text:
US, Turkey Planning Operations Against Kurds in N. Iraq
WASHINGTON (AFP)–The United States and Turkey are preparing a covert military operation to suppress Kurds based in northern Iraq and capture their leaders, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Veteran columnist Robert Novak reported in The Washington Post that the joint operation, whose broad outlines have been presented to some members of Congress, was aimed at preventing a Turkish invasion of Iraq.
US special forces will work with the Turkish army, Novak said in his column, adding that the Bush administration was trying to prevent another front from opening in Iraq.
The development of an autonomous Kurdish entity in Iraq, resulting from the decline and fall of Saddam Hussein, has alarmed Turkey, Novak points out.
Ankara has grown increasingly uneasy about the centuries-old project of a Kurdistan spreading across international boundaries — and chewing up big pieces of Turkey, the article said.
Turkey has a well-trained, well-equipped army of 250,000 near the border, facing some 4,000 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq.
But significant cross-border operations could get the PKK the support of the military forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the best US ally in Iraq, Novak pointed out.
The plan was outlined in secret briefings on Capitol Hill last week by Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, according to the report. Edelman, a foreign service officer who once was US ambassador to Turkey, said he was sure of success, adding that the US role could be concealed and always would be denied, the column said.
But some of the briefed lawmakers were left wondering whether this was a wise policy for handling the beleaguered Kurds, who have been betrayed by Washington the US government in years past, Novak pointed out.
The Pentagon said on Monday it is working with Turkey to resolve what it called a "serious problem" posed by the Kurdistan Workers Party, but declined comment on a media report of secret plans to stop violence.
"We recognize that the PKK is a serious problem and we're working closely with both the government of Iraq and the government of Turkey to resolve this," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
But he declined to comment on a U.S. report on Monday that said the Pentagon briefed Congress last week on secret plans for a joint U.S.-Turkish military operation to suppress the rebel movement and capture its leaders.
Tags Turkey
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Getting fit doesn't have to be complicated. If you just started your fitness journey and you are not sure what equipment you need, just simple bodyweight exercises can be a great choice. Bodyweight exercises are great, because they can be easily modified by adding extra reps, performing exercises faster or slower, taking shorter breaks and with each added modification, you obviously progress. Bodyweight movements offer lots of benefits, especially if you are beginner and new to resistance training. Whether you are at home, at the gym, in a hotel room or outside in the park bodyweight training can be the perfect training tool.
Starting to use some extra resistance or any other training equipment it is important to pay attention to safety and good form to reduce the risk of injury. The best way is to have a professional who can help you to develop a safe, effective training program and to help you to choose the right equipment.
Fitness mat would be the best to use. But you can use also a Yoga mat.
Stability Bals comes in different sizes, depending on your length, weight and fitness level. Find the best ball for you (google it).
The best is to invest in adjustable pair of dumbbells. This way you can have all needed weight for different exercises.
There are different resistance bands available on the market. The most common ones are "stripe", or 'tube'.
It's a great calorie burner, improves cardiovascular fitness and tones muscles.The most inexpensive equipment of all and you can take it with you anywhere.
It's a great peace of equipment to help build lean muscle, improve your core strength and fat loss.
Improves cardiovascular health, will tone and strengthen every muscle in your legs and buttocks. Workouts on step increases your metabolism.
You can do great workout only with pull-up bar. Exercises with pull up bar are compound, targets multiple muscle groups and exelent for your upper body.
Great and simple method of exercise can allow anyone to reach they goals by using TRX, like weight loss, muscle tone, also improve core strength, stability and body balance.
If you like to add challenge to your workouts, just a simple pair of ankle weights can deliver the benefits you want. Tones and shapes legs, great for abdominal workouts.


text:
Aziatisch kampioenschap voetbal 1980 (hoofdtoernooi)
 Aziatisch kampioenschap voetbal 1980 (kwalificatie)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A lot of life involves turning raw materials into useable products, like baking raw potatoes or sending middle-graders to school.
While some say 'Knowledge is Power', knowing how many dairy cows are in the world won't put milk on your cereal.
Someone has to milk the cows, and put the milk into the supply-chain, as it is called.
A balanced supply-chain requires work, and gears are a major help for people doing work.
To do big work, or a lot of smaller jobs, we need lots of people or we need machines. Or both.
When we use machines, we need some form of energy to power the machines.
Remember: Energy, transformed into power, makes machines work, which produces things we need.
Power wasn't created with the first electrical generator or the first internal-combustion engine.
There has been power available to people throughout human history.
Barton ate cornbread, made of cornmeal, which was milled at a water-powered gristmill on the North Raccoon River. The flowing river was energy available for use. The water wheel transformed water-energy into power, and the gears carried that power to the millstones that ground the corn. See how that works, in the drawing above?
In Elkhorn Iowa, there sits a wind-powered gristmill, built in Denmark in 1848, just before Barton's family moved to Iowa.
It was disassembled and moved to Elkhorn 1976, a town full of Danish descendants.
The wind blows through the 'sails' or 'vanes', turning the 'wind carousel', as I call it.
And the central shaft of the wind carousel then turns the the main shaft in the mill.
Power is then transmitted to the machinery that grinds grains.
Other mills might saw wood, or pump water.
Gears carry power translated from water energy or wind energy.
Water wheels translate water energy into mechanical power.
Sails or vanes on windmills translate wind energy into mechanical power.
This energy-to-work formula is also true with steam locomotives.
The energy is in the coal or wood, burned in the firebox of the boiler.
The steam boilers produce thermal energy, which is converted into mechanical energy, which turns the driving wheels of the locomotive, which is the real job of the locomotive.
It just takes a lot of parts to get from the raw coal to the turning wheels.
And then, that same locomotive often hauled even more coal to power other locomotives and river boats.
But, back to the watermill that supplied Barton's cornmeal. The North Raccoon River was the energy.
The waterwheel converted that energy into power.
The gears transported the power to the millstones that made the cornmeal.
The watermill used the water that flowed horizontally to make the grinding wheel turn in a circle.
This was done with gearing, as the illustration shows.
Now, when I talk about gearing, I include belts and pulleys in the discussion.
My Grandma Bertie, a paper-hanger and quiltmaker, used a treadle-powered sewing machine to make quilts.
The same way Masie Crawford made Barton's quilt.
The foot-powered treadle made a belt go around, and powered the sewing machine.
Grandma was the source of energy.
My Grandpa Harry was a farm-hand for many years. Early-on, they farmed with horses.
Then his boss bought a tractor for the big work.
Power tractors were used on farms before electricity was available for most famers.
So, tractors had side pulleys that turned flat belts, to power sawmills, threshing machines and feed grinders.
1) The illustration above is from 'The tide Mill Institute'. A tide mill is another type of water-powered mill you can learn about.
Website: https://www.tidemillinstitute.org/grist-mills/
2) The windmill in Elkhorn, Iowa gives tours. Website: https://www.danishwindmill.com/
3) As a teenager, my grandparents took me to an old-fashioned farm show in Mt. Pleasant Iowa, where we saw different types of machinery, including working steam-powered tractors. Website: https://www.oldthreshers.com/
Throughout the nation, museums, exhibits and events exist to show you these kinds of things.
Consider this for a family edu-vacation
middlegrademysteries.com
Photo: passionforthepast.blogspot.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Edgardo Cortés has worked in elections for more than 15 years, with experience in all facets of the electoral process including campaigns, non-partisan voter registration, federal and state election policy, and local and state election administration.
Cortés served as the Chairman of the Board for the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Standards Board. Cortés was a charter member of the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Cortés previously served as General Registrar in Fairfax County, VA and Deputy Director for Policy and Grants Director at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. He has also directed Congressional field campaigns, a national non-partisan voter registration program, and led efforts to implement automatic restoration of voting rights for individuals with prior felony convictions in Virginia.
Cortés holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree in political management from the George Washington University. He lives in Springfield, Virginia with his wife and son.


00535         // resolves correctly so we can get a height value.
00612                 // resolves correctly so we can get a height value.
00688         // resolves correctly so we can get a height value.
00708         // Convert x1 and x2 from region-local to agent coords.


They may not show it, but our cars these days are packed with computers. Underneath the hood, so to speak, cars have a wealth of information stored away on various chips. The information is just waiting to benefit drivers, but the majority of us have no idea it's even lying there. Thankfully, there are multiple mobile apps ready to help us save money on gas. Here are three Android apps that, with the help of an OBD2 (on board diagnostic) adapter, can pull this information out of automobiles and put it to good use.
To get started with Dash, pick up an OBD2 adapter of your choice (some options go for as low as $10). After that, the app itself is free to use. Dash tries to save you money by encouraging you to drive better, showing you your MPG and providing feedback to help you improve it. It also throws in a social dynamic, hoping a little peer pressure will provide greater encouragement. There's a leaderboard available to compare the best drivers. You can also see where your car is located on a map and see what prompted your check engine light to come on.
The Automatic app recently arrived in Google Play following its early period of being available exclusively on the iPhone, and its concept is similar to Dash's. This app, too, tries to save you money on gas by encouraging you to drive safer. It alerts you (via audio cues sent from the adapter) when you're accelerating too quickly, braking too hard, or driving over 70 mph. The app scores you on your performance, with a high score meaning you're saving a bunch on gas.
Unlike Dash, you need to buy a $99 "Automatic Link" adapter to plug into your car's data port. It then pairs with an app on your smartphone. The software looks at how much gas costs in your area and shows the amount of money you're saving or wasting, depending on how you drive. It can also show where your car is parked, explain why your check engine light is on, or integrate with IFTTT to create automated tasks that depend on your car's behavior or location.
Torque is the oldest and most complex app on this list. Like Dash, it works with an OBD2 adapter of your choice. The app itself comes in both a free and paid version. Rather than placing an emphasis on cost savings, this software provides whatever information a car enthusiast may be most interested in. It can serve as your car's HUD, is themeable, measures engine performance data, and can export log files to KML or CSV file formats. If you want something powerful and customizable – a tool that you can make your own – then this is the one for you.
These apps all require a different degree of investment, and they're each aimed at different types of users. Automatic and Dash are aimed at regular drivers, people just looking to save some gas, be better prepared when the time comes to deal with a mechanic, and learn a thing or two in the process. Torque is aimed more at car enthusiasts who want to get more specific feedback about their vehicles than their regular dashboard provides. Either way, many of us could stand to benefit from syncing up our phones to more than just the car stereo. Consider giving one of these apps a go, or if you already have, feel free to share your experience with us in the comments.


