currently at a stalemate. On one hand, Lukashenko, although disgraced, will not relinquish power, hoping for support from Russia and indifference from the European Union. On the other hand, the opposition can offer no more than the current street protests, having no substantial political weight and no serious replacement for Lukashenko. No matter what happens in the future, it is certain that there are diseases that vodka, sauna and tractor driving, i.e., Lukashenko's male palliative troika, cannot cure: cruelty, megalomania and a boundless appetite for power.
The Clash in the Caucasus
The Reignition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Răzvan-Mario CIOBANU
Sorina-Christinne-Alice STEMATE
The 1980s heralded both the beginning of new disputes and the continuation of old ones. As the Soviet Union's clout began to thin, a new policy was introducing called the "glasnost". It was devised to extend political freedoms in the Soviet Union to prevent its own unravelling. However, it had unintended consequences. As a BBC reporter said at the time, "Glasnost has given people the freedom not only to create but to hate", with long-standing feuds such as the one between Azerbaijan and Armenia resurging.
In 1988, ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh passed a referendum to leave the Azerbaijan Republic, reviving the conflict. In Armenia, people rallied for unification, while in Azerbaijan, people responded with counter protests. Violence soon erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh as the Soviet Union fell apart; Armenia and Azerbaijan each declared independence, escalating the conflict into a full-fledged war. About 20,000 people died and over 1 million were forced to flee their homes in the region. Fighting raged for three more years, until Armenia eventually won. In 1994, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement which froze the conflict. Armenia occupied several pieces of Azerbaijan as well as Nagorno-Karabakh, which was still legally recognized as part of Azerbaijan even though it had declared itself an autonomous region at the start of the war. This occupation displaced hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azerbaijanis from their homes; the deal was brokered by Russia, who was a formal ally to Armenia but also had a good relationship with Azerbaijan.
On September 28, 2020, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence announced that Armenian armed forces had opened fire on Azerbaijani units and settlements, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further adding that Armenian forces had intentionally targeted civilian settlements. In response, the President of Artsakh (one of the official names of the Armenian-backed Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway republic) said that it was the Azerbaijani forces that had opened fire on artillery units under the leadership of the Armenian government targeting Azerbaijan-controlled areas in the Aghdara area, leading to casualties on the Armenian side.
A ceasefire agreement was reached on November 9, with Russia brokering the peace, ensuring it would be kept with some 2,000 troops sent to the region. In practice, the conflict was an unqualified success for Azerbaijan, which had been cultivating its military strength and partnerships for years in expectation of a rematch, while Armenia, already much smaller than it, has fallen behind in every significant way. However, if history is any example, this is far from a permanent or even a satisfactory end to the crisis, but merely another time-out before the next time the conflict unfreezes.
Peace with a Price Tag
The New Sudanese Government Normalizes its Relations with Israel
Andreea VOINEA
Andreea-Alexandra SIMION
The conflict between Israel and the Arab States is known as the oldest conflict in history, its beginnings being told in the Old Testament with the story of Abraham, considered the father of both religions: Judaism and Islam. Although it plays out mainly in the Arab world, the source of the conflict is land, not religion. The territory was under the occupation of the Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Egyptians, etc., the last imperial power to rule the area being the Ottoman Empire. The ongoing conflict has even given birth to armed conflicts drawing great political powers, such as the USA.
Over time, there have been several conflicts between Israel and The Arab States, territorial in nature, with the goal of occupying the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In the year 1967, the 6-day war took place, where Israel captured the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. As a result, in 1987, the Intifada occurred, a conflict that ended with hundreds of deaths and injuries, later involving the US as President Bill Clinton established the Oslo Accords in 1993 in an attempt to broker peace. Between the years 2000 and 2005 the Second Intifada took place, where Israel conceded the Gaza Strip. In 2017, a request was made to form the Palestinian state under the borders of 1967, but without formally recognizing Israel. The next year, Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, moving the US embassy to the Holy City. Israel receives further support from Guatemala and Romania.
Many other Arab and mostly Islamic states, including Sudan, have supported the Palestinian case over the years, thus engendering a conflict with Israel. The Palestinian cause has also been a significant opportunity for unpopular leaders to signal their virtue towards their own populations. Because of this dispute, the US has marked Sudan as one of the states that supports terrorism since 1993. Sudan has long since made a claim to be removed from this blacklist, as its presence there is synonymous with economic sanctions and banned investments, leading to the plummeting of the country's economy. The demand has become more and more pressing, particularly after the ousting of the former president, Omar Al-Bashir, in April 2019 following popular pressure. One of the conditions for Sudan to be removed from the blacklist is to accept the normalization of its relations with Israel, along with a compensation of $335 million for terrorist attacks on US embassies in Africa.
The American Jewish Committee congratulated Sudan on October 23, 2020 for resuming full diplomatic relations with Israel. Sudan will therefore become the 5th Arab country that signs a peace treaty with Israel. The last two countries that have signed similar treaties for the normalization of connections were the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in September 2020. Consequently, there are voices that support the choice made by Sudan to normalize its ties with Israel due to its important contribution to Sudan's economy and improving its image internationally, to which one may add the beginning of a solid geopolitical alliance between Sudan and the US. On the other hand, the Palestinian government has harshly criticized Sudan's choice and puts a halt to any agreement made so far, with people claiming that Sudan has betrayed the cause of Palestine. The so-called "Abraham Accords" brokered by the US, with Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, taking the lead, have led to a historic shift in ties between Israel and the Arab world, though the threat of a resurgent Iran vying for regional hegemony had pushed the two sides together even before the first accords were signed. Even Saudi Arabia has made important symbolic concessions, such as publicized meetings between the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Netanyahu and allowing Israeli flights to travel through Saudi territory. It remains to be seen what the new US Administration will do with this important legacy.
