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The recent news coverage about migration, and particularly the 'refugee crisis', often gives the impression that border crossings by asylum seekers and refugees are an important or even the main source of migration in the current world.
This perception adds to the widespread idea that the world is facing a swelling tide of people leaving war-torn countries that is threatening to run out of hand, and that therefore requires urgent action.
This crisis narrative is reinforced by international organisations like the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), IOM (International Organization for Migration), and the United Nation's population division, who regularly release press statements - repeated in the news media all over the world - reporting that the number of refugees and migrants has reached an all-time high. This usually goes hand in hand with calls for urgent action to address this pressing issue.
As so often with migration, the reality is more nuanced. In fact, the total number of refugees as a share of all migrants in the world is rather limited, and has remained remarkably stable if we look at long term trends. According to official figures compiled by the UNHCR there are currently about 16.1 million refugees under their mandate. This figure would rise to 21.1 million if we include Palestinian refugees, who do not fall under UNHCR's mandate.
This is less than 0.3 percent of the total world population (7.4 billion people), and about 10 per cent of the total estimated number of international migrants, which currently hovers around 220-230 million (excluding refugees). While the international migrant population counted as a percentage of the world population has remained remarkably stable on levels of around 3 percent of the world population since 1960, refugee numbers have shown more fluctuations, mainly depending on the level of conflict in origin areas.
Between 1990 and 2010 the number of refugees showed a declining overall trend. This decrease mainly reflected a decreasing level of violent conflicts in Africa and Latin America. In 2010 the total number of refugees in the world was estimated at 16 million. In recent years these numbers increased again to 21 million, mainly as a result of the Syrian civil war. But on world scale this is a relatively limited increase. This recent increase is not unprecedented, because also other conflicts such as in former Yugoslavia have led to major temporary spikes in refugee numbers.
Only a minority of the world refugee population end up in wealthy countries. According to UNHCR about 86 per cent of all refugees stays in developing countries, and this share has increased rather than decreased over recent decades. Poor countries such as Kenya, Afghanistan and host huge refugee populations. The large majority of Syrian refugees stay in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Does that mean that there is no problem? Of course not. The unwillingness of the world community to host sufficient numbers of refugees and their indifference of many governments to plight of refugees, has been one of the most pressing issues of humanitarian concern over the past decades.
But the problem is fundamentally not one of numbers, but of international cooperation, solidarity and willingness to really address this problem. Particularly since the end of the Cold War, Western countries have shown a decreasing willingness to welcome refugee populations, and have systematically tried to prevent their legal entry.
It is therefore a misleading - and ultimately self-defeating - strategy to keep on repeating, every year again, that total numbers of refugees (or migrants) have reached another all-time high. This ignores that relative to the total migrant and world population, the the total number of refugees is relatively small, and that, on the longer term, refugee numbers have remained relatively stable.
There is 1 refugee for every 352 people worldwide. It would therefore be outrageous to suggest that, in numerical terms, the international community would not have the resources to provide refugees with a safe new home and perspective on the future - if only it can get its act together.
It is therefore a matter of willpower; Not of numbers.
Understandably, international organizations have an interest in raising public awareness about the plight of refugees. However, their emphasis on 'highest ever' numbers is counterproductive and may ultimately undermine the case for refugee protection, which is the exact opposite of the mandate of these organisations.
By hugely exaggerating the true scale and increase of refugee migration these organisations reinforce the crisis narrative and extremism that undermines public support for refugee support and that reinforces extremism. In this way, their 'refugee migration is at an all-time high' public statements may well contribute to the same migration panic and xenophobia these organisations simultaneously tend to decry.
The case for border controls
Refugees: A small and relatively stable proportion...


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The delusional ways we evaluate English learners
And how to fix it
by Janie Carnock
Second-graders at Dunn Elementary in Kentucky. Photo: Luba Ostashevsky
Around 5 million children in U.S. schools are learning English as a new language, about one in ten students. English learners represent the fastest-growing student group nationwide. More than ever, education leaders must design policies and instructional practices to best support these students.
Kentucky is at the forefront of this challenge. From 2000 to 2010, the demographics in the Bluegrass State shifted dramatically: the number of English learners grew a whopping 306 percent.
And yet, as a recent Hechinger Report article recently highlighted, the state's data systems make it extremely difficult to distill a clear picture of what is working with English learners. You can't diagnose or treat a problem that you can't see.
It's not just Kentucky. This is par for the course across the U.S. Almost every state needs to be clearer and more transparent about the limitations of current data for these students.
English learners — perhaps more than any other group of students, given the intersection of their unique linguistic and academic trajectories — present a unique data-gathering challenge. Policymakers need to be more forthright about this.
Current data-tracking for English learners has two big problems. First, these students — by definition — have not yet mastered English. Their performance on English math, English reading, or English science tests is not always valid. If these students score poorly on math and reading tests, this doesn't mean they — or their teachers — are fundamentally flawed or failing. They are learning (or teaching) a new language, a process that takes around 4 to 7 years based on a variety of factors. It's unfair to be schizophrenic about this bottom-line reality. Based on federal definitions of English learners, these students are supposed to be those who can't demonstrate content knowledge on exams because of language. We shouldn't be surprised — or punish educators — when the students we've identified as such perform that way.
Secondly, English learners are a constantly overturning group of students. Once an English learner becomes proficient at English, her achievement data moves out of the English learner tributary into the "mainstream" designation of all K–12 students. Experts call this the "revolving door" phenomenon, "the gap that can't go away." As soon as students progress and reach English proficiency, they lose the English learner label. So, her hard work and achievement never boosts the "English learner" category overall. She usually leaves the group just as her achievement levels begin to resemble native-English speakers.
This problem is fairly intuitive. Yet all too often, policy leaders and analysts will broadcast misleading statements on English learners. Half-truths. For example, they will acknowledge that it takes years to learn academic English and, in the next breath, bluster over the "achievement gaps" of English learners with graduation rates and national reading and math assessments.
Related: In a conservative corner of Arkansas, schools welcome immigrants
There's a helpful old Yiddish proverb here: half-truths are whole lies. So: the bottom line on interpreting current data on English learners? Proceed with caution.
To be clear, there certainly are real achievement gaps emerging for some English learners, and we are far from currently educating English learners in utopian, ideal, or even particularly effective ways. But, to pinpoint gaps honestly and target interventions, we have to respect what state data can accurately tell us — not what we wish it could.
Related: Schools are under federal pressure to translate for immigrant parents
Fortunately, some states are innovating with new data policies.
One important reform is the creation of an "ever English learner" category to track outcomes for these students over the course of their entire K–12 education. This is exactly what Oregon did in 2013. The initiative arose after state leaders recognized current data tracking made it impossible to comprehensively evaluate how they were doing with English learners. They partnered with researchers from Oregon State University to design and implement new data rules that would capture — and allow for comparisons between — the achievement for current, former, "never" and "ever" English learners. From this change, they found that graduation rates of twelfth-graders who were former English learners were virtually the same as native English speakers.
Washington State and New York state are two of only other states with similar "ever English learner" policies.
Another meaningful data point to track is "long-term" English learners. California has led on this issue, passing a groundbreaking law in 2012 to require a common definition and reporting of long-term English learners.
Related: How one Mississippi community copes with influx of Hispanic students
In 2014, advocates then used these data to determine that nearly three-quarters of the state's English learners in grades 6-12 had languished in schools for more than seven years without achieving English proficiency. This is a data point that should elicit alarm. That is, our education system is most likely failing students if — after a fair, appropriate window of time for language learning — there are still large numbers of students not mastering English.
Now, the new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, also includes a similarly-promising requirement for tracking long-term English learners under Title III. States will have to report the number of English learners who have gone to school for five years or more without attaining English. But this requirement is not a part of Title I's report card system, and so it is unclear if or how this data will be made usefully accessible to the public.
These ever- and long-term English learner policies represent important steps to get data-tracking for English learners right. As eager as we are to find new, promising ways to support these students, innovation and measurement go hand in hand. Picture a chemist in a lab with colorful, bubbling liquids in glass tubes. As she experiments, she carefully records results, reflects, tweaks, tries something new, and — through this process — distills key insights to push her field forward.
Education policymaking should work similarly. As they experiment with new strategies and interventions, leaders try to create such feedback loops and get temperature checks on what (and how) our schools are doing through important — if imperfect — data points. From an economic perspective: what return on we getting on our investment of public dollars? As a moral matter: are we doing right by these kids?
They have wide room to rethink data policies that would provide better information on how schools are supporting these kids.
Because if the data we have does not tell an accurate story about what we are trying to measure, that method is purely madness.
Janie Carnock is a program associate in the education policy program at New America, where she provides research and analysis on policies related to dual language learners.
Closing gap for immigrant students under Common Core in Kentucky is a moving target
More than five years after adopting Common Core, Kentucky's black-white achievement gap is widening
How one Mississippi community copes with influx of Hispanic students
Schools are under federal pressure to translate for immigrant parents
Janie Carnock
Janie Tankard Carnock is a policy analyst with the Education Policy program at New America. She is a member of the Dual Language Learner National… See Archive

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package org.jrune.entity;

/**
 * conversion algorithm for double values.
 * @author lycis
 *
 */
class DoubleConversion implements IRunePropertyValueConversion<Double> {

    @Override
    public String toPropertyValue(Double value) {
	return value.toString();
    }