text:
Q: How can I convert nested dictionary to pd.dataframe faster? I have a json file which looks like this
{
    "file": "name",
    "main": [{
        "question_no": "Q.1",
        "question": "what is ?",
        "answer": [{
                "user": "John",
                "comment": "It is defined as",
                "value": [
                          {
                            "my_value": 5,
                            "value_2": 10
                          },
                          {
                            "my_value": 24,
                            "value_2": 30
                          }
                          ]
            },
            {
                "user": "Sam",
                "comment": "as John said above it simply means",
                "value": [
                          {
                            "my_value": 9,
                            "value_2": 10
                          },
                          {
                            "my_value": 54,
                            "value_2": 19
                          }
                          ]
            }
        ],
        "closed": "no"
    }]
}

desired result:
Question_no      question  my_value_sum      value_2_sum       user      comment
Q.1             what is ?      29                40            john    It is defined as
Q.1             what is ?      63                29            Sam     as John said above it simply means

What I have tried is data = json_normalize(file_json, "main") and then using a for loop like
for ans, row in data.iterrows():
    ....
    ....
    df = df.append(the data)

But the issue using this is that it is taking a lot of time that my client would refuse the solution. there is around 1200 items in the main list and there are 450 json files like this to convert. So this intermediate process of conversion would take almost an hour to complete.
EDIT:
is it possible to get the sum of the my_value and value_2 as a column? (updated the desired result also)

A: Select dictionary by main with parameter record_path and meta:
data = pd.json_normalize(file_json["main"],
                         record_path='answer',
                         meta=['question_no', 'question'])
print (data)
   user                             comment question_no   question
0  John                    It is defined as         Q.1  what is ?
1   Sam  as John said above it simply means         Q.1  what is ?

Then if order is important convert last N columns to first positions:
N = 2
data = data[data.columns[-N:].tolist() + data.columns[:-N].tolist()]
print (data)
  question_no   question  user                             comment
0         Q.1  what is ?  John                    It is defined as
1         Q.1  what is ?   Sam  as John said above it simply means

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I could summarise every single minute of this trek because it totally blew us away but I think it would be nicer to show some highlights actually. I could write about the trek for hours because it exceeded both our expectations and I think we crossed over some mental barriers on this historic trek. I think there was a little nervousness about how we would go climbing in altitude for hours on end every day but to our credit, and in true Aussie spirit, we just powered on through and didn't think about it and JUST DID IT!
I bought new hiking shoes and tried hard to wear them in before the trip but they were really giving me a bad Achilles pain and it was getting worse every day so I had to make the decision to either be more sure footed but have an Achilles pain OR more comfy but unstable in the running shoes – I went with the running sneakers and unstable hehehe. It turned out ok actually. I mean my feet have never been so sore in my life and it felt like I was walking bare foot and the rocks felt like they were piercing my skin at times BUT I made it and I think I made the right choice. I am glad I purchased some thick alpaca socks as they were my saviour – so warm and comfortable and helped my feet not move around so much in my runners.
Karina was a real soldier and we just powered on through the whole trip (4 days/ 3 nights) – some days walking 25km's in one day to heights of 4650mtrs and back down again. I am so glad we hired walking sticks. Without them my balance and stability would be all over the place. I have never used them before but if I go trekking like this again I am definitely getting some. Sometimes the track was so bad you had to use all of your arm strength to lift yourself up using the sticks. Karina and I were lucky in that essentially we had a private tour although we didn't request one – it just turned out that way so had our own chef, tour guide, and horseman. Lenin, our guide, knew everything about the trek, animals, food along the way in the trees and was a really great guy – we were lucky to score him to be honest. He was a mountain goat too – he could descend down those hills and be gone around the corner before you knew it. I brought my iphone with me to check altitude along the way (I have a pretty accurate app on it) and we tested him a lot – He was within 50meters every time I asked him – amazing.
At one stage of the trek – the 2nd day – it was supposed to be 9 hours and Karina and I said lets do heads down bums up and kill it – that we did and completed the day in 6 hours. Lenin said no one has done it that quickly before – we just said to him that he says that to everyone hehehe. I have been doing some reading and apparently Peruvians have raised/bread guinea pigs for consumption for many years and it's a Peruvian delicacy. They just raise them to run around the home and just take one when a visitor comes or when wanting to cook one up. The opportunity arose when we stopped at a campsite in this farmers lodge on the trek. I asked Lenin if we could buy a couple off her and Lenin said no probs. Lenin and I bargained with a local farmer to buy two of her guinea pigs and I asked our chef Amancio (aka 'amazing' as he calls himself) cooked them up for us. I asked Amancio to join us and we all ate together which was great – I bought a few beers and it was a good meal. It was actually really nice – a bit gamey but nice. Warning – if you're a vego – there is a picture of that down below – Sorry Hayley and Sez – just skip past them.
The skunk – At points along the trip our guide Lenin could smell certain animals in the area or their nests etc and at one point he asked me if I smelled a certain smell – he said there was a skunk in the area – I then said I do smell it and I like that animal earthy smells to which Karina bent over with laughter and couldn't walk anymore because she just let a 'silent but deadly' one rip – Yeah – a skunk alright…..
Ok – enough about the enjoyment and struggle – onto the photos….
The chef Amancio nicknamed himself 'Amazing' – Even a Flambe' – WHAT THE!!
Finishing in a USAIN BOLT OF COURSE – the last one hehehe !!!!
The Andes were breathtaking and I know we won't forget them in a hurry – having a great guide followed by a talented and private entourage made it even that more special and it will be hard to top this that's for sure. Truely amazing and unforgettable.
Again – left behind – I'm coming!!!!
Passport stamps from Machu Picchu – COOL!
Fabulous photos. I thought it was sensible to go with running shoes Aidie, even though they are unstable you would be used to being unstable, ha ha ha ha.
Where did you get the red jacket from Karina? I don't remember it. I see you are wearing your headband, was it good value?
I don't think I could eat Guinea pigs – that photo of Adrian with a gp's head in his mouth is awful!
The rest of the food looks amazing. You both would love it.
Funy about the 'skunk' – that same skunk has been in my house many many times. Try and leave it in Peru.
How lucky that you were the only people on the tour. You get really personalised service!
Great pictures kids – looks quite challenging – gave no thought to the fact that you were going to be in snow area, was surprised to see that – looks quite cold in some photo's – right up your alley I guess.
Sounds like you had a great time; you must feel a great sense of achievement having done that – and the scenery at the end, what a great end to the trip. How did you come down?
Ditto Jeans comments about the GP and skunks – please leave the skunk behind.


text:
Q: Nan al cargar datos desde Geocoder Estoy intentando usar geocododer para convertir datos de códigos postales en coordenadas. He instanciado la función dos veces para separar los marcadores (en un loop for) y el pinpoint principal. Una vez cargados los valores de todas las coordenadas, intento calcular la distancia entre cada marcador y el pinpoint principal.
El problema es que debido a que geocoder carga los valores de las coordenadas asíncronamente, muchas veces intenta hacer la operación final sin haber cargado algunas de las coordenadas, devolviendo NaN.
¿Hay alguna manera de forzar a la ultima operación a que se realice una vez se ha cargado todas las coordenadas?
Os dejo con el script.
<script>
    var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), {
        scrollwheel: true,
        zoom: 14,
        disableDefaultUI: true,
        controls:false,
        styles: [{"featureType":"water","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#e9e9e9"},{"lightness":17}]},{"featureType":"landscape","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#f5f5f5"},{"lightness":20}]},{"featureType":"road.highway","elementType":"geometry.fill","stylers":[{"color":"#ffffff"},{"lightness":17}]},{"featureType":"road.highway","elementType":"geometry.stroke","stylers":[{"color":"#ffffff"},{"lightness":29},{"weight":0.2}]},{"featureType":"road.arterial","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#ffffff"},{"lightness":18}]},{"featureType":"road.local","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#ffffff"},{"lightness":16}]},{"featureType":"poi","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#f5f5f5"},{"lightness":21}]},{"featureType":"poi.park","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#dedede"},{"lightness":21}]},{"elementType":"labels.text.stroke","stylers":[{"visibility":"on"},{"color":"#ffffff"},{"lightness":16}]},{"elementType":"labels.text.fill","stylers":[{"saturation":36},{"color":"#333333"},{"lightness":40}]},{"elementType":"labels.icon","stylers":[{"visibility":"off"}]},{"featureType":"transit","elementType":"geometry","stylers":[{"color":"#f2f2f2"},{"lightness":19}]},{"featureType":"administrative","elementType":"geometry.fill","stylers":[{"color":"#fefefe"},{"lightness":20}]},{"featureType":"administrative","elementType":"geometry.stroke","stylers":[{"color":"#fefefe"},{"lightness":17},{"weight":1.2}]}]
    });
    var geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder;
    geocodeAddress(geocoder, map);

    function geocodeAddress(geocoder, resultsMap) {
        var event = $('.event-location').text();
        var siteLoc = new Array();
        var siteLocs = $('.campsite-loc');
        siteLocs.each(function() {
            var siteLocation = $(this).text();
            siteLoc.push(siteLocation);
        });
        var eventLat;
        var eventLng;
        var siteLat;
        var siteLng;

        geocoder.geocode({'address': event}, function(results, status) {
            if (status === google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
            resultsMap.setCenter(results[0].geometry.location);
            resultsMap.setZoom(15);
            var event = new google.maps.Marker({
                map: resultsMap,
                icon: '/assets/images/event.png',
                position: results[0].geometry.location
            });
            eventLat = results[0].geometry.location.lat();
            eventLng =  results[0].geometry.location.lng();
            } else {
            alert('Geocode was not successful for the following reason: ' + status);
            }