No Country for Old Men, But No Choice Either
America's Democracy Facing Dilemmas Amidst Division and a Pandemic
Cristina-Florentina NICULAE
Daiana Daniela DODE
Against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and a deeply divided nation, Democratic candidate Joe Biden became President-elect of the United States of America after winning the pivotal state of Pennsylvania in 2020 presidential election, thereby defeating the incumbent President Donald Trump. Biden's victory capped one of the longest and most tumultuous campaigns in modern history, in which he maintained an aggressive focus on Trump's widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a majority of voting citizens stating that rising coronavirus case numbers were a significant factor in their vote, according to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll of early and Election Day voters. Biden regularly criticized Trump as unfit for office and positioned his campaign as a "battle for the soul of America". He promised from the outset of his run to heal and unite the country if he won, and the crux of his message was the pledge to represent both those who voted for him as well as those who didn't when he got to the White House. Whether he will live up to his promises will be seen in the next four years.
According to the US electoral system, the winner is not determined solely by the number of votes expressed in their favour; instead, each state has a certain number of electoral votes, with the more populous states yielding a greater number of these electoral votes; the person with the most popular votes in their favour in a given state will receive all of that state's electoral votes (with two exceptions). The proportion of White voters backing Biden has risen by five points on Hillary Clinton's figure at the last election, but Trump still took the largest share of this group, the preliminary polling suggests. Meanwhile, Biden appears to have gained increasing support from young adults aged below 30 as well as the middle-aged demographic. Biden had expressed clear confidence in a victory once all the ballots were counted, speaking regularly since polls closed on Tuesday as an anxious nation waited for states to complete their tallies.
Personnel from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative appointed by President Donald Trump are delaying the transition to President-elect Joe Biden's team by refusing to schedule meetings, according to officials with knowledge of the situation. Six weeks after the U.S. election, President Donald Trump still refuses to accept defeat, contesting the result and insisting that he is the rightful winner of the elections. This lack of fair-play and political gracefulness is not at all typical of a mature democracy, but rather of countries with what political scientists call "hybrid regimes" – nations that formally have elements of democracy in their governance systems but in practice are not democracies. Trump is seen by some analysts as an exponent of a global trend towards authoritarianism, and the United States may take more than a page from other countries' playbooks.
The Fast and Furious Firing Up the Space Race
Cătălin-Gabriel STOICA
David MATEI
Space: The final frontier. These were the words of the famous Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) in the first iteration of the science fiction show Star Trek which aired between 1966-1969 in an era when mankind was fascinated by outer space and the space race was in full swing as yet another form of propagandistic war between the East and the West in their never-ending quest of proving their own might. With the Soviet Union making the first steps by launching the first artificial satellite and sending the first man into space, the USA was hard pressed for a success that would end this already very expensive contest that held little real economic significance at that time, but meant everything in the fight to the death that had already been going on for 25 years, for proving that the Western philosophy, way of life and culture was superior to the one advocated by the Soviet Union. And then, on 20 July 1969, the USA dealt the coup de grâce through one simple sentence just as the one delivered by Captain Kirk, but with Neil Armstrong as its protagonist: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind". The space race was won not by the one that prevailed in the majority of the battles but by the one who won the last and most important of them and knew how to best sell it to the world. Unfortunately, the winning of the race saw the political fortunes of those committed to exploring space wane. Just three years later, the last manned mission to the Moon took place, so that the recent 50th anniversary of the Moon landing will soon be followed by the commemoration of the final landing.
It would seem that 2020 is a special year in space affairs too, but this time is not just a simple tango but rather a full-fledged ballet number. Since 2011 when the NASA Space Shuttle program was suspended, all the International Space Station Consortium nations have relied on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft for transportation to the ISS. This year, however, through the daring vision of the private sector, NASA's astronauts were sent to the ISS on May 30, 2020 by a rocket and capsule made, sold and operated by a private company. Of course, NASA had always relied on corporate contractors, by SpaceX has upped the game by becoming an actual independent service provider, under the US philosophy of focusing NASA on pushing the boundaries of science rather than acting as a service provider.
Russia, however, did not lose one second in the face of this "act of independence". Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, declared that: "Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda", and "We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn't lag behind". But another big player might be the one to steal the show this time. Since sending their first man into space in 2003, China has been investing colossal amounts of money into their own space program and it seems that 2020 is the year in which they start to reap the rewards. China became in 2013 the first nation to successfully land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 spacecraft in 1976. With their Chang'e-5 robotic lunar mission landing on December 1, 2020, they became the first to perform a lunar-sample return mission since the Space Race. What's more, China also successfully launched its first Mars mission called Tianwen-1, this same year, on July 23, just one week earlier than the NASA Perseverance rover mission to the Red planet which was launched on July 30, 2020.
A return of the Space Race is now on the horizon after many years of cooperation between old enemies like the US and Russia, and the marginalization of contenders like China, which was not allowed to join the ISS Consortium. But, this time, the race will be much harder as there are more competitors, apart from the three aforementioned ones. On July 19, the UAE space agency launched its first mission to Mars, the Hope Probe. India is also heavily investing in its space program and has already successfully launched lunar and Martian orbital missions. This time, the Space Race will be even more exciting than the first one with old adversaries that want payback and new players that seek to make a name for themselves. Live long and prosper!


James is the Vice President of Client Energy Services at Bright Power. He and his team advises local, regional and national multifamily property owners, managers and investors on how to best deploy energy+water efficiency, solar energy, energy storage, cogeneration and green building features across their portfolios and in their development projects. James has helped Bright Power's clients implement energy projects under a number of different structures including power purchase agreements, debt financing and outright purchases. To date, James has consulted on or lead the development of energy efficiency retrofit projects totaling over $75 million in project costs, solar PV and thermal projects totaling over 7 MW in capacity and cogeneration projects totaling over 2.5 MW in size.
James' previous experience includes having worked at Morgan Stanley and Associated Renewable. He has a B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania.


This is an interesting documentary. You know Helvetica. It's everywhere. The font is only some 50 years old but it helped to change the visual landscape of the world. There are artists new and old who consider it the pinacle of typography. There was at least one who said it represented the reason for the Vietnam war. Who knew?