    @Override
    public Double fromPropertyValue(String value) throws IllegalArgumentException {
	try {
	    return Double.parseDouble(value);
	} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
	    throw new IllegalArgumentException(e);
	}
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Go to Revenue
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Find a Revenue Form
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Get My Tax Questions Answered
Schedule an Informal Conference
Pay a Tax Bill
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Tax Collections & Reporting
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Revenue News
Sales Tax Holiday
For 2022, there are three sales tax holidays. The Tennessee General Assembly has approved two more sales tax holidays in addition to the traditional sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies, and computers.
Read more about each tax holiday below.
Clothing, School Supplies & Computers
Tennessee's traditional sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies and computers is the last full weekend in July. In 2022, it began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 29, 2022, and ended at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Next year, the holiday will begin at 12:01 am on Friday, July 28, 2023, and end at 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 30, 2023. Click here for more information about what items are tax-exempt during this holiday.
Food & Food Ingredients
For 2022, Tennessee's General Assembly has approved a sales tax holiday on food & food ingredients (grocery sales tax suspension) which begins at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2022, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Click here for more information.
Gun Safes & Safety Equipment
For 2022-2023, the Tennessee General Assembly has approved a sales tax holiday on gun safes and safety devices that begins at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2022 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2023. Click here for more information.
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A quick pan sauce turns run of the mill pork chops into restaurant quality, date night worthy, Blackberry Sage Pork Chops.
Take the chops out of the refrigerator and let them warm on the countertop for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the package, pat dry with a paper towel, then season both sides of each chop with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (it should appear wavy on the surface, but not be smoking), add the chops. Let the pork chops cook until browned on each side (3-5 minutes per side), then transfer them to a clean plate. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Let the skillet cool for just a couple of minutes, then add the blackberry jam, butter, balsamic vinegar, water, and sage. Return the skillet to the burner and turn the heat on to low. Whisk the ingredients together until the jam and the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet have dissolved into the sauce. Turn the heat up to medium and let the sauce come to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer over medium heat until it's thick enough to coat a spoon (5 minutes or so). Turn the heat off, taste the sauce, and add salt as needed (I added 1/8 tsp).
Return the chops and any juices that have accumulated on the plate to the sauce. Coat each side of the chops in the sauce and let them warm through in the simmering sauce. Spoon the sauce over each chop after plating.
If you're using thick cut pork chops, they will likely not be cooked through after browning in the skillet. After returning them to the sauce, let them simmer in the sauce until cooked through.


With Poldark back on our TV screens, we Norfolk people get a little grumpy when people try to imitate our accent and end up talking like somebody from the South-West. So if you're coming here we'd advise you not to sound like a 'furinner' but instead to 'learn yew Norfolk'.
Country Cousin or City Slicker?
Are you a country cousin or city slicker? We're rather proud of our beautiful countryside, and it's for the most part thanks to our farmers that it looks so well-ordered and in such good nick. So while you're here, we'd encourage you to learn a little more about our rural way of life, with this easy-to-do multiple answer quiz.
You've come to Norfolk to get away from the stress and strain of everyday, routine life… and you're very welcome. But what's the etiquette when you're talking to the Good 'Ol Boys down the Parched Parrot? Let us help you… follow our guide and you'll soon have an ear of wheat sticking out of the side of your mouth and be 'oo-arring' with the best of them.
If Billy Butlin is regarded as the father of the holiday camp, then John Fletcher Dodd is its grandfather. Billy was still in short trousers when Fletcher Dodd set up his first holiday camp near Great Yarmouth. All of which means that the birthplace of the multi-million pound industry is sited not on the Lincolnshire coast at Blackpool but in the one-time fishing village of Caister-on-Sea.
Cool Britannia is just so yesterday, but Norfolk remains the cool place to be... and here's our top reasons why, including Taylor Swift, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford, Natalie Portman, Ralph Fiennes, Keira Knightley and Cotswolds-by-the-Coast.
If you're coming to Norfolk, you need to be aware of these illnesses and unusual medical afflictions that only occur in this county… including Horning Sickness, Sloley-Does-It, Neatishead-ache, Trunch Drunk and Little Snoring. You see where we're coming from?


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We're so excited to be participating in the BOOMERANG cover reveal for author Noelle August and HarperCollins
Boomerang #1
Release Date: 7/15/14
Pages: 304; $13.99
Welcome to BOOMERANG, the hottest startup in the coolest city: Los Angeles, CA. Why? Because it's about no-strings, no-fuss relationships for those on the rebound and those who crave connection without all the baggage of long-term promises. While it's THE dating site for the millennial gen, their offices are even steamier than the hook-ups the website produces.
But that buzz is fading as Boomerang struggles to grow, the solution? Find two brilliant interns and give them a crack at turning this ship back to shore.
Enter MIA GALLIANO and ETHAN VANCE. These young strangers—Mia an aspiring filmmaker, and Ethan at the end of a collegiate sports career—are both bright and motivated. And for very different reasons, although they're both hungry and way up for the challenge.
But things go wrong from day one. For one thing, Ethan and Mia aren't strangers. The night before their stint at Boomerang begins, Ethan and Mia meet at a bar and fall into bed together. Or so they think. They're both hazy on the details. They just know it's aaaawkward when they share a post hookup taxi…to the same place.
Will the competition get to them, or do they have a future together?


If you've been driving the same old car for years and you haven't driven a brand new one in ages, you'll be truly amazed at how far things have come lately. The infotainment and driver-assist technology you'll find in a new Mazda, for instance, has come on leaps and bounds in recent times. However, the way we fund vehicles these days is also changing, with leasing now becoming an increasingly popular way of getting into a brand new car. If you haven't thought about leasing a Mazda before, or you're not aware of the benefits of leasing, read on.
The way leasing works means it's a lot more affordable in terms of monthly payments than other ways of getting into a new vehicle. As long as you've no hang-ups about "owning" the vehicle you're driving, you can get an awful lot more for a whole lot less by choosing to lease. If you've set yourself a monthly budget for your new car, you really ought to look at the Mazda that you could get by leasing. When you then compare that to what you'd be able to afford through other forms of finance, leasing could easily seem like a "no-brainer."
Normally when you get a new vehicle, depreciation, or the amount of its purchase price it loses in value over the time you have it, is the biggest cost. When you lease a Mazda instead of other ways of paying for it, depreciation is of no real interest to you. In fact, depreciation could actually be seen as your friend because that's effectively what you're paying for over the term you have the vehicle for, not the purchase price.
If you're one of those people who loves having the latest thing, leasing really is for you. In the same way we change our smartphones for the latest model when our contract comes to an end, you can get used to doing the same thing with your car. When you're lease comes to an end you simply hand the car back to the finance company, then, you're free to take out another lease for whatever you want. As you don't have to come up with a big down payment for a lease, having the very latest model has never been easier or more affordable, and you'll always be able to enjoy the latest features and technology.
In general, the older a vehicle is the more it costs to service and maintain. As time goes by things wear out and fail; that's just a fact of life. If you lease a vehicle and change it every few years for another new one, you won't have to pay for unexpected maintenance bills as you'll always be covered by the manufacturer warranty. And if you don't do a huge amount of miles each year in your vehicle, you could also avoid ever having to pay to replace worn out tires, exhausts, clutches, transmissions etc.
If you haven't looked into the detail of leasing a Mazda yet, it's about time you gave the folks at Walker Mazda a call to find out how the Mazda of your dreams can become a more affordable reality than perhaps you ever imagined.


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Take a year off to watch TV – with NOW TV's Box Set Sabbatical!!
Jan 24, 2019 by London-TV	in Entertainment
A fifth of Brits admit they have pulled an all-nighter to watch their favourite TV Box Set*, according to new research from streaming service NOW TV, who today revealed it will be offering one lucky Brit the chance to win £35,000 to take the UK's first ever Box Set Sabbatical.
The average Brit has just 100 minutes of free time per day, so with over 300 Box Sets of TV shows to watch on NOW TV alone, it's no wonder one in 10 Brits crams in an episode over lunch and one in 20 (5%) admits to pulling a sickie to watch TV.
The research also found that nearly a quarter of Brits (23%) felt left out socially when friends, family or colleagues are talking about a show they haven't seen – no wonder then that a third has watched a whole season in a day or weekend just to keep up.
Emma Quartly, Marketing Director at NOW TV explained why NOW TV has launched its Box Set Sabbatical: "Our research found one in seven Brits spend their holiday catching up on telly and 40 percent say TV helps them escape and relax, so in the depths of winter, we wanted to take duvet days to another level with the first ever TV streaming sabbatical"
Given the time, Brits revealed they would most like to start watching blockbuster shows such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos or The Walking Dead.
The NOW TV Box Set Sabbatical will offer the chance for one lucky TV fan to take home £35,000 to take some time out and catch up on iconic shows they've missed. The winner will also get a NOW TV Smart Stick, plus 12 months of NOW TV Passes to help them do this.
To enter, TV fans simply need to post a video or image showing why they deserve to win this ultimate gig. Entries should be submitted via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, using the hashtag #BoxSetSabbatical and tagging @NOWTV.
A panel of judges, including Box Set buff and comedian, Joel Dommett, will review the entries and select a winner that they think best demonstrates TV watching passion, creativity and experience. To help budding entrants, Joel has put together a handy video, offering tips on how to nail the pitch – viewable here https://youtu.be/Jxzz5W7nodY
Speaking about the competition, Joel Dommett said: "For anyone who loves telly, this really is the most unbelievable gig. Sitting with my feet up watching my favourite shows AND getting paid for the privilege is something I quite literally dream about."
Entries are now open and close at midnight, Thursday 14th February 2019. Further details on how to enter, as well as full terms and conditions, can be found at www.nowtv.com/bss.
Jimmy Garcia's BBQ Club introduced to Summer by the River


