The Pamunkey Tribe is looking to build a $700 million casino on the eastern part of Virginia. There are no deadlines set but if this project were to go through it would be the first casino in the state. Virginia Senator, Louise Lucas, introduced a bill (S 1400) last January which would legalize the game of poker if passed. This bill barely passed (20-19 vote) the Senate a few weeks later, and then it went to the House for a potential vote but did not receive one. On another note, Virginia became the first state to regulate online daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting on March 7, 2016.
While Virginia has not passed and regulated poker over the internet within their state as of yet, many resident poker players are playing at BetOnline; a trusted and legitimate offshore poker site that we recommend.
With effect from April 2011, operating an online gambling site has been specifically made illegal in Virginia by amending the code. Online gambling is presumed to include online poker as well. However, poker players in Virginia can legally play at regulated offshore websites for real money.
The following graph tracks our expected legislation of online poker in Virginia on a state law level. It is currently already legal on a Federal level. This graph monitors the current rise or fall of expected legalization.
There is a small window open for online poker, despite the tightening of the laws in 2011. Games of skill are specifically exempt from the definition of illegal gambling under Section 18.2-333 of the Code of Virginia which states, "Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent any contest of speed or skill between men, animals, fowl or vehicles, where participants may receive prizes or different percentages of a purse, stake or premium dependent upon whether they win or lose or dependent upon their position or score at the end of such contest." If poker is accepted as a game of skill through judicial pronouncement, then under existing laws online poker would presumably be legal. A possible snag could be in the form of the Federal UIGEA, whose current interpretation is that a state would have to specifically pass laws permitting regulated intrastate online gambling for the activity to be legal there.
Attempts have been made to try and legalize poker through the game of skill route as reported in the Washington Post [A]. In 2010, the Portsmouth Commonwealth Attorney Earle Mobley began shutting down illegal poker halls. Charles Daniels, the owner of one of the poker halls, went to court. In his defense Daniels brought in Greg Raymer, a professional poker player, to explain to the Portsmouth judge why poker is a game of skill. The judge concurred with the skill aspect, but stated that since the outcome is uncertain in poker it falls within the definition of illegal gambling as per the Virginia code. Daniels went to the Virginia Supreme Court. In March 2013, Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn ruled [B] that the law is not vague and it allows for skill to be considered. However, since Daniels had not been charged with any violation the judge refrained from ruling whether poker is a game of skill.
Steve Emmert, an appeals court expert, opined that for the court to judge on this specific issue someone will have to be charged with felony for illegal poker gambling. He said, "The last thing most people want to do is risk criminal prosecution to prove a point." However, such a case became a reality in 2011 as reported in PilotOnline.com [C]. George Pitsilides, a Virginia Beach restaurant owner, was charged with three felony counts of illegal gambling for running poker tournaments. He is facing a trial and a minimum three years in prison if he loses. His attorney, James Broccoletti, plans to play the poker being a game of skill card. The court ruling in this case, if favorable, could be a game changer for poker and online poker in Virginia. Pitsilides pleaded to a lesser penalty in late 2013.
Poker as a game of skill route was attempted through direct legislation as well but without success. There is also a movement from public interest groups for legalizing poker in Virginia.
The bulk of the gambling laws are contained in Chapter 8 Crimes Involving Morals and Decency of Title 18.2 Crimes and Offenses Generally of the Code of Virginia.
Section 18.2-326 provides the penalty for illegal gambling. In general, any person who illegally gambles or engages in interstate gambling shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. There are stated exceptions to this. Operators of illegal gambling ventures shall be guilty of Class 6 felony and shall face a punishment of a fine of not more than $20,000 and imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than ten years.
State lottery, horse racing and charitable gambling when conducted according to law are specifically exempt from illegal gambling. State Lottery laws are covered under Chapter 40 of Title 58.1 [D], horse racing laws are covered under Chapter 29 of Title 59.1 [E] and charitable gambling laws are covered under Chapter 8 of Title 18.2-340 [F].
Under Section 11-14 of the Virginia Code gambling contracts are void and under Section 11-15 monies lost in gambling can be recovered from the winner through civil action suit.
"The Laws Divine, Morall and Martial" adopted to curb gambling and other ills.
America's first lottery "The Great Virginia Lottery" held to fund the Jamestown Settlement.
Gambling in public places banned.
First thoroughbred horse racing in America held in Gloucester, Virginia.
Penalties for illegal gambling introduced in the Virginia code.
Colonial Downs race track in New Kent opens.
J. R. Triplett wins Mega Millions jackpot worth $239 million.
Online gambling made illegal by specific amendment. Bill to declare poker as a game of skill fails.
Bill to introduce historical horse racing fails.
Bill to introduce live casinos fails. Virginia Supreme Court refuses to rule in poker being a game of skill case.
Virginia's only racetrack, Colonial Downs, closed in October.
The State Lottery generated $1.8 billion in sales, $534 million in profits, for the 2015 fiscal year.
On March 7th, Virginia became the first state to legalize and regulate online daily fantasy sports betting. The bill, SB 646, passed the House (80-20 vote), Senate (31-9 vote), and was signed into law by the Governor.
Poker at home (described as private residences) in Virginia has been exempted from the definition of illegal gambling under Section 18.2-334. The section states, "Nothing in this article shall be construed to make it illegal to participate in a game of chance conducted in a private residence, provided such private residence is not commonly used for such games of chance and there is no operator as defined in subsection 4 of Section 18.2-325." Operator includes, "any person, firm or association of persons, who conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs or owns all or part of an illegal gambling enterprise, activity or operation".
If a rake is taken in any form, then the game becomes illegal as David Engleton discovered when the police raided his Virginia Beach home after the games were staked out by undercover operators.
Though charitable gambling is permitted in a regulated manner in Virginia, poker is not included in the list of games that are allowed. Therefore, charity poker tournaments are illegal in Virginia.
Live poker is illegal in Virginia. In January 2011, Senator J. Chapman Petersen introduced SB 849 with the objective of declaring poker as a game of skill and removing it from the purview of illegal gambling. "Poker games shall be deemed games of skill and nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to make any such game illegal gambling", was proposed to be added to Section 18.2-325(1). Within two weeks of its introduction the state Senate Committee of Courts of Justice Committee voted 14-1 [K] to "pass by indefinitely" the bill, effectively killing it.
The forms of gambling permitted in Virginia are pari-mutuel wagering, racetrack betting, state lottery and charitable gaming.
There are no live casinos in Virginia, not even tribal casinos or river boat casinos. However, Virginia residents can easily go to neighboring states to gamble in casinos. The recent success of live casinos in Maryland led to a new attempt to legislate regulated casino gambling in Virginia. This would prevent Virginia revenues from being spent in other states and also generate funds for infrastructure development.
In July 2012, L. Louise Lucas introduced bill SB 687 [L] in the Virginia Senate. The bill sought to create the Virginia Casino Gaming Commission as the licensing body for casino gaming. It provided for a licensing and regulatory scheme for casino gaming and provided penalties for violations of the proposed casino gambling laws. Under the bill casino gambling would be limited to localities in which at least 50% of the land area was exempt from local real property taxation. The bill was referred to the senate committee on General Laws and Technology. In January 2013, the committee passed by the bill indefinitely with a 15-0 vote, thereby ending this attempt to bring casino gambling to Virginia.
Senator Louise Lucas has again filed a casino gambling bill in the state of Virginia for the 2014 General Assembly session. The bill was very similar as the last, but she was hoping to get more support now that Massachusetts has passed a bill to build brick and mortar casinos which will take revenue away from Virginia by people going to Massachusetts to gamble. This bill died in the state legislature in early 2014, and no other piece of legislation has been introduced since.
Horse racing laws are covered under Chapter 29 of Title 59.1. The Virginia Racing Commission [M] is vested with control of all horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering. Since 1997, the racing took place at the Colonial Downs race track in New Kent County, but it closed its doors in late 2014 due to competition from neighboring states. Betting is permitted at designated off track betting centers as well.
Richmond Sunlight [N] reported that a bill (SB 268) had been introduced in the Virginia Senate to allow wagering on historical horse racing in 2012. However, the bill failed. Historical horse racing is a form of pari-mutuel wagering in which the players are wagering among themselves. The track does not have any financial interest in whether a player wins or not but makes its money from the takeout. The wagers are placed through the totalizer system.
The Virginia State Lottery was created in 1987. State Lottery laws are covered under Chapter 40 of Title 58.1. The lottery is conducted under the oversight of the State Lottery Department [O]. The lottery offers draw and scratcher games and subscribes to the national Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots.
Under Section 58.1-4007.2 lottery tickets cannot be sold directly to consumers over the Internet. However, the Internet can be used to relay information relating to sales made to purchasers by licensed sales agents or for the sale by the Department of prepaid subscriptions for the purchase of lottery tickets or shares for subsequent prize drawings.
Charitable gambling laws are covered under Chapter 8 of Title 18.2-340. The present charitable gambling laws were enacted in 1995. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is vested with control of all charitable gaming in Virginia and the Charitable Gaming Board [P] is the designated regulatory authority. Up to January 1, 2014 only raffles, pull tabs, seal cards, bingo and instant bingo games are permitted. On January 1, 2014 network bingo was added to the list.