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Svartfläckigt glansfly, Pseudeustrotia candidula, är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Michael Denis och Ignaz Schiffermüller 1775. Svartfläckigt glansfly ingår i släktet Pseudeustrotia och familjen nattflyn, Noctuidae. Arten är reproducerande i både Sverige och Finland och populationerna är bedömda som livskraftiga, LC. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Corporate Social Responsibility in a Globalizing World
Part of Business and Public Policy
Kiyoteru Tsutsui, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Alwyn Lim, University of Southern California
Alwyn Lim, Kiyoteru Tsutsui, John W. Meyer, Shawn M. Pope, Andrew Isaacson, Peter Utting, Daniel Kinderman, Virginia Haufler, Jennifer Bair, Florence Palpacuer, Klaus Weber, Sara B. Soderstrom, Satoshi Miura, Kaoru Kurusu, Edward T. Walker, Ion Bogdan Vasi, Tim Bartley, Doug Kincaid, Brayden G. King, Mary-Hunter McDonnell, Aseem Prakash
Date Published: December 2016
Why do corporations increasingly engage in good deeds that do not immediately help their bottom line, and what are the consequences of these activities? This volume examines these questions by drawing on historical documents, interviews, qualitative case comparison, fieldwork, multiple regression, time-series analysis and multidimensional scaling, among others. Informed by neoinstitutionalism and political economy approaches, the authors examine how global and local dimensions of contemporary corporate social responsibility (CSR) intersect with each other. Their rigorous empirical analyses produce insights into the historical roots of suspicions concerning cross-societal economic actors, why and how global CSR frameworks evolved into current forms, how conceptions of CSR vary across societies, what motivates corporations to participate in CSR frameworks, what impacts such participation might have on corporate reputation and actual practices, whether CSR activities shield corporations from targeting by boycott campaigns or invite more criticism, and what alternative responses corporations might have to buying into CSR principles.
Proposes a global approach to understanding the rise and spread of corporate social responsibility (CSR), explaining the origin of CSR and the reasons for its growing popularity across the globe
Demonstrates the impact of global CSR frameworks on corporate behaviour
Presents empirical analyses with findings that are useful for both scholars and practitioners
'The global CSR movement is challenging the very notion of the role of business in society today. This volume helps bring tremendous insights into the antecedents and consequences of this shift in norms around corporate governance and responsibilities, calling attention to the institutional and economic contexts that hinder or encourage such change as well as the diversity of ways that CSR is operationalized at the transnational, national and regional levels. Each chapter builds on the notion that CSR is a core component of the social regulation of the economy, drawing the corporate organization deeper in its attention to social and environmental issues. By bringing rigorous analytical thinking to this important topic, we are given the opportunity to understand CSR in its full scope and breadth.' Andrew J. Hoffman, Director of the Erb Institute and Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan
'This important book is a product of the outstanding vision of Kiyoteru Tsutsui and Alwyn Lim, who have pulled together scholarship that fills a noticeable void in the burgeoning field of corporate social responsibility studies. Specifically, these authors situate the drivers of corporate social responsibility in a global multi-level, political, economic and cultural system, rather than within corporations themselves. This novel perspective allows researchers and practitioners alike to move beyond debates about the organizational-level factors that make firms more or less likely to enact corporate social responsibility practices and policies, to conceive of the pressures firms face from the broader, global system. As such, the original and compelling contributions in this volume promise to stimulate exciting debate and new research streams, which will move the field of corporate social responsibility studies in new and exciting directions. This book is a must read.' Sarah A. Soule, Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business
contains: 28 b/w illus. 29 tables
1. The social regulation of the economy in the global context Alwyn Lim and Kiyoteru Tsutsui
Part I. Legitimation and Contestation in Global Corporate Social Responsibility:
2. Legitimating the transnational corporation in a stateless world society John W. Meyer, Shawn M. Pope and Andrew Isaacson
3. Corporate social responsibility and the evolving standards regime: regulatory and political dynamics Peter Utting
4. Explaining the rise of national corporate social responsibility: the role of global frameworks, world culture and corporate interests Daniel Kinderman
Part II. Social Construction and Field Formation in Global Corporate Social Responsibility:
5. Corporations, conflict minerals and corporate social responsibility Virginia Haufler
6. The institutionalization of supply chain corporate social responsibility: field formation in comparative context Jennifer Bair and Florence Palpacuer
7. Sustainability discourse and capitalist variety: a comparative institutional analysis Klaus Weber and Sara B. Soderstrom
Part III. Corporations' Reaction to Global Corporate Social Responsibility Pressures:
8. Why firms participate in the global corporate social responsibility initiatives, 2000–2010 Shawn M. Pope
9. Why do companies join the United Nations Global Compact? The case of Japanese signatories Satoshi Miura and Kaoru Kurusu
10. Global corporate resistance to public pressures: corporate stakeholder mobilization in the United States, Norway, Germany and France Edward T. Walker
Part IV. The Impact of Global Corporate Social Responsibility Pressures on Corporate Social Responsibility Outcomes:
11. Is greenness in the eye of the beholder? Corporate social responsibility frameworks and the environmental performance of US firms Ion Bogdan Vasi
12. The mobility of industries and the limits of corporate social responsibility: labor codes of conduct in Indonesian factories Tim Bartley and Doug Kincaid
13. Good firms, good targets: the relationship among corporate social responsibility, reputation, and activist targeting Brayden G. King and Mary-Hunter McDonnell
14. Conclusion. Corporate social responsibility as social regulation Aseem Prakash.
Copyright Information Page (110 KB)
Kiyoteru Tsutsui is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Alwyn Lim is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Southern California.
The Voluntary Environmentalists
Green Clubs, ISO 14001, and Voluntary Environmental Regulations
Voluntary Regulation of NGOs and Nonprofits
An Accountability Club Framework
West African Urbanization
A Study of Voluntary Associations in Social Change
Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy
Demography, social statistics
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Research methods in sociology and criminology
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Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH) today announced that new offerings from its Volkl® and K2® brands received top honor in SKI Magazine's 2009 "Gear of the Year" competition, the latest in a series of honors Jarden brands have received in recent months.
RYE, N.Y., Jan. 22 -- Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH) today announced that new offerings from its Volkl® and K2® brands received top honor in SKI Magazine's 2009 "Gear of the Year" competition, the latest in a series of honors Jarden brands have received in recent months. Recognized as winners for "Overall Excellence," skis from both Volkl® and K2® topped the list appearing in the December 2008 issue of SKI Magazine, based on the superior results each earned from the publication's more than 30 product testers.