        });
        ffor (i=0; i < siteLoc.length; i++) {
        geocoder.geocode({'address': siteLoc[i]}, function(results, status) {
            if (status === google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
                var site = new google.maps.Marker({
                    map: resultsMap,
                    icon: '/assets/images/site1.png',
                    position: results[0].geometry.location
                });
                siteLat = results[0].geometry.location.lat();
                siteLng = results[0].geometry.location.lng();
                var x = eventLat;
                var y = eventLng;
                console.log(x,y,siteLat,siteLng);
                var distance = google.maps.geometry.spherical.computeDistanceBetween(new google.maps.LatLng(x,y), new google.maps.LatLng(siteLat,siteLng));
                var distanceKm = (distance/1000).toFixed(1);
                if (isNaN(distanceKm)) {
                    $('.distance-loc').text(0.3);
                } else {
                    $('.distance-loc').text(distanceKm);
                }
                $('.event-main-container').on('click',function() {
                    resultsMap.setCenter(results[0].geometry.location);
                });
            } else {
                alert('Geocode was not successful for the following reason: ' + status);
            }

        });
    }
    </script>

Gracias por vuestra ayuda!!

A: El problema estaría en esta parte del bucle for:
var x = eventLat;
var y = eventLng;
console.log(x,y,siteLat,siteLng);
var distance = google.maps.geometry.spherical.computeDistanceBetween(new google.maps.LatLng(x,y), new google.maps.LatLng(siteLat,siteLng));

como eventLat y eventLng se calculan para el pinpoint principal de forma asíncrona, podría darse el caso de que cuando se calcula la distancia para los marcadores, esas variables aún no tengan valor y por eso aparezcan como NaN.
Una posible solución: mueve el bucle for dentro del resultado del pinpoint. De este modo te asegurarás de que eventLat y eventLng ya estarán definidas y no deberías tener problemas:
geocoder.geocode({'address': event}, function(results, status) {
  if (status === google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
    resultsMap.setCenter(results[0].geometry.location);
    resultsMap.setZoom(15);
    var event = new google.maps.Marker({
      map: resultsMap,
      icon: '/assets/images/event.png',
      position: results[0].geometry.location
    });
    eventLat = results[0].geometry.location.lat();
    eventLng =  results[0].geometry.location.lng();
  } else {
    alert('Geocode was not successful for the following reason: ' + status);
  }

  // en este punto ya tienes los valores de eventLat y eventLng
  for (i=0; i < siteLoc.length; i++) {
    geocoder.geocode({'address': siteLoc[i]}, function(results, status) {
      if (status === google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
        var site = new google.maps.Marker({
          map: resultsMap,
          icon: '/assets/images/site1.png',
          position: results[0].geometry.location
        });
        siteLat = results[0].geometry.location.lat();
        siteLng = results[0].geometry.location.lng();
        var x = eventLat;
        var y = eventLng;
        console.log(x,y,siteLat,siteLng);
        var distance = google.maps.geometry.spherical.computeDistanceBetween(new google.maps.LatLng(x,y), new google.maps.LatLng(siteLat,siteLng));
        var distanceKm = (distance/1000).toFixed(1);
        if (isNaN(distanceKm)) {
          $('.distance-loc').text(0.3);
        } else {
          $('.distance-loc').text(distanceKm);
        }
        $('.event-main-container').on('click',function() {
          resultsMap.setCenter(results[0].geometry.location);
        });
      } else {
        alert('Geocode was not successful for the following reason: ' + status);
      }

    });
  }

});

Un inconveniente de esta solución es que el primer punto principal (pinpoint) hará esperar a todos los demás para ser mostrados. Pero de una manera u otra, tendrán que esperar a que el primero se genere para calcular la distancia de todos modos.


text:
Pascal Dion (Montréal, 8 augustus 1994) is een Canadees shorttracker en olympisch kampioen in die discipline.

Biografie
Dion werd geboren in Montréal in Franstalig Canada, waar shorttrack populairder is dan in andere delen van Canada, en begon op zesjarige leeftijd met de sport. Hij studeerde kinesiologie aan de Universiteit van Quebec en spreekt Frans, Engels en Mandarijn.

Dion nam voor Canada deel aan de Winteruniversiade 2015 in Granada, Spanje. In het seizoen 2015/16 maakte hij zijn debuut in de wereldbeker.

Dion nam voor Canada deel aan de Olympische Winterspelen 2018. Hij won daarbij een bronzen medaille met de aflossingsploeg op de 5000 meter. Naast Dion bestond deze ploeg uit Charle Cournoyer, Samuel Girard, Charles Hamelin en François Hamelin. Individueel reed hij de 1500 meter, waarop hij tiende werd.

Een maand later won Dion met dezelfde ploeg zilver op de aflossing tijdens de Wereldkampioenschappen shorttrack 2018 in zijn thuisstad Montréal. In 2020 werd zilver gewonnen op de aflossing tijdens de viercontinentenkampioenschappen, ook gehouden in Montréal.

Tijdens de wereldbeker 2016/17 won hij op de eerste 1000 meter zilver in Gangneung. In het seizoen 2018/19 won Dion met de aflossingsploeg zilver in Almaty en goud in Dresden waardoor Canada in de eindstand van de wereldbeker dat seizoen tweede werd. In het seizoen 2019/20 haalde de aflossingsploeg met Dion brons in Salt Lake City en goud in Dordrecht, maar eindigde de Canadezen niet op het podium in de eindstand. Bij de eerste drie wereldbekers in 2021 was Dion ook weer individueel goed voor eremetaal: brons op de 1000 meter in zowel Peking als Nagoya en zilver op zowel de 1000 als de 1500 meter in Debrecen, waardoor hij de wereldbeker over 1000 meter op zijn naam mocht schrijven. Tevens won Canada in dat seizoen de wereldbeker op de aflossing met Dion in de ploeg.

Tijdens de Olympische Winterspelen 2022 in Peking kwam Dion voor Canada als eerst in actie op de gemengde aflossing. Hij reed de kwartfinale en de halve finale, maar werd in de finale gepasseerd. Het Canadese team kreeg in die finale een penalty en won dus geen medaille. Individueel deed hij daarna mee aan de 1000 meter, maar werd in de kwartfinale door de Japanner Kazuki Yoshinaga ten val gebracht en was uitgeschakeld. Op de 1500 meter haalde hij de halve finale, maar werd daarin laatste. Op de laatste shorttrackdag stond de finale van de mannenaflossing op het programma, waarin de Canadezen (Dion, Ch. Hamelin, Steven Dubois en Jordan Pierre-Gilles, met Maxime Laoun als reserve) als eerste over de streep kwamen en het goud pakte.

Tijdens de WK 2022 kort na de Olympische Spelen, behaalde Dion individueel de zilveren plak over 1500 meter. Door winst in de superfinale liet hij de concurrenten voor de zilveren medaille in het eindklassement, achter de ongrijpbare wereldkampioen Shaoang Liu, achter zich en verzekerde hij zich van die tweede plek overall. Hiermee verbeterde Dion ruimschoots zijn beste resultaat tot dan toe in het eindklassement op het WK van 2018. Met de aflossingsploeg voegde Dion er tijdens dat WK een derde medaille aan toe: brons. In november van dat jaar werden de tweede Viercontinentenkampioenschappen gehouden en Dion won zilver (1000 meter) en brons (500 meter).

Tijdens het WK 2023 in Seoel behaalde Dion een bronzen plak over 1500 meter.