text:
in General Aviation / Features
The international airports in the Middle East are some of the busiest in the world. They are also equipped with the most sophisticated navigation aids that have to remain operational 24/7 – but they also need to be totally accurate. David Oliver finds out more.
For many countries in the region, the maintenance of sophisticated international airport systems is the responsibility of the UK-based Flight Calibration Services Ltd (FCSL).
Headquartered at Shoreham Airport, it is Europe's only privately owned and fully independent flight calibration service.
FCSL provides flight calibration/inspection/validation/checking for the full range of aircraft radio navigation aids, including instrument landing systems (ILS) to Cat III and primary/secondary radar systems, with minimum disruptions to airfield and aircraft operations.
It is both a flight inspection service provider and a flight inspection system (FIS) manufacturer.
Significant cost-savings have been achieved by using its small, lightweight airborne equipment with a high level of automation, which reduces manpower and enables the use of smaller aircraft with lower operating and modification costs.
In November 2018, FCSL took delivery of its fifth DA 62 Diamond aircraft, in addition to two Piper Chieftain aircraft, with sufficient aircrew and equipment to operate the aircraft simultaneously. This is the largest fleet of twin-engine flight calibration aircraft in private ownership.
The twin-engine 5/7-seat DA 62 is powered by two standard 134kW (180hp) AE330 diesel engines, manufactured by Diamond Aircraft's subsidiary, Austro Engines, with duel-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and a single lever operation electronic engine controller unit (EECU).
Flown at 80% power with an average ground speed of 315km/h (170kt), the DA 62 burns only 15 US gal/hr. Holding station at 185km/hr (100kt) this reduces to less than nine US gal/hr.
With a maximum speed of 352km/h (190kt) and service ceiling of 6,100 metres (20,000ft) it has exceptional range and endurance and is capable of flying up to 10-hour non-stop missions.
The DA 62 has excellent low-speed handling and is stable flying at 85kts, making it ideal for low-and-slow calibration check flights.
The FCLS aircraft are normally crewed by two pilots, a calibration engineer and an observer.
The aircraft has a payload of up to 710kg (1,565lb) for crew, mission equipment and fuel, while the field-proven composite construction technology allows corrosion-free unlimited airframe lifetime.
The production DA 62 is equipped with Garmin G1000Nxi avionics, with fully integrated three-axis GFC700 autopilot. With 10-inch primary flight and multifunction displays, G1000Nxi incorporates features such as wireless cockpit connectivity, including wireless database updates using Garmin Flight Stream, enhanced situational awareness with SurfaceWatch, visual approaches, and map overlay on the horizontal situation indicator (HIS).
FCSL's Diamond DA 62 aircraft are fitted with 28 antennas to provide flight inspection services.
Unfortunately, one the company's DA 62 aircraft was lost on May 16 this year while carrying out aerodrome ground lighting calibration checks at Dubai International Airport. The cause is still under investigation, although the initial indications point toward wake turbulence being a factor in the accident.
FCLS's automatic flight inspection system (AFIS) comprises a small lightweight unit housing the specialist navigation aid receivers, GPS receiver, data collection computer, telemetry transceiver and an operator laptop. It also includes a separate pilot's head-up display (HUD) to assist with guidance and awareness.
The AFIS equipment uses its own satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) to determine the aircraft's position in space within 20mm accuracy, and to ensure accurate and repeatable results.
The head-up guidance display provides the pilots with situational awareness and accurate guidance during the inspection runs.
Each profile run is preprogramed into the system and can be selected by either the flight inspector or the pilot using the touchscreen interface. The laptop computer provides the flight inspector with all the real-time inspection and positioning data. The flight inspection software runs in a user-friendly Windows environment, using multifunction facilities, with the data presented in a clear and precise graphical format.
FCSL also provides a mobile AFIS that is capable of easy installation on locally based light or medium-size aircraft. This is a flexible solution for commissioning and maintaining navigation aids at airports in remote locations, where the cost of deploying a dedicated flight-check aircraft is not economical.
The compact lightweight design enables the equipment and crew to be deployed worldwide at short notice by commercial airlines. The mobile AFIS does not require any structural changes to the aircraft's airframe or any additional antennas to be fitted.
A compact, lightweight, automated precision reference system (PRS) unit provides differential global positioning system (DGPS) corrections to the aircraft to enable the AFIS airborne equipment to fix its position in space (within plus-or-minus 20mm). DGPS correction data is sent to the airborne flight inspection system via a dedicated telemetry link. Guidance information and inspection analysis is then provided to the pilot in real-time.
Two Diamond DA 62s are permanently based at Dubai International Airport to eliminate the time and cost of positioning aircraft to and from Europe. This strategic decision has enabled FCSL to provide improved service availability with a full back-up capability for the Middle East region.
In December 2016 the UAE's Sharjah Airport Authority signed a long-term contract with FCSL to provide periodic instrument landing system/ distance measuring equipment (ILS/DME), Doppler VHF omni directional range/DME (DVOR/DME) and airfield ground lighting (AGL) flight inspection services.
This is in addition to ILS/DME and DVOR/DME scheduled inspections at eight other UAE airports, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, and Fujairah International.
FCLS has service contracts for periodic inspection of six ILS/DME and two DVOR/DME at Qatar's Hamad and Doha International Airports. In addition, it provides area navigation/global navigation satellite systems (RNAV/GNSS) procedure validation and obstacle assessment for Hamad International Airport.
The company has a two-year contract for three airports in Oman, including Muscat International and Sallalah Airports, and en-route aids. Plus it has a three-year service contract for ILS, DVOR, precision approach path indicators (PAPI) and runway lighting at Jordan's Queen Alia International, Amman Marka and Aqaba Airports.
En-route aids and navigation aids are serviced at 14 Egyptian airports, including Cairo, Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh Airports, while FCLS has a service contract with Morocco to provide commissioning flight checks on five VOR systems and a three-year contract with Kuwait for the periodic flight check of four ILS and two DVOR/DME equipment systems.
In June 2017, FCSL signed a contract in Morocco to provide commissioning flight checks on five DVOR systems, and a long-term contract with Kuwait International Airport for the periodic flight check of four ILS and two DVOR/DME systems. In September 2017, it signed contracts for the commissioning of a new ILS at Shabitah and Zaabaloten Airports for the Saudi Border Guard.
The company also has a five-year contract for ILS/DME&DVOR/DME scheduled inspections at Malta International Airport and Gozo.
FCLS has had a contract with Libya to check en-route aids and 11 airports, including recent ILS Cat II commissioned at Tripoli and Benghazi Airports. However, due to the recent escalation in Libya's civil war, many of its airports have been closed to civilian air travel, making it difficult for FCLS to service these contracts at the present time.
In May 2019, FCSL was awarded the UK's prestigious 'Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2019' in recognition of the significant growth in export orders achieved over the last three years.
This was its second Queen's award in three years, which reflects it success overseas, having been built on the back of experience gained in the UK, where FCSL is established as the main flight inspection service provider.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A resident living within a Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) may apply for a RPZ permit.
The City is implementing a new online parking system in 2019, which will allow you to apply for new RPZ permits and renew permits online. In order to accommodate this transition, the City is authorizing a grace period through May 31, 2019, during which time your 2018 parking permit will continue to be in effect. Until this transition is complete and you have registered in the new system, please continue to display your 2018 parking decal.
Additional information with instructions on how to use the new parking system will be available soon.
Check back for updates relating to the new RPZ permit renewal timeline.
On December 5, 2018, Everett City Council adopted amended parking regulations for delivery and commercial vehicles.
Delivery Vehicles: Persons conducting loading, unloading, or delivery of tangible goods on more than a one-time basis may apply for an annual delivery vehicle parking permit, which exempts the permit holder from prohibitions on reparking in the Central Business District. It does not exempt the permitted vehicle from posted time limits.
Commercial Vehicles: Persons providing a service or repair, such as contractors, painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, or other service providers, on more than a one-time basis utilizing commercial vehicles, may apply for an annual commercial vehicle service parking permit. This permit exempts the permitted vehicle from prohibitions on reparking and restrictions on time limits.
Why did the RPZ boundaries change?
When will my RPZ designation change?
Where can I find the new and old RPZ maps?


A luxury hotel placed in the exclusive Manantiales beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay, that consists in four independent modules, developed horizontally and connected through concrete beams.
Every module holds high-end residences, each of which has a private hall and a spacious balcony to gaze at the ocean view. Its minimalist interior design follows a pattern of geometric lines and a neutral colour palette, in order to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere.