Volkl® was the only company to receive a unanimous perfect score in this year's test across 12 categories. The Tigershark 12 Foot Power Switch, a repeat winner on the list, "slayed the Men's AME category" according to SKI Magazine, and features advanced construction along with the new 3-position Power Switch which allows the skier to customize the energy output of the ski. It is the ideal ski for all mountain skiers who want to carve the groomed snow at high speeds, and make an occasional foray into soft snow. The Kiku is a powder-oriented big-mountain twin tip ski for women touted by the magazine as a "runaway favorite overall" and is usable in any kind of terrain. The Kiku has received numerous recognitions for its epic combination of float and precision.
The K2® Apache Xplorer is a new edition to the Apache series and was dubbed "among the favorites in the important AME freeride category" in the issue, earning 11 gold medals in 12 categories. Featuring an 84mm waist and generous 17/16 progressive sidecut which performs well on both soft and hard conditions, the Apache Xplorer's Titan Metal Laminate construction, MOD Monic and MOD Technology keep the ski rock solid and stable in any conditions.
Martin E. Franklin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jarden Corporation, said, "We are honored that our Volkl® and K2® brands have received yet another series of well-earned product accolades from arguably one of the most influential skiing publications today. These market-leading brands exemplify the forward-looking innovation which is a hallmark of our business strategy to offer unique and exciting products to consumers worldwide. We believe that this strategy positions us for continued market share growth even in a challenging macro economic environment. I am extremely proud of the leadership and innovation that both the Volkl® and K2® teams continue to deliver."
Jarden Corporation is a leading provider of niche consumer products used in and around the home. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bicycle®, Crawford®, Diamond®, Dicon®, First Alert®, Forster®, Hoyle®, Java Log®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Leslie-Locke®, Loew-Cornell® and Pine Mountain®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Harmony®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain(TM); and Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, Berkley®, Campingaz®, Coleman®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, JT®, K2®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Rawlings®, Shakespeare®, Sevylor®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene® and Volkl®. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden has over 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.jarden.com.
Note: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws and is intended to qualify for the Safe Harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the outlook for Jarden's markets and the demand for its products, estimated sales, segment earnings, earnings per share, future cash flows from operations, future revenues and margin requirement and expansion, the success of new product introductions, growth in costs and expenses and the impact of acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring and other unusual items, including Jarden's ability to integrate and obtain the anticipated results and synergies from its acquisitions. These projections and statements are based on management's estimates and assumptions with respect to future events and financial performance and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of certain factors. A discussion of factors that could cause results to vary is included in the Company's periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


RARE OPPORTUNITY! One of only eight townhomes in exclusive Ocean Residence North. Walk among the tropical landscape as you enter this transitional townhome. Come view upgraded finishes in the kitchen and bathrooms. New range and dishwasher in 2018, newly renovated European style downstairs half-bath creates a lower living level ideal for entertaining and enjoying your patio with its ocean view. Ascend upstairs and find a loft/office that could become a third bedroom. Brand new guest bath with clean lines and a backlit vanity mirror right out of a designers portfolio. Large master with custom closet features an oceanfront balcony with views of beautiful sunrises and the calm waves of the Atlantic. Make an appointment today before this one gets away! Furniture is negotiable.


Today I am forty and so far I've eaten breakfast (made by Rik), went to physical therapy, taught a class on revising prose, ate fish tacos, and now sit in my very favorite nook of my writing studio. I'm keening to tell you something, but I'm not sure what. Perhaps if I keep writing, I'll figure it out.
In my thirties, I lost and then rebuilt my marriage; I cut ties with my father; I learned how to grow plants; I became a better mother; I developed a writing discipline. These things feel simple to say, like pointing to a map instead of traveling to the country, but they are the first things to rise to the surface when I consider this last decade. I told a friend recently that turning forty feels like a gathering of powers, energy earned from the suffering and flailing of everything that came before it.
I lost both of my grandparents in my thirties, confronting a depth of grief I'd worried over my whole life. It's rare to have your beloved elders in your life well into adulthood, and rarer still that your child can know them in a meaningful way. I was gifted both rarities. I think of them every day and listen hard for their voices as I get further and further away from their physical presence. Their home is no longer a place I can return to, which I'm coming to understand might be what allowed me to finally buy my own home. I'm no longer split between here and there. Only here exists now and I am free to fully inhabit this place I've lived for 20 years.
Beautiful, luminous friends have died as I tumbled through my thirties. They visit me often in my dreams. I see them peeking around the corners of poems, in songs, a conversation we never finished continuing on in my head, my heart. Still, I wish they were here and assume I always will.
I found my calling, my community, and this glorious corner of light where I now sit, in my thirties. I traveled. I found another home and circle of fine souls in the far north. I experienced, for the first time, the gift of time and my own uninterrupted thoughts at a writing residency. I wrote two books in my thirties, and even though they've not yet found a place in the world, I wrote them just the same. I found that there are more words, more ways, even after you feel you can't conjure one more.
I've witnessed how the failures and missteps of my twenties stretch into a long, forgiving curve as I look out into the vastness I hope my life will be. My daughter rises with intelligence and humor into her adulthood, past all of the anxious days I once held to so tightly, that I would never be enough to raise her, guide her, hold her, because I was young and unformed myself. Our family is so strong—my mother, my brother, and I. My husband, my child, and I. These overlapping triads that make everything I imagine, possible.
And though, many days, I observe the world's anguish and see that there is a black hole, cut exactly to my shape that I could easily drop down into, I resist it. I pull the lens back to the frame of this home, these trees, the beautiful soul I wake up with each morning, my dear, dear friends near and far, my students shining up and out from their seats, the tenderness of aging pets, baskets of food grown in this soil, and always, somehow, an abiding hope for what comes next.
This last year of my thirties has been the best of my life. For a second time, I committed myself to the love of my life, in front of our people, in our favorite place. I am lucky enough to work with the bravest, most compassionate group of writers. My job is purposeful and challenging. We're days away from owning our first home after 20 years of marriage.
I'm not afraid anymore to live. After years of unshakable depression and constant concern for our ability to make a good life, somehow we're here. We were making it all along. All of us.