Canadees shorttracker
Canadees olympisch kampioen


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Home Appointments Fulham appoints Antony Corrie President & CEO
Fulham appoints Antony Corrie President & CEO
Current President and CEO Bob Howard-Anderson was named an advisor to the company's Board of Directors.
Fulham Co., Inc., one of the leading suppliers of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, has announced the appointment of Antony Corrie as President and CEO. Current President and CEO Bob Howard-Anderson was named an advisor to the company's Board of Directors.
"The lighting market continues to be incredibly dynamic with significant opportunities and adding a leader with multi-decade experience in the industry is invaluable to Fulham," said Howard-Anderson. "Antony is a proven leader who can direct Fulham successfully through its next phase of life."
Prior to joining Fulham, Corrie was President, Worldwide Sales for Harvard Technology, a supplier of energy-efficient connected lighting solutions. He joined Harvard in 2012 after more than 18 years with Future Electronics, including time with its European subsidiary FAI Electronics. Corrie has a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from The Manchester Metropolitan University.
"Fulham has an incredible customer set, team and history," said Corrie. "The company is a leader in the fast-growing Exit/Emergency market, has an exciting portfolio of award-winning products beginning to ship, and I believe will continue to enhance and grow its market position. Now in its 25th year, I look forward to leading the company's next phase."
Howard-Anderson, who joined Fulham in 2013, has driven the company's transition from providing primarily Fluorescent, Induction and other legacy technologies to providing an industry-leading portfolio of innovative LED Drivers, Exit/Emergency, and Light Engine products and technologies, which now makeup the majority of Fulham's sales. New processes he implemented aid in shortening time-to-market, R&D efficiency as well as expanded the company's presence in Europe and the Exit/Emergency and emerging Lighting Control markets.
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BHEL appoints new Director (Industrial Systems & Products)
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Editor - January 5, 2019
Lighting with LEDs


Use floor sweeping compound from Grainger to sweep up dirt and debris more thoroughly and without raising a huge cloud of dust. Choose from gritless oil base, standard oil base and wood pulp and sorbent types. Make Grainger your one-stop shop for sweeping compound and all your other cleaning supplies.
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Supporters eagerly await Vänskä's rehiring, and the former music director acknowledges that he's in negotiations about his return.
A proposal to sell community shares (along the lines of the Green Bay Packers' model) undermines the founders' solidly nonprofit principles.
The city of Minneapolis estimates it lost $2.9 million in parking, dining and other business.
Neither MOA management nor musicians have responded to repeated queries about whether a settlement is in the works, or whether musicians have yet voted on any deal.
ALSO: Seinfeld at the Orpheum; 'The School for Lies' at Park Square; 'Paint Nite' comes to Minneapolis; and more.
ALSO: Club Book announces season; 'Raucous Caucus IV' at Bryant-Lake Bowl; Out There series to begin at the Walker; and more.
Dan Turpening and the music he makes as people arrive and leave concerts have become an integral part of patrons' concert-going experience.
A New Year's wish: that the grueling, frustrating and profoundly saddening lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra musicians will end.
While they raised big money, the board members publicly complained that in their view the community could not afford an orchestra at the present level.
ALSO: 'Maya' show to end Jan. 5; 'Black Nativity' at Penumbra; 'Winterlights' tour at the MIA; George Maurer's Big Band Holiday Show at the Dakota; and more.


The Centre for Student Academic Support (CSAS) is a centralized collection of learning support services designed to help students achieve their goals and improve their learning both inside and outside the classroom.
Specific services include: Online Support, Learning Support Workshops, One-on-One Learning Support Sessions, Writing Services, Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), Peer Assisted Subject Coaching (PASC), English Conversation Sessions, Bounce Back and the Incentive Program.
Visit CSAS on the 4th floor of the library.


I just happened across your website…Love the smile and warmth I got from the readings. I have notebooks full of poetry/poems/thoughts. I never thought of doing this though.
Thank you, Gayle. I encourage you to start your own blog. WordPress makes it easy.


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Best HP Laptops CES23 – Full Highlights
January 9, 2023 January 5, 2023 by Akash Roy
Here are the major announcements that were recently made regarding the new and upcoming best HP Laptops at CES23.
CES 2023 is finally here. And along with all the other brands like ASUS, Dell, MSI, Lenovo, Razer, Acer etc., HP also launched its brand new lineup of Laptops.
This year HP launched a new set of laptops, especially for those who are most like to be doing hybrid and remote work, i.e. freelancers or entrepreneurs. These laptops will also attract business personnel, and the special edition HP laptops can also be great for regular use. We saw a new One HP Desktop, a 44-inch Ultrawide Monitor, and a new series of Monitors for home/office users.
The new laptops will be powered with the all-new Intel 13th Generation Processors or AMD Ryzen 7000 Series CPUs. We also saw some laptops with the last generation 12th Gen CPUs and HP reserved those for the mid-lower end notebooks. The monitors are the ones that you should be eyeing, especially if you are a multitasker.
So without further delay, let's check out the best HP Laptops revealed at CES 2023.
Best HP Laptops CES23
These are the following HP laptops revealed this year at CES 2023.
HP Dragonfly Pro 14 and HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook Laptops
The HP Dragonfly Pro laptop features the all-new AMD Ryzen 7736U Processor and runs on an integrated graphics card. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio display along with a multitouch. It has a resolution of 1920×1200 and is a 14-inch IPS Panel. The laptop has a 64.6Wh battery with a USB Type C Power adapter of 96W. You can choose between a 16GB or a 32GB RAM variant and a 1TB or 512GB RAM Variant.
The Dragonfly Pro Chromebook 14 is a step-up version featuring a Core i5 1235U 12th Gen Processor and a 51.3W/hr battery. It also has the 96W fast charging functionality and will only be available in 16GB DDR5 RAM and 256GB Storage configuration. It will have a 14-inch IPS panel, and the graphics will be taken care of by the integrated GPU.
HP Elite x360, Elitebook G10 and HP Dragonfly G4 Laptops
The Dragonfly G4 comes with the latest Intel 13th Generation processor and supports up to 32GB DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB NVMe Storage. This is a 13.5-inch laptop with multiple display panel options up to OLED 3000x2000p.
The laptop supports dual video stream, camera switching, face tracking etc. The keystone correction works well, which makes the edges of most of the content look sharper. The complete HP Series received a battery upgrade by using AI to reduce the need for power wherever required.
These features also come packed on the lower-end Elitebook 1040 or the Elite x360 G10. They are identical laptops except for the x360, which can be used in tablet mode. These laptops will be powered by Intel 13th Gen P and U Series chips and can support up to 2TB Storage with up to 64GB in dual channel DDR5 mode. Different display versions of the same model will be available, including a 120Hz panel variant.
HP Eco 14 and HP Eco 15 Laptop
HP also released a new Eco Series of laptops which uses Ocean bound plastics and post-consumer recycled plastics for its construction and build. This is a special edition laptop to show his support towards recycling plastics. These Special edition laptops will come in two different options, a 14 inch and a 15.6-inch. The Eco Edition laptops will come equipped with Intel Core 13th Gen U and P series of chips, while the non-Eco models will come with both AMD and Intel Processors.
The display resolution is 2560×1440 for the 14″ AMD Models, but you won't get the higher definition panel on the Windows edition. The maximum storage support is 1TB, while the full memory support is 16GB.
These laptops will have a starting point of $419 and can go up to $499, depending on the model.
HP 27 inch all in One Desktop CES 2023
Apart from the Laptops, HP also announced an HP 27-inch Desktop, which will come with both AMD 7000 Series Processors and Intel 13th Generation N Series Processors. These All-in-One PCs will have 32GB DDR4 Support and an NVMe Slot with a maximum storage of up to 1TB. Both touch and non-touch variants will be available with a resolution of 1920×1080 with 720p/1080p webcams.
HP E Series and M Series Monitors 2023
Finally, HP also revealed some of their beautiful monitors. Their E Series G5 lineup of Monitors will have a starting size of 21.5 inches and will go up to a behemoth of 44.5 inches. These monitors are curved with a resolution ranging from 1080p to 4K. The flagship model is the HP E45 G5 DQHD, a super ultrawide curved display that can work as two 2560x1440p monitors if kept side by side. The price of the E Series monitors will be around $219.
The M Series Monitors, on the other hand, will feature the FHD panel with a maximum refresh rate of 75Hz. These monitors are manufactured to improve the buyers' comfort so you can improve your posture while working. The M Series monitors will be priced at around $209.
So this was all about HP Laptops CES23 Highlights. If you think we have missed anything, let us know in the comments below.
That's all, folks!
Categories CES 2023, News
Best ROG announcements at CES23
Best MSI Laptops at CES 23 – Full Highlights


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Auckland Santa parade: What roads are closed and what time does it start?
23 Nov, 2019 08:00 PM 2 minutes to read
Many roads in the central city, including Queen and Victoria Streets, will be closed for today's parade.
By RNZ
Auckland's biggest Christmas parade will take place today.
Thousands of people are expected to attend Farmers annual Santa parade, which is in its 86th year.
All inner-city roads, including Queen, Wellesley and Victoria Streets, will be closed between 11am and 5pm for the event, which starts at 1pm.
After the parade, Santa's Party will take place in Aotea Square from 2.30pm with food, stalls, headliners PJ Masks and entertainment for the whole family.
Please check carefully how buses will be diverted and which bus stops will be closed for the Farmers Santa Parade today.
More info: https://t.co/4yCUlyIkpd pic.twitter.com/mxj1gUEpJA
— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) November 23, 2019
The weather forecast is for bright sunshine, light winds and a humid 20C.
This year's parade will also be last for the city's five-storey-high Santa that stands on the corner of the Farmers building.
If you're taking the train to the Farmers Santa Parade today please do not take any balloons on board or at stations due to the overhead lines. pic.twitter.com/hKSz6Nc9YH
It was announced earlier this year that after 60 years, the giant Santa would head into retirement.
• Farewell Father Christmas: Auckland's giant Santa is retiring after this year
• Ho, ho, no - Controversial Santa won't feature at Auckland parade this year
• Good riddance to Auckland's 'creepy' Santa?
• Outrage at decision to sack Santa from tomorrow's Christmas Parade in Auckland
Its owner, business association Heart of the City, said restoration work was needed and there were also challenges around the large structure's storage.
If your whanau are travelling to the Farmers Santa Parade today, be sure to take advantage of free child weekend fares. With a registered AT HOP card, children aged 5-15 years travel FREE. Learn more: https://t.co/8OZa4mgfjU pic.twitter.com/rcMg5Ls1P1
Auckland council's tourism and events company, ATEED, decided last year that the parade did not meet its funding criteria of bringing overnight visitors to the city.
Elected councillors voted to overturn the decision.
About 95 per cent of the parade is funded by commercial sponsorship.
Last year's parade was postponed due to bad weather for the first time in 20 years.
Have you spotted one in your backyard? Aussie spider establishing in Christchurch
Whareama fire: 30 years gone in under 30 minutes
Diver unaware of search operation trying to find him