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Mercatus Events
The Treason of the Clerisy: Capitalism and the Intellectuals After 1848

Johnson Center Cinema, George Mason University, Johnson Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22230

Deirdre McCloskey
Distinguished Affiliated Fellow, F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
The Social Change Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University presents a public lecture by Deirdre McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prof. McCloskey, basing her talk on her upcoming book "The Treason of the Clerisy: How Capitalism was Demoralized in the Age of Romance," will discuss the changing attitudes towards capitalism of mid-19th century intellectuals.
Deirdre N. McCloskey has been since 2000 UIC Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was Visiting Tinbergen Professor (2002-2006) of Philosophy, Economics, and Art and Cultural Studies at Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
Prof. McCloskey has written fourteen books and edited seven more, and has published some three hundred and sixty articles on economic theory, economic history, philosophy, rhetoric, feminism, ethics, and law. She taught for twelve years in Economics at the University of Chicago, and describes herself now as a "postmodern free-market quantitative Episcopalian feminist Aristotelian."
Her scientific work has been on economic history, especially British. She has written on British economic "failure" in the 19th century, trade and growth in the 19th century, open field agriculture in the middle ages, the Gold Standard, and the Industrial Revolution. Her philosophical works concern the maladies of social scientific positivism, the epistemological limits of a future social science, and the promise of a rhetorically sophisticated philosophy of science. Recently she has turned to ethics and to a philosophical-historical apology for modern economies.
STAN TSIRULNIKOV
stsiruln@gmu.edu
Social Change Project


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MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser
Member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association
MOVIE PASS CONTESTS
TRAILER RELEASES
Ethan's Corner
Review of SUSPIRIA – Rated R
Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, REVIEW	by Matinee Chat with Kathy Kaiser November 2, 2018 November 2, 2018
SUSPIRIA – Rated R – 2 hrs. 32 mins.
DIRECTOR: Luca Gaudagnino
WRITER: David Kajganich
STARRING: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Angela Winkler
Give Your Soul to the Dance
Following his latest cultural phenomenon in last year's "Call Me By Your Name", Luca Guadagnino returns with his own interpretation of Dario Argento's 1977 groundbreaking, original film "Suspiria". The film opens as the credits inform us we will witness six chapters and an epilogue. A young, stressed woman named Patricia (Chloë Grace Moretz) arrives at a psychologist's home in Berlin, speaking about and suffering from nonsensical delusions. The next chapter begins, and we are introduced to a beautiful, young woman from America named Susie (Dakota Johnson). In Berlin, she is here to audition for Miss Markos and Madame Blanc's esteemed, world-renown dance academy. Once accepted, she begins to from a friendship with another dancer named Sara (Mia Goth). As they are already rehearsing for their performance, Susie offers to step-in as the lead due to the other leads and their understudies leaving the academy under various circumstances. During her first performance in-front of Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), dark arts take-over and they lead to one of the most grotesque, gruesome, and beautiful sequences in cinematic history!
As the story continues to build, we start to learn that everything at this academy is not what it appears. Slowly, the mystery begins to unravel as bits and pieces are artistically-revealed one sequence at a time. The ladies of the academy seemingly hint at a much larger plan in-action, involving the young Susie. As Susie suffers from nightmares, the viewer is introduced to her tragic, haunting past and her skill and precision increases. During this time, Patricia's psychologist, Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf) takes a vested interest in not-only Patricia's disappearance, but of the stories she told him about the academy. As the rest of the tale unfolds, it does so with patience and with the utmost attention to each miniscule detail; until "Suspiria" reaches its truly incredible and mind-numbing climax. While this story takes a while to tell, the 154 minute run time I thought flew-by is justified. Many of the film's sequences involve many intriguing, unrelated shots that are briefly shown throughout. While these may seem unnecessary to some, I found them to be essential to the film's desired effect on one's psyche due to the emotions they induced in the viewer.
"Suspiria" is by no means your average, run-of-the-mill horror film; style, sophistication, and layered-storytelling separates it from others in the genre and propels it to the top. This film stayed with me long after I left the theater; its haunting tale is filled with so much wonder and intrigue. One of the things I loved most about the film was how it allowed me to formulate my own thoughts, feelings, and opinion to the madness taking-place on the screen. Guadagnino brings the story to life in such a profound way, as I found myself unable to look away during some of the most gruesome and haunting scenes in "Suspiria". The cast is tremendous, but here Johnson and Swinton are the all-stars. Johnson uses her sexuality, beauty, and charisma to bring Susie to life and Swinton is downright sensational and charming; in more ways than you may even imagine (avoid spoilers!). Luca Guadagnino continues to prove why he is one of the very best in the business, but this will undoubtedly be his most divisive film yet; due to the imaginative, visceral story and the bizarre, artfully-grotesque sequences that tell it. I truly hope people take the opportunity to witness "Suspiria" on the big screen and allow its haunting, grotesque magic to engulf them and I can't wait to see what Guadagnino does next!
Tony Mosello
amazonstudiosChloeGraceMoretzDakotaJohnsonFilmReviewshorrorfilmsHorrorMoviesmoviereviewsnewmoviereleasesSisperiaMovieSispiria
Review of THE NUTCRACKER & THE FOUR REALMS – Rated PG – 1 hr. 39 mins
Review of CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? – Rated R – 1 hr. 45 mins.


Today we are among the six largest companies in the market for large and medium sized supply vessels (AHTS > 10,000 BHP and PSV > 2,000 DWT). In addition to this we own and operate 6 Subsea vessels.
Our activities are mainly concentrated on the markets in North-West Europe, Brazil and Asian Pacific. The company's head office has always been in Ålesund. Operations offices have been established in Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Macaé and Rio de Janeiro by a total of 2 100 employees onshore and offshore. Farstad Shipping has a fleet of 60 vessels and 1 newbuilds.
Farstad Shipping has vessel owning companies in Norway, Singapore and Brazil. The individual companies in the group are adapted to the tonnage tax schemes of their respective countries. A crewing company in Singapore and a simulation centre in Australia are also part of the group.