I don't know if what I was yearning to say found its way through these thoughts. The light has turned toward dark and a pink radiance is illuminating the clouds outside my studio window. Maybe it's woven between the words. Maybe you can imagine how, if you were here, I would touch your arm. I would insist on hugging you goodbye when we parted. Together, let's wave to the end of my thirties and beckon the new decade in. For today and a while more, imagine me here.


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Calvary Baptist Church Adopts New Senior Minister Model with Women Co-Pastors
Calvary Baptist Church takes great pleasure in announcing the hiring of Sally Sarratt and Maria Swearingen as the church's new senior ministers. The two women were presented as co-pastors to Calvary's congregation on January 8 during morning worship, and were enthusiastically approved to be the new leadership team. The calling of women co-pastors is another exciting first for the historic Baptist church, which has been located in downtown Washington, DC for more than 150 years.
The married couple come to Calvary from Greenville, SC, where Sarratt has been serving as associate chaplain for behavioral health in the Greenville Health System and Swearingen as associate chaplain at Furman University. Sarratt has also been filling the role of part-time associate minister at Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Both Sarratt and Swearingen were ordained at their home church, First Baptist Church of Greenville, after it adopted and implemented a non-discrimination policy in 2015.
Sarratt and Swearingen accepted Calvary's call to serve as co-pastors, telling church members: "We have found it so easy to fall in love with Calvary and its longstanding commitment to be a voice of justice and compassion for those who perpetually find the wholeness of their humanity disregarded and maligned."
Calvary Baptist Church has always been known for its progressive outlook, beginning with the small group of abolitionists who founded it in 1862. The congregation is committed to being an urban church where social justice matters deeply and everyone is welcome in Christian fellowship. Calvary has benefitted from the leadership of women at all levels of church life.
Reverend Amy Butler, Calvary's previous senior minister, was called in 2014 by The Riverside Church in New York City to serve as its senior minister. Earlier this year, Reverend Edgar Palacios, Calvary's longtime associate minister, accepted an appointment by the government of his native El Salvador to serve as its ambassador to Canada.
According to Carol Blythe, chair of Calvary's Ministerial Selection Committee, "As we met and talked with Sally and Maria about their vision for pastoral leadership at Calvary, we were struck by their deep faith and commitment to being part of a gospel community."
Blythe added, "We were impressed by how their gifts, talents, and experience matched our ministry priorities—and we are thrilled about their upcoming pastorate and the versatility the co-pastor model will provide our congregation."
Sarratt and Swearingen bring complementary skills and backgrounds to Calvary that match the church's needs in exciting ways. After Sarratt spent two years working as a global service corps missionary through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, she obtained an MBA at the University of Virginia, and became a successful businesswoman in the corporate world. She eventually felt the call to ministry and went on to earn a Master of Theological Studies degree at Emory University. As a chaplain, Sarratt's service includes providing grief support for patients and facilitating a weekly outpatient spirituality group. And in her role at Greenville Unitarian, she preaches, coordinates pastoral care, and presides over rites of passage for the 400-member congregation.
Swearingen grew up the child of a minister in a bilingual household which connected her to both English and Spanish speaking congregations during her formative years. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, which honored her with the Jameson Jones Excellence in Preaching Award. Swearingen has a particular passion for the pulpit, and she has spent the last year working with a cohort of clergy in South Carolina to develop deeper conversational space for religious leaders striving to dismantle white supremacy and institutional racism.
Sarratt and Swearingen are scheduled to begin their service at Calvary Baptist Church February 26.
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A 2001 graduate of Kennebunk High School and a 2005 graduate of UNE, Michele Bundy is a Licensed Esthetician with more than a decade of experience in the natural beauty industry, a Master of Arts in Holistic Counseling, and certifications in several health & healing modalities.
Michele's personal and professional dedication to sustainability and wellness, along with her holistic approach to skincare, have come together to create The Fifth Om: a place for conscious beauty. Her vision for The Fifth Om is for truly natural beauty products and traditional skincare to harmonize with innovative skincare technology, providing beautiful, healthy and effective treatments for her clients.
After graduating UNE with a BA in Psychology, Michele moved to Newport, RI to obtain her Master's degree in Holistic Counseling at Salve Regina University. While studying, she began working at Farmaesthetics, a pioneering brand in the natural skincare industry. Along the way she picked up certifications in Advanced Esthetics, Laser Hair Reduction, Chemical Peels, Venus Freeze Body Contouring, Reiki, and Integrated Energy Therapy. She has provided trainings in natural skincare to some of the country's top spas. In her commitment to continual learning, she regularly attends seminars and events that enhance and balance her knowledge base.
In addition to her education and professional certifications, Michele has completed an apprenticeship in herbalism, as well as workshops in herbal skincare, natural beauty, the Hakomi Method of Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Having a lifelong passion for both art and science, Shannon found her calling in the world of massage and bodywork. After graduating from the Finger Lakes School of Massage in 2008, Shannon quickly became known for her integrative approach and ability to produce lasting results. Well versed in both Eastern and Western healing techniques, she strives to create a unique, holistic experience for mind, body and spirit.
Her work has resonated with people of all ages and conditions, with clients ranging from 1 to 101 years old. Everyone's body is different and Shannon prides herself on the ability to communicate with clients to create a treatment that is just right for them, always keeping them comfortable and catering to their specific needs.
Growing up in the Hudson Valley area of New York, Shannon spent a great deal of time on the Southern Coast of Maine, falling in love with its beauty, people and pace of life. Deciding that there was no place she would rather live and work, Shannon has recently moved her practice to the area. She is looking forward to connecting with new clients, building lasting relationships within the community and using her work to facilitate healing and growth.


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What do we reach for when we have to flee?
What do people who are forced to leave their homes take with them? What do they leave behind? How do they feel about the objects they abandon?
Linda Stein knows firsthand what it's like to be uprooted from her home by violence.
What do people who are forced to leave their homes take with them, Stein wondered. What do they leave behind? How do they feel about the objects they abandon?
These considerations led Stein to create a series of sculptures and collages she calls Displacement from Home: What to Leave, What to Take—Cabinets, Cupboards, Cases, and Closets.
The series could not be more timely.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 68.5 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, violence, persecution, and environmental and economic instability. And the numbers keep growing, with approximately thirty people a minute—one every two seconds—being driven from their homes by forces beyond their control.