Developing a successful mobile app requires deliberate research and understanding user perspective. Make sure your app concept is original, emphasizes user experience, and includes a marketing budget to help it succeed.
We have overseen our fair share of successes during our 10 years of experience as app developers at Foonkie Monkey.
We've also experienced our share of development difculties.
This article outlines 6 things to keep in mind to improve the chances your app development process succeeds.
Through all of our experiences we have learned and shaped our development process.
At Foonkie Monkey, we are always open to hearing about new ideas for apps.
On average, we receive 3 app ideas per week, or about 12 per month. Of those, however, approximately 10 already exist in one way or another.
Unfortunately, we have seen very interesting projects halt or change their objectives because creators fail to research whether their idea or concept already existed on the market.
It is imperative that you conduct extensive research to make sure your app idea is original. Google your concept, search on different app stores, and research products that serve international markets to ensure that your idea is legitimately unique.
Good research can both save you a lot of money and give you a better overview of the market. It can even give you new ideas for how to differentiate your app from similar offerings.
Before you develop a mobile app, make sure it is necessary for your company to create an app rather than a mobile responsive website.
Users have a finite amount of storage on their mobile devices, which means they are selective about the sorts of apps they choose to download. So, to convince users to download your app, you need to offer something they feel they need to have on their cellphone.
Apps that succeed are those that change user behavior to the point that people feel they need your app to operate regularly.
For example, Waze is a totally indispensable application because it changed user behaviors. This also applies to your bank or health-provider apps.
If your app is not indispensable to your users, it might be worth it to instead invest in a responsive website.
A mobile responsive site also provides information about your company and a mobile user experience. They don't, however, require users to sacrifice much storage on their phone. They also tend to be cheaper to develop than a mobile app.
User experience is vital for mobile applications. An app that is not intuitive or does not provide users with the experiences they expect is doomed to fail.
To ensure your app's UX meets user expectations, your entire development team needs to be involved with the development process.
We recommend that your company has meetings that include UX experts and programmers directly involved in a UX problem. This allows you to brainstorm solutions according to their impact on user experience and logistics of the development process (time, cost, functionality).
A better user experience guarantees a better product, which is beneficial for the whole team. Sometimes, though, it is necessary to be flexible and understand that a negative impact on the project (adding more functionalities, and therefore more work) also affects the company and the team.
Our general opinion is that the simpler the solution, the better everything will be.
For example, adding more features generally reduces usability and delays the development schedule. So, in this case, ask yourself if it is worth it to delay your development process for this particular improvement.
Adding more features to your app is not going to make more users download it. Instead, more features often increases development time and the possibility of bugs.
Users are not explorers: They use your app for its core functions. Focus on making those really good, at least in your first iteration.
If you experience success, in later versions, you can include additional interesting features.
And believe me, there will always be interesting topics to improve after the first stage.
Your app-testing team is a fundamental part of the app development process.
They should have enough time to review the application from top to bottom and check for bugs. Ideally, this process entails conducting multiple tests until no bugs are found.
The problem is that in most development schedules, only one round of tests and corrections are offered or considered.
As a rule of thumb, you should spend a minimum of 30% of the time it takes to develop for testing your app and ensuring your corrections are effective.
Developing an app is not cheap. It has happened to us on several occasions that customers fail to consider a marketing budget in their original plans.
A marketing budget is crucial, though, to ensure more than just friends and family download your app. At Foonkie Monkey, we have a digital marketing team that publicizes our development products in the most cost-effective way possible.
Your marketing budget depends on your target customers and the value proposition of your application.
Although not all companies can afford an in-house marketing team, publicizing an app always requires some investment. So, consider your app marketing options when forming your project budget.
Developing a mobile app is an incredibly complex process that can involve a number of headaches.
To reduce the stress involved in this process, ensure your app concept is original, relevant, and necessary.
Research is key to this process. The more research you do before you start your development project, the better your app will be.
Always keep users in mind during development. Your app needs to provide a real solution to users' problems and stand from other apps on the market.
Finally, although budget is always limited, make sure you invest in marketing. People need to know about your app before they consider downloading it.


text:
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                name: 'credits',
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                spanText: '0',
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How to disable or hide localization in Number keyboard type? In my iOS app, when the user click on a UITextfield I need to change the keyboard view to the numeric view automatically. I write below code and it is working fine.
UITextField *txtfield  = [[UITextField alloc]initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 100, 30)];
txtfield.keyboardType = UIKeyboardTypeNumberPad;

My app supports localization. I added 4 keyboards on the device like English, Spanish, Hindi, Emoji. I want disable or hide localization in number keyboard type. Please see attached image. I have highlighted in red box.

Anyone knows how to do that?

A: @Jack answer is correct but if you need to support iDevices with iOS9 and below, you need to put a check like this:
if (IS_OS_10_OR_LATER) {
  txtfield.keyboardType = UIKeyboardTypeASCIICapableNumberPad;
}
else {
  txtfield.keyboardType = UIKeyboardTypeNumberPad;
}

If not, the users will see a Default keyboard type if their iDevice is still on iOS9 and below.

A: (Applies for iOS 10 or later)
Swift
Use  .asciiCapableNumberPad for Xcode 8.3/Swift 3.1 for only numbers
txtField.keyboardType = .asciiCapableNumberPad

Objective-C
txtField.keyboardType = UIKeyboardTypeASCIICapableNumberPad

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
"Trust brings with it responsibility"
Interview with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the US presidential election, his trip to Turkey and his nomination as candidate for the office of Federal President. Published in the Bild newspaper (15 November 2016; abridged) and at www.bild.de (14 November 2016).
Minister, you are standing as the joint CDU/SPD candidate for the office of the Federal President and will most likely be elected Head of State on 12 February 2017. How do you feel on a day like this?
First and foremost, I'm grateful for the considerable support and encouragement I've received from people both inside and outside the world of politics ‑ and from across the political spectrum. It's great to experience that. But this trust brings with it responsibility. I'm very aware of that.
The United States has just experienced an election campaign of unprecedented harshness. When will we in Germany see the first election campaign à la Trump?
Here, too, we have tough and heated discussions about political positions. However, I really can't imagine that we'll have an election campaign like the one in the US in the next few years. The populism which is also spreading here in Germany and is descending to ever greater depths, on the other hand, is a very different matter. The "lying media" allegation, the incitement of hatred against people from other cultures, the readiness to play the nationalist card, the desire for isolation ‑ I'm witnessing all of that here in Germany. We have to be extremely careful. My appeal to everyone is: nip this in the bud!
Ultimately, the US presidential candidate who called the Chancellor "insane" and whom you called a "preacher of hate" won the day ...
We can only hope now that after a polarising and dirty election campaign, the elected President won't conduct himself the same way as Donald Trump the candidate. I hope he will soon realise that the world out there is a lot more complex than he seemed to believe, that climate change is no hoax and that NATO is not a superfluous institution.
Why are democracies currently so susceptible to parties like the AfD here, the Front National in France or politicians such as Orban in Hungary or Erdogan in Turkey?
There are many causes. However, one thing is patently clear: the world has become more complex. Many people are worried and are looking for security, something to hold on to. They believe their way of life and standard of living are under threat and fear that something will be taken away from them. Political rabble-rousers shamelessly use this to further fuel these fears and offer simple "answers". Anyone who knows me will realise that I've never looked for the easy way out and never shied away from expressing uncomfortable truths for which there's no public applause. I'm confident that this approach will ultimately prevail.
You're travelling to Turkey today – where the government is currently taking brutal action against all its critics. Will you speak frankly to President Erdogan?
We've never minced our words. Whenever we've been unhappy with developments we've expressed our opinions in no uncertain terms to our Turkish partners. The mass arrests, the dismissals, the repression of the press and the opposition ‑ we're deeply concerned about all that. At the same time, Turkey is much too important to us, due to the close interpersonal ties between our countries for a start, for us to break off the dialogue at this difficult time. That's why I'm going to Ankara.
How long can Europe sit back and accept this conduct from an EU accession candidate?
What do you mean by "accept"? We stand by our principles. Nevertheless, we diplomats aren't Jedi Knights who can change things by waving around our lightsabers. Rather, we have to pursue the much more difficult path of dialogue. However, we won't take Ankara's decision for it ‑ the decision as to whether it closes the door on the EU once and for all and turns away from the West. It's up to Ankara. If it decides to reinstate the death penalty then that would be a clear signal that it wants to turn its back on EU membership for good.
Interview conducted by Nikolaus Blome and Rolf Kleine.
Human Rights Commissioner Kofler and French Ambassador for Human Rights Croquette on the upcoming hearings in the criminal case against Osman Kavala
Transatlantic Coordinator Peter Beyer travels to China and the United States