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REVIEW: Praetorian of Dorn
The war has finally come to Terra in Praetorian of Dorn by John French. Pitting two of my favorite legions, the Alpha Legion and the Imperial Fists, against each other in a shadowy war of subterfuge and misdirection, this novel was something I was definitely looking forward to reading. Did it live up to my expectations or fall foul of Alpharius' ploys?
I have always been a huge fan of the Imperial Fists and Rogal Dorn, their Primarch. Everything about them appealed to me, and let's be honest, their color scheme is just plain awesome. Back in the day if you walked up to the table with a fully painted Imperial Fists army it was extremely impressive. It's a little easier to achieve now with the new paints, but still looks amazing. When I saw that there was a Heresy novel pitting these stalwarts of the Imperium against the equally awesome Alpha Legion within the Sol System itself I could barely contain my excitement to read it. Legion, by Dan Abnett, is one of my favorite Heresy novels and pretty much any novel that has contained the Alpha Legion in it has been very good. Plus, this was a completely unexplored event. Never before had I read, or heard any mention of the Alpha Legion reaching Terra before Horus.
The story opens up just as the Alpha Legion's plans begin to unfold. All across Terra, and the rest of the Sol System, the sleeper agents of Alpharius start kicking into gear. This included digging up a couple of Space Marine who have been buried in the deserts of Terra for a decade or more. That's from before the Heresy even started. I really loved this detail since it just shows how paranoid the Legion is as well as how much they plan for any and all contingencies. They didn't know if they would ever have to activate these Marines, but better safe than sorry. Docking yards are sabotaged, ships are blown up, and a group of Space Marines infiltrate the Imperial Palace itself.
This scene was really cool as they are there to antagonize Rogal Dorn more than anything else, and they definitely succeed, with only one of their number escaping, a head hunter named Silonius. The rest are all slaughtered by the Primarch himself. After this embaressment, Dorn appoints the master of his Huscarls, Archamus, to hunt down the remaining Alpha Legion agents, and keep it quiet. Archamus recruits the help of a Sergeant, Kestros, and a mysterious representative of a Luna cult, Andromeda. Together, this group begins to follow the bread crumbs and discover just how far the reach of the Legion extends.
Silonius, meanwhile, meets up with the Marines unburied from the deserts, and joins them in their mission. His memory is hidden from even him, and it's only slowly unlocked as he is given certain keywords along the mission. You start to realize that he may not be all he seems and his own mission isn't nessecarily aligned with the rest of the Alpha Legion agents. I really enjoyed reading the scenes with this group. All of the Space Marines managed to be unique enough that they all felt like real people, which is impressive for a legion that is known for being all the same. I particularly liked the mortal agents that tagged along with them like Myzmadra and Incarnus, a psyker with an attitude problem. The best part about all of their scenes is trying to figure out who's betraying who, what's really spontaneous and what's been pre-planned, and what's really going on with everything. As these agents spin their webs, a larger, more traditional assault fleet nears the edges of the Sol system, which is under the protection of Sigismund; so we get to see a bit of the Templar too.
It's hard to talk about the plot of this book without taking away a lot of the fun of reading it. There are so many mysteries and revelations, that to delve too deep into it would spoil everything. I will say that I enjoyed that they explored areas of the Sol System that we haven't seen before, such as several other planets, and the seedier sides of the Emperor's own backyard. All of the characters were fantastic, with Archamus being a true standout on the Imperial side of things. We get to see a bit more of his backstory in a few flashbacks, and his plot has a nice little twist at the end that really ties in well to a moment from his past. Andromeda is a ton of fun too. She's a teenage girl, but not really. She's the result of the gene-cults of Luna and is kind of an avatar of them. It's hard to explain, but will make sense once you read it. Due to this, she's irreverent, like a teen is, even to the Space Marines, but at the same time very powerful and purposeful and a vital piece to their plan.
There are a bunch of awesome actions scenes scattered throughout. Some are large, blockbuster style scenes when the Imperial Fists assault whole compounds, while others are smaller, ambush style set ups; but both have equally brutal, and fast paced action. The plot continually moved forward, even when it went backwards in the flashbacks. There was never a moment where I got bored of the story and I always wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. John French did a fantastic job of making the Alpha Legion feel like a true threat while sticking to their secretive nature. You never knew what was true and what wasn't as the viewpoint switched from character to character. All of their plots felt believable, and most importantly, earned. It really felt like years of planning was finally paying off as the Legion launched their penultimate ploy (or who knows with the Alpha Legion, this could have all been a distraction).
The finale to this is amazing, and is everything you could have hoped for. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler, due to the cover of the book, to say we get to see Alpharius and Rogal Dorn square off. Primarch fights are always a joy to read, and this one is particularly brutal. There are a couple of huge twists at the end that could have dire consequences on future events, which is only fitting for an Alpha Legion book. Praetorian of Dorn had everything I had hoped for from this book and more. I dare say, John French's portrayal of the Alpha Legion rivals even that of Dan Abnett from Legion. John is the Omega to Dan's Alpha. I hope that one of these two get to carry the Alpha Legion story forward in the closing books of the Heresy. He handled the Imperial Fists expertly as well, and his characters embodied all of the stubbornness and humorless nature we have come to expect from Dorn's sons.
This novel is a huge milestone in the Heresy and has events that carry tremendous weight going forward, so there is absolutely no way you should skip this book. I would definitely recommend everyone read this. The only novel I think is required reading before this is Legion, though it doesn't hurt to have read as much as you can of the rest of the series. This really has the feel of being close to the end, so it's nice if you know the full weight behind the series before diving into it. It will definitely improve your appreciation for the events that unfold, but having said that, not reading everything else first doesn't detract from how great this story is either. This also happened to be one of my favorite covers from the Heresy series. It's just so intense and awesome. If you haven't read this yet, you're missing out.
Alpharius
Labels: Review, Warhammer 40K
The Unofficial Tombs Kings Battletome Contest Winner!
TUTORIAL: Kharadron Overlords of Barak-Mor
GALLERY: Kharadron Overlords Arkanauts of Barak-Mor
REVIEW: Kharadron Overlords Battletome
Tournaments and Soft Scores
GALLERY: The Army of Siebenbur Castle
REVIEW: Blades of Khorne Battletome


Since its launch in 2007, the STUDIO NYC has become one of our personal favourites . The sophisticated and at the same time minimalist floorwear has been implemented into a multitude of high-end retail stores, concept shops and offices. The Studio NYC Raw Wool Edition features an excellent wool that is both, noble and robust, and underlines the minimalist classiness of the Studio NYC Collection with every single fibre. And as the colour range harmonises so truly with the wool these colours are also available for Suite STHLM Wool and MARK 2 Wool.
weak capability to restore: furniture could leave marks; we recommend furniture glides, especially for chairs.
Take the tour with our assistant to find your perfect rug easily or explore all collections by yourself.


On January 15, 2019, I introduced my first piece of legislation as a member of the Montgomery County Council. Bill 1-19, the Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency (LETT) Act. This is bill would require an independent investigation in the event of an officer involved death in the county. The bill would also require that a report be submitted to the County's State's Attorney and be made public if criminal charges are not filed. Independence, Transparency and building trust, that's what this bill is about. For community members to feel safe and for our officers to be able to do their jobs.


Six words filled with purpose.
It has always baffled me a little how easy it was for Mary to accept the words of the angel of the Lord when he came to her and told her she would carry the Messiah. God had a purpose for her and in her acceptance of His plan she became obedient to the will of God for her life.
Piggybacking on this idea Ferscheler and Smith put together a book entitled "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure. Kind of a fun idea that has become a challenge for many. I first heard of this exercise in the early 2000's and over the years have come up with a number of memoirs. I'd like to think they are all original, but either way, they all reflect my mindset at the time.
I wonder what my six word memoir will be in another year? In five years? When my life comes to an end? I know what I would want it to be.
Beautiful life. Godly woman. Helped many.


Dr. Arkady Tsibel, DDS is a dentistry practitioner in Bellflower, CA and has been practicing for 43 years. He graduated from Moscow State University in 1976 and practices dentistry.
How was your experience with Dr. Tsibel?


Welcome back!!!!! Let's see what's been happening this week at The Benson Street.
Looking for a sweet treat??? This easy homemade cheesecake is super yummy!!!! Now let's see what you've been up to!
Hey everyone! You don't have to be Irish to love celebrating St. Patrick's Day! And with this fun round up of features from last week's party, you can start planning your St. Patty's Day celebration! From yummy recipe ideas to creative craft ideas, there were so many great projects to choose from. So get your green on, get inspired, and get in the "Luck of the Irish" spirit!