Each of Stein's pieces is both a mundane and heartbreaking reminder of what it means to run for your life.
Stein's Displacement from Home features stacked wooden cabinets, open wicker baskets, and overflowing suitcases exhibiting items that she imagines people hold onto—a seashell, a ribbon, a game, a spoon, a piece of jewelry—and what must be relinquished. There are tall bureaus with tiny drawers and small shelves, each one carefully presenting a cherished object. Other drawers, half-open and messy, are filled to overflowing with the stuff of everyday life—condoms, metal screws, coins, a teapot.
These are not new themes for Stein.
"All of my work is about protection, otherness, and sanctuary," Stein says, raising a concern that she considers fundamental to human survival: What does it take to turn someone from a bystander into an upstander, a person who defends the disenfranchised, the harassed, the belittled, and persecuted?
Stein, the founder of the nonprofit Have Art: Will Travel!, has numerous other projects including Knights, dozens of pieces of intricately designed wearable body armor that temporarily turn gallery-goers into androgynous "Knights of Protection," free from the constraints of gender expectations and gender boundaries. This theme is also explored in Holocaust Heroes: Fierce Females, a collection in which Stein honored ten women who risked their lives to protect Jews and others targeted for death during World War II.
"I am heartbroken over the Trump Administration's immigration policies," says Stein, who sees the series as a meditation on "the tidbits of life" that make us who we are. But in addition to attending demonstrations and donating to groups working to protect asylum seekers and refugees, Stein is making art to raise consciousness.
Stein expects Displacement from Home to travel—both Knights and Holocaust Heroes have been widely exhibited throughout the United States—and she anticipates debate and discussion with people who have experienced the realities that her work illustrates.
Eleanor J. Bader teaches English at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, and writes for Truthout, Rewire, Lilith magazine and blog, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Kirkus Reviews.


The PADI Open Water Diver Course online provides the knowledge development portion you need as the first step in your Open Water training. After enrolling, PADI's eLearning system presents you with interactive presentations that include videos, audio, graphics and readings. Short quizzes let you gauge your progress and review and correct anything you may miss. This lets you move through the program efficiently and at your own pace. Once you finish PADI's eLearning course, a review of the material and the confined & open water training dives can be completed with Peachtree Dive Center.
Costs for open water training will vary. Check the Dive Travel section for certification fees.


Be courageous! Leave the past behind, step out of your comfort zone and transform your life!
The full Moon on the 24th in Aries, which was the Moon in Aries and Sun in Libra, both squared Saturn in Capricorn on the 25th. This focused your attention on responsibilities and what needed to be completed to keep your life headed in the right direction. On the 27th, a favorable connection between the Sun and Mars helped you stay focused on your goals.
Pluto came come out of retrograde on the 30th, in Capricorn, and allowed you to have a realistic look at your life to step forward and make positive changes. A powerful finish the month of September!
October starts off with a confrontation between the Sun and Moon, which can set up a conflict between how you feel, what you want to do and what you feel you should do. The Moon moves fast so if use the energy over these next few days to get in touch with what's happening in your life and around you, you can make sense of things. It's important now to disregard what you don't want in your life, so you can move forward on a more positive journey.
There is also another square between Mercury and Pluto on the same day, which reminds you to find the positive in people, and if you can't find anything positive to talk about then perhaps, it's best to say nothing.
Venus in Scorpio will enter its retrograde transit on October 5th right through to November 16th. This transit will focus your attention on relationships, and for some, monetary issues, which can present situations or opportunities. It can especially highlight anything from the past that needs to be resolved. The energy of Venus in Scorpio can get pretty intense so if you come head to head with an old issue then you are best to deal with it once and for all, no matter how sensitive, awkward or challenging.
This week begins with the bright energy of a new Moon in Libra, which can help offset the intense energy of Venus retrograde in Scorpio. On the 9th, Mercury will make its move to Scorpio as well and during this time you can find that your discussions become more serious and deeper, especially when it relates to relationships.
The very next day, on the 10th, a conflict between love duo planets Mars and Venus, can place further attention on your relationships, however, as Mars is involved there could definitely be a passionate make-up. Friday the 12th beware of power struggles when the Sun squares Pluto and remember that not all things in life are worth going into battle for.
Communication planet Mercury connects with love goddess Venus in Scorpio, and this can create a space that allows you to deal with a tricky or sensitive situation that relates to love, relationships or money. And even though it can be a somewhat confronting situation it will be best to get to the bottom of it.
On Friday the 19th, Mercury will then have a favorable interaction with Neptune. However, at the same time, will form a square with Mars so life can get confusing and unsettled. If things don't go your way or perhaps someone else's way, you want to watch out for irritable or even angry behavior and make sure you step sideways so you are not in the firing line.
October 23, as the Sun makes its move from Libra to Scorpio you have a chance to heal the past in some way. Then on the next day, the 24th, full moon energy in Taurus focuses your attention on transformation, however, the Taurus energy is not always open to change so you will need to 'feel the fear' and do it anyway. Remember that when life gets messy that's when life is changing. On the 26, when Venus and the Sun connect in Scorpio this added energy will help push you out of your comfort zone and straight into a new reality.


Brownies are a little bit more tricky to judge in doneness compared to cakes and cookies. They're deep, dark, chocolate brown in color and very dense—which means the usual tell-tale signs of golden brown edges and puffy centers do not stand. Here is how to bake your brownies into fudgy treats and avoid over-baked or burnt edges.
The surface of your brownies should start to crack and crinkle. The center should be set, slightly moist, but not watery.
When you insert a toothpick 1 inch away from the edge of the pan and it comes out clean, your brownies are ready to come out of the oven. Remember: the residual heat will help the brownies bake and set further.


"Hey Dad, I'm going to the Blacks to see Jacob after school, do te think te can organize your own dinner?" I asked during my rush down the stairs. I was running late for school for the third giorno in this week.
I hope that Charlie understands that when I detto organize, I mean order pizza o anything that on a piece of paper stuck on our fridge. I want to come home to a house, not a pile ash.
"Ok Bells, one cheese pizza should be easy" he snickered. Charlie had been dato days off from work lately for his back. He fell in a puddle while taking out the trash, I learnt that giorno my clumsiness was in fact inherited.