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1 Laura JAMES (#5220) 00:21:16 19 Female (6) 00:21:15
2 Eva MATHIOS (#5182) 00:26:19 58 Female (17) 00:26:18
3 Jane THOMSON (#5141) 00:28:38 87 Female (28) 00:28:37
4 Alexandra DEAN (#5037) 00:28:46 89 Female (29) 00:28:45
5 Julia LLOYD (#239) 00:29:36 100 Female (33) 00:29:35
6 Caroline SPURWAY (#5210) 00:30:02 106 Female (39) 00:30:02
7 Elizabeth MUCKLEY (#5085) 00:30:16 110 Female (42) 00:30:15
8 Laura DONER (#5039) 00:30:27 112 Female (43) 00:30:26
9 Kate NEWBOLD (#5094) 00:30:43 119 Female (46) 00:30:42
10 Amanda RHALL (#5335) 00:31:20 124 Female (51) 00:31:19
11 Samantha LLOYD (#5074) 00:31:24 125 Female (52) 00:31:23
12 Anna BUDDEN (#5020) 00:31:56 132 Female (58) 00:31:55
13 Ellie SCUDAMORE (#5189) 00:32:04 134 Female (59) 00:32:03
14 Elyse FELDMAN (#5041) 00:33:09 139 Female (64) 00:33:08
15 Bronwyn GRIFFITHS (#5347) 00:34:13 144 Female (68) 00:34:12
16 Christine JAHN (#5064) 00:34:20 145 Female (69) 00:34:19
17 Lauren ALLEN (#5162) 00:36:53 167 Female (83) 00:36:53
18 Sally PLOUMAN (#5245) 00:38:53 174 Female (89) 00:38:52
19 Lee BAKER (#5014) 00:39:02 176 Female (91) 00:39:01
20 Britta KATTLICK (#5067) 00:39:05 177 Female (92) 00:39:04
21 Jessica WOLODKOWICZ (#5153) 00:49:56 196 Female (108) 00:49:55
22 Lou CHISHOLM (#5025) 00:49:58 198 Female (110) 00:49:57
23 Natlie CRAIG (#5198) 00:51:53 200 Female (112) 00:51:52
24 Sarah RACE (#5239) 00:51:54 201 Female (113) 00:51:53
DNS Sinead GANGLER (#5047) DNS Female
DNS Laura THORNTON (#5191) DNS Female
DNS Melissa FING (#5043) DNS Female
DNS Caitlin LANG (#5180) DNS Female
DNS Lauren CURRY (#5034) DNS Female
DNS Bronwen GANGLER (#5046) DNS Female
DNS Emma HARVIE (#5054) DNS Female
DNS Lauren O'BRIEN (#5104) DNS Female
DNS Magdalena PILC (#5112) DNS Female
DNS Renee ROBINSON (#5120) DNS Female
DNS Naomi TALBOT (#5135) DNS Female
NYS Amelia CUMMINGS (#5033) NYS Female


Many if not most of those 28 lost limbs could have been repaired, had even moderately adequate health care been available. Had they been wounded in Israel surely and had they lost a limb, it would be replaced with something amazing, along with the kind of physical therapy and pain control only world class medicine, in a first world economy can provide.
Fortunately for them however, they do not live in Israel, a place where, for all it's security, life, as Palestinians know it, is over for amputated souls.


The Ella Project provides pro bono legal assistance to low income artists, musicians, and grass roots nonprofits. We're seeking attorneys who can provide pro bono service to our clients in all matters of civil law. Clients contact The Ella Project for a multitude of legal issues, so don't think you need experience in entertainment law.
Attorneys can also join our Attorneys For Ella membership program here.


Abstract: Iran is among ten prime countries throughout the world in terms of tourism attractions. This ancient land, with cultural values, long history of civilization, monuments and historic structures, has always been interesting andspectacular for tourists. Golestan province, with an area equivalent to 20438.7 sq km, is considered as part of the vast land of Iran which has historically a brilliant history; in addition, with more than 1,100 historical and cultural monuments is one of the major tourist areas in northern Iran. This paper aims to introduce the potential tourist capabilities (historic and cultural) of Golestan province and provide the appropriate strategies for optimal utilization of these capabilities in attracting tourists as well as providing the areas for promoting the economic level of local communities and a more balanced distribution of income in the province by researching in the documents and library resources and surveys.


The protein found in milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans.
FDA's What you need to know. These allergens are packaged in our plant: peanuts, all tree nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, soybeans, wheat, milk powder, and egg powder allergens.
Although most food allergies cause relatively mild and minor symptoms, some food allergies, mainly peanut, can cause severe reactions, and may even be life-threatening for some individuals.
FDA has found that: "unintentional cross-contact of foods with major food allergens may occur at almost any step of the manufacturing process and for various reasons. Cross-contact can occur due to allergens in raw ingredients or in processing aids, allergens in reworked product, and allergen carry-over from the use of shared equipment. Such potential sources of unintentional allergen cross-contact exist regardless of the manufacturer's size or food product."
Due to the above reasons and possible air born contamination, traces of allergens are possible in all foods sold. So if exposure to peanuts / tree nuts or the air around peanuts/tree nuts results in a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction it may be best to purchase only from non peanut / tree nut processing/selling companies. Other individuals with allergies may find it fine to purchase foods containing no allergen ingredients without concerns of trace contamination.
Food-allergy.org How to survive with multiple food allergies and thrive again.
Lectin intolerance often associated with food allergies has also been linked to many degenerative diseases and many common symptoms prevalent today. Following a lectin elimination based diet program may be more effective than an allergy diet program. A very comprehensive technical article, The Lectin Report, has easy to understand programs to eliminate lectins.
This is only a guide and should not be relied upon as professional advise. If needed seek proper consultation from a health professional.


text:
Soldiers from Moab and Ammon attack Jehoshaphat
1 After that, men from Moab, men from Ammon and some other people called Meunites came to fight Jehoshaphat.
20:1The Meunites were from Edom.
2 Some men came and they said to Jehoshaphat, 'A large army is coming from this side of Syria. It has come across the Dead Sea to attack you. They are already in Hazezon-Tamar.' (That is another name for En-Gedi.)
Jehoshaphat asks the Lord to help his people
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid. So, he decided to ask the Lord what he should do. And he told all the people in Judah that they should not eat for some time. 4 All Judah's people came together to ask the Lord for his help. They came from every town in Judah to meet with the Lord.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in front of the people from Judah and from Jerusalem. He was standing in front of the new yard of the Lord's house. 6 He said, 'Lord, you were the God of our ancestors. You are the God who is in heaven. You rule over all kings and their nations. You are strong and powerful and nobody can stand against you. 7 Our God, you pushed out the people who were living in this country. You caused your people, the Israelites to push them out. And you have given this country for all time to the descendants of your friend Abraham. 8 Your people have lived here and they have built a house here to give honour to your name. When they built it, they said, 9 "Perhaps we will have troubles. The trouble might be war, punishment, illness or we might have no food. Then we will come and we will stand in front of you. We will stand in front of this temple because your name is in this temple. Then we will ask you for help when we are in trouble. Then you will hear us and you will save us."
Israel has never hurt Ammon or Edom
10 But now men from Ammon, Moab and the mountain called Seir are here. You would not let the Israelites attack them when the Israelites came out of Egypt. So our people turned away and they did not kill those people. 11 Now see how these people are paying us for that. They are coming to push us out of your country that you gave to us to keep. 12 So, our God, please punish these people. We are not strong. So we cannot fight this very large army that is attacking us. We are too weak to fight them. We do not know what to do. But we hope that you will help us.'
13 All the men from Judah were standing there in front of the Lord. They were standing there with their babies, their wives and their children.
The Lord speaks to Jahaziel
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came down on Jahaziel. He was the son of Zechariah. Zechariah was the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, Mattaniah's son. He was a descendant of Asaph and he was a Levite. He was standing among the people.
The Lord's reply
15 He said, 'Listen to me all you people who live in Judah and in Jerusalem. And listen to me King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says to you, "This is God's fight, not yours. So do not be afraid. And do not think that this large army will certainly beat you. 16 March down against them tomorrow. They will be climbing up the narrow valley called Ziz. People go to the desert called Jeruel through a valley. You will find the enemy at the end of that valley. 17 You will not have to fight this time. Go to your places. Stand there. And see how the Lord will save you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid. And do not think that this army will certainly beat you. Go out to stand in front of them tomorrow. When you do that, the Lord will be with you." '
The people worship the Lord and the Levites praise him
18 Jehoshaphat put his nose to the ground. And all the people from Judah and from Jerusalem fell down in front of the Lord to worship him. 19 Then some Levites stood up to praise the Lord Israel's God with very loud voices. They were from the clans of Kohath and Korah.
The Lord fights for Judah
20 Jehoshaphat and his men got up early the next morning. And they started to go to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up. And he said, 'Listen to me, people from Judah and people who live in Jerusalem! Trust the Lord your God. If you do that, you will be safe. Believe his prophets. If you believe them, you will win the fight.' 21 And Jehoshaphat talked with the people. Then he chose men to sing and to praise the Lord. They had to wear holy clothes. They went in front of the army and they sang, 'The Lord always does what he has promised to do. And his kind love has no end. So give thanks to him.'
22 The soldiers from Ammon, Moab and from the mountain called Seir were coming to attack Judah. God's people started to sing and to praise the Lord. Then the Lord caused the enemy to have trouble. So Judah's soldiers completely beat the enemy. 23 The men from Ammon and Moab started to attack the men from Seir. They destroyed their army. When they had done that, they started to fight each other. And they were killing each other. 24 The men from Judah came to the place where they could see the desert. They looked for the very large army. But they saw only dead bodies where the enemies had been. All their dead bodies were on the ground. Nobody was still alive. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his people went to take away everything that was valuable. They found a lot of clothes and other valuable things on the dead bodies. They took the things from the dead bodies. But there were more things than they could carry away. There was so much that it took them three days to carry all the things away. 26 On the fourth day they came together in the Valley of Beracah. There they praised the Lord. That is why it is still called the Valley of Beracah.
20:26Beracah means 'praise'.
Judah's people return to Jerusalem
27 Then Jehoshaphat and all the men from Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat was walking in front of them. They were very happy because the Lord had made them happy. He had caused them to beat their enemies. 28 They went into Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets. They went to the Lord's house there.
29 The people in all the kingdoms round Judah became afraid of God when they knew about this. They knew that the Lord had fought against Israel's enemies. 30 Then Jehoshaphat's kingdom had peace. His God stopped all the people who lived round them attacking him.
Jehoshaphat continues to rule Judah
31 So Jehoshaphat was still the king of Judah. He was 35 years old when he started to rule over Judah. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother's name was Azubah. She was Shilhi's daughter. 32 He lived as his father Asa had done. And he always followed his father's ways. He always did what the Lord wanted him to do. 33 But he did not remove the high places where some people worshipped idols. And the people still did not really want to be the servants of the God of their ancestors.
34 Other things happened while Jehoshaphat was king. Hanani's son Jehu recorded all those things from the first thing to the last thing. He recorded them in the Book about the Kings of Israel.
Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah build ships together
35 After that, Jehoshaphat became a friend of Ahaziah the king of Israel who did very wrong things. 36 They agreed to build ships that would sail to Tarshish. And they built the ships in the town called Ezion-Geber. 37 Dodavahu's son Eliezer from the town called Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, 'You have become a friend of Ahaziah. So the Lord will destroy the things that you have made.' The ships broke in the sea. So, they could not sail to Tarshish.