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MODEL CONSTRUCTION
Own hands
From paper
Good recommendations
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Himself an electrician
Devices helpers
Radio model
Public Design Bureau
Auto Moto Service
World of models
Small-scale mechanization
TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS
29.07.2018 12.05.2018 Categories Marine
The end of the Second world war and the beginning of the war "cold" put shipbuilders leading countries of the world in a very difficult situation. What will be the fleet of the near future? A plausible answer to this question. On the one hand, the naval theorists and engineers have gained an extensive experience of fighting the sea, which, it would seem that rightly could be considered the criterion of truth. On the other hand, progress in military technology has been so rapid that to follow him is not always possible. Electronics, jet aircraft, guided missiles, nuclear weapons—all these innovations have required reflection, and the most reasonable solution here would be not to rush and to "pause". However, to do so would have taken the United States by the end of 1945 they had a huge fleet and was considered to be the undisputed world leader. Other countries, especially those whose Navy suffered heavy losses, could not wait and started to build new ships immediately. The result of this venture was quite natural: the first post-war destroyers, developed on the basis of previous projects, at the time of entry into service turned out to be obsolete and unfit for combat missions in a new environment.
For the restoration of the fleet came from the Soviet Union. In October 1945 the Council of people's Commissars approved a 10-year shipbuilding program, which was planned to build over three thousand combat ships and boats, including the 34 cruisers, 188 destroyers and 367 submarines. And in the interest of saving time, decided to maximize the finished projects with minimal rework. In particular, the serial construction of destroyers proposed to expand the drawing "Fire" (see "modelist-Konstruktor" No. 11, 2001). The fact that the vehicle does not quite meet the requirements yet at the time of project approval (1939!), somehow no one is confused.
Head destroyer project 30 bis "Bold" was commissioned by the Soviet Navy on the 70th anniversary of I. V. Stalin in December 1949. The architecture and layout he kept repeating "Fire", differing only slightly increased dimensions and a slightly enhanced anti-aircraft armament. Torpedo steel petitionee (however, the specifications they were supposed to be on "tridtsatka" — they simply do not have time to produce). The increase in the displacement went mainly to strengthen the hull structure and increased fuel capacity. Great attention was paid to the improvement of the efficiency of buildings, in particular, the monocoque shell provides for the possibility of sectional Assembly. The latter played an important role: a large series of ships (70 units) managed to build in just five years. And in the construction of one of the ships — "Able"—was set unbeaten record, from laying the destroyer before the signing of the acceptance certificate in less than ten months — the case for the domestic industry is unique.
"Thirty-bis" with the cruisers of the "Sverdlov" became a sort of "calling card" of the Soviet Navy 50 years — mainly due to the elegant "minekonom" silhouette. However, besides the spectacular appearance, the other advantages of these ships was questionable. The destroyers had bad seaworthiness, the lack of cruising range, old-fashioned energy, weak detection, inefficient anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons… In General they conformed to the standards 30 years too late to be born fifteen years! Ships of the project 30-bis was the only one in the world of post-war built destroyers with artillery is not universal. Alas, but the construction of the largest in the history of our Navy series of destroyers was also the most ill-conceived waste of money.
UK by the end of the Second world war, moral was not yet ready to say goodbye to the title "mistress of the seas" and therefore to abandon the construction of new vessels is not desired. As we already know, the Royal Navy began to be equipped with more modern destroyers of the type "battle" (see "Mode-list-constructor" No. 8 of 2001) only to 1945. And most of the "battlow" to the end of hostilities was still under construction. Also on the stocks were the ships of the "Battlex" (series "Wepon"— "Weapons"). The latter was smaller in size, carrying humble weapons from twin 102-mm anti-aircraft guns in deck outdoor installations, but had increased viability of the power plant by exploding boilers and engine rooms. Externally, "Battlex" stand out for their unusual silhouette for the first time after the famous "triplow" the British destroyer was a twin, but the thin nasal tube was hidden inside the lattice mast.
293. Destroyer "Daring", England, 1952
Were built by "Swan hunter". Displacement standard, t 2830, full 3580 T. maximum Length 118,8 m, beam of 13.1 m, draught 4,1 m. Capacity twin-shaft turbine installations 54 000 HP, speed 34.7 per node. Armament: six 114-mm universal guns, six 40-mm guns, two platetronic 533-mm torpedo tubes. Total built 11 units: eight in 1952-1954 years in England and three in 1957— 1958 in Australia. One of the British ships in 1964 sold to Australia and the other two are Peru in 1970.
294. The destroyer "Courageous" (project 30-6ис), USSR, 1949
It was built at the plant named after A. A. Zhdanov in Leningrad. The standard displacement of 2316 tons full 3066 t maximum Length of 120.5 m, width 12 m, draft 3,9 m. Capacity twin-shaft turbine installation 60 000 HP, speed 36.5 per node. Armament: four 130-mm guns, two 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, seven 37-mm guns, two platetronic 533-mm torpedo tubes. Only in the years 1949-1953 built 70 units. Later 16 ships transferred to other countries (two to Poland, six to eight Egypt and Indonesia).
295. Destroyer "Surcouf", France, 1955
Built at the shipyard in Lorient. The standard displacement of 2750 tons, full 3740 t maximum Length of 128.6 meters, width 12,7 m, draft 5,4 m. Capacity twin-shaft turbine installations 63 000 HP, speed 34 knots. Armament: six 127 mm universal guns, six 57-mm and four 20-mm machine gun, four three-pipe 550-mm torpedo tubes. Only in the years 1955-1957 built 12 units.
At that time, the Admiralty already had developed plans for a new destroyer, which was finally deprived of the obvious shortcomings of their predecessors. The project was approved in February 1945 until the end of the war had to give the order for building 16 ships. However, head ", During" laid down in September 1945. The ensuing economic crisis forced a review of the shipbuilding program in the direction of their sharp contraction, but a series of new destroyers managed to defend, although shortened to eight units.
"Daring" was a long "battle" with the third 114-mm turret and architecture something like "Wepon". It was a pretty big ship: the state of his crew, corresponds to the rank of the cruiser with the captain (captain 1st rank) at the head. Housing first for the British shipbuilding-welded was performed (which, incidentally, caused a lot of technological problems). Steam turbine had a higher steam parameters and have good survivability due to a better layout. Thanks to new boilers and improved gear the prefix "Daring" 590 tonnes of oil could pass the 20-node swing 4440 miles, while smaller in size, "Battle" for this purpose would require not less than 700 tons of fuel. The use of two rudders has improved maneuverability in comparison with the predecessor, the diameter of the circulation has decreased from 608 to 480 m. On the last four ships in the series has introduced one innovation — the electrical AC voltage of 440 V.
Arms "Daringa" included three new fully mechanized 114-mm turret gun mount, MK-VI. Instruments themselves have remained the same, but due to a more perfect system of supply of ammunition (per barrel now worked for two of shell and one charger elevators) shooting efficiency is significantly increased. Torpedo armament — two platetronic 533-mm machine — at first with "Battle", but was subsequently completely dismantled. Strictly speaking, "Deringe" and ends with the evolution of the classic torpedo ships Royal Navy.
France in the framework of the revival of his fleet was not spared and the destroyers. The ships of the "Surcouf" was designed in the late 40-ies based on the experience of the Second world war. At the arrangement of weapons they strongly resembled the pre-war "Le hardy", but was larger and was equipped with artillery and torpedoes of the new generation. Suitable guns the French had, and it had to be established anew. So there is a semi-automated 127-mm 54-caliber gun versatile, created with American help and is capable of firing American ammunition. "Surcouf" was armed with six such guns in three twin tower installations; they complement quite a powerful 57-mm guns, and several "Arlekino". The location of the torpedo tubes on the deck look a bit old-fashioned: they were installed in the median plane and the pairs of sides. Moreover, their purpose was different: stern pair dalnoboynie fired conventional torpedoes against surface ships, and bow — homing against submarines. In this respect, the "Surcouf" can be called a transitional stage from classical to multi-purpose destroyer escort ship in the near future. It should be noted here that immediately after the Second world war, the French Navy adopted a new classification of ships, of which the destroyers (contre-torpilleur) was formally excluded.
296. Destroyer "Impetuoso", Italy, 1958
Built at the shipyard in Riva Trigoso. Displacement standard 2775 t 3810 t full Length greatest to 127.6 m, width-13,2 m, draft 4,5 m. Capacity twin-shaft turbine installation 65 000 HP, speed 34 knots. Armament: four 127-mm universal guns, sixteen 40-mm guns, one three-pipe 533-mm torpedo tubes, one mortars. Just built two units: "Impetuoso" and "Indomito".
About then prevailed a confusion in matters of tactical use of the surface fleet may indirectly testify the fact that in six years, "Surcouf" four times was transferred from one class to another: in 1949, he was listed as "high-speed ascoltera defense" (escorteur rapide anti-aerien), 1952— "ascoltera class 1" (escorteur de 1 classe), 1953 — "high-speed ascoltera" (escorteur rapide) and from 1955 — "the squadron ascoltera" (escorteur d escadre).
Just 50 years the French built 12 ships of the "Surcouf" and five "type Dyupre". The latest release in a separate type only because of enhanced radar and anti-submarine weapons (anti-ship torpedo tubes replaced by a jet mortar "Bofors"). The rest of both series destroyers are absolutely identical.
Italy in the first postwar destroyers began immediately after joining in 1949 to join NATO. Of course, about the old claims to supremacy in the Mare Nostrum we have not come, and new ships are now built only in single copies. "Impetuoso" and "Indomito" was developed on the basis of "distant relatives" leader "Tashkent", light cruisers "Capitani Romani", but had less displacement. The composition of weapons and electronic equipment, they almost exactly match the American "Gearing", with the exception of the torpedo tubes (the Italians was limited to one three-pipe). Also, instead of mortars "Hedgehog" "Impetuoso" received a new triple barrel ASW mortars — it was the only one in Italy sample naval weapons of its own design.
Summing up, it can be argued that while in the West, destroyers of the first postwar generation technically was ahead of the Soviet, outdated, and those other almost simultaneously. Began the era of nuclear confrontation, and requirements for the surface fleet has changed radically.
S. BALAKIN
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The 2006 honorees, with the President and Vice-President of the United States and their wives. From left, they are composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Steven Spielberg, singer Dolly Parton, conductor Zubin Mehta, singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson, First Lady Laura Bush, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Lynne Cheney.
Every year, the Kennedy Center gives its Kennedy Center Honors to artists. These artists have contributed to American culture. Most of these artists were performers, such as actors, dancers, and musicians. Some of these artists were movie directors, play writers, and songwriters. Most of the recipients have been American. The President of the United States usually attends the awards ceremony. The Honors are given in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center Opera House.[1]
From 1978 until 2002, the ceremony was hosted by Walter Cronkite.[2] Since 2003, it has been hosted by Caroline Kennedy.
1 Recipients
1.1 1970s
Recipients[change | change source]
1970s[change | change source]
1978 – Marian Anderson, Fred Astaire, George Balanchine, Richard Rodgers and Arthur Rubinstein
1979 – Aaron Copland, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Fonda, Martha Graham and Tennessee Williams
1980 – Leonard Bernstein, James Cagney, Agnes de Mille, Lynn Fontanne, and Leontyne Price
1981 – Count Basie, Cary Grant, Helen Hayes, Jerome Robbins, and Rudolf Serkin
1982 – George Abbott, Lillian Gish, Benny Goodman, Gene Kelly, and Eugene Ormandy
1983 – Katherine Dunham, Elia Kazan, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, and Virgil Thomson
1984 – Lena Horne, Danny Kaye, Gian Carlo Menotti, Arthur Miller, and Isaac Stern
1985 – Merce Cunningham, Irene Dunne, Bob Hope, Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe, and Beverly Sills
1986 – Lucille Ball, Hume Cronyn & Jessica Tandy, Yehudi Menuhin, Antony Tudor, and Ray Charles
1987 – Perry Como, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nathan Milstein, and Alwin Nikolais
1988 – Alvin Ailey, George Burns, Myrna Loy, Alexander Schneider, and Roger L. Stevens
1989 – Harry Belafonte, Claudette Colbert, Alexandra Danilova, Mary Martin, and William Schuman
2005 Kennedy Center Honorees, with President and Mrs. Bush.
1990 – Dizzy Gillespie, Katharine Hepburn, Risë Stevens, Jule Styne, and Billy Wilder
1991 – Roy Acuff, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Fayard & Harold Nicholas, Gregory Peck, and Robert Shaw
1992 – Lionel Hampton, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, Ginger Rogers, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Paul Taylor
1993 – Johnny Carson, Arthur Mitchell, Georg Solti, Stephen Sondheim, and Marion Williams
1994 – Kirk Douglas, Aretha Franklin, Morton Gould, Harold Prince, and Pete Seeger
1995 – Jacques d'Amboise, Marilyn Horne, B.B. King, Sidney Poitier, and Neil Simon
1996 – Edward Albee, Benny Carter, Johnny Cash, Jack Lemmon, and Maria Tallchief
1997 – Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, Charlton Heston, Jessye Norman, and Edward Villella
1998 – Bill Cosby, Fred Ebb & John Kander, Willie Nelson, André Previn, and Shirley Temple Black
1999 – Victor Borge, Sean Connery, Judith Jamison, Jason Robards, and Stevie Wonder
Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen, Kennedy Center honorees 2009, with the President and the First Lady at the Blue Room, White House, Dec. 6, 2009.
2000 – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Chuck Berry, Plácido Domingo, Clint Eastwood, and Angela Lansbury
2001 – Julie Andrews, Van Cliburn, Quincy Jones, Jack Nicholson, and Luciano Pavarotti
2002 – James Earl Jones, James Levine, Chita Rivera, Paul Simon, and Elizabeth Taylor
2003 – James Brown, Carol Burnett, Loretta Lynn, Mike Nichols, and Itzhak Perlman
2004 – Warren Beatty, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, Elton John, Joan Sutherland, and John Williams
2005 – Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell, Julie Harris, Robert Redford, and Tina Turner
2006 – Zubin Mehta, Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Steven Spielberg, and Andrew Lloyd Webber
2007 – Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson
2008 – Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, and Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey
2009 – Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen
2010 — Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey
2011 — Barbara Cook, Neil Diamond, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins and Meryl Streep[3]
2012 — Buddy Guy, Dustin Hoffman, Led Zeppelin (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant), David Letterman and Natalia Makarova[4]
2013 — Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine and Carlos Santana[5]
2014 — Al Green, Tom Hanks, Patricia McBride, Sting and Lily Tomlin [6]
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center's award for contributions to American humor
↑ "About the Kennedy Center Honors". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
↑ Keller, Julie."Kennedy Honors Feel Good" E! Online.com, August 5, 2003
↑ "Barbara Cook, Neil Diamond, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins & Meryl Streep to Receive 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors" kennedy-center.org, accessed September 6, 2011
↑ Gans, Andrew. "Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Natalia Makarova, Buddy Guy, Led Zeppelin Are Kennedy Center Honorees" playbill.com, September 12, 2012
↑ Gans, Andrew. "Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine and Carlos Santana Are 2013 Kennedy Center Honorees" playbill.com, September 12, 2013
↑ Harris, Paul (2014-09-04). "Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin, Sting to Receive Kennedy Center Honors". Variety. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kennedy_Center_Honors&oldid=6549048"
Entertainment awards
Kennedy Center honorees