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HRFCA ChamberFORCE initiative already demonstrating its worth
The Highland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association (HRFCA) ChamberFORCE initiative was launched just three months ago and is already demonstrating its worth. ChamberFORCE is a partnership between five Scottish Chambers of Commerce (supported by HRFCA),...
St. James's Place Wealth Management – Edinburgh Academy celebrates selecting their 100th wealth advice...
What is the St. James's Place Academy? St. James's Place Wealth Management is an award-winning FTSE 100 company. Our Academy provides high calibre, driven and diverse individuals with no previous experience, an exciting opportunity to...
New Directors join the SCC Board
Scottish Chambers of Commerce welcomes four of Scotland's most prominent and successful business people to join its Board of Directors, bringing with them decades worth of experience and expertise from a variety of different...
Lochaber Chamber of Commerce provides a fantastic week of inspiration
Lochaber Ideas Week once again provided a packed week of inspirational events designed to bring the whole business and wider community together in Fort William recently. Lochaber Chamber of Commerce delivered an engaging mixture of...
Financial services entrepreneur joins award winning financial services company
Mearns & Company, a multi award winning Chartered wealth management and employee benefits consultancy based in Edinburgh, is pleased to welcome the appointment of Alan Fergusson as a Non-Executive Director. Alan has over 20 years'...
Huawei reaffirms ongoing research partnership with the University of Edinburgh
The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei took part in an Informatics Ventures Speaker Series event at the School of Informatics at Edinburgh University in October. The main speaker was Tian Tiao, advisor of the Huawei...
CBC Partner wins Legal 500 Award
Congratulations to Clyde Blowers Capital Partner, Shauna Powell, who has won Individual of the Year in Private Equity at the prestigious Legal 500 Awards. The Legal 500 United Kingdom Awards recognises and rewards the best...
Edrington unveils new Macallan distillery as part of £500 million investment
International and premium spirits company Edrington was this summer proud to open a new distillery and visitor centre to produce Macallan, one of the jewels in the malt whisky crown. The new distillery and visitor...
When it comes to developing sustainable products organisational elephant is onit!
Award winning Nicola Walters launches new organisational venture. Award winning Scottish female entrepreneur, Nicola Walters has launched her latest business venture, onits. onits are dry-wipe, reusable magnetic notes that are perfect for brainstorms, workshops, personal planning,...
Record Success at ROCCO Awards 2018
A sell-out crowd of 500 people witnessed 17 Awards presented at ROCCO 2018 on Friday 16th November at the Normandy Hotel Renfrew. Renfrewshire's principal business event now in its 15th year was sponsored by Paisley.is,...


Paulson Management Group » Tagged 5 things Meme!
I just returned from an incredible California Disneyland vacation with my 6 year old son Torsten and WHAM I get tagged.
December has been filled with SEO awards and Tags and emails and work and now what is going on! We are not busy enough you guys had to go invent a Blog game during Q4 no less?
Alright, so I am pulling some interesting people in on this, I hope they have the time and the patience to reciprocate the tagging; I am interested to see who is next. It could be you!
Stephen Ralph from top-affiliate.com pulled me into this, so what's it all about? Well, I'm supposed to tell you 5 things you may not know about me.
1) I am single, have been for awhile as I have concentrated on my son and my career and now my e commerce Master's program at NYIT! Watch out I prefer to prowl at industry events such as Affiliate Summit, e marketing Association, and Ad Tech.
2) I used to race down hill skiing when I was young, I am teaching my son to ski now, we are very active with snow skiing, camping, hiking, boating, Martial Arts, Boy Scouts, swimming every Wednesday etc.
3) I volunteer my time to help: Boy Scouts of America, Autism Network and Aspergers awareness programs and websites.
5) I drive 50 miles an hour on the freeway! I do not care who honks at me I turn my rear view mirror so I can not see them. And hey, if I get pulled over it is just another dating opp right?
Here are my blog tag predecessors. I was tagged by Stephen Ralph who was tagged by Bobbie Grennier, who was tagged by Linda Buquet who was tagged by Anik Singal who was tagged by Rosalind Gardner, who was tagged by Jeremy Palmer.
That's awesome you volunterr you time to help Boy Scouts of America, Autism Network and Aspergers awareness programs/websites around your hectic schedule. Good for you. Evidently picked asparagus is a significant factor in your life to make this list. ROFL!


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Half of academics confused about open data
Survey reveals three quarters of academics have shared data despite widespread uncertainty From an article written by Holly Else The World University Rankings October 25, 2016
More than half of academics that have openly shared their data are unsure about the licensing conditions of doing so, according to a new report. The report, published by Figshare, a sharing site used by researchers, finds widespread uncertainty about the extent to which shared data can be accessed or reused.
More guidance is needed to ensure that "confusion does not prevail", according to the head of the research technology company that owns Figshare. The report, The State of Open Data, looks at attitudes to data sharing and reveals the results of a survey of 2,000 academics worldwide. It finds that despite any confusion over how to share data, around three quarters of respondents had made their data openly available at some point in their career and more than half have used data made freely available by others.
But when asked about which licensing conditions they had attached to any data they shared, 60 per cent said they did not know. More than half said that they would like more guidance on how to comply with research funder's policies on data sharing. Daniel Hook, chief executive of Digital Science, which owns Figshare, said: "Today's findings show we have reached a key inflection point in the research community – nearly three-quarters of all researchers, whether by mandate or not, state they have made their data sets open and available." "This clearly demonstrates researchers consider sharing data sets as core to the furthering of research," he added.
But the results of the survey also reveal the need for "greater support in understanding what is becoming a highly complex and nuanced activity", he said."We need to provide the right education to young academics, and provide clear guidance to more established colleagues to ensure a culture change can take place, and that confusion does not prevail," he said. Almost 70 per cent of respondents said that they valued a data citation as much as an article citation, and a further 10 per cent said they valued it more, according to the report. But less than half of those surveyed said they felt confident about how to cite a secondary research dataset.
The report finds that researchers in Asia are the least familiar with the concept of open data. Just 65 per cent of those surveyed in Asia said they were aware of data that is free to access, reuse and redistribute. Meanwhile those in Australasia have the highest awareness, with 87 per cent saying the same.
How to create an efficient Data Management Plan?
Release 3.18 – 3 Mar 2017


text:
Requiem for a nation: identity and the nationalist question among young Newfoundlanders
Baker, James Thomas Ernest (2006) Requiem for a nation: identity and the nationalist question among young Newfoundlanders. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
The debate surrounding Newfoundland identity and nationalism has been one that few have sought to study, especially with regard to its political implications. While some would argue that there is, indeed, a Newfoundland identity, and to some degree nationalism, very few would be able to explain why the former has not been expressed politically. This is important since in areas like Ireland and Quebec, the unique identity felt there has led to nationalism. -- While the evidence supports the argument that young Newfoundlanders in this sample have a strong sense of identity, the evidence indicates that it has not resulted in nationalism. However, there are two possible outcomes: a strong sense of patriotism or a strong sense of nee-nationalism. The evidence will show that these individuals are likely to subscribe to nee-nationalism as it would allow an expression of identity and an equitable redress to Newfoundland's problems without any 'separation anxiety
Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of > Political Science
Nationalism--Newfoundland and Labrador; Youth--Newfoundland and Labrador--Public opinion.