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Home/Opinion/Will We Enable a Just and Socially Inclusive Energy Transition in Romania?
Will We Enable a Just and Socially Inclusive Energy Transition in Romania?
Lavinia TanaseJuly 23, 2021Last Updated: July 23, 2021
"No person and no place are left behind in the energy transition" is the promise that the European Commission made when issuing the EU Green Deal in December 2019. This action plan envisages to make the EU's economy sustainable by turning climate and environmental challenges in opportunities and to foster a just and inclusive energy transition where no person and no region are left behind.
The EU Green Deal covers 9 policy areas (biodiversity, sustainable food systems and agriculture, clean energy, sustainable industry, energy efficiency in buildings, non-polluting transportation, and mobility, eliminating pollution and climate action). Energy and climate policies are at the core of the EU Green Deal. The ambitions of the EU are very high and deeply transformative: achieve climate-neutrality by 2050 and reduce by at least 55% the greenhouse gases emissions by 2030, as compared to 1990 levels. Clear binding targets will be presented by the EC in the revised climate and energy legislative packages, planned to be issued in June 2021.
Financing mechanisms foreseen by the EU Green Deal
The decarbonisation of the economy is set to be achieved by investing in innovation, research, and development (R&D) which will enable the developing of new energy solutions and environmentally friendly technologies to use, store and generate green energy. At the same time, another promise of the EC is that the energy transition will be just and inclusive for all – no one is left behind. That is why, one focal point in this energy transition is in fact the solidarity with the most affected regions in Europe, heavily dependent on fossil fuels, to ensure that the EU Green Deal stands a chance of actually becoming a reality in which a bottom-up approach is implemented, and account is taken of the contributions of civil society, stakeholders and energy citizens.
Understandably, in this energy transition, the starting points of the Member States is not and will not be level, as this depends on their stage of economic development, financing and investment opportunities in low-carbon technologies and infrastructure mandatory to foster a successful energy transition. This latent gap and tensions triggered by the uneven developments between the Eastern European countries and the West is and will be most revelatory now, during the energy transition. A fair and just transition for all is the goal. Therefore, money will be made available. And a lot of money, as it seems. The time to seize funding opportunities is now!
The investment pillar of the Green Deal is known as the European Green Deal Investment Plan (EGDIP) which plans to mobilise around 1 EUR trillion in sustainable investments until 2030. The EGDIP receives around 30% from EU's long-term budget and NextGeneration EU recovery plan, in amounts of up to approx. 555 EUR bln. In addition to that, the EGDIP receives money from the national budgets of the Member States, from public and private investments mobilised by InvestEU (the guarantor of lenders such as European Investment Bank or national banks) and the Modernisation and Innovation funds (financed from ETS trading).
The time to seize funding opportunities is now!
An important part of the EGDIP is the Just Transition Mechanism, designed at unlocking financial and technical support of around 100 bln EUR for the regions, businesses, and workers most affected by the energy transition and alleviate its socio-economic impact. The Just Transition Mechanism receives financing from the EU's budget and NextGeneration EU, from the Member States, InvestEU, and EIB and comprises of:
A Just Transition Fund used to provide grants (17.5 EUR bln by 2027, 7.5 EUR bln from the EU budget and 10 EUR bln under NextGeneration EU recovery plan);
A dedicated just transition scheme under InvestEU that will crowd private investments (30 EUR bln in investments);
A public sector loan facility of 10 EUR bln, backed by 1.5 EUR bln of the EU budget, mobilising up to 30 EUR bln in investments.
The Just Transition Mechanism is, however, more than funding. The mechanism also includes a strong governance framework and a Just Transition Platform through which the European Commission aims to provide technical assistance to Member States and investors and to ensure that affected communities, local authorities, social partners, and non-governmental organisations are involved. The EC ensures that all the Member States, and especially the regions which are most carbon-intensive in the EU or in which the occupation of the majority of the population is in fossil fuels will receive support.
Sustainability, the Only Success Strategy for the Business of the Future
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Combining Traditional Energy Technologies with Renewable Ones
The funding may be made available to the Member States by submission of territorial just transition plans (TJTPs) which will identify the regions most affected that should receive financial and technical support and should provide an outline of the energy transition process until 2030, consistent with the targets of the National Energy and Climate Plans of the countries concerned for the transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The plans should also set out ways to best address social, economic, and environmental challenges, and give details on needs and measures for economic diversification, reskilling and environmental rehabilitation as appropriate.
A social and just energy transition in Romania's coal-mining regions
The TJTPs are most relevant for carbon intensive regions in Romania, such as Hunedoara, Gorj, Prahova, Mures, Galati and Dolj. According to the preliminary analysis of the EC on the Just Transition Fund Territorial Eligibility, the regions of Jiu and Gorj (Rovinari/Turceni), along with Mures, Prahova, Dolj and Galati have been identified as facing serious socio-economic challenges during the energy transition.
In Romania, the coal-share amounts to a staggering 25% of the total energy production mix. The regions of Jiu (Hunedoara county) and Gorj are the central points of coal mining, where approximately 90% of the country's coal mining workforce lives and works. These coal mining regions emit 90% of the GHG emissions caused by Romania's coal fired power plants, or 30% of all Romania's emissions stemming from mining and manufacturing. Similarly, a significant number of the workforce is employed in fossil fuel power and heat generation or energy intensive manufacturing and heavy industry (chemicals, metal processing cement, fertilisers, etc.) in Dolj, Galati, Prahova and Mures.
Clearly, considering the ambitious targets of the EC during the energy transition, a phase-out of the coal and lignite in these regions automatically means that the jobs of the workers will be endangered and that the coal economy will be put at risk while being replaced by a green and decarbonised economy of the region. While undergoing a deep transformation from a carbon-intensive region into a green one, these areas must receive financial support from the Romanian Government and the EC under the Just Transition Mechanism scheme.
The initial allocations under the Just Transition Mechanism show approximately 2 bln EUR to be allocated to Romania to support a just transition. These regions must prepare and submit their TJTPs which shall be in line with the country's National Energy and Climate Plan (link). The Romanian Ministry for EU Projects (link) has been established by the Romanian Government as the lead authority in implementing and coordinating the development of the TJTPs in Romania, ensuring transparency and involvement of all involved stakeholders, including the County Councils, as well as private enterprises, civil society organisations and local stakeholders. In addition, the Ministry for EU Projects has set up the Just Transition Operational Programme for the next EU budget financing period in order to streamline the money that will come to the country the Just Transition Fund. It is important that the TJTPs in Romania reflect the implementation of a bottom-up approach for the decarbonisation of the affected regions. Policy creation and the deep economic transformations of the economies in the region cannot and should not only be orchestrated at national level for a country of the dimensions and variety of Romania.
Currently, there are under public consultation the TJTPs for Hunedoara, Dolj, Gorj, Mures, Prahova or Galati counties. It would seem that a participative process at this scale had not taken place in Romania before, according to Bankwatch Romania. A study commissioned by the Romanian Ministry for EU projects has found that the role of the stakeholders and of civil society is seen to be very important during the creation of the TJTPs and less impactful in the period of implementation of these TJTPs. The involvement of the stakeholders is mandatory for a socially just energy transition based on principles of transparency, accountability, fairness, responsibility of the governments and effective monitoring.
In this respect, the EC should become a watchdog over the inclusive finalisation of these TJTPs, following public consultations and their correct implementation. According to a report of Bankwatch Romania, the Romanian authorities still do not see the coal industry's inevitable closure by 2030 in concrete terms and are instead seeking funding to finance individual projects without a long-term integrated vision. Irrespective, the EU trends for carbon-neutrality by 2050, soon to become obligations once the European Climate law will be issued in June 2021, will become impossible to neglect or avoid. Action will have to be taken. No one should be left behind. This is why, the TJTPs for the 6 Romanian regions most affected by the energy transition shall propose that the funds may be used for repurposing projects of the already existing plants or inefficient facilities, deployment of technologies and infrastructures for clean energy, investments in small and medium enterprises, including start-ups or new firms, which may lead to economic diversifications and reconversion, investment in research and innovation, job assistance, upskilling and reskilling of workers.
For a successful energy transition, I reckon that we will not only need financing, even though fundamental, but we will require inclusivity, transparency, participation, and opportunity to become a change factor. The grand energy transition may only be achieved if we acknowledge the need to localise the energy transition and enable citizenship participation. The way in which the TJTPs are now drafted and implemented is now crucial and the gateway to access the funding under the EU Just Transition Mechanism.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.
decarbonization eu European Commission green deal greenhouse gas emissions
Underpinning the Transition: EC Prefers Green H2