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Accueil » Actualités crypto » China tennis star Peng denies that she made accusation of sexual assault
China tennis star Peng denies that she made accusation of sexual assault
"First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point," Peng said in the video posted by Lianhe Zaobao, a Singapore media outlet.
Peng's remarks on Sunday marked the first time she had addressed the matter on camera in public. She spoke on the sidelines of a cross-country skiing event in Shanghai that she attended.
She said that her post on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media site, which had been quickly removed, was a "private matter".
Peng, 35, said in the video that "people have many misunderstandings" about her Weibo post. She did not elaborate.
She also said that she had been living at home in Beijing without supervision. She did not mention Zhang.
Reuters has been unable to reach Peng since her Weibo post.
Early this month, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), which has sought a direct line of communication with Peng, said it would suspend tournaments https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/wta-suspends-tournaments-china-over-peng-shuai-situation-2021-12-01 in China immediately due to concerns over the treatment of Peng and the safety of other players.
The WTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
China has not directly commented on Peng's initial post, but said after the WTA's move to suspend tournaments in China that it "opposes the politicization of sports".
Zhang has not commented on the matter.
Discussion of the scandal, which emerged as Beijing prepares to stage the Winter Olympics in February, has been heavily censored in China.
Peng said in the video posted on Sunday that she had personally written a letter last month to WTA head Steve Simon, in which she denied the allegation of assault, and that an English translation of it by Chinese state media was accurate.
Simon had said at the time that he "had a hard time believing" that Peng had actually written the email or believed what had been attributed to her.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has held two video calls with the 35-year-old Peng.
At the Shanghai event on Sunday, Peng appeared on a fifth floor viewing balcony with athletes from various sports, including former NBA basketball star Yao Ming, and watched for about 20 minutes, according to the Lianhe Zaobao report.
She wore a black jacket with a China flag and a red T-shirt with the characters for China.
(Reporting by Tony Munroe and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing, Brenda Goh in Shanghai, and Chen Lin in Singapore; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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GSK picks ex-Tesco chief Lewis to head spun-off consumer healthcare arm


This is the fourth in a series of blogs on the next generation of search engine optimization. Catch up on the other posts: Next Generation Search Engine Optimization, Next Generation SEO - Content Power, and Next Generation SEO – The New Customer Journey.
In 2015, the total number of searches conducted on smartphones and other mobile devices surpassed the number conducted on desktop computers for the first time, marking a critical tipping point in the importance of SEO relative to mobile marketing.
That feeling you have everyone is constantly looking at their smartphones? It's actually a fact: we live in the "Golden Age of Mobile," and there are major implications for your business.
American consumers are tethered to their devices, and they rely on them to investigate, inform, and validate their investments, however big or small, and increasingly, they use their personal devices to complete the entire conversion cycle. There is no "off" button, and you can miss the opportunity to connect with new and recurring consumers in the blink of an eye, or a micro-moment as it is often called, if your business is not present (digitally). Be mindful not to underestimate the power of the micro-moment: it applies to both large and small purchase decisions alike.
Effective search engine strategies prioritize mobile content and optimization, given the weight it now carries within search. Search engine algorithms work to interpret searcher needs and deliver results that are preferential, and the monumental shift to mobile means search looks for content that will work best in mobile environments. Steps you will want to take to impact mobile search include: ensuring your directory listings are accurate, including your name, address, location, phone, and map drop-pins because these are what mobile users are often looking for when then search. Another opportunity for ensuring mobile success is incredibly straightforward but often overlooked: your website simply has to be responsive. You need not build a dedicated mobile page, in fact that will work against you, but you do need to have a page that resizes and scales to users' screens. Beyond your basics, social media are combine to create a critical segment that impacts mobile search significantly; social media includes traditional networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc), video (YouTube), and review sites (Yelp, G+).
If you're ready to get started but not quite sure how, get in touch with us! We'd love to talk to you about mobile and SEO. For more information, contact us or call 970.999.1168.


Delicious oven baked fried chicken that tastes fantastic! no need to fork out on those takeaways!
• beat the eggs, and mix together with the milk. Use a standard coffee cup for the measurements.
• take a freezer/large sandwich bag and put into it the flour, pepper and seasoning. Shake everything together.
• take your chicken pieces - you need to dunk a piece into the egg mix, then put it into the flour bag. You can do several at once.
• shake the bag well to fully coat each piece, and put onto a plate.
• now there are 2 ways you can now cook this. You can heat 3 cups of oil in a large pan on a very high heat and put the chicken in, turning, for about 20 minutes and until cooked through and golden brown. I prefer to do it differently though. I heat a little oil in a frying pan, and seal each piece for about a minute per side. I then move it into an oven dish and cook for about 30 minutes at 180c until cooked through and golden. The oven method is a little softer skinned, which is how i like it! But the choice is yours!
• then simply serve up and enjoy!
A buttermilk marinade tenderizes the chicken and helps create a crisp, flaky crust while frying.
Comfort food + cheaper than KFC!
Quick-ish and easy fried chicken!