text:
Mountain2Mountain: Field Notes
dare to believe in our common humanity
Streets of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Women's Cycling
Category Archives: Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team, Uncategorized
Fighting Corruption, One Bike at a Time
Photo Credit: Adam Ferguson for The New York Times
Yesterday the story of the ongoing corruption and mismanagement and possible abuse in Afghan women's sports federations finally was published by Rod Nordland of the New York Times, titled Corruption in Afghanistan All but Cripples Women's Team Sports. Our founder spoke with Rod several weeks ago when he contacted her about our withdrawl of support for the Afghan Cycling Federation. She shared with him our experiences and frustrations and discovered he had found proof of some my accusations against Coach Seddiqi and against the cycling federation that had fallen on deaf ears when we had voiced our concerns.
Shannon had confronted Coach Seddiqi last July in Kabul about the corruption and mismanagement, and as we and she have written about in previous blogposts, not only did he deny any mismanagement to her face, he made it worse with the South Asian Championships debacle in India that he didn't take the girls to (see previous posts), which denied them the chance to race outside of Afghanistan and represent their country. The Afghan Cycling Federation's new Secretary General, Fazli Ahmad Fazli, denied any mismanagement and was insulted that I would even mention the word corruption. He made it clear that our help wasn't needed, that the accusations were an insult and unfounded, and thus we made it clear that Mountain2Mountain would remove all formal support from the cycling federation effective immediately.
"While the NYT article saddens many people that have reached out, it makes me happy to see the systemic abuse of power be exposed so that those in power cannot hide behind each other anymore. Change doesn't happen in silence, voices, many voices, must be willing to speak up to challenge corruption. Even as I write this, I hear news that there may be a new Afghan Olympic Committee President, this despite the continued disputes since the election last year. Its just another sign of the lack of leadership, stability, and the corruption that has plagued the sporting institutions in Afghanistan from the very top of the food chain, all the way down. This affects not just the women, but the men's teams as well….corruption is genderless in Afghanistan." – Shannon Galpin
But as in all things in Afghanistan, its usually worse for the women. When women are forced to remain in structures were the men are in the positions of power, even something as empowering as cycling, or soccer, or cricket, it becomes another source of oppression and entrapment. The women in Afghanistan may be breaking barriers, but the biggest barrier to women's sports in that country is ironically the same institutions that are in place to allow women to compete.
Coach Seddiqi was finally removed in an election last month as the President of the Cycling Federation. He was replaced by a man we met in Bamiyan in 2014 during a training camp for the national team we put together, he was the head of the local Provincial Olympic Committee at the time. Coach Seddiqi has also been fired by the men's team, but he remains as coach of the women's team because they are afraid. Afraid that if they stand up to him, they will lose their only chance to ride, their only chance to compete. He holds all the control. And they know it. Perhaps this NYT's article gives enough weight for the allegations of mismanagement and corruption that they can feel confident to speak up.
Just last week, we received information that the Coach was intending to sell the remaining donated bikes, we immediately contacted him through a third party and informed him that we were coming to Kabul to meet with him and fully expected that all bikes donated to the federation would be accounted for when we visit. He cannot operate in the shadows pretending he is a good man, that he is working on behalf of the girls, he is not. He is working for himself and himself alone.
Looking ahead, we have been working on plans to bypass the corruption and directly support the girls in several ways. The tentative plan, determined by visas issued by the US government, is to bring the girls to the US this fall for a training workshop with the hope of creating a future all-Afghan cycling team here in Colorado in 2017 that could support and train these women to become the next generation of leadership for the team in Afghanistan. This allows us to bypass the majority of the corruption and empower women to be in charge of developing the women's cycling program. This has been being planned for many months with an incredible team of cycling professionals who believe in these girls and in their ability to create a two wheeled revolution that puts women in the leadership positions and provide real coaching and training for those that want the opportunity to race.
Beyond that we plan to meet with the Afghan Olympic Committee leadership and the new leadership of the Afghan Cycling Federation, alongside the men's and women's team to discuss the future of this sport in Afghanistan. We will also be speaking with government officials about the state of women's sports and the Olympic federations in general. These talks will determine how we continue to support this program and these girls that have had to endure yet another barrier.
In the meantime, a huge thanks to our sponsors, Liv Cycling, Skratch Labs, Osprey Packs, and Hogan Lovells and the individual donors and sponsors that have supported us over the past three years. In the past three years, three new bike teams and clubs for women have started, Afghanistan saw its first women's bike races and 'right to ride' pubic events, the girls raced in Kazakhstan, and they were recognized by National Geographic Adventurer for their bravery and courage. This article doesn't take any of that away – it gives us the ammunition needed to bring change and the fight corruption that impedes the opportunities and dreams of these young women, and all the female athletes in Afghanistan.
Tagged Afghan National Women's Cycling Team, Afghanistan, corruption, cycling, Kabul, women's cycling, women's rights
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team, Strength in Numbers, Uncategorized
Necessary Changes
It is with a heavy heart that we officially removed our support of the Afghan Cycling Federation. After 3 years of working to support the women's national cycling team I have determined that the mismanagement and corruption of many involved at the Afghan cycling federation cannot be fixed. Its difficult to come to this conclusion on the heels of the team being recognized as National Geographic Adventurers of the Year and their nomination as part of Bike the Nobel for the Nobel Peace Prize. It's a dream come true that these girls are being recognized for their bravery and courage on two wheels. Yet supporting the infrastructure doesn't support the girls. Time and time again, I've seen mismanagement and corruption, yet I have tried to work directly to find solutions, discuss future plans, and advocate for the girls. Mountain2Mountain, myself, and the Afghan Cycles film crew have created a powerful PR machine that has elevated this group of girls into worldwide acclaim. Press and media have been covering these girls and my work in Afghanistan steadily for the past 3 years and that is ramping up again on the heels of the Nobel Peace Prize nomination. They are the darlings of the media right now, doing interviews, and sharing their story.
photos by Deni Bechard
Yet in parallel to the success of the team at breaking barriers and inspiring other girls to ride, there is a system of corruption that I can no longer deal with in good conscious. During the formal announcement of the Peace Prize nominations, the team was supposed to be racing in India at the South Asian Championships. We sent over racing kits and the funding to get 5 girls there plus the Coach. Instead, the team got to Dehli and stayed there instead of traveling on to Guhwati. There they visited Coach's extended family, he took his new wife to the doctor, and they had one group ride through town. The girls were denied their chance to race and represent their country because of mismanagement at best, corruption at worst. This is just the most recent example, there have been many throughout the past three years, this one was simple the most blatant.
There is no effort by the cycling federation in Kabul to support and encourage the other groups of girls that are starting clubs and teams. Instead these young women that are riding without the safety or direction of anyone but themselves are mocked and ignored. Girls like Zhara who started teaching girls to ride as a social movement, registered a team with the sports federation and yet is excluded from the federation, and insulted by the Coach. Instead of understanding that bike clubs only give the federation more strength, that more girls riding strengthens the national team in the long run, the Coach sees them as a threat to his power and control of his fiefdom.
Fiefdoms and power struggles exist throughout Afghanistan, even in the most benign areas like a federation of a sport deemed not worth supporting by the Afghan Olympic Committee. The previous President of the Afghan Olympic Committee told me directly that it was difficult to get the AOC to even do the paperwork to send the girls to the Asian Games last year in South Korea, even if they were funded, because they are considered a C level sport, and the AOC only wants to support A level sports like football and cricket because they don't want to look like amateurs. We fought hard together to get one girl allowed a spot to go.
There is much more to be said about the past 3 years, I intend to focus on the gains. Since I started working with the team in 2013, they have raced out of their country, been part of training camps where I taught them and the Coach, how to shift, how to draft, and how to ride in a pack. We discussed nutrition and hydration because the girls and the boys weren't eating or drinking anything on their rides, and then bonking. Hard. We discussed a longterm plan, barriers to involvement, and how to expand. The girls improved, we donated new bikes and helmets with Liv Cycling. Their story is in two museums as examples of sports diplomacy. They have been in over a hundred press articles in over 30 countries. They were recognized by National Geographic and the Nobel Peace Prize committee this year.
That said, I am not giving up on the girls. These girls deserve to be supported and I have determined that the best way to do this is to support them directly. We will be making an announcement soon about this, and until then we are grateful for everyone who believed in these girls and helped support them over the past three years. We have to get creative and recognize that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
As this year unfolds, we see their story only spreading more, and with the post production of Afghan Cycles finishing up, their story will soon be told on the big screen. The future sees a new chapter in this story as we continue to work to support the girls in Kabul, in Bamiyan, and elsewhere to continue to ride, to break barriers, and to believe in their own future for years to come. Stay tuned, this is going to be good. #pedalarevolution
Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team, vision and organization
Global Solidarity Ride Launches
August 30th, we pedal a revolution! Bikers, cyclists, commuters, and striders will take to their wheels in solidarity with the Afghan women that dare to ride, and in remembrance of the women that dared to ride before and in doing so, paved the way for independent mobility and freedom for women around the world.
Tagged Afghan Women's National Cycling Team, Afghanistan, bicycles, bikes, cycling, Global Solidarity Ride, Liv, Liv/giant, Mountain2Mountain, sports, Strength in Numbers, women's rights
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team, Strength in Numbers
Help Send the Afghan Women to the Asian Games
So its official. The Afghan National Women's team will go to the Asian Games in South Korea this September! This will be the first time that an Afghan woman has competed in cycling in such a world class event.
Backstory: Although the mens and women's teams were invited to the Games, which only occur every four years, the Afghan Olympic Committee was not going to send any members of the men's or women's team to the Games because they felt they wouldn't be able to compete on the world stage and represent Afghanistan in a positive light. I met with the President of the Afghan Federation, Fahim Hashimy two weeks ago in Kabul, and discussed the progress of the women's team and the positive story of women's rights and sports development that they represent is stronger than their racing ability. The men's team is relatively strong for the region and both teams can learn a lot and the opportunity will be integral to their development.
Tagged Afghanistan, Asian Games, bikes, cycling, Kabul, Strength in Numbers, women's cycling, women's rights
Afghanistan Women's Cycling Team, Strength in Numbers
Afghan Team Heads to Asia Cycling Championship
The Afghan Women's National Team rolled out today in Kabul for their long journey to Astana, Kazakhstan for the Asia Cycling Championship.
Mountain2Mountain secured funding to pay for the visas, passports, travel, lodging, and racing fees for 4 racers, Coach Sediqe, and an assistant. Thanks in large part to the current President of the Afghan Olympic Committee who we petitioned for support, we were able to financially support their inclusion in this important international competition.
They will be racing on their new Liv/giant composite racing frames, helmets, and jerseys. We are excited to see the team represent Afghanistan in this major cycling competition.
Tagged Afghan Women's National Cycling Team, Afghanistan, Asia Cycling championship, bikes, cycling, Liv, Liv/giant, racing, women's cycling
Support Afghan Women's Cycling with our Afghan Inspired Cycling Kits
Strength in Numbers just got real.
Thanks to the generosity of Primal Wear, and the beautiful bike mandala created by April Lemly, we are excited to share Strength in Number's newest look with an Afghan inspired twist. These are the jerseys that the Afghan National Women's Cycling Team will be rockin in their future international races. We are so proud of these women and hope that the jerseys unite the team and the nation behind the women that are daring to ride – changing the very culture of women and cycling one pedal stroke at a time.