The Juniper from Il Mercante di Spezie originates from Northern Europe. The taste and aroma are hot, resinous and sugary with an hint of spice.
Ingredients Juniper. For more information on product labels, please contact our Customer Service department. The information on the labels of the products may vary for reasons beyond our control, therefore, there may be discrepancies between the information on the site and that on the products delivered. Please always check the information on the product before consumption or use.


Register for the Freedom 321 today!
Early packet pickup will be held on July 3rd, from 12 PM - 4 PM.
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Movements of Full Load Containers to Groupage and Conventional shipments are every-day fare for the Superior team. But what about more awkward movements needing that extra skill and experience? Well Superior has that too.
Let's look at a consignment of large and variable sized cases needing to move by sea Container from the Packer's warehouse in the UK to site in Shanghai. Superior organised removal of the loose cases from the Packers to a specialist container loading partner, personally attending both sites to supervise, survey and ensure a smooth and damage-free process.
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Masculinity Has Been Neutered — Here's How It Happened
A lot has changed in the last 200 years, and a lot of it has been great. But some trends have had negative consequences.
Robert Glover has a PhD in family and marriage therapy, and he's been a therapist for a long time. Over twenty years ago, he started noticing a consistent pattern in many of his male clients that he eventually named "The Nice Guy Syndrome." It is a combination of thoughts and behaviors that distance these men from their own masculine nature.
He noticed it because he himself was a Nice Guy. He has been helping men recover from Nice Guy Syndrome for a long time now, and working to make others aware of the problem.
The reason it's a problem is that Nice Guy Syndrome prevents men from living up to their full potential, it makes their relationships with women difficult, it ruins their sex life, and it produces a lot of frustration.
How did this syndrome come about? Because society has changed in several important ways. The following are some of the changes that led to men becoming disconnected from their natural masculinity:
1. Only a century or two ago, most boys grew up on a farm. So a boy was around men a lot — not just his father, but also his grandfathers, his uncles, and his older brothers and older male cousins. That changed with the industrial revolution. Men went off to work. Boys were left in the care of their mothers.
2. Along the same lines, people moved from farms to cities, which caused boys to have less contact with adult males. The reason this is important is because as a boy grows up, he is developing psychologically and emotionally with a male brain (developed in the womb) and male hormones (read more about that here), and he's supposed to learn how to deal with those by being under the influence of older men. That's how men learn to be men. That long lineage of wisdom passed down through the generations for hundreds of thousands of years has now been largely cut off by these social changes, leaving boys to be taught how to be men by women, people who don't have those hormones or that brain structure. It disconnects those boys for the rest of their life from their innate masculine nature.
3. Another big change has been a lot more divorce, leading to more boys being raised by a single parent, usually the mother. As the boy develops, masculinity is being defined by a woman.
4. Grade school is dominated by female teachers. Boys are being taught to get approval from women, and typical masculine behavior in boys doesn't usually get a lot of approval from female teachers. Boys learn their masculine impulses are wrong.
5. The women's liberation movement also became hostile to many aspects of masculine behavior, stigmatizing masculine behavior, and influencing boys to distance themselves further from their masculine nature.
6. Another factor that Robert Glover identifies as influential was the Vietnam war. Young men distanced themselves from older men by rejecting the "establishment." A serious riff opened up between men who had proudly fought in World War II and their sons who tried to get out of fighting in Vietnam. Their fathers couldn't believe it, and rejected their sons. And their sons grew up rejecting everything their fathers represented, and raised their own sons accordingly.
7. In many of the single parent households run by a mother, the mom made the dad wrong and tried to make sure their sons didn't grow up to be like him.
I would add to Glover's list that people move away more now than they used to. People are far more mobile than they were only fifty years ago, so if your parents moved you away from your hometown when you were young, they prevented you from having the influence of your male uncles, cousins, and grandfathers. It happens to a lot of people. It happened to me, and, in fact, it is still happening. I live in Seattle, for example. My uncles live in Northern California, Southern California, and Nevada. One of my male cousins lives in Southern California, not in the same city as my uncle. My other male cousin lives in Montana. My father lived in Arizona while he was alive. My brother lives in Europe most of the time. (He actually lives everywhere. He wrote a book about it. Check it out. It's called Gastronomad.)
My nephews live in Northern California and Las Vegas. My son lives in Thailand. All of the males in my family are separated from each other. Our influence on each other is therefore limited.
This kind of mobility has been happening for decades. Whatever natural comfort and familiarity boys might have gotten about their own masculinity from hanging out with older males never happened because those older males were not there. Instead, maleness has been influenced and defined by mothers and female teachers.
Another factor Glover doesn't mention, but I think is worth noting, is fewer offspring. People are having fewer children than they used to, so there are fewer older male cousins, and fewer or no older brothers, and fewer uncles.
The result of all this disconnect between boys and masculinity is that those boys grow up to be Nice Guys who repress their own natural masculinity — their inborn ways of being, thinking, feeling, behaving, because they have the impression it isn't good.
Masculinity has been neutered. Castrated. It wasn't a surgical castration or a chemical castration, it was a cultural castration. Castration by indoctrination.
The result is men who don't know how to be men, who suspect and deny their own masculine proclivities, and it really interferes with the natural order of things in a relationship between those men and their female significant others.
Have you ever seen the movie Bedazzled? In one scene, Brandon Frazier plays a man who is an extreme SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guy). He's sweet, kind, caring, thoughtful, emotionally vulnerable, etc. He is exactly the kind of person that a doting mother would want her sweet little boy to be. And it is driving his girlfriend absolutely crazy. She's somewhat conflicted because he is what she was hoping a man could be, but now that she's actually dealing with it, it's driving her crazy. She cannot be attracted to him. It is unnatural.
Finally, in a fit of frustration, she bursts out with the honest truth: "I just want to be with a man who will ignore me and take me for granted, and who is only pretending to be interested in who I am and what I think so he can get into my pants..." Sometimes something is funny because it's a truth nobody wants to say out loud.
What can be done about this? If you think you have Nice Guy Syndrome, you are certainly not alone. You can recover from it, and it's well worth the trouble. Overcoming it will make you more relaxed, at ease, comfortable in your own skin, happy in your relationship and with your sex life, and fulfilling your potential.
The first thing to do is read Robert Glover's book, No More Mr. Nice Guy. He has several suggestions to help you recover from the syndrome. One of his recommendations, for example, is to hang out with men more often — especially men who grew up with fathers, uncles, and grandfathers around. They have absorbed what used to be absorbed in every generation.
One of the more interesting suggestions Glover offers is to stop doing favors for your woman. Nice Guys are driven to gain approval from the women they love. This is what they were trained to do. And the effort to stop doing things for your woman makes it painfully clear that this is a compulsion of yours. Overcoming that compulsion will go a long way toward helping you recover.
Another one of his suggestions is to stop being low maintenance. Nice Guys have learned (from the females who raised them) to be low maintenance, to be easy, to have very low needs. This pattern needs to end, so one of the practices he suggests is to do things to take care of yourself and to express your needs — to stop being so low maintenance.
If your masculinity has been neutered, it was done by indoctrination, and can be undone by you. You'll be happier if you do.
Listen to this as a podcast here.
Adam Khan is the author of What Difference Does It Make?: How the Sexes Differ and What You Can Do About It, Principles For Personal Growth, Direct Your Mind, and co-author with Klassy Evans of How to Change the Way You Look at Things (in Plain English). Follow his podcast, The Adam Bomb.
Posted by Adam Li Khan at 11:28 PM
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The Watauga County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting, as scheduled, on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at 5:30 P.M. in the Commissioners' Board Room of the Watauga County Administration Building, Boone, North Carolina.
Andrea Capua, County Attorney
Chairman Welch called the meeting to order at 5:32 P.M.
Commissioner Wallin opened with a prayer and Commissioner Turnbow led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chairman Welch called for additions and/or corrections to the June 4, 2019, regular meeting and closed session minutes.
Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to approve the June 4, 2019, regular meeting minutes as presented.
Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to approve the June 4, 2019, closed session minutes as presented.
Chairman Welch called for additions and/or corrections to the June 18, 2019, agenda.
County Manager Geouque requested to add an appointment to the Caldwell Community College Board of Trustees.
Commissioner Turnbow requested to add Ms. Crystal Kelly to the agenda to give an update on the Pritzker Children's Initiative (PCI).
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Vice-Chairman Kennedy, moved to approve the June 18, 2019, agenda as amended.
W.A.M.Y. Community Action, Inc., Matters
A. Update Report
Ms. Melissa Soto, Director of W.A.M.Y Community Action, Inc., shared an update on recent activities of the organization. Ms. Soto shared that W.A.M.Y. is helping citizens with the following needs: childcare (availability and affordability), employment & education (higher paying positions), housing (affordable and standard), transportation (outside of city limits), and senior services (for those who don't qualify for services). The report was given for information only and, therefore, no action was required.
B. Letter of Support Request for A Housing Preservation Grant Application
Ms. Soto stated that W.A.M.Y Community Action, Inc. is applying for a Housing Preservation Grant to allow for repairs and rehabilitation on very low-income family homes. W.A.M.Y. has successfully utilized this grant for the last two years by working on thirteen homes. Ms. Soto stated that they would like to reapply for the grant and, if awarded, planned to provide this service to fifteen homes of low income citizens. Currently, they use the Housing Preservation grant to do repair work on homes, such as roofs, plumbing and electrical repairs, or mold removal. Once repairs are done W.A.M.Y. also follows up with weatherization of the homes.
As part of the grant application, W.A.M.Y must demonstrate the support of County officials for this type of work and show this is not a duplication of another program operated by the County. Ms. Soto presented a proposed letter of support requiring the Board of County Commissioners' Chairman's signature. The application is due July 8. Ms. Soto stated that there was no match required.
Commissioner Wallin, seconded by Commissioner Yates, moved to support W.A.M.Y.'s grant application and approve the support letter for signature of the Chairman.
Cooperative Extension Update
Mr. Richard Boylan, Area Specialized Agent, Agriculture, with Cooperative Extension, shared an update on the following Cooperative Extension activities: recent developments in local hemp production and regulations; recent educational outreach to farmers via the NCA&T AgriShop, the Big Dreams, Small Farms Workshop, and similar Extension classes; progress by Watauga growers on their AgOptions grant projects; and an Innovative IPM Grant proposal secured by Extension for growers in Watauga, Ashe, and Avery Counties. The report was for information only and, therefore, no action was required.
Rocky Knob Park's Recreation Trails Program Grant Application Request
Mr. Kristian Jackson, Rocky Knob Trail Boss, requested permission to proceed with an application for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grant. Mr. Jackson stated that the project scored highly during the pre-application process and has met the environmental review. The Tourism Development Authority (TDA) agreed to provide the twenty-five percent (25%) match of the requested $100,000, if funded. Mr. Jackson stated that a public hearing was not required since the request was presented at a public meeting.
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Vice-Chairman Kennedy, moved to authorize the submission of the grant with the matching funds to be provided by the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (TDA).
AppalCART Matters
A. Proposed Transportation Contracts
Mr. Craig Hughes, AppalCART Director, presented the contracts for transportation services for the Project on Aging and Social Services Departments for FY 2020. The proposed rates for the Project on Aging, Department of Social Services, and other county functions are $2.28 per direct mile. The $1.45 rate had previously been the same for the last four (4) years. Mr. Hughes stated that, in 2018, AppalCART billed using service miles. In 2019, the County, the Human Service Agencies, and AppalCART agreed to change to direct miles and try the rate of $1.45 per direct mile. Medicaid will only reimburse for direct miles. As FY 2019 progressed, staff realized that AppalCART was not billing Medicaid for as many miles as previous years due to the change in mileage calculation causing the billing to be substantially below budgeted amounts and previous years' totals. Mr. Hughes explained that AppalCART was using a rate that covers the cost of providing the service and has calculated the $2.28 per direct mile rate to be comparable to the $1.45 per service mile rate from FY 2018. Mr. Hughes stated that as of April 15, 2019, AppalCART has driven an estimated 213,464 service miles and totaled 135,802 direct miles.
Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Wallin, moved to approve contracts with AppalCART for the Department of Social Services, Watauga County, and the Project on Aging as presented by Mr. Craig Hughes.
B. Proposed Project on Aging Meal Delivery Contracts
Mr. Hughes presented a contract at the rate of $1.45 per direct mile for the delivery of meals for the Project on Aging. Mr. Hughes stated that this is one of the rare instances that direct miles and service miles are about the same. Thus, the rate of $1.45 per mile as opposed to the $2.28 rate proposed in the contracts just adopted.
Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Wallin, moved to approve the meal delivery contract for Project on Aging at a rate of $1.45 per mile.
Request to Add A Storage Shed at the Main Library Facility
Ms. Monica Caruso, Head Librarian, requested approval to locate a storage shed adjacent to the back parking area at the current library facility. Since the County is the landowner, Board approval is required. Ms. Caruso stated that she had a site plan developed by Ioncon and has spoken to Appalachian State University where a class of students will build the shed during as a one week project. Confirmation was still needed as to if the Appalachian State University Physical Plant would deliver the shed or she would need the County Maintenance Department to do so. Ms. Caruso stated that she has been in communication with Mr. Robert Marsh, Maintenance Director, in regards to the project. Commissioner Yates suggested making the shed 8 x 8 feet in place of 5 x 6 feet since the building materials come in 8 x 8 feet sheets. Ms. Caruso stated that most of the paperwork for Town of Boone permits has been filled out and the permit cost is expected to be $200. County Manager Geouque suggested Ms. Caruso ask the Town of Boone to waive the permit fee since they do not contribute to the Library's budget. Ms. Caruso stated that funds are available in the Library budget to cover all costs.
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Commissioner Yates, moved to approve the placement of a storage shed at the County owned Library site contingent upon Ms. Caruso working with Mr. Robert Marsh and County Manager Geouque to find a suitable site for the shed and contingent upon Ms. Caruso requesting the Town of Boone waive their permit fee for the shed.
Update on The Pritzker Children's Initiative (PCI)
Ms. Crystal Kelly gave an update on the Pritzker Children's Initiative. Leveraged funds will be used to assist community stakeholders in providing high quality childcare as well as develop a system wide approach starting at birth through Family Connects where a nurse is available to all families for the first three months of a child's life which will provide a referral system and safety net for all children. Blue Cross and Blue Shield is providing $60,000 to train nurses in Watauga County through a partnership with Watauga Medical Center and App Health Care.
Ms. Kelly also shared information on the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT) all-day peer learning exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday, July 11, 2019. This is an in-person, collaborative learning opportunity for the eight-county cohort, including Watauga County, who are supporting projects through the NCIT to convene as they implement their local prenatal-to-three initiatives and impact the healthy development of infants and toddlers. Ms. Kelly requested a Commissioner or Commissioner-elect attend the meeting on behalf of Watauga County. The National Association of Counties (NACo) will cover the travel, lodging and meal expenses for one county official and the project's primary point of contact. In order to maintain equity, counties may choose to invite an optional third community representative; however, NACo cannot cover the travel, accommodation or meal expenses for that optional participant.
Vice-Chairman Kennedy stated that he would like to attend but would have to check his availability prior to committing. By request of the Commissioners, County Manager Geouque stated that he would consider attending if the Vice-Chairman wasn't available.
Request for Extension of Mowing and Weekend Custodial Contracts
Mr. Robert Marsh, Maintenance Director, presented a proposed contract extension for two years with a three percent increase in costs for Estate Maintenance mowing and weekend janitorial services. The current rates are $80,850 for mowing and $27,455 for weekend janitorial services. The overall increase in total amounts will be reduced; however, due to the deletion of several properties being serviced. The new rates, with the increase included, is $80,708.74 for mowing and $28,278.65 for weekend janitorial services. Mr. Marsh stated that adequate funds are available in the Maintenance Department's Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
Commissioner Yates, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to approve the two year contract extension with the three percent (3%) increase in costs for Estate Maintenance with the annual rates of $80,708.74 for mowing and $28,278.65 for weekend janitorial services.
Discussion of State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP)