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Fairview fire chief hiring questioned
Former fire chief says process flawed
Nancy Stephens
The Fairview Observer
After the recent hiring of a third detective in the Fairview Police Department - and his arrest after his first day on the job, public concerns have recently been expressed and new details have come to light on the hiring process for the city's fire chief under City Manager Wayne Hall's tenure.
In the fall of 2013, at the time of Hall's appointment as interim city manager, there was one full-time opening in the fire department. During the 10 years Mike Cooper served as Fairview's fire chief, he said in an interview with The Fairview Observer, the city managers asked him and members of his department to conduct the hiring process.
When Hall came on board, Cooper says, all of the hiring steps had been completed for the one open position in his department. In one of Hall's first staff meetings with department heads, Cooper asked if they should conduct "business as usual." According to Cooper, Hall said yes, until further notice.
The next day, Cooper presented a job offer to the top applicant for the position in the fire department. The offer was accepted, and Cooper submitted the new hire paperwork. The following day, Cooper says he was called into Hall's office with a police officer present and told he was being suspended without pay for hiring the new fire fighter without proper authority.
"I explained the fire department hiring process had been in place for years - and that I was willing to let the city commission or a jury decide if I had acted inappropriately," said Cooper, who says Hall then recanted his decision concerning the write-up and probation.
He said Hall then told him he needed to hire another specific person for the open position. Cooper says, Hall stated he had no choice and would have to hire the candidate as a part-time fire fighter until another position opened up.
By creating a position for Hall's candidate, Cooper says, "I was forced to juggle some money to make it work, since the new permanent part-time fire fighter position was not in the budget."
In that same meeting, Cooper says Hall said he would be in charge of all hiring. Cooper asked if all future hiring would be by "political appointment" and Hall said yes. Cooper said he then asked if he would have any input to the appointments and Hall replied no.
Hall denies the hiring was any type of political appointment, saying he hired the part-time fire fighter to serve as a "fill-in" and that person was "already serving as a volunteer fire fighter."
The following week, Cooper told Hall he was going to retire. He said he had planned to retire in 2017 when his age, retirement and investments would be in alignment, but decided he "could not work in a political appointee environment and sleep well at night."
"I felt forced to retire or accept a working environment based on impropriety at the top levels of local government," Cooper said. At Hall's request, Cooper delayed his public announcement for a few months and set his retirement date for June 2014. However, Cooper volunteered to stay on and oversee the fire department from July 2014 until February 2015 without compensation.
Hiring a new fire chief
After his announcement, Cooper says, he sat down with City Manager Hall, Finance Director Tom Daugherty and City Recorder Brandy Johnson "to come up with a fire chief hiring plan that would be aboveboard and withstand any scrutiny."
"I told all my men (in the department) that the new chief's hiring was going to be done right," Cooper said.
The fire chief position was advertised in February 2014 with a starting salary of $61,000 and applications along with resumes were vetted by Cooper and Johnson.
"We sat down and went through each application and charted each applicant's certifications, education, years of experience, years of service and years as a fire chief," Cooper said. Creating a spreadsheet to list the applicants in order based on qualifications, Cooper says, he and Johnson presented Hall with the list of the top ten applicants identified by a corresponding letter – without the applicant's names included to avoid even the appearance of impropriety or favoritism.
According to Cooper, Hall went back over the applicant pool, deleting some of the top candidates and adding others. Hall then scheduled interviews. After learning of the candidates set to be interviewed, Cooper says he asked Johnson about the changes and was told Hall had instructed her to make the changes to the spreadsheet.
Included in those changes was Hall's decision to interview then-Fairview Police Sgt. Travis O'Neal, who ranked sixth from the bottom on the original spreadsheet of 31 applicants, which was based on his completed certifications, education, years of experience, years of service and years as a fire chief.
A former Fairview High School graduate, O'Neal had prior experience working with the City as a fire fighter, but according to Cooper his resume was not as extensive as 24 other candidates. He lacked any experience as a fire chief; he lacked a college degree associated with public administration, fire science or a related field; and did not have as much firefighting experience as other candidates who applied for the job.
In March 2015, Hall hired O'Neal as Fairview's new chief. Cooper noted the State of Tennessee has no requirements to become a fire chief. However, he said O'Neal did not meet the basic minimum qualifications of the position as advertised nor did he possess an equal level of education and experience of many of the other applicants.
The city's advertisement for the position stated, "Minimum qualifications are four years of higher education with a major in Fire Science, Public Administration or a related field, plus 10 or more years of supervisory experience." O'Neal held a high school diploma at the time of his hiring over candidates who possessed both, bachelor and master degrees.
In a phone interview last Friday, Hall stated, O'Neal was "chosen out of 31 applicants. He was in the final eight. He was in the final four." Hall explain that he consulted with Buck Dozier in O'Neal's hiring. Hall described Dozier as "one of the best fire chiefs that Metro ever had."
He further revealed, "At the time, my choice was a guy out of Atlanta – as you well know, things change in an interview – and he wouldn't move to Fairview." Hall said the Atlanta applicant only agreed to commute for the job – staying in Fairview for work and returning home to his family on his days off.
"He would have been my choice," said Hall, who added, "But then Buck and I agreed the top choice was Travis (O'Neal)."
"The interview was the deciding factor for me (in hiring O'Neal)," stated Hall. He added that since O'Neal's hiring he has obtained a bachelor degree related to the position although he was uncertain what type since he was out of the office during the phone interview.
When asked if the hiring was a political appointment, Hall responded, "Absolutely not, all that decision is left up to me. There was no political pressure. This is his (O'Neal's) goal. This has been his life – fire fighting." He added, "It has brought the fire department together and they all seem very content over there."
Following Hall's decision Feb. 5 to place Fairview's police chief and assist chief on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the police department, O'Neal was named acting police chief during the interim, as well as fire chief.
Hall said, "Travis is doing a great job and he's been an extremely big help under the dire circumstances we're under right now."
City's hiring of Hall also raised questions
This is not the first time the City's hiring practices have been questioned. In October 2013, Hall's own hiring raised concern as Comm. Stuart Johnson attempted to appoint Hall as city manager minutes after former city manager Andrew Hyatt announced his resignation in a public meeting.
It was later shared Johnson learned of Hyatt's plans to resign earlier in the day and contacted Hall in advance of the meeting to determine his interest in the position. Comm. Toney Sutton also acknowledged he, too, reached out to Hall about the position prior to the meeting.
Under advisement, the board opted to allow members of the commission a few days to recruit potential candidates for the interim position. The board later appointed Hall as interim city manager.
Over the next few months, the city manager recruitment process was assisted by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) with widespread advertisement. Once applications were vetted by MTAS, the city commission added Hall's name to the list of top applicants submitted by MTAS.
The applicants offered by MTAS had city management experience and college degrees in public administration. Hall listed a high school diploma, business owner experience and time as a city commissioner on his application.
Hall won out over the other top candidates and was awarded a three-year contract with a salary of $80,000 annually. Some members of the city commission attributed their decision to Hall's love for and connection with the community as well as his time served as a commissioner.
Hall's hiring, promotion history since appointed
This is also not the first time City Manager Wayne Hall's hiring practices have raised concerns from the public.
When Hall was appointed interim city manager in October 2013, one of his first tasks was to fill the city recorder position being vacated.
The position was advertised and interviews conducted with Tom Daugherty awarded the position. A local Fairview resident, Daugherty was a former co-worker of Hall's prior to his interim city manager position and held a bachelor degree in business with a major in finance. He listed four years office and finance experience with 27 years in lawn care maintenance.
According to the City's advertisement for the position, "This position requires a combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from a four year college or university of recognized standing with a bachelor's degree in any area of accounting and/or business administration and/or a minimum of ten years of experience in the accounting field; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position."
Before Daugherty could step into his new role as city recorder, City manager Hall was informed the city's finance director was also submitting her two-week notice.
According to an employment notice from 2009, the finance director position requirements were "bachelor's degree in accounting or closely related field supplemented by three (3) years previous experience and/or training that includes progressive experience and/or training that includes progressive management experience involving governmental accounting and budgeting."
Choosing not to advertise the finance position or conduct a recruitment process, Hall decided to move Daugherty into the chief finance officer position. He then reviewed remaining applications submitted for the city recorder position. Not finding one to his liking, he brought Brandy Johnson, wife of then-Vice Mayor Stuart Johnson, into city hall to explain the job duties. With a degree in interior design and experience as a gift shop manager, Johnson completed an application after the advertised deadline and was hired by Hall as the new city recorder.
During Hall's time in the role as city manager, he has also been criticized for promotions and "newly-created positions."
As interim city manager, Hall promoted Bryan Bissell, City Commissioner Allen Bissell's son, to parks maintenance superintendent. Hall attributed this to a staff reorganization due to the departure of the community services director.
Hall also promoted Mark Sutton, City Commissioner Toney Sutton's son, from captain in police department to the newly-created position of assistant police chief. This was reportedly done to place Sutton "more in line with his work in the organization, which is more administration and less direct supervision."
Hall's latest hiring of Ronnie Williams on Feb. 1 into a newly-created detective position was also done during a hiring freeze, which was put into effect due to the city's current financial woes.
You can view a timeline of City hirings and promotions in this week's edition of The Fairview Observer - on sale now.


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HouseOfNames > Chircher
Chircher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Chircher
The ancestors of the Chircher surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Gloucestershire, where they took their name from the village of Churcham. The place-name is comprised of two elements: church and hamm. Church meant just that, and hamm was a Old English word for river meadow. The name meant "dweller by the church on the river meadow."
Early Origins of the Chircher family
The surname Chircher was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Chircher family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chircher research.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1659 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Chircher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Chircher Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Chircher include Churcher, Churchar, Churcham and others.
Early Notables of the Chircher family (pre 1700)
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chircher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Chircher family to the New World and Oceana
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas Churcher who settled in Barbados in 1654; and a later Thomas arrived in Philadelphia in 1844.
Chircher Family Crest Products
Chircher Armorial History With Coat of Arms
Chircher Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
Chircher Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series
Chircher Coat of Arms/Family Crest Key-chain
Chircher Coat of Arms/Family Crest Coffee Mug
Chircher Armorial History with Frame
Chircher Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms
Family seat


These four postcard rate stamps (shown above) will be issued by USPS on Jan. 28.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced it will issue four postcard rate stamps depicting seashells later this month.
On Jan. 28, USPS will release the new issue in panes of 20 stamps and coils of 100 stamps. Each stamp depicts an iconic seashell found in North American waters: the alphabet cone; the Pacific calico scallop; the zebra nerite; and the Queen conch, commonly known as the pink conch.
Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps, and Sergio Baradat created the stamp art. The stylized design includes horizontal swaths of white and blue in the background, suggesting waves have washed the shells onto a beach.
The first-day postmark will read San Diego, Calif.