We are excited to announce the creation of the 2014 Strength in Numbers replica cycling kits will help support our continued work with the women's national team development.
Pre sales of these kits are available as of today and delivery will be early July – in time to rock the kits for the upcoming Global Solidarity Ride on August 30th with the Afghan women and the global cycling community that is inspired by their courage on two wheels.
How to get yours? You email info@mountain2mountain.org with your order. We'll direct you to make the donation and confirm your mailing address. July 5th we'll package up the orders and mail out to you. In exchange we ask that you send us a photo of you rocking the jersey and that you commit to riding your bike, creating a group ride, or joining an existing ride (stay tuned for details) on August 30th to show your commitment to the Afghan National Women's Cycling Team and the spread of the women's cycling revolution in Afghanistan and beyond.
The only change on the replica kits will be that the Afghanistan on the back of the jerseys and jackets will say 'Strength in Numbers' and a few more logos will be added to the back pockets and the purple Liv logo on the shorts will be removed for the replica shorts. All three pieces are available in all sizes for men and women, but those of you that tried to get sizes last year and we were already sold out, this is your chance with a pre-order to get exactly what you want! Get yours now and rock it all year in support of the women that dare to ride!
Pricing = $110 for each jacket, $100 for jerseys and $95 for the shorts – this includes all US shipping. Overseas orders may have extra shipping charges. Want one? Email info@mountain2mountain.org to place our order and learn how to donate.
Want more information on the Global Solidarity Ride and our work with the women's team? Check out our previous blogs linked to both, and stay tuned for much more information in the month ahead. #pedalarevolution
Want to help support the team and their development? You can donate directly at www.mountain2mountain.org/donation
Tagged Afghan National Women's Cycling Team, Afghanistan, bikes, cycling, Mountain2Mountain, Osprey Packs, PrimalWear, Skratch Labs, Strength in Numbers, women's cycling, women's rights
For the Love of a Bike
Do you remember your first bike? Odds are, you remember distinctly the color, the shape of the seat, it may have even had a name. Mine was a bright blue Schwinn. It was stolen off my front porch a few months later and I was heartbroken. My second was pink with a banana seat. I was careful not to leave it on the front porch and it was my faithful friend until junior high when I got my first steel blue ten speed. Funny how bikes mark themselves indelibly on your brain?
This week in Afghanistan, I had the pleasure of giving 12 girls in Kabul their first bike.
First up was a visit to bazaar in the old part of Kabul to purchase some bikes that the girls could ride easily and that wouldn't stand out – more than a girl riding a bike already does in a country that has never allowed females to ride bikes.
We pick up a fleet of the same bike in different colors. We had the bike mechanic that worked with us to build up the donated Liv/giant racing bikes check them over and make sure everything was in working order. Delivered them to Coach's house and asked the girls to meet up for a team meeting.
We handed out the bikes to huge smiles and laughter. The girls have loved riding the new racing bikes and training, but none of them have ever had their own bike. Each girl has assured us that they have a male family member that have agreed to ride with them as an escort, most cases a brother, but also a father and a step-son. These girls are among the first Afghan girls to be riding bikes in Kabul socially. Its the start of a revolution. Girls on bikes. Breaking the last big gender taboo. We couldn't be prouder. Ride on ladies.
Tagged bikes, cycling, feminism, gender equity, Mountain2Mountain, Strength in Numbers, women's rights
Bikes Not Burqas
"It's time to stop referring to Afghan women as weak, as helpless. Its time to refer to Afghan women as strong, catalysts for change. How can we expect Afghan women to fight if we continue to label them as victims?" I said these words at my first TEDx talk two years ago – 9 months before I first met the Afghan National Women's Cycling Team. I had been working in Afghanistan and was enraged by the way we continue to look at Afghan women, and women like them around the world, as helpless victims that are in need of the West's support. These are not victims, although they may be victimized. These are women of strength and resiliency that need tools, encouragements, and the outlets to use their voice. 2 1/2 years later, the young women I work with in Afghanistan show me every day they are not helpless, they are brave, strong, and fearless. They simply need tools. Or in this case, bikes. The young women of the Afghan National Cycling Team, and the young women around Afghanistan that are learning to ride bikes for the first time in their country's history, did not grow up under a burqa. They matured in the post Taliban decade. They have taken advantage of opportunities in education, art, sport, and politics. Many were refugees in Iran and Pakistan and returned here in 2002 and 2003 with their families. Some stayed here and endured the Taliban's regime. Most are in their final years of high school or early years of university, a couple are married. All are embracing the feeling of freedom that comes on two wheels. These women are the generation of Afghan women that are embracing new experiences, opportunities, without a specific intent of being revolutionary. They know what they are doing is controversial, but they believe it is their right, that they deserve the same access and opportunities as men, and riding a bike should not be forbidden because of their gender. I believe sport is a natural gateway to social change. As these women race and bring national pride to themselves, their families, and to Afghanistan, they are opening the door to allowing girls to ride bikes socially, as transportation. Increasing access to school or work, protecting their safety, and improving their health. Creating social justice and gender equality on two wheels. This year we went one step beyond the team's support. I spent a morning at the old bazaar to buy bikes for each of the girls to keep at home. Their first ever bike. Do you remember your first bike? The joy and the freedom you felt riding it? Young women are now teaching other young women to ride, and several ride their bikes as transportation in Kabul. The first Afghan women to ever do so. Crossing the bridge from sport to social independence. Every day I worry about these young women. Not just on the bike, but off. They are on the front line in a gender and cultural war and yet, if they are willing to ride, to go to school, and to believe in a brighter future, I will do everything I can to support them. On and off the bike. Will you? The support of the team has been minimal and it's time to step up. It's time to support the women that are changing the future of their country one pedal stroke at a time. We need to get them a minibus and bike rack to safely travel to and from training. We need to support with stipends the national team so that they don't have to quit the team to help support their families. We need to support their racing and travel. We need to pay for coaching training to build the internal infrastructure for the team to grow and flourish and compete ahead of the 2020 Olympics and future Asia Games. We also need to continue to support the mens' team so that they will mentor and support the women's team and build both teams under the cycling federation as brothers and sisters. More importantly, we need to support the young women that are riding outside of the team – women who are using the bike to get to and from school, or to simply ride with their girlfriends on the streets. Using the bike to literally take back the streets and their rights. Please help these women pedal a revolution. Believe that social change can occur one pedal stroke at a time. Know that these women, and women like them, are the future and their fearlessness needs our support. Tashakur. Donate today. www.mountain2mountain.org/donation photo credits: Top three – Deni Bechard Bottom two – Shannon Galpin
Tagged Afghan National Cycling Team, Afghanistan, bikes, cycling, feminism, gender equality, Liv, Liv/giant, Strength in Numbers, women's cycling
Cycling 101 – Training Day in Kabul
While I spent my first few days back in Afghanistan sorting out the bike delivery logistics from Kabul Airport Custom House, I took a day off to train with some of my favorite ladies, the women of the Afghan National Cycling Team. Coach showed up with his usual assortment of steel bikes stacked on top of his Land Rover and to my surprise had lovingly packed three of the composite racing bikes I had brought last spring between layers of carpet. This team needs a minibus something fierce!
Several new riders showed up including a trio of sisters driven by their brother because Coach's car was full. As per usual when I now join, Coach handed off coaching duties to me, which I find comical as I am a mountain biker, not a roadie, nor a racer, but my previous life as a sports trainer and my general knowledge of cycling and coaching, coupled with the base level these girls are riding at, means I seem to have some knowledge to impart. This ride? The peloton. How to ride in a pack and not knock each other over like a row of dominos. How to ride wheel to wheel without running over the girl in front of you by mistake.
And after some warm up laps, the girls started to get the hang of it and I learned a few new Dari phrases like; 'Nazdeek bosh' – stay close together. 'Dar buchoo' – turn around. And my favorite, shouted loudly and often, 'Takar nako', DON"T CRASH.
Lesson One = Success.
Lesson Two = 'How to Corner' coming up next.
photos by Deni Bechard. You can follow Deni on instagram at @denibechard
Tagged Afghan National Women's Cycling Team, Afghanistan, bikes, cycling, Liv, Liv/giant, peloton, sports, Strength in Numbers
Free the Bikes
In the end, it took a total of 18 hours over 2 days, visiting over 30 offices, gathering signatures, new forms, old forms, stamps, and drinking endless cups of green tea and make idle chitchat to get the myriad of paperwork completed for the Kabul Airport Custom House to release our 53 bikes donated by Liv/giant for the Afghan National Women's Cycling Team. #freethebikes became a running gag in my jet lagged state of navigating Afghan bureaucracy. Seeing the final bike loaded onto the truck alongside Coach Sedique, head of the Afghan Cycling Federation and coach of the women's team was worth every cup of tea. Time to ride!
Tagged Afghanistan, bikes, cycling, Liv, Liv/giant
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Robert F. Kennedy was shot on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles on the night he had won the California primary in his campaign for President of the United States. As a result of the win in the California Primary that night, he assumed the leadership of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party shutting out Eugene McCarthy. For nearly four years — ever since a dramatic appearance on the last night of the 1964 Democratic Convention, when a standing ovation delayed the opening of his speech by a full 16 minutes — he had been the favorite of liberal Democrats, who were deserting Lyndon Johnson because of the Vietnam War.
Elected to the Senate from the state of New York in 1964, he had also emerged as a spokesman for the urban poor, who had rioted in Harlem in 1964, in Watts in 1965 and in nearly every major city from 1966 through the spring of 1968.
His death on this date froze him in time as a symbol of that era. For many American liberals, especially after that year's election culminated in the victory of Richard Nixon, he also became a symbol of not just a better past, but also a better future that might have been. Lost in the aftermath of his death and the tumultuous events of the rest of 1968, is the matter of just how liberal Robert Kennedy really was.
Recently his son, Robert Kennedy Jr., has raised questions about who shot his father, asserting that he believes there may have been a second shooter.
Sirhan B. Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant, was arrested and later convicted of the shooting at the Ambassador Hotel. Kennedy was mortally wounded after celebrating his victory in California's Democratic primary as he exited the hotel through the hotel kitchen.
Although Sirhan was captured at the scene with a .22-caliber handgun in his hand and later admitted that he shot Kennedy, new evidence has emerged over the years that suggests there may have been as many as 13 shots fired that night. Sirhan's gun held only eight bullets. There has also been disagreement among experts over the years about whether some of the recovered bullets were fired from the same gun.


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Target stores' registers are down across the country | TribLIVE.com
U.S./World
Target stores' registers are down across the country
Sat., June 15, 2019 4:38 p.m. | Saturday, June 15, 2019 4:38 p.m.
Registers at Target stores across the country were down Saturday afternoon, bringing checkout lines to a standstill and sending shoppers to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
The company said on Twitter that it was "aware of a systems issue" in its stores and was working to resolve it. It was not immediately clear how many stores were affected, though shoppers on social media reported outages in several states, including Iowa, California, Minnesota and New York.
Shoppers posted photos of long lines snacking through stores, and said employees were handing out chips, drinks and popcorn. Some cashiers were using handheld devices to enter in bar codes by hand so customers could check out.
The company experienced a similar systems glitch exactly five years ago, when its registers went down for several hours on June 15, 2014.
"Target has identified an issue impacting checkout at some of our U.S. stores," spokeswoman Molly Snider said at the time. "The glitch is causing delays at some checkouts, but is not in any way related to a security issue."
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