I bent down and ha rubato, stola a hug for a second, it was the small gestures that made Charlie, he didn't need a lot to know that I Amore him, unlike my hair-brained mother who was frantically needy.
"Now dad, I know te can't do much, but please don't watch TV all day, o at least in the same position for too long, remember what the new doctor said, what was his name? Doctor Cullen." I detto while leaving in my continued hurry.
Stopping and realising that these steps were a real hazard, I took it slow, as I heard sarcastic voiced from inside from Charlie.
"Ok, Nurse Bella." I believe he said.
After dumping my bag in the passenger sede, sedile which carried all my text books, I raged my truck to life. After I left Billy and Jacob's the night I got my truck I loved it più each day. The students at Forks High School however disagreed, their smirks they wore each giorno told me quite clearly.
I still had made any Friends which I expected; I was too shy and mousey for the other teenagers to approach. A girl called Jessica in my calculus class sat successivo me once, but even thought she was the only person that has attempted to even talk to me, I had no intention in complying. She seems nasty. The last thing I wanted were annoying fake friends, which sounds ungrateful and stupid coming from someone who has no Friends what so ever, despite Jacob.
I think all the students consider me as the one who would dob them in to her police father if they attempted anything that's frowned upon. That is if the teenagers in Forks even did. And the silence of the town at night was obvious that they don't.
I would of liked for today to have of been one of those days that just pasted in a blur, but it didn't, it felt like every minuto felt like ten. It was going to be a long day. And plus I had all the boring subjects to superiore, in alto it off. Trig, PE, calculus, and home economics, just perfect.
The relief I felt when the final campana, bell rang was like a bucket of ice chilled water chucked on your head on a hot giorno in Arizona, it was much needed. I was the first one out the door, I felt like I was running in a race, while glancing by, people were starring and smirking with "What is wrong with her?" I could answer but it would a long time to go through.
da now driving down the "La Push" seemed almost secondo nature. The last couple of weeks I felt like I was either at home, school o with Jacob. Jacob mostly, he was only one of the few good things here while living Charlie.
Jacob had asked for today to be one of our fun days, time away from studying routine. I was looking inoltrare, avanti to it, although studying with Jacob may sound boring, but not even a minuto with Jacob was ever dull.
Jacob goes the school on the reservation, and parts of me were jealous, he had lots of Friends there, while he was my only friend, but most of all, he was comfortable, he's been schooled on the reservation all his life.
Driving into his gravel driveway for what feels like the millionth time, Jacob ran to welcome me.
But he looked più excited than usual. He opened my door and suddenly yanked me out and tossed me over his shoulder before I was ready, gees I hadn't even turned the truck off. .
Oh god, with Jacob being so tall being on his shoulder was making me grow an all new fear, heights.
But after bouncing me up and down and pleading to put me down, I started to enjoy it; As I did with everything Jacob.
He placed me safely on the ground (thank goodness)and smiled, and gave me gentle hug.
"ha-ha, thanks for the nausea muscles" I joked.
"ha-ha, I'm just filling out Bella, nice to see your noticing" he laughed in his usual cheeky behaviour. I gigged rolling my eyes.
"So what's happening today?" I asked, because today was his giorno to chose what fun we were doing do. I just hoped it wasn't anything that could possible kill me, o involve me killing me, but this is Jacob, so I was kidding myself I thought it wasn't .
It was times like this, where the ideologies that even those younger than yourself can be the bad influences were indeed proven correct. Jacob was più out there then me.
"What?! te want to jump off a cliff?" I yelled in shock. I was now certain that he really was out to kill me.
Jumping off a cliff has turned into the stereotype of suicidal behavior over the years. If there was something occurring in Jacob's life, then I was the crappiest friend ever considering that I could see through Jacob pretty much all the time.
"You know Jacob, If's there something happening, te can tell me?' I detto solemnly. Creating an awkward silence.
"Ahh no Bella! Not in that way. It's fun, it's something the boys on the reservation do here, I don't expect te jump from the superiore, in alto though, I'll even hold your hand" He replied through his loud roaring laugh.
I blushed, feeling stupid now. But seriously how was I supposed know that jumping off a cliff into the ocean could be fun?
Driving up along the cliff edge, I was growing nervous da the minute. da the time we stopped, my cuore was almost jumping out of my throat. Jacob bounced out the truck, feeling it jump up from the truck sigh of his weight.
"So are te game enough little pansy?" He gave a light laugh, pansy was our little inside joke.
I gave him a grave, petrified look. I was not mentally prepared for this.
Was I really about to fling myself of the face of a peak in the name of entertainment? That's sounds più like a crime mostra host talking about a criminal in the asylum.
He simply just rolled his eyes, and tugged my hand from my crossed arms.
"Here, we will go together, you're such a wimp" I can't believe he actually wants to do this. I really hope at this moment that he bursts out laughing and claims that he was only kidding and that I was silly to have believed that kids actually jump for cliffs. I waited a moment for him to speak those words, but they never came. Sending me più into my panic growing inside my head.
He lifted me into his chest, which was now bare. Oh my gosh, I may certainly faint now. His chest was beautiful. Jacob started to step backwards.
Oh god please do not run-up. Jacob began sprinting forward, keeping me secure from dropping and moving.
"No, no ,no no, Jacob no" And before I knew it , there was no surface under his feet and wind and gravity was pulling us down.
I may of screamed, but I thought I will deny it later.
We hit the water together. Where I may of let out another scream. Yet again,, I will deny.
The water was freezing, Jacob relished me but grapped my hand. He began to swim towards the beach.
Still in shock, I struggled to sposta my legs.
We reached the spiaggia in my pacing, Jacob laughing at my lack of fitness.
The wind came from the horizon hitting our wet clothes, both sending us in a gasp of coldness. We scarred back to the tip of the peak where my car still parked.
About to open my door handle warm hands wrapped around my waist. I spon around at once and met Jacob.
"Did te have fun?" He asked his eyes now kind.
He made me weak, making my cuore weep.
"Actually I did. But don't expect me to do it again anytime soon, ok muscles" I spoke through chatting teeth.
His arms still on my waist gripping onto my dripping shirt, looking down I saw Jacob come closer.