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How to Get Rich on the Salad Course
Saladworks had a record-breaking year by playing on the health and wellness trend.
Laurie Kulikowski
Updated Mar 26, 2012 10:47 PM EDT
This story has been updated with new information.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. ( MainStreet) -- Saladworks chairman and founder John Scardapane gets the same thing every time he orders from the quick-service franchise: a turkey club salad with blue cheese dressing and Russian dressing.
"Occasionally I get a sandwich, but most of the time I get a turkey club salad," the former chef says.
Saladworks has 100 franchises on the East Coast and is expanding West and abroad.
While he may not get the healthiest item on the menu -- by far -- he sure knows the value of the people who do.
Calling itself the original fresh tossed-salad concept, Saladworks has been serving up made-to-order salads since 1986. The company, based in Conshohocken, Pa., has about 100 franchised locations in a dozen states, mainly on the East Coast, another 25 locations expected to open by the end of this year and several dozen in development for 2013, Scardapane says.
While its signature offering is freshly made salads and dressings, Saladworks also offers soup, sandwiches and paninis. Saladworks has consistently been listed as one of QSR's 10 Best Franchise Deals. Last year Scardapane was even named CEO of the Year by SmartCEO.
"Twenty-six years ago when I founded the company nobody believed that a salad concept could work. It was my belief that the salad concept didn't work because it didn't exist and consumers were not offered that option," Scardapane said last week. "We're giving the consumer an option, and they are more aware of what they're putting in their bodies today than any time in the past."
"Our goal is to serve something that tastes great but is also great for your body nutritionally, so you feel good," he says.
The company is catering to the healthy lifestyle as customers become more concerned with that they're eating and as restaurants and fast-food chains are becoming required to list calorie intake for their menu items.
The combination of an established market presence, a growth plan only recently being kick-started and increasing demand for his product leaves Saladworks in a good position. It's seeing more young customers, a growth attributed to the education young people are increasingly being given about healthy eating, but older customers as well, Scardapane says.
"Our chain used to be 65% lunch and 35% dinner. Now it's 55% lunch and 45% dinner. It's actually being driven by the elderly consumer. The 55-and-older consumer is coming to our restaurant for dinner. I think it's just because the price point that we are at and the nutritional value" makes for a good combination, he says.
Last year was record-breaking, Saladworks says. Same-store sales rose 15% in the fourth quarter, while overall sales last year rose 7% compared with a year earlier, the company said in January.
At least in New York City, these days almost every other deli has a toss-your-own salad counter, and a handful of companies such as Tossed and Just Salad that have multiple stores based on the concept of salad.
"We have a huge following and people seem to connect with the brand and what we are trying to do. The business model is working, which is allowing us to expand organically," says Nick Kenner, Just Salad's founder and managing partner.
While Saladworks' systemwide sales were $81 million last year, according to Technomic, the next largest made-to-order salad provider is Nature's Table Cafe at $35 million in 2011 sales.
Just Salad, a competitor to Saladworks, has six locations in New York City.
Regarding his franchised competitors, Scardapane acknowledges a few credible names, "but I think they're still in their infancy, where they haven't gone through any growth pains yet," he says.
Once his company started franchising, it took years to build the most efficient infrastructure, he says. For one, Saladworks sells franchises starting at a three-store minimum. "We don't want to go to a market and do one store. We try to piggyback and get more three-store deals."
"The biggest challenge for us is to find the right real estate," he says. "We're not going to approve a site we wouldn't put our house on the line for. If you go with that attitude and really look, there are very few franchises. It's all about the location."
Early research surprised the co-founders by showing high-end sandwich shops such as Panera Bread ( PNRA), Cosi ( COSI) -- and fast-food chains including McDonald's ( MCD) -- wasn't their direct competitors. Instead, it was high-end food markets such as Wegman's and Whole Foods ( WFMI).
"It was a surprise to us," Scardapane says. "We didn't consider them a direct competitor, but apparently they are."
Saladworks is looking to develop eventually from coast to coast. The company awarded agreements for 73 locations to new and existing franchisees last year, allowing the company to expand to Washington State, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, California, Arizona and Washington, D.C.
Saladworks is also expanding internationally. It awarded its first 15-store development contract to a franchisee out of Singapore.
"We're ready to take this model and use it everywhere," Scardapane said in the January release.
The head coach
It is Scardapane's recent partnership with Vernon Hill, the founder and former CEO of Commerce Bank (bought by TD Bank ( TD) in 2008), that is helping the fast-growing company get over its growing pains. Hill owns a minority stake in the company. His title at Saladworks is "chairman of the executive committee."
A little background on Hill: After an investigation of supposed insider-related party transactions, federal regulators forced him to resign in 2007 from Commerce after nearly 25 years at the helm. The probe included Commerce's use of Hill's wife architectural firm to design Commerce branches.
Regulatory issues or not, Commerce was often lauded as one of the most successful U.S. banks in terms of branch building and deposit-taking. Under his leadership, the company expanded to roughly 500 branches. Hill was adamant the locations be called "stores," not branches, to reflect a retail atmosphere geared toward strong customer service, extended hours -- Commerce is one of the first banks to open on the weekends, even before large bank competitors -- and limited fees.
Hill is also an entrepreneur in his own right.
His troubles with U.S. bank regulators did not stop him from taking his retail-focused bank system abroad. In 2010, he co-founded Metro Bank, the first British High Street retail bank started in more than 100 years. Essentially replicating the Commerce way, the goal is to have 200 locations by 2020. The bank has nine locations in the U.K. and another 11 opening this year.
Among other partnerships and positions, he and a partner own about 40 Burger King ( BKC) franchises. Hill is also chairman of Petplan Insurance(apparently in a mission to bring pet insurance to the masses).
It was through Saladworks' banking relationship with Commerce that Scardapane and Hill began talking, and three years ago Hill was brought on essentially as an external mentor, Scardapane says.
"Without a doubt he's probably the smartest businessman that I have ever met," Scardapane says of Hill. "Anytime I run into a challenge I can pick up the phone and call him."
Scardapane's entrepreneurism and passion for his company was commendable, Hill says. "I like to invest in things where companies can create fans, it has something unique about them where the customers are in love with the service or the product, and Saladworks fits into that," Hill says. "I like to invest where I can not only put money, but bring my added talent and add value. I'm pretty good at building these stores. At Commerce I learned how to build a relatively small company into a relatively large company."
It should be no surprise then that the company is emulating the growth strategy and culture of what was Commerce Bank.
"Even before I met Vernon Hill we were already sort of a copying his company. Our culture is similar ... meaning you make customer experience as easy and efficient and as fluid as possible," Scardapane says. "It's all about the customer. You never say 'no' to a customer."
Hill says Saladworks has "tremendous' opportunity. He sees his role there as taking the company from "good to great," such as improving branding and optimizing store layout. (In another similarity to Commerce, Hill notes that it is his wife's architectural firm working with the company.)
Indeed there are similarities between the two companies. For instance, the tag line at Saladworks is "America's Best Salad," not far from Commerce's "America's Most Convenient Bank," which TD Bank has continued with.
"It's meant to be that way," Hill says. "We're very excited about where Saladworks can go."
-- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York.
To contact Laurie Kulikowski, send an email to: Laurie.Kulikowski@thestreet.com.
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United Kingdom 1944 - 1947
By the beginning of 1944, the threat of invasion to the United Kingdom had all but melted away. Instead, the U.K. had become a base from which the Allies were preparing to invade France to open up the second front so long demanded by the Soviet Union.
The formations stationed within the U.K. were either earmarked for service with 21 Army Group in North West Europe or became training, draft finding and reserve formations.
The issue of providing reinforcements for formations on active service was to prove crucial if Britain was to continue to play a significant role in the victory over Germany. In addition to providing reinforcements to 21 Army Group, the campaigns in Italy and Burma also demanded trained soldiers from the United Kingdom.
The British, Canadian and American forces landed in Normandy in June 1944, and the first three months saw a high number of casualties as the Allies fought to breakout from Normandy. in the case of the British Army, this brought the issue of reinforcements to crisis level, particularly for the infantry units. In the 21 Army Group, this led to the disbanding of the 59 (Staffordshire) Infantry Division, and the 50 (Northumbrian) Infantry Division being reduced to Reserve status.
In the United Kingdom itself, the Reserve formations were all significantly reorganised in September 1944. Units were trawled for suitable personnel to be posted to 21 Army Group, and several anti-aircraft units were either disbanded or converted into infantry units. These and other measures managed to keep the formations deployed in North West Europe more or less up to strength.
The armistice in North West Europe in May 1945 was the end of five and half years of war that had drained the suitable pool of manpower for the British Armed Forces to almost breaking point. By this time, however, the new Labour Government had introduced a reduction in the period of service overseas for servicemen that prompted a crisis in personnel in the Far East. It was another three months before the Second World War ended, but, it was not until early 1947 that the British Army began the process of demobilisation on a large scale to place the Army on a peacetime establishment.
Further information on each of the units and formations can be found in the sections as below:
Higher Formations
British Armoured Formations
British Infantry Formations
Territorial Army Formations 1947
Polish Formations


I was shooting a wedding at the Merion a while back, and I was approached by a lovely mother-to-be about a newborn session. She informed me that she would be booking as soon as possible. She was LITERALLY on my website while sitting at the church waiting for the ceremony. Initially, she wanted a maternity but we ended up doing this amazing newborn session! Gotta love that enthusiasm! Well, here she is- meet Mallory. I had a lot of anticipation for this session, and I was so happy to be working for this new family. Mom was radiant and dad was handsome and adoring to his girls. Wishing these folks nothing but the best as they adjust to the new adventure of parenthood.
Wooden box form Medford Company Store.