Mr. Joe Furman, Planning and Inspections Director, stated that the 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) has been being formulated and was scheduled for adoption in August 2019. The 2022-2031 STIP is also currently being worked on. Mr. Furman presented a revision of a memo that was sent to the Board in March with updated information that will require action at the July 2019 Board meeting. Mr. Furman provided the information early so that the Board will have time to consider options. Watauga County has been asked to submit four (4) new road and/or public transportation projects, plus greenway projects if the Board is so inclined. Mr. Furman stated that AppalCART also had substantial capital needs. Mr. Furman stated that the Town of Boone was to choose one project and the County needed to choose four projects in addition to the Town's choice. Mr. Furman stated that previous projects were carried over and not required to be resubmitted. The report was given for information only with action to be requested at the July meeting.
Tax Matters
A. Monthly Collections Report
Tax Administrator, Mr. Larry Warren, presented the Tax Collections Report for the month of May 2019. The report was presented for information only and, therefore, no action was required.
B. Refunds and Releases
Mr. Warren presented the Refunds and Releases Report for May 2019 for Board approval:
TO BE TYPED IN MINUTE BOOK
Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to approve the Refunds and Releases Report for May 2019 as presented.
Solid Waste Tipping Fees
Fund Balance Appropriated
Contracted Services – Waste Hauling
NC Solid Waste Surcharge
The amendment recognized additional projected solid waste tipping fees and contracted services-waste hauling above original budget.
Middle Fork Greenway
Appropriated fund balance
The amendment allocated funds for the Middle Fork Greenway project from CIP set aside funds for projects as requested by the Economic Development Commission as approved at the June 4, 2019, Board meeting.
General Appropriation
The amendment allocated funds to be utilized by the Appalachian Theatre for furniture, fixtures, and equipment from the CIP set aside funds for projects as requested by the Economic Development Commission as approved at the February 5, 2019, Board meeting.
Administrative Contingency
Capital Outlay – Land Improvements
The amendment allocated funds to be used for the replacement of the turf at one soccer field at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex as approved at the May 7, 2019, Board meeting.
Commissioner Yates, seconded by Commissioner Wallin, moved to approve the budget amendments as presented by Ms. Watson.
A. Proposed Frontier Natural Gas Agreement
County Manager Geouque stated that at a previous Board meeting, staff discussed the option to run natural gas to the County's detention center. The total cost to run the line is approximately $19,000 of which Frontier will provide a zero interest loan for thirty-six (36) months to cover the cost. Annual cost savings, once using natural gas, is anticipated to be $4,660.88. The County Manager stated that adequate funds were allocated in the FY 2019-2020 budget for the project.
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Commissioner Yates, moved to authorize the commercial agreement with Frontier Natural gas, the $19,000 zero interest loan and the process of running the new line to the detention center.
B. North Carolina Music Hall of Fame & Museum (NCMHOF) Request
County Manager Geouque stated that the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame & Museum (NCMHOF) is hosting the 11th Annual Red Carpet Induction Ceremony on October 17, 2019, from the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, NC. The NCMHOF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that, each year in October, celebrates a brand new class of inductees. This year they are inducting Elizabeth Cotten, Merle Watson, Mitch Easter, Big Daddy Kane, and 9th Wonder into the NCMHOF.
Mr. Geouque stated that the NCMHOF are reaching out to each city, or in this case the County, that the inductees are from to request their participation and representation for this statewide honor. Induction into the State's Hall of Fame is a major milestone in the career of a music industry professional. Since Deep Gap is considered an unincorporated community they are requesting the County to participate with the NCMHOF and its inductee.
The County Manager stated that the NCMHOF is requesting the County participate in the following: provide a proclamation in honor of Mr. Watson's induction to be presented at the Induction Ceremony; become a sponsor of our Induction Ceremony event at the $1,000 or $5,000 level; help promote the Induction of Mr. Watson who is a native of Watauga County (via website/social media); and provide an official statement to be used in their promotions.
The NCMHOF has partnered with "Come Hear North Carolina" and the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources this year due to Governor Roy Cooper's declaration of 2019 becoming the "Year of Music." The Ceremony will be filmed by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for livestream and promotions will coincide with the campaign Come Hear North Carolina.
County Manager Geouque stated that he had spoken with Mr. Wright Tilley, Watauga County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), who stated that the TDA may be interested in funding the sponsorship fees. The County Manager will prepare a proclamation.
C. Boards and Commissions
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute (CCC&TI) Board of Trustees
Mr. Billy Ralph Winkler's term on the CCC&TI Board of Trustees expires on June 30, 2019. Dr. Mark Poarch, President of CCC&TI, had stated, via email, that Mr. Winkler has been an extremely valuable member who currently serves as a member of the Board's Building and Grounds Committee and Policy and Legislative Committee. Dr. Poarch had also stated that Mr. Winkler always demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the Board, the College, and students through his faithful attendance at Board meetings and College functions and is a true champion of education and works tirelessly to create opportunities that will improve the lives of Watauga County students. Dr. Poarch stated that Mr. Winkler was excited about the possibility of being reappointed to the CCC&TI Board of Trustees for an additional term.
Commissioner Yates, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to waive the second reading and reappoint Mr. Billy Ralph Winkler to the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Board of Trustees with his term to expire in 2023.
Ms. Dawn Ward's term on the Social Services Advisory Board is set to expire in August. Ms. Ward is willing to continue to serve an additional four-year term if so reappointed.
Commissioner Yates, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to waive the second reading and reappoint Ms. Dawn Ward to the Social Services Advisory Board with her term to expire in 2023.
D. Announcements
County Manager Geouque announced the following:
· The Boone Area Sports Commission will be hosting a Professional USL 2 Soccer Match at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, 5:30 pm.
· The 112th NCACC Annual Conference will be held August 22-24, 2019, in Guilford County. Visit http://www.ncacc.org/775/2019-Annual-Conference for full information.
· Dr. Michelle Osborne, NC Department of Insurance Chief Deputy, will hold a Town Hall Meeting as a part of the Department's disaster response and recovery initiative on July 10, 2019, at 7:00 P.M. in the Watauga High School Auditorium.
The meeting will hold discussion on the following:
v What to do before, during and after a disaster so that residents' properties are protected and/or covered in the event of storm damage.
v The importance of flood insurance so that residents can alleviate the suffering from extreme property loss due to flooding like that which was experienced last year. Standard homeowners' insurance policies do not cover flood damage. It is important that everyone carries adequate insurance in order to recover after a disaster, and it is important for citizens to know that they have options regarding coverage.
v The NCDOI's vast functions and provide contact information in the event of any claim question.
v The Town Hall Meeting will also address concerns about denied health insurance claims and give information about the Department's SHIIP program that assists people with Medicare questions.
· Chairman Welch announced that the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Blue Star Mothers of the High Country NC10 will hold a Dedication Ceremony for the Sgt. Dillon C. Baldridge Bridge on Thursday, June 20, 2019, at 1:00 P.M. at the new bridge located at Highways US-221 & US-421.
There was no public comment.
At 6:40 P.M., Vice-Chairman Kennedy, seconded by Commissioner Turnbow, moved to enter Closed Session to discuss Attorney/Client Matters, per G. S. 143-318.11(a)(3) and Land Acquisition, per G. S. 143-318.11(a)(5)(i).
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Vice-Chairman Kennedy, moved to resume the open meeting at 8:06 P.M.
Commissioner Turnbow, seconded by Commissioner Wallin, moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 P.M.


Peoli was a young maiden who lived in the forest. She spent her days tending to the plants and trees of the forest with whom she shared a deep bond of love. One day, a prince who came to the forest for hunting, saw her and fell in love with the li (girl, in local language). They got married and she left the forest to live with him in the palace. Life at the palace, away from nature gradually made li sick and she eventually died. She was buried at a spot from which a plant with small yellow flowers sprouted. The spring-yellow coloured flower was named Peo-li, in memory of the girl.
The philosophy at PEOLI has emerged from this love for nature and local resources. A strong belief in celebrating and engaging indigenous skills forms the basis of our approach. Simple functional products with minimal aesthetics have been derived from the local skill vocabulary using natural materials and dyes, for the conscious consumers who are sensitive about the resources used in the making of the item they purchase.
The women artisans of the hills, their dexterous hands creating warm pieces of comfort form the fabric of our organization. We, at PEOLI aim at nurturing the creativity of the hand and cultivating a culture of providing a fair means of livelihood to skilled people through our sustainable practices and promotion of a sustainable lifestyle.