"Bella, if I kissed you, will te slap me?" He whispered.


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Leave a comment Posted on June 16, 2018 January 20, 2019 Audio Play and Audio Book Reviews, Doctor Who, Elisabeth Sladen, Reviews, Sarah Jane Smith Test of Nerve
Book Review – Sarah Jane Smith: Test of Nerve
Title: Test of Nerve
Series: Sarah Jane Smith
Discs: 1 CD
Author: David Bishop
Director: Gary Russell
Characters: Sarah Jane Smith, Josh Townsend, Natalie Redfern, Ellie Martin
Cast: Elisabeth Sladen, Jeremy James, Sadie Miller, Juliet Warner
Date Reviewed on GoodReads: 06/07/2018
**Spoiler Alert** Big Finish's Sarah Jane Smith Test of Nerve is my favorite so far of the Sarah Jane audios I've listened to. It's fast-moving, has a real sense of danger, and adds to the continuing plot of the series. I lost my first attempt for this review due to an unexpected computer shut-down so hopefully, the second will be OK.
Test of Nerve opens with a radio broadcast of three news stories: a junior minister being "jostled" by protestors and the arrest of one of the same, "New Age Travellers" being forcefully evicted from an old tube station, and a break-in at a bioweapons/testing lab in which the lab officials insist "nothing" was taken. All three of these stories prove to be interwoven skillfully into the plot.
Josh and Natalie, Sarah's friends, are waiting for her at her house for a meeting that Sarah called. Sarah arrives, late, toting a large gift she found outside her apartment addressed to her. She opens it and finds a living rat in a cage. When she, with Josh's help, removes the note stuck to the cage, the cage seals and a pellet releases gas – which quickly kills the rat. The note is also a threat – if Sarah doesn't do something to stop it, all of London will suffer the same fate as the rat. Sarah and her friends have a subject for investigation. Natalie will remain at the flat to investigate on-line; Josh goes off to investigate the bio lab (Bioguard), and Sarah takes the very dead rat to her friend, Claudia, at C19, to find out what happened.
When Sarah calls Claudia she's busy with someone in her office – but she manages to make an appointment with Sarah for a late lunch. Josh, pretending to be a reporter for Metropolitan magazine, interviews Mr. Harris at Bioguard. It turns out that Ellie Martin was one of the "travelers" kicked out of the tube station. She discusses it with Josh, saying that she and the others weren't even allowed to take their gear, and they were well away from the platform so it was safe.
When Sarah returns to her apartment, James Carver arrives. He's a former British soldier, trying to get compensation for soldiers who were subjected to experiments with anti-nerve gas agents without their permission. He had organized the protest mentioned on the news radio program but was released without charge. When he gets to Sarah's he seems unstable and threatening. Natalie calls the police, but Sarah gets angry – Carver leaves and Sarah tells the police it was a mistake.
When Sarah goes to meet Claudia to find out about her rat, she nearly runs into a man running from the apartment. The door is open and Sarah finds Claudia on the floor, dying. The police arrive and arrest Sarah on suspicion of murder. Josh meets up with Ellie to get her stuff from the tube station and finds her stuck in a glass box. Before long, he is knocked out and they are both stuck in a glass box. Harris threatens to kill them, placing a nerve gas pellet on the top of the box and telling them if they try to escape the pellet will be released – killing them. Why am I now thinking of Schrödinger's cat? But anyway…
It takes seven hours for the police to release Sarah, and they still do not believe her warnings of an imminent nerve gas attack on London. While she's being interrogated, and Josh and Ellie are being stuffed in a glass box – Natalie is at Sarah's when Harris shows up. He threatens her, pushes her out of her wheelchair, and then takes it. He also tells her there's a bomb in the building and gives her 30 minutes to escape.
When Sarah leaves the building Harris calls and threatens all she holds dear – telling Sarah she can save her friend Natalie from a bomb – or prevent Carver from releasing nerve gas in the tube tunnels (i.e. the subway).
Sarah, surprisingly, shows up at the tube station, where she finds that Carver has just released Ellie and Josh from their trap, Ellie has run off both to escape and to possibly get additional help, and Carver is threatening to throw himself under the train – which will crush and release the vest of nerve gas pellets strapped to him. One thing that Claudia was able to tell Sarah before she died was that C19 suspects that Bioguard lied when they claimed nothing was stolen during the recent break-in, and that in reality a tray of nerve gs pellets went missing and it's suspected to be an inside job.
Sarah, with help from Josh, manages to get Carver to remove the nerve gas – but he still throws himself under the train. A news report ties into the opening of the story and fills in a few details.
Later, we learn that Natalie dragged herself free of the flat and managed to escape, barely. But when Sarah meets up with her, Natalie tells her: that's it, she's had enough. She can't get over Sarah leaving her to die – even though Sarah had an impossible choice. When Sarah says that even five years ago she would have saved a friend first, but now she has to see the bigger picture and save the world – Natalie cannot accept it and leaves. Sarah accuses Josh of wanting to do the same thing and leave – but he vows to stay with her and help her.
I really enjoyed Test of Nerve from the punny title to the action and suspense. The intercutting between Natalie swearing she "won't be a victim" as she pulls herself through Sarah's flat and Sarah rushing, at first we know not where, and later trying to talk down Carver is masterfully and suspensefully done – especially for audio.
There are some plotholes. Sarah calls Natalie's cell but can't reach her because it's in her car – but she apparently doesn't think to call a neighbor to check on the situation. And Josh, Ellie, and Sarah could have saved everyone a lot of trouble if they'd simply forced Carver into the convenient box that Josh and Ellie had been stuck in. Presumably, it could be sealed. But even so, this was the best Sarah Jane Smith audio so far. I hope the range continues to improve. Highly recommended.
This is a full-cast audio play with the cast performing their roles.
Read my review of the first story in the Sarah Jane Smith audio play series, Comeback.
Read my review of the second story in the Sarah Jane Smith audio play series, The Tao Connection.
Find out more about Big Finish audios at their website: www.bigfinish.com.
To order Test of Nerve on Download only, click the link.
Note: No promotional consideration was paid for this review. I review because I enjoy it!
Big Finish Sarah Jane Smith