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Will Tesla Ever Make It To India?
Home Bajaj Auto Bajaj Auto Ltd. sells more than 3.48 lakhs two wheelers in October 2013
Bajaj Auto Ltd. sells more than 3.48 lakhs two wheelers in October 2013
November 10, 2013 | Yatharth Singh Chauhan
Added in: Bajaj Auto
Bajaj Auto Ltd., one of the largest players in the Indian two wheelers industry, has reported a total sale of 3,48,323 motorcycles for the month of October 2013. Compared to the same period in 2012, the bike maker has registered a 4 per cent decline in its motorcycle sales. BAL sold 3,61,186 units in October 2012.
Talking about BAL's sales performance in the commercial vehicles segment, the manufacturer sold a total of 37,000 units in the month of October 2013. Compared to the 50,316 units it sold in the same month last year, the manufacturer registered a decline of 26 per cent.
While BAL suffered a decline in the domestic sales, it registered a growth of 9 per cent in exports during the month of October 2013. Compared to the 1,26,091 units it sold in n October, 2012, the manufacturer sold 1,38,022 units in October 2013.


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UN rights envoy to probe Myanmar Rohingya violence
Published at 10:59 pm January 7th, 2017
The United Nations on Friday said its human rights envoy for Myanmar will probe escalating violence in the country, including a military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, when she visits next week. UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee's 12-day trip, starting on Monday, will also take her to Kachin state, where thousands have been displaced by fighting between ethnic rebels and the army. Intensifying clashes between Myanmar's military and ethnic minorities has undercut Aung San Suu Kyi's vow to bring peace to the country following her party's elevation to government last March. The Nobel prize winner has also faced strong international criticism for failing to rein-in a months-long military crackdown on Rohingya villagers in northern Rakhine State. Areas of Rakhine have been in lockdown since October, sending tens of thousands of the Rohingya minority fleeing to Bangladesh. Lee has slammed the lockdown as "unacceptable" and called for an investigation into claims troops have raped, murdered and tortured civilians from the Muslim minority. Hardline Buddhist monk Wirathu caused outrage when he called her a "whore in our country" for criticising controversial legislation considered discriminatory to women and minorities. Myanmar's government says its troops in Rakhine are carrying out legitimate clearance operations to hunt down "terrorists" who attacked police border posts in October.
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The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Anaheed Al-Hardan to Columbia University as the Arcapita Visiting Professor for the Spring 2018 semester. Anaheed Al-Hardan comes from the American University of Beirut where she is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies.
Her research is concerned with coloniality and resistance in relation to counter-memory, decolonial knowledges and south-south thought in the Arab World, and has appeareed in the Journal of Palestine Studies, Qualitative Inquiry, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies. She is the author of the award-winning Palestinians in Syria: Nakba Memories of Shattered Communities (Columbia University Press, 2016), joint winner of the 2016 Academic Book Award at the London Palestine Book Awards.
Her current book project examines Arab decolonial theory within the context of south-south philosophies of liberation and decolonization. At the MEI she is teaching a graduate course "The Decolonial Turn and West Asia".
"Memories For The Return? Remembering The Nakba By The First Generation Of Palestinian Refugees In Syria". Journal Of Holy Land And Palestine Studies 16 (2): 177-192 (2017).
"Al-Nakbah in Arab Thought: The Transformation of a Concept," Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 35(3): 622-638 (2015).
"The Right of Return Movement in Syria: Building a Culture of Return, Mobilizing Memory for the Return," Journal of Palestine Studies 41(2): (2012).
"Remembering the Catastrophe: Uprooted Histories and the Grandchildren of the Nakba," in A. Sparkes (ed.), Auto/Biography Year Book 2007 (Clio Publishing: Southampton, 2008).
"Understanding the Present Through the Past: Between British and Israeli Discourses on Palestine," in R. Lentin (ed.), Thinking Palestine (Zed Books: London, 2008).


My Camera is a Sony DSC H9. I must say with 15x zoom it is among the better non-SLR cameras for Bird Photography.
MPEG Movie Mode: MPEG VX Fine with Audio (640x480 at 30fps) (MPEG VX Fine requires Memory Stick DUO PRO™ media), MPEG VX Standard with Audio (640x480 at 16fps), Presentation Mode (320x240 at 8.3fps).
Supplied Accessories: NP-BG1 rechargeable battery, BC-CSG battery charger, Flower Lens Hood, Lens cap with strap, Lens Adaptor Ring, A/V and USB multi-connector cables, Shoulder strap, Remote Commander, Software CD-ROM Note: No Memory Stick® DUO media or adaptors are included.
Weight: 1 lb 3.3 oz (546 g) including NP-BG1 battery pack, shoulder strap, adaptor ring, lens hood and lens cap, etc.
The above specs might read as awesome, but in reality the DSC H9 disappoints on many fronts. Firstly, the cameras greatest criticism is its aggresive nise reduction which causes great loss of detail and sharpness. At 8 mega pixel setting I find that there is too much compression of the image and thus prefer the 5mp setting. This means that I have far less pixels in my photos and thus image cropping is limited.
As an alternative, I considered purchasing a teleconverter lens, so that I could get close enough to the birdies without actually having to crop images. Besides, quite often, a 15x zoom is just not enough for framing distant birds. Now, Sony makes an excellent 1.7x TC lens (VCL-DH1774), but at over a 100 GBP, its far beyond my reach at the moment. And thus while Iwas oggling at the sour grapes, I came across this on Ebay for only 23.00 GBP. I was instantly hooked. A 3x teleconverter! Almost double the magnification for about 1/5th the price!
They say that in lenses, you only get what you pay for and how right they were to be. With just 23 pounds to lose I took the gamble and ordered it. It took almost a month for the item to reach from Hong Kong, but it finally did arrive and I was overjoyed.
The lens turned out to be a generic make, which ships with a 74-58 mm step down adapter ring. This adapter enables one to screw it onto the 74mm adapter that comes with the camera.
I wasted no time in testing it out and I must say I was heart broken. The magnification was great, but the images suffered from massive amounts of purple fringing.
Although, one can remove purple fringing from photos through image editing software, such as photoshop, it is laborious and not feasible to work with tens or hundreds of photos that one can accumulate in a day. Furthermore the results are often not very satisfactory.
I did a little bit of research and found that the reasons for the purple fringing could either be the lens itself or the camera or both.
"You'll find a slew of bargain-basement high-power tele-converters on eBay, and each costs less than the other. But each produces more distorted images with more chromatic aberration. Low-end conversion lenses are no bargain unless you don't care if your images look like a kaleidoscope with heavy purple highlights. That's not an exaggeration. They really can be that bad." ...almost as if they were talking to me!
and again..... "2X adapters and 3X adapters get you into a range that no digicam can support. A good quality 1000+ mm lens costs many thousands of dollars. You're not going to duplicate that quality in a $100 US add-on lens, no matter what the manufacturer claims. In my tests, 1.7X seems to be the maximum effective telephoto adapter you can use on an H-Series camera without running into image quality problems." little wonder then that the manufacturers themselves dont make bigger TC lenses.
"It's a minor miracle that the H-Series lenses produce crisp, undistorted images at 432-465 mm. You're tempting fate when you add on a lens whose quality and capability are not up to the standard of the Carl Zeiss-engineered lenses on the H-Series cameras."
So there you go! I wish I had read this before buying the lens!
The lens could just be amplifying this effect. I wonder about the images that would be produced if I added the lens onto some other make of camera. I may have to wait a few months for a test on my brothers Canon S3IS.
I tried one option to try and reduce the purple fringing - adding a uv filter. However this seems to have no effect and I`m left wondering if i purchased a normal piece of glass claiming to be a UV filter!
I have mostly given up on the lens now, as my attention has now been diverted to a much better way of getting awesome bird photos- the art of Digiscoping. More on that in another post.


...as your bride, you must indeed dedicate something further to me, and I know of nothing more tender than these 3 Romances, in particular the middle one, which is the most beautiful love duet. It was with these words that Clara Schumann laid claim to the dedication of the Romances which Robert had given her as a Christmas present in 1839. Robert did not, however, consider them to be good or worthy enough of her. Even so, he later counted the Romances amongst his most successful works; in particular, the middle one mentioned above is probably one of his most beautiful and melodic compositions. This Urtext edition has been revised to include the latest in scholarly research and includes an extensive critical report.